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The Chicago Cubs needed to shore up their rotation, and managed to do so last week with the acquisition of David Peterson. He wasn’t cheap—it cost them Cole Mathis, a former second-round pick—but with Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon dealing with different injuries and Cade Horton and Justin Steele already out for the year, they required warm bodies. Peterson is a 30-year-old pending free agent, which means he's no more a long-term solution than are Taillon, Matthew Boyd or Shota Imanaga. The Cubs, however, were willing to give the left-hander a chance, so let’s see what he brings to the table. Peterson struggled on a really disappointing Mets team this year, with a 6.09 ERA in 68 innings. There’s some untapped potential here, though, as he demonstrated in a sturdy first start as a Cub over the weekend. He now has a 5.86 ERA but a 3.91 FIP on the season. What’s the main takeaway from that ERA-FIP gap? Well, Peterson could be in line for a much-improved ERA in Chicago, in front of a really competent defense that fields talented defensive players such as Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ on a daily basis. For a few months, the Cubs can enjoy a perfectly average left-hander with potential to be a solid mid-rotation starter, as it happened in 2022 (3.83 ERA) and 2024 (2.90 ERA). Even last year, he racked up 3.1 fWAR, so he might be better than average. What Peterson is not is consistent. Let’s look at his ERA finishes each year since he became a major leaguer in 2020: 2020: 3.44 2021: 5.54 2022: 3.83 2023: 5.03 2024: 2.90 2025: 4.22 We would be lying if we told you which version of Peterson you will get in Chicago, but if we had to guess, we would say somewhere around his current FIP. That’s not bad at all, considering all the injuries the Cubs have had to deal with. Peterson can throw five pitches, but is mainly a sinker-slider guy. He goes to the former 28.5% of the time, and to the latter 24.6% of the time. A four-seamer (22.9% usage), a curveball (12.8%), and a changeup (11.2%) round out his repertoire. If you take a look at the lefty’s Statcast profile, he doesn’t really stand out at anything other than his excellent 52.9% ground ball rate (89th percentile) and the impressive extension he generates, whcih comes from being a gargantuan human being. Having such an extreme groundball pitcher in front of one of the best infield defenses in the league is certainly a good idea for the Cubs. It’s also worth noting that two of his breaking pitches have a solid whiff rate: the curveball, at 35.6%, and the slider, at 32.9%. He had a bad sinker (.396 wOBA) and four-seamer (.426 wOBA) season so far with the Mets, so it will be fascinating to see what kind of adjustments the Cubs help him implement, if any. The .352 BABIP opponents achieved against him during his time with the Mets this year, however, says he might just need better support, rather than better stuff. The overall package might not be overly enticing for Cubs fans, but Peterson has the potential to be a solid mid-rotation arm, and the Cubs can certainly put him in a position to succeed. It's too early to call it a success after one start, but the vision that led them to acquire him is easy to share. View the full article

For most teams, the trade deadline isn't decided by one game or even one series. It's determined by months of evidence. For the Twins, though, the next few weeks may come down to one simple question: can they finally get back to .500? While there are always exceptions, finishing at or above .500 is essentially the minimum requirement for a legitimate postseason push. Minnesota reached the 86-game mark with a 41-45 record for the second consecutive season. The circumstances are remarkably similar. This year, the Twins sit only 2.0 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot, with roughly a 25% chance to reach the postseason. At the same point last season, they were 4.0 games back, with playoff odds hovering around 21%. The opportunity remains there, but opportunities don't last forever. If Minnesota can't climb back to even, the front office may have little choice but to become sellers for the second straight summer. Minnesota's Fast Start Minnesota opened the season by going 11-7 (.611), and it felt like the organization had turned a corner—if only a gentle one. New manager Derek Shelton had the club playing fundamentally sound baseball, while Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley initially formed one of the more impressive one-two punches in the American League. The Twins swept the Tigers in four games, an impressive statement against the preseason favorites in the AL Central. They also won series against Toronto and Boston, two clubs expected to be firmly in the playoff race. Even with some offensive inconsistencies, quality pitching and timely hitting gave Minnesota plenty of reasons for optimism. The First Flop Then, everything unraveled. Over their next 21 games, the Twins went just 5-16 (.238), immediately erasing the momentum they had built in April. The offense disappeared for long stretches, and a bullpen that looked like a strength suddenly had more leaks than the boat in those old Flex Tape commercials. Minnesota suffered embarrassing losses to a Mets club trapped in a historic losing streak and were blown out in Toronto and Washington. By the end of the skid, the Twins had fallen to 17-23 and sat in fifth place in an AL Central that wasn't exactly running away from anyone. Resurgence, Part I Just when the season looked ready to spiral away, Shelton's squad answered. They ripped off an 11-5 (.688) stretch over their next 16 games. They completed their first sweep at Fenway Park since 1994, won a series in Cleveland—a place that has consistently haunted the franchise—and took a series from Houston. Different players stepped into unexpected roles throughout the roster. The lineup found timely production, the rotation stabilized, and the bullpen rediscovered some reliability. For a couple of weeks, Minnesota looked more like the balanced team that had exceeded expectations in the season's first weeks. Minnesota's Second Flop Unfortunately, the consistency never arrived. The next 13 games produced another collapse as the Twins stumbled to a 3-10 (.231) record. They dropped three of four to the White Sox in Chicago before Shelton returned to Pittsburgh only to watch his former club complete a sweep. Kansas City followed by taking three of four games at Target Field. The White Sox have proven themselves to be much better than expected this season, but the losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City were far more damaging. Good teams don't have to win every series against comparable opponents, but they usually avoid getting dominated by them. That has been one of Minnesota's biggest problems all season. Every productive stretch seems to be followed by another prolonged collapse. Resurgence, Part II Once again, the Twins responded. Minnesota went 8-3 (.727) over its next 11 games, beginning with a home series victory over St. Louis. They followed by sweeping Texas on the road before taking two of three from Arizona to finish an impressive road trip. For a brief moment, it looked like the club had finally discovered the consistency it had spent nearly three months searching for. Now What? Reality arrived quickly. Fresh off their successful road trip, Minnesota ran into the Dodgers, baseball's measuring stick. The Twins were swept in three games by the two-time defending champions before salvaging the homestand by taking two of three from Colorado. Even that series wasn't entirely convincing after the bullpen nearly turned the opener into a disaster. Now comes another measuring-stick trip. The Twins head to Houston (where they took the first game Monday night), before traveling to New York to face two teams that have regularly been among the American League's best in recent seasons. The Astros entered the series only two games below .500 despite sitting third in the AL West, while the Yankees remain locked in a battle with Tampa Bay atop the AL East. A 3-3 trip would be respectable, considering the competition. It also wouldn't accomplish much. Respectable baseball isn't enough anymore. The Twins don't simply need to survive difficult stretches; they need to erase the damage created by months of inconsistency. Every time they put together an impressive winning streak, they've answered it with a losing streak that lasts nearly as long. That's how a team with obvious talent finds itself five games below .500 halfway through the season. The American League has left the door open. No Wild Card team has separated itself, and the AL Central hasn't produced multiple dominant clubs. Minnesota has been given opportunities to climb back into contention time and time again. The problem is that the Twins haven't shown they can sustain success long enough to take advantage. That's why the next few weeks may determine the direction of the franchise. If Minnesota can finally reach .500 before the trade deadline, the front office has the justification to make a modest addition or two and see where the season goes. This roster doesn't need a blockbuster acquisition, but a high-leverage bullpen arm could be worthwhile if meaningful baseball remains realistic. If they remain several games under .500, however, the calculus changes dramatically. For nearly three months, the Twins have answered every encouraging stretch with an equally frustrating collapse. At some point, those highs and lows stop canceling each other out and start defining who a team really is. The standings suggest Minnesota still has time to change that narrative. Whether they actually can is the question that will define not only the rest of the season, but perhaps the organization's entire approach to the trade deadline. Can Minnesota get back to .500? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Gavin Cross looked like a rising star when the Royals made him their first pick in the 2022 amateur draft. A spot in the Kauffman Stadium outfield seemed a lock for the Virginia Tech slugger. But just a shade past the midpoint of his fifth professional season, Cross’s battle to reach the major leagues continues. And at first glance, his cumulative 2026 stats at Triple-A Omaha suggest his big league debut won’t come this year — after going 1-for-4 and driving in a run against Columbus Sunday, Cross was slashing a mediocre .211/.293/.306 with just four homers, 19 RBI, and a .599 OPS in 70 games. Dive a little deeper, though, and you’ll find more to the story. Much like he did during last season’s second half at Double-A Northwest Arkansas (more on that in a moment), Cross has turned an ice-cold bat hot and revived thoughts that he is, indeed, what the Royals thought him to be when they took him with the ninth overall 2022 selection. His transformation at the plate after an agonizingly slow start to this season has been encouraging, and could have the Royals thinking about putting him on their list of candidates for September's roster expansion … or perhaps for an even sooner call-up. Royals Prospect Gavin Cross Came Alive in May Despite giving the Royals a nice show in spring training this year — he homered twice, knocked in seven runs, and hit .270 in 37 at-bats, and blasted a home run in the club's Spring Breakout Game — Cross seemed lost after moving up to Triple-A for the first time to begin the regular campaign. He went 1-for-15 in March and was slashing a miserable, homerless .100/.209/.154 when his .108 April came to a merciful end. Then came a 2-for-4 effort against Toledo on May 16. There was nothing spectacular about getting two singles, but that pair of hits triggered a special seven-game stretch — going 11-for-28 (.392). Cross hit safely in all seven Omaha contests and collected three hits once and two hits twice. The outburst improved his line from .128/.233/.162 to .179/.261/.262. But the good times didn’t end there. He finished with a .265 average for May, a remarkable 157 points better than he’d managed in April, and through Sunday was slashing .275/.359/.420 in 21 June games. Is Gavin Cross’ Turnaround For Real? That’s the big question. After all, the Royals have seen this before — Cross, remember, was hitting only .152 for Northwest Arkansas when the 2025 baseball calendar turned from May to June, but caught fire by hitting .291, belting a dozen home runs, and driving in 44 runs over the season's final four months. He finished the Naturals’ campaign with 17 homers, 64 RBI, and a .241/.291/.413 line dragged down by his awful start to the season. But those numbers confirmed he was capable of repeating the decent stats he’d put up the year before, when he posted a .342 OBP, batted a serviceable .261, homered 15 times, and drove in 59 runs in 109 games. So it is that this season is beginning to bear a striking resemblance to last for Cross. How the 2026 campaign will end for him remains to be seen, but if he keeps getting the job done at the plate, it just might give Cross his first taste of the major leagues. View the full article

The New York Mets have signed infielder Christopher Morel to a minor-league contract, according to Will Salmon of The Athletic. The Mets have optioned Morel to Triple-A Syracuse, but he could be an option to play first base, among other positions. The Mets have struggled to get production from the first base position, both offensively (posting a 77 WRC+, 29th in MLB) and defensively (-8 OAA, 28th in MLB). The 27-year-old slugger may not be a perfect solution for the latter problem, but he can help the former if all breaks right. Morel has struggled offensively, not posting a positive fWAR since 2023, and his highest OPS since that season is .684, coming last year. Also, new Mets interim manager Andy Green was Morel's bench coach in 2022 and 2023 with the Cubs, when Morel was at his best. With the familiarity between the two, Green might be able to unlock something and get production offensively from the young slugger. Morel struggled in 73 at-bats with the Marlins, posting a .425 OPS. Since being traded to the Rays in the Isaac Paredes deal with the Cubs, Morel has posted a .613 OPS in 519 at-bats, which is below league average. He does have opt-outs in his deal if he never reaches the big leagues, but the Mets are searching for an answer, and Morel could provide that for a stretch. View the full article

The San Diego Padres signed Sung-Mun Song with unusual reasoning for a free agent: not because of who he was, but because of who he had proven he could become. For several years, Song was a useful, versatile, disciplined player, but never one of the KBO's elite. Over time, he developed power, improved the quality of his contact and grew into one of the league's most complete players. Between 2024 and 2025, he hit 45 home runs, stole 46 bases and emerged as one of the KBO's most productive hitters. That progression convinced San Diego to invest in him. Two months after his major-league debut, the question is no longer whether Song has gotten off to a good start. His numbers answer that on their own. The real question is: How much do these first two months tell the Padres about the player they believed they were acquiring? The answer remains far less obvious than his stat line suggests. Song has logged just over 60 plate appearances and has yet to settle into a regular role. He has split time between second base, shortstop and third base while also serving as a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter. For a player whose greatest strength has always been his ability to adjust, it's difficult to draw firm conclusions when his opportunities have been sporadic and his responsibilities change almost daily. Song's First MLB Sample Stat Total PA 65 AVG .214 OBP .323 SLG .250 BB% 13.8% K% 20.0% wRC+ 74 fWAR 0.1 His offensive production has been well below league average. Even so, the early indicators do not describe a completely different hitter than the one the Padres evaluated in Korea. Song owns an 13.8% walk rate and a 20.0% strikeout rate. The competition has changed, but the plate discipline that defined his offensive profile remains. His strikeout rate also remains reasonably close to where it was during his final two KBO seasons (10.6% in 2024 and 10.5% in 2025). What has yet to appear is the trait that transformed his career. During his final years in Korea, Song evolved from a contact hitter into a legitimate power threat. That development changed the way evaluators projected his profile and made him an appealing international signing for San Diego. Sixty-five plate appearances still aren’t enough to know whether that version of Song will carry over against major-league pitching. Song’s Rise in Korea Season AVG OBP SLG HR SB wRC+ 2022 .247 .302 .371 13 0 87 2023 .263 .325 .358 5 1 91 2024 .340 .409 .518 19 21 143 2025 .315 .387 .530 26 25 152 The Padres already knew Song could control the strike zone, handle multiple defensive positions and provide versatility. None of those traits depended on a strong first month in the majors. Their real bet was different; whether the power and offensive impact he developed during his final two seasons in Korea would translate against the highest level of competition. His production by position also helps explain why that question remains unanswered. Production by Position Position BB% K% AVG OBP SLG wRC+ 2B 11.9% 14.3% .243 .333 .297 87 SS 5.9% 35.3% .125 .176 .125 -13 The sample is still far too small to draw conclusions, but it provides useful context. Song has looked more competitive at second base, where he has received most of his playing time. Third base, however, is his natural position. He started 194 games there over his final two KBO seasons. He made only 42 starts at second base and none at shortstop. His only recent experience there came in eight starts at Triple-A earlier this year. Adjusting to major-league pitching is challenging on its own. Doing it while constantly changing positions, routines and defensive responsibilities only adds to the degree of difficulty. It doesn't fully explain his offensive struggles, but it does help explain why the Padres still lack enough information to evaluate the investment they made. As such, the Padres are not evaluating a .214 hitter. Song's greatest strength has always been his ability to adapt to his situation. The Padres' uncertainty isn't whether he'll keep trying. It's how long it will take to find out whether that ability can still turn him into the player they believed they were signing out of the KBO. View the full article

Josiah Hartshorn is the Cubs' fourth-ranked prospect on our list. He has 14 home runs over the first half of the minor league season, and his numbers are only improving since getting promoted to High-A South Bend. When will he get the call to Double-A? View the full article

Since the start of May, Trevor Megill has struck out 30 opposing batters and walked four. He's allowed four runs, and half of those (the only ones since May 12) came in one outing at Coors Field. He threw a tick harder than his season average in shutting down the Reds Monday night, though it was pretty easy to stay near 100 MPH, because he only needed 10 pitches to pick up the save. That was Megill's 11th save of the year. When the season began, the Brewers went with a shared closer model that gave both Megill and Abner Uribe save chances, somewhat to the chagrin of the towering righty. Megill doesn't want to make waves, and he's a well-liked member of the relief corps, but he's never made any bones about the fact that he wants to close. He wants it bad. Being the guy on the mound with the game in the balance is where he finds his joy in the game. The emotion he shows whenever he comes off the mound after escaping a jam to rescue the team is the fire that fuels his triple-digit fastball and that high-spin power curve. At this point, there's no reason whatsoever for the Brewers not to let it ride with him as their ninth-inning guy. Though he counts as old-school for the way he embraces the specific duty of saving games, Megill isn't one of those guys who resents being called upon in tie games or struggles to lock in when protecting a four-run lead on a night when the team gets some late insurance. He just wants to be The Guy, and lately, that's exactly how he's pitched. It was reasonable to worry about him a bit early in the year, when his elbow was grumbling and his velocity was down. He's been thoroughly dominant for the laat two months, though, and has earned every bit of the job he wants so badly. Hitters are helpless against him, and have been for some time. Of course, the Brewers have an ulterior motive that makes it easy to shift all the closer work onto him, too. While the number of front offices who will pony up ill-advisedly for a relief ace based on their saves total has dwindled almost to zero, Megill's trade value will get a small boost if he sees out the season as the team's closer. The Crew also knows as well as anyone what's inside Megill's elbow and how long he might be able to hold up at this level, and to whatever extent he's still a bit fragile health-wise, the closing gig is a good safehouse in which to hide him. Roles like those filled by Aaron Ashby and Uribe in this bullpen require a player with terrific durability and recovery. That's not Megill. They can better keep him healthy this way. Next season will be Megill's last under team control. The Brewers will probably seek to trade him over the winter, partially because saving these games has sent his projected arbitration-determined salary for 2027 pretty high. Dealing a healthy Megill with pretty numbers is the best way to maximize the expected return. Letting him rack up the saves also means some savings when the team goes to arbitration with Uribe, who could sneak in as a Super Two-eligible guy this fall (but will probably reach arbitration in the winter of 2027-28 instead). All of that is for later, but that doesn't mean the Brewers aren't thinking about it. Things have a funny way of aligning when you do everything right, organizationally. Yes, the team might want to trade Megill this winter, and yes, their long-term interests are served well on multiple fronts by keeping him in the closer role and making Uribe his setup man. But from the vibes to the intensity of his stuff, everything is pointing them in that direction in the short term, too. Before any offseason trade rumors comes a postseason, and in that cauldron, Megill is the kind of arm and the kind of competitor you want. The team would love nothing more than to have to make a terribly difficult decision this winter: Can they really trade the guy who just got the final out in the franchise's first-ever World Series triumph? View the full article

The Royals got a huge boost in last year's MLB Draft lottery as they jumped up to the No. 6 selection in this year's MLB Draft. Not only is having a Top-10 pick in any draft a good thing (especially when they had an 82-80 record last season), but it is especially beneficial in a draft where the class is particularly loaded. We are starting to see more outlets release their updated mock drafts, especially with the MLB Draft in Philadelphia taking place on July 11th. Thus, in this post, we are going to look at five candidates who are not just being mocked to the Kansas City Royals at No. 6, but who could make sense for the organization given its needs at this time. Let's take a look at five draft-eligible players who could hear their names called by the Kansas City Royals on July 11th, and what they could offer the Royals in the long term. Eric (EJ) Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove High School (MS) Booth is widely considered the most sensible pick for the Royals at No. 6. He's a high-upside athlete who makes a lot of sense for a Royals farm system that's lacking premium outfielders. While Carson Roccaforte, Asbel Gonzalez, and Sean Gamble are Top-10 prospects currently, Booth would be the best-rated outfield prospect if drafted by the Royals. In Jamie Cameron's latest mock MLB Draft on Diamondcentric, he predicted Booth getting selected by Kansas City. Here's what he said about the talented outfielder in his write-up: Booth is a five-tool guy who gives All-Star vibes if he develops properly. As a Vanderbilt commit, he has a high profile and can move quickly in the Royals system, even as a prep prospect. The College Baseball Show podcast is high on Booth as a prospect and believes his power and mature approach would matriculate well in 2027, whether it's in the Minor Leagues or SEC. When looking at Booth's tape, he has intriguing speed and a swing that can produce power, especially as he grows into his body. There are a lot of Carl Crawford vibes with Booth, which Royals fans will take, considering the success of Crawford's career in Tampa Bay. thinks As Cameron pointed out in his piece, Booth's swing is a bit funky-looking, and there are concerns that he could experience some contact issues initially, much like this Gamble, the Royals' first selection in the 2025 Draft. However, Booth has a lot more natural power and bat speed than Gamble, which could help him avoid the early struggles Gamble experienced in Low-A Columbia this season. Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech Baseball America mocked Burress to the Royals in their latest mock draft. They believe that Kansas City may draft the Georgia Tech outfielder to have someone who could move quickly in the system after their struggles this season. The Royals have seen the success Jac Caglianone has had in the Majors after being drafted in 2024. They may be hoping for something similar with Burress in this draft. However, though the Royals may want a more "ready" prospect in Burress, that shouldn't dismiss his outlook as a prospect. Here's what Cameron said in his write-up about Burress, whom he mocked at No. 5 to Pittsburgh. Burress not only put up premium numbers at Georgia Tech but also had intriguing Statcast metrics. Despite his diminutive size, he regularly produced excellent exit velocity numbers, as pointed out by Joe Doyle of Overslot.com. The great thing about Burress is that he can do it all as a player. He's a great defender, can hit for average and power, and while he doesn't have elite speed, he still stole 10 bases and may be a better baserunner than base stealer. He also did this against elite competition at Georgia Tech, which should help him move quickly as a prospect in the Royals system. Here are some of his highlights from this year, and it's easy to see Burress make an immediate impact if selected. In the 2023 MLB Draft, the Royals famously selected prep catcher Blake Mitchell over college catcher Kyle Teel. Teel, though injured at the beginning of the year, has been absolutely mashing with the White Sox this season (125 wRC+ last year; 118 wRC+ this year). As for Mitchell, he's still in High-A ball. Perhaps the Royals learned that lesson from 2023 (Scouting Director Brian Bridges didn't take over until 2024), and will go with the more polished college product (Burress) over the intriguing but risky prep outfielder (Booth). Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas High School (FL) Prep pitchers are always risky. That said, there's a lot to like with Rojas, who's been rumored as a possible Royals target at No. 6 by outlets like MLB Pipeline. The 6'4, 195-pound lefty from Florida is a Miami commit, and one can see why the Canes recruited him. He's a power lefty with mature command stuff for his age, and his delivery looks like Sean Manaea, a former Royals first-round pick (who was eventually traded to the Athletics in a deal for Ben Zobrist in 2015). Rojas absolutely dominated in the Florida High School State title game, striking out 16 batters in 6.2 IP. Rojas can throw his four-seamer in the upper 90s, with it topping out at 97 MPH. Some believe he could go even higher if he can continue his development. Furthermore, he has solid secondary offerings, especially of the breaking variety, as highlighted by Cameron in his mock draft write-up on Rojas. He had Rojas getting selected at No. 10 by the Rockies. When looking at more tape on Rojas, he has a smooth delivery and works quickly as a pitcher. He carries a lot of confidence on the mound for a prep pitcher and dominated good prep competition in Florida as well as on the travel ball circuit last summer. Rojas is an older high schooler; he will be 19 on draft day, as Cameron noted. That said, he may move quickly in the Royals system, like David Shields, who was also drafted as an older prep prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft (in the second round). Prep pitchers carry a lot of risk, and the Royals have a mixed track record with first-round prep pitcher selections (Frank Mozzicato hasn't exactly turned out well). However, Rojas seems like the exception and could be part of an excellent long-term Royals starting-pitching trio with Shields and Kendry Chourio, our No. 2 and No. 1 prospects at Royals Keep, respectively. Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara The Royals' starting pitching took a hit at the Major League level this year. Cole Ragans is undergoing elbow surgery and will be out for a while. Kris Bubic has struggled with regression and injury (again). Noah Cameron has taken a step back after finishing fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting last year. Lastly, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have been solid, but they could be gone by the Trade Deadline. Thus, Kansas City may want to select a pitcher that can move way more quickly in the system. If that's the case, then Flora may be the guy, if available at No. 6. Cameron has the UC Santa Barbara product going No. 4 to the San Francisco Giants. However, if UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky doesn't go No. 1, he could fall to No. 4 to the Giants, which would push Flora down the draft board. The Royals could then swoop in and select Flora, as they did in 2024 with Caglianone. Here's what Cameron said about Flora on Diamondcentric: The 21-year-old righty has all the characteristics one would want to see from a potential ace. He posted excellent numbers with the Gauchos, with a 1.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 102 IP. He has a diverse pitching mix and showcases plenty of velocity and movement on his offerings. Flora is the kind of pitcher who could move quickly in the Royals' farm system and debut as soon as 2027. Below is an example of Flora's performance against the Oregon Ducks, a Power-5 team that hosted an NCAA regional this season. In 5.0 IP against the Ducks, he struck out five, allowed only two hits, three walks, and no runs. What also makes Flora so intriguing is his strong makeup as a pitcher. He's a student of the game, and he would likely thrive in a professional organization with more intensive player development. Below is a clip of him talking about his mechanics with Rob Friedman of Pitching Ninja, and it's obvious how much thought Flora puts into his craft. The Royals have Shields and Chourio coming up the pipeline, but they still may be a year or two away from making their MLB debut. Conversely, Flora is the kind of pitcher they can fast-track, not only because he's a college arm, but also because he's a polished one who should only benefit from professional coaching and player development. If the Royals are looking for their long-term ace to emerge in the next two years, Flora may be their selection at No. 6. Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep High School (FL) The Royals have Bobby Witt Jr. signed until 2030. However, if they are not confident that he will stay beyond 2030, they could have a Witt 2.0 in Lombard, a prep shortstop out of Florida. Lombard is the brother of Yankees infield prospect George Lombard and the son of a former outfielder and current Dodgers bench coach (also named George). The younger Lombard is a true five-tool player who, like Witt, could be franchise-changing. The 18-year-old rates well defensively and on the basepaths, and could have 30 HR-30 SB potential, as Cameron pointed out in his Diamondcentric Mock Draft. Cameron predicted Lombard would be drafted seventh overall, which is held by the Baltimore Orioles. If Lombard gets past the Royals at six, the Orioles could make sense for Lombard, especially considering the organization's affinity for prep players with MLB lineage. Royals scouting director Bridges likes prep players with Lombard's profile, mostly because they have that All-Star ceiling, even with the low-floor risk. There are rumors that the Royals have long liked Lombard, even when he was predicted as a possible No. 1 pick a year ago. His star has dimmed a little during a rough summer circuit last year, especially with Team USA. His contact and swing-and-miss were the biggest concerns with scouts (as pointed out in Cameron's write-up). Nonetheless, there's a smoothness in Lombard's frame and athleticism, both at the plate and in the field. Below is a glimpse of him on the showcase circuit, impressing scouts with his natural tools. You know who was also a talented infielder with MLB family ties who had contact concerns? Witt. And as Royals fans know, that No. 2 overall pick from the 2019 MLB Draft has turned out nicely. Of course, Witt is an unfair comparison, but the similarities are there in so many ways. The main difference is that Lombard is in a loaded draft class, while Witt's was a bit weaker. It's possible that Witt could've gone in that 5-7 range if he was in this draft class. The Royals could set themselves up nicely in the long term with two shortstops with superstar potential by selecting Lombard if available at No. 6. Maybe Lombard moves to second base initially, with the idea that he can move to shortstop if Witt opts out of his deal after the 2030 season. That could help the Royals remain competitive in the long term without breaking the bank. For more on the Royals' selections in the MLB Draft, you can also check out Jared Perkins of Just Baseball and The College Baseball Show and me on Royals Pipeline, a Royals prospects-focused podcast on KC Sports Network. Our first-round draft preview can be found below. View the full article

Connor Prielipp put together the best outing of his young career Sunday, as he faced off against the Colorado Rockies to secure the Twins a series victory. In the win, Prielipp went 6 innings, allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs, but the real fun came in the lefty's 10 strikeouts and 0 walks. Just as Prielipp approaches career marks in usage and we should usually be looking for signs of slowing down and breaking down, the rookie looked his strongest yet. Over 93 pitches, we saw the pinnacle of the morphing of his pitch mix that has taken place since his debut. In his first outing against the New York Mets, the Twins starter relied very heavily on his slider, throwing it 42 times (51%). He also mixed in his four-seam fastball 21 times (26%), changeup 13 times (16%), and curveball 5 times (6%). images via Statcast That debut was very good results-wise, but even early on, we saw the first glimpse of a pitch that was the star on Sunday: Prielipp’s curve. On Sunday, Prielipp employed three pitches almost equally, with his slider thrown 25 times (27%), four-seam fastball 25 times (27%), and the curveball 24 times (26%). The evolution to increased curveball usage culminated in impressive whiff numbers in this latest start. In total, Prielipp generated 20 whiffs against the Rockies lineup. Of those, eight came on curveballs. That pitch secured half of Prielipp’s strikeouts on the day. The always-dominant slider was the only other pitch to account for multiple put-aways on the day. On top of those incredible results, Prielipp also saw his spin rate climb well above his year-long averages. His slider was up to 2,961 RPM (seasonal average: 2,878); the fastball was up to 2,290 (average: 2,265); and the curve up to 3,270 (3,199). At any moment, the Twins may have to back off on Prielipp’s usage as he goes past his career marks, but he has done everything he can to prove he is only stronger and more effective than he was at his debut. All the little indicators one normally checks to find signs of wearing down and failing remain encouraging, and the results are only getting better. View the full article

If you see Kevin Alcántara on the street today near Wrigley Field, be sure to congratulate him. Monday was his 50th day on an active big-league roster. After coming up at the tail end of 2024 and again for most of last September, Alcántara spent roughly a fortnight with the parent club in late May and early June. He was there to replace Matt Shaw, who had been placed on the injured list with a back strain. He was shuttled back to Triple-A Iowa, though, and it took another Shaw injury to get him back up for a fourth major-league stint. It's probably hard for Alcántara to tell he's a big-leaguer, though. He's gotten no real chance to show anything—either the magnitude of his talent nor the depth of his flaws—in his previous times as part of the team. He's stuck on 32 career plate appearances, which is about what Pete Crow-Armstrong collects each week. He's only played a complete game—neither coming on as some sort of sub nor being replaced mid-game—three times in the majors: September 25, 2024, in his MLB debut September 27, 2024 September 7, 2025 Neither the Cubs organization nor Craig Counsell has shown much faith in Alcántara. Yet, they do keep him around, and in a strange but real way, they need him. With Shaw shelved again and Michael Conforto circling the drain, they need a player who can play some corner outfield. With their offense running on Crow-Armstrong's increasingly well-rounded brilliance and a whole lot of luck and pluck around that, they need someone who can catch hold of a ball and hit it 425 feet now and then. Alcántara can be that guy. In the long run, I'm skeptical of Alcántara. In the short term, he needs to get a chance to help the team this time. After the Cubs put him in the cooler by calling him up for 16 days and 10 plate appearances starting May 23, it would have been understandable if he'd gone back to Iowa and struggled. Instead, he hit the ground running, with a 21-for-59 showing that included nine extra-base hits. He's up to 826 career plate appearances for the I-Cubs, with an OPS just under .860, all as a young and athletic player. His swing is long and whiff-prone; he needs to be shielded from bad matchups to have success in the big leagues right now. But he does still have the upside of a big-league regular, and right now, the Cubs don't have a strong alternative to him, at least against lefty starters. They'll see one of those Tuesday night, as the Padres send southpaw JP Sears to the mound. Alcántara needs to be in the lineup. One of Cubs fans' legitimate laments about David Ross was that he mistrusted young players too much and stunted their development, especially by leaving them to rot on the bench amid call-ups. Miguel Amaya and Crow-Armstrong felt that very pain in 2023. The hope was that Counsell would be better at bringing along homegrown guys, but while his tenure has seen Michael Busch and Crow-Armstrong establish themselves successfully (and he's done everything right with regard to Shaw), Owen Caissie, Moisés Ballesteros and Alcántara are each marks against him as a player development guy so far. That has to change in the coming days. Alcántara could be a decent trade chip this summer. He could be retained with an eye toward replacing Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki, who are each impending free agents. Either way, though, this is the last season in which he can be optioned to the minors, so the Cubs (and all other parties with interest in Alcántara) need some hard information about what he can do. This is the opportunity to obtain that information. The Cubs need another guy who can hit the ball hard enough to split a gap or clear a fence, anyway. They need to swing for the fences, metaphorically, to survive their slew of pitching injuries and catalyze a scrappy but aging lineup. They might as well go with a guy who can swing for the fences, literally, and see what doubling his career plate appearance figure in about 10 days tells them. View the full article

As Bo Bichette returns to Toronto this week, with both his Mets and his former team scuffling, there will be plenty of discussion about his Blue Jays legacy. The Jays have had some good shortstops over the course of the franchise’s history, but the discussion over who is the greatest no doubt pits Bichette against Tony Fernandez. There is no doubt that Bichette continues to be a phenomenal hitter, despite a tough start to this season, but for what it is worth… Fernandez is the greatest shortstop in Blue Jays history, and it is not a particularly close race. That is not meant to diminish Bichette. From his debut in 2019, Bichette consistently hovered around or above a .290 batting average, posted seasons with 20 or more home runs, and drove in runs at a pace that places him among the better-hitting shortstops in baseball. Bichette produced seasons where he topped 180 hits, flirted with 200, and finished near the top of the league in total bases. His career OPS has often sat comfortably above league average. When comparing shortstops, you need to look beyond solely their batting statistics. It has to include longevity, consistency, defense, and impact in the biggest moments a team has ever experienced. That is where Tony Fernandez separates himself from any shortstop that has worn a Jays’ jersey. Fernandez debuted with the Blue Jays in 1983, at a time when the franchise was still searching for credibility. By the mid to late 1980s, he had become one of the best shortstops in all of baseball. He finished his career with over 2,200 hits, including 1,583 with the Blue Jays alone, a figure that places him among the franchise leaders even decades after his final game in a Toronto uniform. He was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove winner, and finished in the top ten of American League MVP voting three times. Fernandez hit .297 in his career, an exceptional mark for a player whose primary responsibility was defense. In his best seasons, he was not just a contact hitter but a dynamic one. In 1987, he hit .322 with 213 hits, scored 100 runs, and drove in 67, numbers that look even more impressive when placed in the context of the era. In 1990, he finished with 213, batting .306, and driving in a career high 92 runs. But what elevates Fernandez above Bichette is the totality of his game and the way he influenced every inning he played. His defense in particular was exceptional. If you had the privilege to watch him play, you saw an effortless fluidity that is unparalleled. Rance Mulliniks told me once that he was often left spellbound by Fernandez while playing beside him. Fernandez did not just play shortstop; he mastered it. His style was recognizable instantly, from the way he glided across the dirt to the almost artistic motion of his throws from deep in the hole. Since defensive stats were not measured in the same way we do today, his four Gold Gloves only begin to capture his impact. Bichette, on the other hand, was never the best defender. He has a strong arm and covers a decent amount of ground, but even compared to Andres Gimenez, Bichette was better suited for another position. Fernandez spent parts of 12 seasons with Toronto across multiple stints, and in his prime years from 1985 through 1990, he was an everyday presence who rarely came off the field. He logged seasons with over 150 games played regularly. Bichette, while durable in his own right, simply has not had the time yet to match that kind of sustained impact with one franchise. His injuries in the last few years with the Jays don’t help his case. Although you have to give him kudos for doing the hard work and being available during last year’s World Series. That brings us to the matter of which player performed the best when the stakes were highest. The Blue Jays of the late 1980s and early 1990s were building toward something, and Fernandez was at the centre of it. He was a key contributor to the team that won the franchise’s first division title in 1985. He remained an important piece as the club matured into a contender, and although he was traded before the 1992 World Series run, he returned in 1993 and played a crucial role in that championship. In the 1993 World Series, Fernandez hit .357 and drove in nine runs. It is easy to remember Joe Carter’s walk-off home run, the moment that ended the series and etched itself into baseball history. But in Game 6, before Carter ever got his chance, Fernandez delivered a two-run single in the seventh inning that gave the Blue Jays the lead. Bichette’s Game 7 World Series 442-foot home run off Shohei Ohtani will long be remembered by Jays’ fans as a Kirk Gibson-like moment, but while it opened the scoring in that game, ultimately it wasn’t enough. Tony Fernandez passed away in February 2020 at the age of 57, following complications from kidney disease and a stroke. His death hit the Blue Jays community hard, not only because of his accomplishments on the field but because of what he represented. For many fans, particularly those who grew up watching in the 1980s and early 1990s, Fernandez was the Blue Jays. He was there as the team found its footing, as it became competitive, and as it ultimately won the World Series. Bichette is still writing his story. And who knows, maybe someday he’ll return to the Jays. Although if he ever does, it will most likely be as a second baseman. But as things stand today, Tony Fernandez remains in his own category. He was not just a great shortstop for the Blue Jays; he was the standard by which all others are measured. As a Jay, Bichette gave younger fans plenty of reasons to watch, to hope, and to believe in what the future might hold. Fernandez, on the other hand, gave fans everything a franchise could ask for. Welcome back, Bo. We miss you, Tony. View the full article

Early last week, New York Mets team president David Stearns sat before local media and tried to project patience. He said that he wanted to give this team more time to turn itself around, and that the Aug. 3 trade deadline was the club's “cutoff” date to decide whether to make moves. Then came an ugly doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. A few minutes after the Game 2 loss, Stearns shipped left-hander David Peterson to the visitors’ clubhouse at Citi Field for infield prospect Cole Mathis. Fans and media figured the front office had changed its mind and was now preparing to sell. A day after the Cubs completed a four-game sweep, manager Carlos Mendoza was fired. Surely, the front office was looking ahead to 2027. Whether or not Stearns wants to say it, the Mets will be in sell mode this summer as it falls out of the National League wild-card race. When the time comes to make more moves, these are the first three Mets who should follow Peterson out of Queens, ranked from soonest to latest. LHP A.J. Minter Minter has put himself in demand after successfully returning from hip surgery. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 12 2/3 innings through Sunday and has held opponents to a .286 OPS. He leans heavily on his cutter (56 percent usage), which makes him effective against both left-handed and right-handed batters. He's also a veteran with postseason experience. Money could be an issue. He'll be owed about one-third of his $11 million salary by the deadline. Adding cash in a deal should ensure he goes out the door. The Mets would be wise to capitalize on what is doing now and make a trade before he regresses. RHP Luke Weaver Weaver is pitching like the shutdown reliever he was for the Yankees in 2024, so that will make him popular with deadline buyers. His 23-inning scoreless streak has now lasted for two months. He has regained command of his fastball and changeup, and he's attacking hitters as a result. But as good as Weaver has been, how many teams will want to pay him $12.5 million next season in the final year of his contract, plus what’s left of the $9.5 million he's owed this year, plus a prospect? And do the Mets really want to give up their top set-up man/Devin Williams insurance? If they decide to cash in, then more cash will need to go out. RHP Freddy Peralta Peralta could be the Mets’ best available rental if they become sellers, and Stearns could try to create a bidding war that goes to the deadline. But then he'd be risking an injury that would kill a deal, or more bad starts like Peralta's 10-run outing on June 20 vs. the Phillies, which could make other teams skittish. Peralta has pitched mostly as advertised this season: inefficient, dominant only occasionally, susceptible to the long ball. His 9.2 strikeouts per nine are a career low, and his 2.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio is his worst since his rookie year in 2018. His 4.16 FIP says he has been better than his 4.53 ERA, but neither figure is ace-level. Are teams convinced that he's still a legitimate frontline playoff starter? If Stearns does play the waiting game with the pitchers, there is a pre-deadline move he can make with a position player. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor is a pending free agent, and he returned from a hip injury last week. His defense and power potential could entice a team into giving up an asset. Again, the Mets might need to send cash in a deal, because he'll be owed around $1.3 million at the deadline. Or, teams might just wait for the Mets to designate Taylor for assignment. New York can recall M.J. Melendez or Jared Oliva from the minors to replace him. View the full article

Since making his MLB debut on May 1, Jake Bennett has posted a 3.27 ERA and a 3.11 FIP through six starts. Those are impressive numbers for a rookie, but they raise a more interesting question than the results themselves: How is he doing this with a repertoire that lacks a true overpowering pitch? Bennett doesn't throw 100 mph. He doesn't feature a wipeout slider. He has five pitches, none of which qualifies as elite on its own. Yet he just held the Yankees to three hits across 6 1/3 innings. No single pitch explains Bennett's success, but the way they work together does. His changeup does more than generate whiffs, it forces hitters to respect a speed differential that makes both his four-seam fastball and sinker play above their raw quality. Bennett throws the changeup 25.1% of the time. Hitters chase it outside the strike zone 39% of the time and swing through 34.7% of those chases. Even when they make contact, they produce just a .151 expected batting average and a .166 expected slugging percentage. Those are elite results. More important, they explain why the rest of Bennett's arsenal works. His four-seam fastball carries a .301 expected slugging percentage against, while the sinker sits at .388. Neither pitch overwhelms hitters on its own. But opponents can't simply sit on either one because they always have to account for the possibility of the changeup. Jake Bennett's MLB pitch mix (2026) Pitch Usage% Whiff% xBA xSLG HardHit% Fourseam 33.0% 29.2% .187 .301 42.3% Changeup 25.1% 34.7% .151 .166 23.8% Sinker 28.4% 8.2% .250 .388 37.8% Sweeper 5.8% 28.6% .303 .421 20.0% Curveball 4.6% 18.2% .223 .730 25.0% Movement is what separates the changeup from the rest of the group. It averages 82.8 mph, nearly 10 mph slower than Bennett’s 92.5 mph sinker, while generating roughly 12 inches of horizontal break. Out of his hand, it resembles a fastball. By the time hitters recognize the difference, their swing decision has already been made. The pitch has produced just a .238 batting average on balls in play, and the quality of contact is even more telling. Hitters rarely square it up. They arrive late, swing underneath it or catch it off the end of the bat, leading to a 23.8% hard-hit rate, the lowest of any pitch Bennett throws. His approach also changes with the count. Bennett has thrown 52% of his changeups while ahead, repeatedly starting the pitch on the edge of the strike zone before letting it fade away from barrels. Hitters chase it outside the zone, making contact on only 57.6% of those swings, well below the league average. That approach helped him retire 14 of the first 15 batters he faced in his latest outing. Bat tracking metrics reinforce the same point. Only 2.9% of contact against Bennett’s changeup qualifies as perfect contact. Seventy percent of swings produce flawed contact, and hitters properly match the bat to the ball’s path only 35.7% of the time. Contact quality by pitch (Bat Tracking) Pitch Perfect Contact % Flawed Swing % Lined Up % Changeup 2.9% 70.0% 35.7% Four-seam 6.0% 55.0% 30.6% Sinker 9.0% 9.0% 8.7% Hitters fail to line up Bennett's four-seam fastball 69.4% of the time and his sinker 91.3% of the time. The changeup is different because it wins before contact ever happens. Hitters commit to the wrong pitch, and the quality of contact suffers as a result. The Yankees saw that firsthand on Saturday. Bennett threw 87 pitches—34% four-seamers, 30% sinkers and 23% changeups. Afterward, Bennett explained where part of that plan came from. "Being able to watch Payton Tolle and Connelly Early pitch and have so much success really helped me formulate my game plan." He's studying what works for fellow left-handers and adapting those ideas to his own strengths. Bennett will never be a power pitcher. No individual pitch grades as a true plus offering, yet together they create a repertoire that's far more difficult to solve than its individual pieces suggest. The margin for error, though, is small. If hitters stop chasing the changeup outside the strike zone, Bennett will have to throw more fastballs and sinkers in the zone. His four-seamer has allowed a 42.3% hard-hit rate. His sinker sits at 37.8%. Asking those pitches to carry more of the workload could expose the repertoire. That makes command—and the continued development of his curveball and sweeper—the next step in his progression. For now, Bennett has shown that sequencing, command and pitch design can still beat pure velocity. The Red Sox have now produced 10 consecutive quality starts, and during a first half defined by injuries and inconsistency, Bennett's emergence alongside Tolle and Early has become one of the organization's few genuinely encouraging developments. View the full article

The complex league teams combined to hit .317 with runners in scoring position, developing skills that will hopefully translate oh, about five years from now. Transactions: N/A Final: ACL Brewers 10, ACL Cubs 7 Box Score and Game Log The A-Crew, now 23-20, jumped out to a 9-0 lead through five innings on the strength of a four-run 2nd inning and a five-run 5th. The Baby Cubs were playing like the 14-27 team they were entering the game. Chicago's rookies scored all their runs in a seven-run 6th, and the good guys held on from there. 19-year-old Ma'Kale Holden, the club's 20th round pick out of an Alabama high school in 2025, has certainly seen both ends of the success spectrum in his nine games (two starts), and you're invited to view his game log to see those highs and lows detailed. His last two outings have blown up his season-to-date numbers despite several strong outings earlier. 4th year RHP Argenis Aparicio, repeating the Arizona League after two initial Dominican League seasons, did allow two of Holden's runners to cross the plate and also allowed a run of his own when the first batter Aparicio faced homered. Notably, all seven Cubs runs in that inning were plated after there were two outs. Essentially, and one can't truly indicate this, but the Brewers were one out away from twirling a shutout. We'll get to the healthy offense but may as well wrap up the pitching notes. Starting RHP Caleb Nieman managed three scoreless innings (he allowed a leadoff single in the 4th before departing) despite giving up five hits - all singles, that helped - and three walks. The oddest game log note is that the Cubs had runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out in the 2nd when a single dropped in to left field, loading the bases. The runners didn't advance, seeing if the ball would be caught. Understandable, but you don't view that often. A popout and groundout ended that dangerous situation. Jonathan Rangel, in his first season stateside after two in the D.R., is fascinating. It doesn't appear he received a significant bonus out of Venezuela as part of the January 2024 international class. The 19-year-old is listed at 5'9", 176, though that likely matches his vitals at the time of his signing two and a half years ago. Seeing time only at catcher/1B/DH this season and last, his future lies on whether he'll be able to stick at catcher (13 errors and nine passed balls in 22 pro games behind the plate), and whether the left-handed bat will mash enough. Rangel has walked (18.9% of the time) nearly as often as he's K'd (a manageable 20.7%). Rangel can slug, .460 mark for his career. Rangel can also run a bit, 21-for-24 in career SB attempts. Rangel's 5th inning home run to center went out at 104.8 MPH, 32-degree launch. His 2nd inning double traveled 401 feet on a line at 106.4 MPH. He was the designated hitter Monday. Brewer batters drew nine walks, with four players earning two apiece. The other extra base hits not off Rangel's bat were triples. 18-year-old infielder (playing second base here) Leonard Rijo, who received a deserved bump stateside on June 12th had one, as did another recent midseason promotion, just-turned 18-year-old RF Gerlyn Payano. Payano also contributed an outfield assist. Both LF Kenny Fenelon and 3B Juan Martinez moved their stolen base totals to 21. Fenelon has been thrown out seven times but has been successful in his last five attempts. Martinez has only been thrown out three times. With July a day away, we'll remind everyone the Arizona League's regular season ends on the 23rd. MLB moved up the schedule a few years back to help avoid extreme heat, but you know the Maryvale complex will still be busy with rehabbers and miscellaneous workouts. Final: DSL Brewers Blue 9, DSL Red Sox Red 6 Box Score and Game Log The now 14-7 Blue Crew, in 3rd place within their division, took care of the last-place division rival Boston Red squad, overcoming a 5-3 deficit after four innings with four unanswered runs. They also overcame five errors, each committed by a different team member, and five wild pitches by starting RHP Jordy Brache, the 16-year-old Dominican native making his 5th pro appearance and second start. Brache somehow only allowed three runs (only two earned) in his three innings. With a 3.80 WHIP, that run count can be considered a small victory. Following Brache on the mound was 18-year-old Colombian native Carlos Galindo, who will be stateside in 2027, having posted solid numbers for a second year. The zero walks (one HBP) are shiny and represents a second consecutive five-inning, no-walk effort. 3rd year RHP Lukas Gonzalez, 19 years old out of Panama, wants off the island, and his 2026 work is trending towards that. Still just 16 years old for a few more days, infielder (primarily 3rd baseman thus far) Leanders Matos was a triple shy of a cycle. Eleven of his 21 hits on the season of the extra-base variety, and he hit his 4th home run Monday, and it was a shot to center in the 7th that converted a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead that would not be relinquished. Matos is also 10-of-11 in SB attempts, though oddly in this contest Blue only attempted one steal (unsuccessfully) despite having 11 hits and drawing a dozen free passes. Matos' $300,000 price tag is at the bargain level currently, and as advertised. In January, the right-handed hitting Matos was touted as a potential high-contact hitter with great strike-zone discipline and gap power. All nine Blue batters reached base at least once. In fact, five reached three times, and the other four reached twice. Haven't tracked that sort of thing but can't imagine many boxes this Link Report season in which every member of the lineup reached multiple times. Enjoy your box score breakdown clicking on the names of interest to you. Three hours and 50 minutes of baseball, wow. Final: DSL Brewers Gold 11, DSL Pirates Gold 10 Box Score and Game Log No, you're not imagining things. The Golden Crew, now 9-12, also won by an 11-10 score on Friday night. In between those games, they defeated their Blue brethren 6-5 Saturday. Enjoy the ride, guys, five wins in a row! Through seven innings, this was a perfectly "normal" 4-2 game with the good guys on top. The Pirates scored five in the top of the 8th (7-4 PIT lead), followed by a four-run response (Crew on top 8-7). Each team would score three runs in the 9th, and while the Pittsburgh kids used speed and Crew mound wildness to score their three runs, the G-Crew pumped up the power for their rally. First, a one-out blast by just-turned 18-year-old first baseman Jefer Lista, and a two-out two-run walkoff blast by 16-year-old CF (occasional left field and/or second base) Angeni Fernandez. One of the youngest signings of MLB's international class, Fernandez turns 17 on August 9th, the Brewers signed him for $500,000. Fernandez, a right-handed bat, drove in six runs in all here, as two doubles preceded the winning blast. Fourteen free passes (ten walks, four HBP's) issued to the Gold boys certainly helped their cause. Second-year Dominican Republic native RHP Derlin Garcia, has had strong outings and two clunky ones, as his game log shows. It's a super-charged DSL offensive environment in 2026 to be sure, but we still have to love that among the Brewers exceeding the most this spring and summer are the youngest, matching their pedigree buzz entering the season. On Tuesday, DSL Gold plays while their Blue siblings take a break. There's lots of home cooking on the schedule as only the Timber Rattlers hit the road among the full-season clubs, and Maryvale is home as well. Stay cool, everyone! 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

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough is certainly not above criticism when his in-game decisions backfire. Just last week, there was a prime example of that. On the other hand, you have to give McCullough credit when those same sort of moves are ordered correctly and produce positive results. That was the case Monday night against the Colorado Rockies in a 10-7 win. In the top of the fifth inning, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer took out left-handed starter Sean Sullivan and went to righty Victor Vodnik. Leo Jimenez, who was supposed to hit in that spot and already had an RBI double in his first at-bat of the game, was taken out and Griffin Conine entered the game to pinch-hit for him. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Vodnik served up a changeup that Conine clobbered 433 feet slamming into the third deck in right field, giving the Marlins a 6-5 lead. "Looking at today with their only lefty, he had thrown back-to-back days, potentially he could have come in, but that would have Griff and Owen (Caissie) and even Graham (Pauley) ready to come pinch-hit in those spots," McCullough said. "The first shot there with some guys on, I felt like it was a moment, and then Griff was gonna be the first bat off the bench." Conine has missed most of the season due to a left hamstring tear. He has played in seven games since coming off the injured list. His home run marked his first career pinch-hit home run and the third by a Marlin this season. It also was the longest home run of his career. "Anytime you are going into the game in a big spot, you just get as much as you can on the guy before you go up there and try to get a good pitch," Conine told the Marlins Radio Network postgame. "He threw me two changeups in a row and that definitely helped out the timing and I didn't miss the second one." Sandy Alcantara made his final start in the month of June, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, walked five and struck out three. In the top of the sixth inning, McCullough came out to chat with Alcantara and after a couple second, he was out of the game. McCullough turned to Michael Petersen who got out of the inning, allowing Alcantara to stay in line for what was his sixth win. "What makes Mike so special for us is that he is very good versus left and he's good versus right," McCullough said. "Having that neutrality, we liked him versus (Jake) McCarthy either way, and that his ability to come into any spot versus any sided hitter is a big deal." Alcantara becomes the third pitcher in Marlins franchise history to post a 6-0 record in one month, joining José Fernández (6-0 in May 2016) and Chris Hammond (6-0 in June 1993). He finishes the month of June with a 3.35 ERA in 40 1/3 innings of work. In that span, Alcantara completed seven innings or more in three straight starts and now has the most strikeouts in franchise history. The final button pressed by the skipper was when he decided to pinch-hit for Esteury Ruiz with Owen Caissie in the top of the seventh inning. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Caissie knocked in a single off Rockies reliever Antonio Senzatela. He later scored a run on a Javier Sanoja RBI triple. Caissie finished his night going 2-for-2, bumping his OPS to .827 in the month of June. The Marlins have tied a franchise record with 19 wins in the month of June, first accomplished by the 2023 club. The Marlins join Atlanta (19-9 in April) and Milwaukee (19-7 in May) as the only teams in the majors this season to collect at least 19 wins in a calendar month. "This has been a really big month for Sandy," McCullough said. "During this run, he has really been on the attack. Coming into this game, if he's not leading the league in innings, he's right there. He has efficiently done his work, and he's continued to fill it up. I think that we've seen a guy who's certainly been there, done that, and with the situation we've been in recently, where we've patched things together on some days with our pitching, that what Sandy does on the days he gets the ball, we generally count on him going deep and giving us a chance." With the win, the Marlins move to 45-40 on the season. When it comes to the NL Wild Card race, the Marlins find themselves in a virtual tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for the third spot, with the Cardinals just barely leading in terms of win percentage (.531 to .529). Eury Pérez takes the mound on Tuesday for his second start since coming off the injured list. First pitch is at 8:40 pm ET. View the full article

Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB HR: Royce Lewis (8), Victor Caratini (7), Josh Bell (10) Top 3 WPA: Matthews 0.25, Caratini 0.13, Bell 0.12 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Minnesota Twins entered Monday night's series opener in Houston knowing the competition was about to get much tougher. After taking a series from the Colorado Rockies, Minnesota kicked off a six-game road trip against an Astros club that had won nine of its previous 12 games, before heading to Yankee Stadium this weekend. The Twins were also without Byron Buxton, who was held out of the lineup after experiencing a recurrence of hip discomfort and undergoing imaging, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. That didn't stop them from taking control of the game early, even if the finish ended up being far more dramatic than it needed to be. The biggest reason was Zebby Matthews. After recording three quality starts in his previous four outings while pitching at least six innings in each, Matthews built on that momentum with arguably his best start of the 2026 season. The right-hander tossed seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits while striking out seven and walking only one. His only mistake came in the fifth inning, when Cam Smith connected for a solo home run. Outside of that swing, Matthews was in complete control all night. Matthews gave the Twins exactly the kind of start they needed, and the offense rewarded him with an early cushion. After being held hitless through the first three innings, Minnesota broke through in the fourth when Victor Caratini and Royce Lewis launched back-to-back home runs. Both hitters continued their outstanding months of June, and Josh Bell joined them two innings later. Bell, who entered the night with an .880 OPS this month after his miserable start to the season, crushed a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-1. Kody Clemens added one more insurance run in the seventh with an RBI groundout, giving the Twins what looked like a comfortable 5-1 advantage. Matthews's seven frames meant the bullpen only needed to notch the final six outs. Travis Adams looked poised to do just that, retiring the first five batters he faced before Taylor Trammell spoiled the effort with a two-out, full-count, two-run home run in the ninth inning to trim Minnesota's lead to 5-3. That forced the Twins to turn to Yoendrys Gómez for the final out. Instead, the Astros made things even more interesting when Smith launched a solo homer to make it a one-run game. Gómez settled down, however, retiring the final batter of the night to earn his eighth save of the season as the Twins hung on for the 5-4 victory. The Twins passed the first test of a challenging road trip. Matthews delivered the best outing of his season, while Lewis, Bell, and Caratini continued their hot stretches at the plate to provide enough offense. It got far more interesting than anyone expected over the final two outs, but the Twins ultimately did enough to open the road trip with a much-needed win. What's Next The Twins will look to lock up the series on Tuesday evening at 7:10 p.m. CT. Joe Ryan is scheduled to take the mound for Minnesota against Astros right-hander Mike Burrows, as the Twins try to string together some series victories and position themselves to buy (or at least not sell) at the trade deadline. Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN SUN P Raya 0 0 40 0 0 40 Banda 0 11 0 14 0 25 Morris 0 6 0 12 0 18 Funderburk 0 20 25 0 0 45 Orze 0 14 0 0 0 14 Gómez 0 0 0 4 7 11 Rogers 0 0 9 0 0 9 Adams 0 0 0 0 35 35 View the full article

Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB HR: Royce Lewis (8), Victor Caratini (7), Josh Bell (10) Top 3 WPA: Matthews 0.25, Caratini 0.13, Bell 0.12 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): The Minnesota Twins entered Monday night's series opener in Houston knowing the competition was about to get much tougher. After taking a series from the Colorado Rockies, Minnesota kicked off a six-game road trip against an Astros club that had won nine of its previous 12 games, before heading to Yankee Stadium this weekend. The Twins were also without Byron Buxton, who was held out of the lineup after experiencing a recurrence of hip discomfort and undergoing imaging, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. That didn't stop them from taking control of the game early, even if the finish ended up being far more dramatic than it needed to be. The biggest reason was Zebby Matthews. After recording three quality starts in his previous four outings while pitching at least six innings in each, Matthews built on that momentum with arguably his best start of the 2026 season. The right-hander tossed seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits while striking out seven and walking only one. His only mistake came in the fifth inning, when Cam Smith connected for a solo home run. Outside of that swing, Matthews was in complete control all night. Matthews gave the Twins exactly the kind of start they needed, and the offense rewarded him with an early cushion. After being held hitless through the first three innings, Minnesota broke through in the fourth when Victor Caratini and Royce Lewis launched back-to-back home runs. Both hitters continued their outstanding months of June, and Josh Bell joined them two innings later. Bell, who entered the night with an .880 OPS this month after his miserable start to the season, crushed a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-1. Kody Clemens added one more insurance run in the seventh with an RBI groundout, giving the Twins what looked like a comfortable 5-1 advantage. Matthews's seven frames meant the bullpen only needed to notch the final six outs. Travis Adams looked poised to do just that, retiring the first five batters he faced before Taylor Trammell spoiled the effort with a two-out, full-count, two-run home run in the ninth inning to trim Minnesota's lead to 5-3. That forced the Twins to turn to Yoendrys Gómez for the final out. Instead, the Astros made things even more interesting when Smith launched a solo homer to make it a one-run game. Gómez settled down, however, retiring the final batter of the night to earn his eighth save of the season as the Twins hung on for the 5-4 victory. The Twins passed the first test of a challenging road trip. Matthews delivered the best outing of his season, while Lewis, Bell, and Caratini continued their hot stretches at the plate to provide enough offense. It got far more interesting than anyone expected over the final two outs, but the Twins ultimately did enough to open the road trip with a much-needed win. What's Next The Twins will look to lock up the series on Tuesday evening at 7:10 p.m. CT. Joe Ryan is scheduled to take the mound for Minnesota against Astros right-hander Mike Burrows, as the Twins try to string together some series victories and position themselves to buy (or at least not sell) at the trade deadline. Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN SUN P Raya 0 0 40 0 0 40 Banda 0 11 0 14 0 25 Morris 0 6 0 12 0 18 Funderburk 0 20 25 0 0 45 Orze 0 14 0 0 0 14 Gómez 0 0 0 4 7 11 Rogers 0 0 9 0 0 9 Adams 0 0 0 0 35 35 View the full article

Such is the state of contemporary pitching management that pitchers are, for varying reasons, getting a lengthening leash when they are pitching poorly, and a tightening leash when they are tearing through the opposing lineup. Neil Allen, we cry to you. Transactions, 6/27/2026 GOING COMING Released Released Sent to Syracuse on Rehab Assignment Cleared Waivers and Assigned to Syracuse Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Infielders John Valle Tyler Burch Jorge Polanco Zack Short R/R DoB: 38315 High Level: Rk (2026) R/R DoB: 35675 High Level: AA (2024) S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 34848 High Level: MLB (2026) Mystery Cuban John Valle was a 2023 pick out of a Florida High School, but his career was quickly detoured through Tommy Johnville, and he didn't debut until he was 20 years old in 2025. His 11.77 ERA in 13 innings that year was followed by a 7.30 mark in 12 1/3 this year. Tyler Burch has gotten the same bad news, but at the end of a much longer minor-league odyssey. After a full collegiate career, Tyler has been laboring with Philadelphia and Baltimore since 2019. After getting Rule V'd to Colorado, Burch missed a full season with elbow surgery. He must've been considered a real bounceback candidate by big-league teams, because the Mets went out and offered him a very rare two-year, minor-league free agent contract. That bounce-back never materialized as Burch gets sent home mid-season without throwing a pitch in a game. It is illegal to release a guy on the Injured List, but maybe there is an exception at the half-season mark or something. Either way, with that two-year deal, hopefully he takes some money home with him. The real June 27 is the second attempt at a 2026 rehab by Jorge Polanco, who has spent most of the campaign bedeviled by chronic Achilles tendonitis. He was initially intended to be the Mets new firstbaseman following the departure of Pete Alonso, but it is a pretty safe assumption that, should he indeed return to the big-league club, it will primarily (or more likely, exclusively), as a designated hitter. Either way, that would be expected to cut deeply into Mark Vientos' opportunities, and likely Brett Baty's as well, but he would probably be taking Eric Wagaman's roster spot. But that is all speculative, as it will be a minor victory just to get his name onto a major-league lineup card at this point. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the first game of his assignment. Transactions, 6/29/2026 GOING COMING Demoted to Syracuse Promoted from Syracuse Relief Pitchers Tobias Myers Joey Gerber R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 High Level: MLB (2026) And here we come to the theme that leads off this post. In the Mets most recent series with Philadelphia, they demonstrated some resolve against a team going in the opposite direction of them in the standing. Knotted into a 1-1 tie going into the seventh, with rookie starter Zach Thornton utterly cruising since the first, they pulled him after 78 pitches (54 for strikes) and prematurely turned the game over to the bullpen, and lost. They won the second game, but in the third, felt it necessary to give Tobias Myers a 59 pitch outing despite his in-effectiveness. They are reportedly "stretching" him so they can deploy him as a starter in the near future. Letting his effectiveness dictate the length of his outing is apparently not their idea of a winning approach For some nebulous, always out-of-reach future concern, they pulled an effective pitcher, rode an ineffective one, and lost two of three to a strong team when all three games were winnable. I hope that future comes soon. In the meantime, for far too many Met fans, these games were perhaps their very first, or their very last. The present matters. In the meantime, Mets Roster Central recalls former Mets closer Neil Allen. Later in his career, with the Yankees, Allen found himself one day to be the only available reliever in an otherwise pretty gassed bullpen. He was told to be prepared to be called on, and if he was, to be prepared to finish no matter what. The worst-case scenario ensued. Rookie starter Al Leiter came up injured after giving a leadoff single to Carney Lansford. Allen came in and closed out the first. Then he closed out the second. And inning after inning he remained effective, and damned if his continued effectiveness didn't dictate his continued deployment, and he finished the game, allowing no runs on three hits and no walks — against Oakland A's, no less, destined to win 104 games and the pennant that season. By a quirk of the rules (that still stands), by recording all 27 outs, Allen was credited with a shutout, despite not getting credit for a complete game. Now, Allen's manager Billy Martin was not known for his kind curatorial care of pitchers' arms, but from someone who invests hope in these games, sticking with pitchers who are effective and lifting pitchers who are ineffective, in games that are very much winnable, sure seems like an idea that we might want to be getting back to. Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Sean Manaea Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta Christian Scott Huascar Brazobán R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 Relief Pitchers Joey Gerber A.J. Minter Cionel Pérez Brooks Raley Kodai Senga Austin Warren Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/L DoB: 35176 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Brett Baty Francisco Lindor Ronny Mauricio R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 Infielders Outfielders Mark Vientos Eric Wagaman Carson Benge A.J. Ewing Juan Soto Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 R/R DoB: 1997-08-14 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 L/R DoB: 2004-08-10 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 R/R DoB: 1994-01-22 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Clay Holmes Tylor Megill Zach Thornton Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Daniel Duarte Reed Garrett R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 L/L DoB: 2002-01-17 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1996-12-04 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Justin Hagenman Tobias Myers Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Hayden Senger Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien MJ Melendez Nick Morabito Jared Oliva Luis Robert, Jr. R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 R/R DoB: 1995-11-27 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 Your Mets Coaching Staff Interim Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coord. Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitch. Coach Andy Green Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1977-07-07 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Pract. Pitcher Equip. Manager Bullpen Catcher Bullpen Catcher Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Recond. Coordinator Recond. Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Soft Tissue Specialist Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang Hiroto Kawamura DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? DoB: 1962-07-19 View the full article

TRANSACTIONS Fort Myers Mighty Mussels activated RHP Reed Moring from the 7-day injured list. Minnesota Twins recalled RHP Cody Laweryson from St. Paul Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL The Saints finished 3-2 this past week and now take on the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. As Buffalo comes to town, the Saints may have the chance to see a Top 10 organizational pitcher over the week. #10 prospect according to our sister site Jays Centre is RHP Jake Bloss, will be on his way with Buffalo to St. Paul. Bloss only has two games under his belt at Triple-A this season and is sporting an ugly 8.59 ERA. Overall levels in the minors in 2026, the right-hander’s ERA is 5.00 with a 28.6% K%. Here are the rest of the Jays Top 20 prospects. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wind Surge had a rough week, going 1-5 against Midland. They will try to get right as they face the Tulsa Drillers, Double-A affiliate of the Dodgers. Nationally recognized prospect Josue De Paula has continued to hit well in 2026. The outfielder is hitting .312/.412/.533 with a .945 OPS. Hope has cooled off, staying steady at 13 home runs, and his slashing numbers have trended downward: .266/.343/.460 from the last time Wichita saw him. Mike Sirota also figures into the Drillers outfield and is continuing to hit strongly with .328/.484/.573, 1.057 OPS. Mixing in on the pitching side is top ten organizational prospect RHP Christian Zazueta. Zazueta has logged only one game at Double-A since being promoted, but on the season has a 3.52 ERA, a 35.9% K% and a 5.8% BB%. KERNELS CHRONICLE The Kernels matched the Wind Surge on rough weeks, also going 1-5 on their road trip to Wisconsin. Up next for the Kernels is the short trip to the Quad Cities to take on the River Bandits. Our sister site, Royals Keep, ranks five River Bandits prospects in their top 10 prospects. The top two are pitchers Kendry Chourio and David Shields. Chourio, the right-hander, is #1 and holds a 2.45 ERA across Single-A after his recent promotion. Shields, the left-hander, is #2 on the list, has a 3.80 ERA and a 28.5% K%. Then come the hitters, which include the catchers. Left-handed hitting Blake Mitchell, #4 on Royals Keep list, is only hitting .214/.413/.433 but has an .846 OPS. Ramon Ramirez comes in at #6 and is hitting .286/.363/.478 alongside a .841 OPS. Rounding out the hitters is the #9 prospect, CF Asbel Gonzalez. Gonzalez has hit .253/.341/.306 with 37 stolen bases at High-A. MIGHTY MATTERS After successfully going 4-1, Fort Myers is ready to head up the coast to Clearwater to take on the Threshers. The Threshers roster one top 10 prospect out of the Philadelphia Phillies system in RHP Matthew Fisher. Fisher holds a 5.32 ERA paired with a 25.9% K% and a 10.2% BB%. FCL TWINS Twins 7, Pirates 4 Box Score The Twins were able to top the Pirates on Monday, surviving a late push. The Twins spread out their offense across the lineup with only two players ending the game without a hit. OF Teilon Serrano had one of those hits for a double and two RBI. 3B Darwin Almanzar had another double and two RBI. SS Daiber De Los Santos had the third and final double with one RBI. RHP Matt Barr got the start for the Twins and went three innings, giving up one hit, one earned run, issuing one walk, and striking out two. RHP Halton Hardy was the pitcher of record but was a bit more roughed up than Barr. Hardy went four innings, allowed five hits, three earned runs, but issued no walks and struck out four. DSL TWINS Twins 4, NYY Yankees 12 Box Score The Twins put the runs in early, but from there it was all Yankees. LF Fabian Ulloa was 2-for-4 on the day with a double. SS Daiyer Barboza had the big hit for the Twins with a three-run home run. One of the more interesting lines on the day came from 2B Jendy Martinez, who had no hits, two runs scored, and three walks. Starting pitcher Agustin Campusano kept the Yankees scoreless through two innings, but in the third inning, the game began to break open. Campusano’s final line was three innings, two hits, four runs, three earned runs, four walks, and one strikeout. Miguel Martinez was the next pitcher for the Twins and went four innings, five hits, six runs, five earned runs, six walks, and four strikeouts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Daiyer Barboza: 1-3, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 BB. Matt Barr: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K TOP 20 PROSPECT WEEK IN REVIEW #1- Walker Jenkins (Saints)-.267/.313/.467, .779 OPS, 1 2B, 1 3B #2 Kaelen Culpepper (Saints)- Reinstated Sunday, went 0-for-4. #4- Eduardo Tait (Kernels)- .300/.333/.550, .883 OPS, 2 2B, 1 HR. #5- Marek Houston (Wind Surge)- .250/.333/.292, .625 OPS, 1 2B. #6- Riley Quick (Kernels)- 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. #7- Kendry Rojas (Saints)- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. #8- Hendry Mendez (Saints)- .500/.500/.500, 1,000 OPS. #9- Dasan Hill (Kernels)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. #10- Gabriel Gonzalez (Saints)- .385/.357/.538, .896 OPS, 2 2B. #12- Brandon Winokur (Kernels)- .217/.280/.391, .671 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR. #13- Khadim Diaw (Wind Surge)- .214/.389/.214, .603 OPS. #14- Quentin Young (Mussels)- .235/. 278/.529, .807 OPS, 1 3B, 1 HR. #15- Ryan Gallagher (Saints)- 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. #17-C.J. Culpepper (Saints)- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K #18- Yasser Mercedes (Mussels)- .083/.083/.083, .167 OPS. #19- Billy Amick (Wind Surge)- .000/.000/.000, .000 OPS #20- Kyle DeBarge (Wind Surge)- .240/.240/.400, .640 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ St. Paul Saints- LHP Aaron Rozek Tulsa @ Wichita Wind Surge- TBD Cedar Rapids Kernels @ Quad Cities- TBD Fort Myers Mussels @ Clearwater- RHP Kolten Smith FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins- TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Rockies- TBD View the full article

Byron Buxton has looked like an MVP candidate, but several of the Twins' biggest question marks have played out exactly as expected. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the first half of the season. View the full article

Since having his contract purchased from Triple-A St. Paul on May 31, Mike Paredes has played an integral role in the Minnesota Twins’ efforts to stay in postseason contention this summer. Unexpectedly, he operated as the club’s fifth starter in June. Paredes’s rise to his newfound role with the parent club was unanticipated on many fronts. The 25-year-old began his 2026 campaign as part of Double-A Wichita’s starting rotation. Besides, Minnesota was rich in starting pitching depth to begin the regular season, with 10 (or more) starters above Paredes on the organizational depth chart. However, after injuries to Pablo López, David Festa, Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, and Bailey Ober, and Simeon Woods Richardson unexpectedly getting designated for assignment in late May, Twins decision-makers were more or less forced to hand Paredes a spot on the club’s 13-pitcher staff. Surprisingly, the inexperienced righty has been serviceable, netting a 4.26 ERA, 5.44 FIP, and a 13-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25 1/3 innings pitched. Those numbers don’t pop off the page. In fact, his 11.8% strikeout rate is rather alarming. Still, his serviceability has saved Minnesota’s starting rotation, helping the club stay in postseason contention as the All-Star break nears. Despite Paredes’s honorable service, Ober is nearing a return from the 15-day IL, rejoining Minnesota's five-pitcher starting rotation. With Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews, and Connor Prielipp being the other four pitchers in the quintet, Paredes will be the odd starting pitcher out, signaling the 25-year-old could soon be demoted to Triple-A St. Paul. Instead, the front office and coaching staff should reward Paredes's upside with a change of role, rather than level. Operating out of the bullpen, Paredes could again serve as a bulk reliever, helping Ober ease back from the IL or pitching multiple innings if one of the other starters is pulled from a start early due to injury or poor performance. Given that the Twins bullpen continues to struggle mightily, however, Paredes could also transition into a short reliever, fortifying a unit in dire need of dependable arms. In his six appearances this month, Paredes’s most effective pitch has been his cutter, with hitters generating a modest .159 wOBA against it. However, his best pitch from a movement and stuff perspective is his sweeper, on which he's generated a 26.9% strikeout rate while throwing it 21.3% of the time. His sweeper would play up in a short relief role, generating higher velocity and greater horizontal break in short bursts. Paredes could fortify his sweeper and turn it into an above-average complementary pitch alongside his four-seam when facing right-handed hitters, while relying more on his change as an out pitch against left-handed hitters. Assuming he’s able to elevate his sweeper and change while adding velocity to his four-seam in a short relief role, Paredes should be more of a strikeout guy in the pen. Paredes has been an incredible development story, playing a vital role in keeping Minnesota’s playoff hopes from sinking in June. However, hes walking a thin line as a starter and could soon implode, given his inability to miss bats over multiple innings pitched. When Ober returns, Minnesota would be wise to transition Paredes to the bullpen, providing him an opportunity to solidify a role in a unit desperate for reliable arms. He's not good enough for their rotation, but he's more than good enough for their struggling relief unit. View the full article

The upcoming draft is a time of excitement for Brewers fans. Over the last decade, the Brewers have developed arguably the best minor-league organization in MLB, reflected not only in the talent they've found, but in the ability to develop players without standout pedigree or tools into valuable pieces. It takes time. One doesn’t know how well a pick really works out for a major-league team for years. First, it takes time for a player to rise through the farm system. Often, it also takes a while for them to finish their development in the bigs, and the final variable in the equation that expresses the value of the pick is what (if anything) the team eventually gets for them when they leave. The final reckoning for the 2014 draft will not come until the end of the 2028 season at the earliest, when Christian Yelich's contract could end. (Second-round pick Monte Harrison and 12th-round pick Jordan Yamamoto were parts of the package Milwaukee sent to Miami in the 2017-2018 offseason to acquire Yelich.) The ideal path is for the talent to become a reliable contributor to the major-league team. Brice Turang is one of the best examples of the traditional approach—a first-round pick who turns into a cornerstone of the team for multiple years. Then, there are the non-traditional paths to make a draft pick work out well for the Brewers. One is the late-round steal. They’re not one of the guys who get a huge seven-figure bonus after being picked in the first round. They’re picked later (Brandon Woodruff, an 11th-round pick in the 2014 draft), sometimes way later (Brent Suter, 31st-round pick in the 2012 draft), but these players are where the scouts and the coaches in the organization have really earned their money. Hitting on later picks not only means amassing depth that creates flexibility in trades, but positions a team to extend players who thrive. Clubs have more leverage over lower-round, lower-bonus selections in contract talks later on. The other, of course, is the return in a trade. This is how some somewhat disappointing prospects can redeem themselves (2014 first-round pick Kodi Medeiros, for instance, was traded for Joakim Soria in 2018). Other times, the blue-chip prospect can turn a season around in a deal (2007 first-rounder Matt LaPorta, who brought CC Sabathia to Milwaukee in 2008). In some cases, a traded prospect can be a force at the MLB level long after the Brewers’ return has faded away (see Michael Brantley, the player to be named later in the Sabathia trade). It's tempting to put an arbitrary timeline on evaluating a draft, but the timeline can always change, and a grade can change from year to year. Keston Hiura looked like a superb selection after the 2019 season, but his struggles and inconsistency in later years arguably lowered the grade. Tyrone Taylor looked like he wouldn’t pan out, until he did. Seven years after being selected in the 2019 draft out of high school, Darrien Miller is now in Triple-A and could end up with Milwaukee if he continues his hot hitting, which could alter the draft’s grade were he to become a contributor with the Brewers. He'll never be more than a role player, but finding a viable third or fourth catcher for the organization in the ninth round is a win. In other words, even the 2018 draft’s grade could fluctuate over the next few years. Every class since then has at least as fluid a tag on them. It will likely be a lot of fun finding out, but assessing the draft is so tricky that it's vital to remain circumspect. How do you evaluate the success or failure of draft years? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Over halfway through the season, the regression monster hasn't yet caught up to Ryan Rolison. In fact, with Caleb Thielbar finally, sadly looking his age and Hoby Milner sidelined by an emergency appendectomy, there's not much doubt that Rolison is now the Cubs' top left-handed reliever. It's less fun to note this part, but with Daniel Palencia headlining tim times and a long list of injured righties, Rolison might even be their relief ace, without regard to handedness. The only other candidate is Jacob Webb, and if anything, Rolison has been more consistent. That's not to oversell him. Rolison's win probability added (WPA) over the 25 appearances since he came to the majors to stay in late April is -0.16. He hasn't been dominant, and he doesn't even have a save. His ERA is great, but his peripheral numbers are more like "good". He's allowed a pretty average 6 of 17 inherited runners to score. He's arguably the team's relief ace right now, not because he's great, but because the team is so far underwater in the bullpen. Still, this level of contribution is vital, especially for a team so awash in injuries and underperformance. Rolison started the season with Triple-A Iowa, even after a good spring. The Cubs picked him up over the winter, in no small part, because he's an optionable arm. He first came up on April 14, the first time the team was in scramble mode in the relief corps, but he stayed just that one day. He didn't come back until April 24. Since then, though, he's appeared 25 times and pitched 30 2/3 innings in the Cubs' 59 team games. Over a full season at this pace, he'd work 69 times and amass just under 85 innings. Craig Counsell has often been short on hurlers who are so much as available, let alone reliable; Rolison has been a rubber arm who doesn't give away games. He's markedly better than he was last season. Made to look much worse than he was by playing his home games in Colorado, Rolison had a 7.02 ERA in 2025, with little life on his fastball. He's up about 1.5 miles per hour on the four-seamer this year, with a more aggressive delivery in which he gets down the mound farther and draws more force from his landing leg. But more importantly, he's increased the induced vertical break on that heater by 3 inches, mostly because he's no longer pitching in the mountains. His curveball has more depth, too. To all of that, he's added a sweeper. The Cubs started talking to Rolison about incorporating that pitch back in the spring, but only stepwise as the season has progressed has he worked it into his attack within games. It's still his fourth-most used offering, but between that sweeper and the sinker that he's also mixed in more often of late, Rolison is moving east and west more than he has in the past. The variety of shapes he's now showing hitters is as wide as that of many starters, and because he's not seeing right-handed batters two or three times in a game, he can more than get by without a reliable changeup. It helps, of course, that it turns out that his new sweeper is the best swing-and-miss weapon in his arsenal. Tweak by tweak and sweeper by sweeper, Rolison has worked his way to striking out over a quarter of the batters he faces. He still walks too many opponents, but he can get off their barrels well with the two fastball looks, and his three breakers ensure that he gets the whiffs he needs. He's still not a playoff-caliber relief ace, but he's cemented himself as this year's Drew Pomeranz or Tyson Miller: a fine middle reliever who can be a bit more in a pinch, for a team very much in that kind of pinch. View the full article

Welcome back to Blue Jays Clutch Plays, a recurring post that highlights the six most pivotal plays (three pitching, three hitting) from the past week of Blue Jays baseball, according to MLB's win probability model. Click here to read last week's edition. Last Monday, the Jays completed the march back to .500, their first day with a breakeven record since May 29. This was immediately followed by what could be a season-defining 6-game losing streak. The final 2 games of their series against the Astros were lost in the late innings, and 3 of the 4 losses in the demoralizing sweep at the hands of the Rangers were decided by 1 run. The offense continues to be a non-factor early in games, starting pitchers aren't delivering much length, and their season suddenly appears bleak. Thanks to all of that, this edition of Clutch Plays will examine the pivotal plays of the past week in reverse order. Here are the moments that stung the most. Pitching 3. Kevin Gausman: Wyatt Langford 3-run HR, Top 3, 6/25 (-20.6% WPA) Gausman has been a symbol of consistency and stability throughout his entire Blue Jays tenure, but in his past two starts, he hasn't looked anything like himself. He gave up a solo shot to Joc Pederson, the first batter he faced, in Thursday's opener against Texas, before leaving a slider a little too high to Wyatt Langford with a couple of men on. Langford was placed on the IL a couple days later, but with this homer, he made sure to leave his mark on this series. 2. Louis Varland: Wild Pitch, Top 9, 6/28 (-32.9% WPA) Just minutes after the Jays finally tied the game on Nathan Lukes's homer, Varland bounced a first-pitch changeup to Corey Seager. Alejandro Kirk couldn't spear it on the backhand, and even worse, couldn't find the ball as it rolled deep into foul territory to the first-base side of home. This allowed Jarred Kelenic, pinch-running for Josh Jung after his 2-out double kept the inning alive, to score all the way from second as the eventual winning run, capping off a sequence that perfectly encapsulated how things have been going in Toronto lately. 1. Braydon Fisher: Joey Loperfido 3-run HR, Top 11, 6/23 (-57.5% WPA) It's hard not to feel sympathetic for Fisher, who posted a huge 0 in the 10th inning to put the Jays in a good position to win it in the bottom half. However, the top of the order could not deliver, and Fisher had to go back out for the 11th. He struck out 2 after intentionally walking Yordan Alvarez and got to 2 strikes against Joey Loperfido, but ultimately fell one pitch short as the former Blue Jay cranked what is likely to be the highest WPA hit of the season against his old team. Hitting 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Flyout vs Logan VanWey, Bot 10, 6/23 (-13.1% WPA} Guerrero, whose OPS on the season now sits below .700 after the least productive months of his career, had many chances to deliver in a big moment for his team over the course of the past two series. This one will hurt the most. It wasn't a terrible swing on a well-located slider from Logan VanWey, but the ball harmlessly settled into Brice Matthews's glove at the edge of the track in right-center, setting into motion the events that would lead to the Jays losing in the 11th. 2. George Springer: Groundout vs Logan VanWey, Bot 10, 6/23 (-20.2% WPA) Before Guerrero's first-pitch flyout, George Springer had a chance to walk it off without even recording a hit. Things began on a promising note as he got ahead 1-0, but his ensuing swing on a VanWey slider well off the outside corner of the plate was an apt representation of how the Jays' plate discipline struggles have held them back this year. He was lucky to even make contact and in hindsight, it might've been better if he didn't. Instead, it was a slow roller to short with the infield in and an easy second out. 1. George Springer: Flyout DP vs Bryan King, Bot 8, 6/24 (-20.7% WPA) Luis Urias made a good first impression in his team debut, knocking a 2-run homer as part of a 2-hit game. The next night, though, he had a mental lapse at second base that couldn't have come in a bigger spot. With the Jays trailing 2-1 after Jeff Hoffman and Kazuma Okamoto got crossed up on a confusing pickoff play at first, Urias represented the tying run as Springer once again found himself ahead in the count. He got a middle-away fastball from Bryan King, the kind of pitch he's driven the other way to right field so many times when he's on, and drilled it into the right field corner. Cam Smith made a beautiful leaping catch at the wall, but Urias thought it dropped, and was a deer in the headlights by the time the throw came back to second. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins have lost one of their left-handed relievers for a bit. The Twins on Monday placed lefty Anthony Banda on the 15-day injured list due to a strained left lat and called up right-handed reliever Cody Laweryson from Triple-A. In 39 games and 34⅓ innings this year, Banda has a 4.32 FIP (4.46 ERA) with a 9.6 walk rate and 21.2 strikeout rate. He has already hit a career-high eight batters. He appeared in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies, allowing a hit, hitting a batter, walking another and striking out a pair in two-thirds of an inning. Laweryson is with the Twins for a second time this year after making the Opening Day roster. He also spent time on the 15-day injured list due to a strained right forearm. When healthy, Laweryson appeared in 14 games and had a 4.97 FIP (5.06 ERA), posting a 9.7% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate. He has given up three homers in 16 innings. View the full article