Spring Scouting: NL West Non-Roster Invitees

Who is going to make a splash this Spring?

Welcome to my sixth installment of “Spring Scouting” which aims to highlight any intriguing Spring Training players or storylines. This article will cover NL West Non-Roster Invitees (NRI) ranging from Top Prospects to potential breakout candidates heading into the 2025 season.

To help with my research, I created a Shiny App that generates the Spring Training Roster (including NRI) for each team

Let’s get started!

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Josh Winder - RHP

Winder is much better than his results in AAA would suggest. He wields a deep arsenal highlighted by a plus changeup that returned elite whiff rates last season. He lacklustre fastball is his biggest hinderance, but he has enough weapons that he could carve out a role as a bullpen arm for the Diamondbacks this Spring.

Gino Groover - 3B

Groover is an intriguing prospect in Arizona’s system that flashes an intriguing hit/power combo. He has a knack for making contact and he shows much better patience this season. His defensive flexibility gives him a stable floor.

Colorado Rockies

Chase Dollander - RHP

Dollander is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and his stuff makes me confident that he can survive Coors. He commands his fastball well and it has an ideal combination of velocity and ride. His curveball flashes plus-plus and works as an effective counterpart to his fastball. His next step is developing his changeup to better tackle LHH. He is an elite prospect and he’ll have a lot of time to put his stuff on display this Spring.

Read my Chase Dollander scouting report here.

Sean Sullivan - LHP

Sullivan is an enigma because he throws one of the slowest fastballs in the minors but has been nearly untouchable throughout his pro-career. He tosses a high 80s fastball which he supplements with a plus changeup. The stuff is deceptively good and it will be interesting to see how it performs this Spring. He will be limited at the start of Spring as he is recovering from hip surgery.

Keston Hiura - 2B

Hiura’s MLB career started off with fireworks, but an incurable strikeout problem has stapled him to a AAA roster for the last few years. He will get a fresh start with Colorado where hopefully his innate ability to barrel the ball could award him a 26-Man Roster spot entering the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Jackson Ferris - LHP

Ferris flew up prospect boards this season on the heels of excellent results and a deep arsenal which carrier him to AA as a 20-year-old. The command still remains a question and I’m not fully sold on his fastball developing into a strong offering. Nonetheless, his overall profile paints the picture of an effective backend starter.

Roki Sasaki - RHP

Sasaki was the prize of the offseason for the Dodgers as the Japanese star joined the reigning World Series champions. His fastball and splitter combo is already one of the best pairs of pitches in MLB, and it will be interesting to see how the Dodgers manage his usage throughout the Spring. He will be much watch TV when he is pitching.

Dalton Rushing - C

Rushing is an elite catching prospect whose bat may force him into the Majors sooner than expected. He has a fantastic eye which pairs with above average power and above average contact rates to create one of the most well-rounded hitters in the minors. His defense trended in the right direction last year, but Will Smith’s existence will likely slot Rushing into a corner OF or DH role later this season.

Alex Freeland - SS

Freeland had a breakout season in 2024 where his contact rates greatly improved as his power continued to develop. His patience was a highlight and his ability to barrel the ball led to a formidable 18 HR. It will be tough to crack the Dodgers lineup this season, but Freeland has cemented himself as a Top Prospect.

Zyhir Hope - CF

Hope may have been the biggest riser in prospect ranks this season after he displaced some of the best raw power from a 19-year-old in all the minors. He supported his powerful bat with a great eye and solid contact rates to return an outstanding 144 wRC+ across 272 PA. Hope will get a chance to flash his bountiful tools in the Spring before venturing off to the upper minors.

Josue De Paula - RF

De Paula joins Hope as a dynamic pair of young Dodgers prospects that have torched the lower minors thanks to their incredible power. De Paula is a further along in his development despite being the same age as Hope, which bodes well for De Paula’s future as a corner OF for the Dodgers.

San Diego Padres

Francis Pena - RHP

Pena is a fun relief prospect as he tosses a trio of fastballs to neutralize batters. He leans on his cutter as his primary put away offering with his sinker mostly used for damage mitigation. He won’t strike out a ton of batters, but his ability to pound the zone an induce weak contact should allow him to be a productive part of the Padres bullpen this season.

Ethan Salas - C

Salas was all the rage in 2023 as he made the leap to AA as a 17-year-old despite subpar performance in Hi-A. He couldn’t right the ship in 2024, but he still remains one of the youngest players in the entire MiLB circuit. He’ll get a chance to flash his elite defense this Spring and hopefully show some improved power after an offseason to develop.

Leodalis De Vries - SS

De Vries is the youngest player invited to Spring at just 18-years-old. He has displayed elite power which allowed him to launch 11 HR in Lo-A while maintaining solid contact rates and an advanced eye. He has received a ton of praise from the industry and has the tools to be the #1 prospect in baseball very soon.

San Francisco Giants

Carson Whisenhunt - LHP

Whisenhunt is known for his elite changeup. The offering sits in the high 70s exhibits and incredible amount of depth from his lefty slot. He also commands the offering exceptionally which led to Fangraphs assigning it an 80 Grade in their most recent Top 100 Prospect update. The rest of his arsenal isn’t as dominant, but the tools are there for a backend starter role in an aging and shallow Giants rotation.

Read my scouting report on Whisenhunt here.

Bryce Eldridge - IF

Eldridge is a mountain of a man and he leverages his size to crush baseballs. Standing a 6’7”, there may not be a stronger batter in the minors currently and he is scratching the surface of the Majors. His hit tool is the biggest question, but his power gives such a dynamic ceiling that he will be a really fun player to watch.