Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Your 2026 New York Mets: It Sucks
“It sucks. It felt like you let the team down. The team has been playing really well the last couple of weeks, too. Definitely a blow to me; it sucks.” -Tobias Myers [New York Post]
Wow, the Knicks, that was awesome. Now to take a big sip of orange juice and see what the Mets have been up to since the NBA playoffs started in mid-April…
“My first time out there on a big-league mound in a little while, I just couldn’t gather it all together in that big inning.” -Kodai Senga [New York Post]
“I think command was my main issue overall — just not locating well, getting behind hitters. It’s tough to face major league hitters when you are behind most of the time. It’s something we have already kind of looked at a little bit. We’re going to dig deeper and get to work.” -Tobias Myers [New York Post]
You know things are going great when we’re got some canned ‘we’re banged up and need guys to step up’ quotes…
“Guys will continue to get opportunities and guys will need to step up. We have got a lot of guys in there that are more than capable, and we need those guys to step up, especially right now when we’re banged up.” -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
…as well as ‘we needed a win’ in the middle of June quote…
“I don’t know about satisfying, but it felt good. We needed to come out here and win a game.” -Bo Bichette [MLB]
…and a healthy mix of, I don’t know, but quotes where you start with some silver lining and pivot with a hard ‘BUT’ in the middle of your statement ala the Stephen A Smith Tweet…
“I have had some ups and downs so far, but it feels great [regarding his personal season numbers]. I definitely would love to be in a different spot as a team, but I want to help as much as I can to bring them back up.” -Juan Soto [New York Post]
/Stephen A Smith voice/BUT!
“Throughout the year when we get the quality [starting pitching], those guys are going to give us a chance: the offense and the bullpen but we need to be better. We need more from them. We expect more from them and they know that.” -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
/Stephen A Smith voice/BUT!
“The first three batters of the game, not ideal what you want to see right away. A couple of walks and then the three-run homer … [Senga] found his sweeper and the slider, but they got him early on there.” -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
This quote doesn’t quite fit the ‘Stephen A Smith BUT’ model BUT; Mendoza is starting to really read to me as getting to the Jerry Manuel level of providing quotes that are fodder for a pre-written narrative for the beat reporters as like a nice treat so they’ll be nice to him and help his job security (not saying he shouldn’t do that).
Cool man, it’s really insightful to acknowledge Juan Soto is a ‘really good player’ but he’s not trying to do too much.
“This is a guy that is more than capable of carrying a team, but he’s not trying to do too much. He’s going to continue to take his walks, he’s going to hit the ball hard, he’s a really good player.” -Carlos Mendoza [New York Post]
Along those lines, totally could be true, but I still don’t quite know who is continuing to push the beat writer’s narrative that Soto and Lindor don’t like each other; is it one of them, or their PR team, or someone within the Mets, or just the writers needing easy articles to write
“[Lindor’s] defense and his bat, he’s elite. He’s one of the best defensive players in the game and I think he’s going to help a lot.” -Juan Soto [New York Post]
Nolan McLean continues to remind me of R.A. Dickey and Jacob deGrom as being must watch starts on a dismal team
“Man, that was excellent. [Nolan McLean] dominated that lineup.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]
“Awesome. He was attacking with every pitch, and obviously, he’s got what, five-plus pitches? When he’s doing that, he’s pretty good.” -Bo Bichette [MLB]
“I wouldn’t say I put any more pressure or responsibility on myself. Every time I go out there, I’m trying to win a baseball game. I think if everybody’s trying to do that and we’re all pulling the same rope, good things will happen.” -Nolan McLean [MLB]
From your lips to Dickey’s ears
“I think that’s contagious, too. Hopefully, what Nolan did today, now we got Sean [Manaea] tomorrow and Freddy and some of the other guys, we need them to step up. They’re more than capable. So, trust those guys. They’re going to go on a run here.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]
あなたのその言葉が神様に届きますように
“As long as I can prepare the way I should prepare between outings, I should be able to be effective.” -Kodai Senga [New York Post]
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 18: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after being hit in the head during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 18, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Orioles remain tantalizingly close in the AL Wild Card race despite multiple games per week where they look like they should be headed for more like 100 losses. They have been good enough just often enough to stay in it, even though there are many days where it does not feel this way.
There are another 30 or so games to be played before the trade deadline. The Orioles roughly 20-13 to be above .500 by the time the deadline arrives. They will probably seem to still be in the race and make the case to be buyers (or at least not sellers) as long as they can manage at least 17-16 between now and then.
The big question is: Can they do that? I surveyed Orioles fans this week to see where people think this will all shake out. These were the results:
As I said when I posted this survey, I was fairly sure more people would say sellers than not, and really I was just curious about the percentage. That’s roughly two-thirds thinking the team is headed for selling, whatever that might look like. That’s a strong majority.
It’s not hard to understand why. We get reminded of why regularly and are in the middle of one of those stretches right now, with the team having lost four of five games while scoring a combined 11 runs in those games. They’ve wasted pretty good starts from Trevor Rogers, Brandon Young, and Shane Baz in this little stretch. The Orioles are going to have to find a higher gear that we haven’t seen them have for nearly two full years now. It’s a bummer. Hopefully they surprise us like roughly one-third of you think that they will.
This week in the Rangers Reacts survey, we asked which Texas Rangers player was most deserving of an All Star berth.
The voting was fairly close at the top:
Jacob Latz, who is tied for 6th in the American League in saves and is sporting a 1.62 ERA and a 1.5 bWAR, received a plurality of the vote, at 40%. Latz was just a little ahead of Josh Jung, who has been one of the few bright spots offensively for the Rangers this season, slashing .301/.358/.451 with a 1.5 bWAR. Jung received 32% of the vote.
Ezequiel Duran, who is second in the All Star balloting for second base, received 17% of the vote. He’s played all over the field this year while slashing .278/.331/.435, and has a 1.6 bWAR.
Jacob deGrom, last year’s lone representative, is currently leading the Rangers in bWAR, at 1.7. He received 9% of the vote.
New addition Brandon Nimmo, slashing .256/.327/.404 with a 1.3 bWAR on the year, got just 1% of the vote.
In the national vote, folks were asked who should be blamed if there’s a lock out.
The fact that 42% of respondents would blame the players for a lockout — not a strike, but a lockout, a work stoppage that is the result of owners refusing to let operations and games happen rather than players refusing to play — illustrates how well owners have manipulated public opinion.
39% of folks think the Dodgers will win the World Series. Kinda surprised it is that low.
Alvarez not only carries an elite rating against Bibee but also owns 100% arsenal coverage across the entire pitch mix, per Batters-Box. Not to mention, when having an elite rating, he leaves the yard nearly 22% of the time.
Bibee has been horrible against left-handed bats this season. As of late, over the last 60 lefties faced, he is allowing 45.2% hard contact, a 21.4% barrel rate, while hitters are elevating the ball 64.2% of the time. Those hitters have produced a .460 xBA, .944 xSLG, and .461 xwOBA during that stretch.
The Astros slugger's most recent numbers only pile on to the reasoning. In his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he owns a .444 batting average, .852 slugging percentage, and a 1.352 OPS, while producing nearly 60% hard contact and a 27.3% barrel rate.
The Rays starter brings a poorly rated matchup ISO, hard contact, and strikeout percentage into today's matchup. He has been allowing plenty of hard contact and high-quality contact. At home against left-handed hitters, opponents are lifting the ball nearly 71% of the time.
Over his last 60 lefties faced, they are producing a 9.8% barrel rate while elevating the baseball 61% of the time. Those hitters also hold a .409 xBA, .591 xSLG, and .363 xwOBA.
Wood is having a career year, and the recent underlying numbers are borderline diabolical. Over his last 30 at-bats versus right-handed pitching, he is posting a .360 batting average, .680 slugging, and 1.113 OPS, with a 50% hard hit rate and 11.1% barrel rate.
For an extra safety blanket, do not be afraid to sprinkle the double on all of these guys, too. A missed home run is likely a double.
Time: 7:10p.m. ET
Where to watch: RAYS, NATS
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 60-200-15, +20.20 units
Today’s HR parlay
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Yordan Alvarez
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We are starting a new series here in the lab. Before we really get started I should run through the customary disclaimers and legalese. I am not advocating making any additions at the trade deadline. In fact, if you have been reading my work regularly you know I’ve argued for the exact opposite. However, when you are in school they teach you how to be a successful debater. A successful debater and persuasive writer can argue both sides of the argument.
If you ignore what the Astros record is and if you only look at where they sit in the standings then you would have to believe they are in the hunt for a playoff berth. They sit four games behind the Mariners for the division lead and are in a similar position in the wild card chase. To be sure, there are plenty of teams in between them on both counts, but they are in striking distance and have played better baseball in May and June.
You could also point out that they were decimated by injuries early in the season and most of those important pieces are back into the fold. You can also look at the likes of Colton Gordon, Hayden Wesneski, and Ronel Blanco coming off long term injuries in July or August. So, make no mistake. I am not arguing for any of these scenarios. However, the premise is that the Astros are financially and organizationally able to make one significant addition this season. They only sit below the tax threshold by a few million and their minor league system is fairly bare.
So, what we are doing in this series is making the case for one area of the ball club to add to, We will continue this into next week because there are definitely multiple holes to fill. The question for us and for the Astros is which hole is the most significant? Today, we start with the starting rotation. We could really get bogged down in the numbers, but we will look at ERA and three popular ERA estimators in xERA, fielding independent pitching (FIP), and xFIP. The x is based on Statcast’s estimates of what it would be based on the quality of contact. First, let’s start with the Astros starters. We will include Lance McCullers Jr. and Cristian Javier because they could theoretically come back.
ERA
xERA
FIP
xFIP
Hunter Brown
1.10
2.17
1.81
2.63
Spencer Arrighetti
2.57
4.53
3.51
4.73
Peter Lambert
3.23
3.51
3.81
4.48
Mike Burrows
5.86
4.61
5.69
4.68
Tatsuya Imai
6.43
4.89
5.24
4.57
Kai-Wai Teng
4.31
4.41
4.88
4.10
Lance McCullers Jr
6.86
4.49
5.06
4.14
Cristian Javier
12.54
7.31
8.56
8.17
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate drops to zero. I have mentioned “magical thinking” before. How we look at Spencer Arrighetti is a perfect example. He could be a guy that got hot at the right time when this team was desperate for any port in a storm. That has tremendous value, but his recent outings show he is probably not THAT pitcher over the long-term. The expected ERA numbers show the lag there. Eventually, the expected numbers and actual numbers will intersect.
The magical thinking comes in when fans and analysts point out that guys like Burrows and Imai look like they will bouce back, but just assume that guys like Arrighetti and Teng will keep on trucking. We are seeing that both Arrighetti and Teng have reached the end of their hot streaks and are beginning to regress to the mean. There’s a couple of things they can do without making a trade to improve their lot in life, but the bottom line is that Peter Lambert is the second best starter on this team and we have to ask ourselves if that looks like a competitive rotation.
The first thing they can do is make sure McCullers and Javier get nowhere near a major league mound. McCullers’ numbers are actually somewhat promising in that the predicted ERAs are better than his actual ERA, but they still aren’t the stuff that makes up a playoff rotation. Javier probably shouldn’t be a starter in any rotation. He probably has one more rehab outing before they need to make some major decisions. Putting him back in the rotation is likely a firable offense.
The second thing that they should strongly consider is transferring Teng back to the bullpen. He has a 5.77 ERA in eight starts, but a 1.80 ERA in 13 relief appearances. Dana Brown robbed him from San Francisco largely because he had similar blowups when they used him as a starter. Give him a pat on the back and thank him for stabilizing the ship when it was threatening to capsize. Still, this team needs to use guys in their best roles. Even if you make these two moves you have a rotation of Brown, Lambert, Arrighetti, Imai, and Burrows.
If we look at the baseball landscape, there are three starting pitchers that are widely considered as available, are in the last year of their contract, and would fit underneath the tax threshold. There is obviously a couple more that would surpass that. At this point, I am just introducing possibilities and not advocating individually for any of them.
I should note that Alcantara leads the National League in innings pitched. He is on pace to eclipse 200 innings and I don’t have to tell anyone how rare that is. If this move is made in July when more than half of the season is complete then his salary fits underneath the tax threshold. Essentially, this becomes similar to picking up Yusei Kikuchi and given his free agent status it probably ends up costing a similar price.
The good news is that Ryan is actually cheaper financially than Alcantara. The bad news is that he would be considerably more expensive in terms of prospect capital. I am almost certain that an Xavier Nayens or Kevin Alvarez would be involved in such a deal and that is a horrible price for a rental. He is a grade above a Kikuchi, so he would be really nice in a playoff series, but absolutely cost prohibitive in the winter.
Holy regression Batman! That statcast ERA looks awful. Most of it tied to a very low strikeout rate. However, when you consider his home environment, these numbers don’t look half bad. He was 10-10 with a 4.64 ERA the previous season in Baltimore. He projects as an end of the rotation arm. The Astros seem to have plenty of those. The question is if the pitching lab sees something they think they can unlock.
Putting it all together
Ryan and Alcantara look like upgrades over what you currently have. There are a number of wild cards to consider here. For one, we don’t know which teams may suddenly want to sell in late July. The American League in particular is pretty muddy as we sit here in June. Secondly, we don’t know if Jim Crane is willing to go over the threshold for anyone. There are also creative deals where money could go the other way to offset an expensive pitcher. These are all possibilities. However, given these three options, is anything particularly exciting you as an Astros fan?
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 18: Slade Cecconi #44 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after picking off Riley Greene (not in the image) #31 of the Detroit Tigers during the bottom of the fourth inning at Comerica Park on May 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time to get annoyed with the Astros’ short left-field porch.
The Guardians are 40-35 with a -7 run differential, 23rd in wRC+ with 93, 10th in baserunning runs above average at 2.2, 10th in Defense at -6.4, eighth in starting pitching ERA at 3.86 (4.17 FIP), and 11th in bullpen ERA at 3.66 (3.66 FIP).
The Astros are 35-41 with a -41 run differential, 12th in MLB with a 103 wRC+, 22nd in baserunning runs above average at -2.4, 16th in Defense at -10.1, 29th in starting pitcher ERA at 5.00 (4.83 FIP), and 25th in bullpen ERA at 4.72 (4.78 FIP).
You’re gonna need to score some runs to beat the Astros. You should be able to take advantage of a poor pitching staff to do it. Please do so, Guardians.
Matchups: Game One, Friday, 8:10PM ET, Tanner Bibee 3.96 ERA (4.69 FIP) vs. Tatsuya Imai, RHP 6.43 ERA (5.24 FIP) Game Two, Saturday, 7:15PM ET Joey Cantillo 4.38 ERA (4.76 FIP) vs. Spencer Arrighetti, RHP 2.57 ERA (3.81 FIP) Game Three, Sunday, 2:10PM ET Slade Cecconi 4.60 ERA (4.33 FIP) vs. Kai-Wei Teng, RHP 4.31 ERA (4.88 FIP)
It’s all about not letting Yordan Alvarez (190 wRC+) and Christian Walker (121 wRC+) – who kills Cleveland – beat you this series. The rest of the lineup is manageble. So, let’s get some hits with runners in scoring position and go take this series. DO NOT LET YORDAN BEAT YOU!!!
On this day 75 years ago, Bud Stewart played a key role in the upstart White Sox splitting a doubleheader in Yankee Stadium in front of 60,441. | (Photo by The Stanley Weston Archive/Getty Images)
1884 Ill-fated hurler and inventor of the knuckleball, Eddie Cicotte, was born, in Springwells, Mich. Cicotte made his MLB debut in 1905 and was up for good as a major-leaguer in 1908. Four years later, he was swapped to Chicago and saw his career take off. Cicotte’s 11.9 WAR to lead the greatest White Sox team in history in 1917 led all of baseball and stands in a tie for 36th-best all-time and second-best in White Sox annals.
While he couldn’t have known it then, Cicotte’s popularization of the knuckleball ushered in a tradition of knuckleballers on the South Side, from Hoyt Wilhelm to Eddie Fisher to Wilbur Wood and even briefly to Charlie Hough.
Of course, Cicotte consorted with gamblers and famously was a fixer of the 1919 Black Sox World Series. The righty was banned from baseball for 95 years, and despite Hall-worthy statistics has so far been kept out of Cooperstown.
1912 Don Gutteridge, at 109-172 the owner of the fifth-worst record among White Sox managers tenured for at least one full season, was born in Pittsburg, Kan. He played for 12 years in the majors as an infielder clearly valued for his knowledge of the game and ability to fill a role as opposed to his prowess between the lines (1.4 total WAR over 1,151 games).
Gutteridge had bad fortune on the South Side as skipper in at least three ways:
He wasn’t White Sox manager by choice, returning to the White Sox organization only after the surprising return of Al Lopez as manager in 1968 and being forced into the job after Lopez resigned in 1969
By taking over as an interim manager 17 games into the season, he was neither prepared to manage in the majors nor establish himself as the leader of the club
The late-1960s White Sox were severely lacking in talent (over four seasons as a manager in the organization’s minors, his clubs finished with a winning record every year
Gutteridge was nonetheless as associated with the record 17 straight winning seasons the White Sox ran off in the 1950s and 1960s, on the MLB coaching staff (mostly as first-base coach) from 1955-66.
After retiring from baseball, Gutteridge returned to Pittsburg, which honored him ever June 19 with “Don Gutteridge Day”. He died there in 2008, at 96, and at that time he was one of the 10 oldest living major league baseball players, the oldest living former manager or coach, the last surviving member of the St. Louis Cardinals “Gas House Gang,” and the last living member of the St. Louis Browns to appear in a World Series.
1926 The Sox celebrated Eddie Collins Day at Comiskey Park. Collinswould be admitted into the Hall of Fame in 1939 and was one of the finest second baseman in major league history. He played 12 seasons with the White Sox and is the only member of the 3,000-hit club to get that milestone safety in a White Sox uniform.
1941 Joe DiMaggio went 3-for-3 with a home run in a 7-2 loss to New York at Yankee Stadium. It was the 32nd game of his eventual 56-game hitting streak, with the streak now the 14th-longest of all time, tied with Harry Heilmann of the Detroit Tigers.
DiMaggio had started his hit streak about a month earlier, on May 15, against the Eddie Smith and the White Sox. At this point, eight of the 32 games Joltin’ Joe had hit safely in had come against the South Siders. In a month, DiMaggio would hit safely in games 52-55 of the streak in Chicago, before seeing it snapped two games after leaving town, vs. Cleveland.
All told, six White Sox pitchers were victimized by DiMaggio’s streak, with Smithand Thornton Lee both getting touched over three games, for four total hits. Johnny Rigney also extended DiMaggio’s streak by three games, and three hits in total.
1951 The White Sox split a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in front of 60,441 fans (ranking among the Top 20-attended games in White Sox history), maintaining their 3 1⁄2-game lead in the American League.
The Sox dropped the opener, 11-9, despite rallying to tie after falling behind, 5-0, in the first inning. In the nightcap, the White Sox took a 4-3 lead on Bud Stewart’s three-run homer in the eighth, and after the Yankees fought back for one, tallied the eventual game-winner on Bob Dillinger’s double in the ninth.
The White Sox would fall out of first for good in July and finish the season in fourth place, 17 games back. But their 81-73-1 record represented their first winning season in eight years — and more importantly, kicked off a string of 17 straight winning seasons on the South Side.
1977 Wilbur Wood threw his last good game for the White Sox in throwing eight innings of one-run ball in beating the A’s, 2-1, in the first game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. But the real star that afternoon was first baseman Lamar Johnson, who did everything in this contest. Johnson’s three hits (and two home runs) were the only Sox hits in the opener. He also sang the National Anthem beforehand!
The Sox also won the nightcap 5-1, with Lamar adding a hit and scoring a run.
2009 Levi Maxwell of the White Sox High-A affiliate Winston-Salem Dash threw a seven-inning no-hitter in a doubleheader opener against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. It was the first no-hitter in the Carolina League in three years, and the first for the Dash since 2001. Maxwell ended up as the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for his achievement.
However, it was a bright spot in an otherwise rough season. Maxwell finished 2009 at 4-15 (4.54 ERA) after going 15-5 a year earlier for the Low-A Kannapolis Intimidators. In true Joe Cowley fashion, Maxwell retired (or was released) at season’s end.
(The manager of that Intimidators club in 2009? None other than future White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing.)
2015 In a game against the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field, Chris Sale recorded his fifth consecutive game with at least 12 strikeouts, as he fanned 14 Texas hitters. That tied him with Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers in baseball history to accomplish that. Sale’s streak began on May 28, and in those five starts he struck out a total of 65 hitters.
He got a no-decision in this game, though, as Texas scored two runs in the ninth inning with two outs and stole a 2-1 win.
If you were to make a list of the most important baseball players, Lou Gehrig would rank quite high on the list. For one, he would also rank quite highly on the best players of all time list, but his importance goes beyond that. His famous iron man streak, its end, and Gehrig’s subsequent battle with ALS takes him to a level of recognition that goes past him being a Hall of Fame player. While it’s becoming less common as the disease has gained more and more notoriety over the years, but it’s not entirely uncommon to hear ALS referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”
Today happens to be the “Iron Horse’s” birthday, so in his honor let’s take a look back at the legendary player, who means so much more than what he did on the field.
Henry Louis “Lou” Gehrig Born: June 19, 1903 (New York, NY) Died: June 2, 1941 (New York, NY) Yankees Tenure: 1923-39
Gehrig was born in 1903 in the place in which he would become famous: New York City. His parents, Heinrich and Christina, were German immigrants who had three other children, but none outside of Lou lived past toddlerhood. Gehrig grew up speaking German at home, and even later formed a bond with Babe Ruth — also of German ancestry — by speaking to each other in the language. While he was growing up, Christina Gehrig was mostly the main breadwinner of the family, working as a maid, as Heinrich often struggled with alcoholism and epilepsy. Lou would often help his mother with her work and the two had a very close bond, with him calling her his “best pal.”
As you might expect as the child of immigrant parents from a place where baseball isn’t much of a thing, Gehrig’s parents weren’t initially thrilled with Lou’s love of baseball, which he formed at an early age. However, it quickly became clear that Gehrig was very, very good at the game. After his high school won the New York City championship, they were invited to take on the Chicago champions at the stadium now known as Wrigley Field. During the game, Gehrig hit a grand slam clear out of the stadium, which would’ve been an impressive feat for a major leaguer, never mind a high schooler.
Despite his baseball skill, Gehrig’s parents still hoped for him to get into business or another field, so he enrolled at Columbia University, where his mother worked at a fraternity house. He still had an eye on athletics, though, as he also played on the college’s baseball and football teams. In one 1923 game, Gehrig struck out 17 Williams College batters as a pitcher. That caught people’s eye, including that of legendary Yankee scout Paul Krichell.
After attending further games, Krichell came away even more impressed by Gehrig’s hitting and excitedly told Yankees GM Ed Barrow that he had found the “next Babe Ruth.” Despite his parent’s earlier reluctance, the money offered by the Yankees proved to be too much to not accept and he signed with the team on April 30, 1923.
In his first two years after signing with the Yankees, Gehrig played just 23 games combined across 1923 and ‘24. Despite that, he showed plenty of potential in his sparse chances, putting up a 209 OPS+ in 42 plate appearances. He also spent some time in the minors with the Hartford Senators, where he also opened eyes with 61 homers in 193 games. His talent was evident, and he was subject of poaching attempts. In 1924, Rochester of the International League tried to get him when the Yankees acquired Fred Merkle of “Merkle’s Boner” fame. However, his shot was on the horizon, and he took it by both hands.
In a moment that now lives in fame, Gehrig was given the start at first base on June 2, 1925. That day, Wally Pipp, a star of the 1923 World Series champions and a Yankee great in his own right, was given the day off. The legend is that he came that day with a headache and Huggins told him to just take the day off and rest. There’s also a line of thinking that, as the Yankees were struggling a bit in ‘25, Huggins decided to just get a look at a still-young Gehrig. Whatever the reason, the only people that day it didn’t work out for were Pipp and the rest of the league. Gehrig went 3-for-5 with a double on June 2nd. He wouldn’t leave the Yankees’ lineup again until 1939.
Huggins stuck with Gehrig for the rest of 1925, and the youngster repaid that faith with a very good season. The Yankees sold Pipp to the Reds the following offseason, confirming that the first base job was Gehrig’s. Gehrig improved in 1926, and then improved even more in 1927, as part of the dominant “Murderers’ Row” team. The 1927 championship was Gehrig’s second as he had been around for ‘23, but it was the first in which he was a regular, and would be the second of his seven in total.
From 1926-38, Gehrig was probably the second best player in all of baseball, behind only his teammate, Babe Ruth. Over the course of those 13 seasons in particular, he hit .343/.452/.640, with 472 home runs, 1913 RBI (cracking the 100+ mark every year), with a 182 OPS+ and 110.1 rWAR. In addition to 1927, the Yankees went on to win titles in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, and 1938. With the exception of the final one when he would’ve been in the early stages of his battle with ALS, Gehrig would’ve been the running for Series MVP had the award existed at the time.
The feats just kept on coming for Larrupin’ Lou. On June 3, 1932, he accomplished something that not even Ruth did, swatting four homers in the same game against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park. He was just the third player to do and the first in American League history. No other Yankee has done it in the 84 years since then; in fact, it’s only been 18 other times by players on any team.
Also famously, he never took a day off. From taking over the first base job in 1925 until early 1939, Gehrig played every single day, for a streak totaling 2,130. It shattered the previous record of consecutive games played and would take another legend in Cal Ripken Jr. to come along and break it. The fact that all the wear and tear that would’ve come with that streak never really affected his stats is also insanely remarkable.
The final full year of that dominant stretch was 1938, when Gehrig first started to notice that something was off. His stats for that season still ended up at an excellent level for a normal player, but a bit below Gehrig’s usual. He didn’t seem to have quite the power that he once had, noting “I see the ball all right and take a proper cut and seem to connect like I want to, but somehow the ball doesn’t seem to take the proper zoom.”
While Gehrig spent the following winter trying to exercise and regain his strength, the opposite was happening. Upon reporting to spring training, he was struggling even worse than he had the prior year, and even collapsed in the clubhouse on a couple occasions. Upon the beginning of the 1939 campaign, Gehrig went just 4-for-28 at the plate, and looked noticeably slower in the field and running the bases. On May 2nd, he went to manager Joe McCarthy and asked for a day off, the first in over a decade.
As he continued to sit out, Gehrig kept traveling with the Yankees, but the rest wasn’t changing anything. That eventually led to him checking into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, still searching for some sort of answer. The one he got wasn’t good. Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — then a relatively unknown condition but an absolutely devastating one. A return to the baseball field was out of the question, and ALS would likely take his life within a matter of years.
After the revelation that he would have to retire, the Yankees announced a Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day would be held on July 4, 1939. The event brought many dignitaries and former teammates out, including Ruth, even though the two had gone through a falling-out in prior years.
The ceremonies were held in between games of a doubleheader that day. After numerous speeches, Gehrig himself was invited to the microphone. While you can probably recite the most famous line by heart, in its echo-y, crackly recorded form, Gehrig said so much more than that on that day, and all of it is worth reading:
For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
When you look around, wouldn’t you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such a fine looking men as they’re standing in uniform in this ballpark today? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.
When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body — it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that’s the finest I know.
So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.
After the festivities of that day, Gehrig retired back to his Bronx home with his wife, Eleanor, who he had met in Chicago back during the 1932 World Series. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia appointed him to a term as a New York City Parole Commissioner, which he performed for the remainder of his life. Said life sadly only lasted a little while longer. On June 2, 1941, Gehrig passed away just a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, an age at which plenty of players are still on the field.
Following his death, Eleanor Gehrig devoted the rest of her life to ALS research and never remarried. A regular to Yankees Old-Timers’ Day, she did everything she could to keep his memory alive until her own passing in 1984. She said of Lou, “I would not have traded two minutes of the joy and grief with that man for two decades of anything with another.”
Just as a player, Lou Gehrig is an unquestionable Yankees and baseball icon. However, he also means so much more than that in many ways.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
In game one, Wuilfredo Antunez had a big game, going 2-for-5 with a triple and a double. Jose Devers went 2-for-3 with two walks, Conner Barstad went 2-for-4 with a walk, Luke Hill doubled and walked and Alfonsin Rosario walked three times.
Rosario, Hill and Devers also stole a base.
A rehabbing Eric Sobrowski allowed two unearned runs without allowing a hit, striking out two and walking one in 0.2 innings.
Dylan DeLucia allowed two runs on five hits in 5.0 innings with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.
In game two, Akron managed just five hits. Jacob Cozart went 2-for-4 with a double and Conner Barstad wetn 1-for-2 with a walk.
Starting pitcher Rafe Schlesinger allowed four runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings in his Double-A debut.
The bullpen was tremendous the rest of the way as Sean Matson, Reid Johnson and Adam Tulloch combined for 4.2 scoreless innings, but the offense couldn’t muster much.
Lake County Captains 4, Great Lakes Loons 5 Lake County Captains 3, Great Lakes Loons 2
Captains move to 37-27
Lake County scored four runs on three hits in game one with the big blow coming off the bat of recently-activated Welbyn Francisca, who blasted a three-run home run.
Bennett Thompson also went 1-for-2 with a walk.
Starting pitcher Braylon Doughty pitched decently, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in 6.0 innings.
Cam Schuelke pitched 1.1 innings, allowing an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the loss.
In game two, Lake County won despite just collecting two hits. Thankfully both hits were big ones. Jace LaViolette had a two-run double while Nolan Schubart blasted his 15th home run.
Starting pitcher Jervis Alfaro allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings.
Hill City Howlers 3, Augusta GreenJackets 10
Howlers fall to 31-35
Hill City got taken out of this game early as Joey Oakie had a nightmare game, getting blistered for eight runs on three hits with seven walks and three strikeouts in just 1.2 innings.
Offensively, Dauri Fernandez tripled and scored a run.
The weekend is here, and I’ve got a trio of MLB same-game parlay predictions for the loaded 15-game slate on the diamond Friday, June 19.
My top MLB picks are headlined by the rolling San Francisco Giants in the early window and wrap up with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating up on the Baltimore Orioles in the nightcap.
In the opposite dugout, the Miami Marlins rank below average in both metrics during the same timeframe and are expected to piece together a bullpen game on Friday.
The Cards are rolling at the dish with a top-ranked xwOBA while averaging 5.8 runs per game the past two weeks. Additionally, this serves as a bounce-back spot for go-to hitter Ivan Herrera.
He’s mired in a 1-for-16 slump across the past five games after posting a sterling .371 wOBA and .372 xwOBA to start the season.
Finally, I anticipate the Royals will be off-balance against McGreevy without Witt anchoring their offense.
Because the shortstop paces the majors in WAR, his absence makes this SGP an advised play down to +300.
Sasaki has also allowed just five hits across his past two home starts, and he’s surrendered four or fewer in four of his past five.
Turning to Baltimore rookie Trey Gibson, he brings a lackluster 6.62 xERA and 5.19 xFIP to the mound against a lineup pacing the majors in xwOBA across the past 30 days, so this SGP is in play down to +300.
Finally, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy hits in the heart of the potent lineup and has posted an impressive .387 wOBA, .906 OPS, and .252 ISO against right-handed pitchers over the past three years.
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SNLA, MASN
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
SGP picks: 8-22, +6.0 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Tonight's MLB player props feature some of baseball's most exciting hitters.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Alec Burleson
Over 1.5 Total Bases
-134
Yordan Alvarez
Over 1.5 Total Bases
-111
James Wood
Over 1.5 hits+runs+rbi
-122
Alec Burleson Over 1.5 Total Bases (-134)
A player I love this evening can be found in a game your father will be unable to watch, the first Apple TV broadcast of the night between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.
I am in love with Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson tonight as he draws Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The St. Louis slugger owns an elite rating in the current season dataset on Batters-Box and a strong rating in the default dataset. More importantly, his strong-rated trends are pretty mouthwatering.
In 40 strongly rated games:
1+ Hit: 75%
2+ Hits: 30%
Double: 25%
Home Run: 20%
Over 1.5 Total Bases: 52.5%
On top of that, Burleson has been seeing the ball extremely well, posting a .357 batting average, .964 slugging percentage, and 1.364 OPS over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. During that stretch, he has also produced a 47.6% hard contact rate and a 28.6% barrel rate.
Lugo, on the other hand, has been getting knocked around by left-handed hitters this season. At home, he is allowing a 63.9% elevation rate, and over the last 60 left-handed batters he has faced, they own a .356 xBA, .699 xSLG, and .395 xwOBA while generating 49% hard contact and an 18.4% barrel rate.
I think this is a great spot to back a hitter who is not only seeing the ball exceptionally well, but also owns nearly 90% arsenal coverage against a struggling arm.
If you are not in the juice-paying business, I would consider taking his home run and double props individually for a little more value.
He finds himself in a fantastic spot this evening against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee. Alvarez not only carries an elite rating against Bibee, but he also owns 100% arsenal coverage against the entire pitch mix.
The Guardians starter has struggled mightily against left-handed bats this season, and things have not improved over his last 60 left-handed hitters faced. Those hitters have produced a .460 xBA, .944 xSLG, and .461 xwOBA, while generating 45.2% hard contact, a 21.4% barrel rate, and elevating the ball 64.2% of the time.
As for Alvarez, the big fella has been on an absolute tear. Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he owns a .444 batting average, .852 slugging percentage, and a 1.352 OPS, while producing nearly 60% hard contact and a 27.3% barrel rate.
At this price, it is hard for me to pass up the most dangerous hitter in baseball when he is en fuego. I would play this up to -125.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SCHN, CLEG
James Wood Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI (-122)
“Colby, are we really just running chalk today?”
Numbers talk. Good players are good for a reason.
James Wood is a good player, and today he is our guy as he finds himself in a strong spot against Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Griffin Jax. Much like Yordan Alvarez, Wood brings elite arsenal coverage, handling 87.1% of Jax’s pitch mix.
He also clears this prop 51.11% of the time, backed by a sample of 135 elite ratings, per Batters-Box.
Wood is having a career year, and the recent underlying numbers are borderline diabolical. Over his last 30 at-bats versus right-handed pitching, he is posting a .360 batting average, .680 slugging, and 1.113 OPS, with a 50% hard hit rate and 11.1% barrel rate.
On the other hand, Jax has been allowing plenty of hard contact and high-quality contact. At home against left-handed hitters, opponents are lifting the ball nearly 71% of the time.
Over his last 60 lefties faced, they are producing a 9.8% barrel rate while elevating the baseball 61% of the time. Those hitters also hold a .409 xBA, .591 xSLG, and .363 xwOBA.
I would play this up to -130, or take the plus money on his bases.
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: RAYS, NATS
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 234-402-36, +8.7 units
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Sign up now using our exclusive Polymarket promo code 'COVERS' (on your mobile app only) and get a $50 trading bonus after you deposit $50 to trade on any other event contracts — including MLB expert picks!
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Joe Osborne's expert pick: Padres vs. Rangers Under 7.5
Price: 55¢ (-122) at Polymarket
Everything points to a low-scoring game in Texas tonight, where strong pitching should overwhelm two struggling offenses.
Jacob deGrom is in excellent form, allowing just four earned runs across his last four starts, and he’s been nearly untouchable at home with a 1.26 ERA through six outings. He draws a San Diego Padres lineup that ranks 27th in OPS against right-handed pitching over the past two weeks.
On the other side, Randy Vasquez has been at his best on the road where he owns a 2.08 ERA, while Texas Rangers hitters rank 29th in OPS versus righties during that same two-week span and have scored three runs or fewer in five of their last six games.
San Diego’s bullpen deserves some love here too as they've been locking things down, posting a 2.28 ERA over the last two weeks.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Staying ahead of lineup changes can be the difference between winning and losing in fantasy baseball. Here's what you need to know as we move toward the end of June.
⚾️ Baseball is back on NBC: MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Jordan Lawlar and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recently returned from the IL. Lawlar has taken over center field with Ryan Waldschmidt back at Triple-A. Tommy Troy was the primary left fielder while Gurriel was out. Gurriel has started there just once in the three games since his return, plus one start at DH. Ildemaro Vargas' playing time has grown more sporadic as the team gets healthier.
Athletics
Lawrence Butler's playing time has ticked up with Brent Rooker sidelined, though he still sat against a righty Thursday. Henry Bolte is the primary center fielder but still isn't playing every day. Zack Gelof has started every game since May 3.
Atlanta Braves
Drake Baldwin returned this week, resuming leadoff duties against RHP and batting second vs. LHP. Mauricio Dubón, Ha-Seong Kim, and Jorge Mateo are still splitting shortstop, but Dubón is the only one who'll see time elsewhere on most days.
Baltimore Orioles
They've faced a right-hander every game since June 4, with three more lined up this weekend against the Dodgers, which has helped their lineup consistency. Over the past couple of weeks, Blaze Alexander has gotten more run at third base than Coby Mayo. Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser are soaking up most of the center- and right-field reps at Tyler O'Neill's expense.
Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran was dropped to fifth last Friday, bumping Mickey Gasper into the leadoff role since then. Duran even hit fifth in a couple of games against righties that Gasper missed, so the move looks semi-permanent. Marcelo Mayer remains in a strong-side platoon even after moving to shortstop.
Chicago Cubs
Lots of consistency here lately. Moises Ballesteros was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday, which could mean more playing time for Matt Shaw in right field with Seiya Suzuki at DH.
Chicago White Sox
Sam Antonacci and Chase Meidroth continue to platoon at leadoff. Andrew Benintendi and Randal Grichuk are platooning at DH. Jacob Gonzalez essentially platoons with Luisangel Acuña, with Miguel Vargas and Colston Montgomery shifting around to accommodate.
Cincinnati Reds
Terry Francona continues to rotate at leadoff, with Blake Dunn and Edwin Arroyo getting the opportunities this past week. Noelvi Marte has started nine of 13 since being recalled from Triple-A. JJ Bleday has started every game since April 29.
Cleveland Guardians
Brayan Rocchio jumped from ninth to second or third with José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martínez all hitting the IL. Gabriel Arias returned and is covering third base, so Rocchio isn't giving up shortstop. Travis Bazzana plays every day, but he sometimes drops from leadoff to the 4-6 range against southpaws. Steven Kwan has sat against three of the past four lefties they've faced.
Colorado Rockies
Cole Carrigg has played center field in all nine games since his call-up. Hunter Goodman plays nearly every day, ranking fifth in plate appearances among primary catchers.
Detroit Tigers
Gleyber Torres is back on the IL, opening up second base for Hao-Yu Lee. They've been consistent otherwise, with Matt Vierling, Wenceel Perez, and Jahmai Jones filling short-side platoon roles.
Houston Astros
Jose Altuve has gotten a couple of maintenance days since returning from the IL, but he's otherwise back and primarily hitting fifth. Jeremy Peña has been the leadoff hitter when healthy this year. Yainer Diaz returned from the IL this week.
Kansas City Royals
Carter Jensen and Lane Thomas are platooning at leadoff. Michael Massey platoons with Nick Loftin at second base, while Starling Marte and Kameron Misner share a platoon of their own.
Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout hit the IL with a hamstring injury Thursday, and the Angels called up Christian Moore to replace him. Meanwhile, Vaughn Grissom returned from the injured list to reclaim first base, ending Trey Mancini's inspiring run back in MLB. Jo Adell hasn't posted the same high-end results as last year, but the totality of injuries on this team will keep him glued in the heart of the order as an everyday player.
Tommy Edman made his season debut this week, playing third base against a lefty. He also hit leadoff, since Shohei Ohtani didn't bat that day. Ryan Ward and Alex Call are platooning in left field, while Alex Freeland has taken over the bulk of the playing time at second base.
Miami Marlins
Kyle Stowers is up to eight games (seven starts) at first base this season, adding some helpful eligibility. Xavier Edwards hits cleanup against right-handers, giving him more RBI opportunities than one would expect from a player with his skill set.
Milwaukee Brewers
Cooper Pratt was called up to take over shortstop with Luis Rengifo designated for assignment. David Hamilton (vs. RHP) and Joey Ortiz (vs. LHP) have split third base in the three days since.
Minnesota Twins
Royce Lewis has started all 11 games since being recalled from Triple-A, including eight at first base and two at second base. Kody Clemens is bouncing between first base and all over the outfield, hitting third most days. Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin platoon at leadoff.
New York Mets
Carson Benge has hit leadoff in every game since May 12. Mark Vientos has started just twice in the team's past 11 games. He's in a first base platoon with Jared Young, who bats cleanup against RHP.
New York Yankees
Paul Goldschmidt barely played to start the year, but he's hit 1-4 in every game this month. Jasson Domínguez is back off the IL and hitting in the top half of the order, playing right field. Spencer Jones is in center field against right-handers. Anthony Volpe's playing time is beginning to slip against righties. He essentially platoons with Jones, since Cody Bellinger and José Caballero can be moved around.
Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Schwarber started at first base on Tuesday, but it looked like a one-off. Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott continue to play every day, even against lefties. Adolis García's IL stint makes it all but certain they'll trade for an outfielder at the deadline.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Spencer Horwitz has led off against every righty since May 24, and the team now heads to Coors Field for a weekend series. Bryan Reynolds has simply been fantastic this season, hitting third every day. Injuries to Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz are thinning the depth in a lineup that got off to such a promising start in 2026.
San Diego Padres
This lineup has struggled to score, but it's stayed consistent after spreading things out earlier in the year. Injuries and underperformance are the main culprits. They're an attackable offense when streaming pitchers.
San Francisco Giants
Bryce Eldridge has moved up to the two-hole against righties and hit third against the one lefty they've faced recently. There's a lot of lineup consistency at the moment, but Heliot Ramos' eventual return from the IL could throw a wrench into things. Casey Schmitt has been mostly in left field over the past month.
Seattle Mariners
Cal Raleigh and JP Crawford have returned from the IL. Crawford immediately reclaimed the leadoff job, but he's now at third base, with Colt Emerson sticking at shortstop. Dominic Canzone now bats cleanup against righties, though he remains in a strict platoon role.
St. Louis Cardinals
Lars Nootbaar is swinging the bat well and has taken over the five-hole against righties, platooning with Nelson Velazquez in left field. Blaze Jordan has started every game since being called up on June 12, usurping the hot corner from Nolan Gorman. Joshua Baez remains at Triple-A without a clear everyday role, but he's a must-watch for a call-up this summer.
Tampa Bay Rays
Chandler Simpson has fallen from leadoff to the bottom half of the lineup. Yandy Díaz is back to hitting first as a result, while Cedric Mullins has slid into the three-hole against right-handers. Austin Slater has joined the big-league club and starts against all lefties.
Texas Rangers
Wyatt Langford bats third against RHP and leadoff vs. lefties. Joc Pederson takes over leadoff against righties, as he has since May 12. Alejandro Osuna has taken over center field with Evan Carter sidelined.
Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his fourth homer of the season on Thursday. This lineup badly needs him to heat up power-wise. Kazuma Okamoto's 15 homers are more than double the next-highest total on the team. George Springer has yet to play the field this season, tracking toward UTIL-only eligibility in 2027.
Washington Nationals
Curtis Mead is still sitting against some righties, but he bats second or third whenever he starts and often comes off the bench otherwise. Dylan Crews was recalled on May 19 and has sat just two games when healthy since then.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 05: Justin Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies bunts during the game against the Athletics on May 5, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I bought a pocket radio recently. Although it’s posed a few problems (reception for my favorite station is a bit shaky), it’s been a real joy to have it. It really doesn’t offer any advantages over streaming the stations digitally, but there’s something charming about it, a tactile satisfaction in tuning it manually and hearing the voices emerge from the static. I sometimes use it to listen to baseball, of course, but I’m not yet the sort of nerd who brings his radio to the ballpark (though I will be as soon as I get around to buying earbuds that’ll work with it). That sort of appreciation for the old-fashioned and analog is growing, as anyone in the vinyl record business has noted. A similar appreciation for the joys of yesteryear is developing in baseball; it turns out that our delightfully crotchety and nostalgic sport can become even more so. You see, the bunt is back.
As Ben Clemens of FanGraphs recently noted, 2026 is the Year of the Bunt. Bunts are more common than they’ve been in years, and teams are getting an unusually large amount of value from those bunts. That’s in part the result of teams figuring out how best to deploy them. As Clemens noted, bunts with a runner on first, the other bases empty, and no outs, remain unfashionable, like Jell-O salads, but bunts in situations where you can get some real benefit from them are like vintage jeans— increasingly in demand.
The Phillies, however, have not joined this trend (all stats prior to Friday’s games). They’ve attempted just nine bunts this season, the second-least in baseball, and laid down just three of them for hits; only two teams have fewer. Contrast with the Rays, who lead baseball with a whopping 56 attempts and 21 hits. The Rays braintrust is famously savvy; if they think bunts are the future, there’s good reason to believe it (though this point may be a bit less effective for this audience, given that Phillies fans are reminded of one of the Rays’ most infamous errors in judgment every fifth game). Tampa Bay is an outlier; the median number of bunt attempts this season is 22, and the median for bunt hits is 7. Still, that puts the Phillies decidedly behind average.
The tiny number of bunts attempted so far means that any attempt to explore how good the Phillies are at bunting is going to fall prey to small sample size. Still, we can note that their success rate on bunts is 33.3%, which puts them squarely in the middle of the pack. The lion’s share of the Phillies’ bunt attempts and successes have come from Justin Crawford, who has two hits on four tries. The other bunt hit came from Brandon Marsh, in his lone try. Bryson Stott and Garrett Stubbs both tried twice, to no avail. No other Phillies have attempted to bunt.
Of the Phillies who have joined Bunt Club this year, Brandon Marsh probably shouldn’t renew his membership. He’s pretty fast (74th percentile sprint speed), and solid at bunting (7 for 22 in his career) but he’s hitting well enough that there’s probably no need for him to lay down more. Bryson Stott might want to give it a whirl, though. Unsurprisingly for someone with his above-average speed, he’s good at bunting, having turned half of the 18 bunts in play across his career into hits. In the midst of a down season at the plate (.235/.291/.393, 87 wRC+), a successful bunt here and there would help him add more to the team’s offense. The same can be said of Justin Crawford, whose blazing sprint speed (96th percentile) no doubt explains why he’s bunted more often this season than any other Phillie.
What about the Phillies who haven’t attempted any bunts so far, though? Most obviously shouldn’t try it; they’re either not fast enough, or would be better off just swinging. But there is one candidate who should perhaps ask if bunting is right for him. When you think about it, it is somewhat odd that the fastest Phillie hasn’t attempted a bunt this season. Actually, he hasn’t attempted a bunt at all since 2019. Said fastest Phil would be Trea Turner, of course. As the fastest player on the team, and the fifth-fastest in baseball this season, he’s got the legs for it (the fastest, if you were wondering, is the fittingly and marvelously named Henry Bolte, of the peripatetic Athletics). And he’s done well with bunting in the past. He’s converted 9 bunts into hits out of 15 he’s put into play. 14 of those attempts came in 2018. He had no bunts at all in the first four seasons of his career. I assume that the explanation for the sudden change in 2018 lies with a managerial change: Dave Martinez took over for Washington that year and presumably put that strategy into place. I don’t know why it was suddenly abandoned afterwards; perhaps Turner was hitting well enough that the Nats felt it wasn’t necessary to do it anymore.
But, unfortunately, he is not hitting well this season. With a .223/.274/.334 slash line, Turner has struggled mightily with the bat. Bunting isn’t going to be a solution to that: even if deployed frequently and successfully, it won’t change the larger picture at the plate. Still, Turner’s speed makes the bunt an arrow in his quiver, and thus that of the Phillies. If Trea Turner were born a few generations earlier, he’d have been bunting all the time. The fact that he was born in a bunt-shy era, though, certainly doesn’t mean he has to avoid it. You can live in the modern day and still appreciate the pastimes that are, or at least seem to be, truly past. At least that’s what I tell myself before dropping $45 on a new record.
Jun 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
The New York Mets’ bullpen has been a stable force for an otherwise disappointing club, and Thursday night in Philadelphia was no different.
Led by Luke Weaver’s continued scoreless inning streak and another save from Devin Williams, the bullpen backed up starter Sean Manaea to secure a 6-4 victory. The win was an example of what this bullpen is capable of when given a chance to protect a lead.
Weaver is in the midst of a career-best and MLB-leading 20-inning shutout streak that dates back to May 1. His current ERA (2.25) and WHIP (0.90) are at career lows, while the bullpen as a whole has been above league average.
Focusing almost exclusively on his fastball, changeup, and cutter, Weaver is using his changeup at a career-high rate. The result has been the lowest hard-hit and sweet-spot rates of his career.
A viral moment waiting to happen, Weaver has been the best offseason acquisition for the Mets’ front office, and he’s one of the few that hasn’t elicited groans from the Queens faithful. The bullpen is maybe the only portion of the roster that’s clearly improved over last year’s team that missed the playoffs.
At the end of New York’s brutal 12-game losing streak in April, Weaver offered perhaps the quote of the year in his postgame interview with SNY’s Steve Gelbs. A statement he’s been able to back up in resounding fashion.
“Look, people smell fear. I’m not the biggest guy in the room, but I ain’t scared of nobody,” he said. “That’s the attitude I try to take, and if I screw up, it’s on me, but at the end of the day I’m going to sleep at night, and I’m going to feel good about the effort I put in.”
As solid as Weaver has been, he might not even be the Mets’ best reliever. According to WAR, that would be Huascar Brazobán, who has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him. Opening games for struggling starters, or coming in late with runners on, Brazobán’s hard-hit rate is in the 99th percentile, even better than Weaver’s.
Williams has had some ups and downs in the closer role, including Thursday night, where he gave up a run and allowed the winning batter to the plate before notching his 11th save of the season. Another offseason addition, Williams has posted scoreless outings in 15 of his last 18 appearances.
New York has enjoyed depth beyond Weaver, Brazobán, and Williams. AJ Minter hasn’t given up a run in his first eight innings since returning from elbow surgery, while Austin Warren has a 2.63 ERA across a career-high 27.1 innings pitched. Brooks Raley had been able to stay healthy and effective despite being in his age-38 season.
The Mets can count on Weaver and the bullpen, but will they feel that way about the rest of the squad before it’s too late, if it’s not already? Getting a win in the series opener against the Phillies is helpful. Maybe take this series, go after the up-and-down Cubs, then rinse and repeat against Philadelphia at home as June winds down. It sounds simple, but it’s been so hard for this Mets squad to go on a run. If they ever do, this bullpen will be a big reason why.
Alec Burleson
Yordan Alvarez
James Wood
SFG vs 
MIA
KCR
BAL vs 
LAD
