Astros NRI list. LHP Daniel Lynch. Bobby Witt Jr. He's not ready for it. Singer is the most famous of the bunch but I think Lynch has the highest upside. Lefties who can touch 97 mph and have a wipeout slider tend to have staying power in the big leagues, even if they're only relievers.
I want to see all three pitchers this spring, but Lynch the most. Royals NRI list. OF Jo Adell. Easy, easy call here. Adell is on the very short list of the game's best prospects and he is electrifying. The speed, the power, the athleticism, you can't take your eyes off him. I'm also curious to see how Luiz Gohara , a former top prospect with the Braves who's been derailed by injuries, looks in camp.
Mostly, I can't wait to see Adell. He's a star in waiting. It won't be long before he joins Mike Trout in the Angels outfield. Angels NRI list. RHP Josiah Gray. No matter. The Dodgers have a perpetually deep farm system and their NRI list is always among the most exciting. Gray is probably at least a year away from the big leagues, but, based on last year's dominance, don't be surprised if he arrives sooner than expected. Dodgers NRI list.
LHP Trevor Rogers. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte will be in camp with the Marlins as NRI and that's always fun, though the novelty has worn off a bit. Rogers was a first-round pick in and elbow trouble delayed the start of his career. He stayed healthy in and, if you built a pitcher in a lab, he'd look like Rogers. Lefty, 6-foot-6, lively fastball, three secondary pitches, good delivery.
There's a non-zero chance Rogers will make his MLB debut in Marlins NRI list. RHP Shelby Miller. Did you know Miller is still only 29? Feels like he's been around forever. The Brewers have an NRI list light on prospects and heavy on journeymen, and Miller stands out given his career arc. He's been awful the last four years 6.
Milwaukee needs pitching depth and getting something anything out of Miller would be a win. Spring training is the first step on the comeback trail. Brewers NRI list. SS Royce Lewis. The Twins have a stacked NRI list.
Lewis had a brutal season. He rebounded with a monster Arizona Fall League and will look to carry that success over to big league camp.
Twins NRI list. LHP David Peterson. Peterson, a former first-round pick, had a solid season at Double-A and could help the Mets later this season. Mets NRI list. RHP Clarke Schmidt. Outfielder Jasson Dominguez, the year-old mega-prospect the Yankees signed last July , won't be in big league camp this spring because, well, he's It's not an appropriate place for him. That gives Schmidt the most interesting NRI nod. The Yankees selected him in the first round in even though he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and he's since made a full recovery and emerged as a top prospect.
Given the recent James Paxton news , it's not completely impossible that Schmidt pitches his way onto the Opening Day roster this spring.
Yankees NRI list. SS Logan Davidson. The Athletics have been among the most aggressive NRI teams over the years, meaning they'll often bring their top prospects to big league camp no matter how in experienced. Davidson was their first round pick last year, the 29th overall selection, and he received an NRI despite only 54 games of pro experience in the low minors.
Could he win an Opening Day roster spot? Oh goodness no, but it's not often you can see last year's first-round pick in big league camp. A's NRI list.
RHP Spencer Howard. The Phillies have one of the largest NRI classes this spring 28 players and it includes reclamation projects Drew Storen , top prospects Alec Bohm , and even a former No.
Howard is Philadelphia's top prospect because he commands a fastball that runs as high as 99 mph. He tore through the minors last season and reached Double-A, and could slot into the big league rotation before lets out. Phillies NRI list. LHP Nik Turley. For a rebuilding team, the Pirates have a pretty weak group of NRIs. To be fair, top prospects Mitch Keller and Ke'Bryan Hayes are on the man roster, so they'll be in the big league camp. Turley gets the nod here because he hasn't pitched since -- he served an game performance-enhancing drug suspension and had Tommy John surgery in the interim -- and is attempting a comeback.
Turley is healthy now and he has a high-spin curveball that is allergic to bats. Pirates NRI list. LHP Matthew Liberatore. Deep arsenal, command, knows how to pitch, durable frame, so on and so forth.
Some guys just fit the organizational stereotype, you know? That's Liberatore with the Cardinals. Shiny new toy, you know? Cardinals NRI list. The Padres have a loaded farm system and thus a high-quality group of NRIs. Despite that, Gore is an easy choice here. He commands four above-average pitches and is simply the best pitching prospect in baseball.
It's a Clayton Kershaw starter kit. They brought their top two prospects, infielders Jeter Downs and Triston Casas , to camp, ditto shortstop and first-round pick Nick Yorke. The former seventh-round pick reportedly made some adjustments geared toward elevating the ball more often at the alternate site last year, and that was after hitting. Duran is a fast riser and not far from the big leagues. RHP Brendon Little. Sorry, Cubs fans, but your team has the least-exciting group of NRIs in the game this spring.
That's because many of their top prospects are already on the man roster and will be in big-league camp automatically Adbert Alzolay , Miguel Amaya , Brailyn Marquez , Christopher Morel , etc. Little, the No. Look at the White Sox roster and it is painfully obvious they are keeping a spot warm for Vaughn.
They currently have Adam Engel and Eloy Jimenez penciled into left field and DH, and while Engel is a nice player, it feels like only a matter of time until Vaughn takes over at DH and pushes Jimenez back into left field. Vaughn, the No.
RHP Hunter Greene. The Reds brought infielder Jonathan India , the No. He completed his Tommy John surgery rehab last year and was at the alternate site -- Greene has not pitched in an official game since July -- and now it's time to get the show on the road. Greene has touched mph when healthy and he is simply one of the most exciting prospects in the game.
It'll be good to see him in games again. OF George Valera. Valera turned only 20 in November and will be one of the youngest players in a big-league camp this spring. He's raw but he has power -- Valera swatted eight homers in 46 games against mostly college-aged kids in the short season New York-Penn League in -- and the sort of whippy swing and bat-to-ball ability that point to huge offensive upside.
Cleveland will have several of their top prospects in camp as NRIs this spring, including catcher Bo Naylor and infielders Brayan Rocchio and Tyler Freeman , though few prospects in the sport are as exciting as Valera. Get a look at him while you can, before he's reassigned to minor-league camp. LHP Ryan Rolison. The Rockies opted not to invite first rounder Michael Toglia nor first rounder Zac Veen to big league camp, so Rolison, the No. He is the organization's top pitching prospect as a southpaw who succeeds with command and pitchability rather than overpowering stuff.
The lost season threw a wrench into Rolison's development, but he could see the big leagues in With all due respect to Riley Greene , the No. The Tigers are loaded with young pitching Matt Manning , Casey Mize , and Tarik Skubal , all of whom are on the man roster , and now they're starting to add some position player talent in Torkelson and Greene. Torkelson could be up at some point in It would be an upset if he's not, really. C Korey Lee. The Astros have a pitching-heavy farm system and just about all their top arms are on the man roster Bryan Abreu , Luis Garcia , Forrest Whitley , etc.
Lee, the No. He's a good receiver and athletic enough to dabble at shortstop and in the outfield in college. This spring will be our first real chance to see Lee in games, and see how well he's progressing at the plate. SS Bobby Witt Jr. My heart wanted to go with Wade Davis , who is on a minor-league contract and looking to revive his career outside Coors Field, but I just can't do it.
Not when a prospect as good as Witt is sitting right there. Witt, the No. He projects to hit for average and power, steal bases, and save runs in the field. Witt is a potential franchise cornerstone, someone whose game could look a lot like Trevor Story's at his peak. OF Jordyn Adams. He's an electric athlete who was committed to play baseball and football at North Carolina, and he brings top of the line speed and big power potential to the table.
Adams is only 21 and he's yet to play above High Class-A, though he's one of those players you can't take your eyes off when he's on the field. RHP Josiah Gray. The Dodgers always have a fun collection of NRIs and this year's group includes three recent first rounders righty Bobby Miller and infielders Kody Hoese and Michael Busch , though we're going with Gray here. He has a big fastball and a wipeout slider, and even Los Angeles' incredible rotation depth may not be enough to prevent him from making his MLB debut in RHP Max Meyer.
Very prospect-laden group of NRIs for the Marlins. Meyer has an uppers fastball and a wipeout Brad Lidge-esque slider. It is devastating. It's unlikely spring training will be the only time we see Meyer on the field with big leaguers in OF Garrett Mitchell.
For a team without a top-tier farm system, the Brewers sure will have a lot of fun prospects in camp this spring. Shortstop Brice Turang is a slash-and-dash speedster and lefty Ethan Small was the team's first-round pick in Mitchell gets the nod here because he's a freak athlete with tremendous speed and Gold Glove-caliber defensive tools, and he will put a mistake into orbit.
Will he improve his approach enough for that power to play in games? Unclear, but the development process for the No. SS Royce Lewis. Lewis was the No. He hasn't had that huge breakout season yet and is merely a great prospect rather than a super-duper-elite prospect, though the athleticism and tools remain tantalizing. Lewis might wind up in center field long-term rather than shortstop.
He's an exciting prospect wherever he lands and I'm looking forward to seeing him in camp this spring. It may not feel like it at this point, but Lewis is still only That leaves the following six veteran players who embodied the NRI dream, hooking on with a team after a down year or years and sticking around to have a successful season:. Jack Hannahan , Indians 3. The Indians were in a bind at third base, so they signed him. The plus defense panned out—Hannahan led all third basemen with He solidified his hold on a roster spot with a.
Jesus Guzman , Padres 2. The Padres signed him in November of and invited him to spring training, after which he persuaded San Diego to call him up by hitting. He debuted in mid-June and became the best hitter on an Adrian Gonzalez-less team, posting a. Casey Kotchman , Rays 1. He was essentially the same hitter in both seasons, but more of the balls he hit fell in last year. Ryan Vogelsong , Giants 1. The fifth, who finished just ahead of Lincecum, would have been one of the last pitchers picked.
He had a career 5. But San Francisco already won the non-roster sweepstakes based on last season alone. Jason Giambi , Rockies 1. But in his second season in Colorado, Giambi also contributed outside of the clubhouse, hitting 13 homers in plate appearances.
This time, he'll have a guaranteed contract anyway. Reed Johnson , Cubs 1. He remained useful in that role until , when he hit. He also suffered his annual bout of back spasms.
He was 33 years old, and his range had slipped. He accepted. And yes, he suffered his annual bout of back spasms. Six successful invites out of There are about as many successful NRIs in a given season as there were Wonka Bars with golden tickets. As Alex Anthopoulos says, it only takes a plane ticket or two.
This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.
0コメント