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Is it possible to be the 22-year-old All-Star shortstop for the best team in baseball and still be overlooked? Possibly, is one answer. We speak of Addison Russell of the Cubs. On most teams, he'd be a franchise talent, but on the Cubs he gets a bit lost on a roster stuffed with excellent young talent. Make no mistake, though: Russell, with his elite defense at the most premium position on the diamond and his developing bat, is central to the Cubs' present success and long-term outlook.

Russell and the Cubs are of course set to begin the NLDS against the Giants. Russell was part of the breakout 2015 squad that won 97 games and made it to the NLCS, but this time the Cubs are the unquestioned favorites. While it seems strange for a team that hasn't won the World Series in more than a century to be under pressure, those are the straits in which Russell and the Cubs find themselves in October 2016.

Regarding the topic of pressure and other matters baseball, CBS Sports recently spoke to Russell as part of his partnership with MET-Rx ...

CBSSports: Tell us a little about your partnership with MET-Rx.

Addison Russell: Baseball in October is intense; it's packed with a lot of high-pressure situations. I partnered with MET-Rx because they understand elite athletes like myself and help us train and get to the next level, so that when the big moment arrives we're ready to dominate. They're a product I stand by.

CBS: Let me ask you about pressure. As someone on the outside, I've always thought that if a player makes it to the major leagues, then he by definition knows how to deal with pressure. Are you still sensitive to those situations or is that something that gets weeded out as you climb the ladder to the highest level?

AR: When I face high-pressure situations, I don't even think about that. I just think about what needs to be focused on, just kind of tune in to the task at hand, and that helps me perform at a higher level than I'm used to. Being in those situations brings out the best in me.

CBS: Do you feel physically different when you're, say, at the plate in a tie game in the ninth versus at the plate in a 10-1 game?

AR: There's going to be a little more hype, but there's only so much that you can do. You don't want to go to the plate thinking it's a high-pressure situation thinking, "what should I do?" You want to go in thinking you're made for this situation. He's out there on the mound, I'm in the box, let's go. You don't want to analyze the situation too much.

CBS: Do you feel pressure in the field, when you're on the other side of things?

AR: It's a different type of pressure because it can happen on any pitch, any count. It can happen back-to-back, it can happen three times in a row. Continuously you have to be into the game, you have to know what's going on -- who's at the plate, who's on the bases, where the wind is blowing -- you kind of calculate what the outcome may be for that pitch.

CBS: You've already established yourself as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. What was it like, though, breaking in as a second baseman, which isn't your natural position?

AR: It was definitely a challenge, just having a little bit of experience at second base. When I moved back over to shortstop it felt a little more comfortable. It's the position I've played ever since I was little.

CBS: In general terms, does anything feel different about playing up the middle in the majors as opposed to the minors?

AR: It's pretty much the same. The only difference is more fans and a better playing surface.

CBS: Did that time at second base benefit your shortstop play after you switched back?

AR: Absolutely. Knowing the type of jobs that the second baseman has to do helped me understand where he might be at a certain point during a play. Knowing where he needs to be helps me know where I need to be and maybe even helps me know what to say to him before the pitch. Playing second base really helped me with all that.

CBS: I assume, like a lot of players these days, you probably train year-round, which is not how it used to be in the old days. What kind of things do you do in the offseason to recuperate and then stay in baseball shape?

AR: In the offseason, I'll probably take a month to a month-and-a-half off to just get my feet under me, and then I'll go straight into training. Nothing too intense yet, but I step it up end of December or early January and then work it all the way until Spring Training. I keep it going through spring, and once the season starts I'll probably cut it down to two times a week, with one full-body lift per week. I also like to do a lot of speed work and footwork -- ladders, jumps, stuff like that. It helps my initial first step be good.

CBS: Have you ever tried Pilates with Jake Arrieta?

AR: Yeah, I've tried Pilates, yoga. It's great for flexibility and also mental preparation.

CBS: Do the Cubs oversee your workout regimen at all, or do they leave it up to you?

AR: We're pretty individual. From afar, they kind of analyze your daily regimen, but if your routine is good they won't say anything. They probably wouldn't say anything anyway because we're professionals. I feel really good about how I prepare myself for each game.

CBS: You don't have to name names, but have you ever encountered any major-league player these days who doesn't train in the offseason?

AR: Not that I know of. All the ones I know work really hard.

CBS: You played high school football, right? And in a pretty competitive part of the country?

AR: Yeah, I played high school football in Pensacola, Fla. It was a pretty intense football atmosphere over there. I had played my entire life, but after my freshman year I just wanted to do away with football and focus on baseball. I was pretty good football, but I think I'll have a longer and more stable career playing baseball. Plus, I love playing baseball.

CBS: Did you move away from football in part because you were starting to realize your potential in baseball?

AR: Yep, I just really wanted to commit myself to it and hone my skills.

CBS: In Florida, you probably did year-round baseball, right?

AR: Yes. After the high school season was over, I'd go straight into travel ball. I'd play in South Florida and Georgia and elsewhere, I'd play in some Perfect Game events. It was just so I could prepare myself to hopefully get drafted.

CBS: Andrew McCutchen wrote a piece not long ago about how expensive it is for some kids to do travel ball. Given the prominence of travel baseball these days, do you see that becoming more of a concern?

AR: Absolutely. It's not cheap to get kids into these tournaments. I was fortunate enough to have a family who could help me out. Also, I was a scholarship player on one team, so I didn't have to pay in that instance. That was a huge blessing for me and my family. But it's a concern. Going to those PG [Perfect Game] tournaments and those East Coast showcases --not cheap at all. But in order to get seen and get on the map, you kind of have to go to those.

CBS: Jumping back to the present, what's your prediction for the playoffs from the Cubs' standpoint?

AR: Right now, I think we're all feeling good -- staying mentally stable and having a lot of fun. The team's excited to get back on the field and start playing again and just do what we've been doing all year. We want to make some things happen this year.

CBS: So no prediction?

AR: Nah, just want to have some fun out there. Some people say we've dominated baseball this year, but we just want to go out and get better every single day. We've been playing games like they're playoff games. These guys ball out every single game. In that playoffs, that's going to be even better. We're ready.

CBS: We know how great this team has been in 2016, and we know how long it's been since the Cubs have won the World Series. Are you feeling any pressure to get it done, given the fans' expectations?

AR: We realize all those expectations, but we put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else can. We got our feet wet last year, so we know what it's like.

CBS: Last question: Do you think last year's run set you up to go even deeper this time around?

AR: No doubt. We have a manager who's been to the World Series, we have guys on the team who have been to the World Series before. Overall, we just have more experience. We can pick the minds of our vets when we need to, especially if someone's feeling uneasy. That's an awesome tool to have. Those guys have been through it, and Joe [Maddon] has been through it. We can all speak our minds about how it's going to for us at any time.

Conversation edited for clarity.