Category: MLB

Happy Friday, everyone! Can you believe it? We’re already at the last weekend of play before the All-Star break. The season has already passed the halfway mark officially, but the All-Star Break feels like the marker where we really see which teams are going to make a push for the postseason.

The All-Star Game will also see a pitching icon who is currently on the IL get acknowledged with the “Legend” selection, and that’s Tigers’ pitcher Justin Verlander, who has spent most of the 2026 season injured. He has now come out and announced that he has heard his body’s message loud and clear, and the 2026 season will officially be his last. Right after finding out he’d be headed to Philly for the ASG, he took to his social media to announce his decision.

It remains to be seen if Verlander will return to the mound in the latter half of the season, but for him and for Tigers’ fans, it would be nice to see him go out on a high note.

Now on to the rest of today’s links.

• Ryan Blake looks at the stars who have bowed out of the All-Star Game and how many of them are on West Coast teams making postseason bids.
• Tim Capurso has a handy guide to all the All-Star replacement players.
• Todd Zolecki reports that Bryce Harper will be making the home team proud as he joins the Home Run Derby.
• SI has some fun quizzes to see if you can remember the All-Star starting pitchers and also the All-Star MVPs since 2000.
• Justin Verlander announced he will retire at the end of the season. Story by Cody Stavenhagen. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Tyler Kepner shares that Justin Verlander’s retirement means that the 300-win club may now be closed forever.(The Athletic subscription required.)
• Cody Stavenhagen shares how the new generation of pitchers acknowledge they’re now playing a different game than Verlander. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Shohei Ohtani can’t go a week without breaking or setting new records.

• Just how high can Shohei Ohtani go in terms of home runs? David Adler tries to determine of the sky is the limit.
• Jake Mailhot assesses Dylan Cease’s no-hit bid, and whether he’s making a Cy Young case for himself.
• Bryan Hoch shares that Aaron Judge will be assessed over the All-Star break to determine his road to return.
• Alan Porter has been named the umpire crew chief for the All-Star Game. (AP)
• Anthony Volpe denies reports that he refused to play second base, calling them “BS.” (ESPN)
• Now that’s how you start your MLB career.

• Davy Andrews reports on Konnor Griffin, who is headed back to the IL.
• Dan Gartland looks at just how bad the Yankees have been without Aaron Judge.
• Karl Rasmussen looks at the most pleasant surprises from the first half of the season.
• Jeff Passan offers trade deadline candidates for all the contending teams.
• Willson Contreras has had his suspension reduced to five games. (ESPN)
• Munetaka Murakami will make his return to the White Sox today. (AP)
• A great video to introduce the four inaugural teams of the WPBL and what their names mean.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Syracuse Mets 4 — F/10

Norfolk let a two-run lead slip away but walked it off in the bottom of the tenth. Josh Walker kept the Mets off the board in the top of the frame, and Luis Vázquez drove in the automatic runner with a single to right field.

José Barrero got the Tides on the board with a solo homer in the second inning, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a three-run shot in the bottom of the third. Norfolk only tallied five hits across the ten innings. Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-4, and Sam Huff singled in four trips.

Christian Herberholz limited Syracuse to two runs (one earned) over five innings. He allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out one. Dietrich Enns allowed a run over two innings, and Yosver Zulueta allowed a run in the eighth.

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 5, (Guardians) Chesapeake Baysox 3

Chesapeake starter Evan Yates came within one out of a quality start, but he took the loss after allowing three runs over 5.2 innings. Yates allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out four. Micah Ashman allowed a pair of runs and failed to complete an inning of work.

Douglas Hodo III gave the Baysox an early lead with a solo home run in the top of the first. Aron Estrada doubled, walked and scored a run. Frederick Bencosme walked twice, and Thomas Sosa recorded a pinch-hit single in his only at bat.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) Frederick Keys — PPD

The game was postponed for inclement weather and will be made up on July 11.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) Delmarva Shorebirds — PPD

The game was postponed for inclement weather and will be made up on July 10.

Box scores

Friday’s Schedule

Norfolk: vs Syracuse, 6:35. Starter: Trace Bright (0-6, 7.25 ERA)

Chesapeake: at Akron, 7:17 pm. Starter: Sebastian Gongora (and 7-3, 3.18 ERA)

Frederick: vs Jersey Shore, 7:00 pm. Starter: Boston Bateman (3-3, 3.82 ERA)

Game 1: Delmarva: vs Kannapolis, 4:05 pm. Starter: Stephen Still (1-3, 6.32 ERA)

Game 2: Delmarva: vs Kannapolis, TBD. Starter: TBD

Next week, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game gets underway at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

But before this generation’s stars take the field, the next generation will take the stage in the City of Brotherly Love.

The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday, and over 600 prospects will hear their names called during the 20 rounds that unfold, beginning with the Chicago White Sox at No. 1 overall. To get you ready, we have a mock draft to help set the stage.

For more on how the first round works, we have you covered here with this piece from Thursday. And a note on methodology: This is a “what I think will happen” mock draft, and not a “what I would do” mock draft. Mostly because I would draft Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson with every pick in that scenario. But there is still some “what I would do” sprinkled in …

Here are the picks, with some thoughts after.

If you want to get a little deeper into this class, read on.

Thoughts on the top ten

Let’s dive into the top ten selections a bit more.

1. Chicago White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

It is by no means a done deal, but UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky remains the consensus top player in the class. And with the White Sox trying to sign him out of high school, the pairing between player and team fits. But there is a lot to like about Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, as well as Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, who stand out as the top three players in the class. Chicago likely goes with Cholowsky, who might have the highest floor of the three, but Emerson might have the highest ceiling.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)

If Cholowsky indeed comes off the board first, Tampa Bay runs to the podium for Emerson. The high school shortstop has a silky smooth swing from the left side of the plate, is coming off another monster season where he slashed .532/.648/1.013, and was just the second high school player in the past 48 years to be named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, joining Bobby Witt Jr. on that short list.

3. Minnesota Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

The Minnesota Twins sit in a decent spot, as they would be happy to take Vahn Lackey, who slashed .397/.519/.722 as part of Georgia Tech’s monster offense this season.

4. San Francisco Giants: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

This might be the first departure from consensus, as a bit of “what I would do” works its way into this mock draft. But in addition to Lackey, outfielder Drew Burress was a huge part of the Georgia Tech offense this past season. He slashed .358/.473/.675, while belting 16 home runs to break Jason Varitek’s school record of 57 career home runs, as Burress hit 60 during his time in college. The San Francisco Giants have been linked to several bats in this class, but Burress’ power stands out.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)

Mississippi outfielder Eric Booth Jr. is something of a consensus pick for the Pirates, and Pittsburgh dipped into the Mississippi prep waters recently with some success with Konnor Griffin. Eric Booth Jr. is considered the top prep outfielder in the 2026 MLB Draft class, hit .467 as a junior in 2025, and followed that with a .481/.699/.922 slash line this past year:

6. Kansas City Royals: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

It’s time for the first pitcher to come off the board, and it is UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. Flora set a new school record with 133 strikeouts this season, as he finished with a 12-0 record, an ERA of 1.06, and a WHIP of just 0.853. Flora features high-level velocity — his fastball rests in the upper 90s and hits triple digits regularly — but he can mix in two different sliders, as well as two different changeups.

Here’s a look at that fastball:

And now let’s mix in some of that breaking stuff:

If Flora is off the board, high school arm Gio Rojas could be a pick for Kansas City here.

7. Baltimore Orioles: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama

Here is another selection where the college influence creeps into my mind. Consensus is mixed on Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, who could come off the board anywhere from No. 8 to the late teens.

So I concede I might be higher on him than consensus, but the tools are there and the shortstop was critical to Alabama’s run to Omaha this season. According to multiple reports the Orioles are looking at college bats with this pick, and Lebron makes a great deal of sense.

8. Athletics: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

As noted by other outlets, the Athletics are looking at college bats, and Ryder Helfrick sliding to this spot would offer a nice combination of positional value and power at the plate. Helfrick slashed .305/.420/.616 for the Razorbacks in 2025 along with 15 home runs, and followed that with a .283/.417/.562 slash line in 2026 along with 18 big flies.

Plus, there is a track record of success with the wood bat, as he slashed .261/.323/.837 for Brewster on the Cape during the summer of 2024, along with 11 home runs.

9. Atlanta Braves: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)

This might be a bit low for Jacob Lombard, who is coming off boards earlier than this in other industry mock drafts. But with the board falling like this, the Braves would be happy to see Lombard available. The Florida infielder carries some “swing-and-miss” risk, particularly against upper-level velocity, but he offers an intriguing mix of power at the plate and speed on the bases.

10. Colorado Rockies: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

The Colorado Rockies are another team linked to college bats in the 2026 MLB Draft, and Kentucky infielder Tyler Bell certainly fits the bill. Bell slashed an impressive .343/.510/.608 for the Wildcats this past season, with nine home runs.

The switch-hitter also has power from both sides of the plate. Here is a home run against West Virginia in the College World Series Regionals:

And here is a blast from the right side of the plate against Tennessee earlier this season:

That will work at Coors Field someday.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (45-45)

NORFOLK 5, SYRACUSE 4 /10 (BOX)

Jonah Tong had another mediocre outing in Syracuse, as he continued to strike batters out an impressive rate while issuing too many walks and giving up too many runs. That outing turned an early two-run lead into a deficit, and the Syracuse lineup was able to get those runs back and get to extras but failed to score in the top of the tenth before Norfolk got the free runner run in the bottom of that inning.

• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 0-4
• LF Nick Morabito: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, K
• RF MJ Melendez: 1-4, R, 2B, BB, K
• DH Christian Arroyo: 0-3, BB
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 2-5, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K
• 3B Yonny Hernández: 0-5
• CF Cristian Pache: 1-3, R, BB, SB
• C Hayden Senger: 1-4, 2B, K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 1-3, BB, K
• P Jonah Tong: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
• P Ofreidy Gómez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Jefry Yan: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Matt Turner: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (31-53)

BINGHAMTON 7, HARTFORD 3 (BOX)

A four-run sixth ining was the biggest one of the night for the Rumble Ponies, but things were looking pretty comfortable all along. R.J. Gordon, who had a solid 2025 season before struggling early this season, made a cromulent start.

• DH Chris Suero: 2-5, R, 2 2B, K, SB
• CF Jose Ramos: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, SB
• 1B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, R, 2 K
• C Kevin Parada: 1-4, R, RBI, K
• RF Matt Rudick: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• 2B Nick Lucky: 1-4, R, 2 K
• SS Kevin Villavicencio: 1-4, RBI, K
• LF Jaylen Palmer: 0-4, 3 K
• 3B Nick Roselli: 1-4, RBI, K
• P R.J. Gordon: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• P Brian Metoyer: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Justin Armbruester: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• P Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (33-49)

BROOKLYN 11, WILMINGTON 2 (BOX)

Mitch Voit had one of his better nights at the plate since the Mets drafted him, and a four-run first inning by the Cyclones set the tone for the game. Their six-run eighth inning made it crystal clear that they were winning this game.

• SS Mitch Voit: 2-2, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
• 3B Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, R, 3B, BB, 2 K
• RF JT Benson: 1-5, R, K, 2 SB
• CF John Bay: 2-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• DH Yohairo Cuevas: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• 2B Colin Houck: 0-4, R, RBI, 2 K
• LF Sam Biller: 1-4, R, K
• P Dakota Hawkins: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• P Cristofer Gomez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• P Ryan Dollar: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (37-45)

JUPITER 15, ST. LUCIE 3 (BOX)

Yikes.

• 3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K, 2 E
• SS Elian Peña: 2-4, K, E
• CF Trey Snyder: 0-4, K
• DH Julio Zayas: 0-3, BB, K
• RF AJ Salgado: 0-3, R, BB, K, E
• 2B Branny De Oleo: 2-4, K
• C Francisco Toledo: 2-4, 2B, K
• LF Jackson Hauge: 1-4, RBI, 2 K
• 1B Jack Scanlon: 1-4, R, K, E
• P Christian Rodriguez: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• P Joe Scarborough: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Caden Wooster: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• P Luis Alvarez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• P Taylor Darden: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (20-26)

FCL NATIONALS 8, FCL METS 0 (BOX)

• CF Bohan Adderley: 0-3, 2 K
• RF Mike Tauchman: 0-1
• PR-LF Adolfo Miranda: 0-1
• 1B Randy Guzman: 0-3, 2 K
• C Josmir Reyes: 1-3, 2B
• DH Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-3, K
• 3B Roybert Herrera: 0-2, BB, K
• SS Anthony Frobose: 1-3, 2B, 2 K
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 1-3
• LF-RF Heriberto Rincon: 0-2, K
• P Camden Lohman: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• P Omar Victorino: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• P Austin Brown: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• P Luis Sotillo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Rookie: DSL Mets Orange (15-14)

DSL ARIZONA RED 14, DSL METS ORANGE 4 (BOX)

• SS Wandy Asigen: 1-1, BB, 2 SB, E
• PH-SS Jose Padilla: 1-3, R
• DH Cleiner Ramirez: 0-5, 4 K
• C Cesar Acosta: 2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• C Yadier Fuentes: 0-1, K
• 2B Sebastian Toro: 0-4, RBI, BB, K
• LF Jhonael Cuello: 1-4, 2 K, 2 SB, E
• CF Ryan Rudas: 1-3, R, BB, K, SB
• 3B Oscar Pena: 1-4, 2B, RBI, SB
• RF Elvis Teran: 0-2, 2 BB, K
• 1B Jesus Griman: 0-3, R, BB
• P Randy Guzman: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Mauricio Nunez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• P Derlin Rojas: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Victor Gallegos: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Alsy Torres: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Isaac De La Cruz: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Mitch Voit

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Camden Lohman

The Red Sox have won five in a row and ten of their last twelve games going back to the start of their series against the New York Yankees. Boston is now 33-31 under interim manager Chad Tracy and 43-48 overall. The Sox are just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and as of Thursday evening have a 30.1% chance to make the playoffs per FanGraphs, above both the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. Willson Contreras is serving his five-game suspension, Ranger Suarez hit the IL, and a Patrick Sandoval emerged from the abyss to provide needed innings against the Chicago White Sox.

Sonny Gray, who may yet be an All Star with the opening created by Ranger, kicks things off against the Mets Friday night on Apple TV. This game will not be on NESN. It is on Apple TV. As a heads up, they will have another Apple TV game on July 24. Gray is coming off 6.0 innings against the Angels and 7.1 against the Yankees. He allowed just 1 run across those two outings. Nolan McLean is a 24-year-old righthander in his sophomore season with the Mets. He’s struck out 28% of batters this season and walked just 8.8%. At over one-strikeout-per-inning he’s going to be a challenge, although he’s had trouble. He’s gone 6.0 innings in three straight outings but gave up 6 runs to the Cubs, 0nto the Blue Jays, and 3 (2 earned) to the Braves.

Saturday the Red Sox starter is still listed as TBD. Ranger Suarez would be in line to make this start but after leaving his last start early and hitting the IL the Sox must head in a different direction. In fact, the Sox are TBD for each of the final two games of the unofficial “first half.” Brayan Bello might be tapped for one of these games, probably Saturday. The Sox likely don’t want to bring Bello up only to option him back down, given the goal of fixing his first inning issues. Since his demotion he’s put up a 4.34 ERA in 18.2 innings across four starts. His last start was July 1 so he’s rested. No one is lined up for Sunday. Payton Tolle, having pitched the opener in Chicago, would be on four days rest. He’s already over half way to his innings high and benefits from extra rest already. Patrick Sandoval was already recalled. Ryan Watson can, potentially, cover some bulk. Though ideally the Sox are either well ahead or behind, not relying on him to hold a close game. At this point, Sonny Gray is untradable simply because teams need to field a full team every game.

Freddy Peralta is having a dreadful season with the Mets. Traded from the Brewers this winter, he’s putting up his highest ERA in a full season. Strikeouts are down, hits allowed are up…he’s not getting Cy Young votes this year. The Mets similarly are at a pitching crunch for Sunday. We might see dueling bullpen games.

Juan Soto is doing everything he can with 21 homers this season.

Bo Bichette started slow and even after a few good weeks is slashing just .258/.302/.380, which is not what the Mets expected after signing him to a rich three-year deal.

Francisco Lindor may not get along with Soto and is hitting .211/.296/.352, an age-32 crash in his numbers.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, July 10: Sonny Gray (2.61 ERA / 3.61 FIP) vs. Nolan McLean (3.73 ERA /2.96 FIP)

Saturday, July 11: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Freddy Peralta (4.68 ERA / 4.30 FIP)

Sunday, July 12: TBD (— ERA / 2.72 FIP) vs. TBD (— ERA / — FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Friday, July 10: 7:15 PM ET on Apple TV

Saturday, July 11: 4:10 PM ET on NESN

Sunday, July 12: 1:40 PM ET on NESN

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Postponed at Buffalo Bisons

Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 11-5 vs. Reading Fightin Phils — fell behind 10-0, scored late to make it respectable

LF Jackson Castillo 1-3, 2 BB, K
CF Jace Avina 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K — 17th of the season!
RF DJ Gladney 1-5, 2 K, throwing error
3B Coby Morales 1-4, RBI, K, SF
2B Connor McGinnis 1-5, 2B, 3 K
DH Miguel Palma 1-4, HR, RBI, K
1B Josh Moylan 1-3, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia 2-4, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 2-4

Chase Hampton 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 K (loss) — the going is rough for the erstwhile top prospect
Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Chase Chaney 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Hayden Merda 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Trent Sellers 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Luis Velasquez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Kevin Verde 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 9-2 vs. Rome Emperors

3B Roderick Arias 2-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K — 21-year-old has been red hot the last month; could he finally be figuring it out?
SS Core Jackson 2-3, 2B, 2 BB
DH Eric Genther 1-4, 2 K
1B Kyle West 1-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
CF Wilson Rodriguez 2-4, RBI, BB, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K, fielding error
C Josue Gonzalez 1-3, 2 BB, K, SB
RF Camden Troyer 2-5, 2B, 2 K
LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, BB, 2 K

Allen Facundo 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Tanner Bauman 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (win)
Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Brady Kirtner 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Jack Sokol 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: L, 6-1 vs Clearwater Threshers

SS Jackson Lovich 1-4, 2B, 2 K
2B Hans Montero 0-4
DH Luis Puello 0-4, 2 K
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB
CF Brando Mayea 1-3, RBI, K
RF Willy Montero 0-3, K
1B David McCann 0-3, fielding error
C Engelth Urena 0-3, 3 K
LF Isael Arias 1-3, K, 2 SB

Wyatt Parliament 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K (loss)
Jose Martinez 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jose M. Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jordarlin Mendoza 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 3-0 at FCL Tigers — dreadful offensive day, just one hit and 14 strikeouts

3B Richard Matic 0-4, 2 K
CF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, 2 K
DH Queni Pineda 0-4, 2 K
2B Leni Done 0-3, throwing error
LF Jose Castro 0-2, 2 K, HBP throwing error
RF Francisco Vilorio 1-3, 2 K — fifth-inning single kept the Yanks from getting no-hit
SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, 2 K, throwing error
C Justin Capellan 0-3, K
1B Diego Flores 0-2, BB, K

Jerson Alejandro 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Manuel Cruz 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K (loss)
Stanly Alcantara 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Yankees:Suspended bottom third at DSL Rockies

CF Isaias Castillo 2-2, 2B
SS Stiven Marinez 0-0, BB
RF Yostin Pena 2-2, 2B, 3 RBI
DH Juan Torres 2-2, 2 RBI, SB
1B Juan Martinez 0-2, K
C Cesar Loepz 0-1, BB
LF Kendry Diaz 0-2
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-2, CS
2B Emmanuel Orozco 0-2, K

Jhosneyker Colina 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Dariel Chalas 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 0 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 19-3 vs. DSL Twins — casual 12 hits, 13 walks

3B Dariel Santana 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, 2 SB
SS Mani Cedeno 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 BB
2B Carlos Bello 0-5, RBI, BB, 3 K, SB
C Alessandro Rodriguez 1-3, BB, SB
PH-C Stalen Ramirez 2-2, RBI
DH Kenneth Melendez 0-1, 4 BB, K
PH-DH Jesus Guerrero 0-1, GIDP
RF David Carrera 2-5, 2B, 2 K
1B Poly Ojeda 0-2, 3 RBI, BB, SF, SB
CF Alfiery Matos 2-4, RBI, 2 K, SB
LF Sebastian Pinto 2-3, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, SB

Cesar Acosta 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (win)
Higor Requena 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Jhon Castro 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 0 K
Josue Silvestre 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

The Guardians have won one series since Jose Ramirez got hurt and they’ve split one. Otherwise, they’ve become adept at salvaging series and that’s what they did yesterday winning 5-2 against the resurgent Twins.

Getting a hit once every three at-bats – Great. Getting on base once every three plate appearances – Very good. Getting a win once every three games? Bad. Very bad.

I wrote a recap of the game here. Chase DeLauter has a wRC+ of around 175 since he returned from the IL. May that continue unabated.

I wrote up a “What You Need to Know for the MLB Draft” Here. MLB’s All-Star festivities begin tonight with the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, which you can read about more here.

Zack Meisel of the Athletic offered a Guardians’ mailbag which are always insightful.

AROUND MLB:

White Sox lost, Tigers won, and Royals lost.

MC can stand for Midsummer Classic. It can also stand for Motor City, where the Phillies will wrap up the first half of their season.

Onto the links.

Phillies news

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Bryce Harper appeared in a video FanDuel sent to a bettor struggling with gambling addiction. ($)

Harper is in the hometown Home Run Derby.

Don Mattingly likes the idea of sticking around.

MLB news

Jeff Passan proposes some trades for the top teams.

A fresh batch of trade rumors.

Who’ll be first off the board in this year’s Draft?

Hello, friends.

It is always more fun when the Orioles win rather than lose. That’s certainly true yesterday, when that would have been a painful way to lose and get swept. Instead, the O’s pulled off a comeback win to avoid the sweep. Check out John Beers’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals of a 3-2 victory.

Yesterday’s victory temporarily solves one unfortunate symbolic Orioles problem. They no longer have a worse record than last year’s Orioles team did. The 2026 Orioles are now sitting on the same 43-51 record as the 2025 team. Last year’s jokers lost their next three games as well, and six of their next seven, from this point forward, so there is an opportunity to regain some ground, so to speak.

Much better would be to see the Orioles rip off a hot streak to regain ground in the wild card race. They also did that yesterday! The Mariners lost a third straight game to fall to .500. The Orioles are four games back with six teams to pass. It’s the six teams to pass more than the four games that is their problem. Not only do the Orioles need to go 43-25 or better, they need the Mariners to do no better than 39-29, and the Twins to do no better than 40-28, and the Astros to do no better than 40-27, and so on.

This is a tall order. I am skeptical of the Orioles ability to do their part of it and not hopeful that every other team will do their part as well. Somebody is probably going to get hot and put the O’s really out of reach. You can still try to bargain your way into a hot streak for the O’s if you want. The Marlins were 26-34 at the end of May and, with their current six game winning streak in the bag, are now 52-42. That is a radical change of fortunes. A team can do it.

The question is whether the Orioles can do it. They can only control their own business. They could really use the lengthy winning streak that has proved elusive to them the entire season long. But before they can ever win four in a row, they need to win two and three in a row. They’ve got a struggling Royals team as their final opponent before the All-Star break here.

It doesn’t mean too much that the Royals are struggling since the Orioles are also struggling. The O’s are perfectly capable of playing poorly against any team. They show us in more than half of their games so far this season. Hopefully they won’t show us again starting at 7:05 tonight. Don’t make all the people there to get their reversible floppy hats sad.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

On Rutschman leading off, Alexander’s spot in the lineup, and the Rogers/Basallo battery (School of Roch)
The manager weighed in on a number of strategic thinking topics ahead of yesterday’s game. Since the Orioles won, they don’t feel as tragic as they might have otherwise.

Will Robertson coded in the clubhouse as a minor leaguer. Now he’s running the Orioles draft. (The Baltimore Banner)
An excellent profile of the guy who’s got a lot of responsibility with the draft this year. The Orioles could really use an unqualified success out of the #7 pick.

How collecting cans helped Orioles prospect Boston Bateman chase his baseball dream (The Baltimore Sun)
Bateman has been doing some interesting things this season, so much so that he merits random stories focusing on him as this one does.

What a World Cup bid tells us about Baltimore as a potential All-Star Game host (The Baltimore Banner)
The Banner does good reporting, you guys. A public records request about the city’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to host one of this year’s World Cup games shed some light on a possible All-Star Game pitch, which apparently the state would like to make for 2029.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1968, the Orioles fired manager Hank Bauer, who helmed the 1966 World Series winning team, replacing him with Earl Weaver. This decision worked out okay.

In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. was the MVP of the All-Star Game as the AL defeated the NL, 4-1. Ripken hit a home run in the game, his 19th consecutive (and final) All-Star appearance.

One current Oriole has a birthday today. Happy 25th to reliever Anthony Nunez. Former Orioles who were born today: 2018-19 pitcher Josh Rogers, 2018-20 pitcher David Hess, 2002-03 outfielder Marty Cordova, 2000-04 reliever Buddy Groom, and 1975-76 infielder Bob Bailor. Today is Bailor’s 75th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: theologian John Calvin (1509), jurist William Blackstone (1723), Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch (1839), tennis legend Arthur Ashe (1943), baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson (1954), musician Béla Fleck (1958), singer-songwriter Jessica Simpson (1980), and pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng (2024).

On this day in history…

In 988, Dublin was founded after a Norse-descended king, Glúniarin, agreed to recognize and pay tribute to the High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill.

In 1778, French king Louis XVI declared war on Great Britain, officially entering the American Revolution on the side of the young United States.

In 1890, Wyoming was admitted to the Union, becoming the 44th state.

In 1925, Tennessee science teacher John Scopes was put on trial for teaching evolution in school, in violation of a state law that existed at that time. The so-called “Monkey trial” resulted in Scopes being found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of $100. However, after appeal, he was not required to pay the fine because a jury, not the judge, was supposed to set the fine.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 10. Have a safe Friday. Go O’s!

The Detroit Tigers appear to be charging headfirst into the All-Star break after securing a 4-1 win over the Athletics on Thursday night to secure the sweep and make it six victories in seven tries so far in July. Jake Rogers hit another homer and Eduardo Valencia cranked one as well in his first MLB plate appearance, while Framber Valdez gave his team seven strong frames of one-run ball to lead the Olde English D in its triumph.

Opening up the final series before the Midsummer Classic against the Philadelphia Phillies is right-hander Jack Flaherty, who has turned a corner since the start of June and has become an asset for the Tigers’ rotation. The 30-year-old has posted a tidy 2.50 ERA and an impressive 1.73 FIP over his last five starts stretching across 18 frames; the only problem is that he still cannot seem to crack that six-inning barrier.

Opposite him will be fellow righty Aaron Nola, who is in the midst of his second-straight season of struggles — though he has seen some modest improvements over his 2025 campaign. The 33-year-old has posted a 6.11 ERA and 5.30 FIP over seven games stretching across 35 1/3 innings since the start of June.

However, Nola tossed a quality start last time out against the Kansas City Royals, surrendering three runs on seven hits on zero walks while striking out seven over seven frames but ultimately was saddled with the loss in a 5-2 final at Kaufman Stadium. It was the first time in five games that he did not give up the long ball, having served up a pair in each of the four games prior.

Here is a look at how Flaherty and Nola match up on paper heading into the weekend series.

Detroit Tigers (43-50) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (52-42)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:The Good Phight
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 94: RHP Jack Flaherty (2-8, 4.60 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.87 ERA)

FLAHERTY

NOLA

Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel’s philosophy when it came to his baseball-obsessed sons was straightforward: the major-league players they grew up around were their coaches.

One of now 17-year-old Trey’s first baseball memories took place at Tempe Diablo Stadium with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, when Dino was on the Angels’ coaching staff.

Pointing to targets hung up in the batting cages, the pair of future Hall of Famers set up a competition between Trey and his older brother Brady: whoever hit the most bullseyes would get a signed bat.

“Me and Brady were going at it,” Trey said with a smile. “I don’t even know who won.”

The prize wasn’t the most important part. The love for the game, competitive drive, and even bat control stuck with him.

“He kind of took the ‘dad’ out of it and just watched us have fun,” Trey said. “I’m extremely grateful for that because a lot of dads are hard on their kids.

“As we got older, if me and Brady needed some help, or he saw something, he’s obviously going to chime in, given what he does. But for the most part, he’s always let the players coach us, and it’s been great. Paid off for sure.”

Read more:Dodgers scheduled to visit White House in late July to celebrate 2025 World Series win

It paid off so well that Dino and his wife Shannon are hosting their second draft party in as many years Saturday.

They’re expecting about 100 friends and family members to descend on their Rancho Cucamonga home, just as they did last year to watch the Brewers select Brady with the No. 32 overall pick.

Now his younger brother’s up.

“It’s Trey’s day,” Dino said, reminiscing on his youngest son’s Little League days, his home run derby victory in Williamsport, Pa., his growth through travel ball and high school. “It’s not about anybody else.”

Said Trey: “I’m excited, and I’m ready, and I feel prepared.”

Trey, a Texas A&M commit, is expected to be selected in an early round. Some scouts have predicted he could go higher than his brother. But plenty of factors dictate draft order, with the bonus pool system also affecting team strategy.

It’s especially difficult to gauge where draft prospects coming out of high school may be picked. Teams have less information on them, and have to project further into the future on evaluations, compared to their college counterparts.

“I’ve been talking to so many people in baseball leading up to this draft,” said agent Joel Wolfe of THE TEAM, who is representing Trey. “And many front office people have mentioned to me the same phrase, which was, ‘Our guys were light on Brady last year,’ meaning they missed, he should have been drafted higher. And I think that could really help Trey this year.”

Brady’s draft process gave Trey and Dino a preview for this year, setting expectations for meetings, tryouts, and the day itself.

It was a new vantage point for Dino, who’s worn many hats in baseball. He played six seasons in the minors before launching a coaching career that’s taken him through the gamut of pro baseball levels, and even out of the country.

“It was very eye-opening,” Dino said. “I’ve always been in player development, coaching, on the field, and now I got a chance to see how the draft works.”

The family even held an identical gathering for Brady’s draft day. After he got the call saying the Brewers were going to select him, with his brother and father standing by, the trio put on poker faces for Shannon and their guests to preserve the surprise.

“Both of those boys are unique to other players in the draft because they grew up around the game,” Wolfe said, drawing comparisons to the Holliday and Lombard brothers. “Having been in the bubble with the Dodgers during the World Series, and being around all of the players and all of the coaches, and being around that life ... there’s just something about them — their comfort level, and also all of the both tangible and intangible things that they learn, especially defensively.”

Read more:Mookie Betts' eighth-inning single gives Dodgers series win over the Rockies

Many of the lessons Trey gleaned from the stars at dad’s work — first with the Angels and then, the last eight years, the Dodgers — came from observing. And he integrated those details into his infield mechanics, batting cage routine and appreciation for preparation.

When Dino did chime in with advice, it was often about controlling the strike zone, being a complete hitter rather than just a slugger, and valuing fundamentals.

“Their reputation, their character, who they are off the field, who they are on the field, that’s the part I really like the most,” Ebel said of his sons. “How they respect people in the game, on and off the field. They’re always about making somebody feel comfortable, make them feel like somebody important.”

Dino watched his son’s draft stock steadily rise, as Trey got a full season of shortstop under his belt at Corona High School, and added strength, with an emphasis on explosiveness, working out with MW Athletix’s Keith Coury (recommended to Dino by Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, a product of Santiago High School in Corona.)

“He went from a good player seven, eight, nine months ago, a year ago,” Dino said, “to really an exceptional, top prospect for me.”

Now, all the Ebel family can do is wait and answer the phone Saturday.

Read more:Dodgers coach Dino Ebel's eldest son learned lessons from the pros

Graduating seniors are often asked to envision their futures. What’s next? Where do you see yourself in five years?

For Trey, the vision is clear.

“Playing in the big leagues,” Trey said. “No matter what team ... I see myself being a great teammate, being a great person, and the ultimate goal is to win a World Series.”

It would be even sweeter to play alongside his brother. But playing against him would be fun, too. And Trey pictures his dad still in the third base coach’s box for the Dodgers.

Dino chuckled at that.

“I’d like to watch them, but now they’re telling me that they would want me on the field, playing against me,” he said. “And I’m like, you know, anytime you’re with your dad, we’re out to beat you.”

Judging by Brady and Trey’s competitive streak from a young age the feeling would be mutual.

“We’ll see when that time comes where I’m at,” Dino said. “I would love to be at third base and see the Ebel brothers in the big leagues. That would be pretty cool.”

Read more:Shohei Ohtani hits milestone homer, Justin Wrobleski makes All-Star case in Dodgers' loss

So far, his son’s baseball careers have played out as he envisioned nearly a decade ago, when they fell in love with the game.

“It’s really a dream,” he said.

Dino saved all the signed bats and batting gloves that Brady and Trey won off Pujols and Trout, storing them in a room full of baseball memorabilia. He’ll pass them on when his sons start collections in their own homes.

Watching his boys hit targets in the Tempe Diablo batting cages is one of Dino’s favorite baseball memories.

“I just sat back and enjoyed it as a dad,” Dino said.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers have powered their way through the longest stretch of the season, as they’re just three games away from completing 18 games in 17 days. Not only that, but they’ve also played great baseball during the stretch, building their NL Central lead as we near the All-Star break. Speaking of the All-Star break, the Brewers have just one All-Star despite holding the second-best record in baseball — Jacob Misiorowski has been replaced on the roster as he’s slated to start on Sunday, so it’s just catcher William Contreras headed to Philadelphia as of now. The Home Run Derby is scheduled for Monday night, with the All-Star Game to follow on Tuesday.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Andre Dawson, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1936 – At Forbes Field, Chuck Klein hits four home runs in one game, including the tie-breaker in the 10th, helping the Phillies defeat the Pirates, 9-6. The Indianapolis, Indiana native barely misses hitting an additional homer in the 2nd when right fielder Paul Waner catches his drive against the wall. At 36, Klein is the oldest player ever to accomplish the feat, and the first National Leaguer in the 20th century to do so, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1913 – Led by Ward Miller‘s two-run triple, the Cubs stop the Giants, 3-2. The victory ends the New Yorkers’ win streak at 14 games and stops Christy Mathewson‘s win streak at nine.
• 1920 – After banging out 11 straight hits, Tris Speaker is stopped by Tom Zachary of Washington. It’s the American League record until Pinky Higgins of the Red Sox will rack up 12 in a row in 1938. Speaker will hit .388 for the season.
• 1932 – Indians flychaser Johnny Burnett collects a record nine hits in 11 at-bats in an 18-inning game in which the A’s outscore the Tribe, 18-17. Jimmie Foxx hits three home runs, and has 16 total bases and eight RBI for the A’s.
• 1948 – After yielding a two-run homer to the A’s Hank Majeski to tie the score, reliever Satchel Paige gets his first major league win as Larry Doby hits a two-run homer and the Indians tack on another run in the 9th to beat Philadelphia, 8-5.
• 1969 – The Cubs score five runs in the fifth inning to beat the Mets, 6-2, behind Bill Hands. The win halts the Mets’ seven-game win streak and leaves the New Yorkers in second place by four games.

Cubs Birthdays:Sergio Alcántara, John Rudolph, Bobby Lowe, Andre Dawson* HOF.

Today in history:

• 1919 – US President Woodrow Wilson personally delivers Treaty of Versailles to Senate.
• 1937 – Belgian-Romani-French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt‘s “Quintette du Hot Club” debuts at La Grosse Pomme nightclub in Montmartre, Paris.
• 1938 – Howard Hughes flies around the world in 91 hours.
• 1943 – Singer Judy Garland headlines her first solo concert, with an orchestra led by conductor Andre Kostelanetz at the Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park; sell-out crowd of 15,000 augmented by additional 5,000 outside the open-air venue
• 1964 – The Beatles release “A Hard Day’s Night,” their third studio album.
• 1965 – Rolling Stones score their first US number 1 single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”.
• 1967 – Bobbie Gentry records “Ode to Billie Joe,” which goes on to win four Grammy awards.
• 1985 – Coca-Cola Co. announces it will resume selling old-formula Coke.
• 2023 – Fourteenth-century document by a civil servant asking for time off identified as only known handwriting by Geoffrey Chaucer, the “Father of English Literature”.

*pictured.

Major League Baseball is at the halfway point in its season, and the Pittsburgh Pirates offense has been one of the best in baseball in the first half of the year.

It’s nothing short of amazing how the Pirates were able to turn around their offensive woes from just a season ago. In 2025 Pittsburgh ranked last in runs scored, home runs, RBIs and OPS. They also ranked near the bottom in nearly every other statistical category.

2026 however has seen the script flip almost entirely for the revamped lineup. With new faces contributing like Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe this offense is sitting near the top in most statistical categories. The Pirates currently rank third in runs scored with 492 near the halfway point in the season. They also rank second in RBIs with 472, sitting just behind Los Angeles Dodgers. The team’s recent series victory against the Nats might be more impressive than many realize, considering that Washington is at the top of several offensive categories.

The bats of Pittsburgh have been much improved this season, with nearly everyone in the lineup being able to contribute on any given night. Nick Gonzales has elevated himself to a different level this season, and was receiving serious All-Star considerations. Bryan Reynolds has been another top performer for the Buccos, maintaining a consistent output all season long. With these players and several others on the team the Pirates have climbed to the top of the rankings in total hits with 857 on the year, 19 more than the second ranked Dodgers.

Since Don Kelly took over as manager for the Pirates, he’s made active base running a big part of the team’s identity. As a result Pittsburgh ranks fifth in baseball for total steals with 88. When your team has players as fast as Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz in the lineup you have to be willing to nab some extra bags. Luckily for the Pirates they don’t get caught stealing often either, as they’re in a four way tie for getting caught stealing, with it only happening 16 times so far this year.

As far as the averages are concerned Pittsburgh is also elite in that category. As a team the Pirates rank second in team batting average, on base percentage and OPS while also ranking fifth in slugging percentage. The team has also been more patient at the plate this season as they rank sixth in most bases on balls. Pittsburgh is also tied for seventh-most homers scored with 120. The lowest mark (or the highest) is the team’s amount of strikeouts, as they sit at the top with the most in baseball currently with 860. The high amount of strikeouts is about the only thing that has stayed consistent with last year’s squad.

This is by far the best looking lineup the Pirates have had in years, and the team has a 47-47 record and is within reach of a wild card berth. If the team’s offense can stay consistent through the second half of the season it’s very possible that we could be celebrating the first Bucctober in a decade.

Back in November of 2025, I broke down the Fangraphs (FG) current rankings of the Cardinals farm system. It has been almost 8 months since and we are about to enter a time when systems are re-shuffled a fair bit. The draft will occur in a couple of weeks, adding new players to the pipeline. Players continue to graduate to MLB, thinning the prospect list and the in-bound draftees will further thin out the bottom ends of the system to make room. All this will influence how each system looks. Each year it is almost like a makeover.

First off, I want to draw your attention to a recent article by VEB alum Ben Clemons that describes an update to prospect valuation. In the FG methodology, prospect valuations help drive their ranking of each system. The article describes the method in more detail. I haven’t had time to digest all the permutations, but my first blush is that the update moves FG further away from other publications preference to weight their system rankings based valuation of the few top-end prospects a system has. Not my favorite approach, but perhaps more predictive? Will have to study this more, to see if my first-blush assessment is even on target. If true, systems with greater quantities of lower-end prospects will see greater rise in evaluations this go around.

A walk down memory lane

Back in November, FG had the Cardinals system ranked#1 in all of baseball (other pubs were not quite that optimistic). FG saw fit to rank and evaluate 49 Cardinal prospects (they include anyone with a Future Value (FV) of 35+ or better in their evals. FG had the overall projected valuation of the 49 players at $283m, almost double their assessment from the year prior for the Cardinals.

Some things have changed since

First and foremost, a number of players will have graduated off the prospect list as they have accumulated MLB service time. This phenomenon affects all systems, but likely affects the Cardinals the most, with them being one of the youngest teams in baseball, they likely have more graduations than average.

In the interim eight months, injuries and performance, both positive and negative, will influence individual player evaluations, which is turn affects the overall system valuation. Without getting too deep into it, I’d hazard a guess that Tink Hence’s injury history and performance have tarnished his earlier premium prospect status and tanked his valuation. Will look more closely as we move along.

How does it look today?

The surface level look shows that the updated methodology has altered the dollar valuations enough that they aren’t readily comparable to prior rankings. For instance, the Cardinals system is now valued at $485m but has fallen to 10th overall in MLB. Interestingly, they now have 52 players in the valuation, an increase of 3 players since November. They got added between the November system ranking and the February player updates. I can’t figure out all 3, but I believe Carlos Carrion and Juan Rujano were two of them. The third? I dunno. It’s a moving target, so I’m not going to sweat it.

For comparison, Pittsburgh is now #1 ranked valuation at $671m. Wow! Before anyone runs screaming from the room, understanding that a valuation system that heavily weights the top end prospects introduces significant risk to the analysis. For example, $340m of the valuation is wrapped up in 3 players with FVs of 70 and 60 (Griffin, Chandler, Hernandez). Miss on any one (or more) of those players, and the overall system will appear to significantly under-perform.

I’m expecting mid-season updates from FG to start leaking out soon, likely before the amateur draft. When they do update, here is what we may see for our home team.

Who will come off the list?

When they update, we should see the following players off the list:

• Wetherholt
• Crooks
• Church
• Jordan
• Prieto
• Torres

So, there will be some significant deductions (value wise) but most of the attrition comes from the lower half of the 49 ranked players. Depending on when FG does their cut, some of these guys may still pass their test for prospects.

Who may get added to the list

So, six guys will come off the list of 49. Who will get added? Back in December, 2025, I formulated a list of existing system prospects who might rise and be added to the list of FG prospects with the next update. I had fourteen names of guys to watch for:

• Won-Bin Cho
• Zach Levenson
• Deniel Ortiz
• Michael Watson
• Tyler Bradt
• Jack Findlay
• Andrew Dutkanych IV
• Tyler Van Dyke
• Nolan Sparks
• Alan Reyes
• Brian Holiday
• Mason Burns
• Ethan Young
• Payton Graham

Cho, Findlay, Van Dyke seem near certainties to get added as they have advanced and had outstanding seasons. Ortiz may based on last year’s results, but being injured the first half of this year will limit his exposure to evaluators.

Dutkanych IV, Young, Graham and Holiday probably have too much lost time to injury for evaluators to get a feel, but a couple of these guys may end up on the list.

The rest are iffy based on performance or injury, or sometimes both.

There are at least two notable names from the DSL that should break into the updated list:

• Sebastian Dos Santos
• Cristofer Lebron

One name not on many lists likely to appear on the next prospect list: Jacob Odle.

Who might move up or down enough the alter their valuation significantly?

• Tanner Franklin probably tops this list. He was ranked 24 in the prior FG update, with an FV of 40. Top 10 wouldn’t shock me with this update and an FV 50 probably isn’t out of the question. That is a lot of additional value.
• Mason Molina probably isn’t far behind. He was ranked 42 with an FV of 35+. Expect him to break the top 20, perhaps? I have no clue what the new FV will be but strongly suspect it won’t be 35+.
• Yhoiker Fajardo was ranked 34 with an FV of 40, primarily because of proximity and age-related risk. His continuing success at High-A at his young age should give evaluators more confidence.
• Brandon Clarke might sink from that 6 rank a fair bit, due to lost time to injury. He was a 45+ FV primarily due to his injury history, so they may not discount FV much further, but move him down the ordinal ranking nonetheless. The Cardinals have enough depth that he could retain his 45+ FV and end up ranked 15th or so.
• Tink Hence. What has happened?

Summary

In the end, it appears that Cardinals will still have a top 10 ranked system, even with all the graduations this year. I’m going to hazard an estimate that the update that comes out will have around 55 ranked prospects, so expect some minor growth in # of prospects and commensurate minor growth in valuation.

Additionally, top-100 draft picks tend to end up in the upper half of individual system rankings. They also tend to get rosy FV grades which will enhance their initial valuation. The Cardinals will have 6 of these picks in the 2026 draft, so expect the number of ranked prospects to rise above 60 by the end of the draft, and perhaps one or two more if the trade deadline works out as expected.

As valuations tend to more heavily weight the 50 FV and up players (especially those above 60 FV), we will have to wait and see how evaluators and scouts see the Cardinals higher end prospects before we know much about the new system valuation. The list of players that could fall in this elite group would seem to come from this pool:

• Doyle
• Baez (Joshua)
• Cijntje
• RainRod
• Padilla
• Peete
• Franklin
• Fajardo
• Dos Santos

Not a bad group. Two years ago, this list would probably have been almost empty, so lots of improvement.

Some might ask about Jesus Baez. I suspect that evaluators won’t be heavily influenced by his recent surge, but are likely noticing it. He currently carries a 40+ FV and evaluators don’t come off those easily. I don’t see him breaking the 50 FV barrier at least this go around. With a strong second half, perhaps by the off-season update.