MLB news roundup
Morning A’s fans!
Spring Training is right around the corner with just 13 days until pitchers and catcher report. The rest of the squad reports a few days later and the first games of the season begin shortly after that. The long winter is coming to a close (except for the people on the East Coast, sorry guys).
Now we know a few more names that will be showing up in those early days. The A’s announced yesterday afternoon their non-roster invitees for this season’s camp, picking 31 guys that will join the 40-man roster for the early days of camp, with a couple of surprising additions and omissions:
The biggest name there is of course Leo De Vries. The young shortstop was always expected to be in camp with the A’s but now it’s official. De Vries of course likely won’t break camp with the club, considering they have Jacob Wilson at shortstop to open the season. That said, a big camp could convince the A’s to be aggressive with him and start him in Triple-A to begin the year, making him just one phone call away from the big leagues. He’s going to be a name to watch this spring.
The same can be said about left-hander Gage Jump, who also made it to Double-A last year. Like De Vries he’s unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster but he’s not as far away as some may think and a big spring could put him on the radar for an early call-up if/when the A’s need pitching reinforcements. The other stud lefty in the A’s system, Jamie Arnold, also got invited to big league camp and he’ll be there when pitchers and catchers report. This’ll be the first real time the coaches and players will get to see Arnold up close and personal after he didn’t make his professional debut last year. There’s almost no scenario where the 21-year-old comes close to sniffing the Opening Day roster but he could be on the fast-track to the big leagues and this will give us a glimpse into the future.
There are a few other interesting prospects that will be in camp with the A’s. Outfielders Henry Bolte and Ryan Lasko face an uphill climb for a roster spot but should be options for the Athletics sooner rather than later. Bolte will be in camp for the fourth time and his solid spring performance last year was a sign of his upcoming big season in the minors. Lasko needs a bit more development down in the minors but offers another interesting young outfielder for A’s fans to watch this spring. In the infield we’ll get a look at young corner infielder Tommy White and see how he handles himself in major league camp. The bat isn’t the question, it’s if he’s going to be able to stick at the hot corner or need to move across the diamond. It’s almost the exact opposite for shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauder, who will need to prove he can handle major league quality pitches in camp and hopefully show some power in the batter’s box.
Other interesting pitchers to watch include prospects Wei-En Lin and Kade Morris. Lin has shot up through the minors and is approaching the big leagues and Morris was one of the return pieces in the Mason Miller trade. Neither are serious contenders for a roster spot but again, a strong spring puts them on the map and in the heads of the coaching staff.
The catchers are all well-known depth pieces but after Shea Langeliers and Austin Wynns the depth chart is extrmely unsettled. Camp will determine who is first in the pecking order behind the plate if one of those two go down to injury. Chad Wallach has the most big league experience of the bunch but with not-so-great results in parts of eight big league seasons. Brian Serven is a quality defender but offers next to nothing with the bat. And the others have little or no big league experience under their belts. The battle for third catcher will be a smaller but important storyline to watch this spring.
The rest of the invitees are entering camp on the outside looking in but with a chance to turn heads in spring, especially the relievers. The A’s were busy early in the offseason loading up on relief pitching depth and soon enough we’ll get those battles underway with all those names vying for a spot in the bullpen when the team travels to Toronto to start the regular season. Will a veteran like Wander Suero or Joey Meneses surprise everyone and land a spot? Or will a younger arm like Gustavo Rodriguez or Michael Stefanic snag a spot to start the year? The battles are almost set to commence, and with that the baseball season begins!
Any NRI you think could crack the roster? Debate below! And have a good Thursday everyone!
A’s Coverage:
- Blogfather Sabotages Own Wins Over Replacement Hip (And A’s Stuff)
- Athletics Community Prospect List: Lin Rockets Up To #4
- Wilson ready to parlay busy offseason into 2026 success
- De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list
- After monster stats as rookie, Nick Kurtz has a new number in mind: 162
- Projecting Nick Kurtz after Rookie of the Year campaign
- Analysts say this A’s outfielder could follow Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout path
- Two players the A’s can steal from the Colorado Rockies
- A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
- Happy 104th, Betty White!
- Polarizing Prospects: #2, Junior Perez
MLB News and Interest:
- Rockies acquire Edouard Julien in trade with Twins
- Skenes or Skubal at #1? The top starters in baseball are…
- Cashman, Boone say Yankees are title-contending team
- Bellinger contract comes with higher luxury tax hit in first two seasons
- Yankees acquire Angel Chivilli from Rockies
- Freddy Peralta willing to consider new deal with Mets
- Brewers sign backup catcher Reese McGuire to minors pact
- Today in baseball history
Best of X:
The prospects that got a NRI:
Time’s running out to make that starting pitching addition…
That’s because their not using their brains!
Agreed. Who legitimately thinks Vlad Jr. is better than Kurtz at this point?
Category: General Sports
