Five non-roster invitees that we should all be rooting for this Spring

While some players see Spring Training as a time to get together, take a few hacks and play golf under the Florida sun, for others, the spring represents the last chance of making good on a Major League dream before slipping into a world of Minor League coaching jobs, broadcast booth appointments and local baseball clinics. 

With Major League roster spots extremely limited, here are five of this Spring's non-roster invitees that we can't help but root for. 

Dontrelle Willis - Brewers

From 2003-06, there was no more likable pitcher in baseball than Willis. With his socks pulled high, hat slanted askew and leg twisting like a stale ballpark pretzel, Willis dominated the league with a 58-39 record and 3.44 ERA, collecting a Rookie of the Year Award and finishing second in the '05 Cy Young voting along the way.

But then came the little green ghouls or whatever it is that stops pitchers from being able to throw strikes. 

After posting a career-high 5.17 ERA in 2007, Willis lost all control. From 2008-11, Willis went 4-15 with a 6.11 ERA for three different teams, posting an absurd 7.1 BB/9 across 199 innings pitched. That's Cuddles Marshall-level bad. (Marshall walked 7.7 batters per nine between 1946-50. How he continued to get opportunities, I have no idea.)

Last year, Willis tried to make a comeback, pitching 13.1 innings with the Fresno Grizzlies and independent Bridgeport Bluefish. If you're looking for hope, there's a little bit if you're willing to squint: He walked only six batters in that span.

Chance of an MLB roster spot: 5%. We don't ever want to say it can't happen, especially for someone who once looked like the future face of Major League Baseball. But it's been close to a decade since Willis was a serviceable arm. 

Should he locate his command though, he would be of use to the Brewers. With Zach Duke bringing his renewed vigor to the White Sox, the Crew could use a solid lefty in the pen to pair with recent signing Neal Cotts.

Mark Hendrickson - Orioles

The Jack Skellington-like former NBA player-turned Major League pitcher is looking to make a comeback to the Majors for the first time since 2011, garnering a Spring Training invite with the last team to include him on their 25-man roster.

But this isn't the same pitcher who bounced out of the league in 2011. At the behest of Buck Showalter in 2013, Hendrickson has switched to a sidearm delivery that led to this actual grandfather posting a 1.54 ERA in 52.2 IP in the independent Atlantic League at the age of 40 last year. (Sadly, Tracy McGrady had retired before the two ex-NBAers ever squared off).

With the new delivery, Hendrickson could be like Randy Johnson -- you know, if Johnson tossed mid-80s fastballs.

Chance of an MLB roster spot: 15%. Until lefties figure out how to neutralize southpaw relievers, never count out a LOOGY. 

Even if Hendrickson looks good in Spring Training though, he will have some trouble breaking into the Orioles bullpen. Baltimore had the sixth-best reliever ERA in 2014 and Wesley Wright and Brian Matusz are currently manning the southpaw jobs.

No matter what though, he'll always have this:

(via Grandstand Sports)

Jeff Francoeur - Phillies

While Francoeur was never the walk machine that some wanted him to be and his career doesn't make him a first ballot Hall of Famer the way his rookie season made it seem possible, it's impossible to root against Frenchy.

After all, how does one not love a guy with a cannon arm:

Errr, wrong video. One second. Ahh, here we go: 

His love of bacon is infectious: 

And he's pretty darn gullible, too: 

I mean, how do you not want that player on your roster? Even better, Francoeur can play anywhere. While with El Paso last season, Frenchy made 7 appearances out of the pen, posting a 3.86 ERA. Not only has Jason Lane proved that it's possible to make the conversion, but with bullpens growing ever larger, it would be incredibly useful for teams to have a RF/RP. 

Chance of an MLB roster spot: 25%. Only 31 years old, Francoeur is relatively young. (And is like a high school student compared to Grandpa Hendrickson.) Unfortunately for the bacon fanatic, over the last three seasons, Francoeur has hit just .222/.269/.346. That's essentially Travis Wood's OPS over the same time frame.

But with his realtive youth, ability to hit for power, throw lasers from right field, and clean out the post-game spread on bacon days, there will surely be some team willing to take a flyer on him for at least a week or two. 

Pat Venditte - Athletics

Despite a 3.36 ERA in his first taste of Triple-A last season, the octupus-like, ambidextrous Venditte never could crack the Yankees roster. Even in 2014 when anyone who could eat innings was welcome (Other than Hiroki Kuroda, no New York pitcher topped 136 1/3 IP).

Freed to the loving arms of Billy Beane and his endless ability to find value that other teams overlooked, Venditte could help the team escape late-inning threats without multiple trips to the pen. 

Beyond his 10.1 K/9 career mark in the minors, Venditte has held lefties to a .536 OPS with righties at a still-plenty-respectable .628 mark. For a comparison, righties put up a .629 OPS against Max Scherzer last year and he just signed for a cool $210 million with the Nationals.

Chance of an MLB roster spot: 40% While there are no guarantees on how long Venditte's Jamie Moyer-esque velocity will work at the Major League level, he's certainly earned a chance. With roughly 85% of the A's roster having been turned over this winter, now's the perfect time to see if Venditte can cut it against big league batters.

It has to be worth trying -- at least for the huge uptick in ticket sales for all those Bay Area bullpen fanatics.

Kyle Blanks - Rangers

Injuries have long been the bugaboo for a man roughly the size of Paul Bunyon. (Or 6-foot-6. Whichever you prefer.)

Thanks to six different stints on the DL in his career, three of the them of the 60-day variety, Blanks has only managed 862 plate appearances since he debuted in 2009. Of course, because he's the size of a tree and could hit home runs solely with his forearms, he's still managed to knock out 30 home runs in that time.

Joining the Rangers could be a boon for Blanks, and not just because they play in the friendly confines of Globe Life Park. Looking to bounce back from an unexpected last-place finish in 2014, the Rangers are hoping for a resurgent 31-year-old Prince Fielder at first (.247/.360/.360 in 42 games last season), Mitch Moreland at DH (career 99 OPS+) and currently have Jake Smolinski's 86 career at-bats and .397 minor league slugging percentage ticketed for left field. Should any of these players falter, Blanks could be the man who capitalizes.

Chance of an MLB roster spot: 60% The big question, as always with Blanks, is if he can remain healthy. Putting up a 1.036 OPS in Triple-A and .845 mark in the Majors last year shows that Blanks hasn't lost the ability to drive the ball. But until we exist in an Ender's Game-esque world where what you do in a video game impacts the real world, Blanks needs to stay on the field to show off that power.

Who will survive the cuts and make it to the 25-man? The math is against most, but then again, if baseball fans really cared about probabilities, only a small few would ever be excited come Opening Day. And that's the best day of the year.