Spring Training has arrived and as I’ve been writing daily notes for myself to recap all spring training starting pitchers, 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
The Mets signed José Ureña to a minor league deal. With Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas Jr. on the shelf, it’s not a surprise that the Mets added some ultra cheap depth, even if it’s far from quality. This changes nothing and we’ll likely not see Ureña start games.
Davis Daniel was optioned to Triple-A by Atlanta. We didn’t expect him to make the rotation, though it does eliminate any chance of him squeaking into the #5 spot.
Expected Rotations By Team
How are you keeping up with all these statcast games so easily? With our stupid good PL Pro spring training app. There is no better way to follow SP performance in the spring, just look at this data set from Bubba Chandler:
Boom. That easy to see his velo (insane!) his excellent flat attack angle, near seven feet of extension, and decent iVB. We can also track pitch usage changes and velocity bumps, too. AND give you expected results on contact. It’s incredible, y’all. Get access via PL Pro at 15% off with code SPRINGISHERE
Statcast Games – TV
DET vs. MIN
NYY vs. STL
TOR vs. PHI
CWS vs. SD
SEA vs. ATH
Tarik Skubal (DET) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K. Yep, AGA. Even flirted with 100 for the sake of it.
Ty Madden (DET) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K. Nothing new here, unfortunately. I still dislike the sub six feet of extension and poor 94 mph heater.
Andrew Morris (MIN) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K. He has a variety of pitches and sits 95 mph, though I’m not seeing a major impact arm here in this super small sample.
Cory Lewis (MIN) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K. I gotta say, he’s so cool. He’s ultra over the top and throws low-to-mid 80s knuckleballs. If he can return a 60-65% strike rate with them, it will work and baseball needs a knuckleballer at all times. BUT NICK! Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer! I know, but this guy is throwing them so hard! And if he can actually return enough strikes and mix in a slider + high vert four-seamer at 89 mph (super steep, though. May be deadzone-esque at that arm angle), there’s a shot this turns out well.
Huascar Ynoa (MIN) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K. Saly, he’s at 91/92 mph. Sigh. The Huascar Rule is truly broken.
Will Warren (NYY) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K. I wanted to see more changeups to LHB (just two here), but the results are obviously in the right direction. When he arrives this year, he’ll be a Toby and a solid play for draft-and-holds. The Yankees have no depth outside of Warren and Stroman, and who knows if the latter will still be in NYC on opening day.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He added a tick of velocity to flirt with 93 mph and didn’t have the fantastic command I saw a bit last year, but the results are cool and the Cardinals will likely lean on him at some point this year. It could be boring and productive when that happens.
Tink Hence (STL) – 1.1 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 K. Not the impressive outing I hoped for from Hence. Let’s wait for more here, though he looks easily behind Quinn and McGreevy as backups for the start of the year.
José Berríos (TOR) – 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K. This is Berríos. Good luck.
Joe Ross (PHI) – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K. His slider is still legit. Sitting two ticks down at a time you need to prove your value? Not great. It’s a one year deal, making Ross a backup starter for the Phillies and hopefully he gets enough out of the 92/93 mph sinker inside to RHB to survive.
Seth Johnson (PHI) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K. He exists as a “oh snap we need someone” depth option for the Phillies. You can ignore this.
Sean Burke (CWS) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K. 95/96 mph four-seamers with 18″ of vert near seven feet of extension + sliders as the main pitch to RHB + curves earning whiffs against LHB. I question his four-seamer command a touch, but yeah, he’s fun. This can work y’all, even on the White Sox, if you can believe it.
Bryse Wilson (CWS) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K. The White Sox will give Wilson starts before Schultz and Hagen. Sigh. He went Dancing With The Disco via curveballs to RHB + cutters and changeups to LHB. Makes sense when you throw 92/93 mph sinkers, though he did add a few inches of run on the pitch. Just get that inside to RHB and you can be a Toby for 15-teamers? Gasp.
Noah Schultz (CWS) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K. He threw 97 mph and it was fun. Super low arm slot and didn’t struggle to throw strikes. He’ll be up before Hagen and grab him instantly when he does.
Hagen Smith (CWS) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K. 97 mph from the left side with meh vert but fine extension and HAVAA. The slider is filthy, too, and yeah. He’s the real deal. Too bad we’ll likely have to wait until next year.
Ryan Bergert (SD) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. It’s 94/95 mph with solid vert and his command of the pitch upstairs works well, even if it comes with poor HAVAA and extension. The slider is spotted well too, but is it studly? Is there a third trusted pitch
George Kirby (SEA) – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 K. TWO WALKS?! Huh. Two cutters to LHB (that’s cool!) + four-seamers actually up to LHB is what he should be doing. Just two pitches total to RHB, though. Treat this as the spring, of course. He’s testing.
NeftalÌ Feliz (SEA) – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K. I want to take a moment to reminisce on Feliz. I had him in a keeper league, what ten years ago? Twelve? He was the fiery fun thing in Texas and look at this guy. 36-years-old trying to make it happen again. It very likely won’t at 91/92 mph but I’m rooting for him.
Joey Estes (ATH) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K. I was hoping to see a velocity bump, and instead we saw him match last year’s mark. Still great at spotting the four-seamer and it looks like the Athletics want him in the rotation given two frames + starting ahead of Spence. You better not take Spence’s spot, Estes.
Mitch Spence (ATH) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K. OH MAN. Spence is sitting almost three ticks harder and I think this matters A LOT. As a cutter/slider guy predominately, Spence sitting 91 with a low-to-mid 80s slider wasn’t so stupid good and held him back vs. peers like Rasmussen. HOWEVER, at 93/94 mph on the cutter and 94/95 on the sinker (85+ on the slider with one tick up but more movement), that can suddenly make Spence return strikeouts on top of his weak contact. Don’t ignore this.
Statcast Games – No TV
PIT vs. BAL
MIA vs. NYM
KC vs. COL
CLE vs. TEX
AZ vs. MIL
Bailey Falter (PIT) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Same velocity, no changeup. Send him to the Rays.
Carson Fulmer (PIT) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K. Nothing to get amped about here. Lower velocity and low on the priority list for the Pirates.
Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 K. He pitched! A right-hander with a splitter for LHB who tries to dot down-and-away to RHB. I get it, and it could work as a “Toby,” especially on the rare days when he gets an LHB-heavy lineup to feast on with a peak splitter.
Max Meyer (MIA) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K. Guys. GUYS. I’ve never been a Meyer fan until now. He went from 94 mph to 96.4 mph. His HAVAA went from average at 0.9 to elite flat at 1.6 HAVAA. He even added an inch of vert and a touch more extension. Meyer’s elite slider has the same movement at 92 mph (+4 mph). WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO?! This is a brand new pitcher…if it holds for more than one inning. That HAVAA heavily suggests a lower arm angle that may be more natural than his former (confirmed, it’s back to his college release point!) . I don’t know, just know I’m so into this. Please be real.
Dax Fulton (MIA) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K. He’s close to seven feet of extension at 94 mph from the left side, though I’m not sure there’s much else…? There’s a sweeper for LHB and he favors a slider down-and-in to RHB, and I wish there was a changeup. I need more.
Ronny Henriquez (MIA) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K. He has a stupid flat release at 95/96 mph with 18″ of vert. Yeah. He didn’t get it upstairs nearly enough last year to take advantage of it and sadly, I think he’s just a reliever. But what if he wasn’t…He has three pitches, after all. I sincerely hope they give him a shot, or someone else does.
Paul Blackburn (NYM) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K. I guess you’re starting, huh. No fastballs on seven pitches is a fun choice.
Michael Wacha (KC) – 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K. You’re Wacha. But hey! +0.6 mph on the four-seamer could mean more to come given it’s his first outing and vets usually have more in the tank…? Or maybe the gun is slightly hot and it would explain Lugo’s velo bump. I sure hope that’s not the case. I’d hate that.
Daniel Lynch IV (KC) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K. 93 mph from Lynch ain’t enough for me to get pumped here. I NEED MORE.
Noah Cameron (KC) – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 K. The +3 mph held for Cameron, showing 92 mph in Triple-A and sitting 95 mph for the second straight game. He’s a southpaw with a filthy changeup who flexed four whiffs on 90 mph cutters here and he has a big curve he commands well. Whoa. Yeah. I kinda dig this guy a lot. If this velocity holds throughout the spring, I’d pick him up the second he’s in the Royals rotation.
Jonathan Bowlan (KC) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He lost four inches of vert on his four-seamer. Oh no. Yeah. Sorry Bowlan.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He’s starting and let’s not do the “maybe decent on the road” thing here.
Gavin Williams (CLE) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Hmmmm. It looks like Gavin raised his arm angle to get a lot more vert on his four-seamer (17-18″ now!) and keep a consistent 97 mph, though he did so while dropping from a studly 7.2 extension to a good-not-great 6.8 extension, while the HAVAA went from normal to steep at 0.6. I’m not totally in love with that, but if it means he can sit upstairs consistently at 97 mph and that vert? That works. I’m curious if we’ll see something new with the slider and cutter (where is it?!), too, though the slider was certainly filthy with 3/8 whiffs and solid two-plane movement vs. the four-seamer. I’m still in, y’all.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K. He was down a tick to 94 mph, but of course he is. Save those bullets, Nate.
Dane Dunning (TEX) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Nothing new, just great sliders to RHB involved.
Corbin Burnes (AZ) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K. The cutter’s big change last year was its added dropped in late August and September. Here? It had more drop than the full year…but roughly 3/4 inches less drop than what we saw at the end of last year. Ugh. He was a tick down, though, and I’ll wait another start or two before I properly assess. I’m likely overreacting, but Burnes without that cutter drop would take him down to SP #8 or so for me.
Drey Jameson (AZ) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K. He’s at 98 mph! One inning, likely max effort, but that’s obviously cool. Terrible extension, vert, and attack angle, though, which explains why the pitch didn’t return whiffs at a crazy rate pre-tjs (and 0/5 here). He’s a reliever.
No Statcast – TV
ATL vs. PIT
LAA vs. CIN
MIL vs. LAD
AJ Smith-Shawver (ATL) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Hey that’s pretty cool. Once we get data, we can talk more about changes and potential for the year ahead. With a weak #5 spot on the squad and starters with health risks, there will certainly be a few openings across the season (including post-Strider) and AJSS could slot right in. Excited to get an updated understanding of his skillset to determine if those strikeouts are real.
Chad Kuhl (ATL) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K. Oh right! You’re here now! I hope there’s more than the slider.
Tyler Anderson (LAA) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K. He exists. There’s value to having a rotation spot with a great change…just not in 12-teamers outside of streaming.
Nick Lodolo (CIN) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K. We hoped for a Lodolo already in rhythm, but it wasn’t expected. Give it another few starts.
Thomas Pannone (MIL) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 K. He’s an ultra backup option for the Brewers. He’s not the Pannone.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K. A bit of sticker shock here with a pair of longballs in the third. Whatever, it’s the spring. Nothing to worry about from a guy who needs to ramp up and conserve bullets.
Tony Gonsolin (LAD) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K. I believe it’s May’s job to lose as the #5, though Eno suggested the Dodgers could still go six-man despite their claims not to before Ohtani returns. Given their high number of off days in April, I don’t believe the Dodgers need to go six-man early to get rest, making Gonsolin look like a piggyback option out of the gate. Regardless, I personally don’t think Gonsolin does enough with his splitter and slider to make up for a blegh heater.
No Statcast – No TV
WSH vs. HOU
BOS vs. TB
SF vs. CHC
DJ Herz (WSH) – 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 K. He’s not in a groove with his command yet. It was the product of his volatility last year and I hope he finds it shortly. If the walks continue to rack up throughout the spring, I’d be scared to give this a go.
Jackson Rutledge (WSH) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K. He may find some moments to start this year and he’s not the worst thing ever. That’s all.
Framber Valdez (HOU) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K. Sure, whatever Framber.
Hunter Dobbins (BOS) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Hey, that’s a somewhat intriguing prospect. ALSO, they had iVB and iHB on the ribbon scoreboard inside the stadium. SO WHERE IS MY DATA DANGIT.
Ian Seymour (TB) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K. I wasn’t the highest on Seymour during my review of the Rays and I’ll wait to get data before assessing this.
Yoniel Curet (TB) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K. I dug Curet as a low walk arm and look forward to getting the data. I NEED IT.
Jordan Hicks (SF) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Ayyy, that looks like a fair number of strikes! That’s what matters most for Hicks and I hope he’s found a tweak. Could be an interesting sleeper if the strike rates on his secondaries are suddenly there. The sinker gets more two-plane movement than expected and should continue to get groundouts, he just needs two reliable secondaries above a 60% strike rate (splitter and sweeper aren’t enough…?).
Shota Imanaga (CHC) – 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K. There was a two-run shot and a HBP here, but who cares. He obviously still misses bats. Nice.
Caleb Kilian (CHC) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K. I still have some hope for Caleb and I’m crossing my fingers that the data shows legit velocity that isn’t the 91-97 we saw last year and if he’s still carrying seven feet of extension. That would be so fun.
What To Watch Today On TV
SPs to watch on TV today #SpringSPnotes Get morning updates to EVERY SP via my daily Plus Pitch Podcast AND SP Roundup article on the Pitcher List site.Bryce Miller – SHOW THE CUTTERJordan Wicks – Good FB, low CH, SL whiffs?Martín Pérez – Great command?Bradley Blalock – Rockies. Sigh.
— Nick Pollack (@nickpollack.pitcherlist.com) 2025-02-27T15:37:04.565Z