Five of the most interesting non-roster invitees to watch during Spring Training
Spring Training isn't just for watching your favorite players round themselves into shape, or for getting that first peek at a top prospect. It's also a time to root for the underdogs -- the guys looking to force their way onto the Major League roster for the first time.
Or, for the aging veteran, one last time.
These non-roster invitees might have an uphill battle to a Major League job, but there is still plenty of reason to get excited watching them run out of the dugout this spring. Here are five to keep an eye on:
Brett Pill - Tigers
It may have only been 259 plate appearances with the Giants over parts of three seasons, but Pill did plenty to lodge himself in the memories of San Francisco fans.
He homered in his first Major League game. He homered again in his second. And while the homers soon dried up, Pill also hit a go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) pinch-hit home run against the most hated of Giants rivals, the Dodgers. That's the way to remain a San Francisco legend for life.
After that, however, Pill's career plateaued. In 2014, Pill ventured abroad to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), where he hammered the ball for the Kia Tigers in the KBO. Following a campaign that saw him hit .317/.359/.521 with 20 home runs last year, the first baseman/outfielder decided it was time to come back home.
You may remember Schafer from his own big league debut, where the outfielder homered in his first at-bat:
Unfortunately, that would prove to be a high point for the outfielder, who bounced between the Astros, Braves and Twins with only a .615 OPS to his name. Rather than give up, Schafer reinvented himself as a pitcher.
In his first season on the mound last year, he was plenty successful. The left-hander posted a 3.15 ERA with 10.4 K/9 in Double-A before earning a late-season call-up to Triple-A with the Dodgers.
Even if it doesn't work out like he's hoping, he'll be the best dressed player in the clubhouse:
Allie is the inverse of Schafer. Originally a second round draft pick of the Pirates, Allie and his mid-90s fastball had plenty of prospect pedigree. But after posting an 8.10 ERA in 26 2/3 innings in the low Minors, Allie made the switch over to first base.
Turns out the guy can really crush some dingers. That's not too surprising given that he's 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs.
While it will be an uphill battle for Allie to make the roster -- he does have issues making contact -- he can find inspiration in
If you like bat flips so high into the sky that children mistake them for shooting stars, Hwang is your guy.
Hwang bashed 26 home runs in each of the past two years for the Lotte Giants in the KBO, but upped his rate stats to a .330/.391/.558 mark last season. That gave the infielder plenty of opportunities to celebrate by tossing his bat into the air:
Unfortunately, Hwang has vowed to cut back on the flips in the States. But perhaps -- perhaps -- he might still get so caught up in the moment that he habitually unleashes a flip.
Arroyo is a singular player. His leg kick is like Goofy's in "How To Play Baseball." His breaking balls look like the darting UFOs of 1950's B-Movies. And, of course, he's released an album.
More importantly, the hurler is back in camp at the age of 39 after missing all of the past two seasons with arm injuries. During that time, Arroyo was traded from the D-backs to the Braves, signed as a free agent with the Nationals and eventually rejoined the Reds -- all without throwing a pitch. He's got to be as excited to get back out on the mound as we are to watch him.
