Category: MLB

Giants insider explains why Kyle Harrison should excite Red Sox fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The drama around Rafael Devers’ departure from the Boston Red Sox has overshadowed the trade that sent him to the San Francisco Giants. What about the players Boston received in the blockbuster deal?

The Red Sox acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league righty Jose Bello in exchange for their homegrown slugger. While Harrison and Hicks should be able to help the big-league club this season, Red Sox fans can’t help but wonder if they could have gotten more for a player of Devers’ caliber.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants insider Alex Pavlovic shared his thoughts on the Red Sox’ return during Friday’s Early Edition.

“I was a little surprised by the overall return,” Pavlovic said. “I think just from what I know about this team and their system, I think it was a little bit light, probably.

“Having said that, I am a huge fan of Kyle Harrison, and I know the Giants are as well. He’s about a year and three months removed from being the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.”

Indeed, Harrison was MLB’s No. 1 ranked left-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season. The 22-year-old posted an underwhelming 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 24 starts, but those numbers were partially tainted by nagging injuries.

“Just some context on his career here: He looked really, really good when he came up in 2023. He looked like a future star here,” Pavlovic added. “Last year, he tried to pitch through an ankle injury and tried to help these guys because they needed the rotation help, and that led to some shoulder inflammation and really just set him back the second half of last year and put him in a tough spot in the offseason.

“But he did come back last month. He was throwing 96, 97 (mph), looked like the Kyle we saw two years ago. I will say, I mean, he is as mature a young man as I’ve ever covered here. So I think he’s gonna be a good one, I think the Red Sox did very well there. The rest of the package, they probably could have done a little bit better.”

Harrison’s boasts an outstanding high-90s fastball, but the Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester to work on the rest of his pitching repertoire. A reliable third pitch would help him immensely as he aims to work his way into Boston’s starting rotation.

As for the rest of the return, the hard-throwing Hicks spent his first seven MLB seasons as a reliever before joining the Giants starting rotation in 2024. He hasn’t fared well as a starter, compiling a 4.83 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 42 appearances (29 starts) over his one-and-a-half seasons in San Francisco. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Hicks will come out of Boston’s bullpen when he returns from the injured list.

Tibbs was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, one pick after the Red Sox’ selection of fellow outfielder Braden Montgomery, who was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of the offseason Garrett Crochet trade. The 22-year-old was San Francisco’s No. 3 prospect and hit .246 with 12 homers, 32 RBI, 42 walks and 45 strikeouts in 57 games for High-A Eugene this season.

Bello, 20, was signed by the Giants as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. He recorded a 2.00 ERA across eight rookie-ball appearances (18 innings) this season, striking out 28 batters and walking three.

Trading an elite hitter like Devers typically would bring a bigger haul, but the Red Sox managed to dump all of the $254 million remaining on Devers’ contract. Rather than focusing on the best possible return, Breslow and Co. jumped at the opportunity to get Devers’ money off the books.

Devers will play his first game against his former team Friday night when the Red Sox and Giants begin a three-game series at Oracle Park.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora says decision to trade Rafael Devers is ‘not personal' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Red Sox manager Alex Cora was in no mood to discuss the tiny details and nuances behind Boston’s decision to trade Rafael Devers to the Giants earlier this week. In Cora’s view, it was nothing more than a simple baseball move.

For all the talk circulating about Devers being a problem child in the Red Sox clubhouse and having serious communication issues with management after the team wanted him to change positions, Cora instead focused on the good that Devers brought to Boston.

“He produced,” said Cora, who acknowledged it will be ‘awkward’ to see Devers in another uniform. “You look at the list of homers in the franchise, 500 extra-base hits, the World Series ring. There’s a lot of stuff Raffy did for us that we’re going to miss. We’re very proud of him. To face him here, it’s going to be different.

“I appreciate everything he did for us, everything he did for me. This weekend we have to get him out. We’re prepared for that, and obviously he’s prepared to do the opposite.”

The trade, which went down on Father’s Day landed the Giants the potent and productive bat they’ve been seeking to add to their lineup all season.

The deal happened so abruptly that Devers left the East Coast and flew to San Francisco before many of his Red Sox teammates had learned about the trade.

“He’s been a cornerstone of this franchise for a long time. To see him on TV in a different uniform is weird,” Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story said. “Once we’re out there it’ll be good to see him and talk to him and kind fo say bye. We didn’t really get to talk to him (when the trade happened).”

Story said he felt the Red Sox handled the news of the trade well, noting that they had to move on quickly.

“I wouldn’t say a gut-punch. I would say it’s more of a shock to the system a bit,” Story said. “I think we did a good job of not letting that hang around. There’s ball to be played and we know we still have a good team.”

When a Boston reporter asked Cora if he felt the need to meet with Devers at any point to clear the air, the Red Sox manager basically shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s baseball, it’s a business, that’s how it works,” Cora said. “People have their opinions about the whole thing, communication, first base, the age, third base, the manager, GM, owners, whatever. It’s a baseball trade. From my end I turn the page.

“Nothing in this business is personal. That’s something that throughout the years I always tell then, We agree on a lot of stuff, we disagree in others. Xander Bogaerts is in San Diego, it’s not personal. Mookie Betts is in LA, it’s not personal. Raffy Devers is with the Giants, it’s not personal.”

It’s personal for the Giants, who now boast a bat in their lineup capable of changing the direction of this season by his presence alone.

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Campbell refutes report Devers was upset with him over first base situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In the aftermath of the Boston Red Sox’ stunning Rafael Devers trade, there have been several accounts of what led to the veteran slugger’s untimely departure. Among them was a bombshell Yahoo Sports report from Joon Lee, who detailed the dysfunction at 4 Jersey Street.

There were several revelations in Lee’s report, including chief baseball officer Craig Breslow firing a longtime scouting supervisor for calling him a “f—ing stiff” during a Zoom meeting. Lee also explained how Devers’ frustration with the club’s poor communication ultimately led to him being sent to the San Francisco Giants.

In May, Devers publicly called out Breslow for asking him to replace the injured Triston Casas as Boston’s primary first baseman. The club eventually turned to rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell to take practice reps at first base, and according to Lee, Devers’ took issue with Campbell “volunteering” to play the position.

“According to multiple sources, Devers was also upset when the rookie Campbell volunteered to play first base this season — interpreting it as a slight to his own stature,” Lee wrote.

Campbell, who was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, refuted that report and praised his ex-teammate.

“That was false,” Campbell told reporters Friday at Polar Park, via MassLive’s Katie Morrison-Day. “First off, Raffy never came to me, never had a problem with it. We were always cool. He’s an extremely great player, extremely great person. He’s a very kind person and a good teammate.

“Second, I would say I never went to the Red Sox to play first base. They came to me and asked me if I could play first base because we didn’t have one at the time. That’s when Casas went down, and I said I would do it because it would make the team better and I would be willing to learn the position. That was basically how it went down.”

While he often worked out at first base after Casas’ injury, Campbell never ended up playing the position in a game for Boston. The Red Sox instead have primarily gone with the combination of hot-hitting Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez.

Campbell will get some playing time at first base as he aims to get back on track in Worcester. He’ll also play second and center field, but he told reporters that first base will be “the priority.”

As for Devers, the three-time All-Star said he is open to playing anywhere for San Francisco. He has already practiced at first base, though he won’t play the position when the Red Sox visit Oracle Park for a three-game series starting Friday night.

Whenever I post stat lines and highlights of some of the Mets' top pitching prospects on X (@PSLToFlushing if you don’t already follow, I think you should!), my mentions get lit up to "call up prospect X." 

Whenever pitchers land on the injured list, like Kodai Senga or Tylor Megill, I see similar responses to call up a prospect to take their place. 

While that is certainly more exciting for the fanbase, myself included, the organization must have a big picture outlook.

An example: Friday’s series-opener against the Phillies did line up with No. 3 prospect Nolan McLean’s scheduled day to throw, but Friday’s start is being made by his Triple-A teammate, Blade Tidwell.

Adding McLean to the 40-man roster and starting his service time clock when he still has a few things to work on just to make one spot start frankly would not have been a wise organizational decision. 

Especially so when you consider the fact that Frankie Montas (next week) and Sean Manaea (in the next couple of weeks) are expected to return to the rotation. Despite their rehab assignments being up-and-down, the Mets are paying them roughly a combined $40 million this year, and they both have very recent big league success. They are going to get spots in this rotation.

While teams are building in perpetuity, the most important thing for the Mets is winning right now. The juxtaposition of that is that a team requires young talent to impact the major league team to be able to pursue sustained success.

This begs the question of, when will these pitching prospects get an extended opportunity at the big league level?

I think the answer is different for each individual, and at its core, the answer really should be… when they are ready to come up without the thought that they will have to go back to the minors. Things don’t always work ideally or according to plan, but that is the objective.

Let’s go through some of the options.. 

Blade Tidwell

Tidwell made his big league debut earlier this year in what amounted to a spot start against the Cardinals. It wasn’t a debut to remember for Tidwell, as he lasted 3.2 innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and three walks while striking out two.

It’s been an up-and-down year for Tidwell at Triple-A, with a 4.76 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). He still possesses swing-and-miss stuff, headlined by a fastball that will touch 98 mph.

With him being on the 40-man roster, he could fill in as a spot starter like he is on Friday or potentially fill a longer-term role in the second half -- either in the rotation or the bullpen, where his stuff could tick up in shorter sprints.

Brandon Sproat

Sproat entered the season as the No. 1 prospect in the Mets system after a breakout 2024 season. But it certainly has been an uneven season at the Triple-A level for Sproat, with a 5.31 ERA in 13 starts. However, things have begun to look better over his last 4 starts, where he has a 2.95 ERA in 21.1 innings.

He is a changed pitcher in 2025, as far as his pitch mix goes. Sproat still sports mid-to-upper 90s velocity, but in 2024 in Triple-A, he threw his four-seam fastball 51.7 percent of the time and his sinker just 1.1 percent of the time. In 2025 he is throwing his four-seamer much less, at 28.2 percent of the time, and his sinker much more, at 22.1 percent of the time. 

The byproduct of that is he is generating significantly fewer swings and misses, but he has avoided barrels at an elite rate (2.8 percent barrel rate) and become a ground ball merchant with a 54.2 percent ground ball rate.

Sproat also has three pitches graded above average by Stuff+, so while the numbers on the surface aren’t exciting, there are still reasons under the hood to believe in Sproat as a future big league starter. I don’t look at Sproat as a particularly ideal fit in a bullpen role, but if a rotation spot were to open in the second half, Sproat warrants consideration.

Nolan McLean

McLean, the No. 3 prospect in the system, entered 2025 for the first time in his entire life as exclusively a pitcher. He was a two-way player growing up, in college at Oklahoma State and until midseason last year in professional baseball. In 12 games split between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, McLean has a 2.08 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 65 innings.

He still needs to iron out some command issues (he is walking 4.0 batters-per-nine) and a couple of his secondary offerings, but I think McLean is close to big league ready.

McLean's sweeper is his highest percentage offering, and it is genuinely one of the best pitches in all of minor league baseball. He has essentially an even split of usage of his sinker and four-seam fastball, which he will throw 94-96 mph. He also throws a cutter, changeup, and will infrequently spin a curve. 

McLean is the pitcher of this group I would most expect to make an impact in 2025, whether it's because a long-term rotation spot opens up, or in August or September as a weapon out of the bullpen. It is worth noting that McLean was a reliever in college and he could trim his pitch mix and be a power reliever down the stretch -- a strategy that has been used by many playoff teams in the past.

Jonah Tong

I will preface this saying I do not believe Tong will make his major league debut in 2025. With that out of the way, Tong has emerged as one of the biggest rising pitchers in all of minor league baseball. He has now reached unanimous top 100 prospect status in baseball.

In 12 starts with Double-A Binghamton, Tong has a 1.97 ERA in 59.1 innings. He is second in all of minor league baseball with 96 strikeouts. Among all minor league pitchers with at least 40 innings, he is second in strikeout percentage (40.7 percent), tied for second in batting average against (.141) and fifth in FIP (2.07). 

He comes equipped with a fastball that sits 93-95 and will touch 97 mph with elite carry, and an old-school 12-6 curveball that he loves to throw. A big addition this year has been the Vulcan-grip changeup that has generated swings and misses. Tong also has a cutter and a hard slider that he is tinkering with different shapes on.

Tong admitted himself while recently speaking with SNY that he does need to continue to work on his command, as his 4.4 walks-per-nine can stand to improve. Other than a slightly elevated walk rate, he is dominating the Double-A level. I suspect a promotion to Triple-A is not far away and that it may simply be a bit of a numbers game right now as to why he isn’t already there.

The command will be something to monitor as the Triple-A level changes to the major league ball, and with the presence of both veteran hitters and the ABS challenge system. But I believe Tong is ready for that next challenge. He will be an arm to watch to make a potentially significant impact in 2026.

The Mets have some returning veterans to the rotation, but they also have some young talent getting ready to knock on the door of the big leagues over not just the next couple months, but the next couple years -- with names even beyond the list above.

David Ortiz seemingly takes shot at Giants' Rafael Devers with Instagram story originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

David Ortiz is not backing down from his criticism of Rafael Devers.

The Baseball Hall of Famer on Friday once again seemingly took a shot at the three-time MLB All-Star ahead of the Giants’ series with the Boston Red Sox, Devers’ former team.

Ortiz posted a photo of himself with his retired number in the Fenway outfield with a message that read:

“The thing is that to have some like this at Boston you have to just not be a hitter you have to be the full package a all the way around player… go Sox.”

This added to some choice words Ortiz told The Athletic on Monday, just one day after the trade first was reported.

“I know the communication between Devers and the Red Sox wasn’t the best at the very beginning,” Ortiz told The Athletic. “But at some point, you have to realize the organization has the power over everyone. They can play you, trade you, let you go. Sometimes, as a young player, it’s hard to understand that.

“But they have the power to do whatever they want. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field.”

“Big Papi” ’s remarks didn’t go over well with everyone with ties to the Red Sox, however, as his former teammate Pedro Martinez had his own thoughts on the situation and even mentioned Ortiz as a possible influence on the Devers-Red Sox relationship deteriorating.

“Big Papi also made a mistake in spring training by speaking in front of the cameras about some of the things that he needed to tell Devers,” Martinez said. “And just like I said before, that should’ve been handled in-house. Big Papi should’ve gone out with Devers to talk about those things, not really openly speaking in the field, because the cameras are able to pick up everything that we say.”

The 28-year-old Devers repeatedly told reporters before Friday night’s game that he wants to move on as he turns a new page in his career, and it starts with facing his former club just three games into his Giants career.

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Did David Ortiz throw shade at Rafael Devers with this IG post? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s no mystery which side David Ortiz is taking in the Rafael Devers-Boston Red Sox debate.

Ortiz hasn’t shied away from sharing his opinion on Devers and the Red Sox’ messy divorce. After Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants, the three-time World Series champion said he often tried to reach out to Devers and offer advice, but he “almost never returned my messages.” He cited communication and maturity as issues that led to Devers’ departure.

On Friday, Ortiz appeared to take a subtle jab at Devers via his Instagram story. He posted a photo of himself posing in front of his No. 34 at Fenway Park, with the following caption:

“The thing is that to have something like this at Boston, you have to just not be a hitter, you have to be the full package all the way around player. Go Sox.”

David Ortiz taking a shot at Rafael Devers on his IG story. pic.twitter.com/X86OmfMc8O

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 20, 2025

That sure seems like Ortiz is calling out Devers’ refusal to play first base for Boston. While the legendary DH hardly played the field during his Red Sox career, he was at least willing to play the position when called upon.

Devers’ attitude changed upon his arrival in the Bay. During his introductory Giants press conference, he stated he would play anywhere the club asked him to play. He has since worked out multiple times at first base, though he has yet to play the position in a game.

Ortiz’s post comes hours before the Red Sox’ series opener against Devers and the Giants in San Francisco. Devers won’t play first base in the series, but there’s still no shortage of hype heading into the matchup with emotions still running high on both sides.

First pitch for Friday’s Red Sox-Giants game at Oracle Park is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET.

Amid the Dodgers' silence about federal immigration raids in Southern California, a familiar voice that has comforted immigrants for years emerged.

Jaime Jarrín, the former Spanish-language voice of the Dodgers who captivated thousands of fans for decades and served as Fernando Valenzuela's translator during Fernandomania, posted a message on his Instagram account about the raids and protests in a city he adopted as his own in 1958.

“As an immigrant who came to this country 70 years ago, I know firsthand the hope, courage and determination it takes to build a new life in a new land,” Jarrín posted Tuesday. “I have always believed that immigration is not just part of the American story; it is the American story."

“Los Angeles is my home,” Jarrín added in his Instagram post. "This city is my family. And it breaks my heart to see the growing division in our community and across the country. We all deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and humanity."

The message from the Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and Dodgers ambassador was celebrated while critics grew more vocal opposing the team's silence following ICE raids and protests in the Los Angeles area the past two weeks. A Dodgers spokesman said the team would announce plans to aid immigrants on Thursday, but it delayed the announcement after turning away federal agents who tried to use the team parking lot after conducting raids at the Hollywood Home Depot and surrounding areas.

Jarrín is originally from Quito, Ecuador, and his first job in this country was in a factory in East Los Angeles. Over time, Jarrín became the sports director for KWKW and a Dodgers broadcaster for more than six decades. Jarrín worked alongside Valenzuela when he was a rookie in Major League Baseball in 1981, serving as his translator during Fernandomania in the 1980s. They later shared microphones in the radio booth broadcasting Dodger games in Spanish.

"In the face of the injustices and suffering we have witnessed, I am deeply proud of the thousands who have peacefully taken to the streets; raising their voices, refusing to be silenced. Their courage matters. Your presence matters. Do not be afraid. Stand strong. Stay present. Let your voice be heard," added Jarrín.

Read more:Hernández: What did bowing to Donald Trump get the Dodgers? A visit from federal agents

President Donald Trump's massive deportation orders have affected the professional sports atmosphere in Los Angeles. The games typically draw Latinos and immigrants from a wide range of countries. Tournaments such as the Gold Cup and the Club World Cup lost fans as some stayed away from stadiums because they feared potential raids or preferred to show solidarity with the demonstrations.

Of Los Angeles' 12 professional sports teams, as of Friday morning, only two have issued public statements about the raids. Angel City FC and LAFC have shown their support for the community since the protests began, while the Dodgers and Galaxy, with a heavily Latino and immigrant fan bases, have remained silent.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has responded to some questions from reporters, but he has limited his remarks to saying he understood that the community is “heartbroken” and said the situation was somewhat “unsettling for everyone."

Fan favorite Kiké Hernández took to his social networks to say he was “sad and enraged” at how immigrants were treated, noting the city of Los Angeles had opened its arms to him.

Read more:Community leaders petition Dodgers 'to take a public stand' against ICE raids in L.A.

The Puerto Rican player, who helped the Dodgers win the World Series last season, wrote: "Maybe I wasn't born and raised here, but this city adopted me as if I was one of them. I am too sad and infuriated with everything that is going on in the country and in our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have opened their arms to me, supported me and shown me a lot of kindness and most of all a lot of LOVE! This is my second home," posted Hernandez, who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is in his second stint with the Dodgers after playing in L.A. from 2015-20 and returning from 2023 to the present.

"I cannot tolerate watching our community continue to be violated, attacked, abused and separated. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and their human rights. I stand with you!!! #CiudadDeImigrantes," the Dodger wrote on Sunday, using a hashtag referring to L.A. as a city of immigrants in Spanish.

Meanwhile, Maria Valenzuela, the daughter of legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, spoke out against the ICE raids.

"I am a proud daughter of immigrant parents. They came to this country with dreams bigger than borders. My mother followed her heart, and my father not only pitched for the Dodgers, but for all immigrants who believed they belonged in this country," Maria Valenzuela posted on Instagram. "He helped shape a city and inspired generations of Mexicans to dream big. Behind the fame was the same immigrant story: sacrifice, struggle and endless work for a better future."

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What Rafael Devers told John Henry during meeting in Kansas City originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On May 9, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry traveled to Kansas City to settle a contentious situation with his $313.5 million slugger, Rafael Devers. Just over a month later, Devers was shipped to the San Francisco Giants in a shocking trade.

Henry flew to Kansas City because Devers called out chief baseball officer Craig Breslow the previous day for asking him to replace the injured Triston Casas at first base. Despite Breslow and manager Alex Cora calling the session “productive,” Devers still wouldn’t acquiesce. As Breslow and team CEO/president Sam Kennedy put it, Devers and the Red Sox couldn’t “find alignment” on what was best for the organization, resulting in the homegrown star’s departure.

So, why couldn’t Devers and the Red Sox find common ground during the meeting with Henry?

 “They wanted me to play first base” Devers said, according to Pete Abraham, of The Boston Globe. “I told [Henry] they eventually, yes. I could play first base but maybe next year. It was not my fault that players get hurt. I felt like if another player got hurt, they would move me again.”

Devers had already reluctantly moved from third base to designated hitter following the club’s offseason acquisition of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman. The 28-year-old grew frustrated with what he deemed poor communication from the front office, and he gradually became more disconnected from the team that signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic.

“As a trade was being discussed, Devers steadily withdrew from the day-to-day culture of the Red Sox, typically arriving at the ballpark just before the start of team activities for the day,” Abraham wrote. “Devers would dress while keeping his AirPods in, a silent message that he wasn’t interested in speaking to anybody. Once the game ended, he would dress quickly and leave.”

Devers’ attitude flipped upon his arrival in San Francisco. During his introductory Giants press conference, Devers said he would be open to playing anywhere he’s asked to play, including first base. In fact, he has already worked out at first base multiple times in preparation to play the position for his new club.

While it would’ve been poetic for Devers to play first base against his former team, that won’t happen when the Red Sox begin their three-game series in San Francisco on Friday night.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen this weekend,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told KNBR’s “Murph and Markus”. “We haven’t gotten there. … It’s going to take a little bit more time than having him at first base during the Red Sox series.”

First pitch for Friday’s much-anticipated matchup at Oracle Park is set for 10:15 p.m. ET.

Francisco Alvarez’s rather puzzling failure to live up to predictions of stardom seemingly has reached the crisis stage.

After a recent stretch of futility, his seventh-inning at-bat against the Braves in Atlanta on Thursday night, in fact, looked like something of a rock-bottom moment for the Mets’ struggling young catcher. 

Alvarez struck out for the second time in the game, but it was the way he did it that was especially alarming. First losing his grip on the bat and sending it flying when he was fooled badly on a slider. And then, after fouling off a couple of very hittable fastballs, chasing another heater above the strike zone for the K.

“It felt like a low point for him,” was the way one major league scout put it Friday, speaking of that at-bat. “He’s not squaring up pitches he should hammer and he’s chasing pitches he should take. He looks completely lost.

“I like the way he plays the game. So in one sense I hate to say it, but I think he’s in his own head so much that the Mets need to try something drastic and send him down [to the minors]. Give him a chance to figure some things out away from the spotlight."

The scout’s suggestion is not an outlier at this point. On social media, it actually seems to be the prevailing opinion, which isn’t stunning -- Alvarez’s poor play still resonates as somewhat remarkable, considering how beloved he was by Mets fans as the can’t-miss kid, the high-energy, power-hitting catcher of their dreams. 

Such was the hype for Alvarez just a couple of years ago. For example: In the spring of 2023, The Athletic’s prospect analyst, Keith Law, went so far as to write, "He could be as mobile as a statue and still be an above-average regular for a catcher with -- dare I say it -- a Mike Piazza-like upside if his bat keeps improving."

That same spring, MLB Pipeline ranked Alvarez as the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, behind only Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll. And such projections looked on-point when Alvarez hit 25 home runs in 123 games his rookie season.

Yet here he is, two years later, hitting .229 as of Friday with a shockingly low .305 slugging percentage, with two home runs in 34 games since returning from a broken hamate bone in his hand -- and just one home run since April 26. This after hitting only 11 homers in 100 games in 2024, missing time due to a torn thumb ligament. 

So, what’s happened to his power? Is it the injuries? Is it his relative youth, at age 23? Or is it due more to his largely undisciplined approach at the plate that major league pitchers have exploited since his rookie year?

Law thinks it’s a combination of all of that, and still believes there’s a good chance Alvarez reaches the ceiling he once predicted for him.

“When you look at some of the numbers, he’s hitting the ball as hard as he ever has,” Law said. “He’s just not doing it consistently. Pitchers are attacking him on the outer third of the plate and he’s having trouble laying off them.

“He’s going to have to make the adjustment and he’s still young, especially when you factor in those two injuries to his hands. But it’s also a fact that some guys never make the adjustment in terms of pitch recognition at the big league level, so that remains to be seen. Also sometimes, it just takes longer for young catchers because of their defensive responsibilities.

“I certainly wouldn’t give up on Alvarez and I don’t think sending him to the minors and facing Triple-A pitching would really accomplish anything, unless the Mets believe he simply needs a mental break. In that case, maybe it would help him get a reset.”

So, opinions differ, obviously, on how to fix Alvarez. And in a sense, the biggest question may be whether his problems are more mental than mechanical.

Todd Zeile, SNY's analyst for the Mets' pregame and postgame shows, thinks the mental could be causing the mechanical, due to the sky-high expectations that have hovered over Alvarez since his days as that uber-prospect.

“I think he wants so badly to be that guy that everybody said he was,” Zeile said by phone recently. “And that’s made it hard for him.”

Zeile’s perspective is unique. He too broke into the big leagues as a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, before eventually transitioning to third base. He was sent down to the minors in his third year there, due to offensive struggles, and it proved to be exactly what he needed, returning in three weeks and going on to have a 16-year career.

And, finally, Zeile has seen nearly all of Alvarez’s at-bats in the majors. When I spoke to him, he prefaced his thoughts by saying he’s a big fan of Alvarez, noting how hard the young catcher has worked to improve defensively and how much he invests himself in game plans and pitch-calling to do right by his pitchers and his ballclub.

“He really cares,” Zeile said. “I think that’s what everybody loves about him.”

Yet, Zeile was also candid in expressing concerns about Alvarez’s diminishing returns with the bat, starting with being affected by the prospect hype.

“I think the expectations of being such a huge power-hitting prospect have ended up hurting him,” Zeile said. “It’s hard to say exactly why the power hasn’t been there, but at some point he began searching for the power, rather than just trying to hit the ball hard and let it come organically.

“Trying to create power is a recipe for a lot of frustration at this level because it leads to a poor approach.”

Zeile breaks it down into different stages. He said when the power wasn’t there after the thumb injury in 2024, Alvarez first began trying to force the issue.

“He tried to pull more,” Zeile recalled. “In doing so, he created holes in his swing because he was trying to get the ball out front, and he started pulling off the baseball. That made him more vulnerable to offspeed stuff, breaking balls on the outer part of the plate.

“Occasionally he’d still hit one 450 feet and you’d say, ‘OK, the power is still there, why isn’t he doing it more consistently?’ It was because pitchers recognized that he was selling out on the pull side, and they weren’t throwing those middle-in fastballs, or rarely, anyway. They exposed those holes in his swing.

“This year he tried to make adjustments to hit the ball the other way, but I think he got to the point where again, he was frustrated by the lack of power. And so at times, he goes back to trying to create a launch angle, which has led to some wild swings and made him vulnerable to chasing.

“The other night in Atlanta, he swung at a pitch and almost fell down going away from the plate. That was telling to me. If you lose balance in any direction, it should be toward home plate if you’re staying on the ball. So to see him fall away, that’s where it becomes obvious that he’s still so pull-conscious.”

Two scouts, including the one quoted earlier, offered similar observations.

“Chasing power could be the root of his problems,” said one scout. “It looks like it sometimes. But at some point you also have to ask if he just has a hard time recognizing spin, and that leads to chasing and looking bad. Even going back to his rookie year, pitchers stopped challenging him as much with the fastball in the second half and he struggled.”

The numbers back that up. In the second half of 2023, Alvarez hit just .174 with a .343 slugging percentage and only eight home runs. That after slugging .514 with 17 homers in the first half.

“He really hasn’t looked like that guy since the first half of his rookie year,” said the scout. “But I also wouldn’t discount the injuries being a factor in his development. He needs more time before anyone can judge him with any real certainty.”

As for the question of whether sending him down to the minors is worthwhile, Zeile draws on his experience in seeing the possibility that it could help Alvarez.

“I was ticked off when I was sent down but I went down for 21 days and raked,” Zeile recalls. “Part of that was working with my old minor league hitting coach and getting back to my old swing, after guys at the big league level had been trying to change my swing.

“That’s where it could be valuable for Alvarez -- get out of the fishbowl for a minute, get your confidence back without the scrutiny at that level. It worked for me. But everybody reacts differently to something like that.”

Finally, touching on Zeile’s experience, it’s hard to know if Alvarez has been affected at all by any changes the organization has tried to make with his swing or approach. But Law does add that factor into the equation.

“With the Mets, you’re not seeing the development with some of their young hitters,” Law said. “[Brett] Baty is an example for me. If Alvarez were a Dodger, for example, you might be seeing a different result because I think they do a really good job of developing guys as far as swing decisions and plate discipline.

“I’m not saying it’s on the organization. Sometimes it’s just the player. One thing for sure is the power is very real with Alvarez. It’s just a matter of whether he can get to a place where that power plays for him in a big way. He’s still got time.”

At this point, however, with Luis Torrens looming as perhaps a better option to be the No. 1 catcher right now, the more pressing question is how much time the Mets are willing to give Alvarez.

More than 50 community and religious leaders from around Los Angeles signed a petition Friday that called on the Dodgers “to take a public stand against the indiscriminate ICE raids which are causing immense terror in our communities, hurting businesses, and separating families.”

“This is the moment for the Dodgers to stand with the families whom masked agents are tearing apart,” read the letter, which was signed by religious officials, labor leaders and immigrant-rights activists, and addressed to Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

“If these truly are OUR beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, we need you, more than ever, to stand with us, immigrants and non-immigrants alike. Stand with all of us.”

The petition, which was organized by faith-based community organizing network PICO California, came a day after the Dodgers postponed what was scheduled to be their first public comment regarding the immigration raids that have swept through the city over the last two weeks.

Read more:Hernández: What did bowing to Donald Trump get the Dodgers? A visit from federal agents

On Thursday, the club had been preparing to announce their plans for assistance to immigrant communities affected by the recent events in the city, a team spokesperson told The Times this week.

But then, federal immigration agents showed up at Dodger Stadium on Thursday morning, attempting to access the ballpark’s parking lots in an apparent effort to use them as a processing site for people who had been arrested in a nearby immigration raid.

The Dodgers denied the agents entry to the grounds, according to the team, but the resulting fallout prompted their planned announcement to be delayed.

“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,” team president Stan Kasten said. “But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details. We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”

Friday’s petition implored the club to not wait any longer, asking the team to:

• Issue a public statement affirming that families are sacred, and that the ICE raids must stop
• Stand with and support community organizations that are welcoming, protecting, and integrating immigrants into the fabric of our great region
• As when you asked ICE to leave the property yesterday, continue to ensure that no Dodgers’ property or assets will be used to aid or abet immigration enforcement operations

A news release announcing the letter also promoted a public petition campaign for fans to sign.

Many of the signatories of Friday’s petition were local church leaders, including the bishops of the Methodist California-Pacific Conference and Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

“For generations, Angelenos have prayed their Dodgers on through good times and bad,” John Harvey Taylor, the Episcopal bishop, said in a statement. “Dodgers security were champions this weekend. We pray that the Dodgers will stand with their fans, and their friends and family, who are at risk from these cruel workplace raids.”

The petition was also signed by representatives from more than 20 community advocacy groups, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and National Day Laborer Organizing Network; as well as labor leaders from local teacher unions and the Service Employees International Union, among others.

“We love the Dodgers not only because they are champions, but even more because they are the team of Jackie Robinson, of Fernando Valenzuela, of Kiké Hernandez — baseball players who have helped bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice,” Joseph Tomás McKellar, executive director of the PICO California organization that organized the petition, said in a statement. “This is a moment when the Dodgers, a beloved family and cultural institution for 67 years, can take a moral stand and make an impact on the lives of vulnerable families in our region. Families are sacred.”

The Dodgers — which, the petition notes, has a roughly 40% Latino fan base — had been under increased public pressure in recent days to address the immigration raids happening around the city.

Last weekend, they received backlash when singer and social media personality Nezza performed a Spanish-language version of the national anthem at a game, in an act of protest against the raids, despite being asked by a club employee to sing it in English. Stadium security officials have also been seen cracking down on anti-ICE signage that some fans have tried to display around the ballpark recently. And this week, some fans on social media began to call for a protest against the team on Saturday.

The Dodgers are still expected to unveil their plans to assist local immigrant communities in the near future. If not for Thursday’s unexpected encounter with federal immigration agents, it might have already happened by now.

But instead, they have yet to break their silence on the issue.

And on Friday, community leaders turned up the public pressure to do so.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Giants' Rafael Devers admits he's ‘happy, relaxed' after trade from Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When a few Boston questions were mixed in during Tuesday’s press conference at Oracle Park, Rafael Devers deflected them, saying he didn’t want to talk about the past. At one point, Buster Posey smiled and said he liked the way his new superstar answers questions. 

Posey really, really would have liked the way Devers handled his second large media availability of the week.

About two dozen reporters and six cameras — many of them from Boston — descended on the dugout Friday so Devers could offer answers to Red Sox reporters and his former fan base. He spoke for more than 10 minutes, and nearly every answer was some variation of “I don’t want to talk about the past, I’m focused on the future.” But when asked about his future in San Francisco, Devers lit up.

Devers was asked if he could remember the last time he had been this happy, and his answer surely pleased Posey and the Giants. 

“It’s been a long time,” he said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I don’t know how to explain it. Yes, I feel happy. I feel relaxed now.”

"I feel very relaxed now."

Rafael Devers spoke to Bay Area and Boston reporters about the last time he was this happy professionally. pic.twitter.com/tb6DBnYG81

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 20, 2025

If all goes according to plan, that’ll be the last time Devers has to address a week that stunned Major League Baseball. He’s clearly ready to move on, but the timing of this weekend’s series — less than a week after the blockbuster deal — led to an interesting situation. He said he spent Thursday catching up with some former teammates after the Red Sox arrived from their series in Seattle, and on Friday, he spoke to reporters who once thought they might be covering him for the next eight and a half seasons. 

Devers did not offer a lot of answers to the questions that persist across the country, although he did say that had the Red Sox asked him to play first base during the spring — instead of after Triston Casas got hurt in-season — he would have agreed. Asked for further details, he said all of that was in the past. 

Devers said he did plan to catch up with former manager Alex Cora, although they haven’t spoken since the trade. If Cora watches closely this weekend, he’ll see Devers taking grounders at first during batting practice, something he refused to do for Cora and the Red Sox. 

The Giants will continue to get Devers work there all weekend after two days of grounders earlier this week. He said he’s not ready to play first base against his former team, though. Devers isn’t sure when he’ll be ready for a new position, but he promised to inform his new manager, Bob Melvin, as soon as he feels comfortable. 

In the meantime, the Giants will continue to start Devers at DH. He reiterated Friday that he’ll do anything his new bosses want, and said he’s confident that better days are ahead. The Giants scored just six runs in their first three games with Devers in the lineup, but he said he’s excited about the future. 

“There’s a reason they brought me here,” he said. “Our offense is going to hit.”

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