Category: Baseball

In honor of the Philadelphia Phillies playing host to the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, we here at The Good Phight are launching a yearlong series that focuses on the history of the Phillies and the All-Star Game. Check back regularly for posts about the Phillies participation (or lack thereof) in the Midsummer Classic over its history.

We’re back to wrap up the rest of the long list of one-time All-Stars on the 1940s Phillies teams. Here’s part one of the 1940s, and here’s part one of this series with the 1930s. Without further ado, let’s wrap up this collection of good individual player seasons wasted on horrific teams.

Babe Dahlgren, 1943

The story of Ellsworth Tenney Dahlgren is one of a player who lost his chance to play in the majors in no small part due to something completely out of his control. His career started with the Boston Red Sox who purchased Dahlgren from the Mission Reds of the Pacific Coast League in 1934. The 23-year-old first baseman debuted with Boston in 1935, playing in 149 games and hitting a respectable .263 with nine home runs. Nevertheless, Dahlgren was sent to Triple-A Syracuse early in 1946 as future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx arrived in a trade from the A’s and took his spot at first. Dahlgren made his displeasure of the trade known, as he claimed he was too valuable to be sent back to the minors and would rather be traded if Foxx was to have the first base job.

Fortunately for Dahlgren, his wish to find a new club was granted in the spring of 1937. But the monkey’s paw curled, as he was bought by the Yankees who were looking for insurance because their first baseman, Lou Gehrig, was in the middle of a holdout. Dahlgren found a new home but was still blocked for any significant playing time. When Gehrig and the Yankees eventually bridged the $19,000 gap in his contract, Dahlgren was once again sent to the minors, but this time with the task of learning third base. He would find his way back to the Yankees in 1938 but only appeared in 27 games. Dahlgren finally became the Yankees starting first baseman on May 2nd, 1939, notably the game that ended Lou Gehrig’s iron man streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig, deteriorating due to ALS, requested to be taken out of the lineup, and Dahlgren was ready to step in to the enormous shoes, going 2-5 on the day with a home run.

But Dahlgren’s life would forever change in 1940. Despite Dahlgren appearing in every regular season game and hitting .264 with 12 home runs, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy blamed the first baseman for costing New York the pennant and pointed to a particular loss to Cleveland where Dahlgren committed an error. McCarthy told John Drebinger of The New York Times that “Dahlgren doesn’t screw up that play if he wasn’t a marijuana smoker.” That comment started a lifetime of unsubstantiated rumors that Dahlgren was a frequent marijuana user, something he vehemently denied.

Dahlgren was released by the Yankees despite a good 1940 season and spent the next two seasons playing for four different teams. He ended 1942 with the Dodgers who then traded him to the Phillies prior to the 1943 season. The impetus of the trade was a dispute with Brooklyn that involved Branch Rickey asking Dahlgren in a meeting if he was a marijuana smoker, something that outraged Dahlgren. So, Rickey traded him to Philadelphia, where he became an All-Star for the first and only time in his career after hitting .323 in the first half. Dahlgren didn’t start in the All-Star game at his shared home stadium of Shibe Park, but he did appear as a pinch hitter in the sixth and grounded into a double play. He ultimately went 0-2 as his NL team fell 5-3 to the AL in the first All-Star game played in Philadelphia and the first one to be played at night under the lights.

Dahlgren went back to the Phillies and finished the year hitting .287 across 136 games. But 1943 was his only season in Philadelphia, as he was traded to the Pirates following the season. Rampant rumors of his marijuana usage continued to follow Dahlgren, so much so that he went to Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis in 1944 and asked to be drug tested, becoming the first player to do so. Landis was not able to do much to help end the rumors though, as he died on November 25th, 1944.

Dahlgren played two more years in the Majors before embarking on a postretirement career that involved ownership of a minor league team, scouting, bringing Little League Baseball to Arcadia, California, and song writing. However, he was never able to escape the marijuana rumors, leading his grandson to write a book entitled “Rumor in Town: A Grandson’s Promise to Right a Wrong” in 2007 to try and put an end to the rumor once and for all.

Ken Raffensberger, 1944

Stop me if you’ve heard something like this before, but Ken Raffensberger was an above average pitcher who was cursed to play for losing teams, especially the 1940s Phillies. Perhaps this was the cosmic payment his Pennsylvania Dutch father had to pay for receiving his wish of a lefthanded pitcher for a first born. Despite playing for a high school without a baseball team that he dropped out after his junior year, Raffensberger signed a professional contract with the Cardinals in 1937 after pitching American Legion and semi-pro ball. It wasn’t long before Raffensberger found himself at the highest level of the Cardinals minor leagues in Rochester, and he was soon invited to big league spring training in 1939. He made his MLB debut not much later, pitching a scoreless inning of relief on April 25th, 1939, at the age of 21.

But Raffensberger found himself back in Rochester for the rest of the 1939 season where he posted his second straight season of 15 wins. The Cardinals decided to trade him to the Cubs in December however, in exchange for two players and cash considerations. Raffensberger was pleased by the trade, as he told his hometown York, Pennsylvania newspaper The Gazette and Daily that he was “tickled” and added “You see I know they’re short on left handers and I confidently feel that with exception of Larry French, I’m as good as any left hander the Cubs will have in camp this spring.”

Raffensberger appeared in just 49 games with the Cubs in 1940, mostly being used as a relief pitcher. His 3.38 ERA across 114.2 IP was impressive for a 22-year-old, but it wasn’t good enough to earn Raffensberger more than 10 games with the Cubs the following season, as he spent most of 1941 in the Pacific Coast League. Raffensberger remained with Los Angeles Angels of the PCL for another two full seasons despite winning a total of 36 games and sporting ERAs of 3.46 and 2.14.

Luckily(?) for Raffensberger, his performance did finally earn him another crack at the Majors, except now it was in Philadelphia with the Phillies. He was acquired by the Phillies along with Cubs first baseman Glenn David Russell in exchange for cash and two players to be named later. It was originally planned for both newly acquired players to not make their Phillies debut until 1944, but Raffensberger was called up on September 29th for a start against the Reds. He performed well, going eight innings and allowing only one run on seven hits, but Cincinnati’s Johnny Vander Meer, of two consecutive no-hitters fame, was better, hurling a complete game shutout with nine strikeouts, sending the Phillies to a 3-0 loss.

When the calendar turned to 1944, the Phillies were looking to continue their upswing, as they improved from being dead last with 109 losses in 1942 to only 90 losses and next to last in 1943. Raffensberger was primed to be a big reason for said theoretical improvement. He held up his end of the bargain, turning in the best season of his career to date and making the 1944 All-Star team at Forbes Field as the Phillies lone representative.

Raffensberger ended up pitching two scoreless innings in the game while allowing one hit with two strikeouts. He actually earned the win for that performance, as he left in the top of the fifth when the score was 1-0 AL, but the NL plated four in the bottom of the fifth and went on to win 7-1. Unfortunately for Raffensberger, the Phillies did not hold up their end of the improving angle, as the 1944 Phillies settled back into last place with 92 losses and even saddled Raffensberger with a league high 20 losses despite a 3.06 ERA across 258.2 IP.

The now 27-year-old lefty returned to the Phillies for just five games in 1945 after a quick five-month service with the Navy. Raffensberger turned in another solid effort for a losing team in 1946 before a slow start to 1947 earned him a trip out of Philadelphia and to Cincinnati. That’s where he would pitch the final full seven seasons of his MLB career. Over that span, Raffensberger went 83-94 with a 3.60 ERA for the Reds. In return, the Phillies received catcher Al Lakeman who appeared in 87 career games with the Phillies and hit .160.

Andy Seminick, 1949

A mainstay catcher for the 1940s Phillies, Seminick would probably be remembered as more of the Phillies lifer he was if he played in an era where there was more winning in Philadelphia. Nicknamed “The Mad Russian” due to his aggressive playing style and his status as the son of two Russian immigrants, Seminick spent twelve seasons total with the Phillies from 1943-1951 and from 1955 to 1957. The team averaged just under 70 wins per season during his tenure.

He dropped out of high school at 17 to play semi-professional baseball and work in the mines of his Muse, Pennsylvania town rather than attend Duquesne University and play football. Despite his father and brothers working for the same mining company, Seminick was the only one of his family who physically worked inside the mines. He suffered a back injury after stepping on some coal in 1940 and decided to be done with mining and focus solely on baseball.

Seminick spent the next few years playing independent ball and working various jobs including as a meatcutter and running a bulldozer at a defense plant after a knee injury disqualified him from the military. The Phillies tried to purchase Seminick’s contract from his semipro team the Knoxville Smokies in 1943, but Bill Veeck, then with the Triple-A Milwaukee Brewers, obtained Seminick’s rights first for $15,000. But Veeck then immediately sold Seminick to the Phillies anyway for $35,ooo. It must also be noted, the reason Seminick started playing catcher in Knoxville despite originally being a utility infielder is that the Phillies purchased Knoxville’s starting catcher Bob Finley earlier in 1943.

Seminick made his MLB debut on September 14th, 1943, in a game against the Giants that ended in a 4-4 tie after ten innings, quickly acquainting him to what life would be like with the Phillies. He collected his first big league hit with a home run to left in the second half of a double header the next day, snapping an 0-8 to begin his career. Seminick followed his Knoxville teammate Finley’s lead once again, as both catchers collected their first hit in the second day of their career with home runs to left field. However, Seminick broke a bone in his wrist a few days later after falling over the mound while tracking a pop-up. He did not tell his manager and convinced the team trainer to keep it quiet so he could finish his rookie season. Seminick ultimately played 22 games in 1943 and hit .181.

1944 began with Seminick breaking camp with the Phillies but ultimately being demoted to Double-A on June 18th due to his weak hitting. That is where he excelled with the Buffalo Bisons, hitting .273 with 14 home runs in 87 games before ending the season once again in Philadelphia. That’s where he would stay for all of 1945 as the backup catcher, quickly becoming the target of new manager Ben Chapman’s frustration. Chapman frequently berated Seminick over his defense behind the plate. But with the arrival of two former catchers to the coaching staff in Cy Perkins and Benny Bengough for 1946, Seminick’s defense improved enough to keep his vastly improving hitting in the lineup. He secured the starting catcher’s job that year and ran with it, hitting .247 with 38 home runs from 1946-1948. Nevertheless, he was frequently booed in Philadelphia due to his defensive lapses, so much so that three local teenage girls started the official “Andy Seminick 21 Fan Club,” producing their own newsletter and hosting various days of celebration for Seminick at the ballpark.

Their attempt at positive reinforcement seemed to help Seminick in 1949, as he started on a torrid pace, hitting .274 with 13 home runs through the first half of the year, earning him a selection to the NL All-Star team. The 28-year-old catcher was in the starting lineup that day at Ebbets Field for the NL, batting eighth in a lineup that featured Pee-Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Ralph Kiner. On the mound throwing to Seminick was Warren Spahn who only lasted 1.1 innings and surrendered 4 runs. Seminick had two plate appearances in the contest, getting hit in the elbow by a pitch in the second and grounding out in the third with the score tied 4-4. Roy Campanella then replaced Seminick as the NL ultimately went on to lose 11-7 thanks in part to Joe DiMaggio’s three RBIs.

Seminick cooled off a little after the break, hitting .212 with 11 home runs. But the Phillies finished in third place with an 81-73 record. It was Philadelphia’s first winning record since 1932 and the first time they crossed 80 wins since 1917. The team and Seminick continued to improve in 1950, as the Phils’ backstop hit a career-high .288 with a career-best .925 OPS and had his second straight seasons of 24 home runs while helping lead the Phillies to their first NL pennant since 1915. Seminick, then 29-years-old, was an elder statesman on the “Whiz Kids” but was third on the team in home runs and guided a pitching staff that featured young starters like Robin Roberts and Jim Konstanty to the best ERA (3.50) in all of baseball. Unfortunately for Seminick and the Whiz Kids, they were quickly dispatched in a sweep at the hands of the Yankees in the World Series.

Seminick regressed in 1951 and so did the Phillies, who finished the season in fifth place. He was then traded along with Dick Sisler to the Reds in a seven-player deal in December. That’s where Seminick would spend the next three and a half seasons before being traded back to the Phillies in April of 1955 where he would reassume starting catching duties. However, Seminick was relegated to a backup role by 1956 behind the better hitting and younger Stan Lopata. He started 1957 as a coach on the Phillies staff but was activated as a player in September due to injuries, appearing in eight games as a 36-year-old.

Seminick then embarked on a coaching career that led him back to the Phillies in 1967 and saw him manage a young Double-A MVP Greg Luzinski with the Reading Phillies in 1970. He later managed Mike Schmidt and Bob Boone with the Eugene Emeralds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1972. It was Seminick who moved Boone to catcher after the latter was originally an infielder. Seminick then converted into a role as a scout after being passed over for the Phillies manager job in favor of Danny Ozark in 1973. He would remain with the Phillies in his new role as a scout until his retirement in 1986 at the age of 66. Seminick is third among all Phillies catchers in career home runs with 123 and fifth in career WAR with 16.4.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com

Bill Nowlin, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Babe Dahlgren

Gerry Moore, The Boston Globe, April 4th, 1935

James C. O’Leary, The Boston Globe, Jan. 28, 1936

Bill King, The Atlanta Constitution, Jan. 14, 1936

James C. O’Leary, The Boston Globe, February 18th, 1937

Stan Baumgartner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 13th, 1943

Warren Crobett, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Ken Raffensberger

The Gazette and Daily, Dec. 28th, 1939

The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 5th, 1943

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 30th, 1943

Orlo Robertson, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 12th, 1944

C. Paul Rogers III, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Andy Seminick

The Gazette and Daily, Sept. 16th, 1943

The Daily Item, Jun. 24th, 1944

Art Morrow, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jul. 13th, 1949

Mike Capuzzo, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mar. 27th, 1992

Stan Baumgartner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 11th, 1951

The Cincinnati Reds have put together an enviable breadth of starting pitching heading into the 2026 Major League Baseball season. That’s a nebulous, bland, blanket statement on its surface, but it’s also very much emblematic of the fact that almost none of the cadre of starting-caliber arms they have down there is the same, or even in the same situation.

They’ve got a bona fide ace in Hunter Greene, the lone one amongst the group operating on a long-term contract extension. They’ve got Brady Singer, a veterans innings-eater, who is in his final year of team control with free agency looming.

They’ve got a flamethrowing rookie with Cy Young upside in Chase Burns, and a mix-match command maestro in rookie Rhett Lowder – who’s own stuff is good enough to chase awards, too. They’ve got lefties in Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo and Brandon Williamson to match the might of their RHPs. They’ve got guys coming off lost seasons who’ll need to deal with innings limits, and guys like Lodolo and Greene still looking to complete full seasons to add that badge of honor (an incredibly lucrative badge of honor) to their already growing resumes.

It’s also unique in that it’s a group composed completely of players who were already within the organization last year, with nary a new starting pitcher brought in to camp on a big league deal among them. Even with Nick Martinez, who left for free agency following the 2025 season, they lost a guy who spent a ton of the end of the season pitching as a reliever despite his prowess as a starter, so their rotation options have been lined up for 2026 long before 2026 ever arrived.

The one obvious question that we don’t necessarily know about this group, though, is who becomes their workhorse.

Last season, it was Singer who topped the IP leaderboard for the club at 169.2, a number that marked the fourth straight season in which he’d topped 150 IP for his respective clubs. That edged out both Abbott (166.1) and Lodolo (165.2) for the team lead, with each of those numbers marking career-bests for the lefties. Greene, meanwhile, has the best stuff on the team (and perhaps in the game) with the best surface stats, too, but injuries once again limited him during the 2025 campaign and he fired just 107.2 innings.

If the mantra is truly have your best pitchers pitch the most, then it’s pretty obvious the Reds would love it if Greene ended up leading the team in IP this year. However, since he’s only topped 150 IP once (at 150.1 IP in 2024) and threw just 107 IP last year, I doubt the Reds are itching to see him chase 200 IP this season from a long-term (and playoff) perspective. Innings limits for each of Lowder and Williamson coming off injury will 100% be in play, while the team is going to be cautious with Burns due to his 2025 forearm issue and lack of overall IP experience, too.

Singer, a perfectly cromulent mid-rotation starter for just about any rotation in the bigs (including this one), may well end up being leaned on more to take innings off others this year and wind up leading the team in innings once again – all despite being perhaps the fifth or seventh most ‘talented’ arm on the roster. Lodolo or Abbott could power their way to 32+ starts and set new career marks, too, something that would inch both closer to being considered legitimate top-of-the-rotation starters nearing lucrative paydays.

It’s a discussion with no crystal ball, clearly. Who do you think ends up leading the 2026 Reds in IP?

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates prior to Wednesday's game against Team Israel...

McLean good to go for sim game

Nolan McLean's vertigo-like symptoms are gone, and the right-hander is officially set to throw in a sim game on the backfields in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday. 

McLean is expected to throw about four innings and 50-55 pitches. 

If he's able to get through that without any issues, he'll likely join Team USA in the coming days and make his scheduled start in their pool play finale against Italy on March 10. 

The 24-year-old is also penciled in as USA's starter for the WBC Championship if they were to make it that far. 

McLean expects to make just two appearances of around 60 pitches during the tournament. 

Robert's next step

McLean won't be the only big-name Met partaking in that sim game on the backfields, as Luis Robert Jr. is officially set to play four innings in center, as well. 

This will be Robert's first game action as a Met this spring training. 

The 28-year-old has gotten plenty of swings in the cages and during live BP sessions, but the Mets are easing him in to game action in an effort to keep him healthy heading into the year. 

He'll be playing in these sim games on alternate days until he's ready to jump into Grapefruit League action. 

Minter's up and moving around

The Mets have been encouraged by how A.J. Minter has looked in his early bullpen sessions, and he's officially ready to take the next step in his spring training build-up. 

Minter is set to face hitters in live BP for the first time since undergoing season-ending lat surgery last May. 

The southpaw still remains without a timeline for a return, but best-case scenario, the team is hoping he'll be back in the mix around late April or early May.

Whenever he does return, it'll certainly be a huge boost for this group. 

Minter was spectacular before going down to injury last year, allowing just two runs and striking out 14 over his first 13 appearances in orange and blue. 

Morning, all!

Shawn McFarland continues his prospect countdown with left handed pitcher Dalton Pence at number 22 right handed pitcher Izack Tiger at number 21.

There has been a lot of turnover in the Ranger bullpen, but Chris Young says that the best bullpens in baseball have a lot of moving parts.

Evan Grant has his most recent roster projection as we move inexorably towards Opening Day.

Former Ranger prospect Jurickson Profar is facing a lengthy suspension after testing positive for PED’s a second time.

Skip Schumaker was impressed by Winston Santos’ grit after a comebacker fractured Santos’ left hand but he finished his simulated inning.

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 Brewers Reacts Survey as we’re now nearly two weeks into spring training! In this edition of the survey, we’re asking fans which position player they’d most like to see make the roster.

Now, before we look at the options, let’s quickly run down who should make the roster.

1. William Contreras (C)
2. Gary Sánchez (C)
3. Andrew Vaughn (1B)
4. Jake Bauers (1B)
5. Brice Turang (2B)
6. Joey Ortiz (SS)
7. Luis Rengifo (3B)
8. David Hamilton (UTIL)
9. Jackson Chourio (OF)
10. Sal Frelick (OF)
11. Garrett Mitchell (OF)
12. Christian Yelich (DH/OF)

Assuming all of those names are safe (barring the seemingly inevitable injury), that leaves one roster spot up in the air. There are probably five realistic candidates, but I didn’t include Jett Williams simply because he isn’t on the 40-man roster. That leaves us with the four candidates below.

1. Akil Baddoo (OF)
2. Tyler Black (1B/OF)
3. Brandon Lockridge (OF)
4. Blake Perkins (OF)

Baddoo, 27, was a second-round pick out of high school by the Twins in 2016 and made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2021. His best season was that rookie year, when he totaled 2.1 bWAR across 124 games, hitting .259/.330/.436 (112 OPS+) with 13 homers and 55 RBIs. Over the last four years, however, he played in 223 games and totaled just 0.7 bWAR, with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. He did have some success at Triple-A in 2025, though, hitting .281/.385/.483 with 15 homers and 48 RBIs across 103 games. It remains to be seen if he’s just a AAAA-type player, a la Keston Hiura. He’s had a strong start to his spring, hitting .455/.462/.818 with a homer, three RBIs, and three runs across four games.

Black, 25, was a supplemental pick (No. 33 overall) by the Crew in 2021 out of Wright State University. He rose through the minors at a pretty average pace, hitting Triple-A Nashville in 2024. Across 102 games with the Sounds that year, he hit .258/.374/.429 with 14 homers, 67 RBIs, and 20 steals. He took a slight step back in the minors in 2025, hitting .243/.369/.360 with just four homers, 34 RBIs, and 22 steals across 61 games at Triple-A. He’s had brief MLB cameos in each of the last two seasons, totaling 23 games with 57 at-bats, hitting .211/.357/.263 with three RBIs, five runs, and three steals. The main reason he’s on this list, though, is his hot start to spring training — across four games, Black hit .667/.692/1.250 with a homer, a triple, two doubles, eight RBIs, four runs, and three steals before departing for Team Canada during the World Baseball Classic.

Lockridge, who turns 29 next weekend, was a fifth-round pick by the Yankees out of Troy in 2018. He made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2024 and has appeared in 79 games between San Diego and Milwaukee the last two seasons, hitting .226/.268/.308 with a homer, 12 RBIs, 21 runs, and 12 steals. Not known for his power, Lockridge got out to a powerful start this spring, slugging a pair of homers in the Brewers’ first couple of games. Across four games this spring, he’s hitting .545/.643/1.182 with six hits, including those two homers, with two RBIs, six runs, and a steal.

Another veteran, Perkins, 29, was a second-round pick out of high school by the Nationals in 2015, though he didn’t catch on anywhere until finding a home with the Brewers. He made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 2023, and across three seasons with the Brewers, he’s hit .232/.314/.339 with 13 homers, 82 RBIs, 107 runs, and 35 steals over 242 games while providing above-average defense. Perkins has also had a solid start to his spring, hitting .375/.500/.500 with three hits, including a double, to go with two RBIs and two runs scored over three games.

Given that all of these players have options remaining — Baddoo and Black each have one, Lockridge and Perkins each have two — the question is really where the Brewers see the most value for this team on opening day. Who do you think the Brewers should include as the 13th man when opening day rolls around later this month? Weigh in on our poll below, and stay tuned for results later in the week!

For the past two seasons, MLB has featured a “Spring Breakout” series during Spring Training where every team assembles a team of their best prospects from throughout their farm system. Then these teams of prospects each play one exhibition game against a squad from a rival team in the Cactus or Grapefruit League. These games have been a great way to showcase baseball’s next generation of talent. The games are all televised locally and some of them end up on the MLB Network or streaming platforms. All games are also streamed for free on MLB dot com.

This year, the Cubs will take on the Padres at Sloan Park at 8:05 p.m. CT on March 21. The game will be broadcast both on Marquee Sports Networkand the Padres sports channel as well as streaming for free. Tomorrow, March 5, the rosters for every Spring Breakout Series team will be announced on the MLB Network at 11 a.m. CT. Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds will host the hour-long announcement program.

But that’s just for this year. The bigger news is that in 2027 and 2028, the Spring Breakout series will become two single-elimination tournaments, with one team being crowned the winner of the Cactus League and one the winner of the Grapefruit League Spring Breakout tournament. These two tournaments will take place from March 19 through the 22nd at various Spring Training venues in Arizona and Florida.

On the one hand, this is a great idea to showcase the next generation of talent in baseball and give fans something to be invested in during a slow part of the Spring. It will even give fans of two teams a little bragging rights.

On the other hand, this is clearly insurance by MLB to have something to show next March to the fans if major leaguers are still locked out in a labor dispute. Prospects not on the 40-man roster will not be locked out, so they will still be playing in Spring Training and available for the tournament no matter what is going on with the major leaguers.

So this tournament can be two things at once. It’s both a great idea and an ominous omen about baseball next year.

In any case, let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that and that the Spring Breakout Tournaments in 2027 and 2028 just become an added attraction for baseball fans before the season starts in years that there is no World Baseball Classic.

Spring training is in full swing as the Detroit Tigers prepare for their 2026 campaign, locked and reloaded for another run to the playoffs, and hopefully, a World Series ring. Sure, the team is just 2-6 so far, but these games do not matter… yet.

A great deal of the optimism heading into the season rests on the shoulders of the pitching staff, which features the best left-handed pitcher in all of baseball, Tarik Skubal, along with a robust supporting cast that includes newly added Framber Valdez and a reunion with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. The bullpen also got a boost by bringing back Kyle Finnegan and adding Kenley Jansen, who ranks fourth all-time in saves.

Which brings us to today’s question: “Who will be the Tigers’ best pitcher not named Tarik Skubal this year?” While the aforementioned four players are certainly prime candidates, there are other options, such as Casey Mize, who still has some headroom for growth, or perhaps Jack Flaherty can rediscover his 2024 form; maybe Keider Montero finally makes the jump to the next level.

Or maybe it is none of the above.

So, Tigers fans, who do you think will be the standout hurler for the Ole English D in 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Diamondbacks News

Alek Thomas, Jordan Lawlar Among Standouts in Diamondbacks’ Loss to Mexico
Alek Thomas played for the opposition in the tilt as Team Mexico downed the Diamondbacks 6-3 on Tuesday. Zac Gallen needed only 22 pitchers to clear two innings with only one hit allowed.

Diamondbacks’ Waldschmidt Making Push for Opening Day Roster
The slugging left fielder is trying to take advantage of the opportunity given to him thanks to the WBC and various team injuries.

Other Baseball News

Making Hasty Judgments About Mark DeRosa’s Lineup
No longer a managing rookie, Mark DeRosa returns as Team USA’s manager after finishing runner-up with the team in 2023.

Teammate Connections During WBC Pool Play
What potential teammate-on-teammate connections will WBC pool play bring?

Jurickson Profar Suspended for 162 Games
Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 162 games following a positive test for “exogenous testosterone and its metabolites.” This is Profar’s second failed PED test, which will also likely end his MLB career. Profar has also been scratched from the WBC roster.

Phillies’ Rojas to Appeal 80-Game PED Suspension
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is contesting a possible 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball following an alleged failed test for a performance-enhancing substance, according to multiple reports.

Scherzer’s Daughter Wrote Letter to Blue Jays Asking for a Reunion
The hand-written missive was featured by Scherzer’s spouse after the future Hall of Famer inked a one-year deal to return to Toronto.

Top-15 Relievers in Baseball Right Now
The Mariners, Brewers, and Padres stand out in this list, accounting for six of the fifteen arms featured.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rays fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Texas Rangers lineup for March 4, 2026 against the Brazil WBC team.

The WBC years means teams getting the occasional spring training matchups against the WBC squads from various countries. Today, Brazil is coming to Surprise to play the Texas Rangers. Not the whole country, to be clear. I don’t think the whole country would fit.

Offseason trade addition Brandon Nimmo is making his first appearance in a game for the Texas Rangers, and Jacob deGrom is making his first start of the spring.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Carter — CF

Burger — 1B

Smith — 2B

Jansen — C

Canha — LF

Wade — 3B

Duran — SS

Zavala — DH

2:05 p.m. Central start time.

Spring training is in full swing and the beginning of the World Baseball Classic will take place later this week. With it comes our first glimpses of the progress players have made during the course of the offseason, along with top prospects getting their chance to shine and make what they hope will be a lasting impression on those in upper management and fans alike.

The Braves have had several prospects stand out thus far into spring training. For a nice change of pace compared to recent years, there are actual positional prospects that are more than holding their own and standing out.

Let’s dive into some of the more noteworthy performances.

John Gil, IF/DH

If you simply look at the baseline numbers, Gil doesn’t stand out as much as other prospects in camp might. He’s currently carrying a .167 batting average and has struck out in 26.7% of his plate appearances in nine games.

However, the underlying metrics tell a much different story for the 20-year-old. In 15 plate appearances thus far, Gil has posted an OPS of 1.000 thanks to a pair of homers to his credit. He has also posted a wRC+ of 146 so far as well. Gil pulled both homers over the left field wall, but the real testament to how he has refined his approach came on the game-tying homer against the Twins on Sunday.

Gil managed to take a 1-0 fastball on the lower inner-third of the zone and pull his hands in enough to get a little loft on the ball and rifled it over the wall. In years past, that would have been a pitch he more than likely rolled over and grounded out to the left side, but not now. In fact, the homer reached an exit velocity of 110 MPH — an insanely hard-hit ball for Gil.

So far, Gil has only served as the designated hitter in the games he has appeared in. This is likely due to the fact he is more of a sure thing in the field than he is at the plate. The Braves know Gil can hold his own wherever he ends up defensively, whether it be shortstop, third base, second base or in the outfield. Other prospects like Alex Lodise, Tate Southisene and others are less cemented when it comes to their future defensive homes.

Sure, it’s still early in spring training and it’s a very small sample size. But there is plenty to like in Gil and he certainly has the potential to end up as Atlanta’s top prospects — and one of the top 100 in the entire sport — by the time next year’s spring training rolls around.

JR Ritchie, RHP

In a year where the Braves are already in desperate need of talented arms to step up, the savior might be found in JR Ritchie, who has done everything he can to solidify himself as one of the system’s top arms this spring.

So far, the 22-year-old has appeared in two games, tossing a total of four innings. While it may be a small number of appearances, Ritchie has performed excellently when he’s been on the mound. In addition to his six strikeouts, Ritchie has only given up one walk and one hit — a first pitch home run on a 94 miles per hour fastball.

Ritchie’s fastball, aside from the homer, has looked great as he has managed to run it up to 97 MPH. It’s his secondary offerings, though, that have really stood out for the righty.

This spring, Ritchie has really focused hard on throwing his changeup, curveball and his cutter more often. His changeup usage is up by more than ten percentage points, while his curveball is being used by more than 4% clip higher and his cutter is up by 3.6%. His velocity is also up across the board, with every pitch registering higher than it did in his 2025 campaign.

Like we mentioned with Gil and any other prospects, the sample size is simply too small to make any type of real determinations as to how effective these early starts are. Nonetheless, it’s an encouraging sign for a guy who Atlanta may have to call upon sooner rather than later.

Owen Murphy, RHP

Just like his Ritchie, Murphy has seen action in two games during spring training, tossing a combined four innings during that stretch.

Murphy has also struck out six batters while walking only one, and has given up a pair of hits — one of which was a home run.

His fastball has mostly sat in the 92-94 MPH range this spring, but Murphy has really prioritized his secondary offerings. Of his six strikeouts, half have come on breaking balls — including his curveball which posted a solid 19-inch vertical break on it. The one blemish for him so far is that his breaking balls have tended to live up in the zone a little higher than you would like, and veteran players who may not be in the everyday lineup at this point will eventually take advantage of that. But there is plenty of time for him to work and keep the ball down.

The main thing for Murphy is simple: remain healthy this spring and build off the strong start.

Best of the rest

Hayden Harris, LHP — 3 G, 3 IP, 7 K, 1 BB, 2 H

Garrett Baumann, RHP — 2 G, 1 GS, 4 IP, 5 K, 3 H, 2 ER

Alex Lodise, SS — 7 G, 1-8, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB

Good morning everyone!

The Mariners have gotten off to a rough start to Cactus League play, falling to the hapless Angels 7-6. Oh well, onto the next one

The World Baseball Classic kicks off for real today, with Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) taking on Australia at 7pm PT. Will you be tuning in? How much of this year’s tournament do you plan on consuming?

In Mariners news…

• Even though J.P. Crawford is back from a shoulder injury, the Mariners are closely monitoring the situation.
• Zac Hereth at Seattle Sports outlined three players who have impressed him at Mariners camp so far.
• Mariners hitting coach Kevin Seitzer weighed in on three M’s who have drawn his attention this spring.

Around the league…

• Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 162 games for his second positive test for PEDs. Profar faced his first suspension less than a year ago after testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin.
• Philles outfielder Johan Rojas also tested positive for PEDs, though he is appealing the ruling. If he loses his appeal, he will face an 80-game suspension for his first offense.
• Red Sox infielder Brendan Rodgers will likely require shoulder surgery, ending any hopes he had of mounting a comeback in 2026.
• The Texas Rangers find themselves in hot water after ownership chose to put up the controversial One Riot, One Ranger statue previously taken down in 2020.
• In what’s likely to be his final run as a baseball manager, Dusty Baker is taking on the task of leading Team Nicaragua despite having no connection to the country. Michael Clair has the story on what this job means to Dusty and to the players.
• Zach Crizer documented the evolution of the baseball slide, and applauded the rules being set up in such a way to encourage “weird” slides.
• If you’re a parent of a child, you’ve probably grown tired of having to hear “six-seven” all the time. Well, try being a baseball player forced to wear the number during spring training, as Sam Blum at The Athletic reports. ($)

One of the most fun things about covering the minor leagues and prospects is when a previously unheralded player suddenly puts it together and goes nuts. Eduardo Valencia wasn’t even a mention on most prospect rankings the past few years as injuries, struggles at the plate, and slow defensive development left him looking like an org catcher who would never amount to more. There were always flashes of power and some stretches of good production as he slowly grinded his way through A-ball and into the upper minors, but no one predicted the monster campaign Valencia put together in 2025.

Valencia was signed by the Tigers as an international free agent out of Valencia, Venezuela way back in 2018. He broke out of the rookie ball levels a little late, as a 21-year-old, and then battled injuries in 2022-2024, playing just 126 games over that span. He always walked a good amount and had the bat to ball skills to make plenty of good contact, but he didn’t hit many homers, and he struggled to develop behind the plate. The latter remains an issue that may limit his major league utility.

The big revelation was Valencia’s bat. Finally healthy and getting regular reps, he erupted for a combined 24 home runs and a 159 wRC+ evenly split between Double and Triple-A in 2025. Even better, he improved his strikeout and walk numbers upon advancing to the Toledo Mud Hens roster, and tapped into even more power at the higher level. He posted a 12.6 percent walk rate and a good 19.9 percent strikeout rate for the Hens, and looking through his Statcast numbers it’s hard to find a major weakness.

Valencia demolished fastballs all season long and handled better velocity well. Offspeed stuff gave him no trouble at all either. He hit left and right handed pitching well, showed off plus raw power, and really the only flaw was some modest struggles against good breaking stuff. That didn’t really show up until pitchers started spamming the softer stuff once it was clear that throwing him too many fastballs was a terrible idea. Valencia’s discipline and consistent hard contact started getting attention in Erie, but he just kept getting better in Toledo and poured it on with a finish that left many hoping for a call-up to try and jumpstart the sputtering Tigers’ offense in September.

There’s a lot to like in him as a hitter. Valencia is a well built individual with a lot of rotational power, and his adjustments toward quieter hands and a bigger leg kick helped him to get on time and drive the ball in the air a lot last year. He can juice it out to the opposite field as well, but he tends to line the ball to right field and pull it in the air, which is the preferred combination. He doesn’t chase much and while he’ll take his hacks early in counts and against mistakes, he can also shorten up to spray the ball once he’s deep in a count. If he can lay off more breaking balls and wait out pitchers trying to get him to chase, Valencia likely has a long career ahead of him as at least a solid power hitter. The issue remains finding his defensive home.

The Tigers started playing him more at first base last year once he jumped to Toledo. He wasn’t all that adept at picking throws out of the dirt and needs improvement there and in his footwork. He’s decidedly not fleet of foot, and needs plenty of reps at the position to improve both around the bag and just in terms of handling harder ground balls. Still as a catcher making the move to first base, it’s probable that he’ll eventually be roughly average at the position and he hasn’t really spent much time focusing on it yet.

Behind the plate, Valencia still lacks the framing, blocking, and pop times to play the position regularly at the major league level. He stands 6’1” but he’s quite stocky at this point, with below average speed and agility, which doesn’t bode real well for his ability to improve behind the dish. Gabe Alvarez, his manager in Toledo, preached some patience considering the injury history and lack of reps, and that carries some weight, but we’ll just have to see how he’s improved this spring after an offseason in which defense was a major focus for him.

On a club that highly values catchers for their defensive ability, it’s hard to imagine Valencia getting much catching work without some real improvements. He’s clearly put a ton of work into it already, and so the odds of a major transformation at age 26 are slim.

So, the Tigers have an intriguing bat-first power hitter, whose lack of a true defensive home may stall his major league debut a while longer. They added Valencia to the 40-man roster back in November, knowing there was no way he’d get through the Rule 5 draft. If he can continue refining his work at first base, it’s possible he could take some playing time from Spencer Torkelson, and if he continues to mash the Tigers will find a way to get him into the lineup one way or another. He could also make for an interesting trade chip this summer if the Tigers don’t really need him at first base and another team thinks they can get a little more out of him as a catcher at the major league level.

For now, Valencia is probably bound for Toledo to continue playing first base, working part-time as a catcher, and trying to improve his defensive profile overall. The combination of plate discipline, power, and contact ability is exciting, but the Tigers will probably let him simmer a while longer. Still, the bat was getting close to being undeniable last September, and he’s already homered and hit well in his few looks in Grapefruit League action so far this year. If he comes out raking this spring he’s going to force the Tigers’ hand, even if his optimal role is more of a DH and pinch-hitting specialist if the defense doesn’t improve.

Big contract numbers do not shock baseball fans the way they once did.

A decade ago, a $300 million deal felt seismic. Today, Steve Cohen’s Mets have shown what happens when new money enters the sport, and the Dodgers have demonstrated how aggressive spending and deferred structures can be used as part of a fully operational Death Star. The financial ceiling keeps moving, labor issues loom, and what once felt extreme now feels routine.

That shifting reality brings us to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Recently, Chisholm publicly stated he would seek a contract in the range of eight to ten years at roughly $35 million annually. The reactions ranged from jokes about Dr. Evil asking for $100 million to fans ready to print the contract themselves. Before debating years, injury history, or total value, the real question is more straightforward:

Would you want the Yankees to sign that deal today?

To answer that, we start with what Jazz has actually been since arriving in New York.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. in Pinstripes

Projecting Jazz based on his Miami seasons misses the point. The Yankees are evaluating a different version of the player than the one who left South Florida Since arriving in New York, Chisholm has produced at roughly a four-win pace over a full season while combining power, speed, and defensive versatility rarely found in a single roster spot.

Using a prorated 140-game pace based only on his statistics with the Yankees:

The context matters as much as the numbers.

Much of this production occurred while Jazz learned a brand-new defensive position at the MLB level, as the Yankees asked him to try third base for most late 2024 and early 2025 as they accomodated Gleyber Torres and (more questionably) DJ LeMahieu. The defensive results have varied across the diamond, but he has demonstrated he is a natural second baseman capable of handling multiple positions because of elite athleticism. Importantly, the offensive production remained stable throughout those adjustments and under the bright New York City lights.

In other words, the Yankees are evaluating a player who already produces like a long-term core piece. Across roughly a season and a third in pinstripes, Jazz has:

• learned a new position
• been an elite basestealer
• produced the fourth-ever 30/30 season for the Yankees

That profile places him squarely as a modern long-term extension candidate.

The next question is: Does Jazz’s production match his asking price?

The Yankees’ Current Price: Cody Bellinger

The Yankees themselves recently gave us the clearest comparison point.

Cody Bellinger signed a five-year, $162.5 million contract this winter, carrying a $32.5 million annual average value (AAV) along with full no-trade protection and opt-outs.

Here is Bellinger’s most recent season compared directly with Jazz’s:

The offensive production is nearly identical. Bellinger’s value leaned on durability and defensive stability, but the comparison establishes an important baseline, as the Yankees are already paying near Jazz’s asking price for similar recent production.

Jazz’s request does not introduce a new salary tier. It slides smoothly inside the one the Yankees themselves just validated.

The Current Market Rate: Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman provides league-wide context.

Here’s what the former Astro did with the Red Sox last year before cashing in on his new five-year deal with the Cubs:

His contract sits at $35 million annually, the exact annual value Chisholm referenced publicly.

Bregman represents the modern All-Star contract tier: highly productive players who are not necessarily generational superstars but serve as key foundational pieces for contenders.

Jazz’s ask lands directly within that band.

The Long-Term Blueprint: Francisco Lindor

The season and winter before the 2022 campaign reshaped long-term contracts and provides the clearest structural precedent for long-term deals signed around the last labor uncertainty cycle. The Mets were proactive and inked the Francisco Lindor deal in April after trading for him that offseason. At the time, with all record-setting contracts, reactions were mixed. Lindor was respected as elite, as he was hitting over 30 home runs and stealing over 20 bases a year with Cleveland before the COVID season. Additionally, he was a switch-hitting shortstop who was entering his prime but not universally viewed as a generational superstar.

Signed during his age-27 season, Lindor came to terms on a 10-year, $341 million deal, good for a $34.1 million AAV. This is what Lindor did last year, just before turning 32 in November.

Adjusted to today’s economic environment, Lindor’s deal equates to roughly $37.9 million annually over its remaining years.

Today, contracts like this feel normal. That evolution is the point.

The Real Questions

Strip away hindsight for a moment and put yourself in the front office chair:

• Using Cody Bellinger’s contract as the blueprint, would you pay Jazz a similar AAV plus inflation for three additional years?

• If the Astros could go back three years, would they sign Bregman to an eight-year, $264 million commitment?

• Would you have signed Lindor to his exact contract at the time, or at its inflation-adjusted value today for the remaining years?

• If you could sign your second baseman to an extension and remind the crosstown hedge fund manager that your second baseman statistically produces comparable value at a lower price point than his star shortstop, would you?

Bringing It Back to Jazz

Jazz publicly stating the high end of his range is simply sound negotiation. Players anchor high. Teams negotiate downward.

He also likely understands his place within the Yankees’ hierarchy. The organization will never value him the way it values Aaron Judge, and it should not. But the club should value him as it does Belli. Every era needs multiple complementary pieces, and sometimes the second or third name on the marquee matters just as much as the star attraction.

If the Yankees believe the version of Jazz Chisholm Jr. they have seen in pinstripes is real, waiting may only increase the cost. Players in their prime rarely become cheaper.

Another strong season, a rising market, or even a potential future labor standoff could push contracts into another inflationary cycle. Instead of gambling on what this season might bring, the Yankees could choose stability now. Extending Jazz during spring training would not be about projecting superstardom at this price point. He may not be willing to consider it so close to free agency in an otherwise-light class for hitters at this point. But if possible, it would be a safe play to secure known production alongside Aaron Judge and locking in a core piece during the competitive window already in place.