Keep an eye on the prospects at these 5 camps
This story was excerpted from MLB Pipeline's newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The Dodgers and Padres got things started early this year with first pitchers and catchers workouts on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Every other club will begin their workouts on Wednesday or Thursday.
Spring isn’t just in the air. It’s on the ground. It’s in the bullpens. It’s in the mitts. It’s in the cage. It’s everywhere all around us -- well, at least if you’re in Arizona or Florida.
Spring Training can be an exciting time in the world of prospects because it presents our first up-close look at them since last fall, and an offseason of preparation can bring sharpened tools in sometimes unexpected ways. It makes me think especially of Julio Rodríguez’s speed-based training ahead of his rookie year in 2022 and how he’s used his run tool to secure his place as one of the game’s most electric stars.
We’ll see what Spring Training surprises arise around the corner, but before the Grapefruit and Cactus League truly kick into gear, here are the five most interesting Major League camps for prospects and potential rookies in 2024:
Baltimore Orioles
It’s the No. 1 prospect-related question on everyone’s mind this spring because it involves the No. 1 overall prospect -- will Jackson Holliday crack Baltimore’s Opening Day roster? As Jake Rill writes, O’s general manager Mike Elias is certainly willing to let the 2022 first overall pick win the job with a strong showing. The defending AL East champs have an opening at second base, and it seems the club would prefer a lefty bat there. After earning an extra Draft pick via the Prospect Promotion Incentive and Gunnar Henderson's Rookie of the Year Award in 2023, there is an opportunity to follow that path again with a high-ceiling talent, and Holliday’s ability to adjust at every level gives him a bigger advantage than your typical 20-year-old non-roster invitee. Additionally, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad could each add to the Orioles’ list of good problems with a strong spring.
Milwaukee Brewers
Lots of attention is headed Jackson Chourio’s way after MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect signed an eight-year, $82 million extension -- the largest given to a player with zero MLB service time. You’d think that would guarantee the Venezuelan center fielder a spot on Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster, but that isn’t entirely true. Chourio turns 20 on March 11 and has only six Triple-A games on his resume. A quiet turn in the Cactus League could put him back in Nashville with Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell or Joey Wiemer taking over in center. Elsewhere, the newly acquired Joey Ortiz will try to win the open spot at third base in his new organization, while Robert Gasser and Carlos F. Rodriguez try to claim spots in the rotation. Don’t be shocked if Jacob Misiorowski increases calls for a quick jump to the Majors either if his special fastball and slider play as they should in short spring spurts.
This browser does not support the video element.
Texas Rangers
Look, we know, barring injury, that Evan Carter will be on the World Series champions’ Opening Day roster after his key role last October and November. Will Wyatt Langford join him in the outfield? On paper, Texas is set on the grass with Carter in left, Leody Taveras in center and Adolis García in right. But after showing plus-plus power at Florida and four Minor League stops (including Triple-A), Langford has as high a ceiling as anyone in that group. His bat is basically ready as is. Chris Young and Bruce Bochy seem open to the 2023 fourth overall pick winning a job if his swing decisions and exit velocities hold up in Arizona, and should that happen, he could be right there with Carter and Holliday as co-favorites to win AL Rookie of the Year. Defending World Series champs don’t ordinarily have the chance to get better by plugging in recent Draft picks. There is little ordinary about Langford as a prospect.
San Diego Padres
The Padres signed Jurickson Profar to a one-year deal on Monday, filling one of the club’s roster holes. So many remain. In AJ Cassavell’s initial Opening Day roster projection, he slotted Jackson Merrill, Graham Pauley, Eguy Rosario and Jakob Marsee in as potential infield and outfield options. Rosario is the only one of the group with MLB experience, and Merrill is the only Top 100 prospect, though Pauley and Marsee have their fans among scouts and evaluators. Merrill, Pauley and Marsee have the potential to be regulars in time, but it’s likelier that San Diego will seek external options to bolster its depth unless one of those three truly goes off soon. As always, keep an eye on 17-year-old Ethan Salas, who continues to impress Major League pitchers with his work behind the dish.
Cincinnati Reds
Noelvi Marte seemingly made some space for himself in a crowded Cincy infield when he hit .316/.366/.456 over 35 games for the Major League club late last season, only to see the Reds ink fellow third baseman Jeimer Candelario in the offseason. Does Marte get more looks at shortstop or other positions to play up his versatility as a powerful right-handed option off the bench? Or do the Reds prefer to send him back to Triple-A for everyday at-bats? On the pitching side, No. 70 overall prospect Connor Phillips has a plus-plus fastball and good breaking stuff, but he needs to rein in his control to compete for a return to the Reds’ rotation.