Category: Baseball

The Mets have had a lot of turnover this offseason. Between trades and stars leaving in free agency, the team looks much different than the one that missed the playoffs just a few months ago. There are a few familiar faces left, though, who are hoping to help create and contribute to the next great Mets team.

One of them is young catcher Francisco Alvarez. 2026 will be his fourth season as the Mets’ starting catcher, and in his previous three full seasons he has been inconsistent to say the least. Some of that could be chalked up toa series of freak hand injuries. But during the second half of last season, he showed a side of himself that looked more like the top prospect that he was in 2022 and less like the inconsistent hitter he had become in 2024 and the first part of 2025.

Over the course of his career, Alvarez has hit .230/.306/.429, hitting 48 home runs and accumulating 143 RBI. He has a 105 wRC+ and 6.7 fWAR over parts of four seasons in the major leagues. He’s also been worth 8 fielding run value, putting him solidly middle of the pack as a defender in that time, 17th out of 38 qualified catchers.

Last season, Alvarez had his best offensive season, hitting .256/.339/.447 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 76 games. He had a 124 wRC+ and accumulated 1.8 fWAR. His defense was the worst of his career, however, being worth -6 FRV, putting him in the bottom tier of defensive catchers in the league. 

The second half of 2025 was when he really shined. After a month-long trip down to Triple-A, he came back with a vengeance. After the All-Star break, he hit .276/.360/.561, hitting eight of his eleven home runs and driving in 21 of his 32 RBI. In the second half he had a 157 wRC+, better than his season or career mark, and if it were over the course of a full season it would be his best of his career by a wide margin. 

Now, Alvarez’s main problem last season—and for most of his major league career—was that he was injury-prone. Over the course of his last two seasons, he has suffered a number of freak injuries. In 2024, he tore a ligament in his left thumb and missed nearly two months. And in 2025 he broke the hamate bone in his left hand and missed the first month of the season before with a compromised UCL in his right thumb for the last month of the season, an injury that eventually needed surgery after the season ended.

For next season, FanGraphs’ OOPSY projections expect Alvarez to have similar stats to his 2025 season. He’s projected to hit .242/.324/.447, with 20 home runs and a 117 wRC+. He’s projected to accumulate 3.0 fWAR, which is equal to his 2023 career best, and it has his defense bouncing back a bit. The defense would not be a surprise, as it’s possible his hamate injury in his catching hand might have impeded his defensive ability.

There are a lot of questions surrounding Francisco Alvarez’s 2026 season and the different possibilities. Will Alvarez be able to keep up his hitting form from the second half of 2025? Will he sustain another freak injury (or two)? Will he return to his defensive form of a couple years ago? If one or two of those go the right way, it could be a big step forward for the former top prospect.

Baseball season is back, and spring training is in full swing. With that, there has been opportunities for prospects to play with the Major League club and show what they can do. Below are some prospects that have stood out recently.

Hitter – Walker Janek

Janek was seen as the best defensive catcher in the 2024 draft, showing up a plus arm and a quick release. In 2025 the 23-year-old hit .263 with 21 doubles, 2 triples and 12 home runs over 92 games for High-A Asheville. He also added a surprising 30 stolen bases.

So far this spring he has played in seven games and is 5-for-11 with a 2 doubles, a home run, 5 runs batted in and 3 walks. He has also added four stolen bases. He has the highest OPS for anyone with more than one PA. This is a great start for Janek and sets him up well for 2026, where he should start the season in Double-A.

Hitter – Josh Wakefield

Wakefield was drafted by the Astros in the 14th round of the 2025 draft after a season at Grand Canyon University where he hit .349 in 50 games. The left-handed hitter doesn’t provide a ton of pop, but he has good bat to ball skills and solid speed that he can use offensively on the bases and defensively in the outfield.

Despite not appearing in a game last year after the draft, the Astros have given him some run this spring training. He’s appeared in nine games and is 3-for-9 (.333 BA) with a double and a run batted in. It’s a small sample, but a solid performance in his first few professional at-bats.

Pitcher – AJ Blubaugh

Blubaugh was a 7th round pick back in the 2022 draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Blubaugh was up and down a bit in 2025 but when he got a chance with the Astros, he showed off posting a 1.69 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 innings. The 2025 season showed that Blubaugh belongs with the big league club and should get some good long looks this season.

Blubaugh has made the most of his chances so far. The right-hander has pitched in four games and allowed 1 run over 7.2 innings while striking out 6 batters. He’s shown the high 90s fastball and based on stuff and production, it is going to be hard for the Astros to not have him on the Opening Day roster.

Pitcher – Michael Knorr

The Astros drafted Knorr in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft. Knorr spent his first three seasons at Cal State Fullerton before moving to Coastal Carolina for his senior year where he struck out 86 in 69 innings. Knorr struggled with some injuries, logging just 98 innings between 2023 and 2024. He pitched strictly in relief in 2025 posting a 5.03 ERA over 53.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

Knorr has some good raw stuff and shown that this spring running his fastball up to 97 MPH. So far he has pitched in three games and allowed 1 earned run over 3.1 innings (2.70 ERA) while striking out 3 batters. A solid showing for the right-hander and while he is already 25 years old, he still has a chance to make it up as a bullpen arm.

Good day friends and happy Wednesday!

The Mariners are coming off a split-squad split yesterday, besting the Rockies by a 10-6 final while dropping a game to the Padres 9-6.

The ongoing concern in Mariners camp regards the status of J.P. Crawford, whose shoulder imaging came back clean yesterday. However, the M’s are uncertain if he’ll be ready to start the season. Should he start the year on the injured list, who would you want to see open the year as the team’s starting shortstop?

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners announced the launch of Mariners SEA Change, an initiative focused on “ensuring access to baseball and softball”; “advancing inclusion and opportunity”; and “fostering a healthy and vibrant hometown.”
• Get ready to re-live the Mariners’ magical season.

• Don’t forget to get your predictions in for the 2026 MLB season!

In the World Baseball Classic…

• Eugenio Suárez was the late-game hero, knocking in a ninth-inning go-ahead double to secure the 3-2 WBC championship win for Venezuela over the USA.
• Joshua Diemert at Pinstripe Alley discussed his uncomfortability at seeing Team USA embrace such a military-forward mindset during the WBC.
• By contrast, Michael Clair wrote about Team Venezuela’s dance routine that they drummed up for the tournament.
• Hannah Keyser at CNN got the inside scoop on how people in the Italian homeland were reacting to the success of their WBC team.
• Though Nicaragua did not advance out of the group stage in this year’s tournament, manager Dusty Baker found coaching the group to be a worthwhile experience, writes Clinton Yates at Andscape.

Around the league…

• White Sox reliever Mike Vasil will undergo Tommy John surgery, taking him out for all of the 2026 season.
• Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is dealing with a minor ligament sprain in his knee. He may begin the season on the injured list as a result.
• Stephen Hawkins previewed the upcoming free agent class, with Randy Arozarena set to headline the position player group.

Anders’ picks…

• If there’s one thing I love almost as much as baseball, it’s March Madness. See if you can beat me (and other LL staff members) by joining the Lookout Landing ESPN bracket pool!
• For all of you gamers out there…

The Chicago White Sox may be the most known factor in the AL Central. After what seemed like a decent rivalry that ultimately extinguished, resulting in years long rebuild, the White Sox have found themselves rooted squarely in the bottom of the AL Central. The 2025 season was no different.

The White Sox finished last season with a 60-102 record under manager Will Venable. This paltry record was somehow better than the 2024 record of 41-121. Will the White Sox be able to tack on 20 more wins in 2026 and claw their way back into the AL Central conversation?

This off season saw the White Sox making a lot of moves, not necessarily amazing moves, but more than we saw from the Guardians front office. One of the big shake ups to the established White Sox roster was the trade of OF Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for IF/OF Luisangel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley. Some other notable moves include OF Austin Hays and RHP Erick Fedde both agreeing to a one-year contracts.

Perhaps the most noteworthy signing came from Japanese NPB player Munetaka Murakami. In the NPB Murakami put up a 211 wRC+ and hit .273/.379/.663 as an infielder.

Fangraphs has the projected Opening Day lineup against RHP as:

1. Chase Meidroth – RHH 2B
2. Colson Montgomery – LHH SS
3. Miguel Vargas – RHH 3B
4. Munetaka Murakami – LHH 1B
5. Austin Hays – RHH RF
6. Andrew Benintendi – LHH LF
7. Lenyn Sosa – RHH DH
8. Brooks Baldwin – SH CF
9. Edgar Quero – SH C

Projected Bench:

1. Korey Lee – RHH C
2. Luisangel Acuña – RHH INF/OF
3. Derek Hill – RHH OF
4. Everson Pereira – RHH OF

Projected Starting Rotation:

1. Shane Smith – RHP
2. Anthony Kay – LHP
3. Davis Martin – RHP
4. Sean Burke – RHP
5. Erick Fedde – RHP

The line up has some handedness issues looming. Brooks Baldwin batted .249 as a LHH making his place in the line up against RHP worthwhile, but the opposite can be expected from Quero. Quero hit .220 against RHP as a LHH, but is much stronger against lefties as a RHH, batting .357. Their projected ace is the only starting pitcher in the rotation who had a sub 4.00 ERA in 2025 (3.81). Colson Montgomery will likely see his first full season with in the big leagues, giving him a chance to expand on his 2025 season. In 2025 Montgomery posted a 129 wRC+ and a 2.7 WAR. He batted .239/.311/.529 in only 71 games (284 PA) with the club. Montgomery is positioned to be the face that ushers in a new era of White Sox baseball as prospects like Caleb Bonemer (ranked 33rd overall), Noah Schultz (ranked 36th overall), and Hagen Smith (ranked 65th overall) begin their climb to the show.

Its no secret the White Sox have it all stacked against them, but the team is shaping a new identity entering their second season under manager Will Venable. The front office is trying to make meaningful and impactful moves. This is a team that still has some life left in them. I, like most, predict that they will finish 5th barring a catastrophic implosion from the other AL Central teams. However, I do hope this team can show some scrap and muster up a more competitive record. After all this division is most fun when its a neck and neck competition top to bottom.

Happy Wednesday A’s fans.

Last night, the World Baseball Classic came to a dramatic conclusion with Venezuela scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning to defeat the USA 3-2. Now that the appetizer is over, it’s time for the main course: the 2026 regular season.

Today marks the last day off Athletics players and coaches will get to enjoy in Arizona as spring training is nearing its finish line. After yesterday’s 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the A’s only have five Cactus League games remaining with a final matchup against the White Sox on Monday. Following that game’s conclusion, the 26 players selected for the A’s Opening Day roster will travel to Toronto for final preparations before the season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays a week from Friday.

Currently, 34 players remain in the A’s camp. Manager Mark Kotsay’s roster appears pretty much set, although the team will have to make some decisions regarding their bench and bullpen. With Max Muncy the favorite to start at third base and Andy Ibànez likely in the multi-position, utility role, either Zack Gelof and/or Darell Hernáiz may begin the season at Triple-A. Moving to the grass, right-handed batter Colby Thomas seems like the best fit as the fourth outfielder. Thomas can start occasionally in addition to coming off the bench to pinch hit for left-handed starters Lawrence Butler or Tyler Soderstrom when the A’s opponent brings a tough left-handed pitcher into the game. Alternatively, that role could go to left-handed hitter Carlos Cortes, who brings less power, but more on-base ability.

The A’s also have to sort out their pitching staff. The team should put Luis Medina in its bullpen as another team would surely claim the out-of-options pitcher if he is designated for assignment. Do you think J.T. Ginn and Jack Perkins should join him as bullpen options or should they open the year in Triple-A as starting pitchers? Will there be a surprise inclusion on the A’s Opening Day roster? If so, who?

In addition to the final few spring games, the third annual Spring Breakout, a recently started tradition of teams’ top prospects competing against their counterparts from other organization, happens this weekend. The A’s top prospects will play the Milwaukee Brewers’ rising stars on Sunday, a tantalizing matchup featuring several notable youngsters. Given their rankings and pedigree, the majority of the attention will be on Leo De Vries and Jesus Made, two of the best prospects in the league. De Vries will team up with fellow A’s top prospects, outfielder Henry Bolte and left-handed pitchers Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold, the quartet all looking to cap off impressive spring performances.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics drop one to the White Sox 6-4
• Eyeball Scout Wowed By 12— Win: Lots To Love
• March Reminder: Opening Day Rosters Matter More To The Fans
• A’s Lose To Texas 7-6 in Spring Training Matchup
• Can Muncy’s glove catch up to his bat at third base? 
• A’s Slug Their Way To Fifth Straight Cactus League Victory
• What Have We Learned So Far In Spring Training?
• Jacob Wilson Has a Message For A’s Fans in the Bay Area
• Young, talented Athletics need veterans to show the way
• Here’s the A’s player pool for their Spring Breakout game
• FOX5, Silver State Sports Network to broadcast A’s games this season
• How Worried Should A’s Be About NBA Expansion in Las Vegas? 

MLB News and Interest:

• Spirited Venezuela rallies in 9th to upend USA for 1st Classic championship
• Japan manager Ibata steps down after WBC loss
• USA-Dominican Republic semifinal sets TV viewership record for Classic
• Phillies outfielder Rojas receives 80-game suspension
• Latest on Angels’ second base competition
• Yamamoto set to start Opening Day for Dodgers
• MLB set to test check-swing rule in Triple-A
• Travis Bazzana will not make Guardians’ Opening Day roster
• Red Sox add veteran reliever Kahnle on Minors deal (source)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Bryce Harper with one of the biggest swings of his professional baseball career. If former A’s closer Mason Miller had pitched the ninth instead of Garrett Whitlock, that game would have probably remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

It was nice of the A’s to acknowledge these two legendary local sports reporters, who illustriously covered the team for so many years. I was lucky enough to meet Dave Newhouse at a book store event. He was a wealth of historical knowledge and eloquently (if a bit bitterly) documented the successive exodus of major sports teams from Oakland.

Max Muncy has had a great spring offensively. The team needs him to keep hitting consistently in the regular season and more importantly reduce the amount of defensive mistakes at third base.

After the signings of Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell, four of the five spots in the Nationals rotation were filled. The two newcomers joined Foster Griffin and Cade Cavalli in the rotation. That left one spot for the likes of Josiah Gray, Brad Lord and Jake Irvin. A strong spring from Irvin has given him the upper hand, and I want to talk about it.

In the first half of the 2024 season, Irvin looked like an ascending pitcher. He posted a 3.49 ERA in 116 innings prior to the All-Star break. His moxie and solid stuff was just so impressive. However, it has been downhill from there. He has seen a drop in velocity and home run problems eat into his production. In the second half of 2024, he posted an ERA of 5.90, and it was more of the same in 2025.

However, Irvin was given a shot to compete for a rotation slot due to his ability to eat innings. This spring, Irvin has been very impressive. The mid-90’s velocity he showed in 2023 and 2024 has not returned, but he looks more equipped to compensate for that. His command has been really sharp and he is showing a true six pitch mix this spring.

If Irvin can throw quality strikes and manipulate the ball effectively, he does not need to throw 95 plus to be effective. We saw that in his start against the Cardinals yesterday. His fastball only averaged 92, but he was so unpredictable that it did not matter. Irvin threw all six of his pitches at least 9% of the time. 

Last year, Irvin also technically had six pitches, but he mainly threw a 4-seam, a sinker and a curveball. He threw a changeup 8% of the time and used his cutter and slider 4% each. In his start yesterday, he used the cutter 14% of the time, the changeup at a 12% clip and his slider at a 9% rate. 

This new mix has allowed Irvin to get more strikeouts this spring. He only struck out 6.2 batters per 9 innings in 2025. However, he has 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings so far this spring. Last spring, he only struck out 9 batters in 16.1 innings. That is a very good sign for Irvin.

These performances should be enough to earn the big right hander a spot in the rotation. Brad Lord can slide to the bullpen and it would not be the worst thing for Josiah Gray to get a few AAA starts under his belt after missing two seasons. 

However, Irvin is still going to be on a short leash. Sure, he has had a good spring, but he did post a 5.70 ERA last year. We are going to have to see it in regular season action. The velocity still being in the low-90’s also is not the best sign. I think his deep mix will allow him to pitch more effectively at lower velocities, but it is never a good thing to lose steam on your heater.

There is also going to be plenty of competition behind Irvin this year. Andrew Alvarez, Mitchell Parker, Riley Cornelio and Luis Perales are all Triple-A arms hungry for a big league call up. Josiah Gray will also be nipping at Irvin’s heels. DJ Herz is also going to be back from injury at some point this season. If Irvin or Miles Mikolas struggle out of the gates, they could be in trouble. 

I like what I have seen this spring from Irvin though. The strikeout stuff is really nice to see from him. Between his deep bag of pitches, a lower arm angle and some funky release traits, Irvin has things going for him. I also really like his mound presence. He is a guy I am rooting for, but he is under pressure this year.

If he pitches like he has this spring, he will lock down a spot in the Nats rotation. However, for the first time in a while, Jake Irvin is truly under pressure. Last year, Irvin was allowed to take the ball 33 times despite poor results because the Nats did not have any pitching depth. Irvin will not have that luxury again this season, so he will have to perform.

With the Nats already optioning Mitchell Parker, the new regime has shown themselves to be willing to make big changes to last year’s team. If Irvin did not have a big spring, he could have been on the chopping block as well. However, he has earned a second chance with his performances. Now, he will have to take advantage of that opportunity when the real games begin.

The glory years are what usually spring to mind when you bring up the history of the New York Yankees, whether the days of Ruth and Gehrig, the midcentury dominance of Mantle and Berra, or the 1990s dynasty. Those teams and players are honored time and time again for their contributions to their franchise. However, what’s not talked about as much are the lean years, such as the time prior to that dynastic run in the ’90s that set everything in motion for the future.

Those were some tough years for the organization, and while the team still had its fair share of big names (most notably, Don Mattingly) and wasn’t even finishing with records that were too bad, there were too many quiet Octobers in the Bronx. And for the first two years of his career, Brian Fisher was part of those ranks.

Brian Kevin Fisher
Born: March 18, 1962 (Honolulu, HI)
Yankees tenure: 1985-86

Born in Honolulu, Fisher and his family moved to Colorado, where he attended William C. Hinkley High School in Aurora and helped the school win a state title in 1979. After showing well in high school, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 1980 MLB Draft.

Fisher worked his way up through the minor league ranks and developed a mid-90s fastball that could hit 97 mph, but before he could make it to the majors with Atlanta, he was traded. On December 5, 1984, Fisher was sent to the Yankees for catcher Rick Cerone, and he made his MLB debut on May 7, 1985, against the Minnesota Twins at the age of 23. He finished the day with three hits, no strikeouts, one walk, and one earned run in three innings pitched.

From there, Fisher went on to not just have a strong rookie season by comparison to others, but he had the best season of what would be an abbreviated professional baseball career. He finished the year with a 2.38 ERA and a 2.37 FIP, along with a 170 ERA+ and 2.4 bWAR in 98.1 innings pitched. Fisher was capable of filling whatever role skipper Billy Martin needed, whether it was covering middle innings, setting up for closer Dave Righetti, or even finishing off ballgames himself. Indeed, Fisher recorded 14 saves of his own, like the one in the clip below at Fenway Park, where he went four-up/four-down to both escape a jam and preserve a win for Ron Guidry.

Fisher also placed sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting as the Yankees won 97 games but fell two wins shy of Toronto for the AL East crown.

Fisher would spend one more campaign with the Yankees organization. In 1986, he finished the year with a winning record at 9-5. However, over 62 games and 96.2 innings pitched, he posted a 4.92 ERA and a 4.45 FIP, with an ERA+ of 83 and a bWAR of -1.2, a harsh dropoff from his production as a rookie.

Over his two seasons with the Yankees, Fisher worked in the role of a starter and as a reliever, but after his second season in pinstripes, he ended up being traded for a second time in his career, this time to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a multi-player deal that included Brian Fisher, pitcher Logan Easley, and (most regrettably) pitcher Doug Drabek from the Yankees for another trio of pitchers: Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements.

Fisher moved into a starting role with the Pirates, pitching three seasons with the team from ages 25-27 and a total of 348.2 innings. He finished his Pirates career with a 4.72 ERA, inflated plenty by a poor performance in his final season (where he had a 7.92 ERA), albeit in limited innings after playing only nine games and starting three.

Fisher left the Pirates after three seasons and sign with the Houston Astros, where he pitched in only four games due in part to a broken knee that took a wrecking ball to his career. He did not play in 1991 and returned to the majors in 1992 at the age of 30, pitched 91.1 innings, and finished with a 4.53 ERA.

While it was not an incredible career overall for Fisher, he was able to pitch for a few storied organizations, and his rookie season in pinstripes was one he can certainly look back on fondly. Reflecting on it years later to the Denver Post, he knew just how special it was:

When I talk about pitching for the Yankees, it’s an icebreaker for any conversation … If I say that I pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it doesn’t have the same impact.

For a brief moment, it looked as though the Yankees could have a prominent young arm on their hands to help bolster their staff into the late ’80s, but alas, Fisher can hang his hat on his rookie breakout.

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

Morning, all!

Shawn McFarland continues his top 30 prospect countdown with number 8, Winston Santos, and number 7, David Davilillo.

The Rangers have two of the five minor league prospects listed as two way players after signing two teenagers last year that are both shortstops and right handed pitchers.

Seong-Jun Kim and Josh Owen’s development is going to be a priority of the entire organization says director of player development Josh Bonifay.

Joc Pederson has posted a sub .500 OPS this spring, but has historically his regular season performance has matched his spring numbers.

Major League Baseball’s opening day is just a week away as the spring training wanes, and the Detroit Tigers are rounding into shape ahead of the 2026 regular season schedule.

The Motor City Kitties are just 7-11 during preseason play, but the results do not mean anything until next Thursday afternoon’s matchup with the San Diego Padres out on the West Coast. Still, it is encouraging that the Olde English D has won its last three in a row and has a plus-9 run differential heading into the final week of play.

With the start of the regular season just over the horizon and a sufficient sample size of stats amassed, it is as good a time as any to start thinking about what the opening day starting lineup will look like. There are a few players who are absolute locks at their positions: Tarik Skubal will undoubtedly take the mound in the first game, while Riley Greene will no doubt be on the field to start things off.

But who else will be in the starting lineup? Additionally, where in the field will they play and at what spot will AJ Hinch place them in the batting order? These are the questions bouncing around inside the heads of many Tigers fans as they watch the spring unfold.

So that is the question for today for our loyal Bless You Boys audience. Let us know in the comments below how you think the starting lineup will shake out on March 26.

German Marquez must have taken some inspiration from Walker Buehler because the right-hander took the mound for the San Diego Padres and delivered a five inning, nine strikeout performance against the Seattle Mariners that resulted in a 9-6 win for San Diego at the Peoria Sports Complex on Tuesday. Marquez did allow three runs on three hits, but the Padres offense powered up and hit six home runs off Mariners pitching. All six home runs were hit by different players, and half of those were hit by regulars Gavin Sheets, Xander Bogaerts and Nick Castellanos. Ty France who is battling for one of the final bench spots as Spring Training enters its final week, also homered as well as Jase Bowen and Rodolfo Duran. San Diego returns to action Thursday against the Chicago White Sox at 6:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Buehler came to Spring Training as a minor league signing with the Padres and was only guaranteed the opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation. He has taken advantage of that opportunity and has shown to be the most consistent arm in the group vying for a rotation spot and Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball thinks he has done enough to have secured his place on the roster.

• Bradgley Rodriguez opened some eyes when he made his MLB debut in 2025 and he has continued to do so in Spring Training. Perla Paredes of Padres.com believes that his spring performance has earned him a spot in a crowded San Diego bullpen.

• Kruz Schoolcraft is hard to miss on the baseball field because his typically stands head and shoulders above everyone else on the diamond. Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune said the San Diego prospect is more than just a physical presence he is athletic as well and that will benefit him as he progresses through the minor league system.

Baseball News:

• New York Yankees pitcher Garrit Cole is expected to return to the mound today. He has not pitched since Tommy John surgery last March. Shohei Ohtani is also scheduled to take the mound Wednesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, which will be his Cactus League debut.

• Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki suffered a knee injury in the WBC while playing for Team Japan, but it does not appear to be serious, and he still has a chance to play on Opening Day.

WBC News:

• Venezuela took advantage of their first trip to the World Baseball Classic final and upset the US with a 3-2 win. The teams entered the ninth inning in a 2-2 tie, but Venezuela was able to scratch out a run in the top of the ninth to win their first WBC title.

Mid March is a great time of year for any number of reasons, but it isn’t necessarily a great time for analysis. A regular commenter asked how I analyze spring numbers. The simple answer is I don’t. There are any number of reasons why. The most important reason is that the sample size is just too small. I’ll sometimes quote the numbers, but they really don’t mean anything.

The second problem is that we don’t know what level of competition these guys are facing. We can get excited about a young player breaking out until we realize they are mainly squared off against other young players. Obviously, that is doubly true for veterans. Finally, when we look at veterans we have to consider that sometimes they are working on something specific that may not translate to performance. Pitchers may work on a specific pitch or hitters may try to hit the ball the opposite way.

Keeping all of this in mind, I wanted to take the opportunity to answer another question that came down the pike. Someone asked for the source for many of these numbers. An analyst is only as good as his or her tools and I need to be upfront in admitting that others have done the heavy lifting for the most part. My job is to take those numbers and use them to analyze players and performance. However, much like theologians and the Bible, we are better off when more people understand the underlying sources and their strengths and weaknesses.

Baseball-reference.com

One could call baseball-reference.com the official online baseball encyclopedia. The strength comes in the wealth of information and the ease of finding what you are looking for. It sets itself apart from Fangraphs.com by including things like rankings in certain categories on each player’s page including a section of when they led the league in certain categories or finished in the top ten. This was huge for me when I was calculating awards voting and deserved MVP points.

It should be noted that B-ref uses it’s own WAR formula we normally call BWAR. It is based primarily on their fielding metric which ties pretty closely to defensive runs saved (Fielding Bible). It does not have the wealth of fielding metrics that Fangraphs and other sources have. However, it is an absolutely terrific resource if you want quick information on players from conventional data to the more sabermetric data.

Fangraphs.com

Fangraphs.com is my favorite site and probably most trusted resource. The advantage of Fangraphs over Baseball-reference is that it includes more minor league information and that came in handy when breaking down the hitters and pitcher numbers from the past few weeks. They also include international numbers as well. Baseball-reference also has this information, but it takes a few extra clicks to get there. When I want this information in a hurry I go to Fangraphs.

Obviously, the graphs part of the name is key. They include a lot more of what I would call process data than Baseball reference. So, what exactly is process data? In short, it includes things like pitch velocity, spin rates, and exit velocity for hitters. So, if you want to know what a pitcher’s average curveball velocity or what a hitter’s chase rate, contact rate, or hard hit rate then Fangraphs is the fastest resource to get that information.

I should note that they do have access to leaderboards. Both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference have paid services that allow you to custom those leaderboards for your own research. I personally do not currently do that because the free versions give me everything I want, but people that want to go into even more detailed analysis should check those out.

Baseball Savant

Baseballsavant.com is another resource that more and more analysts are using. In particular, it includes some of the same information as Fangraphs, but uses more charts and graphics to show the information more graphically. That includes things like heat maps for hitters and tracking pitches for pitchers along with movement, velocity, and spin.

These numbers come in handy particularly when looking at individual performances early in the season. Hitters and pitchers can look great or horrible because of the numbers, but the underlying information may not match. Seeing it graphically is great for visual fans that want to see what the numbers are saying. The site also includes more underlying numbers that can explain why fielding numbers and base running numbers say what they do.

As I said earlier, an analyst is only as good as his or her tools. The goal of this space is not only to analyze but to educate about how analysis gets done. I may be the analytics guy around here, but I am also a teacher at heart. As such, if you have ever had a question that has had you scratching your head, this is the space for you. Feel free to jump into the comments with a particular question. As we get closer to the actual season we will start going fast and furious into the actual numbers flying at us. Until then, enjoy the last few days of spring baseball while you can.

What’s This Team’s Deal?

Last year, this article began with a picture of a completely disheveled Tropicana Field, still unusable six months after Hurricane Milton. After sustaining significant water and wind damage, the stadium has been renovated and the Rays will return to Tropicana Field in less than a month.

The capacity of this renovated Tropicana Field will be reduced due to the damage. But that’s nothing new to the Rays. For several years, the upper decks of Tropicana Field were closed off due to lack of interest. This lack of interest is almost entirely due to stadium’s location far from downtown Tampa, as has been addressed many times. The Bucs are closer to downtown and manage a near-sell-out crowd despite relatively similar recent performance (outside of a 2021 Super Bowl… I don’t want to talk about it.) But, looking at this year’s roster in comparison to the rest of the division, I don’t know how Rays fans could find too much intrigue in this team, which was hit hard by a fire sale in 2024. The storm before the storm, if you will.

The next storm the team has to weather is deciding whether to play baseball in Tampa or St. Petersburg. This decision will be tantamount to any other decision the team makes before the conclusion of the 2028 season, when the lease runs out.

How Good Are They?

They’re probably just fine. Which is best case scenario for a team that recently gave away a perennial All-Star and who’s marching out a guy straight off two serious arm injuries as their ace. Shane McClanahan was one of the best in the game prior to his Tommy John surgery, clocking elite velocity and extension, resulting in a top-eight percentile whiff rate among all pitchers. The problem for the Rays? His surgery was on August 15, 2023. A lot’s happened since then, but McClanahan is still just 29 years of age and shows a lot of promise to go with an 8.0 career WAR in fewer than 3 seasons.

Behind McClanahan in the rotation is Drew Rasmussen, who’s coming off of his first All-Star selection and first Cy Young vote (it was only one fifth-place vote, but still!) The 30-year-old stayed healthy, reliable, and kept innings short, tallying a WHIP of 1.02 over 150 innings. That’s all you can ask from a rotation pitcher, and McClanahan coming back takes some pressure off him. Ryan Pepiot, part of the return for sending Tyler Glasnow to LA to win a couple World Series titles, looks fine enough in the middle of the rotation, putting up an ERA+ slightly above average last year.

Offensively, the Rays are led by budding star Junior Caminero, who’s coming off of a 45 home run season and a berth in the Home Run Derby finals. Caminero, who’s still just 22 until July, had an OPS of .846 and the highest bat speed in baseball on his way to slashing .264/.311/.535. He can really spread the ball around with the best of them already… but don’t take my word for it, here’s his spray chart.

Elsewhere, Yandy Diaz is returning despite every talking head (and most of us on this site, including yours truly) booking his plane ticket at the trade deadline of 2025. Cedric Mullins, former Oriole, rejoins the division where he enjoyed a decade of very dependable play in Baltimore. Jon Aranda batted .316 and had an incredible Savant chart in his own right along with providing versatility by playing all over the infield. And while Gavin Lux may not have the shine as he did coming through the Dodgers’ farm, he’s still a good infield option for a team looking to replace the productivity of Brandon Lowe.

Outside of those stalwarts, though, the roster’s kind of a mess, having got there in the name of efficiency, with a front office eager to ship players out before big paydays in exchange for players who aren’t quite ready to appear on a Major League team yet. But if these aforementioned guys can contribute at close to their best, the team might be good. Good players performing at their best helps a team… who knew?

Most Likable Player: Junior Caminero

I was going to use Jon Aranda here because there’s a lot of value in a guy who can get on base as much as he does and play three positions. But I can’t deny a guy who placed sixth in baseball in home runs in a year that one of the top five was Aaron Judge, another was the best baseball player of our generation, and another was someone who left the stratosphere in catcher metrics. Caminero is good and it would be heartbreaking if Tampa decided to ship him off for prospects like the rest of their homegrown stars (besides one they did pay who will be on the restricted list for a very, very, long time).

Least Likable Player: DJ Kitty

I don’t have the heart to select former Red Sox reliever Steven Matz here because he was fine for the Sox and left on amicable terms. And Caminero is a Red Sox killer but he’s honestly an everyone-killer and so awesome to watch against any other team. But remember: it was DJ Kitty who was unable to pry Triston Casas’ first career home run from this Ryan Brasier lookalike.

Schedule Against the Red Sox

The Rays visit Fenway for a four-game series from May 7-10. A month later, on June 8-10, the Sox head to the Trop. Fenway then gets the first series post-All-Star game from July 17-19. Finally, the Red Sox travel down to Tampa in what could be an all-important series from September 18-20. It’s the Rays’ last home series of 2026 and the Red Sox’s last away series before heading back to Boston to finish the season out.

Season Prediction

Overall, this is probably a last place team, but they’re better than most last place teams and their overall result likely hinges on just how extraordinary their star power performs. No matter how good Caminero is, though, this team could use a Tyler Glasnow, or Randy Arozarena, or either Lowe, or maybe a half dozen more players that have graced the Trop — or Steinbrenner Field — in recent years. When the front office wants to ask why the team went from nearly 100 wins to to 77 in 2025, they only need to look within.

PREDICTION: 79-83, 5TH IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Tuesday night we saw two powerhouse teams go head to head in the World Baseball Classic Final as Team USA and Team Venezuela squared off to see who could call themselves best in the world. Team USA was always going to be a juggernaut, but Venezuela beat out several other teams that were predicted to do better in the series. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, considering the dominant talent that has come out of Venezuela for decades.

In the winner-take-all final, it was ultimately Team Venezuela that came out the champions. The final score was 3-2. Bryce Harper made a valiant effort to tie the game in late innings, but it wasn’t enough to keep Venezuela down. This is Venezuela’s first WBC championship.

With the WBC now finished, focus will return to the final weeks of Spring Training as teams gear up for Opening Day and the dawning of the new MLB season.

WBC years are always such a treat, getting to see the best of the best go head-to-head is a wonderful showcase for baseball talent on a broader stage.

Now let’s get into the rest of today’s links.

Detroit Tigers News

• We love a good stat.

• When Miguel Cabrera gives you advice, you take it.

• Hey, we know him!

AL Central News

• White Sox RHP Mike Vasil will miss the season following elbow surgery.

MLB News

• Some experiment rules we might see tested in the minors this season.
• How baseball really is sometimes just a children’s game.
• What can the Brewers expect from their new pitching rotation?
• Providing context for the Texas Ranger statue at Globe Life Field.
• Team Venezuela finally found their pitching groove, but was it in time to tackle their biggest rival?
• The Red Sox have signed old friend Tommy Kahnle to a minor league deal.
• All the previous MVP winners of past WBCs.
• Alex Rodriguez is very bad at making comparisons.
• A sweet moment between Clayton Kershaw and his son.
• Team USA were rocking a lucky charm on their way to the WBC final.
• The WBC has succeeded in creating a consistent buzz around baseball ahead of the regular MLB season.
• Shohei Ohtani will make his Spring Training pitching debut today.
• Gerrit Cole is also poised to make his return today for the Yankees.
• How much do WBC winner stand to make? ($)
• Why would Team USA lean on a rookie pitcher with the biggest game of the WBC on the line? ($)
• A very important update about the Mariners’ ferry boat.

• Some great moments from WBCs past.

• Oof, bring on the ABS, please.

White Sox fans are nothing if not optimistic. Every spring brings a new breakout candidate, every top prospect becomes the next cornerstone, and the most recent hot streak has us dreaming about what could be. Sometimes that hopefulness pays off. Other times, well, we’ve all been there before.

So, every fanbase has them — the players we hype up a little more than reality probably warrants. Sometimes it’s because of prospect pedigree, sometimes it’s a great half-season, and sometimes it’s just the hope that this guy will finally be the one.

South Side fans are no different.

Over the years, there have been plenty of players who captured the imagination of Chicago’s faithful. A big spring training, a loud tool, or a few memorable moments can turn someone into a fan favorite pretty quickly. But that doesn’t always mean the production matches the reputation.

So that brings us to today’s discussion question:

Who do you think White Sox fans tend to overrate?

It could be:

• A current player people expect too much from
• A recent prospect whose hype got a little out of hand
• Or even a former player that fans still talk about like a star

There’s no wrong answer here because baseball fandom is built on optimism, after all.

Who does this fanbase overrate, and why?

Last week I dug into the things we think we know at this point of the Orioles spring. We know that Tyler Wells is going to start the season in the bullpen because Craig Albernaz told us. We’re pretty sure that Coby Mayo is going to get a shot at third base with Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday sidelined, and we’re all but certain that the Orioles roster will not have room for a third catcher.

We know a lot more than that about the Orioles, but those were questions that followed the team to Sarasota. With those all but settled, I’m focused on a few things we still don’t know at this point of spring training.

What if Eflin is ready for Opening Day?

With Wells set to join the bullpen, a healthy Eflin would still give the Orioles six solid starting pitchers for the rotation. The Orioles resigned Eflin after an injury-filled 2025. Last year’s Opening Day starter tallied only 71 1/3 innings last year with an inflated 5.93 ERA.

Eflin underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure to address prolonged back pain in the second half of last season. The surgery could have ended his tenure in Baltimore, but the organization brought him back on a one-year, $10-million deal that features a mutual option. At the time of the signing, it seemed unlikely that Eflin would be healthy enough to break camp with the team. Eflin has undergone a delayed ramp up this spring, but the team has yet to announce whether he’ll be ready in two weeks. Eflin has a pair of Grapefruit League starts under his belt in 2026.

If Eflin is ready to go, and the Orioles avoid any other injuries, he’ll join a rotation that features Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Dean Kremer. A majority of Orioles fans recently came out in support of a six-man rotation, but the strategy would potentially weaken an already certain bullpen.

Who will set up Helsley with Kittredge sidelined?

Speaking of the bullpen, the Orioles are running it back with another pitcher that missed time with an injury last season. Baltimore re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from Chicago in exchange for cash considerations. Unfortunately, Kittredge will begin the season on the IL for the second consecutive year. The team announced that the veteran reliever had a “low probability” of making the Opening Day roster due to shoulder inflammation.

Kittredge and new closer Ryan Helsley are expected to anchor a bullpen with several unknowns. Wells could emerge as a multi-inning option, a high-leverage reliever, or anything in between. The same can be said for Albert Suárez. Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin have leverage experience but come with less certainty. Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram have potential, while several others remain in the mix for a spot in the ‘pen.

Albernaz said that Kittredge was “on the right track” after he played catch earlier this week, but the skipper reiterated that the they are taking it one day at a time. The bullpen will need to tread water in the meantime. The roster will be set at the end of spring, but the hierarchy will remain fluid throughout the start of the season.

Which infielder takes the last spot?

There’s more room on the roster due to the Holliday and Westburg injuries. Holliday appears on track for a quick return, but Westburg’s status represents the greatest unknown of the Orioles spring. Westburg’s long-term availability will not be decided in the next two weeks, but Baltimore’s utility infield competition will.

Jeremiah Jackson, Luis Vázquez, Weston Wilson and Bryan Ramos all have a shot at making the team. Jackson could be considered a favorite after slashing .276/.328/.447 over 48 games in his debut season, but the 25-year-old still has minor league options. The 25-year-old looks like player that could carve out a Ramon Urías type role in Baltimore, but the Birds may be willing to stash him at Triple-A in an effort to keep another guy in the organization.

Vázquez is back in camp after representing Puerto Rico in the World Baseball classic. Vázquez appeared in 32 games for Baltimore last season. He slashed a discouraging .160/.208/.240 over 53 plate appearances, but his versatile glove proved valuable. The 26-year-old made 12 appearances at third, 11 at short, three at second, and he even logged an inning at first base. His four relief appearances won’t win him any prizes, but the ability to play shortstop holds real merit. The Orioles believe there’s at least a little more offensive upside than what he displayed last season.

Bryan Ramos is the flavor of the day after finishing a triple shy of the cycle yesterday. Ramos made his first start at second base and took future hall-of-famer Justin Verlander deep in a 1-1 tie. The Orioles DFA’d Wilson when they acquired Ramos from the White Sox. Wilson has big league experience at multiple infield positions and the corner outfield. He can match Vázquez with mop-up relief appearances too.