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The Miami Marlins roster is rapidly being infused with a new wave of young talent. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout share their first impressions of Joe Mack, Josh Ekness and William Kemper, plus look ahead to Robby Snelling potentially taking over Chris Paddack's old starting rotation spot. Then, Kevin and Ely Sussman conduct an exclusive interview with Connor Norby. Newly converted to first base, Norby discusses his comfort level at the position, the evolution of his plate approach, the camaraderie inside the Marlins clubhouse and much more. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Entering Wednesday, Norby is slashing .238/.341/.390 through 33 games with a career-high 108 wRC+. Norby had one of the highest chase rates on the team in previous seasons, but he currently ranks in the 77th percentile across MLB in that category, per Baseball Savant. A full-time third baseman in 2025, Norby has only made starts at first base and designated hitter this season. He ranks slightly above average in outs above average at 1B and slightly below average in defensive runs saved. The Marlins are in the midst of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, who drafted and developed Norby, only to ship him away at the 2024 trade deadline. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 5 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): Clippers lead, 1–0 Season Record: 15–18 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox): Smokies lead, 1-0 Season Record: 14–14 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics): Cubs lead, 1-0 Season Record: 13–12 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): Pelicans lead, 1-0 Season Record: 14–14 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 15–18 Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (18–16) Series Standing: Trail, 0-1 May 5: The Iowa Cubs dropped their third-straight contest, falling 9-6 to the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday at Principal Park. Pedro Ramirez (1-for-4) gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI-single but the Clippers would take a 6-1 lead after scoring three runs in each the third and fourth innings. Columbus added another run in the fifth but Iowa was able to break the scoring run in the home half of the frame on BJ Murray’s (1-for-5) three-run blast. The I-Cubs cut the lead to one with two more runs in the sixth thanks to Justin Dean’s (2-for-5) two-run triple. That’s as close as the Cubs would get in the ballgame as the Clippers scored a run in each the seventh and eighth inning to pull away for the 9-6 victory. Ty Blach took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings of work, striking out three and walking one. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 14–14 Series Opponent: Birmingham Barons (13–15) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 May 5: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series against the Birmingham Barons with a 10-4 victory on Tuesday at Covenant Health Park. The Smokies jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of two-run blasts from Jefferson Rojas (2-for-4) in the first and Karson Simas (1-for-4) in the second. Carter Trice (3-for-4) plated three with a triple in the fourth to make it 7-0. The Barons scored all of their runs in the contest in the sixth to get back into the game but RBI-singles from Rojas and Andy Garriola (1-for-4) put Knoxville up 9-4. Owen Ayers (2-for-3) put the finishing touches on the night with an RBI-single in the eighth to make it 10-4 as the Smokies cruised to a win. Yennri Rojas picked up his first-career Double-A win in the start, tossing five scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and striking out four. Vince Reilly worked two shutout innings in relief, yielding just one hit and whiffing one. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 13–12 Series Opponent: Lansing Lugnuts (11–17) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 May 5: The South Bend Cubs moved back above .500 with a dominant 9-1 victory in their series opener vs. the Lansing Lugnuts on Tuesday at Four Winds Field. Ty Southisene (2-for-3) got the Cubs on the board in the first with an RBI-double and Cole Mathis (2-for-3) doubled the lead later in the inning with an RBI-groundout. Kane Kepley (2-for-4) made it 3-0 by racing home on a passed ball in the third. The Lugnuts plated their lone run of the contest in the fourth but South Bend would put the ballgame out of reach with five runs later in the frame. Christian Olivo (1-for-4) singled home a run with the bases loaded and Kepley followed with a walk to bring in another. Southisene picked up his second RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1 and Kade Snell (1-for-5) and Mathis followed with back-to-back RBI-singles to give the Cubs a 9-1 advantage. Cole Reynolds took no decision in the start, tossing three scoreless frames, allowing no hits and no walks to go along with five strikeouts. Adam Stone picked up the win in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season, allowing one run on four hits over three innings of work, whiffing one batter. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 14–14 Series Opponent: Hickory Crawdads (16–12) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 May 5: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans moved back to .500 on the season with a 7-5 series-opening win over the Hickory Crawdads on Tuesday night at L.P. Frans Stadium. Josiah Hartshorn (3-for-5) gave the Pelicans a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI-double and the visitors would later add another run in the inning to go up 2-0 after their first trip to the plate. The Crawdads cut the lead in half with a run their first time up and would later take a 4-2 lead after pushing three runs across in the fourth. Hartshorn brought Myrtle Beach within a run with an RBI-single in the fifth and Jose Escobar (2-for-4) gave them the lead again with a two-run blast in the sixth to make it 5-4. The two teams traded runs in the eighth, with the Pelicans in front 6-5 heading into the final frame. Hartshorn collected his third hit and third RBI of the game with a single, giving Myrtle Beach a much needed insurance run. Jordan Henriquez worked a 1-2-3 ninth to convert the multi-inning save, his second of the season. Victor Zarraga picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on three hits over 3 2/3 innings of work, striking out two. View the full article

Royce Lewis is a different player than he was when he was drafted first overall in 2017. Injuries have changed his profile, but for a time, it appeared he still had a path to becoming an impactful regular at the highest level. As he nears 1,000 career plate appearances, however, his ability to remain a core piece of the Twins roster has come into question. Time is running out. Can he turn things around before it's too late? Injuries have cost Lewis his once well-rounded skill set, as he's settled into a corner infield role wherein his defensive value is limited and his primary offensive tool is his power. Plenty of hitters make careers out of this profile. The problem with Lewis's attempt to do so is that it's been a while since he's been consistently productive. With the sample size he's put together, it's time to worry whether his remaining tools are enough to keep him afloat. Lewis's production has consistently trended downward over the last four years. In between injuries, he's seen his wRC+ drop from 152 in 2023 to 106, then 85, and now just 65 so far in 2026, with 100 marking the league average. At a corner infield position, where the bar to clear offensively is higher, this lack of offensive production is even more detrimental. It's more than just surface-level production to worry about. This season, Lewis has a whiff rate of 36.5%, one of the worst in the league. His overall strikeout rate of 30.3% is by far the worst of his career. He looked like a much more patient hitter to begin the season, and his walk rate still looks much improved, but he's walked just once in 42 plate appearances since returning from the IL, while striking out about a third of the time. His approach at the plate is a complete mess. Defense has been an issue, as well, as he's posted -2 Defensive Runs Saved. The eye test has certainly matched. At this point, it's safe to say that Lewis is a below-average defender at third base. The Twins may not have a wealth of upcoming top prospects on the verge of filling out the infield, but they have options on the horizon. We're certain to see Kaelen Culpepper sometime this season; he's likely to push Brooks Lee off of shortstop. While Lee is stretched at shortstop, he should be an adequate defender at third base. Surprisingly, his bat has also looked much better suited for the position than Lewis’s so far this season. Culpepper's promotion alone may be enough to raise significant questions about Lewis's role. Lewis is arbitration-eligible in 2027 and has two options remaining. His team control and roster flexibility should be good news. For a player who has already expressed frustrations with the organization at multiple points in his career, however, it’s worth asking whether this team control and roster flexibility matter as much as they should. For such a high-profile player who has been so outspoken, it’s worth wondering how well things would go over if Lewis winds up being demoted to St. Paul or gets pushed out of a starting role long-term. It’s very possible that if the team’s plans move forward without Lewis playing a prominent role, his time in Minnesota comes to an end altogether. We may finally be approaching a point where significant turnover is on the horizon for the Minnesota Twins. The supposed core they’ve had in place since their last playoff run in 2023 has failed to live up to expectations, and with so much change across the organization, the roster is likely to follow suit with another disappointing season. Lewis once looked like a lasting piece of the Twins roster, regardless of how well the rest of the team performed. Things have changed significantly since the start of 2024. It feels like the clock is ticking on his time with the Twins, as his timeline of struggles has continued to drag on across multiple seasons. If he can’t turn things around soon, he may find himself out of their plans. View the full article

John Schneider pulled Tyler Heineman in the middle of the sixth inning on Sunday. With the bases loaded and the Blue Jays down by three, Heineman swung at the first pitch and sent a lazy fly ball to shallow left field, ending the top of the frame. When the game resumed, it was Brandon Valenzuela crouching behind the dish. Heineman is batting .136 with 13 strikeouts since Alejandro Kirk fractured his thumb on April 3. He has not drawn a walk or recorded an extra-base hit. He's only scored once in 16 games. It wouldn't be realistic to expect Heineman to repeat his 2025 performance. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to hit as well as Kirk. Still, even the most charitable evaluator would have to admit that Heineman has disappointed. Instead of taking the kind of disciplined approach one might hope to see from a soft-hitting veteran catcher, he's swinging more, chasing more, and whiffing more. Since April 4, he has seen an average of 3.29 pitches per plate appearance, one of the lowest rates in the league. Season(s) Swing Rate Chase Rate Whiff Rate Pitches per PA 2019-25 52.3% 33.3% 18.2% 3.59 2026 (total) 58.2% 45.4% 23.7% 3.44 2026 (since Apr. 4) 58.4% 46.1% 25.5% 3.29 Data via Baseball Savant. It isn't hard to understand why Schneider might have been fed up. Before the skipper sent him to the showers, Heineman had seen just eight pitches in three at-bats that day. When he stepped to the plate to face Taylor Rogers in the sixth, he had already seen Rogers twice in the series – including his at-bat in the previous inning. By that point, Rogers had faced 10 Blue Jays batters across two innings. Heineman needed to make him work. Instead, he took a bad hack at a pitch he was never going to do any damage against. It would have been frustrating regardless of the score or the base-out state. The fact that Heineman wasted an opportunity to get his team back in the game wasn't the heart of the problem, but it may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Except we don't know any of this for sure. Speaking to reporters after the game, Schneider offered just two little words to explain why he took Heineman out of the game: "manager's decision." When pushed for details, he doubled down on his coy response. It was subtle, but it looked to me like he smirked both times he used the phrase. And that's it. That's all we know. Those two words have been swirling around my brain ever since. Manager's decision. The phrase is meaningless. Utterly meaningless. It's not an explanation at all. Every substitution is a manager's decision. All Schneider really told us was that Heineman wasn't injured, and even then, he didn't technically say that. And yet... Manager's decision. The words themselves are meaningless. But the fact that Schneider chose those specific words – and only those specific words – is layered with meaning. He didn't say it was "my decision." That would have been the more natural, off-the-cuff response. By using the third person instead of the first person, Schneider simultaneously took responsibility and distanced himself from the situation. All he was actually saying was that he didn't want to say anything, but he invented a phrase to legitimize his avoidance. To his credit, it worked. Look at this quotation from a Sportsnet article on Tuesday: "Elsewhere, Brandon Valenzuela will make a second straight start behind the dish in place of Tyler Heineman, who was removed from Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins due to a manager's decision." The author cited "a manager's decision" as unquestioningly as if they were writing that Heineman was removed due to back spasms. We cannot allow this to become a phrase that's ever written without scare quotes! It's not a real thing! The other consequence of Schneider's intentional vagueness was a Streisand effect. The Streisand effect describes the phenomenon by which an effort to keep something under wraps can ultimately draw more attention to that thing than it otherwise would have received. In this case, Schneider was trying (or at least he can claim he was trying) to keep the details of whatever went down with Heineman in-house. Yet, he ended up turning the whole thing into a bigger deal than it would have been if he had simply offered a more detailed explanation. I'm only writing this article because "A Manager's Decision" sounds like the title of a Lifetime original movie, and I think that's funny. I wouldn't have any material if Schneider had just said, "I benched him for a bad at-bat. End of story." Indeed, for as much time as I can spend analyzing the phrase, the reason I can't stop thinking about Schneider's "manager's decision" is that it makes me laugh. Imagine anyone else responding to a similar question with a similar response. Reporter: Tyler, why did you swing at that pitch? Heineman: It was a batter's decision. Reporter: Leo, how did you 10 loonie dogs in a single inning? Me: It was an eater's decision. Of course, what isn't so funny is what this all might mean for Tyler Heineman. Alejandro Kirk will hopefully return later this month. When that happens, John Schneider (and Ross Atkins) will have to make a much more important decision. If Heineman fails to win back his manager's favour by then, it might be Brandon Valenzuela who sticks around as the backup. It's all speculation for now, but eventually, the decision will be real. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins bullpen has spent the opening weeks of the season doing an impressive impression of a piñata. Opponents are lining up, taking their swings, and walking away with something sweet. Near the bottom of the league in ERA, WPA, FIP, and just about every other acronym that signals distress, Minnesota’s relief corps has quickly turned from a question mark into a flashing red warning sign. Naturally, this led the front office to a bold and innovative solution: revisiting the exact veteran option they decided they did not need roughly five minutes ago. Back in spring training, the Twins had a handful of experienced bullpen arms in camp, including former All-Star closer Liam Hendriks. The narrative practically wrote itself. A respected veteran returning to the organization where his career began, providing leadership and stability to a group that needed both. It had all the makings of a feel-good story. Instead, the Twins released him before Opening Day. Fast-forward to early May, and with the bullpen actively setting new and creative ways to lose leads, the front office reportedly found itself staring at Hendriks’s contact information like a middle schooler debating whether to text their crush in the wake of a mortifying mutual rejection. “It was a tough call,” said one anonymous front office member. “Not emotionally. Just, you know, logistically. We had to figure out what to even say. There is no template for ‘Hey, remember when we said you were not good enough? Quick follow-up, about that.’” Another executive described the internal discussion leading up to the call. “We ran the numbers,” they said. “Then we ran them again, hoping they would change. They did not. At some point, someone just said, ‘What if we simply pretended none of that happened?’ and honestly that was the best plan we had.” According to sources, the call itself was… not smooth. “Hey Liam, it’s us,” one staffer reportedly began. “Just checking in. How have you been? Crazy weather lately, right? Anyway, quick question, how do you feel about high-leverage innings on a team that currently treats them like a suggestion?” Hendriks, for his part, handled the situation about as well as could be expected. “I missed the part where I was supposed to be gone long enough for this to make sense,” Hendriks said. “But I appreciate the confidence now. It is very… timely.” He paused before adding, “Do I get bonus points for pretending I didn't hear them laugh nervously before asking if I still had my glove?” Twins fans, meanwhile, have taken the development in stride, which is to say not at all. “I thought the plan was to build a bullpen,” said one fan outside Target Field. “Not crowdsource one after two weeks.” Another fan was more direct. “They let him go, watched the bullpen implode, and now they're calling him like they forgot their wallet at dinner,” they said. “At this point, I'm expecting them to check if Joe Nathan is free, too.” There is, of course, a certain symmetry to all of this. The Twins identified a potential solution, moved on from it, and then rediscovered it only after exhausting less effective alternatives. It's not quite a full circle moment, so much as a slow, awkward shuffle back to where they started. Whether Hendriks actually returns remains to be seen. Pride, practicality, and the memory of that spring decision all loom large. But the mere existence of the call says plenty about where things stand. For now, the bullpen continues to search for answers, the front office continues to search for better decisions, and somewhere out there, a phone sits quietly, hoping it does not ring again. Because if it does, everyone already knows how that conversation is going to go. View the full article

Blake Wolters fanned nine over 5 2/3 innings as the Columbia Fireflies routed Kannapolis 7-2, with Yandel Ricardo, JC Vanek, and Ivan Sosa each homering. Carson Roccaforte's two-run shot for Northwest Arkansas could not erase Frank Mozzicato's rough four-inning outing, as the Naturals fell 10-3 at Frisco. Aiden Jimenez allowed one unearned run across five innings of relief, but Quad Cities lost 3-2 in 10 to Cedar Rapids on a tiebreaking single. Omaha's game was postponed. Royals Transactions Kansas City Royals activated RHP Stephen Kolek from the 15-day injured list. Kansas City Royals optioned RHP Mason Black to Omaha Storm Chasers. Storm Chasers Game Postponed In Omaha The Omaha Storm Chasers' scheduled game was postponed. Late Homers Not Enough As Naturals Fall At Frisco The Northwest Arkansas Naturals dropped a 10-3 decision at Frisco, undone by a rough middle of the game. Frank Mozzicato worked four innings, allowing four runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Two of those hits left the yard. Mozzicato departed after four, and the RoughRiders broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, plating six runs against the Naturals' bullpen, including three more home runs, to push the lead to 10-0. The Naturals finally got on the board in the seventh when cleanup hitter Brett Squires led off with his sixth home run of the season. Squires finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Northwest Arkansas added two more in the eighth. Justin Johnson drew a leadoff walk, and Carson Roccaforte followed with a two-run blast to center, his seventh of the year. Roccaforte's homer accounted for both of his RBIs on the day. Daniel Vazquez singled and walked, while Justin Johnson reached three times on a hit and two walks. The Naturals stranded seven runners. Augusto Mendieta worked the rest of the fifth and sixth, allowing one unearned run, and Christian Chamberlain and Andrew Morones followed with a hitless frame apiece. The Naturals managed six hits, struck out 11 times, and were charged with one error. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte, CF 5 1 1 2 0 1 Rudy Martin Jr., LF 3 0 0 0 1 3 Sam Kulasingam, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Brett Squires, 1B 4 1 2 1 0 1 Daniel Vazquez, SS 3 0 1 0 1 1 Spencer Nivens, DH 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jack Pineda, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Omar Hernandez, C 4 0 1 0 0 1 Justin Johnson, 2B 2 1 1 0 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frank Mozzicato 4 4 4 4 1 3 2 Oscar Rayo 0 4 5 5 1 0 2 Augusto Mendieta 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 Christian Chamberlain 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 Andrew Morones 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 River Bandits Drop Extra-Inning Heartbreaker To Kernels The Quad Cities River Bandits fell 3-2 in 10 innings to Cedar Rapids, unable to push across the tying run after the Kernels broke through in the top of the 10th. Aiden Jimenez took over in the sixth and worked five innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run with no walks and a strikeout. Cedar Rapids pushed across the go-ahead run in the 10th when zombie runner Marek Houston was moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single to center. Starter Mason Miller logged four innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while walking three and striking out three. Dash Albus surrendered a run in his lone inning of work. Quad Cities tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Tyriq Kemp singled to open the frame and came around to score on Asbel Gonzalez's RBI single. Ramon Ramirez followed with a single, and Asbel Gonzalez later came around to score the tying run before the rally ended. Asbel Gonzalez finished 2-for-4 with the RBI single, a run scored, and two stolen bases. Ramon Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Derlin Figueroa added two doubles in a 2-for-4 effort. Tyriq Kemp went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and scored the run. Blake Mitchell was intentionally walked in the 10th. The River Bandits collected 10 hits, drew three walks, and stranded 10 runners. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors, RF 5 0 1 0 0 1 Asbel Gonzalez, CF 4 1 2 1 0 1 Blake Mitchell, DH 4 0 0 0 1 2 Ramon Ramirez, C 5 0 2 0 0 1 Luke Pelzer, LF 4 0 1 0 1 1 Austin Charles, SS 3 0 0 0 1 2 Derlin Figueroa, 3B 4 0 2 0 0 1 Jose Cerice, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Tyriq Kemp, 2B 4 1 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Mason Miller 4 5 1 1 3 3 0 Dash Albus 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Aiden Jimenez 5 2 1 0 0 1 0 Wolters Strikes Out Nine As Fireflies Down Cannon Ballers Blake Wolters dominated for the Columbia Fireflies in a 7-2 win at Kannapolis, working 5 2/3 innings while allowing two hits and one earned run with two walks and nine strikeouts. The lone blemish was a solo home run in the sixth. Randy Ramnarace, Jhon Reyes, and Yeri Perez followed out of the bullpen, with Ramnarace and Reyes combining to keep the Cannon Ballers off the board across 2 1/3 innings before Perez allowed a run in the ninth. Columbia took control with three solo home runs in three consecutive innings. Ivan Sosa, his fourth of the year, opened the scoring in the third. JC Vanek added his third in the fourth, and Yandel Ricardo turned on his first of the season in the fifth, putting the Fireflies up 4-0. The Fireflies blew the game open in the ninth. Stone Russell singled, JC Vanek walked, and Daniel Lopez bunted for a single that Stone Russell scored on after a throwing error from the first baseman. Ivan Sosa drove in JC Vanek with a fielder's choice, and leadoff hitter Henry Ramos plated Daniel Lopez with a groundout to push the margin to six. Yandel Ricardo finished 2-for-5 with the home run, a triple, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. JC Vanek reached three times on a hit and two walks. Ivan Sosa drove in two. The Fireflies recorded six hits, three home runs, and stranded seven runners. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos, LF 5 0 0 1 0 3 Yandel Ricardo, SS 5 2 2 1 0 1 Josh Hammond, 3B 4 0 0 0 1 0 Brooks Bryan, C 3 0 0 0 1 2 Sean Gamble, CF 5 0 0 0 0 2 Stone Russell, 2B 4 1 1 0 0 1 JC Vanek, 1B 2 2 1 1 2 0 Daniel Lopez, RF 2 1 1 0 2 0 Ivan Sosa, DH 4 1 1 2 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Blake Wolters 5 2/3 2 1 1 2 9 1 Randy Ramnarace 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 2 0 Jhon Reyes 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 Yeri Perez 1 2 1 1 0 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Carter Jensen: DNP Blake Mitchell: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K David Shields: DNP Kendry Chourio: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Sean Gamble: 0-for-5, 2 K Josh Hammond: 0-for-4, BB, SB Ramon Ramirez: 2-for-5, SB, K Drew Beam: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: 2-for-4, RBI, R, K, 2 SB Yandel Ricardo: 2-for-5, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R, SB, K Felix Arronde: DNP Luinder Avila: DNP Daniel Vazquez: 1-for-3, BB, K Steven Zobac: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, R, K, SB Blake Wolters: 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR Michael Lombardi: DNP Warren Calcaño: DNP Frank Mozzicato: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR View the full article

Prior to making his major league debut on Tuesday, right-hander William Kempner speaks with the media about his baseball journey and how he's continuing to sharpen his control.View the full article

Ryan Rolison isn't overwhelming opposing batters. He's fanned 10 of them in 8 2/3 innings, but he only averages 94.3 miles per hour with his fastball. Hitters have made contact on 88.2% of the pitches they've swung at against Rolison. Yet, he's been devastatingly effective. That he's struck out 28.6% of his opponents doesn't match the whiff rate on swings. Nor does his overall stuff profile support his sparkling advanced stats. Does anything explain it? Or is this just a nice, half-accidental stretch from a fungible reliever, doomed to end quickly and sourly? You'll never go broke betting on the latter, when a journeyman has a hot streak like Rolison's recent one. But let me make a different case. In some ways, the 2026 season poses new and painful challenges for big-league pitchers, and solving the problems the league has thrown at them is a vital part of being a successful arm this year. Rolison is an exemplar of the ways the Cubs are well-suited to the changes to the strike zone—and, therefore, he might have more staying power than you'd think. The strike zone is smaller this year than it's been in a long time. It shrank last year, when the league tightened tolerances at the edges of the zone in its feedback for umpires on their ball-strike calls, but it's shrunk even more this season with the implementation of the ABS challenge system. As a result, the league's average walk rate is up to 9.5%. Virtually the entire change in the zone is in its vertical dimensions. The top of the zone has come down significantly, which comes with specific implications for pitchers with certain stuff profiles. There's a bit of extra risk, for instance, in having a high-carry four-seam fastball, because you might miss above that new, lower top railing. Yet, if you don't have exceptional rising action on your heater, it had better have some other unusual characteristic. Otherwise, hitters (guarding a smaller zone than in the past, after all) will hit you hard. Thus, pitchers need to have either more velocity or more unexpected wiggle on their fastballs than they needed to have even one year ago. Rolison has actually added ride to his fastball this year, along with about 1.5 MPH. That doesn't leave him missing the zone high, though, because he had below-average rise before. Now, his induced vertical break (IVB) on the four-seamer is 15.0 inches, which is lively but not uncontrollable. More importantly, that fastball has cutting action, relative to what a hitter expects out of the hand. The cut-ride shape is part of what first hooked the Cubs on Rolison; they've always loved that trait. Once Rolison shows hitters a fastball that flirts with the edges of the zone, he can also attack them with his array of breaking stuff, which tunnels off the heater nicely. Specifically, he can land the curve and the slider in the zone consistently, and more of the time, hitters aren't ready for it. The difference in vertical movement between Rolison's fastball and his curve has stretched to over 32 inches this year, thanks to a slightly higher arm slot. But by targeting the two pitches differently, he puts both in the zone, instead of missing high with one and low with the other. The curve isn't earning Rolison whiffs, but he's getting quite a few called strikes with it. bGJ3NFdfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWdSV1VGRUZWMVFBV2xGUUFnQUhBMWNIQUZnTlZWSUFVVkVGVTFBQkJGRldBd29B.mp4 The unique horizontal movement on Rolison's fastball makes him relatively hard to square up. The ability to throw that pitch and two breaking balls for strikes even in a compressed zone makes him hard to outguess. This is Rolison's new formula for success—but it's not new to the Cubs. Public intellectual Nassim Nicholas Taleb wrote one of his several books about the concept of antifragility. Some things, Taleb wrote, are robust: they survive big changes well. Other things are fragile: they break easily when shocks come. The thrust of Taleb's tome, though, was that a third class of things exists. Antifragile entities don't just survive major changes; they thrive on them. Seismic shifts make them stronger and better, instead of either damaging them or leaving them unaffected. Relatively few things in the world are genuinely antifragile, but the Cubs' long-held pitching paradigm might just be one of them. The rest of the league has spent at least a decade maximizing their high-low movement differentials and chasing whiffs, but they've done it with their targets set on a strike zone that no longer exists. The new one is better-suited to teams who try to produce weak contact and fill up the zone, with unusual fastball shapes and enough movement on secondary pitches to coax bad swing decisions in an environment that makes swing decisions easier. That's what the Cubs have been doing, all this time. Rolison isn't the only example of this. He's just a salient one, at this particular moment. Chicago has lots of pitchers who work that way, from (alas, currently injured) stars Justin Steele and Cade Horton to the guys they've collected just as proactively but with less fanfare, like Caleb Thielbar and Daniel Palencia. Horizontal movement and the ability to steal strikes without chasing whiffs is the wave of the future. The Cubs have been riding it since everyone thought it was a thing of the past. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs keep finding contributions from across the board. On Monday, it was Michael Conforto in the form of a walk-off home run! How about the season Shota Imanaga is having! Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-north-side-baseball-podcast/id1798599313 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75wMGhBwlrDDYPt3kaF453 Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-north-side-baseball-po-268998437/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/eey7h6ih Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@northsidebaseball View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap (May 5) Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Worcester rallied from a three-run deficit to win 7-6 over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) at home. The WooSox came out swinging in the first when Mickey Gasper launched a two-run homer to left off Carlos Rodón to put Worcester up 2-0 early. But the lead didn't hold. Scranton chipped one back in the second on an RBI single, then blew the game open in the third inning as they crushed a three-run shot to give them a 4-2 lead. Nate Eaton got on base due to a fielding error, and a couple of wild throws from Rodón ended up scoring Eaton to shorten the deficit 4-3. Scranton increased their lead once again in the sixth with a two-run double to make it 6-3. Worcester’s comeback started in the bottom of the sixth when Kristian Campbell belted a solo homer to center off Rodón (EV 102.7 MPH), cutting it to 6-4. Then came a huge seventh inning, Allan Castro singled, Vinny Capra drew a walk, Jason Delay hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, and a run-scoring forceout by Eaton knotted things up at 6-6. Campbell led off the bottom of the eighth with a hard hit double to right center (EV 104.6 MPH), earning his third hit of the game. Castro delivered the go-ahead RBI single through the middle to make it 7-6. Tommy Kahnle worked around two base runners and shut the door in the ninth for the save. Worcester's pitching was very mixed in this matchup. Devin Sweet started the game and threw two innings, giving up one earned run. Noah Song allowed three earned runs over two innings with four strikeouts, and Angel Bastardo gave up two runs in his two frames. However, Kyle Keller and Kahnle combined for 3 shutout innings down the stretch when it mattered most. Key Performances: Kristian Campbell: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI Allan Castro: 2-for-4, R, RBI Mickey Gasper: HR, R, 2 RBI Double-A Portland Sea Dogs A gutsy comeback fell one swing short as the Sea Dogs dropped a tight 3-2 loss at home to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays). Gage Ziehl was taken deep with a solo shot in the first inning to put Portland down early, 1-0. Ziehl settled in for the next two innings until New Hampshire got to him again in the fourth, scoring after racking up a couple of hits to make it 2-0. Nate Baez broke through in the bottom of the fourth, hammering a solo homer to cut it to 2-1. That would be the only run Portland could muster against New Hampshire’s starter in six innings. The Fisher Cats' first pitcher out of the bullpen gave up the lead after Johanfran Garcia crushed a solo shot, his third in three games, to tie the game at 2-2. In the eighth inning, Max Ferguson hit a lead-off double, giving Portland a chance to take the lead. A poorly attempted sacrifice bunt was popped up and led to a free out for the Fisher Cats. Franklin Arias was intentionally walked to put two runners on and one out. Sadly, the Sea Dogs' next two batters struck out to strand the runners. Cooper Adams came into the ninth inning to try to keep it tied, but New Hampshire had other plans, hitting a solo homer. Just like that, it was 3-2, and Portland went down quietly in the bottom half to end it. Key Performances: Gage Ziehl: 4 ⅓ IP, 2 ER, 7 K Patrick Halligan: 2 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 K Johanfran Garcia: HR, R, RBI Nate Baez: HR, R, RBI High-A Greenville Drive Greenville's bats came alive in a back-and-forth affair but came up just short, 11-9, against the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pittsburgh Pirates). The Drive struck first in the second inning, 1-0, when Freili Encarnacion scored a run with a groundout. Greensboro answered immediately, tying it with a solo homer 1-1. Greenville pushed ahead again in the third inning on a Jack Winnay sacrifice fly and an Isaiah Jackson RBI single to make it 3-1, but the Grasshoppers clawed right back with two of their own to knot it at 3-3. Henry Godbout gave Greenville its biggest cushion of the night with a two-run homer in the fourth, putting the Drive up 5-3. Unfortunately, Alex Bouchard couldn't hold onto the lead. Greensboro scored two more in the bottom of the fourth to tie it at 5-5, then the wheels came off, giving up three more runs to make it 8-5. The Grasshoppers kept pouring it on against Greenville’s bullpen, erupting for three runs in the sixth, 11-6. Greenville made a push in the eighth, Jackson delivered again with a two-run single, and Encarnacion followed with an RBI double to cut it to 11-9. The Drive would then get two runners on in the ninth with a chance to extend the game, but would not deliver as they hit into a double play to end it. Key Performances: Henry Godbout: 2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB Yoeilin Cespedes: 3-for-6, 2 R Isaiah Jackson: 4-for-5, R, 3 RBI Freili Encarnacion: 3-for-5, 2 RBI Single-A Salem RidgeYaks RidgeYaks rolled past the Delmarva Shorebirds in a lopsided home win, 12-4. Salem scratched across the first run in the third on a Luke Heyman sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Delmarva answered with a three-run fourth with a bases-clearing double, putting the Shorebirds ahead 3-1. The RidgeYaks tied it right back in the bottom of the fourth when D'Angelo Ortiz roped a two-run single through the left side to knot it at 3-3. The fifth inning blew the game open for Salem. Enddy Azocar led off with a solo homer to left, Luke Heyman followed with a solo shot as well, back-to-back jacks to make it 5-3. The Shorebirds pitchers completely lost the zone, walking the next five batters (two scoring on a wild pitch). Kleyver Salazar scored on an Ortiz groundout to push the lead to 8-3 by the end of the frame. The RidgeYaks kept piling on, Azocar hit a lead-off single and stole two bases, Salazar brought him in with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 9-3. The RidgeYaks tacked on two more in the eighth via an Andrews Opata bases-loaded walk and yet another Salazar sacrifice fly (his second of the game) to stretch it to 11-3. Delmarva's lone consolation run came in the ninth to make the final 12-4. Myles Patton earned the win. He pitched nicely, other than the rough fourth inning, throwing five innings, striking out five, and giving up three runs. Jacob Mayers was outstanding in relief, throwing three no-hit innings and striking out six batters. Key Performances: Enddy Azocar: 3-for-5, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 SB Luke Heyman: 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB D’Angelo Ortiz: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI Jacob Mayers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K View the full article

The Mets' affiliates went 1-2 on a quiet night with a Brooklyn rainout. St. Lucie pulled away with a five-run fourth inning and rolled to a 6-2 win at Lakeland behind R.J. Gordon's two scoreless, four-strikeout innings to start and JT Benson's two-run homer and triple. Syracuse fell 3-2 in a rain-shortened six-inning game at home to Rochester. Binghamton was buried 10-2 by Hartford as Will Watson surrendered a first-inning grand slam in the loss. Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Rain Cuts Short Syracuse In 3-2 Loss To Rochester Syracuse dropped a 3-2 decision to Rochester in a game called after the bottom of the sixth due to rain. The Mets opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Nick Morabito singled to right, and Ryan Clifford followed with a line-drive single to center to drive him in for an early 1-0 lead. Rochester answered with a three-run fourth that put the visitors ahead for good. Starter Jack Weisenburger took the loss after four innings of three-hit, three-earned-run work that included two walks and four strikeouts. The damage came on a hit-by-pitch, a single, and another single in succession during a four-batter sequence in the top of the fourth that produced all three Rochester runs. Joey Gerber followed with a clean fifth that included a strikeout, and Luke Jackson worked the sixth, allowing one hit but no runs while striking out one, before the rain came. Syracuse pulled back within one in the bottom of the sixth when Morabito singled, Clifford doubled to right to put runners at second and third, and Cristian Pache singled to left to plate Clifford. Ji Hwan Bae walked, but the rally ended on a Ben Rortvedt flyout, and the umpires called the game shortly after. Clifford finished a perfect 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Morabito went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, and Pache added a 1-for-3 line with the RBI. Bae drew two walks, and Syracuse finished with five hits and three free passes in the abbreviated outing. Syracuse Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K A.J. Ewing 3 0 0 0 0 1 Nick Morabito 3 1 2 0 0 1 Ryan Clifford 2 1 2 1 1 0 Christian Arroyo 3 0 0 0 0 2 Ji Hwan Bae 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cristian Pache 3 0 1 1 0 1 Ben Rortvedt 3 0 0 0 0 1 Yonny Hernández 2 0 0 0 0 0 Jackson Cluff 2 0 0 0 0 1 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Weisenburger (L) 4 3 3 3 2 4 0 Joey Gerber 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Luke Jackson 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 First-Inning Grand Slam Sinks Binghamton In 10-2 Loss Hartford put a quick end to the suspense, scoring four runs in each of the first two innings on its way to a 10-2 win at Binghamton. The Yard Goats jumped on starter Will Watson immediately with a grand slam that emptied the bases, and Watson did not record a third out, exiting after two-thirds of an inning, having allowed three hits, four earned runs, two walks, and a home run without a strikeout. The bullpen was a mixed bag. Felipe De La Cruz worked one and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and one run while fanning three. Kevin Gowdy tossed a scoreless inning, and Wyatt Young, the position player thrown into mop-up duty, surrendered three hits but no runs across two innings. Binghamton's offense managed only four hits as the Rumble Ponies struck out seven times. Nick Lorusso accounted for half the team's hits with a 2-for-4 line that included a triple. Eli Serrano III drew a walk and singled, while Kevin Parada singled and walked. The Rumble Ponies plated a run in the bottom of the fifth on Matt Rudick's RBI groundout that scored TT Bowens, and Lorusso tripled in the seventh to set up Diego Mosquera's run-scoring fielder's choice for the second tally. Binghamton Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Eli Serrano III 3 0 1 0 1 0 Jacob Reimer 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Ramos 3 0 0 0 1 1 Kevin Parada 3 0 1 0 1 1 TT Bowens 2 1 0 0 2 1 JT Schwartz 4 0 0 0 0 2 Nick Lorusso 4 1 2 0 0 0 Matt Rudick 3 0 0 1 0 0 Diego Mosquera 3 0 0 0 0 1 Binghamton Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Will Watson (L) 2/3 3 4 4 2 0 1 Felipe De La Cruz 1 2/3 3 1 1 1 3 0 Kevin Gowdy 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Wyatt Young 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 Gabriel Rodriguez 1 1/3 2 1 1 1 2 0 Matt Turner 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tanner Witt 1 1/3 4 4 4 1 1 1 Brooklyn Postponed The Brooklyn Cyclones' scheduled game was postponed. Pena, Benson, And Gordon Power St. Lucie To 6-2 Win St. Lucie poured it on with a five-run fourth inning and held off Lakeland late to win 6-2 on the road, capping an effort with strong pitching and a pair of home runs. R.J. Gordon set the tone with two scoreless, hitless innings to open, walking none and striking out four to put the Mets in firm control from the jump. St. Lucie scratched out the first run in the top of the second when JT Benson tripled to left, and Chase Meggers brought him home with a single up the middle. The Mets blew the game open in the fourth: AJ Salgado led off with a single, Benson followed with a two-run homer to left-center to make it 3-0, Meggers doubled, Sam Robertson reached on an error, and Elian Peña launched a three-run home run to right that pushed the lead to 6-0. Gordon and Ryan Dollar combined for four hitless innings to start, and Jorge De Leon picked up the win with one and one-third hitless innings of two-strikeout, one-walk relief. Joe Scarborough fanned one in a clean inning, and Daviel Hurtado worked two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Tyler McLoughlin allowed both Lakeland runs in two-thirds of an inning during the bottom of the seventh, surrendering three hits before being lifted. Benson finished 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and two RBI, scoring twice. Peña went 1-for-5 with the three-run blast and three RBI, while Meggers added a 2-for-4 line with a double and an RBI. Robertson reached base three times via two walks and a stolen base each, and Sam Robertson and Jamari Baylor combined for three of the team's stolen bases in the win. St. Lucie Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 5 1 1 3 0 2 Edward Lantigua 4 0 1 0 0 1 Randy Guzman 4 0 0 0 0 3 AJ Salgado 4 1 1 0 0 0 Julio Zayas 4 0 0 0 0 1 JT Benson 4 2 3 2 0 1 Chase Meggers 4 0 2 1 0 1 Sam Robertson 2 1 0 0 2 0 Jamari Baylor 4 1 0 0 0 0 St. Lucie Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR R.J. Gordon 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Ryan Dollar 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Jorge De Leon (W) 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Joe Scarborough 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Daviel Hurtado 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Tyler McLoughlin 2/3 3 2 2 1 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Nolan McLean: DNP Carson Benge: DNP A.J. Ewing: 0-for-3, K Jonah Tong: DNP Ryan Clifford: 2-for-2, R, RBI, 2B, BB Jacob Reimer: 0-for-4, K Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: 1-for-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 K Mitch Voit: DNP Nick Morabito: 2-for-3, R, SB, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Zach Thornton: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Will Watson: 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR (L) Eli Serrano III: 1-for-3, BB Ryan Lambert: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP R.J. Gordon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K View the full article

It's hard to miss Alex McCoy. After all, he is listed at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. While looking more like a football or basketball player, the outfielder is standing out for other reasons on the baseball diamond. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of college in 2024, McCoy has thrived in his brief time in the San Diego Padres' organization. Building off a good 2025, his first season in pro ball, McCoy, the left fielder for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, has been the best overall hitter in the farm system through the first month of the season, making him an easy choice for Padres Mission's Minor-League Player of the Month for April. The 24-year-old had a 15-game hitting streak that was snapped last weekend and had a 19-game on-base to finish the month. His hitting streak was the longest by a TinCap since a 15-gamer by Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2017. During that run, McCoy had a .339/.354/.645 slash line (.999 OPS) with seven doubles, four homers and nine RBIs. That was the core of his April production. McCoy finished April with a .354/.386/.683 slash line, with a Midwest League-leading 10 doubles to go along with five homers and 14 RBIs in 21 games. He has stolen five bases in seven attempts. He concluded the month with his first three-hit game of the season, including his first triple. Since April 7 among players with as many at-bats, he leads the league in doubles, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases. His five homers thus far are two shy of what he hit in 58 games last season. McCoy doesn't currently rank among Padres Mission's Top 20 prospects, but that could change in our next update. MCCOY_MILB_POM.mp4 As with any young slugger, McCoy has struggled to draw walks, with a 3.4% walk rate (three walks in 88 plate appearances), and his 23.9% strikeout rate is slightly above what the MLB average is. Nevertheless, McCoy has some of the best power in the system. Last season with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, McCoy had a peak exit velocity of 118 mph, a figure that would look elite even at the MLB level. His emergence is definitely a win for the Padres' player development at a time the farm system could use a few. The Friars are universally ranked last among the 30 farm systems due to the way president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has traded prospects to bolster the major-league roster in recent years. The Padres signed him in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra, where he played after three seasons at Maryland-Eastern Shore. McCoy hit 11 homers in 56 games, mainly as a center fielder, at Hofstra with 44 RBIs and 22 stolen bases while putting up a .306/.384/.509 slash line. In 80 games At Maryland-Eastern Shore, first base was his primary position, hitting four homers, driving in 29 and stealing 36 bases in 43 attempts combined in his two playing seasons (his freshman year was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic). His slash lines were .294/.388/.368 in 2022 and .253/.357/.347. His evolution as a hitter at Hofstra could be attributed to the Pride's head coach, former MLB infielder Frank Catalanotto. McCoy didn't play professionally after signing in July 2024 until making his debut with Lake Elsinore in April 2025. With the Storm, he had a .318/.394/.513 slash line with six homers and 33 RBIs in 53 games, with 14 steals in 16 attempts. McCoy also had 12 doubles and three triples. He had a brief rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League, posting a .278/.381/.611 slash line in five games with three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs. McCoy had eight- and nine-game hitting streaks with Lake Elsinore. As a 24-year-old in High-A, McCoy is a bit old for the level (he is about 18 months older than the average player), so it wouldn't be surprising to see him move up to Double-A San Antonio soon if he continues to hit like this. His ability to hit and hit for power will need to be maintained if his ascent is to continue. Defensively, McCoy should be able to stick in left, but he also does have experience at first base, giving him positional flexibility. View the full article

The Royals’ offensive start to the 2026 campaign has been a frustrating one. Packed with talent, the offense was expected to have no trouble overcoming the struggles it is currently facing. Yet, there are some positive notes on the future of the KC battalion. As we wrap up an action-packed first month of baseball, one name stands above the rest in the Royals’ lineup: Carter Jensen. While the young catcher is still establishing his footprint in the big leagues, his performance over the last month has been nothing short of elite. With the Royals’ offense struggling to produce, Jensen has been one of the more productive hitters in the American League. The headline of Jensen’s breakout month is his .233 ISO (Isolated Power). To put that in perspective, he’s leading the team by a wide margin, with Kyle Isbel sitting in second place at .167. Jensen’s ability to drive the ball for extra bases has vaulted him into the AL’s top producers, ranking as the 10th best ISO in the American League. He isn't just hitting doubles, either. Jensen hammered a team-high six home runs this month, proving that he has the raw strength to be a middle-of-the-order mainstay for years to come. With a wRC+ of 134, Jensen is performing 34% better than the league-average hitter. When you combine that offensive production with the physical demands of the catching position, you get a player who is quickly becoming the heartbeat of this roster. His 0.7 WAR for the month ranks him third on the team, proving he is a winning ingredient in the Royals' formula. No young player is perfect, and if there is one human element to Jensen’s game right now, it’s the swing-and-miss. He posted a 27.3% strikeout rate over the month, roughly five percentage points higher than the league average. While the strikeouts are a point of focus for Jensen's development, it's important to keep perspective: there are actually three other regulars on the roster with higher strikeout rates. When you're slugging .500, a few extra whiffs are a trade-off most managers will take any day of the week. Carter Jensen has officially arrived. Leading the team in Slugging, wOBA, and wRC+, he is quickly transitioning from a prospect to watch to a legitimate MLB professional. If he continues to refine his contact skills while maintaining this elite power, the league will need to start paying very close attention to the man behind the mask in Kansas City. Congratulations to Carter Jensen, our Royals Hitter of the Month! View the full article

This past offseason, Dylan Cease signed a 7-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. So far in 2026, he has continued to be one of the dominant strikeout pitchers in all of baseball. How does he do it? In this video, we dive into everything from otherworldly strikeout and whiff rates to a wizard-like arsenal. View the full article

Minnesota native Matt Wallner is off to a brutal start, and the same concerns keep resurfacing. It's fair to wonder if the Twins are running out of patience. View the full article

Player development is often where organizations separate themselves, and the Minnesota Twins are making sure they are not standing still. In a recent appearance on Inside Twins, Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail offered a detailed look into how the organization is rethinking pitching usage and in-game strategy across the minor leagues. What emerged from the conversation was a clear theme. The Twins are not just tweaking around the edges. They are actively challenging long-held norms about how pitchers are deployed and how information flows during a game. The goal is not only better performance today, but a more adaptable and durable pitching pipeline for the future. One of the most notable changes centers on how starting pitchers are used. Traditionally, starters work every five days and build toward 100 pitch outings. Minnesota is pushing against that model by experimenting with a four-day rotation paired with shorter outings. Last year, the Twins tried it with a handful of guys, but this year, it's expanded to about a dozen pitchers. “Honestly, we've been doing a lot of research and talking a lot about this for a long time,” said MacPhail. “We experimented with it in 2025 in a smaller group, and we saw a ton of success. I think the idea behind it…was basically the idea that some of your starting pitcher type guys, some of your best pitchers in the organization, if you put them on a four-day, there's actually some interesting research that they could actually bounce back a little bit quicker if kept under a certain pitch count.” MacPhail continued, “And the benefit of that was they'd actually be able to accrue more innings over the course of a season on that schedule. So we sort of started with a pilot program, and what we saw was the guys that we put on that program having more success in that four-day type role than they had in the previous year, as well as taking down more innings. The group was excited about kind of rolling it out to a bigger group this year, and that's what you're seeing so far in the 2026 season.” The early results gave the Twins confidence to expand the program, and the structure has already produced meaningful workloads. Pitchers like John Klein approached the 100-inning mark last season, a significant benchmark for developing arms. That shift, however, creates logistical challenges. With a mix of four-day and five-day starters and a universal off day, overlap is inevitable. Instead of viewing that as a problem, Minnesota is turning it into an advantage through piggyback outings. “I think what you ultimately see is you have some of your best starting pitchers sort of piggybacking each other,” said MacPhail. “So, an example of that that happened recently was Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas. Kendry was on that four-day schedule, Connor was in a true five-day starter type role. Those guys piggybacked each other and ended up taking down eight plus innings of incredible baseball and Triple-A.” “So I think what it ultimately means is you have sort of more of your starter type guys pitching on top of each other more, but ultimately that's sort of one of the benefits as well, is you kind of have two guys going back and forth, giving you a lot of innings, actually more than a starter pro typically would, is the idea and some two of your best pitchers taking over that workload.” Beyond the immediate results, the approach also creates flexibility in how pitchers transition to the majors. Instead of forcing a binary choice between starter and reliever, the Twins are building pitchers who can handle multiple roles depending on need. The Twins are not stopping with pitcher usage. They are also experimenting with coaches calling pitches during games, a responsibility that has traditionally been the catcher's at the professional level. This is the norm in college baseball, with nearly every program having the coaches call the pitches. “The first is our pitching coaches spend a ton of time going over the advanced process game planning for hitters,” said MacPhail. “Our catchers do as well. But I think if you broke down that time a lot, then the pitching coaches are really the ones that are digging into it and putting in the most work and effort on that front and then helping educate the catchers on that.” MacPhail discussed how the pitching coaches have the information in front of them during the game, making it easier to call pitches. The catcher is relying on recall and memory, which can be challenging with in-game batter changes, different matchups, etc. “I think if you think about it from the outside looking in, it makes sense, just like you see an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator in the NFL or college football calling plays, that the pitching coach would be calling plays, right? So I think it's a copycat league. We've seen some other organizations do that this past year.” So, what are the benefits of coaches calling pitches? “I think there's an ancillary benefit of our lower-level catching prospects, learning the pitch coach calling process from our pitching coaches, kind of spurring more dialogue there. Additionally, I think those games when they're not calling pitches, it helps free them up, and we're interested in do they perform better offensively? Do they perform better from a receiving standpoint, from a blocking and throwing standpoint?” “There's so many things they have to worry about during the course of a game. If we take this sort of mental workload off them, well, we actually see their performance take up some too. So, you know, I'm not going to pretend like we know for sure that it's going to be a huge success, but it's something that we want to experiment with in the minor leagues, and ultimately, you know, it's a testing ground to bring these concepts to the major league team.” For an organization that has consistently emphasized development, these changes represent a willingness to rethink the blueprint. Not every experiment will stick, and MacPhail was clear that there are tradeoffs worth evaluating. Still, the Twins are leaning into the idea that the minor leagues should be a proving ground for innovation. If the early returns hold, Minnesota may not just be developing pitchers. It may be reshaping how they are developed across the game. Will these changes be successful in the minors? How will this impact the big-league level? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

As is true of most teams, Brewers catchers have been far more successful in using baseball’s new ABS challenge system than their hitters have been. According to Statcast, catchers across the league (plus a small handful of pitchers) have won 59% of challenges, while hitters have won just 46%. That’s not surprising; catchers have a much better view of the strike zone from behind the plate than hitters do in the batter’s box. “People were saying back in spring training, like, it's going to take a while for the hitters, because they have, all of a sudden, the new strike zone,” said Pat Murphy, referring to the the system not using the rulebook 3D strike zone, but a 2D zone above the middle of the plate, determined based on percentages of the batter’s measured height. “Catchers do, too, but they've obviously got the view [behind the plate] that no one has.” What has been surprising, though, is just how poorly the Brewers have utilized their challenges on offense. Their catchers have combined to win a nearly average 57% of challenges, but their hitters have won just 33%, which ranks 28th among 30 teams. Overturn rate alone does not supply context for those challenges, nor does it measure whether the Brewers have a sound strategy that they’re executing well enough. More than anything, the club evaluates challenge decisions on the situation, wanting hitters and catchers to use it in the most impactful moments. “I think you could say leverage or non-leverage,” Murphy said last week of challenge situations. “If it’s a pitch that alters the at-bat—so strike three, ball four, something like that—look at those things. Guys in scoring position make it a bigger situation.” Statcast uses a pitch’s location and run probability to determine which are reasonable challenge opportunities. Using data on the types of pitches and situations in which most players across the league challenge, it also estimates how many runs a team has gained from its challenges, compared to expected runs gained. On average, 66% of challenges initiated by hitters have qualified as reasonable challenges. Milwaukee hitters are slightly above that mark at 67%, yet they’ve gained 0.5 fewer expected runs from overturns than expected, which ranks 23rd in the league. The Brewers have made some noticeably poor challenges lately. Greg Jones exhausted their final challenge in the fourth inning last week on a called strike almost entirely in the zone, and Garrett Mitchell lost it in the second inning over the weekend on a pitch on the outside corner. The real issue, though, is that they have not challenged enough at opportune times; their 15% challenge rate on reasonable opportunities ranks 27th. “It’s when you don’t challenge on a ball that’s clearly incorrect in an opportune time or a leverage time,” Murphy said. “We call them ‘fives.’ When you get a five, if you don’t challenge, you’re hurting your club. Even if it’s this much off.” The Brewers have such a low success rate because they decline to challenge more pitches that would be overturned. They’ve taken 90 called strikes outside the zone this year, the sixth-most in baseball. That hesitancy has been a theme throughout their lineup. With the exception of Gary Sanchez, who has been one of baseball’s most aggressive challengers, the team doesn't have anyone on the active roster who is proactive in suing for their rights at the edges of the zone. Whether it’s a fear of losing a challenge or a lack of discernment on pitches around the edges, it’s been a surprising weakness for a lineup that prides itself on knowing the strike zone. The Brewers have become known for winning on the margins, but they’re currently losing on this one. Murphy noted that there could be some understandable growing pains for hitters who have not used the challenge system before, but they must improve over time. “As long as our catchers are trending in the right direction, I think that’s equally as important,” Murphy said. “The hitters now [have] to get a little more comfortable with it.” View the full article

It shouldn't work this way, but there always tends to be a "winner" and a "loser" in a trade between two teams. The ideal should be a "win-win" for both sides. However, in reality, there's always a team that seems to get a little more value in a trade, whether in the short term or the long term. When the Royals traded away reliever Angel Zerpa to the Brewers for outfielder Isaac Collins and reliever Nick Mears, it seemed to make sense for both the Brewers and Royals. The Royals not only got some bullpen depth, but also an outfielder who could get on base and play decent defense. As for the Brewers, they got a lefty reliever with some high-leverage setup man upside. Jack Stern of Brewers Fanatic seemed more optimistic about the Brewers' return in the deal, even though they gave up two MLB players to Kansas City. Here's what he said about Zerpa in his piece. Unfortunately, the Brewers received some difficult news today regarding Zerpa. It was announced that he would be receiving Tommy John surgery. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Not only will surgery end Zerpa's 2026 season, but it will also cause him to start the 2027 season late. That's not exactly what the Brewers envisioned when they acquired the Venezuelan pitcher from Kansas City. On the flip side, Mears and Collins both contributed to the Royals' 5-3 win over the Guardians, Kansas City's fifth straight. Mears pitched an inning in relief and struck out one while allowing no hits and no walks on eight pitches. As for Collins, he went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and hit his third home run of the season. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== While we know Zerpa is out for the rest of the year, what have the Royals gotten in Mears and Collins so far this season? Furthermore, what could Royals fans expect from them for the remainder of the year, and perhaps in 2027? Let's break down those questions and why the Royals have come out well in this trade. Collins Heating Up After A Slow Start Things weren't initially looking good for Collins at the plate, prompting many Royals fans to ask whether Milwaukee knew a serious decline was on the horizon for the former Creighton product. After his April 21st game against the Orioles, Collins was hitting .183 with a .513 OPS. The latter was his lowest OPS of the season. Over the past 15 days, Collins has been hitting .288 with a .397 OBP and .462 slugging in 52 at-bats. Over that time frame, he has 15 hits, two home runs, eight RBI, nine walks to 17 strikeouts, and two stolen bases. Over the past seven days, his numbers have been even better. In his last 22 at-bats, he is hitting .364 with a .444 OBP and .636 slugging. He also has four walks to five strikeouts over the past seven days, showing that he's locked onto opposing pitchers better than ever. For the season, Collins is hitting .255 with a .366 OBP and .760 OPS in 94 at-bats. He has also seen a strong upward trend in xwOBA, as shown below via Savant. When looking at his Statcast percentiles, the 28-year-old outfielder has been questionable in a few categories, especially when it comes to whiff and Z-Contact%. That said, he's been excellent in O-Swing% and BB%, and has been showing promising trends in bat speed, pull air%, and max EV. Those trends can all be seen via his TJ Stats Statcast summary. While the 90th EV and Max EV rank in the 63rd and 69th percentiles, respectively, his barrel rate ranks in the 43rd percentile, and his hard-hit rate ranks in the 38th percentile. Furthermore, Collins' .301 xwOBA ranks in the 38th percentile, and his TJBat+ of 89 ranks in the 47th percentile. Thus, Collins has been good, but he's probably not much more than a good bottom-of-the-order hitter. Thankfully, the Royals have been utilizing him just as that. 97 of his 111 plate appearances have come in the 7th or 8th spot in the batting order. Mears Getting By With Solid Stuff (And Batted-Ball Luck) Mears has been an interesting bullpen arm for manager Matt Quatraro this season. On one end, the former Brewers reliever is posting a 2.13 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 14 appearances and 12.2 IP. However, he has a .182 BABIP, and his K% and K-BB% have been lackluster, evidenced by rates of 20% and 6.0%, respectively. Thus, it's no surprise that Mears' 3.18 FIP is much higher than his ERA, and his Stacast percentiles haven't been too great either, per TJ Stats. When looking at this Statcast profile, it's easy for Royals fans to get discouraged and think that major regression is on the way for Mears. And honestly, some regression is probably to be expected. That said, there are two categories that should make Royals fans hopeful: GB% and TJ Stuff+. Mears is generating a GB% of 48.4%, which ranks in the 71st percentile. That ability is key for a reliever like him to get out of jams when the whiffs and strikeouts aren't happening. Based on his 27th percentile whiff rate and 31st percentile K rate, he will need to keep that GB% high to remain effective as a reliever, especially in medium to high leverage opportunities. Even though the whiff, K%, and CSW% (25th percentile) aren't impressive, there's reason to believe that they could get better, especially considering his TJ Stuff+, which ranks in the 74th percentile with a 105 mark. When looking at his overall TJ Stuff+ summary this year, even though the chase and whiff haven't been great, all his pitches have sported great TJ Stuff+ marks so far with the Royals. Mears' four-seamer, slider, and changeup have been borderline elite in terms of TJ Stuff+. They all sport marks of 106 or higher, which is solid, especially for a reliever. That said, he's struggled to throw those pitches in the zone. The four-seamer has a zone rate of 44.3%, his slider has a 38.6% zone rate, and his changeup has a 20.7% zone rate. If Mears is able to improve the control on those three pitches and find the strike zone more, it's likely that his chase and whiff will improve as a result. Here's an example of Mears pumping the four-seamer on the edge of the strike zone to generate a swing-and-miss from the White Sox's Colson Montgomery back on April 12th. It's obvious in the video clip below that the four-seamer has good enough shape and velocity to be successful. TDY1Tk9fWGw0TUFRPT1fQndjRVhGMVFBZ1lBREZVR1VnQUhWd0lIQUZsVVd3TUFCbEFDQmd0UkFsRlRCd0VD.mp4 Let's hope that Mears is starting to gain some much-needed control over those three pitches going forward. If he does, he could be in line to get some more setup innings in the near future. Looking at Zerpa and Overall Thoughts From the Deal Even before the injury, Zerpa's first season in Milwaukee wasn't looking good. In 12.2 IP, he had a 6.39 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. His K% was just 14.5%, and his K-BB% was 3.6%. In terms of his Statcast percentiles, he did a good job of flooding the strike zone and generating groundballs, which is what he did well in Kansas City, too. Unfortunately, that was just two of the few areas where he succeeded with the Brewers pre-injury. The positive aspect of Zerpa for the Brewers is that he isn't arbitration-eligible until next year, and his price tag should be low thanks to injury. He also won't be a free agent until 2029, so the Brewers still have some time to see what Zerpa could turn into post-Tommy John surgery. Still, it isn't exactly the start the Brewers were hoping for with the talented lefty reliever. Conversely, the Royals are probably happy that they didn't just trade Zerpa at the peak of his value, but have received two players who have made an immediate impact on this Royals roster. Granted, not every Royals trade has turned out like this under GM JJ Picollo. While Brady Singer has struggled this year (5.57 ERA and 5.74 FIP in 32.1 IP), the Royals have gotten one sub-par full season from Jonathan India (-0.3 fWAR in 2025) and another season cut short by injury (only 58 PA this season before getting surgery on his shoulder). The Royals may have preferred the innings Singer would have given them instead of the lackluster production from India, even if Singer may never be more than a No. 3 or 4 starter at the MLB level. Still, it's nice to see a trade like the one for Collins and Mears working out. It's also nice to see a former Royal NOT demonstrate their best self after they left Kansas City. Seeing players like Ryan O'Hearn, Brent Rooker, Gabe Speier, and Brad Keller find success with other teams is bittersweet, especially since their talent never felt fully realized with the Royals (I'm not ready to put MJ Melendez in that category). Maybe Zerpa will add to that list by bouncing back from injury in 2027 or 2028. For now, Royals fans can enjoy the production the club received from Collins in the outfield and Mears in the bullpen. View the full article

Heading into the 2026 season, the common questions surrounding this version of the Boston Red Sox were: “Does this team have enough to hit?” and “Where is the power going to come from in this lineup?” Well, outside of seemingly just Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras, both viable answers to those questions, the jury still seems to be out on the other 11 hitters on the roster. And as if their 12-19 start wasn’t bad enough, the offense has gotten off to a dreadful start ranking near or at the bottom of both the AL and MLB, including: 12th in K% (9th worst in AL) 24th in Runs Scored (4th worst in AL) 24th in Batting Average (4th worst in AL) 25th in On Base Percentage (worst in AL only ahead of NY Mets) 29th in Home Runs (worst in AL, only ahead of San Francisco) 29th in Slugging Percentage (worst in AL only ahead of NY Mets) 29th in wRC+ (worst in AL, only ahead of NY Mets) The positive takeaway is there’s plenty of time to turn things around just one month into the season, and an attempt to do so has already been made with the dismissal of former hitting coach Pete Fatse. The concern, though, is that the team may have already dug itself a hole too deep to climb out of. Here’s a look at grades for all 13 of Boston’s hitters for March and April. (Note, all players who appeared in at least one game in March/April have been listed in alphabetical order by last name to help easily review.) Grading Every Red Sox Hitter from April 2026 Wilyer Abreu 30 Games, .307/.373/.482/.855, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 11 XBH, 142 OPS+, 136 wRC+, 7 DRS, 1.7 WAR The decision to make Wilyer Abreu an everyday staple of Boston’s lineup as opposed to one who usually sits versus lefties seems to have paid off so far, as the two-time Gold Glove winner has blossomed into the Red Sox best all-around hitter through the first month and change. Abreu has seen his numbers against lefties jump so significantly from 2025, where he slashed .230/.299/.377/.676, to now hitting .375/.444/.438/.882, that he’s actually performing better against them than righties in all categories except slugging percentage, making him a consistently tough out in Boston’s otherwise struggling lineup. Abreu has been on a tear right from the jump, hitting .400 through the first five games of March and continuing that success right through April where he did not see his average fall below .280. The biggest contributing factors to this success so far can be traced back to the fact that Abreu has cut back on his Chase% from 29.0% to 27.2%, Whiff% from 24.0% to 20.7%, and K% from 24.2% to 17.5% which has allowed him to drastically increase the number of balls he’s squaring up, from 21.9% (16th percentile) in 2025 to 26.6% (60th percentile) so far this season. In an offense that has struggled tremendously so far, and has looked for any signs of consistency, Abreu has been one of the few bright spots. Couple that with his continuously stellar defense with 7 Defensive Runs Saved already and his superb all-around play nets him an A+ grade. Roman Anthony 26 Games, .208/.339/.292/.631, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 XBH, 82 OPS+, 80 wRC+, 3 DRS, 0.4 WAR Prior to the 2026 campaign, the stage was set for the pressure to be immense on Roman Anthony as not only was he garnering MVP predictions from some, but was already being looked at as the next face of the organization at only 21 years old. Now with a full month plus to look back on it seems like you can add de facto clubhouse leader to the list of things on Anthony’s plate as he continues to be one of the first players in front of the cameras & microphones night after night, and you’re left to wonder if that is starting to take a toll on the budding star. To say Anthony’s start to the year has fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. After a strong opening series in Cincinnati, Anthony has been hit with looking caught in between at the plate (24th percentile in K% and 21st in Whiff%), troubles throwing in the outfield, and a back injury that further derailed an already underwhelming season. Anthony is still managing to find his way on base (91st percentile in BB%) and hitting the ball hard (75th percentile), but with just a single home run, five RBI, and currently sitting with the third most strikeouts on the team with 32, the production hasn’t been there nearly enough and is one of the biggest reasons why the Red Sox offense has looked as anemic as it has, earning Anthony a D grade. Willson Contreras 30 Games, .262/.375/.486/.861, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 10 XBH, 143 OPS+, 138 wRC+, 3 DRS, 1.3 WAR Things got off to a bit of a slow start for Willson Contreras in a Red Sox uniform, as he was saddled with a rather unlucky 2-for-17 start with his new club. They say patience is a virtue though, and boy did that ever ring true, as Contreras now leads the Red Sox in: Slugging Percentage, OPS, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, OPS+, and wRC+, while not being too far behind Wilyer Abreu for the team lead in WAR as well. While everyone will point to Contreras’ production at the plate and strong veteran presence in the dugout as his biggest contributions since coming over from St. Louis, an overlooked aspect of his game that has made a significant difference thus far is how he has stabilized a first base position that has been crying out for just that for what has felt like ages, tallying three Defensive Runs Saved and, once again, and team-high five Outs Above Average. If it wasn’t for the aforementioned Abreu, Contreras may take the title as Boston’s best hitter in the lineup so far, but with a little bit more swing and miss in his game (team high 36.1 Whiff%), he falls just behind his fellow Venezuelan teammate. All things considered, Contreras’ well-rounded game still passes this first month plus with flying colors, granting him an A grade on the report card. Jarren Duran 26 Games, .170/.231/.250/.481, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 XBH, 37 OPS+, 31 wRC+, 2 DRS, -0.1 WAR The start to Jarren Duran’s 2026 has been anything but ideal whether you want to focus on his underperformance on the field, his run-in with a fan in Minnesota who he flipped off in retaliation for shouting derogatory comments towards him according to Duran, or his standoffish treatment of the media when asked to comment on the recent firing of Alex Cora, which he met with a side-eye and dismissive backhanded wave away. For the sake of this grade though, I’ll choose to focus on the on-field play that has been anything but up-to-expectations so far. Through his first 26 games, Duran ranks dead last among Boston’s hitters in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and wRC+ with a -0.1 WAR that is second worst only behind Carlos Narvaez’s -0.3. Similarly to Roman Anthony, Duran has looked lost at the plate numerous times this season, so much so that he has begun shuffling through different stances, hand positions, and toe-taps/strides at the plate on a nightly and sometimes at-bat to at-bat basis. None of his adjustments seem to be making a mark though, as he has found himself well below league average in numerous advanced statistics as well, most notably his Whiff% (6th percentile), Chase% (22nd) and Squared-Up% (33rd) which may be contributing to his lack of power so far, with just six extra-base hits, and what undoubtedly hands him an F grade through the first month plus. At least he seems to be turning things around in May. Caleb Durbin 29 Games, .172/.261/.263/.524, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 XBH, 50 OPS+, 46 wRC+, 4 DRS, 0.3 WAR Much like fellow newcomer from the NL Central Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin’s Red Sox career got off to a bit of a slow start, just of a more extreme variety beginning the year on a 1-for-22 skid, and at one point 0 for his first 19. While his turnaround doesn’t come close to the resurgence that Contreras has had, there have been some things to like about Durbin’s game that may start to win over the fanbase if he can continue in the right direction. To start, Durbin was able to close out the month of April hitting safely in five of the final six games, helping bring his batting average up to .172. Still not ideal, but significantly better than his .045 mark to begin the month. When it comes to his approach at the plate, while he is still struggling to barrel the ball up (1.2%, 4th percentile), Durbin isn’t really chasing (78th percentile), or swinging-and-missing (95th in Whiff%, 87th in K%) all that much, leading one to believe the continuation of good at-bats will lead to better outcomes. Where he has shined brightest without question, though, is in the field where he has looked solid at third base, accumulating four Defensive Runs Saved, two Outs Above Average, and a few solid highlights, including most recently a diving stop to preserve Ranger Suarez’s no-hit bid at the time against Toronto. While it hasn’t been a superb start for Durbin by any means, there have been enough improvements through the first month to grant him a (generous) D+ grade. Isiah Kiner-Falefa 14 Games, .229/.270/.229/.499, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 XBH, 44 OPS+, 38 wRC+, 1 DRS, 0.0 WAR When the Red Sox surprisingly (and questionably) gave Isiah Kiner-Falefa $6 million this offseason, the belief was he’d come in and be a platoon option at second-base with Marcelo Mayer against lefties, be an option to get Trevor Story some rest if needed at short, and be a veteran presence in the clubhouse that was lost when Alex Bregman was kicked out the door. Through just 14 games, second fewest on the team only ahead of Connor Wong, it seems like Kiner-Falefa is only doing one of those things, and not even all that well. While he has looked slightly better at the dish of late, coming up with some clutch hits and producing all three of his RBIs to the tune of a .286 average and .571 OPS in the final five games of April, the results haven’t justified the investment with Kiner-Falefa. His defense, bunting, and base running abilities, all supposed strengths of his game, haven't been average to below at best. And when he is making contact, there aren’t many fireworks there either with zero extra base hits and an Average Exit Velocity of 81.7, exponentially below league average. His end to April is the only thing that truly saves him from an F grade on his first report card of the season, coming out with a D grade. That being said, one wonders how many more report cards he may even be a part of with the likes of Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, Kristian Campbell, Mickey Gasper, and even spring training roster invitee Vinny Capra all off to better starts in Worcester, ready to replace him if given the opportunity. Marcelo Mayer 27 Games, .253/.321/.373/.695, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 XBH, 97 OPS+, 91 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.2 WAR If Masataka Yoshida was the leader in the clubhouse on questions of where he would fit into the construction of this Red Sox roster, then Marcelo Mayer was the leader whether he would even be on it. Between offseason trade rumors for Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, to former manager Alex Cora directly saying Mayer had to earn his roster spot leading some to believe a trip to Worcester was on the table for Mayer, there wasn’t much certainty for the second-year pro. Despite all the noise, Mayer put together a strong spring training and earned that Opening Day roster nod, and despite not being in the lineup to start, was able to come through with two clutch at-bats to help secure Boston’s 3-0 victory. Mayer did cool off quite a bit after a hot start in Cincinnati but has seemed to turn a corner once again as in his final 10 games of April, slashed .417/.462/.542/1.003 with 10 hits and four RBI. Through March/April, defense has continued to be Mayer’s calling card, fully taking over the second base role and racking up two Defensive Runs Saved, good for an elite level 89th percentile. Where Mayer has shown tremendous strides though is his approach at the plate, as he’s not only decreased his Chase% from 29.6% in 2025, to 23.7% this season, but cut his K% practically in half from 30.1% to 16.3%, which is good enough to spot him a B- grade out of the gate. Andruw Monasterio 15 Games, .227/.292/.386/.678, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 XBH, 91 OPS, 84 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.1 WAR After being acquired as part of the package that brought Caleb Durbin to Boston from Milwaukee, Andruw Monasterio’s opportunity to make the roster came thanks to an offseason injury to lefty-killer utility man Romy Gonzalez. It seemed like that would be the role Monasterio, who slashed .273/.360/.477/.837 with two home runs and 10 RBI last year, would be taking on heading in to 2026. As we turn the calendar to May, it seems that might not necessarily be the case. Monasterio actually has more plate appearances against righties (26) than lefties (22) and has seen far more success against them too, owning a .280/.308/.400/.708 line with seven hits against them, compared to his .158/.273/.368/.641 one with just three hits against lefties. While the numbers don’t jump off the page by any means, Monasterio has been a fine utility bench option who has worked counts and fill in wherever the Red Sox have needed him to so far with at least one appearance at every infield spot — netting him with a C grade to start the 2026 campaign. Carlos Narvaez 19 Games, .234/.258/.359/.617, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 XBH, 74 OPS+, 65 wRC+, -2 DRS, -0.3 WAR After a breakout campaign in 2025, expectations were high for fan-favorite catcher Carlos Narvaez to build off an impressive all-around rookie campaign both offensively and behind the plate. While Narvaez has still been elite behind the plate in terms of Blocks Above Average (97th percentile) and Framing (98th percentile), he has seen his Caught Stealing Above Average drop from the 98th percentile to the 70th percentile as well as his Pop Time increase from 1.92 to 1.98. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Narvaez’s early season struggles, apart from a slow start at the plate that he started to turn around at the end of April (.763 OPS with two homers and three RBI in the final 10 games), has to be his poor ABS performance. A spot where many figured Narvaez would shine due to his excellent command of the strike zone behind the plate has been anything but as he’s won just 33% of his challenges (4/12) on a meager 1.1% Challenge Rate. If there is a positive takeaway to be had with Narvaez and the ABS Challenge System, it’s that four of them led to a strikeout being gained as a result of challenging with one also resulting in a walk being taken away. While his start hasn’t been as poor as others, Narvaez definitely has not lived up to the expectations set for him before the season, leading to a C- grade. Ceddanne Rafaela 29 Games, .263/.333/.379/.712, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 XBH, 102 OPS+, 98 wRC+, 0 DRS, 0.3 WAR When it comes to Ceddanne Rafaela, you have a pretty good understanding of what you’re going to get, elite defense in centerfield and a bat that will be as hot as a pistol when he’s locked in and cold as ice when he’s chasing out of the strike zone. Or perhaps, that might be pre-2026 Rafaela, as so far this season it’s been his defense that has taken a slight backseat out of the gate in favor of a much better approach at the plate that includes a surprising amount of patience through his first 29 games. Now while there have been a couple of miscues in center field, there have still been plenty of outstanding catches that suggest nothing drastic has changed in that aspect of his game. What’s worth noting specifically in Rafaela’s hitting is he has drastically improved two areas of his game that plagued him tremendously in 2025, that being Chase% (2nd percentile), and BB% (7th percentile), both of which have climbed to the 16th and 15th percentiles in their respective categories. And while the power hasn’t come just yet, one other improvement to his game offensively is Rafaela appears to be having more success at squaring up the ball this year, as that percentage has climbed from the 39th percentile in 2025 to the 62nd in 2026. There’s a lot to like about where Rafaela’s game is at right now with hope that his offensive numbers continue to improve and defense stays at its elite level, securing himself a B grade. Trevor Story 30 Games, .197/.237/.295/.532, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 8 XBH, 50 OPS+, 41 wRC+, -1 DRS, 0.0 WAR Coming off his best season in a Red Sox uniform, one where he was finally healthy, slugging 25 home runs and 96 RBI with an OPS of .741 in 157 games, many wondered if Trevor Story had an encore performance in him, with the added pressure of starting the year as Boston’s No. 2 hitter with the exit of Alex Bregman. Some doubted this belief and as we sit here now 30 games into Story’s season, those doubters may be able to take a victory lap. Outside of a two-week stretch from April 6th to the 17th, where he was coincidentally removed from the two-hole in the lineup and slashed .282/.302/.436/.738 with one home run and 15 of his 17 RBI this season, Story has been simply abysmal. Not only seeing his decline in the field continue to deteriorate with a Range and Arm Strength in the 31st and 22nd percentiles to go along with a team high four errors, but at the plate as well with extremely low Whiff (27th percentile), K (16th), BB% (12th) and Chase (2nd) percentages along with again a team-high 40 strikeouts. Factor in that Story was one of the most vocal and visibly upset members of the club when asked about Alex Cora’s dismissal, going so far as to publicly request a meeting with Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and question the direction of the franchise along with his struggles and you begin to see why he earns a D- grade to begin the season, with his only saving grace from a F being that two week stretch where he seemed to carry Boston’s offense at times. Connor Wong 13 Games, .243/.333/.378/.712, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 XBH, 102 OPS+, 98 wRC+, 2 DRS, 0.6 WAR After an injury-riddled 2025 saw him lose his starting role to rookie newcomer Carlos Narvaez and an offseason that saw the Red Sox seemingly put an emphasis on catching depth with the amount of names they brought in via trade and free agency, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Connor Wong. Even after a lackluster spring training, Wong still managed to win a roster spot as Boston’s backup and through his first 13 games, has looked at times like there should be a conversation about him winning the starting gig back. In just 43 plate appearances, Wong’s five RBI and extra-base hits apiece have already come close to surpassing his totals in those two categories (seven & eight) than he had in all of 2025. What’s been encouraging from Wong, who has not been shy about noting how hampered he was a season ago at the plate due to nagging hands and finger injuries, is driving the ball with more authority as shown by his increased Hard-Hit and Squared-Up percentages. Wong has also been quite successful in utilizing MLB’s new ABS challenge system behind the dish, winning four out of his five challenges while also flipping a strikeout call in Boston’s favor. Even with a resurgence at the plate, where Wong still struggles — and where his grade takes a hit — is defensively behind the plate, where he owns a below-league-average Pop Time of 1.98 seconds and a -2 Blocks Above Average rate (15th percentile). Still, his strong contributions are worthy of a B- grade at the very least. Masataka Yoshida 18 Games, .265/.390/.327/.716, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 XBH, 106 OPS+, 109 wRC+, -2 DRS, 0.0 WAR There may not be a player on the Red Sox roster that had a bigger question mark on them than Masataka Yoshida heading into the 2026 season. Not necessarily because of his ability, but where exactly was he going to play with Boston’s outfield logjam never truly addressed in the offseason? As the calendar turns to May, those same questions still haven’t really been answered as Yoshida has appeared in 18 games so far, only starting 13 (11 DH / 2 LF) and being used as a pinch hitter in five. When Yoshida has seen the field, he continues to show excellent patience (13.6% Whiff% and 15.3% BB%) and command of the strike zone (23.3% Chase% and 11.9% K%), something the rest of some of his teammates haven’t been so lucky with. There have been plenty of times so far this season where the Red Sox could have used Yoshida’s professional approach at the plate to help a slumping lineup, but with no end in sight to the outfield dilemma, and the fact he’s seen as a defensive liability there (-2 DRS) constantly limiting him to mainly DH duties, it doesn’t feel like he’s going to see any consistent playing time anytime soon to fully showcase those offensive talents. Add it all up, and he seems worthy of perhaps a generous and respectable B- grade to round out the March/April report card for Boston’s hitters. View the full article

The New York Mets' top offensive performer during the first month-plus of the 2026 season was obvious:. he was the one guy who hit in March/April. Choosing the two runners-up in our rankings was the real challenge. The decision came down to the few players who produced just middling wRC+ numbers. An uninspired method of sorting out an uninspiring group. With that process now complete, here's Grand Central Mets' inaugural Hitters of the Month list: Ranking Mets' Best Hitters In April 3. Francisco Lindor March/April stats: .226 AVG, .314 OBP, 18.1 K rate, 10.5 BB rate, .129 ISO, 94 wRC+ Lindor got off to an odd start at the plate. He walked 10 times in the club's first eight games and had twice as many bases on balls as hits. He looked like an old-school leadoff hitter. But then, the patience ran out. Lindor walked just once more in his next 16 games before he went down with a calf injury April 22 vs. the Minnesota Twins. His selectiveness (a career-low 45.3 percent swing rate) didn't translate to better outcomes. His contact rate was a career-low 76.9 percent and his line-drive rate was a career-low 17.6 percent. Still, his overall performance was good enough to rate a place on this list. 2. Francisco Alvarez March/April stats: .226 AVG, .313 OBP, 21.4 K rate, 9.2 BB rate, .179 ISO, 105 wRC+ The catcher was one of just two Mets regulars to produce an above-average wRC+ in the first month-plus. That was enough to put him on this list. He tallied four home runs and three doubles, but his overall batted-ball stats weren't exceptional: a 34.4 percent hard-hit rate, a 14.1 percent line-drive rate and a 50.0 percent ground-ball rate. But there were also signs that he was maturing as a hitter. He was on pace to post career highs in overall contact rate and zone contact rate prior to a late-month slump. 1. Juan Soto March/April stats: .345 AVG, .441 OBP, 11.8 K rate, 14.7 BB rate, .224 ISO, 185 wRC+ Soto did what he could to breathe life into the offense, both before and after missing 15 games due to a calf strain. He slugged .569 and got on base at a .441 clip in 68 plate appearances. He also smacked three home runs; his opposite-field blast vs. the Washington Nationals on April 28 punctuated a seven-run inning in an 8-0 win. At the time, it felt like the hit that would get everyone going. As usual, he was unwilling to expand the strike zone, no matter the situation. He walked at a 26.3 percent rate with runners in scoring position as opponents avoided pitching to the club's lone threat. And, he avoided becoming pull-happy with the club lacking in slug. His center-field batted ball rate was 42 percent, compared to a 40 percent pull rate. In other words, he remained Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in MLB. View the full article

All statistics from before first pitch on May 5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been a productive offensive weapon for the Toronto Blue Jays, but his power numbers are near the worst of his eight-year career. This season, Guerrero is slashing .333/.421/.437 with 21 runs and 15 knocked in, but only two home runs. That number of home runs is fewer than Brandon Valenzuela's three, and he's a defense-first catcher who started the season in Triple-A. Vladdy is the face of the Blue Jays franchise and the team's $500 million man, even though he has never matched the 48 home runs he hit in 2021, ranging from 23 to 32 each season following. One of the main reasons for the power decrease since his breakout is that the righty batter has exceeded that season's 9.4-degree average launch angle only once. That one season was 2023, when Guerrero hit 26 home runs with a 10.5-degree average angle. Since then, he hasn't exceeded 8.2 degrees, which is his current mark. His fly ball rate is also the lowest it's been in several years. What's even more concerning is that Vladdy is posting some of his worst quality-of-contact numbers since his 2019 rookie season. His hard-hit rate (43.8 percent), barrel percentage (10.7 percent), and average exit velocity (91.2 mph) are his lowest since 2019 or 2020, his first two MLB seasons. These decreases, combined with his failure to elevate the ball, have led to Guerrero's struggles to hit home runs. While taking a deep dive into his statistics, it's important to remember that although his declines in some areas are concerning, the season is only a few weeks old, so the sample is small. Where the Blue Jays first baseman is thriving is in the contact department, with a career-best 12.1% strikeout rate. His expected batting average of .316 ranks in the 97th percentile and would tie his career high set in 2024. This metric is backed by his high line-drive rate and noticeable up-the-middle approach. The Blue Jays' highest-paid player has been more content driving the ball to center than pulling it, with a straightaway rate nearly 10 percentage points higher than his pull rate. With this strategy, it's harder to hit a home run, but it shows that his timing is near perfect. It seems his mentality at the plate is to be a top-of-the-order hitter trying to get on base, instead of a three or four-hole hitter who will use power to drive in runs. Though the mindset and mentality might be concerning, none of it means that Vladdy isn't an exceptional player. What's frustrating is that he is only 27 and has the natural talent to produce more power. The fix could be as simple as a slight mechanical change in his swing to pull the ball more often and generate more fly balls. If not, the Blue Jays will need to move forward with a plan to add power around Guerrero, as the current roster ranks 22nd in MLB in home runs. Kazuma Okamoto is carrying the load, with nine of the team's 33 home runs, but hopefully, answers are on their way. Addison Barger has begun a rehab stint in Single A, where he homered in his first game. The slugger struggled mightily to start the season, posting a .279 OPS and -16 wRC+ before he hit the injured list. The Blue Jays desperately need Barger to overcome his struggles and bring power to a roster that has no one besides Okamoto with more than four home runs this season. For Blue Jays fans, it may be time to change your expectations for the $500 million man. He might no longer be the slugger you once knew. Now, he looks like the "get on-base guy" that he used to drive in. He's still to be appreciated and cheered for, as he's the team's offensive leader and will be for many years to come. View the full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the first May edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report. This report covers the games played from April 28-May 3. Triple-A Jacksonville Our Fish On First Prospect of the Week is Jacob Berry, who going into Sunday's series finale against the Durham Bulls was slashing .313/.427/.458/.885 with two home runs, 16 RBI and a 143 wRC+. In this series against the Bulls, Berry was 7-for-26 with one home run and five RBI. Through 24 games, Berry leads the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in OPS, on-base percentage, slugging and is second in batting average. He is eighth in the International League in OBP. Unfortunately, a big league call-up is being held back because of his defense, where he continues to not have a definitive home. He has played third base—where he has committed six errors—and the corner outfield spots. If Graham Pauley continues to struggle at the plate, maybe the Marlins will be left with no choice but to call up the former first-round pick. Kemp Alderman through 28 games is slashing .287/.379/.455/.835 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 126 wRC+. The big downside thus far has been the increased strikeout rate, now at 34.5% going into Sunday's game, but he is walking at a career-high 10.3% rate. This past week, Alderman started a game at first base, the only time he has ever done that throughout his Marlins minor league career. With the current first base situation and so much depth in the outfield, it gives Alderman an easier path to making it to the big leagues. The only unfortunate part is that you would be limiting his arm, that grades out as above average. On the mound, Robby Snelling continues to dominate. He is now tied with New York Mets' Jonah Tong for the most strikeouts in Triple-A this season. For the season, he now has a 1.86 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 13.66 K/9 and 4.66 BB/9 in 29 innings pitched. In this most recent start, Snelling tossed five no-hit innings, striking out nine in the process. His fastball topped out at 96.1 mph and averaged 94.7 mph. His curveball continues to be his best pitch, generating six of his 11 total whiffs and four of his five strikeouts came on that pitch. At this point, there is nothing left for Snelling to prove in the minor leagues. He is more than ready for a Marlins call-up, which could come as soon as Friday against the Washington Nationals. Bradley Blalock, who the Marlins acquired from the Colorado Rockies, tossed six innings against Durham, striking out a season-high 12. Despite the high strikeout number, he has a 3.09 ERA and 4.96 FIP on the season. The main reasoning for his high FIP is the amount of elevated contact that he has allowed. In his start against Durham, his fastball topped out at 96.0 mph and averaged 94.2 mph. With the fastball, he generated 10 whiffs and collected seven of his 12 strikeouts on that pitch. His splitter was also a good pitch, generating six whiffs and struck out three. The Marlins likely will not need to call-up Blalock any time soon with the pitching depth that they do have on their hands, but it is worth noting that they will have to make a choice on if they want him on the big league team or not in 2027 with his final minor league option being burnt. Relievers William Kempner and Jack Ralston continue to be workhorses out of the Jumbo Shrimp bullpen. Kempner was called up to Miami on Tuesday. Ralston has been the more effective one with a 1.10 ERA, 2.45 FIP and 13.78 K/9. The only downside is the 6.06 BB/9. Like Kempner just did. Ralston should make his big league debut at some point this season. Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Wahoos enjoyed success this week as well at home against Biloxi. After dropping the first game of the series, Pensacola charged back to win out the rest of the week, improving to one game under .500 on the season. Gage Miller had a great series for Pensacola, starting four games and going 5-for-13 including home runs in each of his first two appearances. He finished his week with a 2-for-4, two-double effort. Altogether, he drove in seven runs. Miller came out of college as a third-round pick in 2024 highly heralded for his offensive skills, namely his bat speed and intelligence in controlling the strike zone. He was also lauded for good raw strength as scouts saw within him the possibility for 20+ homers. Miller’s patience and ability to limit strikeouts followed him to the pro level in his first full season last year, as he walked nearly as much as he struck out (65/55 K/BB), but he had trouble finding the barrel as he hit just .211 with a .313 slug. So far at Double-A this season, Miller has solved what ailed him last year and appears to be adjusting well to pro stuff as he is currently slashing .278/.355/.500. Defensively, Miller has split time between third base and second base. Because of his limited arm strength, he's probably a better fit for the latter. Miller is not a name talked about a lot, but if he keeps hitting and sticks at a premium position, that could and should soon change. It was another great week for Marlins’ trade return piece Brendan Jones, who continues to surge on both sides of the ball. This series, Jones went 8-for-22 including a triple and two doubles. Jones lit it up in the running game, stealing six bases. Currently slashing .241/.359/.483 with 10 steals, early returns from Jones in his tenure as a Marlin could not be much better. One area in which Jones could improve is with strikeouts as he’s striking out a career high 28% of the time, but he’s also still walking at a solid 14% clip. One of the most encouraging parts of Jones’ game is his ability to spray the ball to all fields—he’s gone pull 38% of the time and to center and left 31% each. Mostly entrusted with left field, Jones has covered all necessary ground and then some, putting his 70-grade speed to even better use. If Jones continues hitting at this clip and gets the strikeouts further in check, he may not be far away from contributing to the big league team either late this year or out of camp in 2027. Beloit Sky Carp Despite struggling mightily for pitching depth, the Sky Carp’s series in Lake County was a success as they won it four games to two. The series was highlighted by an explosive offensive performance on Sunday in which Beloit plated 16 runs. Driving the Sky Carp’s 16-run barrage in the final game of their series was Colby Shade, Miami’s ninth-round pick from 2023. Coming into the game after having hit just one home run across two levels in 2025, Shade laid the hammer down on the Captains, homering three times and driving in a whopping eight runs. Shade now has four homers in his past five games. The performance was extremely eye-popping for the 6’, 205-pound outfielder, but Shade is 24 playing at the High-A level for a third straight season. He does own remarkable speed which has alotted him 104 stolen bases in 223 career games and he also owns good patience, which has earned him a career .370 OBP, including .382 this season. However, Shade hasn’t done enough with the bat in term of contact rates and hard-hit rates to warrant consideration in what has become a crowded outfield situation at the higher levels of the minors. If this game was the start of that changing, Shade, who will be Rule 5-eligible this winter, could garner a longer look at Double-A. Aiva Arquette, the Marlins’ first-round pick from this past year, made his long-awaited season debut with the Sky Carp after he underwent core muscle surgery during spring training. Arquette played the first two games of the series and showed well, going 3-for-8 with all three of his hits being doubles. He drove in five runs. Also, Arquette performed well in the field, showing smooth actions and a strong arm at shortstop, proving that, despite unusual size for the position, he can hold it down well. That in conjunction with his whippy line-drive bat with moderate uppercut and quiet mechanics behind it give Aiva a high floor and a pretty high ceiling as a plus offensive threat that can play premium positions. At 22, he could be challenged rather quickly to the upper minors. With continued success in Beloit, a second-half promotion is likely. The only bad news for Arquette: he got injured again. After the third game of the series, he did not play again the rest of the week. The update on Aiva was encouraging though: Fish On First has learned that Arquette’s ailment is simple wrist soreness and he plans to play again in Beloit’s next series this week. Low-A Jupiter Emilio Barreras was drafted by the Marlins in the eighth round of the most recent draft. After a slow start, he has picked it up and is slashing .271/.435/.458/.894 with two home runs, nine RBI and a 153 wRC+. He hit home runs in back-to-back games. 21-year-old catcher Carlos Sánchez is off to a hot start this season, slashing .225/.340/.525/.865 with four home runs, 10 RBI and a 132 wRC+. Sánchez, who was an international signing in 2022, was successful in 2025 in his first taste of the Low-A level, but repeated the level going into this season. He is also working great at-bats, striking out only 14.9% of the time and walking 12.8% of the time. A promotion to Beloit could be in the cards soon. This week's MiLB schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Charlotte Double-A Pensacola vs. Rocket City High-A Beloit at Fort Wayne Low-A Jupiter vs. Palm Beach FCL Marlins vs. FCL Mets, FCL Astros and FCL Nationals View the full article

Toronto Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro sat down for an interview on BNN Bloomberg earlier this week. While introducing Shapiro, anchor Merella Fernandez mentioned that the team brought in a record $445 million of revenue in 2025. This is the first time I've heard that $445 million figure, although I later checked and found it lines up with the team's 2025 revenue estimate from Forbes. While Shapiro did not personally confirm the number, the framing of the interview ("Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro shares how the team brought in $445 million revenue") certainly makes it seem like the executive is endorsing its accuracy. I can't say I'm all that invested in the particulars of Rogers' financials, but every further detail about how much freaking money the team made last season is a good sign that ownership will continue to invest in the Blue Jays' roster – and I'm all for that. View the full article

In each of his eight seasons with the Florida/Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton belted at least 22 home runs. On this day 10 years ago, he reached double digits for the seventh straight year with a dramatic blast. Against the Philadelphia Phillies, Stanton’s blast broke the tie and lifted the Miami Marlins to a thrilling 6-4 victory. After racing to a 4-0 lead, the Marlins had not scored since the second inning as they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth at Marlins Park on May 6, 2016. Following a scoreless seventh from Andrew Bailey, Philadelphia turned to hard-throwing Héctor Neris. Neris had gotten Martín Prado to ground out to open the inning. After a one-out single from Christian Yelich, Stanton came to the plate. Stanton took the first pitch for a ball. The second, he sent into orbit. Neris left an 87-mph pitch out over the plate and Stanton was able to send it beyond the home run sculpture in left-centerfield for the go-ahead blast. The home run was his 10th of the year and capped the scoring. David Phelps worked a 1-2-3 ninth to record the save. Prior to the eighth, all the Miami offense came early. Yelich got the scoring started with a two-run homer of his own in the first inning. In the second, J.T. Realmuto and Prado put together consecutive RBI singles to double the lead to 4-0. Maikel Franco’s RBI double off Wei-Yin Chen got Philadelphia on the board in the third. After Peter Bourjos’ two-run double cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth, Franco tied the game with a solo shot to lead off the fifth. Franco, Bourjos and Freddy Galvis each had two of the 12 hits for the Phillies. Prado, Yelich and Marcell Ozuna each had two knocks for Miami. Kyle Barraclough faced the minimum during a scoreless eighth to earn the win. Limited to 119 games by injury, Stanton would go on to hit 27 home runs during the 2016 season, including 10 in May. His second bomb of the month served as the game-winner for the Marlins. It came on this day 10 years ago. View the full article

The El Paso Chihuahuas walked off Tacoma 10-9 in 10 innings on a wild pitch, with Rodolfo Durán going 4-for-4 with four RBIs. The San Antonio Missions beat Midland 10-5 behind three consecutive home runs, and Victor Lizarraga delivered five scoreless innings of relief of Lucas Giolito. The Lake Elsinore Storm dropped an 8-6 game at Inland Empire after a five-run fifth. Fort Wayne was postponed. Padres Minor-League Transactions Padres optioned LHP Kyle Hart to El Paso Chihuahuas. Padres recalled IF Sung-Mun Song from El Paso Chihuahuas. RHP Lucas Giolito assigned to San Antonio Missions from Lake Elsinore Storm. San Antonio Missions transferred RHP Andrew Dalquist to the Development List. RHP Bernard Jose assigned to ACL Padres from Fort Wayne TinCaps. LHP Javier Chacon assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. LHP Cal Riehl assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Lake Elsinore Storm sent C Ty Harvey on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. Chihuahuas Blow Lead, But Rally For 10th-Inning Victory Over Rainiers Jase Bowen scored on a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the 10th as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas overcame a five-run eighth inning by Tacoma to hand the Rainiers a 10-9 loss. El Paso blew a 7-1 lead after three innings, but came up with its third walk-off win and snapped a three-game losing streak. Rodolfo Duran homered as part of a four-hit, four-RBI performance, Pablo Reyes went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs and Nick Solak had three hits and scored twice for the Chihuahuas. Reyes has reached base safely in all 23 games he has played this year. Mason McCoy singled in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, Reyes had an RBI double, Clay Dungan a sacrifice fly and Duran a run-scoring single to put the Missions up 3-1. In the third, Reyes hit an opposite-field three-run homer, his third of the season and Duran had a two-out RBI double for a 7-1 advantage. Tacoma scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to make it 7-4. Duran led off the bottom of the sixth with his fourth homer and then, in the seventh, singled home another for a 9-4 lead. But the Rainiers scored five times in the top of the eighth to tie it. In the 10th, Bowen was the zombie runner at second, went to third on Samad Taylor's weak groundout to third and scored on a wild pitch on the second pitch to Nate Mondou. Missions right-handed starter Evan Fitterer allowed four runs on five hits and five walks with one strikeout in 4⅓ innings. Right-hander Alek Jacob got the win after striking out five in 2⅓ innings. EP_0505.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jase Bowen, CF 6 1 0 0 0 3 Samad Taylor, LF 6 0 0 0 0 2 Will Wagner, 2B 4 1 2 0 1 0 Nate Mondou, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nick Solak, DH 4 2 3 0 1 0 Pablo Reyes, 3B 5 2 3 4 0 1 Nick Schnell, RF 4 2 1 0 1 2 Mason McCoy, SS 5 0 1 0 0 2 Clay Dungan, 2B 3 1 1 1 1 0 Rodolfo Durán, C 4 1 4 4 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 4 1/3 5 4 4 5 1 1 Miguel Cienfuegos 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Logan Gillaspie (H, 2) 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 Eli Villalobos 2/3 3 3 3 0 1 1 Alek Jacob (W, 2-0; BS, 2) 2 1/3 1 2 2 1 5 1 Giolito Struggles, Missions Hit Back-To-Back-To-Back HRs In Win Leandro Cedeno, Tirso Ornelas and Ryan Jackson hit consecutive homers in a five-run third inning as the Double-A San Antonio Missions pulled away late for a 10-5 victory over the Midland RockHounds. San Diego Padres right-hander Lucas Giolito had his third tune-up as he prepares to return to the majors, taking a step up to Double-A after two games at Low-A Lake Elsinore. It was the roughest of the three outings, although some shaky defense didn't help. Giolito pitched three scoreless innings before giving up a five-spot in the fourth. Giolito gave up a leadoff homer and four singles, along with an error and a catcher's interference, leading to the five runs (three earned), trimming the Missions' lead to 6-5. Overall, Giolito gave up eight hits and two walks while striking out a pair. SA1_0505.mp4 Ethan Salas went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored for the Missions, while Cedeno, Jackson and Luis Verdugo each had a pair of hits. The fireworks for the Missions came in the third inning. Up 1-0, Salas and Romeo Sanabria walked to lead off the frame when Cedeno unloaded on the first pitch, sending a towering shot to center for his fourth homer of the season to make it 4-0. His other three homers came during last week's road trip, including one Sunday. Ornelas hit the next pitch off the scoreboard in right field and Jackson sent a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right for the hat trick of homers. It was Ornelas' fifth homer and Jackson's first of the year. After the RockHounds pulled with 6-5 vs. Giolito, the Missions secured the win with a four-run seventh inning. Cedeno doubled, Ornelas and Jackson walked and Braedon Karpathios' groundout to second plated Cedeno. Verdugo had an RBI single, Francisco Acuna a run-scoring groundout and Salas an RBI single. Right-hander Victor Lizarraga relieved Giolito and pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, both teams played as their Copa de la Diversion alter egos, the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio and the Midland Amigos. SA2_0505.mp4 SA3_0505.mp4 SA4_0505.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas, C 5 1 3 1 0 0 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 1 0 0 1 1 Leandro Cedeño, DH 4 2 2 3 0 2 Tirso Ornelas, LF 4 2 1 1 1 1 Ryan Jackson, 2B 3 2 2 1 2 1 Braedon Karpathios, RF 4 1 1 1 1 0 Luis Verdugo, 3B 4 1 2 1 1 0 Francisco Acuna, SS 5 0 1 2 0 2 Kai Murphy, CF 4 0 1 0 0 2 Kai Roberts, CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lucas Giolito 4 8 5 3 2 2 1 Victor Lizarraga (W, 1-3) 5 3 0 0 1 2 0 TinCaps Postponed, Will Play Two Wednesday; McCoy Honored The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were rained out in their series opener against the Beloit Snappers. The two teams will play a doubleheader Wednesday. Right-hander Matt Watson had been scheduled to start for the TinCaps. Also, outfielder Alex McCoy was named Midwest League Player of the Month for April. McCoy led the league in hits (29), doubles (10) and slugging percentage (.683), while being second in batting average (.354), total bases (56) and OPS (1.069). His five home runs were fifth in the league. McCoy had nine games with multiple hits, including three with multiple extra-base hits. Walks Haunt Storm In Loss to 66ers Despite racking up 14 strikeouts, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm pitchers issued eight walks and allowed two eighth-inning runs in an 8-6 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers. Jorge Quintana went 3-for-5, Truitt Madonna hit a two-run homer and Justin DeCriscio had two hits for the Storm, which outhit the 66ers 11-8. The Storm jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Madonna got things going in the top of the first when he followed Bradley Frye's walk and 10th stolen base by crushing his first homer of the season to left. After the 66ers tied it in the bottom of the first, Jose Verdugo, with one out, reached on a two-base error, Qrey Lott walked and Frye had an RBI single to center for a 3-1 lead. Quintana led off the fourth with a single to center and Verdugo attempted to bunt him over, but the pitcher threw the ball away and Quintana scored all the way from first to make it 4-1, with Verdugo ending up at third. Inland Empire scored five times in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead, but the Storm came back with a run in the sixth on Verdugo's sacrifice fly and another in the seventh on Conner Westenburg's leadoff triple and DeCriscio's one-out single to center to tie it 6-6. But the 66ers reclaimed the lead in the eighth on a pair of bases-loaded walks. Storm right-hander Winyer Chourio turned in another strong start, allowing one run on two hits but walking four and striking out six in four innings. LE_0505.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye, 3B 4 1 1 1 1 1 Justin DeCriscio, RF 5 0 2 1 0 2 Truitt Madonna, C 5 1 1 2 0 1 Luke Cantwell, 1B 3 0 1 0 2 1 Kerrington Cross, PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Duarte, DH 4 1 0 0 0 1 Jorge Quintana, SS 5 1 3 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo, 2B 3 1 1 1 0 1 Qrey Lott, LF 3 0 1 0 1 0 Conner Westenburg, CF 3 1 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio 4 2 1 1 4 6 0 Brandon Langley 2/3 3 5 3 1 2 0 Cal Riehl 2 1/3 2 0 0 1 4 0 Sean Barnett (L, 0-1) 1 1 2 2 2 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kash Mayfield: DNP Ethan Salas: 3-for-5, 2B Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Bradgley Rodriguez: DNP Humberto Cruz: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Jorge Quintana: 3-for-5 Kale Fountain: DNP Ryan Wideman: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Romeo Sanabria: 0-for-4, BB, K Truitt Madonna: 1-for-5, HR, K Michael Salina: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Kavares Tears: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP Francis Pena: DNP Bryan Balzer: DNP View the full article