Spring Training is here. We’re excited for the next few weeks leading up to Opening Day on March 18th. Because of that, we have compiled a Spring Training watchlist. Over the next month, Spring Training gives players the opportunity to prove their worth and showcase their talent. There are a lot of players who can significantly increase their draft stock in fantasy baseball leagues, but we’re going to highlight 8 players on our spring training watchlist.
Spring Training Watchlist
Roki Sasaki: SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
In a highly competitive free agent market, the Dodgers were fortunate to land international free agent Roki Sasaki. Sasaki made the decision to sign with the Dodgers to be teammates with fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The 25-year-old brings with him six years of experience in Japan. He was a 2-time All-Star, pitched a perfect game, and set a NPB record for strikeouts in a game. Heading to Los Angeles, he gets to work on translating his talent into the MLB and do so over the next year or two, before he can sign a massive contract, similar to Yamamoto’s.
The Dodgers have a loaded bullpen & the Dodgers are going to ease Sasaki into the starting rotation. He’ll likely start in the fifth or sixth slot depending on how he performs in Spring Training. If Sasaki can prove he’s the real deal, he can become a staple in their rotation. We’re keeping a close eye on him as he’s currently ranked as pitcher #36 in fantasy draft boards, but he can quickly climb the rankings with a couple of solid showings this spring.
Matt Shaw: 3B, Chicago Cubs
The top prospect in the Cubs organization is slated to make his major league debut as the starting third baseman after the team traded away Isaac Paredes. The Cubs decided to give Matt Shaw the fast track to becoming the starter rather than trying to replace Paredes. The highest level that Shaw has played thus far is AAA ball where he slashed .298 with a .395 on-base percentage. He now gets the opportunity to showcase his talent in Spring Training against other MLB players. Shaw’s only rostered in 32% of leagues & we don’t expect that to last for long as his power-hitting should increase his stock.
Alex Bregman: 2B/3B, Boston Red Sox
The longtime Astros infielder took his talents to Boston on a three-year, $120 million deal this offseason. The Red Sox got the power hitter they were desperately needing if they wanted to compete in the AL East. There’s no doubt that Alex Bregman will continue to thrive offensively, but we need to monitor his defensive play. This isn’t the strongest part of his game when he was at 3rd base which he’s played for so long & he now shifts over to the 2nd base slot. In leagues where defensive stats matter, Spring Training will give us a good feel for how Bregman adapts to the new position and whether we should have concerns about him giving up more errors heading into the regular season.
Brandon Woodruff: SP, Milwaukee Brewers
The last time Brandon Woodruff, the 32-year-old pitcher faced a batter in a game was nearly a year and a half ago, back in September of 2023 before he was shut down with shoulder surgery. In 2023, Woodruff finished with the lowest ERA of his career in a more limited role. Woodruff is finally facing batters and should make his debut at some point during Spring Training to face one in competition. If Woodruff looks anything like he did in the 2023 season where he had a 2.28 ERA, he’s worth watching to help keep your fantasy baseball team’s overall ERA down. The concerns with his shoulder are still there, so we’ll need to see how he progresses and if he is able to keep it under 3.5 during Spring Training, he’s worth the stash.
Jackson Holliday: SS/2B, Baltimore Orioles
To say entering the big leagues was a bit of an awakening for Jackson Holliday would be an understatement. Holliday only managed two hits in his first 10 appearances before the Orioles decided to send him back down to the minors. He did improve when he was back in the minors improving his batting average from .190 to .271. We’re not giving up on the young phenom just yet. In practice, Holliday is looking bigger & stronger and on a mission to make his way back to the majors and stay there. If Holliday can power his way through opposing pitchers in Spring Training and continue to improve his batting average, he’s someone to keep on your radar for your flex spot.
Evan Carter: OF, Texas Rangers
After getting the call up to the big leagues in September 2023, Evan Carter took the league by storm. In only 23 games, he had 19 hits, 15 runs, 5 of which were Home Runs, & an impressive .308 batting average for a rookie. Carter was flying up draft boards in 2024 as the player to get & it all came crashing down. Evan Carter was only able to play in 45 of 162 games in his sophomore campaign & when he was active, his back issues persisted and significantly impacted his play as he only managed a .188 batting average. Carter is looking to put the slump year behind him and get back into his 2023 form. These next few weeks will give us a sense of how healthy he does look and if that’s the case, he’s a sleeper target. If reports arise on his lingering back issues, we’ll need to pass on him over others on the spring training watchlist.
Shane McClanahan: SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Shane McClanahan made a name for himself in the 2022 season earning his first All-Star nomination. 2023 was even better as he was off to a trailblazing start and was leading the CY Young race. Tommy John’s Surgery in 2023 shut him down for the remainder of the season and all of 2024. McClanahan is getting back into the swing of things and facing live batters again. The Rays named him the opening-day starter before even seeing how he plays in spring training. This gives us confidence in taking him so far, but we’ll want to see just a few outings before we can be fully sure he’s back to his pre-injury form. Before he went down, he had an exceptional career ERA of 3.02 on over 400 innings pitched. We’re eager to see how he performs & see if he can lower his ERA to below 3.00 this season.
J.T. Realmuto: C, Philadelphia Phillies
Outside of the top few players at catcher, it’s one of the weaker positions in fantasy baseball. There are a couple of guys we’re keeping an eye on before Opening Day. One of those is a former All Star in J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto is entering his age 34 season & his play is a shadow of what it once was. His play at catcher is not why we’re keeping an eye on Realmuto. Rather because the Phillies expressed utilizing Realmuto in other positions such as outfield and as a designated hitter. Realmuto has never played in the outfield. It’ll be interesting to see how the Phillies decide to use him this season. If we get to see some of that in action during Spring Training, Realmuto could be a steal in drafts for the flexibility of positions he can be used in.
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