Early Winners and Losers of MLB's Biggest 2020 Spring Training Position Battles
Now that Major League Baseball's spring training season is several weeks old, we have a solid idea of how the league's many position battles are shaping up.
We've come to update the early winners and losers of the 10 most heated competitions. These strictly concern would-be playoff contenders who will ultimately have to choose from an array of interesting players.
How players are performing in Cactus and Grapefruit League games is naturally our primary focus. But whereas some races have obvious winners and losers, others are harder to call and therefore have default winners and losers.
We'll start in the American League East and make our way to the National League West.
New York Yankees: Starting Rotation
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Once James Paxton underwent back surgery in February, the New York Yankees knew they had at least one rotation slot to fill in spring training. Alas, Luis Severino's Tommy John surgery made it two.
One slot figures to go to left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Though he's allowed four home runs and five earned runs in seven innings this spring, he's also struck out 11 and walked only one.
"This is a guy that's already had a really strong big-league season under his belt," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Montgomery, per George A. King III of the New York Post. "So I'm excited about where he is and feel like he's very much solidifying himself."
The Yankees seem hesitant to hand him their other rotation slot, yet right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga has definitely made a strong case for himself with a 2.57 ERA, 11 strikeouts and zero walks in seven innings. Prospects Clarke Schmidt (2.57 ERA) and Michael King (3.86 ERA) have also pitched well.
Fellow prospects Deivi Garcia and Albert Abreu haven't fared quite as well. For their part, veterans Luis Cessa and Nick Tropeano have provided mixed results.
Winners: Jordan Montgomery, Jonathan Loaisiga, Clarke Schmidt and Michael King
Losers: Deivi Garcia, Albert Abreu, Luis Cessa and Nick Tropeano
Chicago White Sox: Second Base
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The Chicago White Sox spent the winter outfitting their lineup with new veterans at catcher (Yasmani Grandal), right field (Nomar Mazara) and designated hitter (Edwin Encarnacion). They also made top prospect Luis Robert their center fielder when they signed him to an extension.
Second base, however, was left untouched.
As MLB.com's Scott Merkin wrote in February, that may have been the White Sox's way of challenging top prospect Nick Madrigal to win the position in the spring. He hasn't exactly risen to it, as he's just 6-for-27 in 10 Cactus League games.
Fellow prospect Danny Mendick hasn't done so well in his own right by going just 8-for-33 in 14 games. Likewise, veteran Leury Garcia is just 4-for-22 in nine games.
Unless Madrigal or Mendick catches fire in the closing weeks of spring training, all this is probably good news for Garcia. Since he has extensive major league experience and no minor league options, the White Sox have excuses to at least trust him to keep the position warm for a while.
Winner: Leury Garcia
Losers: Nick Madrigal and Danny Mendick
Houston Astros: Starting Rotation
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By the time Zack Greinke arrived on July 31 of last season, the Houston Astros boasted arguably the best starting rotation in Major League Baseball.
It looks a little different now without Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley. To boot, Justin Verlander is likely to miss Opening Day with a lat strain.
From what pitching coach Brent Strom told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com in February, right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and top prospect Jose Urquidy, who's also a righty, entered camp as favorites for the No. 3 and No. 4 slots, respectively.
McCullers, however, has only logged 2.2 innings in two outings thus far. Urquidy has struggled with five runs and 10 hits allowed in 8.1 innings, while other prospects like Forrest Whitley and Cristian Javier have little to speak of in terms of their workloads and their results.
Bully for righty Josh James, lefty Framber Valdez and prospect Bryan Abreu, who've pitched 18.1 scoreless innings between them. Austin Pruitt has also made a case for himself by allowing only two runs in nine frames.
Winners: Josh James, Framber Valdez and Bryan Abreu
Losers: Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy, Forrest Whitley and Cristian Javier
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Los Angeles Angels: Right Field
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The Los Angeles Angels also have rotation questions that need answering, yet they have a far more interesting competition going on in right field.
There was a brief moment in February when it seemed like Joc Pederson was going to be the Angels' right fielder, but that didn't pan out. That made Brian Goodwin the de facto favorite for the job, unless top prospect Jo Adell gave the Angels no choice but to promote him out of the gate.
Adell hasn't made a foolproof case for himself, as he's struck out 11 times in 22 at-bats and collected only two extra-base hits. Yet he's a solid 7-for-22 overall, and he's generally made a good impression.
"He's hit some balls really well to right center so far," Angels manager Joe Maddon said, per the Associated Press. "Talking with a him a lot obviously, he's a very confident young man with really good abilities all the way around."
By hitting only .167 with 12 strikeouts of his own, Goodwin isn't doing much to lock right field down for himself. If that doesn't lose him the job to Adell, it could at least open him up to a platoon with Michael Hermosillo, who's 8-for-17 with two home runs.
Winners: Jo Adell and Michael Hermosillo
Loser: Brian Goodwin
Oakland Athletics: Second Base
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Much like the White Sox, the Oakland Athletics opened camp with a lineup that was pretty well set at every position except second base.
The most practical solution was a time-share between Tony Kemp, a left-handed hitter, and former top prospect Franklin Barreto, a right-handed hitter. Several weeks later, that's only kinda-sorta still the case.
Through nine Cactus League games, Kemp is 10-for-29 with a home run and four walks for an .895 overall OPS. Barreto, meanwhile, has appeared in 12 games and gone 11-for-33 with a .965 OPS. Six of his hits have been for extra bases, including three doubles on Sunday.
Indeed, the platoon option is still viable. But if Barreto continues to out-hit Kemp, it's also possible that he'll nab an everyday role while Kemp shifts into a super-utility role off the bench.
Vimael Machin has also acquitted himself well with an 9-for-29 showing in 14 games. Otherwise, prospects Jorge Mateo and Sheldon Neuse have provided mixed results at best.
Winners: Franklin Barreto, Tony Kemp and Vimael Machin
Losers: Jorge Mateo and Sheldon Neuse
Washington Nationals: Third Base
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The Washington Nationals used to have Anthony Rendon at third base. They don't anymore, and they can't be thrilled with how their top option to replace him has played so far this spring.
Top prospect Carter Kieboom has not only underperformed offensively with a .250 average and .711 OPS through 11 Grapefruit League games, but he has also had difficulties on defense. Notably, he's made three throwing errors.
Even still, Kieboom's chances of earning Washington's third base gig may not be dead just yet. Nats manager Dave Martinez said it's "his job to lose," and neither Starlin Castro nor Asdrubal Cabrera is doing much to hold him off.
Castro has just one hit in 20 at-bats, while Cabrera is only 3-for-19. At this rate, even having the two share time at second base doesn't look like such a good idea.
Meanwhile, Jake Noll is teasing himself as an interesting Plan C if the Kieboom-Castro-Cabrera race fails to produce a clear winner. He's 6-for-20 with a home run and four walks through 13 contests.
Winners: Carter Kieboom and Jake Noll
Losers: Starlin Castro and Asdrubal Cabrera
Chicago Cubs: Second Base
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The Chicago Cubs are still another club that entered spring training with a conundrum at second base. Several weeks later, the conundrum is still apparent.
Sans a clear option for everyday duty, the Cubs figured to settle on a some sort of platoon between right-handed hitters David Bote and Nico Hoerner and left-handed hitters Jason Kipnis and Daniel Descalso.
Trouble is, neither of the lefties is looking up to it. Kipnis is just 4-for-20 through eight games. Descalso is only 3-for-23, plus nine strikeouts to boot.
For their part, Bote and Hoerner are doing fine. Not great, but fine. Bote is 6-for-21 with five walks, while Hoerner is 7-for-27 with four walks. Because Hoerner is the club's top prospect and Bote can play anywhere, this could potentially result in Hoerner taking second base and Bote filling a utility role.
Though he's technically slated to play center field this year, it's perhaps possible that the Cubs will reconsider Ian Happ for second base. He has plenty of experience at the position, and he's opened eyes with a 1.326 OPS and two homers this spring.
Winners: David Bote and Nico Hoerner
Losers: Jason Kipnis and Daniel Descalso
Cincinnati Reds: Outfield
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Elsewhere in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds are one of two contenders for the division title that has an outfield mess that needs sorting.
Nick Castellanos is safe in right field by way of his $64 million contract. Shogo Akiyama is also guaranteed playing time via his $21 million deal, yet he and fellow left-handed hitter Jesse Winker are prone to platoons with right-handed hitters.
Akiyama, who has a .755 OPS through nine games, and Winker, who has a .713 OPS through seven, look ready to play their parts.
Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino, on the other hand, have opened things up for other right-handed hitters. After getting a late start because of shoulder surgery, Senzel is 1-for-10 in three games. Aquino is 2-for-23 with 10 strikeouts in nine games.
This is good news for Phillip Ervin, who's come out hot with a 1.413 OPS and two home runs in eight games. Though he's another left-handed hitter and has played in only seven games, Josh VanMeter has also opened eyes with a 1.193 OPS and a homer.
Winners: Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winker, Phillip Ervin and Josh VanMeter
Losers: Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino
St. Louis Cardinals: Outfield
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The St. Louis Cardinals are the other NL Central contender with an outfield in need of clarity.
Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill entered camp as the favorites for center and left field, respectively, and they've only cemented themselves as such. Bader, who's already well-known as an elite fielder, is 8-for-27 with a home run and six walks. O'Neill is 7-for-25 with two homers and five walks.
Meanwhile, top prospect Dylan Carlson sure looks ready to make the jump to the majors. Through 10 games, he's 10-for-28 with four extra-base hits and six walks. As Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told Anne Rogers of MLB.com: "[You're] just seeing a good player with a plan, with the ability to execute."
The Cardinals will probably start the season with veteran Dexter Fowler in right field anyway, but his 2-for-25 showing thus far is just the latest data point that suggests he's over the hill.
Otherwise, Tommy Edman (.708 OPS), Lane Thomas (.828 OPS) and Austin Dean (1.037 OPS) are also pushing for playing time.
Winners: Harrison Bader, Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, Tommy Edman, Lane Thomas and Austin Dean
Loser: Dexter Fowler
San Diego Padres: Outfield
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Out in the NL West is yet another crowded outfield, as the San Diego Padres have only one player locked into an everyday role.
That would be Tommy Pham, who's slated to play left field. Otherwise, the Padres have to choose between left-handed hitters Trent Grisham, Franchy Cordero, Josh Naylor, Taylor Trammell, right-handed hitters Wil Myers, Juan Lagares, Edward Olivares and switch-hitter Abraham Almonte for the other two spots.
That's a lot of names, so let's size them up by their OPSes in Cactus League play:
- Myers: 1.152 (10 games)
- Olivares: 1.143 (11)
- Almonte: 1.105 (9)
- Trammell: 1.049 (13)
- Grisham: .900 (10)
- Cordero: .762 (11)
- Naylor: .631 (7)
- Lagares: .410 (12)
Between his production and his $83 million contract, Myers is safe. Ditto for Grisham and Cordero, who haven't strayed from their inside tracks to gigs. But unless Lagares picks it up, he could lose out to Almonte, who boasts plenty of MLB experience.
If nothing else, Trammell and Olivares might be speeding up their promotion timelines.
Winners: Wil Myers, Trent Grisham, Franchy Cordero, Abraham Almonte, Taylor Trammell and Edward Olivares
Losers: Juan Lagares and Josh Naylor
Spring stats courtesy of MLB.com, and are current through Monday, March 9.
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