Spring training is well underway and the countdown to the start of the new MLB season is on. Baseball fans up and down the length of the country are busy putting together their fantasy teams, checking the latest MLB lines and daydreaming of their team winning the World Series.
To get you in the mood for the start of the new baseball season, we’ve compiled a list of 5 players to keep an eye when action starts Thursday, March 30. If there’s a player we’ve missed that you absolutely think everyone should be watching out for, let us know all about them in the comments section below.
Marcelo Mayer
Position: Shortstop
Team: Boston Red Sox
Age: 20
The 20-year-old from Chula Vista, California was selected fourth overall by the Boston Red Sox in the first round if the 2021 draft. He was immediately hyped up with analysts describing him as a five-tool player and the man capable of turning the Red Sox’s fortunes around.
He did well in his first season with the team, hitting .280/.399/.489 with 13 home runs and 17 steals across two levels. He proved to be a real pure hitter and across the board, all of his attributes point to him becoming an incredible MLB player.
Could 2023 be the year that he starts to write his name into the record books? We wouldn’t bet against it.
YOUTUBE EMBED: <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIgmvXbmy00″ title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen></iframe>
(Marco Luciano’s Minor League highlights.)
Marco Luciano
Position: Shortstop
Team: San Francisco Giants
Age: 21
Dominican shortstop Marco Luciano was ranked as one of the top international prospects in his class before moving to the MLB. In 2018 he signed for the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent for a reported $2.6 million.
At just 16, the pressure of that fee could have weighed Luciano down but instead he seems to have used it to motivate himself. Last season he matched his age with 19 home runs in 106 games between Low-A and High-A in his first full season debut.
His incredible bat speed caught the eye last season and, if he can add a few more attributes to his game this season, he will be a real one to watch.
Noelvi Marte
Position: Shortstop
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Age: 21
Sticking with Dominicans we have Noelvi Marte, the 6 foot 1 Cincinnati Reds shortstop. Marte began last season with the Seattle Mariners before being traded to the Reds in a deadline day deal.
He is a player who has talents all over the field and can hit with real power. Offensively the only things he really needs to improve on are in developing a consistent, bullet proof approach and learning when to be aggressive and when to be more conservative.
Whether he is a long-term option at shortstop remains to be seen, but 2023 should be the season that we find out whether or not Marte can live up to the hype.
YOUTUBE EMBED: <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3vNt6s7QcQ” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen></iframe>
(Noelvi Marte has been touted as a future superstar.)
Francisco Alvarez
Position: Catcher
Team: New York Mets
Age: 21
Venezuelan catcher Francisco Alvarez was considered one of the top international rookies of the 2018-2019 class and was, as a result, scooped for a club high $2.7 million by the New York Mets.
Unfortunately Covid-19 put the stoppers on his first full season. Alvarez started the 2021 season assigned to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets and immediately looked head and shoulders above everyone else.
Last season he did the same with Binghampton Rumble Ponies and fans are hoping that 2023 will be the season that he takes MLB by storm.
Anthony Volpe
Position: Shortstop
Team: New York Yankees
Age: 21
The 21-year-old Watchung, New Jersey born Anthony Volpe has been widely touted as the number one prospect to look out for ahead of the 2023 season. Compact and athletic, Volpe is a controlled batter who doesn’t overly rely on any one attribute alone.
In his debut season as a professional, Volpe won the MLB Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Year and has been predicted to take off this season.
Whilst he might not have the out and out attributes of some of the other players on the list, there’s an argument to be made that Volpe is the most complete player of the lot.