DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats during a spring training workout at the Toronto Blue Jays' Player Development Complex on February 18, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kazuma Okamoto is a 29-year-old, right-handed hitting corner infielder from Gojo, Japan. He’s played 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball. The Jays signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract (Ben Clemens at FanGraphs figured him to sign four years and $72 million).
Not that it means much, but he’s shown a nice sense of humour (he is serious and manly) and sense of fun in the few days he’s been at the Jays spring camp.
Rogers hopes to grow the Blue Jays’ brand in Japan. We are going to Japan next month. I’m going to bring a bunch of Blue Jays caps with me. Every holiday, I end up trading a Jays cap for something
Career he’s hit .277/.361/.521, with 248 home runs. Last year, he was limited to 69 games with the Yomiuri Giants because of an elbow sprain, but he hit .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs. FanGraphs notes that he has the second-most homers in NPB since 2019.
He’s lowered his strikeout rate the last two seasons (15.9% in 2024, 11.3% last year). And there is a note that he’s hitting better against fastballs the last couple of years. He’s a pull hitter.
There are questions about his defense at third. FanGraphs says this:
Okamoto can show you nimble lower body stability and has feel for bouncing off the dirt and spinning into accurate throws, but he lacks range and struggles making plays to his glove side.
Baseball America likes his defense more:
In the field, Okamoto is an above-average defender at third base, and he’s won multiple NPB Gold Glove equivalents. He’s a plus-plus defender at first base and offers his signing team defensive versatility.
With Vlad at first, third is Kazuma’s spot. I am interested in seeing his defense this spring. I’m guessing he’ll move to first on Vlad’s DH days.
How will he hit? I’d like to think he’ll be around 25 home runs, maybe a .250ish average, .340-.350 OBP.
Steamer? They have him playing 130 games, 22 home runs, a .251/.323/.446 batting line with a 2.3 fWAR.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Elmer Rodríguez #76 of the New York Yankees works out during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 15, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the best days of the year is here! Spring training has officially opened, the Yankees kicking off their Grapefruit League exhibition series with a trip to Sarasota to take on the Orioles. The offseason may have been “brutal”’ and “frustrating”’ at times as Aaron Judge put it, but baseball is back and we can finally look forward to the season. Let’s take a look at the players who will be suiting up for both division rivals.
Elmer Rodríguez takes the mound as the Yankees’ top ranked pitching prospect according to several publications. The 22-year-old righty vaulted his way to becoming a consensus Top-100 Prospect in baseball after being named Baseball America’s New York Yankees Minor League Player of the Year. In 26 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, Rodriguez went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA across 150 innings, finishing with the second-most strikeouts (176) in the minors behind the Mets’ Jonah Tong. He has a chance to impact the big-league club season, and gets his first true audition this afternoon.
Trevor Rogers was one of the biggest stories for the Orioles last season, going from a Triple-A demotion following his 2024 Trade Deadline move from Miami to one of the most effective pitchers in baseball when he was one the mound in 2025. Among starters with at least 100 innings, Rogers was second only to Nathan Eovaldi with a 1.81 ERA, also placing in the top-ten league-wide in FIP (2.82) and home runs per nine (0.49). He made a pair of starts against the Yankees last year, pitching six shutout frames of one-hit ball in their first encounter before getting tagged for six runs across three innings a week later. The 28-year-old southpaw leads with a four-seamer that sits 93, backed up by a pair of nasty breaking balls, his slider and sweeper both inducing whiff rates in excess of 37-percent. In 18 starts, Rogers went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA (223 ERA+), 2.82 FIP, 103 strikeouts, and 3.3 fWAR across 109.2 innings.
For those disappointed not to see Aaron Judge’s name in the Yankees lineup, the captain generally has not travelled to away games during spring training. We will at least get to see four major leaguers start, with Austin Wells, José Caballero, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Amed Rosario making up the top four of the batting order. The rest of the lineup consists of non-roster invitees: Ernesto Martinez Jr., Marco Luciano, Duke Ellis, Kenedy Corona, and Ali Sánchez
The Orioles meanwhile go with a starting nine that could very well resemble their Opening Day lineup. Gunnar Henderson bats leadoff while Pete Alonso takes his first competitive swings in an Orioles uniform after his big money move from Queens to Baltimore in free agency. The rest of their expected infield has taken a hit, however, with both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg absent after suffering a broken hamate and partially torn UCL, respectively.
How to watch
Location: Ed Smith Stadium — Sarasota, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: Gotham Sports App, MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
The injury bug continues to bite Jordan Westburg and the Orioles.
The talented, yet oft-injured third baseman has been diagnosed with a partial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias told reporters Friday.
He is set to receive a platelet-rich plasma (PR) injection Friday, but will miss all of April with the injury and his timeline is uncertain, according to MLB.com.
Jordan Westburg will at least miss April. Diamond Images/Getty Images
This injury is a tough blow for both the player and the team, and it’s possible the situation could worsen should the PRP injections not work and Westerburg has to undergo surgery.
The 2020 first-round pick is productive when healthy, but staying on the field has been an issue.
He appeared in just 68 games in his rookie season in 2023, 107 in his second season in 2024 after suffering a fractured right hand and 85 this past season while battling multiple injuries during a disaster campaign for the Orioles that resulted in a last-place 75-87 finish.
Westburg had been dealing with a tweaked right oblique in camp he suffered in January, which left him “physically unable to participate” in camp before this reveal.
“Right now, he’s physically unable to participate,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Thursday, according to MLB.com. “He’s getting evaluated by a medical team, and also outside people, to make sure we have a plan in place and see what’s going on with Jordan and get him going.”
Westburg, when healthy, has slashed .264/.312/.456 with 38 homers and 127 RBIs in his career, producing 18 long balls and 63 RBIs in his 107-game season in 2024.
This injury now leaves the Orioles without half of their projected starting infield, with Jackson Holliday already sidelined with a broken right hamate bone.
Jordan Westburg at third base during 2025 game. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Coby Mayo stands to potentially benefit from Westburg’s absence, per MLB.com.
The Orioles had an aggressive offseason to rebound from their 2025 flop, adding Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Chris Bassitt, among other moves.
Aug 2, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Bryan Reynolds (10) and third baseman Jared Triolo (19) and center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) talk in the middle of the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The long wait is almost over. After an active offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Spring Training is getting ready to kick off games this coming weekend, with the Grapefruit League getting rolling on Saturday afternoon. The Bucs will play 31 Spring Training games, running all the way up until March 23. They will play 16 home games and 15 away and open up on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.
This is all in leadup to the regular season Opening Day, when the Bucs take on the New York Mets at Citifield on March 26 at 1:00pm eastern. They have their home opener on April 3, taking on the Orioles once again, with a 4:00pm eastern start.
The Bucs will again play live on Pittsburgh Sports Net, and they are set to televise 15 of Pittsburgh’s preseason games, including 9 home broadcasts and 6 away. You’ll also be able to catch the Buccos on 93.7 The Fan, 100.1 FM, AM 1020 KDKA as well as the Sports Net Pittsburgh app, SNP 360.
Here’s the Pittsburgh Pirates 2026 MLB Spring Training Schedule:
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 04: Peter O'Brien #7 of the Kansas City Royals at bat during the spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Surprise Stadium on March 4, 2017 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hope springs eternal this time of year, particularly if you’re a hitter in the hot, dry air of Arizona. The Royals typically perform pretty well in the Cactus League, which means absolutely nothing since the games don’t count. But you can be excused for getting a teensy bit excited about a player who seemed to figure things out in spring training. Hope is a good thing, after all!
I am usually quite dismissive of guys launching bombs in Arizona. But I couldn’t help but get a bit excited about Peter O’Brien in 2017. I had liked O’Brien as a college player at Miami, and when the Royals picked him up, I thought there was a chance he could help the team. Then he got to Surprise and started launching bombs. He smacked seven home runs – the only players in all of baseball who hit more that spring training were Greg Bird and Bryce Harper. Could O’Brien be our Bryce Harper? No. O’Brien was sent to the minors and hit .162 with three home runs in 27 games before being released.
The next year, it was Frank “The Tank” Schwindel. He tied for the most spring training home runs in baseball with seven (Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler each hit six, giving Royals fans visions of a Murderer’s Row). His line of .366/.381/.976 wasn’t enough to make the team, so he hit 24 home runs for Omaha. He made the Opening Day roster the next year, but lasted just six games before it was back to the minors. He would find some limited success in 2021, hitting 14 home runs with the Cubs.
Hunter Dozier had a terrific 2019 season, and although his pandemic-shortened 2020 season had mixed results, he was rewarded with a four-year, $25 million deal in February of 2021. That seemed to be a potential steal when he destroyed Cactus League pitching that year, smashing five home runs with a line of .289/.373/.733. But it proved to be fool’s gold as he posted a career-worst OPS+ of 76 that year, part of a rapid decline that turned that contract into a dud.
Ruben Gotay, Mike Jacobs, and Kila Kaaihue are some other Cactus League MVPs. Who was your favorite performer in Royals spring training?
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 13: Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers participates in a fielding drill during spring training workouts at Camelback Ranch on February 13, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dalton Rushing got his first taste of the major leagues last season, and all of its ups and downs. Now, he heads into potentially his first full season in the majors.
As the backup to Will Smith, it’d be tough for anyone to find a rhythm at the plate playing once or twice per week behind the plate. That proved true for Rushing last year, hitting just .204/.258/.324 with a 37.4-percent strikeout rate in 155 plate appearances. His highest strikeout rate in the minors was only 21.5 percent, in Triple-A Oklahoma City before his call-up in 2025.
Dalton Rushing as a professional
2022: Class-A (all but two games), 134 PA, 213 wRC+
2023: High-A, 381 PA, 147 wRC+
2024: Double-A & Triple-A, 503 PA, 146 wRC+
2025: Triple-A, 149 PA, 143 wRC+
2025: MLB, 155 PA, 62 wRC+
Rushing’s calling card has always been his bat, and he found time in the minors to get more reps at the plate by playing first base, designated hitter, and sometimes left field in addition to catching. Now on the Dodgers, he joins a depth chart with those positions suitably filled, with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman plus Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández in the corners.
Rushing is in line to be the backup catcher behind Will Smith again, but Roberts would like to find ways to get Rushing more at-bats. That could mean using Rushing at first base on days when Freeman needs a spell. The outfield, Roberts said, will not be an option for Rushing.
Ohtani started 317 of 324 games at designated hitter the last two seasons, and while Freeman has been an ironman for most of his career, his last two seasons have proven more challenging. Freeman started 147 games in 2024, and 145 games in 2025.
That still leaves some time at first base for Rushing to at least occasionally play. Last season he played eight games and 28 total innings at the position with the Dodgers, but his lone start at first came in the final weekend of the season, the day after the team clinched the division.
Today’s question is how many non-catcher starts will Dalton Rushing make in 2026?
FT. MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: The sun rises against the Green Monster during a Boston Red Sox spring training team workout on February 15, 2024 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is the game on TV?
Yes! This is one that NESN never misses. Check it out at 1:05 PM.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
From an on-field perspective, the most interesting thing here is Kristian Campbell in centerfield, by far. But that’s not what today is about. Today is about looking away from the snow that’s still outside your window and drowning in the sounds of baseball. It’s back.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 13: A general view ahead of the first round during the 2025 MLB Draft at Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
News came out today that California prep prospect Jared Gridlinger is set to reclassify and move from the 2027 MLB Draft into the 2026 MLB Draft. Gridlinger ranked as high as No. 3 overall and No. 1 prep player in the 2027 class, and adds another premium talent into what is already a strong draft class. This move comes after the deadline to make the move, though Gridlinger was able to secure a waiver from MLB to give him access.
The 2026 MLB Draft class just got better. Former 2027 eligible two-way player Jared Grindlinger has reclassified for 2026.
To give you a little more background on Gridlinger, he will be just 17 years and two months old at the time of the 2026 MLB Draft, making him especially young for the draft. As a player he is one of the most legit two-way prospects we have seen at the top of the draft since Brendan McKay back in 2017. He’s a 6’3”, 185-pound lefty at just 16-years-old presently, but is seen as a projectable pitcher with a fastball already up to 96 MPH and potentially both a plus slider and change. That goes with plenty of power and a feel for taking good at bats as a hitter. If his name sounds familiar, that would be because he is the younger brother of Tennessee freshman catcher Jared Gridlinger – a name you may remember leading up to the 2025 MLB Draft.
This impacts the Braves in a big way as it adds another premium talent to a loaded 2026 class that sees them pick twice in the first round and five times in the first 112 picks. While Gridlinger is the type of prospect capable of going in the Top 10 and pushing another guy, such as a Cam Flukey or AJ Gracia, down to the Braves at No. 9, it is more likely that as of today he has that impact with pick No. 26 instead. That is because scouts and front offices will have to play a little bit of catch up on him, and he has a long list of proven college players to push past to go Top 10.
Gridlinger is also a player who could appeal to the Braves themselves. They have taken their share of two-way guys from the likes of Austin Riley, Michael Harris, Owen Murphy, and even Cam Caminiti, and also their analytics models do like picking players who are young for the class. When you factor in that he is an arm with top of the rotation potential, or a premium bat, it’s hard to picture the Braves not at least tracking him closely.
CORAL GABLES, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Princeton infielder Tommy Googins (7) throws to first base in the fourth inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Princeton Tigers on February 23, 2025, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Last year was a rough go of it for Princeton, slogging their way to a 12-31 overall record with the underlying stats that say that record probably should have been worse. Collectively, the Tigers hit just .209/.320/.302 with a 11.7 BB% and 26.1 K%. Turns out that notching just 77 extra-base hits over 43 games is not an ideal way to score a lot of runs.
The pitching staff wasn’t any better, and was certainly hurt by the loss of staff ace Sean Episcope after just four starts (Episcope, a draft-eligible sophomore, ended up a 5th round pick of Milwaukee). That group had a combined 6.92 ERA with a 11.3 BB% and 15.8 K%, and didn’t help themselves either by plunking 94 opposing hitters.
This is a new year, though, and in the transfer portal era a team can rebuild itself quickly… except for military academies and Ivy League schools. Princeton brought in zero transfers, but does have an 8-man freshman class that looks promising. It’ll need to rely on them – as well as a couple arms that are returning from injury – if it’s going to rebound from last year’s subpar performance.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: LHP Ryan Marohn (JR) vs RHP Justin Kim (SR)
Saturday: RHP JacobDudan (JR) vs RHP Liam Kinneen (SO)
Sunday: LHP Cooper Consiglio (JR) vs RHP Brady Kaufman (FR)
Key Players:
Offense
INF Jake Koonin (SR) – .236/.385/.460, 6 2B, 8 HR, 14.5 BB%, 20.5 K%, 10-12 SB. Winston-Salem native who attended Mount Tabor HS. Had a down year in 2025 but is a bounce-back candidate based on his 2024 showing (.319/.402/.528, 22 2B, 4 HR, 7.9 BB%, 17.3 K%, 11-11 SB) in which he earned 2nd Team All-Ivy League honors.
UTIL Nick Shenefelt (SO) – .206/.308/.257, 3 2B, 0 HR, 12.1 BB%, 15.9 K%, 0-1 SB. Started 38 games as a freshman and the BB and K rates tell you he wasn’t overmatched, and the .248 BABIP last year tells you an upward regression is in the mix for 2026.
INF Jake Kernodle (JR) – .213/.333/.238, 3 2B, 0 HR, 13.1 BB%, 22.8 K%, 0-0 SB. Charlotte native has started 72 games over his Princeton career. While his 2025 was awful, like Shenefelt, he’s an upward regression candidate after posting a .286/.367/.429, 3 2B, 4 HR, 8.0 BB%, 29.3 K%, 4-6 SB line as a freshman. That 2024 triple slash with his 2025 BB% and K% would be a nice season for him.
Pitching
RHP Justin Kim (SR) – 2-5, 3 SV, 5.26 ERA, 49.2 IP, 9.6 BB%, 18.4 K%. Key reliever for Princeton during his freshman and junior years, while he also served as a starter his sophomore year but had issues with control and didn’t miss many bats (2-2, 4.66 ERA, 38.2 IP, 13.8 BB%, 8.6 K%). Will get another go at the starting rotation this year.
RHP Liam Kinneen (SO) – 3-5, 5.80 ERA, 49.2 IP, 13.4 BB%, 18.9 K%. Big 6’4, 210 lbs second year player who should make a nice sophomore jump if he can reign in the control. Spent his entire freshman year in the starting rotation and will be a mainstay again.
RHP Brady Kaufman (FR) – True freshman two-way player who will be making his college debut on Sunday, assuming he doesn’t play in the field ahead of time (he should). Solid build at 6’2, 190. The next earned run he allows will be the first against him since his junior year of high school.
RHP Elliott Eaton (JR) – 0-0, 8.71 ERA, 31.0 IP, 15.5 BB%, 16.8 K%. Good frame at 6’5, 210 lbs. Control issues are what keeps him back with 43 BB, 28 HBP, and 15 WP in 59.0 career innings.
RHP Will Sword (rJR) – Cary native who attended Thales Academy and missed all of the 2025 season due to injury. Prior to that pitched to a 2-4, 6.52 ERA, 48.1 IP, 12.3 BB%, 18.2 K% in 2024. Has made 13 starts over his 22 career appearances with the Tigers. Could be a key component to the bullpen this year.
Quick! Fun Facts!
Princeton coach Scott Bradley had that program rolling early in his tenure, taking the Tigers to five NCAA Regionals in a seven-year span from 2000 to 2006.
The Tigers have a daunting opening slate for 2026. They play three games in Raleigh this weekend, then head to Durham next weekend for a four-game series with Duke, and then head to Columbia the following weekend for a three-game set with South Carolina.
Despite having just 30 players drafted since 2000, seven Princeton baseball alums have made it to the MLB level: RHP Ross Ohlendorf, OF Will Venable, RHP Chris Young, RHP Danny Barnes, RHP David Hale, 1B Mike Ford, and RHP Matt Bowman. Each of those players had multi-year MLB careers.
Ivy League teams typically play a smaller schedule versus other D1 teams. Princeton has 42 games scheduled for this year compared to 56 for the majority of non-Ivy League schools.
The Key To A Series Win For State
Princeton doesn’t have the pitching depth to stay in this one, so a patient approach to work the pitch counts of the starters will get the Pack deep into a Tigers pitching staff that won’t be able to keep up. The key for State is simple: hunt your pitch at the plate and don’t swing at junk.
Prediction
The Wolfpack will score a bunch of runs and Princeton will not, but the Tigers will show more punch than they did in 2025.
He's always in a cage, but you cannot contain him (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Instead of writing about Cal Raleigh’s 2025 season, I’d like to show you a few pitches that caught my attention.
April 17, bottom of the tenth
The Mariners had stormed back in the ninth inning to tie the game and send it to extras (thanks to a Cal Raleigh home run), which meant that Cal would have to wear the catcher’s gear for an extra inning.
In the 1930s, a catcher—either Muddy Ruel or Bill Dickey, depending on who you ask—referred to the mask, chest pad, and shin guards as “the tools of ignorance.” The irony was clear: anyone smart enough to play the position would be smart enough not to play it if he understood the risks.
You can see that phenomenon on display in this video as Andrés Muñoz spikes a slider that comes up and gets Cal Raleigh in the throat. The trainer comes out, but when the ump eventually asks if he needs more time, Cal just nods “nah, I’m good.”
A few days later, he hit a home run off the facing of the second deck.
May 29, top of the eighth
Here we see Cal catching a Matt Brash pitch that appears to jam his hand. He shakes it off, but one pitch after that, CJ Abrams fouls a ball back to the knob of Cal’s ankle, where there’s no protection. Former catcher Dave Valle is on the call, and you can hear the “believe me, that one hurts” tone in his voice. Cal takes a minute and grimaces, then gets back to it.
The next night, he hit a home run in the first inning. And then another one in the eighth.
June 23, bottom of the sixth
Another foul ball, this one to the inner thigh. Carlos Correa will never stop being hateable. Cal has to stand up and walk this one off, bouncing and hobbling around the plate for a moment. Three innings later, he hit his 32nd home run of the season.
July 12, bottom of the first
Detroit’s first batter tips one straight back to Cal’s wrist. But don’t worry. It’s not like you need your wrists for hitting. The umpire gives him a minute, knowing Cal’s got an entire game left of this. Two days later, Cal became the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby.
August 9, top of the ninth
In some ways, this isn’t really an article about Cal Raleigh. It’s about Andrés Muñoz’s slider, and Matt Brash’s curveball, and Logan Gilbert’s splitter, and Carlos Vargas’s entire arsenal. Cal catches a lot of pitches where the hurlers will be the first ones to tell you they’re not entirely sure where they’re going. In this clip, we get another spiked Muñoz slider, this one knocking dirt into Cal’s eye.
The next day, Cal Raleigh hit a home run.
August 20, bottom of the fifth
Alec Bohm hits a foul directly back into Cal’s mask, bouncing off his face and skull. He takes less than two seconds before reaching his glove out for the next ball. When I was in college, sometimes I would stay home from class because I “felt icky.”
That weekend, Cal hit two home runs in a game. The first traveled 448 feet and tied Salvador Perez’s record for most home runs by a catcher in a season. The second one, also over 400 feet, broke it.
August 24, top of the seventh
Later on in the game where Cal broke Salvy’s record, he catches Carlos Vargas. One of his pitches comes in wide off the plate. After 114 games behind the dish, this pinwheel is taking its toll.
Cal catches the wayward pitch awkwardly, has to drop his glove, and shake out his hand. In the first inning of the next day’s game, he hit his 50th home run.
September 16, bottom of the second inning
Logan Gilbert overthrows a curveball that bounces off the spring of home plate’s rubber and catches Cal in the throat. In the replay, you can see the flesh ripple. But four minutes later—four minutes later—Cal Raleigh hit a home run. About half an hour after that, he tied Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise record.
ALDS Game 1, top of the 11th inning
After catching 1,072 innings in the regular season, having caught at least 1,000 in each of the last three years (the only player to do that), Cal takes a foul ball straight back into his face in the extra innings of a playoff game. 24 hours later, he doubled and scored the winning run for the Mariners’ first home playoff win in a quarter century.
You know what Cal Raleigh did last year. 60 home runs, just the fourth guy not connected to PEDs to do that. The most home runs by a catcher, as a catcher, by a switch hitter, by a Mariner. The first player to hit at least 20 home runs from both sides of the plate. And he did it while taking shot after shot while squatting with 15 extra pounds of gear in the summer heat. He’s smart enough to lead the Mariners pitching staff but too ignorant to understand why that’s a terrible idea. For Mariners fans, it’s bliss.
Today we look at the Cubs’ new flamethrowing reliever, a former first-round pick (#22 overall in 2013 by Baltimore), who has been in The Show since 2019.
Hunter Luke Harvey, son of former MLB reliever Bryan Harvey, came to the Cubs as a free agent, signing on New Year’s Eve, and is expected to take on a short relief/setup role, perhaps picking up save opportunities if Daniel Palencia is tired or unavailable.
In seven years split between Baltimore (where he was their No. 1 pick in 2013), Washington and Kansas City, Harvey has posted career numbers of 10-11, 3.11, with 11 saves, a 4.0 bWAR ( 3.6 fWAR) and a 1.10 WHIP. He is on a one-year, $6 million deal, with a 2027 mutual option. He’s had 201 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 17 home runs in 185 innings, all of which are just fine, but he has struggled with injuries since 2024. That’s the risk, but he’s a high-reward-potential kind of arm and should serve the Cubs well with judicious use.
Keep him healthy and there will be returns. He’s a complementary arm but, as said, he brings the heat — one of his offerings was clocked at 99.8 mph, and he has consistently thrown in the 97-99 zone, with a n average of 95.7-96.1, with a very (+2000) spin rate. That’s good stuff, and a very different look for the Cubs’ bullpen, which hasn’t been very high-velocity, but seems to be turning that corner. He also throws a splitter (19.2 percent), slider (18 percent), and curve (9.6 percent).
He’s extremely likely to head north with the team after Spring Training concludes and presumably will be locking down the seventh or eighth in preparation for Palencia to step in and close the deal.
The 31-year-old will need careful handling. But high 90s with +spin is in vogue, and for good reason.
The first Spring Training games of 2026 get underway today! Grapefruit League play begins with Yankees vs. Orioles, and we'll see four all-pro matchups in the Cactus League out west.
Find out why I'm targeting a pair of plus-money teams in my MLB picks for Friday, February 20.
Spring Training predictions for February 20
Picks
Royals moneyline
+110
Rockies moneyline
+114
Padres vs. Mariners Over 11
-105
Pick #1: Royals moneyline
+110 at DraftKings
The Texas Rangers are likely favored due to the name value on the mound with Nathan Eovaldi taking the ball vs. Stephen Kolek. But I wouldn't be surprised if Eovaldi only lasts one inning in his first Cactus League start of 2026.
Eovaldi pitched only two innings in his initial Spring Training outing in 2025, coughing up two runs.
The Kansas City Royals were a robust 20-12 in exhibition play last season, scoring an MLB-best 204 runs.
Pick #2: Rockies moneyline
+114 at DraftKings
Antonio Senzatela gets the nod for the Colorado Rockies, and although his regular season stats were dismal in 2025, he was a force to be reckoned with in Spring Training, authoring a 1.21 ERA over 22 1/3 innings.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing things close to the vest, having yet to name a starter or announce a starting lineup. I don't think the recently-signed Zac Gallen will get the nod, which would be the only reason to wait for this line to jump in the right direction.
Pick #3: Padres vs Mariners Over 11
-105 at DraftKings
Runs came fast and furious in Seattle Mariners games last spring, as they scored 199 (second-most) and surrendered 202 (most). The San Diego Padres were also a poor defensive team in Cactus League play last year, allowing 180 runs (tied for fifth-most).
Neither starter will put fear into the hearts of their opponents today, with San Diego rolling with unproven rookie Jagger Hayes, and Seattle countering with journeyman Dane Dunning.
The announced starting lineups are dotted with stars, with the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Cal Raleigh written in toward the top.
The Yankees had a big decision to make at the start of the offseason. While retaining Cody Bellinger on a long-term deal was high on the priority list, it was unclear what the team thought of their other starting outfielder, Trent Grisham, hitting the open market after a career year. With a questionable résumé prior to his breakout 2025 and a pair of young outfielders on the farm that could take over, there didn’t seem to be much urgency to reward the 29-year-old with a multi-year deal.
Still, they extended him a $22 million qualifying offer, which would provide the Yankees a compensatory fourth-round pick if he signed elsewhere. Whether they counted on him to decline it for more security or not, Grisham accepted the deal, possibly worrying his market would be depressed with the prohibitive qualifying offer and skepticism about his 2025 season being replicated.
With Grisham penciled into center field to start the season, he will have an opportunity to silence his doubters and enter a shallow free agent hitter’s pool next offseason, looking for a big payday.
A lot has been said on social media about the Yankees reuniting with Grisham. There’s been a great deal of “it’s an overpay” or “he’s a one-year wonder.” In fact, it feels like more fans expect him to be under the Mendoza Line than to repeat his 2025 season.
So can Grisham replicate his terrific 2025? It’s hard to say. It would be foolish to fully expect him to replicate an incredible year where he had a case to be named to the All-Star team, but he showed enough progression in his offensive profile that it can make you truly believe he will continue to be one of the better-hitting center fielders in the game.
For one, he’s 29, not 33. If a guy randomly progresses in his mid-to-late 30s (looking at you, George Springer), you can probably assume some regression to the mean. For Grisham, he’s still in his athletic prime. His xwOBA has absolutely exploded from mediocre to the 91st percentile, indicating he’s doing things to back up his offensive numbers. He’s also improved his strikeout rate, which, while still mediocre, is no longer a serious problem.
A lot of what Grisham has improved, however, has been taking his already good offensive traits and making them elite. He’s historically been above average in barrel rate, average exit velocity, chase rate, and walk rate. In all four areas, he’s raised those numbers to elite. His chase rate, especially, has improved. It’s now in the 99th percentile. He obliterated fastballs in 2025 and used his pull-side power to abuse the short porch.
Grisham’s elite chase and walk rates are what make him the early favorite to be the team’s leadoff hitter on Opening Day. Now, you might want someone who’s a better contact hitter and baserunner to hit in front of the likes of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, but Grisham’s ability to get on base makes him good enough with the current roster.
It’s actually funny to think about how Grisham, a perennial Gold Glove contender whose bat is the reason he couldn’t stick in starting lineups, completely flipped that script in 2025.
It used to be a given that Grisham would give you that defense, and while he still showed flashes of brilliance last year, he was really bad most of the season. He did play through a hamstring strain during the summer that killed his mobility, but the defense was suspect from start to finish. It’s concerning that a relatively healthy 29-year-old has gone from 88th percentile sprint speed to 32nd in just three years, but he managed to be a terrific defender in 2024 with a similar sprint speed, so maybe there’s still something there. Half the battle is instincts, which Grisham has in abundance.
There’s enough to like in Grisham’s profile to suggest that he’s more likely to be close to the offensive threat he was in 2025, especially considering his contract situation. A good season and he’ll be the top outfielder on the market next offseason, even with the lockout, with no qualifying offer attached. But if he slips up, the Yankees will have options behind him. How long is the leash? We’ll see.
In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco dive into the excitement surrounding Kansas City Royals spring training and what fans can expect as the new season approaches. From the buzz around camp to the practical implications of updated strike zone rules and broadcasting changes, the hosts unpack how the viewing experience — and the game itself — is evolving.
The conversation also highlights the Royals’ continued support of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, underscoring the organization’s role in preserving baseball history and strengthening community ties. Jacob and Jeremy break down recent roster updates, player movement news, and leadership changes within the MLB Players Association — exploring how those shifts could influence future negotiations and league dynamics.
To close, the hosts offer thoughtful cultural reflections through a review of Mr. Baseball, using film as a lens to examine how the sport intersects with identity, globalization, and tradition.
Whether you’re following roster battles, adapting to new broadcasting elements, or simply ready for baseball to return, this episode delivers insight, context, and enthusiasm for the Royals and the game at large.
CLEARWATER, MEXICO - MARCH 14: Devin Saltiban #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on prior to the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Listen folks, we’re getting to the end of the list here, but c’mon. Even squinting doesn’t really make this one make sense.
Devin Saltiban – 88 Griffin Burkholder – 23 Keaton Anthony – 11 Carson DeMartini – 11 Seth Johnson – 10 Yoniel Curet – 8 Alex McFarlane – 7 Mavis Graves – 5 Ramon Marquez – 4 Zach McCambley – 2
Yeah, I don’t get this one. Probably a lot of fake voting going on here, but at least there are still plenty of people that like him. The below scouting report is at least mildly interested in him, as is Matt Winkelman, who has him 16th on his list. The “slow burn” description is probably rather apt at this point, but he’s going to have to show quite a bit of improvement this season, else he finds himself off a bunch of lists completely.
He’s a plus runner and packs a powerful pull-side punch for a smaller guy, but Saltiban remains a high-risk prospect because of his strikeout issues, which stem from a lack of breaking ball recognition. Saltiban played second base in 2024, then a mix of second and center field in 2025. He is a flub-prone infielder and was still struggling to read the ball off the bat in center at the end of last season, but the timeshare and injury limited him to just 37 games out there. He only played center field in Australia and nearly doubled his career start total at the position. It’s imperative for his defense to improve out there; Saltiban needs to be able to make an impact in the field to give his strikeouts room to breath. This is a toolsy, slow-burning prospect who turns 21 in February.
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!
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