Nationals OF Robert Hassell III is slashing .400/.447/.600 with a 15.8 percent strikeout rate and 174 wRC+ through 35 spring plate appearances. He’s been playing a lot of center field and might push Jacob Young, who has a 60 wRC+ through 26 PAs, for the opening day gig. Hassell III has been something of a . . . problem since he came over in the Juan Soto trade, just in terms of on-field outcomes, so there’s a vibes component to this decision. Would feel pretty good for everyone in the front office if Hassell III broke camp and played well early.
Angels SS Kyren Paris is making a push for the opening day roster, showcasing a revamped swing he found by working with Aaron Judge’s hitting coach over the off-season. He’s always been a double-plus athlete, and he looks a little stronger this year. The Angels have battled through some tough big league stretches with their guys to get to the other side for players like Zach Neto and Jo Adell. Paris looks like the next guy angling for a breakthrough.
Giants RHP Landen Roupp sounds like a character in Gangs of London, but he’s also the frontrunner for a final spot in San Francisco’s rotation. In 12 spring innings, Roupp has 14 strikeouts and one walk along with a 0.75 WHIP. He pitched well as a swingman last year as well, covering 50.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA. He’s thrown his dynamite curveball 44 percent of the time this spring, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can succeed as a starter throwing his sinker just 40 percent of the time.
Tigers 1B Spencer Torkelson is fighting for his baseball life, swinging at everything and slashing .269/.296/.615 with three home runs, one steal and one walk in 27 plate appearances. My guess is this approach works better anywhere but Detroit, ballpark-wise, but he’s earning a chance to be the opening day designated hitter, which is more than we might’ve said a month ago.
Cubs 3B Matt Shaw is making the trip to Japan, meaning he’ll be the everyday third baseman from day one, or so it seems. Not a stretch to imagine him stealing 30 bases. The power is kind of a question for me given the tough setting for a smallish right-handed hitter. Plus, I think he’ll spend his rookie year battling from pitch-to-pitch rather than hunting for pitches he can yank. On the other hand, he hit 21 home runs in 121 games last year and has been excellent this spring, walking three times as often as he’s striking out and posting a .421 on base percentage in 19 plate appearances.
Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy mentioned RHP Marc Church in his discussion of how the club might handle the ninth inning this season. Words are wind, especially in the bullpen, but I still added Church in a few leagues. I think it’s Chris Martin’s job to lose, but Church features a divine slider-heater combo when he’s hitting his spots and would give the team a cheap, long-term solution if he proves he can do the job.
Nobody loves found money more than Baltimore, and 3B Vimael Machin looks like a keeper this spring, slashing .444/.483/.630 with two walks and two strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. Not easy to see how he fits into a complicated roster picture, but I’m curious to see how it plays out. The Machine always produced in the high minors but short-circuited with Oakland gave him 253 plate appearances in 2022. In 85 Mexican League games last year, he slashed .401/.495/.579 with seven home runs.
New Astros 2B Brendan Rodgers intrigues me. He’s got a chance to hunt and pull the baseball this year. Might hit 25 or 30 homers if it clicks. Coors keeps people from becoming complete, consistent hitters, is my theory. Helps their batting average; hurts their development. People throw fastballs there then feed Rockies off-speed on the road. Also I believe in the transformative power of the career near-death experience, a term I borrow from Sigmund Bloom. Seemed like nobody wanted Rodgers this winter. We find out what he’s made of in 2025. He’s basically a congressperson that way.
Still in Houston, Astros 3B Cam Smith is poised to make the team out of camp, slashing .529/.636/1.000 with two home runs in 22 plate appearances. The deciding factors will be A) Christian Walker’s health and B) how confident the team is that Smith could slide over to right field once Walker returns.
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