3 Prospects We’re Watching During MLB Spring Breakout 2025
The wait is finally over. Spring Training games are in full swing, and the second edition of MLB’s Spring Breakout is just days away, set to light up the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues from March 13-16, 2025. For collectors and fans alike, this four-day showcase of Minor League talent offers a golden opportunity to see baseball’s future stars battle it out in 16 exhibition games, each roster stacked with an organization’s top prospects. It’s a proving ground where raw potential meets the big-league spotlight, and we’re locked in on three names who could define the 2025 season: Kristian Campbell, Travis Bazzana, and Jac Caglianone.
Spring Breakout isn’t just about flashy highlights—it’s a chance to gauge how these prospects finish the spring, whether they’re living up to the hype, and if they’ve got a shot at cracking Opening Day rosters. With advanced metrics, Spring Training performances, and fan sentiment as our guide, here’s why these three are must-watch players as we head into the showcase.
Kristian Campbell, 2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox
Team: Red Sox | MLB Pipeline Rank: No. 7 | Spring Breakout Game: March 13 vs. Rays
Kristian Campbell’s 2024 season was a breakout in every sense—literally and figuratively. The Red Sox’s fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Georgia Tech tore through the minors, slashing .330/.439/.558 across three levels, with 20 homers, 77 RBI, and a 171 wRC+ in 115 games. His advanced metrics scream star potential: a 91.4 mph average exit velocity, a 15.5% barrel rate, and a .405 xwOBA, per available minor league Statcast data. The versatility to play second, short, and the outfield only adds to his allure.
This spring, Campbell’s gotten off to a rocky start in limited action. Entering this week he is batting .154 with 11 K’s, but the exit velocity is there when he makes contact. He's been having lengthy at-bats at times — suggesting he’s battling but perhaps pressing under the bright lights. His 19.9% strikeout rate from 2024 indicates this isn’t the norm, and with weeks left in camp, there’s time to settle in.
Sentiment from Red Sox Nation is a mix of patience and sky-high expectations. After his Double-A explosion (.407/.507/.627 in 142 PA), scouts raved, with one telling Perfect Game’s Peter Gammons, “He’s got ‘star’ written all over him.” Fans are buzzing about his potential to leapfrog to Triple-A or even force a roster conversation. But the Opening Day outlook? Slim. Boston’s infield is crowded with Rafael Devers, Trevor Story, and Vaughn Grissom, and the outfield has its own logjam. Campbell’s Spring Breakout clash with the Rays on March 13 could shift the narrative if he flashes that elite bat-to-ball skill and plus power. We’re watching to see if he can finish camp strong and cement his status as a 2025 call-up candidate.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians
Team: Guardians | MLB Pipeline Rank: No. 10 | Spring Breakout Game: March 14 vs. Mariners
Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft out of Oregon State, brings a polished bat and a 70-grade hit tool to Cleveland’s system. His pro debut was brief but electric: a .924 OPS over 39 games at High-A, with a 14.8% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate. Statcast data from his college days backs the hype—consistently posting 90+ mph average exit velocities and a knack for hard contact (over 50% hard-hit rate in key stretches). Defensively, he’s settling in at second base, a position Cleveland hopes he’ll anchor for years.
Spring Training 2025 has been a slow burn for Bazzana so far, with limited stats trickling out as of early March. He’s reportedly drawn walks and shown plate discipline in early games, aligning with his patient approach (13.5 BB% in college). Guardians fans on X are cautiously optimistic, with posts praising his “grown-man approach” at the plate, though some wonder if his power (15 HR in college) will translate against pro pitching. MLB Network’s Jonathan Mayo highlighted Bazzana’s hit tool as a Spring Breakout must-see, and the March 14 matchup with Seattle’s prospect-laden roster could be his stage.
Does he make Opening Day? Not likely. Cleveland’s infield has Andres Gimenez and Jose Ramirez locked in, and Bazzana’s 39 pro games suggest he needs more seasoning—perhaps a fast track through Double-A. Still, the Guardians’ history of accelerating talent (think Steven Kwan) keeps the door cracked. We’re watching how Bazzana closes out spring—can he turn heads with a .300+ average or a loud extra-base hit in Spring Breakout? If so, he’s living up to the top-pick billing and could crash the MLB roster by midseason.
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Kansas City Royals
Team: Royals | MLB Pipeline Rank: No. 22 | Spring Breakout Game: March 14 vs. D-backs
Jac Caglianone is a human highlight reel. Drafted sixth overall in 2024 by the Royals out of Florida, the 6-foot-5 lefty slugger mashed his way to a .419/.544/.875 line in his final college season, clubbing 35 homers. His Arizona Fall League stint turned heads—117.3 mph max exit velocity on a line-drive single (second-hardest hit of the season) and two 110+ mph homers. MLB Pipeline calls him the most powerful bat in the Top 100, and the Royals are all-in, shifting him from a two-way experiment to a full-time hitter in 2025.
Spring Training stats through early March are jaw-dropping. In limited plate appearances, Caglianone’s hitting .545 with a 2.098 OPS and three highlight-reel homers. The advanced metrics from the Fall League (115.8 mph homer, top-10 AFL hard-hit ball) suggest this isn’t a fluke—his raw power is translating. Fan sentiment is electric, with X users dubbing him “the next big thing” and dreaming of a future tandem with Bobby Witt Jr.
Opening Day chances? It’s a long shot but not impossible. Kansas City’s first-base spot has Vinnie Pasquantino, but Caglianone’s bat could force a DH role if he keeps raking. His Spring Breakout tilt against the D-backs on March 14 is circled—can he keep the .400+ average and launch another moonshot? If he finishes spring as a top performer, he’s not just living up to the hype—he’s rewriting it, with a slim chance to debut in April.
The Verdict
These three prospects are at different crossroads. Campbell’s fighting to rebound and prove his 2024 wasn’t a fluke, Bazzana’s aiming to validate his draft pedigree with a steady spring, and Caglianone’s swinging for the fences—literally and figuratively—to crash the Royals’ plans. Spring Breakout will be a litmus test: Can Campbell cut the strikeouts? Will Bazzana’s hit tool shine against top arms? Does Caglianone’s power keep forcing the issue?
For collectors, all three are worth watching as 2025 Bowman targets. Campbell’s versatility and upside, Bazzana’s elite hit tool, and Caglianone’s thunderous bat could spike their stock by year’s end if they make the roster. Opening Day might be a stretch for now—save perhaps Caglianone’s wild-card shot—but how they finish spring will set the tone. Tune in March 13-16, because these games could be the start of something big.