MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 12: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on against the Minnesota Twins on September 12, 2025 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier tonight, MLB Now’s Top 10 Catchers Right Now countdown was announced, hosted by Brian Kenny with MLB Network analyst Alex Avila. The Diamondbacks had Gabriel Moreno ranked sixth on the list. That’s up one place from last year, and marks his third year in a row being ranked, having come tenth in 2024.
The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 catchers is listed below:
Top 10 Catchers Right Now
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves
Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros
Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves
Iván Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals
Shea Langeliers, Athletics
The 16th season of each Top 10 Right Now ranking considers player performance over multiple seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team.
The offseason rankings will continue tomorrow, February 3 as Kenny and Chris Young count down MLB Now’s Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now at 7 p.m. ET. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back with another entry then, because Corbin Carroll will certainly be listed high in that category.
Adolfo Sanchez and his bag o’ tools was voted the #14 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system for 2026 by you, the voters and participants in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings. Now, we turn our eyes to spot #15!
Per usual, you can find the link to the Google Form for voting right here, yet it’s also embedded at the bottom if you want to read through first and not have to embark upon the painstaking process of scrolling all the way back up here. Both link and embed will be removed once voting closes so you can’t stuff the ballot post facto, however, so be advised that this paragraph will make zero sense if you stumble back across it a year from now.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
Jose Franco
Zach Maxwell
Leo Balcazar
Adolfo Sanchez
A large list of talented names exists below for spot #15. Have at it with the votes!
Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida
Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in
Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown
One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.
However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.
Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF
Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness
If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).
However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.
Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.
Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term
Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing
The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.
The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.
Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)
2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League
Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)
Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph
Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.
Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.
He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.
Mason Morris, RHP (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: 9.00 ERA, 7/1 K/BB in 4.0 IP with Class-A Daytona Tortugas; 3.29 ERA, 78/31 K/BB in 54.2 IP with University of Mississippi
Pros: Fastball that can touch 100 mph; four-pitch mix
Cons: Lack of experience
Mason Morris landed with Ole Miss in 2023 primarily as a corner infielder, and the now 6’4” 225 lb righty only recently became a full-time pitcher prior to the Reds selecting him with their 3rd round pick in 2025. He’s got projection through the roof, though, with a 100 mph heater, plus cutter, and a pair of other breaking balls that look like they’ve also got the juice.
The question, though, is how Cincinnati plans to use him.
Morris only got a pair of outings as a pro after being drafted, and it appears the Reds have intentions on seeing if he can develop into a starting pitcher. That’s something he’s never really done before, however, and he’ll turn 23 years old in August of 2026. So, we’ll see how long of a leash the Reds give him with that avenue, since if they want to simply keep him in the bullpen there’s very little reason why he shouldn’t rocket through the minors and give them a legit relief arm at the big league level in short order.
Julian Aguiar, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: Did not pitch
Pros: Four-seam fastball that flirts with 100 mph; five-pitch pitcher with a pair of breaking balls and potentially plus change-up
Cons: Missed all of 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery; roughed up in 31.2 IP in MLB debut in 2024 (22 ER, 8 HR)
Julian Aguiar has risen quietly through the ranks of the Reds after being a 12th round pick out of Cypress College back in 2021, and his 2024 season saw him rocket from AA Chattanooga all the way through AAA and then to the Reds. Unfortunately, his short stint there ended with him requiring Tommy John surgery, and he missed all of 2025 while recovering.
He’s got plus potential with at least three pitches, and has another two that are still passable to keep hitters off-keel. His 360/93 career K/BB in 346.1 IP across the minors shows he’s got good strikeout stuff and a passable ability to keep hitters from free passes, and if his command returns as quickly as his velocity does post-surgery he should be in the mix to get big league batters out in some role as early as Opening Day. My best guess, though, is that he’ll be slated for AAA Louisville’s rotation to re-establish himself as a starter first, and he won’t actually turn 25 until June.
Mason Neville, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.333/.442 with 1 HR, 2 SB in 90 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .290/.429/.724 with 26 HR, 9 SB in 280 PA with University of Oregon
Pros: 60-grade power with potential plus arm and plus speed & baserunning; chance to stick in CF, though still profiles as a solid RF if moved to the corner; led Division I with 26 HR in final season at Oregon
Cons: Lots of swing and miss in his game, at times, including a 34.4% rate in his short sample with Daytona
The Reds clearly love Neville, as they drafted him in the 18th round out of high school 2022 only to watch him initially attend the University of Arkansas. After transferring to Oregon and swatting more dingers than anyone else in 2025, the Reds went back to him in the 4th round of the most recent draft.
Neville is incredibly toolsy, his left-handed swing producing significant power when he makes contact. He’s good at working walks despite his swing-and-miss proclivities, and posesses the kind of athleticism and speed to be a legitimate CF.
His tiny sample with Daytona has some red flags with the Ks, but it’s such a small sample that it’s hard to take it with too much certainty. For instance, he hit .298/.365/.526 through his first 17 games there only to go 2 for 20 with 9 Ks across his final 6 games – that could, and likely is, all small-sample noise.
Big tools, that Neville. He could well be the steal of the 2025 draft.
The White Sox might really get a kick out of having David Sandlin in their rotation this summer. | (Photo by Ella Hannaford/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Rejoice! It’s February! That means baseball will be back before the month is over, and I’ll finally write about something besides “Hey, look at this young arm!”
Unfortunately, Spring Training is still weeks away. Respite still eludes you, South Side Sox stan. The Pale Hose have another arm you haven’t heard of, Daniel Sandlin, and I’m going to tell you all about him. (At least he’ll stick around for longer than Ryan Rolison.
The trade represents a lateral move for Sandlin’s organization ranking: FanGraphs has Sandlin as the ninth best prospect in the White Sox system, which was just about the consensus for him with the Red Sox. His big-ticket trait is velocity: at 6’4’’ and 215 pounds, Sandlin was topping out at 99.9 mph in September. The steady velocity – he sits around 96mph – has kept the door open for Sandlin to start in the majors, despite being transitioned into the bullpen at Triple A this past season. In the video below, a June 21 Double-A start, you can see how easily Sandlin can overpower an opposing lineup when he’s locating his fastball at the top of the zone:
FanGraphs also has good things to say about Sandlin’s cutter and slider, calling both pitches “nasty and fairly distinct from one another.” A sinker/sweeper combo rounds out his standard five-pitch mix, although he has a curveball he’ll mix in on occasion. Sandlin also threw a changeup last year. No, literally. He threw one changeup:
However, I’d wager the remainder of Luis Robert Jr.‘s contract that Sandlin is going to be throwing a lot more changeups … what’s that? Apologies, dear reader, but I’m now being told all that money actually has been spent? No kidding? Huh. Well then, I guess I’d wager the remainder of Andrew Benintendi’s contract? Regardless, if Sandlin’s going to win a spot in the White Sox rotation, he’ll need to get comfortable with a changeup, and quick.
At this point in time, Sandlin’s has a two-part plan for approaching lefthanders. The first part is to throw the ball, and the second part is to pray:
2025 Splits (Combined Double-A and Triple-A) vs. Righties: .225 BA, .343 SLG, .649 OPS, .289 BABIP vs. Lefties: .285 BA, .430 SLG, .772 OPS, .358 BABIP
Back to FanGraphs, who came through in the clutch with an updated 2026 report today: “[Sandlin] still doesn’t have a great offspeed pitch with which to attack lefties … [he] peppers the top of the zone with cutters and sliders before elevating his fastball with two strikes.”
If you’re throwing your breaking pitches up in the zone to get ahead against opposite-side hitters, it doesn’t take much imagination to picture what could happen if that slider hangs just a little, or that cutter comes out a little flat, or even if he just misses his spot a couple inches low. The French refer to it as “Bang City.”
If you’ve read a single thing I’ve published on this site before — not a guarantee, I realize! — you already know what I’m going to say, and you’re probably pissed off that you’ve read 500 words just to realize this is yet another article about the kick changeup and how I think it’s a magical pitch that fixes everybody. But I’m not even the first to bring it up this time!
“The White Sox have had recent success coaxing better changeups out of pitchers with naturally-good breaking balls,” FanGraphs concludes in their prospect report, “and perhaps they’ll be able to do that with Sandlin.”
And I’d say the evidence is there! Sandlin has a very strong supinator profile. His Achilles’ heel, for him and many supinators, is a lack of arm-side options against opposite-handed hitters.
To flatten out his pitching splits, Sandlin’s going to need something. This is the magic of the kick change: no unfamiliar arm mechanics or discomfort. The platonic ideal of the kick change isn’t just its effectiveness, but how quickly somebody can pick it up and add it to their arsenal. For Sandlin, it is also the difference between a major league starter versus a middle reliever.
San Diego Padres Joe Musgrove (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Major League Baseball’s offseason is coming to an end. It is time to take your bats, balls, and glove out of storage because Spring Training is fast upon us. The San Diego Padres’ postseason hopes rest on a resurgent Joe Musgrove leading them to October baseball.
Spring Training is where pitchers want to ramp up their offseason workouts, but the Padres need some assurance that Musgrove is healthy to begin the regular season on the active roster.
Musgrove is an essential part of the rotation
He missed the entire 2025 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery. Arm injuries limited his workload the prior season, as Musgrove finished with a 6-5 record, 3.88 ERA in 19 starts. The right-hander’s season prematurely ended in the postseason, as Musgrove pitched 3.2 innings before leaving his start against the Atlanta Braves with elbow discomfort in the Wild Card round.
You cannot argue with his career success. Musgrove registered a 3.73 ERA with a 23.9% strikeout rate and 6.0% base-on-balls rate in 180 starts. He utilizes a six-pitch repertoire, as his sinker averages over 90 MPH, which sets up the four-seam fastball (93 MPH) to get batters out.
Friars skipper Craig Stammen has reiterated that he does not foresee implementing an innings limit on Musgrove. However, he will monitor how he feels after each start and determine if Musgrove needs extra recovery time before his next appearance on the mound.
Starting pitching depth is hard to find
The Friars are searching for starting pitching depth, as they need to take a cautious approach with several starters. Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vasquez, JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, and newly signed Marco Gonzales are expected to see time in the starting rotation this season. Several in this group carry their own injury issues.
King spent the majority of last season on the injury list, which limited him to 15 starts. All eyes will be on him during his throwing sessions at the start of Spring Training. The organization is optimistic that King will return to form in 2026.
Gonzales spent last season recovering from surgery that placed an internal brace to repair the flexor tendon in his left forearm. The injury limited him to 17 combined starts in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The latest procedure was the third surgery on Gonzales’ troublesome arm. If he makes the major league roster, the coaching staff will monitor the amount of innings-pitched all summer long.
It is undecided if Musgrove will begin the 2026 season on the Opening Day roster, as the Padres will monitor his progress during Cactus League appearances. They need to build up his arm strength before Musgrove makes his regular season debut.
It may be disappointing not to see him pitch in the opening series at Petco Park, but the goal is to keep Musgrove healthy all season long.
We are getting close to the point where our Top 100 Prospect countdown crashes into the Prospect Vote, so we may not have too many more rounds to go here.
This time around, we determined a winner while one player on our ballot was DFAd (Jairo Iriarte) and a recent winner (Gage Ziehl) was dealt away. For now, we will keep Jairo on the ballot, but if his is claimed elsewhere we’ll add two players next go-round.
In very tight voting, Marcelo Alcala eked out the win, earning 8 of 44 (18%) votes:
The tight race among Alcala, Diaz and Schweitzer yielded the lowest share of the vote for a winner yet, at 18.18%. This was Alcala’s first time on our ballot.
Past No. 34s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2025 Voting lasted only 31 rounds 2024 Abraham Núñez (33%) 2023 Voting lasted only 24 rounds 2022 Voting lasted only 17 rounds 2021 Kodi Medeiros (23%) 2020 Alec Hansen (32%) 2019 Luis Curbelo (25%) 2018 Jameson Fisher (28%)
Alcala is the 15th hitter of 34 players to advance, as well as the third center fielder:
Left fielder Caden Connor, who traversed three levels of the White Sox minors in 2025, joins the ballot for this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2026
Alexander Albertus Third Baseman Age 21 2025 high level Arizona Complex League (Rookie) Age relative to high level +0.4 years Overall 2025 stats 8 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 2 RBI ▪️ .333/.520/.444 ▪️ 3-of-3 (100.0%) SB ▪️ 6 BB ▪️ 3 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.3 WAR
What can you say further about Albertus? He seems to have great tools but an uncanny ability to stay off of the field (just eight games in a season-plus in the White Sox system). In 2025, he was assigned to Kannapolis but was … wait for it … injured. He lasted just eight games of ACL rehab before hitting the IL-60 again.
Aldrin Batista Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 22 2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 6 2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -1.2 years Overall 2025 stats 2-0 ▪️ 7 games (2 starts) ▪️ 14 IP ▪️ 5.79 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 1.429 WHIP ▪️-1.2 WAR
Batista was our No. 6-voted player in last year’s poll and top righthander — and then disaster struck, as he started the third Dash game of the season on April 6 and then was out more than four months with a stress fracture in his right (pitching) elbow. His return in late August was iffy, with three poor relief appearances of five. But he ended the season with a scoreless (two-inning) “opener” start, which hopefully reverses the curse for 2026.
Ryan Burrowes Second Baseman Age 21 2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 23 2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking N/R 2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2025 stats (Low-A/High-A) 111 games ▪️ 6 HR ▪️ 39 RBI ▪️ .255/.342/.355 ▪️ 47-of-53 (88.7%) SB ▪️ 39 BB ▪️ 110 K ▪️ .976 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR
It feels like Burrowes has been around forever, and he’s still only 21 years old (and playing at a level significantly younger than his age). His first taste of High-A ball went pretty well, as his baserunning seems to have no trouble translating at any level. The hit tool is solid, although he continues to struggle with contact — a no-no for a speed-over-power guy.
Caden Connor Left Fielder Age 25 2025 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -2.3 years Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA/AAA) 126 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 64 RBI ▪️ .272/.358/.366 ▪️ 13-of-16 (81.3%) SB ▪️ 60 BB ▪️ 81 K ▪️ .982 FLD%▪️ 1.9 WAR
Like Ryan Galanie, it’s hard to know what to make of Connor. The end of the 2025 season, at Charlotte, marked the first time in his pro career that he’s not played old for his level. But aside from a dip in July, Connor hit well all season and didn’t get dunked underwater at Charlotte. Theoretically with a weak White Sox outfield, the sky’s the limit for him in 2026.
Reudis Diaz Right-handed relief pitcher Age 20 2025 high level ACL (Rookie) Age relative to high level -2.1 years Overall 2025 stats 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 finishes) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR
Who? You’re forgiven for being unfamiliar with an extremely young arm who hasn’t yet gotten out of rookie ball, but our No. 77 prospect a year ago (then a starter, repeating the DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment Stateside. He’ll return to starting in 2026, likely getting his feet wet in Arizona and getting a promotion to Low-A in the second half of the season.
Ryan Galanie First Baseman Age 25 2025 high level Birmingham (AA) Age relative to high level +1.3 years Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA) 119 games ▪️ 11 HR ▪️ 94 RBI ▪️ .276/.327/.422 ▪️ 14-of-17 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 35 BB ▪️ 79 K ▪️ .995 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR
It’s been a slow but steady climb for this 13th-rounder in 2023. The good news here is, with the caveat that Galanie has always competed older than his level, Galanie has found some footing. While his power/slugging numbers are merely OK, he drove in 94 runs in 2025. He disappeared a bit in the playoffs for Birmingham (just four hits in six games, with five walks as well) but started every game in the march to a second consecutive Southern League title for the Barons.
Jairo Iriarte Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Age 24 2025 SSS Top Prospect Vote Ranking 19 2025 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -4.3 years Overall 2025 stats (Rookie/AAA) 3-3▪️ 1 SV ▪️ 37 games (5 starts, 9 finishes) ▪️ 48 IP ▪️ 7.13 ERA ▪️ 50 K ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 1.917 WHIP ▪️ -0.8 WAR
The 2025 season was an utter disaster for Iriarte, who went from prospective South Side rotation member to lost in space. The righty, who made his brief debut in the majors in 2024, both lost the plate and misplaced his strikeout power. The Brian Bannister Pitching Lab has its work cut out here, for sure.
Javier Mogollón Shortstop Age 20 2025 high level Kannapolis (Low-A) Age relative to high level -1.4 years Overall 2025 stats 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .220/.347/.387 ▪️ 15-of-21 (71.4%) SB ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 56 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.0 WAR
An ascending star just one year ago, we have to tap the breaks a bit on Mogollón after a lackluster first full season of minors ball. While still young for his level and managing to keep his head above water in a new league every season of his career, Mogollón’s undeniable hitting in Rookie ball fell off significantly with the Cannon Ballers. However, how much of that was due to battling injury is undetermined, as Mogollón was shelved for what turned out to be the season on July 2.
Yobal Rodriguez Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age18 2025 high levelDSL White Sox (Rookie) Age relative to high level -1.5 years Overall 2025 stats0-3 ▪️ 13 games (10 starts) ▪️ 30 1/3 IP ▪️2.97 ERA ▪️ 33 K ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 1.022 WHIP ▪️ 1.2 WAR
Rodriguez is a rare DSL pitcher, not for his relatively light innings load, but as a primary starter — and at just 17 years old (Yobal turns 18 on February 9). Inasmuch as it’s tough to project anyone out of the DSL, especially pitchers, you could hardly have hoped for more from him in his pro debut.
Tyler Schweitzer Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Age25 2025 high levelCharlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -3.3 years Overall 2025 stats (AA/AAA) 8-2 ▪️ 27 games (10 starts) ▪️ 99 2/3 IP ▪️4.61 ERA ▪️ 81 K ▪️ 41 BB ▪️ 1.344 WHIP ▪️ 0.8 WAR
Schweitzer relieved in most of his games in 2025, but he remains a starter in our eyes given he was consistently paired with Tanner McDougal in Birmingham Barons starts. And in Birmingham, Schweitzer was divine: 1.27 ERA that included a long scoreless streak leading to a Charlotte promotion, 0.946 WHIP. However, everything the southpaw did as a Baron, he undid as a Knight (7.92 ERA, 1.740 ERA). While other gilded arms (Drew Thorpe, Grant Taylor) get to skip Charlotte entirely, Schweitzer was not so lucky. And that luck could prevent him from ever seeing the majors.
Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
Shortstop Walt Weiss (TOP) of the Atlanta Braves completes a double play over Tino Martinez of the New York Yankees 23 October 1999 during game one of the 1999 World Series at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Sanders brought up the infamous incident at a recent team meeting in Boulder, as documented by Reach The People Media, one of Sanders’ favored YouTube channels. Sanders told his team it was an example of being able to go back to a “dark place” in your past. He said, “God allows you to go into it so that you can understand who He is and his power and how He can bring you out of nothing and turn it into something.”
Sanders, 58, was playing baseball for the Atlanta Braves when he doused McCarver with tubs of water in the postgame locker room after the Braves won the National League Championship Series that year. He said it was revenge for comments McCarver previously made about Sanders that described Sanders as selfish for leaving the Braves to also play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. The memory resurfaced for Sanders recently after apparently being asked about it for an upcoming film about Sanders on Netflix.
“My mother had told me this gentleman who just broadcast a game is talking about you real bad,” Sanders told his players. “And, you know, when mama talked to us like that, you act. I'm a Florida boy. Like we act immediately. So after we won the playoffs, I threw two buckets of water, which was wrong. Two buckets of water on him and doused him and doused him and doused him, and dousing them until he, you know, got upset about it. But I was thinking that he should have known his craft.”
Deion Sanders said 'God had my back' after Tim McCarver incident
He blamed McCarver for not doing his “homework” and not knowing Sanders’ contract with the Braves had been set to expire earlier that summer before he worked out a deal that allowed him to help the baseball team in its playoff push. Instead of being portrayed by McCarver as selfish, he said he thought it should have been portrayed as a “wonderful gesture” by him to continue playing with the team.
After dousing McCarver, the Braves advanced to the World Series to play the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanders played well against the Blue Jays, especially against Blue Jays pitcher David Cone. He suggested his success in that series was proof that God has his back about the McCarver incident. He hit .533 overall in that series with five stolen bases, but the Braves lost in six games.
“That hurt,” Sanders said of McCarver’s comments. “That hurt my mom. That hurt me. But lo and behold, God had my back. Why would I say God had my back? Because the opposing team was the Toronto Blue Jays that we played in the World Series had a pitcher on the team named David Cone. David Cone was a great pitcher. He should be in Hall of Fame. But David Cone, my lifelong average against him was about .600.”
Deion Sanders wanted to win MVP so Tim McCarver could interview him
Sanders said he would have been named World Series MVP if the Braves had won.
“But we lost,” Sanders said. “But I wanted to win so bad because that gentleman that was naysaying me (McCarver) would have had to interview me for being the MVP. And that's what I wanted, but it didn’t happen that way. But we got into it.”
McCarver died in 2023 at age 81. After Sanders doused him with water in 1992, he confronted Sanders. “You’re a real man, Deion,” McCarver told him. “I’ll say that.”
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 22: Tommy LaPour #49 of the TCU Horned Frogs pitches against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field on February 22, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wichita State transfers have fared well with the Horned Frogs.
One year after former Shocker left-hander Payton Tolle transferred to TCU, right-hander Tommy LaPour left the Shockers for the Horned Frogs. LaPour became an ace for TCU, posting an 8-3 record and a 3.09 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 27 walks over 90.2 innings pitched. LaPour, who was named an All-Big 12 First Team honoree and an NCBWA Second-Team All-American last season, headlines the pitchers back for the TCU baseball team.
While LaPour projects as TCU’s top right-hander, Mason Brassfield returns as the team’s most valuable lefty. As a freshman, Brassfield carved out a significant role, finishing 5-2 with a 4.09 ERA over 17 appearances and seven starts. Brassfield, who ranked second on the team in innings (61.2) last season, will look to fill a void vacated by left-handers Braeden Sloan and Ben Abeldt, who were each selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.
TCU’s pitching staff will look quite different in 2026. The Horned Frogs have lost senior right-hander Louis Rodriguez to an elbow injury, while right-handers Cohen Feser, Kole Klecker, Trey Neumann, Jax Traeger, Carson Cormier, Blake Rogers and Mason Bixby all departed for the transfer portal. Caedmon Parker, who opted to return for 2025 after being drafted in 2024, was drafted again in 2025 and is pursuing his professional career.
One player to watch will be Trever Baumler, a sophomore right-hander and outfielder who ranked sixth on the team with 38 innings thrown last season. Baumler had mixed results on the mound, posting a 6.39 ERA over 13 appearances and eight starts. Another player who could earn more innings is left-hander/utility standout Noah Franco. One of the top freshmen in the Big 12 last season, Franco tossed 12.1 innings last year, making three starts in eight appearances. Franco finished with a 7.30 ERA as well as 18 strikeouts and nine walks.
TCU will deploy a multitude of young arms in 2026. Among those are sophomores Tyler Phenow, Kade Eudy, Nate Stern, Zack James and Kaden Smith. Eudy emerged as a reliable closer in the bullpen, notching a 3.75 ERA and earning a team-high six saves last season. Stern quietly became a consistent option in middle relief, leading the team with a 1.35 ERA on 29 strikeouts and 10 walks over 20 innings. James went 3-0 on the season, threw 20 innings and made four starts, while Smith made 14 relief appearances and finished with a 5.25 ERA last season.
Through the transfer portal, TCU brought in senior left-hander Nolan Johnson (North Dakota State) as well as right-handers Tanner Sagouspe (Cal Poly), Ethan Thomas (Hawaii), Lance Davis (Arkansas) and Walter Quinn (Grand Canyon). Johnson brings a wealth of experience from the Summit League, as he played four seasons at NDSU and was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Year in 2025. At NDSU, Johnson made 21 starts as part of 32 appearances, posting a 9-8 record and a 4.27 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 128.2 career innings pitched.
🐸FALL REPORT: TCU
With one of the better Friday night starters in @NCAABaseball + depth and experience, @TCU_Baseball looks like a #Big12 and potential national title contender.
A senior and an All-Big West Honorable Mention in 2024, Sagouspe compiled 62 career appearances over four years at Cal Poly. Sagouspe was 8-6 with 15 career saves and a 4.06 ERA, racking up 120 strikeouts in 99.2 career innings. Thomas arrives as a redshirt sophomore who spent two years at Hawaii, where he made 18 appearances out of the bullpen in 2025. Thomas posted a 3.60 ERA and struck out 37 batters over 25 innings of work.
Quinn received Second-Team All-WAC honors at Grand Canyon in 2025. The senior started his career on Grand Canyon’s club baseball team and left Grand Canyon in 10th place all-time with 12 career saves. Quinn made 54 appearances over three years, recording a 3.21 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 95.1 innings of work. Davis redshirted last season and will be looking to make his collegiate debut with the Horned Frogs this season.
Rounding out the TCU pitching staff will be true freshman Uli Fernsler, a left-hander and a highly-ranked recruit. Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 70 overall prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft, Fernsler was tabbed a first-team high school All-American and earned Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior.
The Mariners’ price was steep, giving up two prospects and a draft pick to grab the man who they believe could be the missing piece for their first World Series appearance.
The Cardinals, who are in a massive rebuild, will receive prized pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfield prospect Tai Peete from Seattle; outfield prospect Colton Ledbetter from Tampa; and two Comp B draft picks — the 68th overall from Seattle and the 72nd overall from Tampa.
The Tampa Bays will receive young third baseman Ben Williamson from the Mariners.
Donovan, an All-Star last season and Gold Glove winner in 2022 as a utilityman, headlines the package. While scouts are divided about Donovan’s best position between second base and left field, he is expected to primarily play third base for the Mariners. The reality is that his best position is at the plate. He has a career .282 batting average with a .361 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage with 40 homers and 97 doubles with a .772 OPS. He struck out in just 13% of his plate appearances last season.
The acquisition of Donovan, 29, who will be a free agent after 2027, gives the Mariners five players at the top of the lineup who made the All Star team in the past two seasons, joining Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena.
Cijntje, selected with the 15th pick in the 2024 draft, is the best prospect in the trade, ranking as baseball’s 91st-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Cijntje actually throws right-handed and left-handed, but the Mariners were planning to have him pitch exclusively right-handed this spring. Peete was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
The Mariners, who are now AL West favorites, believe this could be the finishing touch to a season to remember.
The Cardinals, who have traded eight players off their major-league roster since last year’s trade deadline, are hoping they have the makings of a team that can be competitive again in a few years.
And for the Rays, they got the right-handed third baseman they’ve been seeking, trying to stay relatively competitive in the loaded AL East.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the best teams in basketball since mid-December — especially at home — and they’ll try to carry that over into February when they open the month against the Philadelphia 76ers.
My Clippers vs. 76ers predictions and NBA picks break down why tonight will be no different.
76ers vs Clippers prediction
76ers vs Clippers best bet: Clippers -2 (-110)
The Los Angeles Clippers are an NBA-best 17-4 since mid-December and rank third in net rating during that stretch.
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have a bad January either, but their recent wins have come against soft competition, and they rank 26th in defensive rating over the past 10 games.
This version of the Clippers has also been a great bet at home, going 10-1 ATS in their last 11 at the Intuit Dome.
76ers vs Clippers same-game parlay
One reason the Clippers have been better lately is their offense has become more balanced, and John Collins is a part of that.
He's averaging 16.3 points over his last 13 games while topping this number of 14.5 nine times over that stretch.
Meanwhile, I expect VJ Edgecombe to go over his point total thanks to some added opportunities with George sidelined for the next little while. Edgecombe has always logged plenty of minutes, but he'll get more shots up now as well.
Let's add the big boys, Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard, to go Over their point totals as well, as each has been on a tear in recent outings.
76ers vs Clippers SGP
John Collins Over 14.5 points
Kawhi Leonard Over 24.5 points
VJ Edgecombe Over 12.5 points
Joel Embiid Over 28.5 points
76ers vs Clippers odds
Spread: 76ers +2 | Clippers -2
Moneyline: 76ers +110 | Clippers -130
Over/Under: Over 220.5 | Under 220.5
76ers vs Clippers betting trend to know
The Clippers have hit the moneyline in 10 of their last 11 home games, good for +10.85 units and a 37% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Clippers.
How to watch 76ers vs Clippers
Location
Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Date
Monday, February 2, 2026
Tip-off
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
76ers vs Clippers latest injuries
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The Vancouver Canucks will be without two of their wingers on this current road trip. According to Head Coach Adam Foote, both Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander will not play in either game this week. The Canucks have two remaining games before the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be played against the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Boeser not playing on the trip was already expected as he deals with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old was hit in the head by Bryan Rust back on January 25, which resulted in the Pittsburgh Penguins forward receiving a three-game suspension. This season, Boeser has scored 12 goals while adding 25 points in 50 games.
As for Höglander, he is dealing with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old last played on January 27 and has already missed significant time with injury this season. Höglander has only played 18 games this year, where he has collected two assists.
Dec 7, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander (21) discusses face off stratedgy with forward Brock Boeser (6) during a stop in play against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver's last game before the 2026 Winter Olympics is on February 4 versus the Golden Knights. Those not heading to Italy will get two weeks off, with practice scheduled to begin on February 18. As for when the Canucks return to action, that will be on February 25 when the Winnipeg Jets visit Rogers Arena.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star forward Kevin Durant is not playing for the Houston Rockets on Monday night after spraining his left ankle when he stepped on a fan's foot during a recent game.
Coach Ime Udoka provided the update about 90 minutes before his team was scheduled to play at the Indiana Pacers, saying Durant “tweaked” the ankle. He provided no timetable for a return.
Durant has not previously missed a game this season because of injuries. He missed two games in November for personal reasons. The 37-year-old Durant is averaging a team-best 26.2 points per game.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are in the process of acquiring All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the teams hadn’t finalized the trade.
Donovan, 29, was a first-time All-Star last year, when he hit .287 with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .775 OPS. Over a four-year major league career, Donovan has hit .282 with a .772 OPS, 40 home runs and 97 doubles. Donovan also won a utility player Gold Glove as a rookie in 2022.
It was unclear which players would be dealt to the Cardinals or whether other teams are involved. The Seattle Times reported the Tampa Bay Rays are involved in a three-team deal.
Donovan has a $5.8 million, one-year contract, is eligible for arbitration again next winter and is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2027 World Series.
He could slot into the middle of the Mariners batting order in the way Jorge Polanco did last year. Polanco hit 26 homers, then became a free agent and signed a $40 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets.
Seattle last year came within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.
