MLB Spring Training 2015: Who's Hot, Who's Not Through 2 Weeks of Games

Spring training results hardly forebode success or failure during the 162-game MLB season, especially two weeks through the exhibition schedule.

If these games were meant to be taken seriously, Will Ferrell wouldn't have suited up for 10 teams Thursday. But hey, it's been a while since fans could feast on new box scores. Although the tiny sample sizes will leave everyone hungry for more, they'll serve as tasty appetizers until Opening Day. 

The relevance of spring numbers varies on a case-by-case basis. When an established star hits a rough patch, it's no big deal. When a highly touted prospect catches fire, it's much tougher to turn a blind eye.

Let's examine some of MLB's hottest and coldest players two weeks into spring training.

Hot: Alex Rios, OF, Kansas City Royals

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Last season, Alex Rios delivered four home runs through 521 plate appearances for the Texas Rangers. Through seven games and 19 spring at-bats, the Kansas City Royals' new right fielder has sent three balls over the fence.

With a .439 career slugging percentage and three 20-plus homer campaigns, 2014 represents an outlier in Rios's resume. He had previously tallied over a dozen dingers in each of the past eight seasons, yet his lowest fly-ball percentage (33.7) since 2005 caused concern for the power outage amounting to more than a fluke.

Discussing Rios' rebound with The Kansas City Star's Randy Covitz, Royals manager Ned Yost suggested a clean bill of health as the main difference-maker.

"

We talked about Rios being healthy this year is going to be a key for him. They made a lot of noise about him during the off-season about his four home runs last year. I think his thumb has had to do a lot to do with it, obviously. We see he still has his power, he still has the ability to drive the ball in the gap. He’s going to be good for us.

"

If Rios can provide double-digit homers in a lineup lacking pop, he'll prove to be a solid replacement for Nori Aoki.

Not: Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

This is why we have spring training. Matt Wieters is getting his first taste of game action since May and still fighting off the cobwebs in search of a hit.

Since returning from season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Baltimore Orioles catcher is 0-for-20 with one walk and four strikeouts. His .048 OPS leaves a bit to be desired.

According to The Baltimore Sun's Eduardo E. Encina, skipper Buck Showalter is not concerned about Wieters' spring slump.

“The game speed, you think about how long it’s been since he was in game speed, but [the lack of hits is] the least of my worries," Showalter said. "It will click at some point. It’s not like he’s swinging and missing a lot. He’s just not squaring up balls like he will.”

The veteran manager makes a strong point about Wieters not whiffing, which would generate more concern than the 28-year-old simply failing to find open grass. He wasn't a sure thing to return by Opening Day, so just playing in these exhibition games is enough of a positive to overlook the early results.

Hot: Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Get used to Kris Bryant destroying baseballs. The Chicago Cubs will probably delay his hotly anticipated arrival to save an extra year of service time, but the 23-year-old third baseman is ready to rake at the big league level.

Deemed the No. 1 prospect by ESPN's Keith Law, Bryant has already scorched four homers, including two Thursday. Every shot is a dare to keep him out of the Opening Day lineup, raising the difficulty of Chicago explaining the decision while avoiding the obvious financial gains.

Typically, hitting .325/.438/.661 with 43 homers warrants a promotion, especially when accentuated by a 1.111 spring slugging percentage. The Cubs' playoff aspirations could also cause Bryant to force their hand with more hulking power.

For now, just enjoy the show, which will get paused for two or three weeks in April before the future star seizes Wrigley Field's hot corner. 

Not: Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

In the Philadelphia Phillies' dream world, Ryan Howard turns back the clock to 2009, leading a big-market contender to charitably accept his atrocious contract.

In the real world, Howard is batting 5-for-25 with no walks and eight strikeouts. He collected nothing but singles before going deep Friday, raising his OPS to .520.

The burly first baseman reported to camp 15 to 20 pounds lighter, which he credited to removing sugar from his diet. A healthier Howard provides a glimmer of optimism, but it has proved no more than another "best shape of my life" red herring.

Those whiffs are nothing new for the lefty, who carries a weighty 28.1 strikeout percentage over his career. After he repaired a declining walk percentage to 10.3, the Phillies have to hope this spring amounts to nothing more than a slim sample size.

At this point, they'll take anything from the former MVP, who has accumulated a minus-0.8 WAR over the past three years combined. 

Hot: Anthony Gose, OF, Detroit Tigers

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Anthony Gose is playing his way into a starting gig for the Detroit Tigers, going 12-for-22 with three doubles, three triples and four stolen bases through eight spring showdowns.

Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays during the winter, the 24-year-old outfielder registered an unappealing .226/.311/.293 slash line in his first MLB cup of coffee. Yet while most light-hitting speedsters come with the "can't steal first" warning label, Gose boasted a 9.1 walk percentage.

Gose will joust for playing time in center field with Rajai Davis, a fellow speed demon who is 10 years older and less of a defensive asset. The two create a logical platoon, with the right-handed Davis hitting .356 against southpaws last year and the left-handed Gose offering a .329 on-base percentage versus righties.

Yet the Tigers have not committed to the youngster assuming the larger piece of the puzzle, making it likely the two would split the heavier portion of the platoon. Gose, however, is doing his darndest to seize the spotlight. 

Not: Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

File this one under "it's only spring." Last October's superhero, Madison Bumgarner has allowed eight runs—seven earned—through 6.1 innings.

After reading such a spring stat, the next step is to look at his strikeout and walk numbers. If he couldn't find the strike zone or generate missed swings, then a sprinkle of worry would be warranted. That, however, is not the case for Bumgarner, who has collected six strikeouts to zero walks.

Call off the sirens. Everything is fine.

Opponents hit the ace hard, but many pitchers use March to tinker with new offerings while regaining their mound comfort. After shining bright during the World Series, Bumgarner is excused for taking practice games lightly.

Or maybe those 270 innings worked last year will take their toll on the heavily worked star. Either way, it's too early to jump to conclusions.

Hot: Nathan Eovaldi, SP, New York Yankees

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

One of the game's hardest-throwing starting pitchers, Nathan Eovaldi has notched a middling 6.5 K/9 ratio through two seasons. Despite still recording a 3.37 fielding independent pitching (FIP) last season, the young righty got shipped from the Miami Marlins to the New York Yankees.

Five innings is a microscopic sample size, but the Yankees are currently feeling good about the deal. The righty relinquished five hits and one run but, more importantly, has tallied six strikeouts with zero walks.

Eovaldi noted the rise in punchouts. 

"Usually [sliders] have almost been a contact pitch," he told NJ.com's Ryan Hatch. "To have them swing and miss it's a good sign."

According to data from Brooks Baseball, his slider actually generated the most misses among his pitches last season, with a 30.47 whiff percentage. Before we get carried away, he amassed a 8.22 K/9 rate last April.

Perhaps he's just a fast starter who can't maintain such dominance over a full year, but he has the upside to morph into an indispensable arm for the Bronx Bombers.

Not: Injured Starting Pitchers

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Much like last year, starting pitchers continue to drop like flies during spring training.

Aiming to come back from a left elbow injury, Cliff Lee halted his regimen due to discomfort. As the former Cy Young winner explained to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, he won't push through considerable pain:

"

There's no timeline [to make a decision on surgery]. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing and do it as long as I can. I'm not going to go out there in pain to where something bad can potentially happen. That doesn't make sense to me. So I'm going to play as long as I comfortably can. When it's uncomfortable to play and it hurts to play, then it's not worth it.

"

Phillies fans can't help but suffer flashbacks to Roy Halladay, another ace who called it quits after injuries abruptly stymied his dominance. It remains to be seen when, if ever, Lee will return.

In another return gone sour, Yu Darvish will likely undergo Tommy John surgery. After Darvish endured an onslaught of injuries last year, the Texas Rangers will have to play 2015 without their ace.

Although not a marquee name like Lee or Darvish, Marcus Stroman's season-ending ACL tear is every bit the bummer. The 23-year-old was a prime breakout candidate after recording a 2.84 FIP during his rookie season.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who bolstered their lineup with Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, now face a huge obstacle to capturing their first American League East title in 22 years. 

Note: All advanced stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. 

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