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New York Mets Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 2-4 Runs Scored Last Week: 29 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 34 Standings: 5th in NL East (40-57) 16 GB of 1st Place, 12 GB of a Wild Card Transactions: 7/8 New York Mets sent CF Luis Robert Jr. on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies. 7/8 New York Mets sent RHP Dedniel Núñez on a rehab assignment to Syracuse Mets. 7/8 New York Mets placed RHP Austin Warren on the 15-day injured list. Right forearm strain. 7/8 New York Mets designated RHP Matt Seelinger for assignment. 7/9 New York Mets released RHP Alex Carrillo. 7/9 New York Mets designated CF Jared Oliva for assignment. 7/9 New York Mets optioned RHP Tobias Myers to Syracuse Mets. 7/9 New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Dan Hammer from Syracuse Mets. 7/9 New York Mets sent RHP Guillo Zuñiga outright to Syracuse Mets. 7/10 New York Mets designated RHP Dan Hammer for assignment. 7/10 New York Mets placed 1B Mark Vientos on the 10-day injured list. Right hand fracture. 7/10 New York Mets selected the contract of SS Zack Short from Syracuse Mets. 7/10 New York Mets recalled RHP Tobias Myers from Syracuse Mets. 7/11 New York Mets released CF Jared Oliva. 7/11 New York Mets sent RHP Matt Seelinger outright to Syracuse Mets. Scores: Game 92: NYM 12, KC 16 Game 93: NYM 6, KC 2 Game 94:: NYM 7, KC 3 Game 95: NYM 3, BOS Game 96: NYM 0, BOS 3 Game 97: NYM 2, BOS 3 Series Breakdown/Highlights Royals Series: Coming off of the series split in Atlanta, the Mets came home to face the Royals for three games. Game one of the series quickly turned into a slugfest, but the Mets ultimately came up on the wrong end of it. New York scored 12 runs and pounded out 16 hits, with Juan Soto and A.J. Ewing both homering, but the pitching staff could not slow down Kansas City’s offense. The Royals collected 19 hits and scored 16 runs, taking advantage of several big innings to erase every Mets rally. Despite the offensive explosion, their inability to get key outs on the mound overshadowed an otherwise productive night at the plate. It was the first time in Mets history that the team scored 11 or more runs at home and lost. The Mets responded nicely in game two, using timely hitting and a dominant eighth inning to even the series. A.J. Ewing wasted no time, leading off the game with a home run, before the team broke open a 1-1 game by scoring five runs in the eighth inning. Brett Baty delivered a two-run single during the rally, while the bullpen shut the door after the offense created separation. After allowing Kansas City to hang around for much of the night, New York finally capitalized on its opportunities and errors by the other side late to secure the victory. The Mets closed out the series on a high note, riding a balanced offensive attack and another strong pitching performance to win the rubber game. New York scored seven runs on 11 hits, getting contributions throughout the lineup while the pitching staff limited Kansas City to just three runs. It took big hits from Tyrone Taylor and Carson Benge to get the job done in another big inning against the Royals starter Michael Wacha and their bullpen. After dropping the series opener in dramatic fashion, the Mets won the final two games by combining timely offense with much cleaner pitching, earning a series victory heading into their weekend matchup with Boston. Red Sox Series: The Mets wrapped up the first half facing the Red Sox, who did not land in New York until 5:10pm on Friday, just two hours before first pitch. The series opener against the Sox was another frustrating night for the Mets, beginning from the very first batter of the game, with Juan Soto committing a big E7 that led to two Red Sox runs. Nolan McLean pitched well enough to keep New York in the game, allowing just those two unearned runs over six innings, but the offense went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Boston pulled away late with a pair of insurance runs in the ninth, while the Mets were left to wonder what could have been after multiple missed chances against Sonny Gray and the Boston bullpen. The Mets’ offense never got going in game two as Boston’s pitching staff controlled the game from start to finish. They recorded a total of three hits and were shut out and struggled to string together quality at-bats, while the Red Sox steadily built their lead behind another strong all-around performance. Freddy Peralta struggled once again, walking five and allowing two runs in 4.2 innings of work as his trade value continues to tank. The finale was one the Mets let slip away. Rookie Zach Thornton turned in seven scoreless innings, and Francisco Lindor provided both New York runs with a home run and an RBI double, putting the team in position for a victory. However, a costly ninth-inning error by Lindor on a potential game-ending double play opened the door for Boston to tie the game against Devin Williams, who could not find the strike zone before Anthony Seigler’s sacrifice fly in the 10th completed the Red Sox comeback. It was a heartbreaking finish to the first half, wasting one of the Mets’ best pitching performances in some time. Website Highlights Analyzing Every New York Mets Day 2 Pick In 2026 MLB Draft New York Mets 2026 MLB Draft Day 1 Recap: Mets Take Boom-or-Bust Arm Carson Wiggins In First Round, Followed By Steal of Slugger Aiden Robbins Mets Minor League Report: Robert Stock Looking Stronger As Rehab Continues Looking Ahead July 13th: Home Run Derby July 14th: All-Star Game July 15th: OFF July 16th: @ PHI (7:10pm) July 17th: OFF July 18th: @ PHI (4:05pm) July 19th: @ PHI (1:35pm) View the full article

The MLB Draft has concluded and it's time for the All-Star Break! Before we enjoy the festivities, let's recap all that happened down on the farm on Sunday. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals): 4-2 Season Record: 45-44 Playing as the Los Wepas de Worcester, the WooSox walked off Rochester after a clutch ninth inning. Seven pitchers took the mound for Worcester across Sunday’s game, with Seth Martinez starting the game. Martinez was pulled after two near-perfect innings, allowing one hit before Osvaldo Berrios took over. Berrios turned in a perfect inning as he lowered his ERA to 2.11. Alec Gamboa, who could be a candidate to rejoin the big league club following the All-Star Break, took the fourth inning. Gamboa was perfect aside from a walk as he earned a hold. Tyler Uberstine also earned a hold for his perfect fifth inning. Devin Sweet took the sixth and pitched into the seventh, allowing the first run of the game for Rochester. He allowed one run on two hits before Tyler Samaniego took over. Samaniego was hit with a blown save as he allowed two runs on four hits, striking out three. With the game on the line in extras, Sam McWilliams was thrust into a high-stakes situation. McWilliams earned the win for his two-frame performance. He allowed two runs but gave the offense enough leeway to pull off the late win. The WooSox went 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position as a late offensive surge lifted them to their first win in three games. Mickey Gasper and Mikey Romero led the offense with two hits apiece as Vinny Capra drove in two runs. With runners on the corners in the bottom of the first, Gasper hit a line drive single to center. He drove in Nick Sogard and put the WooSox on top early. Capra built on the lead in the fifth, driving in Kristian Campbell and Max Ferguson on a line drive double. After Rochester took a late two-run lead, Campbell stepped to the plate with runners on the corners. He hit a soft ground ball to the pitching mound as Gasper scored and Campbell reached safely on a throwing error. With the game close, Ferguson tied the ballgame with a sac fly, scoring Allan Castro as the WooSox forced extra innings. With Tyler McDonough on third and two gone in the tenth, Mikey Romero played hero for Worcester. He hit a sharp line drive to left field as McDonough easily crossed home, lifting Los Wepas de Worcester to victory. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays): 3-3 Season Record: 46-40 Portland lost 10-3 amid a rough day from the pitching staff. Hayden Mullins' start on Sunday was abbreviated as he was pulled following just an inning of work. Within the outing, Mullins allowed a two-run shot, giving New Hampshire an early lead. Max Carlson took over in the second, turning in two innings of work. He allowed one more run on a solo homer, issuing one walk and striking out two. Tyler Davis took the next two frames, allowing three runs on two hits as New Hampshire pulled away. The Sea Dogs pitching staff really fell apart when Cooper Adams took the mound. Across 1⅔ innings, Adams allowed four runs on four hits before Erik Rivera took over late in the seventh. Rivera took the eighth as well, turning in an inning and ⅓ of perfect pitching as he struck out two. The Sea Dogs offense saw more success than the pitching staff, but were unable to compete with the Fisher Cats’ ten-run onslaught. Nelly Taylor led Portland in hits and RBIs with three and two, respectively. Taylor put the Sea Dogs on the board in the fourth inning, hitting a soft line drive to right field as Matt Frazier scored. Taylor scored the second run of the day for Portland as well, hitting his fifth homer of the season to right field and adding another run. With the game out of reach in the ninth, Ronald Rosario brought the Sea Dogs one run closer with a solo shot. It was a sluggish day for the offense as New Hampshire outshined them easily. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Greensboro Grasshoppers: 4-2 Season Record: 35-48 Greenville’s three-game win streak was snapped on Sunday afternoon as they fell 3-1. Dylan Brown got the loss on Sunday despite turning in a solid six-inning performance. He allowed three runs (one unearned) on four hits and two walks across a lengthy outing. In any other game Brown’s performance would have been more than adequate but Greenville struggled on the offensive side, letting Brown down. Brown struck out five before Adam Bates took over in the seventh. Bates’ second outing of the season for Greenville was a good one as he allowed one hit and two walks. He shut out Greensboro across the outing as he maintained his 0.00 ERA. Greenville generated just seven baserunners on Sunday afternoon as they didn’t get an at-bat with RISP. Mason White was the only member of the Drive to record a multi-hit game as Enddy Azocar drove in Greenville's lone run. The run came on a third-inning solo home run, Azocar’s seventh of the season. The rest of the game was quiet for the Drive, as Luke Heyman and Justin Gonzales were the only other two batters to record a hit, each with a single. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals): 4-2 Season Record: 36-50 Salem clinched its first series win since early April as they won 8-4 in extra innings. Jose Bello turned in an excellent start on Sunday afternoon, hurling four shutout innings. He allowed six hits and walked two, but left the game with a clean slate as he lowered his ERA to an even 3.00. Trennor O’Donnell spoiled the shutout after he took over in the fifth, but was able to keep Columbia’s offense in check. Across two frames, he allowed three runs (one unearned) on four hits. He struck out two in his second appearance with Salem this season as he returned from injury. Luis Cohen took the next two innings, allowing three hits but blanking the Fireflies in the run column. Williams Rodriguez got the ball to start the ninth and earned the win for his extra-innings performance. Across the ninth and tenth, Rodriguez allowed one run on a hit and issued one walk but sealed the clutch win for Salem. The Yaks batted .333 with RISP on Sunday, the sixth game in a row that they tallied at least ten hits. Ilan Fernandez accounted for five of Salem’s eight runs as he recorded three hits in four at-bats. Fernandez got the Yaks on the board late, crushing a solo homer to left field as Salem dug into a three-run deficit. Down 3-1 in the top of the ninth, Andruw Musett drove in Avinson Pinto on a double to left field, putting Salem within one. With one out later in the ninth, Fernandez came up clutch as he drove in Musett on a line drive single. After Fernandez sent the game to extras, Starlyn Nunez grabbed the first lead of the day for Salem. He hit his tenth homer of the season on a deep ball to right field, scoring Givian Sirvania. To add some cushion, Fernandez hit his second homer of the day with Musett and Justin Barry aboard, giving the Yaks a five-run lead. View the full article

The Twins have already had a handful of prospects get the call this year. We've seen Andrew Morris, Kendry Rojas, Connor Prielipp, John Klein, and Marco Raya make their major-league debuts so far this season. We've also seen a pair of outfielders get their first taste of the big leagues. Gabriel Gonzalez was up for an entire weekend before heading back to Triple-A, while Kyler Fedko got a slightly longer but less fruitful audition. But if you think the prospect promotions are going to slow down, think again. The Twins currently sit at 48-49, and there's a pretty good chance they'll be moving some established major-league pieces over the next few weeks. If that happens, it impacts a lot of the organizational depth in the process. Even while you're chasing a playoff spot, if you're a team like the Twins, the second half becomes about evaluating talent. It's about figuring out who can help you moving forward; who deserves a spot on next year's roster; and who might force their way into the team's long-term plans. So who else could make their debut between now and the end of September? I think there's a handful of names worth keeping an eye on. Some are among the organization's very best prospects, while others have quietly played their way into the conversation. Let's start with the obvious one. While a lot of people expect Walker Jenkins to make his major-league debut this season, I don't share that belief. I talked about this earlier this month, but I still think the Twins should slow-play him. Jenkins is obviously one of the best prospects in baseball, but there's no reason to rush him. Unless they reach a point where they feel he'd make a difference in a push for the playoffs, I'd rather see the organization stay patient. I'm sticking with my prediction: Walker Jenkins will not debut in 2026. That said, I'd be surprised if we didn't see Kaelen Culpepper before the season comes to a close. It feels like we've been waiting on this promotion for about two months now. He's currently sporting an .868 OPS with the St. Paul Saints, and he checks just about every box you'd want to see from a young position player. He hits the ball hard, he gets on base, he can steal a base, and he plays quality defense all over the infield. There's really not much left for him to prove in Triple-A. He just has to get healthy; you can't debut in MLB from the Triple-A injured list. The same goes for Emmanuel Rodríguez, who would already have gotten a look if he weren't hurt. Kaelen may not even be the only Culpepper making his debut this year. Pitcher C.J. Culpepper has quietly built a very compelling case himself. The 24-year-old has posted a 3.13 ERA across 20 relief appearances with the Saints, while striking out 23.2% of opposing batters. As is the case with any prospect, there are still some things to clean up. His 13.0% walk rate certainly isn't ideal, and command has been an issue at times. But he consistently finds ways to work himself out of trouble. That's an underrated skill for a reliever. Not every outing is going to be clean. Good bullpen arms are often the ones who can strand inherited runners or escape jams after putting themselves in difficult situations. Culpepper has shown an ability to do exactly that. If the Twins don't add external help to the bullpen and try to roll with what they have in-house, I think he'll be one of the first names considered for an opportunity. The final player I'm willing to confidently predict will make his major league debut this season is Ben Ross. Unless you're a Twins Daily denizen who loves the minor league reports and lives in the forums, Ross has come out of nowhere this year. He's already 25 years old, and if you pull up most prospect rankings, his name isn't exactly going to jump off the page. But sometimes good baseball players force the issue; Ross has done exactly that. He's a versatile defender who can move all over the diamond. He can play shortstop, third base, and center field, giving the Twins plenty of flexibility. That kind of versatility becomes incredibly valuable over the course of a long season. The role Tristan Gray is playing for the Twins right now could just as easily go to Ross, if an injury compelled the Twins to try it. And it's not like he'd be getting called up simply because of his defensive versatility. Since being promoted to Triple-A, Ross has posted an .846 OPS. If the Twins eventually fall out of the AL Central race, he could be worth a look in September, even if it means jettisoning Gray. If they stay in the race and more injuries strike, that's another path open. Culpepper, Culpepper and Ross seem like they fit specific things the team either needs now or might need in the near future. If they get and/or stay healthy, and if circumstances warrant in one way or another, they could be the next three guys we see come through the Twins' homegrown pipeline. Jenkins and Rodríguez are bigger names, but might be longer shots to show up in the bigs right now. But what do YOU think? Who do you think gets the call before the end of the season? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

Ryan Clifford has had a subpar offensive season at Triple-A, but he was the best the New York Mets' organization had to offer for this year's MLB All-Star Futures Game. Clifford -- No. 3 on Grand Central Mets' list of the club;s top 20 minor-league prospects -- was New York's lone representative Sunday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He came on for the National League at first base in the fifth inning, in place of Colorado Rockies prospect Charlie Condon. He walked in his only plate appearance as he finished the seven-inning contest. Clifford's first-half stat line didn't support the selection. He slashed .196/.283/.395 with 16 home runs in 354 plate appearances for Syracuse. His 70 wRC+ was just over half the 137 he posted between Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton last season. He struck out at a 36.4 percent clip and walked 10.7 percent of the time. His track record as a slugger no doubt played a role in his selection. He'll be back with Syracuse when the second half begins Friday, still waiting for that first call-up to New York. First base is his path to the Show right now. The Mets are using Jared Young (106 wRC+) and Eric Wagaman (98 wRC+) there for the time being. The outfield is set with Juan Soto, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge. Switch-hitting Jorge Polanco is the primary designated hitter. A quick look at Sunday's results for the full-season affiliates: Binghamton downed Hartford 10-5. New York second baseman Marcus Semien popped a three-run home run in the first game of a rehab assignment. Chris Suero (No. 10 prospect) hit a three-run homer of his own. Brooklyn rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to beat Wilmington 5-3. Ronald Hernandez's infield single proved decisive. Mitch Voit (No. 7 prospect) collected his 31st stolen base of the season. St. Lucie scored five runs in the third and went on to rout Jupiter 8-2. Elian Peña (No. 4 prospect) and Julio Zayas each drove in two runs in the frame. Jose Lopez went five innings to earn the win. Syracuse's game at Norfolk was canceled because of wet grounds. The host Tides said that the game will not be made up. Mets Transactions New York Mets released CF Jared Oliva. New York Mets sent RHP Matt Seelinger outright to Syracuse Mets. Semien Begins Rehab With Big Game For Binghamton Semien got three at-bats and played five innings in the field Sunday. His blast in the fourth put Binghamton up 5-1.. The 35-year-old infielder has been on the major-league injured list since June 25 because of a left hip flexor strain. Rehabbing New York center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (disc herniation in his back) singled just ahead of Semien's homer to break a 1-1 tie. He went 2-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored, and played eight innings in the field. Suero's 12th homer of the season turned the game into a blowout in the sixth. Reliever Zach Peek was credited with the win. He allowed a run over two innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Luis Robert Jr. 6 2 2 1 0 3 Nick Roselli 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marcus Semien 3 1 2 3 0 1 Nick Lucky 3 1 1 0 0 1 Chris Suero 4 2 2 3 1 2 Jose Ramos 4 1 2 0 1 2 Nick Lorusso 5 0 1 1 0 0 JT Schwartz 3 2 1 0 2 0 Kevin Parada 3 0 0 0 2 0 Matt Rudick 4 0 1 1 1 1 Wyatt Young 3 1 0 1 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Danis Correa 2 2 0 0 0 4 0 Zach Peek 2 3 1 1 1 2 0 Brendan Girton 3 4 4 4 2 3 2 Justin Armbruester 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Carlos Guzman 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 Cyclones Rally Late, Topple Wilmington Brooklyn used a pair of soft hits and Wilmington mistakes to erase a 3-2 deficit. The winning rally began when Yonatan Henriquez reached on an error. John Bay and Corey Collins walked to load the bases with one out. Hernandez's slow bouncer to first base brought in Henriquez, and when the throw went awry, Bay came around to score as well. Gutierrez followed with a pop-fly single just inside the left-field line to bring in Collins with the final run of the inning.. Parker Carlson earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Bryce Jenkins struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his first save. Nicolas Carreno pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief of starter Frank Camarillo, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out six. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 3 0 0 0 1 1 Yonatan Henriquez 4 1 0 0 0 0 John Bay 3 1 0 0 1 0 Corey Collins 3 2 1 0 1 1 Ronald Hernandez 4 1 2 1 0 1 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 2 2 0 1 Jamari Baylor 4 0 1 0 0 0 Yohairo Cuevas 2 0 0 0 1 0 Sam Biller 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Frank Camarillo 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Nicolas Carreno 4 1/3 4 3 2 3 6 0 Parker Carlson 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Early Comeback Lifts St. Lucie Past Jupiter St. Lucie wiped out a 2-0 deficit with its big third inning. Simon Juan and Jeremy Rodriguez singled to get it started. Juan scored as Jupiter failed to get an out on a fielder's choice grounder to short by Antonio Jimenez (No. 17 prospect). Rehabbing big-leaguer Mike Tauchman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Peña doubled home Rodriguez and Jimenez to put the Mets up 3-2. Two batters later, Zayas singled in Tauchman and Peña for a 5-2 lead. Juan added an RBI single in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Rodriguez capped the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth. The only damage against Lopez was a PJ Morlando two-run homer in the second. Ernesto Mercedes, Joe Scarborough, Tyler McLoughlin, and Miguel Mejias combined for four scoreless innings and six strikeouts in relief. Player AB R H RBI BB K Antonio Jimenez 5 1 0 1 0 2 Mike Tauchman 3 1 1 0 1 1 Elian Peña 5 1 2 2 0 0 Trey Snyder 5 0 0 0 0 1 Julio Zayas 4 2 2 2 1 0 AJ Salgado 2 0 1 0 3 0 Branny De Oleo 3 1 1 0 1 0 Simon Juan 4 1 2 2 0 1 Jeremy Rodriguez 5 1 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Lopez 5 2 2 2 2 2 1 Ernesto Mercedes 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 Joe Scarborough 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tyler McLoughlin 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 Miguel Mejias 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Elian Peña: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI Nick Morabito: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Mitch Voit: 0-for-3, BB, K, SB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zach Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-5, RBI, 2 K R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: DNP Marco Vargas: DNP View the full article

Can you believe the 2026 All-Star break is upon us already? Well, it is, and the Chicago Cubs are back to their winning ways. Despite the June gloom, the bats have come back alive and have been able to cover for their suspect pitching staff. The team as a whole should benefit from a much-needed break, while they prepare for what should be a gauntlet of a second half. For the second time since 2021, the Cubs have only one All-Star, in Pete Crow-Armstrong. If Ben Brown hadn't suffered a neck injury a few weeks ago, they might have two, but Cubs fans are certainly more dialed-in for the second half than for the Midsummer Classic. This marks Crow-Armstrong’s second All-Star nod, as he was selected last season along with Kyle Tucker and Matthew Boyd. While this is surely the second selection of many more to come for the young star center fielder, what we're going to celebrate with this list is the All-Stars that we don’t always remember. These are the players who made one All-Star Game in their careers and were lucky enough to do it wearing Cubbie blue. Since the Cubs are in their 151st season as a franchise, I did have to make the cutoff somewhere. If you're a historian and would like to expand on this, please drop a comment, but for this list, I'm going through the free agency era, which started in 1977. 1977: Jerry Morales Morales spent seven of his 15 big-league seasons with the Cubs across two different stints, from 1974-1977 and from 1981-1983. He amassed a total of -2.0 bWAR for his career, totaling 95 home runs and an OPS of .695. Although his lengthy career was not colored with accolades, he did join multi-time All-Stars Rick Reuschel, Bruce Sutter, and Manny Trillo at Yankee Stadium. He was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance, becoming one of only 28 players to be plunked at the All-Star Game. 1981: Bill Buckner It's hard to believe the 22-year major-league veteran was named to only one All-Star Game, and a shamw that he did it during the year of baseball's midseason strike, which limited him to 106 total games and 1.2 bWAR. He was coming off a season where his .324 batting average led the NL, so he was clearly a popular name. He did lead the NL in doubles that season, with 35; maybe he'd have gotten to 50 in a full campaign. Although he was a reserve, with Pete Rose starting at first base, Buckner was the Cubs’ only representative for 1981. 1988: Vance Law The 1988 Cubs were a peculiar case. The team finished 77-85, fourth place in the division, but had six representatives during that year’s All-Star Game at Riverfront Stadium. Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg were named starters, with Law, Rafael Palmiero and Shawon Dunston on the bench. This was also the first All-Star appearance for Greg Maddux. As for Law, 1988 marked his return to Chicago, but on the North Side this time. After a three-year stint north of the border in Montreal, Law slashed .293/.358/.412 while driving in 78 runs. Along with the RBIs, his .770 OPS and .293 batting average marked the highest of his career, which he did at 31 years old. 1989: Mitch Williams Like Buckner, Williams is remembered mostly for being on the wrong side of baseball history, as he served up Joe Carter’s walk-off home run to lose the 1993 World Series. That overshadows a career where he racked up 30+ saves three different times—the first being 1989 with the Cubs, when he made his only All-Star team. Drawing comparisons to Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn, Williams’s mid- to high-90s fastball helped the Cubs win the NL East crown that season, as he notched 36 saves with a 2.76 ERA. 1996: Steve Trachsel Trachsel was the Cubs’ only representative in 1996, which is a surprise, as Sammy Sosa hit another 40 bombs and drove in 100 and won NL Player of the Month in July. Instead of Sosa, the nod went to Trachsel, who had one of his best seasons, posting 3.7 bWAR. He pitched three complete games, including two shutouts, in over 200 innings. Though this was his only All-Star appearance, Trachsel started 30+ games in eight of nine seasons from 1995 to 2004, making him an underrated symbol of durability on the mound. 2000: Joe Girardi Girardi was a part-time player for most of his career, eclipsing 400 plate appearances only five times in his 15 campaigns. His 1.6-bWAR season for the Cubs at age 35 is a clear outlier for his career, where he hit .278 in 106 games. He was named to the All-Star team as a replacement for Mike Piazza but was deserving of the honor, as he was one of the Cubs’ better hitters on a team that lost 97 games. 2001: Jon Lieber Another workhorse of the early 2000s, Lieber led the majors in starts (35) and innings pitched (251) the season before, but was named an All-Star for the first time in 2001 after a first half wherein he pitched a Maddux (long before we called it that) and recorded six straight wins from mid-June through his first start after the break. He did win 20 games that season, and accumulated 3.9 bWAR, which were both career highs. Lieber gave up home runs to both Derek Jeter and Magglio Ordonez in his one inning of action during the game, but the NL was already losing, and the loss went to another one-time All-Star, Chan Ho Park. 2003: Mark Prior The second overall pick in the 2001 draft and co-ace of the Cubs (next to Kerry Wood) made his only All-Star appearance in 2003—a season wherein he led the N.L. in bWAR with 7.4 and posted the lowest FIP in the league, at 2.47. His first-half highlight was striking out 16 Brewers in a late June start. Sadly, the story of Prior is known all too well among Cubs fans. Just after the break, he collided with Marcus Giles while running the bases, injuring his shoulder. He endured heavy usage by manager Dusty Baker, then dealt with more arm trouble in 2004 and a line drive that broke his elbow in 2005. This would be the only time he was healthy enough to earn an honor very much in line with his talent. Prior did not appear in the game, but Wood did, striking out two. Prior remains one of the prime examples of “what could have been”; he didn't pitch in the majors again after 2006. 2008: Geovany Soto, Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Marmol The 2008 Cubs are tied with the 2023 Braves for the most All-Stars from one team in a single season, with eight. Soto, Fukudome, and Marmol joined multi-time All-Stars Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramírez, Wood, and Alfonso Soriano as representatives for the eventual NL Central champs. Fukudome, the Cubs’ first Japanese-born player, got the start in right field after a scorching April wherein he hit .327 and an only slightly less impressive May. He began to struggle as the season changed from spring to summer, but he was a fan favorite and one of the brightest rookies in the league. He finished the season with a .738 OPS and 0.6 bWAR, which was his lowest bWAR of his three and a half seasons on the North Side. He went 0-2 with a strikeout before being replaced by Pirates outfielder Nate McLouth. Geovany Soto, the eventual NL Rookie of the Year, got the start behind the plate, also going 0-2 with a strikeout. Although he was rookie-eligible, this was actually Soto’s fourth season seeing big-league action. The rookie got the start over Russell Martin and Brian McCann, who have 11 All-Star selections between them. To this day, Soto is the only rookie catcher to start for the NL team at the Midsummer Classic. His 23 homers in 2008 are tied for sixth-most among rookie catchers all-time, and he's one of only 14 catchers to hit over 20 as a rookie. Carlos Marmol entered 2008 competing with Wood for the closer role, with manager Lou Piniella choosing Wood, who was named as an All-Star himself. Due to a blister, Wood had to be replaced, opening the door for Marmol to claim a spot on the roster. Marmol threw a scoreless 13th inning, striking out two, back when the All-Star game had World Series implications. Although he had two 30 plus save seasons with the Cubs, he was only named an all-star in 2008, where he had a 2.68 ERA in 87 1/3 innings. 2010: Marlon Byrd The 15-year veteran, who suited up for 10 different squads, was only named an All-Star once and was the Cubs' only representative for the 2010 season. The then-32-year-old had the second-highest bWAR of his career with 3.7, although his .775 OPS and 12 home runs were not near his career peaks. Byrd entered the game as a pinch-hitter and drew a walk from crosstown rival Matt Thornton, and ended up scoring the final run of the game on a Brian McCann double. He later threw out David Ortiz, advancing to second on a single. Byrd was a key piece in helping the NL stop the AL’s 13-year winning streak. 2012: Bryan LaHair LaHair is one of the more random All-Stars we have seen in the game. His MLB career consisted of only three seasons, wherein he accumulated 599 plate appearances. He was up-and-down between the minors and big-league squad for the Mariners in 2008, before popping up again for 20 games with the Cubs in 2011. With top prospect Anthony Rizzo not ready for the start of the 2012 season, LaHair got a crack as the starter. He was named an All-Star after hitting .284 with 13 homers through the first three months of the season. That was the highlight of his career by far, as he hit only one more home run after the break and was released after the season. He signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of NPB and played one season with them, before two unsuccessful attempts at an MLB comeback with Cleveland and Boston. 2013: Travis Wood Before his heroics in the batter's box in Game 2 of the 2016 NLDS, Wood was one of the few bright spots during a very dark era for the Cubs. The former top prospect of the Reds came to Chicago prior to the 2012 season in the Sean Marshall trade and was a mixed bag of results that year. His second season with Chicago was a much different story, as he became the first Cub since Mordecai Brown to start a season with nine straight quality starts. He accumulated 4.5 of his 5.1 career bWAR during his lone All-Star season in 2013, when he threw 200 innings with an ERA of 3.11. He did not end up pitching in the game, but was the only Cubs representative for a team who nearly lost 100 games. 2016: Dexter Fowler, Addison Russell The Cubs nearly tied their own record of eight All-Stars in 2016, but fell one short, although they occupied the entire starting infield. Russell and Fowler were the two one-time All-Stars, joining Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta. Fan favorite and World Series hero Dexter Fowler had the best season of his career in 2016, serving as the catalyst for one of the most potent offenses in baseball. His .840 OPS was the third-highest mark of his 14-year career, and his 4.0 bWAR nearly doubled his next-highest total. Although he did not make an appearance for his lone All-Star selection, his legacy for the Cubs remains historic, as he was the first Black player to start a World Series game for the team. Addison Russell hit 21 homers and drove in 95 in his lone All-Star season, which came in his sophomore season at age 22. He certainly benefitted from the popularity of the 2016 Cubs, as Corey Seager probably should have started, from a sheer numbers standpoint. He was hitting .242 with 11 home runs at the time of his selection. Russell went 0-2 in the game before being replaced by Seager. He shares the same honor as Fowler as being the first Black Cub to start a World Series game, but if one of these guys has the character that should accompany that honor, it's Fowler. 2022: Ian Happ Were the 2022 Cubs one of the saddest Cubs teams of all-time? They finished third in the division, but gone were the heroes of 2016, and in were the likes of Rafael Ortega, Patrick Wisdom and Alfonso Rivas. At least we had Ian Happ, Willson Contreras, and Nico Hoerner to remind us of the good ol’ days. (Not to mention the signing of Seiya Suzuki to serve as a precursor to today’s team.) But wait, Happ has only been an All-Star once? It sounds weird because of what he has meant to this franchise over the last decade, but yes, 2022 has been his only selection. His .271 average remains his career high, along with his 42 doubles and 4.3 bWAR, His Gold Glove in 2022 was his first in a string of four straight awards. His impending free agency is going to get interesting, especially with Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, and Alex Bregman locked up, but regardless of where he ends up, he has the ability to make another All-Star team. 2023: Justin Steele If he was healthy, there's a good chance Steele would not be on this list, as he has shown he can be one of the best southpaws in the game when he actually pitches. In the first half of 2023, Steele was 9-2 with a 2.56 ERA, making 11 quality starts. He finished fifth in the NL Cy Young race and could conceivably have finished higher, if the Cubs did not fall short in a late-season playoff push. Next season is his final year of arbitration, so his future with the Cubs is quite unclear, but at 30 years old, he has time on his side to become an All-Star again, even if it isn’t with the Cubs. 2024: Shota Imanaga In an offseason wherein Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto stole all the headlines, Shota Imanaga’s deal with the Cubs flew under the radar. He started turning heads as soon as the season began, throwing six shutout innings against the Rockies in the 2024 home opener, as well as leading the NL with a 0.84 ERA through his first nine starts. He pitched one relief inning in the All-Star Game, where he did not allow a hit while striking out Adley Rutschman. As well as being named an All-Star as a rookie, he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in the Cy Young Award race. Cubs fans know how dominant he can be when he is on, so another All-Star season is not inconceivable, but the impending free agent might not be in the team’s plans moving forward. 2025: Matthew Boyd When the Cubs signed Boyd to a two-year contract prior to last season, it surprised many. The lefty had not thrown more than 79 innings since 2019 and looked like more of a lottery ticket than anything. Well, we know how that turned out. Boyd had the best season of his career at 34 years old last season, serving as the team’s ace after Steele went on the shelf. He made 19 starts in the first half, going 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA, which trailed only Paul Skenes among NL starters who eclipsed 100 innings. His 2026 has been up and down, as he has had some rough outings mixed in with time on the IL. The ever-thinning Cubs pitching staff needs to rely on Boyd for the rest of this season, but his 2025 All-Star season is a pleasant outlier. View the full article

Every prospect reaches a point where projection gives way to proof. For Brandon Winokur, that next step has arrived. Minnesota promoted the 21-year-old to Double-A Wichita after another intriguing stint at High-A Cedar Rapids. It isn't a promotion offered because he has answered every question about his game. Instead, it's an opportunity to answer one of the biggest questions remaining: whether one of the organization's highest-upside athletes can begin turning tantalizing tools into a complete package against upper-level competition. The Twins have always believed Winokur was worth the gamble. Now comes the biggest test of his young professional career. A Rare Draft Profile When the Twins selected Winokur in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft, they weren't drafting a polished high-school hitter. They were betting on traits that simply don't come around very often. At 6-foot-6, Winokur was an unusual shortstop with flashes of all five tools. His size, athleticism, plus arm, power potential, and speed made him one of the more fascinating players in the draft class. Those same tools also came with significant questions about his hit tool and whether he would sign instead of honoring his commitment to Texas Tech. Minnesota believed enough in the upside to offer him a $1.5-million signing bonus (essentially second-round money) to bring him into the organization. Since then, his professional career has looked much like evaluators expected: equal parts exciting and frustrating. Flashes of the Ceiling Winokur's first two full seasons have showcased why the Twins were willing to invest heavily. He's developed into one of the better athletes in the system, while proving he can stay on the infield much longer than many expected. When he was drafted, some scouts believed his size would quickly force a move off shortstop. Instead, his agility, flexibility, and athleticism have allowed him to continue handling the position while also seeing time at third base and all three outfield spots. That defensive versatility dramatically raises his floor. Offensively, the power-speed combination has been impossible to ignore. Last season, he tied for the Midwest League lead with 17 home runs while stealing 26 bases. Few players in the organization possess that kind of raw power combined with above-average speed. The challenge has never been whether the power exists. It's getting to it consistently. Throughout his career, Winokur's swing has produced too many pull-side ground balls and opposite-field flares, instead of hard contact in the air. The Twins have worked with him on adjustments designed to help him find the barrel more consistently and unlock the elite raw power that's been evident since high school. Another Encouraging Season Returning to High-A in 2026 wasn't the most exciting assignment, but it gave Winokur another opportunity to refine his approach. In 74 games with Cedar Rapids, he hit .252/.362/.421 with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Perhaps the most encouraging development was his improved plate discipline. His walk rate climbed to 12.6%, more than four percentage points better than last season, showing a more mature approach and improved strike-zone awareness. That's an important step for a hitter whose offensive value depends on getting into favorable counts. However, the strikeout concerns remain. Winokur struck out in 29.4% of his plate appearances, nearly five percentage points higher than last season. His contact rate remains below 60%, highlighting the biggest obstacle standing between him and becoming an everyday major leaguer. Even so, there are reasons for optimism beneath the surface. More than 83% of his plate appearances came against pitchers older than him, but he produced an impressive .836 OPS against those opponents. Considering he spent the year facing more experienced competition, his offensive production becomes a bit more encouraging. What Double-A Will Reveal The jump to Double-A is often where prospect dreams become reality, or where flaws become impossible to ignore. For Winokur, it's less about the box score and more about the quality of his at-bats. Texas League pitchers will consistently attack the weaknesses that have followed him throughout his career. Elevated fastballs have given his long levers trouble, while quality breaking balls have exposed inconsistent pitch recognition. Those issues become far more pronounced against experienced upper-level pitchers capable of executing good game plans. The Twins don't necessarily need him to eliminate strikeouts. Plenty of productive power hitters strike out at high rates. Instead, they need him to prove the contact can reach an acceptable level while continuing to impact the baseball when he does connect. If the swing decisions continue improving and the contact quality remains strong, the rest of his offensive profile starts to look much more realistic. Even if he never develops into an everyday middle-of-the-order bat, Winokur's athleticism gives him multiple paths to contributing in the majors. He has the defensive versatility to play shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions, including center field. His arm strength and range make him a legitimate late-inning defensive weapon, and his power against left-handed pitching could eventually carve out a valuable role. The Next Step Prospect development is rarely linear, especially for players with Winokur's profile. The Twins knew they were drafting one of the highest-risk, highest-reward players in the 2023 class. Three years later, both sides of that equation remain true. The tools still jump off the field. The athleticism is still exceptional. The power remains among the best in the organization. Now, Double-A will determine whether the bat is beginning to catch up. If Winokur can make enough contact against more advanced pitching while continuing to control the strike zone, his ceiling becomes much more than an intriguing collection of tools. If the contact issues persist, his future may still be valuable, but likely in a versatile utility role, rather than as an everyday regular. Either way, Wichita represents the most important checkpoint of his professional career, and perhaps the clearest indication yet of what Winokur can ultimately become. What does Winokur need to improve at Double-A? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Resilience in baseball must take many forms. Teams and players have to shake off personal setbacks and off-field distractions. They have to withstand injuries and gut-wrenching losses and show up the next day ready to win. They have to perform even when dead tired. The Cubs haven't passed those tests at all turns this season, but heading into a weeklong road trip before the All-Star break, they were in a good position, with a chance to further strengthen it. First up, the team paid a visit to the Baltimore Orioles, a team who got slammed with as much adversity as Chicago has this year but hasn't handled it as smoothly. Matthew Boyd toed the rubber for the North Siders, picking up the win and a quality start by going six scoreless innings and surrendering just three hits. He appears much more in control on the mound of late, and gave his offense (fueled by a two-RBI day from Alex Bregman) the opportunity to put just enough cushion between them and the O's in a 5-2 win to open the series. Despite being outhit 14 to 8 in the middle contest of the three-game set in Charm City, the North Siders secured a 9-7 win. All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong crushed two long balls, one to deep right field and one to right-center, to reach the 20/20 mark (20 stolen bases and 20 home runs) for the second straight year. Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly chimed in with big hits to help Chicago hold off the O's on a night when the pitching staff showed its cracks. The home team spoiled a nine-hit day for the visitors in the finale, salvaging one in the series with a 3-2 victory over the North Siders. Encouragingly, starter David Peterson bounced back from a dismal showing in his previous turn, as he managed five innings of work, allowing just one earned run, though walking four. Squandered opportunities doomed the Cubs, who went just 1-for-9 with RISP. The next day, the weary travelers arrived at Great American Ballpark to do battle in their final series before the All-Star break, a three-gamer with the division rival Cincinnati Reds. They couldn't get anything going against Hunter Greene and the Reds. Greene set down 12 Cubs batters via the strikeout in one of his sharpest outings of the season. That made waste of a good showing from Shota Imanaga, who allowed just one run over five innings. Chicago dropped the opener 4-0. Wiping away the stain of two consecutive deflating losses, the Cubs bounced back Saturday with a 5-3 win. Fans have waited most of the first half to witness starting third baseman Alex Bregman heat up, and that wait might have ended. With the game tied in the seventh inning, Bregman drilled a go-ahead, two-run home run to left field. Outside a lone run coughed up by Drew Pomeranz, the bullpen rose to the occasion, blanking the Reds in the final three frames. Bookending a strong week on the bump, starter Matthew Boyd tallied his fifth win of the year in an 8-4 triumph Sunday to sail into the intermission. Boyd lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs. A gargantuan day from the lilliputian Bregman helped his squad win the day. His towering, three-run blast in the seventh blew the game open. The win was the club's 54th of the year, ending a consistent run of victories from the end of June into mid-July. And with that, the first half of the 2026 MLB season draws to a close. Though they're diminished by injury and sit a handful of games behind the powerhouse Brewers, the Cubs have just as much to play for now as they did in the campaign's nascent stages. They've already survived a lot. Now, they get a chance to recharge and reset, before a furious finish in which they have to switch into 'thrive' mode. View the full article

For much of the 2026 season, the bullpen has been a strength of the Miami Marlins. The unit has leveraged its ample depth and variety of skill sets. Miami's relievers were particularly vital during a record-setting month of June, when the Fish were patching things together with only two conventional starting pitchers at times. Heading into the All-Star break, however, the 'pen is now a source of anxiety. The July 5 implosion in relief of a perfect Eury Pérez was a turning point. A series of significant injuries has compounded the issue—the Marlins are still without a timeline for Anthony Bender's return, while John King, William Kempner and Michael Petersen each got hurt themselves last week. Meanwhile, right-hander Jack Ralston continues to quietly throw up zeroes with Triple-A Jacksonville. If common sense prevails, his next outing will come at the major league level. Ralston is not being "rushed" to the majors in any sense. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted him out of UCLA way back in 2019 and he's been pitching in the upper minors since 2023. A month from now, he'll be turning 29. The Marlins signed Ralston as a minor league free agent this past offseason and he turned heads immediately with six scoreless appearances in spring training. It's been more of the same through 31 games with the Jumbo Shrimp, as his 1.07 ERA leads all Triple-A pitchers with a comparable number of innings. No opponent has plated a run against him since June 18 and he hasn't allowed multiple earned runs at any point this year. His 9.7% walk rate is the best of his professional career. Ralston's arsenal consists of a splitter, four-seam fastball and slider, with the split being his go-to offering. Its overall usage is nearly 50%, accounting for 48 of his 63 total strikeouts (76.1%). It's largely why he has been even more effective against left-handed batters (.432 OPS allowed) than righties (.516 OPS). The only active Marlins arms who use a splitter regularly are Tyler Phillips and Lake Bachar, and neither of them have an over-the-top release like Ralston. Even putting pitch quality aside, the contrast in style between him and his teammates would be valuable. Ralston's fastball velocity is merely average for a righty reliever and he doesn't induce ground balls at a particularly high rate. He's still allowing home runs as often as he did in previous years, hence his nice-but-not-noteworthy 3.52 FIP. Success against MLB competition is far from guaranteed, but under the present circumstances, he deserves an audition with the Marlins. The trade deadline is only three weeks away and the Marlins need to seek reinforcements. In order for them to confidently remove "bullpen help" from their shopping list, they either need rapid recoveries from the aforementioned injured guys or glimpses of excellence from other internal options. There's nothing more that Ralston can do at Triple-A to prove himself—it's time to test him against the top talent on the planet. The only "obstacle" standing in Ralston's way, if you want to call it that, is securing a 40-man roster spot. But the Marlins could go in multiple directions, even without transferring anybody to the 60-day IL. The most straightforward move would be designating fellow reliever Zach Brzykcy for assignment in a corresponding move. Third-string catcher Brian Navarreto and strikeout-prone outfielder Rece Hinds are also DFA candidates, with the Marlins recalling a 40-man bat like Connor Norby or Agustín Ramírez to fill their shoes on the active roster in those scenarios. A theme of the Peter Bendix era has been turning cheap acquisitions into legitimate contributors. Jack Ralston could be the latest example of that. He ought to be promoted once the Marlins resume play on Friday. View the full article

The MLB Draft always brings a fresh wave of excitement to an organization’s farm system. The Twins added an influx of talent during the 2026 MLB Draft, and depending on how quickly those players sign and get acclimated, some could find their way into affiliated action later in the second half. A strong finish could even put a few new names on the Twins Prospect Hot Sheet before the season comes to a close. Before that happens, several players already in the system are making sure they remain part of the conversation. The Wichita Wind Surge have been one of the biggest sources of recent production, with a trio of prospects showing why the Twins continue to have one of baseball’s deepest pipelines. Here are this week’s hottest performers. SS Marek Houston — Wichita Wind Surge How He Got Here: Houston entered the 2025 MLB Draft as one of the most intriguing college bats available. The Wake Forest shortstop spent three seasons as the Demon Deacons’ everyday shortstop, earning the position as a freshman because of his defensive ability before gradually developing into a complete player. A swing adjustment before his junior season unlocked another level offensively. Houston began impacting the baseball more consistently, launching 15 home runs while posting a 1.055 OPS. That offensive breakout pushed him into the middle of the first round, where the Twins selected him and signed him for $4.5 million. After signing, Houston made his professional debut with a 24-game stint split between Single-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids. He returned to Cedar Rapids to begin the 2026 season, but his performance quickly forced the organization to challenge him at the next level. Hitting the Hot Button: The biggest question surrounding Houston entering professional baseball was whether his offensive development would continue against more advanced pitching. Early returns suggest the Twins may have found an answer. Houston appeared in six games for the Wind Surge this week and collected eight hits in 26 at-bats (.308), including a double, a triple, a home run, and seven RBI. He came just one double shy of hitting for the cycle Tuesday against Northwest Arkansas. Before earning his promotion, Houston posted a 126 wRC+ with an .867 OPS in Cedar Rapids. The defensive ability was never in question, but his offensive ceiling was the biggest factor in determining his future. So far, Houston has shown the bat is capable of catching up with his glove. OF Caden Kendle — Wichita Wind Surge How He Got Here: Kendle has taken a slightly longer road through the Twins organization, but his offensive track record has always stood out. Minnesota selected him in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of California, Irvine. The Cardinals had previously drafted him in 2023, but Kendle elected to return to school for his senior season. That decision paid off as he finished his collegiate career with a .983 OPS, including a dominant senior year where he posted a 1.069 OPS with 28 extra-base hits in 51 games. The Twins sent Kendle to Fort Myers after signing, and he immediately showed his offensive potential with a 120 wRC+ across 22 games. He spent the entire 2025 season with Cedar Rapids, producing a 103 wRC+ with a .705 OPS, 19 doubles, and eight home runs over 97 games. Hitting the Hot Button: The Twins sent Kendle back to Cedar Rapids for the start of the 2026 season, despite the fact that he was nearly two years older than the average player in the league. He responded by showing exactly why he was ready for a new challenge. Kendle posted a .916 OPS across 32 games with the Kernels before earning a promotion to Double-A. The 24-year-old continued that production during his first week with the Wind Surge. In four games, Kendle went 9-for-16 (.563) with a double, a home run, six RBI, and four walks. He wasted no time making an impact after arriving in Wichita, hitting a home run in his first game Tuesday against Northwest Arkansas. For a prospect who has consistently produced while climbing the ladder, the next test will be proving that his bat can continue to play against more advanced pitching. RHP Ruddy Gomez — Wichita Wind Surge How He Got Here: Gomez’s path through professional baseball has been anything but traditional. After going undrafted out of Central Florida, he spent time playing independent baseball before earning an opportunity with the Twins organization ahead of the 2025 season. Minnesota quickly discovered a valuable bullpen arm. Gomez began the year moving from the Florida Complex League to the Midwest League while working exclusively as a reliever. In 30 appearances, he posted a dominant 1.58 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP, a 33.1 K%, and a 5.8 BB%. His performance made him one of the most effective relief pitchers in the entire Twins system. Hitting the Hot Button: The Twins rewarded Gomez’s breakout by pushing him to Double-A in 2026, where he entered the season more than a year older than the average player in the league. That age difference hasn’t stopped him from continuing to miss bats. Gomez, 26, appeared in two games for the Wind Surge this week, striking out five of the nine batters he faced while issuing one walk across 4.0 innings. His season numbers remain impressive, with a 2.63 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, a 35.4 K%, and a 7.7 BB%. Relievers often have to move quickly through the minor league system, and Gomez continues to make a strong case that he deserves opportunities against higher-level competition. The Twins’ 2026 MLB Draft class has added another layer of talent to an already deep farm system. Some of those new additions could begin their professional journeys soon and potentially force their way onto future editions of the Prospect Hot Sheet. For now, the spotlight belongs to the players already proving themselves. Houston is showing that his bat belongs alongside his defensive reputation, Kendle continues to hit at every stop, and Gomez remains one of the organization’s most dominant bullpen arms. The second half is just beginning, but the Twins’ farm system continues to provide plenty of reasons for optimism. What stands out about this trio? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Ravaged by injuries, beleaguered by a bad bullpen, and plagued by a chronically inconsistent offense, the Kansas City Royals lost their fifth straight game Sunday to drop a season-worst 21 games under .500, then limped out of Baltimore and scattered for the All-Star Break with a firm, perhaps unbreakable, grip on last place in the American League Central. As convenient as it might be, the Royals can't blame injuries alone for their failures and flaws. Tough questions, unfortunately, too numerous to cover in a single read, must be resolved before next season begins. Here are just three the club should ponder over the All-Star Break. Should the Royals Have Tyler Tolbert On The Trade Deadline Market? No. The more he plays, the better he looks, and he’s the kind of role player the club typically covets — he’s versatile, speedy, and capable of swinging a pretty nice bat. Add to that mix the five more full seasons he’s under team control, and Tolbert is a player worth keeping. Tolbert’s numbers tell the tale. Boosted by his recent major league record-tying streak of hitting safely in 12 straight plate appearances, he’s slashing .370/.407/.500 with a 152 wRC+ and .907 OPS in 32 games. He hit .280 in 64 games during his big league debut season last year. His 10 steals are second on the club, only to Bobby Witt Jr.’s 30 this season. He swiped 21 bases in 23 attempts in 2025, and he boasts 95th percentile sprint speed. Tolbert also gives manager Matt Quatraro valuable defensive options. He’s played everywhere on the field except first base and catcher. No Gold Gloves seem to be in his future, but his defense is serviceable. Could Tolbert attract attention as the August 3 trade deadline approaches? Certainly — he’d give contending clubs some game-changing speed in late-inning situations, and down-the-stretch defensive flexibility. But because he’s a role player, not a starter, he won’t net the kind of big, major league-ready return the Royals need if they hope to get back in the playoff hunt next season. Best to keep him. What Should The Royals Do With Luinder Avila? The issues troubling Kansas City’s rotation dictate the answer to this question. Injuries have sidelined Cole Ragans for this season and a significant part of next, and Kris Bubic for who knows how long. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have struggled at times, and Noah Cameron, while respectable in his present work, isn’t quite the success story he was in 2025. All that leaves Avila’s June switch from the bullpen to the rotation a move that will likely last. And that’s alright. Despite heading to the pen after giving up five runs in a three-plus-inning start against Milwaukee in KC’s seventh game of the season, and Houston battering him for eight runs in just two-thirds of an inning in his third start after returning to the rotation June 1, he’s holding his own as a starter. In fact, he’s 3-0 with a 3.65 ERA and 22 strikeouts in five starts and 24.2 innings since the Astros clobbered him at The K a month ago. And although his overall nine-start ERA is 5.87, it would be a much more palatable 4.06 without that catastrophic outing against Houston. Avila’s spot in the rotation, then, is pretty secure. That’s also where, notwithstanding some not-so-subtle fan and media sentiment to the contrary, the Royals seem to prefer him to work. Yes, his control and command require improvement (he’s walking 13.7% of batters he faces and almost 5½ every nine innings), but he’s been serviceable during his club’s tough times. Look for Avila to finish this season and begin the next in the rotation, Can Michael Massey Hang On To His Royals Job? Second base has long been a KC concern, but Massey appears to be waging a successful battle to regain the position he seemed to have won in 2023. That’s the season he hit only .229 but cracked 15 homers and drove in 55 runs across a 461-plate appearance, 129-game campaign. He also sparkled defensively, finishing among the top American League second basemen in OAA in the American League and with the top second base fielding percentage in the majors. And despite the troublesome back that trimmed his 2024 season to just 100 games, he still homered 14 times and improved his average to a more than acceptable .259. Still, the Royals weren’t sold on Massey and traded for Cincinnati’s Jonathan India after the season ended. The move seemed somewhat prescient when Massey spent much of the 2025 season on the Injured List. But despite the high price they paid for him — it took sending Brady Singer to the Reds to get him — India wasn’t the keystone solution. He disappointingly slashed .233/.323/.346, hit only nine homers, and his 89 wRC+ left much to be desired. And now, he’s out for the season after suffering a shoulder subluxation in April. Massey, though, is making the best of the situation in which India’s shoulder injury placed him. Remaining relatively injury-free, he’s hitting .260, his seven homers have him on pace to finish near his decent 2023 and 2024 totals, and his nine OAA are tied for the best in the AL and tied for third-best in the majors. Simply put, and barring a disastrous finish to his season, the second base job should be considered Massey’s. Declaring it so frees up the Royals to pursue greater needs at the trade deadline and during the upcoming offseason, and allows them to move on from India, who’s eligible for free agency when the World Series ends. View the full article

At first glance, it doesn’t look like much has changed for Grant Anderson. After emerging as a versatile and durable middle reliever in his first season with the Brewers last year, the right-hander has resumed that role in 2026 with the same results. From a process standpoint, however, Anderson has not been quite the same guy. He’s issued slightly more walks, and his strikeout rate has dropped by five percentage points. As a result, most ERA estimators believe he’s pitched a bit worse than last year, and it looks as though an abnormally low batting average on balls in play is helping him maintain that shiny ERA. Season K-BB% BABIP ERA xERA FIP DRA- 2025 15.1% .274 3.23 3.72 3.84 91 2026 8.9% .221 3.32 3.30 4.44 108 Aside from those increased walks, it’s not really fair to say that Anderson has pitched worse this season. The real takeaway is that his stuff is playing differently, particularly his signature four-seam fastball. When Anderson arrived in Milwaukee, he and the Brewers originally leaned into a sinker-sweeper approach and worked in a few elevated four-seamers to left-handed hitters. Over time, that four-seamer took over as Anderson’s primary fastball, becoming just as integral to his breakout as his new sweeper. The key was his low arm slot, which made it look like the ball was rising as it entered the top of the zone. Despite its pedestrian velocity, opponents whiffed on nearly 40% of swings against Anderson’s four-seamer because it was so challenging to get the bat on top of it. This year, his slot has increased ever so slightly, creating a ripple effect on how that fastball plays. Season Arm Angle IVB VAA Whiff% Under% LA wOBAcon 2025 8° 12.2 -3.51 39% 68% 28° .383 2026 12° 12.6 -3.87 23% 48% 35° .340 The change is most reflected in the vertical approach angle of Anderson’s fastball, which measures the steepness at which the pitch crosses home plate. Last year, it had the ninth-lowest VAA among qualified four-seamers, meaning it entered the zone at one of the flattest angles in baseball, prompting so many swings underneath the ball. This year, its VAA ranks 19th. That’s still elite, but in a game of inches, it reduces how far underneath those swings are. Fewer swings from opposing hitters have been underneath Anderson’s four-seamer this year, which is a big reason why it’s gotten significantly fewer whiffs. However, the average launch angle against it has increased. That means many of those swings and misses have instead become high fly balls and pop-ups, which are still nearly automatic outs. It’s a slightly different way of getting to the same result. The small change to his arm slot has effectively transformed Anderson from a swing-and-miss pitcher to a pop-up king. His whiff rate has dropped from an excellent 30.9% last year to a below-average 24.1% this year, but his 13.8% pop-up rate ranks ninth among qualified pitchers, according to Statcast. Pitchers who allow such high fly balls usually have a lower opponent BABIP, so Anderson is not necessarily getting lucky that more of them are finding gloves. It’s why xERA (a Statcast-based metric that looks at how often batted balls of each exit velocity and launch angle combination go for hits) believes he has actually been better, even as most of his peripheral stats have taken a step backward. Hitters are making more contact, but in ways that typically lead to fewer hits. Ideally, Anderson will rediscover that lower release, allowing him to be a more balanced pitcher who can get swings and misses when he needs them. But outs are outs, and he still has a reliable way to get them. View the full article

Omaha beat Louisville 7-2 behind Mitch Spence, who struck out five over 5 2/3 innings, and three hits from Brett Squires. Quad Cities drew eight walks and topped Peoria 8-6, with Erick Torres going 3-for-3 and Tyson Guerrero striking out four in two perfect innings. Ryan McDonagh threw three scoreless innings, but Columbia lost 8-4 to Salem in 10 innings. Carson Roccaforte tripled and scored, but Northwest Arkansas fell 8-5 at Wichita. Kansas City Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Squires, Drury Lead Storm Chasers Past Louisville The Omaha Storm Chasers collected 14 hits and beat the Louisville Bats 7-2 on Saturday. Squires went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored twice, Brandon Drury doubled, drove in two runs, and walked three times, and Drew Waters went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Omaha took the lead in the second inning when Luca Tresh singled, moved up, and scored on a Waters double. Louisville tied it in the third, but the Storm Chasers answered with three runs in the fourth. Tresh walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Velazquez, and Matthew Lugo followed with a two-run double that brought home Drury and Waters for a 4-1 lead. Former first-round pick Gavin Cross added an RBI single in the fifth, and Drury capped the scoring with a two-run double in the ninth that scored Squires and Cross. Spence started and turned in a strong outing, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Oscar Rayo recorded the final out of the sixth. Vince Velasquez, making his Omaha Storm Chasers debut, allowed one run over two innings with two strikeouts, and former Twins reliever Justin Topa worked around two hits and a walk in a scoreless ninth. Omaha drew five walks and left 11 runners on base. They went 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They head into the All-Star Break with a 40-52 record. Player AB R H RBI BB K Matthew Lugo 5 0 1 2 0 1 John Rave 5 0 2 0 0 0 Abraham Toro 5 0 2 0 0 1 Brett Squires 5 2 3 0 0 1 Luca Tresh 4 2 1 0 1 2 Gavin Cross 5 1 2 1 0 2 Brandon Drury 2 1 1 2 3 0 Drew Waters 4 1 2 1 0 1 Rudy Martin Jr. 0 0 0 0 1 0 Andrew Velazquez 4 0 0 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Mitch Spence 5 2/3 5 1 1 2 5 0 Oscar Rayo 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Vince Velasquez 2 3 1 1 0 2 0 Justin Topa 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 Naturals Fall Behind Early, Drop 8-5 Decision At Wichita The Northwest Arkansas Naturals lost 8-5 to the Wichita Wind Surge on Saturday despite a three-hit night from Jack Pineda, who went 3-for-5. Roccaforte, the Royals' No. 8 prospect, led off the game with a triple and came around to score on a fielding error by the right fielder. Wichita answered with a run in the first and two in the second, one scoring on a throwing error by catcher Canyon Brown. The Naturals tied it at 3-3 in the third, when Spencer Nivens doubled home Pineda, and Daniel Vazquez, the Royals' No. 18 prospect, brought in Sam Kulasingam with a groundout. The Wind Surge pulled away from there, unfortunately. Two solo home runs in the fourth made it 5-3, and Wichita added two more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and a steal of home. Northwest Arkansas got two back in the sixth, with Vazquez scoring on an Alberto Rodriguez forceout and Colton Becker scoring on a Brown sacrifice fly, but Wichita answered with a run on a passed ball in the bottom half. Hunter Owen started and allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits with one walk, four strikeouts, and two home runs over four innings. Anthony Simonelli allowed two runs in an inning of work. Chase Jessee allowed an unearned run with two strikeouts. Frank Mozzicato and Augusto Mendieta each threw a scoreless inning. Northwest Arkansas left eight runners on base and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They fall to 36-49 after the loss. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carson Roccaforte 5 1 1 0 0 1 Jack Pineda 5 1 3 0 0 1 Sam Kulasingam 4 1 1 0 1 0 Spencer Nivens 5 0 1 1 0 2 Daniel Vazquez 3 1 1 1 1 1 Colton Becker 3 1 0 0 1 2 Omar Hernandez 2 0 1 0 1 1 Alberto Rodriguez 4 0 0 1 0 1 Canyon Brown 3 0 0 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Hunter Owen 4 7 5 4 1 4 2 Anthony Simonelli 1 1 2 2 1 1 0 Chase Jessee 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 Frank Mozzicato 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Augusto Mendieta 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Torres Collects Three Hits As River Bandits Outlast Peoria The Quad Cities River Bandits drew eight walks and beat the Peoria Chiefs 8-6 on Saturday. Erick Torres went 3-for-3 with two RBI and scored twice, Nolan Sailors went 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI, and Diego Guzman walked three times and scored twice. Trailing 1-0 in the second, Quad Cities loaded the bases on a Jose Cerice hit-by-pitch, a Tyriq Kemp walk, and a Torres single. After a flyout, Guzman walked to reload the bases, and Sailors drew a bases-loaded walk to score Kemp. Torres then scored on a wild pitch, and No. 9 prospect Asbel Gonzalez singled home Guzman to give the River Bandits a 3-1 lead. The River Bandits added single runs in the third and fifth, both on plays by Torres: a sacrifice fly and an RBI single that each scored Luke Pelzer. Gonzalez singled home Guzman again in the sixth, and Quad Cities tacked on two in the seventh when Kemp scored on a Guzman groundout, and Torres scored on a Sailors single. David Shields, the Royals' No. 2 prospect, allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over three innings. Tyson Guerrero retired all six batters he faced, striking out four over two perfect innings. Aiden Jimenez allowed an unearned run over three innings with three strikeouts, and Yimi Presinal allowed two runs in the ninth while striking out three. The River Bandits left 10 runners on base and went 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Quad Cities is now 41-42 this season after the victory. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 0 2 2 1 1 Asbel Gonzalez 5 0 2 2 0 2 Ramon Ramirez 4 0 2 0 1 2 Luke Pelzer 3 2 0 0 2 1 Jose Cerice 2 0 0 0 0 1 Tyriq Kemp 4 2 1 0 1 0 Erick Torres 3 2 3 2 0 0 Trevor Werner 4 0 0 0 0 1 Diego Guzman 1 2 0 1 3 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR David Shields 3 4 3 3 2 4 0 Tyson Guerrero 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Aiden Jimenez 3 2 1 0 1 3 0 Yimi Presinal 1 3 2 2 0 3 0 Fireflies Lose Late Lead, Fall To Salem In 10 Innings The Columbia Fireflies led 3-0 through six innings but lost 8-4 to the Salem RidgeYaks in 10 innings on Saturday, wasting a 14-hit night. Hyungchan Um went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, and JC Vanek went 2-for-5 with a triple. Ivan Sosa opened the scoring with a solo home run in the fifth. Later in the inning, No. 10 Royals prospect Yandel Ricardo scored on a double by Um. Roni Cabrera made it 3-0 with a solo home run in the sixth. Salem got on the board with a solo home run in the seventh, then tied it with two runs in the ninth on an RBI double and an RBI single. The game unraveled in the extra innings for the Fireflies (unlike Saturday's win). Salem's zombie runner scored on a two-run home run, and a three-run home run later in the inning pushed the lead to 8-3. In the bottom half, Columbia's zombie runner, Um, took third on a Vanek groundout and scored on a Jhosmmel Zue single, but the Fireflies could get no closer. They went 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. McDonagh started and threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. Coleman Picard allowed one run on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts over five innings. Brandon Herbold allowed two runs in the ninth. Luis Valdez allowed five runs, four earned, and Randy Ramnarace struck out the only batter he faced. The Fireflies go into the All-Star Break with a 43-44 record. Player AB R H RBI BB K Yandel Ricardo 4 1 1 0 1 0 Stone Russell 5 0 1 0 0 0 Hyungchan Um 5 1 3 1 0 1 JC Vanek 5 0 2 0 0 1 Jhosmmel Zue 5 0 2 1 0 0 Connor Rasmussen 3 0 1 0 2 0 Roni Cabrera 5 1 2 1 0 1 Angel Ramirez 4 0 1 0 1 0 Ivan Sosa 3 1 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ryan McDonagh 3 2 0 0 2 4 0 Coleman Picard 5 2 1 1 2 5 1 Brandon Herbold 2/3 2 2 2 1 1 0 Luis Valdez 1 4 5 4 0 0 2 Randy Ramnarace 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Josh Hammond: DNP Blake Mitchell: DNP Sean Gamble: DNP Ramon Ramirez: 2-for-4, BB, 2 K Drew Beam: DNP Carson Roccaforte: 1-for-5, 3B, R, K Asbel Gonzalez: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K Yandel Ricardo: 1-for-4, R, BB Michael Lombardi: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Justin Lamkin: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Austin Charles: DNP Daniel Vazquez: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, K Kamden Edge: DNP Warren Calcano: DNP View the full article

"Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." It's a cheesy line I read once as a kid in the back of a second grade classroom; if you were an attentive student (or the kind of inattentive one who looks for other things to read), chances are you saw something like this hanging up in school, too. Decades later, it remains a cheesy line, and yet, I cannot keep coming back to it when I think about the 2026 draft the Cubs just had. Let me explain. While the book is far from closed on the 2026 draft class (really, it's just beginning), there's a decidedly different feel to the Cubs' drafting strategy than in even the recent past. Maybe you caught the feeling it was different; maybe you didn't. I clocked it once the Cubs made their second pick, and it never went away. Hours after their last pick, it's still my biggest takeaway. My first sign things are a little different with this draft: the Cubs took 16 pitchers out of their total 20 picks. This should immediately ring alarm bells, because the Cubs are a bottom-5 team recently in draft spending on arms. This isn't entirely unprecedented. Chicago executed a similar strategy in 2022, when they also took 16 pitchers. It was a strategy that paid off, too, as a handful of those arms are still playing important roles in the organization: Cade Horton, Mason McGwire and Will Sanders. Despite the comparisons to 2022 on number of pitchers drafted, though, this group of picks stands out as quite different because of one new addition to the draft room: Tyler Zombro. For those unaware, Zombro was hired last year to fill the hole that was left when prior pitching guru Craig Breslow left to take control of the Boston Red Sox. Zombro is an up-and-coming name in the world of pitching, as he is one of the main minds at Tread Athletics. Tread is one of the most well-regarded pitching developmental firms in the nation, like Driveline. Since his hiring, Zombro has been promoted to Vice President of Pitching, showing belief in what he brings to the table. There have been some hallmarks of pitchers with whom Tread Athletics has worked, as well as pitchers the Cubs have targeted over the last two years. Favored hurlers generally throw from a lower arm slot and feature more horizontal movement (versus vertical movement) on their pitches. The Cubs have focused heavily on developing fastballs with cut-ride tendencies and tend to feature four-seam fastballs often in their arsenal. This isn't every pitcher, but a pattern has emerged both with who Zombro has worked with at Tread and who the Cubs have added. These fingerprints are all over the draft class. From an organizational standpoint, it makes sense that Zombro would have a heavy hand in the draft room. The team identified him as a rising talent, and within a year of their initial partnership, they promoted him to a senior position. If you trust him enough to promote him, you should trust him enough to lean on him on draft day. It's clear that the team deferred to his judgement on many players. Multiple players in this class have worked at Tread in the past, so the connections are clear. What I Liked The Cubs' strategy in terms of pitching was very clear this year. Every pitcher they took feels like they have a defined role. You don't have to squint to see what the team hopes Cade Townsend will become. Isaac Morton (6th round) looks every bit like a bullpen arm who kills righties, Cole Tryba (7th round) looks like a middle-innings lefty with a funky arm slot, and Chase Meyers (9th round) looks to be a leverage reliever. Last year, I wrote fairly positive things about third-round selection Dominick Reid. Reid had excellent pitch shapes, but the velocity was low-90s. You had to hope the Cubs could squeeze him and find two more ticks of velocity for him to really have a path. It's not a bad gamble (you're always gambling somewhere with a third-round pick), but the pathway for Reid was "find two miles an hour..." or what? He doesn't have much of a reliever profile, and at 92 MPH, he's a back-end rotation guy at best. There weren't many Dominick Reids this year, and certainly not that high in the draft. In the players the team selected instead, you can easily see the Zombro influence. Morton throws from a sidearm slot. Both Tryba and 8th-round pick Lance Williams also throw from funky, lower arm slots. You can see a bit of Trent Thornton in their motions. It should surprise no one that Thornton is a client of Tread, as well. Now, Thornton isn't an All-Star, but the foundations for what make him useful are his arm slot and velocity. These picks share similar traits, and it shouldn't be surprising to see the team continue to look for this general build of a pitcher where they can. This flows into the other thing I liked about the draft: In places, the Cubs swung big. Caden Sorrell and Myles Bailey are big-power, big-whiff upside plays. None of the pitchers are really playing it safe, either. There are a lot of guys who throw 95+ MPH, and you hope you get them to throw enough strikes. Carson Jasa (3rd round) is a prime example of this. Jasa stands 6-foot-7 and can work in the upper 90s, but the strike-throwing just isn't there right now. If it gets there, he's got massive upside. If he doesn't? Maybe it's a relief profile, or just a complete flameout. The team is really leaning into development this year overall, both offensively and defensively. Bailey sure strikes out a lot, but he also has some of the best exit velocity around. You trust that the organization can develop that. Jasa? Develop the fastball and the command, and you've got a special player. Fifth-round prep pitcher Dylan Blomker is another developmental prospect. Already hitting the mid-90s, his delivery is funky and he needs to learn consistency. But he's starting with the live arm the Cubs have needed for a long time. If you get it right with him, he has frontline, playoff-caliber starter upside. This type of draft class requires you to believe hook, line and sinker in your programs, but if your belief is correct and you remain patient, the rewards of this belief can be huge. This is probably not a class that will produce a lot of high-floor MLB talent. In most draft classes, you're lucky to find two or three meaningful contributors, and this class is more risky than that. But the Cubs weren't okay with just taking Adam Frazier-like second basemen. They took swings on guys who, if they miss, will never even reach the majors. However, if they hit, several of these guys have major upside, and I like the confidence. The Cubs have shown that they're capable at finding new blood for the system, so swing big. What I Didn't Like This is going to sound like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but the Cubs have kind of had a good thing going under Dan Kantrovitz. They got off to a bit of a rocky start in 2020 and 2021, but since then, they've done a great job in the draft. It's resulted, so far, in Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, Cam Smith, Zyhir Hope, Jackson Ferris, Ethan Conrad, Josiah Hartshorn and a handful of others who have gotten top-100 mentions in one publication or another. A few of those names were top-20 picks, and others were players who were more slept on by publications, but the Cubs have had a strong eye for talent regardless of round. Some of these names have already become big-league contributors, while others are knocking on the door with their respective organizations. It's a little scary to take what's been working and change it, considering that kind of success. That's not to say it's been working perfectly; the Cubs don't have a ton of pitching stocked up in the lower levels. They've found guys like Jaxon Wiggins early, and a few later-round wins like Brooks Caple and Grant Kipp look like they might be MLB-quality, but for the most part, they haven't developed pitching and (outside of the 2022 draft) haven't invested in it. The flip side to that is that the Cubs have done a great job in position-player development. There's a chance that greater investment into pitching will pay off, but it also may not. Part of the reason the Cubs have found players in the draft, regardless of round, is that they've generally followed a draft concept of "hit over power" and "defense, defense, defense" when it comes to position players. This has paid off with guys like Hartshorn (not to dismiss his power potential, but his hit tool was the more defined tool on draft day) and Kane Kepley in the 2025 draft already, as well as players like Shaw and Smith, who were both very fast movers. Sorrell and Bailey are far more likely to faceplant in Double-A than any of the other big Cubs position-player picks recently. Bailey doesn't even have positional versatility; he's almost certainly stuck at first base. Thus, one of the things I liked the most (the reward for swinging big) is the one thing I disliked the most: the risk involved. It comes with the territory; but it doesn't mean I can't be a bit concerned with it, as well. Overall Thoughts I don't want to make it sound like I didn't like the draft. In fact, it's quite the opposite; I like this class a lot. It's short of an "A" grade, as there's no single prospect I'm over the moon about. (However, I'll admit I'm already a big Chase Meyers fan.) But I think it's the quintessential "B" grade, in that I can find something I like out of almost every pick. I can see pathways to MLB relevancy for almost every player whose name the Cubs called this weekend, but I wouldn't feel comfortable hitching my wagon to any single name today, either. There's a version of Cade Townsend who uses elite spin and plus velocity to rise to No. 2 in a rotation down the road. There's a version of the same pitcher whose delivery has too much movement, and the command never gets to where it needs to be against advanced hitting. One version of Bailey swats 40 home runs and is an All-Star at first base. Another version of him is a Double-A hitter who strikes out 40% of the time. It's just that kind of a draft—more so than others in recent years. Ultimately, it's a fun draft to dream on, and I think that's the best way to come out of the draft. It's a lot harder to dream on pitchability and 40-grade power than it is to do so on Caden Sorrell's swing or Carson Jasa's fastball. The risk involved is great—probably greater than the pitchability guys or your glove-first shortstops—but that's the kind of swing you have to take sometimes. It's never easy to say a team got a superstar, but this is the kind of draft (on paper) that could produce one or two guys who become special. It's also the kind of draft that could produce a lot of nothing. I keep coming back to that idea that you shoot for the moon. Maybe your favorite player in this draft doesn't become the next big thing, but then again, maybe mine will. View the full article

For the week, Wilson (4-1) won its series, while each of Nashville, Biloxi and Wisconsin managed to earn a 3-3 draw with their opponents. Transactions: RHP Coleman Crow activated by MLB Brewers from 15-day injured list and optioned to AAA Nashville RHP Garrett Stallings optioned to AAA Nashville from MLB Brewers The 2026 MLB Draft also continued on Sunday, with the Brewers making 16 selections: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Analyzing 5th Round Pick Analyzing Rounds 6-10 Analyzing Rounds 11-15 Analyzing Rounds 16-20 Game Action: Futures Game: AL Futures 6, NL Futures 1 (in 7 innings) Box Score 19-year-olds SS Jesus Made and 3B Luis Pena started for the National League Future Stars in their contest in Philadelphia, with Made singling against 22-year old LHP Kade Anderson in the first inning, then smacking a 106.9 MPH RBI groundout to tie the game 1-1 his next time up. He flew out in his 3rd and final at-bat. Pena went 0-for-3, flying out to center field twice and left field his last time up. The AL Futures squad re-took the lead in the 5th inning before adding four more runs to close out their win. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Charlotte (White Sox) 12, Nashville 4 Box Score Via a Sounds’ press release: Zamora Homers in Sunday Loss to Knights Officially rehabbing RHP Carlos Rodriguez (2 2/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 2 Ks) and unofficially rehabbing RHP Gerson Garabito (2 1/3 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks) continue to search for their form, but did not find it on this particular Sunday, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) in their five innings of work to commence the game. The Sounds’ offense also started on an odd note, with OF Blake Perkins earning a leadoff walk, moving to third with nobody out (stolen base and passed ball), then promptly being stranded on three consecutive strikeouts. Trailing 9-3 in the 6th inning, Perkins had a chance to answer the Knights’ 4th inning grand slam and make a game of it, but he went down swinging against a 98 MPH fastball. The Sounds went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but four runs did come across, so we’ve got two video highlights: Sounds’ Extras: 2B Freddy Zamora had a 1-for-2 day, with the solo homer and two walks. 3B Ethan Murray also went for 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while C Andrick Nava was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. RHP Garrett Stallings (1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 1 K) joined Rodriguez and Garabito in conceding a homer in his return to the AAA level after spending recent time in the Show. RHP Blake Holub had the team’s best pitching line: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks. 1B Brock Wilken’s frustrating July continued with an 0-for-4 game to drop his season average to .176, after he’d shown signs of life with an .878 OPS and .233 average in the month of June. Hopefully he’ll re-discover his hitting prowess during the upcoming break. Next week’s outlook: Nashville (53-40) and the rest of the full season affiliates are on their All-Star break, with the Sounds back in action on Friday when they will host Orioles’ affiliate Norfolk (33-58) for a three-game series. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Biloxi 3, Knoxville (Cubs) 1 Box Score Via the Shuckers’ website, game details and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Burke Becomes Third 20/20 Player in Shuckers History in Win Over Smokies - Biloxi Breaks Even in Series With Knoxville Despite blasting Cubs’ affiliate Knoxville 11-2 on Friday, Biloxi found themselves trailing 3 games to 1 in this road series entering the weekend, thankfully remedying that with victories on Saturday and Sunday. Starting 20-year-old RHP Manuel Rodriguez (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H – both singles, 1 BB, 7 Ks) set aside some recent scuffles by putting up blanks, comforted by 1B Blake Burke’s first pitch, two-run blast in the 3rd inning: In fact, Rodriguez faced the minimum 17 batters through 4 2/3 innings before back-to-back singles and a stolen base had him in a two-out, 2nd and 3rd situation in the bottom of the 5th inning, which he escaped by inducing an infield pop-up. RHP Edwin Jimenez (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K; 3.49 ERA) continued that impeccable work by facing the minimum six batters over two frames of middle relief, with 3B Andrew Fischer (1-for-3, HR, walk, RBI) then breaking a rare 1-for-17 mini-slump to rocket his 29th homer of 2026 into the stands. Shuckers’ Extras: The Biloxi offense produced only three hits, matching Knoxville’s total, but all three were of the extra-base variety (vs. zero for the Smokies). Fischer, Burke (1-for-3, HR, walk, 2 RBIs) and OF Josiah Ragsdale (1-for-4, double, SB) were part of that crew, while the rest of the Shuckers’ offense went a combined 0-for-21. RHP Cameron Wagoner (2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 Ks; 2.03 ERA) did concede a rare run in bottom of the 8th inning to cut the lead to 3-1 with two runners aboard to excite the opposition crowd, but he retired the final four batters of the game in order to earn his 7th save. Next week’s outlook: Biloxi (46-37) returns home for a three-game series against Marlins’ affiliate Pensacola (45-41), commencing on Friday. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wisconsin 9, Beloit (Marlins) 5 Box Score Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, game details: Rattlers Slam the Door on Beloit - Wisconsin wins series finale to head into All-Star Break in first place Thanks to the Wisconsin media team for compiling video highlights of another home victory: Make sure to also catch the 18-minute Mehring-Timm post-game podcast, featuring comments from RHP Ethan Dorchies (5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 Ks), OF Luis Castillo (1-for-2, HR, walk, HBP, 5 RBIs) and acting manager Evan Berliner. As you’ve seen, read and heard, it was an enjoyable Sunday for the Timber Rattlers and 3,661 home fans, with Dorchies dominating and then OF Luis Castillo smacking a grand slam on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning after the game had tightened. Drama nearly returned in the top of the 8th inning as Beloit cut the deficit to 9-5 with the bases loaded and one out and a 2-0 count, but RHP Michael Fowler induced the inning ending 4-6-3 ground ball double play to escape. Timber Rattlers’ Extras: 11 walks and two hit-by-pitches accompanied Wisconsin’s five hits, with 3B Eric Bitonti (0-for-2, 3 walks), 1B Tayden Hall (1-for-3, 2 walks, 2 RBIs) and OF Tyler Rodriguez (0-for-1, 2 walks, HBP, RBI) each reaching base three times. C Blayberg Diaz had a 2-for-4 afternoon, while OF Braylon Payne earned two walks and stole two bases. Of course, 2B Daniel Dickinson’s hot streak also continued: 1-for-4, double, walk, 2 SBs. Fowler (1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) garnered five outs from the final four batters he faced to close out the game and lower his season ERA at the High-A level to 2.79. Next week’s outlook: Wisconsin (48-34) remains home, commencing their three-game series against Royals’ affiliate Quad Cities (41-42) Friday. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 18, Fayetteville (Astros) 1 Box Score Via the Warbirds’ website, game details: Warbirds Demolish Woodpeckers in Series Finale - Frias, Garcia, Anderson Crush Homers 18-year-old C Kevin Garcia (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs) helped the Warbirds out of a tricky first inning by gunning down an attempted basestealer, then smacked a two-run homer his first time up to push Wilson’s lead to 4-1 in the 2nd inning. The teams resumed Saturday’s rain-delayed game with Fayetteville having a 2-0 count, runners on the corners and one out in the first inning, with RHP Joshua Quezada inheriting that quasi-mess. Garcia’s arm helped limit the Woodpeckers to one run in that frame and Quezada pocketed his 4th win of the season despite only facing two batters. Also just 18 years old, OF Alexander Frias (2-for-5, HR, walk, 4 RBIs) had gotten the offense started with his pull shot in the bottom of the first inning. Those efforts gave RHP Diustin Mayorquin a lead and a relatively clean slate for his Low-A debut. The youngest pitcher in the 12-team Carolina League, Mayorquin (3 IP, 0 R, 1 H – a single, 0 BB, 4 Ks) retired 9 of 10 batters faced, exiting after the 4th inning with an 8-1 advantage. Every Warbird notched at least one base knock in their 15-hit barrage and eight batters had at least one RBI. Top performers included DH Rylan Mills (2-for-2, triple, 3 walks, 2 RBIs), 2B Luis Lameda (2-for-3, double, 2 walks, 2 RBIs), OF Pedro Ibarguen (3-for-6, double, RBI) and 3B Filippo Di Turi (1-for-4, walk, sac fly, 3 RBIs). Certainly not to be left out, OF Jose Anderson (1-for-5, HR, HBP, 3 RBIs) smacked his 4th home run in his past three games to give him a league-leading 21 long balls this season: Warbirds’ Extras: Kudos to all the Wilson pitchers who contributed, including five innings of scoreless work from RHPs Tyler Renz (3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks) and Miqueas Mercedes (2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K; 3.91 ERA). Wilson’s defense was also in top form, turning ground ball double plays in the 7th and 8th innings. If you’re thinking that Wilson’s seven-run eighth inning likely came against a position player pitching, you’d be mistaken. All 18 runs were hard earned against professional pitchers in front of 2,109 home fans. Next week’s outlook: Wilson (47-39) players can rest up until Friday, when they commence their three-game series at Rangers’ affiliate Hickory (49-36) in North Carolina. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. On Monday, the rookie level squads are in action, starting with DSL Brewers Blue (16-13) hosting DSL Astros Blue at 10:00am CST and DSL Brewers Gold (15-13) playing at DSL Orioles Orange at the same time. The ACL Brewers (24-27) host the ACL Dodgers at 8:00pm CST. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

From spring training through last month's promotion to Double-A, Marlins outfielder Cam Cannarella takes us inside his first full season as a professional baseball player.View the full article

The 2026 MLB Draft took place over the weekend, and we covered it all here at Jays Centre. Click the links below to read about each of the Blue Jays' selections, including No. 39 overall pick Cole Carlon. No. 39: Cole Carlon No. 103: Ryan Cooney No. 131: Will Brick No. 164: Nolan Higgins Rounds 6-10 Gable Mitchell Dean West Jake Bennett Joey Urban Bryce Chance Rounds 11-20 Brayden Martin Santiago Garcia Mathis Nayral Connor Kelley Oliver de la Torre Carson Cormier Landon Waters Jake McCoy Cole Travers Eddie Rosado Jr. You can also find the complete list of Toronto's selections on our 2026 Blue Jays Draft Pick Tracker. This tool will be updated as players sign. View the full article

The Weekly Nutshell: Winning their first two games against Cleveland brought the Twins within a game of .500 ... and then, of course, they lost two straight to ensure they wouldn't get back to that elusive break-even point before the All-Star break. They haven't had a non-losing record since April 22nd, and here at the season's unofficial midpoint, their W/L is nearly identical to where it was last year when they conducted a deadline firesale on the way to 90 losses. Still, something about this season feels different, and that was evident again last week. Coming off an excellent road trip that featured series wins against two long-time tormenters in New York and Houston, the Twins conquered another bitter rival by taking two of three from the Guardians for a second time this year. It was a gratifying, and meaningful, turning of the tides for a Twins team trailing Cleveland by just a couple of games in the standings. All of this might say more about the state of the American League and its typical heavyweights than it does about the caliber of this Twins team, but hey — opportunity is opportunity, and they clearly have one in front of them. After taking care of business against the lowly Angels over the weekend, the Twins are oh-so close to the .500 mark that they've been chasing all summer, and well within range of a postseason spot with 65 left to play. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/6 through Sun, 7/12 *** Record Last Week: 4-2 (Overall: 48-49) Run Differential Last Week: +3 (Overall: -14) Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (3.0 GB) Latest Game Results Game 92 | MIN 3, CLE 1: Bradley Dominates, Leads Twins Past Sloppy Guardians Bradley: 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 10 K Game 93 | MIN 6, CLE 5: Roden's Walk-Off Wall Ball in Ninth Caps Comeback Win Roden: 2-5, 2 RBI Game 94 | CLE 5, MIN 2: Guards Avoid Sweep Behind Dominant Start from Williams Twins offense: 3 H, 1 BB, 14 K Game 95 | LAA 4, MIN 3: Twins Strand 9 Runners as Offense Struggles to Get Going Matthews: 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K Game 96 | MIN 5, LAA 3: Pitchers Steer Out of Trouble, Lineup Produces Key Late Hits Lewis: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI Game 97 | MIN 4, LAA 2: Larnach and Jeffers Drive in Two Apiece, Bradley Deals Again Bradley: 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K NEWS & NOTES It was a busy week of roster movement that also saw the Twins pick third overall in the draft. Let's run through the updates: Byron Buxton's run of avoiding the injured list came to an end on Tuesday, when he was placed on the IL with a hip impingement that he aggravated at the end of last week. The timing of this stint, just in front of the break, means Buxton potentially could miss relatively minimal game time; he'll be eligible to return on Friday when the Twins are back in action, which would equate to six games lost. In the meantime, Alan Roden was recalled to take over the open roster spot and has been starting regularly in right field, with Luke Keaschall sliding over into center. Ryan Jeffers was activated from the IL on Friday after missing nearly two months with fractured hamate. Kyler Fedko was optioned to make room. Jeffers started behind the plate on Friday and Sunday, notching two hits in eight at-bats. Bailey Ober also came off the IL after missing all of June with elbow inflammation, starting Thursday's series finale against Cleveland. He had a fine outing on paper with five innings of one-run ball, but the fastball was averaging less than 88 MPH. Connor Prielipp (blister) and Marco Raya (right shoulder impingement) were placed on the IL. Eric Orze and Cody Laweryson were optioned to Triple-A. Mick Abel and Anthony Banda were both moved to the 60-day IL to create space on the 40-man. The Twins acquired right-hander Woo-Suk Go in a minor trade with the Tigers. Go had an upward mobility clause in his contract that meant he needed to be placed on the MLB roster, so the Twins moved him straight to their big-league club. Left-hander Kendry Rojas was also recalled amid all the bullpen juggling. Right-hander Jack Anderson was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox and then optioned to the Saints. Garrett Acton started a rehab assignment with Class-A Ft. Myers. Cole Sands rebooted his own rehab in Triple-A after having it halted due to a flareup of injury symptoms. Sands could be in line to return after the break and has the potential to provide a big bullpen boost. The Twins made their first semi-significant trade of deadline season, striking early to acquire reliever Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays in exchange for catching prospect Ryan Sprock. At 35, Nance is a bit of a journeyman but has pitched reasonably well out of the Toronto bullpen over the past couple years. It's a talent upgrade, if a modest one. Nance allowed a run in his first inning of work as a Twin on Saturday, but struck out two and was credited with the win. That should just about get us caught up with roster news at the big-league level. But the most exciting moment of the week for prospect sickos like myself came on Saturday when the Twins selected third overall in the MLB Draft, their highest position since 2017. They took Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who emerged as a consensus top-three pick with a breakthrough college season. He immediately bolsters the overall quality of Minnesota's farm system and will be an exciting name to follow going forward, with the capability to rise very fast. In addition to Lackey, the Twins also added a number of other intriguing new players to their system on Day 1 and Day 2 of the draft; you can click on those threads to catch up and share your thoughts. HIGHLIGHTS Taj Bradley set the tone in Tuesday's series-opening victory over Cleveland with his second straight dominant outing, compiling 10 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball with only three hits allowed. Bradley induced 25 swings and misses, most by any Twins starter this season, and 17 of those came on the cutter. Bradley was stellar again on Sunday, firing seven innings of two-run ball to pick up his ninth win. Outside of a brief downswing coming off the IL, Bradley has been pitching like a legitimate ace, not just in terms of performance but workload. That's enormous with Pablo López down. As the bullpen shuffles wildly from day to day, the Twins are at least seeing some steadiness from key arms that are likely to stick around and support the cause in the second half. Andrew Morris was once again fantastic, tossing five shutout innings with five strikeouts, one walk and two hits allowed. He's rattled off 16 straight scoreless appearances and has a 17-to-3 K/BB ratio in that span. I think I'm ready to say the rookie has become their most trusted reliever in my eyes? Yoendrys Gómez is also very much in that conversation — he picked up two saves and a win in three scoreless outings. Gómez has finished the game in his last seven straight appearances, so he's one of the few in this bullpen with a clearly defined role. The Twins' closer is answering the call admirably with a team-leading 1.80 Win Probability Added and a perfect 11-for-11 conversion rate on saves. I'll admit I'm a little perturbed by his drop-off in strikeouts of late, and the 2.7% HR/FB rate feels like a bit of a ticking time bomb, but there's no knocking the results. He's been an amazing pickup and you've gotta hope the Twins can get similarly lucky with one of their latest "throw-it-at-the-wall" additions like Nance, Go and Anderson. While far from being trusted, left-handers Taylor Rogers and Kody Funderburk at least took steps in the right direction last week, combing for 3 ⅓ scoreless innings. Funderburk, in particular, is on an encouraging run: he's issued only one walk in six frames since returning from Triple-A, throwing strikes at a 66% clip. I ranked Funderburk very low on my reliever confidence scale, but if he actually gets to a place where he can reliably throw the ball over the plate, that changes everything for him. The Twins offense continues to lead the American League in scoring, but had a relatively quiet week, averaging under four runs per game. Still, what I appreciate is that they're putting up a fight every night, and comebacks almost never feel out of reach, as Royce Lewis noted following Saturday's victory. Lewis did his part to power the offense with five hits, including a double and a pair of home runs. He drove in four and by week's end, Royce's OPS was back up to a respectable .696. His two-run homer to open the scoring on Saturday, a 419-foot nuke to the upper deck, was the kind of swing that really gets your juices flowing. That is the guy we all want to see — the explosive wild-card who could completely change this team's fortunes down the stretch. Lewis' growing confidence is palpable. While the circumstances that paved way for his return were unfortunate, it was nice to see Roden finally get another shot in the majors after spending the first half in Triple-A, and largely injured. He wasted no time making an impact, delivering two RBIs in his first game back on Wednesday including the ninth-inning walk-off hit. Last year, Roden drove in one run and drew zero walks in 12 games with the Twins; this year he's already at three and two respectively in his first week. He looks like a big-leaguer. I just don't know how long the runway is going to be right now, because Buxton could be back on the other side of the break and then you go back to a starting outfield alignment that's tough to crack. Buxton's been their best hitter and Trevor Larnach (who homered and drove in two on Sunday) is right up there with him. At the same time, Keaschall is coming on strong: he went 6-for-16 last week and is batting .393 with power here in July. LOWLIGHTS While Rogers and Funderburk had positive showings to earn back some faith as left-handed options in the bullpen, that wasn't true for Rojas in his return to the big-league stage. With his electric, high-velocity arsenal, he has the makings of a game-changing arm if only he can harness the stuff and command the zone. That didn't happen on Thursday in his worst outing as a big-leaguer: Rojas allowed three earned runs in two innings of work against Cleveland, yielding three walks and a home run. He entered in the sixth inning of a 1-1 tie game and left with a 4-1 deficit, costing the Twins their chance at a sweep over the dreaded Guards. There's still plenty to like about the lefty's long-term outlook, but it's an open question how much he can be counted to help the Twins in the present. I do wonder if he'll be a part of the post-deadline picture, and to what extent if so. I'm also curious to see what the plan is with Go. The 27-year-old is sort of an interesting project, as a former KBO standout who signed for $4.5 million with the Padres back in 2024 but has since been passed around and failed to earn a big-league opportunity until now. His numbers in Triple-A were nothing to write home about and he did not look terribly impressive to my eyes in his first couple of appearances with the Twins, but obviously more time is needed for a proper evaluation. That's sort of the trouble with the spot the Twins are in: they don't have a ton of leeway to assess these marginal arms while panning for another Gómez-like diamond in the rough. And when opportunities for these fringy relievers arise, they're often going to be in higher leverage than you'd like to be using suspect pitchers. Running out Go and Nance in the seventh and eighth innings of a tight game on Saturday felt precarious even if it ultimately worked out. The last thing you want to do is run Morris into the ground as he acclimates to a true relief role for the first time. TRENDING STORYLINE How will the Twins handle the catcher position? For now they are carrying three following the return of Jeffers, because they understandably don't want to expose Alex Jackson (out of options) to waivers and risk losing him for nothing. Jackson had a solid run while Jeffers was sidelined, slashing .296/.321/.407 with quality defense, and he's established himself as a viable option to back up Victor Caratini in 2027 once Jeffers presumably moves on as a free agent. The problem is that keeping Jackson around means letting him collect dust while clogging up a bench spot. He's barely ever going to play with Jeffers and Caratini healthy, especially since the DH spot is fully clamped down by Josh Bell. Is Jeffers setting up to assist a push for the Twins down the stretch, or is he being showcased as a trade candidate? There are a lot of angles at play here. He's one of their most valuable players and could be critical to their hopes of reaching the postseason. At the same time, you don't want to risk losing a valuable asset for nothing at season's end, and Minnesota's contention hopes remain slim. Maybe you hold onto him with plans to offer a qualifying offer in the offseason. That would require a willingness to pay Jeffers around $20 million in 2027. (Good test for Tom Pohlad's mettle?) Exploring a contract extension is also on table, but is that really a route you want to go with a catcher who's about to turn 30 when you just drafted a college star at the same position who is likely to be on the fast track? Their actions at the deadline will tell us a lot about how the Twins envision their short-term future behind the plate. Are they going to stay in this three-catcher limbo until then? LOOKING AHEAD The All-Star break is upon us. Sadly Buxton will not be able to participate in Tuesday's festivities due to his placement on the IL, but I expect we'll see Joe Ryan pitch an inning for a second straight year. Coming out of the break, the Twins will head to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against a very solid Cubs team. Pitching probables are currently unknown but I'm going to guess the Twins open the second half with Ober, Zebby Matthews and Ryan. MONDAY, JULY 13: MLB HOME RUN DERBY TUESDAY, JULY 14: MLB ALL-STAR GAME (PHILADELPHIA) FRIDAY, JULY 17: TWINS @ CUBS SATURDAY, JULY 18: TWINS @ CUBS SUNDAY, JULY 19: TWINS @ CUBS View the full article

After an eventful two days, we can finally gauge the San Diego Padres' 2026 draft class in its entirety. Check below for initial scouting reports on each of their final 10 picks! Round 11: 1B Chris McHugh The San Diego Padres select McHugh at No. 335 in the MLB draft from North Carolina State. He was not ranked in our MLB mock draft. Last season, he led the Wolf pack with 50 RBIs along with recording a team-record 23 multi-hit games. Round 12: LHP Rob Evans With No. 365 pick in the MLB draft, the Padres select Evans from Miami State University. He was not on our big board and finished the 2026 season with a 10-3 record. In addition, Evans had a 3.29 ERA, recording 89 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched. Round 13: OF Michael Smith Jr. The San Diego Padres selected Smith at No. 395 from the University of Dayton. He was ranked number 62 in D1 baseball's top 100 outfielders. In 2026, Smith led the team with 38 stolen bases, slashing a .332/.502/.588. He was also named College Advantage Student-Athlete of the Week twice on April 15 and May 6. Round 14: RHP Ty Brachbill The Padres selected Brachbill at No. 425 from High Point University. He was the Big South Pitcher of the Year in 2026 behind an 11-2 record with a 3.59 ERA. He led the team with 81 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched. He also tossed a complete game, allowing six hits in a 6-2 victory against Radford University. Round 15: SS Ryan Kucherak The Padres took Kucherak with pick No. 445 from Northwestern University. He was not on our consensus board; however, Kucherak became the first Northwestern player to record double digit home runs in consecutive seasons since Stephen Hrustich in 2021-2022. In 2026, Kucherak was also ranked second with a .295 batting average and led the Wildcats with 27 walks along with 11 stolen bases. Round 16: RHP Albert Roblez With pick No. 485, the Padres selected Roblez from Oregon State University. He was not on our big board, but he was a NCBWA First-Team All-American after finishing the 2026 season with a 2-1 record and 1.50 ERA. In addition, he recorded 53 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. Round 17: RHP Denton Lord The San Diego Padres select Lord at #515 in the MLB draft from South Walton High School committed to Mississippi State. He was ranked #128 on our big board and #80 in the MLB prospect rankings. Here is a summary from our MLB draft coordinator Jamie Cameron: "Lord is a prep pitcher out of Florida committed to Mississippi State. As you might expect from a pitcher who stands 6'8, 220 pounds, there's both present stuff and plenty of projection in the profile. Lord has easy velocity. His fastball will sit at 94 mph but can grab up to 98 mph in shorter outings. It's easy to see a world in which he's touching triple digits with consistency as he fills out and synchs up his delivery with more consistency. For breakers, he's shown a solid affinity for spin, with a firmer slider and a high-70s curveball which can blend together and become slurvy. There's also an emergent changeup in his pitch mix. Lord had TJ surgery as a HS freshman, but he's one of the most projectable right-handed prep pitchers in the class." Round 18: C Mark Quatrani With pick No. 545, the Padres grabbed Quatrani from Notre Dame University. In 2026, he crushed a .376/.457/.643 batting line along with hitting 15 home runs. Quartrani also had 24 walks and 66 RBIs in 254 plate appearances. Round 19: LHP Chris Downs The Padres took Downs with pick No. 575 from Cal Poly University. He was not on our consensus big board, as Downs' ERA increased from 4.09 in 2025 to 5.71 in 2026. Throughout the 2026 season, he recorded 56 strikeouts along with a 1.59 WHIP in 58.1 innings pitched. Round 20: OF Ezekiel Zion The San Diego Padres concluded the MLB draft with Zion, a 2026 Campo Verde High School Graduate from Arizona. He has yet to commit to a college, though Zion ranks #28 in AZ outfielders according to Perfect Game. Zion also won a player of the week award in the state this past season, going 6-for-8 with a home run, four RBIs, and three runs scored while adding a stolen base and a walk. View the full article

The four full-season San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-2 Sunday as they head into a four-day break for the MLB All-Star Game. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were shut out 8-0 by Oklahoma City, the Double-A San Antonio Missions used a big inning to beat Midland 10-9, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps cruised to a 9-1 win over West Michigan and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were stopped by Rancho Cucamonga 6-2. All four will resume action Friday. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Ethan Salas Shines, Kash Mayfield Goes 1 Inning In Futures Game While they didn't have a huge effect on the outcome of the game, Ethan Salas and Kash Mayfield showed well at the Futures Game in Philadelphia. The NL lost to the AL 6-1. Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect signed as an international free agent in 2023, had two plate appearances and reached both times, with a line-drive single on an 0-1 four-seamer from Texas Rangers right-hander Caden Scarborough, then walking on a 3-2 four-seamer from Boston Red Sox right-hander Anthony Eyanson in the fourth inning. The Double-A San Antonio Missions star started the game as the designated hitter, then switched to catcher in the top of the fifth to catch Mayfield before being removed in the sixth inning. This was Salas' second Futures Game, having appeared in 2024. Mayfield, Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect and a first-round draft choice in 2024, came on to pitch the fifth inning of the seven-inning game. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps star got Chicago White Sox shortstop Caleb Bonemer to ground out to third, then walked Ike Irish of the Baltimore Orioles on five pitches, with Salas challenging the final pitch. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Nelson Rada hit a popup that was lost in the sun behind second base and ended up being a forceout at second. Rada stole second and scored on a single by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Theo Gillen as the AL moved ahead 2-1. Toronto Blue Jays shortstop JoJo Parker flew out to left to end Mayfield's lone inning. Mayfield threw 25 pitches, 13 for strikes and was tagged with the loss. Freddy Fermin Has 1 of 2 Chihuahuas Hits In Loss To Comets Padres catcher Freddy Fermin had one of just two hits for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who were blanked by nine Oklahoma City Comets pitchers in an 8-0 loss. The Chihuahuas won just once in the five-game series (Saturday's game was rained out) and that came in the opener. The Chihuahuas are 41-51, including 6-11 in the second half, following their fourth loss in a row. Fermin, again in a designated hitter role during his rehab assignment as his head contusion heals, broke up the no-hit bid in the fourth inning with his single, then Carlos Rodriguez followed with his own single. That would be the last hit as the Comets used one pitcher for each inning before the All-Star break, with eight tossing hitless innings. The Chihuahuas went with three pitchers. Right-hander Sean Boyle allowed four hits over a season-high six innings on eight hits, including a homer, and no walks with two strikeouts. Right-hander Daison Acosta pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing two hits, while right-hander Alek Jacob was pounded for four runs in the eighth on four hits and a walk, striking out one. Jacob also gave up a homer. Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 3 0 0 0 1 1 Freddy Fermin 4 0 1 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 1 0 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 2 Nick Pratto 3 0 0 0 0 1 Mason McCoy 3 0 0 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 2 0 0 0 1 1 Clay Dungan 2 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 3 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 28 0 2 0 3 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Sean Boyle 6 8 4 4 0 2 1 Daison Acosta 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Alek Jacob 1 4 4 4 1 1 1 Jake Cunningham's Bases-Loaded Triple Fuels 7-Run Missions Rally Jake Cunningham had a bases-loaded triple during a seven-run sixth inning that vaulted the Double-A San Antonio Missions to a 10-9 victory over the host Midland RockHounds. The Missions (40-47, 9-9 second half) won the final three games to split the six-game series. The last two wins were both 10-9 triumphs. Tirso Ornelas went 3-for-3 with two walks and a run scored, while Kai Murphy was on base three times with a single, a double and a walk driving in a pair and scoring once and Francisco Acuna singled twice and scored twice. On the strength of a five-run fourth inning, the RockHounds had an 8-3 lead entering the top of the sixth. But that changed quickly. Wyatt Hoffman's bases-loaded grounder made it 8-4, Chris Sargent's fielder's choice trimmed it to 8-5, Ryan Jackson's RBI single pulled the Missions within 8-6 and Cunningham notched his second triple of the season on a liner to the wall in right-center that brought in three runs and put the Missions up 9-8. Cunningham scored on a balk for the final run of the seven-run outburst. Missions right-handed starter Ian Koenig walked four and allowed two hits, including a three-run homer, en route to giving up five runs (four earned) in three innings. But it was right-handers Sadrac Franco, with two scoreless innings, and Francis Pena, with a perfect ninth for his second save, who sealed the victory for the Missions. SA_0712.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 5 1 1 1 0 0 Tirso Ornelas 3 1 3 0 2 0 Jake Cunningham 5 1 1 3 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 5 0 1 0 0 1 Albert Fabian 4 2 0 0 1 2 Francisco Acuna 5 2 2 0 0 0 Kai Murphy 4 1 2 2 1 0 Wyatt Hoffman 4 1 0 1 0 2 Brendan Durfee 2 0 2 1 0 0 Chris Sargent 2 1 0 1 0 1 Totals 39 10 12 9 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 3 2 5 4 4 1 1 Josh Mallitz 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 Jamie Hitt 2 3 2 1 1 1 0 Sadrac Franco 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Francis Peña 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Justin DeCriscio, Oswaldo Linares Do All The Damage For TinCaps Leadoff hitter Justin DeCriscio and No. 8 hitter Oswaldo Linares provided all of the damage, driving in all the runs in the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps' 9-1 steamrolling of the West Michigan Whitecaps. The TinCaps (36-51, 9-12 second half) won for just the second time to cap this six-game series. DeCriscio went 3-for-5, including a three-run homer, with a career-high five RBIs, while Linares was 3-for-4, including a three-run blast of his own, with a season-best four RBIs. Linares also scored three times, while Zach Evans scored twice. After using two pitchers to open the first two innings, right-hander Maikel Miralles went five strong, giving up a run on one hit and three walks with no strikeouts. Right-hander Matthew Watson, right-hander Kannon Kemp, left-hander Braian Salazar and right-hander Will Varmette each went a scoreless inning around Miralles, with Watson, Salazar and Varmette each punching out a pair. Linares got the scoring started when he lofted his second homer of the season to left-center with two outs in the fifth for a 3-0 lead. The Whitecaps scored one in the bottom of the sixth, but DeCriscio quickly reestablished order by smacking his eighth homer, a line shot that cleared the left-field fence to make it 6-1. The duo combined to put this one out of reach in the eighth as Linares singled home Kavares Tears and DeCriscio had a two-run double, with Kasen Wells being thrown out at the plate. DeCriscio's previous career high was a four-RBI game June 12. Linares has only had one other game with more than three RBIs and that came in 2022 in the Dominican Summer League when he had six. FW1_0712.mp4 FW2_0712.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 1 3 5 0 0 Ryan Wideman 5 0 1 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 5 0 1 0 0 1 Kavares Tears 3 1 0 0 2 0 Rosman Verdugo 5 0 3 0 0 0 Jack Costello 5 1 1 0 0 2 Zach Evans 4 2 1 0 0 0 Oswaldo Linares 4 3 3 4 0 0 Kasen Wells 4 1 2 0 0 1 Totals 40 9 15 9 2 4 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Kannon Kemp 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Maikel Miralles 5 1 1 1 3 0 0 Braian Salazar 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Will Varmette 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Storm Gives Up Big Inning Late, Falls To Quakes A combination of not enough offense and allowing one big inning sent the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm to a 6-2 loss to the host Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The Storm (45-42, 6-15) won just twice in the six-game series. Conner Westenburg had two of the Storm's five hits, while Alcides Hernandez walked twice. Jose Verdugo had a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and Qrey Lott an RBI single in the seventh that tied the game, but the Quakes scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to take control. The Storm used seven pitchers to cover the nine innings before dispersing for the All-Star break. LE_0712.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Jose Verdugo 3 0 1 1 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 0 0 2 Dawson Willis 3 0 0 0 1 2 Bradley Frye 1 0 0 0 1 0 Yimy Tovar 2 0 0 0 0 1 Alcides Hernandez 2 0 0 0 2 0 Truitt Madonna 4 0 0 0 0 3 George Bilecki 4 0 0 0 0 4 Conner Westenburg 4 2 2 0 0 0 Qrey Lott 3 0 1 1 0 1 Totals 30 2 5 2 4 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Luis Maracara 3 2 2 2 3 3 1 Isaiah Lowe 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Daichi Moriki 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Brandon Langley 2/3 2 4 4 2 1 1 Cal Riehl 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Sean Barnett 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-1, 1 BB Kash Mayfield: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-5 Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-5, 1 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Tucker Musgrove: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, 3 K Alex McCoy: 1-for-5, 1 K Jesus Castro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Rosman Verdugo: 3-for-5 Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View the full article

If you had the thought that the New York Mets had an eye on bolstering the system’s pitching depth after Day 1, that belief crystallized big-time on Day 2. The Mets’ first four picks Sunday were college pitchers, with 10 of their 16 overall on Day 2 being college pitchers. They selected just two high school players, a catcher and an outfielder, on Sunday. That came after the Mets used two of their three picks Saturday on college pitchers, including taking Arkansas sophomore right-hander Carson Wiggins with their first-round pick. They also took Texas A&M senior left-hander Shane Sdao in the fourth round. Of their 19 total draft picks, 12 were college pitchers. Sunday began with the fifth round, where the Mets stayed the course and took Florida junior right-hander Luke McNeillie with the 152nd pick. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder profiles as a key reliever, where his stuff plays up, but could also be a starter with some work. While his fastball sits in the upper-90s, he has a high-spin slider in the upper-80s that is his best pitch. The 21-year-old also has a changeup that needs improvement, especially if he is to remain a starter. He has some delivery issues that lead to his pitches being more hittable. Auburn redshirt junior right-hander Alex Petrovic was the Mets’ choice in the sixth round (181st pick). A big frame at 6-5 and 235 pounds, the 22-year-old had 92 strikeouts in 92⅔ innings across 17 starts that helped make him a high selection after going undrafted a year ago when eligible. He added about 3 mph of velocity, touching 96 mph while sitting 92-93 mph. He also has a good changeup to go along with a sweeper and a cutter. He battled arm inflammation in high school and when he stepped onto the Auburn campus, then had a stress fracture in his elbow that first spring and had surgery. The same injury cropped up the next year, but he chose a different recovery path and has been healthy since. In the seventh round (210th pick), the Mets went with Stanford junior right-hander Aidan Keenan, who was a starter and reliever throughout his college days. The 6-2, 200-pounder battled an oblique injury this season and has trouble with control and consistency. He has a very nice mid-90s fastball with life that has reached 99 mph. He also utilizes two types of changeups, one that is a high-spin traditional offering and another lower-spin split. Mississippi junior right-hander Landon Koenig went in the ninth round (240th). The 6-6, 245-pounder started his career with two years at North Dakota State to little acclaim, but refined his performance at Ole Miss, where he posted a 29.7% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. He picked up a couple ticks in velocity to sit 95-96 mph with his fastball. His fastball hasn’t missed a lot of bats, but he does throw it for a lot of strikes. He also has an upper-80s slider, which is pretty good, and a splitter. The ninth round broke the pitcher trend as the Mets went with a college catcher. That was Cal Poly junior backstop Ryan Tayman with the 270th pick. He played two seasons at Cal before transferring to Cal Poly for this past season. The 6-2, 210-pounder slashed .349/.445/.672 with 15 homers and 43 RBIs in 50 games. It was a breakout season after hitting .254 and .274 at Cal. The right-handed hitter cracked three grand slams as a junior for good measure. It was back to college pitching in the 10th round as the Mets picked Dartmouth junior right-hander Nate Isler, who could be a sleeper pick. The 6-6, 235-pounder has a dynamic fastball that led to 80 strikeouts in 65 innings, including two 11-strikeout games. He did have a 4.98 ERA by virtue of allowing 68 hits and 25 walks. The second half of the draft began with the Mets selecting Arkansas junior outfielder Kuhio Aloy in the 11th round (330th pick), the second Razorback behind Wiggins selected by New York this year. A 6-1, 205-pound Hawaii native who began his career at BYU before spending the last two years with the Razorbacks, he slashed .293/.352/.486 this season, hitting nine home runs and driving in 41. He was the eighth player drafted from Arkansas in this year’s draft. UC Santa Barbara junior right-hander AJ Krodel was scooped up in the 12th round (360th pick). The 6-4, 200-pounder is a reliever who can rack up strikeouts but has issues with walks. His stuff and traits show the potential that the stats don’t. He is the fifth member of the Gauchos’ pitching staff to be drafted this year, led by No. 4 overall pick Jackson Flora, who was taken by the San Francisco Giants. Krodel had a 5.66 ERA this year with 17 walks and 42 strikeouts in 35 innings. He also gave up 42 hits, including seven homers, so the Mets will look to do some fine-tuning with him. It took until the 13th round for the Mets to finally select a high school player. Catcher Jacob Madrid was taken with the 390th selection out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., the same school that has produced Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton. The 6-4, 215-pound right-handed hitter, who also pitched in high school, is a terrific defender, which will be his calling card and could take him all the way to the majors. An Oregon commit, Madrid has a very strong arm (65 on the 20-80 scouting scale) to highlight his elite defensive skills. He also has some raw power to tap into. The Mets went back to college pitching in the 14th round (420th pick) with Troy (Ala.) senior left-hander Zach Crotchfelt. At 6-3, 215 pounds, Troy was the third school for Crotchfelt, who also attended Auburn and Texas Tech. He helped Troy make a surprising run to the College World Series by striking out 81 in 67 innings for a 3.47 ERA. His fastball sits 93-94 mph, reaching 97 mph and was the pitch he relied on a lot in college, using it 72% of the time. Crotchfelt also has a changeup and a curveball that misses bats even with less usage. He throws from a three-quarters slot with a crossfire delivery. Missouri-St. Louis junior right-hander Dustin Hagens Jr. was taken in the 15th round (450th pick). The 6-1, 185-pounder was a starter in his first two college seasons, but converted to a reliever as a junior and experienced a ton of success. In 20 games and 39⅓ innings, Hagens struck out 57 and walked 18. In the 16th round (480th pick), the Mets went with LSU junior right-hander Gavin Guidry. No, he is not related to former New York Yankees star left-hander Ron Guidry, also a Louisiana native. This Guidry, a 6-2, 184-pounder, missed all of 2025 as he redshirted with a back injury, but rebounded in 2026 to strike out 59 in 43⅔ innings while posting a 6.39 ERA. While his strikeouts spiked as a junior, he was more effective in his freshman and sophomore years, with ERAs of 3.77 and 2.59, respectively. Cooper Dossett, a senior right-hander out of Arkansas and the third Razorback the Mets took in the draft, was the 17th-rounder (510th pick). A 6-0, 210-pounder, Dossett is another reliever that will need work. He had a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings over 16 appearances, striking out 18, while allowing 13 runs on 12 hits and 12 walks. The 18th round (540th pick) saw the Mets take their second high school player. That was outfielder Marcus Ward out of King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. The 5-11, 172-pounder left-handed hitter has a commitment to Western Carolina. In the 19th round (570th pick), the Mets again went back to college, selecting Central Florida senior outfielder John Smith III. At 6-1, 200 pounds, the right-handed hitter slashed .322/.383/.574 in starting 47 of the team’s 49 games, hitting 12 homers and driving in a team-high 49 runs. He showed a good ability to reach base, with a 23-game on-base streak. He played his junior year at South Alabama after two years at Pensacola (Fla.) State. To wrap things up, the Mets used their final pick to pick their only infielder of the draft, Iowa senior shortstop Kooper Schulte. The 6-1, 198-pound right-handed hitter slashed .274/.344/.451 with nine homers and 39 RBIs with 11 steals and 50 runs scored in 56 games. View the full article

After going after bats on day one of the 2026 MLB Draft and then going pitching heavy for the beginning of day two, the Boston Red Sox drafted with a mixture of the two ideas for the latter half of the draft. Over the remaining 10 rounds, they selected four positional players and six pitchers. Also, unlike in 2025 where they focused mainly on college players, Breslow appeared to be interested in a few high school prospects as he drafted three of them in the remaining 10 rounds after taking three in the first 10. Of the four position players taken in the final 10 rounds, three were drafted as shortstops, while the other was an outfielder. Round 11: Wills Maginnis, SS, Georgia State Maginnis, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound infielder, was a 2026 All-Sun Belt First Team selection and was committed to transferring to Arkansas prior to being selected. Drafted by the Red Sox as a shortstop, the infielder has experience at first base, third base and a little in the outfield as well, giving him plenty of versatility. During his sophomore season with Georgia State, Maginnis put up a stat line of .306/.404/.486 with 13 doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 42 RBIs in 56 games. Much like the selections from day one, Maginnis has strong bat-to-ball skills as he struck out just 36 times in 216 at-bats. He also has room to grow in the power department. Round 12: Jacob Webster, SS, Oak Hills High School Webster follows in the same way as the other shortstops Breslow has focused on this draft: tall, athletic, and room to grow. Currently, he’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds. Despite being drafted as a shortstop, there’s a possibility he could begin his career as a two-way player as he was also a pitcher in high school with a fastball that got up to 90 mph. He's committed to Loyola Marymount University so the Red Sox will have to convince him to sign. Offensively, he’s a switch-hitter who has shown power from the right side of the plate. Defensively. he should be able to stick at shortstop but could also move to the outfield, assuming he opts to focus on hitting. Round 13: Mason Lei, RHP, Illinois-Chicago Much like the other pitchers Breslow has targeted, Lei is a large man, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 220 pounds. He has good control and limits the walks. In his lone season pitching at Illinois-Chicago, he made 16 starts and tossed 96 2/3 innings while walking just 19 batters. He also struck out 86 in that same span and threw two complete games. He has a fastball that comes in at the low-90s, and it’s paired with a sharp slider that usually sat 79 to 80 mph. Scouts believe there is more swing and miss in his arsenal than he showed in college. Last year, he was named All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team and made the All-MVC Tournament Team. Round 14: Jase Evangelista, RHP, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Evangelista comes in a bit smaller than most picks by Breslow, standing at just 6-foot-2 and weighing 195 pounds. Despite that, he has shown development that should intrigue many as after years of work, his fastball now sits in the mid-90s. Prior to being drafted, Evangelista was transferring to play for Texas A&M after previously planning to transfer to Texas Tech. During his time with UNLV, the right-hander showcased impressive swing-and-miss ability as he produced a 47% whiff rate last year. Making 19 appearances out of the bullpen, he tossed 46 2/3 innings while striking out 64 batters against 18 walks. Currently, he possesses a fastball, curveball, and cutter but in an interview during his time in college said he wanted to develop two more pitches at the pro level. Round 15: Chase Frey, LHP, Grand Canyon University Frey fits the mold of a Breslow pitcher very well as he stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 215 pounds. He still has room to add velocity and held opponents to a .226 batting average in 67 2/3 innings in 2026. Overall, he made 13 appearances with 12 being starts, striking out 69 batters and walking 17. Over the summer, he was pitching in the Cape Cod League where he threw 21 2/3 innings for Orleans and allowed just four earned runs while striking out 25. There is room for added velocity, but his secondary offerings will need the most work. He is committed to transferring to Oregon, so the Red Sox will need to convince him to sign. Round 16: Colton Coates, SS, Louisiana Tech Coates comes in at 6 feet even and 195 pounds and was drafted as a shortstop despite having mostly played first base and third base with Louisiana Tech. In 58 games last season, he hit .330/.447/.488 with 13 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 28 RBIs. Most importantly, he showcased the same skill set that Breslow has been targeting this draft: an ability to recognize pitches and a great understanding of the strike zone. He worked 45 walks to 30 strikeouts as part of his breakout campaign. He is a switch-hitter and played all four infield spots this past season. He also showcased an ability to limit swing-and-miss in his game. He has above-average speed and thanks to his range and arm should be able to play up the middle. This is a high-floor prospect with room to grow if he adds more pop to his game. Round 17: Alex Kranzler, RHP, Vanderbilt The 21-year-old right-hander stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 219 pounds. Last year, he made 19 appearances for Vanderbilt tossing 43 2/3 innings while striking out 54 batters. At the time of the draft, he was playing summer baseball for the Trenton Thunder where he made five starts and tossed 23 innings while allowing just six earned runs. He throws a sinker that averages around 95 mph but can top out at 98 mph. He also has a changeup, slider and cutter. During his time with Vanderbilt last year, opponents hit just .225 against him. He also had a strikeout per nine innings of 11.1. Despite a different looking delivery, he manages to pound the strike zone with his sinker. Round 18: Ethan Offing, OF, Dutch Fork High School The Red Sox returned to the high school ranks once more as they took Offing, their second high school outfielder, in round 18. The right-handed hitter stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds. He showcases a lot of athletic upside to go along with speed that allows him to fly on the base paths. In the outfield, he has shown quick jumps to get to the ball and also played shortstop in high school. He’s viewed as a potential plus defender in centerfield. He’s a player who was picked as a project, mainly due to how far his hitting will need to develop. He is currently committed to Clemson, and it could take a lot to sway him from that decision. Round 19: Luis Calderon, RHP, El Shaddai Christian High School The Red Sox went back-to-back on high school players as they drafted Calderon in the 19th round. Calderon is a 19-year-old pitcher out of Puerto Rico and is smaller than the other pitchers taken by Breslow. Currently, he stands 6 feet and weighs 160 pounds but should be able to add to that as he grows and adds muscle. He has a three-pitch mix currently that is made up of a fastball that topped out at 93 mph in January, a cutter and a slider. He also played outfield, though there seems to be no interest by the Red Sox in trying him as a two-way player. He currently has a commitment to Dodge City Community College. Round 20: Aiden VanDeHatert, LHP, Dallas Baptist VanDeHatert continues the trend of Breslow drafting big pitchers. The left-hander stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds with big extension. His sinker has room to add velocity as it currently sits in the low-90s. He also throws a slider and changeup. Last year, he made 17 appearances for Dallas Baptist where he tossed 31 innings and struck out 35. Over the summer, he was playing for Greeneville of the Appalachian League where he made five appearances and tossed 13 2/3 innings. What are your thoughts on the Red Sox 2026 Draft? Leave us know in the comments below! View the full article

The 2026 MLB Draft has officially wrapped up and much like the theme of rounds 6-10, the Chicago Cubs had a heavy focus on adding pitching depth to their minor-league system. Here's key information to know about the 10 players drafted to round out Chicago's 2026 draft class. Round #11 - RHP, Ariston Veasey, Clemson Veasey was used out of the bullpen for Clemson during the 2026 season and was solid in the process. His mid-90s fastball helped him pitch to a 3.29 ERA and a 32.2K% in 20 appearances. Veasey also features a slider than induced nearly a 60% whiff rate, as well as a 12-6 curveball that he'll occasionally spin up to the plate. Round #12 - LHP, Brandon Arvidson, Tennessee Arvidson is a strikeout machine. Over the previous two seasons at Tennessee, he's punched out 114 batters across 76 innings pitched. His fastball sits in the mid-90's, and it plays well with the swing-and-miss slider that he features. He did miss some time in 2026 with an injury, so keeping track of that will be important for his development. Round #13 - C, Emanuel Hernandez, Puerto Rico Hernandez hails from Puerto Rico and was a member of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy. According to Baseball America, he's the No. 2 ranked Puerto Rican player in his class. Hernandez is a Miami of Ohio signee, so his decision to pursue to the college or professional route will be one to watch over the coming days/weeks. Round #14 - SS, Corey Nunez, UC Santa Barbara Nunez will join his Santa Barbara teammate Cole Tryba in the minor-league system after Tryba was selected by the Cubs in the 7th round. Nunez had a stellar senior season that saw him slash .280/.361/.393 with nine double, three triples, two home runs and 15 RBIs. Most impressive of all, Nunez had just an 11.5% strikeout rate. Round #15 - RHP, Griffin Naess, Cal Poly Naess is a tall, lanky right-hander at 6'6" and strikeouts are the name of his game. Despite his 4.63 ERA last season, Naess punched out 97 batters in 91 1/3 innings. He features an upper-80s fastball, and he'll seldom mix in a curveball and slider, but it's his changeup that he relies heavily on, as it was his best strikeout pitch during the season. Round #16 - RHP, Ashton Pocol, Florida Golf Coast Pocol came out of the bullpen for Florida Golf Coast and was dominant while doing so. A three-pitch mix that includes a fastball, slider and curveball helped the right-hander rack up a 36.8% strikeout rate. Pocol is steadily in the zone with all three pitches, as shown by his walk rate of just 7.4%. The development of a fourth pitch or an increase in velocity will be a huge part of his development. Round #17 - RHP, Ryan Marton, UNLV Marton is a bulky 6'4", 230-pound right-hander from Ontario that spent his 2026 collegiate season at UNLV. Marton pitched both in the starting rotation and out of the bullpen, posting a 6.16 ERA across 13 outings. The swing-and-miss numbers weren't great, as he punched out just 22 batters and walked nine across 19 innings. Marton recently committed to the University of Missouri, so he'll have a choice to make between the pros and another year of college. Round #18 - RHP, Luke McGrath, James Madison McGrath pitched 28 times across two college seasons, including 24 last year. He posted a 5.79 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 28 innings. His fastball sits in the low-90s, and he pairs it with multiple off-speed pitches. He did walk 20 batters in 28 innings, so command of the strike zone will need to improve in the minor leagues. Round #19 - RHP, Luke Guth, Vanderbilt Back-to-back Lukes in Rounds 18 & 19 for the Cubs, as the Vanderbilt product will likely sign after entering the transfer portal and still having yet to announce a commitment. Guth lives in the low-90's with his fastball, as well as featuring a mid-80's slider and a looping, low-70s curveball. Round #20 - 1B, Brennan Hudson, Georgia The final selection of the 2026 MLB Draft for the Cubs was used on Georgia first baseman Brennan Hudson. Hudson has major power, as he launched 38 home runs in his collegiate career, including 22 in his senior season. His plate discipline is a plus, as he struck out 109 times compared to 81 walks during his college career. A career OPS of 1.099 from an SEC program at pick No. 607 feels like excellent value for Chicago. View the full article

With the draft wrapped up, here are the Toronto Blue Jays' selections for picks 11-20. Round 11. Brayden Martin, 3B, Maryland The Toronto Blue Jays selected Brayden Martin at 342nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Martin is a third baseman out of the University of Maryland. In his junior season, he slashed .352/.488/.449, struck out just 20 times, while walking more than double that with 56 free passes. He only had two home runs, 13 doubles, and one triple, giving him 60 singles for the season. Reports have been circulating that he had a 96% contact rate this past season, an absurd number at any level. Martin stands at 5-foot-10 and is listed at 175 pounds, leaving little room to fill out or allow for any future power projection. He should be a big-time contact guy at the plate, someone who should be able to do all of the little things to help a team win. He should be more of a prototypical second baseman, two-hole type of hitter. Round 12. Santiago Garcia, P, LSU The Toronto Blue Jays selected Santiago Garcia at 372nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Garcia is a relief pitcher out of Louisiana State University. In 2026, he threw 22.2 innings, had a 5.96 ERA, a 1.588 WHIP, a 32.7 strikeout rate, and a 15.9% walk rate. During the Cape Cod League, he was used as a starting pitcher and fared much better, with a 2.35 ERA. Baseball America said he is able to compensate well for his undersized frame by pitching from some unique angles. They had his fastball in the 88-90 mph range while in the Cape Cod League, with his best secondary pitch being a 79-81 mph curveball. According to them, he also showed a changeup and slider, both of which were not up to the level of his curveball. It is still unclear what role the Blue Jays intend to use Garcia, but he will have to improve his pitch arsenal if there are any plans to have him work as a starter. Initial reactions tend to see him working as a relief pitcher who could have success due to his awkward pitch angles from the left side. If his control and velocity can tick up some, he could find success as a starter, though. Round 13. Mathis Nayral, SP, Kansas The Toronto Blue Jays selected Mathis Nayral at 402nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Garcia is a starting pitcher out of the University of Kansas. He only pitched in one season for the Jayhawks, throwing 69 innings in 2026. In his 18 games (18 starts), he had an ERA of 4.96, a WHIP of 1.435, a 22.8% strikeout rate, and a 9% walk rate. Nayral is an international player, being born and raised in France, before coming over to play at Kansas. Reports have him with a four-pitch mix, including a fastball in the low to mid-90s. He seems like the perfect project for the Blue Jays farm factory to work with him and get him to a more elite starting pitcher level. Round 14. Connor Kelley, P, Texas-San Antonio The Toronto Blue Jays selected Connor Kelley at 432nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Kelley is a pitcher out of Texas-San Antonio. In 2026, he pitched both as a starter and a relief pitcher. In 20 games (five starts), he amassed 66.1 innings, has an ERA of 2.98, a WHIP of 1.131, a strikeout rate of 26.7, and a walk rate of 8.1%. Kelley could be more of a relief pitcher mold, as he has hit in the upper 90s with his fastball. If Toronto can get a tick or two more out of him, he might turn into a late-inning demon that they so desperately need. Round 15. Oliver de la Torre, P, California The Toronto Blue Jays selected Oliver de la Torre at 462nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. De la Torre is a pitcher from the University of California. In 2026, he threw the third most innings in the ACC, topping out at 81.1 innings. He started 14 games and had a 3.76 ERA, a 1.143 WHIP, a 21.2% strikeout rate, and a walk rate of 6.8%. De la Torre is more of a fastball/changeup pitcher right now, which should bode well for his development. If he can improve his breaking ball, he will have a great foundation for a starting pitcher. His changeup though will most likely remain his biggest weapon, in 2025 the pitch had a 48.8% whiff rate. Round 16. Carson Cormier, P, Illinois State The Toronto Blue Jays selected Carson Cormier at 492nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Cormier is a pitcher out of Illinois State. He pitched out of the bullpen and as a starter in 2026, making 10 starts out of his 16 appearances. He threw 69 innings, had an ERA of 4.17, a WHIP of 1.377, a strikeout rate of 25.1%, and a walk rate of 4.1%. Cormier has shown he will throw strikes and can keep the walks to an extreme minimum. With his large 6-foot-6, 235-pound frame, Toronto might be able to get a boost out of his fastball and gyro slider. If they can, he has a frame to eat innings and go deep into games. Round 17. Landon Waters, RP, Mississippi The Toronto Blue Jays selected Landon Waters at 522nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Waters is a pitcher out of the University of Mississippi. In 2026, he pitched entirely out of the bullpen, throwing 24 innings in 24 games. He had an ERA of three, a WHIP of 1.417, a strikeout rate of 24%, and walked 11.5% of the batters he faced. Waters uses three pitches: a fastball close to the mid-90s, a cutter, and a slider. With him having success as a relief pitcher in the SEC, there is hope he could move more quickly than other pitchers, but he will need to show an improved fastball to be anything other than a middle reliever. Round 18. Jake McCoy, P, South Carolina The Toronto Blue Jays selected Jake McCoy at 552nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. McCoy is a pitcher out of the University of South Carolina. MLB Pipeline had this to say about him “Though McCoy recorded a 7.11 ERA in his first two seasons at South Carolina, a brief but dominant stint in the Cape Cod League last summer left some evaluators wondering if he might be the best college left-hander in the 2026 Draft. He struck out 25 of the 54 Cape batters he faced while issuing just three walks in three starts. He has the stuff and metrics to back up that performance and will have to show that he can sustain it, but he won't get the chance to do so this year after blowing out his elbow in January and requiring Tommy John surgery. McCoy's fastball gained a couple of ticks of velocity on the Cape, parking at 94-95 mph and peaking at 98 with natural cutting action. He also threw a nasty mid-80s slider with plenty of sweep and mixed in some true cutters at 87-91 mph. He doesn't have much trust in a fading upper-80s changeup that he struggles to locate. McCoy's low three-quarters arm slot and resulting low release height create pitches with an unusual combination of velocity and shapes that are hard for hitters to deal with. He lacks size, has effort in his delivery, and doesn't have much track record of success or strikes, so he might be more of a reliever than a starter. He looked like he could pitch in the front half of a rotation while on the Cape, and he has the arsenal for a high-leverage role if he does wind up in the bullpen.” I think with how the draft has gone for Toronto, they will make McCoy a large offer, well, probably along the lines of a second or third round pick, to try and keep him from returning to South Carolina. If they are able to pry him away from his college commitment, he might be one of the steals of the draft. Round 19. Cole Travers, SS, St. Neumann HS The Toronto Blue Jays selected Santiago Garcia at 582nd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Travers is a shortstop out of St. Neumann HS. Similar to Jake McCoy, except a sizable offer is going to him to keep him from heading to college. 20. Eddie Rosado Jr., OF, Holy Ghost Prep School View the full article

The Brewers continued to go with prep players for round 16-18, then they took a Division II player, and then they finished the draft off with the son of a Brewers legend. All in all, a pretty exciting final five rounds. Round 16, Pick 491: RHP Bradyn Havard -- George County HS (MS) -- Pearl River CC Commit This is an interesting selection, as the Brewers take a player committed to a community college for next season. Havard had a very strong season in Mississippi this year, striking out 134 batters in 75 1/3 innings and posting a 1.30 ERA. He sits in the 88-90 MPH range and gets up to 93 at times, with armside run. He also mixes in a curveball, a slider, and a changeup. The slider is the pitch he seems to have the best feel for at this moment, and seems to be his go-to secondary when he's looking to put someone away. A community college commitment is not a common one for a high school pick, but it certainly would seem like he'd be someone willing to sign into pro ball if the offer is right. Round 17, Pick 521: INF Chance Ruby -- Wilmot HS (WI) -- Illinois-Chicago Commit This marks the third Ginger Poulson pick in rounds 11-20. Ruby was an under-the-radar name in the state of Wisconsin. He's got extremely quick hands at the plate, with some Joey Wiemer mannerisms (at times) to the hand movement during his load, though never quite as exaggerated. He runs a sub-6.6 60-yard dash and has numerous 100+ MPH batted balls in games already. He's also shown the ability to catch up to upper-90s fastballs in live AB settings. There are some right-handed Josh Adamczewski parallels to this profile. The glove might wind up moving him off of shortstop eventually, but the arm is strong enough to handle it if he can improve upon some of the infield actions. He is very instinctual and has a lot of baseball IQ as well. Ruby is a UIC commit, like Adamczewski was a Ball State commit, which gives the impression he could be a signable player, even at this point in the draft. Round 18, Pick 551: RHP Brady Smith --East Carter HS (MO) -- Wichita St Commit Smith is another lanky pitcher with room to fill out and add some more velocity. He seems to sit in the low-90s with decent regularity and has touched 94 MPH in a showcase setting. The fastball shape seems to blend into a sinker type of shape, so he may wind up embracing that as his primary fastball, if he hasn't already. The slider is a solid secondary offering with average spin rates in the 2300 RPM range, and a pretty stock slider shape. The changeup seems to be the secondary with the most potential, as he will get up to 22 inches of run on it at times, with close to 0 inches of induced vertical break as well. It has the potential to be a plus offering down the line. His Wichita State commitment is another tough one to gauge. The odds are the Brewers won't be able to sign all of these prep players in this range, but Smith is another who feels attainable. Round 19, Pick 581: LHP Sam George -- Minnesota State Mankato (D2) -- Iowa Transfer Commit George is another Poulson area pick, and another interesting one. This is a left-handed arm that has seen a lot of success at the Division II level for Mankato. This most recent season, he posted a 3.80 ERA in 64 innings, and that was coming off a sophomore season in which he posted a 2.97 ERA in 60 2/3 innings. George starts in a very closed stance and falls off to the third base side a bit on his finish. He threw a ton of strikes at Mankato, only walking 48 in 165 innings. He mixes both a four-seam and a sinker in the low-90s, touching 94 MPH. His best secondary is his slider, which he spins well and can command to both sides of the plate. He will also mix a changeup in, which he lacks the same feel for, but shows some interesting signs at times. He is committed to transferring to Iowa, but feels like another name that could very well wind up signing. Round 20, Pick 611: 1B Carsten Sabathia III -- Houston Yes, this is CC's son. No, he is not a pitcher. Yes, this is a very cool pick. The Brewers will now have the sons of CC Sabathia and Prince Fielder in their organization. Carsten is a first baseman who started his career at Georgia Tech and finished it at Houston. He possesses quite a bit of raw power, with the hit tool lagging behind. He was not a regular for Houston this season, but in 107 plate appearances, he posted a slash line of .283/.374/.511 for an .885 OPS, and also hit six home runs. He also participated in the MLB Draft League, where he didn't perform great in 43 plate appearances, but he did pop close to a 111 MPH exit velocity in a game this year. Whether it works out or not, the Sabathia family will be back in the organization for the first time since that magical 2008, and that is very cool for Brewers fans. That concludes the 2026 MLB Draft. Thanks for following along all day or catching up later on. Non-drafted Free Agents are next over the next few weeks, because the fun never really stops! View the full article

Here is a look at all of the Royals' draft picks from rounds 11-20 in the 2026 MLB draft. While these prospects may not require top dollar like some of the day one picks might, there is still plenty of potential, and it will be interesting to see if these players can be contributors at the major league level one day. Round 11 (329th overall): Tanner Griffith, OF, Saint Mary’s Griffith, a left-handed hitting outfielder, played three years at Saint Mary’s, where he hit .300/.450/.437. This past year, he hit at an even better rate, with a 1.022 OPS, and he hit five home runs. He hit three in his first two years of college. He’s also shown the ability to steal some bases as well, stealing 43 bases over his three years at Saint Mary’s. He announced that he transferred to TCU, but the Royals will look to get him to start his professional career and forgo his final year of eligibility. Griffith will add to the outfield depth, as he played all three outfield positions while in college. Saint Mary's Baseball (@smcbaseball) • Instagram photos and videos WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 561 likes, 6 comments - smcbaseball on March 21, 2026: "Griffith to the moon ??➡️ #GaelsRise". Round 12 (359th overall): Lance Hartley, RHP, College of Central Florida Hartley pitched at the College of Central Florida, where he pitched in five games, giving up six earned runs over 16 innings pitched while recording 22 strikeouts. He previously committed to play next year at the University of South Carolina, which was one of two division one offers he had after this past year. He pitched in the 2024 MLB Draft League. He throws a mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider. He also throws a changeup and a curveball. Unfortunately, he is currently rehabbing for Tommy John and has reopened his recruitment, so the Royals will look to have him pitch starting in 2026 at the professional level instead. Round 13 (389th overall): Dalton Hill, RHP, Nicholls St Hill pitched out of the bullpen at Nicholls St this past season, appearing in 17 games, throwing 20 innings, recording 19 strikeouts, and giving up only three runs. In 2025, he had less success in the rotation, pitching in 15 games with 10 starts. Hill previously pitched at Northeast Texas Community College prior to the last two years at Nicholls State. Hill has a lot of emotion on the mound as well, which makes for a fun player to watch. Round 14 (419th overall): Banks Wickhersham, C, Fort Dorchester HS (South Carolina) Listed as a catcher, Wickersham has played all over the diamond, including some time on the mound. He has thrown in the mid-90s on the mound. He also played quarterback for his high school football team. He is committed to playing collegiately at the College of Charleston. Here is a look at how he approaches his work as a player: Round 15 (449th overall): Madden Clement, LHP, Virginia Tech Clement, son of former MLB pitcher Matt Clement, played for the Hokies for three years, where he pitched both in the rotation and as a reliever. In 2026, he pitched in eight games, five starts, and threw 13 ⅔ innings while striking out 13, walking nine, and giving up six earned runs. He missed most of the season with an arm injury, which is never a great sign for a pitcher. He pitched this summer in the Cape Cod League, where he pitched 12 ⅓ innings over four appearances. While the 6.57 ERA might not look great, he struck out 18 batters in that time, so he showed the ability to strike hitters out on the Cape. Round 16 (479th overall): Dylan Alonso, RHP, Troy University Alonso pitched this past year with Troy, mostly out of the bullpen. He threw 49 ⅓ innings and struck out 60 hitters over that time. He also had a high walk rate, walking 32 in that time period as well. He pitched at Middle Tennessee State University his freshman year before pitching at Columbia State Community College in 2025. He has a mid-90s fastball that has touched 96 mph and an above-average curveball that sits 83-84. He was part of a pitching staff that helped Troy make a College World Series appearance at the Division I level for the first time in program history. Round 17 (509th overall): Richie Roman, RHP, Houston Roman has pitched the past three years at Houston, where he has improved year over year. In 2026, he pitched in 13 games, starting four, where he threw 30 ⅓ innings, recording 31 strikeouts with a 3.86 ERA. His control was suspect this past year, walking 13 and hitting eight batters in those 13 appearances. He just turned 21 last week, so he will be pitching his age-22 season in the first full season of his professional career in 2027. His fastball has reached as high as 97 mph with a splitter/sinker that sits 88-92. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. Round 18 (539th overall): Cooper Corkrean, LHP, University of New Mexico Corkrean was thrown out of the Lobos bullpen this past year, recording four saves across 21 appearances. In those appearances, he had two starts, throwing 59 innings with 59 strikeouts. He was second-team All Mountain West in his one year with the Lobos. Prior to pitching at New Mexico, he pitched for Galveston College for two years. His fastball tops out in the low-90s. He entered the transfer portal after the 2026 season, originally committing to Houston but then flipping his commitment to Kentucky. Round 19 (569th overall): Hudson DeVaughan, P, Mooresville HS (Indiana) The University of Alabama commit has a deep repertoire, including a four-seam fastball, a two-seamer, a cutter, and two breaking balls. His fastball has reached 98 mph. He was part of a state championship team his sophomore season in high school. He was limited on the showcase circuit last summer, but he bounced back as one of the best pitching prospects in the Midwest. It will likely take more than the $150,000 to convince DeVaughan to forgo his college commitment. His parents were both athletes at the University of Florida, and his dad, Derek, was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1997 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 138th-best prospect in the 2026 draft. He projects to have more velocity to come, so that is an intriguing thing to keep an eye on going forward as well. If he doesn’t sign, he will be draft eligible again in 2028 as a sophomore. Round 20 (599th overall): Riley McDonald, RHP, State College of Florida McDonald, a JUCO product, pitched mostly out of the bullpen, with 21 appearances and five starts. He threw 63 ⅔ innings, where he recorded 58 strikeouts. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and committed to Liberty University. Which of these picks are you most excited about? View the full article