MLB: Five Position Battles to Watch This Spring

One of the most exciting parts of MLB spring training is the team competition. Not team vs. team competition, but intra-team competition. Position races to be exact. There are five positions races that are most inriguing this spring.

Spring training isn’t much for team vs. team competition. Each MLB team’s focus is filling out their big league roster and taking a look at their talent for the future. A good spring record is as meaningful as a solo home run in the 9th inning when your team is down by eight runs. However, what is lacked among league-wide competition is enhanced by in-organization competition.

Most teams have at least one position of uncertainty entering spring camp. Prospects are always creeping in this time of the year. Teams are trying to determine if a prospect is ready for the show or if they need more time to develop. The Yankees will face that decision with Aaron Judge and the Phillies with Jorge Alfaro. Then there are tenured players working to prove their starting case. Melvin Upton Jr. and Andre Ethier come to mind. But it’s the middle ground that is the most entertaining. Not the players jumping from the minors to the majors, and not the players hanging by a thread to earn a starting spot. I’m talking about position races consisting of established major leaguer vs. established major leaguer.

The following includes five position battles that should entertain this spring. The battles include a player with 30 home runs in 2016, a player who participated in three games last year, and a former MVP. Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo and Colorado Rockies’ David Dahl will represent the young guns fighting for a spot. Though less than established, each have had their taste of the big leagues.