Twins RHP Mick Abel (24) bullied a lineup built mostly of backup Braves, recording six strikeouts in three scoreless innings. I don’t care much about the lineup, actually, because Abel looked excellent, spotting a 97 mile an hour fastball and sweepy slider time after time. He got taken out into the field a bit in 2025, but it was just 39 innings, and the jump from Triple-A to the major leagues proves difficult for pretty much every prospect these days.
Mariners 2B Cole Young (22) looked like an old hand over the weekend, launching a long home run to right field. Trouble is, that’s the only hit he’s picked up in 15 plate appearances. He slashed .211/.302/.305 in 77 games as a rookie and might need to hit early this season to hold off a charging Colt Emerson who finished last season in Triple-A. With Brendan Donovan in Seattle, Young’s runway for liftoff could be about two months. If he’s hitting at that point, he’ll look fairly locked into the long term build. If not, he could be back in the minors reading Self-Reliance.
In most organizations, Reds RHP Jose Franco (25) would be competing for a rotation spot this spring after posting a 3.11 ERA in 110 innings split almost evenly between Double-A and Triple-A. In Cincinnati, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder are battling for the 5th spot, meaning Franco is all but certain to open the season in the minors. The stuff is big league ready, the command is coming, and he’s a sturdy dude at 6’2” 257 pounds. Feels like he’s a little under the radar as a potential innings eater for deep leagues.
Giants OF Victor Bericoto (24) batted cleanup when San Francisco hosted Team USA in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. On the one hand, it’s an irrelevant piece of data in a world powered by small samples. On the other hand, everything means something, and Bericoto looked pretty comfortable against Paul Skenes and company. In seven spring games, he’s batting .533 with two home runs and nine RBI. I imagine he’s making a strong first impression on new skipper Tony Vitello. Bericoto has played just 11 games in Triple-A and figures to start the season in Sacramento, and they don’t exactly have an opening for him with Heliot Ramos in one corner and Jung Ho Lee in the other, but life finds a way, and there’s a lot of life in Bericoto’s bat.
Rockies 3B Charlie Condon (22) is enjoying the clean slate of a fresh spring, slashing .467/.556/1.067 with three home runs and three strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. It’s probably his best stretch as a pro, and I won’t be surprised to see him carry it over into the regular season. He finished last year at Double-A and was okay there for 55 games, slashing .235/.342/.465 with 11 home runs, but we haven’t seen the same guy who dominated at Georgia until now. I’m interested in a lot of Rockies this year. I hope they can build a competitive club someday soon.
White Sox OF Braden Montgomery launched a high home run hitting right-handed against Shota Imanaga. I’m not sure it would’ve left a Midwest ballpark in the early part of the season, but that’s not especially relevant yet. What matters for now is that Montgomery looks healthy and promising. He finished last season with 34 games in Double-A, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back there to open 2026, but that’s mostly because Chicago likes to have as many of their big-time prospects as possible in Montgomery. He already looks like one of the team’s best three outfielders and should be roaming that south-side grass sooner than later.
When Houston picks a pitcher, we pop our heads up and take a look. Astros RHP Mike Burrows was already good in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.94 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 96 innings as a rookie, but it’s easy to be optimistic that there’s still more under the surface. He’s thrown five innings this spring, allowing two hits and two walks against seven strikeouts. The story so far is that he’s adding a sinker to better compliment his great changeup and solid slider. I suspect there’s a little more to it than that and am excited to see what the Astros can unearth here.
Dodgers RHP River Ryan has traveled a winding path to this point but appears to be rolling right on time to claim a rotation spot. He’s thrown just three innings, but the key is that he’s healthy. When last we saw him for four MLB starts in 2024, he cruised to a 1.33 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 20.1 innings, flashing a nasty fastball and 90 mile an hour slider.
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