Category: Baseball

In his exclusive interview with the California Post this week, Dodgers owner Mark Walter came armed with an alliterative saying.

“You’ve heard about the three strikes. But what about the 3 Ps?” the billionaire businessman quipped. “Our people, our passion and our practice.”

When it comes to the future of the franchise, that’s what he cited as the Dodgers’ guiding light.

In his chat with the Post this week, Walter tried to quash speculation about potentially selling the team (saying he would remain owner “no matter what”) and drew a distinction between the Dodgers and the Lakers (a club he ultimately did sell this summer, amid a federal investigation into his business empire, after receiving a staggering offer in a phone call from venture capitalist Josh Kushner).

However, those aren’t the only questions he faces as Major League Baseball enters an uncertain offseason.

This winter could represent a profound period of change for both the Dodgers and the sport.

For the former, an aging roster needs to be retooled after a failed bid for a third-straight World Series title. For the latter, a fraught labor negotiation is threatening an extended work stoppage, as owners and players fight over the league’s push for a salary cap.

Both dynamics could mark an inflection point for Walter’s baseball club. 

After a decade-and-a-half-long run of unprecedented success, the Dodgers are now trying to resurrect their dynasty after this year’s sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.

And, after raising their already gaudy payroll totals to record-setting levels over the last couple seasons, they might face stricter spending rules as they begin turning over the league’s oldest roster.

So, how does Walter –– who declined to state his stance on the salary cap issue –– feel about the team’s ability to remain an annual, legitimate championship contender?

“I think on any playing field, we’ll still be among the elite teams,” he said, while harkening back to his three Ps motto.

“I think our people and our passion and our practice really does matter,” he insisted.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers are going to stop spending, either this winter (when Tarik Skubal will be the top free agent on the market) or beyond (when they’ll have to navigate the back end of long-term deals for gradually aging stars like Mookie Betts, Will Smith and even Shohei Ohtani). 

Walter said his Guggenheim group’s financial commitment “will be just like it has been in the past.”

On multiple occasions, he referenced his vision for at least another decade of dominance under his ownership.

“We’re just trying to win consistently,” he said. “And do so for not just next season, but for the next decade and decades beyond that.”

However, both Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman –– who joined the team’s chairman in this week’s interview with The Post –– referred to other ways the Dodgers will have to adapt amid the sport’s ever-changing landscape.

They pointed to a crop of promising young prospects they hope to further integrate into the majors leagues next season. They highlighted the importance of maintaining a strong player development pipeline and highly-ranked farm system.

“Everything in the current system is designed for us to have a bottom-three farm system in baseball,” Friedman said, citing the draft pick penalties and limited signing bonus pools the Dodgers have incurred from their heavy roster spending in recent years. “[And instead], we’re top two.”

That, Friedman argued, “speaks to the people we have.”

“From our perspective, whatever the rules are, we don’t decide them, but we will do everything in our power to achieve the most success that we possibly can within those rules,” he added. “And I think, obviously, our spending in the last few years has been aggressive and also very fruitful in a lot of ways, but I think it diminishes a little bit from the great work by so many people on the scouting, player-development side, our baseball operations group, our coaches with the onboarding. 

“Just for us to have the farm system that we have, I think is something that gives all of us confidence in our ability to work together within whatever rules exist to be as good as we can possibly be.”

In the short term, that could signal something of a youth movement.

Walter specifically praised the performances of recent big-league breakthroughs such as All-Star center fielder Andy Pages, slugging catcher Dalton Rushing and rookie sensation Josue De Paula. He noted how “we have a wealth of talent coming up behind them, too.” 

“One area we’re focused on is integrating our best young players into the major league team,” he said, before later adding: “It’s not just spending. Our farm system is pretty strong, and that and our player development are really big things for us.”

Friedman acknowledged the difficulties that still lie ahead for the club, describing the need to balance their expensive core of current veteran players with an infusion of younger talent as “way more art than science” –– especially given the uncertainties of what a new CBA will bring.

“We know the backside of these [long-term] deals oftentimes can be challenging,” he said. “So now the tricky part … is incorporating these young talented players onto our roster with our core, that we feel like will help contribute to us maintaining a very high level of play.”

One thing Friedman expressed confidence in was that, even amid the ongoing federal investigation into Walter’s non-sports businesses, the owner would continue to green-light bigger expenditures when the front office believes they are warranted.

“The financial backing has always been there,” Friedman said. “But Mark also follows it up with a thoughtful question of, ‘What does this mean for the future?’ And I think all of us being in lockstep on that has contributed to the success we’ve had looking back, and I think keeps us well-positioned for future success.”

Exactly what that will look like, either this winter or in the future, is still unknown.

But, after reaffirming his commitment to the club, Walter was adamant about his belief in the organization’s ability to sustain what they have already built.

“We’re going to be winning for 10 years or more,” he declared. “And, you know, we don’t win every year, but we’re going to try to.”

The culling has begun.

As Matt Gross pointed out yesterday, a weird quirk of the Red Sox 40-man roster is forcing Craig Breslow’s hand as the offseason gets underway: he has to cut four players loose before free agency even begins. With a couple of minor trades yesterday, he’s at two down with two to go, as utility man and speed demon Nate Eaton was sent to the Athletics, while Tsung-Che Cheng will head to Detroit.

It goes without saying that these are two players the Red Sox can afford to lose. Eaton is a useful player whose speed and versatility gives him the type of profile that often leads to becoming something of a fan favorite. And I wouldn’t be shocked if he finds a way to contribute to the A’s in the next year or two. But with limited-to-no power to go with otherwise meh contact/on-base abilities, he’s never going to be a starter on a 95-win team (which, of course, should the Red Sox’ target). He was out of options and likely be to released for nothing, so getting anything in return for him is nice. He’ll get a real shot at sticking on a big league roster with the A’s and I’m sure most Sox fans would be thrilled if he does.

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Cheng, too. That’s kind of a crazy thing to say about a player who only got 39 at-bats with the big league club but, improbably, Cheng was the starting shortstop during most of the team’s historic 15-game win streak. He even made arguably the biggest defensive play of the season: a leaping catch to end the game when the Orioles had runners on second and third in the 9th, sealing the 14th win a row:

As for the return, Cheng only brought back cash, while Eaton brought back the definition of a lottery ticket: an 18-year-old Nicaraguan pitcher named Jareth Rayo who put up an ERA in the mid-5s and walked 20 batters in 36 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year. There probably is something that the research fellows in Craig Breslow’s pitching lab like about him, but there’s a good chance that this is the last time you ever read his name.

Major League Baseball faces a precarious position as a potential lockout looms on Dec. 1 when the sport's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire.

Before that happens, some business still needs to be taken care of, as dozens of players have options on their 2027 contracts and will need to get those situations squared away for whenever the union and the owners decide that next season can be salvaged.

Teams face big decisions, and players must decide where they want to play the 2027 season by Nov. 2. Those include team, player and mutual options, as well as opt-outs for players who want to test the market and become free agents.

Some players who want to maximize their contracts can also accept a team's qualifying offer, which can be extended starting Nov. 2. The value of a 2027 one-year qualifying offer is $23.15 million, and free agents who decline a qualifying offer and sign with a new team will do so, as their old team will receive draft pick compensation as a result of their departure.

Here are the contract options that have been exercised and declined for the 2027 season:

A familiar smile made a somewhat unlikely return to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves behind the plate, as a spate of injuries caused the Braves to reach deep into their catcher depth chart before Memorial Day.

How Acquired

The Atlanta Braves first acquired Chadwick Tromp off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on September 21, 2021. In the seasons since, Tromp has been on the fringes of the big league roster as the proverbial fourth catcher on the depth chart. Seriously, the roster moves involving him have been legendary in length: DFAed in 2022 (and re-added), minor league free agency and a re-signing after the 2023 season, a DFA in early 2025, a stint with the Orioles, a stint with the Red Sox, re-added by the Braves in November 2025… you get the idea. All in all, Tromp had been a depth mainstay, spent part of the 2025 season elsewhere, but the affable Aruban played with the Braves for a fifth consecutive season in 2026. (And was part of the organization for a sixth consecutive season.)

What were the expectations?

Coming into 2026, Tromp had appeared with the Braves in every season since 2022 – beginning the the legendary “Chadwick Tromp Game” when he went 3-for-4 against the Tampa Bay Rays – but had only 28 games of action across four seasons to show for his Atlanta Braves tenure.

With catcher Sean Murphy recovering from surgery coming into 2026, Tromp’s addition made him one of two veteran options, with Sandy León, to back-up Drake Baldwin to start the season should Murphy not be ready. But, with the organization bringing in Jonah Heim in February 2026 to be Baldwin’s back-up, Tromp was relegated to the third or fourth option in the organization’s depth chart until Murphy’s return, which would have pushed him back further.

Performance-wise, Tromp has had the career of a quintessential third catcher: he can’t hit at all (career 63 wRC+, which is the result of substantially outhitting an unplayable .234 xwOBA), but he provides solid catcher defense (career +3 Statcast-based catcher runs above average in under 460 innings). That actually adds up to over 1 WAR per 600 PAs given how valuable catcher defense is, but Tromp came into 2026 with just 0.4 fWAR in 67 career games, given that no one really wants to give a bunch of playing time to a guy that can’t hit.

All of that is to say that Tromp was expected to be a staple in Gwinnett and an emergency option should something go unexpectedly wrong in Atlanta.

2026 results

Like 2021, something did go wrong, as the Braves dealt with a cacophony of injuries, leading to Tromp sharing time with León as the catcher tandem for several weeks in May.

He made 12 appearances for the Braves, including six starts, after the team traded Heim to the Athletics. Of course, that trade only happened because the Braves activated Murphy, but Murphy went right back on the shelf after a bat broke his hand on a catcher’s interference snafu… and Baldwin followed suit a week later with an injury of his own.

With the Braves, Tromp slashed a paltry .200/.192/.240 with Atlanta (11 wRC+), with surprisingly poor tiny-sample, no-meaning defense, leading to -0.1 fWAR in 27 PAs.

Tromp also had a similar lack of playing time with the Orioles, totaling 24 PAs and -0.3 fWAR; his defense “rebounded” but his bat was even worse (-39 wRC+). It was not a banner year for Tromp.

What went right?

Tromp picked-up a hit in his first 2026 at-bat with the Braves, and followed that up with another hit in his first start of the season a couple of days later. But, the highlight of his time with the Braves came on May 22, 2026 against the Washington Nationals — in what is now the new Chadwick Tromp Game. He went 2-for-3 after entering the game in the seventh inning, had a run-scoring hit in extra innings after the Braves fell behind 4-2 in the top of the tenth, and then proceeded to get the game-winning, walk-off hit for Atlanta in the 11th inning.

This performance earned him 0.46 WPA, and the walkoff hit alone was worth .392 WPA given that it came with two out. The WPA was the seventh-highest by a Braves hitter this season for a single game, and the walkoff hit itself was 12th.

Also, after he departed the Braves, he gave us this hilarious sequence with Matt Olson, featuring multiple ABS challenges and smiles all around.

What went wrong?

After his heartwarming effort against the Nats, Tromp only managed one hit — a double in a shutout loss against Boston — in his final nine games with Atlanta. Sadly, his heroics were short-lived: two days after his huge game, the Braves had the bases loaded with one out while trailing the Nationals by a run. With no other options, Tromp was up to face new pitcher Orlando Ribalta… but he struck out on four pitches.

Atlanta designated Tromp for assignment on June 4, and the veteran inked a deal with the Baltimore Orioles, just as he did in an identical situation in 2025. After nine games with the Orioles, and an IL stint, Tromp was let go by Baltimore and landed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he ended the season at Triple-A.

2027 outlook

If the 2027 season starts on time, Tromp will turn 32 days before the regular season starts. As a veteran option who would likely play at Triple-A and give an organization depth as a third or fourth catcher, he seems likely to continue to have options for at least another five seasons.

Could that include Atlanta? Possibly. Perhaps even probably.

With Baldwin and Murphy expected to be on the big league roster in 2027, the Braves will likley need one or two veteran options in the system. Maverick Handley and Chuckie Robinson, both of whom have had cups of coffee in the big leagues, along with 2021 13th round draft choice Adam Zebrowski, are all catching options as well. That shouldn’t close the door to Tromp in ‘27, should both parties want to be dance partners again. Maybe there’ll even be a new Chadwick Tromp Game eventually.

We are roughly two-thirds of the way through the 2026 Arizona Fall League schedule, with the regular season having begun on October 3, and ending on November 11. The Surprise Saguaros, for whom the Rangers prospects play, is currently 12-8, a half-game back of the Peoria Javelinas for first place.

Let’s take a look at how the Rangers prospects have been faring.

Sebastian Walcott, #1 prospect in the Rangers system and consensus top prospect in the AFL, has been solid. Walcott has slashed .300/.362/.460 in 56 plate appearances over 12 games, striking out 13 times and walking 6 times. Walcott has just one homer, but does have five doubles. Also, notably, he is tied for the team lead in stolen bases, with nine, having been thrown out just once.

Paxton Kling, the Rangers’ 2025 7th rounder who spent most of the season at Hub City before moving up to Frisco for the last week of the season and the playoffs, has also performed well for Surprise. He’s slashing .326/.446/.413 in 56 plate appearances over 12 games, with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. And remember how I said Walcott was tied for the team lead in stolen bases? Kling, who is also 9 for 10 in stolen base attempts, is the guy he is tied with.

Catcher Julian Brock has an interesting .212/.400/.273 slash line in 43 plate appearances, with 10 walks against 11 Ks. An even more fascinating slash line has been generated by second baseman Casey Cook, who is slashing .136/.457/.136 in 33 plate appearances, with 11 walks against 6 Ks.

The Rangers pitchers have had a rougher go of it. Mason McConnaughey has allowed 7 runs in 11.1 innings over four appearances, although with 18 Ks against 5 walks. The 2025 4th rounder only threw 20 innings during the minor league season in 2026, as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Jacob Johnson, a 20 year old righthander who split the 2026 season between the complex league and low-A, logging 43 innings in all, has also made four appearances. He’s allowed 10 runs in nine innings of work, walking nine and striking out nine. Its kind of an ugly line, but this was a challenging assignment for Johnson, given his limited pro experience and the fact he’s never faced players of this caliber.

J’Briell Easley has thrown 5.2 innings over five appearances, allowing six runs, walking five and striking out six. Jesus Gamez has allowed eight runs in 3.2 innings over five appearances, walking five and strking out four.

Early Friday morning, Clint Hurdle announced that he is leaving the Colorado Rockies organization after more than 20 years of service.

Hurdle, 69, first joined the organization in 1994 as a minor league hitting instructor and was promoted to major league hitting coach in 1997, where he served until his promotion to manager in 2002.

Hurdle is perhaps best known as the manager of the 2007 Rocktober run that saw the Rockies win 13 of their last 14 games to force Game 163 (and definitely saw Matt Holliday touch home plate) on their way to eventually making their first, and so far only, World Series appearance in franchise history.

After a poor start to the 2009 season, Hurdle was fired in May and went on to join MLB Network as a studio analyst before joining the Texas Rangers organization as a hitting coach for the 2010 season. He got back into managing the following season, and served as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011-2019.

After retiring from coaching, Hurdle came out of retirement to rejoin the Rockies as a special assistant to the general manager in 2021, where he served until he was named interim hitting coach on April 17, 2025 and then was subsequently named bench coach on May 11 after Bud Black and Mike Redmond were fired.

Hurdle said, “With my last day being October 31, 2026….just know that I am not retiring…but rather recalculating my journey personally and professionally.”

Shortly after Hurdle’s announcement, the Rockies thanked Hurdle for his work:

When reached for comment, a Rockies spokesperson said Hurdle and the team had “mutually parted ways.”

We at Purple Row wish Clint all the best in his next chapter!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

New Phillies' hitting coach Pete Fatse looks to lift a sagging offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Before Pete Fatse can try to improve the Phillies’ offense, he has to understand it.

The team’s new hitting coach has been on the job less than a week. There’s a lot to take in.

“I’m kind of drinking through a fire hose right now with information,” he said during an introductory Zoom session with reporters Friday.

Fatse was Boston’s hitting coach from 2022 until being let go in April as part of a major staff purge that included manager Alex Cora. He won’t have to dig too deep to see some of the Phillies’ issues.

The team’s offense declined across the board in 2026. It went from eighth in the majors in runs per game (4.80) in 2025 to 19^th (4.40), from third in batting average (.258) to 21^st (.240) and fourth in on-base percentage (.328) to 23^rd (.312). The Phils plummeted from fourth in OPS (.759) to 22^nd (.707).

There are many ways to evaluate an offense and Fatse can dig deep into the granular. In the big picture, he’ll work toward raising that OPS.

“It’s a simple concept,” he said. “Teams that are putting themselves on base will be in position to score more.”

Poor plate discipline was at the root of many of the Phillies’ offensive woes in 2026. Phillies hitters ranked 27^th in the majors with a 32.6 chase percentage. They got themselves out a lot.

Hitting coaches are positive thinkers.

Where most people see a problem with the Phillies’ plate discipline, Fatse sees …

“An opportunity, for sure,” he said. “It’s one of the things throughout my career that I’ve always paid attention to.

“Every offense is subject to what you swing at, especially before two strikes. How do you prioritize what parts of the zone you want to attack and having a game plan for that while ultimately being agile when the game tells you something else is needed.

“So, it’s working through that thought process. We work through different ways to practice it and train it. Sometimes, it’s a mindset, an execution thing. Ultimately, you start to figure out where different players are because it is so individual at times. You (learn) what messaging is best suited for each guy.”

Fatse, 39, replaces Kevin Long.

Trea Turner will be one of Fatse’s biggest projects. On the night the Phillies’ short postseason run ended in Atlanta, Turner raised his hand and said he was the reason for the team’s overall decline in offense.

Turner won the National League batting title at .304 in 2025. He hit .242 in 2026 and led the majors in outs made. His chase rate was 34.6 percent. His OPS plummeted from .812 to .675. His strikeout rate went from 16.7 percent to 21 percent.

Turner’s defense at shortstop was also poor in 2026 and he must improve it – quickly – or face a position change in 2027. In addition to changing hitting coaches for 2027, the Phillies will have a new infield coach as Carlos Mendoza replaces Bobby Dickerson.

Fatse has already communicated with Turner via text. A personal meeting could come in November, before baseball’s expected lockout.

“Trea is a tremendous, dynamic talent,” Fatse said. “Getting to understand his priorities and building off his strengths is important to me.”

Relationships in general are important to Fatse. They are to all coaches. Without a strong two-way relationship between a player and a coach, messages and lessons go undelivered. Before becoming Boston’s top hitting coach, Fatse was an assistant with the Red Sox. He overlapped with Kyle Schwarber when the slugger was in Boston in 2021. Fatse plans to communicate with all Phillies hitters in the weeks to come.

“You have to earn trust,” he said. “You have to understand why players do what they do. You can study video. You can dive into advanced analytical information and paint a picture, but ‘the why’ is most important to me as a coach. You have to understand and appreciate why someone does things before you can jump in and make an assumption. Hitting is always a collaboration with the player.”

Fatse played minor-league ball in the Milwaukee organization. Like most hitting coaches of this era, he has a strong understanding of analytics and the use of data. Before hiring Fatse, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he was looking for someone who could use contemporary analytics and communicate the information efficiently to players.

After being let go by Boston in April, Fatse worked as a consultant with Tampa Bay’s analytics/hitting group. The Rays lost to Milwaukee in the World Series. As an opponent, Fatse was quite impressed with the Brewers’ offensive “tenacity and the way they grinded at-bats.”

The goal is to bring some of that to the Phillies. Time will tell if it happens.

Trent Thornton is almost the definition of “fungible reliever.”

After a few middling years in Toronto, Thornton wound up traded to the Mariners near the deadline in 2023. There, he produced a very good second half and another solid year in 2024 before suffering an Achilles injury in 2025, which had him miss the last two months of that season.

He left the Mariners as a free agent after the 2025 season and the Cubs signed him last offseason to a one-year, $1 million deal. He was still rehabbing from the Achilles injury as the 2026 season began, so his first MLB appearance for the Cubs wasn’t until early May.

And that was when he began to put up solid outing after solid outing. Every now and then he’d have a clunker, but in 41 appearances through Aug. 26, Thornton posted a 2.32 ERA and 1.055 WHIP, with only four home runs allowed in 42.2 innings.

Then came a disastrous game Aug. 28 against the Reds, in which he gave up five runs and coughed up a lead. Two home runs were hit off him while he recorded only two outs.

Overall, Thornton’s numbers were a little bit better than he pitched in Seattle in 2024: 3.35 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 0.7 bWAR. He didn’t strike out many — just a 15.8 percent K rate.

That might be the reason to pass on keeping Thornton. As we all know, the Cubs bullpen needs guys who can throw 98+, like so many other teams have, and Thornton, who turned 33 in September, isn’t likely to be that guy. He wouldn’t be expensive; with that $1 million deal for 2025, it probably wouldn’t cost that much more to keep him. But I think I’d pass.

That concludes this series on the 17 Cubs who are either free agents or who have various forms of options for 2027. Next week I’ll begin a series on free agents the team should be interested in.

There is an argument that Orion Kerkering was considered a pillar of the team’s future when he arrived in the major leagues. His electric stuff and how it messed with hitters had a deserved reputation that preceded that arrival. You probably remember his debut with the team, how emotional his father was, how feeble he made some Mets hitters look.

Amazing how one play can lead to a meltdown that can lead to open questions about the player and his future with the organization.

2026 stats

62 G, 58 IP, 23.5 K%, 12.5 BB%, 0.78 HR/9, 35.6 GB%, 4.97 ERA (4.17 FIP), 0.3 fWAR

What went right

The crazy thing about Kerkering? It’s all still there for him to be a really good reliever in the major leagues. He’s still got some peripherals stuff that is great – he doesn’t allow much hard contact, teams don’t really barrel him up often, his fastball still has some giddy-up on it.

The building blocks are still there for him to be more effective.

What went wrong

He just completely fell apart.

There was hope that he had put away his colossal error in the 2025 NLDS behind him and for the start of the season, it looked like he did. On July 28, he had an ERA below three (2.61) and was still striking out more batters than walking them. He had only given up three home runs in 41 1/3 innings to that point, so he was still counted on as a reliable bullpen arm for the Phillies. Then he gave up four runs in 2/3 of an inning on July 31 and the bottom dropped out. Over the next 16 2/3 innings, Kerkering allowed 23 runs, two home runs and saw his walk rate jump.

He just stopped throwing strikes.

Final grade: F

It’s kind of hard to comprehend how much Kerkering dropped off in 2026. The best way to look at it is through the situations he was used in. As you can see from above, Kerkering appeared in 62 games. In the first 58, the average leverage index for his appearances (aLI) was 1.31. The team had enough trust in him that they were putting him into fairly substantial parts of the game. In his final four appearances in the big leagues (granted, a HUGE difference in sample size), the same number was 0.38. They simply did not think he was trustworthy enough to put him into spots where they needed outs. That’s due to the ineffectiveness he showed when actually on the mound.

That gives him a failing grade for the year. When the team had bullpen issues and needed someone to step up and take a critical role behind Jhoan Duran, Kerkering crumbled. They didn’t even think enough of him to keep him in low leverage spots. He simply had to go.

It’s a continuation from the end of 2025 where he probably never should have been with the Phillies in the first place. Instead, the team lingered with him far too long and it cost them games.

They cannot make that same mistake again.

Decades before Yankees fan favorites like Bernie Williams and Brett Gardner patrolled center field, the team featured another player who could really move: Mickey Rivers. He only played three and a half seasons with the Yankees, but “Mick the Quick” instantly became a fan favorite for his solid production as the leadoff hitter for three American League pennant-winning squads and two World Series champions.

John Milton “Mickey” Rivers
Born: October 30, 1948 (Miami, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1976-79

Somewhat amusingly, Rivers actually got the nickname “Mickey” for his resemblance to his Aunt Mickey. He developed incredible speed in his youth with the Northwestern High School Bulls in Miami, lettering in baseball, track, football, and basketball before graduating from there in ‘67. Rivers moved on to Miami Dade College for a couple seasons, coincidentally playing alongside future Yankees teammate Bucky Dent. He became one of the finest Junior College players in history, later being named in 1999 to the National Junior College All-Century Team and the Florida Community College All-Time team.

Major League Baseball did multiple drafts per year at this time, and Rivers was drafted out of college four separate times from January of ’68 through June of ’69 by the White Sox, Mets, Senators, and ultimately, the Braves. Rivers held out long enough to play for the team closest to home, but it would not last. After hitting .307/.464/.511 with 31 steals in 67 games on the Pioneer League’s Magic Valley Cowboys, Rivers was traded for the first of three times in his career. Atlanta sought pitching help down the stretch as they sought to clinch their first division title since the move from Milwaukee in ’66, so the 20-year-old was off to Anaheim and the California Angels along with pitching prospect Clint Compton in a September 8th deal for veteran knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm and Bob Priddy.

Rivers spent the offseason with the Puerto Rican Winter League’s Santurce Crabbers, then jumped to Double-A El Paso at the start of the ‘70 season. He dominated the Texas League with a .343/.426/.537 triple slash, impressing the Angels enough to earn a promotion by the end of the season to the majors at age 21. Rivers split parts of the next three seasons between Salt Lake City and the Angels, clearly outclassing his peers in Triple-A, but never impressing any of the three managers to skipper the Angels from ‘71-‘73. In the final month of ‘73 though, he hit .349/.391/.457 in 141 plate appearances with eight stolen bases in 30 games. Manager Bobby Winkles’ eyes were finally opened to Rivers, and he spent all of ‘74 in the majors.

Across his first two full seasons, Rivers hit .285/.335/.373 with a 109 OPS+ and 6.8 rWAR. However, the leadoff hitter’s breakneck speed is what really made him stand out–he led the AL in triples with 11 in 118 games in ‘74, then led the majors in triple with 13 in ‘75. He finished sixth in the AL in steals in ‘74 with 30 before far surpassing that with a league-high and career-high 70 in ‘75 — still the Halos’ all-time record. Outside of Bert Campaneris and Luis Aparicio, the stolen base had become a lost art in the AL since the end of the Deadball Era; Rivers was only the second AL player to notch 70 steals in a 60-year stretch dating back to Ty Cobb’s 96 in 1915.

Yankees team president and general manager Gabe Paul had a team that contended in ’75, but could not catch up to the division-winning Red Sox. Thanks to assistant and future Hall of Fame GM Pat Gillick, Paul was able to turn the overachievers on his ’75 squad into multiple players through trades. On December 11th, he pulled off two trades that would make a huge impact on Billy Martin’s team. Starter Doc Medich was sent to the Pirates for pitchers Ken Brett and Dock Ellis in addition to unheralded second baseman Willie Randolph, and 30/30 outfielder Bobby Bonds was dealt to the Angels for Rivers and starter Ed Figueroa. Bonds impressed the Yankees in his only season with them following the controversial Bobby Murcer-for-Bobby Bonds deal, but management expressed concerns over Bonds’ alcoholism. Thus, the Yankees had their third All-Star-caliber center fielder in three years.

Rivers had actually never been named to the Midsummer Classic before, but a strong .310/.322/.448 first half with 20 doubles and 25 stolen bases earned him the only All-Star selection of his career. He proved to be the igniter the Yankees needed at the top of the batting order that year, and while he did not steal nearly as many bases as he did in ‘75, his 43 steals in 50 attempts led to a league-best 86-percent stolen base rate. Rivers also played better defense than he ever had before in his career, leading to a 6.3 rWAR season in total (fifth in the AL). He finished third in AL MVP voting for his outstanding efforts and the Yankees won the AL East to clinch their first playoff berth in 12 years. The Yankees actually voted Rivers team MVP over his teammate and captain, Thurman Munson, despite the fact that the latter was the winner of the AL MVP. The long wait plagued by horrid baseball in wake of the Stengel/Houk dynasty years was over.

The Yankees faced the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, who were making the first playoff appearance in franchise history. Rivers had a multi-hit game in the opener, and both times, the Yankees’ offense brought him home; they won 4-1. The Royals cooled him off in the next three games, holding him to two singles and a walk in 14 plate appearances, helping them knot the series and bring it to a decisive Game 5. Rivers came up big in this must-win game, going 4-for-5 with a triple with three runs scored out of the Yankees’ seven. When cleanup hitter Chris Chambliss’ solo homer off Mark Littell sailed over the wall in the bottom of the ninth, bedlam erupted. The Yankees were going to the World Series and Rivers was off to his first Fall Classic.

The World Series was a huge letdown from the exciting ALCS. The Cincinnati Reds’ dominant “Big Red Machine” destroyed the Yankees in a four-game sweep. The fact that Reds pitchers limited Rivers to just a trio of hits in 18 plate appearances was crucial to their victory. During this time, Rivers’ off-the-field problems really started to crop up. He would gamble away his paycheck almost immediately after receiving it, and his wife Mary even requested that George Steinbrenner mail his checks directly to her. In the middle of the World Series, she took her wrath out on Rivers in the Yankees’ parking lot, where she literally played bumper cars. It was a terrible distraction to the team and drove Steinbrenner nuts.

On the plus side, Rivers had a season nearly as great as his ’76 in ’77, accompanied by another stellar performance in the ALCS against Kansas City. He pummeled Royals pitching for nine hits and a .391 average as the Yankees proceeded to their second consecutive World Series.

Rivers slumped again to a .222/.222/.296 triple slash against the Dodgers, but he did have a defensive highlight in throwing Steve Garvey out at the plate in the opener. The Yankees prevailed to win it all behind World Series MVP Reggie Jackson. Rivers and Jackson had an interesting dynamic together. Jackson told reporters one time that Rivers should learn how to read and write, to which Rivers replied, “You’d better stop readin’ and writing’ and start hittin’!” On another occasion, Jackson told reporters that he had an IQ of 160, and Rivers quipped back, “Out of what, a thousand?”

Rivers slumped to slightly below league average offensively in ‘78, especially struggling as the Yankees fell 14.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. In the second half though, he recovered with an improved .270/.309/.410 triple slash, featuring 19 doubles and 15 steals. He was even better in the playoffs when the Yankees passed the Red Sox to capture the AL East in a one-game playoff. Rivers had his finest overall postseason to date, batting .379/.419/.379 in nine games, finally complementing another superb ALCS (.455/.538/.455 in four games) with a solid World Series against the Dodgers. Rivers was a champion for the second time in his career.

Rivers was off to another mediocre start in ’79 (98 OPS+), and on August 1st, the Yankees dealt away their embattled center fielder to the Texas Rangers in an eight-player deal to reacquire Oscar Gamble. He was still a decent player, but the Yankees had grown tired of his off-the-field problems, and they longed to bring Rivers’ former teammate Gamble back after letting him go following his ’76 season. The deal worked out for both teams, as Gamble played five and a half more years in New York with a 143 OPS+ (albeit somewhat part-time), and Rivers set the Rangers’ single-season record for hits in 1980 with 210, a mark that lasted for 35 years until Michael Young broke it with 221 in 2005. Texas baseball writers selected him as the Rangers’ Player of the Year in ’80.

Rivers hit .303/.327/.397 over the next five and a half seasons with the Rangers, but his caliber of play precipitously fell after his age-32 season in ‘81. His amusing line about season goals of “hitting .300, scoring 100 runs, and staying injury-prone,” was only 33 percent fulfilled … by the last “goal.” His speed declined, as he only stole 48 bases throughout his Texas career, and he played only 115 games from ‘82-‘83. After a modest comeback to a 93 OPS+ in 102 games in ‘84, he called it quits at age 35. Rivers retired as a .295/.327/.397 hitting in 1,468 games over 15 seasons with 267 stolen bases and 32.3 rWAR to his name.

Since retiring, Rivers returned home to Florida, where he brought his interest of racehorses to a healthier state, preferring to raise them rather than gamble away his earnings on them. He’s been a constant presence at Old Timers’ Day since ‘88 (when he amusingly only 39), and he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in ‘95. Bill James ranked Rivers the 59th-greatest center fielder in MLB history in his 2002 Historical Baseball Abstract. We placed him 92nd on our most recent edition of the top Yankees in franchise history.

Rivers had quite the up-and-down Yankees tenure, but throughout it all, he was a crucial addition to the Yankees’ lineup. Without their sparkplug, it’s unclear whether or not the Yankees could have reached the great heights as back-to-back champions in the late-‘70s.

Here’s hoping that the 1978 champion “Mick the Quick” has an appropriately wonderful 78th birthday!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The Brewers threw it back on the way to their first World Series title.

Before every game, the Brewers indulged in cigarettes while they took batting practice, hearkening back to the baseball days of yore in which players were synonymous with tobacco usage.

“You walk by the cage and see the cigs lit,” outfielder Christian Yelich told ESPN, “and you’re like, the boys are ready to rock.”

It’s not uncommon to see players celebrating a massive win with cigars in the middle of their champagne-and-beer-fueled clubhouse parties, though cigarettes are seemingly making a comeback in the big leagues. Several Guardians players were spotted enjoying darts after winning the AL Central last season,

This time around, the Brewers used them as “rally heaters,” as a way to get up for big games.

It worked.

Milwaukee entered the 2026 postseason as MLB’s top seed on the strength of a 103-59 record — one of two teams to break the century mark — and ran roughshod through their playoff foes, compiling an 11-2 mark against the Padres (3-1), Dodgers (4-0) and Rays (4-1).

In the NL Division series against San Diego, they batted .250 with a .688 OPS, and, much like the tips of their cigarettes, were just heating up.

Their sweep of the Dodgers came with a .250/.445/.792 slash line and 2.25 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Against the Rays, with everything on the line, they mashed to the tune of .280/.396/745.

Players celebrated with them, too. Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick and Brandon Woodruff were caught taking drags following their World Series-clinching 4-1 win over the Rays.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, every MLB team has “at least one player who relishes a dart now and again,” even after baseball banned smokeless tobacco as part of the 2016 collective bargaining agreement.

With baseball about to enter what promises to be a lengthy shutdown during the latest round of CBA talks, the Brewers have time to enjoy some extra puffs.

Good morning, LSB.

Evan Grant writes that the Rangers will likely wait out labor negotiations before attempting to fill the holes on their roster, which Grant calls a dangerous path.

Kennedi Landry takes a look at four Rangers who could walk away with some hardware after the 2026 season.

The Athletic provides this handy lockout survival guide, might wanna bookmark that one.

And can the Brewers become a small market dynasty?

That’s all for this morning. Smell ya later.

Some Brewers players had an extraordinary celebration after Milwaukee won the 2026 World Series.

Brewers third baseman David Hamilton and his wife Mallory Hamilton announced they’re expecting a baby — as well as Brewers pitcher Dustin May and his wife Amelia May after Milwaukee’s 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in a clinching Game 5.

Both couples shared adorable infant onesies while celebrating at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“Daddy’s good luck charm & cherry on top of this amazing season,” Mallory wrote, including a snapshot of the pair in an Instagram post. “What a year!!!! WORLD SERIES CHAMPS BABYYYYYY. Baby Hamilton 2027 #dadstrength.”

David and Mallory were married in January after getting engaged in early 2025 when he was with the Red Rox.

The Brewers selected David in the eighth round, with the 253rd overall selection, of the 2019 MLB Draft, before trading him to Boston in a deal for outfielder Hunter Renfroe. Boston traded David back to Milwaukee in February.

This is Dustin’s fourth career World Series title — he won in 2020, 2024, and 2025 with the Los Angeles Dodgers — but his first as an expecting father.

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“We’ll be telling Baby May about the 2026 World Series for forever ,” Amelia wrote in an Instagram post, including an image of the two holding a No. 21 onesie.

They will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary in December.

This was the Brewers’ first World Series title in franchise history.

Brewers catcher William Contreras was named the 2026 World Series MVP.

The Mariners need a lot to go right to get back to the postseason. A lot will probably go right.

One of the things I pointed out in my season recap was that the Mariners are in a tricky spot, in terms of looking ahead. They posted 30.1 fWAR as a team in 2026, which ranked 21st in the majors, and 5.5 of that came from Randy Arozarena. Level performance across the board in 2027 would make the Mariners a bottom five group. Not only that, but to return to the postseason, the Mariners would need to add roughly 15 WAR, from internal improvements and external additions, an amount that feels insurmountable after an all-time bad season. As I wrote at the time:

“… that’s just to get back to mere Wild Card contenders. A bad injury, an underperformance, a failed development, a frowning pythagorus, and the Mariners are out of the playoff picture, firmly trending into a rebuild after six years of a 10-year plan.”

Today, I want to walk through that math, and present the good, great, and horrifying scenarios I see on the back of my napkin.

I took the top nine hitters for 2027 currently on the roster. It works out that this could very well be the Mariners starting lineup on Opening Day. I also found the WAR for the rest of the roster — that is, the “not-top nine.” I don’t much feel like putting names to that group yet, but for the sake of budgeting WAR, we need to remember that bench players typically aren’t very good and subtract some value.

We can see the top nine posted 11.3 WAR in 2026. That is deeply concerning. Obviously, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez were shells of themselves due to injury, and Josh Naylor and Brendan Donovan were similarly disappointing. But this total also reflects the Mariners are set to give three spots to 2 1/2 rookies. There’s tons of uncertainty about this group, and if they repeat their performance again, it’ll be one of the worst lineups in the majors.

Of course, roughly seven months ago, the projections were far friendlier. The ZiPS column you see here isn’t the latest in ZiPS Technology. It’s instead year two of Dan Syzmorski’s three-year rolling projection he released last December. In other words, it’s old data and missing the latest sample, but I think it’s worth looking at retrospectively. ZiPS once thought these batters to be among the best in the majors.

Now, I also included a third column here, where I sort of make my own guess (heavy emphasis on the “guess”). I came up with about 22.8 WAR, a notable drop from ZiPS but still enough to rank them roughly eighth in 2027.

I gave the assumption that Cal and Julio would each bounce back, though I didn’t think too hard about what that might look like and just gave them 10 total WAR. Donovan I walked back from ZiPS because of injury concerns. I also assumed solid seasons for Naylor, Cole Young, and Dominic Canzone. The bigger question mark is the 2 1/2 rookies. I’m fairly bullish on them overall, and gave them a total of 5 WAR, but I think you could make the case for more.

I did the same with the pitchers. Now, here I have a bit of a treat for you. In my brief tenure at FanGraphs, I wrote about Kade Anderson. While doing so, Syzmborski generously granted me an updated version of his ZiPS model for Mariners pitchers. So rather than being from pre-2026, these figures are roughly from August. His model is still quite impressed with this group.

Personally, I gave Bryan Woo a level performance for his third consecutive four-win season. I gave modest bounce backs to Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, though a step back for Emerson Hancock. I don’t know what to make of Bryce Miller and his tenuous health, and I figured 0.5 is probably what he’d earn out of the bullpen. I also just deferred to ZiPS on Kade Anderson. The bullpen I tried not to think too hard about.

Ultimately, I projected the Mariners at 17.1 WAR for 2027. That would also rank about eighth in the majors, and I think there’s room for optimism if you want to see more. I fear I’ve under projected Anderson by half — I was very, very impressed by his final few starts. I’m also not even projecting Ryan Sloan, and it’s possible he could be the top pitching prospect in baseball come spring.

On the other hand, the Mariners were the very worst pitching staff in the majors in the second half. If we assume that’s a better representation of their true talent, I’m over-projecting them by like 15 WAR. I don’t think that’s the case, but even something in the middle would be hard to overcome.

The Mariners’ roster as currently assembled was once projected for 43.4 WAR, making them one of the five best teams in the majors. If we hedge that projection for what we saw in 2026, they still look like a roughly 40-WAR team. That’s roughly where they’ve been entering the last several seasons, and is generally good news for those looking for a bounce back.

Where could they add? Probably everywhere. They could use another starting infielder. They could upgrade the bench and try to limit some of the negative value there. The bullpen remains barren and there are tons of good options available in free agency. I might even suggest another arm in the rotation, after seeing what happened down the stretch in 2026. That’s what’s exciting about the roster as it stands: It’s young, it’s projectable, and there are still tons of holes. A few good additions, a few bounce backs, and a few positive developments would not only represent a return to form, but would make the Mariners truly one of the best teams in the majors. The scaffolding for greatness is still there.

Still, this group, as it stands, posted 23.1 WAR last year. Most of that came during the first three months of the season. Level performance in 2027 would make this one of the worst teams in the majors. Heck, even a solid amount of improvement only gets them back to last year’s mark of 30 WAR (again, Arozarena did a ton to stave off an absolute worst-case scenario).

And so, the offseason begins at the crossroads for the organization. One way is dynasty, the other a cliff.