Category: Baseball

Team USA is heading to their third straight World Classic Baseball championship game appearance coming off a victory over the Dominican Republic in a 2-1 nail biter. The Pirates’ ace Paul Skenes was on the mound for the Americans and earned his second win in the WBC.

In this semi-final matchup, the Dominican Republic brought one of the most stacked lineups with a power hitter at every position. The USA brought out the best pitcher they had to offer who did the impossible by limiting DR to just one run scored.

In 4.1 innings pitched the 23-year-old former Air Force cadet struck out two batters while allowing just one run off of a Junior Caminero homer in the second inning. From there though Skenes was able to limit the damage with the help of a stellar USA defense that had several highlight plays to keep the Dominican hitters under wraps. Bobby Witt Jr. had several stellar plays (again) from shortstop, and Aaron Judge had a huge throw to catch Fernando Tatis Jr. at third base.

Paul Skenes held the Dominican Republic to just one run! pic.twitter.com/bYGfIxZrFB

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 16, 2026

Overall, Skenes finished the contest calm and composed, but had clearly had given his team everything he had when he was relieved in the fourth. Physically, he was throwing high heat and the most pitches so far this tournament, finishing with 71 pitches on the night. The mental fortitude showed up as well, as Skenes proved he could be rattled but recenter himself after facing some adversity against this stacked lineup. Skenes showed up in a pivotal moment for the U.S and finishes his WBC run with a 1.08 ERA, nine strikeouts, and just one run allowed across two contests.

Former Pirate David Bednar has been a workhorse in the bullpen for the U.S and he had another scoreless frame against D.R, and also ended his night with two strikeouts in a high leverage spot.

Team USA will face off against the winner of Italy and Venezuela in Miami at LoanDepot Park on Tuesday night.

MIAMI — There were no majestic bat flip into the night.

There was no dancing on the basepaths or selfies in the dugout.

There was no blaring music in the clubhouse, just a simple speech by Team USA captain Aaron Judge who reminded his teammates that they haven’t accomplished anything yet.

But you know what?

The Americans managed to have the time of their lives Sunday night, relying on their pitching to shut down perhaps the most powerful lineup ever assembled, in the most unique environment that Judge has ever experienced.

USA 2, Dominican Republic 1.

“Just a game we’ll remember forever, right," USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “We understood this was going to be a talked-about game, probably one of the most watched games of all time. … Whether we won or didn't win, baseball won.’"

The crowd of 36,337 at loanDepot Park hung on every pitch, stood on their feet, passionately cheering throughout the night. When it was over, Team USA went back to the clubhouse re-living the scenes.

“It was bigger and better than the World Series," Judge said. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.

“It gives me chills right now thinking about how special that was."

USA now moves onto the championship game Tuesday night where it will play the winner of Monday's Venezuela-Italy semifinal game on Monday night at loanDepot Park.

If USA wins that title game, you just may see a party that will make South Beach clubs look like a senior citizen bingo night.

The team that has been ridiculed for treating games like a business meeting, can’t wait to unload all of its emotions with a WBC title, letting everyone know there are plenty of different ways to celebrate.

So, please, Team USA pleads: stop with the narrative.

They may not have espresso machines in the dugout and they’re not donning customized jackets after hitting home runs.

But, don’t kid yourselves, they’re having a blast.

“I think we’ve carried ourselves this tournament the way we’ve wanted," USA center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “And that is feeling like we’re the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world."

TAMPA — With a week left in camp before the Yankees head west, Brent Headrick took his latest swing to claim one of the final two bullpen spots. 

The big lefty tossed a scoreless inning of relief and struck out a pair on Sunday in the 12-1 loss to the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field, his fourth scoreless outing in five appearances this spring. 

“I like where he’s at,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he can really help us. I think he can be a factor. I think he can be impactful. It’s just about consistently repeating the stuff, time in and time out. That’s what we saw last year — really good one day, little bit of a falloff the next time out. So getting that consistent stuff, because when he’s at his best, it really plays.” 

Headrick, who was still adjusting to being a full-time reliever last season, averaged 93.9 mph with his fastball Sunday, down a tick from his 94 mph average in 2025, though he maxed out at 95.1. 

The Yankees believe he has the ability to handle both lefty and righty bats — which could help his case to make the roster, given that he would be the third lefty in the bullpen, alongside soft-tossers Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough — and both of his strikeouts Sunday came against righties. The final two spots are expected to come down to Headrick and righties Jake Bird, Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest and Kervin Castro. 

“I think [Headrick] is taking to becoming a reliever,” Boone said. “I think he trained this winter with that in mind, that he is a reliever. So it’s learning how to bounce back sometimes the next day or pitch four outs and be in play two days later. I feel like he’s training for that now and hopefully that serves him well from a consistency standpoint but also allowing him to be more durable too.” 

Oswaldo Cabrera was a proud countryman Saturday night, watching his native Venezuela knock off Japan in the WBC quarterfinals. 

“I was almost crying for my guys over there,” Cabrera said in Sarasota after the split-squad doubleheader nightcap against the Orioles was washed out in the third inning. “You know how much that [means] for all Venezuelan people. Especially on this side, playing baseball, I know almost everybody who is there [on the team]. They are making a full country so proud. So they are doing a really nice job.” 

Anthony Volpe stood in on Gerrit Cole’s bullpen session Sunday morning just to track pitches as he continues his hitting progression.

Volpe has not yet faced live pitching, but is scheduled to do so in the coming weeks. 

Cody Bellinger was replaced in right field after four innings, but Boone said he was fine and it was just a matter of the veteran playing a third straight day. 

The Yankees made another batch of cuts Sunday, reassigning INF/OF Marco Luciano, INF Braden Shewmake, OF Duke Ellis, OF Yanquiel Fernández, INF/OF Ernesto Martínez Jr., INF Jonathan Ornelas, C Miguel Palma and INF Zack Short to minor league camp.

Observations from Yankees spring training on Sunday.

Good start

Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk, brought in to mash lefties, delivered a single in his first at-bat Sunday against Tigers southpaw Framber Valdez. 

De-Boot

Paul DeJong could not handle a ground ball behind second base in the fourth inning, resulting in the veteran shortstop’s first error of the spring, though he got picked up when Ryan Yarbrough got the next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. 

Caught my eye

Max Schuemann, who has an outside shot to make the roster as a backup shortstop (in addition to being a defensively gifted utility player), continued his strong spring at the plate.

He recorded a pair of singles off Valdez and is hitting .409 with a 1.112 OPS through 11 games.
 

Monday’s schedule

The Yankees have their final off-day of camp, though Cam Schlittler will throw a simulated game to keep him on track the opening weekend of the season.

Team USA’s win didn’t come without controversy. 

The United States defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 at loanDepot park on Sunday night to advance to the World Baseball Classic championship game, but the final called strike had the DR fuming, and rightfully so. 

MASON MILLER WINS THE BATTLE

TEAM USA WINS THE GAME! #WorldBaseballClassicpic.twitter.com/IJCG9vjv5r

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 16, 2026

American pitcher Mason Miller fired the ball and his 3-2 pitch was clearly out of the strike zone, but home plate umpire Cory Blaser surprisingly called it the third strike to end the game. 

Dominican Republic batter Geraldo Perdomo was fuming when he heard the strike call and threw his hands up into the air in shock as his team had the tying run on third base.

MLB’s ABS system that allows a batter to challenge balls and strike calls is not part of the World Baseball Classic.

The Fox Sports broadcast noted the ball was outside the strike zone and even the MLB’s own Statcast showed the pitch well below the strike zone.

“That slider right there that was below the zone. And, one team reacting. The other just stunned,” former major league pitcher John Schmultz said on the broadcast after viewing the replay. 

“Thinking, ‘You sure we don’t have ABS yet? You sure we can’t challenge that?’” play-by-play man Joe Davis added. “Perdomo and the Dominican Republic are wondering, and they’ll have to wonder what would have happened with Fernando Tatis Jr. left standing on deck.” 

It wasn’t the only time in the game that Blaser had made a seemingly bad call. 

In the eighth inning with Juan Soto on at the plate, a third strike was called on a pitch that had been outside the strike zone, and was backed up by the statcaster. 

“You just hate to end a game this big with these types of consequences on a pitch that’s not a strike,” Alex Rodriguez said during the Fox postgame show.

In a similar vein to Davis’ comments, Derek Jeter predicted that there could be a change coming to the WBC regarding ABS.

“Well, you can pretty much guarantee they’re going to have the (ABS) challenge system in place for the next WBC, right?” he said.

The United States will face the winner of Italy and Venezuela, which will be played on Monday, in Tuesday’s title game. 

Team USA had to battle back from an early 1-0 deficit and managed to gain the lead in a two-run fourth inning. 

Gunnar Henderson had hit a solo home run to kick off the inning and tied the game at one. 

Roman Anthony gave the United States the lead with his own solo shot two batters later.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Carlos Rodón continues to work back from offseason arm surgery, and he’s surprised himself a bit in bullpen sessions. “I backed off and threw harder,” Rodón said. “I was like, ‘OK, that makes no sense.’ But it made it easier to command. It’s just little ins and outs of pitching, trying to find the stroke again, knowing how much effort in this pitch and the line of this pitch.” The radar readings on Rodón thus far have been promising, with the left-hander reportedly sitting in the 93 mph range and touching 95 mph. There’s reason to hope that at full health in 2026, Rodón can rediscover a bit of the velocity he lost in 2025.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) One of the few remaining positional battles on the Yankees roster exists in the underbelly of the bullpen, and a new name to watch is that of Kervin Castro. The 27-year-old Venezuelan has been with the organization since being selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in 2023, and he’s impressed some key figures with a strong performance this spring. “Kervin’s got my attention,” Aaron Boone said this weekend. “Elite human being,” bullpen coach Preston Claiborne added. Though Castro is still unlikely to make the bullpen out of camp barring injuries, he certainly seems to be in the mix for a call-up once the regular season gets going.

MLB.com | Jonathan Mayo: Mayo runs down the state of the Yankees’ farm system, which was depleted after the club sent out 17 prospects as part of midseason trades last season. But the Yankees have shown an ability to restock even while sending out boatloads of players; Mayo highlights the $10,000 international signing of Jesus Rodriguez, who helped net Camilo Doval last summer, and Rafael Flores, an undrafted free agent who went to Pittsburgh in the David Bednar trade. Now, the Yankees are looking for their 2025 draft class to flourish and help replenish a system that seems a little thinner at the moment. First-round pick Dax Kilby has thus far been up to the task, starting fast with the organization in 2025 and already ranking among the top 100 prospects in the game despite falling to the Yankees at the 39th pick.

FanGraphs | David Laurilla: As part of his Sunday Notes, Laurilla spoke with Aaron Boone at camp, where Boone noted that last spring was the first time he got a good look at Cam Schlittler, thinking to himself at the time that Schlittler was going to quickly make an impact on the Yankees. Laurilla asked which players fit that bill this year, and Boone highlighted Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodríguez, and Ben Hess. At this point, fans have heard Lagrange and Rodríguez’s names quite a bit this spring, and it’s no surprise that either could be factor come midseason. Hess, the team’s 2024 first rounder, is more of a dark horse, but it’s notable that the Yankee manager called him out by name. The right-hander had an impressive first full season in pro ball last year, and could earn himself a ticket to the Bronx sooner rather than later if he stays on an upward trajectory.

All things considered, this year’s iteration of the World Baseball Classic has delivered on all of its promise for excitement. Sunday’s game, between two powerhouses in the Dominican Republic and the United States, was a matchup that was highly anticipated, and would decide who would appear in the WBC championship game. The Classic’s semifinal game did not disappoint on this front, as high quality pitching from both sides and a couple of big solo home runs were ultimately the deciding factor.

Semifinals Game 1: United States 2, Dominican Republic 1

Adrenaline was flowing for perhaps the premier matchup for this tournament, and it was clear from the very beginning. Both starting pitchers in this one—Paul Skenes for the United States and Luis Severino for the Dominican Republic—were pumping fastballs close to triple-digits. Both hard-throwing righties looked good in their starts, though they were ultimately bit by the limited mistakes they did serve up.

This game was dictated by moments, and in a matchup of this stature, it were those by the biggest names the sport has to offer. Early on, the stars of the American League East shined in this one. It began in the bottom of the second inning, when Junior Caminero of the Rays continued his terrific tournament with a solo homer into left field. His third homer of the Classic sent loanDepot park and the D.R. dugout into a frenzy.

An inning later, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge made one of his patented rocket-like throws to third base, this one nabbing Fernando Tatis Jr. attempting to take an extra base.

The United States squad took that momentum and pumped it into the bats in the top half of the fourth. In that inning, more AL East-ers had their moment, when a solo homer from Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson tied the game up, and another from Boston’s Roman Anthony gave the U.S. the lead.

For a good stretch after the big solo bombs from the United States’ youngsters, this game was dictated by good defense and pitching that kept possible offensive opportunities at bay. Skenes stranded the bases loaded in the fourth inning, and when he was lifted in a tight spot an inning later in favor of Tyler Rogers, the side-winder induced an inning-ending double-play to put an end to another rally.

The Dominican lineup was threatening once again in the seventh, when hits from Austin Wells and Geraldo Perdomo had a couple of runners in scoring position. David Bednar, who came out of the ‘pen to being the frame, was able to record subsequent strikeouts of Tatis and Ketel Marte to escape yet another jam, as the U.S. continued to tightrope out of danger against the potent D.R. lineup.

For the U.S., the bullpen continued to deal, as Garrett Whitlock was the next man up, and he managed a seamless 1-2-3 inning against the heart of the Dominican lineup — with the aid of a generous called strike three on a man who knows the strike zone better than anyone this side of Ted Williams, Juan Soto.

For the ninth inning, yet another electric arm hit the mound for the United States, as Mason Miller was tasked with locking things down in the ninth. He did not make it the smoothest of rides, with Julio Rodríguez reaching on a walk and advancing on a wild pitch, but after an eight-pitch battle with Perdomo, the hard-throwing righty ultimately shut this one down with a strikeout.

As with Soto, the last pitch was below the zone. As with Soto, home-plate umpire Cory Blaser punched Perdomo out anyway.

The United States bullpen pitched 4.2 scoreless innings to finish this game off, which was ultimately the deciding factor. It should be mentioned as well that the relievers for the D.R., five of whom kept the U.S. scoreless for the final five innings of the game, were terrific in their own right.

I’m surely not alone in this sentiment, but it feels safe to say that this was about as high quality a baseball game as you can possibly find, and it was almost entirely a joy to watch from end-to-end. Between terrific pitching, defensive highlights, and big homers from three of the game’s biggest and youngest stars, it was a terrific exhibition of the beautiful game. It’s just a shame that a one-run affair had to end in an umpiring controversy.

The United States will play the winner of Venezuela and Italy on Tuesday at 8pm ET in the World Baseball Classic’s championship game.Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has said that talented 24-year-old Mets righty Nolan McLean will get the ball, hoping for a better outing than his start against Italy. The second semifinal will take place tomorrow night at the same time, with Venezuela’s Keider Montero set to face Italy’s Michael Lorenzen.

Box Score

In a World Baseball Classic, which by the way does not use the automatic ball-strike challenge system that is now in use in Major League Baseball, Team USA beat The Dominican Republic 2-1 in a thrilling semifinal matchup on Sunday night at loanDepot Park in Miami.

The game featured 23 total strikeouts, 15 by Dominican pitchers, and all three runs came on solo home runs. Junior Caminero got things started for the Dominicans in the second innings, while Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony each went deep in the fourth to give Team USA the lead. It was a white-knuckle ride the rest of the way, with three hits and no runs after the fourth inning.

Will Smith singled once in his four at-bats in Sunday’s win. The United States in the championship game on Tuesday will play the winner of Monday’s Venezuela-Italy semifinal.

Dodger Stadium will always be Dodger Stadium, but things might be officially a little different beginning this season, at least with the presentation. Uniqlo, a worldwide fashion company that originated in Japan, has reached agreement with the Dodgers to be the official field sponsor at MLB’s third-oldest stadium, entering its 65th season in 2026.

From Katie Woo at The Athletic:

Dodger Stadium’s name will remain unchanged. The Dodgers did not sell the naming rights to their ballpark and were not open to doing so throughout the process. Protecting the legacy of Dodger Stadium, which has been the name of the historic park since its opening in 1962, was a top priority for the organization. However, Uniqlo will hold the rights to the playing field, which will likely be named Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.

Mookie Betts hit his first home run this spring on Sunday against the Cubs in Mesa. Coming off the worst offensive season of his career, Betts is fully healthy this spring and talked with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register about trying to regain the bat speed he has lost over recent years, especially after last spring’s stomach virus that cost him 20 pounds.

From Plunkett:

Betts said he is back to his usual playing weight this spring, has gained back the lost strength and – even at age 33 – bat speed.

“I think the most important part is I think I’m 178 now, almost 180. I’m able to just have speed,” he said. “When I lost all that weight, I was down 10 mph in (bat) speed. Guys are throwing 100 mph. With a slow bat, it’s going to be hard. It’s no excuse. It’s a fact. Now that I’ve got my speed back, I don’t have to hurry up and make decisions so fast.”

MIAMI — Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony each hit solo home runs in the fourth inning and Team USA’s pitching kept the mighty Dominican Republic lineup in check enough to secure a 2-1 victory in a World Baseball Classic semifinal on Sunday night.

“That was high-level baseball at ‌its finest,” USA manager Mark ​DeRosa said. “Just a game that we’ll remember forever. It was three solo shots that decided the game.”

The United States advanced to its third WBC final in a row and will try to win its second Classic championship and first since 2017 when it takes on the winner of the Venezuela-Italy semifinal on Tuesday night in Miami. Venezuela and Italy play their semifinal game on Monday night in Miami. DeRosa confirmed that right-hander Nolan McLean will start Tuesday’s final.

The Dominican Republic fell short in its bid to win its second WBC title and what would have ⁠been its first since 2013.

“It’s a bitter drink but we knew that someone would be happy and the other side would be sad,” Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols said. “We have to keep our heads up ⁠because we did a tremendous job.”

A lineup, which came in averaging 10.2 runs per game in the tournament, was held to just Junior Caminero’s two-out solo home run over the left field wall on an 1-2 count in the bottom of the second inning off USA starter Paul Skenes (2-0), the reigning National League Cy Young winner.

Caminero’s homer was his third of the Classic and 15th for the Dominican Republic, breaking the record for most home runs in a single WBC.

“The DR is the toughest lineup I’ve ⁠ever faced, that’s for sure,” said Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace. “I think they would say the same thing about us.”

USA closer Mason Miller struck out Caminero to open the bottom of the ninth, then walked Julio Rodriguez, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rodriguez moved to third on ⁠a groundout by pinch hitter Oneil Cruz. But Miller struck out Geraldo Perdomo looking to end the game and pick up his second save of the WBC.

“I don’t want to focus on the last pitch. Obviously, it didn’t go our way,” Pujols said. “Disappointed about the way the game ended, but I don’t want to criticize. It just wasn’t meant to be for us.”

Miller said: “When you go into a game with a lineup of guys that are staples in the middle of every order around the league and some of the best players in that game, you’ve got to be at your best.”

Dominican starter Luis Severino pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed the tying home run by ​Henderson to lead off the top of the fourth. Severino gave up five hits but struck out ‌six and did not issue a walk.

Anthony then gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead when he blasted a solo ⁠homer 421 feet to right center off reliever Gregory Soto (0-1). Anthony, who grew up in South Florida, played ​his first game at loanDepot park as a pro and first ⁠since 2018 when he played there with his high school, ⁠Majory Stoneman Douglas High from nearby Parkland, Fla.

“For me, I was here the last time around watching the championship game heading into my first spring training and heading into my first full year of minor league baseball, so it’s a bit of a full-circle moment,” Anthony said. “It was a dream of mine since as long as I can remember. … Just being around these guys and competing with these guys, ⁠day in and day out. It’s unbelievable.”

USA’s bullpen allowed only two hits over 4 2/3 shutout innings.

Aaron Judge helped keep the Dominican Republic from adding to its lead in the third when the right fielder ‌threw out Fernando Tatis Jr. ⁠at third base trying to advance on Ketel Marte’s single.

Skenes ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth when he gave up a double to Vlad Guerrero Jr., and an infield single to Manny Machado. After a fielder’s choice out at second, Skenes ​hit Rodriguez with a pitch to load the bases. But Skenes got Austin Wells to fly out to left to end the threat.

Skenes lasted 4 1/3 innings, struck out ⁠two, walked none and allowed six hits overall.

“It makes it a lot ⁠easier to be a starting pitcher when you ‌can get to the fifth inning — and that’s the nature of this tournament,” Skenes said. “The innings are limited for starting pitchers — and you can hand the ball off pretty confidently that the bullpen is going to get ​the job done. They’ve done a great job.”

Tatis Jr. and Marte knocked Skenes out of the game after hitting consecutive singles in the fifth with one out. Tyler Rogers replaced Skenes and induced Juan Soto to ‌ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Baseball gods giveth and taketh away. 

Aaron Judge showed off his defensive prowess and then had a home run taken away from him by an impressive defensive play by Julio Rodríguez.

The Yankees slugger looked as though he was about to extend the Americans’ lead in the World Baseball Classic semifinal against the Dominican Republic at loadDepot Park on Sunday night. 

Judge hit a blast that was headed over the center field wall before Rodríguez leaped and snagged it for the second out of the top of the fifth. 

J-ROD ROBS AARON JUDGE pic.twitter.com/c1JgwC0lWP

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 16, 2026

Rodríguez let out a massive celebration before sending the ball back into the infield. 

Earlier in the game, Judge reminded everyone why trying to run on him just isn’t a good idea. 

The Yankees star showed off his arm when Fernando Tatis Jr attempted to reach third after Ketel Marte hit a line drive into right field in the bottom of the third inning. 

Judge quickly scooped the ball and launched it in an attempt to throw out Tatis, firing the ball perfectly to Gunnar Henderson to get the third out of the inning. 

It was the second time in the tournament that Judge had shown off his arm and made a similar play in the United States’ win over Mexico. 

A ball hit to right field was played by Judge and led to him throwing out a runner at third to end the inning. 

The United States had been trailing 1-0 after Junior Caminero had hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second. 

AARON JUDGE SHOWS OFF THE CANNON! pic.twitter.com/ydhdnMcHNc

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 16, 2026

The Americans turned the game around in the top of the fourth after Henderson hit a home run in the fist at-bat of the inning to tie things 1-1. 

Roman Anthony gave the United States a 2-1 lead two batters later when he hit a solo home run of his own.

And finally, the outfield. Due to the sheer number of non-roster invitees this spring (34 all told), it has been quite the process. The first part of this series was published almost six weeks ago, back on February 2. As a result, a fair amount of water has gone under the bridge between now and then. Indeed, none of the four players we will be covering here, currently remain in consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. All of them have already been re-assigned to minor-league camp. However, I would bet you we’ll see one or more of them on the D-backs at some point over the next six months. So they still deserve coverage.

Druw Jones (93)

Druw’s star has certainly dimmed, since MLB Pipeline named him the number fifteen prospect in all baseball, the season after the D-backs drafted him with the second pick in the 2022 draft, paying him almost $8.2 million, still a club record. Three years later, he doesn’t even rank that high in the Arizona system, coming in at #16 on the recently released Pipeline list. He had a sub-.700 OPS in Hillboro last year: even though he was aged just 21, you’d expect better. A variety of injuries have taken their toll, and mechanical adjustments haven’t had the hoped for results. The defense is as good as you’d expect given his lineage, but the bat needs seriously to come around if he’s ever to come close to that early hype.

Kristian Robinson (62)

This will be Robinson’s ninth season in the Diamondbacks’ farm system, in part for reasons that we really do not need to rehash once again. But he still only turned 25 in December, and put up decent numbers after a mid-season promotion to Reno. Over 41 games for the Aces, he had a line of .262/.393/.469 for an OPS of .862 – not bad for his first time in Triple-A. Of course, having been part of the Great Britain roster in the WBC, I am naturally obliged to root for Robinson. But even beyond national allegiance, it would be quite the story if he were to end up patrolling the outfield at Chase Field this summer.

A.J. Vukovich (95)

A fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Vukovich spent all of 2025 in Reno, where his 22 home-runs and 79 RBI led the team in both categories. Admittedly, so did his 111 games, nobody else reaching three figures. But at the age of 24, he was still considerably younger than average for the level. I was a bit surprised he didn’t appear on even the Fangraphs’ list, which goes down as far as the top 56 prospects for the team. The bat probably does need to be improved, but I’d not mind a long-term outfield for the Diamondbacks of Corbin Carroll, Jordan Lawlar, Vukovich and Ryan Waldschmidt. And, speaking of whom…

Ryan Waldschmidt (59)

It seems appropriate to finish off this round-up with the consensus top player in the the D-backs’ farm system, and our only widely agreed top 100 prospect. It’s remarkable that he was under serious consideration for a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, despite having less than 150 professional games to his name – none of them above Double-A. It’s probably for the best that Lawlar seems to have slotted into center acceptably, so that will give Waldschmidt a chance to polish his skills in Reno for a bit. I would still bet we will end up seeing Ryan in a Diamondbacks uniform at some point this year, as an appetizer for 2027 and beyond.

Dominican Republic center fielder Julio Rodriguez made a stunning catch to rob Aaron Judge of a home run in the fifth inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal.

Judge, the New York Yankees' three-time MVP and captain of Team USA, drove a pitch from Juan Mejia to center at loanDepot Park in Miami and Rodriguez timed his leap perfectly at the wall to make the play.

An All-Star three times in four MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Rodriguez popped up to celebrate and immediately while Judge could only smile after being robbed of extra bases.

J-ROD ROBS AARON JUDGE pic.twitter.com/c1JgwC0lWP

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 16, 2026

The winner of the USA-Dominican Republic game advances to Tuesday's championship game against Venezuela or Italy.

TAMPA — The search for the 2024 Luis Gil continues. 

There is still time to find it, but the Yankees right-hander will not have forever. 

In his penultimate start of the spring, Gil had a game to forget Sunday, getting tagged for three home runs, nine hits and seven runs across three innings against the Tigers.

The former AL Rookie of the Year needed 68 pitches to get nine outs, and while his velocity took another slight tick up, he lacked command and overall crispness, making for a rough afternoon. 

“I feel like we’re closer right now [to Gil’s 2024 version] than we were last year, but ultimately these next steps are the big ones — really capturing the life on the fastball and then creating some space for the secondary,” pitching coach Matt Blake said after a 12-1 loss to the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field. 

Asked if Gil is a lock for the rotation, Aaron Boone described him as “one of the five guys.”

But the Yankees have four off-days before their 10th game of the season, so they are still trying to figure out how to best manage the rotation in the first two weeks to keep everyone sharp.

Gil has a minor league option remaining, but the Yankees could also piggyback one starter with another if they decide to carry all five on the Opening Day roster (and that is before they eventually have to make space in the rotation once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return from the IL). 

That places some extra significance on Gil’s final start of the spring later this week, when he will have another chance to prove he is still capable of getting back to his 2024 form, when he was one of the more dominant pitchers in the first half of the season. 

“At the end of the day, I got to concentrate on what I need to do,” Gil said through an interpreter. “For me, [being consistent] is the focus and that’s the key, to control what I can control and work on my craft and be as consistent as possible. … It takes time to get there, to be at 100 percent, and I think that’s what’s important.”

Gil, who missed four months last year with a lat strain, averaged 95.8 mph with his fastball Sunday (up from 95.3 in 2025) and topped out at 97.5.

But he only got two whiffs on 19 swings against the fastball, after not generating any on 18 swings against it in his last outing. 

“That’s definitely something we’re looking into,” Blake said. “The profile from ’24 to now is slightly different. There’s a little bit less ride to it from a little bit slower slot. Sometimes that’ll play into the visibility of the pitch, the life above the barrel, those type of things. But the velos started to trend up as the spring’s gone on, so you feel like it’s improving. 

“Ultimately, the batters will tell you, so we got to find a way to get some miss and stay off the barrel with it.” 

Of the three home runs Gil gave up Sunday, one came on a changeup down the middle to Spencer Torkelson, one came on a slider on the inner third of the plate to Matt Vierling, and the last came on a 95 mph fastball on the inner third to Riley Greene.

He came away from the outing encouraged by the uptick on his fastball but displeased with his changeup. 

Boone, who acknowledged earlier this spring that he still wanted to see more from Gil, was asked if he has seen enough with a week left in camp. 

“I’ve seen a lot of good from Luis and again, it’s ticked up every time,” Boone said. “I want him to get back to where that first half of ’24, that next level of electricity with the heater. He’s still having trouble right now getting swing-and-miss with the heater. But it’s the whole package. But I also don’t want to ignore a lot of the good that’s gone on in some of the starts he’s had as well. So this was a rough one today, without question, but we got to get back and keep working on it.”

Is this an omen? Like Benny the Jet knocking the cover off a ball in “The Sandlot” — is Gregory Santos botching a perfect game with two outs in the 9th a sign of terrible things to come?  Is this 2026 bullpen going to be the death of the San Francisco Giants? Did not the soothsayer warn Julius Caesar to “beware the ides of March” before his assassination by the Roman senate? And here the Giants are, on the 15th, smack dab in March’s ides, bringing the Scottsdale faithful to their feet in the 9th only to have them slump down in their seats as a walk, followed by an RBI double claimed perfection, a no-hitter, and a shut-out in quick, successive stabs.

Disappointment in Spring Training, as Bryan points out, is never a good look… but so is getting carried away by Spring Training one-offs.

The perfect game would’ve definitely improved vibes in the moment, but losing the achievement on the 27th man hardly takes away from how well the Giants are playing as a whole. If Santos had sealed the deal, I doubt teammates would’ve flooded out of the dugout into a celebratory dogpile at the mound. The crowd in attendance would’ve cheered, strangers would’ve exchanged hi-fives, guffawed incredulously, and that would’ve been the extent of it. Fans at home would’ve checked the box score and smirked at the five-pitcher perfect-o. That’s kind of neat, some would think to themselves before seeking out more substantial things to sink their teeth into, like Robbie Ray’s 8-strikeout performance over 5 innings pitched, or Grant McCray’s beautifully caressed bunt up the third base line, or Jerar Encarnacion’s lumberjack cut in the 2nd. 

Nearly ten days ago, on March 6th, I wrote about how Encarnacion’s slow start meant “the big man was in serious danger of getting left behind” in San Francisco’s developing outfield race. The next day, after reading my post and resolving to prove me wrong, Encarnacion went 3-for-3 with a double and 2 runs batted-in in a game against Texas. Including those results and his mash from this afternoon, he’s now collected 9 hits over his last 20 at-bats, including 4 extra baggers, 9 RBIs and just 3 strikeouts.

Luis Matos, who was the hot hand a week-and-a-half ago, has cooled considerably. He’s gone 2-for-18 with no extra baggers, no RBIs, and has now seen his no-strikeout-spring blemished by two K’s, including one today. While Matos and Encarnacion are not mutually exclusive options for the Opening Day roster, their option-less inflexibility, as well as their right-handedness, puts them at odds with each other for many. While the Giants did beat the Brewers 7-1 today, the real competition of Spring Training are these internal battles. Matos had his moments with runners on base today and didn’t do much. He struck out with Matt Chapman on 2nd in the 1st, then rolled weakly to short with the bases loaded in the 2nd and can’t really take credit for David Hamilton’s two-run throwing error.

Meanwhile Encarnacion made a cutter disappear in a puff of smoke and won the day. Things are getting interesting.  

And on the mound, Robbie Ray looked regular-season ready in his fifth start of the Cactus League. He threw 64 pitches over 5 perfect innings while striking out 8 Milwaukee batters. The approach was simple and to the point: Heavy on the four-seamer with the hard slider peppered in just enough to keep hitters on their toes. He snuck a dozen fastballs by hitters for called strikes. 6 of his K’s came on the slider and 6 of the 8 swings taken at the pitch were whiffed. What made his outing so successful was not the swing-and-miss stuff, it was his efficiency. He fought back into counts and kept balls in play grounded, which are not necessarily well-established aspects of his game. 

Perfection was out of reach in today’s 7-1 win. But that’s okay. Ten days out from Opening Day, fans aren’t picky right now. Entertaining works, so does promising, or intriguing — descriptors that fit the Giants’ Cactus League performance so far.

Other things of note: 

Matt Chapman’s 3-for-3 day, including two more doubles, improved his Spring Training totals to 13-for-29 with 8 extra base hits (6 2Bs, 2 HR). He frankly looks bored at the plate.

Grant McCray singled twice with two stolen bases, before he was picked off from second attempting to swipe a third. That being said, the outfielder continues to put on a pointed display for Tony Vitello and the coaching staff. The Giants don’t need him to be a power-threat, they need him to be fast. So far, McCray has matured into this understanding: He’s walked more (7 BB) than he’s struck-out (6) so far, he’s bunting, he’s being aggressive on the bases. If he can show he can consistently get on base and turn dinky singles into scoring threats with his speed, he’s going to find his way onto the big league roster.   

PORT ST. LUCIE — For anyone paying attention to Yankees spring training over in Tampa, you know the danger of expecting too much too soon from young prospects, regardless of how high they were drafted or, in Jasson Domínguez’s case, how much money they signed for. 

Nearly seven years after getting a $5.1 million bonus from the Yankees, as well as the nickname “The Martian,” the switch-hitter is still trying to establish himself as a major leaguer. 

That brings us to Elian Peña, the 18-year-old infielder who signed with the Mets in January 2025 for $5 million out of his native Dominican Republic. 

Now 18, Peña is in his first spring training not only in Port St. Lucie but in the United States. 

He spent last season in the Dominican Summer League, where he began his professional career by going 0-for-26. 

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Peña rebounded with a solid two-plus months in the DSL and has spent much of this spring playing minor league games on the backfields behind Clover Park — where he was at shortstop Sunday. 

The lefty-swinging Peña will get his first chance on a bigger stage Thursday in the Mets Spring Breakout game at Clover Park. As Andy Green, the Mets senior vice president of player development, said Sunday, “That will be the first opportunity to see him in a sanctioned game atmosphere, but we’ve seen some of the things he can do against pretty high competition already.” 

That includes when Carlos Mendoza saw Peña deliver immediately in a minor league game. 

“He homered as soon as I saw him, left-on-left,” the manager said. “It was a good first impression.” 

But as Domínguez and the Yankees know, it takes more than a few good swings to get to the majors and stay there. 

And the franchise record bonus Peña received — which nearly doubled the previous high of $2.7 million that Francisco Alvarez received in 2018 — will add some challenges. 

Just ask Domínguez, who appears to be headed to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open the season. 

Domínguez became aware of Peña last July, when Peña broke out with a three-homer game in the DSL and Domínguez saw the clips on social media. 

He had two pieces of advice for Peña: “I hope he has someone to tell him what to do with his money. Just leave it alone like I did.” 

And secondly, Domínguez added, “Don’t worry about expectations from other people and be careful with social media. It’s good when you get hits and everyone says you’re great, but if you strike out four times, it’s, ‘I hope you die and your family dies.’ You get used to it, but that can be a lot when you’re young if you pay attention to it.” 

That startling reality will be among the things Peña will have to contend with as he works his way up the system. 

“I think that’s part of being in New York and high expectations,” Mendoza said. “There are gonna be a lot of eyes on him. He’s mature and I think he’s built for it, but you’ve got to go through it and learn. Our job as an organization is to guide him and get him locked in on things he can control.” 

There have been promising signs, according to Green, especially with how he recovered after his rough start to his pro career. 

“The resilience he showed after going 0-for-26 and bouncing back is important,” Green said. “This game is going to smack every player around at some point, and you have to be tough.” 

The Mets are also confident Peña can be a shortstop despite some questions there. 

But with just 55 professional games under his belt, not even the Mets can predict where Peña will wind up. 

He could be with the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate this season, as they try to forge a path for him to Queens. 

Green, though, has seen plenty of examples of young players exceeding expectations and falling short. He managed the Padres when Fernando Tatis Jr. debuted with San Diego as a 20-year-old in 2019. That was a year after he watched Juan Soto hit his second major league homer with Washington at age 19. 

“Those guys are extreme examples,’’ Green said. “There are a ton of really successful outcomes that show up in the big leagues at 22, 23 or 24. I have no idea what his timeline will be. Nobody does. It’ll take the amount of time it takes.”