Top prospects around the league are often the focus of many conversations during spring training, and understandably so, as it’s a chance to see what a young player is capable of against established competition.
However, it is also a time when young big leaguers who are still trying to establish themselves have a chance to open some eyes and take the first steps towards carving out an everyday gig in the majors.
When a top prospect uses up his rookie eligibility but is still trying to secure his place on the big league roster, he can often wind up flying under the radar. Those are the guys we will focus on here.
So who exactly fits the bill for this conversation?
They must fulfill the following three criteria:
- At least one previous appearance on the Baseball America preseason Top 100 prospect list.
- No longer rookie eligible (130 AB, 50 IP or 45-plus days on the roster prior to Sept. 1).
- Must not yet be firmly established as a regular contributor at the big league level.
Those loose guidelines include a number of players around the league, so the focus here is on ones that are excelling so far this spring and are worth talking about, either based on their projected role with the team or their background story.