Baseball, like a flower, blooms in the spring. They also share equally effusive PR people. Just the other day I read about how a petunia’s branches gained 15 pounds and was in the best shape of its life. I wonder if it’s on the same diet as Zac Veen. Sure, it’s always good to look at spring training numbers to give you an idea what you can expect from guys during the season — can I draft Ryan Weathers again?! Dude is throwing fireballs! Can I draft Zac Veen before he explodes? He’s mashing balls and potatoes with extra butter! Players in spring training are facing the top pitchers who are all displaying their best stuff. No one needs time to get warmed up. No one’s trying new pitches or getting a feel for the ball. They are at the height of their game in March. Our former commissioner, Bud, once doffed his toupee and tried to have the World Series played in March. That’s the true pioneer of a sped-up game. Forget the pitch clock, just play the World Series in Spring Training. Since these spring training numbers mean so much, I decided to look at some Spring Training Stats Leaders:
PSYCHE! Before the post, just wanted to say my top 500 and all my 2026 fantasy baseball rankings are updated as soon as possible (the latest, Hunter Greene’s got elbow trouble in the top 40 starters). Also, Rudy’s War Room is updated multiple times per day, and in-season subscriptions are open for business. Buy a subscription and save a cowboy. Anyway, the Spring Training Stats Leaders:
Curtis Mead – Hitting .524 in 42 at-bats. Quite possibly the greatest to ever do it, and I’m including Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani, and I’ll even include an imaginary child they have named Shohei Bonds who is better than both of them.
Josh Lowe – Hitting .429 with two homers and maybe it’s time we start locking in on the superstar factory that the Angels coaching have over there. They can’t afford a radar gun, but it doesn’t take much electronics to see greatness.
Angels saw the Rockies and were like, “We can be performance art, as well”
— Razzball (@razzball.bsky.social) February 25, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Rhys Hoskins – Leads the majors with six homers and this is when I tell you he is an incredible slugger who will likely hit 50 homers this year. This is how greatness starts with Spring Training stats. About to copywrite that statement.
Matt Chapman – Also has six homers and is hitting .400. Could Chapman win the Spring Training Triple Crown? I’m glad you asked! Yes, he could, and that is harder to win than the regular season Triple Crown.
Julio Rodriguez – Likely the best chance to catch Chapman for the Spring Training Triple Crown. Sitting on five homers and 20 RBIs, which is by far and away the most ribbies. Man, JRod starting the year hot? I can’t even contain my enthusiasm. I’m explosive in enthusiasm, which is illegal in certain “woke” states!
Michael Toglia – Has five homers and he’s back, baby! Put it up on the board that he’s back. Put it in the newspapers! There’s no longer newspapers? Oh, well, put it on a digital scroll that is on the frame of New Year’s Eve glasses.
Matt Wallner – A popular sleeper and has six homers to tie for the league lead. From the window to the Wallner, I’m singing to myself while drafting.
George Springer – Hitting .108, as one of the worst regulars. Ha, that dream of a second great season is over, I guess. Kyle Tucker is also hitting .100. Welp, sorry, suckers! Ain’t got time for bird sex and don’t have time for these guys!
Chris Paddack – 21 Ks in only 17 2/3 IP. That, sirs and five madams, is something! What is something? Don’t get hung up on specifics!
Garrett Crochet – Has eight walks in only 15 2/3 IP. Uhh…[climbs to top of Mt. McKinney]…uh…Still uh’ing. Ya know what, give me two months I’m uh’ing over here.
Jose Berrios – Only a 2.18 ERA and 18 Ks in 20 2/3 IP. Jose be Berrios Berrios to me!
STOP THIS! STOP SAYING THIS!
I’m sorry to yell, but you all need to stop. This is awful process. It’s nonsense. Now we get to grade everyone’s reading comprehension because these are LAST YEAR’S spring training stats. If someone can read everything but capped words, I apologize in advance if you draft Matt Wallner. (ACTUALLY, I DON’T APOLOGIZE.) I like to do this post every year because every year I get the same comments about how well a player is doing in the spring and asking if I’m going to change my fantasy baseball rankings because of it. Spring training stats are a joke. They mean nothing. Let me say it again for emphasis, spring stats mean nothing.
Please, you need to stop.
I get it, you’re excited there’s actual baseball happening, but here’s the thing: It’s not actual baseball. It’s Spring Training.
The only takeaway from Spring Training stats: Did those stats help a guy win an everyday job? And sometimes even that doesn’t mean anything. Last year Curtis Mead was the best Spring Training hitter and Garrett Crochet was struggling with command. Or so people thought. Was Chris Paddack back? No. Was George Springer donezo? I don’t love Springer this year, but if you ignored him last year because of his bad Spring Training, you should feel foolish.
My latest favorite thing about Spring Training madness was the people touting a pitchers’ velocity being up or down after, like, ten pitches.
Seriously, you should only be looking at who’s healthy, who won position battles and rotation spots. The rest is meaningless. Is Ryan Weathers throwing 100 MPH or something insane? Sure, and can he stay healthy for longer than two weeks? What happens when he’s a month into the season and throwing 100 MPH or whatever it is? With that said, things I saw in Spring Training that have affected my thinking in the last two weeks:
Konnor Griffin – Could be special and the Pirates can’t send him down for longer than a few weeks. Three weeks into the season is nothing to keep a guy on your bench. Same goes for Kevin McGonigle. My thoughts have changed on these guys and they are absolutely worth a flyer in all leagues, just in case. They were adjusted in the shortstops rankings.
Roki Sasaki – He might be the highest priced 7th inning man. Hey, it ain’t my money, except when I’m paying for a fantasy league and there I’m struggling to see myself ever drafting Sasaki. Maybe it’s overreacting to super early stats, but he looks like a middle man trying to be a starter and not in the good way like Clay Holmes and, yes, Clay Holmes is ranked above Roki for me.
Shane McClanahan – Exact opposite of my thoughts on Roki. I want to move McClanananananananan up in my rankings, but I won’t, I will aggressively shout, “Aw, cmon!” when he’s drafted right before I take him causing me to raise my stress level in this imaginary hypothetical situation.
Matt McLain – Pounding the ball early. Could BDon be right finally after being in on McLain years too early? I don’t know. The talent is there, but he was also great last Spring Training. Ugh, please stop showing me Spring Training stats. They just confuse me!
