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Finally, a close vote!

Cade Obermueller – 25
Jean Cabrera – 23
Yoniel Curet – 23
Keaton Anthony – 11
Griffin Burkholder – 10
Carson DeMartini – 9
Alex McFarlane – 3
Mavis Graves – 3
Romeli Espinosa – 2
Cody Bowker – 1

It was quite interesting watching the Phillies’ 2025 draft unfold. Once Gage Wood was secured in the first round, the team could have gone any different direction since their player development system was somewhat devoid of top notch prospects. What we saw instead was a refilling of the pitching stockpile the team desperately needed to refill.

Obermueller is one of them. He might reach the majors quickly if the team focused on his becoming a reliever, but there is some time still. They can see what he can do as a starter first, then go from there. His only really throwing two pitches will probably dictate a lot of his path, but this is something the Phillies need to develop: starters and/or relievers that they can promote from within as opposed to having to trade for them all the time.

2025 stats

Did not make professional debut

Fangraphs scouting report

Obermueller has relief risk because he’s smaller, he throws just two pitches, and he doesn’t have great command of either of them. But he’s a special athlete with a beautiful delivery, which arguably allows for mold-breaking command and changeup projection. Obermueller is an incredibly loose, explosive athlete with bendy, whippy limbs and a powerful lower body. His delivery adds deception to his stuff in basically every way. He’s able to hide the ball for a long time because of how far back his arm lays before release. He takes a cross-bodied stride and has a lower arm slot, but he still manages to power down the mound and generate plus extension despite an indirect line to the plate. Plus, Obermueller gets to a more vertical hand position on release than is typical of someone with his arm slot. All of this creates huge uphill angle on his fastball, which averages 91-95 mph. That’s up a tick from his sophomore year, and he’ll peak in the 97-98 mph range.

With each new post, we’ll reveal who won the voting for that particular slot, then post new players for you to vote on, adding another one to the list each time until we get to our final tally of 20. Once we get to 20 top prospects, we’ll do an honorable mention post at the end. If a player gets traded to another team, we’ll just chuck him right on outta here and all the players will move up a spot. If a prospect gets acquired, we’ll ask where he should go on the list.

Probably the most important thing about this whole process – please vote. Give us a few minutes of your time, just click a button and then we can discuss other players and things in the comment section, but don’t forget – VOTE!

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jeremy “Hokius” Greco is joined by Royals Review Managing Editor Max Rieper to discuss how worried Royals fans should be about Framber Valdez joining the Tigers, John Wathan entering the Royals Hall of Fame, how fans can watch the team this year, and more!

Will the Brandon Drury signing mean anything for the team? Which historical trades have hurt us the most? And who are the Royals counting on the most to improve in 2026?

Email Jacob directly at: jm17971047@gmail.com

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
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On January 21, 2026, Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. This list, and their place on it, was compiled back in late-November. For continuity’s sake, I decided upon including Williams and Sproat’s profile, but for all intents and purposes, every player on our list below the pair can be considered to have moved up, with the addition of prospects 26 and 27 effectively becoming 24 and 25.

Hartland, Wisconsin native Peter Kussow attended Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin, a school that up until this point has never produced a major leaguer; infielder Scott Doffek, who was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late-80s and made it as high as Double-A is the closest the school has to offer. Initially a two-sport baseball and football player, he gave up the gridiron to focus on baseball, and in doing so, changed the trajectory of his life for the better. In 2025, his senior year, the 20-6 Arrowhead Warhawks were rated 10 among Division 1 schools by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, and Peter Kussow was a big reason why. After growing, putting on some weight, and experiencing a fastball velocity boost, the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA in 33.1 innings, allowing 22 hits, walking 14, and striking out a team-leading 75 batters, nearly 33% of the entire team’s total. Unsurprisingly as a result, scouts and evaluators considered the big right-hander one of the best draft-eligible high school players in Wisconsin in 2025, and arguably the best pitcher.

The Mets selected Kussow with their 4th round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the only prep player in the entire state to be selected in 2025. The right-hander had a commitment to play baseball for the University of Louisville but ended up forging it as he signed professionally to play for the Mets. With an MLB-assigned slot value for the 133rd overall pick of $555,800, Kussow and the Mets agreed to an $897,500 signing bonus, $341,700 above slot value. He did not pitch in 2025.

Kussow, who stands 6’5” and is listed at 205-pounds, throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action through the back and wrist hyperflexion. His whippy arm is capable of reaching 97 MPH, though the pitch generally lives in the low-90s. The pitch generally sits around 2400 RPM, generating as much as 18 inches of induced vertical break. In addition to the ride, thanks to his arm slot and his crossfire delivery, the pitch has plenty of arm-side run, and when thrown down in the zone, has steep angle thanks to his height and extension.

His slider is his go-to strikeout pitch, though he also likes to throw it for strikes early in the count as well. The pitch sits in the high-80s and features gyroscopic movement, averaging roughly 2500 RPM of spin, topping out almost 2700 RPM. The pitch possesses late vertical slice without much horizontal movement and the right-hander has consistently been able to command the pitch all throughout his high school career. Kussow rounds out his pitching repertoire with a changeup, which sits in the high-80s and at present is still developing as a pitch but shows promise thanks to the tumble and fade it gets.

The right-hander has displayed inconsistent command of his pitches, partially because of his mechanics and partially because, as a pitcher from a cold weather state, he does not have as much mound experience as many of his peers. Additionally, while he has not displayed them over the course of his high school career, he may eventually develop platoon splits against better competition because of his mechanics. Because of the extremely long arm circle through the back that he utilizes, left-handed hitters have plenty of time to pick up the ball in his hand.

With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.

Today we are looking at outfielder Billy McKinney.

Ah, Billy McKinney…Texas native, product of Plano West, first round pick of the Oakland A’s in 2013.

The funny thing about McKinney coming out of high school is that he’s the type of player the 2013 Texas Rangers steered clear of, but that the 2026 Texas Rangers would have high on their draft board. From BA’s writeup of him at the time:

McKinney has one of the sweetest swings in the 2013 draft, and he has hit his way into the first round with a strong spring. He generates excellent bat speed from the left side of the plate, and he barrels balls with ease thanks to his hand-eye coordination and disciplined approach. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has strength and should grow into solid power. The rest of McKinney’s tools are fringy to average, but his arm and speed play up because he goes all-out all the time. Scouts love his makeup and are confident that he’ll provide the offense required on an outfield corner

Great swing and hit tool, not a lot of current power but projects to power, everything else fringy, great makeup…I expect the Rangers to take a high school hitter in the first few rounds of this year’s draft whose scouting report could be boiled down to that.

Unfortunately, the power never really developed past average, and the hit tool ended up being more okay than great, and when you’ve got nothing else in your box to fall back on, you end up dropping in the prospect rankings and eventually landing in perpetual NRI land.

You can track McKinney’s prospect arc in the myriad of trades he was involved in. A year and a month after being drafted by the A’s, he went to the Cubs as the second prospect (behind Addison Russell) in a deal where the A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, with Dan Straily also going to Chicago. Two years and 20 days after that, he was again sent out as the second prospect in a deadline deal, this time to the Yankees for rental closer Aroldis Chapman, with Gleyber Torres as the headliner, and Adam Warren and Rashad Crawford also going to New York.

Samardzija, incidentally, was traded by Oakland that winter to the White Sox for a package that included Marcus Semien.

Anyway, two years and one day after he was traded to the Yankees, he was once again in a deadline trade, this time wo the Toronto Blue Jays, along with Brandon Drury, in exchange for J.A. Happ, a deal that would indicate that his star had fallen significantly from where it was before. After that, he was claimed on waivers from the Jays by the Brewers in September, 2020, traded by the Brewers to the Mets in May, 2021, for Pedro Quintana, and then traded by the Mets to the Dodgers in July, 2021, for Carlos Rincon. The Rangers purchased him from the Dodgers that November, then non-tendered him a week later.

The transactions log for McKinney in that time paints a picture.

McKinney has spent at least part of every major league season since 2018 in the big leagues, accumulating a whopping 327 games and 964 plate appearances in that time for nine different clubs, one of which is Your Texas Rangers.

You are forgiven if you don’t remember this, but McKinney had two different stints in the bigs with Texas in 2025. Released by the Mets, for whom he was toiling in AAA, in May, he signed at the end of the month with Texas and joined the Express. He was up briefly in July when Evan Carter went on the bereavement list, going 1 for 7 in two games before being DFA’d upon Carter’s return, clearing waivers, opting for free agency, and then re-signing with Texas.

Then, at the end of September, when everyone was hurt, Texas added him to the 40 man and active roster once again, replacing Wyatt Langford, who went on the i.l. He went 3 for 13 in four starts.

McKinney ended the season with a .200/.238/.250 slash line for Texas. Not great, but then, his role was to be a warm body for a handful of games when Texas needed a warm body. The veteran depth in AAA, who can be called up when injuries or other events necessitate a short term plug.

McKinney does not appear to have signed with anyone yet this offseason, but I imagine he will. He’ll get a minor league deal with an NRI, get some plate appearances in camp, probably won’t make the major league roster, will spend the 2026 season at one or more team’s AAA affiliate, and wait to see if he’s needed for a dozen or so plate appearances in the majors for some club needing a short-term patch.

Its a living.

Previously:

Gerson Garabito

Tyler Mahle

Kyle Higashioka

Adolis Garcia

Luis Curvelo

Alejandro Osuna

Blaine Crim

Jake Burger

Jacob Webb

Nick Ahmed

Jon Gray

Carl Edwards Jr.

Josh Jung

Leody Taveras

Dustin Harris

Marc Church

Luke Jackson

Danny Coulombe

Wyatt Langford

Dylan Moore

Michael Helman

Evan Carter

Cole Winn

Rowdy Tellez

Dane Dunning

Marcus Semien

In 2025, the Boston Red Sox led all of baseball in errors, a statistical category they’ve been near the top of for several years now.

And yet, most defensive metrics don’t think the Sox are that bad, and some think they are elite. By Statcast’s Fielding Run Value as presented by Baseball Savant, the Red Sox had the fifth-best defense in baseball last year. By Statcast’s Fielding Run Value as presented by FanGraphs (which is apparently a slightly different thing, though I couldn’t tell you how) they were the seventh-best. By Statcast’s Outs Above Average as presented by FanGraphs, they were the tenth-best. By Statcast’s Outs Above Average as presented by Savant (again, somehow different!), they were more middling at number 13. And by Defensive Runs Saved from the Fielding Bible, they were twelfth.

Which of these metrics is the right metric? Well, according to the rules of arguing about baseball on the internet, the right metric is the one that helps you prove whatever point you’ve already decided you want to make. If you want to say that the Sox suck defensively, go ahead and use errors. If you want to say they’re great, go ahead and use Fielding Run Value. If you want to provide a nuanced opinion, choose any of the others, but nobody cares for nuance and everyone will ignore you.

The truth is that defensive metrics are far behind the metrics we use to measure pitching and hitting, and they probably always will be. This is just how the field of statistics works: some things are harder to measure than others.

Complicating the issue in the case of the Red Sox is the fact that roster features players of shockingly disparate defensive quality. Ceddanne Rafaela was arguably the best gloveman in all of baseball last year; Kristian Campbell was arguably the worst. Carlos Narvaez graded out as elite by many metrics; Connor Wong graded out as horrendous. When Wilyer Abreu was healthy, the Sox had one of the best defensive right fielders you could ask for; when Rob Refsnyder was out there, they were below average. You get the picture, and if you don’t here’s a pretty shocking little image:

According to Savant’s OAA, the Red Sox outfield (the table on the left side of the slider) was far and away the best defensive outfield in baseball, with the gap between them and the number two team almost twice as big as the gap between number two and number three. But in the infield (on the right of the slider) they were the second-worst collection of defenders, a whopping 47 runs worse than the league leaders.

We still don’t know what the Red Sox infield will look like, but it probably won’t have Kristian Campbell in it anymore. It will have Willson Contreras, who was the sixth-best first baseman in baseball by Savant’s OAA. Marcelo Mayer should absolutely be a plus-defender, though we don’t yet know exactly how good he’ll be, how much he’ll play, or where he’ll play. Much of the same can be said about Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Trevor Story, David Hamilton, and Romy Gonzalez, though, are pretty bad by most metrics.

And then there’s the issue of the revamped pitching staff. The Red Sox outfield (the strongest part of their defense, remember!) had 1074 total fielding chances in 2025, which was actually pretty low overall. And the outfield may get even fewer chances in 2026, thanks to the additions of Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez, two pitchers who induce grounders at a much higher rate than most starters (just like Garrett Crochet).

So how good will the Red Sox defense be in 2026? Talk about that or whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.

The Cincinnati Reds jumped at the chance to draft 6’5” right-hander Aaron Watson in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft, and threw him an over-slot $2.7 million signing bonus to persuade him to eschew his commitment to the University of Florida and turn pro for good.

Watson, whom you just voted as the #16 ranked player in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, was ranked as the #27 overall player in the country coming out of high school last year, as well as the #1 player in the state of Florida by Perfect Game. He reportedly possesses plus command of three pitches already and works in and around the zone with aplomb for a player his size and age, the kind of already-polished pitcher that should, in theory, move quickly through the Reds system should they so choose.

The Jacksonville, FL native still hasn’t thrown an in-game pitch as a pro yet, however, and that mystery is probably the lone reason why he didn’t end up higher on this year’s CPR. Where he begins in 2026 is all that’s left to determine, though I’d be surprised if it’s anywhere other than with Daytona in the Florida State League.

Congrats to Aaron, who took home a pretty easy victory on the biggest, most crowded ballot yet.

Well it’s certainly been an eventful few days in Tigertown. After a fairly shocking signing of top free agent starter Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million deal on Wednesday, Tarik Skubal won his arbitration battle and set a new standard for elite third year arbitration eligible players by securing a $32 million contract for 2026.

I’m not going to look the gift horse in the mouth here. We could wish the Tigers made a bigger move last offseason. You could wish for another bat. Still, the Tigers made a huge move to improve their rotation for 2026, turning it into arguably the best in baseball, and improved the bullpen by pushing presumed starting options into the pen and adding a starter that tends to eat more innings per start than most. There’s a lot to like.

The Tigers are now rocking a well above average $215 million estimated payroll heading into spring camp, blowing the rest of the AL Central out of the water in that regard. As a result, a lot of questions we’ve all had about the Ilitch family’s real interest in trying to win something, and about Scott Harris’ ability to pull off a big deal with some creativity have been answered. By going heavy in average annual value on the deal, complete with a signing bonus, some deferred money, and an opt-out for Valdez after year two, Harris pulled off not just a good deal from a competitive standpoint, but an opportunistic and fairly innovative one by franchise standards.

Of course, he got worked in the arbitration hearing, but that wasn’t much of a surprise and I don’t think anyone is begrudging Skubal getting paid what he’s worth.

My question is whether all this has you feeling differently about the club’s willingness and ability to operate as a contending team for the long haul? Or do you just feel more optimistic about 2026?

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase is accused of manipulating his performances in 48 MLB games over two years, according to a court document obtained by ESPN. 

The new document significantly increases the number of games during which Clase was believed to have fixed his pitches.

Key Takeaways

• The original number of games Clase was believed to have rigged was nine.
• Luis Ortiz’s attorney asked that the cases be heard separately.
• Two anonymous bettors won more than $460,000 betting on pitch outcomes of Clase and Ortiz.

Clase was indicted for his role in the alleged betting scandal in November. The original unsealed documents accused the 27-year-old and three-time All-Star of manipulating his pitches in nine games.

Christos N. Georgalis, an attorney for teammate and alleged co-conspirator Luis Ortiz, claimed that the government believed the real number of games was in the dozens. He also asked in a filing that his client’s case be reviewed separately from Ortiz’s due to the “markedly different levels of culpability.”

“With 26 months of alleged criminal conduct by Mr. Clase -- including suspect pitches during 48 games, dozens of communications with [a bettor], cash transfers and coordination of illegal wagers, [Ortiz could receive an unfair trial].”

Unlike Clase, Ortiz was only believed to have rigged pitches in two games in June 2025. 

Clase’s actions supposedly occurred from 2023 to 2025, according to the indictment. He made 197 regular-season appearances during that time, meaning that nearly 25% of them allegedly involved illegal activity. 

Piling accusations

Prosecutors claim that the two pitchers received thousands of dollars worth of bribes to help two anonymous gamblers in their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 in bets.

Both Clase and Ortiz allegedly fixed different aspects of their pitches, including whether a pitch would be a ball or a strike, or if it would be slower or faster than a given velocity.

In one instance, the government claims that a message sent in April 2025 led to bettors winning $15,000 by wagering a pitch would clock in at less than 98.5 miles per hour.

The judge in the case asked the government to provide Clase’s legal team with evidence of “at least 250” suspicious pitches so they could prepare for trial.

Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery. 

It was about … cockfighting?

In a unique defense, one man who bet on Clase’s pitches said he only traded messages with Clase about cockfighting, not sports betting, per the New York Times. The bettor said that he won money because he was familiar with his friend’s pitching tendencies, and that the money that was discussed was for a legal rooster fighting ring in the Dominican Republic. 

Clase is in the fourth season of a five-year, $20-million contract. Ortiz joined the Guardians at the start of the 2025 season and made 16 appearances before he and his teammate were placed on non-disciplinary leave by MLB in July.

The trial is set to begin on May 4. Ortiz’s attorney has not received a response to his request for more time to prepare. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been more aggressive than usual in the offseason acquiring veteran players like Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Jose Urquidy. These moves have made a lot of Pirates fans excited for the 2026 season, but how high should the expectations for this team really be ?

The last time the Bucs had a winning record was in 2018 where they went 82-79. They were unable to make the playoffs that year even with the winning record. Since 2018, they have had three seasons with 60 or more wins. Their last three seasons, Pittsburgh has had 76, 76 and 71 wins, with the last two seasons resulting in last place finishes in the National League Central. 

The last time the Pirates made the playoffs was in 2015 where they lost in the wild card round to the Chicago Cubs. They made the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2013-2015, where they won the Wild Card Game against the Cincinnati Reds in 2013. 

Talking about the past gives a good baseline on what a successful season for this team will look like for 2026. The Buccos have the former Cy Young winner in Paul Skenes and a plethora of young talent in the pitching rotation and in the batting lineup. 

When you also look at the NL Central, it looks more open than it has in the past. The St. Louis Cardinals are projected to finish in last place in the division, while I believe the Reds will be on par with the Pirates. The Milwaukee Brewers lost Freddy Peralta who had a CY Young season, and they didn’t really add anyone major in the offseason. 

When you put all of those details into consideration, I think a successful season for the Pittsburgh Pirates is winning around 82 games this year. Last year the Reds got into the playoffs with 83 wins, so if Pittsburgh can get around that win total there is a shot they will be competing in October. 

Winning 80 or more games will show that the Pirates are on an uphill trajectory and are heading into the right direction.Although I don’t even think they need to make the playoffs for this season to be considered successful. With how rough the last couple of seasons have looked, I will take a winning season even if that means that there is another October that the Bucs won’t be playing in.   

I know fans in Pittsburgh are probably getting sick of the losing seasons and not competing in the postseason but I would tell everyone to trust the process. The Pirates have a lot of young potential that even if they can show that they can be competitive in the months of August and September to me that would be a realistic successful season. 

Tell us in the comments what you think qualifies as a successful season for the Pirates.

Hello all, and happy Friday! For those of you who enjoy the Olympics, happy Opening Ceremony day! We’re always fortunate during these Winter Olympics/World Baseball Classic years to have some sporting excitement to carry us to Opening Day.

In the meantime, let’s dig into the happenings from the world of baseball specifically.

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners’ trade for Brendan Donovan will join a list of M’s deals made under strange circumstances — Justin Hollander and Jerry Dipoto finalized the move while visiting the Washington state capitol on behalf of the organization.

Around the league…

• In a monumental win for the MLB Players’ Association, left-hander Tarik Skubal was victorious in his historic arbitration case against the Tigers, earning a $32M salary for the 2026 season.
• Michael Baumann at Fangraphs dove into the immediate impact of the ruling for the Tigers and the league as a whole.
• The 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters were announced in full, with 306 MLB-employed players (78 of them MLB All-Stars) participating.
• Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is being formally accused of rigging pitches in 48 games over the last two seasons.
• The Pirates have agreed to a one-year, $1.5M contract with former Astros right-hander José Urquidy.
• The MLBPA agreed to a deal with a tech company that will allow them to turn players’ likenesses into AI characters that can interact with fans.
• Former big league infielder Jonathan Schoop was among nine people detained at his home in Curaçao during a police search for illegal firearms.
• Jeff Passan and Buster Olney at ESPN outlined the biggest lessons they learned from this offseason.
• Bryan Joiner at Over the Monster took the Red Sox to task for seemingly breaking the law with their use of junk ticketing fees.

As discussed here and here, the Yankees’ bullpen has potential but is still, basically, a work in progress. Between this point and the start of the season, the team is quite likely to add at least one additional impact arm, whether it comes via trade, free agency, or after the spring training cuts have been revealed, à la Ryan Yarbrough last year.

Between a shoulder impingement and surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, talented right-hander Michael Kopech was limited to just 11 innings last year. Still, if he’s healthy, and the Yankees and other squads —like the Giants, linked to the power righty in early December — seem to believe he is, he could be that impact arm for the late innings that supports Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, and David Bednar.

2025 Statistics: 14 games, 11 IP, 0-0, 2.45 ERA (174 ERA+), 4.50 FIP, 5.76 xFIP, 22.6% K%, 24.5% BB%, 1.73 WHIP, 0.0 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs Depths Charts Projections: 44 games, 44 IP, 3-2, 4.37 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 25.3% K%, 12.3% BB%, 1.38 WHIP, 0.0 fWAR

Of course, it’s important to note that Kopech hasn’t been at his best for longer than a year. The last time that happened was when he landed in LA before the 2024 trade deadline. In 24 games and 24 innings in that stretch run with the Dodgers, the 29-year-old put up a brilliant 1.13 ERA with a 2.54 FIP and 29 strikeouts.

His woes started in January 2025, when it was reported he could miss the first month of the season with forearm inflammation. The fact that he was able to pitch just 11 innings last year tells us he was never quite right physically, and it’s impossible to analyze his performance based on such a limited sample. The walks — 13 in the precious few frames he was able to contribute — were particularly alarming.

If the Yankees bring him in, it would be a complete leap of faith on a pitcher who can be dominant when right, but is a near-lock to spend some time on the injured list every year. At this point, however, their bullpen needs upside, and despite the physical woes, Kopech has plenty of it.

To succeed, Kopech relies on that triple-digit fastball with elite run:

The pitch’s 24.4 percent whiff rate last year in the limited sample was already impressive, but if we take his last full campaign, 2024, it missed bats at an incredible 34 percent rate. That’s insane for a fastball. He also throws a slider and a cutter, and even tossed a couple of changeups last year to lefties.

A healthy Kopech would, of course, look excellent in the Yankees’ bullpen, taking care of jams in the seventh or eighth innings. It will all come down to health, though, and the organization convincing itself to pursue the talented but fragile flamethrower. A few days ago, a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Postlinked the Yankees to Kopech, who is still looking for his next home. There’s interest from New York’s side, so something could potentially happen.

When he’s at his best, Kopech definitely belongs in any bullpen, and that includes the Yankees’. At top form, he can locate that incredible fastball in all quadrants of the plate, and that’s the key to his success. After injuries to multiple body parts in the last few months, however, the team that gets him would need to gamble a bit. The Yankees, at this point, might need to gamble on upside and potential if they want to overtake the Toronto Blue Jays and other emerging forces in the American League. And that certainly can include making a run at Kopech to be one of the anchors of their bullpen. God knows the Yanks can use all the swing-and-miss ability they can get.

Yesterday, I released my preseason top 30 Washington Nationals prospects, which you can find here. The driving focus of my rankings was a combination of prospects’ performances so far in their careers, their underlying numbers for those performances, and the tools they have, which could lead to future success. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from my list that you should know about.

#1: The Nationals’ farm system is the deepest it’s been in a long time

For the last few years, the Nationals’ farm system has had plenty of top-end talent, with names such as Dylan Crews and James Wood, but lacked the depth that rebuilding teams should be accumulating. Thanks in large part to the 2025 draft, where the Nationals selected Eli Willits first overall and acquired even more talent in the later rounds with the savings from the pick, 1-for-1 deals this offseason such as Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford and Jake Bennett for Luis Perales, and the big MacKenzie Gore trade this offseason, the Nationals farm system has depth it hasn’t had perhaps ever, with prospects ranked in the 10 to 20 range who could be plus big leaguers one day.

An important part of building depth in the Nats’ farm system is not only acquiring players in trades, but acquiring the right kind of prospects in those deals. Mike DeBartolo and Paul Toboni have done an excellent job acquiring prospects in deals that have the tools required to succeed at the big league level, such as power potential in hitters and strikeout stuff in pitchers.

Pitchers like Griff McGarry and Eriq Swan, who take up spots at the backend of my top 30, are valuable not because they’re excellent now in the minor leagues, but because they have the stuff and projection to be good MLB players one day. Once you have enough of these high-risk type prospects, over time, a few of them will break out and give you great major league talents.

#2: The MacKenzie Gore trade was a shot of adrenaline for the farm system

Speaking of the MacKenzie Gore trade, the deal is unique because not only did the Nats acquire 5 prospects in the deal, but all 5 prospects have tools that make them more than just throw-ins, with all 5 ranking in my top 15 Nats prospects, and 3 within the top 10.

Fien and Fitz-Gerald could wind up as top 100 prospects by the end of 2026, Rosario was a top 10 pitching prospect in the sport before his injury and could wind up being a steal if he returns fully healthy, and Cabrera and Ortiz have the tools to be solid regulars one day. All in all, while the headlines may say the Nats received 0 top 100 prospects in return for Gore’s services, the truth is they received a package with a high chance of producing 2 or more impactful big leaguers one day.

#3: Marconi German is a name to watch in 2026

The prospect in my top 30 Nationals prospects you are least likely to recognize is Marconi German, a 17-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop, and while my ranking may seem rather high for a player who’s only played in the Dominican Summer League in his career, I have complete faith this ranking will be justified once the 2026 season gets underway.

German was one of the best hitters in the DSL in 2025 while also being one of the younger ones, posting a 159 wRC+ and hitting 8 home runs in 53 games. He showed great plate discipline, posting a 1.02 BB/K ratio, and punished pitchers when he got his pitch, with a .513 slugging percentage. He also has great speed, with 33 stolen bases in those 53 games.

German’s first major test will come in 2026 when he heads stateside to play in the complex league. If he continues to hit well there, he’ll likely get a chance in Low A, his first taste of affiliated minor league play. I’m excited to see how German progresses in 2026, as I believe he has the tools to be a very good shortstop or second baseman in the big leagues one day.

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) rosters were announced yesterday on the MLB Network and MLB.com. There is no shortage of talent taking part in this year’s classic led by current and former league MVP’s. But don’t expect just wily veterans to show up because thirty of MLB Pipeline’s top one hundred prospects have made the rosters also and will get the nod in the tournament which runs from March 5-17.

The A’s young arms will be prominent for Chinese Taipei with Top 30 prospects Wei-En Lin (number 19), Tzu-Chen Sha (number 28), and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (number 29) all making the team. The Dominican Republic has two strong arms straight from the team’s 25-man roster Elvis Alvarado and Luis Severino. Other names familiar to A’s fans making international rosters are Denzel Clarke for Team Canada and Darell Hernaiz for team Puerto Rico.

Here’s the full list of A’s players participating in the classic:

ATHLETICS
Elvis Alvarado (Dominican Republic)
Brayan Buelvas (Colombia)
Denzel Clarke (Canada)
Carlos Cortes (Puerto Rico)
Max Durrington (Australia)
James Gonzalez (Panama)
Darell Hernaiz (Puerto Rico)
Wei-En Lin (Chinese Taipei)
Joey Meneses (Mexico)
Luis Severino (Dominican Republic)
Tzu-Chen Sha (Chinese Taipei)
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (Chinese Taipei)

For the first time in the tournament’s history, all four reigning MVP Award and Cy Young Award winners are on rosters. Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and Aaron Judge will play for Team USA, and Shohei Ohtani is returning to Team Japan. In all, seventy-eight previous MLB All-Stars will play in the tournament including thirty-six from last year’s game. Twenty-two all-stars will don Team USA’s stars and stripes, the most of any team.

The tournament will begin on March 5 at the Tokyo Dome. The other pools — located at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Daikin Park in Houston; and loanDepot Park in Miami — will begin play on March 6. The finals will once again take place at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

A’s Coverage:

• Solve Today’s A’s Trivia Puzzle
• A’s single game tix on sale now
• A’s Announce 2026 Sacramento Promotional Schedule
• Athletics Sign Jacob Wilson to Extension
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Colome Takes Seventh Spot
• Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
• Wilson extension signals shift for A’s ahead of Vegas move
• Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
• De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list
• A’s Spring Training Report Date, and everything you need to know
• After monster stats as rookie, Nick Kurtz has a new number in mind: 162
• Projecting Nick Kurtz after Rookie of the Year campaign
• Analysts say this A’s outfielder could follow Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout path
• A’s Odds of Reaching the Postseason this year
• A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
• Blogfather Sabatoges Own Wins Over Replacement Hip (And A’s Stuff)

MLB News and Interest:

• Tigers, Framber Valdez Agree To Three-Year Deal
• Padres adding veteran bat Andujar on 1-year deal
• Red Sox, Kiner-Falefa agree to 1-year deal
• Eugenio rejoins rising Reds at perfect time: ‘It made it easy for me to be back home’
• Detroit Tigers World Series hero, Tigers great Mickey Lolich dead at 85
• Pirates Reportedly Avoided Andrew McCutchen Talks
• Hall of Fame reveals cap picks for incoming Beltrán, Jones, Kent
• Carlos Santana reportedly signs with the Diamondbacks
• Luis Arraez, Giants Reportedly Agree to Contract in MLB Free Agency
• Shohei Ohtani Won’t Pitch at 2026 World Baseball Classic
• NBA, MLB, NHL, WWE, Major Sports Leagues to Join NFL in Wearing ‘USA 250’ Uniform Patches
• Red Sox Trade Jordan Hicks to White Sox
• Why Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, More MLB Players Can’t Play in 2026 World Baseball Classic
• Today In Baseball History

Best of X:

Heading into a baseball season, you have to think about depth, even when it’s not particularly pleasant to do so. Take the signing of veteran Dodgers’ catcher Austin Barnes for example. For Austin Barnes to have a meaningful impact on the 2026 season, something has gone wrong for either Luis Torrens or, more problematically, Francisco Alvarez. That might mean injury, ineffectiveness, or some equally unpleasant option, but nobody really wants to see Barnes in Queens in 2026. 

While that may seem unfair, there’s a reason that Barnes was signed to a minor league deal just a few weeks before spring training began. Barnes is 36 years old, playing a position that rarely ages well and is nine seasons past his last meaningfully productive season in the majors. Sure, he’s been essentially league average, give or take, since then, but he’s a glove-first catcher whose playing time has steadily decreased over time. His career slash line of .223/.322/.338 isn’t exactly awe inspiring, but he’s a steady hand behind the dish with veteran experience and still solid defensive metrics who will occasionally turn on one. He’s exactly who every team should have in their back pocket as a third or fourth option. 

The question is if Barnes is still willing, at 36, to play in Syracuse for the bulk of the season with the hopes of getting a shot at some more big league time down the road. If recent evidence is to be believed, the Mets will need a third catcher at some point. In fact, 2025 was the only year since 2016 that the Mets used just three, and not four or five, catchers over the course of a year. So if the goal is more MLB at-bats and another cap/jersey to frame for the den, then have at it, Austin. 

But for a guy whose knees have to be begging for a breather, it would be totally understandable if this was the end of the road for Barnes as a player. For his sake, I hope we see him in Queens at least once this season. For the team’s sake, let’s hope it’s a short stay.