Category: MLB

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball. In fact, they are ranked the best farm system by ESPN and The Athletic heading into 2026. The Brewers’ collection of talent is ever-growing, with some late offseason additions from the Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin trades.

It makes the challenge of ranking the top prospects in this system all the more difficult, but a challenge I gladly take on. This list will run 50 players deep, but honestly, it could go much further than that. There are simply that many quality young players in this system that deserve attention and recognition.

The Brewers graduated several prospects from last year, including Durbin, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chad Patrick. In 2026, they’re projected to graduate several more, including Robert Gasser, Logan Henderson, Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams, Jeferson Quero, Craig Yoho, and Tyler Black. All but Williams are already on the 40-man roster, but are still prospect eligible, so they will make this list.

Not only are the Brewers loaded with blue-chip talent at the top of the system, but they also have some really intriguing players with high upside throughout the lower levels and tons of depth across the board.

Honorable mentions: RHP Josh Flores, SS Daniel Dickinson, RHP Chase Bentley, SS CJ Hughes

All four of these 2025 Draftees were in strong consideration to make this Top 50 list until the Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin trades added several new names that needed to be included. All four will make their professional debuts this season and will likely push their way into the first midseason update of the Top 50.

Brewers Top 50 Prospects

1. Jesús Made, SS

A consensus top-five prospect in all of baseball, the Brewers have hit the jackpot in the international market once again with shortstop Jesús Made. Made tore up Low-A and High-A last season with the Carolina Mudcats and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, earning himself a late promotion to Double-A Biloxi to finish out the year. Made is a five-tool player at a premium position with top-tier exit velocities. Although he had just six home runs last season, there is more power within him. He also possesses elite speed, stealing 47 bases last year. He’s likely to start the season in Double-A Biloxi and won’t turn 19 years old until May.

2. Luis Peña, SS

Luis Peña perhaps had more impressive surface stats than Made in Low-A Carolina, which certainly helped boost his prospect stock throughout 2025. He was promoted along with Made to High-A Wisconsin mid-season, and he ultimately struggled with such an aggressive promotion at 18 years old. Peña is a pure hitter and rarely strikes out. He may be a better hitter for average than Made, but without the same power potential. Still, there’s star-level upside up the middle here, or even a possible move to third base because his throwing arm is good enough for it.

3. Cooper Pratt, SS

Cooper Pratt’s 2025 season went under the radar a little bit. The surface numbers were down for the 2023 sixth-round pick, but he was also playing in a horrendous hitting environment in the Southern League. Pratt brings excellent defense at shortstop to go along with speed and power potential. He also displays a patient eye at the plate. This season, Pratt will start the year in Triple-A Nashville, where his hitting numbers should trend back up. If they do, and the Brewers have an opening pop up in their infield, we could see Pratt make his MLB debut sometime this season.

4. Jett Williams, SS/2B/CF

The Brewers acquired Jett Williams in the Freddy Peralta trade as they continue to stockpile top infield talent. Williams is the closest to being MLB-ready of this top group, as he has 34 games of Triple-A experience already under his belt. Williams had a strong 2025 season, slugging 17 homers between Double-A and Triple-A with the Mets, also stealing 34 bases with an .828 OPS. Williams has more pop than you’d expect from his 5-foot-7-inch frame. The 22-year-old former first-round pick can play all over the field, shortstop, second base, center field, and this spring, he’s learning third base as well. That versatility can get him in Milwaukee sooner than later.

5. Brandon Sproat, RHP

The other piece in the Peralta trade, Brandon Sproat gives the Brewers another MLB-ready rotation piece with a full slate of team control. Sproat throws six pitches in his arsenal: Sinker, sweeper, curveball, changeup, 4-seam, and slider. He sits at 96 mph on his fastball and can peak in the triple digits. Sproat made four starts with the Mets last year with a 4.79 ERA. He’ll need to tighten up his command a little, averaging nearly 4 BB/9 last year, but the Brewers clearly see a lot to work with in his expansive arsenal, and I’d expect him to improve under the tutelage of Chris Hook and the rest of Milwaukee’s coaching staff.

6. Logan Henderson, RHP

A JuCo success story the Brewers love to write, Logan Henderson was able to make his MLB debut last season and lived up to the hype with a 1.78 ERA in five starts. He was later sidelined with an injury and missed the push to the postseason, but Henderson is primed to factor in this rotation again. He’s adding a curveball back to his mix this spring after pitching primarily with a fastball-changeup combo. Two pitches might be able to get him through those five starts, but if he’s going to remain successful, he needs something moving glove side. Henderson also mixes in a cutter and a slider, but that changeup is his best pitch and re-introducing his curveball is his most important one.

7. Robert Gasser, LHP

Robert Gasser also has a couple of starts of experience at the MLB level and did well in them with a 2.67 ERA. He was taking the league by storm in 2024 when he suddenly required Tommy John surgery. He recovered and returned late last season, making two starts in the regular season and a couple of appearances in the postseason. Gasser has a five-pitch arsenal with a sweeper, sinker, 4-seam, changeup, and cutter. He doesn’t have the eye-popping velo, averaging just 93 mph on his fastball, but he mixes well and keeps hitters off balance.

8. Bishop Letson, RHP

Bishop Letson might have the highest upside of any of these pitchers atop the Brewers system, but he’s also currently the furthest away from reaching it of this top group of four. Letson missed a lot of time last year, from May until August, with a balky shoulder. He returned in the last few weeks and eventually got a taste of Double-A Biloxi, where he’s expected to spend this entire season. The 21-year-old stands at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, so there’s room to fill out the frame, which could lead to more velocity gains as he’s currently sitting 92-94 mph. Letson gets great extension down the mound, and his stuff, which includes a four-pitch mix of a 4-seam, sinker, slider, and changeup, is some of the nastiest in the organization.

9. Jeferson Quero, C

It seems like Quero has been a top prospect forever, even though he’s just 23 years old. A freak labrum tear in 2024 derailed his quick ascent to the big leagues. He finally returned to action last season after a hamstring injury also delayed his return. The concern with Quero is how his shoulder is responding after surgery. He had one of the most elite throwing arms from behind the dish before, and last year, his arm strength was down significantly. Perhaps being further away from that surgery will help his shoulder be stronger in 2026. Quero can hit for some power and a decent average, making him a solid starting catching option if his defense returns to previous levels.

10. Andrew Fischer, 3B

The Brewers’ 2025 first-round pick got off to a great start in pro ball in High-A Wisconsin, hitting .311 with a .848 OPS in 19 games. Fischer was regarded by many in the Brewers draft room as the best college hitter in the Draft last year. His combination of hitting prowess and raw power is one of the best in the system. The Brewers intend to develop Fischer at third base despite spending most of his draft year at first base for Tennessee. He’ll likely spend some time back in High-A to start the year, but it might not be long until he’s headed for Double-A Biloxi.

11. Marco Dinges, C

Marco Dinges had a breakout 2025 campaign, dominating the Low-A Carolina League and quickly getting promoted to High-A, where he continued to torment pitchers. He missed a little over a month with a hamstring injury, but finished the year with a .300/.416/.514 slash line with 13 homers across the two levels. The power is the true carrying tool for Dinges’ profile, but he also has a strong throwing arm that has worked well for him at catcher. The Brewers will continue to develop him behind the plate with a corner outfield spot as a potential fallback. He’ll start the year in Double-A most likely.

12. Blake Burke, 1B

It surprises me that Blake Burke hasn’t generated more attention for his season last year. Across High-A and Double-A, Burke hit .292/.379/.453 with 27 doubles, 16 homers, and 15 stolen bases. Firstly, for a 6-foot-3-inch, 236-pound first baseman, stealing 15 bases is an incredible feat. Secondly, power was his calling card, but Burke was hitting for a much higher average than expected, and then his power finally came through upon his promotion to Double-A. The Southern League is hard on hitters, but not Burke; he hit .300 with 11 homers in 37 games there. The one concern is 135 strikeouts in 567 PAs, which is just a shade under 24%. It’s not horrible, but something to watch.

13. Luis Lara, OF

Your reigning minor league Gold Glove winner in center field, Luis Lara put up a very good season in Double-A last year at age 20. Lara hit .257 with a .369 OBP, 32 doubles, and 44 stolen bases. Power is not Lara’s game, standing at 5 feet, 8 inches and 167 pounds, but getting on base and stealing bases is, and he does that very well. The switch-hitter doesn’t strike out much but is patient at the plate, and his elite defense gives him a very high floor. Lara will be in Triple-A this year at 21 and could be the future in center in Milwaukee.

14. Josh Adamczewski, SS/2B/LF

Of all the top hitting prospects that started last year in Low-A Carolina, Josh Adamczewski was the most impressive of them for a long stretch. A back injury kept him out for around two months, but upon returning, he continued to rake. Adamczewski finished the season with a .320/.420/.490 slash line with 18 doubles and five homers. He then went on to the Arizona Fall League, where he raked some more with four homers and a .953 OPS in 20 games. He also worked on a position change to left field. Given the amount of infield talent above him on this list and further along in development, a move to the outfield may be necessary.

15. Luke Adams, 1B/OF

Luke Adams continues to simplify his pre-swing mechanics and just put up numbers. For three straight years, Adams has slugged 11 home runs with a batting average between .225 and .235 but an OBP above .400. How, you ask? A whopping 85 hit-by-pitches in that time helps, along with a 17% BB rate. The Brewers are trying to encourage him to be more aggressive at the plate to further tap into his immense raw power, given his 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound frame. A strong AFL stint has Adams potentially in Triple-A and on the doorstep of the majors. It’s a high ceiling here, but also a low floor.

16. Tyson Hardin, RHP

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Brewers have taken a late-round draft pick from Mississippi State and turned him into a stud pitching prospect. While Tyson Hardin may or may not end up with a similar career arc to Brandon Woodruff, he’s certainly improved his stock as much as anyone over the last year. Hardin has a four-pitch mix with average fastball velocity but excellent movement and traits that help it play up. His slider is his best secondary pitch. Hardin could stick as a back-end starting pitcher and will likely hit Triple-A this year.

17. Brady Ebel, SS

The Brewers used the compensatory pick they received for losing Willy Adames to nab another young shortstop with Brady Ebel. Ebel was on the Brewers Area Code Games rosters as an amateur, so they knew him well when they signed him to a $2.75 million bonus. Ebel’s profile seems very similar to Brice Turang back when he came out of the SoCal prep ranks, with not a lot of present power but good feel to hit and excellent defense at shortstop, but there have also been some Corey Seager comps, which isn’t too shabby either. He’ll start in Low-A Wilson.

18. Craig Yoho, RHP

Craig Yoho was generating as much hype as a relief prospect could heading into 2025. He earned a couple of trips to the majors but struggled with command and ultimately spent most of the year in Triple-A. Provided the command improves, Yoho should graduate and earn a regular spot in the Brewers bullpen this year. He works with a fastball-changeup combo; the fastball sits around 93 mph, but his changeup is just filthy, generating 18 inches of induced horizontal break. Likely a middle reliever, Yoho could also work his way into a setup role.

19. Brock Wilken, 3B

Back-to-back years with unlucky and fluke injuries have delayed the rise of 2023 first-round pick Brock Wilken, who was thought to be a quick mover through the minor leagues. Wilken was having a strong season in Biloxi before a dislocated kneecap sidelined him. Wilken has power in spades and could be the future at the hot corner in Milwaukee. He won’t hit for a high average, but Wilken draws his walks and hits bombs. A move up to Triple-A Nashville could help his numbers improve even more, and we could see him in Milwaukee before too long.

20. JD Thompson, LHP

A pitchability lefty, JD Thompson was the Brewers’ top pitching selection in last year’s draft out of Vanderbilt. Vandy is historically a great program for pitching development, and Thompson comes with a nasty four-pitch mix. His fastball sits in the low-90s, reaching 95, but the movement it generates is filthy. He also has a slider, curveball, and changeup. He should remain a starter as he develops. He’ll likely begin in Low-A Wilson.

21. Mike Boeve, 1B/3B

Boeve was one of the few Brewers prospects who had a truly down season in 2025. He had shoulder surgery following the 2024 campaign, and it took him a while to recover. Once he did return, he was limited to a DH role, but he just wasn’t hitting like he was before the injury, as it was still bugging him. After hitting .338/.415/.471 the year before, Boeve limped to a .239/.336/.341 slash line in 2025. I’m still a big believer in Boeve’s bat, and now that he’s 100% from after that surgery, I expect him to have a huge bounce-back in 2026.

22. Shane Drohan, LHP

Acquired in the Caleb Durbin trade, Shane Drohan might be a very underrated acquisition. He’s 27 years old and hasn’t made his MLB debut yet, which likely contributes to him being underrated, but he feels like someone the Brewers will be able to unlock. He’s had some injuries in the past, delaying his development. Drohan’s stuff ticked up last year in Triple-A, and he was able to improve his command. He has starter potential, but given the sheer number of starters the Brewers have, it’s more likely he makes his impact in 2026 out of the bullpen.

23.Coleman Crow, RHP

The Brewers added Coleman Crow to the 40-man roster in November, and even though it’s a crowded rotation picture, Crow is right in the mix. Acquired from the Mets in the Tyrone Taylor/Adrian Houser trade, Crow returned from TJS last season and lit up Double-A, making 12 starts with a 3.24 ERA and 64 Ks in 50 IP. Crow’s stuff was trending up before his surgery, and the Brewers got him, banking on that to continue, and so far it has. Look for him to compete for a rotation spot midseason.

24. Tate Kuehner, LHP

Tate Kuehner was an underrated NRI this spring, and it shows just how close he is to the majors. Kuehner dominated Double-A with a 2.50 ERA in 21 starts before a late promotion to Triple-A. A senior sign out of Louisville in 2023, the 25-year-old Kuehner has transitioned to being a starter and moved quickly. Don’t be surprised if Kuehner gets to the big league roster this year. He’ll start in Triple-A.

25. Brett Wichrowski, RHP

Wichrowski has seen his velo tick up since becoming a professional and had a pretty solid season in Double-A last year, posting a 3.44 ERA in 99 1/3 IP. The strikeout numbers aren’t very high for the stuff that he has, and he also allows around 4 BB/9. Wichrowski carries some reliever risk, and given the sheer depth of starting pitchers the Brewers have in the upper levels, that may end up being his ultimate home.

26. Bryce Meccage, RHP

A prototypical projectable prep righty, Bryce Meccage had a solid first season in pro ball in 2025, pitching to a 4.35 ERA in Low-A while making 19 starts. The stuff is electric, reaching the mid-90s on his fastball with a high-spin curveball and slider, and a changeup that lags behind. Meccage will take a little bit to develop, but he’s going to turn 20 years old in March and will likely spend the year in High-A Wisconsin.

27. Ethan Dorchies, RHP

Another projectable prep righty, Ethan Dorchies took a big jump in his first pro season over some of the others from his 2024 draft class. Armed with a low-90s fastball, slider, cutter, and a nasty splitter, Dorchies carved up the ACL and then Low-A to the tune of a 2.74 ERA. Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches, Dorchies generates elite extension down the mound, which the Brewers love almost as much as they love high-spin breaking balls. He’ll need to continue to add velocity as he matures, but he’ll play all of 2026 at just 19 years old.

28. Manuel Rodriguez, RHP

Manuel Rodriguez doesn’t get talked about enough as a pitching prospect. He has elite command, allowing just 1.5 BB/9 over his career, and posted a 3.01 ERA last year across High-A and Double-A in his age-19 season. Rodriguez doesn’t have high velocity, which is why there is some concern about how good he’ll be as he rises through the minors, but he’s still so young. Rodriguez will be in Double-A this year, and if his stuff takes another step forward, watch out.

29. Braylon Payne, OF

The Crew’s first-round pick in 2024, Braylon Payne had a solid first pro season in Low-A Carolina, showcasing surprising exit velocity numbers. Known as a speedster, Payne stole 31 bases but was also caught 10 times. What’s concerning to me is the 103 strikeouts in 342 PAs. That’s a 30.1% K rate in Low-A, which generally is not a great indication of future success. He’s still just 19 years old, and the Brewers knew he was a long-term project, but those whiffs need to be improved.

30. Eric Bitonti, 1B/3B

Similar to Payne, Eric Bitonti is a high risk-high reward type of player who is a long way from reaching his potential. The power is certainly present with Bitonti, slugging 19 homers last season with a .762 OPS. However, like Payne, the concern is the strikeouts. Bitonti punched out 169 times in 505 PAs, a 33.4% K rate. That’s way too high for Low-A. He will likely be sent to High-A this year, and if those strikeouts don’t come down, he’ll continue to drop down this list.

31. Carlos Rodriguez, RHP

Carlos Rodriguez throws a kitchen sink arsenal without an overpowering fastball. He mixes well and could fit as a back-end of the rotation starter, but the Brewers’ rotation depth has made it difficult for him to stick in the majors. He’s likely on the outside looking in on that rotation again in 2026 and will need to bide his time for an opportunity.

32. Josh Knoth, RHP

Knoth missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. A projectable righty drafted in 2023, Knoth should return to the mound early this season and showcase his high-spin curveball and slider to go with his mid-90s fastball. Knoth has some of the highest upside of the Brewers’ crop of projectable righties, but he still has a long way to go and will be just 20 years old this season.

33. Jayden Dubanewicz, RHP

If you’re tired of reading the phrase “projectable righty,” well, too bad, here’s another one. Jayden Dubanewicz was a 16th-round pick in 2024 but signed for fourth-round money and pitched really well across the ACL and Low-A last year. He stands at 6 feet, 3 inches, and 160 pounds, giving him plenty of room to pack on muscle and add velocity. Dubanewicz has a three-pitch mix of a fastball, slider, and changeup.

34. Frank Cairone, LHP

The Brewers CB-B pick in last year’s Draft, Cairone was all set for his first spring training and pro debut this year until a scary head-on car crash left him hospitalized for several days. He has since been recovering and is back to some light baseball activities, but getting back on the mound in game action is going to be delayed until later this year. Cairone, a prep lefty from New Jersey, has a four-pitch mix, including a 3,000 RPM slider. He gets great extension down the mound and is the type of projectable young lefty that the Brewers thrive on developing.

35. Tyler Black, 1B/LF

Drafted in the same class as Sal Frelick, Tyler Black showed a lot of hitting ability coming up through the minors, but has only gotten limited MLB action and is without a real path to playing time in Milwaukee. He’s not strong enough defensively at second or third base, limiting him to first base or left field. Black won’t have much power, but hits for a good average and can steal bases. He’s likely just an average hitter with little pop, but without strong defense, it’ll be tough for him to break through here.

36. Tyler Renz, RHP

Back to the projectable righty well, Tyler Renz got the highest signing bonus of the 2024 Day 3 crop, signing for third-round money despite being an 18th-round pick. Renz also carved up the ACL and Low-A like the other names on this list. His fastball is in the low-90s, but at 6 feet, 4 inches, and 190 pounds, there’s room to fill out and add more velocity as he matures. Renz will return to Low-A and could take some more big steps forward this year.

37. Ricki Moneys, SS

One of the top international signings the Brewers made this January, Ricki Moneys has a superstar name already and the upside to go along with it. Moneys has big-time bat speed and power, and if the 17-year-old infielder can consistently tap into that power as he develops, then he has a bright future. He has the defensive chops to be able to stick at short, but likely will be moved off the position at some point, especially given the shortstop depth in this organization.

38. Diego Frontado, SS

Another one of the top Brewers international signees, Diego Frontado received the largest bonus the Crew gave out this year at $1.6 million. Frontado is a great athlete who’s more hit-over-power at the plate. He also possesses great speed, and defensively, he should be well-suited to stay at shortstop. Frontado will spend his age-17 season in the DSL, where he and the rest of the international class will get their first taste of pro ball.

39. Jaron DeBerry, RHP

DeBerry was a money-saving signing in 2024, getting just a $25,000 bonus despite being a third-round pick. That hasn’t stopped him from showing why the Brewers wanted him in the first place. He quickly worked his way up to Double-A in his first pro season and covered more than 100 IP. DeBerry has a three-pitch mix that all generate a ton of spin, extends down the mound, and pitches from a low arm slot.

40. Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP

Standing at 6 feet, 7 inches, Brian Fitzpatrick was a 10th-round pick in 2022 and has steadily risen through the ranks as a reliever. He reached Triple-A last year and will likely start the season in Nashville’s bullpen once again, and if he continues to pitch well, he could earn a call up this season.

41. Handelfry Encarnacion, OF

Just 18 years old, Handelfry Encarnacion has emerged as one of the top players from the Crew’s 2024 international class that are not named Jesús Made or Luis Peña. He did well in his stateside debut last year in the ACL, but struggled upon his promotion to Low-A. He’ll return to Low-A this year.

42. Melvin Hernandez, RHP

The Brewers signed Melvin Hernandez in the 2023 international class from Mexico. He turned in a stellar 2.00 ERA over 121 2/3 IP last year for Low-A Carolina with just a 1.6 BB/9. He stands at 5 feet, 11 inches, and just 139 pounds, so to say there’s room to put on some weight would be an understatement. Hernandez won’t turn 20 until July.

43. JoséAnderson, OF

José Anderson has a ton of power from the right side, but he struggled overall with a promotion to Low-A Carolina, hitting just .193 with a 29.6% K rate. He’ll repeat in Low-A at age 19 with the hope he’ll make some more consistent contact to tap into that power even more.

44. Griffin Tobias, RHP

Another projectable young righty for the Brewers, Tobias didn’t have as much immediate success in his first pro season as some of the other arms, so he falls further down the list. There are good ingredients here to work with in his three-pitch mix. He’ll likely be back in Low-A to start 2026.

45. Dylan O’Rae, 2B/OF

Dylan O’Rae missed the entire regular season in 2025 after undergoing wrist surgery. He’s a speedy contact hitter at his best who can play up the middle. O’Rae was healthy for the Arizona Fall League and hit .302 with a .783 OPS. He’ll likely return to Double-A in 2026, and his ceiling is probably that of a utility player.

46. Pedro Ibarguen, OF

Ibarguen bounced back after a tough 2024 season and put together a .290/.408/.407 slash line across the ACL and Low-A in 2025. He doesn’t have a ton of pop, but still will be just 19 years old until July and will return to Low-A this year.

47. Ethan Murray, 2B

Murray was a fifth-round pick and did pretty well last year across Double-A and Triple-A. He has some pop and speed and posted a .726 OPS. He can play all over the infield and is likely a utility player if he makes the big leagues. He’ll start the year in Triple-A.

48. KC Hunt, RHP

An undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State, KC Hunt had a breakout 2024. He wasn’t quite able to repeat that performance last year, but still ate up innings and got some solid results. Look for Hunt to get a chance in Triple-A with back-end starter upside but also a high floor out of the bullpen.

49. Jacob Morrison, RHP

A third-round pick out of Coastal Carolina, Jacob Morrison stands at a towering 6 feet, 8 inches, and 245 pounds. He was a big piece of Coastal’s run to the CWS finals last year. Morrison has a four-pitch mix and figures to stick as a starter with mid-rotation upside. He’ll make his pro debut this season.

50. Ryan Birchard, RHP

Birchard is in a long line of JuCo arms the Brewers have taken in recent years. He spent last year with High-A Wisconsin and had some mixed results. The major problem is walks. He allowed 6.3 BB/9, and until he reins in that command, he won’t be able to climb up this list. He should be in Double-A this year.

Shortly before the 2025 All-Star break, a combination of personal tragedy, injury, and on-field struggles had Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle on the back foot.

The Rockies’ most-valuable player in 2024 with 4.0 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference, Doyle ended the first half as baseball’s least valuable qualified player. Worth -2.0 rWAR as late as July 5th, both his bat and his glove suffered under the weight of poor performance.

The two-time Gold Glove winner out of Division II Shepherd University had been proclaimed the Rockies’ potential franchise center fielder before the season started. Before the trade deadline there were serious concerns about his future in Rockies purple.

“It was a bumpy year for me,” Doyle told Purple Row on Saturday, “and just being able to reset after those lows and get back to those highs was the biggest thing and finding ways to do that.”

Doyle indeed found the highs again in the second half. He turned things around both at the plate and on defense in the final 56 games of the season to finish with a positive wins-above-replacement score.

Looking much more like the Brenton Doyle of 2024, the center fielder looks to continue his “reset” and help the Rockies find their way forward in 2026 after an organizational overhaul.

“I just want to win some games,” Doyle explained of his goals for 2026. “Honestly, my personal goals are always going to intertwine with the team goals, and that’s to win more more games for this ball club.”

The Rockies finished 2025 with a brutal 43-119 record. Losing only 100 games would mark a substantial improvement for a rebuilding ball club looking to establish a solid foundation.

As part of the off-season program, manager Warren Schaeffer wanted some players—such as Kyle Karros and Ryan Ritter—to bulk up.

“Guys lose weight, especially here in altitude, and when a young player loses his weight, and he’s not accustomed to playing a long season with that toll on your body, it’s just not a good combination,” Schaeffer explained at the end of the 2025 campaign.

For Doyle, that’s already part of his regular routine. Patrolling the cavernous outfield at Coors Field is an exhausting job. Doyle lost over 20 pounds during his Gold Glove rookie season in 2023 and was reported to have lost over 10 pounds during the course of the 2025 season.

“I always try to work on my speed, putting on weight,” Doyle said. “I lose so much playing center field during the season. So [I worked on] packing on some good weight and just always trying to stay fast.”

During the off-season, Doyle also worked with his personal hitting instructor Kevin LaChance in Virginia. LaChance is a former minor league player and is currently a minor league hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This coming season he will be the hitting coach for the High-A Great Lakes Loons.

Doyle has experimented with and adjusted his hitting mechanics since his rookie year, often in real time during the regular season. He credited mechanical adjustments made mid-season last year with helping him find his form at the plate again.

“It just eliminated the move I naturally make in my swing,” Doyle said. “And maybe that’s helped me get to some pitches (against right-handers) I was a tad bit late on in the past … It was something I did throughout my whole minor league career, and then last year I made a swing change. And then this year, I went back to what was more comfortable for me, and it’s been good.”

Doyle hit .282/.307/.462 through the last 56 games of the 2025 season with 11 doubles, eight home runs, nine stolen bases, and 27 RBIs. He felt confident enough to not make any additional major changes over the off-season.

“Nothing too major this year, just some very, very subtle changes,” Doyle said of his work with LaChance.

Now that spring training is fully underway, Doyle has praised the new coaching staff assembled by Schaeffer and new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I’ve had some really good conversations with with them. We have a really good plan in place and and we’re all on the same page, which is awesome.”

A major part of that plan in place is a focus on fundamentals. This includes Doyle’s work with new first base outfield coach Doug Bernier alongside the rest of the outfield group.

“A lot of stuff we’ve been working on has been reaction stuff. So just making sure we’re making the right first quick step, [and that] moves are super efficient. That’s basically been the focus of the work so far.”

Doyle made his first appearance of the Cactus League on Saturday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He started in center field and went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs.

“I just had a good game playing against the guys I was facing,” Doyle said after the game. “I [was trying] to stay as stubborn as possible up there at the plate, getting the pitches I wanted to swing at and put some good swings on everything I fired at.”

Brenton Doyle is one of just a handful of Rockies guaranteed a single starting spot for the upcoming season, but his future with the Rockies has yet to be set in stone. He could be extended as the franchise center fielder for the foreseeable future, or he could be traded at the deadline to clear way for younger players and help restock the farm.

Whichever path the 2026 season leads him down, his reset from a miserable start to 2025 will continue to be a critical part of the Rockies’ season.

Karros’ goal? Becoming one of MLB’s top third baseman | MLB.com

After making his debut last season, prospect third baseman Kyle Karros is off to a solid start this spring. However, he isn’t aiming for just solid. Karros would like to continue the Rockies’ tradition of turning out superstar third baseman.

Slugging Rox prospect Condon impressing Schaeffer with versatility | MLB.com

Top prospect Charlie Condon made his Cactus League debut over the weekend in an unexpected way: by starting in right field for the first time in his professional career. Condon had two hits on the day and impressed skipper Warren Schaeffer with his preparation.

“I figured I wasn’t going to be playing only first base while I was here at camp,” said Condon, who also logged 11 games in left field and five at third base last season. “This offseason, I did some outfield work — drop-step stuff — just knowing that.”

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Anne Rogers writes that Vinnie Pasquantino knows he has to get off to a good start this year.

While the hamstring strain Pasquantino suffered at the end of Spring Training last year may have had an impact, he was more concerned about the swing decisions he was making during that month.

“It’s not about getting hits or results but more about what it looks like,” Pasquantino said. “That’s what I didn’t like about that month — why am I swinging on all these backfoot sliders? Why am I swinging at this? Why am I swinging at that? It was more about what I can do to clean up the decision-making earlier in the year. It seems to be that when it gets later in the year and we’ve seen so many pitches, that piece gets a little bit easier.”

She also writes about the roster battles in camp, such as the fifth starter spot in the rotation.

“That’s been one of my things that I think I haven’t utilized enough,” Kolek said. “And then just quality two-strike pitches, whether it’s spin to my glove side or changeups, just the ability to execute those at a higher level and have more competitive pitches over the plate and near the zone.”

While Noah Cameron is viewed as having the advantage for the fifth spot in the rotation, the Royals do want to give Kolek, Falter and Bergert, along with the other starters building up, a true chance at earning a spot. Falter is out of Minor League options, so he could find a spot in the bullpen. If Kolek and/or Bergert aren’t in the MLB rotation, the Royals probably want them starting in Triple-A to preserve the depth.

Bailey Falter has a different perspective now that he has become a father.

“Obviously I’d like to land one of those starting rotation roles,” Falter said. “But honestly, after having my son, it doesn’t matter to me. Whatever the team needs. If you want me in the bullpen, you want me to start, you want me to piggyback, it doesn’t matter. Whatever I need to do to help this team win the division, win the pennant, get to the postseason. Whatever the team needs, I’m cool with it.”

Jaylon Thompson writes how Lane Thomas is looking to get right with regular playing time.

“(I just want) to be consistent again,” he said. “I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries the last two years — in 2024 and 2025. Just want to be consistent on the field every day and, you know, be myself again.”

Thomas has an avenue to get consistent at-bats. The Royals like to utilize their entire roster and that gives him a chance to stick in the lineup.

The Royals were all hugs when they played Freddy Fermin and the Padres.

Team USA’s hockey win over Canada for the gold had the Royals talking hockey.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep writes what Kolek can do to make the rotation.

Preston Farr at EightOneSix gives his Royals minor league predictions.

Dan Laurila at Fangraphs quizzes Jeff Montgomery about his career.

Cleveland signs first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a minor league deal.

Twins pitcher Joe Ryan has lower back inflammation and will get an MRI.

The Cardinals sign infielder Ramon Urías to a one-year deal.

Boston is looking for left-handed relief depth.

The Dodgers claim outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pirates.

Ronald Acuña Jr. will bat lead-off for the Braves this season.

Jorge Polanco wants to talk to Keith Hernandez about playing first base.

Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski dies at age 89.

A Yankees spring training game is marred by leaking sewage at the field.

A newly discovered T206 Honus Wagner card goes for $5 million at auction.

A look back at how the Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kiley McDaniel at ESPN ranks his top draft prospects.

Norway tops the Olympics medal count, but the US wins its most golds ever.

Indiana could be luring the Chicago Bears across the state line.

Americans spend less of their income on food than ever before, so why doesn’t it feel that way?

Why do small dogs shiver so much?

People are buying iPods again.

Your song of the day is James Brown with People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul.

Brycen Mautz is a hard player to place, because scouts don’t really seem to believe in him, believe that he has enough good pitches to start, and yet statistically speaking, it seems hard not to believe in him. In a hitter friendly league, he struck out over 28% of batters, didn’t walk many, and had a reasonable groundball rate. His only real flaw was he allowed a few extra homers over what you’d like, but I refer you back to the hitter friendly league. He’ll be 24 in AAA and on the doorstep of the majors. He’s also on the 40, so if he performs, we’ll probably see him in the majors this year. Here is the list right now:

1. JJ Wetherholt
2. Liam Doyle
3. Rainiel Rodriguez
4. Quinn Mathews
5. Jurrangelo Cjintje
6. Joshua Baez
7. Leonardo Bernal
8. Jimmy Crooks
9. Brandon Clarke
10. Tink Hence
11. Tekoah Roby
12. Tanner Franklin
13. Brycen Mautz

Comparable Player Poll

Today, we’re tackling two players who will be in Memphis in the upcoming season (well probably in one player’s case) and yet few expect to actually make much of a difference in 2026. Both have at one time been considered legit prospects and have fallen out of favor for different reasons. They differ in that one is an outfielder who can maybe play center and the other is a first basemen that can maybe play third.

Chase Davis had a 105 wRC+ in Springfield, although it came with an elevated K rate and not much power. Fangraphs gives him a 55 future grade on his defense so it is within the realm of possibility that he comes a defense-first player. But it’s defense in the minor leagues, so who knows. He will be 24

Blaze Jordan had a 167 wRC+ in AA on his third attempt at the level, getting promoted by June to AAA. While he played reasonably well initially, his numbers tanked as a Cardinal and he ended up with an 83 wRC+ in AAA for the season. He will not strike out nor walk very much, so the question is how much power he’ll have at next level. He will be 23.

VOTE HERE

New Add

If you had told me that I’d add Chen-Wei Lin into the polling on the 14th vote, I would have expected people to have been clamoring for him to be on the voting at least a little bit. But nobody has complained. I even put him in the comparable player poll, so it’s not like he was forgotten. Anyway, I thought it was about time for last year’s #11 prospect to be on the voting, despite somewhat of a down year.

Jesus Baez, IF – 21

Stats (High A): 416 PAs, .244/.327/.397, 10.3 BB%, 18.5 K%, .153 ISO, .270 BABIP, 116 wRC+, 121 DRC+

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

The biggest weakness, near as I can tell, is that Baez is immature. He is also about to be 21-years-old. I’ll be very interesting to see how Baez pans out specifically because I kind of want to know how much weight to put on when a scout like Keith Law essentially goes after his character. It’s one sample, so I shouldn’t use his example for all prospects like him but nonetheless I really am not sure how to handle it.

Nathan Church, OF – 25

Stats (AA): 129 PAs, .336/.380/.563, 6.2 BB%, 7.8 K%, .227 ISO, .327 BABIP, 157 wRC+, 136 DRC+

AAA: 242 PAs, .335/.400/.521, 9.9 BB%, 10.3 K%, .186 ISO, .338 BABIP 144 wRC+, 132 DRC+

MLB: 65 PAs, .179/.254/.250, 4.6 BB%, 27.7 K%, .071 ISO, .237 BABIP, 46 wRC+, 78 DRC+

Scouting: 55/55 Hit, 35/35 Game Power, 40/40 Raw Power, 55/55 Speed, 45/45 Field

Will Nathan Church get the spring training boost after hitting a homer? If that exists, I imagine one plate appearance probably isn’t doing it. But it will be curious to see if spring training does in fact impact how people vote. Ignore the 45 fielding rating, that seems to be really outdated, can’t imagine they’ve seen Church field recently or… look at his numbers? I don’t know.

Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP – 19

Stats (CPX): 6 G, 20.2 IP, 31.6 K%, 9.2 BB%, 51.2 GB%, .205 BABIP, 0.44 ERA/2.41 FIP/3.29 xFIP

Low A: 13 GS, 51.1 IP, 27.8 K%, 9.4 BB%, 50 GB%, .326 BABIP, 2.98 ERA/2.50 FIP/3.14 xFIP

Scouting: 40/45 Fastball, 55/60 Slider, 30/50 Change, 35/50 Command

Roster Resource currently lists Fajardo in Low A, which I assume is because of his age. He certainly played well enough to get promoted though. But it also might just be because someone has to pitch in Low A. The amount of starting pitching prospects who could pitch in High A to begin the season is a greater number than can actually start in High A at the beginning. Or so I would think. I expect him there soon enough in any case and expect him to throw a lot of his innings at High A.

Ixan Henderson, 24 – LHP

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

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

I’ve mentioned this before and I don’t know how accurate the scouting is, but I am surprised his pitch profile supports a potentially great reliever if this starting thing doesn’t work out. I viewed him from the outside as similar to a Max Racjcic, where he might be a long reliever, but it doesn’t seem like high leverage is in his future. But a 60 potential fastball with a 50 potential slider is a strong 1-2 punch, especially with command. And sometimes all you need is a strong 1-2 punch in the bullpen to be great.

Cooper Hjerpe, 25 – LHP

Didn’t pitch

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

I hesitate to say this about a pitcher drafted in 2022 who has a career professional high of 52 innings, but he had his Tommy John surgery in April of last year, so he should be able to pitch quite a bit this year. With a normal recovery, you’d think he would be able to match his career high in professional innings. He is on the 40 man roster, so a good recovery and we might see him this year. Totally makes sense why you wouldn’t trust this though.

Chen-Wei Lin, 24 – RHP

Stats (Low A): 12 GS, 38.2 IP, 27.2 K%, 17.2 BB%, 50 GB%, .283 BABIP, 4.89 ERA/3.69 FIP/4.17 xFIP

High A: 4 GS, 9.2 IP, 41.7 K%, 18.8 BB%, 50 GB%, .412 BABIP, 9.31 ERA/4.80 FIP/2.76 xFIP

What a crazy season. Limited by injuries – you’ll notice the innings per start is pretty low – he struggled with control all season. Walked a lot of guys. But he also struck out a lot of guys and I actually find it crazy that he struck out 20 of the 48 batters he faced in Springfield. Other things went wrong, but that’s a lot of strikeouts. I’d like his stats a lot more if he had thrown 5 innings per start.

Ryan Mitchell, 19 – OF

I do not have stats to share with you – I’m sure I can find high school stats, but they aren’t a lot of use on this kind of list. It doesn’t appear Fangraphs has given him scouting grades, I can’t find MLB Pipeline (and I don’t like how they give grades anyway, too high generally). I have access to Baseball Prospectus’ top 20, and while they don’t give Mitchell a scouting grade, I thought just sharing their blurb would suffice:

“Mitchell, a toolsy overslot second-rounder, didn’t play after the draft. For much of his high school career, he would rotate so early that he was more or less standing up when making contact, but his swing became one of the most fun to watch in the class. He dips down a bit and explodes from the lower half. There is some risk he won’t be able to get around against higher velocity fastballs, but his contact rates on the circuit were adequate, and there’s enough athleticism, present bat speed, and physical projection to expect some power. Defensively, he has good actions but could be forced to second base in pro ball. There aren’t any elite tools here, but he presents a pretty well-rounded infield profile and had an arrow up coming into the draft.”

Deniel Ortiz, 21 – 1B/3B

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

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

We’ve been through this. Only so many ways I can say the same thing. Ortiz does not have scouting, because Fangraphs does not consider him a prospect. Which is slightly weird given how much he demolished the two leagues he was in. I would have to think if he has a similar 2026, that he would then get an actual scouting grade. But yeah, you really have to lean on the stats on this one.

Yairo Padilla, 19 – SS

Stats (CPX): 38 G, 148 PAs, .283/.396/.367, 12.2 BB%, 14.2 K%, .083 ISO, .340 BABIP, 119 wRC+

Scouting: 25/55 Hit, 20/55 Game Power, 40/60 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 30/40 Field

Presumably, Padilla will be spending the 2026 season in full-season Low A. That means he’ll be at Palm Beach, an incredibly hard place to have power. I would not not necessarily expect his potential power to show up and really any increase in power, however marginal, should be seen as a huge positive given the difficult run environment he will be entering. But yeah as things stand, it doesn’t seem like 2026 will answer the question on Padilla’s power and if it does, he’s going to be way higher on this list next season.

Tai Peete, OF – 20

Stats (High A): 529 PAs, .217/.288/.404, 8.7 BB%, 30.6 K%, .187 ISO, .282 BABIP, 79 wRC+, 79 DRC+

Scouting: 20/30 Hit, 30/50 Game Power, 50/60 Raw Power, 60/60 Speed, 45/55 Fielding

And here we have, we hope, a future Josh Baez. A player who cannot make any contact, but has still managed to maintain some pop. He differs from Baez because he spent last season in High A at age 19. Baez didn’t reach High A until he was 21. I think that gives some perspective on his poor offensive numbers and that he still has quite a bit of time to figure things out.

VOTE HERE

Good morning baseball fans!

As we approach the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!

Today’s question: How worried are you about a work stoppage?

The current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1st of this year, which means that we could be right back in another lockout in this upcoming offseason.

I am, by no means, an expert in this topic, though we do have some of those among the community, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting those perspectives from you all.

But I will say that I am quite worried about another work stoppage. It seems pretty much inevitable after the way the last one played out after the 2021 season, and the fact that the divide between the players and owners has only seemed to grow since then.

I think it’s quite likely to be another ugly mess. But there is still plenty of time for it to be avoided, if it possibly can be. So I’ll try to retain some optimism.

How worried are you about a work stoppage?

This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.

Which Mets player will have the biggest bounce back season in 2026?

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.

Today in baseball history:

• 1918 – Barney Dreyfuss of the Rules Committee launches a campaign to ban the spitter. He will succeed in 1919. (2)
• 1960 – Demolition of Ebbets Field begins. Lucy Monroe sings the National Anthem, and Roy Campanella is given an urn of dirt from behind home plate. (1,2)
• 1964 – The San Francisco Giants acquire P Masanori Murakami, 3B Tatsuhiko Tanaka, and C Hiroshi Takahashi on a player development deal with the Nankai Hawks, who own rights to all three. They are the first Japanese natives ever to play for American teams. All three are assigned to the Magic Valley Cowboys (Pioneer League). Although none of the three are considered top prospects, Murakami will confound everyone by reaching the major leagues by September after an outstanding season in the minors. (2)
• 1976 – Major League owners announce that spring training will not open until a new labor contract is agreed upon, thus decreeing a lockout. (1,2)
• 1988 – A committee of Chicago aldermen vote 7-2 to allow the Cubs to install lights and play up to 18 night games a year at Wrigley Field. The Cubs had feared losing the 1990 All-Star Game, as well as future postseason and World Series games, if lights were not installed. (1,2)
• 1990 – Despite the owners dropping their arbitration and minimum salary proposals, spring training camps remain closed. (2)
• 2000 – Chicago Cubs manager Don Baylor names four captains – first baseman Mark Grace, right fielder Sammy Sosa, pitcher Kevin Tapani and reliever Rick Aguilera. The quartet will be the Cubs’ first captains since the 1960s and early 1970s when Ron Santo held the position. (2)

Cubs Birthdays:Eric Yelding, Brian Duensing. Also notable: Sparky Anderson HOF.

Today in history:

• 1455 – Johannes Gutenberg prints his first Bible [estimated date] .
• 1540 – Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition sets off from Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Gold (Cibola).
• 1782 Engineer James Watt’s patent for a rotary motion for the steam engine (his sun-and-planet gear) is granted.
• 1847 – Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico; Zachary Taylor leads mostly volunteer troops against larger Mexican Army force; Mexico retreats, both sides claim victory.
• 1886 – The Times of London newspaper publishes the world’s first classified ad.
• 1896 – Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield.
• 1904 – US acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million.
• 1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by American chemist Glenn T. Seaborg at Berkeley
• 1954 – First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• (6) — Wikipedia.
• (7) — The British Museum
• (8) — For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.

As many people are now snowbound again thanks to a blizzard in the region, I’d invite you to partake in some of the latest news around the team.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Jose Alvarado was going to pitch for Venezuela in the WBC, but thanks to insurance issues, that will no longer happen.
• Don Mattingly was on the field for his Phillies bench coach debut on Saturday….facing off against his old employer in the Blue Jays ($).
• Is a lot of players going to play in the World Baseball Classic a bad thing for the Phillies? The debate continues.

MLB news:

• The Cardinals signed Ramon Urias to a one-year deal to help with some infield versatility. I think I smell a trade candidate.
• The new MLBPA leader in Bruce Meyer has a very important player in his corner for support: Tarik Skubal.
• Rhys Hoskins, recently the subject of some debate about coming back to Philadelphia, will instead try to make the Guardians’ 40-man roster.

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! I hope you’re staying warm after yet another Sunday snowstorm. The difference between yesterday’s snow and the storm a few weeks ago is that, at least now we have spring training to distract us.

The good news is that there has been no more injury news to add to the list, if you don’t count Payton Eeles coming out of yesterday’s game after colliding with Enrique Bradfield, Jr. And no offense to Mr. Eeles, but I do not.

Yesterday, the Orioles and Tigers kissed their sisters with a 4-4 tie at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. The Orioles took a 4-3 lead into the ninth, but someone named Andrew Magno could not lock down the win.

There were pitchers you have heard of in yesterday’s game as well. Kyle Bradish made his first start of spring. It started well with a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 first inning. But things fell apart a bit in the second as he allowed three hits and walked a batter. Manager Craig Albernaz liked what he saw, as quoted in Roch Kubatko’s game story. Per Alby, “Sinker had some good movement on it, slider shape was really good. To me it was an encouraging first outing for KB.”

Bradish was followed by Brandon Young, who allowed a run on a home run to former Oriole Austin Slater. Relief pitchers on the 40-man roster, Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez, pitched a scoreless inning each.

On offense, the Orioles got home runs from Pete Alonso and Heston Kjerstad. Kjerstad continues to impress this spring. If he can keep it up over the next month, might he even break camp with the team? As for Alonso, we were promised dingers and we are getting dingers! The Polar Bear has now homered in as many games as he has played as an Oriole. I am in favor of him keeping that up.

The Orioles are back home in Sarasota today to face the Atlanta Braves. Cade Povich is scheduled to start for the Orioles. If you want to watch this game, however, you are out of luck. There is no television or local radio broadcast. If you want to tune in, your only option is the Braves radio broadcast. I have to warn you, though. Listening to an away team’s radio feed during spring training is real sicko behavior.

Finally, today is Monday. That means there is a new episode of Good Morning, Birdland waiting for you! Tune in to hear Mark Brown’s thoughts on the current state of the Orioles.

Links

Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg on his elbow injury: It ‘wears on you mentally’ – The Baltimore Banner
It’s hard not to feel bad for Westburg. I didn’t know he had been feeling elbow pain for years.

Wondering whether Wolfram could be third lefty in relief – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko takes a look at the possible bullpen makeup. Grant Wolfram was not a great in 21 games last year, but he may get another chance.

Conger brings playing, coaching experience to Orioles’ bullpen – Baltimore Baseball
Rich Dubroff catches up with the new bullpen coach, Hank Conger.

Why the Baltimore Orioles are having a Tupac Shakur bobblehead giveaway – The Athletic
The Orioles’ promotion department thinks this will be the most anticipated giveaway they have ever had. Even more than the Buck Showalter snow globe??

Frederick Keys announce a 2026 promotional schedule – The Frederick News-Post
The Orioles and Keys are reunited after several years apart.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies, John Shelby (68) and Bobby Bonilla (63). Shelby played for the Orioles from his Major League debut in 1981 until he was traded to the Dodgers in May 1987. He was the first base coach for the Orioles from 2008-2010. Bonilla was traded to the Orioles by the Mets at the trade deadline in 1995 and played with them through the 1996 season.

On this day in 2016, news broke that the Orioles were signing Dexter Fowler to a three-year contract. Two days later, Fowler appeared at the Cubs spring training having signed a one-year deal with them. It was one of the more perplexing non-deals I can remember. It worked out well for Fowler, who had the best year of his career as the Cubs won the World Series. Hard not to imagine how much better the 2016 Orioles could have been with Fowler and his .393 OBP at the top of the lineup.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of last year's World Series, Ernie Clement smacked a fly ball off Yoshinobu Yamamoto into the left-center field gap with the bases loaded and the score tied.

As Andy Pages, just inserted into the game in center field, ran over left fielder Kiké Hernández to make the catch, Dodgers play-by-play announcer Stephen Nelson summed up the high drama unfolding in front him.

“Oh my gosh, we’re going to extra innings,” Nelson exclaimed on the Dodgers' radio broadcast. "A Yamamoto miracle in the ninth! Rogers Centre in stunned silence!"

A couple of innings later, Nelson found himself calling the final outs of his second consecutive World Series.

“Broken bat, ground ball. Betts has it, steps on the bag, the throw to first — double play! From backs against the wall to back-to-back, the Dodgers cement their dynasty!”

Nelson's calls have become a part of L.A.'s rich sports lore, which includes Vin Scully’s call of Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and Joe Davis’ call of Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series — a moment Nelson called as well on the radio side.

When asked about his place in history last week during spring training at Camelback Ranch, Nelson demurred.

“I don’t really let myself think about it,” Nelson said, underscored by laughter. “I don’t have a very high opinion on myself or my work.”

Nelson, who turns 37 next month, joined the Dodgers before the 2023 season to back up Davis on the club’s SportsNet LA broadcast package. Prior to that, the Southern California native hosted studio shows for the MLB and NHL Networks and did play-by-play work for both leagues.

“I kind of feel like I fell into a fire, and now I’m just trying to survive,” said Nelson, who began his fourth season with the Dodgers as their lead radio play-by-play announcer as Cactus League play got underway on Saturday against the Angels.

Read more:What to expect with MLB's ABS system, and how Dodgers will navigate it

A graduate of Marina High in Huntington Beach and Chapman University in Orange, Nelson readily understood the lineage of the booth, the standards that existed within the organization, even if he grew up rooting for the White Sox just like his father.

“All my cousins around the Southland… they all bleed Dodger blue,” he said. “I was coming home when I took this job in a couple of different senses.”

During his first year with the team, instead of being himself, he catered to what he felt the fans deserved from the person holding down the mic. His said his new position gave him a feeling of impostor syndrome. As his first season progressed, Nelson leaned on the color analysts he worked with like Eric Karros, and the rest of the SportsNet LA crew to help restore some self-confidence.

Nelson still feels like he’s new to the role of a play-by-play commentator. He compared his daily approach to the age-old athlete’s cliché of “just trying to get one percent better every day,” with the main goal being not ruining Dodger games for fans.

He started to get more comfortable with his job once he realized he doesn’t have to try to be Scully.

“Those are shoes that are impossible to fill,” Nelson said. “It’s actually made the job easier in a way, because I ain’t touching that bar.”

Read more:Mookie Betts eyes a bounce-back year at the plate: 'I'll see what I can make of it'

As he prepares for the new season, Nelson visits the clubhouse during spring training, trying to get to know the new guys on the club and the prospects who are going to be the next wave. On top of that, the season previews put together by Rick Krajewski — “the doctor of research and stats,” as he calls him — help him paint the picture for the fans throughout the season.

Getting to call the last out on consecutive World Series wins, to be on the radios of people across L.A. during “the best game he’s ever seen,” and to call a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Game 7 in the World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“This is a tremendous blessing,” Nelson said. “There are a thousand other broadcasters who are more experienced and certainly more talented and for whatever the reason, I’m here. And so I gotta earn that blessing.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Was it as simple as you were living nearby?

I grew up on the Space Coast, just 2 hours away from Tampa and seemingly 3 from St. Petersburg, in a family that stayed loyal to the Braves over the Marlins over the years — but I was the perfect age to become a Rays fan, with my interest in Sports born the same year the Devil Rays thew their first pitch.

Given their proximity and availability on television, it was an easy decision for the family to go all in on the Devil Rays.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Tony Vitello’s day opened when his players spoiled the suspense of the USA men's hockey team’s gold medal victory Sunday morning, got to meet new Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, had a fire alarm go off during their game, witnessed the most bizarre play of his life, won a spring-training game, and ended with one of his childhood heroes, Chicago Cubs Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe, stopping by afterwards to say hello.

Vitello knew life would be different as the first man to go straight from a college to major league manager with the San Francisco Giants, but nothing quite prepared him for this.

Each day this spring has been a learning experience for Vitello. He painfully discovered where not to stand in the dugout during games in his spring-training opener Saturday, and then was reminded Sunday not to live-stream a sporting event on your iPhone when you’ve got a clubhouse full of players watching on live TV.

Vitello was in the middle of rules meetings in the second level of the Giants’ clubhouse with the USA-Canada hockey game playing on his cell phone. He was intensely watching the action, bracing himself for overtime, when he heard his players screaming and shouting, and breaking into USA-USA-USA chants.

So when he finally saw Jack Hughes score the overtime game-winner for the United States’ first Olympic hockey gold medal since the “The Miracle on Ice" team, he already knew the outcome.

“When you’re streaming stuff,’’ said Vitello, a Blues fan growing up in St. Louis, “you better be careful where you’re sitting. Their reaction was pretty loud. Pretty awesome to see those guys get awarded the gold medal, pretty special to hear the anthem. Maybe that kind of sets the tone for the WBC (World Baseball Classic).’’

We’re a couple games into spring now, and already seen a few highlight performances from the handful of innings that each player has gotten into thus far. Aaron Judge stole the show in the home opener with a two-homer showcase, but right before the Captain went off we got a glimpse of Judge’s potential protege going deep for the first time this year too. Spencer Jones launched one out to right field on Saturday, displaying the power that so many have been captivated by… and he also struck out twice, underscoring the primary concern scouts have had with his development.

This season figures to be a critical one for Jones’ future as a Yankee. Many of the cards are out of his control, namely the packed Yankee outfield that is set to get consistent playing time that doesn’t even include Jasson Domínguez as a regular yet. Jones would be next in line afterwards, meaning that unless the injury bug strikes particularly hard or Jones goes on a season-long scorcher to force their hand, he probably isn’t seeing much time on the major league roster.

With that in mind, unless the Yankees swing a trade involving him he’ll have a full season in Triple-A to develop his power further and work on the big swing and miss flaws in his game. So what should we expect from the outfielder entering his age-25 season? He took a major leap last year, jumping his OPS up from .789 in Double-A in 2024 to a .932 mark split between Double-A and Triple-A. The power skyrocketed, going from 17 long balls to 35, and the notorious strikeouts continued to pile up as he whiffed 179 times in 438 plate appearances compared to 200 times in 482 PAs.

Jones is one of the most volatile prospects to project that the Yankees have had in a while. His ceiling could genuinely be a left-handed version of the Captain’s prowess in the box, but his floor could be a bat with pop that cannot convert on it because he struggles too much to make any contact. Will he take another leap and fill out the holes in his swing, especially given that he’s made changes to his stance already? Will we see more of the same from Jones, talent to be tapped into with enough frustrating flaws to hold him back? Will the Yankees even be the ones to see how it all pans out, or will they ship him out for other needs somewhere midseason? What’s your take on the Yankees’ biggest bat down in the minors?

Today on the site, we’ve got a double-feature for Josh leading off with a birthday tribute to Elston Howard and his legacy with the franchise as a barrier-breaking great before kicking off our team previews with a look at the lowly Rockies out west. In-between we’ve got Sam giving us a preview of the funky lefty in the bullpen, Tim Hill, and then after the exhibition game I’ll be back to open up this week’s mailbag for questions.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: Gotham Sports App, SportsNet-PIT

Venue: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL

Observations from Yankees’ spring training on Sunday:

Where they ain’t

Making his spring debut, Cody Bellinger picked up a pair of singles — neither of which was hit particularly hard, but both found the right spots.

The left fielder used his contact skills and speed — the latter resulting in an infield single — to his advantage.

Bucky Dent talking through infield mechanics with Jazz Chisholm Jr. pic.twitter.com/rQAxUcHaKy

— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) February 22, 2026

Swing & miss

Trent Grisham used up an early challenge on the ABS, unsuccessfully trying to get a strike turned into a ball in the bottom of the first.

Caught my eye

Bucky Dent arrived at Yankees camp Sunday as a guest instructor and spent time talking with both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and, in an even longer conversation, Anthony Volpe.

“There’s wisdom to impart there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “For these guys to come back and offer some of that is always valuable.”

Today’s schedule

The Yankees travel to Bradenton, Fla., for a 1 p.m. game against the Pirates.

Lefty Ryan Yarbrough is set to make his first start of the spring, with Ben Rice among the regulars in the lineup.

TAMPA — The Yankees did not pooh-pooh their pregame workouts Sunday; they just had to move them across the street.

A sewage leak, caused by a clogged drain in a pipe outside of the footprint of Steinbrenner Field, forced the Yankees to hold their breath and move over to their player development complex for morning workouts while crews finished the cleanup before the team returned for a game against the Mets.

The leak sprung up Saturday afternoon and spilled into areas around the home clubhouse.

It did not do any real damage in the main area where players dress and house their equipment, though.

“In spots, it was really bad,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday after returning for a 6-4 loss to the Mets. “Fortunately, it didn’t get into the clubhouse where it could have seeped in and we would have had to pull up carpet and lockers and equipment in the clubhouse. So that part of it was good.

“There’s some sensitive areas that need to be addressed; I’m sure they will be in the coming days. But for the most part, we should be good. We should be normal postgame, with everyone showering and doing what they need to do to end the day.”

The coaches room appeared to have the carpet pulled up, and other areas were more affected, in addition to a brutal stench wafting through the area Saturday, though it had mostly dissipated by Sunday morning as workers finished off an around-the-clock cleanup.

“I was surprised at how much they were able to get things cleaned up and sanitized,” Boone said. “Credit to a lot of people that put in a lot of hours overnight and this morning. Hopefully, we’re in a good position moving forward. We got probably some longer-term things that got to get fixed but should be in a good spot.”

Luis Gil made his spring debut, striking out four across 2 ²/₃ innings while giving up a solo home run to Jared Young.

His fastball averaged 94.5 mph and topped out at 96.6, but the right-hander said he still believes he can get back to his 2024 form — both in velocity (averaging 96.6 mph) and in overall performance — after he averaged 95.3 mph in 2025.

“I feel like I’m on the right track,” Gil said through an interpreter. “I think the work we’ve done together has been very, very good and has put me in the right lane. I feel like I’m where I need to be right now. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that I can get back to that level, where I was in 2024. God willing, I’ll be.”

With Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger in Sunday’s lineup, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton are now the last two regulars who have yet to play in a Grapefruit League game.

Rice is expected to make his debut Monday against the Pirates after being slowed earlier in camp by a stiff neck, which kept him from hitting for a few days.

Stanton, meanwhile, is being slow-played into games in an attempt to keep him fresh in the long run.

Boone is targeting either side of the March 2 off day to get Stanton into his first game, with the 36-year-old DH being limited to workouts and live batting practice in the meantime.

On Sunday morning, he was shagging fly balls in right field as his teammates took batting practice.