Category: Baseball

It’s Spring Training Game Thread time. Wooooo.

It’s the very “fun” matchup of Paul Skenes and Bryce Elder, but really, it’s an early Grapefruit League tuneup for both arms.

This game is one of the Spring Training games broadcast on Gray TV, and should be available via MLB.tv as well, regardless of where you are.

The Braves will start the regulars in a home game, as is their wont. The Pirates have kind of a half-and-half lineup as some of their starters are making the trip to North Port. The Braves will get their first look at Marcell Ozuna wearing Pittsburgh’s colors this afternoon.

Is it on TV?

Yes, it’s on NESN at 1:05 PM.

What’s the lineup?

What should we watch for?

It’s always fun when you get a first look at a new pitcher. It’s especially fun when that pitcher is a 6’6” beast of a man. And it’s even more fun when that beast of a man gets his size from his mother: “My mom is huge. I feel like I kind of got that from her. She’s like 5-11 I think but she’s like big and wide and huge legs. She’s a monster of (a) woman.”

1903
Though under contract to the White Sox, shortstop George Davis made it known he intended to go to court in order to break it and return to the New York Giants (“May ask courts for release; Davis has novel idea for jumping contract with White Stockings despite peace” read one headline, with the “peace” referring to the battle for players between the new American and established National League.)

Davis’ decision kicks off a tug-of-war over the superstar that lasted more than eight months. He would in fact report to New York, who paid him but flouted his White Sox contract in only four instances (games on June 26-27, June 30, and July 1 before a court injunction took him off of the field for the Giants).

Only when New York formally waived any rights to Davis, in November, did the shortstop re-join the White Sox to resume his Hall of Fame career.

1917
In an ill-fated move that would stain two pennants and one title over the next three seasons, the White Sox purchased Chick Gandil from Cleveland for $3,500 (close to $100,000 in today’s dollars). Gandil was the ringleader of two scandals involving baseball bribery: the Black Sox in 1919, as well as the lesser-known (and unpunished) payoff of the Detroit Tigers late in 1917 to help ensure the pennant.

Ironic in the Gandil saga (he, of course, was banished form the game along with seven teammates for throwing the 1919 World Series) is that he was a terrible player by the time he came back to the White Sox for a second tour. (Gandil made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 1910.) After strong seasons from 1913-15 with Washington (13.5 WAR, 116 OPS+), his 1916 in Cleveland was poor for a full-time player (1.2 WAR in 602 PAs). With the White Sox, he was even worse, with just 3.6 WAR over 1,562 PAs — not much better than a replacement player.

1946
The White Sox create what is regarded as the first media guide, handed out to beat writers.

Now, clearly there were programs and even media guides published before 1946, even by the White Sox themselves. However, those were often (always?) Spring Training and/or player rosters-only. The guide, written by Marsh Samuel and running 17 pages, actually just triggers a deeper, more interesting story … that the White Sox were once forerunners of the metrics revolution!

According to researcher Alan Kornspan at Cleveland State, beginning in 1946 and following in the footsteps of some other innovative figures (Branch Rickey, for one), Samuel began tracking advanced statistics, likely of his own creation but resembling some of what we see in the metrics world today. Cleveland owner Bill Veeck got wind of what Samuel was doing — and hired him away! At that point, Sox successor Ward Stevens took the reins and continued the work, which was still merely siloed in the PR department — not player evaluation.

However, once Frank Lane was hired as GM — at this time, no one wanted the White Sox GM job, as the team was in hock and possessed a woeful roster — he added Earl Flora as both publicity director but also statistician.

Lane’s pet stat, tracked as a child rooting for the Cincinnati Reds, was RBI with RISP. Under Lane’s direction, Flora started tracking reach percentage (i.e. on-base percentage), base runs (both bases advanced by runners, as well as bases a batter’s hit moved runners) and GWRBI. In fact, Lane felt so strongly that RBIs were an overblown stat that he created his own offshoot: OBR (Opportunities to Bat in Runs), the percentage of time batters drove in RISP.

Without extending this too long, Flora returned to sports editing, to be replaced by future White Sox GM Ed Short, a tireless worker who drove statistical analysis on the South Side to new heights.

But that is a story best continued on another Day in White Sox History.

1997
After a one-season spurt with the White Sox, 34-year-old free agent outfielder Danny Tartabull signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $2 million. Tartabull had been acquired before the 1996 season to add some punch to an already-formidable White Sox lineup, and punch he did: 27 homers, 101 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .487. However, Tartabull’s defense was so poor in right field as to earn him just 0.6 WAR on the season, so with Albert Belle signed for left field and Dave Martinez coming off of a 4.8 WAR season as a supersub ready to step into right, Tartabull was not re-signed.

And that turned out to be a solid move, because a broken foot limited Tartabull to just three games in 1997, and he never saw the majors after that. Thus the final home run of Tartabull’s 262-dinger career came in a White Sox uniform, at the Metrodome, on Sept. 27, 1996.

Hatfields and McCoys. Dominos and Pizza Hut. Coke vs. Pepsi. None of these rivalries hold a candle to the red-hot intensity that awaits in The Battle of Camelback Ranch, as the Dodgers face the White Sox, their spring co-tenants, on Thursday afternoon.

It’s the first of two meetings this spring between the two teams who have called Camelback Ranch home since 2009, with another encounter on the docket for Saturday, March 14. On Thursday, the Dodgers are the home team.

Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Dodgers, making his first spring start. Left-hander Sean Newcomb starts for Chicago.

Thursday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. White Sox
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 12:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: none

The Dodgers are back on the road Wednesday to play the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Here are the active players for the fifth game of the Dodgers’ spring, including Roki Sasaki making his first Cactus League start this year.

Lineup

Hyeseong Kim CF
Santiago Espinal 3B
Dalton Rushing C
Alex Freeland 2B
Ryan Ward 1B
Nick Senzel DH
James Tibbs III RF
Zach Ehrhard LF
Noah Miller SS

Kim starts in center field after two starts this spring at second base. Freeland makes his second start at second base to go with his other two starts at shortstop.

Other pitchers

Edwin Díaz will make his 2026 Cactus League debut on Wednesday, and River Ryan will see his first game action in 563 days after Tommy John surgery in 2024.

Will Klein and Ronan Kopp will each make their second appearances this spring, as will non-roster invitees Chris Campos and Garrett McDaniels.

Other active pitchers on Wednesday are Waytt Crowell (wearing uniform number 01), and Joseilyn Gonzalez (04), Christian Suarez (90), Payton Martin (91), and Cody Morse (93) up from minor league camp.

Other position players

Mike Siani is the other active player from the 40-man roster.

The daily active player group of non-roster invitees Ryan Fitzgerald, Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Kendall George, and Chris Newell are all making the trip, as are catchers Griffin Lockwood-Powell, Nelson Quiroz, and Eliézer Alfonzo.

Up from the minor league side on Wednesday are outfielder Damon Keith (06) plus infielders Sean McClain (44), Jake Gelof (05), and Logan Wagner (96).

Mets lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Francisco Alvarez – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Hayden Senger – C
6. Christian Arroyo – 3B
7. Vidal Brujan – SS
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Grae Kessinger – 2B

Jonah Tong – RHP

Cardinals lineup

1. JJ Wetherholt – SS
2. Jose Fermin – 2B
3. Nolan Gorman – 3B
4. Nelson Velazquez – RF
5. Leonardo Bernal – C
6. Nathan Church – CF
7. Joshua Baez – DH
8. Blaze Jordan – 1B
9. Chase Davis – LF

Richard Fitts – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM EST
TV: PIX11
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Tampa Bay Rays top overall prospect will make his spring debut this afternoon, getting the start against the Baltimore Orioles.

There isn’t any radio coverage today, but the Orioles are broadcasting the game so it can be seen on MLB.tv.

First pitch is at 1:05 at Ed Smith Stadium

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, February 25, 2026, 1:05 p.m. ET

Location: CoolToday Park, Venice, FL

How to Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road against the Atlanta Braves, where they will try and pick up another win.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

After months of waiting, the Kansas City Royals are back on the field. Granted, it’s for Spring Training games, but still–you can watch professional baseball players in actual games against other teams. The Royals last played a game on September 28, 2025, so it’s been almost five months since diehard Kansas City baseball fans were able to watch their team. 

We all know that baseball is a marathon, which is part of its charm. The National Football League plays 17 regular season games a year. The National Basketball Association plays 82 regular season games a year, with the National Hockey League moving to 84 games a year soon. Major League Baseball? MLB blows them out of the water with 162 regular season games a year.

Nick Kappel, the Royals’ director of media relations, posted this, which really puts into perspective what is about to play out over the coming months:

The Royals played their first game a few days ago on February 20. Their last scheduled game is on September 27. That means that, outside the four-day All-Star break, Kansas City will have played a baseball game in nine out of every 10 days for over seven consecutive months. 

Don’t get me wrong–I’m glad the Royals are back to playing baseball. I prefer when it’s baseball season to when it’s not baseball season. But at the same time, I wonder if MLB’s total number of regular season games has surpassed the point of diminishing returns, and that a return to the 154-game regular season is the way to go. 

From 1904 through 1960, MLB had a 154-game season except for a few outlier seasons like immediately following World War I. The league only shifted to 162 games coinciding with the American League’s 1961 expansion. So many legendary MLB players played all of or most of their careers before the 162-game season, from Babe Ruth to Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, and Stan Musial. 

The argument for a 154-game season is that it maintains baseball’s unique cadence while eliminating the “filler” that happens in a 162-game season, and we can think of this on two core axes. 

The first axis here is simply player quality. You want your best players to play all your games, but a 162-game season is grueling and very few players play in the whole thing. Last year, only 6 hitters played in 162 games, and only 22 starting pitchers made 32 or more starts. Every time one of the clear best players in the league doesn’t play, they are replaced by a less talented and less exciting player. Meanwhile, there were 51 hitters who played in 154 games, and 54 starting pitchers who made 30 or more starts–all of whom would have played every possible game in a shorter season.

The other axis here is game quality. There are some games that are just not attractive for fans or teams alike, and those games are early-season weekday games. That’s when the weather is the most questionable, when school is in full swing, and when teams haven’t built up excitement in the product. I took a look at the five least-attended home games for each of the AL Central teams last year, and the results are just about what you’d expect for those 25 games:

• 19 were April games
• 5 of the non-April games happened when teams were 9+ games behind first place
• 24 were Monday-Thursday games
• 0 were Saturday/Sunday games

You can’t just cut eight Monday-Thursday games in April and call it a day. But you can do some of that, and also cut weekday games throughout the year to provide more off days. 

While it seems unlikely that the union or the owners would want to cut 120 games off the books, it can be balanced in two ways. First, increase the divisional series to seven games to get multiple high-revenue playoff games on the books. Second, timing it alongside an expansion from 30 to 32 teams would increase the total games played from 2,430 to 2,464. 

Baseball will never get to a truly short season, and it shouldn’t. However, cutting just a few games from the calendar could have a knockdown effect that gives everyone a breather and just might result in a better product.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Tigers:

Let’s talk about it.

In the responses to our last question, it seemed that people were generally expecting there to be a lockout at the end of this season, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. The duration and impact of that lockout is considerably less certain. But to follow up on that, today I wanted to get your opinions on what the impact of that lockout might be – in particular, with regard to the Diamondbacks.

What would a lockout do to this team? Which players or plans get derailed the most?

There are a whole number of levels at which you can look at this. Obviously, there will be a loss of revenue, and while the players may be on strike, that does not mean that all expenditure goes down to zero for the D-backs. On the roster level, it’ll potentially be a year lost for players under contract. But also a year gained for player development (albeit without formal competition, young prospects will still get older and stronger, and can gain experience outside of minor-league settings). Let’s presume the entire 2027 season is lost. Where will the team sit at the end of that year?

RHP Hunter Brown, who was announced by Joe Espada as the Astros Opening Day starter, will make his Spring debut today. In 2025, Brown established himself as one of the top starters in the Majors, going 12-9 in 31 starts with a 2.43 ERA with 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings of work. Among AL starters, Brown ranked second in ERA and Quality Starts (21),  third in strikeouts (206), fourth in WHIP (1.03) and fourth in pitching WAR (4.8). Brown was named to his first All-Star team and finished third in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award. He also earned AL Pitcher of the Month honors for June (1.19 ERA, .130 opp. avg.) and his season included a 28.0-inning scoreless inning streak in 2025.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, February 25, 12:10 p.m. CST

Location: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter, FL

TV: No Local Broadcast

Streaming: MLB.tv (audio only)

Radio: KBME 790 AM / 94.5 FM HD-2

TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Jayden Murray, RHP Roddery Munoz, RHP Alimber Santa, RHP Logan VanWey, RHP Amilcar Chirinos, RHP Wilmy Sanchez, RHP Trey McLoughlin.

CURRENT CAMP NUMBERS: The Astros have 66 players at Major League Spring Training, including a full 40-man roster and 26 non-roster invitees…the roster consists of 36 pitchers, eight catchers, 12 infielders and 10 outfielders.

Carlos Mendoza provided an update on Francisco Lindor to the media today, saying that the Mets’ shortstop can restart “impact” activities in 2-3 days after having the stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand on Tuesday.

Lindor underwent surgery on February 11 to repair a stress fracture in his left hamate bone and the estimated recovery time was six weeks, putting him on track to return right around Opening Day. Lindor is progressing as expected, according to Mendoza, and is still on track to meet that timeline provided all goes well as he resumes baseball activities. He has been present at Port St. Lucie with his teammates, but not an active participation in spring training thus far. However, that should change soon.

What is less clear is how long it may take Lindor’s power to return once he starts swinging the bat again. Baseball players are particularly susceptible to hamate injuries and in fact, multiple other players suffered hamate injuries right around the same time Lindor did this spring. Though the surgery recovery timeline is fairly standard, some players suffer lingering effects, particularly in the power department. However, the majority of players have good outcomes. The only thing that will determine which bucket Lindor falls into is time.

Speaking of time, Lindor has missed very little of it since coming to the Mets, despite playing through discomfort on a few occasions. The 32-year-old also underwent right elbow debridement surgery following the conclusion of the 2025 season, but there is not any evidence that has hindered him at all this spring. Though Lindor should be able to take the field for the Mets on March 26 as scheduled, his hamate injury has prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico, which plays its first game on March 6 against Colombia.

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Arizona Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen gets the ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon, and I like him to lead the Snakes to victory. 

We've got a full slate of Spring Training games on the docket, and I've isolated a trio of MLB picks for Wednesday, February 25, below.

Spring Training predictions for February 25

Picks	Odds
moneyline	-120
/ Over 10.5	-105
moneyline	+180

Pick #1: Diamondbacks moneyline

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a difficult task against the unbeaten Los Angeles Dodgers, but with Roki Sasaki drawing the start, I'll grab the Snakes.

Sasaki is electric, no doubt, but he was wild in his MLB debut, boasting a 13.7% walk rate in 2025. He could put L.A. in an early hole, benefiting Arizona starter Zac Gallen, especially if the Dodgers go with a lineup that doesn't entirely mirror their regular-season offense.

Pick #2: Rangers vs Guardians Over 10.5

Nathan Eovaldi draws his second spring start, and the Texas Rangers will still slow-play the right-hander after he missed a ton of time to injury in 2025. Limited exposure combined with rust equals an opportunity for the Cleveland Guardians to exploit Texas' bullpen.

And even if the Guardians don't do a ton of damage, I don't have a lot of confidence in Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi escaping unscathed. 

Pick #3: Nationals moneyline

This is a pure value pick. The New York Yankees are heavily favored, so the Washington Nationals are available at significant plus money. 

Ryan Weathers has considerable upside as a starter for New York, but he's not as proven as some of their mainstay arms.

It's risky, because Andrew Alvarez — and the Nationals bullpen behind him — could get obliterated from the jump, but I like the number on a spring game that ultimately means very little to the Yankees.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

*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.

Taking the 18th spot on our annual Community Prospect List is speedy and powerful outfielder Junior Perez. Always one of the more unheralded prospects coming up through the Athletics’ farm system, Perez opened some eyes this past year when he arrived at Triple-A. Even in that hitter’s haven, Perez’s .298/.412/.642 was 43% better than league-average. Add in his legitimate power (26 long balls this past season between Double and Triple-A), quality speed on the basepaths (27 steals between both levels), and ability to handle all three outfield spots, and the righty-swinging Perez looks like a late-bloomer than should be an option for the A’s this coming season.

Next up joining the nominees is right-hander Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang. The right-hander spent this entire past season in Double-A and set a new career-high with 145 innings pitched. His strikeout and walk rates were fairly solid but he also got tagged for in insane 22 home runs this past year. He’ll need to do a better job of keeping the ball in the park this coming season, especially if and when he moves up to the hitter’s heaven that is Triple-A.

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.

Click on the link here to vote!

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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1. Leo De Vries, SS
2. Jamie Arnold, LHP
3. Gage Jump, LHP
4. Wei-En Lin, LHP
5. Braden Nett, RHP
6. Henry Bolte, OF
7. Johenssy Colome, SS
8. Edgar Montero, SS
9. Steven Echavarria, RHP
10. Devin Taylor, OF
11. Mason Barnett, RHP
12. Tommy White, 3B
13. Henry Baez, RHP
14. Zane Taylor, RHP
15. Cole Miller, RHP
16. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
17. Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP
18. Junior Perez, OF

The voting continues! Time to vote for the 19th-best in the system everyone. Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.

Nominees on the current ballot:

Kade Morris, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (AA/AAA): 4.38 ERA, 28 starts, 150 IP, 128 K, 48 BB, 16 HR, 4.71 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Morris runs up his four-seam fastball to about 95-96 mph and also throws a sinker with good arm-side run in the 92-95 range. His mid-80s slider has developed into an above-average secondary offering. His mid-70s curveball provides a good variation of pitch speeds, though he is still working to make it a more consistent pitch, along with his improving upper-80s changeup.

Morris is athletic with his 6-foot-3 frame. His competitive drive stands out whenever he takes the mound. Discovering the right arm slot that allows for the most consistency is the next big step in his development. How that pans out as he moves through the system will likely determine his long-term role, though he profiles as a back-end starter given his overall pitch mix and solid control.

A.J. Causey, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (A+/AA): 1.72 ERA, 48 appearances, 73 1/3 IP, 75 K, 18 BB, 0 HR, 2.28 FIP

Causey thrives with a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, but that’s because he has a funky sidearm delivery that helps him get crazy movement and deception with his arsenal. Causey excelled in his first full pro season, posting a 1.72 ERA across High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’s a fast mover with a different look that could add to the Royals’ bullpen in the coming years.

Causey began the year with a sinker, changeup and sweeper, but he added a four-seam fastball this season to help him at the top of the zone. After years of working on adding a cutter, Causey finally found something that works with the four-seamer.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 25

2025 stats (AA): 4.08 ERA, 26 starts (28 appearances), 145 2/3 IP, 145 K, 35 BB, 22 HR, 4.19 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 550 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

Zhuang relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, which can touch 95 mph but normally hovers in the 90-93 range. He also throws a low-80s split-finger offering with good diving action. His arsenal is rounded out by a low-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball with good bend and a low-80s changeup.

Zhuang does have a history of injuries, which brings some real concern as to whether he can hold up as a starter despite having the necessary pitch mix for the role. He can command it well, as evidenced by his low walk numbers. For now, the A’s are enjoying watching the rise of the man many in the organization have nicknamed ‘Z-Man.’ He is firmly on their prospect radar, and his age could actually help him move up quickly if the success continues.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (A+/AA): 549 PA, .296/.359/.372, 30 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 47 RBI, 40 BB, 49 K, 27 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Kuroda-Grauer’s athletic size and hard-working mentality remind some in the A’s organization of a young Marcus Semien. While he may never have Semien-type power, his high-level ability to frequently make contact and rarely strike out is reminiscent of another more high-profile touted top prospect in Jacob Wilson. His advanced approach at the plate allows him to work counts and make good decisions with his simple swing. The power remains below-average, though the A’s believe he could grow into some extra pop with 15-homer potential as a ceiling.

There is a speed element to Kuroda-Grauer’s game, and while he may not be a burner, his 40 stolen bases in college show he can be a decent threat on the basepaths. Defensively, his arm is average, but his overall glovework and instincts give him the chance to stick as a shortstop with second base as a fallback. Between that and his excellent bat-to-ball skills, Kuroda-Grauer enters his first full professional season with a chance to quickly rise through the system.

Yunior Tur, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 26

2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 3.29 ERA, 26 starts (30 appearances), 125 2/3 IP, 130 K, 60 BB, 7 HR, 3.79 FIP

Per The Athletics’ Keith Law:

Tur is 26 but only signed with the A’s before the 2023 season after several seasons pitching in the Serie Nacional in Cuba. He started almost all of last year, going from High A to Triple A, although I think he’s a straight reliever. He comes straight over the top, sitting 96 with some ride along with a 55 splitter and a low-90s cutter that doesn’t miss many bats. The slider is fringy and he’s very north-south because of the arm slot. He could pitch in the big-league bullpen right now.

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Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your