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With spring training largely wrapped up, we’re rolling out a special edition of the Prospect Hot Sheet. Normally we highlight the hottest top MLB prospects over the past week, but for this special spring training edition, we’re looking at which prospects had the best springs.
A reminder, the Hot Sheet is not a re-ranking of our Top 100 Prospects. It’s a look at which prospects are performing the best right now. As this list below makes clear, this is a mixture of some of the top prospects in baseball, as well as some others who are not household names in any way.
We also encourage you to check out the Prospect Wire, presented by Louisville Slugger. The Prospect Wire is our new home for daily prospects updates, analysis and updated stats.
1. Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers
What He Did: .350/.403/.683 (21-for-60), 13 R, 2 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBIs, 5 BB, 16 SO.
The Scoop: Langford flew through the minors last summer, leaving a trail of demoralized pitchers in his wake. His domination of Triple-A in a brief stint gave rise to the possibility he could jump into the Rangers’ Opening Day lineup despite just 200 pro plate appearances on his resume. What Langford did this spring made it an easy decision. Langford has been one of the best hitters in spring training, ranking among league leaders in most categories. His defense isn’t yet up to the level of his bat, but with this Rangers’ lineup, he’s likely to spend most of his time this year as a designated hitter.
2. James Wood, OF, Nationals
What He Did: .364/.509/.705 (16-for-44) 13 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 11 BB, 13 SO, 3 SB, 1 CS.
The Scoop: He didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but Wood offered a very clear glimpse of what’s to come. He has massive power potential and a patient batting eye that should allow him to post solid on-base percentages to go with that power. Wood hit three of his four homers during the first week of spring training in February. He has hit .300/.475/.500 since then, so his production hasn’t trailed off as pitchers stretched out.
3. Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles
What He Did: .304/.418/.717 (14-for-46) 11 R, 1 2B, 6 HR, 13 RBIs, 7 BB, 17 SO, 1 SB.
The Scoop: Cowser earned a spot on the Orioles Opening Day roster by hitting balls out all spring. And probably even more importantly, he kept doing so against lefties. Cowser’s ability to handle same-side pitchers was…