Highlighting Most Impressive Pitchers and Hitters from 2020 MLB Spring Training

Fans, analysts and even players often downplay the significance of stats compiled in spring training. Then they can't help but absorb the new data in the hopes of unearthing meaning.

Last spring, Jung-Ho Kang and Matt Adams topped the home run leaderboard. Josh Bell and Lucas Giolito floundered before orchestrating in-season breakthroughs.

Some results, however, proved telling harbingers. Pete Alonso and Chris Paddack pushed their way onto Opening Day rosters by showing they had little left to learn. Rafael Devers, Yoan Moncada and Shane Bieber all delivered a sneak peek to their upcoming success while Jon Lester and Travis Shaw showed warning signs of something amiss. 

It likely doesn't matter that Ronald Acuna Jr. (4-for-29, 14 strikeouts) and Gerrit Cole (9 IP, 7 ER) struggled this spring. It's also highly improbable that Isiah Kiner-Falefa (14-for-37, 4 HR) or Glenn Sparkman (8.1 IP, 1 ER, 12 K) ride their March momentum to stardom. 

Nevertheless, it's intriguing to see a young talent dominate in exhibition play. And while it's less predictive of any future miracles, it's hard to ignore a fallen star who suddenly turned on the lightbulb before MLB suspended play.

Jesus Luzardo, SP, Oakland Athletics

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Jesus Luzardo didn't need an impressive spring training to ignite the hype, but the buzz could now ascend into overdrive.  

MLB.com's No. 12 prospect looked poised to arrive early in 2019 before suffering a shoulder strain. Eventually making his debut as a reliever, the righty relinquished just five hits and two runs over a dozen frames.

He's looked just as sharp in spring training. Ready to join the Oakland Athletics' rotation, the 22-year-old yielded one run and five baserunners (four hits, one walk) in 8.1 innings. Luzardo tallied eight of 13 strikeouts in his final outing:

Per MLB.com's Jesse Borek, Luzardo opened spring by firing 95-97 mph on his fastball. But he's far from just a flamethrower; MLB Pipeline also grades his changeup (65), slider (55), and curveball (55) all as above-average offerings.

Stellar stuff and a deep arsenal give the rookie a real opportunity to immediately make a significant impact. He could quickly headline Oakland's rotation the way Paddack did for the San Diego Padres last year.

Dylan Bundy, SP, Los Angeles Angels

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A change of scenery could do the world of good for a pitcher stuck on a terrible team in a dangerous hitter's park. The Los Angeles Angels at least will hope as much after acquiring Dylan Bundy from the Baltimore Orioles.

Once a high-profile prospect, Bundy has sputtered to a 4.67 ERA in four MLB seasons. Despite fanning over a batter per inning in consecutive years, he continues to be plagued by the long ball. Over the last two seasons, nobody served up more home runs than Bundy, who permitted 41 of the 70 in a 2018 campaign not defined by a sport-wide power surge.

That remains a problem Bundy must prove he can fix away from Camden Yards. For now, he showed new life by stockpiling 16 strikeouts to just one walk in 11.1 spring innings.

These results add another line to the case for a Bundy breakout. Baltimore has struggled mightily to develop any pitchers; only the Colorado Rockies have a worse team ERA since the start of 2010. Another team could build up Bundy around an elite slider while diminishing the impact of a heater that got tattooed to a 1.042 OPS in 2019.

The key will be getting more out of his changeup and a seldom-used curveball that induced a .587 OPS last year. On that front, the early returns look promising:

He's also working on improving his fastball location with the help of a different coaching staff. Maybe he doesn't morph into the ace Baltimore envisioned when grabbing him with the fourth pick of the 2011 amateur draft, but a fresh staff could empower Bundy into finally lowering his ERA below the 4.00 threshold.  

Danny Jansen, C, Toronto Blue Jays

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A popular 2019 breakout candidate, Danny Jansen instead hit .207/.279/.360 in his first full season with the Toronto Blue Jays. Perhaps everyone was one year too early.

The catcher did not strike out once in 20 plate appearances, but he did smash four home runs and a triple among his nine hits.

According to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, Jansen spent the offseason adjusting his swing to engineer more power.  

"You go out of your legs," Jansen said. "Staying behind the ball is always a key term. I say it's easier said than done, really. Once you stay behind the ball, you create space. If you drive, then think of a 95-mph fastball. You're moving towards it like that, it makes it harder to hit. It's all about staying behind the baseball."

Even without any alterations, Jansen was a strong candidate to improve. Per Baseball Savant's Statcast data, a 40 percent hard-hit rate led the backstop to a .314 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) that looks far better his actual .275 wOBA.

Jansen, who turns 25 in April, could be the case of a successful spring foreboding a legitimate breakthrough. 

Chris Davis, 1B/DH, Baltimore Orioles

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Last season, Chris Davis went 38 plate appearances before recording his first hit. Factoring in a prior September swoon to conclude 2017, the designated hitter was marred in a historic 0-for-54 slump.

It never got much better in 2018. The man who swatted 53 homers in 2013 and 47 in 2015 batted an appalling .179/.276/.326. Not even the last-place Orioles could justify playing the former star slugger despite his $23 million annual salary.

A measly 24 plate appearances in exhibition play obviously doesn't erase years of futility. It did, however, make for a feel-good story fueling the slightest hopes of an improbable renaissance.

Davis made the most of a shortened spring by going 7-for-15 with nine walks and three home runs. The most impressive part of the tiny sample size is his three strikeouts. That may not seem too noteworthy, but no other hitter had a higher strikeout rate over the last three seasons than his gargantuan 37.6 percent.

At the very least, a strong March could motivate Baltimore to give the 34-year-old one last chance at a starting gig. 

Note: All advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs unless stated otherwise.