With the bulk of the Major League baseball season starting on March 27, some MLB rookies can still help teams capture their dreams of winning the World Series. These players have worked hard all season long to show they are ready to contribute in any way they can.
As the heir apparent fill-in for Juan Soto of the New York Mets, Jasson Dominguez has big shoes to fill if the rookie wants to develop into a homegrown superstar. The 22-year-old has a big swing, speed, and athleticism around the basepaths.
The rookie’s downfall has been playing in left field. It started to plague him last September during his call-up when he bobbled the ball for a would-be easy out. To give Dominguez the benefit of the doubt, his natural position is in center field.
The New York Yankee’s No. 1 prospect handled this situation gracefully and civilly. During this spring training, he has been putting in extra time working with former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams. He will also be paired with veteran Cody Bellinger, who can play left field and center.
The switch hitter dominated the minors last year with a .314 batting average, which was higher than the entire MLB league average of .240. In addition, he had a .880 OPS, 11 home runs, and 16 stolen bases.
It’s with no question that in a forward-thinking league like baseball, analytics keep getting more critical as batting averages decrease and big-arm flamethrowers increase. The former No. 3 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft right out of high school has developed very rapidly into an up-and-coming big league with ace potential.
Jackson Jobe has nasty stuff on his fastball and has added four other pitches, including a wicked curveball. The rookie right-hander can be compared to last year’s breakout rookie sensation, Paul Skenes. These pitchers have incredible fastballs that clock in at least 100 mph.
In addition, they both have learned that they are also one pitch away from being the next Tommy John surgery patient by adding sliders, curveballs, and cutters.
The Red Sox have a very balanced lineup of young prospects and some veteran experience to play important games in October. One of the youngsters is outfield prospect Roman Anthony, who is one step away from making the big leagues as early as this year.
The rookie stepped up big time when he was called up from Double-A to Triple-A in late summer. In 35 games for the Worcester Red-Sox, the center-fielder hit .344 with a .463 OBS. Additionally, he ended with 18 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a .894 OPS in 119 games in both Double and Triple-A.
Like Dominguez of the Yankees, Anthony’s batting average was higher in the minor leagues than the MLB’s total league average of .240.
If only the league had known what it knows now about Roki Sasaki in 2023, fans would have owned any team of their choice.
The Japanese phenom and Shohei Ohtani were part of Team Japan, which won the 2023 World Baseball Classic Gold over Team USA. In the semi-final game against Mexico, he struck out 11 batters in 7.2 innings.
Besides already bringing “winning” to a defending World Champion Club, the big-armed pitcher brings an electric fastball, a nasty slider, and a ball-busting splitter.
Sasaki’s bread-and-butter pitch is that 100 mph fastball, but he also mixes in the slider and splitter to make batters whiff on those pitches.
The Astros have spent most of this offseason rebuilding from a veteran team to now creating opportunities for young players to thrive in Houston. One of those youngsters is Outfielder Jacob Melton.
Melton was drafted in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft and had to work his way up the Houston Astros organization during the big club run to the World Series title.
Now, with the team getting older and staggering since that World Series ring, analytics are telling the Astros to rebuild and give opportunities to build a young core to help them get back to championship aspirations.
Melton is an analytical hitter with great power from the left side of the plate. Addtionally, the youngster makes great contact with the ball and is fast enough to swipe bags.
While we don’t know how many wins and losses the Astros will have this season, it will be fun to see a young athletic team led by Melton help the Astros play a more exciting brand of baseball for years to come.
The Phillies have one goal as an organization. Like the other 29 MLB organizations, the Philadelphia Phillies want to win a World Series to prove that the city of brotherly love is more than an Eagles’ city.
What the Phillies boast to make that goal come true is a young ace on the mound named Andrew Painter. Painter’s original 2023 debut season was cut short with an elbow injury during spring training.
As a result, the young man needed to have Tommy John surgery, which every pitcher knows is a season-ending procedure. Painter could have fallen into despair and given up on his MLB dreams. Instead, the pitcher worked hard in rehab and played well last year in the 2024 Arizona Fall League.
He returned to form and won the AFL’s Pitcher of the Year award, bringing those crazy yet passionate Philadelphia fans back aboard the hype train.
During that stint, Painter reelevated his fastball to 97-99 mph while adding an 86-90 mph slider and an 81-84 mph curveball. Now he’s returned to the Phillies with a repaired elbow and a new swagger that hopefully will keep him in the bigs today and in the future.
This year, some of the MLB rookies have been earning their shot at making the big show rosters. Their main goal is to play their best for their club to the postseason and help their teams lift the World Series trophy when it’s all said and done.
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