Every year, some 50-plus ballplayers head to Cubs Spring Training in Mesa hoping to make the Opening Day roster. But for probably 21 or 22 of them, as long as they stay healthy, they will be in the major leagues on Opening Day, no matter what happens. That means that some 30 or more players are competing for three jobs or so.
But what if Spring Training really was an audition for every player in Spring Training? What if no one’s job was safe? For one, players would try a lot harder in Spring Training games and these statistics would be quite different.