10 MLB Spring Training Non-Roster Invitees with Best Shot to Make Roster
With spring training in full swing this week, a select few will be looking to make the most of their preseason opportunities. There are generally two different types of players who find themselves as non-roster invitees for an MLB team during spring training:
- A veteran player who was unable to secure a guaranteed MLB deal and is looking to play his way onto the Opening Day roster.
- A top prospect who doesn't have a real shot at making the Opening Day roster but will benefit from being in camp with the MLB guys and getting some experience against top competition.
That being said, a handful of guys from both groups always wind up showing enough in the preseason to break camp with the big league club.
Ahead is a look at 10 guys with a realistic chance of doing just that, based on the roster situations they are facing and the players they'll be competing against for a job.
Other Non-Roster Invitees Who Could Crack an Opening Day Roster
1 of 11
Position Players
- C J.P. Arencibia, Philadelphia Phillies
- OF Kyle Blanks, San Francisco Giants
- 1B/DH Ike Davis, Texas Rangers
- OF Matt Joyce, Pittsburgh Pirates
- IF Pete Kozma, New York Yankees
- OF Justin Maxwell, Miami Marlins
- OF Matt Murton, Chicago Cubs
- IF Brendan Ryan, Washington Nationals
- 1B Gaby Sanchez, Seattle Mariners
- OF Travis Snider, Kansas City Royals
Pitchers
- SP Bronson Arroyo, Washington Nationals
- RP Matt Belisle, Washington Nationals
- RP Blaine Boyer, Milwaukee Brewers
- RP Craig Breslow, Miami Marlins
- RP Brian Duensing, Kansas City Royals
- RP Tom Gorzelanny, Cleveland Indians
- RP Casey Janssen, San Diego Padres
- SP Brandon Morrow, San Diego Padres
- RP Alexi Ogando, Atlanta Braves
- RP Joel Peralta, Seattle Mariners
- RP James Russell, Philadelphia Phillies
- RP Carlos Torres, Atlanta Braves
Fernando Abad, RP, Minnesota Twins
2 of 11
Role: No. 1 left-handed reliever
Top Competition
| Buddy Boshers | Indy | 52 | 3-1 | 1.00 | 0.981 | 2.3 | 11.8 | 54.0 |
| Logan Darnell | AAA | 35 | 5-1 | 2.78 | 1.313 | 2.9 | 7.6 | 77.2 |
| Mason Melotakis | A+/AA | 38 | 4-1 | 3.14 | 1.492 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 63.0 |
| Dan Runzler | AAA | 39 | 0-1 | 5.26 | 2.018 | 6.7 | 9.6 | 37.2 |
| Mike Strong | AA/AAA | 50 | 5-2 | 3.68 | 1.152 | 4.2 | 8.3 | 66.0 |
| Aaron Thompson | MLB | 41 | 1-3 | 5.01 | 1.330 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 32.1 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
The Minnesota Twins struggled to find a consistent left-handed presence in their bullpen last season, except for All-Star closer Glen Perkins.
Aaron Thompson (41 G, 5.01 ERA) and Ryan O'Rourke (28 G, 6.14 ERA) turned in results somewhere between mediocre and poor, and deadline addition Neal Cotts has since departed in free agency.
The team showed interest in top free agents Antonio Bastardo and Tony Sipp during the winter meetings, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, but both wound up signing multiyear deals elsewhere. When the dust settled, the Twins did not add a lefty reliever on a major league deal.
However, they did sign 30-year-old Fernando Abad to a minor league pact, and he looks like the favorite to emerge as the team's primary southpaw option.
Abad wasn't great last season with a 4.15 ERA and 1.343 WHIP over 62 appearances for the Oakland Athletics, but he's just one year removed from posting a terrific 1.57 ERA and 0.855 WHIP in 69 games for the A's.
Keep an eye on Buddy Boshers, who is looking to resurrect his career after spending last season playing in the independent league, but all signs point to Abad walking away with the job.
SP/RP Dillon Gee, Kansas City Royals
3 of 11
The Role: Final bullpen spot
Top Competition
| Brian Duensing | MLB | 55 | 4-1 | 4.25 | 1.377 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 48.2 |
| David Huff | AAA | 23 | 5-2 | 2.20 | 0.994 | 1.3 | 6.8 | 57.1 |
| Peter Moylan | MLB | 22 | 1-0 | 3.48 | 1.161 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 10.1 |
| Ross Ohlendorf | MLB | 21 | 3-1 | 3.72 | 1.448 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 19.1 |
Overview
Quick: Who was the New York Mets' Opening Day starter in 2014?
Bartolo Colon? Jon Niese? Zack Wheeler?
Nope, nope and nope. It was right-hander Dillon Gee, fresh off a rock-solid 2013 campaign that saw him go 12-11 with a 3.62 ERA over 199 innings of work.
However, a lat injury limited him to 22 starts in 2014, and he spent a good portion of 2015 in Triple-A after losing his rotation spot to rookie Noah Syndergaard.
His 5.90 ERA in 39.2 innings looked bad on the surface, but it came with a 4.42 FIP that may be a good indication that the 29-year-old is still capable of being a viable back-of-the-rotation arm.
While he signed a minor league deal, Gee can still earn some good money in 2016 if he breaks camp with the Royals. He'll have a $2 million base salary that includes $3.3 million in bonuses for games started and $700,000 in bonuses for relief appearances, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Veteran Chris Young parlayed a minor league deal into a terrific season as a swingman for the Royals last year. He was re-signed to a two-year, $11.5 million deal to join the rotation full time, and now Gee seems like a great fit to slide into that role.
One more interesting wrinkle to this is that Gee can opt out of the deal on March 2 if he's not on the 40-man roster, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. That's an unusually early opt-out deadline and gives Gee some rare leverage in his roster situation.
1B Dae-Ho Lee, Seattle Mariners
4 of 11
The Role: Platoon partner for Adam Lind at first base
Top Competition
| Jesus Montero | MLB | 38 | .223 | .661 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 0 |
| Gaby Sanchez | Japan | 66 | .226 | .720 | 45 | 12 | 7 | 18 | 19 | 3 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
The first base position has been a revolving door for the Seattle Mariners since the Richie Sexson days, but the team finally appears to have addressed that issue with the addition of Adam Lind this winter.
The 32-year-old is coming off a great season with the Milwaukee Brewers, posting an .820 OPS with 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 87 RBI.
The trouble is that Lind is exclusively a platoon player, as he brings with him a career .213/.259/.327 line against left-handed pitching.
That means the team will need to find him a right-handed hitting platoon partner, and former top prospect Jesus Montero appears to be the front-runner.
Montero hit .355/.398/.569 with 18 doubles, 18 home runs and 85 RBI in 394 at-bats at the Triple-A level but once again struggled when given a chance with the big club.
The job will be his to lose, but Dae-Ho Lee has a chance to swoop in and steal it if he can come anywhere near the level of production he's shown during his time in Korea and Japan.
A large human being listed at 6'4" and 286 pounds, Lee is a career .303/.387/.514 hitter in 15 seasons between the KBO and Japanese League.
The 33-year-old successfully made the jump to the Japanese League in 2012, and last season he hit .282/.368/.524 with 30 doubles, 31 home runs and 98 RBI for the Softbank Hawks.
"Dae-Ho gives us another potential right-handed power bat in the first base competition," general manager Jerry Dipoto told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. "He has performed at a very high level of production in both Korea and Japan, and we are excited to see how that translates to our team."
Signing him to a minor league deal was a great low-risk, high-reward move for the Mariners, and he could prove to be one of the big surprises of the spring.
3B Will Middlebrooks, Milwaukee Brewers
5 of 11
The Role: Starting third baseman
Top Competition
| Garin Cecchini | AAA | 117 | .213 | .583 | 90 | 14 | 7 | 28 | 34 | 9 |
| Aaron Hill | MLB | 116 | .230 | .640 | 72 | 18 | 6 | 39 | 32 | 7 |
| Hernan Perez | MLB | 112 | .243 | .584 | 64 | 15 | 1 | 21 | 14 | 5 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
With Aramis Ramirez gone and no clear replacement in the organization, the Milwaukee Brewers' starting third base job is up for grabs heading into spring training.
Recently acquired veteran Aaron Hill is the favorite among 40-man roster players, but the organization would no doubt love nothing more than for non-roster invitee Will Middlebrooks to seize the job with a big spring.
Still just 27 years old, Middlebrooks was once a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization and appeared to be a star in the making after posting an .835 OPS with 15 home runs and 54 RBI in 267 at-bats as a rookie.
It's been rough sailing in the three years since that big debut, as he's hit a combined .213/.258/.363 and been demoted to the minors on multiple occasions.
No longer dealing with the pressure of big-market expectations in Boston or a position battle with Yangervis Solarte in San Diego, he could finally kick-start his career with this new opportunity in Milwaukee.
The Brewers have cast a wide net in adding young talent this offseason, and Middlebrooks could wind up being the prize catch if he can walk away with the starting third base gig.
RP Edward Mujica, Philadelphia Phillies
6 of 11
The Role: Final bullpen spot
Top Competition
| Elvis Araujo | MLB | 40 | 2-1 | 3.38 | 1.385 | 4.9 | 8.8 | 34.2 |
| Andrew Bailey | MLB | 10 | 0-1 | 5.19 | 1.615 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 8.2 |
| Ernesto Frieri | MLB | 48 | 1-4 | 7.34 | 1.464 | 3.0 | 10.4 | 41.2 |
| Bobby LaFromboise | MLB | 11 | 0-0 | 1.13 | 0.750 | 1.1 | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| Michael Mariot | AAA | 42 | 4-2 | 2.32 | 1.097 | 2.3 | 10.5 | 62.0 |
| Yoervis Medina | MLB | 17 | 1-0 | 4.71 | 1.619 | 4.7 | 6.9 | 21.0 |
| Colton Murray | AA/AA | 52 | 8-3 | 2.67 | 1.107 | 3.6 | 8.9 | 77.2 |
| Hector Neris | MLB | 32 | 2-2 | 3.79 | 1.190 | 2.2 | 9.1 | 40.1 |
| James Russell | MLB | 49 | 0-2 | 5.29 | 1.500 | 2.4 | 5.3 | 34.0 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
The Philadelphia Phillies used 18 different pitchers out of the bullpen last year, including Jonathan Papelbon and Ken Giles, who have since been traded.
That leaves their relief corps in a serious state of flux, and they head into spring training with at least one bullpen spot legitimately up for grabs.
Incumbents Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez and Dalier Hinojosa, offseason additions Brett Oberholtzer and David Hernandez and Rule 5 pick Daniel Stumpf seem like reasonable bets to win six of the seven bullpen jobs.
That would leave the final spot to an open competition between a few young 40-man roster guys and a number of veterans on minor league deals, some of whom have past closer experience and could in fact compete for the ninth-inning job.
"We don’t have a closer, but we have a bunch of guys that have the capability of being the closer," manager Pete Mackanin told Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. "Somebody is going to have to win the job. Someone is going to have to take it. The field is wide open. It’s going to be fun looking at the competition."
One such veteran is Edward Mujica.
The 31-year-old pitched to a 4.75 ERA in 49 appearances with the Red Sox and A's last season, but he was an All-Star in 2013 when he converted 37 of 41 save chances with a 2.78 ERA for the Cardinals.
Ernesto Frieri (73 career saves) and Andrew Bailey (89 career saves) also have closer experience, but they both struggled last season.
RP Eric O'Flaherty, Pittsburgh Pirates
7 of 11
The Role: No. 2 left-handed reliever
Top Competition
| Jim Fuller | AA/AAA | 32 | 3-2 | 4.40 | 1.419 | 3.6 | 8.4 | 43.0 |
| Kyle Lobstein | MLB | 13 | 3-8 | 5.94 | 1.586 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 63.2 |
| Cory Luebke | A+/AA/AAA | 7 | 0-0 | 3.86 | 1.000 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 7.0 |
| Kelvin Marte | AA | 26 | 10-6 | 2.63 | 1.215 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 130.0 |
| Robert Zarate | A+/AAA | 18 | 2-1 | 2.76 | 1.063 | 3.4 | 10.8 | 42.1 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best lefty relievers in the game in Tony Watson helping to bridge the gap to closer Mark Melancon in the eighth inning, but there is an opening for a second left-hander in their bullpen this spring.
Antonio Bastardo filled that role last season and filled it well, posting a 2.98 ERA, 1.134 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 66 appearances, but he departed in free agency and signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the New York Mets.
Former Detroit Tigers starter Kyle Lobstein was acquired this winter and could be a fit in the long relief role while also providing a second left-hander, but another name worth keeping an eye on is Eric O'Flaherty.
The 31-year-old has seen his career get sidetracked by injuries in recent years, but prior to those issues he was one of the game's best relievers.
In 2011 while pitching for the Atlanta Braves, he posted a 0.98 ERA and 1.086 WHIP with 32 holds in 78 appearances on his way to a 3.3 WAR, per Baseball-Reference.com.
All told, the lefty posted a 1.99 ERA in 295 appearances over his five seasons with the Braves, before Tommy John surgery early in the 2013 season officially ended his time with the team.
His 8.10 ERA last season over 41 appearances was rough, but it came with a 4.60 FIP. His impressive track record, coupled with some work with pitching guru Ray Searage, could get him headed back in the right direction.
If nothing else, he profiles as a useful specialist, as left-handed hitters have posted a career .211/.276/.273 line against him.
1B A.J. Reed, Houston Astros
8 of 11
The Role: Starting first baseman
Top Competition
| Matt Duffy | AAA | 127 | .294 | .850 | 144 | 29 | 20 | 104 | 94 | 4 |
| Jon Singleton | AAA | 102 | .254 | .865 | 96 | 25 | 22 | 83 | 72 | 2 |
| Preston Tucker | MLB | 98 | .243 | .734 | 73 | 19 | 13 | 33 | 35 | 0 |
| Tyler White | AA/AAA | 116 | .325 | .939 | 131 | 25 | 14 | 99 | 70 | 1 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
The Houston Astros saw enough in Jon Singleton to give him a five-year, $10 million extension shortly after he debuted in 2014, but the former top prospect has failed to seize the everyday first base job to this point.
He crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of an .865 OPS with 25 doubles, 22 home runs and 83 RBI over 378 at-bats last year, and that strong showing will be enough to get him at least one more shot at winning the job.
However, he has hit just .171/.290/.331 with a 36 percent strikeout rate in 420 career big league plate appearances, so this could be a make-or-break spring for the 24-year-old.
Even if he does put together a strong preseason, top prospect A.J. Reed will be pushing him for the job in the near future.
The Golden Spikes winner in 2014 after starring as a two-way player at the University of Kentucky, Reed was a second-round selection and has done nothing but hit since beginning his pro career.
Splitting last season between High-A and Double-A, he hit .340/.432/.612 with 30 doubles, 34 home runs and 127 RBI.
MLB.com's Prospect Watch had the following to say about the 22-year-old's offensive tools:
"Reed has an admirable combination of power and patience. He can crush the ball out of the park to all fields but is willing to wait for pitches he can punish and settle for walks if pitchers don't challenge him. Reed makes consistent hard contact and could hit for a solid average if he proves he can handle advanced left-handed pitching.
"
Putting those skills on display this spring could mean he breaks camp as the team's everyday first baseman.
UT Skip Schumaker, San Diego Padres
9 of 11
The Role: Final bench spot
Top Competition
| Alex Dickerson | AAA | 125 | .307 | .877 | 141 | 36 | 12 | 71 | 82 | 4 |
| Travis Jankowski | AA/AAA | 97 | .335 | .838 | 127 | 17 | 1 | 25 | 69 | 32 |
| Nick Noonan | AAA | 86 | .263 | .647 | 81 | 14 | 3 | 36 | 34 | 2 |
| Jose Pirela | AAA | 64 | .310 | .792 | 76 | 15 | 3 | 23 | 42 | 5 |
| Adam Rosales | MLB | 55 | .228 | .638 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 4 |
| Jemile Weeks | A-/AAA | 72 | .207 | .580 | 50 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 27 | 7 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
When it comes to winning a bench job on an MLB team, versatility is always a valuable trait, and that's certainly something that veteran Skip Schumaker is capable of providing.
Over the course of his 11-year career, he has seen significant time at second base as well as all three outfield spots.
Heck, he's even pitched four times.
A .300 hitter during his time as an everyday player with the St. Louis Cardinals, he's not the offensive threat he once was. However, he still has some decent gap power with 20 doubles in 244 at-bats last season, and he puts the ball in play more times than not.
One other thing working in his favor is his past spring training success. Spring numbers don't mean much, but they can be the difference when it comes to roster bubble guys, and Schumaker is a career .303/.357/.426 hitter in the spring.
Jose Pirela would provide a right-handed bat to platoon with Cory Spangenberg at second base if the team opts to go that route, but if the Padres see Spangenberg as a legitimate everyday option, keeping the veteran Schumaker is a real possibility.
Of course, with Alexi Amarista already on the bench as a utility option, the team could also go with a fifth outfielder in the form of someone like Travis Jankowski or Alex Dickerson.
There are a lot of moving parts here, but Schumaker is by no means an afterthought as a non-roster invitee.
RP Joe Thatcher, Cleveland Indians
10 of 11
The Role: No. 1 left-handed reliever
Top Competition
| Kyle Crockett | MLB | 31 | 0-0 | 4.08 | 1.358 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 17.2 |
| Ross Detwiler | MLB | 41 | 1-5 | 7.25 | 2.023 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 58.1 |
| Tom Gorzelanny | MLB | 48 | 2-2 | 5.95 | 1.729 | 5.3 | 8.2 | 39.1 |
| Giovanni Soto | AAA | 46 | 2-1 | 2.68 | 1.193 | 4.9 | 8.6 | 53.2 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
Saying the Cleveland Indians were lacking a left-handed presence in their bullpen last season would be selling short just how dire the situation was.
Marc Rzepczynski, Nick Hagadone, Kyle Crockett and Giovanni Soto were the only southpaws to see time in the big league bullpen, and they combined for a 4.06 ERA and 1.485 WHIP in a grant total of 68.2 innings of work.
The team traded Rzepczynski at the deadline and designated Hagadone for assignment this offseason as he continues his recovery from a fractured elbow.
Crockett looked like he could be a solid long-term piece of the bullpen when he posted a 1.80 ERA, 1.133 WHIP and 8.4 K/9 in 43 appearances as a rookie in 2014, but the 24-year-old regressed last season with a 4.08 ERA, 1.358 WHIP and 7.6 K/9 in 31 games.
Soto has enjoyed some level of success in the minors, but he has also dealt with command issues (4.9 BB/9) and has just six career big league appearances to his credit.
While the team didn't sign anyone to a guaranteed deal to address the need, it did ink a trio of veterans to minor league deals in Joe Thatcher, Ross Detwiler and Tom Gorzelanny.
Detwiler and Gorzelanny both struggled last season, but Thatcher had a decent year with a 3.18 ERA and 10.3 K/9 in 43 appearances with the Houston Astros.
Whoever performs the best out of those three veterans and the aforementioned Crockett will likely break camp as the primary left-hander in the bullpen, and we'll put our money on Thatcher being that guy.
LF Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds
11 of 11
The Role: Starting left fielder
Top Competition
| Jake Cave | AA/AAA | 132 | .278 | .698 | 147 | 25 | 2 | 39 | 72 | 17 |
| Ivan DeJesus Jr. | MLB | 76 | .244 | .684 | 49 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 15 | 0 |
| Adam Duvall | AAA | 125 | .264 | .823 | 131 | 29 | 30 | 87 | 71 | 5 |
| Phillip Ervin | A+/AA | 126 | .241 | .726 | 110 | 21 | 14 | 71 | 75 | 34 |
| Tyler Holt | AAA | 101 | .302 | .756 | 111 | 17 | 0 | 28 | 63 | 25 |
| Y. Rodriguez | AAA | 85 | .269 | .736 | 83 | 13 | 10 | 41 | 42 | 4 |
| Scott Schebler | AAA | 121 | .241 | .731 | 104 | 16 | 13 | 50 | 57 | 15 |
| Kyle Waldrop | AA/AAA | 122 | .235 | .605 | 105 | 19 | 7 | 44 | 29 | 2 |
*bold indicates player is on 40-man roster
Overview
After trading veteran Marlon Byrd in August and then opting against signing any significant free agents this winter, the Cincinnati Reds enter spring training with a gaping hole to fill in left field.
There is no shortage of in-house options for the team to evaluate this spring. The Reds also have newcomer Scott Schebler, who was acquired in the Todd Frazier trade, and Jake Cave, who was taken in the Rule 5 draft.
Despite the fact that the team has seven outfielders on the 40-man roster who will be in the running for the left field job, it could wind up being a non-roster invitee who walks away as the winner of the position battle.
Top prospect Jesse Winker may not be the favorite, but he's in the running, according to manager Bryan Price.
"I would not say he can’t make the team," Price told C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I would not say that. We know right now that we’ve got some guys competing for left field. I would say Adam Duvall, Scott Schebler and Yorman are probably—I hate to say the favorites—but they’re guys we’re looking at. They’ve done what they need to do at the Triple-A level."
The 22-year-old Winker is a consensus top-100 prospect, according to Baseball America (No. 51), MLB.com's Prospect Watch (No. 34) and Baseball Prospectus (No. 50).
A gifted pure hitter with developing power, he hit .282/.390/.433 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs and 55 RBI in a full season at the Double-A level last year.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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