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Beginning on March 14, Major League Baseball will conduct the first ever Spring Breakout series -- a four-day, 16-game showcase of the game's top prospects. Every team will play at least one game (the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds will play two apiece on account of there being an odd amount of teams in Florida and Arizona). There are no championships or awards at stake; this is merely MLB's attempt to wisely use the late stages of spring training to introduce the public to the league's future stars.

We here at CBS Sports have already provided a full breakdown of the schedule and the rosters for the Spring Breakout series. Today, we've chosen to kick off the event by highlighting five particular matchups that we find to be the most intriguing. For diversity's sake, we've avoided just picking the games that feature the tippy top prospects. Instead, we've tried to choose games for a variety of reasons. You'll find our complete explanation, along with insight into the players and the game itself below. (Do note that the games are presented in their chronological order.)

With all the fine print out of the way, let's get to the good stuff.

1. Battle of the No. 1 picks, round 2

When: March 14, 7:05 p.m. ET

Who: SS/2B Jackson Holliday (Orioles) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (Pirates)

We thought we'd already exhausted this year's supply of this matchup between the two most recent No. 1 picks. We were wrong. The minors' top hitter and pitcher, according to CBS Sports' preseason prospect rankings, will face off again on Thursday. Skenes won the first round between the two, inducing a groundout to begin a quality outing.

We consider Holliday to be the game's top overall prospect. He won't be able to legally drink until December, yet he's consistently shown a preternatural ability to scorch professional pitching. He's a legitimate candidate to head north when camp breaks. Skenes won't make his debut that soon, but he'll find his way to The Show later this year. He's a strapping right-hander with a hot fastball and a swing-and-miss slider.

As an added bonus, these teams are loaded with other notable prospects. The Pirates will have second baseman Termarr Johnson and pitchers Anthony Solometo and Bubba Chandler on hand. The Orioles, meanwhile, will have slugging corner infielder Coby Mayo; last year's first-round pick outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr.; and catcher Samuel Basallo, who we recently noted is a good candidate to make a leap this season.

If you're only going to catch one game of the Spring Breakout series, make it this one.

2. The future of the National League East

When: March 15, 3:20 p.m. ET

Who: OF James Wood, OF Dylan Crews (Nationals) vs. INF/OF Jett Williams, INF Luisangel Acuña (Mets)

The Nationals roster includes, in our evaluation, two of the six best prospects in the minors in outfielders Crews and Wood. They'll also have third baseman Brady House on hand. Each of the three could make their big-league debut this summer, giving Washington's lineup a much needed infusion of star power and thump.

The Mets, for their part, will have some notable names in action, too, beginning with recent first-round picks Williams, catcher Kevin Parada, and infielder Colin Houck. You'll also be able to catch a look at their most notable additions from last year's deadline: Acuña, outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford, shortstop Marco Vargas, and catcher Ronald Hernandez. 

Might the National League East be decided by this group someday? At minimum, we expect that to be the case for some not-so-distant Nationals-Mets contests.

3. Promising catchers converge

When: March 15, 4:10 p.m. ET

Who: C Ethan Salas (Padres) vs. C Harry Ford (Mariners)

We consider Salas and Ford to be the top catching prospects in baseball. That makes it awfully convenient that they'll be behind the dish for their teams on Friday afternoon.

You've likely heard about Salas. He's the 17-year-old wunderkind who should become the first teenager to catch in a big-league contest since Iván Rodríguez did it in 1991. (Salas has until, oh, June 1, 2026, to get it done.) Ford is trying to make history of his own. He's looking to become the first prep catcher to have a productive career after being selected in the first round since Joe Mauer, more than two decades ago.

The Padres will also have shortstop/outfielder Jackson Merrill on hand -- he's a candidate to make the Opening Day roster -- along with a slew of notable pitchers, including Dylan Lesko, Drew Thorpe, and Robby Snelling. The Mariners will counter with talented infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson as well as outfielder Lazaro Montes.

4. Red Sox send best and brightest

When: March 16, 1:05 p.m. ET 

Who: 3B Ignacio Alvarez Jr, RHP Owen Murphy (Braves) vs. OF Roman Anthony, SS Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox)

Alas, the Braves won't be sending their best prospect, right-hander Hurston Waldrep. They will have some other intriguing youngsters taking part, however. That list starts with infielder Ignacio Alvarez Jr., who has shown an advanced offensive skill set despite his youth. Athletic righty Owen Murphy, who has drawn comparisons in the past to Jack Flaherty and Jack Leiter, is also on the docket to pitch for the Braves.

Murphy and company will be facing a talented crop of hitters on the Red Sox side. Boston will have all three of its top-50 prospects in play. That includes outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and catcher Kyle Teel. You'll also get a glimpse of outfielder Miguel Bleis, who could be in for a breakout season this year.

5. Potential shortstop stars on display

When: March 16, 4:05 p.m. ET

Who: RHP Chase Hampton, SS Roderick Arias (Yankees) vs. SS Arjun Nimmala, LHP Brandon Barriera (Blue Jays)

We'll close this preview out with another divisional battle that features an intriguing positional clash.

The Yankees will have Hampton, their top pitching prospect, and promising outfielder Spencer Jones in action. Both could work their way into the big-league plans this year. The player of the hour, so far as we're concerned, is switch-hitting teenage shortstop Arias, who we feel has a potentially bright future ahead of him.

On the other side, we've been high on Nimmala dating back to last spring. He has the kind of well-rounded upside that could make teams regret allowing him to slip to the 20th pick. Barriera is an intriguing lefty who just needs innings to improve his prospect stock.