MLB spring training stock watch: Blue Jays struggle while Yankees, Phillies start hot

Baseball has only been back for a weekend, but for those MLB players fighting for Opening Day roster spots, every game counts. Even if there's snow on the ground in the northeast, what's going on in Florida and Arizona matters every day to most of the players participating in games.

With that, it's important to look at the players who are improving their stock, like Konnor Griffin, and those whose stock is plummeting.

MLB players trending in the right direction: Konnor Griffin continues to mash

SS Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

On the surface, Konnor Griffin has disappointed thus far in the biggest spring training of his life. Sure, he's gone 0-for-5, but while baseball is a results-based game, the results in late February mean next to nothing. Process is king this time of year, and Griffin, in search of making the Pittsburgh Pirates' Opening Day roster, is crushing it.

First and foremost, if you haven't seen the things he's done in live batting practice, I suggest you check your social media feeds. He's hitting 450+ foot moonshots almost daily. Second, while he might be hitless in Grapefruit League action, he shouldn't be.

Griffin hit two baseballs over 105 mph on Sunday, including one clocked at 109.1 mph off of Tim Mayza, a southpaw with 352 MLB appearances. If he's going to continue hitting the ball that hard, the hits will start to fall, and it'll become increasingly difficult for the Pirates to leave him off their Opening Day roster.

OF Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies

Justin Crawford is another player hoping to make his big league debut on Opening Day, and he's gotten off to a strong start this spring. There were questions about whether he could make enough hard contact in the air to hit consistently enough at the big league level and whether he could play strong defense in center field. In his first game, he showed his upside in both areas.

Offensively, Crawford went 2-for-3, with one of the two hits being exactly what Philadelphia Phillies fans were looking for. He drilled a booming double clocked at 104 MPH, off the wall in left-center field off Eric Lauer, an established left-handed pitcher. So, Crawford, without the platoon advantage, hit the ball incredibly hard and far for an extra-base hit in his first at-bat of the spring. Does it get better? He even hit a single a couple of at-bats later.

Defensively, Crawford made a sliding catch, robbing Addison Barger of a potential hit. It's only one game, but Crawford, the favorite to win the Phillies' center field job, made quite the first impression, showing flashes of the kind of player he can become.

1B/3B Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox

To say Munetaka Murakami's market wasn't what it was expected to be would be an understatement. Instead of the massive nine-figure deal most expected him to get, Murakami settled for a two-year, $34 million pact with the Chicago White Sox. MLB teams were clearly afraid of the very real swing-and-miss concerns he showed in Japan and were reluctant to commit to him long-term. This spring, though, Murakami seems to be on a mission to prove his doubters wrong.

Yes, he has struck out twice in his six at-bats, but Murakami has also clocked two hits, with each of them clocking at 105 MPH or harder. That'll play!

The strikeouts will be there, but if Murakami can make enough hard contact, the sky is the limit. Kyle Schwarber is an example of a player who strikes out a ton, yet can be an MVP-caliber hitter. If Murakami is even half of what Schwarber is, the White Sox will have gotten a bargain.

RHPs Luis Gil, Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have played three spring training games, and while guys like Aaron Judge and Spencer Jones have stolen the show, each of their three starting pitchers has really impressed.

Luis Gil might've pitched to a 3.32 ERA in 2025, but he walked (33) nearly as many batters as he struck out (41) in his 57 regular-season innings, and saw his average fastball velocity dip from 96.6 mph in 2024 to 95.3 mph in 2025. Well, in his first spring training start, Gil struck out four batters without issuing a walk and hit 97 mph with his fastball. He allowed a run, but his command and stuff were very encouraging.

As for Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez, they combined to allow two runs (one earned) in 5.2 innings of work in their starts. It's unlikely that either prospect will make the team's Opening Day roster, but they're showing they're getting closer to being MLB-ready.

RHP JR Ritchie, Atlanta Braves

Injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep have created an opening or two in the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day rotation, and one of their top pitching prospects, JR Ritchie, is doing what he can to try and force his way onto the team's Opening Day roster. His spring training debut couldn't have gone much better.

Facing a Minnesota Twins lineup that included several regulars, including Byron Buxton, Ritchie delivered two hitless innings, walking one and striking out one. His fastball averaged a tick below 96 mph, and he showed off an impressive six-pitch arsenal.

Ritchie has more to prove, but he pitched well in 11 Triple-A starts last season, and might be a good spring training away from making his big league debut.

MLB players off to a slow start: Sandy Alcantara fails to ease concerns

RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

Sandy Alcantara entered spring training hoping to prove he was back to his Cy Young-caliber self. He finished last season strongly after a brutal first half, giving Miami Marlins fans hope that he'd look like the Alcantara of old, but his first spring training outing left a lot to be desired.

Alcantara allowed three first-inning runs to score after facing just four batters. He was able to get the next two batters out, completing his inning, but the damage had already been done.

Alcantara has been named the Marlins' Opening Day starter, and Miami is hoping that either he'll lead them to the NL playoff race or pitch well enough to be traded at the deadline. His Opening Day roster spot is obviously safe, but if his first spring training start was any indication, he's got a long way to go.

RHP Yariel Rodriguez, Toronto Blue Jays

Yariel Rodriguez's stock dipped last season to the point where the Toronto Blue Jays outrighted the right-hander off the 40-man roster. Trying to prove he belongs in Toronto's bullpen mix, Rodriguez's spring training debut couldn't have gone much worse.

The right-hander's velocity was down, and his numbers were flat-out abysmal. No, the box score doesn't mean much this time of year, but it's hard to look past an outing that sees a pitcher give up six earned runs while recording just two outs.

As a pitcher off the 40-man roster, Rodriguez's path to the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster was difficult as is. Struggling to this extent makes it nearly impossible for him to make the team. There's still time, but this outing couldn't have gone much worse.

3B Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds

After whiffing on Kyle Schwarber, Eugenio Suarez was signed to be the big slugger in the Cincinnati Reds' lineup. Adding Suarez, a player who just hit 49 home runs last season and already has a ton of success with the Reds made a lot of sense, but thus far, he's shown why he had to settle for a relatively cheap one-year deal with Cincinnati.

Suarez has taken six at-bats this spring and has struck out three times. To be fair, he did hit a 99.2 mph ground ball in one of his at-bats, but for the most part, he has struggled. Suarez can be a very streaky hitter, and that's something the Reds are going to have to overcome. Reds fans hope to see the good kind of streakiness later this spring and into Opening Day.

OF Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles

In 92 games for the Baltimore Orioles last season, Colton Cowser slashed .192/.269/.385. He did hit 16 home runs, but hitting under .200 and striking out 35.6 percent of the time, as he did in 2025, is pretty unacceptable. He hoped to ease some of his offensive concerns this spring, but has gone 0-for-5 with two strikeouts thus far.

Cowser is the favorite to win the Orioles' center field job, but if he has a rough spring following his disastrous 2025, I don't know how Baltimore can guarantee him regular playing time. It's on him to turn his spring around sooner rather than later and prove he can hit enough to warrant a starting role.

RHP Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants

Hayden Birdsong faced long odds to crack the San Francisco Giants' Opening Day rotation after the team signed Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser this winter, but the right-hander figured to have a clear shot at earning a spot in the bullpen. His odds of pulling that off greatly diminished in his spring debut, though.

Facing a Seattle Mariners lineup that did not include Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, or really any notable regular, Birdsong failed to get out of the first inning. In fact, five of the six batters Birdsong faced reached base, and all five of them scored. He allowed three hits including a home run and walked a pair as well.

Birdsong has good stuff and pitched well at times in the majors for the Giants last season, but he's going to have to pitch a lot better if he wants to make any sort of impact for the big league team in 2026.

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