MLB Spring Training 2017: The Top 10 Pitching Prospects to Watch
Recently, we took a gander at the top 10 position player prospects to watch in spring training. Now, we'll repeat the trick with starting pitcher prospects.
As before, this isn't necessarily a list of the top 10 prospects by talent and potential, though every player mentioned appears in the upper echelons of the lists compiled by MLB.com, Baseball America, ESPN.com's Keith Law and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.
Mostly, we're hunting for guys with a combination of blue-chip pedigree, compelling storylines and/or a clear hole to fill for their respective organizations.
Some will compete for big-league rotation spots; others are a year or more away from MLB action. But they've all got a shot to pop radar guns and turn heads in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues.
10. Cal Quantrill, RHP, San Diego Padres
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The son of former big league pitcher Paul Quantrill, the San Diego Padres took Cal Quantrill eighth overall in the 2016 amateur draft.
The younger Quantrill was a risk coming off Tommy John surgery, but showed flashes in 37 innings between the rookie league, Low-A and Single-A, where he averaged an impressive 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
He's still regaining arm strength and harnessing his command, but the 22-year-old could put himself on the fast track toward San Diego's rotation with an impressive spring.
As ESPN.com's Law put it, "right now the Padres' bet on an ace the hard way appears to have hit."
9. James Kaprielian, RHP, New York Yankees
2 of 10There's a youth movement underway in the Bronx. It's headlined by position players, including catcher Gary Sanchez—who has already burst on the MLB scene—and up-and-comers such as shortstop Gleyber Torres and outfielder Clint Frazier.
The Yanks also have a glistening cache of young pitchers. One to keep tabs on this spring is James Kaprielian, the 16th overall pick in 2015 out of UCLA.
Kaprielian threw just 18 innings for High-A in 2016 while battling a strained right flexor tendon, but he fanned 26 in 27 innings in the Arizona Fall League and touched the high-90s with his fastball.
"I want to be a No. 1. I want to be the guy and I want the ball," Kaprielian said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I'm a competitor."
He won't crack the Yankees' muddled rotation out of spring, but if he remains healthy and effective, he'll ascend quickly through the system.
8. Josh Hader, LHP, Milwaukee Brewers
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A Baltimore Orioles 19th-round pick in 2012, Josh Hader bounced to the Houston Astros' system in 2013 and the Milwaukee Brewers' system in 2015.
The long-haired southpaw established himself in 2016, posting a 0.95 ERA in 57 innings at Double-A before seeing that figure balloon to 5.22 in 69 innings at Triple-A.
In Hader's defense, his Triple-A stats came in the hitter-happy Pacific Coast League for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, who play their home games even higher above sea level than the Colorado Rockies.
What's more, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings at both MiLB stops last season, thanks to his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider.
If Hader can build on his success this spring, it won't be long before he's taking the ball every fifth day for the rebuilding Brew Crew.
7. Jose De Leon, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
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Jose De Leon was an intriguing piece buried on the starting pitching depth chart when the Los Angeles Dodgers dealt him to the Tampa Bay Rays for second baseman Logan Forsythe.
Now, the Puerto Rico native has a new home and a fresh chance.
"I'm really happy," De Leon said, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I know I'm going to have more opportunity, and I'm closer to home, so it's a win-win situation for me."
De Leon battled shoulder issues at Triple-A last season, but he checks in as the No. 8 right-handed prospect in the game, per MLB.com.
He's got a shot at a rotation spot with a stellar exhibition showing and provides needed depth if Tampa Bay moves an established arm such as Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi at the trade deadline.
6. Francis Martes, RHP, Houston Astros
5 of 10In 125.1 innings at Double-A last season, Francis Martes posted a 3.30 ERA and averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
With a fastball that can touch the high-90s, a plus curveball and emerging changeup, he's got the repertoire to be a top-of-the-rotation starter.
Not surprisingly, the Houston Astros extended the 22-year-old an invite to spring training, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle.
While there, he can make his case for an MLB audition at some point in 2017 and a future place in the Astros' rotation.
5. Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Colorado Rockies
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The Toronto Blue Jays' ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Jeff Hoffman was traded to the Colorado Rockies in the 2015 deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki north of the border.
Hoffman made his big league debut last season for Colorado, posting a 4.88 ERA in eight appearances, including six starts.
The tall righty works in the mid-90s with his fastball. Add a big curveball, hard slider and intriguing changeup, and he's got four-pitch potential.
If he doesn't crack the starting five this spring, he could stick on the Opening Day roster as a reliever, according to manager Bud Black.
"Don't discount some of the younger pitchers who might come into the mix, whether it's [Kyle] Freeland, [German] Marquez or Hoffman as potential bullpen guys, if they don’t make the rotation," Black said, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.
4. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Tyler Glasnow made his big league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, posting a 4.24 ERA in seven appearances, including four starts.
The tall right-hander dished bat-missing stuff, striking out 24 in 23.1 innings. His fastball touches the high 90s, and he supplements it with a plus curveball and work-in-progress changeup.
Command is his main hurdle. He averaged 4.4 walks per nine innings through five minor league seasons and walked five per nine in his MLB audition.
Still, the 23-year-old has an excellent chance to win a rotation spot behind Gerrit Cole and Ivan Nova, along with fellow young right-handers Jameson Taillon and Chad Kuhl.
There could be more bumps in the road as Glasnow hones his control and refines his offspeed offering. He has the talent to be a front-line fixture, though, and this may be the year he proves it at the highest level.
3. Lucas Giolito, RHP, Chicago White Sox
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When the Washington Nationals shipped right-hander Lucas Giolito to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Adam Eaton this winter, many called it an overpay. I was among that contingent.
Giolito isn't all the Nats gave up. They also surrendered highly regarded prospects Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. Giolito was the centerpiece, though.
The 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Giolito wobbled in his big league debut with Washington last season, posting a 6.75 ERA in 21.1 innings with 11 strikeouts and 12 walks.
"Mechanics have been kind of lackluster all over the place all year," Giolito said, per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. "A lot of bad habits."
Perhaps that's why the Nats were willing to let him go. Giolito fell from his perch as the game's No. 1 pitching prospect and now ranks as the No. 12 prospect overall, according to MLB.com.
He can reverse perceptions with a dominant spring. But he might not be the most exciting young White Sox arm in camp.
2. Michael Kopech, RHP, Chicago White Sox
9 of 10If you like crackling fastballs, you'll adore Michael Kopech.
The 20-year-old right-hander hit 110 mph on the gun in January while practicing with a three-ounce ball, per Paul Roumeliotis of CSN Chicago. Nope, that's not a typo.
"The whole drill was just to speed up my arm and get my arm speed back to max effort and ready to go for the season," Kopech said, per Roumeliotis. "It's not something that's going to be expected out of me every time I get on the mound. I'm not going to throw 110 every time I get on the mound."
Fair enough. But Kopech, who went to the White Sox from the Boston Red Sox in the Chris Sale trade, is a power arm in the purest sense.
The 20-year-old averaged 13.7 strikeouts between Low-A and High-A in 2016. He also averaged 5.3 walks per nine, suggesting he's got control issues to sort out.
With that kind of heat, however, he's already appointment-viewing.
1. Alex Reyes, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
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In 46 big league innings last season scattered over 12 appearances and five starts, Alex Reyes posted a 1.57 ERA with 52 strikeouts. His fastball reaches triple digits, and his curveball is a sight to behold. Oh, and he's just 22 years old.
He's also blocked in the St. Louis Cardinals rotation by Lance Lynn, Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and Michael Wacha.
After averaging 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 69 minor league starts, Reyes doesn't have much to prove at the lower levels. As they chase the defending champion Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, the Cards should give him a chance to crash the starting five.
"He should be a starting pitcher," manager Mike Matheny said, per MLB.com. "We'll see how it plays out through spring training. There are certain guys who have slotted innings set for them. Alex is going to have those. He's earned that."
All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
