10 players having a scorching Spring Training

We aren’t really meant to read into Spring Training stats for a number of reasons. They measure a small sample size when players are trying to warm up after a few months off, and no one really plays preseason exhibition games with results in mind in any sport. Plenty of incredible seasons have followed dismal Spring Training performances (and vice versa).

In any event, spring numbers aren’t usually indicative of how a player is going to perform in the regular season, but they can give us an idea of things that are harder to measure -- a young prospect’s confidence in his game or how a player is recovering after a major injury the year before, for example. With that in mind, here’s a look at 10 notable players having big springs.

Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles
9-for-20 (.450), 5 HR, 1.627 OPS

Cowser’s brief 2023 debut in which he had a .148 slugging percentage in 26 games didn’t do much for his stock, especially when compared to some of the best-case-scenario debuts the Orioles have had over the last few seasons. Where Baltimore's No. 3 prospect could fit on the roster remains a question, but to start with, he’s making a case for the Orioles to consider finding him a spot, although he is, notably, in direct competition with Kyle Stowers, who is also having a great spring in what could be a make-or-break season.

Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Yankees
8-for-19 (.421), 2 2B, 2 HR, 1.579 OPS

The concussion Rizzo sustained last season threw a wrench into what was shaping up to be a resurgent campaign. At the time of the injury, he was hitting .304 with 11 home runs; after, struggling with post-concussion syndrome, he hit.172 with a .225 slugging percentage and just one home run over his final 46 games before being placed on the IL for good on Aug. 3. Coming into camp, the extent to which that was going to affect him going forward was something of a mystery, but early on, there appears to be no cause for concern -- after struggling to see the ball down the stretch in 2023, he’s hitting .467 thus far this spring.

Edouard Julien, 2B, Twins
8-for-19 (.421), 2B, 2 HR, 1.265 OPS

On the list of players to watch for potential breakout 2024 seasons, Julien is a real sleeper pick. The 24-year-old didn’t draw too much attention as a rookie in 2023, but by season’s end, he’d become Minnesota’s primary second baseman and preferred leadoff hitter. With good reason, too -- Julien posted a .381 on-base percentage with a 15.7% walk rate (98th percentile) and the lowest chase rate in baseball (14.3%, min. 100 PA). That he’s also flashing some power early on this spring is an exciting prospect -- he did hit 16 home runs in 109 games last season to accompany his ridiculous plate discipline -- especially given that the Twins seem content to roll with him as their starting 2B for the foreseeable future.

Eloy Jiménez, OF, White Sox
15-for-31 (.484), 3 2B, HR, 1.177 OPS

For Jiménez, plagued throughout his Major League career by a series of injuries, 2023 was a step in the right direction -- he played 120 games, his most since he played a career-high 122 in 2019 and hit the injured list only once after having an appendectomy -- and the way he’s tearing the cover off the ball this spring should only serve to encourage those hoping he’ll be healthy and at full strength on Opening Day.

Zach Neto, INF, Angels
9-for-29 (.310), 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, .978 OPS

Because the 2023 Angels’ infield situation almost immediately deteriorated, Neto was the first 2022 draftee to make it to the Majors, and as with a lot of rushed debuts, his didn’t go especially well. Although a perfectly capable infielder, he clearly lagged behind at the plate, ending the season with an OPS+ of 86, and, again, as with a lot of rushed debuts, it wasn’t really possible to immediately determine what impact that would have on his development. You can’t make a perfect judgment based on three weeks of baseball, but as it stands, Neto appears to have come a long way at the plate over one winter.

Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers
9-for-26 (.346), 4 HR, 1.246 OPS

Last year’s fourth overall pick has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster, in no small part due to his early production. We’re dealing in small sample sizes here, but Langford’s meteoric rise has been ongoing -- the 22-year-old made it all the way to Triple-A in his first professional season, posting a combined 1.157 OPS with 10 home runs and more walks (36) than strikeouts (34) in 44 games across four levels. Making a roster as stacked as the Rangers’ as a longshot would be no small thing; even so, Langford is making a remarkably strong case.

Henry Davis, C/OF, Pirates
7-for-21 (.333), 4 HR, 1.280 OPS

It’s hard to overstate how much was placed on Davis’ shoulders when the Pirates made him a first overall pick three years ago. That made his pedestrian debut season -- in 62 games, he hit just .213 and spent the vast majority of his playing time in the outfield, as the Pirates appeared intent on passing the catching job over to Endy Rodríguez instead -- feel more significant than it might have otherwise. But Davis was indirectly given the opportunity to assert himself as a viable starting catcher again when Rodríguez tore his UCL playing winter ball, and he doesn’t appear willing to waste it, having already cranked four home runs in the early going.

Tanner Houck, RHP, Red Sox
8.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 9 K

A converted starter for most of the 2022 season, the Red Sox had moved Houck back into the rotation in 2023, where he got off to a shaky start before he was struck in the face by a line drive on June 16 and missed just over two months waiting on his facial fractures to heal. He did make 21 starts overall, but ultimately, the numbers weren’t much to look at (5.01 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). Manager Alex Cora noted early on this spring that Houck had added the most velocity on the staff, which the right-hander acknowledged was a reflection of his return to full health. Houck, who came into Spring Training prepared to battle for Boston’s final open rotation spot, now looks like more of a lock, with his strong outings coming amidst the news that the Red Sox have already lost offseason addition Lucas Giolito to an elbow injury.

Chris Sale, LHP, Braves
8.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K

Mark Sale, a seven-time All-Star who once had a string of six straight top-five Cy Young Award finishes, down as an underdog. The Braves took on less than half of his 2024 salary in the offseason trade that brought him to Atlanta, which should be an indication of the uncertainty surrounding him. But Sale proved in 20 starts last year -- the most he’d made in a season since 2019 -- that he still has that swing-and-miss stuff that made him one of the best pitchers in baseball for so many years, tallying 125 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings. Entering his age-35 season, he’s definitely not what he was, having been put through the wringer physically, but based on his early showings, the stuff is still there. A healthy Sale, even in a partial season, would be an enormous get for the Braves, regardless of the role he ends up playing.

Tylor Megill, RHP, Mets
8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 K

The Mets’ sixth starter for much of the last three seasons, Megill has a legitimate shot to stick in the rotation on a more permanent basis after only winning the job back amidst his club’s pitching exodus at the 2023 Deadline. To this point, his case is looking pretty great. The 28-year-old came to Spring Training tinkering with a splitter, and his revamped repertoire has him racking up strikeouts early on -- in his last appearance, a March 5 start against the Yankees, he struck out six, drawing 10 whiffs on 22 swings (45.4%)