By Mike Whiteman
March 17, 2024
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One of the things that makes baseball so great is the whole Spring Training experience. No other sport has the optimism, the intrigue and sometimes even the excitement of Major League Baseball’s pre-season training.
The story of a young phenom playing himself into a regular season job with a great exhibition season is as old as the game itself. The Yankees experienced it again last year when Anthony Volpe somewhat surprisingly played himself into the starting shortstop job. Unfortunately, while Volpe had a pretty good season overall, his batting statistics (.209 batting average, 81 OPS+) didn’t reflect the promise he showed back in March.
This, of course, isn’t the first time it has happened. Perhaps the best known instance was back in 1951 when a 19-year old shortstop named Mickey Mantle rode a .402, nine home run preseason to a place in the Opening Day outfield. As well, Grapefruit or Cactus League games aren't just for rookies.
The Yankees are sure hoping that Anthony Rizzo’s current slash of .522/.621/.870 in 29 plate appearances are an indicator that he is fully recovered from his concussion sustained last year. Rizzo himself reports that all is well. The ability to have the game experience of Spring Training, even if not overly intense, is invaluable for players coming back from injury.
Per the MLB.com website stats, here are the recent spring training OPS leaders (minimum 1.8 plate appearances per team played game), and a short summary of their subsequent season:
2023 – Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (1.138) – Went on to win National League Rookie of the Year with a .285/.362/.506 season. He made the All-Star game and finished fifth in NL Most Valuable Player voting.
2022 – Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals (1.629) – After his scorching Spring Training, he went on to take the NL 2022 MVP award.
2021 – Josh Bell, Nationals (1.328) – Bell had a solid .261/.347/.476 season with 27 home runs and 88 RBI for the Nats.
2020 – COVID season. The sport was shut down for four months after the Spring Training season was suspended.
2019 – Ryan McMahon, Rockies (1.233) – Slashed .250/.329/.450 over 141 games.
2018 – Daniel Vogelbach, Mariners (1.455) – Split his time between Seattle and AAA Tacoma, struggling to a .207/.324/.368 season with the M’s.
2017 – Greg Bird, Yankees (1.654) – An injury riddled .190/.288/.422 season. He did have a .921 OPS in the postseason, including that clutch home run off of Andrew Miller in the ALDS.
2016 – Nolan Arenado, Rockies (1.596) - Had a solid season, slashing .294/.362/.570, with NL-leading 41 home runs, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger.
2015 – Mike Trout, Angels (1.362) - Finished second in MVP voting with .299/.402/.590. Silver Slugger.
2014 – Brad Miller, Mariners (1.314) - Batted .221/.288/.365 as Seattle’s primary shortstop.
2013 – Mike Morse, Mariners (1.332) - .215/.270/.381 as a part-time outfielder for Seattle and Baltimore.
2012 – Albert Pujols, Angels (1.287) – Batted .285/.343/.516 in his first season for the Angels after signing as a free agent.
2011 – Kila Ka’aihue, Royals (1.306) – Broke camp as the Royals’ primary first baseman but was sent back to AAA after a .195/.295/.317 start in 23 games.
2010 – Sean Rodriguez, Rays (1.373) - Hit .251/.308/.397 over 118 games in a “super utility” role, playing every position except for pitcher and catcher.
2009 – Mark Teixeira, Yankees (1.285) – Tex went on to finish second in MVP voting and take home Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
2008 - Mike Morse, Mariners (1.317) – After earning a spot on the team after his torrid spring, his season ended due to injury in April.
Any trends here? It’s tough to nail down anything specific. Some MVP performances, some clunkers. Back in the early 1980s, Toronto first baseman (and onetime Yankee farmhand) Willie Upshaw was known as "Mr. March" for his exhibition season prowess. The modern-day “honor" would likely go to Morse. He had an OPS over 1.000 in five spring trainings, slashing at .325/.395/575 with 34 home runs in 572 Spring Training at bats.
So far this year, Texas outfielder Wyatt Langford leads eligible players with a 1.248 OPS+ and five home runs. The Rangers’ top prospect has only 17 games of experience above A-ball, but per reports may be playing himself into a role on the Opening Day roster. Do YOU think Spring Training stats matter?
