Will Shohei Ohtani really be a two-way superstar?

The Atlantic

Remember when Ohtani was the biggest story of the offseason ahead of the Winter Meetings, before the hot stove season turned frigid? That seems like decades ago. Now that Ohtani is a member of the Angels, I’m sure manager Mike Scioscia will be bombarded with questions about Ohtani all Spring long. The truth is, we probably won’t find out all we want to know about the Japanese sensation. However, make no mistake about it, all eyes will be on Ohtani to see if he can accomplish what no player in 99 years has done: become a starting pitch regular position player. If he successfully does both — and we won’t know until the regular season — it will force clubs to take a second look at all those forgotten two-way players in the high school and college pipeline.

2. How will the six new managers fare?

Image courtesy of Sporting News

Ron Gardenhire (Tigers), Dave Martines (Nationals), Mickey Callaway (Mets), Aaron Boone (Yankees), Alex Cora (Red Sox) and Gabe Kapler (Phillies) were all named managers this offseason. Amongst them, only Gardenhire has previously held a Major League job and only Martinez and Callaway have experience has Major League coaches. On paper, the Yankees look like the best team of the six, however, it may still be a challenge for Boone to come in and manage a Yankees franchise that always has World Series-or-bust aspirations. The spring will give us insight into their different managing styles, but it will be several months into the season before we can form any conclusions about the direction of their managerial careers.

3. Can Porcello, Price lead Rod Sox resurgence?

Last offseason, the Red Sox were the trendy pick to make a deep postseason run. And why not? They traded for Chris Sale to solidify their rotation and make a charge at the World Series. Sale was fantastic but unfortunately for the Red Sox, they were hit with the injury bug in the starting rotation and never found their stride.

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

An elbow injury limited Price to 11 starts, and Porcello was tagged for 38 home runs while losing 17 games. Not exactly the formidable rotation the Red Sox hoped for. However, a healthy start to the Spring would be a decent starting point for Porcello, Price and the entire Red Sox brass.

4. Which young prospects will make big league rosters?

Image courtsy of The Albany Herald

There are several candidates that have a chance to shine in Spring Training and earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Atlanta Braves have the deepest pool of minor league talents (according to Baseball America) and Braves fans should flock to Kissimmee, FL. to watch the future of the ballclub on full display. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna, the consensus №1-ranked prospect, is in a good position to compete and even earn a starting spot come Opening Day considering Atlanta’s revolving door in the outfield last season. In three Minor League seasons, Acuna hit for a .310 average with 29 homeruns and 119 RBI.

As David O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitutional wrote:

“The only thing that might prevent him from getting it (Opening Day roster spot) could be if the team decides to keep him in Triple-A a few weeks to assure an extra season of contractual control before free agency.”

Other notable names to watch during the Spring:

Eloy Jiminez (White Sox)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)

Shohei Ohtani (Angels)

Gleyber Torres (Yankees)

5. Who will close for the Astros?

USA Today

Winning a World Series sure does a lot to cover up a team’s flaws doesn’t it? It’s easy to forget the struggles the Astros and manager A.J. Hinch encountered during the World Series. But it was a legitimate question then and still is now. Hinch recently hinted that he might use a revolving door of closers instead of strictly relying on one arm to fulfill the position, but the leader in the clubhouse heading into the Spring could be Ken Giles, who was penned as the closer last season before struggling mightily and forcing Hinch to use a medley of slumping relievers to close. The Astros are deep and they can get by without a legitimate closer for now but if they hope to repeat, it would be helpful to start with a closer who can hold on to the job until October.