The start of the MLB regular season is right around the corner. The pitchers and catchers started reporting to camp earlier this week, and we are only a week away from the first spring training game between the San Diego Padres and the new-look Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before teams take the field, the pitchers and catchers all have time to practice with their coaches and get on the same page. There are aces with new teams, players coming off injury, and exciting up-and-comers who all have something to prove. The pitchers below are in situations that have people wondering how their season will pan out.
This article will look at some pitchers who have the most pressure to prove something this season and explain why they are becoming hot topics this spring.
#MLB action is back as pitchers & catchers report to #SpringTraining
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 14, 2024
Starting Feb. 22, ESPN & @ESPNPlus combine to present 10 Spring Training games
Schedule: https://t.co/RKLdgcalr1 pic.twitter.com/th1bErEOLr
Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Dodgers
The Japanese ace was the No. 1 free-agent pitcher this offseason. It is no surprise the Dodgers were the team that was able to land him. The signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto came after the Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani a record-shattering $700 million 10-year contract. The Dodgers are must-watch TV, especially when Yamamoto takes the mound this upcoming season.
Yamamoto has yet to pitch in the U.S. but was highly sought after because of his dominance in Japan. Yamamoto has some of the nastiest stuff in the game and won three straight Sawamura awards – the NPB's version of the Cy Young. We have an idea of what the Japanese ace's stuff will look like in the Majors Leagues thanks to the World Baseball Classic, but it's going to be different when Yamamoto takes the mound for the first time in a Dodgers uniform.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is bringing the heat to #SpringTraining 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rpfIShnx1q
— MLB (@MLB) February 14, 2024
Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, was traded from the Brewers to the Orioles this offseason. The blockbuster trade has many people excited to see the three-time All-Star pitch for the AL East champs.
The Orioles are hoping the addition of Burnes is going to give them a true ace in their attempt to defend their division title. If the 2016 draft pick stays healthy, he could be the X-factor the Orioles need to make a run in October. Burnes is not only one of the best power starting pitchers right now, but he is also one of the best fielding pitchers, ending 2022 with a .961 fielding percentage.
Paul Skenes is the most highly drafted pitcher since Stephen Strasburg, and he is reporting to his first Major League camp. The 21-year-old is the top pitching prospect in baseball for a reason. Skenes' triple-digit fastball and upper-80s slider are both elite pitches, which is why people are excited to see him pitch this spring.
The No. 1 overall pick of 2023 is not guaranteed to make the Pirates roster in 2024, but he definitely has a chance of being in the starting rotation. He has a lot riding on the results of spring ball this year. I expect him to be terrorizing batters in the league as early as this year and for many years to come.
The rich got richer as the juggernaut Braves added their fourth ace to their starting rotation. Chris Sale may not be the 300-strikeout pitcher he once was, but he is still very efficient. If he stays healthy, he will be a devastating fourth pitcher alongside Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton.
Last season, Sale racked up 125 Ks in 102 2/3 innings over his 20 starts for the Red Sox, an 11.0 K/9 ratio, which is right around his MLB record of 11.1 K/9 for a career. Sale has been a strikeout machine since joining the league, and he holds the record for the fastest to reach 2,000 strikeouts. If Sale can stay healthy and be healthy for the playoffs, the Braves starting rotation is going to be dreadful.
DL Hall is a young pitcher who could emerge as a future star for a team that just dealt their ace. The Brewers made one of the biggest moves this offseason, trading Corbin Burnes for Hall and Joey Ortiz (No. 63 overall prospect) from the Orioles.
The 25-year-old has the skills to become the ace on the reining NL Central champs. It is important for the Brewers’ staff to see if Hall can become their ace this spring. Hall has a nasty 96 mph fastball, which is high for a lefty, and he releases the ball a full seven feet in front of the rubber, putting him in the 92nd percentile of MLB pitchers in extension.
DL Hall said he was caught "100 percent off-guard" to be traded to the Brewers in Corbin Burnes deal, but he's excited for the new opportunity and hopes to "be able to shove it in some people's face, just to kind of prove a point that I can be a starter." https://t.co/3WG1GECHSD
— PressBox (@PressBoxOnline) February 11, 2024
Shane Baz is coming off a Tommy John surgery and has high expectations this season. The Rays traded their ace Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers, and Shane McClanahan is out for his own Tommy John surgery, leaving Baz as the next man up.
The 24-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance in his small major-league sample size. Baz has 48 strikeouts in his 40 1/3 big league innings (10.7 K/9). He features high-end power stuff with a fastball that sits at 96-97 mph and a high-end slider and curve ball. Springball will give the Rays staff a good idea of what they are getting from a young prospect coming off of an injury.
The last time we saw Edwin Díaz, he was striking out over half the batters he faced in one of the most dominant closer seasons in MLB history. After a fluke injury in the World Baseball Classic, Diaz missed the entire 2023 season, and now Mets fans are inching to get their closer back.
The two-time Reliever of the Year (2018, 2022) is one of the most overpowering pitchers in the game right now. The Puerto Rican is averaging 14.4 K/9, throwing only three pitches. The Mets staff will be excited to see their stud back in action, and so will baseball fans who love watching a closer make batters look silly.
Edwin Diaz expects to be dominant self in long-awaited Mets return: ‘Same guy’ https://t.co/3hSuaPUvlj pic.twitter.com/PnQld76Vpp
— New York Post (@nypost) February 13, 2024
Rhett Lowder enters the 2024 season as the No. 34 prospect in MLB after being the No. 7 overall pick in 2023. The Reds are known for developing pitchers, but seeing their young talent take the mound will be fun for everyone this spring.
Lowder doesn’t have overpowering stuff but is known for being savvy on the mound. He spent time at the coveted Wake Forest Pitching Lab in college, which helped him develop his biomechanics. In his last year as a Demon Deacon, Lowder went 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA, 143 strikeouts, and just 24 walks in 120 1/3 innings. This month will be fun to watch Lowder test his stuff against big-league hitters.
Japan took down the USA in the WBC championship game, which made the MLB scouts notice some of Japan’s brightest starts. This season, Shota Imanaga joins Yamamoto in the USA as two of the biggest free-agent signings. The Cubs and baseball enthusiasts are excited to see what the unconventional reliever has to offer.
Imanaga is more of a wild card than his WBC teammate, but he has nasty stuff. The 30-year-old has intriguing pitches, with a mid-90s fastball that plays up as a "rising" fastball and a lefty splitter that will give MLB hitters a look they don't often see. Japan has slowly been taking over the ranks of the MLB, but the new wave of Japanese are now some of the best in the MLB.
Shota Imanaga throws a bullpen at Cubs camp.
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 14, 2024
