Top MLB Prospects Making Great First Impressions in Spring Games
With spring games having been sprung this week, let's take a twirl through a batch of top prospects who are making impressive immediate impressions.
While these early exhibition performances might not mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, it's always promising when a hotshot youngster gets off on the right foot, whether he's pushing for a big league job or just trying to get noticed in major league camp.
Just remember, this only takes into account those who still are prospect-eligible—meaning no more than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the majors—so you won't see, say, new Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien. Even though he has been on a tear so far, going 6-for-9 with two homers and seven RBI through his first three games, the 24-year-old accumulated 231 at-bats in 2014, so he's exhausted his rookie status.
Same goes for fellow no-longer-a-prospect Taijuan Walker, the Seattle Mariners' 22-year-old right-hander who hurled two scoreless frames with two strikeouts in his first outing after having reached 53 career MLB innings in his final start last September.
That cleared up, here's a look at 10 big-name prospects making impactful first impressions in camp.
Honorable Mentions off to Strong Starts in Spring
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Dalton Pompey, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
With Colby Rasmus gone, the 22-year-old Pompey is in line to be the starting center fielder for what should be a very good Jays club. The switch-hitting Pompey, who played at four levels, including the majors, in 2014, has gone 3-for-8 with a double and a stolen base so far in week one of spring games.
D.J. Peterson, 1B/3B, Seattle Mariners
Peterson, 23, won't be coming north with the M's, but he does have an outside shot at a promotion in the second half, because the No. 12 overall pick in 2013 has a bat with impact potential. He has showed as much by starting out 3-for-10 with two runs and a homer.
Michael Lorenzen, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Although the 23-year-old Lorenzen surrendered five baserunners (three hits, one walk, one hit batter) in his first outing of spring, he also whiffed a whopping four over two frames. Look for the 2013 first-rounder to become a part of the Reds' plans in 2016.
Matt Barnes, RHP, Boston Red Sox
Barnes, 24, should be a factor for the Red Sox this season, either as rotation insurance or a hard-throwing late-inning option. The 19th overall pick in 2011 started his spring Thursday by hurling two scoreless innings with just one hit against three strikeouts.
Jace Peterson, INF, Atlanta Braves
Part of Atlanta's five-player return from the Justin Upton deal over the winter, the 24-year-old Peterson is 3-for-5 with a pair of walks and three runs scored. The athletic infielder has some brief MLB experience, and if he keeps it up, he could win the Braves' starting second base gig.
Darnell Sweeney, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Sweeney is still a year away from L.A., but he could be the Dodgers' second baseman of the future with Howie Kendrick entering his walk year. The 24-year-old, who is coming off his best season yet at Double-A (.288/.387/.463), smacked a homer among three hits while already notching four runs scored this spring.
Scott Schebler, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yep, another Dodger, and another Dodgers outfielder too. Schebler, 24, hit a career-high 28 home runs as Sweeney's teammate at Chattanooga in 2014. The 26th-rounder in 2010 has started this spring 4-for-8 with three two-baggers and a pair of RBI.
Matt Reynolds, SS, New York Mets
While Wilmer Flores is the favorite to be the Mets' starting shortstop, the 24-year-old Reynolds has a chance to contribute this season after triple-slashing .343/.405/.454 across Double- and Triple-A. He's doing a good job of making the decision-makers' decisions tough, with a 3-for-6 showing, including a home run, three runs and two RBI in the opening week.
Odubel Herrera, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
A Rule 5 pickup in December, Herrera is a fringy prospect, but the 23-year-old speedster has a shot to make the squad with a nice showing in March. Plus, the rebuilding Phillies have extra incentive to see if Herrera can stick it out; otherwise, they have to offer him back to the Texas Rangers. A converted infielder, Herrera is 4-for-8 with three stolen bases—all of which came in one game against the New York Yankees.
"Spark plug at the top," manager Ryne Sandberg said, via Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Great job with his stolen bases to get into scoring position."
Pat Venditte, RHP/LHP, Oakland Athletics
The 29-year-old isn't so much a prospect as he is a rare pitcher—as in, the kind who throws with both arms. In fact, Venditte, who originally was drafted by the Yankees in 2008, has made two appearances with the A's to date and struck all five batters out, no matter from which side he's throwing.
Adalberto Mejia, LHP, San Francisco Giants
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One of several intriguing-but-not-yet-steady pitching prospects in the San Francisco Giants system, Adalberto Mejia took a step back in 2014, with a 4.67 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.
To put his performance in better context, however, this was a 21-year-old who spent the entire season at Double-A, making Mejia the second-youngest hurler in the Eastern League.
Mejia has a chance to turn last year's struggles into something positive in 2015, and it starts in camp, where he so far has tossed three hitless, walkless innings with four strikeouts.
Alexander Guerrero, INF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Alexander Guerrero's first year playing baseball in the U.S. didn't go well at all. Formerly of the Serie Nacional, Cuba's top pro league, the 28-year-old signed a big-money contract with the Dodgers, only to spend almost all of 2014 in the minors. That was partly because of a wild—and ill-timed—incident in which a teammate actually bit off part of Guerrero's ear just as he appeared to be on the verge of a call-up.
By default, 2015 has to go better, right?
Even though the Dodgers still have questions about Guerrero's defensive ability, they have to like that he's hitting a ton at the start of spring, going 5-for-7 with a homer, three runs and two RBI. If nothing else, they could use some sort of return on the four-year, $28 million deal they signed him to last year, and Guerrero could provide some depth off the bench as a utility man who plays all over.
"The team does not know what they are going to do, but all I can control is keep working hard and they will get the final word," Guerrero said recently, according to Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. "I don't want to go down. I'm not going down. I feel like I can get better here at this level and play every day."
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Aaron Blair, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Aaron Blair is one of a handful of quality pitching prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks system, so he sometimes gets overshadowed by Archie Bradley (more on him in a bit), or Braden Shipley or even the club's newest Cuban import, Yoan Lopez.
But it was Blair, 22, who allowed just one hit while striking out two in his two innings of work to earn the win Wednesday.
Of course, Shipley also pitched in that game, and he threw just as well, with two scoreless frames of his own. But Blair gets the nod this time for notching an extra whiff (and yes, the win).
Jung-ho Kang, INF, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Ever since he signed his $11 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, the big question about Jung-ho Kang, who hit 40 home runs in the offense-heavy Korean Baseball Organization last year, is whether his power would translate to MLB.
Well, we got a pretty good idea in Kang's very first spring training game.
Yes, the 27-year-old's first-ever home run while wearing a big league uniform came against Marco Estrada, the pitcher who allowed the most homers in the sport last year (29), but Kang's blast went out to the opposite field.
"He barreled the ball up big time," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said, per Tom Singer of MLB.com. "He got a ball up in the zone and covered it well, all the way out of the park."
Kyle Schwarber, C, Chicago Cubs
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Kyle Schwarber was a surprise selection at No. 4 overall in last June's amateur draft, but all he has done since turning pro is hit.
The lefty slugger slashed .344/.428/.634 with 18 home runs in 72 games in reaching High-A in 2014.
Then in his first time back in the batter's box in a game this year—his first-ever MLB spring training—Schwarber merely hit a grand slam Thursday, which was his 22nd birthday.
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
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One of the New York Yankees' three first-round choices in 2013, Aaron Judge won't be ready for the Bronx until mid-2016 at the earliest, but he's giving Yankees fans a taste of his tantalizing talent already.
In the club's first spring training contest of 2015 on Tuesday, the 22-year-old Judge lofted a game-tying three-run homer on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.
(The game ended in a 5-5 tie, as the two sides decided not to push the action into extra innings.)
That long ball is Judge's only hit to date, but the 6'7", 230-pounder also has three walks, and that last-strike knock stands up pretty darn well all by itself.
"I'm trying to make it as hard as I can for them to send me back across the street to minor leagues," Judge told Ryan Hatch of NJ.com.
Jon Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies
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The pitching-starved Colorado Rockies have big hopes for Jon Gray, whom they selected No. 3 overall in 2013.
The 23-year-old was good but not great in his first full pro season (3.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 8.2 K/9), and there were reports that the upper-90s heater he featured at Oklahoma had backed up a bit due to fatigue as the season wore on.
"Now I know how long a pro season can be and I have learned how to better prepare myself," Gray said, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. "So I think that's going to be a big asset for me. I think I had some shoulder fatigue late in the year that affected everything."
The Rockies will be using the spring to evaluate Gray against big league hitters, players he'll be facing soon enough when it counts. So it's a good sign the 6'4", 235-pounder looked strong his first time out, notching two strikeouts against one hit and one walk over two innings.
Archie Bradley, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
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A year ago at this time, Archie Bradley had a strong case as the top pitching prospect in the sport and looked to be on the verge of making his MLB debut.
Then everything went south for the 22-year-old former first-rounder, as he battled elbow soreness and posted a 4.45 ERA while making just 18 starts.
The rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks badly need Bradley to regain his stuff and confidence this season, and his two scoreless innings with one hit and three strikeouts Thursday was a good way to turn over a new leaf.
Carlos Rodon, LHP, Chicago White Sox
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In light of Chris Sale's foot injury, which could cost him the start of the 2015 regular season, the Chicago White Sox are giving a longer look this month to Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall pick last June.
While it's unlikely the 22-year-old cracks the 25-man roster so soon after being drafted, he already has reached Triple-A and is a candidate to make an impact by midseason, whether out of the bullpen or in the rotation, pitching alongside fellow left-hander Sale.
In his first outing ever in a big league camp, Rodon allowed just one hit over two frames while whiffing four.
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Dodgers aren't likely to base a final decision about Joc Pederson, their center fielder of the future and present, on spring training, but they have to feel good that the 22-year-old has been on fire through the first week of exhibition season.
With Matt Kemp out of the picture (and perhaps Andre Ethier soon to follow), Pederson is in line for a starting job, and he's off to a good start, going 5-for-7 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored already. He is just reinforcing what was expected before spring training even started: The center field gig is his to lose.
Statistics are accurate through Friday, March 6 and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11
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