Category: Baseball

I just can’t wait until the end of the season to do the final analysis of the San Francisco Giants/Farhan Zaidi opting not to sign Kevin Gausman to an extension after the 2021 season. With the trade deadline less than a month away now and Robbie Ray almost certainly on the move, it’s begging to be written right now.

The history of the Giants getting burned by long-term pitching contracts is pretty spectacular. I don’t know what moron opted to sign Barry Zito to that 7-year deal after the 2003 season, and if it was Larry Baer, it just goes to show what an untouchable and blessed man he is. But after that, extensions for Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain didn’t provide value in the actual extension years. The Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto deals were similarly hailed as massive failures that doomed the franchise. So, that’s a pretty good sampling of failure, which ignores the context of all the success.

That’s pretty much what happened with Gausman. The Giants ignored the context of success or that the player wanted to remain in San Francisco or that he worked well with a burgeoning young pitcher already in the fold in Logan Webb. A couple of years later, Farhan Zaidi would be able to show his work and convince ownership that signing Webb to an extension in a similar AAV range as Gausman would be good for the team and they acquiesced… but they’ve still bothered to let their disgruntlement echo through the halls of Oracle Park and into the curious ears of beat writers and pundits. It is known that the Giants don’t favor, value, or want pitchers signed to big, long-term deals. It’s why they were willing to let Madison Bumgarner walk after his deal.

When you’re the sole team in a country as the Blue Jays are in Canada, it’s not a big deal.

This isn’t to say that the Giants totally have the wrong idea and high value, high payroll teams like the Blue Jays do, but before we look at Kevin Gausman and his Blue Jays teammates, let’s finish this analysis. Kevin Gausman left the Giants and signed a 5-year, $110 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that started in 2022. Rather than re-sign him, the Giants went with Carlos Rodón, Alex Cobb, and Robbie Ray. Here’s how the plan has worked out over the past almost-five seasons:

Now, the total amount for the Giants’ side of the equation is based on two assumptions: that the Giants, owing Alex Cobb $10 milion for 2024, saved about $3.333 million the rest of the season after trading him away to the Guardians before he’d finished his rehab; and, that in trading Robbie Ray with approximately two months to go in 2026, they will have paid Robbie Ray $16.7 million and gotten half a win above replacement out of him (yes, this is envisioning a trade before his next start).

So, if all this holds, the Giants’ missed it by… an awful lot. From a straight money perspective, they were off by just about $2 million, and for most wagon circling front office lovers out there that might be more than enough to still bother to affirm the previous regime’s “genius,” but the substantive part of the analysis — that wins above replacement total — is a big whiff. The Giants were so afraid of committing long-term to a pitcher out of fear of injuries or ineffectiveness that they wound up acquiring THREE pitchers with injury histories and 2/3 of them saw their production hampered by injuries. This was some penny wise, pound foolish nonsense and I’m glad we all got to experience it. Farhan Zaidi, encouraged by ownership, attempted to recreate Kevin Gausman in the aggregate so that the Giants could have a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation, and the team failed.

Anyway, this post’s headline is a reference to the penultimate episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, which was about Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beaming down to a planet that was about to be obliterated by its star going supernova after getting signs of life. Upon beaming down, they discover that the entire civilization has devised a time travel technology that will allow every single person to escape into their planet’s past to live out their lifespans and not have to be lost to the supernova.

It’s a good enough episode that if it had been the series finale it would’ve been a good one to go out on — certainly better than the actual finale, the genuinely awful and misogynistic “Turnabout Intruder” — but as a talking point for the 2026 San Francisco Giants it carries exactly this weight: as nice as it is to escape into the past to avoid a terrible future, the punishing nature of the major league schedule and the cruel passage of time prevents that from happening.

We’ll never know if re-signing Gausman would’ve worked out as well as it did for the Blue Jays and if that working out would’ve meant a couple more winning seasons interspersed in the last 5 seasons, and as nice as it would be to escape into that past or that reality, the supernova is here and the Giants must once again ask if the rules they’ve self-imposed that have brought them into its path were of any use. Hmm, why bother wondering. Powerful, successful people have made these rules. They can’t fail, they can only be failed.

But I can’t be totally critical. Since 2020, when the Blue Jays kicked off this latest competitive window, their pitching staff (with or without Gausman) hasn’t been as valuable as the Giants, trailing the orange and black 82.2 to 94.1 Sure, they have a better record over this same span (514-446 to 494-465) and four postseason appearances including a World Series loss, but the Giants have had the better pitching — or, at least, Logan Webb along with their aggregate approach has mostly worked.

Not this year, of course. This year has been an unmitigated disaster. Not much the Giants have done has worked.

That’s sort of what’s happened with the Blue Jays. They’ve done all the things a big market/high-spending team is supposed to do: build through the draft and international signings, developing talent through the farm system, retaining the most valuable farm players with long-term deals and supplementing the roster with free agents. They signed Vladimir Guerrero to a 14-year, $500 million deal last April. Gausman was brought in to be the #2 behind Alek Manoah, and when that didn’t work out, he’s managed to be the steadiest pitcher behind whoever was considered “the ace,” ascending to that role in the 2025 World Series year. This year, he’s part of a three-headed monster with Trey Yesavage (drafted) and Dylan Cease (free agent).

Still, with all that talent at the top of the rotation, Toronto’s pitching staff is a lot closer to middle of the pack (13th in fWAR). Compounding problems is that their lineup just hasn’t clicked. Their 92 wRC+ is just 23rd. They are second to last in runs scored (356), making them the lowest-scoring team in the American League. The cause? Well, they let Bo Bichette go and 36-year old George Springer won’t replicate 35-year old George Springer’s 32 home run season of 2025. The team’s power dropoff is precipitous and their team batting line compared to last year — keeping in mind that the 2025 squad is the type of lineup the Giants seem to want — is stark:

2025: .265/.333/.427 (.162 ISO), 8.4 BB%, 17.8 K%
2026: .244/.306/.382 (.139 ISO), 7.4 BB%, 20.0 K%

Walking less, striking out more, hitting for less power, making less contact — a bad recipe that makes a bad lineup, which is just what Toronto has had. Since getting back to 39-39 a few weeks ago, they’ve gone 3-9 thanks to averaging just 3 runs per game. They’ve been shutout in 3 of their last 5 games including 2 straight. They were 3-7 on their last homestand.

This team still has playoff aspirations. The Giants do not.

Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (37-52) vs Toronto Blue Jays (42-48)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:45pm PT, Wednesday at 12:45pm PT
National broadcasts: Peacock (Sunday)

Projected starters
Monday: Landen Roupp (RHP 5-8, 4.55 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (RHP 4-7, 4.19 ERA)
Tuesday: TBD vs. Trevor McDonald (RHP 3-6, 4.42 ERA)
Wednesday: Logan Webb (RHP 5-6, 3.66 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (RHP 5-4, 2.79 ERA)

Blue Jays to watch

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Vlad Guerrero has yet to homer at home this season! That has no bearing on this series, necessarily, but it’s an interesting factoid. He has just 4 all season anyway and a very bad .698 OPS to boot. Baseball Savant took a look at Vladito’s power drought and found some reasons to think he’s due for a turnaround in-season. You’d like to think that the slump would linger a little longer, though. He’s played at Oracle Park just twice in his career (2019 & 2024) and the two homers he’s hit came in 2019. He was 1-for-13 in the 2024 series.

Tyler Rogers: Why didn’t I make the whole series preview about the Tyler Rogers’ return? Well, because he’s got two more years left on his deal. Instead, Buster Posey will get to watch the funky submariner attack Giants hitters and see if the organization’s familiarity with him gives any of the hitters an edge. Rogers has allowed 0 homers in 42 appearances (40.2 IP). Toronto’s closer, Louis Varland (18 saves, 2.2 fWAR) has allowed just 1 in 47 IP.

Ernie Clement: I am not the only one who remembers how he absolutely obliterated the Giants at Oracle Park back in that 2024 series. Total annihilation. He was 5-for-11 with 2 homers and 7 RBI. Both of his homers were 3-run homers, one off of Ryan Walker and another off of Logan Webb, both of whom he’ll face in this series. But! He’s just 13-for-55 in his last 16 games (.236/.276/.273) with only 2 extra base hits (doubles) and a single RBI.

Giants to watch

Logan Webb: Can the Giants’ ace get back on track after a disastrous start in Coors Field or have the wheels come off the season and now it’s all about turning to next season?

Rafael Devers: He has 24 career homers against Toronto across 108 games and 449 plate appearances. A career .927 OPS hitter in the matchup. His two homers yesterday gave him 18 on the season which ties him with Manny Machado, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and CJ Abrams — good company. Half of them have come since June 15th… the day I published a post assessing Devers’ present and projecting his future. I didn’t think he’d be much better than around the league average. Since that post went up, he’s hit .306/.386/.790 (70 PA), an 11.4 BB%, and 20 K% — far, far better than the league. Is he reading my posts???

Heliot Ramos: He’s got a couple of homers in 7 games off the IL with a 6.9 BB% and surprising 17.2 K%. Whether or not the Giants trade him is irrelevant. He’s an easy Giant to root for and if he’s back on track, really fun to watch.

Prediction time

Kevin Gausman will strike out some Giant at least twice. Tyler Rogers will get a pair of strikeouts in at least one appearance. Jung Hoo Lee will hit a home run.

Tacoma Rainiers

The Rainiers dropped the series to a poor Reno team, unable to best the Arizona affiliate that’s struggled for much of the 2026 season. There’s reason for optimism for the Rainiers and they should have a reasonable chance of rectifying their losing ways over the next month or so, but they’ve really struggled up to this point and will need to get things turned around quickly if they want any hope of sneaking into the PCL playoffs.

He’s largely flown under the radar for the past few years, but lefty reliever Peyton Alford has been incredibly consistent during his time in the Mariner system. Primarily a fastball-breaking ball pitcher, Alford has posted excellent K-rates across all six of his seasons as a professional and makes him a strong candidate to debut in the big leagues at some point this season. He’s older (28) for a prospect, but given his reliability and lengthy track record of success, he’s a name to know as a bullpen candidate for the stretch run.

Arkansas Travelers

The Travelers, who dropped last week’s slate by a score of 4-2, will be losing two of their best hitters after to promotion in the coming days. Top sluggers Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo have reportedly earned their way up to Tacoma this week and will make their Triple-A debuts at just 21 years of age, a well deserved move that puts them on the doorstep of a big league debut. Montes (25 HR, .919 OPS) has seemingly optimized his “Three True Outcomes” approach while Arroyo (.820 OPS) has steadily improved his numbers after a slower start to the year. Two of the top five prospects in this system, Tacoma will get some much needed prospect power in their lineup that’s really struggled to put together consistent production.

Reclaiming the lead on the minor league strikeout leaderboard, Kade Anderson was again lights out on the mound this past week. Now sitting with a ridiculous 108/10 K/BB ratio, Anderson’s elite command and deceptive stuff have arguably made him the best pitcher in all of minor league baseball, baffling hitters with four pitches he can place anywhere he wants at any given time. The Mariner brass have made it clear they have little desire to move Anderson up to the hitter-friendly PCL despite his dominance against Texas League competition, so both he and Ryan Sloan (who was also excellent this week) seem like locks to hold down this rotation for the foreseeable future, giving the Travs a great shot at staying competitive through the summer. The offense will need some people to fill the hole left by Montes and Arroyo, but with a nasty bullpen and elite rotation, expect the Travelers to be just fine through the dog days of summer.

Everett AquaSox

It was a clean sweep for the Frogs this week, punctuating a dominant week over the Angels’ affiliate with an 11-6 victory in Sunday afternoon’s contest. The bats have really come alive in recent days and should give this club a great chance at a playoff spot; Spokane’s currently on a nine game winning streak and looks unreal right now, but Everett’s managed to keep pace and sits just one game back with plenty of season left to play.

It’s been a rough handful of weeks for stud catching prospect Luke Stevenson, but he had a great week against the Tri-Cities and has hopefully escaped his slump. Launching two homers (one being a grand slam off of Tyler Bremner) and reaching base in half of his plate appearances, Stevenson showed off just how good he can be when he’s got things going right offensively. The power is the key for him; he both walks and whiffs at extremely high clips and needs consistent pop to make his offensive output tenable. Now showing off extra base thump for the first time six weeks, Stevenson is a bat to monitor in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.

Jonny Farmelo has been truly unconscious at the plate for the better part of two months now and could be a candidate to replace Lazaro Montes in Arkansas’ outfield. Collecting 11 hits across five games this week, Farmelo has raised his season OPS up to .877 and cut his strikeout rate down to 25%, both excellent progressions that bode well for his seemingly inevitable jump up to the Texas League. Healthy for the first time in his career, Farmelo’s combination of speed and power make him one of the most exciting prospects in this entire system; a 20 homer season is certainly on the table, and he’s got a very real shot at pushing his stolen base total up beyond 40 if he continues to be aggressive on the basepaths. Look for Farmelo to take his talents to Arkansas in the coming weeks. He’s earned it.

Inland Empire 66ers

IE split yet again this week and largely remain in a state of limbo in the standings. Yet to break through and truly get hot for an extended period of time, the 66ers have been stagnant for the majority of this season and lack star power up and down their roster. They’ll likely get an injection of talent after this weekend’s draft, but until those reinforcements make their way to the Cal League, it seems unlikely a marked change is on the horizon.

Despite the general struggles of the team overall, there’s a handful of bullpen arms that have earned some praise for their strong 2026 campaigns. Anthony Karoly, Anderson Guevara, Connor Wilford, and Cole Cheatham each have produced in the opportunities they’ve been given, with Guevara in particular carrying a large load for the 66ers ‘pen. Relief prospects in A-ball are always hard to evaluate and are closer to lottery tickets than anything else, but having arms that are producing at every level of the minor leagues is important for the overall health of the system and affords them some peace of mind as they construct waves of prospect talent for the coming years. Watch out for these guys over the coming seasons; the M’s turned some arms not wholly dissimilar from them into Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez at last year’s trade deadline and radically changed the outlook of the team for the next half decade.

ACL Mariners

The electric tandem of Nick Becker and Yorger Bautista continued to rake in the ACL and look to be heating up rather rapidly. Becker, who’s had a great stretch at the plate that’s lasted nearly two months at this point, stole another two bags and collected five hits across four games, smacking a pair of doubles in Friday night’s contest. Bautista, who had a four-hit game in that same game, launched his seventh homer of the season and continues to flash some elite power potential. Both players will need to prove they can hit enough to make their offensive profiles work as they climb through the minor leagues, but with steady improvements being made as the season progresses, the two teenagers have given evaluators enough to overlook the present bat-to-ball issues and dream on the gaudy potential if it all clicks. Both immensely talented, it seems closer to a coin flip if we see these two in A-ball this year; they’re producing, but slow playing bats with contact problems may prove to be a prudent decision.

DSL Mariners

This is easily the best lineup the DSL squad has had in years. Juan Rijo, Gregory Pio, Gabriel Guanchez, Jarvis Gomez, Fabian Gonzalez, and Elias Perez all have an OPS north of .900, and there’s plenty of others that have consistently helped with the run production all season. With a strong crop of talent this season and one of the best tandems of talent incoming next season, the DSL squad has found new life after several years of ineptitude and disappointment.

The Cubs had a successful homestand, going 4-2, though they had some real ups and downs in scoring runs, first crushing the Padres and then being crushed by the Cardinals. They outscored San Diego 35-12 in sweeping them, then got outscored by the Cardinals 24-7, though managed to win the final game against St. Louis.

That said, let’s see who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.

Three up

Dansby Swanson had himself a week in just three games

Over the six-game homestand, Swanson batted .409/.409/1.136 (9-for-22) with a double, five home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs scored.

The thing is, that split up in this way: 8-for-13 against the Padres with all five of the homers, then 1-for-9 against the Cardinals. It’s a weird way to have a possible Player of the Week performance. We’ll find out whether Dansby gets that honor later today.

In the meantime, enjoy his three-homer game vs. the Padres [VIDEO].

Pete Crow-Armstrong gets an All-Star nod and has another fine week

PCA is another candidate for Player of the Week, which would be his third this year (along with his NL Player of the Month for June award).

Over the six games, he batted .474/.615/.842 (9-for-19) with a double, two home runs, five walks, six runs scored and three stolen bases. That gives him 19 home runs and 23 steals for the year, on pace for about 35 homers and 40 steals. His .383 OBP ranks ninth in the NL, his .527 SLG ranks eighth, and his .910 OPS is fifth.

And he continues to play stellar defense. Here’s a sliding catch he made in the fog on Saturday [VIDEO].

Alex Bregman has shown signs of coming out of his season-long slump

Bregman batted .261/.393/.478 (6-for-23) over the week with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and five walks. Even with his batting drought, he continues to draw tons of walks. His season OBP of .340 is decent enough, and over his last 23 games it’s .377.

His three-run homer last Tuesday helped galvanize that 9-7 win [VIDEO].

Three down

David Peterson, yikes

Peterson’s first start, against the Brewers in Milwaukee, was pretty good.

His second, Friday against the Cardinals, was… I don’t really have words for how bad it was. He would get ahead of hitters and not put them away. He’d get two easy outs in an inning and then get pounded.

Maybe it’s the Cardinals. Peterson has a 19.64 ERA (16 earned runs in 7.1 innings) vs. St. Louis this year and a 5.40 ERA (42 earned runs in 70 innings) against everyone else. Okay, 5.40 isn’t great but it’s a lot better than 19.64.

Peterson is scheduled to start Thursday against the Orioles in Baltimore. Do better, David.

Ian Happ is slumping again

Happ had kept his OPS in the .800 area for a while, which is a good range.

Now it’s at .768 after he hit .143/.217/.190 (3-for-23) over the six games with seven strikeouts.

The good news for Happ is that three games this week will be in Cincinnati, where he loves to hit. In 63 career games at GABP, Happ has batted .291/.393/.619 (65-for-223) with 18 home runs. The 1.012 OPS is by far his best at any ballpark, including Wrigley Field.

Hopefully three games there will help send Happ into the All-Star break on a high note.

Nico Hoerner just can’t seem to turn the corner

Nico again had a mediocre week, batting .227/.280/.273 (5-for-22) with one extra-base hit (a double). He hasn’t stolen a base since June 2.

He continues to play solid defense. Here’s hoping the All-Star break will get Nico back on track.

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

MONDAY

The Mets committed their 19th error in 12 games, the most errors they’ve committed in a 12-game span since committing 20 from August 20-September 2, 2014.

TUESDAY

Within the first three innings, the Mets recorded five outs on balls with an exit velocity of 101 mph or higher. That’s the most outs the Mets have recorded on balls hit that hard in the first three innings of a game in the Statcast era (since 2015). The only team to record more outs on balls hit that hard in the first three innings of a game since 2015 was the Dodgers (6) against the Padres on April 4, 2017.  (credit: SNY broadcast)

Nolan McLean racked up seven strikeouts for the 14th time in his first 25 big league games. The only other pitchers to debut since 2015 and post that many seven-strikeout performances in their first 25 outings are Paul Skenes (17), Jacob Misiorowski (15), and Chase Burns (15).

WEDNESDAY

Francisco Lindor has hit a solo homer in three of his past four games at Rogers Centre in Toronto, dating back to a ninth-inning, no-hitter-ending homer on September 11, 2024 against Bowden Francis (see Saturday’s entries for more on that game). All three homers came on fastballs between 91.9 mph and 93.0 mph.

With his 10th homer of the season, Benge is already just the fourth Mets rookie to record 10 homers, 10 doubles, and 10 steals, joining: Darryl Strawberry (1983), Gregg Jefferies (1989), and Ty Wigginton (2003).

Benge racked up multiple extra-base hits in the same game for the fifth time this season. The only other rookie with that many multi-XBH games this season is Sal Stewart, who has eight.

FRIDAY

Juan Soto hit the 71st opposite-field home run (as categorized by Statcast) of his career. Since 2018, Soto’s rookie season, the only player with more opposite-field homers is Aaron Judge, who fittingly has 99. Soto and Judge are the only players in MLB with more than 60 opposite-field homers during that span. (credit: SNY Broadcast)

In just a year and a half, Soto already has 13 opposite-field homers with the Mets, which rank second for the club from the left side since 2015 behind only Michael Conforto (31).

The Mets allowed three home runs with a projected distance of 410 feet or more, their most in a game since July 14, 2024, when Jose Quintana allowed a trio of 410+ foot homers to the Rockies at Citi Field (see Saturday’s entries for more on that game, as well). The Mets have now accomplished the unfortunate feat three times at Truist Park in Atlanta (tied with Coors Field for their most in any opposing ballpark), with Matt Olson hitting a combined four homers of 410+ feet in those games.

SATURDAY

Mark Vientos hit his 65th career home run before turning 27 years old, moving him into a tie with José Reyes for 11th place among Mets for homers before their 27th birthday.

Sean Manaea threw 108 pitches, his second-most in a game as a Met behind only a 109-pitch outing in Toronto on September 11, 2024.

The Mets allowed five home runs in a game for the first time since July 14, 2024, against the Rockies at Citi Field.

The Mets allowed four or more home runs in back-to-back games for just the sixth time in franchise history, and the first since May 24-25, 2022, in San Francisco.

The Mets allowed nine home runs in a two-game span for the sixth time in franchise history, and the first since September 17-18, 2020, when they allowed 10 in a two-game span (allowing four homers in Philadelphia, and six at Citi Field the following day to the Braves).

The Mets allowed 14 or more runs for the third time this season, tied for second-most in the majors. The Nationals are the only team in MLB to have allowed 14+ runs more times (4) this season. The only other seasons in Mets history where they have allowed 14+ runs on at least three occasions through their first 90 games were 1962 (5), 2012 (3), and 2020 (4).

On the nation’s 250th birthday, the Braves celebrated by winning their250th home game vs. the Mets since moving to Atlanta in 1966. (credit: FOX Broadcast)

SUNDAY

Luke Weaver recorded his 23rd consecutive scoreless outing, tied with Aaron Loup for the fifth-longest streak by a pitcher in franchise history behind Mark Guthrie (33), A.J. Minter (25), Francisco Rodríguez (24), and John Franco (24).

Bo Bichette recorded his sixth three-hit game since May 18, tied for fourth-most in the majors during that span behind Yordan Alvarez, Otto Lopez, and James Wood, who each have seven.

The Mets have now allowed nine grand slams this season. No other team in MLB has allowed more than five. Since 2024, the Mets have now allowed 11 grand slams in the eighth inning or later. No other team has allowed more than seven during that span.

Mark Vientos initiated his 23rd ABS challenge of the season, and his second unsuccessful one in as many days. Vientos is one of only four batters in MLB to have initiated that many challenges (along with Sal Stewart, Gary Sanchez, and Bryce Harper), and his 19.7% challenge rate (out of called strikes with a challenge available to use) ranks first among players with a minimum of 50 plate appearances.

The Mets scored and allowed nine runs in a game for the first time since August 29, 2025, a 19-9 win against the Marlins at Citi Field.

The Mets scored and allowed five runs in two halves of a single inning for just the eighth time in franchise history, and the first since September 3, 2019, during the ninth inning of a heartbreaking walk-off loss in Washington.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

Juan Soto became the third player to earn an All-Star selection with both the Mets and the Yankees, joining David Cone and Carlos Beltrán.

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The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets meet tonight in their season finale, with Atlanta looking to keep their offensive brilliance alive. 

Against a vulnerable Freddy Peralta, my Mets vs. Braves predictions are targeting the hosts to take the rubber match. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Monday, July 6. 

Who will win Mets vs Braves today: Braves (-126)

The Atlanta Braves send Reynaldo Lopez to the mound tonight, and he's been quite reliable. The right-hander owns a 2.26 FIP over his last six outings. While just two of those were starts, he hasn't allowed a single home run during that span. 

Lopez typically serves as an opener, tossing 3-4 innings, but the Braves' bullpen has been solid lately, posting a 3.92 xERA over the last week. 

Meanwhile, the New York Mets send Freddy Peralta to the bump. The righty has a 5.08 FIP across his last five appearances, and he's allowed 1.54 HR/9 in the last month. 

That's a dangerous statistic against a Braves offense that just scored 23 runs across the last two games of this series while carrying a .205 ISO over the last six games. 

Atlanta will stay hot at the dish, while Lopez and the bullpen will keep the Mets at bay. 

I'll play this pick up -140. 

COVERS INTEL: The Braves have posted 121 wRC+ across the last seven days, compared to their season average of 98 wRC+.

Mets vs Braves Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 runs (+114)

The Mets may have scored 10 runs on Sunday, but they're still struggling offensively. NY has posted just 99 wRC+ over their last six contests while carrying a .179 ISO.

Lopez has limited opponents to a 32.9% hard-hit rate over the last month, and the Braves pen has allowed just a 38% hard-hit rate during that span. 

This feels like a game where the Braves will do most of the scoring given their recent offensive consistency, but Atlanta's pitching can limit the Mets. 

A 6-2, 5-3 scoreline feels possible. 

I'll play this pick up to -110. 

Mets vs Braves weather

Rain is possible at first pitch, with a 49 percent chance of precipitation at 7 p.m. ET before conditions clear up as the game progresses. Wind stays light all night, topping out around 4.7 mph, so it shouldn't meaningfully affect fly balls or scoring. The bigger factor is the early rain chance, which could cause a brief delay but is unlikely to impact the full game.

Mets vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Mets +117 | Braves -122
• Run line: Mets +1.5 (-170) | Braves -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-122) | Under 8.5 (+117)

Mets vs Braves trend

The Atlanta Braves have hit the Game Total Under in 26 of their last 45 home games (+9.50 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Braves.

How to watch Mets vs Braves and game info

Mets vs Braves latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Earlier today, the Mets made a small trade, acquiring right-hander Matt Seelinger from the Tigers for cash considerations. Seelinger, who was pitching for Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate, will likely report to Syracuse.

Seelinger is a Long Island native who pitched for Farmingdale State College from 2014-2017 before being drafted in the 28th round of the 2017 MLB draft. The righty has yet to pitch in the majors, though has put up solid numbers in Triple-A this year. He currently owns a 3.89 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP for the Toledo Mud Hens this year, with 49 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 1/3 innings pitched. Last season, he started in Double-A for the Tigers’ organization, where he pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 11 games before being promoted to Triple-A for the first time in his career. There, he posted a 3.30 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, with 55 strikeouts and 22 walks in 46 1/3 innings.

Seelinger reportedly had an upward mobility clause in his contract with Detroit, which meant Detroit had to either promote him or trade him to an interested party. This could mean that he’ll be joining the Mets’ bullpen soon, or at the very least will be added to the 40-man roster. With the club expected to be sellers at the deadline, they could part with several relievers, opening the door for Seelinger to make his major league debut with the club later this year. Time will tell, but at the very least Seelinger will now be pitching closer to home. He previously pitched for the Long Island Ducks in 2024 as part of his journey.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Andrew Williamson scouting report.

The 2026 is less than a week away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Georgia high school outfielder Trevor Condon.

Trevor Condon is a 5’11”, 175 lb. lefthanded hitting, righthanded throwing outfielder out of Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. Condon turned 18 in early January. he is committed to the University of Tennessee.

Condon has a quality hit tool, though most reports mention his unorthodox swing. However, the BP write-up on Condon indicates that he’s reduced the amount of pre-contact motion he has in the box this spring, with his previous timing mechanism giving concerns about how well his swing would translate to the professional level. He gets good reports on his swing decisions and his contact ability. He is seen as having the potential for average power, with impressive bat speed and good strength. However, he hasn’t shown the ability in-game to pull the ball in the air, and his swing doesn’t generate a lot of loft.

Condon is a true centerfielder, someone who will be able to handle the position as a professional, with a good arm. His speed is his best tool, with both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline putting a 70 grade on it. MLB Pipeline says he generates comparisons to Pete Crow-Armstrong and Drew Gilbert, while BA invokes Slade Caldwell and Slater de Brun as recent comps. He is a high energy guy who Pipeline describes as “playing with constant intensity.”

Baseball America has Condon at #16 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Condon at #13 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Condon at #12 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Condon at #46 on his board. Fangraphs has Condon at #23 on their board. Baseball Prospectus has Condon at #13 on their top 30 draft board.

In the June 8 Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Condon going to the Redd at #18. The BA staff draft on June 15 has Condon going to the Orioles at #7. The BA mock draft 5.0 of June 29 has Condon going to the Reds at #18. The BA staff draft 4.0 on July 6 has Condon going to the Rangers at #16. Jonathan Mayo’s June 11 mock draft has Condon going to the Tigers at #22. Jim Callis’s June 18 mock draft has Condon going to the Reds at #18. The June 25 Callis/Mayo mock has Condon going to the Guardians at #19. Jonathan Mayo’s July 2 mock draft has Condon going to the Reds at #18.  Law’s June 10 mock draft does not have Condon going in the first round. Law’s July 6 mock has Condon going to the D-Backs at #26. Kiley McDaniel’s June 18 mock draft has Condon going to the Marlins at #14.

Condon hasn’t really been linked to the Rangers, from what I have seen. The most recent BA staff draft has him going to the Rangers at #16, but the staff draft is based on who the individuals making the picks would select — it explicitly states at the beginning that it is not a mock draft.

Condon is a high schooler out of Georgia, and at one time that seemed to be the Rangers’ preferred part of the draft pool to swim in. However, while he’s fast and a quality defender, he’s not exactly one of those “toolshed” guys the Rangers seemed to target back then, being someone who is hit over power, with a ceiling on how much power he’s expected to generate in the future.

The Rangers had been heavily college-focused with their premium picks until last year, when they took high school infielder Gavin Fien with their first round pick. They’ve been mentioned in connection with both college and prep players this year, though Jared Grindlinger seems to be the prep player who gets linked to the Rangers the most as of late. Nonetheless, Condon is projected to go around where the Rangers are picking, and the defense, speed and hit tool give him a relatively high ceiling for a high school player.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

Gio Rojas

Chris Rembert

Jack Natili

Andrew Williamson

When you think about the people who helped define the New York Yankees, there is a long list of names worthy of respect. The organization is filled with all-time great players, managers, scouts, and executives whose legends have never faded. A little farther down that list is another name. Never the traditional statistical darling chasing records or historic milestones, but always steady, was Willie Randolph.

Willie Larry Randolph
Born: July 6, 1954 (Holly Hill, SC)
Yankees Tenure: 1976-88 (player); 1994-2004 (coach)

Randolph was born in South Carolina but was only there briefly. While still a baby, his parents moved from rural farm life to Brownsville in Brooklyn. It was there that Randolph came of age and attended Tilden High School in Flatbush. The school also produced NBA star, and fellow Hall of Fame snub, World B. Free, as well as civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton. A slick fielder with a promising bat and good speed, Randolph made a name for himself in New York from an early age.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were impressed enough by Randolph’s skill set that they selected him in the seventh round of the 1972 MLB Draft straight out of high school. After signing, Randolph began his professional career at just 17 years old in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. After getting a chance to cut his teeth, the Pirates moved the young right-hander to second base before the 1973 season and assigned him to Class A Charleston.

Playing in Charleston as one of the youngest players in the league, Randolph led the club in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, and defensive assists. That performance earned him a promotion to Double-A Thetford Mines, where he again spent just one season before proving he was ready for the next level.

Once he reached Triple-A Charleston, Randolph had his true breakout season, slashing .339/.405/.479. That performance earned him a call to the majors at the end of July. In a brief debut, Randolph appeared in 30 games, collected his first 10 hits, and stole his first base. It was a successful introduction to the majors, and little did he know the coming offseason would define the rest of his career.

On December 11, 1975, Randolph was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis, to the New York Yankees for Doc Medich. The trade may truly be one of the most one-sided deals in Yankees history. The Pirates got one decent season from Medich, while Ellis had an even better year. The Yankees, meanwhile, found their second baseman for the next 13 seasons.

Randolph became the Yankees’ Opening Day second baseman in 1976, beginning a run of 13 consecutive Opening Day starts at the position. Technically still a rookie, Randolph made an immediate impression by earning an All-Star selection and setting what would remain his career high in stolen bases during his first full season.

The Yankees entered 1977 with high expectations and Reggie Jackson now in the fold. Randolph was moved to the top of the lineup and flourished. He earned his second straight All-Star selection, and the Yankees returned to the World Series to face the Dodgers. Despite struggling overall in the Fall Classic, Randolph played a key role in New York’s Game 1 victory. The Yankees ultimately claimed the series in six games.

The 1978 season was about as close to an adult Disney movie as baseball has ever produced. The Yankees stormed back from a 14½-game deficit to catch the Red Sox, and Randolph quietly did his part with another steady campaign. Unfortunately, a cruel twist of fate struck at the end of the season when an injury forced him to miss both the one-game playoff against Boston and the Yankees’ second straight World Series victory over the Dodgers.

Still just 24 years old, Randolph returned from injury to post another solid season in 1979. Then came the best year of his career in 1980. Randolph led the American League in walks, the only time he led the league in any offensive category, while slashing .294/.427/.407 and setting a career high with seven home runs. The performance earned him his third All-Star selection.

The 1980s proved to be a difficult decade for the Yankees. The franchise lacked stability, and every season without a World Series title only added to the frustration. One steady constant, however, was Randolph. His professionalism and consistency earned him one of the organization’s highest honors when he was named Yankees co-captain, sharing the role with Ron Guidry from 1986 until leaving the club after the 1988 season.

In 13 years as a player with the Yankees, Randolph collected 1,731 hits on a .275 average. He also stole 251 bases for the club and scored 1,027 runs. Randolph also ranks 53rd all-time among all Major League players with a 15.3 dWAR.

When Randolph reached free agency, he became something of a journeyman. He spent a year and change with the Dodgers before being traded north to the Athletics. That short stint in Oakland allowed him to be on the fifth pennant-winning team of his career, as the A’s won their third in a row before suffering an upset at the hands of the Reds in the World Series (Willie hit .304 in his last taste of October). Randolph signed with the Brewers for the 1991 season before finishing his playing career with the Mets in 1992.

It would not take long for Randolph to find his way back home. He rejoined the Yankees organization in the front office in 1993 before becoming Buck Showalter’s third-base coach in 1994, and more often than not, he was the infield coach as well. Randolph held these roles until becoming Joe Torre’s bench coach in 2004. During his Yankees coaching tenure, Randolph added four more World Series rings to the two he had won as a player.

The Mets hired Randolph as their manager before the 2005 season. In true Mets fashion, they enjoyed early success — notably winning the 2006 NL East and coming one Carlos Beltrán swing short of a pennant — before later collapsing down the stretch in 2007. They were one game under .500 in June 2008 when they infamously fired him in the middle of the night at roughly 3 a.m. ET during a West Coast road trip. (Even without Randolph, they collapsed again late in 2008.) Randolph finished his managerial career with a 302-253 record, as he never got another chance.

Over the decade that followed, Randolph coached in various capacities for the Brewers, Orioles, and Team USA. He also worked for several broadcasting companies and, this year, the now 72-year-old joined the YES Network studio show.

Outside of baseball, Randolph leads the Willie Randolph Foundation, which works to increase baseball opportunities for underserved boys and girls throughout the New York metropolitan area. He has also supported the Eluna Network, the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, and fundraising efforts for the Diabetes Research Institute.

In 2015, the Yankees honored Randolph’s excellent career as a player and coach with a plaque in Monument Park.

In a world that often focuses on the negative, it is hard to find much to criticize about Willie Randolph. Perhaps the greatest player in the Hall of Really Good, Randolph was a tremendous defender, a steady presence, and an outstanding representative of what it meant to wear Yankee pinstripes. Fans of other organizations have their own versions, but I’m glad Willie was ours.

Happy birthday, Willie!

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

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The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals begin a four-game set at Busch Stadium tonight, with the two NL Central foes trading at even -110 odds ahead of the series opener.

My top Brewers vs. Cardinals predictions and MLB picks are calling for Milwaukee to secure a high-scoring win tonight.

Who will win Brewers vs Cardinals today: Brewers moneyline (-103)

The Milwaukee Brewers have the highest xwOBA and are averaging 5.1 runs per game over the past 30 days, and they also rank fifth in wOBA against righties for the season. 

So, with St. Louis Cardinals starter Dustin May allowing a healthy 46.3% hard-hit rate, I’m confident in the Brewers putting enough runs on the scoreboard to pull away tonight.

Milwaukee ranking fourth in walk rate and third in on-base percentage against righties will make it all the more difficult for May to navigate the Brew Crew bats, too.

This Brewers moneyline is in play down to -105 for me.

COVERS INTEL: The Brewers rank second in the majors with a 36-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers.

Brewers vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+114)

Pair the highlighted strength of the Milwaukee offense with St. Louis also ranking third in xwOBA over the past 30 days and for the season, and we’ve got a perfect recipe for an Over. The Cards have averaged 5.2 runs per game during the stretch, too.

Brewers lefty Shane Drohan has also allowed an above-average .338 wOBA while pitching to a mediocre 4.09 ERA across 33 innings as a starter this season.

Finally, the Brewers and Cardinals respectively rank 27th and 25th in bullpen xFIP across the past two weeks, so this Over has my attention down to +100.

Brewers vs Cardinals weather

The forecast at Busch Stadium calls for comfortable, clear conditions in the mid-70s with minimal humidity and light 5 mph winds to have a limited impact on playing conditions.

Brewers vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Brewers -110 | Cardinals -110
• Run line: Brewers -1.5 (+150) | Cardinals +1.5 (-175)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-115) | Under 8 (-105)

Brewers vs Cardinals trend

The Brewers have won 33 of their last 50 games for +9.30 units and a 12% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Cardinals.

How to watch Brewers vs Cardinals and game info

Brewers vs Cardinals latest injuries

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Monday’s MLB card is loaded with pitchers due to give up a lot of runs, with a handful of offenses stepping into strong matchups across the board.

Before locking in your MLB player props, here are my MLB picks for Monday, July 6. 

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Kevin Gausman	Over 2.5 Earned Runs	+110
Mike Burrows	Under 16.5 Outs	-129
Cristopher Sanchez	Over 6.5 Strikeouts	-125

Kevin Gausman Over 2.5 Earned Runs (+110)

The San Francisco Giants offense has been on a tear over their last six games. Yes, that stretch came in Denver, but they now draw another vulnerable arm back at home. Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman has struggled over his last few outings.

In his last three starts, he owns a 9.00 ERA, 6.04 xERA, and a 2.14 WHIP. Over his last five, he has a 6.58 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

According to Batters-Box current-season ratings, the Giants have six elite-rated hitters and one strongly rated bat, giving them the second-highest-rated offense on the slate.

I like Rafael Devers in this matchup, but with so many elite bats in play, I prefer to back the full-team approach. If he gets there, he is likely driving runs in as part of the bigger scoring picture.

At +110 for 3+ runs, it is a strong price. If anything, I would only play this down to even money at most.

• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSBA, Sportsnet

Mike Burrows Under 16.5 Outs (-129)

There are multiple ways to attack Astros right-hander Mike Burrows this evening, including Over earned runs, the Nationals F5 team total Over, and the Under on his outs.

The Washington Nationals enter today with the third-highest-rated offense on Batters-Box’s current season ratings, featuring four elite-rated hitters and two strongly rated bats. In the current matchup ratings, Burrows grades poorly in ISO, hard-contact rate, strikeout rate, and ground-ball rate.

Over their last 12 games, the Nationals offense has been rolling, posting a 132 wRC+, .359 wOBA, .821 OPS, and .225 ISO.

In the season, they are the second-highest-scoring first-five-inning offense, averaging 3.11 runs per game. If they can get to Burrows early and often, his outing could be short.

With the options above, take the best value. 

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NATS, SCHN

Cristopher Sanchez Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-125)

We know the Kansas City Royals are one of the toughest teams in baseball to strike out, but over their last few games their strikeout rate has ticked up, and against southpaws they have not fared well either.

Cristopher Sanchez to record 7+ strikeouts feels very doable. He enters with one of the highest pitcher ratings on the day over at Batters-Box. When graded as elite, he clears 6+ strikeouts 72.73% of the time and 7+ strikeouts 63.64% of the time. He has gone over this number in nine of his last ten elite-rated starts.

The Royals have five batters with strikeout rates of at least 23.3% in their last 30 at-bats against left-handed pitching. As a team over their last 12 games, their strikeout rate is hovering around 25.5%.

I will trust the trends and one of baseball's best pitchers to get it done. Play this up to -130.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ROYL, NBCSP

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The Roman Anthony injury saga has taken another turn, this one due south to Florida. Anthony will visit with yet another doctor in Atlanta this week, then proceed to Fort Myers to continue his rehabilitation. Why the change of scenery? “His focus, a singular focus now, is if you’re in Florida, it’s to get yourself healthy and not have to deal with all the other stuff that goes with it,” Chad Tracy said, clarifying that by “other stuff” he meant “just the day-to-day of being at Fenway.” This is a little bit of a strange move and a strange statement by Tracy, and, if you were inclined to read between the lines, you might think they’re not happy with the way Anthony is handling his rehab in some way. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Will Anthony soon be joined on the IL by another big name? Ranger Suárez left last night’s game with a strained left abductor. The severity of the injury isn’t clear yet, he’ll be evaluated more today. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Like Roman Anthony, Connelly Early will also be receiving a second opinion on his elbow inflammation. In light of the fact that the first opinion was that the injury wasn’t that major, this isn’t a great sign. (Gabe Lacques, USA Today)

And you probably haven’t been expecting Triston Casas back any time soon, but he too has suffered yet another injury setback. While he had been hitting off a tee and taking soft toss the last few weeks, he’s “had a wrist issue pop up” and will be shutting down his hitting. (Ezra Lombardi, Yahoo)

While there’s nothing good about injuries to key players, it is nice when unexpected names step up and show the org what they can do on the field. Anthony Seigler certainly fits into that category, as he’s quickly earned Chad Tracy’s trust — enough to even start against lefties. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

I wrote this same piece last year and some of these names have already been making noise. Miguel Sime is a part of the Futures Game, Samuel Cozart is a potential first rounder next year after going to college instead of signing, and one of the honorable mentions (Cardell Thibodeaux) recently signed with the Braves after being released. It was also the first look many had at some of this year’s top prospects in Robert Omidi and Elliot Lascelles, who were a part of the Canadian Junior National Team.

In last year’s piece I wrote this about the Braves and how they view the MLB Draft League:

“As a reminder the MLB Draft League started play in 2021. The Braves selected Andrew Hoffmann and Samuel Strickland from there in 2021, Cedric De Grandpre, EJ Exposito, and Keshawn Ogans from there in 2022, Isaiah Drake and Riley Gowens in 2023, and in 2024 selected Jacob Kroeger. In addition Top 30 prospect Hayden Harris is an undrafted free agent who played there, and 2023 pick Sabin Ceballos played there the year prior to being drafted by the Braves. That’s 10 Braves draftees over the four year period the league has existed.”

Since then they have drafted Kade Woods in the 10th round and Nico Wagner in the 16th round. They have also added Cardell Thibodeaux as a minor league free agent. That takes the number up to 13 guys the Braves have added in the MLBDL’s five year history.

Aberdeen – Jui-Chieh Lin, RHP, Taiwan

Unheard of to many before he came over from Taiwan to join the MLB Draft League as a soon to be 24-year-old, Jui-Chieh Lin has the stuff to be a significant pick in the draft. His sinker up to 98.1 MPH got up to 2847 RPM and gets significant inverted vertical and horizontal movement. It’s no surprise that he picks up tons of whiffs with it. He also has a slider that had touched 2775 RPM which also gets plenty of whiffs. This is a player who despite the age has the stuff to move quickly into a big league bullpen role.

Honorable Mention – Owen Clyne, SS, George Mason; Bishop Quarles, OF, Florida JUCO; Chase Williams, OF, Florida State; Jordan Garza, RHP, Texas HS; Lyndon Glidewell, RHP, Miami; Frank Menendez, LHP, Miami; Daniel Nienaber, RHP, Virginia HS

Mahoning Valley – Jarren Purify, 2B, Clemson

While Clemson had a disappointing season this spring, Purify did not. He set new high marks for each part of his triple slash and had his fewest strikeouts in a season. That has only continued to the MLBDL, where he has slashed .316/.459/.579 with three doubles, four homers, 5-9 steals, 15 walks, and 18 strikeouts over his 74 plate appearances. Purify has worked almost all at second base, with a few games at short. He is showing the improved hit tool with a bit more power and fewer strikeouts. Add in that he’s still just 20, and there is something to like about him.

Honorable Mention – Tommy Harrison, OF, Miami(OH); Ryan Nelson, 3B, Mississippi JUCO; Carlos Sanchez, C, LSU Shreveport; Nick Williams, OF, Michigan State; Chris Billingsley, RHP, Mississippi State; David Lally, RHP, Michigan; Colton Semmelmann, LHP, Wisconsin HS; Ethan Stade, LHP, Bowling Green; Tommy Szczepanski, RHP, Michigan State; Hunter Watson, RHP, Oklahoma HS

State College – Dominic Pellegrin, SS, Louisiana HS

Dominic Pellegrin has been the best high school performer this year in the MLBDL. The 19-year-old shortstop has shown off his solid all around game while posting a .375/.569/.525 slash with four doubles, a triple, 11-13 in steals, and 13 walks to 13 strikeouts over 58 plate appearances against pitching a couple of years older than him. His contact and on base ability have really made him stand out here despite being among the younger players in the league. He’s going to get a chance to stick at short defensively, but he has split time here between short and second – showcasing his versatility. The Tulane commit may not have the loudest tools, but he also doesn’t have many holes either. JUCO arm Parker Burgess made this a tight competition for this spot.

Honorable Mention – Tyree Reed, OF, Jackson State; Parker Burgess, RHP, Florida JUCO; Max Hamilton, RHP, Kansas HS; Chase Meyer, RHP, formerly West Virginia; Garrett Shearer, RHP, Northwestern

Trenton – Brett Patten, OF, Florida Atlantic

An outfielder with a nice frame, Patten had a decent first season in D1 this year after coming from JUCO. Then after the season he came to the Draft League and has taken it to another level. So far he is slashing .281/.471/.500 with six doubles, four triples, 18-19 in steals, 18 walks, and 18 strikeouts over his 87 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots and first base, with his most action coming in left – nearly half of his innings are there. He got this spot over ASU star Dominic Longo (1.119 OPS, more walks than strikeouts) because he’s got considerably more playing time and has an on base of nearly .500.

Honorable Mention – Cade Climie, INF, Houston; Dominic Longo, INF/OF, Arizona State; Augie Lopez, C/1B, USC; Joek Rivera, INF, New Mexico JUCO; Teagan Scott, C, Oregon HS; Andrew Berg, RHP, Army; Cole Fehrman, LHP, Saint Joe’s; David Hinojosa, RHP, New York HS; Alex Kranzler, RHP, Vanderbilt; Luc Rising, RHP, Northeastern

West Virginia – Grayson Fitzwater, 1B, VMI

Fitzwater didn’t spend long in the MLBDL, but he made his impact. In three games he hit 5-10 with a double, three home runs, a steal, and three walks to one strikeout. Beyond the stat line he has a 95.1 MPH average exit velocity, 33.3% barrel rate, and hard hit % of 66.7. It’s a tiny sample size, but it still means something because scouts wondered how he would translate against better competition than he faced in the SoCon, where he is a career .305/.432/.636 hitter with 10+ HR and a 1.010+ OPS in each of his last three seasons. He might be a senior, but he’s got enough bat that he isn’t likely looking at true senior sign money. If not for Fitzwater’s loud three game stretch, this spot probably would have gone to JUCO arm Trenton Lape, a former LSU player.

Honorable Mention – Owen Henne, SS, Seton Hill; Kahanu Martinez, 2B, Hawaii HS; Derrick Tarpley, OF, Pitt; Gabe Barrett, RHP, San Francisco; Taz Butler, RHP, Kansas State; Trenton Lape, RHP, Florida JUCO; Collin McKinney, RHP, Arizona

Williamsport – MaddixDalena, 1B, UConn

Through his first 87 plate appearances Dalena is hitting .233/.448/.417 with two doubles, three homers, 4-4 in steals, and 23 walks to 19 strikeouts. Dalena’s batting average might be a bit low, but the lefty has been a standout in terms of hard contact and not swinging and missing often. He has also been splitting his time between first and third base – though his future is likely to be at first. Dalena isn’t likely to be a very high selection, but he is showing something to work with for a 22-year-old prospect with some success at UConn.

Honorable Mention – Kyle Schuppman, 3B, Illinois; Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU; Ben Tryon, 1B, Dallas Baptist; Owen Price, OF, VMI; Chris Guillory, RHP, Georgia HS; David Horn, RHP, Middle Tennessee State; Myles Meyer, RHP, McNeese State; Dallis Moran, RHP, Stetson; Jackson Nash, RHP, Longwood; Enger Paulino, RHP, Saint Bonaventure; Brendan Sweeney, RHP, Mississippi State; Joe Webb, RHP, East Carolina

Team Canada – Elliot Lascelles, SS

It can’t be anyone else, as for the second straight year Lascelles stood out here against older competition. Lascelles slashed .394/.523/.545 with a double, two triples, 10 walks to just three strikeouts, and a perfect 8-8 in steals in 44 plate appearances. For a kid facing college competition, with a league average age of 2.8 years older than him, he didn’t just hold his own. It wasn’t just the slash line, he took at bats like a professional and showed his solid glove at both short and second. You can see from last year’s article that he was one of the honorable mentions from this team as an underclassman as well, speaking to just how mature he is as a young player. It should be noted that he outperformed teammate and fellow potential Top 100 pick Robert Omidi by a considerable amount over their nine game stint, though the top Canadian prospect (LHP Sean Duncan) missed playing due to injury.

Honorable Mention – Sam Ellis, OF, Jalen Jacob, 1B (2027)

Team Mexico – Jose Almeida, INF

Team Mexico struggled in their time up north in the MLBDL, going 0-9 and being outscored 86-33 in that time. Their prospects are also a little different, as they aren’t draft eligible and able to sign as international free agents. Infielder Jose Almeida was the biggest standout as a solid defender with infield versatility that hit .313/.500/.438 with two doubles, one steal, and six walks to four strikeouts over 22 plate appearances. Almeida only turned 17 in the middle of May

It was a hot one this week in Philadelphia, a heatwave engulfing the city during the series against the Pirates. It showed on Thursday when it looked like the team was barely able to stand, squeaking out a series split with Pittsburgh, but hey. Gotta get through some tough times during a long season like this.

Three up

Trea Turner – Things are finally starting to look up for the shortstop. He’s been the target of much criticism this season, all of it deserved. He was just bad for most of it, in the batter’s box and on the field, but has recently been much better at the plate. Three home runs this week qualifies as a good week for him, even if his allergy to walks continued unabated. He’ll need to continue to produce for the team to continue their good fortune.

Justin Crawford – I’m not much of a Crawford fan at all, but a week in which he hits .400/.400/.450 is one that deserves a point of praise. He’s looked better at the plate with another adjustment to his stance helping him, which makes him more playable every day. It would be nice to see him stealing more often, using the speed that got him to the majors, but it’s probably best to just keep letting him do what is working best.

Cristopher Sanchez – It’s always kind of weird when the Ace of the staff has a not normal few starts. Sanchez was at that point where his past two starts weren’t up to par for what we’ve come to expect. This week, he got back to his usual self, throwing seven shutout innings against the Pirates and just generally looking back to normal. Just in time too as it looks as though it is lining up for him to start the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Three down

Middle relief – Once again, there are questions about the soft underbelly this team has, which is the sixth, seventh and eighth pitchers in the bullpen. They just aren’t good enough, forcing more innings to be covered by the more reliable arms at the front of the pecking order. Maybe getting Brad Keller back healthy will help reset things, but it’s looking more and more like they will have to get another relief pitcher at the deadline.

Backup catchers – Boy do they stink. Both Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs got a start; neither did anything of consequence. More of the same from them.

All-Star voting – Here’s my beef this year with the voting. How is Bryce Harper the “legends pick” or whatever it was? How was he not chosen outright for his production on the field by either the fans or the players? The guy is already in that pity selection phase by the game? That’s pathetic. Speaking of pathetic, how is Zack Wheeler not among the starting pitchers chosen? He’s been good enough with his pitching, but couple that the story of how he has returned from his injury, that should be an easy All-Star selection.

Hey hey…its everybody’s favorite time of the year. Its time for the LSB Midseason Community Prospect Rankings!!!

As we do every year, twice a year — once midseason and once offseason — we are voting on who we think is the top prospect in the Rangers farm system right now. If the voting is close, we have a runoff. We then vote on each successive spot, removing each prospect from consideration as they are voted in.

We are starting with the players who made the offseason top 25 who are still with the organization and who still have rookie eligibility remaining, and additional players will be added as we move forward.

You can see the final results from the offseason voting here.

Because there has been a history of vote-spamming shenanigans in the rankings, I used Google Forms for the last several of community rankings, and it worked out well, so we will use it again. You will need to include your LSB user name when you vote. If you don’t have an LSB user name, you need to use some sort of identifier. While this won’t eliminate the possibility of vote spamming, it will make it harder.

So who is the #1 prospect in the Rangers system right now?

Cast your vote below…