NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 13: Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the New York Mets during their game at Citi Field on August 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Major League Baseball doesn’t have a long offseason by calendar days. But man, it’s been a long one this season. It’s time for getting your nearly everyday baseball fix. Although, for the next few weeks it’s going to be more like Braves ‘n’ Friends. We’re getting Mike Yastrzemski, Jonah Heim, Eli White, Jorge Mateo and the kids. And on the mound, it’s Carlos Carrasco. This is pretty good in that they have on the Braves uniform and everything. But you know what I want. At least we’ll get to see John Gil.
Yesterday I repaired my HVAC insulation and watched ice hockey. And I liked it. You tell me how ready I am for first pitch.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 04: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, August 4, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s been a few months since Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski made public comments questioning Bryce Harper’s status as an elite player. Harper certainly didn’t have an elite season in 2025, but is that enough to demote a player entirely?
Harper has admitted to still being baffled by the comments, but the good news is that he often performs at his best when he has a chip on his shoulder.
So, what say you? Is Bryce Harper still an elite player?
Bill Mazeroski, the Gold Glove former second baseman of the Pittsburgh Pirates who danced around the bases after his bottom-of-the-ninth, solo home run beat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, died at the age of 89.
“The author of one of the game’s most indelible moments, Bill Mazeroski will be remembered as one of baseball's most respected figures – both for his character and for his brilliance on the field as one of the game’s best second basemen," Baseball Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.
"Maz remained humble about his career, even as he was celebrated in Cooperstown. On behalf of his Hall of Fame family, we send our deepest sympathies to his loved ones and to Pirates fans everywhere.”
Mazeroski was an amazing defensive player who could turn the double play in a blink. He was a shortstop when he signed with the Pirates in 1954, at 17, but Branch Rickey promptly moved him to second base.
Late Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince called Mazeroski "The Glove." He had the defensive statistics to back up his excellence, and they helped put him in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
But as a career .260 hitter, he also got a big boost in that induction from his monumental homer – still marked by a plaque on a Pittsburgh sidewalk where it cleared the left field wall at since-demolished Forbes Field. Today there is a statue of Mazeroski outside Pittsburgh's PNC Park.
Mazeroski was 24 on that Oct. 13, 1960, day when, at 3:36 p.m. ET, he blasted into baseball immortality against the Yankees. He was 64 and white-haired in 2001 when he got a private tour of his exhibit at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, a few days before his induction.
On that tour, he recalled to USA TODAY Sports that he was "floating" as he rounded the bases in 1960 after hitting a one-ball, no-strike slider for a home run off Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry. The ball barely cleared the ivy-covered wall.
"Fantastic. It's something unbelievable that you just never would expect to happen to you," Mazeroski said then. "All of a sudden, here it is. It gets a little overwhelming."
Who has the ball?
In 2010, on the 50th anniversary of the home run, Mazeroski told USA TODAY Sports' Mike Dodd that as the kid of a coal miner he grew up dreaming of hitting a home run to win a World Series: "But it was with a broomstick and a bucket of stones. I wore out a lot of broomsticks, (pretending), 'I'm Babe Ruth and I'm hitting a home run to win the Series.' "
While Pittsburgh partied that 1960 day, Mazeroski and his wife, Milene, went to a quiet park to savor the moment.
The home run ball won't be on display at the Hall of Fame. Several fans claimed to have it.
"Everybody wanted a hundred bucks," Mazeroski said. "There were so many of them, nobody knew for sure. I have one or two."
Unlike a typical Hall of Fame visitor, he alone knew just how that bat in a third floor display case felt in his hands when he used it to hit his World Series-winning homer against the Yankees.
"You can still see the spot on the seams where I hit the ball. It dug into the bat," Mazeroski said during his 2001 Hall tour.
Defense his calling card
Mazeroski didn't get close to 3,000 hits (2,016) or 300 homers (138).
But defense is part of the game, too. On his Hall of Fame tour, as he passed a wall of balls from no-hit pitching performances, he saw one from a 1970 no-hitter by former Pirate Dock Ellis against the San Diego Padres.
"I saved that one," Mazeroski said of the no-hitter. "Line drive up the middle. I dove and backhanded it about a foot off the ground."
He won eight Gold Gloves, but the gloves he actually used looked as if they wouldn't bring a buck at a yard sale.
“It’s pretty simple: He was the best I ever saw at turning a double play," Hall of Famer Joe Torre said of Mazeroski.
He figured he used about four gloves from 1956 to 1972, and they were barely gloves at all. He liked them small, and he always removed the padding from the heel for better feel. When a glove wore out, he got it fixed and kept using it.
The Hall has one which Mazeroski used at various times.
"This was one of the good ones," he said on the pre-induction tour, slipping on the mitt and pounding it. "When a ball hit in there, it just closed."
But the gloves also helped him get the ball out of his hands quickly on double plays. Balls bounced off the heel of his glove into his throwing hand. No second baseman turned as many double plays in a career (1,706) or a season (161 in 1966).
That skill didn't get him into the Hall in 15 years of eligibility on voting by baseball writers. He was elected by the Veterans Committee.
"I never thought that I hit enough to get in the Hall of Fame," Mazeroski said.
"I didn't think they would put defense in. I'm glad they did. … I don't know everybody's (batting) average in the Hall of Fame. In fact, I don't know anybody's, really. I don't know if there's anybody worse than .260. Is .260 the lowest?"
No. Turn-of-the-century catcher Ray Schalk hit .253. Shortstop Rabbit Maranville hit .258. Harmon Killebrew, a home run slugger, hit .256.
"But defense wins as many games as offense wins or anything else," Mazeroski said. "You turn a double play, that's like hitting a grand slam sometimes."
As a Pirate, Mazeroski played two exhibition games in Cooperstown. The Hall has a score sheet from a 1959 game in which he homered twice.
"I didn't even remember that," he said. "I do remember we had a home run contest before the game, and I beat Ted Kluszewski."
His 1960 World Series homer triggered a massive celebration in Pittsburgh. At the Hall's archives, his wife spotted a photo of that day in Pittsburgh, its streets piled with paper.
"Bill, look at this picture," said his wife, a former Pirates secretary. "These cars are old. These buildings are old. Are we this old?" she asked with a laugh.
Mazeroski grew up in a one-room home in southeastern Ohio coal country in the community of Rush Run. Hall of Famers from nearby include baseball's Phil Niekro, basketball's John Havlicek and football's Lou Groza.
In retirement in the Pittsburgh area, Mazeroski enjoyed fishing and golf: "If I'm hitting the ball bad in golf, I go fishing. If I'm not catching any fish, I go golfing."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 13: Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the New York Mets during their game at Citi Field on August 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The wait is finally over, and the Atlanta Braves kick off play in the Grapefruit League this afternoon. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been named today’s starter against the Tampa Bay Rays. After just a few games with Atlanta last season, Carrasco looks to make an impression in his spring debut.
Mike Yastrzemski, Jonah Heim, Eli White and Jorge Mateo will also be getting in on the action and making an appearance in today’s matchup. First pitch is slated for 1:05 ET.
More Braves News:
The television broadcast saga continues, and FanDuel Sports Network has officially announced the closure of its Atlanta office. The Braves have yet to announce their broadcast plan for the 2026 season.
Pitcher Jared Gridlinger has reclassified for the 2026 draft, and here’s what that means for the Braves.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 19: Josue de Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses for a photo during Los Angeles Dodgers Photo Day at Camelback Ranch on February 19, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Josue De Paula is the highest-ranked Dodgers prospect on average and a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport heading into 2026. After playing the last week of last season with Double-A Tulsa, De Paula is one step closer to the majors and won’t turn 21 until May.
“Like really stressing the importance of defense,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Really, it’s one thing to stress it, it’s another to have deliberate work and being consistent with it.”
Friedman believes his time in major-league camp will be instructive.
“I think he’s seeing that (consistency) with some of our guys, and you really don’t know what that means until you see it and experience it. So we’ve challenged him with that.”
Andrew Friedman feels the concerns surrounding Kyle Tucker's passion for the game were unfairly voiced.
"Some guys will talk trash about it [his approach] if it doesn't line up with what they do instead of appreciating the individualized aspect." pic.twitter.com/finSg36RXP
Corner outfielder and first baseman Ryan Ward and left-handed pitcher Ronan Kopp were both added to the 40-man roster in November. Sonja Chen talked to the new Dodgers for MLB.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: A general view of play between the Bay FC and the Washington Spirit at Oracle Park on August 23, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/NWSL via Getty Images) | NWSL via Getty Images
Good morning baseball fans!
As we approach the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!
Today’s question: Who do you think the fanbase tends to overrate?
Personally, I have no business answering this question. That would be extremely hypocritical. Although the favorite players of my youth tended to be franchise icons (Barry Bonds and Tim Lincecum for examples) I also tend to root for underdogs (or perceived underdogs) so I am absolutely guilty of overrating players that I like.
I’m also aware that I am guilty of letting nostalgia color my opinion of players long after their prime and I hate to see them leave. So I’m pretty sure I am the one being judged by this question. And I’m okay with that.
SARASOTA, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Pete Alonso (25) of the Baltimore Orioles flips his bat after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning during a spring training game against the New York Yankees on February 20, 2026 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
After a long, chilly winter (that is still going on), the Orioles got back on the diamond down in Sarasota to play an actual game. It didn’t count for anything other than vibes, but we will take the vibes in late February with snow on the way.
If you are like me and your work or school day got filled up, you probably didn’t see the game, which got started in the early afternoon. But fear not, because you didn’t actually miss too much.
The Orioles collected eight hits on offense, but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Midseason form, baby! But the headline will undoubtedly be Pete Alonso’s debut home run. The new first baseman slugged a sixth-inning home run to score himself and Jeremiah Jackson, who had singled earlier in the inning.
Meanwhile, the Orioles pitching was dynamite. Six hurlers combined to toss a nine-inning shutout. Trevor Rogers struck out three over two innings. Trey Gibson went three innings to close out the game and earn the save. And the four potential bullpen arms in between (Keegan Akin, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, and José Espada) all threw one hitless frame each.
They were not facing the Yankees “A squad” here. There was no Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, but some notable names were sprinkled in. And you can only face who is right in front of you.
Tough to give the team anything but full marks for their first actual game of the Grapefruit League season! They won. No one else got hurt. 10/10
They will be right back on the field today. Dean Kremer is on the bump (for an inning or two, anyway) to face the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. It sounds like Chayce McDermott will also appear. The game will be on MASN, and we will have a game thread for you on this very site right at first pitch.
Links
Orioles Claim Bryan Ramos | MLB Trade Rumors He’s back! This is the second time this month that the Orioles have claimed Ramos. This time they get him from the Cardinals. For the time being, he is on the 40-man roster, the room for which was made when Félix Bautista was transitioned to the 60-day IL. Will he stick around this time? Maybe. They might actually need him now that Jordan Westburg is on the shelf through April.
Without Jordan Westburg, Orioles lean on infield depth and believe in Coby Mayo | The Baltimore Banner Speaking of which…it’s a good thing that Coby Mayo wasn’t traded this offseason. Who knows if he will pan out, but the upside of Mayo is a better option than several other avenues they could have taken instead. His presence at third base at least gives the O’s a shot of fielding an above-average player at the position.
Adam Jones on 2026 Orioles: ‘The vibes are great’ | Baltimore Baseball Jones is in camp as a guest instructor this week. Those “honors” are really starting to make me feel old. Each year it’s another guy that was good for the Orioles when I was in high school and college. That’s not how this is supposed to me! They should be significantly older than me!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Tom Shopay turns 81 today. He spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles from 1971-72 and then again from ‘75-77.
1947 – The “instate camera,” the Polaroid Land Camera, is demonstrated by Edwin Land for the first time at a meeting of the Optical Society of America.
1948 – NASCAR is incorporated
1995 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a baloon.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 10: Pitching Coach Alon Leichman #77 of the Colorado Rockies talks to pitcher Antonio Senzatela #49 about pitching grips at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 10, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two veteran pitchers with the Colorado Rockies are gearing up for spring training as full-squad workouts began this week. Both are under contract 2026 with a club option for 2027; both are right-handed; and both will be competing in this year’s highly-anticipated edition of the World Baseball Classic.
Michael Lorenzen and Antonio Senzatela also provide a study in contrasts.
Michael Lorenzen
The Rockies brought in the 34-year-old Michael Lorenzen on a one-year, $8 million contract with a $9 million club option for 2027.
Lorenzen has become something of a journeyman after playing with the Cincinnati Reds for seven seasons to start his career. In the last four seasons, he has suited up for five different teams and made multiple post-season appearances. The Rockies will be his seventh team in 12 Major League seasons. He has posted generally good—if unremarkable—numbers throughout his career and has worked both from the rotation and the bullpen depending on team need.
He represents a significant change in standard operating procedure for the Rockies, who had not signed a free agent pitcher for more than $5 million since 2015.
“Michael actively wanted to pitch here. He’s done a lot of different things in his career – he was an outfielder, he’s been a reliever, he’s been a starting pitcher. I don’t think he’s afraid of anything.”
Colorado actively courted Lorenzen for his extensive arsenal of pitches—which could potentially reach as many as eight different offerings—with the hopes of finding an answer to the longstanding mystery of pitching at Coors Field.
Lorenzen returned their interest for the opportunity to learn and to be a “problem solver” for the Rockies, and for Lorenzen, that also means solving the problems of his teammates.
“That’s all I want to do. I want to improve myself, and then I want to help the guys around me improve,” Lorenzen told Purple Row in Scottsdale. “That’s through my experience and the wisdom that I’ve gained through years of failure and success, and being able to help guys out through that. That’s what I’m looking forward to — to be able to see guys grow around me and establish who they are in this league. That excites me.”
In the coming weeks, Lorenzen will depart Rockies camp and report for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The veteran discussed looking forward to the fun environment, and to also swing a bat again—something he did regularly before Major League Baseball adopted the universal designated hitter.
“It’s fun. It’ll be great to just play in in that environment. Guys say it feels like the playoffs. So I’m excited about that, to be able to start for the team,” Lorenzen said. “One of the one of the deals was that I was going to be a two-way player in the WBC. That’s how I [ended up] playing for Team Italy.”
Playing for Team Italy also represents more opportunities to learn, especially with former Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino as one of his teammates.
“When I saw that he was pitching for Team Italy, even before, he was one of the first guys that came to mind of how he was successful here, how his sweeper played. I’ll pick his brain.”
Lorenzen will likely start the season following the World Baseball Classic as part of the Rockies’ starting rotation. Although he wants to help the Rockies conquer Coors Field, a bad season from him can be brushed off. He would be far from the first pitcher to come up short in that regard. A new landing spot wouldn’t be too hard to find.
Antonio Senzatela
31-year-old Antonio Senzatela is entering the 2026 season on the final year of a five-year, $50 million deal signed in 2021 after finishing four of his first five MLB seasons with a sub-5.00 ERA and establishing himself as a regular in the Rockies’ rotation. He is set to make $12 million this season with a $14 million club option for 2027.
The duration of the contract hasn’t gone as planned for Senzatela. During the first year of the deal, he tore his ACL mid-season. The injury caused him to miss the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the start of the regular season. When he returned to the active roster, he made just two starts before Tommy John surgery shut him down for the rest of the year and most of 2024—where he made just three starts at the end of the season. Things only got worse in 2025, where he struggled and eventually lost his spot in the rotation to be relegated to mop-up duty in the bullpen.
Senzatela has never had an extensive arsenal. After coming up through the Rockies farm system and his first few big league seasons, he really only had one pitch: his four-seam fastball. In 2025, Senzatela threw his fastball 1,316 times in 130 innings of work, just barely under 1,000 more times than he threw his secondary slider.
Now in the final year of his contract with the only team he has ever known, Senzatela is focused on his own growth and development this spring. Rather than be a “problem solver,” he has to find solutions to problems of his own.
“I worked on all my pitches and my body and everything,” he told Purple Row. “I worked on the shape of my fastball, tried to make a new slider. I talked to everybody and it feels great. They have really good information to release to us, and I think that will be great for us.”
Senzatela will be departing Rockies camp to join his native Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic, an opportunity he missed in 2023 due to his ACL injury.
“I’m super excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to wear that uniform, put the Venezuela on my chest. It’s gonna be huge for me. It’s gonna be huge for my family, for all my friends.
“It’s the country I was born in. It’s the country I pray for.”
Joining Senzatela on Team Venezuela is his fellow countryman, former teammate, and close friend Germán Márquez.
Márquez found himself in a similar situation to Senzatela last season, recovering from Tommy John surgery and struggling on the mound in the final year of his contract. This off-season he tested the waters of free agency for the first time and signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the San Diego Padres with a mutual option for 2027.
“It’s really, really cool,” Senzatela said on reuniting with Márquez. “We’re still in touch. We’re still talking, we’re still friends, and, man, it’s really nice to have him out there too, so we can keep talking and keep playing together.”
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said during the off-season that Senzatela would remain in the bullpen. However, Senzatela will now have an outside chance at earning his rotation spot back this spring thanks to the work he has put in over the offseason. Presently, however, his chances seem small with the Rockies having brought in two other veteran starters, Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana.
“I think I’m just coming in here to throw the ball the best I can and just let [the coaches] make the decision,” Senzatela said. “I’ll be happy in the starting rotation, but everything depends on them. I just want to keep going and have the ball.”
For Senzatela, the impact this spring and season may have is far more profound. Another bad season means the Rockies are even less likely to pick up his expensive 2027 option, and trading him at the deadline would be difficult. He would enter free agency for the first time in his career with his value at an all-time low.
Closing Thoughts
The circumstances this year for Antonio Senzatela and Michael Lorenzen are very different, as are the ways they view the upcoming season, their status entering spring training, and even the way they view the World Baseball Classic. One is working to help the Rockies find their own future while the other is fighting for their own baseball life and future.
However, when you pull the camera back and view the picture as a whole, the tales of Antonio Senzatela and Michael Lorenzen are representative of the new-look Colorado Rockies and of their upcoming season. Their interwoven stories are those of learning, development, open minds, and, ultimately, transition and change.
PCA has snazzy new digs. Life goes on. The players are in the best shape of their lives and will get back after it today against the Rangers. This game is on Marquee/MLB.TV, 1:05 pm local time.
The Cubs set off on the path toward the 2026 regular season on the wrong foot and will have to adjust their steps. I’m going to blame it on the cold as I spent the game wrapped in a blanket, though that hardly explains Porter Hodge’s work on that Friday afternoon in Mesa.
Grant Kipp got the Cubs out of that inning at last, but by then the combination of Taillon and Hodge had allowed six runs, two of which scored on a ringing double that Seiya Suzuki mighta coulda had. PCA probably would have spit on it.
The number of players on the WBC rosters will mean lots of play by irregulars. Suzuki did treat everyone to a center-field blast, and Chas McCormick barreled the ball a couple of times, but there was little in the way of offense on this windy day in the valley.
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MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 09: Kevin McGonigle #9 of the Detroit Tigers takes batting practice prior to the 2025 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game between the American League Fall Stars and the National League Fall Stars at Sloan Park on November 9, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On Saturday, we get to watch the Detroit Tigers play a baseball game for the first time since their ALDS loss to the Mariners. A lot has happened in the interim, and it’s great to be back.
Truth be told, how to watch Tigers baseball is still up in the air as Grapefruit League action begins on Saturday. Today, the Detroit Tigers matchup on the road against the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. will be free on MLB.tv with their home broadcast team from the YES Network. The Tigers radio broadcast should still be available on all the usual Tigers Radio Network affiliates. We’ll have a gamethread up as usual.
Longer term, how we’ll be watching the Tigers is a little more complicated question to answer.
With the Detroit Tigers taking their broadcasts into their own hands in partnership with MLB this season, the rough outline is clear. A Tigers TV package will be available through MLB.tv and will give in-market fans full streaming access to the Tigers. The broadcasts will be produced with MLB, and still helmed by Jason Benetti and Dan Dickerson, respectively, with Andy Dirks and Dan Petry returning as analysts.
Right now, the broadcast packages at MLB.tv list most of the teams now going direct through MLB’s site for streaming, but Tigers TV wasn’t listed as of Friday night. The decision to part ways with FanDuel Sports Network was pretty recent, and while teams have been preparing contingencies for a long time, we may have to wait a while for a full rollout of the streaming package.
The Tigers return home Sunday and Monday against the Orioles and Twins, and those two openers in Lakeland will be radio broadcast only. Pretty standard stuff for most of spring training. We’ll see if more games are televised this year or not. The next one set to be a Tigers TV game is Wednesday the 25th in a matchup against the Phillies on a split-squad day.
The part of this that will take more time to sort out than Tigers TV, is licensing the broadcasts to cable networks or platforms in the region. We’ll have to wait for further announcements regarding cable providers who will ultimately be partnering with the Tigers and MLB directly now to air the games.
Early in spring training, it’s natural for the overreactions to run a little hot. It’s really best not to read much into performance in the early going especially. It’ll just be great to watch a baseball game.
No doubt, someone’s velocity will be notably down and people will panic in the coming days. Someone else will look incredible and we’ll get too hype. These are spring traditions. Last year, Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling were hurt immediately once exhibition season began, which is a great reminder that the only real goal of spring camp is to get stretched out and built up to game speed without getting hurt. Other than Reese Olson’s unfortunate shoulder surgery, the Tigers injury report is pretty light in camp so far, so let’s keep it that way.
The only starting player still working his way back from something is Dillon Dingler, who had his elbow cleaned out during the offseason, and is still building up his arm strength in a throwing progression. Trey Sweeney is currently out with a shoulder strain, but he was obviously a longshot for the Opening Day roster. A few of their minor league pitchers are still rehabbing something, but overall that’s a pretty good place to start compared to a lot of other teams.
#Tigers medical update: Trey Sweeney suffered a right shoulder strain.
A.J. Hinch: "It came up during drills on the backfields, so we had him seen by a doctor. We're going to pause his throwing. He's still going to do some other defensive things while the soreness calms down." pic.twitter.com/dRifpbWzPr
Keider Montero gets the first start of the year, and his is a pretty interesting case going into the first day of Grapefruit League play. The 25-year-old has been a very helpful depth piece for the Tigers rotation the past two years, but hasn’t made a convincing enough case as a starter yet. On the other hand, he pitched well late in 2025, obviously has the stuff to be a pretty good pitcher, and finished the year in pretty stirring fashion as he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. With only one option remaining, and Monteroprobably sitting 8th on the starting depth chart, it feels like he’s likely to start the season in the bullpen.
The Tigers really like the idea of multi-inning relievers these days and it’s easy to see why. Once a pitcher is warm and in the game, you’d prefer to push them two innings and have more rest days in between outings, as opposed to pitching a lot of guys for one inning many times in a given week. If the staff stays healthy, they might end up with Montero, Drew Anderson, Troy Melton, Brant Hurter, and Tyler Holton all as guys very comfortable going multiple innings.
Maybe you don’t even bother keeping someone “stretched out” anymore. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to squander Montero or Melton’s arm in Triple-A just to have them stretched out if the tradeoff is a lesser option in the Tigers bullpen instead. Anderson has a major league free agent deal and can’t be optioned. So maybe just cover any minor injury or missed start with bullpen days. Until there’s some longer term attrition in the rotation, perhaps they don’t need to worry about having someone ready to go five innings on a moment’s notice. Just use your pen full of depth starters to handle things, while keeping Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, and Kyle Finnegan in the high leverage spots.
This is all just idle talk of course. Spring training tends to decide in its own way what your pitching staff looks like and what your options are by the time Opening Day arrives. Hopefully they have more options than they know what to do with, but that’s a rare level of abundance in pitching. We’ll just see if Montero can parlay his seasoning of the past two years into more consistent performance in whatever role he lands in.
The Tigers have confirmed that infielder Hao-Yu Lee and outfielder Jahmai Jones will play at some point in Saturday’s game as well. Jake Rogers will DH, and another player worth watching, C/1B Eduardo Valencia, is scheduled to be behind the dish. The 25-year-old Valencia kind of came out of nowhere last season with a massive year in Toledo, but his catching remains the weak side of his game. Saturday will be the first look at Valencia’s defense for most fans.
Kevin McGonigle, shortstop
Of course, here finally is the featured attraction in Saturday’s starting lineup. The really fun thing to watch is Kevin McGonigle starting at shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He’ll be playing between veteran mentors in Javier Báez at third base, and Gleyber Torres at second. Hinch is getting McGonigle right into the thick of the action.
A.J. Hinch and everyone else knows that McGonigle has some question marks about his development defensively. And a driven player like Kevin McGonigle is 100 percent planning on winning the starting shortstop job out of camp. He’s not thinking about service time. So it feels a bit pointed by Hinch to put him out there on day one. It’s probably going to take a lot to convince the Tigers front office to take him north immediately, but no doubt Hinch is happy to throw him in there, get past any jitters early on, and give him every opportunity to make his case this spring. Whatever his timetable, the experience should be good for the 21-year-old, currently ranked the second best prospect in baseball according to most national rankings.
McGonigle played some third base in the Arizona Fall League, and the Tigers even had Alan Trammell out there coaching him for both positions. After missing time with injuries in 2024 and 2025, the point of the Fall League was probably defensive reps as much as anything to do with his bat.
Everyone believes he’s going to rake, but his defensive ability is the bigger question mark. His arm is modest for a shortstop, and throws deep in the hole are never going to be his forte. On the plus side, he has the speed and hands to be solid there and he’s still only a few years removed from high school. There’s reason to expect him to refine his actions and turn himself into something close to an average shortstop. That would be just fine, assuming he hits as expected, and he could shift off the position to second or third when a better option presents himself.
The top prospects will all be followed closely this spring, and it’s going to be fun to see how they do, but McGonigle vs. the shortstop position will be its own little roster battle to watch play out. It’s not as though Trey Sweeney, Zach McKinstry, or Báez are plus defensive shortstops either. The bar isn’t that high for McGonigle to make it clear he’s their best option.
The Tigers know they need as much Kevin McGonigle as they can get this season without pushing him too hard too fast. The tension between those two ideas will color everything the Tigers top prospect does this spring. Hinch is prepping him for the scrutiny. For his part, McGonigle is a thoughtful young player and his own toughest critic. He seems well positioned to deal with the burden of expectations. He just may need time against good upper level minor league pitching until he’s ready to hit the ground running in the big leagues. At some point this season, he’ll be undeniable. For now, the opportunity to prove he’s ready gets underway on Saturday.
Tigers Baseball is back and we couldn’t be happier.
Kevin McGonigle will start Saturday’s spring training opener at shortstop, perhaps his first of many with the Tigers.@Local4News spoke to Detroit’s top prospect to hear about the journey, what he’s learned from vets and legend Alan Trammell, and why he believes he’s ready now. pic.twitter.com/NJf9bLuRJZ
Feb 20, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The first game of spring means baseball season is officially back, and the Yankees began their 2026 tune-up with an exhibition game in Sarasota against the Baltimore Orioles. They lost 2-0, with the only offense in the game coming from a two-run blast off the bat of Pete Alonso. The Orioles’ new first baseman hit the towering shot off of non-roster invitee Bradley Hanner in the bottom of the sixth and carried Baltimore to victory. It was a silent showing for the Yankees offense, and arguably the biggest story of the day for the Bombers was Elmer Rodríguez.
The Yankees handed the ball to their No. 3 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) and he was able to pitch three scoreless innings with one strikeout, three hits allowed, and no walks in his spring training debut. Rodríguez’s line is more impressive than it looks given that the Orioles lineup looked almost identical to what we will likely see from them on Opening Day, missing just Taylor Ward and Dylan Beavers.
Rodríguez, who spent all of 2025 in High-A and Double-A (with a couple starts in Triple-A at the very end of the season), was tasked with facing Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser, and more. It started off well, as he retired Henderson, Alonso, and Basallo in order in the first. Rodríguez began the outing with a 97-mph sinker, and induced a groundball from Henderson on the fifth pitch of the at-bat. He needed just two pitches to retire Alonso, dotting a sinker on the inside corner to begin the at-bat and then getting Alonso to chase a slider away and roll over to second base. His only strikeout of the afternoon came against Basallo, who chased a high sinker to end the inning.
Rodríguez began the second by falling behind in the count 2-0 against Tyler O’Neill and allowing a single to left field. He threw a strike on each corner against Cowser, then induced a ground ball on a 1-2 curve for a force out at second. A single from Rutschman put runners on the corners, but a changeup away to Heston Kjerstad turned into an inning-ending double play.
His third and final inning began with two more groundouts from Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson. Gunnar Henderson jumped on a first-pitch sinker misplaced right down the middle, and Alonso stung a sinker towards the gap that was run down on an excellent play by center fielder Kenedy Corona. Rodríguez ended his outing with 42 pitches, 30 of them for strikes.
The spring training outing also means public Statcast data for Rodríguez is now available, and the results back up what we know about him so far. He’s not a pitcher who will blow hitters away with electric stuff, but he possesses a deep arsenal and a mature ability to locate and sequences his pitches well beyond his years. Different models began publishing reports on Rodríguez’s outing shortly after it ended, notably from TJStats and Pitch Profiler, both of whom put Stuff+ grades in the mid-to-low 90s (meaning slightly-below average) on all of his pitches, with the former putting a 101 grade on his slider and the latter putting a 102 grade on his curveball.
This type of profile provides Rodríguez with a rock-solid base for a starting pitcher while also leaving room for him to grow. The below-average stuff grades are a bit concerning at first glance, but as evidenced by pitchers like Trevor Rogers (who Rodríguez coincidentally faced off against in today’s game), there are pathways to success without the sort of electric stuff we’re used to seeing from ace pitchers. Rogers pitched 109 innings in 2025 with a jaw-dropping 1.81 ERA, despite a mediocre 24.3-percent strikeout rate and just a 92 Stuff+ grade (per FanGraphs). He looked very similar today as he did last year, and held the Yankees scoreless through two innings with three strikeouts. Rodríguez could look at today’s counterpart as a model for success.
As far as the eye test, Rodríguez’s start was impressive. His sinker was topping out at 97 mph, and he threw a few devastating 88-90 mph changeups (which appear to have fooled a few of the models that classified them as sinkers, which could potentially be throwing off his model for those pitches). He only induced five whiffs, but he was getting MLB hitters to chase all three of his off speed pitches and ended the day with a 70-percent groundball rate.
Last year was a breakout season for Rodríguez, who pitched 150 innings across three levels and posted a 2.58 ERA between them. He had a 29-percent strikeout rate on the season, so one of the final steps for the minor-league development team will be finding a way to make his ability to miss bats translate at the highest level. He will almost certainly start the season in Triple-A, and is very likely to make his MLB debut in 2026. The Yankees’ starting rotation is deep enough that they should be able to take their time with Rodríguez (barring catastrophe), but he should be knocking around the door by summertime. He climbed all the way to the top of the organization’s farm system last season, and he’ll look to complete his journey in 2026.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 13: Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox reacts with Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox during a workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 13, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s pitching preview time, ladies and gentlemen. Over the next several days, I’ll be writing 10,000 words or so about everyone you might see pitching for the Red Sox to start the season. I’ve put the team’s starting options into tiers because that’s how my brain works. Don’t think of them as rankings, but rather buckets based on some similarities I see.
This is where I remind you that these tiers aren’t rankings, but groupings of similar players. Payton Tolle or Connelly Early could end up starting game two or three of a playoff series for the Red Sox and I wouldn’t be overly surprised. With too many options for too few spots, at least one of these two likely starts the season in Worcester.
Payton Tolle
2025 in a sentence: Tolle’s debut set the world on fire, but the rest of his season failed to live up to those heights.
Unless you’re brand new to Red Sox baseball and are truly using this piece to get up to speed on the roster, you probably already have thoughts about Payton Tolle. Everyone who’s followed the offseason knows that Tolle has a great fastball, and nothing else. In his second start, the Arizona Diamondbacks knew that he had nothing else, waited for fastballs, and hit the snot out of them.
Two things can be true at the same time: Tolle has an excellent fastball, and Tolle can’t throw his fastball 65% of the time. While the pitch is outstanding – 97 mph with a flat approach angle and 7.5 feet of extension – it was hit because opponents knew he had to throw it.
In 2024, Garrett Crochet put together a solid season using 54% four-seams and 28% cutters. He mixed in other pitches as well, but the two fastballs accounted for most of his arsenal. You can succeed with just two pitches, but you have to be able to locate them. Crochet spotted his cutter inside to righties and away from lefties consistently. Tolle’s cutter heatmap looked more like a Rorschach test than a game plan. Against righties in particular, Tolle’s cutters found the middle of the plate far too often. If he wants to live with two pitches, he has to locate them well.
Based on Tolle’s quotes this offseason, he doesn’t seem content trying to live with two pitches. He’s mentioned improving his changeup on more than one occasion and said he was throwing a curveball as well. I’ve told everyone willing to listen that he should add a sinker to his mix, and he appeared to be toying with that based on some Trackman live batting practice outputs.
Tolle set the bar for himself impossibly high with his debut against the Pirates. He rose to the majors so quickly that it’s easy to forget that 2025 was his first professional season. He didn’t even have a Wikipedia page at the time he was called up. If Oviedo is a sculpture waiting on the finishing touches, Tolle is a ball of clay that was just harvested from a riverbank or wherever they get clay. Do you harvest clay? Collect it? Is clay even the most common sculpting material? I don’t know. I’m a baseball nerd, not an art geek. Regardless, Tolle can go a million different directions with his arsenal and still has plenty of time to figure it out. The sky’s the limit for the rookie.
2025 in a sentence: Early came out of nowhere and really impressed in a short cameo down the stretch.
Connelly Early started a do-or-die playoff game for the Red Sox last season. I didn’t even include him in last year’s starting pitching preview. I was a nervous wreck before the game, but prime Pedro could have been on the mound, and I still would have been nervous because there’s something wrong with me. The point is, Early was far from the source of my stress, which speaks to how rapid his ascent was.
Early’s debut was equally as impressive as Tolle’s, but it took place in Sacramento at 10 pm EST on a Tuesday, so responsible people were in bed. I was watching and went to bed with my expectations for Early shattered as he struck out 11 over five innings. A week later, he faced the same lineup in Fenway Park and allowed one run over 5.1 innings with a different plan of attack. In his first start, he didn’t throw a single sinker to a right-handed hitter. In the rematch, it accounted for 25% of his arsenal. That level of pitchability from a 23-year-old was surprising, to say the least.
Early faced 22 lefties over his four regular-season starts, surrendering hits to three, walking one, and striking out 13. He also hit one batter. He used a pretty standard approach, throwing sinkers inside and breaking balls away. His sweeper was particularly devastating to lefties, generating ten whiffs on 20 pitches. If there’s a knock on Early against lefties, it’s that he left his four-seam fastball over the plate too frequently. At 94 mph with seven feet of extension and a flat approach angle, he has some room for error, but good hitters will punish these mistakes should they persist.
Righties had more success, hitting .259 and striking out 28.1% of the time as opposed to the 59.1% lefties did, but they still only managed one extra-base hit against the lefty. Early used his four-seam against righties 33% of the time, and it was effective. The 61% strike rate was on the low side for a primary offering, but the 12.5% swinging strike rate and 25% ideal contact rate were each excellent. He was also able to spot first-pitch sliders on the glove side for early strikes. Ahead of righties, he turned to his curveball and changeup. Each pitch generated chases at a high rate, but it was the curveball that got more whiffs. His changeup was the pitch evaluators were most impressed by, but the out-of-zone contact rate was high at 76.5%. The pitch shows great velocity and movement separation from his fastball, so I’d expect that number to fall in a larger sample. A lefty with big extension, a good changeup, and multiple breaking balls he can throw in and out of the zone is basically the ideal pitcher. It’s only a four-game sample, with two games against the A’s, but it’s hard to be anything but excited about Early.
While all of the numbers are impressive, and Early passed the eye test, I do want to pump the brakes a little bit. The lefty has struck out hitters at every level, but he’s also walked them. He walked only four of the 79 hitters he faced in the majors (5.1%), but his much longer minor league career walk rate is 9.1%. The stuff is there, and his command looked refined in his late-season cameo, but don’t be surprised if there are some growing pains in year two.
1998, Flushing, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Mets pitcher John Franco in action on the mound at Shea Stadium during the 1998 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images
This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.
How do you feel about Steve Cohen not wanting a captain on the Mets?
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 19: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians poses for a portrait during photo day at Goodyear Ballpark on February 19, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We all know that Spring Training results don’t matter, but which players are you most interested in following until Opening Day?
Is it Chase DeLauter and his messianic outfield bat?
Is it Daniel Espino and his inspiring comeback story?
Is it Travis Bazzana and his attempt to justify the Guardians choosing him 1.1?
Is it one of the six starting pitchers competing for a role in the Opening Day rotation?
Is it Peyton Pallette and his Rule 5 selection?
Is it Stuart Fairchild, the Guardians one offseason outfield addition?
Is it David Fry coming back from getting TJ and then getting hit in the face?
Or, is it someone else? Let us know in the comments below!
Feb 11, 2026; Clearwater, FL, USA;Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) runs a drill during spring training during spring training at BareCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Today is the day. There will be actual baseball on our TV screens (if you’re lucky enough) and we can commiserate together on what the team’s 47th ranked relief prospect looks like in the 8th inning of a spring training game.
