Category: Baseball

It’s pitching preview time, ladies and gentlemen. Over the next several days, I’ll be writing 10,000 words or so about everyone you might see pitching for the Red Sox to start the season. Last time, we took a look at the primary middle relief options. Today, we’re talking about the last part of the bullpen: the lefties.

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The left-handed relief group is lacking depth. Aroldis Chapman is the only southpaw in the bullpen with significant MLB experience, and he’ll handle the ninth inning almost exclusively. Patrick Sandoval could also figure into the mix here, but that will probably be in a long relief role to keep him stretched out for a spot start, if necessary. Past that, there aren’t many veterans in the mix.

While the three-batter minimum has changed the role of lefty reliever, it’s still a unique one. Oftentimes, you’re being called on to clean up someone else’s mess. Recent rule changes mean that these pitchers need to be able to get both sides of the plate out, though matching up with pockets of left-handed hitters is still their primary responsibility. The group isn’t very deep, so don’t be surprised to see an addition before the season begins.

Jovani Moran

Jovani Moran is in pole position to win the spot as the first lefty out of the bullpen, which is somewhat terrifying. Moran threw four innings in the majors last season; before that, he hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2023. Fortunately, while the track record of success isn’t there, there’s plenty to like about what Moran brings to the table.

Moran’s best season came all the way back in 2022. He posted a 2.21 ERA over 40 2/3 innings with a 33% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate. He was effective against both sides of the plate, but his stats against righties were slightly stronger. It’s thanks to his changeup, which has posted swinging strike rates over 20% in each of his four big league seasons. He keeps the ball down well, which prevents hard contact, though the lone zone rate contributes to his high walk rate. His four-seam fastball has a flat shape and is thrown with seven feet of extension, which led to decent swing and miss numbers, though righties didn’t expand the zone frequently. It’s up to 94 mph in Spring Training, and it will play well if he can locate it at the top of the zone.

Against lefties, it’s a similar story. Both his changeup and his fastball created whiffs, but the four-seam didn’t get hitters to chase. He mixed in a slider as well, although it was almost never in the zone, so it didn’t help with his walk issue. He showed a cutter and a slider last year in the minors and in Spring Training, though he’s thrown 92% fastballs and changeups for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He’s faced almost entirely righties and done a good job keeping his fastball up. He’s yet to allow a run over three innings, striking out one and walking two. He needs to be in the zone and limit walks, but the strikeout potential is enough to give him the inside track to the opening day roster.

Tyler Samaniego

Samaniego came over in the Johan Oviedo trade and is a really intriguing arm. Stop me if you’ve heard this before — he’s a big lefty with huge extension. He has different approaches against each side of the plate. Righties see a four-seam fastball with solid vertical movement from a low release that should be able to miss bats with solid command. It’s paired with a changeup that can induce whiffs when he spots it on the arm side. Lefties see sinkers with solid horizontal movement, and a slider that’s both in and out of the zone. His velocity and extension give him a solid floor, although the secondary pitches need to be honed in to reach his potential. He walked 7% of hitters in 38 minor league innings last season, a level of strike-throwing that will help him get to the big leagues.

Samaniego was late to get into a spring training game, but he’ll be ready to go for opening day. He’s on the 40-man roster, but he has options remaining, so he’s not a lock for the opening day roster. He’s probably next in line behind Moran for the leverage lefty spot in the bullpen.

Alec Gamboa

Gamboa is a non-roster invitee who throws from a straight over-the-top arm slot. He spent part of 2025 in the KBO, where he struck out 24.6% of hitters but walked 10.3%. He has a 94 mph four-seam and sinker, as well as a hard slider and a steep curveball. He was shut down for a few days with elbow soreness, however, and is on the outside looking in for the 26-man roster.

T.J. Sikkema

T.J. Sikkema is a soft-tossing lefty who worked as a starter for a recent Spring Training game. The lack of velocity limits his upside and makes it hard to find a spot for him as the matchup lefty, but he’s shown good command in camp. He’s spotted his sinker consistently on the arm side, allowing him to get strikes and weak contact. He’s also thrown his cutter to righties on the glove side regularly, although the lack of velocity makes it possible for them to get around it. He’s unlikely to find a spot besides a depth option to provide innings, but his command in camp has been impressive.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland

Jeremy Wu-Yelland was already reassigned to minor league camp, so he won’t be on the active roster to start the season. That doesn’t mean he won’t appear in a big league game this year, though.

Wu-Yelland is similar to other Red Sox pitchers in that he has a low release that helps create a flat approach angle on his four-seam fastball. He’s also very different due to the fact that he has less than five feet of extension. He has a unique delivery that allows him to hide the ball, although the cross-body style he employs sometimes leads to inconsistency in command. His walk rate was 8.5% last season over 45 innings at High-A and Double-A, so he appears to have a handle on it, but strike-throwing was an issue earlier in his career.

While he’s yet to reach Triple-A, his ability to punch hitters out has stood out in the low minors. Last season, his strikeout rate was over 37%. His fastball has touched 97 mph, and he also has a hard cutter/slider that he’s uses as a primary offering. His go-to breaking ball is a sweeper that he hasn’t quite found a feel for, but it contributed to that huge strikeout rate by missing bats. Wu-Yelland isn’t on the 40-man roster, so Samaniego is probably in front of him, as is Moran, but he isn’t that far down the totem pole and has a chance to debut this season.

Arguably the most consistent debate in Kansas City sports over the last two years is about who should be the Kansas City Royals’ leadoff hitter. After shuffling around multiple guys in the spot in 2024, the Royals went out and acquired Jonathan India last season to explicitly fill the job. That didn’t quite work, and so now Matt Quatraro is mulling over five different players to be the team’s main leadoff guy.

Unfortunately, in addition to being the most consistent debate in Kansas City sports, this particular conversation is also, I think, the stupidest. There is one and only one answer to who the Royals’ leadoff hitter should be, and that person is Bobby Witt Jr.

I’m not going to go into extreme detail here, but let’s cover why this is the case. Most importantly, the first hitter in the lineup sees the most plate appearances; over the course of a full year, a team’s leadoff spot in the lineup sees about 760 plate appearances with each subsequent spot seeing about 18 fewer PAs. Secondarily, the first hitter in the lineup is the only hitter you can guarantee a clean base with no one in front of them.

As a result, there are three schools of thought with leadoff hitters. One is that your leadoff hitter should be the guy with the best on base percentage on your team because he gets a chance to get on base before anybody else; let’s call this the Alex Gordon School. Two is that your leadoff hitter should be fast to take advantage of open bases; let’s call this the Rickey Henderson School. Three is that your leadoff hitter should simply be your best hitter; let’s call this the Shohei Ohtani School.

The reason why Witt should lead off for the Royals is because it literally doesn’t matter what school of thought you ascribe to. Who’s got the best OBP ability on the team? Bob, no question. Who is the fastest player on the team? Bob, again. Who’s the most talented overall hitter on the team? Bob, by a rather huge margin.

Historically, Witt has hit second, which is the second-best place for him. Hitting second makes it so that he always has a chance of coming to the plate with someone on base. But Kansas City’s problem is that Witt is so much better than anyone else on the team that it just doesn’t make sense for him to lose out on those 18 plate appearances along with the other elite table-setting benefits that Witt provides. Remember: Witt does hit home runs, but he’s a doubles machine who leads all of Major League Baseball over the last two seasons.

All of this has sort of made it frustrating to see JJ Picollo and Matt Quatraro waffle on who should be the leadoff hitter between Witt and literally any other inferior option. So far, I’ve chalked it up to Bob simply not wanting to hit leadoff. Baseball players are a superstitious bunch, and Lord knows that Witt has earned enough leeway to say that he prefers hitting second and stick to it.

But something rumbles, y’all. During the World Baseball Classic, Witt has been leading off.

Tonight's starting lineup against Mexico! pic.twitter.com/ZWYec0L6qh

— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 9, 2026

Witt as Team USA’s leadoff hitter is significantly more up for debate considering the hilarious offensive firepower he’s paired with. If he didn’t want to hit leadoff, he wouldn’t have to. I mean, what are we gonna do, complain about Aaron freaking Judge hitting at the top spot of the lineup otherwise?

But Witt is indeed hitting leadoff. And it’s going well; he’s contributed on offense and on defense for Team USA.

So my hope, my prayer, is that Witt realizes his love of hitting leadoff for Team USA and brings that love of leadoff to Kansas City. Then, we might close this debate for good as long as Witt may reign with the Royals. Amen.

Hello everyone!

The Mariners continued their run as the Cactus League’s sad sack losers, falling prey to the Rockies in an 11-7 slugfest. The good news is Matt Brash made his spring debut and appears to be on track for an Opening Day return.

If you were the Mariners, would you ever consider stretching Brash back out as a starter at any point? I highly doubt they’d consider it, to be clear — but would you?

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, Bryce Miller exited a planned bullpen session as he felt some renewed discomfort in his oblique. The Mariners are not planning to shut him down from throwing at this time, but it seems unlikely he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
• The Mariners announced their slate of new menu options at T-Mobile Park this summer. I’m jealous of all of you who live in the Seattle area and will get to try some of these delectables!
• Former LL staffer Patrick Dubuque wrote about the Cal Raleigh-Randy Arozarena beef as if it were a Jane Austen novel in his latest post for Baseball Prospectus. ($)
• Miles Mastrobuoni’s run with the upstart Italian squad appears to be at an end.

Italy infielder Miles Mastrobuoni is leaving the team after tonight to return back to the Seattle Mariners camp after injuring his calf muscle in their game against USA.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 11, 2026

In the World Baseball Classic…

• The dream tourney run for Team Italy rolled on with an easy 9-1 victory over Mexico, punching their ticket to the next round and securing the U.S. a spot there too.
• Team Canada is advancing to the quarterfinal for the first time ever after a 7-2 win against Cuba gave them the top seed out of Pool A.
• The Dominican Republic continued its dominant run in the tournament with a 7-5 win over a talented Venezuela squad, giving the DR the top seed out of Pool D.
• For Team Venezuela, the World Baseball Classic is giving the team’s players a reason to celebrate and hope during a time of political upheaval.

Around the league…

• Astros closer Josh Hader is set to begin the season on the injured list while he recovers from a biceps issue.
• Ian Cundall at Baseball America listed ten pitching prospects with intriguing velocity increases this spring, with Ryan Sloan headlining the bunch. ($)
• Smarty Jones at The Good Phight wrote that “lineup protection” clearly isn’t the issue for Bryce Harper given how poorly he’s performed during the WBC.
• Congratulations to fellow LL staffer Ryan Blake, who is now a contributor over at Fangraphs! In his first piece, he wrote about the slow, sad death of Mike Trout’s career amidst the apathetic Angels.
• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs wonders how long it will be until someone other than Aaron Judge is the best hitter in the sport.

There are many players to grace a professional baseball diamond who have also had controversy overtake their careers in Major League Baseball. Some have put on a Yankees uniform at different times in their careers, and some have even had their Hall of Fame chances ruined because of said off-field issues.

Darryl Strawberry’s career is no different, and while he didn’t spend the majority of his time in MLB donning white and navy pinstripes, he still made an impact for the Yankees during their glory ’90s years. But his terrific tenure in The Show also came with a large elephant in the room.

Darryl Eugene Strawberry
Born: March 12, 1962 (Los Angeles, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 1995-1999

Strawberry didn’t have the easiest childhood, as his father Henry was abusive to both him and his mother, Ruby. The police took Henry away when Darryl was 10, and he soon flourished as an up-and-coming athlete in the LA area. He excelled at baseball, basketball, and football, and would sign a letter of intent to play college baseball at Oklahoma State University. That all changed when his star was so bright that the New York Mets selected him with the first overall pick in the 1980 MLB Draft.

It took three seasons for Strawberry to reach the Mets roster, and he was already receiving otherworldly comparisons. He debuted against the Reds on May 6, 1983, when the just-turned 21-year-old went 0-for-4 with two walks and a stolen base in a 7-4 Mets win. From there, the 6-foot-6, 190-pound outfielder’s extensive career was off and running.

Strawberry’s first season in the majors was a success, as he imposed his will on opposing pitchers. He played in 122 games for the Mets and slashed .257/.336/.512 for an OPS+ of 134, smashing 26 home runs along the way. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award with 18 of 24 first-place votes.

While Strawberry’s sophomore season wasn’t quite as dominant, he was still good enough to earn an All-Star nod, the first of eight-straight in his career. In 1985, he hit a career-high (to that point) 29 home runs and posted a career-high .947 OPS, but after tearing ligaments in his thumb while making a catch during a game, he missed a significant chunk of the Mets’ season and played only 111 games.

The Mets of 1986 were a juggernaut. There’s no other way to say it. And Strawberry was one of the heads of the beast, alongside catcher Gary Carter, first baseman Keith Hernandez, and Straw’s fellow young star, ace Dwight Gooden. In 136 games, he slashed .259/.358/.507 for an OPS+ of 139 and hit 27 home runs for his fourth straight season of 25+ bombs, good for an All-Star nod and a Mets franchise record 108 wins for the team. Strawberry played in 13 postseason games between the NLCS against the Astros and the infamous World Series against the Red Sox, recording multiple clutch hits, including a major home run in Game 3 of the NLCS and another in Game 7 of the World Series. He was a champion already at 24 years old, but he also already had a drug problem.

Strawberry’s best individual seasons came from 1987 to 1991. In 1987, he finished the year with a 5.5 fWAR, the second-highest of his career. He joined the 30/30 Club with 39 homers and 36 steals, tallied 104 RBI’s, and finished with a .981 OPS. All of this resulted in finishing sixth in the National League MVP voting, and in 1988, Strawberry hit a league-leading 39 home runs again with a league-leading .545 slugging percentage and .911 OPS. He also registered 101 RBI’s and was the NL MVP runner-up, only trailing Kirk Gibson of the Dodgers (who dispatched the Mets in a six-game NLCS). He also took home his first of two Silver Slugger awards in his career.

Following a 1989 campaign that saw another All-Star appearance (but a downgrade compared to his previous two years), Strawberry’s 1990 output was revitalized, bashing 37 home runs, tallying a career-high 108 RBI’s, and a career-high 6.5 fWAR. He finished third in NL MVP voting and was awarded another Silver Slugger. And 1990 was also the final season he would don a Mets uniform. In the offseason, he went on to sign a five-year $22.25 million contract with his hometown Dodgers, and while his 1991 season was still above average, it was the start of the downturn of a once-great power-hitter’s career.

In 1992 and 1993, Strawberry played a combined 75 games for the Dodgers and was released in 1994 by the team after failing to show up to a game. He then joined the Giants for the year, where he only played in 29 games.

Strawberry was suspended at the beginning of the 1995 season after testing positive for cocaine. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner decided to see what he had left, and Strawberry joined New York’s other team as a lefty DH/bench option. He posted a 112 OPS+ as the Yankees snapped their 14-year playoff drought with a Wild Card spot, but he got just two at-bats in the ALDS loss to Seattle and remained unsigned for the entire offseason.

Although that could have been the end of Strawberry’s life in baseball, he found new life in an unlikely locale. Given a shot with the Northern League’s St. Paul Saints, he obliterated Indy ball to such a preposterous degree—a .435 average and 18 homers in 29 games—that Steinbrenner couldn’t resist. He ended up re-signing with the Yankees in July 1996 and soon became the primary left fielder for the eventual champions.

Strawberry had a three-homer game, walked off the White Sox with the 300th bomb of his career, and while he was up-and-down in the playoffs, he slugged a trio of homers to help dispatch the Orioles in the ALCS.

Strawberry helped lead the Yankees to three World Series titles during his time in the Bronx, and also struck up a friendship with budding star Derek Jeter. Despite the limited playing time—outside of 1998, when he played 101 games and hit 24 home runs—he posted some excellent numbers in pinstripes and was beloved in that clubhouse. Strawberry’s career slash line of .255/.362/.502 and 119 OPS+ in 239 games was more than good enough to be an above-average piece off the bench.

In ’98, Straw even turned the cool trick of getting two pinch-hit grand slams in the same season.

For everything that happened in Strawberry’s turbulent life, he also always maintained that memorable buggy-whip swing.

Strawberry was unable to join the Yankees’ World Series run in ’98, as he was diagnosed with colon cancer in the middle of the ALDS. He recovered and prepared for the ’99 campaign before his old demons struck again. He was arrested for possession of cocaine and soliciting an undercover cop posing as a prostitute. MLB suspended him 140 days and he did not return to the Yankees until the final months of the season. Strawberry showed little signs of rust, hitting .327 in 24 games and belting apair of key playoff homers as the Yanks repeated as champions.

Strawberry’s off-field drug issues continued. He tested positive for cocaine in February 2000 while attending spring training. Commissioner Bud Selig demanded Strawberry leave the team while waiting for a decision on the suspension length. After the test news came out, Selig announced that Strawberry would be suspended for the entire 2000 campaign, and, as a result, his MLB career was over. It was a celebrated one, featuring four World Series titles, a Rookie of the Year, two Silver Sluggers, and eight All-Star nods. But for many fans, it felt like he left a lot on the table, too.

The first few years after Strawberry’s retirement were a journy through the wilderness and multiple more arrests. Thankfully, he did eventually find sobriety, and it has reportedly lasted over two decades. The Mets just retired his No. 18 in 2024, and he’s often attended Yankees Old-Timers’ Days and team reunions. Here’s wishing Darryl a happy 64th birthday.

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

When the 2025 season ended, there was a narrative espoused by the Mets’ front office that one of the goals of the offseason was to focus on run prevention. This narrative more or less went out the window with the signing of Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette, but the concept endures in the trade of Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien.

The deal was a palatable one for both sides because it was a swap of contracts that have not aged well, and for players who filled organizational needs for their new teams. Semien, the reigning American League Gold Glove winner at second base, is entering his fifth year of a seven year, $175 million deal. His deal has two fewer years remaining on it than Nimmo’s does. His story is a well-known one: a former shortstop who excelled defensively when he switched to second and who, after a few boffo offensive seasons, has cooled off with the bat considerably.

All of that somewhat belies what a useful player Semien still is. Over his past two seasons, he ‘s been worth 7.4 bWAR with an OPS+ of 103 and 97, respectively. Obviously, much of his value came from his defensive skills, but he was still the 13th most valuable second baseman in baseball last year. And while, yes, Semien is entering his age 36 season, he’s just three years removed from a season when he came in third place in the AL MVP voting and when he slugged 29 home run and 100 RBIs. It wasn’t his best season (that would be 2019’s 8.4 bWAR season), but it was a very valuable one.

But let’s pretend that 2025 is more where he is offensively for the last three years of his contract with the Mets. If he can provide quality defense up the middle and hit 15ish home runs while playing just about every day, the Mets’ offense should be able to more than carry him at the bottom of the lineup. That’s still a trade the Mets likely make, even if Semien isn’t quite who he used to be.

But the change of scenery, protection in the lineup, and his underlying skills could come together in another 2022 season for Semien. And if it does, the Mets’ lineup will be truly formidable.

Playing shortstop is a point of pride.

Even now, years later, it still visits me in dreams — the slow chopper that turns into a barehand play; the diving backhand deep in the hole; the thrill of a perfectly timed double play. Shortstop lives at the heart of the diamond. Every ground ball feels like it might find you. Every pop fly is yours to claim. You call teammates off, direct the rhythm of the infield, and for a moment, you feel like the quiet general of the defense. 

When I had to move to second base in college, it was devastating. Shortstop wasn’t just a position I played — it was the one I loved. 

Because I played shortstop, those were always the players I watched the closest. Luckily for Rockies fans, there have been some excellent ones to watch over the years — from Troy Tulowitzki’s all-around brilliance to Trevor Story’s power and athleticism. 

Today, the position now belongs to Ezequiel Tovar. 

This is a snapshot of where the Rockies’ shortstop position stands entering 2026 — anchored by Tovar’s elite defense and shaped largely by what happens if he isn’t on the field. 

At a glance

The Rockies’ outlook at shortstop rests on two pillars: 

• Elite defense. Tovar is already one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. 
• Volatile offense. His aggressive swing decisions create both upside and inconsistency. 

Tovar enters the 2026 season at 24 years old (turning 25 on Aug. 1) and looks to be the long-term answer at shortstop in Colorado. 

His breakout season came in 2024, when he led the National League with 45 doubles, hit 26 home runs, and won a Gold Glove. That performance cemented his reputation as a cornerstone defender and one of the most dynamic young players on the roster. 

Defense remains the foundation of Tovar’s value. According to Statcast, he recorded 15 Outs Above Average at shortstop in both 2023 and 2024, placing him among the elite defenders at the position. Even in a shortened 2025 season, he still produced 3 OAA, continuing to provide positive defensive value. 

That 2025 campaign was limited to 95 games due to a hip injury in April and an oblique strain in June, which helps explain the offensive regression. But even in that abbreviated season, the underlying plate-discipline metrics moved slightly in the right direction. 

Tovar’s offensive profile is defined by aggression. In 2025 he posted a 41.1% chase rate and a 60.7% swing rate, both dramatically higher than MLB averages (28.4% and 47.3%). That approach limits walks and can create streakiness at the plate. 

However, there were encouraging signs beneath the surface. His walk rate improved from 3.3% in 2024 to 5.4% in 2025, while his strikeout rate dropped from 28.8% to 25.1%. They are small steps, but meaningful ones for a hitter whose biggest developmental hurdle is swing decisions. 

The raw power is also real. Statcast measured Tovar’s average exit velocity at 88.8 mph in 2024 and 89.4 mph in 2025, with a maximum exit velocity of 112.5 mph. Those numbers support the “sneaky pop” profile Rockies fans have already seen when he’s locked in. 

Another encouraging indicator is Tovar’s contact quality. Statcast’s Launch Angle Sweet-Spot percentage (LA Sweet-Spot %) tracks how often a hitter produces launch angles between 8° and 32°, the range most associated with productive contact. Tovar ranked in the 90th percentile in this metric, suggesting that when he squares the ball up, the underlying contact profile supports his potential for continued power production. 

The Rockies clearly believe in him. Tovar is signed through 2030 with a club option for 2031, a deal that could look increasingly team-friendly if his offensive game continues to evolve. 

2026 Outlook

FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projection system forecasts roughly 21 home runs and about 3 fWAR for Tovar in 2026. 

Across projection systems, the expected range generally falls between about 2.1 and 3.1 WAR, reflecting both the stability of his defensive value and the uncertainty surrounding his offensive approach. 

That defensive floor is important. Statcast’s Fielding Run Value credits Tovar with 13 defensive runs in 2023, 16 in 2024, and 3 in 2025, reinforcing the idea that even during a down year he remains a positive contributor in the field. 

But if the approach at the plate continues trending in the right direction — fewer chase swings, a few more walks, and continued gap power — the upside grows considerably. That’s where the All-Star conversation begins to enter the picture. 

Depth Behind Tovar

Shortstop depth in the Rockies organization largely revolves around Tovar staying healthy. 

Behind him, the options are mostly contingency plans rather than clear everyday alternatives. 

Ryan Ritter – Ritter has the athleticism and defensive ability to play shortstop, though questions about his offensive consistency remain. He has already filled in during past Tovar absences but currently profiles best as depth or a utility option. Ritter’s defensive ability is far ahead of his offense at this point, but Ritter is absolutely destroying the ball this spring.

Willi Castro – Signed to a two-year deal before the 2026 season, Castro provides versatility across the diamond and could handle shortstop in short stretches if needed. Castro has tallied over 1,200 innings at short in his big league career to mixed results.

Nicky Lopez (NRI) – A glove-first veteran invited to spring training as a non-roster player. If he makes the club, it would likely be as a defensive specialist capable of covering shortstop late in games. 

Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) – Carrigg is currently playing shortstop for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, a valuable opportunity to continue developing the position. Within the Rockies system, however, he is viewed more as a multi-position athlete than a long-term major league shortstop. 

The broader point is simple: If Tovar misses significant time, the Rockies’ defensive stability up the middle takes a noticeable hit. 

In the Pipeline 

At the top of the Rockies’ shortstop prospect ladder sits Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP), one of the organization’s most exciting prospects and the fourth-overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. The son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday, he enters the system with enormous offensive upside. The main question is whether he remains at shortstop long term or eventually shifts to third base. 

Beyond Holliday, the shortstop pipeline is still developing rather than overflowing with top-tier talent. Ashly Andujar (No. 20 PuRP), a young switch-hitting infielder signed out of the Dominican Republic, has shown strong bat-to-ball skills and defensive instincts in the lower minors but still needs to add strength as he climbs the ladder. 

Other names deeper in the system include Andy Perez and Dyan Jorge. Each shows defensive potential at shortstop but remains far from the major leagues. 

For the foreseeable future, the Rockies’ stability at shortstop depends on Tovar holding down the middle of the diamond. 

The Big Picture

There is a lot of weight on Tovar’s shoulders, but he doesn’t need to be a superstar. 

His defense already provides a valuable foundation. If the plate discipline continues to inch forward and the power remains part of his profile, Tovar could develop into one of the better all-around shortstops in the National League. 

But he doesn’t have to reach those heights to be integral to the Rockies. 

If he simply continues progressing — staying healthy, refining the approach, and anchoring the defense — Ezequiel Tovar can be exactly what the Rockies need him to be: A steady force through the rebuild, and a core piece of the next winning team in Colorado. 

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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The Cubs have clearly built this year’s team to be a strong contender, adding Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera to the cast that won 92 games and took the Brewers to the limit in a division series.

Yes, Kyle Tucker’s gone, but the team will also have a full year of Cade Horton and hopefully improvements from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw, among others. The team is seen by many as a favorite to win the NL Central.

So with two weeks to go before Opening Day, how do you think this Cubs team is set for 2026? How many games will they win?

Fill out the survey below and I’ll have the responses later this week.

The San Diego Padres had a rare Spring Training off day before they host the Kansas City Royals at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. For many Padres fans that just meant their attention shifted to the World Baseball Classic where the Dominican Republic and Venezuela met in a game between two undefeated teams.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and his Dominican Republic teammates surely gave the Friar Faithful something to talk about with the Platinum Glove right-fielder delivering another multi-run homerun with an epic batflip.

NOW IT'S NANDO'S TURN!!! 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/up5kC3iGr7

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 12, 2026

The Dominican Republic used the power of four home runs including the three-run shot from Tatis to win the contest 7-5 after Venezuela failed to complete a late comeback. Juan Soto, Ketel Marte and Vladamir Guerrero Jr. all joined Tatis with home runs as part of 11 hits banged out by the D.R. who finished 4-0 in pool play.

Padres News:

• Joe Musgrove has had a tough road back to the big-league mound and it appears that road is not quite completed. Musgrove’s next start is to be determined after he was unable to bounce back from a start and a bullpen session. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball believes the best course of action for the Padres is to take it slow with Musgrove as his ability to pitch in-season and in the playoffs is much more valuable.

• Spring Training is all about position battles and the elite San Diego bullpen is no different. Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Wandy Peralta, David Morgan, and Jason Adam and Yuki Matsui (if healthy) are penciled into seven of eight potential bullpen positions. That means one spot remains and multiple players are looking to fill the role according to Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball.

• The Padres bats have been heating up in Spring Training and Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides numbers to show that new hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. may have unlocked the power that was missing from the San Diego roster last season.

• The Padres have known they need to address a hole at the back of the rotation and that hole could become larger if any of the four prospective starters already in place, Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove or Randy Vasquez, miss time with an injury. But assuming they are all healthy, Walker Buehler, German Marquez, Marco Gonzales, Triston McKenzie, JP Sears and Matt Waldron are all fighting for the final spot. The Padres Reacts Survey question to Gaslamp Ball readers for this week, is who takes the fifth and final rotation spot.

• Kruz Schoolcraft took over as the top prospect in the San Diego system this season and is making a name for himself in Padres camp.

• Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune breaks down the competitions for roster spots on the San Diego roster.

• Miguel Andujar is the focus of the Padres roster review by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Baseball News:

• Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Konnor Griffin has had a solid Spring Training, but at just 19 years old, he may not make the Pittsburgh roster to start the season.

• Corbin Carroll, who is returning from Hamate surgery, is using an axe-handle bat to help protect his hand now that he is returning to Spring Training action.

• The Houston Astros announced closer Josh Hader will start the season on the injured list.

WBC News:

• Team USA advances to the next round of the WBC after Italy beat Mexico to remain undefeated. Vinny Pasquantino made WBC history with three home runs in the game.

• Canada beat Cuba to win the pool, allowing them to advance in the tournament for the first time.

• Keeping up with the standings and matchups of the WBC can be difficult, but MLB.com provides all the information needed to follow the competition in the coming stages.

All my homies hate Craig Breslow, but I don’t. I think he’s done a good job under constraints that seem to be slowly lifting as the years go by, as witnessed by the big-money signing of Ranger Suarez this winter, which woulda been unthinkable a few years ago. The team made the playoffs last year and seems pretty damn solid heading into this one, even if it could use a bit more power hitting in the absence of Triston Casas and Rafael Devers (and Kyle Schwarber, if we want to go even further back). But yanno, it’s cool enough.

To be sure, I don’t want to pooh-pooh the lack of oomph, but this is the best Red Sox team heading into a season since probably 2019 and I really, really don’t want to miss the forest for the trees. The team is fun again, even if the guy in charge isn’t very fun and has paid the price for it in the public’s opinion. “Aloof” has rarely been more correctly applied as an adjective. You probably wouldn’t want to hang out with Breslow, nor would I, but you probably would want to chill with Chaim Bloom (as would I), just to show you how much that particular metric is worth. And while I was always likely predisposed to be positive toward Craiggers simply because he’s not his nihilist, Baseball Prospectus-writing alum predecessor, I think he’s earned it.

There’s just one problem: He looks too much like prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen for me to take him fully seriously. Through no fault of his own, I can’t help but see him as a con man even though I know he’s not. I’d say I hate it, but it’s kind of funny. It’s also kind of scary. I mean, look at this shit:

Jesus Christ! 

Here’s the wild part: Osteen is 18 years older than Breslow (who’s younger than me, for fuck’s sake), though a good portion of Joel’s face is considerably younger. (In fairness, that photo is from 2015.) Growing up, I was obsessed with informercials of all kinds, as growing up on the Vineyard it presented me with a type of weirdo I wasn’t likely to encounter in our little Russillovian society. I didn’t take the bait – I own zero Shams-Wow, nor did I accept whom Osteen implored me to accept as my savior – but televised hucksters have always fascinated me, or did before they moved to YouTube, where now I swat them like flies as my son scrolls thru Shorts. 

Back on topic, I really think the resemblance is uncanny enough that Breslow knows about it. Though as a Jew and seemingly not of feeble brain, I don’t think he’s taken Osteen’s bait. I just find it hard to disbelieve my lyin’ eyes on this one. Something is amiss. I just can’t quite figure out what. I’ll get to the bottom of it and report back. Stay tuned.

Welcome to the 2026 Pre-Season Contest! This is the 15th year that the current version of the contest has been in place. Back in 2011, the contest had 27 questions, including 15 “Which will be higher?” that featured gems like, “Which will be higher – Brian Matusz’s ERA or a gallon of gas at Royal Farm?” and “Which will be higher – Yankees wins or Orioles losses?”

This year, the contest has 30 questions in the following categories: Which will be higher, Over/Under, Yes/No, Multiple Choice, and Who will be the first. Whenever the Orioles’ season ends, whether it be at the end of the regular season, during the playoffs, or after they win the World Series, we’ll post the results.

For the first time ever, we are adding a bonus round! This round focuses on the MLB awards, which aren’t resolved until after the World Series. We’ll revisit those results when the votes are in.

If you’re new to Camden Chat since last year, the contest is easy. Just answer the questions, click submit, and wait to hear if you’re a winner.

Will Shane Baz outpitch Grayson Rodriguez? Will Jackson Holliday get that OPS up to a respectable number? What is Ryan Mountcastle’s future with the team? These topics and more are covered in this year’s set of questions.

Here are some groundrules:

• Player stats only count when that player is an Oriole. If a player is traded mid-season, his new team’s stats don’t matter.
• A series sweep must be at least two games. There is no such thing as a one-game sweep.
• The contest will close at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25th

Now, it’s time to answer some questions! The SBN story editor does not allow me to embed the form, so you can answer the questions at this link. Click through and do your best.

Good luck!

It was all going a little too well, wasn’t it? The sun was shining at Camelback Ranch, the beer was cold enough to forget the 2025 win-loss column, and Munetaka Murakami launched a grand slam in the World Baseball Classic. We were allowed to have nice things for exactly three weeks.

Then came the medical report on Kyle Teel. Our prized backstop is down for 4-6 weeks with that WBC-strained hamstring, and just like that, the “Sox Luck” tax has been collected. It’s a gut punch for a kid who looked poised to be the centerpiece of the 2026 youth movement from Day 1. But in true South Side fashion, we don’t have time to mourn. We just look at the next guy on the depth chart with a mix of desperate hope and guarded cynicism.

If there’s a silver lining here, and I don’t have to dig too deep into the gritty dirt of the Glendale infield to find it, it’s that Edgar Quero hasn’t just been “good” this spring; he’s been a revelation. We knew the bat was a weapon, and he’s more than ready for the “Starting Catcher” tag, even if the circumstances suck.

With Quero moving behind the plate full-time, the Opening Day roster will have a different texture. Here’s how the 26-man puzzle might fit together when the team flies north to Milwaukee.

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The Starting Nine: The “Kid-Heavy” Edition

1. Chase Meidroth (2B): The leadoff pest we’ve lacked for years.
2. Colson Montgomery (SS): The Captain-in-waiting.
3. Munetaka Murakami (1B): $34 million says he hits 40 bombs. Let’s see it.
4. Edgar Quero (C): No more DH reps. It’s his house now.
5. Miguel Vargas (3B): Needs to prove that mid-2025 swing change wasn’t a fluke.
6. Andrew Benintendi (LF): The high-priced veteran mentor.
7. Lenyn Sosa (DH): The beneficiary of the Teel injury. He’ll probably get the bulk of the ABs here.
8. Austin Hays (RF): Professional outfielder. Professional ABs.
9. Luisangel Acuña (CF): Speed that actually scares people.

The Bench: No More Room for Error

• Korey Lee (C): From the bubble to the primary backup. Hope you like 1:10 p.m. Sunday starts, Korey.
• Curtis Mead (INF): The ultimate “just in case” utility man.
• LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B/OF): A much-needed lefty bench bat who will likely see DH time.
• Derek Hill (OF): Because someone has to run for Murakami in the ninth.

The Rotation: The “Informed Guess” Five

1. Shane Smith (RHP): The Opening Day honors. A meteoric rise.
2. Anthony Kay (LHP): The veteran southpaw anchor.
3. Davis Martin (RHP): Our longest tenured South Sider.
4. Sean Burke (RHP): The breakout candidate.
5. Erick Fedde (RHP): The retread.

The Bullpen: The Bridge to Seranthony

The back end looks, dare I say, competent? Seranthony Domínguez has the ninth, with Jordan Leasure and Grant Taylor acting as the high-velocity bridge. Sean Newcomb and Mike Vasil can provide some length, while Jordan Hicks, Tyler Gilbert, and Brandon Eisert round out a group that probably — in theory — will be mostly serviceable.

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Losing Teel for April is peak White Sox. It’s poetic grit in its purest form. We finally get the Ferrari out of the garage, and the tire goes flat before we hit the expressway. But Quero has the chance to turn a tragedy into a transition. If he holds down the fort and keeps this young staff on track, the return of Teel in May won’t be a rescue mission, but a reinforcement. Until then, keep your expectations cautious and your humor gallows-adjacent.

There are also still a dozen Cactus League contests left on the schedule, plenty of time for the Arizona sun to bake a few more surprises into this roster. Whether it’s another late-spring breakout forcing a tough decision or the inevitable “tweak” that sends the training staff into a sprint, nothing is etched in stone until the team packs its bags for Chicago.

So, buckle up, South Side fans; the final two weeks of camp are rarely quiet. If there’s a difficult path to take, trust the White Sox to find it.

Common convention states that the modern MLB needs as many as seven, eighth, and maybe even nine starting pitchers to make it through the grind of a season. Ryan Yarbrough exemplified teams’ approach to this problem, signed initially on a one-year deal to fill the vacant longman and lefty reliever roles in the bullpen. He went on to play an outsized role for the team as the rotation was hit by a wave of injuries, making it a no-brainer that the Yankees bring him back to fill a similar role in 2026.

2025 Stats: 19 appearances (eight starts), 64 IP, 3-1, 4.36 ERA (94 ERA+), 5.04 FIP, 4.30 xFIP, 20.8% K%, 7.2% BB%, 1.83 HR/9, 1.20 WHIP, 0.1 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts projections: 54 appearances, 62 IP, 4.41 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 19.0% K%, 6.9% BB%, 1.38 HR/9, 1.27 WHIP, 0.1 fWAR

Yarbrough began the 2025 season as a swingman and lefty specialist in a Yankees bullpen short on other southpaws. However, as injuries struck the rotation, he stepped up to make eight starts from the first week of May through the middle of June. He performed far better than even the most optimistic fan could have imagined, going 3-1 in those starts with a 3.83 ERA across 40 innings. He allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of those starts — an eight-run meltdown against the Red Sox dragging his overall numbers down — the most impressive being six innings of one-run ball against his former employers the Dodgers.

You’d be tempted to say that Yarbrough faces a reduced role this season than he did in 2025. Then again, I don’t think anyone envisioned that the southpaw would make eight straight starts, last season a reminder that it takes more than five starting pitchers to weather the attrition of a 162-game campaign. With Cole and Carlos Rodón returning from elbow surgeries and Rodón, Max Fried, Will Warren, and Cam Schlittler all coming off career-highs in innings pitched, Viewed in this context, it makes sense why the Yankees made Yarbrough their first piece of business over the winter, keeping him in the Bronx for a year and $2.5 million. The 34-year-old is a known quantity in pinstripes and veteran of the AL East — a steady presence to have waiting in the wings int he event of in-season injuries to any of the starters ahead of him on the depth chart.

Despite possessing one of the slowest fastballs in MLB at 88 mph, the wily veteran still has plenty of ways to get batters out. He keeps things unpredictable with a five-pitch arsenal of cutter, changeup, sinker, sweeper, and four-seamer, all thrown at least 14-percent of the time. Because of this unpredictability, Yarbrough remained one of the best in the league in limiting loud contact, finishing in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate.

The Yankees pitching lab exerted its influence on Yarbrough, making tweaks to pitch usage, shape, and mechanics. Just like with fellow lefty Fried, Matt Blake and the other pitching coaches convinced Yarbrough to use the cutter as his primary fastball instead of the four-seamer or sinker. They also helped him add over two inches of movement to the changeup, the pitch going from his fourth-most used pitch in 2024 to second-most in 2025, echoing a trend of the Yankees encouraging their lefties to use the changeup more as they did with Fried and Rodón. Finally, they had him lower his arm angle and move slightly more to the first base side of the rubber, increasing the deception of all of his pitches.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of Cole and Rodón when they return from injury rehab, and the moderate-to-significant injury histories of their other starters including Fried, Ryan Weathers, and Luis Gil, Yarbrough remains a valuable presence in the Yankees’ pitching room. The question is over the hierarchy of the next-men-up should any of their starters misses time with injury. The higher ceilings for guys like Weathers, Warren, and Gil give them the leg-up in the competition for fifth starter and to be the first name called if anyone goes down. What’s more, the emergence of top pitching prospects Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange last season and this spring could lead to the pair leapfrogging Yarbrough as candidates to deputize in the rotation. At the very least, Yarbrough gives them an experienced lefty arm who can handle multiple innings in relief, while his success as a stand-in starter in 2025 gives confidence he can do the same in an emergency in 2026.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

The pool stage is complete, the matchups are set, and we’re in line for what should be five days of box office baseball starting Friday night when U.S. takes on Canada in Houston and Korea takes on the Dominican Republic in Miami.

(Hard to believe the D.R. crowds could get any wilder than they were in the pool stage, but I’m sure they’ll find a way.)

FERNANDO TATIS JR. THREE-RUN HOMER!!! pic.twitter.com/6exLuQpTbk

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 12, 2026

The following afternoon, Puerto Rico will play Italy, and Japan will take on Venezuela Saturday night. From there, the semifinal matchups will be on Sunday and Monday night with the championship game slated for Tuesday. This should be awesome!

So the big question now is, who is going to win? Japan, the U.S., and Dominican Republic seem like favorites on paper, but it’s small sample size baseball and anything can happen. Also, Japan draws Venezuela right out of the gate in the knockout stage, which is a really tricky spot. But then again, they can’t complain about the U.S. and D.R. likely lined up against each other in the semis if they both advance beyond Friday. There are really no shortcuts here.

As far as interesting pitching notes go, if the U.S. beats Canada, Paul Skenes probably pitches in that Sunday game, which again COULD be against the D.R. For Red Sox purposes, Brayan Bello see significant significant time on the mound in one of these games. And who knows, that might even include a matchup against Roman Anthony in a high leverage at bat.

One thing for certain though is the atmosphere in south Florida is sure to be electric! I’m so confident in that aspect of this thing that I’m flying down there for the weekend to experience a piece of the Latin and Japanese baseball cultures in person. Can’t wait!

Anyway, talk about the WBC at its midway point and whatever else you’d like, and as always, be good to one another!

Meet the Mets

Bo Bichette seems to have a knack for clutch hitting, which he credits to his father Dante.

Opening Day is now just two weeks away, and a potential roster is starting to take shape after a month of Grapefruit League games.

Carson Benge and Nolan McLean’s college coach weighed in on what makes them elite althletes.

Around the National League East

Spencer Strider looked much better in his latest start for the Braves against the Rays.

Marlins righty Adam Mazur will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing elbow surgery.

Bryce Harper has not looked great in the WBC and is struggling to catch up to fastballs, which is a concerning trend for the Phillies star.

The Nationals named Cade Cavalli their Opening Day starter, which will make him their fourth Opening Day starter in four years.

Around Major League Baseball

Vinnie Pasquantino hit three home runs in Team Italy’s win over Team Mexico which keeps them undefeated in the tournament.

Juan Soto hit another home run in the Domincian Republic’s win over Venezuela.

Team USA advanced to the quarterfinals with Italy’s victory, which grants Mark DeRosa a reprieve after his embarrassing managerial blunder.

Eight teams have advanced to the WBC quarterfinals, which are a single-elimination format and will begin this weekend.

Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll made his spring debut after undergoing hand surgery in February.

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel was diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering the injury in the WBC.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Michael Drago previewed Freddy Peralta’s first season with the Mets.

Chris McShane wrote about Huascar Brazobán’s upcoming season.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2003, Mike Piazza went after Guillermo Mota and caused a benches clearing incident after Mota hit him with a pitch.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions, but they may not have back-to-back White House visits.

Bill Plunkett of the OC Register has all of the details of how a trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave may or may not happen.

The main roadblock is that the Dodgers are playing the Washington Nationals in D.C. the first weekend in April, which also coincides with Passover and Easter. Furthermore, the games are all day games making the visit that much more difficult.

As Bill covers in the article, they have an off day the Thursday before they start the series with the Nationals, and they have an off day between a New York and Philly road trip in July. None of those dates are without issues, however.

It remains to be seen if they go to Washington at a later date.

Japan to Dodgers pipeline?

During the last World Baseball Classic in 2023, Team Japan had three future Dodgers playing for them – Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. Dylan Hernandez of the California Post wonders if there are any other current Team Japan players that may become Dodgers in the future.

One player is Hiroto Takahashi, a 23-year-old righty who pitched in the WBC three years ago and got some people talking. He also in pitching this year but doesn’t seem to have improved nor declined on the last three years. The Dodgers are known for their pitching coaching staff, and they could help Takahashi take the next step. He is not expected to leave Japan for the States for at least two more years, and scouts currently have him as a number 3 or 4 starter.

So many questions

Katie Woo published the annual Dodgers Spring Training mailbag in The Athletic. Main topics of discussion include what will Roki Sasaki’s role actually look like this season, and what will Tommy Edman’s role be when he returns.

Most interesting to me was the discussion of who Edman’s replacement will be to start the season, and who of the three of Alex Freeland, Santiago Espinal, and Hyeseong Kim will make the 26-man roster to start the season. Spoiler alert – Freeland is the odd man out. Espinal, Kim and Miguel Rojas could be on rotation to cover the second base position, just as we all thought at the beginning of Spring Training.