Category: Baseball

Is it just me, or is it taking much longer than usual for all of the Home Run Derby participants to be announced? The contest is four days away and we still don’t know all eight players that will take the field Monday night. Maybe it’s because MLB is awaiting word from a pair of hometown sluggers…

On to the links.

Phillies News:

• Don Mattingly told ESPN’s Buster Olney that he is interested in managing the Phillies beyond this season.
• ICYMI, the Phillies activated Brad Keller off of the injured list yesterday and recalled Alan Rangel while placing Lou Trivino on the IL and optioning Seth Johnson to Triple-A.
• You’ve already heard from Zack Wheeler’s agent after his All-Star snub, now you can hear from the man himself after he tossed an angry gem. ($)
• While we’re on the subject, here’s an ode to a pitcher scorned.
• An inside look at the massive undertaking that the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse staff is in the midst of as they prepare the stadium for All-Star weekend.

MLB News:

• Justin Verlander, shortly after being named the commissioner’s pick for an American League All-Star selection, announced that he intends to retire at the end of this season.
• We know at least two more participants in the Home Run Derby, as Jac Caglianone of the Royals and Willson Contreras of the Red Sox announced their participation.
• Domingo Acvedo, a right-hander pitching for the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, has tested positive for PEDs and was handed an 80-game suspension.
• The MLB single season strikeout record is once again in jeopardy, but the four players currently on pace to surpass it are not too concerned about the dubious honor. ($)

With the MLB Draft upon us, how about we rewind the clock five years and take a look back at the Yankees’ 2021 draft class? Major League Baseball’s draft is unique among the major professional sports. Many of the players selected never make it to the team that drafted them, whether they choose not to sign, are traded away before reaching the majors, or simply fizzle out somewhere along the development ladder.

For the Yankees, the 2021 class featured several early selections who ultimately had little direct impact on the organization. However, the class also produced two late-round gems who have since become important pieces of the major league roster.

The Yankees made 20 selections in the 2021 MLB Draft and signed all but two of them. Nineteenth-round pick Dominic Keegan honored his commitment to Vanderbilt, while 20th-round selection Sean Hard chose Boston College instead. Of the 18 players who signed, seven are still with the organization.

Among those seven, two names stand well above the rest: eighth-round pick Will Warren and 12th-round selection Ben Rice. Both of those selections came outside the first five rounds, making this class the opposite of top heavy.

Warren has developed into everything the Yankees could have hoped for from a pitcher selected outside the first five rounds. He has already logged 278.1 major league innings, including 33 starts last season and another 18 already this year, establishing himself as a valuable member of New York’s rotation, even if it has come at the back end.

Rice has not only become the Yankees’ best selection from this draft, but arguably one of the biggest steals of the entire 2021 draft. Players selected after the 10th round rarely reach the major leagues, let alone develop into All-Stars in just their second full season. The Yankees selected Rice out of Dartmouth in the 12th round, and just a few years later he has become one of the organization’s biggest success stories. Here’s hoping Rice puts on a show in the Home Run Derby and keeps his breakout campaign rolling.

The other five players from this class still with the organization are second-round pick Brendan Beck (No. 55 overall), third-round selection Brock Selvidge (No. 92), fifth-round pick Tyler Hardman (No. 153), 13th-round selection Zach Messinger (No. 393), and 15th-round pick Danny Watson (No. 453). Beck got his first cup of coffee in the majors earlier this season, though his most recent start was one he’d probably like to forget. Hardman, Messinger, and Watson are all currently with Triple-A Scranton, while Selvidge is on the injured list at Double-A Somerset.

The Yankees have also used seven members of the 2021 draft class as trade chips to acquire major league talent. Those players include first-round pick Trey Sweeney, fourth-round selection Cooper Bowman, sixth-round pick Richard Fitts, seventh-rounder Robert Ahlstrom, ninth-round pick Chandler Champlain, 10th-round selection Benjamin Cowles, and 11th-rounder Jack Neely.

Collectively, those prospects helped the Yankees acquire Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Alex Verdugo, José Trevino, Andrew Benintendi, Jorbit Vivas, Victor González, and Mark Leiter Jr. I’ll admit, a few of those names made me shiver as I typed them. Most of those trades could probably be called pushes, with neither side clearly winning the deal. The obvious exception is the José Trevino trade. Trevino made an All-Star team, won a Gold Glove in pinstripes, and became a fan favorite, before eventually getting traded for Fernando Cruz. For all that, we thank Ahlstrom for his sacrifice.

That leaves four members of the class who are no longer with the organization through other means. Fourteenth-round pick Sean Hermann was selected by the Mariners in the Minor League Rule 5 Draft. Sixteenth-rounder Cole Ayers was released by the Yankees in March 2026, while 17th-round selection Grant Richardson was released during the 2025 season, and 18th-round pick Bailey Dees was released in April of 2026.

Not every draft class is a home run. Five years later, the Yankees’ 2021 class looks like a slightly above-average group, even if it got there through the unconventional route of developing later-round talent. Any draft that produces a reliable major league starter, an All-Star hitter, and several additional pieces that helped patch holes on the major league roster should ultimately be viewed as a success. Another five years from now the narrative might change, but for now, well done 2021.

In part one of this five-part trade deadline primer, I looked at the Brewers’ roster and determined what their primary needs are. While things could certainly shift over the next 25 days (look no further than yesterday’s Brandon Woodruff news, or the injury to David Hamilton, which put the Brewers’ infield in a bit of flux), I identified relief pitching as the roster’s biggest area of need, and the area that I felt the team was most realistically likely to address.

Today, we’ll start doing the work of looking around the league to see which relief pitchers might be available. Remember, the landscape this year is strange; there are a lot of bad teams, which means that there are a lot of teams that feel they might have a real shot with a hot week or two between now and the deadline. So I’m going to break this into two parts: first, which targets are available on teams that definitely look like they’re out of it? Second, which targets could become available if things don’t go well over the next three-and-a-half weeks?

I also mentioned that the Brewers’ need in this area was for a high-leverage reliever, so I’m going to be aiming high here. Matt Arnold and David Stearns before him have shown a proclivity for acquiring less splashy relievers at the deadline, but I’m specifically looking for players who could push Aaron Ashby for the number-three role in the bullpen behind Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe.

Targets from teams who look out of it

As I mentioned, there are a bunch of teams where it’s hard to say with certainty whether they are or are not out of it at this point. But I’ll do my best to first identify some targets from teams who are far enough back that, at this point, they should probably sell.

The problem is that these teams are bad, so it’s harder to find good players on them. Honestly, I had trouble identifying targets worth acquiring from the six teams that should be declared, with certainty, out of it: the Reds, Mets, Giants, Rockies, Royals, and Angels.

There are a few interesting names, though, and let’s start in New York. Luke Weaver is having an excellent season — at the start of play Wednesday, he has a 1.89 ERA and 2.54 FIP in 38 innings pitched — and has a track record of success in the postseason. The question here is money. While the Brewers could probably afford the prorated bit of his 2026 salary, they probably don’t want to be on the hook for the $12.5 million he’s owed in 2027.

Money is also a barrier to a Devin Williams reunion. Williams has had a rough go since leaving the Brewers, and that reflects in his 4.85 ERA this season. But Williams’ FIP this year is way lower, at 3.25, and he’s striking out 13 batters per nine innings, so there are some reasons for optimism. However, his walks — which were always a bit of an issue, even when he was unhittable — are higher than they’ve ever been, and that’s an issue. But bringing it back around: Williams is owed $12 million in 2027 and 2028, plus there is $15 million in deferred money in his contract. That’s way too much for the Brewers to pay a reliever who might not even be good, and even if the Mets covered some of it, I think it’d still be too much. I’d cross this one off the list.

Sticking with the Mets for a moment, some lower-profile trade candidates include a couple of old guys in 38-year-old Brooks Raley and 36-year-old Huascar Brazobán. I’m skeptical of Raley’s numbers — they seem flukey — and while Brazobán’s feel a little less flukey, he’s not striking a ton of guys out, and he’s walking a lot. I’d stay away from both.

Another high-profile trade target this deadline could be the Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch IV. The Royals’ bullpen has been a major disappointment, but Lynch has been good. He holds a 2.41 ERA and 3.23 FIP, and while he isn’t a big strikeout guy, he’s done a good job keeping the ball in the ballpark, and he hasn’t been giving up many hits. The scary thing here is that Lynch is having a way better season in this, his sixth year, than he ever has before, so I don’t have a lot of confidence.

If you were looking for a reclamation project on the Royals — and the Brewers shouldn’t really be looking for reclamation projects right now, to be clear — you could check in on Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm. Erceg, who was drafted as a position player by the Brewers in 2016, was really good the past couple of years, throws hard, and gets a lot of ground balls, but this season has been a disaster; he hasn’t been able to strike anyone out, he’s been walking everyone, and he was stripped of the closer job. Strahm has been one of the league’s more reliable relievers over the past three years, but he’s been terrible in 2026, and there’s not a lot in the data to give much confidence that he’ll get better.

Lastly, there are a couple of Rockies relievers who are having good seasons. Antonio Senzatela has essentially been a starter for his whole career, but after back-to-back rocky (get it) seasons in 2024 and 2025, he’s been moved to the bullpen. It’s worked out quite well: Senzatela has a 2.93 ERA (169 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP in 46 innings, and with his background as a starter, he’s capable of pitching multiple innings (those 46 innings are across 27 relief appearances). He’s never been a strikeout pitcher whatsoever, but he’s seen a slight uptick in his numbers with the move to the ‘pen.

The other guy is Jimmy Herget, who has put together back-to-back good seasons in the Rockies’ bullpen — not an easy task. Last season, Herget had a 2.48 ERA and 3.32 FIP in 59 appearances, and this season he’s at a 3.52 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 23 outings. Herget isn’t a hard thrower and actually throws way more breaking balls than fastballs; an intriguing type of player, particularly in the thin air of Denver.

There are no targets that I’d advocate a move from any of the Reds, Giants, or Angels. Cincinnati’s Brock Burke and Tejay Antone have gotten pretty good results this season, but there is enough reason to be dubious that I’d avoid them. Los Angeles has a couple of dudes — Ryan Zeferjahn and Chase Silseth — who would intrigue me as long-term projects, but for now both walk way too many batters to be trusted in any sort of leverage situation.

Targets from teams who might sell

Here’s where things get good, for the most part. These are players from teams that sit roughly four or five games back of the Wild Card — they’re not out of it, but they’re all under .500 and could fall out of it with a bad couple of weeks. The big-time, headlining relief options that could be available at the deadline all come from these teams.

We’ll start with the biggest name: Aroldis Chapman. Boston is 41-48, but in the terrible American League, they’re just four games back in the Wild Card. It feels like a good season for Boston to sell, but we’ll see. Chapman, in any case, has still got it; he was the best reliever in baseball last season, and this year he’s pitched to a 2.36 ERA/2.44 FIP and is still striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings. He doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to, but even at age 38, he’s still averaging 97.5 mph on his fastball.

The hangups with Chapman: first, there’s the fact that he’s not exactly an easy guy to root for, given his history of domestic violence issues. Second, the money isn’t small. Chapman has a $13 million salary in 2026, and while Milwaukee could probably handle the prorated amount, he’s also got a conditional option for another $13 million in 2027 that reportedly vests if he surpasses 40 innings — which he will do if he is healthy enough to get traded before the deadline.

I’d like to also address two more top-line closers from teams in this category: San Diego’s Mason Miller and Toronto’s Louis Varland. Both teams have been disappointing this year, but both closers have been absolutely lights out. Here’s the issue, though: if San Diego trades Miller, they’ll want to recoup something close to the value they gave up for him last season — which was a top-five overall prospect. Miller still has three years of control, so his value is enormous, but I don’t think the Brewers would trade Jesús Made for him, especially given that they’ve got a good closer. Varland is under control for even longer — he’s not a free agent until 2031 — and the Blue Jays, even if they decide to sell this year, will expect to compete next year, and they’ll want him then. I don’t think either Miller or Varland gets traded.

San Diego and Toronto both have other players who could be available, though. A player who will certainly be moved if San Diego is out of it is lefty Adrián Morejón. By his standards, his 3.52 ERA this season (119 ERA+) isn’t very good. But the underlying numbers are strong: he’s got a 2.47 FIP and a 4.91 K:BB ratio. He’s also coming off a two-year run of being a solid reliever for a good team with postseason experience. The fact that he’s left-handed also would make him a desirable target for the Brewers, whose top two relievers are both right-handed. Morejón is still only 27, but he’s been in the big leagues since he was 19, so he becomes a free agent after the season, which should make him relatively attainable. From a financial perspective and fit perspective, Morejón would be one of the targets that would make the most sense for Milwaukee, but every team wants another good lefty reliever.

Another Padre, Wandy Peralta, has a lot of experience and a 3.05 ERA over the past seven years. He’s always managed to outperform his FIP, which for his long career is a whole 1.35 runs higher than his ERA, but it’s still somewhat concerning, and Peralta’s strikeout numbers have gone from “not very good” (career 7.3 per nine) to “alarming” (5.8 per nine this year). I’d stay away.

The Toronto reliever who makes sense in a vacuum is Tyler Rogers, who has been awesome this season and has put together an underrated career. But money is a problem here: Rogers signed a three-year, $37 million contract before the season that includes a vesting option for a fourth year at an additional $11 million. If that option vests, Rogers will be 38 in the last year of the contract, and this is the kind of big money deal that the Brewers have taken pains to avoid. Maybe a wealthy team will get desperate, but I’d expect Rogers to stay with Toronto as well.

A lesser but still prime target from Boston is Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock, who is 30, was excellent in 2025 and has been basically just as good in 2026, with a 2.40 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 10.2 K/9, and just 1.8 BB/9 in 30 innings pitched. He doesn’t throw all that hard, but he’s got a ton of extension — a trait the Brewers like. Whitlock is under control for two more seasons, but that’s via not-all-that-cheap $8.25 million and $10.5 million options (in 2027 and 2028, respectively).

Baltimore’s Yennier Cano is another big target. He’s got two more years of control after this season, and aside from a blip in 2025, he’s been quite good for four years running. Cano doesn’t throw as hard as some of these other guys, and his strikeout numbers aren’t great for a reliever, but he’s an extreme groundball pitcher (99th percentile) who keeps walks down and, this year at least, isn’t allowing home runs.

There are two players on the Diamondbacks who I’d be interested in as well: Jonathan Loáisiga and Juan Morillo. Loáisiga is another groundball guy, one who throws harder than Cano and is a free agent after the season, so if Arizona decides to sell, he’d be an obvious one to go. Morillo is much less likely to get traded; he’s by no means a proven quantity, as he just debuted last season, but he has five more years of control and is one of the hardest throwers in the league. Both pitchers have performed well this season.

A few names to keep an eye on who are not as proven as those above but could still conceivably help:

• I’m skeptical, but Arizona’s Taylor Clarke (a former minor leaguer in Milwaukee’s system) has put up pretty good numbers for two years in a row, and he’s a free agent after the season.
• Sticking with the Diamondbacks, 26-year-old Brandyn Garcia is another hard-throwing groundball pitcher who has been good in a small sample. He’s also got a lot of control, like his teammate Morillo.
• Another San Diego pitcher with a solid ERA but who I’d stay away from: Yuki Matsui. Too many walks.
• One more intriguing Boston pitcher: Tyron Guerrero is 35 and has almost no MLB track record — before this season, he hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2019 — but he’s having a good season and throws as hard as almost anyone in the league. He’s also a big extension guy and a groundball machine, traits that the Brewers tend to value. The samples are tiny, though, and there’s not a lot in his history that makes you trust him.
• A former almost-Brewer, Grant Wolfram, has a 4.15 ERA for Baltimore this season. That’s bad, but his FIP in 26 innings is just 1.81, and he’s got 29 strikeouts to only four walks. He’s not really a leverage arm, but he could help bolster things if Milwaukee wanted to go that way.
• In a near-opposite case, Kyle Finnegan has just a 2.18 ERA for the Tigers this season, but he’s got just 6.8 K/9 compared to 5.4 BB/9 in 39 games and has a 4.69 FIP. Stay away!
• One Tiger that intrigues me but also has red flags: Will Vest. He’s hurt at the moment with what has been described as a “non-ligament-related” elbow injury, so it’s a question whether he’ll even be healthy enough to pitch (and given what happened with Shelby Miller last year, the Brewers might be wary of pitchers with health questions). Vest also has a 6.08 ERA this year… but his FIP is just 3.42, and he’d been quite good every year from 2023-25, which is a long run for a reliever in today’s game.

Conclusions

We’ll have to wait and see on the Padres, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, and Orioles — a couple of good weeks, and any of them could be right there in the Wild Card hunt. But of all the options that seem like they could be realistically available, here’s how I’d rank them:

1. Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
2. Adrián Morejón, Padres
3. Luke Weaver, Mets
4. Yennier Cano, Orioles
5. Jonathan Loáisiga, Diamondbacks
6. Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox
7. Jimmy Herget, Rockies
8. Antonio Senzatela, Rockies

I think it’s at least reasonable that the guys I’ve listed above will be traded, and while a few (Chapman, Weaver, Whitlock) would require some real financial support from the ownership level, I don’t think any of them are unrealistic from a cost perspective.

Anyone else I’ve mentioned in this article falls into one of three categories:

• I don’t think they’d be a meaningful upgrade (Strahm, Raley, Peralta, etc.)
• They make too much money (Williams, Rogers)
• I don’t think they’ll be traded (Miller, Varland, Morillo, etc.)

What do you think? Anyone I’ve missed?

My father often told me in my abbreviated athletic career that mistakes were inevitable. Even the best athletes make mistakes, but it’s the type of mistake that matters. Physical mistakes are truly unavoidable, but mental mistakes are the real killers as they more likely indicate a lack of preparation or concentration. Tonight, the D-Backs featured plenty of both as they rumbled and bumbled their way to another series loss. Ironically, the first two innings were actually somewhat positive. The offense quickly struck in the first inning as Ildemaro Vargas worked a one-out walk, stole second base, and then scored on a Gabriel Moreno double for an early one-run lead. And on the other side, Jose Cabrera, in his fourth career start faced just one over the minimum through the first two innings. But that’s where the positive vibes ended. The Padres would score in five out of the next six innings while the D-Backs showed little fight outside of the last couple innings.

I’ve been very impressed by a lot in Cabrera’s first few big league starts. Torey Lovullo often gushes about his “mound presence” during games and he’s been remarkably good at finding ways to navigate traffic on the base paths through his first three starts at the big league level. But tonight was the first time that it looked like the moment was a little too big for him in my opinion and the game sped up for him. The first two runs he allowed were both walks that advanced into scoring position and then scored on clutch hits in the third and fourth, but the fifth was when the game really got away from him. After a quick first out, he uncorked a sweeper right into the “backside” of Fernando Tatis Jr, allowed him to steal second, and then misplayed a weak comebacker from Jackson Merrill. He was able to field the ball cleanly and looked Tatis back to second, but then inexplicably threw to the covering Vargas at second who immediately tried to salvage an out at first, but the throw was too late. Instead of two outs and a runner on second, Cabrera faced two runners on and just one out. Then, to make matters worse, he attempted a pickoff move towards Tatis, but was instead called for a balk to move both runners into scoring position for Xander Bogaerts who promptly plated them both and chased Cabrera out of the game. I won’t try to pretend to understand why Cabrera was called for a balk. I’ve watched a lot of baseball in my life and I’ve never fully understood the balk rule. I get that it’s designed to prevent the pitcher from deceiving the runner, but it is one of the few holdovers from an earlier era that confuses nearly everyone – including Lovullo who was tossed from the game when he asked for an explanation on the call.

The bullpen unfortunately had no answer to a subpar San Diego offense. Taylor Clarke was the second man to pass the bullpen gate, but he looked overmatched as the Padres ambushed him for four runs – including three straight run-scoring singles from Sung-Mun Song, Tatis, and Jackson Merrill. It got particularly ugly when Clarke tried to pickoff Song at first, but instead spiked the throw and Pavin Smith couldn’t corral it, allowing Song to advance to second. Max Kepler then couldn’t cleanly collect Tatis’ ball down the line that bounced back towards him, which allowed Tatis to move up another 90 feet for Merrill. It felt more like a carousel than actual base paths.

It’s certainly possible that the D-Backs manage to split the series tomorrow. Griffing Canning, the Padres’ starting pitcher tomorrow has scuffled his way to a 6.71 ERA and the team should have no shortage of motivation, but my confidence in the team has certainly been shaken over the past month-plus of games. They routinely find ways to lose winnable games and the pitching staff is far too inconsistent for a contender. There’s still plenty of baseball to play, but they’ll need to change the vibe around this team quickly to find some momentum before the Trade Deadline.

Yesterday, I went over the details of the draft and the Jays’ potential strategy. Today, a quick review of the farm, the shape of the draft class, and some names.

The Farm

Baseball America refreshed their farm system rankings the day before yesterday, in anticipation of the draft. They currently have the Jays 18th. Fangraphs has recently rolled out a new ranking methodology that has them 20th, although that still includes Trey Yesavage as a prospect. They’d probably drop into the mid-20s if he came off but other developments (e.g. Jojo Parker moving into the top 100, other systems graduations) were accounted for. MLB.com had them 15th before the season, but again that includes Yesavage.

Regardless of exactly where they go, the picture is of an org that’s in the below average mix but a clear cut above the truly bad systems like San Diego, Houston or Philadelphia. That’s actually not bad considering years of later picks (Parker last year was their only pick higher than 19th in five seasons), buying at the deadline and taking qualifying offer free agent penalties. Arjun Nimmala and Parker are a quality 1-2 on the position side, and the emergence of Johnny King, Nolan Perry, and Gage Stanifer among others point to the investment in the Dunedin pitching lab bearing fruit. They don’t have a ton of depth (and this draft won’t help), and while they have maybe five players with top 100 cases they don’t have anyone who definitely fits in the top 50.

Their impact prospects are mostly a year or two away, with the guys having an impact in 2026 or poised to do so being more role players like Sean Keys and Yohendrick Pinango, with the possible exception of Jake Bloss.

The Draft Class

This year’s class is considered unusually deep. There’s a clear big 3, comprising UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Below that, there’s another fairly tight tier of 6-7 names (Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth jr., Florida prep SS Jacob Lombard, Florida prep lefty Gio Rojas, LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, Kentucky SS Tyler Bell, Georgia Tech OF Drew Burress, and UC Santa Barbara righty Jackson Flora, roughly) who will all probably go in the 4-12ish range. Then it’s a big, unusually flat group from the early teens to the early 40s that could see a lot of shuffling. That is, of course, good news for the Jays. It’s more likely than usual that someone who’d be a clear first round talent most years will be on the board at 39.

Names In the Range

Normally, I’d look at mock drafts and pick some players the Jays have been tied to. This year, that’s not really worth doing. At 39, in a class with this overall shape, we have no idea which way they’ll go and the few mocks that get that far are functionally throwing darts. Instead of getting anchored to any one guy here, use this list to get a flavour of the types of players likely to go in the 25-50 range.

High School Bats

• Will Brick: plus defensive catcher with a great arm, who could have a league average hit/power combo.
• Landon Thome: Jim’s son is a shortstop now, but probably plays third eventually. He has 25 home run power potential but questions about his ability to catch up to good fastballs up and inside.
• Taj Marchand: a funky swing and over aggressive approach leads to questions about his hit tool against pro competition, but he’s posted very good contact rates so far and has above average power potential. Will slide to third but could be a plus defender there with soft hands and a strong arm.
• Aiden Ruiz: undersized but an exceptional athlete, Ruiz is the best defensive shortstop in the class and a potential plus pure hitter. His size will cap his power well below average, but this spring he’s added muscle and has enough sneaky pop to punish mistakes. If he was Dominican he’d certainly already be a Blue Jay
• Trevor Condon: A plus centre fielder with some feel for contact but questions about power production with wood bats.
• Bo Lowrance: 6’5”, 200lbs with present plus power and room to keep growing. Unusually for a teen of his size, there are no major contact concerns and he projects as an average hitter. He’s slow, as you’d expect, but his feet and hands are quick and his solid arm gives him a good shot to stick at third base.
• Cole Prosek: well rounded lefty hitter with potential for above average contact and power, he’s a shortstop now but probably won’t stick, most likely moving to third. Committed to Ole Miss. He’s basically Great Value brand Jojo Parker, rounding down a little on every tool (more on the plate approach), although he’s also shown some aptitude to catch.
• James Clark: lefty shortstop with top tier baseball IQ and plus speed. Should hit for average and OBP but maybe not power, and might not have the range for short long term.

High School Arms

• Kaden Waechter: above average command of four above average pitches. Might not have ace upside but potential to be a quality #2/3 with better odds than most high schoolers of sticking in the rotation.
• Sean Duncan: the top Canadian in this draft had Tommy John surgery in May, but was tracking for the first round before that. He sits 93-95 with a smooth delivery and potential for above average command, with both a slider and change up that could be above average. If he falls far due to his injury he may opt to honour his commitment to Vanderbilt and shoot for top 20 money in three years.
• Coleman Borthwick: up to 98 with a slider that flashes promise and a starter’s frame, but conditioning, consistency and a third pitch will need to be the focus if he’s to stick in the rotation.
• Blake Bryant: a standout athlete with above average feel to locate three above average pitches in his fastball, curve and slider and a progressing change up. Nothing is plus yet, but at 6’5” and 180lbs he has room to add a little more power.
• Jensen Hirschkorn: Stuff was down a little this spring, but scouts seem to write that off as the byproduct of a grueling high end basketball season (the 6’7” standout athlete is a two sport prospect). When he’s right, it’s a fastball that sits 93 and touches 96 with loads of room to add velocity and a slider that flashes plus, with a change up that could be above average with development and potentially solid command. Probably the longest path to go but highest upside in the group.

College Bats

• Logan Hughes, Texas Tech: plus all around bat, with contact, approach and some power, but is limited to left field or first base defensively.
• Gaving Grahovac, Texas A&M: Flirted with the NCAA strikeout record in 2024, but rebuilt his swing while recovering from a torn labrum in 2025 and now makes adequate contact to go with easy plus raw power. Has played some third but is a pro first baseman.
• Jake Brown, LSU: college right fielder who has the speed and instincts to try centre as a pro, above average power and decent contact. Looks like a solid all around everyday player.
• Jarren Advincula, Georgia Tech: elite contact hitter (hit .484 in the ACC this year). Like many guys of that type, will need to learn an approach when he finally sees pitchers with stuff he can’t just hit. Little power and limited to second base, but should stick there easily.
• Daniel Jackson, Georgia: a standout athlete, but some concern that he doesn’t have the hands to stick at catcher. Plus power and showed improvements in his contact rate this year but hit tool is the big risk in his profile.
• Jack Natili, Cincinnati: should stick at a catcher and boasts a plus arm. It’s power over hit, but he’s done a solid job managing his strikeouts in college.
• Carson Tinney, Texas: Yet another catcher with a power bat. Should be average behind the dish with work, and it might be 70 raw juice, but he struck out more than you’d like in college and fell completely flat with wood bats in the Cape Cod League, so there’s risk to go with upside.
• Cade Sorrell, Texas A&M: Has the plus speed and arm to be a solid centre fielder or great in right, with above average power but an approach that needs a lot of refinement.

College Arms

• Jack Radel, Notre Dame: 6’5” workhorse pitcher whose stuff jumped up this season. Nothing is plus, but he has solidly above average command of five quality pitches. He looks like a high probability 3/4.
• Cade Townsend, Ole Miss: up to 98 with three secondaries that flash plus and decent command. It’s an easy first round skill set, but he’s undersized at 6’1” and 185lbs, missed a start with shoulder pain during the season, and wore down a little as the season went on. A lot of upside this late, but his body creates relief risk.
• Brett Renfrow, Virginia: improved as the year went on, moving into the fringes of the first round discussion. Good fastball, plus curve, and improving command. Looks the part of a mid rotation starter.
• Cole Carlon, Arizona State: Monster slider and fastball that sits 96 and touches 101, but neither of his curve or change up are currently much good. Command has progressed but there’s more work to do if he’s going to start.
• Hunter Dietz, Arkansas: Big fastball at 95, plus slider/cutter breaking ball, and a slow curve that’s a decent change of pace weapon. He has the command and frame to start, but barely pitched in ‘24 and ‘25 and some teams will be scared by the medicals.
• Logan Reddemann, UCLA: plus command of five pitches, the best of which are a 94mph fastball and an above average change up. All three breakers are quality, although none are plus yet. Didn’t pitch after April 17th with arm fatigue, which clouds what’s otherwise a clear first round profile.
• Ben Blair, Liberty: sinker-slider-command pitcher with a funky delivery and a strong track record of performance. A better change up is the only box left to check to become a dependable 3/4 starter who should rack up innings.

Looking for their first series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2021, the Colorado Rockies fell short as they dropped the series finale 4-3. Despite an excellent rookie starting performance on the mound, the Rockies’ offense failed to back it up and capitalize on crucial scoring opportunities.

The Doctor is in

Making the first start of his big league career, Gabriel Hughes didn’t exactly sprint out of the gate. After getting Shohei Ohtani to fly out in the bottom of the first inning, Hughes battled his command through the rest of the inning.

Tommy Edman grounded a ball back up the middle for a base hit and moved to third on a double from Freddie Freeman. Hughes then walked Mookie Betts to load the bases, and then threw a wild pitch to allow a run to score, giving the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. He then issued a walk to Max Muncy to load the bases again after a lengthy at-bat. After striking out Teoscar Hernández for the second out of the inning, Kyle Tucker then laced a two-run single to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Hughes struck out Alex Call to end the inning, but had a pitch count of 39.

He rebounded nicely when he took the mound in the second inning, as he struck out Ohtani and Edman as part of a 1-2-3 inning. He followed suit in the third inning, striking out Freeman and Muncy in another 1-2-3 quick inning. The fourth and fifth innings also went in order, albeit with no strikeouts. Hughes recorded another strikeout in the sixth inning and ended up retiring 15 in a row before allowing a two-out double to Muncy.

His night ended having allowed three runs on four hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. After the 39 pitches in the first inning, he threw 55 pitches over the next five and ended up having a first-pitch strike rate of around 80%. He also generated 11 whiffs during the game and exhibited a nasty array of pitches.

“Gabriel Hughes was fantastic today,” said manager Warren Schaeffer. “You never know how someone’s going to react to their first start, first time in Dodger Stadium, first time against that lineup. I thought it was a great first start.”

“It’s a perfect example of what happens when you attack guys with good stuff,” he continued. “They have to adjust to you. He was just relentless with his attack and it worked for him.”

Early response

After the long first inning, the Rockies wasted no time trying to erase the three-run deficit. Facing Roki Sasaki with one out, Kyle Karros turned on a ball for his fourth career home run against the Dodgers, getting the Rockies on the board.

Two batters later, Edouard Julien joined in on the fun with a solo home run to right field, his third long ball of the season. Sasaki has been susceptible to the long ball lately, having surrendered nine over his last five games.

In the following inning, the Rockies managed to manufacture a run to tie the game 3-3. Brett Sullivan led off the inning with a walk and moved up to third base after a wild pitch and a groundout. He then scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Mickey Moniak, his 38th RBI of the season.

The Rockies then had a chance to take the lead in the top of the fourth after TJ Rumfield singled and Karros doubled to start the inning. Unfortunately, Sasaki settled in to retire the next three batters to escape the jam. He continued to perplex the Rockies as he matched Hughes with a quick fifth and sixth innings of his own, retiring the final nine batters he faced. Sasaki went six innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He threw 78 pitches, 56 for strikes, and generated 15 whiffs.

Night shift

For the third straight game, the Rockies would have to hope their luck wouldn’t run out in the late innings.

Braxton Fulford led off the eighth inning against Alex Vesia by bouncing a ball to third base that Muncy fielded but threw too high, allowing Fulford to reach. Jake McCarthy then followed with a hit to right field that bounced over the wall for an automatic double.

With runners on second and third with no outs, the Rockies emptied the bench by turning to Hunter Goodman as a pinch-hitter. Unfortunately, Goodman struck out on a high fastball for the first out of the inning. Cole Carrigg was then walked to bring Rumfield up to the plate, who struck out for the second out. Karros then flew out to right field to end the threat, and for the second time in the game, the Rockies failed to score after getting two men in scoring position with no outs.

The failure proved costly as the Dodgers jumped on Antonio Senzatela in the bottom half of the inning. Edman singled with one out to right field and moved to third on a Freeman single. Betts then singled to center field to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Senzatela escaped the inning without further damage but the offense was unable to get anything going in the ninth as they were retired 1-2-3 by Tanner Scott.

The Rockies had five hits on the night but struck out 10 times with just two walks and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Dodgers had seven hits and went 2-for-7 with RISP despite also striking out nine times with two walks.

“We know we need to execute better to win, especially here,” said Schaeffer. “We just didn’t do it tonight. We’ve been doing it a lot lately, just not tonight.”

Up next

The Rockies head north to San Francisco to face the Giants for four games. Ryan Feltner (3-2, 4.27 ERA) makes the start for the Rockies while the Giants have yet to announce their starter.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 pm MDT.

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Mookie Betts’ first hit this series against the Rockies couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. With the crack of the ball against his bat, Tommy Edman scored from third, giving the Dodgers the lead.

And as Betts reached first, he pointed to Freddie Freeman, whose single put Edman in scoring position. It had taken a team effort to overcome another middling start from Roki Sasaki, and Betts, who had little to show before his game-winning hit, took the chance to highlight the joint contribution in the Dodgers’ 4-3 rubber-match win over Colorado (38-56).

“It feels great,” Betts said of his nine-pitch battle. “Helping the boys win, that’s really all it is. We play the game to win, and coming through in a big moment is kind of what, when you’re a kid, playing in the backyard, getting that hit is what you always strive to do, and fortunately, I was able to do it.”

Given a three-run lead in the first inning, brought to the Dodgers by a wild pitch and Kyle Tucker’s two-run, line-drive single to left field, Sasaki seemed set up for success.

Still, he gave away the lead as quickly as it came. In the second inning, he left a fastball too far over the plate, and third baseman Kyle Karros drove the ball over the left-center wall. The slider he dealt two batters later to second baseman Edouard Julien also crossed the zone too far over the plate, and Julien rounded the bases with another homer. In the third, a sacrifice fly by Mickey Moniak evened the scored, 3-3.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Dalton Rushing, Dave Roberts and a bunch of All-Stars

Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late.

Against the Rockies, his fastball topped out at 99.1 miles per hour before steadily dropping to 98. He had managed five strikeouts in his six innings when manager Dave Roberts replaced him with Jack Dreyer, though the three earned runs couldn’t be ignored.

But Roberts also acknowledged the possibility that the pitcher had been tipping his pitches, possibly since he was playing in Japan, and Sasaki has tried to address it after a three-inning, six-run start last week. Even if he had fully self-corrected, his control issues remain. In the third inning, he walked the tying runner, Brett Sullivan.

“I’ve been working on a lot of things like the tipping stuff,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. “Also, I need to make quality pitches.”

Sasaki regained some of his confidence in the fourth when he worked out of a two-base jam with two strikeouts and a flyball to right, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Roberts.

“You can see the demeanor walking off the mound, the confidence,” Roberts said. “For me, it was more of let him end on a high note, feeling good about his outing, and then go from there.”

The Dodgers’ problems were compounded by Alex Call wasting the team’s two challenges in his at-bat in the first inning when the team had already taken the lead. And maybe it would’ve been excusable if Call had driven in the runners on first and second, but instead he ended the inning on a strikeout, stranding both. Roberts called the situation an “outlier” and didn’t feel as though he needed to have a conversation with Call regarding the situation.

After the three-run first, the Dodgers (61-33) remained hitless until Max Muncy laced a double down the right-field line in the sixth, though to little avail. As the innings ticked forward, Colorado’s chances seemed to increase. The Rockies hold the best league batting average (.297) in the eighth and ninth innings (the Dodgers are fourth with .268). And the Dodgers relievers, within the same constraints, have a 3.83 ERA — not bad, but not in the top 10 either.

So when Alex Vesia struggled against the Rockies in the eighth inning and Muncy suffered a throwing error, Colorado seemed in position to score with the bases loaded and one out. Vesia struck out TJ Rumfield and Edgardo Henriquez (4-0), his replacement, retired Karros on a fly ball to right.

After Betts’ single allowed the Dodgers to take the lead, Tanner Scott (13) shut down the Rockies with back-to-back strikeouts, avoiding the team’s eighth series loss of the season.

“Didn’t feel great,” Roberts said. “Fortunately, we won a series, but that’s not the kind of way you want to do it.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Every game of this series between the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies was decided in the late innings. Mookie Betts delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers their second final-at-bat win of the series, 4-3 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The winning rally came against Antonio Senzatela, the longtime Rockies starting pitcher who has thrived out of the bullpen this year. Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman each singled with one out to put runners at the corners. Up came Betts, who worked a nine-pitch at-bat before rifling a single up the middle to score the game winner.

The Dodgers are 14-0-4 in their last 18 series against the Rockies, dating back to 2022, going 47-15 (.758) in games against Colorado during that span.

That the game was still tied in the eighth inning required an escape by the Dodgers bullpen.

An error and double off Alex Vesia put a pair in scoring position with nobody out in the eighth. But he struck out his next two and gave way to Edgardo Henriquez, who induced a Kyle Karros fly out to escape the Dodgers’ second such two-on-nobody-out situation of the game.

Henriquez hasn’t allowed an earned run over his last 11 appearances and 11 2/3 innings. He earned his second win of the series, with all three games decided by one run.

Two paths to quality starts

Four straight Dodgers reached in the first inning, and three of them scored, two cashed in on a single by Kyle Tucker, one more RBI than he had over his previous 10 games.

Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes, pressed into duty for his first major league game and first start, stranded two runners in the frame with a strikeout of Alex Call, including two abominable ABS challenges during the at-bat. The 24-year-old Hughes, a 2022 first-round draft pick out of Gonzaga, retired 15 Dodgers in a row after those three first inning runs.

Max Muncy snapped the string with a double down the right field line with two outs in the sixth inning, but he was stranded by Hughes, who struck out seven in his six innings while throwing 72 percent of his pitches for strikes.

That early three-run lead for Roki Sasaki was gone by the third inning, including two solo home runs in the second inning. Sasaki’s 19 home runs allowed are four more than anyone else on the staff, including nine home runs over his last five starts.

But even with the early hiccups, Wednesday was a step in the right direction from Sasaki, who struck out five and got through six innings, the latter for the first time in five starts. Sasaki put two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the fourth inning, but escaped with no damage thanks to a pair of strikeouts. Four of his five strikeouts came over his final three innings, retiring his last nine batters.

Chip off the old block

Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros is the son of longtime Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, who called Wednesday night’s game for SportsNet LA and has called six games against the Rockies this season involving his son. Karros homered in the second inning on Sunday, continuing a trend since debuting in the majors last August.

“A bullet of a home run at Dodger Stadium. You’ve heard that a couple hundred times,” Joe Davis said on the SportsNet LA call of the home run. “This time it’s Kyle.”

Kyle Karros has four home runs in 15 career games and 53 plate appearances against the Dodgers thus far, and five home runs in 117 games and 409 plate appearances against everyone else.

Two of those Kyle Karros home runs have come at Dodger Stadium, tied for 1,030th in the 65-year history of the ballpark, a mere 128 shy of his father’s stadium-leading regular season total.

Wednesday particulars

Home runs: Kyle Karros (8), Edouard Julien (3)

WP — Edgardo Henriquez (4-0): 1 up, 1 down

LP — Antonio Senzatela (8-1): 1 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (13): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

After 13 game days in a row, the Dodgers take Thursday off before welcoming the Arizona Diamondbacks to town beginning Friday night (7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA). Shohei Ohtani starts on the mound in the opener.

It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in and cool off for a while. There’s no cover charge. Come as you are. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you to choose between for possible draft picks, which I left anonymous but you quickly figured out were Mason Edwards, Hunter Dietz, Zion Rose and Daniel Jackson. I meant it as a philosophical exercise rather than a pick of which player you wanted. But in any case, you seemed to want risk adverse pitching as 45 percent of you picked player one (Edwards). Another 33 percent of you would roll the dice on player two, the oft-injured but very talented Dietz.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies You can skip that if you want.

Tonight we’re featuring saxophonist Chris Potter joining pianist Emmett Cohen and paying tribute to the late, great “Saxophone Colossus” Sonny Rollins. The two are joined by John Patitucci on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums.

This is a song written Sonny Rollins, “Airegin.”

Between the World Cup and preparing for the Draft, I haven’t had time to watch any movies this week. I haven’t even got the chance to rewatch Eno on the Criterion Channel now that they’ve “regenerated” it with the start of the month.

So to throw something out for discussion, I’m going to ask you for your five “desert island” movies. If you’re stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take five films with you, which five would you take?

I’m not quite sure how you’re going to get the electricity to watch these five films on a desert island, nor do I know what you’d watch them on or in what format. You can give yourself a private theater with a portable generator that runs on seawater in this fantasy situation if you want.

So if you ask me tomorrow, I may give you a different answer. But today, here are the five movies that I’d spend my exile on a desert island with.

Double Indemnity

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Dr. Strangelove

Heathers

Mad Max: Fury Road

Maybe I should have picked movies I haven’t seen ten times or more already, but I think the point of this exercise is to pick the films that would mean the most to you. Maybe not the “best” films, but the ones that speak to you personally. The ones you want to kill time with.

So what are your five “desert island” films?

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Cubs Vice-President of Scouting Dan Kantrovitz has been making the rounds this week in anticipation of Saturday’s MLB Draft. Mostly he hasn’t revealed the Cubs hand much, nor should he. But he did address the elephant in the room, which is the the Cubs farm system is very position-player heavy.

It’s not much of a surprise why the Cubs’ farm system is weak in pitching: they haven’t drafted many pitchers, and the ones they have drafted have tended to be in the later rounds and either are extremely risky or have very low upsides. Kantrovitz would insist that it’s not the Cubs’ philosophy to draft position players over pitchers. He says they’ve just been able to find more value when they’ve picked in position players. Position players are also much more likely to stay healthy, which is another reason the Cubs have more position player talent than pitching.

But the facts are this. Since the 2022 draft, when the Cubs took Cade Horton in the first round and took pitchers with 16 of their 20 draft picks, the Cubs have concentrated on hitters. Over the last three drafts, only four of the 15 players taken in rounds 1 through 5 have been pitchers. Only one of the six players taken in the top two rounds was a pitcher, second-rounder Jaxon Wiggins in 2023. Wiggins also not coincidentally happens to be the Cubs’ best pitching prospect.

Now the Cubs did go for quantity over quality in the later rounds last year. Eleven of their final 14 draft picks in the most recent draft were pitchers. But only two of the first six draft picks were pitchers and one of them, third-round pick Dominick Reid, was an underslot pick so the Cubs would have bonus money to sign sixth-round pick, high school outfielder Josiah Hartshorn. (To be fair, the Cubs fourth-round pick in 2025, Kaleb Wing, was also an overslot signing of a high school pitcher.)

Things were even more oriented towards position players in 2024. While the Cubs did load up on pitchers in rounds 11 through 20, only two of their first ten picks were pitchers and the first one, Ryan Gallagher, came in the sixth round.

But Kantrovitz seems to be softening his “best player available” at all times stand. You never draft for need because most drafted players take two-to-four years in the minors before reaching in the majors (if they ever do) and no team knows what their needs will be that far in the future. Except that we know that teams always need pitching these days and if somehow a team gets lucky and doesn’t, you can always trade young pitching.

Here’s one quote that Kantrovitz game Marquee this week.

It’s no secret we’ve invested less in pitching in recent drafts, so there’s probably more scrutiny on that position than historically …. You can’t take good pitching if you don’t take pitching. One thing we’ve looked at the last few years is how to allocate more of our draft pool to pitching without leaking wins or overall draft value – that’s always been our north star. . . This year, the reality is we’re probably going to be a little less dogmatic about sticking to that, and realize that practically, to get more good pitching, we just might have to take more pitching . . .

What Kantrovitz seems to be saying is that the Cubs aren’t going to reach for a pitcher if there isn’t one they like at that position, if they have one position player and one pitcher that are close in value, they may take the pitcher even if they have the position player ranked slightly higher.

So what do you think the Cubs should do? Should the Cubs take a pitcher in the first round, even if he’s ranked slightly less highly than an available position player? Should they stick to their guns and just take the best player available, no matter where they play? Or should they just admit that they struggle to develop pitching and concentrate on position players, knowing that they can always trade top prospects for pitching later?

Please note when I say “favor,” I don’t mean take a pitcher even if you have a position player ranked much higher. I mean if they’re close in your eyes, you would take the pitcher even if a position player is ranked slightly higher.

Thank you for stopping by this week. We’ve enjoyed having you. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tell your friends about us. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

San Diego Padres General Manager and President of Baseball Operation A.J. Preller is known as an uber aggressive front office executive. He seems to live for the trade deadline when he can use the players from the San Diego minor league system to find players to fill holes in the major league roster. Preller will not have the same type of player pool to deal from at the 2026 deadline, but that does not mean he won’t have opportunities to make deals, but the question is, “Should he?”

The Padres just completed a miserable eight-game losing streak and followed the win to break up the streak with another lifeless loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing 8-0 in the first game of their four-game series to start the week. The loss dropped San Diego two games below .500 and had them on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The losing streak saw the Padres, who had been the top Wild Card team throughout the majority of the season, slip out of playoff contention while falling behind the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers by double digits.

The offense was the problem for San Diego throughout the season with the team ranking last in MLB in several categories. The thought at the time was the Padres could look to add to the offense at the trade deadline especially after losing Ramon Laureano for the season. In recent weeks, and especially during the eight-game losing streak, the starting pitching for San Diego has become erratic and problematic with multiple starters failing to complete five innings in an outing. The struggles of the rotation accentuated the laundry list of starters on the injured list. Yu Darvish was lost for the season prior to the start of Spring Training. Joe Musgrove landed on the IL before the end of Spring Training and Nick Pivetta joined them both on the IL not long after the season started. Matt Waldron, German Marquez and now Randy Vasquez have missed time with injuries.

Despite all of that, the Padres entered the game against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night just a game below .500 and were looking to win their second game of the series in back-to-back days. Considering their current record and their current level of play, the trade deadline could prove tenuous for the Friar Faithful. San Diego could go on a run and play itself into the playoffs, but the Padres could just as easily continue to slide and play themselves out of the playoff picture. The Gaslamp Ball Padres Reacts Survey question this week is, “What should the Padres do at the trade deadline?” There is still a lot of baseball between now and the deadline, but it’s never too early to start planning for the future. Whether or not that future is in major league talent for this season or in prospect capital for the future remains to be seen.

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Since this is my last pre-draft article, I’ll take a minute to discuss what I’d like to see in the Braves’ upcoming draft class. The franchise has a huge opportunity to add talent this weekend, picking in the top 10 and again at 26, thanks to Drake Baldwin’s Prospect Promotion Incentive pick for winning NL Rookie of the Year. Starting at pick 9, I want an underslot pick. It doesn’t seem like there is going to be a talent that I would want to pay at or above slot for at the #9 pick, with a tier drop-off after the top 6 players and then no super clean prep archetype or college player without red flags in that range. That said, prep lefty Gio Rojas is my preferred pick at 9 on an underslot deal. Beyond that, spread the money around, pick up a handful of high upside players that the franchise thinks they can develop. They’ve worked really well with pitchers who haven’t spent a ton of time developing themselves as pitchers, whether due to splitting their time with hitting or with another sport. Grab a few position players with real upside too if possible. This could be the most fun draft for the Braves in a while.

Braves News

The Braves weathered the storm of being the victim of a perfect game through 6.1 innings to ultimately shut out and defeat the Pirates 3-0.

The Braves swapped depth relievers as they continue to manage their bullpen.

MLB News

An MRI revealed an injury to Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder and he is seeking a second opinion.

The Cardinals DFA’d former Braves’ first round pick Jared Shuster.

Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season.

Brett Baty’s resurgence continued in a win over the Royals on Wednesday.

The third baseman came up clutch, extending the Mets’ lead to 4-1 with a two-run single in the eighth inning of a 6-2 victory at Citi Field.

It was Baty’s eighth game in a row with a hit, the best span of games for him this season, coming right from an awful June when he hit .147.

Entering Wednesday’s game, he was slashing just .218/.296/.306 for the season.

Mets interim manager Andy Green credited the coaching staff for helping Baty get “more action to the pole side” for his hot streak.

He said adding doubles to the pole side while continuing to show power to the opposite field has made him more dangerous.

However, when asked about it, the 26-year-old disagreed with his coach, crediting better pregame work and just “trying to hit balls hard.”

Baty said his power has been one of his best abilities his whole career, but he lost sight of that at the beginning of the season. He is currently in a home run drought dating back to May 18.

Baty also said clearing his head and not caring where the ball goes as long as it’s a hit has helped him.

“He’s allowing himself to swing and miss and not change who he is,” Green said following the game. “I think baseball’s the kind of game where you just have to take some bad swings sometimes and he’s maintaining aggression.

“I really feel like he’s letting it go at the plate and trusting himself. That’s ultimately how you have to hit at this level, you can’t hold anything back.”

Baty’s clutch hit and subsequent Mets win could be exactly what the team needs heading into the All-Star break and with the trade deadline right around the corner.

The third baseman said the win brings “good momentum” as the Mets have a chance to win the series against the Royals on Thursday.

Baty added that momentum has been building since getting Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto back in the lineup together.

“This whole season we’ve known what we can do on offense,” Baty said. “It’s just about going out there and doing it every single night.”

That offensive power was finally on display in the eighth inning as the Mets put up five runs and five hits to break open what had been a 1-1 game.

A fan in Cubs gear ended up on the field in the bottom of the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s game between the Orioles and Cubs at Camden Yards in Baltimore, resulting in the woman being escorted off by police. 

Former Mets slugger and current Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso was at the plate with two outs when home plate umpire Adrian Johnson had to pause the game after noticing the fan on the field along the left field warning track. 

It wasn’t clear from the broadcast footage how she ended up there, but at first she seemed to be as confused as just about everyone else before she started to jokingly dance around and raise her arms. 

The act did not sit well with the fans at Camden Yards, who started to boo her. 

Video shot by the Baltimore Sun and a photo from the Associated Press showed the fan being walked off the field by a member of the ballpark’s security team, with his arm around her shoulders, before she was handed off to a uniformed police officer who escorted her off the field behind home plate. 

She received further boos and jeers as she walked toward the exit behind home plate.

“Everybody’s gonna leave the ballpark tonight, and you’d rather not leave it in handcuffs, but that will be the case for one fan at least,” Orioles play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown said during the incident. 

The game was only briefly delayed, and after play resumed, Alonso hit a roller along the first base line that was caught by Cubs first baseman Michael Busch for the final out of the game in a 9-7 Chicago victory. 

Clippers 8, IronPigs 5

It was a good day for the Clippers offense. Angel Genao went 2-4 with a walk, Kody Huff went 2-5 with a 430 foot HR. Ralphy Velazquez also had a 3 run HR hit at 109.1 mph off the bat. CJ Kayfus went 1-4 with a HR of his own.

Yorman Gomez continues to rack up strikeouts despite giving up some runs. His ERA is 5.06 but he has 24 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. I think that ERA is going to go down at some point.

RubberDucks 8, Baysox 2

This was a dominant win from the RubberDucks. Nick Mitchell had a huge game, going 3-4 with a triple and RBI double. The trio of Chourio, Rosario, and Thompson all had one hit each. Jonah Advincula went 1-3 with a walk and a two run HR. Jose Devers went 1-4 with a 2 RBI triple.

Josh Hartle had a solid outing. He allowed just two runs in 5 innings pitched with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks. His ERA is down to 4.58 on the season.

Captains 6, Lugnuts 1

The Captains scored 6 runs on 11 hits and 3 walks. Jace Laviolette led the way going 2-5 with a two run HR. Tommy Hawke, Esteban Gonzalez, and Tyler Howard all had multi hit games. Aaron Walton went 1-3 with an RBI single and a walk. Nolan Schubart extended his crazy on base streak to 39 games with a double in the bottom of the 7th inning.

It was an excellent outing for Will McCausland tonight. The 22 year old tossed 6 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts to just one walk. His ERA is down to 6.46 on the season.

Howlers 2, RiverDogs 9

The bad news in this game was that the Howlers only had 5 hits, the good news is that those 5 hits came from 3 of the top prospects on the team. Dauri Fernandez and Juneiker Caceres both went 2-4. Fernandez homered and Caceres hit a sharp line drive double to CF. Caceres is now hitting .321 with a .940 OPS as an 18 year old in Single-A. It is beyond time for them to promote him to High-A. He has shown that he is ready for it.

After a hot start to the season, we’ve seen more than a few rought starts from Nelson Keljo, and this was another one of them. He was still able to strike out five batters in the 4 innings he pitched, but he also walked 3 and gave up 4 runs. His ERA is now up to 5.13 on the season.