SPECULATOR: Potential spring training value gainers

Our Playing Time Tomorrow columnists do a terrific job of covering the spring training position battles. But March performances can also trigger playing time changes from spots where there appeared to be no battle underway: injuries can thrust backups into starting roles to open the season, trades can shuffle depth charts, and sometimes a player without an obvious job will look so good in March that his team decides they simply must find a way to expand his role.

Here are 10 players who are largely off the radar entering spring training, but who have a chance to find themselves in a much more favorable situation six weeks from now:
 

National League

Eric Young Jr (2B/OF, ATL) was a man without a job for most of the winter, before...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

They don't all hit the ground running. We apply the longstanding "10-step path to prospect stardom" to this year's player pool.
Jun 10 2026 3:06am
A tour through some in-season QBaB leaderboards, including YTD best/worst scores and risers over the last month.
Jun 3 2026 3:08am
After last week's in-season "UP"side column, it's time to strike a more pessimistic tune.
May 27 2026 3:07am
With enough of the season in the rearview, we're ready to speculate with some revised "UP" side projections.
May 20 2026 3:07am
We've all had a bad day at the office... what if we grant a mulligan to some starting pitchers who had one as well?
May 13 2026 3:07am

Tools