Category: Baseball

With the transfer window now closed Rangers know exactly what they have to do to overhaul Hearts and Celtic at the top of the table to recapture the league title.

The deadline day signing of Ryan Naderi is an intriguing one. A lot of fans were crying out for another striker, with neither Youssef Chermiti nor Bojan Miovski delivering goals in huge quantities.

But I can't help thinking it was a goal creator, rather than goalscorer, that was most urgently required to aid Danny Rohl's quest for glory.

Take the Hibs game at the weekend as an example: Chermiti led the line well enough but ultimately Rangers didn't create sufficient opportunities either for him or anyone else and Raphael Sallinger was barely troubled in the home goal.

That, for me, is what will be Rangers' undoing this season unless they can solve the conundrum of how to break teams down, regardless of who is playing up front.

They badly need players like Andreas Skov Olsen to start producing the goods if they are to come out on top in the three-way contest for the title.

Olsen's pedigree is unquestionable but in his two games so far there have been no signs of the player Rangers thought they were getting.

Rangers need him to quickly find top form, starting with the game at home to Kilmarnock.

It will be interesting to see if Naderi is thrown straight into the team as Rangers aim to narrow the gap to just three points behind the leaders.

Tuesday made for a slow day on the news front for the Atlanta Braves. Though the offseason feels like it has dragged on, we are now officially less than a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting to camp. The Braves have yet to announce their non-roster invites, but until then, we’ve got a couple of preseason notes to keep you covered.

Braves News:

Ronald Acuña Jr. came in at No. 5 on MLB Network’s list of Top 10 right fielders. He came in at No. 2 after a fan vote. 

This Friday, February 6 at 7:30pm ET, Battery Power will be hosting a live Q&A session, tackling all things minor league. 

Our Top 30 Preseason Prospect List kicks off with numbers 19–30.

MLB News:

Catcher Yainer Diaz won his arbitration case against the Houston Astros and will earn a $4.5M salary. The Astros originally filed for $3M. The club avoided arbitration with Isaac Paredes, after the two agreed to a one-year, $9.35M deal. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks and first baseman Carlos Santana agreed to a one-year, $2M deal. The club has not yet announced the move.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish won his arbitration hearing against the Baltimore Orioles and will make $3.5M this season. The O’s had filed for $2.875M.

New York Post | Joel Sherman ($): The Yankees seem like they’re hunting for one more addition, preferably a right-handed hitter who can play multiple positions. We don’t know much about the status of utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera as he returns from his grisly ankle injury, and the team may prefer a player with a little more of a track record anyway. Sherman lists several possibilities here, including one-time Baby Bomber Miguel Andújar. I’m not sure what kind of fit the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up provides when the Yankee outfield seems so entrenched, but the Yankees have surprised me before.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Speaking of people the Yankees could add, here’s a useful rundown of the remaining role players on the free agent market. None of these guys will command much in terms of payroll, and I don’t imagine many of them are under illusions that they’ll be full-time starters. While Paul Goldschmidt or Marcell Ozuna make me turn up my nose, if there’s any kind of bounceback in Ramón Urías’ bat, he’s not a bad bench piece.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Every team needs more than five starting pitchers to get through a season, so let’s look at the guys the Yankees will likely call on to shore up the rotation through normal bumps and hurdles. Elmer Rodríguez, the 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the organization, will almost certainly get time with the big-league club this coming season, and fellow prospect Carlos Lagrange has been spoken of highly within the team’s system. Lastly, new acquisition Angel Chivilli will get a chance to prove himself closer to sea level in the Yankee bullpen.

Tonight, I’d be curious about your thoughts on a ranking published by Bleacher Report over the weekend. Joel Reuter asked this question: “Which MLB team has added the most talent this offseason?” (It kind of follows up some of the discussion we had today in the Rockpile comments.)

He then goes on to rank all 30 teams. (The Rockies come in 23rd.)

Watching a team truly rebuild is a bit disorienting since none of the familiar metrics apply. What constitutes a successful season for the Rockies won’t apply to most MLB teams.

So with that in mind, I’d like to pose Reuter’s question to the Purple Row Night Owls: How would you rank the Rockies’ offseason talent acquisition given that they are in the midst of a rebuild?

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One of the top remaining pitchers available in free agency wouldn’t mind a reunion with his old club.

Right-hander Zac Gallen, a 2023 All-Star who remains unsigned with pitchers and catchers officially set to report to spring training next week, said it would be “awesome” to re-sign with the Diamondbacks.

“It’s been humbling,” Gallen told reporters Tuesday at the WM Phoenix Open. “That’s kind of been the constant thing the last couple of weeks. People have been like, ‘Hey, we’d really love for you to come back.’ I think people understand what Phoenix means to me.

“My wife is from here, I’m calling this home base now, so for us to be here would be awesome.”

Gallen, 30, developed into Arizona’s ace after being acquired from the Marlins exchange for Jazz Chisholm Jr. in July 2019  — but he’s coming off a disappointing season.

The Somerdale, N.J., native went 13-15 with a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts across a career-high 192 innings in 2025.

While he posted career-worst marks in several categories, Gallen finished strong, pitching to a 3.32 ERA in the second half, right in line with his career 3.58 mark.

Even with that rebound, 2025 was a far cry from his elite form; he went 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 2022 and followed it with a National League All-Star selection the next season.

Gallen’s market has been murky this offseason, likely compounded by his decision to decline Arizona’s $22.025 million qualifying offer, which would entitle the Diamondbacks to draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere and penalize the team he signs with.

The Diamondbacks discussed a reunion with Gallen while the Cubs, Padres, Angels and others have also expressed interest, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported.

Zac Gallen on possibly re-signing with the D-backs with the start of spring training a week away:

"People have been like, 'Hey, we'd really love for you to come back.' I think people understand what Phoenix means to me…For us to be here would be awesome."@FOX10Phoenixpic.twitter.com/DHyKg8G36m

— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) February 3, 2026

Retaining Gallen would be a solid way for Arizona to wrap up an offseason in which the team did not trade superstar infielder Ketel Marte and added veteran hitters Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado.

The Diamondbacks also added former Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga and reunited with fellow righty Merrill Kelly.

Former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who signed a franchise-record six-year, $210 million deal last offseason, is expected to return at some point in 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Despite an uneven year and Arizona’s failure to reach the postseason, Gallen said the support from the fanbase has left a lasting impression.

“It gives you chill that people still want you to come back and be part of the organization and franchise,” Gallen said.

Another American League East squad is in the running for baseball’s top remaining free agent pitcher.

The Blue Jays — among several other clubs — have expressed interest in left-hander Framber Valdez, The Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman reported on Tuesday.

Heyman reported last week that Valdez, 32, was believed to be patient as he decided on his next team.

The Orioles have previously expressed interest in the former Astros hurler, and the Yankees checked in on him before trading with the Marlins for lefty Ryan Weathers.

Toronto, after falling two outs shy of a World Series, has been active this offseason, particularly in the pitching market. The Blue Jays have already added righty starters Dylan Cease (seven years, $210 million) and Korean Baseball Organization MVP Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million) and submarine reliever Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million) this offseason.

Valdez was a workhorse for Houston over eight seasons, especially over the past four seasons when he averaged over 191 innings per year.

A two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion, Valdez has received Cy Young votes in four separate seasons.

In 2025, he held a 3.66 ERA and 1.245 WHIP over 192 innings. His season wasn’t free of drama, however, as he appeared to intentionally cross up catcher César Salazar, throwing a pitch at the backstop’s chest during a September game against the Yankees. His agent, in the immediate aftermath, called the allegations “preposterous.”

Another one of Valdez’s former catchers, Martin Maldonado, told Chron.com this week that Valdez is reliable pitcher any team would be lucky to have.

“He’s a hard worker, a guy ready to compete, ready to get the ball every five days, even four, if needed,” Maldonado said of Valdez. “He’s developed himself into that guy, too. He’s worked to be that kind of pitcher.

“As a teammate, I never had a problem with him. He’s a guy that, you know, like me, he competes. Everyone knows that about him.”

Valdez turned down a qualifying offer from Houston to hit free agency, so that means any team that signs him will forfeit some form of draft picks in 2026.

It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs friends abroad. Come on in and relax for a while. Get out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. There are still a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you if you’d be open to trading Matt Shaw to the Red Sox for a top 100 pitching prospect. When you add up the three “Yes” answers, 52 percent of you would make that deal with 32 percent of you willing to accept either Connelly Early or Payton Tolle in return. Another 48 percent of you would refuse to deal Shaw for such a package. So it was a close vote.

I don’t normally do movies on Tuesdays, but you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes. But I always have time for jazz, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

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Tonight I’m featuring South African saxophonist Sisonke Xonti’s tribute to a city that I worked in for four years, “Minneapolis.” (I lived across the river in St. Paul.) This is from 2020.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.

Fangraphs is up with their first standings and playoff predictions and to no one’s surprise, they have the Cubs winning the National League Central with 86 wins.

But the Cubs have only a 44 percent chance of winning the division. As you might expect, the Brewers are given the second-best chance at 24 percent. After all they’re the three-time defending division champs and they’ve won the division four of the past five seasons. The Brew Crew certainly seem to have taken a step backwards with the trades of Freddy Peralta and Isaac Collins, but the Brewers have made trades like that before and not lost a step. So it makes sense that the Brewers would be given the second-best chances of winning the division.

We’d assume that the Reds would have the third-best chance. After all, the Reds finished in third last season and made the Wild Card round. They’ve just signed third baseman Eugenio Suárez, and that’s going to be worth a win or two against the Cubs alone, I would guess. The Reds have four excellent young starters in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott. And while they weren’t able to sign Elly De La Cruz to an extension, he still plays for the Reds in 2026.

But according to the Steamer projections, the Reds are not the team threatening to come up from the outside. Instead, they give the Pirates to finish with 82 wins and a 20 percent chance to win the division. The Reds, on the other hand, are projected for 76 wins and only a nine percent chance at the division crown.

The Cardinals are going into a rebuilding phase and are predicted for just 75 wins. I think that’s generous. I think it was also calculated before the Brendan Donovan trade.

So are the Pirates a team to worry about? Of course, they have the chance to beat you everytime Paul Skenes takes the mound. But that was true last year as well. The Pirates only won 71 games with Skenes in 2025 and he went 10-10. Maybe we don’t put much stock in W-L records for pitchers anymore, but that does indicate that Pittsburgh doesn’t win every time Skenes takes the mound.

So why is the projection so bullish on the Pirates that they have them increasing their win total by 11 and being a legitimate threat to win the division? For one, the Pirates have attempted to improve their anemic offense, which was worst in the majors by run scored, by bringing in three new starters to the lineup. Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia was acquired in a trade with the Red Sox. Second baseman Brandon Lowe came over from the Rays in a three-way deal. And the Pirates added first baseman Ryan O’Hearn in a free agent deal.

On top of that, the Pirates have two really, really good prospects who may be ready to play this year. Right-handed starter Bubba Chandler has already made his major league debut and he was quite solid over four starts. The ZiPS projection system has Chandler being an above-average starter this year.

Then there’s shortstop Konnor Griffin, who is the number-one prospect in all of baseball. Some are calling him the best prospect since Mike Trout. Keith Law of The Athletic was calling him “Willie Mays except he plays shortstop.” I think Law was being a bit hyperbolic there, but the point is that Griffin could be a superstar as early as this year. He’s only played 21 games at the Double-A level so he’ll probably start the season in the minors, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Griffin is playing in the majors by May.

Is that enough to make up a 12 game difference from last year over the Reds? I’m not sure. As good as he’s likely to be, Griffin isn’t a 12-win player. Garcia, Lowe and O’Hearn are certainly upgrades on what the Pirates ran out there last year, but none of those three players are what I’d call a star. Garcia is a rookie who played just five games last year. Lowe and O’Hearn had a bWAR last year of 1.9 and 2.4 respectively. Solid everyday starters, but not stars.

So between the Reds and the Pirates, which team is the “dark horse” to watch out for in the NL Central?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We always enjoy it when you stop by. Please get home safely. Stay warm. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.

This position is an improvement on the 2025 rankings, in which Carroll finished sixth. He was also fourth going into 2024, coming off his unanimous selection as the NL Rookie of the Year, so this ties a career high in these rankings for Corbin. He came ninth in the network’s recent ranking of the top hundred players across all positions. There, Carroll was behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but Corbin also trailed the Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker in this list.

Here is the full top ten:

Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now 

1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees 
2. Juan Soto, New York Mets 
3. Kyle Tucker, Los Angeles Dodgers 
4. Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks 
5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves 
6. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres 
7. Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs 
8. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays 
9. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels 
10. Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox 

The 16^th season of each Top 10 Right Now ranking considers player performance over multiple seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team. This might be the end of D-backs getting mentioned. Tomorrow is third basemen, and I suppose it’s just about possible Nolan Arenado could get mentioned, though I would be a little surprised. The other two categories remaining are first base and relief pitchers. Much as I regard Pavin Smith as under-rated (not least by his own fanbase!), I honestly do not expect Arizona to be troubling the list in either department.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The San Diego Padres and president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller have had a relatively quiet offseason. Michael King was re-signed and Sung-Mun Song was added through free agency – those were the “headline moves.” There were pitchers like Kyle Hart, Ty Adcock and Daison Acosta who were added to the major league roster as well, but all the other moves for the Padres have come in the form of minor league contracts.

The offseason started with glaring holes on the San Diego roster. The team lacked starting rotation depth and a first baseman/designated hitter. Those holes are still areas of concern at least among Padres fans, but some clarity was gained after Padres FanFest – kind of.

Manager Craig Stammen said Gavin Sheets is the de facto first baseman as the team prepares for the start of Spring Training. The designated hitter position is potentially going to be used to get regulars like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts off their feet for a day, meaning the team will not have a true DH.

With Preller at the helm, a signing or a move late in the offseason cannot be discounted, but with pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 12, time is running out to made additions before camp opens. Preller signed Nick Pivetta after the start of Spring Training last year so by no means is the roster set

The later it gets, it seems the “blockbuster trade” we were teased with during the MLB Winter Meetings is not going to happen. Gaslamp Ball asks you, the Friar Faithful, do you expect Preller and the Padres to make a significant trade or signing prior to the Start of Spring Training?

Results of the Padres Reacts Survey will be revealed later in the week.

Impossible as it might be, imagine a world in which Tanner Scott isn’t booed-by-his-own-fans awful. 

Imagine a world in which the former Shohei Ohtani Stopper resembles the reliever he was in the two seasons before he signed with the Dodgers. Imagine a world in which the $72 million left-hander could be counted on to come out of the bullpen in the late innings of a postseason game to shut down, say, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.

Imagine what that would mean for the Dodgers. 

The defending World Series champions would be transformed if they can have an All-Star version of Scott as a high-leverage option in front of new closer Edwin Díaz. Their bullpen wouldn’t be a fatal flaw requiring minor miracles to remedy. Their bullpen would be a strength.

Dodgers management can picture it.

“Our full belief is that Tanner is going to come back and have a great year for us next year and be right there in the mix to pitch at the back end of games,” general manager Brandon Gomes said.

To anyone who watched Scott pitch last season, Gomes might as well have said he believed there wouldn’t be any traffic around Dodger Stadium on game days. 

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Scott posted a 4.74 ERA. He was charged with nine blown saves. He was sidelined for a month due to elbow inflammation. He returned in time for the postseason, only to be knocked out by an abscess on his posterior that required surgery. Scott himself described his performance as “kind of awful.”

But Gomes’ faith in Scott isn’t entirely unfounded. The velocities and spin rates of his fastball and slider were more or less what they were in 2024, when he was one of the best relievers in baseball. The Dodgers thought the problem was where the pitches were thrown. 

“I threw too many balls in the zone,” Scott said, “and paid for it a lot.”

A comparison of Scott’s heat maps from recent years backs this claim. When he was pitching for the Marlins and Padres in 2024, Scott often elevated his fastball and threw his slider just outside of the lower corner of the strike zone. With the Dodgers last year, he threw his fastball lower. Many of his sliders were inside the strike zone.

In the first two months of the season, close to 60 percent of his pitches were in the strike zone, well above the league average of 49 percent.

“I tried to do something I don’t normally do, and I didn’t play to my strengths like I had the past two years when I was really good,” Scott said. “I kind of got away from that.”

Throwing more strikes resulted in opponents batting .182 against him with two strikes over the entire season, up from .107 the previous year.

The changes he would have to make are small. The difference in results could be huge. But the greatest obstacle he faces could be psychological.

Asked why he strayed from a proven approach last year, Scott replied, “Expectations.”

Expectations changed for the previously anonymous Scott when he moved to the Dodgers last offseason. His four-year, $72 million deal was celebrated by a fan base that just watched him pitch for the Padres and strike out Ohtani four times in four plate appearances in the National League Division Series.

Suddenly, Scott was the closer for the defending World Series champions. The burden crushed him.

There were times, he said, he tried to be perfect. In others, he tried to not be perfect. Nothing worked. Manager Dave Roberts said he thought Scott was dealing with physical problems before he was placed on the injured list in mid-July.

“It was mentally exhausting,” Scott said.

That showed, Scott saying at one point late in the season, “Baseball hates me right now.” About a week later, he wondered whether he was tipping his pitches.

He sounded lost.

The time he spent on the injured list, he said, offered him a chance to regroup.

“It gives you time to reflect on what happened and what you’ve got to change,” he said. “It was a blessing in disguise that it happened. It gave me time to reflect, and I was able to watch and learn.”

Díaz was signed to a three-year, $69 million deal to do the job Scott couldn’t do, but Scott said the addition of a new closer didn’t bother him.

“That was huge,” Scott said. “Anyone that we add is awesome. It’s going to be fun. Our bullpen is stacked.”

Especially if Scott rediscovers himself.

Carlos Santana is headed to the desert. 

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday that the veteran slugger and the Diamondbacks were “close to a deal,” although it was “not completely done but progressing toward [a] deal.”

MLB.com reported that he agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the team. The Associated Press added that the deal is pending a physical.

The switch-hitter, who turns 40 in April, is expected to split time with the lefty-hitting Pavin Smith at first base with Arizona. 

Santana has spent 16 seasons in the big leagues, debuting back in 2010 with Cleveland. 

He’s built out a long MLB career with his offensive prowess, hitting 335 long balls and leading all active hitters with 1,330 walks. 

But age has appeared to start catching up with him in recent years. 

Last season, Santana struggled at the plate, hitting .219/.308/.325 with 11 home runs in 474 plate appearances during stints with the Guardians and Cubs. 

He has proven to be an excellent fielder at first base even late into his career. 

Since 2016, Santana has ranked second among all first basemen with plus-44 outs above average. 

In 2024, he won the American League Gold Glove at first during his only season with the Twins.

The Santana move continues what has been a busy offseason for Arizona. 

Earlier this month, the D-backs acquired eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado for pitching prospect Jack Martinez.

The franchise also reunited with right-hander Merrill Kelly and signed Michael Soroka to shore up their starting rotation. 

I hope everybody’s having a good evening out there. Here’s a random clip for you as the floor is now yours:

The Michael Siani offseason rollercoaster looped around to make a second stop in Los Angeles, as the center fielder was claimed by the Dodgers off waivers from the New York Yankees on Tuesday. This comes 11 days after the Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers.

It’s been a busy offseason for the defense-first center fielder, who ended 2025 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then:

• November 6: Claimed off waivers by Atlanta Braves from Cardinals
• December 12: Claimed off waivers by Dodgers from Braves
• January 23: Claimed off waivers by Yankees from Dodgers
• February 3: Claimed off waivers by Dodgers from Yankees

Siani was available this time around because the Yankees designated the outfielder for assignment last Wednesday when New York acquired pitcher Angel Chivilli from the Angels. He was previously designated for assignment by Los Angeles when the Dodgers finalized their four-year contract for outfielder Kyle Tucker.

In parts of four seasons with the Reds and Cardinals, Siani is a .221/.277/.270 hitter in 160 games and 383 plate appearances, and 17 Outs Above Average in the outfield.

Maybe the more interesting part of this transaction is the Dodgers, to make room for Siani, designated infielder Andy Ibáñez for assignment just three weeks after signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract.

Ibáñez was thought to provide depth to an infield that includes Tommy Edman coming off right ankle surgery. As a right-handed hitter, the 33-year-old Ibáñez has a 115 career wRC+ against left-handed pitching, and could have spelled Max Muncy at third base when needed.

Now, Ibáñez is in roster limbo, as the Dodgers have a week during which they will need to place him on waivers, trade, or release him. As someone who was previously sent outright to the minors in 2023 by the Detroit Tigers, Ibáñez if he clears waivers can refuse any outright assignment to the minors.

Aroldis Chapman won’t be playing in the World Baseball Classic after all. 

The Red Sox closer was left off Great Britain’s roster after it was found that he “did not meet the blood lineage requirements” to play for the team, according to MassLive. 

Chapman, 37, was named to the preliminary roster and expected to be eligible to play for Great Britain as his grandparents emigrated from Jamaica, which had previously been a British colony. 

The eight-time All-Star is the latest big name to be ruled out of the WBC. 

Team Puerto Rico has floated the idea of potentially dropping out of the tournament after several key players, including Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, José Berrios and Emilio Pagan, were forced to withdraw. 

Venezuela has also been hit hard by insurance issues, losing José Altuve, Miguel Rojas and Carlos Narvaez.

Chapman, 37, played for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. 

The flame-throwing southpaw had one of the best seasons of his career in 2025, posting a 1.17 ERA across 61 ⅓ innings while saving 32 games for Boston. 

Chapman was dominant out of the bullpen, and he received American League Cy Young and MVP votes for just the second time in his career. 

After signing with Boston in free agency last winter, Chapman inked a one-year, $13.3 million extension with a mutual vesting option for 2027 with the Red Sox near the end of the 2025 season.

Playing in their second WBC, Great Britain is led by Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr., who did not play for the team last time around in 2023 due to injuries. 

The tournament will kick off in Japan on March 5.

This might be a sign of the apocalypse. For once, I’m really hoping that ESPN is right about something. Today, they have made the bold prediction that JJ Wetherholt will be the National League Rookie of the Year-sort of.

The 2026 season predictions for MLB’s top prospects on ESPN is a fun read for St. Louis Cardinals fans. They begin by saying they believe that the Philadelphia Phillies Aidan Miller will win the third base job by Memorial Day and win the NL Rookie of the Year, but they second-guessed themselves and said that the Pittsburgh Pirates Bubba Chandler would instead hoist that trophy. Finally, they decide on the St. Louis Cardinals JJ Wetherholt as the most likely to be the National League’s top rookie specifically because of the opportunity that Brendan Donovan’s trade provides him. Kiley McDaniel believes that JJ has the most opportunity to see full-time playing time compared to other top NL rookies which leaves a more likely path to NL Rookie of the Year.

If you saw JJ Wetherholt’s interviews during the Winter Warmup a couple weeks ago, you know that he believes that this type of preseason hype is “poison”. He said that he began to deal with “bold predictions” about his future during his college time at West Virginia.

JJ Wetherholt – “Where there were articles about me…all the preseason stuff, that’s what we label it. It’s poison. It’s cool to have people talk about you, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to perform. Those guys who hiked you up will be the same ones that tear down as soon as it goes bad. You try to tune all that stuff out and just do the work you can and hopefully that comes true”.

As I shared earlier in the winter, I think there’s good reason to hop on board the JJ Wetherholt hype train, but the optimism should be measured. I have yet to see a player not have to overcome struggles when they first break into the big leagues. The only exception I can think of is Albert Pujols. Major league pitchers have a way to find holes in your swing. The good/great ones adjust and overcome and I’m hopeful that will be JJ Wetherholt’s story. If he even comes close to ESPN’s prediction, I’ll be thrilled.