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Let's take a short trip back in time. Four years ago, Twins Daily rolled out its top-20 prospects entering the 2022 season, a list that blended near-ready contributors, teenage upside, and trade-deadline acquisitions. Some names have become core pieces. Others were rerouted in trades that reshaped the roster. A few never found their footing at the big-league level. Development is rarely linear, and the 2022 list is a reminder of just how unpredictable the path from prospect to producer can be. There were immediate risers. Emmanuel Rodriguez made his first appearance on the Twins Daily top 20 at No. 16, after a dominant introduction to pro ball in the rookie league. At the time, he looked like a lottery ticket with tools. Today, he is very much part of Minnesota’s long-term outfield conversation. Simeon Woods Richardson slotted in at No. 8, after arriving from Toronto in the José Berríos trade. He was viewed as a polished arm with mid-rotation potential. His big-league career has reflected that projection in flashes, showing stretches of stability mixed with the growing pains typical of young starters. Current Twins Matt Wallner (13th) and Cole Sands (14th) both cracked the top 15. Wallner’s left-handed power has blossomed, even if streakiness remains part of the package. Sands has moved between roles, and now might be the bullpen's highest-upside arm. There were disappointments, too. Matt Canterino ranked sixth but has been derailed by injuries throughout his professional career. The stuff was real. The availability never facilitated the upside. Josh Winder came in at No. 10, fresh off a dominant run in the high minors. At 25, he was close to big league-ready, but he never carved out a sustainable role in Minnesota. Gilberto Celestino, ranked 12th, looked like a potential everyday center fielder after strong numbers in the upper minors. The bat never developed. Let’s look at the top five from 2022 and revisit what was said then, compared to what actually unfolded. 5. RHP Joe Ryan What was said at the time: Amazing numbers in minors looked like real omens during five-start run with Twins. What happened: When Minnesota acquired Ryan, he was overpowering hitters in the upper minors with a fastball-heavy approach. His unique arm slot and the way the ball played at the top of the zone allowed him to miss bats without premium velocity. The organization worked to deepen his arsenal and sharpen his sequencing. The result was an All-Star-caliber starter who became a pillar of the rotation. Ryan validated the belief that his minor-league dominance was not a mirage. 4. RHP Jordan Balazovic What was said at the time: Safest combination of ceiling, floor, and proven durability among arms in the system. What happened: Not much about that projection held up. Balazovic struggled to secure a consistent role and appeared in just 18 games with Minnesota, working exclusively as a reliever. He posted a 4.44 ERA with a 15.7 K% and an 11.1 BB%. During spring training in 2023, he suffered a broken jaw after being punched at a bar, an incident that sidetracked his season. The Twins stayed patient, but he was ultimately released in July 2024. The presumed safety never materialized. 3. 2B/3B José Miranda What was said at the time: Perennial breakthrough candidate broke through with minor-league season for the ages. What happened: Miranda arrived in the bigs on a wave of momentum. As a rookie in 2022, he posted a 114 OPS+ with 25 doubles and 15 home runs, looking like a long-term middle-of-the-order bat. Injuries derailed his 2023 season, but he rebounded in 2024 with a 112 OPS+ and etched his name into the record books with hits in 12 consecutive at-bats. Then came a stunning collapse in 2025. He posted a 13 OPS+ in 12 games, was demoted to Triple A, and injured himself carrying a case of water at Target. Minnesota released him this winter. His arc might be the clearest reminder of how fragile success can be. 2. SS Royce Lewis What was said at the time: Missed two straight years, but has the elite skills, athleticism, and drive to catch up fast. What happened: Lewis looked every bit the star during the 2023 postseason push, flashing power, charisma, and the ability to rise in big moments. Over the last two seasons, he has appeared in 188 games and posted a 93 OPS+, battling inconsistency and more injuries. Still under team control for three more seasons, Lewis revamped his swing this winter. The talent that made him the top overall pick in 2017 remains. Now, it's all about sustained production. 1. SS/OF Austin Martin What was said at the time: Headliner of 2022 deadline sell-off is a worthy top prize, with evident star qualities. What happened: Martin entered 2022 as a consensus top-100 prospect. Drafted fifth overall in 2020 after starring at Vanderbilt, he was viewed as one of the safest bats in the minors. Injuries slowed his development, and he never quite locked down a defensive home. Last season, however, he made a strong second-half impression, with a 106 OPS+ and 11 steals in 50 games. Heading into 2026, he is fighting for a bench role. The question now is whether his versatility and on-base skills can translate into something larger. The 2022 Twins Daily top-20 list is a study in extremes. It produced an All-Star starter in Joe Ryan and meaningful contributors like Matt Wallner. It also featured injuries, stalled development, and several players who became trade currency. Prospect rankings are not promises. They're probabilistic outlines, shaped by scouting reports, performance data, and educated guesses. Four years later, the list stands as both a testament to the organization’s ability to develop talent and a reminder that projecting 22-year-olds is an inexact science. What stands out about the team’s top prospect list from 2022? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Talk Sox's top prospect rankings have reached their latter half, now focusing on the Boston Red Sox's top 10 prospects heading into the 2026 season. Be sure to check out our previous rankings here: Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) Part 2 (Nos. 11-15) Part 3 (No. 10) Part 4 (No. 9) Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 8 Dorian Soto Signing with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2025, Dorian Soto received the highest bonus of their entire class. Thanks to his ability to play shortstop and penchant for producing solid contact, many viewed Soto as a rising prospect before he signed. The 18-year-old played his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League last year, appearing in 47 games and showcasing his tremendous bat. In that span, he managed to hit .307/.362/.428 with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 18 RBIs. As a hitter, Soto bats from both sides of the plate and displays solid bat speed along with strong barrel control for someone of his age. Scouts have viewed Soto’s swing decisions as being quite advanced, while his contact skills remain one of his premier skills. Soto’s 90th percentile exit velocity reached 102 mph as a 17-year-old thanks in part to his ability to generate bat speed with a sometimes long swing. While aggressive, the shortstop has strong bat-to-ball ability which allowed him to have a strikeout rate of just 16% despite being aggressive at the plate. Though he's a true switch hitter, Soto showed better results as a left-handed batter as he slashed .311/.372/.432 compared to a stat line of .294/.324/.412 as a right-handed batter. Whether a wrist injury that limited his ability to bat from the right side of the plate had an effect on his production is yet to be known. Soto has shown average raw power in his first season, though scouts expect that to inflate as he grows older. His 6-foot-3 frame is impressive, and he still has room to grow and fill out, which will add more power to his game. Defensively, Soto is primarily a shortstop, but it is unknown if he will be able to stick there considering he’s already 6-foot-3 and still growing. Last season, he showcased natural movements at shortstop but also saw some time at both third base and second base. Should he be moved off of shortstop, third base seems to be his likely landing point due to his strong arm and potential power. The only real negative about Soto at the moment appears to be his speed, as it’s been viewed as his worst tool that could drop to below-average territory as he continues to grow. Soto is very young and it’s hard to project what he could end up as, but his potential is through the roof. In a best-case scenario, he'll be batting in the middle of the Red Sox's lineup in a few years. Of course, that all depends on how he develops over the next few seasons. Soto will begin 2026 in the Florida Complex League as he adjusts to playing stateside for the first time in his career. The young infielder could very well follow in Justin Gonzales’ footsteps of playing very briefly (Gonzales played exactly one game) in the Complex League before heading to Low-A Salem. View the full article

Baseball fans saw the first full day of World Baseball Classic competition on Friday, and the Royals were well-represented. Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia made starts for Team Venezuela, as did Bobby Witt Jr. for Team USA. Furthermore, Luinder Avila threw two innings of relief for Venezuela in their 6-2 win over the Netherlands (see below for a summary of his outing via TJ Stats). However, the two biggest Royals standouts in Friday's World Baseball Classic slate were Seth Lugo for Puerto Rico and Michael Wacha for the United States. Lugo made the start for Puerto Rico in their 5-0 win over Colombia and went four innings in the winning effort. As for Wacha, he pitched in relief but went three innings and collected five strikeouts for the United States. Let's review Lugo and Wacha's efforts individually, and what Royals fans can take away from their first outings in WBC pool play. Lugo Gives Vintage Performance The 36-year-old righty will be a key pitcher to the Royals' divisional and postseason chances in 2026. In his first season in Kansas City in 2024, Lugo pitched 206.2 innings and made 33 starts. In that sample, he posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and finished second in the AL Cy Young race. With Cole Ragans at the top of the rotation, he helped the Royals win 86 games and make it to the ALDS against the Yankees. Unfortunately, things regressed for Lugo in 2025. In 26 starts and 145.1 IP, he posted an ERA of 4.15, a 1.29 WHIP, and a 5.20 xERA, the latter being his worst mark in that category since his 5.45 xERA in his rookie year in 2016. He was also shut down at the end of the year due to a lower back strain. However, despite those issues, the Royals opted to bring him back instead of trading him at the Trade Deadline, inking him to a two-year, $46 million extension on July 29th. My biggest concern with Lugo was his curveball, which was a weapon for him in 2024 but less effective in 2025. In his first year in Kansas City, he posted a whiff rate of 33.6%, a put-away rate of 28.6%, and an xwOBA of .240 on the curve. Last season? He posted a whiff rate of 25.9%, a put-away rate of 20.4%, and an xwOBA of .308. He also showed some differences in TJ Stuff+ and chase from 2024 to 2025, not just on his curveball, but other key pitches (especially of the breaking variety). Lugo has shown some strong progress in Spring Training. In two outings and 5.0 IP in Cactus League play, he had a 3.60 ERA, 1.60 ERA with three runs allowed on eight hits. However, he has struck out five while not allowing a single walk. While that's encouraging, Cactus League competition isn't always the best indicator of a pitcher's progress, especially for veterans who are more concerned with process than results at this time of the year. That said, the WBC is a different animal, especially with players more invested in the wins and losses in this competition. Lugo was not only named to Puerto Rico's team, but was also named the starter for Game 1 of pool play. That's the equivalent of being named the Opening Day starter in this context, which shows both the trust and the pressure on Lugo, especially with Puerto Rico hosting Pool A (which includes Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama). The Royals righty stepped up and delivered a vintage performance: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, on 62 pitches. Here's what his summary looked like from his WBC outing via TJ Stats. Lugo didn't generate a ton of whiffs (24% whiff rate) or chase (15.6% chase rate). He also struggled with strike-zone consistency, as evidenced by his two walks and 48.4% zone rate. However, his overall TJ Stuff+ metrics were solid. He had a 99 TJ Stuff+ overall and sported four pitches with TJ Stuff+ marks over 100 (slurve, curveball, slider, and sweeper). Colombian hitters also struggled with making hard contact, as they produced an xwOBACON of .228. It was the kind of pitch-diverse and effective outing that Royals fans have grown to appreciate from Lugo in his two years in Kansas City. I was curious to see how his breaking stuff fared in his outing against Colombia. Based on the pitch description chart of his breaking pitches via Savant, he did an excellent job of not just generating strikes but keeping hitters off balance. H Based on his pitch chart from Savant, he produced five called strikes and five swinging strikes on breaking offerings. He also gave up just one hit, which was a swinging-bunt by Harold Ramirez with an exit velocity of 49.8 MPH. Honestly, based on the location of Lugo's offering, it's incredible that Ramirez even made contact on the pitch. It wasn't a dominant performance, and Colombia didn't exactly have a "stellar" lineup (the light-hitting Donovan Solano was their cleanup hitter). That said, Lugo showed the kind of pitch diversity and crafty approach that has made him an effective starting pitcher over the past three years (two with Kansas City and one with San Diego). If Lugo can continue to pitch like this in the regular season, Royals fans will certainly be satisfied, as he likely would produce a stat line closer to his 2024 self than his 2025 version. Wacha Shows Strikeout Stuff Against Brazil Logan Webb set the tone for Team USA in their opener in pool play. The Giants ace went 4.0 IP and allowed one run on one hit while walking zero and striking out six. His lone run came on a Lucas Ramirez home run in the first inning. Ramirez is the son of the legendary Manny Ramirez. Wacha came in relief for Webb and got off to a blazing start. He struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, and struck out two of three in the bottom of the sixth (he did give up a leadoff single). Unfortunately, Wacha got into some trouble in the seventh. He gave up two singles and a wild pitch (with the wild pitch setting up an RBI single by Brazil's Lucas Rojo). He then gave up a two-run home run to outfielder Victor Mascai to make it 7-4 at the time. Thus, it was a bit of a whimper of a finish for Wacha in his 2026 WBC debut. However, that shouldn't downplay his overall performance, especially in terms of its impact on his outlook for the Royals in 2026. The stuff from Wacha seemed pretty typical based on his TJ Stat summary. However, what particularly stood out from Wacha was the high chase and whiff rates in his Friday outing. Wacha posted an overall TJ Stuff+ of 99 with three pitches sporting a TJ Stuff+ of 100 or over (four-seamer, slider, and cutter). He relied heavily on his four-seamer and changeup, throwing those pitches 46.2% and 30.8% of the time, respectively. He was effective in generating chase with both pitches, as he produced a 50% chase rate with the four-seamer and 71.4% chase with the changeup. Here's a look, via Savant's pitch chart data, at how his four-seamer fared in terms of results. Wacha flooded the zone with his four-seamer. That is evidenced not only by his pitch chart above but also by his 66.7% zone rate. He probably threw it too much in the middle, which had mixed results. He generated two called strikes and two whiffs with the four-seamer. However, he also gave up four base hits, including two that resulted in runs. Here's a look at the four-seamer that Mascai went yard on in the seventh inning, which was thrown in the bottom of the strike zone. It's likely that Wacha was hoping to blow the fastball by Mascai in that area, especially after throwing a changeup on the first pitch in that same part of the strike zone. Unfortunately, Mascai seemed to be sitting on it, though it wasn't particularly hit THAT hard, as illustrated by the exit velocity data (he benefitted from the Crawford Boxes in right field). Thus, the four-seamer had mixed results, especially as he got into the seventh. That said, his changeup was highly effective throughout his outing. The changeup sported a 71.4% chase rate, 57.1% whiff rate, and .160 xwOBACON. He also located it effectively, keeping it low in the zone so that hitters couldn't do much with it, even if they made contact on the offspeed offering. That pitch chart is what Royals fans want to see from Wacha's changeup, which is his best pitch. Not only did he generate two called strikes in the zone with the pitch, but he also got them to chase five times on the offspeed pitch. Four of those five swings were whiffs, with the other being a foul ball. To be fair, this Brazilian lineup isn't anything special. After all, Dante Bichette Jr. is in the lineup, and he hasn't played organized ball since 2019. Nonetheless, Wacha did what one would want to see in a preseason warmup, especially in a more pressure-packed WBC environment. He attacked hitters, showed good stuff, and produced above-average results. Wacha has arguably been the Royals' most dependable starter over the past two years. He pitched 166.2 IP in 2024 and 172.2 IP in 2025. He posted ERA marks of 3.35 and 3.86 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Last night demonstrated that the 34-year-old veteran righty could produce another sub-4.00 ERA and 150+ IP season in 2026. View the full article

Miami, FL – Although Israel fell to Venezuela in their first game of the World Baseball Classic, Toronto Blue Jays prospect RJ Schreck had a nice day, hitting a 413-foot homer in the top of the sixth inning off left-handed pitcher Ricardo Sánchez. d1abb076-d17146eb-5bcd2439-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Schreck, whom the Blue Jays traded for back in 2024 when they sent Justin Turner to the Seattle Mariners, slashed .249/.395/.459/.854 with 18 home runs, 53 RBI and a 143 wRC+ in 105 games played last season. Schreck is Jays Centre's No. 16 prospect in Toronto's system. "They contacted me last year, around August, when I was in Triple A," Schreck said, of playing in his first WBC. "Anytime you get a chance to play in the World Baseball Classic, it's really hard to turn down. I had a feeling that the United States wasn't going to come calling, so just trying to find a place where I could play. I am Jewish, have been Jewish my entire life, so it's just going to be a really fun time playing baseball." Unfortunately for Israel, Venezuela, led by Luis Arraez's multi-homer game, took the game by a final score of 10-2. Israel's first run of the contest came in the top of the fifth inning when Matt Mervis drove in Garrett Stubbs. Schreck and Israel will play again today at 7:00 pm against Nicaragua. Nicaragua was walked off by the Netherlands yesterday on an Ozzie Albies home run. View the full article

There comes a point in every organization’s development cycle where the shine starts to wear off former top prospects. The tools are still there. The pedigree is still listed on Baseball Reference. The scouting reports still live somewhere in the back of your brain from when you watched their Futures Game highlights three summers ago. But the production has not quite followed them to the big leagues. That is what makes someone a post-hype prospect. These are players who were once considered foundational. Now they are in their mid-to-upper 20s, fighting to prove they still belong in an organization’s long-term plans. For the Minnesota Twins, that conversation has been happening recently thanks to John Bonnes and Aaron Gleeman on the Gleeman and The Geek. Now it is put up or shut up time. Minnesota believes it has a roster capable of contending in 2026, but they also need internal improvement to make that happen. If these players do not take a meaningful step forward this season, there is a good chance they will be wearing a different uniform in 2027. With the stakes clear, let's examine how Minnesota’s post-hype prospects stack up entering the season. 8. OF/DH Trevor Larnach Peak Prospect Rank: 39th by Baseball America (2021) At one point, Larnach looked like a middle-of-the-order fixture in the making. Now he feels like someone caught between roles. When he was used more regularly as a designated hitter in 2024, there were signs of life in the bat (116 OPS+), but the overall body of work has still been that of a below-average hitter for a corner outfielder (101 OPS+). That becomes a real problem for someone without a true defensive home. Larnach has to hit to justify his roster spot. If he does not, there may not be a clear path forward for him in Minnesota. 7. UTL Austin Martin Peak Prospect Rank: 19th by Baseball America (2021) Martin quietly put together a strong second half last season with a 106 OPS+ and 11 steals in 50 games. He showed an improved offensive approach, the ability to impact the game on the bases, and enough defensive versatility to move around the diamond when needed. Even with those positives, Martin still projects as more of a role player than an everyday contributor. He can handle corner outfield duties and slide to second base in a pinch, but his path to playing time likely runs through the bench unless the bat takes another step. 6. SP Simeon Woods Richardson Peak Prospect Rank: 61st by Baseball America (2020) Three years ago, it was fair to wonder if Woods Richardson was ever going to carve out a role in the big leagues. At Triple-A, he posted a 4.91 ERA with a 19.3 K%. Now he has become a steady contributor in Minnesota’s rotation with a 103 ERA+ and a 4.30 FIP from 2024-25. He may not have the frontline upside of some of the organization’s other arms, but there is real value in a pitcher capable of handling innings in a mid-rotation or back-end role. Woods Richardson has stabilized his trajectory, even if the ceiling still looks somewhat limited. 5. SP Taj Bradley Peak Prospect Rank: 20th by MLB.com (2023) The Twins took a swing when they acquired Bradley at last year’s trade deadline in a one-for-one deal involving Griffin Jax. Bradley has pitched over 380 major league innings and has a reputation as someone who has been one of baseball’s top pitching prospects. The results have been inconsistent at the highest level (85 ERA+), which is exactly why he lands in the middle of this list. Minnesota is betting that there is another gear here, and if they can find it, Bradley could become a major piece of the rotation moving forward. 4. IF Brooks Lee Peak Prospect Rank: 18th by MLB.com (2024) Lee is going to open the season as Minnesota’s starting shortstop, whether he is perfectly suited for the position or not. Circumstances have pushed him into the role, and now the Twins need the bat to justify it, as he has been limited to a 75 OPS+ in his first 189 games in the big leagues. As a prospect, Lee was known for elite bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate. He showed some improvement last season, but that contact ability has not fully translated against big- league pitching. If it does in 2026, it could change the outlook for both Lee and the lineup as a whole. 3. SP Zebby Matthews Peak Prospect Rank: 73rd by Baseball America (2025) There may not be a wider range of outcomes on this list than there is in Matthews. Minnesota will give him every opportunity to stick in the rotation, especially with injuries thinning out the starting pitching depth. Some of his underlying metrics suggest there is still breakout potential here. He was known for his ability to throw strikes in the minors, and batters have keyed in on that trait, translating it into a 38.8 Hard-Hit%. Avoiding hard contact will be the biggest key for 2026. Matthews could develop into a playoff-caliber starter or eventually shift into a high-leverage bullpen role. Among the pitchers in this group, he may have the best chance to develop into a future All-Star if everything clicks. 2. OF Matt Wallner Peak Prospect Rank: Never Ranked on Top-100 List Even in what felt like a down year in 2025, Wallner still managed a 110 OPS+ with 22 home runs. That alone tells you how impactful his power can be. If he takes even a modest step forward this season, clearing 30 home runs should be well within reach, with the upside for even more. The Twins need someone in this lineup to provide a legitimate offensive breakout. Wallner feels like the safest bet to do exactly that. 1. 3B Royce Lewis Peak Prospect Rank: 5th by MLB.com (2019) Lewis has already shown flashes of stardom. Now he is working to make that level of performance more sustainable. After revamping his swing this winter, Lewis enters 2026 with plenty of internal hype from the organization. His defense at third base improved from a significant liability in 2024 to something closer to average last season. If the bat returns to what it looked like during his best stretches, Lewis is capable of being an All-Star caliber player and a franchise-altering presence in the middle of Minnesota’s lineup. Post-hype prospects do not always get a second act. Sometimes the league tells you exactly who a player is before they ever get the chance to adjust. The Twins are counting on several of these players to rewrite that narrative in 2026. If even two or three of them take meaningful steps forward, Minnesota’s chances of staying in contention improve dramatically. If not, the next time we talk about this group, it may be in the context of where their careers went after leaving the organization. How would your rankings look for the organization’s post-hype prospects? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

On Saturday morning, the Royals announced via social media that they would be optioning Ben Kudrna to Triple-A Omaha, Steven Zobac to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and Chazz Martinez to Minor League camp. That means that all three pitchers will be primarily working out of Minor League camp for the remainder of Spring Training. The move is not surprising, as all three were longshots to make the Opening Day roster at the start of camp. Kudrna and Zobac had just been added to the 40-man roster this offseason. As for Martinez, he was a Minor League non-roster invitee. Kudrna got the most work in Spring Training and struggled in his small Cactus League sample. In 3.1 IP, he posted a 21.60 ERA and 3.60 WHIP. His FIP was better at 3.45, but he also only generated a 19% K% and 4.8% K-BB% in his limited Spring Training stint. Below is a look at his summary from Cactus League play via TJ Stats. Kudrna did a good job of finding the strike zone, as evidenced by his 52.6% zone rate. He also had a 99 overall TJ Stuff+, and his slider had a 103 TJ Stuff+. That said, he only generated a 24.3% chase and 21.2% whiff as well as a .522 xwOBACON. Those three factors explain why his WHIP and ERA were so inflated. Hopefully, the 23-year-old can work on his command and four-seamer a bit in Minor League camp. He still has some upside, and he has made some progress in the Royals system over the past couple of seasons. Kudrna likely will be the anchor of the Storm Chasers staff in 2026. Zobac was also optioned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, which makes sense after Zobac missed so much of 2025 due to injury. He posted a 7.68 ERA and 5.68 FIP in 36.1 IP with the Naturals last year. However, he's long showcased solid stuff when healthy, and he had a 21.1 K% and 13.1% K-BB% in Northwest Arkansas. That control was encouraging to see and explains why the Royals added him to the 40-man roster this offseason. Like Kudrna, the 25-year-old had a small sample, only pitching 2.2 innings. He didn't allow a run, but he sported a 1.88 WHIP and 7.7 K-BB%. The walks were a bit high at 15.4%. A contributor to that was his inability to generate chase, as illustrated in his TJ Stats summary below. Zobac sported a chase rate of 16% and an xwOBACON of .430, both blemishes on his limited Cactus League sample. However, he had a strong zone rate (54.5%), whiff rate (26.9), and decent TJ Stuff+ (100 overall). His four-seamer and slider were his best pitches, stuff-wise, with 102 TJ Stuff+ marks. Martinez was also sent to Minor League camp, but he didn't make an appearance in Cactus League play prior to his demotion. He still could pitch in Cactus League play, but he just won't be a candidate to make the roster. The 26-year-old lefty primarily pitched in Omaha, posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 30.1 IP last season. Martinez's stuff isn't dominant, but he did a good job of limiting hard contact last year, as illustrated in his TJ Stats summary. Martinez likely will return to Omaha in 2026, where he will provide left-handed bullpen depth. The Royals' Spring Training roster is now at 63 after these moves and the optioning of reliever Eric Cerantola earlier in the week. Cerantola is currently pitching for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. View the full article

The Brewers had many surprise offensive contributors this past season, from Brice Turang's breakout to the trade and resurgence of Andrew Vaughn. Still, one of the more meaningful offensive performances came from the bat of Sal Frelick. The former first-round pick out of Boston College back in 2021 slashed .288/.351/.405 and hit 12 home runs in 528 at-bats for the Brewers this past year. While Frelick’s bat was above average this past season (111 OPS+), his offensive numbers took a big leap from his previous two years in MLB, and it is fair to question whether that production can sustain itself over time. Frelick primarily hit from the leadoff and fifth spots in the lineup in 2025, and those splits are a good starting point for analysis. In 57 games hitting leadoff Frelick hit .309/.369/.476, whereas hitting fifth, he hit .276/.340/.351 in 51 total games. The only other lineup spot he spent more than 10 games in was 19 total games in the six-hole, hitting .215/.271/.262. It's all small-sample variance, but Frelick performed well in the leadoff spot last season. This take is backed up by looking further into his splits, specifically against right-handed and left-handed pitchers. Frelick hit .282/.349/.433 against righties and .301/.357/.340 against lefties. These splits show that the 25-year-old can lead off consistently; he had an above-average on-base percentage against both righties and lefties in 2025, and that will be key to allowing the Brewers to score runs this season. However, Frelick’s power numbers can be cause for some concern. Yes, he hit 12 home runs this past season. Diving deeper into those statistics allows us a clearer look at just how much he has improved since his debut in 2023. Starting with the positives, Frelick improved on several key power statistics. He began pulling the ball in the air more, to 17.8% in 2025, up from 10.8% in 2023 and 14.0% in 2024. Still, Frelick was below average in Pull Air%, and a similar story can be told about other power statistics. His bat speed increased, but only from the 3rd to the 7th percentile. His Hard-Hit percentage increased as well, but only from the 1st percentile to the 4th percentile. Frelick’s exit velocity rose from 83.4 in 2024 to 85.5 in 2025, still in the bottom 5% of MLB. Finally, his xSLG increased .030 points in 2025, which is a significant increase, but his actual slugging increased .070. This difference is critical to projecting Frelick’s offensive output this year. In addition to the power-based statistics above, Frelick saw improvements in other offensive categories. His batting average has increased each year he has been in the league, from .246 in 2023 to .288 in 2025. However, Frelick’s expected batting average was significantly lower than his actual average at .255, so it is fair to expect regression. He struck out less in 2025, ranking in the top 8th percentile in MLB at 13.5%, and walked more, ranking in the 46th percentile at 7.9%. These statistics back what fans can expect from Frelick at the plate going into 2026; he will walk a league-average percent of the time, won’t strikeout often, and will hit at an above-average rate. This isn’t new news, and these three things should be true for the remainder of Frelick’s time with the Brewers, however long that may be. Along with this offensive output, Frelick can be relied upon in right field with Gold-Glove caliber defense and 87th percentile sprint speed. Still, the question remains whether he can provide the same level of power as in 2025, or even whether an increase in those numbers is possible. As of this moment, it doesn’t appear likely. Frelick will certainly provide value for the Brewers in 2026 (3.6 FanGraphs WAR in 2025, 4th on the team), and he should hit in the leadoff spot, as that is probably where he is best suited with the current lineup construction. Just don’t keep your expectations high for Frelick to hit the ball over the fence, and instead look for Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and the first base platoon of Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn to provide most of the home runs for Milwaukee this year, with Brice Turang as a sneaky contender to overcome his home run total from 2025. What are your thoughts on Sal Frelick in 2026? Do you think he goes over or under his home run total from last season? View the full article

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—It’s hard to extrapolate spring training success to the regular season. But Chris Paddack is checking all the boxes. Saturday was Paddack’s third start of the spring, and he continued to look as solid as one can be this early in the calendar. The 30-year-old right-hander pitched three shutout innings, allowing just two hits and walking zero. For all of his struggles the last few years, he has consistently been one of the best in the league at limiting free passes, and he’s carried that control into Grapefruit League play this year with one walk over six innings pitched as a Miami Marlin. “Thought he had a good heater today,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “He's really playing well. Ability to get right up towards the top, and with the changeup that he has behind that.” lm09cq.mp4 Paddack was originally drafted by the Marlins in 2015 and was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2016, making his MLB debut in 2019. After an impressive rookie season that saw him record a 3.33 ERA, he has struggled to find the same success, pitching to a 5.06 ERA in six seasons since. What will separate Paddack from his previous performances will be the effectiveness of his breaking pitches, each of which have had a negative run value from 2021-2025, according to Baseball Savant. This spring, Paddack added a sweeper to his arsenal. He’s cautiously optimistic about its impact on his game. “We still have some chipping away to do,” Paddack said “It's not going to be that negative-18 (inches of horizontal break), negative-20 that you see some of these guys throw.” Paddack throws with a naturally pronated wrist, meaning his wrist and forearm closes and internally rotates as the ball is released. This doesn’t benefit or detract from his production, but it does lend itself to making certain pitches easier or harder to throw. Four-seam fastballs and changeups, for example, are typically more effective this way. The opposite of pronation is supination, which makes it easier to throw sweepers and other pitches characterized by spin. Paddack has been picking the brains of other pitchers that throw good spin pitches and breaking down film to look at his wrist position. “We're so close for it to catch,” Paddack said. “And it will be negative-12, negative-15 consistently. I would like it to be a little bit harder. It's kind of mirroring the curveball right now.” Last year, the Marlins deployed news training sessions for pitchers called “pitch design” where they throw a bullpen with real-time pitch data. It’s perfect for scenarios like this, where a pitcher wants to tinker with something new. “I get feedback from guys that are on my side, not trying to take my lunch money,” Paddack said. “And if they do clip me, they're able to walk me through, ‘Hey, this is what we saw,' or, 'That one was good—that one was better than the first one you threw.’” Other notes - The second round of cuts from Marlins big league camp consisted of right-hander Karson Milbrandt, first baseman Nathan Martorella and outfielders Dillon Lewis and Fenwick Trimble. Milbrandt, Lewis and Trimble are all Fish On First Top 30 prospects, but none have played above the Double-A level. There are now 61 players left in camp. - Janson Junk (right ankle sprain) made his 2026 Grapefruit League debut on Saturday, striking out two and allowing zero runs in his one inning of work. - Anthony Bender (right tibial stress reaction) and Andrew Nardi (left finger blister) are scheduled to make their first live game appearances of the spring on Tuesday. View the full article

More than two weeks into spring training, Miami Marlins outfielder Esteury Ruiz has recorded only two hits. Overall, though, he has still made a positive impression on his new organization. "One of the more important things for me is to get on base so that way I can show my talent with my speed and baserunning," Ruiz told Fish On First earlier this spring. From that standpoint, the 27-year-old journeyman is thriving. Through seven Grapefruit League games, he owns a .381 on-base percentage with a team-leading four stolen bases. "It's real game-changing, elite speed and that's something that can really be weaponized at various points in the game, whether he's starting or something within a game, to be able to have someone that has that type of game-changing ability on the bases," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said following Ruiz's spring debut on February 22. "He's been a performer in the major leagues in the past, and he's been a very good upper-level minor league player. Offensively, there's more in there. This guy can defend, and he can really run. There's some sneaky impact in his bat for someone his size. He really brings a nice dynamic, and a lot of ways that can impact a roster." The Marlins acquired Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers in an offseason trade, sending pitching prospect Adriano Marrero the other way. He spent most of the 2025 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he slashed .304/.412/.511/.923 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI, 63 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+. Ruiz mentioned how his batting stance was one of the big keys to his success at the minor league level, including standing more upright in the box. Ruiz is one of two right-handed-hitting outfielders on the Marlins 40-man roster, with Heriberto Hernández being the other. His handedness, speed and center field experience make him a potential contributor in the big leagues, but so far in his MLB career, he only has a .296 OBP. That's why it is encouraging to see such a disciplined approach from him this spring. He entered Saturday with an incredibly low 6.1% chase rate. It might take a red-hot finish to the spring or an outfield injury to fit Ruiz onto the Marlins Opening Day roster. Fortunately, he has one minor league option remaining for the club to use if needed. View the full article

Eric Wagaman was a low-profile acquisition early this winter. His performance with the Marlins and his remaining minor league options left him viewed mostly as Triple-A depth. As spring training progresses, it's worth considering if he can help address lingering questions about the Twins’ opening day roster. It wasn't surprising to see the Twins target a first baseman this offseason, given their lack of depth. Even with Wagaman's sub-700 OPS in 2025, the move made some sense. The expectation was that the Twins would stash him in Triple-A or try to sneak him through waivers again. Technically, that's still an option, but so far, it appears they have bigger plans for him. Initially, it seemed the Twins might alter Wagaman's approach after last season's limited production. Instead, they likely prefer he maintains his recent form, as shown by his .744 OPS in the second half and .813 OPS from August onward. His quality of contact crept up as the season went on, and his strong performance down the stretch looked like it was no fluke. Wagaman's .896 OPS this spring stands out as the Twins seek right-handed offensive production. Any sign of him continuing his strong finish to 2025 should be encouraging. His performance could make him a real contender for a bench spot. Spring offensive output should be viewed with caution, but Wagaman's value also comes from how he’s being deployed. The Twins’ roster construction requires flexibility. Wagaman is playing both first and third base and will get some time in a corner outfield spot this spring. If the Twins trust him to fill in at both positions, he may hold a significant advantage. Among first base options, Wagaman stands out as the top right-handed bat, making him a potential regular when facing left-handed pitching and providing late-game bench strength. His performance against left-handed pitching in 2025 was far superior to Josh Bell’s or Victor Caratini’s. He’s also shown more impact in those matchups than Austin Martin to provide a strong pivot for corner outfielders Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach. Martin offers more athleticism and defensive value, but roster choices have complicated the Twins’ plans. While the team says it wants Martin's tools, stacking left-handed outfielders and catchers on the roster forces bench creativity. Martin might be more valuable overall, but Wagaman's right-handed bat and positional flexibility could be crucial for roster balance. It’s unfortunate the roster is so mismatched. With a little more roster room, Martin and Wagaman could both play key roles given their contrasting profiles. There is a scenario where that still happens. Wagaman’s right-handedness, plus his offensive performance and positional flexibility could give him the edge in winning a roster battle over Alan Roden and James Outman With the roster in flux, Wagaman’s skills and versatility could be the piece that helps solidify the Twins’ lineup. Do you agree? View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays were aggressive this offseason in their efforts to bolster their team in hopes of making another World Series trip, but with a different outcome. The starting rotation was a focus after it finished last season ranked 20th in ERA (4.34), 17th in WHIP (1.27), and 14th in strikeouts (786). They made an early splash by signing the best free agent starter available, Dylan Cease. The team then followed that move by bringing Cody Ponce back to America after he spent the last four seasons overseas. He's fresh off finishing as the KBO League MVP last season, posting a 17-1 record, a 1.89 ERA, and a KBO single-season record 252 strikeouts over 180 2/3 innings. Both additions join a rotation of familiar faces, with Shane Bieber exercising his player option to return and Max Scherzer recently re-signing. The only loss in the rotation was Chris Bassitt, who signed a free agent contract with AL East foe, the Baltimore Orioles. With most of the starting rotation still intact after an overall uneven 2025, each pitcher could make improvements to ensure better performance this season. It's unclear who will be in the rotation to start the year, and if it will be a six-man rotation or the traditional five-man group, but there is still time for the team to assess their performances and see if more injuries occur. In the meantime, let's take a look at the candidates and identify a tweak each of them can make to improve upon their past performances. This article was inspired by Randy Holt's piece about Cubs hitters on our sister site North Side Baseball. Kevin Gausman: Efficiency Kevin Gausman is a prototypical workhorse, throwing at least 170 innings in eight of the last 10 seasons. That amount of innings will take a significant toll on a pitcher, especially a 35-year-old. One thing Gausman could do even better is pitch deeper into games. In his 32 starts last regular season, he pitched seven or more complete innings only 10 times. Over his 193 innings, he faced 775 batters, an average of 4.02 per inning. You can compare that to two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who faced 748 over 195 1/3 innings (3.83 per frame). If Gausman wants to be considered among the game's elite pitchers, he needs to find a way to throw fewer pitches but more innings. Considering the Blue Jays' bullpen struggles last season, one way to ease stress on the bullpen would be to have their ace throw deeper into games. Dylan Cease: Control The Blue Jays have paired one workhorse in Gausman with another. Dylan Cease has thrown 165 or more innings in each of the last five seasons. He's phenomenal at striking out batters, as he's the only pitcher with more than 200 strikeouts in each season over the same time span. However, he's been inconsistent in throwing strikes during his career. Last season, he finished in the 20th percentile in walk percentage, which he's only surpassed twice in his seven-year career. Despite his 9.8 walk percentage and 4.55 ERA last season, the righty had an expected ERA of 3.45. That means he pitched better than his ERA suggests when controlling for poor defense and poor luck. Cease brings an elite arm to Toronto, but unless he takes another step forward, fans should expect some inconsistency. Trey Yesavage: Workload Management It's evident from Trey Yesavage's postseason performance that the Blue Jays have a young star in their ranks. The important thing for him and the team is keeping him healthy. Last season was the first of Yesavage's professional career, and he threw 139 2/3 innings between the minors and MLB in the regular season and postseason. The 22-year-old should begin this season as the number three starter for the Blue Jays, but the team will need to monitor his innings. A midseason adjustment to Yesavage's pitching schedule could help lessen his workload; that could mean skipping a start here and there or stretching out the days between his appearances. José Berríos: Find Success the Third Time Through the Order José Berríos's struggles last season came the further he pitched into a game. He posted a 3.12 ERA in 66 1/3 innings, facing opponents for the first time. His ERA rose to 3.52 over 61 1/3 innings during the second time through the batting order, then climbed to 6.69 over 36 1/3 innings during the third time through. These struggles in the later innings have been a regular problem for the 31-year-old over his career, but the discrepancy hasn't been as drastic as it was last season. Maybe that was due to the biceps tendon injury he suffered around this time last season and pitched through for most of the year. Obviously, a third time through the lineup, a pitcher won't be as sharp, but a 3.17-point difference in ERA from the second to third time through the order is too large to ignore. Berríos is healthy now and ready for a rebound season, but his role remains uncertain. It will likely depend on whether Scherzer is ready for Opening Day, how long Bieber is unavailable, and how Ponce is ultimately used. Cody Ponce: Maintain KBO Success in MLB To go from a career MLB ERA of 5.86 to achieving one of the greatest seasons a KBO pitcher has ever had, you'd need to tweak your pitches and mechanics. In 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cody Ponce's four-seam fastball averaged 93.2 mph. However, he raised that average to 95.5 mph and topped out at 98 last season. Along with the increased fastball velocity, the 31-year-old added a new kick changeup that ranges in the mid-to-high 80s. These two adjusted pitches highlight a five-pitch arsenal that also includes a cutter, slider, and curverball. In addition, Ponce was able to increase his groundball rate to 45.7 percent last season, which was a 5.3-point increase from the last time he threw in MLB. He most likely slots in as the number five starter right now, but he could also be useful coming out of the bullpen with the arsenal he throws. Eric Lauer: Leverage Breaking Balls With Two Strikes Eric Lauer's flexibility was clutch for the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff last season. He posted a 3.77 ERA over 74 innings as a starter and a 1.76 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in relief. Some of his success can be attributed to the increase in put-away percentage that he brought back from a brief KBO stint in 2024. Lauer isn't a fireballer by any means; his fastball averages 91.7 mph, his curveball sits in the mid-70s, and his cutter, slider, and changeup are all in the mid-80s. When you aren't a high-speed pitcher, you need to rely on your mechanics and off-speed movement to be deceptive and miss bats. In 2023, while with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lauer struck out 43 batters over 46 2/3 innings. He relied heavily on his four-seam fastball and cutter to miss bats. The lefty threw these pitches 78.5 percent of the time and had a 20 percent put-away rate for both. Lauer's off-speed pitches are where his put-away percentage suffered, producing far below-average rates. His curveball put away batters at just a 10 percent rate, his slider at a 5.7 percent rate, and his changeup at a 50 percent rate, though he only threw the pitch six times that season. He struggled with the Pirates' and the Astros' Triple-A teams in 2024, which led to his move to the KBO. While overseas, he leaned on his cutter less often (20.5 percent) and relied on his breaking balls to get his strikeouts. When he returned, his curveball's put-away percentage jumped to 23.2 percent, and the slider increased to 24.3 percent. Both were drastic improvements over his 2023 production. Lauer also threw 128 more changeups, but surprisingly, his put-away percentage was only 2.2 percent. The increase in put-away stuff led to 102 strikeouts over 104 2/3 innings. Regardless of what role Lauer plays this season, he will need to continue leaning on his breaking balls late in counts to keep batters off balance and miss bats. Shane Bieber: Continue Developing the Changeup The changeup had been an afterthought in Shane Bieber's five-pitch arsenal before the 2024 season. In his first six MLB seasons, he never threw the off-speed pitch more than nine percent of the time. During this period, he used the pitch primarily against left-handed batters because he could keep the ball hidden, and it dropped off the table due to its lower spin rate compared to his other pitches. Bieber threw the pitch 568 times to lefties compared to 43 times to righties. Last season, he started mixing in his changeup against batters on both sides of the plate more frequently (57 times to lefties and 26 times to righties). The increase in the pitch usage led to a 38.2 whiff percentage, the highest among all five of his pitches. His arm slot hides the ball from hitters, and the 1,396 rpm spin rate makes the pitch drop as it reaches the plate. This rpm is drastically lower than on Bieber's four-seam fastball (2,414 rpm) and slider (2,611 rpm). Bieber is 30 years old, which means his velocity could start to decline, though he averages only 92.6 mph on his fastball. This suspected decline will force the righty to lean on his changeup more than 13 percent of the time. Bieber has been dealing with forearm fatigue this offseason and won't start the season on the Opening Day roster. However, he's not expected to miss a significant amount of time. Max Scherzer: Bring the Mad Max Mentality Back Let's be honest, when it comes to a 41-year-old pitcher, there really aren't any major improvements you can ask for. At this point in a player's career, fans can only ask for a glimpse of the player's successful self. Last season, Max Scherzer threw 85 innings but posted the worst single-season ERA of his career (5.19). Despite the high ERA, Scherzer's velocity wasn't far off from where it was in 2017, the last time he won a Cy Young Award. The Blue Jays aren't expecting him to post Cy Young statistics; they only need him to stay healthy and give them innings when needed. It's uncertain what role Scherzer will have this season, but he can start games or join the bullpen. The Blue Jays will ease him into the season due to his age and the lack of urgency to use his arm. One thing the three-time Cy Young Award winner can control is his fiery mentality. This passion can be contagious, giving the rest of the team a boost. That's about all you can expect from a guy who has been in the big leagues since 2008. View the full article

Jackson Merrill had a disappointing 2025 season by his standards, even when his reduced plate appearances last year are taken into account. Those higher expectations come from a brilliant 2024 campaign that nearly ended in awards glory. However, being the fourth player in Padres history to place second in the Rookie of the Year balloting may have been a blessing for Merrill, who won’t have the burden Benito Santiago did of matching his 1987 Rookie of the Year season. The 2024 Rookie of the Year voters had to balance the pitching accomplishments of Paul Skenes against Merrill’s batting, baserunning, and fielding activity. Skenes was the first-place choice for 23 of the 30 voters, while Merrill obtained the other seven first-place votes. Merrill thus joined Ozzie Smith in 1978, Khalil Greene in 2004, and Jake Cronenworth in 2020 (Cronenworth actually tied for second in the balloting) as Padres who were beaten out for the Rookie of the Year award by only one player. Three trips to the injured list in 2025 limited Merrill’s activity in general as well as his offensive output. He still led all National League center fielders with nine assists even though he only played 114 games in the outfield last year, and his .997 fielding percentage in 2025 actually exceeded his .993 mark in 2024 when he led the league with 155 games in center field and with four double plays while sharing first place with eight assists. Merrill’s 2025 production at the plate declined to a noticeable degree, though. In 2024, his 593 plate appearances resulted in a .292 batting average, 162 hits, 31 doubles, six triples, 24 home runs, and 90 runs batted in. That earned Merrill a Silver Slugger award for National League outfielders. He also scored 77 times and stole 16 bases. In 2025, Merrill had 483 plate appearances. He matched his six triples from the previous year and drew 33 walks, more than the 29 he had in 2024, but his offensive performance otherwise declined from his rookie year. When his 2024 statistics are multiplied by 0.8145 to reflect his plate appearance differential (and rounded to the lower integer) that equates to 131 hits, 25 doubles, 19 home runs, 73 RBI, and 62 runs. He had 25 actual doubles in 2025, but a .264 average, 116 hits, 16 home runs, and 67 RBI while scoring only 59 times and stealing only one base. Had Benito Santiago not had a 34-game hitting streak at the end of 1987 and ended his season with a .300 batting average, his expectations for subsequent years might not have been as high. Santiago never matched that batting average later in his career other than when he batted .310 in 30 plate appearances for the 1998 Toronto Blue Jays. He did not exceed his 18 home runs after 1987 until homering 30 times for the 1996 Philadelphia Phillies. Santiago never subsequently matched or exceeded the 164 hits or the 21 stolen bases he had in 1987. The only other Rookie of the Year in Padres history, Butch Metzger, shared the 1976 award. Metzger didn’t match his wins, saves, earned run average, innings pitched, or strikeouts total in any of his future seasons. The Rookie of the Year ballots only included first-place votes and not position points through 1979. On three other occasions during that era did a Padres player received Rookie of the Year votes. The first of those was in 1973, when Johnny Grubb received one vote. Gary Matthews received 11 votes as well as the award. One voter split his vote between Steve Rogers and Richie Zisk while Rogers received three full votes to place second. Elias Sosa, Bob Boone, and Dan Driessen each obtained two votes. Grubb, Davey Lopes, and Ron Cey received one vote apiece. Zisk, the only player on the list with a higher batting average than Grubb, did not receive a full vote. Neither Zisk nor Grubb had the minimum 502 plate appearances to qualify for the batting championship, but Zisk’s .324 average trailed only the .338 of Pete Rose. Grubb batted .311 in 432 plate appearances, which including Zisk would have placed him seventh. Grubb compiled a batting average of .286 during the Padres portion of his career, which currently ranks ninth in team history. When he was traded to the Cleveland Indians after the 1976 season it was the highest batting average in Padres history. Grubb, a September 1972 call-up, concluded his 16-season major league career with a .278 average. Since he only played four full seasons with the Padres, he is no longer in the top ten for any other statistic, but he had 513 hits in his 513 Padres games while scoring 235 runs, hitting 101 doubles, 11 triples, and 25 home runs, and driving in 145 runs. Two other 1973 Padres rookies joined the major league team in June and didn’t have sufficient activity to merit any Rookie of the Year votes, but too much activity to be qualified as rookies for 1974. An 8-1 record in Class AA convinced the Padres to call up Randy Jones, who threw 139 2/3 innings with the big league club in 1973 while compiling a 7-6 record and a 3.16 ERA. The modest expectations allowed Jones to recover from an 8-22 season in 1974. He posted 20-win seasons in both 1975 and 1976, leading the National League in ERA for 1975 and in wins for 1976. The Padres had the fourth overall pick in the June 1973 draft and chose University of Minnesota player Dave Winfield. Winfield was placed on the major-league roster immediately. He saw action in 56 Padres games and accumulated 154 plate appearances while batting .277 with three home runs. Winfield would bat .284 in his eight seasons with the Padres while hitting 154 home runs and winning two Gold Glove awards. In 1979 Winfield batted .308 for the second consecutive year and led the National League with 118 runs batted in. Andre Dawson edged Steve Henderson to win the 1977 Rookie of the Year Award while Gene Richards received four votes to place third. Richards batted .290 and set a major league rookie record with 56 stolen bases. Richards improved his batting average to .308 in 1978 while increasing his best stolen bases total to 61 in 1980. In the strike-shortened 1981 season he shared the National League lead with 12 triples. Richards would spend seven seasons with the Padres. His .291 average with the team currently shares fifth in Padres history. His 994 hits with the Padres is the outright fifth-place total in team history and stood fourth until Manny Machado exceeded that last year. Richards’ 484 runs scored is the fourth-highest Padres total. His 782 singles constitute the third most in Padres history. His 242 stolen bases and 63 triples are exceeded only by Tony Gwynn. Horner and Smith shared one Rookie of the Year vote in 1978. Horner received 12 others, Smith had eight full votes, and Don Robinson was the choice on the other three ballots. Horner had a .266 batting average compared to the .258 for Smith, although Horner didn’t join the Atlanta Braves until being drafted that June and wouldn’t have qualified for the batting championship. Horner hit 23 home runs compared to one for Smith, and in his partial season Horner drove in 63 runs while Smith batted in 46. Smith stole 40 bases while Horner had no swipes in his rookie year. Over his career, Horner would bat .277 while Smith had a career batting average of .262. Horner only played ten seasons while Smith played 19 and joined the Baseball Hall of Fame after he retired. Although Smith didn’t exceed his 1978 batting average until after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, he stole 57 bases in 1980, when he also set a major league record with 621 assists. Smith led National League shortstops in assists eight times including in his final three seasons with the Padres, and he was a Gold Glove winner in 1980 and 1981. The first Padres player to receive position points but no first-place votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting, Juan Bonilla, shared fourth place in 1981. An injury in 1982 and subsequent cocaine use kept Bonilla from matching his 1981 performance. In 1982 pitcher Luis DeLeon was fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting while pitcher Eric Show shared eighth. Tony Gwynn had 209 plate appearances that year, and it could be considered his worst year since his .289 batting average was the only sub-.300 season of his career. That average was still higher than four of the five field players receiving Rookie of the Year votes that year including recipient Steve Sax and future Hall of Fame member Ryne Sandberg. (Willie McGee, who placed third, batted .296.) Gwynn would conclude his 20-year career with a .338 batting average, eight National League batting championships, 3,141 hits, 1,383 runs, 543 doubles, 85 triples, 319 stolen bases, 1,138 runs batted in, seven Silver Slugger awards, and five Gold Glove awards. Gwynn was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. A 7-3 record with a 2.65 ERA in 115 1/3 innings led to Mark Thurmond sharing ninth in the 1983 Rookie of the Year balloting. Thurmond posted a 14-8 record in 1984 but had no other winning seasons. Kevin McReynolds was the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player in 1983 but struggled in his games with the Padres. He batted .221 with four home runs in 155 plate appearances which made him ineligible for the 1984 Rookie of the Year award. McReynolds improved his batting average to .278 in 1984 while hitting 20 home runs. Before being traded to the Mets after the 1986 season McReynolds batted .263 for the Padres with 65 home runs, 260 runs batted in, and 233 runs scored. In his final Padres season he batted .288 with 26 home runs. In 1984 McReynolds led National League center fielders with a .991 fielding percentage and with 422 putouts, and in 1985 his 430 putouts and 13 assists led the league’s center fielders. A .250 batting average with 13 home runs and 66 runs batted in was worth sixth place for Carmelo Martinez in the 1984 Rookie of the Year voting. Martinez exceeded that batting average in each of the next three years, homered 21 times in 1985, and drove in at least 70 runs in two subsequent Padres seasons. John Kruk batted .309 in 327 plate appearances during 1986. That allowed him to share seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 1987, Kruk batted .313 in 527 plate appearances with 20 homers and 91 runs batted in. Although Kruk was traded during the 1989 season, he concluded his major league career with a .300 batting average and 100 home runs. A trade also limited the Padres career of Roberto Alomar, who was fifth in the 1988 Rookie of the Year voting, though Alomar would eventually be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He batted .266 for the 1988 Padres while increasing his average to .295 in 1989 and concluding his overall 17-year major league career with a .300 average. Alomar stole 24 bases in 1988 and 42 in 1989. Greg Harris threw 135 innings for the 1989 Padres, compiling an 8-9 record with a 2.60 ERA, and was seventh in that year’s voting. He was 8-8 with a 2.30 ERA in 1990 and 9-5 with a 2.23 ERA in 1991. Although subsequent Padres seasons inflated his team career ERA to 2.95 that still ranks second all-time while his 7.9 hits per nine innings allowed ranks seventh. Andy Benes began the 1989 season in Class AA but earned a berth on the major league roster in August. His 66 2/3 innings with the Padres made him ineligible for 1990 Rookie of the Year consideration, but his 6-3 record and 3.51 ERA resulted in sharing fifth in the 1989 voting. In each of the next four seasons Benes won at least ten games including 15 both in 1991 and in 1993. He won 69 games before being traded in July 1995. He had exactly 2,000 career strikeouts including 1,036 with the Padres to set a team record subsequently surpassed by Jake Peavy. Frank Seminara didn’t subsequently match his 1992 win-loss record of 9‑4 with a 3.68 ERA which gave him a Rookie of the Year position vote to share seventh. A .251 batting average in 495 plate appearances gave Ricky Gutierrez a 1993 vote and a share of 11th although the 1994 players’ strike limited Gutierrez’ statistics and the trade which brought Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley to the Padres caused Gutierrez to exceed that .251 average nine times but with the Houston Astros and two other teams. The 1994 strike also limited Joey Hamilton to 108 2/3 innings after he was called up to the Padres in late May. Hamilton was 9-6 with a 2.98 ERA and shared fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Hamilton would win 40 games between 1996 and 1998 before the Padres traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays. The next Padres to receive Rookie of the Year votes, Khalil Greene and Akinori Otsuka, placed second and third in 2004. Although Greene never matched or exceeded the .273 he hit in 2004 he matched his 15 home runs that year both in 2005 and 2006 before homering 27 times in 2007. He concluded his Padres career with 84 home runs in 659 games. Otsuka wasn’t able to match the 7-2 record and 1.75 ERA he compiled in 73 relief appearances in 2004, but he was a 32-year-old rookie with seven previous Japanese league seasons. In 2009, Everth Cabrera batted .255 and stole 25 bases, earning him a position vote and a share of eighth place in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Cabrera led the National League with 44 stolen bases in 2012. He stole 37 bases in 2013 and batted .283. He ranks sixth with 136 stolen bases during his Padres career. Yonder Alonso received a position vote and a share of sixth place in 2012 when he batted .273 with 39 doubles. He batted .281 in 2013 and .282 in 2015. A trade to the Cardinals limited Jedd Gyorko, who was sixth in the 2013 balloting, to three years with the Padres. Gyorko batted .249 in 2013 and exceeded that twice with St. Louis. He homered 23 times in 2013 and improved his personal best to 30 homers with the 2016 Cardinals. A .263 average with 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases contributed to Manuel Margot placing sixth in the 2017 balloting. A trade limited Margot to three full Padres seasons along with 37 plate appearances in 2016, but he exceeded his rookie batting average three times with the Tampa Bay Rays. Margot stole 20 bases with the Padres in 2019. Although he never matched his 13 home runs in subsequent seasons he had 42 extra-base hits in 2018 compared to 38 in 2017. Yonder Alonso and Pete Alonso are not related. Pete Alonso was the 2019 Rookie of the Year while Fernando Tatis Jr. was third. Tatis has not matched the .317 he hit in 2019 but has exceeded the 22 home runs he hit as a rookie three times including in 2021 when his 42 homers led the National League. Tatis stole 16 bases as a rookie and has stolen more in three of his subsequent seasons. He has homered 152 times and stole 124 bases during his first seven years with the Padres. After making the transition from shortstop to right field, Tatis won the Gold Glove award both in 2023 and in 2025. The coronavirus-shortened 2020 season limited Jake Cronenworth to 192 plate appearances, although he batted .285 and shared second place in the Rookie of the Year voting with Alec Bohm. To date, Cronenworth has homered 80 times for the Padres while scoring 395 runs and driving in 365. The utility role Cronenworth has had with the Padres may give Sung‑Mun Song sufficient playing time for Rookie of the Year consideration, and it is also possible that a rookie will earn a position unexpectedly. Merrill is the most recent Padres player to receive Rookie of the Year votes. The voters’ selection of Paul Skenes eliminated Rookie of the Year expectations for Merrill, and Merrill may be able to raise expectations with subsequent seasons. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins bullpen has a left-handed problem. At least, that’s the question worth asking as Opening Day approaches. On paper, the Twins are lined up to carry a perfectly balanced bullpen in 2026: four right-handed pitchers and four left-handed pitchers. Symmetry looks nice in theory. In practice, it’s almost unheard of. This offseason the Twins added three left-handed relievers: Andrew Chafin, Taylor Rogers, and Anthony Banda. They join Kody Funderburk, who entered the winter with a presumed bullpen spot after a dominant finish to last season. Over the final two months, Funderburk posted a 0.75 ERA across 24 innings, pitching his way into high-leverage consideration. Four lefties. Four righties. Balanced. But balanced doesn’t necessarily mean optimized. Across Major League Baseball, only the Twins, Dodgers, and Brewers are expected to carry four left-handed relievers to start the season. That’s not a coincidence. In the era of the three-batter minimum rule, roster construction has shifted dramatically. The days of the pure left-handed specialist are largely gone. A bullpen arm can’t simply exist to neutralize one dangerous lefty in the seventh inning. He has to get through a pocket of hitters, and that almost always includes right-handed bats. That’s where the concern starts to creep in. Let’s look at the splits. Rogers owns a career .746 OPS allowed against right-handed hitters compared to .569 against lefties. That’s a massive gap. He can still dominate same-side matchups, but righties have long presented problems. Banda’s splits are even more pronounced. He has allowed a career .849 OPS to right-handed hitters versus .635 to lefties. That’s the profile of a pitcher you would prefer to deploy surgically, not someone you trust to navigate a mixed portion of a lineup. Chafin has the most balanced career track record of the group, with a .671 OPS allowed to righties and .617 to lefties. But even he showed vulnerability last season, surrendering an .805 OPS to right-handed hitters. At 35, expecting improvement against opposite-handed bats may be optimistic. Then there’s Funderburk. Despite his dominant finish last year, his career splits show a .768 OPS allowed to righties and .725 to lefties. He hasn’t displayed dramatic dominance over either side. Individually, none of these pitchers are unusable. Collectively, the profile becomes more concerning. Roughly three-quarters of hitters in today’s game bat right-handed. That reality makes stacking left-handed relievers risky unless those pitchers have the ability to neutralize right-handed bats consistently. The Twins did not go out and acquire elite, neutral-split lefties who can dominate anyone. They added a group of solid but unspectacular relievers whose biggest strength remains getting left-handed hitters out. Under previous rules, a manager could leverage that skill. A lefty could enter to face one dangerous left-handed bat and exit. Now he must face at least three hitters unless the inning ends. That significantly increases exposure to the platoon disadvantage, especially in late innings when managers cannot always control the matchup pocket. The construction also raises a broader roster-building question. The Twins waited deep into free agency to address the bullpen. By the time they moved, many of the premium right-handed options were gone. The arms available at their price point happened to skew left-handed, and the Twins leaned into it. Whether that was strategic or circumstantial is up for debate. It’s possible the team believes the stuff will play up. It’s possible they trust pitch shapes and usage adjustments to minimize platoon splits. It’s possible they simply valued overall depth over handedness concerns. But there’s no getting around the math. When half of your bullpen throws left-handed and most hitters bat right-handed, those pitchers are going to face tough matchups regularly. And with the three-batter minimum in place, there’s less room to hide. A bullpen with four lefties is rare for a reason. Are the Twins ahead of the curve, building flexibility others are ignoring? Or have they created an unnecessary vulnerability in a season where every late-inning edge matters? Do the Twins have a left-handedness problem? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View the full article

The Brewers’ top 30 prospects show how loaded the farm is right now. Of course, Jesus Made made headlines, as he's already one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and then you’ve got guys like Luis Pena, Jett Williams, Andrew Fischer, and Cooper Pratt who give them a ton of infield depth. Then you can't forget about the arms, Brandon Sproat, Logan Henderson, and Bishop Letson land inside the top 10. Overall, it’s a really talented group with high upside and a few players who might not be that far away from helping in Milwaukee. View the full article

Andrew Morris kicked off his off-season glued to the TV watching postseason baseball. He saw enough of Yoshinobo Yamamoto's splitter that he's been trying to replicate it this spring. The DTS crew reviews how that can be an effective pitch for him if he can make the Twins' starting rotation at some point this year. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs have released their 40-man Spring Breakout Roster pool. Here are four different players to watch for as factors in a showcase that highlights the future of America's pastime. Cubs top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins has been impressing early with his 70-grade fastball and wipeout slider. Jefferson Rojas has arguably has the most productive spring of any Cubs hitting prospect. Ethan Conrad, while yet to make his debut, has the makings of a five-tool player after impressing at Marist College and Wake Forest. Lastly, Moises Ballesteros showed a glimpse of what could be in his brief but productive big league break-in last year. View the full article

It wouldn’t be a Boston Red Sox spring training without a competition for second base. Last year, Kristian Campbell ultimately won out and made the Opening Day roster but failed to make a lasting impact during the 2025 season. This year, though, it’s different. We have a general idea of who will be in the infield, just not where they will play. Obviously, Trevor Story will man shortstop, and Willson Contreras will be the starting first baseman barring injury. But that leaves two other positions with question marks as to who will be playing them in just about three weeks from now. Marcelo Mayer and Caleb Durbin both feature the positional versatility to swap between second and third base, but as we saw with Campbell last season, shuffling young players between positions can negatively impact their experience in the big leagues. Expect to see the team lean into this mentality when it comes to both Mayer and Durbin as spring training continues. Which player needs to be at which position though? Let’s see if we can figure out the path Craig Breslow and Alex Cora may take for Opening Day. After the team traded for Durbin, the initial belief was that he would slot into the lineup as the second baseman. The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey also reported that the team preferred for Mayer to remain at third after he showed promising skills at the hot corner while he served as the starter in the wake of Alex Bregman’s quad injury. Now, though? Durbin hasn’t sniffed an inning at second, while Mayer has been at the keystone during both spring training starts. On the surface, this positioning makes a lot of sense. Durbin took over the starting third base job for the Brewers after only 10 games at second in 2025. He played second for the majority of his minor-league career, but the team was confident that he’d be able to shift to his right and continue to play high-level defense at the hot corner. They ended up being correct, but things started off pretty rocky for Durbin after the switch. He settled down after a time though and became a good enough defender to go alongside his solid offensive production that he came in third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Keeping him in the position that he’s most recently played at the big-league level makes sense, especially during spring training. He’s spent the majority of the offseason preparing as a third baseman with the Brewers — remember, he was only traded to Boston on February 9, so shifting him back to second could stall or delay his ramp up to full time playing this spring. Shifting our attention to Mayer, we see a young, former top prospect who is looking to prove to the organization that drafted him so high that he was worth the investment. Playing regularly at second base will give him that opportunity. Mayer has often been injured since being drafted in 2021, but he’s added weight that the team believes will help keep him healthy moving forward. In addition to the added weight, moving him from third to second should also help to keep him on the field for much of 2026. Mayer is a capable third basemen, he proved as much last season, but moving him to second helps in a number of ways. First, his arm strength leaves a bit to be desired. In 2025, it graded out in the 26th percentile. That’s iffy from across the diamond at third, but more than passable for second and eventually shortstop where he is expected to end up once Story departs the organization. More importantly, Mayer will likely be used in a platoon role for much of the 2026 season as Cora looks to protect the young star from overpowering left-handed pitchers. He was expected to platoon with Romy Gonzalez, but a shoulder injury has put him on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Now, expect to see Mayer work in a platoon with Andruw Monasterio, another piece of the trade that brought Durbin to Boston, at second. There could certainly be a position switch between Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer as spring training continues to unwind, but it seems that Alex Cora is leaning in the direction of having Durbin at third and Mayer at second. Assume that such an alignment is the plan come Opening Day, but having two players who can flip flop positions when necessary isn’t a bad thing either. View the full article

As of this writing, the Chicago Cubs have played 13 spring training games so far, including one exhibition against Team Italy in their tune up for the World Baseball Classic. We knew from the beginning of the year that Marquee Sports Network, whose main function is to show Cubs games and content, will not show most of the spring training games. That Tribune article is behind a paywall, so here's a Sports Illustrated proxy that tells us which 11 games we expect to see on Marquee itself, whereas the rest you might have to hunt down an opponent's feed with a VPN because of the Chicago-area blackout. What's even more galling is that of the broadcasts those of us who even have Marquee have seen, at least two of them have been just carrying the opposing team's feed. I suppose there are contract details we aren't privy to for on-air talent such as Boog Sciambi, Elise Menaker, and Taylor MacGregor. Plus, it isn't like the Cubs and Marquee are the only ones not showing every single spring game, as there have been a handful where neither team has a feed and we're just left to the literal devices of fans in attendance, or the social media intern if the team(s) could even bother to bring them along. For the remainder of the Cactus League slate before we get back to Wrigley for Opening Day, we can expect only six more Marquee broadcasts, and I just ran through the schedule and I see the following: Friday, March 6 - @ Padres, via SDPA, MLB Network, and free game broadcast on MLB.tv Sunday, March 8 - vs Giants at Sloan, OMG it's actually on Marquee and also MLB Network Friday, March 13 - @ White Sox, via CHSN Sunday, March 15 - vs Dodgers at Sloan, via SNLA and Marquee Monday, March 16 - @ Guardians, via CLEG (I assume that's Cleveland's network) Friday, March 20 - split squad @ Athletics, via Marquee and NBC Sports CA (they're not showing the split squad game at Sloan, which is frustrating) Saturday, March 21 - @ Mariners, via Marquee and the Mariners network Sunday, March 22 - vs Brewers at Sloan, via Brewers, Marquee, and ESPN+ At least the first exhibition against the Yankees on Monday, March 23, will be broadcast on the radio, but then we get nothing until Opening Day. Noting that most of the remaining Marquee broadcasts are actually away games, I'd expect Marquee to be paying the rental fee just to carry the other team's broadcast. The fact that the Cubs chose not to also pay for the three opponent broadcasts (bolded above) as well suggests some behind-the-scenes drama, which was alluded to by Crane Kenney's comments in the Tribune article. If you checke on the Dodgers broadcast schedule, you'll note that every game is on their channel, and though other big market clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox have scaled back their broadcast dates, they still seem to be showing way more than the Cubs are, and the Yankees even have a streaming app for most of the games that aren't on YES. There are, again, most likely contract stipulations for any "extra" work done outside the regular season, but the Yankees streaming app (known as Gotham Sports App, which combines content from YES and MSG) shows at least one alternative that Marquee could employ, especially since they have their own direct streaming app now (which ironically shows a splash screen of spring training content, and I'm just like, "what content?"). It also isn't like the Cubs situation is unique with a team-owned network, as Atlanta and Detroit have both announced new launches of multimedia platforms beginning this season. With the Cubs, at least Marquee is established. Now, they just have to use it properly to bring us the content we fans demand and deserve. Whether it's just paying a fee to use their opponent's feed, or just putting a static camera that either is set up in the batter's eye and focuses on home plate, or is set up from the press box and shows you the entire field, some content is better than no content. We can even see that the Cubs have such a camera set up as they were able to show Dansby Swanson's home run against Team Italy at Sloan! If Marquee really is having issues (financial or otherwise), this needs to become a priority in whatever restructure takes place. One hopes that as the Cubs navigate the new era of cord-cutting and further establish their in-market app while figuring out carriage issues, they find the resources to make this happen so we don't complain about this same issue next spring, particularly when the Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire and we'll be locked out of spring training anyway. Among other things Cubs roster-wise and spring training, we also lamented the lack of coverage by Marquee on the latest Dreamcast episode. View the full article

Trivia question: Other than the fact that they both played for the Brewers, what do Robin Yount and John Briggs have in common? (Answer at the end of this piece.) John Briggs followed a slightly different path to professional baseball than most players. After he graduated from Paterson (NJ) Eastside High School in 1961, he was honored with the Dave Curtis Award (named for a Marine combat flyer who died in a plane crash) as the outstanding student-athlete at Paterson Eastside High School. Thanks to @JohnBriggs12, who prompted this retrospective after making a comment in our retrospective on the debut season of Robin Yount. Briggs attended the Paterson satellite campus of Seton Hall University for a few semesters, but there is no record of him ever playing baseball for Seton Hall. He played amateur league basketball for a couple of seasons after high school, as well as playing American Legion baseball in the summer. In September 1962, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Briggs to an estimated $8,000 bonus, with scouts Jocko Collins and Ben Marmo signing Briggs moments before a New York Mets scout arrived, albeit too late. “I never found out the kind of offer the Mets had in mind for me. I sure would’ve liked to have known, because I know the Mets’ scout, Pete Gebrian, liked me a heck of a lot,” Briggs said in a 2011 interview for a Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) bio. Briggs, who batted and threw left, was originally scheduled to play in the rookie Pioneer League in 1963 but performed well in the minor league camp and was sent instead to Bakersfield in the Class A California League. In his rookie season, Briggs slashed .297/.379/.500 with 21 home runs and 20 steals. After the season, he was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster. Even though Briggs had only two hits in the spring, he and pitcher Rick Wise were placed on the Phillies Opening Day roster in order to protect them from the ‘First-Year Player Draft.’ In those days, major league teams would keep the young player on the roster but not give him much playing time that first season. Briggs played in only 61 games and had 66 at-bats, slashing .258/.347/.333 with one home run. In only his sixth start, Briggs led off, playing center field against the Mets in the second game of a June 21 doubleheader. Batting against Frank Lary in the first, Briggs blasted a 430-foot shot over the center field fence for his first major league dinger. As special as the day was for Briggs, it couldn’t compare to the performance pitcher Jim Bunning had in the first game. All he did was pitch a perfect game in a 6-0 victory against the Mets. Briggs played a part in the first game as well, making a nice running catch of a long drive to center field by the Mets’ Charlie Smith in the third inning to keep the perfecto intact. Briggs also had a front-row seat for one of the biggest collapses in major league history. The Phillies were leading the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals by 6 ½ games with 12 left to play. Philadelphia promptly lost 10 straight games, including three each to the Reds and the Cards, before winning the last two games of the season. Unfortunately for them, it was too little, too late as the Phils finished one game behind the Cardinals. Briggs got into seven games during that 12-game stretch, going 0-for-5 in a pinch-hitting role. Briggs would play six more seasons for the Phillies, splitting time in the outfield, never getting more than 361 ABs in a season. He started the 1971 campaign with the Phillies, but on April 22, he was traded to the Brewers for catcher/first baseman Pete Koegel and RHP Ray Peters in what was arguably one of the most one-sided trades in Brewers history, with Milwaukee coming out on top. Peters never again pitched in the bigs, and Koegel played in just 53 games over the next two years. In his four-plus seasons with Milwaukee, Briggs hit 80 homers, which currently ranks 25th on the Brewers' all-time list. He was also named the left fielder on the Brewers all-decade team for the 1970s. In an interview with SABR, Briggs said of Milwaukee, “The fans were great. I always had a great rapport with the fans.” In 1972, Briggs hit two home runs (and six RBI) off Nolan Ryan in a 7-3 victory over California on July 14. On August 4, 1973, Briggs went 6-for-6 with two doubles in a nine-inning game against Cleveland. That year, he got down-ballot most valuable player consideration, ranking 23rd in the American League MVP. In June 1975, the Brewers traded Briggs to Minnesota for outfielder Bobby Darwin. Briggs played his last major league game on September 28, 1975. Next spring, he asked for his release so that he would be free to pursue an opportunity in Japan. He signed a two-year contract in Japan but played only part of one season due to an illness caused by foodborne parasites, per his SABR biography. After Japan, Briggs eventually moved back to his hometown of Paterson and worked as a corrections office from 1982-2007. He also worked as a recreation supervisor. In 2008, Paterson’s Little League 13-14-year-old division was named the ‘Johnny Briggs Division.’ In 2008, Paterson Little League’s Bill LaSala said of Briggs, “He’s regarded very highly as a ballplayer and a person, probably more important as a person.” Trivia Answer: They both played just one year in the minors before getting called up to the major leagues. What are your favorite memories of Johnny Briggs? Please add them in the 'comments' section. View the full article

The Red Sox went extension-crazy last spring, notably locking up Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. Will they go back to the well in 2026? Some extension candidates discussed are Wilyer Abreu, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle. View the full article

Flexibility is crucial on a modern baseball roster. The more positions a player can cover, the more likely a manager is to keep a strong bat like Luke Keaschall’s in the Minnesota Twins’ lineup. On Thursday, Keaschall made his first start in the outfield since injuring his elbow two seasons ago. The appearance marked an important step for a player who was expected to see time in the grass last season before injuries altered those plans. The Twins originally envisioned Keaschall as someone capable of bouncing between the infield and outfield in 2025. Instead, a hit by pitch broke his arm early in the season and complicated his defensive development. When he returned later in the year, Minnesota chose not to rush him back into the outfield. He finished the season working exclusively in the infield. This spring serves as a fresh opportunity for Keaschall to resume his transition between positions. Manager Derek Shelton explained that the Twins have always intended for him to build experience at both infield and outfield, now possible with his recovery. “We had said he was going to play both. We prepared for it this winter. Just wanted to make sure that he got his feet on the ground at second.” The Twins also have a crowded outfield this spring, making it a challenge to find innings for everyone. “And honestly, we are heavy outfield-wise. Trying to get a look at Gabby (Gonzalez) and trying to get a look at (Hendry) Mendez and Emma (Rodriguez), Rosie (Kala’i Rosario), it’s been a little bit hard, but we will get him out there.” For Keaschall, being in the outfield does not mean giving up second base. Instead, it expands his opportunities, letting the Twins move him between positions as needed to keep him in the lineup. Shelton highlighted the advantages of this flexible approach during games. “I think the impetus would be, like if Kody (Clemens) was going to play second and Josh (Bell) was going to play first and (Victor) Caratini was going to DH, I think more positional flexibility we can have is good, especially in Luke’s case, the fact that he can do both and keep his bat in the lineup.” “So the functionality of being able to move around. And then, just quite honestly the in-game portion of it. He starts the game at second and then all of a sudden, we pinch run for Josh and Kody’s at first, and he comes in, being able to move around, I think is really important.” Keeping Keaschall’s bat in the lineup is a priority after the impression he made last season. In just 49 games, he slashed .309/.382/.445 (.827) across 207 plate appearances. The sample size was limited, but it was still enough to land him ninth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. His strong showing was not a fluke, given his track record. From 2023 through 2025 in the minor leagues, Keaschall posted a .294/.411/.458 (.869) slash line with 19 home runs. He has consistently controlled the strike zone while finding ways to reach base. When a rookie makes an immediate impact, the mental image is usually of someone bursting onto the scene to change the team’s long-term outcome. A late-season call-up arrives and suddenly becomes a spark for the team. Keaschall’s debut followed a different path. He was called up in April and immediately flashed his speed, stealing five bases in his first seven games before the hit-by-pitch broke his arm. When he returned in early August, he picked right back up, swiping nine more bases before a thumb injury ended his season a bit early. There will be adjustments ahead. His .340 BABIP from last season will likely drop, although his speed should help keep that number comfortably above .300. Pitchers will also challenge him more often after getting a better look at his tendencies. Still, there are encouraging signs in his profile. At Triple-A last season, he posted identical 14.4 percent walk and strikeout rates. That kind of plate discipline suggests a hitter capable of maintaining a strong on-base percentage even as the league adjusts. The Twins believe the bat will play. Now they are simply looking for more ways to use it. If Keaschall proves capable of handling both second base and the outfield, Minnesota gains another versatile piece. More importantly, it gives the Twins more chances to keep one of their most promising young hitters in the lineup every day. What role do you see Keaschall playing in the Twins’ outfield this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

MIAMI, FL—Earlier this year, Javier Sanoja wasn't even projected to be on Venezuela's World Baseball Classic roster. When he was ultimately selected, it was only with the idea of him being a versatile bench piece. However, an opportunity to start suddenly presented itself when Jackson Chourio was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's exhibition game against the Washington Nationals. The night before Venezuela's opening game against the Netherlands, manager Omar Lopez informed Sanoja that he would be starting in center field, hitting eighth in the lineup. The undersized utility player ended up taking one of the most important at-bats of Friday's game. On the first pitch he saw from Antwone Kelly (Pittsburgh Pirates No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline), Sanoja went deep 370 feet to left field, retaking the lead for Venezuela in the bottom of the second inning. According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, Sanoja joined former Marlin Luis Arraez (2023) as the only two MLB players to homer in their current team's home ballpark during the WBC. Sanoja played the entire game, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Venezuela held that lead the rest of the way, winning 6-2. Javier Sanoja's Go-Ahead Homer Leads Venezuela To Victory Over The Netherlands - MLB - DiamondCentric DIAMONDCENTRIC.NET It was all about Venezuela's offense in the first pool play game against the Netherlands. It was also a day to remember for three other members of the Marlins organization. Representing Cuba in Pool A, Yiddi Cappe took on FIU alum Logan Allen and Panama. Cappe started at second base and hit ninth in the lineup. He finished the day going 1-for-2 with a walk. His lone hit of the game was off of Allen in the top of the third inning, a 103.9 mph double to left field, which set up a two-run homer by third baseman Yoan Moncada. z3fabg.mp4 Cuba would wind up winning by a final score of 3-1. Ian Lewis Jr., who is from the Bahamas, is able to participate for Great Britain because the Bahamas remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Even with the help of Bahamian talent, the team's roster is pretty thin compared to most others in the WBC, so despite being an unranked Marlins prospect, Lewis has a significant role. In his WBC debut against Mexico, Lewis went 2-for-4, both singles. His first base hit was off of Brennan Bernardino in the bottom of the fifth inning at 103.9 mph. In the bottom of the ninth, Lewis did the same thing against Seattle Mariners All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz. fnxnz6.mp4 Lewis was one of three players on Great Britain who had a multi-hit day. Unfortunately, they fell to Mexico by a final score of 8-2. Opposing the Brits, Jared Serna did not start the game for Mexico, but entered in the top of the ninth inning as a pinch-runner. He came around to score an insurance run in the game. The following Marlins players haven't seen any action yet, but are expected to make their tournament debut in the coming days: RHP Sandy Alcantara (Dominican Republic) OF Owen Caissie (Canada) C Liam Hicks (Canada) SS Otto Lopez (Canada) OF Jakob Marsee (Italy) C Agustin Ramirez (Dominican Republic) View the full article

Byron Buxton came to the plate for Team USA in the bottom of the fourth inning. The bases were loaded. Team USA led 3-1 but had struggled with runners on base since Aaron Judge's first inning, two-run homer. It felt like a key moment in the game. Gabriel Barbosa, a 24-year-old right-hander who pitched at three levels for the Phillies in 2025 came to the mound, having replaced Thyago Vieira who left with injury. Barbosa walked Roman Anthony to lead the bases. Buxton came to the plate, and Barbosa got ahead quickly with two sharp sliders just off the outside corner. After Buxton took another slider and swung out of his shows at a hanging slider (foul ball), Barbosa came inside with a running fastball. It just kept running in on Buxton and when it hit him, you could hear an audible moan. At first, it appeared he was hit in the hand, something that Twins fans certainly did not want to think about. We've seen that. Replay in slow motion showed that it hit him in the elbow, likely near the funny bone. Buxton stayed in the game having driven in the team's fourth run "the tough way." The next batter was Brewers second baseman Brice Turang who cleared the bases with a double off of the wall in left field. The USA team led 7-1. While it doesn't look serious, it only makes sense that manager Mark Derosa pulled Buxton and replaced him with Pete Crow-Armstrong. Team USA is going to play Great Britain on Saturday night. Twins fans will want to check out the lineup when it becomes available. Seth Level of Concern right now: 2 on a scale of 1-10. (Subject to change) View the full article

FORT MYERS - Bailey Ober made his first spring training start Friday night and looked crisp from the outset, tossing two scoreless innings on just 25 pitches, including 19 strikes. He did not allow a hit or a walk and recorded one strikeout, an efficient first step as he begins building toward the regular season. More than anything, Ober sounded relieved to finally be back in game conditions after progressing through live batting practice. “Felt great,” Ober said of his outing. “Felt really good to be out there during game action instead of being in live BP like I have been. Felt really good to put the uniform on, have the defense behind me and be in a game atmosphere.” Ober said he was especially focused on getting a feel for his changeup early in the outing, wanting to reestablish a pitch that remains central to his arsenal. “It’s my pitch — my highest off speed usage pitch,” Ober said. “Just trying to get a feel of it early so I can progress that and put it in my back pocket.” That process appeared to go well; he threw nine changeups, six for strikes, and got two swings and misses with the pitch. By Ober’s own assessment, the outing checked a lot of boxes. “Definitely taking steps forward to where I want to be,” he said. “I felt like the ball was coming out good. I felt like I had uncomfortable at-bats the whole time. I was throwing strikes. Didn’t seem like anyone really hit anything hard.” He added that while he would still like to sharpen his two-strike execution to turn more of those counts into strikeouts, the overall objective was clear: “That’s kind of what I’m looking for when I’m out there — just being able to locate.” Maybe more important than the results was how Ober felt physically. After pitching through a nagging hip issue last season, he said taking the mound healthy again changed everything. “It’s night and day,” Ober said. “It doesn’t matter what I did out there. I was gonna have a smile on my face, just being able to feel healthy and do what I love, pain free.” Ober said the plan is to continue stretching out over his next few outings, with three innings likely next time, then four, then five, as he ramps up toward being ready for his first turn in the regular-season rotation. Two Wrongs Make A Right Major League Baseball’s new ABS (Automated Ball Strike) system gave fans a jolt of energy in the first inning Saturday night. View the full article

Mick Abel is turning heads this spring, and the numbers are backing it up. The Twins' right-hander has been racking up whiffs and lighting up the radar gun through his first two outings. Are we watching Mick Abel’s breakout happen in real time? View the full article