KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 05: Framber Valdez #59 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on June 5, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Consider this: That’s approximately four homers more per season for Perez over the past half-decade. He’s played the equivalent of 12 full seasons, counting partial years across his 14-year career. Were you to apply four homers to each of those 12 seasons – and you shouldn’t, really, because he’s a player who has aged and changed over time, but bear with us here – that’s 48 more.
In reality, the career gap between Perez’s 132 home-field homers and 171 road dingers is 39, which isn’t all that far off from the roughly estimated missing 48. Perez has 303 career homers as it is, 14 behind George Brett for the franchise record. But playing with these dimensions all along, he might have already cracked the 350 mark, or at least be close to doing so.
Caglianone was so awful in his first taste of major league action — and so unbelievably dominant at every step before then — that I wouldn’t ask him to make dramatic changes to his swing or approach based on a third of a season. The batted ball numbers being what they were, I’d give him some rope and see how much of the ugliness of last year off-gasses on its own.
But if that doesn’t happen, the Royals will still be at least one big bat away from being able to make a run. Whether Caglianone can put his rookie year behind him — and to what extent — could end up swinging the AL Central race.
However, second base is the position to watch. The Royals expect Jonathan India to draw the bulk of the playing time at the keystone spot. He is a tenured veteran but was inconsistent during his first season with the Royals.
India admitted he didn’t feel comfortable in his new environment. He needed time to adjust to the Royals, Kauffman Stadium and his new situation. India also battled through nagging injuries that sapped his effectiveness.
The Royals pondered whether to non-tender India this offseason. They ultimately decided to keep him and bank on a resurgent 2026 campaign. Now, India will operate alongside teammate Michael Massey at second base.
Sources say Owen Miller has signed an MiLB agreement with the Cubs. He’s a lifetime backup with positional versatility and a .238/.287/.342 slash, with a lifetime -0.8 bWAR (0.7 fWAR) in MLB.
Marquee Sports Network hasn’t offered any new content since the Convention. It makes me wonder. Like I wonder how people post articles on the same subject the same day, from different publications. Meghan Montemurro and Maddie Lee do this often — it makes me think they’re sitting at the bar or talking on the phone and laughing about it. Some days four or five people do it.
Today we have a more old-fashioned episode, with lots of reading and a Food for Thought that’s about baseball. Enjoy.
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Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): More love for Edward Cabrera, and also one potential wart. “He’s been a guy that has been a favorite of some of our pitching infrastructure guys for a long time,” Cubs President Jed Hoyer said of Cabrera.
Jason Ross (North Side Baseball*): Ian Happ: The 2026 Chicago Cubs’ surest thing. “… Happ is probably the easiest player on the Cubs to predict. Let’s dive into the data to prove it.”
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. – driven articles or clickbait, and insist on unimpeachable sources.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 6: Brandon Woodruff #53 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot park on July 6, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Freddy Peralta was traded from the Brewers, we lost not only a beloved franchise hero, but we also lost one interesting storyline from the season: had Peralta remained a Brewer and been healthy throughout the season, he would’ve passed Yovani Gallardo as the franchise’s all-time leader in strikeouts. As it stands, Peralta is instead third, with 1,153, behind Ben Sheets (1,206) and Gallardo (1,226).
With that particular race no longer relevant, I thought I’d look and see if there were any other notable franchise milestones that could be eclipsed in 2026. A disclaimer: there aren’t any major team records in danger of falling, but there are still some interesting things to keep an eye on for those who are curious about team history.
Will Christian Yelich move into fourth place in WAR among position players?
Fourth place doesn’t seem like that big of a thing, and I’d agree with that. But here’s the thing: in Milwaukee franchise history, the gap between third and fourth is huge, so we can think of this less as “fourth place” and more as “best of the rest.” Robin Yount is the clear clubhouse leader at 77.4 WAR — a record which may never be broken, considering the challenges the future Brewers would have at keeping that level of superstar for their whole career — followed by another Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor (59.9), and the 21st century representative on the list, Ryan Braun (47.2).
After that, there’s a big gap, and then things bunch up a bit. The next four gentlemen are all within 4.5 WAR of each other, and Yelich is in the middle of that group:
Cecil Cooper, 30.7
Don Money, 28.4
Yelich, 27.5
Jeff Cirillo, 26.2
So, Yelich needs 3.3 WAR to become the sole owner of fourth place on this list. That seems quite doable on the surface, but Yelich has eclipsed 3.2 WAR only once in the past six years, and his new role as a designated hitter makes it even harder; last season, when he played 150 games and had a 121 OPS+, Yelich earned 3.1 WAR. At this point, I’d say it’d be at least somewhat surprising if Yelich passed Cooper this season. With three years remaining on his contract and other teams unlikely to trade for his high salary and injury risk, Yelich likely plays enough with the Brewers to pass Cooper no matter what, but if he does get past him this season, it’s a very good sign for the club.
Yelich should also move up the leaderboards in several other notable categories: a healthy-ish and even mediocre season should see him move up to fourth in stolen bases, third in walks, and fifth in runs scored. He is just two home runs behind Ben Oglivie for seventh on the franchise list (Yelich has 174, Oglivie 176); he certainly could threaten Cooper in sixth (201) with another season like 2025. Gorman Thomas and Geoff Jenkins come next, and while it’s not inconceivable that he could catch those two in 2026, it would require a huge season: Thomas is at 208 homers, 34 ahead of Yelich, and Jenkins is at 212, 38 ahead.
How long before Brice Turang is the franchise leader in WAR by a second baseman?
The Brewers have had a bunch of good third basemen in their history. They’ve had several great first basemen. They’ve had one all-timer at shortstop. Second base? Not so much.
The franchise leader in WAR among second basemen would be Gumby, Jim Gantner. Gantner is a beloved figure in the team’s history, a guy who grew up in Fond du Lac, went to college in Oshkosh, and spent all 17 years of his major league career with the Brewers. Ganter was, we’ll say, serviceable. He was a good defensive player who could hit some singles, but he didn’t really take walks, and he didn’t really hit for any power. In 17 years, Gantner had more than 2.6 WAR in a season only once; he finished his career with 22.6 WAR via Baseball Reference, at a rate of 1.3 per season and 2.0 per 162 games.
In second place on the second base list is a personal favorite, but not someone who I exactly think of as a franchise icon: Rickie Weeks. Weeks’ career was marked by frustratingly unfulfilled potential, bad defense, eye-popping home runs, and untimely injuries. He played in parts of 11 seasons in Milwaukee and earned 12.5 WAR with the team.
Just behind him is Turang, with 11.8 career WAR. With 4.7 and 5.6 WAR via Baseball Reference in his last two seasons, Turang now owns two of the top four single seasons by a second baseman in franchise history (5.6 is tied with Paul Molitor’s 1979 season for first; the other entry here is Don Money’s 5.1 WAR season in 1977), and he’s got a pretty solid argument for being the best second baseman in franchise history. Assuming he doesn’t take an unexpected step back, Turang should solidify that argument this year. I don’t expect we’ll see an 11 WAR season in which he’d pass Gantner for the franchise record, but he should put himself in a position where he could challenge that in the 2027 season.
If this is Brandon Woodruff’s last season in Milwaukee, what records will he hold?
As we start the 2026 season, Woodruff holds a handful of franchise records already, but they’re all rate stats that he could conceivably lose if he doesn’t have a good season. There are also a couple of other rate stats in which he could move up the leaderboard if he DOES have a good season, so that’s worth watching as well. Given that Woodruff will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, the expectation is that he’ll ply his trade elsewhere in 2027, though that’s not certain. If this is his last season in Milwaukee, though, here are some things to keep an eye on:
Woodruff is first in franchise history in ERA (3.10) among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched or 50 decisions; second place is Dan Plesac at 3.21. He’s also the franchise leader in ERA+ (136, with Corbin Burnes second at 129).
He’s also first in WHIP, at 1.034; second place is Burnes at 1.055.
Woodruff is also the franchise leader in K/BB ratio, at 4.584; he’s got a decent cushion here, with Burnes second at 4.223.
It would require quite a season to move up this leaderboard, but Woodruff is third in H/9, at 7.007, which is behind both Burnes (6.877) and Peralta (6.709).
Woodruff also ranks third behind Burnes and Peralta in K/9 (10.522, compared to 11.039 for Burnes and 11.146 for Peralta). This one seems unlikely, given that Woodruff’s strikeout stuff was off his earlier pace last season.
A healthy season would see Woodruff move into fourth in strikeouts (he enters the season with 871), passing Jim Slaton, who is at 929. Teddy Higuera’s fourth-place mark of 1,081 is not completely out of the question, but Woodruff would need to match his career-high strikeout total (211 in 2021) to pass him.
Assuming the Brewers are good, Woodruff should pass Brent Suter for the best win-loss percentage in franchise history (Suter is at .655, Woodruff is second at .654).
Woodruff’s standing in franchise history was solidified a long time ago, but a strong season could really make discussions about him as the best starting pitcher in the team’s history necessary. (Right now, the top four are, in some order, Woodruff, Higuera, Burnes, and Sheets.)
PORTLAND, ME - JUNE 18: Dayan Frias #15 of the Akron RubberDucks celebrates hitting a single as he runs down the first base line during the game between the Akron RubberDucks and the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Portland, Maine. (Photo by Ella Hannaford/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The Cleveland Guardians announced the full Player Development staff list today. Not much has changed, but there are some familiar faces in new roles. Nick Wittgren will be joining the Clippers as a pitching coach! Madelyn has more on the Clippers staff here.
The Cleveland Guardians 2026 Player Development staff alignment is official.
Yesterday was National Girls & Women in Sports Day and the MiLB twitter highlighted some promotions within the Guards organization. Ilana Mishkin was promoted to director of player development, player support. Alyssa Nakken was promoted to director of player development, Arizona development.
A local Guardians fan, @mikbaer on Twitter, was highlighted by Topps in a video released yesterday. Mikayla is known in the hobby for collecting specifically pink Steven Kwan cards. Its not often brands turn the spotlight onto Cleveland, much less its fans so it was nice to see such a great fan given recognition.
💖 AWESOME COLLECTOR 💖 ️@mikbaer has one of the most unique collections in all of trading cards. A reminder that collecting what you love is what it’s all about 👏 pic.twitter.com/JIL3MipOsO
After leaving Kwan off the list of Top 10 Left Fielders, MLB Network at least got one right. José Ramírez was named the #1 3B in the league by MLB Network/The Shredder. José has been on the Top 10 list every year since 2018! Just don’t bother looking at the rest of the list, they got a lot wrong outside of this one.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 21: Jimmy Crooks #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals walks to the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium on September 21, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you’re reading this in the future without context, probably unneeded in the present, here is some. In the time between when the vote for Jimmy Crooks went out and this current post, Brendan Donovan was traded for multiple prospects, one of whom may have been included on the top 20 list already if this trade occurred a month ago. We’re going to have a very simple feature so that this doesn’t disrupt the voting. You will vote on Jimmy Crooks versus the newest Cardinal Jurrangelo Cjintje. Before we start, an update on the current rankings:
JJ Wetherholt
Liam Doyle
Rainiel Rodriguez
Quinn Mathews
Joshua Baez
Leonardo Bernal
Jimmy Crooks (?)
Jurrangelo Cjintje
Cjintje is technically a switch pitcher, but it is very clear from the scouting and the numbers that he is a far better pitcher right-handed. From the right side, Cjintje throws mid-90s and has topped at 99 mph. He has both a cutter and a sweeper, though the sweeper is the better pitch. He also throws an upper-80s change. From his left side, he is effectively a two-pitch pitcher, throwing low 90s with a solid sweeper. Statistically, it wasn’t close. He walked more than he struck out and allowed 7 homers in 21 innings from the left side, but from the right side he had a 5.0 K/BB ratio and only allowed 3 homers in 34.1 IP.
Cjintje was born in the Netherlands, but raised in Curacao. He in fact played in the Little League World Series back in 2016 for Willemstead team to represent Curacao in the Caribbean region. Pitching and playing shortstop, he is believed to be the first player to throw both left and right-handed in a Little League game since 1957. He also played on the Netherlands baseball team in the U-15 Baseball World Cup in 2018. He moved to Miami at 16, was both a switch pitcher and switch hitter for his high school, didn’t sign with Brewers who drafted him in the 18th round, and committed to Mississippi State.
He made Second-Team All-American as a sophomore and was named to the All-South Region first team by the ABCA. He didn’t pitch left-handed for the last month of the season to improve his consistency. With more reps, and because as an infielder he threw right-handed, he both threw harder and had better command from the right side. The Mariners selected him 15th overall in the 2024 draft. Despite being considered kind of raw for a college pitcher, he was sent to High A and finished the year in AA. That is probably where he’ll begin the 2026 season, not because he pitched poorly, but because it was only 7 starts.
High A: 19 G (16 GS), 74.2 IP, 26.4 K% 11.1 BB%, 44.8 GB%, .234 BABIP, 4.58 ERA/5.51 FIP/4.33 xFIP
Here’s a fun one. The results of this are going to tell us a lot I think, which are my favorite kind of polls in this section. We have two outfielders, both of whom made the top 20 last year. One of them had a positive year, although I’m not sure how much he raised his stock as a prospect, especially since he’s now in a better system. The other outfielder’s stock is undeniably down, the extent of which – as judged by this crowd – should be revealed in the poll.
Last year’s #7 prospect Chase Davis’s year would probably not be that looked down upon if he were not a 1st round pick. It looked like he would explode this year, but then he had a slightly above average offensive season with the bat. It came with an elevated K rate and no power, but he still managed a 105 wRC+. He was also just 23-years-old. He does play CF, so he could very well be a defense-driven prospect, but unfortunately we don’t know a lot about his defense as hard as it is to judge in the minors.
Meanwhile Travis Honeyman, constantly stepping on rakes and being unable to play, had his first semi-heathy season last year. Perhaps in a bid for maintaining his health, he was left in Low A much too long, just being way too good for the competition. He finished the year in High A and while he did have a 113 wRC+, if you’re worried about Davis’ power, Honeyman hit 1 homer in 228 PAs. In his defense, he got drafted in 2023 and played in 20 total games until the 2025 season.
Both are 24. If Davis repeats, they will both probably be in AA, although I imagine Davis will be promoted quicker at the first sign of good performance. Both were drafted in 2023, about 70 picks apart. Both had little power despite power potential, both played some CF but I couldn’t tell you how good they are there and both stand a good chance of being teammates.
To give you a peek behind the curtain, I ran Tanner Franklin against two fellow possible additions throughout this feature. In his first, in a very close race, he lost to Ryan Mitchell. Last week, he got more votes than Yhoiker Fajardo. So Ryan Mitchell goes on this vote, Franklin goes on the next, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know when I’ll add Fajardo. You guys very clearly thought Franklin was a better prospect (the vote wasn’t close), so he’ll be added when it looks like Franklin looks like a legitimate candidate.
I was going to add Tai Peete, but there’s just about zero percent chance you guys think he’s a top 10 prospect in the system, and my plan was already in motion on who I would have added before the trade got in the way. He had a 79 wRC+ and a lot of strikeouts. I feel like I know the voting habits well enough to know that he just wouldn’t be picked. He’ll be there soon enough.
Scouting (FG): 30/45 Hit, 35/50 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 40/40 Speed, 40/45 Fielding
Baez is an interesting prospect, because some parts of him feel contradictory. Read a scouting report, and you’ll likely read about his bad approach at the plate. Statistically, you’d have no idea he had a bad approach at the plate. He walks plenty and doesn’t strike out a lot. He’s fairly mistake-prone, but that could also just be a function of the fact that he has played professional baseball without being able to legally drink.
The old trend of a Cardinals pitching prospect was a bad fastball, good secondaries, limited upside. Probably the ideal version of this is Michael McGreevy. When we start thinking of a stereotypical Cardinals pitching prospect now though, it should probably be someone like Clarke. Didn’t throw many innings, huge injury concern, big upside. The Cardinals seem to grow these guys on trees lately, as you’ll see by later players to vote for. His injuries last year were entirely blister-related, which is weird but are also less concerning injuries than the rest of his group has had recently.
And here we have another example. Hence is probably a little more unique because of his relatively slight frame – even when he wasn’t getting injured, there was reliever risk. But just because Hence has been around for a while doesn’t mean he’s old yet – he’s the same age as Clarke. And Hence has already had a fantastic season at AA – if he’s healthy for most of this season, I have no doubt most of it will be in AAA. He might start the year in AA just for proof of concept, but he pitched far too good in 2024 to not think he’s ready for AAA. Unless his stuff has diminished because of the injuries.
Shoutout to Teddy Rugby, who pointed out that Jimmy Crooks’ “problem” as a prospect is that he’s boring. With prospects, it’s all about upside and loud tools. A good to great defensive catcher with a good enough bat is just not exciting. I’m making this comparison, because I think Henderson might be the pitching equivalent. It might be hard to vote for a Henderson when you see the big stuff of a Clarke or Hence or
Seriously, we very quickly went from having a very boring stereotypical Cardinals pitching prospect to having a top 20 list littered with high variance, high risk pitching prospects. I think one could even argue Liam Doyle fits this a little: he’d be higher in the top 100 if he weren’t considered a little bit risky. If Clarke had the least concerning injuries, Hjerpe might be on the exact opposite side. Yes, I know he’s not the only who had Tommy John, however he is the only one who has maxed out at 41 innings.
2026 will prove to be an important year for Mautz. I feel like we’ve seen a few of the underwhelming scouting starters who nonetheless manage to pitch well reach AAA and just hit a roadblock. I will say that usually that type of pitcher doesn’t strike out 28.6% of batters in AA however. That gives me more hope that he either has better stuff than what the scouting says or that he’s better at utilizing and knowing his stuff than pitchers in the past. Either way, it’s hard to argue with his results.
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.”
(The Cardinals announced him as an outfielder, in the interview after the draft, he more or less seemed to confirm he’ll be an outfielder)
Necessary disclaimer: no available scouting report for Ortiz that I can find. I’m sure that will change soon. But we’re making the list now, and stats is what we have to judge. And what good stats he had. He might be young enough to repeat High A to start the season, so I’ll actually be curious where he’s placed. He clearly hit well enough to start the year in AA. He also had over a .400 BABIP and it wasn’t that many PAs. The surest sign of a prospect to watch for is when they are aggressive with promotions. Both Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson advanced through the system very fast. I almost wish this list were made knowing whether or not he was placed in AA, because I think that would impact where I would place him.
Scouting: 25/55 Hit, 20/55 Game Power, 40/60 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 30/40 Field
Padilla is taking a more conventional progression as a prospect, at least so far, and the fact that he was in the same class as Rainiel Rodriguez is doing him no favors in that respect. Just about anybody would pale in comparison to Rodriguez as a prospect at this point. A more conventional progression means time, which means Padilla might be on this top 20 for quite a few years. That said, I trust that 40 fielding grade about as much as I trust Lumon Industries. (Context clues can probably tell even non-Severance watchers what I mean by that)
Roby in my opinion was essentially where Hence will be in this upcoming season. Which is both good and bad. We weren’t sure if Roby’s stuff had diminished because his stuff was worse when he did pitch in 2024, but he also barely pitched and likely pitched injured. And then he came to spring and everything returned. And his results matched his stuff in the minors. And then he needed Tommy John. Aside from that last part, I hope Hence looks like Roby next year too.
The 1935 Tigers, including, from left, 3B Flea Clifton, C Ray Hayworth, 2B Charlie Gehringer, 1B Hank Greenberg, C Mickey Cochrane, and OF Pete Fox, started 2-9 but finished as World Series champs. Everyone in this photo but Clifton hit better than .300 in '35. City 300 Hitters
The Detroit Tigers family lost a legend on Wednesday with the death of 1968 World Series hero Mickey Lolich, who passed away at the age of 85.
The departure of the all-time great leaves the fanbase in remembrance of a brilliant career that saw the southpaw throw 3,638 1/3 MLB innings, striking out 2,832 hitters — good enough for fifth all-time in strikeouts among lefties. To many of those who witnessed those late-60s and early-70s teams, Lolich was an all-time favorite.
Which leads to today’s Tigers Topic discussion: Who is your all-time favorite member of the Motor City Kitties? They do not necessarily need to be someone from your lifetime; for instance, mine is Hank Greenberg, for what he did on and off the field.
But I also had Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker, who ushered me into Tiger fandom, as well as Cecil Fielder and the excitement he brought to the D in the early 90s. And I certainly cannot forget Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, both of whom are sure-fire Hall of Famers and had the Tigers on the cusp of World Series rings.
So enough about me, who is your all-time favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; A Milwaukee Brewers fan reacts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game two of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Continuing our February Daily Question series, we’re beginning today’s conversation with the question, “When did you become a tried and true Brewer fan?
For me, someone born at the turn of the century, I (thankfully) haven’t had to endure many terrible seasons. I fell in love with baseball when I was five, but moreso from playing it rather than watching it. The 2007 and 2008 seasons were the first time I really remember Brewer baseball, following their playoff races down the stretch.
For that reason, CC Sabathia quickly became my favorite Brewer, and he’s remained somewhere in my top 10 list ever since (I’ve mentioned this before, but Sal Frelick is No. 1, simply because his last name is so close to mine). That fandom from 2007 and 2008 grew into the 2010s, stretching into the modern era of Milwaukee’s consistent playoff competitiveness.
I went to playoff games at Miller Park/American Family Field with my dad in 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024, including the heartbreaking NL Wild Card loss to the Mets in 2024, which also turned out to be my dad’s last game as he passed away from Parkinson’s disease & Lewy body dementia in January 2025.
I made sure to honor his memory in the 2025 playoffs, going to a pair of Brewers NLDS wins over the Cubs (including the epic Game 5) and Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers with friends and family.
All that to say, my love for the Brewers is bigger than ever, even if they sometimes (often) disappoint me in the postseason.
When did your love of the Crew begin?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments, and we may use it later this month.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Giancarlo Stanton sits 47 home runs away from 500 for his career, that nice round number that counts for quite a bit in Hall of Fame discussion. It does feel like that chase will come right down to the wire, with Stanton’s contract running through the 2027 season but with some kind of labor stoppage likely after the CBA expires in November, Big G might miss #500 because he’ll just run out of games. He’ll be 38 trying to find a roster spot in 2028 — the Yankees do have a club option for that year — and teams already have to pencil in some IL time for him every year.
Some other Yankees are also looking up at milestone achievements though, and we can expect some big ones in 2026. Barring injury, Aaron Judge should hit hit 400th home run and score his 1000th run in MLB, needing 32 and 127 respectively. That 400th dinger comes with a little something extra; if Judge can hit 32 home runs in less than 621 at-bats, he’ll eclipse that mark — pun intended, as McGwire did it in 4726 ABs — faster than any player in Major League history.
It’s rather remarkable that we should expect all three accomplishments, the 400th homer, the AB constraint, and the 1000 runs scored, to come in one season because that’s just how good Aaron Judge has been in this peak of his career. 32 home runs would be seen as a significant step back from his usual production, and Aaron’s passed 127 runs scored in 2025, 2022 and 2017, while falling five short in 2024. FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projects Judge to blast past 400 home runs, but not quite reach 1000 runs scored, but projection systems often struggle when a player is so far above the typical MLB baseline.
Max Fried, meanwhile, needs just eight wins to hit 100 for his career, while his fellow lefty Carlos Rodón needs seven. Both should be reachable in 2026, although questions about when exactly Rodón will return from elbow surgery linger. Depth Charts pegs him for 28 starts, which would mean missing about the first month of the season, and that feels appropriate to the Yankees’ level of caution. If he’s back before that and as effective as he was last year, both southpaws should get over the century mark.
Lastly, there’s a very, very outside chance Gerrit Cole crosses a major strikeout threshold, as he sits 249 punchouts short of 2500. I think this is likely to be a scenario like Stanton’s mentioned above, where we will probably have to wait and see how many games get played in 2027 before we can accurately project when or if Cole will ever get to that number. He hasn’t struck out that many men since 2022, and coming off of Tommy John surgery at 35, I expect the Yankees to be even more careful with the righty than they’ll be with Rodón. Still, a 1 percent chance of something happening is worth the fantasy.
What’s really striking when you do posts like this is how many players the Yankees have that are building very real Hall of Fame cases for themselves. Fried and Rodón aren’t there yet of course, but Stanton and Judge and Cole will all get serious consideration and likely enshrinement if their careers wrap up with some grace and without a crater. That the Yankees could assemble so much talent over multiple seasons and have no rings to show for it though, is perhaps more of an indictment of the organization than anything else.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: A general view of play between the Bay FC and the Washington Spirit at Oracle Park on August 23, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/NWSL via Getty Images) | NWSL via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
As we approach Spring Training and 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 is kind of an odd one, but interesting to examine, at least for me. Which season changed the way you watch baseball?
For me, this question has multiple answers. I guess the first one would be 1993 because that was the season that Barry Bonds signed with the team and instantly became my favorite player, which made me begin to pay a lot more attention to the game.
The next answer would be 2000, because that was both the year that Oracle Park opened, and the first time I went to a Giants game in person. My dad’s company had season tickets, so we ended up going about once a week and seeing the action in person made me not just fall even more in love with the game, it made me fall in love with the ballpark. As someone who has moved more times than I can count, the ballpark still feels like home in a way that most places I’ve lived never did.
I think 2002 has to go on the list as well, because that was the first time I truly understood sports pain and sadness. While it didn’t help me avoid it in the future, it was the first time baseball truly broke my heart.
I think I would have to also say 2015, for me personally. I had just moved to a completely different part of the state so I had a lot more free time than I used to. And after having just watched them win three World Series championships, I really, really dug in on my love of the team. I started watching every single game religiously, and started keeping a scorecard for most of them. It’s also the year that I joined the community of McCovey Chronicles and decided that I wanted to write like Grant. I’ll never achieve that last part, but he did hire me to write here so I guess I did something right!
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 prospect will take the biggest step forward in 2026?
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 18: David Fry #6 of the Cleveland Guardians bats against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on September 18, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians will need some help from players whose performance dipped in 2025 to make a playoff run this year… Will they get it?
Will it be David Fry who went from a 129 wRC+ to a 63 wRC+?
Will it be Stuart Fairchild who went from a 116 wRC+ against LHP to an 88 wRC+ against LHP?
Will it be Tanner Bibee who went from a 3.47 ERA to a 4.24 ERA?
Or will it be Tim Herrin who went from a 1.92 ERA to a 4.85 ERA?
What say you, Guardians fans? Who is our comeback player of the year when we look back on the 2026 season?
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Framber Valdez #59 of the Houston Astros pitches in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park on September 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are now 49 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. That’s seven weeks from today that we’ll be back to real baseball. I’m not so sure we’ll be rid of the snow piles by then. WBC pitchers and catchers are four days away from reporting, with the rest of the pitchers and catchers arriving a day later. The first exhibition game is 15 days from today. It’s all getting close.
The last big starting pitching free agent question got settled last night. The Orioles are not the winners in the Framber Valdez derby. We may never know how seriously they competed. What we do know is that ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Detroit Tigers are the team that’s landed Valdez on a three-year deal that will pay $115 million. That is a $38.3 million per year contract, a record for a left-handed starting pitcher, although the present day value will be less once deferrals (currently not reported) are calculated. In addition, Valdez has an opt-out after the second year of the deal.
Now that the Valdez business is resolved and the Orioles know he’s not coming here, should they try to pivot to a different remaining starting pitcher? I’ve been on the “Valdez or bust” train for a while, not so much because I was enthused about Valdez as because I just don’t think any of these other dudes are going to be the difference-makers that would be worth paying them $15+ million or whatever only to displace Dean Kremer from the rotation. Mike Elias might feel differently. So might you.
A second, obvious question arises: Should the Orioles have made an offer that would have been preferable to Valdez than this one? It’s hard to say what that might have been; maybe a deal with no deferrals, maybe one with an opt-out after just one single season. That’s a heck of a lot of money and it’s tough for any pitcher to really live up to that in even the best of circumstances. Valdez, as has been mentioned frequently through the offseason, is already 32 so there’s the question of how much he’ll decline, if any, through this contract.
Not having the high bid here is justifiable, I’d say. But also that’s making a bet on this group forming a competitive rotation until at least July: Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, Brandon Young, Trey Gibson, or some unforeseen miracle or disaster player. This is a bet that could pay off. It is also a bet that could fail spectacularly in a way that will leave people asking of Elias, “What did you think would happen, you idiot?” I would be wondering, at that point, if David Rubenstein was starting to move in the direction of being one of those people.
“What did you think would happen, you idiot?” was the basic result for the 2025 Orioles. The bet that they were good enough to muddle along until July and then address needs by trade failed hard.
For this year, Elias is also betting on dingers from Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward plus bounce-backs from the many disappointing hitters returning from last year’s Orioles. He’s betting on Rookie of the Year-competing performance from either or both of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers. He’s betting on being able to make it with a bullpen of Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge, and a bunch of guys nobody cares all that much about at this moment. Some of these bets feel better than others right now.
Against this backdrop, the biggest thing the Orioles had going on yesterday is that they announced the non-roster invitees to spring training. All players on the 40-man roster are automatically included for spring training, with non-roster invites making up the rest. Many of these were reported through the offseason when the players involved signed minor league deals that come with big league spring training invites. The team announced the following 30 non-roster invites yesterday afternoon:
Pitchers (14)
LHP Luis De León
LHP Andrew Magno
LHP Eric Torres
LHP Josh Walker
RHP Jeisson Cabrera
RHP Hans Crouse
RHP Nestor German
RHP Trey Gibson
RHP Keagan Gillies
RHP Richard Guasch
RHP Jean Carlos Henriquez
RHP Enoli Paredes
RHP Albert Suárez
RHP Levi Wells
RHP Cameron Weston
Of these, prospects who will hopefully do something interesting are: De León, German, Gibson, and Wells. One never knows who might go from spring training afterthought to a key player on the roster; not too long ago, Ryan O’Hearn was one such spring training invite. I follow Orioles news very closely and I have never seen the name Richard Guasch before in my life.
Catchers (5)
Ethan Anderson
Silas Ardoin
Maverick Handley
Sam Huff
Creed Willems
You need a lot of catchers early in camp because there are also a lot of pitchers and somebody’s got to catch the five-wide bullpen sessions. I think Ardoin could end up as an occasional third catcher if he shows enough. Anderson and Willems are different flavors of prospect who can hope to get a little attention in the early days of camp.
Infielders (6)
José Barrero
Payton Eeles
Aron Estrada
Ryan Noda
Willy Vasquez
Luis Vázquez
It’s too late for you to claim your spot as the Aron Estrada hype train conductor, because that’s me, but there’s still plenty of room for you to get on board. You might recall Eeles from being acquired earlier this offseason for Alex Jackson. Notably, Eeles is listed at 5’5”.
Outfielders (4)
Enrique Bradfield Jr.
Jud Fabian
Jhonkensy Noel
Will Robertson
Bradfield, in particular, will probably get some chances to play in early spring road games where many of the regular players stay back in Sarasota.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
FanGraphs projections for the 2026 Orioles make one thing clear (The Baltimore Banner) Jon Meoli notes that the narrow gap between the Orioles and other AL East teams means that any improvement could be worth quite a lot. Valdez, we now know, will not be that improvement.
Top prospects among Orioles non-roster invitees (Orioles.com) Jake Rill’s rundown of the non-roster guys focuses on a few who are prospects worth following. It will be nice if those guys can put themselves on the radar for later in the season.
Fans in Frederick excited about Keys return (Baltimore Baseball) The Keys are an Orioles affiliate once again! I’m excited because driving to Frederick is better than driving to Aberdeen. Although I’ll probably still never do it.
How Baltimore is melting mountains of snow (The Baltimore Banner) This article is more about things happening on the Ravens end of the Camden Yards sports complex than the Orioles end, but nonetheless, that is a lot of snow in Lot O and apparently it needs to be gone by March 7.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Nothing of particular note has happened on February 5 in Orioles history. With Valdez off the board, we can probably figure this is not going to change today.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2014 reliever Ryan Webb, 2002 reliever Chris Brock, and 1996-98 infielder/Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar. Today is Alomar’s 58th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you as well! Your birthday buddies for today include: tire magnate John Boyd Dunlop (1840), auto engineer André Citroën (1878), author William S. Burroughs (1914), baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron (1934), artist H. R. Giger (1940), and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (1985).
On this day in history…
In 1901, J. P. Morgan officially incorporated the U. S. Steel corporation.
In 1918, American aerial gunner Stephen W. Thompson shot down a German plane, the first recognized aerial victory for someone in the U.S. military. Thompson was serving as the gunner for a French plane.
In 1945, General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his vow to return to Manila.
In 1971, the Apollo 14 mission landed on the moon, with astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walking on the surface. Shepard bookended a career that began with his being the first American in space with his command on this mission.
A random Orioles trivia question
I received a book of Orioles trivia for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space every time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget to ask one. If you are replying early in the day, please be polite and give your answer in spoiler text so that others arriving later have an opportunity to participate.
In 2005, I joined the Orioles and immediately went on an 11-game hitting streak. Who am I?
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on February 5. Have a safe Thursday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 31: Orion Kerkering #50 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on August 31, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 3-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This intro was originally going to be about how the Pirates were having an interesting offseason after being connected to Kyle Schwarber earlier this winter and with Ken Rosenthal saying they were making an aggressive push for Framber Valdez yesterday. Then the Tigers went and signed Valdez, so the Pirates offseason of “No Paul, we’re really, REALLY trying! We swear!” continues.
Apr 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) reacts during player introductions before the game against the Chicago White Sox at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan who is younger than 50-years-old, there has not been a lot of marquee moments from the club in my lifetime. While it was incredible watching the Pirates return to the postseason and earn an NL Wild Card win over the rival Cincinnati Reds, I’ve gotta say it just wasn’t enough. After that brief run of success that the team had in the early 2010’s, the organization dismantled the core of players that I grew up loving. It was devastating watching Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte be traded away, and for a long time, it was hard to watch the Pirates at all.
My love for baseball was reignited by becoming a writer for Bucs Dugout in September of 2022, but 2023 is the year that permanently changed how I watch baseball. With my first professional writing job came a new responsibility to follow baseball as closely as possible, which in a way is not a responsibility at all. Getting to write about baseball and cover the Pittsburgh Pirates was like a dream come true, and while it was shaky at first, it has become one of the greatest joys in my life.
At the turn of the New Year in 2023, it felt like Pittsburgh was turning back the clock by signing McCutchen to a one-year deal and officially reuniting the best Pirate of the 21st century with the city that he became a star in. Driving through the city at the time and seeing the signs donning the simple but powerful phrase “He’s back” was incredible. Getting to have a second chance at seeing my favorite Pirate back in Pittsburgh was an incredible way to start 2023.
At the time, Pittsburgh had so many exciting up and coming players to pay attention to as well. I was very pumped for the tandem of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and then shortstop Oneil Cruz, citing them as a combo that could be as exciting in baseball as Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef are in hip-hop. I was very high on one of the best pitching prospects in Pittsburgh’s system, Quinn Priester, and raced home from work to see him make his debut in July of that year. Endy Rodriguez had yet to make his MLB debut but was impressing in the Minor Leagues, and Luis Ortiz was still just an exciting starter and not under FBI indictment for rigging pitches. Needless to say, I didn’t and still do not have a crystal ball.
Looking back, the team as a whole was not that good. The Pirates finished with a 78-86 season, which had them at fourth in the NL Central, but at least it was not another 100-loss season. All things considered, it was an improvement. Even though the team finished poorly, there were some fun milestones that were fun to write about and watch throughout the season. McCutchen recorded his 2000th hit that year as fans got a fond glimpse of the past by the way he turned back the clock for the Buccos. Fans also got a glimpse into the future, as Pittsburgh selected pitcher Paul Skenes first overall in the 2023 draft. It took very little time for fans to see how impactful a draft pick of that magnitude would be, as Skenes made his MLB the very next season. I hope and pray that the Pirates don’t mess that up.
Although I was excited to have ‘Cutch back in Pittsburgh, it ultimately didn’t result in anything for the Pirates other than having a childhood favorite back on the squad. They didn’t make the postseason, they didn’t play in any high stakes games and they finished right where many expected them to. Despite my hometown team not performing very well, I got to watch my nation’s team on the biggest stage in the most exciting contest I’ve ever witnessed as a baseball fan.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic set the sport ablaze. For the first time in the tournament’s history, it really felt like every country that participated was bringing their absolute best, and for Team USA that was a very exciting time. I was in the middle of my enlistment in the Air Force and having always had immense love and pride for my country, I was dialed in when the WBC games started. Team USA had a mythical Avengers-like lineup. Mike Trout served as the team’s captain and primary recruiter. Trout brought on fellow All-Stars like Trea Turner, Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber and even then Pirate David Bednar.
Team USA was stacked, but so was the rest of the competition. In the quarterfinal game against Venezuela, the Americans were on the ropes down by two in the eighth inning. Team USA had the bases loaded when Trea Turner came to the plate. With an 0-2 count Turner turns on an 86mph pitch that soared over the wall for a team USA grand slam. That single hit is one of the greatest highlights I have ever seen as a sports fan. Team USA would eventually go on to lose to Team Japan in the finals, but that game had all the ingredients that make up a good heavyweight slug fest. It was baseball at the highest level on the world stage with America coming up just short, but make no mistake we will be back.
As a kid, I grew up loving playing baseball in the backyard and on my neighborhood teams. I grew up loving the fun Pittsburgh teams that brought a buzz for baseball back to the Steel City. I hated watching those teams be dismantled, and I had a hard time with not loving playing the game anymore as a high schooler. As an adult and a young Airman away from my friends and family, I fell back in love with baseball by getting to write about it and be reconnected to the game and community that I grew up loving. That’s the beauty of baseball. At the end of the day it’s just a game, but it’s a game that means so much to so many people for so many reasons. 2023 was just another year for the Pirates, but for me it changed how I watch and enjoy baseball for the rest of my life.
Tell us in the comments, what year permanently changed the way you watched baseball.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees looks on before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 20, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
So, the Yankees are running it back 2026. As frustrating as that will feel to many (cue the “getting Gerrit Cole back is like trading for an ace!” proclamations from Yankee brass), there is reason to be optimistic about the strategy. The team that they’re running went an MLB-best 32-12 down the stretch, and at the risk of sounding like Brian Cashman, adding Cole to a team that tied for the most wins in the AL and paced the majors in every offensive category is certainly an enticing proposition.
But, it all begs the question: what version of Gerrit Cole will the Yankees be getting in 2026? Perhaps Cole reverts right back to pre-injury form and posts another season like his 2023 Cy Young campaign, where he led the league in ERA and innings. Maybe we’ll get something like his more erratic 2022, when he showed dominance in the form of a league-leading 257 strikeouts, but also struggled with the long ball. Or, maybe something in between like his abbreviated 2024 season, where Cole looked slightly physically diminished compared to his peak, but still did an admirable job preventing runs while dealing with an elbow injury that would eventually torpedo his 2025 before it even began.
What do you think? Is this the world where Cole can recapture his peak and put together a late-career Cy Young campaign. Will he need more time to really get back to himself? Is he just a number two or three starter now? The answer could determine the Yankees’ fate in 2026.
It’ll be another packed day on the site as we wind down the offseason and gear up for spring. Matt has you set with today’s season preview, as he takes a look at José Caballero, while Kevin looks back at Roger Peckinpaugh as part of our Birthday series. Kevin also remembers the Brian McCann signing, already 12 years and change ago, while Josh examines the milestones that various Yankees could hit in 2026.
