Kuzul

Spring training is officially here. The Arizona Diamondbacks‘ pitchers and catchers reported to camp Feb. 19.

Coming off a season in which Arizona finished with the worst record in baseball, there are several under-the-radar players who have the potential to impress this spring.

The D-Backs are looking like a rebuilding team, making these players more likely to have an impact early on.

Who will step up and make a name for himself this season? Here are three under-the-radar players who will open some eyes during spring training. 

All statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Begin Slideshow

Dodgers prospect Julio Urias made a statement last spring in his first big league camp, as the then-17-year-old struck out a pair of Padres as part of a scoreless inning.

This year, Urias, now 18, is back in camp with the Dodgers and ready to prove to the organization that despite his age and relative lack of experience, he’s ready for the major leagues. Positive reports on Urias have already started to come in this spring, with veteran A.J. Ellis offering high praise for the teenager after a recent bullpen session.

“I’d like to know how old he really is because there’s no way a kid 18 years old can have that type of composure,” Ellis joked, via Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. “That’s what was most impressive to me, his tempo, his ability to stay in the moment.”

But even if Urias dazzles this spring as he’s expected to, the Dodgers still are likely to send him to the minor leagues for the start of the season. At the same time, with all eyes on the left-hander this spring, he certainly stands to improve his estimated time of arrival in The Show.

The Dodgers signed Urias in August 2012 and sent him to Low-A Great Lakes in the Midwest League the following year for his professional debut. Though he was the youngest player at a full-season level, Urias, only 16 at the time, posted an outstanding 2.48 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 54.1 innings over 18 starts.

Urias solidified his status as one of the game’s top pitching prospects in 2014, as the precocious left-hander dominated older hitters in the hitter-friendly California League in his age-17 season. After celebrating his 18th birthday on Aug. 12, Urias capped his outstanding campaign by posting a 0.44 ERA with 31 strikeouts over his final 20.1 innings (five starts) for High-A Rancho Cucamonga.

On the season, the southpaw pitched to a 2.36 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 87.2 innings while also holding opposing hitters to a dismal .194/.292/.290 batting line.

Urias’ stuff and feel for his craft are truly special, and not just in the context of his age. The 5’11”, 160-pound left-hander’s mechanics are smooth and repeatable, allowing him to find a consistent release point from a three-quarters slot. His fastball already sits in the low 90s and bumps 94-95 mph, and he’s adept at manipulating the pitch to generate both sinking and cutting action.

The southpaw’s curveball shows plus potential in the 78-82 mph range, and he has a distinct feel for changing the shape and pace via adding/subtracting. Urias also throws a fading changeup in the low 80s with late fading action, though his feel for the pitch lags behind his other two offerings. 

Urias isn’t your average pitching prospect, and so far, the Dodgers haven’t treated him as such, challenging the teenager with aggressive full-season assignments.

“I’ve never had an 18-year-old that I’ve played with or managed with that kind of polish with four pitches,” said Rancho Cucamonga manager P.J. Forbes via MiLB.com. “You watch him throw a bullpen [session], it’s special. You watch him attack hitters during a game, it’s special. There’s really not enough adjectives to explain or talk about his development this year because it just seems to continue to grow.”

While Urias’ stuff seems to be about ready for the major leagues, the Dodgers are understandably hesitant to cut him loose at the highest level with only 142 career innings under his belt (not including spring training or any minor league playoff appearances). Plus, the southpaw hasn’t been stretched out at this point in his promising career, as he’s been allowed to complete five innings just twice in 43 career games (38 starts).

“I think, with him, it’s just going to be using his total innings last year and building off that,” general manager Farhan Zaidi said about Urias’ potential workload, via Hernandez. “In general, you don’t want a guy’s innings to jump by more than 20 or 50 innings or so.”

By that logic, Urias will probably log around 100-120 innings next season, as the organization is expected to finally loosen its leash on the enormously talented left-hander.

“I’ll categorize it like this: They are going to take the gloves off a little bit. I don’t know the exact number of innings, the number of pitches, but it sounds like he’s growing up,” manager Don Mattingly said, via Eric Stephen of True Blue LA. “That’s part of the player-development side.”

Urias is a safe bet to debut in the major leagues as a teenager, but he’s far from a lock to do so in 2015, according to Mattingly:

“Probably not. I don’t think that is part of the plan. With our guys you want to give them the best chance to develop, so that when they do come it’s not back-and-forth. Everybody really has high hopes for him, and nobody wants to see him rushed.”

It would seem that the 2016 season is a realistic estimated time of arrival for Urias, though that obviously will depend on his performance during spring training and the regular season, which he’s likely to begin in Double-A.

That Urias is so off-the-charts advanced makes it easy to overlook his age and limited workload as a professional, but we’re still talking about an 18-year-old kid with less than 150 career minor league innings to his name.

Even if Urias were to reach the major leagues in 2015, it still might take him several years to settle in against the game’s top hitters and work his way to the front end of the team’s starting rotation.

However, given Urias’ overwhelming successes in previous years and the rave reviews he’s received from players, coaches and front-office personnel alike, it’s clear that no matter what happens this year, the young left-hander has an increasingly bright future ahead of him.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The start of Cactus and Grapefruit League games next week means all eyes will soon be trained on baseball’s top prospects. However, with so many top-ranked young players in major league camp, focusing may be a little tricky.

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of a future superstar will have an overwhelming number of chances to do so over the next month, as teams will be offering their best prospects extensive playing time early in the spring schedule so as to evaluate them against proven big leaguers.

Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

While there will be a solid collection of prospects on the field in any given game this spring, certain guys stand out as simply must-watch entertainment.

Here is the 2015 spring training MLB Prospects-to-Watch Team.

Begin Slideshow

Alex Rodriguez reported to spring training Monday for the New York Yankees, seeking to get his career back on track after being suspended in 2014. 

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was on the scene in Tampa, Florida, to record some key details:

Following his session, Rodriguez spoke to the media, telling them that he was clean from PEDs, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Rodriguez also spoke about what he’s been through since the Biogenesis scandal, via Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Rodriguez, 39, is evidently taking his MLB return seriously, because he’s shown up three days early to Yankees camp. Entering his 21st big league season, Rodriguez has a lot to prove following a few underwhelming seasons that preceded his lengthy suspension.

That doesn’t just apply to his production on the field. He penned a handwritten apology for his MLB ban, per The Boston Globe: 

Rodriguez’s gesture to show up ahead of schedule for spring training ought to help his bid to win back fans in the Bronx.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post weighed in on the workout and his comments:

The Yankees need all the help they can get, and they can likely count on Rodriguez as nothing more than a designated hitter at this advanced stage of his career. New York ranked 23rd in on-base percentage and 20th in batting average and runs scored in 2014, so any aid Rodriguez can provide this year will be a bonus.

Purportedly keen on breaking Barry Bonds’ all-time home run record, Rodriguez’s long journey began Monday.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here and how Rodriguez ends his playing days, which have been trending in the wrong direction as of late, despite all he has previously achieved.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Not every successful major league player is a former top prospect.

One of the more rewarding aspects of scouting comes from the identification of young players who, despite flying under the radar, showcase the potential to be impact players at the highest level. That’s also what makes spring training so great: It’s an opportunity to view a wide range of players who might not be well-known outside of their organizations.

With that said, here’s a look at 10 under-the-radar spring training prospects worth knowing for the 2015 season.

Begin Slideshow

Pitchers and catchers have officially begun reporting to spring training, with the first full-squad workouts slated for the middle of next week. 

MLB spring training is finally underway.

It’s been a busy offseason, as busy as any in recent memory with exciting winter meetings, some big free-agent signings and no shortage of blockbuster trades.

With Opening Day still a month-and-a-half away, there is a lot of work to be done and questions to be answered between now and the start of the 2015 MLB season.

Storylines will change on a week-to-week basis as position battles pop up and injuries open up roster needs, but let’s kick things off with the five hottest questions entering 2015 MLB spring training.

Begin Slideshow

It’s time for spring training! Pack up your bags, book your flights and head off to Goodyear, Arizona.

The Indians are gearing up for another run at the playoffs in 2015. And this year, the Tribe is gearing up for a run at the American League Central crown, as well. 

This year, the Indians look poised to make a serious run, and, depending on how things shake up, they could be in the conversation as one of the league’s best teams. There are some small kinks in that plan though, as the Indians’ postseason hopes hinge on several players being healthy, a few players taking steps forward (most notably in the starting rotation) and for one or more prospects to come up and make an impact later in the season.

Got all that? No?

Well, that’s all right. Over the course of this article, I’m going to break down everything, starting with a recap of the offseason, all the way up to a breakdown of the position battles to keep an eye on in spring training.

Let’s get to it.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

Begin Slideshow

Spring training is finally here, or almost here anyway, as pitchers and catchers are set to report later this week.

Opening Day is still a month-and-a-half away, but just seeing guys playing catch and running around in sunny Arizona or Florida is enough to stir up some excitement in even the most casual of baseball fans, if for no other reason than it’s a sure sign spring is right around the corner.

Now, there is still a lot left to be decided between now and the start of the season, with position battles to take place and 25-man rosters to be finalized, but we have a pretty good idea what all 30 teams are going to look like at this point.

So with an eye specifically on how clubs are built to perform in 2015, what follows is a look at where all 30 MLB teams rank at the start of spring training.

Begin Slideshow

Look alive, people, look alive! The Boston Red Sox have pitchers and catchers reporting on February 20, a mere week away. 

The spring training intrigue starts with pivotal players like Xander Bogaerts, Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz trying to rebound from disappointing campaigns. It continues on with the unknown of Rusney Castillo and the shiny gleam of new toys Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.

Then we get to Davis Ortiz, dissecting if there is any hint of decreased bat speed as he enters his age-39 season. We’d reach Dustin Pedroia next, keeping a keen eye on if he shows the renewed pop to match his offseason bluster. 

That’s when our gaze wanders to the critical injury question marks of Shane Victorino, Koji Uehara and Mike Napoli. Bypass Mookie Betts and Rick Porcello, because barring truly horrific performances I’m not sure much can be gleaned from their pre-April play, and we finally get to our under-the-radar bunch. 

They may not be the biggest brand-name entities, but they’re in the well-respected Little Caesars division compared to the Papa John’s, Pizza Hut and Domino’s groups that the aforementioned players fall under. 

So with the successful pizza integration check mark complete, let’s delve into lower-profile Red Sox with a lot to prove this spring. 

Begin Slideshow

Hey, you. Did you know pitchers and catchers report for spring training next week? Cue the Monty Python, for that’s worthy of much rejoicing!

…Unless, of course, I’ve already lost you. Maybe you know nothing of this “training” that is done in “spring” and are in need of a crash course.

Well, the first thing you need to know is that spring training is when Major League Baseball’s 30 teams gather in Arizona and Florida to prepare for the coming season. It consists mainly of drills and exhibition games, as well as side activities like documentary filmmaking and alligator hunting.

Beyond that, it’s all about what’s worth your attention. To the former, don’t pay attention to numbers. To the latter, do pay attention to exciting new contenders, position battles, prospects, comebacks and, for kicks and giggles, unusually fit players and weird injuries.

Let’s break it down.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Trust the Numbers

As mentioned above, yes, there are actual games in spring training. And just like in the regular season, records are kept of what happens. That means numbers, which are like bakery-fresh cookies for baseball fans.

But here’s the thing: If we were to write a Don’t Do What Donny Don’t Does book on spring training, not trusting spring training numbers would be on page one.

For starters, how teams perform in spring training generally isn’t indicative of how they’ll play in real games. There’s research to support that conclusion, including a study by Lewie Pollis of Beyond the Box Score that found “about 11 percent of a team’s talent level is reflected in its spring training record.”

Even a really good or really bad spring isn’t especially predictive. I used MLB.com’s records to look at how many clubs since 2006 went from being either top-10 or bottom-10 teams in spring training to top-10 or bottom-10 teams in the regular season.

Fewer than half of the really good or really bad performances of the spring have carried over.

Sure, some springs have predicted the majority of the top 10 or bottom 10 teams. But overall? No, not really. 

One of the biggest reasons for this has to do with individual performances during the spring. It turns out the carry-over effect is pretty weak there too.

Writing at FiveThirtyEight.com last spring, Neil Paine found that offensive performances are predictive only when they’re particularly good or bad. And even then, they’re “only slightly” predictive.

As for pitchers, Mike Podhorzer of FanGraphs found that spring strikeout and walk rates can be predictive. Spring earned run averages, however, are “completely useless.”

You’re welcome to look at spring training statistics, of course, because what the heck. But if you find yourself thinking they might mean something, check yourself. And yes, when yours truly inevitably does it, be sure to remind me we had this conversation.

Now then. Let’s get to the good stuff.

The New Contenders on the Block

A lot happens between the end of the World Series and the start of spring training. Players come and go through trades and free agency, and teams are completely transformed in the process. 

Spring training offers the first chance to see the teams with new looks, which is particularly exciting with clubs aiming to go from pretending to contending. Such as…

San Diego Padres

With new general manager A.J. Preller at the controls, the previously boring-as-all-get-out Padres traded for heaps of offensive firepower in Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Derek Norris and recently capped their frenzied offseason by adding James Shields to their rotation. The Padres now look pretty solid on paper and certainly worth watching for the first time in a long time.

Chicago White Sox

Because Jose Abreu and Chris Sale weren’t enough in 2014, GM Rick Hahn bolstered the White Sox’s star power by trading for Jeff Samardzija and signing Melky Cabrera, David Robertson and Adam LaRoche. It’s debatable how good the White Sox are, but, like the Padres, at least they’re interesting again.

Boston Red Sox

After following their championship run in 2013 with a “pluh” season in 2014, the Red Sox tore it all down and built it back up by bringing in Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson. Their roster now looks entirely different and entirely more dangerous.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins surprised a lot of people by being reasonably competent in 2014 and then did it again when they inked Giancarlo Stanton to the biggest contract in baseball history. They then acquired Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Martin Prado and Mike Morse, signaling they clearly mean business in 2015.

Chicago Cubs

Hey, the Cubs were actually halfway decent in the second half of 2014. And now they have Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler to go with their overflowing basket of gifted prospects. They’re not quite an obvious contender, but them even being a “maybe” contender is a big step up.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays offense was good enough to push them to 83 wins in 2014. Now, that offense has Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Michael Saunders, and the team’s pitching staff is ready to be influenced by a group of talented youngsters led by Marcus Stroman. Behold a team that could be tons of fun.

Watch These Position Battles

Spring training begins with a lot of players locked into given positions. But there are some positions with question marks looming over them that must be erased before Opening Day.

To do that, teams hold position battles. Every team has at least a couple of them outside of the No. 5 spots in their rotations, but there are always a few in particular that are worth monitoring. Such as…

Boston Red Sox Outfield

This, friends, is a good one. Though Ramirez is locked into left field, Cuban import Rusney Castillo and top prospect Mookie Betts aren’t quite locked into center and right. They’ll be challenged by Shane Victorino, Allen Craig and Daniel Nava, and any of the three could make a strong push for a job.

Arizona Diamondbacks Third Base

If the Diamondbacks have their wish, the hot corner will belong to high-priced Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas. But while manager Chip Hale told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com that Tomas has been “fantastic” with his work ethic, his inexperience at third may ultimately lead them to consider other positions for him.

Washington Nationals Rotation

When the Nationals signed Max Scherzer for $210 million, his addition seemed to mean Tanner Roark’s ouster from a rotation that also included Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez. However, it appears the Nationals remembered Roark’s 2.85 ERA from 2014 and decided to bring him to camp as a starter. Prepare for what should be a dandy of a rotation battle.

New York Yankees Closer

The Yankees closer job went from Mariano Rivera to David Robertson and will now go to either incumbent stud Dellin Betances or high-priced lefty Andrew Miller. Both throw hard with awesome breaking balls, and both had sick numbers in 2014. In Ken Watanabe’s words, let them fight.

Pittsburgh Pirates Shortstop

Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang thinks he can take Jordy Mercer’s job, which is fascinating on a couple of levels. No hitter has ever made the jump from the Korean Baseball Organization to MLB, and Kang might be the guy to do so after hitting 40 homers with a 1.198 OPS last year. 

Watch These Prospects

There are going to be a lot of prospects running around doing prospect things this spring. But if you want to focus on only the best of the best who actually have something to play for, there’s…

Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Bryant is a beast of a prospect who destroyed the competition in the minors last year, hitting .325 with a 1.098 OPS and 43 dingers. And though the Cubs are being coy about his chances of breaking camp with the club, the recent trade of Luis Valbuena pushed the door wide open for Bryant.

Joc Pederson, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers’ decision to trade Kemp seemed designed to open up center field for Pederson, who had a 30-30 season complete with a 1.017 OPS in the minors last year. But while it looks like center field is all his, club boss Andrew Friedman has refused to hand it to him on a silver platter. Heat’s on, kid.

Dalton Pompey, CF, Toronto Blue Jays

Pompey is one of MLB.com’s top 10 outfield prospects, and he’s essentially in the same boat as Pederson in that he’s poised to become a regular in center field after a season that included 43 steals and an .861 OPS in the minors. If he looks the part, Toronto’s lineup will be even more dangerous.

Aaron Sanchez, RP/SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Speaking of talented Blue Jays prospects, both Sanchez and fellow top prospect Daniel Norris will be in camp. But Sanchez carries extra intrigue because he could break camp as a starter or as Toronto’s closer. Either way, his stuff will make your eyes literally (read: figuratively) pop out of your skull.

Andrew Heaney, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Heaney is regarded as one of baseball’s best left-handed prospects, but you might say he has big shoes to fill. The Angels traded Howie Kendrick’s dependable bat to get him, and they appear to be relying on him to complete their rotation behind Garrett Richards, Jered Weaver, Matt Shoemaker and C.J. Wilson.

Yoan Moncada, Something, Somewhere

We don’t know which position Moncada is going to play or for which team. But as soon as we know, you’ll want to have the 19-year-old Cuban super-prospect on your radar. Word is he’s pretty good. 

“He could be the next Robinson Cano [or] Chase Utley, but more Cano,” one evaluator told Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. “That’s the kind of potential bat we’re talking about.”

Yeah, that good.

Watch These Comeback Storylines

You can keep your eyes on the Mike Trouts, Clayton Kershaws and Andrew McCutchens if you want, but we know what they can do. They’re stars in their prime who are going to do stars-in-their-prime things.

More interesting, however, are the players who are looking to make a comeback to star status. And while honorable mentions are owed to injury storylines like Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Masahiro Tanaka, Ryan Braun, Garrett Richards, Manny Machado, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, you really need to pay attention to…

Alex Rodriguez, DH, New York Yankees

Yes, he’s back. Rodriguez is returning from a season-long suspension stemming from MLB’s investigation into Biogenesis, and he’s looking for his first healthy and productive season since 2010. Whether he can even look the part of a viable major leaguer, however, is something we’re going to find out.

Matt Harvey, SP, New York Mets

Harvey missed all of 2014 thanks to Tommy John surgery, but he’s going to be at full strength this spring. Hopefully, that will mean a quick return to the otherworldly mix of sizzling stuff and pinpoint command that made him arguably baseball’s best pitcher when he was healthy in 2013.

Prince Fielder, 1B, Texas Rangers

Fielder wasn’t his usual self with the Detroit Tigers in 2013, and he was even worse with the Rangers in 2014 before he went in for season-ending neck surgery. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News has a story up about how Fielder feels like he has a new lease on life and baseball, but we’ll see about that.

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles

Wieters hasn’t quite recovered from the Tommy John operation that ended his 2014 season after only 26 games, but he told Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun that he should be “good to go” for Opening Day. The Orioles hope so, as they need Wieters to be a big bat after losing Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis.

Matt Cain, SP, San Francisco Giants

Cain is coming off two straight lousy years, the most recent of which was limited to 15 starts before elbow surgery shut him down. If he can respond to that by getting back to being the All-Star pitcher he was between 2009 and 2012, the Giants rotation suddenly won’t look so bad after Madison Bumgarner.

Keep an Eye on the BSOHL Club

Yes, the “Best Shape of His Life Club” is a real spring training tradition. Real enough to inspire a Baseball Prospectus investigation and real enough for Hardball Talk to keep track of the new members.

For 2015, it’s not a big list just yet. But so far, the 2015 BSOHL Club includes:

• Mets reliever Bobby Parnell
• Mariners catcher/failed prospect Jesus Montero
• Free-agent lefty Phil Coke
• Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (sort of)
• White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia
• Blue Jays utility man Maicer Izturis

Everyone and anyone is a candidate to join the 2015 BSOHL Club. Except for maybe Bartolo Colon, but that’s OK. That would mean so many lost GIFs, and we can’t have that.

Lastly, Let’s Predict the Inevitable Weird Injuries

To be sure, plenty of legitimate injuries happen every spring. But so do many weird ones.

In 2013 alone, we got a scorpion sting, a painful tattoo, a sandwich-related neck injury and canine-related face rugburn. We’ve also had Hunter Pence fall through a glass door and Richie Sexson hurt his neck trying to wear a tiny cap.

Based on these injuries, I think we can fairly predict the following for 2015:

1. Chupacabra bite
2. Fungo bat in ear
3. Baseball in nose
4. Scorched heel from hot foot prank
5. Fell asleep on cactus
6. Toe run over by a Segway
7. Cat-scratch fever (seriously)
8. Hydrogen psychosis
9. Stickittodamaneosis
10. Trying to be like Channing Tatum

To the players: Be careful out there, guys. Spring training is when the injury bug is possessed by Loki.

To everyone else: That’s pretty much it. You are now ready for spring training. Don’t take it too seriously, but do enjoy what’s there to be enjoyed.

Especially the baseball. Especially the baseball. 

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com