Fantasy Baseball Today: Biggest Spring Training questions for every AL team ahead of Opening Day

33 days until Opening Day ... 

Baseball games are happening today. Real-life baseball games.

Well ... as real as the first day of Spring Training games can be, with a bunch of mostly prospect pitchers set to pitch an inning or two against teams that will likely only feature a fraction of their Opening Day starters in the lineup. Teams are going to work their stars into the lineup slowly over the next week or so, limiting their starters to one or two innings and their position players to only a few more early on.

Still! 

We've been starved for baseball for months, and today is the end of that drought. And this spring gives us baseball obsessives a couple of things to be excited about: 

1. The World Baseball Classic! 
2. Complete Statcast data for every Spring Training game!

The WBC opens in a few weeks, and I cannot wait. The USA side is stacked, with Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal headlining by far the most talented squad in that side's history in this tournament. Japan is always a threat, of course, and the Dominican Republic team seems to have multiple All-Stars at every position. But don't sleep on Venezuela -- Vinotinto! -- who lost Pablo Lopez recently but still have a deep, exciting team full of major-league stars. It's going to be a phenomenal tournament, and unlike spring action, those games increasingly mean a lot to the players involved.

For our purposes, though, that Statcast data might be just as exciting. In years past, we've had to deal with incomplete spring data, and the only thing worse than incomplete data is no data. In fact, incomplete data might even be worse -- did a player truly show improved skills in the spring, or did he just happen to play his best games in parks where the Statcast data was available? That won't be an issue any longer, which means we should have full data this spring for guys like Spencer Strider, George Kirby, and Grayson Rodriguez, whose Fantasy fates could depend on how good the data they can produce is. 

For the first time ever, we'll have full access to that data. And that data will be part of what we're watching for every team. Yesterday, I went through every National League team to highlight the biggest question facing each heading into spring action. Today, we're turning to the other side of the majors, looking for answers to the biggest question for every American League team: 

The biggest question for each AL team

Chicago White Sox - Can Munetaka Murakami make enough contact?

It seems like most Fantasy analysts are very confident he can't. I remain open-minded, especially with his price remaining outside of the top-200 in early drafts. We know three things for sure about Murakami:

1. He's going to play every single day for the White Sox
2. He's going to have struggles with contact
3. He's going to hit the ball incredibly hard

No. 2 may be the most important factor here in the end, but folks are acting like it's a guarantee that it'll sink him. I'm less convinced. Yes, Murakami had just a 64% contract rate last season in Japan, a league with both less overall talent and specifically less fastball velocity. It's reasonable to assume that number will get worse, and he's already in a range that few successful major-league hitters live in. Strikeouts are going to be a problem for Murakami, and it's possible that will be an insurmountable problem. 

But Murakami also has top-of-the-scale power to help him overcome it. He had a max exit velocity of 116.5 mph in 2025, something only 23 MLB hitters managed in 2025. The power is legitimate, and even with the contact concerns, he could be a 30-homer guy as soon as this season. He also makes pretty good swing decisions, with a 25.4% chase rate in 2025, so there should be a pretty good walk rate with his profile, which helps mitigate some of the downside risk. 

It all sounds like a Matt Wallner-esque profile, especially if the lefty Murakami struggles against same-handed pitching. But you don't have to squint too hard to see some similarities to other high-strikeout, big-power hitters like Nick Kurtz or Rafael Devers. Murakami's flaws are big and real, and they may be exposed by MLB pitchers. But this guy was a historically great power hitter in Japan who posted a wRC+ north of 200 on two separate occasions, and he should have a lot of playing time security in Chicago. He'll have to make some adjustments to thrive, but I'm not at all comfortable writing off a player with his talent and accomplishments off the way some are doing. 

I'll also point this out: Shohei Ohtani had very similar contact issues in his final season in Japan while being a less productive hitter overall, and well, it's worked out for him, hasn't it?

Detroit Tigers - Is Kevin McGonigle up on Opening Day?

Nothing is certain in either direction, but the Tigers are going to give McGonigle the chance, at least. And while I won't say the hole at shortstop in the Tigers' lineup is Kevin McGonigle shaped and sized, there's definitely a hole there despite an entire offseason where they could have addressed it. We know McGonigle, the No. 2 prospect in baseball, pretty much across the board, is the future at shortstop for the Tigers, and he's coming off a season where he hit .305/.408/.583 with incredible plate discipline while reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old. I'd still learn toward him starting the season at Triple-A, but every day he spends in big-league camp makes that a little bit less certain. His immediate future might just be in his hands. 

Los Angeles Angels - Does Grayson Rodriguez have anything left? 

Rodriguez is fully healthy. That's a good first step after bone spurs and a late injury totally wrecked his 2025 season before he ever really got going. He had surgery to remove the bone spurs in his elbow, and the hope is the other injuries that have derailed Rodriguez's rise from being a top prospect were a result of that fundamental issue. That's the bet the Angels are making in trading for him this offseason.

Rodriguez isn't guaranteed a rotation spot yet, so he really does have something to compete for this spring. The 26-year-old has shown flashes of high-end upside, but his 4.11 career ERA tells the story of his inconsistency. Health has been a part of that, so a breakout case might be as simple as, "Hey, he's finally healthy." But he needs to show he still has the premium stuff that made him such an intriguing young pitcher before all of the injuries, so that's something to keep a close eye on this spring. 

Baltimore Orioles - Can they fix Adley Rutschman?

There are other questions about how playing time in the outfield and at DH will be split up, but those questions might not matter all that much if Rutschman is the guy he's been the past year and a half. He has dealt with some nagging injuries along the way, so maybe it's as simple as getting and keeping him healthy. If Rutschman can get back to being a legitimate impact bat, then Samuel Basallo gets to sink or swim while playing the majority of his time at DH, which would probably be for the best anyway – developing as a catcher just puts even more pressure on him. A big spring won't prove Rutschman is back, but it would sure be nice to see a bunch of examples of him driving the ball with authority, at least. 

Athletics - Is Lawrence Butler still an everyday player?

Butler entered 2025 with as much hype as any player, but after a promising start, he mostly flamed out. He still finished with a 20-20 season, but with a .234 batting average and mediocre counting stats as he often lost playing time down the stretch. And why not, as he hit just .188/.228/.342 against left-handed pitching, with the underlying numbers to back it up. He's still just 25 and under contract for six more years, so I don't think he's going to be outright benched. It's possible his struggles in 2025 were the result of the knee injury he ultimately had surgery on this offseason, but if he's just a platoon bat, it narrows the margin for error even at his discounted 2026 ADP of 145.3.

Houston Astros - Do they trade Isaac Paredes? 

I actually think this is one of the biggest looming questions in the whole league. If Paredes was locked into an everyday role for the Astros, I think you could make the case for him as a top-100 pick – he was on pace for 32 homers, 84 runs, and 84 RBI before a quad injury derailed his season in 2025. But the Astros, in the heat of a playoff race, reacted to the injury by acquiring Carlos Correa, which left them with one too many infielders (at least) for 2026.

The logical move would be to just bench Christian Walker after a disappointing season, but it doesn't sound like that's the plan; instead, Paredes is being talked about like the extra piece, who might serve as a utility player. He could still get something close to everyday opportunities in that role (and injuries could always happen, especially with Correa out there), but it's hard to draft him as if that will be the case. It's also hard to draft Paredes as if a trade will rescue his value, because his swing is so geared for success in Houston in a way we've already seen won't translate from his disastrous stint with the Cubs. 

It's a quagmire in Houston, but from their perspective, having too much depth can hardly be viewed as a bad thing. Moving Paredes for an outfield upgrade would help, too, but they might be content to open the season with Paredes in limbo. That would be a shame. 

Kansas City Royals - How much is Carter Jensen going to play? 

With Carter Jensen's emergence, the Royals have their heir apparent. And the ideal mix might just be to have Jensen and Salvador Perez split time between DH and catcher, similar to what we expect the Orioles to do. If that's the case, Jensen figures to play every day and has real breakout potential – just ask Scott White, who declared his love for Jensen on a recent FBT episode. Jensen put up a .290/.377/.501 line across Double-A and Triple-A last season and then put up a remarkably similar line in his 20-game cup of coffee with the Royals, so there could be serious upside here if the Royals commit to playing him every day. If he dominates this spring, it might be hard not to. 

Cleveland Guardians - Is Chase DeLauter an everyday player right away?

It sure sounds like the Guardians are opening the season with DeLauter in their outfield, and they may even be open to moving Steven Kwan to center field to facilitate it. DeLauter is a former first-round pick who has been extremely productive when he's been able to be on the field, but that has happened just 140 times over four seasons since he was drafted. That's a lot of lost development time, and potentially a loss in the underlying physical tools that made DeLauter such a prized prospect, but the truth is, we just don't know. We haven't seen enough of DeLauter to really have any sense of who he is as a player at this point, though I will note that he has remained productive in the high-minors when healthy, despite all the missed time. The Guardians will probably need to limit his reps just in the name of keeping him healthy, but I'd like to see DeLauter be limited only by what he is physically capable of, so let's see if they'll give him reps against lefties and righties this spring, to start. 

Nothing is assured, but I think his future is in his own hands. The drumbeat in the early part of camp around the shows Griffin is putting on during batting practice has been loud, and the Pirates probably can't afford to play service time games with another top prospect after the backlash they generated (including in their own clubhouse, reportedly) from doing that with Bubba Chandler last year. If Griffin falls on his face this spring, he won't make the team. But if he holds his own, I think we're looking at our first age-19 MLB debut by a position player since Juan Soto. And Griffin will be a top-150 pick (at least) if that happens.

Boston Red Sox - Is there room for Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer?

It's more a question for Campbell, as Mayer looks like he at least has the inside track for the starting second base job right now. The Red Sox have actually already said that Campbell's focus this spring will be in the outfield, which is curious, given that the Red Sox already have four viable outfielders on their roster and it isn't Campbell's natural position. They could just be looking to increase his flexibility with no clear role available, but it's still a curious move for a guy who looked like their future second baseman this time a year ago. Maybe Campbell's struggles (in the majors, especially, but also at Triple-A, relatively speaking) could have changed the long-term plans despite the contract extension he signed last season, but I'm still kind of in disbelief that they seemingly aren't really giving him a chance to earn a role this spring. I'd like to see them prove me wrong. 

Minnesota Twins - Was 2025 a fluke for Luke Keaschall?

This is one of those questions we won't really know the answer to until the games actually count, but I will tell you what I'm looking for from Keaschall: Power. He didn't show much of it in 2025, putting up just an 86.2 mph average exit velocity despite being productive overall. It's hard to be a .300 hitter without impacting the ball more than that, and Keaschall was projected to have something more like average pop as a prospect, so I do wonder if the forearm injury he suffered just a few games into his MLB career sapped him of some of that power. We'd like to see Keaschall lifting the ball to the pull side this spring, and we'd like to see him hitting it with authority consistently. I'm not expecting or even hoping for more than 15 homers, but it'd be nice to know Keaschall could pair his 40-steal upside with legit power production. 

New York Yankees - Are they really going to send Jasson Dominguez down?

It sure sounds like it. The idea is that they want to make sure Dominguez is playing every day, and his performance in 2025 on both sides of the ball didn't demand an everyday role. In fact, with Ben Rice locked in at first base, the Yankees' ideal alignment probably doesn't include Dominguez at this point. But he's also one of the few young, cost-controlled players on the roster, and thus one of the few paths the Yankees have to elevating their ceiling. Dominguez might have just been overhyped throughout his prospect career, but he's still a career .274/.373/.444 hitter in the minors with good tools, so it's too early to give up on him. And I do worry about what the effect of demoting a guy who made his MLB debut four seasons ago might have at this point. It'd be nice to see Dominguez force the Yankees to keep him around. 

Seattle Mariners - Can Colt Emerson win a job? 

Emerson looks like a long-term answer at shortstop, potentially even more so than he did when they drafted him. But it seems unlikely he'll be able to push stalwart J.P. Crawford aside, and with Brendan Donovan's acquisition, the Mariners only really have one spot on the infield open, likely at second base. Emerson is working out at third, second, and shortstop this spring, but second is the most likely spot, occupied currently by a combo of Cole Young and Leo Rivas. Young is a moderately interesting recent prospect, but Emerson is the much more hyped talent, reaching Triple-A as a 20-year-old in 2025 and hitting .285/.383/.458 across three levels of the minors. It might be asking too much for him to make the leap to the majors (in a notoriously difficult hitting environment in Seattle, no less) with just 40 games under his belt in the high minors. But given the opportunity in front of him, I won't write it off. They're going to give him a real chance to take this job. 

Tampa Bay Rays - Who will close? 

The market is about to move in a big way to Griffin Jax after Edwin Uceta's shoulder injury didn't improve following some time off from throwing. Most people have been approaching this as if it's going to be one of Uceta or Jax, so if Uceta is out of the way, it's just Jax's job, right?

Well, when we had Ryan Bass, who covers the Rays for their TV broadcasts, on the FBT podcast a few weeks ago, he said he expects the Rays to have no set closer, citing the 2021 team that had an MLB record 13 different pitchers record a save. 

Certainly, Uceta being out of the picture helps Jax's case, but if the Rays truly are going to go with a full-blown committee, it would be easy to push Jax too high up your draft boards in response to this injury. I'm usually skeptical that any team will actually stick with a committee, but in the Rays' case, we've seen it before. 

Texas Rangers - Who is the closer?

All we've seen so far is this: A quote from new manager Skip Schumaker early in camp saying that Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are the frontrunners for the closer job right now. However, Schumaker also made a point of highlighting Alexis Diaz, a former All-Star who is on his third team since the start of last season, as a candidate. And I think he's the dark horse to watch here. Garcia and Martin are fine, but Martin is 39 and hasn't thrown more than 50 innings in a season since 2023, while Garcia is a lefty, which is often a hurdle for managers to get their minds around. Diaz will have to prove that he has anything left after putting up an 8.15 ERA last season, and he very well may not. But the fact that the Rangers are open to him winning the job should at least put him on your radar for what should be at least a competitive team in 2026. 

Toronto Blue Jays - How much job security does Jeff Hoffman have?

I can't imagine it's much, but the Blue Jays didn't add an obvious alternative to the end of the bullpen this offseason, so we're operating under the assumption that he'll be the guy to open the season. Hoffman's 4.37 ERA in 2025 is the primary reason his job security seems so shaky, but the fact that he blew the save in a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the World Series after seemingly getting back on track in the playoffs surely didn't help matters. The biggest thing Hoffman has going for him is a lack of proven alternatives in the late innings, especially with Yimi Garcia being brought along slowly this spring after August elbow surgery. But if Hoffman struggles this spring, that door could start to swing open for someone like Louis Varland to step into.