Mining the News (3/13/25)

• Keith Law reviews several players on why they will break out this season.

American League

Angels

• José Suarez lost 20 pounds before camp this year.

LHP José Suarez
2024 stats: 6.02 ERA, 52 1/3 IP, 56 K, 27 BB
Spring Training stats: 2.57 ERA, 7 IP, 9 K, 1 BB

Suarez has undoubtedly struggled the last two seasons, but he pitched better down the stretch last year after he was designated for assignment in mid-June, which served as a wakeup call. He also came into camp 20 pounds lighter this spring and has looked sharp on the mound, including striking out six in three innings against the Mariners on Thursday night.

Astros

• Lance McCullers Jr.’s fastball hit 94 mph in a recent bullpen. The last time he was in the majors he was sitting 93.1 mph.

McCullers, who underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season, said he hit 94 mph with his fastball while mixing in his curveball, sinker and changeup.

Mariners

• Jorge Polanco is likely the team’s third baseman, even though he is still experiencing knee soreness.

Polanco started at third base for the second straight game in Wednesday’s matinee vs. the Royals, albeit after an off-day, and now that he’s been cleared to play there regularly, the Mariners intend to allocate as much playing time to him as they can — especially given that it’s a mostly new position.

“His progression is such that he should be ready to go Opening Day, and that’s what we’re hoping for,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “But there is a lot to learn. He’s got a lot of things. It’s a very different spot. Obviously, being on the other side of the infield, all the angles are different. But he’s been doing it, and I think he’s in a good spot.”

Polanco said that he’s still experiencing soreness in the knee immediately after games, but that the pain has subsided by the next day.

Orioles

• Sounds like Jorge Mateo is further along in his rehab than Gunnar Henderson.

SS Gunnar Henderson
Injury: Right intercostal strain
Expected return: Potentially by Opening Day
Status: Henderson hit in the cage for a second straight day and took ground balls on March 12. A return by Opening Day is still possible. More >> (updated March 12)

INF/OF Jorge Mateo
Injury: Left UCL reconstruction surgery
Expected return: Late March/early April
Status: Mateo took batting practice on the field for the first time March 11 after doing a a full slate of defensive drills the day before. (updated March 12)

Rays

• This season’s home park is “Yankee Stadium plus a jet stream out to right field”.

“This is Yankee Stadium plus a jet stream out to right field,” Hyde said. “So it’s going to be an offensive ballpark against the Rays with their rotation and [closer Pete Fairbanks] throwing 98 [mph].”

Everyone assumed that, but for Hyde and the Orioles, Tuesday was a chance to experience it before the season began.

“I actually brought more guys here than I normally would because of having to come back here in the season,” Hyde said. “Rutsch wanted to play here.”

Mountcastle agreed that Steinbrenner Field will be a place hitters enjoy this summer.

The 314-foot short porch in right field was certainly welcoming to Mountcastle. He hammered his first Grapefruit League home run there in the first inning off Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt.

“It’s a good, good place to hit,” Mountcastle said with a big smile. “Just trying to drive something hard and in the air is a goal here.”

Royals

• Hunter Renfroe is now healthy.

Renfroe came into camp this year leaner, thanks to offseason training that included going to a physical therapist and focusing on his diet and hydration. He cut out sweets, oils and saturated fats as much as he could, and now wherever Renfroe goes, a 64-ounce insulated water bottle goes with him.

“I’ve lost a little bit of weight. I wasn’t necessarily trying to, but it was just a byproduct of the offseason training and trying to eat as clean as possible and drink as much water as I can,” Renfroe said. “Making sure I’m doing everything I possibly can to make my career be as long as possible, make sure I’m healthy as possible coming into this year.”

White Sox

• Colson Montgomery’s entire game must be in a “good spot” in order for him to get promoted to the majors.

“I want to make sure he’s in a very good spot offensively, defensively and baserunning, before we put him in the big leagues. It’s a challenge they haven’t been faced with before,” said Getz of Montgomery, whose lone Cactus League hit was a home run. “He’s got the makings of someone who will be able to handle that. It’s our duty to make sure that he’s ready to go from Day 1.”

“To be able to get him the at-bats he needs and the good start we want him to have, doing it in Triple-A is the best way to go about it,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s just an elite mover. He’s just a good guy. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders. He looks like a big leaguer, he walks like a big leaguer, he talks the talk. You get the sense that he’s a really good player and we expect him to be.”

• The shortstop job has not been determined yet.

No. 8 prospect Chase Meidroth, who was part of the four-player return in the Garrett Crochet trade, remains in the mix for the White Sox starting shortstop’s job. Veteran Josh Rojas, who has more career experience at second base and third base, has played three games at shortstop during Spring Training, while Jacob Amaya remains as the best overall defensive option — though Amaya is day to day with left hip tightness.

• Brandon Drury is going for more contact and less power. Also, he played through a hamstring injury last season.

Brandon Drury is back to being himself, and it has shown in his Cactus League numbers.

A mechanical change designed to create more exit velocity did not produce the desired results in 2024, so Drury returned to the approach that he used in his best seasons — 2022 (28 homers and 87 RBIs) and ’23 (26 homers and 83 RBIs).

“Sometimes you play well and you always want more,” Drury said. “I was trying to go for more — I wanted more homers and more exit velo, and it took away my natural ability to hit. So I went back to what has worked. Focused on getting my swing back to giving myself the most margin for error. Just being as short as possible.”

Drury played through a left hamstring injury and a lingering illness that limited him to 97 games with the Angels last season, when he hit .169 with four homers and 15 RBIs.

National League

Brewers

• Brandon Woodruff’s fastball touched 94 mph. It was averaging 95.6 mph the last time he was in the majors.

Woodruff got a strikeout and a groundout. He gave up three runs on three hits including a double and a homer. The 32-year-old right-hander touched 94 mph. He got squeezed by the umpire. He emerged healthy and feeling strong. It was the full experience.

Diamondbacks

• The team has not decided on a closer yet.

The trio of Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez has only 43 career saves between them. They each received select opportunities to close games last year.

“It’s kind of like the number one starter thing,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke earlier this spring. “You can’t really say you’re a number one starting pitcher until you go out, like, three years in a row and throw 200 innings, pitch into the playoffs and you become a number one. You have to prove it. The closer is the same thing.”

Dodgers

• Dustin May will be the team’s fifth starter.

Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin will open the season on the IL, and Dustin May will be the Dodgers’ 5th starter.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 11, 2025

Mets

• Blade Tidwell has added almost 3 mph to his fastball (say 94.7 mph last season).

Who do you think will make it to the major-league team first? Sproat or Tidwell? — AK L.

Will: My guess is Sproat just because he’s the better prospect. But Tidwell impressed some club officials this spring. Tidwell struggled in Triple A last season but made some key changes. His stuff improved. In a recent outing, I heard Tidwell’s fastball sat at 97.5 mph and hit 99 mph. The added velocity — he also added 10-15 pounds of muscle — helps all his pitches. But he needs to show consistency to receive consideration at some point.