MLB Review 3/2 – 3/8/20
We are in the middle of spring training, which means not a lot of huge headlines going on. But there are a lot of smaller topics to discuss. I will show off 3 more prospects to keep an eye on the rest of spring training. Those are Casey Mize of the Tigers, Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Joey Bart of the Giants. Michael kopech will be making his 2020 spring training debut on Tuesday. I will also talk about Anthony Gose’s road back to the Majors and why it is a cool story. Lastly, one fun story is of Jared Hughes and his photo day antics.
Prospects Having Good Camps
Casey Mize is a right handed pitcher for the Tigers, Wander Franco is a switch hitting shortstop for the Rays, and Joey Bart is a right handed hitting catcher for the Giants.
Mize is in his second Major League spring training for the Tigers. He was the #1 overall draft pick in the 2018 draft out of Auburn. He has pitched in 3 games totaling 4 innings with a 4.50 ERA. While facing 16 total hitters Mize has struck out 6 of them and only allowing 3 hits. According to BetOnline Mize has the 3rd highest odds to win AL Rookie Of The Year.
Up next in the prospects is Wander Franco of the Rays. This is his first Major League Spring training. He has played in 3 games with 2 hits in 7 at-bats. No extra base hits so not showing power yet. But he is the #1 prospect in the Rays organization so he should be fine. He might not make the Rays out of spring with them having Willie Adames at short and Brandon Lowe at second. But look for Franco to be up there in the near future.
Last prospect I will highlight is Joey Bart from the Giants. Similar to Mize this is his second Major League spring training. Also, Bart was draft one spot behind Mize in the 2018 draft. He is having a great spring hitting .438 over 16 at-bats in 9 games. He also has 2 homeruns with 2 RBIs. With Buster Posey getting older and not catching as much Bart looks to be the answer to who will take over the catching for the Giants. One can only hope Bart can do what Posey did as a young catcher and lead the Giants to a World Series (or 3 like Posey).
Michael Kopech is Coming Back
Michael Kopech was drafted 33rd overall by my hometown Boston Red Sox in 2014. He was a major piece in the trade for Chris Sale with the White Sox. Videos surfaced of Kopech throwing 100 in the Minor Leagues. He showed a lot of swing and miss stuff and got called up in 2018 before needing Tommy John Surgery. On Tuesday it is reported that he will the start the game and pitch 1 inning. I am hoping this goes well. He is someone I have been waiting to see him pitch at the top level. I believe he will be able to rack up the strike out numbers with ease. This is someone to keep in mind as he comes back from the injury. According to the same odds I mentioned above he is the favorite to win the AL Rookie Of The Year. Someone fun to watch. 
Anthony Gose Road Back
Anthony Gose was a below average outfielder for the Blue Jays and Tigers from 2012 to 2016 only hitting .240 in 347 games. He only played 1 full season in that span, that was was 2015 with the Tigers. But there is a reason I am talking about him today. He is playing in this spring training with the Indians. But there is something different with this one. He is now pitching and throwing 100 MPH. The Indians bullpen is not the strongest in the league so there is a chance Gose makes it at some point this season. His biggest problem is his command with his pitches. But once he figures it out he will be a good arm to come out of the pen. He could be the next Rick Ankiel.
Jared Hughes Photo Day Fun
I like to finish my blogs with a fun story each time. This one has been going on for some time and I find it funny. Jared Hughes now a right handed pitcher for the Astros has been taking some, lets’ say weird, pictures every year on Photo Day. These are the pictures that are shown on the scoreboard when he enters the game. This year he printed out a picture and signed it for each of his teammates during spring training.
Wrap Up
I talked about 3 more prospects to keep an idea on: Casey Mize, Wander Franco, and Joey Bart. Michael Kopech is making his debut on Tuesday. While Anthony Gose is on the come back as a pitcher. Lastly, Jared Hughes is having fun at Photo. If you want more MLB news come back next week for more! Plus I will be doing season preview blog coming up soon.
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-Tom “Powder” Cadmus (@powder42308)