Spring Training Recap: March 12, 2025

Baseball is in full swing, Spring Training at least! Every day, we will feature the Spring Training recap, breaking down everything you need to know that happened on the field. From the top prospects performers to players with pitch mix changes and more, I break it down.

Spring Training brings a lot of noise, but what is legit and what isn’t? This article should help you out everyday with what the important takeaways are.

Tuesday Exit Velocity Leaders

Tuesday Whiff Leaders

March 11 Spring Training Breakdown

Ryan Weathers, LHP, Miami Marlins

It was not the most dominant start we have seen from Weathers but the stuff still looks much improved as he lost weight this offseason and revamped his arsenal. Weathers needed 57 pitches to get through three innings and allowed just two hits and one run. he did walk two but struck out three while generating seven whiffs.

The new look fastball is quite impressive. Weathers sat 98 mph again, up from the 96 he averaged last season and had 18 inches of IVB and 10 inches of arm-side run. Last year he averaged 15 inches from a similar release point. Throwing that kind of fastball from the left side is deadly for hitters.

Weathers’ changeup sat 87 mph with 13-15 inches of arm-side fade and showed late depth. The pitch plays extremely well off the fastball. He also showed an impressive slider at 90 mph with a gyro-shape to pair with his sweeper that gets a ton of glove-side movement.

Given the improvements we have seen early on, Weathers seems like an arm that could really pop off this season.

Albert Suárez, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Suáurez was dominant on Tuesday as he vies for a rotation spot after Grayson Rodriguez’s injury. Striking out six and not issuing a walk over four innings will catch eyes, but Suáurez also generated 14 whiffs, the most of any arm on Tuesday.

While he did allow five hits and two runs, Suáurez was rather strong for most of the start. Between the four-seam and cutter, Suáurez generated ten of his 14 whiffs and added three more with the changeup and one with the curve.

Last year Suáurez posted a 3.70 ERA across 133.2 MLB innings with the Orioles.

Zach Fruit, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Fruit was a highlight of my “Deep Pitching Prospects Set to Breakout Article” that I wrote earlier this offseason.

He first caught my eye in High-A this season and strung together a strong 2024 season. Fruit was dominant Tuesday, striking out five batters across three scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and zero walks and generated eight whiffs.

Fruit's fastball averaged 98 mph and topped out at 100 mph. He generated whiffs on the four-seam and cutter, which averaged 91 mph. He also threw a strong sinker and slider. Read his full scouting report here:

Oneil Cruz, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Cruz hit a missile of a home run on Tuesday, leaving the bat at 114.9 mph. Not much needs to be said here about Cruz. There is a strong appeal for a breakout here as Cruz has as much as power as anyone in the game and speed to burn on the base paths. A 30 home run/20 stolen base season is a real possibility.

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Skenes did what Skenes does best, dominate. He threw 74 pitches, striking out five batters over four innings. Skenes generated 11 whiffs, with six coming on his fastball which sat 98 and touched 100 mph.

Skenes keeps getting better. Throwing a sinker now and a new look slider, Skenes should be SP1 this year. Good luck hitters.

Andrew Morris, RHP, Minnesota Twins

Morris has long been a favorite here at the Dugout. He started for the Twins against the Blue Jays regulars and looked the part, tossing three scoreless innings with one hit and zero walks. Morris generated six whiffs and had a 33 percent CSW, mixing his deep arsenal of pitches.

Few pitchers put together the kind of season that Morris did on the mound in 2024. Tosing 133 innings, Morris reached Triple-A in August and posted a combined 2.37 ERA with 133 strikeouts and 32 walks.

Morris is one of the better strike throwers in baseball, and he commands his entire arsenal well. He walked less than six percent of hitters last season while throwing strikes at an impressive 68 percent clip.

Throwing from a higher 6’6” release height, Morris creates below-average ride from the release point, but the fastball sits 92-95, touching 98 mph. Having a deceptive delivery, Morris’ fastball plays up a bit and has respectable whiff rates in 2024.

His slider is his best offering, sitting in the mid-80s with depth and around seven inches of sweep. Morris also uses a cutter that sits near 90 mph as a bridge pitch. It plays well thanks to its carry and five inches of glove-side movement.

Morris’s curveball is not often used, but it has good depth and some horizontal movement while sitting in the mid-70s. His changeup is the only pitch in the area that has a true east-west movement profile. It is a bit firm, sitting around 89 mph, but it does show heavy fading action, north of 14 inches regularly.

Brady Singer, RHP, Cincinnati Reds

Singer had his pitches singing in the desert on Tuesday as he was nearly flawless across four innings. Needing just 69 pitches, Singer struck out seven batters and allowed one hit and walk a piece in the strong outing.

While throwing primarily his four-seam and sinker, Singer did throw a harder cutter which looks to be a nice pitch to help get lefties out and could be a big part of his success in 2025. The changeup is showing improved carry, but Singer threw it just once. But, having a left-handed platoon nutrelizing pitch is highly important.

Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers

It does not seem the oblique is bothering Langford anymore. He posted a three hit day which included a smoked 107 mph home run and a 109 mph single. After having a strong rookie season where he improved throughout the year, Langford looks primed for a big 2025 season.

Most projections view Langford in the 20-25 home run range with 20 stolen bases. This seasons quite reasonable with room for more from Langford. Most importantly he looks healthy after the oblique scare.

Cole Ragans, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Ragans looked like his typical dominant self on Tuesday as he tossed four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Ragans generated an impressive 12 whiffs, including seven on his slider. The fastball averaed 97.5, albeit not a full start. The fastball velocity is up two mph which will be something interesting to watch.

The changeup and cutter are also working on addes velocity. Although it is Spring Training and a small sample, it is encouraging to see from Ragans. He is pitching quite well as we head into the final stretch of the Spring Training.