Four Former Wildcats to Participate in MLB’s Spring Breakout Showcase
Four Kentucky baseball alumni have earned an invite to Major League Baseball’s prospect-driven 2025 Spring Breakout event March 13-16, as announced by the league’s website.
Daniel Harper (Philadelphia), Emilien Pitre (Tampa Bay), Ryan Ritter (Colorado) and Ryan Waldschmidt (Arizona), each will participate in the three-day showcase. Pitre, Ritter and Waldschmidt each have appeared in a big league Spring Training game so far in 2025.
The website had the following to say about several of them:
Waldschmidt
He wowed scouts with his tools and performance while dazzling analysts with his metrics. Arizona selected him with the 31st overall pick — the selection they earned as a reward for Corbin Carroll’s Rookie of the Year win — and signed him for slot value at $2,904,000. Few players in this year’s Draft matched Waldschmidt’s ability to make contact, avoid chasing pitches and produce high exit velocities. He has a very patient approach and a quick right-handed stroke that looks less uphill than it did in his first season with the Wildcats. He uses the entire field but also has an affinity for driving balls in the air to his pull side.
Ritter
He’s proven to be more of an offensive force than expected, earning California League MVP honors and two promotions en route to a 20-20 campaign in his first full season. Nothing has changed in terms of what people think Ritter can do defensively. He should be able to play shortstop for a long time with an excellent combination of athleticism and instincts. He has outstanding actions and field awareness with a plus arm that can make throws from anywhere.
Pitre
One of the better second-base prospects available in this year’s Draft, he went to the Rays in the second round — above many projections — and signed for $1,522,700. Pitre has a mature approach, working deep counts and concentrating on making all-fields contact so he can get on base. He pulled more pitches and produced solid exit velocities in 2024, but he still had a flat left-handed swing that generated a lot of grounders and cuts into his power production. A solid runner, Pitre is an aggressive basestealer. He has good infield actions and covers a lot of ground at second base, where he’s a quality defender.
