Countdown of the 100 Names You Need to Know: Nos. 1-10

USA TODAY is counting down the 100 Names You Need to Know for this upcoming season.

This is our yearly look at young players primed to make an impact during the upcoming big-league season. They aren't necessarily baseball's best prospects but rather the ones most likely to make a mark in 2012.

To qualify for our list, a player must have had more innings (for pitchers) or at-bats (for hitters) in the minor leagues in 2011 than he has had during all of his major league time. Players are ranked in order of their anticipated impact this season.

Check back each day as the next names are released.

No. 11-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100

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1. RHP Yu Darvish, Rangers, 25: If Darvish is truly ready to embrace the rock-star image he could project on a championship-caliber team, there's no telling how good he could be. Making the cultural adjustment seems to be all that's standing in the way of him being a top-of-the-rotation impact pitcher. Those who've been around him say Darvish has the personality to handle it.

2. LHP Matt Moore, Rays, 22: Tampa Bay owner Stu Sternberg sat on the bench before Moore's big-league debut in August and opined that this lefty just might be better than former No. 1 pick David Price. Nineteen innings into his big-league career, including a playoff start, Moore has backed up the hype. He's a true power pitcher with ace stuff.

3. 3B Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays, 22: The combination of his energy, his power, surprisingly strong defense and his Canadian citizenship combined to make him a late-season sensation after an August call-up. He used up his rookie status, but he's going to be more than that in Toronto — quite possibly the face of the franchise. Jose Bautista is still the man in the Blue Jays lineup, but Lawrie adds a second major threat, not to mention a healthy dose of personality.

4. C Jesus Montero, Mariners, 22: He's out of New York and in a less-friendly park for hitters, but Montero at his best is a quality hitter who happens to have big-time power. The homers will come, even in Seattle. He's a true impact hitter who the New York Yankees fear they could regret trading, even for Michael Pineda. Plenty of questions remain about Montero's defensive ability, but the Mariners are more than willing to let him do damage as the DH.

5. OF Mike Trout, Angels, 20: He is as good a young talent as there is in baseball and slips to fifth on this list only because an overloaded Angels roster could limit his playing time. His combination of power, speed and above-average center-field defense spells star. Trout can push any of the starting three of Vernon Wells, Peter Bourjos and Torii Hunter for outfield time and will on a team that will make whatever moves necessary to win now.

6. RHP Julio Teheran, Braves, 21: He'd be the clear No. 1 pitching prospect in many organizations, but even after a dominating season at Class AAA, he'll have to battle to make the major league rotation. There's nothing about his game that holds him back, but Atlanta's pitching depth means he'll have to beat out Mike Minor and Randall Delgado (No. 57) for one spot unless the Braves use that depth in a trade. He's ready for the majors.

7. OF Dayan Viciedo, White Sox, 22: The man known as The Tank (5-11, 230 will do that) got comfortable as an outfielder last year after defecting from Cuba as a third baseman. Now, he's in line to start in right in Chicago. He's spent the majority of his three U.S. seasons in the minors, but he'll just be 23 by the time opening day comes. He isn't polished defensively but has big-time power and made major strides last year in improving his plate discipline.

8. RHP Brad Peacock, Athletics, 24: He might not turn out to be the best of the young pitchers Oakland has been collecting, but he's the most ready to contribute from the beginning of the season. Peacock's eye-popping numbers in the Washington Nationals system last year were a product of his exceptional control. He can get his fastball up over 90 mph, but even a lower strikeout rate than he had in the minors should be fine in Oakland's big park.

9. RHP Henderson Alvarez, Blue Jays, 21: His velocity has increased the last two years to the upper 90s, but his ability to get plenty of ground balls made him successful in 10 late-season starts for Toronto and should get him into the rotation from the beginning of the season. His low walk rate — 1.7 per nine innings in the minors and 1.1 after his call-up — should serve him well in the AL East.

10. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks, 24: His power is impressive, and he didn't disappoint with particularly long homers after his promotion to the majors. He'll be the starting first baseman — with Lyle Overbay around for insurance — but the key question for Goldschmidt is how he adapts to how he's pitched. He's a big-swing guy who drastically reduced his strikeout rate in the minors last year, then struck out 53 times in 177 plate appearance for Arizona.