Well everyone, we finally made it: Spring training has arrived, and in a matter of days we’ll have real, actual baseball games to talk about. Sure, there’s still a good amount of Hot Stove business to be wrapped up, but it’s time to get our first look at how all 30 teams are shaping up ahead of the 2024 season. With that in mind, we’ll be going division-by-division to give you one key player to watch on every roster — continuing with the AL West.
Most important players to watch during spring training: AL West
Houston Astros: Justin Verlander, RHP
Under-the-radar choice: Jeremy Pena, SS
We know the Astros are going to score runs in bunches, with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman once again anchoring the offense. But what about the pitching staff? So much of that question hinges on Verlander, who just turned 41 on Tuesday and is already a bit behind schedule due to some shoulder discomfort. Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown have plenty of upside, but all come with varying degrees of question marks. Getting vintage Verlander — or just getting a version of Verlander that can stay healthy across a full season — will be huge for Houston’s chances of remaining on top of what figures to be a tight divisional race. (Not to mention erasing the hurt from last year’s seven-game ALCS loss to Texas, a series in which the Rangers wore out Houston’s pitching staff.)
Pitching is by far the bigger question mark, but another thing to watch for this spring is the progress of Pena, who looked on the verge of becoming the next big thing during his October 2022 breakout but struggled mightily at the plate last season. The physical tools are all still here, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the 26-year-old bounces back in a big way.
Los Angeles Angels: Jo Adell, OF
Under-the-radar choice: Zach Neto, SS
Look, it’s hard to find a lot to get excited about in Anaheim right now, with Shohei Ohtani headed down I-5, Mike Trout increasingly injury-prone and Anthony Rendon’s desire to play an open question. But there is still some interesting young talent here, and if nothing else, the team’s rebuild should finally settle the question of just what Adell can become at the big-league level. A few years ago, it was Adell — not Ohtani — who was envisioned to be Trout’s running mate, a consensus top-10 prospect and five-tool monster with speed and pop to spare. It hasn’t worked out that way over his first four big-league seasons (career OPS: .625), but Adell’s shown flashes here and there while consistently blasting Triple-A pitching. The team held onto the former first-round pick because it was afraid of him finally realizing his potential elsewhere; now’s the time to give him as long a leash at possible.
(And speaking of: Neto got rushed to the Majors just a year after being drafted 13th overall in 2022, then had his year kneecapped by injury issues. But there’s an interesting power/speed combo in here, one we only got to see in spurts last season, and he could surprise people with a clean bill of health as the everyday shortstop.)
Oakland Athletics: Mason Miller, RHP
Under-the-radar choice: Lawrence Butler, OF
Speaking of not a lot to get excited about, woof. Oakland is hardly even trying to field a Major League team in 2024, but the format here compels us to at least try, so let’s talk about Miller for a moment. The flame-throwing righty burst onto the scene as a starter last year, only to land on the injured list and eventually go under the knife due to elbow trouble. The A’s are bringing him back as a reliever, and with that triple-digit fastball, he could quickly become one of the most electric late-inning options in the sport — if, you know, the team can ever give him a save opportunity.
Butler got off to a rough start to his big-league career in 2023, but the physical tools — specifically some light-tower power — remain tantalizing, and Oakland should give him plenty of run to see what they have amid a go-nowhere campaign. He could get buried under an avalanche of strikeouts, but he’ll be worth watching to see if he can make good on his massive upside — or at least pop a 450-foot bomb or two.
Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodriguez, OF
Under-the-radar choice: Bryan Woo, RHP
Not the most imaginative choice, but, well, this is where Seattle’s offseason has left it. The Mariners have possibly the most starting pitching talent of any team this side of the Dodgers, but if they want to get back to the postseason in 2024, they’re going to have to find a way to score more runs — and that starts with Rodriguez. The 23-year-old MVP candidate is under more pressure than just about anyone else in the league this year; as Rodriguez goes, so goes Seattle’s offense and division title hopes. He eventually caught fire in 2023 after a slow start, a slow start he can ill afford this time around. With Ohtani now in the NL, you could be looking at your next AL MVP.
While we’re on the subject of that starting pitching talent: Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert are the headliners, and Bryce Miller had the splashier 2023 debut, but Woo has massive potential in his own right if he can tweak his approach against lefties a bit. His fastball has ideal shape for the modern game, and he could make a real All-Star push after an up-and-down rookie season in which he was pressed into action ahead of schedule due to a rash of injuries.
Texas Rangers: Wyatt Langford, OF
Under-the-radar choice: Owen White, RHP
Just about every spot on the diamond is accounted for in Texas, save one: the DH spot, vacated after Mitch Garver signed with the Mariners over the winter. The Rangers have other decent options — Ezequiel Duran, for one — but all signs point to the team keeping it warm for top prospect Wyatt Langford. The fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, Langford put up historic production in three years at Florida and mashed all the way to Triple-A once he got to the Rangers organization. He’s cleared just about every hurdle there is, he’s among the top prospects in baseball, and he could win a job out of camp if he keeps hitting like this.
Langford is the bigger name, but the bigger concern for Texas right now is its pitching staff, which hasn’t done a lot to backfill innings with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle all set to miss at least the start of the season. The rotation right now shapes up as Nathan Eovaldi — himself a constant injury risk — Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney and … not a whole lot else, which is not a great spot for the defending champs to be in. Will they reach a deal to bring back Jordan Montgomery? Or will they look to fill the back-end of the rotation internally, maybe with White? Once upon a time, White was among the team’s top pitching prospects, but his big-league debut last season was a disaster. He’ll need a strong camp to get his career on track, and the Rangers could certainly use it.
