Spring Training Job Battles: Nearing the Finish Line

Arizona Diamondbacks

Closer

Less than a week out from Opening Day, this one is still unsettled, at least publicly. The team has not tipped its hand. The biggest thing working against Archie Bradley in this battle is actually a strength: his ability to get more than three outs. Indeed the prevailing belief in the baseball world is that Bradley would be more valuable to the team in a flexible, multi-inning role. Yoshihisa Hirano has given up three home runs in eight innings this spring, but he has a 9:0 K:BB after striking out the side against Cleveland on Friday. Meanwhile Brad Boxberger has allowed just one run while striking out five in five spring innings. My money is on Hirano, but it's a total guess.

Left Field

This wasn't a battle until Steven Souza went down with a shoulder injury Wednesday. Now there is an opening, with David Peralta shifting to right field to cover for Souza. Jarrod Dyson would make sense as the primary replacement given he's a lefty swinger and the far superior defender to Yasmany Tomas, but Tomas has had a nice spring (.316/.395/.474) and figures to see some starts against lefties. Chris Owings will likely factor into this mix as well.

Atlanta Braves

Outfield

Ronald Acuna will be up between April 13-16, but there is a window of opportunity in left field in the meantime. Preston Tucker, who was dumped by the Astros in December, would seem to be favorite for playing time, at least against right-handed pitching. Tucker is batting .370/.453/.565 with 10 RBI and a 7:5 BB:K through 20 exhibition games. Lane Adams is on the 40-man roster and would make sense on the short side of a platoon, but he's struggled in the Grapefruit League (.224/.240/.347) and it's not out of the question that the team could swap him out with non-roster invitee Ezequiel Carrera.

Fifth Starter

An ankle injury to Luiz Gohara has created a need in the starting rotation. Veteran Scott Kazmir was believed the be the favorite for the job, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com suggested earlier in the week that Anibal Sanchez may actually be the preferred option. Neither will have much appeal in standard mixed leagues if they get the job.

Baltimore Orioles

Fifth Starter

Two open spots became one with the signing of Alex Cobb to a four-year deal earlier in the week. Chris Tillman was all over the place in his spring debut, issuing six free passes in two innings. He bounced back in his Monday start, allowing just one run without a walk in five innings, albeit with zero punchouts. Mike Wright can show flashes with his breaking ball, but he he's given up 26 hits in 19 innings this spring and was rocked for six earned runs over 4.1 innings in his most recent appearance. This will likely be Tillman's job to start.

Right Field

Austin Hays seemed ticketed for Triple-A after a lat injury delayed him earlier in camp, but Mark Trumbo's quad strain has allowed that book to stay open for now. Standing in Hays' way: Colby Rasmus, Danny Valencia and 2016 Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander. Rasmus and Valencia don't exactly represent stiff competition, but Hays has just two extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts in 37 at-bats and could perhaps benefit from some more seasoning in the minors. A Rasmus/Valencia platoon is possible, but Santander is easily the most intriguing of those three. Check out James Anderson's latest on the site for an exciting prediction regarding Santander.

Closer

Manager Buck Showalter wasn't guaranteeing Brad Brach anything at the outset of camp, leaving the door open for the likes of Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day to compete for interim closer duties, but by most accounts it will be Brach filling in most days until Zach Britton (Achilles) is ready to return.

Boston Red Sox

Rotation

Injuries to Drew Pomeranz (forearm), Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) and Steven Wright (knee) have the back end of the Boston rotation in flux heading into 2018. Rodriguez and Wright aren't far off, but both Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez could see starts early on. Johnson had a 10-strikeout showing on the minor-league side earlier in camp and he's out of options. Velazquez has given up 11 runs on 21 hits through 14.2 innings this spring and should be avoided in all formats.

Chicago Cubs

Backup Catcher

Victor Caratini may be more deserving, but Chris Gimenez's familiarity with Yu Darvish, the team's $126 million free-agent addition, likely gives him the inside track at the backup role.

Chicago White Sox

Third Base

Yolmer Sanchez has entered the fray, joining Matt Davidson and to a lesser extent, Tyler Saladino. Manager Rick Renteria could try to get both Sanchez and Davidson into the lineup regularly, with Davidson at DH. Davidson hit 26 homers in 443 plate appearances last year, but even so, he was 17 percent worse than league average at the dish and was nearly a full win below replacement last year (according to fWAR). Davidson is hitting the ball hard in exhibition play, but he's not doing anything to ease concerns about his long swing, striking out 19 times through 63 at-bats.

Center Field

Charlie Tilson was optioned out early, but this one is still a little murky. Leury Garcia has eight extra-base hits this spring (.296/.309/.500), but there was talk earlier in camp that the team preferred to keep Garcia in a utility role. Adam Engel seems like the player to own in AL-only leagues, as he has hit four homers and is getting on base at a .431 clip this spring. Ryan Cordell was optioned down to the minors on Thursday.

Fifth Starter

Carson Fulmer has endured a disastrous spring, but the team will roll with him anyway and let him learn on the job instead of turning it over to Hector Santiago. It will be tough to justify starting Fulmer in any format, and tough to justify not stacking against him when he is on the mound.

Cincinnati Reds

Rotation

Anthony DeSclafani (oblique), Brandon Finnegan (biceps) and Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) are all down, leaving two openings on the Reds' starting staff. Tyler Mahle seems to have secured one of those spots with his performance so far -- Mahle has a 2.75 ERA and 15:3 K:BB in 19.2 Cactus League innings. Robert Stephenson has failed to build on his strong September showing, so it may be Amir Garrett joining Luis Castillo, Homer Bailey, Sal Romano and Mahle in the rotation.

Leadoff

Billy Hamilton has mostly looked lost this spring and manager Bryan Price is finally acknowledging publicly that he is considering a different lineup spot for the speedy outfielder. Jesse Winker and Jose Peraza were mentioned as possible replacements for Hamilton atop the order if a change is made. Peraza had a lower on-base percentage than Hamilton last year, so that would seem like a lateral move. Look for the disciplined Winker, who has a .408 OBP this spring, to eventually settle in as the primary leadoff man.

Setup Role

This should belong to David Hernandez, the Reds' "big free agent splash" of the winter, at least until Lorenzen gets healthy.

Cleveland Indians

Fifth Starter

Danny Salazar went down with a shoulder injury and Mike Clevinger secured his spot, leaving Josh Tomlin and Ryan Merritt to duke it out. Merritt has outpitched the indicators at virtually every stop so far, but he hasn't been so lucky this spring, allowing 10 earned runs and four homers in 9.2 innings. Tomlin's official naming to the rotation should come any day now.

Colorado Rockies

First Base/Outfield

With Carlos Gonzalez returning to Colorado, Ian Desmond is expected to come in to first base, pushing Ryan McMahon back to Triple-A and opening up left field for one of Gerardo Parra, David Dahl or Raimel Tapia. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post suggests Dahl is likely ticketed for Triple-A along with McMahon, but Dahl is doing his best to force the Rockies' hand, batting .347/.396/.755 with five homers, 18 RBI and three steals so far in March. Expect Parra to get the most run to begin the year, but both Dahl and McMahon remain stash-worthy in mixed leagues.

Fifth Starter

Jeff Hoffman is nursing a shoulder injury, and that will likely afford Kyle Freeland a chance to start to open the campaign. Freeland couldn't even strike out one minor leaguer in 4.2 innings against mostly Triple-A competition last weekend, but those in NL-only leagues desperate for a pitching replacement could do worse.

Detroit Tigers

Fifth Starter

Back stiffness has sidelined Mike Fiers, and Daniel Norris is the presumptive favorite to fill in. Norris hasn't lived up to the hype he had as a prospect, but the lefty put together a decent enough spring with a 12:5 K:BB in 14 innings.

Second Base

This isn't so much of a "battle," with Dixon Machado just getting the job by default. Machado has some speed and that trait alone gives him a bit of appeal in 12-team AL-only leagues, but he doesn't hit for average, doesn't hit for power and doesn't get on base.

Houston Astros

Left Field

We're a week out from Opening Day, and we don't yet know what the defending World Series champions are going to do in left field. General manager Jeff Luhnow seems to be leaning toward giving Derek Fisher a look. Fisher was quiet for most of camp, but he's broken out for five hits in his last two spring games. In the event the Astros send Fisher down to begin the year, Josh Reddick could shift to left and allow Jake Marisnick to step in. The window of opportunity may be relatively small, assuming Yulieski Gurriel makes it back on schedule, but Fisher has the talent to stick for good. He just needs the opportunity to show what he can do with consistent at-bats.

Kansas City Royals

Fourth and Fifth Starter

Nate Karns presumably already had a job, but he erased any doubt with his performance against the Brewers on Thursday (one run allowed, seven strikeouts in five innings). Jakob Junis is all but a lock as well. He has showcased his plus control in camp and even a surprising strikeout punch, racking up 20 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. Junis is a sneaky add in deeper mixed leagues, although most will want to play it safe and deploy him exclusively at home for the time being.

Right Field/DH

Jorge Soler is going to play, but where? If Soler mainly DHs, it would open the door for Paulo Orlando in right. If Soler plays an outfield corner more often than not, then it would probably be Cheslor Cuthbert who benefits the most. Neither Orlando nor Cuthbert have the skills to be worthwhile in standard mixed leagues.

Los Angeles Angels

Rotation

Andrew Heaney's dealing with more elbow troubles. Parker Bridwell would seem like the obvious choice to replace Heaney and fill out the Angels' new six-man rotation, but Nick Tropeano recently gave the Angels something to think about, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings against Texas with nine strikeouts.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Catcher

Austin Barnes took over as the top option in the postseason, but things have shifted back in Yasmani Grandal's favor. Grandal is batting .310/.383/.714 with five homers this spring and is expected to see most of the starts against right-handed pitching. Barnes is still an attractive option in two-catcher mixed leagues, as he has the skills to be a borderline top-five option at the position if he were to take back over behind the plate, and there's a chance he plays a couple times per week at second base.

Second Base

Speaking of. With Logan Forsythe shifting to third base to replace Justin Turner (thumb), second base is open for Chase Utley, Enrique Hernandez and Barnes. Chris Taylor will not be moving in to play the keystone. Utley figures to get most of the at-bats against right-handed pitching early on.

Left Field

Matt Kemp shed 40 pounds and seemingly picked himself up a job in one of the National League's top offenses. He's slowed down a bit recently with just one hit in his last six exhibition games, but he has four homers and a .551 SLG for the spring. Pederson is batting just .170/.250/.298 in Cactus League play, but Andrew Toles' usage off the bench in recent games suggests Pederson is making the team and Toles will be the one headed down to begin the year.

Setup Role

Nobody is handcuffing Kenley Jansen, but it's always good to know who's next in line. Pedro Baez fell apart late last year and hasn't been impressive this spring. Josh Fields dealt with some arm trouble early in camp, but he has made three appearances since March 15 and should be fine for the start of the season. Wilmer Font could climb the ladder quickly.

Miami Marlins

Center Field

Lewis Brinson has won this one running away. He should be in center field on Opening Day, and he may even be in the leadoff spot after a standout showing in Marlins camp (.352/.390/.630). There are some questions about Brinson's ability to pick up (and lay off) breaking balls, and he's 0-for-4 on stolen base attempts this spring, but I think the bat will play in most formats.

Shortstop

J.T. Riddle has been nursing a shoulder injury throughout camp and is seemingly headed to the DL to begin the season. That leaves Miguel Rojas to start at shortstop, with Starlin Castro at second and Brian Anderson at the hot corner.

Rotation

This is a dire situation. Dan Straily has been shut down for the time being with forearm inflammation. Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) will start the year on the DL, as will Elieser Hernandez (mouth). Sandy Alcantara and Jarlin Garcia were optioned out. What's left? Odrisamer Despaigne, Justin Nicolino, Jacob Turner and Caleb Smith. Avoid this one entirely in fantasy unless you can afford to stash Alcantara on your bench or get Straily on the cheap in NL-only.

Milwaukee Brewers

Second Base

The power stroke hasn't been there, but Jonathan Villar is batting .311 with a .404 OBP this spring. Eric Sogard has posted even better numbers (.324/.422/.622) and the Brewers seem to like him. It's uncertain how the playing time will shake out, but whoever earns the job will likely be stuck in the bottom third of the batting order after the Brewers added Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain.

Fifth Starter

Wade Miley seemed to have the inside track, but a slight groin tear has put him on the shelf for up to a month. It's possible Miley ends up filling the role once healthy, but Brent Suter should get to make his case in the meantime. Brandon Woodruff is waiting in the wings as a top replacement option.

New York Mets

Fifth Starter

After Jason Vargas went down with a hand injury, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler both seemed like shoo-ins in the rotation. Not so fast in Wheeler's case. Wheeler has been knocked around for eight runs on 14 hits in his last two appearances (five innings), and earlier in the week Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that Seth Lugo was receiving consideration to start. Given Wheeler's history, it would not be a surprise to see a permanent move to the bullpen at some point this season.

New York Yankees

Third Base

Miguel Andujar hit four homers in 14 games with the big-league club this spring, but he was never going to break camp after the team traded for Brandon Drury. Drury won't have a long leash, but the park boost is nice and he at least has a bit of appeal as a low-cost middle infield option in 15-team mixed leagues.

Oakland A's

Center Field

Dustin Fowler may have run out of time. He has struggled in exhibition play after the long layoff due to the knee injury, batting just .195/.227/.244 in 16 games. Fowler's timing still isn't there, so the A's could very well send him to Triple-A to continue knocking the rust off while Boog Powell plays regularly in center.

Rotation

Things are still in flux a bit behind Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Daniel Mengden. Andrew Triggs and Trevor Cahill look like they have legs up, but Daniel Gossett and non-roster invitee Brett Anderson are seemingly still in the mix as well.

Philadelphia Phillies

Fifth Starter

Injuries to Jerad Eickhoff (lat) and Mark Leiter (forearm) have opened the door for one of Zach Eflin, Ben Lively or non-roster invitee Drew Hutchison. Lively has arguably been the most impressive in camp, posting a 2.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB in 19 Grapefruit League innings. Hutchison has posted strong numbers as well (3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP), but a long-relief role seems more likely for him, if he even manages to crack the roster.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Third Base

Colin Moran hasn't homered this spring, but he's batting .333 with a .360 on-base percentage. Meanwhile David Freese is batting .241 with a .303 OBP and one homer. The Pirates would be wise to give Moran a look in an everyday role, but at the very least, he should be on the large side of a platoon at the hot corner.

Fifth Starter

Tyler Glasnow's struggles against big-league hitting continued this spring, with the right-hander allowing 11 earned runs on 17 hits -- including three home runs -- over 12.1 innings, pitching himself out of contention for a rotation spot. He did fan 19 in those 12.1 innings and it will be exciting to see what he can do in shorter spurts. Trevor Williams will open the season in the rotation.

San Diego Padres

Left Field

Manager Andy Green said in mid-March that it would be "hard to play anybody in front of (Jose Pirela)," and Pirela has done nothing to lose ground, hitting safely in five of six games since Green made those comments. Franchy Cordero has been down with a groin issue. Hunter Renfroe has six homers this spring, but also 15 strikeouts in 59 at-bats, leading to a pedestrian .254 average and .313 OBP. Cordero is the most exciting option here long term, but after the missed time, he's not a lock to break camp.

Second Base

As of early this week, Carlos Asuaje was the leader over Cory Spangenberg in this battle. Asuaje has enjoyed a nice spring, compiling a .353/.404/.667 line, but there is very little power or speed in this profile. He will just be keeping the seat warm for Luis Urias.

Fourth and Fifth Starters

Tyson Ross has seemingly locked down a spot behind Clayton Richard, Bryan Mitchell and Dinelson Lamet. That leaves one spot open for either Luis Perdomo or Chris Young. Perdomo has 15 strikeouts in 15.2 innings this spring, but he's never shown that kind of dominance in the regular season. Young will need to show improvement after an eight-run blowup March 16 if he's to have any chance to leap Perdomo. Matt Strahm has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this spring and hasn't thrown more than 1.1 innings in an appearance since March 5.

San Francisco Giants

Center Field

Steven Duggar has made a case that he's ready to fill the large side of a platoon, hitting four homers while getting on base at a .357 clip in 49 spring at-bats so far. Austin Jackson has had a nice spring as well and could open as the near-everyday center fielder if the Giants feel Duggar isn't quite where he needs to be. Ideally, Jackson would fill a fourth-outfielder/short-side-platoon role.

Fourth and Fifth Starter

The Giants have been bit hard by the injury bug in recent days, with both Jeff Samardzija (pectoral) and ace Madison Bumgarner (hand) going down. Derek Holland is now a lock to make the team as the fourth starter. San Francisco won't need a fifth starter until April 10, but once that day rolls around, we could see either Andrew Suarez or Tyler Beede get the call. Another possibility would be a bullpen game headed by Rule 5 pick Julian Fernandez, as posited by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.

Seattle Mariners

Backup Catcher

Mike Marjama seems to be the clear favorite here over Tuffy Gosewisch. Marjama has a couple homers and a .405 OBP this spring.

Fifth Starter

Rob Whalen's demotion earlier this week seemed to cement Ariel Miranda into the starting rotation. Miranda will be at risk of losing his spot when Erasmo Ramirez (lat) is ready to go.

St. Louis Cardinals

Closer

An oblique issue kept Luke Gregerson out earlier in camp, and now he's down with a hamstring injury. Dominic Leone, acquired in the Randal Grichuk trade, seems like the leading candidate to get the ball in the ninth inning early on, though it's possible manager Mike Matheny takes a committee approach. Tyler Lyons, Bud Norris and Sam Tuivailala are all in the mix as well. John Brebbia is a dark horse to see save chances later on in 2018.

Tampa Bay Rays

Second Base

Brad Miller seems to have the job, but Joey Wendle is making a push for a roster spot and could eat into Miller's opportunities if Miller gets off to a slow start. Daniel Robertson is getting on base 41 percent of the time this spring, but he will likely bounce around the diamond in a utility role.

Left Field/Designated Hitter

Mallex Smith recently returned from a hamstring injury, collecting three hits and a stolen base in his first two games back. He could be the primary left fielder to begin the year. That would leave Denard Span in a weird spot -- he could perhaps DH, but Span is far from a prototypical DH bat. The Rays could opt to deploy Miller at DH and start Wendle at second, with Smith and Span working in something of a timeshare in the outfield.

Texas Rangers

Closer

Alex Claudio finished last season in the role, but recent comments from manager Jeff Bannister suggest it will be someone other than Claudio working the ninth to begin the 2018 season. Keone Kela has long been speculated as the closer in waiting. Kela dealt with more shoulder trouble earlier in camp after undergoing stem-cell therapy on the shoulder in November, but he has successfully built up strength, to the point where he was recently cleared to pitch on back-to-back days. Jake Diekman is another lefty, but he has the swing-and-miss stuff to close potentially (career 11.0 K/9). Tim Lincecum is now dealing with a blister and is out of this discussion for the time being.

Rotation

Bartolo Colon's chances of making the team have improved with the news that Martin Perez (elbow) will start the season on the 10-day DL. The 44-year-old Colon has an even 3.00 ERA in 18 innings this spring (five starts), but he will be an extremely risky roll. Even those in AL-only are probably better off deploying a skilled middle reliever instead of taking the chance on Colon.

Utility

Jurickson Profar and Rule 5 pick Carlos Tocci have made the club. Bannister said that Profar will play a "significant role" on the team, but Profar will not have a set spot in the lineup.

Washington Nationals

Fifth Starter

A.J. Cole was formally named to the rotation after blanking the Astros over four innings Friday. He had more walks (5) than strikeouts (4) in that outing, but Cole has a 16:7 K:BB for the spring (13 innings). He could lose his spot once Jeremy Hellickson is fully stretched out.