Bryan Abreu, Andre Scrubb Earn Early Praise

Houston Astros pitchers Bryan Abreu and Andre Scrubb have earned early praise from pitching coach Brent Strom in spring training. Abreu made the roster for the American League Championship Series in 2019 but showed up out of shape last year and didn't pitch well. Scrubb took advantage of his opportunity in the shortened 2020 season […]

Ryan Pressly The Leading Candidate To Close

It appears that the closer role this year is Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly's to lose after he converted 12 of 16 save chances last year when Roberto Osuna was injured and lost for the season, according to pitching coach Brent Strom. Pressly was an All-Star setup man in 2019 and converted 11 of […]

Don't Give Up On Carter Kieboom

Washington Nationals third baseman Carter Kieboom hasn't responded in his first 165 big-league plate appearances so far, hitting just .181 while losing playing time to Asdrubal Cabrera last summer before being optioned to the team's alternate training site. But Kieboom hit .303/.409/.493 in 109 Triple-A games in 2019 and has a career minor league slash […]

Ryan McMahon Could Return To 2019 Prominence

Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon took a step back in 2020 (.215/.295/.419 in 52 games) after hitting 24 home runs in 141 games in 2019, but he has the tools to return to prominence from a power perspective this season. He has a 46.2 percent hard-hit rate since 2018, including a 43 percent mark in […]

Gavin Lux A Forgotten Man Heading Into 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux was MLB's No. 2 prospect heading into last season, but he wound up playing just 19 games (69 plate appearances) while slashing .175/.246/.349 with three home runs in 2020. While Lux's playing time is still unclear on a loaded Dodgers roster, you shouldn't forget that he hit .392/.478/.719 […]

Austin Riley Made Some Gains Last Season

Atlanta Braves third baseman/outfielder Austin Riley had an OPS+ of exactly 86 in each of his first two seasons in the majors, but he chased less and made more contact during the shortened 2020 season. Riley's walk rate also improved, and his strikeout rate as a rookie (36.4 percent) dropped 12.6 percentage points -- the […]

Jo Adell Can Bounce Back From Rough 2020 Debut

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell had a really bad debut in 2020 (.161/.212/.266 in 132 plate appearances), but he isn't the first young prospect (21 years old) to struggle in their first taste of major league action. Despite his disappointing debut, Adell had a 115.5 mph maximum exit velocity last year, which was one […]

Change Of Scenery Could Be Great For Nate Lowe

Texas Rangers first baseman Nate Lowe slashed .282/.401/.497 with 20 home runs in 121 games for Triple-A Durham in the Rays organization from 2018-19, but he had just 245 plate appearances in 71 games at the major league level in 2019 and 2020 for Tampa. But the left-handed slugger with an 11.9 percent career barrel […]

Franchy Cordero Has Impressive Raw Power

Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero has missed time with multiple injuries in his four-year big league career and has just 315 plate appearances in that time, but he has shown impressive raw power nonetheless. Nine of his 12 career home runs have gone 420 feet or more, including a 489-foot dinger in 2018 that […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Has Yet To Unlock His Potential

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman/third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be just 22 years old on Opening Day, and his 12 batted balls with at least a 115 mph exit velocity since he debuted in 2019 are five more than any other player has since the start of that season. Last year, Guerrero had a […]

Luis Robert Capable Of Breaking Out In 2021

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert struck out in roughly one-third of his plate appearances last September, but he's extremely talented and had nine batted balls with an exit velocity of 110-plus mph in 2020. That metric put him in company with superstars like Marcell Ozuna, Corey Seager, Giancarlo Stanton and Ronald Acuna Jr. last […]

Zack Greinke Hasn't Arrived At Spring Training

Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke will have a delayed arrival to spring training for the second straight season, but manager Dusty Baker said that the right-hander will "be here on time." "He's always on time, he's just not early," Baker said. The league's mandatory arrival date is Feb. 27 this year, so Greinke should […]

Hunter Henry Open To Anything In Free Agency

Los Angeles Chargers impending free-agent tight end Hunter Henry said that he's "open to whatever" when he hits free agency next month after playing the 2020 season on the franchise tag. Henry caught 60 passes for 613 yards and four touchdowns last year, but his yards-per-catch mark was the lowest of his career. He'll likely […]

Panthers Free Up Notable Salary Cap Space

The Carolina Panthers released Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short on Wednesday and defensive end Stephen Weatherly, safety Tre Boston and punter Michael Palardy on Friday, clearing $19.9 million in salary cap space this week. The moves improved the team's cap space to $28.473 million heading into the start of free agency next month. Carolina's […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In Much Better Shape

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman/first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. spent the offseason working on his fitness, something that he has improved significantly heading into the 2021 season. While Guerrero is trying to earn back some playing time at third base, the Blue Jays expect his improved fitness to upgrade his production at the plate. His […]

Ranger Suarez Behind Schedule

Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez is one of five players not in camp due to visa issues, with the others being Neftali Feliz, Mauricio Llovera, Francisco Morales and Christian Bethancourt. Because of Suarez's delayed arrival, he will not be built up as a starter when he arrives to spring training. The 25-year-old Venezuelan southpaw […]

Zach Eflin Refined His Changeup And Slider

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin has the potential to be an ace right alongside teammates Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. The right-hander went 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA and a 3.39 FIP in 11 outings (10 starts) last year and leaned more on his sinker while using a more effective curveball to post a […]

Bryce Harper Expected To Be Healthy This Spring

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper (back) should be healthy and ready to roll for the team's first full-squad workout on Monday at spring training after he finished last season with a balky back. But manager Joe Girardi also said "we'll pace ourselves a little bit with Bryce to make sure he clears every hurdle." Harper […]

Zac Gallen Commands The Edges Of The Zone

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen, who was compared to Greg Maddux last year by Orel Hershiser for his ability to control the edges of the strike zone, is a dark-horse candidate for the National League Cy Young Award after posting a 2.78 ERA in his first two big-league seasons. The right-hander doesn't have overpowering […]

Todd Frazier Has Deal With Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent third baseman/first baseman Todd Frazier to a minor league deal on Friday, according to a source. Frazier will make $1.5 million if he makes the club out of spring training. The 35-year-old veteran can still hit the ball over the fence occasionally, but he strikes out too much and won't […]

Pirates Talking To Todd Frazier

The Pittsburgh Pirates are talking to free-agent third baseman Todd Frazier about a minor league deal, but nothing is finalized yet. Frazier hit .236/.302/.382 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 45 games with the Rangers and Mets during the shortened 2020 season. In his last full season in 2019 with the Mets, the […]

DeSean Jackson Will Be Released

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson announced that he will be released on his Instagram on Friday. Jackson was due $9 million in non-guaranteed salary for the 2021 season. The speedy yet oft-injured deep threat said that he still wants to play at the age of 34. Jackson's second stint with the Eagles was forgettable, […]

Cardinals Might Take A Swing On J.J. Watt

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim acknowledged that the team might "take a swing" on adding free-agent sack master J.J. Watt this offseason. The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year turns 32 years old next month and may have lost a step, but he'll be highly coveted on the open market after the Houston […]

Cardinals Won't Cut Chandler Jones

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said that the team has no intentions of releasing edge rusher Chandler Jones (biceps) in a cost-cutting move with the 2021 salary cap expected to drop. The 31-year-old has a $20.8 million salary cap hit this year in the final year of his deal. If anything, the Cardinals seem […]

Don't Sleep On Adrian Morejon

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Adrian Morejon may not even have a roster spot right away in 2021 given the team's starting rotation and bullpen depth, but the 21-year-old left-hander has overpowering stuff. Morejon has an average fastball velocity of 96.6 mph and posted a 57 percent whiff rate on his knuckle-change in 2020. He […]

A Breakout Coming For Kyle Wright?

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright is one of the team's most heralded pitching prospects, which is saying something considering the team also has Max Fried and Mike Soroka in their starting rotation. The fifth overall pick in 2017 had a 1.80 ERA over his final three regular season starts and Game 3 of the […]

Zach Eflin Overshadowed In Phillies Rotation

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin has been overshadowed by Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the team's rotation, and he hasn't been that great with a 4.63 ERA and 7.3 K/9 in his five-year career. But the right-hander struck out 70 in 59 innings (28.6 percent strikeout rate) while posting a 6.1 percent walk […]

Spencer Howard Has A Devastating Slider

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Spencer Howard didn't live up to expectations as the team's top prospect last year, but he showed flashes of his potential. The 24-year-old right-hander sat at 94 mph with his fastball and touched 97 mph and displayed a devastating slider that held opponents to a .217 average while generating whiffs on […]

Trevor Rogers Could Become Fantasy Relevant In 2021

Miami Marlins left-handed starting pitcher Trevor Rogers made his MLB debut in 2020 and had an ugly 6.11 ERA, but he touched 96 mph in his debut with an easy delivery. His slider and changeup missed plenty of bats as well, helping him to a 30 percent strikeout rate. When you combine that kind of […]

Nate Pearson's Secondary Pitches Make Him Intriguing

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson debuted last July to much fanfare, but he had a sky-high 16 percent walk rate and was among the worst starters in baseball at locating his pitches in 2020. The right-hander can hit triple digits on the radar gun and has a slider with good depth, a big […]