Category: Baseball

This is the first of what are likely to be several major awards won by Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong this year (Bluesky link):

You all know PCA’s numbers, but they are certainly worth repeating here, because they represent a Cubs season not seen in decades. Some highlights as posted in the BA article:

• He led all MLB hitters with 45 home runs, 119 runs, 84 extra-base hits and 357 total bases.

• He led National League hitters with a .570 slugging percentage, .943 OPS and 157 wRC+.

• He played in all 162 games, drove in 107 runs batting primarily out of the leadoff spot, stole 41 bases, grounded into just two double plays and played a spotless center field, positioning him for a second straight Gold Glove.

• Beneath the surface, he improved his decision-making by swinging less, chasing less and missing less. As a result, he drew 83 walks, hit .280 and posted a .372 OBP—all far and away his best marks in three full MLB seasons.

• His discipline gains were most apparent in same-side matchups. He hit .280/.374/.505 versus lefthanders, one year after hitting .188 against them.

Of all those numbers, perhaps the difference in his plate discipline is the most impressive. PCA had a very good season in 2025, but walked only 29 times last year and posted a . 287 on-base percentage. He raised that OBP 85 points this year, which was eighth-best in the National League. Here’s another stat that will amaze you:

PCA had finished his breakout 2025 season on a down note, posting a .611 OPS for the final 60 games of that campaign.

But from June 1 onward, there was no better baseball player on the planet than PCA. 

His 1.065 OPS and 186 wRC+, spanning 476 plate appearances, were tops in MLB. Consider: Crow-Armstrong packed so much value into the final four months of the 2026 season that he nearly went 30-30 in the final 102 games, finishing one stolen base shy of 30. 

So over the season’s final four months, he put together numbers that probably would have won an MVP award even if you ignored the numbers before June 1:

And, as you know, the 9.8 bWAR he posted this year was tied with Ron Santo’s 1967 season for fourth-best in Cubs franchise history (behind Rogers Hornsby, 10.6 in 1929; Sammy Sosa, 10.3 in 2001; and Ernie Banks, 10.2 in 1959). PCA’s year created 10.6 fWAR, second only to Hornsby in 1929 (11.0).

He’ll certainly be the National League MVP when that award is announced next month, and there’s a good chance he’ll be the unanimous choice.

There’s one more award that PCA is up for:

The Hank Aaron Award was created in 1999 to honor the best offensive performer of the year in each league. Here’s a list of winners; there have been three Cubs to win the award previously (Kris Bryant in 2016, Aramis Ramirez in 2008 and Sammy Sosa in 1999.

And your vote counts! You can vote here and fan voting, along with a panel of Hall of Famers, will decide the winners, who will be announced next month:

The Hank Aaron Award winners will be announced live from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT during a special presentation at the MLB Awards, which will be aired live on MLB Network for a fourth consecutive year.

As I’ve written before: Don’t ever forget what you saw Pete Crow-Armstrong do this year. The 2026 Cubs season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but PCA’s performance was one for the ages.

The offseason will be a bit trickier for the Colorado Rockies this year.

The window to make decisions will be shorter because the World Series will end on October 27 at the earliest, and the collective bargaining agreement ends on December 2, bringing a presumed lockout. That leaves teams with about a month to start making meaningful decisions before the market is frozen with no real clarity on when it will resume under a new CBA.

One of the major decisions to make will be figuring out which players will be tendered a contract. Under the current CBA, the non-tender deadline will be November 20. The most consequential group of players for the Rockies are those who are eligible for arbitration this year. The Rockies have a relatively short list of arbitration players this year, and thanks to the folks over at MLB Trade Rumors, we have a guideline of projected salaries for what the players could potentially earn in 2027.

As it stands, here are the confirmed eligible players:

• Jimmy Herget: $2.4 million
• Jake McCarthy: $4.6 million
• Ryan Feltner: $3.8 million
• Brennan Bernardino: $1.6 million
• Hunter Goodman: $6.2 million

So, let’s check in on the prospects of each player being tendered a contract and sticking with the Rockies for 2027.

Jimmy Herget

Entering his final year of arbitration, Jimmy Herget is an interesting case for the Rockies. Claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs, Herget ended up as one of the most valuable players for the historically bad Colorado Rockies. In 83.1 innings over 59 appearances, Herget posted a 2.48 ERA and looked like a revelation for the Rockies bullpen.

Unfortunately, he regressed in 2026, posting a 5.70 ERA over 53.2 innings across 51 appearances. The major issue was that he gave up a lot of hard contact and more home runs than ever before, alongside an 11% walk rate. The Rockies often needed some firemen to put out fires, and Herget had his moments, but he was purely a bridge piece when deployed.

Herget turned 33 in September, so age isn’t exactly an issue since his veteran experience is welcome in a young Rockies bullpen. The projected $2.4 million salary also isn’t a massive dent to the budget, assuming the Rockies should have some flexibility to spend some money. The safe route is to run it back with Herget, but it may behoove the Rockies to look for other bullpen arms, perhaps with a more consistent track record of success to set the tone in the bullpen.

Prediction: Non-tendered

Jake McCarthy

No one was expecting Jake McCarthy to have the breakout season he ended up having with the Rockies in 2026. He ended up stabilizing the lead-off spot while putting together a historic Rockies season. Initially brought in as an extra-outfield option, McCarthy made himself a home in Colorado and even earned a nomination for the All-MLB Team.

Entering his second year of arbitration, McCarthy did enough to earn himself a nice pay raise. Projected to earn $4.6 million, that’s a 201.7% increase over his $1.525 million salary this season. For a single-season salary, that’s not a bad result for either party involved. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rockies figured something out for a multi-year deal to buy out his third year of arbitration, as he just turned 29 in July.

Unless something materializes and the Rockies get a trade offer they can’t refuse, McCarthy is extremely likely to start the 2027 season with Colorado.

Prediction: Tendered, potentially extended

Ryan Feltner

Before the season ended, I was leaning heavily toward the idea of Ryan Feltner getting non-tendered. Despite his potential, Feltner just hasn’t been able to put it all together as a starter to be consistently competitive. Walks remain an issue while he gives up a lot of contact with too few strikeouts. In 2026, he posted a 6.10 ERA across 22 starts, giving up 120 hits, including 20 home runs, in 107.2 innings.

However, the Rockies decided to move Feltner into the bullpen as a bulk reliever/piggyback late in the season, and it started to work for him. In 15.2 innings over four outings, Feltner allowed one earned run on 12 hits for a 0.57 ERA. For some reason, the move just seemed to work better for him, much like it did for Chase Dollander earlier this season.

If the Rockies plan to keep Feltner in that role as they try to figure out pitching at altitude for the club, a $3.8 million salary in his second year of arbitration isn’t a bad deal, money-wise. However, there is the risk that comes with it and the record of Feltner struggling in Colorado, along with him just turning 30. The small sample size of 15 relief innings shouldn’t be enough to gamble nearly $4 million when that money could be used on fortifying the rotation. Perhaps a trade could come together because a change of scenery could do him some good. Either way, his fate feels a little bit uncertain, despite the promising success to finish the season.

Prediction: Tendered

Brennan Bernardino

The first trade by Paul DePodesta as head of the Rockies turned out to be a good one with Brennan Bernardino. As a Super Two player, Bernardino is entering his second year of arbitration at the age of 34 and will turn 35 in January. He isn’t slated to become a free agent until 2030.

Bernardino has been fairly successful in his career since debuting in 2022 as a 30-year-old and put up his best season yet in 2026. In 64 innings over 72 appearances, Bernardino posted a sparkling 2.81 ERA with 49 strikeouts against 15 walks. He was deployed in various roles throughout the year, but the consistency of his reliability, especially as a lefty, was a welcome asset to the Rockies bullpen.

It seems like a no-brainer to retain Bernardino, especially at the projected price of $1.6 million. Southpaw relievers are a valuable commodity, and he has been a steadying veteran presence in the bullpen. Of course, age will always be a concern for players in their mid-30s, but Bernardino showed no signs of slowing down all year and looks to have a few more years in the big leagues. However, it’s that value that may make him a popular ask by other teams.

Many expected Bernardino to be traded, but the Rockies elected to keep him around. Perhaps November will be the time to trade him, as the uncertainty of 2027 may make trades more viable, especially for an effective lefty reliever.

Prediction: Tendered, potentially traded

Hunter Goodman

The power of Hunter Goodman continues to be a marvel for the Rockies. After hitting 31 home runs in 144 games last season, Goodman slugged 41 home runs in 138 games in 2026. While the value went down due to an increase in strikeouts and the need for improved defensive skills, Goodman still enjoyed a quality All-Star season. Now, as he turns 27 this coming Thursday, Goodman enters his first year of arbitration eligibility.

This season, Goodman’s salary was $810,000. His projected salary in arbitration of $6.2 million would be the highest amount in Rockies history for a first-year arbitration player, beating the $5 million salaries of both Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story.

It will always pay to hit home runs, and Goodman is more than deserving in that aspect. There is little doubt the Rockies would end up tendering him a contract and settling on an amount in that $6 million ballpark. The question is whether a long-term extension is in play or if the Rockies will be open to trading Goodman.

There was interest in him near the trade deadline, but concerns about his defense working with a new pitching staff mid-season, along with the Rockies’ high asking price, nixed any deal. However, teams are less averse to trading for a catcher in the offseason, and there are sure to be some phone calls coming the Rockies’ way before the lockout. Whether or not the Rockies pick up the phone is another question. However, it’s hard to imagine the Rockies trading away Goodman at this point as his power is something the lineup desperately needs.

Prediction: Tendered

Jordan Beck (Super Two)

While it won’t be finalized until after the season, MLB Trade Rumors estimates that Jordan Beck could be eligible for arbitration this season as a Super Two player. With 2.133 years of service time, Beck could be right on the cusp of earning four years of arbitration, or barely miss by a matter of a day or two.

It was a tough season for Beck as he struggled to take advantage of the opening in right field at the start of the season and saw his playing time reduced to a platoon role against lefties. He did quite well against left-handed pitching with a .295 AVG and a .760 OPS but hit just .091 against righties with a .312 OPS. He was never quite able to find a rhythm this season and force more opportunities from the Rockies as some other players did. Strikeouts and the lack of power were major issues for him.

If he is eligible for arbitration, I feel the Rockies would be unlikely to retain him, even for $1.2 million. If they did tender him a contract, the projected $1.2 million is cheap enough to swallow, but is it worth it? The best option may be to non-tender him to clear space and hope he can find an opportunity elsewhere where he can hopefully thrive.

Prediction: Non-tendered

Wait and see

November is going to be an interesting month to see how active the Rockies are with moves. There are also a lot of question marks about how the roster will continue to reshape in the second off-season with DePodesta at the helm. The non-tender deadline is going to be a huge indicator of the next step forward, I feel, and all we can do is wait and see.

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The Atlanta Braves have survived back-to-back starts from former Cy Young award winners to travel home with a 1-1 tie in the NLDS. This evening, they will be deploying their own former Cy Young award winner in Chris Sale in hopes of taking a series lead against the Dodgers and put them one step closer to advancing to the NLCS for the first time since they won the World Series in 2021.

Chris Sale was one of the heroes in the Wild Card series making a great start and then a few days later closing out the series in relief. There are debates whether that is why he is pitching today instead of yesterday, but fortunately, the Braves won yesterday despite it being a bullpen game.

This season Chris Sale faced the Dodgers twice. The first time was in early May where he went 7.0 innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits, and zero walks while striking out seven. The second time he faced them was at the end of the August where he pitched a complete game shutout and struck out eleven.

Needless to say, the Braves need to win today with their best pitcher on the mound. Tonight is going to be a huge momentum shift one way or another for both teams.

The Dodgers are bringing in Yoshinobu Yamamoto after he pitched the best regular season of his career. He started off relatively slow by his standards, but has been lights out since the start of August with an ERA of 2.12 and a K/BB ratio of 4.67. He has been a bit lucky with a BABIP against him of only .196, but those numbers are still impressive. The Braves will have to fight to win this game.

The last time Yamamoto faced the Braves was the same game Sale pitched the complete game. Yamamoto pitched well in that game too going 6.1 innings allowing one earned run on a solo HR and striking out eight to only walking one.

The key to this game is likely going to be the Braves doing what they did last game, where they worked counts and drove up the pitch count. Believe it or not, the Braves lead all postseason teams in walks. They have left quite a few runners on base this postseason, but the runs will come if they continue to put runners on. The Braves also lead in HRs and TB, so mathematically the goal here is to keep doing what they are doing and hope for some clutch hits with runners on.

This is easier said than done against Yamamoto, but to be fair the same thing could have been said about Blake Snell. Winning the game tonight would give the Braves a chance to do what many likely thought was impossible, and that is clinch the series at home tomorrow. Tonight’s game is huge.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm EDT.

Game Info

Game Time: Tuesday, October 6th, 6:00 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: FS1 / FOX ONE

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan and ESPN Radio

After bursting onto the scene in the late 1980s, Rubén Sierra went on to play for nine franchises over the course of his 20-year Major League career. The Yankees got to see two different stints from him over all those years, and had two very different experiences.

Rubén Angel Sierra Garcia

Born: October 06, 1965 (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico)

Yankees Tenure: 1995-1996, 2003-2005

Born in Puerto Rico, Sierra lost his father when he was just four years old. Growing up in the Jardines Selles projects inspired Sierra to do one thing: get him and his family out of there. Excelling as a multisport athlete in high school, Sierra was signed by the Texas Rangers in 1982 and started his professional journey at just 17 years old in 1983.

Sierra, an outfielder who batted from both sides of the plate, quickly climbed through the Rangers system. So quickly that in 1986, the barely-not-a-teenager found himself on the doorstep of the majors in Triple-A. Later that summer, the Rangers called the kid up, and he homered in his second big league at-bat. Sierra went on to play in 113 games, launching 16 homers to go along with 13 doubles and 10 triples, for a baseball triple-double, if you will, good enough for a sixth-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

That performance his rookie season was good enough to make him stick with the big league club moving forward. Sierra followed up his rookie campaign by hitting 30 home runs in 1987 and had a decent season again in 1988. The 1989 season would go down as one of Sierra’s best. He batted .306 with 29 big flies and led the major leagues with 14 triples and RBIs with 119. For the first time, he was selected as an All-Star and finished second to Jeff Kent in the MVP race. Sierra cried and argued he deserved the MVP in a moment that would have been meme’d and gone viral if it had happened 30 years later.

Following the meltdown, Sierra had a down season. However, the still-young rising star rebounded in 1991. Making his second All-Star team, he hit 25 homers with 116 RBIs while batting .307 on the year. Following the season, Sierra fought with the club over salary and eventually won in arbitration. However, Sierra took the process very personally. An already rocky relationship with manager Bobby Valentine finally came to a head, and a frustrated Rangers front office fired Valentine. Sierra was then traded, a few weeks after his third All-Star appearance, to the Oakland A’s on August 31, with Jeff Russell and Bobby Witt for Jose Canseco.

Sierra played in Oakland for the rest of the 1992 season and into the 1995 season. While in Oakland, Sierra clashed with another manager, this time Hall of Famer Tony La Russa. The two openly fought in the sports pages, with Sierra bashing the get-on-base approach La Russa wanted. Despite playing well enough to be an All-Star again in 1994, the club had soured on Sierra to the point where they traded him with Jason Beverlin to the Yankees for Danny Tartabull.

The first stint in the Bronx for Sierra started in 1995 and ended almost a year to the date in 1996. The reason for the short stint was manager conflict again. Sierra clashed with Buck Showalter after he started using Sierra in a platoon role with Darryl Strawberry. Sierra had his agent call Showalter to complain, which set off Showalter. Joe Torre took over the Yankees in 1996, and Sierra again found a way to immediately get off on the wrong foot with the skipper. Torre would later say Sierra was the hardest player he ever had to coach and said he only cared about statistics and did not understand baseball. After one calendar year, the Yankees had enough and traded him with Matt Drews to the Detroit Tigers for Cecil Fielder.

Following his trade to Detroit, Sierra embarked on a four-year stretch playing for five different clubs. His production plummeted during this journeyman phase, eventually forcing him into a brief hiatus from the major leagues to completely retool his swing. Sierra found himself playing in Mexico, and over this stretch, his attitude changed and he started showing maturity, reaching out to mend a lot of broken relationships, including burying the hatchet with Torre.

Sierra got his swing back on track and was given a chance to revive his career back with the Rangers. In his comeback season, he won the 2001 American League Comeback Player of the Year award. Sierra then made a one-year pit stop in Seattle before bouncing back to the Rangers for the 2003 season. In June of 2003, he was traded by Texas back to New York for Marcus Thames.

The second stint in the Bronx saw a reinvented Sierra. He was selfless and a productive veteran bench piece who became a beloved clubhouse presence. Sierra delivered a few clutch moments for the Bombers, most famously hitting a game-tying three-run home run off Francisco Rodriguez in Game 4 of the 2004 ALDS. By the time his second stint concluded after the 2005 season, Sierra had rewritten his legacy in New York. Across five seasons in pinstripes, Sierra hit 45 home runs while batting .254 over the span of 383 games.

Over his twenty-year career, Sierra got 2,152 hits and had a .268 career batting average. He hit 306 home runs and drove in 1,322 RBIs across 2,186 games. After his playing days, Sierra started focusing on his lifelong love for salsa music. He has released several salsa albums and spent much of his retirement actively touring, performing, and singing at live music venues and events. Sierra was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2009.

Happy birthday, Rubén!

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

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ franchise and fan base woke to sad news on Tuesday.

Former General Manager Fred Claire died on Monday, on what was his 91st birthday.

Claire served in numerous roles in the Dodgers’ front office for nearly 30 years, including serving as the team’s general manager from 1987 to 1998.

Claire is best-known for being the man who put the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series roster together.

He acquired outfielders Kirk Gibson and Mike Davis, shortstop Alfredo Griffin, plus several impact pitchers like Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco after Los Angeles’ 1987 campaign to set them up for their first World Series win in seven seasons the next year.

The most notable of those acquisitions was Gibson, whose legendary walk-off home run in Game 1 of that World Series is still one of the most iconic moments not just for the Dodgers’ franchise, but in all of baseball history.

The Dodgers have a great opportunity to honor Claire’s memory on Tuesday, as they face the Atlanta Braves in a pivotal Game 3 of their best-of-five NLDS series this evening.

If the series comes back to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday, fans can likely expect the Dodgers to pay tribute to Claire in some way.

Dodgers designated hitter has won the Hank Aaron Award, the honor given annually to the top offensive player in his league, in each of the previous three seasons, in 2023 with the Angels then in 2024-25 in his first two years with the Dodgers. Ohtani won’t win it this season, but he’s a finalist again, and deservedly so.

Now the Dodgers need Ohtani to find something, anything at the plate as they try to break a 1-1 tie in the National League Division Series against the Braves.

Ohtani has two singles in eight at-bats during the NLDS, and since returning from the injured list on September 23 has seven hits, including a double, in 29 at-bats, with one walk and a strikeout. There was the September 24 game against the Padres in which he consistently hit the ball hard, but other than that Ohtani hasn’t gotten any real results at the plate for seven weeks.

He last homered on August 18 at Coors Field, and in 94 plate appearances since is hitting a paltry .160/.277/.198.

Ohtani was clearly diminished at the plate just before landing on the injured list four weeks ago, after dealing with left knee inflammation and a right biceps injury. All sides seem to agree Ohtani is not 100 percent, but when asked if his injuries would require offseason attention, Ohtani didn’t offer much in response.

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this. I think that process is going to happen during the off-season when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it,” Ohtani said, through interpreter Will Ireton, last Friday on the eve of the NLDS. “But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

We probably won’t know the full extent of Ohtani’s maladies this season until some Instagram post with a considered-font graphic detailing whatever procedure he might have had once the season is done. But for now, if we take Ohtani and the Dodgers at their word and he is healthy enough to play, he hasn’t helped himself by chasing. Ohtani swung at seven pitches outside the strike zone in Game 2 alone on Sunday.

“I think that the amount of at-bats leading up to it, it was, I think, five games, I think you still — I felt good about having some at-bats to finish the season, the at-bats that he took in the bye week,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday in Atlanta on the workout day at Truist Park. “But at the end of the day, he can still do a better job of staying in the strike zone. I don’t think that that has anything to do with — he had the five games. He had the at-bats in between. I think that’s something that — it’s hard to have success when you’re out of the zone.”

Roberts in that same media session on Monday said he would even consider moving Ohtani even further down in the lineup. Ohtani batted second in two of his five regular season games after getting activated from the injured list and batted second in both NLDS games to date.

In three years with the Dodgers, Ohtani has only batted first or second, with his last time in another lineup spot coming in 2023, with 59 starts batting third for the Angels.

“I think moving him from 1 to 2 — but going further than that? I’m open to it,” Roberts said Monday. “And it’s something that if I do, I would obviously have the conversation with Shohei to explain why.”

While most of the last month and a half focused on what Ohtani hasn’t done, his overall numbers in 2026 were solid, and among the best in the sport. They just happen to pale in comparison to his 54-homer, 59-steal campaign followed by 55 home runs in his first two years with the Dodgers.

Ohtani hit .275/.377/.512 with 30 home runs, a 139 wRC+, 89 runs scored, 81 RBI, and 81 walks in 135 games. He’s one of 10 finalists for the National League Aaron Award, which will almost certainly go to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

2026 NL Hank Aaron Award finalists

• CJ Abrams – Washington Nationals
• Jake Bauers – Milwaukee Brewers
• Pete Crow-Armstrong – Chicago Cubs
• Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds
• Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
• Matt Olson – Atlanta Braves
• Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia Phillies
• Sal Stewart – Cincinnati Reds
• Fernando Tatis Jr. – San Diego Padres
• Jordan Walker – St. Louis Cardinals

The Aaron Award, which has existed since 1999, is decided by a panel of “MLB legends and past recipients of the prestigious award” plus fan voting that accumulates into one vote on the panel. The Hank Aaron Award winners in each league will be announced during the MLB awards show on November 11.

A former ESPN host has lost his longtime play-by-play gig.

Steve Berthiaume, the former “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight” host, is out as the Diamondbacks’ television voice after 14 years.

“His contract is up and we felt it was a good time to take a step back and re-evaluate our broadcasts,” Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall told the Arizona Republic. “He was here 14 years and was a great DBack.”

Berthiaume said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision.

“As I told the Diamondbacks, I’m very appreciative to have had the opportunity to connect with our fan base these past 14 years. I’ve always tried to put the club first. I enjoyed my Arizona experience and I’m grateful to all my friends and colleagues in our broadcast group,” Berthiaume told the Republic.

“I’m quite proud of how hard our group worked to raise the production level on our shows. MLB Local Media is an outstanding partner and I’m sure will continue to be. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Berthiaume began his Diamondbacks gig with the 2013 season and worked alongside the team’s World Series-winning manager, Bob Brenly.

The team does not yet have Berthiaume’s replacement lined up, but its radio play-by-player, Chris Garagiola, is expected to be a candidate, according to the Republic. He’s the son of former Diamondbacks GM Joe Garagiola Jr. and grandson of the late Joe Garagiola Sr., who was an MLB catcher and broadcaster for the D-backs.

Berthiaume had replaced Daron Sutton, who was suspended in June 2012 for insubordination — reportedly because he preferred to wear suits on the air, while the Diamondbacks wanted him to wear polo shirts with the team’s logo — and never returned.

Sam McDowell, a former Yankees pitcher and six-time All-Star with Cleveland, died on Monday, per KDKA in Pittsburgh.

He was 84.

McDowell, who had to end his career due to substance abuse, debuted on the mound at 18 years old in 1961 for the then Cleveland Indians, now Guardians. Four years later, the lefty hurler led the AL in ERA (2.18) and earned his first All-Star nod while recording a career-high 325 batters. He went on to lead the American League in strikeouts five times.

The Pittsburgh native played for Cleveland for 11 years before having stints with the Giants (1972 and ’73), Yankees (1973 and ’74) and Pirates (1975).

Across his 15-year career, he struck out 2,453 batters, which put him eighth on baseball’s career list at the time he retired and currently No. 46 all-time.

The career for “Sudden Sam” was cut off at 32 years old in 1975 when he was tossed from the MLB due to a struggle with alcohol.

“I was the biggest, most hopeless and most violent drunk in baseball,” McDowell said to The Post regarding the days that included jumps off hotel balconies into swimming pools.

The man who was the youngest southpaw to ever strike out 300 batters in a season recalled sitting on a curb in his hometown in 1978, broke and needing something to eat as well as gas in his car. He was selling insurance for a living three years after being one of the most unhittable pitchers in the game.

“I lost everything — my family, my career,” said McDowell. “I lost it all.”

That same year, he opted into an alcohol rehabilitation program and began to turn around his life.

McDowell returned to college and became a licensed therapist in sports psychology and addictions. He later worked for the Rangers and Blue Jays and became the Baseball Assistance Team’s addiction and recovery consultant from 1987-2016.

He counseled many athletes, including beyond MLB, who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.

“I remember when I got out of rehab, I must have called that man every day, at every hour of the night, for four straight months,” former big league pitcher Mike York told the Los Angeles Times. “I mean, I was calling him at 5 in the morning, midnight, it didn’t matter. He was always there when I needed him.”

Additionally, McDowell paid off all his debt, which totaled over $190,000. He wrote to each creditor, promising to pay them back. In 1988, all was paid off.

“I truly believe with all my heart, the greatest thing that ever happened to me was that I was an alcoholic and found out about it,” McDowell said. “Had I never known and had not been thrown out of baseball, I would not have the great life I have now. I would not have the education. I would not have learned how to live and love. Every day is a kick.”

Much of McDowell’s struggle is covered in his memoir, “The Saga of Sudden Sam: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Sam McDowell” that was published in 2022.

First Half Record: 33-33 (2/4 Florida State League East)

Second Half Record: 25-39 (3/4 Florida State League East)

The 2025 St. Lucie Mets were a powerhouse. The team went 34-31 in the first half to win the Florida State League East Division and went 43-22 in the second half, once again finding themselves atop the standings. They met the Daytona Tortugas in the FSL East Divisional Series but fell two games to one, ending their season.

The 2026 team, on the other hand, at no point were really that relevant of a team. In the first half, they went an even 33-33 to end the season second in the division, but they still found themselves 4.0 games behind the first place Jupiter Hammerheads. In the second half, they were a dismal 25-39, somehow not last in the division but irrelevant in the standings all the same.

Towards the end of the season, some of the 2026 draftees began making appearances, but outside of individual milestones or appearances, the 2026 St. Lucie Mets season wasn’t particularly fun or exciting.

TEAM MVP

Elian Peña: 96 G, 365 AB, .271/.388/.397, 99 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 61 BB, 94 K, 28/37 SB, .343 BABIP

(Runner Up: Randy Guzman)

Considered one of the best players available in the 2025-2026 international free agent class, and potentially the best position player available, the Mets and Elian Peña agreed to a $5 million dollar signing bonus, shattering the prior organizational record (Yovanny Rodriguez, $2.85 million) and eating up the majority of the $6,261,600 that the team had in their 2025-2026 pool.

Assigned to the Dominican Summer League, the 17-year-old Peña has had an interesting start to his career. It took him nearly two weeks to log his first professional hit, going 0-fer from June 2nd until June 14th. After finally getting over that hurtle, Peña hit an incredible .351/.467/.635 over the course of the rest of the season, hitting .292/.421/.528 in total with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 21 stolen bases in 25 attempts, and 36 walks to 36 strikeouts in 55 games.

He was promoted to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets for the 2026 season and a somewhat divisive year. In total, he appeared in 96 games for St. Lucie and hit .271/.388/.397 with 18 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts, and 61 walks to 94 strikeouts. For large stretches of the season, Elian Peña looked meek at the plate, going up and alternating between taking too many pitches or taking bad hacks. For other stretches, he looked like a star, spraying the ball around the field and pulling fly balls for homers. Regardless of the actual offensive value he created, Peña spent the year playing against pitchers and fielders three years older than him, on average, and that in and of itself is a major positive. In late August, he was promoted to High-A Brooklyn and appeared in 15 games for them, hitting .164/.250/.224 in a ballpark that is the exact antithesis of his left-handed pull-and-lift approach.

TEAM CY YOUNG

Emilio Obispo: 14 G (10 GS), 53.1 IP, 43 H, 19 R, 12 ER (2.03 ERA), 24 BB, 54 K, .285 BABIP

(Runner Up: Zack Mack)

Emilio Obispo was signed by the Mets in May 2024, just prior to the start of the 2024 Dominican Summer League season. The Dominican right-hander was given a low five-figure signing bonus and was suiting up for the DSL Mets a few weeks later. The 17-year-old right-hander appeared in 9 games for the DSL Mets Orange, starting all of them, and posted a 3.47 ERA in 36.1 innings, allowing 21 hits, walking 12, and striking out 41. He was assigned to the FCL Mets for the 2025 season but never actually played, missing the entire season due to an injury.

Obispo returned to the mound in 2026, and after analyzing his progress during extended spring training, the Mets made the decision to begin the season in Low-A St. Lucie, a challenging assignment for the 19-year-old. He rewarded the faith that scouts and evaluators in the organization had in him by posting a 2.03 ERA in 53.1 innings over 10 starts and 4 relief appearances, allowing 43 hits, walking 24, and striking out 54. In late July, the right-hander was promoted to High-A Brooklyn, where he appeared in 6 games with them, all starts, and posted a 3.76 ERA in 27.0 innings, allowing 23 hits, walking 12, and striking out 28.

Obispo throws from a low-three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action through the back. He does not push off or extend much off the mound and as such, his whippy arm has a comparatively high release point. The right-hander throws a sinker, four-seam fastball, changeup, and curveball. During his time with St. Lucie, he threw his sinker roughly 45% of the time, his changeup 25% of the time, his curveball 20% of the time, his four-seam fastball 10% of the time.

Obispo’s sinker sits in the high-80s-to-high-90s, the volatility in its velocity highlighting the potential but unpredictability in 19-year-old right-hander. Averaging 93 MPH, the pitch features 18 inches of horizontal arm-side break, above-average for a sinker. Florida State League batters hit .217/.330/.265 against it with a 22% whiff rate. His four-seam fastball finds itself in roughly the same velocity range, sitting in the low-to-high-90s, averaging 94 MPH, but because it does not feature much backspin or sidespin, it features fringe-average life and below-average induced vertical break, resulting in batters hitting a healthy .273/.333/.500 against it with a suboptimal 8% whiff rate.

His changeup sits in the low-to-high-80s, averaging 84 MPH. With a spin rate ranging between 1,500 and 2,150, the pitch has averaged an average 35 inches of vertical drop and an above-average 18 inches of horizontal arm-side fade. The pitch has been Obispo’s best offering, limited FSL batters to a .169/.247/.292 slash line with an impressive 46% whiff rate.

His curveball sits in the mid-70s-to-low-80s, averaging 80 MPH. The pitch has a low spin rate, averaging 2220 RPM, resulting in a big, loopy pitch that doesn’t have much bite. Obispo occasionally struggles to land it in the strike zone, and batters hit .276/.364/.310 against it with a 36% whiff rate. Occasionally, he will fire one off that has sharper bite, and has the appearance of a gyro slider rather than a curveball.

The Royals have a stadium to sell, a payroll to explain, and a lot of confidence about both. The numbers have not exactly gotten the memo. Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco go through John Sherman’s latest answers on spending and the stadium timeline, and the gap between the pitch and the math is where this episode lives.

Jeremy brings the skepticism, starting with why the stadium district report feels more like a sales job than a breakthrough. Then he turns it on J.J. Picollo’s first four years, where he spots a pattern that keeps repeating: the Royals hold on to players long after the value is gone. Jacob counters with the labor angle, and a TV rights window that may make a lockout far less likely than the doom talk suggests.

October gets its turn too. The Padres’ supposedly elite bullpen cracked under pressure, and the Brewers, Braves, and Dodgers have made some decisions that deserve a second look. It is a good reminder of how often playoff theater and playoff truth are two different things.

If you want the version of the Royals offseason that comes with receipts, this one is for you. Stream the full episode, then tell us whether the stadium math adds up for you.

For the reporting on the 60-game threshold regarding MLB broadcasts, check it out here.

Find all the Arizona Fall League live stream information here.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

BlueSky
– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
– Jacob Milham: @jacobmilhkc.bsky.social

Twitter / X
– Podcast: @RoyalRundownPod

I am no scout, though I’m pretty sure by this point I can tell the difference between a good baseball player and a bad baseball player. Projecting which players will be good, though, simply by watching workouts and game action and coming away with knowing what I’m talking about is still a science I don’t full grasp. It’s every season where I hear about something that still makes me appreciate those that can do it and do it with pretty good accuracy.

Rarely have I watched the Arizona Fall League at any point in a season, mostly because my baseball focus was solely on the Phillies and how they were faring in the playoffs. That has of course changed with the Phillies currently at home for the offseason and some of their better prospects getting some run down Arizona. It’s because of those prospects that more attention should be given to those games as they are going to have some say in how the Phillies approach their offseason plans. Maybe they aren’t going to chart the ultimate course of action the team decides to take, but several of the players that are there will have some bearing on what the Phillies plan to do.

Aidan Miller

The highest profile name the Phillies have sent there, Miller’s performance is likely going to play a part in several decisions the team makes. As you already know, Miller did miss most of the 2026 season with a back injury that needed some kind of procedure done, but he returned healthy enough to get a week’s worth of games in at the end of the regular season before helping Reading win the Eastern League championship. When he did return, there was rust on his frame, but there were glimpses!

How he performs in Arizona will probably not determine if he makes the major leagues out of spring training or not, but it will likely influence the roster on the fringes. He’s on a team that also includes Sebastian Walcott on the roster, arguably the top hitting prospect in the game today, so getting Miller every day at bats in Arizona will be a challenge. Let’s say he shows that he’s still one of the better hitting prospects in the game in these few weeks. Does the team decided to prop open the door for him to win a spot in Clearwater? Do they move Trea Turner in deference to his impending arrival? Do they sign someone as a stopgap in order to not block him at shortstop? Is shortstop even his final home or is a move to third base already in the cards? He’s played only one game so far and that came at third to make room for another shortstop there, Welbyn Francisca from the Guardians system.

Of course, the entire thing will depend on how Miller ultimately holds up healthwise. The team is likely just hoping he has a good, solid six weeks of health and plate appearances to make up for some of the time he lost this year. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he was held back a bit by the team to make sure there is nothing going wrong. You can imagine that the slightest tweak of anything and he is going home for the winter.

Realistically, it would be unfair to place too much stock in how he performs and let that influence the team’s decision making. He just needs to get the work in, not worry about how it’ll set his place for 2027. He’s going to make his debut next year at some point. It’ll just depend on next year more than anything he does in Arizona. Still, he’s easily the most interesting watch they have.

Aroon Escobar

Escobar was arguably the team’s best hitting prospect besides Miller coming into 2026 and he flat stunk the joint up. Pretty much everything that he was good at took a step backwards this year, lowering his stock within the organization quite a bit. There was a time when his name would come in trade discussions about how he was the best prospect the team could move at the deadline while getting something real back in return. Now, that idea seems too foreign to actually occur.

The team will need to make a decision on whether or not to place him on the 40 man roster this offseason, a decision that was pretty easy prior to this year. It still is thanks to the dearth of hitting prospects this team has, but if he isn’t going to take some steps back in the right direction, the team may want to think twice before taking the plunge on the roster spot. He needs to have a good showing in Arizona to show that he is worthy of a roster and/or worth another team taking a shot on him in a deal this offseason.

Dante Nori and Kehden Hettiger

Speaking of falling stock…

Neither Nori nor Hettiger would be something teams would classify as a “top prospect”. Pay no mind to the fact that Nori is a first round draft pick. He wasn’t considered one then by people on the outside and really hasn’t done anything to sway that opinion since.

Think Justin Crawford, only worse.

Yet within the Phillies farm system, he is still seen as someone who might potentially fit a role with the team. That speaks more to their lack of actual hitting prospects than anything else, but finding competent role players from within the organization is one of the biggest reasons the Phillies have started to show more cracks in the armor at the major league level. Nori’s performance in Arizona won’t go very far in determining if he can earn a starting position as that’s not really on the table. His ever being penciled into a big league lineup with regularity is likely off the table. But consider that Felix Reyes was batting cleanup at one point this year. Gabriel Rincones was given lots of chances to see what he could do. Heck, even Otto Kemp was touted as an option in the outfield for the team. The chances are there for minor league players to earn playing time in this outfield. Nori needs to start putting things together if he wants to be among the many that are given that chance.

The very same could be said about Hettiger. The team has very few catching prospect in their farm system and willingly gave playing time to Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan. They are begging for players within the organization to take a step forward to claim a backup role on the team. There might even be some chances to start games!

Marchan started games.

Stubbs was on a playoff roster…on purpose!

Opportunities abound if only players take it and seize it. Hettiger finished the year in Reading, making it unlikely that he’s going to reach Philadelphia any time soon. Yet good performances can sometimes springboard a player into having a good season the following year. Perhaps he can gain a better standing with the team by showing that there is still a good prospect in there, somewhere.

The Arizona Fall League isn’t the greatest baseball being played. Pitchers don’t pitch long, players leave at the slightest sign of injury and generally, it’s played during the MLB playoffs, meaning our focus is elsewhere. Yet the Phillies have some interesting guys at play this year. How they do can help answer some questions about this team’s future.

For game three in Chicago, I’d like to see the Guardians try a bullpen game with an all-hands on deck approach.

By including Foster Griffin and Tanner Bibee on the roster, the Guardians indicated a willingness to throw the kitchen sink at the White Sox. So, let’s do it.

It’ll be a wild atmosphere to open the game, so you want to open with a steady hand. I wouldn’t be opposed to Shawn Armstrong in this role given his excellent performance in game 2. People are going to hate this, but I also wouldn’t oppose Erik Sabrowski or Tim Herrin in the role. Give them a clean inning and see if Venable will put in his Grichuk and Pham pieces before going immediately to a right-hander at the first sign of trouble or to start the second if Sabrowski or Herrin get through a clean first.

So, say, Herrin for the first. Then, Daniel Espino for one, Foster Griffin for one, Tanner Bibee for one, Joey Cantillo for two. Then, you have Shawn Armstrong, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowksi and Cade Smith to finish off the game. You also have each arm available to plug in as need be if someone listed above gets in trouble. I would be willing to give Griffin a couple innings (centered against a heavily LHH-portion of the White Sox lineup), but I would give Bibee the bottom of the order in a middle inning and nothing more. I think this set-up has the best chance at keeping the White Sox off balance for a game.

In regards to the hitters, I don’t expect this to happen, but I’d like to see Daniel Schneemann get the start over Angel Martinez. Aside from the fact that Angel is chasing disastrously (as might have been predicted looking at his season rates), I am afraid this is a vibes move. Schneemann has been great at being plugged into a lineup and getting a random hit or home run. I want to see White Sox fans tweeting “SCHNEEMANN? WHO THE BLEEP IS SCHNEEMANN?” Also, Schneemann provides some defensive excellence in left field.

Give me this lineup:
1. Kwan CF
2. Jose 3B
3. DeLauter RF
4. Lowe 1B
5. Adell DH
6. Bazzana 2B
7. Schneemann LF
8. Bailey C
9. Rocchio SS

And bullpen chaos/all-hands on deck and let’s try to push this thing to game four.

Welcome to Tuesday everyone!

The Athletics suffered massive injury issues this year with the majority of their starting lineup spending time on the injured list. No team can survive the onslaught of bumps and bruises that the team had this year and it showed in the final standings. If the team can’t stay healthy next year we’re looking at a repeat of 2026.

The injury bug hasn’t quite fallen asleep for the winter. Right-handed pitcher Seth Johnson has undergone surgery on his left knee, fixing an issue that apparently hampered him all year long:

The right-hander’s first look with the A’s didn’t go all that well. He pitched in 12 games for the A’s after his mid-season trade from Philadelphia and allowed a whopping 12 runs in just 17 1/3 innings of work. Not what the team was hoping for when they acquired him for Colby Thomas at the trade deadline. Johnson has yet to really have any sort of success at the big league level since making his one-game big league debut in 2024, with a total of 39 appearances over the past three years.

Still, he was highly regarded enough for the A’s to trade Thomas, who was only two years ago considered one of the top prospects in the Athletics’ system. His numbers in Triple-A indicate that he could have success in the big leagues if he’s able to really put it together. Maybe the knee was holding him back this year. It is the one he plants on when he pitches after all. Either way, next season will be a big one for the 28-year-old, who will have an excellent chance to make his first Opening Day roster if he has a big spring training. For now, he’ll be focused on rehabbing that knee and getting as strong as possible before camp.

As for today’s playoff slate, we’re back in the National League after watching the AL matchups last night. The #2 seeded Dodgers let Game Two slip through their fingers and now head to Atlanta with the series tied 1-1. This Dodgers squad has looked old and beatable at times this year and Atlanta is giving it their best shot. This could end up going the full distance.

The Brewers meanwhile, even though they’ve had plenty of regular season success, have only made the NLCS once in that same time period. In fact, the last time they made the NLCS was in 2018, when they lost to…. the Dodgers. Milwaukee would love to avenge that loss nearly a full decade ago. It’s the matchup baseball wants and the one the fans need to see. Unless the Braves have something to say about that. It’ll be Yamamoto versus Sale in the Dodgers-Braves game, and Dustin May against Nick Pivetta in the nightcap between the Brewers and Padres.

First pitch between the Dodgers and Braves is at 6 PCT. Have a good one A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

• ‘Be a sponge’: No. 19 prospect leads A’s Fall League group with do-it-all mentality
• Zack Of All Trades Tries To Get One More Win: In Court
• Important Dates For The Athletics This Offseason
• A’s part ways with assistant hitting, quality control coaches
• After an outfield collision left him paralyzed, every gain in rehab is a big win for A’s Ryan Lasko
• Athletics’ Zack Gelof sues Tigers after hitting metal fence
• A’s Las Vegas ballpark cost rises to $2.1B, public funding delayed
• 2026: Year Of The “Didn’t See That Coming!”
• A’s Hoping Luis Severino Chooses to Stay
• Where the A’s Plan to Use Zack Gelof in 2027
• A’S OPEN TO MOVING LUIS MEDIA BACK INTO ROTATION 
• Last MLB game in West Sacramento? Why A’s 2026 season deserves a eulogy
• Perkins finishes intriguing season with another flash of potential
• ‘Road Trip Mike’ on the move to wherever his beloved A’s go
• Wheat/Chaff Updates As Season Winds Down
• Paralyzed A’s prospect Lasko released from rehab facility to ovation from staff
• Devin Taylor: Athletics 2026 Minor League Player Of The Year
• Henry Bolte Is the A’s Next Budding Star
• Determining Athletics’ Offensive MVP for the 2026 Season
• Notes From Star-Studded Rockies-A’s Instructional League
• Injuries Out Of Control, But Why?
• 2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing
• “Fast Movers” Might Be Key To Contention
• Billy Beane comments on the job Mark Kotsay has done this season.
• Should Mark Kotsay return in 2027? A’s Players Weigh In
• What the A’s Hiring Mike Rizzo would Signal and the Questions it Would Raise
• Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app

MLB News & Interest:

• Less than 2 years later, Crochet trade return trio paying huge dividends for Chicago
• Padres Activate Walker Buehler Onto NLDS Roster
• Was Miller tipping pitches? Closer — and Brewers’ skipper — both say no
• Mariners Announce Surgeries For Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor
• First home playoff clincher in 120 years? White Sox on cusp of making it happen
• Breslow, Tracy: Red Sox not overly reliant on analytics
• Roman Anthony Expected To Avoid Offseason Surgery
• Red Sox View Curtis Mead As Early Favorite For Second Base Job
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Very possible, if he’s still in the organization by then:

Crazy Yankees stat:

Tough to see Miller struggling on the biggest stage: