Baseball News
Oh yeah, it’s even on ESPN! You know baseball’s getting close when spring training games start popping up on national networks. First pitch is at 1:05 PM.
It’s not the most interesting spring lineup you could see, but it’s nice to get more looks at Kristian Campbell in center and Caleb Durbin in general. And, anyway, it’s against the Yankees, which is always a little more fun, even when they’re playing in the shadow of palm tress.
Hey, in addition to y’know, the whole Jurickson Profar mess and the exhibition against Team Colombia this afternoon, we’ve got some roster cuts.
Rolddy Munoz gets cut after one official Spring Training outing where he issued three walks while getting two outs. A-yup, that’ll do it. He’s on the 40-man roster, but really needs to figure out that whole oh-so-important control/command thing before he loses that spot.
Garrett Baumann, meanwhile, acquitted himself quite well across two outings, with five strikeouts, zero walks, and a hit batter across 16 batters and four innings of work. He’ll still probably work the same number of “official” Spring Training games either way as the Braves will need arms to complete meaningless innings through the next few weeks, but this is just a formality that he’s not exactly in the running for a roster spot just yet.
Owen Murphy also had two appearances and four innings in “official” games so far, and was kind of between Baumann and Munoz: six strikeouts across 15 batters, but a walk and a homer yielded. The former first-round pick has a lot of potential, but also has a ways to go to factor into the team’s big league plans, as he was hurt for much of 2025 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Still, if he looks good upon returning, the Braves probably won’t hesitate to rocket him up the ladder.
Yesterday was an off day. That made it the “perfect” time for the Jurickson Profar news to break.
Now, we return to something slightly more normal: meaningless March exhibition contests… but with a twist.
You see, the World Baseball Classic starts in earnest tonight, and many of the national teams have today and tomorrow for exhibition-level tune-ups against MLB clubs — albeit those MLB clubs are partially depleted due to WBC participation.
This afternoon, the Braves will tangle with Team Colombia.
Colombia’s squad is a mix of major leaguers, prospects, and guys who aren’t really in affiliated ball.
They do have a number of MLB/former MLB pitchers, including old pal Julio Teheran, but also current MLB starter Jose Quintana. Their scheduled starter for today is Luis Patiño, who was a big-time prospect that couldn’t really stay healthy, and was released by the Padres in the middle of last season after persistent elbow issues and ineffectiveness.
Donovan Solano, Harold Ramirez, and old friend Gio Urshela are other names you might recognize on the Colombian side.
The Braves are starting Elieser Hernandez (for some reason) but have a lineup full of mostly regulars — except that Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies are off with their own WBC teams, and Profar, well, oof.
Good news, everyone: you’ll actually be able to watch today’s spring training game. After an offday on Monday and the first non-televised game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in some time in yesterday’s mercy-rule exhibition against Panama, the Yankees will be live on ESPN in Fort Myers to renew their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox for the first time in 2026.
Luis Gil gets the ball for his third start of the spring and is looking for more consistency. His velo is down, and while this is certainly excusable in February, you’d like to see him hitting 97 more consistently as we get closer to Opening Day, rather than the 94-95 he’s been at. He’s allowed two runs in five innings with five strikeouts and just one walk through his two starts, and we’ll see how long his leash is today after tossing 48 and 52 pitches in his first two starts.
It won’t be a fun first few innings for the ragtag group of Yankees who made the road trip from the already-depleted hitting core due to the World Baseball Classic, as Boston is deploying Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet for his second start of the spring. He won Game 1 of last year’s Wild Card Series with a dominant 7.2-inning effort, and the Yankees considerably struggled against him for much of the five starts he made against the Bombers last year. It’s unclear how long he’ll go, having only thrown 23 pitches and going two shutout innings against the Rays on February 26th.
George Lombard Jr. is leading off and playing shortstop to lead a very young Yankees lineup. Ben Rice is the lone expected starter making the trip and will bat second, followed by Jasson Domínguez, Paul DeJong, and Spencer Jones. We might only see it once, but I’m looking forward to Crochet vs. Jones. Non-roster invites Marco Luciano, Jonathan Ornelas, Payton Henry, and Duke Ellis finish out the starting nine.
Kristian Campbell, who was one of the worst defenders in baseball at second base last year, is leading off and playing center field for Boston. Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer follow him up, as do former Yankees prospects Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narváez. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will also bat seventh and DH.
How to watch
Location: JetBlue Park — Ft. Myers, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: ESPN
Radio broadcast: WEEI 850 (BOS)
Online stream: ESPN Unlimited
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Myles Straw is a 31-year-old, right-handed hitting, center fielder. The Jays traded for him on January 17th, 2025. We got Myles Straw and some international bonus pool money money. At the time we thought/hoped the money would go to Roki Sasaki. Unfortunately, Roki went to the Dodgers and the Jays had to pretend they wanted Straw.
I said, at the time that the fun part of the trade was trying to explain to casual fans that the Jays took Straw to get $3.75 million in international bonus money. A casual fan knows that $3.75 million isn’t much money in baseball terms. But explaining that international bonus money is a different kind on money takes many many words (and pictures, sock puppets…..). I’ll never get that time back.
Straw had played 152 games for the Guardians with a 2.7 bWAR in 2022. Then 147 games with a 0.9 bWAR in 2023 and then 7 games with a bWAR that no one would care about because he only played 7 games in 2024.
Straw made $6.4 million last year, will make $7.4 million this season and has options for the next two seasons, with buyouts for $2.25 million. I only list that because the Jays aren’t going to pick up the options. They may decide they want to keep him but they will decline the options and try to sign him for less.
Surprisingly, to me at least, Straw ended up on the Jays active roster and stayed there through the season.
And he was good. Very good really. He hit .262/.313/.367 with 4 home runs, and 12 stolen bases. But most of his value was from his defense. FanGraphs has him at a +9 outs above average. That 9 outs above average puts him 10th in the MLB among outfielders, and every one above him had many more defensive innings. Several of them more than 50% more innings.
Of course, Daulton Varsho missed a lot of playing time and Straw played more center field that I’d expect him to this year. I’m hoping Varsho doesn’t have to miss half the season with injuries. I’m expecting Straw to play far less.
Steamer thinks Straw will only play in 40 games this year and hit .231/.294/.310 with 1 home run and 5 steals for a 0.1 fWAR. That would have been a fair estimate last year, had Varsho not been injured. I have no clue how much playing time Straw will get this year. We are deep in outfielders. So deep that I have a hard time figuring how the team can keep Nathan Lukes on the roster. And I like Lukes a lot more than I like Straw.
Do you use Straw as the right-handed side of a platoon with Varsho in center? Do you use Straw as a fifth outfielder?
Right now the Jays have Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Jesús Sánchez, Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes and George Springer available to play outfield. Who do you drop to give playing time to Straw?
One of MLB's most beloved voices is going to be amplified even more this season.
Detroit Tigers lead broadcaster Jason Benetti is expanding his already expansive portfolio, as he has been tapped by NBC as the play-by-play commentator for its new edition of "Sunday Night Baseball." The network is serving as the new home of "Sunday Night Baseball" after 36 years on ESPN from its inception in 1990.
While Benetti is known as the face of the Tigers booth alongside Andy Dirks, sports fans in general would recognize his voice. He has done college football and basketball games on Fox, along with some NFL. The former voice of the Chicago White Sox, Benetti joined the Tigers for the 2024 season after Jerry Reinsdorf and the White Sox saw him leave after eight seasons.
Known for his loose commentary style and lighthearted approach to sports, Benetti is a fan-favorite because he sounds like a fan. He will debut Thursday, March 26 when the Diamondbacks play the Dodgers.
Benetti's television career started by hustling out of ESPN. After a smattering of radio gigs, he started to call some college basketball and football games with the network.
In 2016, Benetti joined the White Sox alongside Steve Stone, and became the full-time voice after the retirement of the legendary Hawk Harrelson in 2019. Benetti's free, bantering approach paired with Stone's dry wit and incredible analysis to make the White Sox one of the most popular booths in baseball. In 2023, however, Benetti left the White Sox due to a strained relationship with the front office, specifically Brooks Boyer.
"I had somebody say to me when I asked for more respect – and basically demanded more respect just in the way I was being treated – they said, 'Respect according to normal human beings, or respect according to Jason Benetti?'" Benetti said on the "Sports Media With Richard Deitsch" podcast after he left. "That is one of those things that I say, that’s disqualifying and will be for a long time. I’ll have a relationship, but I don’t want to do that long-term."
Benetti has since worked with the Detroit Tigers as their leading voice, while also calling college basketball, college football and NFL games on Fox. Benetti is likely to call other sports with NBC as well.
Benetti is still expected to call games for the Tigers this season, which will be produced under the MLB Media umbrella after the folding of the FanDuel network.
In a statement from NBC, Benetti talked about what to expect from the new iteration of "Sunday Night Baseball."
"I am thrilled to be rejoining the NBC Sports family," he said. "Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and the whole team at NBC all have a deep appreciation for live sports. It’s a true honor to be part of the dawn of 'Sunday Night Baseball' at NBC Sports. Each week is going to be a new, unique experience with analysts who all have different viewpoints on the game of baseball."
Benetti is expected to work with a rotation of partners.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jason Benetti takes over as 'Sunday Night Baseball' lead on NBC
It’s looking increasingly likely that the deal that sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros for Wilyer Abreu will be remembered not only as Chaim Bloom’s best trade during his tenure at the helm of the Red Sox, but as one of the best trade’s in recent baseball memory. Abreu has already won two Gold Gloves and isn’t that far off from making the all-star team; he could do so as early as this year and it wouldn’t be all that surprising. On the other side of the deal, Vazquez has compiled a total of -0.1 bWAR for the Astros and Twins since the trade. And to make matters worse for Vazquez, now he doesn’t even have a place on a Major League roster as we enter the 2026 season. But he’ll be playing for Puerto Rico in the WBC, and he hopes he can parlay that into a job somewhere. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Speaking of trades between the Astros and Red Sox, Isaac Paredes trade chatter is back in the news cycle. While the Sox are seemingly comfortable with their outfield surplus, the Astros infield surplus is said to be “untenable,” with the team continuing to explore a move to clear the logjam and bring in a lefty bat. The Sox and Astros haven’t been in contact for a couple of weeks now, but they had engaged in “thorough discussions” about Isaac Paredes earlier in the offseason and the Astros reportedly may try to rekindle things. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
Of course you wouldn’t think the Sox had an outfield surplus based on the spring training lineups they’ll be running out over the coming weeks. All four of the team’s primary outfielders (that’s right, we still got four starting outfielders!) will be participating in the World Baseball Classic, along with the team’s maybe-DH/maybe-outfielder Masataka Yoshida. That’s going to make it hard for Alex Cora to fill out the lineup, but it’s also going to create some spring opportunities for guys like Braiden Ward. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Team Brazil has a connection to the Red Sox as well. Angels minor leaguer Lucas Ramirez will be suiting up for the baseball version of the Canarinho, but his father once took the field for the Dominican Republic. That’s because his father is Manny Ramirez. (Martín Gallegos, MLB.com)
And finally some injury news. Carlos Narvaez was scratched from the game with back spasms yesterda, but it’s nothing serious and he plans on playing this afternoon. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
First Pitch (CT):12:05
TV: Twins.TVand MLB.TV (FREE)
Radio: Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Go on vacation to Puerto Rico or something
What to watch: The three backup SS options are all in the lineup as they fight for the Twins’ final roster spot. Gray at SS, Arcia at 3B, and Kreidler in RF. Also, Willi Castro and Christian Vazquez make their grand returns to Fort Myers (which many poeple call the Minneapolis of Florida).
| Twins | Puerto Rico |
| SP: Zebby Matthews | SP: TBD |
| 1. Austin Martin, LF | 1. Willi Castro, 2B |
| 2. Kody Clemens, 2B | 2. Heliot Ramos, LF |
| 3. Josh Bell, 1B | 3. Nolan Arenado, DH |
| 4. Royce Lewis, DH | 4. Carlos Cortes, RF |
| 5. Alan Roden, CF | 5. Emmanuel Rivera, 1B |
| 6. Orlando Arcia, 3B | 6. Christian Vazquez, C |
| 7. Tristan Gray, SS | 7. Edwin Arroyo, SS |
| 8. Alex Jackson, C | 8. Matthew Lugo, CF |
| 9. Ryan Kreidler, RF | 9. Luis Vazquez, 3B |
The Pittsburgh Pirates have landed themselves a generational kind of player in rising star Konnor Griffin. In Spring Training so far, Griffin has been very impressive and is being compared to players of the past who made their MLB debuts with roughly the same amount of inexperience and youth in their professional careers.
At just 19-years-old and only one professional season under his belt, Griffin is looking to do what very few have done and that’s make an MLB opening day roster as a teenager. The Mississippi native has already found himself in a small group of players with the kind of hype that he has generated, but he’s in line to be in an even smaller fraternity if he can crack the Major League level this season.
Over the last 40 years, there has only been four players to see time on a big league roster as a teenager and with so little experience in the Minor League ranks. Those four players are Ken Griffey Jr., Bryce Harper, Alex Rodriguez and Juan Soto. All four of those players were highly touted in their respective draft classes and have gone on to become all-time greats in the game of baseball, and now Konnor Griffin has a real shot at being mentioned in this rarified group.
The most notable of this group is without a doubt Griffey Jr. who made the Seattle Mariner’s opening day roster at 19-years-old in 1989 after being drafted first overall in 1987. “The Kid” went on to have one of the most storied careers of any player in MLB history amassing 10 Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and was a 10 time All-Star and was the AL MVP 1997.
Bryce Harper was one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball history and ended up dropping out of high school after his sophomore year to play college baseball at Southern Nevada. Regarded as a true five-tool player Harper primarily played catcher but was drafted first overall as an outfielder by the Washington Nationals in 2010 in an effort to maximize his talents and get him to the Major League roster faster. It took little time for Harper to make an impact in Washington as he spent just one season in the Minor Leagues before being promoted to the majors in 2012. Harper is one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball and is an eight time All-Star selection, a two time NL MVP, was the NL Rookie of the Year and is a four time Silver Slugger.
Perhaps the most controversial player of this fraternity is Alex Rodriguez. After being drafted first overall in 1993, Rodriguez made his professional debut in 1994. On July 8, 1994 Rodriguez would make his MLB debut as an 18-year-old. At the time he was just the third 18-year-old shortstop in MLB since 1900 and was the youngest player to ever suit up for Seattle. He remains as the last 18-year-old to play in an MLB game. “A-Rod” became a World Series champion with the New York Yankees in 2009 and is also the recipient of the most Hank Aaron Awards with four. His history with PEDs will likely keep him out of Cooperstown but there is no doubt he is one of the most successful baseball players of all time, especially considering he made his MLB debut at just 18.
The most recent draftee of this group (so far) is Juan Soto. The Dominican superstar was signed by the Washington Nationals in July 2015 and made his professional debut in 2016. When Soto made his MLB debut in 2018 he was the youngest player in the majors at 19-years-old and was the first player born in 1998 to appear in an MLB game. Even at a young age Soto was a feared hitter. He became the youngest player since Griffey Jr. to be intentionally walked in a game and was the youngest player in Nationals history to hit a home run. Soto became a World Series champion with Washington in 2019 and is a six time Silver Slugger Award winner. Soto signed the largest contract in professional sports history during free-agency in 2025.
Griffin has one minor league season under his belt in which he was very impressive. Baseball America named him the top Minor League player of the year in 2025 and a Minor League All-Star. USA Today named Griffin the top Minor League player of the year as well. He was also named a Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove award recipient. Griffin finished the 2025 season with a slash line of .333/.415/.527 to go along with a .942 OPS, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. Now in just six Spring Training games Griffin is the first teenager to have three homers in a single Spring in at least 20 years.
On paper, this is the best looking Pirates team in at least a decade if not longer, and Griffin could certainly be a player that puts them over the top. If he doesn’t make the opening day roster, there is a strong probability that he’ll still make his MLB debut in 2026, and if he’s half as good as any of the other aforementioned players, the league is going to have to recognize that the future of baseball has a name; that name is Konnor Griffin.
The Houston Astros (1-6-3) travel to Sarasota to take on the Baltimore Orioles (5-4-1) in Grapefruit League action.
LHP Colton Gordon will make his third appearance of the Spring for the Astros, while RHP Shane Baz will take the mound for the Orioles.
TODAY’S STARTER: LHP Colton Gordon is coming off a productive rookie season, where he recorded a 5.34 ERA (51ER/86IP) in 20 games, including 14 starts for the Astros. Entered the 2025 season as the one of the Astros top pitching prospects and finished the 2025 season with the third most starts in the Astros rotation. Among AL rookies in 2025, he ranked first in walks per nine innings (1.99) and first in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.79).
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP AJ Blubaugh, RHP Alimber Santa and RHP Miguel Ullola.
CAMP BY THE NUMBERS: The Astros have 61 players in camp, including a full 40-man roster and 21 non-roster invitees. 34 pitchers, seven catchers, 11 infielders and nine outfielders.
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, March 4, 12:05 p.m. CST
Location: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL.
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2
Today we look at one of the Cubs’ camp arms, who might, MIGHT have a shot at the MLB bullpen. It’s up to him.
Jack Preston Neely came to the Cubs, along with on again/off-again Cub Ben Cowles, for Mark Leiter Jr. He’s got a live arm but tends to walk himself into trouble. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. He’s pitched a total of six innings for the Cubs during the regular season, resulting in a 9.00 ERA, 7 strikeouts, and a 1.67 WHIP.
In his MLB career, he’s pitched to a 4.85 ERA in 10 games, with one save, one hold, 9.1 innings pitched, 15 strikeouts, and 6 bases on balls. He’s given up 11 hits and two home runs, including statistics from this spring, where he hasn’t pitched badly or at length.
The 25-year-old 6’8”, 240 pound right-hander was picked in the 11th round of the 2021 draft by NYY from Ohio State. Neely was an Organization All-Star and a Post-Season All-Star for the Hudson Valley Renegades, a High-A affiliate of the Yankees. Other than his cups of coffee with the Yankees and Cubs, that’s pretty much a career retrospective.
He’s amassed a 0.2 bWAR (0.1 fWAR). Some projection systems have him reaching The Show this year, pitching in a few games, following the line of his career statistics. He’ll get some Ks, give up bases on balls and homers, and not really affect things one way or the other.
Not that he doesn’t have talent, but it’s never been harnessed to his advantage, due to his generosity with the free pass and the meatball. Another pitch would probably help. He throws a fastball in the mid-90s and a slider that runs about 85. Good disparity that a change or curve could set up admirably. His FB doesn’t have a lot of movement, so despite its velocity, batters wait on it and avoid the fast-breaking slider, which has a 35.5 inch vertical drop but not much lateral movement.
Neely is more or less a right-handed complement to Luke Little. Both are getting into the suspect class, but in the meantime, as they try to make The Show, both should remember the words of Ken Kesey.
“You’re either on the bus, or you’re off the bus.”
Mariners fans, do you smell that in the air? Fresh cut grass, hot dogs fresh off the grill, it’s the signs that another spring training is here and the baseball season is on the horizon. While the Seahawks kept me happy this winter, my one true love is finally coming out of hibernation; baseball season is here!
Now that spring training is finally in full swing, we can ask about what you all think so far. There’s been no shortage of exciting performances, fun at-bats, or eye-popping velocity from Mariners prospects so far this spring. Yes, it seems the Mariners have come to play with solid outings from top prospects like Cole Young, all the way to veteran players looking for a second act like Patrick Wisdom. The Mariners’ farm system seems ripe for harvest at a time when this team seems to be on the precipice of something great. I’m excited, but what I wanna hear from you is who has impressed you so far this spring? I know it’s difficult to say, obviously, you don’t watch every game, you can’t see every play, and as I’ve stated before, I can’t list every option in the survey, but let us know via the survey below who you think has been the most impressive so far this spring. If you feel compelled to shout out a player who you don’t see here, feel free to do so in the comments!
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mariners fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Though it’s not just the regular season that’s around the corner, the return of competitive baseball will actually be the World Baseball Classic! As you may remember, a couple of weeks ago, I asked you all what Mariner you thought would do the best in the tournament. The results were unsurprising, to me at least:
I will say it’s a little tough for Muñoz to be in this poll because he is a relief pitcher, but I wanted to include players from different nations, and at least one pitcher, and it wouldn’t have felt right leaving out Cal or Julio. I can’t say I disagree with the poll’s findings either. As I said previously, I’m hopeful Julio can light it up for the DR and come out hot for the Mariners. I am surprised Cal didn’t do better. One would think, after last season, he could get a huge wave of support in terms of consistency of performance, but I guess the Dumper doesn’t have the mesmerizing effect I thought – or maybe our poll voters are bigger believers in the DR team’s chances? Let us know, was Julio your choice? Do you think Cal is gonna light up the whole tournament? Or do you have a dark horse pick you have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to talk about? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Yesterday Great Britain played in their first tune-up game for the World Baseball Classic. That meant we got to see Harry Ford in a Great Britain jersey. Ford, who has British parents, has represented the country for a while and will do so again at the WBC. In the last WBC, Ford rose to the occasion, and he will look to do so again.
If the first exhibition against the Brewers is a sign of things to come, Ford will have a big tournament. He had three hits, including a homer in the game yesterday. While there was no video of the homers, the Nats got some photos of Ford rounding the bases. It was his first homer of the spring.
The Nats acquired Ford in a trade that sent Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners. Despite being one of the best catching prospects in baseball, Ford was blocked in Seattle due to the presence of Cal Raleigh. That made the Mariners open to trading the 71st ranked prospect for a reliever. Ford has a well rounded offensive profile that is led by his strong plate discipline. His power and contact skills are just average, but his great eye makes him a potentially above average hitter.
While Ford has been a good player in the minors over the years, he seems to rise to a new level when he puts on that Great Britain jersey. The last World Baseball Classic was Ford’s coming out party. Despite just turning 20, Ford was one of Britain’s top players in 2023. His signature moment was a clutch home run against Colombia in pool play. Ford actually hit two homers during pool play.
With another home run yesterday, it really seems like Ford brings the boom when he represents the UK. While Ford was the young kid on the team in 2023, he will be playing a leadership role for Great Britain this time around. He is the co-captain of the team, alongside Yankees star Jazz Chisholm. The fact he is able to play a leadership role at 23 years old is very impressive and speaks to his high character.
It is not like Britain is full of no-name players either. There are several big leaguers or former big leaguers on the roster. Many of those guys are older than Ford, but it was the new Nats catcher who became captain.
An interesting wrinkle in all of this is that Ford is leaving camp in the middle of a positional battle. Ford is battling with Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Ruiz has actually hit well this spring, though his defense has been shaky. Millas has also been solid, so leaving camp could cost him a job. However, a big WBC could force the Nats into considering him for the starting job.
I hope Ford wins the starting job, and if he does not, I want him to get an opportunity pretty quickly. The Nats need new blood behind the plate, and that is why they traded for Ford in the first place. Keibert Ruiz has had chance after chance, but he has not been able to establish himself as a productive starter. Ford should get that chance sooner rather than later.
Given his performances in a Great Britain jersey, Ford seems poised for a big WBC. Hitting on the biggest stage would put a positive shine on him in this catcher battle. After his big day yesterday, I joked that Ford turns into Buster Posey when he puts that Great Britain jersey on.
The Nats only have a couple representatives at this WBC, and Ford is the most notable one. That means Nats fans’ eyes will be on the young catcher. Harry Ford seems like a young man who rises to the occasion, and he will have the opportunity to show that clutch gene again in the WBC. It would be very cool if he could lead the Brits on a Cinderella run in the WBC.
Jonathan Pintaro went undrafted out of high school and spent five seasons at Shorter University, D2 school in the Gulf South Conference located in Rome, Georgia, without being selected by a Major League Baseball team. The 24-year-old still had the passion for baseball and refused to let his dream die, signing with the Glacier Range Riders of the Pioneer League for the 2023 season. Still, he had no takers. With his dream holding on by a thread, he decided to return to Glacier Range for the 2024 season. He made three appearances, all starts, posting a 4.40 ERA in 14.0 innings, with 13 hits allowed, 1 walk 1, and 23 strikeouts, and finally found a suitor. On June 3, 2024, the New York Mets officially signed Pintaro to a minor league contract.
The right-hander was assigned to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and pitched in Coney Island for two months, making 7 starts and 9 total appearances with a 2.50 ERA in 36.0 innings, allowing 28 hits, walking 14, and striking out 35. He was promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies in late July and was just as effective in the two months he was there, making 7 starts and posting a 3.18 ERA in 34.0 innings with 26 hits allowed, 10 walks, and 34 strikeouts. He was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse for his final start of the season, throwing four scoreless innings there, and posted a 2.68 ERA in 74.0 innings on the season in totality, allowing 58 hits, walking 28, and striking out 75.
Following the conclusion of the season, the Mets sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he allowed 4 earned runs in 10.1 innings, good for a 3.48 ERA, with 9 hits allowed, 6 walks, and 10 strikeouts.
He began the 2025 season with Binghamton and once again put up solid results. In 42.1 innings over eleven starts, the right-hander posted a 3.40 ERA with 32 hits allowed, 15 walks, and 57 strikeouts. On June 24, Pintaro was promoted to Triple-A, and a day later, the New York Mets selecting his contract, showing that perseverance does pay off; almost a year to the day prior, he had been pitching in Kalispell, Montana in front of roughly 2,000 people; now, he would be pitching in front of almost twenty times that amount in the capital of the world.
It was expected that Pintaro would pitch out of the Mets’ bullpen and the big 6’3”, 235-pound right-handed did exactly that; he appeared in a single game against the Atlanta Braves on June 25, coming out of the bullpen in the ninth inning of a 7-1 lead, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in 0.2 innings. He was optioned back down to Triple-A Syracuse and remained there for the remainder of the season, posting a 5.27 ERA in 39.2 innings over 17 games, five of which were starts.
Pintaro did not exactly impress in his brief MLB cup-of-coffee, nor did he put up particularly good numbers with the Syracuse Mets for the rest of the season, but as the Mets identified when they signed him out of the Pioneer League in 2024, the right-hander has the stuff to get MLB outs when he has his stuff working. The right-hander throws fastballs nearly 75% of the time, mixing in a high-spin cutter, a mid-90s fastball, and a low-90s sinker. He supplements those pitches with a mid-to-high-80s changeup that gives him a north-south option and a low-to-mid-80s sweeping slider that gives him a horizontal option.
Already on the 40-man roster with remaining options, Pintaro has an outside shot of making the major league bullpen if he is really impressive during spring training, but odds are, he will be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the year and will be one of a handful of internal starting or bullpen options the team can activate with when and if the need arises.
An outstanding hitter who started his career as a pitcher is involved in a trade between the Yankees and Red Sox. While this statement could be used to outline the career of the legendary Babe Ruth, it also rings true for the not-nearly-as-renowned Lefty O’Doul — a talented player in his own right and the next individual in our Birthday Series.
Francis Joseph “Lefty”O’Doul
Born: March 4, 1897 (San Francisco, CA)
Died: December 7, 1969 (San Francisco, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 1919-20, 1922
The San Francisco Giants are such a storied franchise in baseball that for those born around the turn of the century and even a bit older, it’s difficult to imagine a version of MLB without a team in the Bay Area. That being said, before the Dodgers and Giants moved to California in the late-1950s, there was still quality baseball played out in San Francisco. Few people could attest to that quite in such rich fashion as Lefty O’Doul, a late-blooming, MLB star and a legend of the San Francisco Seals, the Pacific Coast League team for which he played and managed.
Hardcore MLB trivia enthusiasts might know O’Doul as the record holder for most runs allowed in a single relief appearance, but his career went far beyond that curious bit of minutiae. If you’re curious about that specific game, back when he pitched for the Red Sox in 1923, O’Doul gave up an absurd 16 runs against Cleveland—only three of them earned due to a plethora of errors, which, of course, didn’t take the sting off that much.
Following his career in chronological order, O’Doul started out as a pitcher for the aforementioned Seals of the PCL and moved to the Des Moines Boosters, where he caught the eye of Yankee as a 20-year-old pitcher. O’Doul made the Yankees team in 1919 and spent a couple of seasons with the team, receiving minimal opportunities as a relief pitcher, failing to reach even 10 innings pitched in the two seasons. New York won 95 games in 1920 but still fell three short of Cleveland in the race for the American League pennant. In 24.2 innings for the Yanks from 1919-22, he had a 3.65 ERA and looked the part of a pitcher at the plate at .243/.282/.297 with a 55 OPS+.
New York made its first World Series in 1921 while O’Doul was farmed back to the Seals, and he appeared in eight games for the team that repeated as American League champs in ’22 (falling to the Giants in an all-Polo Grounds Wolrd Series in both years). O’Doul wasn’t around for the end of the latter year either, as he was shipped off to Boston in September of ’22 as the player-to-be-named-later of a July package deal that had seen the Yankees acquire Joe Dugan and Elmer Smith. In Boston, O’Doul struggled heavily the following year, allowing a 1.887 WHIP in a little over 50 innings pitched, playing for a team that finished 61-92-2.
Struggling to cope with the demands of pitching, O’Doul went back to the Pacific Coast League to try his hand at hitting. He hadn’t hit much in the majors for Boston, but in 1921 with the Seals, he’d caught eyes with a .338 average and a .529 slugging percentage in 75 games. Over a four-year stretch beginning in 1924 with the Salt Lake City Bees, he made a complete mockery of PCL pitching, never finishing the year with a batting average lower than .338, accruing over 2,500 PA across those four seasons in the California sun with Salt Lake City, Hollywood, and San Francisco. O’Doul hit .392 in ’24 and .378 in ’27, finishing runner-up for the batting crown in both seasons (the former by mere percentage points). Those superb averages and a 33-homer campaign in ’27 were a sign of things to come for O’Doul.
Picked up by the Giants after those outstanding numbers with the Seals in 1927, O’Doul hit the ground running in the bigs, managing a .319 average in a little under 400 plate appearances. Perhaps still a bit unsure of what exactly they had in this 31-year-old who had reinvented his career as a hitter, the Giants flipped O’Doul to the Phillies for Freddy Leach in a straight-up swap after 1928, one they’d come to regret.
O’Doul broke out as one of the game’s top players in 1929, finishing as the NL MVP runner-up and coming within an inch of hitting .400. O’Doul’s .398 average wasn’t all made of singles either; in fact, far from it. The San Francisco native hit 33 home runs and only missed out on the MVP award due to the magnificent efforts of the great Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby, who played for a far superior Cubs team that managed to make it all the way to the Fall Classic, a particularly meaningful distinction during that period. But O’Doul won the NL batting title and also led the Senior Circuit with a .465 OBP and the majors with a staggering 254 hits. That was just three knocks shy of George Sisler’s MLB record 257 in 1920 and remains third in MLB history behind only Sisler and 2004 Ichiro (262).
O’Doul took a couple of steps back, but remained a great player in 1930. As his team got worse, Philadelphia flipped him to the Brooklyn Robins, where he’d spend the next two-plus seasons, further cementing his legacy as a great hitter, including a top-three MVP finish in 1932, when he won his second and final batting title at .368.
As if in a twist of fate, O’Doul would get moved once again, this time back to Giants in June 1933. Hall of Fame Giants skipper John McGraw had retired the previous year, but he was enlisted to manage the first-ever NL All-Star team on July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park, and he named O’Doul to the inaugural roster. (He grounded out as a pinch-hitter.) At age-36, O’Doul also got to play in his first Fall Classic that fall, and he singled to drive in two runs during his only at-bat as the Giants beat the Washington Senators in five to win the World Series.
O’Doul retired as a productive hitter in 1934, finishing that year with a .908 OPS in 197 PA. The left-hander walked away with an outstanding .349 career big-league batting average and .945 OPS in over 3,000 at-bats, having debuted as a full-time hitter in the majors after turning 30. It still stands as one of the more remarkable career comebacks in MLB history (with his career providing part of the inspiration for Roy Hobbs in “The Natural,” alongside Eddie Waitkus). Outside of the controversial Shoeless Joe Jackson, O’Doul has the highest average of any big-league regular not already enshrined in Cooperstown. He appeared on 10 different ballots from 1948-62 and again on Veterans Committee ballots in 2007 and 2022, most recently coming seven votes shy of induction in ’22.
Upon his retirement, O’Doul moved back to the Bay Area, where he managed the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific League for nearly two decades. There, he led his hometown team to six Pacific Coast League championships, including four in a row between 1943-46.
During his successful period at the helm of the Seals, O’Doul developed perhaps his most notable Yankee connection, working with a young center fielder by the name of Joe DiMaggio. The future “Yankee Clipper” had already agreed to join New York for 1936, but his final season with the Seals corresponded with O’Doul’s first as their skipper, and he hit an O’Doul-esque .398.
While the lack of a larger sample ultimately prevented O’Doul from joining Cooperstown, he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (the Lefty O’Doul Bridge near Oracle Park is named in his memory), the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame, and in 2002, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. On top of his fascinating career on the field, O’Doul, who served in the United States Army, played a key role in helping baseball grow in Japan with several tours throughout the country to help promote the sport. O’Doul helped name their oldest and most successful pro team, the Yomiuri Giants, upon their founding in 1934. The club that would one day star the likes of Sadaharu Oh and Hideki Matsui retain the MLB Giants’ orange, black, and white colors to this day.
O’Doul’s first trip to Japan was back in 1931 as part of a group that included Lou Gehrig and Lefty Grove, and he returned at least 10 times for extended visits throughout the rest of his life — including a meaningful trip in 1949 to help thaw relations between Japan and the U.S. following the all-around devastation of World War II.
O’Doul lived long enough to see his Giants come to him, as the New York club moved west in 1958 to become the San Francisco Giants. They played their first two seasons in his old stomping grounds of Seals Stadium, and O’Doul led his last exhibition tour in 1960 when he brought the Giants to Japan. At the end of the decade, he passed away due to a stroke at age 72. He’s a somewhat-forgotten name today in New York baseball circles, but the ripple effects he had on baseball in San Francisco and Japan will last forever.
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