The First Weekend Of Spring Training 2024

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Sup Spud Squad, this is The Daily Tater - making it easier to be a Baseball fan.

Spring Training is for tinkering and perfecting your craft. We’re going to do the same here. As the action returns, I’ll give you a brief rundown across MLB. Please either reply to the email or add a comment after voting in the poll at the bottom of this email about what you thought of this new format, or what you’d like to see.

Delivering Baseball’s Latest

AL Rundown

East
  • Blue Jays: Manager John Schneider says George Springer is locked in as the leadoff hitter in 2024.

  • Orioles: Off with a bang as Corbin Burnes sits the first two batters he sees down on strikes and Adley Rutschamn sends a homer in his first at-bat of the Spring.

  • Rays: Yu Chang, battling for a roster spot, sent a homer towards right-center. He has his work cut out for him, especially after the singing of Amed Rosario.

  • Red Sox: A three-run shot opposite field over the replica green monster for Rafael Devers.

  • Yankees: The bats have been hot with Spencer Jones, Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and more homered through two days of games. Carlos Rodón looked good through 2 innings yesterday.

Central
West
  • Angels: Miguel Sanó showed up to camp down over 50 pounds, which could help keep him on the field and hitting taters for the Angels this season.

  • Astros: Justin Verlander’s status for Opening Day is in doubt as he says he is two or three weeks behind his normal schedule right now due to a shoulder issue.

  • Athletics: Esteury Ruiz continued where he left off in 2023 with an opposite-field homer. The AL stolen base leader is someone to continue to keep your eye on.

  • Mariners: Hello old friend. Mitch Haniger gets a loud ovation at Spring Training, then goes yard.

  • Rangers: Evan Carter got hit by a pitch in the forearm causing him to exit the game, but the x-ray came back negative.

NL Rundown

East
  • Braves: Michael Harris homers in the first pitch he sees this Spring. After throwing a fastball or slider 93% of the time in 2023, Spencer Strider has been working on adding a curveball to his repertoire.

  • Marlins: Jesus Luzardo struck out three batters on 23 pitches through two innings in his Spring debut. It's a good thing it’s Spring training for the defense as they look to turn a double play at second base with no runner on first and already having two outs.

  • Mets: Ace of the staff, Kodai Senga, is set to at least miss the majority of April.

  • Nationals: 14th overall prospect, James Wood, annihilates the baseball in his first swing as a National. He was acquired as part of the Juan Soto trade to San Diego.

  • Phillies: There are few questions to answer for the Phillies this Spring, but here are a few things to keep an eye on.

Central
  • Brewers: To find room for all the young talent, Milwaukee has Sal Frelick working out at third base this Spring, a position he hasn’t played in over five years.

  • Cardinals: Masyn Winn, SS, is a player to continue to watch as he has two singles, a double, and a stolen base yesterday against the Astros.

  • Cubs: Cody Bellinger comes back on a 3yr, $80M deal with player opt-outs after each of the first two years.

  • Pirates: Oneil Cruz is back on the field for the first time since last April, and despite going 0-2 in his first game, he’s going to be a player you will want to keep your eyes on this season.

  • Reds: Will Benson sends a ball from Arizona to Florida in what could be the bat flip of the year already. 👀 

West
  • Diamondbacks: Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry make impressive starts as they battle for the fifth starting rotation spot.

  • Dodgers: Freddie Freeman homers off the first pitch he sees. Shohei Ohtani is set to make his debut in Dodger Blue on Tuesday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Wednesday.

  • Giants: The top prospect in the organization, Kyle Harrison, looked great in his first start as he struck out four in two hitless innings.

  • Padres: Number 12 overall prospect, Jackson Merrill, has been making some plays in the outfield as San Diego tries to figure out how to fit this SS into their lineup.

  • Rockies: Michael Toglia hits two homers in two days as he looks to make the big league field.

⚾️ Today’s Tater

A moonshot from one of the best prospects in baseball in his first swing as a National. Thanks for sending this one over via email Carol!

🧠 Trivia Question:

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I’ll see you Wednesday for our regularly scheduled programming. I hope you have a great day! Share this newsletter with your friends if you loved it, or your enemies if you didn’t! 👋 

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