Spring training is coming to an end. Players are still fighting for squad spots, but many situations have been clarified and lineups settled. We’ll go team by team to discuss some final takeaways. As always, we are looking for:
season trends
Trains
battles for position
Injuries and who replaces them
lineups and more
Since this is the last update, the goal here is to briefly address and build on some of the situations from the NL Crash and AL Crash. After reading this article, these are the next ones you should check out!
Bundesliga
NL East
Atlanta Braves
At this point the lineup is set. The only player to enter the year with a role that is difficult to identify is Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna posted a strong spring line of 0.321/0.368/0.491 with only 17.5% K% in his 57 PA. He should take a look at DH, but since other players are taking their time and the catchers are there, DH PAs aren’t guaranteed on a consistent basis. He went into the year looking to improve his defense. If that happens/happens it might help him play more.
As we all know, Vaughn Grissom was optioned. This came as a surprise given all the great things Ron Washington said about him but they are looking to continue refining his defense and trust Orlando Arcia to provide a strong glove at SS. The new shift ban likely emphasizes a strong defense at SS and they want Grissom to be as defensively ready as possible.