BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 26: Zak Kent #57 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats are in a seemingly endless search for quality MLB relievers, so every time I see an interesting one, I will write about it. After the disaster against the Phillies, the Nats decided to recall Zak Kent. He has fired two scoreless innings since coming back, and has a unique arsenal I want to talk about.
Kent is one of Paul Toboni’s many waiver claims since taking the job. As we know by now, these claims are dart throws and most of these guys are on waivers for a reason. With Kent, he has been on the waiver wire multiple times. He was DFA’d by the Twins in late April, and then picked up by the Nats. Kent made a few outings for the Nats in May before being sent down.
Zak Kent pitched for the Twins earlier this season now he is going to face them. Kent is a Virginia native with a solid cutter/slider mix https://t.co/CoHa7cxR7E
As mentioned here, Kent is a Virginia native, and he went to school at VMI. This is a bit of a homecoming for him, so that may add motivation for him. However, staying in the big leagues should be enough motivation. To stay in the big leagues, you need to perform, and that is what Kent has done since coming back.
Zak Kent has a very unique arsenal that could make him a sneaky piece. The biggest thing that stands out with Kent is how much he can spin the baseball. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 100 pitches, Kent has the third highest spin rate on his fastball. He also gets a ton of spin on his slider and curveball.
In my opinion, Kent’s 4-seam fastball is actually more of a hard cutter. If you look at the pitch plot, his heater has a ton of cut and not a lot of ride. Even when you watch the pitch, you can see the ball cutting away from hitters.
His fastball/cutter is not very hard, averaging 92.4 MPH on the season. However, since joining the Nats, his average fastball velocity is up to 93.4. Kent’s slider is over a tick harder as well, and his curveball is almost 3 MPH faster. It is not an arsenal that will overpower hitters, but a 93 MPH cutter is nothing to yawn at.
In my opinion, Kent’s two breaking balls are his best pitches. This season, he has a whiff rate over 35% on both his curve and his slider. Kent is a natural supinator, meaning he gets a lot of natural cut on the ball. That means he can access a lot of different breaking ball shapes. I wonder if the Nats try to add a sweeper here. This year he has one pitch that was listed as a sweeper and had three last year, so it seems like they are trying it out.
Since coming back, Kent has been leaning into those breaking balls. It is only two outings, but he is throwing both his curve and slider over 30% of the time. We have seen Andrew Alvarez have success throwing his fastball, slider and curve in about equal doses, and I think Kent can follow that formula.
I actually found a piece from early 2025 where Kent dove into his arsenal. Interestingly, he did call his fastball a cutter, despite the fact Baseball Savant classifies it as a 4-seamer. There are some cool details about his mix in this piece.
In Kent’s 6 outings with the Nats, his ERA of 4.70 is unremarkable. However, he has a FIP of 3.49 and an xERA of 2.11. Stuff models do not really like Kent’s cut fastball, but they do grade out his breaking balls as above average. His command is nothing special, so those breaking balls are really the key for him.
I do not think Kent will be a dominant closer or even some great high leverage guy. However, I do think he has some interesting traits that could make him a solid big league reliever. Right now, the Nats need as many solid big league relievers as possible. If Kent can provide them with that, he would be a godsend.
He has only made two outings since coming back, but he has put up two zeroes and has not allowed any hits. In this bullpen, it does not take much to rise up the trust ladder. If Zak Kent has a couple more of these types of outings, he will be tasked with closing games before too long. I am not sure how well that would go, but it is great to see a reliever throwing the ball well and doing actually interesting things.
CHICAGO - 1988: Tony Fernandez of the Toronto Blue Jays fields during an MLB game against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois during the 1988 season. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tony Fernandez, widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Blue Jays history, would have celebrated his 64th birthday today.
Fernandez still leads the franchise in games played (1,450) and hits (1,583), among other records. He also set single-season marks for singles (161) and triples (17), and is second among position players in bWAR with 37.5, narrowly behind Jose Bautista (38.4). This changes every time there is a tweak to the formula of bWAR. He was first a couple of years ago.
Fernandez had four separate stints in Toronto. He debuted at age 21 in 1983 and played shortstop until 1990, when he and Fred McGriff were dealt to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter—a franchise-altering trade.
In 1993, after Dick Schofield’s early-May injury, the Jays tried Alfredo Griffin and Domingo Cedeno at shortstop, but neither stuck. Toronto traded with the Mets to bring Tony back, and he delivered: hitting .306/.361/.442 in 94 games and helping the Jays win another World Series.
After the season, Fernandez signed with the Reds as a free agent. He also played for the Yankees and Cleveland before rejoining the Blue Jays before 1998 as a utility infielder. In 1998, he played extensively at second and third base. By 1999, he was the starting third baseman and posted a terrific .328/.427/.449 slash line, though his defense drew some criticism.
In 2000, he played in Japan, then signed with the Brewers for 2001. After two months, Milwaukee released him, and Toronto brought him back once more; he finished his career as a Blue Jay, mostly as a pinch hitter and DH.
Tony won four Gold Gloves and was an exceptionally athletic shortstop—always one of my favorites. His leaping jump-spin throws and sidearm deliveries to first base were iconic, and I tried to copy them as a kid. He was usually smiling on the bench, though he didn’t say much to the media. Maybe it was a language thing, or perhaps Dominican players found the press unapproachable—or vice versa.
He was the smoothest shortstop I’ve ever watched play.
Fernandez is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. In a fairer world, he’d be in Cooperstown too.
Tony passed away in February 2020, and his loss hit me harder than I expected.
Bud Black turns 69 today.
The Blue Jays traded for Black on September 16, 1990, when they were one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East.
He debuted in relief on September 18 and got the win, pulling the Jays into a tie for first. Black’s first start was a loss, but he started the second-to-last game, earned another win, and kept Toronto in the race. However, a loss on the final day (while Boston won) left Toronto two games back.
After the season, Black signed with the Giants as a free agent.
Across 15 MLB seasons, Black posted a 121-116 record and a 3.84 ERA over 398 games (296 starts).
After his playing days, Black became a pitching coach, then managed the Padresin 2007. He managed the Rockies to start 2025 but was let go after 40 games (7-33 start). He’s now an advisor with the Padres.
Pat Venditte turns 41 today.
Venditte pitched eight games for the Blue Jays in 2016.
He’s famous for pitching with both hands—earning the headline “amphibious pitcher,” which is even rarer than ambidextrous.
Venditte appeared in 61 big-league games over five seasons with six teams.
I had an oh-duh moment while watching this one play out. I have to go back down the rabbit hole, because I don’t see anyone keeping the full total. I know this is 10 walk-offs. I’m pretty certain the number is three for road wins in their last at bat. But I don’t recall if there were any home wins with an eighth-inning winning run. That is technically the other way to win while scoring in your last team at-bat. 10 walk-offs already is amazing. 13 last chance wins is amazing. This team finds new ways to amaze me all the time.
I’ll probably change my opinion once or twice more, but I think I’ve decided that if the Cubs decide to only bring back one corner outfielder, it is Seiya. I love the loyalty, the longevity, the season over season consistency of Ian Happ. I love that he moved all over the field until they settled on a position for him. I love that he then won several gold gloves at that spot. Seiya is significantly improved in the field now too. He’s grown so much as a fielder and he’s quietly having a very good season there. The relationship between Seiya and Pete Crow-Armstrong feels special. I think when all of my internal ballots are counted, I’m about 53 percent in favor of Seiya. Well within the margin of error.
But yeah, the story of the game and these last three days and really this whole season is this team just finding a way to win. Just like that, they are essentially back on a 90-win pace (89.6). Will all the injuries, all of the slumps, this team somehow gets it done. Four Cub pitchers were used in this game. None of them were particularly impressive. The Cubs allowed 11 hits and two walks. It definitely felt like they were in trouble all night long. And yet, they yielded just two runs.
The Cubs couldn’t really get to Griffin Canning, finally chasing him with two runs allowed over 4.1 innings. But he’s fared so much worse lately than that. The Cubs put up 10 hits, four walks and had a batter hit. They managed three runs. Often not enough, but just enough on this night. To be fair, I’m pretty sure at least one more run would have scored had the game not ended there. I really thought that was a walk-off homer off of Seiya’s bat. It felt like he hit it pretty close to the spot where Javier Baez once reached the basket against Johnny Cueto to win a game 1-0 in the playoffs.
I said the Cubs needed to get at least one win in this series to make sure they at least split the season series with the Padres. That mission is accomplished. Now they get two shots to win this series and also the season series. Given that the two teams figure to compete for a Wild Card spot, that could matter.
This team is bonkers to cover, but I wouldn’t miss it. These three straight wins are absolutely wild. They’ve faced some really elite pitchers on good teams and countered with a bunch of scrap heap arms. And won. I’m watching potentially the ultimate collision of social media and real life. If this team wins 90 games (or more), social media will have been tap dancing all season long on Craig Counsell’s grave while he wins the NL Manager of the Year award. The Dodgers and Brewers are exactly who we thought they were. The Braves are more or less who we thought they were and the Cubs are running more of a MASH unit than a pitching staff. And every time the dust settles again, they are still standing. Still in the rear view mirror of the Brewers. Stalking like some campy 80’s horror-slasher movie villain.
This team has been so odd, winning more than half of their games either by scoring in the last inning or blowing out their opponent, that we basically haven’t nitpicked any decisions. Not at the micro level anyway. While I’m often a big fan of the aggressive fan and making the other team make a play, I hated the send of Dansby Swanson on the fly out double play in the ninth. I would have rather continued to have the bases loaded there, even though it also put PCA on third. It didn’t end up mattering, but I just wouldn’t have made that send.
What a time to be alive! Go Cubs.
Three Positives:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, the walking man? Two more singles, two more walks. That up to the minute on-base percentage is .370. In his age 24 season, he’s going to be a two-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove (first time platinum?), and will best his ninth place MVP finish of last year.
Shōta Imanaga. 6.1 innings, nine hits, no walks, two runs. Four strikeouts. Not his best outing, but a terrific one at that.
Seiya Suzuki. Two hits, one a double. Two runs driven in, one run scored. He was part of all three runs that scored. That will be one of the most well struck balls off of Mason Miller this year.
Game 85, June 29: Cubs 3, Padres 2 (47-38)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Sidekick: Trent Thornton (.134). IP, 3 BF, H, K (W 3-2)
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Michael Busch (-.330). 0-4, BB
Goat: Miguel Amaya (-.183). 0-4
Kid: Ian Happ (-.144). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki’s walk-off “single” off the top of the wall. (.367)
Brewers Play of the Game: Michael Busch one play earlier, the fly out/thrown out at home double play. (.303)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 84 Winner: Bryse Wilson received 123 of 235 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Pete Crow-Armstrong +17
Michael Busch +15
Ben Brown +13.5
Trent Thornton +12.5
Carson Kelly +11.5
Edward Cabrera -9.5
Phil Maton -10
Dansby Swanson -12
Caleb Thielbar -13
Seiya Suzuki -14.5
Up Next: Game two of this three-game set. Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02) starts for the Cubs. JP Sears (1-0, 3.18) makes his second start of the season for the Padres. The 30-year-old veteran lefty made 27 starts last year for the A’s and Padres with a 5.04 ERA.
There are some weeks where identifying a hitter of the week is a chore, and the best of the best still feels like scraping the bottom of the barrel. Other times, there are a dearth of options and it sucks to pass over someone who had one hell of a week because someone else had an even better one. This week was the latter. Nick Lorusso hit .300/.391/.750 with three doubles and two homers. John Bay hit .333/.455/.778 with two doubles and two homers. Nick Morabito hit .364/.417/.455 with two doubles and four stolen bases. Yonatan Henriquez hit .417/.417/.542 with three doubles and three stolen bases. Yonny Hernandez hit .571/.591/.762 with four doubles and two stolen bases.
Of those players, JT Benson really turned it up a notch. Benson has been on a tear since getting signed out of the indies earlier this year, but this week was especially impressive. I normally don’t like selecting players who didn’t play a “full week” (five or six games), but it’s hard to deny what he did this week; he had a 301 wRC+!
Offense is only about half of the equation of a player, and looking at Benson’s defense, he’s solid. The 24-year-old outfielder has average-to-above average speed and not only knows how to use it on the basepaths- where he has successfully stolen 13 total bases in 19 attempts this year and 33 in 38 attempts last season in the indies- but taps into it in the outfield as well. He is smooth out there, able to read the ball off the bat well, has a quick catch and release, and a strong arm. He has the combination of defensive skills that allow him to play all three outfield positions well enough, but he profiles best at this point in either left or right field for now due to a lack of reps and experience in center.
Daviel Hurtado
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (Single-A)
Daviel Hurtado had a solid week. Against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, he had a solid quality start, allowing one run in six innings pitched, scattering a pair of hits, walking one batter, and striking out six. I wouldn’t necessarily classify that kind of start as exceptional, but given the rest of the pickings for this week among the Mets minor league pitchers, that was the best individual performance. Jonah Tong is the only other starting pitcher who had a quality start, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings. Everyone else? Not so much.
The 18-year-old Hurtado was signed by the Mets on January 15, 2023 after the young left-hander left Cuba. A native of Havana, he had been involved in baseball in the city for years, playing on the U-12 and U-15 Cuban National Baseball Teams. In 2022, he and his parents took up residency in the Dominican Republic and the left-hander began the vetting process by Major League Baseball to establish his eligibility to sign with an MLB club. The process went smoothly and quickly and he was granted his eligibility to sign that year, but given that most clubs had spent the majority of their international bonus pool monies, Hurtado and his representatives elected to wait to sign until 2023, giving him a better opportunity to sell his talent and maximize his signing bonus. Having agreed to an informal agreement in the months prior, Hurtado signed with the Mets and the two sides came to official terms, agreeing to a $640,000 signing bonus.
The left-hander was assigned to the Dominican Summer League for the 2023 season, but did not actually pitch, as Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound all season. He finally made his professional debut in 2024 with the FCL Mets and posted a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing 15 hits, walking 10, and striking out 23. He remained in the Florida Complex League to begin the 2025 season, but was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie after roughly a month, allowing a single earned run with the FCL Mets in 19.0 innings over 5 starts, scattering 8 hits, walking 5, and striking out 25. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets for the rest of the season and posted a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings over 13 appearances, 7 of which were starts. He allowed 45 hits, walked 19, and struck out 50.
The Mets had the 21-year-old begin the season with St. Lucie, and after posting a 5.00 ERA in 9.0 innings over 4 appearances, promoted him to High-A Brooklyn. The southpaw shrugged off the malaise he was showing in St. Lucie and has pitched well with the Cyclones. In 6 starts, Hurtado has a 1.91 ERA in 28.1 innings, allowing 13 hits, walking 4, and striking out 24.
Hurtado is listed at 6’1”, 165-pounds and is well-proportioned and lean. He stands on the far first base side of the rubber and throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a high leg kick and a long arm action through the back. His mechanics flow and are loose and smooth, leaving him in excellent fielding position in his follow-through.
Hurtado’s four-seam fastball sits in the mid-90s, ranging 90-96 MPH; he added a little velocity to it this season, and it is up roughly 2 MPH as compared to last season. The pitch has a low spin rate for a four-seam fastball, 2,190 RPM, giving it less ride and more sink. Overall, the pitch has been very hittable, which lowers his overall ceiling and is why he was never given serious consideration on the 2026 Top Prospect list despite posting sterling surface-level numbers- that and the fact that he bears a striking resemblance to Oliver Perez. He has been throwing the pitch a bit less this season, in favor of his breaking balls a bit more, which can only help him right now. Hurtado’s two-seam fastball is almost identical to his four-seam fastball in every way, from velocity to spin rate to induced vertical break, except it generally gets a few more inches of arm-side horizontal movement, about ten inches to his four-seam fastball’s five.
The southpaw’s curveball sits in the mid-70s-to-low-80s, featuring 55 inches of vertical drop and 5-10 inches of horizontal movement, making it a loopy, slurvy 11-5 bender. His slider sits in the mid-to-high-80s, featuring 35 inches of vertical drop and 3-5 inches of horizontal movement, giving the pitch hop. The two breaking balls tunnel well with each other, the slower curveball featuring more overall movement and the faster slider featuring less.
Hurtado was throwing a budding changeup infrequently in 2025, but he has since scrapped it, barely throwing the pitch during in-game situations this season. Despite the lack of a changeup, he has generally been slightly better against left-handed hitters over the course of his career, but has not ever exhibited extreme platoon splits one way or the other, dominating lefties or struggling against righties.
Hurtado is not only able to command all of his pitches, but the left-hander has pinpoint control. He can throw in the zone and outside of it with confidence, though gets beaten with regularity when he lives inside of it for too long. The southpaw is at his best when he is able to nip the zone with his fastball and then expand the zone with his breaking balls, getting batters to get themselves out either by inducing weak contact or swinging-and-missing. Between the sink from his fastball and weak contact from his breaking pitches, the left-hander has maintained extremely favorable batted ball splits over the course of his young career. This year, Hurtado has maintained a 22.6% line drive rate, 57.0% groundball rate, and 20.4% flyball rate in his 37.1 innings with St. Lucie and Brooklyn combined.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Xavier Neyens #9 of the Houston Astros scores on a single hit by Chase Call during the seventh inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Check out some prospects who have been hot in the system!
HITTERS:
Xavier Neyens – Neyens, the Astros first round pick last year, has put together a strong season so far. This week the 19-year-old hit .400 with 3 home runs and 9 walks in just 5 games. Overall this season, Neyens has a .900 OPS with 12 home runs for the Woodpeckers.
Albert Fermin – Fermin got the biggest international bonus the Astros issued out this year and is off to a really strong start in the Dominican Summer League. This week the 17-year-old hit .333 with a double, 2 home runs, 8 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases. He is hitting .368 this season.
Lucas Spence – Spence, who got off to a slow start, has really turned it on and earned a promotion to Triple-A. This week the outfielder hit .421 with 3 doubles, a home run, 7 runs batted in and a stolen bases. He’s hitting .370 over 22 games in the month of June.
Arturo Flores – Flores is a young catcher down in Fayetteville but has been doing some damage with the bat this year. After earning a spot on the list last week, he repeats here with another big week. The 20-year-old hit .438 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in. He has 11 home runs and a .851 OPS overall.
PITCHERS:
Ethan Pecko – After a slower start to the year, Pecko has been one of the best pitchers in minor league baseball in the month of June. This week the right-hander tossed 6 innings allowing 1 run while striking out 4. In June he has a 0.75 ERA allowing just 2 runs on 13 hits over 24 innings for Sugar Land.
Brett Gillis – Gillis has had some strong starts this season and after having his best start last week, he bested that outing this week. In his start for the Hooks, the right-hander tossed 7 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits while striking out 7. He has a 3.45 ERA this season in Double-A.
Bryce Mayer – Mayer has been solid this year and this week he turned in his longest outing of the season tossing 5.2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts in his start for the Hooks. Mayer has a 3.89 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 44 innings this season in Double-A.
Jackson Nezuh– Nezuh has done well racking up the strikeouts this season, though the ERA has been a little higher. This week he was great allowing just 1 hit and 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 9. Overall this season, the right-hander has 64 strikeouts over 53.1 innings.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 06: Griffin Canning #17 of the San Diego Padres looks on during the third inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park on June 06, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Griffin Canning returned to the mound for the San Diego Padres in their series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday night and there is no doubt that most of the Friar Faithful, if not all, were wondering how long he would last and how many runs he would allow before being removed from the game. To his credit, Canning lasted 4.1 innings and allowed two runs, which was enough to put the Padres in position to win, but the offense failed to produce, and the end result was a 3-2 walk-off win for the Cubs.
Canning has struggled throughout his time in San Diego and holds a 1-5 record with an atrocious 7.09 ERA. That is definitely not what any team wants to see from a member of its starting rotation. The fact that he remains in the rotation and continues to get starts is evidence of just how bad the Padres rotation is at this time. Walker Buehler has been arguably the most reliable starter of the group with Michael King lacking consistency and Randy Vasquez floundering with his recent performances. Lucas Giolito, German Marquez and Matt Waldron all joined Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove on the injured list and Yu Darvish was lost for the season before it ever began.
The hope is that Pivetta and Musgrove can return some time after the All-Star break, but how long after is unknown. Whether it is their returns or a trade deadline acquisition, Canning is squarely on the chopping block based on his numbers this season. His best start came on May 25 against the Philadelphia Phillies when he threw 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two of those hits being home runs. Canning followed that performance with three consecutive five-inning outings but has not gone longer than 4.1 innings in the three outings since.
According to the results of this week’s Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslamp Ball, the Friar Faithful who participated in the poll have seen enough from Canning and are ready to let him go. Giolito’s recent addition to the injured list may have spared him for now, but if the Padres get any rotation help, Canning will be the first to pack his bags if the fans get their way.
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Jun 7, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) fields and throws to first for an out in Game 2 of the Super Regional between Alabama and St. John's at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This is my least likely preview. Before the season Baseball America projected Lebron in the top 5 and even mentioned his potential to be #1 overall. Lebron responded to this lofty praise with easily his worst season yet. This included an eye popping 18 errors (that would be a roughly 50 error pace in MLB) and a batting average 55 points lower than either of his first 2 College seasons. Will he fall all the way to 36? Probably not because there’s Gold Glove potential and easy power, but I also wouldn’t rule it out as there are equal questions about the bat and there’s those 18 errors.
Lebron is a 21 year old, 6’2″ 190lbs right handed hitter from the University of Alabama with a pretty flashy tool set: Plus speed and arm, above average to plus power and above average to plus fielding and a somewhat questionable hit tool with plus bat speed and an approach to swinging Austin Powers would be overwhelmed by. As a defender Lebron brings great range and a cannon arm. The errors are a combo of the range getting him into the occasional error, but also that great arm’s accuracy can go a bit haywire at times. His tools should allow him to stay at Short, he’ll just need to clean up the throws and focus if he can clean up those items he could end up being a plus or better defender. His speed has also made him a big threat on the basepaths and he loves stealing bases. He’s been caught stealing TWICE in 3 years. Yeah, that’ll play.
Now onto his hitting and swing. Honestly, I love the swing. A small leg kick, he maintains his eye level pretty quiet setup and that plus bat speed. No changes needed in my opinion. The pitch recognition though is another story. Lebron loves to swing and he will expand the zone. He also struggles with breaking/off speed pitches. He doesn’t miss often on Fastballs, but he misses almost half of everything else. His raw power is probably double-plus, but game power gets held back a bit by the pitch recognition and contact issues. This feels like a guy the late 2000’s front office would kill for, it also seems like the type of hitter this team has had no luck developing. In the video below you get a great mix of game action showing a little of all the good thing Lebron can do.
I have very strong doubts Lebron gets anywhere vaguely close to 36. The tools are just too exciting and someone in the top 20 is probably going to roll the dice. Some Player Development Director will be convinced he can fix the issues. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Lebron dominates in A ball. His tools are probably going to be enough to overwhelm some talent there and, as you can see in the video, he feasts on high Fastballs, which he’ll see plenty of along with breaking pitches still a bit raw and similar to College. Double-A will be where he may first get exposed. But, man, that power in Reading’s homer prone park would be blast to watch, even if he only hits the Mendoza line with a 40% K rate.
HOOVER, AL - MAY 23: Infielder Chris Rembert #2 of the Auburn Tigers follows through on a swing during the SEC Baseball Tournament Semifinal game between Auburn Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks on May 23, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
2026 MLB Draft Preview: Chris Rembert scouting report.
The 2026 is less than two weeks away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.
Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Auburn second baseman Chris Rembert.
Chris Rembert is a 6′, 209 lb. righthanded hitting second baseman at Auburn University. Rembert graduated high school in Pensacola, Florida, in 2024, and was not drafted. A redshirt sophomore, Rembert turns 21 in early July.
Rembert’s hit tool is his carrying tool. He has good contact ability and bat speed, though his swing is such that he doesn’t lift the ball much, resulting in a lot of ground balls and line drives. He puts up strong exit velocity numbers to go with his contact ability, with Keith Law noting that he can handle velocity. However, his power numbers are lacking due to the fact he doesn’t tend to get lift on the balls he makes hard contact on.
Rembert has mostly played second base for Auburn, and is considered average there at best. There is some question as to whether he will have the range to stick at second base going forward — however, he could play third base or a corner outfield spot if necessary. His speed is considered more or less average.
Rembert was impressive as a freshman, slashing .344/.467/.555 with 37 walks against 36 Ks in 260 plate appearances, with 10 home runs. He saw a drop in walks and power in 2026, with just four home runs in 265 plate appearances, with 19 walks against 39 Ks. He put up a .343/.399/.459 slash line.
Rembert checks quite a few Rangers boxes for a college hitter — strong contact rates, strong exit velocities, quality performance in a strong conference. He regressed from his freshman season, which likely means he’ll be picked in the second or third round, rather than being a potential first round pick, as seemed to be the case after his terrific 2025 season.
He’s another one of these guys whose future as a professional will hinge on his ability to get more value out of his hard contact, rather than there being a bunch of hard hit 6-3s. His inability to play up the middle other than at second base is an issue, but being able to potentially play the corners gives him more value as a potential bench option, even if he doesn’t hit for enough power to be a regular.
They’ll face back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on Tuesday, and the Detroit Tigers are heating up at the dish with the sixth-ranked wOBA and xwOBA for the month of June.
I’m anticipating Skubal to cruise tonight, too.
His 2.59 xFIP is below his 2.74 mark across the past two years, and I’m anticipating statistical correction coming to his .287 BABIP and 74.3% strand rate because they’re worse than his .273 and 80.3% marks during his Cy Young campaigns.
Early is also eyeing statistical correction with his 3.59 ERA well below his 4.72 FIP, in addition to his unsustainably high 85.7% strand rate.
The Boston offense doesn’t move the needle with a 27th-ranked xwOBA in June and the sixth-lowest barrel percentage for the season, either.
Still, I expect Early to pitch well enough to contribute to this total going Under the number, and Nationals righty Cade Cavalli has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts with a solid 3.57 xFIP.
This SGP is in play down to +315.
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NESN, NATS
Padres vs Cubs SGP: Chicago wins fourth straight
San Diego Padres lefty JP Sears posted an underwhelming 4.87 xFIP and a 12.9% strikeout-to-walk ratio across 58 2/3 innings entering 2026, so I’m anticipating him struggling against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
The North Siders have won nine of 11 while averaging 7.3 runs per game and ranking seventh in wOBA, and they also rank third in wOBA against left-handed pitchers for the season.
Still, this is another inflated total at Wrigley Field, and the teams combined for just five runs in similarly favorable hitting conditions Monday.
Chicago lefty Matthew Boyd is also set up for success in his second start back from knee and shoulder injuries. The Padres are 29th in wOBA against southpaws, and they’re 24th in xwOBA across the past 30 days.
I price the breakeven point of this SGP at +300.
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: MARQ, SDPA
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
SGP picks: 9-27, +4.85 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 29: (L-R) Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox, Willson Contreras #40, and Wilyer Abreu #52 score off a three-run home run hit by Contreras in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park on June 29, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Life comes at you fast. The Red Sox, in the midst of a five-game win streak, remain deep under .500. And in a world in which the owners hadn’t spent the last 20 years devaluing the regular season in a blatant attempt to increase postseason revenue and justify slashing payroll, a team in the Red Sox’ position wouldn’t have any playoff hopes today. But this is 2026, and it’s legitimately possible that the American League’s third Wild Card could be swiped by a team that doesn’t even reach the .500 mark. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
Thus, the Red Sox, who looked dead and buried one week ago today, are now being called potential buyers at the trade deadline. Their biggest need is obvious: middle infield help. (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)
Right now the middle infield help is coming in the form of Anthony Seigler, who has started at second base for 10 games in a row. Seigler has bounced back and forth between AAA and the big leagues throughout his young career. What helped him get back to the majors this time was resuming something he’d quit before: switch hitting. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
We know where they certainly don’t need help: the starting rotation. Red Sox starters have now thrown 12 straight quality starts, two shy of the club record set in 1988. “They’ve been phenomenal,” said Chad Tracy. “It’s very similar to my initial time here when we weren’t playing that well, but the starting pitching was so good that you always felt like you were going to look up in the sixth inning and think, ‘We’ve got a chance to win this game.’ I don’t think there’s too many managers who wouldn’t sign up for that.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
All the starters have contributed, but Payton Tolle in particular has been a big part of the streak. In fact, he now has teammates publicly lobbying to get him to the All-Star Game. “Just being in that conversation is amazing, but that’s kind of far out of mind for me,” he said. “I guess it doesn’t mean anything until it actually happens.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Unfortunately, Garrett Crochet won’t be getting a second straight All-Star nod, and he continues to be frustrated by the mysteriously slow rehab process for what was initially thought to be a minor injury. While everyone involved still says there are no structural issues, they are now looking to last year to explain the injury. “I was still kind of experiencing that hangover from last year, and once I started throwing again, maybe my mechanics just weren’t in a great spot,” said Crochet. “And then as the buildup occurred, that just continued to get further from the norm.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But the Sox could be getting back another couple of lefty pitchers soon. Jovani Moran will make another rehab appearance tomorrow and then potentially rejoin the big league bullpen. Patrick Sandoval has one more rehab start scheduled and will be reassessed by July 4, when his 30-day rehab clock expires. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Matt Arnold, Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations and general manager, listens as principal owner Mark Attanasio speaks with reporters Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
We’re back with another Reacts Survey, and we’re asking fans if they’d like to see the Brewers make a splashy move or continue their “take bites of the apple” approach at this year’s trade deadline.
The Brewers’ last truly “splashy” move came way back in 2008, when the team traded four prospects to Cleveland to get CC Sabathia. Sabathia then made 17 starts in less than three months, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 128 strikeouts over 130 2/3 innings, including seven complete games to help the Brewers sneak into the playoffs as the Wild Card.
Since then, the Brewers have made several smaller moves at just about every deadline, including the following moves in recent seasons under David Stearns/Matt Arnold:
2018: Acquired Mike Moustakas from the Royals, Joakim Soria from the White Sox, and Jonathan Schoop from the Orioles
2019: Acquired Jordan Lyles from the Pirates and Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black from the Giants; traded Jesús Aguilar to the Rays for Jake Faria
2020 (COVID-shortened season): Acquired David Phelps from the Phillies
2021: Acquired John Curtiss from the Marlins, Daniel Norris from the Tigers, and Eduardo Escobar from the D-backs
2022: Acquired Trevor Rosenthal from the Giants and Matt Bush from the Rangers; traded Josh Hader to the Padres for Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser, Esteury Ruiz, and Dinelson Lamet
2023: Acquired Andrew Chafin from the D-backs, Mark Canha from the Mets, and Carlos Santana from the Pirates; traded Luis Urías to the Red Sox for Bradley Blalock
2024: Acquired Frankie Montas from the Reds, Nick Mears from the Rockies, Tyler Jay from the Mets, and Aaron Civale from the Rays
2025: Acquired Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery from the D-backs and Danny Jansen from the Rays; traded Nestor Cortes to the Padres for Brandon Lockridge
As you can see from that list, there are no mega-deals. The closest thing would be trading Josh Hader, which was big for the other team (the Padres) and more so seemed to just upset fans and even the clubhouse. With big trade candidates like Tarik Skubal, Luis Arraez, Casey Mize, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, and Aroldis Chapman (to only name a few) potentially available at the deadline, would you like to see the Brewers make a big move? Or would you rather they continue their “bites of the apple” approach?
Weigh in below and stay tuned for results later this week!
The Atlanta Braves own a strong 22-14 record vs. left-handed starters this season, and are -150 favorites to add to the win total today against the St. Louis Cardinals.
My Cardinals vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks see value in backing them to do just that on June 30.
Who will win Cardinals vs Braves today: Braves (-150)
The Braves are powerful but rank only 23rd in OBP against lefties. There may not be enough traffic to score the necessary amount to push this game Over the total.
I’d play the Under to -110.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 46-35, +1.50 units
Over/Under bets: 43-34-4, +4.79 units
Cardinals vs Braves weather
Temperatures could reach the 90s, with a small amount of wind blowing out. Boost to the bats.
Cardinals vs Braves odds
Moneyline: Cardinals +130 | Braves -150
Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (-150) | Braves -1.5 (+130)
Over/Under: Over 9.0 (-120) | Under 9.0 (+100)
Cardinals vs Braves trend
St. Louis has hit the game total Under in 27 of its last 45 games (+9.40 units, 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Braves.
How to watch Cardinals vs Braves and game info
Location
Truist Park, Cumberland, GA
Date
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
First pitch
7:15 p.m. ET
TV
Cardinals.TV, BravesVision
Cardinals starting pitcher
Matthew Liberatore (3-5, 5.56 ERA)
Braves starting pitcher
Martin Perez (6-4, 3.00 ERA)
Cardinals vs Braves latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The New York Yankees are -135 favorites to snap their five-game losing skid on Tuesday night.
With Cam Schlittler set to take on a struggling Detroit offense, my Tigers vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks are backing New York to get back in the win column on Tuesday, June 30
Who will win Tigers vs Yankees today: Yankees moneyline (-135)
It’s not going to get any easier against Cam Schlittler. He's faced nine opponents who rank Bottom-10 in OPS vs. right-handed pitching this season, and owns a 1.34 ERA in those games. He's allowed more than a single run just once in that sample.
Conversely, Tarik Skubal has allowed multiple runs in five straight, including a couple of four-spots. The New York Yankees are missing key bats, but still have juice vs. lefties.
Playing Overs with a pair of elite pitchers on the mound is a scary proposition, but the circumstances call for it.
Temperatures are expected to approach the 90s in this game, making for perfect conditions for the ball to carry in an already hitter-friendly ballpark.
Neither offense has garnered great results of late, but the Tigers lead the majors in fly-ball rate this month, while the Yankees come in at eighth.
If the ball is consistently being put in the air in excellent hitter conditions, the runs should follow.
I’d play Over 7 to -130.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 46-35, +1.50 units
Over/Under bets: 43-34-4, +4.79 units
Tigers vs Yankees weather
With temperatures in the high 80s, the ball should carry well in what is already a very hitter-friendly environment. Clear boost to the bats.
Tigers vs Yankees odds
Moneyline: Tigers +115 | Yankees -135
Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-190) | Yankees -1.5 (+160)
Over/Under: Over 7 (-115) | Under 7 (-105)
Tigers vs Yankees trend
Detroit has only hit the moneyline in 17 of its last 50 away games (-18.20 units, -33% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Yankees.
How to watch Tigers vs Yankees and game info
Location
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Date
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
First pitch
7:05 p.m. ET
TV
TBS
Tigers starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal (3-4, 3.32 ERA)
Yankees starting pitcher
Cam Schlittler (8-4, 1.62 ERA)
Tigers vs Yankees latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PHOENIX — It wasn’t the first time a Giants starter learned of Tony Vitello’s plan when the first-year manager began to implement it or let it be known to the press.
Tyler Mahle first and foremost blamed himself for not realizing that his workload would be limited in his second start back from the injured list, or where his pitch count stood when the fifth inning began in Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.
But these are things that shouldn’t require a pitcher to wonder, or even be especially alert.
The Giants, and Vitello, have a pitching coach, an assistant pitching coach and a director of pitching.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle being removed from the game. Getty Images
But neither Justin Meccage, nor Christian Wonders, nor Frank Anderson, in addition to Vitello, apparently felt it was necessary to relay to their starting pitcher that he would only have 85 pitches to work with before he took the mound, or that he was 18 away from reaching that limit when the fifth inning began.
“I didn’t know the pitch count, or else I probably would have went about that [last] at-bat differently,” Mahle said. “I thought it was just going to be normal. But I guess I should’ve realized. It was my second start back. It’s not like I was going to throw 100 today.”
Mahle, however, was left to guess. And with that logic, he determined the best plan of attack against Ketel Marte with two runners already on base and one out in the fifth was to pitch around Arizona’s best hitter.
Marte had nine hits in 16 previous at-bats against Mahle, including three doubles and his third homer against him leading off the game. He added a second walk to his ledger on Mahle’s final five pitches, then came around to score on the bases-clearing double from Geraldo Perdomo that followed off Sam Hentges.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tyler Mahle throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
The three-RBI knock put the Giants in a 5-1 hole and they never recovered.
“I didn’t realize I was on a pitch limit of like 85 or whatever, so Ketel was up there and he’s done well against me, so I’m like, I’m not gonna give him anything to hit, and then walked him,” Mahle said. “And then I got taken out.”
For whatever surprise came over Mahle when he saw Vitello emerge from the dugout, it would have paled in comparison to the reaction from Logan Webb if his no-hit bid in Milwaukee had stayed intact much longer. Vitello said he planned to pull his ace, also in his second game back from the injured list, despite Webb’s (light-hearted) insistence that he would have gone all the way to 200 to finish the job.
Wires got crossed in Webb’s next start, resulting in him coming out after 99 pitches and Keaton Winn blowing a save and injuring his elbow in the process, pitching in his third straight game.
Now more than halfway into the first season of his unprecedented endeavor as the first college coach to take over a big-league club, Vitello has been asked a few times lately about lessons he’s learned.
A common theme in his answers has been how rare it is to get the entire team together in one room.
“Everybody’s on a different schedule,” he said the other day. “Getting the team on the same page is one of our responsibilities. I don’t want to say it’s tricky, but it’s definitely different than what it was from my prior experience.”
The issues go both ways: When a group of Giants pitchers decided they were going to protest the team’s Pride Night, Vitello said he had “no idea” that they were planning to write Bible verses on their caps, in violation of MLB’s uniform code, stirring a national controversy that has become a three-week distraction.
And it’s not like Mahle was the only player who didn’t have his head in the game Monday night. Victor Bericoto forgot the count and got caught meandering between first and second base, though there’s not much first base coach Shane Robinson could do about that one.
Does that communication sound “inadequate” or “not clear”?
After all, those were adjectives straight from Rob Manfred that the commissioner used to describe the Giants’ organization under Vitello and their equally green president of baseball operations who hired him straight from the college ranks, Buster Posey.
Remember the qualities Posey said he was looking for in Bob Melvin’s replacement? He wanted a manager who was “obsessive about the details.” Does this look like that?
You don’t even have to look that far into the past to find another example of a player expressing surprise at the manager’s decision to pull him from a ballgame.
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello watches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
At least Mahle had the grace to put the blame on himself.
“Looking back, it was probably obvious that I wasn’t going to throw more than 15 pitches more than my last start after not starting for a few weeks,” Mahle said. “I didn’t even really think about it. It’s pretty normal to progress by 10, 15 pitches, so I should’ve realized that. And I didn’t realize where my pitch count was in that inning. I guess I did throw a lot in that inning.”
Mahle didn’t exactly do himself any favors when he walked the leadoff batter and gave No. 9 hitter Tommy Troy a two-strike fastball that was hittable enough for him to lift it into right field.
Before the fifth, he had been cruising since allowing a leadoff home run to Marte.
The pocket of the order starting with Perdomo was predetermined to be a target for Hentges, Vitello said, especially given Mahle’s pitch count. They were only expecting five innings from him in his last start against the Braves but needed only 70 pitches to make it through 5 ⅔.
“We were gonna go to 85 pitches with him, and I think he landed literally right there on the dot,” Vitello said. “That was the spot we were going to Sam, regardless. If [Mahle] would’ve rolled 1-2-3, he would’ve just started the [next] inning. It didn’t work out. He didn’t throw the ball as well as he did against the Braves.”
Whether or not that feedback was communicated to Mahle, however, was not clear.
And, as he learned, it’s not same to assume on this team.
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