Category: Baseball

The Major League Baseball draft is filled with unfamiliar names. Even the most knowledgeable fans have difficulty knowing much about the mostly anonymous high school and college players taken by the 30 teams through 20 rounds.

Every year, however, a handful of names ring a bell. The 2026 draft, held the last two days in Philadelphia ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, was no exception.

Bonds. Thome. Pettitte. Sabathia.

The accomplishments of the fathers or uncles of those draftees loom large. Other high picks hope to eclipse the accomplishments of relatives who had brief MLB or long minor league careers: No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA is a prime example.

And draft picks whose relatives have ties to the Dodgers or Angels draw interest: Salmon, Ebel, Gasparino, Willits and Bard qualify.

Read more:Why 2026 MLB draft will be special for Dodgers coach Dino Ebel’s family

No player wants to be branded as a “nepo pick” — taken as a favor to a relative. But even those can turn out to be brilliant. The Dodgers took Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft largely because his father, Vince Piazza, was a childhood friend of manager Tommy Lasorda. Piazza, of course, became a Hall of Fame catcher with the Dodgers and New York Mets.

A brisk walk through this year’s picks with intriguing bloodlines:

— Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA. First overall pick by the White Sox.
His father, Dan Cholowsky, was the 39th overall pick in 1991 by the Cardinals and played eight minor league seasons. He’s now a scout for the Reds. To focus on baseball, Roch gave up a scholarship offer to play quarterback at Notre Dame. He is the Bruins’ first No. 1 overall pick since Gerrit Cole in 2011.

— Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Fla.). No. 14 overall pick by the Marlins
His father, George Lombard, played parts of six seasons with four MLB teams from 1998-2006 and is currently the Tigers’ bench coach. Jacob’s brother, George Lombard Jr., was the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Jacob is one of 11 shortstops taken in the first 40 picks this year.

— Trey Ebel, SS, Corona High. No. 25 overall pick by the Brewers
Milwaulkee made his brother, Brady, the No. 32 overall pick a year ago. Their father, Dino Ebel, has been the Dodgers’ third-base coach since 2019 and spent the previous 13 years as a coach for the Angels. Strength and conditioning training with MW Athletix’s Keith Coury helped lift Trey into the first round.

— Landon Thome, 2B/3B, Nazareth Academy (IL). No. 34 overall pick by the White Sox.
His father, Jim Thome, ranks eighth on the career home run list with 612 and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018. Like his dad, Landon is a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing. He also has something his dad lacked: speed. Landon stole 54 bases this spring.

— Gavin Grahovac, 1B, Texas A&M. No. 81overall pick by the Angels.
His cousin Garrett Mitchell was the No. 20 overall pick out of UCLA in 2020 and is in his fifth MLB season with the Brewers. His father, Mike Grahovac, was a fourth-round pick in 1989 but topped out in Class-A. Scouts project Gavin has having the potential to hit 30 homers a year.

— Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers. No. 90 overall pick by the Giants.
His uncle, Barry Bonds, is a seven-time MVP who holds the MLB record with 762 career home runs. His grandfather Bobby Bonds hit 332 homers during a 14-year career that ended in 1981. And his father, Bobby Bonds Jr., played 11 seasons in the minor leagues. Peyton is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound center fielder with speed and improving power.

— Rylan Lujo, OF, Georgia. No. 109 overall pick by the Angels.
His grandfather is Rennie Stennett, a versatile player whose nine seasons with the Pirates were bracketed by World Series titles in his 1971 rookie season and 1979 finale. Lujo converted from the infield to center field at Georgia and has plus speed.

— Jaxon Willits, SS, Oklahoma. No. 141 overall pick by the Angels.
His brother Eli was the first overall pick in last year’s draft, going to the Nationals. Their father, Reggie, played parts of six seasons with the Angels and is now a coach at Oklahoma. Jaxon, 21, is older than Eli, who was the youngest player to go No. 1 overall at 17 years, 216 days old. Both are switch-hitters.

— Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA and Harvard-Westlake High. No. 161 overall to the Phillies.
His father, Billy Gasparino, has been a Dodgers executive for 11 years. He is the vice president of baseball operations after being promoted in 2024 from vice president of amateur scouting. Will, a 6-6 right-handed power hitter, transferred from Texas to UCLA before the 2026 season.

— Luke Pettitte, RHP/DH, Dallas Baptist. No. 248 overall to the Yankees.
His father, Andy Pettitte, won five World Series pitching for the Yankees. While Andy remains on the Hall of Fame ballot the next two years, his son will be working through the minor leagues, perhaps as a two-way player. Luke had Tommy John surgery after two years pitching for Dallas Baptist, then batted .337 with 16 home runs as a designated hitter last spring.

— Jack Salmon, OF, UNLV and Corona del Mar High. No. 559 overall by the Angels.
His uncle Tim Salmon is an Angels legend, a key component of their 2002 World Series championship team who played his entire 14-year career in Anaheim. His father, Mike, had a short stint in the NFL with the 49ers and played football at USC.

— Luke Bard, C, Houston Christian. No. 583 overall by the Dodgers.
His father, Josh Bard, spent 10 seasons in the major leagues with five teams and is now the Dodgers’ bullpen coach. Luke batted .345 last season at Houston Christian.

— Carsten Sabathia III, 1B, Houston. No. 611 overall by the Brewers.
His father, CC Sabathia, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2025 who finished his 19-year MLB career with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. He spent one memorable half-season with the Brewers, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA to help them to the playoffs in 2008. Carsten played two years at Georgia Tech before transferring to Houston. He was the third-to-last pick in the draft.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Frisco Roughriders infielder Rafe Perich has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week of July 7-12, it was announced today. In addition, Hickory Crawdads pitcher Evan Siary has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for July 7-12.

Perich, the team’s 7th round pick in 2024 out of Lehigh, slashed .464/1.000/1.464 for the week. He started the year with Hub City, and was promoted after 38 games, slashing .303/.394/.606 prior to his promotion. Since being promoted, he’s played 36 games for Frisco and has slashed .324/.420/.662 with 37 Ks against 22 walks in 162 plate appearances.

Siary, an 8th round pick out of Mississippi State last year, struck out ten batters and walked none in six shutout innings for Hickory in his start last week. For the year, he has a 3.39 ERA in 71.2 innings over 15 starts, with 61 Ks against 15 walks.

The Diamondbacks continue to hang at the .500 mark, give or take. Do you see a path forward to break out of that rut?

James Attwood: Bottom line, the team, top to bottom, needs to get more consistent and find a way to stay healthy. Granted, that’s easier said than done. But if they can stay healthy and simply stop fluctuating so much, they could climb to about 4-5 games over .500, which will keep them in the chase for the final Wild Card, but still on the outside looking in. They will also need a strong trade deadline, but that will largely depend on how the present roster produces.

Justin: No, not really. I have resigned our fate to being about a 79-82 win team.

Spencer: Sure it exists. Not sure how real it is, but the rotation is starting to FINALLY round into good form. We’ll see if that is stopped by the MLB Draft Break.

1AZFan1: Of course! This team is hanging around .500 with prolonged cold streaks from Corbin, Domo and Ketel at different points of the season and mostly getting negative contributions from Kelly, Pfaadt and Gallen. Kelly and Pfaadt have both looked better recently (though I don’t know how much to trust it) and I think we’ve probably seen the worst from all three of our hitters at the top of the lineup. If our 3 at the top of the lineup are just around their averages for the rest year and we don’t have the 3 worst starting pitchers in baseball in the second half, I think we can push toward 85 wins. Having Kepler and whoever plays first base being at least warm bodies compared to Pavin and ADC would just be icing on the cake.

Dano_in_Tucson: Sure. The team needs to finally get its act together and start playing more complete baseball games, in which the offense, the defense, and the pitching are all pulling in the same direction. We show flashes of doing so from time to time, and I think the talent is mostly there to make it possible to do it more consistently. The consistency, though, is key.

DBacksEurope: I do not see a clear path. My pre-season prediction was a bit below .500 so it would go against my own “beliefs” to try and convince myself and others that we could do better than that. However, there are possibilities. Fresh blood getting a chance and tearing things up is one possible reason. Gallen getting “injured” and using new twists after July, just like last year, is another. Kelly not being homerun garbage is another. Finding some easy pickups at 1B and DH, i.e. a team dumping players in Arizona who can benefit from a fresh start with the Snakes is another, Burnes, Puk and Martinez returning from injury could be the final push. Everything that could go well, would have to go well.

What needs to happen in the next three weeks to convince you that the Diamondbacks should be buyers?

James Attwood: Do more than just claw to a few games over .500. This team needs to go on a mini-run where some of the struggling arms start looking better. The team gets healthy and the offense clicks again. If Arizona can do all that and there is any stumble in the standings head of them, then it would make plenty of sense to lean towards buying.

Justin: Looking at the schedule, they have 3 series’ against teams that are right now either around .500 or under. (-Oakland- A’s, Pirates, and Nationals.) They also have a series against St. Louis and a make up game against them as well. Maybe if they go 8-5, splitting the Cardinals and winning the other 3 series? That would give us a 55-52 record, if Ia mnot mistaken.

Just don’t do anything crazy.

Spencer: Simple. Win more games than they lose. Close enough and experienced enough that buying should still be the default. There isn’t much to trade away as is, so may as well try.

1AZFan1: Taking the series at Dodger Stadium was a good first step. Beyond that, it all comes down to where we’re at in the standings. If we’re within 3ish games of the Wild Card, I’d be good to buy. If we’re further than 5 games back, sell. The strange thing about this year’s Wild Card compared to just about every other year that we’ve been chasing it in this 3 W.C. system, is that all 3 slots are still in play. There isn’t 1 team running away with either of the top spots yet. Before games on Sunday, we are 3.5 games out of the 3rd slot and 5 games out of the 1st. Last year, after July 12th, the 1st Wild Card was 3 games clear of the 3rd Wild Card and the 2 years prior to that the 1st Wild Card was 4 games clear of the 3rd slot.

Dano_in_Tucson:See “Consistency,” above. The Doyers series this weekend is a strong start–despite all their terrifying bats and very expensive pitching, we are playing better team baseball than they are, by at least a mile. If we could continue to do that after the All Star Break and through the remainder of July, buying could actually make sense.

DbacksEurope: We shouldn’t be buyers but I can see Hazen filling a position with need with a player that would be in Arizona for more than just the rest of the season. That isn’t a bad strategy.

Pavin Smith has been DFA’d. Who would you like see take control of first base going forward?

James Attwood: Probably LuJames Groover or Jose Fernandez for now. If Tyler Locklear can ever get right again, I wouldn’t mind seeing him get another crack at it. I think the eventual answer to the position is probably not ready for the Majors yet though.

Justin: I dunno. Tawa.

Spencer: Vladdy? But seriously, Locklear. He’s earned it. If he fails, probably Groover then Fernandez? I haven’t been paying attention to who may be available in a trade, but my assumption is that’s the true answer.

1AZFan1: I’d like to see Tyler Locklear do it. I’m not positive why he hasn’t been given an opportunity yet considering the historic woefulness we’ve had at that position this year, but I really want to see him get another shot. Tawa had a great weekend and Vargas has a great glove, but they both have valuable gloves elsewhere (and I don’t trust Tawa to be quite that good rest of season). Locklear is the only major league ready guy in the system whose only viable defensive position is 1B. Plus, right now he’s hot. The last week, his OPS in Reno is 1.996! For the season, his batting average is now above .300 and he’s got his lowest K% over a sustained period of time in his career. I know he left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth from his stint with us last year, but his lack of positional flexibility compared with everyone else makes me want to know for certain if he can stick or if he’s organizational filler.

Dano_in_Tucson: For the love of god, ANYBODY! As of now, as I answer these questions while I wait for first pitch for the Sunday game, it seems like Tim Tawa is making a strong and emphatic case at the moment. If that continues, then great, the job is his. I suppose that, in the longer term, I’d probably want to see Locklear get another shot and do a good job and establish himself as our first baseman of the future, but really I just want someone to step up and demonstrate that they can (a) field the position and (b) contribute on offense in a way that is in line with what major league teams expect from their corner infielders. Doesn’t seem like that should be too much to ask for, but, well, here we are.

DbacksEurope: Paul Goldschmidt.

If you had the ability, what is one change you would make to All Star Week?

James Attwood: I haven’t been a fan of the ASG since 2003, so this is a hard one for me. I guess, as a fan of the sport that wants to grow the game for the fans, regardless of what the bean-counting suits want, I would make the entirety of the festivities free OTA.

Justin: Do away with the 3 on 3, team captains select the teams like a school yard team. Oh, you meant baseball…

Spencer: I would end it. It’s the most boring week of summer for me, especially with the Draft occurring while baseball still happens. I’d be fine with moving it to the end of season too, but it’s so uninteresting that I’d prefer to just remove it altogether. Create a new award for players and stop pretending like it’s something to care about.

1AZFan1: I think MLB’s All-Star Week is easily the best of the major sports leagues. The Home Run Derby is the main attraction and it gets all the big names, unlike the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest. The game itself is usually pretty good, too. Definitely better than the NFL’s flag football abomination. If I were to change anything, it would just be a tweak around the edges because it really is a good product right now. I saw Bryce Harper pitched using metal bats in the bonus round of the HR Derby which might be cool. I’d at least like to see it once to see if it’s value added.

Dano_in_Tucson: II don’t know that it would have even occurred to me to suggest this before 2026 arrived, but I would ensure that there were no All Star Week events (the game, the red carpet, the Home Run Derby, etc) that were gated behind streaming service paywalls. Put it all on broadcast television, ideally, so that anyone and everyone could watch, or at the very least give it to a universally available basic cable channel like ESPN. But giving the Home Run Derby to friggin’ Netflix? Eff you, Major League Baseball. Eff you.

DbacksEurope: With so many stats, add some more contests. Like a run the bases contest, furthest throws, running the outfield, best infield defence…there are many ways to enhance the days before the all star game beside the home run contest.

The 2026 MLB Draft is in the books and the Atlanta Braves have 21 new prospects to add into the organization. This is going to cover who the Braves drafted and where, guesses on if they are over/under slot value, and some general thoughts on each pick.

1.AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia

Over/under slot? Underslot

I’m a big fan of Gracia’s bat and loved this pick. I even wrote about him being a target for the Braves back in December when the lottery determined they would have the ninth pick. Gracia is a player with a strong track record of hitting for both average and power, and he is a guy who will have a chance to be a middle of the order type of bat.

1.Carter Beck, OF, Indiana State

Over/under slot? Underslot

Beck might be an underslot first round pick, but he’s got an interesting mix of tools, production, metrics, and room for growth with a professional player development team behind him. With what he has shown so far in terms of the feel for contact and athleticism, he is a player who could grow into being a top third of the lineup type of bat.

2.Kaiden McCarthy, RHP, Vermont Academy HS (VT)

Over/under slot? Overslot

McCarthy might be a little undersized and come from a smaller cold weather state, but his stuff is very loud. He is going to take time, but there are some optimistic that he has a chance at four plus pitches. Even if he doesn’t reach that lofty ceiling, the plus fastball and advanced change with two average breaking balls is still a talented arm to add to the system.

3.Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP, Kingsburg HS (CA)

Over/under slot? Significantly overslot

I had Hirschkorn as a first round talent in this class. I’m expecting he gets paid like one too, and he may have the biggest bonus of anyone outside of Gracia. He’s a projectable and athletic 6’7 arm who has already surprisingly above average command with a fastball that should grade out as better than plus as he matures. A second swing and miss pitch in his slider, and a feel for the change are also assets. Once he fills in his body and focuses on pitching full time – he was a multi-sport athlete in high school, the ceiling could be very high.

4.Cole Dennis, RHP, Bishop Snyder HS (FL)

Over/under slot? Overslot

Dennis is an up arrow prospect this spring as he is a two-way star that converted to pitching from catching. The command and changeup are going to take some work, which is to be expected when considering the background. However he has two pitches which he can get swings and misses with in the fastball and slider.

5.Wil Libbert, LHP, Mississippi

Over/under slot? Slot

Libbert has a promising four pitch mix, though he has had inconsistent command which kept him out of the Rebels rotation this spring. If he can improve the command then he has the makings of a potential middle of the rotation starter thanks to having four average or better pitches led by the fastball and cutter. Even if he can’t improve the command he has a chance to be a quality lefty reliever for the Braves.

6.Tyson Grulkowski, RHP, Muskego HS (WI)

Over/under slot? Overslot

Grulkowski is another interesting prep arm from a cold weather state. The combination of the fastball and breaking ball are what got him drafted, though he will need to improve his off speed pitch in order to remain a starter. I’m a big fan of his high spin, slurvy breaking ball and think there is potential to see the fastball tick up at least a half grade. What the Braves player development team does with his third pitch will really help determine his ceiling.

7.Jack Brenner, C, Fond du Lac HS (WI)

Over/under slot? Overslot

Brenner has an advanced hit tool and plenty of athleticism and versatility. He’s being picked for the bat, but he could have a unique skill set if he is able to stick behind the plate. Should catching not work out for him, there is enough bat and athleticism in there for him to be a fit at another position.

8.Jacob Jarrell, C, Clemson

Over/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign

Jarrell is going to be a cheaper senior sign, but he’s a bat with real power who happens to play catcher. I’m less than sure he will be able to stick behind the plate longterm, but the 18 homers he hit this year weren’t an accident. When you’re talking about a senior sign, getting a carrying trait is a win.

9.Parker Brosius, OF, Georgia Tech

Over/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign

Brosius is going to be a cheaper senior sign, but is maybe the most interesting senior sign the Braves have ever selected. He slashed .329/.504/.859 with 13 homers in part time duty this year – just 125 plate appearances. Even more important than the stats is the fact he’s a speedy athlete. He played in the corner outfield at Tech, but might get a look in center in the pros – as Drew Burress blocked him from getting much time there in college. He has also posted excellent contact metrics, which helps his average power play up. Brosius is a bit of a late bloomer with two partial seasons of solid and great production, but he is the type of prospect who could have a better pro career than he did in college.

10.Ben Zeigler-Namoa, 1B, Hawaii

Over/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign

Zeigler-Namoa is a cheap senior sign with a solid feel for hitting and some defensive versatility. The power is definitely below average, meaning he will need to have the hit tool carry him. He has a mixed track record with the wood bats, both looking good in the Cape in 2024 and struggling in a smaller sample size in the MLB Draft League last summer.

11.Ryne Barker, 3B, Casteel HS (AZ)

Over/under slot? Overslot

Barker is a toolsy prep infielder with elite speed and a developing feel for contact. He’s very much on the older side for a prep, but he’s shown more than enough tools to project as the type of player a development team can’t wait to get their hands on. I don’t believe power will be a huge part of his game, but his contact, athleticism, and versatility should give him a floor to work with.

12.Dominic Kibler, C, Wilsonsin-Milwaukee

Over/under slot? Slot

Kibler transferred to Milwaukee from Kent State for this year and saw his power increase. He only had limited reps at catcher heading into 2026, spending more time in the outfield than behind the plate – but he would bring good speed for the position. His power is more average to above, but he doesn’t swing and miss often.

13.Cole Dorland, RHP, Walnut Grove HS (Canada)

Over/under slot? Overslot

Dorland was one of the top prep players in Canada this year and had been an Alabama commit. He’s a bit undersized, but has some projection and a solid three-pitch mix to work with. Dorland is a guy who is going to take some time, but he has gains to be made as a cold weather pitching prospect.

14.Brady Hamilton, RHP, Wichita State

Over/under slot? Slot

Hamilton broke out in the Cape last summer as he was at times in the mid-90’s with a quality slider and a change that has the potential to be a decent third pitch. He didn’t live up to that this spring, as his stuff and command weren’t quite at the same level. Still this is a guy who looked the part of a big league prospect, and the Braves are hoping the player development staff can get him back to being the guy we saw last summer.

15.Caleb Klein, OF, Southeast Missouri State

Over/under slot? Slot

Klein joined SEMO from the JUCO ranks this year and had a big year with the bat. His contact skills led to him slashing .316/.417/.491 with 8 homers among his 21 extra base hits and more walks (31) than strikeouts (30) along with 14 steals. I don’t believe the power grades the way it played this year, but it does play up due to the strong hit tool.

16.Dalton Harper, C, Niagara County CC (NY)

Over/under slot? Slightly overslot

Harper started out at Georgia Southern, transferred to a New York JUCO where he caught one of last year’s helium draft prospects in Matt Barr, and was committed to Penn State. He’s not the toolsiest prospect, but he is a grinder who is going to get the most out of the tools he has. He hit .438/.544/.673 with 13 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, 25 walks, and only 10 strikeouts in his 194 plate appearances.

17.John Damozonio, RHP, Saint Mary’s

Over/under slot? Slot

Damozonio saw his command take a step forward to have a breakout season in a starting role this spring. He brings one of the best sliders in the entire draft and the rest of his pitch arsenal clearly popped in the Braves model. He is going to need to refine his arsenal with the player development team, but he has the potential to be a steal at this point in the draft. If he is able to add additional velocity then his profile gets even more intriguing.

18.Ethan Stade, LHP, Bowling Green

Over/under slot? Slot

The lefty posted a 14.5 K/9 this spring and followed that up by being lights out at the MLB Draft League this summer. At the MLBDL he has a 1.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28 K to 7 walks over his 14.2 innings – a 17.2 K/9. He might not stand out for his velocity, but the metrics on his pitches explain why he’s able to rack up the whiffs. This is a strong flier to get into the Braves player development.

19.Austin Fawley, C, Mississippi

Over/under slot? Slot

Fawley transferred from Kentucky to Mississippi and has hit 21 and 13 homers in the two years in the Rebels lineup. He has also improved his defense and throwing to the point where he has become an asset there. He does strike out – a lot, 156 over the last two years, but getting into a professional system could help to cut down on those strikeouts a bit. Still it’s a nice flier on a guy with big power.

20.Nile Adcock, RHP, Kentucky

Over/under slot? Slot

A former JUCO transfer who broke out a bit this year in relief for the Wildcats. He’s more low 90’s, but the slider is a potentially plus pitch for him. He projects as a sinker/slider reliever who has also flashed a solid curve, but he has a career 12.4 K/9 in his two years for UK.

The lineups are here and that means the Phillies will have two names in the lineup when the All-Star Game gets underway.

Kyle Schwarber is going to lead off for the National League, a deserved spot for him. Brandon Marsh, the other Phillies offensive starter will be batting seventh.

The starter, as we know by now, will be Cristopher Sanchez, a guy who will get some national recognition with the assignment.

I don’t know what to call this segment of the schedule prior to the All-Star game/break because it sure as heck isn’t half a season. The 2026 San Francisco Giants played their 81st game 17 days ago (it was a loss, of course) and will have 66 games remaining when they resume play on Friday in Seattle. So, let’s call it the first part of the season. As bad as the Giants were in that first part and figure to be in the second part (and for the rest of this decade, probably), they still managed to stumble into some good moments. Here are five of them.

5. Heliot Ramos flips is bat after breaking up Dylan Cease’s no-hitter bid (July 8th)

This was pitched by our Sean Keane and it’s possible that he intended for this to be one of the five worst moments of the first part of the season, but I am having a hard time finding anything wrong with Heliot Ramos in 2026, save the time he missed from injury; so, here he is flipping his bat after breaking up a no-hitter in a game that was already hella lost.

This is 100% like the end of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” where Captain Sisko puts together a ragtag baseball team to face off against some really jerky Vulcans. The Niners lose to the Vulcan Logicians, 10-1, but at the end of the episode they celebrate their 1 run like they’d won the game, confounding the logical Vulcans who thought such a dominate win would be a humiliation.

You can’t humiliate the Giants. They are beyond the point of embarrassment. They will take any victory.

Baseball, like life, is a tough sport. And, like life, most of baseball’s participants are losers. But holding on to the spirit of competition and never giving up despite always losing or being so bad — just outright sucking when compared to the competition? That’s living. And here’s Heliot Ramos showing the indominable spirit every pro athlete should have and every fan should appreciate. Even when the Giants lose, they aren’t beaten.

4. Going 4-3 against the Dodgers

Not so much a moment as a series of moments, but after having already surrendered the rivalry to the Dodgers, seeing the Giants grasp and claw at them like a corpse expelling gasses has been fun to see and certainly another example of a bad team having some fight in it.

Tyler Mahle outdueled Shohei Ohtani the night after the Giants scored 3 runs off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and won the game despite Landen Roupp walking 5 and being succeeded by 5 relievers? Humm Baby!

Two and a half weeks later, they rolled into Dodger Stadium and took the first two games of a four game series, with Trevor McDonald, Matt Gage, Keaton Winn, and JT Brubaker limiting the Dodgers to 3 runs in the first game’s 9-3 win. In game two, Eric Haase homered twice and Harrison Bader homered as well as the Giants once again took it to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Adrian Houser, believe it or not got the win.

Sure, sure, the Dodgers went on to win the next two games and the 18-24 mark the Giants achieved after winning those first two games would only be matched in terms of games under .500 just once more all season , when they were 20-26, the important thing is that the greatest team in the history of professional sports run by the smartest front office that ever existed and populated by coaches and scouts the likes of which have never been seen — a team that is so good that fans have demanded the sport kills itself with a salary cap — lost 4 out of their first 7 games against the lowly, pathetic San Francisco Giants.

Is it a simple matter of “That’s Baseball!” or does it indicate that a threepeat is unlikely? I think it’s this, because it’s hard to imagine that the Giants have been secretly talented this whole time but only showing it against the Dodgers. In fact, I think that’s unlikely. Instead, the reason why this is a best moment is because it’s the Giants, the Dodgers’ former rivals, that’s showing to the rest of the sport that LA can bleed, and since it can bleed, it can be defeated.

3. Casey Schmitt’s 3-run home run against the Marlins (April 26th)

Don’t laugh!

Casey Schmitt is having a great season, and even if there are clear indications that it’s not sustainable, that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed out of hand. What’s done is done. Now, before you go thinking that I’m taking another potshot at the team by listing a home run that occurred back in April for one of its best moments from the first part of the season, know that I’m doing so as sort of a holistic thing.

As much as fans and pundits talk about the Phillies series as being rock bottom for this 2026 season (the doubleheader sweep via walk-offs that many say as the turning point of the season), this game before that series brought the Giants to 13-15 and opened everyone’s eyes to Schmitt’s season.

It was also the best result he’s had in a high pressure situation. By Baseball Reference’s Leverage Index, this at bat carried a 1.65, or 65% more pressured than the average at bat. This 3-run home run, his sole hit of the game, added 0.193 Win Probability for the Giants, and the 6-3 score it led to wound up being the final score.

No, it wasn’t his biggest Win Probability Added event of the season, but it was his most clutch hit, according to Baseball Reference. He’s had five better games in terms of total value, and yes, most of them are thanks to his home run power.

His biggest WPA (0.344) was in a game against the White Sox where he hit a 2-run home run and added a third RBI, too. In fact, he was big in that White Sox series at Oracle Park. He also had a great game against the A’s and had a three-doubles game against the Orioles.

So, another moment that’s more like a series of moments. Casey Schmitt has made himself a key player this season. A breakout that has been a pleasure to watch.

2. Bryce Eldridge’s walk-off grand slam

Do I need to say anything else?

1. Luis Arraez’s All-Star season

Now, the only thing that could possibly bump a walk-off grand slam from the top spot is a total surprise, and that’s just what Luis Arraez’s entire 2026 has been. Yes, the batting average we all expected is there (.330), but that’s with a .369 OBP (career: .364) and .460 slug (career: .418). And all of that is next to the wildest surprise, the absolute outlier, the greatest development of all: his All-Star caliber defense at second base.

According to Statcast, he’s been the 9th-most valuable defender in all of Major League Baseball (+8 Fielding Run Value). He’s in roughly the same league as elite defensive catchers, but of the non-catcher infield group, he’s in the tier just below JJ Wetherholt (+15 FRV) and Bobby Witt Jr. (+13), a group that includes Masyn Winn, Andres Gimenez, and Nico Hoerner, whom many Giants fans (myself included) wanted the Giants to pursue in the offseason, given how great he is at up the middle defense.

Instead, for the simple cost of $12 million and whatever they’re paying Ron Washington (which, in retrospect, might not be enough!), they have one of the best players in all of Major League Baseball. A total surprise and a welcome development even in a lost season.

But don’t let me be the last word. What moments would you like to highlight?

This week, Jake is joined by Nate Rasmussen of OverSlotBaseball.com. Nate is a former writer for Prospects Live, is scout school certified, and is a former pitching coach for Bushnell University! We dive into Condon, Kuhns, Maniscalco, Williamson, Montesa, Ferraro, and Kennedy. Then we touch on a few of the Day 2 picks that Nate really liked, as well as some NIL and CBA talk to finish the episode, and how those elements are shaping the future of the draft!

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Transcript:

Jake Wood (00:23)
Welcome into the Viva El Birdos Podcast. As always, I am your host, Jake Wood. If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to like and subscribe to our channel. We are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all of your favorite audio streaming platforms. We are privileged to be joined by Nate Rasmussen of Overslotbaseball.com tonight. Nate began covering amateur players with Prospects Live. He is scout school certified and is a former pitching coach.

For Bushnell University. Nate, of course, is now teamed up with Joe Doyle over at Overslot, and they do fantastic work. Please make sure you take time to go over to overslotbaseball.com and check out all of their great content.

Nate, welcome to the show. Are you ready, are you more ready to talk Cardinals draft picks or for your head to hit the pillow after a marathon of content over the last forty-eight hours?

Nate Rasmussen (01:26)
Jake, normally I would be excited to sleep, but I’m really excited to talk about the Cardinals draft. We’ll get into it a little bit later, but I’m pretty bullish on what the cards are doing here. So sleep can wait for now.

Jake Wood (01:38)
Hell yeah, brother. You know what? I’ll save the 18th-round pick, Gabe Camacho, for later in the show, so we might as well start from the top. You know, the Cardinals selected prep outfielder Trevor Condon out of Etowa High School in Georgia. For a majority of Cardinals fans who only heard of Condon’s and, you know, pretty much all of these players’ names for the first time yesterday, tell us what we need to know about the type of player the Cardinals just drafted at 13?

Nate Rasmussen (02:04)
Yeah, Trevor Condon, first of all, amazing baseball player. I had him ranked as my tenth-best prospect in the draft. A lot of people really, really liked him heading into the draft. And a big part of that was the kind of person he is. He plays with his hair on fire. Insert any of those adjectives. He’s just a gamer. And it’s so clear when you watch him play. Like it’s really, really like a fan favorite type of material. He had a lot of suitors in the ten-to-twenty range. He was a real hot ticket item in this class. He’s an aggressive player. He’s physical for for 18 year old.

It’s a very reactive, kind of unorthodox swing, which is what had some people on the fence about him this early in the draft, but it’s led to a lot of success that you can’t really question. And I think it’s gonna play very well in Pro ball. It’s a really good plate approach. He’ll put up eighty-grade runner times, 70 grade runner times, dynamic center fielder, like could be a gold glove in the future. That is how good he is at center field. It’s really, really talented in all aspects of the game.

Above-average bat speed is going to help kind of raise that floor up. The contact quality is pretty good. He’s on the ground a little bit too much right now, though. So probably the first thing we’ll look at as he matures. A couple of years in the minor leagues. I want to see that the ground ball rate decreases a little bit. Maybe start pulling the ball in the air a little bit more, as everyone wants. It gets some more power. But there aren’t too many holes to pick with him, unless you’re one of the people who are unsure about the swing. But I’m pretty comfortable with it, Jake.

Jake Wood (03:28)
You know, we’ve heard, you know, player comps of like PCA, Lenny Dykstra. I’ve even heard whispers of, like, a Kevin McGonigle. Like, is there any of those players that stand out above the rest in context to like a Trevor Condon?

Nate Rasmussen (03:42)
I would not go PCA. I think the hit tool is better than the power projection right now. Some people have put as high as a sixty-grade plus hit tool on Condon. I’m more in the fifty-to-fifty-five range. I think the power could creep up to forty-five to fifty as well. So maybe a little bit more reminiscent of let’s see here. I think that there are some shades of a guy like Max Clark in there. You know, really good defensive center fielder, pretty good plate approach. They’re both aggressive in different ways. I would say Condon definitely swings the bat. Maybe

A little bit more than Max Clark, but kind of similar in the hit-to-power ratio. Clark might have a slightly more comfortable hit tool right now, though.

Jake Wood (04:20)
You know, at pick thirty-two, the Cardinals took their third Tennessee volunteer pitcher in the last two seasons, Tegan Kuhns, after taking Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin last season. Well, you know, what’s the skinny on Kuhns and what kind of value did the Cardinals get at thirty-two?

Nate Rasmussen (04:37)
I would say he went right around where we expected him to go. At times this year, Kuhns could have been maybe a top-twenty pick in some mocks that we did over at Overslot. But it’s a really safe pick that also has that kind of projection or upside we’re looking for. It’s a really good four-pitch mix. It’s kind of had an up-and-down season at Tennessee, including being sent to the bullpen at one point. But that Tennessee team had, by all means, had a kind of an interesting year. Really good mechanics, but it’s a lot of effort. Kind of similar to the Liam Doyle conversations of last year. Like he throws with a lot of effort. People will always be slightly scared by that, but Kuhns fills up the zone. So really nothing to worry about there. There are a ton of strikes. Really great fastball that I think analysts think that you can get a little bit more out of at the pro level, but as is right now, it’s a six-degrade pitch. The locations could use a little bit of help. I think that’s why the fastball plays down sometimes. He leaves it too low in the zone. It’s more of a carry pitch. Chase up out of the zone. Get your whiffs up there. Slider’s really good. That’s his main put away. His changeup’s actually flashed pretty well to lefties, and he has a curveball that works well. So it’s like one of the more complete four-pitch arsenals right now of almost any draft-eligible pitcher. It’s just a really projectable arm. I think he slid a little bit. This year was underwhelming at times. When you look at the season stats, it looks spectacular. Like a really great season. There were times when Kuhns just wasn’t performing up to the lofty expectations a lot of us had on him, which probably caused him to fall a little bit further in the draft than maybe we were expecting.

Jake Wood (06:05)
Would you say this is, if all things fall right, probably a mid-rotation arm-type projection?

Nate Rasmussen (06:12)
I think a number three starter makes a lot of sense as kind of the ceiling, most likely. I think you have a built-in number four starter in Tegan Kuhns, though.

Jake Wood (06:20)
Awesome. You know, moving right along to pick number fifty, Rocco Maniscalco made some waves at the scouting combine a couple weeks ago, unleashing ninety seven mile an hour rockets from shortstop. Does the upside of Maniscalco rival that of Condon’s, or do you think those two players are completely different in terms of the tiers that they fall into?

Nate Rasmussen (06:40)
Rocco Maniscalco’s in a league of his own. I don’t, it’s almost like it’s really fun to talk about. You look at this guy who’s barely like seventeen years old. One of the, I think maybe the youngest player ever drafted. You might have to help me on that. He’s so young, and he’s one of the best defenders we’ve got, which is not something you really expect from these players who are class up and are the youngest. You don’t expect them to like have these super carrying tools. You expect it all to be projection. There’s not a whole lot of projection left in the glove. Like he is going to be one of the better shortstop defenders in the minor leagues, right off the bat. You know, you look at someone like Billy Carlson, who got drafted last year, revered for his glove. Maniscalco is most likely better than that. This is really incredible stuff. And this isn’t clickbait or anything like that. I think he’s maybe the second best defender in the draft behind Roch Cholowski It’s hard to go away from Roch. There are some good outfield defenders who definitely make a case, but as far as shortstop prospects go, Maniscalco is right up there. Really big arm, like you saw at the Combine. He did struggle a lot in high school.

Jake Wood (07:19)
Wow.

Nate Rasmussen (07:40)
school games this spring. The bats coming around, but the underlying metrics aren’t super favorable for the bat. But when you draft a guy like this, you have so much time. You know, this is a guy who’s got four, five, six years in the minor leagues ahead of him to really work on that bat and just let him mature a little bit more.

Think he could reach double-digit home runs with like a middling average, like, well, maybe like a 240 average with like 12 or 14 home runs makes this like a premium player in the league. Like that might be a four or five or shortstop, just based on the defense alone and an average hitting. If you get him to 100 WRC plus, this draft pick is an absolute slam dunk. And the floor is high enough with a player that’s so far away, and just with the defense alone, if he can get to like a 45 hit and 45 40 power, it’s gonna be a really, really nice pick. Really surprised that they were able to get a guy like Maniscalco and Condon together, but by all means it looks like they’re gonna make it work.

Jake Wood (08:34)
If the thought was that four or five years down the track, they were able to move him to, say, third base and b be able to pair him on that left side with a Masyn Winn, is that would that be putting too much pressure on the bat? Do you think that the bat probably doesn’t profile that well at third base, or ’cause that’s kind of where I thought originally that they might be going with that is like, hey, this might be, you know, the third baseman of the future kind of thing. Would d you know, would it take some pretty outlier-type steps forward for him to probably fit that mold of like a future third baseman type?

Nate Rasmussen (09:10)
To develop a lot to develop for him to move off of shortstop in any circumstance. I think if the shortstop position was full, you probably wouldn’t play Rocco Maniscalco at another position, most likely. He’s one of those guys who’s just such a good shortstop that you would hate to see him play a non-premium position. Maybe you could try him in center field. You know, he’s not the worst runner ever. The arm’s incredible. But I would imagine that the plan is to keep him at shortstop for as long as humanly possible.

Jake Wood (09:35)
Interesting. Well, that’s all I mean; that’s all really good stuff. I just didn’t know that the bat was lagging that far behind, but that’s good information to know. You know, at pick sixty-eight, the first of the two picks the Cardinals received in the Brendan Donovan trade, the Cardinals selected outfielder Andrew Williamson out of UCF. tell us more about Williamson and the skill set that he’s bringing to the St. Louis organization.

Nate Rasmussen (09:59)
Yeah, Williamson’s just bringing like a lot of a lot of power, basically. You know, kind of one of those typical college outfielders nowadays. It’s like middling with numbers with really great EVs and barrel rates. He’s been a strong performer for two years at UCF. Kind of interesting that you see a guy play for like three years at a school like UCF. So I like to give him a little credit for that. He could have left and gone to any SEC program in the country last year, but he stayed at UCF. Just a really cool little thing there in this landscape of college baseball. He’s a little undersized, which makes him kind of more of an average power projection, but he’s just blossomed over the last year and a half. Struggles a little bit with fastballs up; there’s some whiff on velo in general, sometimes a little bit of chase. It’s pretty, pretty average chase rates. I’d say probably unlikely to play center field in the pros. I think the best-case scenario you’re looking at is a strong corner outfielder, like a fourth outfielder type. Maybe some DH Days mixed in there, probably gonna crush Righties, and hits the ball really dang hard. So just for context, it’s the ninety-seventh percentile, ninetieth percentile exit velocity. There are a lot of percentiles in what I just said, but one of the best power hitters in the country last year.

Jake Wood (11:05)
We love percentile conversations, so bring it all. We love the context. You know, at seventy two the Cardinals put their hiking boots on, headed out to the mountains of West Virginia, and they selected right hander Dawson Montesa You know, according to pre draft rankings, this was a bit of a reach, but you know, this could also be a below slot deal to use the savings on a Maniscalco You know, we talked about that a little bit, you know, pre showed. What’s the appeal of a Dawson Montesa for you, Nate?

Nate Rasmussen (11:07)
Ha

Think the whole appeal is savings here. You know, at Overslot, we had him ranked two hundred and sixty-ninth. So obviously a bit of a jump here. With that being said, there’s enough clay in this build to make him still an exciting underslot option, which helps pay for the prep guys at the front. He transferred from Adelphi to West Virginia this year. It’s like a mid-nineties fastball; it’s taken a big jump.

In twenty twenty six, it’s like a deception carried profile, which makes him a safer pick than a lot of others because he’s always just gonna play up a little bit because hitters just have a harder time seeing him. It’s a big, like two-plane curveball as his main secondary. I think the curveball’s kind of having a renaissance right now. So I always like seeing these pitching prospects with this really nice curveball. Fastball and changeup have a little bit of life. I think a number five starter is the hope. He’s like not a good extender, which just kind of immediately removes him from like the super high upside conversation because the release traits aren’t crazy enough to push him into like this high upside kind of mix. You hope he’s a starter, maybe a swing starter between Triple A and the MLB, but I think that serves a pretty valuable role just given the amount of money you’re probably gonna allocate to him.

Jake Wood (12:40)
Certainly. You know, I think the thing for most players and me, like, their curveball was about as fast as my fastball was. And so, like, seeing some of these guys you talk about watching a beautiful curveball. It’s my favorite thing from the pitcher’s mound, it was releasing that thing and just watching it drop off the table. So much fun. But, you know, that’s beside the point. At eighty-six, this is my favorite turn of phrase for this draft.

The Red Raider slugger turned Redbird, Caden Ferraro, was the selection. A defensive home is probably going to be his biggest question mark, you know, but the bat is special, so tell us more about the impact that Ferraro can supply.

Nate Rasmussen (13:22)
First of all, that was pretty slick. I really liked it. Caden Ferraro is gonna be a DH. All right? People don’t wanna hear it. It’s he if you DH in college, you’re most likely a DH in the pros, especially if you don’t have any kinda like movement traits that are desirable. He’s got a good arm, but he does not move well at all. This is a guy who had so much helium late in the year. People started kinda actually looking at numbers altogether and looking at, you know, chase percentage leaderboards and stuff like that, and Caden Ferraro is near the top of pretty much every single metric that we have on these hitters. It might be one of the best data profiles in the class altogether. It could be like a 55-hit, 60-power guy. You know, if someone’s a 60 hit 60 power, they’re borderline Yordan at this point. So, just saying, like, this is a DH who’s gonna hit really well. It’s a gap-to-gap approach, which limits some of the in-game power output. You would expect him to have more home runs than he had last year at Texas Tech.

He just doesn’t pull the ball in the air. You know, he’d rather take that double to the opposite field. It’s real bat speed. It’s pro-ready bat speed right now. It’s a really sound swing. It’s kind of just the perfect selection in this range. You get a hitter with such a high floor, but also so much potential. I know that the lack of defensive versatility kind of limits the ceiling, but at the same time, this is a guy who could be one of the better DHs in the league. Maybe you stick him in left field or right field, and it works out, but I’m not so sold on that. And you can’t take a positionless guy higher than you know the top sixty or seventy. This is one of the best positionless hitters in the whole draft.

Jake Wood (14:51)
Terrific. I love the sound of getting more impact bats, and you know the Cardinals are unfortunately playing in a hitter wasteland like Busch Stadium. Having dudes who can just simply rake is music to my ears. The final day one pick was shortstop Dee Kennedy out of Kansas State. You know, my favorite question I see from general fans is.

You know, why do they draft X position players? They already have players X, Y, and Z at that spot. You know, can you elaborate on Kennedy and also kind of the benefit of drafting shortstops as a strategy in professional baseball?

Nate Rasmussen (15:32)
Yeah, so shortstops are the most athletic players in the field for the most part. They’re also the best defenders. We typically don’t see outfielders be able to move into infield because it requires more technical skill, but infielders can move to outfield pretty easily because it’s a less technical position. So when you put all that together, shortstops can basically play third base, second base, shortstop, center field, right field, left field. You know, normally shortstops don’t go up to play first base or catcher. Stranger things have happened, but that’s a lot of versatility for a player. We see it with the Padres. They have what, seven shortstops on their team, and they’re playing all over the place.

Dee Kennedy actually really fits that mold. And my notes here, I have him as like more of a utility player long term. I think his value isn’t gonna be with the glove. It’s gonna be with the versatility of that glove. He’s been a real riser this year, too. This is a guy who wasn’t on nearly any radars entering the year and slowly worked himself up to this kind of first-round area. I think that there were real suitors, like the second and third rounds. I’m really surprised, honestly, that he made it this far. It’s kind of a shakier hit tool, but he showed enough impact this year to kinda blur those lines enough. He maximizes contact quality. Like one of the best players in the draft. The air pull rate, I believe, is the ninety-eighth percentile. So this guy, like, the swing is tailored to lift and pull the ball and maximize, you know, the more average raw power that he might have. he doesn’t chase a whole lot, but he whiffs, which helps the floor generally. He’s selective at the plate. The in-zone whiff is what’s gonna really be the determining factor of whether he’s a future pro or if he’s more of a, you know, guy who can never quite get over the hit tool concerns.

Jake Wood (17:06)
So let’s do this. How did you evaluate the Cardinals and the way that they did on day one overall, and then also your favorite pick of theirs from day one? Before we move on to day two.

Nate Rasmussen (17:17)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Just gotta be honest, this is my favorite draft class, and it’s not just because I’m on Viva El Birdos, it’s because they drafted players in spots that I would have taken those players earlier. You know, Condon was 10 on my board; they took him at 13. A guy like Dee Kennedy was, I believe, top 70 on my board. This is a guy that they took down the board. Every single one of these guys could have been taken much earlier, aside from Dawson Montesa, who serves a very important role in getting all of these guys. But to answer your actual question.

I really like Trevor Condon, but as far as value goes, Rocco Maniscalco is one of the sneakier picks. To get that good of a defender is just such a boost to a farm system because you just have this premium tool set that you don’t find that often at the most important position in baseball. If you hit on that pick, it might end up being the best player from this draft. If you can hit, you know, at a league-average level, it’s truly one of the more valuable players. So I don’t know how you can’t be excited about that, especially since he’s so young.

Jake Wood (18:09)
Right.

Yeah, the Cardinals did something similar last season with their selection of Ryan Mitchell, too. You know, they took that really high upside prepster right in the middle of the that fifty I think it was fift it’s fifty two overall, somewhere in that range, but you know, this seems to be kind of where the Cardinals are are wanting to really hit on that that high upside prep, you know, range of player, and we’re seeing that now two years in a row with the addition of Maniscalco. You know, let’s quickly highlight some of the day two picks. You know, who are some guys that stood out to you from the Cardinal selections today?

Nate Rasmussen (18:51)
Yeah, without a doubt. It’s hard not to talk about Cal Randall, first of all. It might be the best fastball in the class, which just has, you know, an exciting feel to it. It’s like a guy you could probably put in a big league bullpen in a year, and he’ll succeed right away. He really doesn’t have any even average breaking stuff for secondary pitches right now. He is an okay changeup, but the breaking balls are really bad. If you can get this guy to just one more usable pitch, you know, some kind of slider that’s about average, he’s gonna be one of the best relievers in the league. It’s just right now, guys can kind of kind of predict his fastballs coming because it’s it’s not it’s not a great secondary. So being able to get a guy like that who could be a future nearer is always really fun. Going down the board a little bit more, Owen Henne is this D2 guy that you guys got from Seton Hill. Didn’t know it existed until today. He’s a high zone contact, good EVs. he’s a Draft League standout. So I did want to highlight that you guys took about four or five different players today that were all playing in the MLB Draft League, a feeder summer ball team. think just like the Cape Cod League MLB Draft League serves a really similar purpose. But we have a lot of advanced data, and it’s more public in the draft league. The Cardinals took a surprising number of guys from the Draft League. It’s a popular league, but you guys like truly used it to your advantage this year. Just going up and down the board. So many of these guys were playing this summer in the draft league. So just an interesting thing that I saw.

As I go down the board a little bit more, Nick Bonn from Cal Poly has thrown 100. That’s always fun. Jacob Haley from South Alabama has been up to 97.

I think that you guys are gonna try him as a starter in the minor leagues. It’s a good slider. There’s deception in the delivery. All the things you want to see from a small school pitcher that might signal better things are on the way. The last guy I truly, truly want to highlight is Drew Horn, a right-handed pitcher from Middle Tennessee. This is a guy whom I interviewed back in the fall; I got to know him a little bit, you know, playing at the small D1 school. He had a phenomenal 2025, but he’s a sophomore and couldn’t get drafted. He had a tough 2026. By all means, he took a big step back this year. A lot of pressure on him. He added a bridge pitch breaking ball. He’s a shorter frame, so the fastball plays up in the zone a little bit better. He’s got these really high-spin breakers that have performed well every single year. His changeup’s showing flashes. He wins with locations. If this guy can get back to his 2025 form pretty soon, he’s just gonna be a slam-dunk reliever. You could try him as a starter as well. I just believe in the person a lot, and coming from a smaller school in Middle Tennessee, they’ve done a really good job developing their pitch in the last couple of years. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s someone that opens some eyes in about a year or two.

Jake Wood (21:23)
You know, on the Cal Randall front, we saw the Cardinals last year take Tanner Franklin out of Tennessee, a reliever converted to a starter. You know, the way that you were describing Randall sounds a lot like Liam Doyle, whom they took last year. Big fastball, you can rely on it heavily. He could be a reliever in a year. Had that splitter that was a workable secondary, but really had no quality, you know, breaking pitch to speak of. And we’ve seen this season that they started Doyle at double A and allowed him to just kind of spam that breaking ball over and over again to really get that good feel for it. Do you think that we could see a similar track for a guy like Cal Randall? Would you try it as a starter just to see what that could do? Or do you think that guy is probably just reliever straight out the gate and like that’s that’s all he’s gonna be?

Nate Rasmussen (22:13)
It’s definitely within the realm of possibility. When you have that good of a fastball, it would almost be stupid not to try him as a starter because of the value you can extract from him. I would say it’s pretty unlikely just because of the lack of secondary pitches at this point. Like, even if he adds one pitch, it’s probably not gonna be enough to start and get past the fourth or fifth inning very often. So I would lean on maybe they try it out, but you’ll have to do a lot of work. The player development team, you know, has a project ahead of them trying to add some secondaries in a pretty short turnaround before next spring. So, we’ll see!

Jake Wood (22:43)
And then, of course, I have to go back to my guy out of the eighteenth round because I promised. Gabe Camacho. Let’s talk about Gabe Camacho. What are the Cardinals getting? You did the background, you teased that somebody, some show you were gonna go on, was gonna ask you about the eighteenth round pick. Let’s get into Gabe Camacho.

Nate Rasmussen (23:01)
The quick context for the listeners here. I put out a tweet just trying to be a silly guy. Said I go on a lot of podcasts this week, and they always ask me about the 18th round pick that I’ve never heard of. Some guy who wasn’t anywhere near my board, never saw him play. And Jake has taken that and run with it, and I love it. I’m ready for Gabe Camacho. Outfield/first base type from San Diego. He maximizes his contact. A really good air pull bat, which is just nice to see. He’s gonna perform right away with that. He’s young, above-average bat-to-ball, plus raw power is what I had on him. Good first base defender. It might be more average raw power at this point. We’ll see. Loud and aggressive swing at times. The video had me a little bit concerned. There weren’t a whole lot of super clear angles for me to fully dissect it. Looked like a lot of barrel tip, so we’ll see. Definitely a bit of a project. 18th rounder, not a whole lot of expectations, but for an 18th rounder, this guy has the underlying skills, you know, the percentile rankings to maybe say that there’s something there in the future. We’ll see. He’s gonna have to hit a lot to continue playing at first base, most likely.

Jake Wood (24:01)
And then let’s just talk real touch real quickly on Freshcorn, and who is who did they take in the twenty-three Colin Ritchie, that’s right. The two that really fell.

Nate Rasmussen (24:07)
Colin Ritchie.

Jake Wood (24:12)
that most had projected in the top ten rounds, of course. Just touch on those guys really briefly. If by some miracle stroke of luck, you know, not Richie’s already s come out and said that he’s going back, but they were somehow by a miracle stroke able to grab Freshcorn away from his commitment, what would the Cardinals be getting in that profile?

Nate Rasmussen (24:32)
Yeah, just two classic insurance picks. I think Freshcorn was unlikely to be drafted this year, just based on how much he can gain from hopefully starting next year. It’s like a talented east-to-west arsenal. So big sweepers, kind of bigger, bigger sinkers. He doesn’t walk anyone, like truly nobody. I it’s sub three percent walk rate, which is incredible. up to ninety-six. He was a reliever this year, but he should start in the future, and then his value will be even higher. But if you were to draft him, it was gonna cost some money. Probably a top two hundred-ish talent in the draft. Colin Ritchie was a guy who could have gone on day one. We were really surprised by this one at Overslot. Unlikely to sign, borderline day one talent. Plays a pretty good center field and does everything you want with the bat. Definitely, at times there are some concerns with the hit tool. This is a guy who must be getting an absolute bag to stay in college because this is one of the better players in college baseball.

Jake Wood (25:24)
My last question before we go, with the inclusion of NIL now in, you know, college baseball, how much more difficult does that make it for, you know, major league teams to, you know, sign players away from their college commitments, ’cause no longer is it kind of this, you know, under-the-table bag that these players are getting. It’s out there, it’s loud, it’s proud. Everybody knows that, like, there’s money being given to these players, like real, like, you know, bonus pool type money. Like how much more difficult does that make that for, you know, these scouting departments to try to like decipher who is worthy of trying to to sign and pull away from that and like actually being able to go with best player available as a strategy, like what is so f like often commonly referred to as like the best strategy to go for when it comes to like the major league baseball amateur draft?

Nate Rasmussen (26:21)
Yeah, so just to start, I think the C-tier prep prospect is gonna go extinct. It already kinda happened this year. The guys who are expected to sign for between a hundred thousand dollars and five hundred thousand dollars, and maybe even upwards of a million dollars, are gonna opt to go to school because they can make up a large portion of that money or make more money than they were expected to get when signing, and then they also have another shot at the draft, to you know, prove it and go even higher in the future. So this year, like, there is a real lack of, like, $500,000 prep players that we’ve seen, you know, in the 12th round and in the 10th round and in previous years. And that’s because they all have these college commitments. You know, if I’m gonna make a hundred, a hundred fifty thousand dollars a year at my college over, you know, in one year, that’s gonna be close to my signing bonus after three years, and I get another shot at this thing. I can double dip. So we’re gonna see, you know, only the best prep players are gonna are gonna get drafted at this point. It’s just gonna be it’s gonna be interesting to see how it plays out, you know.

Just with the CBA coming up and stuff like that, a lot’s probably gonna change with the draft, so not too confident in how this is all gonna turn out. But right now it’s kind of a scary thing. You know, more college players are probably gonna keep getting drafted.

Jake Wood (27:34)
I wanted to I as a quick follow-up, I did want to ask you about that because as the C B A is is coming up and we’ve heard like the first proposal, which we always know is just absolutely flat out ridiculous, that they’re eliminating high school players altogether, prep players from like the talent pool. Like what what would that do for the major league baseball draft if it were, like, essentially a college-exclusive and, like, in a way, I guess you would look at college almost as if it were single A?

Nate Rasmussen (28:03)
Yeah, you’re just offloading the development. You know, college is better than single A at this point, like a lot of college baseball. You can say the SEC might be better than a high A, so you’re just off its lazy. You’re offloading development, you’re taking the fun out of the draft, you’re taking the the scouting, the the full scouting experience out of the draft. You know, having you know, being having a range of scouting from 17-year-olds to twenty-four year olds in the draft allows for unpredictability and allows for, like, your scouting department to gain real edges with your team. If you have a really good scouting department right now in baseball, you can win. We see it with the Dodgers. It’s incredible. Yeah, they buy players, sure. They also scout, and they put a lot of money into their scouting department, and it pays off for them. That’s why they’re so good. So I, and as you can see, this is kind of getting me going right now. You’re taking the parody out of the draft. Not all of it, because you can still you still have to sign the right college guys and stuff like that, but you’re just taking so much of the unpredictability that makes this game so great and allows teams to go from bad to good. The White Sox, for example. Amazing draft. They’ve drafted really well for multiple years now, and it’s gonna turn this franchise around. That’s gonna be harder; it’s just gonna be harder to do if they pass rules like that.

Jake Wood (28:51)
No, please go for it, yeah.

You know, you look at teams like the Rays, like the Guardians, like the Brewers, for example, when you were talking about the Cardinals, and it sparked this thought in my brain. You know, the thing about the Brewers in the last few years, how they’ve really gained an edge, is the JUCO players. They’re really hitting that market really hard. And I’m wondering if the Cardinals are looking at the Draft League as their way to kind of, you know dive into that specific pool and try to maximize that and leverage that area of the draft. I, you know, it when you said that I was like, Epiphany moment, like that’s what they’re talking about. That’s probably what Chaim Bloom has been referencing so much: they’re looking for every available edge, every opportunity, and every margin to try to get themselves back to where they believe they’re supposed to be at the top of the mountain. And, you know, if the MLB draft league is where they’re looking to go for that next available edge, then that’s incredibly intelligent, in my opinion, for what they’re trying to do. And using the Brewers’ kind of, you know, map to kind of follow on that.

Nate Rasmussen (30:22)
Definitely interesting. Yeah, I haven’t heard anyone talk about the draft league stuff, but there’s a good number of guys, especially after round 10, that you guys took, like half of them are playing in the draft league. And the D2 player Eddie, I believe. Yeah, I mean, the Draft League’s awesome because it just adds more data points, adds more security. You know, scouts can recommend players to the draft league as well, so you can put two guys on your board head to head, watch them both play against each other, and see who’s better right in front of you. Kind of one of those things. So just expanding summer ball options as well is incredible.

Jake Wood (30:50)
Yeah, it’s really interesting ’cause nearby here, the Alton River Dragons are a team that is involved in the Draft League, so like I could, if I had the time, go pop over and see some of these players. Unfortunately, between the day job, this job, and raising a family. I really don’t have time to go watch, you know, Draft League Baseball, but if I did

Nate Rasmussen (31:07)
Yeah.

Jake Wood (31:12)
I would certainly be over there. Nate, thank you so much for your time tonight. You know, for coming on the podcast and giving us all this great draft insight. We really appreciate it. You know, real quickly before we go, where can fans go to find your great work and find you on social media?

Nate Rasmussen (31:27)
Yeah, go check out all my work at overslotbaseball.com. You know, the incredible Joe Doyle and our team over there have been pumping out a bunch of content lately. My Twitter is @RasmussenBase, so you can all say hi to me over there. And a shout out to Cardinals fans. Thank you so much for having me, Jake. You guys should be really excited about this draft. Truly, truly an awesome, awesome experience for your team.

Jake Wood (31:46)
Well, now, for the last from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four, there was what we like to call the long dark period, but I think we’re starting to come out of that now with all of what Chaim Bloom has started to implement and do and the, you know, the drafting and the development they’ve brought along. The brighter days are certainly ahead. It’s very easy for Cardinals fans to see what is what is coming up, and I think that, you know, we’re as much looking forward as we are, you know, enjoying what’s happening in the moment now with the unexpected play that’s come from this young, exciting team.

Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Viva El Birdos Podcast. Don’t forget to rate, review, and hit that subscribe button so you’re notified every Monday morning when our newest available episodes are dropped. We will talk to you all next week and bring you more great Cardinals content. Have a great day, St. Louis, and let’s go Cards!

The 2026 MLB Amateur Draft has officially concluded, as has the first draft with the Colorado Rockies’ new front office under president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes. The Rockies selected 21 young players, not looking for a franchise savior, but to restock the farm system and work on creating a foundation for the team’s future. One such foundational player–selected tenth overall–was first round pick and Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell.

Bell, the first of five day one picks, does many things well. He was arguably one of the best players available, plays a premium position–and plays it well–and is incredibly patient at the plate. While he will likely need shoulder surgery that will delay his professional debut to 2027, he’s excited to be with the Rockies and eager to get to work.

The Rockies also selected two college pitchers and two college catchers–including the highly decorated Georgia product Daniel Jackson at 37th overall–on day one of the draft.

Day two of the MLB draft continues to be an all-day affair. Much like last season, all remaining picks starting in the fifth round were compressed into a single day. The Rockies used many of these picks to select pitchers, though they also brought several outfielders and a first baseman into the organization.

Their final draft pick–in the 20th round–was Dimitri Williams Jr, an outfielder from Bishop O’Dowd High School in California.

Overall, the Rockies drafted 12 pitchers (eight right-handed and four left-handed), five outfielders, two catchers, one shortstop, and one first baseman. They selected five players out of high school, the most by the organization since 2019, and 16 players from college. This year they did not select any JuCo players, nor did they select any players from the state of Colorado.

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Coming into the 2026 season, a lot of excitement surrounded the Royals and their starting pitching depth. That quickly evaporated in a little over a month after a slew of injuries. One of those depth pieces, a guy who didn’t make the Opening Day roster, despite a lot of hype around him was Luinder Avila.

The 24-year-old right hander from Caracas, Venezuela is a success story for the Royals organization. The Royals signed him when he was just 16 years old. He slowly worked his way through the Dominican Summer League teams, to the Arizona Complex League and finally through the Royals minor league systems.

He debuted last August, about a week before his 24th birthday. At the 2026 All-Star Break, Avila has made 31 career appearances in the Majors, 9 times being the starting pitcher. His overall numbers are this: 5-4, 4.33 ERA, 70.2 innings, 66 strikeouts, 40 walks.

In his rookie season, he made 13 appearances out of the bullpen, recording a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings, striking out 16.

This year, he has made 18 appearances, 9 as a reliever, 9 as a starter. And the splits and stats are startling.

Here is Avila’s stats as a starter: 9 starts, 38.1 innings, 39 hits, 25 runs, 6 homers, 25 walks, 34 strikeouts, 1.67 WHIP, 5.87 ERA.

His reliever stats: 9 appearances, 18.1 innings, 19 hits, 7 runs, 9 walks, 16 strikeouts, 1.53 WHIP, 3.44 ERA.

I understand some of his starting stats are inflated because of the disastrous start against the Astros, however Avila has looked more comfortable out of the bullpen in my opinion.

His power fastball plays up to upper 90s instead of the mid-90s, which makes his off-speed stuff, especially that deadly curveball all that tougher to handle.

Making Avila to be a starter, makes his stuff worse, it’s an overexposure per se. In short bursts, Avila looks like he has the potential to be a premier closer in the majors. Take his outing on May 2nd in Seattle. The Royals were trailing late in a close game, Avila steps in and threw 2 scoreless innings, his fastball/sinker was averaging 98 mph, his curveball was dropping out of the sky. Allowing his stuff to play up is critical.

To be fair in argument, I’ll choose one of Avila’s better starts. In Cincinnati, he went 5 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 run, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts. His fastball/sinker combo only averaged 96 mph.

I understand that he’s going to hold back on his velocity as a starter and not overthrow, but his stuff becomes not as good, compared to his relief outings. Also, realistically who else should be the Royals closer next year? Who has as good of stuff and velocity as Avila?

Alex Lange, Carlos Estevez, Matt Strahm are all more than likely not coming back. Daniel Lynch IV will apparently never be trusted in that type of role by the Royals, Lucas Erceg has regressed and showed he’s not a closer. Beck Way seems more middle relief to setup guy.

Could the Royals sign a new closer in the off season? Sure, it’s possible, but this season is already a lost one, after the All-Star Break, let’s start preparing Luinder Avila to be the closer of the future for the Kansas City Royals.

PHILADELPHIA — Cristopher Sánchez, untouchable for most of the first half, will feel the full appreciation of his dominance when he throws the first pitch of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14.

Full starting lineups were announced in a press conference format with managers Dave Roberts and John Schneider on Monday.

Sánchez will kick-start what could be a nightlong fawning over the Philadelphia Phillies' brightest stars, leading a contingent of six hometown players in front of a Citizens Bank Park crowd eager for its first time playing host to the Midsummer Classic since 1996, when it was staged at Veterans Stadium, and many of this game's stars were not yet born.

Yet Sánchez and the National League will not have it easy; the American League will trot out Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease — who flirted with a no-hitter in his last outing — to start the game; as the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, the last pitcher to start an All-Star Game for either team was the late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.

“This feels real special, real exciting, especially at home, so I am able to enjoy it overall,” says Sanchez through a translator.

“This can be described as the best moment of my career," the NL's starting pitcher said.

HOME RUN DERBY FIELD: Who is competing in Monday's All-Star Game event?

Cease will be backed by a power-packed lineup that gets a quick jump-start with future Hall of Famer Mike Trout, followed immediately by consensus first-half MVP Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.

The NL lineup will be missing Shohei Ohtani, but that simply opens up the designated hitter slot for the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, who has hit 88 homers, most in the major leagues, since the start of the 2025 season.

USA TODAY Sports is providing live on-site coverage of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Here are the latest updates and news as the National League and American League starting lineups were announced:

MLB All-Star Game starting lineups

This section will be updated once the starting lineups are released

American League

Starting pitcher: Toronto Blue Jays RHP Dylan Cease

Starting Lineup - American League:

• Mike Trout CF Los Angeles Angels
• Yordan Alvarez DH Houston Astros
• Shea Langeliers C A's
• Junior Caminero 3B Tampa Bay Rays
• Bobby Witt Jr. SS Kansas City Royals
• Cody Bellinger RF New York Yankees
• Ben Rice 1B New York Yankees
• Riley Greene LF Detroit Tigers
• Ernie Clement 2B Toronto Blue Jays

National League

Starting pitcher: Philadelphia Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez

Starting Lineup - National League:

• Kyle Schwarber DH Philadelphia Phillies
• Juan Soto LF New York Mets
• Freddie Freeman 1B Los Angeles Dodgers
• CJ Abrams SS Washington Nationals
• Max Muncy 3B Los Angeles Dodgers
• Ozzie Albies 2B Atlanta Braves
• Brandon Marsh RF Philadelphia Phillies
• Andy Pages CF Los Angeles Dodgers
• Drake Baldwin C Atlanta Braves

Who is the National League starting pitcher for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game?

MLB announced on Sunday that Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez will start for the National League on Tuesday in the All-Star Game. He is the first Phillies pitcher to start the Midsummer Classic since Roy Halladay got the start in 2011.

Sánchez, who finished as the runner-up in the Cy Young Award race last season, has continued to be one of the top pitchers in the league this year. He finished the first half with an 11-4 record and a 2.62 ERA with 144 strikeouts in an MLB-leading 20 starts.

Who is the American League starting pitcher for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game?

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who is serving as the American League manager in the All-Star Game, shared in the Blue Jays locker room on Sunday that right-hander Dylan Cease will start the Midsummer Classic.

Cease, who was one of the Blue Jays' big free agent additions this past offseason, went 6-4 in the first half of the season with a 2.56 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings pitched.

In his final start of the first half, Cease nearly came three outs shy of pitching the second no-hitter of his career and just the second in Blue Jays history, as he struck out 11 San Francisco Giants and threw a career-high 118 pitches in a 10-0 conquest of the San Francisco Giants.

How did Cease learn he's starting the All-Star Game?

A "vintage painting" from his Manager ⭐️😅 #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/1qUMapoyvC

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 12, 2026

When is the 2026 MLB All-Star Game?

• Date: Tuesday, July 14
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia)

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set for an 8 p.m. ET first pitch at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB All-Star Game starting lineups live: Mike Trout, Kyle Schwarber lead off

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Bettors are backing the hometown hero in the Home Run Derby, but it’s not Bryce Harper. 

Key Takeaways

• Kyle Schwarber is a big liability at sportsbooks.  
  
  
• MLB changed the Home Run Derby’s format for this year. 
  
  
• Bryce Harper and Junior Caminero are two other popular picks.

The other Philadelphia Phillies’ star, Kyle Schwarber, is the favorite and most-bet participant in Monday night’s event at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love. FanDuel told Covers that Schwarber is getting 22% of the tickets and 26% of the handle with Home Run Derby odds of +290. 

Home Run Derby Winner Splits @DKSports

28%💰| 25%🎟️on Kyle Schwarber
21%💰| 18%🎟️on Junior Caminero
13%💰| 13%🎟️on Munetaka Murakami
11%💰| 12%🎟️on Bryce Harper
9%💰| 12%🎟️on Ben Rice
8%💰| 8%🎟️on Jordan Walker
6%💰| 7%🎟️on Jac Caglianone
4%💰| 6%🎟️on Willson Contreras pic.twitter.com/XqXXdzRvbQ

— DK Insights (@DKInsights_) July 13, 2026

BetMGM reported that Schwarber (+310) has seen an even higher 24.8% of the bets and 29.1% of the money, making the Phillies’ designated hitter the operator’s biggest liability. 

Schwarber leads all MLB players with 32 home runs at the All-Star Break, and he’s competing in his third Home Run Derby. No other participant on Monday has more than 20% of the handle.

Kyle Schwarber's MLB-leading 32nd home run 💣 pic.twitter.com/AFu9Czlvph

— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2026

New format

Bettors could also be backing Schwarber because of MLB’s format change. The Home Run Derby is ditching the clock, instead opting for a swing-based system for each round. Participants will get 20 swings in Round 1, 15 in Round 2, and 15 in the final round, attempting to hit as many homers as possible in those ranges. 

If they hit a home run on their final swing of a round, they can keep going until the ball doesn’t go out. 

This format also removes the first-round matchup brackets of years past, and tiebreakers in the first round are determined by home run distance and a swing-off in the later two rounds. 

The main competition 

Schwarber’s teammate, Harper, is BetMGM’s second-biggest liability. His odds have shortened from +900 to +850, third in the market, and Harper is getting 16.1% of the tickets and 14.4% of the money.

Only three players EVER have won the Home Run Derby in their home ballpark (h/t @SlangsonSports)

The @Phillies have TWO chances to add to this exclusive list with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper 💪💪@TMobile#HRDerbypic.twitter.com/pfnzKXKgkI

— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026

Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero is second on the odds list at +380 at FanDuel, where he’s getting 19% of the tickets and 20% of the money. He’s getting just over 17% of the handle at BetMGM and is third on the book’s liability list.

BetMGM has seen Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami’s odds in the Home Run Derby winner market go from +500 to +475, and the Japanese star has 10.7% of the bets and 10.3% of the handle.   

Taking a shot? 

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is a popular longshot. With odds of +1,000, 16% of the bet count and money are backing the Bronx Bomber at FanDuel. He’s fourth at BetMGM, where his odds have shortened from +1,100 to +850, with more than 11% of both the tickets and handle. 

Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone (+650) is getting 8.8% of the money at BetMGM, while St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (+750) has taken 5.2% of the handle. Boston’s Wilson Contreras (+1,500) has seen the least amount of tickets (5.3%) and handle (2.4%).  

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Baseball's annual moonshot extravaganza is set for tonight, as Citizens Bank Park hosts the 2026 Home Run Derby. 

Before you tune in to Netflix at 8 p.m. ET, consult our MLB expert picks for Monday, July 13.

MLB expert picks for the Home Run Derby

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: Junior Caminero to win	+425
Neil Parker: Ben Rice to win	+733
Joe Osborne: Bryce Harper to win	+809
Colby Marchio: Jordan Walker to win	+733
JD Yonke: Kyle Schwarber to win	+344
Chris Hatfield: Kyle Schwarber to win	+344

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Junior Caminero to win

Price: 19¢ (+425) at Polymarket

Junior Caminero was very close to becoming the youngest player ever to win the Home Run Derby last year, but came up a little short vs. Cal Raleigh.

He still hit 21 bombs in the first round and averaged 435 feet per homer. That distance is powered by the league's fastest bat speed at 79.9 mph, the best BlastCont% (26%), and a Top-10 IdealAtlAng%. 

This is as short as +330 in some places.

Neil Parker's expert pick: Ben Rice to win

Price: 12¢ (+733) at Polymarket

A “super-short, super-tight swing,” has New York Yankees star Ben Rice up to 29 home runs, and his 29.8% home run to fly ball rate ranks fourth in the majors. Rice will also have his father, Dan Rice, on the mound tossing to him Monday, just like the father-son duo do every offseason.

Rice’s ability to replicate his compact swing gives him an edge with the format changes to the Home Run Derby, too.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Bryce Harper to win

Price: 11¢ (+809) at Polymarket

Experience matters in this event, and Bryce Harper has already proven he thrives under its unique pressure.

He won the 2018 Derby in front of his home crowd in Washington, showing the spotlight only fuels him. 

Some hitters get rattled under the bright lights of this competition, but Harper is built for it. Now he’ll have another chance to perform in front of a home crowd, and I think that experience gives him an edge.

Colby Marchio's expert pick: Jordan Walker to win

Price: 12¢ (+733) at Polymarket

I want young guys who have raw, natural power in the Home Run Derby, and Jordan Walker has all of that and more.

The younger stars are always a draw for me because I want to see them leave their mark and make a bigger name for themselves. The Cardinals' 6-foot-6, 250-pound outfielder is easily one of my favorite looks in this event.

JD Yonke's expert pick: Kyle Schwarber to win

Price: 23¢ (+344) at Polymarket

Citizens Bank Park is crafted for left-handed power, given its short porch in right field. Kyle Schwarber knows this park as well as any contestant, and he has something to prove with only a runner-up finish on his resume.

He's crushed 12 more dingers than any other player to lace them up since the start of last season (88), and it's time he takes the throne as the rightful home-run king with the hometown crowd behind him.

Chris Hatfield's expert pick: Kyle Schwarber to win

Price: 23¢ (+344) at Polymarket

Kyle Schwarber is my pick. While June may be the star's typical magic month, it will be this night in July that's his.

The case is simple: he has the most homers in baseball, elite barrel volume, and a lefty pull swing aimed at the 330-foot corner he calls home. The new 20-swing format rewards efficiency over stamina, and nobody wastes fewer swings than Schwarber. 

Bonus storyline: he lost the 2018 final to Harper. Revenge at home against a teammate. Sign me up.

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When the Atlanta Braves’ 2026 All-Stars were revealed just over a week ago, Ozzie Albies earned the distinction for the fourth time in his career. Though it might seem rote for a veteran player by that point, Albies believes this may be his most meaningful trip to the midsummer classic yet.

Beginning with a key home run on Opening Day, Albies appeared poised to return to his slugging ways and once again become a difference maker in the Atlanta lineup. The past three months only strengthened that notion as Albies earned the opportunity to start the All-Star Game for the first time in his 10-year career.

“It’s one of the most exciting things you can get named for,” Albies said of earning his spot on the National League All-Star team. “It makes your whole year. You work so hard since Day 1 in spring, the offseason, putting the work in. It’s nice to get the recognition that, hey, you’re an All-Star and you play your butt off every single day.”

Albies, who was previously an All-Star in 2018, 2021 and 2023, built a reputation as one of the game’s top offensive threats at second base. He surpassed 65 extra-base hits four times, compiled seasons with 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs twice, and surpassed 100 runs scored on three separate occasions.

Of course, hard work has never been an issue for Albies, who’s built a reputation as one of the most dedicated players on the Braves roster and routinely goes the extra mile in both his offseason and daily preparation. Injuries, however, took their toll on Albies’ ability to go to the post and produce.

In 2024, a fractured right wrist cost Albies just over two months of playing time and factored heavily into his slow start last year. After finally hitting his stride in the second half, Albies then suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand which ended his season in late September.

Overall, 2025 was a disappointing year in which Albies batted a career-low .240 and hit just 16 homers to go along with a .671 OPS in 157 games. Those numbers coupled with subpar defensive metrics, resulted in a career-low 1.7 fWAR for Albies in 2025.

That was a sharp departure from the player who’d been such a major cog in Atlanta’s lineup since debuting in 2017.

Prior to last year, Albies averaged 4.0 fWAR in each of his four full seasons from 2018-2023. During that stretch, Albies dealt with several major injuries, however. He missed 31 games due to a bone bruise in his left wrist during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and lost 98 games in 2022 because of both a fractured foot and a fractured finger.

Having overcome that laundry list of setbacks, once again being recognized as one of the best players in the game was even more meaningful to Albies this time around.

“When they told me, I got tears in my eyes immediately,” Albies said of finding out he was an All-Star again. “Dealing with (injury) issues here and there in baseball, it’s part of the game. But to come back and have a better season, it’s huge. It’s amazing. Like I said, we work every single day. Each and every single one of us works our butt off every single day on this team. That’s why it’s great when we get recognized like this.”

New Braves manager Walt Weiss, who was an All-Star for Atlanta in 1998, experienced the challenge of overcoming injuries multiple times during his 14-year playing career. Given a front row seat to watch Albies on a daily basis while serving on the Braves coaching staff since 2018, Weiss believes his second baseman should be held in high regard for his perseverance.

“I told Ozzie that I have a deeper level of respect for guys that get kicked down in this game, then fight their way back and get back to a high level,” Weiss said. “It’s not easy to do and he’s had to deal with injuries the last couple years and has worked hard to get back to where he’s at. Now, he’s being recognized for it… It’s a credit to him, because that doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience, but it’s great to see him playing the way he is.”

With all of those injuries in the past, Weiss was counting on Albies to once again contribute to the Braves lineup in meaningful ways in 2026.

“I liked what I saw from Ozzie this spring, especially right-handed,” Weiss said as the season got underway. “For the majority of his career, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching. I know last year was a bit of an outlier. He got off to a slow start like a lot of our guys did, but I still believe in the guy, especially right-handed. I think he’s a beast. So, part of the lineup construction is going to be putting him in a position to get as many right-handed at-bats as possible.”

That strategy paid off for Weiss and the Braves during the first half of the season.

Albies owns a .798 OPS in 172 plate appearances with 19 extra-base hits and six of his 14 home runs against left-handers this season. That comes after posting just a .708 OPS with only four homers against southpaws in 186 plate appearances in 2025.

That boost in production against lefties has helped Albies’ overall 2026 numbers return to form. He finished the first half slashing .267/.320/.439 with 21 doubles, 14 homers, 51 RBIs and 61 runs scored in 95 games.

As for starting the All-Star game for the first time, Albies shared his appreciation with the Braves fans who put him in that position. He received a total of 1,498,141 votes and edged out Bryson Stott of the All-Star host Philadelphia Phillies for that honor.

“I want to say thank you to the fans,” Albies said. “They’re cheering us on in every moment. Even when we’re down, they’re still cheering for us. It’s gets us hyped, especially coming to the plate in big moments and you listen to your name get chanted out there. It helps you out to even have a better at-bat. We’ve all been there. I want to tell them thank you for voting for us, supporting us, and coming to give us all the energy we need every single day. It makes the game better.”

The Rays entered the 2026 draft with one of the best opportunities in baseball, and they capitalized on it. Headlined by Grady Emerson at No. 2 overall and complemented by an unusually prep-heavy class, Tampa Bay assembled one of the most interesting classes in the league. More notably, the Rays selected a franchise-record seven high school players in the first 10 rounds, continuing a philosophical shift that began in last year’s draft. Whether that’s simply confidence in their player development system or something more, the organization’s emerging willingness to invest premium picks in prep position players and prep pitchers has become one of the more intriguing draft trends in baseball. Nearly 50% of the Rays picks this year were from high school players while the league average continues to trend down for this demographic.

Day One

The Rays’ first five selections add impact talent all over the field. Emerson and Marchand immediately bolster what was already an athletic group of middle infielders, giving Tampa Bay two more high-upside players capable of sticking on the left side of the infield. Emerson, in particular, projects to become one of the system’s premier prospects the moment he signs. I expect him to slot in as a consensus top 25 prospect behind Theo Gillen – who is looking like a consensus top 10 prospect. Marchand has a unique hit and power combo that gives him impact potential at the top half of a lineup.

On the pitching side, Ben Blair and Gavin Giese strengthen a farm system that has become increasingly position-player heavy near the top. Selecting Blair at No. 49 marked a departure from recent drafts, where the Rays had overwhelmingly favored position players with their early selections. Blair gives the Rays an advanced college starter whose deceptive, low-slot delivery and feel for spin could allow him to move quickly through the minors while Giese adds another projectable prep arm with the type of offspeed profile the organization has consistently developed well.

Collin Bland also fills a niche within the system. While the Rays have accumulated plenty of athletic position players in recent years, true middle-of-the-order power remains relatively scarce throughout the lower levels. Bland’s raw power gives the organization another potential impact bat to develop, even if there’s inherent risk in his hit tool.

Taken as a whole, Day One of this class reinforces what has become a hallmark of the Rays’ farm system: exceptional depth. Rather than targeting one demographic, Tampa Bay added premium athletes, two intriguing starting pitching prospects, and one of the better prep power bats in the draft. The result is a more balanced system that now features increased upside at several positions without sacrificing the organizational depth that has long been one of its greatest strengths.

Day Two

The Rays way was on continued display on Day 2 as Tampa Bay repeatedly targeted pitchers with flatter approach angles, lower arm slots, and above-average feel for spin. Lower arm slots can produce flatter approach angles, making fastballs appear to stay above hitters’ barrels longer and allowing them to play above their raw velocity. Owen Kramkowski, Tate McKee, Logan Georges, Cole Stokes, Steven Gonzalez, Mason Bixby, Alex Philipott, Nate Smithburg (lefty submarine pitcher!), and Ivan Sabater all fit that mold. Ben Blair belongs in this group as well despite being selected on Day One. While each has different velocity bands, the common denominator is the ability to spin multiple secondaries with lower slot deliveries that create deception.

A second group consisted of athletic, relatively low-mileage arms. Kyle Johnson, AJ Rice, Griffin Long, Amp Phillips, McCarty English, and David Horn Jr. all have comparatively light workloads for their age while showing either advanced feel for an offspeed pitch or the athleticism to develop one. Gavin Giese from their Day One group also falls under this category. Rather than chasing finished products, the Rays appear to have prioritized pitchers with developmental runway in this group.

The only position player the Rays selected on Day Two was prep OF Tai Jones. Jones is a big, 6’2 righty who is a great athlete. His swing is smooth with above average bat speed while still being direct to the ball. His plus arm and speed will play anywhere in the outfield. Jones could grow into a significant power-speed threat as he refines his approach. He also comes from Jackson Academy, where current Rays first base coach Corey Dickerson served as head coach before joining Tampa Bay’s staff.

Overall, this class reflects a subtle but meaningful shift in the Rays’ draft philosophy.

Tampa Bay invested heavily in prep talent more than ever before, added four position players with legitimate impact offensive tools, and diversified the types of pitchers it targeted throughout the draft – particularly in the later rounds where they usually go pitcher-heavy.

In recent years, the Rays largely targeted pitchers with riding fastballs and feel for spin. This class was noticeably broader. Some pitchers this year fit that mold, but others were selected for deceptive lower arm slots, athleticism, or standout offspeed characteristics. Rather than searching for one archetype, Tampa Bay appeared to identify several different developmental pathways and filled each one with multiple prospects.

Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski could have been content with his performance the first couple months of the season. After all, he’d come into the year fighting for a rotation spot, and he’d shown in that time that he was ready to be a full-time major-league starter.

That wasn’t enough.

While still holding onto his identity as a pitcher who goes right at hitters, over Wrobleski’s last two starts, he tallied 20 strikeouts.

“I think we’re just doing a good job with the plan,” Wrobleski said last week, days before he was named an All-Star. “I feel like I’m continuing to get better at knowing where to go with two strikes, knowing where to go versus a certain hitter with two strikes and just kind of reading the game.”

Read more:Dodgers swept by Diamondbacks in first winless series of season as they stagger into All-Star break

Wrobleski is the only Dodgers pitcher set to appear in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani’s schedules didn’t line up — and Ohtani eventually pulled out of All-Star activities altogether in order to have his left knee drained on Sunday.

The story of how Wrobleski got there, in his first full season in the rotation, after debuting two years ago, includes plenty of twists and turns.

“It’s a chronicle story in his young career, the down to up, but at the end of the day, he’s been a rock for us these first three months,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said in a conversation with The Times. “Was hoping he got in on the first set of announcements, but at the end of the day, he’s an All-Star, and he’s earned every bit of it.”

When Wrobleski wasn’t included on the initial NL All-Star roster, the Dodgers coaching staff went to work lobbying for him to be a replacement player. Manager Dave Roberts publicly made the case for Wrobleski and closer Tanner Scott whenever he had the chance.

Then, a week later, Wrobleski (10-2, 2.69 ERA) got the call after Reds right-hander Chase Burns bowed out because of tightness in his groin.

“He’s done so many intangible things that I think get lost in the shuffle of numbers and metrics,” Prior said. “But he’s eaten innings, he’s provided length for us when we needed length. He went toe-to-toe with [Phillies three-time All-Star Zack] Wheeler. He went toe-to-toe with [José] Soriano when he was dealing with the Angels, kept us in ballgames.”

Admittedly, a year and a half ago, Prior wouldn’t have imagined Wrobleski would be an obvious All-Star pick this quickly.

The tipping point came when Wrobleski surrendered eight runs to the Nationals in his first major-league start of the 2025 season. And it didn’t help that his last start of the previous season was a 10-run slog against the Diamondbacks.

“It was a long, raw emotional sit down with him,” Prior said. “And [Roberts] and I, and [assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness] and the staff, we left with like, ‘Which way is this going to go?’”

But persistence has been a hallmark of Wrobleski’s career, dating to his college years, when he infamously bounced back from a car hitting him on a scooter, and a baseball breaking his jaw. He also underwent Tommy John surgery two months before the Dodgers selected him in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft.

So, committing to a delivery change last April wasn’t all that intimidating.

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto has rough start as Dodgers drop series to Arizona

Wrobleski returned to the majors in mostly a bullpen role. And his steadiness in those shorter outings culminated in a strong postseason run that included four scoreless appearances in the World Series.

“We talk about, who can you depend on to not let the moment get too big?” Prior said. “And I think Wrobo had proved that all the way through September, but clearly proved that the moment is not too big for him to continue to make pitches. And that was exciting to see, too, as a staff.”

Still, Wrobleski wasn’t guaranteed a rotation role in 2026. And Prior was frank about that over the offseason.

Wrobleski’s first outing of 2026 was in relief, but the Dodgers had earmarked him as their sixth starter for the second turn in the rotation.

In his first five starts, Wrobleski posted an eye-popping 0.56 ERA.

His swing-and-miss rate and strikeouts were down, but pitching to soft contact was getting him positive results. The most glaring example came against the Cardinals in early May, when he threw six shutout innings without recording a punchout.

Wrobleski wasn’t going to coast on that early success, however. He kept fine-tuning his delivery and adjusting his pitch mix, right through a rough patch in late May, and into a consistent June.

“He went from paring down his arsenal to kind of two pitches, to regrow his arsenal while he’s learning how to pitch at this level,” Prior said. “I think the big thing is now these guys have different looks.”

Throughout the year, Wrobleski’s four-seam fastball and slider have done the heavy lifting. But the rest of his secondary pitch mix has been a moving target.

He and the pitching coaches have talked through the most effective use of his curveball. He started integrating his sinker more consistently in late April, especially against left-handed hitters. He’s tinkered with different grips for his changeup, a pitch he started deploying more in mid-May. Three weeks ago, he introduced a sweeper. And in his past two starts, he’s thrown that pitch 19 times.

Read more:Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski added to National League roster for All-Star Game

“At the heart of it, though, is he never lets off the gas pedal,” Prior said. “He just gets the ball, he’s on the rubber, he puts the hitter on defense from the get-go before they’ve even seen a pitch. And that’s something that not everybody can do.”

So, despite the journey, when Wrobleski looks back at the pitcher he was a year and a half ago, he doesn’t see a complete overhaul.

“Same guy but different, I guess,” he said. “It’s crazy. I’ve had to go through a lot of small tweaks and changes. And it’s just all been about just having belief that I could continue to do it. And I knew that there were a lot of things that I could do just to get better, and I wasn’t as far away as maybe it seemed on the outside — or, as people thought it was.

“I felt like I was close, that whole time, even though the results weren’t really there. It’s been cool to see the results come.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.