The Spire

Patrick Raidt ’24

Staff Writer

While here in Worcester we may still have snow on the ground and temperatures below 50º, in Florida and Arizona it is perfect weather for baseball! Spring Training typically marks the beginning of the MLB Season for many, and on February 14th and 15th, pitchers and catchers from across the league will kick things off as they report to their respective camps. All other players will report to their teams’ Spring Training facilities between February 18th and 20th with the exception of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, whose players will need to report to their respective camps earlier, as these are the two teams that will face each other in the first Spring Training game on February 22nd. 

While many tune in and follow Spring Training to see their favorite players get ready for the upcoming season, the biggest highlight of the MLB preseason is getting to see the league’s top prospects play alongside their major league counterparts. Over the past few weeks MLB teams have been announcing their non-roster invites, or NRIs, for spring training this year consisting of players from all different levels of the minor leagues. The biggest name fans should keep an eye out for this spring training is Baltimore Orioles shortstop prospect Jackson Holliday. Drafted by the O’s first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday has been named the number one prospect in Major League Baseball by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. At just 20 years old, Holliday has played his way through the Orioles entire Minor League system and is expected to make his Major League debut at some point during this upcoming season as he will surely add to the young talent that the Orioles have on their roster. Milwaukee Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio is another player fans should watch out for during spring training as well. Chourio, who is even younger than Holliday at just 19 years old, signed a massive contract extension with the Brewers earlier this offseason despite never playing a single inning in the Majors, showing that he is not just a player that the Brewers want to keep around for a long time, but also one that they expect to make a huge splash in the league once he eventually makes his debut, which, similar to Holliday, is expected to be at some point during this upcoming season.

Outside of prospects, spring training also gives fans the opportunity to see players who have moved to new teams during the off season wear their new colors for the first time. The biggest player that this applies to is obviously Shohei Ohtani who, back in December, signed a historic contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers making him the highest paid player in North American sports history. While the two way player is still unable to pitch this season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery back in September, he is still expected to be a crucial part of the Dodgers batting order, and spring training will give fans the opportunity to see just what exactly he will be able to bring to his new team this year. And while Ohtani might be the biggest name playing for a new team this season, he is not the only one, as veteran players such as Juan Soto, Rhys Hoskins, Corbin Burnes, Tyler Glasnow, and Joey Gallo, just to name a few, are all players who will also be playing for new clubs this season.

While the 2024 MLB season may not officially start until March, spring training is surely a time to be excited as not only does it give player a chance to get ready for the season ahead by shaking off the off season blues, but it also gives fans the opportunity to see and get to know their newest members of their team while also getting excited about the MLB stars of tomorrow.