Category: Baseball

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

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans if they think the Brewers can finish the season with the best record in baseball and/or set another franchise record for wins in a season. The results were clear, but there were still some dissenting votes:

With 110 votes, 66% voted yes to both, followed by 18% voting for neither, 11% saying franchise record only, and 5% saying best record only. Given that the Brewers currently own the best record in baseball and are on pace for roughly 99-100 wins, it probably isn’t much of a surprise that most fans said all or nothing to this question.

If the Brewers are able to hit 98 wins, they’ll break the franchise record of 97 victories (set last season), and they’ll also easily be in the running for best record in the league. Hitting the 100-win mark seems like the “safe” number for best record in baseball with roughly 35 games to go for every team.

What do you think? Can the Brewers hit 100 wins? Have something else you want to say? Keep the conversation going in the comments, and be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook for all your betting needs.

Brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Texas Rangers lineup for August 20, 2026 against the Washington Nationals: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Andrew Alvarez for the Nationals.

It is the series finale, and the Rangers will be trying to clinch the series with a win. Jacob deGrom, who left his start a week ago today with triceps tightness, is on the mound for Texas. The Rangers are using the same lineup they used Tuesday, when they scored runs, and not the lineup from Wednesday, when they did not score runs.

The lineup:

Langford — DH

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

Nimmo — RF

Duran — LF

Foscue — 2B

Jansen — C

Freeman — 3B

Carter — CF

7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -175 favorites.

Before even talking to Rochester Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy, I could feel his presence. When I got to Rochester, two things became very clear to me. First was that I needed to try a “Garbage Plate”, Rochester’s signature dish. Second was that Matt LeCroy was a beloved presence as the Red Wings skipper.

When Paul Toboni took over as Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations, he made sweeping changes, particularly in the Minor Leagues. However, there is one face that remains unchanged, and that was LeCroy. The charismatic 50 year old with a comforting southern drawl returned for his 18th year in the organization and 5th as Triple-A manager. 

When you sit down with LeCroy, you quickly figure out that he is the perfect minor league manager. His dynamic personality and fatherly wisdom makes him capable of uniting a Triple-A clubhouse where players are constantly coming and going. However, he is also very open to new ideas and has no ego. As Seaver King put it, Lecroy is “the ultimate player coach”.

Being a player first manager is something that LeCroy takes great pride in. At the Triple-A level, it can be tough to manage players. In many ways Triple-A is the intersection of dreams and disappointment. There are young prospects like Seaver King who are on their last stop before reaching their big league dream. Meanwhile, there are also veterans like Riley Adams who are looking to re-establish themselves and get back to the show.

LeCroy has found a way to gain not only respect, but love from both of those players who have such different backgrounds. Riley Adams, who was the Nats back up catcher the past few years said that LeCroy, “Has a lot of great feel and knows how to keep things fun. Sometimes baseball can get a little monotonous but he always keeps things fresh”. 

For LeCroy, managing every player is different, as they are each their own person. However, he does tend to manage young players differently than veterans. For younger players, he said he likes to try and keep them even keeled while teaching them to trust the process. Meanwhile, for veterans he tries to challenge them and work on things that held them back at the big league level.

The cases of Adams and King are two great examples of that. Riley Adams is a power hitting catcher whose contact skills and plate discipline have let him down. This year in AAA, his chase rate is only 24%, down from 31% in the big leagues last year. Even when he was in AAA in 2024, that chase rate was 27%. With the help of the new front office, LeCroy has helped Adams stay engaged and make tangible improvements that could make him better the next time he gets a shot in the big leagues.

With Seaver King, he plays the game at 100 MPH at all times. LeCroy admires the “old timey” nature of King’s game. However, he is probably one of those players that needs to stay a bit more even keeled. The ability to slow one player down while also being able to push others is a great trait that LeCroy possesses. 

Being able to truly manage players is one of the keys to being a great Triple-A manager. When LeCroy managed at the lower levels, a big part of his job was actually teaching young players how to play the game the right way. However, things are different in AAA, where players are knocking on the door of the big leagues. As he put it, “Here in Triple-A, these are grown men fighting to get to the highest level. I try to be honest and fair. I do not have many rules but there is an expectation that I want you to play a certain way”.

The shadow of the Major Leagues hangs over the Triple-A level at all times. Players are coming and going all the time and reaching the top of the baseball world is constantly on their minds. LeCroy said the biggest challenge of managing at this level is “dealing with mindsets and keeping people where their feet are”. Through many years of experience, Matt LeCroy has found a way to do that.

For LeCroy, the most rewarding part of his job is telling people they are going to the big leagues. In fact, just a couple days after I left, he made one of his famed call-up videos, telling Erik Tolman he was headed to the show. He met with the 27 year old, who has had to battle through many injuries over the years and at first he asked him if he wanted to pitch in winter ball. Eventually he let his down the mask, and told Tolman he was headed to the MLB.

He told me that his favorite call-up was when he told Trey Lipscomb he was going to the show a couple of years ago. Throughout our interview, LeCroy spoke glowingly about Lipscomb who has had a huge bounce-back year, hitting 25 home runs for the Red Wings. In Lipscomb’s call-up, he had the whole clubhouse together and told Trey he would have his own room on their trip. However, the reason for that was because he was going to be a big leaguer. The whole room erupted and it was a wonderful moment to watch.

As this young core of Nationals players rose through the minors, they all crossed paths with LeCroy. He managed the likes of James Wood, CJ Abrams, Cade Cavalli, Daylen Lile and Dylan Crews among others. Having managed those players, he admitted that he was not overly surprised to see the offense humming. 

The big league level is not the only place where we are seeing a lot of offense though. Rochester has also been much improved offensively, and overall. The Red Wings have the best record in the International League under LeCroy this season at 73-47. LeCroy also got his 1,000th career managerial win this season.

All the talent coming through Rochester has helped but another factor is the growing coaching staff. The Nats have more coaches at the minor league level this year, with two hitting coaches, two pitching coaches, multiple trainers and strength coaches, as well as a quality control coach. LeCroy called this a “really big help” and said it lets players get more individualized training. He also said he is in much more consistent contact with the big league staff this season, talking to bench coach Michael Johns at least once a week.

The combination of this new staff and the man management skills of LeCroy have the Red Wings humming. When I saw the Red Wings this weekend, I saw a group firing on all cylinders with great pitching and tremendous power on display from Seaver King and Trey Lipscomb. At a level where it is hard to get players to buy in, Matt LeCroy has mastered the art of managing at Triple-A. Is that what he wants to do forever or does the charming veteran want to achieve his own big league dream one day?

Blue Jays 5 Rays 1

What a nice game. It never seemed to be in doubt, even though we didn’t really blow the Rays out.

Shane Bieber was terrific. Likely the best we’ve seen him in a Blue Jays uniform.

He went seven innings, allowing just four hits, no walks with seven strikeouts, with just the one earned. He threw 101 pitches, getting to 100 for the first time as a Jay. Really no complaints about his game at all.

Spencer Miles pitched the eighth, a clean inning. Louis Varland got the ninth, allowed a hit and a walk, just to make sure we kept watching.

On offense? Well, we had three home runs. Kazuma Okamoto (number 26 on the season), Nathan Lukes (number 7) and Daz Cameron (crushed, 105.8 mph and 442 feet). Cameron had two hits, as did George Springer and Okamoto. Myles Straw had the only 0 for, an 0 for four with two strikeouts.

A lot was made of the 1 for 11 in RISP, but the homers really helped out.

There was bad news, Andrés Giménez came out of the game with “right hamstring tightness’. Hamstring tightness sponsored this series with him, Bateman and Josh Smith (tho he stayed in yesterday’s game, but didn’t play today). I hope he isn’t out long, his glove has been amazing and he seems to be hitting the ball well lately.

It was good to see Clement back in the lineup after missing yesterday being ‘under the weather’. He might be even more important if Giménez has to be out of the lineup.

They say they will wait until tomorrow on Giménez, hoping he’s better.

Nathan Lukes made a super catch in right at the wall, with a runner on and no outs in the seventh. Without that catch, I doubt Bieber would have finished seven.

Jays of the Day: Bieber (0.27 WPA), Cameron (0.14) and Okamoto (0.10).

Other Award: Straw (-0.12).

Tomorrow it is the Yankees. TBA vs. TBA. They say Spencer Arrighetti will either start or be the bulk guy tomorrow. Which means we’ll get more roster moves.

Mets first baseman Mark Vientos has been scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Friday, Aug. 21, when the Binghamton Rumble Ponies take on the Altoona Curve at 7:00 p.m.

In Vientos' place, Jared Young has been extremely solid at first base for the Mets. In fact, since July 10th of this year, Young is slashing .322/.380/.500, tallying 12 RBI and clobbering two dingers in the process. Young also grades out as a better fielder and baserunner than Vientos, according to the Statcast metrics used by Baseball Savant.

Vientos took batting practice and participated in fielding drills with the rest of the Mets on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

A timeline for Vientos' eventual return to the big-league roster has not yet been announced.

One of my little pleasures in life is going to check the mail to see if I got anything. There’s just something so thrilling about that walk to the mailbox and checking to see if I got another letter from a credit card company trying to get me to apply for one.

Last week, I asked our Purple Row community to submit questions for a mailbag. I appreciate those who felt inclined to send in a question and for the great community involvement in everything we do here on the site. Now, without further ado, let’s read some mail!

Has Tyler Bell had surgery yet and if so, where is he in recovery? — sdcarp from Roanoke

At the time of writing, there still hasn’t been a clear indication that Tyler Bell has undergone surgery to repair his non-throwing shoulder, but it may have already happened or isn’t too far off. The 10th overall pick reported to Arizona with the rest of the 2026 draftees for the onboarding camp and was then placed on the 60-day injured list on July 24. It was reported in July that he would work with the Rockies to determine the best course of action concerning his shoulder and the timetable for the surgery. His professional debut will certainly be delayed in 2027, but the hope is that he can be a quick riser through the system once he is healthy.

It’s also important to remember that since Bell is not on the 40-man roster and therefore not a member of the MLB Players Association, there will be nothing impeding him during the offseason in terms of working and communicating with the club.

The Rockies have not always been the laughingstock of baseball. They had baseball people like Bob Gebhard and Dan O’Dowd and Don Baylor and Clint Hurdle. I’m looking for the “bad guy,” the guy who just screwed the pooch, over and above Dick Monfort. It’s Bridich, isn’t it? And Schmidt was just over his head. Right? — Truchero from Girona, Spain

When it comes to the struggles of the Colorado Rockies, this is a million-dollar question. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly one simple “bad guy,” as you put it, because there have been contributions from across the history of the franchise. Ultimately, the laughingstock the Rockies became has to fall on the shoulders of Dick Monfort. Since taking majority control of the team in 2005, Monfort has been deeply ingrained in the operations of the team, especially after the tragic passing of team president Kelli McGregor in 2010.

The failures of Jeff Bridich and Bill Schmidt over the last 10 years were a result of an insular organization that refused to play the game the rest of the league was playing. Dan O’Dowd resigned from the team in 2014 after the meddling from the front office. Monfort rejected outside ideas and failed to spend his money wisely. It often doesn’t matter if you have baseball people in the organization if the person at the top is adamant about calling the shots. Bridich and Schmidt definitely have their fair share of the blame, but it wasn’t just them.

Monfort stepping away this season and allowing his son Walker to run the team alongside Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes has been a major reason 2026 has seen improvement. Baseball people are making baseball decisions and working cohesively among themselves and with other teams in the league. The 2026 Rockies are operating like an actual sports organization and not like a small-town family business it used to.

What in the heck is going on with Tovar and what are the club’s options in dealing with him? It is painful to watch his AB’s. He chases everything and misses the pitches he should be punishing. It seems the dynamic SS prospects are in the lower minors, so I don’t see options there. —Mountain Ball from Highlands Ranch

The struggles of Ezequiel Tovar have been one of the more frustrating stories of the 2026 Rockies. After a strong showing by Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Tovar has not had any sort of rhythm this season. The frustrating part is that these are problems that have been known since he first broke into the league in 2022. He had excellent years in 2023 and 2024, but the obvious issues of his incredibly aggressive approach caused the league to adjust against him, and he hasn’t adjusted back.

Tovar is under contract for four more seasons with a little under $50 million guaranteed. There is also a $23 million club option for 2031. At the moment, it would be difficult to entice a team to take on Tovar and the rest of his contract with such poor offensive numbers. Yes, he is still an elite defender, but the value is just too low without having to kick in money and prospects you’d rather not part with.

So, the Rockies will have to continue working on Tovar on the fly. He is still quite young, having just turned 25 this season, so there is still plenty of room for development. The Rockies will just have to exercise patience and hope that he takes to coaching more and is capable of making the necessary changes in his plate discipline. There have been hints of what he can do when his bat is clicking, but the pressure is mounting for him to start producing on a regular basis. The reinforcements are creeping up behind him.

How do you think the Penner investment has impacted the organization so far? PDP’s moves seem to indicate to me that he thinks the club can be competitive in 2028. Depending on 2027 results, do you think the Penner money will allow PDP to exceed the budget and spend his way into the playoffs in 2028? — Marcus M. from Denver

The addition of the Penner Sports Group as minority owners back in April was a welcome surprise as they bought a roughly 40% minority stake in the Rockies worth about $670 million. After seeing how the Walton-Penner group turned the Denver Broncos into a legitimate Super Bowl contender in such a short time, it’s easy to have those aspirations with the Rockies now.

Greg Penner recently spoke to the media about the partnership with the Monforts at Broncos training camp last week and made it clear that the Monforts are still fully in control. Penner is focused on being a support and has no involvement in the day-to-day baseball operations. Still, the influx of cash was likely a nice boost for the club and could give the Rockies some extra wiggle room to throw some cash around in the near future. How much liberty Paul DePodesta will have to spend money in 2027 and beyond is going to be determined by what happens in the CBA negotiations this winter. It’s also worth keeping in mind that there could be a scenario down the line where the Penners end up purchasing the Rockies from Monforts should they decide to sell.

The staff at the Purple Row are all very talented and thoughtful writers. It really doesn’t make sense that so many long-time posters (and I am sure lurkers) spend so much time caring about and investing their time in this franchise whose on-field play has given us so few reasons to care for most of their recent history.

I think a lot of it is the talent and commitment to fresh content and viewpoints you get on The Row all year. What was the team, or the game, or the player or the moment that caused the staff to care about this team as much as many of us do? —WhiskeyDrinkingManfrom Arvada

First off, thank you for these comments. We appreciate the constant quality engagement from the community. This year, we have seen increased engagement across the site, which is exciting because it means the Rockies are actually doing things that pique people’s interest, which we then get to write about. I can’t speak for all of our writers as the reasons for caring about the team vary, but the common thread is a deep-rooted love of baseball and the Rockies.

For myself, I love the Rockies since I’m a Colorado native and my dad was a fan from day one. My personal connection to the team solidified in 2007 during the World Series run. I was in sixth grade when the Rockies began the September run, and the excitement of my dad and my oldest brother made me pay closer attention. My dad got us Dish Network again so we could watch the games on television, something I hadn’t really ever done before. I knew about the legends of the team prior to 2007, but I was hooked on the Rockies after that.

Thank you again for the excellent questions! There were a couple that I hadn’t thought about before, and I was appreciative of the opportunity to think on these things.

Hopefully we can continue this type of article series during the offseason because we are definitely going to need things to talk about before baseball hopefully arrives next February.

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

This particular rabbit-hole was first encountered after the series against the Athletics. Ildemaro Vargas had a walk-off hit in Tuesday’s game during that series, and then ended up closing out (if not closing) Wednesday’s game from the mound, being called on to pitch with a 12-run lead. Has that ever happened before? Has anyone got a walk-off hit one day, and then pitched the very next? There’s no easy way to find out, and my Tweets at the Elias Sports Bureau – who probably could check – went unanswered. So I had to dig into the question the hard way, and see if I could find any previous examples.

The obvious candidates are Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani. According to Baseball Reference, Ruth was credited with sixteen walk-off hits in his career. But as a pitcher, he only really was a regular from 1915-1919, with just nine major-league appearances on the mound outside those years. Ruth’s first walk-off wasn’t until 1918, severely cutting down the odds. Still, I chugged through the record books, and found a couple of close cases in 1919. He did the reverse: Ruth closed out a Red Sox win on July 30, and the following day had a walk-off hit in the 12th inning. And on September 20, the Babe started the game, moved to left in the sixth and had a walk-off HR off Lefty Williams in the 9th. But he didn’t pull a Vargas.

Ohtani was considerably simpler. Over his career, he has four walk-off hits. September 2020 (didn’t pitch after August 2nd); two in 2024 (didn’t pitch at all that year); and April 2o25 (didn’t start pitching until mid-June). So, not even close there. However, these are definitely not the only two pitchers to have recorded walk-off hits. You might think that would be extremely rare. And, to be honest, in the present day it is. Hasn’t happened for more than twenty years, and it likely never will again. The Manfred Man rule means marathon games are no more, so teams are unlikely to run out of position players, and have to let a pitcher hit.

Even the famous Ryne Nelson hit was as a PH, not a pitcher. Actual plate-appearances by pitchers, while not entirely extinct, are now incredibly rare. In the 2021 season, the last before the DH came to the National League, there were 4,829 of them. That number has been reduced by over 99%, with the average for 2022-25 being just 38 PA. They’re almost inevitably in blowouts, with a manager happy to give up an at-bat to get another inning from his reliever. Of 35 pitcher trips to the plate this year, none have been with a margin of less then eight runs. They have got four hits – but three were by position players like Vargas.

Most notable of those: Brett Sullivan’s HR while pitching for Colorado, and that came off another position player, Miguel Rojas! The only “true” pitcher to get a hit this year was Victor Mederos of the Braves, who drove in two runs with a single. He came into the game after seven innings with a 12-0 lead, in a triple switch which cost Atlanta the DH. Mederos then reached the plate with two outs in the eighth, and drove in a pair (below). Let’s quietly forget that it came off the Texas Rangers’ catcher, Kyle Higashioka. Instead, we’ll just revel in Victor becoming the 124th member of the “Career 1.000 BA Club”, a distinction he’s not likely to lose anytime soon.

[Side note: Ohtani hit a home-run on May 20th, leading off the game in San Diego before taking the mound in the bottom half of the inning. However, the box-score firmly records him in the batting order as a designated hitter, and so that doesn’t count as a pitcher HR]

But I did decide to look at pitchers who recorded walk-off hits, and see if any of them might have pitched the following day as well. Baseball Reference has play-by-play data going back to 1910, and they have 218 examples of pitchers with walk-off hits. Probably more than I’d have thought. Inevitably, the majority are in the early days of baseball, when complete games by starting pitchers were the standard, not a rare exception. In 1910, for instance, Walter Johnson made 42 starts, and finished 38 games. That certainly given your starter a shot at coming to the plate late. They could also hit better than recent pitchers. In 1921, they had a .521 OPS, compared to .293 in 2021.

Browsing the list makes for a fun wander through baseball history. People like Bullet Joe Bush, who had more walkoff hits (4) than any other pitcher, and is sometimes credited with inventing the forkball. Or knuckleballer Mickey Haefner, who performed the feat twice in eleven days during the 1945 season, but is best known for hitting Ted Williams in an exhibition game. Or Hall of Famer Red Ruffing, who on April 14th, 1933 made the ultimate statement, by hitting the only recorded walk-off grand-slam by a pitcher in major-league history. [Clay Bryant had a 1937 go-ahead slam in the 10th inning, but that was the top of the frame]

49 of these instances happened from 1910-19: in the live-ball era, there was one fewer the following decade, then fifty in the 1930’s. But they happened less frequently thereafter, and became perilously rare after the sixties, as teams would pinch-hit for their pitchers more often. There have been just eleven walk-off hits by a pitcher since the end of 1969, and one in the past thirty years. That belongs to Randy Keisler of the Reds on May 24, 2005 [though there have since been pinch-hitting pitchers to do it, such as Michael Lorenzen, who walked off against the D-backs in 2019]. He got the knock as his first career hit: Keisler said, “I was so excited that I swung at the first pitch, and it was 2 feet off the plate.”

Anyway, returning to the original topic. Has any of these players pitched the following night? I figure it was more likely to be a recent pitcher – a reliever. Iron-armed though the starters of yore were, they still weren’t going back to the mound on consecutive games. So I began with Keisler, and manually started tracking their pitching logs, to see if any threw the next night. Keisler did get the next night off, before pitching on May 26 – so close, but no cigar. Before him, Mike Stanton in 1994: he pitched four innings for Atlanta, in a game where the Braves scored seven in the ninth to force extras. He went 2-for-2 on the night, but got a well-deserved week off after that.

I had to go back to 1957 to find a match for Vargas’s feat here. On September 5, Bob Grim of the Yankees came up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the game tied 2-2. The 1954 Rookie of the Year had just worked round a leadoff double in the top half of the inning, and there were two men on base. He promptly ended his own night with a three-run homer, as documented by our siblings over at Pinstripe Alley. The following night, down in Washington, he came in to another tied game and put up a zero in the eighth. But he walked the first three batters in the ninth and, though rebounding with a groundout and pop fly, a missed catch error at second ended the game and Grim took the loss.

Now, it is definitely possible that someone took the Ildemaro route. A position player getting a walk-off hit one day, then pitching the next. The problem is, there are a lot more walk-off hits for position players. 129 this year alone, to be precise. Even flipping the script and starting with position players pitching, we have seen that almost as often – 119 times in 2026 already, not including Ohtani. Digging through those is also more intensive, since you need to go through the player’s game log into the box-score to determine if they had a walk-off hit. Maybe I’ll put samath on the job there, see if he scrape that data!

Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler leads, as of Wednesday, the American League in fWAR among qualified pitchers with 4.9. His 2.19 ERA is also the best in the junior circuit and third in the majors behind Jacob Misiorowski and Chris Sale.

Statistically, Schlittler’s 2026 season has been nothing short of amazing. In fact, he is well on his way to posting the best pitching season in recent franchise history, at least in the last ten years.

That’s right: he is already starting to flirt with Gerrit Cole’s 2021 and 2023 campaigns, as well as with Luis Severino’s 2017 and 2018 outputs. Check out the best Yankee pitching seasons by fWAR of the last decade:

The rate stats, such as ERA and the always reliable FIP, say that Schlittler definitely belongs in the conversation of best Yankees pitchers in the last decade. We realize that it might still be a bit premature to say that, so let’s just say his 2026 output belongs in the organization’s elite from the 2017 campaign to the current one.

Schlittler can do it all on the mound: he throws multiple types of fastballs and mixes in breaking balls; he continually flirts with triple digit velocity; he can locate all of his pitches, and he misses bats with most of them on a consistent basis. Oh, and he has the mentality of a bulldog and isn’t afraid to compete and even talk some trash, because he knows he can back it all up where it counts: on the mound.

Schlittler has, give or take, seven starts left in the regular season. For the sake of being conservative, let’s just say he has six left. He has racked up, on average, 0.19 fWAR per start this year. That would put him on a 6.0-fWAR pace, which would allow him to leapfrog Luis Severino’s brilliant 2017 campaign as the best in Yankees’ recent history.

Since we’re at it, let’s dive deep and examine how Schlittler’s current stats stack up against some of the best seasons in franchise history. Granted, Yankee history is chock-full of relevant position players and not that many pitchers, but there are still some incredible performances to discuss.

These are the best pitching seasons on the Bombers:

The best year by a Yankees pitcher, according to fWAR, belongs to the Louisiana Lightning. Guidry’s brilliant 1978 had him flirting with the 10-fWAR threshold, an amazing achievement for pitchers. There have been just 20 such seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, dating back to 1871, and only one in the new millennium: Randy Johnson in 2001 (10.4).

Schlittler won’t match Guidry’s 1978 season this year, and it’s highly unlikely he cracks the top five unless he goes bananas in his remaining starts. However, the fact that he is already in the conversation in his first year as a full-time starter is impressive, to say the least.

Perhaps as we get closer to his prime, we might see Schlittler crack the top five in franchise history when it comes to individual seasons. He is off to a fantastic start in his career and, if fate allows him to enjoy good health, seems destined for greatness.

Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the bottom of the first in the Crosstown Classic with a home run. Then he walked off the game with his 30th home run, which locked in back-to-back 30-30 seasons. For good measure he started the next game with (you guessed it) a home run. Let’s rewatch that walkoff again [VIDEO].

It’s been an electric show of offensive and defensive prowess on the North Side of Chicago from the 24-year-old who’s improved his on-base profile so much at the plate this season. I’ve written extensively about the metrics that show PCA is the best defender in the Statcast Era and his new approach at the plate this season, but it’s worth demonstrating the latter one more time. You can see how he’s reset the floor in this 15-game rolling wOBA graph from FanGraphs:

In case charts and numbers aren’t your jam, PCA put on a clinic during the Dodgers series demonstrating that he has just as good of a case as Shohei Ohtani to be the 2026 MVP. As of writing this column, PCA is the favorite to win the award:

The MVP debate is everywhere. ESPN polled 20 players, 15 voted for Pete Crow-Armstrong. You can hear the takes on your favorite podcast, read them in The Athletic, or just check out this compelling case made by our own Tortuga Cub here at BCB earlier this week. Tortuga concludes:

He’s the Frontrunner, and a Worthy One

I think it’s easy to look at the MVP race and say, well, with Ohtani off the mound for so long, PCA is basically a fallback option.

But while there is truth to the idea that Ohtani’s health has opened the door, as unless Ohtani threw some real stinkers his pitching would catapult him ahead in the race, PCA’s MVP case is one of the strongest we’ve seen in the NL in decades. 

He’s still on pace for more than 10 fWAR, a feat we haven’t seen achieved in the NL since Barry Bonds.

A 10 fWAR season is no small feat, in fact, it’s such rarified air it demands we take a step back and look at the season PCA is putting together from a historical lens rather than the lens of a single season.

We are witnessing one of the greatest Cubs seasons of all time:

WAR is a counting stat, you compile or lose it over the course of playing games. So it’s a little mindblowing to look at this table and realize that with 34 games left to play this season Pete Crow-Armstrong already has the 8th best season in Cubs history by fWAR. Look at the seasons he’s flirting with: Sammy Sosa’s 2001 season that saw him hit 64 home runs and finish second in MVP balloting to Barry Bonds. Sammy’s .328/.437/.737 would be one of the most incredible seasons in baseball history were it not compared to Bonds who compiled 12.5 fWAR that season as he set the single season home run record with 73 long balls and an absurd .328/.515/.863 slashline.

Performance-enhanced seasons aside, with 100-140 fewer plate appearances than Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Rogers Hornsby, Crow-Armstrong not only looks like he belongs in the “this is obviously a top 10 all-time Cubs season” conversation, he looks like he’ll surpass some of them. I had to do a double take looking at this chart realizing PCA has already surpassed Ryne Sandberg’s 1984 MVP season. On his current trajectory FanGraphs various projection systems would put him at the fourth or fifth best season in Cubs history:

What’s wild about those projections is how conservative they are. Every single one of them projects regression for PCA, and of course they do. A leap from an OBP of .287 to an OBP of .378 in a single season just isn’t a thing most hitters do in MLB. The thing is, this looks like a real approach change at the plate, and if that’s true, it’s likely more sustainable, which would make the ROS projection of a worse OBP and lower walk rate less likely. To demonstrate the change I ran the chart from before, but overlayed OBP with PCA’s O-Swing, the number of pitches he swings at out of the strike zone:

Let’s look at some more basic counting stats, however. As Josh noted in BCB After Dark a couple of nights ago, PCA could be on the cusp of one of the rarest of MLB feats: a 40-40 season. From Josh:

Only six players in MLB history have ever had 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season. They are

Jose Canseco (1988) 42 HR, 40 SB

Barry Bonds (1996) 42 HR, 40 SB

Alex Rodriguez (1998) 42 HR, 46 SB

Alfonso Soriano (2006) 46 HR, 41 SB

Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) 41 HR, 73 SB

Shohei Ohtani (2024) 54 HR, 59 SB

Obviously Ohtani is the only member of the 50-50 club.

No Chicago Cub has ever recorded a 40-40 season.

Cubs fans are witnessing greatness day in and day out at the corner of Clark and Addison. PCA has leveled up his game in the span of 1,646 career plate appearances to develop from a glove-first defensive wizard with a strikeout problem and big questions about whether he’d be able to access the power he flashed in the minors to the NL MVP favorite putting together one of the best seasons in the 150-year history of the Chicago Cubs. Enjoy every second of it.

The Cardinals were determined to win the 5-game series against the Reds Thursday and they got a strong pitching performance by Michael McGreevy and the necessary offensive muscle to get the job done. However, the end result would depend on the Cardinals bullpen holding the lead. Spoiler Alert: you won’t believe what happened at the end.

JJ Wetherholt got things rolling for the Cardinals in the top of the 1st, but not in the way he would prefer. He was hit in the hamstring by Reds starter Brady Singer which resulted in JJ getting some examination time from the St. Louis training staff. He stayed in the game and would end up doing a lot of running thanks to a single by Iván Herrera and then advancing to third on a flyout by Alec Burleson. Wetherholt scored the first Cardinals run when Jordan Walker grounded into a force out to make it 1-0 St. Louis.

Jordan Walker would play a huge role in expanding the Cardinals lead in the top of the 3rd inning when JJ Wetherholt smacked a one-out single followed by a walk to Herrera. Jordan stepped to the plate and turned an 83 mph Singer slider into a ball that barely cleared the centerfield wall 407 feet away for a 3-run homer and a 4-0 St. Louis Cardinals lead.

Michael McGreevy gave St. Louis the exact type of start they needed. He managed his pitch count wisely and didn’t allow the Reds to mount any kind of threat for the first 5 innings. The 6th inning has haunted the Cardinals this season and Thursday’s game was not an exception. It would begin when McGreevy walked Rodriguez to start the Reds 6th. Hayes followed that with a single which moved Rodriguez into scoring position at third. Michael would strike out De La Cruz for the first out, but then walked Sal Stewart to load the bases. Manager Oli Marmol took McGreevy out of the game and brought in Ryne Stanek. Stanek gave up a single to JJ Bleday which scored Rodriguez and reducing the Cardinals lead to 4-1. Ryne followed that up with a very crucial strikeout of Stephenson for the second out. That brought up Matt McLain who turned the game on its head when he crushed a 91 mph splitter into a go-ahead grand slam giving the Reds a 5-4 lead.

Could the Cardinals find a way to rally and avoid a disastrous end to the Cincinnati trip? St. Louis did nothing in the top of the 7th and a potential rally in the top of the 8th was shut down when Joshua Baez was caught stealing. It would come down to the top of the 9th inning as the Cardinals would have to score on Reds reliever Brock Burke. José Fermín was first up in the Cardinals 9th pinch-hitting for Nathan Church. He singled to left to give St. Louis a glimmer of hope. Bryan Torres was up next and the umpires ruled he was hit in the fingers by a pitch as he tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Blaze Jordan flew out to centerfield for the first out, but both Cardinals runners advanced to second and third base to get into scoring position. Everson Pereira was the pinch-hitter for Jimmy Crooks. He struck out unable to bring in the tying run for the second out. That meant the Cardinals hopes were on the shoulders of JJ Wetherholt. He flew out to left field in what looked like it would be the last out of the game, but a miracle happened! Dane Myers dropped the ball which allowed both St. Louis runners to score giving the Cardinals a last gasp 6-5 lead!

The Cardinals fortunately continued to add to their 9th inning lead. After the Reds intentionally walked Herrera, Alec Burleson singled to score JJ Wetherholt giving St. Louis another run to make it 7-5. The Reds decided to help the Cardinals ensure a series win as they ended up walking Joshua Baez with the bases loaded to make it 8-5 St. Louis. It just kept getting better as José Fermín came up again and singled in two more runs to give the Cardinals an unbelievable 10-5 lead.

It was George Soriano’s responsibility to hold the Reds down in the bottom of the 9th inning. He promptly walked the first batter he faced which was Matt McLain. Toglia was up next for the Reds and Soriano struck him out. Dane Myers, who was partially responsible for the Cardinals 9th inning miracle, was gifted a walk which resulted in a mound visit. TJ Friedl, who was at least an accomplice on the misplay in the top of the inning, struck out for the second out. The Reds still had a glimmer of life as Eugenio Suarez singled to make it 10-6 St. Louis. Elly De La Cruz was also walked which loaded the bases for Sal Stewart who represented the tying run. Manager Oli Marmol turned to closer Riley O’Brien to avoid an even bigger disaster. Stewart hit the first pitch he saw from O’Brien for a single which scored two and reduced the Cardinals lead to 10-8. Unbelievably, JJ Bleday was walked, too, which loaded the bases for Cincinnati and put the tying run on second base and the potential winner on first. Pitching coach Dusty Blake visited the mound before O’Brien faced Tyler Stephenson. Riley couldn’t find the strike zone as he walked Stephenson on four pitches which scored De La Cruz and made it 10-9 Cardinals with the tying run now just 90 feet away. Matt McLain nearly caused all of us to lose our lunch as he drove a Riley O’Brien 97 mph sinker to the right field wall which was tracked down by Jordan Walker.

WHEW!

The St. Louis Cardinals road trip travels to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. Jesús Luzardo is the scheduled starter for the Phillies while the Cardinals have not announced their starter yet. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

Unless you have been living under a rock, Kyle Tucker has floundered spectacularly of late in his inaugural campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. We recently covered a fact that caught on in the baseball zeitgeist: Tucker has been in line with his career norms on the road, while being absolutely woeful at Dodger Stadium.

As a primarily road fan, it’s been great for me. However, if you watch the Dodgers at home, be it in person or on television, you’ve been treated to “quality baseball” that makes Joey Gallo, Michael Conforto, Chris Taylor, and Joc Pederson look like Hall of Famers.

After both being benched by Dave Roberts and still going 0 for the homestand in games that would hopefully demonstrate the offense showing signs of life for the first time since leaving Philadelphia against the Kansas City Royals and games that might determine playoff seeding with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kyle Tucker dropped a can of corn that essentially sealed the Dodgers’ fate against the Brewers.

Whatever leash Tucker had at Dodger Stadium finally ran out as the fans rightfully booed the bizarre, defensive gaffe. Per Molly Knight:

Tucker dropping that ball also marked the first time he got booed by Dodger fans at home, but it wasn’t the same kind of lustful auditory shellacking he would have gotten if he were playing in New York, Philly, Boston, or even Chicago.

Tucker has been awful this year, but the Dodgers are still comfortably in first place in the NL West, so he’s gotten a pass from fans still drunk on two back-to-back World Championships. He’s also gotten by relatively unscathed because the rest of the team has carried him.

His ability to stink under the radar shifted violently over the weekend, however, when the entire Internet started pointing out just how *terrible* he’s been.

With respect to my friend Ms. Knight, I would argue that Tucker has been given a long leash by the fandom to settle into Los Angeles, which arguably raises a key question about agreed-upon expectations, discussed below.

I was curious to see what Tucker would do in Colorado because, as we have established, Tucker has been basically fine on the road. The answer to that question was to apparently bring Dodger Stadium in his heart because the bad play continued.

On Monday night, when the Dodgers sprang to life for the first time since Philadelphia (a fact with a common denominator), the only Dodger to not join in was Tucker. I was in the field, so I didn’t know the camera caught Tucker being emotional in the dugout after his poor night.

But wait — there’s more. Once again, Tucker’s glove seemed to inexplicably abandon him during his offensive struggles. I happened to see this moment and was thoroughly confused and annoyed by it.

Have Glove Will Not Travel

As an aside, I started to wonder just how poorly Tucker was performing in the field. Baseball Savant is currently tracking the Fielding Run Value (FRV) for 97 qualified right fielders in 2026. An excellent summary of what FRV is is listed below:

Fielding Run Value (FRV) combines all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics into one stat that measures a player’s overall defensive value.

FRV is measured on a run-base scale — it shows the runs a player saves from his defense, compared to an average player. A positive Fielding Run Value reflects above-average defensive performance, while a negative Fielding Run Value reflects below-average defensive performance.

Since Statcast uses different scales for different individual areas of defensive performance — range, throwing, framing, blocking, double plays, etc. — the conversion to one, run-based scale is necessary to place all performance on the same level. This allows defenders of all positions to be compared to one another.

As to right fielder FRV, Tucker is next to last with -7 FRV.

Owen Caissie of the Miami Marlins is the only player who is a worse defensive liability. In contrast, Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs leads right fielders in FRV with 7 FRV. Oddly enough, Tucker’s poor defense is actually an improvement compared to the -9 FRV that Teoscar Hernandez put up in right field in 2025, besting only Juan Soto and Nick “Oh my God, something bad is happening starting on August 19, 2020” Castellanos.

Kyle Tucker is not Trea Turner

There are murmurs that fans are going to cheer and try to comfort Kyle Tucker this coming homestand, à la what the Phillies’ faithful did with Trea Turner in 2023. As is known, I don’t live in Los Angeles. I generally don’t go to Dodger Stadium and have sworn off the exercise for the foreseeable future. People are going to do what people do.

The entire exercise of what to do about Tucker as a fan was gnawing at me, and after thinking about it on the flight back to San Francisco, I concluded that the discourse demonstrates an imperfect understanding of two ultimately different situations.

Personally, I have no great affection for Tucker, nor do I dislike the man. He is not one of my baseball nemeses (Jackson Holiday, Andrew McCutchen, Craig Kimbrel — they know what they did). Honestly, I probably could not pick Tucker out of a police lineup if he were out of uniform, regardless of the unreliability of police lineups.

Tucker played well over the past couple of years, but he did not have a Jon Hamm-narrated sizzle reel when the Dodgers signed him last winter.

Trea Turner had just signed with the Phillies to an 11-year, $300 million deal in 2023. The deal had no deferrals or opt-outs; moreover, it included a full no-trade clause. I’m all for puffery, but a lot of this video did not age well for Turner.

This marriage between Turner and Philadelphia had to work because the alternative was to alienate someone signed to a franchise-cornerstone deal for the next decade. Turner floundered, and to recap when the Dodgers last debated trying this tactic with the now-retired Chris Taylor, let us return to what happened to Turner.

For a good portion of the year, Turner was reliving his rookie year in a bad way, hitting just .235/.290/.368 in his first 107 games.

These statistics are certainly not what you sign someone to an 11-year/$300 million contract for. Turner’s travails were so severe he was constantly being booed at home, including by his own mother (Happy Mother’s Day, everybody!). Philadelphia radio producer of 94.1 FM, Jack Fritz, had an idea before Turner’s first at-bat on the upcoming homestand on August 4: that the fans of Citizens Bank Park should try to bolster Turner’s feelings by giving him a standing ovation…

As ideas go, it was not a bad one, it made no sense to alienate the star player who is going to be here for the next decade within the first six months of the relationship. On August 4, the Phillies faithful obliged.

…Was it hokey? Maybe a little, but here’s the strange thing: it helped, per Turner! Correlation is not causation but Turner was a far different and better player after the standing ovation for the rest of the season than before it, hitting .337/.389/.668 in his final 48 games.

Trea Turner at the end of the 2023 season:

“I owe you guys a thank you. I’ve heard that you guys were responsible, so I want to say thank you for you guys,” he said. “… I started playing a lot better, and it was thanks to you guys and the crowd.”

Did Philly win a title in 2023? No, and blame Craig Kimbrel. Have things gone well for Turner ever since? In 2024 and 2025, yes. This year, God no, as that offensive outburst against the Dodgers was his first power surge in ages.

Here, Tucker was not signed to be the franchise cornerstone.

He was not signed to be the guy (Shohei Ohtani). Or the guy behind the guy (Mookie Betts). Or the guy behind the guy behind the guy who has great teeth and is quite bendy (Freddie Freeman). Or the guy behind the guy behind the guy who has great teeth and is quite bendy behind the homegrown guy (Will Smith). Or the guy behind the guy behind the guy who has great teeth and is quite bendy behind the homegrown guy behind the reclamation home run guy (Max Muncy). And so on and so on.

The unspoken agreement was to just be better than Michael Conforto, and frankly, at home, that agreement has not been met.

Tucker has an opt-out after next year, which is all but guaranteed to be truncated in some form due to the owner’s machinations.

Yes, if Tucker were to leave after 2027, based on his current performance, he would likely need to emulate Conforto and sign a prove-it deal at a significant discount to his current salary. If Tucker is truly that miserable, it would be shocking to keep subjecting himself to the agita, regardless of how many zeroes are on his paycheck.

Maybe it’s just me, but life’s too short.

Clear expectations

I get the idea of the reflex to embrace a player who has been struggling. But as Ms. Knight pointed out, it’s not as if the Dodger Stadium faithful have been haranguing Tucker so far in 2026, unlike Michael Conforto in 2025.

I just don’t think the idea is going to work. If anything, it’s likely to backfire.

We are not talking about a player whose skills have noticeably and likely permanently declined (hello, Mookie Betts — a topic for another day). We are not talking about a player who is an enigma but still manages to prevail in the end (hello, Teoscar Hernandez). We are not talking about a player who makes baffling decisions in the second spot in the order (hello, Andy Pages). We are not talking about a player who keeps swinging at low pitches or at the very first pitch (konnichiwa, Ohtani-san).

On August 18, I saw something genuinely alarming from Tucker and something I cannot recall an active Major Leaguer doing: swinging at every pitch. The first six pitches Tucker saw that night, he swung at. My mother likely could not pick Tucker out of a lineup either. However, she did notice that he kept swinging, more like flailing, until he finally hit a double to break his hitless streak.

While Tucker rebounded somewhat in the finale, the performance was not enough to stave off this essay.

Three inches of real estate

Accordingly, while some have debated whether Tucker is pressing to try and justify his massive contract, Tuesday night’s game was as much of a red flag as any.

As of the start of play on August 21, the Dodgers have 35 regular-season games to go, including 18 regular-season home games.

The battle to salvage Tucker’s season as a whole is likely lost. However, Tucker can still make a point of making the most of these remaining games — not by trying to justify his contract in a single at-bat, but rather by stopping being an offensive liability. Apart from fluke circumstances, hello-Miguel-Rojas at Game 7 of the World Series, there is generally no such thing as a $60 million single swing.

The Dodgers don’t need Tucker to be an MVP candidate.

The Dodgers don’t need Tucker to be an All-Star candidate.

The Dodgers don’t even need Tucker to be good in 2026.

The Dodgers need Tucker to stop prompting thoughts that his roster spot would be better filled by a prospect who has not played in the Majors before.

I would openly ask what the Mental Skill Coach is doing if I thought it were helpful. If you had a co-worker like Tucker, and if you had any empathy, you would start asking the powers that be whether everything is alright at home or if something can be done, because the status quo is quickly becoming untenable.

There comes a point when you realize that the most important ground is the three or so inches between your ears, as the most important real estate there is. Giving unconditional praise to a talented person who is clearly underachieving often backfires, which can seem counterintuitive.

“I’m trying harder…they are cheering for me loudly…Therefore, I must try even harder!…Oh no! /cycle repeats”

Sometimes, space and acknowledging what has passed is the best medicine. On this point, I do speak from some experience, but at the risk of diluting this essay’s focus, might I suggest an alternative approach?

The only way out is through

Am I suggesting fans give up on Tucker? Not at all. We have not yet reached the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy is our tendency to continue with something we’ve already invested heavily in (be it time, money, effort, or emotional energy), even when giving up is clearly the better option.

Do I expect fans to cheer loudly on Friday when Tucker comes up? Probably. Will it work? I hope it doesn’t backfire, but given how many fans showed up in West Sacramento with an argument to not do so and how few letters went out last month, I am not hopeful that anyone will listen.

Maybe I am wrong, and all he needs is a hug, but honestly, players highly rank the Dodgers organization for how they treat their players for a reason. Someone has likely already tried a version of this tactic. If the players did not believe in Tucker, they would just leave him be. But Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts have publicly spoken in support of what Tucker is going through.

What would I do regarding Tucker? Simply treat him like an opposing player, at least in the short term.

As I stated above, I am not anti-Tucker. If anything, I was more aggrieved against Conforto last year. But to his credit, Conforto did not throw public tantrums or react poorly, even though fans were heckling him at home and away during a disappointing year. Think treating him like Francisco Lindor (because who has a problem with Lindor) or Trea Turner, not a lightning rod like Pete Crow-Armstrong or Manny Machado.

The situation with Tucker feels more like having a bad cramp. Counterintuitively, the best way to deal with the pain is to push through it and put more weight on your limb until the pain subsides.

Tucker has generally had no issue playing well on the road this year. Getting his brain to relax a little at Dodger Stadium, even in the short term, to trick himself into a reset might be the way to go. And then embrace him once it looks like he stops being afraid of his own shadow.

I am not a psychologist, but I do acknowledge that sometimes, when faced with a difficult problem I can’t crack, the best solution is not to focus harder. The solution is often to mentally reset, trust in the skills that have brought me to this point, and usually have a snack. As a better writer than I once wrote: “Life is hard, and we deserve our small celebrations.”

The ACL season is over, and the DSL regular season is over. The games are dwindling, but all four of the San Francisco Giants A-ball Minor League affiliates were in action on Wednesday, so let’s talk about it!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

The only bit of news is that the Giants assigned third baseman Dalton Wentz to High-A Eugene. Wentz, who was their 16th-round pick in July, becomes just the 2nd of the Giants recent draft class to head to an in-season team.

AAA Sacramento (70-49)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 9-6
Box score

It’s been a good year for Giants outfield prospects, and while we’ve seen some of that result in MLB debuts (Jonah Cox, Victor Bericoto, and Turner Hill), some players are still waiting their turn. But that doesn’t diminish what they’re doing.

Center fielder Scott Bandura is one such player, as his magnificent breakout season continued on Wednesday, when he hit 2-4 with a 3-run home run, a double, and 4 runs batted in.

That was just another day at the outfield office for the 2023 7th-rounder out of Princeton, who has been on fire for nearly 2 months now. It can take a little while to adjust to a new level, and Bandura, a lefty who just turned 25, did take his time following an early-season promotion.

But since June 26, he’s hit 60-168 with 7 homers, 13 doubles, 31 walks, and just 26 strikeouts. It might take an injury for him to make his MLB debut this year, since the Giants are (hopefully) wanting to give their prospects some extended looks instead of yanking them back and forth between San Francisco and Sacramento. But with an .852 OPS, a 123 wRC+, 17 stolen bases, and solid outfield defense across all 3 grassy positions, Bandura feels like a near-lock to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, so the Giants probably won’t hesitate to call him up if they have an opening later this year.

That was really the lone standout day on offense, though second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) had a nice day, hitting 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Quiet days for the top prospects, as right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) hit 1-4 while third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) went 0-4, though neither player struck out. Recently-optioned left fielder Grant McCray hit 1-4 with a stolen base, though he struck out 3 times. Recently-acquired shortstop Shay Whitcomb went 0-3 with a walk.

RHP Anthony Molina made his 4th appearances since being acquired in the Tyler Mahle trade, and he continues to look solid. Molina pitched 4 strong innings in this one, as he is getting stretched out to a starting role after being used as a reliever by his previous teams. In those 4 innings, Molina gave up just 3 hits, 0 walks, 2 runs, and 1 earned run, with 3 strikeouts. He’s definitely an interesting story to follow … you don’t see a lot of players put up mediocre numbers in relief and then get moved to the rotation, but the Giants clearly see something they’re intrigued about, and so far the results are strong.

Another tough outing for RHP Spencer Bivens, who gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 3 runs in 2 innings. Bivens has just a 4.73 ERA and a 5.15 FIP in Sacramento, and has been repeatedly passed over when San Francisco needs bullpen help. He’s got to feel like his spot on the roster is in peril entering the offseason.

AA Richmond (67-47)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 7-4
Box score

The power surge continues for designated hitter Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL)! The righty slugger was back at it on Wednesday, hitting 2-3 with both a 2-run home run and a solo blast, while also drawing 2 walks. What a day!

Ceballos hasn’t had a great season, but him finding his power has quietly been one of the happier stories on the farm. The 2023 3rd-round pick (by the Braves), who turned 24 on Monday, had a serious show of power to end the 2024 season, after coming over in the Jorge Soler trade. That earned him an aggressive assignment in AA to open 2025, but in 420 plate appearances he bopped just 6 home runs.

This year? He’s at basically the same amount of playing time, as he has 426 plate appearances. But the big difference? He’s already up to 15 home runs. Very exciting!

Unfortunately, that power resurgence hasn’t really triggered success elsewhere. For the 2nd year running, Ceballos is sporting a very low batting average (.223) despite a low strikeout rate (18.1%). And, even though he’s hitting a lot of home runs, he’s not doing much damage on the other hits, as he only has 14 doubles and 0 triples. He’s hitting home runs and drawing walks, and that’s pretty much it, which results in a fairly average .747 OPS and 105 wRC+.

A great day for shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) who was a hit machine, going 4-5 with a double. It’s really remarkable how well Kilen has maintained — and built on — his performance while moving up from High-A to AA midseason. Last year’s 1st-round pick, who only turned 22 in late March, has raised his average (.282 to .333) and dropped his strikeout rate (13.8% to 13.0%), while seeing only negligible decreases in walk rate (9.2% to 8.9%) and isolated slugging (.179 to .176). He only has 1 home run in 28 games at the level, but I’m not hear to nitpick with a lefty middle infielder posting an .891 OPS and a 133 wRC+ in AA in their 1st full season of pro baseball. What a year he’s having!

Right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) struggled in his 2nd game since getting promoted, hitting 0-5 and striking out twice. Adjustments are to be expected!

On the pitching front it was a really nice start for RHP Trystan Vrieling. The 2022 3rd-round pick (by the Yankees) hasn’t had a very good season, but he’s been showing a lot of good signs lately. The Gonzaga product, who turns 26 in October, pitched 6 innings in this one, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs, while striking out 6 batters.It wasn’t a great strike-throwing performance, as he tossed 54 of 98 pitches for strikes, but he kept the Baysox from hitting the ball too hard, with 5 of his 6 allowed hits being singles. Vrieling now has a 4.26 ERA and a 4.99 FIP this season, which is his 3rd in AA … it’s basically the only level he’s played at (he has 1 rehab start each in Low-A and the Complex League). Unfortunately, he’s walking a lot of batters this year for the 1st time in his career.

RHP R.J. Dabovich made his AA return after a rehab stint, as he pitched in an Eastern League game for the 1st time since early April. He faced 4 batters and none of them put the ball in play, with 2 strikeouts punched and 2 walks issued. Unfortunately, that came back to haunt him when RHP Tyler Vogel entered the game, as the runners promptly stole some bases and scored on a single. That was the only hit Vogel allowed, and he struck out a pair in 1.1 innings.

High-A Eugene (70-45)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 6-4
Box score

The excitement in this game was that RHP Ramon Marquez was making his 2nd start since the Giants acquired him in the Luis Arráez trade. And this start was certainly an exhibit as to why the Giants — and the sport as a whole — are so high on the righty, who turns 21 in about a month.

Marquez wasn’t dominant, but he was very strong, as he gave up 6 hits in 6 innings, with 0 walks, 0 home runs, and 2 earned runs. Marquez only struck out 4 batters, but the way he pounded the zone was surely exciting to the Giants, as he threw 52 of 70 pitches for strikes. Talk about an efficient outing!

Through 8 starts in High-A, Marquez has a 2.48 ERA and a 2.41 FIP … stats that rank 11th and 1st, respectively, out of the 305 High-A pitchers with at least 40 innings thrown this year. He also has 58 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 40 innings at the level. It will be fascinating to see how we rank Marquez in this winter’s Community Prospect List, but I’d say there’s an excellent chance that he ends up as the highest-ranked pitcher outside of Jackson Flora.

His teammate who came over in the Arráez trade also pitched, with RHP Marty Gair throwing a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout, with 9 of 13 pitches going for strikes. Gair has some of the nastiest stuff in the organization, so if he can continue to find the strike zone as effectively as he did in this game, he’ll be in good shape.

Right fielder Damian Bravo, who was just promoted, went just 1-4 with a strikeout, but smacked his 1st High-A home run. That’s always exciting!

Bravo, a 15th-round pick out of Texas Tech in 2025, spent his debut season last year with the Emeralds, but didn’t leave the yard in 98 plate appearances. He began his 1st full season in Low-A San Jose where he showed off the power, bopping 10 big flies in just 248 plate appearances. His season was paused in mid-June when he missed about 2 months with an injury, and when he returned it was in Eugene. Wednesday was his 2nd game of the year with the Emeralds, and great to see him get that 1st homer in the books.

First baseman Robert Hipwell had a really nice game, hitting 2-3 with a double and a walk. It’s been a very rough season for the 2023 6th-rounder, who has a .182 average, a .685 OPS, a 91 wRC+ (which is propped up almost entirely by a 17.1% walk rate), and a 41.7% strikeout rate in Eugene, and was briefly demoted to San Jose for a few games. But the Santa Clara product has been a lot better over the last week, so hopefully he’s ending the year on a high note.

Center fielder Jose Ortiz, playing in his 2nd game with Eugene, hit just 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but had yet another outfield assist. The dude can play defense!!!

Eugene’s top prospect, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), had the day off.

Low-A San Jose (66-50)

San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 11-1
Box score

RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) returned a few weeks ago. But on Wednesday, he really returned. Yes, Cayama has made a few appearances since coming off the Injured List. But yesterday’s was a start that makes you say, he’s back.

Cayama was truly nothing short of dominant, and put forth one of the best pitching performances we’ve seen from a Giants prospect this year. Cayama retired the 1st 14 batters he faced, and he made them look absolutely silly. He finally gave up a baserunner with 2 outs in the 5th inning on … wait for it … an infield double. Yes, a groundball comebacker hit Cayama in the leg, and ricocheted into the dugout for a double. The game was paused for a while while the trainers checked in on Cayama, who stayed in the game and struck out the next batter. That ended his night, perhaps out of caution after the comebacker, or perhaps just because that was the plan.

The final line: 5 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 runs, and 9 strikeouts. Despite relying heavily on strikeouts, Cayama needed just 52 pitches to get through his 5 innings, and threw 39 of them for strikes. Just pure and utter dominance, through and through.

While the 19-year old Cayama, who is visibly larger and stronger this year, hasn’t had the best year from a run prevention stand point — he has a 4.18 ERA and a 3.96 FIP — he’s left no doubt that he’s one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the system, even with the influx of talent that rode in on the summer ships of the draft and the deadline. He has a staggering 66 strikeouts to 13 walks in 51.2 innings with San Jose … among the 88 Cal League pitchers with at least 40 innings this year, Cayama’s 11.5 strikeouts per 9 ranks 22nd, while his 2.3 walks per 9 is 10th, resulting in a 5.1 K/BB rate that is 7th. Not bad at all!

RHP Evan Gray picked up where Cayama left off, striking out 3 batters in 2 scoreless innings, with 1 hit and 0 walks allowed. Gray, who was a 15th-round pick in 2024, is repeated Low-A and struggling, with a 5.14 ERA and a 5.64 FIP. He now has 3 straight games without allowing a run, though.

Lots of great performances in the batter’s box. Catcher Junior Barajas had one of his best games of the year, hitting 2-3 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks.

The 22-year old lefty, taken in the 11th round last year, has really had a season that’s a tale of 3 acts.

April: 22-73, 4 home runs, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
May/June: 29-140, 1 home run, 10 walks, 44 strikeouts
July/August: 28-89, 8 home runs, 15 walks, 18 strikeouts

Let’s hope that 3rd act lasts for the rest of the season! In all, Barajas has an .809 OPS and a 100 wRC+, and has really impressed with his power potential and his defensive chops behind the dish.

Also having a great day was second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who wants to make sure everyone remembers he exists even as the teenage uber-prospects have joined San Jose. Last year’s 4th-round pick hit 2-5 with a 3-run home run, a double, and a strikeout, and now is the solo leader in all of Minor League baseball with 38 doubles.

38 doubles and 13 home runs for a middle infielder is pretty delightful though, remarkably, despite that, Meola is actually hitting a hair below league average, with an .801 OPS and a 98 wRC+. He’s doing a lot of good things but not a lot of great things (except his shortstop defense!), as he has just a .263 batting average and a 24.6% strikeout rate. There’s been a lot to love about his season, but it is a little damning that he’s spent the entire year in Low-A for a fairly promotion-happy organization.

Rounding out the homer party was designated hitter Angel Guzman, who went deep for the 2nd night in a row, hitting 2-5 with a 2-run shot, a triple, and a strikeout. Guzman’s batting average has really tumbled since getting promoted from the ACL to Low-A, but the overall numbers are still a delight, as he has an .831 OPS and a 116 wRC+. The 17.5% walk rate is carrying a lot of that, but the 20-year old has shown some really nice things when he swings the bat.

That’s where the big flies came from, but other players had nice games as well. Shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) continues to own the level, as he hit 3-6 with a triple and a strikeout, which brought him up to a 1.071 OPS and a 163 wRC+, with 5 triples in 18 games. It’s just comical how much better he is than the competition, despite being an 18-year old who just got to the level.

Right fielder Tanner Mally went 3-5 with a strikeout, while left fielder Broedy Poppell hit 2-4 with 2 doubles, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Mally, a 17th-round pick this year, has a 1.026 OPS and a 164 wRC+ through 11 games, and remains the only Giants 2026 draftee to debut. Poppell, a 13th-round pick a year ago, has a .709 OPS and an 83 wRC+.

Home run tracker

15 — Sabin Ceballos x2 — [AA]
13 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A]
13 — Junior Barajas — [Low-A]
11 — Scott Bandura — [8 in AAA; 3 in AA]
11 — Damian Bravo — [1 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
5 — Angel Guzman — [3 in Low-A; 2 in ACL]

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Tacoma (SP: Cesar Perdomo)
Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Chesapeake (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Vancouver (SP: Henry LaLane)
San Jose: 6:05 p.m. PT at Lake Elsinore (SP: TBD)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV

The Red Sox pitching staff is limping towards the finish line this season, as is almost every single pitching staff in baseball in 2026. Thankfully, with a postseason spot essentially locked down (you know, bar one of the teams below the Sox doing something crazy, like winning 15 games in a row or something…) the Sox are able to shuffle things around to give their arms some extra rest. Jake Bennett is the beneficiary of that strategy this week, as he won’t take the mound until Sunday against the Giants, 9 days after his last start. “It’s more just ‘let’s get some extra rest,’” Chad Tray said. “All the numbers on [objective measures of his physical recovery] — force plate jumps, the arm strength, dynamometer test, and everything — all that’s been great. So it’s more just staying ahead of the game.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Unfortunately it’s not just the starters that are tiring down the stretch. The Red Sox bullpen, which has arguably been the best relief corps in all of baseball, may be starting to show some cracks. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

But the bullpen could get some help from a former Red Sox All-Star who has become something of a forgotten man, as Tanner Houck has finally thrown to hitters as his rehab progresses. “We’re getting close. If you’re on a mound throwing to hitters and you’re throwing 25 pitches, that’s a good thing,” said Chad Tracy. “So, obviously, he still has boxes to check being that that’s the first time he’s thrown to hitters, and it’s been a while. But checking that box is a big one. Being out on the mound and doing that, and actually, velocity being where it was and everything, it’s a good step, a really good step.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

This upcoming Giants series represents a big reunion with a former Red Sox World Series champion in Rafael Devers, of course. But the other big name Red Sox who was recently sent to San Fransisco, Marcelo Mayer, probably won’t take the field, as he is still working his way back from injury. (Lauren Campbell, MassLive)

Mayer represented one half of the Red Sox middle infield on opening day. The other half, shortstop Trevor Story, has also been out with an extended injury, of course. But Story might return to the big leagues this weekend… (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

…Though according to the author of the above piece, his return won’t come until Saturday at the earliest:

Trevor Story is still capable of providing solid if unspectacular defense at short as well as some right-handed power and good baserunning. But what he’s terrible at in this stage in his career is putting the bat on the ball. That would frustrate the hell out of the greatest hitter who ever lived, who is back in our lives thanks to some footage newly discovered by ESPN. Here’s modern-day hitting savant Joey Votto breaking down an unearthed video of Ted Williams talking hitting with teammate and friend Bobby Doerr. (Jeff Passan, ESPN)

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Houston is holding on for dear life in the AL West after dropping three of their last four, but I'm riding with them tonight as part of my Angels vs. Astros prediction.

The Houston Astros host the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park as -170 betting favorites at Polymarket and have a strong chance to get going early and often against Grayson Rodriguez and his 7.17 ERA.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 20, and drop a couple of winners.

Who will win Angels vs Astros today: Astros -1.5 (+114)

The Houston Astros are in a great spot to win their second consecutive game against the Los Angeles Angels' Grayson Rodriguez, who's striking out this Astros lineup at just a 16% clip.

The sample size here is large, too, as Houston has had 73 at-bats against the right-hander, owning a .280 xBA and .365 xwOBA. 

On the other side, Peter Lambert has had his way with the Angels, punching them out at a 34% clip while limiting them to a .194 xBA across 41 plate appearances. He's had seven straight starts of going at least five innings while allowing two earned runs or less - that'll do.

I'd play this up to +105.

COVERS INTEL: Yordan Alvarez is indeed in line for some positive regression against Rodriguez. While he's a career 0-for-10 against the right-hander, he's still rocking a .738 xSLG against him. Look for the MVP candidate to break out tonight and help the Astros win.

Angels vs Astros Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 Runs (+105)

The Astros are going to do most of the legwork on this play, but the Angels should do just enough to get us over the finish line.

I'm expecting a big breakout game for Alvarez against Rodriguez, with Isaac Parades (.418 xBA), Christian Walker (.390 xBA), and Yainer Diaz (.417 xBA) helping out behind him.

The Over is a perfect 7-0 in the Astros' last seven games after Houston allowed two runs or less in their previous game. After a 3-2 win last night, the trends are lining up perfectly to cash this play for us.

Angels vs Astros home run prediction: Yordan Alvarez (+276)

Something's gotta give in this matchup tonight between Rodriguez and Alvarez. While the AL MVP odds favorite is 0-for-10 against Rodriguez, his underlying numbers tell a different story.

Averaging an exit velocity of 96 mph in this matchup while owning a .738 xSLG, look for Yordan to put one in the stands.

Angels vs Astros weather

Daikin Park has a retractable roof, so the weather will have little to no impact on game conditions tonight.

Angels vs Astros odds

• Moneyline: Angels (+163) | Astros (-170)
• Run line: Angels +1.5 (-122) | Astros -1.5 (+114)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+105) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Angels vs Astros trend

The Astros are 4-0 in Lambert's last four starts during Game 3 of a series — we'll take that. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Astros.

How to watch Angels vs Astros and game info

Angels vs Astros latest injuries

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Carlos Rodón marked his return from a seven-week absence with left elbow inflammation with four strong innings against the Orioles on Tuesday. He allowed a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts, the lone damage a Coby Mayo solo homer in the third, as the Yankees took the series opener, 3-1, thanks to some clutch hitting from Trent Grisham. By far, the most important moments from his start were the pair of strikeouts to strand the bases loaded in the second, so let’s dive in.

We join Rodón with one out in the bottom of the second, Trent Grisham having given them the lead with a solo home run in the top half of the frame. However, he faces a serious threat after a Jazz Chisholm Jr. error on a potential inning-ending double play ball loaded the bases. Stepping to the plate is former Yankee farmhand Carlos Narváez, who memorably crushed them in three games with the Red Sox last year before getting shipped to Baltimore in the Adley Rutschman blockbuster at this year’s deadline.

To this point in the contest, Rodón’s four-seamer has been sitting at about 93-94 mph, so you can tell he senses the gravity of the situation when dialing this first-pitch heater to 96.

Austin Wells sets a high target and Rodón nails it with the four-seamer. Between the velocity, placement, and elite 19 inches of induced vertical break, Narváez swings right through the pitch underneath as the ball gives the illusion of rise on its path to home.

After the spot-on execution of that fastball, Rodón looks to keep the feeling of that release with another four-seamer to the same spot.

Rodón throws an almost identical pitch to the one before. This one had two more inches of drop than the previous one, which is why Narváez is able to foul it back rather than whiff through it. All the same, it’s an advantageous result to give Rodón all the count leverage, 0-2.

With Narváez showing a willingness to offer at the high fastball, the obvious choice is to keep climbing the ladder with the four-seamer.

Unfortunately, this pitch is a little too high and a little too high to entice the hitter to chase. Nonetheless, it is still an effective pitch to keep the hitter’s eye level looking for an elevated heater.

Rodón plays off that eye level with the classic back-foot slider.

This is the absolute perfect pitch to follow the preceding high heater. The slider looks exactly like a fastball right down the middle before diving down and in as the hitter is starting his swing, leaving Narváez no chance to make contact. Perfect release, perfect spot, perfect execution — that’s pitch sequencing at its finest.

Here’s the full sequence:

Now needing just one out to escape the jam, Rodón faces the top of the order again, Jackson Holliday stepping in after having popped out in the first. Rodón threw all fastballs — three four-seamers and three sinkers — to retire Holliday in the first, so he switches things up here with a first-pitch slider.

It’s clear Rodón’s first-inning attack plan had an effect on Holliday’s approach here. This is not a particularly good slider — in fact it’s a hanger pretty much down the middle. However, given that the pitch looks like a fastball off the plate up and in out of Rodón’s hand, he’s able to freeze Holliday for strike one looking.

Once you show the hitter that you can land your breaking ball in the zone for a called strike, it should amplify the chase potential when following it up with another bender out of the zone.

Instead, Rodón throws pretty much the same pitch as the one he just threw, another mistake slider that catches the heart of the plate. Luckily for him, it appears Holliday is still hunting the fastball given how early and off-balance this swing is to pop it weakly foul and out of play.

After getting away with a pair of mistake sliders, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Rodón change course to the four-seamer here.

Rodón hurls his fastest and best located fastball of his entire outing, and not just because of the leverage of the situation. He pinpoints this 96 mph heater right on the corner up and away, a successful ABS challenge from Wells overturning the initial ball call for the inning-ending strike three looking to strand the bases loaded. In a way, he was almost helped by the first two not-so-great sliders he threw. It feels like Holliday is now sitting on a third straight slider in this spot, meaning he is even more likely to take an up-and-away fastball given the way he saw the last two sliders move away (not that he was likely to make contact with this flawlessly executed four-seamer even if he had swung).

Here’s the full sequence:

Given Rodón had completed just a pair of rehab starts following the seven-week layoff, there was a lot to feel encouraged by in these four innings of work and particularly these two ABs. First and foremost was the four-seamer, whose velocity, shape, and command looked to be in mid-season form rather than a first MLB start in almost two months. However, I was most impressed by Rodón dialing up his focus when facing this massive early jam. Having just scored in the top of the inning, it would have stung that little bit extra to immediately throw it away, especially following the error. Rodón made some of his best pitches of the start when he needed them most. I’m sure he would love to rein in the walks which have peppered his ten starts and steadily increase the pitch count beyond the 60-70 range set for this outing, but all in all you have to feel optimistic about where he’s at.

Rodón’s somewhat surprising early activation off the IL to start this game was accompanied by an even more surprising corresponding roster move, the Yankees placing Max Fried on the 15-day IL with a recurrence of the elbow bone bruise that kept him out for over two months. While the prognosis on Fried’s injury is far more encouraging this time around, it shows how important it was for Rodón to return when he did and pitch with the sharpness he exhibited.