What to watch for today (21 Feb)

Day 2 of Spring Training is upon us. Below are a few pitchers that are on our radar and what to watch for today.

Payton Tolle (BOS)

Boston’s top pitching prospect takes the mound today. The 6’6 lefty is in contention for the 5th rotation spot. Making a good impression in his first outing will go a long way to building some momentum this Spring. During the offseason, he focused on refining his secondary pitches to complement his elite fastball. Look to see if his slider has some bite.

Joe Ryan (MIN)

All eyes are now on Joe Ryan as he becomes the de-facto ace of the Twins after it was announced this week that Pablo Lopez will go for season-ending surgery. Ryan is coming off a breakout 2025 season (3.42 ERA, 194 K, 171 IP) where he maintained elite control. Nothing specific to look for here other than what his secondary pitches look like. Can he throw his splitter for strikes?

Carlos Lagrange (NYY)

Lagrange has been generating some serious buzz in camp. The Dominican righty is a towering 6’7″. His fastball was recorded at 102.6 mph in camp when he struck out Yankees captain, Aaron Judge, earlier this week. We will want to see his command in his first outing. Watch to see how well he locates his fastball in the zone.

Matthew Liberatore (STL)

Liberatore is viewed as St Louis’ likely ace on Opening Day. He had a solid 2025 wth a 4.21 ERA over 29 starts. You just want to watch whether he can pound the zone and avoid walks early in Spring as he builds momentum.

Chase Burns (CIN)

Burns will be battling for the 5th spot in the rotation. Burns was the no 2 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and has been dominant in the minors (1.77 ERA across all levels). In 13 MLB games, he posted a 4.57 ERA. Burns is a power arm who touches 100 mph. His best secondary pitch is his slider. He used it 34% of the time in 2025. Look for swings and misses against his slider. If his slider is nasty and consistent, he could have a huge year.

Kumar Rocker (TEX)

Kumar had a rough 2025 (5.74 ERA over 64 IP). He was plagued by mechanical issues and struggled specifically against lefties. He’s a high upside investment for the Rangers who is battling for the 5th spot in the rotation. We want to watch for improved command in Spring. He needs to use his changeup more against lefties too, so look for increased usage against lefties.

Matthew Boyd (CHC)

Boyd, now 35, comes off his best-ever season in 2025 (14-8, 3.21 ERA, 179.2 IP, 154 K, 1.09 WHIP) and his first-ever All-Star nod. The question is can he stay healthy and maintain this level of performance for a Cubs team with big aspirations this season? His changeup was very effective last season. Look to see that it still has the same excellent fade and tumble with weak contact. This will reinforce him as a standout in the rotation for the Cubs this season.

Hayden Birdsong (SFG)

Birdsong is an interesting pitcher (with an interesting name, too!). He is potentially battling for a spot this Spring, perhaps as a starter or a multi-inning reliever. He has high upside but disappointed in 2025 and got demoted to Triple-A where his struggles continued. He started 2025 strong from the bullpen. Dominating with a 2.31 ERA. But then he moved to the rotation and struggled badly (6.17 ERA over 10 starts). He eventually got demoted to Triple-A and continued to struggle.

He has a high 90s, explosive fastball. Look to see if he can command it in the zone. We want to see first pitch strikes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)

The reigning World Series MVP, Yamamoto, is heading off to the WBC next week, so this will be a good warmup for him. He’s the ace of the World Champions, and its always a pleasure watching him pitch. He had an excellent 2025 (2.49 ERA, 201 Ks) with elite command. He had a heavy workload in the playoffs so this might be a slight concern. He looked sharp in camp, though, so expect another polished performance. Enjoy his devastating splitter. It gets massive whiffs. You’re looking to see whether it drops out of the zone.

Enjoy the baseball!