Category: Baseball

Seriously, does anyone think this is weird? When the Draft was moved to align with the All-Star Break, it seemed like a no-brainer to actually put the draft during the All-Star Break. Instead, this weekend, the Draft will begin while teams are still playing their final games heading into the Break. It’s just so weird, like cannibalizing your own viewership. I guess it’s somewhat consistent with MLB’s overall contempt for the regular season, and the idea that no one is going to revolt in terms of local viewership just because a couple of games coincide with something else… but it still feels suboptimal.

Like, the Draft itself is from 1pm to 7:45 pm ET on Saturday, and from 11:30am to 7:30 pm ET on Sunday. You could have everyone play day games and push it into the night. Or, more duh-ingly, just push it into Monday and Tuesday. I understand that MLB might want to have the Draft be more of a hoopla/spectacle like the drafts in other sports, but come on: Day 1 will feature 135 picks in nearly seven hours, a rate of about 20 picks an hour. One pick every three minutes is an awful, interminable “pace of play” as far as viewership goes, and the fact that it’s going four rounds and teams can play underslot games really dents the wide audience viewing interest of it all. If you want to hype up the first few picks, start the Saturday games earlier, put Round 1 on weekend primetime and let the rest go after, trailing into the night. Day 2 is more rapid-fire but also not much to watch live, so they could even put Day 1 on Sunday where all games are over before evening primetime anyway, and burn off Day 2 when there are no games.

In the end, this doesn’t matter, it’s just… weird. I guess like, “Still trying to make the All-Star Game a thing in 2026,” weird, so that tracks.

The wait is almost over, as Philadelphia is set to host the 96th edition of the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday. July 14th. It will be the fifth time the City of Brotherly Love has played host to the event and the first time since 1996 when the game was held at Veteran’s Stadium. The actual All-Star Game serves as a wrap-up to an almost weeks’ worth of festivities celebrating baseball. First, let’s break down the schedule for All-Star weekend before we dive into how the Phillies themselves will factor into everything taking place.

What’s the schedule?

Friday, July 10th: HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball

This game that features the best Division-1 college athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be the first to take place at Citizens Bank Park this weekend. It will begin at 7 pm and will be broadcast live on MLB.com and MLB Network.

Saturday, July 11th-Tuesday, July 14th: Capital One All-Star Village

This is a four-day event that will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center where fans can come together and celebrate baseball with legends meet-and-greets, interactive exhibits, contests, and samplings of ballpark concessions.

Saturday, July 11th: 2026 MLB Draft

Also at the PA Convention Center, the first few rounds of the MLB Draft will take place starting at 1 pm and will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock.

Sunday, July 12th: All-Star Sunday featuring the MLB All-Star Futures Game and the MLBx All-Star 3-on-3

Sunday will prove to be a busy day, as the Futures Game featuring the top prospects from across the minor leagues will kick off the day at noon at Citizens Bank Park. then following the conclusion of that game, the new 3-on-3 baseball competition will begin, featuring Phillies legends Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard, AUSL All-Stars, and other Philadelphia athletes from past and present including DeVonta Smith and Terell Owens.

Monday, July 13th: Home Run Derby

The first of the two marquee All-Star events will take place Monday night, as eight sluggers from around baseball will look to capture the title of derby champion as the rules shift back to the old swing-based format with no clock. The derby will begin at 8pm and will be the first to be broadcast live on Netflix.

Tuesday, July 14th: 96th MLB All-Star Game

Finally, the All-Star game itself will conclude the celebration as the NL looks to repeat as winners over the AL after last season’s thrilling swing-off in extra innings to decide a winner. The All-Stars will arrive to Independence Mall at 2pm for the red carpet before the game begins at 8pm at Citizens Bank Park

Who are the Phillies’ All-Stars?

The hometown team will be well represented this year, as the Phillies will be sending six of their players to represent them on their own field.

Brandon Marsh

Marsh has been arguably the Phillies’ most consistent hitter on the season, as he has taken the leap from solid platoon player into everyday All-Star. His meteoric rise dates back to last season after he returned from injury following a brutal month of April where he hit .095 across 16 games. Since returning from a rehab assignment on May 3rd of last year, Marsh has a batting line of .304/.350/.489 in 198 games entering Thursday. This season, he is hitting .305 and is sixth in batting average for the National League. He’s been rewarded for his consistently excellent performance with his first career All-Star selection, receiving enough votes to where he will be in the outfield in the NL’s starting lineup when they take the field.

Jhoan Duran

Speaking of first time All-Stars, Marsh will be joined in that regard by his teammate Jhoan Duran. The Phillies closer has been an anchor in an otherwise shaky bullpen this season with a 1.47 ERA and 22 saves, including 16 straight saves to begin his season. Duran seems a lock to appear in the game at some point, as MLB will no doubt want to feature his electrifying entrance out of the bullpen to a national audience.

Cristopher Sánchez

Sánchez was one of the biggest snubs from the All-Star roster last season, and now he’s a candidate to start the game for the NL on his home mound. The lefty already set the Major League record for the longest scoreless streak ever by a left-handed pitcher back in May when he tossed 50.2 consecutive scoreless innings. It will be the second career All-Star nod for Sánchez with his first coming in 2024.

Jesús Luzardo

Luzardo was a bit of a surprise when he was named as a replacement for Jacob Misiorowski, but he also isn’t entirely undeserving of his first All-Star nod. His traditional numbers may not seem flashy, as Luzardo was 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA at the time he was named to the roster. But if you dig deeper, Luzardo has been better than those numbers may suggest. His 2.9 fWAR has him third behind Sánchez and Misiorowski for the highest among while his 28.6% strikeout rate is seventh best.

Kyle Schwarber

The only thing keeping Schwarber from being a starter in the game like Marsh is that he unfortunately plays the same position (DH) as Shohei Ohtani. Nevertheless, the current MLB home run leader will make his third All-Star appearance with the Phillies and fourth overall. Fresh off of a new five year, $150M extension signed with the Phillies in free agency, Schwarber has continued to cement himself as one of if not the best power hitters in the game, as he is on pace for a second straight season with 50+ home runs. Don’t forget, he was also named All-Star Game MVP last season when he won the first ever swing-off to decide the result of an All-Star Game.

Bryce Harper

The face of the Phillies franchise will make his third All-Star appearance as a Phillie and his ninth overall after being added to the roster with the commissioner’s “legend” pick. However, Harper had a strong case to make the team on his own merit despite finishing third in the voting among NL first baseman, as his .880 OPS entering play on Thursday is tied for the second best among all NL first basemen and his 20 home runs is also second. In any case, Harper will look to live up to his “Showman” reputation once again at All-Star week in his home ballpark like he did when he won the 2018 Home Run Derby at Nationals Park.

Will the Phillies have anyone in the Home Run Derby?

Speaking of the Derby, Harper made it official on Wednesday night with an Instagram post that he will take part in this year’s Home Run Derby. He had previously stated that he was unsure due to his father possibly not being able to throw to him as he did back in 2018 and the different format that will be instituted this year, Schwarber meanwhile has not announced anything as of this writing but recently stated that he is open to it if he was healthy and had already made the All-Star team. With both of those conditions met, it seems likely that he will declare his participation in the coming days. Schwarber last participated back in 2022 where he lost in a swing-off to Albert Pujols in the first round.

Outside of the Phillies, we know for sure at least five other participants as of this writing. They will be Junior Caminero of the Rays, Ben Rice of the Yankees, Willson Contreras of the Red Sox, Jac Caglianone of the Royals, and Jordan Walker of the Cardinals.

Will the Phillies have any prospects in the Futures Game?

In fact, they’ll have two, as Gage Wood of the Reading Fightin’ Phils and Wen-Hui Pan of the Jersey Shore Blue Claws will represent the Phillies organization at the Futures Game. Wood was the Phillies first round pick (26th) in the 2025 draft, and the former Arkansas Razorback who threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series has continued to thrive in his professional career. Coming into the season as the Phillies #5 prospect and 69th prospect overall according to Baseball America, the right hander started the year at Class-A Clearwater but quickly made the jump to Double-A Reading after posting a 3.42 ERA in eight starts with 40 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.

Pan meanwhile was an international prospect signing by the Phillies out of Taiwan in 2023 as a 20-year-old. The 6’3, 220-pound right hander who profiles as a reliever excelled at Low-A Clearwater in his first real taste of professional ball and ended the year with a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore. The ensuing year was not as kind to Pan, as injuries limited him to just 29.1 total innings in 2024 before ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery in November that cost him all of 2025. But he has rebounded in 2026, working his way to Double-A after rehabbing with Clearwater and Jersey Shore.

In addition to those two players, the Phillies will also be represented in both dugouts, as former Phillies greats and World Series champions Shane Victorino and Larry Bowa have been selected as managers for the Futures Game.

What will the Phillies do in the draft?

This year the Phillies first selection will be 36th overall, as they will incur a 10-pick penalty from their original spot (26th) for exceeding the second Competitive Balance Tax Threshold.

They had a bit of an unorthodox method in last year’s draft, as they selected pitchers with their first eight picks and 14 of their 20 selections overall. It’s a safe bet that they may lean heavier onto the hitting side this year, but really, they should have no preferences. Drafting for need in MLB is foolhardy with the timelines for prospects, but it would be especially foolish from a Phillies standpoint to draft anything other than best player available.

Baseball America has ranked the Phillies with the second worst farm system in their latest updated rankings, placing them 29th with Wood (69th) and the injured Aidan Miller (80th) as their highest Top 100 prospects. Philadelphia is almost barren of anything resembling high end talent and frankly will have a hard time swinging any trades of substance at this year’s deadline. They need a talent influx and cannot afford to be picky in which side of the ball that talent plays on.

Our own Dan Cormican has been profiling some options for the Phillies in the draft, and you can read those previews here.

About a week ago, Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora went looking for evidence to back up a hunch that’s been circulating in Baltimore for three straight seasons now: this team can’t run the bases. His July 1 piece on the Orioles’ fielding and baserunning woes laid out a bunch of metrics, and the picture wasn’t pretty. In actual point of fact, the Orioles are not the literal worst, but it feels bad anyway because, as La Canfora put it, the skipper “keeps begging for clean games and smart baseball but it’s doubtful this team delivers.”

Running has been definitely one of the areas of stupidest baseball for the Orioles in 2026. By FanGraphs’ Base Running Runs, Baltimore sits at -1, ranked 19th in the majors. That’s below average, not catastrophic, but also a waste when you have good foot speed in players like Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holiday, Leody Taveras, Dylan Beavers, and so forth. Our utility infielder is named Blaze Alexander, for crying out loud! So why does it feel like the Orioles are the sport’s running joke (pun intended) on the base paths?

Well, look closer at several other baserunning metrics, and the Orioles’ efforts look considerably worse. Their stolen-base success rate of 71.6% is 25th in baseball. Only the White Sox, the Tigers, the Rockies, the Twins and the hopeless Mets are doing it worse. Most analytics departments consider 75-78% a threshold where it’s break-even for the risk to be worth it, so the team is clearly adding negative value. Add to that, the Orioles’ steal value at second base (how often they effectively steal second base) is -1, ranked 27th. Extra-bases taken puts them at -4, or 20th in the league, meaning they’re consistently failing to advance from first to third on singles or score from second on doubles at a league-average clip.

You could go beyond that and look at individual “caught stealings” to get a fuller picture of poorly-done risk-reward calculations. The team poster child for this right now is Gunnar Henderson, a massively talented player with both power and foot speed, but whose baserunning instincts are being attacked every other night, it feels like. Getting picked off twice in a single game isn’t just an unlucky night; it’s kind of a routine occurrence for the O’s shortstop this season. Henderson has all of seven steals on the season, a shockingly low number for a player with his athletic profile, and especially considering he’s been caught stealing four times.

There are several players, in fact, whose aggression on the basepaths is currently costing Baltimore more than it’s earning. Even though scouts still project Jackson Holliday as a 25-steal threat one day, he’s nabbing bases at just a 68% clip on his career (again, a league-average benchmark is about 78%). The same is true for a lot of players, it looks like. Colton Cowser has been caught stealing twice, and safely stolen a bag just four times. Dylan Beavers, even worse: two caught stealing to just three bags swiped. Blaze Alexander is fast, but he’s gotten thrown out three times in twelve attempts, so just below average. In fact, it’s Leody Taveras, a fourth outfielder by midseason, who leads the team in stolen bases with just 10. When your team leader in steals is a bench piece, that tells you the top of the roster isn’t running.

Then there’s the part of the game that doesn’t show up in a box score line as cleanly: the Orioles’ inability to execute the contact play in advancing from first to third. La Canfora’s description rates the O’s “a Little League team with the contact play trying to score runners from third with the ball hit in the grass.” That may be harsh, but it points to a real problem. Too many outs are being made at third base and at home plate on plays that should be simple two-out productive outs or sacrifice situations. Blaze Alexander has been guilty of this a lot, judging by the eyeball test. He has the speed and agility to be a weapon on the bases, but keeps making outs at third because he isn’t reading the ball off the bat well. Or he isn’t listening to the third-base coach? Whether it’s talent, speed, judgment or what, it’s supposed to be a problem area that the staff can actually fix in-season through repetition and coaching.

So, are the Orioles the worst baserunning team in baseball? Statistically, no, not quite. Nineteenth place in baserunning value (twenty-fifth in success rate) is unglamorous, albeit not historic. But we could fill in the picture with subsidiary data—pickoffs at first base, botched double steals, times getting thrown out at third or at home (there were three alone in an extra-innings loss to Seattle back in June)—to capture the picture of a team which, if not slow of foot or short on talent, feels, well, just kind of chaotic and messy. Combined with a defense that ranks in the bottom five in outs above average, runs prevented, and defensive runs saved, the Orioles are bleeding runs on both sides of the ball in ways that don’t require a brand-new roster to fix—just better decisions.

Is this, to keep asking the same question (but we have to keep asking it) a Mike Elias problem? La Canfora thinks so, brutally comparing this season to the last one: “Remember, Elias got promotions for himself and 16 other people after years of utter failure here, and now we get to watch an even worse product, with an even more befuddled skipper at the wheel, careen toward the All Star break and another inevitable firesale at the trade deadline with 1983 feeling like 1963 to those of us old enough to remember that last World Series parade.” Ouch. I’m not sure. But for a coaching staff supposed to be on the cutting edge of analytics, and a front office that allegedly drafts for athleticism, the results kind of speak for themselves.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Thursday, in case you missed it...

• Sean Manaeawas sharp and the Mets' bats were potent in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Royals at Citi Field
• A.J. Ewinggot his first taste of big league action at second base
• Ewing sliding to second base was the result of Mark Vientos exiting the game after being hit by a pitch in the hand. Testing revealed a fracture, and Vientos will be heading to the IL 
• Clay Holmes, a potential trade candidate at the deadline, is open to a midseason extension to remain with the Mets long-term
• Here are five things to watch as the Mets and Red Sox play a three-game weekend series 
• The Mets are unlikely to trade Jonah Tong ahead of the deadline
• WATCH: Mets react after Thursday's win over Kansas City

The Yankees wrapped up a trip to Tropicana Field on Thursday with a much needed win and a breakout from the still Aaron Judge-less lineup. The double digit runs allowed them to salvage a series split after the two middle games of the series were a struggle. As a result, the Yankees ended the visit to the Trop four games back in the AL East, which is right where they began it.

Now, the Yankees are set to continue their road trip with a visit to the nation’s capital. At 48-46, the Washington Nationals are a somewhat surprising team over .500 and still in the playoff running. Ahead of Thursday’s games they were 3.5 games back of the last NL Wild Card spot and 6.5 back in the NL East. With a .948 OPS, James Wood is turning into a star in his third MLB season, while CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr., and Curtis Mead have also been pretty stellar in the Nats’ lineup. Their pitching has been less good, allowing one of the highest runs per game averages in the league, but the offense has been enough to cover some of that up so far.

Before the series gets going later tonight, let’s have a look at the pitching matchups we’ll see over the next couple days.

Friday: Ryan Weathers vs. Carson Palmquist (6:45 pm ET)

Weathers has been notably shaky of late, and that continued in his last start, as he gave up four runs in four innings against the Twins on Sunday. After seven shutout innings against the Rays back on May 24th, Weathers had a 3.14 ERA and 3.50 FIP. Those numbers now sit at 4.29 and 4.06, as he’s only had one game that you can categorize as good in that time.

We all know the meme about how the Yankees struggle against pitchers they’ve never seen before, and this will be their first game against the former Rockie and now National Palmquist. That being said, Palmquist has not had a good start to his MLB career. Last year in Colorado, he put up a 8.91 ERA in 34.1 innings. Getting away from the high altitude hasn’t done much to improve those numbers so far in 2026. He’s only pitched 6.1 innings in the bigs this year after moving to Washington, but he has a 7.11 ERA so far. That being said, he has a high strikeout rate in that time, and that’s something the Yankees have been prone to do a lot lately.

Saturday: Cam Schlittler vs. Miles Mikolas (4:05 pm ET)

With Judge on the shelf and the Yankees’ offense sputtering, Schlittler has been one of few things you can almost 100% count on for the Bombers. He continued that by allowing just one run in eight innings in a win over the Rays last time out, picking up the win before the rest of that series got annoying.

The veteran Mikolas has been, to put it politely, “butt.” He’s made 19 appearances this year, with eight coming as the Nats’ starter. In 90.1 total innings, he has a 5.78 ERA and a 5.52 FIP and has allowed 20 home runs. Over 5% of the batters Mikolas has faced have hit a home run off him. The offense truly needs to be able to do something in this game.

Sunday: Will Warren vs. TBD (1:35 pm ET)

Warren is another Yankee starter that’s been in a massive slump after a good start to the season. Since May 1st, he has a 5.34 ERA and his overall season total has gone up by nearly two whole runs, going over four for the first time this season in his last start. Even when Warren was doing well, he could be a bit of a tedious watch, but he’s been walking nearly 9% of batters over that stretch.

At time of writing, the Nationals have not announced a starter for Sunday’s series finale. They have one regular starter — Jake Irvin — on the IL, and another — Cade Cavalli — has been serving a suspension for playing a part in a brawl the Nats had with the Red Sox. Cavalli will have completely served said suspension by this game and would be on more than normal rest, so he would probably be the logical option to go in this game, but we shall see.

Happy Friday, everyone. We’ll start off today with a bit of baseball talk. The MLB Draft starts tomorrow, and SS Justin Lebron looks to become Alabama’s first top 15 selection in 35 years. Keith Law has Justin mocked to the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 15th pick, while ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel thinks the Angels will snag him at 12.

Lebron’s predecessor is in the majors, and he had a whale of a game yesterday.

Jarvis went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a double in Thursday’s 10-5 win over the Pirates

Jarvis extended Atlanta’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth inning with his two-run, 397-foot blast off Cam Sanders, the first homer of his big-league career. Jarvis has seen regular playing time at shortstop since he was recalled from Triple-A in early July. He’s gone 6-for-19 across five games after slashing .313/.406/.461 with six homers across 348 plate appearances in the minors this year.

Jarvis didn’t just get it done at the plate, either.

The question on Jim has been whether he could be a serviceable hitter at the big league level. His glove and athleticism are elite, and he has earned himself a chance to prove that he can stick in the lineup.

Moving on to football, Katie Windham notes that year three has been good to Alabama head coaches.

Dating back to Billy Curry in 1989, every Crimson Tide head coach has reached double-digit wins during his third season. Sometimes those seasons with at least 10 wins led to national championships that season or the next, and sometimes it created expectations that the coach could not live up to the following year.

Winning at least 10 games this year is a minimum expectation for DeBoer in 2026. How far past that can he get? Will he be like Saban and Gene Stallings and win a national title in Year 3? Will he be like Ray Perkins or Mike DuBose with a strong third season that just creates even higher expectations for Year 4?

Ten wins doesn’t mean what it did for most of those, but may the trend continue.

Dre Kirkpatrick is the latest in the “50 players” series.

Kirkpatrick remained suspended for the rest of the season but has since rejoined the team. The exact legal resolution is unknown, but his case and charges are no longer listed in the online court system.

Kirkpatrick was back practicing with Alabama this spring and now moves toward his junior season where he will be part of one of, if not the best, secondaries in the country.

“Yeah, he had consequences for what he did and the things he’s gone through,” Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama’s second spring practice. “There’s still pieces to that that he’s taking care of when it comes to those consequences with the team.

“He met those requirements and has a great attitude about him. He loves ball. He’s got to build the trust up with his teammates out there every day. He’ll do the things not just on the field, but off it as well to meet the standard our program expects.”

Dre probably won’t have a huge role on this year’s team, but it’s good to see him getting his life together.

Reclassified point guard Anderson Diaz and family spoke about why he chose Alabama.

“I think the thing that stood out the most was the consistency from day one,” Diaz’s father said. “There were times where I would get a phone call that (Alabama) was at Overtime Elite just to check on him. I thought that was really cool. Every time they rolled through Atlanta and had time, they would go see him for a practice. They stood really consistent with him from the beginning. They made him a priority.”

Diaz’s father shared a story during the recruitment when Diaz went through a little bit of a slump while competing out in Memphis (TN) during the contact period. (Nate) Oats and assistant Preston Murphy gave him a call after one of the games. 

“It wasn’t like ‘he did this and he did that’,” he explained. “It was more of ‘we can fix that, he just needs to do this and do that’ and that fits him to me.”

Last, ‘Baron looks like he belongs in the NBA.

That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.

Roll Tide.

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers walked it off against the Angels last night.

Kennedi Landry says ignore the blown 5-run lead part, a win is a win.

Evan Grant says Texas avoided a catastrophic loss and instead walk away in first place.

Wyatt Langford was the hero in his first game back from the IL.

Elsewhere Shawn McFarland looks at the best No. 16 picks in MLB draft history.

And McFarland also continues his reranking of the Rangers prospect system with Nos. 11-20.

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers start up a series against the Astros tonight at 7:05 with Cal Quantrill on the mound for Texas.

Happy Friday!

There is a precedent among North American professional sports for the reigning champions to visit the White House. It is believed to have taken precedence when the Washington Senators visited President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, and it has become commonplace among the four major sports.

The Dodgers are certainly no stranger to visiting the White House over the course of the two most recent administrations, and the team is now scheduled to visit President Donald Trump at the Oval Office for a second time. Edward Lewis of the California Post reported Thursday that the Dodgers will arrive at the White House on July 23, wedged between trips to both Philadelphia and New York.

“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

“As was the case one year ago, the Dodgers’ upcoming visits to the White House and Capitol Hill follow the longtime tradition of visits by other World Series champions. We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships,” the Dodgers said in a statement to The Post.

Roki Sasaki had a decent ending to his first full half season at the big league level, going six innings while allowing three earned runs in a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

It was the first time Sasaki had a quality start since his 10-strikeout performance against the Angels on June 5, and his first half has been defined by flashes of brilliance overshadowed by wild inconsistencies. When asked about how he assessed his season so far, he recognized his ability to remain in the rotation and improve on his fastball, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“When you look at the numbers, I’m not satisfied with that,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. “But I was able to [stay in] the rotation and the velo’s kind of gotten a little bit up. So I’m kind of happy with it.”

The Dodgers bullpen will be patiently waiting for the return of Edwin Díaz, and following Evan Phillips’s activation, there will be another tough decision for Dave Roberts to make. One of those names in the “trust tree” right now is right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, as Roberts briefly mentioned during his post-game press conference on Wednesday.

Those of us that are hoping that the Kansas City Royals will make big trades during the MLB trade deadline at the end of July need to start bracing ourselves for the possibility of a quieter trading season. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of the Athletic are reporting that the Royals are maintaining high asking prices on veteran pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, and that they don’t expect teams to meet the Royals asking price:

The Royals, according to people briefed on their plans, are telling clubs they will listen on Lugo and Wacha, but their asks will be massive.

It’s certainly possible some team will meet a massive ask by the Royals, or that this attitude will change by the end of the month, but as things sit right now, I’m expecting Wacha and Lugo to be on the team for the remainder of the season.

Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is hoping to return from the IL Friday. Manager Matt Quatraro talked to MLB.com reporter Bill Ladson about the first baseman:

Pasquantino is expected to play his last rehab game for Omaha on Thursday night.

“He is trying to see pitches and judge his health,” Quatraro said. “He is not making any swing adjustments.”

Pasquantino suffered a hamate bone fracture in his right hand. Those injuries are notorious for sapping power from a hitter even after they return, so temper your expectations on what we can expect from Vinnie when he returns.

Wacha pitched in his final game on Thursday before being one of two Royals representatives at the MLB All-Star game. The starter discussed his outing against the New York Mets with Ladson after the game:

 “But there were a lot of long ABs. They were fouling off pitches and they ended up with some walks. The pitch count was getting up there [104 pitches total]. I had a long stressful inning [that] added up there in the fifth. I just have to do a better job right there. I have to limit the damage, limit those big innings and give our guys a chance to win.”

The Royals lost the series finale 7-3.

The MLB draft is on Saturday, but the Royals front office will not be in their draft room in Kansas City this time. General Manager J.J. Picollo explained why to Kansas City Star reporter Pete Grathoff:

“All the days leading up to the draft, there would be days impacted by the World Cup, so we just decided to move it to Arizona, just for simplicity of not having to worry about logistics, dancing around the World Cup,” Picollo said.

If the Royals are disappointed with their draft this year they can blame Lionel Messi.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN posted his final mock draft, and has the Royals taking pitcher Jared Grindlinger at No. 6:

I think this pick comes down to Grindlinger, (Jackson) Flora and underslot pitching options such as Gio Rojas, Hunter Dietz and Mason Edwards. The choice from that group would depend on the bonus price and who can then be targeted at later picks.

McDaniel has the Royals taking UCLA pitcher Logan Reddeman at pick 30, as well as high school pitcher Jack Slightom at pick 56.

We are starting to get more information on the Royals plan for the new stadium at Crown Center: Kansas City Star writer Neil Nakahodo wrote about some newly released city records that show how the area could be reshaped and what the Royals are thinking about how people are going to get to the stadium:

A traffic study identifies a potential supply of 18,257 parking spaces, including 8,219 spaces at Crown Center and another 10,038 at off-site locations near the stadium.

The study estimates that as many as 67% of attendees would arrive by car, while 15% would use ride-share services such as Uber and 10% would walk or bike.

His article has a number of maps and images you can look at well, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted that most teams in contention could use starting pitching help:

“Every team needs a starter,” one American League executive said. “They’re the easiest players to move at the Deadline and often, [they’re] the ones that bring back the best return.”

Interesting!

Detroit Tigers rookie Eduardo Valencia hit a home run in his first major-league plate appearance.

Munetaka Murakami is expected to return to the Chicago White Sox lineup on Friday.

The New York Yankees are having slugger Aaron Judge reevaluated, but are planning to be cautious with him as he returns from a fractured rib.

France defeated Morocco 2-0 in their Wold Cup quarterfinals match, sending the favorites to the semifinals.

The Toronto Rapors and Los Angeles Clippers trade involving Kawhi Leonard is on hold until the investigation into whether Leonard and the Clippers circumvented the salary cap is complete.

Eight men were indicted on attempted murder and terrorism charges for allegedly planning an attack during the UFC Freedom 250 event that was held at the White House in June.

President Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch cleared initial federal review.

Qatar and Pakistan are hoping to deescalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran and restart negotiations on a nuclear deal.

Drinking up to five cups of coffee a day can be good for your liver health, which is great new for me and my caffeine addiction.

Song of the Day is “Stamina” by Andy Mineo and Wordsplayed, aka Magic & Bird. Happy Friday everyone!

Happy Friday, everyone! Can you believe it? We’re already at the last weekend of play before the All-Star break. The season has already passed the halfway mark officially, but the All-Star Break feels like the marker where we really see which teams are going to make a push for the postseason.

The All-Star Game will also see a pitching icon who is currently on the IL get acknowledged with the “Legend” selection, and that’s Tigers’ pitcher Justin Verlander, who has spent most of the 2026 season injured. He has now come out and announced that he has heard his body’s message loud and clear, and the 2026 season will officially be his last. Right after finding out he’d be headed to Philly for the ASG, he took to his social media to announce his decision.

It remains to be seen if Verlander will return to the mound in the latter half of the season, but for him and for Tigers’ fans, it would be nice to see him go out on a high note.

Now on to the rest of today’s links.

• Ryan Blake looks at the stars who have bowed out of the All-Star Game and how many of them are on West Coast teams making postseason bids.
• Tim Capurso has a handy guide to all the All-Star replacement players.
• Todd Zolecki reports that Bryce Harper will be making the home team proud as he joins the Home Run Derby.
• SI has some fun quizzes to see if you can remember the All-Star starting pitchers and also the All-Star MVPs since 2000.
• Justin Verlander announced he will retire at the end of the season. Story by Cody Stavenhagen. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Tyler Kepner shares that Justin Verlander’s retirement means that the 300-win club may now be closed forever.(The Athletic subscription required.)
• Cody Stavenhagen shares how the new generation of pitchers acknowledge they’re now playing a different game than Verlander. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Shohei Ohtani can’t go a week without breaking or setting new records.

• Just how high can Shohei Ohtani go in terms of home runs? David Adler tries to determine of the sky is the limit.
• Jake Mailhot assesses Dylan Cease’s no-hit bid, and whether he’s making a Cy Young case for himself.
• Bryan Hoch shares that Aaron Judge will be assessed over the All-Star break to determine his road to return.
• Alan Porter has been named the umpire crew chief for the All-Star Game. (AP)
• Anthony Volpe denies reports that he refused to play second base, calling them “BS.” (ESPN)
• Now that’s how you start your MLB career.

• Davy Andrews reports on Konnor Griffin, who is headed back to the IL.
• Dan Gartland looks at just how bad the Yankees have been without Aaron Judge.
• Karl Rasmussen looks at the most pleasant surprises from the first half of the season.
• Jeff Passan offers trade deadline candidates for all the contending teams.
• Willson Contreras has had his suspension reduced to five games. (ESPN)
• Munetaka Murakami will make his return to the White Sox today. (AP)
• A great video to introduce the four inaugural teams of the WPBL and what their names mean.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Syracuse Mets 4 — F/10

Norfolk let a two-run lead slip away but walked it off in the bottom of the tenth. Josh Walker kept the Mets off the board in the top of the frame, and Luis Vázquez drove in the automatic runner with a single to right field.

José Barrero got the Tides on the board with a solo homer in the second inning, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a three-run shot in the bottom of the third. Norfolk only tallied five hits across the ten innings. Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-4, and Sam Huff singled in four trips.

Christian Herberholz limited Syracuse to two runs (one earned) over five innings. He allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out one. Dietrich Enns allowed a run over two innings, and Yosver Zulueta allowed a run in the eighth.

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 5, (Guardians) Chesapeake Baysox 3

Chesapeake starter Evan Yates came within one out of a quality start, but he took the loss after allowing three runs over 5.2 innings. Yates allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out four. Micah Ashman allowed a pair of runs and failed to complete an inning of work.

Douglas Hodo III gave the Baysox an early lead with a solo home run in the top of the first. Aron Estrada doubled, walked and scored a run. Frederick Bencosme walked twice, and Thomas Sosa recorded a pinch-hit single in his only at bat.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) Frederick Keys — PPD

The game was postponed for inclement weather and will be made up on July 11.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) Delmarva Shorebirds — PPD

The game was postponed for inclement weather and will be made up on July 10.

Box scores

Friday’s Schedule

Norfolk: vs Syracuse, 6:35. Starter: Trace Bright (0-6, 7.25 ERA)

Chesapeake: at Akron, 7:17 pm. Starter: Sebastian Gongora (and 7-3, 3.18 ERA)

Frederick: vs Jersey Shore, 7:00 pm. Starter: Boston Bateman (3-3, 3.82 ERA)

Game 1: Delmarva: vs Kannapolis, 4:05 pm. Starter: Stephen Still (1-3, 6.32 ERA)

Game 2: Delmarva: vs Kannapolis, TBD. Starter: TBD

Next week, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game gets underway at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

But before this generation’s stars take the field, the next generation will take the stage in the City of Brotherly Love.

The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday, and over 600 prospects will hear their names called during the 20 rounds that unfold, beginning with the Chicago White Sox at No. 1 overall. To get you ready, we have a mock draft to help set the stage.

For more on how the first round works, we have you covered here with this piece from Thursday. And a note on methodology: This is a “what I think will happen” mock draft, and not a “what I would do” mock draft. Mostly because I would draft Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson with every pick in that scenario. But there is still some “what I would do” sprinkled in …

Here are the picks, with some thoughts after.

If you want to get a little deeper into this class, read on.

Thoughts on the top ten

Let’s dive into the top ten selections a bit more.

1. Chicago White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

It is by no means a done deal, but UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky remains the consensus top player in the class. And with the White Sox trying to sign him out of high school, the pairing between player and team fits. But there is a lot to like about Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, as well as Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, who stand out as the top three players in the class. Chicago likely goes with Cholowsky, who might have the highest floor of the three, but Emerson might have the highest ceiling.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)

If Cholowsky indeed comes off the board first, Tampa Bay runs to the podium for Emerson. The high school shortstop has a silky smooth swing from the left side of the plate, is coming off another monster season where he slashed .532/.648/1.013, and was just the second high school player in the past 48 years to be named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, joining Bobby Witt Jr. on that short list.

3. Minnesota Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

The Minnesota Twins sit in a decent spot, as they would be happy to take Vahn Lackey, who slashed .397/.519/.722 as part of Georgia Tech’s monster offense this season.

4. San Francisco Giants: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

This might be the first departure from consensus, as a bit of “what I would do” works its way into this mock draft. But in addition to Lackey, outfielder Drew Burress was a huge part of the Georgia Tech offense this past season. He slashed .358/.473/.675, while belting 16 home runs to break Jason Varitek’s school record of 57 career home runs, as Burress hit 60 during his time in college. The San Francisco Giants have been linked to several bats in this class, but Burress’ power stands out.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)

Mississippi outfielder Eric Booth Jr. is something of a consensus pick for the Pirates, and Pittsburgh dipped into the Mississippi prep waters recently with some success with Konnor Griffin. Eric Booth Jr. is considered the top prep outfielder in the 2026 MLB Draft class, hit .467 as a junior in 2025, and followed that with a .481/.699/.922 slash line this past year:

6. Kansas City Royals: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

It’s time for the first pitcher to come off the board, and it is UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. Flora set a new school record with 133 strikeouts this season, as he finished with a 12-0 record, an ERA of 1.06, and a WHIP of just 0.853. Flora features high-level velocity — his fastball rests in the upper 90s and hits triple digits regularly — but he can mix in two different sliders, as well as two different changeups.

Here’s a look at that fastball:

And now let’s mix in some of that breaking stuff:

If Flora is off the board, high school arm Gio Rojas could be a pick for Kansas City here.

7. Baltimore Orioles: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama

Here is another selection where the college influence creeps into my mind. Consensus is mixed on Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, who could come off the board anywhere from No. 8 to the late teens.

So I concede I might be higher on him than consensus, but the tools are there and the shortstop was critical to Alabama’s run to Omaha this season. According to multiple reports the Orioles are looking at college bats with this pick, and Lebron makes a great deal of sense.

8. Athletics: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

As noted by other outlets, the Athletics are looking at college bats, and Ryder Helfrick sliding to this spot would offer a nice combination of positional value and power at the plate. Helfrick slashed .305/.420/.616 for the Razorbacks in 2025 along with 15 home runs, and followed that with a .283/.417/.562 slash line in 2026 along with 18 big flies.

Plus, there is a track record of success with the wood bat, as he slashed .261/.323/.837 for Brewster on the Cape during the summer of 2024, along with 11 home runs.

9. Atlanta Braves: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)

This might be a bit low for Jacob Lombard, who is coming off boards earlier than this in other industry mock drafts. But with the board falling like this, the Braves would be happy to see Lombard available. The Florida infielder carries some “swing-and-miss” risk, particularly against upper-level velocity, but he offers an intriguing mix of power at the plate and speed on the bases.

10. Colorado Rockies: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

The Colorado Rockies are another team linked to college bats in the 2026 MLB Draft, and Kentucky infielder Tyler Bell certainly fits the bill. Bell slashed an impressive .343/.510/.608 for the Wildcats this past season, with nine home runs.

The switch-hitter also has power from both sides of the plate. Here is a home run against West Virginia in the College World Series Regionals:

And here is a blast from the right side of the plate against Tennessee earlier this season:

That will work at Coors Field someday.

Good morning, baseball fans!

San Francisco Giants baseball is back at Oracle Park this weekend, so let’s see what’s on deck for fans planning to attend.

Friday is Black Heritage Night at Oracle Park. This is a special event, so fans interested in receiving the Black Heritage Night three-quarter sleeve baseball tee will have to purchase special event tickets. There will be events throughout the ballpark celebrating the Black community and honoring their history and impact on the game. After the game, there will be a fireworks show as well. You know, just in case you haven’t had enough from your neighbors all week.

Saturday will be a Fiesta Gigantes celebration throughout the park, as all home Saturday games are this season. And the first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a Gigantes Aloha Shirt, which is the perfect addition to any collection. Saturday will also be Dog Days 1, which requires a special event ticket. Special event ticket holders will get to participate in a pre-game field parade with their pups! If you can’t make this one, they will have another event in September.

Sunday is Nickelodeon Day at Oracle Park. The first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a SpongeBob SquarePants hat giveaway, perfect for the millennial in your life.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants continue this four-game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.

When the calendar turned the page from May to June, something happened to the Colorado Rockies.

As the weather got hotter and summer really turned on, so did the Rockies offense.

In the 60 games from the season opener on March 27 to May 31, the Rockies production at the plate ranked No. 22 in MLB in OBP (.313) and home runs (54), No. 18 in runs scored (251) and SLG (.384) and tied for ninth with a .245 average. Colorado was tied for the third-highest strikeout rate at 24% with the Chicago White Sox and owned a 7.7% walk rate, which was second-worst in the league.

The team’s combined WAR was 0.0 — the worst in MLB, trailing the Dodgers 12.8. The result was a 22-38 record.

Since June 1, the Rockies have been drastically different.

The first big improvement is in their approach and eye at the plate. In the 34 games since June 1 through Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies have improved their strikeout rate to 21% (ranked No. 21), which is down 3%. In addition, the walk rate has increased 1.6% to 9.3%, which is No. 7.

Outside of increased walks and fewer strikeouts, the results are evident in the stats. The Rockies .278 batting average, .354 on-base percentage and .494 slugging percentage are all the best in baseball since June 1. Their 206 runs and 198 RBIs are also tops. It’s shifted Colorado’s runs per game from 5.57 before June to 6.06 since.

In their first 60 games, the Rockies hit 54 homers. In their last 34, they’ve hit 53. The total is nearly the same in half the games. In that time frame, the 53 homers are also tied for third-most in MLB with the Twins and trailing the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers.

The team’s combined WAR has bumped up to 6.3, which is tied for the ninth-best since June 1. The result is a 16-18 record, a .471 winning percentage compared to .367.

Along the way, the Rockies have played in more close games. They were 6-9 in one-run games before June and are 6-4 in them since. They have rallied back in the eighth and ninth innings more often to rediscover the “LoDo Magic.” Entering Thursday’s series against the Giants, the Rockies have scored more runs in the eighth inning or later — 129 — in the big leagues. The next-best is Atlanta’s 116.

One of the biggest reasons for this success is that it isn’t just because of one player. It’s been a true team effort.

Five Rockies have hit over .300 since June 1 with Kyle Karros at the top of the list. Karros has hit .343 with a .440 OBP and 24 runs scored. Jake McCarthy has driven in 27 runs while hitting .325. Cole Carrigg is hitting .307 with 23 runs scored and 21 RBI. All-Star Hunter Goodman has hit 14 homers, driven in 28 runs and scored 24. TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston have hit .317 and .302, respectively. The surge hasn’t even included Mickey Moniak, who was sidelined with an ankle injury from May 22 to June 22.

So what’s the reason for the surge?

Talented young players like Carrigg, Rumfield and Karros help, continued production from back-to-back All-Star Goodman and the surprising addition of McCarthy adding a spark to the offense are all paying off. It’s a good sign for the new coaching staff and front office that the moves they are making are starting to pay off. Time will tell if it’s sustainable, especially with the Draft and tradeline coming up.

While Colorado’s record is still suffering from the slow start and sits at 38-56 (.404) after dropping the Dodgers series 2-1, the Rockies are projected by FanGraphs to finish 66-96. That would be a 23-win improvement from their 43-119 2025 season.

On the farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 6, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 4

Sterlin Thompson hit an RBI single and Vimael Machín hit a sac fly to score Charlie Condon in the first inning to help the Isotopes jump out to an early 2-0 lead. Sugar Land rallied back to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first, but Albuquerque reclaimed the lead in the second when Nic Kent hit a two-run homer, which was his 11th of the season. The Space Cowboys bounced back again, tying the game in the bottom of the second. That score stuck until the sixth inning when Adael Amador connected for a two-run double that ended up being the game-winner.

Keegan Thompson started the game and allowed four runs on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts in four innings. Evan Shawver earned the win by striking out six and giving up only two hits in four scoreless innings.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 7, Hartford Yard Goats 3

The Rumble Ponies and Yard Goats both recorded 10 hits, but it was Binghamton that pieced together a four-run rally in the sixth on its way to the win on Thursday night. Dyan Jorge went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored, Roc Riggio added three hits and an RBI, GJ Hill chipped in two hits and scored a run, Mike Antico posted an RBI double, and Jack O’Dowd recorded a sac fly. Stu Flesland III had a short, but solid start, giving up one hit and striking out six in four scoreless innings. Fisher Jameson took the loss after allowing seven runs on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts in the final five innings.

High-A: Spokane Indians 4, Eugene Emeralds 1

Despite trailing 1-0 after five innings, the Indians pieced together an impressive comeback to win on Thursday night. It started in the sixth inning when Kelvin Hidalgo hit his ninth homer of the season to tie the game. Spokane then took the lead with a three-run eighth inning that started when Tevin Tucker singled. Two outs later, Tucker stole second and then stole third, only to come around to score on a throwing error. Spokane took advantage of the mistake as Roynier Hernandez walked, Ethan Hedges singled, Tanner Thach walked and Robert Calez hit a two-run single. The insurance runs proved to be more than enough with Hunter Mann throwing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and three hits to close out the game and earn the win. Bryson Hammer put up a quality start for the Indians with six strikeouts and only one run on four hits and two walks.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 8, Stockton Ports 4

The Grizzlies were out-hit 13-12 by the Ports, but since four of those 12 hits were homers, Fresno came out on top on Thursday. Cameron Nelson hit a two-run home run in the second to put the Grizzlies up 3-0 and Roldy Brito added a solo shot in the next inning to make it 4-0. Cruzmel Arias increased Fresno’s lead to 5-3 with a solo homer of his own in the sixth and Cam Hassert added another two-run bomb in the sixth to make it 7-3. Nelson also added an RBI single in the eighth and ended the game with four hits. Austin Newton earned the win for Fresno with five solid innings where he gave up three runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings. Bryson Van Sickle earned a four-inning save after only surrendering one run on five hits with five strikeouts.

With No. 10 pick in MLB Draft, what type of player will Rockies’ new front office pursue? | Denver Post ($)

Parker Gabriel speculates on who the Rockies might select in the MLB Draft, which begins Saturday. The Rockies have the No. 10 pick and five picks in the first four rounds. He believes the Rockies will select hitters who have a good eye at the plate — those who chase less and walk more. Gabriel also recaps several mock drafts.

Harper in a hometown Derby? He’s in it to win it — again | MLB.com

On Thursday, the fifth and sixth bats joined Monday’s Home Run Derby in Jordan Walker and Philly’s own Bryce Harper. That means there are two spots open and a few days left for MLB to extend an invite to Hunter Goodman. Goodman is tied for the fourth-most homers in MLB — that’s six more than Walker’s 21 and seven more than Harper’s 20 entering Thursday’s games.

Former Gonzaga, Indians pitcher Gabriel Hughes sterling in first MLB start for Rockies | The Spokesman Review

Dave Nichols chronicles Gabriel Hughes’ rise to being called up to the Majors, culminating in his first start with the Rockies on Monday. The Rockies first-round draft pick from 2022 put up a quality start in his starting debut, against the Dodgers nonetheless.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Meet the Mets

The Mets defeated the hapless Royals in their series finale yesterday afternoon in Queens, taking the series and winning their fourth game in their last five. It’s too little, too late for these 2026 Mets, but it’s always preferable to see them win.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, New York Daily News, New York Post

Mark Vientos suffered a fracture in his hand during the win, and he’ll be on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

David Lennon writes that the Mets are finally looking like they’ve put it together just as they’re about to be taken apart by trades.

Speaking of trades, Jon Heyman sees Luis Torrens as a great fit for the Yankees.

Clay Holmes is open to a mid-season contract extension with the Mets.

The Mets can feel good about their outfield trio of Soto, Ewing, and Benge.

Around the National League East

The Marlins remain scorching hot, as they defeated the Mariners to complete a sweep of Seattle. Miami is now even with the Phillies for second place in the division, and both teams are three games back of the first-place Braves.

Speaking of Atlanta, they beat the Pirates by a 10-5 score to keep those two teams chasing them from gaining ground.

The Phillies scored just one run, but they shut out the Reds in a win.

The Nationals had the day off, but Federal Baseball looks at Foster Griffin’s intriguing situation with the trade deadline looming. Washington is 48-46 on the season and four games back of the third Wild Card spot at the moment.

Around Major League Baseball

Aaron Judge is set to undergo imaging during the All-Star break, and that’ll determine what his timeline for returning to the field might look like.

Catch up on all of the scores from yesterday’s slate of MLB games here.

This Date in Mets History

July 10 has been a busy day in Mets history, as Matt Franco had a big hit against the Yankees on this date in 1999, the team sent David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltrán to the All-Star Game in 2007, and they traded for Jeff Francoeur in 2009.