Category: Baseball

Baseball News

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Mets Daily Prospect Report, 6/12/26: Senga’s rehab start goes well

Kodai Senga #34 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (34-32)

BUFFALO 3, SYRACUSE 1 (BOX)

Tobias Myers started this game and went two-and-two-thirds innings before reliever Matt Turner finished the third inning. And then Jack Wenninger pitched the remainder of the game, giving up all three of Buffalo’s runs in his five innings of work. The Syracuse lineup didn’t get much going.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (23-37)

SOMERSET 3, BINGHAMTON 1 (BOX)

Kodai Senga’s rehab start was his best one thus far during this rehab assignment, as he went six innings, gave up just one run on one hit, struck out five, and walked one. Unfortunately, Binghamton’s bats didn’t do much, and the two runs that the bullpen allowed were all Somerset needed to beat them.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (23-36)

FREDERICK 3, BROOKLYN 2 (BOX)

The Cyclones led 1-0 and 2-1 in this one, but a pair of late runs allowed by the bullpen turned the game in Frederick’s favor. Cyclones starter Nicolas Carreno struck out nine and walked two, allowing just one run in six innings of work.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (27-33)

ST. LUCIE 2, PALM BEACH 0 (BOX)

Thanks to an excellent night from the St. Lucie pitching staff, a two-run fifth inning was all the team needed for a win.

Rookie: FCL Mets (11-15)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

DSL Mets

DSL METS BLUE 6, DSL METS ORANGE 3 (BOX)

DSL METS ORANGE

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Kodai Senga

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Elian Peña

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Guardians News: Espino Called Up, Nolan Jones Traded

GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 12: Daniel Espino #66 of the Cleveland Guardians poses for a portrait at Cleveland Guardians Photo Day during 2026 Spring Training at Goodyear Ballpark on February 12, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Guardians have demoted Codi Heuer and promoted Daniel Espino. They also traded Nolan Jones to the White Sox for $250K in international free agency.

It’s quite exciting to think of Espino finally making the big leagues. Zack Meisel has a story out about his arduous journey.

Nolan Jones is not good, but if he is somehow miraculously good with the White Sox, it’ll be time o fire the hitting coaches here.

Meisel has an article on the hitting issues for the Guardians.

The Tigers will start Jack Flaherty vs. Tanner Bibee tonight at 7:10PM, Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo on Saturday at 4:10PM and probably Casey Mize vs. Gavin Williams on Sunday at 1:40PM. Feels like a very important series right now. The Guardians are on a four-game losing streak.

AROUND MLB:

The Tigers destroyed the Twins and the Royals lost to the Rangers.

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Braves News: Postponement in Chicago, mock draft, and more

The Atlanta Braves were unable to seek a win on Thursday evening, as the series finale against the Chicago White Sox was a washout. The game will be made up on August 20th at 2:10 ET. 

The road trip has continued to New York, where the Braves face the Mets in a three-game series. First pitch is set for Friday night at 7:15 ET.

More Braves News:

MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft has new names connected to the Braves.

Isaiah Drake logged two homers and a double in Rome’s win on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap. 

MLB News:

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired outfielder Derek Hill and international bonus pool finds from the Chicago White Sox. In exchange, the Sox received two prospects. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Will Smith on the 10-day injured list due to neck inflammation. 

Kansas City Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel has been placed on the 10-day injured list with plantar fasciitis. An MRI revealed a Grade 3 Plantar Fascia tear. 

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Chicago Cubs history unpacked — June 12

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Damon Buford, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1939 – In front of a record crowd of 23,864 fans at Ruppert Stadium in Newark, NJ, Lou Gehrig plays his last game in a Yankee uniform when he participates in an exhibition contest against the Kansas City Blues, the team’s American Association farm club. The “Iron Horse”, playing only three innings and batting eighth, grounds out weakly to second base in his only at-bat, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

Cubs Birthdays:Hunter Bigge, Aaron Civale, Sean Newcomb, Dallas Beeler, Damon Buford*, Bob Thorpe, Jack Cusick, Otto Knabe, John Stedronsky. Also notable: Bill Foster HOF.

Today in history:

  • 1923 – Harry Houdini frees himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet (12 m) above ground in NYC.
  • 1930 – German boxer Max Schmeling beats Jack Sharkey by disqualification in 4 rounds in NYC for vacant NBA, NYSAC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles; first time title won on a foul.
  • 1931 – Al Capone is indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition violations and perjury.
  • 1979 – Kevin St Onge throws a playing card a record 185 ft-1 inch; record broken in 1992.
  • 1981 – Larry Holmes TKOs Leon Spinks in 3 for WBC heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1987 – US President Ronald Reagan challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin wall.
  • 2008 – Patrick Kane receives the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

Today in music history:

  • 1909 – “Shine On, Harvest Moon” by Ada Jones & Billy Murray hits #1.
  • 1965 – Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours List names The Beatles as MBEs (Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire); dozens of past winners return medals in protest.
  • 1966 – Dave Clark Five sets record as they appear for 12th time on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
  • 1970 – Rocker and blues singer Janis Joplin debuts in Kentucky.
  • 1990 – Mariah Carey‘s self-titled debut album is released.
  • 1993 – “Three Little Pigs” by Green Jelly hits #17.
  • 2008 – Coldplay release their 4th studio album ” Viva la Vida or Death” (winner of 3 Grammys).

*pictured.

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Phillies News: Derek Hill, Jhoan Duran, Cristopher Sánchez

Jun 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A detailed view of the All-Star Game logo on the hat of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Phillies now head to Wisco for a set against the Brewers. I’ve heard that actual Wisconsinites never say “Wisco”. Is that true? As you can tell (or maybe not?) from my use of the term, I am not from Wisconsin.

Onto the links.

Phillies news

The Phillies are going to have some All-Stars for the hometown All-Star Game. But how many?

Look! Who’s over there, cresting that Hill? Why, it’s the newest Phillie.

Jhoan Duran has done a lot of work for the Phillies. Here’s how he keeps himself ready to do it. ($)

Cristopher Sánchez followed in the footsteps of Grover Cleveland Alexander, then surpassed him. ($)

MLB news

Shohei Ohtani left last night’s contest early with an injury…

…and so did Justin Wrobleski.

Tarik Skubal is returning to the Tigers on Saturday.

Aroldis Chapman wants an apology from Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

It’s mock draft season!

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Detroit Tigers head out to face Cleveland Guardians in key 3-game series

The Detroit Tigers wrapped up their homestand on Thursday afternoon with an 11-0 shellacking of the Minnesota Twins to give the team its seventh win in nine tries so far in June. Already, AJ Hinch and Co. have exceeded their win total for May with just under 2/3 of the month remaining.

Not too shabby.

Now, the Motor City Kitties hit the road for another big series against a fellow American League Central rival — the Cleveland Guardians — starting on Friday night at Progressive Field. The Guards have experienced an opposite level of success in June, winning just three of their nine games so far while bringing a four-game losing streak into the weekend that includes a three-game sweep at home against the New York Yankees.

The Tigers will open up with right-hander Jack Flaherty, who was cruising through five innings against the Seattle Mariners last time out before getting knocked out in the sixth. The 30-year-old’s final line saw him surrender three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over five frames in what eventually turned out to be a 5-4 victory for Detroit.

Flaherty last faced Cleveland in the 2025 AL Wildcard series, in which he gave his team 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks while striking out four in a 6-3 team win.

Up against him for the Guardians will be fellow righty Tanner Bibee, who is coming off his best start of the year on the road against the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old gave his team eight frames of shutout ball on three hits and two walks while striking out just three to earn his first and only win of the 2026 campaign.

That effort just barely outdid his previous performance against Detroit this season back on May 20, when he also went eight innings, surrendering just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three. However, the Olde English D ultimately prevailed that day in 10 innings, 3-2.

Take a look below at how the two match up on Friday night.

Detroit Tigers (29-40) vs. Cleveland Guardians (37-33)

Time (ET): 7:10 p.m.
Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 70: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (1-7, 4.09 ERA)

PlayerGIPK%BB%GB%FIPfWAR
Flaherty1462.226.311.331.04.131.0
Bibee1477.019.97.638.24.640.6

FLAHERTY

BIBEE

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Orioles news: O’s split the series with Seattle

BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 11: Andrew Kittredge #39 and Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after the Orioles defeated the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The path to getting there might not have been ideal, but the Orioles salvaged a split with the Mariners in the opening series of their seven-game homestand. The O’s have snapped a four-game losing streak by winning their last two, taking last night’s finale by a 7-5 score. A six-run third inning did the heavy lifting for the Birds, who held on despite Kyle Bradish’s second straight lousy start thanks to a great effort by the bullpen. Check out Alex Church’s recap of all the action.

The O’s are right back where they started the homestand, at four games under .500. It’s not exactly where they want to be. Things could be better. But they could also be worse! #analysis

The Orioles arguably could have won all four games of the series. Both of their losses were by one or two runs, and if just one or two things had gone differently in each game, the O’s could’ve made a huge statement with a sweep of the first-place Mariners. But baseball doesn’t work that way, especially not 2026 Orioles baseball. Even in their almost-wins, they keep making some dumb mistakes, like Blaze Alexander getting thrown out to erase a potential sac fly on Monday, or Gunnar Henderson first-pitch hacking into a groundout with the bases loaded in a tie game in the ninth on Tuesday.

We’ve seen what the Orioles can look like when they’re firing on all cylinders. They’ve got the talent to go on an extended run, but most of the time the biggest obstacle they need to overcome is themselves. The fundamental mistakes — sloppy defense, sloppy baserunning, failures with RISP — are holding them back. If they clean up some of that stuff more consistently, they can certainly make a postseason push in an American League that has very few dominant teams.

For now, the O’s will try to extend their modest winning streak as they welcome the Padres to Camden Yards for the first time since 2024, when San Diego took two of three. The Pads have a winning record overall but have been struggling for a couple of weeks now, just 4-12 in their last 16 games. Their offense in particular has struggled badly, nobody more so than former Oriole Manny Machado, who’s hitting .172 with a .597 OPS.

This series is the Orioles’ for the taking, and a good opportunity for the Birds to inch closer to that elusive .500 mark. Will it happen? It’s hard to predict anything with this team.

Links

Rutschman makes impactful return to lineup, Cowser and Alonso homer, Wells comes to rescue in Orioles’ 7-5 win (updated) – School of Roch

It’s great to have Adley back! But also, uh, what exactly is happening in that photo?

Should Orioles manager Craig Albernaz be more demonstrative with umpires? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

It does seem like Albernaz isn’t particularly expressive with umps when arguing calls. Then again, he is still recovering from taking a baseball off the face a couple months ago. I’d probably be trying to avoid any unnecessary facial movement, too.

Jon Meoli: Cut a year ago by Seattle, Leody Taveras has turned his career around with the Orioles – The Baltimore Banner

Every year it seems there’s some journeyman veteran who makes the O’s roster as an afterthought and ends up being a much bigger contributor than expected. Leody Taveras is that guy.

Pham plans to opt out of Minors deal with O’s (source) – MLB.com

(monotone voice) No. Wait. Don’t go. How will we ever survive?

In his return to majors with the Angels, Trey Mancini authors another comeback story – The Athletic

A great story from Ken Rosenthal about the beloved former Oriole, who just made it back to the majors for the first time since 2023 after nearly retiring earlier this season. I’ll be rooting hard for Trey, and I don’t think I’m the only one.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two former Orioles: Baltimore-born outfielder Damon Buford (56) and catcher Dave Skaggs (75).

On this date in 1986, Orioles DH Juan Beníquez hit three home runs in one game, an especially unlikely feat considering that he hit only six in his entire O’s career. The O’s lost the game anyway, 7-5, to the Yankees.

On this date in 2004, in the first game of a doubleheader at Camden Yards, the Orioles’ Rafael Palmeiro hit his 536th and 537th career homers while the Giants’ Barry Bonds hit his 675th. It marked only the third time in MLB history that two members of the 500-homer club went deep in the same game. Once again, the O’s lost, 9-6, in 11 innings.

Random Orioles game of the day

On June 12, 2006, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays in Toronto, 6-4. Starter Kris Benson delivered a quality start, working six innings and giving up three runs, all of them coming on a pair of Alex Ríos homers. His battery mate, Ramón Hernández, went 3-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle to lead a well-balanced O’s offense. Chris Ray got the save in the ninth despite giving up a homer to former and future Oriole Gregg Zaun. The win improved the O’s to 30-35, but they never got even within five games of .500 again for the rest of the season.

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St. Louis Cardinals Pitching Prospects – A look under the hood at some Low-A guys

Since most of the conversation lately seem to have zigged towards the Nolan Gorman question and somewhat the Riley O’Brien question, I decided to zag in another direction. My curiosity? Of the minor leagues prospects we’ve been watching, who has the most interesting pitch shape metrics (ie. the under the hood stuff)? We seem to be far enough into the season to have built up some stats that can stand up to Small Sample Size (SSS) scrutiny. Since I do the daily down on the Farm Reports, I see the various pitcher usage and line score results every day. That has made me curious about some things that might be going on beyond the line score.

That real-time curiosity met up with a longer-term, nagging deficiency in my knowledge set. It goes like this: Every so often as prospect watcher like @KareemSSN will post an interesting tidbit on a pitcher with stuff I find really cool. He is pretty good at explaining things, but one of things that has frustrated me is I can look at a chart like this and lack the context of what is good, what is bad and what is irrelevant and I have to re-remember all that and I can’t find a reliable source for reference. So I set out to build my own reference, so when something like this pops up, I can open my reference card and interpolate if an SI spin of 2038 with an HB of 13.7 is good, bad or irrelevant. In this case, it’s not great, but very relevant to gauging a Slider’s potential effectiveness.

I’m going to start with a set of numbers similar to what is above, although I can’t help myself and add a few and delete some others. I’m going to pull all the pitch data for our Low-A and AAA pitching prospects and see who has elite level metrics in any of the categories. I will be dropping VREL, Ext and Chase and add in some expected performance measures like xwOBA, xBA, along with actual measures like K and BB rate.

My first crack at this will be to discover which Low-A pitchers have top 10th percentile metrics. This is a “who has a tool that sticks out” kind of question. For those pitchers with a notable metric, I will show a comparison not only to their league, but AAA and MLB standards for the same metric. For fun, I will also include a notable non-Cardinal prospect in the analysis (Seth Hernandez) to give some context to some of the numbers you will see.

A couple of quick notes on the data:

  1. The data comes from Baseball Savant (probably not surprising). The minor league side only has data for Low-A and AAA pitchers, so my research will unfortunately exclude High-A and AA pitchers. We have to wait for Liam Doyle to get to Memphis before we get to look under the hood.
  2. I’d love to use Chase%, but I can not find it in the exported set that comes from Savant. If anyone has any pointers, let me know.
  3. I arbitrarily set a cut off at 50 pitches … any pitcher with less than 50 pitches in that league is excluded. It helped make the data manageable, and also smoothed out most major league rehab pitchers. I’m not comparing prospects to veteran MLB pitchers, I’m comparing them to their peers.
  4. The vertical and horizontal movement ranks are non-intuitive. Whereas a low xBA is good (top 10th percentile) and a high xBA is bad (bottom 10th percentile), when it comes to direction, either extreme can be good, depending on the pitch type. For example, a high positive on the horizontal axis on a Sinker (SI) can produce a top 10th percentile, whereas a high negative on the same axis coupled with a Slider (SL) can produce a bottom 10th percentile result, which is equally good, given the pitch type.

Low-A Metric Leader Board

player_nametotal_pitchespitch_typepitch_percentspin_rateVelocityspin_rate P10Velocity P10K rate P10whiff ratewhiff.rate P10Walk Rate P10Vertical Break (in)Vertical Break P10Horiz break (in)Horiz break P10
Hernandez, Seth371FF48.2240598.441628%3217.44313.881
Hernandez, Seth371SL18.1254389.031171%153.044-0.191
Hernandez, Seth371CH18.1228985.015171%179.59214.555
Hernandez, Seth371CU15.6257481.462173%15-9.686-8.625
Breckheimer, Alex510CU11.8217676.91091022%97-14.7110-7.343
Breckheimer, Alex510FF55.9233493.355322%6117.71310.623
Crossland, Cade784CH31.6225482.718355%297.58318.811
Crossland, Cade784CU11.1238378.188157%11-13.189-9.997
Crossland, Cade784SL7.4216384.4931024%973.0740.661
Cuello, Antoni359FF49.3246195.2331012%10714.98814.51
Cuello, Antoni359SL24.5222483.187145%392.5650.181
Driessen, Dylan315FF54.6223194.594126%4720.3115.5110
Driessen, Dylan315CU23.5276880.234529%51-11.828-8.54
Echeman, Kaden557CU23.5259481.452245%25-15.910-4.772
Jovi Galvez297SI30216994.483328%2914.24415.143
Martinez, Jack783SL36.9246281.3591028%8108.861-6.657
Odle, Jacob584FF28.6243297.131424%5817.5838.875
Odle, Jacob584CU18.8259383.051434%44-11.518-8.65
Shelagowski, Jake601FF55.9223595.882520%8415.68714.21
Shelagowski, Jake601SL23.5216286.191528%811.187-22
Van Dyke, Ty431FF44.5229092.478224%5115.67713.611
Van Dyke, Ty431SL16.7279681.519136%522.26-12.5710
Ynfante, Nelfy358SI38.8216794.383423%4414.71313.966
Young, Ethan514SI30.2235393.834526%3616.57115.472
Young, Ethan514CH20.4208184.926456%195.83617.42
Young, Ethan514FF19.1232893.266917%8118.49212.312

The above table depicts 12 Palm Beach (Low-A) pitches who have at least one pitch metric in the top 10th percentile of their league. These represent the tools the Cardinals have to work with and develop.

The thirteen pitcher is a proxy – Seth Hernandez. If you’ve never heard of him, you will. He is what scouts dream of when it comes to pitch metrics:

  • (FF) Four seam fastball that has top 10th percentile in velo AND horizontal movement
  • (SL) Slider with top tenth percentile in whiff rate and horizontal movement
  • (CH) with top tenth spin rate and whiff rate

With that primer, let’s look at Cardinal Low-A prospects:

  • Alex Breckheimer has elite command with his four seamer w/ a top 10th percentile walk rate.
  • Cade Crossland’s spin rate and horizontal break on his change-up (CH) are top 10th. His curve (CU) has elite whiff rate and elite horizontal break (90th percentile). This is one of those counter-intuitive ones where the large negative number is a great number. In an odd one, his slider (SL) has a really odd outlier horizontal break – it breaks into RH hitters. That will need fixing.
  • Antoni Cuello has top 10th horizontal break on his FF and SL, and has a superior K rate with that slider. It is a put away pitch.
  • Dylan Driessen has top 10th percentile induced vertical break on this 4-seam fastball (FF). I always get this backwards but I think this means it has “ride” or “hop” to it. He also has exceptional command over his slider (SL).
  • Kaden Echemann has an even better curve (CU) that Crossland with 16” of downward break. Memories of Uncle Charlie with this one.
  • Jack Martinez has unusual break on his slider. It doesn’t miss bats, and walks lots of guys, so I don’t see this 10th percentile rating as all that helpful.
  • Jacob Odle carries top tenth percentile on both his FF. He had one of the hardest curves in the league, too, before he advanced to High-A.
  • John Shelagowski has elite horizontal break on his FF and has elite and near-elite characteristics on his slider (SL).
  • Tyler Van Dyke’s FF really rides in on RH batter, with a high K and low walk rate (the velo itself is pedestrian). He also carries very good command characteristics on his SL.
  • Ethan Young carries top tenth percentile characteristics on his SI, CH and FF. Looks a little like Seth Hernandez, huh?

Performance Matters

Stuff (and the underlying metrics which show it) are one thing. Performance is another. Which pitchers (in Low-A Palm Beach) are getting the most out of their stuff? Let’s look more at performance outcomes as see how they rate.

player_namepitch_typepitch_percentxwobaK RateBB RateHardHit%xwOBA P10Hard Hit Rate P10K rate P10Walk Rate P10
Breckheimer, AlexFF55.90.23285.339.582531
Breckheimer, AlexCU11.80.27101014.2972107
Crossland, CadeCH31.60.2442.418.219.235439
Crossland, CadeCU11.10.0877.80251511
Crossland, CadeSL7.40.578.38.337.5107107
Cuello, AntoniFF49.30.357.918.444.4478107
Cuello, AntoniSL24.50.254.513.603119
Driessen, DylanFF54.60.26402028.572217
Driessen, DylanCU23.50.341.206071051
Echeman, KadenFF53.10.3419.823.537.786468
Echeman, KadenCU23.50.2558.16.5306525
Martinez, JackSL36.90.2614.616.721.21621010
Martinez, JackFF30.80.2734.914.327.592125
Odle, JacobFF28.60.3225.623.340.915648
Odle, JacobCU18.80.1548.33.461.5431044
Shelagowski, JakeSL23.50.1634.6035.292651
Shelagowski, JakeCU12.50.3623.814.318.189389
Van Dyke, TyFF44.50.2315.233.331221
Van Dyke, TySL16.70.0854.5001112
Ynfante, NelfySI38.80.2218.89.426.091244
Young, EthanSI30.20.3418.213.643.337856
Young, EthanCH20.40.1541.716.701149
Young, EthanFF19.10.318.74.357.8941091
Young, EthanCU11.90.15601002127

In the above table, you will see many of the same names and pitches, this time with how those pitches are performing in real games. There are few new names, as some guys without top 10th percentile stuff are still getting top tenth percentile results, such as Nelfy Ynfante, who really limits hard contact without any top tier stuff.

Some notes:

  • Crossland’s change and curve perform well. Sure enough, that odd slider does not.
  • Odle’s FF seems to perform a bit worse that the metrics suggest it should.
  • Van Dyke’s command sets him apart.
  • Jack Martinez seems to get more out of his FF that the metrics suggest he should.
  • Ethan Young, with 4 pitches on this chart, should become a name to remember. How many low-A pitchers do you remember that already have 4 average or better offerings?

Summary

So I’m ending this just with Low-A pitchers. Round 2 will include AAA pitchers, in similar format, depending on how commenters react to this first go. This hopefully provides you with some names to watch for, some reasons to watch for them and some explanation about why these guys keep getting used in priority situations.

Closing

Oh, yeah. Remember that cheat sheet I keep looking for to remember what is a really good pitch metric…like for when someone tell us so-and-so’s sinker (SI) breaks arm side 18”. Is that good? Is it elite? Below is an MLB chart and indeed, anything above 17.9” is top tenth percentile. This is for all pitchers in the MLB in 2026.

pitch_typeOBAxBAHardhitTop Spin RateBottom Spin RateWhiff RateK RateWalk RateTop VerticalBottom VerticalTop HorizBottom HorizVelo
FF0.2530.16631.32485213513%34.55.618.512.911.93.691.8
SI0.2610.21126.5238220186%20.02.413.02.217.913.290.8
SL0.1870.14719.32699217420%43.30.05.7-3.5-1.0-8.083.2
CH0.1960.16117.22123131320%36.00.09.1-0.917.511.181.8
ST0.1760.13218.02873226821%43.60.05.6-3.7-10.0-17.478.9
FC0.2630.19022.52623215514%24.30.012.04.50.6-4.886.8
CU0.1870.13417.62879226619%48.20.0-5.2-15.8-3.6-14.275.0
FS0.1950.14916.7170997118%46.40.06.8-0.715.18.082.7
KC0.2000.15126.32794227819%41.30.4-4.2-14.7-2.0-13.278.3
SV0.2450.20722.82856221523%33.00.0-2.2-7.6-5.6-17.280.1
FO0.2410.17427.7107364933%34.93.60.2-2.510.54.182.9
KN0.2640.23240.929929921%29.45.9-1.9-1.91.61.680.5
Contains both pitch shape and performance metrics

One interesting thing I think I see in this data. There really doesn’t seem to be a lot a difference in top tenth pitch metrics (spin rate, horizontal break, etc.) between Low-A and MLB. Is that a reasonable look? That tells me that location, command and sequencing is what they learn coming up the ladder, but the raw materials are pretty much in place in Low-A. Valid observation?

Long-term, I might spiff this up by blanking out more irrelevant columns. For example, percentile rank is not crucial for velocity on a Knuckle Curve. For most breaking/off speed pitches, the offset from the FF/SI is more crucial, as well as the spin direction (which isn’t in the data set, as far as I can tell).

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Bernie’s Dugout Open Thread: 6/12-6/18

Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers had another slightly underwhelming week, as they swept the Rockies in Colorado and won an extra-innings slugfest on Monday night in Las Vegas but ultimately dropped their series with the A’s. Elsewhere in the division, the bottom three teams (Pirates, Cubs, and Reds) struggled, but the Cardinals continue to surprise, as they’ve closed the gap in the division. The Brewers are now back home as they’ll welcome the Phillies and Guardians over the next week.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

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Pirates call up Antwone Kelly ahead of weekend series vs. Marlins

Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Antwone Kelly (89) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates are addressing some season-long problems in the bullpen by calling up number seven prospect Antwone Kelly ahead of this weekend’s series against the Miami Marlins.

The 22-year-old right-hander had a 4.50 ERA and a 1.481 WHIP at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, which are hardly sparkling numbers, but as the team continues to middle along with a 4.45 ERA as a bullpen, some reinforcement arms were needed. He did pitch over 100 innings last year with a 3.02 ERA, which helped his cause.

Kelly has a fastball that reaches triple digits and averages 97.6 mph in the Minors, and he also employs a change-up and a cutter. He began the year in the starting rotation for Indianapolis, but was then moved to the bullpen.

The 20th-ranked Pirates bullpen needs all the help they can get, having two major blowups within the past week, giving up a 10-run inning to the Los Angeles Dodgers and blowing 9-5 eighth inning lead to the Houston Astros. The bullpen seems to be getting worse, not better, which is why some fresh bullpen arms were needed. Whether Aruban native Kelly is part of the answer or not remains to be seen, but we’ll be set to find out this weekend against the Marlins.

The Bucs have three home games against Miami this weekend, playing Friday at 6:40pm, Saturday at 4:05pm and Sunday at 12:15pm. We’ll see Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Paul Skenes taking the mound this weekend as starters. Once we get to the bullpen, there’s a good chance Kelly makes his debut. Stay tuned.

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Today on Pinstripe Alley – 6/12/26

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 09: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run for his first Major League home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Yankees are going to have to pass the “Playing without Aaron Judge Test” repeatedly over the next several weeks, but they’ve passed the initial run. They’ve won five of six since the Captain’s injury was officially announced, with the offense particularly stepping up in a series sweep in Cleveland. The road trip continues with the team’s first visit to Canada this year, where they’ll look to repay the Blue Jays for Toronto’s domination of New York last year.

On the site today, we turn our sights to the Jays, with Matt previewing the three-game set. Later, Sam recaps Thursday’s American League action, and Nick praises the great Hideki Matsui on the occasion of his 52nd birthday. Also, Peter’s sequence of the week highlights Fernando Cruz, and Jeff discusses how Trent Grisham’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 3:07 p.m. EST

TV: YES, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Questions/Prompts:

1. On the occasion of the Yankees visiting Toronto, do you think the Jays are still a major threat to come back in the division? Or do you think they’ve fallen far back enough?

2. Can you think of a baseball analogue to what happened in Game 4 of the NBA Finals?

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John Peck walks off Akron while Brett Callahan homers again; Jack Bushell strikes out 10 for FCL Tigers

St. Paul Saints 1, Toledo Mud Hens 0 (box)

Pitching was sharp on both sides in this one as Sawyer Gipson-Long posted his best start of the season while the Hens were held to four hits.

The right-hander fired five scoreless innings of one-hit ball of his own in this one. Gipson-Long allowed two walks, but he struck out five on the evening. As usual, his slider-changeup combo was very good, but his fastball metrics remain well below average. Ricky Vanasco succeeded him with a scoreless inning of work, and Troy Watson took it the rest of the way. He too pitched a solid three innings, but allowed a solo shot in the top of the ninth for the only run in this one.

Max Clark went 0-for-5 but didn’t strike out, and he was the only Hen who could say that. Corey Julks had two hits to lead the offense, such as it was as Saints veteran Austin Voth struck out eight in his start.

Julks: 2-4, 2B, 2 K

Gipson-Long: 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Friday in Toledo.

Erie SeaWolves 8, Akron RubberDucks 7 (box)

John Peck came through with a walkoff double after the RubberDucks tied this one up late.

Starter Sean Hunley struggled for Erie in this one, but the offense seized control pretty early after Hunley gave up four runs in four innings.

Brett Callahan is really pressing his case for a move to Toledo now. The left-handed outfielder crushed a solo shot in the bottom of the first for his 12th home run of the season, and his fifth in the last six games. Callahan is holding his own against left-handed pitching and destroying right-handers. The Tigers do things at a glacial pace but Callahan should be moving up after the All-Star break if he can avoid a slump in the meantime.

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In the second, singles from Chris Meyers and Izaac Pacheco led to their second run. In the third, they really poured on the offense. Peyton Graham singled with one out and John Peck drew a walk. A two-out single from Andrew Jenkins plated Graham, and then Meyers walked to load the bases. Pacheco ripped a two-run single to right field and then stole second base. E.J. Exposito came through with a two-run single of his own, and it was 7-3 Erie through three innings.

The Detroit area’s own Alex Mooney hit a solo shot off of Hunley in the fourth to make it a 7-4 game, and the RubberDucks chipped away at the lead with a two-run sixth against Johan Simon.

Moises Rodriguez took over in the ninth with a 7-6 lead looking for the save. He got a quick pair of ground outs and his sinker is popping triple digits now that the weather has heated up. That didn’t stop Jaison Chourio, who got a hanging slider and launched it to right for just the second homer against Rodriguez this year.

Tie ballgame.

The reversal came quickly in the bottom half. Graham walked, and Peck smoked a double off the right field wall. Graham raced first to home ahead of the relay, and the SeaWolves had a walkoff winner.

Peck: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB

Graham: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K

Pacheco: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB

Hunley: 4.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will morph into the Flagship City Kitties on Friday, as they hunt for their fifth straight victory at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Lake County Captains 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)

The Whitecaps beat up on Captains starter Melkis Hernandez, only to watch their bullpen blow the lead late on Thursday.

Right out of the gate, a one-out single from Andrew Sojka and a double from a still hot Ricardo Hurtado got the Whitecaps in scoring position, and Sojka scored on a ground out for a 1-0 lead.

Starter Lucas Elissalt leaked two runs in the bottom half on a single-double-single combination, but in the second, Samuel Gil and Junior Tilien led off with singles. Caleb Shpur’s automatic double scored Gil, and a Sojka single scored Tilien. Shpur was thrown out at the plate, but it was 3-2 ‘Caps.

The third opened with back-to-back doubles from Clayton Campbell and Luke Shliger for a 4-2 lead. Unfortunately Gil lined into a double play to snuff that threat from developing further.

Elissalt allowed a Dean Curley solo shot off a high fastball in the bottom of the third that got the Captains back within one. The right-hander has struggled early on this year, but we keep seeing hints of more velocity, and he was really just bit by sequencing. Other than the solo shot he wasn’t hit hard at all and was in pretty good command of his stuff.

Again the Whitecaps pushed across a run in the bottom half on a Campbell sac fly that scored Sojka.

Unfortunately, that 5-3 lead wouldn’t hold up as Preston Howey surrendered three runs in the sixth, and the offense went quiet.

Sojka: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K

Hurtado: 2-5, 2B, K

Gil: 2-4, R

Elissalt: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:00 p.m. ET start on Friday with the Captains up 2-1 in the series.

Clearwater Threshers 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (box)

Malachi Witherspoon’s control was pretty shaky again in this one, and the bullpen kept leaking runs while the offense was pretty quiet.

Witherspoon did settle in eventually, but he coughed up two runs in a pretty laborious first inning. He shut the Threshers down from there and found his command to a degree, but was still pretty efficient. He departed in the fourth and Yendry Gomez cleaned up that inning and spun a scoreless fifth as well.

In the fifth, the Flying Tigers finally capitalized on an opportunity when a passed ball got Nick Dumesnil to second base, and a Beau Ankeney single scored him. In the sixth, Anibal Salas singled with two outs, and Hunter Dobbins doubled him in.

At that point it was a 2-2 game and things were looking up.

In the bottom of the sixth, Luke Hoskins came on for Lakeland and an error on Jude Warwick allowed the leadoff hitter to reach and then steal second base. A double that Javier Osorio couldnt’ snare at third gave the Threshers the lead. Hoskins leaked another run before getting out of the inning, and gave up one more in the seventh as the Flying Tigers’ offense went silent.

Dobbins: 2-4, RBI, 2B, K

Warwick: 2-5, 2 K, SB

Witherspoon: 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers lead the series 2-1 heading into a 6:30 p.m. ET matchup on Friday.

FCL Tigers 4, FCL Phillies 2 (box)

20-year-old Jack Bushell, another of the Tigers’ Australian pitching contingent alongside Ali Tanner, went through the Phillies like an angry weedeater in this one, striking out 10 and allowing just a solo shot in five innings of work.

Angel de los Santos, a fast-rising 19-year-old shortstop prospect, mashed a three-run shot in the fifth that was the decisive blow in this one.

Just as nice to see was the return of SS/2B Franyerber Montilla. The 21-year-old slick fielding switch hitter blew out his ACL last July, and this was the first we heard about his status. He went 0-1 with two walks and scored a run. He’ll need some time to build up, but my guess would be West Michigan is his final destination, playing second base alongside Bryce Rainer.

De Los Santos: 1-2, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, K

Steven Madero: 1-3, R, RBI, 2B, K

Bushell (W, 1-1): 5.0 IP, ER, H, 0 BB, 10 K

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Who are the best players at College World Series? Two key performers for every team

Jason Lane’s four home runs and 31 total bases in 1998. Greg Swindell’s 29 strikeouts for Texas in 1985. Mark Kotsay’s both-ways dominance for Cal Fullerton in 1995. Arizona State first baseman Bob Horner’s 11 RBIs in 1977.

The College World Series has been the stage for some of the top individual performances in NCAA history. Last year, LSU righthander Kade Anderson was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after striking out 10 batters in the opening game of the finals against Coastal Carolina.

This year’s series features a record five teams from the SEC along with North Carolina, West Virginia and Troy.

One player will end up taking the wheel and leading his team to the national championship. Before play begins on Friday, here are the pitchers and hitters to watch heading into the CWS:

No. 3 Georgia: RHP Caden Aoki and C Daniel Jackson

Aoki spent most of the year in the bullpen, earning a finalist nomination for Stopper of the Year honors as the nation’s top reliever, but has delivered 11.2 innings and 20 strikeouts in two starts in this tournament. The first catcher in Division I history to post 25 home runs and 25 steals in the same season, Jackson (.396 BA) won the triple crown in the SEC and is up to 31 homers after hitting a pair in the super regionals against Mississippi State.

ANYONE CAN WIN: Why the College World Series is exercise in parity

PREDICTIONS: Our experts make their picks for the College World Series

No. 5 North Carolina: RHP Jason DeCaro and CF Owen Hull

DeCaro (11-2, 2.28 ERA) is a veteran of this stage after giving up one run and striking out six across four innings of work in the Tar Heels’ win against Virginia in the 2024 CWS. He’ll likely draw the nod for the opener against Mississippi. A transfer from George Mason, Hull (.390, 81 RBIs) had four doubles and the walk-off winning hit against Southern California in the super regionals.

North Carolina outfielder Owen Hull (8) provides the game-winning hit against Southern California in the ninth inning of their super regional game at Boshamer Stadium.

No. 6 Texas: LHP Dylan Volantis and RF Aidan Robbins

A projected top pick in this year’s MLB draft, Volantis (2.03 ERA) is nearly untouchable when on his game and pretty unstoppable even when things aren’t working well; he had a season-high four wild pitches but still struck out 10 in an easy 11-3 win against Oregon in the super regionals. Robbins has continued to mash since joining the Longhorns from Seton Hall, posting a .342 average and 24 home runs with a 1.115 OPS.

No. 7 Alabama: RHP Myles Upchurch and SS Justin Lebron

Just a freshman, Upchurch has battled through some early command issues (40 walks in 70.2 innings) to go 8-3 with 77 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA while holding batters to a .198 average. It’s been a frustrating year at times for Lebron, who is hitting just .277, down from a .316 mark in his breakout sophomore season. But he’s one of the best base-stealers in the nation (41 steals in 42 attempts) and can make a huge impact even if his bat is missing.

No. 16 West Virginia: LHP Maxx Yehl and UTL Gavin Kelly

Yehl (2.10 ERA) has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery to become one of the top southpaws in the country. He’s given up just two runs on seven hits in his past two tournament starts. Kelly has posted at least one hit in all seven tournament games, pushing his average to .384, and the sophomore brings even more value thanks to his ability to man both catcher and second base at a high level. A strong CWS could vault him to the top of the list among 2027 draft prospects.

Mississippi: RHP Cade Townsend and 3B Judd Utermark

Ole Miss needs more from Townsend in Omaha. While still one of the top college arms in this year’s draft, he’s struggled of late, giving up 14 runs over 12 innings in his past three starts. That’s kicked his ERA to 3.94, up from 2.42 in early May. Utermark (22 home runs) went 3 for 7 with 4 RBIs to pace the Rebels’ two-game sweep of Auburn in the super regionals.

Oklahoma: LHP Cord Rager and C Deiten Lachance

The decision to move Rager from Sunday starter to the top of the rotation for the tournament has paid off for the Sooners. The freshman struck out eight in six innings in the regional opener against The Citadel and then delivered brilliant performance in the Lawrence super regional, holding host Kansas to just one hit in six innings. A junior college transfer this past offseason, Lachance has split time between catcher and first base. His bat travels: Lachance is hitting .332 while leading OU in hits (73), home runs (15) and RBIs (62).

Troy: LHP Hayden Smith and INF Aaron Piasecki

Smith joins Benjamin Stubbs (6-3, 4.93 ERA) and Tommy Egan (6-5, 5.38 ERA) in Troy’s rotation. He pitched four innings of one-run ball to eliminate Florida in the regionals. Piasecki’s elite hit tool has sparked the Trojans’ offense since he joined the program from Central Michigan. The middle infielder is hitting .346 with far more walks (39) than strikeouts (24). Beyond Piasecki, Troy has been boosted by a power surge from designated hitter Jabe Boroff, who is hitting .462 with six homers in the tournament.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: College World Series best players: Two keys for each team in Omaha

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Yankees news: Chapman wants apology from Cashman in hypothetical return to New York

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 05: Aroldis Chapman #44 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 5, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

ESPN | Enrique Rojas: The Red Sox sit in last place in the division, and even though the last Wild Card slot is currently held by the .500 Texas Rangers, there isn’t much faith in Fenway making a push to contend this year. Plenty of people expect Boston to be sellers, and they have a few short-term rentals that could entice some good returns including their closer, Aroldis Chapman, who is miraculously in the best form of his career despite now being 38 years old.

Chapman knows he’s on the trading block, and could expect to be in a different uniform by the deadline, but there’s one particular jersey he wouldn’t want to put on again unless his conditions were met. He said he would want an apology from the team, more specifically Brian Cashman, for how his Yankees tenure ended before he could feel comfortable playing for them again. This may come as a surprise to anyone who was following the team when he last played here, because that 2022 season burned every ounce of remaining goodwill the closer had with the fanbase — after years of underperformance in the playoffs and routine stretches of blowing games by not coming close to finding the strike zone, Chapman went and got a tattoo midseason that got infected forcing the team to sit him on the IL and all but handed the closer gig over to Clay Holmes. Then at the end of the year, Chapman got left off the postseason roster when he missed a mandatory practice before the ALDS.

Frankly, the Sox would never trade Chapman over to their archrivals in the first place so this is a moot point, but I also wouldn’t want him to ever come back even if he is pitching lights out nowadays and I certainly don’t think Cashman owes Chapman any sort of apology. I hardly think I’d be alone in that belief.

NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees are heading north of the border to Toronto for the first time this season, and thus also returning for the first time since their brutal ALDS games last year. The team may be without Aaron Judge in the lineup for the foreseeable future, but their rotation looks to be significantly better than when they traveled up and got shelled for 23 runs in two games. They’re also facing a Blue Jays team that is much further out of the race than the last time they made their initial trip up, as last year’s first meeting was the turning point that gave Toronto a division lead that wouldn’t get relinquished following a four-game sweep.

NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: There was some friendly tomfoolery at the ballpark on Wednesday, as Cody Bellinger was subjected to a professional heckler. The content creator Trevor Gilmore has a dedicated page to heckling the road team’s left fielder with some ultimately harmless jokes alongside playfully calling them a bum, and he gets invited by several MLB teams to come and run his schtick for them with Cleveland happening to be his latest appearance. Bellinger said that he heard the chants loud and clear, but had fun with it and noted that he had some good lines.

MLB.com | Henry Palattella: Paul Goldschmidt entered this season expecting a part-time role for the first time in his lengthy career, and he openly embraced the role of the veteran backup. He kept himself productive enough in the first month and change of the season, but once injuries began to mount in the lineup and his name started appearing regularly in the lineup again he showed that there was no rust on the seven-time All-Star’s bat. He’s had a hot May and carried it over into June, hitting for a .924 OPS with seven homers and 23 RBI in 31 games played, and even though some of the regulars are set to return soon having a productive Goldy who can stay ready whether he’s sitting for days on end or has to play a week straight will be vital to this team staying in a rhythm offensively.

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The Daily Hilario: Friday

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 11: Keider Montero #54 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

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