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2026 Brewers Minor League Season Recap

BILOXI, MS - SEPTEMBER 20: Andrew Fischer #25 of the Biloxi Shuckers looks on prior to the game between the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the Biloxi Shuckers at Keesler Federal Park on Sunday, September 20, 2026 in Biloxi, Mississippi. (Photo by Sierra Gatz/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering… sorry, force of habit. With the Biloxi Shuckers’ loss in the third and final game of the Southern League Championship Series, the season is officially over for each of the Brewers’ affiliates, which means it’s time to take a look at what happened in the minors this season.

Notable Graduations: 23 starts into Logan Henderson’s career, he has yet to have a bad start. Henderson hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any given start in his entire career, which ties him with Zac Gallen for the record. His 0.844 WHIP is the lowest by a rookie starting pitcher (min. 50 innings) since Elmer Steele, who did it in 1908. No rookie has pitched as well as Henderson since a guy who made his major league debut for the Boston Americans. Hard to overstate just how incredible he’s been as a steady presence in a rotation that’s been beset by injuries and, at times, underperformance.

Other notable pitching prospects who graduated included Brandon Sproat, who flashed amazing stuff but will need to work on his control to become a viable major league starting pitcher, and Shane Drohan, who posted a 4.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 123 innings this season. Despite having made his debut over two years ago now, Robert Gasser was still considered a prospect coming into the season, and he’s been an integral part of the rotation for much of the season. Recently, Gasser has seemed to flip a switch; since his emergency relief “start” on August 26, he’s put up a 1.67 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 32 1/3 innings, bringing his ERA for the season down to 3.38.

Luis Lara came out hot this season, earning himself both a call-up and a contract extension by mid-summer. In 60 games with the Brewers, he’s only slashed .246/.313/.326, but his defense in right field has been stellar — one of the reasons he’s been worth 1.1 bWAR in less than three months. The other prospect to earn an extension was Cooper Pratt, who looks to be cementing himself as the shortstop of the future. Pratt is hitting .281 with a .716 OPS and has been worth 1.6 bWAR in 221 at-bats with Milwaukee.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Record: 80-69
Standout performances:

  • OF Luis Lara: .321/.432/.470 in 287 at-bats
  • 1B/3B Luke Adams: .259/.418/.509 in 212 at-bats
  • 1B/OF Tyler Black: .246/.368/.387 in 354 at-bats
  • RHP Coleman Crow: 105 1/3 IP (led Sounds), 3.59 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 102 K, 35 BB
  • RHP Garrett Stallings: 82 IP, 3.95 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 78 K, 28 BB
  • RHP Blake Holub: 55 2/3 IP, 2.10 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 66 K, 21 BB

Looking at Triple-A stats at the end of the year is always a bit weird because the best prospects (and a good number of the AAAA guys) usually don’t spend a ton of time at the level. It’s rare that a top prospect spends a full year raking in Triple-A; as with Lara, the organization usually will want to see whether said prospect can replicate their success in the majors.

With that being said, there’s still a lot worth mentioning out of Nashville. Luke Adams was ranked as a top-10 organizational prospect prior to last season, is still ranked at No. 13, and just posted an OPS well over .900 in 212 at-bats. He doesn’t have much more to prove in Triple-A, which theoretically would make him a candidate to make the big leagues next year.

The reason he’s not getting more love is that the Brewers are stacked with corner infielders and corner infield prospects. To illustrate my point: in some organizations, guys like Tyler Black (and maybe even Brock Wilken) would have gotten a real shot in the big leagues. Because the Brewers are as deep as they are, playing time is harder to come by. At the same time, Adams has hit at every level despite a somewhat unconventional swing (that has gotten more conventional in recent years) and just posted a career-high 16 home runs (13 in Triple-A). Should he get an opportunity — whether due to injuries or potential offseason moves — it won’t surprise me if he takes advantage of it.

Another player I’d like to see more of in the big leagues is Coleman Crow, who led Sounds starting pitchers in both ERA and innings pitched. In his brief time with Milwaukee, he impressed, and he reminds me a little bit of guys like Chad Patrick and Drohan who weren’t super highly-regarded prospects, but developed into dependable swingmen. Crow’s curveball also might be one of the best pitches in the entire organization. One thing worth mentioning is that, at 5’10”, 175 lbs, he’s a good deal smaller than Patrick and Drohan, and most pitchers — more Tim Lincecum-esque, if anything. Still, that hasn’t stopped him so far.

Garrett Stallings, who also pitched well in limited time with the Brewers, served as a dependable option for the Sounds. Guys who can show up in Milwaukee and pitch three scoreless innings out of the pen don’t grow on trees, so it speaks to the Brewers’ pitching depth that he’s a Triple-A arm. Also, he’s a great guy:

Blake Holub also deserves some love, as a 2.10 ERA in 55 2/3 innings out of the bullpen is nothing to sneeze at.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Jeferson Quero and Jett Williams, two top-10 organizational prospects coming into the season, both had somewhat disappointing years.

As signaled by the acquisition of Bo Naylor, Milwaukee seems to lack confidence in Quero’s arm being what it was prior to the labrum injury he suffered after his first at-bat of 2024. He started 48 games at catcher compared to 70 at designated hitter and by the end of the year was pretty much only a DH. Quero allowed 98 stolen bases in 116 attempts, or over two stolen bases per game, which works out to a pretty abysmal 15.5% caught-stealing rate.

Williams’ season also ended up looking less-than-ideal due to injuries, but there’s more cause for optimism with him. He had just one plate appearance since July 7 due to elbow and ankle injuries; in other words, he essentially missed the last three months of the season. Williams ended his season slashing .233/.340/.384 (.724 OPS) over 81 games; not a terrible line, but also not an improvement on his time with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate (.718 OPS). Still, he might have ended up in Milwaukee anyway had it not been for the injuries.

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers

Record: 66-68
Standout performances:

  • 1B Blake Burke: .285/.367/.603, 30 HR in 375 at-bats
  • 1B/3B Andrew Fischer: .254/.389/.637, 28 HR in 248 at-bats
  • C Matthew Wood: .257/.398/.492, 18 HR in 303 at-bats
  • LF Josh Adamczewski: .278/.382/.465 in 241 at-bats

Biloxi had a few mainstays — among them No. 1 overall prospect Jesús Made — but there was a good amount of roster reshuffling down in Mississippi, which explains why the Shuckers won their division in the first half but finished the second half under .500.

Still, despite finishing the full season with a losing record, the Shuckers had the most successful season of any Brewers affiliate. Their first-half division title guaranteed them a playoff berth, and they swept the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the best-of-three division series to earn a spot in the championship series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, where they lost the decisive third game by two runs.

What made this team special? Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said this year’s Shuckers were “probably the greatest collection of high-upside talent” he’d ever seen on one club. This season, Biloxi rostered baseball’s No. 1 prospect (Made), the minor league home run leader (Andrew Fischer), the Southern League MVP (Blake Burke), and all four finalists for the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year award.

Made spent the entire season as the Southern League’s youngest player and still hit .271/.344/.430 with 14 home runs, 37 steals, and 91 RBIs, breaking Jackson Chourio’s franchise record of 90. The underlying numbers are even better: a 10.2% walk rate and a 14.3% strikeout rate as a teenager in Double-A is ridiculous. No more ink needs to be spilled on him; he’s the No. 1 prospect in baseball for a reason. Hopefully fans will get to see him in Triple-A to start next season.

The refrain you’ll see with regard to Fischer is that he strikes out too much. That’s true — Fischer is the final boss of three-true-outcome prospects. If he makes the majors, he’ll be a rare case; Joey Gallo is pretty much the only player to strike out that much (33%) in the minors and become an established major leaguer, and even then, he didn’t last all that long.

Then again, Fischer also walked 102 times, hit 48 home runs (plus two more in the playoffs), and posted a 1.067 OPS in his first full professional season. His 48 regular-season home runs are the most by any minor leaguer since Ron Kittle hit 50 in 1982, and second only to Gorman Thomas (51 in 1974) among Brewers minor leaguers. He also led all qualified full-season minor leaguers in slugging (.654) and OPS. Maybe he’s just a unicorn? Nothing he’s done so far suggests that he isn’t…

Burke won Southern League MVP even though he was promoted to Nashville on August 10. Yeah, you read that right: Burke won MVP despite not being in the league the last month and a half of the season. In 96 games with Biloxi, he hit .285/.367/.603 with 30 home runs, leading the league in average, slugging, and OPS and setting Shuckers single-season records for homers and OPS. He needed only 88 games to reach 30 home runs, the fastest any Double-A hitter has done it since at least 2005. Burke also stole 29 bases and flashed the leather a few times at first base. I’m planting my flag: even though he struggled in Triple-A (.193/.299/.336 in 119 at-bats), I think Burke is the Brewers’ first baseman of the future.

Also of note: Made, Fischer, and catcher Darrien Miller were the three Shuckers sent to Nashville for the Brewers’ “stay ready” camp after the season ended, which is a nice little nod to how the organization views them.

Josh Adamczewski has raked everywhere he’s been, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that he had another great season. A 15th-round pick in 2023, he hit .331 with a 1.036 OPS for Wisconsin, got promoted in mid-June, and then hit safely in each of his first 12 games with Biloxi. He finished with a .278/.382/.465 line at Double-A and made the Southern League All-Star team. Across both levels, he hit .300/.417/.509 with 18 homers and 78 walks. Baseball America now has him at No. 88 overall, and he should be higher going into next season.

Matthew Wood also merits a mention. The 25-year-old catcher, a fourth-round pick out of Penn State in 2022, didn’t make the Brewers’ top 30 list heading into the season, but he was one of the Shuckers’ best players this year. Not only did he post an .890 OPS with 18 home runs, but he also kept hitting in the playoffs, homering and driving in four runs in the game that clinched the division series against Pensacola, then doubling in Game 1 of the championship series.

The obvious caveat is age. Twenty-five is on the older side for Double-A, so it’s fair to want to see him do it in Triple-A before getting too excited. Still, remember what I said about Quero? Milwaukee’s catching situation beyond next season is murkier than it’s been in a while, and a left-handed-hitting catcher whom scouts have long considered capable of sticking behind the plate is exactly the kind of player who could sneak into the picture.

On the mound, Manuel Rodríguez was the Shuckers’ workhorse. The 21-year-old went 13-4, a new Shuckers record for wins, albeit with a 4.74 ERA. With that being said, his ERA in High-A last year was 3.01, and he led the entire organization with 133 innings, so the Brewers clearly see something in him. A 21-year-old throwing 133 innings with fairly respectable numbers is impressive in its own right.

By the end of the season, Biloxi’s rotation featured three starters ranked as top 20 organizational prospects. Bishop Letson and Josh Knoth are ranked No. 8 and 9, respectively, by MLB Pipeline, while J.D. Thompson comes in at No. 18. Letson’s surface numbers (4.85 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) aren’t pretty, but he finished strong. He posted a 1.69 ERA over his last three starts, then threw seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in the Shuckers’ Game 2 win against Rocket City.

Knoth missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery and came back to throw 87 2/3 innings with a 4.11 ERA and 87 strikeouts, including a 2.77 ERA in three late-season starts with Biloxi. For a pitcher coming off a lost year, it’s good just to see him stack innings, but his stats aren’t anything to sneeze at, either. Thompson, a 2025 second-rounder, missed time due to injury but put up a 3.98 ERA in 17 starts between High-A and Double-A.

Like Letson, both Knoth and Thompson finished strong this season after a couple of rough early outings, showing that they’re figuring it out. Knoth put up a 2.77 ERA in 3 Double-A starts prior to the playoffs. That’s all the Brewers — and Shuckers — want to see from three young, extremely talented pitching prospects.

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Record: 80-69
Standout performances:

  • 1B/3B Eric Bitonti: .270/.391/.525, 25 HR in 400 at-bats
  • 2B Daniel Dickinson: .282/.428/.441, 60 SB in 390 at-bats
  • OF Braylon Payne: .277/.369/.561, 23 HR in 367 at-bats
  • OF Luis Castillo: .245/.357/.469, 20 HR in 310 at-bats

Wisconsin’s season was hard to evaluate because so much of its talent left town early. Fischer, Adamczewski, and Braylon Payne all started the year in Appleton before being promoted to Biloxi. Even so, the Timber Rattlers had one of the Midwest League’s better offenses.

The centerpiece of that offense should have been Luis Peña, MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall prospect, but unfortunately his season was defined more by what happened off the field than on it. Peña collapsed in the dugout, reportedly due to severe dehydration, in late April, and ended up missing a month. He had a second health scare a few weeks after his return, then missed another two weeks with a hamstring injury in June. When he played, he was very good, slashing .298/.384/.420 with 27 steals in 51 games.

Peña was promoted to Biloxi in mid-August, but fractured his fibula just a couple of weeks later while trying to steal third. The Brewers expect him to make a full recovery, but it will be anywhere from six to nine months before he’s back on the field, meaning he likely won’t be ready to play to begin 2027.

Eric Bitonti, ranked No. 26 in the system by MLB Pipeline, was one of the biggest breakouts in the farm system. He hit 25 home runs, all with Wisconsin, setting a new franchise record. He also hit .262/.378/.507 with 93 RBIs and 24 steals, all at just 20 years old. Bitonti’s raw power has never been in question; the question was whether he could do the other stuff well enough to stay on the field. This year, he did, and he played third base — not first — better than he ever has. All of that earned him a spot in Biloxi for the final week of the season. Frankly, I think he’s still underrated by Pipeline at No. 26.

That home run record Bitonti broke? It was set by his teammate Payne, the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2024 and my pick for breakout player of the year. I’ve spilled a lot of ink on Payne already, but in short: he would have been a great prospect even if his power had never developed. It did.

Payne hit .277/.369/.561 with 23 homers in 77 games and made the Midwest League All-Star team. He didn’t slow down after his promotion to Biloxi, either, posting an .846 OPS in 25 games and homering in the playoffs. Put it all together, and you’ve got a speedy 20-year-old outfielder with 28 homers and 25 steals. He should be a consensus top-100 prospect going into next season.

Former sixth-round pick Daniel Dickinson doesn’t get the same attention, but he stole 61 bases (!) with 11 homers and an .866 OPS, mostly with Wisconsin, before a late promotion to Biloxi. Also of note: Luis Castillo led the team with 90 RBIs and hit 20 home runs.

Marco Dinges kept hitting this year, with an .855 OPS in nearly 300 at-bats, but he almost exclusively served as a designated hitter this year, starting 19 games at catcher and 55 at DH. Something to keep an eye on: with Wood and Darrien Miller both playing well in Double-A, his only catching three games there makes sense, but he started more than twice as many games at DH as at catcher with Wisconsin.

While Wisconsin got plenty of standout performances at the plate, the pitching staff, which ranked 10th of 12 teams in ERA, was less impressive. The exception was Wande Torres. Over his last 12 outings with Wisconsin, Torres went 6-0 with a 2.32 ERA, striking out 76 and walking 20 in 62 innings, and he won the organization’s Pitcher of the Month award in both July and August. His full-season numbers (4.15 ERA, 126 strikeouts in 115 innings) undersell how good he was down the stretch.

Single-A Wilson Warbirds

Record: 80-69
Standout performances:

  • SS Brady Ebel: .261/.417/.420 in 383 at-bats
  • OF Handelfry Encarnacion: .250/.379/.405 in 432 at-bats
  • OF Brailyn Antunez: .339/.450/.573 in 124 at-bats
  • RHP Miqueas Mercedes: 73 2/3 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 71 K, 45 BB

The Wilson Warbirds, formerly the Carolina Mudcats, had an eventful inaugural season. They went 64-66, but led the Carolina League with 13 walk-off wins. It’s worth mentioning that they were within a game and a half of a playoff spot in mid-August before losing their final 12 games. Like Wisconsin, the Warbirds could hit, finishing second in the league in runs.

Brady Ebel, the No. 32 overall pick in 2025, was named the top prospect in the Carolina League. Early on, that didn’t look probable at all, as Ebel went 2-for-35 over his first 10 games. However, after that, he slashed .261/.417/.420 with 10 homers, 96 walks, and 39 steals in 105 games before a late promotion to Wisconsin. Oh, and he led the entire organization in walks. A .417 OBP from a 19-year-old shortstop in his first full season is about as good a sign as you’ll get when evaluating a prospect. Pipeline clearly agrees, as Ebel is now ranked as the Brewers’ No. 4 prospect, behind only Made, Peña, and Adamczewski.

His younger brother Trey Ebel, the Brewers’ first-round pick this summer, joined Wilson after Brady’s promotion and walked 16 times in 13 games. Plate discipline apparently runs in the family. Also — in an instance of baseball being weird — Trey got to finish a plate appearance that Brady started. That plate appearance ended with a walk.

What do you make of a hitter with 23 home runs and a .173 batting average? That’s the question with Jose Anderson. The 19-year-old led the team in homers and RBIs (70) and hit three walk-off home runs, including an 11th-inning walk-off grand slam against Salem. He’d hit 19 homers in 140 games over the two previous seasons, so the power is real. However, unlike Fischer, he hasn’t proven he can hit for average or get on base — Anderson had a 10.5% walk rate this year.

Brailyn Antunez might have raised his stock more than anyone in the organization over the final month. After a promotion from the Arizona Complex League, the 18-year-old outfielder slashed .339/.450/.573 with seven homers in 124 at-bats and won Carolina League Player of the Month for August. It’s a small sample, sure, but it’s hard to ask for a better introduction to full-season ball.

As in Wisconsin, the pitching staff, which also ranked 10th of 12 teams in ERA, couldn’t keep pace with the offense. There were a few bright spots, though. Miqueas Mercedes led all qualified Brewers minor league pitchers with a 2.81 ERA, although he also walked 45 batters in less than 75 innings. Swiss Army knife lefty reliever Jose Meneses posted a 1.88 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings before moving up to Wisconsin. Jarrette Bonet, an undrafted free agent signed in 2025, led the team with 100 strikeouts; his 4.86 ERA isn’t great, but it’s a solid first full season for a UDFA.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning Frank Cairone, the Brewers’ 2025 supplemental second-round pick, who was seriously injured in a car accident in January. He was back on the mound in the Arizona Complex League by July, then pitched for Wilson before the season ended. The numbers don’t matter; it’s just great to see him pitching.

Play of the Year

While there were a number of deserving plays this year, only one made history:

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MLB News: MLB Postseason, Justin Verlander retires, Max Scherzer, Christian Yelich, Pete Alonso, Dan Wilson

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Some moments in baseball feel so cinematic they barely seem to be real, and this weekend we saw one such moment in the final start of Justin Verlander’s career. In A League of Their Own, Tom Hanks famously declares, “There’s no crying in baseball!” but this weekend proved that things were a little more like Moneyball. “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” As Verlander’s final career start came to an end, it wasn’t Tigers manager AJ Hinch who went to the mound to collect the ball from his starter, but rather Verlander’s eight-year-old daughter Genevieve. Verlander was clearly emotional, openly crying as he hugged his daughter before Hinch joined him on the mound and he shook hands and hugged his teammates before waving to the standing crowd at Comerica Park. It was, one might say, a perfect finale. Hollywood couldn’t have done it better.

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Verlander might not be the only ace calling it a career, though, as many speculate that Max Scherzer’s incredible final outing on Sunday in Toronto could very well be his curtain call as well.

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We look at that, and also the postseason picture below, because while some teams are packing it up and getting ready for next year, we still have plenty of postseason baseball to get through.

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Let’s get right into today’s links.

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How can you not be romantic about baseball? pic.twitter.com/SRitybOvCv

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 26, 2026
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And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

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Kansas City Royals news: This 2026 Royals season is over

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 01: A general view of Kauffman Stadium on Easter, April 1, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. The scheduled game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals was postponed due to weather. (Photo by Brian Davidson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Michael Wacha reached the 200-innings mark this year, writes Jaylon Thompson.

“Yeah, getting to that 200 mark is definitely a cool feeling,” Wacha said. “It’s always been a goal of mine as a starting pitcher to reach that number. And yeah, definitely a cool memory that I’ll have.”

Wacha gave up six runs — although only two were earned — in what turned out to be an 11-5 loss on Saturday to the Guardians.

“You know, he’s battled some things just like everybody does throughout the course of the year,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said pregame. “And having your body go through the rigors of pitching this many innings. But, he’s never wavered, and he takes a lot of pride in it. And we’ve seen him continually evolve year after year.”

Jackson Stone has more.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Professional, gives you everything he’s got. I know he was frustrated with the results tonight, but you look up and he’s out there in the seventh. … I love the guy. Love everything about him, love the way he competes.”

He also writes that Carter Jensen continues to set rookie records.

He’s now homered 20 times while batting leadoff and playing catcher, which is eight more such home runs in a career than anyone else in MLB history. 

That’s not your normal catcher.

“He’s driven. We talk about it all the time. He works, he’s committed, he wants to be better,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I know he’s had a really good season. I mean, anytime you pass Mike Piazza in something, that’s pretty impressive. We talk about his growth on the defensive side of the ball as well, but overall, he still wants to be better. He’s not satisfied.”

Here is what this year’s MLB postseason bracket looks like.

Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Red Sox.

How the Tigers blindsided Justin Verlander with an emotional send off in his last game.

Kirby Yates makes his first career start in his final MLB game.

The AL West is officially the worst division in baseball history.

Francisco Lindor becomes the second switch-hitter with 300 home runs and 200 steals.

Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen will miss the postseason.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson won’t return next year.

Jarren Duran has the worst 20/20 season in modern baseball history.

The Mariners surprise longtime broadcaster Rick Rizzs with a tribute in his last weekend before retirement.

MLB is talking to the White House about playing a game in a national park.

Longtime White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper died last week.

Remember Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, ten years after his death.

Scientists detect radio signals coming directly from a planet outside our solar system.

An Indian-Pakistani restaurant in a Houston strip mall makes more Uber Eats deliveries than any other restaurant in the world.

Some Brits want to get rid of the big fuzzy hats at Buckingham Palace.

Your song of the day is Wolf Parade with Fine Young Cannibals.

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Yankees must quiet this Red Sox offense in the Wild Card Series

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 23: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox stands on deck in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park on September 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Yankees gained an extra day of rest with a nor’easter canceling Game 162 against the Orioles on Sunday. It means they’ll have two days off before opening their 2026 playoff odyssey Tuesday night against the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series. Boston has one less day of rest after losing to the Cubs, 6-2, on the final day of the regular season. Earlier today, my colleague Josh provided a preview of Boston’s top-of-the-class pitching staff, and now we’ll look at the offense.

The Red Sox were seemingly dead and buried on June 24th after dropping two of three to the last place Rockies. They sat in last place at 32-46, 15.5 games back of the first-place Rays, listless after the ground-shaking April 25th firing of longtime manager Alex Cora. But then a four game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway catalyzed one of the most stunning mid-season turnarounds in recent memory. They won an astonishing 27 of 30 games between July 3rd and August 7th to seriously threaten the Yankees’ position in second place. This owes a lot to, as Josh covered, a pitching staff that was fantastic all season long. However, the sudden emergence of impact hitters from the margins of the roster deserves as much of the praise for ultimately getting them into this playoff series against the Yankees.

Before we look at the individual players, we should recap how the offense in aggregate performed across the whole season. They finished middle of the pack in terms of OPS (.718), wRC+ (99), stolen bases (107), and fWAR (20.3). They hit the fifth-fewest home runs (162) in the league while striking out and walking at a roughly league-average clip. And as the Yankees deal with uncertainty over Aaron Judge’s availability, the Red Sox just got their own star slugger back just in time for this series.

Willson Contreras missed eight games after being struck on the hand by a pitch, but returned to the lineup in the final game of the regular season. The longtime Cardinal seemingly had a point to prove all season after getting traded to the Red Sox over the winter, and he was far and away Boston’s best hitter, slashing .276/.387/.518 with a team-high 27 home runs, 81 RBI and 4.1 fWAR, his 152 wRC+ third in baseball among hitters with at least 500 PAs. He thrives against fastballs and anything on the outer-half, his one weak spot up and in.

Roman Anthony appeared poised to step up as the league’s next superstar after a breakout rookie campaign, but a torn finger ligament limited him to just 54 games. He returned with two hits against the Yankees on August 30th and posted a 123 wRC+ in his final 24 games, though he finished with just five home runs in 240 plate appearances. Like Contreras, he loves to crush the fastball, but is certainly vulnerable to breaking balls from righties and changeups from lefties low and away.

Before the season started, the outfield was expected to carry the offense. Despite Anthony missing most of the season, the outfield still produced the bulk of the position player value. Ceddanne Rafaela posted his first above-average campaign by wRC+ (108) while maintaining Gold Glove defense in center but did deal with some right leg injuries in the final weeks of the season. Wilyer Abreu didn’t quite take the next step that many expected him to but still produced plenty of value by matching his career averages by batting .248/.327/.446 with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, and a 112 wRC+, though his defense regressed significantly from its usual sterling standard. The pair do the bulk of their damage against the breaking ball so expect a heavy diet of fastballs inside to Abreu and away to Rafaela.

All this being said, the story of the Red Sox season and in particular the turnaround in fortunes has been the transformation of other teams’ castoffs and their own borderline MLB players into impact contributors, not dissimilar from the Yankees’ next-man-up movement in 2019. Chief among them was Mickey Gasper, who was claimed off waivers over the winter and was optioned multiple times early before exploding for a 130 wRC+ in 67 games (though will miss this series with a biceps injury). One-time Yankee Jahmai Jones thrived in a platoon bench role, posting a 184 wRC+ in 179 plate appearances, almost exclusively against lefties.

Caleb Durbin was a sturdy three-win player who batted league average. Former Yankees first round pick Anthony Seigler was a revelation for 49 games at second posting a 102 wRC+, though his availability is threatened by a wrist injury. Nick Easton floundered in his first two big league seasons but was good for a 104 wRC+ in 65 games.

There are some softer landing spots in the lineup. Adley Rutschman never quite adjusted to life with the Red Sox with just a 77 wRC+ in 31 games after moving to Boston at the deadline and could yield playing time to Connor Wong behind the plate. Jarren Duran endured a miserable campaign at a 70 wRC+ in 150 games and likely played himself out of a starting role in the playoffs. Trevor Story could only a muster a 68 wRC+ in 63 games of another injury ravaged season.

For Boston, the question becomes whether this accumulation of injuries to position players leaves them blunted for this series. That being said, their main protagonists are all available just in time, Contreras, Anthony, Abreu, and Rafaela representing a potent threat at the top of the lineup. If the Yankees can limit the damage done by those four they’ll be in a good position to advance.

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Guardians News: Playoff Field Set

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 26: Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates with Jose Ramirez #11 after scoring during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The MLB playoff teams are in place, with the Astros and Phillies qualifying yesterday.

Here is the schedule for the first round of the playoffs. No baseball today, then a bunch of baseball tomorrow.

Zack Meisel wrote about Austin Hedges’ miraculous season as a hitter. Truly remarkable that he ended up an above average hitter.

Guardians fans have been thanking Hunter Goodman and the Rockies by donating to a Colorado charity for kids.

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2026 NL Central Power Rankings: Week 27

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 24: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a solo home run in the ninth inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Welcome to week 27 (the final week!) of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (103-59); 5-1 this week; Clinched NL Central

The Brewers capped off the best regular season in franchise history, as they went 5-1 against the Phillies and Cardinals to finish the year with 103 wins, easily surpassing the previous record of 97 wins set in 2025.

Brice Turang capped off a 20-homer, 100-RBI season with two homers and three doubles this week, driving in a team-high seven. Jackson Chourio added eight hits, including a homer, while driving in five, scoring seven runs, and swiping a pair of bases. Christian Yelich and Gary Sánchez also homered.

Jacob Misiorowski finished his historic season with another scoreless outing, striking out five over 5 1/3 innings to pick up his 16th win of the year. Logan Henderson turned in five innings of one-run ball, while Robert Gasser went six innings with one run allowed, striking out a team-high nine batters. Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, Antonio Senzatela, and Shane Drohan each picked up a save this week for the bullpen.

Milwaukee now enjoys a little bit of a break, as they’ll be closely watching the NL Wild Card Series between the Cubs and Padres. The winner of that best-of-three set will face the Brewers in the best-of-five NLDS beginning in Milwaukee on Saturday.

2. Chicago Cubs (89-73); 2-4 this week; Clinched NL Wild Card #2

Chicago limped to the finish line, finishing in the second Wild Card spot after dropping two of three to both the Marlins and Red Sox this week.

Alex Bregman, who exited last Sunday’s game after taking a foul ball off the face in the on-deck circle, returned with a bang, slugging two homers and a double as part of a four-hit weekend against Boston. Seiya Suzuki added the only other homer, while Pete Crow-Armstrong finished off a 40-homer, 40-steal season with three steals this week.

Matthew Boyd had the best start of the week, going seven innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. David Peterson tossed five scoreless innings, striking out six, while Gavin Hollowell, Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Jacob Webb combined for 9 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out six.

The Cubs now travel to San Diego, where they’ll take on the Padres in a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series to determine who faces the Brewers in the NLDS.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (82-80); 3-3 this week; Eliminated from Postseason

The Pirates ended their season on a high-ish note, as they officially clinched a winning season for the first time since 2018, going 3-3 against the Cardinals and Tigers.

Brandon Lowe slugged a pair of homers to lead the Bucs, while Konnor Griffin wrapped up a solid rookie campaign, picking up a team-high eight hits, including a homer. Rafael Flores and Jacob Gonzalez both added homers as their lone hits of the week.

Paul Skenes finished off another 200-strikeout campaign, going 6 1/3 innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts. Jared Jones turned in a pair of solid outings, totaling 11 innings with no runs allowed and 14 strikeouts. Lake Bachar, Yohan Ramírez, Evan Sisk, Gregory Soto, Luke Weaver, and the retiring Kirby Yates combined for 15 scoreless innings, striking out 21.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (77-85); 1-5 this week; Eliminated from Postseason

The Cardinals continued their second-half freefall, dropping two of three to the Pirates before being swept by the Brewers, finishing the year eight games under .500.

Alec Burleson capped off a strong season with three homers this week, while Leo Bernal, Jordan Walker, and Iván Herrera added a homer each. JJ Wetherholt led the team with five hits on the week.

It wasn’t a great week on the mound for the Cards, but Matthew Liberatore turned in the best start, allowing one run and striking out six over 5 2/3 innings. Gordon Graceffo, Cooper Hjerpe, Brycen Mautz, Hancel Rincon, George Soriano, and Cade Winquest combined for 15 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 16.

5. Cincinnati Reds (75-87); 3-3 this week; Eliminated from Postseason

The Reds went 3-3 to end the season, winning two of three from the Braves before dropping two of three to the Blue Jays over the weekend.

Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez both slugged a pair of homers, while five others added a homer apiece. Carlos Jorge led the squad with seven hits, including a homer, and Héctor Rodríguez had six hits, including a homer, a double, and a triple, driving in five.

Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder both turned in strong starts, as Abbott went seven frames with two runs allowed and six strikeouts, and Lowder went six scoreless, striking out two. Tejay Antone, Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, Pierce Johnson, and Emilio Pagán totaled 12 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 11.

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Orioles news: The off-season begins

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! The 2026 regular season has ended. And for the Orioles, the end of the season was a literal washout. Yesterday’s game between the Orioles and Yankees was technically delayed for about three hours yesterday, but I think we all knew the game wasn’t going to be played. The weather in New York was too severe and for the duration of the delay, the Yankees never even submitted a lineup.

But they had to pretend the game might be played, because MLB had just sent the Red Sox down to Tampa to play a game against the Cubs due to the same storm. So now the Yankees have an extra day off ahead of the Wild Card series in New York. I’m not saying it was a conspiracy. But I’m not saying it’s not a conspiracy.

Going into yesterday, there were two playoff spots yet to be finalized. The AL West had to be determined, as did the final spot on the NL Wild Card race. The Astros won and head to the playoffs with an 81-81 record. And the Phillies, who had almost frittered away their playoff spot, won to keep it at the last minute.

There is no baseball today. The Wild Card round kicks off tomorrow with four games.

But not for the Orioles. For the Orioles, the off-season begins today. And they have a lot of things to work on. If I were going to pick one thing I am looking to see improve, I am going with defense. The most disheartening part of this season was seeing plays that should have been made not be made. And on a regular basis.

Here at Camden Chat, we’re jumping right into the offseason. We have already started prospect reviews. Player reviews are coming, along with looks ahead at the 2027 season. Of course, a lot of that depends on if and when the 2027 season begins.

Links

Orioles season ends one game short thanks to nor’easter – The Baltimore Banner
If you were sitting around yesterday waiting to watch the Orioles, you were disappointed

Henderson on Orioles’ season: ‘A failed year for us’ – Baltimore Baseball
This is a few days old, but shockingly, there isn’t a lot of news right after an 82-loss team gets rained out of a meaningless game. Rich Dubroff has the transcript of Gunnar Henderson’s interview with press a few days ago.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies. Grant Jackson (b. 1942, d. 2021) had an 18-year career, five-plus of which were spent with the Orioles. He pitched in 209 games for the Orioles from 1971-76 before the Orioles traded him to the Yankees in that big nine-player trade in June 1976.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Mike DeJean (56) and Todd Frohwirth (b. 1962, d. 2017).

On this day in 1953, the American League owners agreed to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. Good day for us!

In 1958, Gus Triandos stole the only base of his Major League career.

In 1971, the Orioles swept a doubleheader with the Red Sox to give them 100 wins for the third straight season.

In 2011, the Orioles played the most exciting game you’ll ever see from a 93-loss team. Down 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, three straight his from Chris Davis, Nolan Reimold, and Robert Andino gave the Orioles a 4-3 walkoff victory. Moments after the Orioles won, the Rays walked off the Yankees in Tampa. The combination of games knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs. The Red Sox had been two games up in the AL East on August 27th before going 7-20 in September.

In 2023, the Orioles beat the Red Sox again. But this time it was their 100th win of the season. Much preferable.

And one year ago today, the Orioles finished the season with a 3-2 loss to the Yankees. Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in four innings. Rico Garcia took the loss. Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson hit back-to-back home runs.

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Phillies news: Jesus Luzardo, stars, Max Scherzer

Sep 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) celebrates in the locker room after win against the Tampa Bay Rays and clinching a playoff spot at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now we can breathe a sigh of relief. Taking a much needed win to make the playoffs, the Phillies are waking up today in Atlanta to prepare for the wild card round against the Braves. It should at least be entertaining.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

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Red Sox pitching staff poses problem for Yankees in the Wild Card Series

Boston, MA - September 22: Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman and starting pitcher Payton Tolle talk in the fifth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images

Last year, the Yankees lost Gerrit Cole, in what was probably the last true year of his prime. A loss like that would reverberate throughout a team’s entire season, usually. Instead, the Yankees more or less recreated Cole in the form of Cam Schlittler, now the favorite for the AL Cy Young and starting Game 1 of the Wild Card Series this week.

Garrett Crochet is Boston’s version of Cole: the ace, the guy you work day and night to land, and then pay him handsomely to start the big games. He has not thrown a pitch in anger since April 25th, and yet the Sox boast the third-best pitching staff in baseball, with only the Dodgers and Phillies notching more fWAR as a total unit. We start at the top, where Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez, and Sonny Gray will likely take the ball in the three Wild Card games against the Yankees (in a yet-to-be-announced order).

Wild Card Series Game 1: Tuesday, September 29, 8pm EST
Wild Card Series Game 2: Wednesday, September 30, 8pm EST
Wild Card Series Game 3: Thursday, October 1, 8pm EST (if necessary)

Tolle has built a solid case for AL Rookie of the Year, and while he probably won’t take the award home, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him as one of the finalists. The lefty features six pitches but like Schlittler, will offer a fastball of some variety about two-thirds of the time. He has faced the Yankees twice, allowing just a single run across 13 innings in those two outings. This will be his first postseason start, though he did retire the only batter he faced in a relief appearance last October in the Bronx (Trent Grisham with the bases loaded).

Suarez has been everything the Sox could hope for when they inked him to that five-year, $130 million contract last winter. A four-win season as the No. 2 man in the rotation, I could probably copy and paste what I said above about Tolle here, just with more postseason experience on Suarez’s time from his Phillies days. The same six pitches, the same fastball-heavy approach. The first two games of this series will see the Yankees facing a bunch of heaters in the zone — they’ll need to be ready to swing. During his October tenure in Philly, Suarez had a superb 1.48 ERA across eight starts and three relief outings from 2022-25.

Former Yankees righty Sonny Gray rounds out the trio, continuing to defy the aging curve with another 3.5 win season at 36 years old. He offers a different look than the two southpaws and will be making his first playoff appearance since 2023 with the Twins.

The rotation is formidable, but what really worries me is the strength of the bullpen, as well as a couple injections the unit is getting. We’ve seen the Yankees win a lot of games this year by being iced out by the starter and breaking out late against relievers, but that’ll be a tough out with the Red Sox, whose relief corps has the best ERA and FIP in the sport. Aroldis Chapman, for all his personal faults, is putting the finishing touches on what is a Hall of Fame resume, with 35 saves and a 33-percent strikeout rate holding down the ninth inning.

But before you even get to the ninth, there’s a series of very hard-throwing hurdles to clear. Garrett Whitlock elevated his game this season with a cripplingly low walk rate, deciding to just not throw balls anymore. Brayan Bello is only a reliever in name, following an opener much of the year; he’ll also be an option should the Red Sox need a guy that can deliver more than three outs. (Tyron Guerrero also came out of baseball irrelevance to re-establish himself as one of Chad Tracy’s favorite weapons, though a lat strain will sideline him for this sseries.)

Jake Bennett made the most of his May 1st call-up from Pawtucket, putting up 2.5 wins in 113.1 innings, but like Carlos Rodón, he’ll be shifted to a reliever role as well, at least for this series. The man chiefly tasked with replacing Crochet has faced the Yankees twice this year, facing 44 batters and allowing just eight of them to reach base. And then, of course…

I’m writing this at 1pm Pacific time on Sunday, and I gotta admit. I feel more confident that Crochet will be on the Red Sox Wild Card roster than Aaron Judge will be on the Yankees’. I don’t imagine the club will push their ace very far in a bullpen role, surely one inning at a time only, but we’ve seen what the southpaw’s stuff looks like, and if it plays up in relief like many guys find, that’s as devastating a one-two southpaw punch between him and Chapman as you’ll ever see.

This is not going to be an easy series. The Yankees have a lot to contend with when it comes to the octopus of Red Sox pitching, and the lineup doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Maybe they’ll surprise us all, but the pressure has to be on New York’s own collection of arms to hold serve given what Boston has at its disposal.

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Chicago Cubs history unpacked — September 28

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Enoli Paredes, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1930 – As a Yankee, Babe Ruth returns to the mound after a nine-year absence at Fenway Park and pitches a complete game, beating the Red Sox, 9-3. The last time the “Bambino” took the mound, he defeated the A’s at the end of the 1921 season, and 1938 – At Wrigley Field, Gabby Hartnett hits his famous “Homer in the Gloamin'” in the ninth inning against the Pirates’ Mace Brown to give the Chicago Cubs a 6-5 victory, their ninth straight. It is a key triumph en route to the Cubs’ National League pennant, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

Today in Cubs history:

  • 1897 – Although he gives up 14 runs on 17 hits, Dave Wright of the Chicago Colts wins his first and only major league game. The 21 year-old Dennison, Ohio native is the beneficiary of Chicago’s 11-run fifth inning when the club beats the Pirates, 15-14.
  • 1930 – The Cubs bring down the season’s curtain as Hack Wilson has his 189th and 190th RBI in a 12-11 victory over the Reds. Wilson’s major league RBI record will remain untouched. With Riggs Stephenson and Kiki Cuyler each driving in 100 runs, the Cubs have the first all-100 RBI outfield in the 20th century. The Boston outfield in 1894 also had the same credentials.
  • 1932 – In the opening game of the World Series, Lou Gehrig‘s home run leads the Yankees to a 12-6 win over the Cubs.
  • 1935 – With nothing on the line, the pennant-winning Cubs finally lose to the Cardinals and snap their 21-game win streak. The skein is the longest in the majors since the Giants of 1916 won 26 games and tied one. However, Chicago’s win streak is the longest without a tie since 1880.
  • 1959 – In the first game of a best-of-three playoff, the Dodgers beat the Braves, 3-2, in a cold Milwaukee drizzle. Rookie Larry Sherry pitches 7.2 innings of scoreless relief. In a losing cause, Eddie Mathews hits his 46th home run to win the title. Ernie Banks had finished the year with 45.
  • 1962 – In front of only 595 fans at Wrigley Field, the Cubs (58-101) beat the Mets (39-118) in the first meeting in major league history between two 100-loss teams before the series begins. The New York expansion team will split the remaining two games in Chicago to finish the season 40-120, establishing the record for the most losses in baseball’s modern era that will stand until 2024.
  • 1995 – A fan takes exception when a Cub reliever gives up two-run, pinch home run to James Mouton, giving the Astros an eighth-inning 9-7 lead. As the Houston pinch-hitter rounds the bases, the 27-year-old spectator runs out of the stands and heads toward the mound, where he is immediately pinned by Randy Myers, who in addition to his pitching prowess, is well trained in the martial arts.
  • 1998 – In the first National League playoff since 1980, the Cubs beat the Giants, 5-3, to take the National League’s wild card berth. San Francisco makes the game interesting by scoring three runs in the ninth inning in front of a very anxious crowd at Wrigley Field.
  • 2001 – In the first home game at Wrigley Field since the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, Sammy Sosa, after hitting his 59th home run of the season, pulls out a small American flag and waves it as he circles the bases. After scoring and making a curtain call from the dugout, the Cub slugger continues to wave Old Glory.
  • 2003 – Ron Santo, the team’s radio color commentator, joins Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, becoming third player to have his number retired by the Cubs. The nine-time All-Star third baseman, who spent 14 of his 15 seasons with Chicago (1960–1973), will have his uniform No. 10 below Ernie Banks’s on the left-field foul pole.
  • 2007 – The Chicago Cubs clinch the NL Central division title with a 6-0 shutout of the Cincinnati Reds, combined with a loss by the Milwaukee Brewers. It is the third different franchise that Cubs manager Lou Piniella has led to a division title. For Chicago, Alfonso Soriano hits his 32nd home run of the season, taking Bronson Arroyo deep in the first inning. It is Soriano’s sixth home run leading off a game this month, a new major league record. It is also his 13th homer in September, tying Ernie Banks‘ franchise record.
  • 2012 – 2B Darwin Barney of the Cubs makes a wild throw to first base after fielding Justin Upton‘s ground ball in the 8th inning of the Cubs’ 8-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. The miscue ends Barney’s 141-game errorless streak, tying Placido Polanco‘s all-time record for a single season, set in 2007.
  • 2015 – Chris Denorfia of the Cubs does something unprecedented when he homers as a pinch-hitter for Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the 11th inning to give his team a 1-0 win over the Royals. His blast off Miguel Almonte is the first-ever pinch-hit, walk-off homer in extra innings in a 1-0 game.

Cubs Birthdays:Enoli Paredes*, Joey Nation, Dick Gernert, Dick Barrett, Hank Grampp, Jim Brillheart, Wilbur Good.

Today in history:

  • 1066 – William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, lands at Pevensey Bay in Sussex, beginning the Norman Conquest of England.
  • 1542 – Explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo is the first European to sail into San Diego Bay, naming it San Miguel and claiming it for Spain.
  • 1781 – 9,000 American and 7,000 French troops begin the Siege of Yorktown.
  • 1785 – Napoléon Bonaparte, aged 16, graduates from the elite École Militaire in Paris, ranking a lowly 42nd in a class of 51.
  • 1901 – American businessman King C. Gillette establishes the American Safety Razor Company.
  • 1976 – Muhammad Ali defeats Ken Norton in a 15-round unanimous points decision for the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight boxing titles.
  • 1982 – First reports appear of deaths from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules.

Today in music history:

  • 1956 – RCA Records reports Elvis Presley sells over 10 million records.
  • 1963 – New York City DJ “Murray The K” plays The Beatles’ “She Loves You” on the radio.
  • 1968 – Janis Joplin announces she’s leaving the rock band “Big Brother & the Holding Company.”
  • 1968 – The Beatles’ single “Hey Jude” hits No. 1 and stays there for nine weeks.
  • 1974 – “I’m A Ramblin’ Man” by Waylon Jennings peaks at No. 75 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the country chart.
  • 1974 – British guitarist Mick Ronson joins the rock band “Mott the Hoople”.
  • 1976 – Tamla/Motown Records releases “Songs in the Key of Life,” the 18th studio album by Stevie Wonder; the double album plus EP is the biggest seller, includes “Sir Duke,” “As,” and “Isn’t She Lovely,” and wins the Grammy for Album of the Year (1977).
  • 1978 – Metal band Black Sabbath release their eighth album “Never Say Die,” the last to feature Ozzy Osbourne before he is fired.
  • 1981 – Olivia Newton-John releases single “Physical” (Billboard Song of the Year 1982).
  • 1985 – “Don’t Lose My Number” by Phil Collins peaks at No. 4.
  • 1985 – “Freedom” by Wham! peaks at No. 3.
  • 1991 – “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M. peaks at No. 10.

*pictured.

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Open Thread: Justin Verlander’s heartwarming farewell

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 26: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers hugs his daughter Genevieve, with Spencer Torkelson #20 looking on, right, before leaving his final game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on September 26, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

I get it, baseball news does not necessarily belong on Pounding the Rock, a Spurs fan site. During the offseason — when content can be few and far between — I may from time to time veer away from the Spurs and share some basketball-oriented news. If there is absolutely nothing going on in the basketball world, I may broaden the scope to “sports” at large. And some stories transcend into the fan experience. I saw this post on Saturday and initially ignored it. But Sunday it hit me again and decided sharing it was appropriate.

On Saturday evening, Justin Verlander pitched his final MLB start. After a twenty-one year career, two World Series championships, ten MLB All-Star appearances, three American League Cy Young awards, a 2011 Triple Crown, the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year award, and earning the 2022 AL Comeback Player of the year award at age 39, Verlander is riding off into the sunset.

In the fifth inning of Saturday night’s Detroit Tigers/Pittsburgh Pirates matchup, Verlander (pitching for the Detroit Tigers) was approached by manager A.J. Hinch to hand over the ball for a relif pitcher. Before he could exit the mound, he was met by his daughter, Genevieve.

This literally made me cry…more than once.

Happy Monday, Pounders. Have a great start to your week.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

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2026 Brewers Week in Review: Week 27

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 27: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on September 27, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Last Week’s Results:

  • Tuesday: Phillies 6, Brewers 4
  • Wednesday: Brewers 4, Phillies 1
  • Thursday: Brewers 5, Phillies 1
  • Friday: Brewers 8, Cardinals 4
  • Saturday: Brewers 3, Cardinals 2
  • Sunday: Brewers 6, Cardinals 4

Division Standings:

  • Brewers 103-59
  • Cubs 89-73 (14 GB)
  • Pirates 82-80 (21 GB)
  • Cardinals 77-85 (26 GB)
  • Reds 75-87 (28 GB)

Last Week:

  • Brewers 5-1
  • Cubs 2-4
  • Pirates 3-3
  • Cardinals 1-5
  • Reds 3-3

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Jacob Misiorowski didn’t have the greatest start we’ve ever seen, but he gets the shoutout here because it capped off what has been a great season for the likely NL Cy Young winner. In Sunday’s regular-season finale, he went 5 1/3 scoreless frames, striking out five and picking up his 16th win of the year. Miz finishes the year leading the league in a good chunk of pitching stats, including strikeouts (252), WHIP (0.80), batting average against (.157), and ERA (1.80). Just look at this stat from the great Sarah Langs:

Shoutout to Robert Gasser, who went six innings with one run allowed and nine strikeouts to cap off what has been a great final month-plus for him, as he seems like the likely No. 3 starter behind Miz and Logan Henderson entering the postseason.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

This was a two-way race between Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio, but I’ll give the upper hand to Milwaukee’s second baseman. Turang finished up arguably the best season we’ve seen for a primary second baseman in franchise history, as he collected nine hits this week, including two homers and three doubles, driving in seven to surpass 20 homers and 100 RBIs for the year.

Not to be overshadowed, Jackson Chourio led the team with a strong .471/.550/.647 stat line, picking up eight hits, including a homer, and driving in five with a team-high seven runs scored. He also swiped a pair of bases, finishing the year with a career-high in homers (25) and steals (23).

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

  • After LHP Colton Gordon made a valiant relief appearance on Tuesday night against the Phillies (5 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 K) to save the rest of the bullpen, he was optioned on Wednesday, as RHP Lyon Richardson was selected to replace him.
  • Richardson, who did not appear in a game this week, was then designated for assignment on Friday, as RHP Bryse Wilson was activated from the 15-day injured list and replaced him on the active roster.
  • Andrew Vaughn was placed on the 10-day injured list with an illness ahead of Friday’s game (he’ll be ready for the postseason). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was recalled to replace him on the roster.
  • Cooper Pratt was also scratched from Friday’s game with illness, though he then entered to replace what appeared to be a worn-down Joey Ortiz. Ortiz sat out the rest of the weekend, but an MRI came back with only “abdominal swelling” and a bruised knee. According to Adam McCalvy, Ortiz is also expected to be ready for the postseason.

On Deck:

  • Monday: Off Day
  • Tuesday: Off Day (Wild Card Series)
  • Wednesday: Off Day (Wild Card Series)
  • Thursday: Off Day (Wild Card Series)
  • Friday: Off Day
  • Saturday: NLDS Game 1 vs. Cubs/Padres (Time TBD)
  • Sunday: NLDS Game 2 vs. Cubs/Padres (Time TBD)
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MLB expert playoff predictions and wild card picks: Yankees or Red Sox?

The 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs have arrived with the best-of-three wild card series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29, featuring some marquee matchups led by a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox showdown in the American League.

In the NL, the San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs while the Philadelphia Phillies visit Atlanta. In the other AL series, the Houston Astros (81-81, the worst record for a playoff team in history) face the Chicago White Sox.

In the four seasons since MLB changed its playoff format in 2022, two teams have played in the wild card series and gone on to win the World Series: the 2023 Texas Rangers and 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here's how USA TODAY Sports' MLB reporters and editors see the best-of-three wild card series playing out:

Yankees vs. Red Sox predictions

  • Bob Nightengale: Yankees in 3
  • Gabe Lacques: Yankees in 2
  • Kristie Ackert: Yankees in 3
  • Jesse Yomtov: Yankees in 3

Astros vs. White Sox prediction

  • Bob Nightengale: White Sox in 3
  • Gabe Lacques: White Sox in 3
  • Jesse Yomtov: White Sox in 3

Atlanta vs. Phillies prediction

  • Bob Nightengale: Atlanta in 3
  • Gabe Lacques: Atlanta in 2
  • Jesse Yomtov: Phillies in 2

Padres vs. Cubs prediction

  • Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2
  • Gabe Lacques: Padres in 3
  • Kristie Ackert: Cubs in 3
  • Jesse Yomtov: Padres in 3

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB expert playoff predictions and wild card picks: Yankees or Red Sox?

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From Bregman to Luzardo, 8 players who will decide MLB playoffs wild card series

SAN DIEGO — It’s a Major League Baseball postseason filled with stars, award-winners, and future Hall of Famers.

Slugger Yordan Alvarez, who will win the American League MVP, carried the Houston Astros on his back to the AL West title.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, who should finish runner-up, led the Rays to the best record in the American League.

Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, who will win the AL Cy Young award, will be pitching Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox. Milwaukee Brewers All-Star pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, who will win the NL Cy Young award, will be pitching Game 1 when the Brewers face the winner of the San Diego Padres-Chicago Cubs series.

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who will unseat Shohei Ohtani as the NL MVP, will be trying to get the Cubs past the Padres in their three-game series at Petco Park in San Diego in a rematch of a year ago.

And, oh, how this postseason field is littered with future Hall of Famers from everyone from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers, Manny Machado of the Padres, Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians, Chris Sale of Atlanta, Aaron Judge of the Yankees, Jose Altuve of the Astros and Bryce Harper of the Phillies.

Jesus Luzardo returned from injury to pitch in the regular season finale.

There are players who have been a postseason fixture like Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman, who will be playing in his 10th consecutive postseason with his third different team, and Judge who hopes to play in his ninth postseason in 10 years.

There are aged veterans like 39-year-old Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar, 38-year old Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman, 37-year-old Freeman, 37-year-old Sale and 36-year-old Sonny Gray of the Red Sox.

And then there are the real kids, like 20-year-old Ethan Salas of the San Diego Padres, who will be the youngest catcher to ever appear in the postseason, along with 22-year-old outfielders Jackson Chourio of the Brewers, Roman Anthony of the Red Sox and Justin Crawford of the Phillies.

Now that the postseason field is set with eight teams playing in the wild-card round beginning Tuesday, here is one player from each team who could have the biggest impact on whether they’ll still be playing into the weekend.

Chicago Cubs

Third baseman Alex Bregman

A week ago, he didn’t know whether he could play another game this year n when he suffered multiple fractures in his face after being hit by a foul ball near the on-deck circle. Well, he proved he’s back by going 4-for-4 with two home runs Sunday in his second game since the injury. If Bregman resembles the same guy that hit .298 with 19 homers and 53 RBI with a 1.000 OPS in his last 60 games, he could make sure the Cubs’ offense is too powerful to stop. He has begun taking ground balls but has been restricted to DH duties since his return.

San Diego Padres

Pitcher Michael King

The Padres’ rotation has been a mess all year outside of one pitcher. King was 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA, leading the team with 185 innings. King will start Game 1 against the Cubs. If he struggles and the Padres lose, they could have a short-lived postseason, relying on Nick Pivetta, who just returned from the injured list and Walker Buehler. The Padres have the best bullpen in the land, but they’re going to need King to dominate if they’re going to have a prayer of winning their first World Series in franchise history.

Philadelphia Phillies

Pitcher Jesus Luzardo

The Phillies near-historic collapse made a mess out of their rotation, with ace Zack Wheeler having to pitch Sunday just to save their season. Now, they may no choice but to turn to Luzardo, who rejoined the Phillies’ staff Sunday for the first time since Sept. 7 when he was shut down with shoulder inflammation. Luzardo needed just four pitches to get three outs in the eighth inning of their clinching game. The Phillies now must decide whether he’d be more valuable to them as their emergency starter or out of their beleaguered bullpen. Yet, no matter what role, the Phillies badly need him.

“I feel like I'm prepared to give the team whatever they ask, whatever they need,” Luzardo told reporters Sunday.

Atlanta

Pitcher Chris Sale

The old man produced yet another Cy Young-caliber season, 14-9, 2.16 ERA, joining Hall of Famer Randy Johnson as the only lefties to strike out 200 or more batters in nine seasons. Yet, after Sale, there’s a steep dropoff with Tyler Mahle and Grant Holmes following him in the rotation. Simply, if Atlanta is going to have a deep run, they need to win every time Sale pitches, or they’ll be in deep trouble.

Boston Red Sox

First baseman Willson Contreras

He has been their best hitter all season, hitting .276 with 27 homers and 81 RBI, but missed eight consecutive games after being hit on the right hand with a pitch Sept. 17. He returned Sunday as their DH and is expected to be fine for the postseason where he’s badly needed as their biggest offensive weapon.

“That’s so much what the postseason is about," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy told reporters Sunday, “these big moments where one swing can change a game. So. that power and that presence in the middle of the order is important."

New York Yankees

Pitcher Cam Schlittler

The Yankees are expected to be without Aaron Judge for their heavyweight bout against the Boston Red Sox, and with their offensive struggles, they have to rely on their pitching. And who better than Schlittler, the Boston kid who Red Sox love to hate. The Red Sox not only let him get away, but he he continues to get his revenge, going 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four career starts against Boston. Schlittler will win the Cy Young award this year with his 1.95 ERA in 33 starts during the season, but for him to really be a Yankee hero, he needs to dominate in October, too.

Chicago White Sox: 

Pitcher Davis Martin

The White Sox will go only as far as their starting rotation will lead them, and it starts with Martin (9-8, 3.95 ERA). He had a sensational first half, going 9-4 with a 3.41 ERA, but has struggled since the All-Star break with a 0-4 record and 5.12 ERA. He had a clunker in his last start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, unable to get through the first inning. The White Sox can ill afford another early ouster or they’ll be ousted themselves before they can even enjoy a few good helpings of Texas barbeque.

Houston Astros

Slugger Yordan Alvarez

The Astros, the first team in MLB history to win a division in a full season without a winning record, need to rely on the same guy who carried them on his back all season. They go as Alvarez goes. Alvarez, who slashed .316/.432/.601 with 42 homers and 106 RBI this season, has plenty of postseason experience. He has slashed .294/.393/.551 in 60 postseason games. Alvarez must continue to terrorize the opposition for the Astros to keep their season alive. If Alvarez is shut down, so will the Astros’ season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From Bregman to Luzardo, 8 players who will decide MLB playoffs wild card series

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Today on Pinstripe Alley – 9/28/26

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 01: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees throws during warm ups prior to Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The regular season was buried in the rain yesterday, but for over a week now, the Yankees have had their eyes on October. OK fine, due to how Major League Baseball lined it up this year, we have to be pedantic and talk about late September first. The Wild Card Series against the Red Sox begins tomorrow night, and that will determine whether or not the Yankees actually make it to the literal month of October. If they win Game 1, then they’re guaranteed of that since at minimum, Game 3 would be October 3rd, but of course the Yanks want to go deeper than that. How’s it gonna shake out? To quote Aaron Boone for the millionth time this season, “We’ll see.”

All systems are go for us on the site today as we preview the Wild Card Series and more. Josh and Peter will preview Boston’s pitching and hitting, and Peter will also take a separate more bird’s-eye view and argue why the Yankees can take home their 28th championship this year. I’ll have the Rivalry Roundup summing up the Game 162 action yesterday, Kevin will celebrate the 131st birthday of the Yankees’ first World Series champion center fielder, Estevão will run the monthly GM poll so that we can get a pulse on the feelings before the playoff run, Jeremy will run through the best plays of September, and Madison will put out the prompt for mailbag questions.

Today’s Matchup:

Offday

Questions/Prompts:

1. Any big late Yankees playoff roster predictions?

2. Dan Wilson became the first managerial casualty of the offseason yesterday. Who will be the next?