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The World Baseball Classic starts this week, and 12 Toronto Blue Jays players are set to participate. The whole starting infield is playing in the tournament: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Ernie Clement (USA), Andrés Giménez (Venezuela), Kazuma Okamoto (Japan), and Alejandro Kirk (Mexico). The other seven Blue Jays in the WBC are likely to start the 2026 campaign in the minor leagues: right-hander Yariel Rodríguez (Cuba), infielder Leo Jiménez (Panama), left-hander Adam Macko (Canada), outfielder RJ Schreck (Israel), catcher C.J. Stubbs (Israel), outfielder Ismael Munguia (Nicaragua), and catcher Will Cresswell (Great Britain). In addition, three more Toronto hurlers are in their countries' designated pitcher pools: Jeff Hoffman (USA), Tyler Rogers (USA), and José Berríos (Puerto Rico). There will still be plenty worth watching in Dunedin, as those who are staying behind will try to take advantage of the additional playing time opportunities. But for Blue Jays fans interested in following the team's representatives in the WBC, here's when and how to watch them play. Dominican Republic (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) First-Round Schedule (Pool D) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Nicaragua 7:00 pm ET March 8 Netherlands 12:00 pm ET March 9 Israel 12:00 pm E March 11 Venezuela 8:00 pm ET Mexico (Alejandro Kirk) First-Round Schedule (Pool B) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Great Britain 1:00 pm ET March 8 Brazil 8:00 pm ET March 9 USA 8:00 pm ET March 11 Italy 7:00 pm ET Japan (Kazuma Okamoto) First-Round Schedule (Pool C) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Chinese Taipei 5:00 am ET March 7 Korea 5:00 am ET March 8 Australia 5:00 am ET March 10 Czechia 5:00 am ET USA (Ernie Clement) First-Round Schedule (Pool B) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Brazil 8:00 pm ET March 7 Great Britain 8:00 pm ET March 9 Mexico 8:00 pm ET March 10 Italy 9:00 pm ET Venezuela (Andrés Giménez) First-Round Schedule (Pool D) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Netherlands 12:00 pm ET March 7 Israel 7:00 pm ET March 9 Nicaragua 7:00 pm ET March 11 Dominican Republic 8:00 pm ET Canada (Adam Macko) First-Round Schedule (Pool A) Date Opponent Start Time March 7 Colombia 11:00 am ET March 8 Panama 7:00 pm ET March 10 Puerto Rico 7:00 pm ET March 11 Cuba 3:00 pm ET Cuba (Yariel Rodríguez) First-Round Schedule (Pool A) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Panama 11:00 am ET March 8 Colombia 12:00 pm ET March 9 Puerto Rico 7:00 pm ET March 11 Canada 3:00 pm ET Panama (Leo Jiménez) First-Round Schedule (Pool A) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Cuba 11:00 am ET March 7 Puerto Rico 6:00 pm ET March 8 Canada 7:00 pm ET March 9 Colombia 12:00 pm ET Israel (RJ Schreck, C.J. Stubbs) First-Round Schedule (Pool C) Date Opponent Start Time March 7 Venezuela 7:00 pm ET March 8 Nicaragua 7:00 pm ET March 9 Dominican Republic 12:00 pm ET March 10 Netherlands 7:00 pm ET Nicaragua (Ismael Munguia) First-Round Schedule (Pool D) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Dominican Republic 7:00 pm ET March 7 Netherlands 12:00 pm ET March 8 Israel 7:00 pm ET March 9 Venezuela 7:00 pm ET Great Britain (Will Cresswell) First-Round Schedule (Pool B) Date Opponent Start Time March 6 Mexico 1:00 pm ET March 7 USA 8:00 pm ET March 8 Italy 1:00 pm ET March 9 Brazil 1:00 pm ET How To Watch the WBC In Canada, every game of the World Baseball Classic will be available on either Sportsnet, one of Sportsnet's sister channels, or Sportsnet+. The detailed daily broadcast schedule as of March 5 (when the tournament begins) can be found on the Sportsnet website at this link. Alternatively, you can find the same information in a slightly different layout on Sportsnet's TV listings page. Not every game will air on actual television, but still, it’s nice that they’re all available to watch in one way or another. Fans are probably most excited to see the Dominican Republic take on Venezuela or the USA battle Mexico, but if you can’t wait to stream Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia late at night, rest assured that you can do just that. French-language broadcasts will be available via TVA Sports. Information on how to watch the WBC from other countries can be found on MLB.com. View the full article

Following a seemingly endless amount of trades in recent years, the San Diego Padres' farm system ranks near the bottom of the league, regardless of which outlet is doing the analysis. But at Padres Mission, we are focusing on the players who are still with the Friars and will be looking to climb to the majors. As we continue our countdown of the top 20 Padres prospects ahead of the 2026 season, this group provides quite a range, with one having already made his MLB debut and another still looking to move past Low-A. In the first chapter of this series, we looked prospects No. 16-20. Here is who the writers at Padres Mission ranked No. 11-15: No. 15 Tirso Ornelas (El Paso Chihuahuas, San Diego Padres) Ornelas signed with the Padres in 2016 as an international free agent as a 16-year-old. Now about to turn 26, the native of Tijuana, Mexico, has certainly gone through a few trials and tribulations with the Friars. After reaching minor-league free agency following the 2023 season, the outfielder re-signed with the Padres. Then, he was curiously added to the 40-man roster July 17, 2024, but not called up to the majors. While he hasn't flashed the power typically associated with the position, Sanabria put together a 2025 slash line of .257/.309/.376 with a career-high 12 homers to go along with 56 RBIs in 119 games. That line was down from his 2024, where he had a .288/.396/.427 showing with 11 homers and 78 RBIs at three stops: Low A Lake Elsinore, High A Fort Wayne and San Antonio. Still, his 30 doubles and on-base percentage were the best in the organization. That earned him a shot in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a .276/.364/.345 line in 15 games, though that came with no homers and four RBIs. He was also named the Padres' Hitting Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline. With a .283 batting average across four seasons and just 31 homers, Sanabria is more contact-focused despite his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame. Maybe more power comes with experience, but the batting average would certainly help to offset that — the Padres have experience with such an archetype at the cold corner, having just employed Luis Arraez. Sanabria needs to improve his walk rate (just 7.6% in 2025) and reduce his strikeout rate (21.4%), which would make him an even better hitter. While the Padres have a lot of coverage at first base in 2026, Sanabria has already made a splash in his second trip to the team's major-league spring camp. In his first five games, he went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a homer, while driving in six. He has a ticket to El Paso waiting for him, a needed stop in his development. But an MLB debut could come this year with a chance to win the starting job in 2027. Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2025 23 -1.0 San Antonio TL AA SDP 119 499 452 54 116 18 0 12 56 4 1 38 107 .257 .309 .376 .685 170 6 0 1 8 3 View the full article

The list of Opening Day starters at second base for the Twins since Brian Dozier's departure in 2018 has featured six different names in seven years: Jonathan Schoop, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco (x2), Nick Gordon, Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro. (Not listed: Edouard Julien, who's made a team-leading 159 starts at second since 2023.) The 2026 season will add a seventh name to that list, but the Twins and their fans are hoping that Luke Keaschall can become a Dozier-esque mainstay at what's been volatile position for Minnesota in recent years. TWINS SECOND BASEMEN AT A GLANCE Starter: Luke Keaschall Backup: Kody Clemens Depth: Austin Martin, Tristan Gray, Orlando Arcia Prospects: Kyle DeBarge, Danny De Andrade, Jay Thomason Twins fWAR Ranking Last Year: 22nd out of 30 Twins fWAR Projection This Year: 6th out of 30 THE GOOD Keaschall sure looks like the real deal. He posted 1.6 fWAR in 49 games last year, showcasing an excellent plate approach with a dash of power, plus an electric combo of speed and aggressiveness on the bases. He batted .302, ripped 14 doubles and four homers, stole 14 bases on 17 attempts, and delivered memorable clutch moments on the way to a top-10 finish in Rookie of the Year voting. It was one of the more special big-league debuts we've seen from a Twins player. With that, Keaschall has his clamps on the second base job. As long as he's healthy, he'll be out there everyday and probably hitting near the top of the lineup. The team's outlook hinges greatly on Keaschall, which is a heavy weight to bear for a 23-year-old, but he looked every bit up to handling the pressure last year. It all starts with the plate approach, and the strike zone control. He doesn't chase much, keeping the heat on opposing pitchers. He puts the ball in play and lets his legs make noise. And while he didn't show a ton of power as a rookie, or as a prospect, that's an area where growth is possible — if not probable. It will be the main factor that differentiates between two outcomes: solid regular or star player. If he can consistently make harder contact, the idea of Keaschall as a future MVP candidate may not be such an audacious take. Keaschall's immediate backup is Kody Clemens, but in the bigger picture I think Brooks Lee is next in line. I could envision a scenario where Keaschall ends up in the outfield and Lee shifts to second once the Twins figure out a real solution at shortstop. Second base feels like a spot where Lee and his middling arm could ultimately thrive, provided he figures things out with the bat. Further down the line, speedy Kyle DeBarge, who stole 66 bases in Cedar Rapids last year, is definitely one to watch. Seth recently highlighted DeBarge as Twins Daily's #17 prospect heading into 2026. THE BAD One reason we're talking about lines of succession behind Keaschall at second base is that he's not assured of sticking there. His defense graded out poorly as a rookie, in large part because of his 6th-percentile arm strength. In fairness, he was returning from Tommy John surgery, but throwing has never been a real strength for Keaschall. Pair that reality with his exceptional speed, and it's possible that his best fit could ultimately be in the outfield — something the Twins seem open to exploring. The other reason it's important to talk about layers of depth behind Keaschall is that, unfortunately, durability has not proven to be an asset for him either. After an elbow injury ended his 2024 season, Keaschall missed time with an arm fracture and thumb sprain last year, the latter of which required offseason surgery. To an extent these injuries are fluky and isolated, but as a hard-nosed hustle-type player, Keaschall does play a brand of baseball that puts his body at risk. The drop-off to someone like Clemens or Austin Martin would be pretty immense, since neither of those guys is really suited to be an everyday second baseman. Tristan Gray is a more legitimate infield glove, but hasn't hit a lick in the majors. Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler could be in the mix here too but aren't much more inspiring at the moment as replacement-level bats. Let's just hope Keaschall can stay on the field. THE BOTTOM LINE Keaschall is one of the biggest reasons for excitement around the offense, and around this Twins team in general. If he picks up anywhere close to where he left off, he's the kind of player that can elevate the entire club. A true sparkplug at an up-the-middle position batting near the top of the lineup. On top of keeping injuries at bay, Keaschall will need to fend off the notorious sophomore regression bug, which has bitten many a young Twins hitter in the past. No one is immune to the adjustments and counter-attacks that major-league pitchers can bring. But Keaschall's specializations — rarely chasing, rarely whiffing, utilizing all fields, and applying pressure with his speed — will be tough for opponents to solve, even if the power development remains more gradual or capped. That's how I see it anyway, and for what it's worth, projection systems seem to align. FanGraphs has only seven second basemen pegged for a higher WAR in 2027, and they're all rather accomplished big-leaguers: Ketel Marte, Nico Hoerner, Marcus Semien, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Gleyber Torres, Brice Turang and Bryson Stott. Is Luke Keaschall really already an upper-echelon MLB second baseman? Let's find out. Catch up on the rest of our roster preview series: Twins 2026 Position Analysis: Catcher Twins 2026 Position Analysis: First Base View the full article

Since the Brewers acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison from the Boston Red Sox a few days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, he's suddenly faced a slew of introductions. Despite being less acclimated with Milwaukee's pitching development crew than many of his new teammates, he quickly picked up on how organized and focused his new coaches are. "The overall attention to detail here has been pretty awesome," he said last month, just over a week into his Brewers tenure. After the San Francisco Giants selected him in the third round of the shortened 2020 MLB draft, Harrison ascended quickly through their minor-league system, making his debut in August 2023. However, his development stalled as he bounced between the Giants' rotation and their Triple-A affiliate. In 39 games (35 starts) across parts of three seasons in San Francisco, the 24-year-old pitched to a 4.48 ERA (110 ERA-), 4.56 FIP (114 FIP-), and 4.17 SIERA. Harrison did not get many big-league opportunities after the Giants traded him to Boston in June as part of the Rafael Devers deal, as his new club immediately optioned him to Triple-A Worcester until September. However, that time proved crucial for his development. The Red Sox saw deficiencies in Harrison's existing arsenal, which consisted only of a four-seam fastball, slurve, and changeup. That four-seamer was the only pitch he could land in the zone. In his eight appearances with the Giants last season, his slurve and changeup had respective in-zone rates of 40.2% and 39.5%. As a result, hitters did not have to honor non-fastball spin and could easily lay off those secondary pitches. Harrison's 25.6% chase rate as a Giant was well below the league average. Harrison needed more pitches that tracked in the strike zone. To give him another in-zone offering for both right-handed and left-handed hitters, the Red Sox helped him develop a cutter and a sinker. "Having had the conversation with the higher-ups there, they were like, 'Yeah, we want to introduce a cutter to the mix, see if you can make your change a little better, and then also add a little sinker just to lefties to mix it in,'" Harrison said. Harrison's four-seamer averaged 14.3 inches of arm-side movement due to his low arm slot and because he keeps his hand perfectly behind the ball at release, so his sinker doesn't have more run. However, it had 5.3 more inches of depth than his four-seamer last September, which makes it a different look for hitters. "It's something that I don't think I'd say classifies as a sinker, but it's something that kind of goes in to lefties and doesn't allow them to just cheat on a firm heater," he said. The cutter, meanwhile, gave him another in-zone pitch to use against all hitters, but he mostly used it against right-handers. "I think their thought there was, 'We want something that you could throw for a strike that's not a fastball,'" Harrison said. "And for me, they were looking at my slurve, and I wasn't able to land that in the zone as much as I wanted to. So I think they just wanted to give me something that crosses the zero [horizontal break] line but has this good vert, anywhere from six to eight, or something like that. Something just to look like the heater, just so guys, like I said from the left side for the sinker, so they can't just sit on the heater." Finally, the Red Sox tweaked Harrison's traditional circle changeup into a kick-change, which uses a spiked grip to create more depth. "It was one of those things where I threw my first live BP there, and they looked at it, and were like, 'Oh, what changeup is that?'" he said. "I'm like, 'Oh, it's just my circle change I've been throwing.' They were like, 'Oh, try this.'" Harrison pitched only 12 innings for Boston down the stretch last year, but in that time, he looked like a more well-rounded starting pitcher with a complete arsenal. With those new pitches in his mix, his chase rate spiked to 35.4%, a career-best for any month of his big-league career. None of that means he's a finished product, though. Harrison said it took an offseason to start locating a changeup with more movement, and he's still searching for the most comfortable cutter grip. That's where Chris Hook, Jim Henderson, and others can accelerate his evolution. "We'll see what their plans here are for me with my pitch mix, but I love how they've just been laid back," Harrison said. "They've let me kind of run the show, and ultimately, I think they're going to let me know what they want me to keep and what I can get better at. So I'm just all ears and looking forward to getting better here." Any work the Brewers have done with Harrison's arsenal may come to light on Tuesday, when he'll make his spring debut against Great Britain in their World Baseball Classic tuneup game. He could join Quinn Priester as another young starter to improve his arsenal in Boston and perfect it in Milwaukee. View the full article

Colin Rea may just seem like a mid-reliever or back-end rotation option on the surface. The reality is, this 35-year-old veteran has one of the most important jobs of any Cubs pitcher in 2026. In this video, we break down Rea's relation to the Cubs rotation, the moving pieces around him, what he has learned over his career, and how he became so difficult to hit.View the full article

With Pablo López out for the year and David Festa likely starting on the IL, the Twins’ rotation picture has changed fast, even with Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober locked in at the top. Now it’s down to Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, and Mick Abel battling for the final three spots. One of them may be better suited for a bullpen role, and the decision could shape how this staff looks not just in April, but all season long. View the full article

The Royals are 10 games into Spring Training and have a 5-5 record after their loss today to the Angels. Granted, Spring Training results always have to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, Kansas City has plenty of Cactus League success in the past, only for those accolades not to carry over into the regular season. Thus, while more wins in Arizona would be nice, the more important aspect of Spring Training for this team is staying healthy and getting warmed up for Opening Day against Atlanta on March 26th. One interesting thing to watch in Spring Training is how players perform and if there's any underlying data that can hint at a solid upcoming season. With Statcast now fully functional and public in every Spring Training facility, baseball fans, including Royals fans, have access to a range of metrics on hitters and pitchers that weren't available publicly before. Thus, in this post, I am going to look at five Royals players who are standing out in Cactus League play due to a particular metric. I will focus on three hitters and two pitches, explain what those metrics mean, and what those metrics could hint at for the upcoming season for that particular player. All metrics are courtesy of TJ Stats' MLB Batter Leaderboard, available on his site. Jac Caglianone: 18.5% Chase% Much has been made about Caglianone's power this Spring. After all, his Statcast metrics are pretty ridiculous right now, especially in terms of batted-ball quality. Over 12 BBE (batted-ball events), he is producing a .522 xwOBA, a 25% barrel rate, a 66.7% hard-hit rate, a 116.5 MPH 90th EV, and 120.2 MPH Max EV. Safe to say, he looks a lot more comfortable at the plate this spring than he did in his call-up last season. Past the Eye Test highlighted Caglianone's spring with his app tool, and everything seems aligned for the former Royals first-round pick to break out in 2026. While the hard-hit and exit velocity metrics are impressive, as well as the lack of whiff, the plate discipline Caglianone has demonstrated this spring has been the most eye-popping. In 20 plate appearances, he has only had an 18.5% chase rate. For context, he had a 38.5% chase rate in 232 plate appearances last year. Thus, a 20% positive difference is a good sign that Caglianone is not only coming to the plate with a better plan, but that the hitting coach team, with new assistant hitting coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames, is having an impact. Granted, it's only 20 plate appearances, and it's Spring Training. Thus, Royals fans shouldn't be putting down their "Caglianone for MVP" bets just yet. Pitchers are often rusty at this point in Spring Training, and so the lack of chase may be more due to pitchers' shoddy control than Caglianone's plate discipline. Nonetheless, he's looking confident at the plate, and his ability to lay off waste pitches that he swung at a year ago is a promising sign for him as a hitter, even if it's just Spring Training. If this approach carries over to the World Baseball Classic (he will be playing for Italy), then the Royals have to feel really good about his outlook this season. Josh Rojas: 63.6% Hard-Hit Rate The addition of Starling Marte makes it a little more challenging for Rojas to make the Royals' Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee. However, the 31-year-old infielder is doing all he can to prove that he deserves a chance to show Kansas City what he can do after a down season with the White Sox in 2025 (.180 average and .511 OPS in 189 PA). In 14 PA and over 11 BBEs, Rojas has a .555 xwOBACON, a 36.4% barrel rate, and 106.6 MPH 90th EV. Furthermore, the most impressive Statcast metric? His 63.6% hard-hit rate. That has helped him hit two home runs and generate a .615 ISO in his small Spring Training sample. Over the past two seasons, Rojas has hovered around a league-average hard-hit rate, which is around 38%. In 2024, his hard-hit rate with the 38.2%. His hard-hit rate last year? 36.8%, which is 1.4% lower than what he did in 2024 with the Mariners. Thus, he's obviously not going to sustain a 60+% hard-hit rate into the regular season. That said, could he hit that 38% hard-hit rate or slightly above? If so, he could be a .670-.700 OPS hitter with stellar defense in the infield, which would be a nice asset to have off the bench. Michael Massey: 70% Sweet Spot% Massey is entering a crucial season in 2026. He showed promise in 2024, hitting .259 with 14 home runs and a .743 OPS in 332 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2025, hitting .244 with only three home runs and a .581 OPS in 262 plate appearances. MJ Melendez was entering a crucial season last year and couldn't produce. The Royals are hoping that Massey can avoid Melendez's fate. So far, the 27-year-old is off to a great start this spring. In 15 PA, he's hitting .538 with a .606 wOBA and one home run. What's interesting about Massey's profile is that he isn't hitting the ball all that hard. He doesn't have a barrel, and his xwOBA is only .379, a significant gap from his actual wOBA. That said, what has made Massey successful this spring has been his ability to launch the ball. Not only does he have an average launch angle of 14.5 degrees, but he also has a Sweet Spot% of 70%. That shows that Massey can launch the ball effectively, even if he's not producing consistent premium exit velocity. Launching the ball has always been a strength of Massey's. Even though he struggled to produce decent exit velocity, barrel, or hard-hit rates in 2025, he did rank in the 58th percentile in Sweet Spot%, according to his TJ Stats summary. I think there is still something left in the tank with Massey, and his 2025 may have been more injury-plagued than fans were led to believe. The fact that he's launching the ball effectively this spring and producing some hard hits occasionally with that consistent launch angle could be a sign that he's ready to bounce back to his 2024 numbers. Ryan Bergert: 104 TJ Stuff+ overall Much has been said about the Royals' starting pitching depth this spring. However, things got off to a rough start this spring, with Stephen Kolek initially shut down due to a grade 1+ oblique strain (which should put him out for around five weeks). Thankfully, the depth the Royals have built has come in handy, especially with Bergert, also acquired with Kolek from the Padres at the Trade Deadline last year, off to a stellar start in Cactus League play. In two outings and three innings pitched, he has a 0.00 ERA and 0.67 with two strikeouts and a walk allowed. The results haven't been eye-popping on a strikeout (18.2% K%) or whiff (26.3%) end, but he's demonstrated excellent stuff so far through two starts. His 104 overall TJ Stuff+ leads all Royals pitchers, and five of his six pitches have a TJ Stuff+ mark of 100 or higher. Below is a breakdown of his TJ Stuff+ profile via TJ Stats. Granted, Bergert has struggled a bit finding the strike zone (42.1%) in his first two outings, but his ability to generate chase (40.9% chase rate) and limit hard contact (.194 xwOBACON) has helped him succeed this spring. He may still be on the outside looking in when it comes to a rotation spot (Noah Cameron holds a slight edge for the 5th spot). However, if he keeps showing this stuff in Cactus League play, he'll make it tough for the Royals to keep him off the Opening Day roster. Dennis Colleran: 39.4% CSW% (Called-Strike-Plus-Whiff) CSW can be a good stat for evaluating how effectively a pitcher generates strikes overall (read this piece from Alex Fast on Pitcher List on the creation and breakdown of this relatively new statistic). The better the CSW, the more dependable a pitch can be when it comes to getting strikeouts and putting hitters at a disadvantage. When it comes to the Top 5 Royals pitchers this spring in terms of CSW, Andrew Perez, who pitched in the Independent League last year, leads with a 56.3% CSW (though he has only seen five batters). Cole Ragans is second with a 44.4% CSW, and Kris Bubic is third with a 41.9% CSW. The fourth? Colleran, who has a CSW of 39.4%. Colleran may be one of the most underrated pitching prospects in the Royals system, mostly because he's a reliever. However, he posted a 2.85 ERA, 3.52 FIP, and 27.1% K% across three levels and 66.1 IP last year. In Cactus League play, he's been dominant, not only sporting a near 40% CSW, but a 0.00 ERA, 33.3% K%, and 1.10 FIP in three innings of work. While the sample size is small, his Statcast percentiles have been impressive, as seen below. There's a lot of red in his profile, which is an encouraging trend. He ranks in the 84th percentile in whiff rate, 85th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed, and 89th percentile in CSW. Lastly, he also ranks in the 97th percentile in fastball velocity, and three of his four pitches have TJ Stuff+ marks of a 100 or higher (his four-seamer is just below that threshold at 99). It's still early in Cactus League play. However, Colleran has a Major League reliever profile and is pitching well enough to earn a midseason call-up at the latest (earlier if one believes in the TINSTAAPP principle). View the full article

In his second game of the Cactus League season, Moisés Ballesteros collected two hits on hard-hit balls to left field. Admittedly, the first—a two-run first-inning double hit on a line toward flummoxed left fielder Will Benson—should have been caught, but even if it had been, one would have been compelled to remark on the impressive process of the swing. On a 2-2 slider bending toward his back foot, Ballesteros inside-outed the ball with real authority, at 95 miles per hour and with a 20° launch angle. It was very pretty hitting. The next inning (this game was utter spring chaos), Ballesteros was up against the same pitcher (Reds starter Brady Singer) and got another 2-2 slider. This one, however, stayed up above the belt. Ballesteros found the center of it, hitting a 105-MPH screamer through the open left side of the infield, with a 7° launch angle. This one was an objectively worse pitch by Singer, but playing off the previous at-bat, it would have drawn a whiff or a mishit from many young hitters, because it looked so much like an offering from which it ended up being so disparate in location and required swing path. For Ballesteros, though, it was no problem. There are hitters who take that second, hanging slider out of the park, even in a two-strike count, but almost all of them fail to do anything good on that first, better-executed one. There are hitters who turn on that first one and lace it into the right-field corner, thereby avoiding the need for a defender to get turned around in order to produce a double, but almost all of them foul off or freeze up on that second one. It takes an exceptionally adaptable swing (and a smart, balanced two-strike approach) to create both of the hits Ballesteros found Monday. That's the unique value he adds to the Cubs offense. Swing paths are all the rage in the analysis of hitters right now, within front offices and beyond them. The swing can now be quantified, in ways we were barely beginning to imagine even 10 years ago. Teams have metrics they don't share with the public, of course, but even the ones that are available at Baseball Savant are now enough to describe a batter's stroke in fine detail. The simplest measurement to which we now have access is bat speed, but there are other valuable ones, too—like swing tilt. Every swing has to describe a path downward, then upward, swooshing and slashing from behind the hitter's head or shoulder, through the strike zone and out around their front side. Every swing is a reaction to what the hitter sees, so the angles at which they swing change all the time—but it's also a practiced and calculated motion, so each hitter also demonstrates an average swing path that defines how they address the ball. It's reported at Savant as the angle between the barrel of the bat and an imaginary line parallel to the ground running through the handle, captured over the final 40 milliseconds before the intercept point (real or, on whiffs, hypothetical) between bat and ball. The league's average swing tilt is roughly 32°, but it ranges from under 25° to over 40°. More importantly, for our purposes today, players themselves use different swing paths, and we can use splits to gain more insight into their swings than the snapshot provided by a single number. On a four-seamer, for instance, most hitters will use a flatter swing—more on why in a moment. Almost universally, hitters use their steepest swings against curveballs. Though it's far from a perfect gauge, one way to tell how adaptable a batter's swing is is by looking at how much their swing path differs from one pitch type to another. There are multiple reasons for different swings against different pitch types, of course. The first is timing. A four-seam fastball is coming at you quicker than a breaking ball is, but unless you knew that heater was coming and got started early, you have the same budgets of time and space to spend getting the barrel to the baseball. A flat swing is a more direct one, and while it's often not technically as fast (as measured on Savant, which uses the rotational velocity of the barrel at the intercept point) as a steeper swing, it can still be quicker. What hitters want most is barrel accuracy, and the surest way to get the sweet spot on a fastball is usually to flatten out your swing a little bit. To think about why curves engender steep swings, keep the above in mind, but further, consider the second reason why swing tilt differs by pitch type: location. A pitch up in the zone requires a flatter swing to produce contact than does one at the belt, and that pitch at the belt requires a flatter one than a pitch down at the knees. None of that is new, ground-breaking information. We're just agreeing on foundational concepts. Now, consider where most four-seamers are thrown: above the belt. Meanwhile, most curveballs (and sliders, for that matter; changeups and sinkers introduce another dynamic that we'll mostly save for another day) are down in the zone, or below it. You need a steep swing to get to them. In fact, most hitters have pretty small differences in average swing tilt based on pitch type, and much larger ones based on pitch height. I've told you all of that to tell you this: Ballesteros has perhaps the most plastic swing in the Cubs' lineup, which will make him an invaluable part thereof this year. As proof (beyond those two lovely but ultimately unimportant hits on Monday in Goodyear, Ariz.), I offer this: No hitter on the Cubs last season had a greater difference between their swing tilt on four-seamers and their tilt on curveballs than did Ballesteros. Admittedly, his sample was small, but he averaged 27° of tilt against four-seam fastballs and 34° against curves. Expect that margin to shrink as he gets more playing time, but not so much that he won't still stand out. By pitch height. he's just as remarkable. Only Nico Hoerner matched the 15° spread in tilt from Ballesteros, who had: a 20° average tilt on high pitches; a 29° tilt on middle-of-the-vertical zone pitches; and a 35° tilt on low pitches. Remember that slider from Singer he hit for a double? Here's what he looked like at contact on that pitch: Now, here's another pitch he hit hard the opposite way—his first big-league homer, last summer. As the kids used to (but no longer) say, get you a man who can do both. Ballesteros is that kind of hitter, and they're hard to find. That doesn't mean he's perfect, of course. In fact, let's talk a little more about the nature of swing tilt manipulation, including the tradeoffs involved. For these purposes, we'll set aside pitch types and look only at pitch height. Remember, Ballesteros has about a 15° difference in tilt between his swings at high pitches and his swings at low ones. Looking beyond the Cubs, that's still above average; the average split is about 12°. However, Ballesteros is not an outlier in baseball as a whole. Here are four hitters who excel at this kind of swing adjustment based on location: Luis Arraez: 26° High / 37° Mid / 46° Low Cody Bellinger: 22°/32°/38° Matt Chapman: 15°/25°/32° Ernie Clement: 23°/32°/39° With the possible exception of Chapman, these names won't surprise you. They're famous for their feel for contact, and specifically for getting more than you'd expect out of their swings, relative to their raw bat speed. Certainly, if Ballesteros can be anything like what Bellinger was at his best with the Cubs, the team will flourish. Alas, it's not this simple. There's a specific penalty we need to account for: the high-pitch swing speed loss. We touched on this earlier. A pitch coming at you at the top of the zone (or above) is likely to be a fastball, which jams you up for time, but even if it isn't, it forces you into a tough spot for space. Every hitter's swing has to be able to punish mistakes in the middle of the plate, and the body can much more naturally adjust to a ball down—what you've always heard broadcasters call "dropping the head of the bat on it". When most hitters flatten out their swings to attack a pitch up, though, they lose bat speed. It's a shorter swing, and it can still work, but it's just not as easy to forge a productive collaboration between gravity, your musculature and that very blunt tool in your hands on a flat, high swing as it is on steeper ones where the barrel can dip farther below the hands. Different hitters pay different high-pitch bat speed penalties, but mostly, that's a product of choices they make. The baseline for this is around 2 MPH of swing speed, but if you choose not to manipulate your swing tilt as much as other batters do, you can minimize that. Two former Cubs illustrate that option: Christopher Morel: HIGH: 23°, 76.1 MPH / MID: 27°, 76.1 MPH / LOW: 30°, 75.5 MPH Kyle Schwarber: 26°, 76.5 / 30°, 77.6 / 34°, 76.7 As you can see, neither player sacrifices bat speed to flatten their swing at the top of the zone. That means a much smaller variability in tilt than others have, which is why they're more prone to mis-hitting the ball or whiffing, but with the right approach—good pitch selection, tailored to your swing and its most productive zones—holding onto your bat speed on high offerings can be worthwhile. Schwarber and Morel are a nice pair for illustrating just how important a great approach is to such hitters, though. Though each of those two have below-average ranges of swing tilt, there are guys who are even more extreme in that regard—and who are, therefore, even more extreme in their discipline of only swinging at what they want. Seiya Suzuki and Juan Soto belong to a class of hitters who can't manipulate their bat paths much and still do what they want to do at the plate, so they adopt an extremely selective approach, instead. The more you adapt your swing path to the pitch, the more bat speed you generally give up at the top of the zone. Ballesteros is one example; a fellow left-handed hitter in the NL Central is another. Moisés Ballesteros: HIGH: 20°, 69.4 MPH / MID: 29°, 73.2 MPH / LOW: 35°, 73.4 MPH Brice Turang: 22°, 66.4 / 32°, 71.1 / 37°, 72.3 If you're giving up four miles per hour of bat speed at the top of the zone, you're probably being too aggressive with the adjustment of your swing path. Ballesteros's case gives us a chance to talk about one more dynamic in play, though, which is the baseline tilt of one's swing. How steeply you swing when the ball is exactly where you want it is a major factor in determining how much you need to adjust to handle offerings at the top of the zone—but that needn't be a primary consideration when deciding what type of swing is best. In general, steeper swings are better swings. They handle the ball down and in the middle of the zone better, and they still have some loft left in them after the hitter adjusts at the top of the zone. There's some tilt number—let's say 24°, but you could pick anything from 22 to 25—at which you're unavoidably giving up extra bat speed; it's physics. Steep swingers can lose less speed at the top of the zone, because they don't run into that sub-25° restriction. Guys with slow, steep swings—think Michael Busch—can have big trouble handling the ball up and in, but if they have any semblance of a plan at the plate, they derive more benefit from that steep attack than damage from having a hole in their zone. In fact, you know who's absolutely perfect in this regard, giving up virtually no bat speed at the top of the zone because they're still swinging fairly steeply there but also getting to the ball consistently? It will not shock you. Shohei Ohtani: HIGH: 29°, 74.6 MPH / MID: 37°, 76.5 MPH / LOW: 43°, 74.6 MPH Ballesteros is no Ohtani. He's not Busch, either. His swing is flatter, but it still has plenty of bendability. He shows a facility for seeing the ball and changing his bat path—what old-school scouts call "smart hands"—few players in the league can match. The last step in his development at the plate could be more about selectivity than about manipulating the barrel. Maybe a perfect Ballesteros has a slightly steeper upper-zone swing, but look at that second hit from Monday, or the homer from last year: he derives real value from getting on top of the ball. No, his key will be to swing less often up there. Some 369 hitters saw at least 100 pitches in the shadow of the top of the strike zone at Triple A last year. Ballesteros had the fifth-highest swing rate in that cohort. For a guy who stands 5-foot-8, in the age of the ABS system, that shouldn't happen. Ballesteros can afford to be more picky, and to use his right to challenge pitches occasionally to thwart bad calls. The top of the zone (especially to short hitters) is where fans will feel the greatest difference between baseball before the ABS challenge system and baseball with it. For Ballesteros, the fact that few pitchers will be able to hit the top of his zone should be a huge advantage. The plasticity of Ballesteros's swing will make him a linchpin of the Cubs offense in 2026. If he also learns to let the ball along the top rail of the zone sail by a bit more often, he could turn a corner quickly and become a massive offensive weapon. Either way, though, the team has to be very pleased that he made it through a thorny entry process and landed on American soil in his hitting shoes. View the full article

Ever wonder how spring training originated? Jeff runs through the history of the practice and the Red Sox's history in Fort Myers, Florida. View the full article

#7 Jeferson Quero (Nashville Sounds) Jeferson Quero’s return to game action in 2025 was an important step after a difficult bout with injuries. He was close to returning from a torn labrum early in the year, before a hamstring issue in spring training delayed his season. Once he got back on the field, he showed encouraging signs, especially during his rehab assignment in the Complex League, where he consistently produced hard contact and flashed the offensive impact that made him one of the organization’s top prospects before the injury. PA H 2B 3B HR OPS wRC+ wOBA K% BB% SwStr% Whiff% PULL% CENT% OPPO% LD% GB% FB% IFFB% SB CS SB% 90th EV 283 65 17 1 10 .817 115 .364 13.8% 9.9% 10.5% 22.6% 43.5% 22.0% 34.4% 25.5% 36.5% 38.0% 24.1% 2 0 100% 102.8 What to Like Power has always been part of Quero’s profile, and there were signs that it was starting to return as the season went on. As a 20-year-old in 2023, he posted a 105.2 MPH 90th-percentile exit velocity, a mark that was well above average for his age and strong even by major-league standards. That power did not show up right away after his return to Triple-A, where he finished with a slightly below-average 102.8 MPH EV90. Still, the trend improved later in the season, with several home runs leaving the bat at 107+ MPH and a max exit velocity of 109.5 MPH. Those flashes suggest the raw power should still be there as he gets further removed from surgery, though it will be something to monitor. Quero also brings strong bat-to-ball ability. He makes consistent contact. He can put the ball in play against various pitch types, with some authority. That contact skill gives him a solid offensive foundation and the potential for an average hit tool. If both the hit and power tools mature as hoped, he has the potential to be a productive big-league hitter at a premium position. Defensively, Quero still shows many of the traits that made him highly regarded before the injury. His receiving and blocking have largely returned to form—or even improved—and he continues to show strong instincts behind the plate. He calls a good game, shows good awareness, and manages a pitching staff at a very high level. What to Work On The biggest offensive area for improvement is his swing decisions and overall plate discipline. While his bat-to-ball skills allow him to make a lot of contact, his pitch selection can be inconsistent. Improving his approach and becoming more selective in the strike zone would help him maximize his power and overall offensive production. Defensively, the biggest question is his throwing arm. Before the injury, Quero’s arm was considered a major strength, with elite pop times that could come in below 1.8 seconds. That level of arm strength has not yet returned, and his throwing performance last year reflected a noticeable drop. There's still room for improvement, but a full return to his previous level is uncertain. If the arm doesn't return to above-average levels, it could limit his overall defensive value and affect his ability to control the running game. His receiving, blocking, and game-calling still provide a strong defensive base, but continued progress with his throwing will be important in determining whether he profiles as a full-time starter. Staying healthy and handling a full season’s workload will also be important after dealing with multiple injuries over the past two years. What’s Next Quero is expected to begin the 2026 season back at Triple-A Nashville due to the Brewers’ current catching situation. The additions of Reese McGuire and Gary Sánchez provide major-league depth and give the organization time to let Quero continue developing. Even so, he remains a big part of the organization’s long-term plans and could reach Milwaukee in the near future, and he notably has a very big fan in Pat Murphy. “This might be a really special story, because I think he’s a special player,” Murphy said. He's been consistent in his effusiveness about Quero going back to his first spring training as the manager, in 2024. Quero's development will focus on improving plate discipline, rebuilding consistent power production, and strengthening his arm. If his health holds and his tools continue trending in the right direction, he still has the potential to become a regular contributor at the major-league level. A strong start to the season could speed his matriculation to the majors, but the questions will be less about stats and more about whether his throwing arm and his approach are better this year. What are your thoughts on Quero? What are you hoping to see from him in 2026? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

As their 2024 first-round pick, Kaelen Culpepper, broke out in 2025, the Twins continued their draft strategy of many years. The Twins selected a fairly similar prospect in the 2025 first round. They selected Marek Houston, a shortstop out of Wake Forest. Like Culpepper, Houston was selected as a high-floor, right-handed-hitting college prospect who brings a hit over power approach at the plate. Despite those similarities, evaluators don’t expect Houston to have the same success at the plate as Culpepper. On the other hand, he’s a sure-fire shortstop who has a slick glove that’s good enough for the majors right now. The question with him is whether he can find a way to produce offensively. What’s to Like The glove is the headliner with Houston. He’s athletic and has a plus arm, profiling as a very good defender at shortstop. In his short time in pro ball in 2026, he’s already put plenty of highlights on his reel. He’s firmly established himself as the best defensive shortstop in the Twins system. If he can hit at any reasonable level, he could be a key feature in the Twins' plans. While his bat remains a question, Houston has some qualities to build on. In college, he showed the ability to draw walks at an extremely high rate (15.4% in his last year at Wake Forest) and limit his strikeout rate (15.4% as well). He also added power to his game, popping 15 home runs, to produce a 135 wRC+, setting himself up well for the draft. That power came with Houston gaining 20 pounds, but based on exit velocities, he still has weight to be gained and power to be added. In just 12 games at Low-A Fort Myers, he produced, batting .370 with a 150 wRC+.He isn’t going to hit .370. but that is just a display of what to look for with Houston - a high batting average and on-base percentage to pair with great defense. What's Not To Like As discussed, there aren't many questions about Houston’s defense. The question is whether or not the bat can be good enough to get his glove into the lineup. Over just 24 total games, split evenly between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids, he put up just a .680 OPS - leaving plenty of room for improvement. Two issues in the offensive profile in that small sample size were that he didn’t walk like he did in the minors and struck out at just an above-average level. To make his offense work, the young shortstop needs to find the approach he had in college. That means controlling the strike zone while limiting strikeouts. Improving the approach will help Houston, but he also needs to do more damage when he makes contact. Of his 27 hits, only six were extra for extra bases, and only one of those was a home run. That is backed up by the batted ball data from single-A. Despite hitting .370 at the level, Houston had a horrendous .259 xwOBA, posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of just 96.2 MPH, and pulled the ball in the air at a 12th percentile rate. These are the warts on the offensive side for Houston that he’ll need to clean up to ascend in his first full year at pro ball. What to Look for in 2026 Houston should get a good run at High-A Cedar Rapids in 2026, where he can show off his defensive chops but also have a chance to show improvement on the offensive side. That would look like getting his approach back to where it was in college, which means striking out and walking at similar rates. That would indicate he might be able to get on base at a rate that, paired with his defense, makes him a valuable big-league contributor. For a true breakout that indicates a chance at stardom, the Wake Forest product needs to bring his exit velocities closer to average or above average and find more opportunities to lift the ball to the pull side. If he does this, he’ll start to appear on national Top 100 lists, and Twins fans will start getting very excited about a potential two-way star. Houston’s defense gives him a great chance to make the big leagues at some point, but the offense has plenty of questions. Do you expect to see strides in Houston's power in 2026? 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) Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 10 Anthony Eyanson Selected in the third round of the 2025 draft out of Louisiana State University, Anthony Eyanson may end up being one of the biggest steals for the Boston Red Sox in recent years. Eyanson completed his junior season at LSU by winning the national championship, ultimately garnering attention as a top-50 draft prospect. As the Saturday starter for LSU, Eyanson made 20 appearances, 18 of them starts, and went 12-2 with two saves across 108 innings. He was dominant on the mound, allowing just 36 earned runs. Things would not work out perfectly for Eyanson, however, as the right-hander slid to the third round, where the Red Sox selected him at the 87th pick. Eyanson is a very intriguing pitching prospect, one who continues to fit in with Craig Breslow’s desire to acquire pitchers who are big (he stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds) and have good extension (6.41 feet). The right-hander has a polished arsenal made up of a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, and he's got strong control of each of those offerings. His fastball routinely sat between 92 and 94 mph in college, occasionally topping out at around 97 mph. However, in his first week of spring training, the right-hander managed to get it up to 98 mph. His slider has more vertical break to it instead of horizontal (i.e., more traditional power slider than a modern sweeper) and despite a lower spin rate, it can miss bats. It also manages to generate a high chase rate despite not landing in the zone all that often. In college, the slider managed to produce a 52% whiff rate and could become his main "out pitch" in professional baseball. Eyanson’s curveball is thrown competitively, but despite a good amount of vertical depth, it fails to miss as many bats as would be expected. It is used more often against left-handed batters. Finally, his changeup may be his weakest pitch, as he fails to consistently land it in the strike zone, and he may need to adjust the low-80s offering as he graduates various levels in the system. In college, Eyanson showed an ability to rack up strikeouts, finishing the 2025 season with 152 in just 108 innings. There is no reason to believe that should change once he gets his first taste of minor league baseball thanks to his fastball, slider and curveball. Early on in spring training, he has looked good on the backfields while throwing live at-bats. One of Eyanson’s best traits is his ability to limit free passes. While his strikeouts were well documented (33.9% rate), he managed to walk just 36 batters with LSU, good for an 8.0% walk rate. Thanks to this, Eyanson already has a high floor and comes with little reliever risk. Should he manage to maintain the increased velocity he’s showing with his fastball across the entire season, he would project as a mid-rotation arm. Eyanson is likely to open the year in High-A Greenville, but thanks to his strike-throwing ability along with his already-polished arsenal of pitches, he could be promoted to the upper levels of the organization quickly. The right-hander is confident in his own abilities and is entering 2026 with a determination to prove he should have been taken within the first two rounds of the draft. He’ll be an interesting pitcher to watch, especially if he can find an arm-side pitch to throw to left-handed hitters. View the full article

Looking in for the sign atop the rubber, Josh Towers stood a strike away from getting his year off on the right track. It was the third game of spring training, and Towers had Phillies leadoff hitter Shane Victorino in a two-strike hole to start the game. Bengie Molina called for a curveball to put away the Flyin’ Hawaiian, and Towers delivered...an absolute cement mixer. The ball spun aimlessly over the top half of the plate but somehow found its way into Molina’s glove. Swing and a miss. “I’m not going to get that lucky that often,” said the right-hander afterwards, an unfortunately prophetic quote for his upcoming season. Towers would begin the 2006 season in the Blue Jays' rotation, the third straight year he would break camp as a starter. He signed a minor league deal with Toronto prior to 2003, and after joining the rotation in August, he won four of his final five starts. He started slow in ‘04 and got no better than bland (9-9, 5.11 ERA) but arrived to spring the following year with his spot safe when Toronto decided to move Miguel Batista into ninth inning duties. While the top of Toronto’s rotation fell off with injury or performance issues in ‘05, Towers stepped up to be an unsung workhorse, throwing a team-leading 208.2 innings and walking only 29 hitters across 33 starts. So there was no hesitation in letting Towers step up again when Toronto left Dunedin a little thin in the rotation. Roy Halladay would get his usual game one assignment, but with A.J. Burnett and Ted Lilly injured, manager John Gibbons slotted Towers into the second spot behind his ace. Following the renditions of the national anthems by Blue Man Group to a sold-out crowd on Opening Day, Halladay was terrific, pitching into the eighth while his new battery-mate Molina’s fourth inning home run powered Toronto to a 6-3 victory. The Blue Jays also honoured Tom Cheek, who had passed away the previous October. In the previous year’s opener in Tampa, a gravely ill Cheek sat in with Jerry Howarth and Warren Sawkiw for his final play-by-play appearance during the fourth inning. The Blue Jays scored three in the frame and beat the Devil Rays 5-2. With his dad being acknowledged before the game, Cheek’s son Jeff joined the radio broadcast for the fourth, another three-run inning, with Molina’s home run sailing over Cheek’s name on the Level of Excellence. (photo credit: Sportsnet) Towers made his season debut the next night in front of a much smaller crowd, who roared early thanks to back-to-back home runs from new Jays Troy Glaus and Lyle Overbay. Towers retired the first eight Twins he faced but ran into trouble in the fourth. The Twins had used four hits to cut the lead to 4-2 and had two runners in scoring position with two away. An 0-1 pitch to Jason Kubel was hit right back at Towers and deflected off the pitcher towards shortstop Russ Adams. With no chance of getting Kubel or the runner at home, Adams instead pivoted cross-body and threw the ball past Glaus’ glove at third and into the home dugout to tie the score. When Shannon Stewart took Towers deep to lead off the fifth, Minnesota grabbed the lead and never looked back. As the Jays walked off the field in a 13-4 defeat, the dwindled crowd of 18,156 chanted ‘Go Leafs Go’ in support of their local 10th-place team who would miss the upcoming NHL playoffs. An injury to Gregg Zaun to start the season had opened the door ever-so-slightly for Jason Phillips, and the third catcher in camp did his best to get fully in. Up with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth in the series finale, Phillips lined a first pitch over the glove of a leaping Nick Punto at short, kick-starting a four-run rally in an eventual 6-3 win. Phillips’ clutch hit and his work with starter Gustavo Chacin, who pitched into the seventh wearing a dab of his newly-released cologne, earned the catcher big marks with his skipper. “Nobody knows,” Gibbons said in a mock-spooky voice when asked what would happen with Zaun’s impending return. “Maybe we could send Glaus down. He may have an option.” Phillips watched from the bench as Toronto’s bullpen blew a 6-2 lead after a solid spot start from Scott Downs in the series opener with Tampa Bay. Phillips, not Glaus, would be sent down after to make room for Zaun, whose fifth inning home run the following afternoon put Toronto ahead in an 8-4 win. Starring for the Blue Jays was Brian Tallet, who earned a spot on the roster with a sparkling spring. In his second appearance, Tallet pitched out of a bases-loaded mess left by a season-debuting Lilly in the third and stayed on for two more scoreless innings to the delight of his catcher. “I’m back there cracking up,” said Zaun. “The stirrups, I absolutely love ‘em. The chops are awesome...it’s just a tremendous look. He should’ve pitched yesterday on Flashback Friday.” It was the first major league win for Tallet since his major league debut on September 16, 2002, when he shut out the Red Sox over six innings in the second game of a doubleheader. “My first hitter was Rickey Henderson, and I walked him on a 3-2. I remember thinking, ‘I just started my career by walking a guy with 1,000 stolen bases. Not too good.’...got a double play to get out of the inning. It was so surreal.” (photo credit: Yahoo Sports) After a loss in the series finale, Toronto headed to Boston for the Red Sox’s home opener. Towers started and found trouble early in a four-run second inning. The Blue Jays lost and would also lose Towers’ next start in the final game of the six-game road trip in Chicago, one in which the starter only lasted six outs. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome hit a pair of two-run blasts in the first inning on a soggy night at The Cell, a 6-4 White Sox win in an abbreviated five innings to drop the Blue Jays to 6-6. “I need to figure out what is wrong and fix it,” lamented Towers. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, the struggles hadn’t extended to their offence. After drying off, Toronto returned home for a two-game set with New York, and with over 48,000 inside Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays responded to an early deficit with three runs in each of the first two innings, highlighted by two-run longballs from Glaus and Alex Rios. The crowd cheered when New York starter Randy Johnson departed during the fourth and delighted even further when Gary Sheffield fumbled a one-handed catch. Glaus hit another home run in the eighth inning in the 10-5 win, giving him five and 13 RBI on the season, hitting cleanup behind Reed Johnson (.458 on the year), Rios (.395), and Vernon Wells (.389). Toronto was held to a run by Mike Mussina the next night but put up some crooked innings in wins to follow over the Red Sox. The opportunity for a series sweep lay in the hands of Towers and vanished seven batters into the game. Towers hit the leadoff hitter and gave up three runs on four hits in the first, the big blow coming on a David Ortiz opposite-field home run. The Blue Jays could not overcome the rough beginning in a 6-3 loss that dropped Towers to 0-4. He threw only 58 of 95 pitches for strikes, a worrying trend after Towers had been so good with his command in ‘05. In four starts, Towers had walked eight hitters, a number he reached on June 2 last year. “He’s not missing by much,” said Gibbons, literal and maybe figurative glass half full of Bud. “I would say that what’s hurting him is a few too many mistakes...like keeping the ball up.” When Towers’ turn came back up, the Blue Jays found themselves atop the AL East with a red-hot Shea Hillenbrand at the plate. Toronto’s designated hitter went 7-for-9 as the Blue Jays took two of three from the Orioles, and in the next game, Hillenbrand went deep twice for the first-place Blue Jays in a 7-2 win over the Yankees. Hillenbrand had started the year slowly, and you would hope the hits would turn Eeyore around because, yeah, he was not sounding great about his role on the team. “I decided to just accept it and move on because the only person I'm hurting otherwise is myself,” Hillenbrand said about DHing before the opener in New York. “The team isn't going to care. For them, it's all about winning. How I feel isn't really that important in everything, and that's one of the things I've had to come to terms with.” In first place with the slimmest of leads, the Blue Jays received, in the words of Gibbons, “the first kicking we’ve taken all year.” Trouble would find Towers early and often, chaos that had symbolized his month. With runners on the corners with one out in the first, Towers fielded a high chopper and turned to second base, only to be greeted by an already sliding-and-arriving Sheffield, who was running on the pitch. “That's just typical for me of what's been going on," Towers said afterwards. “I don't even know why I looked at second base. I know that at 3-2 (count) with one out, he's running. I've got to look (the runner back to third) and take the out at first.” What followed was also, sadly, typical for how the month had gone for Towers. The next hitter, Jason Giambi, went deep for a now three-run shot to put the Yankees in front 4-2. Another solo blast in the second widened the lead, but Toronto continued to find success against the Big Unit, tying the game with three runs off New York’s starter in the third. Then the train wreck started. Towers recorded only one more out, departing after an RBI double by Hideki Matsui that started the Yankees towards a 17-6 blowout. In the win, New York became the sixth team in American League history to score in every inning of a game. In his first five starts, Towers allowed the opposition to slash a first ballot-worthy .388/.450/.643 and finished the month with a 10.45 ERA. For Gibbons, his starting options were few. Recent call-ups Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum were part of the Yankees making history, and worse, Burnett was back on the injured list. On April 22, Burnett left after four innings of his second start, jumped on a plane, and flew to see Dr. James Andrews. A former fourth-round pick from UCLA would debut to replace Burnett, and as the season flipped to May with Toronto sitting at 12-11, Casey Janssen would start picking up starts in a way Towers couldn’t. View the full article

On Monday afternoon, the Kansas City Royals via social media officially announced the addition of free-agent outfielder Starling Marte. Reports came out over the weekend that Kansas City had signed Marte to a deal, pending a physical. By the end of the day on Monday, it seems like they were able to get everything cleared and formally introduce their newest outfielder to the Royals fanbase. MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers shared the details of Marte's one-year deal. He will have a $1 million base salary with up to $2 million in incentives, according to Rogers' report on Twitter. With Marte's addition, the Royals' payroll goes up to at least $149 million, possibly $151 million if Marte hits those incentives. That is $13 million higher than their payroll a year ago, according to Roster Resource payroll data. Roster Resource projects Marte as a bat off the bench who will likely be in the lineup against left-handed starting pitchers when their left-handed outfielders need a break. That includes Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel, who are projected to play left and center field, respectively. Marte is projected to get around 238 to 252 plate appearances this season, according to most projection systems. Fangraphs' Depth Charts, ZiPS, and The BAT X are the most optimistic, projecting wRC+ marks of 98, 100, and 97, respectively. To make room on the Royals' 40-man roster for Marte, Kansas City also announced that Dairon Blanco would be designated for assignment. Blanco made his MLB debut late at 29-years-old due to visa issues when he came over from Cuba. He didn't make his Minor League debut until 2018, when he was 25. The Cuban-born outfielder started his career in the Athletics organization and came over to the Royals in 2019 in a trade for reliever Jake Diekman. He had solid campaigns as a bench outfielder for the Royals in 2023 and 2024, posting a 102 wRC+ and 96 wRC+ in 138 and 132 plate appearances, respectively. Blanco's main strength as a player was his baserunning ability, as he stole a combined 55 bases from 2023 to 2024. That skill set made him an interesting player worth watching this spring. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old outfielder dealt with an Achilles injury last year and didn't seem quite as explosive in 2025. As a result, he only played in nine games and had just eight plate appearances in the Major Leagues last season. He spent most of the year in Omaha, and while he stole 32 bases, he only hit .253 with a 93 wRC+ in 295 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers. Furthermore, his Statcast percentiles weren't all that impressive either, as seen in his TJ Stats summary from Triple-A a year ago. If Blanco clears waivers, he could return to the Royals as a non-roster player. He could also opt to become a free agent and sign with another club this offseason, with the hope that he could have a better chance of making the Opening Day roster in another organization. Over 171 career Major League games, all with the Royals, Blanco has a career 99 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR, and 59 stolen bases. View the full article

Following this weekend, all of the the San Diego Padres' World Baseball Classic participants will have departed camp in Peoria, Arizona, leaving time for other players to get sharp or improve their chances of getting on the Opening Day roster. As a reminder: Don't take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic news, not necessarily hardcore analysis. The Friars dropped to 4-6 in the Cactus League after losing to the Colorado Rockies 3-2 Friday, beating the Seattle Mariners 7-1 Saturday and losing to the San Francisco Giants 9-1 Sunday. Who's Hot for Padres? 🔥 Randy Vasquez: The right-hander continued his bid for one of the two open spots in the starting rotation. He got the start against the Rockies and went 2⅔ hitless innings. He didn't allow a run, but did walk two and struck out four. He threw 37 pitches, 24 for strikes. Vasquez hasn't allowed a run in either of his two starts, covering 4⅔ innings while yielding just one hit. JP Sears: If your ERA goes down by 41.73, that means two things happened: You had one really bad outing followed up by a really good one. The left-hander did just that Saturday, going three innings and allowing one run on three hits. Sears walked one and struck out one while throwing 34 pitches, including 23 strikes. That came after his spring debut went awry, surrendering four runs in two-thirds of an inning. It was a good bounce back as he competes for a spot in the rotation. Ty France: This is more of a status update than someone who is hot at the plate. France, a non-roster invitee, did go 1-for-2 against the Giants, a sharp single to left off WBC-bound Giants right-hander Logan Webb. But the real news is that France started the game at third base, a position he has not played in an MLB game since 2022. And, as luck would have it, the very Giants first batter of the game, Willy Adames, rocketed one right at France, who deflected it into left field for a hit. He played the position in 36 games as a Padres rookie in 2019, but only 17 times since. That versatility will help in his bid to make the roster. Who's Not? 🧊 German Marquez: The right-hander is a leading candidate to claim one of the last two spots in the rotation, so his bumpy first outing should be taken with a grain of salt. The former Colorado Rockies ace was tagged for three runs in his first of two innings against the Giants. He gave up four hits while facing mainly Giants regulars, though he did strike out two in that opening frame. Chalk that up to rust and spring jitters. Marquez did come back in the second inning to retire all three batters he faced, finishing with 27 strikes in his 37 pitches. Luis Campusano: Playing in all three games, including starting twice, Campusano went 1-for-6. That dropped his spring average down to .167 (2-for-12). Nothing to be worried about considering his history as a hitter. His starts came with Vasquez and Marquez on the mound, while he replaced starting catcher Freddy Fermin in the other. As long as his defense is what the coaching staff is looking for, he will be an asset. Sung Mun Song: While starting at third base and second base, Song went 1-for-6 and also saw his average drop to .167 (2-for-12). With his role clear thus far as a utility player, Song's defensive ability will be his primary contribution until his bat comes around. Don't forget there are more than three weeks left in the Cactus League. He will work on the back fields at shortstop and left field before playing those spots in a game. View the full article

JUPITER—The Miami Marlins believe Adam Mazur can be a long-term starter, but he made just six appearances for the big league club in 2025, posting a 4.80 ERA. Unsatisfied with those mixed results, the right-hander focused this offseason on adding good weight to his tall, lengthy frame. Following his start on Monday afternoon, Mazur said he added 15–20 pounds of muscle over the offseason thanks to consistent work in the gym and 1,000-calorie protein shakes every morning, along with regular meals throughout the day. "Hopefully that’ll help me stay healthy throughout the year.” Although Mazur faces an uphill battle to crack the Marlins Opening Day roster, the fact that he already occupies a 40-man roster spot could get him up to Miami relatively early in the season. It's a similar situation for Joe Mack, who was behind the plate for Mazur's two hitless frames against the St. Louis Cardinals. “Love him. Getting time with him last year in Jacksonville was great. He’s a great catcher, great guy, and I love spending time with him,” Mazur added. “He reads pitchers well. If he knows a guy is missing on one side or the other, he can set up differently. He’s got a great feel for the team and a rocket of an arm back there, so it’s always nice to have.” Mack raved about Mazur postgame, telling reporters that “he looked really, really good today. You can tell he put in a lot of work in the offseason, especially in pitch design." After being charged with a catcher’s interference in the first inning, Mack made up for it with a stellar pickoff in the second, firing an 87.1 mph dart to first base from his knees. “We try to work on back picks at least once or twice a game, and we noticed they were being a little lazy getting back to the bag. I was given a sign and made the throw,” he said. With catcher Liam Hicks (Canada) and Agustín Ramírez (Dominican Republic) away representing their respective countries in the World Baseball Classic, Mack will have an opportunity to show he’s ready for the next step. “Having that runway of playing time will be huge for him,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “He was in big league camp a bit last year, and with him getting to Triple-A last season, he’ll be a guy everyone should certainly watch.” While Ramírez and Hicks are projected to be the tandem on Opening Day, Mack is expected to be an early call-up, providing continuity and strong defense behind the plate in 2026 and beyond. News and notes - Josh Ekness, the 27th-ranked prospect according to Fish On First, turned in his best outing of the spring, tossing a perfect inning with two strikeouts. He topped out at 98 mph. - Free-agent addition John King recorded his third scoreless outing of the spring and is expected to serve as Miami’s highest-leverage left-handed reliever. - Prospects Josh White and Nigel Belgrave struggled, combining to allow all three runs scored by St. Louis. Belgrave surrendered the walk-off hit in the ninth after yielding a hit and hitting a batter. - Top prospects Dillon Lewis and Kemp Alderman each squared the ball up twice Monday, with Alderman launching his first home run of the spring. The power-hitting reigning Marlins Minor League Player of the Year is expected to debut sometime in 2026. - The Marlins will face Team Israel on Tuesday afternoon, with Braxton Garrett scheduled to start. View the full article

The World Baseball Classic always throws a wrench into spring training. Chunks of teams leave camp for a couple of weeks to represent their countries, leaving those still in camp an opportunity for more playing time. With few roster battles, the Milwaukee Brewers will be keeping a close eye on who capitalizes on those chances. As a reminder: Don't take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic news, not necessarily hardcore analysis. The Crew saw its Cactus League record drop to 4-6 after beating the Chicago White Sox 5-2 Friday, then losing to the Cincinnati Reds 9-7 on Saturday and Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Sunday. Who's Hot? ? Joey Ortiz: Every pessimistic fan's whipping boy, the shortstop left camp for the WBC (Mexico) in a good frame of mind hitting-wise. Maybe it's because of the new beard he is sporting. Whatever it is, Ortiz went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored against the White Sox, then had another hit in three trips against the Reds. That boosted his spring average to .412 (7-for-17). Considering he had .239 and .230 batting averages the past two years, that shows some promising signs, even if it's just spring training. Luis Rengifo: The probable starting third baseman bounced back from an 0-for-5 start to his spring by going 3-for-6 in two starts this weekend. That began with his first hit, a homer to right leading off the third inning, against White Sox right-hander Sean Burke, the surprise Opening Day starter last year. The switch-hitting Rengifo followed that up with an infield single that deflected off right-hander Tanner McDougal, who made it up to Double-A in 2025. Against the Royals, Rengifo led off the game with a line-drive single to left off left-hander Kris Bubic. Luis Lara: I prefer giving the benefit of the doubt to the young prospects getting a shot in camp, especially guys who might be a couple years away. That's why I didn't want to knock Lara's start to Cactus League play, in which he went 3-for-16. But in playing two of the three games this weekend, the switch-hitting outfielder went 3-for-5, with a first-pitch single against Bubic. Granted, the exit velocity was a whopping 58.8 mph and dribbled to the first baseman, but everything counts, right? That came after he went 2-for-2 against the Reds, with a ground-rule double in the sixth inning and a bunt single in the eighth. It was a confidence-boosting pair of games. Who's Not? ? Jared Koenig: The durable left-handed reliever finally made his spring debut Saturday—and was rocked. Coming in to face the Reds' 2-3-4 hitters, Koenig was tagged for four runs on three hits in one-third of an inning. Matt McLain greeted Koenig with a hard-hit single to left. Elly De La Cruz lined a double to right. After striking out Sal Stewart, Koenig walked Spencer Steer to load the bases. That brought up Blake Dunn, who has 49 games of MLB experience, and he hit a bases-clearing double down the left-field line. That was it for Koenig, who threw 14 of his 22 pitches for strikes. William Contreras: While he notched hits in his last two games before joining Venezuela for the WBC, Contreras is off to a 3-for-14 (.214) start to his spring. It's nothing to be concerned about with the catcher's track record and something that could come around with the juices flowing in the WBC. He told MLB Network that he is healthy after offseason surgery to fix the broken middle finger on his catching hand, which was the primary concern coming into camp. The hits will come. Gary Sánchez: Keeping it with the catchers, Sánchez has yet to get going, either. He went 1-for-6 while getting one start at catcher and another at designated hitter. That dropped his spring showing to 3-for-15 (.200). Sánchez's spot on the roster is secure, as the No. 2 catcher who could get some DH time. He'll probably see more time now, with Contreras out of camp. View the full article

The day Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers reported to the Lee Health Sports Complex in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida, freshly anointed head baseball executive Jeremy Zoll made two noteworthy late-offseason bullpen acquisitions, trading for left-handed reliever Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers and signing right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks to a minor-league deal. Two days later, the club signed veteran southpaw Andrew Chafin to a minor-league contract, completing a flurry of mid-February signings designed to improve the club’s bullpen. Banda, Hendriks, and Chafin join Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk, Eric Orze, Travis Adams, Marco Raya, Zak Kent, John Klein, Dan Altavilla, and others competing to fill the eight-pitcher unit. A talent- and depth-deficient unit entering the offseason, Minnesota’s bullpen has become crowded with a mix of veteran and inexperienced candidates, creating one of the more wide-open camp competitions in recent Twins history. Barring injury, Sands, Rogers, and Banda are the only three relievers guaranteed spots in the club’s Opening Day bullpen. If Hendriks and Chafin resemble what they've been in seasons past, the two veterans on minor-league deals are favorites to earn spots. The final three spots remain up for grabs as the calendar flips to March, with one aforementioned veteran arm potentially becoming a surprise omission from the club’s Opening Day pen. Earning a 3.90 ERA, 3.04 FIP, and a 49-to-18 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 innings pitched, Topa performed well last season. The veteran righty also stepped in as one of the Twins' most reliable late-inning arms after the front office parted ways with Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, and Danny Coulombe at the trade deadline, working his way to a 3.31 ERA and notching four saves from Aug. 1 through Sept. 7. Unfortunately, the then-34-year-old missed the rest of his 2025 campaign after suffering a left oblique strain. Despite the unceremonious end to his first full season with Minnesota, Topa appeared to be a shoo-in for a spot entering the offseason. However, the soon-to-be 35-year-old’s early spring struggles could result in an unexpected end to his Twins’ tenure. To preface, I want to recognize that I am about to analyze an exceptionally small performance sample of work. I also understand that it is still early March, and there’s a strong likelihood that Topa is still in the “ramp-up” phase of his spring program. Still, his underlying metrics suggest the wily veteran’s days as an effective major-league reliever may be coming to an end, evidenced by the chart below (courtesy of TJStats): Topa is generating a lot of swings, which is typically a positive sign, especially for relievers. Unfortunately, hitters are making a lot of contact and doing tons of damage upon intercepting the pitch, resulting in a catastrophic zone contact rate and barrel rate. His well-below-average barrel rate is particularly concerning, given that his past success with Seattle and Minnesota was largely the product of missing barrels with his plus sinker and sweeper. If Topa is unable to miss barrels and generate weak contact, he would become an unusable arm, with too many whammies like this one ruining outings of any consequence. Like this: OTdCTEFfWGw0TUFRPT1fVlZkVVYxME1VZ01BV3dRQVV3QUhCbEJSQUFOUUJRSUFWRkFNVWd0VUFsRUdWUW9B.mp4 Topa’s early struggles are especially concerning given that there is no real dip in his velocity compared to last season. In his two appearances against Boston this spring, there was essentially no change in his sinker, sweeper, cutter, or changeup velocity, compared to his 2025 averages. That being the case, the primary factors behind his 27.00 ERA and 13.47 FIP over 1 2/3 innings pitched are diminished movement and poor command or execution. Again, I understand that I am talking about less than two innings pitched. Yet, given that fellow bullpen candidates Orze, Funderburk, Altavilla, Klein, and Raya (from a stuff perspective) are off to strong starts this spring, Topa and his $1.23-million contract could end up on the chopping block come the end of March, either being designated for assignment or traded to another organization. View the full article

Merrill Kelly had dreams of living on Coronado and pitching at Petco Park with the San Diego Padres for the next three years. But California's high tax rate ultimately made the difference in the right-handed starter choosing to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 37-year-old said Monday on the "Foul Territory" podcast that the Padres initially had the better deal for three years, but the D'backs eventually increased their two-year offer to make it worthy of turning down the Friars to remain in the desert. Kelly wound up getting a two-year, $40 million contract from the D'backs with a vesting option for 2028. "I don't think it's any secret on how much money you get taken out of your pocket when you go to California. There were a lot of factors that went into the three-year deal. It was definitely enticing, it definitely made the decision a lot harder to come back here. But once Arizona, once these guys got to the number they did, it made a lot of sense to come back here." California has a tax rate of 13% on incomes $1 million and above, while Arizona as a flat rate of 2.5%. "I love San Diego," Kelly said. "Like I said, they take too much money out of my pocket. The taxes over there are a different level. We had my numbers guy run the numbers and it just made more sense to come home — which is crazy on a two-year compared to a three-year (contract)." Kelly said he was close to choosing the Padres, but is happy to be able to not leave his family in the Phoenix area. "It worked out best for us because that was honestly our second choice," Kelly said. "It was between here and San Diego going into the offseason." View the full article

Tommy Hutton's dear friend and former television partner, Rich Waltz, calls into Hutton's retirement press conference via FaceTime to send his congratulations.View the full article

When the Cubs traded for Edward Cabrera in January, many assumed the team would continue the work Cabrera began in Miami last year, under former Cubs assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos: ratcheting down the usage of his four-seam fastball. For most of his career, despite being thrown nearly 100 miles per hour, Cabrera's four-seamer has been his worst pitch. Given his arm angle—even the lower angle to which he adjusted last season—he doesn't have any more ride (that apparent rising action, as the backspin of a fastball defies gravity) than a hitter expects to see. It does run more to his arm side than they'd anticipate, which is good for something, but only if the pitch is well-located and well-mixed with his other offerings. When it isn't, the heater can get hammered. Last season, Cabrera favored his sinker over the four-seamer for the first time. It was just part of a broader shift in deployment of his arsenal, which saw him throw his very effective changeup and curveball plenty, but mix in his slider and sinker more, pushing the four-seamer all the way to fifth in his personal pecking order. It was a strategy of avoidance—of minimizing a weakness by making it as small a slice of his game as possible. In his first outing of the Cactus League season, though, the four-seamer was Cabrera's most-used pitch. He leaned on it harder than he has in any season since 2021, his rookie year. If you're married to the idea that the Cubs' optimization plan for Cabrera involves continuing to push him away from the four-seamer, it's easy to explain that away. Guys work on things during spring. They don't always behave the way they will when the games count. Admittedly, it would be surprising if Cabrera does lean anywhere near this heavily on the four-seamer come the regular season. However, you should still take his pitch usage Friday seriously. It wasn't a fluke, because it's very much the way the Cubs do things. The last two established, American starters the Cubs brought in (the ones to whom we can easily make a direct comparison) were Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea. Here's what happened to Boyd's pitch usage last year. And here's the same chart for Rea. Widening the lens only makes the emphasis clearer. Last season, the Cubs' four-seamer usage was 40.4%. That was the highest rate of any team in the league, by a significant margin. Last year, Rea said that the first thing the Cubs told him was how his arsenal could work better by working differently, playing off his four-seamer. No team in the majors likes four-seamers like this one does. Every pitcher is different. Chicago won't push the four-seamer as hard with Cabrera as they did with Rea; it wouldn't make sense. Don't assume, though, that the team will entirely alter its philosophy to suit one new arm. On the contrary, they're likely to assimilate that arm into their pitching philosophy. Cabrera is about to learn how to use his four-seamer better. If the Cubs didn't believe fervently that that's possible, they almost certainly wouldn't have dealt for him. One could argue that that approach is overconfident. The Cubs have had plenty of developmental wins lately, but when people in the know list the savviest organizations in the game in matters of pitching, the Cubs are never the first name out of their mouth. Asking a player who just figured out something important and turned a corner in their career to pivot dramatically toward a different plan—one that goes against his documented strengths, no less—is awfully bold. However, this is how the Cubs have had success over the last several years. They identify guys they believe can benefit from a change in pitch mix, and then they help them achieve that benefit—and the four-seamer is almost always at the center of the action. Besides, there's always utility in a pitch that sits 97 and often touches higher. Cabrera's stuff is electricity itself, and the four-seamer carries as much current as anything he throws. The Cubs are unlikely to let the value of that intense an offering go unrealized, even if other pitches net Cabrera more whiffs. He might not stick to it all year, but he's going throw the four-seamer more often early on, not less so. Get comfortable with discomfort, because if you'd hoped the flamethrower would lean even more into his curveball and changeup, you're destined for disappointment. The heater powers the Cubs' attack, and while Cabrera is unusual, he's not so unique as to be an outright exception to that rule. View the full article

Prior to Monday's Miami Marlins spring training game in Jupiter, Tommy Hutton announced that 2026 will be his final season as a broadcaster. Turning 80 this April, Hutton's swan song will be his 28th season contributing to Marlins broadcasts and his 24th calling their games on TV. Apart from the Fish, he had previous stints with the Montreal Expos, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays and appeared on national telecasts for ESPN, ABC and NBC. The former first baseman/outfielder played 12 major league seasons from 1966-1981. Overall, he has spent more than six decades in professional baseball. “Calling Marlins games and being part of this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Hutton said in a club press release. “I’m deeply grateful to the fans, players, coaches and everyone who has supported me all these years. While it’s bittersweet to know 2026 will be my final season, I’m looking forward to treasuring every moment in the booth with this great organization.” Hutton distinguished himself from other Marlins color commentators with his willingness to rant about blatant misplays and unfair calls. By and large, fans appreciated that "authenticity," as Marlins chairman & principal owner Bruce Sherman acknowledged in the same press release. "His impact on this franchise and this community is lasting. We are proud to celebrate his extraordinary career alongside our fans.” Hutton has been partnered with a handful of Marlins play-by-play announcers, beginning with Joe Angel and most recently, Kyle Sielaff. He developed particularly good chemistry with Rich Waltz when they were partnered together from 2005-2015. Unfortunately, they didn't cover any postseason-caliber teams during that period. Hutton was fired by the Marlins after the 2015 season, but brought back in June 2018 and has worked in a part-time capacity ever since. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last month that Hutton is scheduled to work 60 game broadcasts this season. He's part of a three-person rotation of analysts that includes Jeff Nelson (69 games) and Gaby Sanchez (28 games). View the full article

There is another addition to the San Diego Padres' outfield competition. Alex Verdugo, a left-handed hitter released by Atlanta last season, agreed to a minor-league contract with the Padres, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday. The deal will become official once the 29-year-old passes a physical. A left-handed hitter, Verdugo was designated for assignment and released by Atlanta in July following the return of former Friars outfielder Jurickson Profar after serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Verdugo, who had signed a $1.5 million contract with Atlanta, had put up a meager .239/.296/.289 slash line with no homers and 12 RBIs in 213 plate appearances over 56 games. That was a second consecutive poor offensive year for Verdugo, who posted a .233/.291/.356 slash line in 2024 with the New York Yankees, with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 149 games. Verdugo's career numbers show there could still be some production left. His career slash line is .270/.326/.406, mostly done between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox over his first seven MLB seasons. His 13 homers in 2024 matched his career high, accomplished twice. Verdugo now jumps into the mix with Bryce Johnson for a backup outfield role. Johnson does not have any minor-league options remaining. Verdugo is mainly a corner outfielder, but does also play center. View the full article

Opening Day against the White Sox is fast approaching. After a surprising trade and some late offseason shopping, this roster projection has the most changes of any we've published this winter. Caleb Durbin looked poised to be the everyday choice at third, but he plays in Boston now, so the Brewers found a new option. After trading away Freddy Peralta earlier in the offseason, the Brewers continue to get younger and deeper, with perhaps the best farm system in baseball. Virtually the entire pitching staff is young and talented, providing a litany of options for the team to choose from. The position-player group has both youth and experience, and a cluster of infield options on the cusp of the major leagues. The 2026 Opening Day Roster will be strong, and the future is very bright. Catchers (2) William Contreras Gary Sánchez Gary Sánchez returns to Milwaukee, solidifying the backup catcher position and giving the manager Pat Murphy a right-handed power bat on the bench. The 2025 team didn’t often have an option like Sánchez on the bench, and the former top prospect will provide both stability and punch. William Contreras looks primed for another All-Star season in 2026, Jeferson Quero will get more time to keep working back toward his pre-injury form, while Marco Dinges marches toward top-100 prospect status. V 4.0 changes: Sanchez in, Quero out. Infielders (6) Andrew Vaughn (1B) Brice Turang (2B) Luis Rengifo (3B) Joey Ortiz (SS) David Hamilton (INF) Jake Bauers (INF-OF) Team USA’s Brice Turang is in fine form already, primed to build on last season’s breakout. The Brewers signed Luis Rengifo to be the new starting third baseman, but the switch-hitter has had much better success in his career against left-handed pitching, opening the door for shared time at third. That's where things get interesting. With Andruw Monasterio accompanying Durbin to the Red Sox, the backup infielder role is open. David Hamilton was re-acquired from Boston, after originally being drafted by the Brewers, and is already a favorite of Pat Murphy. Hamilton would fit as a left-handed batter, but he's coming off a calamitous offensive season. Jett Williams and Cooper Pratt could contribute in similar roles to Hamilton's, as the season unfolds. Following a September and playoff breakout, Jake Bauers came to an agreement on a pay raise early in the offseason and looks locked into a bench role, with some chance to be more like the starting first baseman if things break right. Bauers’s defense at first is far superior to Tyler Black’s, so despite the electric start to spring training that Black has had, there isn’t room on the Opening Day roster for him; the main consequence of his stronger showing might be a boost to his trade value. V 4.0 changes: Rengifo and Hamilton in, Durbin and Monasterio out. Outfield (5) Jackson Chourio (LF) Garrett Mitchell (CF) Sal Frelick (RF) Christian Yelich (DH) Brandon Lockridge (OF) Brandon Lockridge’s fast start to camp (combined with Pat Murphy’s unabashed love for the speedster) nudges him just ahead of Blake Perkins. Perkins has minor-league options available to be exercised, and given Mitchell’s injury history, Perkins will almost certainly be a valuable depth piece again this season. As on the infield, Williams and Black are considerations on the grass, but not for Day 1. Akil Baddoo and Steward Berroa also lurk on the 40-man roster. V 4.0 changes: Lockridge in, Perkins out. Starting Pitchers (5) Brandon Woodruff Jacob Misiorowski Quinn Priester Chad Patrick Logan Henderson The battle for the final two spots in the rotation could be epic, with Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan—the major returns in the Durbin trade—joining Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser and Brandon Sproat in the competition. Sproat flashed elite stuff in his first spring outing, and has the baseline workload to be a big-league starting pitcher right now. If Brandon Woodruff isn’t ready or the Brewers decide Patrick is more valuable in the bullpen, Sproat could be the frontrunner for the final spot. V 4.0 changes: None. Bullpen (8) Abner Uribe Trevor Megill Aaron Ashby Jared Koenig Grant Anderson Rob Zastryzny Ángel Zerpa DL Hall The depth of rotation options on the 40-man roster also deepens the bullpen, and despite no changes in this projection, there are many strong arms available to the Brewers. Zastryzny is the only player listed without a minor-league option available, but he might also be the most likely to be replaced if a change is made. Five lefties is probably too many, and the Brewers have let Zastryzny go in the past. Replacing him with Patrick, Craig Yoho or Coleman Crow could be the answer. V 4.0 changes: None. With the majority of spring training still to be played and a few decisions for the Brewers still to make, they sit in an enviable position. They have a strong core, youth, and depth throughout the roster. Which stud prospects will claim rotation spots? How will the infield time shares work out? Will Mitchell stay healthy? Will Black prove this is more than a lovely desert mirage? We will find out in a few weeks, but no matter who makes it to Opening Day, the 2026 Brewers are loaded with talent. View the full article

Spring training is now in full swing, and almost every player has had an opportunity to get at-bats or innings pitched. Which players have stood out with good or bad performances over the past few games? As a reminder, don't read too much into spring training performances. Sample sizes are small, competition levels vary, and players may be working on specific adjustments that don't necessarily translate to traditional stats. This post is only meant to inform and summarize what has happened in the past few games. Who’s Hot? 🔥 First of all, check out a post from yesterday to see which three non-roster invitee hitters are making their case in Royals camp with hot starts this spring. Jac Caglianone Caglianone has started hot this spring with a .400 average and a 1.283 OPS. He is starting to show signs of increased plate discipline with three walks in his four plate appearances on Saturday against the Rockies. With below average walk and chase rates last season, already having five walks is a good sign for Caglianone’s plate discipline heading into the 2026 season. He is also seeing the ball well and hitting it hard when he makes contact. Caglianone has five hard-hit balls in his last two games, including a 120.2 mph double on Friday against the Diamondbacks. For perspective, only two balls were hit harder in all of MLB last season. If Caglianone can sustain his excellent batted ball skills with an improvement in plate discipline, then he is showing the traits of a true middle-of-the-order bat. Michael Massey Massey is also off to a hot start with a Spring batting average so far of .538 and an OPS of 1.446. He has successfully reached base five times in his last two appearances while only striking out once. His average exit velocity in those two games was 92.26 mph, which is up from his average exit velocity of 87.5 mph last season. Massey is positioning himself for a larger share of playing time at second base over Jonathan India, who is so far not off to a great start this spring. If he can return to his 2024 form, which was cut short by injury, he will make manager Matt Quatraro face a tough decision about who to give the majority of the innings at second base. Cole Ragans Ragans made his first appearance of spring on Saturday against the Rockies, pitching two innings with three strikeouts while only allowing one hit and one hit batter. The Rockies hitters also struggled to make contact with Ragans, inducing 11 whiffs in his two innings. He allowed some hard hits when the batters were able to make contact with three hard hits in his four batted balls. His fastball averaged 97.0 mph and topped off at 98 mph, which is definitely a positive sign following his injuries last season. His pitch mix appeared balanced, with both his slider and changeup also grading well with Stuff+ over 100. His only pitch that did not grade well was his knuckle curve, which he only threw twice and allowed his lone single on. With this level of performance, Ragans showed that he should be the ace of this rotation if he can stay healthy. Who’s Not? 🧊 Carlos Estevez Estevez showed worrying signs in his second appearance this spring. He allowed two hits, one of which was a home run, and two earned runs in one inning against the Athletics on Friday. Including his first appearance on Tuesday, he has allowed four earned runs on four hits (three home runs) and eight hard-hit balls. Opposing batters are squaring up the ball at an alarming rate against Estevez. Estevez has also yet to throw a pitch faster than 89 mph, which is a very worrying sign from the player whom everyone had locked in as the closer at the end of the Royals’ bullpen. Statcast data shows that Estevez has not yet thrown a fastball this spring, but reports indicate that his fastball is registering as a changeup due to its lower velocity so far. In previous seasons, his fastball has needed time to ramp up, but these are still worrying measurements. The Royals will certainly hope that this is a case of ramping up rather than regression. If his fastball velocity does not increase, then the Royals will have reason to worry. Isaac Collins Collins got his first hit, a double, on Sunday against the Brewers, ending an 0-8 spell with four strikeouts. His batted balls have also not been particularly hard-hit, with an average exit velocity of 87.26 mph, a slight drop-off from his 88.8 mph average in 2025. There is still plenty of time for Collins to hit his stride this spring. Being slated to be the starting left fielder after being traded this offseason, there will be pressure to produce, since the position was a major weakness for the Royals last season. Collins’ start this spring was delayed since he received injections in both knees this offseason to address patella tendinitis that he was dealing with at the end of last year. While there is plenty of time this spring for Collins to hit his stride, his fitness will be something to keep an eye on moving forward. Salvador Perez Perez was featured a week ago as a player who had a strong start to spring, but he has since gone quiet this spring. Perez appeared on both Friday and Saturday and hit a combined 0-4 with a walk. He also failed to register a batted ball of at least 95 mph in his four at-bats. Perez will soon head off to the World Baseball Classic to captain Team Venezuela. The Royals will hope that his meaningful at-bats at the WBC will help him regain his form and return to the Royals at full form. View the full article