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Druw Jones, OF, D-backs: The struggles in the early portion of Jones' pro career have been well chronicled. He's dealt with injuries and underperformance while showing flashes of the tools that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2022. On Tuesday, he did the latter in his team's Cactus League finale. Facing Cleveland righthander Luis Ortiz, Jones turned a 95 mph fastball into a triple into the right field corner. The line drive produced an exit velocity of 106.7 mph and Jones scampered to third base with a sprint speed of 29 feet per second. The three-bagger was Jones' fourth hit of the Cactus League and second for extra bases.

Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers: Fresh off the official announcement that he'd made the Opening Day roster, Rangers righthander finished his Cactus League tenure with a flourish. Entering in relief of veteran Jacob deGrom, Rocker spun four shutout innings with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. The outing lowered Rocker's ERA to 9.00 in what has been a statistically unsightly spring. Rocker elicited 11 whiffs in 35 swings, good for a whiff rate of 31.4%. The bulk of those swings and misses came on his curveball, which was missed on five of the seven swings it generated. He finishes the spring with 20 strikeouts and nine walks in 13 innings.

Ryan Johnson, RHP, Angels: The Angels are notorious for fast-tracking college draftees to the major leagues. Add another name to the list—but it's not 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore. No, it's second-round Dallas Baptist righthander Ryan Johnson, who has not played an official pro game yet. The 22-year-old looked sharp in Cactus League play—10 strikeouts, one walk, two home runs in 11.1 innings—and the Angels are carrying him as a reliever on their Opening Day roster. Johnson's bread-and-butter pitches are his sinker and cutter, but he mixes in a curveball and changeup as well.

Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Astros: Smith is part of a growing cohort of players who go from the draft to the major leagues in less than a year. Last year, Wyatt Langford and Nolan Schanuel made Opening Day rosters as 2023 draft picks. Smith is this year’s corollary. He made Houston’s Opening Day roster after being drafted 14th overall out of Florida State last year by the Cubs. Chicago traded him to the Astros in the offseason as the key piece to acquire Kyle Tucker. Smith looked the part of big leaguer in Grapefruit League action, hitting .342/.419/.711 with four home runs in 15 games. He split his time between third base and right field and looks like a fit at the latter after making his last handful of starts in the outfield.

Editor’s Picks

Every PPI-Eligible Player: Matt Eddy runs through MLB’s PPI draft pick eligibility criteria to highlight which players might earn their team an extra pick in 2025. Read more…

MLB’s Revenue Divide: New reports on the Pirates and Twins show how small-market MLB teams are struggling financially despite rising league-wide revenues. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Jake Faherty, RHP, Marlins: The list of minor leaguers who can touch triple digits with their sinkers isn't long, but it's long enough to be a list. Rangers righthander Emiliano Teodo turned his career around when he traded his four-seamer for a sinker without sacrificing any velocity. So, too, did Reds righthander Luis Mey. Next up might be Marlins righty Jake Faherty, whose sinker topped at 100.7 mph in his second spring appearance, this time at his potential future home park in Miami. Facing the Yankees, Faherty faced Oswald Peraza, Spencer Jones and Ismael Munguia and got two grounders and flyout. In his only other Grapefruit League appearance, Faherty faced three hitters and got one out. The righthander was taken in the 11th round in 2024 out of Arkansas and made eight appearances in his first test as a pro.

Quick Hits

News and notes from around spring training…

• Jack Leiter is joining Kumar Rocker in the Rangers’ starting rotation to open the season

• Rays RHP Yoniel Curet will open the season in the 60-day injured list

• Kristian Campbell hit a two-run home run last night in Mexico

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