Category: Baseball

We are still four months away from the 2026 MLB Draft, but of course that doesn’t stop pundits from releasing the first of what will be many mock drafts.

Baseball America on Monday unveiled their 1.0 version of the draft, predicting each team’s first-round selections. Among the first 30 picks of this year’s draft, Atlanta will possess two of them — selecting at 9th and 26th overall.

In recent drafts, the Braves have gone extremely heavy on arms with their first couple of selections. However, the franchise bucked that trend in 2025, selecting Nevada high school shortstop Tate Southisene with the team’s first selection and following that up by taking Florida State shortstop Alex Lodise with their second choice.

Obviously it remains to be seen if the Braves will dip back into the pitching well once again in this year’s draft, but one of the sports top media outlets has the team going right back to the positional player pool not once, but with both of their first selections.

9th overall pick — AJ Gracia, OF, University of Virginia

The pundits at Baseball America have the Braves going the collegiate bat route with their first pick in the upcoming draft, selecting University of Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia 9th overall.

A two-year standout player at Duke University, Gracia transferred to Virginia during the offseason and has continued to rake with the Cavaliers. In 120 games played with the Blue Devils, Garcia batted .299 to go along with 29 homers and 112 RBI.

Since joining Virginia, Gracia has continued to develop into one of the premier bats in the collegiate ranks this year. In 16 games so far this season, the 21-year-old is hitting .362 with an OPS of 1.243 in addition to six homers and a dozen RBI to his credit as well.

Roll 'Em: Sweep Edition 🧹#GoHoospic.twitter.com/CS7LgEWejA

— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) March 1, 2026

While the power and contact rates are exactly what you want from a top-10 selection, what really makes Gracia stand out is his discipline at the plate. In 130 NCAA games, he has only struck out 98 times while walking 117 times. It’s that kind of judgement at the plate that has catapulted Garcia into the top-10 discussions.

Defensively, Gracia is almost destined for one of the corner outfield spots as his speed isn’t what you’d typically want from a centerfielder. His arm isn’t the best, so right field may be out of the question, but if can work if you’re in a pinch.

If he continues to hit the way he has early on in the season, there’s a strong chance Garcia isn’t available for the Braves to take him at 9th overall. However, if they’re able to land him, it would be a tremendous pickup of a guy who will undoubtedly move fast in whatever system he finds himself in.

26th overall pick — Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford High School (AL)

With their second pick — 26th overall — the Baseball America writers have the Braves going the high school route by taking one of the youngest players in the upcoming draft in Maniscalco.

Maniscalco popped onto the radar of scouts back in 2024 when his former teammate Carter Johnson — who was eventually taken by Miami as a second round choice — when he was playing as a freshman for Oxford.

Standing at 6-foot-2 as a switch-hitter, there is plenty to like in what Maniscalco brings to the table. His tools are very solid across the board for someone his age and there’s enough there in his frame to project some raw power to come into play as he continues to develop.

Rocco Maniscalco (‘26 AL) Buttery low tension left-handed swing here. Easy jump through the middle of the field. Pro ready defender @ SS. #HailState commit. @PG_DeepSouth#PGShowdownpic.twitter.com/yuKPlCtd2i

— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 28, 2026

According to MaxPreps, Maniscalco has played in seven games so far for Oxford in which he his hitting .500 with a double and an RBI to his credit as well.

A Mississippi State commit, it will likely take a sizable signing bonus to lure him away from the Bulldogs. However, if you’re Atlanta and can land premium bats with a ton of room for development like Maniscalco, breaking the bank should be a no-brainer.

Inspiration.

Before looking at offense, it must be said that in the last two seasons Carlos Santana’s defense at first base was elite.   In 2024 he won the Gold Glove at first base, and in 2025, he was one of the three nominees.  Averaging the last two seasons, his yearly Outs-Above-Average (OAA) was 11 (truly elite). 

The Diamondbacks will benefit from the synergy of four excellent infield defenders (Santana at first base, Ketel Marte at second base, Geraldo Perdomo at short stop, and Nolan Arenado at third base). 

The interesting question is, “How well will Santana bat?”

Worth seeing would be a grand slam.

In his career so far, Carlos Santana hit 6 grand slams.  His latest grand slam happened last season.  Certainly, it could happen in 2026.

The oldest Diamondback to hit a grand slam was Steve Finley.  On 5 May, 2004 he hit a grand slam against the Mets.  It increased the win probability from 85% to 98%.  Steve Finley was 39 years old (plus almost two months).  Data from Stathead in Baseball Reference.

Honorable Mention goes to the Diamondbacks’ Lourdes Gurriel Junior.  He hit a grand slam in the 2023 World Series.  But he was a relatively young 30 years old.

If/when Carlos Santana hits a grand slam for the Diamondbacks, he will become the oldest Diamondback to hit a grand slam in either the regular season or the postseason.  He will be 39 years old (prior to April 8) or 40 years old (on April 8 or later).  Carlos Santana has a realistic chance to break a record!

His batting has strengths and weaknesses.

In 2019, Carlos Santana won a Silver Slugger award.  Six years later, in his age 40 season, his batting is on the declining side of the aging curve.  The question is not whether he will again win a Silver Slugger award.  Instead, the question is whether his batting will be better than league average.

Last season, one weakness was a career high swinging at out-of-zone pitches (25.1%) with a career low contact rate for out-of-zone pitches (53.6%) per FanGraphs.  However, his first 11 PAs in spring training showed improvement in contact percentage (26.3% O-swings with 80% contact).

Another weakness is that last season, his batting performance dropped against sliders and sweepers (based on 22 balls in play against those pitches against left-handed pitchers per Baseball Savant).

Although he is a switch hitter, he bats better against left-handed pitchers.

• A strength is that against left-handed pitchers, when he puts the first pitch in play, his batting results are monstrous (.333 OBP, .850 SLG, and .477 wOBA per Baseball Savant).
• Another strength is that against left-handed pitchers is that when he hits line drives, his batting results are great (.519 OBP, .556 SLG, and .471 wOBA per Baseball Savant).

To answer the interesting question: It’s likely he will hit above-league average against left-handed pitchers. 

His mental game is a good fit with the Diamondbacks.

Carlos Santana prepares every day.  That reflects his strong desire to play well and that reflects excellent mental discipline. 

Carlos Santana focuses on playing hard one day at a time.  That reflects his focus on making a positive impact in every game and that reflects his strength in ignoring distractions.

In 2023, the Diamondbacks made it to the World Series and lost.  Players needed to mentally deal with that loss.  Carlos Santana had previously dealt with a similar loss.

“…Disappointment? I don’t think there was any disappointment after losing to the Cubs in the World Series, because I felt like a champion. Yes, we felt like champions, even though we didn’t win it all. Crazy, right? We lost, but we still felt very grateful to God. And I think the main reason we felt like champions is because we fought until the end. We gave it everything we had. Somebody had to lose. We lost, but this town loved us the same as if we won. And we loved them right back.” —  Carlos Santana, April 2017

How to know it’s him.

If a fan sees a Diamondbacks player wearing shorts and tall socks (baseball attire that he is comfortable wearing), and if that fan hears other players calling him grandpa, then they can be sure it’s Carlos Santana. Perhaps an easier way to be sure is to look at the number on his Diamondbacks jersey (it is #41).

“…they [Guardian teammates] told me my nickname, Grandpa.” — Carlos Santana, March 2025

Summary.

In 2024 he won a Gold Glove. His defense at first base is elite.

If he hits a grand slam with the Diamondbacks, he will break the record for the oldest Diamondback to hit a grand slam.

It’s likely he will hit above-league average against left-handed pitchers. 

His mental game is a good fit with the Diamondbacks. Also, his team has lost in the World Series.

His nickname with the Guardians was Grandpa.

To the extent that there ever was any intrigue about whether Caleb Durbin, Marcelo Mayer, or someone else would be playing third base for the 2026 Red Sox, you can put that intrigue to bed. Alex Cora, while going out of his way to clarify that he wasn’t announcing anything official, basically made it official: “Caleb, he’s playing third base again. We’ll probably decide that next week. But I feel very comfortable with him at third base. Honestly, (the intrigue) is more for (reporters). It’s kind of like, ‘What are we going to do?’ Five (straight) days of playing third base. He played the whole season… Like, what are we looking for? Two ground balls in spring training. You know, so…” Got it, Alex, thanks for the update! (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Despite being ready to give the third base position to Durbin, the Red Sox are still not ready to give second base to Marcelo Mayer. What is it that the Sox brass is still waiting to see from him? Better swing decisions. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

If Mayer doesn’t get the opening day job, we’ll probably be looking at Isiah Kiner-Falefa pairing up with Trevor Story up the middle. But Nick Sogard is in the conversation as well, and he has the mental advantage of already knowing what it feels like to fight for a roster spot. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Someone who won’t be competing for a roster spot this spring, though, is Triston Casas. Yesterday, he made it official that he will not be healthy enough to participate in any Grapefruit League games:

Triston Casas said he will not play in any Grapefruit League games. He had hoped to, but he won't be ready in time, he said.

His next rehab hurdles include baserunning and sliding. he hasn't gotten to those yet.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) March 9, 2026

Casas’s power bat will be missed. Though it won’t be missed quite as much if Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran continue performing the way they are right now in the World Baseball Classic. The two outfielders/DHs have arguably been the best performers in the tournament right now, as the Red Sox organization as a whole is putting on a show. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Garrett Crochet, though, still doesn’t regret his decision to decline the invitation to play for Team USA. He’s focused on getting his mechanics right for the regular season. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

The San Diego Padres were not incredibly involved in the bigger free agents on the board this offseason. Their one marquee signing came in KBO superstar Sung-Mun Song. The Friars signed him to a four-year, $15 million contract a few weeks after the Winter Meetings in December 2025.

Throughout the offseason, Song has figured to act as a super-utility player in the 2026 clubhouse. His bat may not translate as well over to MLB as his glove will. But he’s able to play all over the infield and is learning how to play the outfield so that the club can insert him wherever and whenever. 

The delayed ramp-up to spring

During batting practice in January, Song sustained an oblique injury. This halted his introduction to Spring Training and led to him begin Cactus League play late.

But once he joined the team, he began to prove to be exactly what the Padres hoped he would be. In 19 plate appearances Song notched four hits (including one home run) and three walks. 

It’s a far cry from the incredible numbers that Song put up in the KBO. From 2024-25, Song managed a .328/.398/.524 slash line and 45 home runs. But, given time, it’s likely he could produce during the regular season.

Defensively he’s managed quite well. Song has played two games at second base, four at third, and one at shortstop. He has yet to make his debut in the outfield but has been near-perfect in the various infield roles, with only one error across 31.0 innings between the three positions.

The injury stalling his MLB debut

Unfortunately, after belting his first home run of the spring in Thursday’s 27-6 rout against the Seattle Mariners, Song exited the game with a tight oblique. It’s now being reported that his status for Opening Day may be in question.

Song himself said that he feels “fine…play[ing] defense and running,” but that he has difficulty hitting. Manager Craig Stammen stated they would rather wait for Song to be fully rehabilitated as opposed to taking him on and off the injured list throughout the season. 

Thankfully the soreness wasn’t a total recurrence of the injury so it shouldn’t take nearly as long to heal from it. That being said, Song has only played light catch. He’s yet to swing or bat or field a ball since Thursday’s game.

The question of the Opening Day roster

Whether or not Song makes it to the clubhouse on Opening Day seems to be a question of his health more so than his performance. If the oblique problem is fully solved by March 26 then he’s an easy selection for the utility role.

It’s uncertain if Song will make the 26-man roster, but if he doesn’t it will create a spot for someone else. Possible options include hot hitters Jose Miranda and Samad Taylor, as well as 2025 Gold Glove winner Ty France.

Whatever the case, Song will hopefully be a major piece of San Diego’s plans for 2026. If he can battle back from the oblique injury, he’ll easily be one of the Friars’ most interesting players to watch this season.

Chicago’s offense hopes to stay hot in Tuesday’s game against the Athletics after the White Sox dropped 11 runs on the Colorado Rockies in just one inning on Monday afternoon for their fourth consecutive win. The irony here is that both the Sox and the Rockies are essentially the worst teams in baseball, yet they both rank in the top four in Spring Training OPS — just like they drew it up.

Typically, the A’s would be right there with them at the bottom, but they, too, have an exciting young core of players. They’ve flipped a switch offensively over the past week and are currently riding a three-game win streak. Just in the last seven days, the Athletics have the most hits (78), home runs (13), and RBIs (53), and are also tied for most doubles (17). Their pitching staff, however, hasn’t experienced the same success recently. While the A’s pitchers are leading MLB with 72 strikeouts over the past week, they have also allowed the most walks, hits, and earned runs while posting a 6.21 ERA.

With righthander Shane Smith taking the mound for the Good Guys, ideally, the Athletics are brought back down to earth as Smith prepares for his 2026 Opening Day debut. In two spring starts, Smith has accumulated a 5.79 ERA in 4 2/3 innings with two strikeouts. Yes, it’s in a tiny sample size, but his strong performance last season tells us that we shouldn’t be worried about a few Spring Training innings. It also certainly helps that the South Side offense has mashed the most hits (174) and triples (10), and is slashing .282/.363/.483 as a team.

Let's play ball! pic.twitter.com/mqtVL3scyk

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 10, 2026

Lefthander Jeffrey Springs is making his third start of the preseason for the Athletics, with a rough 9.00 ERA in only four innings, but like Smith, he was decent for the A’s in 2025 with a 4.11 ERA across 171 frames. Springs holds a 3.64 career ERA across 177 games and 67 starts, though if there’s a team that has been hitting lefties well, it would be the White Sox. Against southpaws, the South Siders hold the third-best OPS (.877) and are tied with the LA Dodgers for the top slugging percentage (.505).

Tuesday baseball ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/c1cDpNZMGP

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 10, 2026

While there isn’t a live television broadcast for this game, an MLB.TV or MLB+ subscription will allow you to listen in via the A’s radio broadcast. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m. CDT — let’s get five in a row!

The Dodgers are back home to host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday afternoon. Their lineup includes at least seven and likely eight players who will be on the opening day roster, their most in a game so far this spring.

Lineup

Miguel Rojas 2B
Kyle Tucker RF
Mookie Betts SS
Freddie Freeman 1B
Max Muncy 3B
Andy Pages CF
Alex Call LF
Santiago Espinal DH
Eliézer Alfonzo C

Tyler Glasnow starts on the mound, his third appearance this spring.

Other pitchers

Blake Treinen, Ben Casparius, and Edgardo Henriquez will toe the bump on Tuesday, as will non-roster right-hander Chris Campos.

Pitchers active from minor league camp include Joseilyn Gonzalez (wearing number 00), Matt Lanzendorfer (87), Davis Chastain (89), and Nick Nastrini (93).

Other position players

Michael Siani is active on Tuesday, as are non-roster invitees Ryan Fitzgerald, Zyhir Hope, Zach Ehrhard, James Tibbs III, Noah Miller, Nick Senzel, and Seby Zavala.

Active from the minor league side are infielders John Rhodes (09) and Yeiner Fernandez (04), outfielder Damon Keith (08), and catcher Frank Rodriguez (07).

After their first off day of spring training, the Dodgers are back at it on Thursday night, hosting the Cincinnati Reds at Camelback Ranch.

Non-roster veteran Cole Irvin is in line for the start, which would be the fourth appearance this spring for the left-hander. He pitched three innings last Thursday, also against the Reds, and gave up six runs in Goodyear.

Per the Reds’ game notes on Tuesday (so take with the appropriate amount of salt grains you see fit), other Dodgers on the docket to pitch Thursday are Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Paul Gervase, plus non-roster invitees Ryder Ryan and Antoine Kelly.

Nick Lodolo starts Thursday night for Cincinnati.

Thursday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs Reds
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 6:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: WLW (Reds broadcast)

Francisco Lindor made his first appearance of spring training, playing shortstop for four innings in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals on a backfield at the Mets’ Port St. Lucie complex on Tuesday. 

Lindor has been ramping up for several weeks now and got his first taste of live game action since he sustained a hamate bone injury that required surgery at the beginning of February. 

The club anticipates that the shortstop will be ready for Opening Day, when the Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26 at Citi Field.

"All indications we have is this is going as planned, and we have a similar level of optimism that he’ll be ready," president of baseball operations David Stearnssaid on Monday.

There was clearly a bit of rust in the early going as Lindor misplayed a grounder in the first inning, as he didn’t play the right hop and let the ball skip under his glove. Later in the inning, he camped under a pop-up in the infield with no issue, as expected.

Nothing was hit the shortstop's way over the next three frames, and Lindor exited after four innings of work.

Lindor was not batting in the game, which Stearns said would be a necessary step for him to make the roster to start the season.

"That would be a prerequisite. We wouldn’t have his first competition be Opening Day," Stearns said. "We would ensure there are at-bats... I would expect Grapefruit League, but we haven’t mapped this out yet."

Francisco Lindor is on the back fields in Port St. Lucie playing shortstop in a minor league game today pic.twitter.com/nRqBIWlfQo

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 10, 2026

Francisco Lindor tracks an easy infield pop in his first game action on the back fields pic.twitter.com/etwhWkvU9J

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 10, 2026

Pardon our delay on the game thread this afternoon! It’s spring training for all of us, but we did want to get one set up in case anyone wanted to chime in on the Yanks/Phils road matchup today.

Luis Gil will aim to build on his much more impressive last time out in comparison to what came before this spring. He went three shutout innings against the Red Sox at Fenway South, striking out six and allowing two hits and two walks on 56 pitches. Gil is probably making the rotation regardless given the health of the Yankees’ rotation, but they’ll have much more confidence in his ability to stick if he pitches like that.

The Yankees’ road lineup today features just one surefire regular in first baseman Ben Rice, though Jasson Domínguez will follow him and bat second, manning left field. Top prospects George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones will have prominent roles in today’s starting nine as well.

How to Watch:

Location: BayCare Ballpark — Clearwater, FL

First Pitch: 1:05 pm EDT

TV broadcast: NBC SP+ (Phillies)

Radio broadcast: N/A

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, X, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Crew’s headed to Clearwater ☀️#RepBXpic.twitter.com/GWlcibxVXI

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 10, 2026

Yanks in town pic.twitter.com/m3oVRL8Di8

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 10, 2026

There’s a good chance that the Cincinnati Reds will have their ace pitching every fifth day down the stretch of the 2026 season. That’s the best possible way to spin the news that dropped on Tuesday, which contains the important caveat that Hunter Greene will have surgery to remove bone chips in his ailing right elbow and will miss between 14-16 weeks while recovering.

So relayed MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon earlier in the day on Bluesky.

Sheldon later spoke with Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall who confirmed that Greene’s surgically repaired UCL “looked intact and good,” so there’s hope this arthroscopic procedure will be nothing more than cleanup to get him right back to 100%. Given that we’d already known about his elbow pain and stiffness and the MRI that came after it, that means that today’s news is more or less best case scenario within the framework of bad news we were already operating.

Still, it’s a major setback for both the Reds and Greene himself, who only started 19 games in 2025 due to various other ailments and who has never pitched more that 150.1 IP in any season of his career.

As for the Reds, they’ll lean on the envious starting pitching depth they’d accumulated over the last few seasons to bridge the gap until they get their ace back at some point during the summer. We already learned that All Star Andrew Abbott will get the ball on Opening Day to lead the unit, and he’ll be backed by Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer in some order, too. After those two, though, the Reds will be leaning heavily on the likes of Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns, and Brandon Williamson even though Lowder and Williamson both missed all (or most of) the 2025 season.

If there’s any consolation to this prognosis, it’s that Greene will almost certainly be placed on the team’s 60-day IL, and that will free up a spot on the 40-man roster for someone else should the Reds like to add someone not currently on the roster. Someone like, say, Nathaniel Lowe.

First Pitch (CT):12:05
TV: None
Radio: MLB App via TB Audio
Know Yo’ Foe: DRaysBay

What to watch: Joe Ryan finally makes his long-awaited debut! Unfortunately this game appears to be lost to the void.

Lineups

Twins	Rays
SP: Joe Ryan, who is perfect	SP: Steven Matz (LHP)
1. Austin Martin, CF	1. Cedric Mullins, DH
2. Alan Roden, RF	2. Gavin Lux, 2B
3. Ryan Jeffers, C	3. Jake Fraley, RF
4. Kody Clemens, 1B	4. Hunter Feduccia, C
5. Eric Wagaman, LF	5. Chandler Simpson, LF
6. Matt Wallner, DH	6. Taylor Walls, SS
7. Brooks Lee, SS	7. Jonny DeLuca, CF
8. Tristan Gray, 2B	8. Tre’ Morgan, 1B
9. Ryan Kreidler, 3B	9. Gregory Barrios, 3B

The St. Louis Cardinals are traveling to the New York Mets Spring Training home at Clover Park. According to MLB.com, the Cardinals will have Jared Shuster take the mound while the New York Mets are expected to start David Peterson. The game today will not be televised.

The Rangers led all of baseball in run prevention in 2025. Behind a full, healthy season from Jacob deGrom, a career-best and injury-shortened season from Nathan Eovaldi, and a big step forward from Jack Leiter, the starting rotation was among the best in baseball and the bullpen was deceptively deep. Even though the team led the majors in ERA, their peripherals didn’t necessarily back up that performance; they were just fifth by FIP, tenth by xFIP, and 16th by xERA.

Facing an exodus of a significant portion of their depth this offseason, Texas’s pitching staff looks a lot weaker than the elite unit from last year. Yes, deGrom and Eovaldi still form a formidable pair atop the rotation, and the team made one huge move to bolster that unit behind those two stars, but there were just too many pieces they needed to replace across the entire staff. The run prevention should still be very good, just not as good as it was a year ago.

Notable Transactions

Out: RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Jon Gray, LHP Patrick Corbin, RHP Phil Maton, RHP Shawn Armstrong, LHP Hoby Milner, LHP Danny Coulombe, RHP Jacob Webb
In: LHP MacKenzie Gore, LHP Jordan Montgomery, RHP Jakob Junis, LHP Tyler Alexander, RHP Alexis Díaz, RHP Carter Baumler, RHP Michel Otañez, RHP Ryan Brasier, LHP Austin Gomber, RHP Cal Quantrill
Italics = Minor League Deals with Spring Training Invite

The biggest move the Rangers made this offseason was sending a ton of prospects to the Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore. After being one of the centerpieces in the Juan Soto trade a few years ago, Gore established himself as a solid, if inconsistent, starter in Washington. He’s still got two years of team control remaining which fits the Rangers’ contention window pretty neatly.

The team also restocked the bullpen with a mix of veteran arms and reclamation projects. None of those relievers look like they’re up to the level of Maton, Armstrong, or Milner, but relief performance is notoriously volatile so maybe they’ll get lucky with a few of the new arms.

The Rotation

Player	Age	Throws	IP	K/BB	ERA	FIP	WAR
Jacob deGrom	38	R	169	4.75	3.51	3.46	3.7
Nathan Eovaldi	36	R	173	3.64	3.78	3.77	2.9
MacKenzie Gore	27	L	160	3.05	3.83	3.71	2.9
Jack Leiter	26	R	148	2.32	4.29	4.29	2.0
Kumar Rocker	26	R	106	2.92	4.18	4.02	1.2
Jacob Latz	30	L	111	1.98	4.42	4.45	0.8
Cody Bradford	28	L	71	3.56	4.36	4.25	0.5

After pitching just 265.1 total innings over the previous five seasons, deGrom dialed things back a bit in 2025 in an attempt to stay healthy for an entire season. The effort was a great success; he made 30 starts for the first time since 2019 and crossed the 150 IP threshold for just the fifth time in his career. The tradeoff from a small amount of elite production on a per inning basis to pretty good results over a full season was the right call. Yes, he posted his lowest strikeout rate since 2016 and the highest FIP of his career, but as the saying goes, the best ability is availability.

Eovaldi made some pretty significant changes to his pitch mix last year, fueling his fantastic season. He dropped the usage of his four-seam fastball by nearly 15 points, added a sinker to his repertoire, and increased the usage of his cutter and curveball. The result was a pitch mix that was a lot less predictable and a lot less dependent on his deteriorating fastball velocity. Unfortunately, an elbow issue forced him to miss a month of the season in June and then he was sidelined in September with a shoulder strain and underwent surgery in October for a sports hernia.

Leiter finally took a big step forward last year behind his excellent raw stuff. His command still leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s got the look of a mid-rotation arm now with some ceiling to grow into if he can get his walk rate under control. The fifth spot in the rotation is a bit up in the air. Kumar Rocker hasn’t been able to harness his raw stuff like Leiter did last year but the talent is still very apparent. He’s battling with Jacob Latz for that final spot in the rotation this spring. For his part, Latz is attempting to evolve from his swingman role last year but needs to bring down his walk rate to really take a step forward.

And then there are the injured arms who could make an impact later on in the season. Cody Bradford had a really promising stint in the rotation back in 2024 but was sidelined for all of 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery in the spring. He’s working his way back from that injury and should be a factor in May or June. And then there’s Jordan Montgomery who was a huge part of Texas’s 2023 championship run, but hasn’t pitched since late 2024 and is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. I have no idea what to expect from him and I don’t think the Rangers do either.

The Bullpen

Role	Player	Age	Throws	IP	K/BB	ERA	FIP	WAR
Closer	Robert Garcia	30	L	64	3.10	3.54	3.52	0.9
Setup	Chris Martin	40	R	54	4.66	3.38	3.42	0.8
Setup	Cole Winn	26	R	63	1.78	4.64	4.67	-0.3
Middle	Jakob Junis	33	R	65	3.34	4.08	3.95	0.4
Middle	Josh Sborz	32	R	48	2.42	4.07	4.01	0.1
Middle	Tyler Alexander	31	L	69	3.11	4.68	4.49	0.1
Middle	Ryan Brasier	38	R	48	2.85	3.99	3.97	0.1
Long	Carter Baumler	24	R	52	1.84	4.63	4.54	0.0

The Rangers’ bullpen was pretty strong last year thanks to unheralded seasons from guys like Phil Maton, Shawn Armstrong, and Hoby Milner. That trio of veteran arms is out the door while guys like Jakob Junis, Tyler Alexander, and Ryan Brasier take their place. The most important roles in the ‘pen will be manned by two veteran holdovers. The ninth inning should be handled by Robert Garcia; he spent a few months as the team’s closer last year, compiling nine saves and 15 holds with a 2.95 ERA. He was a bit home run prone which pushed both his FIP and xERA nearly a run higher than his ERA. Texas also re-signed the ageless Chris Martin to continue serving as a setup man. Even as he enters his age-40 season, he’s shown very few signs of decline and would be the next man up in the pecking order if Garcia falters.

Cole Winn is a former first round pick who flamed out as a starter but has taken to short-stint relieving pretty well. He’s got a lively fastball and a nasty slider but has a tough time with his command. Josh Sborz has spent the last five years with the Rangers but missed all of last year with a major shoulder injury. He re-signed with Texas this offseason on a minor league deal, and given his familiarity with the organization, he probably has an inside track on a backend bullpen role if he can prove he’s healthy. Carter Baumler is a Rule 5 pick and will need to stick on the major league roster or risk being sent back to Baltimore. He’s dealt with both elbow and shoulder injuries but was finally healthy last year. He’s got an explosive fastball and a big, bendy curveball, but profiles as a pretty generic middle relief arm.

The O’s are making the 3.5-hour trip across Florida to West Palm Beach this afternoon, taking on the Astros at CACTI Park. Most of the regulars are staying in Sarasota, but the Birds’ lineup today includes four projected Opening Day starters — Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, and Coby Mayo — along with a bunch of randos. Interestingly, Beavers is starting in center, with Cowser sliding over to right.

Mayo, who started at third base yesterday, gets a semi-breather with DH duty this afternoon. Samuel Basallo starts behind the plate, where he hasn’t looked stellar this spring. I guess that’s why you practice. They’ll face veteran Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.

The Orioles’ expected pitchers today are all guys who won’t be breaking camp with the team. Levi Wells makes the start, with Andrew Magno, Eric Torres, and Josh Walker scheduled to follow. Prospects like Wells, Trey Gibson, and Luis De León have all made starts in the past few days, which is nice to see, but I’m sort of wondering where all the actual O’s starting pitchers are. None of the Orioles’ top six guys have started since Chris Bassitt last Friday the 6th. Dean Kremer has the excuse of being away at the World Baseball Classic, but it’s been a minute since we’ve seen any of the others. I assume they’re getting their work in on the back fields and simulated games.

Orioles lineup:

CF Dylan Beavers
RF Colton Cowser
C Samuel Basallo
3B Bryan Ramos
DH Coby Mayo
1B Ryan Noda
SS José Barrero
2B Willy Vasquez
LF Will Robertson

RHP Levi Wells

The amazing plays by Bobby Witt Jr. in the World Baseball Classic yesterday had me thinking about Royals defense. He has dazzled us just a few years into his playing career, but Royals fans have really been spoiled by great defense over the years. There was Amos Otis, then Willie Wilson flying around the outfield. Frank White winning Gold Gloves at second by playing at the edge of the infield. We had Bo Jackson throwing guys out from the warning track. Carlos Beltran making dazzling catches at the wall. Alex Gordon learning how to play left field and firing guys out. Salvy gunning guys from behind the plate.

But what was your favorite defensive play in Royals history? A few come to mind:

• George Brett’s terrific throw home in Game 3 of the 1985 ALCS
• Bo Jackson throws out Harold Reynolds from the warning track
• Mike Moustakas diving into the dugout to catch a foul ball in the 2014 ALCS
• Alex Gordon dives into the stands to make a catch in Chicago
• Jarrod Dyson’s ridiculous catch at the wall in Miami

Was there a moment you caught live that stands out to you? Was there a play that may not be the best, but just the one you aesthetically appreciate, or perhaps one that came in a clutch moment? What was your favorite defensive play in Royals history?