Baseball America 2024 Training Camp Tour
There’s lots of big-name free-agent movement leading up to the 2024 Baseball America season, including the league's biggest pitching star (Fernando de la Rosa) and both dual-threat pitching/batting heroes (Davalos, Amado). Expect close races, and many competitors! Here's a team-by-team training camp run-down...
• Watch our Training Camp Tour YouTube stream for a closer look at the players and teams!
Team [ 1 ](New England Minutemen)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): 3B/OF Heath Howes (9);OF Joe Barkdoll (11); SP Devin Journell (7); RP Colton Grandstaff (4).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): SP Fernando de la Rose (12); SP Sonny Haskins (3); SP Brad Bonus (6); SS Porfiro Conti (6); C Dom Tozzi (8);
• Key Rookies: SP Frank Frelick; SS Doan DeJesus
• Holdover Stars: 1B Korbyn Yong; OF Shawn Cartee, SP Jackie Fly
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Rebuilding year, with a tear-down of the pitching staff and breathing room in the salary cap.
Team [ 2 ] (Milwaukee Barrelmen)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): SP Lou Volpe (8).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): SP Xavier Colon (8); OF Justin Antonelli (11); OF Jorge Cosme (12).
• Key Rookies: OF Yerry Perez, RP Hector Padilla.
• Holdover Stars: SS Johnny Fortune; 3B Matt Lomonaco; OF Josh Bell; SP C. J. Shockey
• 2024 Look-Ahead: The Beer Guys mostly stand pat with last year's group. Might work out for them--might not...
Team [ 3 ] (Nashville High Notes)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): 1B Alex Imbrogno (6); 2B Glenn McGoldrick (10); OF Blake Mullinix (7); SP Sonny Haskins (1); SP Robbie Pulaski (10).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): 1B Mark Abeyta (6); SP/OF Jose Davalos (6); SP Evan Hoeffner (7); OF Jason Mroczka (8); SS Ygnacio Resendez (12).
• Key Rookies: (none)
• Holdover Stars: 3B Pat Mattice; SS Pauli Pauxtis; RP Truman Kenoyer; SP Ahmed Irons.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Moved a lot of players around, but feels like this club lost ground in the talent pool and there are no developmental players in the fold.
Team [ 4 ] (St. Louis Showboats)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): OF Jim Funderburk (12); RP Ian Athanson (9)
• Free-Agents Lost (to): RP Hideki Wada (1) ad Miguel Marte (3); OF Kris Markert (8).
• Key Rookies: SP Daniel Hiura; RP Gunnar Hall
• Holdover Stars: 1B Shaun Scalzi, 2B Nick Griffis, 3B Manny Infante; SP Cody Brekke, RP Merrill Hosmer.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Athanson's signing was one of the bigger moves of the off-season and, with everything else mostly stable, should solidify this club's post-season hopes.
Team [ 5 ](Charlotte Challengers)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): 3B Miguel Ruelas (11); SP Cooper Grant (3), RP Lenny Mahler (9);
• Free-Agents Lost (to): OF Rufus Williams (6).
• Key Rookies: OF George Shewmake
• Holdover Stars: 1B Steve Farone, 2B Price Dow, OF L.J. Cron, RP Felix Biancalana, SP Nick Gilmer.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: This club is mostly sticking with last year's crew, hoping that Ruelas, Grant, Mahler and Shewmake pick up the slack.
Team [ 6 ] (Las Vegas Big Shots)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): 1B Mark Abeyta (3); C Dallas Autry (11); OFs Luis Cepeda (10), Rufus Williams (5); RP Jamaal Bunting (8), SP/OF Jose Davalos (3)
• Free-Agents Lost (to): SP Kelly Whitehouse (11), RP Deon Houston (1), Darrick Noe (9).
• Key Rookies: OF Keston Heuer (free agent).
• Holdover Stars: 3B Shane Sasser, 1B Demetrius Farro, SP Shonn Mazzeo, OF Neris Nance.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: re-shuffled pitching staff, blossoming young power hitter (Nance) and a couple of high-profile free-agent signings provides solid hope for a possible post-season push.
Team [ 7 ] (Vancouver Voyageurs)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): SPs Evan Hoeffner (3), Brusdar Contreras (9) and Armando Bravo (8).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): SS Trey Ballinger (10); SPs Jeff Stillings (10), Zeng Xiao (12).
• Key Rookies: SPs Coco Canario, Riley Muziotti; SS Max Loftin, OF Tully Irvin, UT Slade Wynne
• Holdover Stars: 2B Travis Harvey, 3B Billy Bechtel, OF Ahmed Abdi, C Bobby Grubb, RPs Kei Kawakami, Yosue Blanco.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: This year's "Kiddie Corps," with five rookies and a bunch of younger players. Rebuilding year, but it might not take long for this club to contend again.
Team [ 8 ] (Montreal Royal Blues)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): C Dom Tozzi (1), OFs Jayson Mroczka (3) and Kris Markert (4), SP Xavier Colon (2), RP Burke Breuer (1).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): RP Ross Hunter (4), C Gaylord Elsner (5), OF Blake Mullinix (3)
• Key Rookies: OF Lyon Rodriguez, SS Matt Waaldichuk, UT Yennier Cano
• Holdover Stars: 1B Luke Howard, SP Trinidad Bontrager
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Wholesale housecleaning, free-agent binge and trio of rookies makes this appear to be a turn-around season for former cellar-dwellers.
Team [ 9 ] (San Antonio Six-Guns)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): 3B Nick Kittinger (5), OF Erasmo Rodon (12), SPs Morgan Cooksey (4) and Darrick Noe (6).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): RP Brusdar Contreras (7), Ian Athanson (4), OF Dave Wedge (11), C Kory Shorter (11).
• Key Rookies: C Hunter Westburg, SP Sean Henderson, RP Simon Montes.
• Holdover Stars: 1B Jude Brannon, 2B Manny Fassero, SPs Greg Goolsby, Trini Piminetel.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Strong pitching and solid hitting should keep this club in the pennant chase.
Team [ 10 ] (New York Skyliners)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): SP/OF Hipolito Amado (9), SS Trey Ballinger (7), OF Justin Nourse (11), SP Tim Heard (5), Jake Lummus (5).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): SP Gus Gruver (11), OF Luis Cepeda (6).
• Key Rookies: 1B Logan Bachman.
• Holdover Stars: 2B Nick Toussaint, OF Eric Hudson, RP Sergio Colorado.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Landed one of the biggest fish of the free-agent market (Amado) with a gigantic contract, hoping that he'll be enough to keep the club in contention, or at least keep the stands filled with fans.
Team [ 11 ] (Buffalo Bees)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): OF Dave Wedge (9), C Kory Shorter (9, OF Justin Antonelli (2), SPs Gus Gruver (10), Kelly Whitehouse (6).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): Justin Nourse (10), 3B Miguel Ruelas (5), OF Joe Barkdoll (1).
• Key Rookies: 2B Greg Rutherford, RP Korey Kreider.
• Holdover Stars: 1B Dillon Hutto, SP Steve Show, RPs Mickey Gosnell, Bobby Cheng.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Free-agent signings focused on offense, but it could be pitching that carries this club.
Team [ 12 ] (Chicago Brawlers)
• Free-Agents Signed (from): SPs Fernando de la Rosa (1) and Zeng Xiao (7), 1B Bobby Brzozowski (10), OF Jorge Cosme (2), OF Ygnacio Resendez (3).
• Free-Agents Lost (to): OFs Erasmo Rodon (9) and Jim Funderburk (4).
• Key Rookies: C Jordan Wallner, RP Randy Willson.
• Holdover Stars: SS Hutch Hoybee, C Damaso Aceves, OF Flippy Khalil, RPs Isao Sasaki and Joe Tatro.
• 2024 Look-Ahead: Fernando made the big free-agent splash, but there are plenty of ripples elsewhere as this club gets serious about capturing a championship.