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It's time for the first of many Miami Marlins player interviews that we will be bringing you on Fish Unfiltered this season. AJ Ramos, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral analyze a busy week for the Marlins against the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds (3-4 combined record in those series). Then, catcher Liam Hicks sits down with Isaac and Kevin to explain his excellent offensive performance early in 2026, the team's proficiency with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, receiving pitch calls from the dugout 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 Friday, Hicks is slashing .314/.390/.600 with a 173 wRC+ and just as many walks as strikeouts. He has driven in 13 runs already, tying a career-high for most over any 12-game span. The Canadian's versatility makes him useful on a daily basis, as he has made five appearances (two starts) at first base when he isn't behind the plate. Still pre-arbitration-eligible, the former Rule 5 draft pick is under Marlins club control through the 2030 season. View the full article

Hitting is problem-solving. After all, you're standing there in a box, not allowed to move beyond it, armed with a seemingly powerful but unwieldy club, and you've got a projectile coming at you at bone-breaking speed. You can't be sure where it'll be when it passes you, or even that it won't come find that spot between your third and fourth ribs that leaves you wincing every time you run for a week. You can't do more than guess (albeit in an educated way) which way the thing might swerve en route. If you don't find ways to consistently whack that projectile off into corners and empty spaces, you lose your job. You've got a problem, all right. You'd better have some ideas to solve them. The above are some of the problems of sheer difficulty in hitting well. The reactive nature of the exercise, the excellence of modern big-league defense, and the nuances of situations pose plenty of difficulties. There's another problem every hitter eventually runs into, too, though: to attack pitches and be as dangerous as possible in the box, eventually, you have to risk hurting yourself. In fact, as the league has become increasingly fast and ferocious, those types of injuries are becoming more common. Higher pitch velocities mean that hitters have to swing faster, too, and for many, rotating fast and explosively enough to win your showdown with a pitcher eventually means losing a battle with the integrity of your own muscle tissues. Over the last decade, strains to key muscles in the torso have become much more common in hitters. Last season, in fact, was a bonanza for these things—oblique strains, intercostal strains, abdominal strains, and so on. In May 2025, Miguel Amaya became one of the victims of that trend. He was hurt, by coincidence, on a throw in Cincinnati, but the way he pushed his limits with his swing speed contributed to the damage. That injury derailed Amaya's season. He missed nearly three months, then sprained his ankle in his first game back in August. It was a disaster—not just because it stopped him cold during a great season, but because it's had a noticeable, even eye-popping hangover effect this spring. Last year, Amaya's average swing speed was 72.2 miles per hour. That's above-average, especially for a catcher—those guys are selected for defense, after all. It formed a downward trend, from 73.7 MPH in 2023 and 72.9 in 2024, but it was still a strong number. Of course, nearly all of the swings making up that average came before he suffered that oblique strain. This season, Amaya has served in a similar role as the one he had last year, splitting time with Carson Kelly. He's been very patient—much more so than in the past, with his swing rate nosediving from 54% to 38%—so he's only lodged 29 competitive swings on the season. In them, though, he's averaging just 68.4 MPH of bat speed. He's topped out just over 76 MPH. Every possible sign says Amaya has gone from a plus to a minus with regard to bat speed. He's lost a ton of it. Obviously, that doesn't mean he can't be at least somewhat effective. Firstly, to support that claim, we can point to the fact that he's batting .294/.400/.529 this year. Swinging less is as good as swinging slower is bad; it can produce walks and put you in hitter-friendly counts. Once you have the advantage on the pitcher, maybe you can sit on a certain pitch type, and the feeling that the pitch might swerve in the wrong direction on you goes away. If Amaya squares the ball up much better because his swings are more on target, he can make up for this big loss of bat speed. Slower swings are also, by and large, more likely to result in contact, as are shorter ones. Amaya's bat path has been flatter and more direct this year, so he's found some hits in two-strike counts. He's not hitting the ball hard as often, but he can make up for that with a better-organized approach. The other caveat that matters is that Amaya might yet recover the lost bat speed. The samples here are tiny; he could warm up with the weather and get back to cutting it loose. However, for any catcher moving into their late 20s and for any player coming off a severe injury to their torso, a loss of bat speed shouldn't surprise us—and it's best to assume that it will be at least partially permanent. Amaya can still be a very useful player for the Cubs, but he might have to learn to do it as a slower swinger. It's just the next problem to solve. View the full article

Leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft, Fish On First brings you a series of scouting reports on top prospects in this draft class who could realistically wind up in Miami. Overview Position: SS Height: 6’3″ Weight: 185 pounds School: Gulliver Prep (FL) Commitment: Miami Jacob Lombard is a 6’3”, 185-pound shortstop who plays at Gulliver Prep School in Miami, Florida. Lombard is one of the top hitting prospects in this draft class. He’s also considered one of the top high school prospects in the 2026 draft class (second-ranked overall prospect and top-ranked prospect in Florida, according to Perfect Game). Among all draft-eligible players, Lombard is ranked fourth by MLB Pipeline and eleventh by Baseball America. Lombard is signed to play college baseball at the University of Miami. Lombard comes from an excellent baseball family. His dad, George, played six seasons in MLB. He’s currently the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. Jacob’s older brother, George Lombard Jr., was a first-round pick by the New York Yankees in the 2023 MLB Draft. According to MLB Pipeline, George Jr. entered this season as the top-ranked prospect in the Yankees organization. At the plate, Lombard has the ingredients to be a very productive hitter at the next level with excellent tools and a high baseball IQ. His plate discipline and approach are at a much higher level than most of the prep prospects in this draft class. However, he does have some swing-and-miss to his game and struggled with high velocity over the summer. Lombard has already started to fill in his frame by adding solid weight. His power has improved and that tool received a 60 grade from Pipeline. Defensively, Lombard shouldn’t have any issues sticking at shortstop. He’s an excellent athlete with soft hands and great range. His arm strength does have some room for improvement, but that should continue to come as he matures physically. Lombard is also one of the fastest runners in this draft class. According to Perfect Game, he was clocked running a 6.11 60-yard dash. Strengths Elite speed Plus power potential Advanced plate approach and discipline High baseball IQ Weaknesses Has struggled with high velocity in the past Needs to improve arm strength Pro Comparison: Jeremy Peña Projection: Top 10 pick Bottom Line While it's convenient that the Marlins happen to be Lombard's hometown team, his inclusion in this series is based on his immense talent alone. The Marlins will have the 14th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. In recent years, they have struggled with identifying the right prep players in the middle of the first round (Kahlil Watson in 2021, Noble Meyer in 2023 and PJ Morlando in 2024). However, Lombard is a blue-chip prospect who could be an excellent addition to Miami’s farm system. More 2026 MLB draft profiles OF AJ Gracia View the full article

Welcome to Shape of the Blue Jays, my column where I dig into Statcast numbers to analyze recent pitch shape and swing shape trends for Toronto Blue Jays players and discuss how they have impacted their performance. Click here to read the last edition. Quick Hits: Prospects With the back end of the bullpen set to be a revolving door until the pitching staff is fully healthy, the status of various arms at Triple-A Buffalo should be of prudent short-term interest to the fanbase. LHP Adam Macko has begun his season with four scoreless appearances (5.1 IP) out of the bullpen, striking out six and walking two. Macko has leaned heavily on his fastball, which has averaged 95 mph with 16.3" of iVB. Opponents have managed a .175 xwOBA against it and swung and missed a third of the time. RHP Chase Lee, one of the later spring training cuts, has also been called on for multi-inning appearances out of the bullpen in the early going (4 G, 6.2 IP). He has given up two earned runs and an additional three unearned. Lee, whose walk rate has typically hovered just above 5%, has been fighting his command somewhat, with four free passes issued so far. The zone rate on his sinker was 62% in the majors last year. It has tumbled to 30% so far with Buffalo. Andrés Giménez Andrés Giménez collected three hits during the Dodgers series. On the season, he has been one of the few bright spots offensively, slashing .267/.313/.444, thanks in large part to considerable improvements in contact% (55th to 74th percentile), K% (70th to 90th percentile), and squared-up% (35th to 86th percentile) compared to 2025. He's putting the bat on the ball more often and making more flush contact when he does. His zone contact% usually sits in the low 80s. It's up to 93.4% in 2026. Andrés Giménez Bat Tracking, 2025 vs 2026 Split Bat Speed Fast Swing% Swing Length Contact Point (rel. to home plate) Stance Angle Attack Direction 2025 69.3 7.1% 7.0' 2.2" 10° open 3° oppo 2026 66.8 2.7% 6.9' 0.1" 2° close 5° oppo A quick look at Giménez's swing mechanics shows a drop of more than 2 mph in average bat speed from last year and a fast swing rate of just 2.7%. I feel like this might be a byproduct of something more intentional. Bat speed accelerates throughout the swing, and he's now letting the ball travel farther than usual. In addition, he's more closed in his stance than last year. These two changes have allowed him to use the whole field more and hit for a higher average. Giménez hasn't hit a ball 110 mph since 2021 and has never recorded a hard hit rate better than the 36th percentile in a season, so it seems he's leaning into a contact-focused gameplan. Andrés Giménez stance comparison, April 2025 (left) vs. April 2026 (right) Kevin Gausman Kevin Gausman has been nothing short of electric to watch in his first three starts (2.08 ERA, 17.1 IP). The veteran leads qualified AL starters in strikeout rate (40.7%) and didn't walk his first batter of the season until Tuesday night against the Dodgers. He has made one straightforward adjustment in 2026: The splitter is now his primary pitch to both lefties and righties, although it's very close to an even 50/50 with the four-seamer against righties so far. This is the most frequently he has thrown it in his career. Kevin Gausman career pitch usage by season (Statcast) Gausman has very slightly raised his vertical release point to its highest average since 2022. This has helped the splitter play up, as it has a more north-south profile than we've come to expect. More drop, less arm-side tail, and more vertical separation from his fastball, which has averaged roughly an inch more of iVB than 2025. This results in more uncompetitive swings from hitters who are sitting on the heater. The splitter has dumbfounded righties this season, who are striking out in 50% of their plate appearances against him. Kevin Gausman Splitter Specs, 2025 vs. 2026 Year MPH iVB Arm-side HB Vert. Release 2025 84.9 4.5" 15.5" 5.6' 2026 84.2 2.9" 13.8" 5.8' Kazuma Okamoto His first couple of weeks in the big leagues have tested Kazuma Okamoto (.239/.314/.391, 109 wRC+). Everything the Jays thought about his ceiling is still intact, if not better than expected: He has a 75th-percentile barrel rate (11.5%), 71st-percentile bat speed (73.4 MPH), 91st-percentile xwOBACON (.482), and he hit a 420-foot home run to the opposite field against the A's last weekend. The trouble has been getting bat to ball. He's striking out nearly 30% of the time and making contact in the zone only 77% of the time. The recurring question about hitters coming over from NPB is how they'll handle high velocity because it isn't as prevalent in Japan. Okamoto hasn't had much trouble there, but is running a swing-and-miss rate over 50% on secondaries. My hunch is this trend will reverse course for the better soon enough. Swinging and missing wasn't a part of his game with the Yomiuri Giants, so hopefully it's merely a part of the adjustment period. Okamoto seems to be pressing when he's up in big spots, which would only support that theory. I do wonder if the Jays will try to optimize his swing to reduce strikeout probability: His bat path is flat, but he has a high attack angle and a shallow contact point, indicating he's trying to be early and lift the ball. A 6° attack direction to the pull side is also consistent with the early reports that he's a pull-air guy. He does have one of the longest swings in the game at 7.9 feet, and he doesn't really shorten up with two strikes either. If he can find a way to decrease his margin for error without losing bat speed, results should soon follow. All visuals and figures courtesy of Baseball Savant and FanGraphs. Up to date as of April 9, 2026. View the full article

Connelly Early has made two starts on the season and, for the most part, has been just as good as the front office hoped he would be when they put him in the starting rotation over Johan Oviedo at the conclusion of camp. His first start against the Reds saw him post 5 1/3 innings pitched while giving up one earned run, issuing two walks, and striking out six. His second outing against the Padres wasn’t quite as clean, as he gave up two earned runs four walks, and four strikeouts over four frames. He admitted after that start that he was having trouble gripping the ball due to the cold that set in during the weekend of the home opener. If we dive into his two starts, we start to get a clearer picture of the pitching program Andrew Bailey has Early working on. Early is featuring his four-seam fastball 34% of the time, his changeup 24%, curve 17%, slider 14%, sinker 9%, and sweeper 2% so far this season. That four-seam isn’t going to overpower anyone most of the time -- it averages 93.8 mph -- but he can ramp it up to 97 at times. His changeup should operate as his true-out pitch while he relies on the curve and slider to keep hitters from guessing between his top two options. His fastballs, both the four-seam and the sinker, fill up the zone while he’s able to nibble around the edges of the plate with his changeup. There are things to be concerned about when you dive under the hood of Early’s first two starts, though. The most glaring thing, and it was likely aided by the cold weather during his first home start of the year, is that he’s struggling with his command early in the season. His breaking balls can be effective set-up pitches, but only when they are thrown for strikes earlier in the count. In two starts, he’s been struggling to locate them. In four starts in 2025, he issued four total walks. So far in 2026, he’s already at six walks. Once again, four of those walks came in the game against the Padres where he was struggling to grip the ball, but it’s something to keep an eye on throughout the season. Early’s Savant page is mostly blue, which should give all of us a bit of pause for concern. His expected ERA, 5.12, ranks in the 27th percentile, and his expected batting average, .246, ranks in the 43rd percentile. He’s inducing a good amount of chases outside the zone (32%), but his whiff rate is a paltry 21.2%. What all of this tells us is that Early has gotten fairly lucky with balls put in play and, somehow, has been bailed out by the defense behind him to keep his actual numbers down. That’s not to say that Early is going to implode during his next few starts, but the fact that he’s pitching so far above his expected numbers does suggest that hitters are seeing him better this year now that the scouting report is out on him. Remember, Early was incredibly impressive during spring training, earning his way into the starting rotation. In his two starts this season, he’s been effective but has struggled with location and consistency, much like every young starter does. The bright side is that he’s set to pitch in more inviting weather in his next start in St. Louis, and Busch Stadium is a pitcher-friendly park, so he has the opportunity to bounce back in a big way against a rebuilding team. View the full article

The Marlins lead the National League in overturned calls through the ABS challenge system. Catcher Liam Hicks tells Fish Unfiltered how the team trains for that behind the scenes.View the full article

On a day when the Minnesota Twins completed a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, things went quite well for the Fort Myers Might Mussels too. A Top 2025 draft pick tossed four scoreless innings on Thursday. On Friday, prospect fans will be excited to see the top pitchers selected by the Twins in the 2025 draft. TRANSACTIONS LHP Aaron Rozek signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday and was assigned to Double-A Wichita. The Mets selected Rozek in the Minor-League portion of the Rule 5 draft in December. He went to spring training in St. Lucie but was released in late March. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Toledo 5 Box Score John Klein made the start for the Saints and had a really nice start. He gave up only a solo home run in four innings. He struck out three and walked none. Grant Hartwig came on and gave up three runs in the fifth inning and another run in the sixth. It could have been worse. Walker Jenkins threw out a runner at home to cut off one run. The four runs came on five hits and a walk. Eduardo Salazar came on and got the next five outs, issuing only a walk. Zak Kent gave up two hits and a walk in the eighth, but no more runs crossed the plate. The Saints got on the scoreboard first. With one out in the top of the second inning, Orlando Arcia hit his second double of the season. Two batters later, he scored on a single by Eric Wagaman. Down 4-1, Kaelen Culpepper led off the top of the sixth inning with a single. With two outs, Alan Roden doubled to drive him in and cut the deficit in half. Alex Jackson hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning. The Saints had seven hits and three walks. Culpepper went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 5 Box Score Wichita began the game by taking the lead in the top of the first inning. Kyle DeBarge led off with a single. He stole second base (his fifth steal of the year). Two ground balls later, he scored to give the Surge a 1-0 lead. C.J. Culpepper tossed four scoreless, no-hit innings. On Thursday night, he got the first two batters out, but two walks, two hits, and two runs later, the first inning ended. In total, Culpepper gave up three runs on three hits in four innings. He walked four and had three strikeouts. Ricky Castro and Jarret Whorff each gave up one run on one hit over two innings. Both walked none and had two strikeouts. Down 4-1 through six innings, Garrett Spain hit his first homer in the Twins organization. But that was it for the Surge run scoring. Wichita had six hits and two walks in the game. They also had 13 strikeouts. Andrew Cossetti went 2-for-4 in the game. Ben Ross added his third double. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids, Beloit (Postponed) Box Score Rain and wet weather conditions caused the postponement of Thursday night’s game in Beloit. The teams will hope to play two games on Friday. MIGHTY MATTERS Game 1: Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 0 Box Score There wasn’t much offense in this game, but fortunately, James Ellwanger and Kolten Smith didn’t need more than one run of support to win Thursday’s first game. Ellwanger started and tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and had five strikeouts. Control has typically been his issue. In this game, he needed just 50 pitches to complete four innings. 64% of those pitches were strikes. Kolten Smith pitched a perfect fifth inning, so he gets credit for his first pro Win. Adam Falinski struck out three over the final two innings to record his first pro Save. Smith likely would have gone longer, but there was a 50-minute rain delay. Jorel Ortega and Dameury Pena started the game with back-to-back walks off of the Marlins top prospect Thomas White. Quentin Young grounded into fielder’s choice, and a throwing error allowed Ortega to score. The score remained 1-0 through five innings. In the sixth inning, Ian Daugherty led off with a single. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out Bryan Acuna walked. Byron Chourio turned a double play into just a fielder’s choice, allowing the Mussels second run to score. In Game 1, the Mussels had four hits and walked eight times. Rehabbing Jorel Ortega went 1-for-2 with two walks. Dameury Pena was 2-for-2 with a walk. Yilber Herrera walked twice. The team was 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left nine one base. Game 2: Ft. Myers 7, Jupiter 2 Box Score Game 2 was another close game until the Mussels broke it open with a four-run seventh inning. The Mussels took the first lead in the top of the third frame. Bryan Acuna led off with a slow roller to third base. He went to second on a throwing error. With one out, Quentin Young lined a single to left but it was hit too hard so Acuna could only advance to third base. Ryan Sprock singled to center to drive in Acuna with the first run. Reed Moring started for Ft. Myers. He tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three, and struck out five batters. Jake Murray came on to start the fifth inning. Nine pitches later, he had walked the first two batters. He then struck out PJ Morlando, a top Marlins prospect. That was followed with a third walk. Xavier Kolhosser came on with the bases loaded. He gave up a sacrifice fly that tied the game before ending the inning with a strikeout. With the game tied in the top of the sixth, Yilber Herrera led off with a walk, stole second and went to third on a throwing error. After Harry Genth was hit by a pitch, again, Herrera scored on a fielding error. Irvin Nunez followed and was also hit by a pitch to lead the bases. Acuna drove in Genth with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Ryan Sprock was hit by a pitch to start the top of the seventh inning. Herrera struck out, but he challenged the pitch and it was overturned and instead he walked. Ricardo Pena singled, and Sprock scored. Herrera scored on a Harry Genth double. Genth stole third base. After Byron Chourio walked, both runners scored on a single to center by Irvin Nunez to make it 7-1. Mitch Mueller tossed the final two innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He had three strikeouts and walked none. The Mussels had 10 hits, five walks, and were hit by a pitch four times in this game. Eduardo Beltre went 2-for-3 with a walk. Acuna was 2-for-4. Harry Genth went 1-for-2. He was hit by a pitch twice, doubles, and stole three bases. Sprock, Chourio and Nunez each had a single and a walk. Herrera walked twice. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-3, BB, R Pitcher of the Day James Ellwanger (Fort Myers): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 50 pitches, 32 strikes (64.0%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, Assist (batted second, played CF, all 9 innings) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(1), R (batted first, DHd) #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Did Not Play #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - No Game. #5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (St.Paul) - Did Not Pitch #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - No Game #7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB (batted third, played LF) #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - #9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - No Game. #10 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #11 - RHP Riley Quick (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch, scheduled to make pro debut on Friday. #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #13 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - No Game. #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-4, 3 K (batted third, played 3B), Game 2: 1-for-4, 3 K (batted third, played SS) - CS(2,3), E(5). s #15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, RBI, K (batted third, played LF) #17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, K, SB(5) (led off, played 2B) #18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 71 pitches, 44 strikes (62.0%) #19 - C Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) -No Game. #20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 50 pitches, 32 strikes (64.0%) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday: St. Paul @ Toledo (12:37 pm CT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-0, 1.23 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (0-1, 6.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (DH @ 4:00 pm CT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 7.36 ERA), LHP Dasan Hill Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CT) - RHP Riley Quick (first pro start) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 7-6 St. Paul Saints: 4-7 Wichita Wind Surge: 2-4 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 3-2 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 4-2 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article

Recent history tells us that the Miami Marlins are difficult to predict, but that won't stop us from trying. Welcome to a new season of Prediction Time. Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring the prognostications from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF staffer Kevin Barral currently sits atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. RHP Keider Montero (DET) on Friday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Casey Mize (DET) on Saturday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (DET) on Sunday The Marlins rank fifth in MLB with a 113 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.82 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 1-2 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Maximo Acosta (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Christopher Morel (10-day IL), Esteury Ruiz (10-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). Griffin Conine (left hamstring discomfort) is expected to join them shortly. The Tigers rank 10th in MLB with a 106 wRC+ and 18th in MLB with a 4.03 FIP. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have a 2-1 record at home this season. The following Tigers players are on the injured list: Beau Briske (60-day IL), Bailey Horn (15-day IL), Jackson Job (60-day IL), Troy Melton (60-day IL), Reese Olson (60-day IL), Trey Sweeney (10-day IL) and Justin Verlander (15-day IL). View the full article

Fish On First LIVE discusses Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine suffering an early-season injury for the second straight year and Deyvison De Los Santos receiving another opportunity in the majors.View the full article

Garrett Mitchell is off to one of the hottest starts in baseball and has made a huge impact in the Brewers’ lineup so far this season. The lefty batter is currently hitting .333/.419/.556, with a .975 OPS. He has three doubles, one home run, and has walked four times. He has driven in 13 RBIs, has four runs scored, and three stolen bases to add to his early-season success. His 13 RBIs are tied for the most in the major leagues. Over the course of the first nine games of the year, he has at least one more hit in five of those nine games, with four multi-hit games, and has driven in two or more RBIs in four of the first nine as well. On April 4, Mitchell drove in five RBIs on two hits, including an RBI double and a three-run home run that helped lead the Brewers to a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Mitchell came up clutch again on Monday during the Brewers’ matchup against the Red Sox. With the game tied 5-5 in the top of the 8th, Mitchell hit a tiebreaking two-RBI single that gave Milwaukee a 7-5 lead, and the Brewers then went on to defeat Boston that night 8-6. Beyond the surface of his batting line, Mitchell has a .615 BABIP so far this season and a 178 wRC+. Of the balls he’s putting in play, he’s averaging an exit velocity of 98.4mph, which ranks in the top one percent of Major League Baseball, a max exit velocity of 112.6, ranking in the top four percent of the league, and a 61.5 percent HardHit percentage, ranking in the top four percent of the league. Much of Mitchell’s success comes from pitchers throwing him breaking balls. Mitchell has three hits off of breaking balls, including a curveball thrown to him when he hit that three-run home run against Kansas City. Coming into Monday night’s game, he was 4-for-13 against the fastball, but had a .429 average (3-for-7), with a 1.000 slugging off of breaking balls thrown to him, including an RBI double and his three-run home run. So far in 2026, pitchers have thrown Mitchell 37 fastballs, 25 changeups, 16 sinkers, 13 curveballs, 12 sliders, 11 cutters, and seven sweepers, making it 37 fastballs versus 73 breaking balls. So long as pitchers continue to throw him the breaking ball, he is likely to see continued success due to his ability to put the bat on the ball with the off-speed pitches. Mitchell is a player many overlooked coming into 2026, as he hasn’t had that much success in his first four seasons with Milwaukee, with injuries derailing most of his career since 2022. He has appeared in just 141 games at the major league Level (28 games in 2022, 19 in 2023, 69 in 2024, and 25 games in 2025). Last season, he spent a significant amount of time on the 60-day injured list with an oblique strain. In the 25 games he appeared in last season, he batted just .206/.286/.294, with a .580 OPS. Looking back even more to 2024, Mitchell had just 12 doubles, eight home runs, 21 RBIs, and 33 runs scored. Those are his best career numbers, and so far in 2026, he’s on pace to smash those totals. But the question many are asking now, is this sustainable? The 27-year-old from Milwaukee has yet to make it through a full season healthy. So the first step to Mitchell maintaining success is to stay in the lineup and on the field. Next, his swing discipline at the plate and his ability to make contact. Mitchell has been known as a player susceptible to chasing fastballs, thus the surprise that pitchers continue to throw him breaking balls at the plate. However, he has shown that this year is different. He is putting the ball in play more, hitting it with a harder exit velocity, and putting the barrel on the ball more as well. It is evident that Mitchell worked hard during the offseason. With a strong ability to put the ball in play this year and to come up clutch when it counts, if he stays healthy and that discipline and hard-hitting percentage continue, this could be the year that Mitchell breaks out, and many think it will be. View the full article

MIAMI, FL — When the Miami Marlins selected Max Meyer with the third pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, they envisioned a frontline starter who would be up with some of the best pitchers in franchise history. Fast-forward to 2026 and he's fallen short of that due to a variety of reasons, including injuries and a flawed pitch arsenal surrounding his signature slider. On Thursday, in the Marlins' 8-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, Meyer took the mound. In five innings of work, he allowed one run on four hits, three walks and four strikeouts. The lone run he surrendered was a solo homer from Sal Stewart in the top of the fifth inning. “We saw some fastballs today in the mid-90s with really good carry," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "I think he’s throwing it better than he has in the past. You pair that with the breaking stuff, the slider around 90 and the sweeper, and it makes him tough. I thought he did a really good job navigating some traffic early and was able to get out of it...As he settled in through the second, third, and fourth innings, he was able to get ahead more consistently, which allowed him to expand the zone and get some swings-and-misses down.” Against the Reds, Meyer's slider was his most-used pitch at 32%, generating seven whiffs and two of his four strikeouts. The four-seam fastball, his second-most-used pitch of the afternoon, landed four out of five times for a first-pitch strike. His lone strikeout victim on that pitch was Elly De La Cruz. In 2025, the sweeper was thrown 11.5% of the time and the sinker 13.7% of the time, his two least-used pitches. Early on, the sweeper has been thrown 20.6% of the time, his third most thrown pitch, but his sinker (8.8%), is his least thrown pitch. High pitch counts for Meyer have limited how deep he can go into his starts. He has entered the seventh inning of a game three times in his career, but never completed the inning. On Thursday, he was averaging 17.4 pitches per inning. "I just have to execute some of my two strike pitches a little bit better," Meyer said. "That leads to three more balls, and that's where I'm getting my walks because I'm not able to have a competitive 0-2 pitch. I have to clean that up, and I think those walks will go down and I'll be able to go a little bit deeper into the games." In two-strike counts, Meyer struck out four, hitters went 2-for-10, but that includes the Stewart home run. For his career, hitters have a .643 OPS against him in two-strike counts. This was not a bad version of Meyer by no means, but it continues a trend of him being relatively inefficient. He has yet to complete six innings this season. Even when he's limiting the damage, the inability to work deep into games limits his overall value to the Marlins. The Marlins wasted no time getting things going. In the bottom of the first inning, Xavier Edwards hit a triple, followed by a fielders choice from Agustín Ramírez, allowing Edwards to score. Owen Caissie, who the Marlins are primarily using against right-handed pitching, smacked a 102.6 mph two-run RBI double, making it a 3-0 game. Javier Sanoja drove in the team's fourth and fifth runs. For both, this marked their second three-hit game of the season. In the top of the sixth inning, with Spencer Steer up, Griffin Conine tried to dive for what ended up being a double, but wasn't able to make the catch and on top of that, hurt his left knee, being taken out of the game. Following the game, McCullough informed the media that Conine suffered left hamstring discomfort. A source tells Fish On First that the Marlins are calling up Deyvison De Los Santos. This will mark his second stint in the big leagues. In his lone start in MLB, De Los Santos went 1-for-2 with a double. In Triple-A Jacksonville, he was slashing .259/.355/.630/.985 with three home runs and eight RBI. Expect a longer stay at the big league level this time around for Fish On First's No. 28 prospect. With the win, the Marlins improve to 8-5 as they now hit the road for a weekend three-game series against the Detroit Tigers and then a three-game series against the division rival Atlanta Braves. First pitch on Friday is at 6:40 pm with Chris Paddack taking the mound. View the full article

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Thursday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelists Ely Sussman, Isaac Azout, Jeremiah Geiger and Alex Krutchik. The following topics were covered: Analyzing each game of the Cincinnati Reds series The Marlins' insistence on platooning players as much as possible Griffin Conine's hamstring injury Deyvison De Los Santos being recalled from Triple-A Clayton McCullough removing Sandy Alcantara two outs shy of a complete game Previewing and predicting the next series against the Detroit Tigers 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. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Sunday at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Tigers series finale. View the full article

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Mick Abel - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6K (102 pitches, 70 strikes (69% strikes)) Home Runs: Josh Bell Top 3 WPA: Mick Abel (0.37), Brooks Lee (0.31), Josh Bell (0.17) Win Probability Chart (via Baseball Savant): The Twins came into Thursday afternoon riding a three-game winning streak, with a chance to finish off a four-game sweep of the Tigers—who started the season as the favorites to win the AL Central. Behind a bounce-back effort from their starter and a late offensive breakthrough, they did exactly that, grinding out a 3-1 win to wrap up the series. They didn’t dominate from start to finish. But they pitched, they adjusted, and when the moment finally came late, they delivered. MICK ABEL RESPONDS After a tough start to his season, Mick Abel really needed a clean outing. It didn’t start easy, though. For much of the afternoon, Abel was pitching with traffic on the bases. Soft contact, long at-bats, and a couple of walks pushed his pitch count up early, forcing him to work through constant pressure. With any young pitcher, the risk is that mounting pressure will eventually burst the pipe. Happily, Abel never let it do so. He leaned on his fastball to generate whiffs and consistently got ahead in counts, throwing first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 25 batters he faced. Even when Detroit put runners in scoring position, which they did in five of his six innings, he found a way out every time. By the middle innings, things started to settle. A much more efficient third and fourth frame stabilized his pitch count, and from there, he was in control. He mixed all five pitches, generated swings and misses throughout the day, and kept hitters from ever connecting on a big swing—though there were a few long, loud fly balls, including a double by Javier Báez that dented the right-field wall. The final line tells part of the story: six scoreless innings while working around traffic in nearly every frame. But the bigger takeaway was how Abel handled adversity. Detroit went hitless in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and Abel never looked uncomfortable. For a pitcher looking to reset his season, this was a big step in the right direction. QUIET EARLY, JUST ENOUGH TO STAY CLOSE The Twins had chances early, but couldn't break through against Jack Flaherty. They put together quality at-bats right away. Trevor Larnach worked a one-out walk in the first, and Josh Bell followed with a single. Matt Wallner smoked a ball 102 MPH, but right into a double play that killed the rally. That set the tone for much of the afternoon. There was traffic, and there was hard contact. But there wasn’t a run until the fourth inning. Bell changed that with one swing, jumping on a first-pitch slider and driving it out to right-center for a solo home run. It came off the bat at 106 MPH and traveled over 400 feet, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead in a game where every run felt massive. From there, it settled into a true pitcher’s duel. Flaherty matched Abel for most of the day, keeping the Twins from adding on and forcing them to wait for another opportunity. Meanwhile, they came back to knot things up 1-1 as soon as Abel left, in the seventh. BROOKS LEE DELIVERS THE MOMENT The game finally cracked open in the eighth, and it came down to one at-bat. After a Wallner walk and a Victor Caratini base hit, Royce Lewis fought through visible discomfort to reach base and load them, and the Twins had their shot. Two outs, tie game, bases loaded. Brooks Lee stepped in. He worked the count full, giving himself a chance to live out every young baseball player’s dream, and he delivered. Lee ripped a single through the right side, scoring two and turning a 1-1 game into a 3-1 lead. After a slow start to his season, that swing felt significant—not just for the game, but for the embattled Lee, who hadn't started the game and erupted with uncharacteristic emotion when he came up with the game-winning hit. BULLPEN HOLDS ON The tablesetter for that feast was an uncomfortable stint from the bullpen. Newly acquired reliever Garrett Acton made his Twins debut in the seventh and immediately ran into trouble. A hit batter and a ground ball through the infield set up Detroit’s first real breakthrough, and a sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1. It wasn’t clean, and the inning took 23 pitches—not ideal for a bullpen that had already been heavily used in recent days. But Acton bounced back. After the stressful seventh, he went back out in the eighth and needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order. That quick inning ended up being massive, keeping the game tied and giving the offense a chance to respond. Once the Twins grabbed the lead in the bottom half, it was up to Eric Orze, and he delivered. Despite a couple of balls in play to start the inning (including one that looked like it might fall for a hit; Byron Buxton made a great play), the defense held up. Orze finished it off with a strikeout, locking down the save and sealing the sweep. The bullpen bent, but it didn’t break. That group deserves some credit, especially in the context of the series as a whole. With four different relievers recording a save in this series (Cody Laweryson, Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk, and Eric Orze), the Twins leaned on a mix of arms to navigate tight games and protect leads throughout. It’s a sign of both the workload they’ve taken on and the trust the staff has in different options late in games. What’s Next The Twins will head north of the border tomorrow to start a three-game series with the reigning American League champions, the Toronto Blue Jays. Simeon Woods Richardson will take the hill for the Twins, with left-hander Patrick Corbin throwing for Toronto. First pitch is set for 6:07 PM CT. Postgame Interviews Coming soon! Bullpen Usage Chart SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Rogers 18 0 12 0 0 30 Funderburk 3 20 0 20 0 43 Sands 21 0 12 9 0 42 Topa 15 0 14 10 0 39 Laweryson 0 14 0 25 0 39 Banda 0 17 0 0 0 17 Orze 0 12 19 0 14 45 Acton 0 0 0 0 35 35 View the full article

It's not that the Twins don't throw hard. That's not the remarkable thing about their collection of fringy relief arms. What's remarkable—what might end up being quasi-historic, though it will probably change later this year—is how far they are from throwing hard. In Taj Bradley, they have one of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball, and Mick Abel can work in the mid-90s, too. On days when Bailey Ober or Simeon Woods Richardson starts, though—and even with Joe Ryan, who stands out for his movement, rather than his velocity—the team can go a full nine innings without touching 95 miles per hour. Two decades ago, that wouldn't be noteworthy at all. Even one decade ago, you'd have noticed it, but it wouldn't have shocked you. Now, however, it's startling. The brightline at which a relief pitcher can be said to be a hard thrower isn't 94 or 95 MPH, anymore. It's more like 97. In fact, since 2021, the median team's frequency of exceeding 95 MPH on four-seam fastballs and sinkers is 43.8%. Nearly half of all fastballs thrown by relievers are 95 or faster. Just a year ago, the Twins boasted Jhoan Duran and Louis Varland, who could each get to 100 MPH. When Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart were going well, they could sit on the high side of 95 and push toward triple digits, too. "Only" throwing 95 doesn't even register as interesting, anymore. Over the last five full seasons, the lowest percentage of reliever fastballs to eclipse 95 MPH belonged to the 2021 Diamondbacks, at 17.1%. Only they and that year's Angels were under 20%. This season, the Mets have thrown the second-fewest heaters at 95 or faster, at 56. They have several guys who can top that number—Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Huascar Brazobán, Luis García, and Tobias Myers—but they rarely actually do so. In fact, if their current rate of 14.6% of fastballs getting to the midpoint of the 90s holds, it would be the lowest since the pandemic—except, of course, for the Twins'. Minnesota has only seen 38 fastballs reach 95 after departing the fingers of a pitcher working in relief this year. That's in over 400 heaters, pushing them down into a range not seen since the 2019 Cleveland club. Before that, only the 2015 Athletics were similarly starved for heat, in the Statcast Era. This team is an outlier, throwing slower than any pen has in a decade or more—because the truth is, even the raw numbers presented above oversell them. Of the 38 fastballs at 95+ this year from a Twins reliever, 35 were thrown by Mick Abel—who's not really a reliever. Working in tandem with Bailey Ober in the season-opening series in Baltimore, Abel furnished almost all of the honest-to-God heat the Twins pen has mustered all season. Only Justin Topa (once) and Cole Sands (twice) have even scraped 95 MPH, among real members of this bullpen. This will change, of course. With any luck, as the weather warms, Sands (and perhaps one or two others) will at least flirt more often with the upper half of the 90s. More importantly, the team is likely to call up some guys who throw harder, as the season wears on. If Zebby Matthews can't quickly find a way into the rotation in Minneapolis, maybe it's time to try him in the bullpen. Something like that will give them an infusion of velocity. Heck, even most waiver claims will have a chance to bring more juice to the relief unit. For now, though, this is borderline hilarious. The Twins are to fastballs with anything on them (by modern standards) what Charlie Bucket was to Wonka Bars. Everyone around them is counting their accumulations by dozens or hundreds. The Twins have, through 13 games, three 95+ fastballs from their relievers. Just three. I would analyze this further, but like Charlie's teacher in the movie, I don't know how to do just three. This team is blazing a new trail, when it comes to not really blazing anything in the pen. View the full article

After the wildly popular pink-and-mint City Connect uniforms that reflected the city's vibrant sunsets, the San Diego Padres went a little more stoic while still using colors that pop and maintaining the multicultural vibe. The Padres were among eight MLB teams that revealed new City Connects for 2026 on Thursday. The theme of this one for the Friars is, as the team posted on social media, "Para nuestra familia, San Diego y los fieles, por siempre. For our family, San Diego, and the Faithful, forever." It also reflects Dia de los Muertos, the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the dead. Jerseys and other City Connect-related merchandise are on sale now at Petco Park and at the team store at Padres.com. View the full article

The Kansas City Royals made a pair of moves to bolster their bullpen before opening a four-game series vs. the Chicago White Sox on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. Right-handers Eli Morgan and Mitch Spence were promoted from Triple-A Omaha, while right-handers Luinder Avila and Steven Cruz were optioned to Omaha. Thursday's game marks the ninth of 12 straight days the Royals are playing, including pitching 7⅓ innings Wednesday in a 10-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, thus the need for a bullpen refresh. Spence will be making his Royals debut. He was acquired in February shortly after being designated for assignment by the Athletics. Spence has made 67 MLB appearances over the last two seasons with the A's, including 32 starts, so he gives the Royals' bullpen a bit of length. Spence appeared in one game at Triple-A, starting Saturday and allowing four hits and one unearned run in five shutout innings. This is Morgan's second time coming up already this season. He was the extra pitcher called up for Saturday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and picked up a three-inning save, giving up one hit and no runs, in the 8-2 triumph before being sent back to Omaha. Morgan signed a minor-league contract this offseason after appearing in seven games for the Chicago Cubs in 2025. Avila was called up last week and made his season debut Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader, surrendering five runs on eight hits and three walks in three innings. He then appeared Wednesday in relief, tossing another three innings, giving up six hits but allowing just one run. Cruz has posted a 14.40 ERA in five appearances, including allowing five runs in 1⅓ innings Wednesday. View the full article

On Thursday morning, the Kansas City Royals unveiled their new City Connect jerseys to the public via social media. On March 31st, a picture of the possible City Connect jerseys leaked, though no confirmation was provided by the Royals, Nike, or Major League Baseball. With the City Connect jersey officially released on Thursday, it appeared the leak was indeed a preview of what the Royals' updated City Connect would look like for the next three seasons (City Connect jerseys have a three-year cycle). The new Royals City Connect shares a lot in common with the Royals' old City Connect jersey. The color scheme is obviously different, with blue, purple, and white instead of navy blue, light blue, and white. However, the new City Connect jerseys will still be utilizing the "Fountain" font that made the old City Connect jerseys so popular with Royals fans. However, instead of "KC", the new City Connect style will emphasize the old "R" logo. Here's a picture of the old City Connect jersey worn by Vinnie Pasquantino during an April 14th, 2023, game against the Braves. Per Kindle Biermann, manager of business and community communications, in addition to wearing them every Friday evening game, the Royals will also have multiple promotions and giveaways throughout the year that will utilize the new City Connect style and color pattern. The Royals begin their four-game homestand against the Chicago White Sox tonight and will unveil their new jerseys, hats, and City Connect gear during Friday night's home game. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 7-April 8) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 2-0 Season Record: 5-6 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox): 2-0 Season Record: 3-1 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants): 0-2 Season Record: 0-5 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets): 0-0 Season Record: 1-2 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 5-6 Series Opponent: Syracuse Mets (New York Mets) April 7: Postponed April 8, Game 1: In game one of the doubleheader, pitching reigned supreme, as temperatures remained frigid and not hitter-friendly. The Buffalo Bisons had Grant Rogers on the bump to start, and he worked around a few walks and a few singles to blank the Mets for four innings. In the first, he induced a groundball for a double play and then worked the edges of the zone to get Vidal Brujan to strikeout looking with two men on. In the second, he again managed to get a double play ball after allowing a walk; this time, it was on a slider down and out of the zone. He ended the third inning by striking out Ryan Clifford on a face-high fastball (89.6 mph). Despite his shorter outing, he worked on the edges of the strike zone to most of the batters and allowed the cold temperatures to aid him with weak contact. The Bisons did little with their bats as well, only collecting three hits in the game and scoring two runs. The first came on an RBI groundout from Riley Tirotta in the second, and the other scored in the third when Carlos Mendoza scored on a fielding error by the Mets’ third baseman. Buffalo was shut down for the final four innings, only getting one baserunner on a walk. After a recent demotion from the major league team, Brendon Little came into the game in relief of Rogers and had a relatively clean inning. Jackson Cluff popped up, Little walked CJ Stubbs, and then got Yonny Hernández to roll over on a sinker down and out of the zone for a double play. Chase Lee came in for Little and worked the final two innings with relative ease, only allowing two hits and striking out two. The Bisons took game one of the doubleheader 2-0. April 8, Game 2: Game two of the doubleheader was an all-around excellent game for the Bisons. They didn't get many hits, only two, but they were timely and all of the damage needed for the pitching staff to secure the win for Buffalo. Rafael Lantigua and Yohendrick Pinango both hit two-run home runs, their second of the season, to power the offense. Lantigua's home run came in the first on a changeup right down the middle. Pinango took a sweeper inside over the fence for his home run; the ball came off the bat at 97.3 mph, had a launch angle of 24 degrees, and only went 349 feet. The four runs were just enough, as the Buffalo pitchers got 15 of the 21 outs in the game via strikeouts. Yariel Rodríguez racked up six of those strikeouts, while Brendan Cellucci had five. Celluci has been really good in his two appearances this season, having pitched 3.2 innings and getting nine of those 11 outs from strikeouts. He might be someone who could come up and help the big league club if he continues to dominate like this. Buffalo grabbed the sweep of the doubleheader with a 4-3 win in game two. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 3-1 Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) April 7: The New Hampshire Fisher Cats kicked off their series against the Portland Sea Dogs in a winning fashion, but it wasn't a pretty sight for the batters getting hits. New Hampshire and Portland combined for 12 runs on just a single hit by the end of the top of the second inning. Two hit-by-pitches, a couple of walks, and a sacrifice fly put Portland up by two in the first inning. In the top of the second, the Fisher Cats got eight walks, two hit-by-pitches, a sacrifice fly, and a single. That put 10 runs on the board in the half inning, with just one hit. In the bottom of the second inning, Portland walked three more times, followed by another sacrifice fly and an RBI double. Portland would tack on three more runs, but New Hampshire pulled this one out despite the lack of hits, winning 12-7. Sean Keys continued his hot start at Double-A, going 1-for-2, with two walks, a HBP, two RBI, and two runs scored. April 8: In the Wednesday game of the series, New Hampshire smashed their way to a big win again. This time, they actually used a multitude of hits on their way to 11 runs. Geovanny Planchart drove in two runs in the second inning with an RBI single. Eddie Micheletti Jr. and Jorge Burgos followed with RBI singles as well to make it 5-0. In the third, Je'Von Ward and Planchart added RBI singles to put the Fisher Cats up seven. Jace Bohrofen had the big hit of the game, launching a home run to right field in the fifth inning, giving New Hampshire a seven-run lead again. The Fisher Cats put up three more runs later in the game and ran away with this one, 11-3. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 0-5 Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants) April 7: Johnny King made his debut for the Canadians, but it was a mixed bag. There were definitely some first-start jitters for the young pitcher, as although he struck out three batters in just an inning, he was wild, giving up two walks and a hit, which led to him throwing 32 pitches in just the first inning. Because of the elevated pitch count, Holden Wilkerson relieved King in the second inning. Wilkerson pitched well, with seven strikeouts in 3.1 innings, but gave up a homer in the fifth to put the Canadians down 3-0. The Canadians brought it within one after a clutch hit from Carter Cunningham, but Eminen Flores gave up a run off a sac fly. Cunningham brought it within one again with his first homer of the season, but the Canadians couldn’t score anything else. Dub Gleed also made his debut after coming from the Marlins org and had himself two hits and a walk. April 8: Austin Cates had an uncharacteristic start for Vancouver, as he went four innings but walked four batters and allowed six hits, which resulted in three earned runs, including a solo homer to former Dodgers top prospect Diego Cartaya. Aaron Munson came on in relief and gave up only one hit and a walk in three innings of work, while striking out five batters, to keep the score close. The Canadians' offense struggled to get going, however, as they weren’t able to get a run until the bottom of the eighth inning, when a throwing error put runners on the corners and let Alexis Hernandez drive in their first run of the game to bring it within two runs. Juanmi Vasquez was able to erase a runner on a fielder’s choice into a pickoff at first, but he was unable to get out of the inning unscathed, as he struggled with his command and allowed three hits in a row to let the Emeralds score another two runs. In the ninth inning, the Canadians showed some patience, with Maddox Latta walking then advancing on a balk, before Manuel Beltre drove him in with a single. However, they could not capitalize, as after Brennan Orf walked, Kendry Chirinos, Matt Scannell, and Hernandez all struck out as the potential tying runs at the plate. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 1-2 Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets) April 7 - Suspended Game Jays Centre’s 18th-ranked prospect Brandon Barriera had his first start since going down with an elbow injury last season. Despite glowing reviews in the back fields, the poor conditions were hard on Barriera, as he only sat in the low 90s instead of the mid-90s as reported. His command also lagged, which happens with a lack of reps. He also didn’t generate any whiffs, but it was still nice to see him back in action after barely pitching since getting drafted. Dunedin got on the board first with Enmanuel Bonilla’s first hit in A-ball, but after Barriera gave up two runs in the bottom of the second, the game was suspended. It's set to finish on April 9. April 8 - Postponed Transactions 04/07/26 OF Matt Scannell assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays. 04/07/26 RHP Austin Marozas assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 04/07/26 SS Dub Gleed assigned to Vancouver Canadians. View the full article

Shane Drohan's first stint in MLB didn't figure to be a long one—and it wasn't. The Milwaukee Brewers' left-handed starter, who made his MLB debut Wednesday, was sent back to Triple-A Nashville, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported Thursday. The Crew will have to make a corresponding move before opening this weekend's series vs. the Washington Nationals on Friday. Drohan's debut did not go well. Facing the Boston Red Sox, the team that traded him to the Brewers in the Caleb Durbin deal this spring, at Fenway Park, Dohan lasted just 2⅔ innings, walking four and allowing three runs and three hits while striking out two. Drohan made the spot start due to the doubleheader Saturday against the Kansas City Royals following Friday's rainout. Right-hander Chad Patrick was originally scheduled to start Wednesday, but that would have come on short rest. Patrick, who started the opener of the doubleheader, will start Friday against Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin. As for possible call-ups, right-hander Craig Yoho could be a candidate. Yoho is on the 15-day injured list with a strained right calf and is eligible to be activated. His stay on the IL, which began March 22, was projected to be a short one. View the full article

The calendar may still read April, but draft season is already beginning to take shape. In his latest update for The Athletic, Keith Law reshuffled the board for the 2026 MLB Draft, offering a clearer picture of how the top of the class is evolving. For the Twins, who currently sit in the third spot, that clarity comes with both opportunity and complication. At the top, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky has long been viewed as the frontrunner to go first overall to the Chicago White Sox. That perception has not completely disappeared, but Law suggests the gap is tightening. A handful of college standouts are making compelling late pushes, giving both the White Sox and the Rays, who pick second, more to think about before Minnesota is on the clock. C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech One of the fastest risers in Law’s rankings is Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. The right-handed hitter has put together a dominant offensive season, showcasing a rare blend of patience and power. He is controlling the strike zone at an elite level, drawing more walks than strikeouts while doing significant damage when he connects. Lackey has also flashed surprising athleticism, even contributing on the bases, and evaluators remain confident in his ability to remain behind the plate long term. That combination of offensive impact and defensive value has pushed him into the conversation at the very top of the draft. RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara On the pitching side, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora continues to build momentum. His performance this spring has been nothing short of overpowering, backed by premium velocity that regularly reaches triple digits and comfortably sits in the upper 90s. Flora complements the fastball with a devastating changeup that earns top-of-the-scale grades, while his slider and command round out a well-balanced arsenal. His delivery adds an element of deception, making his already electric stuff even tougher for hitters to pick up. Among pitchers in this class, he stands alone as the most realistic candidate to challenge for the first overall selection. SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky Kentucky infielder Tyler Bell presents a different type of evaluation. After suffering a shoulder injury early in the season, Bell missed time before returning to the lineup and continuing to produce at a high level. His on-base skills have been particularly impressive, driven by a disciplined approach that limits chase and forces pitchers into the zone. There will be medical questions to answer, and teams will need to be comfortable with the long-term outlook, but his performance has kept him firmly in the mix as one of the better bats in the class. For a team like Minnesota, risk tolerance will play a key role in determining whether he remains a viable option. Beyond those names, Law’s rankings continue to highlight the depth of the class. High school shortstop Grady Emerson represents one of the top prep talents available, while college hitters Eric Becker and Drew Burress have both put themselves on the radar with strong offensive showings. Each brings a different profile, giving teams multiple pathways depending on their preferences for risk, development timeline, and positional value. For the Twins, the takeaway is simple but significant. There may not be a clear-cut choice waiting at three, but there should be a talented one. How the board unfolds ahead of them will dictate whether they lean toward a polished college bat, a high upside arm, or a longer-term prep investment. View the full article

The Brewers will open a homestand this weekend against the Nationals by donning their second edition of City Connect uniforms for the first time. In preparation for that, the team rolled out the new look in an elaborate multi-platform social media announcement. The base color of the threads will be blue, though lighter than the team's standard navy and less bright than the blue that defined their glove-and-ball logo era. Although the comparison often feels trite, the choice of tone does genuinely evoke a lake or river. The accents (including nifty piping down the sleeves) are cream-colored, a well-measured nod to the Cream City. There will be a good amount of orange, too, bringing together a smart color scheme that doesn't bend so far from the tradition of the team, the city or the state as to feel jarring. It's new, but not alien. There's a new patch designed to look like a fishing bobber, but with baseball stitches. It's not prominently featured on the uniform, but it's nice. Even better is the redesigned Barrelman logo on the sleeve patch, which has the mascot superimposed on a many-colored outline of Wisconsin, pursuing a ground ball. The explanations and rollouts of these are always a bit overdone. Neither the league nor Nike does a very good job of making one forget that the point of having the new threads is to sell merchandise. On balance, though, this uniform does a lot of things right. It's almost really, really great. But. The team didn't just splash 'Wisco" across the front of the jersey, as became clear when the uniforms leaked last month. They leaned all the way into it. Their tagline for the unveiling is "If you're from Wisco, you know the way," and they're referring to the overall vibe as the "Wisco Way." There, of course, they have a problem, because no one is from Wisco. That diminutive reference is only used by people from elsewhere, and usually, it's not used flatteringly. At various points over the last quarter-century, people from the rest of the Midwest have tried on Wisco as a way to refer to the state (with its burdensome three-syllable name) and "Sconnies" as a demonym for people who live there, and some of that lingo has stuck, in Iowa and Minnesota and Illinois. But for Wisconsinites, it's simply not a thing. It will never be. It's always a downer when an advertising or marketing campaign hits a note this far from the proper key, but when it comes to the City Connect program, it cuts even deeper. Insofar as this program is anything real—any earnest effort to tie together team and community, be that by deepening the relationship between the team and a part of that community or by reaching out to a new segment of the community altogether—it has to be undertaken after serious research. It should be done by someone local. It should, in short, never come anywhere near calling the Brewers' home state "Wisco". Instead, these very pretty uniforms will largely remind us all of how commercial, transactional and hollow a relationship teams want with their fans. They're well-executed, but you can't connect (or Connect) to a community that doesn't exist. By letting a consultant with insufficient real intimacy with the city or state create such an out-of-touch theme for the uniform, Nike and the Brewers forfeited their chance to deepen their connection with fans. This organization does so many things well that they should easily survive the error, but it was an unforced one, and a disappointing one. View the full article

One of the Blue Jays' greatest strengths last year was their ability to come through when it mattered with the bats. Getting runners on base and bringing them in are two very important and very distinct parts of hitting, but in 2025, the Jays' tendency to do both at a high frequency was a breath of fresh air compared to 2023 and 2024, when their offense was prone to looking lifeless. A mere 11 games into 2026, they own a 4-7 record (before play on April 8) and have gone from fourth in the league to 26th in runs scored per game. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that their situational hitting has gotten worse. For how crucial it is to consistent production, success, and failure, for that matter, performance with runners in scoring position, at both the hitter and team level, is noisy, unpredictable, and thus not that stable year over year. Regression happens both ways, and it's happening to the Blue Jays in a big way right now. Blue Jays Hitting w/RISP, 2025 vs. 2026 Year AVG MLB AVG Rank wRC+ MLB wRC+ Rank 2025 .292 1 122 2 2026 .213 26 77 26 Forgive me if you've heard this a lot lately, but it's still early days. We're about 7% of the way through the season so far, a sample small enough for these numbers to work themselves out over time. Only, I'm not so sure they will if the Jays don't adjust their game plan in these spots. They have been a far cry from their best selves when key run-scoring chances arise, and if some of the current trends we're seeing were to continue for the rest of the season, it'll be a year to forget. The Jays overhauled their offensive coaching staff going into last year. The trio of David Popkins, Lou Iannotti, and Hunter Mense (the latter is now with the Giants) helped a lineup that was already great at getting bat to ball to hit with more power. Our own Jesse Burrill recently highlighted the positive changes that occurred under their watch: The hitters started swinging faster, adding more bat speed as the year went on, and doing damage. Jesse also rightfully made note of what has changed this year, namely their lack of discipline. At the time of his writing, the Blue Jays had the league's third-worst chase rate. It goes deeper than that, though. Toronto's coaches obviously aren't telling the hitters to swing out of their shoes, least of all when runners are on base, but the complete abandonment of a sound approach up and down the lineup when they need it most has been worrisome. Blue Jays Hitting w/RISP, 2025 vs. 2026: Underlying Metrics Hitter 2025 K% 2025 Chase% 2025 Hard-Hit% 2026 K% 2026 Chase% 2026 Hard-Hit% George Springer 22.5% 22.9% 50.0% 31.6% 40.5% 30.0% Addison Barger 21.2% 32.7% 55.8% 0.0% 44.0% 33.3% Nathan Lukes 15.3% 35.6% 32.2% 25.0% 55.2% 16.7% Daulton Varsho 33.3% 33.6% 54.3% 12.5% 29.4% 25.0% This is a somewhat arbitrary sample of hitters who were all given the spotlight here for various reasons. They are not solely responsible for the team's futility with runners in scoring position, but combined, they are 4-for-33 in these spots. That's a batting average of .121! I highlighted the chase% columns because that's what's most alarming: Springer has nearly doubled his chase rate from 2025 with RISP. To put it mildly, Lukes and Barger haven't seen the ball well either. Varsho's at least getting bat on ball and not chasing as much, but the contact he has made has been less threatening. Right in the middle of all this has been Kazuma Okamoto. He's clearly a very talented hitter – a 420-foot opposite field home run on opening weekend made that clear – and his .262/.340/.429 slash line (127 wRC+) would be a delight to the fanbase if he could make it last. However, he has looked completely lost in high-leverage situations. Adjusting to the quality of competition in MLB is a challenge for hitters coming from NPB, but adjusting mentally looks to be just as crucial of a task for Okamoto. Whatever's going on between his ears when he steps up with RISP is holding him back. Kazuma Okamoto Splits, 2026 Split AB AVG SLG xBA Zone Swing% Chase% Contact% K% w/RISP 10 .100 .100 .103 58.3% 24.1% 57.1% 54.5% Total 42 .262 .429 .246 60.2% 26.9% 62.1% 40.4% This explains why he's dead-last among Blue Jays with at least 20 plate appearances in win probability added, per FanGraphs' model (-0.51). In run-scoring at-bats, ones that can dramatically swing a team's chances of winning, he has yet to come through. It's presumably not the kind of thing the Blue Jays are worried about long-term, but it's nonetheless evidence that the transition from overseas is anything but linear. If we expand our focus to at-bats with runners on base instead of only in scoring position, other problems start to reveal themselves. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting over .300 in those situations, but only has one extra-base hit. The sample is even smaller for Alejandro Kirk, but he was just 1-for-8 himself before hitting the IL. Rival fanbases may scoff at this, and they're perfectly within their right because this happens to every team, but it is worth noting that the Blue Jays are especially banged up for how early it is in the season. Kirk's fractured thumb and Barger's ankle sprain have complicated matters, and that's just on the position player side. Cody Ponce suffered a regular season-ending ACL injury just 10 batters into his Jays debut, Max Scherzer is trying to pitch through forearm tendinitis, and virtually the entire team was rocked by a nasty flu bug last week. Bo Bichette's knee injury last September was the only major ailment suffered by a Toronto position player in 2025. Due to the circumstances, some players are punching a little above their weight in terms of playing time. Simultaneously, it's clear that this isn't the only problem. I also want to talk about how the Jays have been doing with the bases loaded this year. I'll admit it was my main inspiration for this piece, because any time a team is on pace to enter the record books for something, it's worth following. After Tuesday night's defeat, the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays were 1-for-17 on the season with the bases loaded. That would be, by a country mile, the lowest batting average (.059) a team has ever had with the bases loaded in any season of the live-ball era. The 2020 Kansas City Royals (.122) currently bear this dubious distinction. For seasons that lasted a full 162 games, it's the 2012 Houston Astros (.130). If you look up what their record was that year, it's possible that your electronic device will spontaneously catch fire. MLB's 10 worst bases-loaded offenses, live-ball era (Stathead) Obviously, I doubt Toronto's .059 BA holds up, but it's an unsettling sign that things aren't going great in general. Last year's Blue Jays hit .386 with the bases loaded. That led the league, but as I mentioned before, noisy stats like this don't necessarily stand the test of time. Yet, their xBA of .324 with the bases loaded also led the league, suggesting that in a vacuum, it was no fluke. In 2025, this team was perfectly capable of focusing on the task at hand, not diverting from their approach, and putting together good at-bats with runners in scoring position. In 2026, that has vanished into thin air. It's easier said than done, but whether it's a few hitters trying too hard or small-sample weirdness (likely a combination of both), it seems the offense is in need of a collective re-focus on what made them successful in the first place. It's one of the biggest tangible changes we can see so far between the two seasons, and a main culprit for their subpar performance out of the gate. They've got their work cut out for them now. All stats entering play on April 8, 2026. View the full article

When working with a small sample in April, it’s sometimes difficult to get a read on a player. Are there trends that we can chalk up to bad luck? Is there some underlying information we can use to project a quick rebound before the calendar turns to May? Or could said trends manifest into something more worrisome over the longer-term? In the case of Fernando Tatis Jr., it’s a mix of all three. The San Diego Padres are off to an uneven start. Almost nobody in the lineup is immune to it, either. Tatis represents one such case given a stat sheet that doesn’t look too favorable. While the physical tools have remained in place (we’ll touch on this in a moment), the early returns through 11 games and nearly 50 plate appearances have featured a brutal .195/.292/.268 line and a wRC+ of only 68. The walk rate, which Tatis reset when he walked at a nearly 13 percent clip last year, has remained high (12.5 percent), but there’s a clear contact issue pinning down his ability to contribute. That inability to feed into an underperforming offensive unit comes in spite of Tatis putting nearly all of his physical tools on display. The defense continues to look outstanding, and the sprint speed is up in the 96th percentile. The most impressive thing he’s done thus far, though, is hit the ball hard. Like, really hard. With the major caveat that we’re working within a minuscule sample, Tatis has made hard contact at a 70.4 percent rate. It’s a wildly unsustainable rate that, nevertheless, has him in the 99th percentile in contact quality. His 14.8 Barrel% is four percent higher than his overall clip from 2025. He’s also making more contact overall by about two percent, with a swing rate that has increased only slightly. These are all, objectively, good things. At the same time, something isn’t jibing between the contact metrics, the approach, and the overall production. It’s not as if Tatis is simply running into bad luck. A .276 batting average on balls in play may not be indicative of the elite contact trends he’s displayed, but it’s also not some horrendous figure. And while a strikeout rate lingering up near 28 percent is abnormal for him, it’s not as if he’s taking too many pitches or expanding the zone too frequently. In fact, his plate discipline numbers look really similar to last year across the board. So, what’s the issue here? Don’t get it twisted; the strikeout rate is, in itself, problematic. It’s not as if he’s working deep counts and experiencing punchouts as a byproduct of that. Tatis’ 3.83 pitches per plate appearance sits below league average at this point in the year. There’s a whiff issue happening, with a rate of 30.4 percent that sits three percent above where he was at last year. So, while the contact rate itself looks decent, there’s too much whiff happening in between that’s leading to the ballooned K%. We also can’t put all of it on merely swinging too much. There’s also a contract distribution issue at play. The concept of PullAIR% has gotten plenty of run in the last couple of years as a key ingredient in unlocking a player’s power potential. Tatis Jr’s PullAIR% through nearly 50 PA sits at 0.0 percent. In fact, he’s only pulling the ball 20.7 percent of the time overall. That’s nearly half of what’s he done in basically every season in which he’s played to date. Nearly half his contact (48.3 percent) has been to the center of the field, with another roughly 30 percent to the opposite field. None of those are going to yield particularly impressive power results. It’s not as if he’s seen a bat speed decline or anything mechanical. If there’s one thing to which we can remotely point, it’s in the intercept. Tatis’ intercept point (the point at which he makes contact with the ball relative to home plate) in 2025 was 3.6 inches in front of the plate. That’s almost identical to what he’d posted in the previous year. This year, he’s at just 0.9 inches in front of it. There’s a timing issue at play. He’s compensating effectively with bat speed, but there’s clearly something happening in his reaction that’s stalling his ability to recognize and swing early. That’s really the only explanation we have to offer at this point. Perhaps that’s something that can be worked out in short order. Tatis spent time last year adjusting his mechanics and his approach. We’re not even to the middle of April yet, so there may just be a further adjustment that’s transpiring in these early days of the season. But given that it’s leading to an absence of power and an influx of strikeouts, it’s something that he needs to adjust early in order to help this offense begin to move along with any level of consistency. View the full article

As we await the return of Justin Steele and weather the losses of Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton to the injured list, I considered the grief of being a Cubs fan through this early part of 2026, and recalled the infamous "Five Stages of Grief" in trying to process my feelings. Known as the Kubler-Ross model for its original author, the five stages are well-known—but also widely criticized for oversimplifying the process of grief. Similarly, most Cubs fans criticizing Jed Hoyer for spackling together a bullpen are trivializing the complexities that go into a competent relief unit. But since we have our theme today, let's run through these stages of relief (which might be more concentrated on our feelings about losing Cade Horton for the year, but that's another story for another day). Denial This offseason, the Cubs spent a significant amount of money on some relievers with upside. They let Brad Keller go, but we were all fairly excited about the prospect of decent arms like Phil Maton or intriguing arms that could still have magic in them: Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey. Along with the returning arms, this was supposed to be a superior relief corps, one that could be versatile and lock down games regularly. Instead, three of the aforementioned relievers have suffered extreme meltdowns leading to losses, and even Milner has coughed up a few runs, while striking out nobody to this point. The Cubs can't be that bad at scouting pitching, can they? Didn't they build a Pitch Lab or something? We can't be THAT cursed! Anger Why did the Cubs just scrape the barrel again or try to do their magic scouting, instead of just throwing all the money at guys like Devin Williams or Edwin Díaz? Never mind that they still have a perfectly capable Caleb Thielbar and a Daniel Palencia still going off the high of winning the World Baseball Classic with Team Venezuela, or that Colin Rea got yet another three-inning save. If only the Rickettses weren't always so cheap, and Hoyer would actually just throw money at the most volatile personnel in all of sports! Bargaining Look, I know these guys are good and all, and maybe it's just the early season cold weather (it really does suck to play baseball in the Midwest in April, I should know, I used to coach high school baseball here in Chicago), but all I'm really asking is that they don't walk people and throw pitches that don't get pummeled over the wall at inopportune times. Is that really too much to ask? I'd even live with the walks, if they'd stop giving up the homers! Or be ok with the homers, if they stopped clogging the bases with walks first! Depression Even with an exciting debut in Riley Martin, knowing that most of these guys can't be optioned and aren't going to just be randomly released just yet is annoying—and even if they did cut bait with somebody, the Cubs can't trade for anybody interesting for a couple months anyway, so we're kind of screwed there. Acceptance Then again, we're less than 10% into the season, and this team is too good to not figure it out, and that includes the bullpen full of guys who have decent track records, coaches who have found ways to bring the most out of their pitchers, and competent catchers who can guide their battery mates through trouble. We can't get rid of these guys yet, anyway, so we might as well hope that they do figure it out. When they do, along with a resurgence in the offense and a typically elite defense, Cubs baseball will be fun to watch again. You'll see! View the full article

Twins System Recap: The St. Paul Saints played a wacky game that somehow went 13 innings. Thankfully, Gabriel Gonzalez crushed a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer that put them up for good. For Wichita, Ryan Gallagher pitched one of the better games we've seen in the system this year. He was acquired in the Willi Castro trade. There's info on those performances and much more in tonight's video. View the full article