Category: Baseball

Shelley Duncan, who managed the Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate the past four seasons, is reportedly headed to their rivals, joining the Red Sox’s major league staff under manager Chad Tracy.

Duncan, 47, is the son of longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan.

He was the Yankees’ second-round pick in 2001 and played the first three seasons of his seven-year major league career with the organization. 

He managed or coached in the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and White Sox organizations before taking the helm at SWB prior to the 2023 season.

Duncan was named International Manager of the Year in 2025.

His brother, Chris, also played parts of five seasons in the majors, all with the Cardinals. 

Duncan’s hiring by the Red Sox was first reported by MassLive.

Jason Kanzler’s young son dozed off during the 45-minute press conference introducing Kanzler as the new Mariners manager, but he was the only one. The rest of the room was abuzz with questions, for Kanzler as well as Mariners execs Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, who surprised the rest of the baseball world when it was announced the 36-year-old Kanzler would be accepting his first managerial job with the Mariners. That seemed to stand in contrast to a reported desire from the front office to find a candidate with experience in a big-league managing role, and has drawn some early criticism around baseball when the hire was announced. But for Dipoto, the experience question wasn’t such a question.

“Experience is good,” said Dipoto. “In this case, we didn’t think it was good enough to dissuade us from all the traits that Jason brings to the table.”

Those traits were on display in today’s introductory press conference. Kanzler gave thoughtful, concise answers that expressed his viewpoint, sprinkled in with a couple more quotable aphoristic slogans that it’s not hard to see catching on in the clubhouse (or in the marketing department; at one point Kanzler said, regarding the atmosphere at T-Mobile Park, he wanted to “ride the lightning” and Kevin Martinez, sitting behind me, made a noise that made me think we’ll be seeing that on t-shirts by the weekend). He even cracked some jokes, referring to the Astros, his former employers, as “the team who shall not be named.” For a team that had well-publicized communication breakdowns last year, with that quality being at the top of my personal wishlist for a manager, it was an encouraging introduction.

“The way he communicates is very clear,” said Dipoto. “You won’t be confused as to what the directive is when you leave the station, and I think our players will pick up on that.”

Hollander noted the Mariners had actually interviewed Kanzler before, back in 2021 for a potential additional hitting coach job, but ultimately couldn’t pry him away from the Astros. But Hollander said Kanzler’s interview was so impressive that his name continued to be brought up on and off over the years, until finally landing in the Mariners’ managerial search this year.

“I think he left us no choice throughout the process,” said Hollander. “It was just round after round, conversation after conversation. He dominated the process to the degree that I think we would have been foolish to take all the hard work and throw it out the window and not choose him.”

Kanzler said he actually realized he wanted to manage during the interview process, when he had an epiphany moment that directing a farm and managing a team aren’t all that different – both are concerned with developing players on the micro and macro levels and figuring out how to help people be the best version of themselves.

“This came about quickly, and I realized equally quickly throughout it that managing a major league club is just the pinnacle of what I was already doing as a farm director, where I had to manage an entire minor league system. This is just a way higher magnitude, with brighter lights and a third deck, but in the end, it’s the same. I want to win. I want to develop people. I want to develop players. And I want to achieve something with a collective and a great group of people around me.”

Kanzler said that what he’s focused on right now is getting to know the players he’ll be managing and building relationships with them, a process he said he’s started and he describes as being of “the utmost importance” to him. For Kanzler, everything starts with those relationships before anything else can be accomplished.

“It’s important to have connection with the players. It’s most important to have connection throughout the entire thing. The entire organization needs to be connected towards the common goal of winning the World Series…I like to think that the sign of things going well is when people start using the word ‘we’ more than ‘me’ or ‘I.’ When the group starts talking in ‘we’, then I know that things are going well.”

The 2026 Mariners lost their way, something that was largely attributed to a lack of solid clubhouse culture or identity: too much passivity, players not moving in a unified direction. While Kanzler says he wants the identity of the Mariners team to surface organically (the most specific vision of identity he’d give was “step on their throats”), Kanzler’s view of what the 2027 Mariners could be surprisingly starts with what the 2027 Mariners will not be.

“Culture is, in my opinion, all the things that you don’t allow. All the things that don’t happen. It’s the things that you hold the line against. It’s doing, obviously, the big things right, it’s doing all of the little things right all of the time, but most importantly, it is not doing the wrong thing as much as humanly possible. What we allow is what we stand for, and that’s what culture means to me.”

For a team that played some of the worst defense in MLB, made embarrassing baserunning gaffes, and overall didn’t play disciplined, consistent baseball, that vision has appeal: firm guardrails to keep things from going off the rails as they did last season.

“Accountability” was a popular buzzword after the disappointing 2026 season, but Kanzler is quick to clarify that accountability first and foremost requires communication and a clear definition.

“My view [of accountability] is that it requires clarity,” he said. “People need to understand what they’re accountable for before you can hold them accountable. So it starts with clarity, simplicity. Even when the things we’re talking about might be complex, they need to be understood. When people understand what the goal is and they have a clear path to get there and they understand how to get there, then all the stuff in between takes care of itself, and it makes those conversations much eaiser.”

Those hard conversations are ones Kanzler has been having with players for years, at multiple levels, and like his approach to building culture – not imposing it but allowing it to develop organically – he doesn’t force things on players, but rather sees himself as someone who can facilitate the player to coming to better decisions.

“It doesn’t necessarily land well with anyone when they’re told, like, you need to do this, you need to think this. So the way I challenge players and people is I ask questions. I listen a lot. I hear them. I propose alternate ways of thinking or looking at a problem. With players in this game, they are going to be faced with an unending slew of problems, small ones and big ones. They’re going to have to make adjustments. They’re going to have to get better at certain parts of their game. They’re going to have to maintain other parts of their game. They’re going to have to deal with so many things. And I think the ability to help them come to the more correct behavioral outcomes and decisions to make themselves better, and to work themselves through those situations, the better.”

But even if his method is more hands-off – the old “praise publicly, criticize privately” – Kanzler indicates he’s not afraid to get in there and tear things up when the time calls for it.

“There are times where, you know, we have to rip ass with the whole team, and that’s fine. You just have to pick your spots. I’ve been in a major league dugout, I’ve been around major league players, I’ve been around major league clubhouses. I understand when that’s appropriate and when it’s not. But overall, we want to celebrate the things that we care about publicly to reinforce them, and I’d rather address things that need to be addressed privately, to start.”

For Kanzler, that desire comes from what he wanted during his brief minor-league career. His coaching career, culminating in becoming the Mariners’ manager, is a full-circle moment that allows him to pour into players what he craved from coaches as a player.

“I wanted to be coached extremely hard, I wanted things to be intentional, and those are things that have stood with me. I bring intensity to the things that I do, and I really want that delivered to the players. Each of these players is a human being, and they deserve individual, deep attention, especially at this scale, at this stage. We owe it to the fans, we owe it to the organization, and we owe it to the players themselves to give them what they need individually to help the collective win….These are people’s lives, and there’s a lot of people that care about what happens and how these players grow and how they perform.”

“I’m the right man because I believe that every player and every person can be better, and I believe these players so deeply want to be better, and to grow and to win as a unit, and I’m excited to get that out of them.”

Not a lot of traction in the nominations thread, with only a couple of comments, and one genuine suggestion! Consequently, I get to exercise my executive privilege and pick the five candidates out of the twenty-five originally included in the short-list. Except, I actually added another one from the infield, to make six in all. It’s good to be the King. 🙂

4/3 – Alek Thomas’ diving catch

Though first chronologically, this was the last one I added to the ballot, because choosing between the outfield plays was really hard. There was no obviously outstanding candidates, but there were a lot of very good ones. I will admit, a certain amount of nostalgic bias may have crept in, with Thomas delivering in his last full month as a Diamondback, after having been drafted by the organization back in 2018. He certainly had his moments. While he’ll be best remembered for his NLCS home-run against the Phillies in 2023, his defense rarely failed to show up, every day. He was always in contention for this category, and this full-speed dive is no exception.

5/12: Nolan Arenado’s crafty double play

I wanted to include a play from each of our Gold Glovers, but doing so would have meant no room for Arenado, who certainly deserved a mention. His signing was likely Mike Hazen’s best move of last winter, and in addition to the thirty home-runs, Nolan showed he could still flash the leather at the hot corner. There were a number of credible candidates from Arenado, but I particularly liked this one, which showcased his quick thinking. Immediately realizing how much time was available to him, Nolan first moved to tag the runner out going from second to third, before firing a strike over to first base to get the second out.

6/23: D-backs turn 6-2 double play

Nominated by Sighborg. The only suggestion was for the rather less conventional double-play Sighborg appropriately named “The Germinator.” Arguably, there was as much bad as good to be found there, even if the outcome was a highly satisfactory, inning ending double-play! But Geraldo Perdomo was blameless, and our Gold Glover deserves much credit for his presence of mind. After narrowly avoiding getting run over by Tommy Troy, who either didn’t hear or chose to ignore Perdomo’s call, Gerry still made the catch and then threw home to get the runner, trying to advance from third in the chaos. That proved decisive in what ended as a one-run win for the D-backs

8/7: Corbin Carroll ROBS a home run!

Five-star catches are those plays which Statcast assesses a typical fielder would make less than twenty-five percent of the time. According to this chart, in 2026 Carroll recorded seven such outs, behind only likely MVP winner Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela in this category, among all MLB outfielders. I don’t know which plays of Corbin’s specifically qualified (I wish you could search Statcast data by catch percentage!), but I feel sure if this play was not one of the seven, it is certainly the equal of them. That it took a home-run away from the Dodgers is the icing on this particular cake.

8/7: Gabriel Moreno throws out Shohei Ohtani at second

Two Play of the Year candidates from the same game? Oh, alright: if you insist. Once more with feeling, because making the Dodgers look dumb always gave a case of the extra warm fuzzies. This perfect throw down to second base, demonstrates why Moreno is the only Arizona catcher ever to win the Gold Glove, now having two on his mantelpiece. Ohtani was just one of the fourteen baserunners Moreno nailed this year, and it was particularly amusing how he thought otherwise. Get your butt back to the dugout, Shohei! Moreno also picked off four base-runners in 2026 – no catcher in the majors had more.

8/25: Ryan Waldschmidt walks off the Cubs

For the home-run, I definitely wanted to go with one of the walk-offs. Each of the three had something to say for them. For example, Waldy’s one just 18 days earlier was against the Dodgers, always a bonus. But in the end, I had to go with his later one. The +85.5% Win Probability it was worth, made it the highest single play by a Diamondback for over fourteen years, since Ryan Roberts against the A’s in June 2012. [Marte’s walkoff against the Giants was almost as good, at +82.7%] Nick Ahmed had 2,897 at-bats as a Diamondback without a walk-off home-run. Waldschmidt hit a pair over a span of a mere 43 at-bats in August. “The Cubs comeback is complete.” 🙂

I guess it could have been worse.

Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz could have stunk in the regular season and the playoffs.

So, maybe Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes had a point when he offered an extremely charitable evaluation of their seasons at a news conference last month.

Gomes hailed the money-suck tandem’s improved play in two postseason series as a major triumph for the Dodgers.

“That’s a pretty good outcome for us,” Gomes said.

The Dodgers committed $240 million to Tucker, only for the right fielder to finish the regular season with a .233 average.

They spent $69 million on Díaz, only for him to register an 8.68 ERA in an injury-ravaged season.

To be fair to Gomes, part of his argument was that the Dodgers were able to win their division and secure a first-round bye in the playoffs with Tucker and Díaz performing like bargain-bin free agent signings. He pointed to how their contributions helped the Dodgers advance to the National League Championship Series.

Regardless, shouldn’t the Dodgers have expected more in return from their $309 million investment?

They will certainly need more next year.

Tucker and Díaz weren’t signed to be complementary players or players who would be pleasant surprises if they performed well. They were signed to be part of the team’s foundation.

Especially next year.

Whenever the upcoming lockout ends, teams expect greater cost-control measures to be in place, whether it’s with a salary cap or some other mechanism. In theory, the new financial restrictions would prevent the Dodgers from spending their way out of their problems. Under the current rules, they could upgrade their roster by signing another high-priced hitter or reliever. But if the next collective-bargaining agreement doesn’t permit that, Tucker and Díaz will have to do what they are being paid to do.

Gomes pointed to October as why he thinks they can serve their intended purposes.

Tucker was the Dodgers’ leading hitter in the playoffs with a .333 average. His .938 OPS was also the highest on the team.

Tucker’s home run against the Braves in Game 1 of their National League Division Series broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Dodgers on their way to a 5-3 victory. Tucker’s seventh-inning walk in Game 4 loaded the bases to set up a two-run single by Andy Pages that accounted for the runs that decided the game, and, by extension, the series.

As for Díaz, he regained his role as the team’s closer, recording the final outs of the Dodgers’ wins over the Braves in Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS.

“While the regular season did not go the way anyone expected, their contributions in the postseason were massive,” Gomes said. 

Both of their turnarounds started in the regular season. Tucker batted .333 with five home runs over his last 17 games. Díaz missed three months recovering from an elbow cleanup and was sidelined another month with a neck injury, but pitched in five games in September and recorded five scoreless innings.

Gomes was hopeful their late-season rebound could carry into next season.

The left-handed-hitting Tucker was expected to provide balance to the aging lineup. For most of the season, Tucker didn’t adequately support the team’s other left-handed-hitting threats. Shohei Ohtani was slowed down by his efforts to return to the mound full time. Freddie Freeman was handicapped by knee problems. Max Muncy played a reduced role in the playoffs because of his troubles hitting left-handed pitching.

The playoffs showcased how a dependable version of Tucker could change the offense. Over time, he proved himself to be the team’s most reliable left-handed hitter. In the Dodgers’ last two games, Tucker batted fourth and fifth, respectively.

With Freeman now 37 and Muncy 36, the Dodgers will count on Tucker to be that kind of presence again next season — but for a longer period.

Díaz will be expected to anchor a bullpen that will have to be rebuilt.

A number of the team’s most established relievers can depart this offseason as free agents, as Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol and Kris Bubic are out of contract.

Being able to lock in Díaz as the closer will simplify the process of breaking in new relievers. Manager Dave Roberts would be able to deploy the team’s other arms under the most favorable conditions without worrying about having to save one of them for the ninth inning.

“Edwin being fully healthy and Kyle having a year to adjust and continue to build off what he did toward the end of the season, the same thing with Edwin, we’re really looking forward to next year with those guys,” Gomes said.

Even if Gomes continues to be a soft grader, they will have to be better next year. They will have to deliver more than “a pretty good outcome.”

It is the 10th year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!

First, let us review past years:

• Here is how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here is an archive of every article in the 2018 series.
• Here is how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well.
• Now 2020, with the archive.
• Here is the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive.
• Here is the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
• Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
• In 2024 Abraham Núñez was our 34th pick to end the series, and here is the wrap-up post and full archive of each profile.
• In 2025, we did 31 picks, ending with Eric Adler. Here is the wrap and full stream, of every article.
• And last year, we got through 37 picks, ending with Reudis Diaz. Here is the wrap, and full stream of every article.

We are starting the Top 100 Prospect countdown on the same day as our first poll, with the goal of running a new poll every day. At that rate, we should get through 35 Votes before the Top 100 meets our polling, giving SSS readers 35 chances to weigh in on our Top 100. From there, we will stop the polling and run through the remaining players, finishing up as all players report to camp in mid-February.

As of now our countdown will start with Fidel Montero as our Mr. 100 this year. We’ve customarily turned over the Prospect Vote to the next round as soon as the top vote-getter seems to have an insurmountable lead, but if there’s a rout, we’ll call it in a day. In order to get as many votes as possible in, we’ll try to wait no longer than two days before the next round.

Four players from last year’s Top 10 Prospects have lost their prospect status due to MLB service (Braden Montgomery at No. 1, Noah Schultz at No. 3, Hagen Smith at No. 4 and Sam Antonacci at No. 7). As an indication that there is some continuity in the system, four players on last year’s initial ballot appear in this year’s as well. With Mason Adams having been traded, that means just one player, Christian Oppor, performed poorly enough to drop off of our initial ballot.

Six of the 10 players on this first 2027 ballot played in the White Sox system in 2026, including two who made their major league debuts during the season. As to be expected drafting so early, we have four 2026 draft choices rounding out on the first ballot.

This year, the grandfather of our Top 100 is Tanner McDougal, marking his sixth year on our list and having moved from No. 21 to 22, 26, 63 and 6 so far. If all goes well, it will be his last, as he’ll see significant MLB time.

All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!

This was our first tight race, with David Sandlin springing to an early lead and holding off Billy Carlson. Sandlin earned 27 of 91 votes (30%):

Sandlin, acquired along with Jordan Hicks for Gage Ziehl in what was regarded as a mere salary dump deal, came to Chicago too late last offseason to make our Top 100 or Prospect Vote.

Past No. 3s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote
2026 Caleb Bonemer (40%)
2025 Edgar Quero (25%)
2024 Bryan Ramos (29%)
2023 Bryan Ramos (29%)
2022 José Rodríguez (38%)
2021 Michael Kopech (69%)
2020 Nick Madrigal (70%)
2019 Dylan Cease (75%)
2018 Luis Robert Jr. (63%)

Outfielder George Wolkow joins the ballot this round.

South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2027

1. Caleb Bonemer — 71% (Cholowsky 25%, Fauske 3%, Prosek 2%, Bergolla Jr./Carlson/McDougal/Sandlin/Thome/Volchko 0%)
2. Roch Cholowsky — 75% (Sandlin 8%, Bergolla Jr. 6%, Carlson 5%, McDougal 3%, Fauske/Mogollón 2%, Prosek/Thome/Volchko 0%)
3. David Sandlin — 30% (Carlson 23%, Fauske 10%, Bergolla Jr./McDougal 9%, Prosek 8%, Lodise/Thome 4%, Mogollón 3%, Volchko 0%)

William Bergolla Jr.
Shortstop
Age 22
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 15
2026 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2026 stats (ACL/AAA) 11 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 9 RBI ▪️ .444/.524/.556 ▪️ 2-of-4 (50.0%) SB ▪️ 5 BB ▪️ 4 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.6 WAR

The epitome of a “Chris Getz player,” Bergolla offsets his Punch-and-Judy bat with deft baserunning, a killer glove and incredible plate discipline. Well young for his level, this legacy player (dad, also William Bergolla) has cut through the White Sox system like butter since his acquisition at the 2024 trade deadline (from Philly, for Tanner Banks). After getting some heavy run in Spring Training 2026, Bergolla was on the fast track to Chicago before a collision with left fielder Sam Antonacci in an April game for the Knights gave him a serious bone bruise in his leg; after a lengthy stint on the IL, Bergolla broke his injured leg in his first rehab game in the ACL.

Billy Carlson
Shortstop
Age 20
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 7
2026 high level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.3 years
Overall 2026 stats (ACL/Low-A) 60 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 21 RBI ▪️ .252/.380/.335 ▪️ 14-of-16 (87.5%) SB ▪️ 41 BB ▪️ 59 K ▪️ .976 FLD%▪️ 1.5 WAR

It was a star-crossed pro debut for the 2025 first-rounder, who broke his left thumb in May and was later shut down for the season with a skin infection on his left leg. Let’s hope Carlson can get right for 2027, as the crush of blue-chip shortstops in the system (led by, of course, 2026’s overall No. 1 pick, Roch Cholowsky) could end up drowning him. Positives? Honestly, in his cameos at the plate Carlson flashed more pop to the gaps and on-base ability than expected.

Jaden Fauske
Center Fielder
Age 20
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 11
2026 high level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.3 years
Overall 2026 stats 118 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 48 RBI ▪️ .250/.388/.360 ▪️ 46-of-56 (82.1%) SB ▪️ 94 BB ▪️ 125 K ▪️ .948 FLD%▪️ 2.8 WAR

A year ago, we were not certain where Fauske would play, as a high school catcher announced at the draft as an outfielder-only. That proved to be the case in his first professional season, but what ho, Fauske saw more time in center than right field. And with quicks that saw Jaden snatch 46 bags in 118 games, the youngster might well stick in center.

Kyle Lodise
Shortstop
Age 22
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 24
2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level 0.0 years
Overall 2026 stats 111 games ▪️ 20 HR ▪️ 77 RBI ▪️ .230/.380/.440 ▪️ 42-of-51 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 92 BB ▪️ 141 K ▪️ .957 FLD%▪️ 3.6 WAR

Lodise made a return visit to Winston-Salem in 2026, and his first full professional season went extremely well. With a low average and slug to burn, the shortstop fits right in with the org profile of swinging hard, damn the contact. Thankfully, Lodise is selective enough at the plate to produce astronomical OBPs. And his power bat is showing better than advertised at this point.

Tanner McDougal
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6
2026 high level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -6.2 years
Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 2-3 ▪️ 27 games (7 starts, 3 finishes) ▪️ 50 IP ▪️ 4.86 ERA ▪️ 53 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.480 WHIP ▪️0.2 WAR

The good news is that McDougal was enough of a core piece to be promoted to Chicago in the second half of 2026. The bad news … well, where to start. McDougal’s presumptive march to the South Side rotation was stopped dead early in the season, when he was sidelined for weeks with forearm tightness. While the injury was thankfully not severe enough to necessitate a second TJS, Tanner was a relief arm for the rest of the season and not a stable one at that. His brief cameo in Chicago saw him rack up one out along with three walks.

Javier Mogollón
Second Baseman
Age 21
2026 high level Winston-Salem (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.0 years
Overall 2026 stats (Low-A/High-A) 91 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .262/.368/.448 ▪️ 36-of-44 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 53 BB ▪️ 123 K ▪️ .965 FLD%▪️ 2.5 WAR

The diminutive (5´8´´, 160) infielder wowed in rookie ball and though his climb has slowed, Mogollón has steadily risen up our ranks, from No.62 in our 2024 Top 100 to the cusp of the Top 10 today. That said, he’s seen two straight seasons shortened by hamstring issues. At least in 2026, Mogollón was able to return before season’s end, providing a clutch bat coming that provided a .313/.389/.813 slash and eight RBIs en route to sweeping to a SALLY title.

Cole Prosek
Third Baseman
Age 19
2026 High Level Magnolia Heights (H.S.)
Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 41 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 79 RBI ▪️ .545/.678/1.177 ▪️ 62 R ▪️ 7 SB ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 12 K

Coming to Chicago as a second-rounder, Prosek seems more highly-regarded by evaluators than the guy picked ahead of him by the White Sox, low first round choice Landon Thome. That’s a curious thing, but Prosek dominated his prep competition even more thoroughly than Thome. Plus, while the White Sox regard Prosek as a second baseman, his prep time was spent significantly at the hot corner, and he has experience behind the plate as well.

Landon Thome
Shortstop
Age 19
2026 High Level Nazareth Academy (H.S.)
Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 7 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .545 AVG ▪️ 49-of-50 (98.0%) SB

How crazy is it to have two high school teammates (Thome and Jaden Fauske) on our first ballot of the voting year … or any ballot, ever? The White Sox were so hot to dip back into Nazareth’s roster that they dealt promising 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to acquire the draft pick to snag him; clearly the club was not confident Thome would drop into the second round. Unlike his father, Hall-of-Famer and White Sox adviser Jim, Landon is better regarded for his speed and defense than his ability to put the ball over the fence. Slugging will come in time for junior, however.

Joey Volchko
Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2026 high level University of Georgia (NCAA)
Age relative to high level +0.1 years
Overall 2026 stats 11-2 ▪️ 18 starts ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 95 1/3 IP ▪️ 3.68 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 1.343 WHIP ▪️ 2.1 WAR

This big-armed righty can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but wildness concerns might have precipitated Volchko’s drop to the White Sox in the third round in spite of MLB ranking him as a second round (68th-best) talent. He’s a big-game pitcher who dragged the Bulldogs to their first College World Series win in 18 years with a complete-game effort over the University of Texas. There’s a chance Volchko ends up as a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he will get every chance to stick as a starter.

George Wolkow
Right Fielder
Age 21
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 13
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 16
2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -2.0 years
Overall 2026 stats 123 games ▪️ 22 HR ▪️ 100 RBI ▪️ .239/.317/.446 ▪️ 15-of-22 (68.2%) SB ▪️ 50 BB ▪️ 179 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.6 WAR

Wolkow sacrificed speed and what batting eye he had for power in 2026, and while that made for some impressive counting stats (22-100 plays on the back of any baseball card) the hole in his swing hasn’t been sewn. If the White Sox brass is having Wolkow bet on his best tool, power, at all others’ expense, he’s slipping into the Colson Category.

The Atlanta Braves have concluded their season, but there is still quite a bit going on that could directly have an impact on them. We have awards rolling in, salary cap discussions, potential free agent signings and trades, etc.

Keep an eye out for the Rookie of the Year announcement on November 9th. Didier Fuentes likely will not win, but it will be interesting to see how many down votes he gets. It is arbitrary in nature, but it can be fun to discuss what the outcome will be.

Manager of the Year will be announced on November 10th. The term finalist is a bit deceiving because the voting has already decided, but all three NL “finalists” have a legitimate reason to have received the top three total votes. Mattingly took a team look destined to fail and turned the season around. Weiss took a team that missed the playoffs last season and brought them to a NLE division win, and Murphy once again led a dominant Brewers team that led MLB in wins (postseason was not factored into voting).

We also have Chris Sale in the mix for Cy Young. He likely did not win, but like Fuentes it will be fun to see how voters placed him.

There has been a new update on salary cap and salary floor as well. It is always fun to hear people’s thoughts on this subject.

The MLB General Manager Meetings start next week on November 9th in Las Vegas. We don’t typically see a ton happen at these meetings, but they do typically set the groundwork for trades and evaluation of free agent markets. There is a small chance we see some minor additions at this time.

Let’s talk about these subjects or whatever else is on your mind in the comments.

Jake Bauers made $2.7 million this season.

By 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 17, the Milwaukee Brewers' National League Championship Series MVP has to decide whether to take $23.15 million for one year or turn it down and test free agency.

He may be one of the last players ever who has to make that call.

Bauers is one of eight free agents who received a qualifying offer Monday, along with Yankees closer David Bednar, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and Marlins outfielder Randy Arozarena. Major League Baseball and the players union have both proposed scrapping the system in the next collective bargaining agreement. The current deal expires Dec. 1 and a lockout is expected.

This is not new territory. When the last CBA expired in 2021, 14 players received qualifying offers. Brandon Belt was the only one who said yes.

Eight of the others had deals in place by the time the owners locked out the players. Four more waited out the 99-day lockout.

What is a qualifying offer in baseball?

A qualifying offer is a one-year contract set at the average salary of baseball's 125 highest-paid players. This year it's a record $23.15 million, up from $22.025 million last year.

A team can only make the offer to a player who spent the whole season with the club and has never received one before.

The player has two choices.

Accept, and he's back with his team for one more season. He can't be traded without his consent until June 15.

Reject, and he becomes a free agent with a draft pick penalty attached. If he signs somewhere else, his old team gets a compensation pick, and his new team gives up at least one of its own.

How much that pick is worth depends on the old team's finances. A revenue-sharing club like the Brewers can get a pick right after the first round if the player signs for $50 million or more. Luxury-tax payers like the Yankees and Cubs only get one after the fourth round.

Most players say no. Since the system began after the 2012 season, only 18 of 157 players accepted before this year. A record four did it last winter.

Who got qualifying offer in 2026?

• Randy Arozarena, Mariners: six straight 20-homers, 20-steal seasons
• Jake Bauers, Brewers: 26 homers and an .874 OPS before his NLCS MVP run
• David Bednar, Yankees: 35 saves and a 2.47 ERA
• Ryan Jeffers, Twins: a 116 OPS+ since 2023, sixth among primary catchers
• Brandon Lowe, Pirates: 35 homers and 96 RBIs
• Adrian Morejon, Padres: the first setup man ever to get a qualifying offer
• Trevor Rogers, Orioles: the only starting pitcher in the group
• Seiya Suzuki, Cubs: a 128 OPS+ over five seasons in Chicago

Eight offers is the fewest since 2023. Teams handed out 14 before the last lockout.

Cubs outfielder Ian Happ and Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm did not get qualifying offers, which was a little surprising. The Yankees decided not to offer one to Jazz Chisholm a year after Trent Grisham accepted their offer and posted just 0.7 WAR in 2026.

Why the 2026 qualifying offer could be the last

Draft-pick compensation was at the center of the 1981 players strike, and the union has pushed to end or limit it in every negotiation since, according to MLB. Players see it as a drag on free agency, because teams think twice about signing someone who costs them a draft pick.

On May 27, the union proposed eliminating it. On June 25, the league agreed.

MLB repeated that offer Tuesday in a proposal that also pushed its salary cap plan back to 2028. The union quickly rejected the package. The biggest fight between the two sides is over the cap.

According to the league, ending the system would remove draft-pick compensation from free agency for the first time since 1976.

Still, nothing is done until there's a deal. Baseball learned that last time.

When the 2021-22 lockout ended, the owners offered to drop the qualifying offer in exchange for an international draft. The two sides gave themselves until July 25, 2022 to agree. The union rejected the draft, and the qualifying offer survived for the rest of the CBA.

None of this changes the rules for this winter. Teams had to make their offers, and players have to answer, before the current CBA expires.

What's less clear is what happens to a player who rejects his offer and is still unsigned when a new deal arrives. If the system is gone by then, it's unclear whether his old team would still get a pick.

How the qualifying offer worked before the 2021 lockout

The 2021 offer was worth $18.4 million. Thirteen players turned it down, and they split into three groups.

Some didn't wait at all. Eduardo Rodriguez signed a five-year, $77 million deal with the Tigers and Noah Syndergaard took one year and $21 million from the Angels before the decision deadline even arrived. Justin Verlander rejected the Astros' offer and agreed to return to Houston the same day on a one-year, $35 million deal with a player option. That contract was finalized during the lockout.

Others beat the clock. The Rangers gave Corey Seager 10 years and $325 million and Marcus Semien seven years and $175 million. The Mariners gave Robbie Ray five years and $115 million. Raisel Iglesias re-signed with the Angels on Dec. 1. Chris Taylor re-signed with the Dodgers.

Teams committed a single-day record $1.4 billion in contracts on Dec. 1, according to an Associated Press tally. Hours later the owners locked out the players.

Transactions froze from Dec. 2 until March 10, 2022 and the rest of the players with qualifying offers had to wait.

When the market reopened, Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers for six years and $162 million. Nick Castellanos got five years and $100 million from the Phillies. Carlos Correa took three years and $105.3 million from the Twins, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons. Trevor Story signed with the Red Sox for six years and $140 million.

Michael Conforto never signed in 2022. He underwent shoulder surgery and sat out the season.

Because the new CBA kept the qualifying offer, the draft picks still changed hands. The Red Sox used the 79th pick as their compensation for losing Rodriguez, on outfielder Roman Anthony. The Dodgers never got to use theirs for Seager, they lost it when they signed Freeman.

Will free agents sign before the Dec. 1 lockout?

If 2021 is any guide, expect a late rush. Players want contracts and security before the shutdown, and teams want to fill roster holes.

The qualifying offer adds pressure. A player who rejects his offer stays tied to draft compensation until the next amateur draft begins. In 2019, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel waited so long that they signed after the draft, and their old teams got nothing.

This time, no one knows what rules will be in place in 2027.

The last time a lockout loomed, only one player said yes. Brandon Belt took his $18.4 million and stayed in San Francisco.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why MLB's 2026 qualifying offers could be the last ones ever

Albert Pujols is in the mix for yet another managerial opening. 

The MLB legend is interviewing for the Astros’ manager job, according to The Athletic. 

He will be interviewed by new Houston general manager Randy Flores, who spent the previous 11 seasons in the Cardinals’ front office and played with Pujols in St. Louis for five years. 

The Astros are kicking off a new era after parting ways with general manager Dana Brown in August and declining to renew manager Joe Espada’s contract following an 81-81 season.

Houston won its eighth American League West title in 10 seasons but was swept out of the postseason by the White Sox during the wild-card round. 

Pujols, a three-time MVP, interviewed for managerial openings with the Angels and Padres last offseason, but fell short of getting either job. 

He also reportedly had interest from the Orioles for the manager role last offseason. 

In June, Pujols suggested he’d be interested in becoming the manager of the Mets after the franchise fired Carlos Mendoza. 

He’s enjoyed some success from the dugout, though. 

He guided Leones del Escogido to the Dominican winter league championship and Caribbean Series title in 2025 before managing the Dominican Republic in this year’s World Baseball Classic to a third-place finish. 

The Astros are also considering Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus, who previously managed the Tigers and Angels, and Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta, per The Athletic.

Pujols, who will be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame in 2028, hit 703 career home runs, which ranks fourth all time.

Brandon Lowe is officially a free agent and able to sign with any of the 30 MLB clubs as soon as possible. 

Now the waiting begins.

The Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman is one of the best free agents available in this year’s cycle after a historic season.

Lowe slugged 35 home runs in his lone year in Pittsburgh, the most by any second baseman in team history. He broke Neil Walker’s record by 12.

Lowe slashed .260/.331/.493 with a .824 OPS in 150 games after being traded from the future American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays.

He recorded 152 hits, 29 doubles, 96 RBIs and consistently carried the Pirates lineup from the No. 2 spot in the batting order.

Not known as a good defender, Lowe improved his defense well enough to earn one of three Gold Glove nominations at second base.

Pittsburgh has officially offered Lowe a qualifying offer as he enters free agency. The deal is a one-year, $23.15 million contract for the 2027 season. If Lowe accepts, he will be back with the Pirates and can still negotiate a long-term deal. 

If he rejects, the Pirates will receive a compensatory draft pick when Lowe signs elsewhere. Lowe has until November 17 to accept or deny the terms. Lowe was one of eight players to be offered a qualifying offer.

Multiple MLB analysts have estimated the contact Lowe could command on the market. Former MLB GM Jim Bowden only projected a three-year, $45 million deal, a $15 million average-annual-value for someone already offered over $23 million.

ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel believes Lowe will agree to a deal nearing a four-year, $80 million total.

Keith Law of The Athletic has the most stunning projection. Law regards Lowe as the third-best free agent on the market and estimates he will sign a five-year, $150 million contract. 

The difference in years and annual value is staggering and paints a difficult picture for what Lowe will command. It also doesn’t help that the league and players have until December 1 to agree on a new CBA before the impending lockout.

Lowe, 32, put together one of the best all-around seasons in Pirates history this century, and the Pirates should offer him a three-year deal nearing $20 million. 

They can afford it, plus a potential change in revenue sharing and the economic landscape of baseball could make the deal even easier.

The clock is ticking, and it’s time for the Pirates to step up to the plate and show they are committed to winning and winning significantly in 2027. Sign Brandon Lowe. It just makes too much sense.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have found their new pitching coach. Joe Torres, who had been an assitant pitching coach with the Cleveland Guardians since back in 2022, will assume the roll immediately and work with the staff as it heads into the 2027 season.

Torres, now 44 years old, is a former 1st round draft pick of the then Anaheim Angels from back in 2000. A lefty, he got off to a sharp start within an Angels organization that won the World Series in 2002, and Baseball America even named him the #50 overall prospect in the game prior to 2001. He missed all of the 2004 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and his pitching career went sideways from that moment on, and he never actually made it to the big leagues after bouncing around the farm systems of the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies.

Beginning in 2017, he began coaching on the Guardians farm, doing so while the likes of Terry Francona managed the big league club. That means that the current Reds pitching coach, 1B coach (Colin Cowgill), and hitting coach (Chris Valaika) all spent time under Francona either playing or coaching during the future Hall of Fame manager’s time spearheading the Guardians.

Torres will replace Derek Johnson, who served as the franchise’s overall pitching coordinator prior to his leave of absence last June. Johnson, who came to the Reds as the team’s pitching coach back in 2018, was relieved of his duties at season’s end after having been absent for the final 3+ months of the 2026 season.

After ten years and 1,662 plate-appearances, it appears the Pavin Smith era in Arizona has ended. His time here is likely notable more for its length than its quality. In franchise history, only seven position players have appeared in more seasons for the Diamondbacks. But Smith was never a full-time, regular player: just once did he reach even ninety games, and he trails the likes of Orlando Hudson and Conor Jackson in PA as a D-back. He certainly wasn’t great: his time here ends barely better than replacement (0.2 bWAR, 0.9 fWAR). But he wasn’t expensive either: this was the first year Pavin earned any semi-significant amount. I’d say he didn’t deserve the brutal vitriol hurled at him by certain sections of online fandom.

Perhaps it was a sense of disappointment at Smith never living up to hopes and expectations. He was a first-round pick – and a high one at that, going seventh overall in the 2017 draft, as Mike Hazen’s first ever selection. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great class that year: excluding Drew Rasmussen, who didn’t sign, only two of the top sixty players have reached even eight bWAR so far: Hunter Greene and Trevor Rogers [The most productive player has arguably been Daulton Varsho, selected after sixty-seven others] As a yardstick, the following year already has seven such. Arizona could have done worse. #4 in 2017, Brendan McKay, threw less than fifty innings at below replacement level, and #6 Austin Beck never reached the majors.

At the time, John Sickels of Minor League Ball (remember that site?) wrote, “Overall few players offer the combination of safety and upside possessed by Smith.” Pavin was immediately named the team’s top prospect, and the following month was Arizona’s only player listed in the overall top 100 prospects by MLB Pipeline, coming in at #75. By the following spring, the general consensus was that he had been overtaken by pitcher Jon Duplantier – yeah, about that – but he was still the D-backs #2. However, a sluggish, power-depleted campaign in High-A, with only eleven HR in 120 games, saw him drop to the fringes of Arizona’s top 10 for 2019.

Smith rebounded that year, his SLG jumping 74 points despite a promotion to Double-A. The following year saw the minor-league season wiped out by COVID-19, but Pavin still made his major-league debut as a September call-up. Down the stretch, he hit 10-for-37 and notched his first home-run, against the Phillies (above – I had quite forgotten how weird things were that season, with a stadium devoid of fans, cardboard cutouts and piped-in crowd noise). The following year saw Smith’s sole campaign as a regular. He was much more an outfielder, starting at least five games at each OF spot, and making 98 of his 145 appearances there.

While he won our Rookie of the Year honor in 2021, (albeit in a weak class – “No award” came runner-up!) that largely set the tone for the years which followed. Smith hit respectably enough (a 98 OPS+), but mediocre defense wiped out any value at the plate. Outside of that brief 2020 stint, Pavin’s dWAR was below replacement every other season. This persisted, even as he moved from the outfield to the far easier position of first base. “Starting in center field: Pavin Smith” has a really weird sound to it now. But there was likely weirder, since in 2021 Ketel Marte was our main CF, on our way to a hundred and ten losses.

In 2023, however, the bat evaporated, as Smith hit just .188. His playing time consequently evaporated to 158 PA, and he was never able to command a regular spot as a Diamondback again. He always hit well in Reno: even given the offensive environment, a .955 OPS across 175 games for the Aces is still pretty good. But consistently translating this into success at the major-league level proved to be elusive. Oh, there were moments. Of the almost 23,000 major-league players, only 673 – less than three percent – have enjoyed a three-homer game. But Smith is among them, having done it on September 8th, 2024 (above). And two came off likely Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander.

However, the two seasons since have proved problematic, Smith struggling with a fatal combination of injury and ineffectiveness. He got off to a good start in 2025, and had an .852 OPS at the half-way point in the schedule, over almost 250 PA. But a right oblique strain in early July sidelined Pavin for six weeks, and he had barely returned when a left quad strain against the Brewers then ended his season. This year was worse still. He had lingering elbow soreness in spring training, and after a mere two games, this forced him onto the IL. He required surgery in mid-April to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, and struggled on his return. Smith was batting just .141 when designated for assignment on July 10.

There was one last hurrah. September saw Arizona desperately seeking a reliable left-handed bat to take on right-handed pitching, and Pavin got the call. The results had their moments, most notably a September 19th walk-off home-run against the Yankees, on the night the Diamondbacks honored the 2001 World Series team (above). But the team had decided Smith, now in his thirties and about to become significantly more expensive through arbitration, was no longer worth the squeeze. He was effectively non-tendered, being taken off the 40-man roster and becoming a minor-league free agent instead. Maybe he’ll sign back with the team in time for spring training!

Part of me kinda wants that to happen, simply to see the Twitiots’ heads explode. For I can’t recall the last time a player was the target of so much online hate – and, arguably, for little reason. At $2.25 million in his most expensive year, he was $850K cheaper than A.J. Puk this season, who didn’t play at all, and barely more than the startlingly useless Carlos Santana. It’s not as if Smith at first was blocking some top prospect either. Ildemaro Vargas was the most-used first baseman for Arizona this year in Smith’s absence. If I squint a moderate amount, perhaps too much faith in Smith caused Hazen to skimp on the 1B position since the departure of Christian Walker? That’s all I got. I know we have some in the #SmithHate camp present, and I’m genuinely curious.

It does leave a hole. Between them, the departed Vargas, Smith and Santana were responsible for half the starts at first base this year. Those need to be replaced. But that’s a question for another day, I think. For now, we just bid farewell to the riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, that was Pavin Smith.

Josue De Paula ended the 2026 season as the top prospect in the Dodgers organization, while also playing briefly in the major league postseason after his September debut. So it’s no surprise that De Paula tops the list of top Dodgers prospects heading into 2027, as rated by the fine folks at Baseball Prospectus.

But he’s not alone among outfielders at the top, with Mike Sirota ranked second in the system and Eduardo Quintero third. Reigning Midwest League MVP Charles Davalan, another outfielder, checks in as the seventh-best prospect among Dodgers minor leaguers, and he’s been adding second base to his repertoire in the Arizona Fall League.

Sirota started last season in High-A Great Lakes, was promoted to Double-A Tulsa, and finished the season in the Triple-A playoffs with Oklahoma City. All the while, Sirota was an on-base machine, hitting .307/.461/.526 with 28 doubles, 17 home runs, and 100 walks in 108 games.

From Jeffrey Paternostro at Baseball Prospectus:

While Sirota is not likely to maintain those high batting averages further up the chain, the hit tool should play a bit above-average despite his below-average contact rates, because he can start his swing late and still do a lot of damage. And the more types of swings and types of pitches you can hit hard, the more often you will find gaps in the grass. That’s not to say there is no hit tool risk here, of course, and you can find Double-A arms that had success getting it in Sirota’s kitchen. Given his power and ability to draw walks, however, if he even hits .250 in the majors he would be a first-division starter, even in a corner.

De Paula, Sirota, Quintero, and shortstop Emil Morales were all top-101 prospects in the sport at Baseball Prospectus prior to the 2026 season, and they comprise the top four Dodgers prospects heading into 2027. The were in the top five prospects in the system before last season along with the since-traded Zyhir Hope.

De Paula and Christian Zazueta won Branch Rickey Awards as the Dodgers minor league player and pitcher of the year. For Zazueta, it was his second straight Rickey Award. He’s ranked fifth in the system by Baseball Prospectus this year, up 11 spots from last offseason.

Also of note, last year’s Dodgers first-round pick, high school shortstop Bo Lowrance, joins the top 10 prospects in the system at No. 8 heading into 2027 as he awaits his professional debut.

“He does have a pretty—and pretty simple—left-handed swing, but Lowrance has a weird mishmash of skills that don’t fit his frame nor his profile,” Paternostro wrote of the 6’5 Lowrance. “The Dodgers have the luxury of time with this sort of a position player project—and a near-best-in-class player development apparatus backing it—but like a lot of their prospects on this list, the org’s biggest swings don’t always make contact.”

Hyun-Seok Jang, the right-handed pitcher the Dodgers signed out of South Korea in 2023, jumped up from 21st in the system before 2026 to 10th going into 2027.

“The only thing keeping Jang from being ranked with the top pitching prospects in the system is his inability to stay on the mound for a full season,” Paternostro wrote.

Note: It’s nomination day! So in addition to voting, head to the comment section to nominate players for Friday’s CPL.

We’re fully off and running with the 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization. Hey, we’ve already got a top three!

Rounding out the opening trio is shortstop Luis Hernández, who jumps up three spots from last year’s placement at No. 6. Hernández, a right-handed hitter who turns 18 in December, was widely considered the top international free agent when he signed with the Giants out of Venezuela in January.

In a fairly unconventional (unless you’re the Padres) move, the Giants had Hernández skip the Dominican Summer League entirely, and come straight to the states. What followed was pure brilliance: despite his age and inexperience, Hernández had no issues at all with the Arizona Complex League, where he hit .298/.382/.535 for a .917 OPS and a 117 wRC+, while bopping six home runs in 228 plate appearances and stealing six bases.

Hernández was the total package in Arizona: among 136 qualified Complex League hitters (where Hernández was more than two-and-a-half years below the average age), he ranked 24th in batting average, 14th in isolated slugging percentage (.237), and 15th in strikeout rate (16.7%). He also played a quite delightful shortstop, looking remarkably smooth and graceful, and handled third base well when displaced by Josuar González (our No. 1 prospect).

Given his age and experience level, it’s safe to say that Hernández fairly dramatically outperformed expectations … and expectations were quite high!

When the Rookie Ball season ended, the Giants rewarded Hernández for his strong play — and sought to get him more reps — by sending him to Low-A San Jose for the final month of the season. There, he understandably hit a bump in the road, slashing .231/.276/.319 for a .594 OPS and a 48 wRC+, with two home runs in 98 plate appearances and a 29.6% strikeout rate. But that’s no matter. Hernández was laughably young for the league (four years younger than his average peer), was dealing with a small ailment, and it was a small sample size … if you need reassurance, just know that Gavin Kilen posted a 58 wRC+ at the same level in his short stint there last year, after being drafted in the first round out of an SEC school at age 21.

Hernández will surely be back in San Jose to start 2027, and if he adjusts well to the league, there’s no telling how quickly — and emphatically — he can rise through the ranks of both the system and national prospect lists. His instincts, fundamentals, and bat control are truly elite, and he’s got far more pop than you would suspect from looking at him. The sky is the limit for Hernández!

Now let’s add to the list, and don’t forget that it’s nomination day!

The list so far

1. Josuar González — SS
2. Jackson Flora — RHP
3. Luis Hernández — SS

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 4 prospect nominees

JacobBresnahan — 21.4-year old LHP — 2.92 ERA/4.32 FIP in High-A (98.2 IP); 5.06 ERA/3.60 FIP in AA (16 IP)

BoDavidson — 24.3-year old OF — .861 OPS/122 wRC+ in AA (315 PA); .923 OPS/138 wRC+ in AAA (234 PA); .714 OPS/100 wRC+ in MLB (22 PA)

JhonnyLevel — 19.6-year old SS — .968 OPS/134 wRC+ in Low-A (217 PA); .836 OPS/119 wRC+ in High-A (331 PA)

RamonMarquez — 21.1-year old RHP — 1.86 ERA/2.67 FIP in Low-A (29 IP); 2.48 ERA/2.45 FIP in High-A (40 IP)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.All stats are from the 2026 season.

Welbyn Francisca was just named to the AFL All-Star Game.

In other “news”, FOX News is worried that everybody in Arizona has to change their name to Welbyn now.

And the A’s hired a GM—a gent from the Brewers with NEOH connections.

The Nats released LGFT Zak Kent.

and MLB made a proposal