Ah, spring training stats—how you tease, how you tempt, how you beguile. Our heads tell us that a torrid March doesn’t portend a scalding April (never mind the months that follow), but our hearts…well, they’re tougher to convince.
There’s nothing wrong with optimism, and every year a handful of players carry surprisingly strong spring performances into the regular season.
For the most part, though, what happens in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues stays in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.
With that in mind—and with the exhibition slate at roughly the halfway point—here are nine players (one per position) who have significantly overachieved so far, in a decidedly small—small!—sample.
Some are set to break camp as starters; others are long shots to crack the 25-man roster. But they’ve all got one thing in common: inflated spring numbers that, while impressive, could set up casual, overly optimistic observers for a letdown.