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Every spring, there are prospects who shine so brightly that they either force their way onto their organization’s Major League roster or at least accelerate their progress toward reaching the big leagues. Think back to a year ago, when Julio Rodríguez dazzled his way onto the Mariners’ Opening Day roster en route to winning the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
Who will be this year’s J-Rod? Or who will raise his prospect stock in a big way with a big spring? Here’s a look at one standout prospect from each team so far during Spring Training:
American League East
Blue Jays: LHP Ricky Tiedemann
Tiedemann was the answer before he threw a pitch, but after his Grapefruit League debut, he’s the talk of camp. The 20-year-old blew away Javier Báez with a 99.4 mph fastball in his clean inning of work, striking out two. The lefty will open the season in either Double-A or Triple-A, but with outings like this, he’ll quickly force the Blue Jays into a decision on their No. 1 prospect. He should get a few more looks against MLB hitters in Spring Training games, too.
Orioles: SS Jackson Holliday
The O’s have eight players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, and they’re all in big league camp, so it’s hard to pick only one as a spring standout. But we’ll go with Holliday, who is still only 19, in case you hadn’t heard. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the talented shortstop — and son of former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday — promptly hit an RBI double in his first Grapefruit League at-bat on Feb. 25. He’s impressed everybody with his defensive work and maturity, as skipper Brandon Hyde recently noted Holliday “looks comfortable out there,” despite having only 20 games of pro experience.
Rays: INF Osleivis Basabe
The Rays’ No. 7 prospect has made consistently hard contact and controlled the strike zone this spring. The team already knew he had those tools, but this plate result might have really opened some eyes. For all of Basabe’s gifts with the bat, he has just nine home runs through more than 1,200 plate appearances in the Minors. He is working on ways to create and drive more fly balls, and his future will look even brighter if he can do that without sacrificing too much of his bat-to-ball skills.
Red Sox: SS Matthew Lugo
Perhaps lost in the shuffle due to the recent shortstops the Red Sox have taken in the Draft, Lugo keeps plugging away. Boston’s No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Lugo had a monster game against the Rays on Feb. 26, belting a double and a triple to go with five RBIs. Lugo, the nephew of nine-time All-Star Carlos Beltrán, was a second-round selection (No. 69 overall) by Boston in the 2019 Draft. He had a strong ’22 season for High-A Greenville, leading the South Atlantic League in hits, extra-base hits, triples and total bases. He will start this season with Double-A Portland.
Yankees: OF Jasson Dominguez
Beginning with a moonshot homer in his first Grapefruit League game, the 20-year-old Dominguez has been one of the most impressive players in camp thus far. Manager Aaron Boone observes that “the game is moving slow for him,” pointing out that Dominguez seems to be exhibiting advanced patience at the plate. Player development staffers have seen enormous progress over the past calendar year, noting that Dominguez’s performance improved at every Minor League stop.