Ronald Acuña Jr. heard boos during the Braves’ loss in the National League Division Series, and he’s facing some big questions heading into next season.
Marlins center fielder Jakob Marsee will undergo elbow surgery and expects to return to the field in six months.
Around Major League Baseball
The Guardians put together a six-run sixth inning and used three starting pitchers to defeat the White Sox, forcing Game 5 tomorrow night in Chicago after falling behind two-game-to-none to begin the series.
Following the Yankees’ elimination, Aaron Judge said that he wants the front office to go all in and expressed confidence in manager Aaron Boone.
Ian O’Connor writes that the Yankees should move on from Boone, but he says that you shouldn’t expect them to actually do it.
Deesha Thosar writes that the end of this season felt all too familiar for the Yankees.
Major League Baseball proposed a 154-game schedule for the regular season, lengthening the Division Series to a best-of-seven, and a system that would have the higher-seeded teams in the Wild Card and Division series rounds of the playoffs choose their opponents. And the league says all of those things are contingent upon the union agreeing to a salary cap.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 26: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies follows the flight of an eighth inning double against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on August 26, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Players are wearing special jerseys with their nicknames on them during Players' Weekend. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Purple Row!
We moved another step closer to the beginning of the League Championship Series as the schedule was announced on Thursday. The Milwaukee Brewers will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. MDT in the NLCS.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians have charged back and tied up their series with the Chicago White Sox to force a Game 5 on Saturday night. The Tampa Bay Rays, meanwhile, are patiently waiting after sweeping the Yankees. They wait Saturday’s winner and the ALCS will begin Oct. 12 in Tampa Bay at 6 p.m. MDT.
On the local front, with football season in full swing in Denver and the Broncos grabbing most of the headlines (positive and negative), Empower Field at Mile High is completely centered on orange and blue right now. However, a Rockie will be adding a splash of purple to the stadium as Carlos González has just been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, which is nestled inside Mile High.
In 10 years with the Rockies, CarGo posted a 24 rWAR, connected for 227 homers and 277 doubles, while hitting .290/.349/.516 with an .865 OPS. The outfielder was named to three National League All-Star rosters, earned three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers and won the NL batting title in 2010 when he hit .336.
Read about his selection and more news from around MLB below.
CarGo, a fan favorite known as the Rockie with the sweetest swing, is one of six athletes to join the elite group, which will be inducted officially on April 15, 2027, at a banquet at the Hilton Denver City Center.
Other Rockies in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame include Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Andrés Galaraga, Todd Helton, and Larry Walker, along with Colorado’s first manager Don Baylor, first general manager Bob Gebhard, and former team president Keli McGregor.
Not breaking news, as this was covered in the Rockies press conference from Tuesday, but the Kris Bryant situation is always worth remembering. At least Colorado president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta talked about it, which seemed vital after Bryant didn’t play and was never around in 2026.
You have to narrow it to the years the Rockies went to the playoffs: 1995, 2005, 2007, 2017, and 2018. So it has to be either from the Rocktober era or lone back-to-back postseason berths era.
It turns out it’s the first option: it’s Matt Holliday with five playoff bombs. What’s even more wild is that Holliday only had one season — 2007 — with the Rockies in the postseason.
Joel Reuter picked Rockies veteran pitcher Kyle Freeland. Freeland, 33, just pitched his 10 season in Colorado. With his contract ended, Reuter predicts that the Rockies bring him back and hope that he can have a bounce-back season.
On Thursday, the latest proposal from MLB went to the MLB Players Association and included some changes that would begin in 2029. One is a season with eight fewer games and a weekly off-day for each team. Another is a change to the postseason for the Division Series that would increase each league’s contests from five-game series to seven games. In addition, the top seeds from the Wild Card round and Division Series round would get to pick their opponents, allowing for the bracket to be altered each round.
Outside of the White Sox, the Rockies can also always look to the Tampa Bay Rays for a model of how to scout, draft, develop and build a low-cost roster in a small market. The Rays do it year in and year out, but no other team seems able to replicate their success. This article look at five players that were castoffs from other teams before finding their way in Tampa Bay.
There are many reasons the Rays are good. Bryan Baker, the 31-year-old All-Star closer is a big one. He recorded saves in all three games against the Yankees. He joined elite company in that feat, joining former Rockies closer Manny Corpas (2007), as well as Mark Wohlers (1996) and Dennis Eckersley (1988 and ‘96), as the only pitcher to get three saves in his team’s first three postseason games. Baker is the only one to do it without giving up a hit.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is on the hot seat. Maybe.
After another early exit from the postseason, the second in a row in the ALDS, New York has to be reassessing its personnel. The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates with teammates as he exits the game during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The preparation continues for this impending misery of an offseason. MLB and the players union have already been lobbing proposals at each other for months, and this will no doubt continue as either side tries to position itself and lobby the fanbase in advance of the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations this winter. MLB came back with a new round of ideas on Thursday, and the reception was tepid.
Kevin McGonigle’s march to the AL Rookie of the Year award continued as Baseball America named the Tigers’ infielder their 2026 Rookie of the Year. Their prospect tools review of the 2026 draft also had some Tigers mentioned.
Both league championship series are taking shape, and so we’ll also link you to some playoff previews as the Dodgers and Brewers prepare for an epic showdown, while the Rays await the winner of the White Sox-Guardians series. The Guardians looked cooked early in Game 4 until Jose Ramirez finally provided some of his old spark, and his teammates took it to the White Sox’s bullpen to force a decisive Game 5.
Let’s get into it.
Detroit Tigers News
Kevin McGonigle is Baseball America’s overall Rookie of the Year for 2026. The article points to the fact that McGonigle is so good at everything, rather than having one obvious strength, as the reason he’s already thriving at the major league level.
They also link of list of players 21 and under this season who accumulated at least 1 WAR per Baseball Reference. That is a record number of players that age putting up that kind of value.
7.1: Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers
3.1: AJ Ewing, CF, Mets
2.1: Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants
2.1: Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates
1.7: Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers
1.6: Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles
1.2:Max Clark, CF, Tigers
1.2: Luis Lara, CF, Brewers
1.1: George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees
Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic reports that the Tigers have fired Head Athletic Trainer Ryan Eubanks, as well as Assistant Athletic Trainer Chris MacDonald. The incredible number of soft tissue, non-contact injuries suffered by the Tigers this season no doubt played a role. The Tigers have already parted ways with long-time assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves, as well as first base coach Anthony Sanders. After the way this season went there are probably more changes coming. I’ll not again that the Tigers still don’t have a director of pitching in the minor leagues almost a year after Gabe Ribas left to join the Colorado Rockies coaching staff.
Rogelio Castillo, writing for Tigers Roundtable, considers the case of Colt Keith, who continues to be a modestly above average run producer, but still doesn’t have a defensive home.
Baseball America did its annual look at best tools from each team’s new draft class. As you’d expect, first rounder Cameron Flukey gets the highest marks for his fastball, which is among the best in the whole draft class, as well as his pair of breaking balls. They also mention second rounder Tyson LeBlanc’s breakout with the bat this season, calling his the best hit tool in the Tigers’ draft class, while fourth rounder Dominic Pellegrin gets high marks for his speed and defensive ability. In terms of secondary pitches, Flukey’s breaking stuff draws high marks, but Florida Gulf Coast RHP Evan Dempsey (2s) also has multiple high-quality breaking balls and advanced spin capacity overall. Another option here is the screwball-like changeup that Louisiana Tech RHP Declan Dahl (5) parachutes over the plate.
Jason Beck for MLB.com wrote about Framber Valdez’s first season as a Tiger, pointing to comments from AJ Hinch as to how the Tigers are trying to help him avoid the early game ambushes that marred numerous starts this year.
Max Clark played like a Top 25 hitter in baseball ⚡️
The big leaguewide news on Thursday was a new set of proposals from MLB to the players’ union regarding the new CBA. Those proposals include cutting the season to 154 games, planning a regular day off per week for teams as a result, while using that off day to showcase one game featuring two top teams on a national broadcast. The minor leagues and the NPB already both have Monday off for the whole league outside of special exceptions. MLB also floated the idea that top seeds in the postseason should get to pick their opponent, as well as expanding the divisional round to best-of-seven formats. Simply put, they want more lucrative postseason baseball to broadcast, and cutting back regular season games allows them to trim some player payroll as well.
Aaron Judge wants the Yankees front office to keep Aaron Boone and go “all in” to win next season. I don’t know, maybe having their best player on the field in the postseason would do the trick.
RotoGraphs looks at five hitters who broke out in 2026 to see if they can be trusted next year.
Finally, Manny Machado was robbed of a potential game-tying home run in Game 4 of their NLDS series against the Brewers. It was extremely reminiscent of another time Machado was robbed in right center field at Petco Park. That’s tough work from your home stadium, but those low walls do create opportunities for exciting robberies. And hey, at least there’s no roofs involved…
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees slides into third base during Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Another year, another disappointing postseason exit for the Yankees, who were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series after another frustrating and heartbreaking defeat on Wednesday night. The Bombers haven’t won it all since 2009, and they are evidently falling behind other organizations in recent years despite their high payroll.
What’s preventing the Yankees from lifting the World Series trophy again? What’s keeping them from competing toe to toe against the very best? That’s a long, complex question, but from this particular writer’s perspective, five reasons stand out. This is not meant to be a ranking, rather a full accounting of possible causes. There’s no one cure-all; most, if not all, will need to be addressed come 2027.
Underachieving in the regular season
Since 2021, the Yankees have failed to win at least 90 games just once, when they were 82-80 in 2023 and missed the postseason. However, they have captured the division just twice out of those six seasons.
Home-field advantage is big in October, and failing to win the division means they won’t get it if they advance to the Division Series. Of course, winning on the road is a must for every top-tier contender—the 1996 Yankees famously went 8-0 on the road en route to their championship—but higher-seeded squads who additionally play most of their games at home are notoriously hard to beat, as the Yankees have repeatedly found out.
The Yankees haven’t enjoyed home-field advantage in any of the postseason series they’ve lost, dating all the way back to the beginning of this run with Aaron Judge in 2017. Houston somewhat infamously had it in the 2017, 2019, and 2022 ALCS battles; Boston had it in 2018 and 2021; Tampa Bay had it in 2020 (albeit at empty Petco) and 2026; the Dodgers had it 2024; and the Blue Jays had it in 2025. Obviously the Yankees have had issues fending off top playoff foes in their own ballpark anyway, but that’s also all after falling behind the eight-ball in a hurry in so many of those early-series games.
Failure to consistently put the ball in play
Unlike the Jays-Yankees 2025 AL Division Series, the home run output of both the Rays and the Yankees in this year’s matchup was fairly close, with Tampa Bay winning the battle 3-2. However, they struck out 18 times, and the Yankees 31. New York also lost the strikeout battle in that 2025 series vs. the Blue Jays, 37-24. Those are some lopsided totals. You can’t strike out that much and expect to win, especially if the power production isn’t there.
Yes, power is huge in the postseason. It’s almost always a deciding factor. But in instances in which pitching is so good, every detail counts. Putting the ball in play matters, too, and that’s a department in which the 2026 Yankees often failed: in the regular season, they were second in home runs, but 26th in batting average (.235) and fourth in strikeout percentage (K%, at 24.7 percent).
Lack of elite up-the-middle defense and athleticism
Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, and Ryan Vilade—just to name a few—aren’t particularly good defenders (Caminero did make some strides this year). However, they are all corner guys. Up the middle, they have mostly elite defenders such as shortstop Taylor Walls, second baseman Richie Palacio, and outfielders Chandler Simpson and Jonny DeLuca.
Walls finished the 2026 campaign with 21 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at shortstop, while Simpson had eight DRS and eight Outs Above Average (OAA) while playing mostly left field. DeLuca racked up five DRS and 13 (!) OAA in 787 innings in the outfield.
The Yanks had Trent Grisham and his -8 DRS and -6 OAA, clearly having lost much more than a step in center. Spencer Jones could be a bit of an adventure out there, too. The promising, but still inexperienced and erratic George Lombard Jr. was at shortstop. And, well, Jazz Chisholm Jr., doesn’t always make the best decisions on the field.
True contenders should have elite athletes making plays on the field and helping their pitching staff.
Flaws in player evaluation
At this point, it’s clear that the Rays have the clear edge here and make excellent use of their resources and modern approach to player analysis and evaluation. The Yankees, on the other hand, appear to be a step behind the elite and need new voices, methods, and practices. Whereas they have a good handle on their pitching apparatus with Matt Blake, James Rowson’s work since taking over the job at the start of 2024 has been a mixed bag, especially when Aaron Judge wasn’t available. No team plays at its best without its top player, but the Yankees were a bottom-10 offense from June 1st onward. Their ALDS was the worst of any offense in franchise history.
You see the difference between the two organizations in the seemingly ‘little’ things such as picking the right manager, lineup construction, defensive alignment, player development practices, coaching, and more. They are definitely not ‘little’.
Lack of fundamentals
Let’s face it: the Yankees lack fundamentals. We are not talking about playing small ball, executing sac bunts, hit-and-run, moving the runners, or things like that. We mean making the routine plays, swinging with purpose at the right pitches, laying off those outside the strike zone, running hard to first base and putting pressure on the fielders, playing defense the right (and smart) way, and exercising controlled aggressiveness on the basepaths.
Truly elite squads rarely give away outs on the basepaths, as Austin Wells did in Game 1. They don’t commit four errors in a postseason game (and even more misplays) as the Yankees did on Monday. They don’t try to force plays where they just don’t exist, or expand the strike zone so much.
Former Westlake High star Christian Yelich leads the former Southland products playing for the Brewers. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)
If the Brewers are going to take down the heavily favored Dodgers, their group of Southland products will be key in the National League Championship Series that begins Sunday in Milwaukee.
This is awesome: @ChristianYelich sent a letter to the high school seniors at his alma mater.
Former Westlake star Christian Yelich is Mr. Brewer. He’s a three-time All-Star and the National League MVP in 2018. He’s always been willing to come back to the community and make contributions.
Giving back. Christian Yelich and Max Fried signing autographs on Saturday for Altadena Little Leaguers. pic.twitter.com/3fzOBF5bCw
First baseman Jake Bauers is a Marina High graduate who lost in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game at Dodger Stadium to Jack Flaherty and Harvard-Westlake 1-0. Here’s a look at Bauers this season.
Former Marina first baseman Jake Bauers has 21 home runs for the Milwaukee Brewers. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NLCS is set. The ALCS isn’t. The Senior Circuit’s juggernaut is still in play, while the Junior Circuit, regardless of the outcome of the Division Series, will be sending an underdog to the Fall Classic. (Can you really call the Rays an underdog when they’ve been one of the best teams in baseball this season? That’s a semantic question I don’t particularly care to get into).
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 05: A general view before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 5, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are 166 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. Whether an Orioles game (or any MLB game) happens on that date or any time close after is not something we are going to know until probably mid-February, when spring training begins. I’m already dreading having nothing going on in December and January, not that I expect anyone reading this to share the particular concerns of running a baseball blog.
For now, there are the playoffs as a diversion. Except, there won’t be any games played today. Both National League series wrapped up in four games, setting up a Dodgers-Brewers NLCS rematch. Their division series would have played Game 5 today. That wasn’t needed after all.
There will be one more division series game played on Friday. The Guardians-White Sox series is going five games. They will be traveling today. Cleveland piled on the runs against Chicago to knot their series at 2-2. They staved off elimination after losing both games at home to start the series. It won’t mean much if they lose their last home game as well. This Game 4 happened to be the first time all postseason that a team that scored at least four runs lost the game. The White Sox managed this because they gave up many more than four runs in the process.
Seeing these games play out, it really calls to attention what the good teams and good-enough teams have that the Orioles do not. Maybe if they had managed to sneak in, they might have had enough to knock off the Astros, and you could probably argue there’s better pitching in the O’s stable than what the White Sox have been able to bring to bear this postseason. Mostly though, the Orioles aren’t on this level. Certainly not on the level of most of the teams that will play in the league championship series round.
Can it be better next season? That’s the question we all want to know the answer to. The labor situation means that this is not a great offseason to be a team trying to enact different plans for your players, because coaches and management will not be able to check in with anybody after the lockout hits on December 1. It will take until spring training – whenever that comes along – to start to see who really did the work and who was, as Chris Bassitt recently put it when assessing the 2026 team, just checking the boxes.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
What process are the Orioles trusting? (Defector) It’s always worth reading when Defector turns its sights on the Orioles, even though you know this only happens when things aren’t going well.
Orioles missteps testing limits of fan support (The Baltimore Sun) The team managed to draw around 25,000 more fans this year than last year. If things don’t improve early next year, I wonder what that picture is going to look like.
Six Orioles ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 (MASN) Is this worth anything? Here’s an indirect way of answering that: The last time the Orioles had six top 100 prospects on this list was at the start of the 2023 season. These were the prospects: Colton Cowser, DL Hall, Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg. You don’t need me to tell you what those six players collectively contributed to the 2026 Orioles.
2026 Orioles draft report card (Baseball America) Subscription required to see the thoughts on this year’s draft. People like it! For now.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1966, the Orioles won their first World Series title by finishing a sweep of the Dodgers. Frank Robinson hit a home run that scored the game’s only run; Dave McNally pitched a four-hit shutout as the O’s knocked off the defending champions.
In 1971, the Orioles beat the Pirates in Game 1 of the World Series. McNally featured again, throwing a three-hit complete game as the O’s won, 5-3.
In 1996, Jeffrey Maier happened. I’m never going to be over it until the Orioles win a title in my lifetime.
In 2014, the Orioles reached a contract extension with J.J. Hardy in between the division series and ALCS rounds of the postseason. Although this seemed exciting at the time, Hardy had negative value in two of the three years of the new contract.
There are a few former Orioles who have birthdays today. They are: 2015-16 reliever Chaz Roe, 2013 four-game outfielder Jason Pridie, and 2001-13 infielder Brian Roberts. Today is Roberts’s 49th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you as well! Your birthday buddies for today include: French scandal figure Alfred Dreyfus (1859), baseball Hall of Famer Rube Marquard (1886), The Beatles member John Lennon (1940), movie maker Guillermo del Toro (1964), University of Maryland basketball standout Juan Dixon (1978), and professional organizer Marie Kondo (1984).
On this day in history…
In 1806, Prussia launched the War of the Fourth Coalition against Napoleonic France. Nine months later, the war was over and Prussia lost half of its territory in the peace settlements.
In 1919, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, a series that is now known for the Black Sox scandal.
In 1986, The Phantom of the Opera opened in London. The musical is still continuously running in the West End, though its record-setting Broadway run ended in 2023. Phantom is only the second-longest-running West End musical, trailing the previous year’s Les Miserables – also still running continuously there since its premiere.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 9. Have a safe Friday.
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski reacts after striking out San Diego's Luis Campusano during Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 3. (Kayla Wolf / Associated Press)
Tanner Scott stuck upside-down beers in Friedman’s shirt. Alex Freeland dumped beer into his mouth and all over his face. Eric Lauer coordinated a sneak attack, announcing that he was heading to the showers before reappearing from a side entrance.
Friedman never stopped grinning. But it almost looked like he had an extra glint in his eye when asked whether he’d rather take on the Milwaukee Brewers or San Diego Padres in the NLCS.
Later that night, the Brewers advanced, locking in an NLCS rematch that could certainly deliver chaos.
The Dodgers and Brewers are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time in nine years. Last season, the Dodgers swept Milwaukee in the NLCS.
Usually before playing a big-market team like the Dodgers, Brewers manager Pat Murphy leans into the underdog narrative by saying he suspects the opponent can’t name many of the Brewers players. But by becoming perennial playoff contenders, and posting the best record in the majors over the past two seasons, the Brewers have given up whatever anonymity they may have had when they promoted Murphy a few years ago.
The cast of characters on both sides has remained relatively consistent since last October. But even after trading away top pitcher Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee is a more complete team than last season.
But losing talented players hasn’t stopped the Brewers from winning the last four NL Central titles. They keep saying goodbye to top players — including Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, closer Devin Williams and shortstop Willy Adames — then raise their win total.
The biggest difference-maker has been Jacob Misiorowski, who had the lowest ERA (1.80) in the majors this season and is the NL Cy Young favorite. As a rookie last year, the flame-thrower was relegated to the postseason bullpen until the NLCS. This year, he was the Brewers’ Game 1 starter in the NLDS against the Padres.
The Brewers have long hung their hat on playing sound baseball, from pitching and defense to baserunning. But the knock on them has been the lack of thump in their lineup.
First baseman Jake Bauers had a career season, leading the team in home runs (26), on-base percentage (.389) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.873). Jackson Chourio, who was hobbled by a hamstring injury in the last NLCS, hit a career-high 25 home runs and led the team in slugging percentage (.487). And though the Brewers likely won’t out-slug the Dodgers — they hit 50 fewer home runs during the season — they have a pesky roster that stole 90 more bases.
The Brewers also had a better regular-season record (103-59) than the Dodgers (100-62), so the series will begin in Milwaukee on Sunday.
Signs point to a more competitive series than last year. The Brewers even entered the postseason with the better World Series odds (18.5%) than the Dodgers (16.7%), according to Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA standings.
“The mistake that the outside perspective kind of gets sometimes is to underestimate certain teams,” said Kiké Hernández as the Dodgers celebrated their NLDS victory. “And we knew we had a tough task ahead of us. [The Braves are] a team that was playing really good baseball, had a lot of momentum, and they were throwing the ball really well. They had a really good bullpen, a lot of different kinds of arms, and, fortunately for us, they were a little bit short on starting pitching, so they had to tax their bullpen to a point where it paid off for us.”
The Dodgers ended the series before it returned to Los Angeles for an if-necessary Game 5. So they got to turn their attention to the Brewers a couple days early.
“I think the strength of our team is our rotation,” Friedman said. “And so even if we weren’t able to reset it, we still feel like it would be a strength of ours. But to be able to line it up the way we want to, certainly advantageous. To be able to have a few days off our feet and rest up for Sunday, also really helpful.”
SPRINGFIELD, MO - AUGUST 30: Tre Richardson III #8 of the Springfield Cardinals high fives teammates prior to the game between the San Antonio Missions and the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in Springfield, Missouri. (Photo by Kaylee Vaughan/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
VEB points will be awarded to contributors who can identify the prospect on the opening screen. Hint…one of the most surprising break-out performances of the 2026 season, especially in regards to power.
What was going on in the minor leagues?
If you haven’t heard, power numbers are up throughout the minor leagues. Most notably, the power numbers are REALLY up in the levels AA back down through Low-A. AAA? Not so much. Almost flat-earth at AAA. The AAA league the Redbirds play in has seen only a .3% change in HR rate.
Baseball America (behind a paywall) recently published on article on the very topic I’ve been monitoring for a bit. For those with BA subscriptions, you can read it here. If you don’t have a subscription, you can satisfy yourself with my high-level summary of their work (which as usual is very good – their work).
You can see from the data points above the MiLB scoring has hit a high point in 2026. The data is a little slim to determine if that ratchet up from 2024-2025 is extreme or if it just looks that way because those 2024 and 2025 years were down years. Regardless, scoring is up.
Sure enough, homerun rates follow a similar trajectory. Lots more, especially this year. Why? First, BA stripped out AAA runs and HRs and found that the AAA experience is not nearly as extreme as the other 4 MiLB levels. Suspicious? They naturally land on the different baseball being used as a likely culprit. Intuitive, but I’m not sure they convinced me of the leap from increased HR = increased runs = juiced MiLB baseball. I checked with some Cardinal folks and they too believe that while there may be something there, the jury is still out on what or how much.
Moving on, BA focused on actual batted ball data out of the Florida State League (FSL). Every team (except Daytona) has Hawkeye systems installed, so they get the proverbial Statcast data that is publicly available.
Authors Note: You guys have seen my prior articles on Cardinals and the Technology Revolution. Through my research for this article, I was able to confirm that the Cardinals now have Hawkeye installed at all affiliates except the Florida Complex League (if you’ve seen the backfield they play on, you’d understand why not there). Now that the FSL is done, some FCL guys will play at RDS and they will get some fine detail on those players.
Long story short, in looking at the FSL data, BA found that a lot of the unusual increase in homeruns fell into a group of batted balls I would consider mid-tier EV fly balls (95-105 mph) hit at an optimal trajectory, where the avg fly ball seems to travel about 5-10 feet farther this year, leading them to suspect the ball. This finding appears to account for about 50% of the increase in runs/HRs. More specifically, they found that mostly it was the pulled and opposite field fly balls that experienced the unusual HR increase, not so much balls hit to the deepest part. Stated succinctly, a fly ball pulled (or hit opp0) that travels 350 feet instead of 340 has a pretty high chance of changing from a deep fly to a wall-scraping HR. Unlike a ball hit to centerfield, where a 350 foot flyball looks an awful lot like a 340 foot fly ball and likely has the same result as last year. Good points.
That is my summary of BA’s fine work. If you want more detail, check it out in the link above.
I’ll add to this a little science. Two batted ball metrics that affect the balls flight are the Coefficient of Resistance (COR) and drag. Interestingly, one of the weird effects of drag is that some balls hit in that mid-tier EV mph range and hit at an optimal angle tend to generate a little extra lift at the end of their journey and have a tendency to float, so a not quite barreled fly ball may float a bit if it was hit at the optimal launch angle (think: between like 27 and 30 degrees). Not dissimilar to how an airplane wing generates optimal lift at the right attack angle – not too steep, not too shallow.
So the BA data may indeed be showing us a different ball, but it may also be showing us that the hitting instructional evolution around optimizing swing path is beginning to take hold at the lower minors and making the hitting experience down there more similar to the upper minors and MLB.
How does it affect evaluation of Cardinal prospects?
I spoke with Director of Hitting Dalton Hurd about this topic. They really evaluate players on their process, less so their results. Swing path, swing decisions, launch angle, etc., etc. are what they look at. In a sense, they value process over results. Not that you ignore results, but if the process is right, they expect good results. If one year the environment produces great (instead of good) results due to the ball or the weather or whatever, they can kind of wash that out by remaining focused on the process of hitting. Not quite said, but suggested, was the implication that better coaching, league wide, is likely contributing to better launch angles and higher EV.
For years, we’d look at stat lines of players in a place like Low-A (or previously High-A) Palm Beach, and we would have to remind ourselves that a .710 OPS by a 19-year-old really wasn’t that bad, because the run environment was harsh on hitters, particularly ones who hadn’t fully matured yet. We’d attenuate our evaluation due to the environment the player experienced. Now we look in 2026 and find that the run environment isn’t quite so harsh. Why? Well, the BA article says about 50% of the offensive increase is likely due to the baseball. But what about the fact that RDS fences were moved in after the 2024 season? Also, what about the overall reduction in players due to minor league contraction and reductions in the draft length?
I did do a wee little bit of research to see if Park Factors for a renovated RDS might be part of the equation. Pre-renovation, using 2023 numbers, run production in RDS is pretty much the same (RDS suppresses runs by about 10%) as it was in 2026. Interestingly, HR suppression improved quite a bit, from an abysmal 81 in 2023 to 94 (still below average) in 2026. Ball? Or park? Or hitters? Or all of the above?
I was reminded not to overlook that the minor leagues were compresses and the draft shorten. This could theoretically have the effects that: 1) the remaining group is by definition higher quality and you’d expect higher output and 2) don’t be shocked if you looked closely and found that some higher OPS, higher whiff guys are now coming up the system faster, instead of marinating in the Complex League longer. Higher OPS, higher whiff translate to higher EV and higher HR rates, which is what BA observed as the major eye catcher when looking at the data. Even if that player strikes out a ton. True outcomes and all…
We discussed a group of players who blazed through High-A Peoria at a time when the whole Midwest League was experiencing quite a jump in HR rates. This group will include some familiar names – Tai Peete, Won-Bin Cho, Rainel Rodriguez, Jack Gurevitch, Tre Richardson III. If you are a honk for “the MiLB ball is juiced”, you will have some trouble explaining how exactly the plethora of HRs hit by that group at Peoria seemed to follow them to Springfield and didn’t stay behind in Peoria to boost up the other players, as Peoria saw a drop in offense mid-season as those guys moved up. Notably, at the same time a weak Springfield offense saw quite a surge. Everyone I spoke with denied shipping pallets of juiced baseballs from Peoria to Springfield along with the players. Also, a juiced ball doesn’t explain how each of these phenoms struggled early after their promotion and then found the right adjustment to take off (again). It’s not like the AA league quit using a “juiced ball” for a couple of weeks to confound RainRod honks.
Hurd told me they really discourage players from trying to take advantage of environmental things (like a short porch of whatever) and just stick with the process. A good swing will produce good results. Good launch angle, good EV will produce good results over time. Trust the process, they say. He said in all five cases, each of those players had successfully made observable adjustments that explains their success. Not spoken, but by implication, this suggests a player seeing an increase in offense but is not advancing may be someone who isn’t really adjusting their approach but perhaps riding the wave that lifts everyone. I didn’t ask specifically, but one might think of Sammy Hernandez in this vein.
He did acknowledge that the ball could be having some effect, although he thought the jury is still out on how much. I gathered they somewhat ignore the unusual results because they are universal. If Cardinal hitters were NOT experiencing some extra oomph and everyone else was, they’d be more concerned about it. Also, they recognize there are so many uncontrollable factors involved in hitting and it could swing back the other way next year. So they focus on what they can control – the hitting process.
In the end, the story seems to be about trusting the hitting process, and that good process leads to good results (and advancement). And recognizing that much of hitting involves a lot of things the hitters can’t control like game time, temperature, humidity, pitch quality, the ball, etc.
A rabbit hole
One thing that came up that I haven’t yet had time to fully digest. Part of the hitting evolution involves where to contact the baseball relative to the plate. Since pulling the ball requires getting to the ball further out front (and going oppo allows for the ball to travel further), I think we’d have to look not only at whether pulled/opps hits are more likely to scrape over the wall, we’d need to know if more balls are being contacted well out front (close to 36” in front of the plate) and/or allowed to travel deeper in the zone (less than 30” for an opposite field direction).
Note: This little morsel is something I’ve been poking on since it seems to be something the Brewers have discovered that no other team has. The Brewers have a pretty strong tendency to allow the ball to travel and hit the ball oppo during most game situations. They essentially sacrifice power for OBP through scattering the ball to all fields and having increased contact, instead of selling out for pull side power. This approach defeats shifting, but also sags HR rates.
Fascinatingly, in high leverage situations, they revert more to pull side power. While their overall HR rate is very low by modern MLB standards, their close-and-late HR rate is average. Like they change hitting approaches mid-game. Interesting. It stands to reason that some of the data on MiLB runs is the opposite of this…most teams are selling out for launch angle with pull side power, and those slightly mis-hit, wall scraping HRs might well be the end result of that. This winter, I might try and dig into a data source that tells me how much MiLB hitters are trying to make contact well out in front of the plate. Getting pitch-by-pitch data on MiLB batters that would include contact point might be challenging, though. If only StL made that Hawkeye data available…
1919 – Chicago White Sox starter Lefty Williams gets just one man out in the first inning and the Cincinnati Reds go on to a 10-5 victory. Cincinnati wins the best-of-nine World Series in eight games. A year after the Series ends, the White Sox will become the “Black Sox“, and eight players will be barred from baseball for taking part in throwing the Series, including Williams who was allegedly threatened before the game to make sure the outcome is no longer in doubt after the first inning.
1920 – Several hours before the start of Game 4 of the World Series, Brooklyn’sRube Marquard, a Cleveland native, is arrested when he tries to sell a ticket to an undercover cop for $350. He will be found guilty and fined a dollar and court costs ($3.80). For their first World Series game on the lakefront, 25,734 Indians fans watch their home team score two in the first and two in the third off Leon Cadore and Al Mamaux. Cleveland wins the game, 5-1.
1958 – The New York Yankees’Bob Turley pitches 6.2 shutout innings in relief to beat the Milwaukee Braves, 6-2, for the World Series title. New York becomes the first team since 1925 to win the World Series after being down three games to one.
1966 – In the World Series, Dave McNally of the Baltimore Orioles wraps up a brilliant pitching display, and a World Championship, with a four-hit 1-0 victory. Frank Robinson‘s home run off Don Drysdale gives Baltimore a surprising sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 33 consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Baltimore sets a World Series record.
2017 – In the ALDS, Houston eliminates Boston with a 5-4 win in Game 4. Boston takes a 3-2 lead in the 5th on a two-run homer by Andrew Benintendi off Justin Verlander, making the first relief appearance of his career. In the eighth, Alex Bregman ties it with a solo homer off Chris Sale, also making an unexpected relief outing, before Carlos Beltran drives in the go-ahead run with a single off closer Craig Kimbrel.
Today in Cubs history:
1938 – In the World Series, the New York Yankees become the first team to win three successive World Championships, defeating the Cubs, 8-3. Red Ruffing posts his second victory of the Series as the Yankees sweep the Cubs for the second time in six years.
2015 – John Lackey is the star, pitching 7.1 innings during which he gives up no runs on two hits, making a 1-0 Cardinals lead dating back to the 1st inning hold. The Cards score three more runs in the bottom of the eighth, on a pinch-hit homer by Tommy Pham and a two-run shot by Stephen Piscotty, and end up 4-0 winners over the Cubs and Jon Lester.
2017 – Max Scherzer pitches no-hit ball until one out in the seventh, when Ben Zobrist hits a double for the Cubs then scores the tying run on a single by pinch-hitter Albert Almora. In the eighth, Anthony Rizzo drops a hit between a trio of players in the outfield to allow Leonys Martin to score from second, and Chicago wins Game 3 of the NLDS, 2-1, over Washington.
2025 – In the other NLDS, Ian Happ hits a three-run homer off Freddy Peralta in the bottom of the 1st, and it’s all the runs the Cubs need as they go on to defeat the Brewers, 6-0. The win forces a decisive Game 5 to be played.
1000 – Leif Erikson reaches “Vinland” (possibly L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada), reputedly becoming the first European to reach North America.
1781 – Americans under George Washington and the French under Comte de Rochambeau begin bombardment of Yorktown, the last battle of American Revolutionary War.
1924 – Municipal Grant Park Stadium in Chicago, Illinois (later known as Soldier Field) is officially dedicated.
1936 – Hoover Dam begins transmitting electricity to Los Angeles.
1965 – The Beatles’ single “Yesterday” goes No. 1 and stays there for four weeks.
2012 – Women’s rights and education activist Malala Yousafzai is shot by a Taliban gunman as she tries to board her school bus in the Swat district of northwest Pakistan.
2022 – Brightest cosmic explosion ever seen: a gamma-ray burst 2.4 billion light-years away, believed to be a massive star collapsing to form a black hole in a 1-in-10,000-year event.
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers are back in the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive season and the third time in the last nine years, and they’ll face the Dodgers once again — the third time facing L.A. in the NLCS, and their fourth time facing them in the postseason. Milwaukee was swept a season ago, but they’ve improved from last season, while the Dodgers mostly maintained their status quo. Does the Crew have what it takes to get past them this time?
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: A general view between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are heading into an important offseason after another NL East title ended with a disappointing postseason exit. While the team put together a 94 win season, there is still work to be done if Atlanta hopes to make a deeper playoff run in 2027. With plenty to evaluate from the past season, it’s time to look at what went right, what fell short, and what changes could help the Braves get back to the World Series.
MLB News:
Major League Baseball has proposed a shorter regular season and changes to the playoff format. The Players Association is working to review the proposals.
The ALDS is headed to Game 5 after Thursday’s matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees speaks to the media prior to Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Ringer | Ben Glicksman: The Yankees have, famously, not beaten a team seeded higher than them in October under Aaron Boone’s leadership*. There are a number of structural problems with the organization, and it’s never entirely clear how much influence any manager has in MLB in 2026, but a case is starting to be made on the beat that it’s time to move on from Boonie. He still has a year on his contract, but any manager on a one-year deal should feel some shaky ground anyway.
*Save for a best-of-three 2020 Wild Card Series in Cleveland with no fans in attendance. Make of that what you will.
New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Anthony Volpe nearly had the biggest moment of the Yankees’ playoff run, a home run that tied the decisive Game 3 at four runs apiece. Upon further review, that fourth run was taken back, and Volpe was sent to second base. It was at best a mercurial season for the former top prospect, who with Jazz Chisholm Jr. set to hit free agency now finds himself as a potential Opening Day starter at second base in 2027, even after losing the shortstop job. (Chisholm says he wants to stay, but at least right now, it seems like it won’t be a match.) On a roster with so many question marks for this winter, Tony Fox is one of the bigger ones.
New York Post | Dan Martin: Speaking of question marks, here’s a helpful list! The biggest cloud to clear is how many games the 2027 season features, as labor strife needs to be resolved before anything else starts to matter. The Yankees have to agree to new contracts with both Brian Cashman and Matt Blake, as well as QO decisions for Chisholm and David Bednar. That’s just the start of the to-do list for a very busy, very uncertain winter.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens ($): We close with a little more pan-baseball news, as Clemens breaks down the optimal ways to deploy a starting rotation in October. The Chris Sale Wild Card decision loomed large at the time, and didn’t end up mattering in Atlanta’s NLDS loss to the Dodgers. FanGraphs has made their playoff coverage a subscriber-only feature, but it’s still a worthwhile read.
The Phillies’ season has ended, but 10 of their prospects are continuing their seasons in the Arizona Fall League.
The group is headlined by Aidan Miller, the organization’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 59 overall prospect. Miller is one of nine Phillies playing for the Surprise Saguaros. Catcher Luke Davis is playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
The Fall League features prospects from all 30 major-league organizations across six teams. Each team plays a 30-game schedule. The season began Oct. 3 and concludes with the championship game Nov. 14.
This tracker will be updated throughout the Fall League season.
Last updated: Oct. 8
Statistics through games played Oct. 7
Surprise was off Wednesday. Davis did not appear in Scottsdale’s 4-3 win over Peoria.
Phillies position-player tracker
Player
Team
G
H-AB
AVG/OBP/SLG
HR
RBI
SB
Aidan Miller
Surprise
2
3-7
.429/.667/.429
0
0
0
Aroon Escobar
Surprise
2
1-8
.125/.222/.125
0
0
0
Dante Nori
Surprise
2
2-10
.200/.200/.400
0
1
0
Kehden Hettiger
Surprise
2
3-8
.375/.500/.625
0
0
1
Luke Davis
Scottsdale
2
0-3
.000/.500/.000
0
0
0
Phillies pitching tracker
Player
G
IP
ERA
WHIP
K
BB
SV
Keegan Batka
1
1.0
18.00
2.00
1
0
0
Ryan Dromboski
1
3.1
0.00
1.20
1
1
0
Estibenzon Jiménez
1
1.0
0.00
0.00
2
0
1
Kevin Warunek
1
1.0
9.00
2.00
1
0
0
Andrew Walling
1
1.0
0.00
1.00
1
0
0
Aidan Miller, INF
Miller entered 2026 as the Phillies’ top-ranked position-player prospect, but a back injury kept him out until September and required surgery in June.
He returned to play four regular-season games between the Florida Complex League and Double-A Reading, going 4-for-12 with three doubles, two walks and two RBIs. Miller remained with Reading during its run to the Eastern League championship and started all four playoff games at third base, his first professional action at the position.
Miller was originally assigned to the Arizona Fall League in 2025 but did not play because of his back. He has started at third base and designated hitter through his first two games this fall.
He opened the Fall League with one hit and two walks against Scottsdale. Miller followed by reaching base five times against Glendale, going 2-for-3 with two walks and a hit by pitch.
Aroon Escobar, INF
Escobar spent the entire 2026 season with Reading, where he hit .230 with a .332 on-base percentage and .347 slugging percentage in 132 games. He finished with 12 home runs, 17 doubles, 69 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.
His production improved late in the season. Escobar hit .372 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over 12 games in September.
Escobar is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason. The Phillies must add him to their 40-man roster to prevent another organization from selecting him.
He went 1-for-4 with a walk in his Fall League debut before going hitless in four at-bats against Salt River.
Dante Nori, OF
Nori is the only member of this year’s Phillies group who also played in the 2025 Arizona Fall League.
The Phillies’ 2024 first-round selection was limited to 67 games with Reading this season because of a stress fracture in his hip. He hit .244 with a .318 on-base percentage and .360 slugging percentage, recording three home runs, five triples, 13 doubles, 26 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Nori also represented Italy in the World Baseball Classic before beginning his minor-league season.
He opened the Fall League by going 2-for-5 with a triple, one RBI and one run scored against Scottsdale. He went hitless in five at-bats in his second game.
Kehden Hettiger, C/1B
Hettiger played 61 games for Reading in 2026, hitting .191 with a .317 on-base percentage and .348 slugging percentage. He recorded eight home runs, eight doubles and 20 RBIs.
The left-handed-hitting catcher missed time with knee injuries during the season. He did not play during August before returning to Reading in September.
Hettiger threw out 24 percent of attempted base stealers during the regular season.
He has three hits and two walks through his first two Fall League games. Two of his three hits have been doubles.
Luke Davis, C/1B
Davis is the lone Phillies player not playing for Surprise. Scottsdale needed another catcher, so Davis was assigned to the Scorpions while the other nine Phillies prospects joined the Saguaros.
Davis hit .201 with a .367 on-base percentage and .336 slugging percentage over 188 plate appearances in 2026. He finished with four home runs and 23 RBIs while playing primarily for High-A Jersey Shore.
He drew 39 walks against 51 strikeouts during the regular season.
Davis walked in his lone plate appearance in Scottsdale’s opener against Surprise. He then went 0-for-3 with two walks against Mesa. He is hitless in three at-bats but has reached base three times through two games.
Keegan Batka, RHP
Batka began the season with Single-A Clearwater and finished it with Reading.
The 24-year-old made 35 relief appearances across three levels, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 51⅔ innings. He struck out 69 batters, walked 17 and recorded seven saves.
Batka began the season with 12⅓ consecutive scoreless innings over his first 10 appearances with Clearwater. He later pitched 24 games for Jersey Shore before making one appearance for Reading.
He allowed two earned runs on two hits over one inning in his Fall League debut.
Ryan Dromboski, RHP
Dromboski made 18 starts and one relief appearance between Jersey Shore and Reading. He went 3-10 with a 5.56 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 81 innings, striking out 80 and walking 40.
The South Jersey native spent most of the season with Jersey Shore, where he posted a 4.89 ERA over 73⅔ innings. He allowed four earned runs over his final 20⅔ innings at that level.
Dromboski made two starts for Reading in September. He struck out eight over five innings in his second Double-A start.
He worked 3⅓ scoreless innings in his Fall League debut, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out one.
Estibenzon Jiménez, RHP
Jiménez pitched exclusively as a reliever in 2026 after making 60 starts over his first five professional seasons.
The right-hander went 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 35 appearances across four levels. He struck out 51 batters over 45⅓ innings and converted all seven of his save opportunities.
Jiménez spent most of the season with Reading, where he posted a 2.84 ERA and recorded seven saves in 28 appearances.
He earned the save in his first Fall League appearance, striking out two during a perfect ninth inning against Salt River.
Kevin Warunek, LHP
Warunek made 17 appearances across four levels during a season that included multiple stints on the injured list.
The left-hander went 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 21 innings. He struck out 26 and walked 12.
Warunek pitched for the Florida Complex League Phillies, Clearwater, Jersey Shore and Reading. His final regular-season appearance came with Reading on Sept. 12, when he worked one scoreless inning.
He allowed one earned run on two hits over one inning in his Fall League debut against Salt River. Warunek struck out one and did not issue a walk.
Andrew Walling, LHP
Walling replaced Jose Peña Jr. on the Surprise roster. Peña remained at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater while recovering from elbow discomfort.
Walling was limited to 11 appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley after suffering an elbow sprain. He went 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA and one save over 10⅓ innings. The left-hander struck out 16 and walked 15.
Walling was placed on the injured list in May and transferred to the 60-day injured list in July.
He allowed one hit over a scoreless inning in his Fall League debut against Salt River. Walling struck out one, did not issue a walk and needed 12 pitches to complete the inning.
Which Phillies played in Arizona last year?
Eight Phillies prospects appeared for Surprise during the 2025 Arizona Fall League season:
Dante Nori, OF
Bryan Rincon, INF
Dylan Campbell, OF/INF
Eiberson Castellano, RHP
Jack Dallas, RHP
Jaydenn Estanista, RHP
Daniel Harper, RHP
Tommy McCollum, RHP
Miller and Carson DeMartini were included in the Phillies’ original group, but neither played. Campbell and Rincon replaced them before the season began.
Nori hit .308 with a .386 on-base percentage and .436 slugging percentage in 12 games. He recorded one home run, two doubles, seven RBIs and two stolen bases.
Campbell hit .304 with a .419 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage in 19 games. He finished with four home runs, one triple, four doubles and 16 RBIs.
Dallas allowed one earned run over nine innings. Estanista posted a 5.63 ERA with 10 strikeouts over eight innings. McCollum recorded a 3.60 ERA with seven strikeouts over five innings.
Surprise defeated Peoria, 9-4, to win the 2025 Arizona Fall League championship.
Hagen Smith and Grant Taylor have been all over this American League Division Series for the Chicago White Sox, the rookie Smith starting two games and Taylor saving a pair himself as the papal-powered South Siders pushed their division rivals from Cleveland to the brink of elimination.
Yet like a volatile stock, Smith and Taylor and the White Sox are experiencing the cruel playoff reality of diminishing returns.
And as their stuff flattens out and Guardians hitters get more familiar with their repertoires, a 2-0 ALDS lead evaporated into the black of Rate Field.
Now they’re all in a free fall, with one faint chance to catch themselves.
Odds are, the White Sox’s season ends in a decisive Game 5 Saturday, Oct. 10 at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. It’s been a great run, their climb back from 121- and 102-loss seasons into the playoffs a well-documented, feel-great story.
But minus the horses traditionally associated with playoff teams, the White Sox are trying to head-fake their way through these playoffs with the ever-popular “pitching chaos,” where pretty much everybody pitches at least every other day, both to maximize platoon advantages and camouflage your own deficiencies.
It looked great when the White Sox won their first four postseason games, sweeping Houston in the wild-card series. Now?
They are just the latest club to prove this approach unsustainable – the latest illustration of Major League Baseball’s starting pitching crisis.
Hey, we know it’s not 1968 anymore, nor 2012, or even 2022. The starting pitcher is nearly extinct, in a global sense, a hard reality evidenced by four of the eight wild-card teams opting for bullpen games in Game 1 of their playoff openers.
Grim.
Our current predicament is more than a decade, maybe two, in the making. Teams opted to protect young pitching “assets” in the minor leagues, babying them and putting significant governors on innings.
The max velocity revolution exacerbated all those problems. For every Jacob Misiorowski, there were dozens of other pitchers who either blew out or could not pair power with precision consistently and ended up in a bullpen somewhere.
Which brings us to White Sox-Guardians.
In retrospect, it’s kind of remarkable the White Sox won 84 games, what with just three guys – Anthony Kay, Sean Burke and Davis Martin – making more than 15 starts. In this ALDS, Kay has been reduced to opener or situational guy, Martin virtually invisible and Burke a bulk pitcher.
That’s left Smith, the rookie from Arkansas who debuted in August, to start Game 1 of the wild card series. And Game 1 of the ALDS. And also Game 4 of the ALDS, with a relief appearance sandwiched into Game 3.
Like a boxer who came out a little too spry, his punches have failed to land as the bout dragged on.
He pitched a crisp 2 ⅓ innings in ALDS Game 1, striking out four but walking three. Less sharp in a Game 3 relief appearance, getting two outs while walking two, giving up a hit and a run.
And then Game 4, the black-clad Sox Park crowd roaring for a Cleveland kill shot. And Smith could only record one out, while walking three batters.
By night’s end, he’d faced 21 batters in this series – more than two whole trips through the Guardians lineup. Lots of looks.
He’s got nothing on Taylor, though. Taylor was the hero in Game 1, a stunning and efficient four-inning save in which he threw 42 pitches. After an off day, a four-out save in Game 2.
Yet by Game 4, the wheels came off.
Summoned in the sixth inning of a 4-4 tie, runner on second, Taylor, charitably, had nothing. The Guardians went single-walk-walk-single-single-single off him, 4-4 becoming 9-4 and clubhouse champagne giving way to a Friday flight to the shores of Lake Erie.
Little wonder. By the time Taylor took the ball in Game 4, he’d faced 18 Guardians. There were no more secrets.
Eventually, the discipline improves. The chase decreases. The balls get squared up, and chaos comes back to haunt you.
“They’re making really good swing decisions, making good contact,” White Sox manager Will Venable said after Game 4. “When you walk guys, they make you pay. We were able to get away with it the first couple games.”
Kind of the definition of “unsustainable.”
And consider this: There are two more playoff rounds remaining, both best-of-seven and not these three- and five-game tuneups. Imagine what the White Sox staff might look like at the end of a seven-game ALCS?
These are the sorts of things that get lost when half-serious proposals such as an expansion of the Division Series from five to seven games get tossed out.
Who's pitching Game 5 for White Sox?
Chicago’s pitching looks like it’s been through the Cuisinart already. Adrian Morejon, San Diego’s best reliever not named Mason Miller, lasted just two games in their NLDS before his shoulder barked too hard.
And now the Guardians and White Sox face one more all-hands meeting Saturday. Heck, Cleveland’s not in great shape either, with rookie ace Parker Messick struggling in both his starts and AL strikeout king Gavin Williams forced to get the final three outs of Game 4, simply because manager Stephen Vogt tried to stretch All-Star closer Cade Smith across two innings on consecutive nights.
Not enough pitching.
That’s where all these suboptimal decisions come from, and why it’s no coincidence the three teams safely on to the LCS round – the Dodgers, Rays and Brewers – have a deep well of arms to call upon.
Sure, maybe the Brewers only have two reliable starters in Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, but they truly lean on all their arms in leverage situations and, with off days, should navigate the remainder of the postseason just fine.
The White Sox? Well, in Game 5 they’re starting Burke – an actual starting pitcher, his second start this postseason. He’ll go as long and as hard as he can, and then Venable will have to hope the buttons he pushes don’t make the dashboard smoke.
Hope, they say, is not a plan. Eventually, well-considered chaos isn’t, either. And somehow the White Sox must find nine more innings to keep their dream season alive.
