Spring Training has arrived and as I’ve been writing daily notes for myself to recap all spring training starting pitchers for the Plus Pitch Podcast, I realized I should publish them on the site for quick access.
I’ll be livestreaming every morning 10am-12pm ET at playback.tv/pitcherlist as I watch all of the starts with y’all and answer all your fantasy baseball questions.
Major SP News To Know
I published late on Sunday and will leave up yesterday’s news for another day.
Tobias Myers will be out for many weeks with an oblique injury. It may speed up the timeline on Brandon Woodruff as they don’t have a clear SP #5 (Logan Henderson isn’t quite ready). Don’t expect to get volume from Woodruff until the end of April.
The Padres are giving Yu Darvish extra rest as he’s going through “fatigue”. It is being announced as precautionary, though it does put his start to the season in question as he could end up on the IL for the first two weeks without a proper ramp up.
Zebby Matthews was demoted to the minor leagues, making the Twins rotation set with Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson at the backend.
Clarke Schmidt was scratched from his Sunday start with a “minor” shoulder issue. It may not be much outside of normal shoulder inflammation we see in the spring, but it could delay his first start of the season. He pitched a bullpen of 25 pitches and “Felt great,” stressing that he wouldn’t have thrown if there was a major concern.
The Cardinals are considering a six-man rotation to get regular innings from Michael McGreevy. I’m not interested in this, sadly.
Site News
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Expected Rotations By Team
Statcast Games – TV
HAN vs. LAD
YOM vs. CHC
MIN vs. BOS
NYY vs. PIT
TOR vs. ATL
NYM vs. HOU
MIA vs. STL
TEX vs. CWS
SD vs. AZ
Tyler Glasnow (LAD) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 6 K. It’s a slightly smaller ball for these exhibition games, which explains the increase in vert for both Glasnow and Snell, and maybe also the poor command of Glasnow’s slider? Nah, who cares. It’s Tyler.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K. Up and away cutters to LHB, eh? That’s a new one, hinting at the Canibal McSanchez. Sweepers were the major focus down-and-away to RHB at 52% usage and they worked well, too, and I love that he’s convincing himself how valuable that pitch is against RHB. It may be his best weapon overall. I still believe in the curve to LHB, but that’s just me. And some others I’ve talked to.
Matthew Boyd (CHC) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K. Weird to say it, but this was not Boyd’s best. Four-seamers found their spots upstairs, but the changeup and slider were far from their intended spots and I think the opposition helped him here. I just drafted him in my CBS Points Tout Wars league and I’m stoked about it (he’s gold in that league IMO) and I would do the same if you’re in a points league that favors volume.
Pablo López (MIN) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 8 K. YOU’RE THROWING A SPLITTER NOW!? Huh. Not sure that’s super needed and I wonder if he had a bullpen with it, felt great, and wanted to test it in the spring for a game. 2/16 whiffs and 56% strikes isn’t the greatest endorsement, but maybe it’ll return? It’s weird given that López’s changeup has been his calling card over the years…anyway, the big focus was his ability to land the sweeper away and nail the inside edge with heaters to RHB and…everything was middle-middle. Still a work in progress, but we’re at 96 mph and he should correct it.
Garrett Crochet (BOS) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K. Crochet is dope and makes us feel dope. That cutter y’all. Ugggggh.
Cam Schlittler (NYY) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K. He’s a four-seamer/sweeper guy and I’m not sure I love that. The Yankees may be calling on him for depth later in the year and I suggest you Cam do without him. Not what I would have gone with. I know.
Carson Fulmer (PIT) – 2.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Oh hey it’s Fulmer! And you’re not doing anything of interest. Cool cool cool.
José Berríos (TOR) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K. Six innings! THE SEASON IS ALMOST HERE. The four-seamer earned 6/14 whiffs somehow, and the changeup feasted against LHB for 4/8 whiffs. That’s not normal at all, y’all. The curve was also hit a little bit but mostly did its job and the sinker failed to go inside to LHB, resulting in a package of “Uhhhh, this isn’t normal at all.” So let’s move on.
Grant Holmes (ATL) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K. His curve and slider are slightly down in velocity about a tick with the fastball holding steady at 94/95 mph and a day of just 3/42 whiffs between the breakers is not the standard affair. The good news? He threw 93 pitches. Stop telling me he’s going to go five and dive, y’all. He nearly made it through six on a bad day.
Tylor Megill (NYM) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K. He kinda went upstairs with four-seamers…? At least they weren’t low this time and he merged it well with his sinker and slider. But four earned runs! Yeah, because it’s not polished. But it’s closer, I think. This isn’t a resounding endorsement if you haven’t figured that out yet.
Cal Quantrill (MIA) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K. You pitched today too? Okay.
Sonny Gray (STL) – 3.0 IP, 8 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 5 K. He couldn’t get strikes with his four-seamer and cutter…and sweeper, the latter of which was the money maker last season. Dems the breaks. At least his velo–oh. He’s also down 1.5 ticks to 90.9 mph. I’m not saying he’s going to hold there, but it’s a little worrisome, no? He’s always in and out throughout the year, right? Okay, fair. It may just be rough Sonny at first before the clouds part and he becomes Gray. Other way around. Right, duh.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He’s at 95 mph (not 96) and needed just 28 pitches to get through three frames. Well that’s cool, and if the six-man rotation is real in St. Louis, Liberatore could sneak in earlier than expected once they have an opening (McGreevy would be the SP #6).
Jack Leiter (TEX) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K. Ugggggh. He was nibbling the edges with his slider (58% strike rate), but to see three walks is more situational than pure chaos as his three most thrown pitches (four-seamer, change, sinker) all had strike rates of 61% or higher. Just get that four-seamer a little more in the zone upstairs and he’s golden. After all, he’s at 98.3 mph and hit 99.8 mph yesterday with absurd shape. He’s so legit.
Bryse Wilson (CWS) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K. He’s been replaced by Shane Smith as he should have been, but you should expect him to cover innings as a long reliever before he inevitably fills in. Expect that and ignore it.
Kyle Hart (SD) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K. I watched this one too, and Hart could be a crafty southpaw with a sweeper for LHB and changeup for RHB. Thing is, that slowball went 0/10 whiffs here and he threw many breakers to RHB that didn’t fare too well. His heaters are not special at all as they squeak above 90 mph, but it’s possible he can use them better against RHB to squeeze out more swings on the changeup. I can see him forming into a Toby over time, but I’m not ready to jump on it.
Brandon Pfaadt (AZ) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K. His sweeper command to RHB was as good as ever, returning 7/15 whiffs, while the sinker did wonderful things jamming RHB inside. And LHB? He got away with plenty. It’s still a problem, y’all, and he can’t just hurl four-seamers into the zone and expect things to go well, especially at 92.7 mph (-1.1 ticks). I still have to preach caution drafting Pfaadt as I outlined in my SP Busts article today.
Statcast Games – No TV
DET vs. BAL
CIN vs. SEA
COL vs. KC
Jack Flaherty (DET) – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K. The curve and slider were generally where they were supposed to be, but the heater still gets hit hard and that’s your ball game. I’m hoping he’s an actual Cherry Bomb and not a HIPSTER. Please don’t drive us up the wall.
Albert Suárez (BAL) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K. Suárez worked on the changeup, cutter, and curve, and I dig that for him. Lots of strikes to LHB (maybe too many with the changeup…) and he kept the cutter and curve relatively down to RHB, while leaning upstairs with the heater. This is the version of Suárez we want to see, even at 94/95 mph. I kinda wish he were in that rotation over Povich as a streamer and he still might be in the Orioles don’t want him in long relief.
Alex Pham (BAL) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K. Huh. He’s super over the top and gets 19″ of vert at 94 mph. It’s your standard slider/cutter at 86/87 mph and big curve at 77 mph under that – the Glasnow method…just at three ticks down and a foot less extension (6.5 ft. Meh.). That’s kinda cool, though, and if he can go BSB, it works. We’ll see him for the Orioles this year if he can nail down that slider consistently.
Brady Singer (CIN) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K. I know this is going to sound weird, but I’m legit sad to see him pull back on the four-seamer. He has above-average extension and seeing him throw 50/50 sinker/four-seamer last time out messed up batters plenty. They didn’t know which was coming, even if the four-seamer is far easier to hit, and he was able to cruise because of it. That said, it was still 21% four-seamer here, and maybe that’s the proper mix, especially if his near 50% sinkers pulls back for more than 19% sliders. Hey wait, don’t do that. Throw more sliders dangit.
Bryce Miller (SEA) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K. Weird to see him go down-and-away to RHB with sinkers (how does that match with the four-seamer exactly?) and his secondaries were barely touched for roughly 33% usage and only 3/20 whiffs, but hey, 9/31 four-seamers whiffs as the heater is always there. Fiiiine.
Kyle Freeland (COL) – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K. Don’t draft Kyle but if you want to, it’s a Free land.
Cole Ragans (KC) – 2.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 K. His velocity dropped down to 95 mph akin to last year’s average, which isn’t what we wanted to see. At all. Sure, it doesn’t have to be 97/98 mph, but can we chill at 96/97?
No Statcast – TV
SF vs. ATH
LAA vs. SD
MIL vs. CLE
Hayden Birdsong (SF) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 8 K. Wow. That’s an 18/0 K per BB across twelve innings and four games this spring. And here I am still not buying it…? Maybe I should, even if the previous outing came with plenty of chaos. The Giants could swap him and Roupp for Hicks and Harrison and I wouldn’t be shocked. Yes, he’s worth a late flier in your 12-teamers, I guess. I still think he’s going to drive you up the wall.
Kyle Harrison (SF) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K. He’s trying to earn his spot back after Roupp and maybe now Birdsong have leap-frogged him. I don’t think this is enough, sadly.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 2 K. Hmmmm. He hasn’t been performing up to snuff and given the elbow problem after returning last year, I have to wonder if he’s not feeling like himself. Not every Spring(s) is filled with rainbows.
Kyle Hendricks (LAA) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K. He’s pitching and if you need any volume, sure, I guess.
Reid Detmers (LAA) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K. Nope. Not buying it. I WON’T.
Dylan Cease (SD) – 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K. Sad we had no data, but that sure looks like a Cease outing.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K. I watched this one and I’m excited for him. He’s still in his recovery process and those expecting to see peak Woodruff here were set to be let down. The broadcast mentioned 95 mph heaters, so let’s say he sat 94 mph – two ticks down from previous seasons. I’m not expecting him to be going all out at this point, though it’s relatively safe to expect 95 mph once he’s good to go. That may not be the same Top 15 SP stud, but fantasy relevant? Absolutely. I think we’ll see Woody on the IL to start the year to ensure he’s ramped up properly, returning around April 15th or so. I’d love that for a late round stash.
Jose Quintana (MIL) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He’s going to start and there may be some sneaky value for y’all in QS leagues….by the end of April. Looks like he needs to ramp up still.
Deivi García (MIL) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K. Hey, it’s Deivi! This may be how the Brewers go for Quintana’s first few starts and I wish I were more excited for Deivi.
Ben Lively (CLE) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K. Womp womp. I still believe there’s more to Lively’s 2024 success than “luck”, but when batters guess correctly on his heaters, this will happen.
No Statcast – No TV
WSH vs. TB
BAL vs. PHI
TB vs. NYY
Michael Soroka (WSH) – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 6 BB, 1 K. Yikes. That’s a bad day for Soroka, who I generally see as a control arm. Let’s ignore it? Okay.
Connor Seabold (TB) – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K. Oh dang, it’s Mr. Ocean Heavy Font over here. Nothing to see here, despite the loud, salty words.
Zach Eflin (BAL) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K. Eflin isn’t the man he used to be, but he should still be a Toby with a fair number of Wins.
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K. You’re going to see lines like these and also the lines with 3 HRs. Have fun!
Joe Boyle (TB) – 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K. Ehhhhh, that ain’t gonna win the spot fella. It’s Rasmussen’s world and I’m grabbing him everywhere. It will be a slow start to the season, though, so make sure you have some depth to that rotation instead of filling it with stashes galore.
What To Watch Today On TV