For the most part, the MLB preseason is a time for established players to shake off the rust and the manager to decide who fills the handful of open spots on the 25-man roster.
However, teams focus on a few key areas in particular; it’s sort of a blueprint to preseason success, if you will, and those are what the following article will zero in on.
We chose one player (in some cases two) who applies to each of the following categories:
- Health: The key player either recovering from an offseason injury/surgery or an oft-injured player to keep an eye on. The hope here is that he will avoid any setbacks or stay healthy.
- Rebound: The key player coming off a down season. Ideally, he’ll turn in a big spring performance and build some confidence heading into a potential bounce-back year.
- Prospect: The prospect in big league camp who is capable of making the biggest impact this coming season or is expected to fill a key role on the Opening Day roster. A young player who looks like he belongs in the spring can certainly give the team some added confidence in him heading into the year.
- Newcomer: The one new addition everyone will be watching this spring. Not necessarily the top player the team added, though in many cases they are one and the same.
Think of this as a quick overview of what to watch for this spring.
If a team’s respective health question mark, rebound candidate, prospect contributor and key newcomer can all walk away with positive spring performances, it may be as close to a perfect spring as any team can hope for.