Spring Breakout rosters include O’s Holliday, Brewers’ Chourio, Pirates’ Skenes
SECAUCUS >> Baltimore infielder Jackson Holliday, Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio and Pittsburgh right-hander Paul Skenes headline rosters for the inaugural Spring Breakout designed to showcase top prospects.
Each of the 30 major league organizations announced rosters Thursday for the event, which includes 16 games from March 1417 at spring training sites. Rosters include only players who have rookie eligibility — they haven’t exceeded 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days on an active major league roster.
Most games will be seven innings as part of doubleheaders with Cactus League or Grapefruit League games.
Holliday and Chourio are regarded as baseball’s top prospects.
Holliday, the son of retired seven-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday, was the first overall pick in the 2022 draft. Chourio, who turns 20 on Monday, signed the most lucrative contract ever for a player with no major league experience this offseason when he agreed to an eight-year, $82 million deal.
The Spring Breakout schedule includes a March 14 game between the Orioles and Pirates, which at least opens up the possibility that Skenes could pitch to Holliday in a matchup between the top overall picks in each of the last two amateur drafts.
Skenes, a 6-foot-6 righthander, was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft and agreed to a $9.2 million signing bonus after going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts for College World Series champion LSU last year.
These two No. 1 picks already faced in a Feb. 29 Grapefruit League game, with Skenes retiring Holliday on a grounder to second.