Category: Baseball

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs blasphemed the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 10-3.

Kohl Franklin had a very good start as he works his way back from missing almost two years. Franklin allowed just one run on three hits over four innings. The one run came on a home run by the first hitter of the game, Walker Jenkins, the Twins’ top prospect. Franklin walked two and struck out three.

Evan Taylor pitched the next two innings and got the win because Franklin didn’t go five innings. But Taylor did not allow a run. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out two.

The I-Cubs struck back with six runs in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to three Iowa home runs. First, DH Owen Miller tied the game with a solo home run, his seventh of the year. Miller went 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He scored twice.

Next up, third baseman Ben Cowles hit a three-run home run to give Iowa the lead for good. But Cowles wasn’t done, as he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning as well. Cowles went 3 for 3 with a walk and the two home runs. he had five total runs batted in.

Catcher Ethan Hearn hit the third and final home run of the first inning with the bases empty. Hearn went 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs batted in. He has six home runs this year, two with the Cubs.

Cowles solo home run in the fifth inning was a back-to-back blast with left fielder Greg Jones’ solo shot. That was Jones’ second Iowa home run and third overall. Jones went 2 for 4 with a walk and two steals. He scored three times.

Second baseman Ed Howard was 2 for 4 with one run scored.

Miller’s first home run.

Cowles gives Iowa the lead.

Ethan Hearn goes back-to-back.

The velocity is back for Franklin.

Greg Jones goes deep.

And Cowles says two home runs are better than one.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies grounded the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 6-1.

Starter Brody McCullough was sharp as he allowed just one run on three hits over five innings. McCullough struck out eight Trash Pandas and walked none.

Daniel Palencia then pitched the sixth inning in a rehab assignment and did much better than the last time out. Palencia didn’t strike anyone out, but he did retire the side in order on three ground outs. Palencia threw ten pitches, eight for strikes.

The win went to Yenrri Rojas, who threw two scoreless innings after Palencia. Rojas allowed just one hit. He struck out two and walked no one.

Catcher Miguel Useche hit a three-run double in the seventh inning. Useche went 2 for 4.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez went 3 for 5. He drove in one run and scored one run.

Shortstop Karson Simas was 3 for 4. He scored one run and had one RBI.

Useche’s three-run double.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were swamped by the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 8-6.

Nazier Mulé started and took the loss after he was rocked for eight runs on six hits over 3.2 innings. One of the eight runs was unearned. Mulé walked three and struck out three.

Catcher Logan Poteet clubbed a solo home run in the second inning, It was his fifth with South Bend and 19th overall. Poteet went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Third baseman Matt Halbach homered with the bases empty in the seventh inning. It was Halbach’s tenth home run this year. Halbach was 2 for 4.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 4 with a stolen base. Lumpuy scored one run.

Poteet’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans soothed the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 11-4.

Ninth-round pick Chase Meyer made his prod debut a successful one, going 3.1 innings and allowing just one run on three hits. Meyer struck out six and walked three.

Tenth-round pick Luke Alwood’s second pro appearance was a strong as the first one. He’s now 2-0 in two appearances after surrendering no runs on just one hit over three innings. Alwood struck out five and walked one.

Shortstop Corey Nunez went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored two runs and drove in two.

Right fielder Ethan Conrad was 2 for 5 with a triple and an RBI single. He scored once.

Center fielder Caden Sorrell went 2 for 5. He scored twice and drove in one.

Second baseman Juan Cabada got his first two hits in Low-A, going 2 for 5 with a double. He scored one run and drove in one.

Catcher Jose Silva was 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. Silva scored twice and had one RBI.

Highlights.

Carlos Rodón looks like a pitcher ready for a return to the majors.

The Yankees All-Star left-hander, making his second rehab start since going on the injured list with elbow inflammation in July, was dominant across 4 1/3 innings for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Thursday night.

Rodón allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out seven New Hampshire hitters on 58 pitches (41 strikes) at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J.

“I feel like I’m always ready to get big league hitters out,” Rodón told reporters after his outing.

“The goal was to go out there and throw as many strikes as I could and be efficient.

“As far as what’s next, not sure. I’d love to go out there, compete and help our team win [in the majors], but that is not up to me.”

The 33-year-old southpaw said his stuff — which generated 15 swings and misses — felt “fairly crisp,” especially compared to his first rehab appearance on Saturday when he allowed three runs over 2 2/3 frames with Triple-A Scranton.

Injuries have limited Rodón to just nine starts this season with New York, where he’s posted a 4-2 record with a 3.30 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 46 1/3 innings.

Offseason surgery to remove a bone spur in his left elbow forced Rodón to begin 2026 on the IL and delayed his season debut until May 10.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters over the weekend that the team may “piggyback” Rodón by having another starter, possibly Ryan Weathers or Will Warren, pitch behind him as he increases his workload.

For his part, Rodón said he has no issue with that possibility.

“I’m willing to do whatever to help our team win,” Rodón said. “If they think that’s the avenue they want to go, I’m ready to perform and help our team win.”

The Yankees’ offensive struggles have been prevalent in recent weeks, including Thursday afternoon’s 1-0 loss in the series finale against the Mariners.

But adding a healthy Rodón to the mix would improve an already formidable staff for the Yankees.

Cam Schlittler is a leading contender for the Cy Young. Gerrit Cole, in his first season post-Tommy John surgery, has been dominant in recent outings.

Max Fried has been solid since returning from his own elbow injury recently, including his five-inning, one-run effort in Thursday’s loss.

Warren and Weathers have also been stalwarts all season — and Rodón is excited to rejoin that mix.

“I’m very confident in our guys, and it’s up there, for sure,” Rodón said of where New York’s rotation ranks among the MLB’s best. “I have three guys in front of me that are really good in this game.

“I’m glad that all of us are on the same team, so it’s great to be able to have those kind of arms.”

Tonight, the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies participated in the MLB Field of Dreams Game on the iconic site of the 1989 film. For thoughts on my favorite baseball movie of all time, check out the game thread.

Before the umpire decried “play ball!” in Dyersville, IA, Netflix orchestrated a beautiful pregame ceremony featuring Hall of Famers materializing out of the corn much like the Black Sox on celluloid.

After all the pageantry and pomp, it was time to play!

First inning runs-allowed have been a trend for Twins starting pitchers of late, and that didn’t change in the Iowa cornfield. In fact, three pitches in from Taj Bradley and the Phils were up 1-0 as Kyle Schwarber scalded a sphere into the stalks. After a Bryce Harper walk and a Luis Arraez single (of course), Bryson Stott gave the Fightins’ a crooked number with an RBI knock. 2-0 PHI.

Singles from Trevor Larnach & Ryan Jeffers sandwiched around a Byron Buxton pop-out gave the Twins a first inning rally of their own, but a Josh Bell swinging strikeout on 3-2 and a hot shot from Royce Lewis right into the glove of SS Trea Turner cut the rally as short as Moonlight Graham’s career.

In B2, Luke Keaschall got the Twins on the board by beaning a ghost juuuust beyond (357 ft off Aaron Nola) the LCF fence. PHI 2-1.

Alas, Keaschall giveth and Keaschall taketh away. After a Brandon Marsh BB in T4, Schwarber again bombed a ball to RF which bounced on—rather than in—Luke’s glove and over the fence for a two-run jack. Turner would immediately double down the RF line, and just as quickly Harper would single him home. 5-1 PHI.

That would be the end of the line for Bradley. Same old story (same old career, really) for Taj: random bouts of wildness doom him to a bummer of an outing.

The next MN scoring opportunity came in B5, when a Buxton double and walks to Jeffers & Bell loaded the sacks for Lewis. In the most dramatic spot possible for the MN batter who most thrives in those situations—Royce struck out on three pitches.

Through five innings, the Twins simply gained no purchase off Nola’s diving-in-the-dirt knuckle curveball (9 K).

More moonshine mashers in T7: after Alec Bohm nearly creamed some corn and ended up with a double, Marsh stalk-ed Travis Adams in the next AB. 7-1 PHI.

Despite clean pen outings from Taylor Rogers & Tommy Nance, the Twins could not muster any further mash. Closing things out for the Phanatics? Jhoan Duran with a clean B9.

Your Final: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Minnesota Twins 1.

76% of the way through their 2026 campaign, the Twins continue to be maddening in their step-forward, step-backward sequencing. Still hanging in the fringes of the AL Central “race” and the muddled AL Wild Card mess, if not doing themselves any favors with an extremely hot-or-cold offense.

Zach’s Zealot

• The whole Field of Dreams idea: Win or lose, this is a great thing that MLB does combining sporting & cinematic pastimes.

Zach’s Zombie

• Putting this game on Netflix: I know, I know…“elder millennial yells at cloud”. But think of the interest this could have drawn if aired on FOX or NBC or what not. At very least, allow it to be simulcast in the Minny & Philly markets on a local station and/or Twins.TV. Forever short-sighted is MLB.

Egg-cellent Elocution

• This special event not only brought out the HOF legends pre-game, but also HOF legends like TawnyFroggyin the chat!

Who’s Got Next

• The odd Friday off-day mid-series to allow the Twins & Phillies to get back to MN for two more Saturday & Sunday.

Kyle Schwarber’s second home run during Thursday’s MLB at Field of Dreams Game came with a little help from the field.

During the fourth inning of the Phillies 7-1 win, Schwarber belted a ball to right field off Twins starter Taj Bradley, but with the stadium’s low fences, it was in reach for outfielder Luke Keaschall.

Just as Keaschall appeared to track the shot down, however, the ball popped right out of his glove and over the fence, extending the Phillies’ lead to 4-1 over Minnesota.

The Netflix broadcast booth consisting of play-by-play commentator Matt Vasgersian and former MLB stars CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence let out collective “oh nos” as the ball fell out of Keaschall’s glove.

“I think that was a Keasch-made home run unfortunately,” Pence quipped.

Schwarber’s first home run came on the third pitch of the game in the first inning, as he sent one well into the corn field beyond the right field fence.

The two blasts put Schwarber at an MLB-best 37 home runs on the season.

Schwarber has yet again been one of the league’s top hitters this season, posting a slash line of .250/.371/.544 with 72 RBIs after Thursday’s effort.

Schwarber was ecstatic headed into Thursday’s game, telling reporters that he was “excited to see the corn” at the Field of Dreams.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Schwarber said, according to MLB.com. “I’ve never been out there before, so I’m excited to see the corn, see the field they actually filmed it at. Just to be in that atmosphere, I think it’s going to be really cool.”

He added that he expects the game to also have a nostalgic feel to it.

“I know they’re going to have a lot of different activities and things before the game that’ll make it a little bit nostalgic and make it feel like you’re playing back in the day,” Schwarber said.

“So I feel like it’ll be a really cool thing, and hopefully, we have a great time.”

I have a confession to make: I haven’t watched Field of Dreams. I intended to watch it last night, but I ended up watching The Long Goodbye instead. In my defense, that’s sort of related to baseball, since Jim Bouton is in it. Anyway, I’m going to substitute some Bull Durham references, since that’s a Kevin Costner baseball film that I have seen; it’s close enough. Bull Durham is somewhat risqué, and this is a family friendly blog, so I’ll be mindful; I’m not going to suggest that anyone playing tonight could benefit from having a fan read Walt Whitman to them.

Kyle Schwarber wasted no time in getting cinematic, blasting a fastball that caught the middle-inside of the plate deep into the maize. Bryce Harper walked, and Luis Arraez singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. Bryson Stott singled to left-center, scoring Harper. “Oh, my stars and garters,”, said the old-timey fans watching the game (speaking of garters, Annie Savoy would surely have advice for Minnesota starter Taj Bradley about how to deal with a rough patch).

Aaron Nola also had a rocky first, allowing two of his first three batters to reach, the second on a tiny little dribbler. Ground balls may be more democratic, but Nola decided not to embrace that particular philosophy, putting the next two Twins down without allowing the ball to touch the ground. Unfortunately, the ball hit by Luke Keaschall in the second also did not touch the ground, at least not until it found the corn over the left field wall.

In the fourth, Brandon Marsh worked a leadoff walk, then stole second; he was called out, but the film reel was rewound, and upon a second viewing he was deemed safe. Kyle Schwarber, knowing that a cinematic event calls for a sequel, smacked another ball out to right; Keaschall leapt and got a glove on it, but the ball bounced off and into the corn. Kyle Schwarber believes in the soul, the hanging curveball, opening your Christmas presents on Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and he believes in long, slow, deep moonshots that take three days to land (what he thinks about the novels of Susan Sontag is unknown). Trea Turner doubled, Harper singled, and the score was 5-1.

Save for that solo shot, Nola had cruised through four. In the fifth, allowed a two-out double up the third base line in the bottom fifth, then walked the next batter, and then the next, and suddenly slow cinema became a thriller. Royce Lewis came to the plate with the bases loaded, representing the tying run. Nola rose to the moment, putting him away on a trio of pitches: knuckle curve, four-seamer, knuckle curve.

That ended Nola’s night (1 ER, 5 H, 9 K, 3 BB), with Brooks Raley his successor. He allowed a double, but kept the Twins from scoring; it’s very unfitting for a team with that name to have just a single run. The Phillies had no such problems: Alec Bohm doubled to deep center, and Marsh pulled a fly ball into the corn in right, and the Phillies had seven runs.

Orion Kerkering took the mound in the eighth, as Derek Hill took to right field in place of Harper. Kerkering put the Twins down in order.

The Twins entered the ninth dreaming of their Hollywood miracle. They did what they needed to in the top of the inning, surrendering no more runs. But the tall task was yet to come. Facing Jhoan Duran down by any amount is imposing; facing him down by a half dozen is petrifying. He wanted to announce his presence with authority, and did. The Twins managed a hit against him, and no more.

The Phillies are 65-58. They’ll return to action on Saturday at 7:10 in Minnesota.

Sell the Red Sox? Don’t bet on it, CEO Sam Kennedy said during a Boston radio appearance on Thursday. 

Kennedy was asked if he thought John Henry would ever sell the Red Sox while he was on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI, and gave an emphatic response. 

“It doesn’t matter, and I mean that sincerely,” he said. “It just doesn’t matter. John Henry, Linda Henry, the Henry family are never selling the Boston Red Sox. And that’s a soundbite you can play forevermore. I’d bet anything on that.”

The Red Sox are estimated to be worth $6.65 billion by Sportico and there had been some previous thought that there was possible interest in selling the ballclub.

Red Sox fans certainly made their feelings known when they chanted “Sell the team” during games earlier in the season.

Nevertheless, after their historically bad start to this season, the Sox have clawed their way back into the postseason picture and currently occupy an AL wild-card spot. 

Sports team ownership has been in the news as of late after two major pieces of news broke. 

The Yankees recently announced a $2.6 billion financing deal with Apollo Sports Capital — a private equity firm — and the Lakers, on Wednesday, were sold to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. 

Kennedy was asked about whether the Red Sox would ever looking into anything similar to what the Yankees did.

“Inside of Fenway Sports Group, we have 25, 30 investors of all types, all different types,” Kennedy said. “But John and Linda Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon are the investors and owners of the club that run the club, and that has been consistent for 25 years, and I would bet for the next 25 years — at least 25 years, if not longer — that will continue. So, not something we’re focused on. Just focused on trying to figure out how we’re going to get back on track this week.”

It looks like Netflix listened to baseball fans’ demands after getting criticized for its Opening Day coverage.

The streaming platform displayed a new scorebug for the 2026 MLB Field of Dreams Game, won 7-1 by the Phillies on Thursday night, one that was noticeably larger than the one used during coverage in March.

Their original graphic was lambasted on social media for being outlandishly small, with many fans saying that they could not see any of the text displayed.

Netflix’s updated scorebug now takes up the entire bottom right corner of the screen, with the text appearing much larger and resembling a traditional on-screen graphic.

Despite the updated scorebug, fans still took to social media to voice their grievances.

“Genuinely hideous scorebug,” one user posted to X. “Looks like they got it from a graphics package from like 2007.”

“Netflix logo bigger than the players’ names,” quipped another.

Outside of their updated graphics, Netflix also brought on Matt Vasgersian to do play-by-play coverage, with ex-MLB stars CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence serving as the color analysts.

Thursday brought the third installment of the Field of Dreams Game after the first match was held between the Yankees and White Sox during the 2021 season.

The Phillies got off to a hot start thanks to two home runs by Kyle Schwarber, bringing the four-time All-Star to an MLB-best 37 blasts on the season.

Headed into Thursday’s game, Schwarber told reporters that he was elated to be playing at the Field of Dreams.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Schwarber said, according to MLB.com. “I’ve never been out there before, so I’m excited to see the corn, see the field they actually filmed it at. Just to be in that atmosphere, I think it’s going to be really cool.”

“I know they’re going to have a lot of different activities and things before the game that’ll make it a little bit nostalgic and make it feel like you’re playing back in the day,” he added.

“So I feel like it’ll be a really cool thing, and hopefully, we have a great time.”

Milwaukee has had a rough start to its seven-game West Coast road trip, suffering a sweep at the hands of the Padres in a series that included two one-run losses. It won’t get any easier this weekend as the Brewers take on the back-to-back defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers for a four-game set. With a win tonight, the Dodgers would move into a tie with the Brewers for the best record in the NL (the Rays are currently a half game up on Milwaukee).

Starting tonight for Los Angeles is Roki Sasaki, who seems to be finding his footing in his second year since coming over to Major League Baseball from Japan. The 24-year-old right-hander was talked about as the next Japanese star in the vein of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but injuries and rough on-field performance limited him to just 10 regular-season appearances in 2025. He has a 4.54 ERA this year, but don’t let that deceive you — he’s finally starting to pitch like many thought he would when he came to Los Angeles. Sasaki has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts.

On the hill for the visiting Brewers is Shane Drohan, who’s coming off probably his worst outing as a Brewer. Despite that start, a six-run blowup against Minnesota, Drohan has been a valuable piece at the back of the rotation, going out every fifth day and putting the Brewers in position to win more often than not.

Run prevention is easier said than done against the formidable Dodgers lineup, but Drohan does a solid job of limiting hard contact and should be able to keep Milwaukee in the game. The bigger issue recently has been figuring out how to score enough runs to win; the Brewers have scored more than four runs in a game just twice this month.

That task gets even harder tonight with Brice Turang, the team leader in hits, RBIs, and doubles, out of the lineup. Per Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat reporter Curt Hogg, Turang is “day-to-day” with left knee pain. An MRI earlier today didn’t reveal anything serious, and according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy, there’s a “chance he plays this series.”

With Turang out, David Hamilton will play second base and bat ninth. Jackson Chourio gets the nod in the leadoff spot ahead of Garrett Mitchell, Gary Sánchez — playing first base tonight — and right fielder Jake Bauers. Hitting fifth and playing third base is Andrew Vaughn. Rounding out tonight’s lineup are designated hitter Christian Yelich, catcher William Contreras, shortstop Joey Ortiz, and Hamilton.

Tonight’s game will be available on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 9:10 p.m.

It’s that time of year. The longest days of the summer are behind us—though the heat is not—and the Major League Baseball season is about to enter the final stretch. It’s also that magical time of year where Purple Row’s mid-season PuRPs prospect rankings hit the website. These are the very same rankings that you, the delightful Purple Row readers and commenters, voted on!

The PuRPs top 30 rankings will begin tomorrow while, perhaps coincidentally (or maybe they’re trying to compete with our powerhouse rankings!), MLB Pipeline has updated their own top 30 prospect rankings for each team. Let’s take a look at how the cards fell.

The Top Ten

1. SS Ethan Holliday
2. CF/2B Roldy Brito
3. 1B/OF Charlie Condon
4. SS Tyler Bell
5. OF Cristian Arguelles
6. C Daniel Jackson
7. RHP Logan Reddemann
8. RHP Jackson Cox
9. C Jack Natili
10. OF Jared Thomas

The top ten list isn’t two surprising. Hopeful franchise savior and Holliday scion Ethan Holliday remains the team’s No. 1 overall prospect while a healthy dose of 2026 draft selections have been given quite favorable rankings. It’s also nice to see breakout star and potential Arizona Complex League MVP Cristian Arguelles in the top five.

An interesting move is 2023 first round pick Charlie Condon dropping to No. 3 despite having a very solid season so far with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Taking his place at No. 2 is last year’s Arizona Complex League MVP Roldy Brito in a testament to how good he was last season and how good he continues to be this season. It’s hard to believe the 19-year-old was an unranked prospect just one year ago.

The Rest of the Rankings

• No. 11: OF Zac Veen
• No. 12: OF Sterlin Thompson
• No. 13: 2B Roc Riggio
• No. 14: RHP Gabriel Hughes
• No. 15: OF Max Belyeu
• No. 16: RHP Brody Brecht
• No. 17: SS Andy Perez
• No. 18: 1B Tanner Thach
• No. 19: LHP Konnor Eaton
• No. 20: RHP Tyler Putnam
• No. 21: RHP Mason Adams
• No. 22: LHP Sean Sullivan
• No. 23: LHP Welinton Herrera
• No. 24: OF Robert Calaz
• No. 25: RHP JB Middleton
• No. 26: 3B Ethan Hedges
• No. 27: INF Juan Martinez
• No. 28: INF Wilder Dalis
• No. 29: C Bryant Betancourt
• No. 30: RHP Angel Jimenez

The rest of the rankings are more of a mixed bag. Many prospects who have already made their debuts are included here, such as Zac Veen, Sterlin Thompson, Gabriel Hughes, and Sean Sullivan. Also included are two of the Rockies’ newest trade acquisitions in Mason Adams—part of the Brenton Doyle trade—and Juan Martinez—part of the Antonio Senzatela trade. Multiple players in the bottom 20 have suffered season-ending injuries such as Welinton Herrera and JB Middleton.

The ranking that stands out to me the most is infielder Wilder Dalis all the way down at No. 28 when I believe he should be ranked much higher. Dalis—much like his teammate Roldy Brito—exploded onto the scene last season in the Arizona Complex League and has continued to establish himself as a quality prospect this season.

Final Thoughts

It always seems like these prospect rankings always differ from site to site. Baseball America’s recently published top 30 rankings are likely quite different from MLB Pipeline, and as they trickle out, the mid-season PuRPs are bound to be fairly different as well.

What do you think MLB Pipeline got right? What did they get wrong? How would you compare this list to your own rankings and how do you think it will compare to the PuRPs? Let us know in the comments!

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

The Brewers visit Dodger Stadium for the first time since the Game 4 loss in last year’s NLCS. Each team is without a key middle infielder, as Mookie Betts gets a scheduled day off, while Brice Turang, the Brewers’ top position player, is out with right knee pain.

Thursday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
• Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

I can’t help but try to get into the psychology of the poll respondents with these SB Nation Reacts surveys, and since these are supposed to be strictly Giants fans polled, I am fixating on the 1% who graded their 2026 amateur draft a “D.”

Did they have money riding on a different #1 pick? Did Jackson Flora bully them in school? Who knows, but it’s safe to say that it’s a minority opinion, and not just among Giants fans.

As Brady posted yesterday, Baseball American has ranked the Giants as a Top 5 farm system, a stunning development I just figured I’d never live to see. They’re barely a top 5 team in their division these days, and so seeing them in the upper echelon of anything other than being a staggering embarrassment of historic proportion with a mostly hopeless future guaranteed is not just a welcome surprise but a perspective-altering development.

Could the Giants actually be on their way to opening a competitive window thanks to their f-f-f-farm system? Buster Posey’s (currently) tanked legacy is counting on it. A plausible worst record in franchise history to cement their worst 5-year stretch ever isn’t something he’ll be able to come back from, reputationally, without some sort of extended run of success or an outright World Series win within the next few years — but then again, he’s been graded on a curve, hasn’t he?

Still, for as much as Buster Posey comes off as a dilettante in press gaggles and profiles (with an on-field result to match), this player development success is undeniable. It’s not just broken clock luck where the team has gotten things right because of high draft standings or someone falling into their lap. They’ve managed to bring their international scouting and signings up from afterthought to competitive with the typical frontrunners. They seem to have joined the pack leading the change from Three True Outcome type draft profiles to contact suddenly being important again.

About a month before the draft, I was agog at how much the farm system had risen. Just like the SB Nation Reacts polling, there’s a decent amount of vibes baked into things like farm system rankings and prospect scouting. That makes sense since it’s betting on an uncertain future with only personal experiences and some player comps to go on. The Giants’ draft felt right. Their minor league win-loss record looks right. The players are performing in the way you’d hope to see actually developing players perform.

With Bryce Eldridge’s graduation (formerly, a 55 Future Value player, per FanGraphs), the Giants still have six 50+ FV players, with Jackson Flora rated the #2 overall prospect. 4 of their 33 players with a projected floor of a minimum 40 Future Value (bench player) were drafted this year, 1 came from an international signing (Luis Hernandez) this season, and 1 from their trade with the Paadres (Joniel Hernandez).

So, the data is overwhelmingly in support of the opinion that the Giants had a great draft on top of a good trade deadline. Their farm system is in very good shape. Maybe still missing upper level pitching and that one true prospect who is far and away the best like Eldridge was… but I’m still stuck on that 1%. Automatic f*** the Giants voting? I can respect that. Maybe Bolemon & Waechter don’t do it for some. Reasonable.

I’m not going to let it bother me anymore, actually. The Giants are finally doing what needs to be done in order to become a competitive franchise again: prioritizing player development. The dream of the championship era was that the operation had been modernized and would be able to produce a steady-ish supply of position players and pitchers. That didn’t wind up being the case and was pretty far from the truth, in fact, as one of Farhan Zaidi’s first tasks upon taking over the front office was revamping player development to bring it in line with 21st century practices. The franchise also committed many millions of dollars to building a new training facility in Arizona. The fruits of that labor seem to be blossoming, finally. Can Buster Posey & Zack Minasian actually deliver on the promise of farm to table baseball?

That’s a question for a separate poll. For now, it’s enough to enjoy this fantastic success.

With the big league Mets off on Thursday, all eyes were on the farm system, and it was a busy day for several of New York’s top prospects.

At Triple-A, Nick Morabito started the game at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp off with a bang, slamming a 408-foot home run to left. The Mets' 15th-ranked prospect in Joe DeMayo's latest rankings got a 2-0 slider over the plate and the knees and teed off with a 109 mph exit velocity for his 12th-round tripper of the campaign and second in the last three games. 

The center fielder finished the day 1-for-2 with two RBI and a sacrifice bunt at the plate.

JonathanSantucci was on the mound for Syracuse for his third start at Triple-A, and the left-hander had a rough night, failing to get out of the first inning. However, he got no help from his defense in getting him into trouble.

On the first batter, Christopher Morel got a slow bouncer at second and never threw the ball to first for an infield hit. After a walk put two aboard, a grounder to first bounced over the glove of Ryan Clifford for a run-scoring error to cover the corners with nobody out. 

After an eight-pitch walk, Santucci got a strikeout on a slider before walking in a second run as his command continued to fail him. He did rebound to get a strikeout on three pitches, but with his pitch count at 36 in the inning, he was pulled.

His final line: two runs (one earned) on one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts with just 19 strikes. When he was in the zone, he was rather good with five whiffs on 12 swings (42 percent), but it has been a rough start for DeMayo's No. 2-ranked prospect as he's issued 12 walks in his first 10 innings with Syracuse since his call-up in late July.

At the plate, Clifford, the Mets' No. 14 prospect, went 0-for-2 at the plate.

The game between Syracuse and Jacksonville was suspended in the fifth inning and will be resumed on Friday. 

Well hello to you too! Nick Morabito opens the game with a lead off homer! 💣 pic.twitter.com/wv93XwS8LO

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) August 13, 2026

Double-A Binghamton was getting the treat of spending an August week in Maine, and the Portland Sea Dogs gifted them with six errors in the Rumble Ponies' 6-2 win. But it was a bit of a tough night for most of the Mets' top prospects.

The lone bright spot was No. 8 prospect Jacob Reimer, who smacked a three-run homer in the seventh as he was 2-for-4. Reimer got a 1-0 breaking pitch that hung in the middle of the zone and cranked it high over the mock Green Monster in left for his seventh homer of the year.

Top prospect Jefferson Rojas, who was 4-for-8 with two doubles and a homer and six RBI the first two games of the series, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run scored (got aboard on a catcher's interference).

Mitch Voit, the 5th-ranked prospect who went 2-for-5 with a double and a walk on Wednesday and entered the game 24-for-45 (.533) in his first 12 games at Double-A, went hitless in five times up with three strikeouts.

Chris Suero has gotten off to a slow start average-wise in August, entering the game 6-for-34 (.177), but had two homers, two doubles and six RBI for a .721 OPS. The No. 23 prospect had an uneven game, going 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.

Billy Amick had a rare rough night, going 0-for-4 wth three strikeouts. The 27th-ranked prospect entered Thursday's game just scorching hot: 11-for-32 (.344) with six home runs and 17 RBI in his first nine games with Binghamton.

Landon Knack was called up to eat innings and reset a very busy Dodgers bullpen, and he filled his role with aplomb on Wednesday night in finishing off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. On Thursday, Knack was sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma City in favor of another fresh arm in Jonathan Hernández.

Knack got the final eight outs on Wednesday, relieving Eric Lauer in the seventh inning, and pitched scoreless baseball the rest of the way to earn the save of the Dodgers’ 4-2 win. The third save of Knack’s career was the longest save of the season for the Dodgers, and their first save of exactly eight outs since Brian Holton in 1987.

Hernández is back with the Dodgers for a third time this season. Signed to a major league deal on May 18 after opting out of a minors deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, Hernández has been designated for assignment twice by the Dodgers. Both times he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City. This time, after getting DFA’d on Monday, Hernández elected free agency but re-signed on a major league deal with the Dodgers on Thursday.

In between all those movies, Hernández pitched in 15 games with the Dodgers, nine of them finishing out either a loss or a lopsided win. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 6.45 ERA and 4.66 xERA this season with 18 strikeouts and 12 walks.

To make room for Hernández on the 40-man roster, Charlie Barnes was sent outright to Oklahoma City, two days after getting optioned. It’s the third time Barnes has been sent outright to the minors since the All-Star break.

As the Mets return to Citi Field on Friday to open a series against the Nationals, they’ll open a stretch of four of their next five series will be in Queens.

That’s hardly good news as they entered Thursday with the third-worst home record in the sport, ahead of just the A’s and their minor league park in West Sacramento, Calif., and Washington.

And with the team hopelessly out of playoff contention, Mets fans could certainly be forgiven for avoiding the ballpark — and the TV — for the rest of the season.

But for those willing to venture to the ballpark for the rest of the summer and (early) fall, here are some things to keep an eye on:

Stay or Bo?

Bo Bichette was among the reasons the Mets got off to a season-sinking start, as he basically didn’t start hitting until early June after signing with the team in the offseason.

Two-plus months later, Bichette has looked more like the star he was for most of his time with the Blue Jays.

He has still remained significantly more productive on the road than at Citi Field, with an OPS of .643 at home and .730 away from home, but the concerns that his move from shortstop to third base would have a long-term impact on him at the plate have so far proven not to be true.

And there’s still the subject of his opt-out.

Bichette has a player option for $42 million for both next season — if and when it’s played — as well as 2028.

When he was in the throes of his early season slump, an opt-out seemed almost unfathomable, considering he wouldn’t have fetched nearly that much on the open market.

Despite his improved play, though, it has been a struggle in his first season in New York and the team has wildly underachieved.

But perhaps with better health from Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto next season, Bichette could see a strong lineup and the chance to put together a complete season offensively.

Lindor back?

Bichette isn’t the only veteran hitter who has gotten better as the year has gone on. Since July 19, only eight players have a higher OPS than Lindor’s .961.

There have still been too many odd mental (and physical) errors by the shortstop this season, but after the switch-hitter underwent hamate bone surgery in the spring, it was expected he might need some time to return to form at the plate.

If the Mets have any hope of getting themselves right next season, Lindor will have to continue his recent play.

His defense has been the worst of his career, basically by any measurable metric — including watching the games.

And at 32, it’s unlikely to improve.

Center of attention

A.J. Ewing, like his fellow rookie Carson Benge, has continued to impress on both sides of the ball. And while many people were surprised to see Ewing in left field even after the trade deadline just to accommodate Luis Robert Jr. in center, many scouts aren’t bothered by it.

“He’s just an athlete and I don’t think moving him around [defensively] will impact his development,’’ one American League scout said. “He didn’t play there much in the minors and now they know they can put him in left and he’ll be fine.”

His bat has been a bit more inconsistent than Benge’s, but both rank among the top five among rookies in stolen bases since Ewing was called up in May.

Ewing has also has the team’s highest home OPS (.810) among qualified hitters, other than Juan Soto.

Young guns

For now, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton are lined up to pitch Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively.

The trio of young pitchers has shown promise, although there have been bumps along the way:

Scott has a 5.30 ERA in his last four starts.

McLean has allowed five homers in his last four appearances after not given up a homer in nine of his 10 previous outings.

Thornton, the least-heralded of the group, despite striking out just seven batters over his last three starts.

In the bullpen, after the trade deadline left it gutted by the departures of Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Huascar Brazobán — and now the shoulder injury to Devin Williams — the Mets will be hoping someone emerges as a candidate to be a reliable arm the rest of the way.

Could one of them be Kodai Senga?

It seems unlikely, given his track record.

Nate Lavender has struck out five batter and allowed just three baserunners in 3 ¹/₃ innings so far. The 26-year-old was a 14th-round pick by the Mets in 2021.

Chris Devenski, who appeared in 13 games — including a start — for the Mets a year ago, is back in the organization and pitched a scoreless inning with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

The right-hander, 35, was designated for assignment by the Pirates last week.

Texas Rangers @ Anaheim Angels

Thursday, August 13, 2026, 9:07 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Angel Stadium

RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Walbert Urena

Go Rangers!