Top position battles to watch this spring
Can you smell that? I-it smells like baseball.
At this very moment, all across Florida and Arizona, ballplayers are stretching and playing catch, shagging flies and cracking wise - engaging in all manner of baseball throat-clearing that wrests us, like clockwork, from the February doldrums.
And, with spring training firmly underway - 22 teams will hold their first official workout for position players on Monday - that means the battle for jobs is on. Remember: amid the joviality of spring training lurks the uncomfortable reality that the guy you're lockering next to may well be hankering for your position, your at-bats, and, in a sense, your paycheck. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few notable position battles set to unfold over the next five-plus weeks:
Washington Nationals, CF - Michael Taylor vs. Victor Robles
At this time last year, with Taylor clinging to .644 OPS (72 OPS+) 231 games into his major-league career, the hope was that Robles - the Nationals' most prized prospect, who dazzled across multiple minor-league levels in 2016 - would be able in 2018 to fill the outfield void created by the departure of Jayson Werth. Then, Taylor decided to break out. In the absence of Adam Eaton, who tore his ACL in April and missed the remainder of the season, Taylor managed 3.1 WAR with 19 homers, 17 stolen bases, and a .806 OPS in 118 games despite continuing to strike out at an alarmingly high rate (31.7 percent). As such, choosing Werth's replacement is now that much harder. Projection models aren't confident Taylor can perform at his 2017 level, but can the Nationals hand an everyday job to a 20-year-old, precocious as he is, in the wake of such a fine season from their incumbent center fielder? Robles, it seems, is going to be a star - last year, he hit .324/.394/.489 in 37 games at Double-A, earning a September call-up to the big-league club for his efforts - but is he ready to contribute every day to a team with legitimate World Series aspirations? Spring will tell.
Who gets the job? Victor Robles
Houston Astros, 5th SP - Collin McHugh vs. Charlie Morton vs. Brad Peacock
With both Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole now on the payroll, the reigning World Series champions boast an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their rotation. For manager A.J. Hinch, this surplus will undoubtedly cause some headaches, as each of the three candidates vying for the fifth spot has a pretty persuasive case. McHugh has the strongest body of work of the bunch, having accrued 11.0 WAR while crafting a 3.70 ERA (3.60), but also missed considerable time last year, logging just 63 1/3 innings due to elbow problems. Morton, meanwhile, was brought in specifically to start - he signed a two-year, $14-million deal last winter to fill out their rotation - and the 34-year-old excelled in his first season with the Astros, finishing second on the staff with 3.3 WAR while setting new career-bests in ERA- (86), WHIP (1.19), K/9 (10.00), and opponents' batting average (.226). Finally, Peacock, who had logged just 36 2/3 innings over the seasons prior, was Houston's most valuable pitcher in 2017, leading the club in WAR (3.4) and finishing second only to Dallas Keuchel in ERA while vacillating between the bullpen and rotation. Good luck, skip.
Who gets the job? Charlie Morton
New York Yankees, 2B - Ronald Torreyes vs. Gleyber Torres
One of the ancillary benefits of the Giancarlo Stanton trade was the roster spot it opened up for Torres, a consensus top-five prospect who probably would've made his MLB debut last year had he not torn the UCL in his non-throwing arm on a freak play in June. With Starlin Castro gone, it's only a matter of time until Torres assumes his rightful place as the Yankees' everyday second baseman, but it's not a foregone conclusion he'll be in their lineup on Opening Day. First, the Yankees have to make sure he's completely healthy; if he is, and if he doesn't flounder in camp, the club then needs to decide whether they want to start his major-league service time clock on March 29, potentially forfeiting an extra year of team control, or make the prudent move and option him to Triple-A for a few weeks. As such, this is more of an asset-management dilemma than a legitimate position battle, frankly, but if Torreyes - a light-hitting utility player with a career .689 OPS - tears it up this spring, it'll make the decision that much harder for the Yankees, who will need to eke out every last marginal win to dethrone the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.
Who gets the job? Ronald Torreyes
St. Louis Cardinals, CP - Luke Gregerson vs. Dominic Leone vs. Bud Norris
At the outset of camp, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny made it clear Gregerson, despite his considerable experience closing out games, isn't a lock for the ninth-inning role. Barring the addition of a top-end closer like Greg Holland, then, the role will likely to go whichever pitcher performs at the highest level this spring, be it Gregerson or newcomer Dominic Leone - acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Randal Grichuk in January - or non-roster invitee Bud Norris. Gregerson, who landed a two-year, $11-million deal in December, may be the putative favorite, but the 33-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career - a replacement-level campaign in which he managed a 4.57 ERA and 1.34 WHIP while allowing a whopping 13 homers in 65 appearances (1.92 HR/9) for the Astros. Leone, conversely, enjoyed a breakout season last year, setting new career-bests in WAR (1.5), WHIP (1.05), strikeout rate (29 percent), walk rate (8.2 percent), and opponents' batting average (.199) en route to a 2.56 ERA over his 70 1/3 innings with Toronto. Norris, the dark-horse candidate, battled inconsistency last year in his first full season as a reliever, converting 19 saves in 23 chances for the Los Angeles Angels with decent peripheral numbers - he managed a 28.6 percent strikeout and 3.56 xFIP over his 57 relief outings - obscured by his ugly 4.70 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
Who gets the job? Dominic Leone