Spring training has arrived, and (exhibition, but still) MLB games have officially begun. Which means it’s time for fantasy managers to start doing their homework: With just a few weeks until the start of the regular season, every day offers more evidence for us to use come draft time — from who to fade to who’s on the verge of a breakout year.
But with so many games going on in both Florida and Arizona, where should you be directing your attention? Below we’ve compiled a list of the 30 most important position battles (for fantasy purposes, that is) going on this spring, from top prospects looking to bust down the door to the bigs to bullpen pecking orders and everything in between. There’s still much to be sorted out before draft day arrives, and now is when the work begins.
(One quick note before we get started: Some editorial discretion was involved in determining what qualifies as a battle. Will the Guardians make Kyle Manzardo an everyday player from the jump? That depends, but if they don’t, it won’t be because they had a more compelling option.)
Top 30 position battles for 2024 fantasy baseball
1. Orioles shortstop
Candidates: Jorge Mateo, Jackson Holliday
Likely choice: Holliday
Preferred choice: Holliday
Holliday only just turned 20 this winter, and has appeared in a mere 54 games in the high Minors — 18 at Triple-A. But he just slashed .323/.442/.499 in his first full Minor League season, and we have ample evidence that Mateo is simply not a viable everyday shortstop for a team with eyes on winning a pennant. Baltimore gains nothing by holding Holliday down until later this summer, and the latest CBA actually incentivizes the opposite, awarding the team extra draft picks for putting him on the Opening Day roster. Mike Elias hasn’t been shy about his hopes for the former No. 1 overall pick, and unless he really struggles in camp, this job should be his.
2. Reds corner infielders/DH
Candidates: Jeimer Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte, Jonathan India
Likely choices: Candelario and Marte, with Encarnacion-Strand at DH
Preferred choices: Candelario and Marte, with Encarnacion-Strand at DH
India’s slow recovery from lingering plantar fasciitis could ease some of the roster logjam here, but even still Cincy simply has too many bodies to play every day. The Reds almost certainly didn’t sign Candelario to a three-year deal this offseason to ride the bench, so he feels like a safe bet to play every day. From there, though, a lot will be determined by how they perform in spring — and whether India is healthy. Right now, the most likely Opening Day look features Spencer Steer in left, Candelario at first, Marte at third, Encarnacion-Strand and DH and India likely on the injured list. Should India be back healthy in a month’s time, though, Encarnacion-Strand could be the most vulnerable despite his promising cameo in 2023.
3. Rangers designated hitter
Candidates: Ezequiel Duran, Justin Foscue, Wyatt Langford
Likely choice: Duran
Preferred choice: Langford
If you thought Holliday’s romp through the Minors in 2023 was impressive, just wait until you get a load of Langford, who was taken fourth overall in last year’s draft and then promptly hit .360/.480/.677 over two months across four different levels. The problem here (well, “problem”) is that the Rangers’ outfield dance card is pretty full — Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter aren’t going anywhere, and Leody Taveras’ glove is too valuable in center field. Also complicating matters: Corey Seager’s recovery from sports hernia surgery, which, if it keeps him out through Opening Day, could necessitate freeing up Langford’s roster spot for another infielder. If I had to guess right now, I’d say Langford spends a week or three at Triple-A before making his debut, but a strong camp could change that quickly.
4. Phillies closer
Candidates: Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering, Jeff Hoffman, Gregory Soto
Likely choice: Alvarado
Preferred choice: Alvarado
Alvarado looked to be running away with the closer’s role last season before an elbow injury sidetracked him, but that’s part of the problem — the flame-throwing lefty’s incredible triple-digit velocity has been hard to maintain over a full season’s workload. Add to that the fact that he’s a lefty, and one with occasional command issues, and the door is open here at least a little bit for one of Philly’s exciting young relievers. I don’t expect any of the above names to usurp Alvarado in the ninth inning out of camp, but if you’re asking me who will finish the year with the job, well …
5. Angels closer
Candidates: Carlos Estevez, Robert Stephenson
Likely choice: Estevez
Preferred choice: Stephenson
You’d think this would be an easy call. Estevez is a career journeyman whose first season with the Angels came crashing down with a 6.59 ERA in the second half. Stephenson, meanwhile, was the team’s main offseason acquisition after delivering a 2.35 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and whopping 14.1 K/9 in 42 appearances for the Rays. But Perry Minasian and Ron Washington are full of surprises, and they seem for now at least to be committed to Estevez as the incumbent. Even if Stephenson can’t win the role this spring, it shouldn’t take too long before Estevez coughs it up this summer.
6. Rays designated hitter
Candidates: Junior Caminero, Curtis Mead, Harold Ramirez, Jonathan Aranda
Likely choice: Aranda/Ramirez platoon
Preferred choice: Caminero
This is less a defined position battle and more a battle for Tampa’s ninth and final lineup spot. Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes seem locked in at first, second and third, respectively, while some combination of Taylor Walls, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero will handle shortstop in Wander Franco’s absence. Jose Siri will man center most days, with Randy Arozarena and Josh Lowe in the corners and trade acquisition Jonny Deluca the fourth outfielder. That leaves just one spot for several talented players; Ramirez was solid last year and Aranda might have a leg up given his left-handedness, but Caminero is one of the best hitting prospects in the entire sport right now. Will the Rays really send him back to Triple-A to start the year?
7. Brewers outfield
Candidates: Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer
Likely choices: Chourio in center, Mitchell in left, Frelick in right, Yelich at DH
Preferred choices: Chourio in center, Mitchell in left, Frelick in right, Yelich at DH
Let’s start with the obvious: Yelich is an everyday player, and Brewers didn’t sign Chourio to a record extension to not make him their Opening Day center fielder. After that, things get a bit more complicated, although Frelick has some impressive prospect pedigree himself — and the team seems to enamored with him that they’re reportedly trying him in the infield as well. He seems to be a good bet for regular playing time, and Mitchell appeared on the verge of a breakout 2023 until a shoulder injury short-circuited things. The three kids appear to be the future in the outfield in Milwaukee, and there’s no reason not to get that started now.
8. Blue Jays fifth starter
Candidates: Alek Manoah, Yariel Rodriguez, Ricky Tiedemann
Likely choice: Manoah
Preferred choice: Rodriguez
The Blue Jays would certainly prefer Manoah to win this job, and both player and team have expressed confidence in the big righty’s ability to bounce back this spring. But his 2023 unraveling was so shocking and so thorough that it’s hard to imagine how that might take place, and his command issues in his first spring start certainly didn’t allay those concerns. It’s hard to imagine Toronto not at least giving Manoah first crack, but if he isn’t up for it, the Blue Jays have an interesting alternative in Rodriguez, a hard-throwing Cuban who spent the past few years dominating as a reliever in Japan.
9. Padres closer
Candidates: Robert Suarez, Woo-Suk Go, Yuki Matsui
Likely choice: Suarez/Matsui tandem
Preferred choice: Matsui
Josh Hader was just about the only reliable reliever San Diego had last season, so it’s no surprise that, after losing the lefty in free agency, they brought in multiple options with closing experiences overseas in Japan’s Yuki Matsui and Korea’s Woo-Suk Go. Last year’s setup man, Suarez, is also around, but his electric stuff was stifled by a lack of command in and out of the strike zone. Matsui is far more intriguing given his wipeout splitter, although as a lefty the odds of getting the everyday role are stacked against him. New manager Mike Shildt would probably prefer to have A Guy here, but his roster might not let him.
10. Cubs third base
Candidates: Christopher Morel, Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal
Likely choice: Mix and match
Preferred choice: Morel
Craig Counsell made it sound like Morel will get every chance to compete for the everyday third base job, and from a fantasy perspective, that’s the outcome to root for — the 24-year-old has massive power and massive upside should he get regular playing time. With Cody Bellinger back in the fold, the hot corner is his best path to that playing time, but it’s an open question as to whether his defense will cooperate. Then again, neither Wisdom nor Madrigal are particularly compelling options in their own right, and the team doesn’t appear in on free agent Matt Chapman. I want to predict that Morel will become an everyday player, but his flaws are such that a timeshare feels more likely.
11. Athletics closer
Candidates: Lucas Erceg, Trevor Gott, Dany Jimenez, Mason Miller
Likely choice: Miller
Preferred choice: Miller
Don’t laugh: As bad as the Athletics are, Trevor May did secure 15 saves for them in the second half last year, so this could matter for fantasy purposes. And it’ll especially matter if the winner of this competition is Mason Miller, a bat-missing extraordinaire who was putting up eye-putting radar gun numbers as a starter last season before an elbow injury ended his debut season prematurely. All we know so far is that Miller will start 2024 in the bullpen, and given the potential of his right arm, it seems hard to believe that he won’t find his way to the ninth inning. The team context isn’t great, but saves are hard to come by, especially with a strikeout rate like this.
12. Padres left/center field
Candidates: Jose Azocar, Jackson Merrill, Jurickson Profar, Jakob Marsee, Graham Pauley
Likely choices: Azocar and Profar
Preferred choices: Merrill and Pauley
Speaking of San Diego: The Padres outfield is currently a wasteland after losing Trent Grisham and Juan Soto this winter, and while GM A.J. Preller might still bring in reinforcements, he hasn’t done so yet. The simplest (and most boring) answer is that the Pads will opt for the two most experienced options in Azocar in center and Profar in left. Something to keep an eye on, though: The team has been trying shortstop prospect Merrill in the outfield this spring, and while he’s only 20 and barely made it to Double-A last year, they seem to be taking his candidacy seriously. Merrill is a physical specimen, and it shouldn’t take much to beat Profar, but San Diego could just as easily decide he needs some more seasoning.
13. Brewers infield (first base excluded)
Candidates: Willy Adames, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, Tyler Black, Andruw Monasterio, Sal Frelick
Likely choices: Turang at second, Adames at short, Black at third, Frelick moonlighting
Preferred choices: Turang at second, Ortiz at short, Black at third, Frelick moonlighting
Milwaukee’s infield picture is slightly more muddled — mainly due to the trade rumors that have swirled around Adames ever since the team acquired Ortiz in the Corbin Burnes trade earlier this month. The bet here is still that Adames gets moved at some point this spring, and if that does indeed come to pass, it opens the door for Ortiz to become the everyday shortstop. That’s big for our purposes, because it eases the pressure on fellow top prospect Tyler Black, who stole a whopping 55 bases with a .417 OBP across two levels last season. In a perfect world, Ortiz and Black will lock down the left side of the infield, but it’ll take impressive camps — and some front-office help — to do so.
14. Cubs closer
Candidates: Adbert Alzolay, Hector Neris
Likely choice: Alzolay
Preferred choice: Alzolay
A failed starting pitching prospect, Alzolay became a breakout closer for the Cubs last year, recording 22 saves with a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 9.4 K/9. But Chicago has since brought in a new manager in Craig Counsell and a reliever in Hector Neris who had a 1.71 ERA with the Astros last season and brings significant closing experience from his time in Philadelphia. Counsell has introduced a sliver of doubt that the job will remain with Alzolay, but the reason this position battle ranks this low is because it’s only a sliver — the money here is still on Alzolay.
15. Rangers closer
Candidates: Jose Leclerc, David Robertson, Josh Sborz, Kirby Yates
Likely choice: Leclerc
Preferred choice: Leclerc
If you only watched Leclerc tear up the league on the Rangers’ march to a World Series title last year, you might be surprised that manager Bruce Bochy has raised the question of whether the righty will remain in the role in 2024. But there’s a reason that Leclerc came out of nowhere: Prior to his October heroics, his spotty command had dropped him down the bullpen pecking order. Now there’s veteran closer David Robertson in play as well, further muddying things, although he’s 38 and faltered pretty badly down the stretch with the Marlins.
16. Reds fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brandon Williamson, Connor Phillips, Nick Martinez
Likely choices: Abbott and Williamson
Preferred choices: Lodolo and Abbott
Man, the Reds have a fascinating roster. The rotation might be even tougher to figure out than the infield, with fully eight guys (the five above, plus Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Frankie Montas) who’d make for intriguing starting options. Greene, Ashcraft and Montas are basically locked, as Lodolo likely would be if he weren’t a little behind schedule rehabbing from last year’s leg injury. If he’s ready in time, he’ll almost certainly be in the rotation come Opening Day, and Abbott’s upside from the left side is simply too great to ignore here. Phillips has an electric arm, though, and Williamson was sturdy in the second half of last season for Cincy.
17. Dodgers fifth starter
Candidates: Emmet Sheehan, Ryan Yarbrough, Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, Kyle Hurt
Likely choice: Sheehan
Preferred choice: Sheehan
Emmet Sheehan finished 2023 on such a high note, with a 1.98 ERA, a 15.8 K/9 and a 23 percent swinging-strike rate in his final three appearances, that he has to be the favorite for the fifth spot right now — especially considering how badly Stone and Grove struggled as rookies. Then again, this system has no shortage of other options, like Hurt, who is 18 months Sheehan’s senior and also put up major K numbers in the Minors. The bottom line is that whoever gets it will have to earn it this spring, and may only keep it until Walker Buehler is ready to go after a few weeks’ time. Still, the Dodgers have enough injury risks in their starting rotation that all four of these pitchers are likely to factor at some point in 2024 — even if it’s not enough to make fantasy managers happy.
18. Twins fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Chris Paddack, Anthony DeSclafani, Louie Varland
Likely choices: Paddack/DeSclafani
Preferred choices: Paddack/Varland
I understand why the Twins acquired DeSclafani in the Jorge Polanco trade last month — you can never have enough pitching depth over a 162-game season — but man was it frustrating as someone who’s long been a fan of Varland and thought he’d finally get the chance to shine in a big-league rotation. That opportunity may well still come this season, but for now it seems like he’ll begin the year in Triple-A, with Paddack and DeSclafani the leaders for the final two spots behind Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober.
19. Brewers third/fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Jake Junis, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Robert Gasser, Colin Rea, Joe Ross
Likely choices: Junis, Rea and Hall
Preferred choices: Hall, Ashby and Gasser
The youth movement is on in Milwaukee, so it’s no surprise that they appear on this list three separate times. Unfortunately, this battle seems like it might have a far more anticlimactic conclusion than the other two — Ashby has much to prove following shoulder surgery, Hall’s command issues may make him a reliever only and Gasser isn’t on the 40-man roster yet, meaning the three most boring options could well end up starting the year in the rotation. Don’t despair, though: Ashby’s ceiling remains high, Gasser tore up the Minors last year and the Brewers didn’t ask for Hall in the Burnes deal just to stick in the ‘pen without giving him a chance to start. Before long, they’ll all get a crack at this, with Hall likely at the front of the line given his upside.
20. Diamondbacks shortstop
Candidates: Jordan Lawlar, Geraldo Perdomo
Likely choice: Perdomo
Preferred choice: Lawlar
Lawlar had serious prospect helium at this time last year, but his late-season audition went so poorly that it seems likely the Diamondbacks will stick with Perdomo at the 6 for now. He was an All-Star last year, but he also slashed .214/.322/.297 in the second half and is a clear weak point on a team with legitimate championship aspirations. Lawlar’s struggles at the plate in 2023 were real, but it was a small sample size amid injury; he remains one of the top prospects in baseball, and he could absolutely force the issue with a strong camp.
21. Nationals closer
Candidates: Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey
Likely choice: Finnegan
Preferred choice: Harvey
Harvey had seemingly already won this job just before the All-Star break, but then he did what he always does and got hurt, allowing Finnegan to settle in again. To Finnegan’s credit, he closed the year pretty strong, but given his broader track record he figures to be on the shortest of leashes — particularly if Harvey can stay healthy long enough for his electric stuff to shine throughout March.
22. Pirates catcher
Candidates: Henry Davis, Yasmani Grandal
Likely choice: Grandal, with Davis alternating between catcher and right field
Preferred choice: Grandal, with Davis alternating between catcher and right field
A former No. 1 overall pick, Davis didn’t make a single start at catcher for Pittsburgh last year despite it being the position he was drafted at. In the wake of Endy Rodriguez’s offseason injury, the Pirates were floating the idea of having Davis take over as their top backstop … only to bring in a veteran in Yasmani Grandal. Davis is sure to play somewhere despite his disappointing rookie season; he’s simply too young and too important to Pittsburgh’s rebuild to give up on yet. Getting enough work behind the plate to regain eligibility while spending most of his time in right field or as the DH would be the optimal scenario for fantasy, providing all the advantages of catching but with none of (or at least less of) the injury risk.
23. Red Sox outfield
Candidates: Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Tyler O’Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsnyder
Likely choice: Duran in center, Abreu in right, O’Neill in left, Yoshida at DH
Preferred choice: Duran in center, Abreu in right, O’Neill in left, Yoshida at DH
This one could go any number of directions, and figures to be more a “depends on the day” deal than three fixed starters. A lot depends on what the team decides to do with Rafaela — he’s a defensive whiz, but his struggles in a brief stint in the Majors last year indicate just how much work he has to do on his plate approach to survive against top-level pitching. If Rafaela shows Boston enough this spring, he could force his way onto the roster, in which case his blazing speed and plus glove would be ticketed for center field. That would likely bump Duran over to right, where he could split the action with Abreu, while O’Neill (and occasionally Yoshida) takes left. If Rafaela goes back to the Minors, though, expect Duran to be the center fielder of choice, with Abreu and O’Neill flanking him and Rob Refsnyder as the lefty-masher off the bench.
24. Mets third base
Candidates: Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Joey Wendle
Likely choice: Baty
Preferred choice: Baty
Baty failed in his chance to seize the third base job last year, but then Ronny Mauricio tore his ACL, and the closest thing to a competitor that the Mets brought in this offseason is aging utility man Joey Wendle. At 24, New York seems committed to giving Baty one more chance, but his grounder-heavy profile and inability to hit lefties have me skeptical. The only other real option is Vientos, who has power to spare but is stretched defensively and is more likely destined for a DH role.
25. Cubs center field
Candidates: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Tauchman
Likely choice: Tauchman
Preferred choice: Crow-Armstrong
Crow-Armstrong is an elite defender in center, but he didn’t allay concerns about his bat in an 0-for-14 MLB debut last season. A big spring could do wonders for him, and solidify that spot in the lineup for the Cubs — while shifting Cody Bellinger to more of a full-time first base/DH role. That’s probably what Chicago would prefer, but PCA’s bat may not cooperate, and it’s worth nothing that Mike Tauchman was perfectly serviceable for the Cubs last year with a .363 OBP.
26. Braves fifth starter
Candidates: Bryce Elder, Reynaldo Lopez
Likely choice: Elder
Preferred choice: either one
Neither of these guys are terribly exciting, but if you can go five innings with the Braves offense backing you, you’re always going to have at least a little fantasy relevance. Elder got off to a spectacular start to his rookie season, even making the All-star team, but came crashing back to Earth down the stretch. The Braves are stretching Lopez out, and if any team can get a starter out of that big right arm, it’s Atlanta. At the very least, it’s not a huge vote of confidence in Elder, although I do think he’ll end up winning the job unless he implodes in camp.
27. Blue Jays second/third base
Candidates: Cavan Biggio, Davis Schneider, Justin Turner, Eduardo Escobar, Santiago Espinal, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Likely choices: Schneider/Biggio platoon and Kiner-Falefa, with Turner at DH
Preferred choices: Schneider and [insert name here], with Turner at DH
Schneider is a deeply strange player: Never much of a prospect, he burst onto the scene after getting called up last summer, combining excellent on-base skills with surprising pull side power … and some truly spectacular streakiness, alternating between red hot and ice cold. Whether he can level that out a bit and settle in as a big-league regular remains to be seen, but given the question marks in his profile and the fact that his manager is seemingly reluctant to anoint him the starter at second base, this one may go down to the wire. Biggio had a bit of a bounce-back season last year, and Kiner-Falefa is a solid defender if nothing else.
28. Marlins fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer, A.J. Puk, Trevor Rogers, Ryan Weathers
Likely choices: Cabrera and Rogers
Preferred choices: Cabrera and Rogers
Cabrera and Rogers would ideally be the easy answers here, but the former’s command troubles and the latter’s sketchy health issues leave things very much up in the air. The other options, however, don’t inspire confidence. Miami is stretching former closer A.J. Puk back out this spring, but it’s hard to imagine him finally holding out over a starter’s workload after he failed to do so as a prospect in Oakland. Meyer is a heck of a prospect in his own right, but he’s also coming back from Tommy John surgery. Weathers is nothing to write home about. If Cabrera and Rogers can just get to Opening Day healthy, the gigs should be theirs, and both come with some late fantasy upside.
29. Pirates fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Paul Skenes, Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz, Quinn Priester, Bailey Falter
Likely choices: Falter and Ortiz
Preferred choices: Skenes is the only one who matters
This battle is interesting only for the first name on this list: Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the draft last year after shredding the competition at LSU. The righty has some more question marks than his college dominance would suggest — is he only a two-pitch pitcher; is his fastball destined to play down despite triple-digit velocity because of a suboptimal movement profile — but he doesn’t have much left to prove in the Minors.
30. Tigers fourth/fifth starter
Candidates: Sawyer Gipson-Long, Matt Manning, Casey Mize, Reese Olson
Likely choices: Olson and Manning
Preferred choices: Olson and Gipson-Long
The Tigers have more interesting pitchers than you think, and it goes far beyond the (very real) Tarik Skubal hype train. If this were a strict meritocracy, you’d probably go with Olson and Gipson-Long, each of whom impressed down the stretch last year — Olson has a wicked slider but an iffy fastball, while Gipson-Long looks a bit like a poor man’s Logan Webb. But the Tigers have more invested, both financially and emotionally, in Manning and Mize, two former first-round picks out to prove they’ve fully recovered from a foot fracture and Tommy John, respecitvely. They’ll likely take their time with Mize, whose reconstructed elbow won’t make it a full season anyway. Olson was good enough for long enough last year that he deserves the first crack at a rotation spot.
