Nate Isler was born in Charlottesville, Virginia but the family settled down in Milton, Georgia and the right-hander grew up there. He attended Cambridge High School and playing against fellow 2026 Mets draftee and fellow right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie during Milton High School versus Cambridge High School rivalry games. A three-year letterwinner, he one-upped McNeillie, winning Region Pitcher of the Year in their shared senior year. There was very little buzz about his draft status over the course of his high school career, as his stuff generally was mediocre, but even if there had been, Isler may not have gone pro out of high school. The son of a Dartmouth alumnus, and an alumnus who played for the school’s baseball team, Isler was given a scholarship to play ball at the elite New Hampshire institution, where he would be coached by Bob Whalen, the long-time team head coach who coached his father back in the mid-90s.
Isler’s freshman year was nothing to write home about. Appearing in 12 games, making 5 starts, he posted a 13.50 ERA in 20.2 innings, allowing 51 hits, walking 8, and striking out 24. Following the conclusion of the season, he supplemented his pitching load by playing with the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, posting similar results in roughly the same amount of innings. His sophomore year was more of the same, though coach Whalen inserted Isler into the pitching rotation as the team’s Sunday starter. Starting 10 games, the right-hander posted a 6.67 ERA in 55.1 innings, allowing 70 hits, walking 20, and striking out 36. Once again, following the end of the Dartmouth baseball season, Isler supplemented his innings by playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, this time with the Upper Valley Nighthawks.
In 2026, interim head coach Blake McFadden continued using Isler as a starting pitcher, shifting him to Saturdays. The “ace” of the staff, the right-hander posted a 4.98 ERA in 65.0 innings over 11 starts, allowing 68 hits, walking 25, and striking out 80. After the season ended, Isler participated in the precious Cape Cod Baseball League, playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Isler came to the Dartmouth campus a tall, lanky 6’5”, 215-pound teenager with broad shoulders and long limbs and he filled in, growing into a 6’6”, 235-pound hurler. His fastball improved from a high-80s offering that topped out at 91 MPH to a low-90s offering that reportedly topped out at 96 MPH. More than velocity, Isler had success with the pitch thanks to a high spin rate that gives the ball some run and above-average induced vertical break. His above-average extension helps the ball bore in on hitters virtually even more, and his high release point makes the ball more difficult for batters to pick up on.
He complements his fastball with a low-to-mid-80s slider and a changeup. The slider is the better of the two, his changeup still a lot of work to go; the slider has tight, two-plane gyroscopic break with minimal horizontal break and a great deal of vertical break, magnified by his high release point. His changeup, on the other hand, has more horizontal fade than it does drop, and giving the pitch more vertical tumble will be key to its progression as a pitch, and perhaps Isler’s progression as a pitcher.
The right-hander pounds the zone and lives in the strike zone, for good or for bad. He keeps walks to a minimum, but batters in the Ivy League had no waiting on fat pitches to hit, batting .321/.384/.482 against him over the course of his three-year career there and .265/.340/.358 in 2026. The downward trajectory that all of his pitches possess has helped him run a 40.5% groundball rate for his career and a 45% rate in 2026 and limit home runs, but Isler will need to refine and improve his pitches and potentially add to his pitch mix to have success against professionals.
Zack Konstantinovsky of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights delivers a pitch during an NCAA baseball game at Bainton Field in Piscataway, United States, on March 27, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
A second player has been selected to the MLB in the 2026 draft class, as the Washington Nationals have selected Rutgers RHP Zack Konstantinovsky in the 14th round of the MLB draft. He joins Peyton Bonds, who was drafted in the third round by the Giants, as the two Rutgers players selected in the MLB draft. He was drafted with the 406th overall pick.
Konstantinovsky spent the last three seasons on the Scarlet Knights’ roster, playing sparingly in 2024 as a true freshman before missing all of 2025 with an injury. He saw much more playing time in 2026, surrendering 80 hits in 70.2 innings pitched with 83 strikeouts and 21 walks. Over those innings, he had an runs against averaged of 5.48.
His 83 strikeouts are the 6th most in a season in program history.
Konstantinovsky’s best game last season came against Western Carolina, where he recorded seven scoreless innings pitched, giving up just one hit and recording 6 strikeouts.
While no Rutgers players have ever been drafted by the Nationals before Konstantinovsky, five Knights were drafted by the organization when they were still the Montreal Expos. These five include RHP Jason Bergmann, shortstop Tim Sweeney, LHP Darrin Winston, infielder Ted Ciesla and outfielder Darrin Kotch.
This is the fifth straight year that Rutgers baseball has had at least two players drafted in the MLB draft. Konstantinovsky is the 13th player to be drafted to the MLB during head coach Steve Owen’s tenure, being the sixth former Rutgers pitcher to have their name called over that time.
The Rangers and Braden Schneider avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.5 million contract.
Braden Schneider and the Rangers avoided arbitration Monday, with the sides agreeing to one-year deal worth $5.5 million, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker.
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Schneider, who was the Blueshirts’ first-round pick in 2020 and who has been involved in trade rumors dating to last season, became a restricted free agent — after receiving the qualifying offer — when his two-year, $4.4 million deal expired and was set for an arbitration hearing July 29, according to multiple reports.
He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer, too.
This whole process didn’t lead to any long-term clarity between Schneider, who collected two goals and 18 points while skating in all 82 games last year, and the Blueshirts.
The rumors won’t fade, especially if he’s on the roster at the start of the season and the Rangers struggle again ahead of the trade deadline.
The Rangers and Braden Schneider avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.5 million contract. Getty Images
But, to this point, it also hasn’t led to a new team, either — and the defenseman, who has skated in at least 80 games since the 2022-23 season while encountering growing pains and struggles along the way, said at the end of last season that he’d love to remain with the Rangers.
“We think Braden is a really good young talented defenseman,” president and general manager Chris Drury told reporters July 2. “We drafted him, developed him, we like the skill set and what he does for us. I know he, along with us, are just trying to do everything we can to be better and help him be better, but he’s an exciting player and a terrific all-around, high-character person in our organization.”
They also overhauled their blue line once July 1 arrived, with right-handed defenseman Sean Durzi part of the return package in the Vincent Trocheck-Mammoth trade and Marcus Pettersson — able to fill the second pairing on the left side behind Vladislav Gavrikov — joining the Blueshirts’ top four after getting acquired from Vancouver in exchange for a top 10 protected first-round pick in 2030.
Will Borgen was also traded to the Bruins in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
Eight of the game’s top sluggers will swing for the fences on Monday night, all hoping to be crowned the 2026 champion.
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are the headliners in this year’s derby at their home ballpark. Schwarber has never won the derby but Harper did back in 2018, his last year in Washington, at Nationals Park. This is the two-time MVP’s first appearance since.
The other hitters in the field are Ben Rice (Yankees), Junior Caminero (Rays), Jordan Walker (Cardinals), Wilson Contreras (Red Sox), Munetaka Murakami (White Sox) and Jac Caglianone (Royals).
Hometown hero Kyle Schwarber leads MLB in home runs at the All-Star break, but failed to homer on his first five swings. He found a groove and ended up with 10, hitting some absolute bombs at the ballpark he calls home.
Last year's runner-up, the 23-year-old Caminero lost out to Cal Raleigh in Atlanta in 2025. He hit 12 in his first round tonight, one short of the leaders but has likely booked himself a spot in the next round.
Ben Rice was the fifth batter up in the Home Run Derby and posted the lowest total of anybody so far, finishing his round with seven homers and a longest of 443 feet.
The Yankees slugger enters the All-Star Break with 29 home runs, third in MLB behind Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez.
Royals slugger Jac Caglianone follows Walker and Contreras, swinging for the short porch in right field at Citizens Bank Park. He ended his round with eight home runs and a longest of 477.
Boston's Willson Contreras was the first hitter of the night, crushing seven homers on his first 10 swings.
Contreras ended his round with 13 home runs on his allotted 20 swings, setting the bar high incredibly high for the rest of the field. His longest home run of the round was 490 feet.
This year's Home Run Derby will feature several format changes, most notably the removal of the timer. Instead, each of the eight participants will be allotted a set number of swings, with every swing counting. Hitters will get 20 swings in the first round and 15 swings in both the semifinals and finals. If a player homers on the final swing of any round, they can continue hitting until a swing does not result in a home run. — John Leuzzi
The Seattle Mariners slugger who hit 38 home runs before the All-Star break – the second-most in MLB history – dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays’ 22-year-old Junior Caminero in the final, and is the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby.
With his dad pitching and younger brother catching, Raleigh became the second Mariner to be crowned Derby champion, joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who won it three times. — Jesse Yomtov
Judging by most statistics, Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler has been the best pitcher in the American League this season. The 25-year-old leads the league in ERA (2.05), pitching WAR (4.1) and WHIP (0.944), and he’s second in innings pitched with 118.2.
And while Schlittler is in Philadelphia for this week’s All-Star Game festivities, he will not pitch during the game, a decision he came to recently to focus on the second half of the season.
Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease will start for the American League instead, with that announcement coming prior to Schlittler making his own decision.
“I think the plan from a month ago or so was to throw, especially if I was able to start,” Schlittler said during his media availability on Monday. “I felt confident with how I felt in Tampa after my start, felt confident in my recovery coming into Washington.
“I threw and I kind of sat there like it’s a long season, I’ve thrown a lot of innings so far, we’ve had a few injuries (to the rotation) already, and just didn’t want to risk the chance of feeling a little bit dragged after if I were to go out there on two days rest and try to throw 100 miles per hour.
“So, again just trying to put myself and the team first. We’ve got bigger aspirations for the season.”
The Yankees are currently 3.0 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, but they own the first Wild Card spot and appear to be in a pretty comfortable position to make the postseason, especially given how the American League has struggled overall (The 48-49 Seattle Mariners currently hold the third and final playoff spot).
So Schlittler will take in all the All-Star Game festivities from the sidelines, but the moment is certainly not lost on him.
“I think it will probably sink in tomorrow during the game, or maybe just after, just realizing how fortunate I am to be in this position,” he said.
“I think the biggest thing is just meeting all of the guys,” he later added. “I’ve only been up here for a year now and the best players in the league are here, so it will be really good to talk to them, pick their brains and see what I can learn and just enjoy it and watch the fun happen.”
Schlittler’s rise to the top of the American League has been meteoric. He started last season in Double-A and pitched just five games at the Triple-A level before getting the call to the majors.
Now he’s among the best in the game, and he’s not looking back.
“[The Yankees] gave me an opportunity,” Schlittler said, “and I just kind of ran with it.”
At its core, the Home Run Derby is a vibes event. Eight large men try to hit a baseball extremely far, we “ooooh and ahhhh” at the majestic dingers. You do not need Statcast to enjoy it. That said, the past few years there has been an alternative Statcast broadcast to focus on bat speed, launch angle, barrel rates and so much more. So, I decided to fill the void and create a Statcast preview of tonight’s long ball festivities in Philadelphia.
Cubs fans in particular have some old friends to cheer for tonight. Kyle Schwarber will look to avenge his 2018 Home Run Derby appearance when Bryce Harper (also in tonight’s field) just edged him out on some, shall we say questionable batting practice pitches given the timing rules. Schwarber already has an MLB leading 32 home runs on the 2026 campaign and this will be his third Home Run Derby appearance. He’ll be up against another 2016 Cubs hero, Willson Contreras. Contreras is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career in Boston slashing .285/.379/.542 with 20 home runs so far in the 2026 campaign.
But today I want to dig a little deeper than hometown legends and slash lines to see who has the edge in a stacked Derby field that will see Schwarber and Contreras joined by the Rays Junior Caminero (second appearance), Harper (third appearance), the Cardinals Jordan Walker (first appearance), the White Sox’ Munetaka Murakami (first appearance), the Royals Jac Caglianone (first appearance) and the Yankees Ben Rice (first appearance). It does seem worth caveating that Murakami stands out among the first-timers with 246 career home runs in NPB before joining the White Sox this season. But that’s besides the point, there will be bombs in Philadelphia tonight and Statcast can tell us a bit about who has the edge in different categories.
The bat-speed monsters
Junior Caminero owns the field’s top average bat speed, with Jordan Walker sitting right behind him. You can see how the field stacks up in terms of average bat speed below:
Player
Competitve Swings
% Competitive Swings
Raw Contact #
Avg Bat Speed
MLB Bat Speed Rank
% Fast Swing
% Squared Up Contact
% Squared Up Swing
% Blast Contact
% Blast Swing
Caminero, Junior
594
91.10%
468
79.9
1
88.22%
30.98%
24.41%
25.64%
20.20%
Walker, Jordan
652
90.30%
470
79.2
2
86.04%
30.21%
21.78%
23.19%
16.72%
Caglianone, Jac
607
90.33%
433
77.3
7
75.12%
30.02%
21.42%
23.33%
16.64%
Schwarber, Kyle
697
90.17%
483
77.1
9
75.61%
24.22%
16.79%
17.18%
11.91%
Contreras, Willson
615
90.31%
446
77.0
10
70.89%
26.23%
19.02%
17.26%
12.52%
Murakami, Munetaka
421
90.15%
247
75.2
26
55.34%
33.60%
19.71%
23.48%
13.78%
Harper, Bryce
725
90.29%
512
74.3
54
47.86%
30.27%
21.38%
17.19%
12.14%
Rice, Ben
595
90.56%
470
72.6
91
24.03%
36.60%
28.91%
19.15%
15.13%
Select bat speed and contact stats
Walker and Caminero are both in the 100th-percentile bat-speed leaguewide. Caglianone is right behind them at the 97th percentile with Schwarber and Contreras both in the 96th percentile. Bat speed isn’t everything, but in a competition aimed at hitting home runs, having a quick swing can certainly be a difference maker. It also probably helps on the endurance side of the derby to have experience swinging hard most of the time, which Caminero, Walker, Caglianone, Schwarber, Contreras and Murakami all do (although there is a big difference between taking a maximum swing 55.34% of the time vs. 88.22% of the time).
PLAKATA!
Then there is the question of how frequently these players hit a blast, or as Marquee Sports Network’s Carlos Peña might say, “PLAKATA!” Blast is Statcast’s metric for a ball where there was a fast swing and squared up contact:
During the 2024 season, 10% of competitive swings and 27% of batted balls across the Major Leagues qualified as blasts.
The value for hitters on blasts vs. non-blasts was about as large as you can get.
Blasts (i.e., squared-up contact with a high swing speed)
Obviously the Home Run Derby is batting practice, so there’s less pressure to hit, say, a Hunter Greene 100 MPH fastball as a blast. However, it does seem intuitive that having a higher blast rate in a game situation would likely translate to a better ability to hit blasts in a practice situation. I resorted the above table by % Blast by Swing and Caminero is still number one in MLB, followed by Walker at nine, Caglianone at 10, Rice at 25, Murakami at 39, Contreras at 57, Harper at 65 and Schwarber at 73.
A Barrel of Dingers
Blasts aren’t the only way to measure elite contact, though. Part of the Home Run Derby game is elevating the ball and squaring up contact. The way to measure that is Statcast’s barrel rate. As a reminder, barrels are defined by MLB as:
The Barrel classification is assigned to batted-ball events whose comparable hit types (in terms of exit velocity and launch angle) have led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage since Statcast was implemented Major League wide in 2015.
But similar to how Quality Starts have generally yielded a mean ERA much lower than the baseline of 4.50, the average Barrel has produced a batting mark and a slugging percentage significantly higher than .500 and 1.500, respectively. During the 2016 regular season, balls assigned the Barreled classification had a batting average of .822 and a 2.386 slugging percentage.
To be Barreled, a batted ball requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner Barreled classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands.
Below you can see the Home Run Derby contestants sorted by barrel rate, including their MLB rank by barrel rate in the final column:
Player name
Attempts
Launch Angle
Max EV
Avg EV
Max Distance
Avg Distance
Avg HR Distance
Barrels
Barrel Rate
Barrel/PA
MLB Rank
Murakami, Munetaka
125
14
114.1
94.1
451
189
409
25
20.0
9.7
3
Schwarber, Kyle
207
21.8
113.2
93.4
460
210
404
40
19.3
9.7
5
Rice, Ben
248
14.2
110.9
92.1
433
184
389
38
15.3
9.7
21
Caglianone, Jac
218
7.3
116.1
93
444
164
414
32
14.7
9.2
26
Contreras, Willson
225
17.4
114.4
90.6
449
176
407
32
14.2
8.8
31
Walker, Jordan
262
11.5
116.6
94.2
459
173
406
37
14.1
9.4
32
Caminero, Junior
279
8.7
116.9
93.2
463
147
408
38
13.6
9.2
36
Harper, Bryce
266
11.6
113.5
90.1
457
171
400
30
11.3
7.4
66
Select Stats
By this metric, Murakami and Schwarber rise to the top of the field, with Rice, Caglianone, Contreras, Walker and Caminero all squarely in the 85th percentile and above in all of baseball. If the name of the game is hitting the ball hard, in the air, it would seem that Murakami and Schwarber may be the favorites to come out on top of a stacked field.
Wild Cards
That said, baseball is always going to baseball so I’m sure some elements of our expectations will be tested. The two biggest wild cards in this year’s Home Run Derby are the changes to the format and the pitchers throwing batting practice.
The format this year will not have a timer and players will get a finite number of swings, per MLB:
Eight players will still make up the field, same as in years past. But instead of trying to hit as many homers as they can during timed rounds, participants will start each round with a finite number of swings: 20 in Round 1, 15 in Round 2 and 15 again in the final round.
All swings will count against a player’s swing allotment, whether it results in a homer or not. However, a player who homers on his final swing of a round can keep swinging until he doesn’t hit one out.
The lack of a timer could alleviate some of the endurance issues that have haunted players who hit a large number of home runs early, or found themselves in a tie in the early rounds, only to fade later. It also means you have to be prepared to rake, right away.
Finally, one of the biggest variables in the Derby has always been having a pitcher who can throw you balls in your personal sweet spot over and over again. One of the reasons Pete Alonso was so excellent in his Home Run Derby appearances (aside from being built for the event and prodigious power) was Dave Jauss doing an excellent job throwing to him. You can hear Jauss talk about that below:
As Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs noted, having Jauss throw batting practice to the perfect human specimen for Derby multiple times was probably at least part of the reason for Alonso’s success in the Derby:
As I noted last year, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Alonso seems built for this competition, stepping into the box looking loose and operating at maximum efficiency in an event where efficiency is underappreciated. Some credit for that is almost certainly owed to Mets bench coach Dave Jauss, his pitcher, who consistently puts the ball in his wheelhouse. Alonso always appears to understand exactly what he needs to do to win, whereas others step into the box thinking, “I’ll try Plan A, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try Plan B…” by which point it’s too late, at least in this unforgiving draw. In both the semifinals and finals last year, Alonso needed far less than the allotted time to win.
Whatever transpires in Philadelphia tonight, I expect there will be a lot of joy and spectacle. Whether your turn of phrase as the ball sails over the fence is BOOMSTICK!, PLAKATA!, BOMBSKI!, or some other moniker, it should be an awesome show to remember tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
There will be a “game thread” here for the Home Run Derby. It will post at 6 p.m. CT and the event begins at 7 p.m. CT.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 11: Ronel Blanco #56 of the Houston Astros reacts after the final out of the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Daikin Park on May 11, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the All-Star break edition of the Crawfish Boil. We have a lot of Astros info to get through today.
First, the Astros roster moves and pending returning players:
The Burrows news is concerning, as this is the second time in the past month the Astros have optioned a player to Triple-A, only to unwind that option and place them on the IL. This also recently happened with P Kai-Wei Teng. It is somewhat disturbing that a team that has had the challenges the Astros have had when it comes to their medical staff has now effectively missed two separate injuries to pitchers. It does make you wonder how long this has gone on and how much impact it has had on Burrow’s effectiveness.
Santa’s demotion would indicate that a pitcher is scheduled to be reinstated from IL after the break. It is possible that pitcher is Bennett Sousa. The Astros transferred the rehab assignment for Sousa to the FCL Astros today, allowing him to continue working through the break.
Pitchers Lance McCullers Jr., Ronel Blanco, and Hayden Wesneski are all also soon to return to the major league roster.
Blanco started for Triple-A Sugar Land yesterday. He threw 68 pitches, 44 for strikes. He went 4.1IP scoreless, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, but did not strike out a batter. His velocities across the board are in line with his career norms. Outside of not striking out any batters, it was a solid outing for Blanco. My expectation at this time is he would have one more start at Sugar Land (75-80 pitch target) and then be reinstated.
Hayden Wesneski started for Sugar Land on Saturday, going 4.2IP and only allowing 1 run. He gave up 5 hits and struck out 7 without walking a batter. He threw 45 of his 61 pitches for strikes. Wesneski’s velocities are also in line with his career norms, and he flashed 95+ MPH on his 4 seam several times. If he can get to 75 pitches in his next appearance, he could also be ready for reinstatement to the major league roster after one more rehab start.
It’s a very positive sign for both Blanco and Wesneski that their velocities are in line with their pre-injury numbers, considering the notable drops from Lance McCullers, Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia in the recent past.
It should also be noted that Ethan Pecko, the Astros #6 rated prospect and PCL Pitcher of the Month for June, has struggled badly in his last 3 appearances. Since June 30th, in 2 starts and one 3 inning relief appearance, Pecko gone 11IP, surrendered 13 ER on 14 H including 3 HR, and walked 4 while striking out 9. Pecko had a brilliant April, struggled badly in May, was terrific in June, and is now struggling again in July. That inconsistency is likely to prevent him from being called up anytime soon barring an emergency.
Joe Espada’s Hot Seat
It is no secret that manager Joe Espada’s job is on the line in Houston. He has no contract after this season, and owner Jim Crane has been mum on both his future and that of GM Dana Brown. Espada has had to deal with more injuries than his two predecessors (Dusty Baker and AJ Hinch) did, but the expectation in Houston doesn’t change. This team is expected to win.
Longtime MLB reporter/insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted this in his most recent column discussing managers on the hot seat:
Joe Espada: This is Espada’s third year with the Houston Astros. They have yet to win a postseason game, failing to make the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016. Simply, the Astros have to at least make the playoffs, if not play deep into October, for Espada to survive.
No Need to Ask About Hader
Also from Bob Nightengale on Sunday:
Remember Josh Hader? He’s back to being one of the finest closers in the game. Hader has appeared in 15 games for the Astros since debuting after opening the season on the IL, and he has given up just two hits and one run in 15 innings, striking out 24. He’s perfect in all nine of his save opportunities and generating a stunning 43.8% chase rate. Hader, who is in the third year of a five-year, $95 million contract, is not available in trade talks.
Change in the Trade Winds?
While GM Dana Brown has publicly stated his primary objective at the deadline is to find a LH hitting OF with power, perhaps that sentiment is changing.
It has previously been suggested by the author of this column that the team’s focus should be pitching, especially starting pitching.
According to Bob Nightengale, that may be the current case for the team as well:
The Astros, who have gone 26-19 since May 21, desperately want another starter. Their rotation is yielding a 5.29 ERA, second-worst in MLB.
The Astros are 4th in the AL in runs scored (despite an outfield that has produced little offensively), but they have allowed the third most runs. Pitching has been their Achilles heel all season. It has been the biggest reason why the team has been unable to get a true hot streak going and rattle off a significant winning streak/stretch. The pitching is simply not strong enough to sustain that kind of streak. It further stresses the impressive nature of the team’s resiliency that it has crawled back closer to .500 by grinding out series wins despite the erratic nature of it’s pitching.
Jul 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a groundout during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
The Dodgers limped into the All-Star break with only two wins in their final six games at home. All three games against the Rockies were decided by a run and the Dodgers won two, but then they were swept by the Diamondbacks.
Batter of the week
Shohei Ohtani did not pitch this week, as he’s getting treatment on his left knee. But he did hit four more home runs, accounting for 80 percent of the Dodgers team total.
Pitcher of the week
Justin Wrobleski lasted seven innings yet again and struck out nine against the Rockies on Tuesday, then was named an All-Star on Saturday.
Week 16 results
2-4 record 23 runs scored (3.83 per game) 37 runs allowed (6.17 per game) .295 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
61-36 record 506 runs scored (5.22 per game) 357 runs allowed (3.68 per game) .654 pythagorean win percentage (63-34)
Miscellany
This is Shohei!“On Tuesday against Colorado, Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th career home run.
Monday: Pitcher Carlos Durán was added to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City (where he was already pitching), and catcher Chuckie Robinson was designated for assignment.
Monday: Right-hander Evan Phillips was activated off the 60-day IL. Paul Gervase was optioned, and Jake Eder was released.
Saturday: After Friday’s bullpen game, Landon Knack was called up for coverage, activated off the 60-day injured list. A struggling Kyle Hurtwas optioned, and Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment.
After true off days Wednesday and Thursday, the Dodgers open up a nine-game road trip next Friday in the Bronx, taking on the New York Yankees, finishing off the Frtiz Peterson gauntlet.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, pitcher Clayton Kershaw and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani as Trump hosts the 2024 World Series champions in the East Room of the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees with a 7-6 victory in Game 5. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The following essay is a True Blue LA Special Comment, an op-ed containing the analysis and opinions of Associate Editor Michael Elizondo. Said views are his own and do not represent the views of True Blue LA, SB Nation, Vox Media, or any other subsidiary.
Seeing Game 7 at Rogers Centre was one of the highlights of my life. After basking in the championship afterglow and finishing mandated copy on Yoshinobu Yamamoto winning MVP, I had a single, disquieting thought before drifting off to sleep for a quick nap before my return flight to San Francisco, which sat on the tarmac for three hours.
“Oh God, I’m going to have to revisit “The Useful Idiots,” aren’t I…”
When the Dodgers were victorious in arguably the greatest single game in history, the vibes were immaculate, unless you were a Toronto Blue Jays fan. As I have gotten older, a hard truth has emerged. The Dodgers are sometimes a hard organization to love. Children and dogs can love things unconditionally with their whole heart. Adults gain the wisdom to know better.
This topic is one that one might try to shunt into the lens of politics. This story is not about politics; we are not debating environmental, infrastructure, or tax policy. We are not talking about reproductive health, or jobs, or any of the big issues for which we use sport as a balm. Today, at this story’s core, we discuss simple morality.
Many of us who attain what we may and forget those who help us along the line, we’ve got to remember that there are so many others to pull along the way. The farther they go, the further we all go.*
This story has clear, bright lines between right and wrong. If you want to pretend otherwise, I believe it is beyond my or this website’s ability to help you. I am proudly intolerant of fascism or those supporting fascism.
Like a shoe that finally dropped, the Dodgers confirmed on July 9th what they had announced six months earlier. Edward Lewis of the California Post confirmed the story that the team was returning to Washington, D.C., on the July 23rd off day after the Philadelphia series to visit President Donald Trump and celebrate the 2025 World Series title.
To understand the self-inflicted controversy, we return to the beginning of the year to refresh our collective memory.
In January, Dave Roberts said the quiet part out loud
On January 31, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Timesasked Dave Roberts at Dodgers FanFest whether the team would accept a likely forthcoming invitation to attend the White House in 2026. Roberts could have said nothing, made no comment, or even deferred Shaikin’s question.
To Roberts’ marginal credit, he ripped the bandage off and said the quiet part out loud when he said the following:
“For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager,” Roberts told [Shaikin on January 31st] at the Dodgers’ fan festival. “That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Based on previous statements, one would have expected Stan “You can’t separate me from the players” Kasten to agree, but he somehow had enough sense to read the room and told Shaikin, “I don’t have any news for you on that [subject].”
Mr. Shaikin’s article continued, arguing that Jackie Robinson’s team should not dignify this administration by posing for another photo op. I generally agree, but I would be remiss not to point out that this ship has already sailed and hit the figurative iceberg last year.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and frankly, those thousand words are not very good. For anyone claiming that so-and-so has virtue and so-and-so does not, you need only look at last year’s photos.
On February 6, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times largely repeated the unsuccessful entreaty that his former colleague, Dylan Hernandez, made last year: the organization that prides itself on being the team of Jackie Robinson should say thanks, but no thanks.
In the wake of Thursday’s White House confirmation that the Dodgers will be making the traditional champions visit there this spring, somebody needs to send a clear message to President Trump.
“No.”…
…No, after basking in the adulation of 4 million diverse neighbors every summer, the players will not turn their backs on these people while the government continues to round them up despite no criminal history.
This isn’t about asking pro athletes to be politicians. This is about asking them to be people.
On July 9, Plaschke repeated the argument, this time focusing on Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center.
Madera, a die-hard Dodgers fan, hasn’t attended a game since last summer’s ICE raids because he’s lost faith in the Dodgers’ connection with the Los Angeles community.
He says this latest news of a second White House visit only frays that connection further.
“It’s very disappointing to hear that our team is going to shake the hand of a person who has sent so much hate and terror into our community,” he said. “Thousands of families in our city live in fear … we can’t stand for what’s going on.”
Madera said the Dodgers need to remember who they are.
“The Dodgers bring so much joy to our community, but a large part of their fan base is the immigrant community, and they need to stand with us,” he said. “It’s very disappointing that they’re not, and we need to hold them accountable.”
Needless to say, if appealing to the better angels of the Dodgers’ nature did not work in 2025, one would imagine even less success from doing so in 2026. After all, the only players who did not attend were those injured at the time, such as Freddie Freeman, who was supposed to give an introductory speech delivered by now-retired Clayton Kershaw, and Brusdar Graterol.
Dave Roberts: 2019 to 2025 to Now
If one has not been paying attention, Dave Roberts’ statements about going to the White House have changed since the summer of 2019. Before the 2019 All-Star Break, Roberts was asked by Andy McCullough, then of the Los Angeles Times, on the eve of the All-Star Game, whether the Dodgers would visit the White House if the team hypothetically prevailed in the 2019 World Series.
The question was not unreasonable, as the 2019 team had the league’s best record and was coming off back-to-back unsuccessful World Series appearances. Roberts indicated that “it was unlikely” that he would go to the White House in this hypothetical situation.
“We have to win it first. But one trip to D.C., playing the Nationals, is plenty for me.”
At the time, Roberts’ hypothetical decision was framed as one of principle. Hindsight is not kind to these interactions. In 2018, then-President Trump criticized Roberts by name for his decision-making, posting on Twitter after Rich Hill was removed from Game 4 of the 2018 World Series.
Watching the Dodgers/Red Sox final innings. It is amazing how a manager takes out a pitcher who is loose & dominating through almost 7 innings, Rich Hill of Dodgers, and brings in nervous reliever(s) who get shellacked. 4 run lead gone. Managers do it all the time, big mistake!
At the time, Roberts deflected the issue, but with McCullogh, he elaborated on the kerfuffle further:
“There’s no benefit to responding to an irresponsible tweet irresponsibly, or ignorantly. So, I guess it’s one of those ‘consider the source’-type things. Which is sad, because that’s the leader of our country. That I have to say, ‘Consider the source.’ It’s sad.”
Needless to say, Dave Roberts’ decisions in the 2019 NLDS against the Washington Nationals made all of the above hypotheticals moot. Never forget in a world with no three-batter minimum and Adam Kolarek solely being used to get Juan Soto, the following happened:
One would wonder whether the delay from the initial announcement to now would have colored Roberts’ view at all. Roberts answered that question himself when speaking to the media on July 10:
“This [visit] took a long time to get both sides together, and honestly, like I’ve always said, my company line, my personal line is: I hope that we get this invitation every year, because that’s the goal – to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House. I’m not a politician, and I’m doing something that teams have done for decades. So that’s where I stand, really. I’m a baseball coach. That’s what I do.”
[Emphasis added.]
From “unlikely” in 2019 to “it’s not political” in 2025 to “I’m not a politician…I’m a baseball coach” now. The principle Roberts mentions now would seem to apply in 2019, but if one is posing as someone who benefits from personal pique, one wonders what the truth is now or then. To paraphrase a great man, in the end, what I believe does not matter; what matters is what he does.*
Lie down with dogs, get fleas…
All bets were off once the Dodgers publicly bent the knee to a burgeoning autocrat by folding faster than Superman on laundry day last year. My rule of thumb is that once someone proves themselves an objective coward, it is folly to expect otherwise.
Once you lie down with dogs, you likely have fleas until you go through the effort of washing them off. The Dodgers organization made a dog’s breakfast of it last April. Ceding the moral high ground makes the exercise of pretending to be Jackie Robinson’s organization shallow. As I wrote last year:
At some point, silence becomes complicity. Saying that you are not being political becomes complicity. If the act we discuss is evil enough, there is no excuse for silence. Pretending that everything is normal in times like these is a political choice.
The Dodgers did their level best to pretend nothing was wrong on Jackie Robinson Day last year, and even the team and the league were trying to whitewash Robinson’s legacy. Before the game, NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not hold back, as reported by Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register:
[The Trump administration’s efforts to purge DEI programs (diversity, equality and inclusion)] makes Tuesday’s recognition of Robinson throughout baseball even more important, Abdul-Jabbar said.
“I think it’s absolutely important,” he said. “Trump wants to get rid of DEI. And I think it’s just a ruse to discriminate. So I’m glad that we do things like this, to let everybody in the country know what’s important. They also tried to get rid of (abolitionist and social activist) Harriet Tubman. But that didn’t work. There was just uproar about that. But you have to take that into consideration when we think about what’s going on today.”
At the time, Roberts attempted to defend the Dodgers’ 2025 White House visit by arguing the two events were separate, which rings quite hollow given the history. Once again, from Mr. Plunkett:
“This is not a one-day situation,” Roberts said. “It’s Jackie Robinson’s day for breaking the color barrier, but this is like an everyday sort of mindset, appreciation.”…
“I don’t personally view it as talking out of both sides of our mouth,” he said. “I understand how people feel that way. But I do think that supporting our country, staying unified, aligned, is what I believe in personally. I just believe in doing things the right way and I think people are going to have their opinions on what we did last week but I do know that we all stand unified and we all have different stories and backgrounds and economic, political beliefs. But I was proud that we all stood together.”
In fact, the only person connected to the Dodgers to even try to acknowledge Robinson’s actual legacy was the people’s champion, announcer Stephen Nelson.
For what it’s worth, Nelson and Jessica Mendoza did something novel in this fact-less, truth-less age; they calmly discussed the history of what happened and why Robinson was important. Thankfully, the schedule conflict this year made such awkwardness for 2026’s Jackie Robinson Day impossible.
Deferred no longer
Some likely forgot about the agreed-upon trip. No one ever canceled it or said that it was not going to happen. On the last off day before the All-Star Break, the visit was confirmed. Dave Roberts added that “I’m sure a lot of guys are going to participate and be there,” Roberts said. “This is an individual choice, but I do expect a lot of our guys to be there.”
The team made the following statement after the announcement of the confirmation:
As was the case one year ago, the Dodgers’ upcoming visits to the White House and Capitol Hill follow the longtime tradition of visits by other World Series champions. We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.
Members of the team apparently have an out if they wish, and there is the fierce urgency of now to do the right thing. So far, only Kiké Hernández and Mookie Betts have announced that they will pass on the festivities. Hernández has been nursing an injured oblique and posted on Instagram that he wouldn’t be going on the day of the announcement before deleting his post. Hernández was the only active Dodger to speak up last year, on the eve of ICE’s attempt to use Dodger Stadium as a staging ground for raids in Los Angeles.
On July 11, Betts announced to Jack Harris of the California Post that he wasn’t going to go, and was straightforward about his desire to spend time with his family, rather than make a political statement:
“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal. We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming [on the road trip]. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff….
…If I do [go], people are gonna hate me. If I don’t, people are gonna hate me,” he said. “So instead of trying to make everyone else happy, I’m gonna think about myself and my family.”
Betts reiterated that his thinking was not politically motivated, but acknowledged “people are gonna try to drag me into politics, just because I am who I am.”
“That’s just the cards I’m dealt,” he said. “So it is what it is.”
Valid criticism is not hate, but fair enough.
Last year, the organization’s actions spoke volumes, even though the general tone of my plea was for everyone not to go. At first glance, it appears that this year the best anyone can hope for is a piecemeal response.
It’s a frustrating situation because of the team’s diverse ethnicities. One of many diverse backgrounds, a team was forged with the ultimate goal of defending the title. It may be hokey to remember E pluribus unum — out of many, one. If the players wanted to take a stand for World Series hero and likely-future manager Miguel Rojas, considering what this administration has done to his homeland of Venezuela, now would be a good time.
The thing about authoritarian regimes? Shocker, they and their lickspittles don’t like the word “no.” Joe Concha and his fellow panelists ripped Hernández for his opting out of the trip, dismissing his contributions to last year’s championship run, unfavorably comparing him to Freddie Freeman.
Concha on Kiké Hernández: Bottom line—this guy was not exactly key to the dodgers winning the world series. pic.twitter.com/KJkhQAs8De
First, the stupidity, ignorance, and incompetence of this administration and its corporate defenders are their defining features. For anyone not indoctrinated or trapped in a well since late October 2025, if Hernández had not been playing left field in Game 6, there is a good chance there would have been no Game 7 last year.
Never mind that Hernández has played in every Dodgers’ World Series appearance since 1988, which is five series now and counting.
Second, Mr. Concha makes an unintentional point. Hernández may not move the needle of public opinion outside of the Dodgers community, but Shohei Ohtani would. Last year, I largely gave the Japanese contingent of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki a pass for going along with the tide. But the trio of Japanese nationals has spent a year playing and/or living in Los Angeles.
I understand that Ohtani is the goofiest goober who ever goobered with thoughts of his dog, his wife, his children, and of being the undisputed GOAT of baseball, running in a loop in his head. Presumably, though, someone in his circle (be it his wife, his agent, translator Will Ireton, Yamamoto) has enough sense to say, “There is literally anything else we could be doing right now, so we are going to rest up for the stretch run.” This essay is an entreaty to that slim hope.
Just in the past week, President Trump blamed “the Islamic Republic of Japan” for attacks in the Middle East in an illegal war he started, causing justifiable anger and exasperation back in Japan. If the three of you wanted to stand up for your countrymen, now would be an excellent time, given your pride in playing for Samurai Japan.
Why Honor Matters
I will concede a point that Roberts made: yes, under normal circumstances, a White House visit, by definition, isn’t controversial. These are not normal times. To say otherwise is to admit having staggering ignorance or almost clinical self-delusion.
Based on everything above, if kowtowing to this administration was unforgivable in 2025, it is even more so now. I could easily triple the length of this essay with the unforgivable sins of this administration just in the past year, the past six months (because 95% of this feature was written four months ago before the illegal Iran war, or the Freedom250 debacle, or corruption relating to the Kennedy Center or the Reflecting Pool, the attempts to ignore the plain meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment, to firing all the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, among other things) on both domestic and international matters, including the effective, ongoing occupation of Venezuela.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last June that the agency could hold up to 100,000 people in custody daily.By comparison, the federal Bureau of Prisons currently holds over 153,000 inmates. So far in 2026, ICE has spent about half a billion dollars for warehouses in five states to serve as de facto concentration camps that went online in April, in the largest creation of a prison camp since the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War.
Spend a bunch of money on a goon squad and de facto concentration camps, and surprise, you get a goon squad and de facto concentration camps.
In this environment, the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the abduction of five-year-old Liam Ramos are entirely foreseeable and predictable overreaches of government power, resulting in the ongoing abductions in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and elsewhere. Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva of The Guardianon January 28, 2026, aptly summarized the situation:
In 2025, [the Department of Homeland Security] DHS reported a “historic” surge in deportations, gleefully noting that it had removed over 622,000 people from the US. During the same period, 32 people died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, which marked the deadliest year for the agency in its over two decades of operation. In January 2026 alone, at least nine people have been killed directly by DHS or died in their custody. Additionally, an October 2025 investigation revealed a pattern of sexual assault and forced labour targeting transgender and queer detainees at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
And still, they go. It was important enough to divest from ICE and pay to help those in need, but it’s still important enough to sidle up to those holding ICE’s strings and causing the harm?
Never mind, this administration is far weaker and needs the positive PR far more than the Dodgers need a pat on the head. However, the above conduct is not apparently disqualifying for the Dodgers to embrace by visiting the White House. Hence, the Useful Idiots Revisited.
Again, it’s not a question of politics. Establishment opposition members like Charles Schumer of New York and Adam Schiff of California are more likely to write a concerned social media post rather than use the limited parliamentary tools at their disposal to try and slow, much less stop, this horrible train or fight on anyone’s behalf.
No one is coming to save us, so let’s save ourselves. If the organization is going to handwave its failings away, there is no reason for anyone to willingly accept it.
Purely on a sports level, every team that embraces this administration faceplants in almost comedically predictable fashion. The New York Knicks invited President Trump to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, snarling traffic for hours. The Knicks lost their only game of the series. President Trump bragged about intervening with FIFA on the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team’s behalf, torching the goodwill generated by the tournament almost instantaneously, and of course, the team got eliminated in almost comedic fashion in short order.
To paraphrase a great man, “Baseball, like some other sports, poses as a sacred institution dedicated to the public good, but it is actually a big, selfish business with a ruthlessness that many big businesses would never think of displaying.”*
With all the above as a prelude, Dave Roberts’ declaration is wrong. Whether he and other players who parrot this line are wrong out of ignorance or complicity is an open question for their respective consciences.
Respecting the highest office in our country only makes sense if the person in that office is honorable under normal circumstances. It does matter who is in the nation’s highest office when all norms that enable the best ideals of this country are being shredded in the face of rapidly encroaching authoritarianism.
When law-abiding citizens are being abducted or shot in the street with impunity, there is no law. There is no point in adhering to norms when doing so allows fascism to further entrench itself. To paraphrase one of cinema’s coldest lines, if the norm led you to this moment, what use was the norm?
If the Dodgers want to continue betraying the ideals Dave Roberts professes to adhere to in another act of grievous self-sabotage, that’s on them and everyone involved. The people of Los Angeles and those who love this team do not have to take this, in both figurative and literal terms, lying down.
Life is not a spectator sport*
I dreaded this story for a single personal reason, apart from any potential threat to my health or livelihood. Last year’s betrayal by the Dodgers should have been a personal dealbreaker.
If we are being honest, if you were sickened by what happened because of last year’s visit, got angry, and then kept watching as if nothing had happened, you are not alone, because that behavior is what the organization was counting on. However, I compromised, held my nose, explained it away, and carried on.
The Dodgers collectively bent their knee to an incompetent, racist, authoritarian, and that failure did not prevent me from following the Dodgers around three different countries on two different continents or visiting Dodger Stadium in 2025.
There are things one should not compromise, and in the name of mild cowardice and expediency in 2025, I did. To be fair, most people buckle under a true test of their principles.
I can’t speak for you, nor do I have the right.
But me personally, yes, I was wrong.
I apologize. I am ashamed of my complicity. That failure is something I have had to live with, grapple with, and try to do better. However, to paraphrase a great man, there’s no American in this country who’s free until every one of us is free.*
The thing with mistakes, though, is that if one avoids the sunk cost fallacy, the best time to fix a mistake is well before it happens; the second-best time to fix it and make amends is right now.
To address the elephant in the room, I do not live in Los Angeles, and I have not for 25 years. I am an out-of-towner whose life took him in a different direction than originally intended. While I may be an outsider, I have nothing to gain and everything to lose by making this appeal. I proceed because it’s the right thing to do.
No one is coming to save us, so let’s save ourselves.
If last year’s appeal to decency did not work, it is time to hit the Dodgers in the pocketbook, where they actually feel it, and keep at it until we get through. If the Dodgers persist in this insult, I call on all Dodgers fans to boycott Dodger Stadium and close your wallets. The dent in the pocketbook is the only way for fans to make their voices heard.
If nothing else, this team is beholden to optics and is quite proud of having brought in over four million fans for the first time last year. If Dodger Stadium is even slightly emptier, that result will show, and the team will likely not repeat its record attendance marks.
However, I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.*
I learned a long time ago, you do the right thing because it’s right; not for reward, or glory, but for the continued ability to look yourself in the mirror and know that last inch of yourself. To fight for the core value that is you, which is for you and you alone.
If you, dear reader, feel as I feel, then I encourage you to stay home or, barring that, join me on the road. Personally, being a road fan is infinitely more enjoyable than just visiting Dodger Stadium, but each to their own. After all, showing up elsewhere feeds other teams’ coffers.
There is one more thing you can do to show your protest, and that act, for me, serves as my penance for my failure last year. Various petitions are popping up urging the Dodgers not to go to the White House. While well-meaning, the team will likely continue to ignore these efforts.
During the past year, I have learned that organizations tend to overreact to phone calls and physical letters.
To conclude this essay, I have provided a letter that one can print and mail to the attention of Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Lon Rosen and Vice President, Communications, Jon Weisman, at Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Or one can call 1-866-DODGERS, X9, and recite the letter below. It should fit on a single page, with space on the other side for people to add their own anecdotes if needed.
Now is the time to cause some good trouble.
If you are with me, let us share this essay far and wide, get these letters in the mail, get the word out, and turn up the heat. However, if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government and the Dodgers’ complicity in this matter remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow this essay and the following measures to pass unmarked.
An open letter to the Dodgers
Dear Mr. Rosen, Mr. Weisman, or whomever it may concern:
My name is __________________, and I have been a fan of the Dodgers for many years now. Some of my most important memories are linked to this team, Dodger Stadium, and this city. Being a Dodgers fan is one of the most important things in my life.
On January 31, Manager Dave Roberts announced that he and the Dodgers would attend the White House to meet with President Trump again to celebrate the Dodgers’ repeat as World Champions. What Mr. Roberts and the players who join him do on their own time is up to them and their respective consciences.
It was bad enough, and frankly unforgivable enough, when the Dodgers visited President Trump in 2025, and then turned around to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day as if the organization had not just set its own historic reputation on fire.
Still, I watched games, I spent money, I supported this team.
It should have been a dealbreaker then, but it’s going to be a dealbreaker now.
While we were spared the indignity of another White House visit on Jackie Robinson Day due to scheduling conflicts, this organization has unfortunately decided to set all the goodwill it has earned on fire again, while the team is on the East Coast to start the second half.
This letter strongly urges the Dodgers’ organization as a whole not to dignify this administration. Under normal times, no one would care, and frankly, it would not and should not matter who the president is. A White House visit would be a moment to add to the organization’s scrapbook.
These are not normal times. You denied United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement entry to Dodger Stadium to use the stadium’s parking lots for raids last year. Clearly, you had a reason.
I am mindful that some on the team will happily clap like seals in support of the administration. They must answer to their conscience and their higher power, as applicable.
This administration, this president, is leading the country down the road to fascism. This lawless pack of thieves is doing its best to raid the treasury, abduct and kill our friends and neighbors (both of color and otherwise) at will, while terrorizing the citizens of Los Angeles and elsewhere, and while bringing out the worst in everyone.
The Dodgers as a whole, expressing public support for their fans while serving as useful idiots to this man, is a contradiction I can no longer stomach.
If the Dodgers go to this White House in 2026, I will be gravely disappointed and will be forced to cease financially supporting this team. I will encourage others to stay away as well.
Dodger Stadium is considered one of the jewels of MLB. But my self-respect and doing the right thing are infinitely more valuable than whatever I would spend or do at Dodger Stadium.
If this team cannot see that simple, inalienable truth, then you are truly lost.
To quote Jackie Robinson, whom this team has seemingly forgotten: the most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity. There is no American in this country who’s free until every one of us is free.* If this organization wants to keep enabling those who would hurt, I will take my business elsewhere until this team makes amends to the community that it is both hurting and helping.
The time for contradictions is over. It’s time to make a stand. This organization proclaims itself as an organization for good and celebrates its history and place in the community — it’s time to act like it.
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to descend on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, July 14 to mark the 250th anniversary of America's founding. The game is set to air at 8 p.m. on FOX.
USA TODAY Sports wanted to dig a little deeper. Where did it all start for the All-Star Game starters?
Here's a look at the starting lineup for the American League All-Stars, and where they went to high school:
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels CF
High School: Millville Senior (NJ)
Highlights: Trout's career along the Jersey Shore is well documented. Initially a pitcher and a shortstop with Millville Senior, he switched to outfield, where he hit 18 home runs, a New Jersey record at the time. The Los Angeles Angels selected Trout with the 25th overall selection of the 2009 MLB Draft, prompting Trout to forgo a college commitment to East Carolina. Since his arrival into professional baseball, he's made 12 All-Star appearances, won three AL MVP awards, and is a 9-time Silver Slugger award winner.
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros DH
High School: None
Highlights: Alvarez hails from Cuba, and had to defect from Cuba in 2016 to establish residency in Haiti. That's where he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent before being traded later that year to the Houston Astros. Upon his arrival in the big leagues, Alvarez was unanimously named the AL Rookie of the Year, posting a .655 slugging percentage. He's also won a World Series with the Astros in 2022, along with earning All-MLB First Team honors that same year.
Shea Langeliers, Athletics C
High School: Keller (TX)
Highlights: Langeliers is one of two Keller grads starting in this year's All-Star Game, alongside Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Langeliers began catching as a sophomore in high school, hitting .369 with six home runs and 31 RBI. Langeliers passed on signing with the Toronto Blue Jays after they picked him in the 34th round, choosing to play collegiately at Baylor. After three largely successful seasons in Waco that included a spot with Team USA's Collegiate National Team, Langeliers was selected with the ninth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves.
Highlights: Caminero was not a traditional high school student, growing up in the Dominican Republic and starting to play baseball starting at 5 years old. At the age of 11, he played in an international baseball tournament held in the United States, getting on the radar of multiple big league clubs. In 2019, the Cleveland Indians signed him as an international free agent before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022.
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals SS
High School: Colleyville Heritage (TX)
Highlights: Witt's had the spotlight on him for years, starting with his largely successful high school career. At Colleyville, he hit .446 with 10 home runs as a junior, winning the High School Home Run Derby before being named Under Armour All-American Game MVP later that summer. As a senior, he hit .515 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, and 17 stolen bases, being named the Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the Year.
Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees RF
High School: Hamilton (AZ)
Highlights: Bellinger starred in the Phoenix metro area for Hamilton, earning team MVP as a junior and senior. His senior year, Bellinger hit .429 but had just one home run, adding nine doubles and a pair of triples. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the fourth round (124th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft, passing on a college commitment to Oregon. He signed over slot at $700,000.
Ben Rice, New York Yankees 1B
High School: Noble and Greenough (MA)
Highlights: Like Drake Baldwin on the National League side, Rice also played baseball and hockey in high school. Rice started out on junior varsity before working his way up to the varsity level, earning a scholarship to play at Dartmouth. With the Big Green, Rice had to thrive during summer leagues because of the Ivy League's cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The New York Yankees selected Rice in the 12th round (363rd overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers LF
High School: Hagerty (FL)
Highlights: Greene played with fellow big leaguer Vaughn Grissom in high school in the Orlando area, hitting .422 as a senior with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Originally committed to Florida, Greene passed on the Gators after being drafted with the fifth overall selection of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Greene has made three consecutive All-Star appearances, winning a Silver Slugger award last season.
Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays 2B
High School: Brighton (NY)
Highlights: Clement hails from upstate New York in the greater Rochester area, playing his high school ball for the Brighton Bruins. In high school career, Clement hit .472 and put together a senior year where he hit .528 with no strikeouts. He went undrafted and enrolled at Virginia partly on scholarship, helping the Cavaliers secure their first national title in 2015. In 745 at-bats in college, Clement struck out just 31 times. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays P
High School: Milton (GA)
Highlights: Cease starred at Milton in the Atlanta suburbs, leading the Eagles to a GHSA Class 6A title in 2013. As a junior, he pitched to a 9-0 record with a 0.81 ERA, striking out 100 in 69 1/3 innings. Entering his senior year, he was widely regarded as a top pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, but elbow issues during the season resulted in a sixth round selection by the Chicago Cubs.
Who is on the MLB All-Star rosters?
American League All-Stars
Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays P
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox P
Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers P
Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays P
Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians P
Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays P
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins P
Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees P
Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians P
Ranger Suarez, Boston Red Sox P
Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays P
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers P
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals P
Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers C
Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles C
Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox 1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 1B
Nick Kurtz, Athletics 1B
Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox 1B
Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians 2B
Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox 3B
Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers SS
Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners OF
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins OF
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF
Tristan Peters, Chicago White Sox OF
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox OF
Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays DH
National League All-Stars
Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates P
Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds P
Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies P
Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals P
Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves P
Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies P
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins P
Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers P
Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals P
Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks P
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves P
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates P
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants P
Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers P
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers P
William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers C
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies C
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies 1B
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves 1B
Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants 2B
Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds 3B
Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins SS
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks OF
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs OF
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals OF
James Wood, Washington Nationals OF
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals DH
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to descend on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, July 14, to mark the 250th anniversary of America's founding. The game is set to air at 8 p.m. on FOX.
USA TODAY Sports wanted to dig a little deeper. Where did it all start for the All-Star Game starters?
Here's a look at the starting lineup for the National League All-Stars, and where they went to high school:
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies DH
High School: Middletown (OH)
Highlights: Schwarber gets to lead things off for the NL in his home ballpark. During his four years at Middletown High School, he hit .408 with 18 home runs and 103 RBI, committing to Indiana and playing for the Hoosiers. After hitting .348 as a junior, Schwarber was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.
Juan Soto, New York Mets LF
High School: None
Highlights: Soto was not a high schooler in the Dominican Republic, signing with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in 2015. Naturally right-handed, Soto's father was influential in him making the switch to throw and hit left-handed. In the bigs, Soto has become a five-time All-Star, a four-time All-MLB First Team selection, and a World Series champion in 2019 with the Nats.
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers 1B
High School: El Modena (CA)
Highlights: Freeman is set to become a Hall of Famer, which can be attributed in part to where things started for him in high school. At El Modena, Freeman was a third basemen and a pitcher, earning the Orange County Register Player of the Year award in 2007. During his senior year, Freeman hit .417 and pitched to a 6-1 record on the mound. After the Atlanta Braves picked Freeman with the 78th overall selection in the 2007 MLB Draft, he signed and forwent his commitment to Cal State Fullerton.
CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals SS
High School: Blessed Trinity Catholic (GA)
Highlights: Abrams put together an impressive career at Blessed Trinity, hitting .431 with three home runs and 27 RBI to earn Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year honors in the Peach State. He also was a part of Team USA's U-18 team during their run in the Pan-American Championships, helping the stars and stripes secure gold. Abrams passed on enrolling at Alabama, signing with the San Diego Padres after they drafted him sixth overall in 2019.
Highlights: Muncy played in the heart of Texas at Keller, which is located in the Fort Worth suburbs. With the Indians, he led them to a 79-27 record, earning Under Armour All-American Honors in 2009. Muncy opted not to sign out of high school after being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 41st round that year, instead choosing to play at Baylor. With the Bears, Muncy hit .311 with 27 home runs before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft.
Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves 2B
High School: None
Highlights: Albies did not find his way to high school, signing with the Atlanta Braves for $350,000 as an international free agent at 16 years old. He started playing baseball at 6 years old, and started to switch hit when he turned 13, something that still exists in his game today. In the pros, Albies has been selected to four All-Star Games, won a pair of Silver Slugger awards, and has a World Series title with the Braves.
Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies RF
High School: Buford (GA)
Highlights: Marsh was born and bred in the Atlanta suburb of Buford, starring there as a multi-sport athlete. During his senior year, Marsh hit .559 and was named the Region 8-AAAA PLayer of the Year in the Peach State. He forwent a commitment to Kennesaw State after being picked in the second round (60th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels.
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers CF
High School: None
Highlights: Pages was not a traditional high school student, starring in Cuba during his teens. He hit .364 in 161 plate appearances in the 15U league in 2015, eventually defecting and winding up in the Dominican Republic in 2018. From there, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $300,000 before making his MLB debut in 2024.
Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves C
High School: Madison West (WI)
Highlights: Baldwin hails from the Badger State, playing his high school ball in the heart of Madison. Baldwin parlayed baseball in with ice hockey, leading the state of Wisconsin with 43 goals in 2018 as a center and left winger. On the baseball field, Baldwin hit .324 as a senior, ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit in the state. He played his college ball at Missouri State before being selected by the Braves in the third round (96th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies P
High School: None
Highlights: The starter for the National League took the international route coming out of the Dominican Republic, signing with the Tampa Bay Rays for $65,000 at the age of 16 in 2013. After being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019, he's pitched to a 41-25 record with a 3.12 ERA, putting together an excellent 2025 campaign that's continued into 2026, with a WAR of 13.5.
Who is on the MLB All-Star rosters?
American League All-Stars
Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays P
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox P
Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers P
Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays P
Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians P
Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays P
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins P
Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees P
Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians P
Ranger Suarez, Boston Red Sox P
Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays P
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers P
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals P
Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers C
Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles C
Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox 1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 1B
Nick Kurtz, Athletics 1B
Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox 1B
Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians 2B
Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox 3B
Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers SS
Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners OF
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins OF
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF
Tristan Peters, Chicago White Sox OF
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox OF
Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays DH
National League All-Stars
Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates P
Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds P
Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies P
Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals P
Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves P
Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies P
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins P
Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers P
Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals P
Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks P
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves P
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates P
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants P
Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers P
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers P
William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers C
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies C
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies 1B
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves 1B
Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants 2B
Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds 3B
Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins SS
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks OF
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs OF
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals OF
James Wood, Washington Nationals OF
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals DH
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
The first half of the 2026 season is in the books. Well, technically, we already passed by the 81-game mark a bit ago, but you get what I mean — the All-Star break is here and the Yankees sit in a decent position, atop the Wild Card standings and three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. That’s not nearly as ideal as their playoff picture looked at the start of June, but a lot has happened in a short time and especially after the train wreck stretch that they were on just a week ago being three games out feels not too bad.
Unfortunately, the Rays have proven to be consistent thorns in their sides and won’t roll over anytime soon, so it’s going to be a slog getting through the rest of the season fighting for every game the Yankees can claw back in the standings. Will the break help to reset the team and give them fresh legs after what has been a poor start to their summer? Will we start to hear any concrete rumors about moves they could make to upgrade the team? What should the biggest takeaway from the first half of the year be? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of July 16th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Ryan Tayman was born San Luis Obispo, California, the son of Lauri Tayman, who played softball at Wilfrid Laurier University during her time there. Growing up in Grover Beach, he attended the nearby Arroyo Grande High School and was a three-year letterman there, mainly playing first base, third base, and catching. In his senior year, he hit .453/.570/.800 in 28 games, logging 8 doubles and 6 home runs while drawing 19 walks and striking out 9 times. He did not stand out much in the baseball hotbed that is California and generated very little buzz among scouts and evaluators. When the 2023 MLB Draft came, his name was not called and he put his professional dreams on hold to attend the University of California, Berkeley, the only D1 team that had tendered a collegiate offered to him.
In his first year with the Golden Bears, Tayman appeared in 21 games, logging 67 at-bats, and hit .254/.306/.552 with 2 doubles, 6 home runs, and 4 walks to 28 strikeouts. Following the conclusion of the season, he got into a few more games with the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League and performed about the same in roughly the same amount of games.
He returned to Berkeley in 2025 for his sophomore season and did a bit better in his second spring in the program. Now a SEC team rather than a PAC-12 team, Tayman appeared in 39 games for the Golden Bears and hit .274/.345/.476 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, and 9 walks to 35 strikeouts. Once again, he supplemented his playing time by playing on a summer collegiate team, this time the Willmar Stingers in the Northwoods League, where he was an all-star, hitting .324/.402/.533 in 28 games with 7 doubles, 5 home runs, and 14 walks to 21 strikeouts.
Rather than return to Berkeley for a third season, Tayman opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He received numerous offers from high profile teams, but the offer from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo meant more to him than most. Having grown up in San Luis Obispo, spent many summer afternoons and weekends at Baggett Stadium, and attended baseball clinics run by head coach Larry Lee, attending the school that was his #1 out of high school just made sense; the fact that the Mustangs needed a catcher because incumbent backstop Jack Collins had been drafted by the Texas Rangers and was going to sign was just icing on the cake.
Everything clicked for the backstop and his 2026 junior season was truly magical. Appearing in 63 games for his hometown team, with the stands often packed with friends and family, Tayman hit .357/.447/.672 with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 18 home runs, and 31 walks to 50 strikeouts, getting named to the 2026 Buster Posey Award Midseason Watchlist featuring the top 50 NCAA Division 1 catchers in the country.
At the plate, the 6’2”, 225-pound slugger stands slightly crouched and slightly open, holding his hands low at the letters. While with the Bears and earlier in the year with the Mustangs, he held his hands high and wrapped his bat behind his head at 1:30. The changes to his set-up at the plate have helped him unlock a new level of power he had not shown at Berkley. He is shorter and more direct to the ball, and while lowering hands often sacrifices power in exchange for bat control, Tayman has increased the angle of his swing to not lose power. Indeed, in 2026, the backstop had a 17.5% strikeout rate, down nearly 10% as compared to his prior two years, and a 10.8% walk rate, up roughly 5% as compared to the prior two years. While not purely a fastball hitter, he is considerably better against fastballs than he is other secondary stuff, either fishing at pitches outside of the zone or unable to make solid contact and barrel them thanks to his swing plane. Despite that, the changes have certainly been more beneficial than not, as they allowed him to maximize balls hit in the air, especially to his pull side, with his flyball rate jumping over 10% from 42.6% in 2024 and 2025 to 53.1% in 2026, logging a 17.6% HR/FB rate on the year.
Behind the plate, Tayman has had less success. Most scouts and evaluators don’t feel that he will be forced to move off of the position anytime soon, as he is mobile, a good receiver, blocks the ball well, and is adroit at managing pitchers and their strengths and weaknesses, but his arm is below-average for a catcher, lacking arm strength and accuracy; as such, runners attempted to steal on him often, and Tayman managed only a 22% success rate, allowing 60 of 77 runners to successfully steal off of him.
After 30 years of waiting, MLB’s Midsummer Classic has returned to Philadelphia. Replete with six Phillies participating, including their two biggest stars in Monday night’s Home Run Derby, the center of the baseball world resides in the City of Brotherly Love through Tuesday night’s All Star Game.
And this time around, the Phils are prominently featured.
It’s been a minute since the city last hosted this spectacle, and to say the 2026 Phillies are different from the 1996 group that slogged their way through a brutal last place finish in one of the worst seasons in franchise history is like saying tofu and ground beef are different.
Below is an article I wrote back in 2014, remembering one of the most depressing nights I’ve ever experienced as a baseball fan — the night a dilapidated Veterans Stadium hosted the biggest stars in baseball, and virtually none of them played for the hometown nine.
***
I would like to submit that the 1996 season was the most depressing season in recent Philadelphia Phillies history.
As bad as this season has been, it doesn’t hold a candle to ’96. After all, we are watching a core that won a World Series in 2008, got to another one in 2009, and made five straight playoff appearances. Those memories, although they grow a bit fainter each day, are still strong.
The Phillies are also officially a big budget team now. Even though it’s hard to imagine this team being competitive in the next two or three years, it is conceivable that, once some of these big salaries are off the books, some key international signings are hopefully made and a couple more draft classes are brought into the farm system, the Phils could be good again soon.
Plus, fans still get to see games at beautiful Citizens Bank Park, one of the crown jewels of Major League Baseball.
In 1996, none of that was true.
The Phillies played at the decrepit Vet, on its very last legs at that point. Their payroll of $30.4 million was 16th in baseball, and although the team won the National League pennant in 1993, the strike of ‘94 killed the sport for many Phils’ fans, leading to a malaise and lack of enthusiasm that was almost stifling for the few of us who actually still deeply cared about the franchise and the sport.
That season, the Phillies finished 67-95, and in last place in the National League East, 29 games out of first. This was their starting lineup:
Benito Santiago – C
Gregg Jefferies – 1B
Mickey Morandini – 2B
Kevin Stocker – SS
Todd Zeile – 3B
Pete Incavaglia – LF
Ricky Otero – CF
Jim Eisenreich – RF
Lenny Dykstra was limited to 40 games, while Darren Daulton played just five. Stalwarts like Mark Whiten, Wendell Magee, Kevin Sefcik, Mike Benjamin, David Doster, Desi Relaford and Bobby Estalella littered the injury-filled roster, as only three players (Santiago, Morandini and Zeile) played more than 130 games. The only positives were the camero appearances of Mike Lieberthal, who played 50 games, and late-season call-up Scott Rolen, who played 37 games. And, of course, the presence of young sparkplug Ruben Amaro Jr. made viewing the games all worthwhile.
But if you think that was bad, check out this pitching staff.
A human being named Rich Hunter made 14 starts that year and, in all, 15 pitchers started games for them, including Sid Fernandez, Russ Springer, Matt Beech, David West, Bobby Munoz, Calvin Maduro, Glenn Dishman, Carlos Crawford and Rafael Quirico.
The bullpen consisted of many of those same names, as well as Toby Borland, Ken Ryan, Steve Frey, Ron Blazier, Jeff Parrett, Dave Leiper, and the some other guys best left to being remembered on the next The Dirty Inning podcast.
Oh, and the Phils’ lone All-Star representative that year, was Ricky Botallico.
So consider, it’s mid-July, you’re still reeling from the stink of the strike, and the Phils are the worst team in baseball. They’re sending one lonely relief pitcher to the All-Star Game which, for reasons passing understanding, is being played IN PHILADELPHIA, AT THE VET.
The Midsummer Classic, being played in Philadelphia for the first time since 1976, would feature just one player from its host city, a relief pitcher, who would likely just see one inning of work.
And yet I watched. I watched the whole thing. Because I’m a sicko.
Of course, the scene was set right from the start. Bunting lined the cracked edifice of the walls and stands, and the Phils’ 1980s video board in center field shown brightly in the glare of network TV. Philadelphia also played home to the stars that weekend, as TV’s “Frasier,” Kelsey Grammar, sang the National Anthem.
Sarah McLachlan also sang the Canadian National Anthem, and Joe Carter was booed by the Vet crowd when he was introduced before the game.
I told you, this game had everything.
The one positive note was the performance of Dodgers‘ catcher, and Philly-area native, Mike Piazza, who was named MVP of the game after clubbing a long home run and going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Back in 2011, The Good Phight did a quick recap of Ricky Bottalico’s performance, one that you probably missed if you blinked for any reason.
1996 – Ricky Bottalico, rhp: NL 6, AL 0. Bottalico pitched a scoreless 5th inning in front of his hometown. He might have faced the minimum number of batters, but for Ken Caminiti’s throwing error on Brady Anderson’s grounder. Clearly, the NL manager should have left Chipper Jones in at third, but well, the guy left a lot to be desired. But for being a hometown hero and for preserving the shutout by overcoming his teammates’ mistakes without being rattled or showing them up, no better reward than *****!
You can watch Ricky Bo’s entire inning right here if you’re a sicko.
After that, a lot of National League All-Stars that were not Phillies beat up on the AL team, 6-0. It was about as miserable as an All-Star Game hosted by your favorite team’s city and stadium could possibly be.
If you’re interested in watching all of this monstrosity, YouTube has it.
I would argue you’d be better served going outside and touching grass, but to each their own.
The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
It’s the first Home Run Derby in Philadelphia since the Phillies inaugurated Citizens Bank Park in 2004. The former Veterans Stadium hosted the 1996 derby, which was won by Barry Bonds.
Citizens Bank Park has featured 121 home runs this season as of July 13, and Statcast says it’s the fifth-friendliest park in 2026 for longballs. Track all regular-season homers at the park so far:
The eight-man field for the 2026 derby includes two Phillies players, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. They have combined for 29 home runs in Citizens Bank Park this season, with Harper at 10 and Schwarber at 19.
However, there isn’t much home field advantage in the derby — out of the 39 Home Run Derbies, just three have been won by a player whose home stadium was that year’s host. But one of those three was Harper, who won the 2018 derby while on the Washington Nationals.
The other six players are Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox.
This year’s Home Run Derby will consist of a three-round format. In the first round, players will have 20 swings to hit as many home runs as they can. The top four will advance to a head-to-head second round, and the two winners from that round will face off in the final.
