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Anybody who's watched Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner play baseball for even a fragment of time knows that he is as close to a complete player as one may find in the sport. "Perfectly solid" is how his blend of contact, defense, and baserunning might be described. You don't necessarily see screaming for him to be talking about in the same breath as the league's very elite, but he's spending time in their company in various parts of the leaderboard all the same. He did it in 2025, when he ranked 20th in the league in FanGraphs' Wins Above Replacement metric (4.8). He also had one of the eight-best batting averages (.297), a top-three strikeout rate (7.6 percent), and one of the dozen-best Outs Above Average figures (15) regardless of position. That's the kind of output that earns you a six-year contract extension, as Hoerner did just after Opening Day this season. And while the energy wrought by a sizable new place on the payroll helps to capture national attention in a certain way on its own, Hoerner's early performance might propel him up the list of players deemed "elite" in 2026. While we're still operating within a small sample, fWAR pegs Hoerner as one of the seven-most valuable position players in baseball up to this point. His 1.1 fWAR (as of the series opener against the Phillies) ranks third in the National League, trailing only Andy Pages and Jordan Walker. Much of his .308/.422/.481 line also checks in among the league's best, with an OAA figure that ranks eighth among all position players at present. It isn't so much that Hoerner's standing among the very best rings as surprising. He was in the top 20 in fWAR last year, so it stands to reason that even modest improvement combined with regression from others in that portion of the board could help him to ascend. What's a little more jarring in this case is what Hoerner is on pace to do and where that could land him among the game's position players by season's end. That idea can help to inform us as to what is driving Hoerner to look even more impressive as a baseball player thus far in 2026. If he continued at his current pace, Hoerner would be in line for a .912 OPS finish. His wRC+ would check in at 160, with a dozen home runs and 58 steals. His fWAR would read a gaudy 11.5. Considering the relatively modest output he's posted on the offensive side — where he's been more of that solid rather than elite beyond his contact skills — most of this is unsustainable. However, such an astonishing fWAR pace at this point in the season speaks to where Hoerner has been thriving to this point in the year. FanGraphs' WAR metric is determined by the following: WAR = (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs + Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment +Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win) The formula itself is not complicated. But each of those "runs" metrics and various adjustments offer a certain degree of nuance. Especially when you look at the area of this in which we're most interested: Batting Runs. Therein, wOBA is the predominant factor with park adjustments and league averages coming into play. In short, wOBA represents some individuals' preferred comprehensive offensive metric, essentially due to the fact that it offers weight to various types of hits and means of reaching base. This, dear reader, is where we begin to find what is driving Hoerner's impressive performance this year. Hoerner's wOBA sits at .409 entering Philadelphia. His previous career best under that category was last year's .324 mark. That's a sizable gap. There are two elements driving his increased wOBA thus far; the first is his increased walk rate. Hoerner is drawing free passes 13.0 percent of the time, which would obliterate his previous career-high of 10.0 back in 2021. Further, he's on pace for 69 doubles and 12 homers. While the latter would represent a narrow edge over the 10 home runs he hit in 2022, that volume of doubles would nearly double the 35 he hit in 2024. Walks and doubles (i.e., gap-to-gap power), in addition to everything else he was already doing well, are propelling Nico Hoerner into the ranks of the game's very elite. It remains to be seen how much of this is sustainable. It's not that Hoerner's eye is better; it's that he's become less inclined to swing at a high rate until he finds a more favorable pitch. Could he slip into old tendencies and increase aggression as the season wears on? Sure. That might cost him a little bit in either regard (though, as Matt Trueblood examined, there's a slight mechanical change at play that's boosting his improved slugging output). Ultimately, though, we're looking at a player who was complete and set within his skill set undergoing further evolution to take his game to the next level. As frustrating as elements of this offense have been in the early going, Nico Hoerner's continued ascent represents a fascinating development to monitor as the season progresses. View the full article

Minor League Week in Nutshell All the Royals' affiliates were finally in action, though weather issues did cancel some games. Columbia, which is loaded with many of Kansas City's top prospects, had a solid week, going 4-2 this week. Northwest Arkansas also continued its winning ways, going 4-2 this past week after going 2-1 in its Opening Weekend of play. After a long layoff, Quad Cities finally played ball for the first time in 2026. They played at home in Davenport, Iowa, at Modern Woodsman Park and finished 2-4 for the week. One has to wonder if the long layoff affected their play in their first six contests of the season. Lastly, Omaha had a winning record, going 3-2 against the Iowa Cubs, though one game was rained out. In terms of individual performances, some of the top prospects in the Royals system had solid weeks, especially on the hitting side. It's still early, but there's a lot to feel good about with the Royals' farm system, especially if these position player prospects continue to develop at their respective levels. Here are the records of the three Royals affiliates that have played games thus far, as of April 13th. Omaha: 7-7 Northwest Arkansas: 6-3 Quad Cities: 2-4 Columbia: 5-4 Omaha Highlights John Rave didn't make the Opening Day roster, but he's had an excellent start in Omaha. Over the past seven days, Rave hit .474 with a 1.447 OPS. He hit two home runs, collected 9 RBI, stole two bases, and had three walks to only four strikeouts. For his strong performance at the plate, the outfielder was named International League Player of the Week. For the year, Rave is hitting .319 with a .996 OPS in 47 at-bats. He has two home runs, two RBI, six stolen bases (on six attempts), and has 12 walks to 11 strikeouts. Now, I'm not sure if Rave is more than a Four-A player, as he only posted a 65 wRC+ in 175 plate appearances last year. That said, if he continues to produce like this, he could earn himself a call-up to Kansas City, especially if the offense continues to flounder (especially with runners in scoring position). Another Storm Chasers hitter who had a strong week against the Iowa Cubs was Kameron Misner, who was acquired from Tampa Bay this offseason. In 18 at-bats, Misner hit .333 with a 1.288 OPS. His performance against the Cubs this week included two home runs, 10 RBI, four walks, and only two strikeouts. Misner is proving he can generate power and plate discipline, though he will need to cut down on strikeouts at the next level. Last year, in 217 plate appearances with the Rays, the former Mizzou product struck out 31.8% of the time and hit .213 with a 75 wRC+. There's some power potential with Misner, but the swing-and-misses limited his ceiling last year. His strong plate discipline and ability to launch the ball in Omaha this year are encouraging signs that he may be figuring it out. The bullpen continues to be an area of strength for Storm Chasers. Last week, it was Eric Cerantola. This week, it's Beck Way, who didn't allow a run and only had a 0.71 WHIP in two appearances and 5.2 IP this week. He also had six strikeouts and only one walk, a positive sign for him, given his past walk issues, especially in Triple-A. Way is the last remaining prospect from the 2022 Andrew Benintendi trade with the New York Yankees. T.J. Sikkema and Chandler Champlain are both no longer with the Royals organization. It still seems like a long shot that Way will make the Major League squad, and he could do a better job this year of generating chase and whiffs. However, his stuff and zone metrics have been really solid this season, as evidenced by his TJ Stuff+ summary from this season. Royals fans shouldn't sleep on Way as a potential middle-innings or sleeper late-inning reliever at the Major League level, especially if he's able to generate more chase and whiff as he pitches more innings in Triple-A. Northwest Arkansas Highlights Carson Roccaforte got off to a slow start, but he was absolutely scorching this week at the plate. In 22 at-bats, the former Louisiana-Lafayette outfielder hit .364 this week with a 1.500 OPS. He also launched three home runs, had three doubles, a triple, collected five RBI, and six walks while striking out eight times. The only blemish for Roccaforte this week was that he was caught stealing twice. Other than that, Roccaforte showed that he could be an impact player for the Royals as soon as 2027. For his strong performance, Roccaforte was named the Texas League Position Player of the Week. Another position player who was arguably as effective as Roccaforte this week was Sam Kulasingam. In 21 at-bats, the Air Force grad hit .381 with a 1.224 OPS and a home run and five RBI. Kulasingam had five doubles, four walks, eight strikeouts, and stole a base. The utility player has been known for his defense, baserunning, and intangibles as a prospect. However, it was nice to see him put up some solid numbers this week, especially in terms of power. On April 8th, the switch-hitter launched his first home run of the year from the right side of the plate. On the pitching end, reliever Oscar Rayo had a solid week and may be a sleeper arm in this Royals organization. The Nicaraguan lefty, who pitched for Nicaragua in the WBC, made two appearances and pitched 6.2 innings this week. In that sample, he posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.60 WHIP with two runs on four hits and zero walks. He also had six strikeouts. While his stuff needs to play up a bit more, some scouts have remarked that Rayo resembles former lefty reliever Angel Zerpa. According to TJ Stats, Rayo has succeeded by flooding the strike zone and generating strikes. His CSW% is 34.3% this year, and he hasn't issued a single walk either. As a result, he's producing a 2.08 ERA for the season in Northwest Arkansas. Rayo did give up two home runs this week, both coming in one outing against Amarillo. However, if he can avoid the longball, Rayo could be a reliever who could make his way to Omaha at some point and could be considered for a roster spot in 2027. Quad Cities River Bandits It wasn't a great week for the River Bandits' bats, which explains why they went 2-4 this week. That said, some of the Royals' top prospects are playing in Quad Cities and showed flashes of promise despite the losing record in their first full week of play. In 19 plate appearances, Blake Mitchell, our No. 2 prospect at Royals Keep, is hitting .211 with 11 strikeouts. However, he has a .375 OBP, .901 OPS, and hit home runs in back-to-back games. Thus, the plate patience and power haven't skipped a beat from this fall and spring. Another hitter that went yard this week for Quad Cities was fellow catching prospect Ramon Ramirez, our No. 8 prospect at Royals Keep. He hit his first home run of the year in the same game that Mitchell hit his second and also had a walkoff single in an April 12th win against Wisconsin. In 19 at-bats, Ramirez is hitting .264 with a .774 OPS. He also has a double and three RBI, as well as a walk and five strikeouts. Like many River Bandits hitters, Ramirez started slow, but it seems like he's beginning to heat up at the plate. In terms of pitching, Justin Lamkin stood out the most on the starting end this week. In his first outing of the year, the former Texas A&M product went four innings and allowed no runs and no hits while walking two and striking out six. Of his six strikeouts, five came against the first six hitters he faced in the game. A competitive round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, Lamkin posted a 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 22.6% K-BB% in 84.1 IP with the Aggies last season. While he doesn't have the prospect shine of David Shields, who started on Opening Day for the River Bandits, the 21-year-old lefty has the potential to develop into a middle-of-the-rotation starter at the Major League level. In terms of relievers, Kamden Edge stood out with two solid performances this week. In 2.1 IP, Edge struck out five and allowed no runs, no hits, and only one walk (he did have one hit batter). A 20th-round 2025 MLB Draft pick by the Royals out of Northwestern Oklahoma JC is an enticing arm with high-upside stuff and strikeout ability. Last year in Low-A Columbia, he posted a 1.88 ERA and 28.3% K% in 14.1 IP. Walks were an issue (18.3% BB%), but he has the stuff to be a Major League setup man or closer. Edge doesn't have the prettiest pitching motion, but he can get outs in multiple ways, and he could move quickly in the Royals system, similar to Dennis Colleran a year ago. Columbia Fireflies Highlights The Fireflies bats were in full force this week, ranking third as a team this week in the Carolina League in home runs and OPS. When it came to top hitters from this group this past week, three particularly stood out: catcher Brooks Bryan, shortstop Josh Hammond, and infielder Yandel Ricardo. An 8th-round pick out of Troy University, Bryan absolutely mashed this week. In 16 plate appearances, he hit .375 with a 1.399 OPS. He also had two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, a stolen base, five walks, and only four strikeouts. The 21-year-old catcher was a consistent producer for the Trojans in college, and it looks like he's on his way to do the same for the Fireflies in 2026. After a slow opening weekend, Hammond got on fire in his first full week of play. Hammond led the Fireflies in plate appearances this week with 21, and he hit .286 with a 1.090 OPS. The 28th-overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, he collected three doubles, 1 triple, a home run, and three RBI. He also showed good discipline at the plate with five walks to eight strikeouts. On April 10th, Hammond had four hits and was a single shy of the cycle (though I wonder if one of his doubles could've been shortened to a single to allow him to get it). Hammond definitely had one of the most impressive offensive performances this week from an infield prospect, as he ranks No. 7 in our top prospects list. However, Ricardo wasn't that far off. In 20 at-bats, the Cuban-born infielder hit .300 with an .867 OPS. He had six hits, which included one double, one triple, four RBI, and three stolen bases. Ricardo was known for his plate discipline as a prospect in the DSL and Arizona Complex League, and he showed that patented discipline with four walks to four strikeouts this week. It would be nice to see him be more efficient on the basepaths (he was caught twice), but overall, Ricardo made a solid impression this week for the Fireflies, especially with his ability to spray the ball all over the field. After an okay, but not great, 2026 debut, Kendry Chourio bounced back in full force in his second start of the year. In 4.2 IP, Chourio allowed no runs, no hits, no walks, and struck out six batters. It was an impressive performance from the 19-year-old righty and showed the kind of ace potential he possesses, which is exciting for Royals fans. Chourio has excelled so far this year at limiting walks while maximizing strikeouts. His CSW, though, could be better, and that could be due to him still developing the movement on his current pitch mix, especially his four-seamer. Here's a look at some of his rates and numbers via TJ Stats. While he has impressive K%, BB%, and GB% marks, his whiff% (34th percentile), CSW% (28th percentile) and SwStr% (52nd percentile) could use some improvement. However, there's no need to panic, as Chourio could see these rates improve as he gains more experience and develops his pitch quality with the Columbia pitching coaches. View the full article

By the time the Boston Red Sox traded with the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Caleb Durbin, the lineup already looked set in stone. Of course, at the time, there was belief Romy Gonzalez, who had a career-best .305 average with a 123 wRC+ last year, would be a part of that. It turned out, the utility infielder needed shoulder surgery, thus creating a hole on the roster the public wasn't quite aware of. After a strong spring training, there was hype surrounding the 26-year-old third baseman. He slashed .354/.446/.500, drove in nine runs, and stole three bases in 18 games. Though his batted ball data last year hinted that he was a possible regression candidate, there was hope he'd at least fit Fenway Park well enough to combat it. Through 14 regular-season games (leading up to the series opener agains the Twins), Durbin's been anything but a fit. He's slashing .106/.208/.128 with a wRC+ of one (1) across his first 53 Red Sox plate appearances. The bright spot is, relative to his batting average, he's finding himself on base a fairly decent amount; he's drawn four walks and been hit by two pitches. But the fact remains, he's opened his Red Sox career in a 5-for-47 skid. Durbin had some helium surrounding him going back to his torrid pace in the 2024 Arizona Fall League, then a member of the New York Yankees organization. That helium resulted in him being dealt as a headlining piece for All-Star reliever Devin Williams. A year later, he's part of a six-player trade that sends former top prospect Kyle Harrison, fellow left-hander Shane Drohan, as well as much-maligned infielder David Hamilton back to Milwaukee. Two offseasons in a row, Durbin found himself changing organizations. That can't be a comfortable position to be in, but it was a position he seemed to face head-on with the Brewers. Last year, he finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting, posting 2.6 fWAR with the third-most hits among the freshman class. His knack for getting his nose dirty made him an endearing player in Milwaukee, whose style of play helps them play well above expectations over 162 games, despite not necessarily carrying over into October. His 24 hit by pitches finished second in baseball, one ahead of now-teammate Willson Contreras. Coupled with him being short in stature, it was hard to not at least understand why some Red Sox fans drew comparisons to Dustin Pedroia, who hit .299 for his career from 2006 through 2019 -- all with Boston. But aside from his play style and frame, that's it for similarities between the two. Unless you want to count the influence of now Brewers manager Pat Murphy. There's just no way Durbin's .106 average and .336 OPS hold up as he gets more comfortable in Boston (and he already started breaking out of that slump against Minnesota). That said, what would a turnaround for him actually look like? Caleb Durbin Doing More of the Same Should Lead to Better Results One of my personal criticisms of the response to this trade was the notion that because Durbin finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, he had some incredibly high ceiling. Last year, he slashed .256/.334/.387 with a 105 wRC+ in 136 games. That's far from bad, but it's not super impactful. Ultimately, it's better to have a fringe/average bat than a bad one in your lineup, especially when that someone is merely a fine defender at his primary position. However, a lot went right for him to emerge as a 105 wRC+ guy in 2025. For starters, his batted ball profile mirrors that of guys like Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas. Neither player is bad, but they're not hitters you expect to contribute at a high-end level. According to Statcast's Affinity metric, used to compare hitters based on their batted ball data, says the most comparable bat to Durbin in 2025 was Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel. To put that into perspective, Schanuel slashed .264/.353/.389 with a 109 wRC+ last year. Again, not bad, but hardly someone Red Sox fans dubbed a trade target this winter when there was a glaring need at first base. Durbin's 2025 Baseball Savant Page* Durbin's batted ball data suggested a proficiency for making contact, but not a whole lot of damaging contact. He hit 11 home runs, the most he's ever hit in a professional season, but he's not a guy whose swing generates a lot of power, even with a 20.4% Pull Air rate in 2025. So far, he's pulling it in the air at just a 13.9% clip in 2026, so perhaps an easy fix is generating more pull, but is it really that simple? How Are Pitchers Attacking Him? Pretty much exactly the same way they attacked him last year. I scoured Baseball Savant for a while trying to find a different game plan from the opposition. There isn't one. Last year, Durbin saw fastballs on the inner third of the plate on 9.4% of pitches. This year, 9.4% as well. Last year, Durbin saw fastballs on the outer third 9.7% of his pitches; this year, 9.4. Last year, he saw offspeed pitches 9.1% of the time; this year, up to 10.5. He's seeing fastballs at a slightly elevated rate in general, 62.3% versus 57.3% last year, but he's just not finding green. He's only whiffing against fastballs 7.8% of his swings against them. His exit velocity against them is up from 84.4 mph to 86.2 mph on average. The marked difference is his launch angle is down from 14 degrees to just eight in 2026. His contact is firmer, but the line drives are more topspin than anything. His swing path is one degree to the pull side, down from four degrees last year. His ideal attack angle is negligible, but this is a game oftentimes of millimeters. He's basically in a perfect storm of mishitting the baseball. The Good News is... It's all fixable with a change in his swing mechanics. As mentioned, there's no marked difference in how the opposition is attacking him, save for slightly more fastballs that, early on, is too soon to tell if it'll stick all year. If he can get lean back into what worked for him last year, generating more pulled contact in the air (even without a ton of power), there's still a pathway for him to be productive, especially in Fenway. Additionally, because the season has started so poorly for him, getting back to even what he was in 2025 will require a white-hot stretch in all likelihood. Right now, he's lukewarm. Despite already falling out of favor within the fan base -- which is a bit ridiculous -- he's slowly started getting it going of late. After starting the season 0-for-18 with a walk, good for a -92 wRC+ across 19 plate appearances, he's 5-for-his-last-29 with three walks, two hit by pitches, and five runs batted in. Include the first game agains the Twins, and he's 7-for-34. While saying people should be grateful for his .172 batting average over that span is a bit silly, that .294 on-base is actually fifth on the team since April 3; minimum 10 plate appearances. This is not a sexy player. When he's rolling, it'll be very old school-oriented with an array of line drive singles and doubles. Expecting him to be more than the player he is was unfair from jump street. He's not Rafael Devers; he's not even Alex Bregman. He's Caleb Durbin. View the full article

The Miami Marlins have played solid ball early in the 2026 season, as reflected in their 9-8 record and positive run differential. But it hasn't consistently felt that way. During each of their first two visits to northern cities, the quality of their play has eroded in all facets, from hitting and pitching to baserunning and fielding to simple decision-making. Coincidence, or is there something to be said for Floridians being adversely affected when they encounter a climate dramatically different from their own? How have the Marlins performed historically when playing in cold conditions? Here's what I found. For starters, we have to establish what qualifies as "cold weather" for the Marlins. The baseline temperature at loanDepot park with the roof closed is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Stathead allows users to search for games based on their first-pitch temperature, so I ran a query of all games in franchise history that were at least 15 degrees colder than the LDP standard (57°F or lower). That produced a sample of 185 games, including at least one from every Marlins season with the exception of 2020, when COVID delayed Opening Day until the summer. When playing ball at <57°F, the Fish have an all-time record of 78-107 (.422 winning percentage). They've gone 1-3 in the cold so far in 2026, playing two such games apiece against the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Using first-pitch temperature is not perfect. What about when it's slightly above 57° as a night game gets underway, but the majority of the game (including its highest-leverage moments) take place under "cold" conditions? Stathead found an additional 44 Marlins night games between 58°-60°—their record was 19-25 (a comparable .431 W-L%). For context, the Marlins have an all-time .461 W-L% overall, which is a 75-win pace over a typical 162-game season. When it's cold (based on my original parameters), they perform at a 68-win pace. Is that statistically significant? I don't think so. The gap would be smaller if we counted cold postseason games. The Marlins are 6-2 in those, with one of those victories being the 2003 World Series clincher. But the biggest variable to adjust for is location. Every cold game in Marlins history has been a road game. The franchise's road winning percentage (.421 W-L%) is practically identical to its cold winning percentage. The Marlins could potentially be battling cold conditions again on their next road trip, which begins with three games at San Francisco's Oracle Park (April 24-26). The following trip includes a visit to Target Field in Minneapolis (May 12-14). View the full article

Entering this past weekend, Brandon Valenzuela had played exactly one full MLB game in his career. The Blue Jays acquired the catcher ahead of the trade deadline last summer. They selected his contract last fall to prevent him from leaving in minor league free agency. When Alejandro Kirk fractured his thumb earlier this month, Valenzuela got his first call to the show. The 25-year-old started once against the White Sox and once against the Dodgers, although he didn't finish the L.A. game; Tyler Heineman pinch-hit for Valenzuela (and went down on strikes as the final out of a 4-1 Blue Jays loss). Valenzuela also came in to catch the final innings of the other two games against the Dodgers after Heineman was removed for a pinch-hitter in one and a pinch-runner in the other. Before the Twins series, that was the extent of Valenzuela's big league experience. One base hit and four strikeouts in eight plate appearances. Twenty defensive innings behind the dish. A couple of bad throws and a couple of wild pitches past him. Then, Valenzuela stepped up. With Heineman suffering from back spasms, John Schneider asked Valenzuela to start all three games over the weekend. The schedule gave him less than 20 hours to rest between each. He caught 11 different pitchers over 27 innings, and he may deserve more credit than the overall results suggest. Although the Blue Jays lost two of three, giving up 19 runs on 21 hits and six home runs, it was only the starters who struggled. That was Patrick Corbin, who was making his first start after missing spring training and pitching only one ramp-up game in the minors; Eric Lauer, who was getting over a bad illness; and Max Scherzer, who is pitching through forearm tendinitis. Meanwhile, the relievers combined for a remarkable 15.1 innings of scoreless baseball, giving up just five hits and striking out 20. I'm much more inclined to give Valenzuela credit for helping the bullpen than I am to blame him for the starters' struggles. Valenzuela also recorded his first career caught stealing and his first infield assists, while showing off great framing skills (53.1% called strike rate on takes in the shadow zone), elite pop times (avg. 1.88 seconds), and an ability to work well with the ABS challenge system. Brandon Valenzuela catches Austin Martin stealing second base (pop time 1.86 seconds). Then there was what he did when he was standing at the plate instead of crouching behind it. The Blue Jays aren't asking Valenzuela for much at the plate. As a defense-first catching prospect thrust into a major league role, he only needs to be slightly better than a black hole in the nine hole. The jury is still out on whether or not he can do that long-term, but he certainly succeeded on Friday. He had his first multi-hit game, scored his first runs, and earned his first RBIs. That included crushing his very first big league homer (and, just as importantly, receiving his first Gatorade-esque sports drink drenching to celebrate). At 111.4 mph off the bat, it was Toronto's hardest-hit home run of the season. Valenzuela went hitless in the next two games of the series, though he drew his first big league walk on Sunday. His discipline has always been solid in the minors, but it took him 17 plate appearances in the majors to take a base on balls. Hopefully, that walk was another sign that he's getting a little more comfortable against this new level of competition. We talk a lot about small sample sizes here at Jays Centre, especially at this time of year. One weekend of baseball is, of course, a small sample. Yet, for Valenzuela, this weekend series against the Twins was so much more than just the 27 innings he caught and the 11 times he came to the plate. It was his first real taste of what it means to be an everyday MLB catcher, and it was a signal that the Blue Jays trust him to take on that role, at least temporarily. It was a big weekend for a player who's taking on more responsibility than he or his team expected he would. The pressure was on, and Brandon Valenzuela stepped up. View the full article

After a series in Detroit where the Miami Marlins were swept and scored only three runs on 14 hits, they immediately bounced back to begin their first series against a National League East opponent. The Marlins scored 10 runs against the mighty Atlanta Braves in Monday's win, thanks to a season-high 16 hits. "One through nine, really a terrific effort," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough after the game. "We moved the ball around the field. There were a lot of hits the other way. Early on, we took what we were given and stayed through the middle." It all started in the top of the fourth inning, when Liam Hicks knocked in his 14th RBI of the season on a sac fly. Otto Lopez drove in a second run on an RBI single. Connor Norby capped off the inning with an RBI single, extending it to a 3-0 lead. Tied at three in the top of the fifth inning, Agustín Ramírez unloaded for his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, retaking the lead, 6-3. The ball left the bat at 105.2 mph and went 418 feet to left field. In the following inning, Norby hit his second home run of the season on the first pitch of his at-bat against Braves reliever Rolddy Muñoz. He took Muñoz 380 feet deep to left field to make it 7-4. Ramírez and Hicks then knocked in back-to-back RBI singles. Hicks also drove in the 10th Marlins run in the top of the eighth. All nine guys in the Marlins lineup connected for base hits, with five of them having multi-hit days. Ramírez and Hicks combined to go 6-for-8 with seven RBI. This marked the first time since September 17, 2023 that Miami has scored 10 runs against the Braves. Eury Pérez, who's coming off an up-and-down start against the Cincinnati Reds at home, saw similar results after the first inning of work on Monday. Pérez tossed four innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out two. Both of Pérez's strikeouts came in the bottom of the first inning, getting Ronald Acuña Jr. swinging with his sweeper and overpowering Matt Olson with a fastball to finish the inning. Pérez's fastball topped out at 100.3 mph and generated four whiffs. He located the fastball well early in counts, landing it for first-pitch strikes eight times on 10 attempts. However, Pérez failed to record a strikeout from that point forward. His secondary offerings just weren't all that impressive (seven total whiffs). The Braves began sitting on his fastball, which he used 51% of the time, and crushing it. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Braves tacked on three runs. Back-to-back RBI singles for Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski made it a 3-2 game. A Dominic Smith sac fly tied it up. Pérez finished the game averaging 19 pitches per inning. In that bottom of the fourth, he threw 30 pitches, which prevented him from going deeper into this start. "He really came strong out of the gates, looked fantastic, but just lost a little feel in the latter part of his outing," McCullough said. Still only 22 years old (turning 23 on Wednesday), Pérez has already shown a great fastball and a deep enough arsenal to be a complete starter. Clearly, though, there is a lot of room for improvement. He needs to mix his pitches better, and even on the mental side, he seems frustrated when things don't go well and that bleeds into his performance. Through four appearances this season, Pérez has a 5.40 ERA and the highest FIP on the entire Marlins pitching staff at 5.69, which shouldn't be the case given his talent. Thankfully for Pérez, the Marlins bullpen had his back, allowing two hits through the remainder of the game. As a group, they struck out eight Bravos. Lake Bachar setting a season-high for himself with four of those. With the win, the Marlins improve to 9-8 on the season. They will try to do the same again on Tuesday and take their first series against Atlanta since September 15-17, 2023. Max Meyer, who is coming off a fine start against the Reds, will take the mound for Miami. View the full article

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB (95 pitches, 68 strikes) Home Runs: Jeffers (2), Buxton (1), Kreidler (1), Caratini (1) Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee 0.11, Ryan Jeffers 0.10, Bailey Ober 0.09 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Twins came into Monday night with a distinction few guessed they would hold at any point this season: They were the hottest team in baseball. After entering the season with low expectations, Minnesota returned home from a weekender in Toronto having won six of their last seven games. That stretch included a four-game sweep of the heavily favored Detroit Tigers and a series win on the road against the reigning American League champions. The competition wasn’t letting up, though, with one of the game’s premier left-handed pitchers waiting on the mound. Garrett Crochet entered the game as the reigning American League Cy Young runner-up, fresh off a strong outing against Milwaukee. On paper, it looked like a tough matchup for a Twins lineup that many questioned heading into the season, particularly against left-handed pitching. Through the first couple weeks, though, Minnesota has proved capable against top arms like Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez. They did it again on Monday night, and then some. The Twins jumped on Crochet immediately in the first inning. Austin Martin and Luke Keaschall opened the game with back-to-back doubles, setting the tone. A couple of Red Sox miscues made things worse for them, and by the time it was over, the Twins had pushed four runs across the plate. They didn’t slow down in the second. Ryan Jeffers lined a bases-loaded RBI single. Josh Bell followed with a two-run double, and then the power surge arrived. Victor Caratini left the yard, and Ryan Kreidler delivered the loudest swing of the night—a 438-foot blast into the second deck. It was just the third home run of Kreidler’s career, in nearly 400 plate appearances, and it blew the game wide-open: 11-0, before some fans had even settled in. Crochet had no answers. The Twins tagged him for nine hits and 10 earned runs without a single strikeout in just an inning and two-thirds. It was one of the most impressive offensive showings against an elite pitcher in recent memory. The offense kept rolling even after Crochet exited. In the fifth inning, Byron Buxton launched his first home run of the season, becoming Target Field's home run leader in the process. Then Ryan Jeffers added another, giving him a three-hit, three-RBI night that pushed his early season OPS to .952. All that run support made for a relatively low-stress night for Bailey Ober. The right-hander has faced his share of questions early this season, particularly with a dip in velocity, but Monday offered some encouraging signs. Ober worked six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out seven. He generated 13 whiffs and saw his fastball tick up to 89.4 mph, a noticeable jump from his season average. It wasn’t dominant, but it was progress. The biggest damage against Ober came on a two-run home run from Jarren Duran in the third inning, but with the offense providing such a cushion, it never felt like the game was slipping. Eric Orze ran into some trouble in the seventh, allowing a pair of runs, but the outcome was never truly in doubt. Garrett Acton handled the final two innings, helping the Twins preserve the bullpen and close out a 13-6 win. The victory pushes Minnesota to 9-7 on the season and marks their seventh win in their last eight games. For a team that entered the year with modest expectations, the early stretch has been eye-opening. What's Next The Twins will look to keep it going Tuesday evening, as they aim for their third straight series win. Mick Abel is set to take the mound against an old friend, Sonny Gray, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM CT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Report THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Morris 0 0 0 67 0 67 Banda 0 36 0 0 0 36 Funderburk 0 0 17 0 0 17 Acton 35 0 0 0 33 35 Topa 0 12 0 12 0 24 Sands 0 0 22 0 0 22 Rogers 0 30 0 0 0 30 Orze 14 0 0 0 23 14 View the full article

However hard it is to keep a good team down, it's even harder for said good team to find itself in a groove. With eight current big leaguers on the Chicago Cubs' roster currently on the IL, Lady Luck has been less than kind to Craig Counsell's ball club in the early going. With Cade Horton out for the season and the return dates of both Matthew Boyd and Justin Steele unknown, the depth of Jed Hoyer's club is being tested in ways no one expected. Adversity finds its way into most MLB clubhouses, but after already having encountered more than their fair share, how the North Siders respond now will say much about where their season goes from here. Said North Siders started their week in St. Petersburg, Florida, playing the role of visitors at Tropicana Field, which hosted its first game since 2024, when the ballpark sustained severe damage in Hurricane Milton. As has often been the case, Cubbies starter Jameson Taillon struggled early, surrendering four runs across the second and third innings. The Cubs collected four runs on four hits, unable to generate any real traffic on the bases. They dropped the series opener to the Rays 6-4. Chicago has yet to produce much in the way of what ought to be the right formula for offensive production in this first full month of the season. Be that as it may, the bats hummed, rattled, and shook themselves awake in the second of three contests versus Tampa Bay. The squad swung the bats with the level of ease and confidence it would need to climb the ranks of its division. The offensive outburst was anchored by Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong, who connected on his first home run of the 2026 campaign. Despite Crow-Armstrong's frustrations at the plate, he's provided tangible evidence that he might return to his 2025 form sometime in the near future. Building on their success from the previous outing, the North Siders took the series against the Rays in a convincing yet cathartic fashion. Filling in as a starter for Counsell's depleted rotation, Colin Rea hurled a valiant five innings, keeping the Rays honest by recovering from two walks given up. Quietly ascending as a leader on this ball club, Nico Hoerner delivered clutch knocks for his squad, including his first big fly of the young season. Dating back to last year, few starting pitchers in the majors needed a "get right" game more than the squad's enigmatic lefty Shota Imanaga. And boy did he get it. Over the course of several starts, Imanaga had started to garner a reputation for giving up home runs early in contests, putting his squad behind the proverbial "hole" before they're able to get off the ground. Adjustments in his release from the mound seem to have shored up his mechanical issues. Imanaga dazzled, going six no-hit innings opposite the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alas, his pitch count was too great for him to continue his pursuit of history in this contest, giving way to reliever Caleb Thielbar. In circumstances such as this one, thinking about what's unfolding, let alone speaking of it, can disrupt the order established by the baseball gods. Almost on cue, Thielbar labored, allowing the Bucs leadoff runner aboard before surrendering a homer to Jason Reynolds. In one swing of the bat, Imanaga's Herculean effort on the mound was reduced to a footnote as his squad's offense once again could not come through in the clutch in a 2-0 loss. The 150-year-old baseball team known as the Chicago Cubs is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its iconic 2016 World Series championship squad. The exhilarated milestone is being commemorated in a myriad of ways, including the return of key players like Ben Zobrist. The vibes around Wrigley were as electric as the energy emanating from the Aon Center, with one of its most cherished heroes returning to the city that made him a legend. Sadly, while the fans safely secured their Zobrist bobbleheads, the Cubs were unable to rally back from an early 3-0 deficit. A desperate, ninth-inning rally knotted things up versus the Pirates, giving the folks at 1060 West Addison free baseball. Squandering multiple opportunities to complete the dramatic comeback, a throwing error on a slow roller back to the mound afforded the Pirates the chance to plate what would become the game and series-winning run. The North Siders fell 4-3 in eleven innings. For so many of us, in multiple arenas in life, getting out of our own way is the hardest thing to do. This truism rang true for starter Jameson Taillon, who bookended one uninspiring start earlier in the week with another. The veteran hurler saddled his squad with an early 5-0 mountain to climb. Though he went on to settle in and fan 10 Pittsburgh batters, Taillon's performance deflated the spirits of a home crowd clad in their finest summer attire. All signs in this game pointed to a would-be sweep, the first at Wrigley Field since 2019. This admirable club, which is full of potential, had other plans, however. Entering the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, Michael Busch stepped up to the plate, toting around a woeful 0-30 stretch to start the season. The clouds lifted when he put a bloop single into center field, knotting the game up on the strength of some superb base running. Daniel Palencia blanked the Buccos in the ninth, setting the stage for Carson Kelly's walk-off knock to the center field warning track. Though the victory merely salvaged one game of the three-game set, the heroics of the comeback for the Cubbies symbolized a shift in tenor for a team that was visibly disturbed and pushing too hard to manifest its expected results. Having lifted the clouds from what could have been a sobering sweep at home, the Cubs now look to establish some momentum as they travel to Citizens Bank Field to do battle with the Phillies for three games. Consistency will be the key for this lineup as it seeks the rhythm necessary to play sustainable, winning baseball. With spirits lifted from the energizing victory over a division foe, this next series in Philadelphia affords this Cubs squad the chance to get its record above the .500 mark for the first time in 2026. Before the season, that would not have sounded like much, but with the club laboring out of the gate, it would be a sign of good things to come. View the full article

Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 4-2 Runs Scored Last Week: 23 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 17 Standings: 5th in AL East 2 GB of 1st Place Transactions: 4/06/26: Red Sox activated RHP Garrett Whitlock from the paternity list. 4/06/26: Red Sox optioned RHP Tyler Uberstine to Worcester Red Sox. 4/07/26: Red Sox signed free agent RHP Markel Vargas to a minor league contract. 4/07/26: Red Sox signed free agent C Dylan Mara to a minor league contract. 4/08/26: Red Sox place RHP Justin Slaten on 15-day inured list (retroactive to April 5) with a right oblique strain. 4/08/26: Red Sox recalled LHP Tyler Samaniego from Worcester Red Sox. 4/08/26: Red Sox sent LHP Patric Sandoval on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 4/09/26: Red Sox sent 2B Anthony Seigler on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox. 4/10/26: Red Sox optioned 2B Anthony Seigler to Worcester Red Sox. 4/10/26: Red Sox activated 2B Anthony Seigler from the 10-day injured list. Scores: Game 10 (4/06): BOS 6, MIL 8 Game 11 (4/07): BOS 3, MIL 2 Game 12 (4/08): BOS 5, MIL 0 Game 13 (4/10): BOS 2, STL 3 Game 14 (4/11): BOS 7, STL 1 Game 15 (4/12): BOS 9, STL 3 Series Breakdown/Highlights Milwaukee Series: This was likely a series that many counted the Red Sox out of before the first pitch of the game. After game one, it seemed like we were in for more of the same. There were the Willson Contreras fireworks, the promise to “take one of them out” if the Brewers hit him again, and a collapse in the late innings after both teams battled back and forth for the majority of the contest. Game two saw what could be one of the best pitching duels of the season, Garrett Crochet against Jacob Misiorowski. They went hitter for hitter throughout the first six innings until the Red Sox broke through against the Miz and plated three runs, thanks to some timely walks. Crochet wasn’t perfect, surrendering two runs of his own in 6 ⅓ innings, but his seven strikeouts helped to right the ship against the Brewers. In game three, the Red Sox welcomed old friend Shane Drohan to the big leagues by tagging him for three earned runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Sonny Gray tossed a second gem in a row, going 6 ⅓ innings allowing three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Cardinals Series: The Red Sox looked to unleash their offensive firepower against former teammate Dustin May in the weekend opener. Instead, May turned in his best start of the season. He held the Red Sox to one earned run over 6 innings pitched with no walks and four strikeouts. Rookie Connelly Early struggled to find his control once again, surrendering one earned run over 4 ⅓ innings allowing five hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. After him, the Red Sox used four relievers out of an already taxed bullpen. Zack Kelly allowed two earned runs in ⅔ inning work while Tyler Samaniego, Greg Weissert, and Jovani Moran all worked clean innings, or part of innings, through the end of the game. On Saturday, the Red Sox erupted for seven runs, the first time they scored at least seven on the season. LHP Ranger Suarez tossed six scoreless innings, working six strikeouts and two walks. It was by far the sharpest he’s been since joining the Sox. Ceddanne Rafaela gave everyone a scare by taking a pitch off his hand, but stayed in the game. The team plated five runs in the top of the ninth. In the series finale, the Red Sox kept the same energy from the night before. They plated nine runs on the day, while Contreras notched a homer in the final game against his former team. Trevor Story had a bang up day, going four-for-five with two RBIs. Arguably most importantly. though, Brayan Bello looked mostly sharp logging 6 ⅔ innings while allowing six hits, two earned, two walks, and two strikeouts. Website Highlights Mikey Romero has Pushed Through Endless Adversity to Arrive on Boston’s Doorstep by Nick John Marcelo Mayer has Altered his Swing Path, and the Red Sox Should Benefit Soon by Jack Lindsay Connelly Early’s Strong Start Isn’t a Mirage, but There are Reasons for Concern by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead April 13: Red Sox (Garrett Crochet) @ Twins (Bailey Ober): 7:40 PM EDT April 14: Red Sox (Sonny Gray) @ Twins (Mick Abel): 7:40 PM EDT April 15: Red Sox (Connelly Early) @ Twins (Simeon Woods Richardson): 1:40 PM EDT April 17: Tigers @ Red Sox: 7:15 PM EDT April 18: Tigers @ Red Sox: 4:10 PM EDT April 19: Tigers @ Red Sox: 1:35 PM EDT View the full article

Padres' Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 6-1 Runs scored last week: 42 Runs allowed last week: 21 Standings Random Stats The Padres have won 11 of their last 13 meetings with the Pirates, with both losses being taken by Nick Pivetta. Via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres' slow start with the bats could be attributed to the quality of pitching they faced in the first 12 games. Per MLB Data Warehouse, had faced the nastiest pitching of any team in MLB based on Stuff+. The Rockies entered the series ranked last in staff nastiness. The Friars have captured the opener in each of their last two series after dropping the first game of their first three series of the season. Xander Bogaerts hit the 10th walk-off grand slam in Padres history and the first since Manny Machado on Aug. 19, 2020. The last time the Padres had back-to-back walk-off homers was June 11-12, 2024, against the Oakland A's. The second one came off Mason Miller, courtesy of Jackson Merrill. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s three-hit game Saturday was the 200th multi-hit game of his career. Transactions Friday: Placed RHP Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis. Friday: Activated RHP Jason Adam (left quad) from the 15-day injured list. Website Highlights Miller's unholy evolution mirrors that of Diaz — N.B. Lindberg Tatis is crushing baseballs, but his timing is way off — Randy Holt Can Campusano (finally) break the Padres' catching curse? — Brendan Dentino Padres history: Rushing prospects up the minor-league ranks and what it means for Schoolcraft — Joe Naiman The numbers behind Craig Stammen's tinkering with the Padres' lineup — Steve Drumwright Will the real Nick Pivetta please stand up? — Andy Johnson Looking Ahead Monday: Off Tuesday: Mariners (Bryan Woo) at Padres (Michael King), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Mariners (Emerson Hancock) at Padres (Randy Vasquez), 6:40 p.m. Thursday: Mariners (Luis Castillo) at Padres (Walker Buehler), 5:40 p.m. Friday: Padres (German Marquez) at Angels, 6:38 p.m. Saturday: Padres (TBA) at Angels, 6:38 p.m. Sunday: Padres (Michael King) at Angels, 1:07 p.m. View the full article

Cubs' starting first baseman Michael Busch is hitting well below .200 to start the 2026 season. While he had an exciting RBI knock in the Cubs' come-from-behind win to cap off a series with the Pirates, will Busch break out of this dry spell? We dove into his advanced analytics to find out how possible that is. Enjoy! View the full article

New York Mets Weekly Overview Record Last Week: 1-5 Runs Scored Last Week: 12 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 33 Standings: 5th in NL East 2.5 GB of 1st Place Transactions: 4/6 New York Mets placed RF Juan Soto on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 4, 2026. Right calf strain. 4/6 New York Mets recalled 3B Ronny Mauricio from Syracuse Mets. 4/9 New York Mets sent LHP A.J. Minter on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets. 4/11 New York Mets designated LHP Richard Lovelady for assignment. 4/11 New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Craig Kimbrel from St. Lucie Mets. 4/12 New York Mets designated RHP Luis García for assignment. 4/12 New York Mets recalled RHP Joey Gerber from Syracuse Mets Scores: Game 10 (4/07): NYM 4, ARI 3 Game 11 (4/08): NYM 2, ARI 7 Game 12 (4/09): NYM 1, ARI 7 Game 13 (4/10): NYM 0, ATH 4 Game 14 (4/11): NYM 6, ATH 11 Game 15 (4/12): NYM 0, ATH 1 TL;DR Breakdown/Highlights Diamondbacks Series: The Mets offense struggled in their three-game series against the D-backs. In game one, they took Arizona to extra innings, and thanks to Ronny Mauricio walk-off RBI single, they got their lone win of the series, 4-3. In game two, the offensive struggles showed. David Peterson struggled for the second straight outing, giving up five runs in five innings. The Mets lineup scored just two runs late in the game to avoid the shutout. In the rubber match, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead on a Luis Robert Jr. home run into the atmosphere. The Mets rode that 1-0 lead into the sixth inning with Nolan McLean dealing. He was pulled from the game with two on and one out in favor of Luke Weaver. Weaver surrendered four runs and the lead. The Mets bullpen allowed seven runs in the 7-1 loss on Thursday. Athletics Series: After losing the last two to the Diamondbacks, the Athletics came to town for a three-game series at Citi Field. Clay Holmes got the start in the first game of the series and gave up just one run in 5.1 innings. Holmes was pulled with an apparent injury, but is scheduled to make his next start against the Dodgers, according to the Mets game notes Sunday. That one run was all the Athletics needed as they shut the Mets out on six hits. The A’s added some insurance runs in the ninth inning against Tobias Myers and Richard Lovelady. Saturday was no better for the Mets, as Kodai Senga struggled in his outing, giving up seven runs in 2.1 innings of work, including two home runs in the third inning alone. The Mets would fight to come back, including Bo Bichette hitting his first home run as a Met, before Weaver allowed four runs in the top of the eighth inning. Sunday was the most embarrassing game of the series. With Freddy Peralta on the mound for the Mets they needed a win. Peralta held up his end of the bargain, giving up one run over 6.0 innings of work. Yet the Mets' offense was unable to score for the second time in three games of the series, and they lost 1-0. Website Highlights Tobias Myers Is Walking Nobody While Throwing Fewer Strikes. How? (By Brandon Glick) Mets Should Have An Action Plan To Help Alleviate Carson Benge's Slow MLB Start (By Andres Chavez) There's No Replacing Juan Soto, But The Mets Will Do Their Best ((By Andres Chavez) Looking Ahead April 13th (at LAD, 10:10pm EST): LHP David Peterson (0-2, 6.14) vs. LHP Justin Wrobleski (1-0, 4.00) April 14th (at LAD, 10:10pm EST): RHP Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.70) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 2.50) April 15th (at LAD, 10:10pm EST): RHP Clay Holmes (2-1, 1.50) vs. RHP Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00) April 16th: OFF April 17th (at CHC): 2:20pm EST April 18th (at CHC): 2:20pm EST April 19th (at CHC): 2:20pm EST View the full article

Luis Lara, Blake Burke and Jesus Made are all having a remarkable start to their 2026 MiLB seasons. Lara has been known for flashing his glove, but the bat is coming around. Burke is on an absurd home run pace through the first week and a half of play. Made just continues to drop jaws, with his two-triple performance last week being the latest superb example. Here is a breakdown of these three up-and-coming Brewers. Enjoy!View the full article

With a lot of the Twins' top prospects in Triple-A, many good players are being overlooked at Double-A Wichita to begin 2026. Jamie and Jermey go over the names to know with the Wind Surge to start 2026. View the full article

When the MLB All-Star Game rolls around each summer, it serves as more than just a midseason showcase of the game’s brightest stars. It is also a reflection of the people shaping the sport behind the scenes. This year, the Minnesota Twins will have representation in the dugout as well, with manager Derek Shelton earning a spot on the American League coaching staff. Shelton has been tapped to join the American League staff for the 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, a role extended by John Schneider, who will lead the AL squad after guiding the Toronto Blue Jays to the AL pennant. While All-Star managers typically lean on their own coaching staff, they are also given the opportunity to bring in an outside voice. Schneider’s choice of Shelton speaks volumes. The connection between the two goes back nearly a decade. In 2017, Shelton was working in a quality control role within Toronto’s system, while Schneider was managing at the High-A level. Their paths crossed early, and the respect built during that time clearly stuck. That relationship resurfaced this spring when Schneider reached out personally to invite Shelton to join him for the Midsummer Classic. This will not be Shelton’s first experience on an All-Star staff. Back in 2023, he was managing the Pittsburgh Pirates when Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson selected him to be part of the National League staff. That opportunity came during a difficult stretch in Pittsburgh, but it underscored how Shelton was viewed across the league. Even as the results lagged, his peers recognized his baseball acumen and leadership. That reputation has carried over to his current role in Minnesota. Early in the 2026 season, the Twins have looked like a club with direction and energy. Whether it is lineup construction, bullpen usage, or simply the tone set in the clubhouse, Shelton has helped guide a team that is outperforming expectations. Managers rarely get full credit when things go right, but they are often first in line when things go wrong. In this case, Shelton deserves acknowledgment for helping steady the ship. The All-Star Game coaching nod is not about one hot stretch or a handful of wins in April. It is about trust, relationships, and respect built over years in the game. Being chosen twice by two different managers in separate leagues reinforces that Shelton is valued well beyond his own clubhouse. As the All-Star break approaches, Shelton will step onto one of baseball’s biggest stages once again. This time, he does so representing a Twins team that is attempting to build something meaningful. It may only be a few days in July, but it is another sign that Minnesota’s manager is earning his place among the game’s most respected voices. For a franchise looking to turn the page and establish consistency, that is exactly the kind of recognition that matters. View the full article

What have we made of Jameson Taillon so far? How good has the starting rotation been? And a preview of Cubs vs. Phillies! Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-north-side-baseball-podcast/id1798599313 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75wMGhBwlrDDYPt3kaF453 Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-north-side-baseball-po-268998437/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/eey7h6ih Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@northsidebaseball View the full article

It isn’t even halfway through April, and the Chicago Cubs’ pitching depth is already noticeably depleted. We got the news last week that the Cubs would be without sophomore starter Cade Horton for the rest of the season, due to a UCL injury. That came after the team placed Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd on the 15-day IL with a biceps strain. Before the season, the Cubs had some of the better rotation depth in baseball. Horton and Boyd were set to lead the rotation, with Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Edward Cabrera to follow. Swingman extraordinaire Colin Rea was in the bullpen, but could easily slot into the rotation. The underrated, dependable Javier Assad was stashed in Triple-A, along with top prospect Jaxon Wiggins. Oh, and their ace lefty, Justin Steele, would be showing up midseason. Now, what looked like a deep group has thinned out substantially, and there might be a need for outside reinforcement. It's not just Boyd and Horton. Top offseason relief additions Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey are already on the shelf. Jordan Wicks and Porter Hodge have been sidelined since February. Wiggins has a sore arm. Even some of the way-down-the-list guys in Iowa are out of commission. Well, there is one right-handed pitcher who posted 2.1 bWAR last season and remains unsigned: veteran starter Lucas Giolito. Last season with Boston, he pitched to a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings, but with a more worrisome 4.17 FIP and fanGraphs xERA of 5.01, signaling his good results were a bit better than his actual performance. His 19.7% strikeout rate was his lowest since 2018, before he turned the corner and became a mid-rotation workhorse for the White Sox. Last season marked his return to the mound after a second Tommy John surgery that cost him 2024. Due to that injury, and his age (31), there is more than enough reason to believe that Giolito can be better in 2026—but also enough uncertainty hanging over him to keep his market tepid. So why has he not been signed? There seems to be a pretty large disconnect between what Giolito thinks he's worth and what teams are comfortable paying him. He turned down a $19-million option with the Red Sox, certainly thinking he could secure a longer-term pact. Now that the season has begun, that gamble is looking more and more foolish by the week, especially considering the lack of success for pitchers who sign after Opening Day. No projections have him pitching to an ERA better than 4.50 for 2026, so he's not headed for a multi-year payday or anything. It seems unlikely, though, that he'll play for less than an eight-figure (prorated) salary. Robert Murray of FanSided said the Cubs are “most likely” to move forward with their internal options instead of pursuing Giolito, but if his price tag comes down, then the Cubs should seriously consider the addition. At this point in his career, he's not exactly a sexy addition to the front half of a rotation, but he could provide competitive innings. Imanaga looks great this year so far, but he had injury issues a season ago. Boyd and Cabrera have each spent an unfortunately large portion of their careers on the IL, and Steele is returning from a serious injury that cost him nearly all of last season. This need already feels pressing, and it's likely to get worse, not better. Though Giolito was mostly healthy last season, he was scratched in the postseason due to more elbow troubles, so there is still an injury risk here. But who else can the Cubs turn to? It's (probably) too early in the season for the trade market to take shape, and the remaining free agents not named Giolito include Nestor Cortes, Jon Gray, old friend Marcus Stroman, Alex Cobb and Frankie Montas. Giolito is younger and coming off a better season than all five of those other pitchers, so for the right price, he is really the only legitimate option who can slide into a rotation in the next month—if, indeed, even he can. As of today, the Cubs are 7-8, good for last place in the NL Central. The main focus has been an anemic offense. It's too early to start waiving the red flags with that group, which is just getting up to speed, but it's not too early to explore pitching depth in a depleted rotation. Last year, the Cubs' chief rivals found Quinn Priester in a seemingly desperate April trade to patch holes in their own rotation. The Cubs don't have the Brewers' organizational depth or acuity in moves like those, though, so they have to more seriously consider an expensive alternative. View the full article

The minor-league season is barely underway, but it hasn't taken long for a handful of Minnesota Twins prospects to separate themselves from the pack. While prospect rankings and preseason hype provide a roadmap, early performance still matters. It shapes opportunity, forces promotions, and can completely alter a player’s trajectory within the organization. From Triple-A down to Low-A, there is already at least one player at each affiliate whose stock is trending upward. Whether it's a former top prospect reinforcing his profile or an under-the-radar name making noise, these early standouts are giving the Twins plenty to think about. Triple A St. Paul Saints: Connor Prielipp Stat Line: 3 G, 10 2/3 IP, 2.53 ERA, 7 H, 3 ER, 14 K, 7 BB, 1.31 WHIP The St. Paul roster is loaded with talent, especially on the position player side. Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, and Emmanuel Rodriguez have all drawn attention, as expected, but it's Prielipp who has quietly made one of the strongest early impressions. Pitching in the hitter-friendly International League is never easy, but Prielipp has held his own. As the top pitching prospect in the organization (currently ranked fifth overall by Twins Daily), expectations are already high. His strikeout ability has been evident, with 14 punchouts in just over 10 innings, showcasing the swing-and-miss arsenal that made him such an intriguing arm. The walks are elevated, and that is something to monitor, but early-season weather and inconsistent conditions could be playing a role. There's been speculation about a future bullpen role, but outings like these suggest he still has a legitimate chance to stick in the rotation. If he continues to refine his command, his stock could climb even higher. Double A Wichita Wind Surge: Ben Ross Stat Line: 9 G, .444/.500/.639 (1.139), 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 SB, 4 BB, 5 K Double-A is often where prospects define themselves, and Ross appears to understand the assignment. Drafted in the fifth round in 2022, Ross has spent parts of three seasons at this level and entered 2026 needing to prove he belongs in the organization’s long-term plans. So far, he has done exactly that. After posting a .671 OPS across 120 games last season, Ross has come out of the gate on fire. His .444 average and 1.139 OPS show a hitter who is not just making contact, but doing damage while controlling the strike zone. Perhaps just as important is his defensive versatility. Ross has already logged time at shortstop, third base, and even center field. That kind of flexibility enhances his value. At 24 years old, he's slightly older than the competition, but this is exactly what the Twins needed to see. If he sustains anything close to this production, he will quickly reestablish himself as a legitimate depth option. High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels: Eli Jones Stat Line: 3 G, 15 IP, 1.20 ERA, 5 H, 2 ER, 12 K, 1 BB, 0.40 WHIP Jones has taken a significant step forward. It's one of the more encouraging developments in the system. A seventh-round pick in 2024 out of South Carolina, Jones had a rocky introduction to pro ball last season. He posted a 5.13 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP across 100 innings in Fort Myers, walking 40 batters while striking out 84. The version of Jones showing up in 2026 looks completely different. Through his first three starts, he has been dominant. The most notable improvement is his control. After struggling with walks last year, he has issued just one free pass while attacking hitters with confidence. Opponents are batting just .098 against him, and his strikeout rate has jumped by over 4%. Even though he is slightly older for the level, this is exactly the kind of growth the Twins hoped to see from a college arm. If he continues to pitch like this, a move to Double-A could come sooner rather than later. Low A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: Dameury Pena Stat Line: 7 G, .476/.621/.524 (1.144), 1 2B, 3 SB, 7 BB, 2 K Pena is making the most of his second stint in Fort Myers, and his early performance is impossible to ignore. The 20-year-old infielder, signed out of the Dominican Republic, is still more than a year younger than the average player at this level, making his production even more impressive. After collecting 16 extra base hits and 28 stolen bases in 96 games last season, Pena is showing clear signs of growth. He currently leads the Florida State League in both batting average and on-base percentage while ranking near the top in OPS and steals. What stands out most is his approach. Seven walks compared to just two strikeouts highlight a player who is seeing the ball extremely well and making mature decisions at the plate. He has also chipped in on the bases and continues to gain experience defensively at both second base and in left field. For a young player repeating the level, this is exactly the kind of leap you want to see. His stock is trending upward in a big way. It's still early, and minor-league seasons are full of adjustments, but these four players have given the Twins a strong reason to pay attention. Each one represents a different type of prospect story, from a high upside arm trying to stick in the rotation to a young hitter beginning to translate tools into production. If these trends continue, promotions will follow, and roles within the organization will begin to shift. For now, though, these rising names are setting the tone across the farm system and showing that prospect stock can change quickly when performance matches potential. What performances have stood out so far? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 11-April 12) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 4-2 Season Record: 7-8 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox): 3-3 Season Record: 4-4 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants): 2-4 Season Record: 2-7 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets): 4-2 Season Record: 5-4 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 6-7 Series Opponent: Syracuse Mets(New York Mets) April 11: Josh Kasevich finally started to live up to his hype on Saturday, leading the Buffalo Bisons to a win. In the bottom of the first inning, Kasevich squared up a high changeup from Syracuse's starting pitcher, Carl Edwards Jr. and deposited the pitch over the fence in left field. The solo home run had an exit velocity of 100.5 mph, with a launch angle of 35°, and went 367 feet. In his second at-bat of the game during the third inning, he smoked a ball off the bat at 106.5 mph to center for an RBI double, scoring Yohendrick Pinango. The Bisons weren't done that inning, scoring another two runs on RBI singles from both Charles McAdoo and Riley Tirotta. Pinango capped off his big day at the plate as well, hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. For the game, Pinango reached base four times. In addition to his RBI double, he would walk three times. The run support from Buffalo's offense was more than enough for CJ Van Eyk, who had his best start of the season en route to the win. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball, didn't allow a run, and only walked two. The only thing missing from his dominance was strikeouts; he only managed to sit down one batter in that manner. Chase Lee and Jesse Hahn would come in and wrap up the game by combining for three innings of shutout baseball, as Buffalo won 5-0. April 12: Sunday was a bit of a coming out party for Charles McAdoo. He racked up three hits, including a double and an opposite-field home run, his first at Triple A. The three base knocks raised his average up to .325 for the season, but it wasn't enough to get the win, as the bullpen would falter late. McAdoo's home run would kick off the scoring in the fourth inning but would be all the Bisons would get until the ninth inning. Unfortunately for Buffalo, the bullpen could not hold on to the one-run lead. Brendon Little did his job out of the 'pen, pitching one inning and striking out three. It was Adam Macko that couldn't step up in the late innings, as he coughed up three extra-base hits and three runs, including a two-run home run to Nick Morabito. Buffalo made one last rally attempt in the bottom of the ninth, where they would load the bases with just one out, but only managed an RBI groundout by Josh Rivera. The next batter, Will Simoneit, struck out swinging to end the threat and the game, as Buffalo fell 3-2 and dropped back below .500 for the season. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 4-4 Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) April 11: Richard Gallardo took the mound for New Hampshire and was one of the few bright spots for them on the day. He went four innings, gave up two hits, zero earned runs, and struck out three batters. Alex Amalfi went the other four innings for the Fisher Cats, but he did surrender two runs, while striking out six hitters. New Hampshire scored first, taking the lead by one in the third inning on an Ismael Munguia RBI single. An RBI double and sacrifice fly for Portland would put them up for good in the fourth inning. New Hampshire would only manage five singles and a double in the game and lose 2-1. April 12: New Hampshire had the bats going tonight in a win over the Portland Sea Dogs. Portland took the early lead by one run on a Ronald Rosario double in the first. In the next half inning, the Fisher Cats took the lead on a Geovanny Planchart RBI single to first base and Cade Doughty's run-scoring double play groundout. Portland would add five more to take control of the game. In the sixth inning, that would change, though. Sean Keys blasted a two-run home run to get the scoring started. Later in the inning, three RBI singles brought in four runs, and Jace Bohrofen hit a two-run homer as well. An RBI groundout and Planchart's second RBI single of the inning would cap off the scoring, only once nine runs had crossed the plate in the frame. Jackson Hornung would homer in the ninth inning to go with a Nick Goodwin RBI triple to finish the scoring for New Hampshire, as they won big, 15-9. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 2-7 Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants) April 11: The Canadians' struggles continued, as Colby Holcombe took the bump for them. Holcombe was wild, walking four batters in less than three innings. He was able to escape relatively unscathed after some big jams, with an unassisted double play from Manny Beltre in the top of the second and a strikeout with runners on the corners to end the inning. He did give up a run in the top of the third, which brought Eminen Flores, who kept the Emeralds to one with 3.1 scoreless innings. J.R. Freethy scored the first run for Vancouver on a throwing error, but the game held firm until Jonathan Todd replaced Flores and gave up a sac fly in the eighth, and then he gave up another run in the ninth. The Canadians had a chance to tie it up after Tucker Toman brought it within one on an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to get him to cross the plate. April 12: With a series loss confirmed, the Canadians wanted to get back on track to end the series, and Johnny King set the tone, giving up only one hit and a walk while striking out five. The offense got out to an early lead as well, with a patient Arjun Nimmala walking on a wild pitch, leading to a run scoring, and Carter Cunningham’s hot start continued with an RBI single that same inning to score another runner. After a couple of sac flies, Kendry Chirinos solidified the lead with a two-RBI triple. Holden Wilkerson again followed King, and although he faced some trouble in the sixth inning, where he allowed two runs to score, he was able to keep the Emeralds at bay. Carter Cunningham hit his third homer of the season for extra insurance. Aaron Munson gave up three runs in the ninth, but with such a commanding lead, the Canadians were able to win the last game of the series at least. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 5-4 Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets) April 11, Game 1: In the first game of the doubleheader, Eric Snow followed a lead-off JoJo Parker double by driving him in on a sac fly. Dayne Pengelly got the start and induced a couple of double plays to keep the Mets scoreless for the first two innings. Aldo Gaxiola had his first homer of the season in the second to double the lead. Some bad BABIP and stolen bases given up resulted in two runs scoring to even the game up in the third for the Mets, but another extra base hit from Gaxiola, this time hit 110.7 mph scored another two runs to take the lead right back. 2025 13th-rounder Trace Baker pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and the Jays had a big top of the fifth inning scoring five runs thanks to a Peyton Williams double and Enmanuel Bonilla’s first homer for Dunedin. Carson Myers pitched well after Baker came out, with two more scoreless innings while striking out three for a dominant game one of the doubleheader. April 11, Game 2: The second game of the doubleheader was a makeup game for the postponed game on the April 8. The Jays came out swinging with a P-Willy RBI double and Yorman Licourt swatting his third homer of the season to score Williams, but Karson Ligon struggled after his awesome debut. His stuff looked good, as he sat 96 mph with his fastball, but only 20 of his 47 pitches were strikes, leading to three walks and four runs, three of them being earned. The Mets were able to get solid production out of their bullpen, but the Jays bullpen struggled, allowing seven more runs, preventing the Jays from coming back in the game. April 12: As the Jays hoped to win the last game of the series to get a series win, Brandon Barriera started off very slowly. His stuff ticked up a bit, but his command really lost him. After getting two quick outs, a hit, a passed ball, and two walks led to an RBI single to put the Jays down early. Parker could not be denied, as after two Jays were hit by pitches and Dariel Ramon walked, Parker tied the game with a two-run RBI single. Blaine Bullard followed that up with a homer to break the game open at 5-2 for the Jays. Barriera still struggled to throw strikes, but his stuff was good enough to get clean innings. The Jays continued to tack on runs in the fourth inning, as poor command from the Mets bullpen led to the Jays one-upping their second inning with six runs scored. Diego Dominguez pitched three shutout innings in relief, and 2025 16th-rounder Jaxson West has had a really strong start to the season, hitting a two-run homer to give the Jays 13 runs unanswered. Jack Eshleman gave up four runs in a poor outing, but that was all for both teams, giving the Jays their first series win. View the full article

Even a walk-off couldn't save Ronny Mauricio's roster spot. Mauricio being sent back to Triple-A Syracuse by the New York Mets was the corresponding move after Tommy Pham's promotion was made official Monday. Pham was promoted from Low A St. Lucie after being signed to a minor-league deal a couple weeks ago. The Mets had three open spots on their 40-man roster, so no move there was necessary. Mauricio, a third baseman, was promoted a week ago when left fielder Juan Soto went on the 10-day injured list with a strained right calf. Mauricio only appeared in two games, but had a pinch-hit walk-off single in his season debut for a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. His only other appearance was Friday against the A's, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. In 89 games with the Mets over the last three seasons, Mauricio has a .234/.294/.359 slash line with eight homers, 20 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. View the full article

How brave are you? That's a question we all ought to ask ourselves now and then, because often, bravery is merely the equanimity that comes with premeditation, so the more we assess our inventory of fortitude, the more it grows. You might not be able to prepare yourself for the moment when you have a chance to save a baby from a burning building, but you can strengthen your resolve to do what's needed by reflecting on past moments in which that paralytic knot of fear and nausea built within you. Fear is an obstacle, but it's surmountable. You just can't let it sneak up on you. Of course, it's not quite that simple. There are times when the costs and the benefits of attempting something daring are almost in parity. There are other times when, if you slow down enough to let your rational brain talk your sympathetic nervous system out of its freakout, you won't be quick enough to respond to a fast-moving situation. We're always training and teaching ourselves to be braver. We're also always learning about the immensity and the limits of our own courage, through experiences we can't fully intellectualize until later. Sports are ways we can test and observe bravery—measure and celebrate and long for it. Most often, when it comes to baseball, we think about this in terms of the pitcher and the batter staring each other down with the game on the line, trying to outguess and outdo one another. Really, though, those aren't the best tests of bravery the sport offers, because the competitiveness and the cerebralness of each player takes over in those moments. Fear loves to pounce on us when our frontal lobes are relatively inactive, because the parts of our brains that are more instinctive and fast-moving are also more susceptible to the pressure of fear. A batter isn't afraid when they have a chance to come up with the winning hit; they're locked in and switched-on. A pitcher with a chance to slay a rally and start the happy handshake line is equally full of intensity and self-belief. It takes bravery to play the outfield, though, and while it's a trainable type of bravery, it's not an easy one to achieve. Some of us are wired to see every split-second moment as an opportunity; some of us are better at perceiving the threat and the danger behind that opportunity. Thus, while being a great outfielder has a lot to do with athleticism, it also requires a good balance between fearlessness and discretion. Brandon Lockridge has all the athleticism he needs to be a plus defender in the outfield. His speed is better than that of most of his teammates, even in a highly athletic group of outfielders. His body control isn't bad, either. He didn't quite make this catch in Kansas City, but he made a marvelous effort on it. Most outfielders don't even get a glove on this drive, but he could very well catch the next ball like it. QXc3ZEtfVjBZQUhRPT1fQjFKUUJsUlNVRmNBRDFSVVZRQUhBbElIQUFBSEJWQUFDMUZVVlZJRlVGWUdCd2RS.mp4 Unfortunately, so far, Lockridge hasn't been a great defender, overall. It's not because he couldn't finish that all-or-nothing play, though. It's because when the proposition is something other than all-or-nothing—when there's a potential cost to going all-out for a ball and not getting it—Lockridge doesn't quite have the instinctive bravery to match his talent. That sounds like an indictment of character, but as I've already suggested, what we're talking about here is a matter of acuity and/or subconscious reaction, not self-aware cowardice. The best way to illustrate the point might be to show you, rather than further explain it verbally. Here's a play from that same series, against the Royals, on which Lockridge was in left field instead of center. b0d3bERfWGw0TUFRPT1fVjFJQUFBY0ZVUU1BV1FBRkFBQUhCZ1VFQUZnQlZsQUFBRk5XQWxWWEFsWlRBUVVF.mp4 This doesn't look much more catchable than the ball Lockridge almost ran down in the gap, and indeed, it would have been a dazzling play. However, let's break it down into a few key moments. Here's the first frame after the TV feed stabilized in tracking the flight of the ball and the pursuing Lockridge. (in each of these images, I've highlighted the ball in red.) Unlike last year's unlikely outfield defense breakout (Isaac Collins), Lockridge doesn't rate well on Statcast's leaderboard for outfield jumps. He got a good read and a good start on this one, though. It's very well-struck, and hooking away from him, but Lockridge is fast and the ball is hit high. There's a chance, here. Here's the last moment at which catching the ball was possible. Lockridge has taken a good angle, and he's at full gallop. To have a chance to make this play—saving at least one run and ending the inning—he has to keep that flat angle toward the line, and he's likely to have to dive. Again, though: the ball is still up there. He's closing ground. Greatness is possible. This is Lockridge choosing not to attempt that greatness. He turns his hips slightly and lets his stride carry him backward, just a bit, toward the foul pole. He's decided he can't get to the ball, and he knows that the bounce will be big and disastrous if he tries and fails. By giving ground, he can get around the ball and cut it off on one long hop. In fact, he'll do just that. By the time the ball lands, he's in good position, and only one run will score on what could have been a two-run double. It's still a double, though. Lockridge's brain didn't let him believe he had any chance to catch this ball, though the truth is that he (briefly) did. That one's far from an obvious example, though. It's a long run on a long hit. The baserunner at first base, able to go with the crack of the bat because there were two outs, lurked in the back of his mind. Let's look at a play on which he more clearly had a chance. Off to Boston! YVl4djdfWGw0TUFRPT1fQlFWWlVBQldBQVVBQ3dBSFVRQUhDUUpSQUZnQlZGWUFDMU5RQWxkV0FBc0RCQVZR.mp4 This time, the ball isn't in the air nearly as long. Lockridge needs a good first read and a quick first step to have his best chance at catching it, and he doesn't really get that. Playing left field at Fenway Park is complicated, man. You feel as though you're covering a much longer lateral space, and the temptation to play deep enough to at least take going back on the ball out of the set of possibilities is powerful. Lockridge is starting pretty far from a sinking line drive, so he has to cover some ground. Fortunately, he has elite speed. That's Lockridge bearing down on the ball and accelerating—but it's also the last stride with which he'll do so. His mind is about to throw up a stop sign. He's going to hit the air brakes, because his center fielder is far away and Ceddanne Rafaela is fast; he doesn't want the ball skipping past him. The camera angle makes things a bit tricky, but hopefully, you can see the problem here. Lockridge thought the ball was sinking faster than it was; he pulled his parachute cord too soon. He's pulling up to play the ball in front of him, but by the time it lands, we'll see that another two of those high-speed strides could have brought him underneath it in time. Take any kind of fear into the outfield with you, and opportunities will be missed. It's possible to chase opportunities too aggressively, too, of course, and Lockridge has occasionally been guilty of that in the past. This spring, his mistakes in the grass have followed a pattern: he's ever-so-slightly too wary of giving up an extra base to make the most of his exceptional potential as a defender. One more example, and perhaps the most glaring one of the young campaign. WERaME5fWGw0TUFRPT1fQndoU1ZRQUFYMUVBWEZzR0JRQUhVbEpmQUFOVVV3QUFWQVFHVVFKWEFBSUFDUVJY.mp4 Unlike the sharp liner off the righty Rafaela's bat, this fly from CJ Abrams was floated toward Lockridge in left. With two outs and nobody on, there was every incentive to be aggressive, and the ball was in the air for a little while. Lockridge's jump wasn't perfect, but he had time. Admittedly, last year, Collins would have been two yards closer to this ball by the same point in its flight. Lockridge's not-so-great first step costs him something real. He has plenty of recovery speed, though, and about a second later, he's already in a winning position to get to the ball. One variable here (other than gumption and general derring-do) is the willingness of a player to run flat-out and sacrifice a bit of stability in their ball-tracking, during the middle part of the hit's flight. Lockridge is fast, and he was going hard after this ball at first, but he's not one for letting anything shake his lock on the ball as he chases it. If he were a bit freer with his movement, he could have gotten a half-step farther by this point, too, but he's working to read the ball. Sometimes, too, that desire to read it perfectly ends up making you default to the conservative approach if it's not fully clear you can get there. Here come the air brakes again. He had a lot more time to close on this ball, but Lockridge wants a manageable bounce, too. Pat Murphy talks often about great fielders' facility when the ball gets close to them—about how effortlessly Joey Ortiz redirects the ball, or how deftly Brice Turang can handle an inaccurate throw or tircky hop. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Lockridge isn't as comfortable in close quarters with the fast-moving ball. When he senses that a high or a hard bounce might be coming, he tries to create extra space in which to work with it. On the infield, that's one of several viable solutions to get an out at first base. In the outfield, it means letting balls fall in front of you sometimes, and turning possible outs into hits. Sometimes, Lockridge does go all the way and make the play. He's not without the ability to dive or to dare. It's just the exception, right now, rather than the rule. b0d3bERfWGw0TUFRPT1fVlZkUkIxZFNCMVFBWGdOUVhnQUhCUUZWQUZnQ0J3QUFCd0FHQlFzRUJsQURCUUpS.mp4 Again, this is partially trainable (and, in this case, fixable), but it's partially innate. It's one thing that separates infielders from outfielders; it's one thing that separates great outfielders from merely solid ones. Lockridge is trying not to make costly mistakes with his glove, but when they've been at their best over the last two years, the Brewers have been so bold and so good that they take should-be hits away from other teams, rather than letting any could-be outs turn into hits in the name of preventing the loss of a runner or two advancing. It might be that Lockridge will never quite be the defender his raw talent could allow him to be. He might make some highlight-reel catches on balls like that near-snag on the warning track at Kauffman Stadium, but never be the guy who can snatch away a single with a charging shoestring grab. On the other hand, he might be able to turn a corner quickly, thanks to what the Brewers believe is superb makeup and some time with the league's best coaching and development infrastructure. Consciously, Lockridge longs and dares to be great. Subconsciously, perhaps, that bravery eludes him on the occasional hooking liner. It eludes us all sometimes, doesn't it? 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Baseball being baseball, if the schedule says that you have to get on the plane and fly out to play the Dodgers, that's what you have to do. The fact that you are searching for answers on offense that you just don't have does not matter. You are an MLB team and somewhere between takeoff and landing, an answer is what you're going to have to come up with. And then you have to run out there for a few games and put that answer to the test. It's a bad time for such a test, but maybe things will sort themselves out. Maybe? Transactions, 4/13/2026 GOING NEUTRAL COMING Demoted to Syracuse Transferred from Outfield Added to Roster and Promoted from St. Lucie Infielders Infielders Outfielders Ronny Mauricio Brett Baty Tommy Pham S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 High Level: MLB (2026) L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 32210 High Level: MLB (2025) As hinted at in the abstract for this article it would take an impressive stretch to argue that reserve outfielder and 2023 Met Tommy Pham is the answer the Mets need in this hour, but he's the button they have pushed. It could be that, like in the case of Craig Kimbrel, the Mets had a major-league vet riding minor-league busses with a contract that guaranteed him a callup or a release by a certain date. As in the case of Kimbrel, Pham had only had a tiny amount of work way down in A-ball, so it's hard to argue that he made a case for his spot based on current performance. But Gary Cohen argued on the air the other day that Pham could fall out of bed on January 1 and hit. I guess that is to suggest that his hitting style relies more on instincts and athleticism than studied technique (which can be seen as sort of a backhanded compliment). But what Gary didn't say is that Pham could hit well after the proverbial plunge from slumber, and with the reserve outfielder now 38, being a mostly league-average producer since 32, that is very much an open question. His fandango with the Mets, however, remains a shiny exception to his averageness, and his presence gives Brett Baty a chance to return to his native infield. Early discussion upon receiving the news of Pham's imminent callup was less about Tommy than who he would be displacing. Ronny Mauricio, while surprising few people (including him, most likely) in receiving the bad news, put the Mets in the odd position of enduring a five-game losing streak and trying to better their situation by getting rid of the last guy who won a game for them. The other candidate — Carson Benge — may or may not have saved his roster spot by making a diving catch to keep the Mets in the game yesterday. This would suggest a further oddity of keeping a team in a game they would ultimately lose doing more for the Mets than Mauricio giving them the only win they would compile all week. We get it, here at Mets Roster Central. There are worse things than being yesterday's top prospect, but all other things being equal, it is far better to be today's. As we go to press, there is no definitive news of the post-DFA stati of Richard Lovelady and Luis Garcia, but you would be utter fools not to stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of those subplots. Your Mets Coaching Staff Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coordinator Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitching Coach Carlos Mendoza Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1979-11-27 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Practice Pitcher Equipment Manager Bullpen Catchers Bullpen Catchers Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Reconditioning Coordinator Reconditioning Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Luis Garcia Craig Kimbrel Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 R/R DoB: 32291 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Brett Baty Bo Bichette Francisco Lindor Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Infielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Carson Benge Tommy Pham Luis Robert, Jr. Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 32210 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 R/R DoB: 34356 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Justin Hagenman A.J. Minter R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. With St. Lucie on Rehab Assignment Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Austin Warren Hayden Senger Ronny Mauricio MJ Melendez R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. With Syracuse With Syracuse, on Seven-Day IL With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse Outfielders Nick Morabito Juan Soto R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 With Syracuse On 15-Day Injured List with strained right calf Deslgnated for Assignment Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Luis Garcia Richard Lovelady R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 L/L DoB: 1995-07-07 Designated for Assignment, 2026-04-11 View the full article

Still trying to replenish depth after being smacked with a handful of key injuries, the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the Chicago White Sox. In exchange, the Jays sent 18-year-old minor-league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later or cash to the White Sox. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed starter Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation) was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Another move will be needed before Tuesday's series opener vs. the Milwaukee Brewers to get Sosa on the 26-man roster. The 26-year-old Sosa brings a little bit of pop with him, having hit 22 homers and 75 RBIs last year with a .264/.293/.434 slash line in a career-best 140 games played. It was a breakout season for Sosa, who was off to a slow start this year (7-for-33, .212/.212./.303). Sosa can play all around the infield except for shortstop, but is primarily a second baseman. His defense is considered subpar. The Jays recently acquired second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald, who had been designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants. Rich was drafted by the Jays in the 17th round of last year's draft, but has yet to make his pro debut. View the full article

Kyler Fedko had a performance for the ages on Sunday with the Saints. Three homers and a triple will draw plenty of headlines. Fedko is more than just a player who had one good day at Triple-A, however, and he's a strong candidate to help the Twins’ mismatched roster fit together better. Fedko wasn't having a banner year heading into Sunday. He had struck out in 33.3% of his at-bats and was hitting .107 in 11 games. His huge day could be seen as fun but inconsequential. Despite his struggles to begin the season, though, his 2025 performance should carry some weight. Fedko posted an .855 OPS for Wichita and St. Paul last season with 28 homers and 38 stolen bases. Sunday may be an outlier but his numbers in 2025 show that he's capable of consistent production. Beyond the stats, Fedko is a good fit for the Twins roster. He's capable of playing all three outfield spots. The Twins may not love him in center field, but for the small role of backing up Byron Buxton, he should be capable. He can also play first base, a spot currently platooned between Victor Caratini and Kody Clemens. Tying the fit together is Fedko being a right-handed hitter, which solves many problems with the lineup against left-handed pitching. If he can produce at all, the Twins’ lineup would get a boost. The odds of Fedko producing are uncertain, but the bar he'd need to clear to be useful is relatively low. The obvious way to open a roster spot to promote Fedko is to part ways with James Outman. The upside of keeping Outman on the roster has become difficult to see, and the downside is clear. He doesn't play much, but when he does, he looks completely overmatched. He's started the year 0-18 with 10 strikeouts. He won't get much opportunity with Buxton healthy, but it may be worth exploring other options in case the player in that role has to take on more playing time. At 26 years old, Fedko is not and has never been a top prospect. This isn't to say he's incapable of carving out a role for himself, but the Twins aren't paving him a path to playing time. This also means they shouldn't feel compelled to hold Fedko back in Triple-A until a more prominent role opens for him. Calling up Emmanuel Rodriguez to replace Outman would be hard to justify, as he wouldn't get everyday playing time to develop. With Fedko, they should be more willing to plant him into a specialized role, even if it risks disrupting his development. It's early in the season, but it already looks like the Twins should be open to trying something new in the backup center field role. Fedko is a good pivot from Outman, whom they gambled on at last year's trade deadline and who made the team out of spring training. Their investment in Outman is modest, and Fedko fits the roster as a stopgap until more playing opens up for a top prospect or 26-year-old Alan Roden. Fedko had a huge game on Sunday, but more than that one lightning strike of a day, his resume has earned him some consideration for a call-up. It's the perfect opportunity to see if he can translate any of his dynamic 2025 production to the MLB level. There's little to lose and (perhaps) much to gain for the Twins by giving Fedko a chance. View the full article

Last December’s trade to acquire Ángel Zerpa in exchange for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears was a surprising move to many. There were layers of complexity to the front office's thesis, but most of it was based on the idea that Zerpa had far more upside than the pieces that Milwaukee was sending to Kansas City. It seems obvious, but deriving the future value calculation is easier said than done. Luckily, our very own Jack Stern did an excellent job discussing what he could bring to the table. Fans didn’t get to see much of Zerpa in spring training, because he spent his time representing Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but his participation in the tournament arguably offered more optimism than any work in the Cactus League could have. On the way to winning it all, Zerpa posted a flawless 0.00 ERA over 5 ⅓ innings pitched with three hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts—one of which came against a young up-and-comer by the name of Shohei Ohtani. His stock quickly reached an all-time high, at least in the eyes of Brewers fans, but after seven regular-season appearances, his numbers don’t seem to be those of the pitcher Milwaukee thought they were getting. Across eight innings, Zerpa has a 6.75 ERA, with an 11.1% strikeout rate and below-average peripherals across the board. It’s worth pointing out that four of his six earned runs came on April 12 against the Nationals. In this outing, he gave up four hits and one walk while getting just two outs. Part of this was Washington playing a particularly aggressive brand of baseball, looking to steal bases and put balls in play by any means necessary. One could argue that this added an atypical amount of pressure, but it’s still not enough to explain why Zerpa hasn’t looked dominant at all this year. As a sinker/slider pitcher with league-average velocity, it’s expected that his run prevention comes mostly in the form of ground balls, and he does have a respectable 57.1% ground-ball rate. However, striking out one in nine hitters is just too low to be effective in the long term. He’s not expected to miss too many bats with his sinker, but opposing hitters are making quality contact too often, averaging .286 with a .429 slugging percentage against the pitch. Although he has only thrown it nine times, his changeup already carries a run value of -3. It has only been put into play once, ending up as a home run for Willson Contreras. Otherwise, it has lackluster numbers across the board. Part of the issue could be its similarity to his sinker, coming in just 5 MPH slower and sharing similar movement profiles. It has never been a particularly effective weapon for him in the big leagues, and it may be time to make (pardon the pun) a change. Nonetheless, it’s far too early for the Brewers to be out on Zerpa. Reliever ERAs are notorious for being easily inflated, especially early in the season, and he’s far from the only bullpen arm whose results have been subpar. Eight innings may not be enough to decide whether he’s suitable for the team, but there’s enough data to raise some important red flags. Whether it ends up being his sequencing, pitch mix, or some other esoteric mechanical adjustment, Milwaukee will likely need to change something if they want this bet to pay off. View the full article