Six rookies who could make an impact in 2023
THE baseball spring is a time of great anticipation, especially for the rookies, and this year six of them in particular are being counted on for various reasons to not only make the grade but to have a significant impact on their teams’ seasons.
Oswald Peraza, Yankees
Manager Aaron Boone can talk all he wants about Isiah Kiner-falefa still being the frontrunner in a “wide open” Yankees shortstop competition this spring and, accordingly, to open the season at shortstop. But, fair or not, that remains a “been there, done that” proposition. Privately, the Yankees are committed to Peraza, who hit .306 with a .832 OPS in an 18-game late-season cameo last year after a breakout power (19 HR) and speed (33 SB) season at Triple-a. If there is one place in which the Yankees especially need to improve this season to close the gap on the Astros, it is shortstop. And Peraza would seem to have the tools to do that.
Brett Baty, Mets
The lefty-hitting Baty tore up Double-a last year, slashing .312/.406/.544 with 19 homers and 22 doubles at Binghamton before winning a late-season promotion to Citi Field, where he homered in his debut and went 3-for-10 in his first three games before being KO’D by a season-ending thumb injury. Though there was talk of giving him time in the outfield, manager Buck Showalter insists Baty will stay at third base, which initially poses a numbers problem with Eduardo Escobar going into camp as the incumbent third baseman and Daniel Vogelbach slated to get the bulk of the left-handed DH at-bats. But with Escobar away at the World Baseball Classic, Baty is going to get plenty of playing time this spring, and Showalter sounds as if he expects the kid to make decisions difficult for him.
Vaughn Grissom, Braves
The Braves expect 22-yearold Grissom to fill shortstop Dansby Swanson’s shoes. Grisson shot through the minors in three years, hitting .319 at Double-a in ’21 and .324 in Triple-a last year. The only question about Grissom, who played second and short in the minors, is whether he can handle full-time shortstop duties. But the Braves sent him to New Orleans three times this winter for shortstop crash courses under estimable infield coach Ron Washington, and all the reports have been positive.
Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles
GM Mike Elias is counting on 6-foot-5-inch righty Rodriguez, who has projected as a legitimate No. 1 from the time Elias’ predecessor, Dan Duquette, made him the 11th overall draft pick out of a Texas high school in 2018. Rodriguez, 25-9 with a 2.47 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 419 strikeouts in 292 minor league innings, was expected to make his major league debut last season until a Grade 2 lat strain sidelined him in September. Because of Rodriguez’s limited minor league innings, Elias said the O’s will be monitoring his workload all year. But, if they are going to take the next step forward, they are going to need to get the most of his considerable abilities.
Miguel Vargas, Dodgers
In December, Dodgers president Stan Kasten told reporters: “Earlier in the last decade, we had a wave of young guys who were going to be real contributors. We think we are now on the precipice of the next wave of young guys. We need to make room to allow that to happen.” It was partly true and partly doublespeak for the Dodgers’ intentions to scale back considerably this winter in an effort to get under the luxury tax after 2023. Most notable in that effort was the decision to let popular third baseman Justin Turner walk as a free agent after nine productive seasons in Los Angeles. Making that decision easier was the presence of 23-yearold Vargas, a third baseman/ outfielder/first baseman who hit over .300 in all of his four minor league seasons. Vargas is a hitting machine, and the Dodgers are confident he will be a big factor in their effort to remain atop the NL West.
Oscar Colas, White Sox
Sox fans have been howling all winter that GM Rick Hahn didn’t do nearly enough in regard to a needed lefty power bat. To that Hahn has responded: Wait ’til you see Colas. The 24-year-old hit .314 over three levels of the minors last year with 23 homers and 79 RBIS. The White Sox, who finished tied for 22nd in the majors in homers last year, might have addressed two of their biggest flaws — lefty power and outfield defense — from within.