Category: Baseball

Good day everyone! We’ve got a lot of news to get to as we kick off this Wednesday — let’s dive in.

In Mariners news…

• Josh Naylor, who never jokes about anything, says he was entirely serious about the Mariners’ clubhouse dog Tucker playing a major role in his re-signing with the team.
• Daniel Kramer spoke to Julio Rodríguez, who is embracing his role as a veteran on this M’s squad heading into his age-25 season.

Around the league…

• Longtime MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark stunned the baseball world with the sudden announcement that he is stepping down from his post. It was later revealed that he did so due to recent allegations of an inappropriate relationship with this sister-in-law, who also worked at the union office.
• Things don’t look good for Twins starter Pablo López, who has a “significant” tear of his UCL that will likely require Tommy John surgery.
• The Akron RubberDucks announced that they will play under the alternate identity “The Cream Stick Donuts” for a weekend series this year; I think we’ve officially taken this thing too far.
• Eric Logenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski at Fangraphs discussed the prospects they disagree about most in this year’s preseason rankings.
• Meanwhile, Dan Szymborski at Fangraphs unveiled the ZiPS top 100 prospects.

Anders’ picks…

• Looking for another fun daily sports puzzle game? Check out StatPad, which is a neat twist on the standard grid game.

With apologies to Steve Busby, Paul Splittorff, and 1972 Roger Nelson, the first true ace of the Kansas City Royals was a Brooklyn, New York native named Dennis Leonard.

After graduating from high school, Leonard walked onto the baseball team at Iona University, a small Catholic (4,000 students) college located just north of the Bronx.  Leonard began concentrating solely on pitching and, with some exceptional coaching, turned himself into a prospect.

Arm injuries scared off several teams, but the Royals stayed committed and selected Leonard with their second-round choice in the 1972 draft. Leonard shot through the Royals’ minor league system, moving from Rookie League Kingsport to Waterloo to San Jose to Omaha in just three seasons. Despite having already thrown 223 innings at Omaha in 1974, the Royals brought Leonard up at the tail end of the season for a cup of coffee. By his own admission, Leonard said his arm was tired — and the results showed: 22 innings over five appearances with a 5.32 ERA.

Leonard was primarily a fastball-curveball pitcher at this juncture of his career. He started the 1975 campaign in Omaha but was recalled to Kansas City when Lindy McDaniel went down with prostate problems. Leonard, under the tutelage of Royals pitching coach Galen Cisco, overcame a slow start and caught fire after the Fourth of July, winning 12 of his final 15 decisions. He finished the season with a record of 15–7 and was named the Royals Pitcher of the Year, an award he would win three times in his career.

When evaluating the career of Dennis Leonard, you must break it into two pieces: regular season and postseason.

Often brilliant in the regular season, Leonard was a bit like Clayton Kershaw. He struggled at times during the postseason. Why? Who knows. I’m sure some of it was arm fatigue. Leonard was a true workhorse, averaging 272 innings per season over the Royals’ five-year playoff run from 1976 to 1980. Some of his postseason troubles were just plain bad luck.

In the 1977 ALCS, manager Whitey Herzog temporarily lost his managerial compass and called on Leonard in the ninth inning of Game Five to protect a one-run lead and deliver the Royals to their first World Series. At that point, Whitey was desperate, having burned through three pitchers in the eighth. Watching the game on TV, I felt confident with Leonard in the game. After all, he was one of the top pitchers in baseball. Three outs? No problem.

In retrospect, Whitey probably should have stuck with lefty Steve Mingori, who recorded the final two outs of the eighth, or gone to his closer, Mark Littell. As the saying goes, if “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.

Paul Blair led off the inning with a bloop single. No knock on Blair or the hit — he was a professional hitter and did what he had to do: get on base. Roy White, another underrated player of the era, drew a walk. Instead of letting Leonard work his way out of it, Whitey panicked and brought in another starter, Larry Gura. Mickey Rivers singled to tie the score.

Now Whitey was in a full-blown meltdown. He called on Mark Littell to try to escape the inning with the game tied. Littell, a great guy who was possibly still scarred by the 1976 ALCS, got Willie Randolph on a liner to center that was deep enough to score White. Littell then got Thurman Munson to ground out before former Royal Lou Piniella hit a tough one to George Brett at third. Brett booted it, allowing Rivers to score the insurance run. Littell retired Reggie Jackson, but the damage was done.

Royals Stadium was a morgue. Sparky Lyle, a true closer, came in and put the Royals down 1-2-3, the final two outs coming on Freddie Patek’s smash to Graig Nettles, who calmly started a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.

How much of that was on Leonard and how much was on Whitey? It doesn’t matter now. It’s ancient news.

Thanks to the strike and split schedule in 1981, the Royals became the first team in baseball history to make the playoffs with a losing record. Leonard was cruising in Game One, holding the powerful Oakland A’s scoreless into the fourth inning. With two outs, Tony Armas hit a ball to George that should have ended the inning. Unfortunately, it didn’t. George booted that one too, putting runners at first and third. The next batter, Wayne Gross, made them pay by cranking a three-run home run to give Oakland an insurmountable lead.

How often do we see that happen? An error on a ball that should have ended an inning, and the next batter takes one downtown. It happens so often there should be a nickname for it. Send in your suggestions.

Despite his postseason disappointments, Leonard was a standout in the regular season. Between 1975 and 1981, Leonard won 130 games, the most by any right-hander in baseball. Understand, there were some pretty good right-handed pitchers at the time — guys like Tom Seaver, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, and Luis Tiant, just to name a few.

Leonard won 20 games three times in his career, back when winning 20 meant something. It’s crazy how starting pitching has changed. In Leonard’s day, a starter was asked to throw 225–300 innings and make 35–40 starts every season. He was expected to go at least seven innings, if not longer. Leonard did all of that and more.

His name still dots the Royals’ single-season and career pitching records. His career marks of 103 complete games and 23 shutouts will probably never be broken. He still holds the single-season team records for starts (40), complete games (21), innings pitched (294.2), and strikeouts (244). I wouldn’t be surprised if those records stood for a long, long time.

His best season was 1977, when he led the league with 20 wins and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting. Amazingly, Leonard never made an All-Star team, which is one of the great injustices in baseball. He was almost always a slow starter, but once the weather warmed up, there was rarely anyone better.

Over his career, he had many outings that would be considered gems. The guy had 23 career shutouts, so that alone gives you some idea.

I think his best game came on September 17, 1980, at Royals Stadium, when Leonard pitched a brilliant three-hit complete-game shutout against the Angels. He struck out nine and walked only two in a game that took just 2:17 to complete and scored an 88. Leonard retired 17 of the last 18 Angels he faced, striking out seven of them.

Emotionally, his finest hour probably came on September 8, 1986, at the Stadium against the Twins. Leonard had pitched gamely in 1986 (more on that later), and I’m sure he knew the end was near. On that evening, he dialed it back and threw another three-hit complete-game shutout — the last of his career. He made four more starts, but this was the final peak.

Leonard was always one of the most popular Royals of his day, with his unruly red hair and trademark Fu Manchu. He was friendly and engaging with fans. Leonard had a somewhat unusual twist in his delivery — he would cock his wrist during the windup. It was a bit unorthodox, but it worked. Thankfully, no pitching coach tried to change him. As his career progressed, Leonard added a slider and later a changeup to his arsenal. The slider was particularly devastating and led to a spike in his strikeout numbers.

Later in his career, Leonard battled a series of injuries that certainly kept his career numbers from being even more impressive. In the summer of 1982, Buddy Bell sent a liner through the box that broke two fingers on Leonard’s pitching hand. That injury cost him two and a half months, and though he came back late in the season, he wasn’t right.

He got off to a promising start in 1983 before snapping his patellar tendon in a late-May game against the Orioles. That type of injury is typically the death knell for a professional athlete, but Leonard put himself through four surgeries and a grueling rehab so he could pitch again. The guy was a warrior.

He missed the rest of 1983, all of 1984, and nearly all of 1985 before making a dramatic return to the mound on September 6. He threw one scoreless inning against the Brewers while a crowd of more than 26,000 gave him a long, emotional standing ovation.

Leonard came to spring training in 1986 feeling like a rookie. He made the squad and ended up recording 30 starts and throwing 192 innings. But at age 35, with an ERA north of 4.40, the end was near. His first start of the 1986 season was classic Leonard — a three-hit, complete-game shutout win over the Blue Jays.

The Royals released him after the ’86 season, and Leonard chose to retire. He was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 1989. He’s also an inductee in the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, the Oceanside High School Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Pretty impressive for a college walk-on.

The final numbers: 144 wins against 106 losses with a 3.70 ERA. He still sits at number two in career wins and number three in career strikeouts in Royals history.

Dennis Leonard will always be one of the greatest Royals.

7. JB Middleton (409 points, 19 ballots)

Middleton became the highest-ever drafted pitcher for Southern Mississippi when the Rockies took him 45th overall in the 2025 draft (Middleton was 41st in MLB Pipeline’s draft rankings), signing the now 22-year-old right-hander to a $2.072 million bonus that was $100k under slot. Middleton doesn’t possess ideal size for a modern day hurler (he’s only 6’0”), but his repertoire includes a good three pitch mix (fastball, slider, change) that he throws for strikes. He throws from a three-quarter slot with a quick arm action, a mid-90s fastball, a late-breaking slider that gets whiffs, and a good change-up to keep lefties honest.

Middleton’s freshman year in 2023 wasn’t pretty (nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings), but he became an important reliever in 2024 for USM, throwing 37 1/3 innings with a 4.34 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 rate, and 6.0 BB/9 rate. Middleton’s stuff took a big step forward in 2025 and he moved into an ace starter’s role. In 16 starts, Middleton averaged nearly 6 2/3 innings per outing (105 1/3) against less acclaimed competition in the Sun Belt conference. Middleton’s 2.31 ERA, 10.4 K/9 rate, and 2.1 BB/9 rate were good, but it was his sterling 0.85 WHIP (ranking second in Division I) that was especially noteworthy.

Here’s video of Middleton in action this March with USM courtesy of Kyler Peterson, including some slo-mo looks at his delivery and release for his arsenal in the last couple minutes:

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Middleton 8th in the system earlier this month:

Middleton is a four-pitch guy who’s up to 97 on the heater, lacking a clear out-pitch in the mix but mitigating that with plus control and a good delivery he repeats well. I noted at the draft that he was a good candidate for the Rockies, who now have their own pitching lab, to try to work with on pitch design, as his slider seems like it could be sharper and maybe become that 60 in the quiver to help him miss more bats. As is, he’s a back-end starter who should get to Double A quickly.

MLB Pipeline is more hyped about Middleton than the PuRPs electorate, ranking him 6th in the system as a 50 FV player with a 60 grade on both the fastball and slider as well as a 55 on the changeup:

Middleton works with a versatile 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97, showing the ability to run and sink it toward the knees or carry it up at the letters. He gets plenty of swings-and-misses in the zone, elicits lots of chases and makes it nearly impossible to lift his heater in the air. His slider is even harder to hit, combining upper-80s velocity with two-plane depth, and he’ll morph it into a cutter at times.

Middleton will also flash a plus 86-88 mph changeup that tumbles and fades and gets in-zone misses and chases like his other offerings. He has an athletic delivery, moves down the mound well and cut his walk rate in half compared to last season. His lack of physicality is the only real knock against him as a long-term starter, though his improved strikes and stuff are stronger points in his favor.

Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs is less optimistic, grading Middleton as a 40 FV player (99th in the draft class) and ranked him 22nd in the system with a 60 future grade on the changeup:

Undersized righty who moved into Southern Miss rotation this year and held 94-95 mph heaters through well over 100 innings, touched 97 in final start of the year. Fastball lacks great life, curt upper-80s slider often looks like more of a cutter but played like a plus pitch in terms of miss in 2025. Turns over a power-tailing changeup in the mid-80s that looks more obviously plus to the eye. Will show you some pitchability elements (slider/fastball sequencing at top of zone) and was a drastically improved strike-thrower in 2025, but size and meat-of-zone locations point more toward a long relief role.

Shaun Kernahan of Three Quarter Slot wrote this about Middleton as a draft prospect:

With a short arm stroke in an up tempo delivery and super fast arm, the ball really jumps out of Middleton’s hand, but the command is quite inconsistent. He fires the ball out of a 3/4 slot and has more than enough stuff to be a factor in the professional ranks. His fastball sits 93-96 but has been up to 98 with ride and run. He snaps off a really good firm gyro slider in the upper 80s, although he can take a tick off of it and add a good amount of two plane depth at times too. His changeup sits in the mid-to-upper 80s that he throws with conviction and good arm speed and shows plenty of tumble and fade. The arm action and command to go with a bit of an undersized frame does leave plenty of reliever risk, a role he has spent the bulk of his college career in before moving to the role of starter this season. He has improved in almost every statistical category this year and really limited the number of free passes he has handed out, giving scouts much more confidence he can ultimately start long term.

Middleton has yet to make his professional debut, which isn’t surprising given the workload he had in 2025. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rockies started him in High-A this spring after an offseason working on pitch design, though a Low-A debut is also possible. Middleton is a high-probability starting pitcher with some mid-rotation projection. That’s always a big need for the Rockies, though I’d like to see his 2025 results carry over into pro ball before I rank him where MLB Pipeline has him in the system. For me, Middleton is a 40+ FV player that I ranked ninth on my list.

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In freshman JD Dohrmann’s dominant five inning start, the Tiger bats and bullpen were not able to hold up their end of the bargain in Missouri’s 4-2 loss to Florida Atlantic Tuesday evening.

Tigers Game Recap

The Tigers had a scoreless first, second and third inning, as Dohrmann struck out four batters, including Nick Romano twice and only allowed two hits to start the game strong. In the bottom of the third, Dohrmann managed to pick off a man at first base and Tyler Macon made a stellar catch in center field after missing a catch moments before.

In the top of the fourth inning, Pierre Seals hit a slow roller to third for a single, giving the Tigers their first hit of the game. Seals stole second, but could not reach home as their time up at the plate came to an end. At the bottom of the fourth, Dohrmann allowed three back-to-back hits, bringing in a run for Florida Atlantic. 

The inning came to a close shortly after when Macon tracked down a fly ball in center for the out, but it was deep enough for a sacrifice fly that plated another run for the Owls. With that, the damage was done and the score moved to 2–0 in their favor.

Ultimately, Dohrmann struck out five batters during his first career start, allowing five hits and two runs in a promising outing. If this performance is any indication, it will be interesting to watch his career continue to develop during this season and beyond.

During the sixth inning, Macon, who went 6-for-6 on Sunday, hit an infield single. This hit started up a rally as Jason Woita launched his second home run of the year towards right field, tying up the game for the Tigers. 

The Tigers brought in the left-handed reliever and graduate student Kadden Drew to try and slow the Owls momentum. Drew ended his day with two outs in the sixth, as they brought out freshman Sam Rosand to the mound. Rosand allowed no runs to end the sixth inning in a hurry and kept the score 2-2. 

In the top of the seventh, Cameron Benson hit a two out single for the Tigers, offering a brief moment of hope, but their time at bat ended soon after.

Turning Point of the Game 

During the bottom of the seventh, Rosand surrendered a two-run homer that pushed the score in favor of the Owls. From that moment on, Tiger fans could feel the outcome of the game slipping away.

By the eighth inning of the game, Rosand was back at it on the mound and ended his day with a final strikeout and no more runs driven through. Although Rosand was ultimately given a loss, he delivered a solid outing, and only allowed two hits and two runs.

Despite George’s hit in the top of the ninth, the rally never caught on fire. The Tigers could not put another runner on base, and just like that, the game was over. 

Next Up

The Tigers will face off against New Haven for a three-game series on Feb. 20-22 in Terry Park at Fort Meyers, Fla. The first game of the tournament will start on Friday at 5 p.m. Soon after, they will play their first home game of the series against Arkansas at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Columbia, Mo. 

To follow along and read more about Mizzou Baseball, follow @Rock MNation,@SophBleedsLA and @Henry_C81, on twitter/x. 

San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller has shown a willingness to take advantage of veteran players on low-cost deals. Walker Buehler was the latest signing, but prior to that he added Griffin Canning, German Marquez and Ty France. The addition of France makes the competition for reps at first base and designated hitter more intense as he will compete with the incumbent Gavin Sheets as well as Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos for playing time and a roster spot.

Padres News:

• Preller received a much-anticipated extension on Monday and AJ Cassavell of Padres.com believes that is significant for the 2026 season. With the Preller extension complete, it allows him to continue to focus on the roster and although there was a flurry of signings over the holiday weekend, Preller may not be done adding to his roster.
• The minor-league deal between the Padres and Buehler became official Tuesday with the right-hander receiving $1.5 million if he makes the roster. Once on the roster he could earn up to $2.5 million in bonuses.
• The deal with Marquez was also announced on Tuesday. He will ern $1 million and has a $750K buyout on a mutual option. Marquez will have the ability to increase his earnings through performance bonuses.
•  The deal with Canning was also made official on Tuesday. He is guaranteed $2.5 million in salary and a buyout and could earn more money with performance bonuses. As a result of adding Canning to the roster, the Padres designated outfielder Tirso Ornelas for assignment.

Baseball News:

•  Kris Bryant has not spent much time on the field during his tenure with the Colorado Rockies and it appears 2026 will be no different. Bryant explained he suffers from backpain daily which has been a chronic issue since he arrived in Colorado.
• Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez left Spring Training early Monday with a sore elbow. Imaging confirmed Lopez has “significant tearing” in his UCL and could require season-ending surgery.
• Tony Clark, the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, resigned Tuesday after an investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with an employee. Clark’s successor has not yet been named.

Welcome back to A Pod of Their Own, an all-women led Home Run Applesauce podcast where we talk all things Mets, social justice issues in baseball, and normalize female voices in the sports podcasting space. 

This week, we begin by discussing Francisco Lindor’s recovery from hamate surgery, Juan Soto’s move to left field, and other notes from Port St. Lucie. We also cover the highlights from Steve Cohen’s recent interviews with the media, including his thoughts on losing players to the Dodgers, his frustration regarding lack of World Series titles, and the fact that there will not be a team captain as long as he owns the Mets. We also celebrate SNY’s hiring of former Washington Post baseball writer Chelsea Janes.

In our baseball segment this week, we talk about the Orioles owner being named in the Epstein files, WPBL posting what are normally fully paid jobs as unpaid internships (boo), and MLB players being turned into AI chatbots and what a bad idea that is. 

Finally, we wrap things up with Walk-off Wins, where each of us talks about what’s making us happy this week, baseball-related or otherwise. 

You can listen or subscribe to all of our wonderful Home Run Applesauce podcasts through Apple Podcasts, where we encourage you to leave a review if you enjoy the show. It really helps! And you can find us on the Stitcher app, Spotify, or listen wherever you get podcasts. You can also support our work by subscribing to our Patreon, which will get you bonus episodes, access to our Discord server, livestream experiences, an exclusive monthly playlist, and more!

You can follow A Pod of Their Own on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky (@apodoftheirown) and you can follow Home Run Applesauce on Twitter and Instagram (@HRApplesauce). You can also follow our co-hosts on Twitter and Bluesky: Allison McCague (@PetitePhD), Maggie Wiggin (@maggie162), and LindaSurovich (@LindaSurovich). You can also email the show at aa.apodoftheirown@gmail.com. 

Look for A Pod of Their Own in your feeds every week and don’t forget: there’s no crying in podcasting!

In case you missed it yesterday, MLB Players’s Association (MLBPA) Executive Director Tony Clark resigned abruptly on Tuesday after an internal investigation found evidence he had an “inappropriate” relationship with his sister-in-law, who was concurrently employed by the union starting in 2023. Clark, a former MLB player, had held the position since 2013, when he became the sixth-ever director of the MLBPA (often called the “player’s union” or just “the union”) and the first former player.

It’s the latest firestorm for Clark, who is, along with the MLBPA, also under investigation for…they’re not using the e-word in the articles I read so let’s call it Financial Impropriety. Prosecutors in New York are looking into whether a joint venture between the MLBPA and its NFL counterpart was being used to enrich union leaders, while the feds are investigating an MLBPA-owned youth baseball organization that has some…let’s call them questionable accounting practices. This is what I get for writing late at night when our LLegal CounseLL is already asleep.

While the MLBPA is led by its executive director, there is an eight-player executive subcommittee, and it’s that player subcommittee that reportedly voted to ask for Clark’s resignation after hearing evidence of the alleged inappropriate relationship. The current committee consists of Marcus Semien, Brent Suter, Tarik Skubal, Chris Bassitt, Jake Cronenworth, Pete Fairbanks, Cedric Mullins, and Paul Skenes.

This is especially poor timing for another scandal to hit MLBPA, especially one that is such a needless distraction, as MLB and the MLBPA seem to be headed for a contentious collective bargaining agreement (CBA) re-negotiation and potential lockout following the end of the 2026 season. If you were following baseball closely in 2022-23, you probably remember the last time the CBA expired and the 99-day lockout that resulted and how we were all so so bored we actually did become a volcano blog for a little while.

The player subcommittee was also instrumental during that lockout; however, only Semien and Suter remain from that group. Three players left, and another three – Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, and Ian Happ – were voted out after an attempt to oust Clark’s chief negotiator, Bruce Meyer, and replace him with Harry Marino, a former minor leaguer and labor champion who was instrumental in helping minor leaguers receive union benefits. The attempted coup failed, and now Meyer, who led negotiations during the previous bargaining period, will reportedly remain in place to continue in his role as Senior Director of Collective Bargaining.

But beyond this interpersonal drama (and the alleged Finance Crimes, I guess), inheriting the MLBPA right now is a little like being handed a bag of wet hornets. And also the bag is on fire. And also you are on fire. While being dropped blindfolded out of a plane towards a bullseye labeled “CBA NEGOTIATIONS.” The bullseye is also on fire. The biggest issue in the upcoming CBA negotiations will almost certainly be a salary cap. The owners and MLB want a cap on player earnings just as desperately as the players do not want it, and have indicated their intent to lock the players out for the 2027 season to try for the umpteenth time to demand it. But there’s no shortage of other things to fight about: there are also arguments to have about how arbitration works – or doesn’t work, from team’s perspectives, as players continue to score in arbitration hearings this winter like The Monstars – as well as revenue sharing. And if there’s time, maybe a fight about an international draft or maybe expansion. For fun.

It’s a grueling road ahead, and even if you think Clark was ineffective or even a figurehead who didn’t do the nitty-gritty numbers stuff, the MLBPA does find itself wrong-footed at a crucial moment. So while we wait for all this drama to play out, a thought exercise: Assuming there would be no negative influence on their career, if you could nominate anyone in baseball to serve as a singular voice for the player’s union, who would you pick? Feel free to think expansively about what “in baseball” means. Also we’ll allow current and former players too, I know one or several of you want the Greinke there. And for bonus points, who is on your dream eight-player executive subcommittee?

A month ago, I wrote about the new jersey numbers among the Twins’ roster. Now that the team’s spring training roster is finalize, why not do it again? After all, there have been several signings, both major- and minor-league, and other roster changes.

I won’t spend as many words on numbers for individual players this time, just highlighting ones I find interesting and going over general trends and changes.

Here goes. (All players in italics are non-roster invitees to major league camp.)

Starting Pitchers
17 Bailey Ober
20 Mick Abel
24 Simeon Woods Richardson
26 Taj Bradley
41 Joe Ryan
49 Pablo López
52 Zebby Matthews
58 David Festa
60 Kendry Rojas
61 Connor Prielipp
71 John Klein
74 Trent Baker
78 Andrew Morris
81 Cory Lewis
82 Christian MacLeod
85 Marco Raya

(López tearing an elbow ligament yesterday already throws the projected rotation into question, but that has been discussed elsewhere.)

Unsurprisingly, players at the back of the roster have been largely assigned higher numbers as seems to be baseball tradition. I know many are projecting Prielipp to move to the bullpen, but I left him here just for the sake of the list. Interestingly, the three 80s numbers on this list have been worn by Twins: Jordan Balazovic wore 81, Ober and Austin Martin started their careers in 82, and Charlie Barnes and Jair Camargo wore 85.

Relief Pitchers
19 Eric Orze
31 Liam Hendriks
39 Andrew Chafin
43 Anthony Banda
44 Cole Sands
45 Travis Adams
47 Julian Merryweather
48 Justin Topa
51 Matt Bowman
53 Dan Altavilla
55 Taylor Rogers
57 Kody Funderburk
59 Grant Hartwig
65 Cody Laweryson
93 Andrew Bash
94 Raul Brito

Also unsurprisingly, major league veterans invited to camp don’t get assigned high spring training numbers. Hendriks, who debuted as a starter for the Twins wearing #62 before becoming a top-level closer, will wear his regular #31 because he is the 31st Australian to play in the majors. Chafin takes #39 for the fourth time (he’s worn it with the Cubs, A’s, and Angels), Banda has claimed the #43 he wore for the past two seasons (and earlier in Toronto) from James Outman, and Rogers (as mentioned in last month’s article) got his old #55 back from Funderburk. Laweryson debuted last year in #66; that number now belongs to field coordinator Toby Gardenhire.

Catchers
27 Ryan Jeffers
37 Victor Caratini
70 Alex Jackson
73 Patrick Winkel
77 Noah Cardenas
83 Ricardo Olivar
90 Andrew Cossetti
92 David Bañuelos

Except for his debut, Caratini has worn #7 or #17 for his entire career. However, #7 is retired in Minnesota for Joe Mauer and #17 belongs to Bailey Ober, so he gets the next available number up (Jeffers has #27) ending in 7. Oh, and he debuted in 2017. (Additionally, Jackson had #64 last month but has switched to #70, which he wore for his debut with Atlanta and as an Oriole last year.)

Infielders
2 Kody Clemens
4 Tristan Gray
11 Orlando Arcia
12 Gio Urshela
13 Eric Wagaman
15 Luke Keaschall
22 Brooks Lee
23 Royce Lewis
56 Josh Bell
76 Kaelen Culpepper
86 Aaron Sabato
89 Tanner Schobel

Arcia’s most common numbers have been 3 and 11; 3 is retired for Harmon Killebrew, so it’s no surprised he’s claimed #11. Urshela has never before worn #12, but the #15 he wore as a Twin in 2022 is taken by Keaschall.

Outfielders
5 Ryan Kreidler
9 Trevor Larnach
16 Austin Martin
18 Alan Roden
25 Byron Buxton
30 James Outman
33 Emmanuel Rodriguez
38 Matt Wallner
64 Hendry Mendez
72 Gabriel Gonzalez
75 Walker Jenkins
80 Kyler Fedko
87 Kala’i Rosario

As mentioned above, Outman switched away from last year’s #43 to accommodate Banda; he now wears #30. His old #33 now belongs to Emmanuel Rodriguez, who has switched off of #32 because…

Coaches
0 Grady Sizemore (1BC)
8 Derek Shelton (MGR)
32 LaTroy Hawkins (BPN)
46 Ramon Borrego (3BC)
63 Mike Rabelo (ABEN)
66 Toby Gardenhire (MLFC)
67 Trevor Amicone (AHIT)
68 Mark Hallberg (BEN)
79 Rayden Sierra (AHIT)
84 Keith Beauregard (HIT)
88 Pete Maki (PIT)
91 Luis Ramirez (APIT/INT)
97 Anderson De La Rosa (BPNC)
98 Frank Nigro (BPNC)

…LaTroy got his number back!

So if you’re watching or attending the games, and you see someone you don’t recognize with an unfamiliar number, now you know who they are. (Until the roster inevitably shuffles again.)

The Rangers v Hearts encounter was a top-of-the-table clash for the ages and Rangers' comeback ensured they very much remain in contention for the title.

It was a performance and result that simply could not have happened earlier in the season as Rangers showed a grit and determination along with a clinical edge that had been missing under Russell Martin.

That short-lived era has been gradually erased from the memories of the club's supporters who are now revelling in the possibility of a turnaround in their season most would not have deemed conceivable when Danny Rohl took over in late October.

But since then, Rangers have taken 11 points more than Hearts and nine more than Celtic (from one game more) to give themselves a fighting chance of reclaiming the Premiership title.

His January signings all made significant contributions to Sunday's victory. Tuur Rommens' energy and strength on the left flank, allied to good crossing ability, make him a force to be reckoned with. Tochi Chukwuani has also added a powerful edge to the midfield as well as an element of guile that had been lacking previously.

In attack, Andreas Skov Olsen is improving with every passing game and could have a huge role to play in Rangers' quest for a league and cup double, while Ryan Naderi - although not on the scoresheet against Hearts - showed terrific positional awareness and a desire to put himself about.

Questions remain over Rohl's team selection against Motherwell last midweek. Rommens and Skov Olsen might have made the difference and Rangers could be in an even better position but the manager has earned the right to make the calls he believes are best for the team and given what he has achieved so far, it's difficult to be too critical.

Baseball is coming soon. Hot dogs, green grass, the crack of the bat and the sharp cry of “safe!” from the umpire… you can’t have a baseball game without these things. You can, however, have a baseball game without a stadium giveaway. But isn’t it better when there is one?

A new season means new giveaways: bobbleheads, hats, jerseys, various Phanatic-themed tchotchkes. The giveaways bring joy to children and adults alike, reminding us all how much fun toys can be (and the scalpers, sadly, remind us how much of a pain they can be).

Today’s question is: What’s your favorite stadium giveaway?

Meet the Mets

Clay Holmes threw live batting practice yesterday, and new Mets Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette were impressed by his breaking stuff.

John Harper posited Carson Benge as the Nolan McLean of the 2026 Mets, as he sees him coming up and adapting quickly to become an impact player.

The Mets plan to ease Luis Robert Jr. into spring training in an attempt to prioritize his health over the long season ahead.

Load management this early reveals the Mets’ plan to try to keep him as healthy as possible.

In addition to Robert, the Mets are taking things slow with Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Jorge Polanco.

Around the National League East

Dominic Smith has signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Around Major League Baseball

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has resigned from the organization. It was revealed that the reason behind Clark’s resignation was an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who had been hired by the union in 2023.

The representatives in the Players Association met yesterday after the shocking Clark news, but they reiterated that the union is strong despite this.

In yesterday’s meeting, they didn’t vote on a new leader for the union, though an internal option has already emerged.

The union will hopefully vote today, as they are expected to have another meeting.

Twins starter Pablo López has a significant tear in his UCL and will likely need Tommy John surgery.

Pete Alonso has found a team and city that loves him in Baltimore.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis took a look at Anderson Severino and his attempt to make it back to the big leagues by way of the Mets’ bullpen.

This Date in Mets History

Several former Mets are celebrating birthdays today, including Shawn Estes and John Valentin.

Here at Camden Chat, we have been posting a question of the day every day for a few weeks now. Most of these questions asked your thoughts about the upcoming season, but today I want to look backward and ask you, “What is your favorite Orioles memory?”

We have baseball fans of all ages here, so it’ll be fun to read answers from throughout the Orioles’ history. Some of us have seen three World Series winners; others have seen zero. I expect some favorite memories will be about the team itself, while others are more personal and perhaps revolve around family or growing up.

I am closer to 50 years old than I’d like to admit, and yet I am too young to remember the Orioles making it to the World Series. I was alive for the most recent two appearances, though in 1979 I wasn’t even a year old. In 1983, I was probably more interested in riding my Big Wheel or He-Man than in watching Cal Ripken make that final catch to capture the title.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t have any big memories of the Baltimore Orioles. Some of my fondest memories include going to the first night game at Camden Yards with my dad and brother. We couldn’t get tickets to Opening Day, but we made the first night game a tradition for many years after.

In 1996, I remember calling Ticketmaster over and over to try to get tickets to my first-ever playoff game, which I attended with my older brother. I saw my favorite player, Brady Anderson, hit a leadoff home run.

And of course, there is 2130. I prefer 2130 over 2131 because I got to be in the stands for that one. I was 16 years old, and my uncle somehow got a bunch of tickets in the Eutaw Street bleachers. He invited a friend and me along with him and his grown-up buddies.

I was in the stands when the 2014 Orioles clinched the division. I celebrated after the game by watching Adam Jones pie Nick Markakis while Zack Britton sprayed champagne into the stands.

It’s hard to narrow it down to one memory. If the Orioles ever win the World Series, I expect that’ll be the easy answer. But if I am picking one, I have to go with game two of the 2014 ALDS. I was in the stands with my father-in-law and watched as Wei-Yin Chen struggled and the Orioles fell behind. When the Tigers scored a run in the 8th to go ahead, 6-3, I remember saying to him that I much preferred the game the day before when the Orioles won big.

Then came the bottom of the eighth. We all remember it. Joba Chamberlain hit Adam Jones. Back-to-back singles by Nelson Cruz and Steve Pearce scored Jones. Joba was pulled for Joakim Soria. J.J. Hardy walked to load the bases. The crowd got louder and louder. Could they do this? Might they possibly do this? We didn’t have long to wait. Pinch-hitter Delmon Young sent the first pitch he saw to left field. Cruz scored. Pearce scored. Hardy, who used to run like he was fighting through Jell-O, rounded third. The throw came in. Cruz motioned “slide! slide! slide!” Hardy slid. SAFE! The Orioles took the lead. Camden Yards shook. I had never felt that way before or since.

I know I’m not alone in that memory. Let me know if you felt the same! Or share your other favorite Orioles memories. Let’s spread some good feelings around as we wait for the 2026 season to begin.

It is John Mayberry’s 77th birthday.

Mayberry was drafted in the 1st round (6th pick overall) in the 1967 amateur draft. The number 1 pick that year was Ron Blomberg by the Yankees, so the Astros could have done much worse. Only Ted Simmons and Bobby Grich, also first-round picks, had better careers than John

John was a big, left-handed slugging first baseman. Officially listed at 6’3” and 230 pounds, he was likely heavier by the time he reached the Jays. He made his MLB debut as a September call-up in 1968 at 19, although he went hitless in 9 at-bats. The following September, he got just 4 at-bats and still no hits. After two more seasons as a part-timer, he was traded to the Royals, where he became their everyday first baseman for six seasons.

In his first four seasons as a Royal, Mayberry was a star—twice an All-Star, and runner-up in the 1975 AL MVP voting. He received MVP votes in four of six seasons with the Royals. His best year: 34 home runs, 119 walks, 106 RBI, and a .291/.416/.547 line. But his numbers dropped sharply in his last two years with Kansas City (.232 in 1976, .230 in 1977), and there may have been a reason.

To understand what happened, you need some context about baseball—and society—in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Decades before performance-enhancing drugs dominated sports headlines, non-performance-enhancing drugs were the issue. Cocaine was popular among the wealthy, and its dangers were often downplayed.

Baseball wasn’t the only place where drugs were a problem. Cocaine was the drug of choice for the financially well-off throughout society. Time Magazine had a cover story saying it was the in thing, without suggesting that there could be a downside.

In the 1977 AL Playoffs, with the Royals leading 2-1, manager Whitey Herzog let players skip batting practice before Game 4 for rest. Herzog later recalled: “Mayberry dragged in real late, but I put him on first base anyway, which was my big mistake.” Mayberry had a rough game, and Herzog suspected the cause: “The man couldn’t even talk, and I knew what was wrong….It must have been a hell of a party.” Herzog insisted on moving Mayberry, and the Royals sold him to the Jays.

“Mayberry dragged in real late, but I put him on first base anyway, which was my big mistake”. Mayberry had a bad game, dropping pop-ups and striking out. Herzog asked him what was wrong. “The man couldn’t even talk, and I knew what was wrong….It must have been a hell of a party”. Herzog insisted on moving Mayberry, and the Royals sold him to the Jays.

A few years later, as Cardinals manager, Herzog made a similar move with Keith Hernandez, a talented first baseman whom he traded after concerns about his work ethic—later linked to drug use. Herzog didn’t want Hernandez influencing younger players. Ironically, two young Mets stars later struggled with drugs, though blaming Hernandez would be a stretch

At the time, it was surprising for the Royals to part with Mayberry. As more stories of baseball’s drug problem emerged, it became clear that most teams chose to ignore it. Herzog was one of the few who would act.

Mayberry joined the Blue Jays for their second season, joining a struggling team that finished 59-102. He had some strong seasons with Toronto, though never matching his Kansas City peak. It’s hard to say if his decline was due to drugs, age, or size—he was always big and only got bigger and slower.

In 1979, Mayberry played 137 games, hitting .274/.372/.461 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI. In 1980, he posted a .248/.349/.473 line with 30 HR (6th in the AL) and 82 RBI—productive, if not superstar numbers.

During the 1981 strike season, he played 94 of 106 games, hitting .248/.360/.452 with 17 home runs (7th in the AL). In each full Jays season, his OPS+ was over 100: 108, 124, 119, and 128.

In 1982, Mayberry played just 17 games, mostly at DH, as Willie Upshaw took over first base. He hit .273/.405/.455 before being traded on May 5th to the Yankees for Dave Revering, Tom Dodd, and Jeff Reynolds. None made much of an impact for Toronto, but Dodd was later traded back to New York (along with Dale Murray) for Dave Collins, Fred McGriff, Mike Morgan, and cash—a great deal for the Jays.

I was young when Mayberry played for Toronto, but I remember him as a smiling, engaging presence—great in interviews, and eager to help sell baseball to Canada. It couldn’t have been easy, leaving a contender for a cellar-dweller.

At the time of his trade to the Yankees, Mayberry held the Blue Jays’ career records for homers and RBI.

Bill James’ Historical Baseball Abstract once ranked Mayberry as the 49th best first baseman, though he’d drop a few spots now. He later coached for five years in the Jays’ system. His son, John Jr., played 15 games for Toronto in 2014.

Happy birthday, John. Hope it’s a good one.

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It’s also Alex Rios’ birthday—he turns 45 today.

Alex played six seasons with the Jays and was a solid contributor. He finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting in 2004 and made All-Star teams in 2006 and 2007.

Before 2008, the Jays signed Rios to a 7-year, $70 million contract, which looked smart at first: he hit .291/.337/.461. But by August 2009, his numbers had dipped to .261/.317/.427, and Toronto put him on waivers. The White Sox claimed him and, after a few days of negotiation, took on his contract. Rios struggled in Chicago, hitting just .199/.229/.301 in 41 games that year.

He stayed with the White Sox until a 2013 trade to the Rangers, where he was perfectly average: .280/.312/.414 over a year and a half.

In 2015, Rios earned a World Series ring with the Royals, playing right field. He had a great ALCS against Toronto (.368/.368/.526, 1 HR, 3 RBI)—I try not to hold that against him. He struggled in the World Series, though, hitting .133 in 15 at-bats.

2015 was his final MLB season. Over 12 years, Rios hit .277/.321/.434 with 165 home runs and 244 stolen bases.

Happy birthday, Alex.

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It is also my niece Nicola’s birthday; happy birthday, Nicola.

The Galactic Empire of baseball has assembled at Camelback Ranch. Their first spring game is in just three days. The anticipation and excitement surrounding the start of the 2026 season is brewing.

On Tuesday, both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani faced live hitters, and the latter’s arm will be preserved during the World Baseball Classic to prepare for the regular season ahead. Instead of fans having to wait nearly three months to see Ohtani on the mound, the expectation is that he will be ready to go at the start of the year.

The Dodgers are willing to put an innings limit for Ohtani to begin the season, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com, as they gradually increased his limit by one inning for every two starts once he made his return to pitching last year. Ohtani still has hefty goals for what he can do on the mound this season, and his early season workload will ultimately be dependent on his discretion.

The Dodgers won’t operate by the rigid rules they set for much of last year, but it is likely that Ohtani will be limited innings-wise, at least to begin the season… But if the Dodgers have learned anything in the past two years, it’s that they should never count out Ohtani when he has his mind set on achieving something.

“The fact that he is saying that, he seems like he’s on a mission, pitching-wise,” Friedman said. “Whenever we’ve seen him on a mission, good things happen.”

Links

Teoscar Hernández is back in left field for the 2026 season, and he has shown up to camp with a slimmer physique, having lost 12 lbs over the offseason. Hernández reflected on this past offseason, where his name was the subject of trade conversations while his role as right fielder was removed with the signing of Kyle Tucker, and is eager to be a key contributor to a team eyeing its third consecutive championship, notes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“My whole career I used to be 204, 205 (pounds), that range. Last year was a little over. But I’m back to normal right now… I’m ready in any way they need me. I just want to be there, be on the field and play every day.”

Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández will begin the 2026 season on the injured list, opening a runway for Hyeseong Kim to earn the starting second base job. Kim spoke about the changes he made to his swing throughout the course of last year and how he’s entering this spring working on feeling more comfortable at the plate, per Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times.

“The swing changes we made last year, I would say I felt about 70% comfortable with,” Kim said through an interpreter on Monday. “And then, this offseason and spring training, we were able to recognize some of the other stuff that we needed to work on, so I’m working very hard to make those changes again this year.”

Spring training is underway, and we are finally hearing from Rays players, coaches, and front office personnel for the first time in 2026. Junior Caminero spoke with the media and discussed his role on the team, and that discussion started to touch on a potential extension. Caminero says that’s up to his team and the agent, and his job is to just play baseball, but we debate whether or not we could see a new deal for the star third baseman before Opening Day.

Caminero and several of his Rays teammates will compete in this year’s World Baseball Classic, so we break down how each Ray fits into their respective country’s roster, and who has a chance to do real damage at the tournament.

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