Worldwide Sports News

It’s the All-Star break for Minor League Baseball too, but not before a hectic and happening weekend for the San Francisco Giants affiliates. Here’s everything you need to know about the action on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

The biggest news over the weekend was, of course, the 2026 MLB Draft, which saw the Giants add 21 prospects (though they have some serious work to do to sign all 21). You can see all 21 selections here.

But there was more big news, as a trio of top prospects were promoted: center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and middle infielder Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) were promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond, while center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) was promoted from Richmond to AAA Sacramento. Huge and tremendously exciting news! Jordan and Kilen celebrated the news by playing in the Futures Game on Saturday, where they each got 1 at-bat. Jordan doubled in his, while Kilen went 0-1.

In other exciting news, Low-A San Jose shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) won Player of the Week honors in the California League. But in less happy news, the Giants released AAA Sacramento LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL).

AAA Sacramento (49-41)

Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake bees 12-5 [box score]
Saturday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Salt Lake Bees 9-2 [box score]
Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Salt Lake Bees 11-8 [box score]

Well, the River Cats limped into the All-Star break … they did so with a winning record, but they’re not playing their best baseball at the moment. The highlight over the weekend came from a pair of rehab appearances from catcher Daniel Susac, who hit 4-8 with a 3-run home run, a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Quite a performance!

Contrary to popular belief, Susac didn’t actually hit very well in AAA with the A’s last year, as he finished with a 94 wRC+ and a 26.8% strikeout rate. But in 8 rehab games with the River Cats, spanning 2 injuries, he’s rocking a 247 wRC+ and just a 6.1% strikeout rate. Tony Vitello revealed on Sunday that Susac is expected to rejoin the Giants when they return from the break on Friday, and hopefully he can carry his AAA momentum into the Majors, as he was really slumping at the time of his injury.

The other standout offensive weekend belonged to center fielder/right fielder Turner Hill, who hit 7-14 with 2 doubles, 2 stolen bases, and 0 strikeouts. I thought there was a chance the Giants would promote Hill when Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) injured his oblique, but they opted to call up Grant McCray straight from his rehab instead. That’s probably sensible given the proximity to the All-Star break and a desire to not clog up another 40-man spot, but still … hopefully Hill gets his chance in the Jared Oliva/Jonah Cox role some day. The undrafted free agent will never be a blue chip prospect, and he is 27 already, but he also has an .886 OPS and a 135 wRC+ in 67 AAA games this year, with a minuscule 8.2% strikeout rate and 18 stolen bases in 20 attempts. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, but his contact skills are phenomenal: he’s 96th percentile in in-zone contact rate and 97th percentile in whiff rate.

Solid weekends for second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) and first baseman Jake Holton. Furman went 4-14 with a double, a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout, while Holton hit 4-11 with a 2-run home run, a double, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. Furman has a .765 OPS and a 106 wRC+, while Holton now has a .708 OPS and a 95 wRC+. They are both in their AAA debut seasons.

It wasn’t a good weekend on the mound. The only good start came on Saturday, when LHP Matt Wilkinson pitched 4 solid frames, allowing just 1 hit (a single), 2 walks, and 1 unearned run, while striking out 4. It was Tugboat’s 5th start since getting promoted, and there’s been a lot of good (3.93 ERA, 10.3 strikeouts per 9) and some bad (4.88 FIP, 4.2 walks per 9). Personally, I’d like to see him ride out the year in AAA to get as much development as possible, but given that the Giants are likely to trade a handful of pitchers at the deadline — and seeing as how Wilkinson will be Rule 5 eligible this winter — I think we’ll probably see him in the Majors in the second half of the season.

Following Tugboat was LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) who made his 3rd appearance since moving to Sacramento’s bullpen, and gave up 1 hit and 1 run in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout. It’s still not entirely clear why the Giants moved Whitman to the bullpen, but it certainly can’t be that they gave up on him as a starter (he’s a significantly better option than some of Sacramento’s rotation pieces right now, and was having a quality season). It could be that they’re gearing him up for an MLB debut (like Wilkinson, he’ll be Rule 5 eligible), but my guess is they’re just giving him a little mid-season break so he doesn’t get worn out, as he’s been quite a workhorse this year. Hopefully he’s back in the rotation soon.

The other starters were bad. On Friday, LHP Seth Lonsway allowed 8 baserunners (including 3 home runs) and 8 runs in 2.2 innings, raising his ERA to 6.75 and his FIP to 6.37. On Sunday they went for an opener, using recently-claimed RHP Eric Cerantola, who made his 2nd appearance with the organization. Cerantola faced 6 batters and walked 5 of them so … yeah.

RHP Ryan Walker also made his Sacramento return after getting optioned and it didn’t go well, as he gave up a home run, 3 walks, and 2 runs in an inning of work. Gotta think his spot on the 40-man roster is getting a little bit toasty.

Nice performances for RHP Marques Johnson and LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL), though. Johnson pitched twice and struck out 5 batters in 2.2 shutout innings, with 2 hits and 1 walk, while Sánchez threw 2 scoreless frames with 2 hits and 3 strikeouts … and then was promptly released.

AA Richmond (53-32)

Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve 5-4 [box score]
Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve 5-1 [box score]
Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Altoona Curve 5-3 [box score]

Center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) is leaving Richmond, and he’s doing so with a bang. The lefty’s final weekend as a Squirrel was yet another dynamic one, as he hit 6-15 with a solo home run, 3 doubles, and 3 strikeouts. It has been one dynamic game after another for Davidson ever since the calendar flipped to June … since the start of that month, he’s hit a staggering 43-138 with 13 home runs, 6 doubles, 16 walks, and 38 strikeouts.

Davidson, who turned 24 last week, departs AA with an .861 OPS, a 122 wRC+, and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Given San Francisco’s outfield issues this year, and considering his upcoming Rule 5 eligibility (where he’ll be a slam dunk protection barring falling on his face in AAA), there’s certainly a path for the undrafted free agent to make an MLB debut this year. The sky is the limit for Davidson, who still has some swing-and-miss and pitch recognition issues to work out, but who really has every tool in the box. Can’t wait to watch him in AAA!

Richmond’s other star hitter is not joining Davidson in AAA — yet — but probably isn’t too far behind, and he had a decent weekend as well. That would, of course, be third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), who hit 4-14 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. After a June swoon, Harber has rebounded brilliantly: in his last 14 games, the 24-year old slugger is 19-57 with 4 home runs, 5 doubles, 4 walks, and 11 strikeouts, bringing him up to an .879 OPS and a 131 wRC+.

Nice weekends for right fielder/center fielder Jean Carlos Sio (No. 44 CPL), shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL), and second baseman/left fielder Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL). Sio hit 3-12 with a home run, a double, and 2 strikeouts, giving the lefty a .775 OPS and a 97 wRC+ since getting promoted; Ahuna went 4-9 with a double, 2 walks, a hit by pitch, a strikeout, and a caught stealing, boosting the lefty’s OPS to .661 and his wRC+ to 71; and Velasquez hit 6-11 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 3 strikeouts, raising the switch-hitter’s OPS to .795 and his wRC+ to 117. Velasquez, who also has 18 stolen bases, played in the outfield for the first time in his career on Sunday. He’s been on absolute fire lately, hitting 17-37 with 4 extra-base hits, 6 walks, and just 5 strikeouts over his last 12 games.

LHPs Charlie McDaniel and Tyler Switalksi, who are quite new to AA and in an adjustment period, struggled in their respective starts on Friday and Saturday, but RHP Trystan Vrieling had another strong outing on Sunday, pitching 6 quality innings with just 1 hit allowed (a single), 2 walks, and 1 run. Vrieling, who struck out 4, struggled a bit to find the strike zone, as just 49 of his 85 pitches were strikes. But being hard to hit is an important skill, and one Vrieling has excelled at lately: in his last 3 starts, the 2022 3rd-rounder has given up just 9 hits (and 3 runs) in 17 innings.

Strikeouts and walks remain a bit of an issue for the 25-year old, who has a 4.04 ERA and a 5.43 FIP … he has just 8.1 strikeouts per 9 innings and 6.1 walks. But great to see him starting to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together.

Yet another dominant relief outing from RHP Christian Alvarado, who struck out a pair of batters in a perfect inning to end the first half of the season for Richmond. Alvarado’s numbers are almost unfathomably good since the Giants signed him to play affiliated ball for the first time in 7 years: in 6 appearances and 6 innings, he’s given up just 2 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, while striking out 13. The only question is how long the Giants will want to see him do this before testing him in AAA.

RHP Will Bednar (No. 24 CPL) has had a disappointing season, but Friday was a good game, as he threw 2 no-hit, no-run innings with 1 walk and 1 hit batter, while striking out 3. The former 1st-rounder’s strikeouts are down quite a bit this year as he repeats AA, from 14.9 to 11.7 per 9 innings, while his walks (6.4 per 9) remain an issue. He has a 4.24 ERA and a 4.53 FIP and, more critically, his fastball velocity isn’t what it was a year ago.

Also a great relief outing from RHP Ryan Vanderhei, who struck out 4 batters in 2 shutout innings, with a walk and a hit allowed. The 2023 10th-round pick has a 4.38 ERA and a 4.64 FIP in 10 relief appearances since getting promoted.

High-A Eugene (52-35)

Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane 9-4 [box score]
Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to Spokane 7-6 (10 innings) [box score]
Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane 9-5 [box score]

If you think that Davidson had a nice going away party with Richmond, just wait until you see what center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) did with Eugene! Jordan played his final High-A game on Friday, before departing for the Futures Game on Saturday, and then heading to Richmond after the break.

And how did he do in that final game? Thanks for asking! Just a casual 4-5 with 3 home runs and a double. If that’s not a “get me out of here I’m too good for this level” performance than I truly don’t know what is!

While questions about his swing-and-miss issue remain — he has a 27.6% strikeout rate and a 16.1% swinging strike rate on the year — it does seem time for Jordan to square off against better competition, as he had an .879 OPS and a 129 wRC+, while leading the Northwest League with 18 home runs. Jordan departs the Pacific Northwest on a serious heater: in his final 14 games with the Emeralds, he hit a jaw-dropping 23-55 with 9 home runs, 6 doubles, 2 walks, and, critically, just 7 strikeouts. His power has been at a whole new level lately, and it’s going to be so much fun watching him in the Eastern League.

A pair of Jordan’s teammates also had multiple home runs: right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) and first baseman Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL). Diaz hit 3-12 with 2 home runs, 1 double, and 4 strikeouts, while Christian went 4-8 with a pair of dingers and a quartet of punchouts.

Diaz has been on a heater lately, with 8 home runs in his last 13 games (3 of them came while moonlighting in San Jose when he couldn’t travel with Eugene to Canada). Still, as I’ve written about a few times, Diaz’s season has been funny … despite his 17 home runs trailing only Davidson and Jordan in the farm system, the right-handed Cuban — who turns 21 in a few days — has just a .788 OPS and a 101 wRC+ with Eugene, which is partially the result of having a lowly 3.6% walk rate. Still and all, if you’re a young prospect who is going to hit at a league average clip, I’d much rather it be due to home runs than due to walks, especially since Diaz has just a 17.0% strikeout rate.

Speaking of strikeouts, Christian’s season remains a funny one, as he really only seems to do 3 things: strike out, draw walks, and get extra-base knocks. The 23-year old lefty, taken in the 5th round in 2023, has 199 plate appearances this year, and has struck out 68 times (34.2% rate), walked 23 times (11.6% rate), and registered 21 extra-base hits (.220 isolated slugging). The result is an .827 OPS and a 121 wRC+, but needless to say, the strikeouts need to come down for him to have any chance of success against better pitchers.

And finally, good weekends for the middle infielders, as shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) hit 5-12 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, a stolen base, and a strikeout, pushing his High-A OPS to .798 and his wRC+ to 113, while second baseman Zander Darby went 3-11 with a home run, a double, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts, moving his OPS to .744 and his wRC+ to exactly 100. Another infielder joined the home run party, as third baseman Walker Martin smashed a 3-run shot, but also hit just 2-12 with 7 strikeouts and his 20th error of the season.

Friday featured a great pitching performance, as RHP Niko Mazza showed out in his final start of the half, tossing 7 innings while allowing just 2 hits (including 1 home run), 1 walk, and 1 run, and striking out 6. What a showing!

Mazza, taken in the 8th round in 2024, has developed a hilarious reputation for ERA/FIP splits. In his debut last year, in Low-A, he sported a glorious 2.22 ERA with a 4.36 FIP. He’s back at it this year, as this start lowered his ERA to 2.50 … but with a 4.12 FIP. That FIP is high primarily because of his 5.1 walks per 9 innings, so very nice to see him issue just one free pass in 7 frames, while throwing 55 of 82 pitches for strikes. Just excellence all around. Mazza is also up to 10.6 strikeouts per 9 innings, after sitting at just 8.7 a year ago. Perhaps most impressive, however, is that he’s allowed only 44 hits in 72 innings.

As is probably evident from those stats, Mazza has some pretty exciting stuff, he just hasn’t fully harnessed it. He ended the half in style though: over his final 6 starts of the first half, the 24-year old pitched 32.1 innings and allowed just 19 hits, 10 walks, and 6 earned runs, with 35 strikeouts. Excited to see what he does in the second half.

LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) started on Sunday and had a game emblematic of his season: he struck out a whopping 9 batters in 5.1 innings while only allowing 3 hits, but also walked 4 and gave up 2 home runs and 4 total runs. That’s been the season for him: he’s only allowed 48 hits in 69.2 innings, and has struck out 93 … but 8 of those 48 hits have been home runs, and he’s issued a stunning 55 walks, leading to a 5.17 ERA and a 5.07 FIP. The magic is there … it just needs to be harnessed.

Not a very memorable weekend for the relievers, though RHP Cole Hillier struck out 3 in 1.1 scoreless frames, while giving up just 1 hit. A good bounceback performance after getting rocked in his previous outing.

Low-A San Jose (53-34)

Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide 12-5 [box score]
Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Visalia Rawhide 2-1 [box score]
Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 12-5 [box score]

The Baby Giants saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end with a pair of losses, but bounced back to enter the break with a win. As has been the case for much of the year, San Jose showcased the long ball, with 4 different players leaving the yard. We’ll talk about that quartet, and then move to the pitchers.

Shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) hit 4-10 with a home run, a double, 4 walks, a hit by pitch, and 2 stolen bases, with 2 strikeouts. Last year’s 4th-round pick is up to a .787 OPS and a 96 wRC+, and seems to be relishing being the everyday shortstop with Level promoted (though we’ll see how long that lasts, given who is coming up behind him). He’s still striking out too much, but he’s showing good power, drawing a lot of walks, playing great defense, and has 11 stolen bases on the year.

First baseman Jerimiah Jenkins continued his power year, hitting just 3-13, but bopping both a home run and a double with a walk, albeit with 5 strikeouts. The 2024 14th-round pick has a .912 OPS, a 122 wRC+, and a .270 isolated slugging, a mark that ranks 4th out of the 90 Cal League hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this year. That’s pretty damn impressive, though the 30.8% strikeout rate remains quite concerning.

Corner outfielder Oliver Tejada, who was only recently promoted to A-ball, hit 6-12 with a 3-run home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and 5 strikeouts. The 19-year old has a .793 OPS and a 91 wRC+ through 10 games at the level, though he also has a 36.4% strikeout rate.

And finally, catcher Daniel Rogers went 3-9 with a home run, a double, a strikeout, and a caught stealing. After a fairly brutal 11-game stretch with High-A Eugene, Rogers has posted a .857 OPS and a 132 wRC+ in 13 games with San Jose.

Not a very exciting weekend on the mound. The best outing belonged to Saturday’s starter, LHP Ricardo Estrada, who pitched 6 strong innings while allowing just 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 2 runs, and 1 earned run, with 3 strikeouts. Estrada, a 24-year old, has a 3.92 ERA and a 5.64 FIP on the season, with fairly uninspiring strikeout and walk numbers. He’s been so much better since moving to the rotation, though, and in his last 7 games has pitched 37.1 innings and allowed just 23 hits, 12 walks, and 8 earned runs, with 32 strikeouts.

RHP Samir Chires, a 22-year old, made his 2nd appearance since getting promoted, and allowed just a hit in 2.2 shutout innings, though he didn’t strike anyone out. The Venezuelan has been excellent in a tiny sample since his promotion. Sadly the same can’t be said for RHP Johan Rodriguez, who made his Low-A debut on Sunday and faced 5 batters … and walked 4 of them (though he struck out the 5th).

Arizona Complex League (29-21)

Friday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Angels 4-2 [box score]
Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Rockies 13-9 [box score]

The big news in the ACL was that Low-A RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) made a rehab appearance. Cayama, who suffered a non-arm injury in late May, kicked off his rehab assignment on Friday with 1 inning of work, giving up 2 hits, a hit bitter, and a run, while striking out 2. Hopefully he’s back in San Jose’s rotation shortly after the All-Star break.

A pair of pitchers continued their rehab on Saturday, with High-A LHP Hayden Wynja allowing 2 hits and a walk in 1.2 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts, while AA RHP Logan Martin pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 2 hits and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts.

The best pitching performance belonged to RHP Melvin Pineda, who struck out all 3 batters he faced, while throwing 10 of 14 pitches for strikes. Pineda has some of the most extreme strikeout numbers (complimentary) and walk numbers (derogatory) that you’ll ever see. Across the ACL and Low-A, he’s faced 156 batters and only 59 of them have put the ball in play, as he’s issued a terrifying 28 walks and hit 7 batters, but struck out a staggering 62 … exactly 2 per inning. That number is even higher in the ACL, where the 22-year old has 18.9 strikeouts per 9 innings, albeit with 7.3 walks. If he can just stay in the strike zone…

RHP Kendry Castro, a 19-year old from the DR, made his stateside debut following the very rare international in-season promotion. It was a mixed-bag game, as he struck out 3 batters in 2 scoreless innings, with just 1 hit allowed, but he did walk 3 batters. Welcome to the states, Kendry!

Happy to report a nice weekend for designated hitter Rayner Arias (No. 38 CPL), who hit 2-7 with a 3-run home run, 2 hit by pitches, and 2 strikeouts. It’s been another very brutal season for the former top-10 prospect, who has just a .611 OPS and a 59 wRC+, with a lowly .176 batting average and a 31.7% strikeout rate. He still has so much talent, though, so hopefully he can put it all together.

First baseman Carlos Concepcion and catcher Santiago Camacho had fantastic Saturdays. Concepcion, a 20-year old from the DR, hit 3-4 with a home run and a walk, though he went 0-4 with a strikeout and an error on Friday. Camacho, a 19-year old from Venezuela, only played Saturday, and went 3-5 with a 2-run homer. Both players are hitting well below league average (.652 OPS, 57 wRC+ for Concepcion; .771 OPS, 86 wRC+ for Camacho), though the latter is showing some interesting flashes.

Dominican Summer League Black (15-14)

Friday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Blue Jays Red 6-5 [box score]
Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Mets Orange 10-6 [box score]

A pair of hitters and a pair of pitchers to highlight. In the batter’s box, it was shortstop Keiberg Camacaro who had the best weekend, hitting 2-6 with a double, a walk, 2 hit by pitches, 2 stolen bases, and 2 strikeouts. The 19-year old right-handed hitter, who has had an inconsistent career, is having far and away his best season in his 4th pass through the DSL, posting a .990 OPS and a 144 wRC+, while lowering his strikeout rate to 14.4% (that’s more than 10 percentage points better than last year, and less than half of what it was his debut season). After stealing 22 bases in 112 games in his 1st 3 years, Camacaro already has swiped 15 bags this year, in just 17 attempts. The other nice day belonged to first baseman/catcher Alessandro Duran, who hit 2-3 with a double and a walk on Friday, though he didn’t play Saturday. It’s been a tough 4th season for the 21-year old, so nice to see him play well.

The pitching stars were RHPs Rainiel Duran and Brayan Cabello, a pair of 22-year olds. Duran struck out 3 batters in 2 shutout innings with a hit allowed, lowering his ERA to 6.08 and his FIP to 6.32 in his 2nd season. Cabello allowed a hit in 1.2 scoreless frames, with 3 strikeouts, dipping his ERA to 1.64 and his FIP to 4.25 in his 5th DSL campaign.

Dominican Summer League Orange (19-11)

Friday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Red Sox Red 6-5 (7 innings) [box score]
Saturday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Pirates Black 7-1 (7 innings) [box score]

The star in the batter’s box was first baseman Albert Jimenez, who hit 2-5 with a 3-run home run, 3 walks, and a strikeout. A right-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic, Jimenez has made huge strides this year, jumping to a 1.091 OPS and a 151 wRC+ in his 3rd DSL season, while striking out just 13.6% of the time. His 8 home runs this year are 1 off the lead in the DSL, a league that has seen nearly 900 players take at-bats. That’s impressive!

RHP Jhon Leon, a 22-year old, gave up a hit, a walk, and an unearned run in 1.2 innings, while recording all 5 outs by way of strikes. He has 21 strikeouts in 14.2 innings in his 3rd DSL season, but a lot of hits and walks have given him a 6.75 ERA and a 4.11 FIP. RHP Alexis Gallego, arguably the team’s top signing this year after Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) made his professional debut on Saturday, and the 17-year old from Mexico struck out 4 batters in 2 innings, while allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 unearned run. Welcome to the pros, Alexis!

Home run tracker

19 — Bo Davidson — [AA]
18 — Dakota Jordan x3 — [High-A]
17 — Lisbel Diaz x2 — [14 in High-A; 3 in Low-A]
13 — Jean Carlos Sio — [8 in AA; 4 in High-A; 1 in ACL]
13 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A]
11 — Walker Martin — [High-A]
9 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A]
8 — Jakob Christian x2 — [High-A]
8 — Albert Jimenez — [DSL]
7 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
6 — Jake Holton — [AAA]
4 — Daniel Rogers — [Low-A]
4 — Carlos Concepcion — [ACL]
3 — Daniel Susac — [AAA]
3 — Oliver Tejada — [2 in Low-A; 1 in ACL]
2 — Rayner Arias — [ACL]
2 — Santiago Camacho — [ACL]

Nate Isler was born in Charlottesville, Virginia but the family settled down in Milton, Georgia and the right-hander grew up there. He attended Cambridge High School and playing against fellow 2026 Mets draftee and fellow right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie during Milton High School versus Cambridge High School rivalry games. A three-year letterwinner, he one-upped McNeillie, winning Region Pitcher of the Year in their shared senior year. There was very little buzz about his draft status over the course of his high school career, as his stuff generally was mediocre, but even if there had been, Isler may not have gone pro out of high school. The son of a Dartmouth alumnus, and an alumnus who played for the school’s baseball team, Isler was given a scholarship to play ball at the elite New Hampshire institution, where he would be coached by Bob Whalen, the long-time team head coach who coached his father back in the mid-90s.

Isler’s freshman year was nothing to write home about. Appearing in 12 games, making 5 starts, he posted a 13.50 ERA in 20.2 innings, allowing 51 hits, walking 8, and striking out 24. Following the conclusion of the season, he supplemented his pitching load by playing with the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, posting similar results in roughly the same amount of innings. His sophomore year was more of the same, though coach Whalen inserted Isler into the pitching rotation as the team’s Sunday starter. Starting 10 games, the right-hander posted a 6.67 ERA in 55.1 innings, allowing 70 hits, walking 20, and striking out 36. Once again, following the end of the Dartmouth baseball season, Isler supplemented his innings by playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, this time with the Upper Valley Nighthawks.

In 2026, interim head coach Blake McFadden continued using Isler as a starting pitcher, shifting him to Saturdays. The “ace” of the staff, the right-hander posted a 4.98 ERA in 65.0 innings over 11 starts, allowing 68 hits, walking 25, and striking out 80. After the season ended, Isler participated in the precious Cape Cod Baseball League, playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Isler came to the Dartmouth campus a tall, lanky 6’5”, 215-pound teenager with broad shoulders and long limbs and he filled in, growing into a 6’6”, 235-pound hurler. His fastball improved from a high-80s offering that topped out at 91 MPH to a low-90s offering that reportedly topped out at 96 MPH. More than velocity, Isler had success with the pitch thanks to a high spin rate that gives the ball some run and above-average induced vertical break. His above-average extension helps the ball bore in on hitters virtually even more, and his high release point makes the ball more difficult for batters to pick up on.

He complements his fastball with a low-to-mid-80s slider and a changeup. The slider is the better of the two, his changeup still a lot of work to go; the slider has tight, two-plane gyroscopic break with minimal horizontal break and a great deal of vertical break, magnified by his high release point. His changeup, on the other hand, has more horizontal fade than it does drop, and giving the pitch more vertical tumble will be key to its progression as a pitch, and perhaps Isler’s progression as a pitcher.

The right-hander pounds the zone and lives in the strike zone, for good or for bad. He keeps walks to a minimum, but batters in the Ivy League had no waiting on fat pitches to hit, batting .321/.384/.482 against him over the course of his three-year career there and .265/.340/.358 in 2026. The downward trajectory that all of his pitches possess has helped him run a 40.5% groundball rate for his career and a 45% rate in 2026 and limit home runs, but Isler will need to refine and improve his pitches and potentially add to his pitch mix to have success against professionals.

A second player has been selected to the MLB in the 2026 draft class, as the Washington Nationals have selected Rutgers RHP Zack Konstantinovsky in the 14th round of the MLB draft. He joins Peyton Bonds, who was drafted in the third round by the Giants, as the two Rutgers players selected in the MLB draft. He was drafted with the 406th overall pick.

Konstantinovsky spent the last three seasons on the Scarlet Knights’ roster, playing sparingly in 2024 as a true freshman before missing all of 2025 with an injury. He saw much more playing time in 2026, surrendering 80 hits in 70.2 innings pitched with 83 strikeouts and 21 walks. Over those innings, he had an runs against averaged of 5.48.

His 83 strikeouts are the 6th most in a season in program history.

Konstantinovsky’s best game last season came against Western Carolina, where he recorded seven scoreless innings pitched, giving up just one hit and recording 6 strikeouts.

While no Rutgers players have ever been drafted by the Nationals before Konstantinovsky, five Knights were drafted by the organization when they were still the Montreal Expos. These five include RHP Jason Bergmann, shortstop Tim Sweeney, LHP Darrin Winston, infielder Ted Ciesla and outfielder Darrin Kotch.

This is the fifth straight year that Rutgers baseball has had at least two players drafted in the MLB draft. Konstantinovsky is the 13th player to be drafted to the MLB during head coach Steve Owen’s tenure, being the sixth former Rutgers pitcher to have their name called over that time.

Major League Baseball’s annual celebration of dingers has arrived with the 2026 Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Eight of the game’s top sluggers will swing for the fences on Monday night, all hoping to be crowned the 2026 champion.

The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are the headliners in this year’s derby at their home ballpark. Schwarber has never won the derby but Harper did back in 2018, his last year in Washington, at Nationals Park. This is the two-time MVP’s first appearance since.

The other hitters in the field are Ben Rice (Yankees), Junior Caminero (Rays), Jordan Walker (Cardinals), Wilson Contreras (Red Sox), Munetaka Murakami (White Sox) and Jac Caglianone (Royals).

Stay tuned for live updates:

Home Run Derby scoreboard: First round

Top four advance, longest home run is tiebreaker

• Willson Contreras, Red Sox – 13 home runs (longest: 490 feet)
• Jordan Walker, Cardinals – 13 HR (470')
• Jac Caglianone, Royals – 8 HR (477')
• Munetaka Murakami, White Sox- 9 HR (466')
• Ben Rice, Yankees – 7 HR (443')
• Junior Caminero, Rays – 12 HR (487')
• Kyle Schwarber, Phillies– 10 HR (461')
• Bryce Harper, Phillies

Kyle Schwarber – 10 home runs

Hometown hero Kyle Schwarber leads MLB in home runs at the All-Star break, but failed to homer on his first five swings. He found a groove and ended up with 10, hitting some absolute bombs at the ballpark he calls home.

Junior Caminero – 12 home runs

Last year's runner-up, the 23-year-old Caminero lost out to Cal Raleigh in Atlanta in 2025. He hit 12 in his first round tonight, one short of the leaders but has likely booked himself a spot in the next round.

479 feet and 478 feet on back-to-back swings from Junior Caminero! #HRDerbypic.twitter.com/26Y5Et15o8

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

Ben Rice – 7 home runs

Ben Rice was the fifth batter up in the Home Run Derby and posted the lowest total of anybody so far, finishing his round with seven homers and a longest of 443 feet.

The Yankees slugger enters the All-Star Break with 29 home runs, third in MLB behind Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez.

Munetaka Murakami – 9 home runs

Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami had a decent round, clubbing nine home runs at Citizens Bank Park.

Majestic swing from Mune 😎 pic.twitter.com/xOoWCTrcfI

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

Jac Caglianone – 8 home runs

Royals slugger Jac Caglianone follows Walker and Contreras, swinging for the short porch in right field at Citizens Bank Park. He ended his round with eight home runs and a longest of 477.

Jac Caglianone to the UPPER DECK 😱 pic.twitter.com/ORKc3ZEIRu

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

Jordan Walker – 13 home runs

Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is the second hitter of the night, hitting three home runs on his first four swings.

Walker got tired as his round went on, but ended up tying Contreras with 13 homers, the longest traveling 470 feet.

Willson Contreras - 13 home runs

Boston's Willson Contreras was the first hitter of the night, crushing seven homers on his first 10 swings.

Contreras ended his round with 13 home runs on his allotted 20 swings, setting the bar high incredibly high for the rest of the field. His longest home run of the round was 490 feet.

Willson Contreras on 3 consecutive swings:

482 feet
487 feet
470 feet pic.twitter.com/NV6YvrMzgD

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

National anthem and introductions in Philly

The eight participants in this year's Home Run Derby have entered the ring (literally), with Bryce Harper hyping the fans in his home ballpark.

Bryce Harper wants you to know that the @TMobile#HRDerby is ABOUT TO START 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/x4K6W5Ezor

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2026

Judging by most statistics, Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler has been the best pitcher in the American League this season. The 25-year-old leads the league in ERA (2.05), pitching WAR (4.1) and WHIP (0.944), and he’s second in innings pitched with 118.2.

And while Schlittler is in Philadelphia for this week’s All-Star Game festivities, he will not pitch during the game, a decision he came to recently to focus on the second half of the season. 

Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease will start for the American League instead, with that announcement coming prior to Schlittler making his own decision.

“I think the plan from a month ago or so was to throw, especially if I was able to start,” Schlittler said during his media availability on Monday. “I felt confident with how I felt in Tampa after my start, felt confident in my recovery coming into Washington. 

“I threw and I kind of sat there like it’s a long season, I’ve thrown a lot of innings so far, we’ve had a few injuries (to the rotation) already, and just didn’t want to risk the chance of feeling a little bit dragged after if I were to go out there on two days rest and try to throw 100 miles per hour. 

“So, again just trying to put myself and the team first. We’ve got bigger aspirations for the season.”

The Yankees are currently 3.0 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, but they own the first Wild Card spot and appear to be in a pretty comfortable position to make the postseason, especially given how the American League has struggled overall (The 48-49 Seattle Mariners currently hold the third and final playoff spot). 

So Schlittler will take in all the All-Star Game festivities from the sidelines, but the moment is certainly not lost on him.

“I think it will probably sink in tomorrow during the game, or maybe just after, just realizing how fortunate I am to be in this position,” he said.

“I think the biggest thing is just meeting all of the guys,” he later added. “I’ve only been up here for a year now and the best players in the league are here, so it will be really good to talk to them, pick their brains and see what I can learn and just enjoy it and watch the fun happen.”

Schlittler’s rise to the top of the American League has been meteoric. He started last season in Double-A and pitched just five games at the Triple-A level before getting the call to the majors. 

Now he’s among the best in the game, and he’s not looking back.

“[The Yankees] gave me an opportunity,” Schlittler said, “and I just kind of ran with it.”

At its core, the Home Run Derby is a vibes event. Eight large men try to hit a baseball extremely far, we “ooooh and ahhhh” at the majestic dingers. You do not need Statcast to enjoy it. That said, the past few years there has been an alternative Statcast broadcast to focus on bat speed, launch angle, barrel rates and so much more. So, I decided to fill the void and create a Statcast preview of tonight’s long ball festivities in Philadelphia.

Cubs fans in particular have some old friends to cheer for tonight. Kyle Schwarber will look to avenge his 2018 Home Run Derby appearance when Bryce Harper (also in tonight’s field) just edged him out on some, shall we say questionable batting practice pitches given the timing rules. Schwarber already has an MLB leading 32 home runs on the 2026 campaign and this will be his third Home Run Derby appearance. He’ll be up against another 2016 Cubs hero, Willson Contreras. Contreras is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career in Boston slashing .285/.379/.542 with 20 home runs so far in the 2026 campaign.

But today I want to dig a little deeper than hometown legends and slash lines to see who has the edge in a stacked Derby field that will see Schwarber and Contreras joined by the Rays Junior Caminero (second appearance), Harper (third appearance), the Cardinals Jordan Walker (first appearance), the White Sox’ Munetaka Murakami (first appearance), the Royals Jac Caglianone (first appearance) and the Yankees Ben Rice (first appearance). It does seem worth caveating that Murakami stands out among the first-timers with 246 career home runs in NPB before joining the White Sox this season. But that’s besides the point, there will be bombs in Philadelphia tonight and Statcast can tell us a bit about who has the edge in different categories.

The bat-speed monsters

Junior Caminero owns the field’s top average bat speed, with Jordan Walker sitting right behind him. You can see how the field stacks up in terms of average bat speed below:

Walker and Caminero are both in the 100th-percentile bat-speed leaguewide. Caglianone is right behind them at the 97th percentile with Schwarber and Contreras both in the 96th percentile. Bat speed isn’t everything, but in a competition aimed at hitting home runs, having a quick swing can certainly be a difference maker. It also probably helps on the endurance side of the derby to have experience swinging hard most of the time, which Caminero, Walker, Caglianone, Schwarber, Contreras and Murakami all do (although there is a big difference between taking a maximum swing 55.34% of the time vs. 88.22% of the time).

PLAKATA!

Then there is the question of how frequently these players hit a blast, or as Marquee Sports Network’s Carlos Peña might say, “PLAKATA!” Blast is Statcast’s metric for a ball where there was a fast swing and squared up contact:

During the 2024 season, 10% of competitive swings and 27% of batted balls across the Major Leagues qualified as blasts.

The value for hitters on blasts vs. non-blasts was about as large as you can get.

Blasts (i.e., squared-up contact with a high swing speed)

• .563 BA // 1.182 SLG // .727 wOBA
• 103.5 mph exit velocity // 99.9% hard-hit rate // 28% barrel rate
• +34 run value per 100 pitches

Non-blast batted balls

• .231 BA // .295 SLG // .225 wOBA
• 84.1 mph exit velocity // 17% hard-hit rate // 0.7% barrel rate
• -5 run value per 100 pitches

Obviously the Home Run Derby is batting practice, so there’s less pressure to hit, say, a Hunter Greene 100 MPH fastball as a blast. However, it does seem intuitive that having a higher blast rate in a game situation would likely translate to a better ability to hit blasts in a practice situation. I resorted the above table by % Blast by Swing and Caminero is still number one in MLB, followed by Walker at nine, Caglianone at 10, Rice at 25, Murakami at 39, Contreras at 57, Harper at 65 and Schwarber at 73.

A Barrel of Dingers

Blasts aren’t the only way to measure elite contact, though. Part of the Home Run Derby game is elevating the ball and squaring up contact. The way to measure that is Statcast’s barrel rate. As a reminder, barrels are defined by MLB as:

The Barrel classification is assigned to batted-ball events whose comparable hit types (in terms of exit velocity and launch angle) have led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage since Statcast was implemented Major League wide in 2015.

But similar to how Quality Starts have generally yielded a mean ERA much lower than the baseline of 4.50, the average Barrel has produced a batting mark and a slugging percentage significantly higher than .500 and 1.500, respectively. During the 2016 regular season, balls assigned the Barreled classification had a batting average of .822 and a 2.386 slugging percentage.

To be Barreled, a batted ball requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner Barreled classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands.

Below you can see the Home Run Derby contestants sorted by barrel rate, including their MLB rank by barrel rate in the final column:

By this metric, Murakami and Schwarber rise to the top of the field, with Rice, Caglianone, Contreras, Walker and Caminero all squarely in the 85th percentile and above in all of baseball. If the name of the game is hitting the ball hard, in the air, it would seem that Murakami and Schwarber may be the favorites to come out on top of a stacked field.

Wild Cards

That said, baseball is always going to baseball so I’m sure some elements of our expectations will be tested. The two biggest wild cards in this year’s Home Run Derby are the changes to the format and the pitchers throwing batting practice.

The format this year will not have a timer and players will get a finite number of swings, per MLB:

Eight players will still make up the field, same as in years past. But instead of trying to hit as many homers as they can during timed rounds, participants will start each round with a finite number of swings: 20 in Round 1, 15 in Round 2 and 15 again in the final round.

All swings will count against a player’s swing allotment, whether it results in a homer or not. However, a player who homers on his final swing of a round can keep swinging until he doesn’t hit one out.

The lack of a timer could alleviate some of the endurance issues that have haunted players who hit a large number of home runs early, or found themselves in a tie in the early rounds, only to fade later. It also means you have to be prepared to rake, right away.

Finally, one of the biggest variables in the Derby has always been having a pitcher who can throw you balls in your personal sweet spot over and over again. One of the reasons Pete Alonso was so excellent in his Home Run Derby appearances (aside from being built for the event and prodigious power) was Dave Jauss doing an excellent job throwing to him. You can hear Jauss talk about that below:

As Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs noted, having Jauss throw batting practice to the perfect human specimen for Derby multiple times was probably at least part of the reason for Alonso’s success in the Derby:

As I noted last year, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Alonso seems built for this competition, stepping into the box looking loose and operating at maximum efficiency in an event where efficiency is underappreciated. Some credit for that is almost certainly owed to Mets bench coach Dave Jauss, his pitcher, who consistently puts the ball in his wheelhouse. Alonso always appears to understand exactly what he needs to do to win, whereas others step into the box thinking, “I’ll try Plan A, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try Plan B…” by which point it’s too late, at least in this unforgiving draw. In both the semifinals and finals last year, Alonso needed far less than the allotted time to win.

Whatever transpires in Philadelphia tonight, I expect there will be a lot of joy and spectacle. Whether your turn of phrase as the ball sails over the fence is BOOMSTICK!, PLAKATA!, BOMBSKI!, or some other moniker, it should be an awesome show to remember tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

There will be a “game thread” here for the Home Run Derby. It will post at 6 p.m. CT and the event begins at 7 p.m. CT.

Welcome to the All-Star break edition of the Crawfish Boil. We have a lot of Astros info to get through today.

First, the Astros roster moves and pending returning players:

The Burrows news is concerning, as this is the second time in the past month the Astros have optioned a player to Triple-A, only to unwind that option and place them on the IL. This also recently happened with P Kai-Wei Teng. It is somewhat disturbing that a team that has had the challenges the Astros have had when it comes to their medical staff has now effectively missed two separate injuries to pitchers. It does make you wonder how long this has gone on and how much impact it has had on Burrow’s effectiveness.

Santa’s demotion would indicate that a pitcher is scheduled to be reinstated from IL after the break. It is possible that pitcher is Bennett Sousa. The Astros transferred the rehab assignment for Sousa to the FCL Astros today, allowing him to continue working through the break.

Pitchers Lance McCullers Jr., Ronel Blanco, and Hayden Wesneski are all also soon to return to the major league roster.

Blanco started for Triple-A Sugar Land yesterday. He threw 68 pitches, 44 for strikes. He went 4.1IP scoreless, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, but did not strike out a batter. His velocities across the board are in line with his career norms. Outside of not striking out any batters, it was a solid outing for Blanco. My expectation at this time is he would have one more start at Sugar Land (75-80 pitch target) and then be reinstated.

Hayden Wesneski started for Sugar Land on Saturday, going 4.2IP and only allowing 1 run. He gave up 5 hits and struck out 7 without walking a batter. He threw 45 of his 61 pitches for strikes. Wesneski’s velocities are also in line with his career norms, and he flashed 95+ MPH on his 4 seam several times. If he can get to 75 pitches in his next appearance, he could also be ready for reinstatement to the major league roster after one more rehab start.

It’s a very positive sign for both Blanco and Wesneski that their velocities are in line with their pre-injury numbers, considering the notable drops from Lance McCullers, Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia in the recent past.

It should also be noted that Ethan Pecko, the Astros #6 rated prospect and PCL Pitcher of the Month for June, has struggled badly in his last 3 appearances. Since June 30th, in 2 starts and one 3 inning relief appearance, Pecko gone 11IP, surrendered 13 ER on 14 H including 3 HR, and walked 4 while striking out 9. Pecko had a brilliant April, struggled badly in May, was terrific in June, and is now struggling again in July. That inconsistency is likely to prevent him from being called up anytime soon barring an emergency.

Joe Espada’s Hot Seat

It is no secret that manager Joe Espada’s job is on the line in Houston. He has no contract after this season, and owner Jim Crane has been mum on both his future and that of GM Dana Brown. Espada has had to deal with more injuries than his two predecessors (Dusty Baker and AJ Hinch) did, but the expectation in Houston doesn’t change. This team is expected to win.

Longtime MLB reporter/insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted this in his most recent column discussing managers on the hot seat:

Joe Espada: This is Espada’s third year with the Houston Astros. They have yet to win a postseason game, failing to make the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016. Simply, the Astros have to at least make the playoffs, if not play deep into October, for Espada to survive.

No Need to Ask About Hader

Also from Bob Nightengale on Sunday:

Remember Josh Hader? He’s back to being one of the finest closers in the game. Hader has appeared in 15 games for the Astros since debuting after opening the season on the IL, and he has given up just two hits and one run in 15 innings, striking out 24. He’s perfect in all nine of his save opportunities and generating a stunning 43.8% chase rate. Hader, who is in the third year of a five-year, $95 million contract, is not available in trade talks.

Change in the Trade Winds?

While GM Dana Brown has publicly stated his primary objective at the deadline is to find a LH hitting OF with power, perhaps that sentiment is changing.

It has previously been suggested by the author of this column that the team’s focus should be pitching, especially starting pitching.

According to Bob Nightengale, that may be the current case for the team as well:

The Astros, who have gone 26-19 since May 21, desperately want another starter. Their rotation is yielding a 5.29 ERA, second-worst in MLB.

The Astros are 4th in the AL in runs scored (despite an outfield that has produced little offensively), but they have allowed the third most runs. Pitching has been their Achilles heel all season. It has been the biggest reason why the team has been unable to get a true hot streak going and rattle off a significant winning streak/stretch. The pitching is simply not strong enough to sustain that kind of streak. It further stresses the impressive nature of the team’s resiliency that it has crawled back closer to .500 by grinding out series wins despite the erratic nature of it’s pitching.

The Dodgers limped into the All-Star break with only two wins in their final six games at home. All three games against the Rockies were decided by a run and the Dodgers won two, but then they were swept by the Diamondbacks.

Batter of the week

Shohei Ohtani did not pitch this week, as he’s getting treatment on his left knee. But he did hit four more home runs, accounting for 80 percent of the Dodgers team total.

Pitcher of the week

Justin Wrobleski lasted seven innings yet again and struck out nine against the Rockies on Tuesday, then was named an All-Star on Saturday.

Week 16 results

2-4 record
23 runs scored (3.83 per game)
37 runs allowed (6.17 per game)
.295 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

61-36 record
506 runs scored (5.22 per game)
357 runs allowed (3.68 per game)
.654 pythagorean win percentage (63-34)

Miscellany

This is Shohei!“On Tuesday against Colorado, Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th career home run.

Transactions

Monday: Pitcher Carlos Durán was added to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City (where he was already pitching), and catcher Chuckie Robinson was designated for assignment.

Monday: Right-hander Evan Phillips was activated off the 60-day IL. Paul Gervase was optioned, and Jake Eder was released.

Tuesday: Robinson cleared waivers and was sent outright to Oklahoma City.

Saturday: After Friday’s bullpen game, Landon Knack was called up for coverage, activated off the 60-day injured list. A struggling Kyle Hurtwas optioned, and Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 8, Rockies 7 (11 innings)
• Tuesday: Rockies 4, Dodgers 3
• Wednesday: Dodgers 4, Rockies 3
• Friday: D-backs 9, Dodgers 3
• Saturday: D-backs 9, Dodgers 2
• Sunday: D-backs 5, Dodgers 3

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | no reviews for Weeks 14-15

Up next

The All-Star break is upon us. Dave Roberts and his coaching staff are headed to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game, with Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages in the National League starting lineup plus pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski available to pitch. Shohei Ohtani won’t make the trip to Philadelphia after getting treatment on his left knee.

After true off days Wednesday and Thursday, the Dodgers open up a nine-game road trip next Friday in the Bronx, taking on the New York Yankees, finishing off the Frtiz Peterson gauntlet.

The following essay is a True Blue LA Special Comment, an op-ed containing the analysis and opinions of Associate Editor Michael Elizondo. Said views are his own and do not represent the views of True Blue LA, SB Nation, Vox Media, or any other subsidiary.

Seeing Game 7 at Rogers Centre was one of the highlights of my life. After basking in the championship afterglow and finishing mandated copy on Yoshinobu Yamamoto winning MVP, I had a single, disquieting thought before drifting off to sleep for a quick nap before my return flight to San Francisco, which sat on the tarmac for three hours.

“Oh God, I’m going to have to revisit “The Useful Idiots,” aren’t I…”

When the Dodgers were victorious in arguably the greatest single game in history, the vibes were immaculate, unless you were a Toronto Blue Jays fan. As I have gotten older, a hard truth has emerged. The Dodgers are sometimes a hard organization to love. Children and dogs can love things unconditionally with their whole heart. Adults gain the wisdom to know better.

For every win, like fulfilling the pledge to immigrants affected by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) or Pride Night; there’s a baffling own-goal, be it the Gondola, concrete falling on patrons at Dodger Stadium, how it treats its tour guides, ongoing issues with stadium security, a $70 Ohtani souvenir soda cup, or the subject we must reluctantly address today.

This topic is one that one might try to shunt into the lens of politics. This story is not about politics; we are not debating environmental, infrastructure, or tax policy. We are not talking about reproductive health, or jobs, or any of the big issues for which we use sport as a balm. Today, at this story’s core, we discuss simple morality.

Many of us who attain what we may and forget those who help us along the line, we’ve got to remember that there are so many others to pull along the way. The farther they go, the further we all go.*

This story has clear, bright lines between right and wrong. If you want to pretend otherwise, I believe it is beyond my or this website’s ability to help you. I am proudly intolerant of fascism or those supporting fascism.

Like a shoe that finally dropped, the Dodgers confirmed on July 9th what they had announced six months earlier. Edward Lewis of the California Post confirmed the story that the team was returning to Washington, D.C., on the July 23rd off day after the Philadelphia series to visit President Donald Trump and celebrate the 2025 World Series title.

To understand the self-inflicted controversy, we return to the beginning of the year to refresh our collective memory.

In January, Dave Roberts said the quiet part out loud

On January 31, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Timesasked Dave Roberts at Dodgers FanFest whether the team would accept a likely forthcoming invitation to attend the White House in 2026. Roberts could have said nothing, made no comment, or even deferred Shaikin’s question.

To Roberts’ marginal credit, he ripped the bandage off and said the quiet part out loud when he said the following:

“For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager,” Roberts told [Shaikin on January 31st] at the Dodgers’ fan festival. “That’s my job.”

“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”

Based on previous statements, one would have expected Stan “You can’t separate me from the players” Kasten to agree, but he somehow had enough sense to read the room and told Shaikin, “I don’t have any news for you on that [subject].”

Mr. Shaikin’s article continued, arguing that Jackie Robinson’s team should not dignify this administration by posing for another photo op. I generally agree, but I would be remiss not to point out that this ship has already sailed and hit the figurative iceberg last year.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and frankly, those thousand words are not very good. For anyone claiming that so-and-so has virtue and so-and-so does not, you need only look at last year’s photos.

As if Roberts’ declaration was not bad enough, Jack Harris of the California Post reported on February 4 that the White House had confirmed the Dodgers’ visit, but the date was to be determined.

On February 6, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times largely repeated the unsuccessful entreaty that his former colleague, Dylan Hernandez, made last year: the organization that prides itself on being the team of Jackie Robinson should say thanks, but no thanks.

In the wake of Thursday’s White House confirmation that the Dodgers will be making the traditional champions visit there this spring, somebody needs to send a clear message to President Trump.

“No.”…

…No, after basking in the adulation of 4 million diverse neighbors every summer, the players will not turn their backs on these people while the government continues to round them up despite no criminal history.

This isn’t about asking pro athletes to be politicians. This is about asking them to be people.

On July 9, Plaschke repeated the argument, this time focusing on Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center.

Madera, a die-hard Dodgers fan, hasn’t attended a game since last summer’s ICE raids because he’s lost faith in the Dodgers’ connection with the Los Angeles community.

He says this latest news of a second White House visit only frays that connection further.

“It’s very disappointing to hear that our team is going to shake the hand of a person who has sent so much hate and terror into our community,” he said. “Thousands of families in our city live in fear … we can’t stand for what’s going on.”

Madera said the Dodgers need to remember who they are.

“The Dodgers bring so much joy to our community, but a large part of their fan base is the immigrant community, and they need to stand with us,” he said. “It’s very disappointing that they’re not, and we need to hold them accountable.”

Needless to say, if appealing to the better angels of the Dodgers’ nature did not work in 2025, one would imagine even less success from doing so in 2026. After all, the only players who did not attend were those injured at the time, such as Freddie Freeman, who was supposed to give an introductory speech delivered by now-retired Clayton Kershaw, and Brusdar Graterol.

Dave Roberts: 2019 to 2025 to Now

If one has not been paying attention, Dave Roberts’ statements about going to the White House have changed since the summer of 2019. Before the 2019 All-Star Break, Roberts was asked by Andy McCullough, then of the Los Angeles Times, on the eve of the All-Star Game, whether the Dodgers would visit the White House if the team hypothetically prevailed in the 2019 World Series.

The question was not unreasonable, as the 2019 team had the league’s best record and was coming off back-to-back unsuccessful World Series appearances. Roberts indicated that “it was unlikely” that he would go to the White House in this hypothetical situation.

“We have to win it first. But one trip to D.C., playing the Nationals, is plenty for me.”

At the time, Roberts’ hypothetical decision was framed as one of principle. Hindsight is not kind to these interactions. In 2018, then-President Trump criticized Roberts by name for his decision-making, posting on Twitter after Rich Hill was removed from Game 4 of the 2018 World Series.

At the time, Roberts deflected the issue, but with McCullogh, he elaborated on the kerfuffle further:

“There’s no benefit to responding to an irresponsible tweet irresponsibly, or ignorantly. So, I guess it’s one of those ‘consider the source’-type things. Which is sad, because that’s the leader of our country. That I have to say, ‘Consider the source.’ It’s sad.”

Needless to say, Dave Roberts’ decisions in the 2019 NLDS against the Washington Nationals made all of the above hypotheticals moot. Never forget in a world with no three-batter minimum and Adam Kolarek solely being used to get Juan Soto, the following happened:

One would wonder whether the delay from the initial announcement to now would have colored Roberts’ view at all. Roberts answered that question himself when speaking to the media on July 10:

“This [visit] took a long time to get both sides together, and honestly, like I’ve always said, my company line, my personal line is: I hope that we get this invitation every year, because that’s the goal – to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House. I’m not a politician, and I’m doing something that teams have done for decades. So that’s where I stand, really. I’m a baseball coach. That’s what I do.”

[Emphasis added.]

From “unlikely” in 2019 to “it’s not political” in 2025 to “I’m not a politician…I’m a baseball coach” now. The principle Roberts mentions now would seem to apply in 2019, but if one is posing as someone who benefits from personal pique, one wonders what the truth is now or then. To paraphrase a great man, in the end, what I believe does not matter; what matters is what he does.*

Lie down with dogs, get fleas…

All bets were off once the Dodgers publicly bent the knee to a burgeoning autocrat by folding faster than Superman on laundry day last year. My rule of thumb is that once someone proves themselves an objective coward, it is folly to expect otherwise.

Once you lie down with dogs, you likely have fleas until you go through the effort of washing them off. The Dodgers organization made a dog’s breakfast of it last April. Ceding the moral high ground makes the exercise of pretending to be Jackie Robinson’s organization shallow. As I wrote last year:

At some point, silence becomes complicity. Saying that you are not being political becomes complicity. If the act we discuss is evil enough, there is no excuse for silence. Pretending that everything is normal in times like these is a political choice.

There are times when the Dodgers have completely muffed it when it comes to doing the right thing. Glenn Burke was one case. Phil Ortega was another. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, the team desperately wanted a Mexican star to identify with the fanbase. They latched onto Ortega, who was Native American, not Mexican. Buzzie Bavasi once was quoted as saying he “could have scalped” Ortega when telling Vin Scully on the radio that he was not Mexican.

The Dodgers did their level best to pretend nothing was wrong on Jackie Robinson Day last year, and even the team and the league were trying to whitewash Robinson’s legacy. Before the game, NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not hold back, as reported by Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register:

[The Trump administration’s efforts to purge DEI programs (diversity, equality and inclusion)] makes Tuesday’s recognition of Robinson throughout baseball even more important, Abdul-Jabbar said.

“I think it’s absolutely important,” he said. “Trump wants to get rid of DEI. And I think it’s just a ruse to discriminate. So I’m glad that we do things like this, to let everybody in the country know what’s important. They also tried to get rid of (abolitionist and social activist) Harriet Tubman. But that didn’t work. There was just uproar about that. But you have to take that into consideration when we think about what’s going on today.”

At the time, Roberts attempted to defend the Dodgers’ 2025 White House visit by arguing the two events were separate, which rings quite hollow given the history. Once again, from Mr. Plunkett:

“This is not a one-day situation,” Roberts said. “It’s Jackie Robinson’s day for breaking the color barrier, but this is like an everyday sort of mindset, appreciation.”…

“I don’t personally view it as talking out of both sides of our mouth,” he said. “I understand how people feel that way. But I do think that supporting our country, staying unified, aligned, is what I believe in personally. I just believe in doing things the right way and I think people are going to have their opinions on what we did last week but I do know that we all stand unified and we all have different stories and backgrounds and economic, political beliefs. But I was proud that we all stood together.”

In fact, the only person connected to the Dodgers to even try to acknowledge Robinson’s actual legacy was the people’s champion, announcer Stephen Nelson.

For what it’s worth, Nelson and Jessica Mendoza did something novel in this fact-less, truth-less age; they calmly discussed the history of what happened and why Robinson was important. Thankfully, the schedule conflict this year made such awkwardness for 2026’s Jackie Robinson Day impossible.

Deferred no longer

Some likely forgot about the agreed-upon trip. No one ever canceled it or said that it was not going to happen. On the last off day before the All-Star Break, the visit was confirmed. Dave Roberts added that “I’m sure a lot of guys are going to participate and be there,” Roberts said. “This is an individual choice, but I do expect a lot of our guys to be there.”

The team made the following statement after the announcement of the confirmation:

As was the case one year ago, the Dodgers’ upcoming visits to the White House and Capitol Hill follow the longtime tradition of visits by other World Series champions. We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.

Members of the team apparently have an out if they wish, and there is the fierce urgency of now to do the right thing. So far, only Kiké Hernández and Mookie Betts have announced that they will pass on the festivities. Hernández has been nursing an injured oblique and posted on Instagram that he wouldn’t be going on the day of the announcement before deleting his post. Hernández was the only active Dodger to speak up last year, on the eve of ICE’s attempt to use Dodger Stadium as a staging ground for raids in Los Angeles.

On July 11, Betts announced to Jack Harris of the California Post that he wasn’t going to go, and was straightforward about his desire to spend time with his family, rather than make a political statement:

“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal. We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming [on the road trip]. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff….

…If I do [go], people are gonna hate me. If I don’t, people are gonna hate me,” he said. “So instead of trying to make everyone else happy, I’m gonna think about myself and my family.”

Betts reiterated that his thinking was not politically motivated, but acknowledged “people are gonna try to drag me into politics, just because I am who I am.”

“That’s just the cards I’m dealt,” he said. “So it is what it is.”

Valid criticism is not hate, but fair enough.

Last year, the organization’s actions spoke volumes, even though the general tone of my plea was for everyone not to go. At first glance, it appears that this year the best anyone can hope for is a piecemeal response.

It’s a frustrating situation because of the team’s diverse ethnicities. One of many diverse backgrounds, a team was forged with the ultimate goal of defending the title. It may be hokey to remember E pluribus unum — out of many, one. If the players wanted to take a stand for World Series hero and likely-future manager Miguel Rojas, considering what this administration has done to his homeland of Venezuela, now would be a good time.

The thing about authoritarian regimes? Shocker, they and their lickspittles don’t like the word “no.” Joe Concha and his fellow panelists ripped Hernández for his opting out of the trip, dismissing his contributions to last year’s championship run, unfavorably comparing him to Freddie Freeman.

First, the stupidity, ignorance, and incompetence of this administration and its corporate defenders are their defining features. For anyone not indoctrinated or trapped in a well since late October 2025, if Hernández had not been playing left field in Game 6, there is a good chance there would have been no Game 7 last year.

Never mind that Hernández has played in every Dodgers’ World Series appearance since 1988, which is five series now and counting.

Second, Mr. Concha makes an unintentional point. Hernández may not move the needle of public opinion outside of the Dodgers community, but Shohei Ohtani would. Last year, I largely gave the Japanese contingent of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki a pass for going along with the tide. But the trio of Japanese nationals has spent a year playing and/or living in Los Angeles.

Even with a language barrier, they have eyes.

Ohtani is a fan of the hit anime and manga One Piece. To put this visit in One Piece terms, imagine if Monkey D. Luffy buddied up with Saint Charlos of the Celestial Dragons at their first meeting, which is the total opposite of what actually happened. This moment served as the turning point in the ongoing story, transforming a tale of goofy goobers adventuring into one with actual consequences.

I understand that Ohtani is the goofiest goober who ever goobered with thoughts of his dog, his wife, his children, and of being the undisputed GOAT of baseball, running in a loop in his head. Presumably, though, someone in his circle (be it his wife, his agent, translator Will Ireton, Yamamoto) has enough sense to say, “There is literally anything else we could be doing right now, so we are going to rest up for the stretch run.” This essay is an entreaty to that slim hope.

Just in the past week, President Trump blamed “the Islamic Republic of Japan” for attacks in the Middle East in an illegal war he started, causing justifiable anger and exasperation back in Japan. If the three of you wanted to stand up for your countrymen, now would be an excellent time, given your pride in playing for Samurai Japan.

Why Honor Matters

I will concede a point that Roberts made: yes, under normal circumstances, a White House visit, by definition, isn’t controversial. These are not normal times. To say otherwise is to admit having staggering ignorance or almost clinical self-delusion.

Based on everything above, if kowtowing to this administration was unforgivable in 2025, it is even more so now. I could easily triple the length of this essay with the unforgivable sins of this administration just in the past year, the past six months (because 95% of this feature was written four months ago before the illegal Iran war, or the Freedom250 debacle, or corruption relating to the Kennedy Center or the Reflecting Pool, the attempts to ignore the plain meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment, to firing all the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, among other things) on both domestic and international matters, including the effective, ongoing occupation of Venezuela.

For starters, there is the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which funded an extra $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), essentially creating a paramilitary goon squad. In 2026, ICE has a budget of about $85 billion, and, per National Public Radio, $45 billion of that is allocated to expand its immigration detention system. Based on these figures, ICE has a larger budget than that of all but the militaries of five countries on Earth.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last June that the agency could hold up to 100,000 people in custody daily. By comparison, the federal Bureau of Prisons currently holds over 153,000 inmates. So far in 2026, ICE has spent about half a billion dollars for warehouses in five states to serve as de facto concentration camps that went online in April, in the largest creation of a prison camp since the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War.

Spend a bunch of money on a goon squad and de facto concentration camps, and surprise, you get a goon squad and de facto concentration camps.

In this environment, the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the abduction of five-year-old Liam Ramos are entirely foreseeable and predictable overreaches of government power, resulting in the ongoing abductions in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and elsewhere. Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva of The Guardianon January 28, 2026, aptly summarized the situation:

In 2025, [the Department of Homeland Security] DHS reported a “historic” surge in deportations, gleefully noting that it had removed over 622,000 people from the US. During the same period, 32 people died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, which marked the deadliest year for the agency in its over two decades of operation. In January 2026 alone, at least nine people have been killed directly by DHS or died in their custody. Additionally, an October 2025 investigation revealed a pattern of sexual assault and forced labour targeting transgender and queer detainees at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.

[emphasis added.]

It’s only gotten worse since I first researched this story. In response, the Dodgers gave $1.1 million to groups in Los Angeles in response to all of the above horror.

And still, they go. It was important enough to divest from ICE and pay to help those in need, but it’s still important enough to sidle up to those holding ICE’s strings and causing the harm?

Never mind, this administration is far weaker and needs the positive PR far more than the Dodgers need a pat on the head. However, the above conduct is not apparently disqualifying for the Dodgers to embrace by visiting the White House. Hence, the Useful Idiots Revisited.

Again, it’s not a question of politics. Establishment opposition members like Charles Schumer of New York and Adam Schiff of California are more likely to write a concerned social media post rather than use the limited parliamentary tools at their disposal to try and slow, much less stop, this horrible train or fight on anyone’s behalf.

Do I expect another sad photo-op with Senator Schiff and Dave Roberts in 2026, as if that act makes what the Dodgers did okay? I suppose, but it doesn’t really matter.

And as this essay was originally being prepared, the administration has stooped even lower with its appeals to racism by stifling dissent by picking fights with American Olympic athletes, having federal agents confront citizen critics, and the detention of journalists in the United States.

Purely on a sports level, every team that embraces this administration faceplants in almost comedically predictable fashion. The New York Knicks invited President Trump to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, snarling traffic for hours. The Knicks lost their only game of the series. President Trump bragged about intervening with FIFA on the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team’s behalf, torching the goodwill generated by the tournament almost instantaneously, and of course, the team got eliminated in almost comedic fashion in short order.

To paraphrase a great man, “Baseball, like some other sports, poses as a sacred institution dedicated to the public good, but it is actually a big, selfish business with a ruthlessness that many big businesses would never think of displaying.”*

With all the above as a prelude, Dave Roberts’ declaration is wrong. Whether he and other players who parrot this line are wrong out of ignorance or complicity is an open question for their respective consciences.

Respecting the highest office in our country only makes sense if the person in that office is honorable under normal circumstances. It does matter who is in the nation’s highest office when all norms that enable the best ideals of this country are being shredded in the face of rapidly encroaching authoritarianism.

When law-abiding citizens are being abducted or shot in the street with impunity, there is no law. There is no point in adhering to norms when doing so allows fascism to further entrench itself. To paraphrase one of cinema’s coldest lines, if the norm led you to this moment, what use was the norm?

If the Dodgers want to continue betraying the ideals Dave Roberts professes to adhere to in another act of grievous self-sabotage, that’s on them and everyone involved. The people of Los Angeles and those who love this team do not have to take this, in both figurative and literal terms, lying down.

Life is not a spectator sport*

I dreaded this story for a single personal reason, apart from any potential threat to my health or livelihood. Last year’s betrayal by the Dodgers should have been a personal dealbreaker.

If we are being honest, if you were sickened by what happened because of last year’s visit, got angry, and then kept watching as if nothing had happened, you are not alone, because that behavior is what the organization was counting on. However, I compromised, held my nose, explained it away, and carried on.

The Dodgers collectively bent their knee to an incompetent, racist, authoritarian, and that failure did not prevent me from following the Dodgers around three different countries on two different continents or visiting Dodger Stadium in 2025.

As if on cue, the Dodgers dropped the carrot of 24 bobblehead nights as if that act would serve as a balm that somehow excuses another monstrous lapse in behavior. I love Dodger away bobbleheads as much as the next person, especially as someone who saw Game 7 of the 2025 World Series in person, but no more half measures.

There are things one should not compromise, and in the name of mild cowardice and expediency in 2025, I did. To be fair, most people buckle under a true test of their principles.

I can’t speak for you, nor do I have the right.

But me personally, yes, I was wrong.

I apologize. I am ashamed of my complicity. That failure is something I have had to live with, grapple with, and try to do better. However, to paraphrase a great man, there’s no American in this country who’s free until every one of us is free.*

The thing with mistakes, though, is that if one avoids the sunk cost fallacy, the best time to fix a mistake is well before it happens; the second-best time to fix it and make amends is right now.

To address the elephant in the room, I do not live in Los Angeles, and I have not for 25 years. I am an out-of-towner whose life took him in a different direction than originally intended. While I may be an outsider, I have nothing to gain and everything to lose by making this appeal. I proceed because it’s the right thing to do.

No one is coming to save us, so let’s save ourselves.

If last year’s appeal to decency did not work, it is time to hit the Dodgers in the pocketbook, where they actually feel it, and keep at it until we get through. If the Dodgers persist in this insult, I call on all Dodgers fans to boycott Dodger Stadium and close your wallets. The dent in the pocketbook is the only way for fans to make their voices heard.

If nothing else, this team is beholden to optics and is quite proud of having brought in over four million fans for the first time last year. If Dodger Stadium is even slightly emptier, that result will show, and the team will likely not repeat its record attendance marks.

I am realistic about this plan’s probability of success. I pleaded with the fans not to enrich Sacramento Athletics owner John Fisher when the Dodgers visited Sacramento earlier this month. And as if on cue, record crowds showed up at Sutter Health Park. The magnetism of Shohei Ohtani was just too great to ignore in Sacramento; c’est la vie.

However, I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.*

I learned a long time ago, you do the right thing because it’s right; not for reward, or glory, but for the continued ability to look yourself in the mirror and know that last inch of yourself. To fight for the core value that is you, which is for you and you alone.

If you, dear reader, feel as I feel, then I encourage you to stay home or, barring that, join me on the road. Personally, being a road fan is infinitely more enjoyable than just visiting Dodger Stadium, but each to their own. After all, showing up elsewhere feeds other teams’ coffers.

There is one more thing you can do to show your protest, and that act, for me, serves as my penance for my failure last year. Various petitions are popping up urging the Dodgers not to go to the White House. While well-meaning, the team will likely continue to ignore these efforts.

During the past year, I have learned that organizations tend to overreact to phone calls and physical letters.

To conclude this essay, I have provided a letter that one can print and mail to the attention of Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Lon Rosen and Vice President, Communications, Jon Weisman, at Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Or one can call 1-866-DODGERS, X9, and recite the letter below. It should fit on a single page, with space on the other side for people to add their own anecdotes if needed.

Now is the time to cause some good trouble.

If you are with me, let us share this essay far and wide, get these letters in the mail, get the word out, and turn up the heat. However, if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government and the Dodgers’ complicity in this matter remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow this essay and the following measures to pass unmarked.

An open letter to the Dodgers

Dear Mr. Rosen, Mr. Weisman, or whomever it may concern:

My name is __________________, and I have been a fan of the Dodgers for many years now. Some of my most important memories are linked to this team, Dodger Stadium, and this city. Being a Dodgers fan is one of the most important things in my life.

On January 31, Manager Dave Roberts announced that he and the Dodgers would attend the White House to meet with President Trump again to celebrate the Dodgers’ repeat as World Champions. What Mr. Roberts and the players who join him do on their own time is up to them and their respective consciences.

It was bad enough, and frankly unforgivable enough, when the Dodgers visited President Trump in 2025, and then turned around to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day as if the organization had not just set its own historic reputation on fire.

Still, I watched games, I spent money, I supported this team.

It should have been a dealbreaker then, but it’s going to be a dealbreaker now.

While we were spared the indignity of another White House visit on Jackie Robinson Day due to scheduling conflicts, this organization has unfortunately decided to set all the goodwill it has earned on fire again, while the team is on the East Coast to start the second half.

This letter strongly urges the Dodgers’ organization as a whole not to dignify this administration. Under normal times, no one would care, and frankly, it would not and should not matter who the president is. A White House visit would be a moment to add to the organization’s scrapbook.

These are not normal times. You denied United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement entry to Dodger Stadium to use the stadium’s parking lots for raids last year. Clearly, you had a reason.

I am mindful that some on the team will happily clap like seals in support of the administration. They must answer to their conscience and their higher power, as applicable.

This administration, this president, is leading the country down the road to fascism. This lawless pack of thieves is doing its best to raid the treasury, abduct and kill our friends and neighbors (both of color and otherwise) at will, while terrorizing the citizens of Los Angeles and elsewhere, and while bringing out the worst in everyone.

The Dodgers as a whole, expressing public support for their fans while serving as useful idiots to this man, is a contradiction I can no longer stomach.

If the Dodgers go to this White House in 2026, I will be gravely disappointed and will be forced to cease financially supporting this team. I will encourage others to stay away as well.

Dodger Stadium is considered one of the jewels of MLB. But my self-respect and doing the right thing are infinitely more valuable than whatever I would spend or do at Dodger Stadium.

If this team cannot see that simple, inalienable truth, then you are truly lost.

To quote Jackie Robinson, whom this team has seemingly forgotten: the most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity. There is no American in this country who’s free until every one of us is free.* If this organization wants to keep enabling those who would hurt, I will take my business elsewhere until this team makes amends to the community that it is both hurting and helping.

The time for contradictions is over. It’s time to make a stand. This organization proclaims itself as an organization for good and celebrates its history and place in the community — it’s time to act like it.

With regards,

___________________

[Author’s Note: Every quotation in this essay marked with an asterisk is a quote from Jackie Robinson.]

The Midsummer Classic is almost here.

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to descend on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, July 14 to mark the 250th anniversary of America's founding. The game is set to air at 8 p.m. on FOX.

USA TODAY Sports wanted to dig a little deeper. Where did it all start for the All-Star Game starters?

Here's a look at the starting lineup for the American League All-Stars, and where they went to high school:

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels CF

High School: Millville Senior (NJ)

Highlights: Trout's career along the Jersey Shore is well documented. Initially a pitcher and a shortstop with Millville Senior, he switched to outfield, where he hit 18 home runs, a New Jersey record at the time. The Los Angeles Angels selected Trout with the 25th overall selection of the 2009 MLB Draft, prompting Trout to forgo a college commitment to East Carolina. Since his arrival into professional baseball, he's made 12 All-Star appearances, won three AL MVP awards, and is a 9-time Silver Slugger award winner.

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros DH

High School: None

Highlights: Alvarez hails from Cuba, and had to defect from Cuba in 2016 to establish residency in Haiti. That's where he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent before being traded later that year to the Houston Astros. Upon his arrival in the big leagues, Alvarez was unanimously named the AL Rookie of the Year, posting a .655 slugging percentage. He's also won a World Series with the Astros in 2022, along with earning All-MLB First Team honors that same year.

Shea Langeliers, Athletics C

High School: Keller (TX)

Highlights: Langeliers is one of two Keller grads starting in this year's All-Star Game, alongside Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Langeliers began catching as a sophomore in high school, hitting .369 with six home runs and 31 RBI. Langeliers passed on signing with the Toronto Blue Jays after they picked him in the 34th round, choosing to play collegiately at Baylor. After three largely successful seasons in Waco that included a spot with Team USA's Collegiate National Team, Langeliers was selected with the ninth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

More: Which high schoolers were drafted early in the 2026 MLB Draft? A look back

Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays 3B

High School: None

Highlights: Caminero was not a traditional high school student, growing up in the Dominican Republic and starting to play baseball starting at 5 years old. At the age of 11, he played in an international baseball tournament held in the United States, getting on the radar of multiple big league clubs. In 2019, the Cleveland Indians signed him as an international free agent before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022.

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals SS

High School: Colleyville Heritage (TX)

Highlights: Witt's had the spotlight on him for years, starting with his largely successful high school career. At Colleyville, he hit .446 with 10 home runs as a junior, winning the High School Home Run Derby before being named Under Armour All-American Game MVP later that summer. As a senior, he hit .515 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, and 17 stolen bases, being named the Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the Year.

Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees RF

High School: Hamilton (AZ)

Highlights: Bellinger starred in the Phoenix metro area for Hamilton, earning team MVP as a junior and senior. His senior year, Bellinger hit .429 but had just one home run, adding nine doubles and a pair of triples. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the fourth round (124th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft, passing on a college commitment to Oregon. He signed over slot at $700,000.

Ben Rice, New York Yankees 1B

High School: Noble and Greenough (MA)

Highlights: Like Drake Baldwin on the National League side, Rice also played baseball and hockey in high school. Rice started out on junior varsity before working his way up to the varsity level, earning a scholarship to play at Dartmouth. With the Big Green, Rice had to thrive during summer leagues because of the Ivy League's cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The New York Yankees selected Rice in the 12th round (363rd overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers LF

High School: Hagerty (FL)

Highlights: Greene played with fellow big leaguer Vaughn Grissom in high school in the Orlando area, hitting .422 as a senior with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Originally committed to Florida, Greene passed on the Gators after being drafted with the fifth overall selection of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Greene has made three consecutive All-Star appearances, winning a Silver Slugger award last season.

Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays 2B

High School: Brighton (NY)

Highlights: Clement hails from upstate New York in the greater Rochester area, playing his high school ball for the Brighton Bruins. In high school career, Clement hit .472 and put together a senior year where he hit .528 with no strikeouts. He went undrafted and enrolled at Virginia partly on scholarship, helping the Cavaliers secure their first national title in 2015. In 745 at-bats in college, Clement struck out just 31 times. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays P

High School: Milton (GA)

Highlights: Cease starred at Milton in the Atlanta suburbs, leading the Eagles to a GHSA Class 6A title in 2013. As a junior, he pitched to a 9-0 record with a 0.81 ERA, striking out 100 in 69 1/3 innings. Entering his senior year, he was widely regarded as a top pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, but elbow issues during the season resulted in a sixth round selection by the Chicago Cubs.

Who is on the MLB All-Star rosters?

American League All-Stars

• Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox P
• Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers P
• Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians P
• Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins P
• Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees P
• Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians P
• Ranger Suarez, Boston Red Sox P
• Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays P
• Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers P
• Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals P
• Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers C
• Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles C
• Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox 1B
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 1B
• Nick Kurtz, Athletics 1B
• Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox 1B
• Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians 2B
• Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox 3B
• Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers SS
• Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners OF
• Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins OF
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF
• Tristan Peters, Chicago White Sox OF
• Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox OF
• Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays DH

National League All-Stars

• Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates P
• Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds P
• Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies P
• Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals P
• Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves P
• Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies P
• Max Meyer, Miami Marlins P
• Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers P
• Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals P
• Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks P
• Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves P
• Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates P
• Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants P
• Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers P
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers P
• William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers C
• Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies C
• Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies 1B
• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves 1B
• Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants 2B
• Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds 3B
• Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins SS
• Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks OF
• Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs OF
• Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals OF
• James Wood, Washington Nationals OF
• Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals DH
• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB All-Star Game rosters released. Where did American League starters go to high school?

The Midsummer Classic is almost here.

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to descend on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, July 14, to mark the 250th anniversary of America's founding. The game is set to air at 8 p.m. on FOX.

USA TODAY Sports wanted to dig a little deeper. Where did it all start for the All-Star Game starters?

Here's a look at the starting lineup for the National League All-Stars, and where they went to high school:

Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies DH

High School: Middletown (OH)

Highlights: Schwarber gets to lead things off for the NL in his home ballpark. During his four years at Middletown High School, he hit .408 with 18 home runs and 103 RBI, committing to Indiana and playing for the Hoosiers. After hitting .348 as a junior, Schwarber was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.

Juan Soto, New York Mets LF

High School: None

Highlights: Soto was not a high schooler in the Dominican Republic, signing with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in 2015. Naturally right-handed, Soto's father was influential in him making the switch to throw and hit left-handed. In the bigs, Soto has become a five-time All-Star, a four-time All-MLB First Team selection, and a World Series champion in 2019 with the Nats.

Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers 1B

High School: El Modena (CA)

Highlights: Freeman is set to become a Hall of Famer, which can be attributed in part to where things started for him in high school. At El Modena, Freeman was a third basemen and a pitcher, earning the Orange County Register Player of the Year award in 2007. During his senior year, Freeman hit .417 and pitched to a 6-1 record on the mound. After the Atlanta Braves picked Freeman with the 78th overall selection in the 2007 MLB Draft, he signed and forwent his commitment to Cal State Fullerton.

CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals SS

High School: Blessed Trinity Catholic (GA)

Highlights: Abrams put together an impressive career at Blessed Trinity, hitting .431 with three home runs and 27 RBI to earn Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year honors in the Peach State. He also was a part of Team USA's U-18 team during their run in the Pan-American Championships, helping the stars and stripes secure gold. Abrams passed on enrolling at Alabama, signing with the San Diego Padres after they drafted him sixth overall in 2019.

More: Which high schoolers were drafted early in the 2026 MLB Draft? A look back

Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers 3B

High School: Keller (TX)

Highlights: Muncy played in the heart of Texas at Keller, which is located in the Fort Worth suburbs. With the Indians, he led them to a 79-27 record, earning Under Armour All-American Honors in 2009. Muncy opted not to sign out of high school after being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 41st round that year, instead choosing to play at Baylor. With the Bears, Muncy hit .311 with 27 home runs before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves 2B

High School: None

Highlights: Albies did not find his way to high school, signing with the Atlanta Braves for $350,000 as an international free agent at 16 years old. He started playing baseball at 6 years old, and started to switch hit when he turned 13, something that still exists in his game today. In the pros, Albies has been selected to four All-Star Games, won a pair of Silver Slugger awards, and has a World Series title with the Braves.

Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies RF

High School: Buford (GA)

Highlights: Marsh was born and bred in the Atlanta suburb of Buford, starring there as a multi-sport athlete. During his senior year, Marsh hit .559 and was named the Region 8-AAAA PLayer of the Year in the Peach State. He forwent a commitment to Kennesaw State after being picked in the second round (60th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels.

Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers CF

High School: None

Highlights: Pages was not a traditional high school student, starring in Cuba during his teens. He hit .364 in 161 plate appearances in the 15U league in 2015, eventually defecting and winding up in the Dominican Republic in 2018. From there, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $300,000 before making his MLB debut in 2024.

Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves C

High School: Madison West (WI)

Highlights: Baldwin hails from the Badger State, playing his high school ball in the heart of Madison. Baldwin parlayed baseball in with ice hockey, leading the state of Wisconsin with 43 goals in 2018 as a center and left winger. On the baseball field, Baldwin hit .324 as a senior, ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit in the state. He played his college ball at Missouri State before being selected by the Braves in the third round (96th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies P

High School: None

Highlights: The starter for the National League took the international route coming out of the Dominican Republic, signing with the Tampa Bay Rays for $65,000 at the age of 16 in 2013. After being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019, he's pitched to a 41-25 record with a 3.12 ERA, putting together an excellent 2025 campaign that's continued into 2026, with a WAR of 13.5.

Who is on the MLB All-Star rosters?

American League All-Stars

• Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox P
• Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers P
• Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians P
• Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays P
• Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins P
• Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees P
• Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians P
• Ranger Suarez, Boston Red Sox P
• Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays P
• Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers P
• Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals P
• Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers C
• Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles C
• Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox 1B
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 1B
• Nick Kurtz, Athletics 1B
• Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox 1B
• Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians 2B
• Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox 3B
• Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers SS
• Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners OF
• Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins OF
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF
• Tristan Peters, Chicago White Sox OF
• Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox OF
• Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays DH

National League All-Stars

• Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates P
• Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds P
• Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies P
• Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals P
• Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves P
• Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies P
• Max Meyer, Miami Marlins P
• Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers P
• Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals P
• Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks P
• Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves P
• Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates P
• Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants P
• Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers P
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers P
• William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers C
• Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies C
• Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies 1B
• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves 1B
• Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants 2B
• Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds 3B
• Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins SS
• Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks OF
• Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs OF
• Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals OF
• James Wood, Washington Nationals OF
• Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals DH
• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB All-Star rosters released. Where did National League starters go to high school?