Fifth in the series.Today we look at the Cubs’ new third baseman.
Alex Bregman should need no introduction. The Cubs wanted to sign him last year but were unable to close the deal. They made up for it this year, signing the free agent to a massive five-year, $175 million contract.
Bregman has won two World Sries championships with the Houston Astros and wears No. 3 with the Cubs, saying that he chose the number because he wants to win a third one. Bregman didn’t sign with the Cubs to get a haircut, to paraphrase a famous former Cub.
He’s well-known for his leadership skills and says he lives for his family and to win baseball games. It already looks like he’s found a comfort zone with the team and his responsibilities, and he’s been seen around town — notably at a Blackhawks game where he wore a red jersey with his number and name on it.
Bregman may not be up to his 2018-19 peak, where he amassed 7.6 and 8.9 bWAR seasons, but he can be penciled in for somewhere around 30 HR/100 RBI/100 walks if he plays a full season. His lifetime slash of .272/.365/.481, with his four MVP nominations and three All-Star Game appearances, speak to his excellence. He also has a Gold Glove from his 2024 season in Houston and a Silver Slugger from his superlative 2019 campaign.
He is perhaps a step below former teammate Kyle Tucker as far as offensive production, but his defense, leadership, and more outgoing personality should serve him well in his Chicago tenure. He is also well-aware of how the power alleys at Wrigley work, and will be aiming at that left-center zone with regularity.
He is also social-media savvy, with his own YouTube Channel and activity on Instagram, and gives good interview.
Last year’s third baseman, Matt Shaw, is penciled in as a utility man and will back up Bregman and Nico Hoerner, and probably log some time in the outfield. Bregman will likely mentor Shaw some, but his primary job is to eye those fences, looking for the jewelry.
Fangraphs’ 2025 spray chart shows that Bregman hits the ball from line to line, and, as a right-handed hitter, favors the left side of the park — his home runs are mostly from center-left, which is ideal.
This should be fun. He’ll hit 2,3,or 4, depending on who’s pitching, leading off, etc. I’ve seen the Cubs ranked as high as #2 in the NL Power Rankings — they’re definitely a contending team, and Bregman’s work will go a long way toward determining how that goes.
Organized professional baseball has been played in Kansas City since 1884, when the Kansas City Unions of the Union Association took the field. Despite this long history, the city has been light in witnessing baseball milestones.
Organized professional baseball has been played in Kansas City since 1884, when the Kansas City Unions of the Union Association took the field. Despite this long history, the city has been light on witnessing baseball milestones.
Not a single pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics threw a no-hitter at Municipal Stadium. The first two no-hitters in Royals history were thrown on the road. Neither franchise has had—or ever will have—a 300-game winner. The closest Kansas City came was Gaylord Perry, who pitched the final 14 games of his career here. George Brett remains the only Royal to eclipse 3,000 hits, and he recorded the milestone hit on the road—then promptly got picked off first base. The city has never had a 500-career home run hitter, save for Harmon Killebrew’s final 106 career games in 1975.
Of the notable milestones reached in Kansas City ballparks, one of the first occurred on June 26, 1947, when Carl DeRose—once the Yankees’ top pitching prospect—begged his manager for one more start. DeRose, a Milaca, Minnesota native, made his debut with the Amsterdam Rug Makers, the Yankees’ Class A affiliate, in 1942 and, at age 19, promptly went 19–6. Armed with what was described as a heavy fastball, DeRose was labeled the next Bob Feller.
World War II interrupted his ascension, costing him the next three years to military service. While pitching for a military team, DeRose threw a three-hit complete-game victory over Satchel Paige’s All-Star team. He appeared poised to make his Yankees debut, but a broken knuckle sent him to the Kansas City Blues for the 1946 season. DeRose went 12–6 and seemed ready for his breakthrough, but the baseball gods had other ideas.
He injured his shoulder on a cold, snowy day in Denver and was never the same. Experimental surgery loomed—the only chance to save his once-promising career. Thus, on that June evening in 1947 against the Minneapolis Millers, DeRose begged his manager for one last game. He gutted his way through nine innings, often with tears of pain streaming down his cheeks. Twenty-seven batters up, twenty-seven batters down. Carl DeRose, missing his once-prodigious fastball, threw the first nine-inning perfect game in American Association history at Municipal Stadium.
DeRose spent a couple more seasons bouncing around the Yankees’ minor league system before leaving the game after the 1950 season at age 27. He later played independent league ball in Iowa and Minnesota but never got the opportunity to toe a major league rubber.
On July 11, 1960, local fans—30,619 of them—got to see the game’s biggest stars when the Major League All-Star Game was played at Municipal Stadium. The contest featured 18 future Hall of Famers and was won by the National League, 5–3. The NL stars wasted no time. Willie Mays led off the game with a triple down the right-field line and scored on a Bob Skinner single. With two outs, Ernie Banks smashed a two-run home run. In the second inning, Del Crandall added another long ball to make it 4–0.
The Junior Circuit got on the board in the sixth inning and made it respectable in the eighth when Al Kaline cranked a two-run homer. Bud Daley was the only member of the Athletics selected and entered to a rousing ovation to pitch the ninth inning. He struck out Vada Pinson and Orlando Cepeda, and retired Roberto Clemente on a lineout. Daley later called the appearance the greatest thrill of his career. The game was also notable as the final All-Star Game for Ted Williams and the first for Clemente and Brooks Robinson.
On August 27, 1962, Municipal Stadium hosted the 36th—and final—Negro League East-West All-Star Game, a 5–2 victory for the West. It was the only Negro League All-Star Game hosted by Kansas City, which is notable given that the Negro Leagues were formed just a few blocks north of the stadium at the Paseo YMCA. Willie Hardwick of the Kansas City Monarchs homered in the second inning to spark the West. The East squad struggled defensively, committing five errors that led to four unearned runs. Another Monarch, pitcher Sherm Cottingham, earned the win. During the fifth inning, former Monarch Jackie Robinson was honored with a key to the city, and Satchel Paige and several other former Monarchs were also introduced.
On July 13, 1963, Early Wynn of the Cleveland Indians pitched five innings against the Kansas City Athletics to secure his 300th career victory in a 7–4 win. At 43, Wynn was the oldest player in the majors and became just the 14th pitcher to reach the milestone. He made his major league debut in 1939 as a 19-year-old with the Washington Senators and missed the entire 1945 season due to military service. His best years came with Cleveland, where he won at least 20 games in four different seasons. Wynn spent five seasons late in his career with the Chicago White Sox before returning to the Indians for the sole purpose of winning game No. 300. The victory against Kansas City proved to be the final win of his career, leaving him with a 300–244 record and a 3.54 ERA. That Athletics roster included an 18-year-old Tony La Russa, who appeared as a pinch runner. Future Royal Moe Drabowsky took the loss for Kansas City.
In a desperate attempt to boost attendance, Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley declared September 8, 1965, “Campy Campaneris Night.” The promotion centered on Campaneris playing all nine positions against the Los Angeles Angels. The stunt drew 21,576 fans to Municipal Stadium, and the 23-year-old Campaneris delivered a memorable performance. He started at shortstop before moving, in order, to second base, third base, left field, center field, right field, first base, pitcher, and finally catcher.
Things grew heated in the ninth inning when future Royal Ed Kirkpatrick led off with a single. Kirkpatrick promptly stole second, moved to third, and then attempted to steal home. Campaneris caught the pitch from another future Royal, Aurelio Monteagudo, and applied the tag as Kirkpatrick barreled into him in an effort to dislodge the ball. Campaneris held on for the final out and appeared ready to brawl before being restrained by José Cardenal, who also happened to be his cousin. Campaneris was removed from the game and taken to St. Luke’s Hospital with a shoulder injury. The Angels won, 5–3.
Next week, we’ll look at milestones achieved at Royals/Kauffman Stadium.
Former Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay turns 49 today.
Overbay was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 1999 draft. He had a couple of brief stints in the majors in 2001 and 2002 before making the team out of spring training in 2003, having been ranked Baseball America’s 65th-best prospect. However, he struggled at the plate and was sent back to the minors after 86 games. In December 2003, Arizona traded him to the Brewers as part of a ten-player deal. The biggest name headed to the Diamondbacks was slugger Richie Sexson, who unfortunately played only 21 games for Arizona in an injury-plagued 2004 season.
Overbay went on to have two solid seasons with Milwaukee before being dealt to the Blue Jays, along with Ty Taubenheim, in exchange for Dave Bush, Gabe Gross, and Zach Jackson. Bush would go on to win 46 games (while losing 53) over five seasons with the Brewers, Gross posted a .251/.357/.440 line across parts of three seasons, and Jackson pitched 42 innings for Milwaukee. All things considered, that looks like a win for Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.
The trade was the subject of the second-ever post on this site—Marc Normandin gave the deal his
He’s a great defensive first baseman, one of the best in the league. He hits well for a first baseman but lacks home run power. Though he makes up for it with doubles, his plate patience is good. Acquiring Overbay most likely means that Shea Hillenbrand or Eric Hinske is on their way out of Toronto. The good news? The Jays may get a helpful part in exchange for one of them, which would be a plus.
In 2006, he hit .312/.372/.508 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI in 157 games. He set his career highs for home runs, RBI, and batting average and finished fourth in the AL in doubles with 46.
After the season, JP signed Lyle to a 4-year, $24 million contract. Unfortunately, the contract didn’t help make him a favourite with Jays fans. mark w wasn’t sure about the signing at the time.
My views on this signing are somewhat mixed. At first glance, it is a thrifty signing, as the Blue Jays lock up a somewhat gifted hitter at a relatively low price. On the other hand, however, couldn’t the Blue Jays have waited another season, thus hedging their bets? I can’t imagine that Overbay’s value will skyrocket at this point in his career, especially considering he’s a likely candidate to “age quickly” — at least based on the career trends of statistically similar players from the past. Ultimately, I don’t think this contract will come back to bite them, if only because of its low cost to the organisation. And Overbay appears to be a safe bet for at least the next 2-3 years.
Of course, the trade did come back to bite the Blue Jays.
Lyle’s 2007 season was a tough one. He missed more than a month after breaking his hand on a pitch from John Danks on June 3. At the time of the injury, he was hitting .256/.332/.464, but finished the year at .240/.315/.391 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI. Hitting with a sore hand isn’t easy, but he still managed 30 doubles. That season, Lyle also had a pronounced reverse split, posting a .794 OPS against left-handers but only .676 against righties.
He bounced back in 2008, hitting .270/.358/.419 with 15 home runs, 32 doubles, and 69 RBI in 158 games. He even set a team record by reaching base 12 straight times at the end of May. However, he struggled badly against lefties, batting just .215/.285/.255—a concerning trend that would continue. Before 2008, he was decent against left-handers, but after that year, he just couldn’t hit them anymore.
Overbay put together another solid year in 2009, slashing .265/.372/.466 with 16 home runs (including his first walk-off homer, against the A’s in April), 35 doubles, and 64 RBI in 132 games. According to FanGraphs, he posted a 2.4 WAR—the best of his Jays tenure—and his fielding was rated much higher than in 2006. However, his struggles against lefties persisted (.190/.256/.278), and his platoon partner, Kevin Millar, didn’t fare any better against either side.
2010 was Lyle’s final season with the Jays, and it wasn’t his best. He hit .243/.329/.433 with 20 home runs (the second-highest total of his career), 37 doubles (his seventh consecutive season with at least 30), and 67 RBI in 154 games. Manager Cito Gaston was reluctant to platoon him, partly because Lyle was entering free agency and Cito was known for ‘doing right by his veteran players’—sometimes at the expense of winning games. Still, Lyle led AL first basemen in double plays (150) and assists (101), and collected his 1,000th career hit at the end of June.
After leaving Toronto, Overbay bounced around with the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Braves, Yankees, and Brewers before retiring after the 2014 season. He finished with a .266/.347/.429 career line, 151 home runs, and 675 RBI over 14 seasons—83 homers and 336 RBI came as a Blue Jay.
Happy Birthday, Lyle.
It is also Bob File’s birthday. He’s also 49.
Bob was a reliever with the Jays and had a very good rookie season in 2001, with a 3.27 ERA in 60 relief appearances and 74.1 innings, but some luck was involved. He only struck out 38 and walked 29. The .233 BABIP wasn’t repeatable. Over the next two seasons, he pitched 37 innings with a 6.08 ERA, which was the end of his major league career.
*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.
Well we are now officially through the first four rounds of our annual Community Prospect List, where A’s fans choose the prospect rankings instead of national media writers that don’t know the ins and outs of the Athletics’ farm system. After seeing the first three rounds end in obvious decisions, the fourth-best prospect voting was much closer. Left-hander Wei-En Lin came out on top though, securing the spot over the likes of more well-known names like Henry Bolte and Braden Nett.
Lin, a native of Taiwan, is just 20-years-old but has already begun turning heads in the A’s system. After he signed on with the Athletics during the 2024 international signing period for a decent chunk of change ($1.13 million), Lin immediately stepped into the Stockton Ports’ rotation and impressed in 50 innings, earning a promotion to High-A. His ascent last year didn’t stop there as he made it all the way to Double-A, albeit for just a quick cup of coffee with the Rockhounds. Lin has five pitches that look like they could be quality offerings with a bit more refinement. Scouts believe he’s going to grow into his frame more as he gets older, which should help him not only stay healthy for a six-month season, but should also add a few miles to his already quality fastball. Expect him to start the coming season in Double-A but a quick promotion to the final level of the minors shouldn’t be out of the question, with a September call-up to the big league squad absolutely on the table.
The next prospect that will join the nominees list and take Lin’s spot will be right-handed pitcher Steven Echavarria. A third-round pick back in 2023, Echavarria has had some bumps in the road during his first two years in the professional ranks thanks to questionable control on the mound. That said, he’s got a fastball to die for that can reach the upper 90’s and he pairs that with an above-average slider and a work-in-progress changeup. It’s important to remember that Echavarria is still young and has plenty of time to get his control issues under control. If he can manage to reign those problems in we could have a quality starter on our hands, and if not then a move to the bullpen could make his stuff play up even more.
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
The voting continues! Who do you got as the Athletics’ fifth-best prospect? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.
Bolte is a tooled-up athlete who continues to fill out his big 6-foot-3 frame. His impressive raw power continues to show up in the Minors, though there is still a real concern over his swing-and-miss and high strikeout rate as he continues to struggle with offspeed stuff out of the zone. The A’s have worked with him to revamp his swing in order to improve his bat path and cover more of the zone, which has produced slight improvements in those areas, though there is still plenty of work to be done.
Another shining tool for Bolte is his near-elite speed, which was on display last season as he swiped 46 bags. That speed also comes in handy on defense, combining that with a strong arm that makes him a solid outfielder at all three spots. Further refining is required, but he remains an exciting talent with a very high ceiling who continues to steadily advance through the system.
While working around the injuries, Nett has continued to show stellar velocity, touching as high as 99 mph in the Minor Leagues last season. He typically sits 95-97 mph and gets swing-and-miss up in the zone thanks to ample carry. He also throws a tight 81-84 mph slider that ran a 38 percent whiff rate in ’24 and a sharper 90-92 mph cutter that can catch hitters off guard. He’ll mix in an upper-70s curveball with more vertical drop and he’s scrapped a low-80s splitter in favor of a much more effective 88 mph kick-change that really neutralizes lefties.
Nett has some effort in his delivery, and the 2025 season (pre-trade) was the first time he’d posted a walk rate below 13 percent at any Minor League stop. Combine that with the early injury concerns, and it’s easy to think he could be a reliever eventually. But his arsenal is deep enough, and his stuff is promising enough — when combined with strides taken this season — to keep landing him in a starting role in the upper Minors.
It’s not often that teenage prospects launch home runs. But Colome has a tendency to get to that jumpy pop with frequency, consistently leveraging his swing well – so well in fact, that one evaluator mentioned the most recent occasion on which he saw an international prospect continually get to their launch point in such a manner was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Colome is a right-handed hitter with explosive hands and a solid contact rate, although he has been known to be a tad aggressive in the box as a means of getting to said power.
Something of an athletic marvel at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds at age 16, Colome is an agile athlete who shows a lot of lateral quickness. The fluidity of his movements and strong arm led to a Manny Machado comparison being hung on him defensively. Much like the seven-time All-Star, Colome may move off short as his frame fills out, but he’s a tremendously dedicated worker and has the feet, soft hands and instincts to stick at the premium position.
The A’s believe Echavarria’s stuff played better than the overall numbers might suggest. His fastball reached 98 mph and sat 95-96 with good ride up in the zone. The issue was struggling to command his arsenal when he would fall behind in counts. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, and his upper-80s changeup continues to improve. He also throws a two-seamer in the 92-93 mph range. He clearly dealt with some control issues, but the A’s are not at all sounding the alarm, instead patiently working with the teenager on adjustments.
Echavarria profiles as a starter for the long-term with his 6-foot-1 frame and sound delivery. Previously having shown an ability to consistently throw all of his offerings for strikes prior to the Draft, he will continue to work to rediscover that control in his second season of pro ball.
A switch-hitting shortstop, Montero has shown the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate, with his natural right-handed swing more direct to the ball, though his left-handed swing is more picturesque and he obviously gets more plate appearances from that side. He has the chance to hit for average and power, with a solid approach that has allowed him to walk more than he strikes out for much of the summer.
Last year, Montero was slower and less athletic, but attention to conditioning and nutrition has helped him get leaner and stronger. An average runner, Montero has the instincts and actions to stick at shortstop for a long time, with a solid and accurate arm. If his body gets bigger as he matures — he played all of 2025 at age 18 — he could move to the hot corner, but the A’s don’t see that in his future. What they are hoping for is that he comes to instructs this year and stays in the United States as one of the better prospects to come out of their Dominican academy in some time.
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Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay making your selections!
Braden Montgomery enters spring as Chicago’s top prospect and a cornerstone of Rebuild 2.0.
Spring Training is nearly here, and not a moment too soon for those of us shoveling snow from our driveways and scraping ice off the windshields. As the Sox pack up for Camelback Ranch, they have fresh validation that Rebuild 2.0 is stocking the system with real upside. MLB Pipeline’s updated Top 100 Prospects list dropped last week, and Chicago landed five names on it, tying them with the Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Marlins and Pirates. The Good Guys trail only two clubs, the Mariners (seven) and Guardians (six).
That presence also nudged the Sox into the organizational top 10 in regard to “prospect points,” where they finished tied with the Boston Red Sox at 214. While it’s not parade-worthy, it’s a modest and meaningful margin for a system that’s been steadily reshaped over the past two seasons.
Headlined by Braden Montgomery at No. 36, the White Sox have strong representation thanks to GM Chris Getz and a front office aggressively upgrading the farm through both trades and the draft. The switch-hitting outfielder, the crown jewel of the haul Boston sent back in the Garrett Crochet trade, heads into camp as the organization’s clear No. 1 prospect. He brings legitimate middle-of-the-order power potential from both sides of the plate and immediately slots in as one of the system’s most impactful offensive bets — something reflected in his rising stock across the industry.
The rest of the list underscores the system’s growing balance, particularly on the mound. Lefthander Noah Schultz (No. 49) and fellow southpaw Hagen Smith (No. 72) give the White Sox something few organizations can match: two left-handed hurlers with frontline-starter upside. Schultz’s size and angle have long intrigued evaluators, while Smith adds polish along with swing-and-miss ability. Together, they offer the South Siders a potential one-two punch anchoring a future rotation that actually stays in Chicago this time around instead of being shipped off for parts.
Position-player depth is no longer a punchline and comes in the form of hitters with varying journeys and timelines. Alongside Montgomery is Caleb Bonemer (No. 61), who vaulted up prospect lists after a breakout campaign that showcased emerging power and defensive versatility at shortstop and third base, culminating in a Single-A Carolina League MVP award. Meanwhile, Billy Carlson (No. 73) remains further away but is already earning industry-wide praise as a defensive darling. If everything clicks, the Sox may have an elite long-term answer in the middle of the diamond.
The momentum for Chicago’s prospects carried into this week as well, when The Athletic’s Keith Law released his own Top 100 Prospects list on Tuesday, and again, the White Sox were well represented. It was a stark contrast to ESPN’s rankings published on Wednesday, which featured only Bonemer (No. 34), Schultz (No. 96) and Carlson (No. 100), leaving off both Montgomery and Smith entirely. Law ranked Montgomery even higher than Pipeline did at No. 30 overall, while also including Bonemer (No. 44), Smith (No. 58), Carlson (No. 66) and Schultz (No. 95). The overlap between evaluators — our friends at ESPN not withstanding — only reinforces what’s becoming harder to dismiss: the Sox aren’t just accumulating names, they’re stacking up some genuine talent.
What makes all of this particularly encouraging is the context. A year ago, the White Sox graduated three hitting prospects to the big leagues in Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero. Rather than leaving a void, the system has maintained its stability with Braden Montgomery, Bonemer and Carlson on the offensive side, while Schultz and Smith form the backbone of the next wave of pitching. With camp about to open and the 2026 No. 1 draft pick looming, maybe, just maybe, things are finally looking up on the South Side.
A multi-sport athlete who also played football as well as baseball at Springboro High School in Springboro Ohio, Andrew Joseph “A.J.” Ewing really stood out on the diamond. A natural right-hander whose father had him learn how to swing from the left side as a kid, Ewing quickly began standing out not just as compared to his little league teammates, but also as compared to fellow travel ball and high school players. He earned All-Conference First Team honors in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons, earned All-Southwestern Ohio Conference honors in 2022 thanks to a .386 batting average to go along with 4 home runs, and was named Great Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year in 2023 after winning the triple crown, hitting .464 with 4 home runs and 37 RBI.
Ewing had a commitment to the University of Alabama but forwent it when he was drafted by the Mets the free agent compensation round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the 134th overall pick gained when Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers. The two sides agreed to a $675,000 signing bonus, roughly $200,000 above the MLB-assigned slot value of $483,000, and the promising outfielder became a professional. He was assigned to the FCL Mets to close out the summer and appeared in 7 games, hitting .286/.524/.357 in 14 at-bats with 1 double, 1 stolen base in as many attempts, and 5 walks to 6 strikeouts.
He remained in the complex when the 2024 season began and got off to a hot start. In 19 games for the FCL Mets, he hit .254/.422/.571 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 5 stolen bases in 6 attempts, and 19 walks to 22 strikeouts. He was promoted to the St. Lucie Mets in June and remained there for the rest of the season, hitting .228/.345/.344 in 71 games with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 13 attempts, and drew 44 walks to 87 strikeouts. All in all, he appeared in 90 games in 2024, hitting .233/.361/.390 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts and drew 63 walks to 109 walks.
He began the 2025 season in St. Lucie, but the 20-year-old did not stay there long. In 18 games, he hit .400/.506/.615 with 3 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts, and drew 15 walks to 10 strikeouts, earning a promotion to High-A Brooklyn at the end of April. Ewing hit the ground running in Coney Island and thrived where many players- especially left-handed hitters- have trouble. In 88 games for the Cyclones, Ewing hit .288/.387/.388 with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 44 stolen bases in 51 attempts, and drew 46 walks to 66 strikeouts. He was promoted to Double-A Binghamton in mid-August and finished the 2025 season there, hitting .339/.371/.430 in 28 games with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and drew 7 walks to 29 strikeouts. All in all, Ewing hit a combined .315/.401/.429 in 124 games between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A, hitting 26 doubles, 10 triples, 3 home runs, stealing 70 bases in 81 attempts, and drawing 68 walks to 105 strikeouts.
Ewing stands square at the plate, slightly crouched, holding his hands high and wrapping his bat behind his head at 9:30. As compared to 2024, Ewing is opened up at the plate a little more and has his hands a bit lower. He swings with a slight leg lift or toe tap timing mechanism and a minimal load and weight transfer. Ewing swings with intent, getting every iota of power from his 6’0”, 175-pound frame and average bat speed. The 20-year-old certainly has room to continue growing and adding muscle mass, something that he has dedicated himself towards doing this off-season, but even without, he is still capable of making surprisingly loud contact with his long, whippy strike. In his 71 games with the St. Lucie Mets in 2024, where publicly available statcast data exists, he registered multiple 100+ MPH exit velocity readings, averaging 88 MPH and peaking at 108 MPH. In his 18 games at the beginning of the season, he once again recorded multiple 100+ MPH readings, with an average of 90.6 MPH and a peak of 108.7 MPH.
The outfielder makes excellent swing decisions, not just relative to his youth and experience, but in general as well. He posted a 15.8% walk rate and 15.6% strikeout rate in his 96 combined games with St. Lucie and Brooklyn before bottoming out in his first taste of Double-A baseball, posting a 5.3% walk rate and 22.0% strikeout rate with the Rumble Ponies. While his numbers did trend in the wrong direction upon his promotion from Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn, Ewing is too good of a hitter to for such a drastic drop in walk rate to be indicative of a complete breakdown of his approach and eye as opposed to a small sample size at the end of long season in which he was one of the youngest players to play in the league. His increase in strike rate, however, may reflect a legitimate negative trend, as he showed weakness against breaking balls both in and out of the zone in Single-A and High-A, something likely exploited further by the more advanced pitchers in Double-A.
Ewing uses the entire field, pulling the ball at a 40.8% rate, going back up the middle at a 21.2% rate, and going to the opposite field at a 38.0% rate last season, numbers most identical to his 2024 season, which saw him going back up the middle a little more and going to the opposite field less. When combined with his 31.6% line drive rate, 40.3% groundball rate, and 28.2% flyball rate, it quickly becomes apparent where the young outfielder has room to improve. The majority of Ewing’s power is to his left side, so pulling and lifting the ball more would increase his potential power output from below-average to fringe-average.
Power is not Ewing’s carrying tool, though; speed is. The 20-year-old is one of the fastest sprinters in the system. Regularly posting plus speeds out of the box, a large preponderance of Ewing’s 114 singles were manufactured, the result of him busting out of the box. His 70 stolen bases were most in the Mets minor league system in 2025, 20 more than fellow speedster Nick Morabito in just six more games. His 86% success rate was also third-best among any player with 30 or more stolen bases in 2025, behind Boston Baro and his 93% success rate and D’Andre Smith and his 91%.
Ewing’s speed is also an asset on defense. Drafted as a shortstop and still technically listed as one, Ewing spent the majority of the 2025 season in center field, playing 76 games there. He also appeared in 15 games as a right fielder, 12 as a left fielder, and played 19 games at second base, but center is undoubtedly where he profiles best. In 2024, Ewing was much newer to the outfield and relied more on his speed to compensate for a lack of finesse, but in 2025, he was showing much improved reads of the ball of the bat and better routes to it. He closes in on the ball well, is exceptionally surehanded, and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately with an average-to-above-average arm. With further improvements, Ewing has the potential to be a legitimate average-to-above-average defensive center fielder.
2026 Mets Top 25 Prospect List
7) Jacob Reimer 8) Ryan Clifford 9) Will Watson 10) Jack Wenninger 11) Mitch Voit 12) Jonathan Santucci 13) Elian Peña 14) Zach Thornton 15) Nick Morabito 16) R.J. Gordon 17) Chris Suero 18) Dylan Ross 19) Ryan Lambert 20) Antonio Jimenez 21) Edward Lantigua 22) Eli Serrano III 23) Randy Guzman 24) Daiverson Gutierrez 25) Boston Baro
“Into the unknoooooown, into the unknooooooooooooooooown”
Francisco Renteria – 68 Gabriel Rincones – 49 Moises Chace – 24 Matthew Fisher – 13 Griff Burkholder – 5 Keaton Anthony – 5 Cade Obermueller – 4 Carson DeMartini – 4 Jean Cabrera – 1 Mavis Graves – 1
It’s hard to remember the last time the Phillies had signed an international prospect of this much acclaim. The ill fated Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (RIP) signing was the closest comparison and that wasn’t really anything compared to this.
The fact that Renteria was this highly rated and that the team was able to land him should reverse some of the criticism that should be levied at the international scouting department. They haven’t landed much of consequence lately and questions should have been raised about their continued lack of production in the area they are supposed to be experts. However, if Renteria should pan out, maybe some of that criticism can be waylaid to another time.
Renteria earned comparisons from one evaluator to Konnor Griffin, the Pirates’ 2024 first-round pick who ascended to No. 1 overall prospect status in his first year of pro ball. Others see even more in the tank for Renteria’s right-handed hit tool due to his advanced offensive approach and considerable bat speed. He’s presently a contact monster, which when coupled with his excellent understanding of the strike zone and his plus-plus raw power, leads to him having one of the highest offensive upsides in the 2026 international class.
Players who command significant signing bonuses and attention on the international scene are often physically ahead of their peers, a truism that Renteria fits to a tee. Scouts think the 6-foot-3 outfielder has the actions and all-around athleticism to stick in center field long-term. An above-average runner, Renteria impacts the game on the basepaths and utilizes those wheels and his long strides to run down the ball from gap-to-gap.
With each new post, we’ll reveal who won the voting for that particular slot, then post new players for you to vote on, adding another one to the list each time until we get to our final tally of 20. Once we get to 20 top prospects, we’ll do an honorable mention post at the end. If a player gets traded to another team, we’ll just chuck him right on outta here and all the players will move up a spot. If a prospect gets acquired, we’ll ask where he should go on the list.
Probably the most important thing about this whole process – please vote. Give us a few minutes of your time, just click a button and then we can discuss other players and things in the comment section, but don’t forget – VOTE!
Spring training: when the sunlight is bright and falls upon certain players more than others. A new pitch, a new swing, or a fresh face can all capture the attention of fans and writers alike eager to emerge from the cold tyranny of a baseball-less winter.
At Blue Jays spring training in 2022, Yosver Zulueta was that sensation, the buzziest pitching prospect that spring thanks to his big fastball and mysterious origins, having missed the first part of his career with a devastating back-to-back slate of injuries: first, Tommy John and then immediately after that recovery, an ACL tear. But his big fastball captivated crowds, especially on a Blue Jays staff of underwhelming velocity; MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson described clusters of fellow pitchers gathering to watch his bullpens, the deepest sign of respect for a fellow pitcher.
But spring training attention burns hot and fast. Zulueta, having missed such a significant chunk of developmental time, went to the low minors as a 24-year-old. Toronto promoted him aggressively up the minor-league ladder in 2022, jumping him from A ball clear up to Triple-A, but his command just never kept pace. He spent 2023 struck at Triple-A, never getting the call up for a Blue Jays bullpen that was one of the stronger units in baseball. A move to Cincinnati didn’t aid his command woes.
The Mariners will be the next team to try to help Zulueta (zoo-loo-etta) rein in the immense potential in his right arm. For all the talk about his big fastball, it’s the slider that has been more of a whiff-getter in the upper levels. It moves like a curveball, which Zulueta also throws, with some very late glove-side break that’s especially tough on righties.
TOR RHP Yosver Zulueta is debuting in High-A tonight. Still bumping upper-90’s easily and he just uncorked this slider. Filth. pic.twitter.com/djAzqpXfv4
With lefties, there’s a little bit of risk that slider can get right into the lefty loop zone. That puts a little more pressure on Zulueta’s sinker, which comes in around 96-97 but not always where he wants it to go.
A 9⃣7⃣ millas por hora la sinker de Yosver Zulueta para recetar ponche a Bryson Stott esta tarde 2/28.
El #cubano 🇨🇺 Zulueta tiró un entrada, con un abanicado y enfrentando al mínimo de bateadores.
If all this is giving you big time Carlos Vargas flashbacks, you’re not wrong. Vargas, also with primarily a sinker-slider arsenal, was a similarly stuff-y prospect the Mariners picked up in the Eugenio Suárez salary dump trade with Arizona, dazzling with high-velocity potential but very little sense of the strike zone. Like Zulueta, Vargas came with an option, and the Mariners banished him to work on his command in Triple-A Tacoma before giving him a longer look this season.
As Ryan pointed out in his 40 in 40 on Vargas this year, though, Vargas’s great stuff on paper has so far not translated to consistent success in the big leagues. But there is a key difference between the two. Vargas’s strikeout rate tanked in Triple-A with Arizona, and didn’t improve after a move to Seattle, even if his walk rate did calm down. Zulueta has reliably struck out 25-30% of hitters over his career. If the Mariners can successfully put him in The Machine and get him in the zone more, the upside to Zulueta is significant. And because of the delayed start to his career, Zulueta, despite being 27, still has a minor-league option.
And all of this hasn’t looked at the thing that brought Zulueta to the Blue Jays’ attention in the first place as an international free agent out of Cuba: his 98 mph four-seamer. The problem with the pitch is despite its plus velocity, it has meh characteristics: an IVB of under 10” and a horizontal break of under 13”, meaning it’s a fairly straight fastball. The sinker has less velo but more of a wrinkle in movement, which is why it’s his primary fastball, but the big four-seamer is certainly a pitch to dream on.
Zulueta will have another chance for a moment in the sun this spring. The Mariners preach being in the zone fervently, with pitch decks that present the statistics of being in advantage counts alongside testimonials from current players. How quickly Zulueta adapts to his new environment will play a key role in how much the sun shines on him this spring.
Santiago Espinal is fresh off a -1.4 bWAR season that saw him hit .243/.292/.282 overall in 328 PA with the Cincinnati Reds. Garrett Hampson, meanwhile, went just 3 for 19 in his short stint with Cincinnati last season as part of a three-franchise year where he hit .143/.250/.169 overall. Then, there’s Michael Chavis, who hasn’t had a single PA in Major League Baseball since 2023, and he hit just .242/.281/.341 with the Washington Nationals back then.
Espinal, who elected free agency after being outrighted at season’s end, was the primary utility infielder for the Reds in 2025. While Elly De La Cruz played just about every single inning at shortstop, Espinal got some time there (as well as at 2B when Matt McLain slid over to play short). So, that’s what’s gone from last season. Hampson played exactly one game at shortstop in his short stint with the Reds despite not having started a game at that position since his 2023 season with Miami, while Chavis – who spent 2025 in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons – has never played an inning of short at the big league level at any point.
That’s where the state of Cincinnati’s middle-infield depth sits right now, both in terms of what’s absent from last year and what’s been added to the fold since – a pair of 31 year olds who, truly, don’t have any business playing shortstop ever, and whose overall value defensively has never been jaw-dropping at the less important infield roles. Add in that none of them have ever really hit, and you begin to wonder what the hell the Reds are doing here.
We know the Reds want to get Elly a bit more rest in 2026, be it time off during day games or through rotating him at DH. The plan, I suppose, is to let McLain play short on those days, though that a) discounts that McLain looked like he needed plenty of days off last year and b) opens a hole at 2B that doesn’t have an obvious replacement (unless Sal Stewart suddenly becomes more capable defensively).
That sure doesn’t seem to vibe with the emphasis on defense the front office has espoused since acquiring glove-only 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (and his long-term contract) last summer. It seems obvious, then, that there’s a pretty decent need for a glove-y guy who can add value defensively up the middle, and it’s always a boon to the roster construction when that player can also switch-hit.
And, since you know where I’m going with this, there’s Edwin Arroyo right there on the 40-man roster who literally does all of that.
He’s right there! On the roster!
He’s also fresh off a short stint with the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rican Winter League play where he went 22 for 62 in 16 games (.355/.429/.468). That’s after he hit .284/.345/.371 on the whole with AA Chattanooga last year after losing 2024 to shoulder surgery, though he hit .296/.356/.402 from June 11th (the day he finally socked his first homer) through the end of the year – doing so with a minuscule 13.0% K-rate.
Arroyo is about as known a quantity defensively as it gets, a guy whose overall talent landed him on Top 100 prospect lists for three consecutive years before his shoulder injury and lost 2024. His glove was tabbed as the best in the 2024 edition of Arizona Fall League play by MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra as he emerged from his otherwise lost year. There’s a reason why, at the time, there was question whether it was Arroyo or Noelvi Marte who was actually the prize in the deal that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners years ago.
He lacks any time at AAA, which is likely something working against him in this Reds organization. Plenty of other teams – particularly Atlanta and Arroyo’s old club in Seattle – have made habits of promoting players to the majors directly from AA, though that’s not typically Cincinnati’s style. Still, he’s a year older right now than Elly was when he debuted and four months older than Sal – with over 250 more professional PA than Sal right now – so it’s not as if he’s too young and lacking any experience.
There’s a good argument to be made that sending him to AAA to begin 2026 is the prudent move, a move that continues to get him plenty of PA every single day as he continues to shake any and all rust off the totally lost 2024 season. I get that, and I know it’s what’s almost certain to happen. Still, we aren’t too far removed from the Reds suddenly deciding to get aggressive with Jonathan India for an Opening Day, and while everyday PA seem unlikely right now, it’s pretty clear that there’s a role available right now on the 26-man roster where Edwin profiles almost perfectly even if he never shows the world he’s any better – and, if he does, that’s another weapon the Reds have at their disposal from the first game of the season onwards.
Barring another move to cement the roster with an established utility infielder, it sure looks as if Arroyo will head to camp in Goodyear in two weeks with a chance to really show the club that he’s ready. And if he does, there’s no one more well suited than him who’ll be there to challenge for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The people have spoken and hyper-athletic outfielder Kahlil Watson is our No. 11 Cleveland Guardians prospect. Watson earned 30.6% of the vote, beating out Daniel Espino (20.4%), George Valera (16.7%) and Jace LaViolette (13.0%). Watson returns to the prospect rankings after missing out last year and being No. 18 in 2024.
Watson originally was drafted by the Miami Marlins 16th overall in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest High School in North Carolina. The season he was drafted, Watson made an immediate impact, slashing a ridiculous .394/.524/.606 over 42 plate appearances spanning nine games, good for a 199 wRC+.
In 2022, he debuted at full-season Single-A as a 19-year-old and he struggled, slashing .231/.296/.395 over 83 games with a 96 wRC+. Watson notably earned a suspension after he was ejected from a game for pointing his bat at the first-base umpire like it was a gun following a check-swing called third strike. He again struggled after being promoted to High-A in 2023 before Miami decided they were done with him, trading Watson to Cleveland in the Josh Bell deal.
In 2024, Watson spent his age-21 season at Double-A Akron, where he was slightly above average, slashing .220/.305/.407 with a career-high 16 home runs as Cleveland gave up on Watson as an infielder and transitioned him to a new position in the outfield. He repeated the 2025 at Akron, and finally started to break out, slashing .247/.337/.461 with a 134 wRC+ and earning a midseason promotion to Triple-A.
Perhaps most impressively, Watson continued to be above average despite his promotion to Triple-A, actually dropping his strikeout rate and increasing his walk-rate while improving his power while slashing .255/.358/.477 and stealing 10 bases in 43 games. He’s now knocking on the door to the MLB and was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster this past November. He has a great chance of making his MLB debut at some point this season should Chase DeLauter or George Valera falter or get hurt (knock on wood).
Now, it’s time to determine who is number 12 in the Guardians’ loaded farm system and you now have a whopping 10 players to choose from! Your options are below:
Impressed at the complex league, then hit the ground running in a late season promotion to Single-A before running out of steam late in his age-17 season. Loaded with potential.
Daniel Espino, RHP (Age 25) 2025 (AAA): Threw 0.2 innings in one start for Columbus at the end of the season. 2025 (AFL): 4 G, 4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.14 FIP, 33.3 K%, 14.2 BB%, 1.50 WHIP
Espino has long been an object of wistful dreaming for Guardians’ prospect aficionados with his upper 90’s fastball and slider that might be even better than the heater. The question is whether he can ever be healthy enough to make the big leagues, where his path is probably now as a reliever.
One of Cleveland’s top performers in the Arizona Complex League in 2025. Undersized, but makes solid contact and doesn’t strike out often. Earned a small taste of full-season ball at the end of the year.
Venezuelan prospect who broke out in with increased velocity in 2025, putting up nearly identical numbers at both High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron. Gomez was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster.
Acquired from Pittsburghin the Spencer Horwitz trade, Hartle was one of Cleveland’s most successful starting pitchers in its minor league system in 2025. Stands 6-foot-6, but doesn’t have a ton of velocity.
Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6 LaViolette instantly becomes one of the top power hitting prospects in the system. Strikeouts and contact have been an issue, however.
Cleveland’s 3rd round pick in 2024 out of high school, Oakie got off to a rough start in the Complex League, but then absolutely dominated when promoted to Single-A Lynchburg with a pair of 11 strikeout performances.
Absolutely dominated Double-A to begin 2025 looking well on his way to repeating his tremendous 2024 season, but then struggled after an early-season promotion to Triple-A. Remains on the 40-man roster.
One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league system during his stint at High-A Lake County as a 20-year-old. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but will need to overcome his strikeouts.
Former top prospect returned from a torn knee and put up good enough numbers to finally make his MLB debut with Cleveland in 2025. Hit a memorable home run against the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs.
Our list so far: 1. Chase DeLauter, LHH OF 2. Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B 3. Parker Messick, LHP 4. Ralphy Velazquez, LHH 1B/RF 5. Angel Genao, SH SS 6. Braylon Doughty, RHP 7. Cooper Ingle, LHH C 8. Khal Stephen, RHP 9. Juan Brito, SH 2B/1B/RF/3B 10. Jaison Chourio, SH OF 11. Kahlil Watson, RHH OF
Like any number of baseball nerds across the globe, Amazin’ Avenue Managing Editor Chris McShane and I often play Immaculate Grid. We try to top each other’s rarity score and we, as you might expect, only allow ourselves to use Mets and former Mets. The best players to use are the ones who either logged an inning or two at an unusual position (thank you Gary Carter in right field or David Wright at shortstop) or players with cups of coffee for the Mets who you can recall at least one other stop along their journeys.
In that sense, José Azócar is a gift from the Immaculate Grid gods.
Azócar was claimed off of waivers by the Mets in September of 2024 and remained in Syracuse for the remainder of that season. After Spring Training in 2025, Azócar was outrighted to Syracuse again. When Jose Siri broke his tibia in May, Azócar was called up to the majors, appearing in 12 games for the Mets, collecting five hits and one stolen base in 20 plate appearances.
After his brief tenure, he was designated for assignment, elected free agency, and signed with the Braves. After one at-bat with Atlanta, he was DFA’d again, and the Mets snatched him up again, stashing him in Triple-A for the remainder of the season. He elected free agency after the season and signed, again, with Atlanta.
While his Mets tenure didn’t exactly light the world on fire, his tenure on the Mets, Padres, and Braves, while logging innings at all three outfield positions for New York makes him a prime Immaculate Grid answer.
In fact, as I’m writing this, there is a Mets column and a ‘Born outside US 50 States and DC’ row. Using Azócar was a clutch move, as his rarity score is 0.003%. Suck it, McShane.
As we know, Chris Antonetti is the master of non-answers and question dodging – but there was a surprising amount of information that he divulged to a crowd of primarily fans and Rubber Ducks’ employees on Friday, January 23rd. If you are more interested in a brief summary, I released a short overview of the event which you can read here. Lots to talk about so lets dive right in:
Travis Bazzana
Antonetti spoke a little bit about the former #1 overall draft pick — mostly regarding his 2025 season in the minor leagues. The Guardians POBO highlighted that Travis had a perfectly good first full season in the Minor Leagues (137 wRC+ between AA and AAA) but also acknowledged that it was perhaps not the season that Bazzana wanted for himself. The message was clear: the adversity Bazzana faced along the way has set a goal for what the second basemen needs to do in order to reach his lofty potential. Antonetti concluded by confirming that Bazzana will be starting 2026 in AAA, which was already expected.
Bullpen – Primary Area of Concern
As reflected in the Guardians offseason moves, Antonetti called bullpen depth the most crucial part of their offseason agenda. The Guardians so far in the offseason have acquired Pedro Avila (MiLB deal), Codi Heuer (MiLB deal), Shawn Armstrong (MLB Deal), Colin Holderman (MLB Deal), Peyton Pallete (Rule 5), and Connor Brogdon (MLB Deal).
As a general rule, I implicitly trust this team when it comes to bargain bin reliever signings. Shawn Armstrong was certainly not one of these signings coming off a season where he posted a 2.31 ERA in 71 games. The contract signed was for 5.5M with a mutual option for 2027.
The endeavor of acquiring bullpen pieces has seemingly been a success for the Guardians Front Office, though there is definitely questions about the left handed options out there. With only Sabrowski and Herrin on the MLB roster, and no lefty relievers currently slated to be in AAA, the lefty reliever market could definitely be an area that Guardians are still active.
The Hitting Group is Set
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Cleveland Guardians will not be bringing in any Major League bats for the upcoming season. The clear area of concern that we fans wanted the Guardians to address was a RHH option in the OF, and once again all signs point to another season with that as a weakness coming up.
Antonetti did not put any blame on payroll when asked about this topic, instead he attributed it to the lack of interest from free agents when it came to the playing time that they would be afforded here in Cleveland. Lane Thomas was brought up as someone that the team was interested in bringing back, but with DeLauter, Valera, and Kayfus all vying for outfield reps there was simply not an everyday role for Thomas. Lane Thomas opted to sign with the Royals for 5.25M.
Poor Eddie Rosario caught a stray from Antonetti as an example of why signing fringe free agents is not always in their best interest.
Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar still remain unsigned but Antonetti was about as definitive as you will see him, they will not be Guardians come Spring Training. There are a few players still out on the market that might make sense to join Stuart Fairchild as MiLB deals, but my hopes aren’t very high for them either.
Manzardo
Guardians young slugger Kyle Manzardo was a topic broached in the discussion. Antonetti shared that he has gained some muscle this offseason, claiming 13lbs of lean muscle added to his frame. That sounds a little generous… but sure we will take any good news we can take at this point.
ABS Challenge System
Chris Antonetti was seemingly very on board with the new ABS system being integrated to MLB games. He remarked that Guardians Pitchers will not be permitted to use those challenges claiming that Tanner Bibee would run out of challenges in the first inning. Having watched Tanner, you can see how his competitive edge might lend himself to hoping for a few too many calls. Another player mentioned in this discussion was Austin Hedges, who is going to be gaming the ABS system as much as he can behind the plate — as always Hedgey is our pitchers’ greatest ally.
Golden Batter Rule
Rob Manfred has recently started peddling a “Golden Batter” rule, which would allow a team to pick one spot per game where they can put their best hitter up at the plate. Chris Antonetti, who was part of the group that brought baseball the pitch clock and larger bases, is not enthused with that idea. I agree wholeheartedly, as most fans and people in the game do.
Cozart and Ingle – Catcher Defense
The Guardians two prevalent catching prospects were touched on briefly during the discussion. Jacob Cozart, who posted a 108 wRC+ between A+ and AA in 2025, had his defense lauded as near Austin Hedges levels. Fangraphs has Cozart rated as the Guardians #26 prospect — though Longehagen clearly doesn’t think as highly of his defense.
Cooper Ingle had the opposite said of him, the defense needs a lot of work. His bat was praised by Antonetti, coming off a 139 wRC+ season between AA and AAA, but there is certainly some doubt in the glove. This is a sentiment that has been shared by many in the Guardians organization for a little while now. With Ingle’s bat being as attractive as it is, I would not be surprised to see him start to get reps in other positions this upcoming season.
2025 Draft Comments
Antonetti was asked by a fellow attendee about last years draft, asking if first round pick Jace LaViolette was a sign of a new approach to hitting in the organization. Antonetti summarily shut this down by claiming that the organization did the same thing they always do: draft the best player available.
I call BS on this personally, LaViolette, Curley, and Schubart are not players I would have expected the team to draft when you take their draft history into account. Antonetti played it as he always does, with a non-answer keeping his cards close to his chest.
2016 Game 7
I’m not sure if this has ever been shared before and I missed it, but incase you needed another reason to dislike Rob Manfred Antonetti shared a story about that fateful game.
While the rain delay was happening Antonetti, Manfred, and Cubs GM Theo Epstein were gathered into a room where Manfred suggested postponing the game until the next day. I could not imagine how ridiculous of a decision that would be and despite how the game ended up, I am glad it was finished that night.
That’s the gist of what Guardians POBO Chris Antonetti shared at the Akron Rubber Ducks’ Hot Stove Banquet. As usual, he kept his cards close to his chest, but there was some substance to discuss and capture my attention during a dry spell of the offseason. Hopefully there was something interesting for you in this write-up!
Astros stars Carlos Correa and José Altuve will not be participating in the World Baseball Classic after both players failed to receive injury insurance on their big league contracts.
With just a couple of weeks to go until spring training, there are plenty of big names still on the board. The MLB.com staff broke down the top remaining free agents.
Davy Andrews at Fangraphs offered his thoughts on José Ramírez’s latest deal with the Guardians, projecting out the rest of his career and where he may line up for Hall of Fame consideration when all is said and done.
Herrera turned 22 a few months ago, but he has been a professional for over six years, having been signed in August 2019 out of Venezuela by the Brewers for only a $10k bonus. Due to the pandemic, Herrera didn’t throw a pitch in affiliated ball until 2021 and he didn’t come stateside until the next year. Indeed, the 6’3” right-hander was Rule 5 eligible after the 2023 season but not selected. I don’t blame teams, as Herrera truly didn’t pop up on the prospect radar until 2024. He seemed like a strong candidate to be added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster after the 2024 season, but unfortunately he underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2024 and missed the 2025 season.
Herrera began his breakout 2024 back in Low-A Carolina for the third-straight year (though he was still 1.6 years younger than league average), where he quickly showed that he was ready for a new challenge with 17 innings of 2.12 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 14.3 K/9 rate ball over four games. A promotion to High-A Wisconsin followed, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average. In 12 games there, Herrera threw 51 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 rate, and 3.0 BB/9 rate.
That was enough for the Rockies to acquire Herrera as part of the Nick Mears trade (along with Bradley Blalock) in July. After the trade, Herrera made six starts with Spokane, throwing 32 2⁄3 innings with a 3.31 ERA (3.41 xFIP), 1.13 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 rate, and 3.0 BB/9 rate. Those were strong results that pointed toward an upper minors placement before his arm injury scuttled those plans.
Here is Herrera being dominant in April 2024 in the Brewers system:
Yujanyer Herrera was flat out dominant Friday for the Mudcats 😤
4IP / 1H / 0R / 0BB / 9Ks
Only three minor league SPs have pitched to that stat line in a game this season, and Herrera led them all with a 50% CSW#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/lNaf2HZBGS
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) April 15, 2024
The 6-foot-3 right-hander has three pitches in his arsenal that he was just starting to really learn how to use effectively when he went down. He typically throws his fastball in the 92-94 mph range and uses his hard above-average slider with bite as his go-to pitch. He misses plenty of bats with the pitch, showing the ability to backfoot lefties with it. He has a changeup, but it’s behind the other two offerings.
Because of that slider, Herrera’s strikeout rate took a nice step forward in 2024 and he uses the two-seam variation of his heater to get a lot of ground-ball outs. He threw a lot more strikes as well last year, but the Rockies will have to wait until 2026 to see if that sticks and if he can refine a third pitch so that he can stick in a rotation.
Herrera is listed at 175 pounds but is more like 250. He’s a below-average athlete who has struggled to throw strikes at various points during his career, and he still looks like he has below-average command despite his reasonable walk total from 2024. Herrera’s best pitch is his slider, a tight mid-80s hellraiser with late bite and good length for how hard it is. Still, too many of his sliders back up on him right now. He has a well-demarcated four-seam/two-seam fastball mix, but no cogent third pitch yet. Herrera’s velo keeled off at the very end of the year and he was put on the IL with elbow inflammation in September (he also had a hamstring issue last season); the Rockies left him off the 40-man roster. There’s a little too much development needed here to comfortably project Herrera as a starter, but he should be a fine sinker/slider middle reliever in time.
Herrera represents the kind of pitching prospect the system needs more of and I’m excited to see how he reacts to the challenge of Double-A once he is fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery — at least, that’s where I assume he will be. If his stuff is still there and he does well against upper minors batters, Herrera could be a rotation option for the Rockies soon and will be a no-brainer 40 man roster add this off-season. Due to the uncertainty, I couldn’t rank Herrera higher than a 35+ FV player, 25th on my list, though I love his potential to stick in the rotation and the quality of his slider.
If I were to name every championship team from Yankee history and ask you to name some players from that year, any fan worth their salt could probably get at least a couple. The lore of the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and plenty others is large enough that their names echo through even to Yankees’ fans born decades after any of them played.
However, just a couple stars does not a team make. Every Yankee team, successful or no, had players whose names you might only know in passing. Lyn Lary might be one of those names, who was a very solid player who helped the Yankees to the 1932 World Series title.
Lynford Hobart “Lyn” Lary Born: January 28, 1906 (Armona, CA) Died: January 9, 1973 (Downey, CA) Yankee Tenure: 1929-34
Over a century before a 6-foot-7 fella from Linden would first make his mark on the Fresno State baseball team, Lary was born and raised in the Fresno area of California. His family later settled in Long Beach, where he was a multi-sport athlete in high school and planned to attend the University of Southern California. However at the last second, he instead opted to sign with a local semi-pro baseball team.
In 1925, he began his career in organized baseball when he was picked up by the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League at just 19 years old. Lary had a breakout season two years later, playing shortstop and helping the Oaks win the PCL pennant, as he finished second in league MVP voting. He had caught the eyes of several major league teams, and the Yankees decided to pick up him, as well as middle infield partner Jimmie Reese.
Over in the majors, the Yankees were come off a historically good 1927 season, so they elected to let the pair play another year with the Oaks in 1928. After another good year in the PCL in 1928, the Yankees brought Lary over for 1929. He mostly spent his first MLB season playing second fiddle to future MLB manager Leo Durocher, but Lary showed his potential, with his season grading out at a 113 OPS+ and 2.2 rWAR in only 80 games.
That led to the Yankees trading Durocher to the Reds ahead of 1930 (aided by the Babe’s annoyance with “Leo the Lip”) and letting Lary take the full-time reins at shortstop. Lary’s early career at the position wasn’t the smoothest defensively, but he showed plenty of potential at the plate. That eventually shone through with a career best year in 1931.
Appearing in every game for the Yankees in 1931, Lary hit .280/.376/.416, with 10 home runs (the only season in his career where he cracked double figures) and 107 RBI. He put up 4.9 WAR according to Baseball Reference and 4.7 according to FanGraphs.
The one thing the Yankees hadn’t managed to do in Lary’s career to that point was win the World Series, but he would help them there the following year. The 1932 Yankees are arguably the most underrated team in franchise history, as they went 107-47 and then swept the Cubs in the World Series. Hampered a bit by injuries, Lary only appeared in 91 games and put up a 86 OPS+, although he did win a ring as a member of the team, seeing time at all four infield positions and left field as well.
However, 1932 also ended up being the beginning of the end of his Yankees’ career. Yes, injuries partially limited Lary to 91 games, but so did the emergence of another young shortstop from California. Frankie Crosetti joined the Yankees in 1932, and seized the most of his opportunity, taking the full-time shortstop job from Lary, who — while solid — had never quite lived up to the potential he had shown in his PCL days.
The Yankees held on to Lary in 1933, hoping he could return to 1931 form, but his hitting stats never quite got back. After appearing in just one game at the start of the 1934 season, the Yankees decided to deal Lary to the Red Sox.
Over the rest of his career, Lary played for a variety of team and had some ups, but also some downs. He played through 1940, and performed well enough to get MVP votes in two different seasons (pacing the AL in stolen bases in 1936 with 37 for the St. Louis Browns), but never ended up living up to his full potential. A large part of what doomed him was mental mistakes. As mentioned, his fielding could be a bit sloppy, but miscues didn’t stop there. In one 1931 game, he apparently ran into the dugout instead of touching home on a game-tying, ninth inning home run from Lou Gehrig, leading to Gehrig passing him on the basepaths and instead only being credited with a triple with Lary being ruled out. Neither run scored and the Yankees lost. Lary claimed that the ball had bounced back into play after going over the fence, and he believed the ball had been caught, but that’s still a bad mistake.
Lary was a bit of a character off the field too. Babe Ruth had given him the nickname “Broadway,” and he tried to act accordingly, dressing snappy and driving flashy cars. Amusingly, he married actress Mary Lawlor, who had been in the play “No No Nanette” of Babe Ruth trade and “Curse of the Bambino” fame.
After his playing career, Lary returned to his native California, and passed away from heart failure in 1973.
You might only know the name Lyn Lary from looking at old Yankees’ stats, but as usual, the story goes far deeper than that.
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