Regan's Rumblings: Job Battles to Watch

As "Spring" Training 2.0 opens up, I remain cautiously optimistic that we'll see a 60-game regular season slate with full playoffs, but is it certain to happen? Not sure anything is certain these days. One article in the local paper Friday morning stated that 40 of 50 states are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. This shouldn't be a huge surprise with things opening back up, but hopefully it's not as bad as it seems.

Meanwhile, I want to touch on a handful of job battles that I'll be watching this month.

Arizona DH

The candidates: Jake Lamb, Kevin Cron

First base is set with Christian Walker coming off a 29-home run season. Eduardo Escobar will handle third base after his 35-homer reason. Jake Lamb could fill in at both positions and handle DH against right-handers. So where does that leave Reno legend Kevin Cron? He certainly will see time against southpaws, likely at DH. He could be an option at first when Walker needs a day off, but is there a path to regular at-bats? Probably not initially, but maybe eventually. Cron smacked 38 homers in just 82 games for Triple-A Reno in 2019 and another six for Arizona. In a hitter's paradise in the Reno desert, Cron batted a monster .331/.449/.777, though his line in Arizona was not surprisingly worse at .211/.269/.521. A .310 ISO is elite level, but can Cron make enough contact at the big-league level? Who knows? In 78 PA with Arizona, Cron notched a 35.9 K percentage, though his mark in Triple-A was much better at 20.6 percent. Cron struck out in just 18.8 percent of his PAs this spring, so maybe there's hope.

A's Second Base

The candidates: Tony Kemp, Franklin Barreto

With Jorge Mateo having been dealt to the Padres, that leaves a Kemp/Barreto platoon as the most likely scenario at second. Kemp is the lefty, so he stands to benefit the most, but Barreto is a former top prospect who could certainly finally fulfill his potential and ease into a full-time role. Kemp hit just .212 last year and is a career .233/.314/.367 hitter in parts of four big league seasons. He did show promise in 97 games with the Astros in 2018, batting .263/.351/.392 in 294 PA before falling off last year. Perhaps it was a .227 BABIP that could reverse, but when you have a mediocre 15.7 percent hard hit rate and a low 86.2 mph exit velocity, that sort of BABIP can be a result of things other than bad luck. Barreto is a .189 career hitter in 209 at-bats at the big-league level, including really bad ratios – 3.3 BB percentage, 40.7 K percentage. Overmatched? If you want to be optimistic, he's still just 24, a former top prospect with the Blue Jays, and at Triple-A Las Vegas last year, Barreto hit .295/.374/.552 with 19 homers and 15 steals in 98 games.

St. Louis Left Field

The candidates: Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, Lane Thomas

If we assume that Harrison Bader and Dexter Fowler are everyday starters in center and left field, that leaves a number of other candidates for left field and DH. Matt Carpenter could be the primary DH assuming third base goes to Tommy Edman. O'Neill has hit .258/.307/.454 in parts of two big league seasons with a 35.1 K percentage that makes you wonder if the 25-year-old will ever be a big-league starter. Thomas is lesser known, but in a very brief 44 PA stint with the Cardinals late last year, Thomas opened eyes by hitting four home runs en route to a .316/.409/.684. He's very much in the mix. Then there's RotoWire's No. 6 overall rate prospect, Dylan Carlson. The 21-year-old was included in the Cardinals' 60-man player pool and is coming off a minor league season in which he batted .292/.372/.542 with 26 home runs. To add to his appeal, Carlson also swiped 20 bases. In a shortened season, the Cardinals have a great chance at a playoff run, so look for Carlson to get plenty of playing time. He's easily the organization's most talented outfielder.

Nationals Third Base

The candidates: Carter Kieboom, Asdrubal Cabrera, Howie Kendrick.

I fully expect Kendrick and Eric Thames to cover the first base and DH positions most days, leaving Kieboom and Cabrera to battle for third base duties. Kieboom is well-known as a top prospect, having hit .303/.409/.493 in Triple-A last year, but he's also young at 22, and his defense at third base remained a work in progress prior to the suspension of spring training. For a team with aspirations of repeating as World Series Champs, the Nationals are going to roll with their best players regardless of prospect status, so after hitting a solid .260/.342/.441 last year, Cabrera remains very much in the mix. His 11.1 BB percentage last year was a career high, and his 91 RBI was one short of his 2011 total, so the 34-year-old seems to have plenty left in the tank. The Nationals would likely love for Kieboom to win the job, but this should be a battle to watch this month.

Orioles Closer

The candidates: Hunter Harvey, Mychal Givens

Perhaps the Orioles look to "showcase" Givens in advance of the deadline, letting him close, but this should be a competition to watch. Now that he's a full-time reliever, the former top prospect, Harvey, could be yet another guy who converts from a starting role to an elite closer. After tossing just 63.2 innings combined from 2015 to 2018, Harvey managed 82 last year, even striking out 11 and allowing just one run in 6.1 innings with the Orioles. Givens, meanwhile, posted a career-worst 4.57 ERA last year, due in large part to a 1.9 HR/9, but his 12/3 K/9 was also a career-high, so the upside is still there for the 30-year-old. This is a battle that will be decided this month.

Phillies No. 5 starter

The candidates: likely just Spencer Howard and Vince Velasquez

Howard is an elite prospect, and Velasquez has a career 4.67 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in more than 500 innings, but this battle may not be over. Howard has made just six starts above High-A, but we have him as the No. 21 overall prospect in the game, and at 23, his time is coming. With the Phillies certainly looking to contend, if Howard shows enough this "spring," he could be the team's No. 5 starter from day one 2020. Last year, in Howard's 14 minor league starts, the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA and elite 91:15 K:BB in 68.2 innings. Howard hit 98 mph in his final Arizona fall League start, and with a plus slider and developing change, he profiles as a potential No. 2 starter. Whether he reaches those heights this year is up for debate, but I would expect plenty of Howard in a Phillies uniform this year.

Rockies…lineup

The candidates: Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson, Brendan Rodgers, Raimel Tapia, Matt Kemp, Sam Hilliard

We know Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, David Dahl (when healthy) and Charlie Blackmon will play every day, and that catcher is covered, but that still leaves potential revolving doors at first base, second base, DH and left field. With six names listed above, there should be plenty of playing time for most everyone, but who will emerge with the most at-bats from that group? McMahon should get plenty of playing time early after batting a decent .250/.329/.450 with 24 home runs a year ago, but McMahon hit just .226/.323/.357 outside of Coors Field and his 29.7 K percentage is cause for concern. The veteran Murphy should get plenty of DH time this year, as his .780 OPS a year ago, while it represents a big drop from his time in Washington, it's still plenty serviceable. Hampson could steal 40-plus bases in a full season with regular playing time, but he also hit just .247/.302/.385 last year. He'd need a massive spring to win regular at-bats. Kemp was somehow an All-Star in 2018 before doing nothing in the last year and a half. It seems unlikely he has much left, but who knows. With Ian Desmond opting out, I'd expect the winner of the left field battle (Tapia/Hilliard) to see most of the LF at-bats. McMahon should play first, and Murphy would be the DH, with Kemp possible slotting in against lefties, and either Hampson or Rodgers winning the second base battle.

Royals First Base

The candidates: Ryan O'Hearn, Ryan McBroom

Either way, a Ryan is going to see a lot of first base playing time in 2020. The Royals have to give this job to McBroom, right? The 28-year-old made his MLB debut last year, hitting .293/.361/.360 in 82 PA for the Royals after posting a .976 OPS with 26 homers in 117 games at Triple-A. McBroom was also batting .314/.368/.657 this spring. Meanwhile, O'Hearn somehow managed to get 370 PA despite batting just .195/.281/.369 with 14 home runs. The lefty likely won't see much time against southpaws after hitting .170 against them, but then again, O'Hearn also managed just a .200 BA against right-handers, leaving this job wide open for McBroom. In addition, how cool would it be to see headlines such as "Royals Sweep Tigers Behind McBroom's Five Home Runs"?

Yankees Outfield/DH

The candidates: Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Mike Tauchman, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Mike Ford

We know Judge (rib) and Stanton are going to be in there when healthy, and the Yankees seem optimistic both will be ready. That leaves left field and right field wide open. The 36-year-old Gardner seems like he has plenty left in the tank after bashing a career-high 28 home runs last year, but his .324 combined OBP the last two years is subpar, particularly for a leadoff guy. That leaves the door open for Aaron Hicks, he of the October 2019 Tommy John surgery. Hicks is expected to be ready for Opening Day, and with a $70 million contract that runs through 2025, Hicks should be the guy in center if healthy. That would seem to leave most of the other guys mentioned scrambling for at-bats in left and in other positions on days that other players like Stanton need days off.