Category: MLB

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: The Yankees are one of several teams interested in Ty France, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox, Mets, Padres, and Diamondbacks are among the first baseman’s other suitors. France slashed .257/.320/.360 last year in 138 games with the Twins and Blue Jays. This report comes on the heels of rumors that the Yankees have entertained a reunion with Paul Goldschmidt, indicating that adding a veteran, right-handed bat at first base to split time with the left-handed Ben Rice is a priority heading into spring training.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: With spring training fast approaching, Hoch provides an FAQ for the Yankees’ preseason operation. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on February 11th, with position players following on February 15th. Fans can attend workouts at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field free of charge. Several promising youngsters will receive an opportunity to showcase what they can do against major-league talent, including the team’s consensus top prospect, George Lombard Jr., right-handers Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange, and outfielder Spencer Jones. Spring games will begin on February 20th and, over the course of spring training, 25 matchups will be broadcast on YES Network or the Gotham Sports app.

Bronx Times | Keke Grant-Floyd: Through his namesake foundation, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has funded the development of a computer lab at an elementary school in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx. The Yankees’ All-Star attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lab at Community School 55, also known as the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, where he explained the genesis for this endeavor. “I was raised in public school, and I’m a kid from the hood that didn’t really get as many opportunities as anybody else,” Chisholm said. “I want to be able to give kids all the opportunities that I can help with.” The Jazz Chisholm Foundation supports youth in New York, Florida, and the Bahamas.

One of the of the biggest off the field stories over the past year or so for the Braves and many other MLB teams has been the uncertain future of their TV Broadcasts. On Monday, several MLB teams decided to take the next step forward as they will have their broadcasts directly linked to MLB itself. However, the Braves are expected to go a different route and focus on establishing their own TV Network in the near future.

This is not that surprising, as some MLB teams in the biggest markets/with the biggest fanbases have done the same in the recent past. Though the details are still unknown, the logic behind this move is a simpler setup for the Braves to get access of their games to the fanbase with a bigger part of the profit coming their way. Stay tuned for more details as they come, but this could be win for everyone in time.

Braves News

The start of the 2026 Battery Power Top 30 Braves Prospects series begins with the honorable mentions.

The Braves are officially moving all their Spring Training necessities to Florida in anticipation for Spring Training. Plus, more information on the promotion schedule for the 2026 season.

MLB News

Brendan Donovan, one of the more notable bats on the trade market this offseason, found a new home with the Seattle Mariners via a trade with the Cardinals on Monday.

Yesterday in The Feed, porter_engle asked the question “Name the Rockies draft pick you wish had turned out better.” They then identified Kyle Hancock as their pick, and asked the community to weigh in.

I’d like to spin that off this evening in the form of a different question:

Who’s a player whose Rockies career you wish wasn’t cut short, either due to injuries, being traded/released, walking in free agency, etc.?

For me, it’s always going to be Troy Tulowitzki. He was my first favorite Rockie, and he was on a potential Hall of Fame trajectory if his entire baseball career wasn’t marred by injuries. And then, of course, he was also traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, which left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth for a very long time.

What about you?

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

It’s a new week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. We’ll waive the cover charge for you. Let us take your coat. The hostess can take you to your table now. 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 week, I asked you which Cubs corner outfielder should the team sign to an extension. Your choice was Seiya Suzuki with 49 percent of the vote. Ian Happ only got 21 percent, which affirms my belief that Happ is the most underrated Cub of the 21st Century. Nineteen percent of you did want to sign both players to an extension.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You’re free to skip that if you’d like. You won’t hurt my feelings.

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Tonight we’re featuring Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias in New York in 2011 playing “Samba Triste.” Joining her are Marc Johnson on bass and Satoshi Takeishi on drums.

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You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and like most things that decide to go up against Godzilla, The Day the Earth Stood Still got crushed. I would have thought Gort would have been able to put up a better fight with all his alien technology, but that’s what people thought about Mechagodzilla as well.

Today we’ve got another third round matchup to decide which film will face off against Godzilla in the semifinals. It’s director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey and the film with one of the most famous endings of all time, Planet of the Apes (1968).

2001: A Space Odyssey.(1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood.

Here’s what I wrote about 2001 earlier.

Here’s the docking scene to the tune of Johann Strauss’s “Blue Danube.”

Planet of the Apes (1968). Starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans.

Here’s what I wrote about Planet of the Apes earlier.

Here’s the “hunt” scene where Taylor (Heston) and his crew are captured by the Apes.

Reading back what I wrote about these two films, I don’t really have a lot more to say. Both of them kind of defy criticism anyways, but in very different ways. I also assume that all of you who have been following along have already seen both of these movies, so I don’t need to tell you a lot.

So you might as well vote.

You have until Wednesday to vote. Up next, Alien takes on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I’m wondering if we won’t get Alien versus Godzilla in the final, which would no doubt give some producer an idea for a new film series.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

The Boston media and Red Sox fans have been going nuts since the Cubs signed Alex Bregman. Even the few Boston fans who didn’t think the Red Sox should re-sign Bregman are upset because the team has too many outfielders and not enough infielders. Marcelo Mayer is pencilled in for third base and while he was a highly-regarded prospect coming into last season, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first go at the major leagues. He also struggled badly against left-handed pitching, so he probably needs a platoon partner. That’s no reason to give up on Mayer, but it is a risky spot to be in for a team that has title aspirations.

The situation for the Red Sox at second base is even worse. Romy Gonzalez did very well at the plate last season—..305/.343/.483 in 96 games, but most of that damage was done against left-handers. Basically, he’s a good platoon partner for Mayer at third base and he can’t play second and third base against left-handed pitching at the same time.

Another option the Red Sox have at second base is Kristian Campbell, who was poor in his rookie season, hitting .223/.319/.345 over 67 games. There’s also David Hamilton, who was even worse.

The situation is so desperate that the team is apparently kicking around is moving center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to second base. Rafaela was a good defensive infielder before the Red Sox moved him to center field and he could probably handle the position well should they move him back. The problem is that Rafaela is an elite center fielder who may be the only outfielder in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s class as a defender. So that might solve the Red Sox problem of too many outfielders and not enough infielders, but it comes with a big cost.

So that leaves adding another infielder before the season starts. Two just went off the board as the Reds signed third baseman Eugenio Suárez and the Mariners got second baseman Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals. So Boston’s options are running thin. They may be desperate.

One thing that has been suggested a lot by Red Sox fans is to trade for one of the Cubs infielders, in particular Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw. The idea is behind Hoerner is that the Cubs have one too many infielders and Hoerner is a free agent at the end of the season. If the Cubs aren’t planning to sign him to an extension, they might be better off getting something for him in trade.

Honestly, I don’t see the Cubs trading Hoerner. The Cubs also consider themselves playoff contenders and Hoerner is one of the best all-around players on the team. For the Cubs to trade Hoerner, they would have to get something back that would give them equal or better production this year. If the Red Sox had that to trade, they wouldn’t need Nico Hoerner.

Matt Shaw is a more interesting question. Shaw got off to a poor start to his rookie season last year, but he really turned it on in the second half. He also was surprisingly good at third base, but with Alex Bregman under contract, he doesn’t have a full-time job. The Cubs have made it clear that they’d like to use Shaw as a “supersub” all around the diamond, but for 2026 at least, Shaw is a luxury rather than a necessity. It’s also escaped no one’s attention that Shaw is from Massachusetts and grew up a Red Sox fan.

Most of the trade offers I’ve seen out of Boston for Shaw is along the lines of “here’s a bunch of players we don’t want for a Cub we very much do want.” Sorry, but trades don’t work that way. The Cubs have no reason that they have to trade Shaw. The Cubs need a strong bench and he’s the backup plan for 2027 should Hoerner leave as a free agent. On top of that, I believe that even though Hoerner is the better player, Shaw has more trade value than Hoerner. He was the 35th-ranked prospect according to Baseball America coming into last year. Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him as the 14th-best prospect. While he didn’t set the world on fire his rookie season, he’s still young and promising. On top of that, he has five years of team control left instead of just one for Nico.

So sorry Red Sox fans. If you want Matt Shaw, it’s gonna hurt. Boston will definitely have to give up something they don’t want to give up if they want Shaw.

Fortunately for them, they do have two prospects the Cubs might covet. The Red Sox have two young (23 years old) starting pitchers who are major-league ready this season: left-handers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Baseball America ranked Tolle as the 17th-best prospect in the game. They ranked Early 52nd. Law ranked Tolle 40th and Early 64th. Both have already made their major league debuts. Early and was very good (2.33 ERA) over four starts. Tolle wasn’t nearly as effective out of the gate with a 6.06 ERA over three starts and four relief spots. But the important thing is that both pitchers are ready to pitch in the majors this season.

Here’s a little of what Baseball America said about Tolle

He . . . averaged 96.6 mph in his big league cameo and hit triple digits for the first time in his life on a pitch that averaged 16.7 inches of ride and 6.7 inches of armside run. Tolle reshaped his secondary mix throughout the season, most notably with the introduction of an 88-90 mph cutter in August that immediately surpassed his gyro slider,

And here’s a little of what they said about Early.

He paired the [93-94 mph] fastball with an excellent mid-80s changeup with sink and fade to his arm side as well as a slider and curveball against righties, while crushing lefties by mixing his four- and two-seamer with a low-80s sweeper that produced a 100% whiff rate—not a typo—on 10 regular-season swings.

To be clear, while all the rankings I’ve seen have Tolle ranked higher, presumably because of his greater velocity, I have read some people saying they think Early is the better prospect and will be the better pro. He was certainly better in his cup of coffee last year than Tolle was. In any case, this isn’t a situation where one pitcher is obviously superior to the other. There’s a general consensus that Tolle is better, but reasonable teams could think otherwise.

The Red Sox would have to give up one of those two to get Matt Shaw and probably another lesser prospect as well. As I said, it’s going to have to hurt if they want Matt Shaw. I’m not going to speculate on who that might be (I don’t know the lower reaches of the Red Sox system at all) and maybe if the Cubs took Early they’d get a slightly better second prospect than with Tolle.

I’m not saying that the Red Sox would make this deal. They may not want to part with either pitcher. But what I am saying is that this is the type of offer they would have to make for the Cubs to consider dealing Shaw.

To be clear, such a trade would be risky for the Cubs as well. Shaw is pencilled in for a major bench role in 2026 and if someone gets hurt, he’s likely going to have to play a lot. On top of that, if the Cubs were to trade Matt Shaw, they’d be operating without a safety net with Nico Hoerner. If Hoerner leaves at the end of the year, then the Cubs would be without a second baseman if they trade Shaw. Maybe another minor league infielder like Jefferson Rojas, Pedro Ramirez or James Triantos will establish themselves this year as an alternate heir apparent to Hoerner. But there’s no guarantee of that.

So with the understanding that the Red Sox may not be willing to make the offer, would you be willing to part with Matt Shaw for either of these packages?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. It’s always good to start the week with friends. Please get home safely. Stay warm and dry out there. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next time for more BCB After Dark.

The Tampa Bay Rays announced today that Major League Baseball will take over production and distribution of local television broadcasts beginning with the 2026 season. The partnership ensures that fans across Florida will be able to watch Rays games through their cable or satellite provider and through MLB’s direct‑to‑consumer streaming service.

“Since our first days of taking ownership of the club, we’ve been committed to delivering a world‑class fan experience,” said Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby. “This transition reflects that commitment. With MLB’s best‑in‑class streaming platform, Rays fans in our home market will finally be able to stream games on the MLB app without local blackouts. And just as importantly, fans who prefer the tradition of watching Rays baseball on television will continue to find our games on cable and satellite. Every decision we make is done first and foremost with our fans in mind.”

Fans in the Rays home market will be able to access games on participating cable and satellite systems, with provider details and channel lineups to be shared soon. Streaming access will be available for purchase on MLB.com and the MLB app once subscriptions go on sale in February.

The Rays join a number of MLB clubs already partnering with the league for local broadcasts. All 162 regular‑season games in 2026 will be available either through local distribution or MLB’s national broadcast partners.

Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.

The Mariners are bringing Brendan Donovan to the Pacific Northwest as part of a trade that includes the Cardinals and Rays. 

The Cardinals are getting right-hander Jurrangelo Cijntje, center fielder Tai Peete, outfielder Colton Ledbetter and two competitive-balance Round B picks, and the Rays will get third baseman Ben Williamson, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.

Donovan hit .287 — a career best — last season while recording 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games. 

He also had the team lead in doubles, with 32 and WAR, with a 2.7. 

He has played four seasons in the big leagues, all of which have been with the Cardinals. Donovan was an All-Star for the first time in his career last season. 

The Cardinals had been looking at signing Donovan to a long-term deal, but the sides never came close to a new contract, ESPN reported. 

Donovan brings versatility to Seattle that will help as it looks to address questions at second and third base, both positions that Donovan has played. 

In fact, Donovan had mostly spent time at second base last season and has more than 100 career innings at third base, shortstop, third base and right field under his belt. 

And in 2024, he could usually be found in left field. 

It also gives the Mariners another player at the top of their order who has been an All-Star over the previous two seasons, a list that includes Josh Naylor, Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez. 

The Mariners are coming off a season in which they just missed out on making it to the World Series. 

Seattle took the Blue Jays to seven games in the ALCS before Toronto escaped to the Fall Classic. 

The deal helps make the Mariners a team to watch once again going into 2026.

Earlier tonight, MLB Now’s Top 10 Catchers Right Now countdown was announced, hosted by Brian Kenny with MLB Network analyst Alex Avila. The Diamondbacks had Gabriel Moreno ranked sixth on the list. That’s up one place from last year, and marks his third year in a row being ranked, having come tenth in 2024.

The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 catchers is listed below: 

Top 10 Catchers Right Now 

1. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners 
2. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers 
3. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers 
4. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves 
5. Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays 
6. Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks 
7. Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros 
8. Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves 
9. Iván Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals 
10. Shea Langeliers, Athletics 

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.  

The offseason rankings will continue tomorrow, February 3 as Kenny and Chris Young count down MLB Now’s Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now at 7 p.m. ET. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back with another entry then, because Corbin Carroll will certainly be listed high in that category.

Adolfo Sanchez and his bag o’ tools was voted the #14 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system for 2026 by you, the voters and participants in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings. Now, we turn our eyes to spot #15!

Per usual, you can find the link to the Google Form for voting right here, yet it’s also embedded at the bottom if you want to read through first and not have to embark upon the painstaking process of scrolling all the way back up here. Both link and embed will be removed once voting closes so you can’t stuff the ballot post facto, however, so be advised that this paragraph will make zero sense if you stumble back across it a year from now.

Here’s how the list has materialized so far:

1. Sal Stewart
2. Alfredo Duno
3. Rhett Lowder
4. Hector Rodriguez
5. Edwin Arroyo
6. Cam Collier
7. Steele Hall
8. Tyson Lewis
9. Chase Petty
10. Arnaldo Lantigua
11. Jose Franco
12. Zach Maxwell
13. Leo Balcazar
14. Adolfo Sanchez

A large list of talented names exists below for spot #15. Have at it with the votes!

Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida

Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in

Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown

One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.

However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.

Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)

Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF

Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness

If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).

However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.

Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.

Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)

2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)

Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term

Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing

The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.

The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.

It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.

Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)

2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League

Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)

Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph

Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.

Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.

He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.

Mason Morris, RHP (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: 9.00 ERA, 7/1 K/BB in 4.0 IP with Class-A Daytona Tortugas; 3.29 ERA, 78/31 K/BB in 54.2 IP with University of Mississippi

Pros: Fastball that can touch 100 mph; four-pitch mix

Cons: Lack of experience

Mason Morris landed with Ole Miss in 2023 primarily as a corner infielder, and the now 6’4” 225 lb righty only recently became a full-time pitcher prior to the Reds selecting him with their 3rd round pick in 2025. He’s got projection through the roof, though, with a 100 mph heater, plus cutter, and a pair of other breaking balls that look like they’ve also got the juice.

The question, though, is how Cincinnati plans to use him.

Morris only got a pair of outings as a pro after being drafted, and it appears the Reds have intentions on seeing if he can develop into a starting pitcher. That’s something he’s never really done before, however, and he’ll turn 23 years old in August of 2026. So, we’ll see how long of a leash the Reds give him with that avenue, since if they want to simply keep him in the bullpen there’s very little reason why he shouldn’t rocket through the minors and give them a legit relief arm at the big league level in short order.

Julian Aguiar, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: Did not pitch

Pros: Four-seam fastball that flirts with 100 mph; five-pitch pitcher with a pair of breaking balls and potentially plus change-up

Cons: Missed all of 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery; roughed up in 31.2 IP in MLB debut in 2024 (22 ER, 8 HR)

Julian Aguiar has risen quietly through the ranks of the Reds after being a 12th round pick out of Cypress College back in 2021, and his 2024 season saw him rocket from AA Chattanooga all the way through AAA and then to the Reds. Unfortunately, his short stint there ended with him requiring Tommy John surgery, and he missed all of 2025 while recovering.

He’s got plus potential with at least three pitches, and has another two that are still passable to keep hitters off-keel. His 360/93 career K/BB in 346.1 IP across the minors shows he’s got good strikeout stuff and a passable ability to keep hitters from free passes, and if his command returns as quickly as his velocity does post-surgery he should be in the mix to get big league batters out in some role as early as Opening Day. My best guess, though, is that he’ll be slated for AAA Louisville’s rotation to re-establish himself as a starter first, and he won’t actually turn 25 until June.

Mason Neville, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .247/.333/.442 with 1 HR, 2 SB in 90 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .290/.429/.724 with 26 HR, 9 SB in 280 PA with University of Oregon

Pros: 60-grade power with potential plus arm and plus speed & baserunning; chance to stick in CF, though still profiles as a solid RF if moved to the corner; led Division I with 26 HR in final season at Oregon

Cons: Lots of swing and miss in his game, at times, including a 34.4% rate in his short sample with Daytona

The Reds clearly love Neville, as they drafted him in the 18th round out of high school 2022 only to watch him initially attend the University of Arkansas. After transferring to Oregon and swatting more dingers than anyone else in 2025, the Reds went back to him in the 4th round of the most recent draft.

Neville is incredibly toolsy, his left-handed swing producing significant power when he makes contact. He’s good at working walks despite his swing-and-miss proclivities, and posesses the kind of athleticism and speed to be a legitimate CF.

His tiny sample with Daytona has some red flags with the Ks, but it’s such a small sample that it’s hard to take it with too much certainty. For instance, he hit .298/.365/.526 through his first 17 games there only to go 2 for 20 with 9 Ks across his final 6 games – that could, and likely is, all small-sample noise.

Big tools, that Neville. He could well be the steal of the 2025 draft.

Rejoice! It’s February! That means baseball will be back before the month is over, and I’ll finally write about something besides “Hey, look at this young arm!”

Unfortunately, Spring Training is still weeks away. Respite still eludes you, South Side Sox stan.  The Pale Hose have another arm you haven’t heard of, Daniel Sandlin, and I’m going to tell you all about him. (At least he’ll stick around for longer than Ryan Rolison.

The trade represents a lateral move for Sandlin’s organization ranking: FanGraphs has Sandlin as the ninth best prospect in the White Sox system, which was just about the consensus for him with the Red Sox. His big-ticket trait is velocity: at 6’4’’ and 215 pounds, Sandlin was topping out at 99.9 mph in September. The steady velocity – he sits around 96mph – has kept the door open for Sandlin to start in the majors, despite being transitioned into the bullpen at Triple A this past season. In the video below, a June 21 Double-A start, you can see how easily Sandlin can overpower an opposing lineup when he’s locating his fastball at the top of the zone:

FanGraphs also has good things to say about Sandlin’s cutter and slider, calling both pitches “nasty and fairly distinct from one another.” A sinker/sweeper combo rounds out his standard five-pitch mix, although he has a curveball he’ll mix in on occasion. Sandlin also threw a changeup last year. No, literally. He threw one changeup:

However, I’d wager the remainder of Luis Robert Jr.‘s contract that Sandlin is going to be throwing a lot more changeups … what’s that? Apologies, dear reader, but I’m now being told all that money actually has been spent? No kidding? Huh. Well then, I guess I’d wager the remainder of Andrew Benintendi’s contract? Regardless, if Sandlin’s going to win a spot in the White Sox rotation, he’ll need to get comfortable with a changeup, and quick.

At this point in time, Sandlin’s has a two-part plan for approaching lefthanders. The first part is to throw the ball, and the second part is to pray:
 
2025 Splits (Combined Double-A and Triple-A)
vs. Righties: .225 BA, .343 SLG, .649 OPS, .289 BABIP
vs. Lefties: .285 BA, .430 SLG, .772 OPS, .358 BABIP

Back to FanGraphs, who came through in the clutch with an updated 2026 report today: “[Sandlin] still doesn’t have a great offspeed pitch with which to attack lefties … [he] peppers the top of the zone with cutters and sliders before elevating his fastball with two strikes.”

If you’re throwing your breaking pitches up in the zone to get ahead against opposite-side hitters, it doesn’t take much imagination to picture what could happen if that slider hangs just a little, or that cutter comes out a little flat, or even if he just misses his spot a couple inches low. The French refer to it as “Bang City.”

If you’ve read a single thing I’ve published on this site before — not a guarantee, I realize! — you already know what I’m going to say, and you’re probably pissed off that you’ve read 500 words just to realize this is yet another article about the kick changeup and how I think it’s a magical pitch that fixes everybody. But I’m not even the first to bring it up this time!

“The White Sox have had recent success coaxing better changeups out of pitchers with naturally-good breaking balls,” FanGraphs concludes in their prospect report, “and perhaps they’ll be able to do that with Sandlin.”

And I’d say the evidence is there! Sandlin has a very strong supinator profile. His Achilles’ heel, for him and many supinators, is a lack of arm-side options against opposite-handed hitters.

To flatten out his pitching splits, Sandlin’s going to need something. This is the magic of the kick change: no unfamiliar arm mechanics or discomfort. The platonic ideal of the kick change isn’t just its effectiveness, but how quickly somebody can pick it up and add it to their arsenal. For Sandlin, it is also the difference between a major league starter versus a middle reliever.

Major League Baseball’s offseason is coming to an end. It is time to take your bats, balls, and glove out of storage because Spring Training is fast upon us. The San Diego Padres’ postseason hopes rest on a resurgent Joe Musgrove leading them to October baseball.

Spring Training is where pitchers want to ramp up their offseason workouts, but the Padres need some assurance that Musgrove is healthy to begin the regular season on the active roster.

Musgrove is an essential part of the rotation

He missed the entire 2025 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery. Arm injuries limited his workload the prior season, as Musgrove finished with a 6-5 record, 3.88 ERA in 19 starts. The right-hander’s season prematurely ended in the postseason, as Musgrove pitched 3.2 innings before leaving his start against the Atlanta Braves with elbow discomfort in the Wild Card round.

You cannot argue with his career success. Musgrove registered a 3.73 ERA with a 23.9% strikeout rate and 6.0% base-on-balls rate in 180 starts. He utilizes a six-pitch repertoire, as his sinker averages over 90 MPH, which sets up the four-seam fastball (93 MPH) to get batters out. 

Friars skipper Craig Stammen has reiterated that he does not foresee implementing an innings limit on Musgrove. However, he will monitor how he feels after each start and determine if Musgrove needs extra recovery time before his next appearance on the mound. 

Starting pitching depth is hard to find

The Friars are searching for starting pitching depth, as they need to take a cautious approach with several starters. Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vasquez, JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, and newly signed Marco Gonzales are expected to see time in the starting rotation this season. Several in this group carry their own injury issues.

King spent the majority of last season on the injury list, which limited him to 15 starts. All eyes will be on him during his throwing sessions at the start of Spring Training. The organization is optimistic that King will return to form in 2026. 

Gonzales spent last season recovering from surgery that placed an internal brace to repair the flexor tendon in his left forearm. The injury limited him to 17 combined starts in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The latest procedure was the third surgery on Gonzales’ troublesome arm. If he makes the major league roster, the coaching staff will monitor the amount of innings-pitched all summer long.

It is undecided if Musgrove will begin the 2026 season on the Opening Day roster, as the Padres will monitor his progress during Cactus League appearances. They need to build up his arm strength before Musgrove makes his regular season debut.

It may be disappointing not to see him pitch in the opening series at Petco Park, but the goal is to keep Musgrove healthy all season long. 

We are getting close to the point where our Top 100 Prospect countdown crashes into the Prospect Vote, so we may not have too many more rounds to go here.

This time around, we determined a winner while one player on our ballot was DFAd (Jairo Iriarte) and a recent winner (Gage Ziehl) was dealt away. For now, we will keep Jairo on the ballot, but if his is claimed elsewhere we’ll add two players next go-round.

In very tight voting, Marcelo Alcala eked out the win, earning 8 of 44 (18%) votes:

The tight race among Alcala, Diaz and Schweitzer yielded the lowest share of the vote for a winner yet, at 18.18%. This was Alcala’s first time on our ballot.

Past No. 34s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote
2025 Voting lasted only 31 rounds
2024 Abraham Núñez (33%)
2023 Voting lasted only 24 rounds
2022 Voting lasted only 17 rounds
2021 Kodi Medeiros (23%)
2020 Alec Hansen (32%)
2019 Luis Curbelo (25%)
2018 Jameson Fisher (28%)

Alcala is the 15th hitter of 34 players to advance, as well as the third center fielder:

Left fielder Caden Connor, who traversed three levels of the White Sox minors in 2025, joins the ballot for this round.

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South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2026

1. Braden Mongomery — 59% (Smith 17%, Bonemer 9%, Schultz 7%, Antonacci 3%, Adams/Carlson/McDougal 2%, Fauske/Oppor 0%)
2. Hagen Smith — 40% (Bonemer 28%, Schultz 18%, McDougal 5%, Antonacci 4%, Carlson 3%, Bergolla/Oppor 1%, Adams/Fauske 0%)
3. Caleb Bonemer — 47% (Schultz 34%, Antonacci 10%, Carlson/McDougal 4%, Bergolla 2%, Adams/Fauske/Oppor/Perez 0%)
4. Noah Schultz — 49% (Antonacci 25%, Carlson 11%, McDougal 7%, Adams/Bergolla/Oppor 2%, Perez 1%, Fauske/Lodise 0%)
5. Sam Antonacci — 41% (Carlson 25%, McDougal 20%, Bergolla/Perez 4%, Oppor 3%, Adams 2%, Fauske 1%, Diaz/Lodise 0%)
6. Tanner McDougal — 39% (Carlson 36%, Bergolla 7%, Adams 6%, Pallette 5%, Fauske 3%, Oppor 2%, Lodise 1%, Diaz/Perez 0%)
7. Billy Carlson — 52% (Adams 18%, Oppor 12%, Bergolla 9%, Fauske 5%, Lodise/Pallette/Wolkow 2%, Diaz/Perez 0%)
8. Christian Oppor — 24% (Murphy 20%, Adams/Fauske 16%, Wolkow 10%, Bergolla 9%, Lodise/Pallette/Perez 1%, Diaz 0%)
9. Shane Murphy — 34% (Adams 20%, Wolkow 13%, Fauske 16%, Bergolla 9%, Palisch 4%, Lodise/Pallette/Perez 1%, Diaz 0%)
10. Mason Adams — 43% (Wolkow 22%, Bergolla 11%, Fauske/Pallette 10%, Lodise/Palisch/Perez 2%, Diaz/Hodge 0%)
11. Jaden Fauske — 24.0% (Perez 23.5%, Hodge 13.4%, Bergolla 12.9%, Wolkow 8%, Pallette 5%, Diaz/Gonzalez/Lodise/Palisch 3%)
12. Jeral Perez — 20% (Umberger 15%, Wolkow 13%, Hodge 12.3%, Palisch 11.9%, Bergolla 11.4%, Lodise 7.3%, Pallette 6.9%, Diaz 2%, Gonzalez 1%)
13. Grant Umberger — 28% (Palisch 19%, Wolkow 13%, Bergolla 12%, Hodge 11%, Lodise 10%, Pallette 4%, Diaz 3%, Gonzalez/Larson 1%)
14. Mathias LaCombe — 41% (Bergolla 19%, Wolkow 17%, Pallette 7%, Palisch 6%, Gonzalez 4%, Hodge/Lodise 2%, Diaz/Larson 1%)
15. William Bergolla — 35% (Wolkow 20%, Pallette/Palisch 13%, Larson 6%, Diaz/Gordon/Lodise 4%, Hodge 2%, Gonzalez 0%)
16. George Wolkow — 38% (Pallette 22%, Palisch 12%, Gordon 8%, Lodise 6%, Gonzalez 5%, Batista/Diaz/Larson 3%, Hodge 0%)
17. Peyton Pallette — 38% (Palisch 13%, Lodise 11%, Gordon/Larson 10%, Gonzalez 8%, Batista 5%, Diaz 3%, Hodge/Mogollón 2%)
18. Blake Larson — 21% (Lodise 18%, J. Gonzalez/Palisch 15%, C. Gonzalez 11%, Gordon 10%, Batista 5%, Mogollón 3%, Hodge 2%, Diaz 0%)
19. Ky Bush — 24% (Palisch 19%, C. Gonzalez/Lodise 16%, J. Gonzalez 8%, Gordon/Batista 6%, Mogollón 3%, Diaz 2%, Hodge 0%)
20. Jake Palisch — 26% (Paez 21%, Lodise 19%, J. Gonzalez 13%, C. Gonzalez/Gordon 8%, Batista/Hodge/Mogollón 2%, Diaz 0%)
21. Jedixson Paez — 45% (Nishida 20%, Gordon 14%, C. Gonzalez/Lodise 8%, J. Gonzalez 4%, Mogollón 2%, Batista/Diaz/Hodge 0%)
22. Christian Gonzalez — 22% (Nishida 18%, Gordon 17%, J. Gonzalez 15%, Lodise 10%, Hodge 8%, Batista 5%, Mogollón 3%, Diaz 2%, Ziehl 0%)
23. Rikuu Nishida — 30% (Gordon 18%, J. Gonzalez 15%, Gowens 10%, Lodise 8%, Batista 7%, Hodge/Mogollón/Ziehl 3%, Diaz 2%)
24. Kyle Lodise — 23% (J. Gonzalez/Gowens 18%, Gordon 14%, Batista/Carela 7%, Diaz/Hodge/Mogollón/Ziehl 4%)
25. Jacob Gonzalez— 26% (Gowens 21%, Gordon 20%, Schweitzer 11%, Batista 6%, Mogollón/Ziehl 5%, Hodge 3%, Carela/Diaz 2%)
26. Riley Gowens — 29% (Zavala 21%, Carela 13%, Gordon 11%, Batista 7%, 11%, Ziehl 5%, Diaz/Hodge/Mogollón/Schweitzer 4%)
27. Samuel Zavala — 33% (Carela/Gordon 15%, Alcala 10%, Ziehl 8%, Batista/Schweitzer 5%, Diaz/Hodge/Mogollón 3%)
28. Lucas Gordon — 36% (Carela 19%, Alcala/Batista/Schweitzer 9%, Mogollón/Ziehl 5%, Diaz/Hodge 3%, Albertus 2%)
29. Juan Carela — 28% (Diaz/Hodge 13%, Batista 11%, Alcala 9%, Iriarte/Schweitzer 7%, Albertus/Mogollón/Ziehl 4%)
30. Landon Hodge — 19% (Batista 15%, Iriarte 13%, Alcala/Diaz/Ziehl 10%, Albertus/Schweitzer 8%, Mogollón 6%, Rodriguez 2%)
31. Gage Ziehl — 19% (Albertus 17%, Alcala/Galanie 12%, Iriarte 9%, Batista/Diaz/Rodriguez/Schweitzer 7%, Mogollón 3%)
32. Zach Franklin — 38% (Alcala 15%, Batista 13%, Albertus/Diaz/Schweitzer 8%, Galanie/Iriarte/Mogollón/Rodriguez 3%)
33. Phil Fox — 24% (Alcala 16%, Batista/Galanie 12%, Iriarte/Schweitzer 10%, Albertus/Diaz 6%, Mogollón/Rodriguez 2%)
34. Marcelo Alcala — 18% (Alcala 16%, Diaz/Schweitzer 16%, Batista 14%, Albertus/Galanie 9%, Iriarte/Mogollón 7%, Rodriguez 5%, Burrowes 0%)

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Alexander Albertus
Third Baseman
Age 21
2025 high level Arizona Complex League (Rookie)
Age relative to high level +0.4 years
Overall 2025 stats 8 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 2 RBI ▪️ .333/.520/.444 ▪️ 3-of-3 (100.0%) SB ▪️ 6 BB ▪️ 3 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.3 WAR

What can you say further about Albertus? He seems to have great tools but an uncanny ability to stay off of the field (just eight games in a season-plus in the White Sox system). In 2025, he was assigned to Kannapolis but was … wait for it … injured. He lasted just eight games of ACL rehab before hitting the IL-60 again.

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Aldrin Batista
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 22
2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 6
2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -1.2 years
Overall 2025 stats 2-0 ▪️ 7 games (2 starts) ▪️ 14 IP ▪️ 5.79 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 1.429 WHIP ▪️-1.2 WAR

Batista was our No. 6-voted player in last year’s poll and top righthander — and then disaster struck, as he started the third Dash game of the season on April 6 and then was out more than four months with a stress fracture in his right (pitching) elbow. His return in late August was iffy, with three poor relief appearances of five. But he ended the season with a scoreless (two-inning) “opener” start, which hopefully reverses the curse for 2026.

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Ryan Burrowes
Second Baseman
Age 21
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 23
2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking N/R
2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -2.0 years
Overall 2025 stats (Low-A/High-A) 111 games ▪️ 6 HR ▪️ 39 RBI ▪️ .255/.342/.355 ▪️ 47-of-53 (88.7%) SB ▪️ 39 BB ▪️ 110 K ▪️ .976 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR

It feels like Burrowes has been around forever, and he’s still only 21 years old (and playing at a level significantly younger than his age). His first taste of High-A ball went pretty well, as his baserunning seems to have no trouble translating at any level. The hit tool is solid, although he continues to struggle with contact — a no-no for a speed-over-power guy.

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Caden Connor
Left Fielder
Age 25
2025 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -2.3 years
Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA/AAA) 126 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 64 RBI ▪️ .272/.358/.366 ▪️ 13-of-16 (81.3%) SB ▪️ 60 BB ▪️ 81 K ▪️ .982 FLD%▪️ 1.9 WAR

Like Ryan Galanie, it’s hard to know what to make of Connor. The end of the 2025 season, at Charlotte, marked the first time in his pro career that he’s not played old for his level. But aside from a dip in July, Connor hit well all season and didn’t get dunked underwater at Charlotte. Theoretically with a weak White Sox outfield, the sky’s the limit for him in 2026.

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Reudis Diaz
Right-handed relief pitcher
Age 20
2025 high level ACL (Rookie)
Age relative to high level -2.1 years
Overall 2025 stats 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 finishes) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR

Who? You’re forgiven for being unfamiliar with an extremely young arm who hasn’t yet gotten out of rookie ball, but our No. 77 prospect a year ago (then a starter, repeating the DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment Stateside. He’ll return to starting in 2026, likely getting his feet wet in Arizona and getting a promotion to Low-A in the second half of the season.

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Ryan Galanie
First Baseman
Age 25
2025 high level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level +1.3 years
Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA) 119 games ▪️ 11 HR ▪️ 94 RBI ▪️ .276/.327/.422 ▪️ 14-of-17 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 35 BB ▪️ 79 K ▪️ .995 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR

It’s been a slow but steady climb for this 13th-rounder in 2023. The good news here is, with the caveat that Galanie has always competed older than his level, Galanie has found some footing. While his power/slugging numbers are merely OK, he drove in 94 runs in 2025. He disappeared a bit in the playoffs for Birmingham (just four hits in six games, with five walks as well) but started every game in the march to a second consecutive Southern League title for the Barons.

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Jairo Iriarte
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 24
2025 SSS Top Prospect Vote Ranking 19
2025 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -4.3 years
Overall 2025 stats (Rookie/AAA) 3-3▪️ 1 SV ▪️ 37 games (5 starts, 9 finishes) ▪️ 48 IP ▪️ 7.13 ERA ▪️ 50 K ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 1.917 WHIP ▪️ -0.8 WAR

The 2025 season was an utter disaster for Iriarte, who went from prospective South Side rotation member to lost in space. The righty, who made his brief debut in the majors in 2024, both lost the plate and misplaced his strikeout power. The Brian Bannister Pitching Lab has its work cut out here, for sure.

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Javier Mogollón
Shortstop
Age 20
2025 high level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.4 years
Overall 2025 stats 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .220/.347/.387 ▪️ 15-of-21 (71.4%) SB ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 56 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.0 WAR

An ascending star just one year ago, we have to tap the breaks a bit on Mogollón after a lackluster first full season of minors ball. While still young for his level and managing to keep his head above water in a new league every season of his career, Mogollón’s undeniable hitting in Rookie ball fell off significantly with the Cannon Ballers. However, how much of that was due to battling injury is undetermined, as Mogollón was shelved for what turned out to be the season on July 2.

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Yobal Rodriguez
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age18
2025 high levelDSL White Sox (Rookie)
Age relative to high level -1.5 years
Overall 2025 stats0-3 ▪️ 13 games (10 starts) ▪️ 30 1/3 IP ▪️2.97 ERA ▪️ 33 K ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 1.022 WHIP ▪️ 1.2 WAR

Rodriguez is a rare DSL pitcher, not for his relatively light innings load, but as a primary starter — and at just 17 years old (Yobal turns 18 on February 9). Inasmuch as it’s tough to project anyone out of the DSL, especially pitchers, you could hardly have hoped for more from him in his pro debut.

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Tyler Schweitzer
Left-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age25
2025 high levelCharlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -3.3 years
Overall 2025 stats (AA/AAA) 8-2 ▪️ 27 games (10 starts) ▪️ 99 2/3 IP ▪️4.61 ERA ▪️ 81 K ▪️ 41 BB ▪️ 1.344 WHIP ▪️ 0.8 WAR

Schweitzer relieved in most of his games in 2025, but he remains a starter in our eyes given he was consistently paired with Tanner McDougal in Birmingham Barons starts. And in Birmingham, Schweitzer was divine: 1.27 ERA that included a long scoreless streak leading to a Charlotte promotion, 0.946 WHIP. However, everything the southpaw did as a Baron, he undid as a Knight (7.92 ERA, 1.740 ERA). While other gilded arms (Drew Thorpe, Grant Taylor) get to skip Charlotte entirely, Schweitzer was not so lucky. And that luck could prevent him from ever seeing the majors.

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Past South Side Sox Prospect votes

• Here is how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here is an archive of every article in the 2018 series.
• Here is how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well.
• Now 2020, with the archive.
• Here is the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive.
• Here is the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
• Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
• In 2024 Abraham Núñez was our 34th pick to end the series, and here is the wrap-up post and full archive of each profile.
• And last year, we did 31 picks, ending with Eric Adler. Here is the wrap and full stream, of every article.

Busy day, huh? The week’s off to an exciting start so far, what with the news about the future of the Braves on TV/streaming, the Braves having their annual Truck Day and our minor league crew getting their preseason prospect rankings underway. Which one was the most exciting part for you so far? The floor is now yours.

Here’s a random clip:

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders told his team about the time he doused baseball broadcaster Tim McCarver with water in October 1992, calling it “wrong” but also saying “God had my back” about it.

Sanders brought up the infamous incident at a recent team meeting in Boulder, as documented by Reach The People Media, one of Sanders’ favored YouTube channels. Sanders told his team it was an example of being able to go back to a “dark place” in your past. He said, “God allows you to go into it so that you can understand who He is and his power and how He can bring you out of nothing and turn it into something.”

Sanders, 58, was playing baseball for the Atlanta Braves when he doused McCarver with tubs of water in the postgame locker room after the Braves won the National League Championship Series that year. He said it was revenge for comments McCarver previously made about Sanders that described Sanders as selfish for leaving the Braves to also play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. The memory resurfaced for Sanders recently after apparently being asked about it for an upcoming film about Sanders on Netflix.

“My mother had told me this gentleman who just broadcast a game is talking about you real bad,” Sanders told his players. “And, you know, when mama talked to us like that, you act. I'm a Florida boy. Like we act immediately. So after we won the playoffs, I threw two buckets of water, which was wrong. Two buckets of water on him and doused him and doused him and doused him, and dousing them until he, you know, got upset about it. But I was thinking that he should have known his craft.”

Deion Sanders said 'God had my back' after Tim McCarver incident

He blamed McCarver for not doing his “homework” and not knowing Sanders’  contract with the Braves had been set to expire earlier that summer before he worked out a deal that allowed him to help the baseball team in its playoff push. Instead of being portrayed by McCarver as selfish, he said he thought it should have been portrayed as a “wonderful gesture” by him to continue playing with the team.

After dousing McCarver, the Braves advanced to the World Series to play the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanders played well against the Blue Jays, especially against Blue Jays pitcher David Cone. He suggested his success in that series was proof that God has his back about the McCarver incident. He hit .533 overall in that series with five stolen bases, but the Braves lost in six games.

“That hurt,” Sanders said of McCarver’s comments. “That hurt my mom. That hurt me. But lo and behold, God had my back. Why would I say God had my back? Because the opposing team was the Toronto Blue Jays that we played in the World Series had a pitcher on the team named David Cone. David Cone was a great pitcher. He should be in Hall of Fame. But David Cone, my lifelong average against him was about .600.”

Deion Sanders wanted to win MVP so Tim McCarver could interview him

Sanders said he would have been named World Series MVP if the Braves had won.

“But we lost,” Sanders said. “But I wanted to win so bad because that gentleman that was naysaying me (McCarver) would have had to interview me for being the MVP. And that's what I wanted, but it didn’t happen that way. But we got into it.”

McCarver died in 2023 at age 81. After Sanders doused him with water in 1992, he confronted Sanders. “You’re a real man, Deion,” McCarver told him. “I’ll say that.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deion Sanders tells team about Tim McCarver incident in 1992 MLB playoffs

Wichita State transfers have fared well with the Horned Frogs.

One year after former Shocker left-hander Payton Tolle transferred to TCU, right-hander Tommy LaPour left the Shockers for the Horned Frogs. LaPour became an ace for TCU, posting an 8-3 record and a 3.09 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 27 walks over 90.2 innings pitched. LaPour, who was named an All-Big 12 First Team honoree and an NCBWA Second-Team All-American last season, headlines the pitchers back for the TCU baseball team.

While LaPour projects as TCU’s top right-hander, Mason Brassfield returns as the team’s most valuable lefty. As a freshman, Brassfield carved out a significant role, finishing 5-2 with a 4.09 ERA over 17 appearances and seven starts. Brassfield, who ranked second on the team in innings (61.2) last season, will look to fill a void vacated by left-handers Braeden Sloan and Ben Abeldt, who were each selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.

TCU’s pitching staff will look quite different in 2026. The Horned Frogs have lost senior right-hander Louis Rodriguez to an elbow injury, while right-handers Cohen Feser, Kole Klecker, Trey Neumann, Jax Traeger, Carson Cormier, Blake Rogers and Mason Bixby all departed for the transfer portal. Caedmon Parker, who opted to return for 2025 after being drafted in 2024, was drafted again in 2025 and is pursuing his professional career.

🇺🇸⭐ D1Baseball Preseason Second-Team All-America SP ⭐🇺🇸

🥈 Jason DeCaro, @DiamondHeels
🥈 Casan Evans, @LSUbaseball
🥈 Aidan King, @GatorsBB
🥈 Tommy LaPour, @TCU_Baseball
🥈 Dylan Volantis, @TexasBaseball

🔗 https://t.co/Pq6LFlOMjRpic.twitter.com/yEG3PVGX6e

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) January 24, 2026

One player to watch will be Trever Baumler, a sophomore right-hander and outfielder who ranked sixth on the team with 38 innings thrown last season. Baumler had mixed results on the mound, posting a 6.39 ERA over 13 appearances and eight starts. Another player who could earn more innings is left-hander/utility standout Noah Franco. One of the top freshmen in the Big 12 last season, Franco tossed 12.1 innings last year, making three starts in eight appearances. Franco finished with a 7.30 ERA as well as 18 strikeouts and nine walks.

TCU will deploy a multitude of young arms in 2026. Among those are sophomores Tyler Phenow, Kade Eudy, Nate Stern, Zack James and Kaden Smith. Eudy emerged as a reliable closer in the bullpen, notching a 3.75 ERA and earning a team-high six saves last season. Stern quietly became a consistent option in middle relief, leading the team with a 1.35 ERA on 29 strikeouts and 10 walks over 20 innings. James went 3-0 on the season, threw 20 innings and made four starts, while Smith made 14 relief appearances and finished with a 5.25 ERA last season.

Through the transfer portal, TCU brought in senior left-hander Nolan Johnson (North Dakota State) as well as right-handers Tanner Sagouspe (Cal Poly), Ethan Thomas (Hawaii), Lance Davis (Arkansas) and Walter Quinn (Grand Canyon). Johnson brings a wealth of experience from the Summit League, as he played four seasons at NDSU and was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Year in 2025. At NDSU, Johnson made 21 starts as part of 32 appearances, posting a 9-8 record and a 4.27 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 128.2 career innings pitched.

🐸FALL REPORT: TCU

With one of the better Friday night starters in @NCAABaseball + depth and experience, @TCU_Baseball looks like a #Big12 and potential national title contender.

My inside scoop on #TCU's Fall Workouts

READ: https://t.co/3lgzpD9F9jpic.twitter.com/8chJMy0bT9

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) December 18, 2025

A senior and an All-Big West Honorable Mention in 2024, Sagouspe compiled 62 career appearances over four years at Cal Poly. Sagouspe was 8-6 with 15 career saves and a 4.06 ERA, racking up 120 strikeouts in 99.2 career innings. Thomas arrives as a redshirt sophomore who spent two years at Hawaii, where he made 18 appearances out of the bullpen in 2025. Thomas posted a 3.60 ERA and struck out 37 batters over 25 innings of work.

Quinn received Second-Team All-WAC honors at Grand Canyon in 2025. The senior started his career on Grand Canyon’s club baseball team and left Grand Canyon in 10th place all-time with 12 career saves. Quinn made 54 appearances over three years, recording a 3.21 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 95.1 innings of work. Davis redshirted last season and will be looking to make his collegiate debut with the Horned Frogs this season.

Rounding out the TCU pitching staff will be true freshman Uli Fernsler, a left-hander and a highly-ranked recruit. Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 70 overall prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft, Fernsler was tabbed a first-team high school All-American and earned Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior.