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Major League Baseball has a Fanatics problem, and the Boston Red Sox found themselves right at the center of it in spring camp on February 18. Pictures posted from team picture day showcased a set of home whites that just looked… off. Upon further investigation, you can tell that the letters on the home whites this year are pressed in the incorrect areas and, as other pictures showed, were inconsistently placed from player to player. What remained on most jerseys, though, was that the D of the word ‘Red’ and the S of the word ‘Sox’ either touched or overlapped the red piping down the center of the jersey altogether. It gave the jerseys the look of a knock-off jersey that could be had for cheap, but with obvious flaws that made it stick out amongst the ones purchased from the team store. Fan response was quick and loud. The jerseys became almost low-hanging fruit on social media as fans of other teams even began to make jokes about the state of the jerseys in the official team photos. The complaining grew so loud that the Red Sox actually made an official statement regarding the jerseys: It’s rare for the team to make such a public statement regarding a sudden outcry from fans, but the Red Sox made it clear that the produced versions of the approved designs failed to meet their standard and, in corporate language, placed the blame squarely on Fanatic’s shoulders. Then, a mere three hours later, that original message was deleted and replaced by a new one: Well, that strikes a distinctly different tone, doesn’t it? What changed in a matter of hours? I think Tyler Milliken summed it up nicely: The Red Sox got the call from Fanatics and had to immediately backtrack. The team even called the company an ‘"outstanding partner" throughout the years they’ve been forced to work together. They went so far as to claim that Fanatics, the company that produced the physical jerseys, deserved no blame for the mistakes on the jerseys in the official team photos. Cut the crap. Fanatics deserves the blame for the multitude of jersey issues over the last handful of years. They are a company solely focused on profit without caring what we, the consumer, actually things of their product anymore. They’ve essentially monopolized the sports apparel market in the United States to the point that every major professional sport’s merchandise website is branded as ‘A Fanatics Experience’. They are so powerful that the statement, which is likely 100% true, from the Red Sox about how the jerseys didn’t match what was approved, had to be redacted and reworded so the team was no longer pointing the finger directly at the supplier. What’s even more sad is that Fanatics has made collecting jerseys, something that many baseball fans are passionate about, a hobby of the past. The last time I purchased a jersey was pre-COVID, and that’s saying something. I’ve spoken about my love for MLB and MiLB hats on the Talk Sox Podcast many times, but that collection used to be hats AND jerseys. Now, though? Forget it. Just a base-level jersey from the official MLB store is going for $200. If you want a field-quality jersey? Double it to $400. That amount for a jersey that isn’t signed, game-used, or has any distinguishing marks is beyond insane. Fine, maybe you’ll settle for a "shirsey" of your favorite player instead. Have fun paying that $50, plus shipping. Talk about daylight robbery. Fanatics is out of touch with their consumer base and even though the outcry has been loud for years, they don’t seem to care. It’s a shame, because they are both pricing out the dedicated fans of the sport while trying to sell them lesser quality materials. It’s the ultimate form of a sucky catch-22. And the worst part is that nothing will change. Fanatics' monopoly extends across every major sport in North America. They can hold the Red Sox's Twitter admin hostage, force the team to reword an official press release like Winston Smith in 1984, and continue to shake every penny out of consumers without any fear of ever being punished by the leagues that employ them. Add this to the ever-growing number of written media logs about how disappointed we are in Fanatics, but don’t expect anything to change until the powers that be in baseball decide to move their money to a different supplier. View the full article

Rejoice, Blue Jays fans, spring training is finally here. It’s a truly wonderful time on the baseball calendar. Every team comes into camp at 0-0, and with that comes optimism that this could be the year that everything clicks. That, at the end of a long 162-game season, you could be the team left celebrating, having outlasted every opponent and achieved World Series glory. An outcome that the Blue Jays almost tasted in 2025. There is a long time between the first pitch in spring and the last pitch of the World Series, and any baseball team will look significantly different between now and then. The Blue Jays are no exception. But here’s the tricky part about spring training. Most of what you see doesn't matter. Batting averages, ERAs, and the RBIs can all disappear by mid-May, and yet, underneath all the noise, some signals do matter. Certain stats stabilize quickly, certain changes stick, and even when the results don’t show it, the indicators whisper what's coming. But here’s the tricky part about spring training. Most of what you see doesn't matter. Batting averages, ERAs, and RBIs can all disappear by mid-May, and beyond the small sample size issue, there are structural reasons for that volatility. Hitters are often testing new swings, stances, or approaches at the plate. Pitchers experiment with new grips, pitch mixes, and release points. Early in camp, competition levels can fluctuate. Some days, you're facing a lineup full of MLB regulars; other times, it's minor league players one through nine. Because of this, the box score rarely reflects the real objective, and yet, underneath all that noise, some signals do matter. Let’s flash back to spring training 2025. The team was coming off an upsetting 74-win season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had set a date for a contract extension that had come and gone without one, and the team was left with more questions than answers. Then the games started. The Blue Jays ended up being the best team in the Grapefruit League. Alan Roden was the talk of camp, hitting .407 with four extra-base hits and more walks (6) than strikeouts (4), but by midseason, he had just two barrels and was traded at the deadline. Richard Lovelady and Jacob Barnes were good in the spring and made the team out of the bullpen, but neither player lasted more than three weeks on the roster. George Springer had a 52 wRC+ in spring, but then ended up with his best offensive season ever. Baseball is a game where small samples can mislead, and in spring training, those small samples get even smaller. So, if a player hits .400 in spring training, is it because of a change they made? Is it because they ran a high BABIP, or because they faced more minor league pitchers, or because of defensive chaos? Whatever the case may be, take every spring stat with a grain of salt. But that's not to say spring stats don’t matter; you just need to know what to look for. For example, a pitcher's walk and strikeout rates stabilize much more quickly than his ERA. On the hitting side, a stat like isolated power also has some predictive value. Looking at stats like these, it should be easier to predict when a breakout is coming. Here are three metrics to pay attention to this spring that matter more than basic stats: Velocity K-BB% Swing decisions/quality of contact Let’s take Daulton Varsho, for example. At the end of the 2024 season, he went through shoulder surgery, and although he wasn’t quite ready for Opening Day, he ended up making some changes to his approach, appeared in some spring games as the designated hitter, and he raked. He ended up with a .455 ISO, and even though his .242 average didn't jump off the page, the power did. The power surge in March wasn't a mirage. Not only was his regular season ISO a career high, but he also slugged 20 home runs in 71 games played. He homered once every 12.4 at-bats, a rate that would have ranked sixth in baseball had he qualified. Critically, his spring wasn’t predictive because of the home runs he hit; it was predictive because the underlying batted-ball profile had changed. Here's another recent Blue Jays example: 2021 Robbie Ray. Ray always had excellent stuff. His fastball/slider combination from the left side was great at generating swings and misses; he had a 12.1% career swinging-strike rate entering the 2021 season (per FanGraphs), well above league average. So his issue was never the stuff. It was consistently throwing strikes. After coming into camp and sitting down with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker, Ray made some changes and improved his strike-throwing and attacked the zone more confidently. *No Statcast data available for Ray in spring 2018 The changes worked. His zone rate jumped to 50.8% in the 2021 regular season, the highest in any season of his career. The improved command unlocked the full potential of the swing-and-miss stuff he always had, which led to a Cy Young Award. Now, let’s go back to Springer, who, as mentioned earlier, was dreadful last year in spring training. Were there any signs that the bounceback was coming? The surface stats would say no: He went just 4-for-37 at the plate, with a sub .300 OBP and a dreadful .216 slugging percentage. But Springer wasn’t worried. He said in an interview with MLB’s Keegan Matheson last March, “I feel great, actually. For me, it’s about the process. It’s not about the results. I want to make sure that I’m swinging at the right pitches and getting my swing off. Yeah, obviously everyone would like to see the ball hit the grass, but for me specifically, I’m working on the mechanical side of it.” If the results didn’t show progress, did the underlying swing metrics tell a different story? It's hard to say for sure – public spring training Statcast data is still limited – but even the partial data hinted at a meaningful change. Here are some key stats: Season Pull% Swing% SwStr% 2023 39.5% 49.3% 9.8% 2024 39.8% 43.3% 11.3% Spring 2025 57.1% 38.0% 8.0% It looked like he began swinging less, but also missing less at the pitches he did swing at, and he was hitting the ball to his pull side more than ever. All of which pointed to a deliberate mechanical adjustment that Springer had made. If we had bat speed and more public Statcast data for spring training, then an increase in bat speed and in-zone swing rate may show more evidence of his adjustments in action. But seeing how his fast swing rate rose to 40.3% in 2025 (up from 22.4% and 24.4% the two years prior), and if you compare his 2024 regular season swing rate by zone to 2025 (as shown below), then it's fair to assume that the adjustment started in spring training. This zone breakdown shows he wasn’t just taking a more passive approach at the plate. Springer became more selective and attacked the pitches he knew he could handle. In 2024, he expanded more to the outer edges, but in 2025, his zone tightened. He forced pitchers back into the heart of the zone because he stopped chasing at the edges. When they did challenge him, he did damage. That kind of zone discipline shift doesn’t happen by accident. Now, what does this mean going into spring training 2026? Well, first things first, it's important not to dive too deep into surface-level spring stats. If Vladdy. hits .200, then ask these questions: Is the BAPIP unusually low? Are his swing decisions consistent? Is the hard-hit rate staying steady? You should also listen for some quotes from either Guerrero or the coaching staff; is he trying something new and still working out the kinks? Until all those questions have been answered, the concern level for any hitter should be low. The same is true if Kevin Gausman or Trey Yesavage get their splitters hit around a bit, as long as the velocity and movement profiles remain intact. Dylan Cease has been playing around with a kick-change, and his spring training results may look quite different than usual if his main focus is getting repetitions on that pitch. Look for pitchers, too, with big velocity jumps. If a young reliever comes into camp throwing harder than ever before, it could be a sign that they’ve unlocked another level and are ready to take another leap, even if the end of spring stat lines look a tad discouraging. The storylines will write themselves. Someone we expect to have a good spring is going to struggle, and someone that no one is expecting much of right now will make headlines, but take everything with a grain of salt. Spring training isn’t about the box score; it's about signals. The marathon doesn’t start in March, but the first hints of who is ready often do. View the full article

With spring training games about to begin, it's time for our annual Miami Marlins Call-Up Contest! Marlins radio announcer Jack McMullen joins Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Alex Carver for a five-round draft of players who are most likely to make their major league debut during the 2026 season. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. The following players were selected: Round 1: Joe Mack*, Josh White*, Robby Snelling, Thomas White Round 2: William Kempner*, Nigel Belgrave, Kemp Alderman, Josh Ekness Round 3: Kade Bragg, Jesús Bastidas, Jacob Berry, Evan McKendry Round 4: Johnny Olmstead, Luis Palacios, Andrew Pintar, Jared Serna* Round 5: Deyvison De Los Santos*, Matthew Etzel, Dale Stanavich, Brendan Jones *Currently on Marlins 40-man roster Whoever has the most correct predictions at season's end wins the contest. In the event of a tie, the person whose players produced the most combined fWAR will be the winner. Follow Jack (⁠@Jack_McMullen11⁠), Alex (⁠@FOFProspects⁠), Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠) , Isaac (⁠@IsaacAzout⁠), Ely (⁠@RealEly⁠) and Fish On First (⁠@FishOnFirst⁠) on Twitter. Join the ⁠Marlins Discord server⁠! Complete Miami Marlins coverage at ⁠FishOnFirst.com⁠. View the full article

Jack Stern joins Brock Beauchamp to discuss his first few days in Brewers' camp; what is Logan Henderson's new pitch? Is anyone injured? And most importantly, who is in the best shape of their life? Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View the full article

Pat Murphy, who won the National League Manager of the Year in his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, has signed a new three-year contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Thursday. Murphy, 67, was entering the final year of his deal. This new contract replaces the final season and includes a club option for the 2029 season. Before joining the Brewers, Murphy's only previous MLB managing experience came on an interim basis during the 2015 season after Bud Black was fired. Murphy, who had been the Triple-A manager when promoted, was not retained by the Padres after that season. Coincidentally, then-Brewers manager Craig Counsell had tried to hire Murphy, his former Notre Dame coach, before the 2015 season, but the Padres blocked the move. But that allowed Murphy to join Counsell's staff in 2016 as bench coach, a position he held until Counsell went to the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season, when Murphy replaced his former player as the Crew's manager. Murphy picked up where Counsell left off, winning the NL Central in 2024 and 2025, giving the Brewers three straight division championships. Each year, the Brewers edged out Counsell's Cubs. Murphy was named NL Manager of the Year in each season, the first Brewers skipper to win the award in team history. The Brewers finished 93-69 in 2024, a one-game improvement over Counsell's final season, then posted the best record in MLB in 2025 at 97-65. The Brewers, who lost to the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series in 2024, then beat Counsell's Cubs in the NL Division Series in 2025 before being swept by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2025 record was surprising due to a 0-4 start to the season and a number of injuries that decimated the starting rotation. But once the Brewers got healthy, they put together an 11-game winning streak, followed by a club-record 14-game streak. Murphy has blossomed into a fan favorite, not just in Milwaukee but across baseball. In 2025, he became famous for pocket pancakes, a pancake that he kept in his pocket so he could munch on it when he was hungry. He also stuffs other types of food for safekeeping, a practice he has been doing for years, but only became noteworthy when he did it during a nationally televised game. View the full article

While Byron Buxton and Josh Bell will be drawing plenty of opposing teams' attention in 2026, there's a real case that Luke Keaschall ends up being the team's most productive hitter. In this video, we review his 2025 season, dive into his above-average analytics, cover what aspects he needs to work on, and ultimately simulate his 2026 season. View the full article

Spring training is finally here, and the non-roster invitees for every big-league team see it as a prime chance to break into The Show. For the Chicago Cubs, there are three non-roster invitees who could be in line to make some extra noise and contribute on the north side of Chicago in 2026. Jaxon Wiggins This name drop feels self-explanatory. Wiggins is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs pipeline. The hard-throwing righty ended his season in Triple-A Iowa last year, with one of the best fastball-slider combos in the minors. The fastball, earning a 65 grade at the end of the 2025 campaign, sits comfortably in the 96-97 mph range and can touch 100 mph when the 24-year-old gets ramped up. The velocity also holds up well within outings, an important attribute for someone who has frontline starter potential. Stuff models don't like the heater as much as scouts do, but there's time for the team and Wiggins to improve the pitch's combination of shapes and locations. Wiggins’s mid-80s slider has hard bite to it and has the capability to generate whiffs, but he has struggled to control it at times. He also has a mid-80s changeup with decent arm-side ride. Overall, Wiggins has 168 strikeouts in 138 innings of professional baseball, and it's looking like he can keep racking up punchouts in the majors—perhaps as soon as this summer. It's unlikely that we'll see Wiggins right away, of course. His ability to break into this year’s rotation got dicey once the Cubs traded for projected starter Edward Cabrera. Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Cade Horton and Jameson Taillon round out what will likely be Chicago’s starting five. Meanwhile, erstwhile ace Justin Steele is expected to make a midseason return, and appears to be ahead of schedule. Injuries can happen, and with those come opportunities, but between the depth of the rotation and the bevy of veteran arms in camp to compete for bullpen spots, we're likely to see Wiggins spend at least the first two months in Iowa. Jonathon Long Like Wiggins, Long has only a slim chance to crack the roster at a relatively loaded position. Still, the 24-year-old corner infielder is making his case to be a big bat, as he registered a .305 batting average and a .404 on-base percentage in 140 games at Triple-A Iowa in 2025. Long also belted a career-best 20 long (Long?) balls and drove in 91 runs. His 55-grade power has blossomed over time, and the Cactus League will give him a chance to test himself against some big-league arms. Michael Busch is a star-caliber first baseman, but right-handed platoon bat and backup Tyler Austin is more of an enigma. There may be room for the 2023 9th-rounder to earn a DH spot or to overtake Austin, but he’ll have to truly wreak havoc to compete with Moisés Ballesteros, Kevin Alcántara, Matt Shaw and Austin for a spot. He's a bit buried on the Cubs' depth chart, but if nothing else, he has some burgeoning trade value. Grant Kipp Once you get past Wiggins, there's a bit of a lacuna on the Cubs' organizational starting pitching depth chart. Kipp, who had 110 strikeouts (but 57 walks and a whopping 18 hit batsmen) in 108 innings at Double-A Knoxville, will try to help fill it, though he probably doesn't have much of a future as a starter in the majors. His 60-grade curveball is the sharpest of any of his pitches, as it generates 3,000 rpm with a shape that he’s able to customize throughout his starts. Kipp has come a long way from signing on for $50,000 as a nondrafted free agent in 2022. Can he make the next step? His ability to rule at-bats with his off speed stuff this spring could answer that question. These aren't the non-roster guys most likely to help the 2026 Cubs. There are several players in camp whom the team signed specifically to compete for limited but important roles, and who have big-league track records that foretell success. However, the Cubs system needs to start achieving greater success in terms of churning out homegrown players at each level of a roster. In Wiggins, Long and Kipp, there are three guys in big-league camp who personify the potential and the developmental needs that define the team's long-term goals. View the full article

FORT MYERS—There are spring training games that invite a little extra, lineup-driven pageantry, and the first Grapefruit League game on Saturday afternoon is one of them. It’s not uncommon to see most of the likely Opening Day roster, in front of an amped-up ballpark and a Twins.TV audience. So, it should come as no surprise that we learned Joe Ryan will take the mound that day. Ryan was one of the few steady pillars of the Twins’ 2025 season, earning an All-Star nod and finishing with a 13-10 record, a 3.42 ERA, 171 innings, and 194 strikeouts (with a 1.04 WHIP), while also being the subject of trade rumors even into the offseason. For a 2026 club that will rely on its rotation, he’s the clear remaining ace-like pitcher on the roster. Go Gophers! Go Zebby! Saturday is the first Grapefruit League game, but the Twins’ first game of the year comes Friday against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, and it’s also on Twins.TV. It’s scheduled as a seven-inning exhibition, so tune in early (5:05 p.m. CT) You’ll see Zebby Matthews on the mound. He was the talk of spring training last year at this time, thanks to some newfound velocity. But his 2025 results (5.56 ERA) didn’t live up to the excitement. When manager Rocco Baldelli was asked about Matthews’s struggles last year, he kept coming back to the same word: consistency. In camp yesterday, Matthews talked about that, too — while also acknowledging he still has only about a year of big-league experience, and that the success can come with time. View the full article

Sweet Lou Hennessy and Twins Geek John Bonnes go over the latest news and notes from Twins Spring Training, including the fallout of the Pablo López injury. Plus, they play a couple of rounds of Would You Rather and Overreaction Scouting Report. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View the full article

Sal Frelick’s emergence as a crucial component of Milwaukee’s lineup has been overshadowed by the breakout of Brice Turang, the veteran presence of Christian Yelich, the day-to-day consistency of William Contreras, and the high ceiling of Jackson Chourio. But Frelick has provided excellent defense and much-improved offense since coming up in mid-2023. What does 2026 hold for him—and the Brewers—in right field? 2025 In Review Frelick’s offensive improvement made it easy to overlook the fact that his defense was still Gold Glove-caliber. In fact, he was also a capable option in center field, taking part in a spectacular play in Game 1 of the NLCS once injuries forced him to move there. But the offensive improvement, from an 84 OPS+ to a 111 OPS+, was significant, and the hope is that, as Turang did from 2024 to 2025, Frelick can make yet another leap. Current Roster Situation Frelick is entrenched in right field, but theoretically, he's not the team's only option. On the current roster, Jackson Chourio spent 20 games in right, while Jake Bauers added five games. Since-departed Daz Cameron and Isaac Collins combined for 20 games, Brandon Lockridge played seven games, and Tyler Black had a single appearance in right field. Luis Rengifo has had sporadic experience in right field, while Jett Williams could possibly fill in there, as well. Other options on the 40-man include Akil Baddoo (who’s mostly spent time in left field and center field) and Steward Berroa. These are more “emergency” options than players the Brewers would want to use regularly in right field, though. Some of these players are more natural fits for right field than others, but it never hurts to have a plethora of usable guys at a given spot, especially after the Brewers had to hold an outfield together with duct tape and some panic transactions in 2025 due to injuries that sidelined Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell, Chourio and Bauers, as well as (briefly) Frelick himself. Best-Case Scenario Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio combine for about 150 starts in right field, with Frelick getting the vast majority of them. Chourio is no slouch in right, but if things go well for the Brewers, Frelick will be the primary starter in right field, while Chourio gets almost all of the starts in left. In essence, the Brewers’ best-case scenario is not so much dependent on Chourio and/or Frelick performing well. That's an as-expected outcome; both are relatively known quantities and could actually be improving in 2026. Rather, it's about what them playing there implies about the rest of the roster. If Frelick and Chourio combine for almost all of the starts in right field, it means that the Brewers have had excellent contributions in center field from the combination of Mitchell, Perkins, and Williams. That would be good news for Milwaukee’s chances for a fourth straight NL Central title. Worst-Case Scenario Jake Bauers and/or Brandon Lockridge get more than 10 starts in right field. This, again, would probably happen not because of some failure by Frelick, but because of a string of injury emergencies. If Bauers is playing there often, Frelick is in center, where his size does slightly more to diminish his range than it does in a corner. If Lockridge is playing there, it must be because either Mitchell or Perkins is healthy, but Frelick isn't, and Bauers has to spend more time at first base. Either way, it's not good news. Overview The Brewers hit with Frelick in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft. He’s emerged as a solid all-around player who could be a pesky leadoff hitter against righties. The big question in right field isn’t so much how Frelick performs; it’s how center field shakes out. Of course, other X factors could affect things. The Brewers could make a deal in the middle of spring training or during the season that reshuffles the active roster. A prospect could force their way to Milwaukee by dominating at Triple-A Nashville or Double-A Biloxi. But for now, Sal Frelick is perhaps the best option for the Brewers in right field—and he's probably as safe a bet to soak up that playing time and be average-plus as any player the team has at any position. View the full article

When it comes to the current version of Walker Buehler, it is easy to think of the meme from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," where the teacher is taking attendance and asks, "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?" MLB fans have been asking the same question since the right-handed starter returned in 2024 following Tommy John surgery costing him most of the 2022 season and all of 2023. "Anyone? Anyone?" The former Los Angeles Dodgers star is now with the San Diego Padres, having formalized a minor-league contract this week with no guarantee of a major-league job, just an opportunity with a team that is in desperate need of rotation depth. His fall is fairly stunning when you consider that, even at the end of a disappointing 2024 campaign, Buehler was still called upon to get the final three outs of the World Series in the clinching Game 5 vs. the New York Yankees after a five-inning start in Game 3. But here we are. Buehler made 16 starts in 2024, coming back in May from Tommy John surgery, then missing nearly two months with right hip inflammation. He turned in a 5.54 FIP over 75⅓ innings, with walk (8.1%) and strikeout (18.6%) rates that were the worst of his career as he was set to hit free agency. The Dodgers gave him a qualifying offer, but Buehler declined the $21.05 million deal and eventually signed for that same sum with the Boston Red Sox. Buehler's time on the opposite coast didn't go well. His walk and strikeout rates declined again to 10.8% and 16.5%, respectively, with his FIP landing at 5.89 in 22 starts and one relief appearance. The Red Sox released Buehler late in the season, and he was scooped up by the Philadelphia Phillies. Pitching in three games, starting twice, he did well in that brief showcase for the NL East champs. In fact, his last seven appearances showed some improvement from the rest of his 2025. Now, Buehler joins a suddenly competitive battle for the last two spots in the Padres' rotation. Right-handers Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove are the top three. Returnee Randy Vasquez headlines the battle for the last two spots, entering camp as the No. 4. But since then, the Friars added Buehler and right-handers German Marquez and Griffin Canning to the race with another returning player, left-hander JP Sears, as well as non-roster invitees Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie. Musgrove is coming off Tommy John surgery and is throwing in camp, while Canning's 2025 ended with a left Achilles injury that could sideline him for the first few months of the upcoming season. Walker Buehler's Stuff Having pitched in 2025, thus having some distance from his elbow surgery, we won't really consider his 2024 performance and instead will look at his pre-Tommy John numbers to compare both versions of Buehler. As you might imagine, there are some dramatic differences in Buehler's pitch movement from 2022 to 2025. One pitch that did stay the same was his four-seam fastball, which has very similar movement compared to league averages, while his knuckle curve drops 0.9 inches more. His cutter gained 0.4 inches in break over the MLB average (plus two inches in rise). His sweeper had the biggest jump with 2.5 inches more break than average, while his sinker lost an inch of tail and his changeup two inches of tail. That movement difference becomes more important when you notice that many of his Statcast categories went from pretty good (in the red) to well below average (blue). His fastball velocity went from the 73rd percentile to the 43rd and his chase rate went from the 75th to the 20th. It takes time to learn how to pitch when your stuff deteriorates, and he might not have had quite enough of that experimentation period with the Dodgers in 2024 due to the hip injury costing him two months. Walker Buehler's Arsenal Buehler actually added a pitch when he came back. He sprinkled in a slider a little bit in 2024 at 0.8%, which then surged to 14.9% in 2025, mainly against right-handed batters (20%). The slider checked in at 96.6 mph. His fastball didn't dip a whole lot in velocity, going from 95.2 mph in 2022 to 94 mph in 2025, but it went from just above average to just below average with the league-wide rise in velocity (94.3 mph to 95 mph). That led to a slight drop in usage, going from 28.9% to 25.3%. How Buehler deployed his cutter, knuckle curve and sinker also changed. His cutter remained his No. 2 pitch, but dropped from 25% usage to 16.9% as the velocity ticked down from 91.5 mph to 90.6. The sinker made a huge jump in usage, going from just 4.1% up to 16.4%, while the velocity dropped from 94.8 mph to 93.8 in becoming his third pitch. After his slider was introduced, the knuckle curve saw a drop from 16.8% usage to 12.9%. The changeup rounds out his repertoire and went down in usage as well, from 7.8% to 6.9%. There's an obvious Occam's Razor answer in play to help Buehler. He's diversified his arsenal to the point that he's lost any semblance of a traditional "out pitch", and one has to wonder if he wouldn't benefit from honing in on his best three or four pitches, rather than trying to squeeze out league-average production from six of them. Year Pitch Type # # RHB # LHB % MPH PA AB H 1B 2B 3B HR SO BBE BA XBA SLG XSLG WOBA XWOBA EV LA Spin Ext. Whiff% PutAway% 2025 Four Seamer 554 221 333 25.3 94.0 113 94 26 16 2 0 8 14 81 .277 .297 .553 .639 .402 .439 92.6 15 2249 6.5 15.0 10.4 2025 Cutter 370 128 242 16.9 90.6 97 85 30 19 5 1 5 7 78 .353 .337 .612 .556 .442 .417 85.4 13 2414 6.5 19.3 11.7 2025 Sinker 359 214 145 16.4 93.8 111 89 18 16 2 0 0 23 66 .202 .262 .225 .348 .288 .349 89.4 7 2123 6.5 7.4 24.5 2025 Slider 327 189 138 14.9 87.5 87 76 23 19 2 0 2 10 66 .303 .284 .408 .449 .356 .363 87.8 13 2525 6.6 21.8 9.1 2025 Knuckle Curve 282 34 248 12.9 77.4 65 61 17 11 3 0 3 15 46 .279 .229 .475 .375 .345 .285 85.4 9 2435 6.6 24.8 14.0 2025 Changeup 150 6 144 6.9 89.7 43 39 10 8 1 0 1 13 27 .256 .163 .359 .225 .290 .204 87.2 5 1560 6.5 21.7 21.3 2025 Sweeper 147 147 0 6.7 80.8 48 46 6 2 1 0 3 10 36 .130 .209 .348 .362 .219 .262 80.8 13 2715 6.6 34.1 13.7 2024 Four Seamer 386 163 223 28.9 95.0 90 79 27 15 4 0 8 9 71 .342 .330 .696 .659 .462 .450 92.3 16 2279 6.5 16.9 9.8 2024 Cutter 279 93 186 20.9 91.2 69 63 15 10 2 1 2 14 49 .238 .214 .397 .321 .307 .272 84.0 8 2417 6.6 21.5 19.4 2024 Knuckle Curve 256 54 202 19.2 78.0 60 54 15 9 3 1 2 18 37 .278 .282 .481 .457 .348 .347 89.6 17 2566 6.6 26.7 18.8 2024 Sinker 219 182 37 16.4 94.8 64 55 16 14 2 0 0 7 48 .291 .228 .327 .279 .325 .286 83.8 2 2140 6.5 11.5 13.0 2024 Sweeper 116 116 0 8.7 82.6 37 34 5 3 0 0 2 13 21 .147 .160 .324 .256 .238 .223 82.4 8 2698 6.6 28.8 22.0 2024 Changeup 69 1 68 5.2 90.0 23 22 10 5 4 0 1 3 19 .455 .310 .773 .473 .529 .353 92.1 10 1564 6.5 8.8 13.6 2024 Slider 11 10 1 0.8 86.2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1.000 .437 4.000 1.522 2.050 .797 98.7 27 2569 6.5 33.3 0.0 2022 Four Seamer 363 157 206 34.7 95.2 92 80 30 20 5 0 5 9 71 .375 .307 .625 .599 .463 .423 92.1 16 2267 6.5 13.5 10.2 2022 Cutter 262 123 139 25.0 91.5 67 64 15 12 3 0 0 13 51 .234 .275 .281 .372 .247 .303 81.9 2 2411 6.5 26.6 23.2 2022 Knuckle Curve 176 18 158 16.8 79.2 44 41 7 5 1 0 1 10 31 .171 .217 .268 .365 .223 .281 86.4 2 2662 6.5 30.2 18.2 2022 Sweeper 120 120 0 11.5 83.5 31 31 6 3 1 0 2 14 17 .194 .166 .419 .338 .260 .212 85.9 13 2673 6.5 39.1 24.1 2022 Changeup 82 5 77 7.8 90.5 29 29 4 2 1 1 0 10 19 .138 .182 .241 .293 .160 .204 87.0 -7 1550 6.4 31.3 22.2 2022 Sinker 43 38 5 4.1 94.8 11 10 5 4 1 0 0 2 8 .500 .403 .600 .540 .499 .432 95.4 1 2161 6.3 10.5 40.0 What Should Walker Buehler's Role Be In 2026? If Buehler did find something in his final seven appearances and fine tunes that under the watch of pitching coach Ruben Niebla this spring, he definitely deserves a spot in the rotation and has perhaps the most upside of any of the candidates mentioned above considering his past performance. He made it through 2025 without any known injuries, so this offseason was likely spent figuring out how to use the weapons he has effectively. With two open spots in the rotation and a handful of players battling to be on the Opening Day roster, Buehler has every opportunity to be in the rotation. He has been a starter his entire career, with a limited number of relief appearances, and the Padres' bullpen is already pretty full, so the alternative would be for him to head to Triple-A El Paso, since he did sign a minor-league deal, should things not go his way during spring training. View the full article

Matt Wallner is entering his fifth season on the big-league roster. At this point, we kind of know what he is—and we kind of don’t. He’s spent time in left field and at DH, but the overwhelming majority of his innings have come in right field for the Twins. That’s not by accident. He has an absolute cannon for an arm. According to Statcast, his arm strength ranked in the 99th percentile of all outfielders in 2025. It was 99th percentile in 2024 and 100th percentile in 2023. That gives him real defensive upside, despite the struggles he's had in properly positioning himself and getting to balls fast enough to let the arm play as well as it should. Offensively, it’s been even more of a rollercoaster. In 2025, Wallner hit just .202. That’s the number that jumps off the page, and not in a good way. His on-base percentage was .311, which is respectable for someone barely clearing the Mendoza Line, but when your batting average starts with a “.20,” there’s only so much spin you can put on it. The expected stats don’t bail him out. His expected batting average sat at .205, right in line with the results. This wasn’t a case of screaming line drives right at defenders or terrible luck. He simply didn’t make enough consistent, high-quality contact to deserve much better. It's not exactly a mystery why he struggled; we diagnosed his problems last summer. It’s also not the first time we’ve seen this. In 2024, Wallner broke camp with the team, but hit just .213 with 27 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances before being sent down to Triple-A. That’s understandable if you’re 22, but when you’re 26 (with multiple seasons of big-league time), those stretches feel more significant. To his credit, he responded. After getting called back up in 2024, he hit .272 with 25 extra-base hits over his final 55 games. The swing decisions improved, and the power played better, without him completely selling out for it. That stretch created real optimism heading into 2025. Unfortunately, it didn’t carry over consistently. League-wide offense isn’t what it used to be. A .275 hitter today is basically what a .300 hitter was 30 years ago. Pitchers are better, velocity is up, and bullpens are deeper. Context matters. Still, it's rare to see someone hit around .200 and be a truly impactful everyday player. Yes, there are exceptions. Kyle Schwarber has done it with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he’s also launching 45-plus home runs and posting elite on-base numbers. That’s a different tier of production. Arguably, that's the right road map for Wallner, but for all his bat speed and strength, he hasn't shown the same caliber of in-game power Schwarber has. Wallner’s 2025 pace over 162 games would’ve put him around 34 home runs, which isn’t bad. But if your profile is built around power, 34 feels more “solid” than “game-changing.” That’s roughly one home run every five games. Fellow age-27 Minnesota native Michael Busch hit 34 homers for the Cubs, but he also had a much lower strikeout rate and showed the ability to hit line drives to all fields. If you’re making your living off the long ball the way Wallner does, you’d hope for quite a bit more. Here’s where it gets interesting. There were real signs of progress under the hood in 2025. His strikeout rate dropped to 29%. That’s still not good, but it’s a significant improvement from the 36.4% mark in 2024. Yes, he made more bad contact, thanks to his flatter bat path, and yes, some of the strikeout decrease had to do with being more aggressive early in counts, but for a player with this much pop, being aggressive is ok. The raw power remains very real. His barrel rate stayed comfortably better than average, and his average exit velocity hovered north of 90 mph. Both numbers were lower than in 2024, but that's the cost of making more contact. When he squares it up, it goes a long way. The question is whether he can do so more consistently this season. Health hasn’t helped. Wallner got off to a slow start in 2025, then dealt with a midseason injury that stalled any momentum he was building. For a hitter who thrives on rhythm and timing, that matters. It’s hard to make adjustments when you’re constantly resetting. I want to believe in Matt Wallner. I want to tell you he’s about to put it together and become a 35-homer, .250 hitter with a .350 OBP and a rocket launcher in right field. But I can’t say that with full confidence. Too many signals are garbled, or pointing in the wrong direction. If he can push the batting average back into the .250 range, which he’s flashed before, his profile changes dramatically. A .250 hitter with a 12% walk rate and 30-plus homer power plays. Add elite arm strength (and maybe some better routes, with more experience and instruction) in right field, and now you’re talking about a very valuable player. Maybe the more likely outcome is something frustratingly but usefully in-between. PECOTA projects Wallner to hit .222/.326/.427 in 489 plate appearances this year: not fully available, not fully breaking out, but not struggling the way he did last year, either. There’s a lot of volatility with Wallner. His floor is a streaky power bat who doesn’t make enough contact. But the ceiling is a true impact corner outfielder who changes games on both sides of the ball. That’s why 2026 feels pivotal. If he has another season like last year, it'll be hard to muster much enthusiasm next spring. Indeed, it might be some other fan base doing the mustering by then. View the full article

Kansas City will begin its 2026 Spring Training campaign on Friday and Saturday against the Texas Rangers, who share the Surprise complex with the Royals. Safe to say, excitement and expectations are up in Arizona, especially with team workouts beginning this week. The Royals have tried to answer some questions this offseason with a slew of acquisitions, both by trade and through free agency. That said, Kansas City didn't get that "big name" player that fans were hoping for this offseason. That probably puts the Royals slightly behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central preseason standings, especially after the Tigers acquired Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to boost the rotation. Speaking of starting pitchers, Kansas City has accumulated plenty of rotation depth since last year's Trade Deadline. In fact, two starters they acquired from San Diego at the Trade Deadline last season (Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert) are expected to start the Royals' first two Cactus League games this spring, according to MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers. The Royals' pitching depth is nice, especially after how hammered the rotation was in 2025 due to various player injuries. While Alec Marsh is expected to miss significant time again (he's already been placed on the 60-Day IL), there will be 3-4 starters on this Royals 40-man roster that will start the year in Omaha (barring injuries, of course) who could be in the Royals rotation most other years. There are three particular pitchers that Royals fans should pay attention to this spring, especially since the odds are against them when it comes to making the Opening Day starting rotation out of camp. Those pitchers are Bergert, Bailey Falter, and Mason Black, who have all been on the Royals roster for less than a calendar year. However, while they are long shots to start the year in the rotation (or Major League roster in general), they are intriguing arms with some bounce-back upside, especially if they can make some tweaks to certain pitches. I will look at each pitcher's offerings and how they could affect their performance in Arizona this spring. Ryan Bergert and the Breaking Ball Bergert had a bit of an inconsistent rookie debut with both the Padres and Royals last season. In his first 11 appearances (seven starts) with the Padres, he posted a 2.78 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 35.2 IP. However, his FIP was 4.28, his K/BB ratio was 1.89, and his fWAR was only 0.3. The right-hander primarily benefited from a .217 BABIP and 85.6% LOB% during his tenure with the Padres last year. When he moved to Kansas City at the Trade Deadline, many of his underlying metrics improved. His FIP was 3.75, his K/BB ratio was 2.29, and his fWAR was 0.7. That said, the results weren't as impressive with the Royals. His ERA was 4.43, and his WHIP was 1.33. A big difference was that the BABIP rose (.289) and the LOB% dropped significantly (68.2%). The Royals, who shut Bergert down the stretch, are hoping that he can bounce back and iron things out with his command in 2026. While the pitch quality of his repertoire was solid last year, it didn't lead to many whiffs or encouraging xwOBACON numbers, as seen in his TJ Stats summary below. Bergert threw six pitches and produced an overall TJ Stuff+ of 105, which is impressive. He also sported five pitches with grades of 52 or higher and a 51.7% zone rate overall. Unfortunately, his chase rate was 25.1%, his whiff rate was 23.9%, and his xwOBACON was .373. Those are all mediocre marks, to put it nicely, and Bergert should produce better results with that kind of TJ Stuff+ profile. One thing Bergert seems to be working on this spring to help him overcome this issue is adding a new breaking ball. The former 6th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft primarily threw a slider (24.8%) and sweeper (18%) as his primary breaking offerings. However, both pitches sported chase rates under 30% and whiff rates under 34%. Those rated as subpar, especially compared to the league average in those categories, for those particular pitchers. The pitches are intriguing, especially when broken down individually. First, let's take a look at the heatmap and dataset for his slider, his most thrown breaking pitch last season. The slider seemed to produce the same kind of results against both lefties and righties. He did locate the pitch more in the middle against lefties and more glove-side against righties. That said, it had similar whiff rates (32.4% against LHP; 34.6% against righties), CSW (28.3% against lefties; 29.4% against righties), and xwOBACON marks (.378 against lefties; .364 against righties). Now, let's take a look at Bergert's sweeper, which he threw 6.8% less than the slider. The sweeper was a peculiar pitch, based on the heatmap and splits. Against lefties, he threw the ball more in the middle of the zone, and he didn't generate a lot of whiffs (20% whiff rate). That said, he had a solid xwOBACON (.257) and strong CSW (35.3%), showing that Bergert could throw strikes and minimize hard contact against the offering. Conversely, he generated a lot of whiffs with the sweeper against righties (40%), as well as O-Swing% (33.3%), with the CSW being okay (29.9%). However, his xwOBACON was much worse (.442). In the clip compilation of those two pitches, the slider was a harder, more vertical offering, while his sweeper was a loopier pitch. I'm wondering if there was too much of a pitch velocity difference between the sinker and the slider, and movement-wise, they profiled too similarly. That would have helped hitters tee off on both pitches, especially if they could pick up the movement early in the release. Bergert's pitch movement profile suggests that using his curveball more (he threw it only 8 times) could give him a breaking offering that keeps hitters from sitting on his sweeper and/or slider. The potential is there for Bergert to be an effective No. 3, 4, or 5 pitcher in the Royals' rotation in 2026 and beyond. However, using the curveball more and pitching it more effectively (though it had a 103 TJ Stuff+ in a limited sample) could help maximize his pitch mix and make his other breaking pitches more potent, especially in terms of whiff and chase rates. Bailey Falter and the Sinker Falter had a rough Royals debut after coming over from Pittsburgh at the Trade Deadline. In four outings (two starts) and 12 IP with Kansas City, he posted an 11.25 ERA and 2.25 WHIP. Safe to say, he has entered Spring Training on shaky ground when it comes to a roster spot, especially with him not having a Minor League option. Then again, Royals GM JJ Picollo seems to have some confidence that Falter for 2026, as they tendered him a $3.6 million deal this offseason. Even though the results weren't great, he does sport good extension on his pitches and some intriguing TJ Stuff+ metrics, as demonstrated below in his TJ Stats summary from last season. The key for Falter is his four-seamer, which is rated as his best offering on a TJ Stuff+ end last season (101). He didn't generate a whole lot of whiff with the four-seamer (15.8%), but he did generate decent zone (55.5%), chase (24.7%), and xwOBACON (.356) on the pitch. It was also interesting to see how his four-seamer fared against lefties and righties last year, based on his TJ Stats heatmap data. The four-seamer seemed to be more effective against lefties, though he threw it nearly 20% less than against righties. He threw it more in the middle of the plate against lefties based on his four-seamer heatmap, which doesn't seem ideal. And yet, against lefties, he had a better CSW (28%; 24.3% against righties), whiff rate (20%; 14.9% against righties), and xwOBACON (.306; .367 against righties). Falter mentioned in an interview on February 17th with Jack Johnson of 810 AM radio that improving his command and effectiveness of his four-seamer is a main focus for him this spring, especially in his work with new assistant pitching coach Mike McFerran. An interesting aspect of Falter's profile is that he also sports a sinker, which he threw only 9.8% of the time last year. And yet, despite its lower usage, he generated a better zone (64.8%) and chase (36.8%) rate with the sinker, as well as a more encouraging xwOBACON (.312). Here's what his heatmap looked like on the sinker last year. Falter primarily threw the sinker against lefties (20.5% usage against LHB compared to 6.2% usage against RHB). However, the pitch produced a solid CSW (32%), whiff rate (15.1%), O-Swing% (48.6%), and xwOBACON (.298) against lefties. He also located it in a good area of the zone, based on his heatmap data: up and inside. Nick Pollack of Pitcher List recently made an intriguing point on Twitter about Cole Ragans, Noah Cameron, and Kris Bubic, and their lack of sinker usage, especially against left-handed pitchers. That got me thinking about Falter and his sinker usage. Granted, Falter throws his sinker 20% of the time against lefties (which Nick advocates for with Ragans, Cameron, and Bubic). However, what if he threw it more against lefties AND righties? Maybe that percentage goes up to 15%, and he throws it 30% of the time against lefties and 10-12% against righties? Could Falter see an improvement in his results in 2026 with the Royals? Honestly, the movement profile looks a lot better on his sinker than on his four-seamer, as shown in the clip compilation below. Falter will need to have a strong Spring Training performance to keep his spot on the active roster (he will be DFA'd if he doesn't make it). Perhaps increasing the sinker usage (and lowering the four-seamer usage) could help strengthen his repertoire and make him more effective overall in 2026. Mason Black and the Four-Seamer The Royals traded for Black from San Francisco, and he may be one of the more intriguing projects this spring for McFerran and lead pitching coach Brian Sweeney. He was once a Top-10 prospect in the Giants' system, but he's posted a 6.47 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 10 MLB outings totaling 40.1 IP over two seasons (2024 and 2025). Black only made one outing for the Giants last year, allowing three earned runs on five hits (including two home runs). However, he struck out five, allowed no walks, and sported some strong extension on his pitches as well as promising zone (55.4%) and chase (33.3%) rates. One pitch that could be key for Black this spring is his four-seamer, which he threw 43.2% of the time in his lone 2025 outing. Black flooded the zone with the pitch (59.4% zone rate), and the xwOBACON (.302) was the best mark of his five pitches. However, the TJ Stuff+ (95), chase (23.1%), and whiff (16.7%) rates were lackluster. Granted, that is only one outing. Thus, let's take a look at his TJ Stats summary from his stint in Triple-A Sacramento, where he primarily pitched in 2025. The four-seamer profiled similarly in terms of TJ Stuff+. Conversely, he actually produced better chase (25.4%) and whiff (30.2%) rates with the pitch against PCL batters last season. Thus, it's possible that Black could've produced more chase and whiffs with more innings pitched at the MLB level. Let's take a look at the heatmap and splits data on Black's four-seamer from Triple-A and see if any trends emerge. Against righties, Black was more effective at generating O-Swing% (23.6%), whiff (33%), and CSW (31.7%). However, his xwOBACON was super high at .449. He was better at generating a lower xwOBACON with his four-seamer against lefties, and the CSW (27.1%) and whiff rate (27.6%) were solid marks too. Thus, it would be interesting to see if he changes up the mix with his four-seamer in order to maximize the results in those categories in 2026, whether it's at Triple-A or the MLB level. The 26-year-old Lehigh product has an impressive-looking fastball movement-wise. When it's located effectively in the zone, it can be a go-to swing-and-miss pitch. That was the case last year when he struck out Lawrence Butler of the Athletics on an immaculately located four-seamer. On a positive note, it seems like the movement has been looking sharp this spring. Johnson reported that Black's run on his fastball looked impressive in a recent Tweet at Royals camp in Surprise. I am not sure if Black is "starter" material with the Royals. Honestly, he seems better suited for the bullpen, where his stuff and repertoire may play better in shorter outings. However, there is a need for starting depth in Omaha, so Black will likely fill in the Storm Chaser rotation at the start of the season, especially since he still carries a Minor League option. That said, Royals fans shouldn't sleep on Black. If the four-seamer clicks, he could be an underrated contributor to this Kansas City pitching staff in 2026. View the full article

Welcome to part nine of North Side Baseball’s offseason series covering the 1918 Chicago Cubs. You can find the first eight parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 When we left off, the National League and the American League had come to an agreement to end the regular season early, in order to play the World Series. This allowed baseball players to respect the 'work or fight' rule, which required all draft-eligible men to engage in essential work, or register to be drafted into the army. The Cubs, who finished 84-45-2, were set to face off with the Red Sox (75-51) for the championship in early September. Today, we’ll take a look at the start of the series. Game One As the teams prepared for Game 1, the Cubs were viewed as the favorites to win the whole series, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. The New York Times concurred: “when the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox clash in the opening game of the [World Series] at Comiskey Park in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, baseball fans who base their hopes and figures on form will be sure to favor the National League club as the winner.” The Times went on to predict that the Cubs’ left-handed pitchers, specifically Hippo Vaughn and Lefty Tyler, would play a huge role in the series, neutralizing Boston’s slugging left-handed hitters Babe Ruth and Harry Hooper. This made it an easy decision for the Cubs to start Vaughn in Game 1. He went up against Ruth, who was still both pitching and hitting at the time. After a one-day delay due to rain, Game 1 happened on Sept. 5, with the Red Sox triumphing 1-0. Both Ruth and Vaughn went the distance, with Ruth striking out four and allowing six hits, while Vaughn gave up five hits and struck out six. The lone run was scored in the top of the fourth. After a leadoff walk to Dave Shean, the Red Sox strung together back-to-back singles from George Whitman and Stuffy McInnis with one out to bring Shean home. The Times was quick to note the apparent lack of excitement around the Series, given the circumstances: Nonetheless, the World Series trucked onward. Game Two If a 1-0 game one was considered boring, Game 2 was anything but. In a pitching matchup of Bullet Joe Bush against Lefty Tyler, the Cubs got out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning on hits from Charlie Deal, Bill Killefer, and the aforementioned Tyler. However, it was what happened after the inning that caused some excitement. According to SABR, Otto Knabe, the Cubs’ first base coach, had been heckling Bush during the Cubs’ rally. Heinie Wagner, the third base coach for the Red Sox, met Knabe out on the field in between innings. Things got heated between the two, who ended up in the Cubs’ dugout. I’ll let The New York Times take it from here: “In a jiffy the two coaches were locked in an embrace which was not one of affection. Like a bird of prey, Knabe perched on top of Wagner as he fell to the ground. They were merrily mauling each other all over the dugout when Claude Hendrix and other Cub players pulled Knabe off his tormentor.” By the time the Boston players reached the dugout to further intervene, “Wagner emerged all mussed up and excited. From the appearance of his uniform it was plain that Knabe had brushed up the floor of the dugout with Wagner, for his uniform looked as if he had been repairing a flivver. The umpires volunteered soothing words to the combatants and a truce was declared.” [Ed. note: I was wondering, and I bet you were, too. A flivver is an old car or aircraft, usually beaten up and worn down. It's a cousin to 'jalopy,' which is only marginally more familiar to our modern ears and eyes but was certainly more common in its heyday.] The game remained 3-0 until the ninth inning. After two leadoff triples made the game 3-1, McInnis grounded back to Tyler, who was still in the game. He completed the out at first without the run scoring. Per SABR, after a walk to Everett Scott, Boston manager Ed Barrow thought about pinch-hitting with Ruth, who wasn’t in the starting lineup due to a left-handed pitcher being on the mound for the Cubs. But Ruth never got a chance. Jean Dubuc pinch-hit instead, and after he struck out, Wally Schang swung (schwung?) at the first pitch and popped out to Charlie Hollocher to win the game for the Cubs and tie the series at one game apiece. Game Three According to Times, most figured the Cubs would be starting Claude Hendrix in Game 3. Instead, surprisingly, they opted for Vaughn again, which also meant that Ruth remained on the bench. On the Boston side, Carl Mays got the start. Vaughn worked out of trouble in the second, though the Red Sox would get to him in the fourth. Following a strikeout of Amos Strunk to start the inning, George Whiteman was hit by a pitch in the next plate appearance. Singles from McInnis and Schang scored the first run of the game; that brought Everett Scott to the plate. Scott laid down a bunt that, according to the Times, Vaughn fielded cleanly, but he simply didn’t throw the ball anywhere. “With the ball in his hand, his arm outstretched ready to throw it, some unknown influence seemed to stay the poised throwing wing. He was within half a dozen feet of McInnis as he scored from third, and was facing toward first base, but he held the ball as if it was a chunk of gold.” This brought home the second run of the game to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. A double from Charlie Pick and a single from Bill Killefer in the fifth cut the lead in half at 2-1, where the score remained until the last inning. With Mays still in the game, both Dode Paskert and Fred Merkle grounded out to start the inning. Then, Pick singled and stole second base, putting the tying run just 180 feet away with two outs in the ninth inning. The next pitch from Mays got past the catcher, Schang, and allowed Pick to take third base on a close play. After Pick slid in safely, the ball trickled away from the third baseman, Jackie Thomas. Pick dashed for home with the potential tying run. Alas: “Straight and true and as swift as a bullet the ball went from Thomas’s hand into the waiting mitt of Schang at the plate. As Pick came tumbling into the final bag, stretching his left foot far out as to hook the corner of the rubber platter, the ball clapped against the catcher’s glove, and Schang tagged the runner with the ball. ‘You’re out,’ yelled Umpire Klem, and right then and there the Cubs’ chances in that game were gone forever.” Just like that, the Cubs lost 2-1, and were also down 2-1 in the World Series, when mere seconds ago, fans were ablaze at the potential of a tie game as Pick dashed home. It wasn’t to be. The final four games of the series were set to be played at Fenway Park in Boston, and the Cubs now found themselves in a situation where they needed to win three of those games. Suddenly, their backs were against the wall. View the full article

“I was just going to church with my fiancé and my parents. Was on the way home from lunch and saw [Craig] Breslow’s name pop up on the screen,” David Sandlin explained in regard to the day he was traded. “Kind of had an idea that was why he was calling. Cause why else would he be calling on a random Sunday?” Sandlin, who had been acquired by the Boston Red Sox back during spring training in 2024, developed into a legitimate prospect in this organization, making his way up the minor-league ranks to the point that the team added him to their 40-man roster back in November. The team viewed him as a depth piece for the 2026 season — a legitimate rotation arm with the potential to crack the big-league roster sooner or later. Instead, he wound up traded to the Chicago White Sox at the start of February. The deal was more of a salary dump for the Red Sox, as they had been trying to move Jordan Hicks and the remaining $24 million on his contract. The White Sox agreed to take on most of the contract, though Sandlin was needed to get the deal across the finish line. Not only did the Red Sox lose a valuable arm, but Sandlin was traded away from a close-knit group that had formed within the organization. Besides Sandlin, there were a group of pitchers who all had ties to Oklahoma, either from living there or playing for Oklahoma State while in college. “It made it pretty fun in the offseason,” Sandlin replied when asked about his relationship with his teammates. “It made it easy to navigate the season. Especially getting to play with guys like Payton [Tolle], or [Isaac] Stebens. I was looking forward to meeting [Kyson] Witherspoon, hadn’t really got to meet him yet. Wishing him all the best. And was looking forward to getting that year in with Jake [Bennett] after playing with him in 2022.” Despite being traded so late in the offseason, there are no hard feelings. Sandlin knows it’s part of the business after being traded once before. “At that point, I was only one year into pro ball and had only played half a season due to injury,” the right-hander recalled. “Never in my mind did I think I was a trade candidate. Then it happened. That was kind my first step in learning how the business side of baseball works.” Despite the disappointment of not getting to spend more time with his fellow Oklahoma pitchers, Sandlin is excited for his tenure with in Chicago. The exciting young core the team has built through the draft portends a bright future for the Pale Hose, and it doesn't hurt that several players on the roster are former teammates. “I’m excited, especially since I know some of the guys over there like [Kyle] Teel, [Chase] Meidroth, Wicky, those guys. So, kind of excited to get back to throwing to Teel again. That’s one of the guys I reached out to when I found out about the news," Sandlin will now have a chance to fight for a spot in the White Sox's rotation during spring training, something that would have been near impossible for him in Boston unless several injuries were to occur. The right-hander expressed gratitude for his old organization, though he hopes to make a legacy for himself as he changes his socks from red to white. View the full article

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In general, the San Diego Padres are always a team to watch for intrigue during a transactional period. Whether it’s the signing of Manny Machado during the 2019 offseason, the acquisition of Juan Soto in the summer of 2022, or any of the myriad of notable signings, trades, and extensions that have happened before, during, and after, A.J. Preller always gives us a reason to divert our attention to San Diego when there are moves to be made. Such was not the case this winter. A combination of budget constraints wrought by said prior activity and an uncertain ownership situation left Preller to address the team’s needs more on the margins than confronting them directly. There were, of course, exceptions to that. Michael King was brought back on what is essentially a one-year deal. South Korean standout Sung Mun Song adds a combination of offensive upside and versatility that the roster sorely lacked. Beyond that pair of moves, however, it’s been a glut of short-term or minor-league signings to make improvements toward another year of contention in 2026. The Padres have certainly signed names. Miguel Andujar was one of the more sought-after bench bats available, while the team was also quick to bring in Nick Castellanos upon his ouster from Philadelphia. Non-roster invitees like Jose Miranda, Samad Taylor, Pablo Reyes, and Nick Solak each feature a healthy bit of major-league experience. On the mound, it’s names like Germán Márquez and Griffin Canning playing on one-year pacts, while others such as Triston McKenzie, Marco Gonzales, and Walker Buehler were at one point very notable in the world of arms. Each of the latter three settled for a minor-league deal with the Friars this winter. That’s nearly a dozen names for only a couple of spots on the roster, with more opportunity existing on the pitching front. Without the resources to make a more dramatic move – whether it’d cost cash on the free-agent market or prospects via trade – this is the manner in which Preller had to build up his team. Will it work? Let’s consider, for a moment, what the Padres actually needed heading into this offseason. From a position player standpoint, they needed additional right-handed power and some depth off the bench. Last year’s lineup struggled to generate power (from either side, really) and failed to compensate effectively when players were out with an injury. They rotated out a tough cast of characters that included names like Jose Iglesias, Tyler Wade, Jason Heyward, and Yuli Gurriel. In their stead, Song will be the primary name off the bench. He can fill in at three infield positions as of now, with the possibility already floated that he could get work at first base and on the outfield grass. That helps immediately but is far from curing the bench problem. Andujar and Castellanos are in the mix on guaranteed deals. They both bring offensive upside to the plate, with Andujar doing so more recently. Their positional skill set – with Andujar capable of handling each of the four corners and Castellanos more limited to right field and, maybe, first base – will also help Craig Stammen to rotate out the two biggest positions of need: first base and designated hitter. They’ll combine with Gavin Sheets in forming that rotation. It remains to be seen how much of a factor the likes of Miranda, Reyes, or Taylor might be, let alone Solak. Miranda extends the corner dynamic, while Reyes and Taylor offer more support up the middle, perhaps in the stead of already-present options like Mason McCoy or Will Wagner. Given where the need existed, both in terms of the power dynamic and the positional depth chart, there’s a clear on-paper solution here wrought by the volume approach. The same is less clear on the mound. Márquez is on a guaranteed deal but has fought injury woes and a velocity dip over the last few seasons that have led to some abominable percentile outcomes. Canning, meanwhile, is coming off some of his best work but may not be ready for the season due to last year’s Achilles rupture. Walker Buehler did his best work back in 2021, but health issues have pinned him down before he was undone by performance woes in 2025. McKenzie was good more recently (2022) but has a similar track record as it relates to health and the declining performance that has resulted. What isn’t working in the Padres’ favor on the pitching side is the natural variance that is inherent to that position. There’s always a correlation between health, age, and performance in different ways. But that correlation does not appear to be impacting them as much on the position player side as it could on the mound. One would be perfectly justified to feel decent about the lineup and still feel like they’re floating in the abstract as it relates to their arms. And that’s really the conclusion that should be reached. There are only so many position players to go around in a given offseason, regardless of the market on which they are available. While Preller had to wait it out in order to address the needs, those at least appear to be settled in the on-paper sense. Even if it doesn’t work to complete fruition, the combination of handedness and positional flexibility aim directly at the shortcomings of last year’s group. How successful this approach will be for the pitching staff, however, remains to be seen. In general, it’s hard to be disappointed with the job Preller did with the limited framework in which he had to operate this winter against prior ones. While it may be hard to declare this year’s roster to be better than last year’s, steps were taken to address deficient areas. One imagines that such an intense volume should yield at least some positive dividends for the organization as the season progresses. View the full article

For a Twins team that has spent the last calendar year reshaping its pitching depth chart, the 2026 season represents something more than just another attempt to stabilize the late innings. The Twins are asking two veteran relievers to do more than get outs in high-leverage spots. They are being tasked with helping mold the next wave of pitching talent that could define the organization for years to come. Taylor Rogers recently said that veteran relievers are most effective in helping younger players when they come to you. You don’t want to insert yourself into their development because that might screw them up. Also, he appreciated that when he was coming up to the big leagues, nobody made a big deal about it. But when they come to you, they are receptive. “Unfortunately," Rogers said, "that’s usually because the ****’s hitting the fan.” That kind of hands-off leadership style might prove especially valuable this spring, as several young arms attempt to find their footing in roles that could change quickly based on need. Twins manager Derek Shelton emphasized the importance of constructing a bullpen that balances experience with adaptability when discussing how the front office approached its offseason additions. “When you have that mix of people, and then Jeremy did a really good job in our conversations of being diligent about the guys that we brought into this group in another way," Shelton said. "Taylor Rogers is a perfect example.” Shelton also pointed to the return of a familiar face as a critical piece in building a cohesive pitching group. “I mean, even signing Liam Hendriks and bringing him back, a guy that … has been at the end of the game and has done things and has relationships here,” said Shelton. “Yeah, it's very important how we add people to that group.” From the player's side, the messaging has been consistent. Opportunity often comes down to performance and the ability to adjust when roles change. “You look at it from a point of view where there are lot of guys that have flip-flopped between (starter and reliever) and been very successful," Hendriks said. "There's a lot of guys that may not necessarily have been the best starters but turned out to be really good relievers. You want the opportunities, you've got to go out there and pitch.” There will be plenty of young pitchers who will be walking a fine line between starter and reliever this spring. Minnesota has already discussed using Marco Raya and Travis Adams more regularly in relief. Connor Prielipp, one of the team’s top pitching prospects, has told reporters that he is building up to be a starter, but things could certainly shift later this year. Minnesota also has other starters, like David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and John Klein, who could get more time in a relief role. St. Paul’s rotation could include Prielipp, Matthews, Festa, Klein, and other options such as Andrew Morris, Kendry Rojas, and Mick Abel. That’s a lot of arms for the beginning of the year, which usually has plenty of weather-related postponements. Jeremy Zoll and the rest of the front office understand that bullpen development is rarely linear. The organization has increasingly viewed relief work as a way to both manage innings and accelerate major league readiness for pitchers who may not have a clear rotation path in the short term. If that strategy works, the impact could stretch far beyond the 2026 season. Veteran relievers might be remembered not just for locking down wins, but for helping a new generation of arms learn how to navigate the mental and physical challenges of pitching in the late innings. In that sense, this bullpen is not just about protecting leads. It's about building the framework for the next great Twins pitching staff and making sure that when the next wave arrives, they are ready for whatever role the team needs them to fill. How can Rogers and Hendriks help rebuild the team’s bullpen this year? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Spring training has two purposes. One is for all the players to get back up to game speed, following the offseason. The other is to figure out the best 26 players to put on your Opening Day roster, and which roles they ought to fill. With games in Arizona and Florida beginning this weekend and the Milwaukee Brewers opening Cactus League play Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, competition for a few of those roster spots begins in earnest. Just like the regular season, things will get more intense as we check games off the schedule. With the moves made by president of baseball operations Matt Arnold this offseason, there are only a few things to figure out this spring. Here are the three position battles to pay attention to during Cactus League play. (Players listed in order of strongest candidacy.) No. 4 and No. 5 Starting Pitcher Let's start with the given. Right-handers Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski occupy the top three slots in the starting rotation. There's a nice group of pitchers to fill out the final two spots following the Freddy Peralta trade. The winner of this competition might be Triple-A Nashville manager Rick Sweet, who could have an MLB-level rotation. Everyone in this section is already on the 40-man roster. At least one (and perhaps two) could end up in the bullpen. RHP Chad Patrick: He finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting after starting 23 games and making four relief appearances in the regular season. He posted a 3.53 FIP and a 117 ERA+ with an 8% walk rate and 25.2% strikeout rate, both better than the MLB averages. He was also a dynamic reliever in the postseason, allowing two runs over 11 innings, striking out 11 and walking one. A bullpen role could be an option, depending on how the rotation shakes out. RHP Logan Henderson: In addition to 16 starts at Triple-A, Henderson also made five MLB starts before his 2025 was cut short by a strained flexor in early August. He was really good in the minors and much better in his brief time in MLB, although his 3.02 FIP belied his 1.78 ERA. He did have a 33.3% strikeout rate and would seem to be in a good position for an Opening Day spot. LHP Robert Gasser: He underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2024 campaign, but returned to make two starts late in 2025 and was included on the postseason roster. As a rare left-hander in this competition, he could have an advantage if the Brewers want to have a southpaw in the rotation. But he is also ready to prove what he can do at the highest level. He hasn't been a big strikeout pitcher in his brief MLB time, with his 14.7% strikeout rate about half of what it has been in the minors, while he has been better at limiting walks in the majors than he was in the minors. LHP Kyle Harrison: One of two pitchers acquired in the Caleb Durbin trade, Harrison joins Gasser as a lefty vying for a starting gig. His repertoire was retooled with the Red Sox, who kept him at Triple-A until three late-season outings. If the Brewers have even more adjustments in mind, he could be the next success story for one of the game's best pitching development groups. RHP Brandon Sproat: The pitcher the Crew got back in the Peralta-Tobias Myers deal, Sproat made his MLB debut as the New York Mets tried to plug their struggling rotation late last year. In four starts, the results were mixed. He could easily start the season in the big-league rotation, but could also benefit from a little extra seasoning at Triple-A. He did post a 4.24 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) at that level in 2025. RHP Coleman Crow: After having Tommy John surgery late in the 2023 season and being acquired from the New York Mets that offseason, Crow played in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 and made 12 starts between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville last year. He had a 2.51 ERA at Biloxi in 10 starts and a 7.71 ERA in two starts at Nashville. Perhaps most importantly, he had a healthy offseason to get ready for this spring. LHP Shane Drohan: The other pitcher picked up in the Durbin deal, Drohan has a ton of potential, but has battled injuries and poor control. His potential got him to Triple-A in 2023, and he may have finally had a breakthrough in 2025, when he had a 2.25 ERA in 12 outings (11 starts) at that level. In five minor-league seasons, Drohan has a 4.29 ERA, striking out 10.3 per nine innings and walking 4.5. RHP Carlos Rodriguez: The 24-year-old has had two cups of coffee with the Brewers; neither went well. He also didn't dominate at Triple-A in 2025, the second year in a row at that level. He would appear ticketed back there, unless he shows something different this spring. He might also be the most vulnerable player on the 40-man roster, should the team need a spot. Center Field Position battle might be too strong for this. This is more of a health issue. Yeah, we're talking about ... Garrett Mitchell: Having made his debut in 2022, the uber-talented Mitchell has yet to play in a season's worth of games. Due to a variety of injuries, he has played in a mere 141 games at the MLB level in those four seasons. When he has played, Mitchell has accrued 3.3 fWAR by putting up a .254/.333/.433 slash line with 13 homers, 40 RBIs and 23 steals. The Brewers have had stellar defense in center for most of the last decade, but the lack of a true offensive contributor from the position would be a nice thing to change. If Mitchell can stay healthy, that's eminently possible. Blake Perkins: After a 2025 that didn't go his way, Perkins's role for 2026 is really dependent on Mitchell. A terrific defender, Perkins broke his leg on a foul tip in spring training and didn't return until mid-July. He has his moments offensively, but in his three-year career, Perkins has a slash line of .232/.314/.339, with 13 homers, 82 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 242 games. That results in a 3.1 fWAR. Perkins is a switch-hitter, while Mitchell hits left-handed, so they could end up platooning. Last Bench Spot This has changed a bit with the Durbin trade, which zapped the experienced infield depth by including Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. Of course, that's been partially balancd by the signing of Luis Rengifo to play third base. Each team has four bench spots, with one occupied by the backup catcher. In the Crew's case, that is Gary Sánchez. How about the other three backups? One goes to first baseman-outfielder Jake Bauers, who earned his roster spot with his late-season and postseason performance in 2025. Perkins has another, leaving one more to figure out. There needs to be a backup infielder who has positional versatility. David Hamilton: The third and final player who came over in the Durbin deal, Hamilton is the top candidate to replace Monasterio as the utility player. In 204 games over the last three seasons with the Red Sox, the Crew's eighth-round draft choice in 2019 has split time at second base (109) and shortstop (87). He has limited experience in the minors in center field, and even less at third base. As long as he can fill the defensive requirements as Monasterio did, anything he produces offensively will be a bonus. Jett Williams: I am contractually obliged to mention the other player the Crew picked up in the Peralta trade. He has had a brief time at Triple-A in 2025, with a .231/.326/.449 slash line with seven homers in 40 games. He can play anywhere up the middle: shortstop, second base or center field. Williams has the potential to be a dynamic player and is a top-75 prospect in all of baseball. His talent could lead to a spring surge and see him play his way onto the Opening Day roster, potentially even starting at third base if he sees time there this spring. Otherwise, he could be an option to be called up from Nashville, where he will get the playing time he needs to continue his development. Cooper Pratt: Like Williams, Pratt is not on the 40-man roster, which is a hurdle to him making the roster. Pratt has yet to play a game at Triple-A, which makes his inclusion here a bit of a long shot. At Double-A Biloxi in 2025, Pratt slashed .238/.343/.348, with eight homers, 62 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Other than three games at rookie ball, Pratt has only played shortstop in the minors. He needs to diversify that this spring, even if it's just by moonlighting at second base. But unless he forces his way into a starting position, he will have the same destination as Williams: Nashville. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs won't have Alex Bregman for most of spring training as he plays for Team USA in the WBC, but newcomer Edward Cabrera and others will finally make their organizational debut. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs won't have Alex Bregman for most of spring training as he plays for Team USA in the WBC, but newcomer Edward Cabrera and others will finally make their organizational debut. View the full article

Among the young pitchers vying for a rotation spot in Brewers camp, Logan Henderson may have the most impressive big-league résumé so far—except, it's one of those CVs that fits on an index card. In five starts last season, the 23-year-old posted a sparkling 1.78 ERA, 3.20 SIERA, and 33.3% strikeout rate. Henderson induced whiffs on 27.6% of swings while working almost exclusively with his signature fastball and changeup pairing, both of which have deceptive movement from his low arm slot. The two offerings comprised 89% of his pitches thrown. Still, questions remained about the rest of his arsenal. As an extreme pronation-biased pitcher (meaning his wrist naturally turns inward before he releases the baseball, leading his thumb to point downward and his palm to face outward), Henderson excels at throwing pitches with arm-side run but has struggled to make the ball break the other way. Even though his fastball and changeup have excellent separation, he knows he'll need that different look to stick as a big-league starter. "I had the success with the four-seam and changeup last year and felt if I was going to get burned, I was going to get burned on one of my best two pitches," Henderson said. "I still feel that way, but at the same time, the book is out on me, and I know that I need the third and fourth pitch." Last season, Henderson threw a cutter and a short bullet slider as those third and fourth pitches. Public stuff models liked the slider more because of its depth, and Henderson felt it was in a decent spot by season's end, but he always felt more comfortable with the cutter, which had more consistent glove-side movement. The slider, meanwhile, often backed up. All along, Henderson thought of reviving the curveball he threw in college as a pitch with true glove-side break. That thought grew as he watched Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto slice through the Brewers' lineup in last year's NLCS with his secondary pitches. "I don't quite have the stuff that he has, but similar four-seams, low slot," Henderson said. "His curveball is incredible, and it's hard not to go, 'What if I had a curveball? What if I started throwing that again?'" Pitching coach Chris Hook told Henderson during the series that the pitch could work nicely with his existing arsenal, so he reintroduced it over the offseason. When he threw his first session of live at-bats on Wednesday, Henderson threw curveballs instead of sliders. "I wouldn't say that the slider's completely gone, but the aim is more towards throwing the curveball right now, and I think that fits my arsenal a little bit better than the slider did," he said. Henderson's slot gives the pitch a slurve-like shape, similar to the breaking ball Chad Patrick added during the second half of last season. Most importantly, he's spinning it in a way that creates true glove-side break. "I wouldn't say it's a true 12-6—maybe you've got a little bit of slurve to it—but I would say it's pretty much a true curveball," he said. "I've got a low three-quarter arm slot, and it's about what you'd expect from that arm slot. It turns left more than the slider did, for sure." Henderson has yet to dive into the movement metrics, but he feels the pitch doesn't need any tweaks to its shape. The next step is getting more comfortable locating and sequencing it in competition. "The movement's there, for sure," he said. "It's about execution now, and being able to throw it in spots I want to, when I want to. It's definitely a work in progress, but I showed it a couple of times in lives today, and it was okay. But I really am pleased with the progress on it so far. I think it's gonna help my arsenal a lot." There was nothing fluky about the swings and misses Henderson's best two pitches generated last year. If he now has a legitimate breaking ball to support them, he could leapfrog some of his teammates in a wide-open rotation battle. View the full article

With the World Baseball Classic coming up, it’s nice to look back on how far the tournament has come since its inception in 2006. If you look at the rosters from that year’s tournament, there are several players who were or would end up playing for the Royals. Guys like Matt Stairs, Bruce Chen, and Benji Gil would all end up playing for the Royals at some point. However, there is one player who really stands out among the rest. This future Royals player would be labeled the next Ichiro and have one of the most storied careers in recent Japanese baseball history; he’s also a one-time Royals player. This player is Nori Aoki, and his journey to the Royals was a rather interesting one. Norichika Aoki was born on January 5th, 1982, in Hyuka, Miyazaki, Japan. He started playing baseball at an early age and later attended Miyazaki Prefectural Hyuga High School. He was a pitcher all throughout high school, but converted to outfield when he attended Waseda University in 2000. Aoki was just one of several talented players who led Waseda to four straight Tokyo Big6 titles, Japan’s version of the NCAA. Aoki played alongside future pros like Takashi Toritani, Shintaro Yoshida, and Tsuyoshi Wada. Throughout his college career, Aoki had a batting average of .332 without hitting a single home run while also being selected for the Best Nine Award three times. He would be drafted in the fourth round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft by the Yakult Swallows. Aoki would only play 10 games in 2004, but 2005 would kickstart his illustrious career in NPB. He would finish the year with the Most Valuable Rookie award and the Central League Batting Title. He hit .344, stole 41 bases, and collected 202 hits, becoming just the second player in NPB history to record 200 hits in a season. He would build off that success the next year, participating in that year’s World Baseball Classic, and be named All-Star Game MVP in his home ballpark. He would finish the year with 192 hits, eight short of his goal, but would increase his on-base percentage by nine points. He expressed interest in going to the MLB via the posting system, but the Swallows were not interested in selling him. The next five seasons would cement Aoki’s name as one of the best contact hitters in NPB history. He would rack up 887 hits and had a batting average under .300 once in that timespan. He would become the fastest player in NPB history to collect 500 hits, doing so in 373 games. He won the batting title two more times in 2007 and 2010, and was given an All-Star, Best Nine, and Golden Glove every year during this time period. After the 2011 season, he was posted by the Swallows and signed a two-year deal with the Brewers. He would put up solid numbers during his time in Milwaukee, posting a bWAR of 3.2, a batting average of .288, and finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2012. He would be the everyday right fielder, where he would start hot but steadily decline throughout the year, finishing with a batting average of .286. He would then be flipped to Kansas City on December 5th, 2013, and would begin a memorable tenure with the Royals. Aoki would be the leadoff hitter for a majority of the season and finished the year with a triple slash of .285/.349/.360. He would hit exactly one home run during his time in Kansas City, and it was a grand slam against the Diamondbacks on August 6th. It would be the only grand slam he would hit while in MLB. Aoki would also set a Royals record for most hits in a three-game series with 11 against the White Sox, surpassing Willie Wilson and George Brett’s record of 10 hits. He would also be known for getting hit in the private parts while attempting to make a catch against the Blue Jays. Aoki would make an impact with the Royals in the postseason as he would score the Royals’ first run in the Wild Card game against the A’s and would also hit a sacrifice fly that would tie the game in the ninth inning. He would be the starting right fielder throughout the playoffs, but he only hit .195. He would become a free agent after the season ended and signed with the Giants. Aoki would continue to play in MLB until 2017, when he decided to return to Japan to sign a three-year deal with the Swallows. He would record his 4,000th career at-bat and qualified to become NPB’s lifetime batting champion with a career batting average of .328. He would retire in 2024 and is now the general manager for the Swallows. While his time with the Royals was just one year, he certainly made his impact felt during that one season. Who knows how the Royals would’ve finished if it weren’t for his services? We’ll never know, but one thing is for certain: Aoki is one of the best contact hitters Japanese baseball has ever seen. While he may not have had that same impact in Major League Baseball, he was still able to carve out a stellar career. It’s unfortunate that his time in Royals blue was short-lived, but he’ll certainly be remembered for decades to come. View the full article

With Roman Anthony, Ranger Suárez, and other ticketed for the WBC, which Boston Red Sox players will stand out most at spring training? View the full article