Spring Training Dynasty Notes: March 8

Chris Clegg breaks down all the actions from Wednesday, March 8.

Hello all, hope you are all enjoying warmer weather and Spring Training. With the lack of sleep and energy from being in the hospital with my wife, I only wrote up eight names and hit on some notable box scores and notes from Wednesday. Today is all free. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, DET

Eduardo Rodriguez had his second straight strong start of the spring. He threw 56 pitches, completing three and a third innings, striking out six and walking one. Rodriguez is still sitting low 90s on his fastball, which is a bit of a concern.

One different thing this year is the fact that Rodriguez is calling his own pitches. In Wednesday’s action, Rodriguez and catcher Eric Haase tandem called pitches using PitchCom. It seems to be working well.

It is still too early to project anything on Rodriguez this year, but through 8.1 innings, Rodriguez has not allowed a run and has struck out ten batters.

Thad Ward, RHP, WSH

It has been a long road for Thad Ward to make it here, but the top pick in this year’s Rule 5 pick has looked well this winter. Ward came in relief for Chad Kuhl on Wednesday and only pitched 2/3 of an inning, but he struck out two hitters.

Ward threw just 17 pitches, but had a 35 percent CSW. In a small sample, he displayed his arsenal of a slider, cutter, four-seam, and sinker.

Ward will have to pitch or be returned to the Red Sox. With the Nationals pitching depth, there is a strong possibility that Ward begins the year as a long reliever but eventually earns a rotation spot. Color me intrigued.

Dylan Cease, RHP, CHW

What the heck happened to Dylan Cease? Two-thirds an inning pitched, seven hits, four walks, and 11 earned runs. Ouch! Cease administered 12 straight balls and three walks before Michael Massey took him deep for a grand slam. The White Sox even took him out and then sent him back out to the mound in the second inning. It just wasn’t Dylan Cease’s night. As Cease put it, he got “punched in the face.” I am not that worried at the moment, but you should have been expecting regression anyways from what he did last season. His volatility and inconsistent strike throwing will likely always cause some blow up outings here and there.

Gabriel Moreno, C, ARI

Gabriel Moreno was traded from a crowded catcher situation in Toronto to Arizona as part of the Daulton Varsho deal. Moreno has always been lauded for a strong hit tool without much power. But, Moreno has looked to push past that narrative this spring.

After Wednesday’s action, Moreno is up to .286 with a 1.047 OPS and two home runs. On Wednesday, Moreno destroyed a home run that flew 448 feet with a 108.6 mph exit velocity.

It is important to remember that Moreno is just 23 years old and that his development is not done yet. The contact skills are legit: 90 percent zone-contact and an 82 percent overall contact in the minors last year. If the power comes around, watch out!

Bailey Ober, RHP, MIN

Another day, another scoreless outing for Bailey Ober. He pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts and only 20 pitches. Ober has yet to allow a run this spring through two outings and his strikeouts numbers have been good.

I normally wouldnt think twice about this, but Ober has seen his velocity take a step up this year. After averaging 91.5 mph last year, Ober averaged 93 mph on Wednesday. Over both starts, Ober has gotten 9 whiffs on 17 swings. Can his velocity stick over a long start? That is still to be determined.

Ober’s slider appears to be more of a sweeper, adding three inches of horizontal break. His changeup also seems to be a bit improved. If the improved stuff sticks with his pinpoint command, his stock will soar.

Michael Massey, 2B, KC

Michael Massey was a problem for Dylan Cease, hitting a grand slam in the first inning. Massey added another hit and drove in one more running bringing his total to five RBI on the night. Massey was a bit of a pop-up prospect who displayed a great hit tool but his solid Minor League home run totals never quite matched the hard hit rates and exit velcocities.

Some of that seems to be changing as Massey has been mashing this spring. He is up to a .350 batting average, a 1.183 OPS to pair with three home runs and two stolen bases. This is not to say he's going to be a huge power and speed threat. But there is a strong possibility that Massey could develop into a 15-20 home run bat who steals 10-15 bases. With his strong feel for contact, that will play!

Alek Manoah, RHP, TOR

Alek Manoah made another strong spring start despite his velocity sitting well below his normal averages. He threw 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, and striking out four batters.

The concerns are that Manoah’s velocity was way off on Wednesday. His four-seam fastball was averaging 92.3 mph, which was down 1.6 mph from his average last year of 93.9. All his secondaries were down at least one mph.

Some said, he is just slow ramping up. So I looked back at last years spring training numbers. Manoah averaged at least 94 mph in three of his four spring starts of 2022 and then averaged 93.7 in another.

His stuff is still good, and it is too early to worry, but monitor this trend.

Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, BAL

Ryan Mountcastle hit a monster grand slam on Wednesday and added a second hit, going 2-for-3. He smashed the ball last year and his overall results did not necessarily show that. Mountcastle had an average exit velocity and hard hit rate that were 88th and 82nd percentile respectively. His expected batting average and expected slugging percentage were 91st and 96th percentile. All that to say, the park changes in Camden Yards seemed to really affect his performance.

Mountcastle is swinging a hot bat this spring and is a favorite target of mine at first base if I don’t have a top player at the position.

Notable Box Scores

• Wil Myers: 2/3 1 RBI (.389 average this spring)

• Chase Silseth: 4 IP/3 H/1 ER/0 BB/5 K

• Willi Castro: 3/4

• Brendan Donovan: 2/3 1 HR/3 RBI(Wrote about his approach changes here)

  Monday February 27 Spring Training Dynasty Observations

• Jordan Walker: 2/4 1 RBI

• Gerrit Cole: 3.1 IP/2 H/0 ER/7 K

• Max Muncy: 2/3 (.353 this spring)

Other Things To Note:

• Alex Call has been playing regularly in the outfield for the Nationals. He is hitting .368 this spring with a .979 OPS. If you are looking for cheap at-bats, Call may be worth a look.

• Livan Soto has led off for the Angels, playing shortstop, each of the last three days.

• Spencer Torkelson had two fly outs that were 109.7 and 105.6 off the bat. They traveled 410 and 382 feet and had respective xBAs of .980 and .920 on them.