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The Nationals bolstered their rotation in a big way yesterday when they signed Zack Littell. Once Littell is built up, he should slot in as the Nats number two starter behind Cade Cavalli. This is an exciting addition, and one of the best free agents the Nats have signed in the past few years, but it does leave questions about how the rotation will look.

A rotation that looked like it would be a major question mark is now pretty crowded after adding Littell and Miles Mikolas. While the unit does not have a very high ceiling outside of Cade Cavalli, I actually think the floor is relatively high. I thought the pitching would be a disaster this year, but as I am watching this spring and seeing the late moves, I’m warming up to the staff.

Littell is actually an interesting story. From 2018 until the middle of 2023, he was an average middle reliever who was inconsistent. However, after the Rays rubbed some of their pixie dust on him, Littell became a solid middle of the rotation starter who went deep into games. He did that by becoming a command specialist who relies on his secondary pitches.

It may take him some time to ramp up, but when he is ready, Zack Littell is a lock to be in the Nats rotation. Cade Cavalli and Foster Griffin have also locked down rotation spots, and I would be surprised if Miles Mikolas does not have a spot as well, at least to start the season. That leaves one spot for Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray, Mitchell Parker, Andrew Alvarez and Brad Lord.

Mitchell Parker has been the least impressive this spring, so I would not be surprised if he starts the year in AAA. Given his versatility, Brad Lord seems likely to be moved to the bullpen. It would be an easy move to make, and Lord is better in the bullpen.

That leaves Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray and Andrew Alvarez fighting for one spot in the rotation. I think Irvin is the slight favorite right now due to his ability to eat innings. Gray will be in the rotation at some point, but I think he could benefit from a few starts in AAA as he ramps up after missing the past two seasons due to injury. His breaking stuff looks sharp, but the velocity is not all the way back yet for the 28 year old.

If Irvin struggles to start the season, he would be an easy candidate to move out of the rotation for Gray once he is ready. I still think Gray has a slightly higher ceiling than Irvin because his breaking balls are sharper. However, Irvin has been a workhorse for the Nats the past couple seasons despite declining results.

The wild card in all of this is Andrew Alvarez. He dominated in his start yesterday, showing his deep pitch mix and strong command. The crafty lefty dominated a solid Astros lineup, leaning heavily on his curveball. I am not quite sure what the plans are for Alvarez, but he has been impressive this spring.

Alvarez can nibble at times, which leads to high pitch counts. He also does not go deep into games. This could make him a natural candidate to be a swing man, but the Nats already have Brad Lord. Given his performances in September and now this spring, it would be tough to demote Alvarez, but that may be what ends up happening.

With all this pitching depth, the 4 and 5 starters in this rotation will be under pressure to perform. If Jake Irvin and Miles Mikolas do not hit the ground running, there will be plenty of arms nipping at their heels. 

Trevor Williams and DJ Herz will also join the fold at some point this season, once they are healthy. Riley Cornelio and Luis Perales are also power arms in the AAA rotation waiting for their opportunity. There may not be a ton of high end talent, but the Nats rotation has plenty of options. That is not something you could say very often the past few years.

As I wrote yesterday, this pitching staff could be surprisingly decent. There are no proven stars, but there are a lot of intriguing pieces and a new focus on development. A few of these guys are bound to break out, it is just tough to figure out which ones.

With Zack Littell in the fold, there could be a surprising level of competence in this Nats rotation. There is also a healthy level of competition that will force these guys to be on their A game. I am excited to see what this pitching staff has got, and after last season, it would be tough for them to be worse.

Sunday, as you know, the Cubs made their first Spring Training roster cuts. There are now 53 players remaining in camp, and that number’s likely to remain fairly large until the World Baseball Classic ends. There are still eight members of the Cubs’ 40-man roster off at the WBC, as well as several minor leaguers.

With the Cubs not playing Monday, one of two scheduled off days this spring, I thought it would be another good time to take a look at who will line up on the third-base line March 26 at Wrigley Field before the Cubs open the 2026 season against the Washington Nationals.

Catchers (2)

Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly

There aren’t really any questions here.

Designated hitter (1)

Moisés Ballesteros

I’m listing Ballesteros as a DH because, well, that’s what he’s going to be most of the time. I would expect him to DH against all right-handed pitchers, some left-handers, and maybe catch once in a great while. He’s getting valuable time catching while Amaya is playing for Panama in the WBC, and as has been noted a couple of times, he’s pretty good at ABS challenges.

He can also hit. In a small sample size he’s batting .357/.400/.429 this spring, 5-for-14, with a double, a walk and six RBI.

Infielders (5)

Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Matt Shaw

I’m listing Shaw as an infielder here even though he’s played mostly outfield this spring. The Cubs are trying to turn him into a super-sub, and it might just work.

Otherwise this infield could be one of the best defensive infields the Cubs have ever had.

Outfielders (5)

Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Dylan Carlson, Michael Conforto

Last week I asked you who you thought would make the team out of the three non-roster outfielders, Carlson, Conforto and Chas McCormick. A plurality said Carlson and Conforto and this is how I see it as well. Carlson is batting .400/.571/.500 (8-for-20) this spring with two doubles and six walks. The Cubs do need someone who can play center field occasionally to give PCA a rest and Carlson appears to be a guy who could do that. If he can recover even some of his rookie-year promise, this could be a great signing.

Same for Conforto, who was once a very good MLB hitter. There are plenty of guys who can go on the 60-day injured list to make room for those two NRIs.

Starting pitchers (5)

Cade Horton, Shōta Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon

With the addition of Cabrera, this is a very good rotation, especially if the Cubs can get the 2024 version of Imanaga back.

Craig Counsell hasn’t announced an Opening Day starter yet, but I suspect it will be Horton. I’ve listed these five in the order I think Counsell will put them, though of course that could change.

Relief pitchers (8)

Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, Hunter Harvey, Gavin Hollowell

It was reported Sunday by Meghan Montemurro in the Tribune that Porter Hodge and Jordan Wicks would start the year on the injured list. Hodge, in particular, had a rough spring and hasn’t pitched since Feb. 27:

Hodge will start the season on the injured list because of a flexor tendon strain. He is shut down from throwing for a couple of weeks, is scheduled to be reevaluated in two weeks and then start plyos at the end of March.

Hodge has talent and I think could still become a good MLB reliever.

This opens a spot, and opportunity, for Hollowell, who’s looked really good this spring: Four innings, two hits, no walks, one run, has struck out eight of the 14 batters he’s faced. Yes, small sample size and some are minor-league hitters. Still, Jed Hoyer has had good luck getting good relievers off the scrap heap and Hollowell could be another one of those.

Ben Brown likely heads to Triple-A Iowa. Whether that’s to start or relieve is an open question. Javier Assad also likely starts at Iowa, stretched out to start. The Cubs have several other relievers on the 40-man roster with options: Ethan Roberts, Jack Neely, Luke Little, Ryan Rolison and Riley Martin. All of them are likely to see time in Chicago this year.

Rea is the swingman in the bullpen, as he was last year. He can go multiple innings in relief, or start when needed. He and Thielbar are the only ones of those eight who were in last year’s Opening Day bullpen, and of the eight, four were not even in the Cubs organization last year.

That’s how I see it with 17 days until the season opener. What do you think?

Team news

[Arizona Sports] Brandon Pfaadt: Staying aggressive on defense is ‘the ultimate game plan’ for 2026 season – “One of the interesting things (Torey Lovullo) told us was when we’re on defense, we’re on offense,” Pfaadt said on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “I think that kind of stood out to me, and spring training is a perfect time to work on those things. More the pitcher than anybody else, especially in that situation, is knowing that you’re on the offensive side of the ball and knowing that you’re going to be aggressive towards the hitter and give him everything you got. I think it’s the ultimate game plan.”

[Dbacks.com] Kelly gets back into groove with 1st live BP bullpen session – “All good,” Kelly said after the outing. “100 percent. So, full steam ahead. Another rung on the ladder, another box checked, so we keep moving forward.” Both general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo watched the session. “It looked like everything was coming out OK,” Lovullo said. “He was able to get on the mound. No setbacks or limitations between pitches, so I feel like things went well. I asked the people in back of me what his velo was and it was 90 mph, up to 93 mph, so that’s pretty normal. The stuff looked sharp. Everything seems to be OK. Post-outing, he seemed to be feeling just fine. So that’s really, really good news.

[AZ Central] Merrill Kelly, Corbin Carroll health updates; top prospect sent down – Carroll took at-bats for the second time in the past three days against live pitching, facing Kelly in the morning at Salt River Fields. He could be nearing a return to a more structured game setting, though Lovullo said he did not believe that would happen on Monday, March 9. Lovullo said he would expect that Carroll’s first game action would come in a backfields game rather than in the Cactus League. “That’d be my thought,” Lovullo said. “More live at-bats. Running, sliding, throwing, all that type of stuff needs to take place, as well. Probably a backfield game would be a pretty safe bet. … When that happens, I’m not sure.”

[SI] Diamondbacks Make Massive 15-player Roster Move – Waldschmidt may be the most disappointing name for D-backs fans to see on this list, as the No. 1 prospect and exciting outfielder had garnered plenty of attention thus far in the Cactus League, with a possibility — however improbable — of cracking the major league roster. While Waldschmidt did collect four extra-base hits this spring (including a homer), was hitting the ball extremely hard, and was playing solid defense, he also displayed more swing-and-miss than usual. Waldschmidt’s 34.6% strikeout percentage was an uncharacteristic number for a player who walked nearly as many times as he struck out in the minor leagues.

And, elsewhere…

Pool play in the World Baseball Classic continued on Sunday. Mexico blitzed Brazil 16-0, to set up a clash of undefeated countries with America tonight (5pm Arizona time, on Fox). Alek Thomas went 3-for-3 with a home-run (above), driving in three. In other games, Japan were pushed hard by Australia in a 4-3 win, and the Dominican Republic run-ruled the Netherlands 12-1. Great Britain lost another first-inning lead, in a 7-4 defeat to Italy, and will now face Brazil (10 am on Tubi) to determine which country has to qualify for the next iteration of the WBC, in 2029. At end of play Sunday, seven spots in the next round were still up for grabs, with all but five teams still alive.

[Houston Chronicle] MLB players eye the Olympics in 2028 as they revel in World Baseball Classic – Baseball will be back in the Olympics in Los Angeles in just over two years. The question still remains, however, will MLB players participate? Bruce Meyer, the head of the baseball players’ union, confirmed to The Athletic on Saturday that discussions have begun, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said at last month’s owners meetings that “we’re a lot closer” and was confident of an agreement. “As players and owners we have to come to an agreement that works for everybody,” Bryce Harper said. “Understanding that you can get hurt playing during the regular season, you can get hurt playing during the Olympics.”

[WKRC] Creating new mascots for all MLB teams based on city history – The phoenix is the most powerful and literal symbol of the city itself—rising from the desert and reborn from fire. The name ties directly to Phoenix’s identity, intense heat, and dramatic desert sunsets, while “Sunwings” reinforces Arizona’s year-round sunshine and blazing summer climate. Visually, a phoenix provides dynamic motion, bold flame shapes, and high-impact orange and gold tones that stand out on merchandise and branding. The concept captures resilience, energy, and rebirth—qualities that align with both the city’s growth story and the competitive spirit you want in an MLB franchise.

A surprise pitcher of the spring so far hasn’t been any of the known starters, or even a member of the Padres dominant bullpen. Left-handed starter Jackson Wolf, who pitched for El Paso and San Antonio in 2025 with a combined ERA of 5.04, has appeared in five games and seven innings pitched with a 2.57 ERA and four strikeouts. The 26-year-old had a cameo appearance with the Padres in 2023 with five innings pitched in his start. He was traded that season to Pittsburgh and was DFA’d in March of the 2024 season. The Padres traded for Wolf in April of 2024, and he has been in the minor league system, between Double-A and Triple-A.

As one of the NRI this spring, Wolf has not started but has been a reliever for all his appearances and has shown that a funky delivery with a fastball that tops out in the low 90s, with a non-traditional changeup and a slider, can be effective and could be a surprise arm during the season.

Logan Gillaspie

Coming into camp, manager Craig Stammen detailed the role of NRI Logan Gillaspie. He would be stretched out and used as the ‘jack-of-all-trades pitcher for the Friars. The birth of his child interrupted his spring the second week of camp, but he is back to developing in his role. Starter Nick Pivetta has some arm fatigue and is working in the bullpen so his start will be skipped and Gillaspie made the start in his place. In his two games and 3.2 innings before his start, Gillaspie had no runs and one hit allowed.

In his Sunday start, Gillaspie pitched four innings with two hits and no runs, keeping his ERA at 0.00 over 7.2 IP with eight strikeouts. His fastball velocity sat mid-90s with a sinker, slider, sweeper, changeup, curveball and cutter mixed in.

A spot for Gillaspie could be in the mix for a starter if things don’t work out with the options currently competing or if Bryan Hoeing has a significant injury. The reported elbow soreness that he has experienced has motivated him to go outside the organization for more opinions. That is never a good sign and surgery could be an option. If Hoeing is on the IL to start the season, someone else will get a shot at the spot-starter/long-man role. Most likely that would be Gillaspie, Kyle Hart or Ron Marinaccio.

Matt Waldron

Knuckleball pitcher Matt Waldron had a great start to his camp with a back field appearance that showed increased velocity per reports. He appeared in one Cactus League game with a two-inning start on Feb. 21 against the Kansas City Royals. Waldron allowed one hit, one walk and had two strikeouts. Then, after his live BP, manager Craig Stammen reported an “infection in his back side” which was later explained to be surgical treatment for infected hemorrhoids.

Waldron threw a bullpen last week and will be built back up slowly, most likely starting the season on the IL for a second consecutive season. He is out of options so will have to be put on the roster when ready to return or pass through waivers.

Song-Mun Song

Pulled from the 27-6 wind-aided blowout on March 5, Song felt soreness in his previously injured right oblique that slowed his start to learning new positions as well as his adjustment to MLB pitching. Listed day-to-day by the Padres, Song will be slow-played in his return to practice and game action. That might open the door for a player like Ty France or Jose Miranda to make the team, at least until Song is completely able to return.

In past seasons, Mason McCoy would have the best chance to be the infielder off the bench for the Padres but it seems they are entertaining a different option this year. Searching for improved offensive production from the bench seems to be the theme for 2026 and McCoy might not be able to fill that role.

Giving Song a roster spot as well as signing Miranda and France shows that the bat might be just as, or more important for this team.

Yuki Matsui

Another victim of injury, Matsui had to withdraw from the WBC after straining his adductor. Groin strains are notoriously unpredictable and he might start the season on the IL, which could open an opportunity for another reliever to break in with the Friars dominant arms in the ‘pen.

Bradgley Rodriquez, Ron Marinaccio, Alek Jacob and Kyle Hart could be the pitchers on the borderline for the bullpen. Marinaccio has no minor options for 2026.

Jake Cronenworth

AJ Cassavell highlighted this past week the changes that Cronenworth has made during the offseason and during this spring. The opposite field home run he hit in the blowout on March 4 was his first one in his career. Although he drives the ball all over the field, his power has always been on the pull-side.

New hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. sees a road to changing that and we have seen Cronenworth hit with authority this spring. In his 21 at-bats he is hitting .381 with a home run, a double, a triple, two walks and three RBI for a 1.102 OPS.

Griffin Canning

It has become obvious that Canning is being slow-played and will not be available until after the start of the season. He has been seen doing drills in the outfield with coaches and is throwing bullpens on a regular schedule. He will not be doing active fielding drills until cleared by the medical staff. The current thinking will be a return in late April or May, depending on how his achilles responds when he starts working on movement and agility.

Jason Adam

Adam, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated he wants to be available for Opening Day. His manager has been much more coy, refusing to commit to any goal other than to make sure Adam is healthy and strong when he pitches.

To the goal of playing from day one, Adam took part in pitcher-fielding drills this weekend. He had already done all his backfield agility and running work before his PFP was okayed by the staff. This seems to point, with two-and-half-weeks until the season opens, to Adam being a part of the bullpen on March 26.

Owner update

After the report from local sports media that corrected the error made regarding the duo of Joe Kudla and Drew Brees submitting a bid for the Padres, there has been no further information coming out about the ownership change. The bids from the five bidders were in more than a week ago and there could be a second round after some eliminations are made. It still remains possible for the team to be sold by April or May. There was a hypothesis that the rumor regarding Kudla and Brees was due to them expressing an interest in joining one of the other bids for the team.

The Seidler family has shown to be adverse to information being leaked out and we might not know anything else until the deal is done. All Friar Faithful continue to hope that Chairman John Seidler spoke the truth and the Padres will be sold to the party best suited to keep the team competitive and invested in San Diego.

Alex Verdugo

Former Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo was signed by the Padres to a minor league deal after spring camp began. He did not receive an invite to big league camp and is working on the backfields with Padres coaching staff. In 2025, Verdugo played 56 games for the Braves with 197 at-bats and a .239 average and .585 OPS. He will not be 30 until May and still has a lot of baseball left after being DFA’d by Atlanta in July last year. He has not played in any MLB or MiLB lineup since July of last season.

Minor League camp

Minor league camp officially started on March 3 after multiple mini-camps were held over January and February. After camp opened, many of the NRI’s with the Padres were optioned to minor league camp, as well as several Padres prospects.

Padres prospects LHP Jagger Haynes, RHP Ryan Och, RHP Manuel Castro, 1B Romeo Sanabria and RHP Miguel Mendez were also optioned to minor camp. There remain 67 players in Padres camp. Many of the players now seen in later innings of Padres games are minor league players invited to join the team as later inning subs.

By the technical definition of a “rookie”, as outlined by Major League Baseball’s eligibility requirements, Nolan McLean enters 2026 as a rookie, in so far as he’s thrown fewer than 50 major league innings in his career (48 innings, to be exact). By way of his performance, composure, and talent level, McLean is anything but a rookie.

McLean’s rise from top prospect to top of the 2025 rotation was something to behold. The right-hander entered last season ranked No. 5 on the Amazin’ Avenue top prospects list (No. 6 on MLB Pipeline’s list), but he was ranked behind both Brandon Sproat (the consensus top pick on both lists) and Jonah Tong (No. 4 on Amazin’ Avenue, No. 5 on MLB Pipeline). A combination of injuries and poor performance ravaged the Mets’ rotation and became the clear weak spot on a collapsing club, making starting pitching an obvious area in need of a fix. While the team was clearly desperate for an injection of new talent and some hope, no one could have predicted that McLean would be the first man up at the start of the season.

McLean dominated from the jump, tearing through Double-A Binghamton with a 1.37 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings pitched. He was promoted to Triple-A in early May and didn’t skip a beat. In 87 1/3 innings for Syracuse, including 13 starts and three relief outings, he posted a 2.78 ERA with 97 strikeouts. As the season progressed, the calls grew louder for the Mets to bring him up to the majors, including from this site. McLean finally got promoted to make his big league debut in August, taking Frankie Montas’ spot in the rotation—Montas, remember him?

From there, the 24-year-old gave the Mets arguably their most electric start to a career from a starting pitcher this side of Jacob deGrom. For a rotation in need of stabilization, McLean became a force and captivated fans and analysts across the sport. He put forth a terrific debut performance against the Mariners, limiting Seattle to two hits while striking out eight over 5 1/3 frames. He picked up a win in his first four starts, something not even Tom Seaver or Dwight Gooden did with the franchise, and put up numbers few, if any, had put up, and he enjoyed a scintillating 1.37 ERA with 28 strikeouts across his first four starts.. He struck out seven over seven innings of two-run ball against Atlanta, and then followed that up with his most eye-popping start of his young career, hurling eight shutout frames at Citi Field against the Phillies in the middle of the team’s four-game sweep of their bitter rivals—perhaps the last time people would be forgiven for thinking the Mets could make the postseason.

Through six starts, he posted a 1.19 ERA and ended his eight-start run with an 11-strikeout performance in a win against the Cubs. He concluded his not-quite-rookie campaign a 2.06 ERA and a 2.97 FIP, with 57 strikeouts and 16 walks in 48 innings. His ERA was the fourth-best among starting pitchers from his August debut onward, behind Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (how’s that for some good company?) His 30.3% K% was the ninth-best among starters during that stretch, his FIP was 11th best, and his 0.75 HR/9 was 12th best.

Across the board, he went toe-to-toe with the best in the sport and quickly took the mantle as the de facto ace. His numbers across his first eight starts compare quite favorably to Skenes, who put up a 2.14 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 46 1/3 innings. If you want to compare him to Matt Harvey’s terrific 10 starts in 2012, Harvey had McLean beat on strikeouts (70 to 57), but McLean bested him in ERA (2.06 to 2.73), ERA+ (196 to 140), K% (30.3 to 28.6), BB% (8.5 to 10.6) and bWAR (1.8 to 1.6). In his season review for McLean, Michael Drago called attention to his sweeper and his curveball, the latter of which generated a 50% whiff rate, along with his sinker as the right-hander’s most lethal weapons, and his overall pitch mix led to him making major league batters look quite foolish.

While McLean, Sproat (who was eventually traded for now-ace Freddy Peralta) and Jonah Tong all enjoyed some action in the majors, McLean was the one who was definitively viewed as a lock for the Mets’ 2026 rotation. His poise on the mound and his fearlessness should help him slot comfortably behind Peralta in the rotation. To add another feather in his cap at a young age, he was selected to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, and he is slated to make the start against Team Italy in the final game of pool play on Tuesday. Because he remains a rookie, he enters the year as the consensus top prospect on the Amazin’ Avenue and MLB Pipeline list, and he is listed as the sixth-best prospect in all of baseball.

Probably because of his youth and his anticipated growing pains (which he never quite experienced last year), as well as teams having a more detailed scouting report on him following his breakout, the projection models are a bit reserved on his season outlook. ZiPS has the righty posting a 3.94 ERA and a 3.95 FIP in 144 innings pitched, with a 22.9% K% and a 9.2 K% in his 26 starts. His projected 1.9 fWAR ranks fourth among Mets’ starters, behind Peralta, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes. PECOTA similarly sees McLean throwing just 150 innings and posting a 100 DRA- with less than a 2 WARP. Baseball Reference, meanwhile, has McLean posting a 3.34 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 84 innings.

Projections aside, the Mets have high hopes for McLean in 2026 and beyond, and there’s every chance he could become the natural successor for the homegrown ace that was vacated with deGrom bolted for Texas back in 2022. Because he retained his rookie status, and because he’s already shown glimpses of greatness in the majors, there’s every possibility McLean could win NL Rookie of the Year and get Cy Young votes. At the very least, he could get votes for both awards, which would be a rare and exciting feat to behold.

There’s every reason to believe last year’s performance was far from an aberration. While it’s not entirely fair to expect that level of performance across a full 162-game schedule, McLean should figure to give the team a strong performance as he acclimates to the majors, and he should help stabilize a rotation that really struggled for large portions of the previous season. For a team with postseason, and even World Series aspirations, McLean remains one of the most exciting players to watch.

Bullpens are funny things. 

They can be invisible when everything is working and painfully obvious when they’re not. Over the course of a long season, though, they quietly shape the outcome of dozens of games. 

And for a rebuilding team like the Colorado Rockies, they matter more than ever. 

The Rockies’ bullpen in 2025 was… not great. 

Colorado finished 29th in MLB in reliever ERA, and if you’re wondering who finished 30th, yes — somehow the Washington Nationals were worse. The group pitched a heavy workload and struggled in several key areas that tend to matter a lot at Coors Field. Rockies relievers ranked 28th in strikeouts per nine innings (7.86); walked the fifth-most batters in baseball; and allowed the most home runs of any bullpen in the league. 

That combination is difficult to survive anywhere. At Coors Field, it is especially unforgiving. Walks create traffic. Traffic plus home runs create crooked numbers. Without a strong strikeout rate, escaping those jams becomes even harder. 

But here’s the thing: The bullpen might actually be one of the more interesting areas of the roster right now. 

There’s real talent here. Several arms can touch the upper-90s. There are intriguing young pitchers trying to establish themselves. And perhaps most importantly, the organization appears to be rethinking what a successful bullpen at Coors Field should actually look like. 

Does high velocity play at altitude? Can a swing-and-miss monster survive at Coors? Or does the ideal Rockies reliever look more like Jimmy Herget — command, deception, and controlled contact? 

Those questions may start getting answers this season. 

A lot of turnover

The bullpen looks very different as we head into the 2026 season. 

Five of the top ten relievers by innings pitched in 2025 are no longer on the roster: 

• Jake Bird 

• Angel Chivilli 

• Tyler Kinley 

• Ryan Rolison 

• Anthony Molina 

Bird and Kinley were traded at the deadline, while Chivilli was moved over the winter in a trade for first baseman T.J. Rumfield. Molina and Rolison were both designated for assignment this offseason and subsequently landed with other teams. 

That’s 234 innings of work walking out the door. 

Turnover like that creates opportunity. A bullpen in transition is uncomfortable, but it also gives the organization a chance to reshape its identity. 

Currently on the roster

Jimmy Herget was the clear standout last season. His funky delivery creates deception, but more importantly, he throws strikes and limits self-inflicted traffic. That profile actually fits Coors Field surprisingly well. He might not light up the radar gun, but he consistently drives results. In 2025, Herget logged 83.1 innings with a sterling 2.48 ERA, striking out 81 batters while maintaining a solid, if unspectacular, 2.81 BB/9.

For a Rockies reliever working that many innings, a combination of durability, strike-throwing, and run prevention was quietly one of the most valuable performances in the bullpen last season. Given the turnover and uncertainty elsewhere in the relief corps, the Rockies will likely look to Herget to shoulder a similar workload again in 2026, serving as both a stabilizing presence and a reliable bridge in the middle and late innings.

Victor Vodnik, Juan Mejia, and Seth Halvorsen represent the power side of the bullpen. The velocity is there — upper-90s fastballs and the kind of raw stuff that can miss bats in high-leverage situations. 

Vodnik in particular showed flashes of becoming a late-inning option in 2025. He finished the season with 10 saves, a 3.02 ERA, and 50 innings pitched, though his fastball was occasionally hit hard and his walk rate remains something to watch. His changeup, however, has proven effective at generating ground balls and limiting damage. 

Halvorsen might possess the loudest raw stuff in the bullpen. His fastball velocity ranks near the top of the league, touching triple digits, but like Vodnik, the command has been inconsistent. Despite that, he still finished an uneven season with 11 saves, showing the kind of late-inning upside that power arms can provide. 

And that’s part of the current evaluation process: The Rockies still appear to be sorting out who ultimately handles the highest-leverage innings. Vodnik and Halvorsen both saw time closing games last year, and neither has definitively locked down the role yet. 

Mejia has primarily leaned on a two-pitch combination — a fastball and slider — which allows him to attack hitters aggressively without overcomplicating pitch sequences. That approach helped him carve out a role last season, but he’s working to expand his arsenal heading into 2026. Mejia has been developing a changeup, a pitch he admitted he didn’t have much confidence throwing last year but is now beginning to trust more as he continues refining it this spring. If that third pitch becomes a reliable option alongside his power fastball and slider, Mejia could take another step forward and emerge as one of the bullpen’s more dependable high-leverage arms.

Brennan Bernardino was brought in via trade to anchor the left-handed side of the bullpen. Bernardino isn’t a strikeout-heavy reliever, but he features a diverse pitch mix and excelled last year at generating weak contact on the ground. Behind him, the left-handed depth is thin, making that side of the roster one of the more interesting battles to watch this spring. 

R.J. Petit (No. 23 PuRP), a Rule 5 selection, will need to remain on the roster, works with a mid-90s fastball and a gyro-spin slider — a pitch type that tends to play well at Coors Field due to its movement profile. However, some recent forearm tightness calls his near-term future into question.

Keegan Thompson was claimed off waivers to provide depth and potential bulk innings, and Antonio Senzatela could also see time in multiple roles as he continues expanding his pitch mix. 

Zach Agnos, Jaden Hill, and Luis Peralta are all vying for innings. The stuff flashes with all three, but consistency remains the question. 

Non-Roster Invitees 

The Rockies also have several non-roster arms competing for bullpen opportunities worth monitoring. 

John Brebbia brings the most big-league experience of the group. He has had an up-and-down major league career, but he has looked sharp this spring and could provide veteran stability if the Rockies want an experienced option in the middle innings. 

Parker Mushinski is an intriguing left-handed candidate. He features a deeper pitch arsenal than many relievers and tends to generate weaker contact rather than relying purely on strikeouts. His spring has been uneven — including a rough outing against Texas — but he has also flashed swing-and-miss ability.

Evan Justice, a left-hander drafted by Colorado in the fifth round in 2021, offers a fastball-slider combination and familiarity with the organization. His 2025 performance was largely uninspiring, but as a left-handed arm he could still factor into the depth picture. 

The prospect angle

Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) is one of the more fascinating arms in the system. The left-hander dominated in the Arizona Fall League and has real bat-missing ability. In 46.1 innings at Double-A, he posted a 13.6 K/9 with a 3.50 ERA. 

The strikeout ability is real. The walks and fly-ball tendencies will be something to monitor in a Coors Field context, but if a left-handed prospect forces his way into the picture quickly, Herrera has the type of stuff that could do it. 

Carson Palmquist (No. 19 PuRP) is another intriguing variable. He has developed primarily as a starter, but his path to impact in Denver could ultimately run through relief. In shorter outings, a modest velocity bump and a simplified arsenal could change the profile of his fastball and breaking pitches. A left-handed arm capable of throwing strikes and navigating multiple innings could be extremely valuable in this environment. 

Both were optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, but could still potentially make it to Coors Field in the not-too-distant future.

Velocity, command, the the “Coors Equation”

The Rockies bullpen does not lack velocity. 

Several arms — including Vodnik and Halvorsen — can reach the upper-90s, and that kind of power arsenal should theoretically translate into strikeouts and late-inning dominance. But velocity alone does not solve the Coors Field equation. 

Poorly located velocity combined with walks is a dangerous formula anywhere, and at altitude it becomes even more volatile. Walks create traffic, and traffic paired with a misplaced fastball often turns into multi-run innings. 

That dynamic defined much of the Rockies’ bullpen struggles in 2025. 

Rather than chasing velocity alone, the organization appears to be placing greater emphasis on command and inducing weaker contact. That approach matters even more at Coors Field, where the expansive outfield and elevated batting averages on balls in play can quickly turn hard contact into extra bases. 

A successful Rockies bullpen may ultimately look less like a group of pure strikeout specialists and more like a balanced mix of power arms, command-focused pitchers, and relievers capable of generating ground balls. 

Another useful way to evaluate bullpen stability is inherited runners scored. In 2025, Rockies relievers allowed roughly 37 percent of inherited runners to score, placing them near the bottom third of MLB. League average typically sits closer to 30-31 percent. 

That gap may sound small, but over a full season it represents dozens of additional runs allowed — many of them in high-leverage moments. 

One way to see how much bullpen stability matters is through win probability. When a team enters the seventh inning with a lead, the game is largely in the hands of the bullpen. Across MLB, teams win roughly 85-90 percent of games when leading after seven innings. When that lead disappears, it is often because the bullpen allows traffic through walks, poorly timed hits, or inherited runners scoring. 

For the Rockies, improvement doesn’t require perfection. It simply requires finishing games more consistently. 

Even modest improvements in walk rate and strand rate could turn a handful of late losses into wins over the course of a season. 

The big picture

This bullpen is not without talent. 

Rather, it’s a group still defining itself. 

Herget provides a command-forward template. Vodnik, Halvorsen, and Mejia bring velocity and strikeout potential. Hill, Agnos, and Peralta represent the next wave of development. 

The late-inning roles — including who ultimately claims the closer’s job — are still being evaluated, and that competition may be one of the more interesting storylines of the season. 

If the walk rate drops and a couple of the power arms harness their command, the bullpen could stabilize faster than expected. 

And in a rebuild, stabilization matters. 

But it also raises an interesting question for Rockies fans:  What should a successful Rockies bullpen actually look like at Coors Field? 

Should Colorado lean into velocity and strikeouts? Should it prioritize command and weak contact? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle? 

The next season or two may provide that answer — and the comment section will probably have a few ideas in the meantime. 

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

As noted in the position player roster battle article earlier today, the first couple weeks of camp does less to change teams’ opinions of their options than outside observers tend to expect. With the rotation set, and at least five spots, and probably more like seven, in the eight-man bullpen already spoken for, it’s only now that a real competition for the final spots emerges. For a few weeks, the Tigers final bullpen options have largely been entering games against minor league lineups late in games. The results against non-MLB caliber competition don’t really matter at all.

Teams are looking for improved stuff, and most importantly, guys who have their command dialed in over the last two weeks of camp. In some cases, minor league relievers they like, but who are deemed not yet ready for MLB level work, have already been optioned to Toledo and shifted mainly over to minor league camp.

Troy Melton, who looks like a potential late inning relief option, is currently rehabbing his elbow and hoping he’s avoided a major injury. Beau Brieske is also currently out dealing with what we hope is a minor injury. Keider Montero, Dylan Smith, Ty Madden, Tyler Mattison, Tyler Owens, and a few others have already been moved over to minor league camp, though that doesn’t mean one of them won’t eventually seize one of the final bullpen spots. It’s just not likely to happen prior to Opening Day.

In the long run, the names mentioned above are the best options for the Tigers getting another really good reliever into the mix. For now, they want Montero and Madden stretched out as starting depth, and the rest need to dial in their fastball command to seize a job in the pen.

Right now, these five pitchers are locked into an Opening Day role in the pen.

Will Vest

Kenley Jansen

Kyle Finnegan

Tyler Holton

Drew Anderson

Jansen, Vest, Finnegan, and Holton are the high leverage, late innings core to produce holds and saves. While Holton had a down year in 2025, and can certainly stretch into more of a swingman/middle relief type of role, he’s had his velocity up in camp and has looked outstanding so far. Most likely he’ll resume his role as the main high leverage option against left-handed pitchers, although the Tigers, as we’re about to discuss, are suddenly in really good shape in terms of southpaws in the pen.

Anderson has looked great as well, and can’t be optioned anyway. Signed as some starting insurance prior to the loss of Reese Olson and the additions of Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, Anderson pitched very well in the KBO last year and was one of the more sought after names coming back over. As he apparently enjoyed his time in the Tigers organization in 2024, they had the inside track to bring him back, and now Anderson returns with a kick change he refined overseas and looking like a pretty good fifth starter candidate who will now give the Tigers plenty of flexibility in the bullpen as he’s shored up his ability to handle left-handed pitching.

That essentially leaves three spots, with at least one of them going to a left-hander. My guess is that left-handers have already claimed two of the final spots, but we’ll have to see if the Tigers agree.

Right now, minor league free agent signing Enmanuel De Jesus appears to have the inside track for the second lefty gig over Brant Hurter. De Jesus is coming back after two good years as a starter in the KBO, and the improvements in his game developed in South Korea have translated really nicely in camp. He also showed out in the WBC where he retired 14 straight and struck out eight in five innings of work for Team Venezuela on Saturday night.

However, Brant Hurter has given the Tigers two straight years of excellent middle relief work and handled bulk innings at times as needed. The lefty showed some weakness with inherited runners last year, but even so he holds a 2.49/3.37 FIP combination over 108 1/3 innings of work over that two-year span.

Right now, with no one else making an overwhelming case, the Tigers are probably planning on taking them both north. De Jesus has a contract worth $1.3 million should he make the major league roster, but that comes with an opt-out if not added to the major league roster by a certain date. We don’t exactly know when that cutoff is set, but considering how great he’s looked, and frankly he’s looked almost like a prime Jose Quintana so far this spring, the Tigers won’t be letting him slip away.

De Jesus can handle either-handed hitters, and so can Hurter, giving the Tigers a lot of multi-innings flexibility between the two. Add Drew Anderson into this category and the Tigers are really in good shape at the moment. Particularly early in the season when they’re trying to ease the starters into the season and not push them too deep in games, this combination looks capable of being a real weapon for the club while helping to keep the rotation fresh until they’ve fully stretched out and the weather gets warm.

That leaves one spot remaining as the flex spot in the pen where the Tigers can try out various options in the early part of the season. Troy Melton will likely take this spot at some point if he’s avoided any catastrophic injury trouble, but for now the final spot in the pen looks pretty wide open.

All we can really say is that with Holton, Hurter, and De Jesus looking like three of their best options, this last spot goes to a right-hander. Here are a few of the most likely options among the right-handed relievers still in camp and not already in position to make the team on Opening Day.

Tanner Rainey

This veteran right-hander has always had the stuff, but his limited major league career attests to ongoing struggles with control. Now a veteran of parts of eight major league seasons, there’s no question he has the stuff to get outs at the major league level. There’s also no question that his command is still a huge problem. He’s been very effective so far in camp, but as has been the case for the last several seasons, he continues to walk near as many hitters as he strikes out. Unless something radical and very convincing happens over the next two weeks, Rainey isn’t going to be a serious option for very long. The Tigers may give it a try anyway, just long enough to see if they can get his fastball command sorted out somewhat, before they move on to someone else.

Marco Jimenez

This one is interesting. The 26-year-old right-hander has been a hard-throwing reliever in the Tigers’ system for years but poor command and a mediocre breaking ball kept him in non-prospect territory. He took a nice step last year by finally commanding his fastball better as he anchored the West Michigan Whitecaps’ run to the best season in Midwest League history. Even better his wildly inconsistent breaking ball has morphed into an 88 mph cutter that looks like it might play better for him than the versions of a wipeout breaker he’s previously tried to work with.

Jimenez stands 5’11” and has the look of a right-hander who can throw a really good riding fourseamer. He’s consistently in the high 90’s and will touch 100 mph here and there. However, the shape has never fit the velocity and arm slot despite his good spin rate, and so far there are no signs of that changing. In fact, Statcast view it as a sinker in his outing on Sunday. As a result it’s still going to play down somewhat, but he also averaged 98.9 mph and was locating it well in recent outings. That’s still going to play like a plus fastball. If he continues to command it he may finally get his chance to contribute to the Tigers pen. My guess though, is that the Tigers would like to keep working with him as he jumps to the Double-A level finally, hoping to tune things up a bit more.

Ricky Vanasco

This 27-year-old right-hander has been bouncing around from the Dodgers system, to the Tigers over the past two years. He’s always had a fairly good fastball, but like Rainey, command remains a problem. Vanasco’s heater is typically 96-97 mph in season, with slightly above average riding action. He backs in with a power curveball at 84 mph with a low spin rate. It moves more like a slightly funky wipeout slider, and the good velo on it helps it play up. You know what I’m about to say next. His command has only occasionally been good enough to view him as a potential major league reliever. He’s been effective in camp too, but there’s still nothing to suggest he’s really figured it out.

Jack Little

Little was a Dodgers farm hand for years in the upper levels. Now 27 years old, that gives him a little cache, as there are few tougher bullpens to break into in the major leagues, and the Dodgers spent a lot of time on him. The Pirates and Tigers played waiver wire roulette with Little early in the offseason, and the Tigers ultimately brought him in on a minor league deal.

The right-hander has three major league average pitches, a fourseamer, slider, and splitter. Little’s numbers haven’t been great this spring, but while he doesn’t have the one dominant offering, he’s also consistently shown much better command than the other options, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him win through on the Opening Day roster as a result. He’s decidedly more middle relief quality, but he also looks a lot more capable of contributing as he is, rather than the usual, “hey maybe he’ll finally command the fastball” addendum that comes with virtually all minor league relief signings. He’s just somewhat non-descript, without a standout trait like velocity, a plus breaking ball, or say, Brenan Hanifee’s ground ball getting tendencies, to recommend him.

Matt Seelinger

30-year-old Matt Seelinger is another career minor leaguer, but he does have the advantage of generally throwing enough strikes. Seelinger also packs a pretty nasty cutter and slider combination that racks up tons of whiffs at the Triple-A level. His problem is that his fastball shape is right in that vague grey area between ride and run, where it does some of both, and too often ends up in the seats. He punched out 28.6 percent of hitters faced with an 11.5 percent walk rate for the Toledo Mud Hens last year, and managed to keep the home runs in check. There’s a slim path to the last spot in the bullpen if the Tigers think he can pitch in reverse, relying on the breaking stuff mostly, and mixing in the mid-90’s fourseamer more as a third pitch and to put hitters away above the top of the zone.

Brenan Hanifee

Hanifee is clearly the most accomplished of all these options. The 96 mph sinker is consistently effective at getting ground balls, and while a lack of whiffs is always his problem, well, Jason Foley worked for a while. Hanifee backs the sinker with an average mid-80’s slider and he threw 60 innings for the Tigers last year, compiling an even 3.00 ERA with a 3.25 FIP.

The 27-year-old’s velocity has been up a little bit in camp, and he’s looked pretty good. One would assume that his recent track record, and his ability to smother a rally by getting the double play ball, give him the inside lane as the competition for the final bullpen job heats up in the second half of spring camp.

Who has the pole position?

In the end, which reliever the Tigers choose probably isn’t going to matter much. The key is to hang onto the best arms and try to work them into usable shape this spring as depth. As we know, plenty of depth will be necessary along the way. Probably plenty of different arms will get a chance over the course of the season as injuries and ineffectiveness take their toll on the pitching staff.

They appear set for lefties, but picking the right guys to keep out of Johan Simon, Konner Pilkington, Bryan Sammons, Sean Guenther, and prospect Drew Sommers, isn’t an inconsequential decision. They also appear to have longer term project type interest in right-handers like Cole Waites, whose velo hasn’t come back yet post Tommy John, Dugan Darnell, who is dealing with a hip issue, Burch Smith, and presumably a few of the options mentioned above as candidates for the last bullpen spot.

Right now though, the Tigers appear to be in outstanding shape in the depth department. They have a whole host of quality fifth starters who will be in the pen or in Toledo, and there are some relief arms with really good stuff, like Tyler Mattison in particular, who may tighten up their command and become a minor force for good in the pen. We can also point to Keider Montero, who has been up to 98 mph quite a bit in camp, as a good conversion option once the club is through the early season rotation and bullpen attrition that tends to occur. And if Troy Melton avoids injury, he’s the most obvious choice, as the one thing the bullpen could use is a nasty, hard-throwing right-hander for the late innings.

Right now, I would put my money on Hanifee making the team out of camp as the final member of the bullpen. It’s not ideal, but without a real obvious killer reliever to add, he can hold the spot down in the early going. Maybe the Tigers will take two right-handers and option Hurter or something, but I think that’s unlikely, and Hanifee appears to be the best immediate fit for the last spot. He’s already on the 40-man roster. He had a good season in 2025 that oddly seemed to be ignored as much by the Tigers themselves as everyone else, and he fits a specific need as a right-hander who can come in to get ground balls and smother a developing rally.

We’ll find out what the Tigers think in about two weeks. For all the guys on the outside looking in, it’s time to shine, or it’s back to the Triple-A mines.

With a little bit more than two weeks of Spring Training down, we’ve got a little bit less than two weeks of Spring Training left before they break camp and begin the slow journey to Opening Day. They’re in Arizona, and it’s enduring an unseasonable heat wave, so everyone is literally hot, but it’s time to ask the question of who is figuratively starting off hot and who is not.

All stats are as of the morning of Friday, March 6.

Hot: Jac Caglianone

Among the stickiest stats (stats that are most correlated) for hitters going from Spring Training to the Regular season are those related to plate discipline and exit velocity. This makes a lot of sense because the altitude and weather have minimal ability to impact a player’s ability to identify a ball or strike. Similarly, exit velocity is measured as close to impact with the bat as possible, reducing the atmospheric impact. Jac Caglianone is a standout in just about every conceivable way here.

Max EV is the stat of choice for many analysts; Jac is easily tops here with his 120.2 MPH double. (Ignore the title, the first swing is Jac’s double, the second is someone else’s home run at ~109 MPH)

But 90th-Percentile Exit Velocity (EV90, an average of the top 10% highest exit velocities) is a more standard way to measure a player’s power potential, so I prefer that. But, hey, would you look at that? Jac is on top there, too, at 116.5 MPH! Jac also has the fourth-best chase rate among Royals with at least 16 PAs, and is sixth-best in Royals with at least 11. He’s also walked more than he’s struck out. Basically, it’s hard to imagine a way in which Caglianone could be having a better spring.

He also notched a 106 MPH RBI double in his first World Baseball Classic action, so that’s pretty cool, too.

Not: Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas

In contrast to Jac, Lane Thomas is chasing more than just about anyone who is likely to break camp with the big club. Among those worse than Thomas is Isaac Collins. In fairness, the switch-hitter has only nine plate appearances so far after being delayed to start the season due to PRP injections during the offseason. Collins’ EV90 is a measly 98.9, while Thomas does at least boast an EV90 of 104.3. However, to give that a bit of context, that would have slotted him in right between John Rave and Jonathan India if he did it during last year’s regular season.*

*Jac led the team in EV90 among players with at least 100 PAs at 109.5

Isaac and Lane should get plenty of opportunities to impress over the remainder of Spring Training, but looking at those numbers is enough to make the Starling Marte signing even more reasonable than it had already seemed.

Hot: Michael Massey

I’ll be the first to admit that Massey is chasing more and whiffing more than you’d like, but he’s also walking at a much higher rate than normal. He also got an EV90 of 105. Which doesn’t sound all that impressive compared to Thomas above, but would have put him firmly between Mike Yastrzemski and Maikel Garcia last year. This stat is one of those that doesn’t have to change much in order to be significant.

Add in that he’s always been a more-than-competent second baseman and appears to be doing just fine in the corner outfield spots, and he seems likely to have locked up a utility spot on the team that was probably his to lose as camp began.

Not: Jonathan India

In complete contrast to Massey, India has the best chase rate among players with more than four plate appearances, but even his middling power has evaporated this spring. His Max EV and EV90 are both worst among players* with at least 16 plate appearances at 99.8 and 90.7 MPH, respectively. Unless he can start hitting the ball much harder, very soon, he’s going to lose the everyday 2B job to Massey if not at the start of the year, then very shortly into the season.

*The home run on Saturday will have bumped both of these, but even that is only one swing.

Hot: Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, and Ryan Bergert

For pitchers, strikeouts, walks, and “stuff” are the stats to pay the most attention to. Ragans, Bergert, and Bubic have the best overall tjStuff+ numbers among starters for the Royals. (You can read more about how this stat is derived here; but the short version is that 100 is average, and every 10 is a standard deviation from the norm. Small changes indicate large differences.) They’ve also combined to strike out ten while walking only two in 8.2 innings. Ragans has the best-rated fastball and cutter among the Royals. Only Stephen Kolek’s changeup and Luinder Avila’s slider rate more highly than those pitches. Ragans’ slider also comes in second only to Avila’s.

Bergert’s fastball is the third-best. Bubic’s is second. Bubic also wields the second-best sweeper (Abbreviated ST on the form linked above.) Basically, they’ve been the three best pitchers in camp who have a chance to start the year with KC.

Not: Noah Cameron

Noah Cameron came into camp with the fifth starter job his to lose after the Royals decided to keep him rather than try to swap him for an outfielder during the offseason. I’m not sure he’s yet lost that job, but with as hot as Bergert has been, Cameron probably needs to get better in a hurry. So far, he’s struck out two and walked two in 2.2 innings. He also has a sub-100 tjStuff+ overall, and not a single one of his pitches has rated as above-average.

It’s been said that he doesn’t have good stuff, but last year, his slider and cutter both rated as above-average, while only his four-seamer was truly below-average. His velocity is also down across the board from last season, including 2 MPH lost on his already fairly weak heater. Last spring, he was averaging an extra 2 MPH on his heater ahead of the regular season. He’s doing me a hecking concern.

Hot: Josh Rojas

If you’ve been paying attention at all, you didn’t need me to tell you Josh Rojas was having an excellent spring. But I didn’t want people to think I’d forgotten him. He’s tied with Salvy for fifth on the team in EV90, and he’s not chasing or striking out to a ridiculous degree, though he’s also not walking. If this were another year, he’d be playing his way on to the team, but with all the guaranteed MLB contracts the Royals handed out to bench players this year, there just doesn’t seem to be any room for him.

Not: Brandon Drury

Drury was a guy I really wanted the Royals to get a few years ago, but it seems that the time for that move is long past. He didn’t play in the big leagues at all last year, and despite some impressive metrics, he just doesn’t seem like he’s got anything to contribute to this team. He’s got some of the better exit velos and chase rates, but he’s also struck out in more than a third of his plate appearances. You’re not supposed to judge players by their spring slash lines, but when you’re sporting a .167/.375/.167/.542 it’s hard not to.

Hot: Steven Cruz, Beck Way, and Dennis Coleran Jr.

We all already knew Steven Cruz was going to look good; we saw him pitch last year. But Beck Way had an absolutely awful year for AA and AAA last year, with a combined 5.93 ERA, walking almost as many as he struck out. He’s still battling his command in Spring Training, but the stuff is undeniable. His cutter, sweeper, and changeup all look absolutely filthy. He needs to find his command if he’s going to make it work, but he’s certainly raising some eyebrows.

Dennis Colleran Jr. is probably getting the biggest bump of all the minor leaguers to appear in major league camp this year. He pitched very well in High-A and AA last year, but walked a few too many to be confident in his future. He’s not yet walked anyone this spring, though, and his sweeper is the only one better than Bubic’s among pitchers with at least 30 plate appearances against, while his cutter is second only to Ragans. Don’t expect him to break camp with the club, but if he doesn’t debut in 2026 at this rate, I’ll be surprised.

Not: Ben Kudrna, Aaron Sanchez, and Héctor Neris

Sanchez and Neris are both trying to make comebacks, and Ben Kudrna just got added to the 40-man roster over the winter. None of them are turning heads in a good way at all. Neris doesn’t have a single above-average pitch. They’re all bottom-10 in walks allowed; Neris and Sanchez have both walked more than they have struck out. At least Kudrna is still young.

Hot: Bobby Witt Jr. and Carter Jensen

I mean, we all expected this, right? Bobby is Bobby! Carter Jensen hasn’t missed a beat from last September, just fueling the growing fire that is his early candidacy for 2026 Rookie of the Year. Bobby’s EV90 is still over 108 MPH; Carter is at 105.8. They’re both also doing a great job of not chasing; Carter has the second-best chase rate among those with at least 20 PA, and Bobby is sixth. They’re just killing it.

Not: Vinnie Pasquantino

I almost didn’t include Vinnie here, because I refuse to believe that he’s going to be anything less than terrific for KC this year. But his chase, whiff, and strikeout rates are all way up from where they were last season. His EV90 is also only 99 MPH. I’ll just bet on him to improve those numbers when he returns from the WBC.

We’re about two and a half weeks into the Dodgers’ Cactus League schedule, with another roughly two and a half weeks of exhibition games to go. It’s the first year that an automated ball-strike challenge system will be used in real, actual major league games, and thus far the Dodgers have been quite unsuccessful in using their challenges.

The latest example came in the eighth inning on Sunday against the A’s in Mesa. Eliézer Alfonzo while batting challenged a strike call, and the call was upheld upon review.

MLB teams are allowed two ABS challenges per game, and they exhaust those challenges only by losing them. If a team successfully challenges a call and it is overturned, the team retains the same number of challenges it had at that point.

Using challenges in a case study in strategy, with teams using spring training to figure out the best time to use their challenges.

In February, Maxfield Lane and Owen Riley at the Down on the Farm newsletter wrote about ABS challenge efficiency, with a few key points. Among them:

• Deep counts are where it’s worth taking risks
• Be cautious when runs seem a long way off, aggressive when they’re knocking on the door
• Be willing to take risks in high-leverage situations, particularly late in games

In similar fashion, Tom Tango developed a statistical model based on the ideal times and situations to challenge pitch calls, which serves as the basis for metrics used by Baseball Savant to measure the efficiency of teams’ choices.

Through Sunday, the Dodgers have challenged 22 pitch calls this spring, and have only won five of those challenges (22.7 percent). MLB-wide this spring, 52.4 percent of all calls have been overturned.

Per Baseball Savant, the Dodgers have gotten 9.6 fewer overturned calls than expected based on the pitch calls they’ve challenged, second-worst in the majors

Here are all of their challenges to date.

One interesting trend thus far for the Dodgers is that, of their challenges while batting, five of the 11 have come from catchers, which I guess stands to reason given the position having such an intimate knowledge of the strike zone. To date, Dodgers position players to challenge calls at the plate are Freddie Freeman (unsuccessful), Alex Call (successful), Andy Pages (unsuccessful), Zach Ehrhard (unsuccessful), James Tibbs III (unsuccessful), and Miguel Rojas (successful).

Dodgers catchers have challenged 11 calls and gotten three overturned (27.2 percent), while Los Angeles batters have challenged 11 calls and gotten two overturned (18.2 percent). Through Sunday, MLB batters league-wide have been successful on 46.2 percent of challenges, with pitchers/catchers at 58.1 percent. To date, no Dodgers pitcher has initiated a challenge.

Spring training is for figuring things out for the regular season. And with a little more than two weeks left of practice games, the Dodgers need to get better at using their ABS challenges.

This is the second installment in analyzing team trends as we move towards the regular season. It’s still early and the exact numbers matter less than the trends they point toward – especially when compared to the same measurements from the 2025 season. The underlying data from Rays outfielders has stood out the most so far in Spring Training, which isn’t surprising given the moves the front office made this offseason.

If these early trends hold, the Rays’ outfield could shift from a weakness in 2025 to a legitimate strength in 2026.

49.2%

is the line drive plus fly ball rate for Rays outfielders so far this spring. This is up significantly from the 42.1% mark during the 2025 regular season, when they were dead last in the league by a wide margin. They’re sitting closer to the middle of the pack this spring, and even a jump from worst to average should translate to significantly better run production, especially when coupled with the next data point.

104.6mph

is the 90th percentile exit velocity from Rays outfielders so far this spring. This is an increase from 102.7mph during the 2025 regular season. While it’s still slightly below average, the front office took clear steps to address the lack of impact from the Rays outfield last season – particularly adding Jacob Melton and Ryan Vilade. After being near the bottom of the league in 2025, the group now looks closer to 45-grade raw power rather than the 30-grade impact they showed last season.

-7.9%

is how much Rays outfielders have collectively decreased their chase rate compared to the 2025 offense. Disciplined hitters like Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins were brought in to raise the floor of the group, while guys like Ryan Vilade and Richie Palacios are looking to settle into their offensive identities and be more selective. Going from a league-worst 33.9% to a better-than-average 26.0% is a major shift, and this improvement outpaces the roughly 3% reduction in overall swing rate so we know they’re being selective rather than just passive.

Three, maybe two

is the number of players we expect to begin the season on the Injured List. Relievers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez will begin the season on the 15-day and 60-day ILs respectively. Edwin Uceta may also begin the year on the IL, but he is progressing nicely after a slow start this spring due to shoulder inflammation.

Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios are dealing with lower back tightness that may keep them out of game action for a little bit. Mullins worked out on Friday in Port Charlotte and felt better, so there doesn’t appear to be much concern about him being ready for Opening Day. Palacios is still a bit of a question mark given his injury history, but there’s plenty of time for him to rest – and he may be slated for AAA anyways. Chandler Simpson is dealing with some hamstring soreness, but the team is being overly cautious and he doesn’t appear to be in danger of beginning on the IL at the moment.