SURPRISE, Ariz. — Roki Sasaki had another up-and-down performance in a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals as he tries to solidify his spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers ' starting rotation.
The 24-year-old Japanese right-hander got off to a good start, giving up one hit, walking one and striking out two through two scoreless innings. But after fanning Gavin Cross to start the third, he lost command, walking three straight before manager Dave Roberts took him out of the game.
Roberts said he was encouraged by aspects of Sasaki’s outing, but there needs to be more efficiency.
“You’ve got to be able to take down innings and be able to make adjustments sooner,” Roberts said. “I know there were some things he was working through tonight, but when you’re in the middle of a game, you’ve got to find a way to adjust quicker. That’s something that’s probably part of the learning curve for him.”
Sasaki re-entered in the fourth — a quirk that’s allowed during spring training — and struck out two more while also allowing a two-run homer. He started the fifth, giving up a hard-hit double to veteran Starling Marte before leaving the game for good.
The final line: 3 1/3 innings, four hits, three earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts. Sasaki threw 71 pitches, including 38 strikes.
“There are a lot of things I need to work on, but it’s just spring training,” he said through an interpreter.
Sasaki’s positives are obvious. He has an electric fastball that touched 99 mph, a great splitter and a newly-added cutter that often was effective. But there also are moments when he can’t seem to repeat his pitching delivery, leaving him prone to bouts of wildness.
“When it’s good, it’s really good,” Roberts said. “We’re just trying to get him to be more efficient in the strike zone.”
It was Sasaki’s third Cactus League appearance and first since March 3. He has a 13.50 ERA this spring, giving up 10 runs over 6 2/3 innings.
He also pitched in a game against White Sox minor leaguers on March 10 and threw four scoreless innings.
Sasaki entered his rookie year in 2025 with a lot of fanfare, but didn’t pitch much in the majors during the regular season, finishing 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA over 36 1/3 erratic innings. He appeared in 10 games, starting eight, and missed more than four months because of a right shoulder impingement.
He returned in September and became a key piece of the bullpen during the postseason, giving up just one earned run over 10 2/3 innings and earning three saves to help the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title.
Sasaki agreed to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus last offseason, becoming the 13th Japanese player to join the franchise.
DUNEDIN, FL - FEBRUARY 20: José Berríos #17 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses for a photo during the Toronto Blue Jays photo day at TD Ballpark on Friday, February 20, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
First of all, cheers to the Venezuela for winning the WBC. It seemed like the odds were stacked against them, having to play for the second night in a row and now being able to lose the reliever who got them past Italy. The reaction of their players and the Venezuelan fans make the whole WBC worth the effort.
I wonder if Daniel Palencia glove has fallen to the ground. He threw it so high. Eduardo Rodriguez had such a terrific start. And they got just enough hitting.
On the US side, they got just three hits, two of them from Bryce Harper. Their offense never really got going throughout the WBC. I can’t say I’m sorry for Mark DeRosa.
John Schneider told reporters that José Berríos has a stress fracture in his elbow. He also went on to say that José has been ‘remarkably’ pain-free. He won’t be on the roster opening day and there is no time line suggested, just that he’ll rest the arm for a bit and then start back up. How long ‘a bit’ is we have no idea.
He went so many years in a row getting his 32 starts that it’s not a surprise his arm is asking for some time off.
I guess I shouldn’t have laughed at how many starting pitcher the accumulated this off-season.
The Jays have announced their starters for the next few days:
Today: Josh Flemming. Eric Lauer will start in a minor league game today. With the Berríos news, Lauer is likely to have a starter’s role at the start of the season.
Thursday: Cody Ponce.
Friday: Max Sherzer.
Saturday: Kevin Gausman.
Sunday: Dylan Cease.
Today’s lineups. The game is at 1:00 Eastern. I interested to see Eloy play first base. Too bad Andrés Giménez isn’t back yet (though I’d imagine his nursing a hangover today), the back of the lineup could have been Giménez, Jiménez, Jiménez.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 13: Bally announcer Brandon Gaudin interviews Austin Riley #27 after the Atlanta Braves defeatec the Philadelphia Phillies to clinch the NL East at Citizens Bank Park on September 13, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We already had this confirmed directly to us, but hey, have a very long press release:
Announcing our BravesVision Broadcast Team!
Brandon Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski will anchor the broadcast team from the booth, with Jeff Francoeur, Wiley Ballard, and Paul Byrd also returning: pic.twitter.com/wWbiCtzDj2
Basically, Brandon Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski are coming back as the main booth lads, Jeff Francoeur will be there when he feels like it (a 30-game commitment), while Wiley Ballard and Paul Byrd will chip in from the sidelines.
Former Braves Peter Moylan, Nick Green, and Charlie Culberson will handle pre-game and post-game stuff, which I can’t comment on because I will always just switch to a different game rather than bothering to watch someone talk about the game I just watched where I already know what happens.
On a personal preference level, it’s basically impossible for me to complain because the current broadcast situation is so many leagues better than what existed in the Chip Caray era that I’m eternally grateful for not having to mute the game within the first few batters each time. Gaudin and Byrd definitely enhance my experience, and this crew seems to work well together.
And, before you fill up the comments on the same topic, no, we don’t know of any other carrier deals with BravesVision yet… so if you’re looking to get it via cable or a streaming service, you’ll still have to stay tuned until we do know.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 19: The Houston Astros 2025 first round draft pick, Xavier Neyens, takes batting practice in front of Astros general manager Dana Brown before a game against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park on September 19, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This might be the easiest, low-stress, high-joy article I write this season.
It’s just so much fun to research the Houston farm system. It’s kind of hard to even come up with sections or headers for this one, so let’s just jump into it.
FanGraphs: Org rank not updated, but ended 2025 ~29th, 0 Top-100 prospects: (HELL YEAH)
MLB Pipeline: 29th, 0 Top-100 prospects: (can i get a big fat “hell yeah” in the chat?)
The Good:
The pride of Northwest Washington State, shortstop Xavier Neyens is, in most evaluators eyes, the top prospect for the Astros. Before being Houston’s 2025 1st draft pick, Neyens played for Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, WA, just a 25 minute drive down the road from little ole’ me up here in Bellingham.
He spent his senior year terrorizing the Northwest Conference, leading the Bulldogs to a 20-game win streak, a 25-3 record, and a 2025 3A state title. A bat-first player, he hit .456 with eight home runs, had an on-base percentage of .689 (buoyed by a state championship game where he was intentionally walked four times), and racked up 35 stolen bases. That’s nothing to say of his heroics as the Bulldogs’ closer, where he went 6-for-6 in save opportunities, delivered 11.5 K/9, and flashed 95 mph and 22”+ of IVB on the fastball.
He was that guy. Neyens is a high-floor prospect with five strong tools whose power has the potential to carry him. Expect for him to break the top-100 prospect drought for Houston by the end of the season.
The Rest:
This concludes the end of the high-floor and high–ceiling section of the Houston farm system. From here on out, it’s all risk/reward calculations, baby.
Kevin Alvarez is MLB Pipeline’s top prospect for Houston, but he only comes in at no. 5 for Baseball America, as BA heavily weighs his high-risk profile and how early he is in his development process.
Baseball America describes the system’s 3rd-best prospect (Brice Matthews) as a likely utility player with a 30 grade on the bat. Not what you’re looking for from the number 3 spot.
Almost none of the rest of the top 10 of this system have what can even be described as a medium floor. They range from low-floor, high-ceiling at best, to low-floor, lowish mediumish ceiling on average.
Now, for the being fair and not purely gloating section: the Astros have been very successful at development over the last 10 years. It’s fair to think that many of these players may reach the higher end of their profile. This is not the first time that we’ve looked at their farm system and not thought there was any gas left in the tank.
In conclusion: I wish a million risk upon the Houston Astros, and a zero reward upon them as well. I think my wish will be coming true.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 17: Daniel Palencia #29 of Team Venezuela celebrates after the 3-2 victory against Team United States at loanDepot park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Certain segments of American baseball fans and the American baseball establishment are struggling to accept an increasingly obvious reality: The World Baseball Classic matters a lot, even if it doesn’t matter all that much to them.
Prior to last night’s championship clash between the USA and Venezuela, Derek Jeter, who played in the first iteration of the WBC back in 2006, dismissed the tournament in a typically American way, which is to say a typically arrogant way:
"I think the people that say it's bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series." 😂
It’s not at all surprising that Derek Jeter values the World Series over the World Baseball Classic. And I would never tell him he is wrong to do so. Meaning does not inherently exist in anything. Meaning is not something that can be objectively measured like the weather or the decibel level of the crowd in Miami last night. The meaning of anything in the world — whether we’re talking about a baseball tournament or a favorite tee-shirt — is determined by what’s in someone’s heart.
But while I would not tell Derek Jeter that he is wrong to value the World Series over the World Baseball Classic, I would tell him that he is objectively wrong to say that anyone who has played in a World Series finds more meaning in that than in the WBC. We already know this is not the case. Kiké Hernandez, who has played in more World Series than any other active player, directly told this to to all of us, Jeter included:
Hernandez’s sentiment is plainly shared by the vast majority of non-American ballplayers. Anyone who watched these games could see that. They tried to tell us this with every bat they flipped, with every dugout rail they hopped, with every tear that they shed on the field — whether those tears came from Shohei Ohtani before the first game, or Salvador Perez after the last. That Derek Jeter refuses to listen to them is disappointing but not surprising. Indeed, the dismissal of these players’ own feelings is foundational to how the global baseball industry works.
The economic system that controls global baseball is a product of American economic imperialism. As with bananas in the Caribbean, pineapples in the Hawaiian islands, or oil in the Middle East, America has used its economic might to shape the way that baseball is both produced and consumed around the world, ensuring that the vast majority of money spent on baseball flows into the pockets of American ownership interests.
Venezuelan big leaguers are not victims under this system. Far from it. The exploitation of their talents by American capitalism has made many of them millionaires, far more financially comfortable than just about anyone else in their home country, where the median annual income isn’t enough to cover one month’s rent for a studio apartment in many parts of the United States.
But Venezuelan baseball culture is a victim of this system. Venezuela does not have a thriving and independent domestic baseball league that provides full-time jobs for coaches, groundskeepers, statisticians, scouts, writers, TV personalties, and social media influencers, like we have here in America. Venezuelan fans cannot take the train to the ballpark and buy a ticket to watch Ranger Suárez pitch to Ronald Acuña, Jr. Venezuelan ballplayers cannot make a living in their home country. They are instead given no other option but to ply their trade in a foreign land — one that is increasingly hostile and unwelcoming to them, one that sees them as lesser and now harasses and intimidates them as a matter of government policy, as the hero of last night’s game, Eugenio Suárez, has frankly and honestly discussed.
That Venezuelans do not have a viable baseball industry of their own is not because Venezuelans care less about baseball than Americans do. On a per capita basis, they almost certainly care a lot more. It’s because might makes right — whether that might comes in the form of the dollar or the gun. The economic realities of the world force Venezuelan ballplayers to not only leave their country to work, but to check meaningful parts of their culture and identify at the border in exchange for a paycheck. They do so largely without complaint, just as you and I likely would if the economic situation were reversed. But that doesn’t mean they don’t make real sacrifices. In order to do their jobs they leave all they know from birth behind and live a rootless life of baseball nomadism. They are forced to endure a kind of cultural loneliness.
What Derek Jeter can’t see is that it is precisely this cultural loneliness that gives the WBC so much meaning to many of these players. For one month every few years they are with their people. They don’t have to speak someone else’s language, eat someone else’s food, or adhere to someone else’s unwritten rules of behavior and decorum. For one month they are free to be fully Venezuelan and fully a ballplayer at the same time. Instead of sublimating their cultural identity in order to play baseball, they get to express their cultural identity through baseball.
The World Baseball Classic does nothing to break the American economic stranglehold over the global baseball industry. That was Rob Manfred handing out the medals last night, after all. The WBC is owned and operated by American ownership interests, and they do it for no other reason than it makes them even more money.
But what the WBC does do is break the cultural hegemony that America has always wielded over the game. This manifests itself not only in the way the game is played on the field during the tournament, but how the tournament is held in the hearts of those who are playing it. The American baseball establishment still controls the baseball industry, but it doesn’t control what baseball means. These players have decided that the WBC means more to them than the World Series. And because meaning is something that only exists in the heart, they are right.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 23: J.P. France #68 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 23, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (10-10-3) travel to Jupiter to take on the St. Louis Cardinals (12-9-2) in Grapefruit League play.
RHP J.P. France will make his fifth appearance, including his first start of the Grapefruit League this season. RHP Kyle Leahy will be on the mound for the Cardinals facing the Astros for the third time this Spring.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP J.P. France is set to make his fifth appearance, including his first start of the Grapefruit League this season. He last pitched on March 13 at STL, where he allowed one hit and one walk with five strikeouts in 3.0 scoreless innings.
He missed a majority of the 2025 season while recovering from right shoulder surgery, making only two appearances with the Astros in 2025.
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP AJ Blubaugh, LHP Steven Okert and RHP Kai-Wei Teng.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have reassigned C Collin Price to minor league camp.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, March 18, 12:05 p.m. CST
Location: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium – Jupiter, FL
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 8: Kyle Hurt #63 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a warm up pitch during a Spring Training game against the Athletics at HoHoKam Stadium on March 8, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers on Wednesday optioned pitcher Kyle Hurt to Triple-A Oklahoma City, getting closer to finalizing the opening day roster.
After Tuesday night’s win over the Royals in Surprise, manager Dave Roberts was asked by Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA if, this late into camp, the team has seen what they needed to see to finalize the opening day roster.
“We have,” Roberts said. “We’re going to have some good conversations, some hard conversations over the next couple of days.”
Hurt had Tommy John surgery on July 30, 2024 and spent all of 2025 on the injured list. But unlike some of his returning-from-surgery cohorts in camp, the right-hander did pitch on rehab in Triple-A for the final month of the regular season, and was used during scrimmages during the postseason throughout October.
In seven appearances this spring, Hurt allowed three runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings for a 3.68 ERA with two walks and 12 strikeouts, the latter representing a 40-percent strikeout rate.
After missing most of the last two seasons with injuries — he only pitched in .. games in 2024 — Hurt is back as a potential bullpen piece this season. Given that the Dodgers have used 39, 40, and 40 pitchers over the previous three seasons, if Hurt stays healthy this year he should get plenty of opportunities to contribute in Los Angeles.
Hurt getting options leaves only a few pitching roster decisions to be made to finalize the opening day roster. Blake Snell, Gavin Stone, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart, and Bobby Miller all won’t be ready for opening day. That leaves only 15 available pitchers on the 40-man roster who haven’t already been optioned, plus two non-roster invitees in left-hander Antoine Kelly and right-hander Chris Campos.
In other words, only four more cuts to go to get down to 13 active pitchers for opening day.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Zyhir Hope #94 of the Los Angeles Dodgers jogs on the field during a Spring Training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch on March 10, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dodgers prospects play White Sox prospects on Saturday afternoon at Camelback Ranch, and on Wednesday all teams finalized their rosters for these spring breakout games.
This game on Saturday will be in the big league stadium at Camelback Ranch, and was originally slated for 3:30 p.m., after the Dodgers play the A’s. But due to excessive in and around Phoenix, everything was moved up one hour. The Dodgers Cactus League game will start at 11:05 a.m., with the prospects game coming at 2:30 p.m.
MLB Network will televise the Dodgers-White Sox spring breakout game, which will be streamed for free on the MLB app.
As expected, the slew of outfield prospects will be there, including all four top-100 prospects Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota, plus the slightly-older Zach Ehrhard and James Tibbs III who impressed in big league camp, plus 100-steal man Kendall George.
On the pitching side, Christian Zazueta and Adam Serwinoski stand out. Also active on Saturday are three of the Dodgers’ first four draft picks from 2025 — pitcher Zach Root, his Arkansas teammate outfielder Charles Davalan, and outfielder Landyn Vidourek.
Outfielders (10): Charles Davalan, Josue De Paula, Zach Ehrhard, Kendall George, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota, James Tibbs III, Brendan Tunink, Landyn Vidourek
Build Your Winning Bracket!
SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)
Watching 42 on Friday’s movie night, I had forgotten that among shots of MLB players wearing 42 during the pre-credits montage, there is one at Target Field. That got me thinking about the Twins who have worn #42 outside of April 15 every year, and checking Baseball Reference, there have been just six. (Two of them were Senators, but they still count.)
They are:
Al Kozar 2B, 1950 Kozar spent all of 1948 and 1949 with the Senators, wearing #2 the first season and #1 the second. For the start of the 1950 season, he wore #42, an unusual number change for a player — players usually move to a lower number. However, he only wore #42 for 20 games before being traded to the White Sox, where he played 10 more games before his MLB career ended.
Cass Michaels 2B, 1950-1 Michaels came over to Washington in the Kozar trade and immediately claimed the vacated number. He wore #42 for the rest of 1950 and part of 1951 before switching to #7 (I could not find any further specifics as to when he switched), but in that new number, his Senators career ended the same way as his predecessor’s: a trade, sent to the Browns in May 1952.
Jim Manning RP, 1962 The first Twin on the list, Manning wore #42 during his entire career: seven innings across five games at the start of the 1962 season.
Jack O’Connor SP, 1982 O’Connor’s case is interesting. He wore #33 for most of his four seasons (well, three seasons and two games) in Minnesota, but he wore #42 for at least part of 1982, his only season as a primary starter. He ended that season with a 4.29 ERA, the lowest ERA of any full season in his career, walking 57 and striking out 56 across 126 innings.
Butch Huskey OF, 2000 When MLB retired #42 across the league on April 15, 1997, the dozen or so players still wearing that number were allowed to keep it for the rest of their careers, including if they changed teams. Huskey was a Met in 1997, and three years and three teams later, he found himself wearing his usual number in Minnesota. He stayed with the team until mid-July, playing 64 games as a Twin, until the team traded him to Colorado, where he finished his career wearing #35.
Mike Jackson RP, 2002 Another post-’97 holdover, Jackson had been with Cleveland at the time of the number’s retirement, and he pitched for that club for three seasons. After missing the 2000 season with injury and spending 2001 in Houston, he signed with the Twins as a free agent and spent 2002 pitching in the Metrodome. Jackson had a solid season, appearing in 58 games to the tune of a 3.27 ERA, but failed to make the bigs with Arizona the next season before finishing his career with the White Sox (wearing #38) in 2004.
And that is the entire list… until April 15 comes around again.
MESA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 20: Alex Bregman #3 of the Chicago Cubs signs autographs before a Spring Training game against the Chicago White Sox at Sloan Park on February 20, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL Central will never be confused with a juggernaut division. Featuring two teams with owners with self-imposed spending limits, a budget organization that makes up for it with elite scouting and development, and a former giant embracing a rebuild, the Cubs enter 2026 in another stratosphere when it comes to spending in the division, with no other team within $90 million of their projected luxury tax salary.
But the Cubs have hesitated on going all-in with his opportunity, even after the cheaper Brewers outperformed them last season. They made some moves, but it’s unclear if they’ve put themselves in a position to be better in 2026 and get closer to the league-wide goal of knocking off the back-to-back champion Dodgers.
Kyle Tucker, whom the Cubs paid a steep price for last offseason, is out the door after an up-and-down year. While the Cubs were never quite interested in meeting his asking price, they were involved in the free agent market, eventually inking former Astros and Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman to a huge five-year deal to solidify one of MLB’s best infields along with Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Michael Busch.
But aside from Bregman, the biggest free agent signing they had was a two-year, $14.5 million deal for Phil Maton. In fact, much of their offseason, aside from Bregman and the trade for former Marlins’ arm Edward Cabrera, was focused on the bullpen, additionally signing Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner, and Shelby Miller. As for position players, they signed a few former MLB outfielders to minor league deals, so overall, it was a two-move offseason.
They didn’t necessarily need to do much to prop up one of the majors’ best lineups that doesn’t have many, if any, holes. With Tucker’s departure freeing up a spot in the outfield, the biggest question appears to be what the team will do at DH. Seiya Suzuki isn’t a great defender, but he’ll get more reps in the outfield this year while they move guys around to get bats like Moisés Ballesteros and Matt Shaw in the lineup. They could also fill out their bench with players like non-roster invitees Dylan Carlson, Michael Conforto, or Chas McCormick. Their decision on that end may depend on how much they want Suzuki in the field.
Shota Imanaga’s extremely complicated contract options resulted in a one-year deal, which has him back to once again lead a Cubs rotation with a lot of upside. Cade Horton was spectacular in 2025 and will look to build upon his 2025 NL ROTY runner-up performance, while Matthew Boyd is coming off a resurgent All-Star campaign. Cabrera is the wild card, making a career-high 26 starts in 2025 with the Marlins after injuries hampered him in his first few years in the league. Former Yankee Jameson Taillon figures to start the year as the fifth starter as former all-star Justin Steele recovers from his 2025 Tommy John surgery.
Daniel Palencia came out of nowhere for the Cubs and became their closer during 2025, posting a 2.91 ERA with 22 saves after entering the year with an ERA north of five in 43 career innings. He’ll be set up by a bunch of their reliever acquisitions and a pair of long relievers who can make some spot starts during the year in Javier Assad and Colin Rea.
The NL Central figures to be a two-team race between them and the resourceful Brewers, who are once again trying to moneyball their way to a division title. But after trading Freddy Peralta and continuing to have a payroll under $150 million, is this the year they slow down? The Cubs will be towards the top of the league in runs with their deep lineup, so all eyes will be on how their pitching holds up. They got a lot of quality outings from starters entering their mid-30s and lost two of their best relievers in Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz. What if the pendulum swings the other way?
Even if those Brewers make it out on top of the NL Central again, the Cubs figure to be in a good position for a Wild Card, but the biggest questions with them might be what happens come playoff time. Craig Counsell was extremely aggressive with his bullpen in the 2025 postseason, and they got absolutely no length from any of their starters. Come October, will they be able to get more length?
In the NL pecking order, the Dodgers and Phillies feel comfortable at 1 and 2. The Cubs want to be No. 3, but to get there, they’ll need good health, better consistency, and a rotation that’s able to get outs in October.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
Mar 14, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (80) reacts after scoring a run against the New York Yankees in the third inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Good Phight will be previewing the 2026 season by going over each position on the field. We’ll talk about the players that will occupy them, the players behind them, their strengths and weaknesses and give a few takes about how we think the season will shake out.
It ain’t easy playing the outfield at Citizens Bank Park. No, it’s not because of the high expectations of Phillies fans, or flying batteries, or any of those other clichés. It’s just statistically a rough place to field the ball. That being said, the vagaries of the CBP expanse can’t fully explain why the Phillies have struggled to get production from their outfield recently. Whatever explains the difficulties in fielding the ball there, whether it be wind or something else, it probably can’t explain why the Phillies’ outfielders haven’t hit the ball too well in the past few seasons. But, as Bob Dylan once sang, quite possibly referring to offseason roster changes (he is a baseball fan), the times, they are a-changing. The Phillies will debut a new-look outfield on Opening Day. Will the new unit fare better than their predecessors?
The starters: Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Adolis García
At a wedding, they say that a bride ought to wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Opening Day isn’t quite a wedding, but the Phillies outfield will follow that advice anyway. For something old, we have Brandon Marsh (and by old, we refer solely to the fact that that he’s been in Philly for longer than any of his fellow outfield patrolmen). Marsh was solid at the plate in 2025, posting a 116 wRC+, though his continued struggles against same-handed pitching once again required the Phillies to platoon him. But he was unimpressive with his glove, grading out as neutral by Fielding Run Value, and negative by Defensive Runs Saved; his -6 in the latter put him behind every Phillie save Nick Castellanos. He’s graded out as a positive fielder before, and he’ll look to do so again in 2026. He’ll do so largely in left, thanks to…
Something new: Justin Crawford. As a prospect he was praised for his speed and contact ability, but dogged by questions about his extreme tendencies to hit the ball into the ground. But he’s impressed in the minors (.334/.411/.452 with the IronPigs), and he’ll get his chance to do the same with the Phillies as their center fielder.
For something borrowed, we have Adolis García, who the Phillies grabbed from Texas via free agency. García boasts a mighty arm and a mighty bat, though only the former was fully on display in 2025. He hit the ball hard last season, as he always does, but failed to turn it into much production due to poor contact and swing decisions. When he fully taps into his potential, he’s capable of going on an absolute tear; ask the Rays, Orioles, Astros, or Diamondbacks about his activities in October of 2023. Then again, the same could’ve been said about his Phillies predecessor in right, who showed a similar capacity to set the world on fire in the postseason while enduring long droughts in effectiveness during the regular season. The Phillies are hoping that the comparison will prove less than apt. He’ll be playing in right.
As for something blue, any of the above fit when they’re wearing the City Connects.
The backups: Otto Kemp, Dylan Moore
Otto Kemp got most of his playing time in the infield last season, but he had 11 games in left, helping Marsh platoon. He’ll pull double duty again this season. He was only so-so with the bat in 2025, posting a wRC+ of 95. His arm strength is nothing to write home about, but he is fast, and a right-handed bat in the outfield is much appreciated. Speaking of right-handed bats, Dylan Moore offers the Phillies another, if they can find a spot on the roster for him. Like his fellow newcomer García, Moore comes to Philadelphia via Arlington, though he began the season with Seattle. Between the two teams, he posted a .201/.267/.374 slash line across 106 games. He’s not a great batter, but he offers an impressive history as a fielder having won the utility fielder’s Gold Glove for the AL in 2024. Kemp and Moore should be considered the main backups, though there is another player who qualifies: Edmundo Sosa doesn’t play the outfield often (only three appearances last year, and two of those were the result of mid-game defensive tinkering), but he is an option as well.
The Depth: Gabriel Rincones Jr. Pedro León, Bryan De La Cruz, Johan Rojas
Gabriel Rincones Jr. had a solid season at AAA last year, batting .240/.370/.43o. At 25, he’s not as young as Crawford, but he represents a potential youth infusion. Pedro León got a cup of coffee with Houston in 2024, and will be hoping to get another in Philadelphia. Bryan De La Cruz offers solid MLB experience, having played parts of five seasons with Miami, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta. The past three of those seasons saw him post negative bWAR, but having the option to bring in someone who’s spent plenty of time in the bigs before is a plus. As for Rojas, his PED suspension and struggles with the bat have him on the outside looking in; he may end up playing in a Phillies uniform again, but it seems unlikely that he will be a major part of the picture.
Strengths: Experience plus youth
García boasts two All-Star campaigns and a World Series title. Marsh hasn’t filled up his trophy case to the same degree, but he’s played enough, and had enough postseason experience, to count as a grizzled vet. Combine that experience with Crawford’s upside, and you can see a good picture coming together. With Crawford boasting plenty of promise, and with plenty of opportunity to learn from the experienced outfielders flanking him, he could quickly become a real contributor.
Weaknesses: Uncertainty
At this point, we know what we’ll get from Marsh: solid, though unspectacular, performance as part of a platoon. But his fellow starters are significantly less of a sure thing. Crawford looks the part of a contributor, but rookies are hard to predict and project. His path to the majors has been rather smooth, but the jump to the show is a hard one. It’s probably reasonable to expect him to hit some speed bumps, but it’s hard to know when, and how major those bumps will be, and how long it’ll take him to overcome them, or even whether he’ll overcome them at all. That’s not a knock on Crawford; it’s inherent to rookie-hood. García offers some uncertainty of his own: he’ll be looking to show that he can tap into his power potential and be an above-average batter after a pair of underwhelming campaigns. Bounce-backs happen, but after two seasons as a below-average batter by wRC+, García has something to prove.
Hottest take: Crawford wins Rookie of the Year
It’s been a while since a Phillie won RoY. No fresh-faced Phillie has received a vote since Alec Bohm in 2020, and no Phillie has won it since Ryan Howard in 2005. The Senior Circuit’s crop of juniors this year looks to be excellent: JJ Wetherholt is drawing raves as a future Redbird, and Nolan McLean is good enough to be tapped to start the World Baseball Classic final. The broader baseball world regards Justin Crawford as a promising player, but certainly not a favorite to win RoY. But he offers plenty of talent, and if his bat continues to serve him well in the bigs, his blazing speed and tendency to pilfer bases could make him a star, fast. A young, burgeoning star, the son of a star of yesteryear, putting the Phillies over the top and changing the narrative around the team after a few seasons of falling short might be an irresistible narrative for voters.
Realistic take: the outfield improves, but only to middle of the pack status
Last season, the Phillies outfielders ranked 23rd league-wide by fWAR. The teams around them were mostly also-rans (though the eventual champs weren’t much better, ranking 20th with only 0.2 WAR more). The changes made to the outfield aren’t guaranteed to pay off, and it’s easy to imagine a version of the 2026 season that ends with the Phillies’ outfield in the same place, WAR-wise: Crawford struggles to adjust to big-league pitching, García has a season that looks more like his 2024 or 2025 than his 2023, etc. But Crawford is high-upside, and García’s power potential will be fearsome if he can tap into it a bit more. It wouldn’t be reasonable to expect the Phillies outfield to become a top unit in 2026, but improvement to somewhere in the neighborhood of league-average status seems plausible.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 14: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 14, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at infielder Ezequiel Duran.
Once upon a time, Ezequiel Duran was considered a bat-first infield prospect.
Its been a minute, hasn’t it?
Hell, once upon a time, Ezequiel Duran was a bat-first major leaguer. If we cast ourselves back to 2023 — the greatest season in the history of the Texas Rangers, I think we can all agree — Ezequiel Duran spent the first half of the season contributing significantly to an offense that was wrecking fools left and right. He was playing shortstop when Corey Seager was out, he was playing left field when Corey Seager was in, he was hitting wherever he was. One of the major discussion points leading up to the 2023 trade deadline was, should the Rangers be willing to part with Duran in a deadline deal? The consensus was no, he was too good, too young, too important a part of the Rangers lineup.
At the end of June, 2023, Ezequiel Duran was slashing .320/.361/.557. It looked like, even if Glenn Otto, Trevor Hauver and Josh Smith did nothing, Ezequiel Duran was going to turn the Joey Gallo trade into a steal.
Over the final three months of the season, Duran slashed .225/.382/.310.
In 2024, he slashed .246/.288/.321 in 92 games.
In 2025, he slashed .224/.266/.293 in 90 games.
Things are going in the wrong direction.
In 2025, Duran put up a 572 OPS against righthanders and a 541 OPS against lefties. He put up a 532 OPS at home and a 589 OPS on the road.
Fun fact — in 103 plate appearances on the road in 2025, Duran had 3 RBIs. 3!
If one wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, one can chalk up some of his struggles to irregular playing time. He was optioned in late April, with the Rangers wanting him to get more regular at bats to try to get back into a groove. In 14 games for Round Rock, he slashed .345/.390/.673. He had four homers for the Express in those 14 games, which is four more home runs than he had for the Rangers in 2025.
When things went pear shaped in August and Duran was pressed into more regular duty, he hit better, slashing .278/.303/.348 in 119 plate appearances and 43 games from August 4 until the end of the season. That’s not great, but it is better than the .156/.222/.222 he was rocking prior to that point. Marcus Semien had a .230/.305/.364 slash line for the 2025 season, as a point of comparison.
Duran has spent parts of four seasons in the majors, beginning in 2022. His xwOBA by year is .257, .320, .258 and .247. That 2023 season seems like a bit of an outlier.
Looking at 2022-25, Duran’s walk rates and K rates are pretty consistent from year to year. He strikes out a lot (25.1% for his career, roughly bottom quartile) and doesn’t walk at all (4.9%, roughly bottom 10%). His K rate was actually highest in 2023, at 27.3%, with his 2025 mark being 25.1%. His walk rate in 2023 was 5.2%, and dropped to a career-low 3.7% in 2025, though that delta is just a matter of differing degrees of bad.
As one would expect, Duran swings a lot, both in the strike zone and outside of the strike zone. His rate of swinging at pitches in the zone has ranged from 70.6% to 74.0%, compared to a major league average of 67.0%. His chase rate has ranged from 37.7% to 39.3%, compared to a major league average of 28.4%.
As we have talked about with guys like Adolis Garcia and Josh Jung, you can have success with such a profile if you do a good job hitting the ball hard and in the air a lot, particularly on the pull side. And that’s what Ezequiel Duran did in 2023 — he hit the ball in the air 60% of the time, with a 29.4% line drive rate. Duran’s hard hit rate and average exit velocity were both in the 65th percentile that year, per Statcast.
Every other year, his hard hit rate and average exit velocity have been well below average, with his hard hit rate being at around the 10th percentile in 2025. In 2025, he was hitting fewer ground balls than in 2022 and 2024, but the result was many more pop ups — right about 1 out of every 6 balls in play from Duran in 2025 resulted in a pop up. His 16.4% pop up rate was almost as high as his 17.8% fly ball rate, which is disastrous. His bat speed also dropped a fair amount in 2025, from right around top third the previous two seasons to below 50%, perhaps in an effort to try to make more contact.
Ezequiel Duran, with his current profile, is an okay bench piece, a functional utility guy who can play all over the infield as well as handling the outfield corners. He’s also fast, generally being in the top 10% or so in sprint speed during his career, per Statcast, and was 11 for 13 stealing bases in 2025.
If he can somehow recapture his ability to damage when he makes contact like he did in 2023 — he had a .415 xwOBA on contact that year, compared to .300 to .314 his other three seasons, and compared to a .369 MLB average — he could be an every day player. Duran has an option remaining, and maybe the best thing for his career, long-term, would be to go to AAA and spend a few months playing every day and getting his offensive rhythm back.
But needs must, and the Rangers need a utility infielder, and that will probably be Ezequiel Duran in the 2026 season. Given the injury history of the left side of the Rangers infield, Duran will likely get some opportunities for regular at bats in 2026 at some point. Whether he takes advantage of them or not will like determine whether he sticks around for a while, or whether he’s a non-tender candidate this winter.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 05: Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on May 05, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Opening Day is a day of tradition. And it is starting to become a tradition that Cole Ragans starts on Opening Day for the Royals.
Ragans was named the starter for the March 27 opener against the Braves in Atlanta, the third consecutive year he has been given the honor.
Cole Ragans will be the sixth pitcher in @Royals history to start on Opening Day in three (or more) consecutive seasons. The others:
RHP Gil Meche (3, 2007-09) RHP Jeff Suppan (3, 2000-02) RHP Kevin Appier (5, 1992-97) LHP Bud Black (3, 1984-86) RHP Dennis Leonard (3, 1978-80)
Ragans was limited to just 13 starts last year, missing two and a half months with a rotator cuff strain. He returned late in the year for three starts and gave up just four runs, striking out 22 of the 48 hitters he faced. Overall heahad a 4.67 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 61.2 innings, the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball for anyone with at last 50 innings.
Ragans has yet to win on Opening Day – he gave up two runs in six innings in a loss to the Twins in 2024 and gave up three runs in five innings in a no-decision to the Guardians last year.
The Royals have not officially named the rest of the starters, but the rotation is expected to include Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, and Noah Cameron. Ryan Bergert was optioned to the minors on Tuesday.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1986: Brian Fisher #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during an Major League Baseball game circa 1986 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Fisher played for the Yankees from 1985-86. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The glory years are what usually spring to mind when you bring up the history of the New York Yankees, whether the days of Ruth and Gehrig, the midcentury dominance of Mantle and Berra, or the 1990s dynasty. Those teams and players are honored time and time again for their contributions to their franchise. However, what’s not talked about as much are the lean years, such as the time prior to that dynastic run in the ’90s that set everything in motion for the future.
Those were some tough years for the organization, and while the team still had its fair share of big names (most notably, Don Mattingly) and wasn’t even finishing with records that were too bad, there were too many quiet Octobers in the Bronx. And for the first two years of his career, Brian Fisher was part of those ranks.
Brian Kevin Fisher Born: March 18, 1962 (Honolulu, HI) Yankees tenure: 1985-86
Born in Honolulu, Fisher and his family moved to Colorado, where he attended William C. Hinkley High School in Aurora and helped the school win a state title in 1979. After showing well in high school, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 1980 MLB Draft.
Fisher worked his way up through the minor league ranks and developed a mid-90s fastball that could hit 97 mph, but before he could make it to the majors with Atlanta, he was traded. On December 5, 1984, Fisher was sent to the Yankees for catcher Rick Cerone, and he made his MLB debut on May 7, 1985, against the Minnesota Twins at the age of 23. He finished the day with three hits, no strikeouts, one walk, and one earned run in three innings pitched.
From there, Fisher went on to not just have a strong rookie season by comparison to others, but he had the best season of what would be an abbreviated professional baseball career. He finished the year with a 2.38 ERA and a 2.37 FIP, along with a 170 ERA+ and 2.4 bWAR in 98.1 innings pitched. Fisher was capable of filling whatever role skipper Billy Martin needed, whether it was covering middle innings, setting up for closer Dave Righetti, or even finishing off ballgames himself. Indeed, Fisher recorded 14 saves of his own, like the one in the clip below at Fenway Park, where he went four-up/four-down to both escape a jam and preserve a win for Ron Guidry.
Fisher also placed sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting as the Yankees won 97 games but fell two wins shy of Toronto for the AL East crown.
Fisher would spend one more campaign with the Yankees organization. In 1986, he finished the year with a winning record at 9-5. However, over 62 games and 96.2 innings pitched, he posted a 4.92 ERA and a 4.45 FIP, with an ERA+ of 83 and a bWAR of -1.2, a harsh dropoff from his production as a rookie.
Over his two seasons with the Yankees, Fisher worked in the role of a starter and as a reliever, but after his second season in pinstripes, he ended up being traded for a second time in his career, this time to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a multi-player deal that included Brian Fisher, pitcher Logan Easley, and (most regrettably) pitcher Doug Drabek from the Yankees for another trio of pitchers: Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements.
Fisher moved into a starting role with the Pirates, pitching three seasons with the team from ages 25-27 and a total of 348.2 innings. He finished his Pirates career with a 4.72 ERA, inflated plenty by a poor performance in his final season (where he had a 7.92 ERA), albeit in limited innings after playing only nine games and starting three.
Fisher left the Pirates after three seasons and sign with the Houston Astros, where he pitched in only four games due in part to a broken knee that took a wrecking ball to his career. He did not play in 1991 and returned to the majors in 1992 at the age of 30, pitched 91.1 innings, and finished with a 4.53 ERA.
While it was not an incredible career overall for Fisher, he was able to pitch for a few storied organizations, and his rookie season in pinstripes was one he can certainly look back on fondly. Reflecting on it years later to the Denver Post, he knew just how special it was:
When I talk about pitching for the Yankees, it’s an icebreaker for any conversation … If I say that I pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it doesn’t have the same impact.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the Yankees could have a prominent young arm on their hands to help bolster their staff into the late ’80s, but alas, Fisher can hang his hat on his rookie breakout.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 15: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of the spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 15, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For all the reasons we’ve written about and all the painful innings Rockies fans watched, 2025 was a season to forget.
Luckily, there was Hunter Goodman.
In his first full MLB season, the then 25-year-old put up the best season for a catcher in MLB not named Cal Raleigh. Goodman, the Rockies fourth-round pick from the 2021 MLB Draft, hit 31 homers, drove in 91 RBIs, hit 28 doubles and batted .278/.323/.520. He earned an All-Star selection, following Elias Díaz’s Midsummer Classic nod in 2023, and officially taking the mantel of the Rockies next catcher.
The starter
With all the other position battles, it’s nice that Goodman is a lock. For the first time since 2019, someone named Díaz or Jacob Stallings.
Goodman has gotten off to a slow start in spring training this year, but the real thing starts on March 27. Through 34 at-bats in 12 games, Goodman is only hitting .147/.225/.324 with nine RBI, three walks and nine strikeouts.
He could be turning a corner as he knocked a three-run homer, his second of the spring, on March 15 against the Angels.
In 2025, Silver Slugger-winning Goodman played 104 games at catcher and 39 as DH. Manager Warren Shaeffer has expressed the desire to continue to have Goodman in the lineup as much as possible as the best offensive player. The plan will require Goodman following up his 2025 success and being able to stay healthy despite the grind behind the plate and extended playing time.
Hopefully, his 2025 season prepared him for it, especially being an All-Star. At Rockies Fest, Goodman talked about the All-Star experience and how he learned from it.
“Getting to go is awesome. It was a blessing to be to be around those guys, but I think the coolest part was being around guys like [Clayton] Kershaw and [Manny] Machado and [Freddie] Freeman,” Goodman said. “All those guys that are older, when I was in high school, I watched them play in All-Star Games, and just picking their brains and talking to them, and just trying to take in everything and learn.”
The backups
After making his debut on April 15 last season and playing in 38 games for the Rockies, Braxton Fulford entered spring training as the likely backup to Goodman. Even though he’s had a good spring training — he’s hitting .258/.294/.333 with two homers, seven RBI, seven strikeouts and two stolen bases in 31 at-bats in 13 games through Tuesday — he’s facing stiff competition from veteran Brett Sullivan, who the Rockies signed to a Minor League deal in December.
Sullivan, the 32-year-old journeyman who spent eight years in the minors before making his MLB debut in 2023, has been red hot in Arizona. On top of hitting .414/.469/.759 with two homers, seven RBI, four doubles and only one strikeout in 29 at-bats in 13 games, Sullivan has also stepped up as a mentor for the young Rockies.
Neither has put up numbers like their spring training stats in their brief MLB careers. Last year, Fulford, a 27-year-old with superspeed, especially for a catcher, batted .213/.267/.324 with 26 strikeouts, one homer, two triples, and five doubles in 108 at-bats. After his initial call-up, Fulford, the Rockies sixth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, went back and forth from Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies before being called up for good on Aug 3. He had a big day on March 14 when he hit a walk-off, two-run homer to carry the Rockies to a win over the Cubs.
Sullivan, who played for team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, played in 40 games over the 2023-24 seasons with the Padres and three games for the Pirates last season. He’s combined to hit .204/.250./.291 with two homers, three doubles, 10 RBI and 26 strikeouts in 103 at-bats.
Considering the young team and the value of an experienced catcher, Sullivan, especially with his spring performance, may have the edge in making the roster.
Depth options
The Rockies have another veteran and prospect pairing to provide depth.
In early February, the Rockies signed Kyle McCann, a 28-year-old, who was drafted by the A’s in 2019. He played 54 games with the A’s in 2024 before returning to the minors and being cut in 2025 when he then played for the Piratas de Campeche in Mexico to end the 2025 season. This spring, he’s only managed two hits, including a homer, in 14 at-bats over 11 games. He was reassigned to minor league camp on March 15.
Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP), the Rockies No. 65 overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft, has a super-utility status that includes catcher. He finished 2025 in Double-A Hartford and likely needs more time to develop in Triple-A to start this season, but could provide depth later this season if needed. The 23-year-old is having a great spring, batting .385/.370/..654 with three doubles, two triples, five RBIs and seven strikeouts in 26 at-bats over 11 games. He was reassigned to
On the farm
Bryant Betancourt, a 22-year-old who the Rockies signed in 2021 out of Venezuela, was a non-roster invite to spring training. He played in seven games, hitting one double with one RBI, two walks and one strikeout in eight at-bats. He was reassigned to minor league camp on
Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP), the Rockies third-round pick from 2024, has a lot of upside and moved up to Double-A Hartford in his first pro season last year. He likely needs at least one more year in the system before he’ll be ready.
Closing thoughts
The Rockies not only have their best offensive player starting behind the dish, but they have lots of talented depth behind him. Plus, for the first time in a long time, it’s young talent that must be a pillar of the Rockies rebuild. Of course, that depends on Goodman not backsliding and Sullivan or Fulford arising as reliable and constant depth.
Another interesting element to watch this season will be how the Rockies catchers handle the ABS Challenge System. As one of three people with the power to challenge, catchers, alongside the pitcher and the batter, the Rockies will have to be on target in their two challenges not to lose them and be able to use them to their advantage.
