Alex Reyes' journey has already taken him from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic to the top of prospect rankings and finally to the major leagues in 2016.
Next stop: the top of the St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation.
OK, so that's not set in stone. With a healthy Lance Lynn set to rejoin Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and Michael Wacha in 2017, the Cardinals have five proven starters for five spots. That's a tough nut for a 22-year-old with only 46 major league innings to crack.
The Cardinals did remove a key barrier in Reyes' way when they traded Jaime Garcia in December, however.