Category: Baseball

The Brewers and Athletics both entered Tuesday’s game seeking their first Cactus League win but it was the Brewers who were able to get it in very convincing fashion.

Tyler Black was the star of the show today, getting things started by following a single from Blake Perkins with a two run homer down the right field line in the 2nd inning.

Black then plated three more Brewers in the third inning by ripping a bases loaded, two out single to right-center. That’s right, a three run single. The count was full so the runners were off with the pitch and they just didn’t stop. Quickly, Black was 2-for-2 with 5 RBIs

That’s a great day already, but Black wasn’t done. When he came up again in the 5th inning, Black ripped a 2-0 fastball from Scott Barlow to right for a double to score Akil Baddoo. Black was 3-for-3 with 6 RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle. It’s only a spring training game, but for a player like Tyler Black who dealt with a hamate injury last year and faces a tough roster picture, it’s the kind of game he needs to get back on the Crew’s radar.

The Brewers finished with 10 runs but very easily could have had more if it wasn’t for the weird stadium design at Hohokam in Mesa. For whatever reason, the batter’s eye in centerfield is in play. The yellow line runs to the top of it so you have to hit it over for a home run to dead center. In the 5th, David Hamilton crushed a ball 425 feet to center, but it hit high off the batter’s eye and went for a double. Then in the 7th, Akil Baddoo hit one 434 feet to center and it still hit off the top of the batter’s eye and went for only a double. Two hits that went 425+ feet and no home runs to show for it.

Also, in the 9th inning, after the line change, #2 prospect Luis Pena ripped a double to left off the bat at 103.4 MPH. The Brewers added two runs in that 9th inning.

On the pitching side, it was domination from a laundry list of pitchers, starting with Rob Zastryzny and followed by Angel Zerpa, Sammy Peralta, and Coleman Crow from the 40 man roster. Crow was especially impressive, spinning 3,300 RPM curveballs with 20 inches of horizontal break. He also showcased a 3,000 RPM cutter with 21 inches of run.

Everyone covered one inning and they scattered five hits in the shutout. After Crow was Blake Holub, Will Childers, Mark Manfredi, Jack Seppings, and Miles Langhorne.

The now 1-4 Cactus Crew will look to make it two wins in a row tomorrow when they take on the San Francisco Giants at American Family Fields of Phoenix. That game will be available on the Brewers Radio Network.

Today, the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 7-5.

For more details, go here.

Yes, we would be getting taco’s if this were doing the regular season, and the Rockies now have a 3-2 record.

Please take a moment to appreciate this Charlie Condon bomb:

I feel compelled to share this:

Here are manager Warren’s Schaeffer’s thoughts:

Turns out, Seth Halvorsen was working on a new pitch.

Now to today’s starting pitcher, Chase Dollander:

And, finally, here’s Charlie Condon:

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MESA, Arizona — The Cubs defeated the Padres 6-5 on a very warm February afternoon at Sloan Park, thanks to some timely hitting by Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.

Shōta Imanaga made his first start of the spring and it was a good one. He allowed three hits, one of which was an infield grounder and another a bloop to left, and struck out one. Here’s the pitch sequencing on the strikeout, and you can see Imanaga’s velocity was up several ticks from late last year:

This appears to support the theory that Shōta was never fully recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered last May, through the end of the season. He probably couldn’t get any power out of his legs late last year, thus all the home runs. If he can throw 93-94 this year, that’s significant.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first. Michael Busch led off with a double, took third on a ground out, and scored on a single by Carson Kelly. Two more Cubs runs crossed the plate in the second. B.J. Murray and Justin Dean singled and Scott Kingery was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Busch then was also hit, forcing in a run. A sac fly by Matt Shaw scord the second run.

The Cubs maintained the 3-0 lead until the fourth, when Jacob Webb was touched up for a pair of runs. He walked two after retiring the first two Padres on routine fly balls. A double by former Cub Nick Castellanos plated the two runs.

Kelly homered with one out in the fifth:

As you can see, that was a well-placed high fastball (well-placed for the hitter, that is), and Kelly hit it a long way [VIDEO].

After that Dylan Carlson walked, and one out later James Triantos also walked. Murray doubled in both runners. There doesn’t seem to be any place for Murray with the Cubs, but he will be leaving soon to play for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps the Cubs can trade him to a team that will give him a chance.

After Webb’s rough inning, Ethan Roberts, Hoby Milner and Gavin Hollowell all threw scoreless frames. Hollowell struck out all three Padres minor leaguers he faced.

In the top of the eighth with a Padres runner on first, a ground ball was hit to third. The throw to first was late, and the runner on first headed to third but was thrown out. The umpires immediately ruled obstruction — and made an announcement to that effect. That’s a good thing and I hope announcements on unusual plays like that are made during regular season games. It’s a big help. The runner on third scored on a ground out, and in case you were wondering, since there were no further hits in the inning, that run was unearned off Jeff Brigham.

Minor leaguer Grant Kipp threw the ninth and was touched up for a single and two-run homer, making it a one-run game, but after the homer Kipp induced two ground balls to short to end things.

The game felt slow — and no wonder, as there were 299 pitches thrown, more than the MLB average of about 250, and there was no bottom of the ninth.

Attendance watch: Not surprisingly for a Tuesday in February, the crowd at Sloan Park was under 10,000, just 9,411. That makes the season total so far for three dates 35,903, or 11,968 per date.

We still have not seen Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner or Dansby Swanson in a game. I’m assuming we will see them all on Wednesday. Also, Cade Horton and Edward Cabrera have yet to start, and I’d guess we will see one of them on Friday.

The Cubs will host the Rockies Wednesday afternoon at Sloan Park. Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and old friend José Quintana goes for the Rockies. Game time is again 2:05 p.m. CT. No TV or radio Wednesday.

Busy day, eh? I hope y’all are having a good evening out there. No random clip tonight, the floor is now yours.

Observations from Mets’ spring training on Tuesday:

Good hands

Bo Bichette looked like a natural at third base when he charged in and made a smooth bare-handed play and strong throw to get Zach Dezenzo at first to end the top of the third.

There have been questions about Bichette’s arm as he makes the move from shortstop to third. 

Baker’s dozen

Ten Mets pitchers combined to walk 13 batters Tuesday. Afterward, Carlos Mendoza was asked if it was too soon to start worrying about that number.

The manager said: “Way too early, but it’s not ideal, either. The message is we have to attack the zone.”

Caught my eye

Juan Soto, never known for his glove, made a shoestring catch in his new home in left field on Zach Cole’s sinking liner in the first inning. 

Wednesday’s schedule

The Mets host the Cardinals at Clover Park at 1:10 p.m. with Jonah Tong set to make his first start of the spring. 

The moment hit Mets prospect Jack Wenninger after he threw his final warm-up pitch and looked around the field ahead of Tuesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros: This is big-league camp.

“I finished my warm-ups, catching the ball from Bo [Bichette], and then looked around the defense,” Wenninger said. “Got Juan [Soto] out in left field, [Marcus] Semien at second, Ronny [Mauricio] at short. It was just great. It was cool.”

On his first pitch of the afternoon, Houston's Jeremy Peña, a World Series MVP from a few years back, coolly took the 96 mph fastball at the knees on the outside corner into center for a basehit.

After getting a loud out, Wenninger put himself into a bit of trouble with a walk, but got Joey Loperfido to chase a 1-2 letter-high 97 mph fastball for a big strikeout. Unfortunately, a second non-competitive walk loaded the bases. Wenninger escaped getting Shay Whitcomb to swing through a splitter below the zone. 

“Execution wasn’t great in the first,” the right-hander said. “I thought I was trying to be a little too fine.”

Was it a case of having a bit of butterflies? “I don’t know about butterflies, but kind of like trying to be where my feet attack the hitters, but just trying to be a little too fine and getting in trouble a little bit,”  said Wenninger, the Mets’ No. 11 prospect in Joe DeMayo’s offseason rankings.

The second frame was much less precarious as he pitched around a one-out double with another strikeout swinging on the splitter. 

Manager Carlos Mendoza praised Wenninger for battling through the early jam and finishing strong.

“Continues to execute, make pitches,” the skipper said, adding that the righty was “live on the fastball, but the splitter is as advertised.”

“It’s a pitch that when you see it in real competition, and the way he executed it to put hitters away was pretty impressive,” Mendoza continued about the splitter. “He was good overall.”

In his two innings of work, he got seven whiffs on 17 swings, with the splitter responsible for three on six offerings. The fastball, which averaged 95.3 mph on eight balls, was swung through twice on five swings.

For the youngster, it was “just good to get my feet wet, get out there and pitch.”

But the first taste of big-league camp was a great opportunity to get to know guys and “pick their brains.”

“The more I talked to people, and finding out what makes other people better, I can help myself become a better player,” he said, adding Sean Manaea has been the one he’s spoken to the most. “He’s a real friendly guy and just easy to talk to.”

The 23-year-old has also relied on Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean for advice on their experience after making their MLB debuts last season.  

Wenninger pitched to a 2.92 ERA and 1.150 WHIP in 135.2 innings over 26 starts last season at Double-A Binghampton. The tall righty had 147 strikeouts 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings) with 42 walks.

Michael Toglia smashed a grounder down the 1B line to plate Leo Balcazar in the Bottom of the 9th inning in Goodyear Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon, and doing so pushed the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

It marked the first win of Cactus League play for the Reds, who now sit 1-2 after a day off on Monday.

Here’s how things shook down:

The Good

Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suarez went back to back in the Bottom of the 5th inning, with each’s homer being their respective first of the spring.

Elly’s traveled 432 feet through the thin Arizona air.

No data from the Reds on Geno’s blast, but it sure sounded good.

Sal Stewart and Edwin Arroyo helped level the score in the Bottom of the 9th, as each singled (sandwiched around Balcazar’s single) with the latter scoring Sal from 3B. I have very high hopes for this trio this season.

Also, the Cincinnati bullpen looked a far cry better than their disastrous performance on Sunday, with the crew cobbling together five consecutive scoreless frames to finish the game, with the likes of Pierce Johnson and Sam Moll firing scoreless frames.

The Bad

Let’s preface it with this – Brandon Williamson returned to a mound in a competitive game, and that’s way more good than bad. If anything, I pulled him out for this section to highlight what went well for him despite the fact that he was tagged for a pair of ER on 3 hits in 2.0 IP.

He didn’t walk anyone, which kicks tail. He also struck out 4 in his pair of frames, and the stuff that’s reportedly looked so good early in camp definitely had its perks.

Williamson wasn’t bad, truly. The only thing that was ‘bad’ was that Jac Caglianone tagged him for a 460 foot moonshot, and that kinda stings.

The Ugly

Only that it ended, really. I suppose Andrew Abbott, who allowed 2 ER on a dinger in his second frame of the day, would’ve liked to have been a bit better, though he did look excellent in the Top of the 1st in his first inning of the season.

What’s Next

Nick Lodolo will start tomorrow as the Reds hit the road for Camelback Ranch to face the Chicago White Sox. First pitch is once again set for 3:05 PM ET, and it once again won’t be televised anywhere.

You’ll be able to follow along the Reds radio feed via 700 WLW, however.

Record: 2-3. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record: 1-4.

That was satisfactory – and it didn’t look like it would be initially. Michael Soroka, in his debut for Arizona, pitched his team into a deficit before he recorded an out, opening up by allowing a triple and RBI single. But he gave up just a walk thereafter, getting through two innings while allowing the one run, with three strikeouts. The middle innings were solid, with scoreless frames from Brandyn Garcia, Andrew Hoffmann, Philip Abner and Isiaiah Campbell. Texas did chip away down the stretch, getting single runs off Taylor Rashi, Bryce Jarvis and John Curtiss, but all of them avoided giving up a crooked number, to close out the win. Three ABS challenges, but in a win for home-plate umpire Sean Sparling, all three were confirmed!

Meanwhile, a three-run fifth inning saw Arizona take the lead for good. A Jorge Barrosa single was followed by A.J. Vukovich’s first home-run of spring, and Ketel Marte following him in going deep later in the inning. Two more runs followed in the seventh, on an Alek Thomas triple and Ben McLaughlin single. Both those men had two hits on the day, as did Carlos Santana and LuJames Groover, although nobody on the team drew a walk this afternoon. Small sample size, plus the usual meaningless nature of spring training – but Alek is 4-for-7 with three extra-base hits, and has also walked more than he has struck out. Given he has changed his swing, perhaps this is meaningful.

We’ll get to see tomorrow. No, we’ll really get to see, with the game against the Dodgers being available for free on a dbacks.com live-stream. That will be our first chance to see Zac Gallen, with Dylan Ray and Drew Jameson among those scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen. 1:10 pm start at Salt River Fields for that.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Carson Benge could be the Mets right fielder this year, and on Tuesday, he shook hands with the best right fielder in franchise history. Darryl Strawberry greeted him before the Mets played Houston at Clover Park.

“It was cool to meet him,’’ Benge said. “I know what he means to this org. I know what a great player he was and all the home runs he hit.”

The two also have an unlikely connection.

“He said he almost went to Oklahoma State,’’ Benge said.

Strawberry signed a letter of intent to play at the school before he was drafted first overall by the Mets in 1980.

“I don’t know much about the young man, but I hear great things about him,’’ Strawberry said. “I think this organization has really done a great job developing the younger players again, as you will see, a lot of them are starting to really click.”

Strawberry made his MLB debut with the Mets just after he turned 21 in 1983.

Benge turned 23 in January.

“I think looking at him, he’s probably a kid that’s got a chance to flourish here,” Strawberry said of Benge. “Sometimes you’ve got to put the young players out there. You’ve got to let them learn. It’s hard lessons, but they’ll figure it out, just like I did.”

Jack Wenninger made the first Grapefruit League start of his career and the sixth-round pick out of the University of Illinois in 2023 made an immediate realization.

“I finished my warmups and caught the ball from Bo [Bichette] and saw Juan [Soto] in right and Ronny [Mauricio at shortstop] and [Marcus] Semien [at second],” said Wenninger, who spent all of 2025 at Double-A Binghamton. “It was pretty cool.”

Wenninger, who turns 24 next month, pitched two scoreless innings as he tries to become one of the next wave of starting pitchers to make it to Queens in the near future.

Carlos Mendoza said Wenninger’s splitter was “as advertised.”

For now, he’s soaking up as much knowledge as possible at major league camp, leaning heavily on Sean Manaea.

Kodai Senga threw live batting practice on a back field Tuesday and Mendoza has been encouraged by his increased velocity this spring. 

“In my experience with him, we haven’t seen that kind of intensity this early in camp,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s healthy. We’ve got to keep it that way.’’ 

After it appeared Mauricio might have forgotten the number of outs in the top of the third — when he didn’t play a ground ball aggressively at shortstop — Mendoza said Mauricio just sat back on the ball more than he should have.

Luis Torrens challenged two pitches behind the plate and lost both, a day after Hayden Senger successfully challenged a called ball with Clay Holmes on the mound… Nolan McLean is slated to start Thursday, with Freddy Peralta going Friday, according to Mendoza.

Following the Mets' 6-6 tie with the Astros in spring training action on Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza and the players spoke on a number of topics...

Spring debuts announced

After prospect Jack Wenninger got the start in Tuesday's game, Mendoza was asked who would be taking the mound on Wednesday. The third-year skipper answered that question and offered up his roadmap of starters for Thursday and Friday.

• Jonah Tong will start Wednesday
• Nolan McLean will start Thursday
• Freddy Peralta will start Friday

All three pitchers will get their first live action against another team this spring. Tong is coming off a season where he dominated the minors, but had uneven performances once he was called up late last season.

McLean was arguably the Mets' best pitcher for the final month of the season, and is, by man, projected to be the front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year honors this season. He'll also see his first action with the Mets this spring before eventually joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, which starts in March.

And finally, Peralta was the big acquisition by president of baseball operations David Stearns this offseason. He'll make his Mets debut on Friday in what could be a preview of what's to come for the ace. 

Bo learning from the best?

When Bo Bichette signed with the Mets, he was asked to shift from a SS/2B to third base, a position he's never played professionally before. He's looked solid and has improved in each of the spring games he's played in. 

Speaking with SNY's Michelle Margaux on Tuesday, he was asked about how he hopes to get adjusted to the hot corner. 

"The game reps are very important. I'm lucky enough to have a personal relationship with some really great third basemen, some of the best to ever do it. Had a lot of conversations with them and see what works for them, and try to figure out what that means for me."

When asked who he has spoken to specifically, Bichette name-dropped Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and the Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado. That's 15 Gold Gloves between Chapman and Arenado that Bichette has begun to pick the brains of. Bichette said that his father Dante coached Arenado and Chapman was his former teammate in Toronto, so it's been easy to talk to them. The best piece of advice they gave him?

"Make it your own, get low. Don't make it too complicated, just be an athlete," Bichette said. "There's defintely something to that and I'll figure out what every play means to me." 

Bo Bichette tells @mmargaux8 that he's chatted with Matt Chapman and Nolan Arenado as he's transitioning to play third base pic.twitter.com/Zct0GSjUd5

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 24, 2026

Mike Tauchman getting an opportunity this spring

One of the few roster battles this spring is who will man right field for the Mets when the season begins.

A lot of hype surrounds prospect Carson Benge, but the Mets have signed and invited a few veteran outfielders to fight for the spot, including MJ Melendez and Mike Tauchman.

Tauchman made his case to make the roster on Tuesday, smashing a three-run home run to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead.

After coming out of game, Tauchman was asked why he signed with the Mets.

"David Stearns and Mendy were very honest and straightforward with me and I appreciate that," Tauchman said. "They said there was an opportunity and also talked about the opportunity to have a normal spring in terms of having at-bats and a chance to get into rhythm with starts and move around a little bit in the outfield….it’s been great. They’ve been true to their word."

"There’s real opportunity to win a spot on our roster for opening day," Mendoza said of Tauchman. "We value what he brings to the table. The defensive versatility, as well as his ability to play all three [outfield positions], his ability to control the strike zone, hit the ball out of the ballpark. We were pretty honest with him…he’s getting a real chance here and we’ll see what happens at the end of camp."

Tauchman is entering his ninth season in the big leagues and has proven to be a solid outfield bat. A season ago, he batted .263 with a .356 OBP to go along with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 93 games playing for the White Sox.

However, with so many eyes on Benge this spring, Mendoza was asked if Tauchman's presence will push the young outfielder and the skipper agreed.

"It’s part of the competition that we have. Not just with Carson but with MJ Melendezin the mix as well. [Tyrone] Taylor, we know the player he can be. It adds to that competition," Mendoza said. "We have a lot of good players there. With Carson, like we said in the beginning of camp, he’ll get a real opportunity, but we’ll see what happens by the end of camp."

I had to listen to the game on the radio for a little bit today, and no, the Cleveland broadcasters aren’t bitter. In the 10 minutes I was listening, they mentioned the Dodgers’ $414M payroll three times. It is six times the payroll of the Guardians. The Dodgers have ONE BILLION DOLLARS in deferred monies. They also spent some time opining about how when you play baseball at Harvard, you DO have to go to class, and you CAN’T play for seven years. The disgust was seeping through the airwaves. They obviously rolled in on the bitter bus.

On the field, the Dodgers looked like a team that has six times the payroll of their opponents across the field. They beat the Guardians 11-3, with Cleveland’s runs all coming off a three-run homer given up by Edgardo Henriquez in the second inning.

The Dodgers are a perfect 4-0 so far this spring, allowing only six runs total, while scoring 34.

What was important in this game was the return of Gavin Stone to the mound – and boy, did he look good.

Stone has not seen a Major League mound since August 2024, when he was sidelined needing shoulder reconstruction surgery. While he pitched only one inning, his 15 pitches were dominate. His changeup looked nasty, and he struck out two of the three batters he faced, setting them down in order.

“That’s my bread and butter, so if I don’t have that I’m screwed”, Stone told reporters after the game. “Seeing the results today was really uplifting”.

SportsnetLA’s Kirsten Watson had a nice interview with Stone after his outing.

I am here for a Dodgers band. I feel like maybe Kike’ Hernandez would be a good lead singer.

Justin Wrobleski got the win, and including Wrobleski, the remaining seven Dodger pitchers that appeared in the game combined to allow only four more hits for the rest of the game.

Freddie Freeman also appeared in his first game this spring. He popped out his first at bat and then roped a patented Freeman double in his next at bat, scoring two.

Max Muncy and Mookie Betts remain the only two regular starters that haven’t appeared in a Spring Training game so far but should do so by the end of the week. Roki Sasaki will make his first start tomorrow, and Tyler Glasnow will start on Thursday. The Dodgers will be at Salt River Fields against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and home against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday although they will be the away team.

The term most associated with the top prospect in baseball regarding his chances to make the big league club out of spring training is to leave “no doubt.”

On Tuesday afternoon in Fort Myers, Konnor Griffin left no doubt on two baseballs.

In fact, they left the entire ballpark.

Facing All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez and the Boston Red Sox in the second inning of his third spring training game, Griffin smashed a two-run home run over the left field wall.

The ball traveled 374 feet and left the bat at a 104.8 mph exit velocity. 

If you thought that was fun to watch, you’d better have been seated for his second.

Facing veteran right-handed reliever Seth Martinez in the fourth, Griffin hit a tape-measure shot to left center field. 

The measurements? 440 feet and 111 mph exit velocity for the consensus best player in the minor leagues.

Griffin hit an RBI groundout to third base in his third time up, finishing the day with two home runs and four RBIs. He also committed one error at short.

Only 19 years old, Griffin played his first full season in 2025 after being selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Griffin was the first high school player taken and rapidly rose up the charts by mid-season.

In 122 games between three different levels, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 with a .942 OPS. He combined for 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a whopping 65 stolen bases.

Griffin won’t turn 20 until April 24. Despite moving up from Single-A, to High-A and finally Double-A, Griffin hit .325 or better in all three leagues. 

In 21 games with Double-A Altoona, Griffin recorded a .337 average and .960 OPS, increasing his OPS total each level. During that span, Griffin hit five home runs and drove in 22.

He didn’t play a single game of pro ball after being drafted in 2024, bursting onto the scene as a star that prospect analyst Keith Law called “Willie Mays at shortstop.”

The pressure and expectations on Griffin to be a key solution to the Pirates’ offensive woes are immense.

Ben Cherington and Don Kelly may refrain from making Griffin a member of the Opening Day roster if they don’t feel he’s ready or for a number of other reasons, but Griffin is already doing his part to ensure that one of the best prospects this century leaves “no doubt.”

It’s game 4 of the St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training schedule as they take on the Washington Nationals with a start time of 5:05pm central. According to MLB.com, Andre Pallante will get the start for the Cardinals while the Nationals will send Cade Cavalli to the mound.

For the first time since he grounded out to end the 11th inning in Game 7 of the World Series, Freddie Freeman stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians at Camelback Ranch. Freeman was met with cheers by the thousands of Dodgers fans in attendance.

After popping out to third in his first at-bat, Freeman laced a double to left-center to drive in two runs in the third inning before he was lifted from the Dodgers’ 11-3 victory.

Freeman, who last season battled the lingering effects of a right ankle injury he suffered late in the 2024 season, said having a more typical offseason was crucial to regaining his fitness.

“It’s been in a good spot since I started hitting this offseason,” Freeman said of his swing. “Nice to be able to hit a ball to left-center already, that’s a good sign. ... I hadn’t swung a bat till a day before FanFest last year. A normal offseason definitely helps.”

While still an All-Star and a recipient of MVP votes, Freeman has had a slight decline in production over the last two seasons compared to his first two with the Dodgers. Freeman posted on-base percentages of .407 and .410, while raking a league-leading 47 and 59 doubles, respectively, in 2022 and 2023. His OBP dropped to .378 in 2024 and .367 in 2025.

Five-run rally for the lead! pic.twitter.com/c02Qf0nBiE

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 24, 2026

But for Freeman, it is his contact numbers that have been a thorn in his side all offseason.

His .295 batting average was the third-best in the National League last season but still was not good enough for Freeman, a career .300 hitter.

“There wasn’t a 3 at the start of my batting average last year, and that irks me,” Freeman said last week. “That’s my goal always, to hit .300. I like hits. I’m a hitter. Three at the front of a batting average means a lot to me. I know batting average and those kinds of things don’t mean a lot to a lot of people these days, but it does to me. If you hit .300, it means you’re on base a lot, and you’re scoring runs for your team, so that’s the goal, .300 again.”

Freeman landed on the injured list at the start of last April after he aggravated his surgically repaired right ankle, causing him to miss nine games and setting the tone for a season in which he never felt quite right.

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“I was taping my ankle till about August,” Freeman said. “It was never really in a good spot last year. There was a lot of treatment, and I think I played all right for that, and we won again, so I’m really looking forward this year.”

One area Freeman thinks he can improve is his defense. A former Gold Glover, Freeman rated as a below-average fielder in both the defensive runs saved (minus-7) and outs above average (minus-6) metrics.

“I didn’t like the way I played defense last year and I thought it was just because I wasn’t mobile enough,” Freeman said. “So, that’s a big, big goal of mine, to play better at first this year, get to more balls, be able to cover more things. So, that’s going to be a key for me.”

Manager Dave Roberts is optimistic about what his veteran first baseman can do, even at age 36.

“I think he takes such good care of himself,” Roberts said. “I think that age is an easy one to point to, but I really believe that he’s been dinged up for two years.

“Right now, today, it’s as good as I’ve seen his swing over the course of a week sample, [better] than I have [seen] in two years. So, he’s in a good spot physically, mechanically. So, if we can keep him healthy, I just don’t see why he can’t have the year that he expects, and with that, with everything that he went through the last couple years, he was still very productive.”

Freeman said last week he hopes to play four more years, through his 20th season as a big leaguer.

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“In that fourth year, I turn 40,” Freeman said. “Four is just a number that’s floated. Is it less? Is it more? I don’t know, but that’s kind of just where I’m at. I feel good right now, so that was just floated because that would be an even 20 years, I’ll be 40. I got a family that I would like to go home to. I do love this game; I love playing it, but for me, if I can do four, that would be 20 years. I think that’s enough.”

Etc.

After major shoulder surgery in 2024 that forced him to miss all of last season, right-hander Gavin Stone made his return to the mound a smooth one, pitching a scoreless first inning and striking out two against the Guardians.

“It was awesome,” said Stone, who last pitched for the Dodgers on Aug. 31, 2024. “Definitely a lot of hard work over the previous year. Rehab was a grind, but it’s good to be back out there.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Spring training is one of the best times of the year for baseball fans, the return of their sport after three agonizing months of waiting. It’s also a time for the Yankees coaching staff to get their first in-person look at the mechanics and adjustments their players have been working on over the winter. After a week of watching players at the spring training complex in Tampa, we’ve spotted four players who have made discernible adjustments over the offseason. We’ll be keeping our eye on Gerrit Cole, Spencer Jones, Luis Gil, and José Caballero in the month leading to Opening Day to see how these developments progress.

Gerrit Cole

You don’t need me to tell you how exciting it is to have the Yankees ace back healthy and in camp. Cole showed up ready to participate in live BPs, his fastball touching 97 mph in his latest session. It’s uncertain whether he will pitch in any of the Grapefruit League games, but by his account he is tracking right on schedule with his Tommy John rehab with his sights set on a May return.

Cole arrived in camp with by far the most noticeable mechanical adjustment of anyone on the team, going with an arms-over-the-head windup like the kind we’ve seen from Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Max Scherzer, and many other. Below are Cole’s windup mechanics before his surgery, followed by a video of his new windup this spring.

When asked about why he chose to switch to this windup, Cole didn’t give much away, simply saying that “it feels good.” It’s hard to say whether this new windup has anything to do with injury prevention given the coincidental timing of Cole making this adjustment on the heels of Tommy John rehab. Personally, I’ve always liked this kind of windup because I feel it keeps your upper body vertically aligned over your center of mass before making your move down the mound. This helps prevent disconnection between your lower and upper halves during the force generation phase of delivery — you can imagine that if your arm lags behind your base as you step toward the batter, you have to generate all the velocity with your arm rather than efficiently transferring it from the ground via the lower half.

Spencer Jones

Spencer Jones made positive strides in the minors last year, slashing .274/.362/.571 with 35 home runs, 80 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, and a 153 wRC+ in 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A. However, he still struck out in over 35-percent of his plate appearances, and more concerningly, struggled to make contact on pitches in the zone, his 28-percent zone whiff rate among the highest in Triple-A. In his first spring AB, there was a noticeable difference in his batting stance relative to last season. Below is a swing from last season, followed by his first swing of the Grapefruit League — a 408-foot solo home run off the Tigers’ Keider Montero.

Jones went from a left-handed mirror of Aaron Judge’s front foot hover in 2025 to a toe-tap and load that looks eerily similar to Shohei Ohtani’s pre-swing mechanics. Indeed, the Yankees’ fourth-ranked prospect cited Ohtani as the inspiration behind this mechanical adjustment.

“He’s a great reference of a really good mover with a great swing. He’s one of those guys that I look at with some of the stuff he does, and I try to apply it in whichever way I can.”

After witnessing the results of this adjustment, Judge offered praise for Jones in the post-game press conference.

“The minute he puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit. They might have gotten him with a lot of high heaters in the past, or even last season. I think that’s just going to help him. He doesn’t have a big leg kick and doesn’t have to worry about trying to get that down. I liked the results I saw in that first at-bat. That quickness, that readiness, it’s really going to be a game-changer for him.”

I love this adjustment for Jones, especially as a batter who struggles to catch up to fastballs in the zone as Judge noted. Getting that front foot down earlier gives Jones valuable milliseconds more to react to the incoming pitch while also eliminating unwanted head movement after the pitch has left the hand. Jones has so much raw strength that he doesn’t need an exaggerated leg kick to generate power, it’s all about getting into a good hitting position earlier. I will definitely be monitoring Jones’ timing against heaters in his upcoming spring appearances.

Luis Gil

Luis Gil was something of an enigma in 2025. He missed the first four months to a lat strain, and though his top level stats appeared decent — 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in eleven starts — Gil regressed in several concerning areas. His fastball velocity was about a tick-and-a-half below his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign, and he lost a whopping ten points off his strikeout rate while placing in the first percentile in chase rate.

His fastball velo is still down in his first spring training reps, something which Gil acknowledged following his Grapefruit League start against the Mets. What caught my eye, however, was the reduced velocity of his slider and changeup — both about two-and-a-half mph slower on Sunday than last season — and this is something that I think can work in Gil’s favor in 2026.

I’ve always been a big proponent of creating velocity separation between one’s fastball and one’s secondary pitches. Players looking to cheat to the fastball will be even earlier against the soft stuff, while a hitter sitting on offspeed has less time to react to the fastball when there is a wider gap in velo. Gil worked with a roughly 5-6 mph gap between heater and secondaries in 2025 and now that has been increased to a roughly 7-9 mph gap. I feel this can allow his diminished fastball to play up which in turn should increase opportunities for chase out of the zone.

Obviously, the command issues remain a massive problem for Gil — he needs to rein in the walks and needs to find a consistent release for his slider. However, this adjustment from Gil should raise what had become an alarmingly low floor in 2025. It gives him a way to fool hitters with velocity when he’s finding it difficult to fool hitters with movement or location, which should help mitigate the strikeout, chase, hard-hit, and fly ball issues that cropped up last season.