2024 Florida Spring Training Leaders
Now that the 2024 Florida Grapefruit League season is complete with over 1.4 million fans attending over 220 games, we again ask the question, “Does Spring Training success carry over into the regular season?”
Let’s take a look at the numbers teams and individuals recorded from February 24 through March 26 in the Florida Grapefruit League season.
Florida Grapefruit League 2024 Standings
Baltimore Orioles: 23-6
Detroit Tigers: 20-9
Boston Red Sox: 19-12
Washington Nationals: 15-12
St. Louis Cardinals: 13-12
New York Mets: 15-14
Houston Astros: 13-14
New York Yankees: 14-16
Miami Marlins: 10-12
Pittsburgh Pirates: 13-16
Atlanta Braves: 12-15
Toronto Blue Jays: 13-17
Tampa Bay Rays: 11-16
Philadelphia Phillies: 9-15
Minnesota Twins: 9-19
Breaking Down the Records
It’s always nice to see your favorite team win, even in Spring Training games. But honestly, these records have to be taken with a lot of factors included.
During the early part of the season, the regulars you saw in the starting lineup over last weekend, may have played one or two innings. Pitchers may have only thrown one or two innings.
Regular starters in the field and on the mound don’t start getting added reps until midway through the season. Spring Training is a time to see how the hopefuls and off-season pickups perform.
The Baltimore Orioles, who led the 2024 Florida Grapefruit League with 23 wins, are coming off their most successful season in many years. O’s fans hope it’s a carryover from last year’s post-season appearance.
The Detroit Tigers, with 20 wins, has been loading up on young talent for years and fans in Lakeland have watched top draft picks Casey Mize, Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene develop for the last few years. Is this the Tigers year to rebound in the AL Central?
More than likely, the Atlanta Braves, who finished the Spring Training season with a 12-15 record, won’t finish the 2024 regular season with a sub-.500 record. Their talent level has not dropped from a team that has won the last six NL East Division crowns and over 100 games each of the two seasons.
Batting Leaders
Home Runs
7: O’Neil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates
7: Kyle Stowers, Baltimore Orioles
6: Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
The Pirates hope for big things from the 6 foot, 7 inch shortstop, O’Neil Cruz. He missed the majority of the 2023 season with injury after a productive 2022 season.
After impressive Spring Training performances, Orioles top draft picks, Kyle Stowers and Colton Cowser, find themselves in different spots. Cowser made the big-league roster for opening day and Stowers began the season at the Orioles AAA affiliate in Norfolk.
Batting average
.400: Trey Lipscomb, Washington Nationals (20-50)
.375: Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals (18-48)
.364: James Wood, Washington Nationals (16-44)
Fans at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches got an early look at Trey Lipscomb, 23 years old, and James Wood, 21 years old, in 2024, who are hopefully a sign of things to come for the Washington Nationals.
Both Lipscomb and Wood, who had a .509 on base percentage, with 11 walks to go along with his 16 hits, were slated to begin the season as minor leaguers. However, due to injury, Lipscomb was called into action for the Nationals on opening weekend and hit his first home run Sunday, March 31, against the Cincinnati Reds.
Alec Burleson played in 107 games for the Cardinals in 2023, the most of his three-year career to date, and hopes to keep improving.
Pitching: Strikeouts/Wins
35: Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves, also tied with nine others for 3 wins
Strider led the National League with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in 186 innings in 2023, averaging 13.5 per nine innings, to also lead the NL. Seems he’s picked up right where he left off in 2023.
Others to win three games during the 2024 Spring Training season include Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Christian Javier, all of the Houston Astros; Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles; Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers; Will Warren, New York Yankees; Mitch White, Toronto Blue Jays and Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox.
That’s just a few teams and names to watch. Anyone stand out to you?