It’s 2026, which means baseball is partially governed by robots. More precisely, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system is in place with the challenge system. Lots of ink, including our own, has been spilled on the new system; personally, I’m a fan of this intermediate step between letting CB Bucknor do whatever he wants and replacing umpires entirely. ABS also adds a small layer of strategy on when to use a challenge or when to save it.
Today, I want to see how well the Tigers are doing with their challenges. BaseballSavant helpfully keeps a leaderboard for each team’s challenge metrics. I’ll be breaking those down here and examining where Detroit stands out, where they don’t, and why some of these metrics really don’t matter that much. These statistics are all based upon a league-wide “expected” challenge formula developed by Tom Tango. You can read more about it here, but put simply, by evaluating the distance from the edge of the plate, how much is left of the game, and how many challenges a team has remaining, Tango developed a method to determine how likely any pitch is to be challenged. This results in “net overturns more than expected” for four basic scenarios: the offense and defense when Detroit is batting, and the offense and defense when Detroit is pitching.
Offensive Challenges
Offensively speaking, the two categories of note are “net overturns more than expected for” and “net overturns more than expected against”. “For” is the category for when a Tiger batter initiates the challenge, while “against” means the opposing team’s pitcher or catcher initiated.
When trying to determine how good the Tigers are at challenging, it of course makes more sense to look at the “net for” category. There’s nothing they can do about “net against”; the umpire called a ball and the catcher, or occasionally the pitcher, said no. Short of swinging at it anyways, Detroit has no way to prevent that. Their 1.3 “net against” challenges ranks 18th in baseball, but really, it speaks to Padres’ catchers not getting the call on 2 pitches in the zone. Only one of their “net against” challenges got overturned into a strikeout, which is good. Hitters really shouldn’t be swinging at pitches that could have been challenged unless there’s 2 strikes.
Far more interesting to me is the “net for” category; this is what Detroit can control. These are pitches called strikes and Tigers’ batters requested review. Here they rate much more positively: 2.3 net overturns more than expected, 9th in the league. Detroit’s mostly succeeding here by challenging pitches very close to the zone and getting them right, which has outweighed some decently large misses. The picture below shows all 9 of Detroit’s offensive challenges so far. The green circles are challenges they won and got overturned, while they lost the gray ones.
The highlight here is Kerry Carpenter challenging that really close green one with 2 strikes, which flipped a strikeout on a pitch that was listed as “less than 0.1 inches” off the plate. Carpenter capitalized by walking on the next pitch, which must have felt good. Unfortunately, he didn’t end up scoring, which would have been the best outcome, but it’s still best practice to flip a strikeout the other way whenever possible.
My main takeaway here is Detroit probably stands to benefit from challenging a little more. They seem to be saving challenges for leverage situations, which is smart, but are probably leaving some obvious overturns on the table to try and save them for bigger opportunities later. If you combine their “net for” and “net against” scores, the Tigers’ hitters rank 15th in baseball. They aren’t taking many more chances than the median team, nor are they succeeding too much more than the median team.
Defensive Challenges
The exact same scenarios play out for defensive challenges, but in reverse. “Net overturns for” are when the Tigers are pitching and their catchers call for a challenge, while “net overturns against” means an opposing batter initiated the challenge.
The “net against” category means a little more here than with the hitters since how a catcher frames the pitch can fool both the umpire and the batter. The Tigers are 12th here at 0.1 “net overturns against more than average”. Basically, opposing hitters aren’t doing anything unexpected with their challenges versus Detroit. Interestingly, all four challenge attempts have come with Jake Rogers behind the plate.
“Net overturns for” is where Detroit – and really, Dillon Dingler – stands out. The team as a whole is 4/4 on defensive challenges; only the New York Yankees match their 100% success rate. Again, only having four defensive challenges is probably too few (it’s less than 1 per game), but hitting on all four is impressive. Furthermore, only 1 has been a gimme. That was Rogers against the Diamondbacks, and it stands out in the picture below. The other three on the edges were all Dingler.
Those three calls are certainly not gimme challenges. Considering how much a catcher has on his plate with pitch calling, the pitch com, and managing base runners, knowing the corner of a pitch’s trajectory clipped the zone on its way through is very impressive. The most impactful was a corrected strikeout on Fernando Tatis Jr on the pitch closest to the edge of those four.
Basically, add this to a list of things Dingler does very, very well, at least early in the season. A year after earning the AL Gold Glove as a catcher, Dingler’s already showing a new dimension to his defensive capabilities. Presumably his two years of experience with ABS in Toledo give him a leg up on most of his veteran MLB peers, and his overall framing skills handle the rest. So far, he’s rated at having saved the Tigers 0.8 runs in challenges through 7 games, third most in the league. Additionally, with Dingler leading the charge, the Tigers’ defense rates 4th with 3.8 total overturns above average. This really is a team built on pitching and defense.
On the whole, Detroit is 6th in all of baseball with 4.9 total overturns above average. The majority of that value comes from their exceptional catchers, while the offense is mostly just holding serve. The only way to improve would likely be challenging less conservatively in general, as both halves of the team are at an above-average success rate. Similarly to baserunning, risking a few bad calls is likely the price of correctly challenging a whole let more. Teams are surely still experimenting with the best challenge strategies, and we have little idea yet how sticky a skill this will turn out to be for catchers and hitters, but a more aggressive approach that doesn’t quite breach into recklessness seems like the right path.
Woodpeckers manager Ricky Rivera helps a young child put on his glove at the annual PLAY BALL Weekend baseball clinic and community giveback on Friday, June 14, 2024, at Segra Stadium. The events were a collaboration between Major League Baseball, The Two-Six Project, and Fayetteville native Vic Blends.
It’s Final Four weekend in college basketball, so if you’re more focused on that, you can be forgiven. It’s a thrilling event to take in, even if your bracket is busted.
For today’s question, it’s taking that concept and putting a baseball spin on it. What is your baseball “Final Four”? You can take this question any direction you want to take it, but from my point of view, I’m talking about things that make baseball baseball. That means hot dogs, scorecards, Fangraphs and baseball gloves. I usually only eat hot dogs when I’m at a baseball game, forgoing the other temptations that are at the ballpark. I love keeping score during a game, purchasing a sweet scorebook to do so. I’m on Fangraphs every day, twice a day and, well, a baseball glove is just about the greatest thing one can give to a person.
Everyone will take this question a different direction, which is what I’m interested in. Let us know.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Jo Adell #7 of the Los Angeles Angels catches a fly ball hit by Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of the baseball game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 04, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It took the Yankees two tries, but they managed to come back from losing positions to beat the Marlins, 9-7, putting them on the cusp of their second sweep in the first three series. After pitching carried them through their first six wins, it was encouraging to see the “never say quit” attitude displayed by the entire lineup, grinding out tough at bats against a stingy Marlins bullpen to come out on top.
That wasn’t the only exciting game in the AL, so let’s see how their Junior Circuit rivals fared.
Chicago White Sox (3-5) 6, Toronto Blue Jays (4-4) 3
On Wednesday it was an extra-innings loss to the Rockies. On Friday it was getting walked-off by the White Sox and last night brought another loss to the Pale Hose. The Blue Jays have now lost three straight games to the only two teams predicted to lose at least 95 games according to FanGraphs’ preseason projections. Both teams went with a bullpen game and did pretty well, Lazaro Estrada following Blue Jays opener Maso Fluharty’s first inning with four no-hit frames while Grant Taylor and Anthony Kay combined to give the White Sox 5.1 innings of two-run ball.
Munetaka Murakami has been electric since signing from NPB over the winter, opening the scoring with a sac fly in the first before crushing a 431-foot, two-run blast in the sixth to restore the White Sox lead for already four home runs, seven RBIs, and a 178 wRC+ in eight games — becoming the fastest Japanese player to four home runs in history.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grabbed Toronto a short-lived lead with a two-run tank in the top of the sixth, but that was immediately nullified by Murakami’s bomb and a solo shot from Colson Montgomery in the bottom half. Nathan Lukes cut the deficit to one with an inning-ending sac fly double play in the seventh, but Luisangel Acuña restored a two-run cushion in the eighth on a two-run single, a throwing error and Acuña subsequently getting caught in a rundown allowing both runs to score.
Detroit Tigers (4-4) 11, St. Louis Cardinals (4-4) 6
Even on a day when Jack Flaherty gave up five runs, the Tigers at no point looked like losing this game as Dustin May surrendered seven runs in just 3.1 innings. Detroit jumped on him early, Kerry Carpenter clubbing a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. They continued to pour it on in the fourth, Zach McKinstry crushing a two-run blast followed by a Parker Meadows triple and Matt Vierling sac fly.
St. Louis fought back admirably, putting up a five spot in the fifth. Alec Burleson got things started in the frame with an RBI double before Jordan Walker demolished a 459-foot grand slam — part of a five-RBI day for the former top prospect.
Unfortunately for St. Louis, the Tigers never took their foot off the gas pedal. Gleyber Torres led off the seventh with a home run and Vierling backed it up with a two-run shot an inning later. Four Tigers left the yard while three logged three-RBI nights to erase Walker’s career performance.
The Astros got their revenge for the Athletics scoring 11 on Friday by scoring 11 of their own in a dominant shutout victory over their divisional foes. Offseason signing Tatsuya Imai shook off his bumpy debut to give fans a teaser of his ceiling, twirling 5.2 scoreless allowing three hits and three walks against nine strikeouts. Out of his 94 pitches, 85 were four-seamers or sliders, yet he still managed to induce a 43-percent whiff rate on the two pitches combined.
It certainly helps when your offense can score double-digit runs despite hitting just a pair of solo shots, the Houston bats collecting 18 base hits and drawing 13 walks against a clearly hapless A’s staff. Four of those walks belonged to Yordan Alvarez while Cam Smith added a pinch hit solo shot late. However, this game was about the bottom-half of the Astros order. Four of the final five hitters in the lineup — Christian Walker, Joey Loperfido, Yainer Diaz, and Christian Vásquez contributed three-hit, two-RBI performances in about as complete a team victory as one could hope for.
The Red Sox woes deepen as they have now lost six out of seven games following an Opening Day victory. Boston Rookie Connelly Early allowed two runs on three hits and four walks in four innings, but it wasn’t enough to stand up against former Yankee Randy Vásquez’s six innings of one-run ball.
The two teams traded runs in the second, Freddy Fermin drawing a leadoff walk, advancing to third on a Ty France single, and scoring the opening run on a Bryce Johnson grounder before Marcelo Mayer responded with a sac fly after Willson Contreras led off with a single followed by a Wilyer Abreu walk. Fermin restored the Padres’ lead with an RBI double in the third after Miguel Andújar reached on a double of his own. Andruw Monasterio re-leveled the scores with an RBI forceout in the eighth after Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony opened the frame with a pair of singles, which allowed Alex Cora to hand the ball to Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, fresh off a 2025 campaign in which the erstwhile Yankees closer looked otherworldly.
However, Chapman surrendered a Fernando Tatis Jr. double to set up the go-ahead RBI single from Ramón Laureano, both with two outs. Mason Miller turned out to be a tougher customer than Chapman in this one, as he protected the 3-2 lead by striking out the side in a perfect ninth.
Los Angeles Angels (4-5) 1, Seattle Mariners (4-5) 0
This was a good ol’ fashioned pitchers’ duel, Emerson Hancock following up his six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts in his season debut with 6.2 frames of one-run ball against the Angels. However, it was Jack Kochanowicz who came out on top. He may have been the worst starter in baseball last season with a 6.81 ERA and -0.6 fWAR, but he turned in one of the best starts of his young career against Seattle — 5.2 scoreless innings allowing four hits and two walks against seven strikeouts.
The game started out with quite a bit of drama, Jo Adell robbing Cal Raleigh of a home run in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame. Zach Neto led off with a booming 443-foot home run, and the Angels threatened to pour on more putting runners on second and third on a Nolan Schanuel double and Jorge Soler single, only for Schanuel to get thrown out at home to end the inning while attempting to score on a wild pitch.
In fact, that would constitute all the scoring in this contest.
The Mariners had their chances, loading the bases with two outs in the third and putting a pair on with no outs in the seventh, but the Angels pitchers averted the threat both times. The game ended in very much the same fashion as it began, Adell robbing another home run in the eighth — this time off the bat of Josh Naylor — before making it the trifecta by bringing a J.P. Crawford deep fly near the right-field foul pole back into the yard to preserve the 1-0 victory.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 1: Masyn Winn #0 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with Ivan Herrera #48, Pedro Pages #43 and JJ Wetherholt #26 all of the St. Louis Cardinals after hitting a walk-off single against the New York Mets in the eleventh inning at Busch Stadium on April 1, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Depending on who you ask, the first week-plus of the 2026 season has gone exactly or nothing as planned for the St. Louis Cardinals. As they enter play on Sunday, they sit 4-4, which could easily be 6-2 or 2-6, whether you want to give props or blame to the bullpen. Despite being about as up and down as a .500 team could be through eight games, we have seen things to be excited about as we navigate the new waters of this rebuild.
I have done all the overreacting I could to the opening week of baseball, both doing an Opening Day Cardinals on my Time livestream and an opening weekend buy/sell podcast with Redbird Rundown, so I decided to use this week to dive into the timely news of the week. Now that we have settled down on the JJ Wetherholt first ballot Hall of Fame, 16-time MVP, and 46-time All-Star conversation, a more realistic talk to have is about his long-term value. And not just to the team in the midst of a rebuild. But also talking the money side, factoring in arbitration years, service time, and other prospects around the league taking home fat paydays with very minimal, or no, major league experience.
Konnor Griffin was forced to wait until the Pirates’ home opener to debut and then quickly signed a nine-year extension worth up to $140 million. This came after the Brewers locked up shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt, who had not even seen a pitch at Triple-A for eight years. Oh yeah, and of course Pete Crow-Armstrong signed a lucrative six-year, $115 million deal to haunt the NL Central for the next handful of seasons in Chicago. The question marks around 2027, prospect incentives, and potential salary cap concerns have created this explosion of early career paydays, but is it time the Cardinals got involved? The first year of a rebuild is hardly time to talk long-term contracts, but I do still believe this rebuild is different than others. The St. Louis lineup is full of pieces all 27 years old and younger. And these are not the same level of guys we see taking the field for the White Sox or Rockies. These are legitimate, or still project to be, major league-caliber hitters. The pitching has questions, as expected, and some of those will not receive answers this year. The offense is top-heavy when it comes to prospects, with the high profile players already being in St. Louis or Triple-A, while the rotation has more excitement brewing in the lower levels. This rebuild could really go anywhere.
Which members of the Cardinals’ young core should Chaim Bloom look to extend?
With those youngsters and owners apparently now finding out they can spend money, I want to look at the current Cardinals’ setup and see who I would start the conversation with if I was Chaim Bloom. However, I am not well-versed in contract negotiations enough to speculate length and salary, so I will allow you all to sound off in the comments for what you believe is fair value. Feel free to add or subtract from the list as well!
#1 JJ Wetherholt
Recency bias or not, there was probably the desire from both parties to at least get the extension conversation started. When Pratt was extended, slightly more attention turned to Bloom, but when Griffin got paid, it sort of seemed like the boat was missed for some reason. Especially when Sal Stewart and the Reds have also been open to the long-term contract talks. But it is not like a trade, where once an extension is signed, nobody else can do it. Quite the opposite probably, like we have seen, and maybe teams feel more pressure to get something done and add a year or a couple extra million bucks to sweeten a quick deal.
Griffin was immediately grabbed as a comp, but expecting a Wetherholt contract to hit the $140 million mark when compared to the Pirates’ infielder is a likely farfetched. The 19-year-old Pittsburgh phenom was the top-rated prospect in the sport, and rated greater than Wetherholt across the board in future projections. That is not to say that what Wetherholt has shown us in the first two weeks has not been impressive. The Opening Day homer, the walk-off hit the next day. Not looking completely overpowered at the plate despite a few more strikeouts. He is still taking his walks and already swiped two bags while settling in at second base. It is early, of course, but he does not seem to have the profile that will be exploited by pitchers for an extended slump.
Even with a couple misplays at second, Baseball Savant has him ranked in the 99th percentile in Fielding Run Value and he is near league-average in every other Statcast homepage metric. Not bad, even when compared to the bigger debuts of Griffin and Jose Fernandez. Wetherholt’s 425-foot flick of the wrist homer was impressive, especially coming at Busch Stadium from a prospect not expected to hit many more than 20 long balls per season. The sweet lefty swing, the athleticism, and the apparent baseball IQ we have seen from Wetherholt during his short time in the bigs should make him a safe bet to be the top of many of your lists for an extension.
In our Redbird Rundown conversation with Ethan Hannaford, I said the fact of the matter is, the average value of Griffin’s contract is about $15.5 million per year. If he is simply a league-average player for the majority of his career, that cost-certainty provides flexibility for future spending. If he becomes a superstar, then that is an unbelievable value for a team that would certainly hope to be contending for a championship.
#2 Ivan Herrera
The fall off in how obvious the talks should get after Wetherholt was steep. I bounced back and forth with all four of the next guys and where they should fall, or if they should even be included and if I just make this a three-man list. But that’s not fun. So I decided to go with Ivan Herrera at number two just to engagement bait any of my Herrera at catcher haters because the Cardinals are apparently fully committed to the bit until something goes horribly wrong.
The counting stats have been slow to… count for Herrera so far in 2026, but his Savant page is full of bright red, speaking to some bad luck or at ‘em balls that will find green sooner or later. To me, BABIP is the ultimate small sample size stat for both hitters and pitchers, but we can talk about that on another day. Looking at his exit velocity, hard hit percentage, and whiff/chase rates mean more to me and those are all above the norm. I am excited to check back in at the end of the month to see what kind of luck Herrera hit into and what the numbers show.
For why I put him at number two, though, is because of the catching. Even with the “catching freight train” heading to St. Louis, maybe the Cardinals play it safe and ensure they get a major league caliber catcher on the big league roster rather than play the risky prospect potential game we have seen them play with Andrew Knizner and Carson Kelly, and what they could do with Jimmy Crooks, Leonard Bernal, and further down the road Rainiel Rodriguez. For the here and now, though, Ivan Herrera is catching and doing a fine job. Even while playing three games behind the plate, Herrera has still played in every game this year and has not look hampered by doing so. The offense has not yet shown up on paper, but can we blame that on the catching? So far, no, since he has been hitting better on the days he wears the gear and the Cardinals are 2-1 with a total of nine runs given up in those games, all by the bullpen. Hm.
An extension for Herrera does not necessarily lock him in as the catcher of the decade, but it does not have to. His main tool is his hitting, and he is still showing he can do that while playing a premium position at a league-average level. The elbow surgery may not have helped him throw anyone out on the bases, but whenever I bring that up on Twitter, I am so nicely reminded that the Cardinals are “trying to lose” so it should not matter anyway. Call me weird for wanting my catcher to throw out a runner. But, the hope is that more time behind the plate and with Yadier Molina could only improve his throwing woes, and if not, Herrera has shown athleticism to potentially move to another position and not become a young DH-only. Before just saying he should play first base just because that is the suggestion any time a position change is brought up, he makes sense as a guy who can and should grab the oven mitt a time or two. Along with that, he has the potential to stand in the grass and do so well enough, especially in the black hole of left field offense, to find a home out there a couple times a week.
Any talks of a position change should come after this year for Herrera. If he is unable to stay healthy behind the plate, the Cardinals should move him to the DH role full-time, unless his injury allows him to spend time working in the minors for an extended period of time at t new spot. Then, next offseason, when the Cardinals hopefully have some final answers at other positions, the defense jockeying for Herrera can begin.
#3 Masyn Winn
Who wouldn’t want their 24-year-old cleanup hitter locked up for the next decade? Lineup jokes aside, if PCA can sign for nearly $20 million a year and the argument is “even if his hitting tails off his defense will provide enough value” then bring Winn to the table now. I wanted to put him number two, but the offense has been a bummer in the early season sample.
As a believer in Winn as a face of the franchise, it would be nice to see the offense progress in his third season in the majors. Healthy going into the season, the hope was the power and speed will result in homers and steals, but a car accident after his walk-off hit after a year-long struggle from the four-hole created some pause. He was in the lineup the next game, but pulled after soreness, but not from the accident. Supposedly from working too hard in the cage to correct his swing. My response? Chill, dude. It’s April 4.
I am in on Winn unless the offense craters to Brendan Ryan territory (don’t look too closely at their numbers), at which point, I have historically been against paying defense-first players with limited offensive ceiling. Because I do believe in his future ability to hit for average and spray the ball to both gaps, I have him third but understand if he would be fifth on other’s lists. With the Cardinals seeming set on Wetherholt playing mostly second base this season, Thomas Saggese is apparently the backup shortstop without a minor leaguer knocking down the door to be there in case things go awry quickly.
#4 Matthew Liberatore
I did not want to go full chalk with hitters but also am hesitant towards long-term pitching extensions in general, and I could not find anyone in the minor leagues that warranted a pre-debut contract. With Dustin May looking not good, Michael McGreevy being slow yet effective, Andre Pallante doing fine, and reminding myself that Kyle Leahy is nearly 29-years-old, Matthew Liberatore seems the best option here.
There’s definitely worse options than a 26-year-old front of this rotation lefty for this list, but a Libby extension should not be seen as a consolation prize, but an overall win for a trade that was, and apparently, still is viewed as a bust in some circles. Liberatore is making $2.25 million this season and will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, assuming a normal negotiation period ensues after the World Series. Even if Liberatore does not develop into the rotation ace he was viewed as when he was a Tampa Bay prospect, if he can remain healthy, he will be a valuable piece of consistency in a rotation that could see a lot of turnover in the next few seasons.
Liberatore drew the Opening Day start and was featured at the front of Cardinal media multiple times this offseason. With basically everyone except for Libby working to prove their worth in 2026, Chaim Bloom shelling out some cash for consistency could be a good stabilizing move as the rotation goes younger and strikeout-heavy.
#5 Alec Burleson
Even after publishing, I will still wonder if I should flip-flop Alec Burleson and Winn on my list, and I probably should. I think one of the determining factors is simply just the age difference, even though Burly has a profile that may be the safer bet for the future and command a little more effort to lock down now. He smacked one of the coolest homers on Opening Day, and probably the only one that could have overshadowed Wetherholt’s from earlier, capping off a huge comeback.
The eldest of the group, he appears to have accepted the leadership role vacated by Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, whatever value you placed on their version of leading is up to you, and become to voice of the clubhouse, taking over for Lars Nootbaar. We saw him lead the congratulatory speech for JJ Wetherholt in the locker room after Opening Day, but have also heard him be talked about as a competitor who challenges himself by both Oliver Marmol and Brant Brown. For a team that is searching for its identity, Burleson can be written into the middle of the lineup everyday.
To me, he continues to be undervalued defensively by the metrics. First base is notoriously a difficult position to measure, but seeing Burleson once again near the bottom of the league in defensive value seems crazy. We have already seen multiple diving plays saving hits and looking confident scooping errant throws. I think Burly also has a little sneaky baserunning acumen that is going to result in taking extra bases or grabbing double digit steals on a yearly basis. If he can keep his ability to make contact with the ball while selling out for slightly more power, I would be comfortable locking Burleson down for a handful of seasons to help with the transition. While the other players would hope to be around for the next competitive team, Burly might age himself out slightly of that window, similar to what just happened to Brendan Donovan, but still be around to usher to next guys up to the league. With only Blaze Jordan right behind him at first, Ivan Herrera, Nolan Gorman, Yohel Pozo, and potentially Pedro Pages could eventually work behind Burleson in some capacity.
Let me know your thoughts on length of contract and overall or annual value! Or, since all of these guys are controlled for a few seasons, is there even a need to go to the table? Sound off below!
(I hope some of you thought Pages would be on this list from the picture <3)
SELF PROMO OF THE WEEK
In this potentially final rendition of my self promotion Sunday (check out VEB’s pod coming this week), Redbird Rundown had a busy week.
Random Cardinal of the Week returned with Ken Griffey Jr. baseball core memory leadoff man, Delino DeShields.
Ethan Hannaford joined Redbird Rundown to go over some mystery player stat lines. That turned into a little extension conversation but also what we think is sustainable throughout the season. This premieres tonight at 6pm, so drop in the chat there and talk to us there!
Cardinals on my Time will premiere an episode with Kevin Wheeler on Wednesday after the game. This will be linked later, but like/follow/subscribe to Redbird Rundown for the full release info.
Next Sunday, Josh Jacobs from Dealin’ the Cards and now covering the Cardinals for MLB.com will answer some questions. We will post that on our socials later this week.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the age of countless homeruns, it was the age of no homeruns, it was the spring of hope, it was the summer of baseball – in short, that is to say that while the country was torn asunder by embattled dualities, America’s pastime was once again being played in Cleveland.
The duality of our time could find no better manifestation than in the contrast between starts for the Cleveland Guardians’ Chase DeLauter. For it was he, who in his first play in the major leagues, dropped a fly ball hit to him during the playoffs. The unfortunate soul went hitless in that first career start. And it was he who mustered just one hit on 6 at bats during that same playoff series. And yet it was also he who started the current campaign with 5 homeruns in 26 at-bats. And it was he who was named the American League Player of the Week to start the season.
Chase DeLauter’s error was in the past, and the future lay before him in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-six.
Chase DeLauter took his bat and made his way from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. They said of him, about the stadium that day, that it was the most determined man’s face ever beheld there. Many in the stands added that he looked sublime and prophetic. If he had given any utterance to his thoughts that day, and they were prophetic, they would have been these:
“I see the city before me, alive with expectation and the echoes of 78 years of suffering. I see the streets leading to the ballpark lined with Guardians banners fluttering from light poles, the scent of Nathan’s hotdogs and freshly cut grass drifting on the Lake Erie breeze. I see Progressive Field, rising from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario like a cathedral of summer, its blue seats sun-warmed, waiting for the unfolding of moments that will be remembered long after the final Tom Hamilton call.”
“I see the scoreboard with the Cleveland skyline behind it as I walk to the plate. I see my photo appear on the screen that now bears my name. I see my teammates, their hands wrapped tight on bats, their eyes following the path of each ball. I see the coaches along the bench, their voices carrying across the dugout, reminders of swings that missed and pitches left over the dish.”
“I see the fans leaning forward in their seats as I walk to the plate, hands clutching foam fingers and cold drinks. I see the little girl in the stands, wearing my number 24, eyes wide with awe. I see old men, nodding with quiet satisfaction, as they jot down notes in their scorebooks. I see the ump meticulously clean the plate the same way he has done countless times before. I see the catcher returning the ball to the pitcher, their eyes meeting in a silent strategy for the at-bat to come. I see the recorded history of Cleveland seasons past etched into the dirt as I step into the batter’s box.”
“It is a far, far better start that I make than I have ever made; it is a far, far better victory that I go to than I have ever known.”
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers walks to the dugout at the end of the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Globe Life Field on April 04, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Reds 2, Rangers 0
Not a great start to the homestand.
A very 2025 feeling game, this was. Quality pitching, but the offense does a bunch of nothing and the Rangers lose a low scoring game.
Kumar Rocker pitched well in his 2026 debut. The first inning was messy, with problematic defense contributing to two runs scoring before Rocker recorded his second out, but he stayed poised, handled things, and ended up pitching five innings of two run ball.
Not bad for a guy who was only named the fifth starter at the end of camp, and who hadn’t pitched for two weeks.
Rocker utilized a five pitch mix, with his slider and sinker making up almost 70% of his pitches while also using his changeup, fastball and cutter. The changeup was a pitch that it had been discussed he was going to need to use more often, and he got three swings and misses on it.
Texas got good work from four relievers — Jalen Beeks, Jacob Latz, Carter Baumler and Tyler Alexander — to keep things close. It was a winnable game.
Also, shout out to Carter Baumler for a 1-2-3 inning. He got a fly out, a strike out and a ground out and threw eight strikes in 12 pitches. It is his first 1-2-3 inning in the majors, and the first time he hasn’t walked a batter in an outing.
The offense? I don’t want to talk about the offense.
Kumar Rocker topped out at 97.2 mph with his fastball. Jalen Beeks hit 94.8 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz touched 94.7 mph with his fastball. Carter Baumler’s fastball reached 95.0 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball maxed out at 91.6 mph.
Corey Seager had a 107.4 mph single. Jake Burger had a 107.1 mph single. Josh Smith had a 105.0 mph line out.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 12: Luis Gil of the New York Yankees pitches in a game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 12, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB | Bryan Hoch: After beginning 2026 at Triple-A with a packed house in the rotation, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is set to make his season debut this coming week. Gil is scheduled to start today for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (his first appearances this year) and will then pitch for the Yankees on regular rest, which would mean he’ll take the ball on Friday at Tropicana Field against Tampa Bay. The Yankees took advantage of early season days off to roll with a four-man rotation temporarily. But barring injury, that will end soon, when Gil returns to the big leagues.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Ben Rice looked like he was going to have a no good, very bad day Friday, striking out in his first three at-bats. But when the game ended, Rice had a home run, a double, and three runs batted in. Behind the paywall, Kirschner looks at Rice’s rise to stardom. One interesting, though early, note: Rice is clobbering non-fastballs so far in 2026, something that had previously been a hole in his game. With pitchers throwing him fastballs 15 percent less often thus far, he has countered by clubbing non-fastballs to the tune of a 1.351 OPS.
NJ.com: Speaking of young stars, how about Cam Schlittler. The flamethrower is coming off his second consecutive outstanding start for New York, and the voice of the Yankees has noticed. In an interview, Michael Kay reveals that it was this spring when everyone in the organization realized Schlittler looked even better than last year, which is impressive considering what Cam did to Boston in the playoffs. For his part, Kay thinks the sky is the limit.
“And if you look at this guy, if he doesn’t get hurt… this guy could be an All-Star. He’s going to be in the Cy Young conversation. He’s that good. And I don’t think that’s hyperbolic.”
MLB | Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru: Former Yankee CC Sabathia did something new on the weekend. On Friday, the Hall of Famer, with former teammate and New York native Dellin Betances in tow, took the New York City subway for the first time. CC and Dellin needed to get to the Yankees’ home opener and evidently decided the subway was the way to go. I’m guessing a bunch of Yankees fans were thrilled by the presence of the former Yankee superstars.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is generally recognized as the second-best quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, behind only Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who's set to go to the Raiders first overall. So where will Simpson go?
If the betting odds are to be believed, the Cardinals or Jets will trade into the late first round to take Simpson.
The Cardinals are +125 favorites to land Simpson, with the Jets just behind them at +145.
But no one expects the Jets or Cardinals, who have the second and third overall picks, to take Simpson with their own first-round picks. Instead, Simpson's odds project him to go somewhere in the last eight picks of the draft: His over/under and first-round odds suggest he'll be between the 25th and 32nd picks.
That would mean the Cardinals or Jets trading up from their own first-round picks, No. 33 and No. 34 overall, to move into the late first round and take Simpson. That's what the Giants did last year when they traded up from the 34th overall pick to the 25th overall pick to draft quarterback Jaxson Dart. That required the Giants to give up third-round picks both last year and this year in the deal, and that's probably the kind of trade the Cardinals or Jets would be looking to make.
If the Cardinals or Jets don't draft Simpson, the team with the next-best odds to take him is the Rams at +425, followed by the Browns at +650 and Steelers at +800.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: shortstop Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds third base during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 4, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers got their second straight blowout win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday, but will be without shortstop Mookie Betts for a little bit. Betts left the game with lower right back pain in the first inning, and will be sent for an MRI exam to determine the severity.
Betts walked and scored in the top of the first inning on a double by Freddie Freeman, then didn’t take the field for defense in the bottom of the frame, replaced by Miguel Rojas at shortstop.
“It was running the bases, scoring on that double,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Nationals Park, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s going to get some testing right now, and we’ll know more later. It’s certainly more moderate than significant.”
“I don’t want to get too far ahead of what we’re gonna do. But we’ll see,” Roberts said. “We’ll huddle up and see if we need to get a player here to protect us, depending on how the MRI comes. But yeah, he certainly won’t be playing the next couple days, I would assume.”
Hyeseong Kim, who would be the logical call-up should the Dodgers decide they need extra infield depth, did not play for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Betts had played every inning this season prior to leaving Saturday’s game. He’s hitting .179/.281/.429 with a 103 wRC+ through all of 32 plate appearances so far this season.
Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
The Mets have been a little uneven to start the 2026 campaign, putting it on Paul Skenes on Opening Day but struggling to hit in the subsequent games; before last night’s ten run breakout that is. The Mets kept the momentum going tonight, winning 9-0 over the Giants, with a funky lineup that lacked Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr. or Francisco Alvarez. It also featured a starting outfield of Jared Young in left, Carson Benge in center, and Brett Baty in right, which is what you imagined coming into Spring Training.
The Mets fifth win of the season was arguably their most complete, and that started with starting pitcher Clay Holmes. Holmes was excellent on the day, stymieing the Giants offense over seven scoreless innings. He only walked two, perhaps the most important part of his performance, considering walks have taken him out of games quicker than you would want from time to time. He only struck out four, but he was consistently around the strike zone, throwing 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes. The Giants simply could not square him up; according to the Statcast data, they did not barrel a single ball against him.
The offense did their fair share of the hard work, especially in the middle innings. They did get out to the 3-0 lead after the second inning, but it was more misplays by the Giants than anything else. A Mark Vientos double, Jared Young walk, and Marcus Semien infield single (that honestly probably should have been an out if Jerar Encarnacion was a more experienced first baseman) loaded the bases with one out in the aforementioned second inning. Carson Benge hit a weak ground ball to Literally Platinum Glover Matt Chapman, who failed to field the ball cleanly and subsequently threw it away, chasing two runs home. The next batter, Luis Torrens, grounded out productively, making it 3-0 without the ball leaving the infield.
Landon Roupp, despite the bad luck, looked pretty good for stretches of the game, generating ten whiffs and seven strikeouts. He kept the score 3-0 until the fifth inning, where the Mets got to him again. Torrens singled, was moved over to second on a Francisco Lindor ground out, and was driven home by Bo Bichette (who is still good at baseball despite the five game slump to open the season), making it 4-0. A Brett Baty single moved Bichette to second, and the red hot Vientos drove him home with a single of his own to make it 5-0, chasing Roupp from the game.
Left-hander Ryan Borucki came in, and Jared Young was lifted for Tyrone Taylor. Taylor rewarded the newly bespectacled Carlos Mendoza with an absolute rocket of a three-run home run, traveling 419 feet with a 105.1 exit velocity.
At 8-0, the game was elementary from there. Holmes coasted through the seventh inning, Taylor added a superfluous insurance run to make it 9-0, and Tobias Myers finished the game with two perfect innings. It was a wonderful performance all around.
The Mets next match up is a fun one, with Kodai Senga squaring off against Logan Webb in the final game of the series.
Big Mets winner: Clay Holmes, +20.0% WPA Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -4.9% WPA Mets pitchers: +20.1% WPA Mets hitters: +29.9% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge reaching on a fielding error in the second, +15.4% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Matt Chapman’s single in the bottom of the second. -5.8% WPA
Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (left) takes the ball from starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) as he makes a pitching change during the fifth inning at against the New York Mets Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Did you think Friday was tough? Well, let me introduce you to Saturday — it was so much worse! Bad defense, no offense, frustrated pitching.
Believe it or not, there was a point at the beginning of the Giants’ 9-0 loss to the Mets when things were actually going pretty swell.
Landen Roupp started the evening with four strikeouts on the first four batters he faced. He flashed everything in his arsenal: Curve, sinker, change-up, curve. Check, check, check. One out in the 2nd, the sun was shining, the Mets were whiffing. Everything was going just fine.
But good things don’t last — at least, not for the 2026 San Francisco Giants.
The Mets hitters — rather abruptly — figured out how to put the bat on the ball, and everything got so much worse. Mark Vientos found a seam along the third base line for a one-out double. Marcus Semien followed by lunging at a curveball, rolling it so softly towards short that Willy Adames had to rush his throw to first. Of course, it sailed wide, Semien was safe, the bases were loaded, and that was when the flashbacks started. The terrible recollections of weak choppers, wayward throws, missed catches from earlier in the week. Poorly struck grounders in the most inconvenient places, like grains of sand in the infield gears, grinding them to a halt.
Jerar Encarnacion did the right thing on Adames’s throw and left the bag to secure the ball — but the bigger problem remains. That lack of sharpness, especially from their veterans, has exposed the lack-of-expertise of others. It haunted them in their finale against San Diego, and it bit them big time here.
Next batter, in an 0-2 count, Carson Benge threw his bat at a change-up and somehow put it in the most annoying place possible. The grounder dragged Chapman’s momentum away from the plate, making the force out there unlikely. But it was just likely enough for Chapman to consider it. That brief glance towards the plate split his concentration on the exchange. The ball fell out of his glove, somehow recovered it in mid-air, and now desperate to get one out, whipped the baseball in first base’s general direction.
Looking back at the replay, the throw was surprisingly accurate, and Encarnacion, perhaps shocked that Chapman actually managed to get a throw off, botched the easy part. The “catch the f***ing ball” part.
Next batter, another 70 MPH grounder hit just slow enough, just far enough away from the infield positioning, to take away the possibility of Luis Arraez starting an inning-ending double play and preventing another run from scoring.
A double, three grounders that didn’t leave the infield, and three runs for New York in the 2nd. Landen Roupp was understandably steamed. And he only got hotter by the 5th. After a lead-off single, Encarnacion fell on a grounder, blocking it like a hockey goalie, rather than fielding it like a normal baseball player would. The misplay, though redeemed by Roupp coming over to pick up the loose ball and get the out first, cost the starter another chance at a two-fer. This proved costly when Luis Torrens, advancing to second on the play, promptly scored on Bo Bichette’s RBI single up the middle. That ball too skipped within range of an infielder’s glove, and while it would’ve been an impressive play by Adames, Roupp couldn’t help but tamp down his frustrations that another grounder had made its way through to the outfield.
The right-hander tried to refocus. He battled through nine pitches to eventually strike out Jorge Polanco for his seventh K, but at that point, Roupp was gassed physically and emotionally. A shell of a his former self way back in the 1st inning. Tough breaks coupled with lack-of-execution will do that to a man. But even though Roupp was clearly broken, the Mets refused to let up. Brett Baty rolled another grounder through the right-side of the infield to extend the inning, then Vientos sent a single through the same hole to plate New York’s fifth run, and…yeah, that was it. Roupp was done. Tony Vitello released him from the mound, and he slumped back to the dugout where he had the pleasure of watching Tyrone Taylor launch a hanging curve ball from Ryan Borucki over the wall in left-center, mercifully closing the book on the starter’s outing.
7 runs, 6 earned, and Roupp maybe deserved half of them. A small consolation: the bad defense wasn’t personal. It continued after he left the mound. Luis Arraez missed a tag at second. Keaton Winn didn’t back up home properly on a relay, and a subsequent wild pitch gave Taylor a free trip to third after his RBI single.
I suppose none of these defensive shenanigans really mattered considering the offense amounted to three singles and a pair of walks against Clay Holmes. In the words of Mike Krukow, the bats have been living in the castle or the outhouse so far this season — and this was another night in the shitter. Early opportunities presented themselves too. The leadoff man reached base in each of the first three innings. They had a chance to get back in the game and capitalize on a defensive miscue too when a throwing error by Bichette put Chapman in scoring position in the 2nd. But Jung Hoo Lee waved through three straight breaking balls from Holmes, and the next two hitters were dutifully retired.
And I use that word “dutifully” without embellishment — there was an odd air of obedience when the Giants were at the plate. They knew their roles, and with heads down, they fulfilled them quickly and with little fight. Routine fly out to center. A grounder to short. Any spark, like Patrick Bailey’s well-struck line drive, was promptly snuffed out.
Mark Vientos slashed .057/.108/.171 with one home run and two RBI across 11 spring training games in February and March, but the Mets' 26-year-old corner infielder and designated hitter has been a different player since the calendar flipped to April.
He extended his hitting streak to four games with three knocks in Saturday's 9-0 win at the San Francisco Giants, continuing momentum from a two-hit, two-walk performance that sparked Friday's 10-3 victory.
"I feel like myself," Vientos said. "I feel good. I think the best part is just guys are going, had good day, all of us together. Clay (Holmes) pitched a heck of a game, and it was fun -- it was fun today."
Vientos had one hit in three at-bats across the Mets' March 28 and 31 games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and at the St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, before a 7-for-14 start to this month.
"It's good to see it," Mendoza said. "It's good to see it, especially after what he went through in spring training. We kept telling him, 'It's spring training. Keep hitting the ball hard. Keep controlling the strike zone.' As a human, as a competitor, they want to see results. It's just good to see him having the start he's having right now.
"He's a pretty important player for us. We're going to need him. If we can get some confidence early on, man, he's going to be an impactful player for us."
Mark Vientos brings home Bo Bichette and the Mets lead 5-0!
Batting fifth and starting at first base in a lineup that was without Juan Soto, whose day-to-day status leaves the Mets (5-4) relying on others to step up, Vientos sparked New York's pivotal second and fifth innings against the Giants (3-6).
The Mets' three-run second started when Vientos picked up Brett Baty's leadoff strikeout with a double to left field. Three frames later, Vientos' two-out single to right field scored Bo Bichette and padded the Mets' 5-0 lead before Tyrone Taylor's pinch-hit home run blew the doors open at 8-0.
"When you see him challenging pitches like that -- from the dugout, they look pretty close," Mendoza said of Vientos. "And then you look up on the board, it's like, 'Mark is seeing the ball really well here out of the hand.'
"What it follows is he's not missing pitches and he's recognizing, he's staying in the zone and not trying to do too much -- going the other way when he needs to, getting the head out when he needs to -- so he's in a good place right now."
Vientos, who hit his first home run of the early season in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Giants, is slashing .471/.526/.765 with three RBI and two walks through six
"I'm focused on the process and focused on having good at-bats and letting the rest fall into place," Vientos said.
Angels outfielder Jo Adell put on a show against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on April 4.
Adell denied the Mariners three home runs with incredible catches, including one that had him diving into the crowd near the foul pole at the top of the ninth inning.
His defense helped keep the Mariners off the board in what became a 1-0 victory for the Angels.
The weekend series is tied at one game apiece. The Angels and Mariners will play against each other on Sunday, April 5.
Apr 4, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) makes a catch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Emerson Hancock gave up a home run to Zach Neto on the first batter he faced Saturday. It was the only run of the game.
The home run was the first hit Hancock allowed in 2026. He threw six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts last week against the Guardians in his season debut. He looked sharp in that outing, showing a lower arm slot and better “stuff” than he’d ever shown before. That made Saturday’s start against the Angels a surprisingly anticipated event: Could he look good in twice in a row?
The answer, as it turns out, was yes. Hancock pounded the zone with fastballs early and finished the day without a walk. He always seemed to be ahead, even as he expanded the zone with each turn through the order. The Angels matched Hancock’s aggression with aggression of their own, swinging at about 60% of his pitches. But they couldn’t quite figure him out, whiffing 28% of the time and striking out five times. They did tag a few balls here and there, but most of their contact was too low or too high to matter.
The game nearly unraveled on Hancock early. Neto lead off with the homer. Nolan Schanuel then shot a sinking liner into the left-center gap that Julio Rodríguez missed with a tumbling dive for a double. Schanuel advanced to third on a hard single from Jorge Soler. With two outs, Hancock threw a wild pitch that looked like it should score Schanuel, but Cal Raleigh made a nice play to scramble for the ball and fired to Hancock for the tag at home.
From there, Hancock settled in. He faced the minimum in four of the next five innings. He nearly made it through seven before a two out squibber from Jo Adell snuck through the infield; at 82 pitches, Dan Wilson turned to the pen. Perhaps most importantly, Hancock’s fastball velocity sort of held up: It was 96.1 mph in the first inning and 96.4 mph in the fourth inning. Now, it was 93.3 mph in the seventh when he exited, but given that dip used to happen in the second (or even midway through the first), I’d call that progress.
Hancock’s final line was 6 2/3 innings, six hits, five strikeouts, no walks, 28% whiff rate, and a 31% hard hit rate. That’s not quite as good as his last outing, but if anything, I think it’s a better representation of what the good version of Hancock could potentially look like — unspectacular, efficient, solid.
None of that really mattered. Here’s highlight number one:
And highlight number two:
And highlight number three:
Cal Raleigh in the first inning, Josh Naylor in the eighth, and J.P. Crawford in the ninth each hit home runs that Adell, arguably the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, brought back from over the fence. The Mariners offense wasn’t great, striking out 10 times with a lot of weak contact. But those plays, in addition to two other nice plays from Josh Lowe and Oswald Peraza, kept them from scoring, or even really threatening.
And so there it is: A game recap about… Emerson Hancock pitching well and Jo Adell playing good defense. Whodathunk.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Owen Murphy #91 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch during the first inning of a Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Braves are hitting the ball pretty hard this season, but have had a number of barreled outs and haven’t always seen results from hitting the ball well. It does seem like some of this might be due to the balls being further deadened, as has seemingly been a trend over recent years. Some of it also has just been rotten luck, but it continues to be fairly outrageous both that the status and consistency of the single most important piece of equipment in the sport is a constant question and that it is not a bigger point of broad discussion.
