Update: MLB Spring Training Stats Leaders: March 15th
One thing is for certain, MLB spring training stats are to be taken with a grain of salt. Year in and year out, we see great spring performances followed by season-long slumps. The quality of pitching vs. the quality of hitting leaves a lot of be determined during the regular season. On the other hand, as baseball fans, we scan the leader charts regardless, hoping our prospects develop, and our rebounding/injured players make steps toward recovery.
Here’s a list of the top offensive performers as of March 10th, with a majority of teams now having 8-11 games played.
Mike Moustakas 3B (8-for-20, 3 HR, 10 RBI) Moustakas is continuing his spring tear, which is good news for the Royals, who saw a significant decrease in his production last year. 2013 was supposed to be a breakout year for Moustakas, instead he regressed by thirty points in batting average and was unable to go deep at his 2012 rate. While this is Moustakas’ fourth year in the Majors, we’ll consider last year his sophomore slump.
Nick Castellanos 3B (10-for-25, 2 HR, 11 RBI) The new Tigers third basemen is proving he’s ready for the job, at least offensively.
Jurickson Profar 2B (9-for-29, 2 2B, HR, 10 RBI) The Rangers 21 year-old replacement for Ian Kinsler is proving scouts right.
Wilson Ramos C (9-for-16, 2 2B, HR, 9 RBI) Ramos only saw 48 at-bats during the first three months of the 2013 season, but after taking over as the Nationals everyday catcher in July, he managed to finish the season batting .272 with 16 home runs and 59 runs batted in. If his strong spring start is any indication of what Ramos is capable of in 2014, the Nationals will be happy to have him behind the plate for a majority of the season.
Austin Jackson CF (9-for-19, 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI) The Tigers center fielder is off to a good start as he looks to return to 2012 form when he produced a .300 batting average with an OBP of .377., two percentages that went down significantly in 2013.
Tommy Medica 1B (13-for-25, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI) Medica may find himself in the outfield for the Padres this season if his hot hitting continues. The Padres may have a hard time finding a place for him, that is, unless, Yonder Alonso finds himself unable to play.
Martin Prado 3B (12-for-23, 4 2B, 5 RBI) Prado continues to quietly be one of the more consistent third basemen in all of baseball. With a .293 career batting average, Prado’s ability to proficiently man second base and left field are bonuses to the Diamondbacks organization which relied on Prado for one of those two spots for a combined 53 games last season, the other 96 coming at third base.
Dustin Ackley LF (11-for-23, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 9 RBI) This year, Ackley has played all of his spring games in left field, because, to put it plainly, the Mariners have a better second baseman now. The good news is that he appears to be comfortable in left field. He’s not going back to second base any time soon unless the Mariners find themselves with a need for him at some point in the season.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com
