TBNL: Ryan Johnson, Cam Smith, Kristian Campbell make Opening Day rosters

Los Angeles has been among baseball’s most aggressive teams in promoting their draft picks to the major leagues. Since the 2021 Draft, the first player to reach the majors in each class has been with the Angels.

Chase Silseth started the trend, getting drafted in 2021 and debuting the next May.

Zach Neto followed the next year.

Then Nolan Schanuel.

Last July, when the Angeles used their first-round pick (8th overall) on Christian Moore, the speculation about just how soon the second baseman might arrive in Los Angeles began almost immediately. Moore did little to slow the talk, hitting .347/.400/.584 over his first 110 PA as a pro.

Entering spring training this year, some attention surrounded Moore as he fought to earn a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. He struggled some at the plate and ultimately found himself among the last cuts in camp. Moore should be in the Angels’ lineup before long.

Yet, the Angels will still keep the streak intact after adding Ryan Johnson to their OD roster. Johnson was the team’s second selection last summer, 74th overall, and the compensation pick the team received after Shohei Ohtani departed in free agency. The 6’6” right-hander from Dallas Baptist didn’t pitch at all last season after signing but threw well enough for the Angels in spring training and will break camp in the team’s bullpen.

The most recent player to be drafted and skip the minors completely was Garrett Crochet. The White Sox selected him in the shortened 2020 Draft and there was no minor league season for him to play in before debuting later that season.

Cam Smith impressing in Houston

Johnson skipping the minors will get a lot of the attention, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that he’s not the only player from the 2024 Draft to make an Opening Day roster. Cam Smith has joined him after a phenomenal spring training.

Selected 14th overall last summer by the Cubs, Smith impressed with his .313/.396/.609 line over his first 134 PA. Still, entering the offseason, there was little reason to think that he would be coming into camp with a chance to win a regular role.

Then the Cubs traded Smith (along with Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesnecki) in December for Kyle Tucker. Smith’s path to the majors looked a lot clearer in Houston, but he still didn’t look like a likely candidate to break camp with the team.

Smith has not only hit this spring, but he’s been learning a new position (right field) on the fly. Houston manager Joe Espada flew Smith’s parents and girlfriend in to tell him the news, which was pretty fun.

First of Boston’s “Big 3” arrives

Kristian Campbell’s rise wasn’t nearly as quick as that of Johnson and Smith, but he has also skyrocketed through the minors and parlayed a good spring training into a spot on the Opening Day roster sooner than expected.

Boston took Campbell out of Georgia Tech in 2023 and all he’s done is hit no matter where he’s played since. While playing six defensive positions across four minor league levels, Campbell hit .327/.439/.546 over 601 PA.

Campbell likely will get most of his initial time at second base for Boston, with Alex Bregman sticking at third and Rafael Devers limited to DH duties.

Mariners extend their backstop

Through his first four seasons, Mike Piazza smashed 92 home runs. He’d finish his 16-year career with 427 homers, 399 of them as a catcher, the most-ever by the position.

Through his first four seasons, Cal Raleigh has hit 93 homers.

Raleigh has a long way to go to challenge Piazza’s career mark (and he started a year later), but he’s off to a strong start and has been one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball over the last few seasons. The Mariners rewarded that production and the strong relationship he’s developed with the Seattle pitching staff by giving Raleigh a six-year contract extension on Tuesday.

Raleigh’s $105M deal is the fifth-largest contract ever given to a catcher (after Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Will Smith, and JT Realmuto).

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• Fifteen players were selected in December’s Rule 5 Draft. Nine appear to have survived being cut before Opening Day, with two (Nathan Lavender, Angel Bastardo) facing time on the injured list and another (Mike Vasil) having changed teams via waivers.

• Jordan Montgomery spent most of the offseason wondering if he’d be traded after a rough first season in Arizona was followed by comments by D-backs’ ownership regretting his signing. A trade never materialized, and after spending camp fighting for a roster spot, he’ll now miss the entire season, with the team announcing that he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery. It’s a huge blow for the left-hander.