Feb 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Tibbs III against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Several one-run affairs and a blowout loss for the Tower Buzzers made up a day of baseball in the Dodgers’ minor league system.
Player of the day
Sometimes one hit is all you need. Through nine innings, James Tibbs III hadn’t done anything, but then, with one out in the tenth and the Comets trailing 4-3, Tibbs was at the plate with a runner on base and homered to the opposite field for the win.
It hasn’t been the best of months for Tibbs, far from it, as the left-handed hitter now has a .200 average with three home runs in June. On the plus side, he still is getting on base rather consistently with a .362 OBP despite that batting average at the Mendoza line.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
James Tibbs III is now up to 20 homers on the season, none bigger than last night’s two-run shot, which came when the Comets were two outs away from losing the game in the 10th inning. Tibbs drove in Ryan Fitzgerald, who also only had one hit the whole game.
Considering Tibbs’ homer was the Comets’ only extra-base hit in the entire game, and Hyesong Kim was their only hitter with a multi-hit game, the bullpen deserves a ton of praise. Led by Evan Phillips, Comets’ relievers tossed five innings without allowing an earned run after Christian Romero’s solid but unspectacular start. The only run conceded when relievers were on the mound was the ghost runner in the 10th.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers started off hot with four runs in the second, but quickly faded in a 6-5 loss against the Naturals. Just like in the Comets game, the whole lineup only had one hitter with a multihit game; here it was catcher and ninth-hole hitter Hayden Gilliland. It also only had one home run, here belonging to Josue De Paula.
Unable to score more than one run after that second inning, the Drillers’ offense allowed the Naturals the chance to get back into this one, and after a couple of blown saves from Lucas Wepf and Kelvin Ramírez, the veteran Nick Robertson suffered his first loss on the year. Robertson now moves to a 6-1 record, allowing only his fourth run (two earned) in 29.2 innings.
High-A Great Lakes
Playing a couple of closely contested games, both decided by a single run, the Loons split the doubleheader with the Captains. The bullpen tried to let their win slip, allowing the Naturals to tie the game at four-all after Aidan Foeller left them leading 4-0 thanks to 4.2 scoreless innings. However, the Loons caught a break, earning a walk-off win thanks to a defensive error from the Naturals, allowing DH Jose Meza to cross the plate.
Christian Zazueta’s five scoreless innings in the Loons loss meant that, combined, the Loons starters tossed 9.2 innings without allowing a run. This time around, reliever Isaac Ayon didn’t have it out of the bullpen, and not only did he blow the save in the sixth, but he also allowed a walk-off loss an inning later, coughing up a solo homer. The two runs the Loons had scored in this game, thanks to Emil Morales and Jose Meza, which looked like enough for most of it, fell short.
Single-A Ontario
Unlike the other four games, all decided by one run, the Tower Buzzers fell at the hands of the Quakes by a score of 11-2 in a game with a forgettable defensive performance. Four different players committed an error for the Loons, ultimately accumulating more defensive errors than hits (.3).
The only reliever out of the five from the Tower Buzzers to not give up a run was the veteran Brock Stewart, continuing to work his way back. Starter Brady Smith is now up to a 0-4 record.
Unable to drive forward a competitive effort by himself, designated hitter Eason Shelton at least upped his individual numbers, responsible for both RBI of his team, now sitting at 62 on the season.
Thursday’s scores
Oklahoma City 5, Sacramento 4
NW Arkansas 6, Tulsa 5
Great Lakes 5, Lake County 4
Lake County 3, Great Lakes 2
Ontario 2, Rancho Cucamonga 11
Friday’s schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) vs. Lake County (Michael Kennedy)
5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Charlie Barnes) vs. Sacramento (Joe Whitman)
When the Blue Jays were last at Wrigley Field in August 2024, thousands of Jays fans followed them to Chicago. I found them to all be passionate fans, but also friendly and unfailingly polite.
As we are near the beginning of summer travel season, I’d expect more Jays fans at Wrigley again this weekend — and in fact, I have heard all three games are already near-sellouts. So, welcome!
This series matches two teams that were supposed to be World Series contenders, but at this time both are struggling. For more on the Blue Jays, here’s Tom Dakers, manager of our SB Nation Blue Jays site Bluebird Banter.
What can I say about the Blue Jays? Well, they have been incredibly average. They can hit, unless, of course, there are RISP, and then they hit much as you or I would. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the ‘face’ of the team, has been in a deep slump and an even deeper power outage. Earlier in the season, he was hitting well, just not hitting home runs. Now, if you look at his stats, you’d see he has three home runs, and that’s not a typo. Three.
The starting pitching has been pretty good, other than Max Scherzer, whom you are unlucky enough to miss out on seeing. The team has been getting starting pitchers back from the IL, so we weren’t going the ‘bullpen days’ two times out of five. Louis Varland has been amazing in the closer role, after Jeff Hoffman had enough blowups to lose the job. Hoffman has a great strikeout rate (36.1 percent) and a roughly equal home run rate (well, not really, but he does seem to give up home runs at the worst possible moments). On the good news side, Alejandro Kirk and Nathan Lukes are back and hitting well.
We Jays fans are hanging our hopes on the fact that they are in about the same spot as they were at this time last year, and that turned out pretty good.
Fun facts
The Cubs have played only nine previous games at home against the Blue Jays, their fewest vs. any current big league team.
They played more against three long-defunct National League clubs: 10 vs. the Hartford Dark Blues, 11 vs. the Louisville Grays and 11 vs. the St. Louis Brown Stockings, all in 1876-77, the league’s first two seasons.
The Cubs are 6-3 at Wrigley Field vs. the Jays. They lost two of three in 2005, swept three in 2017 and won two of three in 2024, missing a sweep when they lost the finale, 1-0.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday: Ben Brown, RHP (3-2, 1.74 ERA, 0.968 WHIP, 2.36 FIP) vs. Kevin Gausman, RHP (4-4, 3.41 ERA, 1.034 WHIP, 3.20 FIP)
Saturday: Colin Rea, RHP (5-5, 5.35 ERA, 1.459 WHIP, 5.03 FIP) vs. Patrick Corbin, LHP (2-3, 4.57 ERA, 1.475 WHIP, 4.41 FIP)
Friday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Blue Jays market territories)
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Sunday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
The Cubs have had their struggles of late, but now they are facing a team that has had trouble winning on the road. The Jays are 16-20 away from Toronto, though they now have a winning record this month, 8-7, while the Cubs are 7-8 so far in June.
The pitching matchups seem to slightly favor the Jays, but I still think this is a series the Cubs can win. Two of three. If the Cubs can do that, that would be three straight series wins.
Up next
The Cubs head to New York for a four-game series against the Mets beginning Monday evening.
ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 12: Sean Berry of the Houston Astros during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 12, 1998 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images) | Sporting News via Getty Images
Sean Berry made an immediate impact upon his arrival to Houston in 1996. Originally acquired in a trade from the Expos, Berry would join the “Killer B’s” lineup and drive in 95 runs in his debut season in the dome. Along the way that first season, he’d also hit a pair of grand slams. Berry is our 27th installment of our exclusive Legends Series.
Q: What do you remember about being dealt to Houston?
A: You know, it benefited me that the trade happened during the offseason, so I was able to get a full spring training under my belt and get to know the superstars that I was around in Craig and Jeff and everybody else.
It was a perfect fit. I kind of fell right into the framework and mindset that they had. They all hustled, and it was a great feeling. It was perfect because you knew there was something special with that team on day one.
Q: “Killer B’s” still resonates all these years later down here. How great were Biggio and Bagwell?
A: I think for me, just seeing those guys play as hard as they did, day in and day out, and to do it at that level. Those guys were great players, but what impressed me was the hard work they put in when no one was watching. I never even played a full 162 game schedule like those guys. The turf at the Astrodome wasn’t really turf (laughs) it was more like concrete and they kept their bodies in tune.
Q: Was there any doubt in your mind that they’d eventually wind up in Cooperstown?
A: I came up through the Royals organization, and I got to know this guy by the name of George Brett. Those guys had the same competitiveness as George did and they all had long careers. eff’s numbers would be even more impressive if he didn’t have the arthritis in his shoulder. He would’ve had another 2 or 3 years with great numbers.
Q: What did you like about taking the field for Larry Dierker?
A: When I got there, he was a new manager of sorts but the one thing that they don’t do these days but that Larry always instilled was with our staff, he’d say don’t be looking in here during the 5th or 6th inning for me to come and get you out of the game.
We had Mike Hampton and Shane Reynolds and Darryl Kile, and they always took us deep into games. They were our best guys, so Larry’s belief was to keep them out there even if the metrics didn’t bear it out. He was that way. Larry in his own right had some incredible complete games as a pitcher, so he brought that to the table as a manager.
Q: I heard a rumor that during the first week of the season, you attended a game as a fan for the first time. Is that true?
A: It is (laughs). It was against Boston in April. It was weird, very strange. I was sitting there and there were so many strikeouts and guys not putting the ball in play. It bothered me and watching guys not break up double plays was a little hard. We never tried to hurt anybody, but the second base play stuff doesn’t feel right when I watch it, it just feels wrong.
Q: What did you think of seeing Yordan Alvarez for the first time in person?
A: He’s pretty impressive. Wow. When I did that for a living, I did it pretty okay at times, but then I see a guy like him and I’m like, I never looked that polished at the plate.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 18: Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen looks on at Wrigley Field on April 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was hardly even a question, thrown in at the end of a radio interview, but Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen went out of his way to give a definitive, strong statement on his trade deadline plans.
“I’m planning on buying,” Hazen said, in the waning seconds of an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7’s Wolf & Luke show.
He isn’t missing bats with the knuckle curve as he has in the past. And with this, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller tags him as the club’s most scrutinized player.
“A month ago, the choice would have been Ketel Marte. But while the three-time All-Star second baseman has turned things around in a big way, Gallen has gone from bad in 2025 to worse in 2026. He entered the year averaging 7.5 hits allowed and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The former rate has ballooned to 11.1 while the latter has plummeted to 5.9. His velocity has been fine, but the knuckle curve that used to be his go-to out pitch simply isn’t fooling anyone anymore.”
According to the transaction log on his MLB player page, the Triple-A Reno Aces have officially released former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and DH Luken Baker.
Baker, 29, has played in 76 major league games — 73 for the Cardinals in parts of three seasons from 2023-2025. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Diamondbacks in the offseason ahead of 2026, and made three major league appearances with Arizona.
Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association continue for the next collective bargaining agreement. Today, MLB proposed significant changes to the draft. J.J Cooper of Baseball America was among those to cover the developments.
The league’s proposed framework would be a significant drawdown of the way the draft has operated for years. High school players would no longer be eligible to be selected. In fact, anyone under 20 years old by September 1st of the draft year would not be eligible, so that would take many college and junior college players off the table as well.
The Angels placed their 34-year-old center fielder on the 10-day injured list before Thursday’s game against the Athletics after he suffered a right hamstring injury while running to first base during his final at-bat in Wednesday afternoon’s loss in Arizona.
“It felt like a cramp and just didn’t get any better. Achy last night, so woke up this morning and got it looked at,” Trout said before the game.
The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is turning back the clock and saying goodbye to it simultaneously. MLB officially announced Thursday that the midsummer slugging competition is set to return to a swing-based system for the first time since 2014.
While timed rounds have been part of the past 11 iterations of the Derby, hitters’ bouts will again have no time limit.
Los Angeles, CA - June 16, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a home run during the sixth inning of an MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Baseball is the sport with the most parity on a night to night basis, particularly in the regular season. The worst team can beat the best team, and no one really bats an eye. That is part of what made the Orioles series with the Dodgers back in September so magical. The Orioles were in the midst of a disastrous season while the Dodgers were en route to yet another World Series. That didn’t really matter though as the O’s took two of three anyway, including a particularly exciting comeback from a near no-hitter for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a walk-off winner for the Birds in Game 2 of that series.
There is a similar gulf between these two clubs entering this series. The Dodgers have a league-best +144 run differential; the Orioles are at -36. The Dodgers lead their division by nine games and are two games clear of the second-best team in the NL. The Orioles are 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the AL. Add in the O’s abysmal 13-22 record on the road or 15-24 record against teams .500 or better, and you can start to mentally write this series off entirely.
Looking at stats isn’t going to give you any more confidence. The Dodgers have scored the second-most runs (Nationals) in baseball and hit the second-most home runs (Yankees). They also rank first in batting average (.261) and on-base percentage (.345), while their .441 slugging percentage is second to just the Yankees.
Shoehei Ohtani is having himself another amazing year, though not quite as dominant offensively as we have grown accustomed to. His .545 slugging percentage is his lowest since 2022, and his 15 home runs have him well behind his normal pace of long balls. Even still, his 163 wRC+ is among the leage leaders yet again.
Max Muncy actually leads the team with 16 homers, and he has done that in 60 fewer plate appearances than Ohtani. Andy Pages’ 56 RBI are tops on the team, only one behind the league leaders. Freddie Freeman is still good too, posting a .279/.368/.482 batting line with 12 homers.
The negatives are pretty limited, but we should mention them. Mookie Betts is struggling, and not just in the context of a stacked Dodgers lineup. The former MVP is hitting just .203/.266/.367 with seven homers and a 75 wRC+. His peripheral numbers are much better though. His expected batting average is .277 and he rare chases, whiffs, or strikes out. The 33-year-old is due for some positive regression at some point. Hopefully it doesn’t start this weekend.
And you probably don’t need to worry about this Dodgers team beating you on the base paths. Their 31 stolen bases are the fourth-fewest in baseball, and their -2.4 Base Running Runs are in the bottom third of the league as well.
The two things you can depend on the Dodgers for in recent history are winning baseball games and a full injury report. That is the case yet again in 2026. We won’t see a number of key names this weekend. Will Smith has a stiff neck. Teoscar Hernández is nursing a hamstring strain. Edwin Díaz is out until next month with an elbow injury. And you won’t have to worry about Tyler Glasnow (back), Kiké Hernández (oblique), Blake Snell (elbow), or old friend Evan Phillips (Tommy John) for several more weeks, at least.
Gibson is having the rookie experience right now. His last outing against the Padres was his first with more than two strikeouts. It also saw him issue five walks and bean Xander Bogaerts in the head. There is work to be done, but the Orioles have no choice but to keep trotting him out there given the injures elsewhere on their starting staff.
It has been a rocky sophomore season for Sasaki. He had a 6.35 ERA in March/April, but settle down with a 3.18 ERA in May. Now in June he followed seven shutout innings against the Angels to begin the month with a meltdown against the White Sox (4.1 IP, seven runs). Which version will the Orioles see to open the series? It feels like we all know the answer, don’t we?
Is Rogers back? He has a 3.12 ERA in June and has not allowed more than three runs in any of his last three starts. His formula is pretty simple on paper. Limit the walks and keep the ball in the yard. When he does that, he finds success. That ability will be tested against these Dodgers.
Yamamoto is following up his third-place finish in Cy Young voting a season ago with an almost identical season in 2026. The strikeout numbers aren’t as dominant, but he is walking almost no one and has a WHIP of just 0.840. The diminutive righty makes you earn your way on.
Game 3: Sunday, June 21st, 4:10 p.m., MASN
RHP Brandon Young (5-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan (3-4, 4.76 ERA)
The Orioles’ string of winning games that Young starts was broken in his last outing, but that wasn’t the righty’s fault. He delivered a quality start, going six innings and allowing just three runs. His 2.83 ERA over his last eight starts has been a saving grace for a rotation that has struggled with consistency overall. The Orioles might even have the pitching advantage in this one.
Sheehan has probably been something of a disappointment for Dodgers fans this year. He looked great with his 2.82 ERA across 73.1 innings last season, but has failed to live up to that hype in 2026. Even still, he forces a lot of swing and miss, and regularly gets hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. So this is still going to be a tough matchup for the Orioles.
How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series? Let us know in the comments.
Jun 18, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (22) throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Good morning, foLLks, and happy Friday!
The Mariners shut out the Orioles 3-0 yesterday to secure their first series win over Baltimore since 2022. The second series of the homestand kicks off today against the Red Sox at 7:10pm PDT.
Brewers righty Quinn Priester will undergo first rib removal surgery. He will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome.
MLB has proposed a reworked Draft system as negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement remain in their infancy, including the addition of an international draft, removing draft eligibility for high school players, and once again truncating the number of rounds. The MLBPA released a statement regarding these proposals in response, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it appears to be a non-starter in negotiations.
The Pirates and Braves completed a small swap, with Pittsburgh sending former second overall pick C Joey Bart to Atlanta for RHP Hunter Stratton.
The Tigers will recall utilityman Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo, who will fill in for Wenceel Pérez after a freak eye injury involving a snapped plyo band. Notably, he is the son of former Mariner José Cruz Jr., and the Cruzes will become just the fifth family to have three generations of MLB players when Trei makes his debut.
Ribbie launched a few weeks ago. Per their site description, it’s “[a]ctual live games rendered pitch by pitch in a cozy 8-bit view while they happen. Watch for free. No account needed. A calmer way to keep baseball close.” While it’s still a work in progress , it’s a pretty neat way to follow a game if you tire of the Gameday view.
If you are looking for a new show to watch, please consider this one (~NSFW).
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 14: Joey Bart #14 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fifth inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Christopher Denver/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a late-night trade on Thursday night that will shift the landscape of two areas of the team.
Pittsburgh dealt catcher Joey Bart to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for reliever Hunter Stratton.
A familiar face, Stratton was a 16th-round pick of the Pirates in 2017 and pitched for the club for three seasons.
Stratton made his MLB debut in 2023 and only allowed three runs over 12 innings.
He totaled a 3.58 ERA in 36 appearances the following season, but struggled in 2025. Stratton allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings with the Bucs last year for a deeper and higher-regarded bullpen staff.
The Pirates DFA’d Stratton and traded him to Atlanta, where he posted a 2.20 ERA in 12 appearances. He was DFA’d by Atlanta earlier this week and opened the door for the Pirates to make the trade.
Stratton will begin his second tour with the Bucs in Triple-A Indianapolis.
Currently on a rehab assignment for a left foot infection, Bart was in line to be the odd-man out of the Pirates catching rotation.
The former No. 2 overall pick of the San Francisco Giants was rumored to be a potential trade piece dating back to the start of spring training, and now exists Pittsburgh after two and a half seasons.
Bart hit .259 with one double, two home runs, six RBIs, and 21 strikeouts in 58 at-bats in 2026.
He performed well against left-handed pitching, but started off slow and was on pace for his worst season as a Pirate.
Bart recorded nine hits in his final six games before the injury, including a four-hit day in his final game as a Bucco.
Endy Rodriguez stepped up in Bart’s absence and didn’t look back. Rodriguez was recalled following Bart’s injury and is slashing .267/.413/.467 with three doubles, three homers, and eight runs driving in over 60 at-bats.
He’s also shown good plate discipline with 15 walks compared to 17 strikeouts in 23 games and is beginning to emerge as the Pirates’ No. 1 catcher. Henry Davis remains on the roster and has caught every Paul Skenes start in 2026.
Stratton primarily pitched in Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 4.38 ERA and 16 walks compared to 24 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.
The Pirates need Stratton to channel his early Pirates career and help a bullpen that has been the Achilles heel of the team the entire year.
Pittsburgh plays the first of a three-game series in Colorado against the Rockies on Sunday at 8:40 p.m.
On June 12, three Giants pitchers, Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker, broke MLB protocol by altering their uniforms with Bible verses on their Pride Night caps, which featured a rainbow Giants logo. And another pitcher, Sam Hentges, did not even wear his Pride Night hat. The players received a warning from MLB for violating the uniform policy.
The DOJ said they were referring Major League Baseball to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a letter written to Commissioner Rob Manfred.
"The three players expressed their opposition to MLB's pro-Pride orthodoxy," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in the letter. "The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the League's vehicle for pro-Pride messages.
“Federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion,” Dhillon added in the letter. “The Trump administration is committed to combatting religious discrimination."
On June 16, Vice President JC Vance publicly weighed in via social media, responding to a Sports Illustrated social media post, Vance said, “Trump won; we don’t have to do this anymore.”
The Giants said after incident that "they are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ community" but also respect that individuals may make "personal choices about team activations," while also adding that the players caused "pain and anger for many in the LGBTQ community."
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week, I wrote and encouraged the Red Sox to totally tear down the roster with a 2014-style fire sale at the trade deadline on Aug. 3rd.
I still stand by that for the large portion of sellable pieces. The Willson Contreras decision in that conversation became a complicated one for me and one that i’ve spent the last week thinking about rather often. In that period of reflection, the answer to what to do with Boston’s first baseman became pretty obvious to me.
The Red Sox cannot trade Willson Contreras.
The veteran is a rare sign of life in an otherwise dismal season that will cause several people their jobs by year’s end. Contreras is a borderline All-Star in 2026. If he doesn’t make the team, it won’t be due to any fault of his own, but more so due to the ridiculous surges of others around the American League.
He’s enjoying his best offensive season at age 34 and clearly has plenty left in the tank after shifting away from catching during his tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals. Contreras would be a hot commodity given the usual need for right-handed power every summer. That’s intriguing for a should-be seller like the Red Sox, though there’s a different story to tell that’s even more important about the construction of the roster moving forward.
When you have a chance to keep a hole filled for a while, take it. How long have the Red Sox been trying to find a staple at second base since the end of Dustin Pedroia’s days as an everyday player? (Newsflash: They still are).
Triston Casas still holds potential in the wild world of Red Sox Twitter/X, but the reality is that he’s only played one full season (he did receive ROTY votes) since his 2022 call-up. It would be way easier to navigate the position if Casas could really be healthy and contribute. Ultimately, Boston would be viciously irresponsible to build the lineup in years to come with the expectation of Casas being a regular.
Contreras is under team control through 2027 with a club option for 2028. His no-trade clause also carried over from the Cardinals, limiting Boston’s best shot at another quality return at the deadline.
The Red Sox should probably listen for a potential undeniable offer at the deadline, but for a team that lacks real hitters the way they do, can they totally afford to lose the only one they have?
And Law has the biggest draft mistakes of the 2016 draft. (The Athletic sub. req.) If you think the Cubs are the only team making bad draft picks, you should read this article and realize everyone makes bad picks. (The Cubs did not have a first or second round pick in 2016.)
In World Cup news, Team England stopped by Kaufman Stadium. Manager Thomas Tuchel threw out the first pitch and star Harry Kane and others joined the festivities. Anne Rogers reports.
May 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies Catcher Brett Sullivan (26) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
In 2015, Brett Sullivan was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays.
In 2023, he made his MLB debut as a catcher with the San Diego Padres.
This season, the 31-year-old Colorado Rockie made another MLB debut, this time as a pitcher. The catcher, who played some infield in college and in the minors, but has spent most of his career as a backup catcher, had a simple philosophy.
“Try to get off the mound as fast as possible. That’s it,” Sullivan said. “I don’t want to be out there that long, so I just try to let the defense make all the plays for me. They’ve done a good job.
“The approach is to throw it maybe very slow, and then sometimes not as slow,” he continued, “but know that hopefully they hit it to my defense. That’s a whole approach.”
The Rockies signed Sullivan to a minor-league deal in the offseason, and he immediately made an impact as a mentor to young catchers Hunter Goodman and Braxton Fulford in spring training. Little did Rockies fans know that he’d be spending time on the other side of home plate.
On May 19, Sullivan pitched a scoreless, hitless ninth inning in a 10-0 loss to the Rangers. Having only pitched one time in the minors, he didn’t hesitate when the Rockies coaching staff asked him if he could “go out there and throw strikes.”
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I got it,’ and that was basically it,” he said. “So I keep it simple, but hopefully I don’t have to do it again because that means we’re not winning. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just lobbing it up there.”
Sullivan has pitched in three more games since May 19 — all, unfortunately, in four blowout losses. However, he’s posted three scoreless innings and totaled a 4.15 ERA in 4.1 innings with six hits, two runs, including one homer, one walk and one strikeout. With his humorous and outgoing personality, he doesn’t take preparing for his side pitching job too seriously.
“I just sat on the bench, and then when the next inning was over, I just walked out onto the mound. I didn’t warm up — no routine, no nothing, just straight from the bench,” Sullivan said. “I grabbed Jimmy Herget’s glove and walked right out there.”
Sullivan said he’s used Herget’s glove three times and Ryan Feltner’s once, adding he grabs whatever is closest.
Even if he’s just eating an inning, Sullivan has earned some impressive stats on the mound. On May 26 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sullivan became the only player besides Shohei Ohtani to hit a home run and pitch in a game.
“It feels good to be in the same category as him, you know,” Sullivan jokingly said. “No, it’s that was just a fluke — a crazy, lopsided game — and you get asked to pitch, and then it happens that your spot in the order came up and facing another position player. But they all count. And it’s a fun story.”
He also pitched [kind of] like Ohtani by putting up a scoreless frame.
In his most recent outing, the ninth inning in a 19-6 loss to the Giants on May 31, Sullivan recorded his first and only career strikeout thus far. It was a memorable one, too, coming against three-time All-Star and World Series Champion Rafael Devers.
“I don’t know if I threw a strike to him, but the umpire called them, so we’ll take it,” Sullivan said. “And again, good story. For it to be Devers, who’s going to be a Hall of Famer, is funny.”
Sullivan said he kept the ball to remember the moment. However, Sullivan said he’s not practicing pitching, but does have a great response when asked what his best pitch is.
“I throw like a little air cutter, and I hope that it’s slow enough that the gravity takes it the other way off their barrel,” Sullivan joked. “That’s my best pitch right now.”
Since May 26, in Sullivan’s Ohtani game, the Stockton, Calif. native has hit four homers in 23 at-bats. That includes a two-homer game against the Chicago Cubs on June 11.
Sullivan didn’t have any home runs in his 78 at-bats before that day in L.A. Some might say being a pitcher has made him a better hitter. Sullivan credits something else, namely, taking Mickey Moniak’s advice that he needed new pants.
“I changed my wardrobe a lot,” he said. “I would say that’s the biggest change. I switched it up. I am now wearing Mickey Moniak’s clothes, and we’re gonna roll with that.
“There’s honestly not much else to it,” he continued. “This game is a funny game, it’s a tough game, but when you just have a clear mind, let things go, have fun with it, I think that things happen.”
Moniak told him he needed new pants, and Sullivan proudly said, “I listened.”
“I’m just trying to bring him a little piece with him to the plate with me,” Sullivan said. “It’s good.”
From the easy-going attitude and the sneaky pop at the plate to his ability to pitch and stay positive as a journeyman, Sullivan’s Tao of the backup catcher now also includes pitching. With the Rockies facing struggles in the bullpen and injuries to the starting rotation, it’s likely Sullivan will be back on the mound again at some point this season. It’s a role he’s happy to play if the Rockies need him.
“I think it’s just to help the bullpen when games like that are really lopsided,” Sullivan said. “You don’t want to waste one of those good arms because the next day is an opportunity to win a game, and we’ll need those guys fresh.
“So, if I could just go in there and save those guys, then you know that’s a small victory for the next day.”
Jose Cordova hit a sac bunt to move Kent to third base to set-up the winning run. Albuquerque struck first when Zac Veen hit an RBI triple in the first inning to score Chad Stevens. Veen was thrown out at home trying to stretch it to an inside-the-park homer, but the Isotopes went up 1-0. The Space Cowboys tied the game in the seventh and took a 2-1 lead in the eighth. Albuquerque answered right back to tie the game 2-2 when Mike Antico hit an RBI single to score Avans.
Gabriel Hughes had a scoreless outing, striking out six while walking three and only giving up one hit in 4.2 innings. Jordan Romano kept the Space Cowboys off the scoreboard in the ninth and Erasmo Ramírez walked one, but struck out one in a scoreless, hitless 10th to earn the win. Avans, Veen and Ryan Ritter recorded two hits apiece to make up the majority of Albuquerque’s 10 hits.
Hartford rallied from a 5-2 deficit with a three-run seventh inning on its way to a 10-6 win on Thursday. Conner Capel hit two homers, while GJ Hill added an insurance solo homer in the eighth and Roc Roggio did the same in the ninth. Capel went 3-for-5 with five runs driven in and Hill and Roggio each recorded two hits and two RBI. Davison Palermo earned the victory after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings, Carlos Torres posted the hold by limiting Reading to one run in two innings with a strikeout. Dyan Jorge drew two walks and scored two runs.
Despite taking the lead in the first, second and third innings, Spokane couldn’t hold on to any of them and lost on Thursday night. Max Belyeu and Jack O’Dowd started the game with solo homers in the first as the Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Jacob Hinderleider scored on a wild pitch and Belyeu hit an RBI single in the second inning to take 4-3 lead. In the third, Tommy Hofpe added a two-run homer and Kelvin Hidalgo hit an RBI single to put Spokane up 7-4 in the third. O’Dowd answered back after Vancouver tied up the game again when he hit a sac fly and Hofpe recorded an RBI double to put the Indians back on top 9-8 in the sixth, but that was the last rally for Spokane as the Canadians got the final comeback with a five-run seventh.
Tanner Thach hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Grizzlies took a lead they never lost in a big win on Thursday night. Thach came up a triple short of the cycle, finishing the game with five RBI, three hits and three runs scored. Roldy Brito doubled on a two-hit night and scored two runs, Wilder Dalis added a double and run-scoring single and Ashly Andujar added a two-run single.
Riley Kelly started the game strong for Fresno, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, three hits and three walks. Manuel Olivares recorded the win after holding the 66ers to one run on three hits with five strikeouts, while Luke Hansel pitched the ninth and struck out two, despite giving up a solo homer.
Skyler Timmins explores the impressive debut TJ Rumfield is making so far in Colorado, comparing him to other breakout rookies in Rockies history like Todd Helton, Wilin Rosario and Trevor Story. What do they all have in common? Ten homers and 50 hits before the All-Star break.
The Rockies begin a home series against the Pirates today and on Saturday, Paul Skenes is slated to pitch. With a struggling rotation, Troy Renck points out that the Rockies need an ace like they had 16 years ago in Ubaldo Jiménez.
The Tri-City ValleyCats, an independent professional baseball team out of Troy, NY that plays in the Frontier League, announced that infielder Parker Coddou was signed to a deal by the Colorado Rockies. From 2002 through 2020, the ValleyCats were the Class-A short season affiliate of the Houston Astros. Coddou, who scored 25 runs and posted 23 hits, while also leading the ValleyCats in stolen bases with 14, becomes their third player to be signed by an MLB organization this season.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: Robbie Ray #38 and Tyler Mahle #54 of the San Francisco Giants arrive prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
If you’re no stranger to McCovey Chronicles, then you’re probably aware that I’ve been pretty critical of Buster Posey during his tenure. Err, during his tenure as president of baseball operations, I should specify. Not sure I ever had a criticism of Posey during his tenure as Face of the Franchise/Captain America/All-World Catcher/Hugger Extraordinaire/Three-Time Champion.
While I’m in favor of giving Posey more time before reaching any grand conclusions, most of the results have been poor. His free agency signings have been middling. His managerial decisions have backfired. His control of the image of the Giants has been slipping. His unwillingness to address the bullpen has been baffling.
But there’s one area where Posey (and general manager Zack Minasian) have excelled without question: deadline deals.
The 2025 trade deadline was bizarre for the San Francisco Giants. Just a few days before the deadline, the Giants, still clinging to the belief that they could be competitive, were reported to be buyers. Then they lost a few games, admitted defeat, and turned into sellers.
What followed was excellence. The Giants sent out the expiring contract of Tyler Rogers for Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, and José Buttó. They traded Camilo Doval (who currently has a 5.08 ERA this year), and got back Jesús Rodríguez, Parks Harber, Carlos De La Rosa, and Trystan Vrieling. They moved on from Mike Yastrzemski, an impending free agent, and received Yunior Marte in return.
It seems that the Giants are once again heading for sell-town. And they once again have some intriguing options: starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle, and soon-to-be-four-time All-Star second baseman Luis Arráez are all on expiring deals. So too is reliever JT Brubaker. Center fielder Harrison Bader and starting pitcher Adrian Houser aren’t on expirings, but are paid modestly and have veteran cachet.
Barring a shocking winning streak, the Giants will have to fold their hand yet again, and turn their eye to the future. Can they match last year’s impressive deadline wheeling and dealing?
Stay tuned, I guess.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants kick off a series with the Miami Marlins tonight at 4:10 p.m. PT.
This is Part 2 of my exploration of some of the underlying details of Cardinal pitching prospects. The question I am trying to answer is… Of the minor leagues prospects we’ve been watching, who has the most interesting pitch shape metrics (ie. the under the hood stuff)? We seem to be far enough into the season to have built up some stats that can stand up to Small Sample Size (SSS) scrutiny. Since I do the daily down on the Farm Reports, I see the various pitcher usage and line score results every day. That has made me curious about some things that might be going on beyond the line score.
Last week folks got a look at the pitchers in Palm Beach. What I neglected to mention then is that the set of top 10th percentile pitch metrics was 225 pitch types deep, and the Cardinals had 25 entries in the group or just a little below league average of 28. This becomes a little less mundane when we start looking at AAA numbers.
First, I raised the bar for AAA pitchers to 150 pitches minimum instead of 50 pitches as for Low-A pitchers. This to keep the set manageable. If I used the same 50 pitch minimum, the AAA set would include 1267 pitcher/pitch type combinations. I’m looking for the outliers and that is a large outlier group. That the AAA group is five times bigger tells me that a significant difference between AAA and Low-A pitching is volume.
Same methodology as last week. I am looking for pitchers have top 10th percentile metrics. This is a “who has a tool that sticks out” kind of question. Even with a 150 pitch minimum, I still get 382 pitcher/pitch combinations in the top tenth percentile (almost double the Low-A group). In an ugly turn of events, only 17 Cardinal entries are found in this table and as you will see, too many of them are outlier in a bad way (as in last decile, not top).
AAA Metric Leader Board
Like last week, the first table shows just the pitch profile, not the results (which follow in the next section).
What do we see?
Name
Pitches
Type
Pitch Pct
Spin Rate
Velocity
Vert Break (in)
Horiz Break (in)
Sprin Rate P10
Velo P10
Vertical Break P10
Horiz Break P10
Bedell, Ian
432
FF
60.4
2299
90.3
12.7
15.6
5
10
9
1
Blewett, Scott
598
SL
30.3
2163
85.1
-2
-3
10
6
9
4
Dobbins, Hunter
710
FF
32
2316
94.9
15.3
2.3
4
4
5
10
Gastelum, Luis
518
CH
40
1571
82.7
-4.2
12.9
7
4
10
7
Gastelum, Luis
518
FF
32.6
2446
94.5
15
11
1
4
6
2
Hales, Skylar
433
FF
56.1
2135
94.4
11.7
0.6
8
5
10
10
Hansen, Pete
687
FF
39.3
2391
90.5
12.3
-2
2
10
9
10
Hansen, Pete
687
SL
24.5
2594
81.3
-3.1
-9.3
2
10
10
10
Mautz, Brycen
860
FF
38.8
2191
92.3
12.7
12.3
8
8
9
1
Mautz, Brycen
860
SL
23.6
2277
83.5
1.9
0.1
8
8
5
1
Rajcic, Max
645
FF
43.3
2204
94.9
14.9
10.7
7
4
6
2
Rincon, Hancel
547
SL
30
2155
85.2
-2.2
-1.4
10
5
9
2
Roycroft, Chris
397
SI
42.3
2113
96.9
3
16.7
5
1
9
3
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
SL
25.1
2545
82.6
-3.3
0.6
3
9
10
1
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
FF
20.3
2452
89.5
15.4
7.7
1
10
5
5
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
FS
20.3
1715
83
2.1
11.4
2
7
10
5
People ask “what happened to Ian Bedell”. Well, he has an outlier bad FF velocity rate and gets no whiffs with it. And he uses this pitch 60.4% of the time. Pete Hansen and Bruce Zimmerman are in the same bottom decile in FB velocity across the International League, with the same whiff results. At least they don’t use this pitch nearly as often.
Gastelum is in the top decile for spin rate on his Four Seam Fastball (FF), resulting in a top 20th percentile arm-side run. I bet that pitch really bores in on RH hitters.
Skylar Hales has about the straightest FF in the league.
Brycen Mautz is top floor on his arm-side run on his fastball, which probably allows the fairly pedestrian velo to play up. I bet he’d be super effective coming in to face LH hitters in relief, if that sorta thing was needed in StL.
Mautz’ slider is odd. Almost no movement. This is one of those counter-intuitive ones. You’d rather be in the lowest tenth percentile, since glove side run is shown as a negative number in the data set.
Rajcic’s horizontal movement on his fastball is near-elite, and you will see later gets elite results.
Roycroft’s sinker profiles as elite, both in velo and drop (IVB). If only he had poise.
Zimmermann makes the list in a bad way on his FF, FS and SL. He limits damage by limiting walks.
Overall, this is not a good profile for the AAA group and we see this with the shortage of depth for the MLB staff. We will keep this handy and see how it changes as some of the AA studs matriculate to Memphis later this year.
Performance Matters
Stuff (and the underlying metrics which show it) are one thing. Performance is another. Which AAA pitchers are getting the most out of their stuff? Let’s look more at performance outcomes as see how they rate.
Player
Pitches
Type
Pct
K%
K% P10
BB%
BB% P10
xwoba
xwOBA P10
Velocity
Velo P10
Whiff Rate
Whiff Rate P10
Bedell, Ian
432
FF
60.4
16.2
8
26.5
10
0.396
8
90.27
10
16%
9
Blewett, Scott
598
SL
30.3
23.9
6
15.2
9
0.361
9
85.13
6
44%
2
Dobbins, Hunter
710
FF
32
13.5
8
13.5
4
0.364
6
94.91
4
22%
6
Gastelum, Luis
518
CH
40
27.3
6
9.1
7
0.193
1
82.68
4
40%
3
Gastelum, Luis
518
FF
32.6
27.8
3
13.9
5
0.334
4
94.53
4
23%
5
Hales, Skylar
433
FF
56.1
34.5
1
16.4
6
0.284
2
94.42
5
27%
3
Hansen, Pete
687
FF
39.3
15.9
8
8.7
2
0.317
3
90.54
10
11%
10
Hansen, Pete
687
SL
24.5
31.3
4
8.3
5
0.234
3
81.27
10
37%
4
Mautz, Brycen
860
FF
38.8
17.2
7
16.1
6
0.381
7
92.26
8
24%
5
Mautz, Brycen
860
SL
23.6
39.6
3
13.2
8
0.199
1
83.45
8
40%
3
Rajcic, Max
645
FF
43.3
33.9
2
16.1
6
0.302
3
94.87
4
27%
4
Rincon, Hancel
547
SL
30
27
5
5.4
2
0.284
6
85.15
5
32%
6
Roycroft, Chris
397
SI
42.3
12.9
5
6.5
1
0.263
1
96.92
1
12%
7
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
SL
25.1
42.5
2
4.1
2
0.271
5
82.57
9
40%
3
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
FF
20.3
14
8
6
1
0.384
7
89.52
10
18%
8
Zimmermann, Bruce
969
FS
20.3
29.3
10
3.4
4
0.288
10
82.96
7
36%
7
In the above table, you will see many of the same names and pitches, this time with how those pitches are performing in real games. There are few new names, as some guys without top 10th percentile stuff are still getting top tenth percentile results, such as Nelfy Ynfante, who really limits hard contact without any top tier stuff.
Some notes:
Gastelum (CH), Mautz (SL) and Roycroft (SI) each have a go-to pitch that is effective at limiting damage.
Zimmermann avoids damage by limiting walks across all his pitches.
Skylar Hales has an elite K rate. I’m not sure how.
You know what else I notice in these lists? Quinn Mathews doesn’t appear once. I wonder why? Let’s look specifically at his Prospect Savant page.
You see that his whiff rate falls just below elite at 89th percentile. Lots of stuff between average (~50th) and really good (80th), but nothing elite. Gives me a picture he does many things well, but nothing great. Even his walk rate isn’t anywhere near bottom 10th percentile for AAA.
The other thing I see in his data: His FF is probably his worst pitch in terms of K and BB rates. He throws it almost 50% of the time. He actually has a higher walk rate (25%) on his FF than K rate (23%). An adjustment to his pitch mix is coming.
Summary
There really isn’t anyone at AAA with standout tools. That is not to say there aren’t good pitchers. My screen was for top 10th percentile stuff…elite. Apparently, that is to be found at AA and High-A. We shall see.
Links
<a href="http://<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSxqYqjHlZFG1sv4z7zqciltal6c87mVTWhdCigRAq1rwVYMDR2nQ8Kd2thIfvEmr-PAyLvP_FB2k4p/pubhtml?widget=true&headers=false">Here is a link to the underlying spreadsheet with top decile performance across the AAA level of baseball.
Happy birthday to Blake Parker, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1846 – First officially recognized baseball game (played by Cartwright Rules) – NY Nine defeats the NY Knickerbockers 23-1 in Hoboken, New Jersey, and other stories as well.
2019 – One day after fouling a bunted ball in his face during batting practice and breaking his nose, Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals against the Phillies sporting a prominent black eye. He still stymies the opposition with seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. “Trust me, this thing looks a lot worse than it actually feels,” he explains to journalists.
1865 – Union General Gordon Granger declares slaves free in Texas, now the date the end of slavery is celebrated across the US as Juneteenth.
1917 – The British Royal Family, which has had strong German ties since George I, renounces its German names and titles and adopts the name of Windsor.
1936 – German boxer Max Schmeling KOs up-and-coming American heavyweight Joe Louis in 12 rounds at Yankee Stadium, New York.
1937 – Second of two legendary recording sessions by Delta Blues musician Robert Johnson with producer Don Law at the Vitagraph Studios, Dallas, Texas.
1946 – First TV sports and boxing spectacular, Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in a match broadcast across New York.
1960 – Loretta Lynn records “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl”.
1964 – Ameican folk singer Bob Dylan completes his first UK tour.
1970 – Jim Bouton’s controversial baseball diary “Ball Four” is published.
1971 – Carole King starts a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with the double A-sided single “It’s Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move.”
1973 – “The Rocky Horror Show” stage production first opens in London written by Richard O’Brian and directed by Jim Sharman and starring Tim Curry.
1978 – Garfield, created by Jim Davis, first appears as a comic strip.
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers bounced back this week with a strong homestand that featured a pair of series wins over the Phillies and Guardians, keeping a hold atop the NL Central. The Brewers are now in Atlanta as they’ll face off with another one of the best teams in baseball thus far in the Braves. They’ll then face a stretch of NL Central opponents in the Reds, Cubs, and Reds (again).
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
