With only 20 days until Opening Night, spring training is now in full swing and players are starting to get into their groove. Let’s take a look at four prospects that have fully found their groove in the first week and a half with high hopes to continue great play into the regular season.
Kris Bryant, 3B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Cubbie Nation sure is excited for this stud. Between AA/AAA last year, Bryant put up a .325/.438/.661 line. He also cracked a Minor League leading 43 homers. The guy just has absolute raw power. As a student at the University of San Diego, he out-homered 221 D-1 programs by himself his senior year, while also breaking the NCAA record for most homers in a season since they switched over to BBCOR bats.
This spring he has kept the storyline he has carried since his senior year of college—“This guy is ridiculous!” He currently leads all players this spring with 6 homers in only 20 AB (8 AB behind the league leader with 28) while also out homering the Braves, White Sox, Phillies, Marlins, and Blue Jays by himself. He is also already the all-time MLB leader in number of times my fiancée has pronounced him hot. By my estimate, he will have caught David Beckham and Channing Tatum for the All-World lead by June.
Expect Bryant to be called up on Monday April 20th at Pittsburgh because of service time concerns. But even that delayed entrance into the show shouldn’t stop Bryant from hitting 25-30 homers and being in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation come September.
Jon Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies
The number 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft is looking to build on a solid 10-5 season with a 3.91 ERA in the minors. Gray’s velocity thus far this spring has looked like the college Jon Gray who threw 100 mph and not the 2014 Jon Gray who saw his velocity dip into the 90-92 mph range. He threw 97 mph in his last outing past Diamond slugger Paul Goldschmidt and did not allow a run over his 2 innings of work.
He sports a 0.00 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP in 6 IP this spring. He has 6 K and only 1 BB in those games. Seeing Gray come up in the second half of the season would not be a surprise for an organization who has always been starved for pitching, especially if the Rockies look to sell off their veterans and see what the young guys can come up and do.
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
If you are wondering why the Dodgers shipped former All-Star and MVP runner up Matt Kemp to the rival San Diego Padres, look no further than to outfielder Joc Pederson. Pederson is a sweet swinging left fielder (who will probably play CF this year) who was drafted right out of high school in 2010. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2014 with a 30-30 season while sporting a .303/.435/.582 line.
This spring, Pederson has played very well. He has hit for .429 in 21 AB and added a monster homer over the head of Will Ferrell this past Thursday. I fully expect Pederson to start in center for the Dodgers on Opening Day this year and be in the running for NL Rookie of the Year.
Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
At6’4” and 215 lbs, Jorge Soler was a monster of a human last year. This year he reported to camp at 6’4” and 242 lbs! To give a comparison, Chicago Bears defensive end Willie Young is listed at 6’4” and 251 lbs. Even though Soler is basically the size of a DE, he has good speed and can play a decent corner outfield. He got called up to the majors last year and looked solid roaming right field at Wrigley. He put up a .292 BA and 5 homers (including this bomb in St. Louis) in 24 games.
Soler has shown that same power this spring, slugging .722 with 2 homers in 18 AB. For Soler’s entire career, his talent has been apparent. However, the question mark on him has been health. He has missed time in the minors with multiple hamstring injuries, among other things. If Soler can stay healthy and put up 140-150 games for the Cubs this season, he is my pick to win NL Rookie of the Year.