Pitchers, catchers, and position players have reported to spring training.
Next come the exhibition games, which begin Friday in Arizona and Saturday in Florida.
Fantasy baseball team owners will be watching these games, including split squad games, to get an idea of who will break camp with starting positions and where they will bat in the lineup.
But let's focus first on pitching and who we will keep an eye on as the games progress.
■ The top ranked pitcher (No. 6 overall) on MLB Pipeline is Philadelphia right-hander Andrew Painter. He led minor league starters in WHIP last season, going 6-2 with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts over 103⅔ innings in Class A, High A, and Double A.
Now, Painter won't turn 20 years old until April 10, and most pitchers don't make their mark in the majors at such a young age. Painter could be different. Detroit fans might remember that then general manager Dave Dombrowski brought up Jeremy Bonderman (in 2003) and Rick Porcello (in 2009) as 20-year-olds.
Dombrowski, now Philadelphia's president of baseball operations, said Painter could make the club out of spring training. Whether he wins the No. 5 spot in the rotation or comes up in April or May, fantasy owners need to get Painter on their team now, especially in dynasty leagues. Spend some money on him or draft him before the middle rounds.
■ Next up on the pipeline is Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. The 23-year-old would have made his major league debut last season but he had a lat strain that sidelined him for three months.
No worries. Rodriguez has a decent shot to make the Orioles' rotation. At Triple-A Norfolk last season, he went 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 69⅔ innings.
Rodriguez appears to be healthy this spring, and will get every chance to show his stuff. Watch his progress, but he should go in the first 200 picks in your fantasy draft.
■ Shifting to pitchers with health issues, Boston left-hander Chris Sale only made two starts in 2022 because of injuries. Thankfully, they were not related to his arm, so he is back and pronounced ready to go.
Though a seven-time All-Star, Sale has only thrown 48⅓ innings over the past three seasons. If he looks good this spring, you'll need to draft him early. Just remember that he'll be on an innings limit, though those could be some very good innings.
■ You could also get good innings out of Tampa Bay right-hander Tyler Glasnow. After coming back from Tommy John surgery late last season, the 29-year-old threw only 6⅔ innings over two starts, then blanked Cleveland over five innings in the Wild Card Series.
Glasnow is a high risk, high reward pick right now, so take a chance on him in the middle rounds if you’re feeling adventurous. It could really pay off.
■ After a tremendous 2019 season, Atlanta right-hander Michael Soroka pitched only 13⅔ innings in 2020 before tearing his Achilles. He suffered a re-tear of the Achilles in 2021, and he missed most of last season.
Soroka made five starts for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2022, and he's ready to go this spring. He will battle for a rotation spot, though his workload will be monitored. You can probably get him in the later rounds, and keep the 25-year-old for seasons to come.
■ Detroit right-hander Spencer Turnbull missed all of the 2022 season after Tommy John surgery, but he has a good chance of making the Tigers' rotation this year. The 30-year-old had a 2.88 ERA over 50 innings in 2021, so it looked like he was ready for a breakthrough.
Monitor his progress and grab him in the middle to late rounds.
First Published February 22, 2023, 8:07 p.m.
