Picking the most interesting spring training NRIs, from prospects to suspects
From a competitive standpoint, the first weeks of Grapefruit and Cactus League games don't make for particularly interesting baseball, but one of the benefits of tuning in early is getting a glimpse at those in camp on non-roster invitations, especially in a year when numerous regulars will soon depart to join their World Baseball Classic teams. Generally, these NRIs fall into two categories: prospects who haven't reached the point where they need to be added to the 40-man roster, and veterans in camp on minor league deals. Within that second category are those with legitimate shots to make their respective teams and those who appear to have stumbled out of a time machine set to five years ago, perhaps to give their flagging career hopes one final go.
What follows here is a look at 11 NRIs who caught my eye, roughly split into prospects and suspects. There are no guarantees that any of them will make a major impact in 2017, but some of them are players who just missed the cut for my No. 1 Prospects list, others are guys with legitimate chances to win jobs, and a few are simply reminders of the not-too-distant past. This is far from comprehensive, and to avoid repetition, I am omitting several of the aforementioned top prospects in camp.
The Prospects
Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
The presence of Dansby Swanson has pushed this 20-year-old Curaçao native from shortstop to second, but he ranked among the top 11 prospects on three of the four major lists. Splitting his 2016 between Double and Triple A, he hit .292/.358/.420 with six homers, 10 triples and 30 steals, numbers that don't jump off the page until you realize that he played the entire season as a 19-year-old in the upper minors. Listed at 5'9" but perhaps as short as 5'6", he's got a compact swing and a hit tool that's been graded as high as 70 (plus-plus); combined with 70-grade speed, that makes him a top-of-the-lineup type. Throw in plus defense, and it's clear Albies is an important piece in the Braves' rebuilding effort. The acquisition of Brandon Phillips buys him time, but he could be up later this season.
Clint Frazier, OF, Yankees
The fifth pick of the 2013 draft out of a Georgia high school, Frazier was the key piece from the Indians in the four-player return for Andrew Miller. The five-tool prospect has already earned gushing praise from Yankees GM Brian Cashman: "The bat speed is already legendary. He’s got all the tools—he can run, he can hit, he can hit with power, he can play all three outfield positions—he’s a very exciting, high-energy guy that shows up in a dirty uniform.” The 22-year-old righty-swinging redhead hit a combined .263/.335/.447 with 15 homers and 13 steals split between Double A and two Triple A stops and came into the year ranked as high as 16th (Baseball Prospectus) on the prospect lists. His power is his top tool, but all five of his tools grade out as at least average. With Aaron Judge the heir apparent in rightfield, Frazier is probably slated for Yankee Stadium's oversized leftfield, where his speed and arm will be useful; with Brett Gardner a potential trade chip, he could be up later this year.
Michael Kopech, RHP, White Sox
A secondary piece in the Chris Sale blockbuster, the 20-year-old Kopech lights up radar guns to the point that he could challenge Aroldis Chapman for the title of the game's hardest-throwing pitcher. The 6'3", 205-pound righty reached 105 mph in a game for Class A Salem last year and reached 110 in a January workout, albeit with a lighter baseball and a crow-hopped start. His progress has been slowed by a 50-game suspension for a banned stimulant in 2015 and a broken hand suffered in an fight with a teammate last year, so he's thrown just 134 1/3 professional innings; at Salem, he whiffed 13.7 per nine but walked 5.2 per nine in 52 innings, posting a 2.25 ERA and allowing just one homer. Ranked as high as seventh (ESPN) on the spring prospect lists, he still needs work on his secondary pitches, but his slider projects as plus and his changeup as average. While there are enough concerns about his control that he could wind up in the bullpen, he's likely ticketed for Double A, with a 2018 ETA in the majors.
A.J. Puk, LHP, Athletics
The sixth pick of the 2016 draft out of Florida, Puk is a towering 21-year-old southpaw whose size (6'7", 220 lbs) and stuff are ahead of his performance, though he did whiff 11.0 per nine in 32 2/3 innings at low A ball after signing. His fastball sits 93–97 mph and can touch 98, with a plus slider and a changeup that projects as average, but his lack of athleticism draws concern, his delivery is inconsistent and his command and control both are both below average. He may wind up in the bullpen if he can't shore up those issues, but if he can, he's got front-of-the-rotation potential.
Dominic Smith, 1B, Mets
Chances are you've already heard about the 21-year-old Smith this spring, if only for the best-shape-of-his-life-type story about him dropping 24 pounds this winter by laying off wet burritos; the 6-foot lefty swinger tipped the scales as high as 260 pounds last year. The 11th pick of the 2013 draft, Smith hit .302/.367/.457 with 14 homers at Double A in '16. Smith is noted for his smooth lefty swing, his impressive fielding prowess (Keith Law, who placed him 29th on ESPN's list, graded his arm at 70) and concerns about his power projection—a package that led Baseball Prospectus (whose Top 101 list he just missed) to compare him to James Loney, which is to say a player who may top out as a league-average first baseman. For the Mets, who got just a .252/.304/.414 combined performance from their first basemen and were forced to play the real Loney there roughly twice as often as they did Lucas Duda due to the latter's back injury, that looks pretty darn appealing. If Duda struggles or gets hurt again, Smith may well get a look later this season.
