As Spring Training 2006 draws to a close, the shape of both major league and minor league rosters are beginning to come together fully.
Some players, like 2005's MLN FAB50 No. 1 pick Felix Hernandez, are on their way to major stardom, as the March 13, 2006 cover of ESPN - The Magazine will attest.
Others return for another season to improve their mechanics, improve themselves, or just wait for the green cap to lift and an opening on the major league roster to appear.
The major league media crawls all over Spring Training, trying to figure out the new mix of players in their markets, and to see how the superstars, at least the ones not tied up with the World Baseball Classic, are preparing for the season.
The Other Side of Camp
Most never venture to the other side of camp. Every winter the major league clubs generally invite quantities of minor league players who did not make the Non-Roster Invitees list to come to Spring Training. Some call it winter camp. Others call it a clinic.
For clubs that draw heavily from young talent, like the Marlins, Brewers, or Angels, there may be as many as 200 players who come to work out from January to April.
It's an opportunity for players to receive additional instruction, work with coaching staff that they may see up the line, and showcase their abilities to the development staff and, occasionally, the major league coaching staff.
Clubs like the Dodgers have a complete minor league facility right in the same training area where the major leaguers work out. Sometimes, as in the case of the Orioles, the minor league side of camp is more than a hundred miles away in a separate location.
Baseball: The Next Generation
While Peter Gammons is checking out Pedro's sore toe, the staff of MLN is checking out a large pool of player talent trying to become that well attended. Players two to four years away from making the major leagues who will be reporting to a baseball park near you in the next few days.
The big publications start touting people we've been telling you about for years, or tout a few players that must have better agents than records. We prepare this annual report of the most interesting new talent that we've come across in our travels.
We'll talk about the Non-Roster Invitees (NRI) who have some promise, and we'll also tell you about guys that you may have never heard about before, but you will again after you read this.
You will be introduced to some new names who will tear up the minors this season. The Mets' new King Kong, Brett Harper, and the Astros power slugger Hunter Pence are just two new faces for 2006.
Which league is the best place to catch the rising stars in Spring? The edge definitely goes to the Grapefruit League. Every club has its rising stars. There are just so many more in close proximity to one another in the GL. The Cactus league continues to try to lure away more clubs to the West. For now, though, Spring is best sprung on a roadtrip down the Florida Turnpike.
