Category: Baseball

How Adolis García's path to the bigs still shapes him a decade later originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Ten years ago, Adolis García did not look much like the player Phillies fans see today.

Back then, the top Cuban prospect was listed at 6-foot and 175 pounds, still slight, and years away from becoming the broad-shouldered right fielder who now plays with the force and edge that earned him the nickname “El Bombi.”

In 2016, García was 23 and still trying to fulfill his dream of playing in the Major Leagues, where his brother Adonis was the everyday third baseman for the Braves.

That spring, after winning MVP honors during a Serie Nacional title run in Cuba, Adolis left his homeland for Japan and signed with the Yomiuri Giants. It was the first real stop of his career outside the baseball world he knew, and the adjustment hit him immediately.

“I went to Japan straight from Cuba,” García said through Phillies interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “At first, it impressed me because I didn’t know anything else from a cultural standpoint.”

But his game never clicked in Nippon Professional Baseball. García appeared in only four games for Yomiuri and roughly two dozen more in the minors before the club released him. He still points to that stop; however, as a turning point, saying he learned “discipline and work ethic,” which felt “completely new and different from what I knew at that point.”

For Cuban players of that era, the path to MLB was not a direct one. Opportunities to play abroad existed, and Japan became one sanctioned outlet for Cuban players. Others had made similar stops there. García, though, navigated it without any real connection to those paths. He was the only Cuban in the Yomiuri organization without a single familiar face.

Instead of returning to Cuba, García defected and went to the Dominican Republic, beginning the process of establishing residency as an international free agent.

García was living that uncertainty, three countries in one calendar year. In real time, though, looking back, he sees it simply as part of the process of becoming the player he aspired to be.

“I think it was all part of becoming a Major Leaguer,” he said. “From a work ethic standpoint, from a getting-better standpoint. So a lot of things to learn on that end.”

It also helps explain the way García sees the turbulence that followed.

The climb did not smooth out once he reached the United States. García signed with the Cardinals organization in 2017 and debuted in the majors a year later, but never found a real foothold there. He spent all of 2019 in Triple A, hit 32 home runs and still did not get recalled. After the season, St. Louis designated him for assignment.

Texas took a chance on him, but the COVID-shortened 2020 season limited his opportunities. Before the 2021 season, he was DFA’d again. García went unclaimed, received a non-roster invitation to spring training – where he’d rake – and broke camp with the Rangers’ big league club. His exceptional play that year earned him his first All-Star nod.

“I think from the moment that I started playing in the big leagues, I never had any doubt that I could do it, that I could be here,” he said. “Of course, slumps can happen, bad years can happen, everything that’s happened in my career can happen, but that’s just part of the process. So on that point, I’ve never doubted that I belong here.”

That level of confidence and passion was on full display two years later, when he became a playoff hero in Texas. He hit 39 home runs, drove in 108 runs and made his second All-Star team in 2023. He won ALCS MVP, playing his way into the spotlight of October as Texas charged to a championship, but setbacks returned. 

This time, they were physical. His 2023 postseason ended with an oblique injury in the World Series. 

In 2024, he dealt with a lingering left patellar tendon issue that required eight weeks of rehab after the season. In 2025, he suffered an oblique strain in camp, then ran into more injuries later in the year. Across those two seasons, he posted a weak .675 OPS. The Rangers non-tendered early this past offseason.

The 2023 version is what made him so appealing to the Phillies, though. And even with the recent struggles, they were still bringing in a right fielder who offers big power, premium defense with an elite arm. On a one-year, $10 million deal, the organization still felt he offered more upside than Nick Castellanos, whom they are paying over $19 million to play elsewhere.

It starts with the range. Last season, García posted 16 Defensive Runs Saved, the best mark among Major League right fielders. And this year in Philadelphia, he’s already tallied two outfield assists. His arm has been a huge difference maker — sitting at 94.2 mph on average, which ranks in the top two percent among outfielders. That alone gives the Phillies an element of the game they did not have at the position a year ago.

Offensively, the goal has been clear: get him closer to the hitter he was in 2023, before the chase rate soared and his plate discipline fell.

When García arrived at camp this year, the Phillies’ hitting coaches made clear in camp that they believed in his bat. He said the focus was on “a few tweaks and adjustments” — improving his pitch recognition, going after good pitches and building from there.

In 2023, García’s chase rate was 29.3 percent. By 2025, it had ballooned to 35.7 percent. This season, it is back down to 30.5 percent. His in-zone contact rate has jumped to a career-high 87.5 percent, and his hard-hit rate is running about three points higher than his 2023 numbers. All positive signs.

So far, much of his success with the Phils has come against left-handed pitching, something the club has struggled mightily against. He is slashing .333/.375/.462 in those matchups. He also leads the Phillies in multi-hit games.

“Ever since we had those conversations [in camp], I think we’ve had good results with it, and it’s just keep going forward with it,” he said.

Slight tweaks to his batting stance and hands early this spring have stuck. Adjustments are the common thread that have carried through García’s career. Both on and off the field. 

When asked what keeps him grounded now, it’s not some elaborate routine. It is the path itself, and the people attached to it.

“It’s just thinking about my family and the long road that I’ve had all the way here,” he said. “I think that’s what keeps me focused — thinking about my family and just staying present in the moment.”

That road began in 2016.

Now it runs through Philadelphia, where García is trying to prove himself once again for a club with World Series expectations. For him, that’s familiar territory.

Ever since Artemis II launched a little over two weeks ago, I’ve felt an itch in my bones. The itch for Kerbal Space Program. I finally gave in tonight, while watching the Seattle Mariners get swept by their legally mandated rivals, the San Diego Padres. Tonight’s 5-2 loss comes on the heel’s of last night’s 9th inning disaster and puts a sour taste in the team’s mouth as they head back north. But whereas last night the Mariners were gallant right up to the bitter end, tonight’s game they were just goofus. It almost looked like the game of baseball was alien to them.

For those not in the know, in the video game Kerbal Space Program, the player takes on the task of guiding little green aliens to outer space using real rocket science and orbital mechanics. It is not an easy game, nor a simple one, but it is, and this is important, incredibly goofy. The rockets wobble and explode, the buildings burn, the satellites crash, and through it all the little green guys just keep smiling. And, in a strange way, I see either the Seattle Mariners in them, or Kerbals in the Mariners. Watch this old announcement trailer and see if you catch my meaning.

When Brendan Donovan led off the game with a walk, it was a nominal liftoff. And then he detached his boosters before they were out of fuel, and got himself picked off at first for the second out of the inning. Whoops. Later on, Luke Raley hit a nice line drive in the second inning, but activated the parachutes too early. So instead of banging a double off the wall, he allowed Fernando Tatís Jr. to make a shoestring catch to end the inning.

In KSP, the player’s main adversaries are two forces of nature: atmospheric drag and gravity. But for the Mariners, the padres have been playing so well and are on such a streak that they may as well be considered forces of nature, as inexorable as the force that guides the arc of a home run ball. Or in the case of the Padres, a bunch of annoying seeing-eye ground balls that get through for singles and score a run. But hey look! One of them hit a hot shot to Naylor at first! Now he can turn a double play!

Uh-oh, Josh dropped it. There he learned a valuable KSP lesson: you can’t go too fast too low. Just Josh rushing to transfer the ball while still in a crouch caused him to drop the ball, your rocket going too fast too low in the atmosphere is just going to waste fuel and produce unnecessary heating. In rocket science, just as in baseball, it’s often better to slow down, take your time, and take some of the (atmospheric) pressure off yourself. But because Josh wasn’t able to turn that double play and end the inning, one run scored directly, and then two more Padres came across the plate to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

Offensively, the Mariners looked a little lost at the plate, as if Walker Buehler’s sweeper was as incomprehensible to them as the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation. I mean, what part of Δu = V_eqln (mf/me) − g₀ ⋅ tb is hard to understand? The Mariners made two big threats. The threat in the 4th failed to even go suborbital as a pair of leadoff singles by Donovan and Raleigh were left stranded.

The threat in the 6th succeeded in breaking through the atmosphere, however. This time, after a pair of leadoff singles by Young and Donovan, Cal hit a line drive that made splashdown in right field and scored Cole Young easily. Now finally mortal, the Padres were forced to replace Buehler.

Julio followed up Cal’s Apollo mission with an Artemis mission, also hitting a line drive into right that scored a runner from third. Now, with runners on first and second with nobody out, then the bases loaded with one out, the Mariners were poised to finally enter orbit a tie or take the lead from the Padres. But then they ran out of fuel. Connor Joe pinch hit for Luke Raley and struck out on a high fastball, and J.P. hit a routine groundball to end the inning. There would be no orbit and, for the Mariners, no more spaceflights. They’d never get so close to the Padres again.

In fact, the Padres managed to rub some salt in the wound in the 7th when, with runners on second and third, Cole Young lost a pop up in the San Diego sky and dropped it, giving the Friars another run.

Mercifully, that inning, and the remaining two, were soon ended, completing the San Diego sweep putting the Seattle Space Program on hold. Perhaps its time to go back to the drawing board in the Vehicle Assembly Building and start over with a new design. Put Julio at first base. Make Cal pitch. Have George Kirby play shortstop. That’s the kind of thing I do in KSP when my rocket just flat out isn’t working. And you know what? It usually works.

The Mariners return home tomorrow for a 3-game set against the Texas Rangers. After also being swept by Texas a couple weeks ago, some wins against a divisional rival are exactly what this team needs right now. The most demoralized fans among you would say that beating the Rangers this weekend is a dream. But what can I say? I like to shoot for the moon.

For those who thought Aaron Boone might have nothing to get ejected about with the arrival of the automated ball-strike system, think again.

The Yankees manager picked up his first ejection late in Thursday’s 11-4 loss to the Angels, getting tossed by home plate umpire Will Little at the end of the eighth inning for arguing a balk call from the top of the eighth.

“I still haven’t gotten good clarity, because of course they got overly sensitive when I was as calm as could be,” said Boone, who first went out to talk to Little in the middle of the eighth before going out again at the end of the frame.

“I wasn’t out there arguing, I just wanted to hear their explanation. I’m going to wait to get more clarity. I think it’s a fine play.”

First base umpire Ryan Additon called the balk on lefty Ryan Yarbrough, who tried to pick off the man at first with runners on first and second and two outs in what was then a 7-4 game. 

Boone said the Yankees had a play on for Yarbrough to attempt a pickoff at first and thought the throw over was within the rules. But he was dissatisfied with the lack of explanation for why it was called a balk.

“Will gave it to me behind home plate, but then I wanted what I thought should have been more of an explanation,” said Boone, who has led the AL in ejections in each of the last five years. “So I went out to talk to Ryan out at first and [crew chief Lance Barksdale] cut me off.”

Gerrit Cole will be on a pitch count around the mid-40s Friday night as he starts a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset, which, if it goes well, could have him back in The Bronx in around a month.

The plan is for Cole to get fully built up on his minor-league assignment, instead of doing what the Yankees did with Cam Schlittler to start this season and taking him at around 70 pitches to finish off that buildup in the big leagues.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“It’s one step at a time,” Boone said. “Looking forward to him starting on Friday and we’ll build him from there. Even when he gets back to us, we’ll probably be conservative with him.”


Rehab assignments come with a 30-day clock for pitchers — May 16 would be the final day of that for Cole — but those coming back from Tommy John surgery, as the former AL Cy Young winner is, can extend that window if needed.

Carlos Rodón, meanwhile, could be back shortly before Cole.

The left-hander, whose return from elbow surgery was delayed by a hamstring issue, is scheduled to throw live batting practice Saturday, after which he could get cleared to begin a rehab assignment that would likely include “at least” three games — potentially putting him in a position to rejoin the Yankees in the second week of May.

Oswald Peraza tormented his former team all series, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, walk and three RBIs on Thursday after going 3-for-3 with a homer and a walk Tuesday.

“Man, he looked like what we were excited about several years ago,” Boone said. “Then obviously went through a couple years of really struggling. He’s super talented, always has been. … Clearly in as good a place as he’s been in a few years.”

For the first time this season, the scuffling Ryan McMahon did not play third base during a Max Fried start.

Despite Boone’s stated preference to have the defensively gifted McMahon handling the hot corner for Fried, who generates a high clip of ground balls there, he started Amed Rosario to balance the lineup on a day when the Angels were throwing a bullpen game.

The Yankees lost their automated ball-strike system challenges by the bottom of the third inning Thursday.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham were both proven wrong trying to get strikes turned into balls.

The Atlanta Braves’ day off began with another bullpen shuffle, and this time, right-hander Ian Hamilton got the call. In addition to his selection, the club optioned lefty Hayden Harris to Triple-A Gwinnett and designated righty Osvaldo Bido for assignment. 

30-year-old Hamilton joined the Braves in December of last year and has yet to make his Atlanta debut. He’s thrown just 6.1 innings in Gwinnett this season, where he owns a 2.84 ERA. He’s given up just one base on balls and whiffed nine. 

Harris was called up earlier this week and did not get a shot at big league action. As for Bido, the move is a direct result of his lackluster outing against Miami.

More Braves News:

The Braves, who have yet to lose a series, are beginning a road trip full of NL East foes, and first, they take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game set. 

Bryce Elder has been effective early this season and is shaping up to be a regular in the starting rotation.

Jim Jarvis is on a nine-game hitting streak down in Triple-A. More in the minor league recap. 

Luke Williams has rejoined the Braves on a minor-league deal, per the transaction log. He was designated for assignment earlier this week and elected free agency.

MLB News:

The Washington Nationals acquired left-hander Richard Lovelady from the New York Mets in exchange for cash. The Mets designated him for assignment over the weekend. 

From the Feed:

Brian Snitker will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on April 25, and there’s a slate of special guests that will be in attendance.

The Colorado Rockies entered their series finale in Houston against the Astros needing a win in the worst way. Losers of six straight on the road, the Rockies could have ended their road trip with seven consecutive losses with a daunting match-up against the Los Angeles Dodgers quickly approaching.

The Rockies got the memo. Despite a shaky start from opener Juan Mejia, the Rockies pitching was largely excellent. They held the strong Astros offense to just two runs on their way to a victory that no doubt resonated in the clubhouse.

Cold Open

With the Rockies scuttling to get the most out of their pitching staff due to injuries and heavy bullpen use during this road trip, righty Juan Mejia was begged as the opener. Mejia threw just over half of his 30 pitches for strikes and recorded two strikeouts, but three singles and a hit by pitch helped the Astros jump head to an early lead. Mejia was pulled after recording just two outs.

Cut to the Chase

Chase Dollander turned in one of the best performances of his young career operating in bulk relief of Juan Mejia. Dollander consistently dialed up high velocity on his fastball—regularly hitting 100 MPH—and induced a 44% whiff rate on the pitch. He also made strong use of his slider and changeup (with 40% and 43% whiff rates, respectively) as he struck out a career high nine batters in 5.1 scoreless innings.

Dollander held the Astros hitless until his final inning of work. In the sixth inning a leadoff walk to Isaac Paredes and a double deflected off the glove of third baseman Kyle Karros had runners on second and third with no outs. Dollander proceeded to bear down with a gutsy finish. After getting noted Rockies killer Christian Walker to ground out without advancing the runners, Dollander struck out the next two batters to end the inning with no damage done.

See what happens when you don’t strike out 15 times?

Tonight was one of the Rockies’ most disciplined games at the plate so far this season. The Rockies struck out just five times against the combined Astros bullpen—including the opener Ryan Weiss—while chasing significantly less than previous games over this road trip. They also drew six walks.

Unfortunately, that didn’t necessarily equate to runs. The Rockies scored just three runs on nine hits, going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men stranded.

Tyler Freeman, Hunter Goodman, and Brenton Doyle were the Rockies’ heroes at the plate. Freeman went 3-for-5 with an RBI without striking out—though he did ground into a momentum-killing double-play—while Hunter Goodman both went 2-for-3 with a walk. Doyle put his speed to good use with two stolen bases while Goodman hit his fifth home run of the season.

Bend, but don’t break.

Dollander gave way to Jaden Hill, Jimmy Herget, and Victor Vodnik. All three relievers faced traffic but kept the Astros off the board. Hill walked two and gave up a hit, but managed to navigate the inning unscathed while Herget also gave up a walk. Vodnik also issued a walk, and a towering fly ball off the bat of Isaac Paredes gave Rockies fans flashbacks as it looked like they were about to be walked off yet again. However, the ball fell into Mickey Moniak’s glove at the wall and Vodnik earned his second save of the season.

Coming Up Next

The Rockies are heading back to what might be a chilly and snow-touched Coors Field tomorrow to start a four-game series against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers. Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 will make the start for the Rockies, looking to continue building on his excellent start.Tyler Glasnow will go for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM MDT.

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Two heavyweights went toe-for-toe in a sideshow to the Yankees-Angels series this week before Mike Trout came out on top.

Trout out-homered fellow three-time MVP Aaron Judge 5-4 in the four-game set that the teams split, homering in each game (two in one game), including a solo shot in the Angels’ 11-4 win over the Yankees on Thursday afternoon in The Bronx.

“It’s unreal,” said Giancarlo Stanton, who also homered in the loss. “Cool showing from him and Judgey all series. Obviously you don’t want that against us, but you got to acknowledge the greatness. It was a deciding factor today. Not what we want, but obviously a great talent.”

By homering off Yankees reliever Angel Chivilli in the seventh inning Thursday, Trout became the first visiting player to homer on four consecutive days at Yankee Stadium.

The 34-year-old outfielder, whose talent has been hindered by injuries in recent years, went 6-for-16 with five home runs, eight runs, nine RBIs and three walks in the series.

“He’s not chasing and he’s deadly in some certain parts of the zone,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Chivilli really the entire at-bat was executing pretty well against him and then all of a sudden goes back to that changeup and [Trout] hammers it. 

“He’s clearly healthy and he’s an all-time great. Hurt us this series.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Judge had homered in the top of the first inning Thursday — his fifth home run in his last five games — to temporarily even the tally with Trout during this series.

They both went deep twice in Monday’s series opener, while the Angels kept Judge in the ballpark Tuesday.

The Yankees wish Trout had looked like his former self against a different team, but they tipped their cap across the way.

“Obviously he’s been one of the best in the game from the time he came up,” said Max Fried, who walked Trout twice. “He’s very patient and he knows the zone. I was trying to throw the ball over the plate and for whatever reason, was just missing. Frustrated because I wanted to be able to go after him but obviously didn’t.”

By now, you have probably heard that Parker Messick threw 8 n0-hit innings against the Orioles. What more is there to say?

Messick is such a special competitor. And, at this point, I find myself wishing Austin Hedges could catch all our pitchers because he seems to get them all to dominate. Messick kept hitters guessing all game long. 36% of Messick’s four-seamers were either called-strikes or whiffs, and 29% of his cutters. And, with that said, I don’t understand how anyone ever makes contact on his changeup.

Now, with 106 pitches, manager Stephen Vogt rightly let Messick try to get a no-hitter, but Leody Tavares got a 103.5 mph single past Juan Brito and then Blaze Alexander hit another ball hard for a single. Vogt got Cade Smith at that point, who continues to make things interesting in the 9th. He allowed a single, a sac fly to Gunnar Henderson that was very close to a grand slam, and a double to Pete Alonso, before getting a pop fly and a groundout. The final groundout was the hardest struck ball of the game at 107 mph, and Juan Brito made a nice sliding play and throw from a seated position. Hopefully that helps the young infielder flush the memory of his atrocious play in the bottom of the 9th in St. Louis that cost the Guardians a game.

Cade Smith needs to begin locating his secondary stuff more consistently or we may be in for a Joe Borowski year in the Guardians’ closer position. Cade, no one wants to go full Borowski. Reel it in, buddy. IN CARL WE TRUST.

Jose Ramirez smoked a two-run homer in the first on the first pitch he saw of the night. That was good to see. Jose also got a single and a walk as his OPS climbs steadily back toward .800 plus. Brayan Rocchio had a double, Steven Kwan and George Valera both had two hits. It has been nice to see the Guardians win some games as Chase DeLauter goes through a hitting adjustment period.

This was a great win. I hope the Guardians can figure out a way to beat the Orioles three times this week and help me shake the bad taste that Cardinals’ series left with me. Watching Parker Messick absolutely carve up other teams already went a long way to helping in that effort.

Sometimes you need a clickbaity title for fun, and sometimes the extreme title is actually justified. This might be one of those times.

In the early going, there aren’t a tremendous amount of statistics that mean much of anything, or at least that mean enough to re-evaluate what we think about a player.

As an example, here are the statistical leaders by various metrics:

• wRC+: Danny Serretti (200)
• BA: José Mejía (.406)
• OBP: Kayson Cunningham (.533)
• SLG: Manuel Pena (.778)
• Line Drive Percentage: Jose Alpuria (58.3%)

With the exception of Alpuria (who has 30 plate appearances) none of these players have reached 50 plate appearances yet, and it takes at least 60 plate appearances for any of the available stats at lower levels to mean anything. So hats off to Cunningham, getting on base more than half of the time, but it’s probably unsustainable.

Only four hitters (all at Reno, of course) have reached the requisite 60 plate appearances for their stats to mean anything, and it isn’t all of their stats.

The first stat that means anything is bat speed, for the simple reason that bat speed has nothing to do with results or luck. Unfortunately, we don’t have bat speeds for hitters in AAA. The next stat to becoming meaningful is hard hit rate and exit velocity, and by the time 60 plate appearances are reached, strikeout rate becomes meaningful. BABIP, when combined with the exit velocities and hard hit rates, has a meaning, but the meaning lies in the interpretation, as BABIP is a stat which varies widely from year to year and really tells us nothing other than how lucky or unlucky a player has been.

There’s two more stats that are ancillary to these, one of which is fairly well known and the other of which is not as well known. Launch angle is the average angle at which the ball leaves the bat; ground balls have negative launch angles, statcast defines line drives as batted balls with a launch angle between 10 and 25 degrees, but an ideal launch angle is probably in the 15-35 degree range, depending on exit velocity. Too high a launch angle and the batted ball is a harmless fly out or pop up; too low a launch angle and there’s no chance at a home run.

Not as well known are various permutations of exit velocity. Tom Tango (the brain power behind a lot of Baseball Savant) views average exit velocity as a useless stat, for the simple reason that it is measuring a lot of useless data. Baseball Savant provides a stat called “adjusted exit velocity” which measures batted balls in relation to a cutoff point of 88 MPH, below which velocity means practically nothing. Tango prefers EV50, an average of the 50% hardest hit balls. That’s what I have here (only easily available on prospectsavant.com) but keep in mind as well that batted balls below 88 MPH are regarded as valueless in terms of exit velocity. It will be important later

As mentioned above, four players have reached 60 plate appearances and some preliminary conclusions can be drawn. I’ll cover them without names at first, because our opinions of these players certainly cloud our perceptions.

Before going further, please quickly vote on which of these players is having the best season so far.

Now to provide a little bit of context for these stats. Players A-C have all been top-100 prospects at one time or another, but their history on the one stat that means something and can be compared throughout their career is quite different. Player A has carried a strikeout rate of just under 20% through his career prior to this season. Player B has been even lower, at about 15%. Player C, on the other hand, had a sky high 30% strikeout rate prior to this season. And Player D, the lone player among these who has never been a top-100 prospect, posted a 13.5% strikeout rate prior to this season.

Unfortunately, we do not have the numbers for hard hit rates or exit velocity at previous levels, nor do we have bat speed numbers at any level.

Player A is Tommy Troy. He’s got a slash of .317/.408/.417, which are some good numbers, but not eye-popping for Reno. He’s only hitting the ball hard a quarter of the time, and his EV50 is below the cutoff point for value of 88 MPH, and not by a little bit. Despite that, he’s managed to post a BABIP of .429, which is partially attributable to his speed, but is mostly a function of luck.

Player B is Ryan Waldschmidt. That incredible .311/.417/.557 slash line is being upheld by high BABIP despite three problems. His strikeout rate is close to 30%, which is basically double what he’s done in his career previously. His average launch angle is 24 degrees, and while the average is a good number, having that high of an average indicates a lot of high fly balls or pop-ups. And his EV50 is in the bottom half of minor leaguers with Statcast data. In order for the top 50% of his batted balls to average out to 89.6 MPH, he has to hit a lot of balls below the dreaded 88 MPH. Note that I am not saying that he’s not playing well; he’s having a great season in many ways. I am saying that a player who is expected to be a key part of the franchise for years to come does not need to be called up to the major leagues when experiencing struggles he’s never dealt with before, regardless of how gaudy the numbers are. He’s going to figure it out and be fine, but people really need to pump the brakes on calling for his promotion.

Player C, and the most surprising for me, was Kristian Robinson. His slash of .240/.350/.460 doesn’t look like much, but remember his BABIP is 100 points lower than any of the other three. He still strikes out too much, but it’s at least come down to respectability (and he’s striking out less often than Waldschmidt, something I never thought I’d type in a million years) and walking more than any of the other three, although walk rate isn’t really predictive at this point. He’s the only player in this group who would be expected (based on his quality of contact) to post better numbers than he is posting. He’s smashing line drives the other way, and despite concerns about his speed diminishing, he’s still got quality wheels. While his EV50 is in the 88^th percentile, that is either among all batters or all qualified batters; among players with at least 50 plate appearances, he has the fourth best adjusted exit velocity.

Player D is LuJames Groover. His .359/.440/.453 slash may be more sustainable than other hitters with his underlying numbers simply because of the type of hitter he is, but given his lack of speed (sprint speed is not available at AAA, but his Fangraphs speed score is catcher level) he needs to hit for more power. But he makes a ton of contact and isn’t striking out. But he’s also not hitting the ball hard, and it’s been shown time and again that the best predictor of a successful big league career is how hard a player hits the ball.

It’s hard (or perhaps impossible) to have much faith in Robinson at this point. But it would be proper to note that his stint in AAA last season saw a similar reduction in strikeout rate (it actually started in Amarillo) but that was combined with lower exit velocities. He still swings and misses a ton. Still, according to the statistics that mean something at this early point, he’s the hitter in Reno who looks the most big league ready, with Groover close behind.

Hopefully the Diamondbacks will not need any position players called up in the near future, especially with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. nearing a return. But if they do, I believe that they would be better served calling up Robinson at the moment (depending on positional needs, of course) than they would be breaking the glass on Waldschmidt.

One final note: this was written prior to the games on Wednesday, and I’m not going to update all the numbers, although they have changed somewhat. Waldschmidt walked twice, while Robinson struck out twice, meaning that Waldschmidt’s strikeout rate has dropped below Robinson’s. But Robinson also hit two balls over 105 MPH, both for singles, and given that he hit no other balls, his EV50 has increased even further and his hard hit rate likely reached 50%. Groover and Troy both failed to pick up a hit.

All systems nominal: Cal Raleigh (=.09 WPA)

Scrub the launch, we’ve got a problem: Luis Castillo (-.25 WPA)

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs plundered the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 11-10 in ten innings.

Matthew Boyd started this game on a rehab assignment. He got into trouble in the second inning when he gave up three runs, but was strong otherwise. The final line on Boyd was three runs on four hits over 3.2 innings. Boyd struck out six and walked just one, which is the most positive number. He threw 64 pitches and 46 were for strikes.

Will Sanders did not pitch as well, but ended up getting the win despite blowing an 8-3 lead. Sanders pitched four innings and allowed five runs on eight hits. He struck out five and walked three. One of those three walks was intentional.

Iowa scored three runs in the top of the tenth and Ryan Jensen got the save because he only gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jensen gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits over one inning. He struck out two, walked one and hit one batter.

In defense of all these pitchers, the wind was howling out to left at 15 miles per hour.

Second baseman Pedro Ramirez had a big day. First, he had an RBI single in the top of the first inning. Next, Ramirez hit a three-run home run in the second inning, his fifth on the young season already. (His career-high for a season is eight.) Finally, he knocked in the third run in the top of the tenth with an infield single. Ramirez went 4 for 6 with two steals. He had the five RBI and scored twice.

Shortstop Ben Cowles cranked a solo home run in the eighth inning. Cowles also had an RBI double in the third inning and a sacrifice fly in the tenth. Cowles went 2 for 4 with the sac fly and the three runs batted in.

Third baseman James Triantos was 2 for 6 with a double to lead off the game. He scored on the Ramirez single. Triantos also stole a base.

Left fielder Owen Miller was 2 for 5 with a double. He scored once and drove in one.

Center fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 5. He scored twice and had one run batted in.

The Ramirez home run went 394 feet.

Ben Cowles’s RBI double.

Cowles’ home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies stuffed and mounted the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins) on their mantel, 10-9.

Starter Nick Dean put the Smokies behind early when he gave up three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Dean’s final line was three runs on two hits over four innings. One of those two hits was a two-run home run. Dean walked two and struck out four.

The Smokies fell behind 8-2 when Erian Rodriguez got shelled for five runs in the fifth inning.

But the Smokies fought back and scored six runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game. However, Tyler Ras allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth to give Pensacola the lead back. Ras then got the win when the Smokies struck back with two runs in the top of the ninth. The final line on Ras was one run on two hits over 2.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Vince Reilly pitched the bottom of the ninth and got the save. He issued a leadoff walk, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal. Reilly struck out the other two batters he faced to close out the win.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez gave the Smokies an early lead with a solo home run in the top of the second. Alvarez was 1 for 2 with three walks and two runs scored.

DH Alexis Ramírez hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth that ended up being the difference in the game. Ramírez went 1 for 4 with a walk and a sacrifice fly in the eighth, giving him three runs batted in tonight.

Right fielder Andy Garriola was 2 for 3 with an RBI double in the second inning. He was also hit by a pitch. Garriola reached on catcher’s interference and scored in the six-run eighth inning.

Some Smokies highlights from the eighth inning.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs won their sixth-straight game, 7-5 over the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins).

Starter Nazier Mulé gave up just one run on four hits over 3.1 innings. Mulé walked three and struck out four.

Brayden Spears pitched the next 2.2 innings and got the win because Mulé didn’t go five innings. But Spears deserved the W because he allowed no runs on just one hit and no walks. Spears struck out three.

Kenyi Perez pitched the final two innings and picked up the save. Perez did not permit a hit or a run, but he did walk two and hit a batter while striking out two.

DH Owen Ayers homered in his fourth-straight game and his fifth on the year. Ayers’ home run came with a man on in the fourth. He was 2 for 5.

Third baseman Reginald Preciado hit a two-run double in the third inning. He was 1 for 4.

South Bend only had four hits in this game, but scored seven runs because they walked eight times and were hit by pitches twice. The Sky Carp also committed two errors which led to four unearned runs.

Ayers’ home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans suffered a direct hit by the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox), 9-4.

Starter Noah Edders went three innings and took the loss after allowing one run on three hits. He struck out five and walked one.

The game got out of hand when reliever Riely Hunsaker gave up five runs in the fourth inning and one more in the sixth. Hunsaker’s final line was six runs, four earned, on six hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out four.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn went 1 for 4 with a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth. Hartshorn also walked once.

Myrtle Beach managed just four hits, but drew nine walks.

The Dodgers made a trade on their off day Thursday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league pitcher Axel Perez.

McDermott, 27, started this season in Triple-A Norfolk, where struck out nine of his 28 batters faced (a 32.1-percent strikeout rate), but also walked six and allowed four runs in his 5 1/3 innings. He was designated for assignment last Saturday when Baltimore brought up catcher Maverick Handley.

In parts of two seasons in the majors, McDermott pitched in five total games in 2024-25, but allowed 18 runs on 17 hits, including four home runs, and 14 walks in just 12 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts.

Drafted in the fourth round out of Ball State in 2021, McDermott had strikeout rates over 30 percent in each of his first four minor league seasons, including a 3.78 ERA in 100 innings for Triple-A Norfolk in addition to making his major league debut in 2024.

In March 2024, McDermott was named among a group of players outside of Baseball America’s top 100 prospects who could make an impact in the majors. From Eli Ben-Porat:

McDermott’s slider is excellent, with great depth and some sweep, and produced excellent results, both from a contact-quality standpoint, as well as plenty of whiffs and chases. He has a curveball with distinct shape from the slider, which isn’t a dominant pitch, but fits well within his arsenal. He rounds it out with a changeup to lefties, giving him plenty of weapons to work with.

In 2025, McDermott mised the first six weeks of the season with a lat strain, and posted a 6.18 ERA and 23.1-percent strikeout rate in 59 2/3 innings between Triple-A and Double-A in addition to his four games with the Orioles.

McDermott is the third major league pitcher acquired by the Dodgers since the start of the regular season, not including trading for minor league pitcher Griff McGarry on Tuesday. They also traded for Jake Eder on April 1, the same day they claimed Grant Holman of waivers. McDermott takes the 40-man roster spot opened up this week when Holman was claimed off waivers by the Tigers. Now, McDermott will join Eder and McGarry as part of the Oklahoma City Comets pitching staff in Triple-A.

McDermott has 56 days of major league service time and one option year remaining, having used options in 2024 and 2025.

Perez, 20, is a 6’4 right-hander signed out of the Dominican Republic last year. He had a 5.48 ERA in 10 games and 23 innings last year in the Dominican Summer League with in his professional debut, with 32 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Rangers 9, A’s 6

• There was just way too much going on with this game.
• It was disorienting. It was confusing. It was befuddling.
• It was windy.
• The wind was out of control. It was wild. It was nuts.
• It huffed and puffed and blew a couple of potential home runs down.
• It also blew a high pop fly to right field by Josh Jung into the right field stands for a go ahead homer that we thought would be the difference in the game.
• Then it wasn’t because of a ball lost in the sun and a ball blown back towards the infield and what seemed to be a game the A’s should have won but were trying to lose but then were going to win, only to then lose.
• Four runs from your resilient Rangers in the top of the ninth turned a 6-5 deficit into an9-6 lead and eventual win.
• And Cal Quantrill made his Rangers debut. Got a win, even. Madness.
• These are the games that I’m used to the Rangers losing in Oakland.
• I guess it’s a good thing it was played in Sacramento.
• Jack Leiter maxed out at 98.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 96.2 mph. Robert Garcia’s fastball touched 96.8 mph. Tyler Alexander hit 92.4 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s fastball topped out at 92.9 mph, Jacob Latz reached 95.2 mph with his fastball. Cal Quantrill’s fastball hit 94.5 mph.
• Ezequiel Duran had a 107.3 mph groundout and a 102.9 mph single. Wyatt Langford had a 105.6 mph groundout. Josh Smith had a 105.0 mph double. Brandon Nimmo had a 103.2 mph fly out and a 100.0 mph single.
• Back above .500, back in first place, and on to Seattle.

Guardians’ rookie Parker Messick took a no-hitter into the 9th inning, but couldn’t complete the first Cleveland no-hitter in 25 years, settling for a 4-2 victory over the Orioles, Thursday.

Messick game into the bottom of the 9th with only two walks allowed and nine strikeouts on 106 pitches. He tried to sneak a cutter past Leody Taveras, only for the Orioles’ CF to slash to the ball back up the middle toward right-center, just out of the reach of 2B Juan Brito, for the Orioles first hit of the night.

The relief of no longer having a 0 in the hit column helped spark a mini rally for Baltimore in the top of the 9th. Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt left Messick in to face Blaze Alexander, who rewarded that decision by lining a single to center field. That forced Vogt to turn to closer Cade Smith, who allowed the O’s to further claw back in the game. Taylor Ward worked a full count against Smith, and then loaded the bases when he line a 3-2 fastball into center.

Gunnar Henderson then came to the plate representing the tying run for Baltimore. The star SS just missed hitting a game-tying grand slam as well, getting just out in front of a Smith splitter and sending a 355-foot sac fly to deep right-center. Pete Alonso then took his own chance at being the Orioles’ hero, attacking a first-pitch fastball and sending it ricocheting off the top of the wall in right field for an RBI double. Had Alonso’s sinking line drive been five feet higher and five feet to the left, it would’ve been a three-run homer that tied the game. Instead, he had to settle for putting the tying run at second with one out.

As minds in Birdland began to turn to the Orioles magical no-hitter to walk-off winner Houdini act last September against the Dodgers, Colton Cowser stepped in as a pinch hitter. After fouling off some tough pitches from Smith, Cowser just got under a ball, sending a hard-hit shallow fly to left-center for the second out. That left the fate of the comeback to rookie Samuel Basallo, who sent a 108mph grounder screaming up the middle, only for Brito to grab it and toss the ball over to first for the final out.

The fact that the O’s made Thursday’s loss look respectable came as a surprise after Messick left them utterly befuddled for eight innings. The stocky, 25-year-old lefty had Orioles swinging through fastballs, flailing and changeups and pounding easy groundouts to shortstop all night. The only really loud outs of the game on a Ward flyout in the 3rd that died right up against the centerfield fence, and a nifty snag in foul territory by José Ramírez in the 8th. The complete lack of good swings from the Orioles against Messick made it look like they could go 100 ABs against the southpaw and never sniff a hit.

To say Orioles starter Shane Baz had a bad outing in Cleveland would probably be a little harsh, but he certainly paled in comparison to his counterpart, Messick. Coming off a lackluster outing against the Giants, Baz didn’t start the game with his best stuff against the Guardians. After punching out Steven Kwan to start the game, he walked Chase DeLauter on five pitches and then made a big mistake to perennial All-Star Ramírez. Baz threw a first-pitch fastball down the heart of the plate, and the Guardians’ all-time leader in games played smashed it to deep left-center for a two-run blast.

The 26-year-old right-hander quickly but that blunder behind him, though. He got out of the first thanks to a diving stop by Jeremiah Jackson at second and a lineout to Pete Alonso. The Polar Bear then made a great snag on a grounder to start the 2nd, before Baz punched out Austin Hedges on a foul-tipped cutter and ended the inning with a pop out to short.

The Orioles’ right-hander breezed through the 3rd inning thanks to a pair of grounders and a pop-up to the catcher. He’d open the 4th by striking out Kyle Manzardo looking, before giving up a single to George Valera, ending a streak of seven consecutive Guardians retired. The O’s defense would pick up their starter to end the 4th, as Coby Mayo stabbed a hard-hit grounder at third and started a 5-4-3 double play.

Baz picked up his fourth punchout of the night to begin the 5th, snapping off a knuckle curve below the zone to get Juan Brito. After getting Hedges to ground out on another good knuckle curve, the hard-throwing Texan ran into some bad luck to end the 5th.

Shortstop Brayan Rocchio grounded a ball to the right side that just barely eluded the pocket of Jackson’s glove, skipped off the glove into right field and allowed Rocchio to skamper to second for a double. After a double with an xBA of .120 kept the inning alive, Kwan lined a single to RF Johnathan Rodríguez. The Orioles’ outfielder fired a frozen rope to home plate, beating Rocchio, but the Cleveland infielder just barely slid under the tag of Samuel Basallo to score the Guardians’ third run.

Cleveland would add their fourth run against Baz in the 6th, thanks to another rally started by Ramírez. The Guardians’ best player led off the inning by working a 10-pitch walk. He then moved to third on a line drive by Manzardo to right, before scoring on a single to left off Valera’s bat. The Oriole’s starter would limit the damage, finishing the inning with two more Ks and a groundout to short. That closed Baz’s line at 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB and 6 K.

The Orioles will look to end their second three-game losing streak of the season tomorrow when Chris Bassitt takes the bump in Cleveland. First pitch is set for 6:10pm ET.