Plenty of intrigue in Arizona, L.A. camps

Since the inception of the Cactus League in 1947, when the ClevelandIndiansandNewYork Giants set up shop in Tucson, the month-plus long exhibition has evolved into 15 teams and 10 stadiums across metro Phoenix.

Whether you’re headed down to Arizona for a spring break trip or simply plan on keeping tabs on the action from afar, here’s a preview guide to the 2019 Cactus League, including story lines to know, top prospects to watch and more.

Drama to watch for. Beyond the Rockies’ clubhouse, where there will be an open competition for the second-base job, more intrigue abounds as spring training fires up. Will Arizona, sans departed stars in Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin, find traction in its next batch of farm players, or will Salt River reveal that a full rebuild is in order? And what about the Dodgers? The two-time defending National League champs were busy this offseason, and it’ll be interesting to see how quickly Los Angeles’ new roster pieces (catcher Russell Martin and Pollock) can jell.

Outside the NL West, the Brewers look to pick up where they left off last fall — only with a couple more assets in catcher Yasmani Grandal and third baseman Cory Spangenberg — with reigning MVP Christian Yelich still leading the way. The new-look Reds will also be a team to watch in Phoenix throughout the spring, as Cincinnati sports an array of fresh arms (Zach Duke, Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood) in addition to ex-Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig.

The next wave of stars. With half of MLB’s teams in town, there’ll be no shortage of top prospects eager to begin building their major league reputations. In particular, keep an eye on San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.,