NEW YORK, NY - JULY 26: Daniel Robert #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 26, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Friends, fear not. The bottom of the bullpen churn will continue in some fashion.
Daniel Robert agrees to return to Phillies. Minors deal for the RHP. MLB camp invite.
Listen, Robert wasn’t deserving of a major league deal. He works well as minor league depth, someone who has had at least a modicum of success at the major league level. Having those kinds of players at Lehigh Valley has value, so why not bring him back.
It’ll add more players in case the team wants to do different things later on in the season. Maybe an injury, maybe a trade, maybe a release. At least they’ll have players to help in those case.
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: A detail shot of the main entrance to Dodger Stadium prior to Game One of the National League Wild Card Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Star players are exciting to watch, no doubt, but baseball seasons are long, and there is plenty of time to build up an affection for just about every type of player.
Miguel Rojas is entering his 13th and final major league season, before he transitions into a front office role with the Dodgers. He’s never made an All-Star team, but was a dependable regular at shortstop for five years with the Miami Marlins before returning to Los Angeles in more of a reserve role over the last three seasons.
“It’s coming on your feed every single day. You’re seeing the homer, you’re seeing the plays, you’re seeing the whole series,” Rojas said on SportsNet LA during Dodgers Fest on Saturday. “And then the feedback from the people on the streets. When they come to you and say, ‘That was the most memorable World Series,’ ‘That was the best game I’ve ever seen,’ it’s really impactful, because you were part of something really cool in baseball. That’s a moment you will never forget.”
Rojas has 57 regular season home runs in his 12 years to date. Scioscia made two All-Star teams with the Dodgers so perhaps he doesn’t fall into the underrated or unheralded category.
Eric Karros never made an All-Star team, but is generally well-regarded as the Dodgers’ home run leader since moving to Los Angeles, and is still broadcasting games for the team on television from time to time. I’m not sure he is underrated, but maybe he is. To each their own.
There can be many reasons for having an affinity for a non-star player. Maybe it was a specific moment from a game you watched as a kid. Maybe they have a penchant for earning three-inning saves. Who knows?
Today’s question is who is your favorite underrated or unheralded Dodgers player, past or present, and why?
Dec 8, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro speaks with the media during the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings at Signia by Hilton Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Though it was stunningly cold this past Saturday, plenty of Kansas City Royals fans showed up to the fourth annual Royals Rally event. Fans who bought tickets received access to autograph sessions and could listen to select roundtables throughout the day.
Additionally, just like last year, this event served as the first big media event of the year, with a variety of Royals players, coaches, and front office members sitting down to field questions from the group. I was there during media availability and got a few questions in–including one that had been burning a hole in my proverbial pocket that I finally asked principal owner John Sherman.
This year, we’ll look at some quotes that I jotted down that I found noteworthy as we look ahead to the 2026 season.
“Stability” and “Reach”
Ok, this isn’t a quote per se, you got me. But they are two words that Cullen Maxey, the Royals’ new president of business operations, repeatedly said in regard to Kansas City’s broadcasting situation.
With FanDuel Sports Kansas City and its parent company, Main Street Sports Group, traversing the thorny path of financial ruin, the Royals have faced a choice in how to proceed: stick with FanDuel or transition to MLB. Just two days after the event, the Royals confirmed they were ditching FanDuel for the season in favor of an in-house MLB broadcast. All the broadcasters will remain on board.
When Sherman was available for an interview, I asked him about the instability with FanDuel and if that had impacted revenue or their ability to field the payroll they wanted. Sherman said that there has indeed been some revenue “erosion” and that a non-FanDuel option would result in further revenue erosion. Interestingly, Sherman also said that they considered it a short-term impact, and as such, they were simply eating the monetary difference so it wouldn’t impact the team.
So, why then did the Royals go with MLB if it meant even lower revenues? Maxey and Sherman believe that maximizing reach is the best and most profitable way in the long haul. That’s why they did it.
“We got away from our identity.”
It was a mostly quiet offseason for Kansas City, with a young core in place surrounded by a starting pitching staff with high-end and depth talent. Still, Picollo says that there were some growing pains last year and said that the team “got away from our identity.”
Interestingly, JJ said that this identity wasn’t about any individual playing factor, but that their identity was about putting pressure on other teams. And if you watched the 2025 Royals very often, you know that some things plagued the team all year long: a lack of getting on base, baserunning blunders, and defensive miscues.
If you’re wondering why the Royals didn’t grab another bat, Picollo said that there were “few available hitters to make us significantly better,” and it is that “significantly better” part that stands out for me, because the implied part of that is “for the cost.” Picollo knows the Royals would ideally like to add another bat, and Sherman said later that there still could be opportunities to add a bat–after all, it’s only February and we’ve got two months before Opening Day.
So if the Royals do add a bat, it’ll mean that they found that piece to make them significantly better at a cost that they agree with.
“We’ll match up and move guys around.”
The Royals acquired Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas in the offseason, and they’ll have Jac Caglionone from opening day. What will the outfield look like?
That was my question to Matt Quatraro, who agreed that those three will receive a lot of playing time in the outfield. But he followed that up by strongly suggesting that the outfield would be fluid. The first additional name Q brought up as someone who would get outfield time was Michael Massey, and Q also said that Nick Loftin and John Rave would be prepared to play there, too.
Kansas City is in a better place with the outfield, but there’s enough uncertainty that we may see platoons to some degree for all three outfield spots. While the Royals think that Collins is likely going to play a lot of left field, it sounds like there will be some healthy competition and enough plate appearances to go around.
“I want to retire here.”
During JJ’s interview, Salvador Perez’s loud voice could be heard from the hallway. When JJ referred to him as a Hall of Famer, Salvy quipped that he was glad to hear it. Perez’s smile and personality are as big as ever.
Salvy was asked about signing his most recent extension, and he was unequivocal in his happiness as a Royal. He wants to retire here, and he does not want to play for any other team. Will he make it to the Hall of Fame? It’ll be an interesting case. He could get to 350 home runs and 2,000 hits if he continues to play well. But make no mistake: Salvy is going to be a big part of the team this year.
“Last year was a failure.”
Vinnie Pasquantino is beloved by fans, teammates, and media alike because of his big personality, respectfulness, and honesty. It was the honesty that was on full display here.
When asked about how he felt about the season, he brought up last year and did not mince words, calling it a failure. They felt like they were good enough to make the playoffs, but they didn’t. To Vinnie, that wasn’t just an “aw shucks” situation, but a true failure. He brought up that Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia are on long-term deals and that the time to win is now.
New and returning Royals pitcher Matt Strahm later mentioned the same thing–that there is a drive and an expectation to win. “I was happy to hear how disappointed they were,” he said about his new teammates’ thoughts on the previous season. Strahm went on to say that he was tired of being a loser and wanted to win.
Somebody asked a clarifying question of Strahm about what would not constitute losing; he replied simply: the World Series. It’s clear that Royals players have their standards set high.
“We wanted to play in a more neutral setting more consistently.”
The Royals are in the process of moving in their fences, a decision that the team made after they crunched the numbers and determined it would help the team more than it would hurt them. During the event, you could clearly see that they were actively at work doing so, as you can see from a few photos I snapped of the snow-clad field:
Sherman put it in terms of a return on investment. Vinnie stated that he was excited about it and that he was looking forward to what it felt like in the regular season. Seth Lugo offered a measured response from a pitcher’s perspective, and said that as long as he does his job in limiting hard-hit fly balls and line drives, he won’t have to worry about where the walls are.
But Quatraro’s statement about playing in a neutral setting more consistently seems to be one of the core reasons for the change. It’s not that Kauffman was a hitter’s or pitcher’s park; it’s that it was so different from the rest of the league. We’ll see how it plays out in the regular season.
“We’re not going anywhere.”
It was during last year’s Royals Rally press conferences where Sherman said that the Royals would have an answer on where they wanted to play by the middle of the year. That didn’t happen, the latest in what has been more than one missed self-imposed deadline.
Since then, there has been very little official information from the club. But with John Sherman himself appearing before the media, Saturday was a rare opportunity to get some answers.
Perhaps taking some lessons from last year, though, those answers were mostly noncommittal. Sherman stated that they “feel good about where we are” and didn’t give a specific timeline. When asked if the team was trying to get a deal done without a public vote like in April 2024, Sherman did not directly answer, saying that those decisions weren’t up to the Royals and they were focused on what they could control.
However, Sherman did confirm that the team was no longer looking at the Aspiria campus in Overland Park. Additionally, he said that the team was still looking at sites “on both sides of the state line.” And for the first time that I can recall, Sherman said that extending the lease to stay at Kauffman Stadium was a possibility if necessary, though he preferred not to do that because that amounted to “kicking the can down the road.”
Sherman was also asked again if the Royals would move away from the metro. He responded, “We’re not going anywhere,” and that if somebody ever moved the team away from Kansas City, it wouldn’t be them.
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 15, 2025: Angel Cepeda #15 of the Chicago Cubs in the field during the eighth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sloan Park on March 15, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Welcome back our countdown of the top 25 prospects in the Cubs system. For an introduction and an explanation of the rankings, check out yesterday’s introduction. Also a reminder. Clicking on the player’s name will take you to their milb dot com page.
Coppola is a true mystery box prospect because it’s hard to know what the Cubs are going to get out of him. He was one of the top high school left-handers in 2021, but he had a firm commitment to Florida. With the Gators, he managed just 49.1 innings over four years as back and shoulder injuries kept him on the shelf more than on the mound. He managed seven starts in his redshirt junior season in 2025 and struck out 43 batters in just 21.1 innings. That was enough for the Cubs to take him in the seventh round.
Unlike most pitchers the Cubs draft, Coppola’s low inning total at Florida meant that he made his professional start in Myrtle Beach last year. He only threw eight innings over three games, but Coppola struck out 14 batters and allowed just two runs for a 2.25 ERA. On the downside, he did walk nine batters in those eight innings.
Coppola is a huge left-hander whose fastball sits 91-to-93 miles per hour with good movement and an odd release angle. His best pitch is his low-80s slider that has a lot of movement on it. Maybe too much, as he can struggle to throw it for a strike sometimes. A sinker gives Coppola a third pitch for right-handers.
It’s easy to dream on what a fully-healthy Coppola could do in a major league rotation. At 6’7”, it’s also not hard to see him adding a little velocity when he doesn’t have to deal with injuries. There’s certainly some mid-starter potential here.
Of course, Coppola staying healthy might not be something he’s capable of. He does have a kind of odd three-quarters delivery and his size works against him there. The good movement he gets on his pitches also works against him because he’s currently not capable of throwing strikes consistently. It’s easy to say there’s a lot of relief risk here and honestly, a profile like this is much more likely to be a reliever. Maybe there’s a chance he can be a starter, but it wouldn’t be terrible if he ended up a a left-handed weapon out of the bullpen.
Coppola is a work in progress. If he can stay healthy and if he can throw strikes, he’s got some tremendous upside. Whether he starts the season in Myrtle Beach or South Bend, innings pitched and strikeout-to-walk ratio are the two things to look for in Coppola this year. If he takes a step forward, he’s likely a top ten prospect next year.
Here’s Coppola’s highlights with the Florida Gators last year.
Last year at this time we were looking at Birdsell making his major league debut some time in 2025. Instead, Birdsell missed the first two months of the season with elbow soreness. He came back in June and made eight starts—four rehab appearances and four with Iowa—before his elbow acted up again and he underwent elbow surgery. The Cubs were unclear on whether it was Tommy John surgery for Birdsell or something less invasive, but in either case, Birdsell is going to miss all of 2026 recovering.
At least Birdsell pitched quite well in his four starts for Iowa. He went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA over 18.2 innings. Birdsell struck out 18 and walked eight.
This year’s report on Birdsell is the same as last year’s. He has a four-seam fastball in the 93-to-95 mph. He compliments that with an upper-80s cutter. He also features a curve and a changeup. He’s going to have to improve that change if he wants to retire left-handed batters in the majors.
But Birdsell’s biggest strength is is command and control. He generally can paint the corners with that cutter and knows how to locate the fastball well. Birdsell generally doesn’t walk many batters. His strikeout totals aren’t bad, but he doesn’t really miss enough bats to be a top starter.
The outlook for Birdsell this year is the mostly same as last year. He’s a potential number 4/5 starter. But beyond moving his timeline back, the surgery complicates things because Birdsell was expected to be a durable innings eater. He was a top ten prospect in the system last spring and he would be again this year if he were healthy. We just have to wait and see what 2027 brings for Brandon Birdsell.
Rodriguez took a big step forward this past year with a solid season at High-A South Bend. In 12 starts, Rodriguez pitched 64 innings and went 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA. He struck out 58 and walked 22. That earned him a short, four start promotion to Double-A Knoxville where he held his own with a 3.54 ERA, although the walk totals went up and the strikeout totals went down.
Despite a high leg kick, Rodriguez has a quick, compact delivery that gives the hitter a different look. He’s mostly a three-pitch pitcher, with a 93-to-95 mph fastball that can touch higher at times. It’s also “heavy” and can induce a lot of ground balls. He combines that with a mid-80s slider that’s his put-away pitch. He has a decent changeup to use against left-handers. Rodriguez is more of a ground ball pitcher than a strikeout pitcher and he does walk a few too many hitters.
Rodriguez has a chance to be a number-five starter, but he’s more likely destined for the bullpen. There, he might be able to add a little velocity and get a few more swings and misses on his four-seamer.
In any case, Rodriguez should return to Knoxville to start the season. If the Cubs decide to move him to the bullpen, he could move up to Iowa fast and be in line for a major league debut later this year. If they leave him as a starter, he’s a longer-term project.
Here are highlights from a seven-inning complete game shutout that Rodriguez threw in June.
Although Cepeda was born in the Dominican Republic and moved back there to avoid the draft and sign as a free agent, he’s actually spent the majority of his life in New Jersey and played for Team USA’s under-14 team. The Cubs gave him a $1 million bonus as an international free agent in 2023.
Cepeda is toolsy young player with a fair amount of projection left in him. He has average power right now, having hit eight home runs in 100 games for Low-A Myrtle Beach last year, but there does seem to be room for him to add power as he ages and become and above-average power hitter. Even eight home runs in a challenging hitting environment like the Carolina League and Myrtle Beach is pretty impressive for a 19-year-old.
Last year he spent the entire season with the Pelicans, going .249/.339/.375 with eight home runs and 27 steals. He could afford to pull the ball more as a lot of his hits (and home runs) are going to right field. He’s not a burner on the base paths, but he is an intelligent base runner who plays faster than his raw foot speed.
Defensively, Cepeda is losing a step as he adds weight. He can probably still play a decent shortstop, but third base seems to be his long-term position. He does have a strong enough arm to handle the hot corner. He would also do well as a second baseman.
The biggest issue with Cepeda right now is his contact skills as he struggles with breaking pitches from right-handed pitching. A 31 percent strikeout rate in Low-A simply isn’t going to cut it as he moves up the ladder. He also has a pretty wide platoon split, as he destroyed left-handers last year and struggled against righties. Were it not for these red flags, Cepeda would rank a lot higher.
Cepeda will take on South Bend as a 20-year-old in 2026. If he can learn to make more contact, he very well could be a top ten prospect this time next year.
Here’s Cepeda muscling out an opposite field home run last April.
I still feel that Bateman was born 40 years too late. In the mid-eighties, Bateman would have been a strong center field and leadoff hitter prospect with strong contact skills and the ability to steal 50 bases a year. But in the Year of our Lord 2026, Bateman’s complete lack of power likely dooms him to a reserve outfielder role.
Bateman’s game is making contact, mostly on the ground, and drawing walks. In his first season in Double-A last year, Bateman played 94 games ands hit .261/.376/.307 with two home runs and just nine doubles. While Bateman makes a lot of contact when he swings (and he rarely swings at bad pitches), he doesn’t make a lot of hard contact, even on the ground. That’s become more of a problem as he moves up the system and he can no longer take advantage of poor infield defenders.
But Bateman’s strike zone judgment means his on-base percentage stays high, even when the hits aren’t falling in. He’s also a plus defender in center field, even if his arm is below average. Maybe he doesn’t cover as much ground as Pete Crow-Armstrong (who does?), but he certainly gets to a lot of fly balls that other center fielder don’t.
Bateman has 70 speed (on the 20-to-80 scale), but he needs more experience stealing bases, He was caught six times in 25 attempts last year. With his raw speed, Bateman should be stealing a lot more than that and at a much higher success rate. I’m confident he will, assuming he gets on base enough to get a chance.
Bateman will likely start 2025 back in Knoxville. He needs to make more hard contact and improve his stolen base percentage to get promoted to Triple-A Iowa. He projects out as a fourth outfielder with a lot of value as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner. If he can make a little harder contact, he could be a valuable pinch hitter as well.
CORAL GABLES, FL - MARCH 03: Miami left-handed pitcher Herick Hernandez (9) pitches in the first inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Florida Gators on March 3, 2024, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We are starting to hit the stretch of the campaign as we enter the top 20. With a couple of the safer picks rounding out the top 30, we have begun to enter the part of the list that caters to some high upside prospects. Compared to recent years there is a lot more upside, and a lot more tools that are definitely louder than years prior. There is also considerable capital associated with this particular section of the system with high international signing bonuses, as well as a pair of players drafted within the first six rounds. A lot has been talked about how the system has a serious lack of depth and high upside talent but with progression from this group of players, the back end looks significantly stronger with a pair of potential top 100 players should everything work out.
How he got to the Braves: 2024 20th round pick (611th overall)
It’s not very often you get value out of a final round draft pick in any sport – much less baseball. While he still has a ways to go, it appears as though the Braves may have gotten a steal when they selected Hartman out of Holy Trinity Academy out of Alberta, Canada in the 20th round of the 2024 draft. A toolsy but very raw outfielder, the Braves sent Hartman to the FCL to begin his professional career, where he struggled to an OPS of .396 in a very limited sample size of six games. He then got the promotion to low-A Augusta where he turned things around in a significant way. Across 83 games with the GreenJackets, the 19-year-old posted an OPS of .718 to go along with five homers and 41 RBI in the process – ultimately leading to a wRC+ of 109 for the season. Hartman has also show solid plate discipline for someone of his age and lower draft pedigree. In those 83 games, he posted a strikeout rate of 23.2% while walking in 10.6% of his at-bats. The biggest issue for Hartman – like any prep position player early in their career – is his ability to handle breaking balls. However, as the season progressed, he showed an ability to adjust late in the count and choke up on the bat to at least attempt to handle breaking balls a bit better. Augusta is likely to be Hartman’s home for the first portion of the season, but it wouldn’t take much to get the bump to Rome, as there really isn’t much talent standing in his way there. If he can figure out how to work counts deeper and handle the breaking stuff, the sky is the limit for Hartman.
The Braves got a steal in the 20th Round last year, grabbing Eric Hartman from Canada. The 18-year-old has split time at 2B/OF and has hits in 9 of his last 10. Clocked him 4.1 sec H-1(plus). Showed a good approach and the ability to hit velocity in my looks last week. pic.twitter.com/4x1MtCdKex
How he got to the Braves: 2025 international free agent
Raudy was a late add, relative to the normal international cycle, for the Braves during last year’s signing period. Coming in at 6’4” with a fastball that reaches 100 MPH at the age of 16 – it’s easy to see why he was signed for a massive $1.8M signing bonus. Raudy, who is new to pitching, is a complete project so he comes in cautiously at 23 overall despite the high end potential. On the season Raudy ended up making 9 appearances in the Dominican Summer League pitching 27 innings and registering a 11.67 K/9, and 9.67 BB/9 with a 3.67 ERA. Overall, really strong numbers for someone his age and his experience. But diving beyond the numbers, the reports out of the Dominican were great. Raudy was comfortably sitting in the 96-99 MPH range through three to four innings. His slider, while wild, showed promise with its shape and movement. It’s safe to imagine that Raudy stays in the Dominican Summer League next year as he will be 17 for a majority of the season, with his eyes on a stateside debut in 2027. At this time he is a complete wildcard, making him wildly difficult to evaluate but the upside is more than enough to make him comfortably within the top 30.
How he got to the Braves: 2023 international free agent
One of the biggest surprises in the Braves system in 2025 was the emergence of Rayven Antonio. Antonio came into the year as an arm most hadn’t had any expectations for, but it was known that he initially signed for just a $10k signing bonus out of Colombia and despite a decent stat line in his first two years, he really struggled to miss bats. Antonio posted a 1.16 ERA in 31 innings in the DSL in 2023, but only had 22 strikeouts. In 2024 he posted a 4.05 ERA between the FCL and a few games in Augusta, but he struck out only 31 in 46.2 innings. Coming into the year the expectation was that he was going to be a ground ball machine who didn’t miss many bats, and might post solid numbers in the lowest level of full season ball. Fast forward and Antonio was actually the ace of the Augusta rotation, continuing to rack up grounders, but also striking out 95 batters over 93.1 innings with his 4.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP – numbers that would have looked even better if not for seeming to tire out at the tail end of the year thanks to blowing past his career high in innings. Antonio is still just 19 until March and expected to join Rome this year, and is now considered to be a legitimate prospect after his velocity increased last year. He now gets up to 98 MPH with his four seam fastball and also has a strong sinker, to go with a slider that has a chance to be a plus pitch, and a splitter that should be an average off speed pitch for him. Antonio is mostly a strike thrower, though he will need to continue to refine his command and continue to progress with his slider. He’s still a teenager, but one with the package to be a big league starter, and has had success at every stop so far. He is a potential middle of the rotation starter if everything comes together, but is more likely a potential quality #4 type of starter.
21. Jose Perdomo – SS
How he got to the Braves: 2024 international free agent
The big bonus signing out of Venezuela in 2024 has had a….rough….start to his professional career so far with the Braves. After having insane comps to Miguel Cabrera leading to fans everywhere to eagerly await his professional debut, Jose picked up an early knock as he suffered from a lingering hamstring injury that hampered him for nearly the entire year. He would play in just 8 games and hit a paltry .250/.318/.250 and leave fans and scouts wanting more. 2025 was supposed to be the year for Jose as he appeared to be fully healthy and the Braves brought him over stateside to compete in the FCL and work with coaches over here. Unfortunately, the results simply were not there as Jose would appear in 54 games and would hit just .223/.275/.270 with a walk rate sitting at just 6%. These are not exactly numbers that instill confidence in people, especially when you add in the fact that he had a soft tissue injury at the age of 17 that kept him out. In talking with scouts that were able to see him more readily, Jose had issues with his lower half and posture that would creep up during at bats. These issues would lead to some of the inconsistencies that plagued him throughout the season. The good is that these things are fixable, and there’s still no denying the talent that he has but it is imperative that his attitude and ethic continue to improve as he enters his second full season of professional baseball. The batted ball data is still there, as he had multiple hits over 100 MPH, including a 103 MPH single back on the 19th of July when he went 5-for-6 so there is still plenty of hope. Add in the fact that he will be just 19 for the entire season and there’s really no reason to give up any kind of hope for Jose. But one thing for certain is that he must show improvement in every facet. There is hope that he makes his Augusta debut this year but it wouldn’t be surprising if he started the season back in Florida, either.
Jose Perdomo is the highest ranked international prospect to land with Atlanta since Kevin Maitan. Perdomo has strong bat-to-ball skills, advanced plate discipline, and is a solid runner. Has potential to add power if he fills out his frame. 🎥: @MLBpic.twitter.com/9sOzbOuTaM
How he got to the Braves: 2024 4th round pick (129th overall)
Herick had one of the most puzzling seasons amongst all Braves prospects. Herick mystified hitters, giving up more than five hits in just one game last year. He struck out batters to the tune of an 11.06 K/9 rate, but then his command could implode, highlighted by his 5.92 BB/9 rate. He attacked batters with his slider to get ahead of counts and to generate whiffs. He would combo that with a fastball that ranged from 91-97, that he located often in the upper third. Herick also featured a solid curveball, and a splitter that would also look good at times. We often talked about Cam Caminiti’s ability to generate whiffs seen by his 13.6% SwStr% (% of strikes that were swung on and missed), but Herick eclipsed him with an even stronger 14.1%. With a good four pitch mix there’s every reason for Herick to stay a starter, especially since he’s capable of handling the workload of a full season already. However, with the command struggles there could also be a future where he focuses on his fastball/slider combo and excels as a reliever. Whichever route he ends up taking, there will be a lot of eyes on Herick Hernandez after he showed us all what he’s capable of last year.
19. Lucas Braun – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 6th round draft pick (189th overall)
Lucas Braun quietly had a strong year – registering a 3.67 ERA across two levels (24 games in AA, 3 games in AAA). In his 24 starts for the Columbus Clingstones he had 3.99 ERA, 9.23 K/9, and 2.41 BB/9 rate. The anemic Clingstones offense did not help him much so he went just 5-5 despite those numbers. Lucas would then get promoted to Gwinnett to finish out the season and while the strikeout rate dropped to 5.21, the walk rate stayed strong, dropping on its own to 1.89 per 9. He did this by utilizing six pitches – a four seam fastball (90-93 MPH), two seam fastball (89-91 MPH), cutter (85-87 MPH), slider (81-84 MH), curveball (76-79 MPH), and a changeup. He showed the mental fortitude you want to see with starting pitchers by comfortably leaning on whatever pitches worked best for him that day – often his 4S, 2S, and slider. He had success both against righties (.229/.278/.375), and lefties (.205/.270/.343) and limited hard contact quite well.
Lucas will be 24 for most of the 2026 season and has already ticked a lot of the boxes you want to see starting pitching prospects do. Whether he’s called up to Atlanta, or is used in a trade, if he replicates the kind of year he had in 2025 he should find himself in Major League Baseball sooner than later.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees looks on during Game Three of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Following two seasons with the Chicago Cubs and eight in the National League, Bellinger found himself in a very different (but also familiar) environment after he was dealt to the New York Yankees in December of 2024. Bellinger’s dad, Clay, was a Yankee from 1999-2001, winning two World Series championships with the team before playing his final year of major-league ball with the Anaheim Angels in 2002. Aside from the familial connection though, Bellinger had played just three career games in the Bronx out of 1,077 in his career.
Despite the new environment for him in 2025, Bellinger was arguably the Yankees’ best player outside of Aaron Judge. He came onto the scene and made an immediate impact in front of the fans at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day. Against the Milwaukee Brewers, he went 1-for-2 with a hit, an RBI, and a walk in four plate appearances.
Bellinger not only had a strong offensive output for the Yankees throughout the 2025 season, but his defense was the shining part of his game. He finished with some of the best defensive numbers in his entire career, rounding out his game more in his age-29 season, and Yankees fans hope he will continue his strong offensive output while also being a vacuum in the outfield in the 2026 season.
Bellinger’s excellent season with the Yankees gave the team’s front office almost no other choice but to re-sign him moving forward. And, after there was initially a gap between the Yankees and Bellinger’s representation (Scott Boras), the two sides did agree on a five-year deal worth $162.5 million and no deferrals. Bellinger received a $20 million signing bonus, and he has the option to opt out after the second or third season. Lastly, he has a full no-trade clause in this contract.
There were some concerning aspects about the raw numbers that Bellinger put out over the course of last season. His average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and bat speed were all below league average. He also chased his fair share of pitches. However, the good news is that despite those numbers not living up to what fans probably want to see from the second-best-performing player on the team, there are other signals that should offer optimism heading into 2026.
First, Bellinger did an excellent job of seeing pitches and knowing which ones he wanted. His strikeout rate was the lowest of his career and sat in the 91st percentile among all major leaguers according to Baseball Savant. In that same vein, while Bellinger may have chased a fair share of pitches through 2025, his whiff rate was one of the lowest in MLB as well. He finished the year with a total in the 81st percentile. Additionally, while the Yankees might be a lefty-heavy lineup, Bellinger actually thrived against same-handed pitching last year with a 1.016 OPS in 176 PA.
Bellinger’s defense was out-of-this-world good for the Yankees in 2025, and that’s a bright spot that needs to continue in the outfield if the Yankees want to remain in contention for the World Series. His Range (OAA) and Arm Value were both above the 90th percentile across MLB, and his overall fielding run value was in the 91st percentile. Among all outfielders, Bellinger finished 19th in OAA and was the second-highest finisher among all left fielders. He’s a huge boost over what Jasson Domínguez would’ve offered with the glove, and he has the flexibility to play center and first in a pinch as well, spelling Trent Grisham and Ben Rice.
So, despite some bumps along the way in his contract negotiations this offseason, the Yankees and Bellinger were finally able to make a deal that ensures the player is paid what he believes he’s worth and that the club gets a player who was invaluable to the team last season under manager Aaron Boone. Bellinger’s defense alone was worth spending the money, but combining that with the fact that he produced well on offense, is a former MVP and a World Series winner, there should be high hopes for him to stay in form heading into 2026.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 24: Seattle Mariners AL West division banners are seen before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies at T-Mobile Park on September 24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners got better just because.
Fangraphs on Monday dropped their standings model for 2026 and the commensurate playoff odds . It was the biggest news for most of the morning because the Mariners, wouldn’t you know it, were the top projected team in the American League. No, not the best team in the American League, a distinction reserved for the Yankees or the Blue Jays or maaaaybe the Red Sox. But instead the team projected for the most wins, thanks to their good fortune of not playing in the AL East.
These odds felt final, a rubber stamp on another quiet offseason, the justification for continued austerity. For years the organization has committed to building good-not-great rosters, seeing 85-90 wins as a sort of sweet spot; just enough to always be competitive—favorites, on occasion—without risking prospects or profits.
And to their credit, it’s kind of worked. They’ve won 85-90 games in five consecutive seasons. They’ve made a deep playoff run. They’ve developed two of the five best batters in MLB and a premier pitching staff. They’ve made shrewd trades to supplement the roster. And they’ve done so while maintaining a top five farm system, one that’s beginning to graduate legitimate Big League contributors. They’ve held onto their cake, they’ve eaten their cake, and they’ve ensured us of its caloric efficiency.
The question this offseason was whether the Mariners would see this strong position as an ultimatum to chase their first ever World Series; or if they’d see last year’s playoff run as proof of concept for the model that’s gotten them, well, however far *this* may be.
I was prepared for the latter as of Monday at noon. They hadn’t been active since Christmas, and most of the good options had been snatched up by more diligent teams. Eugenio Suárez felt like the last realistic fit, and he’d signed with the Reds over the weekend on a modest one-year deal that the Mariners could have beaten if they cared. Sure, Jerry Dipoto said at Fan Fest there was another trade in the works, but I’d learned to ignore these verbal pacifiers, especially as he sounded committed to their strategy in December:
“And while we’ll continue to evolve our model, mold our model in certain places… I don’t think we’re going to bust it and start over again. We like the model. And right now we’re starting to see some tangible results of what that looks like. We still have goals that we want to achieve that we haven’t achieved yet. So plenty to do, but I think the infrastructure is the way we want it, and we’ll keep relying on the things that we do.”
We can see that “model” had them perfectly aligned with their historic quality. Again, it was arguably enough:
Now, I’d been writing about this strategy since 2021, exhausting all the pros and cons and logistical nuances across far too many words. But I’d never decided how to feel about it as a fan. I could appreciate—and even respect—a group of administrators with the competence and conviction to execute a long-term plan. I felt strongly about the core roster, as people and as players, and I was compelled to watch them every night. And I had some level of confidence that their success, relative as it may be, wasn’t likely to vanish again anytime soon. The Mariners, as of Monday at noon, were worth my time.
But it was easy to forget the hard feelings that existed around the organization from October 2022 through August 2025. For a model based on risk management, it still assumed an incredible amount of risk, all for a step above mediocrity. Baseball is a game. The point is to win. And doing so by technicality—by attrition, really—goes against the nature of competition itself. The Mariners, as of Monday at noon, were kind of pathetic.
Anyways…
At about 2 p.m., the Mariners traded a bunch of prospects for Brendan Donovan. The deal added a net +2.1 fWAR to their projection, with Donovan coming in at 3.1 fWAR by Steamer and Ben Williamson going out at 0.9 fWAR. As the plot below illustrates, this gives the Mariners their best ever projection by a considerable margin, an increase of 5%:
This doesn’t actually change their odds much. The Mariners’ projected standing increased by 1.4 wins; their odds to win the division increased by 6.9 points; their odds to win the World Series increased by 2.4 points. They’re in the same position now as they were before the trade:
The Mariners with this deal got better simply for the sake of getting better. It’s the first time that’s happened since… I honestly cannot remember. It might as well be forever. This is a legitimate win-now deal that commits more resources to 2026 than scales linearly. It’s inefficient, and at this level, that makes it a step towards greatness—the first of Jerry Dipoto’s tenure. I’d call this a new era.
There’s a bit of irony, of course, that I’m making so much hay about a deal for a player I don’t think is great himself. Donovan is obviously “good,” to be clear. He makes a ton of contact while still hitting the ball hard (a distinction that separates him from the likes of Adam Frazier and Kolten Wong). His ability to play so many positions is an exciting premise for a roster already oozing with flexibility. But I see this more as everyday depth, or maybe “fringe core,” if you had to name it as an aesthetic.
I’m also kind of surprised by the cost, even if I can justify each piece individually. I didn’t buy into Ben Williamson’s bat, but I bought into his glove. I was skeptical of Jurrangelo Cijtnje’s left arm, but I was encouraged by his right. The rest was long-shot trade filler, but why did the Cardinals require so much of it? That’s the price of progress, I suppose.
If this is it—and it probably is—the roster is close to ideal for a team now with both feet in the water, gauging its initial depth and temperature, considering whether to fully submerge and dive for the deep. They have great players. The have good players. They have role players. They have prospects. They have quality and contingency; now and later. They are the favorites in the American League. They’re maybe even great.
Baseball: World Series: Toronto Blue Jays Joe Carter (29) victorious, approaching 1st base after hitting, three run game winning, walk off home run during 9th inning vs Philadelphia Phillies at SkyDome. Game 6. Toronto, Canada 10/23/1993 CREDIT: V.J. Lovero (Photo by V.J. Lovero /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X45158 TK6 R18 F6 )
We’ve hit the fun time of the off-season where there is almost nothing for news.
The Jays pitchers and catchers report on the 11th, so at least we’ll start hearing about who is in the best shape of their lives soon. Actually, we don’t hear that much anymore as we’ve all made fun of it enough that no one says it anymore.
The Jays announced that a statue honouring the 1992 and 1993 World Series winners, and Joe Carter in particular, will be installed in front of Rogers Centre. The Ted Rogers statue is moving to another location within the Rogers’ corporate world. Hopefully, they will add a plaque honouring his decision to overcharge us all on cell phones. As long as we don’t have to see it anymore, I’ll be happy.
And there was mention that the team will start honouring past players and events more than they have in the past.
The potential extra outfielders: Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and Joey Loperfido. Considering there isn’t room on the roster for all four, he’s right that they will have to show well. I’d guess that they will lean heavily on their defensive abilities to make the final choices, but hitting well in spring training games won’t hurt their chances.
RJ Schreck: Considering the four listed above, Schreck will want to show well to be a possible call during the season. If he does well he could move ahead of Lukes and Loperfido on the depth charts.
Leo Jiménez: He is out of options and would likely be quickly grabbed if he were on waivers. He could make a good utility infielder, but we are fairly deep in options for that job.
Spencer Miles: He and Angel Bastardo are Rule 5 guys and would have to be kept on the active roster if the team wants to keep them. There is no chance they would keep both. But one could get a spot at the back of the bullpen.
Brandon Valenzuela: Keegan figures he is number three on the catcher depth chart, and would be in position to make the team when a catcher goes on the IL. Catchers tend to get hurt, so showing well would make him the first call if someone is needed.
There is some non-Jays baseball news:
The Mariners traded for Brendan Donovan, part of a three-team trade. Donovan was an All-Star last year, and hit .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs in 118 games. He can play all over the field, but will likely play third for the M’s.
The Mariners send Ben Williamson to the Rays. And prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete, plus a competitive balance draft pick to the Cardinals.
The Rays send prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance pick to the Cardinals.
The Angels signed Jeimer Candelario
And the Rays want $1.15 billion from taxpayers to build a new baseball park. I hate that sports teams can get billions from governments, so they can make billions off of us. And, of course, we are building a hockey rink in Calgary for the owners of the Flames, who could build the arena with money they find in their couches. But, build a water system that works? Nah, can’t have that.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Fans wait to enter Sutter Health Park before a baseball game between the Athletics and the Kansas City Royals on September 28, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.
The seventh round of voting wasn’t particularly close. Recent international signee Johenssy Colome ran away with the vote this round, solidifying himself as one of the top prospects in the A’s farm system. The 17-year-old is a ways away from making any sort of impact for the Athletics but the young shortstop has plenty of power in that right-handed bat of his, and he should be athletic enough to handle shortstop as he gets bigger and older. Otherwise a move to third base could be in order, and the A’s would love to have a power-hitting third baseman like Colome rising through the system.
Taking Colome’s spot in the nominees list is outfielder Devin Taylor. The A’s second round pick in the most recent draft, Taylor shows plenty of promise as a hitter and could be a fast riser in the Athletics’ farm system. The 22-year-old is a bit older for his level and doesn’t offer much in the way of defense but there’s no questioning his abilities in the batter’s box. Where will he land on this year’s CPL?
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
The voting continues! Which A’s prospect do the fans believe is the #8 player in the system? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.
White’s right-handed power is legitimate and he can hit the ball a long way to all fields thanks to his strength and bat speed. He might be known for his home run totals but he’s a better overall hitter than people think, finding the barrel consistently and limiting strikeouts. His knack for contact can lead to him expanding his strike zone, but he doesn’t swing and miss very often.
It will be White’s bat that carries him to the big leagues. He’s a well-below-average runner who likely lacks the range and tools to stick at third base, where he toiled as a sophomore and junior, earning praise for playing through a shoulder injury at LSU in 2023. He’s likely headed to first base long term, which could give the A’s a glut of serious offensive talent between him and first-rounder Nick Kurtz.
At the plate, Morii features a smooth left-handed swing with tremendous balance. His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control. On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization.
Morii’s high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but some evaluators see a possibility of moving to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out. While scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, the A’s plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed as a two-way player, with excitement already building over his impressive physical traits and desire to become one of the next great players out of Japan.
Taylor shows the potential to become a plus hitter in terms of both average and power while controlling the strike zone. A left-handed hitter with plenty of bat speed and strength, he hits the ball extremely hard and generates power to all fields. He likes to swing the bat but has cut down on his chases this spring. He makes consistent contact and has no problems handling breaking pitches.
The majority of Taylor’s value will come from his offensive production. His speed, arm strength and defensive instincts all grade as fringy, which will limit him to a corner outfield spot in pro ball.
The A’s believe Echavarria’s stuff played better than the overall numbers might suggest. His fastball reached 98 mph and sat 95-96 with good ride up in the zone. The issue was struggling to command his arsenal when he would fall behind in counts. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, and his upper-80s changeup continues to improve. He also throws a two-seamer in the 92-93 mph range. He clearly dealt with some control issues, but the A’s are not at all sounding the alarm, instead patiently working with the teenager on adjustments.
Echavarria profiles as a starter for the long-term with his 6-foot-1 frame and sound delivery. Previously having shown an ability to consistently throw all of his offerings for strikes prior to the Draft, he will continue to work to rediscover that control in his second season of pro ball.
A switch-hitting shortstop, Montero has shown the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate, with his natural right-handed swing more direct to the ball, though his left-handed swing is more picturesque and he obviously gets more plate appearances from that side. He has the chance to hit for average and power, with a solid approach that has allowed him to walk more than he strikes out for much of the summer.
Last year, Montero was slower and less athletic, but attention to conditioning and nutrition has helped him get leaner and stronger. An average runner, Montero has the instincts and actions to stick at shortstop for a long time, with a solid and accurate arm. If his body gets bigger as he matures — he played all of 2025 at age 18 — he could move to the hot corner, but the A’s don’t see that in his future. What they are hoping for is that he comes to instructs this year and stays in the United States as one of the better prospects to come out of their Dominican academy in some time.
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Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay m
Carson Benge grew up with two older brothers, Garrett and Tyler. All four grew up baseball rats and were mainstays on the fields across their native Yukon, Oklahoma. Garrett went on to attend Cowley Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas in 2015, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians with their 22nd round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, did not sign and attended Oklahoma State University in 2016 and 2017, was then drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, playing in their system for three years. Tyler attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma and played at the collegiate level for a pair of seasons. Youngest brother Carson may have the most potential and brightest future of the three.
From an early age, Carson was dedicated to baseball, following along in the footsteps of his older brothers. He would use his brothers’ equipment and would play with his brothers and their friends, who were anywhere between three to five years older than him. By the time he began his freshman year at Yukon High School, a growth spurt had left him a tall, lanky young man, and his wild, childhood swing had been refined into a powerful left-handed stroke. Benge had much of his high school baseball experience muddied by the COVID-19 pandemic, with his entire junior season cancelled and parts of his senior year as well, but he put up impressive numbers when he was able to get on the field. In his senior year, he was named OCABCA North Player of the Year and earned COAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as well, as a senior in 2021, hitting .490 and posting an 8-1 record with 124 strikeouts on the mound.
Benge had previously committed to Oklahoma State University prior to graduating and went unselected in the 2021 MLB Draft as a result, strongly preferring to attend college as opposed to going pro early. His freshman season winded up ending before it even began, as he injured his elbow just prior to the start of the 2022 season and needed Tommy John surgery to correct, costing him the year. He returned to the field in 2023, his redshirt freshman season, and immediately showed that he was a premium talent. Appearing in 59 games, Benge hit .345/.468/.538 with 17 doubles, 7 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 10 attempts, and drew 42 walks to 32 strikeouts, his batting average and on-base percentage leading the team. Additionally, he pitched 35.0 innings for the Cowboys and posted a 6.69 ERA with 38 hits allowed, 24 walks, and 35 strikeouts. Benge was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, the All-Big 12 First Team as a utility player, and the All-Big 12 Second Team as an outfielder. He was also finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, but the award ultimately went to Clemson senior Caden Grice.
That summer, he played for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Collegiate Baseball League. He appeared in 9 games and hit .345/.424/.414 with 1 triple and threw a scoreless inning on the mound, giving up a hit while striking out two. He returned to OSU for his redshirt sophomore season in 2024 and once again was a true two-way player. As a batter, he hit .335/.444/.665 in 61 games with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 18 home runs, 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and 49 walks to 51 strikeouts. As a pitcher, he appeared in 18 games and posted a 3.16 ERA in 37.0 innings, allowing 26 hits, walking 11, and striking out 44. Once again, he was a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award but lost out on it for a second consecutive year, this time to University of Florida star Jac Caglianone.
Benge was selected by the Mets with their first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 19th overall pick. Coming into the season, he had been seen as a player who would be selected in the back-half of the first round by most evaluators and analysts, and with the Mets’ selection, their prediction came to pass. Benge signed with the team fairly quickly, agreeing to a signing bonus worth $3,997,500, slightly below the MLB-assigned slot value for the 19th overall pick, $4,219,200. He was assigned to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets, where he would be focusing only on hitting. He appeared in 15 games and hit .273/.420/.436 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 3 stolen bases, and 11 walks to 14 strikeouts. On the power of his college season and his limited professional debut, Benge was ranked the Mets’ 3rd top prospect for the 2025 season by Amazin’ Avenue.
The outfielder began the 2025 season with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and had one of the better seasons by any player in a Cyclones uniform, short-season or full. Appearing in 60 games, he hit .302/.417/.480 with 18 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs, 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts, and drew 41 walks to 50 strikeouts. The Mets promoted Benge to Double-A Binghamton at the end of June, and he showed no signed of being overwhelmed by the tougher competition; in fact, Benge was better. In the 32 games he ended up playing in Binghamton, he hit .317/.407/.571 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 4 stolen bases in 8 attempts, and drew 18 walks to 23 strikeouts. In mid-August, Benge was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. His time there got off to a rough start, as he was placed on the injured list a few days later for an undisclosed injury, but when he got back on the field at the end of the month, he really couldn’t get going. He ended up appearing in 24 games for Syracuse and hit .178/.272/.311 with 1 double, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 3 stolen bases in as many attempts, and drew 9 walks to 19 strikeouts. Overall, it was an incredible season for the outfielder, and he hit a combined .281/.385/.472 with 25 doubles, 7 triples, 15 home runs, 22 stolen bases in 26 attempts, and drew 68 walks to 92 strikeouts.
In college, Benge had mechanics at the plate that could have been regarded as yellow flags based on the history of being problematic in a professional wood bat setting. The 6’1”, 185-pound left-hander stood extremely open, holding his hands high behind his head and wrapping his bat behind his head at 10:00. As he would load up, he would raise his hands and angle his bat parallel to the ground before lowering them and angling his bat perpendicular to the ground at 12:00 before returning it back to its original position during his front leg strike and swing, sometimes with compensatory bat wiggle. At some point during his 2024 season with the Cowboys, the hand movement during his load became less pronounced and he got them back into hitting position much quicker, with most of the extra movement and momentum removed. As evidenced by his solid 2024 professional debut with St. Lucie and his strong 2025 season with Brooklyn, Binghamton, and Syracuse, his modified mechanics have been effective with a wood bat in a professional setting.
The left-hander has a lightning-fast bat that stays in the zone and makes a lot of quality contact because of a strong sense of the strike zone and an advanced eye for spin. His cumulative 42.4% Swing% and 8.1% SwingStr% were just under the 2025 MLB averages, while his 80.9% Contact% was just a little over it. When he makes solid contact on pitches and hits them squarely, he has produced exit velocities over 110 MPH as per publicly available statcast data with Syracuse. While he does hit the ball hard, Benge still needs to work on improving the damage that he does with those balls.
In his last year in college, Benge focused on hitting the ball in the air more and tapping into more of his power. He was more or less successful in doing so, running a 15% line drive rate, 46.5% groundball rate, and a 38.5% flyball rate in his last year with the Cowboys, as opposed to his 18.1% line drive rate, 53% groundball rate, and 28.9% flyball rate the year before. In 2025, the outfielder had a 24.7% line drive rate, 42.5% groundball rate, and 31.4% flyball rate, specifically with an 8.3% pulled fastball rate. Benge posted a suboptimal median launch angle of less than 10-degrees in 2024, and in 2025 averaged a 9-degree launch angle during his time in Syracuse, where publicly available statcast data exists. Lifting the ball more will unlock more of Benge’s natural power and continues to be his main area of improvement.
Because of his swing’s length, Benge naturally goes to the opposite field, shooting pitches middle or away to left-center. In totality in 2025, he pulled the ball at a 39.1% rate, went back up the middle at a 22% rate, and went to the opposite field at a 38.9% rate. His swing showed platoon splits at Oklahoma State, highlighting a weaknesses against left-handers, and while they did not manifest themselves in his brief professional debut in 2024, they reared their heads in 2025. Against right-handers, Benge hit .295/.379/.512, but against left-handers, he hit .232/.407/.326. He can be a pesky at-bat for southpaw pitchers, since he has a natural feel for going the other way, but pitches inside have been a problem for Benge, with a best case scenario of inside-outing balls that dunk in for hits instead of getting jammed.
Defensively, the wiry outfielder generally gets good reads off the bat, takes efficient routes to the ball, and has solid range thanks to his average-to-above-average speed. He does not have a dynamic first step or the afterburners that true above-average runners have, but he reaches his reaches his striding speed quickly and can cover plenty of ground. When he was drafted, scouts and evaluators were split on whether or not he had enough range to play centerfield in the long term. The slim, athletically built Benge has demonstrated that he has enough speed and range to play the position in the near long term, with future mass addition and how it develops on his body being the true deciding factor. In a corner, he has a plus arm and profiles well in right field as a result.
2026 Mets Top 25 Prospect List
3) Jonah Tong 4) Jett Williams* 5) Brandon Sproat* 6) A.J. Ewing 7) Jacob Reimer 8) Ryan Clifford 9) Will Watson 10) Jack Wenninger 11) Mitch Voit 12) Jonathan Santucci 13) Elian Peña 14) Zach Thornton 15) Nick Morabito 16) R.J. Gordon 17) Chris Suero 18) Dylan Ross 19) Ryan Lambert 20) Antonio Jimenez 21) Edward Lantigua 22) Eli Serrano III 23) Randy Guzman 24) Daiverson Gutierrez 25) Boston Baro
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 6: Hayden Harris #79 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the seventh inning during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Truist Park on September 6, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
🎶It’s the most wonderful time of the year.🎶
The drolls of the everlasting January are finally over and we enter the month of February with hope in the air as players begin to collect in Florida as Spring Training is right around the corner. Yesterday we saw who just missed out on top 30 list – a wide array of talent with a lot of promise. We’ve seen the Braves make sway away from the pitching dominant drafts from mere years ago, and shift towards adding much needed talent to the positional ranks. As a result, while the top of the list was pretty straight forward, we saw a much wider array of rankings – so without further ado let’s take a look at our Top 30. Make sure to leave comments, but the minor league crew will be also hosting a Q&A later this Friday.
How he got to the Braves: 2023 2nd round pick (59th overall)
At one point in time, Hackenburg looked like he could be a legitimate future piece for Atlanta in some capacity. Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 draft, Hackenburg immediately produced and showed great results in his first full pro season in 2024.
Over 25 starts and 129 innings, Hackenburg made his way from low-A Augusta to triple-A Gwinnett over the course of one season. During that stretch, he spun a 3.07 ERA, which resulted in him being listed in the top-20 Braves prospects on most lists by the beginning of 2025.
However, that all went south in 2025, as Hackenburg’s numbers took an abysmal turn.
While he was injured fairly often in 2025, when he was on the mound it didn’t go great for the righty. In 21 starts consisting of 74 innings, Hackenburg struggled mightily to an ERA of 6.81, striking out 67 batters with a brutal WHIP of 1.82. Hackenburg didn’t get demolished by batters in terms of the long ball as he only gave up nine homers over the course of the season. However, he was getting hit around on a fairly consistent basis, as opposing batters has an average of .279 on the season – a stark contrast from his organization leading number of .212 in 2024. Add to the fact he walked 54 batters in his 74 innings of work, and it’s not exactly a surprise the season went the way it did.
The book isn’t closed on Hackenburg by any stretch of imagination. There are a plethora of reasons you could chalk up one bad season, whether it be injuries, incosistent times on the IL and playing, etc. There’s still a decent chance he can right the ship and become a solid bullpen piece or a fringe rotation guy at the big league level. However, he’s going to have to show he can put last year behind him and bounce back in a hurry or else his prospect stock will take a huge nosedive once again.
29. Carter Holton – LHP
How he got to the Braves: 2024 2nd round pick (62nd overall)
A three year starter at Vanderbilt, Carter Holton finds himself at the back end of the list because after making one appearance in 2024, he was shut down and received Tommy John surgery. Coming in at 5’11” Carter doesn’t have the prototypical size for a starting pitcher which adds risk to his profile, add in the fact that he just had the surgery as well and…well it’s safe to say we don’t know what to really expect from Carter. Carter has a four pitch mix that is led by three average to plus off speed offerings – a plus slider, and an average to slight above average curveball and changeup. Having made just played one game it’s safe to assume he starts the season at Augusta, but at 23 years of age, expect a quick promotion should he succeed. That said, there are not high expectations for Carter to enter the season as the main goal will be to maintain health and getting used to being on the mound again.
28. Hayden Harris – RHP
How he got to the Braves:2022 Un-drafted free agent
There’s no way to go about it – Hayden Harris had one of the most dominant seasons a Braves prospect has ever had last year. Across 43 games Hayden registered a 0.52 ERA, 13.67 K/9 rate, and 3.29 BB/9 rate. He absolutely mystified batters shown by his paltry .118 batting average against. Hayden was able to use his unique fastball in the upper third extremely well, generating strong whiffs against a pitch that comes in at 90-92 MPH. We knew about his dynamite splitter that drops out of the zone, but last year saw Hayden locate his sweeper much better to both sides of the plate making at bats against him even more difficult. All of this resulted in Hayden being named an All-MiLB first teamer, and named to the MLB Futures game. As long as that sweeper command continues, look for Hayden to continue to put up extremely strong strikeout numbers -numbers that could begin to accumulate in Atlanta.
27. Cade Kuehler – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 2nd round compensation pick (70th overall)
There might not be a player anticipating the start of the season more than Cade Kuehler who sat out the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. His ranking this season comes as pure projection as nobody is quite sure what to expect from the former Campbell standout. Cade has a strong fastball, and slider to go with what we will call a developing splitter. Cade will be 24 most of the season so while health is the most important thing for him this season, he must also show improvement with his pitch mix because he did look like it regressed back in 2024 (which absolutely could have been because of the injury). Signed for over $1M, Cade will be given every chance to start a starter, but if the splitter doesn’t develop there is a chance he could be a fast moving reliever.
26. Dixon Williams – 2B
How he got to the Braves: 2025 4th round compensation pick (136th overall)
The Braves drafted Dixon Williams in the fourth round out of East Carolina based on the strength of his bat and the growth potential of a player who didn’t start to focus on baseball full-time until college. Williams is a high end athlete with a football background who has shown growth every year during his college tenure. He went from just 15 plate appearances as a freshman to a .896 OPS as a sophomore, followed by a breakout while winning the New England Collegiate League MVP that summer, followed by a 1.012 OPS during his draft season featuring career highs in both homers and walks. After signing he went to Augusta, where he hit .269/.395/.462 with a pair of homers and 16 walks to 35 strikeouts over his 114 plate appearances. Williams is a potential four tool guy, lacking the arm strength only, with enough versatility to play every spot in the infield as well as even some time in center field in college, who probably projects best at second base long term. He’s going to need some time to continue refining his hit tool and his defense, which is to be expected for a player newer to full-time baseball that hadn’t consistently played one position in college – however he has the tool set to develop into the Braves next starter at second base now that we’ve started to see his power emerge. He is likely going to open this year in Rome, but could get a shot to earn a way up to Columbus with a good start to his season.
DIXON WILLIAMS 426 FEET OVER THE SCOREBOARD OFF OF CHASE BURNS
THERE WILL BE HUNDREDS OF KIDS NAMED DIXON STARTING KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL OF 2029 AROUND THE GREENVILLE AREA pic.twitter.com/b6qq1Ov4Uh
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) June 1, 2024
25. Ethan Bagwell – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2024 6th round pick (191st overall)
There might not be another prospect as excited for 2026 as Ethan who looks to make his name on the Braves farm system this year. Fully healthy, Ethan stands at 6’4” and an extremely muscle 230+ pounds – a specimen on the mound. Ethan worked in the low-to-mid 90s, and looked to be incorporating a two seam into his repertoire. Ethan features a dynamic slider, and a developing changeup to round out a very impressive arsenal that leaves a lot to like. While the whiffs weren’t there last season which resulted in a rough strikeout rate (6.86 K/9), Ethan did induce groundballs at a strong rate (47.5%), and was able to keep the walk rate down (2.9 BB/9). Ethan looks every bit the part of a starting pitcher, and should his newly incorporate two seam, and changeup continue to develop, there will be a lot more people talking about him.
ARLINGTON, TX - July 02: Dane Dunning #33 of the Texas Rangers pitches during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field on July 2, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/ Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at pitcher Dane Dunning.
Dane Dunning’s time with the Texas Rangers in 2025 was more interesting from a procedural standpoint than from an on-the-field standpoint, all things considered.
It started, really, a little before Thanksgiving in 2024. Dunning, coming off an ineffective and injury-plagued campaign, was entering what I believe was is next-to-last season of arbitration eligibility (he spent time in the majors in 2020 with the Chicago White Sox, but I don’t believe he earned a full season of service time). After making $3.325 million in 2024, Matt Schwarz’s arbitration projection system projected him to get $4.4 million in arbitration.
The Rangers apparently weren’t willing to even match the $3.325 million they paid Dunning in 2024, however, and on the day decisions had to be made whether to tender players on the 40 man roster contracts, Dunning apparently had to decide between getting a pay cut on a one year deal with the Rangers, or going out into the open market and seeing if he could do better, with the risk being that he could do worse.
Dunning opted for the bird in the hand, signing a one year deal for $2.66 million. That represented a 20% paycut from 2024, the most that a player’s salary can be reduced from the prior year, even by agreement, under the CBA. The upside for Dunning was that he had $985,000 in potential performance bonuses in the deal, giving him the opportunity to make more in 2025 than he did in 2024 if he hit those markers.
Those performance bonuses, of course, ended up being irrelevant.
An unimpressive spring resulted in the Rangers putting Dunning on outright waivers at the end of camp. We can debate whether the Rangers were hoping someone would claim him and take his salary off the team’s books or hoping no one would claim him so they could stash him in AAA as depth, but whatever the team’s preference, Dunning went unclaimed and started the season with Round Rock.
Dunning started the year in Round Rock getting knocked around twice by Corporal Klinger’s favorite team, the Toledo Mud Hens, before setting down with three decent starts that were apparently enough to get him tapped to come back up when the Rangers needed to swap out long men in late April. Or maybe there just weren’t any better options. Who knows?
Dunning made one appearance, pitching the final three innings in relief of Jacob deGrom in a blowout win against the A’s, and was designated for assignment the next day because the Rangers needed a catcher and didn’t have one on the 40 man roster, necessitating purchasing the contract of Tucker Barnhart. Such is life on in the fringe class.
Dunning cleared waivers and was outrighted once again, was bad in his first couple of appearances for Round Rock again, and then was pretty good again, earning him a return to the bigs in late June, an appearance in one game, a return to Round Rock (via option this time, gotta mix things up and keep it fresh), a return to the bigs a week and a half later, garbage time action in three blowout wins, followed by a return to the minors again.
Finally, apparently ready to be out of the Dane Dunning business, or maybe just wanting to shed some salary in advance of the trade deadline (and thus potentially being able to add more salary at the trade deadline than they otherwise would be able to add), the Rangers shipped Dunning off to Atlanta for Jose Ruiz, a reliever who had been outrighted earlier in the year by Atlanta and who was toiling unsuccessfully for them in AAA, and cash considerations, which is believed to be what Ruiz was owed for the remainder of 2025.
Thus ended Dane Dunning’s time with the Texas Rangers. His final line in his final season with Texas? 5 games, 10.2 innings, 10 Ks, 5 walks, a 3.38 ERA.
Dunning went on to bounce up and down between the majors and minors for Atlanta, and generally wasn’t good for them when he was in the bigs, allowing 13 runs in 10 innings. At season’s end, Atlanta waived him, Dunning became a free agent, and just a few days ago, he signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.
I’m sad about how Dunning’s time with the Rangers ended. He was one of the early additions to the team’s rebuilding project, coming over to Texas, along with Avery Weems, in exchange for Lance Lynn in the 2020-21 offseason. After a couple of mediocre seasons in the rotation for not-good Rangers teams, he was the Rangers’ Pitcher of the Year for 2023, being used as both a starter and a reliever in the regular season, and appearing in five games in the playoffs out of the pen.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 26: Dylan Crews #3 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Chicago White Sox at Nationals Park on September 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are some players that just look the part. Dylan Crews firmly falls into that category. Despite not producing in his first year and change in the MLB, I still have a lot of faith in him. Some of that may be irrational, but Crews just looks like he should be a really good player.
His time at LSU was absolutely legendary. Crews is one of the best college baseball players of the 21st century. He hit .426 in his last year of college before being picked second overall in 2023. I have a hard time believing the player who did that could turn into a bust.
Crews, who turns 24 this month, is at a key point in his career. So far, he has not come close to living up to expectations. However, he is still young enough to turn things around. Crews needs to start showing something for fans to continue to believe in his star upside. He looks the part, but he also needs to produce.
His pedigree and tools will give him plenty of chances, but eventually he has to stop sucking. Crews has shown flashes of power, contact skills, speed and defense, but he has not put it all together.
This new development team is also giving me another excuse to believe in Crews. One of Dylan Crews’ biggest problems is that he puts the ball on the ground too much. His GB rate was 56% in his cup of coffee in 2024 and 50.2% last year. It is tough to do damage when you aren’t consistently elevating the ball. Crews is not ever going to be a pulled flyball guy, but hopefully the new regime can turn some of those ground balls into line drives.
It would be silly to give up on Dylan Crews
Especially now since the Nationals have completely revamped their coaching staff, he has new tools to enhance his game this offseason
I think the best version of Dylan Crews as a hitter is a line drive oriented guy. That is what I think Crews is at his core. Selling out for power just does not feel like it comes naturally to him. He should lean into being a gap to gap guy who has the power to punish mistakes.
Honestly, Crews should try to emulate Ryan Zimmerman as a hitter. Zimmerman always tried to pepper that right-center gap with doubles and homers. However, he was able to turn on those inside pitches. While pulling the ball in the air is optimal, it is not for everyone. It just does not feel like that is Crews’ game, and it does not have to be.
Brady House is the type of player who I think needs to be able to pull the ball in the air. He does not have great offensive tools outside of power, so he needs to maximize that power. Crews does have solid contact ability and a decent approach, even if it has not totally translated to the MLB yet.
Even if it is irrational, I have a ton of confidence that Crews will be a solid starter. My biggest question is if he still has that star potential. I still think it is in there, but it is a less likely outcome now compared to when he was drafted. While I am still very bullish about Crews, you can’t deny reality either.
He may have hit .208 with a .632 OPS last year, but there is still so much more in the tank for Crews. I think he can be a .255 hitter with a .750 OPS next season. At his peak, Crews has the talent to be a .270ish hitter with an .820ish OPS. With his defense in the outfield, that is All-Star level.
Dylan Crews may never be the Andrew McCutchen type MVP candidate we thought he would be when he was drafted. However, I cannot give up on him yet, not even close. Watching him move on the field just feels right. He looks like he should be really good. That may be totally unscientific, but some guys just have an it-factor. Dylan Crews has it, and it is why I cannot quit him.
I am up to two continents and three countries, which was just my 2025. In my lifetime, I have attended 126 regular-season Dodger games in 28 stadiums, 27 of which are MLB stadiums.
My most-visited ballpark is Oracle Park: 24 times, with the Dodgers prevailing 16 times. I have been to Dodger Stadium 14 times, with the Dodgers prevailing 11 times.
It is worth noting that this list is of the ballparks I think are the best in Major League Baseball, rather than where the best place is to watch a Dodger game. Moreover, if you can get to Dodger Stadium regularly, then of course, the answer is to go to Dodger Stadium if you want to enjoy a Dodger game.
However, if you cannot get to Dodger Stadium regularly, read on.
You will likely notice minor changes in this year’s list.
First, Sutter Health Park and the Tokyo Dome are omitted because this Guide is for MLB ballparks. If pressed, I would say the Tokyo Dome would be 11th, and Sutter Health Park would be dead last. I think my opinion on the Egg is open to being reexamined if I saw Nippon Professional Baseball teams play against the Dodgers or against each other, rather than the Tokyo Series, which felt like a different sport.
Sutter Health Park is a fine minor league stadium. It has no business hosting Major League games given its lack of facilities, size, and ticket prices. It would be one thing if the Sacramento Athletics were playing in West Sacramento due to a natural disaster, then you do what you have to do. It is a blunder of their own making. Dodgers fans should not subsidize stupidity.
Accordingly, the Coliseum still exists and merits a spot on this ranking. I have resigned myself to attending whatever monstrosity is built on the Las Vegas strip in a few years; that ballpark will likely be the 31st major league ballpark to end up in the Guide.
Second, there are some minor revisions to the Guide’s order due to changes in circumstances I experienced during my travels in 2025 and preparations for travel in 2026. Generally, if a stadium moved up, it is more a reflection of a stadium going down than actual improvement (see: Seattle, St. Louis). If a stadium’s name has a hyperlink, you can access the corresponding Guide entry.
The now-disputed king of MLB ballparks. Owner Bob Nutting has begun to let this gem on the Allegheny River fade, which is unconscionable given how poorly the Pirates have performed under his ownership. Plus, the Dodgers have somehow turned in some of their worst performances in Pittsburgh over the last three seasons.
In my estimation, there are five ballparks where one can say “it’s the best,” and while I would not necessarily agree with you, I could not credibly say one was wrong. PNC Park was leagues ahead; now, due to neglect, Petco Park and Target Field are now within a couple of car lengths.
Pros: Just about everything, but less as of late, including reasonable prices on food, views, tickets, and ease of access. PNC Park is one of the easier parks to reach, as visiting Pittsburgh is generally affordable.
Cons: It’s only one series a year. The weather can be fickle (muggy, rainy). The Dodgers have been inexplicably terrible in Pittsburgh the past few seasons.
Yes, Little Brother still has the best ballpark in the NL West. Petco Park is ranked highly nationally, but for good reason. In a neutral setting, I can see how one might argue that Petco is the best ballpark in the country.
It is not the king of ballparks for a couple of reasons. First, visiting PNC Park is still somehow cheaper even though Pittsburgh is on the other side of the continent. Second, outside of Toronto, I have not encountered a fanbase that feels more entitled to respect (outside of Toronto) without actually earning it, which is quite annoying. Those faults aside, it is a really good ballpark.
The Dodgers visit Petco Park on May 18-20 and June 26-28.
Pros: Imagine everything one would like about Dodger Stadium and make it better, which is an apt description of Petco Park.
Cons: Padres fans can be extremely, extremely annoying; ticket prices for Dodgers games are absurd (as there is no such thing as a cheap ticket to a Dodgers/Padres game at Petco), and can be region-locked, which is a minor league move.
This ballpark is fantastic if the weather cooperates, which is a mighty big if. Granted, you will be in Minneapolis, so by definition, the weather may not cooperate. Most folks will skip this ballpark due to its location, and they really should not.
Even at its worst (see freezing rain and snow, see also Midwest humidity), it’s a top-five ballpark in the country, and essentially a “cousin” ballpark to PNC Park, as it was made by the same design team and with similar materials. This ballpark has improved in the rankings basically by default.
The Dodgers visit Target Field on June 22-24.
Pros: It is pretty underrated as a venue. It has great fans, great value, and the best customer service in the League.
Cons: Heaven help you if the weather does not cooperate. Getting to and from the stadium is a pain if you did not pick a nearby hotel. Not the greatest neighborhood by the ballpark for families.
As the first retro-classic ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards got a lot of things right about the experience, and you can see this stadium’s influence on half the parks in the league. It is not a perfect experience as the park is beginning to show its age, with its scoreboard and sound system, but upgrades are on the way.
As mentioned above, if you can navigate the logistical hurdles, you will likely have a great time at Camden Yards. Visiting this ballpark when the home fans have something to cheer about is an infinitely more fun experience.
The Dodgers do not visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2026.
Pros: Now a classic stadium. Great fans. Decent value and food.
Cons: Still no tours. Getting to Baltimore can be a hassle. Baltimore has gone through some hard times. Not as much value if you have not seen “The Wire.”
The home of the perpetual inferiority complex, where an organization chases the sugar high of a fluke 2021 season. The only ballpark where one can be cold and get sunburned all in the same series.
In a neutral setting, Oracle Park is a very good park. For some neutral fans, it’s a bucket list destination, and if I squint very hard, I can at least understand that point of view.
The Dodgers visit Oracle Park on April 21-23 and to close out the regular season on September 25-27.
Pros: Snark aside, it is a nice stadium. It is relatively easy to get to and from if you do not drive yourself. Even if you park yourself, it’s expensive, and you must navigate the considerable traffic when leaving the stadium, regardless of how you leave.
Cons: It’s where the Giants play. Tickets cost an arm and a leg (and then some!) if the Dodgers are in town. It’s often cold and windy. Giants fans tend to be insufferable, especially when drunk, doubly so when the Dodgers win; triply so when the Dodgers lose.
T-Mobile Park has excellent food (not just for a ballpark) and is a decent value for a visit.
Why did the stadium drop in the rankings from last year to now? The stadium’s personnel have seemingly forgotten how to get patrons in and out promptly. For the games I visited in 2025, it took on average 35 minutes to enter the stadium, not find my seat, or get food (God forbid), but to go from outside the ballpark to inside, which is categorically unacceptable.
If I had not been swayed by the sheer variety of food options at relatively affordable prices, this stadium would have crashed out of the top ten.
The Dodgers do not visit T-Mobile Park in 2026.
Pros: If you like a stadium that ticks many boxes and is fun to visit with interesting things to see and eat, you will likely find much to love about this ballpark.
Cons: Good luck finding a decently-priced hotel near the ballpark or with access to the light rail. The Dodgers only visit every other year. Getting into and out of the stadium has suddenly become intolerable.
It’s still Our Blue Heaven and home to the back-to-back defending champions. One could argue it is like Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can (seem to) never leave.
If we are being honest, assuming you live outside of Los Angeles, there are better stadiums to visit. Honestly, Dodger Stadium makes us, as fans, accept things I would not tolerate at other stadiums, which is unacceptable. Still, the stadium is a bucket list destination for a Dodgers fan.
You have 81 dates to pick from in the regular season to visit Dodger Stadium in 2026.
Pros: It’s where the Dodgers play. The views from the field and surroundings are some of the best in baseball. Liking the stadium is essentially a prerequisite to being a Dodger fan.
Truthfully, folks underrate the experience of going to Coors Field, and they really should not. I genuinely enjoy coming to this ballpark and believe you will too if you give it a chance. There is access to nature for those who like that sort of thing, and there are bars aplenty for those who like that sort of thing. No one is ever prepared for the elevation the first time, even with a warning.
Let us not kid ourselves: the Rockies are terrible, but they are starting to show signs of life and may finally improve to just bad over the next couple of seasons.
The Dodgers visit Coors Field on April 17-20 and August 17-19.
Pros: It’s a nice ballpark. It’s a fun ballpark. Where else can you eat bull testicles?
Cons: Do you have problems with elevation? Logistical problems are the biggest hurdle to enjoying a game here, i.e., where did you book your hotel? Did you not leave for the ballpark early if you are staying outside of Denver? Did you pay a premium to stay in downtown Denver?
If you go to St. Louis to see a Dodgers game, you will likely have a good time. If you are going to St. Louis for literally any other reason, I don’t know what you would do there.
This ballpark has the stadium-and-neighborhood model that baseball tries to emulate throughout the league. Here, the model is generally done right…except now ticket prices for Dodgers games have risen to levels that would be acceptable if the Cardinals were competitive. The Cardinals have been mediocre to bad for a couple of years now and are actively rebuilding. The days of $20 outfield tickets appear to be over.
Going to a game here is visiting an oasis of baseball in the sea of blight that is St. Louis. Busch Stadium, version 3.0, is a draw that might not otherwise exist. The area is starting to need some sprucing up, as affordable hotels near the ballpark are disappearing, and the stadium is starting to show its age.
The Dodgers visit Busch Stadium 3 on May 1-3.
Pros: Lots of things directly by and in the ballpark. Food, views, and tickets are a relative bargain. Fans are knowledgeable, too.
Cons: Generally, the rest of St. Louis, which is a lot. The weather can get muggy. Hearing about the Cardinal Way ad nauseam can get grating.
Someday, I will get over May 2021. It’s still not today, though. It is one of the last jewel-box stadiums in Major League Baseball, for better or worse. Compared with Fenway, Fenway has a better ballpark experience, but Wrigley is a better trip overall.
Still, Wrigley is a bucket list destination. As of now, Busch 3 has fallen off so far that Wrigley may reclaim its crown of best in the NL Central in the very near future. Whether that means time is a flat circle is an open question. Further investigation will likely be required in 2027 and beyond.
The Dodgers visit Wrigley Field on August 3-5.
Pros: It’s a bucket list destination. It’s a fun time for the most part. Something quite iconic about sitting in the sunshine with a Chicago Dog while the organ plays before the game.
Cons: It’s a bit pricey for what you get, the weather often does not cooperate, and if you have a bad seat, it’s legitimately bad.
“Going to Fenway Park” is a phrase that will always sound foreign to my ear.
However, it is a remarkable experience. It still costs far, far, far too much to go to the ballpark while staying in Boston. One could easily spend an entire year’s travel budget at Fenway, assuming no intercontinental travel. Still, seeing a game on the Green Monster is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Dodgers do not visit Fenway Park in 2026.
Pros: It’s on baseball’s bucket list for a reason. Sitting atop the Monster is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Cons: Dear God, my wallet is still hurting, especially from lodging and ticket costs. These costs easily exceed the cost of playoff tickets at Dodger Stadium. In some places, the stadium lacks modern amenities, like aisles.
Cleveland rocks. Progressive Field is a fun place to visit. There is good food, reasonable prices, and good crowds. Just pick a nearby hotel and walk to the Jake, which still persists as the stadium’s nickname. The stadium’s recent upgrades are complete and are a joy for the more social crowd.
One would be remiss for not visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, down the street from the ballpark.
The Dodgers do not visit Progressive Field in 2026.
Pros: Good mix of value and amenities for the effort required to visit.
Cons: Some folks are hypercritical of the ground crew (they’re wrong). If the weather does not cooperate, things get challenging in a hurry. The stadium is near a rough neighborhood. Ohio, generally.
13. Comerica Park — Detroit, MI
Comerica Park is a solid ballpark. My trip to Detroit in 2024 was not successful by any reasonable definition, as the weather, hotels, Detroit Tigers, and Dodgers refused to cooperate.
The stadium, its history, and its denizens stuck with me long after I left. It’s a solid ballpark that most Dodger fans will never visit, and frankly, that statement is a shame. Honestly, the perfect road trip involving Detroit would also include a stop in Toronto, as the two cities are an hour apart by air.
The Dodgers visit Comerica Park on August 28-30.
Pros: Tickets are usually reasonable. The stadium has character and a nice mix of budget and luxury options.
Cons: Logistical minefield to navigate, as getting to Detroit is a pain. Hotels downtown are the best option, while safe, they can be pricey. Finding shade in the summer is not optional.
American Family Field is one of those parks where you definitely get what you pay for. If you try to scrimp on the experience, you get what you pay for. If you allow yourself to enjoy yourself, you will have a grand time in Wisconsin. If you are afraid of ghosts, do not stay at the city’s leading luxury hotel, the Pfister Hotel.
The Dodgers visit American Family Field on May 22-24 (Memorial Day Weekend).
Pros: Traffic seems to flow rather efficiently here. Tickets are usually reasonable. Great staff. You get what you pay for.
Cons: If you go super cheap on the experience, you get what you pay for. For the best results, you will need to rent a car. The Bernie’s Slide Experience will get you if you aren’t careful.
Kauffman Stadium has the best-smelling tailgate in Major League Baseball, easily.
This quirky baseball oasis serves as a counterpoint to the experience offered in St. Louis. While some would deride Kauffman as a jumped-up Triple-A stadium, it does have its own unique charm and character for those who reside in the second-smallest major league town by population (for now).
The Royals are attempting to move downtown, which is obnoxious, rather than build up the area around the ballpark. This entry of the Guide may become moot in a few years.
The Dodgers do not visit Kauffman Stadium in 2026.
Pros: Great sightlines, reasonable ticket prices, proximity to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. You have plenty of access to barbecue in the region.
Cons: The stadium is in the middle of nowhere, and the food at the actual ballpark is mediocre at best. If the weather does not cooperate, you must be prepared; otherwise, you will have a terrible time. Generally, you need to rent a car to visit.
Nationals Park is the baseball stadium equivalent of a ham and cheese sandwich – not great, not terrible. Sometimes all you want is a sandwich.
It is not a bad ballpark; it is not a good ballpark. It is logistically easy to go to a game in Washington, D.C., if you stay in the capital.
The stadium’s prices, food, and location are in the middle of the bell curve. It would rank higher if it were closer. This ballpark is the easiest to pair with other activities. If you want an excuse to spend a week in Washington, D.C., there are worse excuses than spending evenings at the Navy Yard and seeing historical sites during the day.
The Dodgers visit Nationals Park on April 3-5 in the first road trip of 2026.
Pros: Solid ballpark. Solid experience. Friendly staff through and through. Plenty of stuff to do in D.C.
Cons: The weather can be unforgiving. Getting to the East Coast is a large ask for some fans.
Domed stadiums are hard to do right. If you do it wrong, you feel like you are in a perpetual state of cavernous now. If you do it right, the elements of the dome add to the atmosphere of the proceedings. Rogers Centre is a mixed bag, even with the new renovations.
Going to Rogers Centre is not as financially onerous as you might think, unless it’s the World Series. For all its faults, Rogers Centre does have its charms. For as many times as Toronto Blue Jays’ fans have just missed out on free agents, there was an undeniable charm to Toronto, which most Dodger fans should at least experience once. Then the 2025 World Series happened…and a whiny fanbase to rival the Padres was born.
The Dodgers return to Rogers Centre on April 6-8.
Pros: When the US dollar is strong, costs are lower than expected. The stadium has its own quirky charm, and the Marriott is an actual part of the stadium, which has to be seen to be believed.
Cons: Going to Toronto is a pain from the West Coast. The lights inside the ballpark can be a bit irritating. Blue Jays’ fans can be surprisingly sensitive, which makes blowing a 3-2 lead at home even funnier.
18. Globe Life Field — Arlington, TX
One of the newer ballparks in MLB, Globe Life is both a marvel of engineering and a bit of a soulless husk. Building a retractable-roof stadium in Texas is a good idea given the weather. Yet the park feels simultaneously too small and too big for its surroundings.
Imagine going to American Family Field but having less to do and every seat apart from field level being more obstructed than necessary. Still, the barbecue nachos are not to be missed. The ballpark did turn into Dodger Stadium Southeast upon last visit.
The Dodgers do not visit Globe Life Field in 2026.
Pros: Decent food, reasonable prices for seating, and more Dodgers fans in Texas than one might think.
Cons: You need a car unless you stay nearby; otherwise, you do not have much to do. Obstructed views for any non-field level seat. Cavernous yet with narrow concourses.
Citi Field is just fine — especially if you take the 7 subway line, and do not pay $40 for parking at the stadium if you can help it.But the entire time you visit, you will likely be thinking of the following two phrases with some justification:
Am I technically a Lego minifigure in Steve Cohen’s lifesize model of Citi Field?
Why is everything so expensive? I thought Papa Steve was a billionaire; you would imagine some savings would get passed down.
In a few ways, this ballpark reminds me of Dodger Stadium, not in a good way, as there is literally nothing to do by the ballpark for now. However, Metropolitan Park (and casino) is coming. Still, there are worse reasons to visit New York City.
The Dodgers visit Citi Field on July 24-26.
Pros: It’s fine. It’s fun. It’s a great excuse to visit New York if you have never been.
Cons: Going to the stadium (including flights, lodging, and tickets) costs too much. There is not a lot to do by the ballpark. There’s no reason to stay in Queens, which necessitates a stay in Manhattan. The fans can be a bit much.
It is not a bad park, but it does feel like an aircraft hangar with the roof closed. If the choice is scorching heat or feeling like you got lost on the way to GenCon, I pick the latter. It might be worth coming back when I know the roof will be open.
The Dodgers visit Chase Field on June 1-4 and August 7-9.
Pros: Good starter ballpark to travel to for a newbie Dodgers game traveler. Essentially, de facto Dodger Stadium East.
Cons: Do you like being in the desert? Do you like dry heat? Did you forget sunscreen? Are you prepared to feel like you are trapped in a never-ending spring break while exploring Phoenix?
Honestly, imagine everything good about Dodger Stadium and then make it worse. Personally, the only draw to the Big A is sentimental. Specifically, I have friends from law school who are avid Angels fans, and meeting there is easier than meeting in the Bay Area or at Dodger Stadium.
The only person happy about an extended Freeway Series is Arte Moreno.
The Dodgers visit Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 15-17.
Pros: It’s by an Amtrak station, so it’s easy to get to and from. If one lived in Anaheim, the stadium would merit more attention.
Cons: Imagine a bizarro Dodger Stadium, where everything bad is good,and everything good is bad. Now, the Dodgers will play three games a year here, which pleases no one but theAngels’ management. Then you get to watch a team that wasted two generational talents. Remind yourself that the Angels are (generally) charging you a mint to be there for a Dodger game. And even then, you can pay a mint, and things still weirdly feel cheap.
Great American Ballpark is like Skyline Chili, which one needs to try when visiting Cincinnati. It is not what I would call good, but it is food, so that is something. So goes Great American Ballpark.
Shade is your friend during day games. If possible, try to stay in Ohio; otherwise, you will need a car or the tolerance to withstand the weather while walking in from Kentucky. The ownership is still bad, but the Customer Service department on the backend is pretty good.
The Dodgers visit Great American Ballpark on September 14-17.
Pros: It’s a nice stadium from the outside. Opening Day in Cincinnati is essentially a local holiday.
Cons: Pretty much everything else. The ownership is cartoonishly bad. The food is enjoyable, mostly on an ironic level. If the weather is bad, forget it. The stadium layout is bad because they wanted more luxury boxes.
Generally, Tropicana Field is a shabby dump. It is a nightmare to get to the region. It is a nightmare to get to the game. And yet once you are there, odds are you will have a good time. This stadium will likely perplex the heck out of the average traveler. But, at least the roof is finally fixed!
It would be easy to relegate this stadium to the bottom of this list. But there is a quirky charm that is hard to convey in a blurb like this one. Going to a game here is quite memorable, for better or worse.
The Dodgers do not visit Tropicana Field in 2026.
Pros: The stadium experience does quite a few things right. The fans are a passionate, if few-in-number, bunch.
Cons: Just about everything else. Hurricane Milton wrecked Tropicana Field, but the repairs are complete. From lodging and flight costs to the actual gameplay experience, to the logistics of actually getting to the ballpark, the Trop serves as an endurance test and an abstract experience rather than an enjoyable baseball experience.
If Atlanta stopped the racist chant or stopped the price gouging for regular-season Atlanta/Los Angeles games, this stadium would be in the top ten of this list. If Atlanta fixed both problems, the stadium would be in my top five.
But they have not, and they likely will not. The stadium and surrounding area serve as the model that every MLB team is trying to emulate, for better or worse.
The stadium’s Customer Service department is second to none, though. Atlanta’s model of being a commercial landlord is being copied throughout the league to its detriment.
The Dodgers visit Truist Park on August 25-27.
Pros: It does have a neighborhood around it that the League seems to be emulating. The sightlines are nice. The ballpark itself is newer, and it shows.
Cons: Objective racism. Usual, outright gouging of ticket prices for Dodgers/Atlanta games (if on a weekend). Watch from home – your conscience and wallet will thank you when watching the Cumberland Baseball Team.
How can the newest ballpark in MLB be such an objective dump?
In theory, the ballpark would attract fans in South Florida. In actuality, it is a gaudy eyesore that is more famous for things other people have done, from the World Baseball Classic to Shohei Ohtani’s perfect day.
Finding positive things to say about this ballpark is genuinely hard, but it can be done. The tickets are relatively cheap when the Dodgers visit, but are inflated compared to normal Miami Marlins prices.
The Dodgers visit loanDepot Park on September 11-13.
Pros: I still never have to go back unless I want to.
Cons: It’s a dump. The lighting inside actively irritates my eyes, so I was in physical pain for three games. Getting to the ballpark, staying at the ballpark, and doing things at the ballpark are all objectively bad and needlessly hard to do.
26. Rate Field — Chicago, IL
Woof. It’s the worst ballpark in active service in the majors, but getting to it is easy. The Chicago White Sox fans are long-suffering but generally quite kind. If not for friends I want to see, I would never return to this ballpark.
Imagine you went to the dentist, but somehow there was a baseball game going on. That analogy best describes the physical sensation of going to Rate Field.
The Dodgers obligatorily return to Rate Field on June 12-14.
Pros: You get what you pay for. A stadium with a dedicated public transit stop does deserve some praise.
Cons: Just about everything else. The stadium is a decaying, unloved monument to Jerry Reinsdorf’s greed. I have never experienced such apathy radiating from a place. This ballpark is the only one that has managed to misspell my name when I wrote it out for them in large, friendly capital letters.
The Oakland Coliseum endured a lot in its troubled history. The current ownership of the Athletics is a blight upon the game of baseball, and what has been done to relocate this farce masquerading as a team to Las Vegas, Nevada, is absolutely disgraceful. Even in its current state, I would rather watch an MLB game at the Coliseum than endure another farce of an afternoon in West Sacramento.
The Athletics belong in Oakland. That declaration aside, the Coliseum is a decaying sore in Oakland that was only enjoyable for ironic, devout, or historic reasons.
The Dodgers will likely never visit the Coliseum ever again.
Pros: Some of the best and most loyal fans in the Major Leagues. It’s great if you like a dive bar.
Cons: The stadium experience is lousy if you hate a dive bar. Pretty much everything else. Friends do not let friends go to the Coliseum these days. MLB has abandoned the stadium.
Agree? Disagree? I am sure that you will tell me here or on social media. What stadiums have you been to? Where should I go next?
I make my own schedule, but if there is an outcry for me to go somewhere, I would be remiss not to listen. Three stadiums are left. In the coming weeks, I will publish my travel itinerary for the fast-approaching campaign as the road to 30 finally concludes.
