Predicting Non-Roster Invitees Who Will Have Huge Spring Trainings

With less than two weeks until the start of spring training, most organizations have already extended invitations to their non-40-man-roster players.

Besides providing an opportunity for players to fine-tune their skills against more advanced competition, spring training offers prospects the chance to make a strong impression in front of the entire organization.

This year's crop of non-roster invitees includes many of baseball’s top prospects, including Byron Buxton, Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa. However, they aren’t the only prospects expected to open eyes this year in major league camp.

Here's a look at seven non-roster prospects who will have huge springs.

Jesse Winker, LF, Cincinnati Reds

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Winker posted a 1.006 OPS in 53 games at High-A Bakersfield to open the season, but his production fell off after moving up to Double-A Pensacola (.677 OPS in 21 games), likely due to the partially torn tendon in his right wrist that ultimately ended his season in late July (but didn’t require surgery).

The 21-year-old made up for the lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where he led all qualified hitters with a .338 average.

Winker is one of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues, as he features a smooth, compact stroke from the left side of the plate and is adept at using the entire field. The 6’2”, 210-pound left-handed batter has hit at least 15 home runs in each of his first two years in full-season ball, and his frame and line-to-line approach suggest more will come.

More importantly, Winker possesses plate discipline and pitch recognition well beyond his years, which is reflected through his impressive strikeout (17.5 percent) and walk (14.3 percent) rates over 1,100 minor league plate appearances.

On the other side of the ball, Winker’s defense has steadily improved over the last two seasons, but he’s still limited to only left field due to his lack of speed and arm strength.

Winker will probably begin 2015 back at Double-A, as he’s likely looking at another full season in the minor leagues following Cincinnati’s acquisition of Marlon Byrd.

Sean Manaea, LHP, Kansas City Royals

There was an argument that Sean Manaea was the top college pitcher in the 2013 draft before a hip injury caused him to drop to the 34th-overall pick. The Royals showed faith in the left-hander with a $3.55 million bonus, and he rewarded them in his professional debut with a 3.11 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 121.2 innings (25 starts) at High-A Wilmington.

Manaea, 23, was especially dominant over his final eight outings, with a 1.23 ERA and 55-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 51.1 innings, and he capped his pro debut with 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in his final start.

Manaea’s fastball works comfortably in the low 90s, occasionally reaching 94-95 mph, and he uses his height and long arms to create plane. The southpaw’s slider is potentially an above-average pitch, thrown with tilt and late biting action, while his changeup should settle in around average but with a chance to play up with improved fastball command.

His overall command profile is fringy due to some of the effort in his delivery, but at the same time, that effort is also why he’s so deceptive. Plus, I’m willing to bet his command will improve naturally with experience.

Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Tyler Glasnow posted video-game numbers during his 2013 full-season debut at Low-A West Virginia, as he led the South Atlantic League in ERA (2.18), opponents' batting average (.142), strikeouts (164) and K/9 (13.26).

Amazingly, the 21-year-old's follow-up campaign last season at High-A Bradenton wasn’t all that different; Glasnow paced the Florida State League in ERA (1.74), WHIP (1.05) and opponents’ batting average (.174) while ranking second in strikeouts (157) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.4 K/9).

He was especially dominant during the second half of the season, with a 9-2 record, 1.65 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 109 strikeouts over 81.2 innings (14 starts). Meanwhile, he issued just 29 walks—one more than he allowed in 42.2 innings during the first half—while holding opposing hitters to a .177 average.

A 6’7” right-hander, Glasnow uses his size to create excellent downhill plane, which in turn allows him to dominate hitters with basically two pitches: an explosive fastball in the mid- to upper-90s and a swing-and-miss curveball that flashes plus potential. Glasnow’s changeup tends to play a bit firm given his huge reach toward the plate, but his feel for the pitch should continue to improve, making it at least solid-average at maturity.

Glasnow will occasionally struggle to keep his lanky frame and long limbs in sync during his delivery, but he has definitely become more consistent on that front over the last year-and-a-half. An Opening Day assignment to Double-A should be a healthy challenge for the 21-year-old—a challenge that, if passed, could have him in the major leagues by the end of the season.

Julio Urias, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Julio Urias solidified his status as one of the game’s top prospects in 2014, as the precocious left-hander dominated older hitters in the hitter-friendly California League in his age-17 season.

After celebrating his 18th birthday on Aug. 12, Urias capped his outstanding campaign by posting a 0.44 ERA with 31 strikeouts over his final 20.1 innings (five starts). On the season, the southpaw pitched to a 2.36 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 87.2 innings while also holding opposing hitters to a dismal .194/.292/.290 batting line.

Urias’ stuff and feel for his craft are truly special, and not just in context of his age. The 5’11”, 160-pound left-hander’s mechanics are smooth and repeatable, which allows for him to find a consistent release point from a three-quarters slot. His fastball already sits in the low 90s and bumps 94-95 mph, and he’s adept at manipulating the pitch so as to generate both sinking and cutting action.

The southpaw’s curveball shows plus potential in the 78-82 mph range, and he has a distinct feel for changing the shape and pace via adding/subtracting. Urias also throws a fading changeup in the low 80s with late fading action, though his feel for the pitch lags behind his other two offerings. 

Urias isn’t your average pitching prospect, and so far, the Dodgers haven’t treated him as such, challenging the teenager with aggressive full-season assignments.

The 18-year-old is a safe bet to reach the major leagues as a teenager, possibly as early as 2016, though it may take him several years to work his way to the front of the rotation.

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox

Selected in the first round of the 2013 draft based on the merit of his loud tools, Tim Anderson impressed last year in his first full professional campaign, opening the season at High-A Winston-Salem and finishing it at Double-A Birmingham.

Anderson’s best tool is plus speed, and it plays on all sides of the ball. The right-handed hitter’s stick will ultimately determine his level of success; he shows excellent bat speed and barrel awareness, but the approach is super aggressive and has the potential to be exploited by upper-level arms.

The 21-year-old’s in-game power comes mostly in the form of doubles at triples at the present, but his above-average raw pop that should translate to average over-the-fence power at maturity.

His defense is still raw and too aggressive, like any young shortstop, but Anderson has the tools to be a first-division shortstop. All he needs now is experience. Anderson is expected to begin the season back in Double-A, setting him up for a debut with the White Sox sometime in 2016.

Kyle Schwarber, OF/C, Chicago Cubs

Kyle Schwarber launched an assault on minor league pitching after signing with the Cubs (No. 4 overall pick), making stops at the short season and Low-A levels before reaching High-A Daytona, where he batted .302/.393/.560 with 20 extra-base hits (10 home runs) in 44 games.

While Schwarber’s bat looks as though it might be ready sooner rather than later, as he projects as a 60 hitter with potential 65 power. However, it will be his development on the other side of the ball that determines when he arrives in the major leagues.

Schwarber appeared in only 20 games behind the plate compared to 36 in left field during his professional debut, but he worked hard on refining his defensive chops during the fall instructional league and convinced the Cubs he’s ready to catch on a near-everyday basis next season, which he’ll likely begin in Double-A.

Luis Severino, RHP, New York Yankees

Luis Severino was one of the top breakout prospects of the 2014 season, as the young right-hander dominated across both Class-A levels as well as Double-A. He may be undersized at 6’0”, 195 pounds, but the right-hander’s electric arm speed generates an explosive mid-90s fastball that reaches 97-98 mph.

He employs a shorter stride that drives his lightning-quick arm action, but it also prevents him from using his lower half. Severino’s changeup flashes plus in low to mid-80s with late sink, while his breaking ball works in the 83-84 mph range with some depth, though he tends to sling the pitch across his body rather than working from fastball/changeup slot.

Severino has the highest ceiling among Yankees' pitching prospects, projecting to be a power pitcher in the same mold as Yordano Ventura.

The right-hander's breaking ball needs to be cleaned up, but the fastball and changeup are both dynamic offerings, and his strong control should continue to aid his transition at higher levels.

However, Severino's ability to remain a starter will likely be determined by his health and durability. If that doesn't work out, it's easy to envision his electric arm at the back end of the Yankees bullpen.