The two “sock” teams made a huge move this off-season when the White Sox sent Garrett Crochet packing to Boston. The primary exchange in that deal was catching prospect Kyle Teel. The move felt a bit puzzling as the White Sox have another top catching prospect already banging on the door of the Major Leagues. […]
The two “sock” teams made a huge move this off-season when the White Sox sent Garrett Crochet packing to Boston. The primary exchange in that deal was catching prospect Kyle Teel. The move felt a bit puzzling as the White Sox have another top catching prospect already banging on the door of the Major Leagues. However, the move gives fantasy managers something important to pay attention to in Spring Training. Teel will try to prove to his new organization that he is ready for the job while Edgar Quero is also attempting to prove the same thing. Both will have to surpass former top prospect Korey Lee on the depth chart with strong Spring Training performances.
Spring Training Battles to Watch for Fantasy
Cleveland Guardians – Right Field
The Guardians’ success in 2024 was a surprise to many. A team built off finding value, the Guardians have been fairly quiet this off-season. A few trades and the signing of Carlos Santana, but nothing to change the outlook of right field. Will Brennan appears to be in line to start the season on the strong side of a platoon with Jhonkensy Noel. Noel is looking to impress the coaching staff and work his way into a starting role. Angel Martinez and Johnathan Rodriguez are also in a position to earn playing time if they perform well this spring.While this is not a high-profile battle many are paying attention to, the Royals were a playoff team last season. They are looking to improve on their 2024 season with more success in 2025. A big part of that success could come from improved offensive production from their center fielders. Kyle Isbel received the bulk of the playing time last year and remains the projected starter for 2025. The team also has Darion Blanco and Drew Waters returning for 2025 and seeing additional playing time. The Royals mark Joey Wiemer’s third team since the start of last season as he battles for a chance to revive his Major League career.The division that shocked the world last year. The AL Central sent three teams to the playoffs last season in big breakout years for both the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers. While none of the teams in this division generate much attention, each have done a good job of building a solid young core of players. Well, except for the White Sox. However that is changing with several young prospects on their way to help Chicago change their fortune. How these teams utilize young players is a key theme to monitor during Spring Training. Several young players such as Jhonkensy Noel, Jackson Jobe, and Kyle Teel are battling for starting roles and could possess significant fantasy value. Keep reading to find out the biggest Spring Training battles fantasy baseball managers need to be aware of.Korey Lee was supposed to be the catcher of the future in Houston before Yainer Diaz. Then the move to Chicago excited many fantasy managers. Unfortunately, Lee has not panned out offensively. Since joining the White Sox, Lee has appeared in 149 games. He is batting just .190 with 13 homers and six stolen bases. His hit tool has not shown any signs of improvement and his power has been underwhelming. Lee’s arm behind the dish has been the lone bright spot but that may not be enough to help him retain a starting job anymore. Fantasy managers have no reason to root for Lee in this position battle.The player in this battle with the most upside is Darion Blanco. Blanco’s speed creates an instant fantasy upside. Despite being 31 and accumulating only 277 Major League plate appearances, Blanco has 56 stolen bases in his career. He stole 31 in just 132 plate appearances last year. His 600 PA pace was 141 steals. Blanco was another player hit on in the extrapolating small samples article which was already released on Fantrax. The rest of his offensive game is underwhelming. Blanoc has a below-average hit tool and is not much of a power threat. However, center field is wide open and if Blanco has a strong spring, he could find himself in an everyday role. If you are looking to take a shot on speed late in your draft, Blanco is not a bad dart throw.
Chicago White Sox – Catcher
Teel’s fantasy upside exceeds Quero’s. Teel has excellent plate discipline, elite line drive rates, solid raw power, and will even steal a handful of bases. His contact skills are still a bit raw but he has an incredibly high ceiling. Quero meanwhile is a bit more difficult to decipher. His home run rates throughout the Minor Leagues have been well above average despite batted ball data that is underwhelming. Quero is not going to steal many bases but his hit tool is a plus and strong line drive rates should lead to good batting averages. Both Quero and Teel have appeal for fantasy managers. A strong Spring Training should land one of them the Opening Day catcher role so long as Chicago does not try and manipulate service time.Then there is Rodriguez who has put up strong Minor League numbers but struggled in his first taste of Major League action last season. Power is Martinez’s calling card and one could argue he is a toned-down version of Noel. He is going to hit home runs but has hit tool concerns that could lead to low batting averages. He is a bit of a better fielder than Noel which could give him a slight edge if he performs well this spring.There were plenty of surprises coming out of the AL Central last year. When the season started, nobody thought they would have more than one team make the playoffs (with many believing it would be the Twins). Well, they ended up with three and the Twins were not one of them. The Tigers have been very active this off-season and are ahead of schedule. They have several young arms fighting for the final spot in their rotation. Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe feel like the favorites to win the jobs but Matt Manning and Keider Montero both have Major League experience and could factor into the mix with strong Spring Training.
Kansas City Royals – Center Field
David Festa and Eiberson Castellano have an outside chance to crack the rotation. Festa looked solid across 13 starts for the Twins last season but dealt with some inconsistencies. Castellano was the Twins’ Rule-5 Draft pick from this past season. While both players could work their way into a starting role this spring, each carries relief risk that could force them into the bullpen.The two dark horses for the job are Rodriguez and Martinez. Martinez made his Major League debut last season playing all over the diamond. His positional versatility is a plus and could land him a roster spot even if it is not in a starting role. Martinez has plus speed and solid contact skills but fails to impact the ball much. His weak contact rate is way too high to become a reliable offensive asset for Cleveland. Considering right field is not his natural position, his ability to win the job in Spring Training is two-fold. First, he needs to show off some improved power and exit velocities. Secondly, Martinez needs to prove a capable fielder to secure the job. His fantasy upside is limited.For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.Everybody in fantasy wants Jobe to win the spot open in Detroit’s rotation. Jobe is arguably the game’s top pitching prospect. He was promoted late in the season and pitched out of the bullpen making four appearances between the post and regular season. His fastball sits in the upper 90s and is the pitch Jobe commands best. He also mixes in a cutter, sweeper, and changeup. Jobe’s command provides all of his offerings with plus potential and he has front-line upside for fantasy managers. Considering he has just 5.2 innings of Major League experience, a strong Spring Training will go a long way toward proving that he is ready for a starting role in 2025.
Detroit Tigers – Starting Pitcher
Both Waters and Wiemer find themselves in similar situations. Both are former top prospects who have struggled mightily to hit Major League pitching. Waters played in just seven Major League games last season and owns a 91 wRC+. The bright side is that he still hit .290 with 13 homers in Triple-A. Waters will need to show off a much-improved hit tool if he has any chance to win the starting role. Wiemer has a bit of a better chance considering Kansas City traded for him this offseason. He is also excellent defensively which gives him another point in his favor. Wiemer has shown flashes of both power and speed and would possess significant fantasy upside if he could ever get his strikeout rate in check. Maybe a fresh start with Kansas City will unlock Wiemer’s potential.The hope for fantasy managers is Jobe wins the spot. Mize would not be a bad consolation prize but lacks the same upside that Jobe possesses. Mize is the projected winner on Roster Resource, but crazier things have happened in Spring Training. Jobe will not be handed a roster spot and will need a strong Spring Training to earn that role.While Mize or Jobe are likely to win the rotation spot, Matt Manning has just one option left. Manning spent the majority of 2024 in Triple-A where he posted a 4.28 ERA. He did not find any success at the Major League level finishing with 27.2 innings pitched and a 4.88 ERA. Manning does not have much upside for fantasy managers but has the draft and prospect pedigree to force Jobe back to Triple-A if he performs well this spring. Montero is in a similar boat to Manning. He spent significant time with the Tigers last season but struggled in his first taste of Major League action. His fastball graded out well below average, and his chase and whiff rates do not indicate he has the strikeout potential.Isbel’s defense makes him a valuable real-life asset and puts him in the driver’s seat for the Opening Day role. Isbel accounted for 10 outs above average last year, ranking in the 95th percentile in all of baseball. For fantasy managers, Isbel winning the job is not the ideal outcome. In 136 games last year, Isbel hit just eight homers with 11 steals. He owns a 77 wRC+ over his four-year career and has very little room for development. Plus, Isbel hit .161 off of lefties last season, making a platoon certain.There is immense power upside for Jhonkensy Noel if he can win the job. Noel is listed at 6’3” but feels even bigger than that. In just 198 plate appearances last season, Noel hit 13 home runs. He was featured in an article I wrote earlier this offseason looking at extrapolating small sample sizes. Noel’s 600 PA homer pace last year was 39. Certainly enough to generate fantasy value. To win the starting job this spring, Noel needs to show off improvements to his hit tool. He struck out over 31% of the time last season and that number jumped even higher in the playoffs. The Guardians define themselves on small ball making it difficult to envision them handing the starting role to somebody with as much swing and miss as Noel currently has.
Minnesota Twins – Starting Pitcher
After missing the entirety of 2023, Mize’s fastball velocity took a big step forward in 2024. His whiff rate on the pitch increased significantly and he showed an increased reliance on his slider and splitter which is a promising sign. According to PLV, all of Mize’s pitches grade out as at least average but his Major League numbers have been underwhelming. His 4.49 ERA came with a 3.95 FIP last season making him a potential sleeper pick in 2025.Zebby Matthews is the flashy prospect name from this group. Matthews dominated the Minor Leagues last season before earning a promotion to the Major Leagues. He struggled in nine starts with the Twins posting an ERA of over six. The surface stats paint a more encouraging pitcher as Matthews struck out 24.3% of batters with just a 6.2% walk rate. His xFIP was only 4.05 last season. Matthews’ issue was seemingly throwing too many strikes and hitters punishing his fastball for home runs. He still has a deep arsenal of secondaries headlined by a plus slider that should help him to find Major League success. As a fantasy manager, your rooting interest is with Matthews.The two projected winners of this battle are fine from a fantasy perspective. Simeon Woods Richardson came into his own last year after years of prospect hype. He made 28 starts for the Twins, finishing the year with a 4.17 ERA. His strikeout rate sat at 20.6%, and he profiles more as a high-floor, low-ceiling player. Paddack is very similar. Injuries derailed his early career success but Paddack returned to make 17 starts for the Twins last year. Excellent control is still present in his profile but a 4.99 ERA and a 20.6% strikeout rate is not going to do much to excite fantasy managers. Both veteran pitchers are likely to get the nod but lack much appeal from a fantasy perspective.The Twins have a confusing roster. There are some really strong points followed by plenty of question marks. Their starting rotation is no different. Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober form one of the better top threes in all of baseball. After that, there are a lot of questions. Simeon Woods Richardson and Chris Paddack are projected to win the final two rotation spots. However, the team also has Zebby Matthews, David Festa, and Eiberson Castellano fighting for a job in Spring Training.For fantasy managers, the ideal outcome is something other than Will Brennan retaining the starting role. Brennan has been with the Guardians for the past three seasons. Brennan has an aggressive approach paired with strong contact skills that lead to low strikeout rates and low walk rates. His averages have been nothing to write home about and there is very little power in his profile. Through 853 plate appearances, Brennan has just 14 homers, 19 steals, and a wRC+ of 91. While most likely to win the job, he also has not done anything in the past three seasons to cement himself as a roster lock. His defense was below average last year and the team is certainly open to other options.
