Category: Baseball

Carson Wiggins has taken his first steps to Citi Field.

The Mets signed their top selection (27th overall) in this year’s draft on Wednesday in Queens, agreeing to a $3,466,500 signing bonus (the full slot value) with the 6-foot-5 flamethrower from Arkansas.

Wiggins, 21, has been touted by Mets officials as a potential “front-line” starter in the future, featuring a fastball that has touched 102 mph.

But the right-hander threw only 14 innings in college (3.21 ERA) after undergoing elbow surgery last year and missed his entire sophomore season with the Razorbacks.

After being selected by the Mets, Wiggins said he is done with his rehab and ready to pitch again.

The best is yet to come.

That’s the warning MLB insider Buster Olney issued to the rest of the league as the Dodgers chase a third consecutive World Series title.

On “First Take,” Olney chose the Dodgers to go all the way in 2026.

“I would definitely take the Dodgers. Look, they’re on a 101-win pace and think about what hasn’t gone well for them. Blake Snell hasn’t pitched. Tyler Glasnow is on the injured list. Kyle Tucker, who they spent so much money on in the offseason, he hasn’t played that well. And yet here they are, again,” Olney said.

“The team to beat. I think the best of the Dodgers is yet to come. After slow-playing these injuries, get Edwin Díaz and other guys back. They’re going to be a great team by the time we get to October.”

Olney is right, a lot of things have gone wrong for the Dodgers in 2026.

Injuries appear to be a staple story for LA in recent seasons, but the Dodgers have pressed forward even without key roster pieces. The struggles of Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki could have also derailed the starting rotation’s success, but the right-hander’s 5.33 ERA hasn’t prevented the Dodgers from taking an 11 ½-game lead in the National League West.

The Dodgers stand tall with the NL’s best record (61-36) heading into the second half of the season, when reinforcements are poised to return imminently.

The Dodgers became the first team to win back-to-back championships in a quarter century but are looking to take the dynasty a step further by completing the three-peat. With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, the front office has the ability to make the roster even scarier by adding Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal.

While it’s no guarantee a trade happens, the fact the Dodgers can realistically acquire Skubal is simply infuriating for every other MLB team.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

At 36 years old, Freddie Freeman is coming off his 10th career All-Star selection.

In the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, the Dodgers first baseman batted third for the National League in what was his sixth straight appearance in the Midsummer Classic.

Freeman has spent the last five seasons in LA, helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles over the past two years. The star cemented himself in Dodgers lore when he hit a walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series.

As the Dodgers chase a third consecutive championship, Freeman’s retirement timeline remains uncertain. But the 2020 NL MVP shared his goals amid the twilight of an incredible career.

“I’ve always wanted to try and play until I’m 40 years old,” Freeman said at All-Star Media Day. “That would be three more years after this.”

Freeman was reluctant to provide a set number as his Dodgers contract expires at the conclusion of the 2027 season.

“I’m not going to put a firm number on it,” Freeman said. “I would have to get another contract, so I’m only worried about this year. But 20 years in the big leagues would be kind of cool and special.”

While Freeman is closer to the end of his career rather than the start, he’s remained an elite player for the Dodgers. This season, Freeman is hitting .290 with 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and an .862 OPS. Defensively, the veteran ranks in the 82nd percentile in Outs Above Average with a plus-2 grade.

Beyond his talent, Freeman plays a leading role in the Dodgers’ clubhouse as a seasoned veteran. There are still questions about his Dodgers future, but the first baseman will certainly end up in Cooperstown.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The Mets are just two seasons removed from falling two wins short of the World Series, a little more than a year since they held the best record in baseball, and less than four months since being labeled contenders again.

But now the Mets (40-57) are on pace to finish in last place for the first time in 23 years, returning from the All-Star break after posting their worst first-half mark since 1995.

Steve Cohen is spending roughly a half-billion dollars on a roster that ranks 26th in batting average (.234), 29th in on-base percentage (.303), 27th in slugging percentage (.381), 26th in quality starts (23) and tied for the second-most errors (65).

But the Mets may not have hit bottom yet.

Coming off a home sweep by the Red Sox, the Mets resume their seasonlong slog Thursday at Philadelphia, beginning what is MLB’s toughest remaining schedule (.539 opponents win percentage) over the final 65 games.

Following a three-game set against the Phillies, the Mets will play three consecutive series against first-place teams (at Milwaukee, vs. Dodgers, vs. Atlanta), as part of 25 straight games against winning teams. The Mets will not face a team that is currently worse than one game under .500 until the final weekend of August.

“Continue to fight,” Francisco Lindor said after the final game before the break. “At the end of the day, that’s the only thing we can do. And we’re going to try to be better. We’re going to play as hard as we can in the second half, and hopefully we put ourselves in a much better position. Because right now, it’s not where we want to be.

“It’s not to the standard that we have here, and definitely not what we expected … We just have not played up to our potential.”

Whatever potential the Mets appeared to have in March doesn’t matter anymore, sitting 12 games back of the final wild-card spot and behind all but one team in the National League (Rockies).

“It’s a better team than that,” said interim manager Andy Green, who has gone 6-10 since replacing Carlos Mendoza, the first Mets manager to be fired in-season since 2008. “There’s too much talent in the room to be in this spot right now.”

Soon, the room will have even less talent.

After David Stearns whiffed on nearly every offseason move — including moving on from franchise fixtures such as Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz, while bringing in Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. — the Mets president of baseball operations will attempt to recoup some of his losses by the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

The Mets’ first sell-off since 2023 began last month, when they traded David Peterson to the Cubs, and could end with several more players leaving Queens, including Peralta, Williams, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán and others. Earlier this month, Cohen told The Post that he was “extremely worried” about the team’s future because of “regression in [their] farm system.”

There is nothing left to fear this season. It’s hard to imagine how it could get any worse.

But there is still time.

“We have to take a level of ownership of it ourselves,” Green said of the team’s record. “Every single person on this team has a level of responsibility to flip the script going into the second half.”

A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, Marcus Ward attended Kings Ridge Christian High School. A four-year letterman there, playing football as well as baseball, he was a First All-Region Team honoree this past spring, helping lead the Tigers to a 30-4 record and their second-consecutive Georgia High School Association Final Four.

At the plate, the 6’, 175-pound left-hander stands closed, holding his bat high, wrapping it behind his head almost parallel to the ground. He swings with a slight leg lift, shifting his weight forward with a whippy, long levered, planar swing that he is currently able to level out against pitches upstairs. He sprays the ball around the field with gap power, regularly posting exit velocities in the mid-80s in exhibition games and reaching as high as 99 MPH, but his slim, athletic frame is likely to fill in and add some natural muscle mass and power.

In the outfield, Ward has shown the ability to track balls well and take expeditious routes to them. He has a quick first step and his above-average speed gives him plenty of range. Once put outs are made, he has a strong and accurate arm, with throws from the outfield measured as high as 84 MPH.

An outfielder for the Tigers, Ward was drafted as a left-handed pitcher by the Mets. This may be a clerical error, or they may be interested in trying Ward out on the mound, where his fastball has been clocked as high as 89 MPH, complemented by a mid-70s slider, mid-60s curveball, and low-70s changeup.

Ward has a commitment to Western Carolina University.

It did not take long for the Nats to agree on a deal with 11th overall pick Chris Hacopian. The Nats signed the former Texas A&M and Maryland star to a $5.7 million deal. This is notable because it is about $430,000 under the $6.13 million slot value of the 11th pick.

Those savings will be important, especially for the Nats to sign their third and fourth round picks. High schoolers Luke Williams and Cooper Harris are likely to take over slot deals to buy them out of their college commitments. Hacopian taking a bit of a hair cut will help them get those two players.

Do not get it twisted though, Hacopian was not one of those picks where the Nats reached to get an underslot deal. Hacopian’s talent fit in this range, with Baseball America ranking him as the 11th best prospect in the draft and MLB Pipeline ranking him 14th. 

Hacopian is arguably the best pure hitter in the entire draft. He makes a ton of contact while also hitting the ball very hard. The 21 year old also makes good swing decisions, and has walked more than he has struck out at every level. His bat is legit, and could reach an even higher level if he learns to elevate his hard contact more consistently.

We have already broken down Hacopian, and have a cool story about him coming tomorrow, but it is hard to overstate just how good of a hitter he is. Hacopian may not be the fastest or most athletic player around, but he is a true masher who also has great baseball instincts. Hopefully that baseball IQ can help him stick at second base.

As a cherry on top, Hacopian is from the area and grew up as a Nats fan. The Nationals posted a video after he signed where he walked onto the field, and seemed in awe of being down there. Hacopian has been a fan in the stands at Nationals Park many times. Now, he has achieved a dream of his, and is signing with his hometown team to make things even more special.

Hopefully we get more signings in the next few days. The deadline is on July 27th, but ideally we would have things resolved before then. I have my eyes peeled on three high schoolers the Nats drafted in the 15th, 16th and 17th rounds. It is likely at least one of them signs, but hopefully the Nats can land two of the three. Catcher Francisco Rivero seems like the easiest sign of the three.

Landing one of Anthony Murphy or Isaiah Galason would take this draft to the next level. I am not totally sure if the Nats have the funds to pull this off, but we will find out in the next couple weeks.

It is always good to get clarity on your first round pick very quickly, and that is exactly what happened here with Hacopian. Welcome home Chris! It would be awesome to have two DMV kids in the lineup one day with James Wood and Hacopian. That could be a reality sooner rather than later given how advanced Hacopian is offensively.

The Dodgers announced a new giveaway, and it’s bound to be one of the most popular from the 2026 season.

On Wednesday, the Dodgers revealed an Andy Pages and Kiké Hernandez bobblehead from World Series Game 7 labeled “The Catch.”  

Fans will be able to get the iconic bobblehead on Sept. 6, when the Dodgers face the Nationals. The first 50,000 attendees at Dodger Stadium will receive the giveaway item.

The collectible refers to Pages’ iconic grab of Ernie Clement’s deep fly ball in left-center field. With two outs and the tying run on-base for the Blue Jays, Pages collided with Hernandez but reached up to make the catch.

The play sent Game 7 into extra innings, with the Dodgers ultimately emerging victorious in the 11th frame at Rogers Centre.

Pages’ heroics were even more miraculous considering he had been benched for the final two games of the Fall Classic by manager Dave Roberts after hitting .078 in the playoffs. Despite the offensive struggles, Roberts deployed Pages as a defensive replacement late in Game 7.

That decision paid dividends as Pages emerged as a key contributor in keeping the Dodgers’ postseason hopes alive.

Flash forward to the summer of 2026, Pages is coming off his first career appearance in the All-Star Game. The 25-year-old is hitting .270 with 17 home runs, 66 RBIs and an .807 OPS this season.

His rise to Dodgers fame began long before “The Catch,” but Pages certainly cemented himself in franchise history with the title-saving play — a moment fans will now be able to take home.

Don’t plan on Willson Contreras leaving Boston anytime soon. 

The Red Sox slugger, acquired in a trade with the Cardinals in December, affirmed his desire to stay in Boston for the long haul and not waive his no-trade clause while speaking with reporters Tuesday before the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

“The front office knows the answer [to my future]. I already spoke [to them] about it, but I don’t think I’m interested in going anywhere,” Contreras said. “I didn’t [directly] say, ‘Don’t ask me for a trade.’ But I told them I would trade something to stay here. That’s what I said.”

“I like Boston. I think it’s a great place to play, and it’s not easy to get traded again. So, I think I found my family here.” 

Contreras, 34, has two years left on his contract after 2026 and said he’s excited to work with Boston’s young core. 

“I like challenges. I like the team. I love my guys. I love my teammates and I don’t want to leave them,” Contreras added. “They’re great people, and that’s what I appreciate the most. And, like I said, every day they show up to the clubhouse, they’re willing to listen. They’re willing to learn, and that’s why I went ahead and said something [to the front office].” 

While it seemed likely the Red Sox would be sellers at 32-46 just a few weeks ago, they won nine straight games entering the All-Star break and are 46-48, just a 1/2 game out of a playoff spot. 

Trading Contreras may have been a strong possibility then, but it likely isn’t now. Especially with how valuable the slugger has been in 2026. 

The veteran is hitting .285 with 20 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .921 OPS, making his first American League All-Star team. On top of that, he nearly made the finals of the Home Run Derby on Monday, falling short in the semifinals by one blast. 

Prior to joining the Red Sox, Contreras spent three seasons with the Cardinals, hitting 55 homers over 344 games. 

Before that, he won a World Series in 2016 with the Cubs, spending seven years in the Windy City and hitting 117 homers with three National League All-Star nods. 

Cooper Dossett was not only a well-known, high-profile high school prospect during his days playing at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, Arkansas, but he was a record-setting high school prospect; the right-hander set the Perfect Game national record by uncorking a throw from the outfield that was clocked at 100 MPH. A four-year letterman with the Wildcats, Dossett excelled on the mound as well as at the plate, with many scouts considering him one of the best overall players in the 2022 draft class from Arkansas and one of the best high school players nationally. Over the course of his Har-Ber career, he appeared in 79 games and hit .312/.432/.625 with 21 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs and 26 walks to 46 strikeouts while making 28 appearances on the mound and posting a 2.13 ERA in 98.2 innings, allowing 43 hits, walking 71, and striking out 188.

The two-way player had a strong commitment to the University of Arkansas and went undrafted in the 2022 MLB Draft, making his way to Fayetteville that fall. He appeared in two games out of the bullpen early in the season, but lost coach Van Horn’s confidence after allowing 4 runs in 1.2 innings and was not used again for the rest of the season during in-game situations. That’s summer, he pitched for the Green Bay Rockers of the Northwoods League to supplement his innings load, appearing in 13 games and posting a 4.83 ERA in 31.2 innings, allowing 29 hits, walking 18, and striking out 43.

In 2024, coach Van Horn gave Dossett a longer leash, but the right-hander failed to cash in on the opportunity, posting a 5.17 ERA in 15.2 innings over 14 relief appearances, allowing 7 hits, walking 7, and striking out 20. As if that were not bad enough, he injured his arm pitching in what ended up a 14-4 blowout loss against the Texas A&M Aggies on the final day of the regular season. He ended up tearing his UCL and requiring Tommy John surgery, which he got that fall. As a result of the recovery process, the right-hander missed the entire 2025 season. Draft eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft, Dossett did not hear his name called.

The right-hander returned to the mound this spring, his redshirt junior year. Appearing in 16 games, he posted a 6.88 ERA in 17.0 innings, allowing 12 hits, walking 12, and striking out 18. Following the end of the Razorbacks season, he played for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League.

The right-hander throws from a three-quarters arm slot utilizing a full over-the-head wind-up, short-arming the ball. He threw from a low-three-quarters arm slot earlier in his Razorbacks career, and the mechanical changes seem to have been made in an attempt to improve his control and arm health. He utilizes a three-pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, and the occasional changeup.

Dossett’s fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s and has been clocked as high as 96 MPH this summer in the MLB Draft League. While that is barely passable velocity for a right-hander, and has an pedestrian four-seam fastball spin rate, Dossett is able to get a seam-shifted wake effect on the pitch so that it produces well above-average induced vertical break numbers, topping out as high as an elite 21.3 inches.

The right-hander’s cutter sits in the high-80s-to-low-90s, topping out at 91 MPH this summer with average horizontal glove-side boring action. His curveball sits in the low-80s and has power 1-7 break thanks to an above-average spin rate hovering close to 3,000 RPM. His changeup sits in the low-80s and is very firm, little more than a change-of-pace pitch to set up something else rather than a legitimate competitive offering.

The American League All-Stars dominated the National League yet again on Tuesday, July 14, winning 4-0 and earning their 11th victory of the last 13 Midsummer Classics.

With that out of the way, attention turns to the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3. With less than a month away, the time has come for teams to decide whether they will buyers or sellers.

Some teams have obviously already fallen into one of those categories. The Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels are too far out of contention to be buying at this point, but each of those teams have great players that contenders would love to have for the remainder of the season.

Superstars such as Byron Buxton, back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and All-Star closer Mason Miller have all emerged as likely trade candidates. And of each them would instantly elevate any team they joined.

Here are our rankings of the top 10 MLB trade deadline targets:

How y’all doing? I, personally, am ready for this break to be over.

The All-Star Game and related festivities came to a close last night – Sam’s got a recap on how our Braves represented us in the Midsummer Classic. Was it weirder than normal, or was it just me?

Anyways. The Braves will return to Truist Park to face the Rangers starting Friday. In the meantime, the floor is yours in the comments for any and all topics. Argentina’s inevitability, produce-parasite avoidance tips, or anything else on your mind? Go right on ahead.

On July 28, 2024, the Dodgers beat Houston 6-2, improving their record to 63-44. Miguel Vargas didn’t play in that game and would never play for the Dodgers again. The next day, the Dodgers traded him to the White Sox, who lost in Kansas City, dropping to 27-82. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series, and the White Sox set a modern record for wretchedness. 

Vargas hadn’t played much with the Dodgers, appearing in only 30 games with a 0.2 WAR. But still, he was on a great team, one that was the center of the baseball world. He got to play with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. He was part of a franchise that was as competent and well-run as it was profligate, and there was arguably no better place to be. 

And then, the next day: the White Sox. The opposite of the Dodgers in practically every way, a team that was in a major city but still seemed somehow cowtown and one-horse and go-nowhere. A joke. His performance reflected and amplified how bad things were: he went on to slash .104/.217/.170, posting a -1.0 WAR and a remarkable OPS+ of 13. Michael Kopech, on the other side of that trade, pitched in the World Series. 

Somehow, the trade seemed to make the worst team in the modern history of baseball even worse. The enduring image of the season was Vargas sitting in the dugout, looking miserable and shell-shocked.

But, I thought at the time…why wouldn’t he be? He was a human being who went from what was probably the best professional situation he could be in to what was almost certainly the worst. It wasn’t just the record and the futility. The White Sox had just slammed their contention window shut with nothing to show for it except a laundry list of failed can’t-miss prospects, all of whom graduated to part-time elsewhere or out of baseball completely. Of course, he was shocked and staggered; of course, he had to wonder if this would destroy his career. Of course, it impacted how he performed. Wouldn’t you wonder the same things? Wouldn’t you be worse at your job? 

That, to me, is what makes Vargas’s mammoth homer in the All-Star Game one of the absolute highlights of the season. The ASG doesn’t matter, and the game itself was made even more absurd by MLB’s insistence that what baseball fans want is less baseball. Still, the fact that Miguel Vargas was there, that he came to play, and that he was grinning from ear to ear when trotting to first, is a perfect symbol of this improbable season. 

His 3.2 WAR puts him just outside the top 10. He’s got 21 dingers. An OPS+ of 135. And he’s clearly having fun playing baseball, something that seemed impossible just two years ago. Hell, even with a few green shoots last year, it still felt like spring would never arrive, and we’d be in a soggy gray March for years to come, looking for a sun that wouldn’t break through. 

Somehow, prospects are clicking. Routine plays are (mostly) being made, and so are plus defensive plays. Scraps from Tampa are All-Stars. High-risk, high-reward signings are all-stars. The ballpark is crowded and loud. An injured veteran is in the dugout every day, waving a magic wand and having the time of his life. I’m focused more on the field than the front office. I can go days of my life without even thinking about Jerry Reinsdorf. 

This is where I’ll clear my throat and say “this isn’t a great team and there are still too many bone-headed plays and Will Venable might be a bit too addicted to lefty-righty matchups and the pitching is still dangerously thin and we’re really only a few games over .500 and everything could crash and be in vain and all human yearning, as the man says, is vanity, vanity, vanity.”

But screw that. We’ve had a first half that no one could have predicted. We’re having fun again. Miguel Vargas is having fun at the All-Star game. The Sox once again matter, and belong. It seemed impossible just over two years ago, when Vargas’s professional life was pushed into a volcano. More than anyone else, he is the symbol of this wild rebirth. More than anyone else, he deserves it. 

No, of course not. Stupid of me to ask, really. I’m sorry. I’m trying to delete it. Oh no, wait. This post is an assessment of the latest SB Nation Reacts poll, so buckle in, voters, you’re about to see some results.

With no Giants-specific poll this week, respondents were asked about four different awards races.

An absolutely incredible bounce-back season for Alvarez, who was limited to just 48 games and 199 plate appearances last season. He still managed .273/.367/.430 with 6 homers in that brief period, but this season, he’s slashing .318/.426/.633 with 31 homers and 70 RBI in 96 games & 420 plate appearances. He’s on pace to shatter his previous career-high in home runs (37 set back in 2022) and the 29-year old is certainly hitting good enough to sell the idea of a designated hitter who’s not named Shohei Ohtani winning MVP.

Still, at just 22, Junior Caminero’s .279/.372/.555 with 28 homers and 59 RBI in 411 PA seems like a pretty serious threat to Alvarez. His defense at third base is less than stellar (-1 Outs Above Average, -8 Fielding Run Value — that’s the 5th-worst in the sport of any position) and should be counted against him for the purposes of a Most Valuable Player discussion. Still, the hitting is undeniable.

But the real answer here, with all due respect to Nick Kurtz — who I’m not going to discuss but is having a great follow-up season to his rookie campaign — who is but a first baseman, is Bobby Witt Jr., who has more rWAR than anyone on this list and who plays a premium position (shortstop). He’s the third-best defender in the sport in terms of fielding run value (+13), behind Pete Crow-Armstrong (+17), and JJ Wetherholt (+15) — an important aside: as I mentioned the other day, Luis Arraez is just 8 spots behind him at +8.

With all due respect to the indispensable, beautiful, and perfect Baseball Reference, I think FanGraphs’ wins above replacement is a more notable measure if only because more front offices have hired FanGraphs writers than Baseball Reference contributors. Given that, Bobby Witt Jr.‘s 4.8 fWAR is second-best in the sport behind Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 6.0 fWAR. Yordan Alvarez checks in at #4 overall (2nd in AL) with 4.4 fWAR… so, you know, I think this is the real race (Caminero is 15th overall at 3.2 fWAR — 7th in the AL).

Now, Ohtani is rightfully #1 because his combined hitting and pitching fWAR is 6.3, just ahead of Crow-Armstrong. Meanwhile, Soto leads Schwarber in fWAR, 2.9 to 2.5. The reason for the gap, I suspect, is simply that Schwarber has more homers (32) than Soto (21). But, Soto has played more games in the field than Schwarber (49 to 4) and has been better than Schwarber there. Schwarber has a -10.9 Defensive Runs Above Average despite logging just 27 innings in the field! Soto is also hitting 15 points better by wRC+ (163 to 149).

So, the respondents have it wrong in both races, and perhaps even more so here in the National League down ballot race. Not only have they miscalculated Soto vs. Schwarber, they’ve ignored two more deserving players, if we’re just looking at fWAR. Buckle up, Giants fans.

Here is the top 5 in fWAR in the National League right now:

5. JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis — 3.5 fWAR
4. Luis Arraez, San Francisco — 3.7
3. Otto Lopez, Miami — 4.3
2. James Wood, Washington — 4.6
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong — 6.0

I think it should go without saying that defense ought to be a component of a “Most Valuable” vote, and if voters were to downplay that part of the equation, then the hitting would have to be spectacular.

James Wood is the best hitter in the National League with a 166 wRC+. Then it’s Soto, followed by Ohtani, Crow-Armstrong, and Schwarber… Otto Lopez is 10th (137 wRC+) and coming in 19th in the NL is Luis Arraez (127). That’s how valuable Luis Arraez has been: his defense has made him more valuable than his hitting.

So, if there is one Giant who could compete for a postseason award, it’s Luis Arraez. And he’s not just “the rest of the field.” He compares quite favorably to the top 10 in the running and maybe even the top 5. Not referenced in this poll, but a point that could be significant in a possible MVP candidacy: he will probably win the NL batting title if he’s not traded outside the league (or traded at all).

Also worth noting: Since May 1st, Rafael Devers has been an even more valuable hitter than Arraez. His 154 wRC+ is 9th in the NL. He’d have to have a truly transformative 60+ games to close out this season to even get into the conversation, but he’s worth point out insofar as he has certainly outhit this idiot’s assessment and looks like he will end the season comfortably within his career averages and exactly where we all expected him to be before the season began.

(Though, if you haven’t looked into it yet, check out Cam Schlittler’s brief career. A 7th round draft pick out of Northeastern University who has shot up to being the Yankees’ co-ace.)

This is also a solid, close to obvious list with just a couple of exceptions. The top 4 in fWAR is Misiorowski (4.4), Sanchez (4.0), Jesus Luzardo (3.3), and Paul Skenes (3.2). Yamamoto and Sale are actually tied in fWAR (2.7) and trail Cincinnati’s Chase Burns (2.9) and Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft (2.8).

The only Giants within spitting difference of the top10 are Landen Roupp (2.1) and Logan Webb (1.9).

With Misiorowski facing some forearm fatigue, it’s possible that this final stretch of games sees him fall from the top spot, but it seems unlikely that any Giant will crack the top 5 and reassert themselves in this race. That’d be a shame because Logan Webb received Cy Young votes the past four seasons. It’s tough to bet against Logan Webb, but this season has certainly been more down than up.

Not referenced by this polling are the separate Rookie of the Year races. It’s plausible that Bryce Eldridge cracks the top 5, but as of MLB.com’s latest polling (June 8th), he was facing an uphill battle to go higher than that given St. Louis’s JJ Wetherholt, Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart, Nolan McLean of the Mets and Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin.

But what do you think? Do Luis Arraez, Bryce Eldridge, and Logan Webb have a shot at being in the running for any of these awards down the stretch?

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many does a bobblehead get?

Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández are getting their iconic World Series moment immortalized with their own Dodger Stadium giveaway on Sept. 6, the team announced on social media Wednesday.

The bobblehead commemorates "the catch" with a recreation of Pages reaching over Hernández, glove outstretched in air to pluck the ball as the two Los Angeles Dodgers outfielders collided.

With the bases loaded for the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series at Rogers Centre, Ernie Clement hit a curveball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep into the power alley between left and center field.

The bobblehead you’ve all been waiting for. Get “The Catch” bobblehead on 9/6!

🎟️: https://t.co/36IUWLyXz9pic.twitter.com/95Ui5lOzdx

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 15, 2026

Hernández gave chase to the ball as it sailed over his head near the warning track but before he could turn around to make a play, Pages -- who was right behind Hernández -- ran into him.

Despite the collision, Pages was somehow able to reach up, pluck the ball out of the air and hold onto it while he ran into the wall for the third out as Hernández crumpled to the ground and lay there for a few extra seconds.

Top Plays of 2025: No. 12

Andy Pages makes an UNBELIEVABLE catch in left-center field to send World Series Game 7 to extra innings! pic.twitter.com/jQDwBEHVFU

— MLB (@MLB) November 30, 2025

Hernández later admitted that he thought the play had been botched and that the Blue Jays had walked it off until Pages bent down to check on his teammate and let him know they were going to extra innings. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

Will Smith went on to hit the winning home run in the top of the 11th. Yamamoto closed out Toronto in the home half of the inning and the Dodgers became back-to-back World Series champions.

Because of the significance of the catch and the popularity of Hernández among Dodger fans, plan to get to Chavez Ravine early if you want a shot at this giveaway.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers immortalize 'the catch' with this gorgeous bobblehead

Winning six Gold Glove awards gives Mookie Betts more than enough credibility to design and market his own leather. And that’s exactly what he is doing with LGND, a line of baseball gloves that he says are “built around versatility, craftsmanship and player-first innovation.”

Betts, of course, is the Dodgers shortstop whose Gold Gloves all came playing right field. He is one of the few players in MLB history to be named an All-Star as an infielder and outfielder. He’s been part of four World Series championship teams and named to eight All-Star squads.

“Every detail matters when you’re on the field, and your glove is one of the most important tools you have,” Betts said in a statement. “I started this with the intention to build something that reflected the way I play the game, which is with passion, preparation and attention to detail.”

Two glove collections named MOOK and MVRK designed for players at every stage of development are available at LGNDsports.com. They are not inexpensive, selling for $250 to $330.

The MOOK Series gloves are inspired by Betts’ experience playing infield and outfield, featuring his personal game-worn colorways, his signature stamp in the palm and a “50 Tri-Star” logo embroidered on the thumb.

Read more:Bryce Harper's beef with FanDuel could end up in court, legal experts say

The MVRK Series gloves feature a versatile design and distinct styling for those who play multiple positions.

Both models are constructed with premium Japanese kip leather and engineered to offer a lighter feel and fast break-in period. The LGND website features an interactive platform that allows players to design a glove that reflects their individual preferences.

“LGND is about giving young players a glove they can trust from the first time they put it on,” Betts said. “Whether you’re chasing a championship, working toward a college scholarship or just falling in love with baseball, I want these gloves to help young players perform at their best.”

Read more:Bonds, Thome, Sabathia, Salmon, Pettitte: 2026 MLB draft picks boast familiar surnames

Betts, 33, founded the company alongside lifelong friends Cameron Lewis, Brandon McPhail and Andrew Montgomery. The quartet competed together in high school in the Nashville area.

The Dodgers acquired Betts in a trade ahead of the 2020 season and have won three World Series title with him in the lineup, including the last two years. He spent the first six years of his career with the Boston Red Sox, winning the American League Most Valuable Player award after leading Boston to a World Series title in 2018.

After playing outfield almost exclusively for the first nine years of his career, Betts saw substantial time in the infield in 2023 and 2024 before becoming the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop last season. He led NL shortstops in total fielding runs above average in 2025 while making only seven errors in 148 games. This season he has made only three errors.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.