Spring Training Awards
Will Hailey hands out awards for Spring Training's biggest storylines so far
While the 2024 baseball season has not even started yet, many commentators, the Jon Dowd’s Burner boys included, are spending time thinking about how the season will end and projecting the winners of baseball’s biggest awards. Before we think about baseball that has not happened yet, let’s think about the Spring Training baseball we have seen so far. Here are ten fake awards to commemorate some of the biggest news and notes through two weeks of Spring Training.
Paul Atriedas Lisan Al-Gaib Award: Wyatt Langford
If you have not seen Dune 1 or 2 yet just know that “Lisan Al-Gaib” translates to messiah. He has not played in a Major League game yet, but it sure looks like Wyatt Langford has been sent from the baseball gods to save us all. Last year’s fourth overall pick went yard in three straight games and sports a 1.313 OPS through six games in the Cactus League. Those video game numbers are only slightly higher than what he produced across four minor league levels last year, slashing .360/.480/.677 in 44 games. Langford is making it look like the reigning champion Rangers will only get better in 2024 and three teams passing on our messiah looks like malpractice.
Photo Credit: Smiley N. Pool / Dallas Morning News and Microsoft Paint
Anna Kendrick New Pitch Award: Spencer Strider
Like Anna Kendrick, Spencer Strider’s pitches are perfect. But what is better than two perfect pitches? Three. Bryce Miller has added a splitter, Bailey Ober has a new sweeper, but no new pitch debuted this spring comes close to the potential impact of Strider’s curveball. Strider is featured in our “Guys With Something To Prove” episode for failing to prevent runs last year despite elite stuff. Strider’s 3.86 ERA can be attributed to giving up too much hard contact and too many barrels, but adding a mid-80’s curveball should keep hitters, especially lefties, from sitting on the fastball and doing damage.
Max Verstappen Increased Velo Award: Cole Irvin
Another Formula One season is in full swing and champion Max Verstappen is faster than ever in his Red Bull. Increased velocity has been a huge storyline this spring for former aces Shane Bieber and Jack Flaherty, but the importance of Cole Irvin’s gains cannot be understated with Kyle Bradish and John Means starting the year on the shelf in Baltimore. Irvin has made a decent career out of being a soft-tossing lefty that hits his spots and induces weak contact. After offseason work at TREAD Athletics, however, his fastball has been nearly touching 96mph in five scoreless spring innings, a far cry from the 90mph he averaged in two full seasons as a starter in 2021-2022.
Ozempic Best Shape of His Life Award: Miguel Sano
Guys coming into spring in “the best shape of their life” has become a punchline this time of year, but we should acknowledge Miguel Sano’s incredible body transformation. Sano lost 58 lbs and looks like a completely different person. He has yet to look like a completely different hitter with 9 Ks in 22 plate appearances, but how quickly we forget that Sano is a former all-star with a career OPS+ of 116. If weight was holding back some bat speed and exacerbating injuries, then the Angels made a great move giving him an extended look in the Cactus League.
Photo Credit: Miguel Sano on Instagram, @miguelsano_22
Bob Wickman Not Best Shape of His Life Award: Sixto Sanchez
Bob Wickman proved long ago that you can carry a little extra weight around the middle and still be a DAWG. In 2023, former top prospect Sixto Sanchez came into camp, like many, in the best shape of his life. This spring has noticeably been a different story, but that has not impacted his stuff. Sanchez was sitting 95mph with the fastball in his lone spring appearance going three-up-three-down with a strikeout. Injuries have limited Sixto to one professional inning in the last three years, so a healthy season for the big Marlins right-hander is long overdue.
The Last Dance Exceeding the Hype Award: James Wood
Remember when we first heard about The Last Dance documentary and everything about it sounded incredible, then we watched it and everything about it was indeed incredible? That is James Wood this spring. Wood has been a top 20 prospect each of the last two seasons and given his 6’6”, 235 pound frame and elite athleticism it is easy to see why. Despite the hype, a propensity for ground balls and whiffs left the haters ready to chuck Wood. Wood has proven himself so far this spring with 3 bombs in 10 games and an absurd .429/.556/.857 slash line.
Will Hailey Finishing Early Award: Paul Skenes
Our loyal podcast listeners know there is nothing worse than a good thing ending prematurely, and that is exactly what happened to first overall pick Paul Skene’s Spring Training stint with the big club. Pirates fans only got to see 6.2 pro innings from Skenes last summer after his historic season with LSU and the flamethrowing righty had many believing he’d be ready to make the big league club after a strong spring. Pittsburgh chose to send Skenes to minor league camp after just 3 innings in Florida, however, which Brett from Skipper’s View outlined yesterday. Some say 3 innings is actually way too long, though.
Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images
Yankee Fan It’s So Over Award: Carlos Rodon
Yankee fans love to find reasons to be overly pessimistic and Carlos Rodon has given them one. Rodon converted two top six Cy Young finishes into a six-year $162 million contract with the Yankees last offseason. Rodon was hurt to begin last season, but produced more value on the pine than he would when he returned to the mound. For those hoping for Rodon to leave his 64 innings of 6.85 ERA ball and negative -0.2 WAR in 2023, do not look at his spring stats. Rodon has given up 4 runs on 3 dingers in 5.2 innings with a fastball settling around 93mph, 2 ticks slower than where he lived last season. It is so over.
Yankee Fan We’re So Back Award: Anthony Rizzo
Yankee fans love to find reasons to be overly optimistic and Anthony Rizzo has given them one. Rizzo started 2023 hot hitting .303 with 11 homers in the first two months of the season before a collision at first left him concussed and completely unable to hit. After two hard-to-watch months he was finally placed on the IL with post-concussion syndrome in early August and never made it back to the field. Early returns in the Grapefruit League are promising for the 34-year-old who is 6 for 12 with 2 homers, 7 ribbys, and 2 walks. We are so back.
Cerveza Cristal Surprise Cameo Award: Pablo Sandoval
The chronically online know there is nothing better than seeing a surprise appearance from ¡CERVEZA CRISTAL! By far the best surprise addition to a Spring Training roster has been Pablo Sandoval who is back with the Giants on a minor-league deal and is truly in the best shape of his life. Kung-Fu Panda is hitless so far in Arizona, but you cannot help but smile seeing him back out on the diamond. Well, maybe not Red Sox fans.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
-WH
Our latest podcast:
For more content from Jon Dowd’s Burner check out the No Dowd About It podcast and follow us on Twitter @jondowdburner.
Clever, insightful, and well crafted. Another rhetorical triumph for the Burner Boys. Dawg!