Category: Baseball

MLB Desert Invitational

Dates: February 13-16th

TV/Stream: Friday on MLBTV, all others on MLB.com

Radio: All Nebraska games on Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

It’s here, it’s here! Baseball season is here!! And for the second year in a row, the Huskers head down to Arizona to begin their season at the MLB Desert Invitational. In last years version, the Huskers started off on the back foot, as a UC Irvine team that would go on to win 43 games won 10-5, scoring all their runs on Mason McConnaughey and Drew Christo. Nebraska rebounded the next day with a huge win over preseason #7 Vanderbilt. Gabe Swansen pumped in all 6 RBIs for the 6-4 win, but that game will most be remembered for Tucker Timmerman taking a comebacker to the face. Nebraska finished off the Invite by dismantling an overmatched San Diego State team 13-0

The results of the Invite combined with a quick stop over at Grand Canyon University for a 3-1 loss, left to a very mixed feeling of how the season was going to turnout for the fan base and team. They could obviously play with anyone, but there was something a little off. What followed was one of the strangest seasons in Nebraska baseball history. In an interview prior to the 2026 season, pitcher Ty Horn stated that a player that joined the team last season was a cancer and wrecked the chemistry the 2024 team had so much of. Despite their rocky season, the Huskers ended the 2025 season just like 2024, as Big Ten Tournament Champions. Horn states this years team has clicked almost immediately reminding him of the 2024 roster, and thinks the season will work out similarly.

Opening weekend in the desert. pic.twitter.com/6wvCbRADjU

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) February 9, 2026

This years Desert Invitational features games against 4 teams that have had a lot of success on the diamond over the past decade. Stanford is obviously the biggest name of the bunch, but despite being in smaller leagues the other teams have put together some impressive numbers and piled up wins. So lets get to it!

Starting Rotation

Rotation is set for the weekend. pic.twitter.com/mgksUEBB71

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) February 9, 2026

It’s almost a whole new look starting rotation. The one holdover is Ty Horn. Horn always had the stuff to battle some of the best pitchers in the conference. The first half of the season, he seemed to make a mistake 4-5 innings in and it would just snowball into 3-4 runs in a hurry before the coaches could even get someone warm. After about mid-April, he seemed to gain a new confidence to pair with his already good 4 pitches. From then on, Nebraska lost only 1 game in which he started, and that was a game against Purdue in which he only allowed 1 earned run. If we get the second half Horn, including the one that took down a powerful UCLA offense for the Big Ten title, it will go a long way to starting the weekends off right.

The best fastball on the team last season was Carson Jasa. Per Coach Bolt, that pitch has done nothing but improve over the offseason, going from an avg of 95-96 to 98 mph. Ty Horn joked that last season Jasa released the ball, having no idea where it was going to end up, but pitching coach Rob Childress, who according to Horn “can teach a chicken to throw strikes”, has built Jasa up into the teams best pro prospect. They’ve worked on refining his slider/cutter, and are trying to get him a reliable 3rd pitch between a splitter/forkball and a curve. If that happens, the sky is the limit.

Coach Bolt likes to have a more experienced Sunday starter than Saturday, because he puts so much importance on “Championship Sundays”. Enter 2025 MAC Pitcher of the Year Cooper Katskee to take that slot. The All-American spent his first two seasons in college baseball coming out of the Indiana bullpen before transferring to Miami (OH) and becoming one of the more effective starters in the country. He was not a big strikeout guy, but held batters to a .196 avg last season. Bolt compares his mound presence to McConnaughey and thinks he can provide that type of performance to either get the series victory or close out a sweep.

To close out the weekend, Bolt choose not to go with who he considers their 4th best pitcher, Tucker Timmerman, because he felt he would be more effective giving his all in potentially multiple appearances out of the bullpen. So to keep with the players he expects to start mid-week and allow everyone to stay in their normal roles, Gavin Blachowicz will make his first start of his career. He made 17 appearances out of the pen last season, being a reliable option, going 3-0 with a 3.80 ERA. He’s got a live mid-90s fastball that has a lot of late movement on it, and Bolt thinks he is ready to take a big leap this year.

Friday Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-29 in 2025) vs UConn Huskies (38-21 in 2025)

Location: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

Date/Time: February 13th, @ 7 pm CT

Head Coach(s): Will Bolt (7th season, 170-126-1) & Jim Penders (23rd season, 773-496-5)

Probable Pitchers:  RHP Ty Horn (4-4, 4.94 ERA in 2025) vs. LHP Charlie West (6-0, 2.58 ERA in 2025)

UConn has been one of the most consistently good teams of the non-power conferences over the last decade. They missed out on the NCAA tournament last year for only the second time since 2016. They still tied for first in the Big East Conference, the first time they didn’t win the conference outright since joining in 2021. They edged out Creighton for the preseason Big East favorite, and had 3 players make preseason All-Conference.

Scouting Report

The Huskies returned only 3 starters from last season’s team, so they hit the portal hard. For the first time in Pender’s 23 seasons, the have more newcomers than returners. What they do return is pretty special. Tyler Minick played corner infield mostly last season, but will move to the outfield this season. He batted .350 with 22 home runs, 74 RBIs and added 15 stolen bases. Despite somehow only being 2nd team All-Conference last year, multiple outlets have him as the preseason Big East Player of the Year.

Tyler Minick had one of the most complete offensive seasons in the country last spring.

He hit .350/.433/.729 with 22 home runs, 11 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

The @UConnBSB outfielder is our preseason Big East Player of the Year pick. https://t.co/aQ48scLhG1pic.twitter.com/AtbWOkj5Qp

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 11, 2026

First baseman Maddix Dalena was the Preseason Conference Player of the Year for last season, before a wrist injury knocked him out a couple weeks in. He had 13 home runs and 43 RBIs 2 seasons ago. Of all the new transfers, one will be particularly noticeable. Sophomore 1B/DH Jackson Marshall arrived from New Hampshire, where he was the conference rookie of the year. He stands 6’8” and 275 lbs, and throws all that frame into every swing, with power to all fields. Watch out if he gets ahold of one.

As for the strength of the team, starting pitching, UConn trots out 3 lefty starters. Nebraska is set to duel against Charlie West. He worked his way from the bullpen last year into the back end of the starting lineup and was statistically their most effective pitcher. He swapped places with last years ace, and will begin the season as the Huskies Friday night starter. After moving to the starting lineup, he went 6-0 with a 1.85 ERA, mostly with just fastball/change-up. He’s been working on a slider this offseason, so it will be in the mix.

The Huskies have a good bullpen overall, headlined by one of the top relievers in the mid-majors. Sean Finn went 6-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 22 appearances, 4 being starts. He’s also struck out a staggering 49 batters in 33 innings. They lost their star closer from last season, so its unknown if Finn will move back to that role or continue in his high-leverage role mid game.

Series History

UConn leads the all time series 2-1 vs Nebraska. This will be the first meeting outside of postseason play. The teams last met in the 2019 Oklahoma City regional. Nebraska won the opening game, but after a heartbreaking loss against Oklahoma State the night before, Nebraska fell to the Huskies in what would be Darin Erstad’s last game as head coach.

Saturday Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-29 in 2025) vs Northeastern Huskies (49-11 in 2025)

Location: Sloan Park, Mesa, AZ

Date/Time: February 14th, @ 7:30 pm CT

Head Coach(s): Will Bolt (7th season, 170-126-1) & Mike Glavin (12th season, 357-222-1)

Probable Pitchers:  RHP Carson Jasa (2-2, 8.68 ERA in 2025) vs. RHP Andrew Wertz (4-1, 1.33 ERA in 2025)

Northeastern was the little 4 seed that almost could in the 2021 Fayetteville Regional, pushing the top two seeds to the brink before finally falling short. Since then they have averaged 40 wins and secured back to back conference titles, of which last years culminated the end of a 27 game winning streak. This led to them being a 2 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, being knocked out by 3 seed Mississippi State 3-2. They are afraid of no one anymore, and have to be taken seriously.

Scouting Report

The best player in the field this weekend may very well have “Northeastern” written across his chest. 1st Team All-American outfielder Harrison Feinberg. Feinberg exploded onto the scene last season. After 3 home runs and 17 RBIs in 28 games as a sophomore, he won conference Player of the Year last year, batting .365, with 18 home runs, and 67 RBIs. Oh, and a program record 37 stolen bases. He has garnered nearly every pre-season accolade possible, and is one of the top OF prospects in the 2026 MLB draft.

BASED OFF W.A.R

The top ten returning college outfielders college!!

Let me tell ya friends this is a stacked list of dudes who will play this game for a long time!@643charts 🤝@d1baseballpic.twitter.com/KBn6mFwSIL

— Jack DeLongchamps (@JDelongchamps) February 3, 2026

Fellow senior Carmelo Musacchia will be making the switch from second base to short stop. He hit .302 with 23 extra base hits last year to go with 28 stolen bases. If Nebraska goes as expected with freshman Jeter Worthley behind the plate, you can expect the Northeastern offense to test him constantly with their running game.

The Huskies have their work cut out for them on the mound. They led the nation in ERA last season, but lost 89% of their innings pitched. Grad transfer Andrew Wertz was a Division III closer who was expected to be a back end of the bullpen guy for Northeastern, but has impressed so much that they are trying him out in the huge void that is the Huskies starting rotation. He throws 95-97 and does have a big sweeping breaking ball behind it. Last season he gave up 1 run in his first game pitched, 3 in his last game pitched, and zero earned runs in the 22 games in between. Sheesh…

Honestly, with all the new faces and guys that haven’t thrown a meaningful pitch in a Husky uniform, it’s hard to speculate as to who will be pitching in any specific situation in the pen. Theyve given us a 3 man rotation, but beyond that is anyone’s guess. Sophomore Andrew Basel is one of the more experienced returners that has a good low to mid 90s fastball, and a couple hit or miss off speed pitches he has worked on over the summer and fall to improve.

Series History

Nebraska has played Northeastern once before. They met in game 5 of the 2021 Fayetteville Regional. Nebraska won 8-6 to get to the regional final against #1 Arkansas, which they would push to a game 7 before losing in the late innings.

Sunday Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-29 in 2025) vs Grand Canyon Antelopes (31-27 in 2025)

Location: Sloan Park, Mesa, AZ

Date/Time: February 15th, @ 6 pm CT

Head Coach(s): Will Bolt (7th season, 170-126-1) & Gregg Wallis (4th season, 104-73)

Probable Pitchers:  RHP Cooper Katzkee (11-2, 3.08 ERA in 2025) vs. TBD

You know them. You love to hate them. The Lopes are back on the Huskers schedule for a third year in a row. After the contentious 4 game series in 2024, that had multiple late game comebacks by NU and a couple instances where a brawl seemed imminent, the teams met again last season and GCU upset the ranked Huskers. Grand Canyon joins the Mountain West this season after dominating the WAC since becoming a D1 program in 2014.

Scouting Report

Gone are so many of the names we’ve become familiar with the past couple years. Josh Wakefield was drafted, Eddy Pelc graduated, and Zach Yorke transferred to LSU. The top returner is Yorke’s replacement at first base, Cannon Perry. Perry batted .317 a year ago with 16 doubles. He only had 3 home runs, but has shown a lot more power coming into this season, so look for that number to go way up. Dominic Chacon is another returner who should be in the DH role until healthy enough to man an outfield spot. Still recovering from an injury, the coaches think he will eventually be the clubs top offensive producer.

GCUs top incoming transfer is former Tarleton State catcher Milo Perez. He is a catcher that is good enough to be a top of the lineup hitter, may even lead off for the Lopes. He is a great all around athlete, with a great arm to control the running game. He will work the count a lot too, but does not strike out, having only 11 for 2025.

Fall revelation @mito_perez could emerge as @GCU_Baseball's most valuable player this spring.

He hit .300 with a .799 OPS and 27 walks compared to 11 strikeouts at Tarleton State last year, and he's a mongoose behind the dish.@KinaTraxInc Fall Report 👉 https://t.co/fLbSknK46Cpic.twitter.com/KJd3JRXNId

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) December 15, 2025

The Antelopes lost quite a bit of their pitching from last years team, and had 2 arms battling for the starting rotation go down with season ending injuries already, including one of the more talented freshman they were planning on relying heavily on. They’ve named their Friday and Saturday starters, but have yet to decide on who will take the ball beyond that. I would not be surprised to see Elijah Higginbotham toe the rubber against the Huskers. His first game in a GCU uniform was against NU last season, in which he threw 5 innings of shutout ball, starting an offensive slump that Nebraska couldn’t pull out of for over a month.

Should the staff decide Higginbotham is too valuable as a high leverage reliever, look for Fresno State transfer JT Guerrero to be next in line to start. Guerrero was the top arm out of the bullpen for Fresno last season, but GCU wants to give him a chance to start, even if it means having him only go 3 to 4 innings while he builds up his stamina.

Series History

Nebraska has a 3-2 record against the Lopes, with all games coming in the past 2 seasons. Nebraska took a 3-1 fiery series win in 2024, while GCU upset the #23 ranked Huskers 3-1 last season.

Monday Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-29 in 2025) vs Stanford Cardinal (27-25 in 2025)

Location: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

Date/Time: February 16th, @ 2 pm CT

Head Coach(s): Will Bolt (7th season, 170-126-1) & David Esquer (9th season, 800-617-3)

Probable Pitchers:  RHP Gavin Blachowicz (3-0, 3.80 ERA in 2025) vs. TBD

The first coach Nebraska will see for the first time is Stanford’s David Esquer. Esquer took over 9 years ago for the legendary Mark Marquess, who brought numerous Stanford teams to Omaha in his 41 years, winning 2 CWS championships. Esquer made the treasonous move from Cal to Stanford and had them rolling in the PAC-12. Stanford made 3 straight CWS trips from 2021-23, but now has to battle through the ACC.

Scouting Report

Second Team All-American infielder, and senior Jimmy Nati will man second base and is the top offensive player for the Cardinal. He hit .300 with 9 doubles, 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. All while playing defense at a high enough rate to be a Gold Glove finalist for second base. 2025 Freshman All American outfielder Tatum Marsh led the team last season with a .377 batting average and .459 on base %.

Stanford also is loaded with young talent and boasts two of the better freshmen to make it to campus after the draft. LHP/OF Brock Ketelsen will see playing time on both the mound and in the outfield. He played summer ball in a collegiate league and struck out 19 in just 9 innings and also hit .328 and had 28 steals. Outfielder Brock Sell was a high school All-American, and projected 2nd round pick going into last years draft.

Ready for Year ☝️

A trio of Cardinal enter the season on @PGCollegeBall's Top 100 freshmen list‼️

🗞️ » https://t.co/8lCrgJpDmP#GoStanford x @PerfectGameUSApic.twitter.com/XkpBNbMSw8

— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) January 20, 2026

While they return a ton of offensive experience, the pitching staff is lacking in proven arms. They have named their starters for the first 2 games in Arizona, but are waiting to see how their bullpen looks on Sunday and Monday before naming a starter. It could be time to see what one of their talented freshmen such as Ketelsen above, or Philip Cheong, another 2-way player ranked in the top 100 freshman to make it to campus, can do.

Ryan Speshyock is one of the top relievers in the country. He struck out 38 batters in 27 innings last year. He could be looking at moving into the closer role, or even potentially getting a look at the back end of the rotation.

Series History

Stanford leads the all time series 6-2. The teams last battled in the 2008 season opening series. The teams split a Friday double header in the Sunken Diamond, before Stanford took the series Saturday 4-2.

As ridiculous question-themed title prompts go, this one might take the cake. It’s not without reference, however, as just last summer ESPN’s Jeff Passan referenced the legendary pixie dust of Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona as a means for the Reds to surge forward in the standings, something Tito did while up north in Cleveland for the better part of a decade.

While the science behind said pixie dust is questionable, at best, the reality is that the Reds do have one of baseball’s greatest ever managers in their dugout right now, and he’s entering the second year at the helm. He knows the dugout at this point, and the lack of turnover suggests he’s on-board with how it’s been put together. At this juncture, there’s a familiarity that, in theory, should breed a heightened sense of togetherness in the locker room, something Francona has helped foster at just about every stop in his career.

That career is on the cusp of some even more significance, too.

Tito currently has 2033 career wins as a manager under his belt, good enough for 12th most in Major League Baseball history right now. Of the 11 managers ahead of him on the list, 9 are already Hall of Famers and the other two – Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker – will undoubtedly be in there in short order. Joe McCarthy currently sits 10th on the all-time wins list at 2125, meaning a 93 win season from this Reds club would vault Francona into the Top 10 in all-time wins.

Francona has also guided teams to the playoffs on 12 different occasions. That’s a number that’s good for fifth most all-time, and making it back to the postseason with this Reds club would give him 13 times in the playoffs – a number that would tie Baker for fourth most all-time.

Only 11 managers in MLB history have won more than a pair of World Series titles, with Tito currently sitting on the two that he won in his days with the Boston Red Sox. Should the Reds go all the way this year and claim a title, he’d be tied with Tony La Russa, Dave Roberts, John McGraw, Sparky Anderson, and Miller Huggins with a trio. Only six managers in MLB history have won more than 3 World Series titles.

It’s a testament to his character, the longevity to reach these potential milestones. It’s a testament to his talent and feel for the position, too. Now, it’s up to this young Reds club to begin to truly embrace what it means to be a Francona-led ball club and take the next step up from simply being slightly better than average, and if they do, the future Hall of Famer in the dugout next to them will find himself in even more rarified air all-time.

It’s all up to the pixie dust.

Good morning!

One thing the sabermetric revolution has taught us is that batting order doesn’t matter all that much. At least, not in the traditional sense of putting a speedy runner at the the top, someone who can handle the bat and move him over second, and power hitters in the middle. The general consensus now is that a team’s best hitter should hit second with a high-OBP hitter in front of him. But, ultimately, batting order doesn’t have a significant impact on the number of runs a team scores over the course of the season, and the best thing a team can do is arrange the lineup such that its best hitters get as many at-bats as possible.

Roman Anthony is the best hitter on the Red Sox, and he did spend most of last season in the leadoff spot, a strategy that works pretty well for the defending champions. While Alex Cora hasn’t said whether he’ll repeat that this season, he did speak on batting order yesterday, saying that Willson Contreras will bat cleanup. He further implied that Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Trevor Story will occupy the top three spots, though it sounds like he hasn’t yet decided in what order.

Assuming that Cora will want left-right balance at the top of the order — and conceding that Story doesn’t have the OBP chops to leadoff — that really only leaves one possibility:

1. Anthony
2. Story
3. Duran
4. Contreras

Hitting Anthony second would force Duran and Anthony (both lefties) to hit back-to-back, while hitting Anthony third will inevitably result in a lot of first inning at-bats where he finds himself up with two outs and nobody on, which is exactly what the theory that says your best hitter should bat second tries to avoid.

So what do you think? Do you want to see Anthony in the leadoff spot again or do you have something else in mind?

Talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

In what sounds a little like an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” type of situation, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league will consider partnering with prediction markets.

Speaking at the end of baseball’s winter meetings in Palm Beach, the commissioner — who as recently as last year was bemoaning the fact MLB was “dragged” into legalized sports betting — said that this may be the only way to protect against more illegal gambling scandals in the sport.

“We thought it was important for the owners to be updated on why prediction markets are different than sports betting, why we might want to consider being in business with prediction markets in an effort to protect our integrity, to get the kind of protections we need,” Manfred said, according to Front Office Sports. “The regulatory framework — very different. Obviously, state by state on the sports betting side, federal on the other.”

Of course, MLB has had its share of bumps and bruises in the post-PASPA era, from a scandal involving Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter for modern-day Babe Ruth Shohei Ohtani, to the ongoing investigation into Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase, accused of throwing pitches in accordance with gamblers’ wishes.

Manfred did point out that in all cases where there either has been, or seemed like there was, hinky stuff going on, the league found it out via data partnerships with the sportsbooks and their partners.

“Every situation we’ve had has been based on data that we received from sports betting properties,” Manfred said, according to The Athletic. “That data, kind of generically … would be characterized as patterns, right? That pattern emerges, you know, sometimes it’s betting when a particular player is involved. Sometimes it involves individuals that when it starts, you have no reason to believe — it’s not a player that’s betting, it’s just some guy that is a stranger to us. So sometimes it takes time for those patterns to become clear.”

Manfred: MLB Will ‘Consider Being in Business With Prediction Markets’https://t.co/7hulCGci7z

— Alfonso Straffon 🇨🇷🇺🇸🇲🇽 (@astraffon) February 13, 2026

One size fits all

Manfred also isn’t against the idea of one set of federal rules covering the entirety of the prediction market landscape, instead of the state-by-state patchwork of legalized sports betting.

“The interesting thing about the prediction markets is there’s an opportunity to work with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,” he said. “If you got where you want it to be, you’d have a nice federal regulation, it’d be the same everywhere. Kind of a nice thing.”

MLB wouldn’t be the first league to sit at the table with Kalshi and company: The NHL has seen teams partner with prediction markets, with more certainly to come.

The NBA and NFL so far have not engaged the prediction markets, but the winds seem to be blowing in that direction, at least for the NFL.

“It’s innovative. That marketplace is dynamic,” Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president, told Front Office Sports last week before the Super Bowl.

Clayton Kershaw, like the Dodgers team as a whole, took a step back in 2018, although they were both still good enough to accomplish similar goals. Kershaw delivered another sub-3.00 ERA, and the Dodgers saw their most difficult division title of this whole Andrew Friedman era come to pass, needing a Game 163 at home to beat out the Colorado Rockies for the NL West crown. A team that severely underperformed its pythagorean win-loss record, winning only 92 games when it indicated it should’ve crossed the 100-win threshold, the Dodgers entered the playoffs without the gravitas of the previous campaign but were still seen as a top candidate to reach the Fall Classic.

The year 2018 marked the first time Kershaw could legitimately be seen as no longer the top option in the Dodgers rotation. Walker Buehler was beyond magnificent in his rookie campaign, starting that decisive Game 163 in a win over Colorado, and it was Hyun Jin-Ryu taking the ball in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Braves after a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts.

As if to have his Michael Jordan’s “and then it became personal to me” moment, Kershaw started game 2 of that NLDS against Atlanta with a vengeance, delivering one of the most efficient postseason outings in the 21st century, covering eight scoreless frames while needing a mere 85 pitches to do so, largely explained by his standard no walks and a surprising only three strikeouts. Still, the Dodgers already led that series 1-0, and for as great as Kershaw was, this wasn’t his most memorable outing during that World Series run.

Quick, if someone tells you to think of the first thing that comes to your mind when hearing the mention of Kershaw against the Brewers in the postseason? You, like me and so many others, might’ve thought about pitcher Brandon Woodruff taking him yard with a home run in Milwaukee, worthy of the game’s premier left-handed sluggers. While the rarity of that moment holds merit, when you assess Kershaw’s track record against the Brewers in the playoffs, there’s a rather transparent argument that it stands out due to the narrative around Kershaw in the playoffs in our subconscious — a narrative built largely on undeniable facts, but one that, at the very least, glosses over the entire story by skipping a few chapters in a quite rude manner. Although not as dominant as in his Wild Card performance in 2020, Kershaw’s most important postseason performance against the Brewers came in Game 5 of the NLCS in 2018.

I had the idea to do a series along these lines for quite a while, and when going back to check Kershaw’s postseason record, none of the previous games we’ve covered stood out as much as this one. For whatever the case, I remembered Kershaw doing well in that Game 5, but not as well as he actually did in what was a pivotal win in a series then tied 2-2 and headed to Milwaukee with someone owning a match point.

The script had been written, the stage was set, and even the “villain” had been properly introduced shortly into the proceedings with a change of starters. Craig Counsell quickly revealed Wade Miley was simply a decoy and threw Woodruff in to cover the bulk of innings one out into the start of the game for the Dodger hitters—the same Woodruff who had homered off Kershaw as the Brew Crew hit around the three-time Cy Young winner in Game 1 of that series.

For those paying attention, there is a consistency from the start of this series of articles: thin margins for Kershaw in each one of these great postseason performances. A large part of why I’m so dismissive of the idea of any logical explanation behind the general struggles of Kershaw in the playoffs is that, on the times he was at his best, of which there were plenty, as we’ve seen, those games were some of the more tightly contested the Dodgers have played, upping the pressure to the nth degree.

Milwaukee scored first in Game 5, once again propelled by a positive at-bat from the hitting pitcher Woodruff, whose one-out walk helped pass the baton to Lorenzo Cain, driving in one on a double — a hit that generated a two-on, one-out situation for Kershaw to navigate through against the heart of the order for Milwaukee. The rally knocked on the door of the future Hall of Famer, and he shut it down with a couple of strikeouts against Christian Yelich and Jesús Aguilar in the middle of a Ryan Braun walk to end the threat.

Out of every one of his nine strikeouts in that game, those two were by far the biggest.

Speaking of pressure, that one run meant the Dodgers trailed in this game until the bottom of the fifth, when finally the bats came alive, but still, throughout his entire seven innings of work, the Dodgers never led by more than two runs., Los Angeles eventually added a couple of insurance runs to help protect his outstanding performance.

Lost in the story of that game, Kershaw played a key part in the Dodgers’ scoring and did so after his outing was finished. The Dodgers’ starter came out to hit in the eighth inning, when the Dodgers led 3-1, and he drew a walk in what ultimately became a two-run frame, upping the Dodgers’ lead to 5-1. With a more comfortable advantage, Dave Roberts went to Pedro Báez and subsequently Kenley Jansen to close the game.

It’s purely speculative, but one might be justified in pondering if a bit more tired Kershaw, having thrown eight and not seven innings, could’ve struggled to secure the final outs he was brought in to do in Game 7. We’ll never know.

So this I didn’t expect.

The Jays traded 26-year-old left-handed hitting, outfielder Joey Loperfido to the Astros for 28-year-old, left-handed hitting Jesús Sánchez.

Sánchez has played six seasons in the MLB, 580 games, for the Marlins and, last year, the Astros, hitting .239/.307/.420 with 73 home runs. Last year, he hit .199/.269/.342 with 4 home runs in 48 games.

Loperfido has played in 122 games over four sseasons, with a .248/.297/.392 line.

Sánchez is out of options and will make $6.8 million this year. Lopefido still has an option and will be getting the major league minimum..

I don’t understand the trade at all. But I don’t make the decisions. Steamer thinks Sánchez will hit .250/.319/.438 with 15 home runs this year.

The Jays traded Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros to get Loperfido and Will Wagner, at the deadline in 2024.

For all but maybe one or two years in the Aaron Judge era, the Yankees have always had a good, if not great, offense beyond the big man himself. They routinely pace the Junior Circuit in runs, wRC+, home runs, etc. Regardless of who’s in the lineup or what their overall skills are, they generally manage to cobble together a fearsome lineup (well, except in 2023).

That’s not to say they’ve been without flaws. The past half-decade or more of Yankees baseball has usually fielded an offense that meets the same qualifiers, to the point where it feels like a stereotype. They’ve been overly right-handed. They’ve prioritized the home run ball. They drawn walks and reached base, albeit at the expense of spells of high strikeout rates. They’ve been mediocre at best on defense. They’ve been extremely unathletic and composed of 30-something sluggers. The few players with any sort of athleticism have made bad mistakes on the bases. Their bench has been extremely shallow. On and on and on.

And these stereotypes are not without reason. The Yankees have employed some Three-True Outcome kings (Joey Gallo in particular and Giancarlo Stanton to an extent), have fielded lineups with very few lefties (2018-20, especially), have had substandard defenders littered across the diamond (Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sánchez), and have had some of the worst baserunning teams of all time, buoyed by aging veterans (Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson).

But there was an organizational change that took place at some point after the pandemic, trying to slowly erode this stereotype. Starting in 2021, by acquiring Gallo and Rizzo, the Yankees once again began prioritizing lefty bats who could abuse the short porch. They won the Team Gold Glove in 2022 and focused on finding more fundamentally sound defenders. They looked to reduce their strikeout rate by adding hitters with good plate control after the Gallo experiment flamed out in spectacular fashion. They’ve added more youth and athleticism to their lineup and bench, giving them more late game flexibility.

All of this came to a head at the 2025 Trade Deadline, when the team acquired José Caballero, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater to add more right-handed depth and positional versatility to a lineup that was lefty-heavy. While Slater is gone (they still wanted him back at one point!), they re-signed Rosario and stopgap Paul Goldschmidt to keep the same versatility in 2026.

That’s where we stand today. For the first time in the Judge era, the Yankees are deep and versatile with their hitting core to start a season, to the point where they could conceivably option a player who would start on most non-playoff teams to the minor leagues. It’s jarring after what we’ve seen in the past.

As things stand entering spring training, the everyday lineup will be identical to the one we saw in October, sans the injured Anthony Volpe. Yet, it’s entirely possible that the team could deploy entirely different lineups depending on the handedness of the starting pitcher:

vs RHP:
Austin Wells (C)
Ben Rice (1B)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
Ryan McMahon (3B)
Oswaldo Cabrera (SS)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Trent Grisham (CF)
Aaron Judge (RF)
Giancarlo Stanton (DH)

vs LHP:
Ben Rice (C)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
Amed Rosario (3B)
José Caballero (SS)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Trent Grisham (CF)
Aaron Judge (RF)
Giancarlo Stanton (DH)

The Yankees are able to simultaneously field quality lineups with seven left-handed bats and a separate one with five right-handed bats. Both lineups would yield a formidable top and middle of the order and would still have upside towards the bottom with Wells and McMahon’s power and Rosario’s hefty platoon splits.

In these lineups, the team would have the versatility to use its entire bench at the end of games. If the team isn’t completely sold on Rice’s defense, he can be subbed out in the final innings for Goldschmidt or J.C. Escarra, depending on the position. The same can be said with Caballero or Cabrera, whoever is on the bench, replacing Rosario, as while the lefty-killer does have versatility in the sense that he could spell one of the team’s starting outfielders at times and get reps at first and second base, he’s not strong defensively.

This 1-through-13 depth gives the team countless pinch-hitting, pinch-running, and defensive replacement opportunities, depending on the lineup they deploy on a given day. We haven’t even talked about potential fourth outfielders, Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones, who both flex elite speed if called upon, but unless there’s an injury, both could start the year in Triple-A. That’s how deep this hitting core is. And what happens after Volpe returns from his shoulder injury?

This overflowing depth gives the team some insurance options if/when players go down with injury. Stanton will inevitably hit the shelf for several weeks, but the fit is rather seamless with Domínguez or Jones (the latter presently much more of a long shot due to his contact issues) moving into the lineup at either DH or in the outfield and shifting things around. The same can be said if Judge, Grisham, or Bellinger goes down. In fact, with the signing of Goldschmidt, the only positions where an injury would cripple the team’s depth* would be catcher—due to forcing Rice into a much larger role—and shortstop, while Volpe is down.

*The caveat here is on Judge, since depth strength might only mean so much if you lose the best hitter in the sport to an injury.

It wasn’t even a year ago that the Yanks were playing games with a bench that consisted of multiple players who provided almost zero value to the team. Jorbit Vivas, Oswald Peraza, and DJ LeMahieu were not options to pinch-hit, and while Vivas and Peraza could pinch-run or sub in defensively, neither moved the needle enough to be on the roster for a playoff team. These are Triple-A emergency depth guys, who each team normally has anyway.

I’ve said in the past that running it back isn’t the worst thing in the world, and while the team could’ve upgraded at a number of positions (especially with the pitching staff), they’ll still be entering 2026 with maybe the best and most complete offense they’ve had since their last World Series title in 2009.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — As you know, at long last MLB players will get the chance to challenge ball-and-strike calls during games beginning this year. Officially called the ABS challenge system, this has been tested in Triple-A games for a couple of years and had a test in some Spring Training games in 2025.

Thursday, the league gave a presentation about how the system will work as part of Cactus League media day. Joe Martinez, who pitched for four MLB teams from 2009-13 and who is now the league’s Vice President for On-Field Strategy, presented facts about how the tests have worked and how the system will work in action in MLB games this year.

For those of you worried about ABS challenges lengthening games, remember that teams get just two challenges per game (which are retained if the player is correct, so in theory, there could be more). In Triple-A games last year, ABS challenges added one minute and eight seconds to the average game time and in 2025 Spring Training games, that addition was 57 seconds. It’s just not a big deal.

Martinez mentioned a couple of minor tweaks to the rule. If a team is out of ABS challenges after nine innings, they will get one additional challenge in the 10th. If that challenge is used in the 10th, they’ll get another in the 11th, but if not used, the one challenge simply carries over to additional extra innings.

As you know, the challenge can be initiated only by the batter, pitcher or catcher, and must be done within about two seconds. The umpire has the right to “wave off” a challenge if players take too long. Two other tweaks were also mentioned:

• No ABS challenges will be allowed if a position player is pitching, and
• If an incorrect ball/strike call impacts a play on the bases, the umpires have discretion to then place any runners involved.

MLB surveyed fans about this system and 72 percent had a positive view of ABS challenges, with only 10 percent seeing it as negative. Minor league players who were surveyed also liked it, with 60 percent in favor of the challenge system (and another 16 percent voting for “full ABS”). Really, this is something whose time has come. With pitch-tracking technology now available, it’s just been a matter of tweaking the system to find one that’s agreeable to all.

The box that will be used for ABS challenges will be the width of the plate, at the middle of the plate (the point at which the plate’s edges begin to angle to its rear point). Each player will be measured and thus there will be a personal box for every player, with the top of the box at 53.5 percent of the player’s height and the bottom at 27 percent of the height.

Martinez said that if any part of the ball touches said box, it’s a strike. That will clearly be shown on the graphic that will be shown to fans at ballparks and on TV broadcasts. One thing that the league is aiming for is to have the boxes shown by MLB Gameday, by TV broadcasts and by Baseball Savant to be the same box. So for those who have said, “Well, that box you see on TV isn’t the real strike zone,” MLB intends for that to be the actual zone for each player.

The number of ABS challenges will be shown on scoreboards, in most cases replacing the “MVR” currently shown for “Mound Visits Remaining,” though MVR is also supposed to be “prominently displayed.” At Wrigley Field, MVR has been shown on the right-field video board, while the score line has been on the left-field board. I would assume the Cubs will find a prominent place to show both ABS and MVR.

The graphic shown above, which is from last year, will be tweaked to also show the team that is challenging the call, and after the call is either confirmed or overturned, the count will be shown so that players, coaches and fans will know what the current count is. Umpires will also make an announcement over the PA system that there is a ball-and-strike challenge, as well as the result.

The method of challenge, as you likely remember from last year, will be for the pitcher, catcher or batter to tap his cap or helmet. Players are also being encouraged to verbalize the challenge so that the umpire can hear it as well as see the gesture. If there is a play after the pitch (for example, a stolen base attempt), the challenge can be made and accepted at the conclusion of that play.

To help ensure that players aren’t getting assistance from the dugout for ABS challenges, the league will institute delays on pitch location data in MLB Gameday and there will be a nine-second delay for the broadcast feed to show pitch location to dugouts. That’s only for players and coaches, though. As reported by MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, here’s how it will work for you, the fan:

It remains up to the individual broadcasters to determine whether and how to present the zone. The only change is that MLB is now requesting broadcasters to no longer differentiate the circle in the box depending on whether the pitch is a ball or a strike. In other words, some broadcasts would show a filled-in circle on the zone if the pitch was a strike and a hollow circle if it was a ball. MLB is asking its broadcast partners to do one or the other but not both.

So you will probably continue to see some sort of strike zone box on game broadcasts

The following rules will be in effect for any ABS challenges that might also trigger a traditional replay review:

• If there is potential for a review following an ABS Challenge, umpires will check that neither manager wants to initiate a Replay Review before restarting the clock.
• If a manager want to challenge a play following an ABS Challenge, the request must come immediately after the conclusion of the ABS Challenge (thus no 15-second manager hold as you often see for replay review).
• If these two types of reviews are requested simultaneously, the umpire will accept the ABS Challenge first and then prompt managers for Replay Review.
• The play types that are most likely to be impacted are plays on the bases (stolen base attempts or pickoffs) and HBPs.

In this year’s Spring Training, all games between two MLB teams will have ABS challenges available. If a MLB team plays a college team, minor-league team or WBC team, ABS won’t be used (so not in the Cubs vs. Italy game on March 3). Further, this year’s WBC will not use ABS challenges — though the WBC will use the pitch timer for the first time.

There were two other unrelated rule changes mentioned at the demonstration.

One has to do with obstruction. A runner who initiates contact with a fielder with the intent to “draw” an obstruction call will be called out. If a runner does this, umpires should treat it like “unsportsmanlike conduct,” thus the runner is out and all other runners will return to the base last touched.

The other has to do with positioning of base coaches. You have certainly seen many base coaches far out of the official “coaches box” which is designated (usually) by white lines on the first- and third-base sidelines. Now, base coaches will have to be positioned in those coaches’ boxes between pitches when the pitcher is on the rubber. If the umpires observe a base coach outside of the coaches’ box between pitches while the pitcher is on the rubber, they will warn to coach and instruct him to return to the box. If, after receiving a warning, the coach is observed outside the box again, the umpire may remove the coach from the game. The purpose of this change is to help prevent sign-stealing.

Of course, players will have to be judicious in when they call for challenges. Limiting teams to two per game creates strategy. You wouldn’t likely bother, for example, calling for a challenge if a pitch in a scoreless game in the second inning with nobody on base is perceived to be incorrect. This proved to be true in the Triple-A tests, with only about two percent of pitches challenged in the first two innings, but with that percentage rising to 3.5 percent in the ninth inning. It was different in the MLB Spring Training test last year, with more pitches challenged in the early innings. This is likely because MLB players are playing the early innings and were encouraged to use more challenges. That’s what happened, in fact, in the very first ABS challenge, called for by the Cubs’ Cody Poteet (remember him?) last February.

Personally, I’m excited to see ABS challenges become part of the game. There are quite a number of players who are very good at strike-zone judgment and who have been victimized by what Cubs analyst Jim Deshaies always calls “egregious” bad calls. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is one of these players. I think we’re going to see Suzuki strike out somewhat less because of this rule.

Here’s the entire MLB presentation if you’re interested.

10. Griffin Herring (368 points, 19 ballots)

Herring was the headline prospect coming to the Rockies from the Yankees in exchange for Ryan McMahon near last year’s trade deadline. The 6’2”, 22-year-old lefty pitcher was the Yankees’ sixth-round pick in 2024 out of LSU as a draft-eligible sophomore. Herring signed for a $798k bonus that was over double the pick’s $340k slot value, more akin to a late third-round pick’s slot value. Herring was a key contributor as a freshman to the 2023 National Championship squad as an ace multi-inning reliever despite velocity topping out in the low 90s, then was even more impressive in that role as a sophomore (1.79 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.0 K/9 rate, 2.3 BB/9 rate) in 50 1/3 innings (which was third on the team) across 21 games.

As a professional, the Yankees not only gave Herring the opportunity to start, they remade his delivery and his pitch mix — emphasizing the slider. The result was a breakout debut professional season. Herring made eight starts in Low-A to begin the year and was dominant, posting a miniscule 1.21 ERA with a 0.9 WHIP and 11.7 K/9 rate in 44 2/3 innings as a league average pitcher. A late-May promotion to High-A (where he was 1.2 years younger than league average) didn’t faze Herring much. He threw eight more strong starts with another 44 2/3 innings, a 2.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.9 K/9 rate, and 4.0 BB/9 rate — though his 3.71 xFIP indicated some good fortune.

After the trade in late July, Herring made seven shorter starts for High-A Spokane as the Rockies no doubt metered his usage considering his lower innings total in 2023 and 2024. In 30 innings with Spokane, Herring allowed eleven earned runs (2.40 ERA) on 14 hits and 13 walks ( 0.90 WHIP) while striking out an impressive 47 hitters (14.1 K/9 rate). In fact, Herring struck out over a batter per inning in every single start with Spokane, going a max of 84 pitches and five innings in those outings, and was named the August Pitcher of the Month in the Northwest League.

Across the full 2025 season, Herring threw 119 1/3 innings across two levels and three teams with a 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11.2 K/9 rate, and 3.7 BB/9 rate while allowing only a .530 OPS. That’s 149 strikeouts against 49 walks and 70 hits. Impressively, the lefty was even stingier when batters had the platoon advantage (.485 OPS for righties, .639 OPS for lefties), though Herring cut down the mightiest hitters in the league regardless of handedness.

Here’s some video of Herring in High-A in a mid June start:

Additionally, here’s an interview with Herring from August where he describes his adjustment to a new team and a new coast.

Keith Law of the Athletic recently ranked Herring 10th in the system:

Herring struck out 31.4 percent of batters he faced last year, the seventh-best strikeout rate among all qualifying starters in the minors. He sits 90-92 from a very high slot that gives him a ton of deception, working with a short slider that generates a ton of whiffs and an average changeup. He’s almost certainly a reliever between the slot and the below-average fastball, but could get there quickly and be valuable in any kind of once-through-the-order role. I wish he’d been traded to the Reds; I’m worried in Denver, he’ll get smoked.

Baseball America ranked Herring 12th in the system last month:

Herring has been developed as a starter, which might seem strange for a player with a fastball that averaged a tick under 90 mph in 2025, but his nearly seven feet of extension and slight pause in his delivery create an impressive angle of attack, plenty of deception and a whippy finish. He has found the most success so far with a mid-80s slider that generates plenty of whiffs within the strike zone. … If Herring wants to remain a starter, he’ll need to add more zip to his fastball, perhaps by packing on some muscle over the offseason. His profile and wipeout slider could fit better in a bullpen.

Shaun Kernahan of Three Quarter Slot wrote up Herring earlier this month:

Herring operates with a deceptive, athletic delivery from the extreme third-base side of the rubber, using extension, timing disruption, and angle to make a below-average fastball play above its raw velocity. The heater lacks pure velo, but the ride/run shape allows it to miss bats at the top of the zone when located, even if it can flatten out and get exposed when it leaks arm-side or into the middle. Your look showed a mechanical operation with a slow windup and quick finish, hiding the ball well but occasionally losing consistency through release, which ties directly to the fastball’s volatility. A modest velocity bump would materially change the profile, especially given how well the rest of the arsenal fits a starter look.

The slider is the clear carrying pitch, working in the mid-80s with tight gyro action and strong spin, consistently landing glove-side and missing bats against both lefties and righties. The changeup is better than most give credit for, showing real vertical separation and late tumble when executed, particularly effective against right-handed hitters. Strike throwing is generally solid, though command can waver within outings, leading to stretches where hitters are off balance followed by lapses where he misses his spots. His background as a high-leverage reliever at LSU shows up in the competitiveness and ability to execute secondary pitches, but the long-term path hinges on fastball improvement. If the heater takes even a small step forward, there’s a workable starter track; if not, the slider/changeup combination still fits an innings-eating role or leverage usage where the deception and bat-miss traits can play up.

MLB Pipeline is high on Herring, ranking him 9th in the system as a 45 FV player with a 60 grade on the slider:

Herring’s best pitch is a sweeping mid-80s slider with horizontal and vertical action that confounds both lefties and righties. He can’t overpower hitters with his fastball, which operates in the low 90s and tops out at 94 with some armside run, and he’ll need to find more velocity or life against better competition. He threw only 11 changeups at LSU but emphasized the pitch more during three Cape Cod League starts last summer, showing some decent if firm mid-80s cambios with depth.

Herring has a long arm action and a less-than-smooth delivery, though it throws batters’ timing off and didn’t stop him from pounding the strike zone as a sophomore. To succeed as a pro starter, he’ll need to add more strength to his 6-foot-2 frame and improve his fastball and changeup. If he can’t, he still could become a high-leverage reliever thanks to his slider and mound presence.

Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs ranks Herring 20th in the system as a 40 FV pitcher with a 55 future grade on the slider and command:

The Yankees made several changes to Herring after drafting him (more sliders, better extension, higher arm slot) and the result looks like a stable backend starter despite 30-grade fastball velocity.

Herring spent two years as LSU’s most consistent long reliever (working as many as five innings) and was a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024. The Yankees made multiple changes to his delivery and pitch usage, which helped him dominate Low-A and earn a promotion after just eight starts. He had a 1.71 ERA combined at both levels at the time of the trade, though his K% dipped quite a bit after he was moved up to Hudson Valley. Herring’s fastball only averages about 90 mph, but lives off deception and riding life. Since turning pro, his arm slot has been raised, but Herring’s stride down the mound has gotten bigger and longer, and his extension was just shy of seven feet at the time of the trade. His loose, whippy arm action prevents hitters from seeing the baseball until release, and despite lacking anything close to average big league fastball velocity, Herring’s heater has generated above-average miss and chase so far this year.

With the Yankees, Herring also emphasized use of his slider, which has become his most-deployed pitch. It ranged from 80-85 mph in his final outing prior to the deal, and has tight late movement but lacks huge depth. It’s playing like an above-average pitch in pro ball. Herring didn’t really have a changeup in college, but he’s added one as a pro and is throwing it about 14% of the time. His feel for it isn’t bad considering he’s just begun using it, but it often cuts on him or finishes too high. A smooth on-mound operator, Herring looks the part of a starter even though he isn’t especially physical because of his mechanical grace. It’s impressive that he’s maintained his excellent college strike-throwing even though his delivery has been changed, and he projects as a high-floored backend starter.

Herring joins fellow PuRPs Carson Palmquist (No. 19) and Sean Sullivan as left-handed Rockies pitching prospects who use deception and extension to make mediocre fastball velocity play up. Herring hasn’t yet proved his effectiveness against upper-minors hitting like the other two pitchers have, but he is my favorite of the group given his weapon of a slider and is a 40+ FV player for me, ranking tenth on my list. I expect Herring to start in Double-A this season, with a big league debut possible later in the year if he’s successful and healthy.

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Cade Cavalli made his long-awaited return to the big league mound in August 2025, and in his 48.2 innings pitched, he flashed brilliance, posting a 95th percentile chase rate, 95th percentile barrel rate, and 93rd percentile groundball rate. Outside of a disastrous outing against the Yankees in August, where he allowed 7 earned runs over 2 1/3 innings, Cavalli was extremely productive in his starts, giving up more than 3 runs just once.

One of the few areas in which Cavalli struggled in his return to action in 2025 was against right-handed hitters, who had his number with a .381 opponents batting average and .990 opponents OPS, much worse in comparison to his .221 opponents batting average and .651 opponents OPS against lefties. He bumped up his curveball and sinker usage and bumped down his fastball and changeup usage against righties, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from hitting at a high clip against them.

The good news is that, entering the 2026 campaign, it appears Cavalli is working on a new pitch that will give him an edge against righties. According to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, Cavalli has spent the offseason working on a sweeper for his arsenal, a pitch similar to a slider, but less sharp and with more verticality. If he can get a feel for it and incorporate the pitch into his pitch arsenal, he may finally have the answer he’s been looking for to getting right-handed hitters out consistently.

Pretty much everybody with the Nationals couldn't wait to go home at the end of the 2025 season. Cade Cavalli wished he could stay. "I felt like I could go pitch more and more. I was kind of just getting going."

On the finally healthy, would-be staff ace:https://t.co/rBuKk5kJ8O

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 12, 2026

The sweeper has been around for many years, with Corey Kluber throwing a version of the pitch in the 2010s, but it gained popularity within the last few years, surging in usage in 2022 and 2023. Today, it’s a weapon in the arsenal of some of the best pitchers in the league, with Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes ranking near the top in run value with the pitch.

The slider is the more traditional pitch that pitchers use to get same-side hitters out, so why a sweeper for Cavalli? My theory is that a sweeper will tunnel better than a slider with Cavalli’s curveball, his most used pitch against righties at 33%. Pairing a sweeper with his curveball will not only give hitters another pitch to worry about, but it also prevents them from being able to sit on Cavalli’s curveball in any given count.

Pitchers tinker with new pitches all the time, and while they don’t always stick due to lack of feel or command, Cavalli being able to keep the sweeper in his arsenal would be massive in his development as a frontline starter for the Nats. With improved success against righties, as well as more and more experience against big league lineups, I believe Cavalli has what it takes to not only potentially start on Opening Day for the club in 2026, but in years beyond.

In our collective, continued existence as residents of Panic City, the fear surrounding Francisco Lindor’s surgically repaired left hand is lingering on the edges of our minds. Yesterday, we looked at Jackson Cluff as a potential short-term replacement for Lindor if the timing of his recovery is slower than expected. Today, we do the same with Christian Arroyo. 

While on the surface Arroyo and Cluff look similar, their circumstances are quite different. Arroyo, entering his age 31 season, is out of minor league options and so can’t be moved up and down from Triple-A Syracuse without clearing waivers, whereas Cluff has yet to make his big league debut yet and can make that trek as often as the Mets like. While Cluff was a sixth round draft pick out of college, Arroyo went in the first round out of high school and was once heralded as one of the best prospects in baseball. 

It is likely due to that prospect background that Arroyo is still sticking around, 13 years after being drafted by the Giants with the 25th overall pick. Prospects of that caliber usually have natural talent for days and the thought is that they are more likely to ‘figure it out’ late than someone with a lesser skillset. 

But time is running out for Arroyo to do just that. In 295 MLB games, he’s hit just .252/.299/.394 with 24 home runs. His last big league at-bat came in 2023 with the Red Sox; in subsequent full minor league seasons with the Brewers and Phillies, he never once got called up. 

On the plus side, he’s defensively versatile, having played all four infield positions as well as right field. He also had a nice offensive season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season, but a BABIP of .375 might have somewhat inflated that number. 

This signing has almost no downside for the Mets. Arroyo is cheap, he’ll get some spring reps, and if Lindor’s recovery time is brief and healthy, he’ll either wind up in Syracuse or out of the organization. If, for some reason, he unlocks something after a baker’s dozen years in pro baseball, fantastic. But even if he doesn’t, this is the type of move that teams can and should make all the time.  

Happy Friday everybody!

Spring Training is truly underway. Next week will be the first full week of practice leading up to the first preseason games a week from today. 

In the early days of camp, teams often limit their starters to a few innings every other day to avoid injury or burnout before the 162-game marathon begins.  Fans heading to the first few games at Hohokam expecting to see Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson may instead find a lineup featuring Michael Stefanic, Cade Marlowe and other non-roster players.

Yet, that is the magic of spring training and a great way for a player to make a strong first impression on his new team’s coaching staff. Every spring training game features multiple lineup changes halfway through the game, ensuring everyone from starters to top minor-league prospects to lesser-known players has the opportunity to make an impact.

This spring, much of the spotlight will be on the A’s stellar young offensive core, along with three of the organization’s top prospects: shortstop Leo De Vries and left-handed starting pitchers Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold.

All three are among the 31 non-roster invitees in camp this year. They will have the chance to show why the A’s think so highly of them. Additionally, these next few weeks serve as a showcase for the likes of Stefanic and other non-roster players to vie for organizational roster spots, most likely with the A’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators.

Last spring, Justin Sterner entered camp relatively unknown and earned a spot in the Opening Day bullpen after tossing 12 scoreless innings. With the A’s bullpen one of the weakest and most in-flux aspects of the team, there is an opportunity for a non-roster reliever to follow in Sterner’s footsteps. Veteran Nick Anderson is in camp after struggling last season with the Colorado Rockies, while GustavoRodriguez recorded a 2.27 ERA last year with the Aviators.

What are you looking forward to as spring training ramps up? Which players will be the surprises and disappointments of A’s camp?

A’s Coverage

• A’s Trade Mitch Spence to KC Royals in exchangefor minor leaguepitcher
• Darrell Hernaiz to play for Team PR in WBC
• Are The Final Two Rotation Spots Really Up For Grabs?
• Story Lines To Watch As Spring Training Unfolds
• A’s Sign Starter Aaron Civale
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Barnett Finds His Spot At #11
• Athletics add developmental leaguer in trade with Yankees
• Little Signings Everywhere
• A’s Non-Roster Invites to Keep an Eye On 
• What to know as A’s head to spring camp with high hopes for ‘26
• A’s Claim Andy Ibanez, Add Scott Barlow In Busy Roster Shuffle
• Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
• Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
• De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list

MLB News and Interest

• What is the hamate and why are so many players injuring theirs?
• Orioles To Sign Chris Bassitt
• Liam Hendriks agrees to Minor League deal with Twins
• Phillies Release Nick Castellanos
• Kiké Hernández announces he’s back with Dodgers
• Veteran lefty Quintana will bring experience to Rockies’ rotation
• Spring Training Hats Drop
• Paul Sewald reunites with D-backs on 1-year deal
• Manfred optimistic about MLB players participating in ’28 Olympics
• MLB owners vote in favor of enforcing rule to curb pitch stealing
• Pirates to sign Marcell Ozuna
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

What do you think of this? What kind of content should the A’s put out to engage fans?

Would love to see the @Athletics lean into the personalities of the players this spring:

Walk-up song origin stories 🎶
Who puts pineapples on pizza 🍕
Weirdest pregame routine ⚾️

This roster is fun – let’s see more of itpic.twitter.com/Yl1acsYuub

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) February 12, 2026

AJ Causey’s stuff looks nasty, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him coming out of the bullpen for the A’s this season.

AJ Causey has received a Non Roster Invite to Spring Training with the Royals pic.twitter.com/NSTe0rHP58

— Sam (@sthorn_23) February 5, 2026

A’s players happy to be back together at spring training.

We're so back 🙂‍↕️https://t.co/8QWdqXtLUkpic.twitter.com/kYotHzD40s

— Athletics (@Athletics) February 12, 2026

In Mariners news…

• New Mariners RHP Jose Ferrer has already made a strong impression at Spring Training this year.
• MLB Network insider Jon Morosi joined Seattle Sports 710 AM to discuss his thoughts on the current Mariners bullpen.

Around the league…

• The Philadelphia Phillies have released right fielder Nick Castellanos as his relationship with the team worsened in recent seasons.
• MLB owners have voted in favor of a new rule regarding base coaches in hopes of preventing pitch tipping.
• Longtime reliever Liam Hendriks has signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins that includes a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.
• The Los Angeles Angels are in agreement to bring back veteran utility player Chris Taylor.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have re-signed RHP Paul Sewald to a one-year/$1.5 million deal.
• The Minnesota Twins have acquired LHP Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for international bonus pool money.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a one-year/$7 million contract extension with third baseman Max Muncy through 2027 that includes a $10 million club option for 2028.
• MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is optimistic about MLB players participating in the 2028 LA Olympics for the first time ever.

Shameless self-promotion alert: I (Kate) am hijacking Becca’s links post to say that this Saturday, so tomorrow, my friends who took over Kate’s Pub in Wallingford—now known as The Rebel—are hosting a Heated Rivalry watch party/trivia night starting at 5 PM. I spent all night making buttons for it and it’s going to be very fun, if that sounds like your sort of thing and you don’t have Valentine’s Day plans. It is also my actual literal birthday so if you feel like stopping in please do! I’ll be there at open (4 PM) if Heated Rivalry is not your thing but you still want to say hi. Pic of said buttons attached for tax, sorry this is not about baseball, I am invoking birthday privilege okay bye sorry Becca.

Yesterday, we looked at the most optimistic view of Guardians’ hitters – today, we turn our attention to Guardians’ pitchers.

Rotation:
Gavin Williams – Williams had a 3.06 ERA last year and for the last 60 innings, had a K-rate over 10 per 9 and a walk-rate around 3.6 per 9. If he can sustain that, the Guardians will have their next ace.

Tanner Bibee – Bibee had an xERA of 3.61 and ZiPS sees him as a 3.71 ERA pitcher. He also threw 182 innings, so there’s a durability factor here that is valuable in and of itself. I know Bibee was making a lot of changes to his pitch shapes, delivery and mechanics last season. Maybe an offseason of letting all that sink in allows him to return to his 2024 level of a 3.47 ERA, and he can get to 200 innings.

Joey Cantillo – Cantillo had a 3.21 ERA last year, striking out over 10 batters per 9. If he can slightly lower his walk-rate (around 4 per 9), he should be able to get to ZiPS’ projected 3.65 ERA and hopefully Steamer’s projection of around 150 innings. He can also prove me dead wrong that his better spot would be as a high leverage reliever, much to my joy.

Slade Cecconi – Another offseason with Cleveland should help Cecconi, who came over from a poor pitching development group in Arizona. OOPSY has the best projection for Cecconi at 154 innings and a 4.29 ERA. That’s a solid #4, but Cecconi has good Stuff+ numbers for his slider (99) and curve (101). If he can manage to leverage those pitches into strikeouts enough to go from 7.5 K’s per 9 to 8.5-9, he could take a leap. He has the mentality you want to see on the mound, and I also think he can easily transition to the bullpen and be very effective there if need be.

Parker Messick – A 2.72 ERA and the underlying metrics to back it up make it hard not to be excited about Messick. He also threw 130 innings last year and is just a bulldog in his entire presentation. Hard to believe he has more than halved his walk rate from the minors to the majors, but if that is at all real… this is exciting.

Logan Allen – 156 innings and a 4.25 ERA is a fourth starter, folks. Now, all of Allen’s metrics indicate he is more of a fifth starter and due for regression. But, he continues to work the edges of the zone and do just enough to avoid homers with guys on base. He’s a very valuable player to have around, but I do hope if the five arms listed above him are healthy that Allen will be held in reserve in Columbus (I’d be shocked if they run a six-man rotation due to the relentless devotion to eight bullpen arms the team has had for a long time).

Bullpen:
Peyton Pallette – I am on board with the Guardians working with a player who put up a 12/4 K/BB/9 in the minors and maximizing a pitcher they picked off the White Sox’ roster.

Connor Brogdon – Brogdon is 6’6” and languished on the Phillies and Angels, but has a fastball and a change that both measure as 107 in Stuff+. This is the kind of pitcher the Guardians almost always turn into a very effective middle reliever.

Tim Herrin – A bad season for Herrin last year but this is still the pitcher who put up a 2.86 FIP in 2024 in 65 innings. I think he bounces back.

Matt Festa – 54 innings and a 3.14 FIP. Festa is good, actually.

Erik Sabrowski – Personally, I think Sabrowski is closer to the 3.8 walk-rate he had in 2024 than the 6.8 walk-rate he had in 2025. He still had an incredibly low ERA both seasons. If he can be healthy, he is one of the nastiest lefty relievers in baseball.

Hunter Gaddis – A 2.30 ERA in 140 innings from 2024-2025. I don’t care what some underlying metrics present to doubt this guy. He’s a dude.

Shawn Armstrong – A 3.07 FIP in 74 innings, handling high leverage spots for the Rangers, Armstrong is a great veteran addition to the pen.

Cade Smith – A 1.75 FIP in almost 150 innings the last two years. Hand him the ball and I feel great. The only player in baseball who can make us not blink to lose the best closer in baseball to a gambling scandal.

Reserves:
Austin Peterson – A 3.21 ERA in 145 innings last season in the minors. Peterson profiles as a 5th starter but if the team can JUST squeeze a little more swing-and-miss from him, he could be a very nice major league arm.

Will Dion – I think Dion is probably a decent fifth starter, lowering his FIP by 2 runs last season in Columbus. Is that exciting? No. But, it can be very useful.

Doug Nikhazy – A terrible season for Nikhazy in 2025 should probably not cause us to erase his good 2024. I think there’s potential for a decent reliever or fifth starter left in here with his 9 K’s per 9 still hanging around… but time is running out.

Khal Stephen – I would not overlook the possibility of Stephen making a summer debut with the Guardians after his 2.60 FIP in 100 innings last year. An offseason of adjusting with Cleveland’s development group and we might have a Bieber replacement here with his 9.61/1.75 K/BB/9.

Colin Holderman – Holderman probably starts in Columbus because he has an option, but sign me up for what the Guardians can do with a pitcher from the Pirates who has these kind of Stuff+ numbers: 106 four-seamer, 112 sinker, 105 cutter, and 133 slider. I think this is probably someone we are very happy to see in the seventh innings by the end of the season.

Pedro Avila – Avila’s metrics looked solid in Japan last year and he had a 3.89 FIP in 82 innings for the Guardians in 2024.

Andrew Walters – This guy struck out like 15 batters per 9 in the minors and flashed that kind of ability in 2024. If he can come back from a tough injury, this is a very valuable bullpen arm.

Franco Aleman – His walks per 9 went up by 2 in 2025 and he was unlucky on batted balls. I’d guess he figures that out and shows something close to his 14 batters struckout per 9 in the bigs at some point in 2026.

Yorman Gomez – A 2.76 FIP in 121 innings in 2025. He’s probably too short (5’11”) to be a starting pitcher, but there is potential for an excellent reliever here.

Daniel Espino – No one has better stuff than Espino. IF he can be healthy for once in his life (please, sweet baseball gods), he is probably the only arm in our system who could be an equal fireman to Smith’s closer talent (or vice versa).

Steven Perez – A 3.15 FIP in 69 innings with a 9/2.6 K/BB/9, Perez looks like a viable matchup lefty at some point.

Codi Heuer – For his career, Heuer has a slider measuring at 107 and a changeup at 101. This is a useful organization arm who may get an opportunity to be a matchup lefty in the pen with Herrin ramping up in Columbus.

Ben Lively – Lively JUST signed back with Cleveland and probably won’t be able to help until late in the year after Tommy John, but he’s useful fifth starter depth.

So, what do you think? How do you feel about the Guardians’ pitching corps for 2025?

Every year, all 30 major league teams end up signing a whole pitching staff worth of minor league deals with invites to spring camp. Along with pitching prospects already in a given farm system, there may be as many as 15 additional pitchers not on the 40-man roster.The need for pitching depth in camp and in the season, and the hope of developing a useful reliever or depth starter, makes it a mandatory part of spring training. The non-roster invites to position players are typically more scarce, and depend to a greater degree on how many actual prospects a club has in their system.

In the case of the 2026 Detroit Tigers, those non-roster position players are largely drawn from one of the top farm systems in baseball. The Tigers will have two of the top ten prospects in the game in camp in the form of Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark, while catcher Josue Briceño gives them a third prospect on national top 100 lists in camp. Of the eight position players invited to camp but not yet on the 40-man roster, only three of them are from outside the Tigers system.

Not everyone on the 40-man roster will be familiar to Tigers fans either. The club added several of them to the 40-man roster back in November to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, but infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee, C/1B Eduardo Valencia, utilityman Trei Cruz, and catching prospect Thayron Liranzo, have yet to play in the major leagues either. Lee, Liranzo, and Valencia are all upcoming in our preseason prospect reports, and have been covered pretty extensively here. So we’ll write up Cruz here briefly, but otherwise we’ll stick to the non-roster invitees.

With pitcher and catchers, and most of the position players, already in camp, and the first full squad workout coming up this weekend, let’s run through the non-roster invite position players briefly.

SS Kevin McGonigle

This 21-year-old is the best hitting prospect the Detroit Tigers have ever had, at least going back to the 70’s before prospect coverage was really a thing. Ranked the second best prospect in baseball by most major publications, McGonigle combines a great eye with outstanding barrel to ball skills and enough discipline to hunt the right pitches and do damage. His short levers and well-built physique are primed to make tons of hard contact, and McGonigle already shows the ability to pull a lot of different pitch types in different zones in the air to right field. He’s primed to take full advantage of his above average power, and while he just reached Double-A in the second half of 2025, it’s debatable whether he needs any Triple-A time at all. The Tigers have no reason to rush him before he’s ready, and it will probably take an extremely impressive camp to win a job out of spring training, but McGonigle will be up this season, and it may not take too long.

The one big question around him will draw heavy scrutiny in camp. McGonigle can handle shortstop, but his range and arm strength are less than ideal for the position. To play average shortstop in the major leagues, he’s going to have to squeeze everything possible out of his natural ability, and that has been his main focus this offseason. When a better shortstop option presents himself to the Tigers down the road, McGonigle will likely move to second base, where he should be very good. Until then, it really is his job to win, if not right out of camp, then at some point during the regular season.

CF Max Clark

The Tigers first round pick back in 2023 isn’t far behind McGonigle. The 21-year-old Clark is widely regarded as the best outfield prospect in baseball, and he too will almost certainly debut in 2026. While he doesn’t have McGonigle’s power, Clark is also a very good pure hitter with a good eye and approach, and excellent bat to ball skills. He spent much of 2024 slapping line drives the opposite way and looking more like an old school leadoff hitter than the modern edition. However, in 2025 he tapped into more pull power and now looks like a more credible threat to hit 20 homers per year and steal at least that many bags.

Clark is a plus runner, but he isn’t quite as gifted in center field as Parker Meadows. Still, Clark’s reads and routes continued to improve in his second full pro season, and most evaluators think he’ll be an above average to plus center field defender who also has the arm to slide over to play right field well. His timetable isn’t quite as advanced as McGonigle’s, but how quickly he arrives may also have something to do with whether Parker Meadows hits enough to play everyday in center field.

The dynamic duo is the best 1-2 punch of any farm system in baseball, and the Tigers have been careful to bring the two friends up in lockstep. Most likely they’ll start the season together, perhaps seeing Double-A again briefly before moving to Triple-A Toledo to prepare for their final arrival in Detroit sometime this season. The pair will be a featured attraction in spring camp.

INF Max Anderson

23-year-old Max Anderson isn’t the same caliber of prospect as McGonigle and Clark, but he had a nice 2025 season and reached the Triple-A level last summer, so it’s feasible he could be the first one of the prospects to graduate to the Show this season. Anderson has good bat to ball skills and above average raw power, but his free swinging tendencies are going to get him in trouble at the next level. He still needs to get a lot more selective or major league pitchers are going to have their way with him. If he can manage that and wait for more pitches he can do damage against, the Tigers are going to have another interesting young infielder to work with.

His defensive profile is fairly limited to second and third base, with a strong arm but poor range, and that lack of footspeed makes him a mediocre baserunner as well. All of that puts added pressure on him to contribute in the power department, and he’ll have to show continued development in that regard to break through to the next level. Still, some national sites did have Anderson just outside of their top 100 based on his low strikeout rates and power potential. He’ll be another one to watch in camp.

C Josue Briceño

Teams always need extra catchers in spring camp to deal with the huge volume of different pitchers trying to get ready, but in Josue Briceño’s case, his bat has earned him a ticket already. The same age as McGonigle, the well-built 6’4” catcher packs a lot of power and has shown very good discipline and contact ability since breaking out as the Arizona Fall League MVP right after his 20th birthday back in 2024. Like his teammates, McGonigle and Clark, Briceño torched High-A last year, though he had a little harder time adapting to Double-A pitching. Of course, he also had a lot heavier workload as a catcher learning to handle upper level pitchers.

Briceño has the arm to stick as a catcher, but his framing and blocking are still somewhat inconsistent and he profiles more as a second catcher who plays first base as well. This is a potential 30 HR hitter who walks, uses the whole field with plus power, and doesn’t chase out of the zone too much. His proximity to the major leagues probably has more to do with how long the Tigers decide to keep developing him behind the plate. He’s less certain to make his major league debut this season, but if he’s tearing it up at the Triple-A level this summer and Spencer Torkelson is injured or struggling, that pace to the major leagues may accelerate. If there’s no need for that, the Tigers may continue working with him as a catcher for another year before deciding on his future role.

C Tomas Nido

This 31-year-old, right-handed hitting veteran has over 300 games at the major league level under his belt, but has never hit well enough to stick for long as a second catcher. He spent most of the 2025 season leading the pitching staff for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. A good defensive catcher who is lauded by Hens manager Gabe Alvarez for his preparation and game planning, Nido is a solid third catching option should Dillon Dingler or Jake Rogers go down with an injury, and he’ll also be instrumental in helping to coach up younger catchers like Eduardo Valencia, and eventually Briceño and Thayron Liranzo.

UTIL Trei Cruz

27-year-old Trei Cruz is a pretty interesting case. Grandson of former MLB All-Star Jose Cruz, the utilityman was pretty slow to develop before making a big jump in 2025 and convincing the Tigers to add him to the 40-man roster. A switch-hitter, Cruz can handle himself in center field and at shortstop, and does a lot of things well without really having a standout tool that could make him an everyday player.

Cruz has a very disciplined approach at the plate, and finally in 2025 he was able to translate that selectivity into a little more extra base and home run power. He’s a good baserunner and can steal some bags despite not much more than average speed. Cruz is a fringy center fielder and shortstop, and you don’t want him playing everyday in either spot, but he’s good anywhere else on the diamond and that versatility in a switch-hitter who constantly grinds out long, pesky, at-bats makes him an interesting option for the last spot on the Tigers bench.

He’s not likely to start the season in the major leagues, but he can fill a lot of gaps in the roster for A.J. Hinch if needed. Cruz needs to show he can translate his Triple-A production into decent work at the major league level. It’s a longshot, but if so, he may ultimately take over from Zach McKinstry as the roster’s Swiss Army knife.

INF John Peck

John Peck is a 23-year-old infielder who was the Tigers seventh rounder out of Pepperdine back in the 2023 amateur draft. A right-handed hitter, his offensive profile is still limited, but Peck can play a credible shortstop and is an above average defender at second and third base. He wasn’t a very noteworthy prospect until the 2025 season, when he started showing more power and hit his way to a late season, 25 game audition at the Double-A level, where he held his own well enough to intrigue some prospect watchers.

Peck doesn’t chase too much and will take some walks, but he’s still a pretty aggressive swinger who will get himself out sometimes even when he’s swinging at pitches in the zone. He also whiffs and strikes out quite a lot for his age and experience level. There are big question marks around his ability to adapt to upper level pitching, as he has some issues handling better velocity and breaking stuff. Still, he can play shortstop, and that alone makes him an interesting watch. If the bat continues to mature, there’s a path to a utility role for him eventually, particularly if he can start cashing in more of his solid raw power against left-handed pitching. His solid showing in his first look at the Double-A level built some enthusiasm for him among prospect watchers, but he still has some big holes in his offensive game that need to be cleaned up.

OF Austin Slater

This veteran outfielder was signed to a minor league deal on the same day the Tigers signed Justin Verlander. Now 33 years old, Slater had some success as a part-time outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. He’s spent the past few seasons bouncing around as a fifth outfielder. A right-handed hitter, Slater really only hits left-handed pitching and doesn’t have the kind of juice Jahmai Jones packs. That’s going to make it tough for him to find a role as a right-handed hitting outfielder with Matt Vierling, Jones, Wenceel Pérez, and Javier Báez all ahead of him in the “lefty-mashing outfielder” tier on the roster. In Slater’s favor is the fact that he’s pretty solid at all three outfield positions. He’s a real longshot to make the Opening Day roster, but no doubt the Tigers would be happy to stash him in Toledo as depth, if possible.

OF Corey Julks

29-year-old Corey Julks is another right-handed hitting outfielder competing for a bench job this spring. He’s played in the majors a bit over the past three seasons, and has some power and speed to contribute offensively. There’s just little to suggest that he’s finally going to cash in those tools with a better approach and more hard contact at the plate. Signed before Slater was added, Julks is even further down the depth chart. He’s shown no particularly propensity to dominate left-handed pitching in his brief looks at the major leagues, and will end up playing in Triple-A again this season unless some kind of radical breakthrough occurs at the plate.

OF Ben Malgeri

Now 26 years old, our final non-roster invitee among position players has never really garnered much interest as a Tigers prospect. However, like Cruz he’s continued to develop a fairly well-rounded game and finally had some sustained success at the Double-A level in 2025. Malgeri is best in the corner spots, but he too can handle center field in a pinch. That versatility may eventually earn him at least a cup of coffee in the major leagues. A right-handed hitter, Malgeri has a pretty good approach and doesn’t chase too much. His problem has been a tendency to just put the ball in play rather than hunting pitches he can drive. He does make a lot of solid contact and has close to average raw power, so there’s a possible role for him if he can start pulling the ball in the air a little more, particularly against left-handed pitching. Most likely he’s just a solid upper level org outfielder who might get a peek at the major leagues in a tight spot.

Your 2026 Tigers Spring Training roster: pic.twitter.com/VkQuiZbbrm

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 4, 2026