Category: MLB

Buster Posey describes Giants' top pick Gavin Kilen, team's approach to draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Buster Posey shared the scouting report on Gavin Kilen and detailed the Giants’ overall approach to the 2025 MLB Draft in joining KNBR 680’s “Murph and Markus” on Thursday.

“I think he’s a guy who has a knack [for] finding the barrel, can hit line drives to all parts of the field and has some power in there, too; good defender,” Posey told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher about the 21-year-old infielder.

Kilen, whom San Francisco selected No. 13 overall on Sunday, slashed .323/.381 /.554 with 186 hits, 105 RBI and 24 home runs over three collegiate seasons — two with Louisville and his latest with Tennessee. 

Posey admires how Kilen has a consistent bat. He also loves how the incoming rookie is all about baseball and is serious about holding his teammates to high standards. The latter stuck out to Posey and the rest of the Giants’ staff throughout the draft process.

“I think it’s important to me, as anything, as I stressed with our groups as we’re going through this, is just to know the person,” Posey told Murphy and Boucher. “It seems like all reports are he’s a guy who loves playing baseball; he plays the game hard; somebody who will push his teammates and hold them accountable. Really excited to see him in a Giants uniform.”

San Francisco is eager to see how Kilen develops over the next few years. The traits Posey identified in Kilen, too, represent the Giants’ approach to all of their draft choices.

The 2025 draft tied in what Posey wants San Francisco’s identity to be under his leadership, but also what the team needs sooner rather than later.

“Obviously, we want to be pitching and defense, but offensively, we drafted some players who know how to put good at-bats together. They’re not going to be one-dimensional. [They’ll] be able to move the line,” Posey told Murphy and Boucher.

“For us to win, I believe that’s the type of player we need. Everybody loves the homer — I love the homer as much as anybody — but for us, our philosophy is: we know we’re going to play tight games; we’re going to have to play good, clean fundamental baseball. And the hope is we got a lot of players that have that buy-in.”

Giants fans will know in due time how Posey’s first draft as San Francisco’s president of baseball operations fared, with most eyes likely to follow Kilen’s journey. But for now, Posey is proud of the work he and his scouting department have done, with priorities shifting back to the Giants’ busy second half of the 2025 MLB season.

Though he enjoyed the youthful energy of the past weekend.

“It’s funny, I was thinking about myself when I was going through that process — it’s been 17-ish years ago now. Man, it’s such an exciting time,” Posey told Murphy and Boucher. “You don’t really know what you’re in for until you get into it.

“I know [Kilen] and his family — and the rest of the guys that were drafted — are probably over the moon [and] thrilled to play professional baseball.”

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For the Mets and Yankees, the first half was a reminder of just how long the baseball season can feel, as both teams experienced extreme highs and lows that had them looking like championship teams at times and badly flawed clubs at others.

As such, the July 31 trade deadline looms as particularly important for decision-makers David Stearns and Brian Cashman. It feels like the right move, or three, could make all the difference in getting their teams to a World Series this season.

With that as a starting point, here are 10 bold predictions for the second half of the MLB season:

10. PETE ALONSO MAKES MVP PUSH AND METS LOCK HIM UP

Alonso’s resurgent season continued with his home run in the All-Star Game Tuesday night, and more and more it looks as if he’s primed to deliver for the Mets in what should be a down-to-the-wire race with the Phillies for the NL East title.

As such, I think Alonso could secure a Top 3 finish in NL MVP voting, no small feat considering he doesn’t have a big WAR number, which too many voters use as a top priority. In doing so he’ll likely convince Steve Cohen to give him the longer-term deal he wanted last winter – say four years, $120 million.

9. PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG WINS NL MVP

It’s looking more and more like trading Crow-Armstrong for Javier Baez in 2021 could haunt the Mets for years, especially since center field is currently their most glaring position need. They never envisioned him blossoming offensively the way he has this season, with 50 extra-base hits, including 25 home runs, to go with 27 stolen bases and Gold Glove-caliber defense.

Shohei Ohtani has more impressive offensive numbers but not to the level of last season, and it remains to be seen how much impact he has as a pitcher this year. PCA currently has a much higher WAR number, 5.2 to 4.0, because of his base running and defense, and today’s MVP voters seem to lean heavily on that metric as a guide to voting.

8. JACOB DEGROM AND ZACK WHEELER WIN CY YOUNG AWARDS

I know it would bring some pain to Mets fans, especially if PCA does indeed win the MVP Award as well, but it would also be kind of cool if deGrom and Wheeler were to pull off such a unique daily double, and both are very much in the running going into the second half.

I’d really like to see Wheeler win the NL award. He’s finished second twice, and should have won it in 2021, when he totaled nearly 50 more innings pitched than Corbin Burnes. It’s currently looming as a two-man race between him and Paul Skenes.

The task will be much tougher for deGrom. He’s having a brilliant comeback season but the competition is stiff, with Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Max Fried, and Hunter Brown all putting up similarly impressive numbers so far.            

7. CAL RALEIGH BREAKS AARON JUDGE’S HR RECORD

Why not? It’s looking more and more like a magical season for the Mariners’ catcher, as Raleigh took his new-found stardom into Monday night’s Home Run Derby and thrived in the spotlight, winning impressively.

To break Judge’s record of 62 he needs to hit 25 home runs in 66 games, which seems feasible considering he’s hit 38 in the Mariners’ first 96 games. It’s fair to speculate that as a catcher he’ll wear down in the second half, but the M’s have already used him in 23 games as their DH to help keep him fresh. The pressure of chasing the record will make it tougher as well, but being a switch-hitter gives him an advantage matchup wise, and Raleigh’s low-key personality could help as well.

6. YANKEES TRADE FOR RYAN HELSLEY

Helsley, the Cardinals’ closer, is having a mediocre season and is a free agent-to-be, so he could be available even though the Cards are very much in the NL Wild Card race. His 99 mph fastball is getting hit hard this year, mostly due to poor command, but his slider is a big weapon, as opponents are hitting just .098 against it. That's why Helsley could be especially useful if a team can pick certain matchups for him rather than having him close.

That could work for the Yanks, who need more depth in the late innings even if Luke Weaver and Devin Williams find more consistency in the second half.

5. NOLAN MCLEAN BECOMES KEY LATE-INNING RELIEVER

The Mets are sure to add bullpen help at the trade deadline but McLean looms as an even better answer. The right-hander has pitched to a 2.17 ERA in 87 innings in the minors this year, including a 2.52 ERA in Triple-A, and scouts say his sweeper could be a big weapon right now at the big league level -- especially against right-handed hitters.

With that in mind, Mets people privately have expressed concern about McLean’s ability to get left-handed hitters out in the majors, at least for now, so utilizing him as a reliever and finding matchup innings might be the best option.

Also, as GM of the Brewers, Stearns broke in young starters like Burnes and Freddy Peralta as relievers in the big leagues, so it makes sense he’d do the same with McLean.

4. METS TRADE FOR EUGENIO SUAREZ

This could be a mini-version of the Juan Soto bidding war between the Mets and Yankees, and while the Bombers have a more glaring need, I believe Stearns will see Suarez as the difference-maker who could take the Mets’ lineup to a championship level.

The caveat is that If Mark Vientos mashes for the next two weeks, coming off his big weekend in Kansas City, and looks like he’s found his ’24 form, then that would ease the need for a slugger to hit behind Pete Alonso. But in the first half the Mets were very much in need of another big bat to lengthen the lineup and deliver in RISP situations. 

Assuming Suarez is okay, after getting hit on the left hand by a pitch in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, he’d be a great fit at third base. And because he’s a free agent after the season the Mets wouldn’t be making a long-term commitment.

Suarez is having a big year, with 31 home runs. The downside is he does strike out a lot and is only adequate defensively, but his .889 OPS speaks to his impact. There’s no guarantee the D-backs will sell, but they’re under .500 and 5 1/2 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot. He’ll cost more than a typical rental because several teams will be in the bidding, but the Mets’ farm system has enough depth now for Stearns to make this type of deal.

3. YANKS TRADE FOR JOSE RAMIREZ

Outbid by the Mets for Suarez, a desperate Cashman swallows hard and sends a big package, including Spencer Jones, to get a difference-maker at third base in Ramirez, the Guardians’ perennial All-Star.

As beloved as Ramirez is in Cleveland, he turns 33 in September, with three more years on his contract. And with the Guardians going nowhere this season they may see this as a chance to reload, depending on how highly they regard Jones, the Yankees’ power-hitting outfield prospect.

Ramirez has a no-trade clause in his contract but here’s betting he’d waive it for the chance to win a championship.

2. METS FALL TO DODGERS AGAIN

The Mets played well against the Dodgers this season, winning four of the seven games between them, and could very well have won all seven. But the Dodgers’ pitching was decimated by injuries at the time and they are likely to be much more of the juggernaut everyone predicted come October.

It would make for a compelling NLCS rematch, and the Mets would have a better shot than last year, but it still feels like they could be a little short, pitching-wise, unless Stearns gets ultra-aggressive at the deadline.

1. YANKS (WITH RAMIREZ) DEFEAT DODGERS IN WORLD SERIES

The caveat is that Cashman makes the Ramirez trade as predicted above. If so I think he’d be the perfect piece to get the Yankees over the hump and help them win the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Ramirez would be the ideal hitter to slot in behind Judge and deter pitchers from walking him in key spots. Assuming Giancarlo Stanton is healthy in October as well,  and hitting behind Ramirez, the Yankees would have a monster lineup to carry them to a title.

The Mets announced on Thursday morning that the club has signed 2025 first-round pick Mitch Voit, who was selected with the No. 38 overall selection.

Voit, an infielder from the University of Michigan, will officially be introduced at a news conference on Friday.

“Today, we were able to add a dynamic player to the organization as we continue to build our farm system,” vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross said in a news release. “I want to congratulate Mitch and his family on this momentous occasion. They have put a lot of hard work and sacrifice into getting to this point. Mitch has shown the ability to play at a high-level at several positions and make an impact at the plate. He has great makeup and a tremendous amount of potential. Additionally, I want to thank David Stearns, the Amateur Scouting Staff, and the entire Baseball Operations Department, as this is truly a collaborative effort across the entire organization.”

Voit, a Milwaukee native, started 56 games at second base for the Wolverines this past season, slashing .346/.471/.668 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases.

SNY contributor Joe DeMayo recently did a deep dive on Voit, writing that the offensively-driven Voit is a more of a high-floor than high-ceiling player, but he profiles as a potential starting second baseman in the majors.

The Yankees need a third baseman. That fact was clear before the 2025 season and is even more obvious as we head toward the trade deadline.

With that in mind, GM Brian Cashman has to find a way to pluck another team's third baseman away from them, and they have to be the right fit.

There are a few options Cashman can choose from, like the Rockies' Ryan McMahon. But the biggest potential third base trade piece comes out of Arizona. Eugenio Suarez is arguably the biggest bat rumored to be traded at this year's deadline, but is he a good fit for the Bronx?

Here are the pros and cons of the Yankees trading for the Diamondbacks third baseman...

Pros

Any fan watching the Yankees knows there's a distinct lack of offense coming from the hot corner since they -- correctly -- moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second. The combination of Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas is eclipsed by Suarez's production this year.

The 33-year-old leads the National League with 78 RBI and is second with 31 homers. He has a .569 slugging percentage and is ninth in the league with his .889 OPS. Those numbers would make him the second-most productive hitter on the Yankees -- behind only Aaron Judge -- and lengthen the lineup.

Imagine the Yankees rolling out Judge, Cody Bellinger and Suarez somewhere in the top four every night?

Being a right-handed batter also benefits the Yanks. New York's lineup is very left-handed with Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe and Judge the only everyday right-handers. Suarez could neutralize southpaws, which the Yankees have had issues with the last few years, while also offering balance.

Suarez is also a solid defender. His advanced metrics may not show that -- he has a -4 OAA this season -- but as we saw in the All-Star Game, he's very capable.

The last two seasons, Suarez was worth 12 OAA in 2023 and 3 OAA in 2024, so perhaps he can turn his down defensive year around.

And then there's the contract. Suarez is in the final year of his deal, which gives New York flexibility if they are high on a prospect like George Lombard Jr. and his ability to win the job, or if they want to pursue another third baseman in the free agent market.

Cons

The biggest issue with trading for a talent like Suarez is the capital the Yankees will have to give up to Arizona. There will be multiple teams looking to acquire Suarez and if there's a bidding war that includes prospects, the Yankees may have to part with some serious prospects.

Trading away their future for a rental is not something Yankees fans will get behind, especially after past rentals like Juan Soto didn't turn into long-term commitments.

While Suarez is a fine defender, he has taken a step back. His 11 errors are already more than each of the last three seasons, so it's been a bit of a tough year for him.

But perhaps a Gold Glove first baseman can help with the fielding, and the option to sub him out for a superior fielder like Peraza is there. With that said, the Yankees would be weakening their fielding with Suarez at third.

Verdict

This feels like too good of a match for the Yankees.

Suarez is the right-handed power bat that they are missing at third base, plays good enough defense, and there's no commitment after this season. With that said, the package that could get the deal done may be hard to stomach. But if the Yanks are serious about winning a World Series this year, it needs to be done.

The Mets' starting rotation situation this year has been wild.

They started off with so much depth that there were questions about how they'd fit everyone in. By the middle of the season, though, a rash of injuries had them reaching into the minors for spot-starters, pondering whether to promote their top pitching prospects, and eventually deploying bullpen games for two of the three Subway Series matchups against the Yankees in early-July.

While the injury to Griffin Canning was season-ending and Tylor Megill's possible return is TBD, things have normalized.

The Mets are now finally using the rotation they envisioned would be their starting five on Opening Day:

Kodai Senga
Sean Manaea
David Peterson
Clay Holmes
Frankie Montas

Beyond those five pitchers are some intriguing options in Triple-A Syracuse. There's Blade Tidwell, who has been called upon a few times in his rookie year, and two prospects who have the potential to develop into top of the rotation arms: Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat.

Speaking earlier this month, president of baseball operations David Stearns said he was reluctant to use top prospects for spot starts. But it's possible McLean and Sproat both debut later this summer when they're deemed ready for long-term roles.

Still, while it's nice to picture a future where McLean and Sproat are mainstays in the rotation, it's impossible to rely on them in the heat of a pennant race in what will be their first taste of the majors.

Combine that with an injury question surrounding Manaea (pitching with a loose body in his elbow) and the workload question hanging over Holmes (who has already thrown more innings this season than any other), and New York should be placing a high priority on adding another legitimate starting pitcher via trade.

Should they target Royals right-hander Seth Lugo?

PROS

Since transitioning from relief to a full-time starting role after leaving the Mets via free agency following the 2022 season, Lugo has been terrific.

In 2 1/2 seasons with the Padres (2023) and Royals (2024 and 2025), Lugo has a 3.11 ERA (3.66 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP in 454.0 innings across 76 starts.

He finished second in American League Cy Young voting last season after posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in a career-high 206.2 innings.

So far this season, Lugo has a 2.67 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 101.0 innings over 17 starts.

He has proven pretty forcefully that he is a legitimate weapon as a starting pitcher -- and someone who can be relied on to provide tons of innings per season.

Lugo is also likely headed for free agency after the season (it would be surprising if he exercised his 2026 player option that's worth only $15 million), which should mean the cost to acquire him won't be too painful.

The huge question for any interested team, though, is whether the Royals will sell. They are 47-50 and highly unlikely to catch the Tigers at the top of the AL Central. But they are just 4.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot.

CONS

While Lugo's surface level numbers are great, a look under the hood shows some concerning things.

Lugo's FIP (4.28) suggests that he has been pretty lucky so far this season, and that regression should be expected.

Digging deep on Lugo's advanced numbers, he is near the bottom of the league in average exit velocity allowed, chase percentage, whiff percentage, barrel percentage, and hard hit percentage.

His ground ball rate has also plummeted, and his walks are up.

A caveat here is that Lugo has never been an advanced stats darling and has a history of outperforming his FIP.

It should also be noted that Lugo's fastball and curve are still playing up, and that he has six pitches in his regular arsenal that he can use to help keep hitters off balance.

Another thing to point out is that Lugo wasn't thrilled during his time with the Mets about being kept mostly in the bullpen. But that was under the previous front office.

VERDICT

If Lugo is made available, this should be an easy call for the Mets.

Lugo has experience pitching in New York, has been both very good and very reliable over the last several seasons, and would not cost the Mets any of their most prized prospects.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Reds play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

---

5 things to watch

Has Mark Vientos turned a corner?

After struggling for about a week following his return from a hamstring injury, Vientos started to look more like the 2024 version of himself toward the end of the first half.

In the Mets' last five games before the All-Star break, Vientos went 7-for-19 with one homer, two doubles, one triple, three RBI, and a .947 OPS.

He also hit the ball incredibly hard with regularity, and began driving the ball with authority to the right-center field gap -- a great sign for a hitter who spayed homers all over the park last season.

As the Mets decide what to do with the trade deadline coming in two weeks, a hot stretch from Vientos could eliminate any possibility of New York exploring the available third basemen, which could include Eugenio Suarez of the Diamondbacks.

The Mets' needs in center field, the bullpen, and the starting rotation are greater than the potential need they have at the hot corner. So Vientos putting that situation to bed would be huge.

Did the break do the Mets' bullpen good?

New York's bullpen was humming along for the first few months of the season, but a barrage of injuries to a starting rotation that already wasn't providing enough length helped lead to overuse.

While the relief corps has several arms capable of pitching in the late innings, the only one consistent enough to be relied on in crunch time right now isEdwin Diaz, who is having a lockdown year.

Reed Garrett mostly stabilized after a few rough outings toward the end of the first half, but Ryne Stanek and Huascar Brazoban were still leaking oil during the Mets' six-game road trip before the All-Star break.

Improvement from Stanek and Brazoban should be expected, and the Mets could get reinforcements very quickly with both Brooks Raley and Jose Butto about to be activated from the IL.

But it will be a shock if New York doesn't add a legitimate late-inning arm before the deadline.

David Wright's Day

Wright will receive the ultimate honor ahead of Saturday's game, when his No. 5 is retired during a pregame ceremony that will air live on SNY.

With Wright's No. 5 getting enshrined, he will join seven other Mets players who have received that honor: Tom Seaver (No. 41), Mike Piazza (No. 31), Jerry Koosman (No. 36), Keith Hernandez (No. 17), Willie Mays (No. 24), Dwight Gooden (No. 16), and Darryl Strawberry (No. 18).

The Mets' other retired numbers are No. 37 for manager Casey Stengel, No. 14 for manager Gil Hodges, and No. 42 for Jackie Robinson, which is retired across baseball. Additionally, broadcasters Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner have honored marks hung among the retired numbers, as does Bill Shea, who was instrumental in bringing National League baseball back to New York.

Saturday's ceremony will feature plenty of former Mets who impacted Wright during his career in Queens.

SNY's new documentary about Wright, The Wright Way, premieres on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Reds are right in the thick of it

Cincinnati has reached the playoffs just once since 2013, and that came during the shortened season in 2020.

But they enter the second half of the season with a record of 50-47, trailing the Padres by just 2.5 games for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.

A lot of the Reds' success has been on the back of their offense, which has scored 441 runs -- good for sixth-most in the NL.

They've been better in the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park, though, and have lost each of their last three road series (to the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Phillies).

The Elly De La Cruz Show

The 23-year-old De La Cruz is one of the most dynamic and exciting players in baseball, and is in the midst of the best season of his three-year career.

The human highlight reel is hitting .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs, 18 doubles, three triples, 25 stolen bases, 63 RBI, and 72 runs scored.

De La Cruz has been on a serious tear, too, slashing .347/.406/.595 with six homers in 133 plate appearances over his last 31 games.

While the Reds have a handful of players who can do damage, it's De La Cruz who stands above them all.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Francisco Lindor

Lindor started to heat up before the break.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Mets have not yet announced their rotation plan for the series.

Which Reds player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Austin Hays

Hays has an .840 OPS this season.

Could Red Sox target Charlie Morton ahead of MLB trade deadline? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox have gotten better and more consistent outings from starting pitchers such as Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello over the last few weeks.

That uptick in performance, combined with Garrett Crochet pitching like an ace all season, helped power the Red Sox into the All-Star break with a 10-game win streak and sole position of the second wild card playoff spot in the American League.

But you can never have enough starting pitching, and adding another impact arm to the rotation would be a huge upgrade for Boston ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Finding an impact starter can be difficult, though. Teams are often hesitant to give up on them, and acquiring them is quite expensive.

One veteran starter who could be on the Red Sox’ radar leading up to the trade deadline is Charlie Morton of the Baltimore Orioles.

“One of many Orioles on an expiring contract, Morton suddenly looks like an attractive chip,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote Thursday. “During Fox’s All-Star preview show on Monday, I mentioned him as a possibility for the Boston Red Sox.

“Yes, the Red Sox would love to do better, and perhaps they will. But the starting pitching market is thin and Sox manager Alex Cora is familiar with Morton from the 2017 Houston Astros. With Bryan Bello and Lucas Giolito both on a roll, perhaps the Sox would be OK with someone like Morton rather than a pure (and possibly unattainable) No. 2 starter.”

Morton had a rough start to the season, but since the start of June he is 4-0 (seven starts) with an ERA under 3.00 and 43 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings.

His playoff experience would be valuable for the Red Sox, too. Morton played a part in two World Series championships with the Astros in 2017 and the Braves in 2021.

Morton likely would be a rental. He’s 41 years old and not signed beyond this season. He wouldn’t be a major upgrade, but acquiring him would improve the depth of the rotation and give it someone who isn’t afraid of late-season, high-pressure situations.

Buster Posey downplays innings limit threshold worry for young Giants starters originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Buster Posey isn’t worried about overusing the Giants’ younger starting pitchers.

Posey joined KNBR 680’s “Murph and Markus” on Thursday and detailed why he isn’t paying any mind to hypothetical inning caps for younger arms such as Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong entering the second half of the 2025 MLB season.

“We want to take care of them, but at the same time, at some point they’re going to have to pitch whatever the threshold was — and that’s the hope. I know that’s their goal as well,” Posey told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “So, these guys are in tremendous shape; they take care of their bodies. And it’s not something that I tend to overthink at all.

“We’ve been really clear that we want our starting pitchers to go as deep into games as they possibly can. And I think it’s a disservice to the player to say, ‘OK, this is how many innings you’re going to throw this year, this is your marker.’ Even if you ballpark it, I think it’s just a mental disadvantage to that.”

It doesn’t appear the Giants have set any limits on what their younger arms can do. After all, they’re a core part of San Francisco’s season, supporting 2025 MLB All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, who have pitched a combined 244 2/3 frames over 20 starts each.

Roupp and Birdsong, at least, have done their parts. The 26-year-old Roupp is third on the team in innings pitched with 96 1/3 and has sustained a 3.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. And Birdsong, 23, is fifth in innings with 65.2 and holds a 4.11 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP.

San Francisco is in the thick of the NL playoff race with its 52-45 record. The Giants enter the second half of the season six games back of first place in the NL West behind the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and 0.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final Wild Card spot.

The Giants surely will rely on Webb and Ray to carry the franchise to the finish line, but Posey and San Francisco also will look to the young arms for continued support — especially as key free-agent signing Justin Verlander, 42, remains winless through his first 15 starts for San Francisco.

“Yes, you want to take care of the guys, but also, we want our guys to take the ball as much and as often as they can,” Posey reiterated to Murphy and Boucher.

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Buster Posey intrigued by ABS challenge system after debut in MLB All-Star Game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It appears there is another polarizing change coming to MLB in the near future.

The automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system, which first was tested in the minor leagues in 2021, with implementation at the Triple-A level in 2022, made its debut at the MLB level in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Truist Park.

The system allows players to challenge a limited number of umpire calls at the plate and on the mound, and was used successfully on a few occasions in the National League’s eventual 7-6 win over the American League.

Our first ABS Challenge of the All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/DIXRgra6fg

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 16, 2025

After review, that's PAINT 🎨 #AllStarGamepic.twitter.com/OsTew591Ef

— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025

To the bottom of the 9th we go, ALL TIED UP #AllStarGamepic.twitter.com/gAm7djZpOW

— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025

MLB is considering implementing the system as soon as 2026, and although it remains a very polarizing idea, even after it seemed to have a positive impact in Tuesday’s exhibition game, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey is intrigued by it.

“Yeah, I think it’s interesting,” Posey told KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday. “We got to see it up close this spring. I think umpires will all tell you they want to get it right. These guys are so good behind the plate. We over-analyze so much a pitch they call that’s an inch or two off the plate or vice versa if they miss one that’s an inch on the plate. It’s a tough job, and I think as much as anything, the nice part about it would be if it’s a pivotal part of the game and it’s a pitch that should go one way or another, the ability to get it right is intriguing.

“I think it would be something that would add some entertainment value. There’s a few guys on our team that I know right off the top of my head — I won’t mention [who] — we would say, ‘You don’t get to challenge unless that pitch is middle-middle.’ But there’s that element to it too, where some guys like Brandon Belt, I felt like he knew the strike zone as well as anybody.”

Posey, one of the greatest catchers in the modern era, knew the strike zone as well as any player during his time, and understands how important pitch-framing is behind the plate.

The ABS challenge system likely would limit catchers’ ability to frame pitches slightly out of the zone as strikes, but if the change could make the game better, it appears Posey is on board.

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Could Witherspoon pitch for Boston in 2026? His college coach thinks so originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox selected one of the most MLB-ready prospects in the 2025 MLB Draft with their first-round pick.

Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, widely considered a top-10 draft prospect, fell into Boston’s lap at No. 15 overall. The 20-year-old was arguably the No. 1 right-handed pitcher in his class.

Witherspoon boasts a fastball that peaks at 99 mph, and his curveball, slider, and cutter each are 60-grade pitches that fooled college hitters last season. He finished the 2025 campaign with a 2.65 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 124 strikeouts, and just 23 walks over 16 starts (95 innings).

Baseball America listed Witherspoon as one of 12 prospects from this year’s draft who could make their MLB debut in 2026. Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson agreed with that assessment, citing Witherspoon’s impressive pitch repertoire and work ethic.

“A hundred percent, I think he can do that,” Johnson told NBC Sports Boston. “His fastball command and his secondary command really will help him a lot with that, and there’s no doubt about that. … I think he’s got that mindset of, he’s got so much conviction in what he does and how he goes about his business. He’s really routine-oriented. I mean, he’d get to the field to do his mobility. It was really unique watching him. He would stay in there hours after a start, you know, a Friday night, and get his mobility stuff, get his work done.

“What was really unique, I took a video of him, it was three weeks after our season, we had a recruit in. He came up there, and on a Sunday, it was like 1, 1:30, 2:00 in the afternoon, and (Witherspoon) was working on his mobility, working on doing his workouts and stuff like that, getting him ready to play. I was like, ‘Wow, his mindset is elite.'”

Witherspoon’s stuff speaks for itself, but he’ll have to clean some things up in the minors before the Red Sox feel comfortable putting him on a big-league mound. Johnson identified areas for Witherspoon to work on as he transitions to pro ball.

“I think one thing is holding runners. He’ll get better at that,” Johnson said. “It’s a really simple thing for him. Continue to develop a tunneling system for him that works for him. Anything that could happen into a game. I kind of always looked at it like, Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods back in his heyday, he could get up and down from anywhere. That’s kind of like Kyson. When you get to the big leagues, you gotta be able to learn how to pitch with your C game and get five or six innings. Learn how to pitch with your B game and get six or seven innings. When your A game’s going, it doesn’t matter, you’re gonna throw six, seven, eight, nine already.

“So understanding those things, because that’s gonna happen to you. The crazy thing about baseball, you make a quality pitch and it might hit off the end of the bat and things might happen in the game. Just understanding it’s really just about one pitch and continue that mantra going in, ‘Hey, I’m just trying to win as many pitches as I can as I go through this game and control myself.”

Witherspoon started his college career at Northwest Florida State College in 2023. After one season, he transferred to Oklahoma and began working with Johnson on improving his secondary pitches.

“We had a lot of work to do coming in from junior college,” Johnson said. “He had fastball command, that’s one thing that he always had. He had a good arm, he had fastball command. He didn’t really have a breaking ball. He kind of started working on the slider. That got him through the first year, and his growth really kind of started then.”

In his first season with the Sooners, Witherspoon recorded a 3.71 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP, 90 strikeouts, and 40 walks. He took his game to another level in 2025, and his college coach believes he’ll only continue to grow from here.

“We kind of started working on the mental game, understanding how to go pitch to pitch, understanding what releases are when something bad happens to you, to release and get to the next pitch,” Johnson added. “I think that’s what really separated. Learned a cutter, changeup’s still a work in progress. And then, in January, we’re sitting there, and we actually talked about it his freshman year, his slider’s really conducive for him to throw a curveball. In November he played with it, in January we started adding to his bullpens and kind of adding to his game. And at the end of the spring, he used it a lot more.

“So it was kind of one of those deals they couldn’t sit on just one pitch or two pitches. He could go through the lineup and understand, this is what I’m gonna go through, show them right here in the first time through the lineup, second time through the lineup. I think that’s the biggest thing is he grew so much in how he adapted from pitch to pitch and inning to inning, lineup for the first time, the second time. And his will is what’s really incredible, and his poise is what really makes him unique.”

The Red Sox shouldn’t rush Witherspoon to the majors, but all signs point toward him being Boston’s most exciting pitching prospect since Brayan Bello. Johnson also described Witherspoon as a “culture changer,” so it sounds like the young gun is close to MLB-ready both on and off the field.

Witherspoon was the first of 15 pitchers selected by the Red Sox in the 2025 MLB Draft.