2016 MLB Preview: Intriguing AL Spring Training Position Battles to Watch
Things are starting to heat up with all players having now reported to their respective Spring Training locations. Baseball always has exciting breakouts and players that quickly climb depth charts to become relevant. In this 2016 MLB preview, here’s a breakdown of some of the more popular ones for 2016, broken down into all three American League divisions.
If the American League has its version of Giancarlo Stanton waiting in the wings, it’s best represented by Aaron Judge‘s massive wingspan. The 6-foot-7, 275 pound outfielder can hit, too. With only two minor league seasons under his belt, Judge has hit 37 home runs and clipped along nicely with a .281/.375/.467 slash line.
At 23, he’s raw, but talented. He profiles as a right fielder and it just so happens the Yankees’ starter there is soon to be 39. New York’s aging lineup seriously needs an injection of youth into it. Judge only has 61 Triple-A games under his belt. Based on how hard he trained this offseason, his progress in Spring Training will be one of many situations to keep an eye on in terms of position battles.
Next: AL West
AL West
Astros – 1B: Houston struck out with Chris Carter at first base and Jon Singleton is no sure thing. The latter has posted a .171 average across parts of two seasons. He’s only 24 now and had decent success in the minors, but there’s a 22-year-old who could be nipping at his heels for playing time in 2016.
A.J. Reed was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft out of the University of Kentucky. He dominated Double-A in 2015 with a .332/.405/.571 line, 11 home runs and 46 RBI in only 53 games. If Singleton struggles this spring, fast-tracking Reed to Houston could be in the cards, much like it was for the Astros and Carlos Correa in 2015.
Athletics – LF/DH: The sooner left field clears itself up, so too will the picture at designated hitter become more crisp. The trade for Khris Davis gives the A’s lots of flexibility. He can compete in left for an everyday job with Coco Crisp or Sam Fuld, but is also a viable option to take significant at-bats away from Billy Butler or Mark Canha at DH. For more on that, click here.
Mariners – RF/SS/SP: MLB.com’s depth chart has Franklin Gutierrez as a reserve player in Seattle’s outfield at the moment, but if can reciprocate his 2015 numbers (.292-15-35) from only 59 games to a full season worth of production, he’ll be a better option at either corner outfield spot than Seth Smith or Nori Aoki.
Up the middle, the infield will need either Ketel Marte or Chris Taylor to perform. In 2014, Taylor played admirably over 47 games with a .287/.347/.346 line. In 2015, he was atrocious (.170/.220/.223) across 37 appearances. Where he faltered, Marte did not, hitting .283/.351/.402 over 57 games. Neither will provide the lineup with ample power, but that’s not what the M’s need here. They need a consistent defender who can stay healthy and get on-base regularly.
Lastly, fans are still waiting for big things from Taijuan Walker and James Paxton. The last two spots in the rotation will come down to those two or contributions from Nate Karns, Vidal Nuno or Mike Montgomery. Walker won’t get as much love as former GM Jack Zduriencik gave him. Of him, Karns and Paxton, Walker has the worst command, but he’s still only 23.
Rangers – LF: Can Texas really rely on Josh Hamilton this year? They’d love to be able to turn back the clock to 2012 with him, but that’s wishful thinking. Top prospect Joey Gallo is roadblocked by Adrian Beltre at his natural third base position, so beating out Hamilton seems like the easy fix to regular playing time for him.
Next: AL Central
AL Central
Royals – RF/2B/SP: Speedster Jarrod Dyson and relative unknown Paulo Orlando of Brazil will battle for the last outfield spot. Dyson would have the potential to lead the AL in steals with everyday at-bats, while Orlando brings more to the plate in terms of power, something most managers view as a normal asset in right fielders.
At second base, the downtrodden Omar Infante from 2015 will look to bounce back. He will be pushed by Christian Colon, the fourth overall pick from the 2010 amateur draft. Colon did slash .290/.356/.336 over 107 at-bats last year, so there is a sense he might be able to take a major step forward in 2016.
As for the defending champions and their rotation, it looks like a five car race for the last two spots. Returning to camp will be Chris Young, Danny Duffy, Kris Medlen and Christian Binford, who will all compete with newcomer Mike Minor, a 13 game winner with the Braves in 2013.
Tigers – Center Field: Since being drafted by Detroit in first round of 2005, Cameron Maybin has played in only 24 games for them, all coming in 2007. After stops in Miami, San Diego and Atlanta, the 28-year-old returns to the Motor City in 2016. He projects as their starting center fielder, but Anthony Gose won’t let him walk away with that honor.
Maybin had a great start to 2015, posting a .289-38-8-44-15 split in the first half. Those numbers tapered off mightily in the second half (.240-27-2-15-8). Meanwhile, Gose (.321) got on-base at a competitive pace to Maybin (.327) in 2015. He also led his club with 23 steals and finished third on Detroit in runs scored with 73. Gose is entering only his age 25 season. The sad thing for Detroit and the spacious center field at Comerica Park is neither of the two are above average defenders, with Gose having a UZR of -10.4 in 2015 and Maybin’s being -7.2.
Next: AL East
AL East
Blue Jays – Closer/LF: If the Jay Bruce deal actually gets done, there likely won’t be an open competition in left field. It sounds like that won’t happen, so Michael Saunders versus Dalton Pompey could be something to keep an eye on. However, the premier battle will pit veteran reliever Drew Storen over young phenom Roberto Osuna for the right to close out Toronto’s games in 2016.
Osuna, freshly 21, stepped up in grand fashion for Brett Cecil last year. He posted a 1.99 ERA in save situations with a K/9 of 9.7. The Jays still may want to develop him into a starter, but with a fastball that sat at 95.5 mph, a deadly slider, strong change-up and a developing cutter, they could very well look to groom themselves a Hall of Fame caliber closer.
In acquiring Storen, the Jays traded away left fielder Ben Revere for bullpen depth. The 28-year-old has 95 career saves and posted his best K/9 season to date last year at 11.0. The edge goes to Storen in terms of experience, but Osuna clearly has the higher ceiling, which is exactly why Toronto may still explore using him in the rotation.
Yankees – Right Field: Losing Greg Bird for 2016 to shoulder surgery kind of clarifies the situation at designated hitter and first base. But in right field, the sun is setting on Carlos Beltran‘s career. In the final term of his three year, $45MM deal, he is set to turn 39 on April 24. Beltran’s .279/.337/.471 with 19 home runs a year ago was relatively productive, but Aaron Hicks and to a lesser extent, Dustin Ackley, will be pushing him in camp this year. Also, don’t forget top prospect Aaron Judge. Should he indeed be ready to make the leap to, his eyes will be set on the gig playing right field at the always popular Yankee Stadium.
Tampa Bay Rays – Designated Hitter: The Rays are handcuffed in terms of payroll. Trading for Corey Dickerson was a nice move, though it remains to be seen how his numbers will play away from Coors Field. He will be the club’s starting left fielder. When it comes to the DH spot, manager Kevin Cash will likely shuffle back and forth between Logan Morrison and Steve Pearce, whilst crossing his fingers and hoping for the best.