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Usually, I run just one sleuthing photo a day on the weekends during the offseason but I came across this one recently and it was too good to pass up. So let’s do a bit of baseball sleuthing as we wait for today’s Super Bowl to begin.

Here we have brothers Joe and Phil Niekro posing at Wrigley Field. The scoreboard is visible, just barely, and only the NL side.

Joe Niekro pitched for the Cubs in 1967 and 1968, and for a few weeks in 1969 before he was traded to the Padres. So that does narrow things down, a bit. The Joe Niekro trade happened before the Braves visited Wrigley Field in 1969, so that year is eliminated.

That would still leave 18 possible dates, as the Braves played nine games at Wrigley in both 1967 and 1968.

I didn’t have to look at a single box score to figure this out, though I did have to check league schedules. Here’s how this one went.

First, the style of road uniform Phil Niekro is wearing wasn’t worn by the Braves before 1968. So that eliminates 1967.

Now, we can’t see much of the board but here’s a portion that we can see, enlarged:

It’s blurry and pixellated but that doesn’t matter. If you are familiar with the Wrigley Field board and how games are designated, it’s 100 percent clear that the white squares in the games above and below the Cubs score line (and that one was in the middle in the 1960s) read NO GAME.

Thus, the Cubs and Braves were the only NL game being played on the day this photo was taken.

So, as I said, I didn’t have to look at a single box score to figure this one out, just the daily schedules. The only day that year that the Cubs and Braves played at Wrigley and were the only NL game was Thursday, April 25, 1968.

In those days, photographers didn’t cover every single game as they do now, and especially not on a chilly April weekday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The reason this photo was taken is very likely the fact that the brothers had pitched against each other in the series opener, Tuesday, April 23. It was the first time the Niekros had faced each other at Wrigley; it had happened once previously in Atlanta, July 4, 1967.

Joe was the winner that day, allowing four runs in eight innings. The Cubs scored five off Phil in three innings and won 10-4. The reason this photo had to wait until Thursday the 25th was that the Wednesday, April 24 game had been postponed because it was 39 degrees and snowing that day in Chicago.

The Cubs won the April 25 game 5-2. Fergie Jenkins threw a complete game and Ron Santo homered twice in front of just 4,399 on another chilly day, with a temperature around 50.

The Joe Niekro trade was one of the worst in Cubs history. Joe had thrown a complete-game shutout in his first 1969 start against the Expos, but then posted a 6.97 ERA in his next three starts, not getting out of the fifth inning in any of them. In a fit of pique, Leo Durocher wanted him traded and GM John Holland obliged him.

Yes, the Cubs got Dick Selma in the deal, and Selma was competent for the Cubs, not to mention fun with his bullpen antics. Selma was traded (with Oscar Gamble) to the Phillies after 1969 for Johnny Callison, another bad trade. Callison didn’t do much for the Cubs and Selma had an outstanding year for Philly in 1970 as a multi-inning reliever, posting 22 saves and 5.2 bWAR in 73 games and 134.1 innings.

Meanwhile, Niekro went on to pitch 19 more seasons for the Tigers, Astros, Braves, Yankees and Twins. He was a teammate of his brother’s in Atlanta in 1973 and 1974, finished in the top three of Cy Young voting in 1979 and 1980 and got a World Series ring with the Twins in 1987. He had 221 career wins and was one of the better starters of his time.

Just another little slice of Cubs history.

As we conclude our Northwestern baseball 2026 position previews, it’s time to take a look at a relatively experienced outfield group featuring two returning starters and a couple of interesting newcomers. What can the Wildcats’ outfielders offer in 2026?

Jackson Freeman, Junior, RF

After a big first-year season featuring 11 home runs and an OPS of .866, Freeman took a step back statistically in 2025, improving his batting average from .247 to .255 but dropping his OPS to .780 thanks to just six home runs in 52 games. However, fans shouldn’t be fooled by this perceived lack of progress — Freeman is a bona fide star who will be one of the Wildcats’ biggest assets in 2026.

Over the summer, Freeman took his talents to the Cape Cod League to play against the best summer baseball competition in the country. He more than held his own, hitting .259 in a league that is far less hitter-friendly than the Big Ten (for context, the worst team ERA out of 10 Cape squads was 4.92, a mark that would’ve been sixth-best in a 17-team B1G). In addition to his hitting prowess, Freeman showed off his capabilities in both right and center field, starting 38 games for the Chatham Anglers and committing just one error compared to five outfield assists.

Entering 2026, Freeman is expected to slot back into his role as the primary right fielder for the ‘Cats. Finding increased power will still need to be a focus, but in terms of efficiency, the California native projects to take a major step up this year.

Jack Lausch, Senior, CF

Welcome back, quarterback.

Lausch returns to the ‘Cats for his second season of baseball since abandoning his pursuits of being NU’s starting QB. A highly-touted baseball recruit coming out of high school, the Chicago native struggled to readjust at the plate early in 2025. However, he bounced back nicely toward the end of the year, finishing with a solid .268 batting average.

In 2026, Lausch should return to his role as the everyday center fielder for the ‘Cats. With a year of collegiate baseball under his belt, fans should expect Lausch to be a reliable player who can hit in the heart of the order if necessary.

Logan de Groot, Sophomore, LF

With the departure of Preston Knott, the ‘Cats have a big hole in left field, and de Groot is one of several options who could seek to fill it. The California native transferred to NU after a season with UCLA, during which he started four games as a designated hitter and batted .267 across 15 at-bats.

Over the summer, de Groot received regular playing time in the West Coast League, hitting .236. The sophomore saw a lot of time in right field with the WCL’s Bellingham Bells, but he likely has the versatility to play in left if necessary. It is certainly possible that Wildcat coach Ben Greenspan will opt to start a returner in left to begin the season, but de Groot is certainly a viable choice as well.

Griffin Mills, Junior

Mills made two starts in 21 appearances with the ‘Cats last year, picking up six hits in 19 at-bats total. The New Jersey native does have the ability to play all over the outfield, and he made one start as a left fielder against UIC last April. His 2024 batting numbers (.129 average in 62 at-bats) are certainly a cause for concern, but Mills has certainly developed his swing since then, so he’ll likely have a chance to compete for some time in the outfield with the loss of Knott.

Zach Carlson, Sophomore

Carlson appeared in 15 games and made seven starts (all as a designated hitter) last season, hitting .276 across 29 at-bats. It was certainly encouraging to see the Utah native get some looks in meaningful competition as a freshman. If Carlson can continue to grow as a hitter, he could be another legitimate option to get some playing time in the outfield.

Marty Kaplan, Senior

A career .212 hitter, Kaplan has seen his playing time slowly decrease since his first-year season in 2023, although he did make two starts as a DH in 2025. As a senior, Kaplan has the advantage of having been around the Wildcat baseball program for a long time, and he does have 12 career starts under his belt. If he can take a leap at the plate, he may get some chances for action as either a DH or left fielder in 2026.

Masai Marshall, Sophomore

Marshall did not play in 2025, but he was ranked as the No. 12 outfielder in the state of New York coming out of high school. He projects mainly as a depth piece for the ‘Cats, but with a year of NU experience under his belt, he’ll likely get the chance to play in his first game at some point in 2026.

Dominic DeLoreto, First-Year

Also listed as a pitcher, DeLoreto hails from Florida and should be a solid development piece for the Wildcats this year. He may not see action in 2026, but his versatility could allow him to be a key player for NU at some point in the future.

It took three trips over the waiver wire through claims by three different teams for former top San Francisco Giants prospect Marco Luciano to finally find a home. He was designated multiple times for so many assignments, but the baseball gods finally took mercy on Luciano and let him pass through waivers and land with the New York Yankee’s Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

Luciano used the be the Giants’ top prospect and was considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball, playing in the 2021 Futures Game as a 19-year-old. But his hitting never showed the promise displayed as a 17-year-old playing rookie ball and perhaps most important, couldn’t field at shortstop, something that everyone but Farhan Zaidi had long since acknowledged before 2024, when Luciano got an ill-fated chance at the position — and his injuries didn’t help.

His SF Giants career consisted of 41 games and 126 plate appearances, where he slashed .217/.286/.304 with 45 strikeouts and 11 walks. That’s not enough hitting for a middle infielder, let alone the LF/1B/DH hybrid Luciano has become. The Giants let him go in December to provide a spare roster spot that would allow them to participate in the Rule V draft, meaning they effectively traded him for backup catcher Andrew Susac.

Out of options but still only 24 years old, Luciano remained intriguing for MLB teams. Just not for their big-league rosters. The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Luciano Dec. 5, and he spent a few weeks on their roster before the Pirates made a one-for-three three-team trade, which meant they had to clear two spots on their 40-man roster. Operating on the principle of last-in, first-out, they ditched Luciano, who returned to the waiver wire.

Luciano spent three weeks in limbo after that, because the usual one-week limit for waiver claims doesn’t apply to the holiday season. The Baltimore Orioles claimed him Jan. 7, only to designate him for assignment him Jan. 15 in order to claim left-handed reliever Jose Suarez. One week later, the Yankees claimed Luciano. Five days after that, he got another DFA when the Yankees claimed reliever Don Hamel.

Essentially, all these teams wanted Luciano, as long as he didn’t have to be on the 40-man roster. It’s a brutal system for players who are out of options. Luciano had no idea where he was playing next season for two full months, while being a member of three different major-league teams on paper.

He lands with the Yankees, where he has a real opportunity thanks to the Yankees’ lefty-dominated lineup. They’ve got Paul Goldschmidt at first base/DH backing up lefty Ben Rice, but Goldschmidt is now 38 years old, though no less terrifying if he’s facing the Giants. If Luciano can hit outside the friendly Pacific Coast League, he’s a logical right-handed power options for the Yankees.

He’s probably content with simply leaving the waiver wire.

We are straight smack in the middle of some of the most exciting parts of the offseason: the release of different national prospect writer’s top 100 lists. It lends itself to some excitement because it is a glimpse of what the future may hold, not only for those teams that are contenders for a World Series, but also for teams that are eager for the future to arrive a bit earlier. Once many of these lists start to arrive, a consensus starts to form where we can see who most people believe is leading the pack for the Phillies.

Aidan Miller has become the team’s top prospect. Where Andrew Painter held that title for a few years, his performance last season, one that was frankly disappointing, couple with Miller’s emergence has led to a swap in their positions. Miller is the top dog while Painter is the clear second banana in terms of how they rank in the eyes of prospect writers.

It has led to a little bit of a frothing at the mouth for Miller to join the team as soon as possible from members of the fanbase. The writeups from the authors don’t help. They’re glowing in their reports of the kid, but they are also dangerous in raising the expectations of what Miller might turn out to be (bolding in the reports is mine).

From Keith Law:

Even when he was struggling, he didn’t come out of his approach, with strong swing decisions across the board that will probably lead to a high OBP this year when he’s in Triple A, where walk rates are higher anyway due to ABS. I don’t think he needs a full year at that level before he’s ready for the majors, just needing to refine some of his pitch recognition, and there’s a good chance that by July 1 he’ll be the best choice for shortstop at Citizens Bank Park.

From Baseball Prospectus:

He’s trending towards being average or better at everything, and if one of those “or betters” turns into a real carrying ability—the power is the obvious possibility given his frame and occasional ability to launch one spectacularly—there’s star upside with the stick. With the glove, he continues to fall into the “maybe a shortstop, maybe not” bucket, although every year that he plays exclusively there and does so with minimum competence gives more hope.

From Fangraphs:

The Phillies have only ever played Miller at shortstop since signing him, and it’s the position at which he’d be the most valuable, but with Trea Turner entrenched ahead of him, it might behoove them to expand his defensive horizons in 2026 in case, be it via trade or injury, it turns out he’s needed at either second or third. Should he turn out to be a more comfortable, consistent defender at either of those positions, then a permanent move should be considered. Miller is going to be good enough at shortstop to play there, but only just so. If he can be a plus glove at second or third, that might be a better long-term fit.

It’s the Law article that has me believing we should pump the brakes a bit on Miller. Saying that he’ll be the best choice for shortstop by July 1 for the Phillies, choosing him over Trea Turner is a bit much at this point. Turner had maybe his best season for the Phillies last year, giving them a season where he registered near 7 WAR thanks to a tremendous uptick in defense to go with offense that is 20% better than league average. That is a player that should be getting MVP votes, one that isn’t going to be hard to displace. Suggesting that Miller would be a better choice at that position is a rather bold statement to make.

Placing expectations of those kinds of proportions on Miller are a bit unfair. His breaking camp with the team out of spring training would probably mean a few things, good and bad. The good part would mean that Miller is so impressive in how he is playing during spring that the team would have no choice but to find some kind of starting role for him. It happens with rookies, where their spring training sets them up for their earning a starting job for Opening Day. But with Miller, you’d probably want him to start if he gets to the majors and right now, barring injury, there just is no spot for him.

That brings us to the bad. If Miller were to win a spot, that probably means an injury happens. No matter which player it would be – Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott or Turner – having an injury to a starter is a bad thing. Having Miller up in the majors would be great insurance for that injury, something the Phillies haven’t had in quite a while. Yet no one should be wishing for an injury to befall a starter.

The biggest issue is making sure to temper those expectations for Aidan Miller no matter where he begins the season. He’s definitely close to making an impact on the major league team, possibly as soon as this season. Expecting him to come in and perform at an All-Star level, or maybe even something more, would be putting too much weight on his talents. It’s completely fine to believe that in time he’ll get to that level. All of these positive sounding scouting reports should have the fanbase excited that for the first time in a long time, the player development system will have produced a player that can reach lofty heights. But maybe for 2026, let’s keep those expectations in check, just a little bit.

It was a long road back for Christian Scott. 

The young Mets right-hander was forced to the injured list with a sprained UCL just nine starts into his big-league debut, and he ended up having to undergo Tommy John surgery. 

Scott missed the entire 2025 campaign following the procedure. 

He spent that time working his way back, and now he’s officially closing in on his return to the big-league mound. 

The 26-year-old is expected to be a full-go for spring training. 

“I’m feeling great,” Scott told SNY in Port St. Lucie. “I’m excited to be back, get off the mound in front of these guys again -- it’s nice to be able to come and pitch healthy, and just do what I do and do what I love.”

Sunday was the latest bullpen session Scott has thrown since arriving, but he’s also faced hitters about six times already as he progresses towards getting back into game action. 

New York’s first Grapefruit League game is on Feb. 21 against the Marlins. 

Scott figures to begin this season continuing to shake off the rust in Triple-A, but if he’s able to do so successfully he should find his way back to the majors at some point this year. 

While there were some bumps, the youngster showed plenty of positives before going down with the injury, posting a 4.56 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 39 strikeouts across his nine outings. 

“Obviously, there’s still stuff to build on and stuff to work on,” Scott said. “Being able to go up there and get that experience and to take that into my rehab, and to really try to build off of what I did good and work on what I did bad -- I’m just really excited to get back out there and get outs again.”

Let’s start by stipulating that this signing, player, and scenario are not necessarily what we would’ve chosen for ourselves.

But this is where we are now.

Certainly this isn’t the bat we wanted, but let’s lay that aside for the moment. Let’s think about defense, which is something the Red Sox themselves have pledged to devote more thought and effort to.

Before signing IKF, signs were pointing toward Marcelo Mayer staffing third base, with different reports predicting Nick Sogard, or a Romy Gonzalez/David Hamilton platoon at second.

My gut was telling me that IKF was the better option, defensively. Romy could bedazzle us from time to time, but he made me nervous. Hamilton doesn’t pass the eye test either and bounced down to Worcester accordingly. Same with Sogard.

Baseball Reference offers the Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average metric which they define as “The number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made.” For simplicity, they stylize this as Rtot, so I will too.

Let’s take a look.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

At second base in 2024, across two leagues (playing for both the Pirates and the Blue Jays), IKF had a fielding percentage of .990 which was above the MLB average of .984. IKF’s Rtot was 5 runs above average that year at second. Though he played only 56 games (376 innings) at that position, Baseball Reference extrapolates 17 Rtot over 1,200 innings (roughly 135 games, if he were slotted in there). Not bad.

In 2025 for the Blue Jays, over 13 games at second base, IKF’s fielding percentage was a glorious 1.000, though in a small sample size. His true Rtot was 1, extrapolated to 34 over 1,200 innings.

Romy González

Looking at the same Baseball Reference stats for Romy in 2024 with the Red Sox, we have:

130.1 innings at 2B, .964 fielding percentage compared to .983 league average, Rtot of -4, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: -32. Ouch.

In 2025 at 2B: 288 innings, .978 fielding percentage compared to .982 league average, Rtot of -2, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: -9.

I congratulate Romy on improving from the previous season, but the Red Sox new defense-first model shouldn’t tolerate any negative numbers here. Neither can the Red Sox afford it, with so many pitchers—particularly Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Bello—inducing as many ground balls as they do. And besides roster-specific reasons, we’ve increasingly seen how thin the margins can be in getting to the playoffs. The Red Sox have needed to prioritize defense for a long time.

David Hamilton

Let’s look at David Hamilton.

In 2024 at 2B: 266.2 innings, .978 fielding percentage compared to .983 league average, Rtot of 5, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: 21.

In 2025 at 2B: 401.2 innings, .973 fielding percentage compared to .982 league average, Rtot of 5, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: 16.

Nick Sogard

Same exercise, but even smaller sample size.

In 2024 at 2B: 99 innings, 1.000 fielding percentage, Rtot of -1, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: -12.

In 2025 at 2B: 65 innings, 1.000 fielding percentage, Rtot of 0-1, and Rtot extrapolated over 1,200 innings: -4.

I’m perfectly comfortable with IKF starting at second over González, Hamilton, or Sogard. I would much rather see him play there and be sure-handed, than mess around with regular platoons. (I say this even as I feel sure that one of the main reasons for acquiring IKF is his versatility in the infield.)

Yes, Romy’s bat is better against lefties, but he isn’t the regular answer in the infield. He’s a valued bench player. I have less confidence in Hamilton and Sogard, but they’re bench players too, if they make the team out of spring training. Give the keys to IKF.

It’s Sunday, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! For the third time in four weeks, Jack Frost has taken over New York City, with the wind chill reaching as low as 10 below. Fortunately, the countdown to spring training has reached the single digits, as pitchers and catchers report…this week! That’s right, folks, the long nightmarish winter is beginning to draw to a close, and in just a few days, the Chase for 28 will begin once more. How have the Yankees been spending their last few days before the big day? Let’s find out!

Team Building at the Stadium Series

Although pitchers and catchers don’t report until this week, many Yankees have arrived in Tampa to get some extra work in, much like they have done the past two seasons. It hasn’t been all work and no play, though, as they made sure to catch some hockey together at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (it was part of the NHL Stadium Series). From this, we can see that Austin Wells, Ben Rice, Max Fried, Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, Clarke Schmidt, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Chase Hampton, and new trade acquisition Ryan Weathers have already arrived in Tampa.

Warren and Schlittler, moreover, were mic’ed up during the game.

Celebrating Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and the Yankees took to social media to celebrate one of the most important players in Yankee history, Elston Howard.

Belli’s Back, Part III

For the third week in a row, we have some more about Cody Bellinger’s return to the Bronx — in this case, at long last, from the man himself. Just as significant as Bellinger’s post, though, is the number of teammates who responded to the post. Aaron Judge replied to Belli’s “Back in the BX” with “You never left!!” Austin Wells posted a trio of happy emojis. Ben Rice added “You are the greatest.” J.C. Escarra said, “Lesss run it🏃🏽‍♂️.” Even former Yankee Jameson Taillon, who was teammates with Bellinger in Chicago, celebrated the deal.

Mets pitchers and catchers don’t have to officially report to Port St. Lucie until next week, but more and more players have been trickling in over the past few days. 

Francisco Alvarez was the latest to arrive on Sunday morning. 

The young backstop played catch with right-hander Christian Scott, then went and got some defense work in, doing some catching drills on the backfields. 

It’s certainly encouraging to see Alvarez getting in some early work. 

The 24-year-old is coming off another injury-plagued campaign, but he showed signs of a his prolific power-hitting form after returning, hitting .276 with 18 XBH’s and a .921 OPS in the second half.

If he can stay healthy and build off that strong finish it would certainly be huge for this lineup.

Alvarez wasn’t the only Met to get some work in on Sunday, as Scott threw a bullpen session while both Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong threw live BP on the backfields. 

Kodai Senga also threw a bullpen with pitching coach Justin Willard looking on. 

Senga is coming off another injury-plagued campaign in which he struggled down the stretch, but the Mets are said to be encouraged by what they’ve seen from him this winter.  

Here’s a look at all the action from PSL…

Francisco Alvarez is in Port St. Lucie 🌴 pic.twitter.com/kudzgcjUMJ

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 8, 2026

Live BP with Nolan McLean 🤠 pic.twitter.com/EBtZUc4aik

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 8, 2026

Christian Scott and Francisco Alvarez play catch pic.twitter.com/TkvmkC2RDI

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 8, 2026

Kodai Senga tosses in the bullpen pic.twitter.com/8SCueOqb6F

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 8, 2026