Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be covering the National League as we break down some of those battles, while Ryan Boyer handles the American League. With the AL East, NL East, AL Central, NL Central and AL West covered, we wrap up our first pass with the NL West.

Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1

NL WEST BATTLES

Arizona Diamondbacks

First base/designated hitter: Pavin Smith (512), Carlos Santana (638), Adrian Del Castillo (722)

With Santana coming aboard in early February, the 1B/DH situation is probably set for Opening Day. Santana's bat and defense are both falling off a cliff, which should put Smith at first base most days, but the 39-year-old can still take a walk and launch a mistake over the wall now and then. Smith needs a platoon partner, but until the roster gets a bit healthier, the Diamondbacks may end up using their second catcher at DH while Santana plays first against lefties.

Del Castillo is the wild card here. He also hits left-handed, and his catching days may be done, but if he shows the kind of hitting upside he did in 2024, Arizona may reduce Santana's role against right-handed pitchers in favor of the younger slugger. Del Castillo's numbers at Triple-A Reno are boosted by PCL desert inflation, but a .270/.321/.445 slash line in his first 218 big-league plate appearances is nothing to sneeze at. A calf injury has delayed the start of his spring, however, and the 26-year-old may have to begin the season on the IL.

Left field: Lourdes Gurriel (477), Ryan Waldschmidt (484), Alek Thomas (542), Jorge Barrosa (750)

Waldschmidt got sent to minor-league camp over the weekend, so the starting job in left field to begin the season looks like it belongs to Thomas, with Jordan Lawlar ticketed for center field. Thomas is far better suited for a bench role, but at least for a month or so, he'll see regular playing time. A platoon with Barrosa is also a possibility. Barrosa's a speedy switch hitter who hasn't done much at the plate in the majors so far, but Thomas isn't setting the bar very high.

A hot start at Reno for Waldschmidt, the organization's current top prospect, could see him get a quick callup. The 23-year-old is coming off an impressive first full season as a professional, slugging 18 homers and swiping 29 bags over 134 games between High-A and Double-A, so giving him some Triple-A seasoning isn't unreasonable. The Diamondbacks' hitter-friendly home minor-league parks may oversell his fantasy upside, though. He could be more Jarren Duran than Corbin Carroll in the long run.

If Waldschmidt can't force his way to the majors quickly, Lourdes Gurriel should complete his recovery from September ACL surgery within the first 4-6 weeks of the season. Even if Waldschmidt is starting at that point, Gurriel should see regular action at DH and as Smith's platoon partner at first base.

Closer: Kevin Ginkel (447), Paul Sewald (526), Drey Jameson (624)

Nobody recorded more than 10 saves for the Diamondbacks in 2025, and it's entirely possible the team struggles to find a reliable closing option again in 2026. Ginkel is the nominal favorite to get first crack at the ninth-inning job, but he's coming off a rough season and saw his average fastball velocity decline to 94.9 mph, the lowest it's been since 2021. Sewald had the job a couple years ago, recording a career-high 34 saves in 2023, but his fastball has also been losing steam since then, bottoming out at 90.4 mph last year. Reports this spring indicate it's got a little more life again after an offseason trip to Driveline, and he topped out at 92.9 mph in Saturday's game against the Giants. His experience, and Torey Lovullo's familiarity with him, could tip the scales.

If neither of them can get the job done, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez will eventually be back after the All-Star break, but in the meantime Drey Jameson might get a look in high-leverage spots. Arizona seems to have finally given up on the idea of him making it as a starter, and the right-hander has the best heat of any of the healthy arms available right now, touching 97.9 mph with his four-seamer in his most recent spring appearance. What Jameson still lacks is consistent control, but that could come now that he's further past his September 2023 Tommy John surgery.

Colorado Rockies

First base: Troy Johnston (503), Edouard Julien (520), Blaine Crim (686), T.J. Rumfield (723)

There aren't many spots on the Rockies that aren't up for grabs, but first base is especially muddled. Crim might have been the first choice, but an oblique strain has slowed him down in camp. The 28-year-old might just be a Quad-A player — he first reached Triple-A in 2022, but didn't get his first look at the majors until last season — but a .282/.373/.482 slash line at the highest level of the minors, mostly in the Rangers' system, could play in Coors Field, especially when it didn't come with the massive strikeout issues a lot of bigger-name Rockies prospects seem to have.

Crim's just the most promising castoff on this list. Johnston is also a 28-year-old with extensive Triple-A experience who didn't make his big-league debut until 2025 (Johnston with Miami, Crim with Texas), but the former Marlin doesn't have the same power upside. What Johnston does offer, should he find regular playing time, is a 30-for-35 performance on stolen-base attempts at Triple-A Jacksonville last season. Julien is the biggest name of the bunch, as he was once a top prospect for the Twins, but 917 PAs into his big-league career he's managed just a .232/.336/.382 slash line and a 31.7 percent strikeout rate. Rumfield is the only one of this quartet without any MLB experience at all, but he's coming off a couple strong Triple-A seasons in the Yankees' organization, with more hit than power on his profile.

Second base: Willi Castro (267), Tyler Freeman (525), Adael Amador (636), Ryan Ritter (641)

Castro signed a two-year deal with Colorado in January, and while his versatility could still come into play as the Rockies search for their best lineup combination, the 28-year-old switch hitter will likely spend most of his time at the keystone initially. He's hit 8-to-12 homers in each of the last five seasons and stole 33 bags as recently as 2023, so a nice Coors-inflated campaign is definitely possible, especially if the team commits to a more aggressive run game. Risking outs on the basepaths generally isn't advisable when you play in the best hitting environment in the league, but it's not like the Rockies have much to lose by trying it.

If/when Castro's glove is needed elsewhere, there are plenty of alternatives. Freeman showed flickers of upside as a Guardians prospect and posted solid numbers last year at altitude with a .776 home OPS. He could benefit from increased emphasis on the run game as well. Amador is still only 22 years old and has a minor-league option remaining, but he improved his plate discipline at Triple-A in 2025 and has some tools. Ritter could apprentice under Castro as a Swiss Army knife player, but he'll need to make more contact to take full advantage of his home park.

Castro basically seems like the default here. He'll start until, hopefully, someone pushes him out of the way and back into his customary super-utility role.

Third base: Kyle Karros (649), Castro, Freeman, Ritter

Karros raced through three levels in 2025 to make his big-league debut, but it was more out of necessity than driven by his own performance. A .297/.392/.471 slash line with only six homers in 71 games between Double-A and Triple-A is not that impressive in the Rockies' system, but the big-league roster needed somebody at the hot corner after Ryan McMahon was finally traded.

If Karros ends up needing more time to percolate in the minors, the usual suspects at second base could see time here as well.

Fifth starter: Tomoyuki Sugano (748), Jimmy Herget (748), Ryan Feltner (751), Tanner Gordon (NR)

For a team that never has any pitching, the Rockies have a surprisingly set rotation with a top four of Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana, Michael Lorenzen and Chase Dollander. The options for the fifth spot are lackluster, to be polite. Sugano flopped in his first North American season with the Orioles, and a 15.6 percent HR/FB rate versus a 15.7 percent strikeout rate is just mind-bogglingly bad. The idea of him pitching regularly at Coors Field is... hoo boy. Herget had one of those weird, random good years for a nondescript Rockies reliever in 2025, but neither a 3.15 home ERA nor a 1.67 road ERA seem remotely sustainable, especially if he moves into the rotation.

Feltner is heading into his sixth year with Colorado, and the one season he was able to make 30 starts was actually not too bad — the righty had a 4.49 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 138:52 K:BB in 162.1 innings in 2024. Expecting him to repeat that would be a classic case of survivalship bias.

Gordon has made 23 total starts for the Rockies the last two seasons, and has an ERA above 6.00 in both years. He doesn't walk a lot of guys, but at Coors, contact isn't always the preferred outcome.

Closer: Victor Vodnik (355), Seth Halvorsen (551), Juan Mejia (742), Jaden Hill (NR)

Chasing Rockies closers is usually, in the words of Sheriff Bart, the last act of a desperate man, but sometimes that extra handful of saves is worth the damage to your ratios. The top two names here both provided a handful in 2025 — 11 saves for Vodnik, 10 for Halvorsen — but Colorado hasn't had a reliever top 20 since Daniel Bard in 2022, and the last pitcher to do it before him was Wade Davis in 2018. If you see the pattern there, then I guess we're due for another big saves season from a Rockie, but good luck figuring out who it might be. Vodnik has a big fastball, averaging 98.7 mph with his four-seamer last year, but it's fairly straight and hittable. Halvorsen dials it up even more, averaging an even 100.0 mph in 2025, while using a splitter against lefties and a slider against righties. That somehow led to a paltry 20.8 percent strikeout rate.

Mejia's stuff isn't quite as premium, but his 96.6 mph fastball-slider combo produced a sub-4.00 ERA over 61.1 innings, including a 2.45 ERA on the road. Even Hill pops 97.0 mph with his sinker and 96.7 mph with his four-seamer while leaning on a changeup and slider for whiffs.

If they played their home games anywhere else, this would probably be one of the most exciting young bullpens in baseball. Instead, it'll likely be one of the most volatile. Still, the talent is actually there for once, so a Bard-like breakout for one of them isn't off the table.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Second base: Hyeseong Kim (490), Miguel Rojas (626), Santiago Espinal (751)

If it weren't for Tommy Edman's ankle issue, the two-time defending champs would have no position player job battles at all. He may not make his 2026 debut until May, however, so someone will need to fill in. Kim is the favorite, and a hand injury picked up while playing for Team South Korea in the WBC likely won't be a long-term concern. The 27-year-old stole 13 bases in 14 attempts in his MLB debut last season, but he doesn't offer much power and doesn't draw many walks, so he's a two-category contributor at best if he starts.

If Kim is deemed a better fit for a utility role (he played 2B, SS and CF in 2025 as well as a bit of LF at Triple-A), Miguel Rojas might get a look as a dependable veteran who offers very little from the ninth spot in the batting order. Santiago Espinal is making a strong push for a spot on the 26-man roster to begin the spring, and at least offensively he would likely be a mild upgrade on Rojas if he gets a look.

Rotation: Emmet Sheehan (125), Roki Sasaki (253), River Ryan (570), Justin Wrobleski (587), Ben Casparius (707)

The rotation is where the action is for the Dodgers. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani are set, as is Tyler Glasnow for however long he's healthy. Blake Snell won't be ready for a while as the team encases his shoulder in bubble wrap to begin the season, and while Clayton Kershaw is on Team USA's roster for the WBC, there's been no sign he's thinking about unretiring. 

That leaves three spots open in a six-man group. Sheehan's just about a lock for one of them after some dominant performances late in 2025, and he's one of the most popular shallow-league "sleepers" out there as a true breakout appears to be looming. Sasaki, however, is headed in the other direction. The Dodgers seem committed to him as a starting pitcher, but his only success last year came out of the bullpen, and he has a 5:5 K:BB through his first 3.1 innings this spring. If his control doesn't come around, he could pitch himself out of the rotation before Opening Day.

Ryan didn't pitch at all in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and the team has no need to rush him, but the right-hander's five-pitch arsenal has looked very impressive this spring. Wrobleski is an overqualified swingman, and the southpaw could muscle his way into the rotation after a 76:17 K:BB in 66.2 innings last year. Casparius drew some big FAAB bids last year in a similar role to Wrobelski's, but he may have to wait his turn in long relief.

San Diego Padres

Catcher: Freddy Fermin (410), Luis Campusano (660)

Fermin was picked up from the Royals last year but didn't take well to his new environment, slashing just .244/.278/.339 after the trade with two homers in 42 games. The 30-year-old had a .275/.319/.403 line the prior two seasons while spelling Salvador Perez behind the plate when he was elsewhere on the diamond, but Fermin might be stretched beyond his capabilities as a No. 1 backstop.

Campusano is sort of the Temu Ivan Herrera in fantasy auctions this year, in that he's a catcher who will only have UT eligibility. The Padres have been waiting for the 27-year-old to establish himself as a reliable big-league hitter ever since a 2021 breakout at Triple-A, and while he's flashed some upside at the plate — .319/.356/.491 with seven homers in 174 plate appearances in 2023 — injuries and inconsistency have held him back, and his defense is never going to make a case for a roster spot. This might be Campusano's last chance to prove himself, but with Ethan Salas' ascent up the ladder having stalled, there are no better options on the horizon in the organization.

Designated hitter: Nick Castellanos (381), Miguel Andujar (450), Ty France (741)

After being cut loose by the Phillies in February, Castellanos signed a one-year deal for the league minimum with the Padres. His numbers weren't terrible last season, but at 34 years old, it's hard to project much of a rebound for him in a worse ballpark and with less playing time. Castellanos could provide Gavin Sheets with a platoon partner at first base while also spelling Fernando Tatis in right field once in a blue moon, but he should get most of his action as a designated hitter.

Andujar had signed a one-year, $4 million deal with San Diego a couple weeks earlier, and the two would seem to be directly competing for the same roles and playing time — although Andujar is a better fit in left field, where Ramon Laureano is expected to start, than in right field. Andujar is coming off a .318/.352/.470 performance in 2025 with 10 homers in 94 games, and while he benefited from two very friendly home parks while with the Reds and A's, his .310 batting average and .793 OPS on the road were hardly red flags.

Just to complicate the picture further, France is making a very good impression in camp as a non-roster invitee. He also hits right-handed, but his advantage would be that he's the superior defensive option at first base to Castellanos or Andujar, if the priority is to find a solid platoon partner for Sheets. France has played for four different teams over the last two seasons for a reason though, slashing just .245/.312/.363, and he seems more like a luxury add as the 26th man rather than a regular part of the lineup.

Fifth starter: JP Sears (614), Walker Buehler (671), German Marquez (687)

Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Randy Vasquez are set at the top of the rotation, but the fifth spot is up for grabs. Sears couldn't crack the rotation consistently last year after being acquired from the A's, making five starts in August and September with a 5.47 ERA, but he would give the Padres another look as the only lefty in an otherwise right-handed rotation. Buehler is now five years and a lot of injuries removed from his last good season in the majors, but the 31-year-old right-hander says his elbow is finally pain-free again, and his spring results have backed that up at least a little. He popped 94.7 mph with his fastball in his first Cactus League start, although he mainly sat 91-92 mph, and it'll be hard to get too excited about a potential comeback until he finds some of his lost velocity — or proves he can be effective without it.

Marquez is another guy who would have been a lot more exciting as a Padre five years ago. His power sinker isn't quite the bowling ball it once was, and the days of wondering what kind of numbers he might put up if he didn't pitch half his games at Coors Field are long past. Still, he isn't going to serve up 23 homers in 126.1 innings at Petco Park, and with his May 2023 Tommy John surgery another year further behind him, maybe he can regain his old form at sea level.

San Francisco Giants

Second base: Luis Arraez (257), Casey Schmitt (571), Tyler Fitzgerald (747), Christian Koss (NR)

The Giants' decision to sign Arraez to play second base, given his defensive deficiencies, remains a curious one. There's a possibility he moves into the 1B/DH mix instead if the team decides Bryce Eldridge needs more time at Triple-A. In that scenario, the keystone would be up for grabs. Schmitt filled that role in the second half last season, but his bat is far better suited to a bench role. Fitzgerald was a FAAB darling in 2024 but his contact issues caught up to him in 2025, and the quality of the contact he did make took a big step backwards. Koss made his big-league debut last season as a 27-year-old, and he essentially profiles as a speedier Schmitt.

That list of uninspiring alternatives might be a good reason to live with Arraez's misadventures in the field, now that I think about it, especially with the farm system being pretty barren at middle infield at the upper levels.

Fifth starter: Tyler Mahle (357), Hayden Birdsong (618), Carson Whisenhunt (677), Blade Tidwell (727)

A healthy Mahle should be set as the fifth starter, but the 31-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched triple-digit innings in a season since 2022. He did look good for the Rangers last year... over 16 starts and 86.2 innings.

If, or maybe when, Mahle's back in the shop for a tuneup, it'll open the door for one of the organization's young starters. Birdsong cruised up the ladder until hitting Triple-A in 2024, but since then he's struggled with both control and command. He has three potentially plus secondary pitches in his slider, changeup and curve to play off a four-seamer that averaged 95.5 mph in 2025, but until he's able to locate them better, success will likely elude him.

Whisenhunt is the only left-hander in the group, and while his changeup can flash plus, the rest of his arsenal is just average. He was able to improve his control at Triple-A last year, but at a huge cost to his strikeout rate (28.4 percent in 2024, 20.9 percent in 2025). There's still time for the 25-year-old to put everything together, but right now he looks like a future swingman in the majors.

Tidwell was picked up from the Mets last year, and while his name is borderline 80-grade, his arsenal doesn't quite live up to it. The right-hander may not have enough variety in his pitch mix, as he leans on both a two-seam and four-seam fastball as well as a slider and sweeper, but Giants manager Tony Vitello will at least be very familiar with him from their college days together at Tennessee.