Wyatt Langford, Jackson Holliday Among 13 MLB Prospects Who Impressed Scouts At Spring Training
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The Cactus and Grapefruit league seasons are over. Two big league games are already in the books, and official Opening Day is here. As we prepare for the start of the 2024 season, let’s take a look at a few MLB prospects who impressed scouts this spring.
This edition includes players who spent most of their time in big league camp. All of them are prospect-eligible on Opening Day, but many of them likely will graduate at some point during the season.
With the exception of players headed to Triple-A, minor league players are still toiling on the backfields in Arizona and Florida, and at a later date Baseball America will bring you its 2024 edition of 50 players who impressed evaluators in minor league camp.
For now, enjoy this group of big leaguers and those on the cusp of making their mark.
Mason Miller, RHP, Athletics
There’s no denying that Miller has some of the most electric stuff in baseball. He showed it in his brief trip through the minors, then again in the Arizona Fall League, and then some more in the big leagues. Health, however, has been an issue, and limited Miller to just 33.1 innings with Oakland in 2023. The massive righthander looked dominant all spring, using his signature high-octane heat and devastating slider to carve Cactus League competition. Scouts have also noted a potentially plus changeup in Miller’s mix, which would give him three nasty pitches that would play as a rotation piece—if he can stay healthy. Whether he winds up in the starting five or the bullpen, Miller should be a force in Oakland.
Matt Shaw, SS, Cubs
Shaw, whom the Cubs drafted 13th overall last year out of Maryland, can really hit. His Cactus League numbers don’t jump off the page, but scouts in Mesa saw a player with a tremendous ability to put the barrel on the ball and make solid contact to all sectors. That sentiment jibes with Shaw’s production, which in 2023 helped rocket him to Double-A while striking out just 25 times in 170 plate appearances (14.7%). He’s an instinctual defender with an excellent internal clock and the ability to make plays while in motion and could fit either at second or third base depending on necessity.
James Wood, OF, Nationals
Based on his performance in spring training, Wood’s appearance on this list shouldn’t come as a surprise. The former Padres prospect who moved to Washington in Juan Soto megadeal has long had a sky-high ceiling, but evaluators who saw him in the Grapefruit League report a player nearly ready to take the next step. His overall quality of at-bats have improved, and he’s laying off tough pitches while punishing his mistakes with his signature thunderous power. He still has a weakness against sliders from righthanders. In the outfield, Wood shows elite speed with graceful strides that should easily allow him to handle center field. If he does move over to right field, his arm and bat would certainly profile at the position.
Victor Scott II, OF, Cardinals
Scott, a West Virginia product whom St. Louis drafted in the fifth round in 2022, burst onto the scene in 2023 with a campaign that featured a minor league-best 94 stolen bases and then a whizbang six-week stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he swiped 18 more bases. This spring Scott continued to show a table-setter’s skill set, including plenty of contact and speed that helped him create havoc on the basepaths and show a potentially golden glove in the center field. He sees spin out of the pitcher’s hand and, while he won’t be a tremendous power threat, should grow into enough thump to run into double-digits homers when he finishes developing. Once he reaches St. Louis, Scott could lead the Cardinals’ lineup for a long time.
Joey Loperfido, OF, Astros
Loperfido isn’t the flashiest of Houston’s prospects, but he has the makings of a solid big leaguer. The Duke alumnus shows a solid hit tool and a gap-to-gap approach with enough power to be a double-digit home run threat. More than his tools, Loperfido stands out for his situational awareness and defensive versatility. Last season he played second base, third base and all three outfield spots. In other words, he’s the type of player who might not overwhelm the competition in the minor leagues but once he reaches the majors will have the skill set to stick around for a long time and provide value in a variety of ways.
Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers
The Rangers announced on March 22 that Langford, whom they drafted fourth overall last year, had made the Opening Day roster. The Florida alum earned that nod after spending the spring demolishing the Cactus League competition with a performance that put him at or near the top of many offensive categories. Scouts who saw Langford were impressed by a swing that is both simple and explosive and should allow him to produce both average and power in heavy doses. He and Evan Carter should form the nucleus of a young, talented Rangers lineup for years to come.
Jeferson Quero, C, Brewers
Jackson Chourio got the bulk of the attention among Brewers prospect—especially considering his mega-contract and placement on the Opening Day roster—but Quero should have your attention as well. The 21-year-old backstop has a throwing arm that grades at least at a 70 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, and he’s shown the toughness to play through nagging injuries, which is a required skill for a big league catcher. He has the potential to be a special defender who can hit for plenty of power as well, as shown by the 16 home runs he hit in 90 games at Double-A Biloxi in 2023, when he opened the year as the league’s fifth-youngest player. The presence of William Contreras in Milwaukee means Quero won’t need to be rushed, either.
Luis Gil, RHP, Yankees
Gil has shown flashes of his talent since coming over from the Twins in a 2017 trade that sent Jake Cave to Minnesota. He was coveted then for his physical projection, and now, after fully recovering from Tommy John surgery, he appeared this spring to show his full potential. Scouts who saw Gil reported a pitcher with the potential for three plus pitches, including a lively upper-90s fastball, a nasty slider and a changeup that has taken big steps forward since its pre-surgery form. With Gerrit Cole out for the foreseeable future, Gil has a chance to establish himself as a weapon in either a starter’s role or as a bulk reliever.
Jackson Holliday, 2B, Orioles
The No. 1 prospect in baseball might have to wait a little while longer to make his MLB debut, but it wasn’t for lack of performance. The first overall pick in the 2022 draft punished Grapefruit League competition while he was in big league camp and showed an offensive game whose only ding was a slight weakness against lefthanders. Defensively, scouts reported a player whose defense was nearly plus and should reach that level as he gains experience. Triple-A Norfolk is likely to open the 2024 season as the most talented team in the minors for the second straight year, and Holliday’s presence will play a large role in that ranking.
Christian Scott, RHP, Mets
It’s no secret that Scott is one of the most-improved pitching prospects over the last year. To get there, the Florida alum has used a body and delivery that was always promising and made enough alterations to his stuff to raise his ceiling. The most prominent change is to his slider, which used to have short, early break and now has morphed into a true sweeper. Scott’s changeup has added power as well and now serves as a third potential plus pitch. In evaluators’ eyes, Scott has elevated himself over his peers in the upper levels of the Mets’ system.
Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles
In 2023, Cowser was one of a host of Orioles prospects who bullied the upper levels and helped Norfolk take home the Triple-A national championship. He did not replicate that success in the big leagues, where he produced an OPS of just .433 in 26 games. This year the Sam Houston alum made the Opening Day roster out of spring training and will get a chance to prove himself once again. Scouts who saw Cowser reported a player who made better swing decisions rather than the overly passive version who popped up in the big leagues a year ago. If he can carry that trend over into the season, he’ll have a chance to use his natural gifts to help inject even more talent into Baltimore’s lineup.
Landen Roupp, RHP, Giants
The Giants drafted Roupp out of UNC Wilmington in the 12th round in 2021 and over the last two seasons have watched as he’s emerged as one of the system’s most interesting upper-level arms. The righthander was excellent once again this spring, punching out 13 hitters over eight two-run innings spread across four outings. Roupp has always combined stuff and deception but this spring evaluators have noticed a fastball with more sink and a slider with more sharpness and separation from his curveball, giving him two distinct options to play off his fastball, both in terms of velocity and angle of attack.
Jared Jones, RHP, Pirates
The Pirates’ system is flush with upper-level pitching prospects, and Jones will be the first of the bunch to make it to the big leagues. The righthander’s stock has risen sharply over the past two seasons and in the Grapefruit League he showed a fastball that sat in the upper 90s and regularly reached triple digits. He paired the heater with a filthy slider that got whiffs at a nearly 50% clip in the four outings he pitched in front of Hawk-Eye pitching tracking systems. He still needs to improve his control a bit, but he proved enough this spring to get the chance to finish his development in the big leagues.
