Here are the 10 best potential prospect matchups at Spring Breakout
Spring Breakout will soon offer the opportunity for the majority of baseball's top prospects to face off against each other for the second straight year. Fearsome sluggers against hard-throwing pitchers. Speedy baserunners against cannon-armed catchers. Well-rounded shortstops battling to prove who should be ranked higher. Full rosters for all 30
Spring Breakout will soon offer the opportunity for the majority of baseball's top prospects to face off against each other for the second straight year. Fearsome sluggers against hard-throwing pitchers. Speedy baserunners against cannon-armed catchers. Well-rounded shortstops battling to prove who should be ranked higher.
Full rosters for all 30 teams won't be finalized until March 6, but we can still dream upon the best matchups that we may be seeing March 13-16.
We're excluding a handful of top prospects for this exercise. While 71 of the Top 100 prospects in 2024 participated in Spring Breakout, ones projected to begin the season in the big leagues were less likely to play. For that reason, we'll leave off MLB's top prospect Roki Sasaki, who will likely be pitching for the Dodgers in the Japan Series, and Dylan Crews (MLB No. 4), who is sure to be Washington's starting right fielder.
It's all projection until the rosters are finalized, but here's a look at the 10 best player matchups at this year's rendition of Spring Breakout, in order of occurrence.
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox (MLB No. 12) vs. Carson Williams, SS, Rays (MLB No. 9)
March 13, 7:05 p.m. ET
Two of the best shortstop prospects in baseball will face off -- just like they soon may be doing for many years in the AL East. The 2021 first-rounders are on the same timeline and expected to begin the year at Triple-A, but their profiles are quite different. Mayer receives above-average grades for his bat and power from the left side and makes up for his 40-grade speed with good defensive instincts, while righty-swinging Williams displays plus power with a below-average hit tool and is one of the best defenders in the Minors.
Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs (MLB No. 54) vs. Dalton Rushing, C/OF, Dodgers (MLB No. 30)
March 13, 9:05 p.m. ET
Horton was one of the best pitchers in the Minors in 2023 with almost equal split rates (.531 OPS vs. RHP, .535 vs. LHP). That was not the case during a 2024 campaign (.690 vs. RHP, .827 vs. LHP) cut short by a shoulder injury. Healthy again, Horton will have a chance to show off his premium stuff against a lineup with potentially four lefty-swinging Top 100 prospects, the most notable of whom is Rushing. A patient hitter whose bat may quickly take him to Dodger Stadium, Rushing translated his big exit velocity numbers into consistent over-the-fence power in 2024.
JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals (MLB No. 23) vs. Thomas White, LHP, Marlins (MLB No. 41)
March 14, 12:10 p.m. ET
These two teams share a Spring Training and Single-A home: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. And the best matchup from this game features recent first-rounders who starred on this field in the Florida State League in 2024. Wetherholt was a Statcast standout after the Cards selected him seventh overall in July and actually showed more power against fellow lefties than righties in tiny sample sizes. He'll face the third-best southpaw prospect in the game in White, who features unusual polish for a 20-year-old and a pair of plus-or-better offerings that have devastated lefties across A-ball.
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Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates (MLB No. 15) vs. Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (MLB No. 27)
March 14, 1:05 p.m. ET
A potential marquee matchup between Andrew Painter and Chandler looked to be a possible duel between two of the best pitching prospects in the game. Unfortunately for fans, it won't come to fruition during Spring Breakout as Painter is not expected to pitch competitively this spring. However, another intriguing clash between these two intrastate rivals is almost as appetizing. Miller worked his way up to Double-A during his first full pro season in 2024, finishing the year with an .811 OPS and a 133 wRC+ in 102 games. Chandler dominated from start to finish across two Minor League levels, holding opponents to a .189 average while posting a 148/41 K/BB ratio.
Colt Emerson, SS/3B, Mariners (MLB No. 20) vs. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (MLB No. 10)
March 14, 8:05 p.m. ET
There's no shortage of quality hitting prospects to compare -- the Mariners and Guardians combine for 11 on this year's recently released Top 100 Prospects list -- but their top-ranked youngsters stack up quite nicely. Only six players on the Top 100 earned a hitting grade of 65 or higher, and two are in this game. Emerson and Bazzana are a pair of lefty-swinging middle infielders who could each make the case for being baseball's best pure-hitting prospect. Bazzana, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, has a bit more power and speed presently, while Emerson, taken 22nd overall in 2023, has been one of the best in the Minors at avoiding strikeouts.
Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees (MLB No. 21) vs. Coby Mayo, 3B/1B, Orioles (MLB No. 14)
March 15, 6:05 p.m. ET
Look no further if you want to watch two hitters with AL Rookie of the Year aspirations. Domínguez and Mayo figure to earn roles for their respective AL East teams sooner rather than later after making cameos at the end of 2024. Mayo has top-end power and a tremendous arm at third base if he sticks at the hot corner. Domínguez may be listed as 9 inches shorter than Mayo, but he also features impressive raw power thanks to tremendous bat speed and strength.
Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B, Rangers (MLB No. 17) vs. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants (MLB No. 24)
March 15, 8:05 p.m. ET
No matchup at Spring Breakout may have the potential for more power than this one: Walcott and Eldridge are two of the eight on the Top 100 to flex 65-grade-or-better power. After reaching the upper Minors last season as teenagers, they'll both have a chance to show off again against older competition. Walcott leverages his 6-foot-4 frame and elite bat speed well and features a quite aggressive approach at the plate. Eldridge (6-foot-7) is one of the few players he looks small next to, and the 2023 first-rounder uses a quick stroke to produce top-of-the-line exit velocities.
Max Clark, OF, Tigers (MLB No. 6) vs. Cam Caminiti, LHP, Braves (MLB No. 89)
March 16, 4:05 p.m. ET
Caminiti was the highest-ranked and highest-selected prep pitcher in the 2024 Draft and made a brief cameo at Single-A in late August: three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. This would mark a major jump in stage for the 18-year-old, who would face a lineup that potentially includes five Top 100 prospects. The good news for him is that four of the five may be fellow lefties -- Thayron Liranzo (No. 82) is a switch-hitter. The best of that group of Detroit prospects is Clark, a potential five-tool stud who actually crushed lefties (.324/.465/.524) last season and figures to be one of the biggest stars of Spring Breakout.
Chase Dollander, RHP, Rockies (MLB No. 25) vs. Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox (MLB No. 16)
March 16, 5:05 p.m. ET
Both of these starters routinely hit 99 mph with their fastballs, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see triple-digit heat in a short stint. Their secondary pitches are pretty nasty too. After his dominant rising fastball, Dollander's best pitch is a hard, tight slider, and he gets lefties and righties out effectively with a slower curve and a deceptive changeup. Schultz has perhaps the best lefty slider in the Minors, made even more effective by the extension he gets on his 6-foot-9 frame and low release point.
Chase Burns, RHP, Reds (MLB No. 26) vs. Jesus Made, SS, Brewers (MLB No. 56)
March 16, 7:40 p.m. ET
Only a handful of prospects recently have received as much buzz before reaching full-season ball as Made, a top signee in the 2024 international class who tore up the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League with exceptional batted-ball data and plate discipline. One of the pitchers he's likely to face in Spring Breakout? Another prospect who's set to make his much-anticipated full-season debut this year: Chase Burns. The second overall pick in 2024, Burns has the potential for four plus pitches, led by a fastball up to 102 mph and a power slider that generated whiffs on nearly two-thirds of swings at Wake Forest last year.
Ben Weinrib is a contributor for MiLB.com.
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