1 must-watch player for each AL team this spring
As spring training gets underway, each team will have multiple storylines to follow heading into the regular season. Here, we examine one player from every American League club who's worth keeping an eye on throughout training camp.
Check out our list of NL players here.
AL East
Blue Jays: Daulton Varsho, OF
The Blue Jays paid a steep price to acquire Varsho from the D-Backs, parting with their top prospect and a proven commodity in the outfield. Varsho's game has some holes but his power/speed combination will provide the Blue Jays with an element they have sorely lacked over the past few years. The 26-year-old has quickly developed into one of baseball's most athletic outfielders and will form one of the league's strongest defensive trios alongside George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier. After spending the majority of his time in center and right field last season, it will be interesting to see how Varsho adjusts to being Toronto's primary option in left field in 2023.
Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, SP
Rodriguez is MLB's No. 2 pitching prospect, according to MLB.com. The right-hander missed a large chunk of last year due to injury but returned down the stretch to post some eye-popping numbers at Triple-A. Orioles general manager Mike Elias has already said he expects the 23-year-old to break camp in the club's rotation. Rodriguez could play a large role if Baltimore wants to build on its surprising success from last season.
Rays: Brandon Lowe, 2B
The Rays are hoping Lowe can stay healthy after injuries sidelined him for nearly 100 games in 2022. With Lowe and Wander Franco frequently out of the lineup, Tampa Bay struggled, finishing 21st in runs scored. If the 28-year-old can return to the form that saw him hit a career-high 39 home runs in 2021, the Rays will have an easier time keeping pace with the likes of the Yankees and Blue Jays in the always difficult American League East.
Red Sox: Chris Sale, SP
It has been nothing short of a disaster for both Sale and the Red Sox since the left-hander signed a five-year, $145-million extension in March 2019. Sale has made just 36 combined starts since the 2019 campaign while missing time due to elbow, rib, and finger injuries. The seven-time All-Star appears to be healthy entering the season and will be relied upon to help lead a Red Sox rotation riddled with question marks. "I'm just trying to live up to who I need to be and that's the guy that goes out there for 30-plus starts, 200 innings and wins games," Sale said, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne.
Yankees: Oswald Peraza, SS
Peraza showed flashes in his brief MLB showcase last year, posting a 146 wRC+ in just 18 games. The 22-year-old will likely need to put together a strong spring campaign if he wants to crack manager Aaron Boone's Opening Day lineup over veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Anthony Volpe is another young shortstop prospect in the Yankees' system worth keeping an eye on this spring. It's time for the Yankees to embrace their youth movement and try to mix their present and future in order to maximize the roster's potential.
AL Central
Guardians: Mike Zunino, C
The Guardians are counting on a healthy Zunino after handing the veteran backstop $6 million to bolster their production at catcher. The 31-year-old appeared in just 36 games last season and underwent thoracic outlet surgery. If Zunino can bounce back, he will provide some much-needed pop to a lineup that finished 29th in the league in home runs (129) in 2022.
Royals: Aroldis Chapman, RP
The signing of Chapman was one of the offseason's more surprising moves. The Royals handed the former All-Star a one-year deal and immediately anointed him as their closer despite Scott Barlow's presence on the roster. Chapman struggled mightily in his final season with the Yankees but could bounce back by pitching in the friendly confines of the American League Central. If he can recapture some of his past form, it's very likely that Chapman will be on the move to a contender by the time the trade deadline hits.
Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 1B
Torkelson's rookie campaign didn't go the way he or the Tigers would have hoped. The 24-year-old hit just eight home runs in 110 games while posting a paltry 76 wRC+ and was demoted to Triple-A in July. Torkelson will need to find a way to make more contact in 2023 in order to come closer to realizing the potential that made him the first pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Twins: Kenta Maeda, SP
The Twins bolstered their rotation with the acquisition of Pablo Lopez in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Lopez gives Twins manager Rocco Baldelli a solid foursome to build his pitching staff around, but the real wild card is what Maeda might be able to provide at the back-end of the rotation. The Japanese right-hander missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Maeda appears to be all systems go entering 2023 and could be a huge difference maker if he can come close to the form he showcased when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, 1B
For the first time since the 2013 season, the White Sox will be without the steadying presence of Jose Abreu at first base. Vaughn is expected to take over and will have big shoes to fill. The 24-year-old has a ton of potential, which made him the third overall pick in 2019. Vaughn hit 17 home runs last season while cutting his strikeout rate by almost 4% from 2021. With increased playing time and confidence from within the organization, Vaughn appears poised to hit 30-plus homers for the first time in his career and emerge as a possible breakout star on the South Side of Chicago in 2023.
AL West
Angels: Anthony Rendon, 3B
After struggling through injuries over the past few seasons, Rendon appears to be fully healthy entering 2023. The 32-year-old has accrued just 3.5 fWAR across three seasons with the Angels since signing a seven-year, $245-million contract in 2019. That financial commitment might make allocating the resources needed to make a run at re-signing Shohei Ohtani more difficult. If Rendon can recapture the form he showcased while with the Nationals, it could go a long way in keeping the Angels competitive as they look to chase down a playoff spot for the first time since 2014.
Astros: Hunter Brown, SP
Brown showed flashes of his upside during a brief stint for the Astros in 2022. The young right-hander posted a microscopic 0.89 ERA and racked up 9.74 K/9 in 20 appearances last season. With Lance McCullers set to miss the beginning of the season, Brown has an opportunity to break into manager Dusty Baker's rotation. The hurler made his mark at Triple-A last season, registering a 2.55 ERA with 134 strikeouts across 106 innings pitched. The Astros are looking internally in the wake of Justin Verlander's departure to the Mets, and Brown looks like a prime candidate to emerge as an option in 2023.
Athletics: Shea Langeliers, C
After the Athletics traded Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves, the path is clear for Langeliers to become the club's everyday catcher. The 25-year-old struggled in his first foray against big-league pitching, striking out nearly 35% of the time in 40 games. Langeliers will be given a long leash in 2023 and has the pedigree to emerge as a strong all-around option behind the plate.
Mariners: Jarred Kelenic, OF
It's been a bumpy road thus far for Kelenic in the big leagues. The 23-year-old is slashing a paltry .168/.251/.338 across his first two seasons and was sent back down to Triple-A in both 2021 and 2022. The Mariners added veteran AJ Pollock to their outfield mix this offseason, indicating that Kelenic may be more of a platoon option against right-handed pitching. The move does make a good deal of sense as Kelenic owns an OPS almost 200 points higher against righties (.658) than against left-handers (.471) in his career. Kelenic has made some adjustments to his swing mechanics heading into the season, and the Mariners are hoping he can make some strides and develop into the player they envisioned when they acquired him.
Rangers: Jacob deGrom, SP
The pressure will be on deGrom to stay healthy after the Rangers invested a monstrous five-year, $185-million contract in the two-time Cy Young winner. The 34-year-old will look to lead a revamped rotation in Texas that carries considerable risk from top to bottom. DeGrom has made just 26 starts over the last two seasons and logged only 224 innings since 2020. The hurler's first spring with the Rangers got off to an inauspicious beginning as side soreness sidelined him for the first few days of camp. If deGrom can make at least 25 starts for the first time since 2019, he and the Rangers have a chance to make some noise in the AL West in 2023.