Prospect News: No Benge Watching Opening Day or Barco Scans

Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle and Cardinals SS JJ Wetherholt got some good news this week: they’ll be breaking camp as big leaguers. The early frontrunners for rookie of the year forced the issue by walking more than they struck out in spring training. Each hit two homers and stole two bases. Left-handed hitters who are both listed at five-foot-nine, they may find themselves conversationally linked throughout their careers after sharing this spotlight. 

Pirates SS Konnor Griffin might be part of these conversations, too, but he’ll open the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, a team that’s still called the Indians. It didn’t feel great to learn that Pittsburgh was discussing a contract extension with Griffin before demoting him, but I guess business is business, and their last little bit of leverage is perhaps the difference between being a Pirate on planes and an Indian riding buses for the next month or so. Griffin struggled to make contact this spring, batting .171 with four home runs and 13 strikeouts in 16 games, so it’s fair on merit to send him down. The net result for now is that Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales will be part of Pittsburgh’s every day lineup for a while. 

The Buccos won’t be rookieless on opening day as Pirates LHP Hunter Barco has made the team after adding three new pitches this off-season. He’ll be a reliever in the early going after recording a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 spring innings but could pitch his way into the rotation by summertime. Click here to read more about how Barco reinvented his arsenal.  

Mets OF Carson Benge batted .366 with a 140 wRC+ in 46 spring plate appearances to earn his spot on the roster. He didn’t hit any home runs, but when he does eventually hit one, it’ll happen in a major league ballpark and count for fantasy baseball leagues, so that’s nice. New York sort of tipped their hand in this direction by leaving right field wide open despite making a pile of maneuvers, but I’m sure they would’ve redirected if Benge didn’t look ready. 

In Philadelphia, we find another instance where a team telegraphed its plan all winter and then followed through in spring. Phillies OF Justin Crawford will indeed open the season as the everyday center fielder. I traded him away in one league this winter in a package for Tarik Skubal, which, sure, I’d probably do that again, but I’m still a big enough believer in Crawford to have some regrets today. 

Braves RHP Didier Fuentes made the team as, reportedly, a reliever. I think it’s the right move, or at least I think he earned this opportunity, and Atlanta has run this play before with Spencer Strider. Wish I had Fuentes in every league. Pretty sure I did at one point 

I’d roster Red Sox LHP Connelly Early everywhere as well. So would Boston, who’ll open the season with Early in the rotation, sending Johan Oviedo to the bullpen and Peyton Tolle to the minor leagues. 

Nationals OF Dylan Crews didn’t make the cut this time: an indication that this new front office sees him a little differently than the old front office that never really made Crews earn his way to the majors on the field. His best Triple-A stretch netted a 106 wRC+ in 49 games in 2024. He hit .103 in 34 plate appearances with zero extra base hits this spring. Might be good for his development to have a hard reset. 

Another top pick whose stock has been teetering, Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker made the season-opening rotation for Texas after recording a 20.8% strikeout-minus-walk rate in 12.2 spring innings. The ballpark should provide some protection, but it didn’t help much last year when Rocker posted a 5.74 ERA in 64.1 innings. 

Phillies RHP Andrew Painter earned a job due partly to impeccable control and partly because Zack Wheeler is on the mend. In 11.2 innings across four starts, he posted a 0.77 WHIP and 2.31 ERA despite logging just eight strikeouts. 

I was a little surprised to see the Dodgers carry RHP Emmet Sheehan in the rotation despite a difficult spring. He walked six hitters in 10.2 innings and allowed seven earned runs, which earned him the gig over RHP River Ryan, who allowed four walks and two runs in 9.2 innings. 

The Brewers went with RHP Brandon Sproat over RHP Logan Henderson and LHPs Robert Gasser and Shane Drohan. They’ll probably all be needed at some point, but Sproat could certainly take this job and run with it. 

Hey hey we made it to Opening Day! (Well, kind of. Just the one game today. Well, tonight. Is it just me or is baseball always finding inventive ways to fumble the ball when it comes to marketing?) 

Thanks for reading!