SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 01, 2026: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on March 01, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
After a sojourn as not-quite world conquerors, Logan Webb re-donned the orange-and-black on Thursday, taking the mound in what should be his last Cactus League start before 2026’s Opening Day.
It wasn’t the glorious, dominant return he may have envisioned for himself. Webb stifled international talent across two starts (allowing 1 ER over 8 2/3 IP) on the global stage and earned a nod to the All-WBC team for his efforts, but back in the desert, the Rockies bats bugged and sweated him to no end.
Webb needed 86 pitches to record 13 outs, including a 2nd inning respite, and was bitten for 6 earned runs on 8 hits, a walk, and just 3 strikeouts. In true Webb fashion, 6 of those 8 hits were singles. The two extra-baggers came courtesy of new Western Division addition, Willi Castro, who doubled, then launched a game-tying solo shot in the 6th on the tenth pitch of the at-bat. Rising star Ezequiel Tovar (also named to the All-WBC Tournament team, representing world conquering Venezuela) ended Webb’s night by working an 8-pitch base-on-balls. Expectations are not mile-high for Colorado, but those types of nagging at-bats portend much hair-pulling and frustrated muttering to come for Giants pitchers. Something to look forward too…
In 2024, his final game in the Cactus League was a 9 ER blow-out against the Cubs, ballooning his ERA to 10.97. Exactly three years prior to Thursday’s start, he gave up 4 runs on 6 hits, including 2 homers, against the Angels. And in his final start before the 2022 regular season, Milwaukee got him for 4 runs on 6 hits again over 4 innings pitched. No alarm bells should be ringing. Nothing out of the ordinary here. If anything Webb seemed to pitch a bit off script, especially in the first couple frames, with a custodial concern for his down-ballot offerings. We saw more cutters and four-seams than you’d expect to see from him (both pitches accounted for 8% of Webb’s mix in 2025), including a first-pitch cut right down the middle to Castro in the 1st. Those pitches are used to raise the eye-line of the batter. They are not standalone features but splashes of color in the bouquet.
Colorado’s elevated rate of contact could be explained too by Webb’s average velocity being down across the board. Not sure why this was the case — perhaps the heat, or if this was by design. But it’s also a helpful reminder that despite his rise-to-prominence as a K-King last year, Webb relies on eliciting certain contact. With that approach, there’s always the risk of an inning like Colorado’s 2nd, in which four consecutive balls in play find holes in the infield and compound into an ugly crooked number. It’s all part of the experience. And if you’re still bothered by the final pitching line, perhaps there’s some solace to find in the fact that two of those six earned runs came when reliever R.J. Dabovich took the mound with two outs in the 2nd. It wasn’t all Webb’s fault!
Overall, it was a hit-happy kind of day in Arizona. Despite less than ideal pitching and some unfortunate defense in the later innings, the Giants slugged their way to a 14-11 win over the Rockies.
Leadoff man Drew Gilbert got into the swing of things with a 3-hit day including a triple off John Brebbia. Back-up catcher Daniel Susac launched his second homer of Spring off Brebbia in the 4th, and Christian Koss tacked one on later in the frame with his first longball.
Jerar Encarnacion continued to scorch the ball, collecting two hits, including a double and a pair of RBIs. Non-roster invitee Victor Bericoto continued to force the issue of his presence, as he’s done all Spring, with another 2-hit day while bagging his 14th RBI on a 2-out double in the 5th.
Andrew Painter made what is likely to be his last start of the spring on Wednesday when he finished four shutout innings against a Braves lineup that had numerous regulars. In total, Painter made three starts, pitched 7.2 innings, allowed three runs on six hits including a home run, and struck out five with only one walk in spring training.
His fastball shape is still a work in progress, but Painter has flashed an impressive arsenal this spring, highlighted by a sweeper-slider combination that racked up a combined six whiffs on a total of 19 pitches in his final start. He’s also shown an intriguing changeup that has potential to be a weapon as well.
But, Painter’s second start was a little concerning in that he lost velocity as it went on and was hit hard. Some of those worries were remedied in his last start where he held an average velocity around 96 MPH throughout his 4 innings and 52 pitches of work. Still, it will be something to monitor as he embarks on his rookie season, as velocity bleeding was an issue for Painter in 2025.
There are lofty expectations on Painter, even if some may be unfairly high. He is a former top pitching prospect in baseball, but he is a much different pitcher now than he was before suffering a torn UCL and missing essentially two years of development. Back then he could essentially feast off of two pitches thanks to his overpowering fastball. Now he’s developing a whole arsenal while trying to rediscover some of the same form of that fastball. Nevertheless, the Phillies are expecting Painter to come in and contribute right away as a rookie, as the fifth starter role in the rotation has been earmarked for the young righty all winter.
The results in spring have been encouraging, but there’s still clear things that must be worked on if Painter will reach his ceiling either this year or in the future. Frankly, there’s still discussions to be had about what exactly that ceiling is in a post Tommy John surgery career.
So, what do you make of Andrew Painter’s spring? Did he show enough for you to instill confidence in him? Or was it not enough yo quell your concerns? Or are you simply just “whelmed” with his performance and are looking forward to what he can do in real games?
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Carlos Lagrange #84 of the New York Yankees pitches during the seventh inning of the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Has any young pitcher generated more hype this spring than Carlos Lagrange? The Yankees’ 22-year-old right-hander came into the spring as the organization’s top pitching prospect (or number two, behind Elmer Rodríguez), with MLB Pipeline ranking him 79th, Baseball Prospectus at 61st, and FanGraphs at 73rd. And yet, as spring training winds down, those rankings have begun to look at least somewhat conservative.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic for just $10,000 in 2022, Lagrange steadily climbed through the Yankees’ farm before breaking out in a big way in 2025. Between eight games in High-A Hudson Valley and 16 with the Double-A Somerset Patriots, he posted a career high in strikeout percentage and innings pitched, along with a career low in walk rate. As the spring began, he drew comparisons to Cam Schlittler, who had a similar breakout in 2024 before emerging as arguably the Yankees’ best starter down the stretch last season.
Then, on the first day of spring training, he struck out Aaron Judge with a 102.6-mph fastball during live BP.
Carlos Lagrange strikes out Aaron Judge on three pitches. Last one at 102.6 mph. pic.twitter.com/Z4dODwf0Hn
That would be a sign of things to come. In 13.2 innings across four outings (including one start), Lagrange has allowed just two runs on six hits, striking out 13 and walking just four. He has drawn praise from, well, everybody who has seen him. ESPN Jeff Passan wrote late last week, “It wouldn’t surprise me if … Carlos Lagrange is pitching meaningful innings for the Yankees by September — if not sooner.” Dellin Betances, to whom the 6-foot-7 hard-throwing righty has been often compared, believes he “has the ability to be one of the best starters in the game if he continues to work on his craft.”
Judge agrees with that sentiment, and I’m pretty sure if Gerrit Cole had his way, Lagrange would start the season in the Yankees rotation. For his part, Lagrange thinks he would be “ready to compete” and following his most recent outing on Wednesday, catcher Austin Wells affirmed “I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now.”
Obviously, that’s not going to happen. Lagrange will begin the season in the minor leagues, either returning to Dougle-A Somerset or earning a promotion to Triple-A Scranton. The Yankees think very highly of this young righty and they don’t want to rush his development just to get him onto the Opening Day roster. As is common with pitchers of his stature, he is still a bit wild on the mound; as Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs notes, his delivery “features lots of head movement and spinal tilt,” which makes it a bit difficult to find the zone with consistency. The Yankees have enough pitching depth both in the rotation and in the bullpen (even if, as Josh notes, there’s quite a bit of uncertainty in the latter) that there’s no real need to rush Lagrange to start the season; and if they need to tap into their prospect depth for starting pitching, well, Rodríguez is going to get first crack, anyway.
Even so, if all goes well, I would expect Lagrange to get the call to The Show at some point this summer. Ideally, he tightens up his control, reduces his walk rate, and allows his electric stuff — which is already MLB-quality, according to most metrics — and forces the organization to find a spot for him in the rotation some time this summer. But should the summer roll around without a spot in the rotation open, well, the organization hasn’t ruled out using Lagrange as a bullpen weapon down the stretch.
And while that might scare Yankees fans who fear Lagrange following the career arc of Joba Chamberlain, pitching development league-wide has come a long way since then, and Chris Sale, Garrett Crochet, and Michael King are just a few of the numerous starters who completed their development into top-of-the-rotation starters while also working out of the big-league bullpen at to,es. Only time will tell if Lagrange might just join that group.
BRADENTON, FL - FEBRUARY 27: Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grant Wolfram (48) throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 27, 2026, at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Hurray!
Opening Day is just a week out as the Orioles close out spring training and get ready for the upcoming season. To judge by the main Orioles-interested press outlets, there won’t be a ton of surprises in roster construction. This team is built with depth, and few holes. Manager Craig Albernaz maintains, “I am definitely not the decision-maker,” and that president of baseball operations Mike Elias takes an “organizational approach” to how roster decisions will be made.
That doesn’t mean, though, that there are no slots left, or that spring had no impact on roster decisions. Spring training stats don’t count, of course, but they do matter for folks on the bubble. Some of the “risers” this spring are no-brainers: catcher Adley Rutschman (an .841 spring OPS), infielder Coby Mayo (14 hits in 31 ABs), and catcher Samuel Basallo (a .310 BA and .946 OPS), and, on the pitching side, the whole presumptive starting rotation. But dark horses have surprised, too: utility infield candidate Bryan Ramos (10 hits, 4 XBH, in 29 ABs), outfielder and offseason acquisition Taylor Ward (a .976 OPS in 29 ABs), relievers Eric Torres (8 Ks in 3.2 IP), Grant Wolfram (a 0.00 ERA in five IP), Cameron Weston (an 0.80 WHIP in five IP).
Injuries to infielders Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg, plus veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge, have opened up a couple of spots on the 26-man roster. I’ve surveyed the major O’s-related publications, and here is the consensus view on the Orioles’ projected 26-man roster for the 2026 season. In bold are people on the bubble:
LINEUP:
Gunnar Henderson – Shortstop
Taylor Ward – Left Field
Pete Alonso – First Base
Adley Rutschman – Catcher
Tyler O’Neill – Right Field
Samuel Basallo – Designated Hitter (DH)
Coby Mayo – Third Base
Colton Cowser – Center Field
Blaze Alexander – Second Base
BENCH:
First Baseman – Ryan Mountcastle Outfield – Dylan Beavers Outfield – Leody Taveras (Banner, WBAL) Utility – Jeremiah Jackson
Analysis: Injuries to Holliday and Westburg were a blessing in disguise for Coby Mayo, who will get an extended chance to show he can handle third base. It’ll be an adventure, but he’s shown the offensive upside this spring: a .452 average, .742 slugging, and 1.183 OPS in 31 at-bats. Blaze Alexander will fill in at second, but could find himself back on the bench when Holliday returns.
As for the utility players, Luis Vázquez has options remaining and could be reassigned. Although Jeremiah Jackson has cooled off after a hot start, he has a track record of MLB success that other candidates in this pool don’t. As for longtime Chicago farmhand Bryan Ramos, he’s a sleeper candidate to crack the roster, having torn the cover off the ball lately.
Turning to the outfield, there is a crunch, with five viable options in Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras. Cowser and Taveras are the only true centerfielders, although Beavers has seen plenty of innings at that position this spring. Taveras’ versatility has several publications putting him on the roster. Kjerstad and Noel started off the spring hot, but have cooled recently, and have options remaining.
A question will be what will happen when/if Westburg returns from his partially torn UCL in his elbow. Mayo and Mountcastle would be the odd men out, and while Mayo can be sent to the minors with an option, Mountcastle would need to be designated for assignment(cut) or traded.
ROTATION:
Trevor Rogers
Kyle Bradish
Chris Bassitt
Shane Baz
Dean Kremer
Zach Eflin
BULLPEN:
Closer – Ryan Helsley Set Up – Yennier Cano Keegan Akin Tyler Wells Dietrich Enns Rico Garcia Albert Suárez (Banner)
DEPTH:
Jackson Kowar (SI, WBAL) Grant Wolfram (The Sun, Baltimore Baseball) Yaramil Hiraldo (The Sun, Baltimore Baseball) Hans Crouse José Espada Cameron Foster Chayce McDermott Anthony Nunez Cade Povich Brandon Young Eric Torres
Not much suspense at the top tier of the rotation: Trevor Rogers is looking to build on a season that saw him become one of the best pitchers in the league, while Kyle Bradish wants to stay healthy after Tommy John surgery, and ideally return to his 2024 form that saw him finish in the Top 5 for the Cy Young. The biggest wild card will be from newcomer Shane Baz. Crazy as it sounds, he could be the best pitcher in the rotation if he lives up to his potential and stays healthy.
This group looks dramatically different from last season, when Zach Eflin was the Opening Day starter. The righty, rehabbing from back surgery last fall, may not even make the rotation this season, depending on his return from injury and whether the team utilizes a six-man rotation. If he is still ramping up, the team could carry an extra reliever in Grant Wolfram.
The bullpen will be the biggest question going into the season. The locks include closer Ryan Helsley, signed in the offseason to fill in for Felix Bautista and veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge, although he will miss the beginning of the season. Tyler Wells was moved to the bullpen after being a starter last season.
The last slot or two are interesting. Jackson Kowar, a 29-year-old waiver claim, is showing electric velocity, but he’s out of options. So is Albert Suárez, back on a one-year deal. If he gets cut, other teams will get a chance at him on waivers. Grant Wolfram has pitched great this spring, but he has an option remaining. So does Yaramil Hiraldo, who pitched for the O’s last season and has had a mixed spring. There are other intriguing names in here, including lefty sidearmer Eric Torres and Luis de León, a prospect with electric stuff who was just sent down for more seasoning.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: Atlanta Braves pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) throws a pitch during Game 2 of the 2018 National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 5, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Braves have been killing it in Spring Training, but the roster still looks like it could use some upgrades. Some of those upgrades might even come courtesy of players still in other camps at the moment — provided the Braves find something they like.
This hasn’t been a huge source of contribution in years past for this Front Office, but Anibal Sanchez is the big one here. (Also, Jesse Chavez.)
In any case, I realize that the answer to this question depends on whom, exactly, other teams cut, and whether the Braves find those guys of interest, but here’s your chance to make a binary guess as to whether the Opening Day roster includes the likes of Brett Wisely, Kyle Farmer, or Dominic Smith… or whether the Braves ultimately make a move for perhaps a more recognizable name that had little to do with their Grapefruit League success.
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 23: Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon (26) screams after closing out an inning during the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship game between Oklahoma and Kansas on May 23, 2024, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Red Sox fans have been spoiled by the rosters of recent Spring Breakout games. That’s what happens when your farm system is stocked with some of the very best prospects in baseball.
The spring breakout roster isn’t quite as loaded this year. Here’s the team that will be in the dugout against the Orioles prospects tonight, per MLB.com:
PITCHERS (9) Jay Allmer, RHP, NR Jake Bennett, LHP, No. 7 Anthony Eyanson, RHP, No. 10 Patrick Galle, RHP, NR Marcus Phillips, RHP, No. 9 Reidis Sena, RHP, NR Juan Valera, RHP, No. 5 Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, No. 4/MLB No. 84
CATCHERS (3) Nate Baez, C, NR Franklin Primera, C, NR Gerardo Rodriguez, C/1B, No. 27
INFIELDERS (9) Marvin Alcantara, INF, NR Franklin Arias, SS, No. 2/MLB No. 31 Josue Brito, INF, NR Yoeilin Cespedes, 2B, No. 18 Freili Encarnacion, INF, NR Henry Godbout, 2B, No. 11 Hector Ramos, SS, No. 23 Mikey Romero, INF, No. 13 Dorian Soto, SS, No. 8
OUTFIELDERS (6)
Enddy Azocar, OF, No. 12 Miguel Bleis, OF, No. 17 Allan Castro, OF, No. 25 Justin Gonzales, OF, No. 6 Harold Rivas, OF, No. 20 Nelly Taylor, OF, No. 22
Even if we don’t have a Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer on the roster, we do have two elite prospects in shortstop Franklin Arias and pitcher Kyson Witherspoon. We’ve seen Arias make cameos in each of the last two spring trainings, but this will probably be the first look most Sox fans get of Witherspoon. They will likely be the center of attention.
But the guy I’ll be watching for is another shortstop: Dorian Soto. Soto is an 18-year-old who has yet to make his stateside debut. It’s irresponsible to draw any conclusions from the .307/.362/.428 slash line he put up in the Dominican Summer League last year. But he’s a switch-hitting infielder with a big frame (he’s already 6-3) and huge offensive upside. He’s not going to make an impact in the big leagues any time soon, if he ever does. But it should be fun watching him climb up the ladder, so he’s the guy I’ll be paying the most attention to. Who’s yours?
Talk about prospects, whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.
Since their inception in 1962, lots of incredible players have donned the orange and blue. Below, the Mets all-time 26-man roster is unveiled.
But first, some rules...
In order to be eligible for the team, a player must have spent a chunk of his career in Queens and experienced a solid part of his peak during that time. That means Pedro Martinez and Nolan Ryan won't be in the starting rotation, and Willie Mays won't be patrolling center field. Meanwhile, Juan Soto doesn't yet qualify.
And now, the Mets' all-time team...
Starting Lineup
Catcher: Mike Piazza
Aside from the ace of the pitching staff, this was the easiest call to make.
While there is sentimentality when it comes to Gary Carter -- who was a co-captain with the Mets, helped them win the 1986 World Series, and is a Hall-of-Famer -- the answer is Piazza.
The greatest hitting catcher ever, who has a Mets cap adorning his plaque in Cooperstown, Piazza hit .296/.373/.542 with 220 homers in 972 games over eight seasons in Queens, was the backstop during two of their most exciting playoff runs, and has his No. 31 retired.
First Baseman: Keith Hernandez
A true difference-maker on both sides of the ball, the arrival of Hernandez via trade in 1983 helped revitalize the franchise.
Hernandez was a clutch performer, team captain, and heart and soul of the mid-to-late '80s squad. Like Piazza's No. 31, Hernandez's No. 17 is retired.
Both Carlos Delgado (who hit 104 homers in four seasons with the Mets) and John Olerud (whose departure after 1999 hurt in a big way) deserve to be mentioned here, but neither played with the Mets long enough to challenge Hernandez for this honor.
Pete Alonso, a five-time All-Star who hit .253/.341/.516 with 264 homers (the Mets' all-time record) in his first seven big league seasons, would've almost certainly grabbed this spot if he remained with the team beyond 2025. But his departure to the Orioles via free agency keeps Hernandez at the top.
Egardo Alfonzo / Eileen Blass, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Second Baseman: Edgardo Alfonzo
Part of the Greatest Infield Ever with Olerud, Rey Ordoñez, and Robin Ventura, Alfonzo was the perfect sidekick to Piazza in the late '90s-early 2000s, and put up one of the best offensive seasons ever by a Met.
In 2000, Alfonzo slashed .324/.425/.542 with 25 homers and 40 doubles for a Mets team that made it to the World Series.
Unfortunately, injuries started to derail Alfonzo's career after the 2002 campaign.
Jeff McNeil, a batting champion and Mets mainstay for eight years, once looked poised to overtake Alfonzo. But his offense regressed over his last few seasons in Queens before he was traded to the A's.
In his first five seasons in Queens, Lindor has slashed .273/.342/.475 with 141 homers, 148 doubles, 117 stolen bases, 503 runs scored, and 445 RBI.
During that span, he has been one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball and finished top 10 in MVP voting four times.
When it comes to electricity on the field in a Mets uniform, there was nothing quite like Jose Reyes from 2005 to 2011, when his mix of speed and extra-base power combined to make him one of the best players in baseball.
But this is now Lindor's spot.
Mets 3B David Wright / USA TODAY Sports
Third Baseman: David Wright
The Captain and a career Met, Wright was on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory when injuries -- including chronic spinal stenosis -- derailed his career when he was in his early 30s. Even with that, he has received enough Hall of Fame votes during his first three years on the ballot to remain on and merit future consideration.
Wright is the Mets' franchise leader in most offensive categories, and his final career totals (even weighed down by his final injury-plagued seasons) are spectacular.
Wright hit .296/.376/.491 with 242 homers, 390 doubles, and 970 RBI in 14 seasons, and his No. 5 was retired during the 2025 season.
Left Fielder: Cleon Jones
An integral part of the 1969 Miracle Mets, Jones spent 12 of his 13 big league seasons in Queens, hitting .281/.340/.406 in a shade under 1,200 games played with the team.
Jones also caught the final out of the 1969 World Series in left field, clenching it moments before thousands of fans rushed the field.
Barring something strange happening, this will be Juan Soto's spot at some point. But he doesn't have the Mets track record just yet.
Arguably the greatest two-way player in Mets history, Beltran was one of the best fielding center fielders and an elite all-around hitter during his time in Queens from 2005 to 2011.
Beltran's smooth style was a joy to watch, and his 2006 season -- when he slugged close to .600 and crushed a then-team-record-tying 41 homers -- was incredible.
He is now back with the team in a front office capacity.
Beltran was recently inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame, and he will be wearing a Mets cap on his plaque, becoming just the third player ever (along with Piazza and Tom Seaver) to have that distinction.
The Mets will be retiring Beltran's No. 15 during the 2026 season.
Right Fielder: Darryl Strawberry
A Rookie of the Year and seven-time All-Star with the Mets during his eight seasons in Queens from 1983 to 1990, Strawberry's sweet left-handed swing electrified Shea Stadium and helped New York turn the corner on the way to contention.
In a different world, Strawberry stays with the Mets after the 1990 season instead of bolting for the Dodgers, avoids off-field issues, and continues on his course to the Hall of Fame.
In this world, we'll have to settle for his still-tremendous Mets career that included a club-record 252 home runs.
His No. 18 is now retired.
***
*With the designated hitter now in the National League, we'll eventually add a DH to the starting lineup of the all-time team. But we're not there yet.
New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver(41) poses for a portrait at Crosley Field / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Starting Rotation
1. Tom Seaver
The Franchise, Seaver was not only the best Mets pitcher ever but one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball.
Seaver won three Cy Young awards with the Mets (1969, 1973, and 1975), and helped lead New York to the World Series title in 1969 and within a game of a title in 1973.
In 12 seasons with the Mets, Seaver had a 2.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while fanning 2,541 batters in 3,045.2 innings.
2. Jacob deGrom
Unlike Seaver, deGrom came out of nowhere -- a converted shortstop who was initially called up to help the bullpen in 2014 but instead immediately became one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.
Winning back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019, deGrom became the first Met to accomplish that feat. And then he got better, with his fastball routinely hitting triple-digits and slider reaching as high as 96 mph.
In nine seasons with New York -- with the final two being marred be injury -- deGrom's numbers were staggering: A 2.52 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, and 1,607 strikeouts in 1,326.0 innings.
DeGrom had a chance to supplant Seaver as the ace on this list, but that went out the window when he left via free agency following the 2022 season to join the Texas Rangers.
Still, deGrom's No. 48 should be retired at Citi Field when his career is over.
Dwight Gooden / RVR Photos - USA TODAY Sports
3. Dwight Gooden
The "K Korner" was born at Shea Stadium when Gooden burst onto the scene, and he spun two of the most dominant seasons ever in 1984 and 1985.
In '85, Gooden won the Cy Young after putting up this ridiculousness as a 20-year-old: 1.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 268 strikeouts in 276.2 innings.
Like Strawberry, it's hard not to wonder what could've been with Gooden, whose battles with substance abuse began to severely impact his career in 1987.
Also like Strawberry, Gooden's number was recently retired.
4. Jerry Koosman
Seaver's wingman, Koosman -- whose No. 36 was retired in 2021 -- was a force in his own right during the 12 years he spent with the Mets from 1967 to 1978 -- posting a 3.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in over 2,500 innings.
His most dominant stretch came from 1968 to 1971, and included tossing a complete game in Game 5 of the 1969 World Series as the Mets won their first title.
5. Sid Fernandez
Fernandez is often overlooked, but he shouldn't be. And he eked out David Cone for this spot.
During his 10 seasons with the Mets from 1984 to 1993, Fernandez and his "rising fastball" posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.11 WHIP while striking out 1,449 batters in 1,584.2 innings.
Fernandez wasn't in the Mets' 1986 postseason rotation that featured Bob Ojeda, Dwight Gooden, and Ron Darling, but he made arguably the most important relief appearance in team history in Game 7 of the World Series against the Red Sox.
Taking over for Darling with the Mets trailing 3-0 in the fourth inning, Fernandez fired 2.1 innings of no-hit ball while walking one and striking out four to keep New York in the game.
Edwin Diaz screaming Mets pinstripes night game October 2022 / Brad Penner - USA TODAY Sports
Diaz, who persevered after a rough first season with the Mets in 2019, spun one of the best seasons any reliever has ever had in 2022.
In 62 innings over 61 appearances, Diaz -- utilizing his dastardly fastball/slider combination -- posted a 1.31 ERA (0.90 FIP) and 0.83 WHIP with 118 strikeouts (an eye-popping 17.1 per nine). Following the season, he signed a five-year extension that made him the highest-paid closer ever.
From 2020 to 2025, Diaz was a dominant force for New York, with a 2.36 ERA (2.15 FIP) and 0.97 WHIP while striking out 439 batters -- a rate of 14.6 per nine.
Setup Man: Billy Wagner
During his three full seasons with the Mets, Wagner was his regular unbelievable self, firing 100 mph fastballs as he posted a 2.37 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while striking out 230 batters in 189.2 innings.
Jesse Orosco pitching against the Red Sox in the 9th inning during Game 7 of the World Series at Shea Stadium Oct. 27, 1986. Mets Vs Red Sox 1986 World Series / Frank Becerra Jr/USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK
Middle Relievers: John Franco, Armando Benitez, Jesse Orosco, Jeurys Familia, and Tug McGraw
The kid from Brooklyn, Franco had a 3.10 ERA in 14 seasons with the Mets and amassed 276 saves along the way, eventually becoming a setup man during a career that lasted 21 years.
Benitez gets a bad rap and will never be forgiven for blowing Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, but he was mostly dominant as a Met. Look at his numbers. Seriously, go look.
Orosco was splendid during his eight seasons with the Mets, posting a 2.73 ERA and closing out the NLCS and World Series in 1986.
Familia had a 3.27 ERA over 10 seasons with the Mets (with a brief trip to Oakland in the middle of that stint) and led the league with 51 saves in 2016.
McGraw was one of the glue guys for New York from 1965 to 1974.
Long Reliever: Rick Aguilera
Aguilera was a starter/reliever hybrid for the Mets from 1985 to 1988 before becoming a full-time reliever in 1989 and eventually moving on to the Minnesota Twins, where he became one of the best relievers in baseball. He's the perfect man for this job.
Bench
Before discussing the bench, it should be pointed out that the original version of this roster had a bench that was made up of players who were often used in a reserve role -- not the next best player at each position. You can see that version here.
But, since so many clamored for a bench that was the next best player at each position, it's below.
Mets Gary Carter jumps into the arms of Wally Backman after the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 to win the World Series at Shea Stadium Oct. 27, 1986 / Frank Becerra Jr/USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK
Catcher: Gary Carter
This was the easiest bench selection to make.
Carter's tenure in Queens spanned 1985 to 1989, and he was a four-time All-Star during that time. He had huge seasons in 1985 and 1986 (when he finished in the top six in MVP voting each year), and was part of the heart and soul of the '86 championship squad.
First baseman: Pete Alonso
With Alonso's Mets tenure over, he takes this spot.
The other main candidates were John Olerud and Carlos Delgado.
With the Mets rom 1997 to 1999, Olerud slashed .315/.425/.501, which included batting .354/.447/.551 in 1998. Olerud's .354 average in '98 is the Mets' single-season record.
Delgado slugged 104 homers for the Mets from 2006 to 2009.
Jose Reyes / Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports
Infielder: Jose Reyes
A typical Reyes season during his peak meant a high batting average and on base percentage along with 15-to-20 triples, 30-plus doubles, 55-plus stolen bases, and the daily sight of him turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples.
The gear Reyes hit when rounding second and heading to third was a sight to see.
Outfielder: Brandon Nimmo
If not for the recent trade that sent Nimmo to the Rangers, he soon could've found herself in one of the starting outfield spots on the all-time team.
In 10 seasons with the Mets, Nimmo hit .262/.364/.438 (.802 OPS) and was one of the clubhouse leaders.
Cliff Floyd was also in the conversation here, as was Michael Conforto, whose Mets tenure is woefully underappreciated.
Pinch-hitter: Rusty Staub
There's an argument here for Matt Franco, and a case could be made for Lenny Harris. But the pinch-hitter on the Mets' all-time team is Le Grand Orange, who spent two chunks of his terrific career with the Mets -- one in the 70s and another in the 80s.
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 16: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers jogs on the field during a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch on March 16, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mookie Betts is entering the 2026 season off the heels of a career-worst year offensively and he is determined to get back to his MVP form. Even with all the accolades, of which include winning four World Series titles, he still demands more of himself. That also factors into the way he trains.
His teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, has always had a very unorthodox training regiment, which features javelin tosses and arched back exercises. In an attempt to broaden his horizons, Betts has started to take a page out of Yamamoto’s book by throwing javelins as well, which he has credited as having opened his mind and game to a new perspective, per Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m not fully in his whole routine,” Betts said of Yada, who is often referred to as Yada Sensei. “But I wake up every morning and do my stretch routine that Sensei showed me, throwing the javelins every day. I think throwing javelins is the reason why I can make a play in the hole like that and throw it in the air on a line. I’m really grateful for Yoshi and Sensei, because they have definitely changed my perspective, changed my life, changed my game.”
The changes have resulted positively so far, as Betts is slashing .304/.385/.478 with a home run through 26 plate appearances this spring while continuing to improve defensively at shortstop.
The Dodgers play the Chicago White Sox as part of this year’s spring breakout, and the name drawing the most hype out of the Dodgers’ system is their no. 1 prospect, outfielder Josue De Paula. Jim Callis of MLB.com also highlights right-hander Marlon Nieves as someone to keep an eye on for Saturday’s game, with the Dodgers vice player of player development raving about his potential.
“Marlon flew under the radar, even a little bit internally,” Rhymes said. “Once he went to Rancho and was pretty dominant there, that was eye-opening. His stuff is really good. His cutter and slider are excellent pitches, and that two-seamer has such velocity. He has a real feel for execution and manipulation. He’s a hell of an athlete, such an easy, whippy thrower.”
The 20-year-old right-hander logged 84 innings between rookie ball and Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.119 WHIP with 94 strikeouts and 44 walks.
MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 09: Blake Mitchell #8 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring in the second inning during the 2025 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game between the American League Fall Stars and the National League Fall Stars at Sloan Park on Sunday, November 9, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Friday 4 p.m. ET — Royals @ Rangers Kansas City had two picks before the second round of last year’s Draft, and both selections are in position to get their first taste of pro competition at age 19 during Spring Breakout. OF/2B Sean Gamble, the 2025 23rd overall pick and the organization’s No. 5 prospect, brings a solid hit tool and above-average speed. SS/3B Josh Hammond, the 28th pick and No. 6 prospect, has some raw power and is also speedy. The Rangers’ roster boasts two-way player Josh Owens (TEX No. 6), who has promise in the box, at shortstop and on the mound.
Also at MLB, Anne Rogers gives us “three things to watch” the last week of Spring Training:
The final bench spot(s)
The position player side of the roster is looking like this right now:
Catchers: Perez, Jensen First base: Pasquantino Second base: Jonathan India Shortstop: Witt Third base: Garcia Outfield: Collins, Caglianone, Kyle Isbel, Lane Thomas, Starling Marte
That’s 11 players with two spots still open. One of those will likely be Massey if he’s healthy. There are still plenty of hitters competing for the final spot, including Nick Loftin, Tyler Tolbert, Drew Waters, Abraham Toro, Josh Rojas, Kevin Newman and Brandon Drury. Loftin, Tolbert and Waters have the advantage of being on the roster already, and Waters is out of options.
A lot will depend on how the Royals feel about the health of their roster overall. If they think they’re going to have to manage at-bats for Collins or Massey early on, there’s a bigger need for a player who could be used for offense more often.
“It’s hard not to notice it but we also had the experience of last year, and we went through the same thing,” Picollo said Thursday in a phone interview. “And I think last year we were a little bit more nervous about it, because we hadn’t been with him before.
“But not only did he tell us that this is how he always starts in spring training, but the other clubs he had been with, our coaches called their coaches and asked, ‘Is this normal?’ And they confirmed it for us.
“So while you would like to see him more in the 91-92 range right now, this is exactly where he was last year.”
With another Royals season on the horizon next week, the publicly discussed options for a new baseball stadium have narrowed to the point that Washington Square Park remains the last one standing…
Washington Square Park has been discussed as a possible stadium site for several years now, but it’s emerged in recent months as the city’s preferred destination, especially with Kansas and Clay County seemingly out of the running.
There has been talk that movement toward a deal was possible before the Royals’ home opener, but a new priority — convincing voters to extend to 1% earnings tax on April 7 — is Kansas City’s priority at the moment.
If the city and the Royals are going to reach a deal for a new stadium at Washington Square Park, it seems like mid-April would be the soonest it could happen.
2.) Kansas City Royals. The Royals were unable to follow their divisional playoff berth in 2024 with a return to the playoffs last year, but they still finished 82-80 after an abysmal start. They have one of the league’s most exciting players in All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., an emerging star in All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia, a popular veteran catcher in Salvador Perez and plenty of starting pitchers capable of shutting teams down. The big problem for Kansas City for years has been outfield production, and other than signing Starling Marte to a $1 million deal and making a couple of smaller moves, Royals general manager JJ Picollo was unable to make any major improvement. Instead, the Royals will hope that power-hitting Jac Caglianone will improve against big league pitching in his sophomore season. If starter Cole Ragans can return to All-Star form after injuries last season, Kris Bubic can follow through on his breakout year, and the offense can tick up with some help from Caglianone and promising young catcher Carter Jensen, the Royals have a shot to win their first AL Central title since 2015, when they went on to beat the New York Mets in the World Series.
I feel like everyone and their brother is calling for a Caglianone breakout this year, and why not, given how incredibly hard he hits the ball and how well he hit everything up through Triple A. He’s already off to a torrid start this spring between his time with the Royals and his caffeine-laden stint with Team Italy. (I love espresso, but there’s no way my heart or stomach could survive drinking that much.)
He was awful in his big-league debut last year, and I think a big part of that is that he never stayed at any level long enough for opposing teams to adjust to him and force him to adjust back. He also became an extreme groundball hitter, with nearly a quarter of his balls hit in play pulled on the ground — a recipe for a low BABIP. He’s never been that hitter before, and he doesn’t look like that hitter this spring. It’s not sustainable; if he’s really that guy, we all missed on him in the MLB Draft.
Catchers don’t win this award often (Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin last year notwithstanding), in part due to the rigors of the position and the challenges young players can face in managing a pitching staff. Focusing on the defensive side of a player’s game can eat away at their offense.
That being said, Carter Jensen burst onto the scene in his brief cameo last year and has long had a pedigree for offensive dynamism. With franchise mainstay Salvador Perez entering his age 36 season, the Royals could benefit from moving Perez to more DH work and letting Jensen settle in behind the dish. A full season’s worth of plate appearances could produce some eye-popping numbers from the young backstop and add yet another dynamic bat to an ascendant Royals lineup that already features Witt, Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino.
Speaking of money: Team Italy’s Espresso Machine is up for auction. Winning bid is over $2000(!) and there are still 3 days left.
I know this might be a small market fan thing, but I can’t consume enough of my favorite team being spoken of in a positive light. And almost from the very start of the World Baseball Classic, praise was being heaped on the Royals that simply didn’t stop and still hasn’t stopped. In some ways, I almost want it to stop. Let them be unassuming and sneak up on everyone. But in way more ways, I hope it never does. Witt didn’t really need to get the attention. He’s just littered with awards in the section on Baseball Reference. He was seventh for the MVP in 2023, second in 2024 and fourth in 2025. He’s won back-to-back Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. But the rest? Yeah, I like that the rest have become household names around baseball. In about a week, it’s time to start proving to people that they should remain household names.
Michael Massey, who occupied a spot on my previous roster iteration, suffered what the Royals call a “low-grade” calf srain on March 6. He hasn’t appeared in a Cactus League contest since March 8, when he left after two at bats after trying to play what, at the time, the Royals thought was just tightness. He played in a minor league game on a backfield on Tuesday but I wonder about his fitness this close to Opening Day. Unfortunately, he has quite an injury history.
Tolbert gets Massey’s spot if he’s unable to go on Opening Day. The Royals love their speed guy off the bench.
Speaking of injuries, I was waffling on Collins as he missed about a week of action with back tightness. Then, he took part in a full workout on Tuesday and was declared good to go. The Royals are progressing a bit slowly, holding Collins out of the field and instead having him as the DH in Wednesday’s game where he went 0-3 with a strikeout as the leadoff hitter. While Collins may in fact be the guy at the top of the order for the Royals, his appearance there was more to maximize his plate appearances after missing the time.
Darin Watson is back! The 2026 version of “This Date in Royals History” will feature 1976. Here’s the first entry:
The most-anticipated season in the Royals’ short history finally began with spring training opening in Fort Myers, Florida. Camps had been delayed for roughly two weeks after arbitrator Peter Seitz, just days before Christmas in 1975, ruled that the reserve system that had been in place in organized baseball pretty much since the beginning was not legally valid. As you might expect, this ruling threw the sport into uncertainty. The owners eventually locked out the players as negotiations began with the players’ union on a new collective bargaining agreement, as the old one had expired anyway. But in mid-March, with no agreement yet in place, commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered teams to open camps.
This was none too soon for Royals fans, who were understandably excited to get the season underway. Kansas City baseball partisans were starved for a winner; remember, the A’s did not post a winning record in their time in Kansas City (1955-1967), with a high-water mark of 74 wins in 1966. More annoyingly to KC residents, the A’s became a juggernaut almost immediately after landing in Oakland, entering 1976 with five straight AL West titles under their belts and three straight World Series titles (1972-1974) on top of that…
Over the next seven months, we will explore the Royals’ pursuit of their first-ever division title, along with the upheaval in baseball following the Seitz decision, which echoes even in today’s game. Of course, we will also check in with the news and culture of 1976, a year that featured Olympic games, a presidential election, and America’s bicentennial.
Witt’s Previous Leadoff Struggles and Other Options
The only issue with Witt being the Royals’ leadoff hitter on Opening Day is that he doesn’t have a great track record at the top of the order. According to Fangraphs splits, in 201 plate appearances at leadoff, he has a .204 batting average, a 0.20 BB/K ratio, a .620 OPS, and 62 wRC+. Leadoff has been his worst spot in the batting order by a significant margin. Except for fifth, which he has only 8 plate appearances, the next-lowest batting-order wRC+ is third at 119.
For context, he has accumulated 2,154 plate appearances in the second spot in the batting order, which is the most of any spot for Witt. He has a 0.40 BB/K ratio, .301 average, .870 OPS, and 136 wRC+ in that second spot in the order.
Thus, manager Matt Quatraro has no reason to move Witt, especially since he has been so good at the No. 2 spot. However, the leadoff spot has been a thorn in the Royals’ side, especially in Quatraro’s tenure as manager.
I had the pleasure of going to New Zealand over the holidays this past year. We made some movie-related stops, mostly Lord of the Rings* stuff, but others, as well. At one point, we had a tour guide who had been an extra in a number of movies filmed there. So we’ll use that as a jumping-off point for our movie reviews this month.
*I don’t think I’ve done the Lord of the Rings (or the Hobbit movies) before, but those would require their own Rumblings.
As a whole, I really want to like these movies. And they’re not bad. The acting is… fine. The effects are… fine. The direction needs work: there are times when it feels more like a collection of highlights than a cohesive story. But they’re not great. And The Chronicles of Narnia should be great.
TLTWATW is the most polished of the three. It sticks to the source material and surrounds the Pevensie children with acting veterans like Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, and Liam Neeson. It’s not daring, but it generally gets the job done.
Prince Caspian was more Eastern Europe than New Zealand and it loses a lot of its magic. It played more as a dark, brooding young adult movie than light-hearted family fantasy and effectively killed the franchise. Additionally, I’m not sure this series knows what its visual language is: England looks like cheaper Harry Potter and Narnia looks like cheaper Lord of the Rings.
The Dawn Treader is my favorite book, but this was not my favorite movie. It starts out with fast swashbuckling fun and it looks like the director transition from Andrew Adamson to Michael Apted was a good one. But, as the movie goes on, curious decisions are made with regards to which plots to keep and which to shorten and adapt and it loses steam.
As uneven as these were, I had always wished they did all seven. Though we are getting a reboot, of sorts, from Netflix later this year. Though they’re starting with The Magician’s Nephew and using the controversial newer way of ordering the books.
I’m not the biggest Taika Waititi fan and I usually find the fake documentary format tired and restrictive, but this was a hoot. Waititi takes advantage of the format and beautifully sends up reality tv and documentaries. It’s very understated and very New Zealand and those work well together. I was expecting lots of cringe, but there was very little. The intentionally bad effects are executed well to humorous effect. Each time the movie started to feel stuck, a plot like Nick and Stu would pop up to move things along. I enjoyed it thoroughly: it’s a good little comedy.
We go from a nice little comedy to a big, bad science fiction bomb. First the good: WETA probably had a blast doing the effects for this and they look good. And it has Hugo Weaving, even if he’s phoning it in. We get Mildly Annoyed Max (since it’s New Zealand instead of Australia) shoved into a blender with broken pieces from Star Wars, Matrix, Doctor Who, and Terminator. Out comes this slurry of half-baked sci-fi cliches mixed with bad acting. At one point, Jihae stares straight into the camera and says “I’m not that subtle”. That should have been the tagline for this movie.
This is the movie I’m most conflicted about. My initial impression of this movie was that it was a great movie plus 30-45 minutes and that opinion hasn’t really changed on future rewatches. I always enjoy the setup: Black, Brodie, Watts, Kretschmann, and Hanks are all fun. I know that School of Rock is the quintessential Jack Black role, but I love him in this as the con man movie director.
Once they get on the boat, the move just drags through a much-too-long Act Two. We spend too much time getting to know characters who are quickly killed on the island (just to raise the stakes). There’s a bunch of needlessly creepy dramatic tension (now with extra slow motion). You feel like it’s an excuse to show off the animal models and CGI (but they’re not very good). And that’s without even getting into some of the major plot holes.
But then the movie goes back to New York City, and it just works again. Much like The Hobbit trilogy(!), I wish an editor had been able to rein in Peter Jackson. Snip at least 30 minutes from the middle, and this film goes from a mostly enjoyable slog to an excellent movie.
Want an hour of the March Madness Theme with slightly hypnotic graphics? Sure you do
Feb 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jesus Made sits in the dugout against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Now in its third year, MLB’s Spring Breakout games are set to take place this weekend across spring training locations. The Milwaukee Brewers will participate in two Breakout games with one scheduled for later today against the Mariners, and another set for Sunday against the A’s. Here’s a quick guide for fans heading into the Breakout slate.
What is Spring Breakout?
MLB Spring Breakout is a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future in 16 exhibition games played across Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums. In 2027, the showcase will be expanded into a single-elimination tournament format, with champions crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus League.
When do the Brewers play?
The Brewers are scheduled to host the Seattle Mariners prospects at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Friday at 4:10 p.m. CT. They’ll then travel to Hohokam Stadium to take on the A’s on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT in what could be a matchup of two of the top shortstops in minor league baseball — Jesús Made of the Brewers and Leo De Vries of the A’s.
How can I watch/listen?
Both games will be broadcast blackout-free on MLB.com, MLB TV, and the MLB app, as well as out-of-market on MLB Network and available to follow on MLB Gameday. To view the Gameday for each game, click here for Friday’s matchup and here for Sunday’s matchup.
Who is participating?
The Brewers’ Spring Breakout roster features 15 of the team’s top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. That includes each of the top four prospects, all of whom are shortstops — Jesús Made (team No. 1/MLB No. 3), Luis Peña (team No. 2/MLB No. 26), Jett Williams (team No. 3/MLB No. 51), and Cooper Pratt (team No. 4/MLB No. 64). The Brewers’ 2025 first-round pick and No. 6 prospect, Andrew Fischer, will also participate after a solid showing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
On the pitching side, only two pitchers on the roster are ranked in the team’s top 30, with Bishop Letson coming in at No. 9 and Bryce Meccage coming in at No. 21.
The full rosters are included below:
PITCHERS (11) Ryan Birchard, RHP, NR Jesús Broca, LHP, NR Will Childers, RHP, NR Jaron DeBerry, RHP, NR Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP, NR Michael Fowler, RHP, NR Blake Holub, RHP, NR Tate Kuehner, LHP, NR Bishop Letson, RHP, No. 9 Mark Manfredi, LHP, NR Bryce Meccage, RHP, No. 21
CATCHERS (3) Marco Dinges, C, No. 10 Jeferson Quero, C, No. 8 Matt Wood, C, NR
Flushing, N.Y.: New York Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose in Flushing, New York on February 6, 2019. (Photo by Neil Best/Newsday RM via Getty Images) | Newsday via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Legendary Mets broadcaster Howie Rose announced that the 2026 season will be his last, as he prepares for retirement following several decades of incredible work.
Mets pitching prospects Jack Wenninger and Jonathan Santucci were the stars of the show in the team’s Spring Breakout game, a 2-0 loss to the Rays’ roster of prospects.
Having optioned Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A Syracuse yesterday, the Mets plan to play Bo Bichette at shortstop today—his longstanding position before signing with the team—presumably in case he needs to play a little bit of the position as the Mets don’t have a true shortstop on their projected bench.
Craig Kimbrel’s contractual out was yesterday, but he wasn’t expected to exercise it as he and the Mets figure out what the Opening Day roster will look like.
Nolan McLean would say yes to pitching in the World Baseball Classic again in the future if he’s invited to do so.
Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar, who was suspended for half of the 2025 season for a positive PED test, will serve a full 162-game suspension this season for his second such positive test, as his appeal did not result in any reduction of the suspension.
The WBC’s success might lead to a move that puts the competition in the middle of the MLB season rather than before it. That concept would mimic the format used by the best soccer leagues in the world, which regularly take breaks for players to participate in international play.
Trey Yesavage, who starred for the Blue Jays in their ALCS run just a few months ago, will open the season on the injured list with a shoulder impingement.
Major League Baseball continued to embrace betting on the sport with a foray into prediction markets, a move that runs counter to its milquetoast efforts to curb pitch-level betting.
On this date in 1961, the Yankees officially announced that the Mets would not be playing their home games at Yankee Stadium, leaving the franchise to play its first two seasons at the Polo Grounds.
Sep 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Ramon Urias (29) is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
Introduction
As part of my 6 days in Jupiter, I collected lots of observations and I’ve given to breaking them down and passing them along in manageable (ie. readable) chunks. I passed along some nuggets in game recaps if they were short and relevant to pre-, in- or post-game happenings. Two weeks ago, I published an article that summarizes what I saw on the back fields in more or less a stream of consciousness format. I wrote on shorts on Urias and the ABS last week. This article and one later today are the end of this series. Spoiler Alert: I think I saved the best for last. Good thing, since camp will be closed soon.
Short Topic of the Day
No, I’m not going to fret about the slow start the overall offense has encountered in Jupiter. Lots of variables that won’t be present a month from now complicate any analysis one might attempt on what is already small sample size. Several guys, Herrera first and foremost, are coming off surgery and may take all spring or more to get their timing down. Also, it is Roger Dean Stadium. Like in the last 10 years, only 1 team has hit over .250 in spring at this place and that was the power-laden 2022 team. It is hard to hit here. Although, I will observe that the shortening of the fences and the newly constructed buildings in right-center at least appear to have changed the dynamics, particularly how balls carry to left. I anticipate a shift in park factors coming.
I’ve seen a lot of commenters speculating about the line-up construction, centering on who should lead-off. From what I could discern in camp, it looks like the shape of the line-up may well start like this:
Against right-handers – Wetherholt (1), Herrera (2), Burleson (3)…
Against left-handers – Winn (1), Burleson (2), Herrera (3)…
I’m curious to how JJW adjusts to left-handers. If he isn’t super-splitty, I could see him batting 2nd and pushing Burly to clean-up.
If Gorman hits enough to play, it seems like he projects to the clean-up spot or fifth in the order. After that, it looks kind of grim. What can we expect offensively from Walker in right or Scott in center?
Who is in left is a big question mark until Nootbaar gets healthy, but odds are it will be a defense heavy platoon, although Velazquez is a wild card here. Can Church hit enough to carry this load, in R-L platoon? Or might they just roll Velazquez out there more regularly and rotate Church in defensively later in games? I’d suspect more of the latter, although if Church (or anyone for that matter) gets rolling offensively, they will play a lot.
I do wonder if Crooks can hit enough to get a larger share of time behind the plate than anticipated. I suspect that once the Herrera situation clarifies, we may see a mid-season transition of Crooks to MLB.
It seems most reasonable to expect that the offense is going to come up short in the power department. OBP and BsR would seem to be keys to creating and sustaining some offensive momentum. I didn’t see Torres breaking camp with the team (he was returned to MiLB last week), but I suspect at some point they are going to bring his OBP up to MLB and see if it plays.
One item I’ve heard from many is the general perception that most of the loud offense in Spring Training emanated from players not anticipated to break camp with the team (Crooks, Baez, Davis, Gazdar, Rodriguez to name a few who struck balls well). This may be applicable to more than the offense, but I’d say one thing we learned this spring is that the Cardinals upper-minors’ players are better than other teams upper-minors’ players. That is consistent with recent system ratings. Hope is on the horizon.
Overall, I’m preparing for a pretty rough ride offensively, at least at the outset. While I think we all can see that the offense that will break camp is likely to struggle mightily with consistently scoring runs, I have some hope that it will improve as the year progresses.
The way I look at it is … If guys like Gorman and Walker improve, then the offense will float with their improvement. If they do not improve, then they are likely to run out of runway and get moved aside. Each has a player waiting in the wings (Saggese and Baez), who would get a shot and hopefully offer another pathway to offensive improvement. I also suspect that once they determine a pathway for Herrera and get him on board, then Crooks may re-appear to offer an additional offensive boost. Last, Nootbaar should roll in sometime (I’m guessing late May, early June), offering another boost. None of the boosts individually should be dramatic, but 4 incremental improvements could begin to add up to something a fair bit better overall.
Consider this as a potential mid-July line-up…I think you could imagine 8 of those guys being 95 wRC+ or better. That would be an average offense. With their pitching, that might be enough.
2B – Wetherholt
DH – Herrera
LF – Nootbaar
1B – Burleson
RF – Baez
3B – Gorman (or Urias or Saggese)
SS – Winn
C – Crooks
CF – Scott II
Some people might wonder why they just don’t start out this way. Except that isn’t a realistic option. Reality is, Herrera and Nootbaar still need to get fully healthy and full-go. Baez and Crooks could use more time at Memphis (prudently so, IMO). And management needs more time to fully determine if some of the other alternatives might actually produce even greater than average outcomes.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: General view during a game between Bay FC and Washington Spirit square off before a record-setting crowd at Oracle Park on August 23, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Karen Hickey/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants are planning to hold their 2026 Wall of Fame ceremony for some of our most beloved former Giants players from the World Series championship era this season on Saturday, August 8th.
Joining the Wall of Fame this year will be Forever Giants Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Pablo Sandoval and Joe Panik! That’s one heck of a group of players being celebrated, and definitely a game to mark on your calendars.
Fans in attendance for the game will receive a Wall of Fame poster giveaway and will want to get to the game early for the ceremony. You can get your tickets over on the Giants’ website.
I would love to attend this game, sadly I’ve already bought my tickets for this year to attend Belt’s celebration game next month. But hopefully we’ll have some of the McCovey Chronicles community in attendance to report back!
West Michigan Whitecaps' Jaden Hamm (17) pitches against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. The Timber Rattlers won 4-0.
I’m a bit stubborn about injuries, particularly with pitchers. One injury riddled season is par for the course for pitching prospects, and we don’t want to move pitchers way up and down the rankings, changing grades constantly unless there’s sustained growth or a sustained issue. Unless a pitcher becomes a regular feature on the injured list, I take it as a matter of course that they’re all going to have an injury year on the path to the major leagues. Jaden Hamm was a borderline top 100 prospect coming into 2025, but he had a pretty brutal year in the injury and performance department. Still, since there was nothing requiring surgical intervention and we don’t really have any information on his injured list stint to work from, we’ll hold on him and expect a bounce back season in 2026.
The Tigers nabbed Hamm with their fifth round pick in 2023, signing the Tennessee native out of Middle Tennessee State for $397,500, just a little under slot value. In college, Hamm was a pretty raw product until his junior year when his stuff made a leap forward. Even so, he didn’t use his high IVB fourseamer to good effect by pitching up in the zone, and that was one of the first big steps for him going from a solid, if unheralded college pitcher to a well regarded prospect. The Tigers sent him out to High-A West Michigan in 2024 with instructions to start pounding the top of the strike zone and no other major changes, and Hamm shredded hitters en route to a Midwest League Pitcher of the Year award.
Hamm’s 30.6 percent strikeout rate was impressive, and he also limited walks and home runs, putting up a 2.64 ERA with a 3.09 FIP. Other than some minor work to tune up his delivery and instructions to throw his fastball up at the top of the zone a lot more, the Tigers hadn’t even tinkered with him much.
Hamm was sitting at 93 mph and touching 96 in West Michigan, and routinely topping 20-21 inches of induced vertical break out of his high arm slot. His 80-81 mph curveball was of the overhand, 12-6 variety with plenty of depth. When he established the fourseamer up, hitters struggled to lay off the curveball, and he got better and better at dropping it off the eye line of the fastball and landing it on the bottom rail for called strikes as the year went along. His circle change had good velocity separation, typically 83-84 mph, and while the movement was pretty pedestrian, Hamm’s delivery and high slot made it difficult to pick up the changeup as well and it really falls off the table. The depth of those secondary offerings, playing off the steady diet of high fastballs, gave hitters fits. Both pitches will flash plus at their best.
All this was enough to get Hamm into the 45+ tier on several sites, with predictions that he’d be a top 100 prospect by the end of 2025. The 6’1” right-hander needed to keep adding strength and flexibility. With long legs for his height and less than ideal athleticism, his delivery was a bit stiff, with a short stride and a long arm path that was sometimes tricky for him to sync up. Hamm reaches his arm back, dips, and then whips his arm over the top and through with a lot extension, rather than keeping it folded and using his drive down the mound to generate his power. It’s a little bit of a throw back. However, while that often triggers a high relief risk tag, location hasn’t been much of a problem for him and he consistently throws strikes and works the ball well to both sides of the plate.
What Hamm needed was to develop a harder breaking ball to give him a weapon in between the 93-94 mph fastball and the low 80’s curve and circle changeup. Hamm and the Tigers worked on a slider last offseason to give him something breaking away from right-handed hitters, and reports indicated him making progress with the pitch and looking good in camp. He threw some good ones in 2025. It started out more cutterish, but Hamm was able to start getting more depth and developing it into a mid 80’s gyro slider. The velocity issues tended to overshadow everything and he still leaned on his curve and changeup in most outings, but the slider looked pretty solid on the rare occasions he leaned into it after returning from injury in August and September.
Things quickly went south for Hamm in 2025 after a few good starts to begin the year. His velocity flucutated wildly for a few starts in May, and we didn’t see many mid 90’s fastballs. He was still getting a similar rate of whiffs compared to his High-A work, but hitters were having a lot more success putting the ball in play with two strikes. Hamm managed to keeping throwing a solid ratio of strikes with all his pitches, but he just looked out of sync much of the time. To his credit he didn’t fall apart, and was rarely wild at all, but he struggled more to put hitters away and he just wasn’t repeating his delivery with the same consistency he had in 2024.
In late June, the Tigers shut him down for a month with an undisclosed injury. He returned for a few short outings in late July, and then settled back in and finished out the season, but never really looked back in form. His ability to get whiffs and weak contact in the air with high fastballs kept him from getting shelled out of games, but from outing to outing his performance was pretty inconsistent and his mistakes were getting hit quite a bit harder. Worse, Hamm was still averaging 89-90 mph in a few outings, and 91-92 mph in his better ones.
The Tigers unwillingness to report on injuries makes the situation tricky to evaluate. Clearly they didn’t have him trying to pitch through an injury, but the velocity drop over the course of the season was striking. If Hamm had shoulder trouble, or if he’d even blown out his UCL, explanations would be simpler. In some ways, his profile would be less affected nationally if there was a straightforward issue to pin the loss of velo and inconsistency on. What is clear is that the fastball velocity has to return or his profile is really going to suffer. He doesn’t have to build up to 95-96 mph all the time to be an effective major league starter. The movement alone plays up quite a bit. But he can’t sit 90-92 mph and thrive as a starter either.
Right now, Hamm’s status is very up in the air. He was young on draft day, and he’s still only 23 years old, so there’s time to put 2025 behind him and get back on track. If his velocity is back up after an offseason’s rest and re-conditioning, it’s game on. Hamm’s distinctive delivery takes some athleticism to time up, and it would help him to keep building strength and flexiblity in his lower half to help power his delivery and smooth out his footstrike.
While the circumstances make him tricky to evaluate heading into the season, the equation here is pretty simple. If Hamm gets his velocity back, the fastball will play in the big leagues and gives him a strong base to work from. Hamm already throws enough strikes to work in a relief role even if he can’t hold up to a starter’s workload consistently. At times he threw some good sliders as he worked on that pitch, and the curveball and changeup give him a solid pitch mix to work with, but the whole profile revolves around having a dominant riding fourseamer for everything else to play against.
For now, we’ll put 2025 in the rear view mirror and wait to see how Hamm looks like spring. If he’s really 90-91 mph now, he’s in trouble, but I don’t want to dump him way down our board and then turn right around and call false alarm if his velo is back where it should be early this season. Without any hard injury information to attribute the down year to, it’s impossible to make an educated guess. He’ll return to Erie and try to settle in there and make the jump to Triple-A late in the season if things go well. If the fourseamer is back in form, Hamm will go right back to profiling as an interesting potential mid-rotation arm with a group of pretty good secondary pitches. That fastball also gives him a nice floor as a potentially dominant reliever as a fall back plan. If the velocity isn’t there and he struggles again, all bets are off and his stock is going to drop like a stone.
