There are few more satisfying feelings than the newness of spring training. Every team, no matter its circumstance, has a reason to feel rejuvenated. Every fan base, no matter how beleaguered, has something to cling to.
With that in mind, we reached out to sources throughout Major League Baseball to identify one player to watch for every team this spring in Arizona and Florida — and we came up with quite the eclectic mix.
There are superstars in new homes, difference-makers coming off injury, talented prospects looking to emerge and unheralded players you really need to know about. All of them — with the exception of one uncomfortable situation in St. Louis, perhaps — embody what spring training is about: Hope.
Athletics: Tyler Soderstrom
Soderstrom held a .219/.307/.404 slash line through the midway point of his age-22 season last year, then missed two months because of a bone bruise in his left wrist. When he returned, he began to show glimpses of what he can do offensively, slashing .279/.340/.512 over his last 47 plate appearances. The A's drafted Soderstrom No. 26 out of high school in 2020 and saw him rise through their system quickly. They see him as a crucial part of the lineup heading into a year when they hope to compete for a playoff spot, but Soderstrom will have to pick up in spring training where he left off in September.
Baltimore Orioles: Félix Bautista
There are so many options on this team — from up-and-comers such as Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo to crucial frontline starters such as Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez — but let's go with the reliever known simply as «The Mountain.» The last time we saw the 6-foot-8, 285-pound Bautista, he was mowing down hitters with ease at the end of games, posting
Read more on espn.com
espn.com
