Category: Baseball

It’s a great time to be a Brewers fan. The foremost reason is that the Brewers just had their best regular season ever, finishing 97-65 and winning the NL Central. While it’s not exactly realistic to project improvement, that 2025 team could very well be the least talented Brewers team of the next few years. Pretty much every website/magazine/blog dedicated to covering minor league prospects ranks the Brewers as having the best farm system in baseball (and if not No. 1, still top three or five). Milwaukee’s minor league affiliates feature both top end talent (led by top prospect Jesús Made) and impressive depth.

Some Brewers fans — myself included — like to watch minor league games to catch early looks at players who could one day make an impact at the major league level. Maybe that’s you, or maybe you don’t watch the minor leagues but want to see for yourself why scouts consider the Brewers’ farm system to be one of the best in the game. Either way, here are some of the players who you should keep an eye on this season while watching Brewers affiliates:

Nashville Sounds (AAA)

2025 record: 85-63

Players to watch: C Reese McGuire/C Jeferson Quero, SS/2B/CF Jett Williams, RHP Brandon Sproat, LHP Tate Kuehner, RHP Coleman Crow, RHP Craig Yoho

McGuire, a recent off-season signing, might have the inside track for the backup catcher job out of spring training depending on the Brewers’ plans for former top five organizational prospect Jeferson Quero. New acquisitions Williams and Sproat also might not spend much time in Triple-A, although Williams was only promoted to Triple-A for the first time in August. Sproat has already made his major league debut (four appearances, all starts) but didn’t exactly impress in Triple-A or the majors last year. With that being said, Sproat posted a 2.44 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate in his last 11 Triple-A starts, so he seems to have figured things out somewhat at that level.

Kuehner probably won’t be up in the majors this year, but the crafty lefty was one of the breakout players for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers last season. Milwaukee doesn’t have a ton of lefty pitching depth in the high minors, so if Kuehner continues to develop he should have a shot at earning a role sometime in 2027. Same goes for Crow, who impressed in Double-A before earning a late season promotion. Crow fits a profile that the Brewers tend to like (flat vertical approach angle, plus-plus off-speed pitch). Milwaukee also added him to the 40-man roster to avoid allowing Crow to enter minor league free agency, so they clearly like him enough to keep him around.

Yoho had a rough time with the Brewers last year, but was the Sounds’ best reliever for pretty much all of 2025. His changeup is amazing, reminiscent of Devin Williams’ “Airbender,” but his fastball and other secondary offerings need more work. If he develops a consistent second pitch, watch out.

Potential arrivals: SS Jesús Made, SS Cooper Pratt, RHP Tyson Hardin, RHP Bishop Letson, 1B Luke Adams, 3B Brock Wilken, OF Luis Lara, 1B Blake Burke

Biloxi Shuckers (AA)

2025 record: 74-64

Players to watch: Made, Pratt, Hardin, Letson, Adams, Wilken, Lara, Burke, 1B Mike Boeve

Made has so far followed the Jackson Chourio path, rising rapidly through the Brewers’ system. He started the season in Single-A, proceeded to ball out immediately and was quickly promoted to High-A. He then performed even better in High-A (.915 OPS) and was promoted to Double-A just in time for the playoffs. The Chourio Path™ would have Made spending the bulk of the season in Double-A before a late-season promotion to Nashville.

Pratt, the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, had a bit of a lackluster season at the plate (albeit in a somewhat pitcher-friendly league). As soon as his bat looks ready, he’ll be in Triple-A; his defense is already more than ready. Hardin, a bit of an older prospect (24), broke out in a big way last season (2.72 ERA) between High-A and Double-A. Another great season would solidify him as one of the better pitching prospects in the Brewers’ organization. Same goes for Letson and Wilken, who both probably would have had true breakout seasons last year if injuries hadn’t limited them. Letson only made 11 starts due to a shoulder injury, while Wilken hit 17 home runs despite playing in only 79 games.

Lara, who I named Biloxi’s team MVP last year, has shown an ability to hit for average (although not necessarily power) and play great defense in centerfield. Lara is also a non-roster invitee to this year’s spring training. Boeve had a bit of a disappointing season last year (.677 OPS) but is a former top 10 Brewers prospect per MLB Pipeline. Development isn’t linear, so I’m hoping to see improved numbers at the plate this season from Boeve. Burke who rose up the minor league ranks and developed surprising power by the time he reached Double-A, is the opposite. If he keeps hitting like he did to end the season, he’ll be in Triple-A by the summer solstice.

Potential arrivals: INF Luis Peña, 3B Andrew Fischer, C Marco Dinges, 2B/OF Josh Adamczewski

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A+)

2025 record: 56-74

Players to watch: Peña, Fischer, Dinges, Adamczewski

Peña, a less highly-regarded member of the same international signing class as Made, broke out with the Low-A Carolina Mudcats last season. He was promoted to High-A along with Made, but while Made performed better after the promotion, Peña performed worse. He did show signs of adjusting (three home runs in August), but a strong season in High-A would go a long way toward affirming his position as a top 50 prospect in baseball.

Adamczewski and Dinges weren’t very highly touted out of college, but both are looking like great finds. Adamczewski was probably the best hitter in the farm system last year. He missed time to injury, but didn’t miss a beat upon his return and subsequent promotion to High-A. Dinges also had a great season at the plate, although he fell off a bit in High-A. However, Dinges’ OPS was .854 in High-A (compared to 1.076 in Low-A), so “fell off” is a relative term here.

Fischer was the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2025 but played well enough to make Pipeline’s list of the top 10 Brewers prospects heading into this year. He was also named the No. 1 third base prospect in baseball by Pipeline. Fischer’s old for his class (21) and was always seen as a pretty developed hitter, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in Double-A this year.

Potential arrivals: CF Braylon Payne, 1B Eric Bitonti, SS Brady Ebel, RHP Ethan Dorchies

Wilson Warbirds (A)

Note: This is the inaugural season as the Warbirds for the team formerly known as the Carolina Mudcats.

The Mudcats built a new $69-million stadium in Wilson, North Carolina, and decided to rebrand along with the move. The new name makes me a little sad, as I thought the Mudcats were an awesome team name (and logo). Luckily, a warbird is also a great mascot (and logo), so I’m sure the new name will grow on me. For all intents and purposes, the team, staff, etc., are much the same as they were last year.

2025 record: 68-60

Players to watch: Payne, Bitonti, Ebel, Dorchies, RHP Bryce Meccage, RHP Josh Knoth

Payne, the Brewers’ first round pick in 2024, didn’t have an amazing season last year. He’s also one of the youngest players in his class, as he won’t be 20 until late August. Payne has speed for days and hinted at developing power (eight home runs) during his stint with the Mudcats/Warbirds last year. Bitonti, on the other hand, hits for power (19 homers in 2025) but not much else. There was a little too much swing-and-miss in his game to merit a promotion last season, but if he can cut down the strikeouts he should end up in High-A sometime soon.

Ebel, the Brewers’ 2025 first-round compensatory pick and son of Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, had an OPS under .600 in limited time (58 at-bats) with Carolina last season. Ebel had also just turned 18, so there’s a lot of projection involved in his rankings as a top 15 organizational prospect. The young shortstop has the tools to be a plus hitter and defender; his development trajectory this season should provide a little more insight as to just how high his ceiling is.

The 19-year-old Meccage got roughed up occasionally last season (4.35 ERA over 19 starts) but has top-line stuff and should stick in the rotation if he manages to make it to Milwaukee. Dorchies started last season in rookie ball but was one of the best pitchers in the league (1.67 ERA). He posted a 3.27 ERA in Low-A despite being roughed up a few times (over) 13 appearances. Dorchies is even younger than Meccage, so the early results have obviously been encouraging. You could say the same thing about 20-year-old Knoth, who showed out in High-A in 2024. Unfortunately, Knoth missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. If he can cut down on the walks and stay healthy, he has the stuff to merit a promotion before the end of the 2026 season.

Potential arrivals: LHP J.D. Thompson, LHP Frank Cairone, OF Brailyn Antunez, SS Diego Frontado, SS Ricki Moneys, SS Jose Rodriguez

It’s Monday!

The work week has arrived and with it comes the news from this past weekend. Surely Jacob Wilson’s 7 year/ $70 million contract extension was the biggest story to dominate the news cycle. All anyone could talk about was the A’s locking up their prized young short stop, right?

Wait, what’s that?

Something else big happened? Something massive that changes the course of what we thought to be true? Oh, you must be referring to the Reds signing Eugenio Suarez to a one year deal worth $15 million! Feels like a bit of a bargain bin type deal if you ask me.

Let’s be real, were the A’s ever really in the running? The past month or so of speculation has been chalk full of free agent predictions, most in which outlined how Suarez was the perfect fit for the green and gold, how his asking price would be bloated, and in result, right up the A’s alley Luis Severino-style. Yet apparently it came down to two teams: The aforementioned Cincinnati Reds and the…(cleans glasses)…Pittsburgh Pirates?

For real?

Unless someone comes out and clarifies where everyone stood in the great ‘Geno Suarez sweepstakes of 2026, us A’s fans will have to settle for the fact that the Pirates seemed like a more promising destination. That the Cincinnati Reds are still being regarded as a better club despite the A’s possessing one of the best young cores in all of baseball.

Whatever. Something tells me we dodged a bullet. His Reds reunion will be loved. I hope he retires fat and happy.

I guess my biggest question now is, who do you see manning the hot corner for the A’s in 2026? And no, Brett Harris is not an acceptable answer. The easiest plug-in play I can think of off the top of my dome is Max “The Other Max Muncy” Muncy. But even he comes with his fair share of question marks. If we’re looking to twirl our hair with the remaining free agent market a little bit, I say what the hell? Throw Miguel Andujar a bone, and bring him back on a one year deal. Luis Severino can have his boy back, and hopefully be more of a happy camper. Not to mention, Andujar has literally done nothing but hit as a member of the A’s. I don’t care what the advanced stats say. I know what I saw and what I saw was him putting the ball in play. Plus, think of the fans! All the resident Andujeads in West Sac could froth at the mouth once again as Sweet Dreams(are made of this) by Eurythmics makes its way onto the loud speaker.

Am I living in the not-too-distant past with this one? Or is it another classic move we start to champion when he hits a walk off homer in June to extend an A’s win streak to 5? Just something to think about.

Food for your thoughts while you take a trip around the horn…

A’s Coverage:

Athletics Sign Jacob Wilson to Extension
Athletics Community Prospect List: Nett Just Inches Out Bolte For Sixth Spot
Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list
After monster stats as rookie, Nick Kurtz has a new number in mind: 162
Projecting Nick Kurtz after Rookie of the Year campaign
Analysts say this A’s outfielder could follow Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout path
Two players the A’s can steal from the Colorado Rockies
A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
Blogfather Sabatoges Own Wins Over Replacement Hip (And A’s Stuff)

MLB News and Interest:
Eugenio Suarez, Reds Reportedly Agree to Contract
Luis Arraez, Giants Reportedly Agree to Contract in MLB Free Agency
Shohei Ohtani Won’t Pitch at 2026 World Baseball Classic
NBA, MLB, NHL, WWE, Major Sports Leagues to Join NFL in Wearing ‘USA 250’ Uniform Patches
Red Sox Trade Jordan Hicks to White Sox
Why Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, More MLB Players Can’t Play in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Mike Epstein! The most famous New York-born Epstein. Please do yourself a favor and look up his nickname on baseball reference.

Pay the man! Pay the man! Pay the man!

I remember being so convinced that the Cole Irvin trade was going to come back to haunt us. I want to laugh but then again, Will Klein is a World Series hero :/

Seeing him rob that homer, live in Anaheim, was one of my favorite moments of 2025

Not giving these guys a pitching staff would be an all-time whiff! I’m serious! Like one of the biggest in sports history…

How about a title each?

Thank you for flipping through my first Elephant Rumblings post! My name is Anthony Hardin Jr., and I’m a diehard A’s fan through and through. You may not always vibe with my opinions or thoughts but one thing we can all agree on is nothing’s better than A’s BASEBALL!

As we enter a new month, I want to make a point of posing questions to the audience. The first question I wanted to ask you guys is what has been your favorite move Paul Toboni has made this offseason? In his first winter as President of Baseball Operations, Toboni has made a few moves, which we will review. Towards the end, I will decide on my favorite.

Ford for Ferrer Swap

The first major move he made was an attempt to fix the Nats catching position. He traded reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon. Ford is the real prize here and could be the Nats starting catcher on Opening Day.

Toboni took advantage of a unique situation in Seattle. While Ford is a top catching prospect, he had no chance of being anything more than a backup catcher due to Cal Raleigh. Ford was completely blocked, and the longer he stayed in Seattle as a backup, the more his value would go down. This meant that the Mariners were looking to get rid of him.

The Nats, who have had abysmal catcher play the past couple of years, jumped on this opportunity. While I like Jose A. Ferrer, and think he will be a key piece in the Mariners bullpen, getting a starting catcher for him would be a win. Relievers, especially good, but not elite ones like Ferrer are not that hard to find. It is much harder to find a quality starting catcher.

Harry Ford is unlikely to ever be a top five catcher in baseball, but he projects as a solid starter. He has a great eye at the plate to go with solid contact and power. His defense is a work in progress, but has gotten better over the years. Ford also has the natural athleticism that makes further improvement possible. Considering where the Nats are in their build, this is a very smart swap.

The Prospect for Prospect Trade

Paul Toboni’s next move was with his former club, the Boston Red Sox. The two teams pulled off the rare prospect for prospect swap. Toboni acquired flame thrower Luis Perales from the Red Sox in exchange for Jake Bennett, a high floor left handed pitcher.

You do not see this kind of trade very often, but given Toboni’s knowledge of the Red Sox farm system, this move is not overly surprising. The Nats are shooting for the stars with Perales, while the Red Sox valued the safety of Bennett.

Back in 2024, Perales was breaking into the top 100 prospect lists before blowing out his elbow midseason. He was forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery, missing the rest of 2024 and most of 2025. When Perales came back, his stuff was as good as ever, but his command was shaky.

It is pretty common to see pitchers struggle with command when they first come back from Tommy John. Control tends to be the last thing to come back after these major injuries. The stuff was absolutely filthy though. In the Arizona Fall League, his fastball averaged 99 MPH and he had a few nasty secondary pitches to go with it. 

Getting that control back will be key for Perales. He was making strides with his command before going down with that injury. If he is in the zone, the stuff will play. I think Perales will end up being a nasty reliever, but he still has a chance to start. This is an upside play from Toboni, and one that intrigues me.

The Blockbuster Trade

The biggest move Paul Toboni made this offseason was trading Nats ace MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for a five prospect package. Toboni decided to go with a quantity over quality package, but all five prospects have promise, even if none is a sure thing.

Gavin Fien is the biggest name in the deal. He was the 12th pick in the 2025 draft out of high school. Fien has a rare blend of hitting ability and power. While he was a shortstop in high school, third base should be his home in pro ball. Fien is years away from the big leagues, but he has the chance to quickly establish himself as a top 100 prospect.

The Nats grabbed another young infielder in the deal, with Toboni targeting Devin Fitz-Gerald. He is a switch hitting infielder with a real feel for hitting. Fitz-Gerald is likely to be a second baseman, but his bat has major potential.

In his pro debut, Fitz-Gerald walked more than he struck out and showed surprising power. His season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but he should be good to go this season. Fitz-Gerald is another prospect with major helium entering this season.

Alejandro Rosario might have the most upside of anyone in the deal, but also has so many questions. He blew out his elbow last February, but did not undergo Tommy John Surgery for whatever reason. Rosario should have the surgery any day now. This means he will have missed two seasons.

When he was on the mound, Rosario was dominant. His fastball was in the upper 90’s and he paired it with two plus secondaries. He also had elite control to go with it in 2024. After the multi-year layoff, there is no telling if he will be the same guy. If he does return to form, the Nats got a steal.

Abimelec Ortiz and Yeremy Cabrera are also two solid pieces, but do not have the upside of the other three. Overall, I thought the package was solid, but not mind blowing. The Nats did not get a top 100 prospect in this deal, which makes things risky. There is no true headliner, but a few of these guys have breakout potential. Toboni is betting on his ability to develop these prospects.

The Lone Free Agent Signing

The Nats have not been active in free agency, but they did make one signing. They gave LHP Foster Griffin a 1-year $5.5 million deal back in December. Griffin is coming off a highly successful three year run in Japan, where he was one of the best pitchers in the NPB.

The Nats are going to give Griffin an opportunity to be in the rotation. While Griffin does not throw very hard, he does a lot of things well. He is a crafty lefty with a deep arsenal. His ability to throw strikes and keep hitters off balance really worked in Japan.

Griffin added a number of different pitches to his arsenal over the past few years. It is not a flashy pickup by any means, but Griffin is an interesting flier. He posted a 1.52 ERA in Japan last season.

It remains to be seen if Griffin’s low 90’s heater will work in the MLB, but it is only a one year deal. Hopefully the Nats sign another free agent starter to pair with Griffin. The Nats have a real lack of proven commodities on the pitching staff, which is concerning even in a rebuilding year.

My Favorite Move

I am a fan of most of these moves, but my favorite is the Harry Ford trade. It is just a very smart deal to make. Toboni took advantage of a unique situation in Seattle and got his hands on a potential starting catcher. The Nats catching situation was so bad last season, and they needed to find a new option.

While Ferrer is a good reliever, he is not elite. It is much harder to find a solid starting catcher than it is to find a solid reliever. Ford has hit every step of the way in the Minor Leagues and I have faith in him. He will never be a star, but the Nats have been starving for a decent starting catcher for years.

The Ford move is my favorite, but you can make a case for a number of these deals. Let me know what your favorite move is in the comments down below. Also, if you think the Nats will regret any of these moves, you should talk about that as well. It has been an interesting first offseason for Paul Toboni, and we are not done yet.

The Dodgers were enamored with Tommy Edman long before they traded for him during the 2024 season, then extended him last winter. His versatility on the field has proved quite valuable even as he’s struggled with a right ankle injury during the last two seasons.

Even if Edman is limited to mostly one position in 2026, he remains one of the keys for the Dodgers to unlock their full potential.

Health will be paramount, even if it takes a little time for him to get going this season after ankle surgery in November. Edman during Dodgers Fest on Saturday said he’s about two and a half weeks removed from wearing a walking boot and is just now ramping up his baseball activity. What’s important is if Edman can avoid being limited by the ankle, which prevented him from playing center field often in 2025.

The ankle has limited Edman at the plate as well. He has a .280 on-base percentage in 530 plate appearances since joining the Dodgers, with an 85 wRC+. But he’s still been valuable to the tune of 2.0 WAR by both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs over that time, thanks to his versatility and plus defense. He has a 103 wRC+ during his two postseasons with Los Angeles, including winning NLCS MVP in 2024.

From 2021-23 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Edman had a 96 wRC+ averaging 150 games, 616 plate appearances, 4.0 bWAR and 3.9 fWAR.

With the Dodgers’ signing of Kyle Tucker to play right field, coupled with Teoscar Hernández in left field and Any Pages in center, Edman might not be needed to play much outfield this season. He figures to see the bulk of his time at second base, where he made 60 of his 90 starts last season. Edman in his career has amassed 28 Outs Above Average and 24 Defensive Runs Saved in his 374 games and 311 starts at second base, where he won a Gold Glove Award in 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I love playing second. Obviously I’m very comfortable there,” Edman said on SportsNet LA on Saturday. “I haven’t had direct conversations with [manager Dave Roberts] yet. We’ll see what the roster alignment is, and I guess that I’ll be mostly playing second base. I’ll be ready wherever. That’s kind of been the theme of my career so far.”

Even if Edman doesn’t play much outfield this season, he might still see time around the diamond. Max Muncy had three long injured-list stints over the last two seasons, and over the last four seasons has hit just .165/.281/.375 with an 84 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. The switch-hitting Edman is a career .273/.314/.495 career hitter with a 118 wRC+ against southpaws. Andy Ibáñez, who signed a one-year deal in January, should also be in the mix at third base and second base against lefties.

Edman could conceivably see time at third base plus occasionally filling in at shortstop and center field as needed, all positions he’s played before. But after playing only 134 games over the last two seasons — Edman also missed the first half of 2024 after wrist surgery — getting something resembling a fully healthy season will be key for this year.

Today’s question is how many games will Tommy Edman play in 2026?

As much as we would like to believe otherwise sometimes, baseball teams have no crystal balls. Sometimes things happen out of the prescribed order, gambles don’t pay off, or players who you just brought in may almost instantly become redundant. 

The latter might be what happened to Carl Edwards Jr. 

Not that when Edwards was signed to a minor league deal, he was promised a spot on the major league roster. But he seems like a player who David Stearns and co. had a specific vision for, and that vision might be a better fit for another player now. 

A three-pitch pitcher who relies on his four-seamer and curveball for the bulk of his work, the right-hander, when going right, gets soft contact and ground balls off the bat. Edwards has an over-the-top arm angle with a large extension, resulting in a lot of spin on his fastball. 

Edwards was drafted by the Rangers in 2011 and was traded to the Cubs as part of the Matt Garza deal in 2013. After many accolades in Chicago’s minor league system, he made his MLB debut as a reliever in September of 2015, but was called up for good in June and was a part of the Cub’s World Series run. 

From there, Edwards compiled a journeyman’s career out of the bullpen. He stuck in the majors for most of the 2010s with the Cubs before being traded to the Padres in 2019 where he had as disastrous of a two-game stint as you can imagine, putting up a six earned runs in an inning and two-thirds of work. He signed with Seattle before the 2020 season, but appeared in just five games in the COVID-shortened season. 

2021 was another lost year, bouncing around the Atlanta, Toronto, and White Sox organizations, making a handful of big league appearances. In 2022, Edwards found some success with the Nationals, appearing in 57 games with a 3.19 ERA. This led to a $2.25 million contract with Washington for 2023, but shoulder injuries limited him to just 32 appearances. 

A total of five big league appearances between three teams over 2024 and 2025 only tell part of Edwards’s most recent story, however. Outside of the MLB games, Edwards has been starting more than relieving since 2024, starting nine games for the El Paso Chihuahuas in the Padres system, eight games across the Angels and Rangers systems in 2025, and 14 for the Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League this past offseason. And while he hasn’t turned into Sandy Koufax on the hill, it hasn’t been all bad. He’s put up an ERA in the high fours and, based on Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal’s reporting, this may be what attracted the Mets to Edwards. 

With plans to stretch him out into a starter, the Mets might’ve been looking at Edwards as a swingman who could give them some bulk innings out of the bullpen and a spot start here and there. That seemed like the most likely path for Edwards to make the club until Tobias Myers came over from the Brewers in the Freddy Peralta trade. Myers is a more established version of what the Mets hoped Edwards could be and seems likely to have that role for the 2026 team. 

Where does that leave Edwards? It’s unclear, but teams make these sort of signings all the time with the knowledge and, perhaps, expectation that they won’t work out. That’s cold comfort to the players themselves, but if Edwards has a good spring, there are plenty of teams looking for essentially the same role. Thus is the life of a journeyman pitcher. 

Post-script: As a society, we don’t use his nickname of “the String Bean Slinger” nearly enough. Let’s make it happen.

19. Carson Palmquist (201 points, 16 ballots)

Palmquist has a low, funky arm slot and has utility as both a starter and reliever — he worked in both roles in 2025 for the Rockies long enough that he’s only about a week short of exceeding rookie eligibility, so this could also be his last PuRPs list appearance with even a short appearance with the big league club in 2026.

The 6’3”, 25-year-old lefty largely flew under the radar as an amateur — he wasn’t highly scouted out of high school, going undrafted (despite not allowing a single earned run during his junior and senior seasons). In his first two years at Miami, Palmquist was dominant in the bullpen, then he transitioned to the rotation in 2022 and was quite good at that too. Palmquist added a change-up to his fastball/slider portfolio once he joined the starting rotation, all coming from that low lefty arm slot. It’s a profile reminiscent of Kyle Freeland, as many noted at the time he was picked 88th overall in 2022 by the Rockies, receiving a $775k bonus that was about $62k over slot.

Palmquist’s first full season assignment in 2023 was to High-A Spokane, where his 106 strikeouts in 70 innings was tied for eighth in the league and his K/9 rate led the circuit for anyone with 40 or more innings pitched, and pitched decently after a late August promotion to Double-A Hartford. In 2024, Palmquist headed back to Hartford. The lefty again put up strong numbers, carving through the Eastern League with a 3.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 rate, and 3.6 BB/9 rate in 82 1⁄3 innings across 18 starts.

That earned Palmquist a promotion in August to Triple-A Albuquerque, where he faced hitters that were 4.5 years older on average and some of the toughest environments for a pitcher in minor league baseball. Palmquist struggled with the challenge, as most do at the level. He struck out fewer hitters (7.9 K/9 rate), walked more (6.9 BB/9, 1.84 WHIP), and was less stingy in run prevention (5.86 ERA and 6.72 xFIP) in his 35 ¹⁄₃ innings across nine starts (giving him 117 ²⁄₃ total innings pitched in 2024).

Palmquist was back in Albuquerque to begin 2025. He made seven decent (for the PCL) starts, including two Quality Starts, with Albuquerque before the Rockies selected his contract to add him to the 40 man roster in mid-May. Palmquist took seven straight turns in the big league rotation, every one of them lasting between four and five innings with multiple runs allowed. He struggled with pitch efficiency, throwing over 19 pitches per inning with a 5.3 BB/9 rate.

Palmquist was sent back down to Albuquerque in late June. He made three more starts with them (all pretty decent starts too) before getting moved to the bullpen after the All-Star break. Three relief appearances followed in late July before Palmquist got called up at the beginning of August as a potential long man out of the pen for the Rockies. Unfortunately, Palmquist got shelled for eight runs on ten hits and seven walks in just 3 2/3 innings in two games with Colorado, so he went back down to Albuquerque. After that demotion, Palmquist made 13 relief appearances for Albuquerque. In his first two outings, he was rocked for multiple runs, but that only happened one other time in his final 11 games, including eight outings without an earned run allowed.

Palmquist was a fringe starter for the Rockies and Isotopes in 2025, lacking length and command but picking up strikeouts. As a reliever, he had some of his worst outings of the season (silver lining — more strikeouts). With Albuquerque, he threw 77 2/3 innings with a 4.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 10.9 K/9 rate, and 4.9 BB/9 rate across multiple stints and roles with the team. In a Rockies uniform, Palmquist pitched 34 1/3 frames with an unsightly 8.91 ERA (7.63 as a starter), 2.04 WHIP, 7.1 K/9 rate, and 6.6 BB/9 rate. Big league hitters slugged .719 against his fastball in 2025, so that’s an issue that will need to be addressed by the new regime.

Here’s some highlights of Palmquist’s eight strikeout game against the Mets last June:

MLB Pipeline ranked Palmquist 15th in the system as a 45 FV player, highlighted by a 55 slider:

There’s confidence that Palmquist will make the necessary adjustments to find success both there and in the big leagues because he’s shown the ability to do so at every level since he’s entered pro ball. With a funky delivery that adds plenty of deception, and a lower arm slot, all of the left-hander’s pitches play up despite them grading out as largely average across the board. His fastball averages only around 91 mph, but it misses more bats than it should thanks to carry up in the zone from that lower slot. He’ll actually throw two different kinds of sliders — a big sweepy one in the upper 70s and a slightly harder, cutter-ish one, both of which can miss bats. His low-80s changeup is also effective and hard to square up.

Other than his time in Triple-A, Palmquist has largely been around the zone as he’s moved up the ladder and he loves going right after hitters and pitching inside without fear. He’s added a little strength and answered some durability questions with his 2024 campaign, so there’s hope he can start long-term, even if he is first called upon to help out of the bullpen should the need arise in Denver. 

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs lists Palmquist as a 45 FV player, 6th in the system with 55 future grades on the slider and change-up:

Palmquist’s arm slot has come up a lot since college and, though still low, it now looks much more like a lot of other starters’ arm strokes. Palmquist has also gotten much stronger since entering pro ball, and has now performed across a 27-start, 117.2-inning load, including success at hitter-friendly Hartford. Palmquist has retained enough of his Clay Rapada-like funk to remain deceptive, allowing his 91-mph fastball to punch above its weight. He mixes breaking ball shapes and speeds across a wide range of velos, most of them in the upper 70s. Palmquist’s slower breaking balls are the ones with his best swing-and-miss rates. These are sweepers in the 74-75 mph range, and likely will be less effective against big leaguers. Conversely, Palmquist’s changeup should have meaningful long-term growth as he gets more comfortable with this newer delivery; he also has the arm action and athleticism combo you want in order to forecast changeup growth. Palmquist lacks the pinpoint command one would need to be an impact starter with average stuff, but he’s poised to be a consistent no. 4/5 starter soon by virtue of his repertoire depth and deception.

John Trupin of Baseball Prospectus ranked Palmquist 13th before the 2025 season:

Palmquist is a deception and targeting pitcher with a low release angle that is functionally sidearm from a hitter’s perspective. Appropriately, Palmquist’s mitts allow him to palm his changeup well, generating great fade and velocity separation on his upper-80s/low-90s heater. On some days, Palmquist sat 91-94 and saw unsurprisingly sterling results, but at 88-92 he has to be impeccable. Fading late in the campaign, he was, well, peccable in the PCL. Still, he’s on the cusp of big league work thanks to his bat-missing sweeper and disappearing cambio. Another depth rotation option for Colorado, he’ll be in contention with a few others on this list if and when the first spot in Denver opens up.

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Palmquist 17th in the system last February due to doubts about him remaining in the rotation:

The Rockies have continued to start Palmquist up through Triple A, although he’s a sidearming lefty who already gives up more power to right-handed batters, something that isn’t going to get better in Denver. He’s 90-93 with a sweepy slider, a slower breaking ball that Statcast calls a sweeper but that looks like a curveball, and an occasional changeup. Until he reached Triple-A Albuquerque, his walk rates were at or just under 10 percent, and I’m not dinging any pitcher who struggles in that environment. It’s just such a reliever look that I can’t see him facing right-handed batters two or three times in a game as a starter.

Palmquist was a below replacement level pitcher (-0.8 rWAR) for a very bad MLB team in 2025, but he has thus far remained on the 40 man roster this off-season and enters 2026 as an option for both the back end of the rotation or the bullpen. The previous regime wanted him in the bullpen, but it is yet to be seen if Paul DePodesta and Co feel the same.

Much like fellow PuRP Michael Prosecky, the Rockies gave Palmquist a chance to start after relieving in college. They were rewarded with strong performances all the way up to the big leagues in just over two years, though Palmquist hasn’t been a strong contributor yet. Palmquist has been a dominant reliever in major college baseball, so I’m betting he can work it out in that role if that’s where the team thinks he can best contribute. The scouting reports and the role flexibility meant to me that, despite the rough results in MLB last season, Palmquist is a 40 FV prospect and I ranked him 19th on my list.

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The people have spoken and Jace LaViolette is our No. 14 Cleveland Guardians prospect for 2026. LaViolette brought in an impressive 39.8% of the vote, beatin gout Joey Oakie (25.5%), Juneiker Caceres (13.2%) and Alfonsin Rosario (12.2%).

LaViolette was Cleveland’s first round draft pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, selected 27th overall. Unlike several of his fellow draftees in the Guardians system, he has yet to make his professional debut.

LaViolette is a sharp shift in Cleveland’s drafting strategy, known for his power more than his contact ability. He was projected to be a top 5 pick after his sophomore season at Texas A&M, when he blasted 29 home runs and slashed a ridiculous .305/.449/.726. This followed up an almost equally impressive freshman season when he smashed 21 home runs and slashed .287/414/.632 at age 19.

In his junior year, however, LaViolette took a step backward, hitting just 18 home runs and slashing .258/.427/.576. He posted a career-best walk rate of 21.8% but his strikeout rate also increased to 25.2%, which set off some alarms.

Strikeouts are an issue with LaViolette. Even in his best season in 2024, he whiffed 24.3% of the time. That being said, maybe some of Cleveland’s coaches who have so much experience with contact-first prospects can work their magic and help him miss fewer baseballs without sabotaging his immense power potential.

The Aggie stands 6-foot-6 and can play all three outfield positions for now. Look for him to debut straight to High-A Lake County. It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on his contact skills and strikeout rate throughout the season to see if he’s made any adjustments.

Now, it’s time to determine who is number 15 in the Guardians’ loaded farm system and you now have a whopping 10 players to choose from! Your options are below:

Juneiker Caceres, OF (Age 18)
2025 (CPX) 160 PA, .289/.419/.469, 3 HR, 5 SB, 16.9 BB%, 11.3 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (A): 130 PA, .250/.331/.345, 1 HR, 2 SB, 6.9 BB%, 13.1 K%, 103 wRC+

Impressed at the complex league, then hit the ground running in a late season promotion to Single-A before running out of steam late in his age-17 season. Loaded with potential.

Dean Curley, 3B (Age 21)
2025 (NCAA) 294 PA, .315/.435/.531, 14 HR, 8 SB, 15.3 BB%, 16.0K%, 118 wRC+
2025 (A) 35 PA, .242/.286/.273, 0 HR, 1 SB, 5.7 BB%, 31.4K%, 67 wRC+

Cleveland’s second round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Curley plays all infield positions, but needs polish. He was part of Lynchburg’s championship run after joining the team late in the 2025 season.

Dauri Fernandez, SS (Age 18)
2025 (ACL) 176 PA, .333/.398/.558, 6 HR, 16 SB, 9.1 BB%, 12.5 K%, 147 wRC+
2025 (A): 24 PA, .273/.250/.318, 0 HR, 2 SB, 0 BB%, 12.5 K%, 57 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s top performers in the Arizona Complex League in 2025. Undersized, but makes solid contact and doesn’t strike out often. Earned a small taste of full-season ball at the end of the year.

Franklin Gomez, LHP (Age 20)
w/ Mets 2025 (A): 14 G, 82.0 IP, 1.85 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 21.4 K%, 11.7 BB%, 1.09 WHIP
w/ Mets 2025 (A+): 6 GS, 48.2 IP, 1.70 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 23.4 K%, 9.9 BB%, 1.83 WHIP

Acquired from the Mets in a trade for international bonus cash, Gomez lit up Single-A in his age-19 season, then improved his walk and strikeout numbers after being promoted to High-A.

Yorman Gomez, RHP (Age 23)
2025 (A+): 17 G, 76.0 IP, 2.84 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 27.3 K%, 9.5 BB%, 1.11 WHIP
2025 (AA): 10 G, 45.2 IP, 3.15 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 28.0 K%, 9.5 BB%, 1.25 WHIP

Venezuelan prospect who broke out in with increased velocity in 2025, putting up nearly identical numbers at both High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron. Gomez was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster.

Josh Hartle, LHP (Age 22)
2025 (A+): 22 GS, 103.1 IP, 2.35 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 24.0 K%, 8.9 BB%, 1.05 WHIP
2025 (AA): 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 16.3 K%, 4.7 BB%, 1.50 WHIP

Acquired from Pittsburghin the Spencer Horwitz trade, Hartle was one of Cleveland’s most successful starting pitchers in its minor league system in 2025. Stands 6-foot-6, but doesn’t have a ton of velocity.

Joey Oakie, RHP (Age 19)
2025 (ACL): 9 GS, 35.0 IP, 7.46 ERA, 4.67 FIP, 27.6 K%, 13.5 BB%, 1.69 WHIP
2025 (A): 6 GS, 24.1 IP, 2.22 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 30.7 K%, 14.9 BB%, 1.32 WHIP

Cleveland’s 3rd round pick in 2024 out of high school, Oakie got off to a rough start in the Complex League, but then absolutely dominated when promoted to Single-A Lynchburg with a pair of 11 strikeout performances.

Austin Peterson, RHP (Age 26)
2025 (AA): 11 GS, 55.0 IP, 1.47 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 23.9 K%, 4.9 BB%, 0.84 WHIP
2025 (AAA): 15 GS, 90.2 IP, 4.27 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 20.2 K%, 7.8 BB%, 1.37 WHIP

Absolutely dominated Double-A to begin 2025 looking well on his way to repeating his tremendous 2024 season, but then struggled after an early-season promotion to Triple-A. Remains on the 40-man roster.

Gabriel Rodriguez, SS (Age 18)
2025 (ACL) 122 PA, .294/.393/.402, 1 HR, 11 SB, 12.3 BB%, 18.9 K%, 116 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s top recent international signings, Rodriguez put up strong offensive numbers in his stateside debut in his age-18 season in 2025. Expected to transition to full-season ball this year.

Alfonsin Rosario, OF (Age 21)
2025 (A+) 354 PA, .268/.362/.490, 16 HR, 12 SB, 10.8 BB%, 25.1 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (AA): 145 PA, .211/.303/.391, 5 HR, 2 SB, 10.3 BB%, 33.1 K%, 105 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league system during his stint at High-A Lake County as a 20-year-old. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but will need to overcome his strikeouts.

Our list so far:
1. Chase DeLauter, LHH OF
2. Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B
3. Parker Messick, LHP
4. Ralphy Velazquez, LHH 1B/RF
5. Angel Genao, SH SS
6. Braylon Doughty, RHP
7. Cooper Ingle, LHH C
8. Khal Stephen, RHP
9. Juan Brito, SH 2B/1B/RF/3B
10. Jaison Chourio, SH OF
11. Kahlil Watson, LHH OF
12. Daniel Espino, RHP
13. George Valera, LHH OF
14. Jace LaViolette, LHH OF

Padres FanFest was the unofficial kickoff to the San Diego Padres season giving fans a chance to hear from front office personnel, the manager and various players. The Padres started the week leading into FanFest with the announcement of the San Diego promotional schedule, which included nine different bobbleheads. The collectibles included players past and present as well as Don Orsillo and Mark Grant from the Padres television booth. The Friar Faithful who responded to the Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslamp Ball said they would like to get to Petco Park for the opportunity to receive the Trevor Hoffman bobblehead. The Hall of Fame closer converted 601 saves during his MLB career and will be fondly remembered for his time in San Diego, which included a 53 save season in 1998 that helped the Padres reach the World Series against the New York Yankees.

Padres News:

• Fernando Tatis Jr. spoke openly at Padres FanFest about his offensive struggles during the 2025 season. He attributed some of the issues to mechanics and some in the media have questioned whether off-field issues, such as a lawsuit with a lender, may have taken some of his focus away from the field. Whatever the issue or issues were, Tatis Jr. said they are behind him and he is ready to show why he believes he is one of the best players in the game.
• Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors says the Padres have shown interest in free agent first baseman and former Padre Ty France. The Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets and New York Yankees are also reported to be interested in France.

Baseball News:

• One of the top remaining free agents knows where he will play the 2026 season. Eugenio Suarez and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract.
• The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox agreed to a trade that sent pitchers Jordan Hicks and minor leaguer David Sandlin to Chicago in exchange for minor league pitcher Gage Ziehl. To make room on their roster the White Sox designated catcher Drew Romo and former Padres pitcher Jairo Iriarte.
• New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto has committed to play for Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Athletics starter Luis Severino and Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana also committed to the team.
• With Eugenio Suarez signing with the Reds, the Diamondbacks have shifted their focus to other free agents and they are reportedly interested in first baseman Carlos Santana.

There are so many official and unofficial baseball dates every year as the calendar flips from December to January. This one has even more than most with the WBC, but the first big milestone for the Red Sox is Truck Day. What Fenway Fest begins — a focus on the 2026 season rather than 2025 — Truck Day formalizes.

JetBlue Park in For Myers might be 1,480 miles away from Fenway Park in Boston but it will seem like home once the players arrive.

I try and make it to Truck Day on my commute every year. Some years are more crowded with well-wishers and TV news than others. 2019 was a pretty excited crowd. 2023 it was effectively 0 degrees with a very strong wind chill. In 2025 there was no one waiting as I passed through. Usually there is at least one TV camera set up capturing stock footage of people walking past Fenway Park. I know they showed up later, but the unofficial survey based on going by the scene the same time every year showed less interest in the Sox, somehow. That’s at least as accurate as checking for an early spring based on the routine of a groundhog, which is appropriate here in 2026. And this morning? Three TV cameras were set up catching B-roll. Get excited!

The same list of bits, bobs, and whatchamacallits is piled into a tractor trailer or two every year. And while some of this could be shipped directly to Florida there’s probably enough other stuff that it just makes sense to have the staff in Boston take care of it. With all the trouble the league has had with uniforms the past few seasons there might even be necessary quality control. Plus anything that ended the year at Fenway Park and needs to get to Florida and a nice feeling of tradition and you’ve got more than enough reason to have people show up on a cold Monday ton wish the team good luck.

20,400 baseballs

1,100 bats

200 batting gloves

200 batting helmets

320 batting practice tops

160 white game jerseys

300 pairs of pants

400 t-shirts

400 pairs of socks

20 cases of bubble gum

60 cases of sunflower seeds

The high is 59 in Fort Myers vs 31 in Boston today, although it’ll be in the teens while they are loading the truck.

After the truck leaves Boston it will make a short stop in Worcester! Be at Polar Park (Madison Street side) at about 12:45 for your chance to see the truck and the WooSox mascot crew.

So, if you’re around, stop by in Boston or Worcester. Maybe see Wally. Probably see a small convoy full of the stuff that makes baseball playable. Remember that after the truck the pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training. Then everyone else. Then it’s time for workouts, games, and finally Opening Day.

We’ve almost made it through winter.

And, uh, find another infielder.

We are launching a new daily article here at South Side Sox, more prominently than our items that pop up on The Feed. It falls under the category of White Sox Discussions, which you’ll see in a few weeks will also be our new branding for Game Threads.

Given recent events, there are more and more Crosstown losses to get hot and bothered over. And there have been playoff losses that stung: 1959, 1983, 2000, 2008, 2020, 2021. Some bonehead plays have keyed comical and tragic losses on the South Side. Or maybe it’s a historic loss from 2024, be it No. 107 to break the franchise mark or 121 to set the all-time modern record.

With the team just needing to fall six games worse than .500 to reach the lowest mark in franchise history, there are 9,714 regular season losses and another 32 in the postseason. But which is the one you cannot shake?

Good morning.

Evan Grant writes that the Texas Rangers have done the heavy lifting as far as winter roster moves, but there are still a handful of budget free agents that could make sense ahead of spring training.

At The Athletic, Jim Bowden grades each club’s offseason moves and hands out passing marks to the Rangers for their offseason maneuvering.

Matt Snyder ranks and grades the free agent shortstop signings from recent years where Corey Seager’s deal with Texas lands at No. 1. Winning the World Series as World Series MVP will do that.

And, Russell Dorsey checks out the upcoming top spring training storylines for each team with the hunt to get back to October being the theme for Texas this year.

Have a nice day!

The Phillies can annoy us. There are things that they do that can get on our nerves, whether it be a questionable decision by the manager during a game (I’m still not over The Bunt), a trade that was made that returned virtually nothing (that’s all they got for Schilling?) or a season that ended worse than what we believed it would be.

So for today’s question, the question: what is something about the Phillies that still bothers you the most? For fans of a different age, this question could be answered different ways. Take me, for example. The Bunt that Rob Thomson called for may not have been the difference in the series against the Dodgers last year, but you have to wonder what might have been had they been able to score Nick Castellanos from second.

Maybe you’re still sore over Cliff Lee being unable to pitch a good Game 2 of the 2011 NLDS, a series that should have seen the Phillies go to, and win, the World Series.

Maybe it’s Black Friday in 1977 where Bruce Froemming had his eyes closed when deciding if Davey Lopes was safe or out.

The possibilities are endless!

Happy Monday, everyone! We’re getting ever closer to pitchers and catchers reporting, and we’re officially in the same month as Spring Training, so the offseason is almost over, and hot stove season is winding down. In fact, the few remaining players still looking for a team are almost entirely starting pitchers, so we could still see some moves from the Tigers before pitchers and catchers report, as the Tigers look to bolster their starting rotation (or their bullpen, depending on what they feel like focusing on).

Still some fun stories to get into to start the week, so we’ll just jump right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• The Tigers are celebrating Black History Month by celebrating the players who helped make the team great.

• Well we could have told anyone this.

AL Central News

• Mike Bates had the unique distinction of being selected as a first-round draft pick for three different teams, and never played major league ball. The Guardians and Royals were among those teams. Bates has passed away.
• The White Sox have traded for Jordan Hicks.
• Frank Thomas didn’t hold back on his opinions about being left out of a White Sox graphic celebrating Black History Month.
• The Twins’ ownership continues to make some baffling and unpopular choices. ($)

MLB News

• Is there any value left for the classic platoon player?
• Ben Clemens does some fan WAR math.
• The best wall smushes of 2025. Yes. You read that right.
• Several players who will have to step up to fill the shoes of departing players on their teams.
• Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch in the World Baseball Classic, but he anticipates being ready for the regular season.
• Five bounce-back candidates for the 2026 season.
• A deeper look at the insurance issues that have been plaguing players who want to attend the World Baseball Classic.
• The Padres might be headed for a sale, but that’s not slowing them down on making offseason moves.
• Kind of feels like the Tigers could have afforded this…

• Could be an interesting thing for many players who weren’t able to get insurance (though it’s highly unlikely any team would assume the liability.)

• Countdown!!!

Continuing the experiment where I’m drawing conversations from the Moose Tracks out to give them more space, Husky Mariner asked the other day if there’s room for both Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson on the 2026 Mariners roster. (We’re going to assume Opening Day, optimized roster, in this situation, not the Frankenlineups that sometimes get run out in the dog days due to injury or ineffectiveness.)

To me, I think either of those players would be given the keys to third and second base, respectively; neither of them are going to be on the roster to be bench players. That creates a series of conditions: in this case, Emerson has supplanted Cole Young at second base, which feels unlikely at this moment in time, although who knows how things will play out this spring. I will say I’m higher on Colt Emerson than I’ve ever been after considering his body of work this past season and spending time with him this weekend at Fan Fest. It’s maybe less of a stretch to consider Ben Williamson being permanently installed at third base, especially after Eugenio Suárez signed with the Reds yesterday, extinguishing the last ray of hope Mariners fans might have been stoking for a good vibes reunion.

This setup leaves Cole Young returned to Triple-A with his options, the platoon of Victor Robles/Luke Raley/Rob Refsnyder/Dominic Canzone taking starts in right field and DH, and Miles Mastrobuoni and Leo Rivas battling it out for the backup infielder/pinch runner role (plus either Knizner or Perada as backup catcher).

The idea of Cole Young sent back to Triple-A is one that’s already a little difficult for me to square given the club’s verbal commitment to Young, but I can easily see a world where Emerson challenges Young, who has a similar profile. Williamson might have the biggest question mark around his bat of the three, but his defensive acumen is such that it’s harder for me to see them going with Young and Emerson at second and third, even if that might provide the best offensive production. The bigger issue I have with this is how heavy that platoon is in right field/DH. Four players for two spots with only Raley being defensively versatile (all outfield positions, 1B) feels like a roster construction flaw. That’s not an issue that has anything to do with Young/Williamson/Emerson, though, so I’ve maybe drifted too far afield from the original question.

Also: Ryan Bliss. How does he figure into all of this?

Speaking to the media at Fan Fest yesterday, Justin Hollander reiterated that the club won’t be predicating decisions based on spring training alone. But it does feel like a monster spring from Emerson and Williamson could force some of these questions.

What is your prediction for the roster battles will see this spring, specifically on the infield?

Just about every member of the 2025 Orioles either underperformed or got injured. Colton Cowser did both, souring what could have been a breakout season. Reports indicate that Cowser will enter 2026 fully healthy, and seems poised to take on the center field job full-time. The Orioles are betting on a bounce back from the former fifth overall pick.

Let’s not forget that Cowser had a pretty great rookie season in 2024. Over 153 games he hit .242/.321/.768 with 24 home runs, 52 walks, and 172 strikeouts. He swung and missed a lot, but made up for it with his ability to take a walk, hit home runs, and play high-end defense. As a result, he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.

The Orioles went into 2025 with Cowser as their lead-off hitter, a somewhat forced decision following Gunnar Henderson’s injury. But it didn’t seem like Cowser was terribly miscast in the role. He had demonstrated a keen eye at the plate, had enough pop to keep the defense honest, and was rather quick on the bases.

But just days into the new season, Cowser went down with his first injury of the year. Trying to beat out an infield hit in Toronto, Cowser dove head-first towards first base. His thumb went the wrong way, resulting in a fracture that put him on the shelf until early June. This injury to his left hand came just six months after he broke that same hand in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series, swinging at a pitch that actually hit him.

Shortly after returning from the thumb injury he suffered in Toronto, Cowser fractured two ribs when he hit into the outfield fence attempting to catch a home run against the Tigers on June 12. He sat the bench for the next three days, but then returned to the lineup. This injury, which nagged for the rest of the season, was not revealed until late September.

The final IL stint of the year for Cowser came in August. That is when he missed 11 days due to concussion symptoms, which stemmed from a play in Philadelphia a few days prior. His symptoms were reported as a “mild,” but the Orioles took precautions.

Looking at Cowser’s splits for the year is rather brutal. The only month of positive production came in June, when he hit .250/.310/.550 with six home runs, 14 RBI, four walks, and 25 strikeouts over 22 games. His OPS for every other month was .594 or worse, and his batting average never got above .210 in any other month.

The best Cowser looked was immediately following the three games he sat after fracturing his ribs. From June 16 through 27, he slashed .314/.385/.714 in a span of 10 games. For a few days that pushed his season OPS above .800 and had him looking like the 2024 version of himself.

But that moment was fleeting, and it was a steep decline from there. From June 28 through the end of the year Cowser slashed .180/.257/.336 and struck out 100 times in 69 games. Although he was 13-for-13 on stolen base attempts and walked at a decent clip in that stretch.

Cowser’s nightmarish season had some members of the Orioles fan base asking questions about his future. The team had Tyler O’Neill signed to a big-money deal. Dylan Beavers was emerging from Triple-A. And then early on in the offseason the team went and traded for Taylor Ward. Seemingly, there were too many corner outfielders for not enough spots on the big league roster.

At the same time, the O’s continued their years-long search for a “frontline” starting pitcher. If they weren’t going to wade into the deep end of the free agent pool, it seemed like a trade involving a young, controllable hitter was a viable alternative. Cowser, among others, fit the bill for the type of player to center a deal around.

But theoreticals like that made less and less sense as the offseason progressed.

The Orioles weren’t involved in talks for any significant options in center, limited as they were. Luis Robert was traded to the Mets. Harrison Bader signed with the Giants. The only center fielder the O’s added to the organization was Leody Taveras, a World Series winner with a useful skillset, but far from an everyday big leaguer following two subpar seasons.

Internally, there wasn’t much to speak of either. Beavers could play center in a pinch but not every single day. Reed Trimble was protected from the Rule 5 Draft, and could be an interesting fourth outfielder option. Enrique Bradfield Jr. is likely to get a big league call at some point in 2026, but he still has plenty to prove. His glove and his legs are ready for the big leagues. His bat, on the other hand, needs some work. The 15 games he played in Norfolk last year did little to force the Orioles hand on a further promotion.

That leaves Cowser as the logical solution in center, a position in Baltimore that had belonged to Cedric Mullins for years. Cowser has plenty of experience in the role. He spent 47 games there in 2025, 45 games in ‘24, and 10 in ‘23. That doesn’t even account for his minor league work. While not as sterling as his performance in left field, advanced metrics like his movement in center. He has been worth 1 OAA in each of the last two seasons despite it not being his full-time position. And his throwing arm is one of the most feared in the league. Defensively, it should fit him just fine.

The bigger questions pertain to his bat. Orioles center fielders posted an 87 wRC+ in 2025, putting them in the bottom half of the league. Cowser himself had an 83 wRC+ overall and it dipped to 78 when he played center.

As constructed, the Orioles probably don’t need Cowser to bounce all the way back to his 2024 form, when he had 119 wRC+. They will be relying more on Henderson, Ward, Pete Alonso, and Jordan Westburg for most of their offense. But their center fielder will need to be closer to league average in order to be a viable everyday option. He has shown an ability to do that before, and if healthy he should be able to get there again.

The only worry is that there is no built in safety net for Cowser or the Orioles. They don’t have immediately viable solutions in-house, and there here aren’t many useful center fielders available via trade or free agency. Most, if not all, of their eggs are in the Cowser basket.

As far as bets go, it’s not a bad one. Injuries derailed his 2025 campaign, and by the time he came back the Orioles season was already down the drain. Now healthy and some pressure of expectations relieved, the O’s will be hoping their former top prospect can thrive in a new position.