MLB Spring Training 2017: The Top 10 Position Player Prospects to Watch

Spring training is good for a lot of things, including the economies of the Grand Canyon and Sunshine states. 

Here's my favorite part: Looking into the game's future by watching various touted prospects and seeing how they stack up against the exhibition competition. 

What follows isn't a list of the top 10 prospects by talent and potential, per se, though all of these players hang out in the upper echelons of the lists compiled by MLB.com, Baseball America, ESPN.com's Keith Law and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.

Rather, we're looking for guys with a combination of blue-chip veneer, compelling storylines and/or a clear hole to fill for their respective organizations. Some are on track to make the Opening Day roster; others are a year or more away from big league action.

All, however, are primed to turn heads and open eyes as the spring slate unfolds.

10. Dominic Smith, 1B, New York Mets

The New York Mets are hoping for a rebound from first baseman Lucas Duda, who hit .229 in 47 games last season and suffered a stress fracture in his lower back.

They could get a look at his heir apparent this spring.

The 11th overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft, Dominic Smith hit .302 with 14 home runs and an .824 OPS at Double-A last season. That more than doubled his home run production from all previous levels and hinted at the type of thump that could soon play in Queens. 

The 21-year-old lefty swinger got an invite to Mets spring training, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Much of the focus will rightly be on hyped shortstop Ahmed Rosario, but discerning fans would be wise to train their gaze on Smith.

9. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox are counting on a slimmed down Pablo Sandoval to man the hot corner in 2017.

If the Kung Fu Panda stumbles, it could accelerate the timeline for 20-year-old Rafael Devers, the top third-base prospect in the game, according to MLB.com.

In 128 games at High-A in 2016, Devers slashed .282/.335/.443 while showcasing good hands and a strong arm.

Devers isn't on the 40-man roster, but he got a spring training invite, per MassLive.com's Christopher Smith. A solid showing coupled with further MiLB strides could set the stage for a big league call-up at some point in 2017.

Devers won't turn 21 until October. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts made his MLB debut in 2013 at age 20, though, and that has worked out pretty swimmingly.

8. Brendan Rodgers, SS/2B, Colorado Rockies

For the second straight offseason, Colorado Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers has been working out with Trevor Story, Colorado's incumbent shortstop.

"He's a good guy to look up to and follow, listen to and get tips from, all that stuff," Rodgers said of Story, per MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "I pick his brain every once in a while, and we talk about baseball. He's a good guy to have in the same organization, same position, all that sort of stuff."

It's a nice sentiment. Soon enough, though, Rodgers could be taking his mentor's job.

The third overall pick in 2015, Rodgers posted an .821 OPS with 19 home runs in 110 games at Single-A last season. The 20-year-old made 24 starts at second base but has the arm and defensive skills to stick at shortstop.

For now, the position belongs to Story, who clubbed 27 home runs in 415 plate appearance as a rookie in 2016 before succumbing to a thumb injury.

With National League batting champion DJ LeMahieu ensconced at second, there's no big league spot for Rodgers. A strong spring will motivate the Rockies to make one for him soon.

7. Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians

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Good catchers are hard to come by. Just ask the Cleveland Indians, who tried and failed to land All-Star Jonathan Lucroy at the 2016 trade deadline.

Now, the defending American League champs can peer down their developmental ladder at an impact- receiver-in-waiting.

In 102 games between Single-A and High-A, Francisco Mejia slashed .342/.382/.514 while gunning down an impressive 43 percent of potential base stealers. 

The 21-year-old isn't ready to supplant Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes behind the dish just yet. His ceiling, however, could soon live up to Keith Law's lofty comparison, "Joe Mauer, but with a better build for the position."

6. Ozzie Albies, SS/2B, Atlanta Braves

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Dansby Swanson is widely viewed as the Atlanta Braves' shortstop of tomorrow, and for good reason.

The top overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, Swanson posted a .302/.361/.442 slash line in 38 games with the Braves. In December, MLB.com's Jim Callis favorably compared the 22-year-old to soon-to-be New York Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

There's another rising middle infielder in Atlanta's system, however, and he warrants his own spotlight. 

Ozzie Albies hit .321 with an .858 OPS and 21 stolen bases in 82 games last season at Double-A before hitting .248 in 56 games at Triple-A and suffering a fractured elbow that kept him out of the Arizona Fall League.

The 20-year-old switch-hitter made 83 starts at second base compared to 52 at shortstop in 2016, setting him up to be Swanson's keystone partner.

5. Victor Robles, CF, Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are ostensibly set in the outfield for 2017, with Jayson Werth in left, Adam Eaton in center and Bryce Harper in right.

Werth is entering his age-38 season and hit .244 last year. Eaton, acquired in an overpay from the Chicago White Sox, is a potential defensive liability in center field.

As for Harper, he's set to be a free agent after the 2018 season and could command a contract in the half-billion-dollar range.

All of that explains why the Nationals held on to top outfield prospect Victor Robles this winter amid a flurry of moves.

The 19-year-old Dominican Republic native hit .280 with 37 stolen bases in 110 games between the rookie league, Single-A and High-A last season and flashed "the athleticism, physical tools and baseball savvy to continue to pass every challenge the organization throws his way," per MLB.com.

He's not a part of the Nats' short-term scheme, obviously, but he's a huge piece of the future in the nation's capital.

4. Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Cody Bellinger isn't going to wrest first base from Adrian Gonzalez. The slugging 21-year-old is the heir apparent, though, and deserves the attendant attention.

Los Angeles' top prospect, according to MLB.com, Bellinger has posted an .843 OPS with 60 home runs in 343 MiLB contests. His defense has drawn high praise, too. 

"He has a Gold Glove-caliber fluidity at first base that draws comparisons to Wes Parker, J.T. Snow, Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly," wrote MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. 

Gonzalez, who turns 35 in May, is coming off a down year in which he put up a .784 OPS, his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2005.

The decorated veteran obviously isn't going to lose his job, but if last year's production dip was the beginning of a trend, Bellinger could challenge for playing time in 2018.

After that, Gonzalez will be a free agent, and Bellinger could slide into a full-time role.

3. Yoan Moncada, 2B/3B, Chicago White Sox

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Yoan Moncada recently showcased his abilities at the White Sox's hitters camp in Arizona and got a standing ovation.

"[Moncada] looks like a linebacker, but he moves like a wide receiver," player development director Chris Getz said, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. "He's got good actions. He's obviously a switch-hitter. He's got power. He can hit. He's got a good smile. He seems to be enjoying himself out here; he interacts well with his teammates."

Moncada logged 35 innings at third base last season for Boston. He's also seen action at second base in Cuba and the minor leagues.

With Chicago, he's blocked at third base by Todd Frazier and at second by Brett Lawrie. Either could be swapped, but it's possible Moncada will begin the season at Triple-A.

He hit just .211 in his eight-game debut with the Red Sox and struck out 12 times in 20 plate appearances.
 
Moncada is right where he belongs with the rebuilding White Sox, who'll afford him patience plus.

"I just want to show them what I can do during spring training and that I'm ready to play in the big leagues," Moncada said, per MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

2. Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016, busting a century-plus championship drought. It's tough, if not impossible, to criticize any move they made.

Take, for example, the midseason trade for closer Aroldis Chapman, who undeniably helped Chicago bathe in champagne and confetti.

Not so fast, though. One of the pieces that went back to the Bronx could end up being the one that defines this deal for posterity.

Gleyber Torres hit .270 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases at High-A last season and checks in as the No. 3 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com. 

A few months of the hard-throwing Chapman boosted Chicago. But years of club control over Torres could leave the Yankees laughing last.

If Torres continues his ascent, as Henry Druschel of Beyond the Box Score noted, "it won’t be much longer until we’re calling this the Gleyber Torres trade, not the Aroldis Chapman trade."

1. Andrew Benintendi, LF, Boston Red Sox

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The Red Sox lost franchise slugger David Ortiz to retirement this winter and "replaced" him with middling additions such as Mitch Moreland.

More than anything, that shows faith in the club's young hitters, highlighted by Andrew Benintendi.

In 34 games with the Red Sox last season, Benintendi posted a .295/.359/.476 slash line with 11 doubles, a triple and two home runs.

The 22-year-old is the favorite to be the Sox's starting left fielder, where he'll join center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and right fielder Mookie Betts to form one of the most exciting outfield troikas in the game.

Regression is a possibility. If you lean toward pessimism, Benintendi posted a .367 batting average on balls in play with Boston and hit a scant .179 against lefties.

That's what makes him worth watching, though. The Red Sox are counting on this kid to fill their Big Papi-sized hole. He's got the tools. 

Now, we find out if he can wield them.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.