HOOVER, AL - MAY 20: Head coach Tim Corbin of the Vanderbilt Commodores walks off the field during the SEC Baseball Tournament second round game between Vanderbilt Commodores and Florida Gators on May 20, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s Draft Day. For most sports, it’s a celebratory day where you’re glad to hear the names of your boys, cheering them on as they jump to the next level. For college baseball fans, it’s a PTSD-laden war of attrition where your mood is dependent on hearing the fewest amount of names of your potential incoming freshman class. Zero names is ideal, of course, but when you ‘croot at Vanderbilt’s level, that’s never (or almost never, it did happen once) a realistic ask.
In short, go ahead and forget the names of OF Eric Booth Jr. (expected to go in the top 10 picks of the 1st round) and SS Aiden Ruiz (a slick-fielding defensive maven likely to get tabbed in the first 50 or so picks). Expect also to lose top pitchers LHP Sean Duncan and RHP Joseph Contreras (though there’s an outside chance one makes it to campus) and at least one of our two top SS commits, SS James Tronstein and SS Luke Williams. Keep it to losing 4 or 5 of them, and none of our remaining members of the #1 ‘crootin’ class in the nation, and we have set ourselves up to return to the postseason, challenge for a #1 seed this year, and challenge for a title in 2-3 years. Get decimated and… well, remember when Krusty drank gasoline and woke up on Bart’s lawn?
Then there’s our boys (you know, the ones who haven’t transferred out like pretty much our entire 2026 bullpen). Honestly, not a lot of Diamond Dores are expected to get drafted, and none (well, maybe Braden Holcomb) should expect to hear their names today (rounds 1-4).
Regardless, join up in the comments to collectively white knuckle the worst weekend of the year for college baseball fans with us at Anchor of Gold. Pour Jobu his rum, Hail Pinman, and scream “OO!” at Vocockyteps. It’s Draft Day.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 10: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Petco Park on July 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres brought the winning run to the plate with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. Xander Bogaerts stepped into the batter’s box with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. on first and second base after the Padres recorded three consecutive two-out hits off Padres closer Louis Varland. Bogaerts worked the count full, but on the final pitch of the at-bat he hit a routine ground ball to third base, which resulted in the final out of the game to give San Diego a 5-3 loss at the hands of Toronto in their series opener at Petco Park on Friday night.
The Padres came into the bottom of the ninth trailing, 5-2. Jake Cronenworth pinch hit and struck out to open the inning and Luis Rengifo hit a deep fly ball into left field for the second out of the inning. Luis Campusano lined a ball back through the middle of the infield and Tatis followed with a line drive single through the right side of the infield. Merrill stepped in and connected on another base hit, which scored Campusano to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Bogaerts represented the winning run and Petco Park was waiting to erupt with a big hit from the San Diego shortstop. Bogaerts started the scoring in the game in the bottom of the first inning when he connected on a two-run home run off starter Shane Bieber to put the Padres up 2-0. Considering the speed of Tatis and Merrill and the fact that they were on the move on a 3-2 pitch, a base hit by Bogaerts might have tied the game, but it would have likely brought San Diego within a run with Manny Machado set to come to the plate. However, that was not how the 3-2 pitch played out. Instead, Bogaerts bounced a ground ball to Toronto third baseman Kazuma Okamoto who threw across the diamond in time to get Bogaerts to end the inning and the game.
Okamoto proved to have the game-winning hit for the Blue Jays in the top of the fifth inning. Padres starter JP Sears allowed two of the first three batters of the inning to reach base on singles and Jhony Brito came in to face Vladamir Guerrero Jr. Brito allowed an RBI-single and Toronto tied the game at 2-2. Brito then faced Okamoto who won a seven-pitch at-bat with a 377-foot three-run home run into the left field bleachers to give the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead.
San Diego will try to stop a two-game losing streak in the second game of the series against Toronto today at 5:40 p.m.
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers the same night he was scratched from his start on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
BAD GASTEIN, AUSTRIA - MAY 28: The Schlossalmbahn cable cars transport guests to the attend the opening event of CALL Film Festival at Restaurant Hirsch & Maus on May 28, 2026 in Bad Gastein, Austria. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hickory starter Daniel Keaney gave up five runs in five innings, striking out three and walking one.
Pablo Guerrero was 2 for 5 with a double. Yolfran Castillo was 3 for 4 with a double, a triple and a walk. Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Daniel Flames doubled and walked twice. Angel Arredondo doubled. Marco Argudin had a hit and a walk.
Round Rock starter Jose Corniell allowed five runs in 1.2 IP, walking three and striking out one. Emiliano Teodo walked one, struck out one and allowed one run in 1.1 IP. Wilian Bormie allowed two runs in an inning of work, walking two. Luis Curvelo threw two shutout innings.
Another busy slate in the Majors means more opportunity for long balls in my MLB player props home run analysis.
I'll include James Wood, Chase DeLauter, and Ben Rice in today's MLB picks for Saturday, July 11.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
James Wood
+350
Chase DeLauter
+549
Ben Rice
+275
💲Today's HR parlay
+8986
Home run pick: James Wood (+350)
Washington Nationals star James Wood is crushing baseballs right now. He owns a .722 ISO over his last six games, going deep four times during that span. Wood's hard-hit rate over the last week also sits at 62.9%, with a barrel rate just under 20%.
The slugger will face New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler tonight. Although the youngster has been dominant overall, he's had trouble with the long ball recently. Schlittler has allowed 3.00 HR/9 across his last two outings.
This Yankees pen has also surrendered 1.63 HR/9 across their last 27 2/3 innings. There's a lot of opportunity for Wood to leave the yard again.
I'll play this pick down to +300.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, Nationals.TV
Home run pick: Chase DeLauter (+549)
Cleveland Guardians youngster Chase DeLauter has homered in back-to-back games, and he has three bombs in his last six contests. DeLauter carries a .417 ISO during that span and an astounding 68.4% hard-hit rate. The 24-year-old is consistently squaring up the baseball.
DeLauter will face Miami Marlins starter Eury Pérez this afternoon. The righty has allowed a home run in six of his last eight outings. He's been pitching well, but it's common for him to make a mistake in a start, and an opponent punishes it.
That could be DeLauter this afternoon, considering just how well he's seeing the baseball.
I'll play this pick down to +450.
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Guardians.TV, Marlins.TV
Home run pick: Ben Rice (+275)
Ben Rice has emerged as a superstar this season, and he's showing off his power ahead of the HR Derby. The slugger has clubbed five long balls in his last seven games. Over that span, he owns a .556 ISO and 19% barrel rate.
Today's matchup heavily favors Rice. The Yankees will face the struggling Miles Mikolas. He's surrendered 2.77 HR/9 across his previous two appearances, and opponents also have a 40.8% hard-hit rate against him over the last two weeks.
This Nationals bullpen is also giving up 1.86 HR/9 over the last seven days. Whether it's against Mikolas or the relief corps when they enter, Rice has a great chance to put one in the bleachers.
Play this down to +250.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, Nationals.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 15-75, -4.99 units
Today’s HR parlay
James Wood
Bet Now +8986
Chase DeLauter
Ben Rice
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Jul 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Anthony Seigler (48) reacts after reaching second base on an error by New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (not pictured) during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
The Red Sox had a bunch of issues getting to New York for yesterday’s game, but you wouldn’t know it based on the results. Boston scored two unearned runs off Nolan McLean in the first inning to take the lead and the Mets stayed behind all evening, ultimately losing 6-2.
The Mets made a series of roster moves prior to last night’s game, including officially placing Mark Vientos on the injured list and bringing Tobias Myers back to the active roster.
Vientos will be out for 6-8 weeks due to his hand injury; in happier news, Clay Holmes continues to progress in his return.
A.J. Ewing is enjoying a fine stretch, 11-for-26 (.423) with three home runs and a double in his last six games. He's up to a .282 average and .805 OPS through his first 55 career games
Freddy Peralta could really do with a bounce-back start, as he's allowed 21 runs (16 earned) on 28 hits and six walks in his last 17 innings over four outings. But the one encouraging note for Saturday is that he was decent in his lone Citi Field outing in that span: pitching 5.2 innings and allowing three runs (no earned) against Chicago, but some walks loomed large
Today's Lineups
RED SOX
METS
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Tigers prospect Jordan Yost practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As in 2024, the Detroit Tigers were once again faced with a low pick as they selected 24th overall in the 2025 MLB amateur draft. Unlike 2024, they had the competitive balance A round selection, which helped both in terms of picks but also in terms of bonus pool to a degree. They did as expected, spreading their $10,990,000 bonus pool around with a mix of early underslot deals and inexpensive college picks to help them go overslot later on to lock up a deeper pool of talent.
As always though, the draft is largely about your top picks and who gets the biggest signing bonuses, with those two things not always fully aligned. The rest are more of a bulk buy where you’re hoping to draft a lot of players you already have a lead on developing, and eventually produce a good player or two along with pitching and positional depth in the farm system. We’ll see how the top picks turn out in time, but the Tigers did a really nice adjusting their strategy a bit and finding a nice mix of smaller program college picks, JUCO players, along with a couple of big ticket prep arms and some talented but raw high schoolers as value picks late in the draft.
Round 1: No. 24 – SS Jordan Yost, (Sickles HS, FL) $3.25M
I remain a little baffled by the response to the Tigers first round selection, prep shortstop Jordan Yost. In Yost the Tigers got an advanced defensive shortstop in a left-handed teenaged hitter with a good eye and great feel for making contact. Sure, he’s still on the skinny side and doesn’t pack much power yet, but unlike some other older, slender infielders in the Tigers’ system, Yost has enough room on his frame that he can add signficant muscle in the coming years. He already packed on 13 pounds over his first offseason, and is showing 40 grade raw power as a teenager. It’s a good bet that in three years time he’ll approach average raw power. In game that’s probably more like 45 for him, but a plus shortstop who hits 10-15 homers, steals bases, and rarely strikes out is not a big ask here. In fact I’d say it’s pretty likely.
Yost holds a 12.2 strikeout rate in his first look at Single-A Lakeland. His walk rate is 14.5 percent. You don’t see that from a teenaged prospect very often, and it will hold up well against more advanced pitching as he develops more batspeed. His hit tool isn’t going to match McGonigle’s elite level as a prospect but you can expect a plus hitter who is on base a lot, chips in some power and stolen bases, and locks down the shortstop position, potentially bumping Bryce Rainer to third and McGonigle to second base. He needs a few years, but Yost has a good deal of upside, and the floor set by his current tools is already pretty solid.
Competitive Balance Round A: No. 34 – C Michael Oliveto, Hauppauge (NY) $2.45M
This Long Island prep catcher burst on the scene prior to the draft with a huge showing in the World Wood Bat Association Championship. That helped him boost his draft stock significantly despite being a northeast kid who didn’t face the best competition often in high school. The bat quickly became more well regarded, but there were, and are, still concerns about his arm strength as it pertains to the catcher position. On the other hand, Oliveto should develop well in all other respects, and one thing the Tigers do really well is evaluate and develop catchers, so we’ll just have to trust them on the arm strength.
Oliveto has a pretty sweet, left-handed swing and controls the strike zone very well for his age. He should develop above average power, and has the tools to get to it regularly. What he lacks, is top shelf competitive experience. Between that factor and the demands of getting a full on course in professional catching this season in the Complex League, and soon a move to Single-A Lakeland, a slow start with the bat is likely. Once he has his feet under him defensively and is comfortable handling a pro pitching staff, more focus can turn to developing his hit tool.
Oliveto was headed to Yale before the Tigers signed him, and his smarts and work ethic draw extremely high marks, so he’s teachable and motivated, and should get the most out of his natural abilities. I think he’ll hit, but we’ll have to see how he develops behind the plate. That will take plenty of time. Round 2: No. 62 – RHP Malachi Witherspoon (University of Oklahoma) $1.451M
Witherspoon is kind of an all or nothing pick. The stuff is undeniably excellent already. He sits in the mid-to-high 90’s, and has touched 100 but his sinker is more of a bat breaker than a bat misser. He has the breaking stuff and changeup to be a frontline starter, but his command is decidedly a work in progress and his long-armed, low three-quarters delivery suggests quite a bit of relief risk. If he puts it all together, the Tigers are going to look great here. The sinker is a dominant pitch when he’s locating it, and his cutter, slider, and changeup all flash plus, but he has a decided tendency to suddenly lose the plot in the middle of an outing for a few hitters before pulling himself together. There’s certainly a chance he never executes and self-corrects enough to even make it as the high leverage reliever he already has the stuff to become. Round 3: No. 98 – LHP Ben Jacobs (Arizona State University) $722,500
Jacobs has been the quickest riser out of this class, showing a good, riding fourseamer at 93-95 mph with an above average slider and curveball, and a plus changeup that has made him tough on right-handed hitters. He’s had a few bouts of control issues as he and the Tigers develop his delivery and stuff, but he’s handled a quick move to High-A West Michigan pretty well. The 22-year-old has plenty in the stuff department. The big step is commanding the whole package more consistently.
The Tigers kept adding quality college pitchers with this left-hander with big extension to the plate. Leys has a solid slider and a good changeup developing, but he’s still sitting 92 mph with pretty average movement on his fourseamer. He’ll use his sinker as well and it’s been effective. Leys is in Single-A Lakeland, but is still walking a few too many batters to move out from under the Tigers’ close eye in Lakeland. There’s enough projection here to think he’ll eventually throw harder. If he gets to more velo and keeps refining his fastball and slider command he could make it as a starter, but he feels more like a future lefty swingman type. Round 5: No. 159 – RHP Ryan Hall (North Gwinnett HS, GA) $997,500
This is still the Tigers under Scott Harris, and so the draft wouldn’t have been complete without an expensive speculative big-bonus selection of a prep pitcher. Right-hander Ryan Hall was a quarterback and pitching standout both in high school. At six-foot-one he doesn’t have the big, rangy build of the classic power pitcher, but Hall can spin the baseball and has standout athleticism. He’s been up to 95 mph and the Tigers clearly believe there’s a ton of projection here. And, unlike their other prep picks, Hall didn’t miss much time before his pro debut. He’s currently working in the Complex League and is due to move over to the Single-A level in another week or two as the Complex League wraps up. Round 6: No. 189: – LHP Grayson Grinsell (Oregon) $297,500
This lefty has an interesting fastball-changeup combination and is working to develop his slider and changeup, as well as his command, in his first pro season. Grinsell gets over 19 inches of induced vertical break on his fourseamer, but it’s still 90-92 mph for the most part. His changeup is good, and his arm speed and extension help it play up. He needs to keep building velo and sharpening his slider. His control has been a little shaky at the Single-A level, but he racking up plenty of strikeouts so far. Round 7: No. 219 – OF/RHP Cale Wetwiska (Northern Oklahoma) $645,700
Wetwiska got a pretty nice bonus as well as a JUCO selection. The big-armed right-hander has good ride, extension, and cutting action on his 95.5 mph fourseamer and has touched 98 mph with the Single-A Flying Tigers this spring. He’ll mix in plenty of sinkers as well, but the real trick is turning his natural supinator traits into a good cutter-slider combination. He can spin the baseball, but while he’ll flash good editions of both breaking balls they’re still pretty inconsistent. Wetwiska is also a good candidate to learn a splitter, and he’ll need it if he’s going to remain a starting pitcher. The right-hander went down with an injury in early April, but he’s rehabbed and back starting in Single-A now. Round 8: No. 249 – OF Nick Dumesnil (California Baptist) $214,300
The Tigers went back to their well of athletic, inexpensive college players to select Dumesnil, and the 22-year-old looks like a fine selection. He’s walking a lot in Lakeland and keeping the strikeouts under control. He’s also shown some power and speed on the bases to go with the ability to play all three outfield positions. Round 9: No. 279 – LHP Trevor Heishman (St. John Bosco HS, CA) $347,500
This left-handed high schooler has a lot of interesting projection, but he’s yet to pitch this season. Now 19 years old, there isn’t much to add that we didn’t know on draft day. He’s six-foot-four and weighs in at 230 pounds, so he’s already quite a specimen. Heishman was low 90’s in high school but really spins the fastball and breaking stuff well, getting plenty of carry on the fastball. There is enormous upside here but it’s going to take plenty of time to get there. Round 10: No. 309 – C Edian Espinal (Central Florida) $185,300
Espinal has been a fascinating player to watch in Lakeland this spring. He was a JUCO pick who mainly played second base until converting to catcher last year. He’s only five-foot-seven and fairly thickly built, yet he still runs reasonable well. The defense will take plenty of time, but he has the arm strength and the athleticism to succeed. What has really turned heads, however, is his bat. The switch-hitter has really good bat to ball skills and is posting outstanding walk and strikeout rates that are nearly identical. He’s flashed solid raw power as well with six home runs so far and a max exit velocity of 108.1 mph. His average exit velocity is 90.7 mph, pretty exceptional for a JUCO pick dropped into the pro full season environment. Espinal has lived on base with the Flying Tigers, posting a .418 on-base percentage. Right now he’s a bat first catcher but the defense is coming along. Espinal can hit, and if he can develop into a quality major league catcher this is going to be a huge winner of a pick. Round 11: No. 339 – RHP River Hamilton (Sam Barlow HS, OR) $497,500
Hamilton has the raw stuff and frame to be pretty excited about him, but this one will require plenty of patience as well. He was very well regarded on the prep circuit and might have been a late first round pick had he not torn his UCL and required Tommy John last summer. The Tigers took him anyway, betting that they could sign him and that he’ll rehab the injury, come back in great shape, and prove a big winner of a pick that didn’t really require a huge, risky bonus. Round 12: No. 369 – RHP Cash Kuiper (Murray State) $150,000
This 21-year-old was another JUCO pick with big-time extension to the plate and some projection left in his six-foot-four frame. He has a pretty good changeup, but his slider and curveball need work. So far he’s been a little wild in Lakeland, but he came to the club without a ton of experience. Round 13: No. 399 – SS Jack Goodman (Northeastern) $150,000
Goodman has some power and plate discipline already, but he does swing a lot, and whiff a lot. He’s probably a second baseman, and has spent most of his time there in Lakeland. He has touched 109 mph off the bat, so there’s power potential in a right-handed hitting middle infielder, but it will take a major breakout to get him much prospect consideration. Still, he’s another athletic young player with a lot of tools, and it’s a question of how far he can refine his eye and hit tool. Round 14: No. 429: – 1B Beau Ankeney (Loyola Marymount) $150,000
Ankeney is built like a superhero and shows off plus raw power already. He’s been crushing it in Lakeland with 14 home runs in a half season of work in his pro debut, and can get to that pop to all fields. He’s also a free swinger who chases and punches out a lot. It’s probably not going to work out, but Ankeney feels like a guy the Tigers would’ve drafted in the 5-10 round range a decade ago and spent real money on. He’s a fun lottery ticket. Round 15: No. 459 – RHP Charlie Christensen (Central Arkansas) $150,000
Christensen has already torn through Single-A and recently moved to West Michigan. He has a fairly nasty slider-changeup combination from a snappy, low three-quarters arm slot. The whiffs piled up for him when he was commanding the secondary pitches, but his 92 mph sinker is still quite hittable when he’s behind in the count and needs a strike. Still a 36.7 percent strikeout rate in your Single-A pro debut out of a smaller college program is pretty darn good. The six-foot-four right-hander has some velocity projection remaining and boasts nearly seven feet of extension to the plate. Outstanding pick at the price. Round 16: No. 489 – RHP Joe Ruzicka (Belmont) $150,000
Ruzicka was a standout college pitcher in the small Missouri Valley conference. The six-foot-three right-hander has the Tigers requisite good extension, and he also brings good fastball shape and a nice curveball to the table, but doesn’t throw very hard yet, averaging 92.2 mph. He does spin the ball well, getting good ride on the heater with the ability to develop his breaking stuff. Presumably the Tigers think the velo can improve in time. Round 17: No. 519 – RHP Joey Wimpelberg (Central Florida) $197,500
Wimpelberg is another JUCO selection. He just threw his first inning of pro ball the other day, so there isn’t much new to say about him yet. He was a two-way player in high school and broke out with one of the top Florida junior college programs. His high three-quarters slot produces a good fastball in the low to mid-90’s and he can really spin his breaking stuff. He’s quite raw, but there’s a lot to like in the base arm talent alone. Round 18: No. 549 – LHP Ethan Rogers (Lone Jack HS, MO)
Did not sign, attending Wichita State now. Round 19: No. 579 – SS Meridian Leffew (Gastion Christian, NC)$164,500
Leffew signed out of high school after reclassifying from the 2026 to the 2025 draft, wanting to go right to pro ball. The 19-year-old shortstop hasn’t played yet, and is presumably going through a ton of developmental work behind the scenes. He’s fairly large for a shortstop at six-foot-two and a listed 187 pounds already. He’s a pretty good raw athlete with natural loft in his right-handed swing. Any prep shortstop with good athleticism available at this price is a good pick. Round 20: No. 609 – OF Kameron Douglas (Alabama State) $150,000
The 22-year-old Douglas is an interesting two-way player who has been up to 96 mph and has high spin characteristics on his fastball and breaking pitches. He’s got speed and power at the plate and can play all over the outfield, though he profiles best as a right fielder. This is another fairly raw player with a lot of athleticism. We haven’t seen him yet, and I suspect the Tigers mainly view him as a pitcher and are taking their time improving his mechanics right now behind the scenes.
The Tigers showed some positive adjustments in this draft
Personally, I really like the Yost and Oliveto picks quite a bit where they landed them. Neither has the upside of Bryce Rainer, but they’re both strong selections with plenty of upside and high floors. The pivot made in this draft was the ongoing move toward college and JUCO pitchers, while still finding a few arms like Hall and Hamilton in the prep ranks.
Two key names here are certainly Witherspoon and Jacobs. They both have the stuff to make it as quality mid-rotation starters and possibly more, and the Tigers really need some wins on the pitching side. So far Jacobs looks good, while Witherspoon already has great stuff but has to overcome the tendency to lose his rhythm and release spot that he showed in college. He would’ve been a first rounder based on his stuff if this hadn’t been an ongoing concern throughout his college career.
The Tigers also continued to get a lot of raw talent for minimum, or close to it, bonuses, including locking up some inexpensive prep and JUCO talent to work with.
It’s fair to be underwhelmed with the haul here initially, but that’s generally how it goes picking near the bottom of the draft order. I actually really like the Yost-Oliveto combination, and the Tigers got a whole lot of value throughout the rest of the draft. They scout farther and wider than some clubs, and it continues to show up as they add talented players from smaller college programs and the JUCO ranks, while opportunistically adding prep athletes who are highly motivated to start their pro careers despite meager signing bonuses.
We’re only a few months into seeing this class in action, so it’s going to be another year or two until there’s a really good read on how the whole class is coming together. Still, hopefully it gives you some sense of how their strategy has evolved as they slipped down in the draft order, with smaller bonus pools to work with.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A lot of names have been thrown around for the first Braves pick, which will be the ninth overall. We have covered some of them like Tyler Bell, Gio Rojas, Drew Burress, and Ryder Helfrick. You would like to get real upside from a top pick. The problem is that most evaluators have the first six picks well above the field. Although the Braves do have some extra money to use, they may not be able to break into that group.
The Braves have been able to get starters like Michael Harris, Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Strider outside of the first 30 picks. Each one of those, even the ghost of Austin Riley, have been very productive and well worth the pick. Michael Harris was found in the third round after some draft pool maneuvering. He’s been worth 14.5 WAR and climbing.
So how important is the perfect first Braves pick? And I mean to find the next Braves All-Star? The evaluators like that top six, but MLB organizations often rate prospects much differently than the outsiders. So maybe they walk away with a highly-touted-in-public-circles pick. Although, if that doesn’t go their way, the later picks and the larger draft pool offer an excellent opportunity this year.
I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents as the lead image for game recaps but in this case… Reds starter Hunter Greene was clearly the story of the game. He allowed just three hits and struck out 12, and the Reds shut out the Cubs 4-0 in the first of a three-game series. It was the first Reds win over the Cubs this year, after the Cubs swept a four-game set at Wrigley Field in May.
Seiya Suzuki had two of the three hits, including a second-inning double. Ian Happ had the other hit off Greene, a single leading off the fifth, and Greene also walked Happ, his only walk of the game. That’s it for Cubs runners reaching off Greene.
Shōta Imanaga threw reasonably well for five innings, allowing just one run, a fifth-inning homer by Elly De La Cruz. Imanaga ran a lot of long counts and also allowed seven hits. It wasn’t a bad outing, but you can’t win if you don’t score runs.
More on Imanaga’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:
Imanaga’s start was the Cubs’ 207th since 1901 of exactly five innings with one run allowed. It was just the seventh of the 207 with exactly seven hits allowed.
Ben Brown had the sixth, on June 13 at San Francisco. The first five were by Wilbur Cooper in 1925, Joe Niekro in 1967, Randy Martz in 1982, Mike Harkey in 1990 and Jon Lester on April 2, 2017, at St. Louis.
Imanaga tied Lester for the most strikeouts, seven. Imanaga and Martz walked one. Harkey walked none.
Imanaga was the first to serve up a homer for the run.
One thing I wanted to note about the 12 strikeouts: Four of them were swinging K’s on sliders or splitters way out of the strike zone.
Michael Conforto, in the second:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the sixth:
Alex Bregman, also in the sixth:
Conforto again, in the seventh:
As you can see, some of those pitches were so far out of the zone that they barely show up on the Gameday images. Greene had Cubs hitters utterly fooled. It’s far from the first time; the last time Greene pitched against the Cubs, Sept. 18, 2025 at GABP, he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit (a single by Suzuki) and striking out nine. At least now, the Cubs don’t have to face Greene again until September.
Trent Thornton kept the game at 1-0 by throwing a 1-2-3 seventh on only seven pitches.
Then we witnessed the Cubs debut of Jake Woodford. Of that two-inning appearance, all that can be said in a positive vein is that he saved all the leverage relievers for the rest of the series. Woodford struck out the first hitter he faced, Ke’Bryan Hayes. Then De La Cruz tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. At 2-0 maybe this game is still within reach but the next four hitters off Woodford did this: single, two-run homer, single, single and at this point the game’s pretty much over. Woodford threw 43 pitches and the next time we see his name in connection with the Cubs is likely going to be when he’s designated for assignment after the All-Star break.
It was mentioned near the end of the broadcast on Marquee that this was the first time the Reds had ever shut out the Cubs and struck out 15. After that comment was made, the Reds made it 16 when Ian Happ struck out to end the game. The previous record wasn’t 14, either — it was 13, and it had stood for nearly 63 years, since Jim Maloney (who would no-hit the Cubs two years later!) threw a one-hit shutout at Wrigley Field, striking out 13 on July 23, 1963.
One more note on Greene’s 12 strikeouts, from John:
Hunter Greene’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a starter against the Cubs this season, one more than by Kyle Harrison of the Brewers at Wrigley Field on May 20. Each pitched 7.0 innings and walked one. Harrison gave up two hits, one less than Greene.
You’ll notice there are no video highlights up to this point. That’s because there weren’t any from a Cubs standpoint. I did want to show you this one weird play from the bottom of the fifth. JJ Bleday lifted a foul fly to right that Seiya Suzuki appeared to catch, but it was … well, watch [VIDEO].
That clip is from the Reds broadcast, in which they said Suzuki “didn’t catch it,” but you can see Suzuki wondering why it wasn’t called a catch. After more than four minutes of deliberation, the review crew said the call on the field was “overturned” — but what was the call on the field? It wasn’t clear, though it appears to have been “foul ball” because of fan interference. But if it’s fan interference, shouldn’t it have been an out?
One thing that’s been really good on this road trip so far is Cubs starting pitching. Over the four games the starters have a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings, with only two home runs allowed.
Standings update: The Cubs lost half a game to the Brewers, who were rained out in Pittsburgh, and now trail Milwaukee by 7.5 games. The Brewers and Pirates will play a doubleheader today. The Cubs lead the Cardinals by 2.5 games in the division and are half a game ahead of the Phillies (and Marlins!) for the top wild card spot.
The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in Cincinnati. Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Nick Lodolo goes for the Reds. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 09: Johnny Costello and Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry shake hands with Baltimore Orioles mascot the Oriole Bird after throwing the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Tides out-hit the Chiefs in this one by an 8-4 margin and still lost the game. You might be tempted to think that means that Syracuse got clutch hits with RISP and Norfolk didn’t, but you would be wrong: Syracuse was 0-6 with RISP. Norfolk did not commit any errors. They scored first in the game, holding a 2-0 lead. Then they gave up three runs over the next two innings and lost the shortened game. This team is good at losing. They are 32-58.
Norfolk box scores have become a lot less interesting while Creed Willems is on the injured list. There is one prospect taking regular at-bats, and that is Enrique Bradfield Jr. The speedy outfielder had a single and a walk out of the leadoff spot on Friday night. He sits at a .680 OPS in 38 games. Not-prospect-but-I-always-root-for-him guy Heston Kjerstad had three of the Tides hits all by his lonesome, raising his batting line to .301/.330/.451 in 44 games.
A tough day at the office for 24-year-old lefty Sebastian Gongora, the Baysox starter. The RubberDucks dropped nine hits on him in only 4.1 innings and they were able to turn those hits into all five Akron runs. Gongora has been pretty good overall this year, so this rough start still only bumps his ERA to 3.55.
Chesapeake scored their two runs in the top of the first inning and then did not score for the remainder of the game. Thomas Sosa and Frederick Bencosme each drove in a run in the first frame. Brandon Butterworth, one of the players from the Padres deal last July, had three hits for the Baysox. He’s OPSing .766 through 28 games of his age 23 season at Double-A. It’d be more interesting if he was doing that at Triple-A, but it’s not nothing.
High-A: Frederick Keys 5, Jersey Shore (Phillies) 2
A masterful outing by 21-year-old righty Twine Palmer gave the Keys a good shove in the right direction in this one and they didn’t waste that chance. Palmer struck out eight batters over his six innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks. Those are some good ratios. His ERA for the season is lowered to 3.58. Batters are hitting just .203 against him. He had a brutal introduction to the organization after being acquired from the Astros last July. This year is going better for him.
The only run the BlueClaws scored off of Palmer came home in the top of the first inning. Frederick’s offense scored two in the bottom half of the inning and never looked back. The Keys picked up three doubles in their first inning, starting with leadoff man RJ Austin. The infielder/outfielder from last year’s draft had three hits and a walk overall and stole a pair of bases as well. Austin is hitting .257/.352/.415 in 44 games with Frederick.
Other 2025 picks also played a part. Ike Irish drove in two of the five Keys runs thanks to one sacrifice fly and one RBI single. Wehiwa Aloy picked up a pair of hits and drove in a run. Each of these guys continues to OPS over .800.
An unfortunately typical sad-looking Shorebirds box score this season. True, it was a seven-inning game since this was a minor league doubleheader, but even so, they only got four hits. They also committed two errors. Tough way to win.
Shortstop DJ Layton was on base three times in four plate appearances, picking up a pair of singles and a walk. He also stole two bases, giving him 26 on the season in 37 tries.
More offense from the Shorebirds here. They actually got nine hits in this one. They still lost because they gave up ten hits and walked six guys.
One of the more exciting Delmarva players, Jaiden Lo Re, exited the game after picking up a single and a walk in two plate appearances. Lo Re was involved in a collision on the bases, according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko. We can all hope that was just precautionary and there’s not any prolonged absence because of it.
Texas A&M Aggies' Caden Sorrell (13) catches a fly ball as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, May 22, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 7-0. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The MLB Draft is this afternoon, which means the final batch of mock drafts have been published. Now, we wait to see which people are most in the know when it comes to the plans of all the other teams. Let’s see what people think the Phillies are going to do.
It sounds as if Horn has three or four teams that have him valued among the top-25 players in the draft, while others think he’s unsignable for how they have him evaluated. I don’t have that full list of interested teams, but rivals think that the Phillies are on the list. Marchand also fits here if he makes it this far, and Jason Amalbert is a target for a later pick.
Sorrell could be getting passed over by other college outfield profiles like Logan Hughes and Chase Brunson, but I do think he starts to pick up a lot of traction in this range. He would give a 29th-ranked Phillies farm system plenty of upside potential and tools.
Peterson has a super wide range, in our honest opinion. There’s a solid chance he goes much higher than this, but most people are split on his future outcome. The stuff is legit, but his command never turned the corner as we expected. If the Phillies had Peterson fall into their lap, they would be extremely happy.
Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Andrew Fischer walks across the field during spring training workouts Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2026 MLB Draft kicked off earlier today, as the Chicago White Sox took UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 overall pick. Milwaukee took shortstop Trey Ebel — the brother of Brewers’ 2025 No. 32 overall pick Brady Ebel — with their first pick at No. 25. For our full draft preview from Adam released earlier this week, click here. For Dave’s mock draft roundup from this morning, click here.
We’ll be keeping track of each Brewers pick as they happen, so stay tuned here for updates as the draft continues through Sunday.
Bo Naylor and Angel Genao both had big games, but it wasn’t enough for Columbus on Thursday.
Naylor went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double while Genao went 3-for-4 with a home run. Genao is on fire and currently is batting .303 at Triple-A with an .870 OPS. I’m super curious what Cleveland is going to do with him at this rate.
Milan Tolentino also went 2-for-4 with a double and Joe Lampe doubled.
Starting pitcher Austin Peterson got knocked around and failed to get an out in the second inning, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Tommy Mace followed him and wasn’t much better, allowing three more runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
Ryan Webb tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and Daniel Espino allowed a solo home run in his inning of work.
Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 3
RubberDucks improve to 38-45
The top of Akron’s order did most of the work. Nick Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a home run while Jaison Chourio went 2-for-4. I’m super curious why Chourio was pinch-ran for late in the game. I didn’t see anything about him being hurt.
Tyresse Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while Jacob Cozart doubled in a pair of runs.
Starting pitcher Caden Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Matt Jachec was sensational, striking out all five of his outs in 1.2 innings and Alaska Abney allowed an unearned run while earning the save.
Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 7
Captains improve to 48-33
It was a team effort for Lake County as eight members of the lineup contributed to the offensive eruption that included four home runs.
Esteban Gonzalez had the best game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Jace LaViolette, Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini also homered for their only hits of the day. Schubart’s home run was his 20th of the season already.
Garrett Howe went 2-for-4 with a triple while Aaron Walton and Tommy Hawke both went 2-for-4 with a double. Correction, both of Walton’s hits were doubles.
Starting pitcher Michael Kennedy had one of his best performances of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
The bullpen had a rough night, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings, but the offense did enough to avoid an implosion.
Hill City Howlers 7, Charleston RiverDogs 3
Howlers improve to 35-48
Fresh off being named the Carolina League Player of the Month, 18-year-old prospect Juneiker Caceres belted a three-run home run and also had a sacrifice fly in a four-RBI performance to lead Hill City to a win.
Other offensive standouts included Riley Nelson, who went 2-for-3 and Cannon Peebles, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Gabriel Rodriguez reached base safely three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.
Ryan Prager I think was used as an opener, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Luke Fernandez followed with 4.0 solid innings of long relief, dancing around four walks and two hits. A recently-activated Conner Whittaker preserved the shutout with 2.0 scoreless frames, then Angel Perez allowed three runs in the final 2.0 innings, although the team had a seven-run lead at that point so it was fine.
ACL Guardians 6, ACL Giants 3
Guardians improve to 28-21
Another day, another perfect day at the plate for Alejandro Blasco. The outfield sensation went 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, raising his season OPS to 1.382.
Randy Martinez homered and walked while Estivel Morillo doubled and walked.
Starting pitcher Will Hynes was terrific, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
Reliever Randy Baron added 2.0 scoreless frames and Austin Testerman struck out the side to earn the save.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 10: Tyler Alexander #13 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Kyle Higashioka #11 following the team's win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on July 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Astros 3
I’m having flashbacks to the series opener against the Angels on Tuesday.
In that game, the Rangers were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored five runs, with a three run homer by Alejandro Osuna capping off the scoring.
In this game, the Ranges were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored four runs, with a three run homer by Jake Burger capping off the scoring.
In the opener against the Angels, Chris Martin gave up a run late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
In this game, Chris Martin gave up two runs late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
A big “attaboy” for Cal Quantrill, who is doing solid work filling in for Jack Leiter in the rotation. Quantrill gave up a single run, on a Yordan Alvarez home run, in six innings of work.
Quantrill isn’t striking out a bunch of guys — he had just one K on Friday. He isn’t missing a ton of bats — he generated just two swings and misses against the Astros out of 79 pitches, which is a remarkably low rate of bat missing.
But somehow he’s managed to get guys out and keep the Rangers in games.
Jordan Montgomery’s return isn’t far off — it looks like he should be back by the end of the month — and at that point, if everyone is healthy (big ol’ if, I know), Quantrill goes back to the pen. Hopefully he can give the Rangers another start or two like this before he goes back to the long relief role.
With a bullpen that was without Jacob Latz, who had thrown 41 pitches the night before, Skip Schumaker turned to Chris Martin for the seventh inning. Martin allowed a bloop single by LaMonte Wade, Jr., an extremely hard hit line drive right to Evan Carter for an out by Cam Smith, and then a crushed home run down the left field line by Yainer Diaz to tie the game. After a routine fly out, Martin was pulled for Cole Winn, who ended up retiring all four batters he faced in the game.
Martin’s ERA is now up to 8.31 on the season. He has a 7.40 xERA and 6.57 FIP. Fortunately, this has been in only 13 innings over 15 games, because Martin has had a couple of stints on the injured list.
The Rangers could really use Good Chris Martin, given the raggedy nature of the current bullpen. That version of Chris Martin may not be coming back, though. Martin, I imagine, is going to get some more rope, if only because there aren’t any real viable options to replace him right now. But the trade deadline is looming, the Rangers will likely be shopping for relievers if they stay in the playoff hunt, and Martin’s roster spot will be danger if he doesn’t turn things around, quick.
Fortunately, the Rangers beat up on Astros reliever Bryan King, allowing us not to dwell on the Chris Martin situation.
King came into the game with a 2.03 ERA in 38 appearances on the season. He had a nine game scoreless streak going, and had allowed just one run since Joc Pederson homered off of him on May 27 in some lefty-on-lefty violence.
The Rangers blew his ERA all the way up to 2.85, thanks to Wyatt Langford leading off the inning against him with a home run, and Jake Burger hitting a three run homer later in the inning.
That’s 15 home runs in 8 games this month for the Rangers.
I like it when the Rangers hit home runs.
I also like it when Wyatt Langford is healthy. He’s now slashing .276/.324/.506 on the season, with a 1.9 bWAR in just 42 games played. That’s an MVP caliber level of performance if its done over a full season.
Cal Quantrill hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball hit 94.8 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.2 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball topped out at 91.6 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s homer was 108.6 mph. Joc Pederson’s home run was 107.7 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.2 mph double. Josh Jung had a 104.4 mph single. Jake Burger’s home run was 101.0 mph.
James Wood
Chase DeLauter
Ben Rice
