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On Friday, we took a look at some of the American League's most intriguing newcomers, and today, it's time to turn our focus to the National League. Here are your introductions for the NL's "10 names to know":

Josh Barfield, 2B, Padres: The son of former American League home run champ Jesse Barfield, Josh doesn't have quite his father's power but is a better pure hitter. He led all minor leaguers in hits (185), RBI (128) and extra-base hits (68) in 2003, and after a mediocre 2004 at Double-A Mobile, bounced back nicely with a .310 average and .820 OPS at Triple-A Portland last season. It has been suggested that hamstring troubles were the primary cause of his poor year at Mobile, and if that's the case, there's plenty to get excited about; include that season and he's still a career .300 hitter with a .797 OPS. Barfield will battle Mark Bellhorn for the starting job in the spring, and if he wins the job, he should contribute enough in all Rotisserie categories to be a useful fantasy starter. Still, remember he'll play his home games at Petco Park, limiting his upside, and he's not quite as speedy as his 20 stolen bases in 2005 indicate. He's more of a 20-homer, 10-steal type.

Matt Cain, SP, Giants: While most of the attention in fantasy leagues will be paid to kids like Zach Duke and Felix Hernandez, Cain by all rights could be every bit as valuable as either in 2006. The No. 13 prospect on Baseball America's top 100 last year, and the third-ranked pitcher, Cain is a strikeout artist with higher upside than any of the several pitching prospects developed by the Giants the past half-decade, including Francisco Liriano, Noah Lowry and Jerome Williams. Cain had a 3.33 ERA, 1.217 WHIP and 10.12 strikeouts per nine innings ratio in his minor-league career, and we all saw a glimpse of his talent when he registered a 2.33 ERA in seven late-season starts with the Giants. He's a virtual lock to begin the year in the San Francisco rotation, and in a park as spacious as SBC, there's no reason Cain can't be a top-25 fantasy starter, even as a rookie.

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