How MLB players perform during Spring Training only lends itself half to how they would be able to help support a push to the postseason for any of the 30 MLB teams, simply because the talent level that players are facing in the Cactus League days of March are nothing short of inconsistent.
From first-round draft picks that were invited to camps to get a feel for what the game of baseball looks like when you can finally say you made it, to fringe roster players that are willing to anything and everything that it takes to win the 26th spot on the active roster, to Triple-A guys looking to show up and show out in front of the big-league coaching staffs to try and impress their ways into earning that first call up to the show, players from all sorts of different backgrounds end up donning major league jerseys in Spring Training.
Statistics are very misleading for players, as they get to play against the best of the best, albeit in a very limited capacity, to the low-end minor leaguers that they can absolutely shell and make them look like they do not even deserve to be playing the game of baseball in any professional sense. But for some players, their breakout numbers and consistency that was put on display in Spring Training turns out to actually not be a fluke by any means.
Back-end roles in many starting rotations are always up for grabs before the regular season commences, which is a huge race during the month of March and even before that when training during the offseason. Players are excited about the opportunities that are in front of them, and they have their sights set on nothing else but reaching that plateau, solidifying their spot on the big-league roster, and becoming one of the guys that is a guaranteed lock to remain on the big-league roster for many more seasons to come.
Four players have stood out among others in Spring Training, showcasing their skills as positional players, honing their crafts and proving that they are either ready to finally make an Opening Day roster or they are ready to gain a larger role on the team moving forward.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Utilityman, Texas Rangers
With the MLB roster player limits being increased from 25 to 26 starting for this year, players like Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be huge beneficiaries of that added positional player flexibility. And with how he continues to swing the bat, it looks as though the decision may already be made concerning his candidacy for making the roster for the inaugural game.
For Kiner-Falefa, his trek to get to where he is now has seen him play in 176 games at the major-league level for Texas, including his career-high of 111 in 2018. While having played fewer than a full season’s worth of games across two seasons is not something to write home about, but it has set himself up for a really important 2020 season.
He was an MiLB Organization All-Star back in 2017 and the Rangers’ 2018 Rookie of the Year, showcasing the type of importance he has been receiving from the organization as he has worked his way up the ladder.
Kiner-Falefa was recalled twice by the Rangers from their Triple-A affiliate last season, and the versatile infielder looks to become a regular on the roster moving into 2020 – and his chances look to be pretty solid.
A .419/.455/.839 slash line lends itself to being extremely productive, and his inflated power numbers, which are a huge surprise, considering he has only hit a total of seven long balls at the MLB level, has risen to be tied for second in all of Spring ball with four long balls, a pleasant surprise for a utilityman that has the ability to play pretty much every position, but especially the infield and behind the plate.
He has some competition moving forward before the season begins, but he looks to be making a very healthy charge for one of the 26 roster spots, and the Rangers would be better off if he was on their active, big-league roster.
Dylan Carlson
Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals
Fighting an uphill battle due to being so far down on the positional depth ladder, outfielder Dylan Carlson is piecing together a solid spring on his way to trying to force the issue for the St. Louis Cardinals. And even if he is unable to break camp on the 26-man team, his time in the minor league should not be very long.
His .323 average currently sits as the eighth-best across the league so far, which is pretty impressive, considering Carlson has never stepped foot into the batter’s box or into the outfield in an MLB game.
His lack of power numbers (zero home runs, one RBI, three doubles) across 31 at-bats is definitely a cause for concern, as he needs to do something to make himself truly stand out in a crowded outfield group.
From left to right field, Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dexter Fowler look to be the starters for the club moving forward, with Justin Williams, Austin Dean, and Lane Thomas all vying for backup roles as a bench bat for the Redbirds.
However, O’Neill and Williams were shuffling through the minor-league ranks most of ‘19 and struggled to find solid footing, which could easily open the door for the team’s no. 1 minor league prospect to find himself in a regular bench role, even earning the occasional spot start or two along the way.
While his power numbers will surely need to increase to justify an MLB role, Carlson has a good chance at minimally making the big-league roster early on in the season, even if it is not for Opening Day. His numbers at the plate seem a bit difficult to hold serve on for the long haul, but a strong spring for Carlson has helped his chances exponentially.
Orlando Arcia
Shortstop, Milwaukee Brewers
Once proclaimed as the franchise’s next shortstop savant, the slick-fielding Orlando Arcia has struggled immensely at the plate and has forced the hand of upper management to bring in other players that have the skillset to potentially replace him.
Eric Sogard, Jedd Gyorko, and Luis Urias, among others, are projected to receive some playing time at shortstop to take some playing time away from Arcia, which could provide him with a big-time boost and even more, a motivational factor to once again become an everyday player.
Urias is looking to start the year on the shelf after recovering from an upper-body injury, Sogard projects to become the team’s focal utilityman, and Gyorko is in line to be the team’s starting third baseman, so Arcia’s time to shine and prove once again he is the guy is setting itself up nicely for him.
While his fielding skills have never truly been in question, it is his bat that has held him back from being the player that he was thought he could be. But this Spring Training, which has seen him lead the league with five long balls, has produced an offensively-charged Arcia that is exactly the type of player that the Brewers have been looking for this whole time.
If he can keep up his streak at the plate, at least in some fashion because this power breakout is highly unlikely to remain, then Milwaukee can rely on the rest of the roster’s flux and let Arcia realize his full potential, a long-awaited result that has been a long time coming for this franchise.
Trent Grisham
Outfielder, San Diego Padres
The final player on this list also has ties to the Brewers, as he was traded this past offseason to the San Diego Padres, along with starting pitcher Zach Davies, in return for southpaw Eric Yardley and utilityman Urias. And while Grisham’s 2019 season was a microcosm of the player that he could become versus the one that still needs a lot of polishing, his potential adds even more intrigue to an already-interesting Friars roster.
Looking like he will be the starting center fielder for 2020 for San Diego, Grisham’s spring has produced the same results that helped him become who he was last season. A .357 average (fifth-highest) and a .900 OPS are two solid hooks for Grisham to hang his hat on so far, and his slap-stick approach at the plate from the left side is exactly what the Padres need at the top of their batting order.
His defensive blunder in last year’s National League Wild Card game, which saw him hugely misplay a base hit into right field that allowed the Washington Nationals to begin their magical postseason run, is obviously something that will always be put underneath the microscope, but his defensive skills are vastly underrated and should be a huge help to the defensive lineup in San Diego. Not truly a Gold Glove threat by any means, his above-average glove combined with his solid throwing arm would immediately shore up a weaker area on the Padres’ roster.
As far as his spring is concerned, Grisham has set the table very efficiently to improve upon his ‘19 regular season with an even more solid ‘20 season, one that may take a bit to get used to, especially with being on a new team. But for Grisham, the situation that he is in, surrounded by the young core that San Diego has built up for the past few years, is exactly what he could potentially need to make that next step.
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