Every two weeks Andrew will run down a few of things that have caught his eye. The topics will be wide-ranging -- statistical, analytical and opinion-based – and he'll do his best not to neglect your favorite franchise.

Who Does May Belong To?

We are just a few days away from June, but let's enjoy the rest of May while it lasts. The month has belonged to Bryce Harper and Prince Fielder. Harper has gotten more attention because of the microscope the Washington Nationals are under and the mainstream media appeal he carries, but Fielder has caught fire over the last few weeks.

The 22-year-old Harper is hitting .377/.495/.922 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and four more walks than strikeouts across 95 plate appearances in May. Fielder, who turned 31 on May 9, has a .402/.451/.735 slash line with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and six more strikeouts than walks in 113 plate appearances this month.

Fielder may have the higher batting average, but Harper is getting on base at a better clip and has flashed more power. When you factor in defense, the month of May 2015 will always belong to Bryce Harper.

Cubs Rewarded For Youth Movement

The Cubs were 25-20 entering Wednesday, a significant improvement for a club that has finished at least 12 games under .500 in each of the last five seasons. They haven't made the playoffs since 2008.

We've heard a lot about how good Chicago will be eventually, perhaps threatening their historic championship drought, but unlike many hype-trains (see the 2014 Houston Astros) the Cubbies are delivering. They are doing so thanks to a pair of rookie position players in Kris Bryant and Addison Russell.

Baseball has gravitated heavily towards the promise of prospects in recent years, leading in many cases to the overvaluing of talent that is largely unproven. For example, the Boston Red Sox were too high on Jackie Bradley, Jr. and now his offense has tarnished his trade value a plus-defensive player. A year or two ago Bradley might have been the linchpin in blockbuster trade, but in 2015 he's likely the third or fourth player in a package.

Bryant, 23, was drafted two years ago by the Cubs, who famously kept him in the minor leagues at the start of the season to delay his free agency. It's impossible to determine whether he would have produced had he made the Opening Day roster, but the results have been impressive since he debuted on April 17. He is hitting .281/.396/.489 in 164 plate appearances.

He has been undaunted by Major League pitching. Bryant hit .321/.364/.679 in 33 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa prior to his promotion. He may be growing into his professional power, but has shown a patient approach at the plate.

Russell, a first-round pick in 2012 that was acquired from the Oakland Athletics last summer in the Jason Hammel/Jeff Samardzija trade, debuted four days after Bryant and has enjoyed success as well.

The 21-year-old is hitting .252/.301/.426 , but his 44 strikeouts in 123 plate appearances are unsightly. Bryant (1.4) and Russell (1.2) rank second and third (behind Anthony Rizzo) on the Cubs in WAR.

In addition to those two, the Cubs rely heavily on Jorge Soler, who had just 97 plate appearances under his belt before 2015, and Kyle Hendricks, who will surpass his 2014 innings total sometime in June.

Yankees Sans Jacoby

The New York Yankees occupy first-place in the mediocre American League East, but may soon find themselves in trouble. Joe Girardi said Tuesday that Jacoby Ellsbury could miss another month with a right knee injury.

Ellsbury hasn't played since May 19 and the Yankees have gone 3-4 without him in the lineup. The outfielder wasn't been hitting for power, but was enjoying one of the best offensive seasons of his career at age 31. He was hitting .324/.412/.372 with 14 stolen bases -- his average and on-base percentage are both career-highs.

Girardi employed Ellsbury as New York's leadoff hitter, creating a one-two punch with the speedy Brett Gardner. Without Ellsbury, Gardner has slid up to the No. 1 hole. Gardner is hitting .242/.324/.485 in 33 at-bats since Ellsbury went down.

The Yankees have used Carlos Beltran (three games), Chase Headley (three) and Chris Young (one) in the number two hole in place of Gardner.

New York's offense has actually been more prolific since Ellsbury hurt his knee, but the sample size is small and will be tough to sustain. The Yankees are hitting .254 and have scored 5.7 runs in seven games without Ellsbury, up from .244 and 4.4 runs per game though May 19.