Spring Breakout Game Notes

By Andy Singer

March 16th, 2025

There are very few things that I think MLB gets right about the game of baseball. Few places is that statement truer than MLB's actions as it relates to developing, investing in, and promoting the young talent the game produces. MLB has gone out of its way (though the MLBPA seemed more than willing to let it slide during the last CBA negotiations) specifically to harm the minor league pipeline to the Majors, slashing a significant number of affiliated minor leagues and teams. There is precious little that ever allows me to forget that fact.

The closest I come to forgetting is one of the cooler events that MLB has come up with in order to take fans' minds off of the monotony of Spring Training: the Spring Breakout game, during which MLB teams put together Spring rosters of internal top prospects to play a game against another team's top prospects. The first of these games was two seasons ago, and it was a lot of fun. It's also an interesting place to watch a plurality of a team's top prospects in one place versus another team's top prospects from a variety of levels. As a prospect fiend, this game is hardly one that I can pass up.

The Yankees played the Orioles in the Spring Breakout last night. The team lost in a heartbreaking walk-off, but the score was of minimal importance. I was able to take notes on 11 players of particular importance to the Yankees' farm system, some of whom I have never watched in a live setting. Here are my thoughts:

• Let's start with the arm that produced some of the easiest velocity I've ever seen: Carlos Lagrange. Lagrange really leaned on his fastball (we don't have any real data from the game at the time of this writing, but I'd anecdotally say that Lagrange threw his fastball 65+% of the time), and he was right to do so. The announcers told us that Lagrange was hitting 100 MPH throughout his start, and I believe it. The ball explodes out of Lagrange's hand, which was good to see because multiple scouts reported that Lagrange's velocity was down during much of the Arizona Fall League season, where Lagrange pitched following a regular season decimated by injury. Lagrange's best fastballs had serious ride to them, but he occasionally cuts them, which makes them more hittable despite their velocity. Lagrange's slider flashed above-average in terms of movement, and his change-up lives in the high-80s, low-90s without much drop. Lagrange really does not look like a strong athlete despite his significant build, so I'm not sure how much improvement the Yanks will be able to get through that route. Lagrange is throwing as opposed to pitching, and he really doesn't command even his fastball to even a novice degree. Lagrange has good enough stuff, that I think he could be a dominant reliever if he can find consistent pitch shapes at the very least. He's built like a starter, but I'm not sure he has the physical capability to control, never mind command, his pitches enough to start long-term.

• I wrote a lot about George Lombard Jr. last weekend, but he really stood out watching the game whether or not his offensive stats show it. He was one of the younger guys out on the field, but he clearly took command over the infield. Lombard's actions were quite good at SS, and he threw the ball really well also. Lombard is athletic, and he looks it at the plate, and he consistently worked good at-bats. Having seen him in person and watched him during this outing, I'd put him at or slightly over 205 lbs. with an incredibly athletic build. It would not shock me if he's 230+ lbs. in good shape at maturity. It suddenly struck me tonight who his body and general athleticism reminds me of: Alex Rodriguez at the same age. Rodriguez was obviously a significantly better player; at Lombard's age, Rodriguez was busy putting up one of the best seasons a player that age had ever produced at the big league level. However, I think that Lombard is primed for a leap this year, and he has the professionalism and athletic profile to be a very fast riser through the system. The Yankees have held firm and refused to deal him despite the fact that many teams have reached out about him. I think he's a keeper.

• One of the best parts about this game was the ability to watch recent draft picks who haven't yet played a minor league game. One such player, who pitched in relief of Lagrange, was last year's 1st round draft pick, Ben Hess. Hess didn't have numbers that jumped off the page in a very difficult conference, the SEC, but he was consistently praised for having very good stuff, even if it hadn't always produced enough results. Most scouting reports noted the need to adjust pitch mix and find a path to more control, but also that he was likely to be a better pro than he was a college pitcher. I really liked what I saw. Hess looks like an advanced prospect on the bump, with confidence and athleticism on the mound, surprising from a large body. Hess brings a good mid-90s fastball, a breaking ball that lived up to its reputation for being a bat-misser, and plenty of pitchability. I was also surprised by how good his control looked. Hess loss some momentum after a delay caused by a comebacker that hit off of his calf, but he looked good overall. I don't see any reason why Hess couldn't begin the season at AA, given his previous experience pitching in the SEC. He might be an MLB option as soon as the end of next season, but certainly by 2027.

• Spencer Jones is physically imposing, but I was again underwhelmed by what I saw. He had an opportunity to make a nice play in CF that really went badly, between some miscommunication that occurred with Brando Mayea and a bad route to the ball, and it resulted in an inside-the-park home run. Jones' swing still has too many moving parts, and I remain unconvinced he'll be able to cover his massive strike zone. The comparison of Jones to Judge is lazy, at best. Judge posted low whiff rates in the minors, proving to cover the zone while waiting for his power to materialize. Jones swings through tons of hittable pitches. It's not just the raw strikeouts; it's the whiffs that occur even earlier in the count that's a far bigger issue. Jones is incredibly talented, so it could still all click, but I hope the people who ranked him ahead of Dominguez on prospect lists last year feel as silly as they should have at the time.

• Bryce Cunningham pitched for an SEC powerhouse, Vanderbilt, in college and did enough to get drafted in the 2nd round (and some scouts had a 1st round grade on him). When I've watched video of him pitch, I've never understood how he got hit around as much as he did in college...until tonight. Cunningham has excellent stuff that should help him generate outs with ease. He has decent control, and really shows some ability to command his fastball and solid secondary offerings. He's also clean mechanically...last night I realized maybe he's too clean. Watching his smooth delivery, I was struck by the memory of Mark Appel, 1st overall pick in 2013. Appel was considered a can't-miss prospect, but he struggled mightily throughout his career, only making 6 appearances in the Majors 9 years after he was drafted. His stuff was good (and to be fair, he suffered some injuries), but the working theory in the scouting community was that his delivery was so clean, he didn't hide the ball at all during his delivery. I fear Cunningham suffers from the same reality. Knowing is half the battle, so I hope the Yanks recognize it, because Cunningham might be the most advanced pitcher in the system otherwise, just off of the video I've watched and what I saw tonight.

• Jesus Rodriguez jumped off of the screen for me. He has a serious feel for contact, and he showed that again last night throughout the game. He might even make too much contact, as he makes contact with pitches that he should probably lay off in the fringes of the zone. However, I think he can really play, beyond his raw tools. I also know that his bat will play up as a catcher, which is why the Yankees are even toying with developing back there, but I think he's a really good defender at 3B. He made a ridiculously good play sliding to the line prior to making a bullet throw across the diamond to make a nearly impossible out. It won't necessarily help the Yankees this year, but Rodriguez might be a real option as a 3B at some point.

• Remember the name Eric Reyzelman. He has 2 plus pitches (and his slider is borderline plus-plus), throwing mid-high 90s gas and an intent to strike hitters out. This was not his best game, but Reyzelman is the Yankee prospect most likely to help the team this year. I think Reyzelman has the chance to have a nice career as a high-leverage reliever. He might just be needed this year.

• TJ Rumfield has long been one of my favorite under-the-radar prospects. He has a great feel for contact, his raw power is above-average, he's an excellent defender at 1B, but he's been on a multi-year quest to alter his bat path enough to tap into his raw power to an extent that would make him a viable bat at 1B in the Majors. Rumfield just missed a homer against high-90s heat up in the zone last night, and his swing looks the best that I've seen it. I really hope it sticks.

• Rafael Flores is a lot bigger than I expected him to be. He's not particularly athletic, but I love his swing. I think the batting line he produced last year is backed up by his raw tools. I don't think he'll make as much contact as he did last year, but I think his swing is built for 25+ homers per year. Unfortunately, I think he looked really rough behind the plate. His receiving is stiff, he's slow to maneuver to block the ball and to get out of the crouch on a stolen base attempt. I was really hard on Austin Wells' defense on his way through the system, and he proved me dead wrong, but he's the exception, not the rule. Flores has a long way to go to be a viable catcher defensively, as much as I love the swing.

• Brando Mayea signed a massive $5.2 million deal with the Yankees as an International Free Agent in 2023, and it was expected that he'd shoot up prospect boards. There is very little good video out there displaying what Mayea looks like today, until this game. Sadly, I was left stunningly unimpressed. Mayea can run and he has a decent arm...and that's where his tools end. He doesn't show any real feel in the outfield, evidenced by his miscommunication with Jones early in the game. On offense, it's a flat swing with very little pop, and his swing is stiff enough that I doubt he'll cover the whole zone when he comes stateside. He looks like little more than an org-guy to me. This was a swing and a miss by the international scouting team.

• I have one prospect that I almost irrationally like: Brendan Jones. His stats piqued my interest after he was drafted in the 12th round last year, as he was the rare 2024 draftee to play in the minors last year. He walked more than he struck out at A+ and he showed pop at the plate. Jones isn't necessarily a burner (though his speed is plus), but he is a terrific baserunner, and he's a lefty built like Brett Gardner. Jones looked like he had a plan at the plate, and came away with a walk, a single, and a stolen base. I think the Yanks might have a diamond in the rough here. The announcers even mentioned that the Yankees themselves have been surprised by how good Jones has been since coming into the system. He might just be a guy, like Gardner, who plays well beyond his raw tools. That would be something.