Category: MLB

The Orioles roster seems to be in pretty good shape. Mike Elias has beefed up the rotation and, if reports are to be believed, he could still bring in Framber Valdez. The additions of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward should provide some pop in the middle of the lineup. And Ryan Helsley feels like a solid bet to bounce back and be a dependable ninth-inning option.

But that doesn’t mean that the squad is without flaws or question marks. The Orioles are far from runaway favorites in the American League. In fact, you could argue (pretty easily) that they are the fourth-best team in their own division, albeit with some untapped potential that others in the AL East lack.

Spring training is just two weeks away. Many of the players are likely to be in Sarasota sooner than that. Elias and the Orioles still need to sort out several things about their roster if they want to make a postseason run.

Is everyone in the rotation truly healthy?

It has become an annual tradition for Elias to address the media at some point in the spring and announce that at least one of the starters they were counting on has actually suffered a catastrophic injury.

It was John Means and Kyle Bradish a few years ago. Last year saw Grayson Rodriguez go down and never return. What awaits us in 2026?

The Orioles already have five solid rotation options in tow: Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Dean Kremer, and Zach Eflin. And yet, they are continuing to seek out an upgrade.

Perhaps the plan is to proceed with a six-man rotation, or maybe they are just being extra cautious. After all, they got bit hard by the injury bug in 2025, and you can be sure Elias wants to avoid a similar fate in 2026. But there could also be an injury concern with at least one of the starters.

We know Eflin is recovering from a back procedure. It ended his season back in August, and it seems to have dried up his market this offseason. Right after he signed with the Orioles in late December the veteran righty indicated that he was feeling good and had a goal of being ready by Opening Day.

That could be a stretch.

Eflin threw just 71.1 innings in 2025, and it’s unlikely the Orioles are going to expect him to go right back to be a 150+ inning pitcher in the next season. So don’t be shocked if he opens the season on the IL.

That makes the signing of Valdez, or anyone else, more important. Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, or Brandon Young could step in and pitch while Eflin recovers, but what if someone else goes down in the meantime? Then you have two of the fringy arms in the rotation, and we are right back where things where last year, when the rotation was scuffling.

Can the bullpen be trusted?

Just about every MLB team is crossing their fingers when it comes to their bullpen. It’s a fickle position group in which success one season does not guarantee success in the next. But the Orioles don’t even have a ton of prior triumphs to lean on in the unit.

FanGraphs’ Roster Resource tool projects Rico Garcia, Dietrich Enns, Colin Selby, and Kade Strowd to all be part of the Opening Day bullpen. Garcia is the most experienced of the group, but he only has 70 MLB innings under his belt, and nearly half of them came last year. Grant Wolfram, Yaramil Hiraldo, José Espada, and Cameron Foster are others that are expected to contribute, but they are similarly green.

The veteran duo of Helsley and Andrew Kittredge are likely to get most of the high-leverage innings. Helsely has a track record of success, just don’t look at his numbers with the Mets. There’s risk there, although the Orioles will tell you his stuff is fine. Maybe it was just mechanical issues that led to his struggles in Queens.

Even still, the relief group feels an arm (or two) light. Right now the middle innings are projected to belong to Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano, and Tyler Wells (if he doesn’t earn a spot in the rotation). That could be fine. It could also be a major concern. Signing or trading for a more dependable veteran wouldn’t be expensive, and it might level the group up just enough.

Who is going to be on the bench?

The Orioles have more MLB-quality position players than they have room for on their roster. That’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem.

The “everyday” lineup is pretty well set. Across the infield will be Alonso, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, and Jordan Westburg. In the outfield it will be Ward, Colton Cowser, and either Tyler O’Neill or Dylan Beavers. Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo will be your catchers that also DH quite a bit.

That’s 10 players right there. Leody Taveras seems like the favorite to be the backup in center field. And then there is the Ryan Mountcastle/Coby Mayo dilemma.

It doesn’t make a ton of sense to have both players on the roster if they each still fit in the 1B/DH slot. Mayo can be demoted to Triple-A without losing him. Mountcastle would have to be on the big league roster. There is the outside chance that they co-exist, but only if Mayo takes on other positions. He has been a third baseman before. Maybe they drill that hard in the spring. Or perhaps he can learn a corner outfield spot, a move that has long been expected from scouts.

If the team keeps both Mayo and Mountcastle, then they won’t have room for Jeremiah Jackson, or any other “utility” player for that matter. That would mean no official backup to the infielders. They would have to rove around to give each other days off. Holliday can play shortstop. Westburg can play second base. Mayo would be the reserve at the hot corner. They would have a similar problem even if Jackson stuck around since he is not viewed as a shortstop option, although he can fill in at second and third.

Health plays a big role in all of this, and that could be why Elias is waiting on making a move as long as he can. Things happen in the spring all the time. If a significant player needs to open the season on the IL, like Henderson did last year, it would be nice to have a big league-quality solution in place rather than scrambling to add a Quad-A type in mid-March.

Much like a group you may have heard about from Liverpool, the Red Sox have a quartet of young, talented lads who are breaking through a top 100 chart in the middle of the decade. Maybe that’s a stretch, I dunno, but I’m happy that we do have a Fab Four to call our own.

On Friday, MLB Pipeline released their updated rankings of the top 100 prospects in baseball. While it’s certainly not the be-all-end-all of prospect evaluation, Pipeline’s latest list gives us an opportunity to take stock in what we have at the top of our farm system.

The answer to that question: a trio of talented pitchers and a middle infielder. Left-handers Payton Tolle (number 19 in the league wide Top 100, according to Pipeline) and Connelly Early (number 56) are joined by 2025 first-round draft pick Kyson Witherspoon (number 84) on the bump, while shortstop Franklin Arias (number 31) represents the sole position player within the organization who currently makes the grade (another reference to that Liverpudlian band for ya).

Does that crop of players represent the most talent, on paper and in the eyes of Pipeline’s evaluators, across the sport? No, but there’s some legit juice among our representatives.

We’ve already seen glimpses of the potential that both Tolle and Early have from the left side; the former has a dynamite heater, while the latter has already displayed an ability to step into a massive role and provide his club with a chance to win a do-or-die game (they died, lmao, sure, but I’d hardly pin the majority of the blame on Early for how Game 3 in New York went down a few months ago). Witherspoon projects to be a guy who can deploy swing-and-miss stuff via multiple pitches, especially if he can develop his command. There’s a very real chance that Arias is up in Boston before we know it, possibly serving as a long-term solution on the infield dirt with his steady glove and ability to get lumber on the ball (Pipeline grades his hit tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scale; in plain English, that’s quite good).

This next wave, mixed with the group of guys who were on Pipeline lists of past and have already graduated from the minor league system, could very well be exciting! Of course, no prospect is a sure thing—although I’m still holding out hope for a Lars Anderson renaissance—but one can hope that this is a sign of continued progress within the Sox’s player development system. Craig Breslow has stressed his desire to build a sustainable winner, one that is primed to compete in both the short-term and for the long haul. Your opinion on that philosophy along with how the front office has actually done in carrying out that vision may vary, but if that master plan were to eventually bare fruit, it could look a little something like what we’re currently seeing: another hoard of players on the precipice of contributing to the major league club within the next 12 to 18 months or so.

Even with that in mind, I’m curious: does a continued faith in Boston’s player development open the door, perhaps, to some trades for veterans that can round out the roster—be it this winter, next summer, or in future offseasons (even if we might not have the patience for that)?

There are young position players already primed to play major roles in 2026, while you can point to plenty of young arms that can make an impact before their arbitration years are up. There’s an embarrassment of riches within the organization’s pitching depth—could that be leveraged in the future, especially if Breslow and Co. trust their own models and methods to develop pitching? Early was a fifth round draft pick a few years ago, and I can confidently assume that he wasn’t on many folks’ radars at this time last year (I can only speak with certainty for myself; if you had the Early emergence on your 2025 bingo card, hats off to ya), and he’s now been thrown around in trade ideas for multi-time All-Star players. Does the organization have faith in themselves to produce more Connelly Early-types?

Regardless of future transactions, the strides being made in the minors gives me some hope. There’s more work to be done—Tolle needs to work on his secondary pitches, Early has to be stretched out for longer outings, etc.—but the Red Sox aren’t in a bad spot right now. If they flip some of this prospect capital for a win-now type of player in the future, sure. If they keep them and they turn out to be big league contributors, sure. Either outcome would be a huge win for the work being done on the farm.

Now stop procrastinating and go shovel that snow, dear reader.

On Saturday night, Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal made baseball history by collecting his second straight American League Cy Young award. For all the conversation around Skubal as he prepares for his last season prior to free agency, the basic calculus for all parties involved revolves around the fundamental question; how long can Tarik Skubal stay at this level?

Since the middle of the 2023 season when he settled in after 2022 flexor tendon surgery, Skubal has been the best pitcher in baseball. When we talk about his arbitration battle with the Tigers, whether he should be traded or extended, and what he will ultimately be paid in a long-term contract next offseason, it all comes down to an assessment of how good Tarik Skubal will be going forward, and for how long.

Assuming he has another great season in 2026, which certainly isn’t guaranteed, Skubal is set to ask for $400 million in free agency over a 10-year span, and he may end up making more than that. To be worth such a deal, Skubal needs to have numerous great seasons ahead of him, and to be able to still produce good numbers in his decline phase. No one is going to expect Cy Young caliber production out of him for 10 years, but they’ll be paying like he can average well above average production over the life of the deal. In reality, deals like this are really only about the first 5-6 years, with a big spending team expecting to eat much of the remaining contract.

The game has changed so much over the last quarter century that drawing reasonable comparisons to other great pitchers is difficult.

We can look to former Tigers ace Justin Verlander as one possible point of comparison. The future Hall of Famer has been the most valuable pitcher in the game over the last 20 years, though the title of “best” may go to Clayton Kershaw. It’s difficult to use JV as a comp because Verlander is a freak. He was throwing 100 mph by the time he was 21-22 years old, and he was able to reach back for triple digits with his max fastball for over a decade before settling into steady mid-to-high 90’s velocity for much of another full decade. Skubal had his first major arm surgery when he had Tommy John in his freshman year of college. A 2022 flexor tendon injury also required surgery and cost him over a season of work. Verlander had one stretch in 2014-2015 of core and shoulder trouble, but was otherwise unscathed until he finally blew out his UCL in 2020. He then returned at age 39 and won his long coveted second American League Cy Young award in 2022.

Verlander possesses a once in a generation type combination of arm strength, durability, hunger, and work ethic that can really only be surpassed by the likes of Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and even now he’ll land himself a solid one-year deal in the coming weeks as he reaches his 43rd birthday. Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez had better careers than Verlander, though he’s closing in on Pedro, but they didn’t throw as hard nor maintain that kind of top shelf velocity deep into their careers.

Comparing aces

Other contemporary examples of a true ace, rather than just a good pitcher who had a peak season or two, may be a little more instructive than Verlander. So let’s take a quick look at the other top pitchers over the last 20 years and see what happened from age 30-35.

This chart below is the top 20 pitchers in fWAR from 2005-2025. Essentially you can see how much in fWAR they were worth prior to their 30’s, and then how much fWAR they earned in successive seasons. I left out guys who started their career in the 90’s like Roy Halladay. The 2020 season throws a bit of a wrinkle into this, and makes it a lot more of a project to take all these pitchers and get a fair average by each year of their career from age 30 onward. It’s not exactly cutting edge statistical analysis, but this is enough to give you a pretty good picture of the risk of a serious performance drop off from age 30 on.

Again this only tells you so much, but it’s already pretty clear that paying a pitcher $35-40 million a year in their 30’s is never going to go very well. There’s a pretty good chance he’ll be a good pitcher for several more years, but the odds of many more Cy Young award caliber seasons isn’t great. Beyond 34, really only Justin Verlander remained a pretty valuable pitcher for a long time.

We should also note that most of these pitchers either never had a Tommy John surgery, or didn’t have one until they were already into their 30’s. DeGrom has already had two, and Zack Wheeler had the surgery in 2015 and came back very strong. Adam Wainwright had the surgery in 2011 and came back strong for another decade. Chris Sale had the surgery in 2020. Otherwise, the only other TJ guy on the list is Verlander, and he was 37 at the time with a crazy amount of mileage and high velocity heat behind him.

Now let’s consider the actual specimen himself.

Skubal is at the height of his powers

Tarik Skubal’s main attributes as a pitcher are velocity, a pretty unique fourseam fastball shape, a deceptive delivery, and one of the best changeups in baseball. The velocity isn’t going to last, but the other traits do bode well for Skubal remaining a pretty good starting iptcher even when he’s sitting 95 mph rather than the 97.6 mph he averaged in 2025. Frankly there’s a pretty good chance we’ve already seen peak velocity from the big left-hander. He averaged 95.8 mph in his 2023 return from flexor tendon surgery. He averaged 96.8 mph in winning his first Cy Young in 2024. That’s a pretty incredible trendline, but it can’t last forever.

Still, even when Skubal eventually falls back to averaging 95-96 mph again, his seam-shifted changeup is still going to remain a great weapon. Per Statcast, Skubal’s changeup was worth 26.8 runs above average, easily the best changeup is baseball. Christopher Sanchez of the Phillies was second at 19.8 runs above average, and only three other pitchers were above 10 runs above average. Certainly a great changeup benefits from a great fastball, and the changeup won’t be as effective when his velocity declines, but it’s so good it should remain a well above average pitch for Skubal for many years to come.

The distinctive thing about Skubal’s fourseamer is the fact that it’s basically a straight pitch. His ability to tie up right-handed hitters inside is predicated both on the velocity and deceptive delivery, but it’s also the fact that not many left-handers have a fourseamer with that shape. It’s almost a 97-98 mph cutter, and hitters cannot get used to the idea that it won’t run back over the plate at all. And just as he’s got you recognizing that fact, he’ll mix in a sinker that does swing back 10 inches on average more than the fourseamer, and he can start that pitch right at a right-handed hitters’ hands and nail the inner edge of the strike zone. There’s just no way to get experience against that combination of velocity and stuff.

If there’s any flaw in his game right now, it’s that Skubal doesn’t really have a good breaking ball indpendent of his other pitches. His slider plays up because his two main offerings are both elite, but it’s really a pretty average slider that thrives on velocity and the need for hitters to worry about the fastball-changeup combination. It’s a straight 90 mph pitch that doesn’t really break at all, with very pedestrian spin considering the velocity he’s throwing with. As the effectiveness of his two main pitches declines along with his velocity, he isn’t going to have that third pitch to fall back on unless he comes up with something new.

Of course, maybe he will. One of the unifying tendencies of the greats is the insane work ethic and dedication to keep making adjustments as their peak phase of raw athleticim starts to decline. Skubal can occasionally dump in a solid curveball, and as his velo declines perhaps he leans more into the sinker and converts to a pitcher who gets more ground balls than fly balls, playing the sinker and changeup off each other. When you have such outsized weapons, coming up with adjustments as they decline may be a little bit more straightforward.

Full steam ahead to 2026

For now, there’s nothing to suggest that Skubal isn’t going to go right back out there in 2026 and win his third straight Cy Young award. Garrett Crochett, Hunter Brown, Cole Ragans, and a few others, will try and step up to challenge him, but until Skubal starts losing velocity or gets injured, he’s going to remain really hard to beat.

At some point in the next few years, Skubal is basically guaranteed to have a letdown year. Maybe it will be an injury, maybe wear and tear will just sap a little gas out of the tank, but it’s bound to happen. No pitcher can maintain a peak like this for a half decade or more, particulary once they’re into their 30’s. Then the question will be if Skubal can adapt. Justin Verlander has been able to do so because he has a great slider, outstanding command, and the spin rates to continue throwing a good fastball even without the ability to scrape triple digits. Max Scherzer mixed fastball types and leaned into his excellent slider-changeup combination to continue pitching well through his mid-30’s.

Perhaps Skubal will simple mix fourseamers and sinkers more, while still relying on a changeup that wreaks havoc on either-handed hitters to remain a well above average starting pitcher. Right now, his stuff is so overpowering that he doesn’t rely on pinpoint command, but at lower velocities he may be forced to spot his stuff a little more precisely rather than just aiming over the middle and trusting his stuff.

What I hope this post illustrates, is why signing Skubal long-term was never really in the cards for the Tigers. With no apparent interest in an early extension after 2023 or 2024, he was always going to free agency.

Based on the Tigers payroll, they could afford $40 million a year for great Skubal. They would still be fine paying him $40 million a year for just good Skubal. The club is paying Javier Báez $24 million to be a quality utility player and that isn’t killing them right now. One underwater contract is not the end of the world. But what Scott Harris probably can’t do under the Ilitch family’s payroll restrictions, is pay $40 million a year for 5-6 seasons while Skubal is injured or just a fairly average pitcher down the road. That’s the fear. Such a deal could work out for the Tigers, but it’s hard to fault Scott Harris for not making that move without the Ilitch family committing to eating some of the back of that contract without limiting the rest of the Tigers’ payroll should things go that way. This is the kind of deal that ownership has to make happen. No doubt if Mike Ilitch were still around he would be pretty likely to push it through. Unlikely that the Ilitch family trust controlling the Tigers now feels the same way.

If Skubal is great for 2-3 more seasons and then is still a good starting pitcher into his mid-30’s, he’ll be plenty worth his money. If it all starts to unravel for him in his early 30’s, whoever signs him long-term is going to have a problem. But, for the likes of the Dodgers or the Mets? Just another huge deal they can easily absorb.

For now, we still have 2026 to enjoy this, so let’s just hope Skubal has at least one more monster year in him.

Meet the Mets

David Stearns is facing the challenge of living up to Steve Cohen’s Dodgers East dream by balancing the hopes of a World Series with the maintenance of one of baseball’s best farm systems.

Around the National League East

The Washington Post reportedly on their way to shuttering their entire sports department is a reminder that the Nationals and all baseball teams need and deserve hometown newspaper coverage.

The 2025 season was a complete mess for the Atlanta Braves, but it’s worth asking, is there a lower bottom to hit?

Around Major League Baseball

Despite hesitation and protests from the Giants, Logan Webb followed Jung-hoo Lee’s lead and will be suiting up for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.

Unsigned for 2026 and growing increasingly impatient, Andrew McCutchen is feeling disrespected and wants a resolution with the Pirates sooner than later for what might be his final season.

Almost immediately after international prospect Marion De La Rosa’s deal with the Yankees officially fell apart, the Mariners swooped in and agreed to a $3.8M deal for this time next year with the Dominican infielder.

Hanser Alberto, a personal favorite 2019 juiced ball oddity, announced his retirement at 33 after eight major league seasons.

With an ace-like 2025 cut short due to injury, Nathan Eovaldi is fully healed and is ready to enter camp with the Rangers without limitations.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Thomas Henderson looked at the Mets’ position player additions and their collective lack of strikeouts.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2005, the Mets traded for Doug Mientkiewicz.

As we enter the last week of January, Spring Training is coming into full view and is about three weeks away for most teams. But many teams still have a need or two to address before the prep for the season arrives. The need for the Braves remains starting pitching, with some intriguing names still available. MLB.com looks at how current FA starter Zac Gallen can return to form plus reports many teams have interest in Lucas Giolito. It will be interesting to see who the Braves may target to add to their staff.

MLB News

Though the Pirates do have interest in resigning veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the former MVP was less than happy about not being able to attend a recent Pirates fan event.

MLB.com looked back at 10 memorable games from the 2025 season. From the World Series to the All-Star game, there were certainly some fun moments to relive.

1963
With expansion resulting in an explosion of offense, the MLB Rules Committee decides to increase the strike zone to the top of a batter’s shoulders down to his knees. The results swing the balance of power so dramatically that in just five years and in spite of a four-team expansion looming, baseball will shrink the strike zone in order to inject some offense back into the game.

1983
The White Sox and GM Roland Hemond outfoxed the Cubs by hinting through the media that they might select pitcher Fergie Jenkins after the Cubs left him unprotected in the free agent draft. Jenkins, the future Hall-of-Famer, was getting close to the magical 300-win mark in his career, and the Sox were entitled to compensation after losing outfielder Steve Kemp to the Yankees.

The Cubs were forced to make a rushed trade of Scott Fletcher, Dick “Dirt” Tidrow, Randy Martz and Pat Tabler to the Sox for a promise not to take Jenkins, along with pitchers Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar. The Sox then flipped Tabler to Cleveland for Jerry Dybzinski. After it was all said and done, Cubs GM Dallas Green was quoted as saying, “To say I’m relieved probably would be an understatement.” 

While traditionally there has been a reluctance for the Chicago teams to trade with one another, this marked the third deal made between the White Sox and Cubs in the 1983-83 offseason.

Fletcher would be a key part of Chicago’s 1983 division champions. But his bigger impact perhaps came during his second stint with the White Sox, in 1990, for the “Doin’ the Little Things” White Sox, who shocked baseball by winning 94 games. Fletcher was a defensive rock at second base and executed small things exceptionally well — bunting, hitting behind a runner and to the opposite field, and driving in key runs. Tidrow did just about everything a relief pitcher could do in 1983, and Dybzinski stabilized a shaky infield in the early part of that same season. (Unfortunately, Dybzinski’s baserunning error in Game 4 of the ALCS is what he is best remembered for.) 

The White Sox starting staff was so deep in 1983, with seven pitchers on the roster who all won at least 10 games in a major league season, that Martz never really got a chance. He only made one emergency start that year, in a game at Detroit. The other pitchers besides Martz who won at least 10 games were LaMarr Hoyt, Richard Dotson, Floyd Bannister, Britt Burns, Jerry Koosman and Steve Mura. 

In the end, Trout provided several strong starting years for the Cubs, offsetting the great value Fletcher brought with him to the White Sox. But there hasn’t been a weirder — or more panicked — trade between Chicago clubs than this one.

And one year later, Hemond successfully plucked an unprotected future Hall-of-Famer through the compensation draft: Tom Seaver.

1987
One of many flash points of the coming Rick Hahn rebuild, Néctor Noesí, was born in Esperanza, Valverde in the Dominican Republic.

Noesí came to the pitching-poor White Sox off of waivers from the Texas on April 25, 2014 — already his third team of the young MLB season. Oddly, the White Sox had just seen him the previous April 20, crushing him for seven earned runs in the ninth inning of a blowout over the Rangers.

Nonetheless, the White Sox plugged him into the next night’s game, on April 26. His next appearance was a start, and he logged 26 more to finish the season as a relative standout, with 0.9 WAR, 4.39 ERA, and 85 ERA+. Perhaps the most impressive about his 2014 was that despite his 8-11 record, the 73-89 White Sox went 14-14 in games he pitched.

Here’s some crazy trivia. Noesí brought an 11-game losing streak to Chicago with him and added three more losses before snapping it with a win on June 3, 2014. To end his White Sox career, Noesí dropped his final three starts of 2014 and then went 0-4 during the 2015 season in Chicago; the White Sox lost all 10 of the games he appeared in, making the club 0-13 in all Noesí games to end his time with the team. In that stretch, Noesí carried an 0-7 record and 6.31 ERA in that losing stretch.

Noesí went to the KBO in South Korea from 2016-18 and turned his losing ways around, going 46-20 in that time. However, when he got a final look in the majors with Miami in 2019, naturally he went 0-3, with the Marlins going 2-10 in the games he pitched.

All in all, Noesí finished his major league career 0-10, with his teams going 2-23 in that time.

2023
All-time great South Side southpaw Gary Peters died, at age 85, in Sarasota, Fla. The Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star and two-time ERA titlist finished his White Sox career with 21.4 WAR, placing him 17th all-time among White Sox pitchers and tied for 40th among all players in team history. When Peters was on, he was dominant, as indicated by three MVP finishes of ninth or better in his career (eighth in 1963, seventh in 1964 and ninth in 1967).

Hello and happy Monday, folks. A very happy Monday, indeed, even after we’ve been whacked with snow—13 more days until we get a chance to see the Pats hoist another Lombardi. Perhaps Malcolm Butler can sign onto the practice squad, just for ol’ times’ sake.

This is a Red Sox blog, though. Not a ton of news about our beloved team right now, but rest assured that your ol’ pals at OTM will be on it if anything does happen. Maybe Craig Breslow’s communication systems are down due to the blizzard. Maybe we can get some sled dogs to get him over to another GM’s office if need be. Can’t risk missing out on any transactions due to Mother Nature; you gotta do what you gotta do.

Drop your favorite snow storm snack/drink/treat below in the comments. Not that I’d be able to go to the store right now, but I’m just curious.

Be good to each other and go Sox.

Preston Farr writes about what the Royals could still do before the season, such as add infield depth.

Brendan Rodgers and Ramon Urias are both interesting names. Rodgers, 29, is a former top prospect out of the Rockies organization. He signed a minor league deal with Houston a year ago. He suffered through a few injuries, finishing the season with a horrendous 35% strikeout rate and 55 wRC+. He’s a career .261 hitter and was stellar defensively at second base for one season. There’s just no real track record, and it’s a lot of hope on potential alone. Urias was the 27th-ranked prospect for the Cardinals in 2019 before he went to Baltimore. He was a solid contributor for parts of five seasons with the Orioles before he was traded to Houston in 2025. He has a career 104 wRC+ but enters his age-32 season in 2026. Defensively, Urias is stellar. In 2025, he finished with seven defensive runs saved (DRS) and four outs above average (OAA) at second base. At third base, he was worth five DRS and one OAA.

David Lesky also looks at potential last-minute moves, with an eye towards the bullpen.

So who can they add? They still want another lefty reliever. I’d take a look at Justin Wilson. He had a 27.5 percent strikeout in 2025 with Boston and would like very nice in the middle of the bullpen. He made $1 million in 2023, $1.5 million in 2024 and $2.25 million in 2025. Maybe he’s in line for a raise after the season he had, but this late, I’d bet you can probably get him for $4 million or so. I wouldn’t mind them taking a chance on a hard-thrower from either side, but someone like Michael Kopech would be interesting to me.

I still think they could add Austin Hays or Harrison Bader if the price is right on either of them. I still think they could make some sort of trade, though I do agree with the people who know more than me that a big splash is probably out at this point. But the point here is that the Royals have a history of doing something for their big league club this late in the spring, so don’t discount any moves happening over the next two or three weeks.

MLB Pipeline looks at the top prospects from each team.

It’s a party behind the plate for Kansas City. Jensen has already ascended to the Majors by showing plus power, a balanced approach and improving defense, and he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate as he shares catching duties with Salvador Perez. Mitchell dealt with a broken hamate in 2025 that dulled much of his offensive projection, but as he showed in the Arizona Fall League, he can still produce top-end exit velocities and be a dexterous defender with a strong arm.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep wonders if Royals fans are selling Blake Mitchell short.

One of the positive developments to see from Mitchell in the AFL was his 74 percent Z-Swing%, which ranked in the 86th percentile. He has long been known for his solid plate discipline, and he showed that in Arizona with a 15.8% O-Swing%, which ranked in the 89th percentile, according to Statcast data. However, one critique of his approach at the plate as a prospect has been his passivity.

Last year, in Quad Cities, he had a 49.5% F-Strike% and 29.4% CSW (called-strike plus whiff) rate. He also only had a 41.2% swing rate, which was 1.3% lower than his mark in Low-A Columbia.

Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman writes about how the Royals could use Lane Thomas this year.

Former Royals infielder Hanser Alberto announces his retirement.

The Padres sign former Royals infielder Samad Taylor to a minor league deal.

The Yankees sign former Royals reliever Dylan Coleman to a minor league deal.

The Mets sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal.

The Cleveland Guardians sign José Ramírez to a seven-year, $175 million contract.

Which teams have made the biggest upgrades this offseason?

Jose Altuve will play mostly second base for the Astros this season.

Andrew McCutchen wants to return to the Pirates, but is puzzled by the team’s response.

Yu Darvish denies reports he has retired.

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Our first real battle happened in the vote for the #4 prospect, with Quinn Mathews winning by a mere 4%. Last year’s #2 prospect, he had a bit of a down year, or at least a year that didn’t go as well as hoped, but his drop to 4 actually had less to do with that and more to do with another top 10 pick and a huge year from a teenager. I think it’s safe to say even an excellent year and he lands as the #4 prospect, because he just doesn’t really have the upside of the first three guys. This leaves the current top 4 at:

1. JJ Wetherholt
2. Liam Doyle
3. Rainiel Rodriguez
4. Quinn Mathews

Comparable Player Corner

Okay, most of the time I run this feature, I am planning way ahead. I usually do not know when I will add the players in this section, I just know I will have a hard decision to make in the future and this vote will help me make that decision. Well, today we have a vote between two players, the winner of which is going into the next vote. Never has a decision more clearly indicated your philosophy towards prospects. And we have the two perfect representatives.

On one corner, we have Tanner Franklin representing the high upside, higher variance prospect. With an elite fastball, he still has to make that transition to starter, and has 6 total innings to his name.

On the other corner, we have Brycen Mautz representing the lower variance, close-to-the majors prospect. In Springfield, he he had a great season, he does also have relief risk because his change is a work-in-progress.

ORSTLcardsfan had a great idea to just say vote here instead of trying to paste the address bar. So click on vote here to vote.

VOTE HERE

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Last time, I mentioned that I was going to add one player based on his ranking on last year’s list and one player who either wasn’t in the system last year or is in such a wildly different place from last year that the voters haven’t had a chance to express how they feel about that prospect. Basically, one player where previous voting helps me out and one player where I have no clues as to when they might be put on the list.

Last year’s player is Cooper Hjerpe, selected 9th last year. If he was coming off a healthy season, he’d already be in the voting, but I felt it fairly safe to wait until now because of the Tommy John. And the player where I really don’t know where he’ll place is Ixan Henderson. He was in the system last year, but he was an 8th rounder with a good debut season in Low A and six starts in High A where he didn’t really strike people out. And then the Cardinals decided he only needed six starts in High A, and he had the kind of season in AA to land you on a top 20.

Joshua Baez, OF – 23

Stats (High A): 168 PAs, .317/.404/.483, 10.7 BB%, 21.4 K%, .166 ISO, .400 BABIP, 152 wRC+, 108 DRC+

AA: 331 PAs, .271/.374/.509, 12.4 BB%, 20.2 K%, .238 ISO, .294 BABIP, 141 wRC+, 125 DRC+

Scouting: 30/35 Hit, 45/60 Game Power, 60/70 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 40/50 Fielding

I know people say that Baez’s change has been more like a year and half than a year, but I kind of object to that, because the main reason people are suddenly giving him attention is the strikeouts, or the sudden drop in them. While he destroyed Low A, he had an improved strikeout rate, but not that out of line with expectations given he was sent down to a level he had already played. A 27.9 K% rate does not get my attention in that context.

His 21% and then 20% K rates last season, however, very much do. Imagine if Nolan Gorman suddenly strike out 20% of the time? It won’t happen. So I will be absolutely fascinated to know what Baez’s strikeout rate looks like next season. He may very well strike out a lot at the MLB level. But he’s at least starting from a lower place; a 35% K rate might be over 40% in the majors. I think that might be off the table, especially if his K rate remains reasonable.

Leonardo Bernal, C – 22

Stats (AA): 107 G, 455 PAs, .247/.332/.394, 10.8 BB%, 16.9 K%, .146 ISO, .274 BABIP, 103 wRC+, 113 DRC+

Scouting (FG): 35/50 Hit, 35/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 40/30 Speed, 40/55 Fielding

Two things I wonder: will Bernal start in Springfield if Crooks is sent to Memphis? And would Bernal start in Springfield if there wasn’t another strong catching prospect in front of him? We will get an answer to that first question and we may get an answer to the latter. If he’s sent to Memphis anyway, well obviously he would. And if Crooks makes the MLB team, we will also get an answer. But if Crooks is sent to Memphis and Bernal to Springfield, that part will remain unknown.

It does seem like he’s ready for the next step, but I can see an argument to repeating AA given his slow finish to last season. It’s an easier argument to make if Crooks is in Memphis too. And while he would get a lot of playing time in Memphis, things are just easier if Crooks is at one level and Bernal at another with regards to playing time.

Brandon Clarke, 23 – LHP

Stats (Low A): 3 GS, 9.2 IP, 47.2 K%, 5.6 BB%, 68.8 GB%, .125 BABIP, 0.93 ERA/0.98 FIP/1.32 xFIP/3.66 DRA

High A: 11 GS, 28.1 IP, 31.2 K%, 18.1 BB%, 62.5 GB%, .254 BABIP, 5.08 ERA/4.17 FIP/4.74 xFIP/4.75 DRA

Scouting: 60/60 Fastball, 70/80 Slider, 40/50 Change, 30/40 Command

I will be interested to see where Clarke lands, because there are a few things that make his ranking more of an unknown than normal. Obviously, there’s the fact that it’s the first time he’s been in the voting. He is also very much a fringe top 100 prospect and the Cardinals have a few of those guys. And also, in the past, people have tended to be less connected to recent trade acquisitions than people they’ve followed for a few years. It doesn’t affect everyone, but certainly some players. So his ranking could go just about anywhere.

Jimmy Crooks, C – 24

Stats (AAA): 98 G, 430 PAs, .274/.337/.441, 8.4 BB%, 26.5 K%, .167 ISO, .352 BABIP, 105 wRC+, 106 DRC+

MLB: 15 G, 46 PAs, .133/.152/.244, 0 BB%, 37 K%, .111 ISO, .185 BABIP, 5 wRC+, 67 DRC+

Scouting: 35/40 Hit, 40/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 20/20 Speed, 60/70 Fielding

Crooks may end up ranking similar to last year’s voting, but I feel less love for him than last year for sure and I’m kind of curious if it’s more related to what he did in AAA or the majors. If he had never played in the majors, but hit the exact same in AAA, would there be a bigger push for him? His MLB performance clearly did not help, but was also 46 plate appearances at the end of a long season.

Tink Hence, 23 – RHP

Stats (Three levels): 8 G, 21.1 IP, 27.9 K%, 15.1 BB%, 45.8 GB%, .255 BABIP, 2.95 ERA/3.80 FIP/4.18 xFIP, 4.56 DRA

Scouting: 45/45 Fast, 50/55 Slider, 60/70 Change, 45/55 Command

I just noticed that Fangraphs gives Tink Hence a 45 fastball, which unless my memory has mistaken me, is a new development? I don’t remember his fastball being listed as his weakness essentially. Since he barely pitched last year, I wonder if this is accurate or an overreaction to a small sample of pitches trying to fight through injury. You can still make it work because his secondaries do, it would just be tougher.

Ixan Henderson, 24 – LHP

Stats (AA): 25 GS, 132 IP, 25.2 K%, 9.6 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .278 BABIP, 2.59 ERA/3.16 FIP/4.00 xFIP/4.51 DRA

Scouting: 50/60 Fastball, 45/50 Slider, 30/40 Change, 40/45 Cutter, 40/50 Command

Henderson’s stat line just kind of reminds me of a classic Cardinals pitcher of the past. The advanced stats end up closer to mediocre, but the ERA ends up in a good place. Sort of looks like a Michael Wacha line of recent years honestly. The question is if it reflects a pitchability that will keep him crafty enough to succeed or was the ERA more fluky?

Cooper Hjerpe, 25 – LHP

Didn’t pitch

Scouting: 55/55 Fastball, 55/60 Slider, 50/50 Change, 45/50 Cutter, 45/50 Command

The good news is that Hjerpe should be ready to pitch fairly early in the season since he had his Tommy John surgery pretty early last season. Recovery is 12-16 months, so he seems to be in the window to pitch some innings this year. The bad news is that his career high in innings right now is 52 innings, so it does kind of feel like there’s a real ceiling in how many innings he will actually pitch this upcoming season.

Deniel Ortiz, 21 – 1B/3B

Stats (Low A): 320 PAs, .285/.406/.446, 15.3 BB%, 27.5 K%, .162 ISO, .386 BABIP, 145 wRC+, 119 DRC+

High A: 130 PAs, .336/.438/.500, 13.8 BB%, 22.3 K%, .164 ISO, .436 BABIP, 168 wRC+, 97 DRC+

Drafted in the 16th round of the 2024 draft, Ortiz did not play the rest of that year. So at this time last year, none of us knew who Ortiz was. There was no reason to pay attention to him. Now there is. Fangraphs does not have a scouting report on Ortiz, so I don’t actually have any scouting information to give you. But really, if he’s voted onto this list, it wouldn’t be for the scouting anyway.

The crazy thing about Ortiz is that he had that season at 20-years-old. It’s unusual for a late rounder to have the kind of season Ortiz had, but when it happens, it tends to be an older prospect, like Matt Carpenter in the 13th round. So the usual downside of hoping it’s not just an old guy beating on guys a few years younger is not present here. Ortiz is the young guy.

Tekoah Roby, 24 – RHP

Stats (AA): 10 GS, 47 IP, 31.1 K%, 6 BB%, 42.9 GB%, .273 BABIP, 2.49 ERA/2.90 FIP/2.73 xFIP/4.56 DRA

AAA: 6 GS, 31.1 IP, 22.6 K%, 6 BB%, 44.7 GB%, .319 BABIP, 4.02 ERA/4.01 FIP/4.04 xFIP/4.50 DRA

Roby had Tommy John surgery in July of 2025, so his ability to pitch next year is a little more question than Hjerpe. But he pitched well last year, re-establishing himself as a prospect. Without the injury, I wonder how high he would be selected. I also feel that Roby was an example of a prospect that didn’t get as much love because he was a deadline acquisition so there was less attachment. However, fans have gotten familiar with him for now two and half seasons, so he’s probably not harmed by this effect anymore.

VOTE HERE

For years, many folks have clamored for the Colorado Rockies to honor their history. Many teams around the league have some sort of “Hall of Fame” honoring great achievements in franchise history. The Arizona Diamondbacks came into the league five years after the Rockies did, and even they set up both a 20th Anniversary Experience in 2018and a team Hall of Fame in 2024. The Rays, who also joined MLB in 1998, created their own team Hall of Fame in 2023; and the Miami Marlins — the Rockies’ 1993 expansion twins — created one in 2025.

In 2022, Skyler Timmins wrote about establishing a Rockies Hall of Fame. In 2025, Evan Lang called upon the Rockies to celebrate more of their history. After all, they now have two Hall of Famers in Cooperstown and both have had their numbers retired.

While the team has not officially announced a team Hall of Fame, they did make an announcement on Saturday at Rockies Fest: Hall of Famers Larry Walker and Todd Helton would be honored with statues commemorating their time with the Rockies.

While Helton was unable to attend the festival due to an illness, both Walkers — Larry and Monfort — were on hand to discuss the momentous occasion.

“A while back, a few of us here internally got together,” Monfort explained.

“Obviously, we have two retired numbers up there — 33 and 17. It commemorates their incredible achievements as Rockies, both Todd and Larry. To me, they are a big part of me being a baseball fan today. They’re just incredible athletes, and we took it a step further. We got together and decided ‘Hey, we ought to also commemorate here at Coors Field the fact that they are also both members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“So this year, we are very excited to announce that on Sunday, August 23, we will unveil a Larry Walker statue here at Coors,” he continued. “And on Saturday, September 19, we will unveil a Todd Helton statue.”

In addition to the statues, Monfort also said that fans will receive commemorative mini statues. (“I wouldn’t say bobbleheads because their heads don’t bobble.”)

“Obviously, these two have meant so much not only to me and my family personally, but to all of us Rockies fans and staff, and we’re very excited that they will live forever here at Coors Field.”

Larry Walker said he has already met with the sculptors, and explained how much this moment means to him.

“The number being retired, and you walk in the ballpark, and I see 33 up there, trust me, it melts my heart. It’s a pretty cool honor to have that,” Walker said.

“And then when the phone call comes and says ‘We’re going to put a statue outside the ballpark’ — those are two pretty cool things that when you play baseball you don’t (think about). And I’m glad I enjoyed my career in a Rockies uniform, and I’m honored and thank you to the Monfort and Rockies family for allowing this to happen.”

Monfort mentioned that they took inspiration from the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as the New York Yankees Monument Park. He also said the process has been in the works for the last five or so years, with Vice President of Community Relations and Retail Operations Jim Kellogg working to secure the sculptors.

Eventually, the Rockies commissioned George and Mark Lundeen of Lundeen Sculptures in Longmont.

Even though the Rockies are still considered an expansion team, they do have history to be recognized and are finally leaning into it.

“If you’ve been a Rockies fan for long enough, we’ve been impacted by these guys,” Monfort said.

“We have memories that will never, ever go away because we were either here or we saw something on TV, and that’s what this is all about. We’re capturing history, and want to be able to explain our history to future generations and to the kids that are running around here that didn’t have the chance to see them play… that’s why it’s so important to us.”

While this wasn’t an official “Rockies Hall of Fame” announcement, it is a step in the right direction. The Rockies have had some bad years as of late and won’t be competitive in 2026. However, there is a new vibe at 20th and Blake; there is an optimism for what can be accomplished, and there is a lot of buy-in from coaches and players. While the statues might be part of “the future of nostalgia,” it’s a great way for the Rockies to continue to honor their greatest players while setting a precedent for the future.

Walker, Helton statues coming to Coors Field while Condon prepares for Rockies debut | Kevin’s take | Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry offers a look at not only the statue announcement, but other goings-on from Rockies Fest.

Rockies Future Success Hinges on Development of Two Future Stars | Sports Illustrated

There is a lot riding on the 2026 season, but even more in the seasons beyond. Matt Postins identifies Ethan Holliday and Charlie Condon as key cogs to turn the franchise around. So far they’ve showed promise, and Condon could be in the majors potentially as early as 2026.

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

Good morning.

• The Guardians and star third baseman José Ramírez have agreed on a seven-year, $175 million extension that will keep Ramírez in Cleveland until 2032. Jesse Rogers reports.
• Zack Meisel thinks that Ramírez and Cleveland are a perfect match that almost never happened. (The Athletic sub. req.) Ramírez has now twice agreed to a below-market extension to stay in the Western Reserve.
• Tim Stebbins thinks that the Ramírez extension and its attached deferrals could give the Guardians the flexibility they need to add some other bats.
• The White Sox have signed free agent reliever Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year, $20 million deal. Dominguez is expected to close for the Pale Hose.
• Former Cub Craig Kimbrel has signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. Jack Baer has the story.
• It sounds like free agent and future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer will wait until after the season starts to sign with a team.
• The Mets also traded right-handed swingman Cooper Criswell to the Mariners for the most-traded player in history, cash considerations.
• Thomas Harrington lists the ten top positional upgrades that teams made this winter.
• The Mets have made a lot of moves this winter. Matt Snyder has one question: Will the 2026 Mets be any better than the disappointing 2025 version?
• Anthony Castrovince ranks every non-LA National League team by how likely they are to dethrone the Dodgers.
• After re-signing Cody Bellinger, Mike Axisa has what’s left on the Yankees to-do list this winter.
• Pete Caldera also has some suggestions of you the Yankees can yet improve.
• Jordan Schusterman has five questions for the Mariners.
• Andrew Baggarly looks what the Giants still want to accomplish this winter and reports that San Francisco’s attempts to trade for Nationals infielder C.J. Abrams were rejected. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bob Nightengale talks about deferred contracts and speaks with the godfather of such deals, former Met Bobby Bonilla.
• David Adler has four keys to a bounceback season in 2026 for free agent right-hander Zac Gallen.
• Jared Greenspan notes that the two remaining big-name free agent hitters, Eugenio Suárez and Luis Arraez, could not be more different at the plate.
• Gabe Lacques argues against a salary cap in baseball, saying that the real problem is owners who aren’t trying.
• In case you care, MLB released their “Top 100 Players Right Now” list for 2026. Brian Murphy with the details.
• Murphy also has the 18 players who made the biggest rise on that list over the past year.
• Sarah Langs has 11 players looking to set historic milestones in 2026.
• Tyler Kepner looks at newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Carlos Beltrán’s cap dilemma for his plaque in Cooperstown. (The Athletic sub. req.) Kepner also notes that this has been an increasing issue in recent years. Beltrán appears to be debating between a Mets cap, a Royals cap or going in without a team insignia on his plaque.
• Jen Vestuto has a preview of Team Brazil in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
• And finally, Shohei Ohtani wasn’t the only member of his family to be honored at the BBWAA Awards Banquet over the weekend. Jeffrey Lutz reports that Decoy went home with the MVD—“Most Valuable Dog” Award.

In the long history of the Yankees, the players to have donned the pinstripes run the spectrum from complete unknowns to national heroes. In between those two extremes, you have the type of player who maybe didn’t compile the most noteworthy career, but who provided a moment that has become immortalized in the annals of the franchise. Brian Doyle certainly falls into this category.

Brian Reed Doyle
Born: January 26, 1954 (Glasgow, KY)
Yankees Tenure: 1978-80

Brian Doyle and his twin brother, Blake, were born on January 26, 1954, in Glasgow, KY, the younger brothers of major league second baseman Denny Doyle. The pair attended Caverna High School in Horse Cave, Kentucky, where Brian (a second baseman) and Blake (a pitcher and shortstop) led the team to the second state baseball championship in the program’s history in 1972. Both brothers had received several athletic scholarship offers from Division I schools, but had to change course following a family health scare. Their father suffered a heart attack in 1972, causing both brothers to declare for the 1972 June amateur draft thanks to the lucrative signing bonus offers that could help keep the family afloat in that time of financial need.

Brian and Blake were drafted in the fourth round that summer, by the Rangers and Orioles, respectively, and this is where the twins’ baseball stories diverged. Doyle experienced instant success upon being assigned to the Geneva Senators in the Short-Season A New York-Pennsylvania League, batting .256/.390/.363 with 16 stolen bases in 215 ABs. Unfortunately, Doyle was not able to sustain that early success, with injuries limiting him to just 115 ABs in 1974 and a prolonged slump leading to his demotion to the Class A Carolina League in 1975.

But then in his fourth season in the minor leagues, something clicked. In 1976, Doyle started the season on fire, leading to a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League. He finished that season batting .290 with three home runs and 32 RBI in 393 ABs, attracting the attention of the Yankees. Intrigued by this surging young player, on February 17, 1977, the Yankees traded Sandy Alomar Sr. to the Rangers for Doyle, fellow minor leaguer Greg Pryor, and $25,000.

Doyle was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs of the International League and began his tenure in the Yankees organization exactly as he ended his tenure in the Rangers organization — on fire. He scored nine hits in his first 26 ABs including lining up opposite his twin in a May 16th game against the Rochester Red Wings. However, misfortune struck again, a severely injured finger derailing a player who looked to be on the fast track to the majors. Both his offense and defense suffered, Doyle finishing the year batting .200 with no home runs in the second half of the season.

By the time 1978 rolled around, Doyle was back to full health, though the same could not be said for the major league club. The Yankees were struck by an uncommon number of injuries to start the season, which led to Doyle’s first call-up in April to replace infielder Mickey Klutts, who had broken his thumb. Doyle made his MLB debut on April 30th, going hitless in three ABs against Twins righty Roger Erickson after replacing Willie Randolph at second base early in the contest.

Doyle was briefly optioned back down in May, but found his way back to the major league club after batting .333 in 75 ABs at Triple-A Tacoma. He collected his first two major league hits in a 4-0 win over the California Angels on June 17th, but was back on the shuttle to the minor leagues when first baseman Jim Spencer came off the DL. The September roster expansions gave Doyle another crack in the majors, but he registered just one appearance as a defensive sub with the Yankees and Red Sox locked in a fierce divisional battle for first place.

Sometimes, all you need is one opportunity, and Doyle’s came when Randolph suffered a season-ending hamstring injury running out an infield single in the eighth inning of a September 29th tilt against Cleveland. Doyle entered as a pinch-runner and scored the go-ahead run in a 3-1 come-from-behind victory. In the final games of the regular season, Doyle platooned with Fred Stanley, including starting the famous Bucky Dent Game when the Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the AL East tiebreaker playoff at Fenway to punch their ticket to the postseason.

The following day, Doyle was penciled in as the starter at second for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Royals. However, after being left off the 25-man playoff roster, he had to receive last-minute emergency dispensation from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to be added to the roster. He collected a pair of hits including the first RBI of his career, a fifth inning single off Steve Mignori to plate Graig Nettles as the Yankees went on to win, 7-1. Doyle was used as a defensive sub in Game 2, did not appear in Game 3, and drew a walk in the series-clinching Game 4 as the Yankees were set to defend their World Series crown against the Dodgers.

With the southpaw Tommy John on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 1, Doyle started on the bench and was only used as a late-inning defensive replacement as the Yankees lost, 11-5. He drew the start in Game 2, knocking a single off Dodgers starter Burt Hooton, but Ron Cey’s three-run homer off Catfish Hunter put the Yankees in a hole, 0-2, to start the series.

Doyle got the start again in Game 3 and went hitless in four ABs, but the Yankees clawed themselves back into the series with a 5-1 victory. John started his second game of the series in Game 4, which again relegated Doyle to being a late-inning defensive replacement as Lou Piniella leveled the series at two games apiece with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.

Hooton was back on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 5 meaning Doyle earned the start and batted eighth. He singled to center with one out in the fourth off reliever Lance Rautzhan and scored on a Mickey Rivers single as the Yankees plated three in the frame to extend their lead to 7-2. He singled again with one on and one out in the seventh off reliever Charlie Hough, scoring on a Roy White single as part of a four-run outburst. He collected his third single of the contest in the eighth, this time with two outs, and the Yankees completed their 12-2 romp to pull within a win of back-to-back titles.

The series returned to Los Angeles for Game 6 with future Hall of Famer Don Sutton on the mound for the home team. Davey Lopes opened the scoring with a leadoff home run off Hunter in the first, but Doyle responded in the second, doubling to deep left with two on and one out to plate Nettles as the tying run. Both Doyle and Spencer would score a batter later when Dent grounded a two-run single up the middle to give the Yankees the lead, 3-1. After Lopes drew the Dodgers within one in the third, Doyle legged out an infield single in the fourth, though the Yankees failed to score in the frame. Two innings later, Piniella led off with a single, but Sutton recored a pair of quick-fire outs to seemingly end the threat. However, Doyle lined a two-out single to center to plate Piniella and restore the Yankees’ two-run cushion before scoring himself on a Dent single to left that made it 5-2, Yankees. Reggie Jackson clinched the World Series winning victory with a two-run home run in the seventh, and just like that Doyle went from a September call-up to World Series hero in the span of six weeks.

Doyle led all Yankees hitters with a .438 average across those six games. He finished second in World Series MVP voting behind Dent. The pair collected three hits each in Games 5 and 6 as the No. eight and nine hitters in the lineup, scoring four runs between them in Game 5 and driving in five runs combined in Game 6. As Doyle put it after raising the trophy, “All I know is, I’m not going to sell clothes this winter,” in reference to his offseason job selling shirts and fitting customers at Gold & Farley’s clothing store in Bowling Green, KY. Doyle was celebrated in a parade on “Brian Doyle Day” in his hometown of Cave City, KY, a week later and capitalized on his newfound family name fame by opening the Doyle Baseball instructional school in Florida alongside his brothers that winter.

With Randolph fully healthy at the start of the 1979 season, Doyle returned to a bench role and appeared in just 20 games. It was more of the same in 1980, though Doyle did collect the lone home run of his major league career — a solo shot off Cleveland righty Len Barker on June 29th. Following the conclusion of the season, the Yankees traded Doyle’s platoon partner Stanley and a player to be named later to the A’s for pitcher Mike Morgan, the Yankees sending Doyle to complete the deal. However, the commissioner vetoed Doyle’s inclusion given he was assigned to a minor league club at the time, though the A’s managed to complete the transaction by selecting Doyle in the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Injuries prevented Doyle from ever nailing down a starting role in Oakland, as a separated shoulder suffered in a collision at second base with Blue Jays DH Otto Vélez on May 24, 1982 ended Doyle’s major-league career. After brief management stints in the minor leagues, Doyle retired from organizational baseball in 1984. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014, but was able to make it to Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium that season, where he was celebrated for his World Series performance. Doyle has remained a familiar presence at Old-Timers’ Day events ever since.

If not for his World Series heroics, Brian Doyle would likely have joined the long list of players to have played for the Yankees but faded into obscurity. However, those six games cemented Doyle’s place in the memories of many Yankees fans.

References

Brian Doyle. Baseball-Reference.

Brian Doyle. Baseball Almanac.

Skelton, David E. “Brian Doyle.” SABR

Grubbs, Rob. “From the Bronx to the Barn: Brian Doyle’s remarkable journey comes full circle in Newnan.” The Newnan Times-Herald. July 3, 2025.

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

The MLB regular season is fast approaching, and there are a couple of can’t miss series early on in the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Home Opener series against Baltimore April 3-6

The Pirates start their first two series of the year on the road against the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds. While those two series will undoubtedly be very exciting in their own right, PNC Park in the early part of the year is just that much better, especially if you have the privilege of being there in person. As with every Opening Day contest, the Pirates will be getting started at 4:12 p.m. in what should be a fun series against the Baltimore Orioles.

I had the opportunity to be at the home opener in PNC Park in 2024 (also against Baltimore) and it was possibly the most memorable sporting event that I had ever been to. Pittsburgh was in the middle of some nasty storms, and the rivers surrounding the stadium were flooding over. It was a football like environment because of how cold it was, but it did not change the fact that the backdrop at PNC Park was breathtaking.

Rain, snow or shine, the stadium is going to be packed out that first weekend at home. The Orioles will be bringing their young plucky team to face a rejuvenated Pirates’ lineup that should make for a great first series in Pittsburgh.

First series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field April 10-12

Just a week after their home opener the Pirates will be back on the road to face their NL Central division rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

All due respect to PNC Park, there really is nothing like Wrigley Field. First opened in 1914 it is the second oldest stadium in Major League Baseball, only being outdone by Fenway Park, which opened in 1912. With that being said, Wrigley is one of the most iconic venues across the country. People come from all over the world to visit Chicago, and a visit Wrigley is typically on their itinerary. From the old school scoreboard to the iconic ivy covered walls in the outfield, it is one of the premier destinations as a baseball fan.

Aside from the incredible venue, the early opportunity to take down a division rival also makes this series very exciting. The Cubs and the Pirates are a couple of the oldest and most iconic franchises in baseball and it’s always great when the two clash. The Pirates lead the series 1317-1286 all time against the Cubs, but Chicago is 8-2 in their last ten contests against Pittsburgh. If the Pirates can pull off some wins in Wrigley it will serve as great momentum early on in the year.

Battle for the Keystone State at PNC Park May 15-17

Considered by many to be one of the best rivalries in the National League, the hatred between the Pirates and the Phillies dates all the way back to late 1880’s when the two clubs first met. Despite them not playing in the same division since 1994, the series between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are still highly anticipated.

Not only is there a buzz because of the in-state Pennsylvania rivalry, there’s a lot to be excited about because of the great talent on both of these teams. The powerful Philly combo of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber almost always guarantees fireworks. The Pittsburgh tandem of pitcher Paul Skenes and slugger Ryan O’Hearn adds to the excitement surround the Pirates’ new-look roster for 2026.

For whatever reason, the city of Pittsburgh is obsessed with fireworks, and a firework show at PNC Park is like no other. The first game of this series will be a night contest with Zambelli Fireworks being scheduled following the game. A night game at PNC Park is already an incredible time, as the sun sets over the city’s skyline, but throw in some fireworks, and you’ve got a perfect yinzer night out. These two teams are primed to make big moves within their respective divisions, but a classic brawl between historic rivals is almost just as important.

Let us know in the comments which series yinz are looking forward to the most as the season is fast approaching!

I have a feeling that one of the bigger stories entering spring training and the 2026 season is going to be the lineup and how Rob Thomson constructs it. There is a linked story down below about it, but even then, what goes on after the top three in the order hit? Where does Adolis Garcia fit in all of this?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• It’s possible that Bryce Harper will no longer be the #3 hitter in the lineup. He might switch with Kyle Schwarber ($).
• Aaron Nola is going to be a very important piece for the team in 2026. Here is how he can get back on track next season.

MLB news:

• Just when you thought the Mets couldn’t get any better this offseason, they went and added to their bullpen.
• Adding Andrew McCutchen for one more season seems like a no-brainer for the Pirates, yet this is the Pirates, so…
• Imagine John Middleton cold calling Phillies fans this winter. How would that go? Probably as well as the Twins’ owner doing the same ($).
• The Giants made a pretty bold move to try and acquire CJ Abrams ($). Maybe it’ll happen?

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! If you’re in Maryland or one of the other areas that got hit with winter weather, I hope you’re staying warm. Here in Columbia, we got about seven inches of snow and a whole lot of ice. I’ll be staying home again today, because who wants to go out if they don’t have to?

If you were hoping to spend the cold weekend warming your hands at the Hot Stove, you were left disappointed. There was no Orioles news and little other news. The White Sox signed Seranthony Dominguez to be their closer, and José Ramírez agreed to a contract extension with the Guardians through 2032. He must really like it there!

There was a bit of Orioles-adjacent info that came out, neither of which was too exciting. Hanser Alberto, whose best MLB season came with the Orioles in 2019, announced his retirement. Alberto hadn’t played in the majors since 2023. In 2019, Alberto hit .305/.329/422. He also had 12 home runs, which was nine more than in any other season. Best of luck in retirement, Hanser!

The other info that came out was an announcement by Tomoyuki Sugano that he doesn’t intend to return to Japan after one season with the Orioles. He plans to stay in MLB and is “waiting for offers.” I hope he gets one.

Of course, there is also the thing that we’ve been talking about the entire off-season: pitching. Jim Bowden had a story in The Athletic on Friday ranking the remaining free agents. At the top of the list is Framber Valdez, who has surprisingly not signed yet. In his blurb on Valdez, this is what Bowden had to say:

Most in the industry believe that he will eventually land with the Baltimore Orioles for fewer years than he anticipated at the beginning of free agency.

Anything written by Bowden has to be taken with more than a few grains of salt, but I have to admit I enjoy reading that. Maybe this will be the week!

Links

Basallo and Beavers give Orioles a pair of prospects who should contribute in 2026 – MASN Sports
A post you may have missed over the weekend. Roch Kubatko takes a look at the two highly-ranked prospects and what that could be for the Orioles with the PPI.

How a D.C. bar owner’s love of the Orioles shines through in enemy territory – The Baltimore Banner
Some nice off-season content about Eebee’s Corner Bar in DC, owned and operated by an Orioles fan.

Henderson talks about Orioles’ additions, shoulder injury – Baltimore Baseball
If you missed Gunnar Henderson’s interview on WBAL, Rich Dubroff has you covered.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies: Jemile Weeks (39), Rick Schu (64), and Bob Nieman (b. 1927, d. 1985). Weeks appeared in just three games with the Orioles, but I will always remember him as the trade return for Jim Johnson. By 2013, Johnson had been with the Orioles for eight years and was coming off of back-to-back 50-save seasons. He was due $10 million in salary, which seemed too much for the Orioles. So they sent him packing. The trade was a bit of a head-scratcher, but it turned out in the Orioles’ favor. Johnson was terrible in 2014. Anyway, sorry about not having a Jemile Weeks story on his birthday.

On this day in 2004, the Orioles re-signed Sidney Ponson to a three-year deal. They had traded him to San Francisco at the 2003 trade deadline and the Orioles just had to get him back. Ponson’s second stint with the Orioles did not go so well. In two seasons, he was terrible. The Orioles released him with a year left on his contract for violating their morals clause. Ponson had a number of legal run-ins, including the infamous judge-punching incident.

In 2015, the Orioles signed Chris Parmelee to a minor-league contract. He was called up in early June and had four hits, two of which were home runs, in his first game. It was very exciting! Things fell off after that, and he ended up missing the last few months with injury. He was never heard from again in Baltimore.

In 2021, the Orioles signed infielder Freddy Galvis. He played in 72 games with Baltimore before going back to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

And in 2023, the Orioles traded for pitcher Cole Irvin. They sent prospect Darrell Hernaiz to the then-Oakland Athletics and got Irvin and minor-leaguer Kyle Virbitsky in return. Irvin spent two seasons in Baltimore, splitting his time between the rotation and the bullpen. He did not have much success, but was an easy guy to root for. There was some heartburn among Orioles fans over sending away an interesting prospect in Hernaiz, but so far he hasn’t done much with the Athletics. He’s still young, though, just 24 years old.