Category: MLB

Well today we have Atlanta’s first “home” game of 2026 Spring Training and we are treated to Chris Sale on the mound. Not only is a potential future Hall of Famer on the mound, but the Braves are rolling out what could be most of the Opening Day lineup.

The only member of the likely Opening Day lineup missing is Mike Yastrzemski, who homered in yesterday’s game. It’s February 22nd, so things are very subject to change, but I wouldn’t love batting Baldwin and Olson 2nd and 3rd like that, and would probably prefer swapping Olson with Profar, just to avoid stacking two lefties together like that. I also would probably have Olson in the 2 spot instead of Baldwin, but we’ll see how the lineup develops throughout Spring Training in Walt Weiss’ first season as manager. Today we are mostly hoping for health from everyone, maybe a few fun moments, and perhaps some cool prospect performances later in the game.

You can see both lineups below, as the Twins are leading off Byron Buxton and have former Brave Orlando Arcia starting at shortstop.

You can find today’s game on Gray TV, MLB.tv, or on the radio with 680 AM/93.7FM The Fan. Boy is it nice to have baseball back in our lives. Join us and discuss today’s game in the comments below!

Ah, can you hear that? The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowds, the Death Star siren as Cam Schlittler is about to fan yet another batter to end the inning? No, you can’t? Well, neither can I, because once again, it’s Sunday, and that means it’s snowing in New York City.

Fortunately, it’s a Sunday after February 20th, which means that, as Mother Nature covers up the mounds of dirty snow with fresh snow, we can load up the Gotham Sports App, listen to the YES music, and catch some Yankees play baseball. And since it’s Sunday, that also means it’s time for our social media roundup! What have our favorite ballplayers been up to during their busy week of camp? Let’s find out!

Media Day Shenanigans

This year’s media day was historic, as it was the first media day in which Yankees players were allowed to don beards in decades (remember, the Yankees did not end the ban until after media day, which meant we got a year of Austin Wells, Devin Williams, and others appearing on the in-stadium hype videos clean-shaven while donning facial hair). As always, we got a ton of behind-the-scenes videos from the day.

Question of the Day: Yankees Instagram Edition

Everyone’s favorite spring training social media activity, the Question of the Day, is back! We’ve got some fun stuff this week, as the Yankees were asked their go-to hot beverage.

We also got to see a little bit of YES Network-style shenanigans, as the team was challenged to roll a quarter between two forks, draw a circle.

Daily Shenanigans: YES Network Edition

Not to be outdone, the YES Network has posted its share of player shenanigans alongside its typical coverage of spring training. Sometimes, it was a second Question of the Day, as we learned whether the Yankees preferred the aisle or window seat on the airplane, as well as which Winter Olympic events they’re fans of.

Other times, we got to see individual players participate in something, as when Aaron Judge engaged in some art behind the plate.

We also got to see an intense game of Jenga.

Legendary Visitors

As always, some Yankees legends visited spring training this week, and as always, a number of Yankees players took the opportunity to not only learn from some greats, but also take some pictures with the players they watched in their youth.

This includes this great shot of the Yankees starting rotation with Andy Pettitte.

Mic’d Up

Several members of the Yankees were mic’ed up during workouts this week. Fernando Cruz got us started.

Big G took the microphone for media day.

Then, we had Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is always a hoot.

Last, and certainly not least, we got to hear Oswaldo Cabrera on the mic. The Yankees’ part-utilityman, part-human golden retriever missed most of last season due to a gruesome ankle injury, and in many ways, his absence sucked a lot of the energy out of the Yankees clubhouse. Seeing him not only on the field, but back to his old self, is a great sign.

Celebrating Black History Month

This week, the Yankees celebrated Black History Month by remembering the career of Curtis Granderson, who spent four years in the Bronx in the early 2010s.

Miscellaneous Photos & Highlight Reels

As always, spring training is a time where a bunch of pictures and highlight reels get posted to generate hype for the season. Here’s a couple of my favorites:

Some Final Valentine’s Day Posts

We wrap up this week’s post with some final Valentine’s Day posts.

Just over a month ago we learned that the Cincinnati Reds tried, and failed, to sign star shortstop Elly De La Cruz to a contract extension that would have made him “the highest paid Red ever.”

We don’t know if that meant by season. We don’t know if that meant by total dollar value. What we do know, though, is that there was interest from the club itself in forking over millions and millions of dollars to cement a cornerstone of their future – and even though it didn’t materialize with Elly, that could mean there’s money there to make it happen with the rest of the roster.

There’s always the chance that money was only earmarked in a way similar to the pursuit of Kyle Schwarber in free agency this winter, in that it was only ever going to get spent on a unique, franchise-altering player whose presence – both in the lineup and in jersey sales – would generate revenue in ways other players simply would not. Still, with the team’s commitment to developing their own players, we’ve reached the point in that life-cycle where locking down some of their core players to cost-controlled deals may make that as ‘sustainable’ as Nick Krall has preached for the last three plus years.

It’s still the same mentality that led them to sign Hunter Greene years ago, an anchor of their rotation right now and potentially through the 2029 season. Not only do they get him beyond his six seasons of team control through the arbitration process, but they both add on additional years of would-be free agency and now know exactly how much he’ll make each year (instead of leaving that up to the arbitration gods). For a cost-conscious team that typically operates on shoestring budgets, that’s a vital part of the process.

The question becomes where the Reds would turn from Elly at this juncture.

It doesn’t appear it will be to Tyler Stephenson, who’s entering his final season of team control before free agency. The team already inked Jose Trevino to a solid deal to be a part of the catching position for a few more years, and top prospect Alfredo Duno looks poised to mash his way to the big leagues as early as 2027.

On the pitching side, it doesn’t look like it will be Brady Singer, either. Like Stephenson, he’s in his final year of team control before free agency, and the Reds have drafted and developed Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder (and added Brandon Williamson via trade years ago) to help bolster the rotation going forward.

If an extension were to come for a part of their rotation, perhaps it would to Andrew Abbott, who has yet to reach arbitration despite already having 11.7 bWAR and 413.2 IP under his belt. As a somewhat unknown out of the University of Virginia, he only landed a $1.3 million signing bonus back in 2021, so perhaps he’s precisely the kind of player who’d jump at early guaranteed money instead of waiting four more years to fully cash in on a longer term extension. However, signing him after his All-Star season in 2025 might end up begin a case of ‘buying high’ if he’s never able to fully replicate such a stellar season.

The flipside of that, at least in terms of the rotation, would be with Nick Lodolo. He’s a former 1st rounder who banked a $5.4 million signing bonus and is already getting a big raise in his arbitration years, but he’s also a pitcher who still seems like he’s yet to truly have a full breakout season. With only two years of team control left, getting him to take his eyes off a lucrative free agency may be difficult, but he seems like precisely the kind of rare talent who has a season much bigger than he’s ever shown before within, and tying him down now may look like a huge bargain later.

On the position player side, there are endless options, and perhaps their collective trait of still being raw is why none of them are signed long-term. None of them, Elly included, seem to have had a season at all approaching their peak (aside from 30 year old TJ Friedl and, perhaps, Spencer Steer), so it’s hard to know just how much more they can continue to flourish.

Could Noelvi Marte develop into a star? The scouting reports have long suggested as much, but he’s also never played a full year, switched positions twice already, and has a PED suspension on his record.

Matt McLain had a small-sample breakout in 2023 that had a lot of question marks in its peripherals, but a litany of injuries and underperformance has hampered the highly touted former 1st rounder ever since. Sal Stewart, meanwhile, has all the upside in the world on top of an excellent first showing in the big leagues, but if the club is already willing to move him down the defensive spectrum, would they really want to jump at throwing a ton of money at a guy they only see destined to play 1B/DH?

It’s an exercise in mental gymnastics to process all the scenarios, but what’s clear is that this group of Reds that seemed ‘young’ just a season or two ago has now reached the point where all key parties involved are on the cusp of getting more expensive through the arbitration process anyway. And when that happens, the Reds are going to be forced to pick and choose which ones to keep around and which ones to trade away, as it will end up being far too expensive for their tastes to keep the entire band together. Sticking to that plan will require some contracts to be signed, and that’s going to need to happen sooner than later.

Which Red do you think is the best combo of deserving and timely to get the next big contract extension?

Recently signed Nick Castellanos made his first base debut on the first day of spring games and looked like he had been there his whole career. By all reports, he had been doing extensive work at the position since arriving in camp with the San Diego Padres in Arizona. It helps that he claims to enjoy the position as well as all the work he has been doing to get up to speed at his new position.

“I find it fun. Again, I only have four innings. But I love all the work there.” Castellanos was quoted as saying after Friday’s game in MLB.com’s article by AJ Cassavell.

Castellanos has been working with infield instructors Ryan Goins and Nick Punto as well as working on his own during the offseason to get ready for the position.

The projected approach is to have a platoon for first base with a right-handed bat sharing time with left-handed hitting Gavin Sheets, who came up as a first baseman. There will probably be two or three other players getting looks during the spring, with Sung-Mun Song, Miguel Andujar and Ty France all in the loop for time there.

It should be a spot to watch for fans and the coaching staff with multiple players trying to make the roster and break camp with the team. The competition also could favor a more versatile performer.

Pitchers progress

Pitchers working for spots in the rotation appear to be progressing slowly toward their debuts. Manager Craig Stammen highlighted Germán Márquez’s work with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, stating they are working on all aspects of his game while Griffin Canning has thrown batting practice and live BP but has not done infield work yet while recovering from his Achilles surgery.

Joe Musgrove made an appearance on the Friar Territory podcast, detailing his journey back from Tommy John surgery. He acknowledged he is not 100 percent and is willing to slow-play his approach to the new season. His goal is to be ready to be a normal pitcher and complete the whole season, including the postseason.

Reliever Jason Adam has also thrown off the mound with live BP and bullpens. He is not yet doing infield work and states he feels great and believes he will be ready for Opening Day. Stammen has emphasized caution but has not ruled out Adam starting the season on time.

Right-hander Logan Gillaspie was slated to start the first game of the spring but was scratched when his wife went into labor and he left for paternity leave. Stammen detailed a flexible role for Gillaspie this spring. He could start, go in long relief or even in a high-leverage situation. Stammen termed him a “Jack-of-all-trades” pitcher.

Lefty starter Jagger Haynes took the start on Friday, allowing four hits and two runs over two innings. He allowed a home run and had a strikeout. The only pitcher on the day to not allow a hit was new Padre Garrett Hawkins, getting two strikeouts in his o.2 innings pitched.

When Márquez and Canning were added to the roster, outfielder Tirso Ornelas was designated for assignment and pitcher Jhony Brito was placed on the 60-day IL.

Reliever Yuki Matsui threw live BP on Thursday and was pulled when he felt tightness in his adductor muscle. He is officially day-to-day and his involvement in the WBC with Team Japan could be affected.

Tatis may not lead off this season

Fernando Tatis Jr. has stated that he doesn’t care where he bats in the order. Last season he was the primary leadoff hitter and ended up with an .814 OPS with 25 HR and 71 RBI. Tatis and everyone in the organization knows that he is capable of achieving more despite those being good numbers for most players. Leading off last year, with Luis Arraez behind him in the batting order, most likely stole some RBI opportunities away as well as stunting his power opportunities. If Tatis lands at a position other than leading off, run production and power production could be an added benefit of moving him down in the order. Hitting third or fourth also gives the other hitters around him more opportunities. It seems line up construction will be a running experiment this spring.

WBC preparation

Manny Machado and Tatis Jr. will be leaving the team next Sunday to join their WBC team. Xander Bogaerts will also be leaving around the same time. All WBC players will be gone by March 1. Stammen will be putting all of them in the line up more than what you would normally see this time of the year. Getting them reps to get ready for real games and getting teamwork in with their Padres teammates will take precedence.

Powering up

Although the Friars lost their first spring game, non-roster invites Jose Miranda and Padres prospect Romeo Sanabria got the home run totals started, accounting for three of the four runs scored in the game by the Padres. Miranda also hit a solid double and ended up with two RBI.

In Saturday’s game, Miranda went off again, going 3-for-3 with four RBI and another solid double. The third baseman is fighting for a bench job and is making a really good first impression.

Knuckleballer Matt Waldron started Saturday’s game, throwing two innings and allowing one hit and no runs. He was caught by Freddy Fermin and they had no issues. Fermin had an ABS challenge go his way, making three successful challenges for Padres catchers in two games.

The Guardians have added a right-handed bat in free agency. Finally.

Zack Meisel of the Athletic reports that Rhys Hoskins is with the Guardians and has a locker. This post will be updated when we get more information on what he signed for and how long.

Hoskins put up a 109 wRC+ last year for the Brewers but has a career 121 wRC+ and for his career has a 137 wRC+ against LHP. He had his best year defensively at first base last season.

One would assume this will push Kyle Manzardo to more of a full-time role at DH, and it’ll be interesting to follow the effects on David Fry. I would guess Hoskins is here on a major league deal. While there are reasons to guess that Hoskins is more of a league average bat, there is at least potential for him to be a middle of the order threat, something the Guardians’ lineup desparately needed, especially against lefty pitchers.

This is very exciting and helps redeem an offseason that was very disappointing until today as far as enhancing the team’s offense.

After two years of early overseas trips and truncated Cactus League schedules, the Dodgers are back to a full-fledged relatively normal spring training this season, with four and a half weeks of games in preparation for the regular season.

The one small wrench into the plans is the World Baseball Classic, with over a handful of players taking a break mid-camp to play for their countries. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make one more start for the Dodgers on Friday before heading to Tokyo. Shohei Ohtani will also head to Japan at some point this week.

Besides Ohtani, the other Dodgers position players slated for WBC play are Hyeseong Kim, who will also head overseas for pool play with Korea, and catcher Will Smith for Team USA.

We can look back to 2023 for a similar spring training for the Dodgers, though a more robust contingent that year took part in the WBC. Still, the full spring schedule coupled with some stars taking time away led to loads of playing opportunities for others still in camp. The same holds true this spring for the Dodgers, with now 77 players in big league camp after outfielder Jack Suwinski was claimed off waivers on Saturday.

Looking back to 2023, here were the Dodgers leaders in spring training games played:

• OF Drew Avans 24
• IF Luke Williams 24
• OF James Outman 23
• OF Bradley Zimmer 21
• IF Devin Mann 20 (tied with Ryan Ward and three others)

Of those six players mentioned, only Outman was on the 40-man roster.

Today’s question is which player will lead the Dodgers in games played during 2026 spring training? If you need a refresher on available players, here is the 40-man roster and the list of non-roster invitees.

Good morning, folks…

Shawn MacFarland offers up Three Observations from the Texas Rangers’ win over the Chicago Cubs yesterday.

Kumar Rocker, who started yesterday’s game for Texas, is looking to show the organization this spring what he worked on in the offseason.

Kennedi Landry looks at some of the Rangers’ options for handling the closer role in 2026.

Cody Freeman’s hopes of making the Opening Day roster have taken a blow, as he has a stress fracture in his back that will sideline him for several weeks.

Skip Schumaker has told Justin Foscue that Foscue has a clean slate this spring, after a disappointing 2025 season that saw him passed over repeatedly when the Rangers needed to bring up a position player.

Schumaker is also having players take batting practice on the main field, rather than the back fields.

Brandon Nimmo’s spring regimen has him not playing in spring games for a while.

David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.

Daniel Duarte was signed rather unceremoniously back in December of 2025, with his signing being discovered on his MLB.com profile page by MLB Trade Rumors. Duarte, however, is one of the more intriguing of the cornucopia of relief options that were brought in by David Stearns this past offseason, due to his past MLB experience and winter ball dominance this year.

The 29 year old righty is no stranger to playing on the biggest stages, despite quietly signing a minor league deal with little fanfare. He’s appeared in 36 Major League games in his career, debuting with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, after bouncing around the Rangers, Royals and Reds systems prior to his debut, with a brief stint in the Mexican League in between his Reds tenures. He was traded from the Reds to the Twins prior to the 2024 offseason, played in two games for them, underwent season-ending elbow surgery, and missed all of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. He comes to the Mets with a 3.99 career ERA.

He also has played on the international stage, representing Mexico in the 2020 Olympics and will represent his country in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will be a fun side story for Mets fans to keep track of while watching the tournament.

Duarte got put on a few people’s radars after signing his minor league deal due to his performance in the Mexican Winter League. He was untouchable for Caneros de Los Mochis, playing in 25 games, throwing 24 innings, with a 0.00 ERA (not a typo, he did not surrender a single earned run in the entire season — he did surrender an unearned run, don’t sue him). He surrendered only 10 hits and walked just four batters. It was utter dominance.

Now, of course, dominating the Mexican Winter League does not necessarily mean you will be getting big outs against Major League hitters, but the performance definitely put him on the map some. He brings to the Mets a slider heavy arsenal, throwing it 36% of the time. He throws a 95-ish MPH four-seamer, a cutter, and a changeup in descending order of usage. He does not strike anyone out, nor does he walk many hitters; he relies on getting weak contact and forcing ground balls. In his lone long stint in the bigs (2023) he had a 50% ground ball rate, struck out 16.9% of batters, walked 14.7%, had just a 32.6% hard-hit rate, and a 4.3% barrel rate (all per his Baseball Savant page).

In all likelihood, Duarte will not make the Mets Opening Day roster barring some injuries ahead of him, instead pitching important innings for Triple-A Syracuse. However, he comes with an interesting profile and is fresh off dominating in Mexico over the winter, so a strong WBC and Spring performance after that could put him in pole position to be an early season call up when the bullpen roster churn eventually begins to pick up.

Happy Sunday everybody! Did anybody wake up for the gold medal hockey game this morning? As of compiling these links last night, I’m still uncertain if I’ll make it out of bed in time for the start. Today is set up to be one of the best sports Sundays I can recall ever getting in a February. The hockey game starts before dawn, there’s a full slate of spring training games to choose from, the final round of the Genesis Invitational will be on all day, and there’s ten NBA games on throughout the afternoon.

In Mariners news…

• February 2026 seems fated to be remembered as the month of Kade Anderson. A crowd of people gathered to watch him throw a live BP yesterday that included strikeouts of Julio and Cal.
• Game two of the spring ended in a Mariners loss, but Miles Mastrobuoni had a big day at the plate to add to an already impressive spring resumé.
• On the Giants side of yesterday’s game, the focus was all on Hayden Birdsong and Giants fans were left badly disappointed.

Around the league…

• Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s Spring Training thus far can be defined by lofty expectations. And those expectations appear to extend to his looming free agent negotiations.
• Meanwhile, the Yankees are having a crappy spring! Putting up a real stinker! No, but seriously there’s poop in the clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner.
• Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski passed away on Friday at the age of 89.
• 2025 late-season call-up Cody Freeman is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture in his back.

Nick’s pick…

• Truly, unequivocally, without a doubt, the most shameless, pathetic, little-brother energy move I’ve ever seen.

The “pitcher with unbelievable stuff, just with no control over where it’s going” is a well known player type in baseball. In fact, the most enduring character from one of the most famous baseball movies — Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn from Major League — is that exact player.

You could say that the Vaughn character drew inspiration from many different players over the years. However, according to the director of the movie, the player who most inspired the pitcher was a Yankee: Ryne Duren. Today happens to be Duren’s birthday, so let’s look back at the original “Wild Thing.”

Rinold George “Ryne” Duren
Born: February 22, 1929 (Cazenovia, WI)
Died: January 6, 2011 (Lake Wales, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1958-61

Duren was born in Wisconsin in 1929 and grew up working on his family farm. He would credit the manual labor he did in his youth with helping develop his arm muscles. On the baseball field, he tried out for his high school’s baseball team as a pitcher, but poor control led him to hitting and injuring a teammate, as the team opted to use him as a position player instead. In 1945, he came down with rheumatic fever, which left him bed-ridden for several months and also caused problems with his vision.

After high school, he began playing for local teams, and returned to the mound. While he often couldn’t control where the ball was going, he had an absolutely blazing fastball, which led to the St. Louis Browns taking a chance and signing him in 1949.

Even after that signing, it would be several years before Duran saw the mound in a major league game. His aforementioned poor vision caused problems with control and seeing the catcher’s signs in the minors. Over the course of his first two seasons in the minors, he issued 271 walks in 275 innings. Eye doctors encouraged him to give up baseball, but he was too much of a sicko to do so. Instead, Duren began wearing thick, tinted “Coke bottle” glasses, which he would do throughout his career.

Duren never truly would rein in his problems with walks, but his other numbers, especially his strikeouts, eventually became too much to ignore. He got the call up to the big leagues in 1954, joining the Baltimore Orioles — where the Browns had moved to that year. His one appearance that year didn’t go great and the O’s returned him to the minors the following year. While he improved his control somewhat upon going back down, Baltimore ended up dealing him to the Kansas City Athletics.

Upon moving to Kansas City, Duran got a chance back in the big leagues, and started to develop his reputation as the hardest thrower around, and someone you didn’t want to face … just not necessarily because he was really good. He put up a 5.27 ERA in 42.2 innings with KC, while he walked 30 batters and hit two others in that time. Despite that, he would soon find himself on the move again, and to a team higher in the standings.

Back in May, Billy Martin and several other Yankees had been involved in the famed “Copacabana incident.” Martin had the reputation of a troublemaker, and the incident was something of a final straw. At the trade deadline a few weeks after, they sent him to the A’s in a multi-player deal, with Duren among those going the other way.

To start, the Yankees sent Duren back down to the minors, where he impressed. That led to the team bringing him back up for the 1958 season. In his first full season in the bigs, Duren posted a 2.02 ERA in 75.2 innings, while recording a league high 19 saves. While he still issued plenty of walks, that season got him a second-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting, as he helped the Yankees to a World Series title. Duren got off to a bumpy start in said Fall Classic, allowing a walk-off single to the Braves’ Bill Bruton in the opener, but he rebounded to to earn the save in Game 3 with two scoreless frames and then won the win-or-go-home Game 6 back in Milwaukee with 4.2 innings of one-run ball, preserving a 2-2 game into extras before the Yanks scored two in the 10th.

Meanwhile, Duren was also becoming quite the character on and off the mound. His wildness, iffy vision, and trademark glasses have already been mentioned, but it goes beyond that. When called upon, Duren would opt to hop the Yankee Stadium outfield fence instead of open the bullpen door. Upon reaching the mound, he would then often intentionally sail his first warm up pitch way over the catcher’s head, playing up his wildness and trying to strike a little fear into opposing batters.

All of that stuff is pretty amusing, but Duren also had to deal with some issues off the field. Throughout his career, Duren battled alcoholism and related mental health issues. At a later stop in his career, he threatened suicide, only to be talked down by his then-Washington Senators manager Gil Hodges. After finishing his playing career, Duren got sober and spent much of his later life as a speaker and counsilor on addiction issues.

On the mound, Duren fell away after notching a 1.88 ERA in 76.2 innings 1959. He was sub-replacement level for the AL champs in 1960 and the Yankees eventually dealt him away to the expansion team Los Angeles Angels in May 1961. He spent the rest of his career as a journeyman, never quite managing to harness his raw stuff into anything consistent. One bit of trivia about him is that late Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg was named after the pitcher (many kids in the 1980s and ’90s with baseball-loving parents were subsequently named after Sandberg).

Upon his death in 2011, the always quotable Yogi Berra had another one:

“Ryne could throw the heck out of the ball. He threw fear in some hitters. I remember he had several pairs of glasses, but it didn’t seem like he saw good in any of them.”

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Earlier this offseason, the Rays signed RHP Jake Woodford to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. He has bounced around several teams over the last six seasons, throwing over 250 innings with a career ERA and FIP that both flirt with 5.00. On the surface, there’s little reason for excitement. But beneath those numbers are a couple of traits that stand out in ways the Rays tend to value, even if Woodford’s results haven’t yet been noteworthy. No doubt the Rays believe Woodford’s tools can be better optimized for success.

Offspeed Pitch

Woodford’s changeup shape provides a unique look to hitters. Below is a graph of how its vertical and horizontal break compared to other offspeed pitches in the majors last year:

We can see that it has significantly less ride and run than the average offspeed pitch, and this remains true when we account for arm angle and limit the pool to low slot pitchers in the 15-35 degree arm angle range (Woodford sits around 25 degrees):

Even with the adjusted averages to account for arm angle, Woodford’s changeup stands out among the rest. He lands it both in-zone and for strikes at an above average clip, so it’s something that batters need to be ready to swing at. The grip almost looks like an old-school palmball style or maybe a circle change grip.

Hitters aren’t used to seeing an offspeed pitch with this movement profile and it should induce plenty of awkward swings and poor contact in a larger sample. Here’s a fun video of Fernando Tatis whiffing on a Woodford changeup, and then checking the video board wondering what he swung through:

The pitch dies under his barrel late, not fading arm-side, but almost dropping straight down.

Four-seam Fastball

Below is a graph of how Woodford’s four-seam shape compared to others in the major leagues last season:

We can see that it takes on a cut-sink sort of shape relative to the average four-seamer, and like his offspeed pitch, it remains an outlier even when accounting for arm angle:

Within his arm angle bucket (15-35 degrees), Woodford’s fastball has less horizontal break than 87% of other pitchers who throw a four-seamer from that same slot. The vertical movement isn’t anything that stands out, but the VAA on it is as flat as other outlier four-seamers thrown by Bryan Woo and Edwin Diaz thanks to Woodford’s low release height and above average extension. The movement profile resembles some of the flattest four-seamers in the league, though obviously not with the same velocity.

His two-seamer is more of a traditional shape for his slot but seems like a fine contact-management type of pitch or something he can land in-zone when he needs a strike. It’s still a unique part of his arsenal when considering how it pairs with his offspeed pitch; the difference in horizontal movement between the two pitches is greater than 7 inches on average. Only five other pitchers in the majors (Yu Darvish, Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Fernando Cruz, and Carmen Mlodzinski) could match that kind of shape differential between their two-seam and offspeed pitches last season.

2026 Outlook

Expect the Rays to refine and optimize Woodford’s approach to each side of the plate. He played in three different organizations last season — Cubs, Yankees, and Diamondbacks – all with their own coaches and philosophies. Woodford would likely benefit from the consistency and clarity the Rays are known for across their organization.

Woodford has a wide range of weapons he can throw to both righties and lefties, so he should be able to effectively navigate a lineup multiple times in an outing. His ability to throw both fastballs to the glove side and land his changeup for strikes gives him multiple ways to navigate opposite-handed hitters.

The contrast between a cut-sink four-seamer and a vertically dying changeup creates two very different movement planes, making it difficult for hitters to square both in the same at-bat. When hitters train against common movement patterns, deviation becomes a weapon. The question isn’t whether the shapes are interesting; it’s whether usage, sequencing, and execution can elevate them to major-league effectiveness. Without higher end velocity, Woodford’s ability to mix his pitches and lean into his uniqueness is critical to his success.

I’m looking forward to seeing his usage rates and role in Durham this season. His lack of option years might make it challenging to roster him for an extended period of time in the majors, but Woodford has the traits of a viable sixth starter or multi-inning reliever rather than just another name on the depth chart.

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It's the first Sunday of the 2026 Spring Training slate, with 16 games on the docket. 

My MLB picks have boiled things down to the best three bets on the board for Sunday, February 22. See why I'm targeting the Giants moneyline at a coin-flip price.

Spring Training predictions for February 22

Picks
Giants moneyline	-120
Athletics moneyline	-140
Dodgers moneyline	-125

Pick #1: Giants moneyline

-120 at bet365

San Francisco Giants SP Robbie Ray makes his 2026 Spring Training debut, and he had a sparkling exhibition season last year, going 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA over 17 1/3 innings.

Contrast that with Colin Rea, today's Chicago Cubs starter who had a 7.94 ERA last spring in limited opportunities.

Rea took on the Giants twice last year, and the results were not pretty. He authored a 9.31 ERA over 9 2/3 combined frames.

Pick #2: Athletics moneyline

-140 at bet365

Luis Severino had a forgettable campaign overall as the Athletics' ace last year, but his road ERA of 3.02 was nothing to be ashamed of.

The Cleveland Guardians offense was far from scary in 2025, putting up the third-fewest runs per game. 

Sutter Health Park was a hitter's haven last year, but the Athletics offense still traveled well, authoring 4.51 runs per game on the road.

The A's were sixth in the majors in batting average vs. lefties last year, and it's a southpaw on the bump today for Cleveland in Parker Messick.

Pick #3: Dodgers moneyline

-125 at bet365

The Los Angeles Dodgers have owned their rivalry with the San Diego Padres of late, going 66-40 since 2020, with a 12-6 record dating back to the 2024 NLDS. 

The Dodgers had a strong 2025 Spring Training, going 14-9 with a +15 run differential. The Padres, by contrast, went 12-17 with a -33 run differential in Cactus League play last year.

L.A. is trotting out a highly-touted prospect in Jackson Ferris today. His opposite number is Randy Vasquez, a solid but unspectacular rotation piece with a career 4.08 ERA. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Team News

Kelly slowed by back injury at D-backs camp
“I don’t have a concern level [yet],” Kelly said. “Because we don’t know, at the end of the day, what it is. I mean, the last week and a half, I’ve been throwing, been doing everything normal, and it didn’t kind of rear its head until today. So I’m going to take that as a good thing, the fact that I’ve felt it for that long but I’ve still been able to do everything.”
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/merrill-kelly-has-back-injury-at-diamondbacks-spring-training

Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly getting MRI for back tightness
https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/merrill-kelly-mri/3612452/

Ketel Marte says he’s in great spot after difficult offseason, wants to win Gold Glove

“I’ve been working on my defense. I need a Gold Glove,” Marte said. “(Nolan Arenado) is gonna help me to win the Gold Glove, and we’re gonna be better with Nolan out there. Our infield is gonna be better, for sure.” https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/ketel-marte-offseason/3612021/

D-backs Pitcher Mitch Bratt Had Impressive Statement after First Starthttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/d-backs-pitcher-mitch-bratt-impressive-statement-first-start

D-backs to Get First Look at Top Pitching Prospect

https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/arizona-diamondbacks-news/d-backs-first-look-top-pitching-prospect-drake

Other Baseball

11 new players to watch at the World Baseball Classic
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/players-with-statcast-data-to-watch-world-baseball-classic-2026

Memorable moments from the first full day of games
https://www.mlb.com/news/top-moments-first-day-of-spring-training-games-2026

Hall of Famer Mazeroski, whose homer won 1960 WS, passes away
https://www.mlb.com/news/pirates-legend-bill-mazeroski-dies-at-89

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-22

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/February_22

Cat jaws cannot be moved sideways.

They are mainly built for killing prey and can open very wide to ensure their kill. Cats also cannot easily chew their food. 

Avocados never ripen while they are still attached to the tree.

Avocados do not ripes despite physically maturing mainly due to the inhibitor located in the fruit stem. This makes it a convenient storage system for farmers. 

Spartans were so rich that nobody had to work. Ancient Sparta was an immensely wealthy country. Mainly due to their conquest and domination of their neighbors, the Helots. When a Spartan boy reached adulthood and became a man, the Spartan state awarded him with an allotment of public farmland. They also rewarded him with a constituent of Helot slaves to work it.

The San Diego Padres handed new manager Craig Stammen his first win in his new position with a 10-3 romp over the Kansas City Royals on the road on Saturday. The Padres will have a chance to repeat their success against much stiffer competition on Sunday when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Peoria Sports Complex. Jose Miranda has been the breakout player for San Diego after the first two games and is making a push to be added to the Padres roster as a depth option off the bench. There are still plenty of games to be played this spring before San Diego has to make a decision.

Padres News:

• Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball takes a look at how the Padres will use the new ABS system. After two games, the Padres have had three successful challenges with the system from their catchers. Zdunich thinks the ability for catchers to know and understand the strike zone gives them the best chance to be successful.

• Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune has gathered news and notes about the Padres while spending his time in Peoria, Ariz. He touches on several topics including Miranda and the recovery of reliever Yuki Matsui. Acee added in a separate story that the Padres feel more prepared than they were in the 2023 season to deal with the impending absences for the World Baseball Classic.

• One of the reasons the Padres feel like they are in a better place to deal with absences of players created by their WBC appearances is third-year star Jackson Merrill. In a report from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Merrill does not feel snubbed by not being asked to play for Team USA, adding he will get there someday. However, Merrill is going to make the most of his time in Peoria and work on becoming the leader he and the team believe he can be.

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the team has two options as the Padres progress this offseason, success or failure (not in those word).

• Nick Castellanos has played third base and the outfield in his major league career, but the new Padres slugger is being asked to play first base in San Diego. Castellanos showed some promise with some difficult plays against the Seattle Mariners according to AJ Cassavell of Padres.com.

 Baseball News:

• Former Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski died Friday and the team announced his passing on Saturday.

• Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit two home runs in his first Spring Training game. As impressive as it was, Spencer Jones may have topped Judge’s feat with a homerun of his own that left the stadium.

• The Dodgers claimed former Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers. He adds another outfield depth piece to their already loaded roster. Kike Hernandez was assigned to the IL to make room for the addition.

• The St. Louis Cardinals and infielder Ramon Urias agreed to a deal Saturday.

• Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan was scratched from his start with back tightness, but the news came approximately 15 minutes before the start of the contest, which had many wondering if he was being traded.

Well Game 1 of spring training is in the books, and let’s just forget that one happened, ok? The Yankees bludgeoned a chorus of Tigers minor league relievers to win 20-3 on Saturday. Yeah, it doesn’t matter, but nobody likes getting shelled out of the park.

The key notes on the Tigers’ side was a home run by veteran outfielder Corey Julks, who is in camp trying to compete for a bench outfielder role. Kevin McGonigle smoked a 100 mph fastball from Carlos Lagrange for a sharp oppo single and turned a nice, but fairly routine double play on a feed from Gleyber Torres. The veteran second baseman has been working with McGonigle since well before camp got underway, as each reported early and have been taking infield together the whole time.

Catching prospect Thayron Liranzo really does look like he lost, as claimed, 35 pounds since last season, and moved better behind the plate including pouncing on a little tapper down the third base line and firing a quick strike to first. Keider Montero’s command was pretty meh though he was also pumping a steady 96 mph and threw a couple of good changeups too. Right-handed reliever Cole Waites used to throw high 90’s heat, but returning from surgery he hasn’t found it yet and sat 92-93 mph on Saturday. Not a whole lot else to take away from that one.

Jack Flaherty and Bryan Sammons are both scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Orioles, with Flaherty obviously getting the start. Tarik Skubal will make his debut in Lakeland on Monday against the Twins. Drew Anderson, offseason free agent signing, is also scheduled to pitch in that game.

Typically players get some days off the first few days of camp in particular, so we’ll see if McGonigle, Torres, Colt Keith, Max Clark, Josue Briceño, or Thayron Liranzo play on Sunday. Probably not, but we’ll likely see more of the Tigers regular lineup instead. We’re expecting to see Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, and Javier Báez on Sunday, but possibly they’ll just package those core players behind Skubal on Monday instead.

The Tigers heard everyone’s pleas for clarity on the cable/streaming situation on Saturday. There are no doubt plenty of details to sort out on all the licensing contracts, so we’ll have to wait for next week when the Tigers say they’ll have things worked out.

In the meantime, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday’s games are all just on the radio anyway.