Spring won’t officially arrive for another month, but Spring Training has. Pitchers and catchers officially have reported and the remainder of the position players will do so early next week.
Let the competition for big league jobs begin! Below, we identify an interesting prospect in each organization who’s vying for an Opening Day roster spot.
We’re not including locks such as Jackson Chourio and Evan Carter, focusing instead on players whose immediate future is more uncertain but they’re in a position to do something about it. Our contingent includes 16 Top 100 Prospects.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Ricky Tiedemann, LHP (MLB No. 29)
On one hand, Tiedemann still hasn’t thrown more than 78 2/3 innings during a Minor League regular season, and the Jays might want to monitor him heavily at Triple-A early on with hopes of getting him 100-plus innings for the first time in 2024. On the other, his fastball-slider-changeup mix would play in the Majors, and with Toronto trying to compete in a crowded AL East, it might want to consider using Tiedemann as a bullpen option early and easing him into the MLB rotation. If the left-hander dominates like he could this spring, he’ll make the decision all the tougher.
Orioles: Jackson Holliday, SS/2B (MLB No. 1)
We know, we’re really going out on a limb by highlighting the best prospect in baseball. But for those who think it’s a matter of when, not if, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick ascends to Baltimore, seeing how he mixes it up with the big leaguers this spring will be essential.
