One of the most exciting parts of spring training is seeing which young players can position themselves to make their Major League Baseball debuts on Opening Day. Last year, for instance, saw Boston Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell, Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw, and Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith (among others) punch their tickets north throughout the exhibition season.
Just who will do the same this spring? Below, you’ll find five notable prospects who we perceive as having at least a coin flip chance of making their team’s Opening Day roster. It should but will not go without writing that there are more than five youngsters with an opportunity to earn jobs this spring. In other words, if you don’t see your favorite listed, don’t take it as a sign that we’re down on that player. (Do note that we did not consider players who have previously played in MLB, NPB, or KBO.)
Let’s get to it, with the players presented in order of their rank on CBS Sports’ top 100 prospects list.
1. Konnor Griffin, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
Griffin, the sport’s top prospect, will reportedly receive an opportunity to break camp with the Pirates despite having never appeared in a Triple-A contest. Rather, he finished last season with a 21-game stretch in Double-A that saw him bat .337/.418/.542 with five home runs and six stolen bases. Griffin won’t celebrate his 20th birthday until April, meaning if he succeeds he’ll become MLB’s first teenaged position player since Juan Soto and the Pirates’ first since Aramis Ramírez in 1998.
Griffin may not be on the 40-man roster, but he has two factors working in his favor: 1) lackluster competition for the shortstop position (Nick Gonzales); and 2) the possibility of netting the Pirates a draft-pick reward through the Prospect Promotion Incentive program instituted in the last CBA.
2. JJ Wetherholt, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
There may not be a top prospect with a cleaner path to an Opening Day roster spot than Wetherholt. The Cardinals traded away three infielders during the winter, including second baseman Brendan Donovan and third baseman Nolan Arenado, without adding anyone to the mix.
Wetherholt isn’t on the 40-man roster, yet he hit .314/.416/.562 with 10 home runs and nine stolen bases in 47 Triple-A games and faces minimum barrier to entry. Besides, there’s enough playing time to go around if the Cardinals still want to provide at-bats to Thomas Saggese and/or José Fermín throughout the year.
3. Carson Benge, OF, New York Mets
Benge, too, seems to have a tap-in opportunity this spring. The Mets spent most of the offseason restructuring their infield while adding only one player (Luis Robert Jr.) to the outfield mix. That leaves the door open for Benge, who scuffled in his brief Triple-A stay but hit .317/.407/.571 in 32 Double-A games. Shy of the Mets making a late addition or wanting to give someone like Brett Baty or Mark Vientos an extended look on the grass, left field seems like Benge’s to lose this spring.
4. Justin Crawford, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Another National League East outfielder who might want to start looking at real estate listings, Crawford hit .334/.411/.452 last season in Triple-A with seven home runs and 46 stolen bases. He’s a polarizing prospect all the same because of his extreme ground-ball tendencies. Nearly 60% of his batted balls hit the dirt last year, a percentage that would’ve ranked as the highest in the majors among qualifiers by several percentage points. In turn, Crawford has been unable to tap into his raw power, making him all the more reliant on his wheels. The Phillies were able to add only Adolis García to their outfield depth chart this offseason, seemingly improving Crawford’s chances of making the cut.
5. Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
What’s one more outfielder for the road? Waldschmidt doesn’t have the same name-brand value as the other four entries in this piece, but he hit .309/.423/.498 in 66 Double-A games while nearly walking as often as he struck out. The D-backs have subtracted outfield options like Jake McCarthy and Blaze Alexander from their roster in recent weeks, creating space for someone in left field. Maybe that’s an external addition, or maybe it’s someone without a clear fit on their infield (Jordan Lawlar, perhaps?), but it would seem unwise to fully count out Waldschmidt given how he’s performed as a professional.