KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 09: John Sherman, chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Royals, is seen prior to a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium on August 09, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“I think over the past couple of years, all the breaking balls that I like to throw, it kind of gave me a reality check — we’ve got to use your fastball,” Lugo said. “We’ve got to command the fastball. Get up when I need to. So that’s been my focus.”
CEO and chairman John Sherman reiterated at Saturday’s Royals Rally that he has no intention of moving the Royals.
“Look, we’re not going anywhere, and that’s what we’ve said all along,” Sherman said. “Someone else will have to do that. But I think related to the other comment about wealth and those types of things, I think that’s part of what we’re dealing with in our society. And in our case, we’re looking for a public partner, right, as I said before. We’re working day and night right now to find a way to make sure this team stays here for as long as any of us are going to be around.
“And the public partner is what ties you to a community, right? That’s really why that’s important.”
“He was asked by Team USA to pitch for them,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “And very mature decision by him to decide not to — as tempting as it was. But in his mind, he wanted to be healthy. He wanted to ramp up into the season and not be ramped up going into spring training. And I thought it was a real mature decision on his end.”
Last year, though, it was a new affliction: a rotator cuff strain, on the heels of a groin strain. The bad news was that it limited him to just over 60 innings and kept him out of the top 100 starting pitchers on the year. The good news was that he came back and showed the same stuff that launched his career just a year before. With that wide arsenal of high-stuff pitches and good command, he’s on a short list of pitchers who could win hardware this year. Which is why you take on the injury risk.
I think it would be difficult for the Royals to give Hays the opportunity to play every day. He hasn’t played center field since 2023, so I don’t think that’s an option. And even when it was sort of an option, it wasn’t even then. He played 36.2 innings that year, but the last time he played more than that was 2020. We can continue to discuss where that 105 wRC+ would rank on the 2025 Royals, but it’s also 17 points lower than what Collins produced in 2025. Sure, Hays has more of a track record, but other than a 75-plate appearance sample in 2019 at 23, he hasn’t ever even come within 10 points of what Collins did last year. And he isn’t even especially good defensively anymore, at least not by the numbers.
No player in MLB — rookie or not — posted larger gaps between actual and expected batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base average than Caglianone. It’s incredible he led the league in every one of the three. Most notably, his expected slugging ranked 10th among rookies, while his actual slugging finished fourth-worst.
Aside from his slash line, Caglianone tops all rookies in EV90, meaning the top 10% of his batted balls were hit harder than any other players. He also ranked 6th among rookies in barrel rate (12%).
Players with those numbers normally produce at a much higher rate. Caglianone has jaw dropping power in his bat, which should be on full display next year.
Jon Heyman has the breakdown on Vinnie Pasquantino’s salary and escalators.
Vinnie Pasquantino has HUGE awards escalators
Base salary of $6.9M in 2027 increases with 2026 MVP awards votes like this …
$4M for MVP
$3M-2nd thru 5th; $2M-6th-10th; $1.5M 11th-15th; $1.25M-16th-20th or $1M All MLB 1st Team ($750K-2nd Team) (Max $4.6M) https://t.co/EtaCT963Ee
The history of the Yankees dates back to the start of the 20th century and a humble team known then as the New York Highlanders. Their first ever game was played on April 22, 1903, against the Washington Senators, a 3-1 loss at American League Park, one of the more well-known Griffith Stadium’s predecessors in the nation’s capital (close to Gallaudet University). And stepping into the batter’s box to take the first ever at-bat in franchise history was an outfielder known as Lefty Davis.
Alphonso DeFord “Lefty” Davis Born: February 4, 1875 (Nashville, TN) Died: February 4, 1919 (Collins, NY) Yankees Tenure: 1903
Little is known about Lefty’s early life and upbringing, but Tennessee had become an epicenter of early organized baseball by the late 19th century, and the Nashville region was certainly in that mix. The Southern League, founded in 1885, was the predominant regional circuit of minor league clubs that included teams from Atlanta, Augusta, Chattanooga, Columbus, Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, and Macon.
Davis got his start in organized baseball in 1896 at the age of 21 playing the outfield for Mobile Blackbirds of the Class-B Southern Association. In 43 games that season, Davis batted .309 in 191 at-bats and also made five relief pitching appearances to the tune of a 1.75 ERA across 36 innings. He moved up to Class-A ball the following season, batting .307 with five home runs and 12 stolen bases in 225 ABs for Detroit in the Western League. 1898 saw Davis split time between Detroit and Minneapolis Millers, and he batted .291 with two home runs and 26 stolen bases across 122 combined games. He played out his final two minor-league seasons with Minneapolis, establishing a reputation as a speedy center fielder and stolen base threat, leading to his establishment in the majors.
The Philadelphia Athletics selected Davis to their team, but before he had played a single game, he jumped to the Brooklyn Superbas as players had far more agency over where they played in the inaugural years of the NL and AL. In his debut season with Brooklyn in 1901, Davis batted just .209 in 25 games, leading to his release midseason. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed him as a free agent, and he would play out the remainder of the 1901 season with the dominant NL team of that era.
In the Steel City, Davis joined the ranks of future Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Jack Chesbro, and Fred Clarke. He appeared in 87 games for the Pirates after making the switch, slashing .313/.415/.421 for an impressive 139 OPS+ along with two home runs and 22 stolen bases, helping Pittsburgh capture its first NL pennant. The following year, he helped the Bucs defend their NL pennant crown, though he did miss a significant portion of the season to a broken leg.
It was around this time that the Highlanders were coming into existence. With the inception of the AL in 1900, there were calls to establish a pro club in New York. However, the incumbent New York Giants of the NL blocked those plans, and so instead that franchise was awarded to Baltimore and named the Orioles in 1901. In 1902, Orioles manager and part-owner John McGraw departed Baltimore to become manager of the Giants, and the short-lived Orioles folded at the end of that season.
Prior to the start of the 1903 season, the NL and AL resolved their differences and once again a proposal to create an AL team in New York was put forward. Out of the 16 major league owners, 15 voted to approve the proposal, and thus the team that started as the Baltimore Orioles was officially chartered in New York as the Highlanders. Needing to assemble a roster for the season, the Highlanders targeted that back-to-back NL pennant winning Pirates squad. Davis, Chesbro, Jesse Tannehill, Tommy Leach, Wid Conroy, and Jack O’Connor all agreed to jump to the nascent franchise, with only Leach later reneging on his commitment.
In their inaugural game as a franchise in 1903, Chesbro was on the mound as the starting pitcher and Davis was penciled in to the leadoff spot. In the bottom of the first (the home team had the choice of batting first back then) at American League Park in Washington, DC, David grounded out against future Yankee Al Orth. Both starters pitched complete games as the Senators held on to win, 3-1.
Davis would play 104 games for the Highlanders that season, his only full season with a single major-league club in his career. He slashed .237/.319/.263 with no home runs and eleven stolen bases in 372 ABs. Manager Clark Griffith was unimpressed and succeeded in dumping Davis from the team at the conclusion of the season.
Davis returned to the minor leagues, playing two seasons for Class-A Columbus, where he would bat .275 in 148 games in 1904 and .279 in 153 games in 1905. He then returned to the Minneapolis Millers in 1906, batting .333 with 47 stolen bases in 149 games. This resulted in his final opportunity in the majors — 73 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1907, where he batted .229/.293/.297 with one home run and nine stolen bases in 266 ABs, making the final appearance of his big league career on July 16th against Philadelphia.
Davis wasn’t quite finished with baseball, however, playing for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1908 and 1909, the York White Roses of the Class-D New England League in 1911, and ending with two seasons for the Class-C Winona Packers of the Northern League in 1913 and 1914 before hanging up his cleats for good. In his retirement, he settled in Upstate New York before passing away at the young age of 44 on his birthday in 1919.
Davis typified the light-hitting, transient ballplayers of the Deadball Era. His tenure with the Yankees was short-lived, and he’s definitely overshadowed by a far more Lefty who came along a few decades later. Still, Lefty Davis remains immortalized in the history books as the first batter in franchise history.
References
Lefty Davis. Baseball-Reference.
Lefty Davis. Baseball Almanac.
Tedesco, Marie. “Minor League Baseball.” Tennessee Encyclopedia. October 8, 2017.
Gordon, David J. “The Rise and Fall of the Deadball Era.” SABR. Fall 2018 Baseball Research Journal.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Justin Verlander #35 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, September 27, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
We are less than a week away from San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training, which might be the best news I’ve heard in a year.
The organization has been busy over the last week, signing Harrison Bader and Luis Arráez, so it’s not an unfair assumption that there might still be moves to be made.
Earlier this offseason, the organization made statements that seemed to indicate that they were likely set with the rotation. However, the rumor mill is indicating that they might be planning a reunion with Justin Verlander for another season.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report in particular predicts that the team is the most likely landing spot for the 42 year old right-hander on a short-term deal.
As with any rumor, I’ll take this one with a grain of salt, but it is worth examining. Because it definitely feels like something they would do.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind it, depending on the specifics of any potential deal. While the team has already made moves to bolster the rotation over the off-season, it couldn’t hurt to have an additional arm for when someone inevitably gets taken out by the Marlins Death Fog or Coors Field.
Despite a rocky start to the 2025 season (a lot of which seemed to be truly awful luck), Verlander ended the year with a 3.85 ERA and FIP, with 137 strikeouts to 52 walks in 152 innings pitched. I’ll take another season of that, if the price is right.
May 11, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson (45) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The Detroit Tigers aren’t entirely running it back for 2026, but aside from adding Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and Drew Anderson, we’re heading toward an Opening Day roster that is little changed form the 2025 edition.
There are reasons for optimism based on the club’s run as one of the top 3 teams in baseball from August 1, 2024 through August 1, 2025. However, those last two months of the season, and really from the All-Star break untll the end of the regular season, really soured the brew and left many wondering if the first half was just an extended hot streak.
My key reason for optimism, is that the Tigers actually have some top shelf prospect talent due to pitch in over the course of the season. That was sorely lacking in 2025 until Troy Melton gave them a boost down the stretch last year.
Still though, this is a fairly young roster, particularly in terms of impact players. Riley Greene is 25 years old and was mashing at a near MVP pace in the first half last year until he fell apart after the break. Spencer Torkelson is 26 and finally put together a complete season without any extended slumps. Colt Keith is 24 and has settled into the major leagues pretty nicely as a hitter, but he hasn’t started producing the power he was expected to bring to the table. Reese Olson has two good partial seasons under his belt heading into his age 26 season. Troy Melton is 25 and will open the season as a big leaguer for the first time.
You get the point. A lot of the Tigers more talented players are in that 24-26 year-old window when good players typically hit their prime years. Some may already be there, but the potential for some breakout seasons is certainly present as well.
Who’s your guy in 2026? Who on the 40-man roster would you bet on to be the breakout player for the Tigers this year?
MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 28: Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) pitches during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets at American Family Field on September 28, 2024 in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.
Do the Mets need to sign more relievers before the 2026 season begins?
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - SEPTEMBER 03: Jurrangelo Cijntje #7 of the Arkansas Travelers pitches prior to the game between the Amarillo Sod Poodles and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Last week I took an early look at the Cardinals projections, and before I take a look at the Cardinals again (think of last week as a preview of the final Cards projection article) I will look at the NL Central from the bottom up. And that starts with the bottom of the ocean floor, where resides the Jolly Roger. Arrrrrrrrr, me mateys.
The criteria I will use will be to simply look at each team in the NL Central’s 15 strongest players, with at least 5 rotation pitchers and top bullpen pitchers only. Plus the best of the bench. This could vary by team, because each team will have different strengths… i.e. sometimes I’ll look at a team’s bench more, or a team’s bullpen, whichever is projected to be better. But I won’t be going too deep here. 20 players total per team. Outside of that and you get into fringe players and guys that won’t be receiving too much playing time.
The Pirates
Uber-prospect Konor Griffin will be joining Paul Skenes as the other big star on the team (potentially). He looks really good out of the gate though, with a 3.5 WAR projection by ZiPS, I’m not sure what’s going on here, but he was last at AA level. Listed as a shortstop, he could be their best position player even if he’s not quite ready. And that sort of sums up the Pirates lineup for you. Now keep in mind, Griffin’s defense is where he should be getting all this value from, not his hitting, at least looking at projections for his 19 year old debut season. Really don’t know how many games he will play, but if they don’t bring him with after spring training, it’s probable he won’t debut until he’s 20, but that’s only a few months away.
Oneil Cruz is your #2 Pirate position player, or #1 if Konor Griffin is to remain in the minor leagues. That 3.5 Griffin WAR projection is over 128 games, so results may vary according to playing time.
Anyhow, Cruz, with his big time power and 30% k rate are set to be at 2.8 WAR. Just a little above average hitter and average defender with a good arm.
Projected first baseman Spencer Horwitz looks like he could possibly be the Pirates best hitter, projecting out to be at 2.2 WAR, according to ZiPS. Second baseman Nick Gonzalez is a below average hitter but an above average defender projected to be at 2.1 WAR.
Outfielder Jake Mangum looks like he won’t be much of a hitter either, probably below league average, but another good defender. 1.9 WAR.
Jared Triolo is also a below league average hitter but good defender over at third base. I see a pattern emerging.
Outfielder Jack Suwinski isn’t very good at fielding but has some potential on offense, but not a whole lot. 1.6 WAR. Rafael Flores Jr is listed as another first baseman but only projects out to 1.5 WAR. They have a guy with a great baseball name in Duce Gourson that could be another 1.5 WAR guy. I am not including him in the rest of the article because he’s at AA level, and is not projected by Depth Charts or The Bat X.
Outfielder Dominic Fletcher is projected by ZiPS to be at 1.4 WAR. And the Pirates offseason move was to acquire Brandon Lowe, who is projected to be at 1.4 WAR also, about a league average hitter.
So by now you have an idea of the Pirates main position players, who are very defense forward with a cleanup hitter who is probably good for only 23 home runs because he has strikeout issues. His batting average is expected to be at .237. It shouldn’t be hard for the Cardinals to at least have more power than this lineup, again. At least we aren’t as powerless as the Pirates. Hopefully. That will require us to hit home runs to make up for the loss of Willson Contreras.
So with defense as a potential strength, the Pirates expect to frustrate at times with run prevention, especially with ace Paul Skenes on the mound. Somewhat surprisingly to me, ZiPS projects Skenes to be right at 5 WAR in 2026. Last year he was at 6.5, so I would think the floor is at 5, but hey, I hope ZiPS is right!
Mitch Keller is a pretty good pitcher but an unexciting #2. He is projected at 2.3 WAR and had 2.5 last season. All the rest of the Pirates pitchers are projected at less than 2 WAR, with Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft projected to come closest to being 2 WAR pitchers. Color me unimpressed by this rotation, unless Skenes completely goes off. That’s exciting but, still probably not enough to overcome this overall roster. It must really suck to be a Pirates fan:/
Their bullpen looks ok but not really a big strength either. So let’s move on to comparing ZiPS to some other projection systems that I trust more than the others.
The Bat X has Konor Griffin at 88 games, much less than the other projection systems expect. I think they will probably just rush him to the majors, as long as he impresses in spring training. At least, that’s what it seems like in early February. It’s important to note that the three projection systems I’m looking at are all having him playing different numbers of games.
It would seem that the Pirates have a platoon at 2B now with Nick Gonzalez and Brandon Lowe, who project out to be about the same WAR when looking at a consensus of projections. Otherwise I’m not sure why they acquired Lowe. The Pirates could also platoon at 1B with Spencer Horwitz being a left handed hitter and Rafael Flores Jr being a right handed hitter.
Just a quick analysis of these projections’ data, shows that ZiPS is more optimistic about the Pirates position players, while The Bat X thinks they’ll flat out kind of suck. You have Fangraphs Depth Charts in the middle. The opposite is true when looking at the starting rotation concerning The Bat vs ZiPS. ZiPS might be underrating the Pirates rotation a bit or just too pessimistic. Skenes surely is going to be worth more than 5 WAR this season, right? I think 6 WAR seems like a better guess.
While the Pirates rotation definitely blows the Cardinals out of the water with a pirate cannonball, the Cardinals projected position players are going to be more valuable, even without Brendan Donovan in the lineup. And outside of Paul Skenes, their rotation isn’t THAT good (our’s just doesn’t look very good on paper right now). Maybe I’ll change my tune on that after looking around some other rotations, but I was expecting to be a little more impressed.
This was an interesting article to write, with Konor Griffin probably being a big player to watch in 2026. Or do you think Pittsburgh will give him more time in the minor leagues? With the Pirates defense and pitching combo, they could be pretty annoying this year if Griffin ends up hitting like a big leaguer. That will more likely be a season or two down the line, but now you know what to expect… the Pirates lineup might not be quite as bad in 2026, and will probably be better than that in the not too distant future.
1976
‘76 was my first full year around the sun. Little did I know how utterly confounding the world is. Perhaps the most poignant movie of the year that year was this movie called Network. It was so far ahead of its time it is still a legendary flick.
“there is only IBM, Dupont, and Exxon”
Network was quite ahead of its time! It needed to be said again. It is a very quotable movie, and was a dark look at some turbulent times (not all that different from now, really), focusing on media ethics, all the while laden with acidic humor. I mean, check out this quote:
Howard Beale: All human beings are becoming humanoids. All over the world, not just in America. We’re just getting there faster since we’re the most advanced country.
I guess I was becoming a humanoid in 1976. But, you have got to get mad!
Howard Beale: All I know is, you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m a human being, goddamn it. My life has value.”
Does this sum up the human condition? I don’t know, but learning to become human has its ups and downs. People go into drone mode for a bit, then put their foot down. It’s a constant process of re-evaluating behaviors, both in others and yourself. A balancing act between memory and impulse.
Howard Beale: You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here, you’re beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God’s name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion.
Is this why I started to blog? Not about tv, but just about being on the internet? I just don’t know anymore, Howard!
Howard Beale: This is not a psychotic breakdown; it’s a cleansing moment of clarity.
Oh ok, I feel better now. I do, however, completely agree with this:
Howard Beale: Television is not the truth. Television is a goddamned amusement park.
Yes, entertainment runs the show. And capital, of course. There is plenty more to be said about what Network touches upon, and please let me hear your comments on this movie! I will say no more about it in this article.
Taxi Driver and Rocky were two other top tier movie releases in 1976!
1976 was the 200th birthday of the USA. Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the presidential election. Stagflation was “in”, which meant a stagnant economy with high inflation and high unemployment numbers. It was a time of transition after Vietnam and the Watergate scandal.
On January 27th, the US vetoed a UN resolution that would make Palestine an independent state. Apple computer was formed. The Atari video game Breakout was released. Tim Heidecker was born on Feb 3rd!I cannot believe that Tim is older than Lance Berkman! Who was born Feb 10th. Heck, I cannot believe I’m older than he is too! Guess Lance will be 50 soon.
In baseball, the Reds won their 2nd world series in a row in 1976 by sweeping the Yankees. The Reds also swept the Phillies! No wonder they called it the Big Red Machine. They just steamrolled in ‘76. There was a lockout in 1976, but it only lasted March 1-17, and it didn’t affect the regular season. The NL won the all-star game that year.
Our beloved Cardinals were not good back then, but neither were the Cubs. The Expos won 55 games and finished in last place, but that was the only team the Cardinals were better than, finishing 3 games behind the Cubs in 5th place, with the Phillies, Pirates, and Mets all fielding really good teams the 1976 season. Back then, there was an East and West and the Cardinals were in the East. Six teams per division.
The Royals George Brett finished behind the Cubs Bill Madlock for the batting title, Madlock batting .339! Mike Schmidt had 38 home runs, leading MLB. George Foster of the Reds had the most RBI. The Cardinals had a bright spot in John Denny leading the NL in ERA at 2.52! Somehow I don’t think I ever heard of the guy. The Mets Tom Seaver lead MLB with 235 Ks!
Joe Morgan and Thurman Munson were the MVPs that year, Morgan’s 2nd in a row! Righty Jim Palmer and lefty Randy Jones won the Cy Young Awards. Jones had won 16 games by the All Star Break, setting a record! On July 20, 1976, Hank Aaron hit his final blast, #755.
On July 24, 1976, Lyman Bostock of the Twins became the 4th Twins player to hit for the cycle, while batting 4th, going 4 for 4, scoring 4 runs, and knocking in 4 RBI! It was the first time he was batted at cleanup. What.
On August 8th, the White Sox wore shorts during the first game of a double header at Comiskey Park. I’m not sure why I included that, other than I thought it was a little random and absurd.
1976 was the 9th season in a row that Tom Seaver pitched over 200 strikeouts. Incredible! On September 10, Nolan Ryan fanned 18 White Sox hitters for a complete game 3-2 win.
October 3rd was the last game of Hank Aaron’s illustrious baseball career.
The Cardinals attendance was way down that year, showing I suppose that fans actually don’t show up when the team and the economy are bad. St Louis expects a good product.
Ok, enough random factoids, it is time for my top 10 albums of 1976!
Top 10 Albums of 1976
#1 Goblin – ‘Roller’ Italian proggers Goblin went on to have a very busy, even convoluted music career creating scores for 70’s and 80’s horror movies, but their roots were in prog rock, and Roller gives you the blueprint to their sound. It’s a bit more straight up prog rock than soundtrack, but it showed what they could do and a wild career and extensive cast of musicians resulting in the band fractioning, mutating, evolving, etc. There really is so much to say about this band. If you love cheesy but good vintage horror movie soundtrack sounds that incorporate both guitars and synthesizers, accompanied by an amazing rhythm section, you must check out the Goblin discography. They most frequently collaborated with Dario Argento.
P.S. I own a copy of this album on vinyl, which I bought at Amoeba Records while I was on vacation. It is one of my most prized possessions.
#2 Truth and Janey – ‘No Rest For The Wicked’ I don’t know what there is about this obscure proto-metal band from Cedar Rapids, IA, but I keep coming back to this album over the years. Picking up where Sabbath left off with Sabotage, we hear Truth and Janey pick up the torch while blending in a vast array of classic rock influences. However, if you told me this came out today as a new stoner rock band going for a vintage sound, I might believe you. A timeless sound of rock n’ roll cranked through double stacks. Truth and Janey plays with a swagger that few can match, almost entering Jethro Tull territory. I don’t own a copy of this on vinyl, but wish that I did. I grew up not too far from Cedar Rapids and never heard of this band until the youtube era. And because of google, I just learned that Iowa has a rock and roll Hall of Fame! I did not know that. Truth and Janey were of course inducted.
#3 Heart – ‘Dreamboat Annie’ I absolutely love this album. Another one that I own on vinyl. Just a fantastic listen, one of my favorite guitarists and two of my favorite singers in the world. Classic songs composed perfectly. Heart’s first two albums are among the very best rock albums ever recorded, in my opinion.
#4 Magma – ‘Udu Wudu’ weirdo prog funk from France… Magma created a whole new genre of music which blended prog rock, jazz fusion, classical, disco, funk, opera, and the avant garde: a genre called Zeuhl. Yes, this was before Ghostbusters. The primary unifying element of Zeuhl is not only progressive music but also an entirely made up language that exists in each band. This might sound like French, but usually it’s a made up language called Kobaïan. They have a lot of albums and you’ll just have to find your favorite one. This one leans more on the funky as the mid 70’s are apt to do. Some of them have beautiful choirs. One of the best live bands I’ve ever seen! And they brought a full band with multiple singers, organ player, etc.
#5 Dr. Aftershave and The Mixed Pickles – ‘For Missus Beastly’ this funk rock obscurity my perfectly sum up the times of the mid-70s… music like this could be heard everywhere. However, I find this album exceptionally catchy and well produced for the times. While the music performances are super fun but also virtuosic, really well rehearsed, creative, etc. I might end up wishing I had ranked this album higher up, it’s a recent find! I found that the beginning track kind of stole the show, but the whole thing is very uplifting.
#6 Rush – ‘2112’ I cannot believe that I am ranking this album this low, but there will always be some that think I’m ranking this too highly. My fandom of obscure funk bands has risen more quickly than my fandom of prog rock, which plateaued a while back now. Still love it, but not likely to do prog rock deep dives to find new stuff. Anyhow, I still love the classic prog rock album 2112 and think that it is still extremely influential, but they have so many other albums that I like even more than this one, I have to temper my fandom a bit. At times, this album sounds a bit silly, but I digress. I love Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson. And this album will always be a classic, straddling the lines of concept album, longform prog rock, and art rock. Would love to have seen them live on tour with this in the 70’s! But I was an infant then.
#7 Zappa – ‘Zoot Allures’ the link here is to side one of this album (in that classic vinyl sound, the following links will be in remastered form), because the opening tracks of “Wind Up Working In A Gas Station”, “Black Napkins”, and “The Torture Never Stops” are among Frank Zappa’s top tier creations. I’d even go so far to say that Zoot Allures has one of the best opening three songs of almost any album! Track 1 sums up his humor, energy, and athletic musical mastery, Track 2 showcases Frank’s in the moment guitar shredding and more trippy side perhaps better than any other song, & Track 3 is one of his nastiest but most laid back funk tracks. On side 2 of the vinyl, title track “Zoot Allures” is another really fun, top tier instrumental guitar track. I could deal without the rest of the album, but these four tracks are so damn good it makes the list.
#8 King Tubby – ‘King Tubbys meets rockers uptown’ I like this King Tubby album more than last year’s one (1975), and also more than the other really good King Tubby album from 1976! You know this is good stuff. But, 1976 has stacked really good albums. No knock against King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown! Total mood music down really well and well produced. Mid 70’s was a time of emergent heavy metal, funk, prog rock, and of course, the emergence of dub reggae. An important cultural and technological development in music production techniques.
#9 Sun Ra – ‘Cosmos’ I had never heard this particular Sun Ra album, but his discography is vast! I love this album Cosmos because it emerges is spaced out free jazz side with a more 70’s funk meets jazz fusion sound. Its production however is not that smooth mid 70’s production, the bass is in your face, the drums sound pretty raw, and the whole thing more like a live recording, like many Sun Ra albums, but this one is especially intense, you can tell they are probably playing louder than usual. Every Sun Ra album is another adventure, and there are many to encounter.
#10 Chrome – ‘The Visitation’ It is not easy to believe that this album is from 1976. Chrome were always on the bleeding edge of punk, industrial metal, and weirdo psychedelic art rock, but from the get go is impressive. I have to tell you guys, this year was a lot harder to rank than 1975 and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier going forward. Chrome were proto everything and their debut is no exception, at times I am like what is even going on here but it always makes sense somehow.
Album of the year 1976
And to close this out, here is some Jurrangelo Cijntje video!
The Tyler Schweitzer Army showed up in full force, just 11 ballots into his Prospect Vote time. Better late than never, right? Schweitzer crushed the competition, earning 18 of 42 (18%) votes:
This is Schweitzer’s worst of four showings in our Vote, as readers ranked him higher in 2023 (18th), 2024 (23rd) and 2025 (14th).
Past No. 35s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2025 Voting lasted only 31 rounds 2024 Voting lasted only 34 rounds 2023 Voting lasted only 24 rounds 2022 Voting lasted only 17 rounds 2021 Caleb Freeman (36%) 2020 Seby Zavala (37%) 2019 Ti’quan Forbes (42%) 2018 Alex Call (40%)
Schweitzer is the 20th pitcher of 25 players to advance, as well as the ninth left-handed starter:
Newcomer Caden Connor finished in a tie for seventh, with two votes. Shortstop and 2025 draftee Colby Shelton joins the ballot for this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2026
Alexander Albertus Third Baseman Age 21 2025 high level Arizona Complex League (Rookie) Age relative to high level +0.4 years Overall 2025 stats 8 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 2 RBI ▪️ .333/.520/.444 ▪️ 3-of-3 (100.0%) SB ▪️ 6 BB ▪️ 3 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.3 WAR
What can you say further about Albertus? He seems to have great tools but an uncanny ability to stay off of the field (just eight games in a season-plus in the White Sox system). In 2025, he was assigned to Kannapolis but was … wait for it … injured. He lasted just eight games of ACL rehab before hitting the IL-60 again.
Aldrin Batista Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 22 2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 6 2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -1.2 years Overall 2025 stats 2-0 ▪️ 7 games (2 starts) ▪️ 14 IP ▪️ 5.79 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 1.429 WHIP ▪️-1.2 WAR
Batista was our No. 6-voted player in last year’s poll and top righthander — and then disaster struck, as he started the third Dash game of the season on April 6 and then was out more than four months with a stress fracture in his right (pitching) elbow. His return in late August was iffy, with three poor relief appearances of five. But he ended the season with a scoreless (two-inning) “opener” start, which hopefully reverses the curse for 2026.
Ryan Burrowes Second Baseman Age 21 2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 23 2025 SSS Prospect Vote ranking N/R 2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2025 stats (Low-A/High-A) 111 games ▪️ 6 HR ▪️ 39 RBI ▪️ .255/.342/.355 ▪️ 47-of-53 (88.7%) SB ▪️ 39 BB ▪️ 110 K ▪️ .976 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR
It feels like Burrowes has been around forever, and he’s still only 21 years old (and playing at a level significantly younger than his age). His first taste of High-A ball went pretty well, as his baserunning seems to have no trouble translating at any level. The hit tool is solid, although he continues to struggle with contact — a no-no for a speed-over-power guy.
Caden Connor Left Fielder Age 25 2025 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -2.3 years Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA/AAA) 126 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 64 RBI ▪️ .272/.358/.366 ▪️ 13-of-16 (81.3%) SB ▪️ 60 BB ▪️ 81 K ▪️ .982 FLD%▪️ 1.9 WAR
Like Ryan Galanie, it’s hard to know what to make of Connor. The end of the 2025 season, at Charlotte, marked the first time in his pro career that he’s not played old for his level. But aside from a dip in July, Connor hit well all season and didn’t get dunked underwater at Charlotte. Theoretically with a weak White Sox outfield, the sky’s the limit for him in 2026.
Reudis Diaz Right-handed relief pitcher Age 20 2025 high level ACL (Rookie) Age relative to high level -2.1 years Overall 2025 stats 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 finishes) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR
Who? You’re forgiven for being unfamiliar with an extremely young arm who hasn’t yet gotten out of rookie ball, but our No. 77 prospect a year ago (then a starter, repeating the DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment Stateside. He’ll return to starting in 2026, likely getting his feet wet in Arizona and getting a promotion to Low-A in the second half of the season.
Ryan Galanie First Baseman Age 25 2025 high level Birmingham (AA) Age relative to high level +1.3 years Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA) 119 games ▪️ 11 HR ▪️ 94 RBI ▪️ .276/.327/.422 ▪️ 14-of-17 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 35 BB ▪️ 79 K ▪️ .995 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR
It’s been a slow but steady climb for this 13th-rounder in 2023. The good news here is, with the caveat that Galanie has always competed older than his level, Galanie has found some footing. While his power/slugging numbers are merely OK, he drove in 94 runs in 2025. He disappeared a bit in the playoffs for Birmingham (just four hits in six games, with five walks as well) but started every game in the march to a second consecutive Southern League title for the Barons.
Jairo Iriarte Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Age 24 2025 SSS Top Prospect Vote Ranking 19 2025 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -4.3 years Overall 2025 stats (Rookie/AAA) 3-3▪️ 1 SV ▪️ 37 games (5 starts, 9 finishes) ▪️ 48 IP ▪️ 7.13 ERA ▪️ 50 K ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 1.917 WHIP ▪️ -0.8 WAR
The 2025 season was an utter disaster for Iriarte, who went from prospective South Side rotation member to lost in space. The righty, who made his brief debut in the majors in 2024, both lost the plate and misplaced his strikeout power. The Brian Bannister Pitching Lab has its work cut out here, for sure.
Javier Mogollón Shortstop Age 20 2025 high level Kannapolis (Low-A) Age relative to high level -1.4 years Overall 2025 stats 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .220/.347/.387 ▪️ 15-of-21 (71.4%) SB ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 56 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.0 WAR
An ascending star just one year ago, we have to tap the breaks a bit on Mogollón after a lackluster first full season of minors ball. While still young for his level and managing to keep his head above water in a new league every season of his career, Mogollón’s undeniable hitting in Rookie ball fell off significantly with the Cannon Ballers. However, how much of that was due to battling injury is undetermined, as Mogollón was shelved for what turned out to be the season on July 2.
Yobal Rodriguez Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age18 2025 high levelDSL White Sox (Rookie) Age relative to high level -1.5 years Overall 2025 stats0-3 ▪️ 13 games (10 starts) ▪️ 30 1/3 IP ▪️2.97 ERA ▪️ 33 K ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 1.022 WHIP ▪️ 1.2 WAR
Rodriguez is a rare DSL pitcher, not for his relatively light innings load, but as a primary starter — and at just 17 years old (Yobal turns 18 on February 9). Inasmuch as it’s tough to project anyone out of the DSL, especially pitchers, you could hardly have hoped for more from him in his pro debut.
Colby Shelton Shortstop Age 23 2025 high level Kannapolis (Low-A) Age relative to high level +1.6 years Overall 2025 NCAA stats 45 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 35 RBI ▪️ .377/.458/.606 ▪️ 6-of-9 (66.7%) SB ▪️ 21 BB ▪️ 24 K ▪️ 2.7 WAR
Shelton is more of a slugger than a speedster, with the usual caveats about whether he will stick at shortstop. His credentials are impressive, playing full-time in the SEC in all three of his college years (one at Alabama, two with Georgia). Given the crowded field for the White Sox at shortstop, Shelton’s defensive ability will mean very little provided he can keep clubbing.
Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 21: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the fourth inning during a baseball game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good Morning Birdland,
It is getting increasingly difficult to write these opening thoughts to the Bird Droppings while the Orioles make no roster moves of note. There has been zero significant movement in quite a while.
In case you have missed the last…uh…five months (?), the Orioles still want to sign a “frontline” pitcher. They have been linked to every viable free agent you can think of. Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito, Zac Gallen. Yep. All of them. Nothing has changed there in a long time.
Looking at the roster, they need bullpen help too. But there is even less noise there. In fact, it has been silent. Mike Elias added Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley a few months back, and then hunkered down. The best guess is they will add some fringier arms on minor league deals with spring invites, and then they will pick up some scraps as teams cut their “extras” throughout February and March. Bullpen heros can come from unexpected places, but you would like to have a bit more certainty.
The position player groups seem set. At least to begin the spring. No trade of Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle is imminent. The 40-man roster has no true utility man on it. They did just add Bryan Ramos as a potential bench option, but almost all of his experience as a pro has come at third base, so he’s not the most versatile. Colton Cowser is lining up to be the center fielder most days with Leody Taveras in tow to spell him on occasion.
The pieces are not fitting together perfectly. But they don’t have to. Elias has made it clear that he wants to build redundancies into the squad so that an injury here or there doesn’t derail the season. Players can be optioned to Triple-A if they see fit. That includes Mayo and Jackson among others. In a 162-game season, players that begin the year in Norfolk are still likely to get their big league chance. That’s the theory anyway.
Links
Kyle Bradish beats Orioles in arbitration, will get $3.55M in ’26 | ESPN The Orioles and Bradish filed at numbers that were $675,000 apart. It would have been nice to see the two sides come to agreement rather than going through the arbitration process. It’s pretty common for the experience to sour a player’s view of their organization. If healthy, Bradish is a player that is probably going to be pretty important to this team for a few more years, at least. It would be best to keep him in good spirits. But it’s a business. I know, I know.
Orioles 2026 minor league coaching staffs announced | On The Verge This is a great, simple and contextual look at the changes made at each of the levels going into 2026. I do not personally know enough about minor league coaches to really have an opinion. But it doesn’t seem like the Orioles did much of an overhaul here, so they must be happy with the general direction of player development.
What to expect at Orioles spring training | Roch Kubatko Maybe it has been this stretch of ridiculously cold weather around Baltimore, or perhaps the team has just made some genuinely exciting moves this offseason, but I am more excited for spring training than I have been in a few years. Man, it is really gonna hurt if/when this team falls apart.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
February 4 is bereft of former Orioles player birthdays, but some of the non-baseball people celebrating today are former Vice President Dan Quayle (b. 1947), rock star Alice Cooper (b. 1948), actor Rob Corddry (b. 1971), former boxer Oscar De La Hoya (b. 1973), and comedian Hannibal Buress (b. 1983).
This day in O’s history
2011 – The Orioles sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year deal. It would prove to be the final season of his Hall-of-Fame career. Over 145 games with the O’s, Guerrero will hit .290/.317/.416 with 13 home runs and a 98 OPS+.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies cannot make a play on a pop fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 20, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TALKING STICK, AZ - OCTOBER 29: Jonny Farmelo #21 of the Peoria Javelinas runs to third base during the game between the Peoria Javelinas and the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in Talking Stick, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s time for one of our favorite annual traditions: going through the list of Mariners non-roster invites and spending entirely too much electronic ink on a lot of guys who will never suit up for the Mariners this season.
Left-Handed Pitchers:
Kade Anderson
Making one of the most highly anticipated organizational debuts in recent Mariner memory, Anderson jumps straight from the College World Series to big league Spring Training with the hopes of proving to the world his dominance will translate at the next level. Having reportedly gained considerable strength over the course of the offseason, Anderson will look to show off his polished four pitch mix with some extra oomph behind it, hopefully continuing his run of dominance from last year into his first taste of game action as a professional. – ME
Austin Kitchen
The Kitchen is open once again for the Mariners, who brought back the six-foot lefty on a minors deal for another year thanks to intriguing characteristics such as “throw baseball with left hand.” A true crafty lefty reliever, Kitchen makes his 91 mph heater work for him with the old fastball-up/sinker-down while mixing in a sweeper, changeup, and curve (in that order of preference) to generate ground-ball outs and weak contact rather than strikeouts. He doesn’t strike people out, but he also doesn’t walk them, making him one of my preferred fringe relievers to watch in the late innings of a spring training game. -KP
Right-handed pitchers:
Charlie Beilenson
After a dominant start at Everett this year, the Mariners jumped the 2024 fifth-rounder to Double-A, where he continued to show himself to be absolutely allergic to issuing free passes. The six foot Beilenson is athletic on the mound and features a Sewald-esque release point. He’s not a hard thrower, with a fastball around 94, but he’s able to get swing and miss on the pitch due to its rise and he pairs that with a sharp slider and a changeup that also elicits whiffs. Beilenson won organizational Reliever of the Month honors in June after contributing to a combined no-hitter in Everett. Fun fact about Beilenson: he’s eligible for three countries in the WBC (USA, New Zealand, Israel). Keep an eye on Beilenson as a dark horse to crack the bullpen at some point this season. -KP
Tyler Cleveland
There’s been a tremendous dearth of weird in the Mariners bullpen for a while now, and Tyler Cleveland is looking to change that. Though “The Pile” has never been as exciting as it is at present, Cleveland’s submarine release and funky arsenal will pose a legitimate threat to break into the Mariner ‘pen this season. Dominating the minor leagues to the tune of a 0.87 ERA last season, Mariner fans should get acquainted with perhaps the best 87 mph sinker they’ll see all year. – ME
Nick Davila
The Mariners re-signed Davila, 27, to a minor-league contract this off-season with an invitation to spring training, which is why he’s here. Davila is more of a contact manager than a strikeout artist, a tough fit as a reliever; he also got a little walk-happy in Arkansas this year, which is a problem that will have to be tamped down. -KP
Randy Dobnak
It has been quite the arc for Dobnak – going undrafted in college, he signed with the Twins in 2017 off of YouTube videos of his outings for a shiny $500, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Minors, debuting in 2019 with a scintillating 2.90 FIP over 28.1 innings. On the back of a solid 2020, Minnesota signed him to a unique five-year, $9.25 million extension with club options and escalators galore. Sadly, injuries wreaked havoc on him – after 50.1 tough innings in 2021, Dobnak has appeared in just six Major League games since then, but with his low arm angle and sinker/slider pitch mix, it’s easy to understand why the M’s are bringing him aboard. He’ll serve as starting pitching depth in Tacoma, and I, for one, will be rooting for a fellow Old School RuneScaper’s success. -CD
Dane Dunning
Hey baby, I heard you like depth. How about depth and upside? How about depth, and upside, and prospect pedigree paired with big league experience? How about depth, upside, prospect pedigree, big league experience and rec specs? Have yourself a Dane Dunning, sweetheart. You deserve it. Seattle signed him as a free agent in January to nonexistent enthusiasm, save for Mikey Ajeto and Isabelle Minasian. Do with that combination what you will. A former first round pick, he won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023 and, like so many on that team, ‘23 was a career year for Dunning with 172 innings pitched (most as a starter), a 3.70 ERA and career-high strikeouts. It’s been downhill ever since, to the point where the Rangers traded him to Atlanta mid-season last year and they moved him into the bullpen fulltime. He’s a weird throwback of a pitcher; a glacially slow right-hander who survives by dipping into a bulging bag of tricks (pitch mix), but he’s been working out with Tread and is seemingly back up to his 2023 velo on his sinker (his best/most utilized pitch). I’m curious to see if they’ll tag him for long relief or, in light of the Logan Evans news, run him out again as a starter. I’ll be rooting for him either way. – IM
Casey Lawrence
Updating from last year: When the 2097 Western Landmass QA1 MechaMariners show up to colonized Mars for spring training, Jacob Nottingham Casey Lawrence will somehow still get an invite. -KP
Teddy McGraw
It’s only 30 minutes from Cooperstown’s Main Street to Oneonta. Home to the Southside Mall, the nearest movie theater, a beloved indie bookstore and a deli that’s a front for a cult, Oneonta is where you go if you’re living in Cooperstown and need (crave?) that unreplicable strip mall feeling. I’m being rude. It’s also home to Oneonta High School, which produced one of my favorite humans of all time, and also Teddy McGraw. A third round pick out of Wake Forest in the 2023 draft, McGraw has a tantalizing fastball (two-seam) and devastating slider but is also a two-time Tommy John surgery recipient plagued by injuries (anyone getting hints of eau de Woo, or is that just me?). When he’s healthy, he has some of the best stuff in the system (Max Ellingsen says so). Questions remain whether they’ll keep him as a starter, or attempt to preempt injury by moving him to the bullpen. – IM
P.S. Yes, his dad is Tim McGraw.
P.P.S. No, not that Tim McGraw.
Michael Morales
Every day, you sit on the riverside, one rock among a hundred thousand hundred thousand. Deer amble up to the water’s edge, nudging some of your older compatriots into the water with their light-stepping hooves. Lizards crawl upon others, basking in the sunlight briefly before scuttling off. Your exterior grows mossy as a storm rolls in, sending gales through the forest and crashing a mighty pine down upon the bed of you and your ancient companions. The river is diverted, flowing over you directly for the first time since the dinosaurs roamed. As the water courses faster you are jostled free at last, turned for the first time to glimpse your still-dry neighbor. It is Michael Morales, resolute and unchanged as the day he was formed. —JT
Gabe Mosser
Signed as a minor league free agent, Mosser is now 29 after being in the Padres’ and Phillies’ systems since he was a 27th-round pick in 2018. In all that time, he’s never posted an ERA below 4 in a stop of more than 30 innings. As happens for a lot of pitchers nearing the end of the line, he started playing with a knuckleball last year as a Hail Mary. So while I have very little expectation that he’ll be a meaningful contribution to the 2026 Mariners, I’ll definitely pay attention when he’s on the mound this spring just for the show. – ZAM
Michael Rucker
One day after the Mariners signed Michael Rucker (an extremely popular time to be born, shoutout to commenter Lou Seal), I turned 31. If I was a horse and I got a small stomachache now, they would shoot me. If I was a professional baseball player, they wouldn’t shoot me (yet), but they would sit me down in an upholstered rocking chair, hand me a thick glass of Ovaltine, laced with Ensure and ground up Benadryl, and speak patronizingly to me. I’m exaggerating. A little bit. Unfortunately for Rucker, I am not exaggerating enough. Currently 31, but playing in his age 32 season, the right-hander has amassed 123 innings in relief at the big league level (all for the Cubs), but did not play in organized baseball in 2025 after electing free agency in November 2024. An Auburn Riverside grad and one-time Gonzaga bulldog, this signing reeks of Tacoma depth. Or maybe I’m just losing my sense of smell in my old age. – IM
Ryan Sloan
I love trains. Gigantic, industrial locomotives? They get everything we want and need from here to there, while providing young artists a canvas and night owls distant ambiance and companionship. Slick, modern high speed rail? Don’t mind if I do spend my commute playing my Switch, reading a book, scrolling the articles comments of lookoutlanding.com. But if there is one train that puts my nerves on edge, it is the mighty, mercurial hype train. There is, in the most literal sense, nothing wrong with Sloan. Instinctive and industrious, Sloan’s debut season has him now as the most tantalizing M’s prep pitcher since Taijuan Walker. I strongly recommend reading some scouting reports on Walker at the time of his call-up if that seems like damning with faint praise. I’ll be surprised if Sloan gets significant play in main field games this spring, given how cautious the club was with him a season ago, but this is one of the most impressive young pitchers I’ve seen. Choo choo. –JT
Guillo Zuñiga
The scandal that got the newest writer for Baseball America banned for life from MLB employment changed the trajectory of a young Colombian flamethrower. Instead of Atlanta, Zuñiga inked a deal with the Dodgers, creeping his way up the ranks with peripherals that always seemed to outpace his results. Minor league free agency placed Zuñiga in the system of St. Louis, then later Anaheim, Philadelphia, and eventually Seattle. Triple-A will be the destination all but assuredly for a fourth straight season, seeking for the first time an ERA starting with a number less than 5. Increasingly groundball-enticing, the 27 year old will be looking to add to a big league tenure featuring 19.2 frames he’d like another go at. There’s not much… deception in Zuñiga’s snub-nosed delivery, but a shuffled pitch mix might make a difference. –JT
Infielders:
Michael Arroyo
A prospect frequently overshadowed by the likes of Colt Emerson, Arroyo has a legitimate chance to become a big leaguer during the 2026 season. With rumblings of a potential position change to left field, the now infielder brings an incredibly polished offensive profile to the table and has the looks of a bat-first run producer despite his shorter, stockier frame. The defense will be something to watch for over the course of Spring Training; if he can find a natural home somewhere on the diamond, Arroyo would immediately put himself on the big league radar. – ME
Colt Emerson
I have been big in on Colt Emerson for a long time, but spending time with him this past week at FanFest has absolutely turned me into a Colt Truther. It’s a wild comparison, but Colt reminds me a lot of Cal Raleigh as a prospect – someone whose hype doesn’t seem to match up with his performance in the minors. I think Colt, like Cole Young before him, suffers a little from the curse of the “well-rounded”: he doesn’t have the kind of flashy skills that inspire breathless social media posts; he just does everything really, really well. Perry Hill absolutely loves his defense, which kind of tells you all you need to know about it: it’s foundationally sound, mechanically clean, and looks effortless. After watching video back from last spring training, he added a toe tap this past season (more on this later) that’s helped him damage elite velocity better and after a rough adjustment period at Double-A, solved a lot of his own problems. We love a learner around here, and we love Colt Emerson. -KP
Brock Rodden
A fifth round pick in 2023, Rodden won that year’s Dominate the Zone competition, winning him an NRI invite to Spring Training in 2024. A strong season then earned a spot on his own merit last year. But every rocket needs a countdown, and multiple injuries kept resetting the Brocket Ship’s clock in 2025. He looked fine over 163 PAs with neither the atypically high BABIP or high strikeout rate being concerning over a sample that small. He’s looking to get back on track and earn a 40-man spot before he’s Rule 5 eligible this coming offseason. – ZAM
Carson Taylor
Perhaps lost in the shuffle after the Mariners re-signed Josh Naylor to ignite the Hot Stove, the Mariners picked up Taylor in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft that closes up the annual Winter Meetings. Taylor, 26, was drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Dodgers in 2020, which gives him at least two characteristics desired by the Mariners (they love their Old Dominion-area prospects). A third characteristic emerges: Taylor walks a lot, doesn’t strike out excessively, and has some pop, although maybe not quite as much as you’d want in a first baseman. He’s here to fill the Tyler Locklear-shaped hole in your heart, albeit imperfectly. -KP
Will Wilson
Confession: I saved Will Wilson for last, and really intended to mail this wee blurb in. Unfortunately for my sleep schedule, but perhaps fortunately for the Mariners, Wilson doesn’t deserve that. The vaunted minds at r/ClevelandGuardians are split on him; some are thrilled he’s gone, others fear he may depart and become the next Ernie Clement. I suppose that’s the respect you get when you’re a former first round pick once cited as one of the top prospects in the draft, but also struck out 37.4% of the time in 91 plate appearances alongside a .051 ISO. He’s utility-ish; interesting-ish. I guess. – IM
Patrick Wisdom
Marco Gonzales’s BFF is back for another ride. The 34-year-old spent last season with the Kia Tigers, who are like the Yankees of the KBO, and proved that three true outcomes persist from Gwinnett to Gwangju. He did bash 35 homers, so if you’re at any games he’s playing in this spring, stake out a good spot on the berm. -KP
Outfielders:
Brennen Davis
Davis was a second round pick by the Cubs way back in 2018 and made it as high as 25 on Fangraphs’ top 100 prospects list in 2022. But he’s yet to make his MLB debut as injuries have derailed his minor league career. His Prospect Savant page is rather impressive. He makes a ton of hard contact and was the top player in AAA in pulling the ball in the air. But he’s also shown high chase and whiff rates that limit whatever projection remains. Every once in a while a guy like this figures it out… -RB
Jonny Farmelo
Raise your hand if you are super excited to watch a healthy Farmelo tear it up at spring training this year. Every hand should be up. Farmelo has one of the most tantalizing skillsets in the system, true five-tool potential, and this year could be the year he launches himself into one of the best prospects in baseball. Get your seat on the Melo Wagon early. -KP
My hand is up! My hand is so high up! It is also up in a way that gives ample space to Farmelo, so as not to create a raucous breeze that might unloose a garage sale flyer, that might tumble in the air towards him, that he might reach out to catch (Jonny Farmelo Hates Littering), that might give him a paper cut, that might become mysteriously infected, that might lay him up for 6-8 weeks or necessitate the amputation of his hand. – IM
Victor Labrada
Minor league aficionados will no doubt recognize Victor Labrada’s name, and the lefty outfielder has earned his first big league spring training invite since signing out of Cuba prior to the 2021 season. On the back of a high-walk, low-strikeout, low-power profile at the plate, Labrada has steadily climbed through each level of the Minors, getting his first taste of Triple-A last season. He also brings blazing speed to the table, swiping a combined 44 bases last year and 49 in 2024. While he can cover center field in a pinch, he’s more suited in a corner, getting the bulk of his time in Double-A and Triple-A last year in left field. Labrada is pretty far down the depth chart of Seattle’s outfielders and will be playing in his age-26 season, but if he can unlock a bit more game power, he could be an option the Mariners turn to if need be. -CD
Lazaro Montes
The haters will tell you that Montes’s poor contact metrics mean his prospect arrow is pointing down. The haters will tell you the swing and miss in his profile will keep him from getting to his 70 grade power. The haters will tell you his barely-passable defense in a corner spot limits him to a DH role in the bigs. The haters will become the waiters at Montes’s table of success, except not really because he’s such a nice guy he’d invite anyone to sit down and insist on serving them himself. -KP
Spencer Packard
Another spring, another year of writing about NRI invite Spencer Packard. Packard, now 28, has crossed the line from “older prospect” to “MiLB journeyman” and the hopes for a Ty France-type power breakout are starting to dim. Like France, Packard has never posted a minor-league wRC+ of below 100, thanks to a bone-deep unwillingness to expand the zone. Unlike France, Packard hasn’t come near a 20-homer campaign despite playing in some of the same bounce houses of the PCL. With little to offer defensively (he is an OFINO), there has to be some bump in the power production to find a way onto a big-league roster…at least, Seattle’s. -KP
Jared Sundstrom
Gualala, California is one of the most beautiful little enclaves in one of the most beautiful parts of the state. It’s a pass through for most pursuing the idylls of Mendocino county, with under 3,000 residents and nominal tourist draws. There’s rugged coast, and towering redwoods, and a river slicing through it all; it is the very best of the Northern California coast. Jared Sundstrom probably will not be the very best of the Mariners’ Spring Training, but he is also not tiny like his hometown. A veritable tank of an outfielder with the commensurate power and athleticism, the former Gaucho’s primary dings are his age and some mixed sentiments on plate discipline. If you’re on the backfields of Peoria and you watch a ball sail up, up, up, up and away, it just might be courtesy of Sundo. – IM
Utility:
Blake Rambusch
Leo Rivas should sue Rambusch for IP theft. The 26 year old will be in line for his first taste of Triple-A this year, in what could be a lengthy lid on his career unless the pint-size utility-man can unlock any power or truly blow things out of the water in another realm of the game. Rambusch’s last home run came in High-A Everett at the age of 23… in August of 2023. He’s missed bits of time in 2024 and 2025, but that’s over 170 games without leaving the yard. The hard-running Auburn University product is a menace on the bases and walks frequently, like Litleo, but a lot of folks hit in the minors like this and get bowled over in the bigs. It’s hard to make it work, and Rambusch will have to conquer Tacoma to get a chance to try. –JT
Catchers:
Josh Caron
After a strong debut run with the championship Nuts that had him ranked in our 2025 preseason Top 20, Caron took a huge step back at Everett this year. His calling card is his big right-handed power, but he didn’t even muster double-digit home runs in the friendly parks of the Northwest League. Meanwhile, his aggressive approach at the plate was exposed by A-ball pitchers, leading to him striking out just under a third of the time. Caron’s strength at present is his skill behind the dish, where he’s a good receiver and leader of a pitching staff, which earned him an NRI invite. ABC, Always Be Catching. -KP
Connor Charping
As a catcher, Charping would have been a lock to be invited to spring training anyway, but he also likely would have gotten there as a reward for the “control the zone” contest, coming very close to walking more than he struck out this year at AA. He also hit .300, although it’s a fairly empty .300; he’s hit all of two homers over his pro career since signing as an UDFA in July of 2022. Still, shiny number is shiny number, and ability to catch even at a basic level only burnishes it further–although his caught stealing numbers in Arkansas are pretty brutal this year (which might not be his fault! As is anything, it takes two.). -KP
Brian O’Keefe
Oh hey, it’s that guy, he’s back! -RB
Brian O’Keefe is 32. How have his knees not sued him for an OSHA violation yet? -KP
Nick Raposo
Nick Raposo returns to the Mariners after signing as a minor-league free agent last season. After a couple underwhelming turns at Triple-A, the Mariners let him get his feet under him as the primary catcher for the Arkansas Travelers this past season; he’ll compete for a job in Tacoma, and hopefully not anything more than that, this spring. -KP
Jakson Reetz
Someone asked me recently how I choose which 40 in 40s I write. “Why honey,” I replied, ignoring their mild alarm at the sudden emergence of a 1920s Hollywood starlet drawl and batting my eyelashes furiously. “I choose my 40 in 40s like I pick my NRIs. The less I know about them, the better.” Mouth ajar, I wink cartoonishly and take a hearty puff off my cigarette holder (the table’s butter knife). They look on, aghast.
(Jakson Reetz is a 30-year-old catcher drafted out of high school in 2014 with 17 big league plate appearances. As of this writing (8:43 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3 (sorry Kate)), Baseball Reference has his 2026 contract status as “Not Updated” and not his transaction section ends with being granted free agency in November 2025.) – IM
Luke Stevenson
A power-over-contact catcher from an ACC school? It worked the last time the Mariners tried! Stevenson spent 100 PAs destroying Modesto to the tune of a 154 wRC+ while walking more than he struck out. And he gets good reports on his receiving too. Catchers are hard to project because they have so much growth to do, but all arrows are pointing up for Stevenson since the Draft. In a system without a lot of guys in the middle tier, Stevenson’s one to watch. – ZAM
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 17: Frank Cairone pitches on the mound during the 2025 Draft Combine game between Team Stars and Team Stripes at Chase Field on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Just a few short weeks ago, 18-year-old Brewers left-handed pitching prospect Frank Cairone was hit head-on by a vehicle that ran a stop sign in his home state of New Jersey. Cairone was airlifted to a hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.
The road to recovery seemed like it could be very long, but thankfully, he seems to be progressing down that road. On Tuesday, Cairone posted a video of himself lightly tossing a baseball against a wall, signifying he’s progressed enough for some light baseball activities.
While there’s clearly still a ways to go until Cairone is ready for game action, considering where he was just a few weeks ago, this is tremendous news.
The full extent of Cairone’s injuries haven’t been made publicly known. The Brewers issued a statement at the time of the car crash, but there’s been no official word on just what all he’s gone through in the aftermath of the accident.
It’s unknown just how long he’ll be out of action, and it’s unlikely we’ll get any answers on that until he makes his way down to American Family Fields of Phoenix for spring training. Pitchers and catchers are due to report next week, but given Cairone’s circumstances, his arrival could be delayed.
The Brewers drafted Cairone with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2025 Draft out of Delsea Regional HS in New Jersey. They signed him away from a Coastal Carolina commitment with a $1.1 million signing bonus. Cairone joined the list of young, projectable, high-upside pitchers that the Brewers have added to their farm system in recent years.
Once Cairone is healthy enough to pitch this season, he’s likely to make his professional debut and start the year with the Arizona Complex League Brewers and ultimately spend time with the Low-A Wilson Warbirds.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
Happy Birthday, Dan Plesac,and other stories.
Today in baseball history:
1882 – National League players are now responsible for carrying their own bats and uniforms on road trips. They are also required to purchase and keep clean two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties to be worn on the field at all times. (2)
1893 – The first recorded version of Casey at the Bat, as recited by Russell Hunting, hits the music charts. DeWolf Hopper’s more famous version will not be released until October. (2)
1956 – The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for the outstanding pitcher of the year. At first, there will be one award for both major leagues. (2)
1971 – CommissionerBowie Kuhn announces former Negro League players will have a separate wing in the Hall of Fame. Due to the controversy the announcement causes, it is decided inclusion in regular Hall of Fame is more fitting and more of an honor for the black former players. (2)
960 – Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song initiates three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern China.
1789 – First US Electoral College chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.
1931 – National League adopts a deader baseball.
1952 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American executive of a major US TV and radio station as Director of Community Activities at radio WNBC and TV station WNBT in New York.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
Cigarette card (from the Billiken tobacco company) features a photo of baseball player Jose Acosta, of the Marianao team, Cuba, 1924. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
1922 The White Sox purchased right-handed reliever José Acosta from the Washington Senators. Acosta, born in La Habana in 1891, was the 33rd Cuban player in major league history and the first ever to play for the White Sox.
Acosta went 0-2 with an 8.40 ERA and -0.4 over five games for the 1922 White Sox. He would pitch for six more years, until age 38, finishing with 195 professional wins across MLB, the minors and foreign leagues.
1971 Another year … another Acosta?
The White Sox purchased pitcher Cecilio “Cy” Acosta from the Mexican League — no doubt aided by White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso, who was then a player-manager for Acosta’s Jalisco club.
Acosta’s U.S. debut came that summer, in 24 games for the Triple-A Tucson Toros, struggling with the transition to the upper minors by logging a 5.27 ERA. However, that was his last unsightly season in the White Sox organization, as Acosta was almost unbelievably good in a short career with the White Sox. The righthander compiled a 153 ERA+ and 5.7 WAR in just 186 innings from 1972-74, including the (tied for) sixth-best relief season in White Sox history (4.1 WAR in 1973). Acosta was sold to Philadelphia for the 1974 season and pitched in just six more games in his MLB career.
Acosta also was the first AL pitcher to bat after the institution of the DH rule, striking out in Dick Allen’s place on June 20, 1973.
Before and after his MLB stint, Acosta was a Mexican League stalwart. He pitched 17 seasons (1968-71, 1975-86), going 122-137 with a 3.42 ERA. He was elected to the Salón de la Fama de Beisbol (Hall of Fame) in Monterrey, Nueva León in Mexico in 2005.
1985 Chicago native and Niles prep school product Greg Luzinski, who signed with the White Sox in 1981 and revitalized his career in the DH spot, retired.
Luzinski was dumped at the end of Spring Training 1981 by his lifelong franchise, the Philadelphia Phillies — and the White Sox were all too happy to snap him up. “Bull” hit the ground running, clubbing his way through the strike-shortened 1981 campaign well enough to pile up 21 homers, 68 RBIs, an .841 OPS and a 23rd-place finish in MVP voting. He was every bit as good in 1982, and then had his best traditional-stats season for the White Sox in 1983 (32 homers, 95 RBIs, .854 OPS, 17th in MVP voting) and helped push the South Siders to 99 wins.
Among many White Sox to take a step back in 1984, Luzinski was as bad as any, dropping from 2.3 WAR to -0.3, and an 89 OPS+ that was by far the worst of his career. Thus, the Bull hung up his spikes, winding up his career with 307 homers and a 130 OPS+. Per JAWS, Luzinski remains the 91st best left fielder in major league history. And coincidentally, Luzinski’s closest similarity scores are of two former White Sox: Roy Sievers (94.3%) and Jermaine Dye (93.6%).
1990 Two former White Sox factor into the first and only championship of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. Both Lamar Johnson and Steve Kemp homered in a 12-4 win for the St. Petersburg Pelicans over the West Palm Beach Tropics. Johnson had three RBIs in the game and was named the Star of Stars for the game.
The league lost four teams in Florida for the 1990-91 season and added two in Arizona, with the league schedule shortening from 72 to 56 games. On December 28, it folded and did not re-form for 1991-92.
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 15: Carlos Santana #41 of the Cleveland Guardians bats during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Friday, August 15, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Congratulations to Carlos Santana on finding a team for the 2026 season.
The Diamondbacks will be his 9th team, which is crazy for a guy who has spent 11 years with one of those.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers showed off just how full their free agency haul has gotten, by DFAing one of the guys they signed this offseason.
The rest of baseball really needs to wake up. Presumably LA will start adding depth by giving out MILB contracts that are $1M+.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during batting practice before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are going into the 2026 MLB season with a lot of optimism, largely in part due to an improving star pitcher in Paul Skenes and an offense that projects to be better than it was a year ago.
Trading for Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe and signing Ryan O’Hearn in free agency gives the Pirates reason to be hopeful when it comes to the offense, but there is a possibility that these offensive upgrades just aren’t enough.
The Pirates know that they are entering a potential contending window with Skenes approaching the prime of his career. Once they have No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin coming up, the Pirates will have the foundation for a true contender. However, there is a legitimate possibility that it all falls apart like it has in the past.
Gerrit Cole comes to mind when looking at a premier Pirates pitching prospect that was traded because the team couldn’t build a contender around him. The Pirates need to do everything in their power to ensure that Skenes doesn’t become the next iteration of Cole.
The moves this offseason indicate that the Pirates are committed to turning things around and trying to build a contender around Skenes. It isn’t something that can be built overnight, and the team still has several years of control when it comes to his contract. So, there is no immediate need for this trade to happen.
It’s something to think about in the back of the mind, but with Skenes under team control until 2029, the Pirates will only hear the noise get louder if the team doesn’t start winning more.
