AUSTIN, TX - MAY 18: Northwestern outfielder Kelsey Nader (7) screams after making a diving catch during the NCAA Division I Regional game between Texas Longhorns and Northwestern Wildcats on May 18, 2024, at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As we continue our Northwestern softball 2026 positional previews, it’s time to take a look at the outfielders. NU returns some top talent in the outfield this season, and it has also added some newcomers who will seek to make an impact. Let’s take a look.
Kelsey Nader, Senior
Put simply, Nader is a franchise cornerstone. She started every single game for Northwestern last season, batting .340 and putting up a team-high .454 on-base percentage. Last year proceeded an incredibly-prolific 2024 where she finished eighth in the Big Ten with a .375 batting average.
Nader is also reliable in center and right field, with no errors in each of the past two seasons, and she’s started nearly 150 games in her illustrious Wildcat career. She can be counted on as a steady lineup presence in 2026.
Isabel Cunnea, Junior
After a quiet first-year season where she started seven games and batted .250, Cunnea exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, hitting a team-high .360 and starting in 47 of her 48 appearances. The junior outfielder doesn’t hit for quite as much power as many of her Wildcat teammates, but she makes up for it with speed and efficiency, and her .928 OPS was still good for third on the team among regular starters in 2025.
The Wildcats are also fortunate to have Cunnea’s presence back in left field, as she has not yet committed an error in her career. Nader and Cunnea are likely locks to hold down the fort in two of the outfield spots.
Avery Garden, Sophomore
Garden has the versatility to play almost anywhere in the field, and she showed that in 2025, making 34 starts in her first-year campaign. She wasn’t as efficient of a hitter as Nader or Cunnea, batting .245 overall, but there’s still plenty of potential for rapid growth in her sophomore season, as shown by Cunnea’s rapid rise last year.
The ‘Cats are fortunate to have Garden’s presence, as she gives them the outfield flexibility they need. Wildcat coach Kate Drohan could opt to give Garden time all over the field, and she could theoretically slot in at right field if Nader sees regular time in center. Because Northwestern’s infielder group is extremely deep in 2026, fans should expect to frequently see Garden as an outfielder or designated player.
Kate Dowden, Sophomore
Dowden made one start as a designated player last year, and barring an unexpected turn of events, she will likely be the fourth outfielder or a pinch-hit option for the ‘Cats in 2026. Dowden could still see playing time depending on where Garden slots in consistently, but the former will certainly have work to do to crack the starting lineup. The good news for Dowden is that she was efficient despite few plate appearances last season, picking up four hits in eight at bats (including a double and a triple).
Kate Renschen, First-Year
Renschen has a high-level bat and blazing speed, and she showed it in her senior season at Lake Central High School, racking up a .510 batting average and 36 stolen bases without committing a single error. Because of the depth that Northwestern has in the outfield, Renschen may struggle to gain initial playing time, but she certainly has the potential to jump into that third outfield spot at some point this year.
Abby Harvey, Graduate Transfer
Harvey is listed as a catcher/outfielder on Northwestern’s website, so she may not see a ton of time in the outfield, but she did show a lot of potential at Indiana Wesleyan in the NAIA, batting .426 in her senior season. The lone transfer in Drohan’s upcoming class of newcomers, Harvey adds much-valued experience to this Wildcat squad, but it remains to be seen just how well she is able to adjust to Big Ten play.
Oswaldo Cabrera’s Yankees career started with him breathing a breath of fresh air into a floundering 2022 team that was well on its way to blowing a massive division lead, helping them right the ship. That 44-game stint that included a go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS has turned out to be the highlight of his career to this point.
After two seasons where he struggled to take the reins in two different position battles (left field in 2023, third base in 2024), Cabrera suffered a season-ending ankle injury on May 12th in Seattle, destabilizing an already extremely shallow Yankees infield that was then forced to give serious reps to Oswald Peraza, DJ LeMahieu, and Jorbit Vivas.
Fast forward to 2026, and Cabrera, after spending his downtime being the positive locker room presence he’s known for, is expected to be ready to go when position players report later this month. After several moves fortified the Yankees’ infield, what’s next for the super-utilityman?
Waldo was not a highly-touted prospect in the minor leagues, even as he won MVP in the Eastern League in 2021 while playing for Double-A Somerset. He brute forced his way to the big leagues, not being given a red carpet rollout like top prospects get across the sport. For that reason, the soon-to-be 27-year-old from Venezuela is a great story.
But ever since that 2022 season, he just hasn’t been able to do much with the bat. That 2023 season in particular, he looked nothing like he did in the minors or in 2022, changing his approach to go from someone who looks to lift and pull the ball to more of a slap hitter. His ISO, predictably, fell from .182 to .087.
Since then, he appears to have shifted to being between what he was in 2023 and 2022, which is a pretty mediocre backup. If that’s his role for the Yankees this season, that’s perfectly fine. His value is primarily on the other side of the ball.
Cabrera will enter 2026 as the team’s utilityman, at least to start. With José Caballero ticketed for a majority of reps at shortstop while Anthony Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery, Cabrera will be used around the diamond. He’s most likely to be seen at second and third base, as well as left and right field, but don’t rule out reps at first base in a pinch (though if that happened, something went terribly wrong). His flexibility will be an asset, as he’s been solid wherever he’s defended throughout his career:
1B: 0 DRS, 1 OAA (74.2 innings)
2B: -4 DRS, 0 OAA (126.1 innings)
3B: 9 DRS, 3 OAA (972.2 innings)
SS: -1 DRS, -1 OAA (103 innings)
LF: -2 DRS, -1 OAA (402 innings)
RF: 7 DRS, 0 OAA (483 innings)
The most intriguing part, though, is shortstop. There is a path for Cabrera to enter a full platoon with Caballero, but it will require him to prove he can be a serviceable platoon bat. He does hit better in his career against right-handed pitching (.660 OPS vs .579 OPS), but has been extremely inconsistent year-to-year. If he wants to be penciled into Aaron Boone’s lineup more often, he needs to be able to hit.
Here’s the problem. Everything he does, Caballero does better. Caballero is one of baseball’s best baserunners and can defend at a high level in both the infield and outfield. Although his torrid hitting post-trade is likely an aberration, he still possesses a greater offensive floor and ceiling. When push comes to shove, Caballero will get more opportunities than Cabrera.
So when Volpe returns from injury, assuming Caballero doesn’t Wally Pipp him, that’ll push Caballero into the super-utility role. Where does that leave Waldo? He has two minor-league options, so a return to Triple-A if he’s not hitting above his weight is possible, but it would be a blow to a locker room that loves him.
Cabrera, despite being the 25th or 26th man on the roster, might be one of the more intriguing. A good spring could have him in a true platoon role at shortstop while being a primary backup at multiple positions, but a slow start off of ankle surgery could have him reduced to emergency depth in Triple-A. There’s a wide range of outcomes for one of the most positive dudes in the clubhouse, and we’ll have to see if he can get back on track.
FORT WORTH, TX - JULY 14: Cam Caminiti puts on a Braves hat after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 24th pick of the first round during the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Cowtown Coliseum on Sunday, July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
And just like that….we find ourselves at the end. After a rather fun week where we got to profile a lot of new intriguing players in the organization, we turn our focus to the top of the list. Players that come with the shine of being high round draft picks, big bonus international prospects, and the absolute steal that is Didier Fuentes. It’s been a really fun week rolling this out, and we genuinely look forward to connecting with you all this evening at 7 for our Q&A.
How he got to the Braves: 2025 1st round pick (22nd overall)
The Braves took Tate Southisene in the first round this year out of his Las Vegas high school. The 5’11, 180-pound infielder is the brother of 2024 Cubs fourth rounder Ty – and they have a bunch of similarities – but is considered a stronger prospect because he has more power in his game. Tate is a player who is considered to be average or above with all five tools, with his speed being his only true plus tool. He is a potentially above average hitter with a good approach and feel for hitting, and his average power can play up because of that. He’s an average defender with an average arm who will get a real shot to stick at short, but is athletic enough that some teams liked him as a center fielder going into the draft. In 66 plate appearances after signing with Augusta he hit .219/.242/.297 with a walk to 27 strikeouts – though it is a very small sample after making the jump from high school. Tate should be able to adjust after what he showed during his amateur career and MLB Draft Combine, but will likely need the whole year in Augusta in 2026. He is probably a full three years away from making a big league impact, but has the tools to develop into a solid every day shortstop for the Braves.
5. Diego Tornes – OF
How he got to the Braves: 2025 international free agent
The Braves have been searching for an elite position player prospect on the international side now, and reports currently favor Diego Tornes as the clear best of the bunch in the post-sanction era. After the disappointing returns on Luis Guanipa and Jose Perdomo there was a lot of hesitance in raving over Tornes after he received a $2,500,000 signing bonus out of Cuba last January, but he went to the Dominican Summer League and posted a performance that impressed both from a traditional and metrically-inclined perspective. Tornes has elite bat speed and produces eye-popping exit velocities, regularly clearing the 110 mph mark. He has the potential to anchor a lineup with his power potential, and he is able to generate his power and contact without an overly elaborate swing. This gives evaluators a belief he can be an average or better hitter as well, though high now his contact rates and in-game production trail a bit behind the eye test.
Concerns have been raised about his ability to maintain his speed into maturity and the likelihood he will have to move out of center field, though he has the offensive profile to project nicely into a corner if it comes to that. Tornes should get an opportunity to come stateside in 2026, giving us a better opportunity to see him against competent pitching and a larger sample size to work with. Tornes missed nearly 40% of his games last season. Tornes is the highest ceiling offensive talent in the system and could be the next elite hitting prospect, a profile which gives him huge helium in the ranking. Yet, he is also highly volatile (as is any 17 year old) and hasn’t proven himself against legitimate competition yet. Tornes’s profile will likely change significantly over the next calendar year, and he is arguably the most exciting player to anticipate going into 2026.
Cuban outfielder Diego Tornes (16) has officially signed with the Atlanta Braves.
Bonus deal: $2,500,000.
Trained by Alex Sanchez Academy, Tornes left Cuba in 2021 at the age of 13. A switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate. Five-tool player. pic.twitter.com/rQMRC0cgMS
How he got to the Braves: 2022 1st round pick (20th overall)
The 2025 campaign for Owen Murphy could have simply been about getting him back on the mound. Recovering from Tommy John surgery, simply seeing Murphy back in action would have been a good enough win across the board.
What ensued for the 22-year-old, however, exceeded even the greatest expectations as he reminded everyone why the Braves took him with their first round selection back in 2022.
Murphy finally made his season debut on Aug. 2, tossing 3.1 innings is masterful ball in which he struck out eight batters and scattered just two hits. From that point forward, Murphy proceeded to dominate the competition as he got back into a familiar groove after being out of action for more than a year.
In six starts for Rome, Murphy posted a dominant 1.32 ERA across 27.1 innings pitched. He also managed to strike out 26 batters and only walked six over the course of his outings while opposing hitters batted just .161 against him.
Sure, it may have been a relatively small sample size of only six games, but the simple fact that Murphy seemed to return with little to no hiccups after his lengthy absence is very encouraging for one of Atlanta’s top arms.
There’s no reason to rush Murphy, so there’s a strong likelihood he returns back to Rome for a few starts to make sure he’s in physically good shape before giving him the bump to Columbus for his first taste of double-A ball. Unlike other arms in the minors, there’s a legitimate chance we could see Murphy in Atlanta some time this season — depending on injuries and his individual performance.
If he doesn’t make it to the big leagues this year, all eyes will be on him competing for a backend rotation spot in 2027 right out of the gate.
3. Didier Fuentes – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 international free agent
Didier Fuentes had an incredible 2024 season, and he bankrolled his second-half momentum into a dominant 2025 that saw him blaze through the system in a fashion typical of top pitching prospects for the Braves. With that came the same pitfalls faced by many pitching prospects before him, as Fuentes made four major league starts and never looked ready for that stage with a 9.14 FIP over 13 innings. Fuentes struggled a bit to transition back to Triple-A after this disappointing stretch, but finished with two incredible outings at the end of the season totalling 11 innings with one run and two walks allowed while striking out 16 batters. Fuentes will be 20 still for much of the 2026 season, and will likely get a second shot to make a major league impact throughout the season. Fuentes operates with a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s with a low release point and average carry that is able to produce high whiff rates. He pairs that with a sweeper that projects to be below average, and he is working to develop a curveball and spliiter.
Fuentes showed potential for an average splitter throughout the 2025 season, but struggled with the shape and consistency of the pitch which made it difficult for him to rely on in games and got him hit hard. For Fuentes to stick as a starter the development of that pitch is key, as his fastball, command, and slider are already MLB-ready. Without the splitter it was difficult for him to approach major league hitters, who were able to key in on and exploit his high fastball usage and hit him hard especially late into outings. Fuentes has the athletic traits to develop plus command and continue to improve his splitter while potentially adding other pitches, but he is currently just a hair off from being a major league starter. For Fuentes, he is either going to drop significantly by midseason or graduate entirely, as if he shows the sort of success that will get him bumped up he is almost certain to earn a permanent major league spot.
2. JR Ritchie – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 CB-A pick (35th overall)
Coming off of Tommy John surgery JR Ritchie finished out with a solid series of starts to end 2024, but he raised significant questions when he showed well-below average velocity and struggled to snap off his sliders as well as he had prior to his surgery. When Ritchie showed upper-90’s velocity in his spring breakout performance that question immediately became secondary, and though his velocity did dip with regular work it was still higher and more consistent than it ever was prior to his surgery. His slider was still a tick below where it was at its best, and that may have hurt him later in the season when he struggled to find a consistent whiff pitch at the Triple-A level, but it looked solid and was paired with a much-improved changeup. His changeup was his best pitch at times in 2025, and his overall command and raw stuff improved over even where he was prior to surgery. Still, he had some trouble with inconsistency and walked too many batters, though many believe with more reps he has the athleticism to grow into above average command.
The Braves made changes to Ritchie’s delivery which gave him more carry on his fastball, improving its results, and with that he was able to diversify his arsenal by adding a sinker, a cutter, and a curveball. Right now his arsenal is a bit quantity over quality as none of his pitches has emerged as a clear plus offering, though his ability to command six pitches and force weak contact gives him a high floor. Ritchie has no glaring holes in his game at the moment and is more in a state of needing seasoning across the board. His cutter in particular showed significant improvement throughout the season, and if he can see a bump from his slider or changeup, he could settle in as a mid-rotation starter this upcoming season. A true step forward from his slider and the consistency of his fastball velocity could even push that ceiling higher, but in any case Ritchie is on the right path to being a major league starter in the immediate future.
1. Cam Caminiti – LHP
How he gotto the Braves: 2024 1st round pick (24th overall)
Cam Caminiti was selected with the 24th pick of the 2024 MLB Draft and signed to an overslot bonus after many expected him to end up being a Top 10 pick. His first year got off to a late start thanks to a minor injury early in his spring, but he was excellent after making his first four decent rehab starts in the FCL. Over his 13 starts with Augusta he went 2-3 with a 2.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts to 26 walks in 56.1 innings. Those numbers are especially impressive considering he didn’t turn 19 until August, as he was initially set to be a member of the 2025 MLB Draft, before a reclassification into the 2024 crop. Caminiti has a plus fastball that has previously touched as high as 98 MPH, a slider and change that can get swings and misses but will need to continue improving each, and an average curve. He will also be adding a cutter for this year and has solid command at present despite spending his prep career as a legit two-way prospect. He is expected to start the season in Rome, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he reached Double-A this year. The ceiling if he has everything come together is a top of the rotation arm, but he still has middle of the rotation potential even if he doesn’t max out.
Today we’re counting down the top five prospects in the Cubs minor league system. Because of the requests of some of you, I’m going to do today’s in reverse order. I’ll try it this year. If I don’t like it, I’m going back to the other way next year.
If you want to look back, here are the other four entries:
Because I know some of you are going to ask, I had made up a preliminary list that I was working off of at the time of the Edward Cabrera trade. When the deal was made, I had Owen Caissie as the Cubs’ number-three prospect. I was considering moving him up to two. It was a hard call. I can see the argument for making him the number-one prospect, but I don’t think I would have done that. So he would have been two or three.
I had Cristian Hernández at 20 when the trade went down, but I was really playing with the picks in the teens and I was strongly considering moving him up. Off the top of my head, I think putting Hernández at 15, give or take a place or two, would be the right call.
So with that said, here are my top five Cubs prospects.
5. Kevin Alcántara. OF. B:R, T:R. 7/22/2002. 6’6”, 188. Trade with Yankees (2021).
Alcántara has been around so long that it’s easy to forget he’s still only 23 years old. The scouting report on Alcántara is pretty much the same as it’s been the past five years. He’s a terrific athlete with great raw skills and a sky-high ceiling. He has plus raw power and plus speed. He’s a very good defensive center fielder with a strong arm who could be a Gold Glove right fielder. The only thing holding him back is a difficulty making consistent contact at the plate, particularly against breaking pitches from right-handers.
After making his major league debut at the tail end of the 2024 season, there were big expectations for Alcántara in 2025. Instead, he battled a nagging sports hernia for much of the season and seemed to be stuck in a holding pattern. Alcántara went through hot streaks and cold streaks in 2025 and finished with a line of .266/.349/.470 with 17 home runs and ten home runs over 430 plate appearances. That’s not bad, but we were all hoping for more.
There were some bright sides to that line. For one, Alcántara destroyed left-handed pitching in a way he had not done in previous years with a line of .320/.396/.588 versus southpaws. He also became slightly more selective at the plate and was able to draw a few more walks. And while it was a minuscule sample size, Alcántara didn’t look as overmatched in the majors in his brief cup of coffee with the major league team at the end of the season like he did in 2024.
The downside is that he still swings at too many pitches out of the zone, especially curve balls from right-handed pitching. His strikeout rate of 29.8 percent in Iowa last year is scary high for a top prospect. He will probably always strike out a lot with that big body and big strike zone, but major league pitchers will be merciless on those weaknesses unless he can demonstrate that he can either lay off those pitchers or do damage against them. Alcántara’s ground ball rates also increased last year and his fly ball rates decreased. Maybe that was because he was playing hurt. Maybe it wasn’t.
Despite the somewhat disappointing season, Alcántara did seem to make some progress in pitch recognition. Not enough, to be sure, but he was at least moving in the right direction.
Alcántara apparently got an extra option year, so that should give the Cubs the flexibility to let him build on the good parts of 2025 in Iowa, as well as work on eliminating the bad stuff. His defense and ability to hit left-handers would make him a good fourth outfielder right now, but the Cubs obviously have higher hopes for him than that. He has been around seemingly forever, so this is the year that Alcántara is going to have to prove to the Cubs that he can be their right fielder of the future.
Here are some highlights of Alcántara in Iowa for the first half of last season.
I have to keep myself from getting too excited about Ethan Conrad. The Cubs first-round draft pick last year has yet to make his professional debut after a season-ending shoulder injury during his junior year at Wake Forest. So all I have is the video that I can find online about him and those highlights get me very excited about Conrad.
Ethan Conrad went to Marist College for two years where he was an elite talent in a small school. He hit .389/.467/.704 his sophomore season before going .385/.433/.486 in the wooden bat Cape Cod League that following summer. Those numbers had the the power four conference of Wake Forest and the ACC calling. Conrad was just as impressive there—.372/.495/.744 with seven home runs in 21 games before he suffered a season-ending injury to his left shoulder when he was diving for a ball. Unfortunately, the ACC regular season had just started when he suffered the injury, so those numbers were put up against non-conference competition that wasn’t much better than what he faced at Marist. In fact, two of those games were against Marist. Conrad did put up those good numbers in the competitive Cape Cod League and we know the Cubs place a lot of emphasis on results in the Cape. So it’s not like he has no experience with tough competition, but his resume is thin on that front.
Conrad is the kind of player that I fall in love with quite easily — the guy who is above-average but maybe not plus in every category. Maybe his arm rates out more as average, but the other four tools are in the 55 to 60 range on the 20-to-80 scale. Conrad has a simple left-handed stroke and features above-average contact skills. He only struck out 14 times in 97 plate appearances last season. He’s also getting better at identifying pitches and laying off stuff out of the zone. Conrad walked 18 times, which is more than he struck out.
With good loft in his swing, Conrad projects out to be a 20-to-25 home run player. Some think that he still has room on his 6’3” frame to add a little more weight, which might push up his power totals some more. However, that could come at the cost of his above-average speed, which is an asset both on the base paths and in center field, where he’s an above-average defender. The Cubs are hopefully set in center field for quite a while, but Conrad projects out to be a very good defensive right fielder. His arm isn’t his best tool, but it’s at least average and good enough to play right.
From all accounts, Conrad is fully healthy now and you can see video on social media of him working out in Mesa. He should make his professional debut in Myrtle Beach this March or, less likely, South Bend. There will be a lot of eyes on him in this season. There is always concern that his shoulder injury will linger and affect his swing, although that’s no more likely with Conrad than with any other hitter with a shoulder injury. His upside is a 25-25 above-average outfielder who will make a few All-Star Games. He has a very good chance to be the Cubs’ number-one prospect at this time next year.
Here are some highlights of Conrad playing for Wake Forest before he got hurt.
3. Jefferson Rojas. SS. B:R, T:R. DOB: 4/25/2005. 5’11”, 150. International Free Agent (2022) Dominican Republic.
On July 18, 20-year-old Jefferson Rojas was promoted to Double-A Knoxville. There he did something he’d never really done before: he struggled. Over 39 game in the Southern League, Rojas hit .164/.279/.205 with no home runs with the Smokies.
That’s not good, but I’m not overly concerned for several reasons. Rojas was promoted after having the best half-season of his career in South Bend. Over 67 games in the Midwest League, Rojas hit .278/.379/.492 with a career-high 11 home runs. He became a more selective hitter and drew walks at a career-high percentage of 12.7 with no real increase in his strikeout rate at 15.7 percent. Rojas also started to drive the ball much harder with more pulled contact in the air.
Rojas also suffered a from poor luck in Knoxville, hitting just .211 on balls in play. Also, it was just 39 games at a new level. I won’t argue that it’s a good thing that he struggled here so that he learns to deal with adversity, but it did give Rojas a good sense of what he needs to work on over the winter.
Rojas was also just 20 years old in Knoxville, which is very young for Double-A. In fact, throughout Rojas’ career he’s been either the youngest or one of the youngest hitters in the league.
So overall, I’m not worried. At least not yet. What makes Rojas an exciting prospect is his above-average contact skills and growing power profile. He pulled the ball in the air a lot more in South Bend, which is a very good sign. Rojas hit left- and right-handed pitching roughly equally in 2025. Rojas is a smart baserunner, which allows his average raw speed to play up. He stole 19 bases in 22 attempts between the two levels last year.
Defensively, Rojas has a strong arm and all the tools to stick at shortstop. He still makes some mistakes, which I chalk up more to inexperience than a lack of skills. Rojas could be a roughly average defensive shortstop, but he does have the arm to move to third base if necessary where he could be above average.
Rojas still doesn’t turn 21 until April, so he’s still quite young for his level. Obviously he has to demonstrate that the poor performance in Double-A last August was just a small speed bump on the road to Wrigley. If Rojas continues to improve like he did in South Bend last year, he’ll be a top 100 prospect at this time next year and he will be knocking on the door for his major league debut in 2027.
Jaxon Wiggins is something the Cubs have not had in a long time — a big hard-throwing right-handed starter. Wiggins blew through three levels last year, starting the season in High-A South Bend and finishing the year in Triple-A Iowa. While he is not quite ready to make his major league debut to start the season, he certainly could be a fixture in the Cubs rotation down the stretch if he can stay healthy. That last caveat is certainly a big one, however.
Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in all of the minor leagues. It sits at 95-to-98 miles per hour and has touched 100 on more than one occasion. It also has good arm-side movement. His second pitch is an 88-90 mph cutter/slider that grades out as a second plus pitch. His upper-80s changeup is a solid third pitch that plays well off of his fastball. He also has a curve that he rarely throws and even more rarely throws for strikes. It does, however, have a real “fall of the table” movement when it’s right.
Wiggins has a very simple, whip-like pitching motion that should be easy to repeat. Of course, that didn’t stop him from getting hurt in college.
Despite blowing through three levels, Wiggins only threw 78 innings last season. The Cubs only let him make one start over a two-month period from mid-June to mid-August because of “arm fatigue” on his right arm, which is just two years removed from Tommy John surgery which cost him his junior season at Arkansas. They were also limiting his innings. After June 20, Wiggins did not make another start all season more than four innings and only one more than three innings.
Between the three levels last season, Wiggins went 3-4 with a 2.19 ERA. He struck out 97, which works out to 11.2 batters per nine innings. He walked 36 men, which translates to a too-high but not terrible 4.2 per nine. He does have some control issues, which limits his upside at the moment.
But that upside is still considerably high. With two plus pitches and a third solid one, Wiggins has number 2/3 starter potential. But there are some warning signs. Certainly his control, which abandons him at times, and his health give himself more reliever risk than a lot of pitchers with his talent. And then there is the possibility that I hate to mention, but the last Cubs prospect with a fastball this good was Brailyn Marquez. We hope history doesn’t repeat itself there, but it’s a possibility. Wiggins probably has as much upside as anyone in the system, but his downside should have us crossing our fingers.
Wiggins only made three starts and threw just 9.2 innings in Iowa last year, so he’s certainly ticketed for a return to Des Moines to start 2026. From there, his major league debut is up to him. Cade Horton only made 11 starts in Iowa, and six last year, before he forced his way up to Chicago. History could repeat itself with Wiggins this year.
Here are some highlights for Wiggins from last year.
Moisés Ballesteros can hit at the major league level and he can do it now. Of that, I have little doubt. Last year in Triple-A Iowa, Ballesteros hit .316/.385/.473 with 29 doubles, one triple and 13 home runs over 509 plate appearances. He struck out a minuscule 13.2 percent of the time and walked at 9.6 percent. That earned Ballesteros a September call-up to the majors, where he continued to hit to the tune of .298/.394/.474 with two home runs over 66 plate appearances over 20 games.
It wasn’t just last year that Ballesteros hit. He’s hit at every level he’s been at throughout his minor league career. He rarely even has a bad month. Ballestros has excellent bat-to-ball skills and the ability to drive the ball hard to all fields. He is an aggressive hitter who maybe swings at more pitches than he should, especially out of the zone, but he’s a good enough hitter that he often either fouls those pitches off or gets a base hit off of them. His level swing is geared more towards line drives than home runs, but he hits the ball hard enough that some of them are going to clear the fences. His swing is especially tailored to take advantage of the short power alleys at Wrigley, like the time he hit his first major league home run right at Anthony Rizzo in left center.
As far as a pure hit tool goes, Ballesteros is the best Cubs prospect since Starlin Castro. His power projects out to be more slightly above-average at the moment, but it’s not inconceivable that he’ll add more lift onto his swing as he ages and goes from a 15-to-20 home run a year player to a 30 home run guy. I wouldn’t count on it, but it’s possible. In any case, he’s likely to add a ton of doubles.
Of course, you’re familiar with the downside to Ballesteros. He simply isn’t a good defensive catcher. While his raw arm strength is good, he struggles to get out of the crouch and takes way too much time releasing the ball. Opposing teams tend to run wild on Ballesteros. He only threw out 13 percent of baserunners trying to steal on him in Iowa last year. He also doesn’t block the plate well and he’s slow even by catcher standards, although he always hustles the best he can. The one thing Ballesteros does well behind the plate is deciding which pitches to challenge on the Automatic Ball/Strike system. That could be a plus with the majors adopting this system this year, but it doesn’t make up for all the other minuses.
Most of you are familiar with Ballesteros’ body by now and while he’s definitely slimmed down a bit over the past two seasons, he’s still a big man and all that getting up and down as a catcher is going to be hell on his knees eventually. Conditioning is going to be a key for him going forward.
Keith Law of The Athletic wrote last week that he thought Ballesteros was “OK” as a first baseman, and that may be a way of getting him some more at-bats. Most likely, he’s a designated hitter who plays occasionally behind the plate and at first base. Fortunately, he’s got the kind of bat that they you have to find a way to get into the lineup.
Some minor league highlights for Ballesteros.
And because it’s too fun not to re-live, here is Anthony Rizzo muffing Ballesteros’ first major league home run.
Thanks for reading! Please follow along with the Minor League Wrap all season long.
May 10, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Mark Vientos (27) congratulates third baseman Brett Baty (7) for hitting a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
With the recent moves made by David Stearns and the Mets, the team’s starting lineup has finally come into focus. As everyone’s positions and roles have become more clear as a result, so has the bench situation for the Mets, and it’s looking to be a fairly strong group, though the DH position is one of the few places that still could be open to some interpretation for New York.
Last year, the Mets relied heavily on Starling Marte (when healthy) to man the DH spot, and with Mark Vientos’ subpar defense, he spent a lot of his time DHing as well. The bench mostly consisted of younger guys like Brett Baty, the now-traded Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio taking turns shuffling between the minors and majors depending on their play. In addition, guys like Jared Young got a lot of playing time with the Mets. Behind the plate, Luis Torrens mostly manned the bench spot held set aside for the backup catcher, though Hayden Senger spent a lot of time in the majors as well when Torrens was filling in for an injured Francisco Alvarez.
This year, the DH spot is likely to be split between Baty and Vientos, neither of whom necessarily has a set position with the club. Stearns alluded to Baty getting a lot of time at a number of positions, something Joel Sherman’s recent article referenced, so you can expect to see Baty get some reps at third, second, and even a lot of action in left field, depending on how Carson Benge impresses in spring training and whether the club wants him to get some more time in the minors. However, if he’s still on the team come Opening Day, DH also makes a lot of sense. Vientos, meanwhile, doesn’t really have a home anywhere else. He’ll probably be expected to pick up a first baseman’s glove this year and could split time with Jorge Polanco (another guy who could spend some time at DH). However, should Vientos remain a Met, DH makes the most sense for him, since his bat is more valuable than his glove.
The Mets will also likely use the DH spot to give some guys a breather from the field. The club will probably try to get Juan Soto some at-bats at DH when they want to rest him in the field, and the same could go for Bo Bichette, who is learning a new position at third. Should Alvarez’s bat finally progress like the club is expecting, he would also be a solid candidate to start a game or so a week at DH, in order to keep his bat in the lineup while giving the defensively-superior Torrens some reps behind the plate.
As for the bench, the team will carry four guys (13 pitchers: six starters and seven relievers; 13 position players: nine starters and four bench players). Torrens has an automatic spot on the bench (with Senger serving as the emergency catcher on the 40-man roster, and Austin Barnes waiting to battle it out in spring training). From there, one of Vientos or Baty (whoever is not serving as Designated Hitter) also has a guaranteed spot on the bench. That leaves two openings: One for a fourth outfielder, and one for a utility player. On the former, Tyrone Taylor, now relegated to the bench after the Luis Robert Jr. trade, is going to be the main guy on the bench and see plenty of action (as mentioned, Baty will also get his chance in the outfield, especially in left).
That leaves one spot remaining to fill. The club recently acquired Vidal Bruján in a trade with the Twins, and as he played almost every position last season for Minnesota, he couple be a valuable asset for New York. He was a former top-100 prospect, but he has not enjoyed anything remotely resembling success in the majors. To date, he has hit .199/.267/.276 with five home runs, 16 stolen bases, and a 54 wRC+ over parts of the past five seasons. Nick Morabito is on the 40-man, but that was mostly to protect him from the Rule V draft, and there’s little chance he snags a spot on the Opening Day roster.
So there are basically two options to compete with Bruján right now: Jared Young and Ronny Mauricio. Young hit .186/.234/.488 with four home runs in 43 at-bats last season. Young brings a lot of potential power, which is demonstrated in the fact that four of his eight hits left the yard. However, he doesn’t provide much beyond that, as his hitting overall is hardly something to write home about, and he’s mostly someone who would play outfield and DH, though he could see a little time at first two. That leaves Mauricio, who struggled in his first season back from a torn ACL. He hit .226/.293/.369 with six home runs in 168 at-bats for New York last year. Mauricio can play a number of positions, including second, third, and short, but with Baty around, he may be seen as redundant and not worthy of a roster spot. He also has an option left, so stashing him in Triple-A to start the year makes the most sense for the club as opposed to DFAing one of the other players.
The Mets could still acquire someone to play left field instead of rolling with Baty or Benge (they have been linked to guys like Lars Nootbar via trade and Austin Hays via free agency so far), which could change the equation in terms of the DH and bench spots. However, as things stand today, you can expect Baty and Vientos to split the DH duties on most days, and the bench to consist of whomever is not DHing, alongside Torrens, Taylor, and either Bruján, Young, or Mauricio. The safe bet is for Mauricio to start the year in Triple-A, giving Young and Bruján the leg up, unless the team makes another move to fortify their bench. All that said, you could make a case that the team’s bench is in a better spot than last year, while the production they receive at DH depends largely on how well Vientos rebounds from a rough 2025 (or how well Baty progresses at the plate after an up-and-down 2025 campaign).
Mar 15, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Canada pitcher Rob Zastryzny in the fourth inning against Mexico during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Full 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters were announced on Thursday, and the Brewers have plenty of representation, with 14 players playing for eight countries, including a few of Milwaukee’s stars. Let’s take a country-by-country look at the Brewers participating in this year’s WBC.
Canada: Tyler Black & Rob Zastryzny
Tyler Black and Rob Zastryzny will both represent their home country of Canada.
Black, 25, was a competitive balance pick by the Brewers back in 2021 and has displayed strong plate discipline throughout his career. He broke through in the majors in 2024 and has had minimal success in the bigs, hitting .211/.357/.263 with three doubles, three RBIs, and five runs across 57 at-bats between 2024 and 2025. He’ll be looking to compete for an MLB roster spot this spring as a depth piece for the infield.
Zastryzny, 34 in March, was a second-round pick by the Cubs in 2013, making it to the majors with Chicago in 2016. He’s spent the last two seasons with Milwaukee, appearing in 35 games (four “starts” as an opener) with a 2.12 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 29 2/3 innings as a reliable left-handed arm. He previously played for Team Canada in the 2023 WBC, appearing in one game and allowing three runs over two innings of work (13.50 ERA).
Dominican Republic: Abner Uribe
Abner Uribe, 25, was an international signee out of the D.R. He made his debut with the Brewers in 2023, pitching to a 1.76 ERA over 30 2/3 appearances in the second half of the season. He struggled to open 2024, pitching to a 6.91 ERA over 14 1/3 innings before being suspended (which he served in 2025), demoted, and injured the remainder of the year with Triple-A Nashville. He bounced back in 2025, pitching to a 1.67 ERA and 90 strikeouts over 75 1/3 innings as one of Milwaukee’s most reliable bullpen arms.
Great Britain: Miles Langhorne & Jack Seppings
Miles Langhorne, 22, and Jack Seppings, 23, are both relative unknowns in Milwaukee’s minor league system. Both U.S.-born (Langhorne in Connecticut, Seppings in Minnesota), they’re both undrafted free agents who reached High-A Wisconsin in 2025
Langhorne, who went to college at Charlotte, pitched in 15 games with the Low-A Carolina Mudcats, sporting a 3.33 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings. After his promotion to Wisconsin, he made 12 appearances, striking out 15 over 14 innings with an 8.36 ERA.
Seppings, who went to college at Brown, debuted with Carolina in 2024, making three appearances with four earned runs over four innings (9.00 ERA). He then made 17 appearances with the Mudcats in 2025, pitching to a 3.46 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 26 innings. After being called up, he made 20 appearances with the Timber Rattlers, pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 25 strikeouts across 35 1/3 innings. Seppings was on the 2023 Great Britain WBC roster while still at Brown, though he didn’t make any appearances.
Italy: Andrew Fischer
Fischer, 21, was Milwaukee’s first-round pick out of Tennessee in the 2025 draft. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s top third base prospect, Fischer spent the second half of the 2025 season at High-A Wisconsin. Across 19 games with the Rattlers, he hit .311/.402/.446 with a homer, triple, five doubles, 10 RBIs, eight runs, and eight steals.
Mexico: Joey Ortiz
Ortiz, 27, was a fourth-round pick by the Orioles in 2019 before coming over in the Corbin Burnes trade. He had a solid rookie season in 2024, hitting .239/.329/.398 with 11 homers, 60 RBIs, 58 runs, and 11 steals over 142 games while playing above-average defense. Unfortunately, he was unable to repeat that performance in 2025, as just about all of his stats regressed in 2025. He’ll look to bounce back in 2026, starting with Team Mexico this spring.
Nicaragua: Stiven Cruz, Carlos Rodriguez, & Freddy Zamora
We’ll start this group with Carlos Rodriguez, 24, a sixth-round pick by the Brewers in 2021 out of Florida Southwestern State Junior College. He’s bounced between Triple-A and the majors the last couple of seasons. In 2025, he had a 3.82 ERA with 82 strikeouts over 77 2/3 innings with Nashville and a 6.52 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings with Milwaukee across four relief appearances. A member of Nicaragua’s 2023 WBC team, Rodriguez made one start with one run allowed (2.25 ERA) and three strikeouts over four frames.
Stiven Cruz, also 24, is another Nicaraguan right-hander in Milwaukee’s minor league system. He reached Double-A Biloxi in 2025, with 35 appearances (one start) between Wisconsin and Biloxi. Across 65 2/3 innings between the two levels, he had a 4.39 ERA with 63 strikeouts.
Freddy Zamora, 27, was Milwaukee’s second-round pick out of Miami in 2020. He hasn’t been able to put together a consistent track record thus far, but he did have a solid 2025 season with the Nashville Sounds. Across 104 games, Zamora hit .257/.353/.348 with four homers, 46 RBIs, 49 runs, and 13 steals.
United States: Brice Turang
Brice Turang, 26, is one of the headliners for Milwaukee, both because he’s one of the team’s top players and because he’s the lone U.S. representative from the Crew. A first-round pick in 2018, Turang has put together back-to-back solid seasons. After a defense-centric 2024 that saw him win the NL Platinum Glove Award, he took a slight step back defensively in 2025 but put it together at the plate, hitting .288/.359/.435 with 18 homers, 81 RBIs, 97 runs, and 24 steals across 156 games.
Venezuela: Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, & Ángel Zerpa
Jackson Chourio, 22 in March, is one of the many stars to watch in this year’s WBC. He’s put together a pair of solid MLB seasons thus far, appearing in 279 games while hitting .272/.317/.463 with 42 homers, 157 RBIs, 168 runs, and 43 steals as one of Milwaukee’s regular contributors.
William Contreras, 28, is another star on this roster as one of the top catchers in the league. He hit .260/.355/.399 with 17 homers, 76 RBIs, and 89 runs across 150 games with Milwaukee this year, and he’s a career .273/.357/.448 hitter over six MLB seasons.
Ángel Zerpa, 26, is one of the newest Brewers, joining the squad as the return for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears back in December. The lefty reliever spent the first five years of his MLB career with Kansas City, pitching to a 3.97 ERA with 150 strikeouts over 177 innings.
TORONTO, ON - July 26 - Former jays manager and now broadcaster Buck Martinez acknowledges the crowd on his first day back after battling cancer. The Toronto Blue Jays took on the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB baseball action at the Rogers Centre. July 26 2022 (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
Buck Martinez has announced he is retiring from the broadcast booth:
It’s hard to believe I came to Toronto in a trade in May of 1981, thinking that would be the end of a very good career. Little did I know that I still would be associated with the Blue Jays through the 2025 season.
What a glorious season it was. It was a joy and an honour to be involved in each and every game through Game 7 of the World Series. Only one other outcome could have topped the fantastic year.
After the World Series, my wife Arlene and I had plenty of time to think about the past and look forward to our future. After many heartfelt conversations, we both decided it was time for me to step out of the booth and enjoy the years ahead.
It has been a fantastic journey with Sportsnet, the Blue Jays and the wonderful Blue Jays fans all over the world. Thank you all for embracing me and welcoming my family and me in a way that has made us feel like we are part of yours. I will dearly miss my working partners, the leadership at Rogers, and the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club, all of whom made it so much fun to be at the ballpark talking about the game I’ve loved for my whole life. As to the fans specifically, I will miss the “selfies,” the handshakes and the welcoming smiles. I will never forget any of those, nor the unwavering support and generosity, which has meant more than words can say. I look forward to continuing to root for the Blue Jays along with you, and you’ll always be in my heart. My sincere appreciation to all of you.
I had hoped to be part of the 50th year of the Toronto Blue Jays but it’s time to pass the torch. Enjoy 2026 and beyond, I will see you down the road.
With the utmost gratitude and respect,
Buck Martinez
I know it is a minor thing, but I love that he spelled honour the Canadian way.
Dan Schulman said:
“From the first day I worked with Buck way back in 1995 right through Game 7 of the World Series, I couldn’t have asked for a better broadcast partner. No one worked harder, no one cared more,” said Shulman. “He’s one of the most significant figures in Blue Jays history, and someone who has meant the world to everyone he worked with at Sportsnet, both as a colleague, and even more importantly, as a great friend.”
The press release tells us that Buck worked more the 4000 games in the broadcast booth in two stints from 1987 to 2025 and that he has won an Emmy for his work during Cal Ripkens 2,131st consecutive game and another for Best Sports Analyst when he was working for the Orioles.
Buck joined the Jays in 1981, coming in a trade for Gil Kubski and played with the Jays until 1986, in a platoon with Ernie Whitt at catcher. We’ve all seen the play that effectively ended his career, when Phil Bradley of the Mariners ran him over at the plate. I’m glad that running over the catcher isn’t a play in baseball anymore.
Before the Jays, he played eight seasons with the Royals and three with the Brewers.
He went into broadcasting soon after that, with a year and a half as the Jays manager in between. He spent a few years working in the booth with the Orioles, but he returned to the Jays in 2010.
Congratulations on a great career, Buck. I hope you enjoy many years of retirement.
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - MARCH 08: Domingo Gonzalez #34 of the Dominican Republic delivers a pitch to the Atlanta Braves in the third inning during an exhibition game at CoolToday Park on March 08, 2023 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since I was a young child, I’ve had a deep pre-occupation with outer space, particularly the solar system. While the rest of the universe is obviously deeply fascinating, the solar system is so much more observable. We get to know stuff about it. That rocks.
In particular, I’ve always been drawn to trans-Neptunian space – the region between Neptune’s orbit and the outer edge of the Sun’s gravitational and magnetic influence (the heliopause). When I was six, I named my favorite stuffed animal Kuiper to honor the Kuiper belt, the second real obsession of my life (following my intense Barney the Friendly Dinosaur phase).
The Kuiper belt is a massive disk of icy objects that’s 20 astronomical units (AUs, the distance between the sun and the earth) wide – for context, that’s the same as the distance from the sun to Uranus. It lies beyond Neptune’s orbit, circumscribing the rest of the solar system. It had been theorized to exist since the 1940’s, but remained hypothesis only until 1992, when a pair of researchers discovered the first object beyond Pluto, a relatively small object that was later named Albion. Between 1992 and 2018, over 2000 distinct hunks of frozen rock were identified, and it’s likely that there’s at least a thousand times more objects that are large enough to be structurally stable (100 km in diameter, more or less), but dark or small enough that they’ve eluded detection.
The Kuiper belt is a lonely, cold place. A massive, silent frontier populated by objects not close enough to the sun to feel its warmth but still thralled into orbit by its mass. It’s the boundary between local space and the beyond – between what we know and what we don’t. As a child and as an adult, it’s this liminality, the in-betweenness, that captivates me. I love learning about these lonely little frozen rocks, caught between worlds, and I can’t help but find myself emotionally attached to them.
I feel the same type of small heartache for players like Domingo González.
John wrote about González’s journey to Seattle after the Mariners claimed him off the waiver wire last August. He’s lived the unfortunate reality of being at the butt-end of the 40-man roster – a few mediocre months, or even just roster constraints for the big-league club, and you find yourself DFA’d and waiting to see who calls.
His 2024 season was the culmination of an incrementally-rising star for him that earned a mention by Fangraphs as a prospect to watch (though still falling outside the top 40 list) for Atlanta. He saw his best traits, his whiffs and his strikeouts, reach new heights, and showed real improvement in his command, one of his weaker spots through his professional career.
It’s the fate of relievers, though, to eternally live in small-sample lands. They tend to see higher highs and lower lows. González lived this in 2025.
Even in his best years, the platoon struggles have been brutal for him: in 2024 and 2025, he had a OPS split of .297 – from a .520 against RHH to .817 against LHH. That’s essentially the difference between pitching against 2025 Josh Naylor or Lamonte Wade Jr. If you’re unfamiliar with Wade Jr, well, it might be because he had about a .520 OPS last year and had a 52 wRC+ last season.
He introduced a new pitch, a splitter, to try and become viable against lefties. Unfortunately, the splitter did not pan out. He threw about 45 of them, never developing a consistent movement profile and garnering mediocre results.
So, when Atlanta found themselves in need of a pitcher capable of spot-starting, González found himself as the 40th man on a 40-man roster, and out of a job.
Moving to Tacoma in August, González struggled even more. Turns out getting cut for nothing and moving across the country doesn’t necessarily help the ole’ mental game. By season-end, González’ had seen a major drop-off in almost every meaningful statistic compared to 2024. His FIP rose from 2.75 to 4.73, his K% fell from 36.3% to 20%. His spin-rate on the fastball and slider fell by about 150 RPMs. Nothing went his way.
González is almost certainly starting the season in Triple-A. His path to finding big-league playing time is difficult to make out, likely blocked by about three or four fellow Pilers who are higher on the depth chart than him. Nothing in his profile particularly screams Contraptability, but that is the most realistic way for him to find a spot in Seattle’s bullpen – hope that the pitching machine can find some freak pitch for him to throw. However, being a waiver wire pickup makes his acquisition truly feel like a depth add and less like a project.
While he does have all of his minor-league options left and his 2024 numbers do inspire some optimism, that hope is admittedly dim as we enter 2026.
Dark matter is the theorized something that astrophysicists say serves as the “gravitational scaffolding” for the universe – we can’t see this material, but its existence seems prerequisite for the universe to exist and behave the way it does. Invisible but essential, players like González and their fungibility serve the same purpose for MLB. MLB as we know it is held together almost entirely by the career minor leaguers. The scaffolding that provides developmental opportunities for the 10% of minor leaguers who play even a single game in MLB is the other 90%. The dirt-cheap labor of the 90% subsidizes the pocketbooks of the never-enough owners. And without that 90% playing games in front of families in smaller cities and towns across the country, baseball’s tenuous grasp on national pastime-hood would grow weaker. So yes, it doesn’t seem likely that González will get the opportunity to impact the big league club before finding a new home. But it doesn’t mean that he, and the hundreds of players just like him, aren’t massively important to MLB.
And yeah, I acknowledge that the space metaphors have become a little mixed here. Are González and players like him dark matter or Kuiper belt objects? Should I have re-written this to fit just one theme or the other? Does this all feel a little bit forced? Yes, yes, probably and yes. Regardless, I know that I feel the same way about González as I do 486958 Arrokoth, a small, interesting Kuiper belt object that was the recipient of a New Horizons flyby in 2019. I’m drawn to them, almost unwillingly compelled to obsess over their minutia, and emotionally impacted by their circumstances. They both live on the outside looking in. Held in orbit by a tantalizing promise. Easily forgotten.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan reacts after the final out of the World Baseball Classic Championship defeating Team USA 3-2 at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced on Friday with loads of loads of major league talent spread out across 20 national teams. Defending champion Team Japan looks like it will face a serious challenge from loaded Team USA and Dominican Republic rosters. The World Baseball Classic will get underway on March 5 with the final set for March 17.
The Favorite: Team USA
After looking over the rosters, Team USA is my favorite. They were finalists at the last WBC, and the roster looks much stronger this time around. The biggest difference comes in the pitching staff. A lot of America’s top arms elected not to pitch at the event last time. However, the big guns will be at the WBC this time around.
Last time around, America’s starting rotation included the likes of Miles Mikolas, Nick Martinez and a 41 year old Adam Wainwright. This time, Team USA will have both of the 2025 CY Young winners, with Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes pitching in the event.
The lineup will also be stacked with Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr. and more teaming up. You can make an argument that the Dominican Republic has a lineup as good, or maybe even a little bit better. However, no team is as complete as Team USA.
The Contenders: Dominican Republic, Japan, Venezuela
On paper, the second most talented team at the competition is either the Dominican Republic or Japan. The Dominicans stacked lineup gives them a slight edge in my books. You can make a case that the Dominicans have the best lineup in the competition. It features the likes of Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado.
A big x-factor for the Dominicans is catcher Austin Wells, who they recruited to join the team. For whatever reason, the Dominican Republic has not been able to produce catching talent the way America or Venezuela have. In 2023, the Dominican catchers were Gary Sanchez and Francisco Mejia. Wells will be an upgrade on that.
On the mound, the DR has a two headed monster of Sandy Alcantara and Cristopher Sanchez at the top of their rotation. They also have strong bullpen options in Abner Uribe, Camilo Doval and Carlos Estevez. As usual, the Dominicans should be a big threat in this competition.
Now, let’s talk about the defending champions, Team Japan. They will be led by the best player in the world, Shohei Ohtani. However, Ohtani will not be pitching this time. Famously, he got the save in the WBC final last time around. Roki Sasaki is also not pitching at the event.
However, Japan still has plenty of firepower on the mound. World Series legend Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the ace of the staff. He will be joined by Yusei Yikuchi and some of the top arms from the NPB.
Japan’s lineup is stacked with MLB talent. Ohtani is the star, but recent MLB free agent signings Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto will join him. Cubs star Seiya Suzuki was not at the last WBC, but is on the team this time. Samurai Japan also tend to rise to the occasion in these competitions, so do not count out the defending champions.
The last of the top contenders is Venezuela. Led by Ronald Acuna Jr., and Salvador Perez, the Venezuelans have a stacked lineup. As usual, the Venezuelans have a ton of catching talent. Both of the Contreras brothers are on the team, as well as Perez.
Their outfield of Acuna, Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu is among the best in the competition. They also have a lineup full of diverse skillsets. Luis Arraez and Eugenio Suarez are total opposites as hitters, but both are very effective.
On the mound, Venezuela’s aces will be Pablo Lopez and Ranger Suarez. There is not as much depth on the mound as some of the other top teams, but their pitching staff is still full of big leaguers.
The Dark Horses: Italy, Israel, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Korea, Canada, Netherlands
None of these teams are very likely to make the finals, but all of them have the talent to be party crashers. They all have plenty of big league talent, but are in a different tier than the top four teams on paper.
Puerto Rico could have been in the second tier if not for the unfortunate insurance situation. A few teams were harmed by the insurance controversy, but none more than Puerto Rico. Most of their stars will be unable to play in the competition. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Javier Baez are all absent from the roster because they could not get insured.
The Puerto Ricans still have MLB talent. They also added Nolan Arenado to the fold, which will help offset the losses of some of their stars. Notable big leaguers like Heliot Ramos and Edwin Diaz will still be there. However, this Puerto Rico team will not be as strong as usual.
One team that really interests me is Italy. The Italians are filled with US born MLB players of Italian heritage. Some of the biggest names are Aaron Nola, Vinny Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone. They also have big league talent up and down the roster. The most notable Italian born player is Sam Aldegheri, a top prospect in the Angels system who has made his MLB debut. This is a really underrated roster with a lot of young talent. Do not be surprised to see them play spoiler.
Israel is in a similar spot to Italy, but I do not think they are as talented. They have a lot of Jewish big leaguers. Their best player is Harrison Bader, who had an outstanding season last year. Other familiar faces like Spencer Horowitz and Garrett Stubbs are in the lineup.
On the mound, Israel’s rotation is headlined by Dean Kramer of the O’s. One problem for Israel is that they are in the group of death. Israel, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the Netherlands are all in the same group.
Speaking of the Netherlands, they have a strong roster as usual. The island of Curacao produces a lot of MLB talent. Xander Bogaerts, Jurickson Profar, Ozzie Albies, and Kenley Jansen give them plenty of major league experience. They also have some youngsters and former MLB players. Druw Jones, the son of Hall of Famer and Dutch manager Andruw Jones is on the team. As are former big leaguers like Didi Gregorious.
Korea will also feature a strong group of players. They are led by Jung Hoo Lee. Other notable names include Hyun Jin Ryu and Hyseong Kim. There are also American players of Korean heritage like Jahmai Jones, Dane Dunning and Riley O’Brien on the team.
Canada is another team without some of their stars. Most notably, Freddie Freeman will not be competing at the WBC this year. However, they still have plenty of talent. Josh Naylor and Tyler O’Neill are a potent duo in the middle of the lineup. Denzel Clarke is one of the best center field defenders you will ever see. On the mound, they feature the likes of Jameson Taillon and Michael Soroka.
The last team in this tier is Mexico. They are one of the better teams in this group, led by Jarren Duran, Alejandro Kirk, Jonathan Aranda and Randy Arozerena. On the mound, the Mexicans strength is in the bullpen. They have an elite closer in Andres Munoz, as well as quality set up men in Robert Garcia and Victor Vodnik. The rotation features Taj Bradley and Javier Assad.
The Scrappy Bunch: Taipei, Colombia, Great Britain, Cuba, Panama
These teams are not littered with big leaguers like the squads above them, but still have the talent to give them a scare. If you come out flat, these teams can clip you. They are scrappy and hungry.
Most of the best Cuban players are not on this roster. Given these players have to defect the country to pursue their MLB dreams, this is understandable. However, there is still some MLB talent. The most notable name on this team is Yoan Moncada. A funny tid bit is that 44 year old Alexei Ramirez is on the roster. He last played in the MLB in 2016.
Colombia is the best team in this tier, and has a case to be in the dark horse tier. I just did not think they had quite as much firepower. Elias Diaz and Gio Urshela are MLB vets who will be in their lineup. Young Mariners prospect Michael Arroyo is a name to watch as well. On the mound, they have the likes of Jose Quintana and former top prospect Luis Patino.
Jazz Chisholm gives Great Britain the best player in this tier of teams. Britain also has big leaguers like Harry Ford and Nate Eaton in their lineup. Hard throwing reliever Michael Peterson pitched in the big leagues some last year and will feature for Britain. Some interesting prospects like Gary Gill Hill and Brendan Beck are also on the team.
Panama has some sneaky solid talent. Their strength is at catcher, where they feature Ivan Herrera and Miguel Amaya. They also have big leaguers in their infield like Edmundo Sosa and Jose Caballero. On the mound, their best arm is US born Logan Allen.
The final team in this tier is Taipei. They have solid talent, but also have a history of punching above their weight. For Asian countries in particular, this event is a big deal. Some notable hitters include prospect Hao-Yo Lee, Tsung-Che Cheng and American recruits Stuart Fairchild and Jonathan Long. On the mound, their most notable name is D-Backs prospect Yu-Min Lin.
Happy to be here: Brazil, Australia, Czechia, Nicaragua
The teams in this tier do not have many, if any MLB players. They are very unlikely to make it out of the group phases. However, this is still a very cool experience for the players on these teams.
Nicaragua is the most well-rounded of these teams, with a decent amount of MLB talent. Their star is Mark Vientos of the Mets, who will provide big time power for them. They also feature former big leaguers Jeter Downs and Cheslor Cuthbert. On the mound, they have prospect Carlos Rodriguez and long time big leaguer Erasmo Ramirez.
Australia also has some notable names, especially at the plate. Their stars are Curtis Mead of the White Sox and former first overall pick Travis Bazzana. They do not have many notable names on the mound, but those two could provide an offensive spark for the Aussies.
Brazil does not have any current MLB players, but they do have some former big leaguers and top prospects. Their most interesting story is Joseph Contreras, the son of big leaguer Jose Contreras. The 17 year old has a chance to be a first round pick in the 2026 draft and is a senior in high school right now. Talk about a way to raise your draft stock.
Lastly, Czechia is the least talented group here. They do not have much big league talent at all, but it was so cool to see how much fun they had at the last event. This time around, they actually do have a player with MLB experience in Terrin Vavra. The Czechs are here for a good time, not a long time.
TORONTO, ON - July 26 - Former jays manager and now broadcaster Buck Martinez acknowledges the crowd on his first day back after battling cancer. The Toronto Blue Jays took on the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB baseball action at the Rogers Centre. July 26 2022 (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
Longtime Blue Jays TV announcer Buck Martinez announced his retirement this morning. Martinez joined the Jays’ booth as a colour commentator nearly 40 years ago, for the 1986 season. He moved down to the dugout to manage the 2001 and 2002 seasons. After leaving the team, he worked for seven years in the the Baltimore Orioles’ booth before returning in 2010 as the play-by-play announcer with Pat Tabler as his main colour analyst for the next 13 years.
Buck missed the first half of the 2023 season while receiving cancer treatment. He returned in July, moving back to his old job providing colour and pairing back up with Dan Shulman, with whom he’d worked from 1995 through 2000.
The Buck/Tabby booth was the source of a lot of jokes on our site for many years, but in my opinion the Shulman/Martinez pairing was one of the best local broadcast booths in the league.
Buck turned 77 in November, so you can’t say he hasn’t put in his time. He’s been a part of the Jays organization my whole life (barring the brief Orioles stint), and I’m not young. I hope he amd his wife Arlene enjoy a long and happy retirement.
Why don’t we use the comments to share some memories of Buck’s Blue Jays calls. For me, the great “barbecues on boats” digression, when a guy grilling on his boat in McCovey Cove excited him and Pat so much that it derailed the broadcast for about three innings, is a treasured memory. There were also lots of calls of huge moments on the field, of course, but as much as anything a baseball broadcast booth functions as a couple of buddies you watch the game with, and there are a lot more August afternoons in indifferent seasons than there are World Series game sevens. That night in San Francico, for me, epitomizes what it was like to hang out with Buck and Pat, our friendly if loopy collective uncles, as they only sort of pay attention to what’s going on on the field.
Iowa’s Cade Obermueller (33) gets ready to pitch against Oregon during a Big Ten conference baseball game May 15, 2025 at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It was quite interesting watching the Phillies’ 2025 draft unfold. Once Gage Wood was secured in the first round, the team could have gone any different direction since their player development system was somewhat devoid of top notch prospects. What we saw instead was a refilling of the pitching stockpile the team desperately needed to refill.
Obermueller is one of them. He might reach the majors quickly if the team focused on his becoming a reliever, but there is some time still. They can see what he can do as a starter first, then go from there. His only really throwing two pitches will probably dictate a lot of his path, but this is something the Phillies need to develop: starters and/or relievers that they can promote from within as opposed to having to trade for them all the time.
Obermueller has relief risk because he’s smaller, he throws just two pitches, and he doesn’t have great command of either of them. But he’s a special athlete with a beautiful delivery, which arguably allows for mold-breaking command and changeup projection. Obermueller is an incredibly loose, explosive athlete with bendy, whippy limbs and a powerful lower body. His delivery adds deception to his stuff in basically every way. He’s able to hide the ball for a long time because of how far back his arm lays before release. He takes a cross-bodied stride and has a lower arm slot, but he still manages to power down the mound and generate plus extension despite an indirect line to the plate. Plus, Obermueller gets to a more vertical hand position on release than is typical of someone with his arm slot. All of this creates huge uphill angle on his fastball, which averages 91-95 mph. That’s up a tick from his sophomore year, and he’ll peak in the 97-98 mph range.
With each new post, we’ll reveal who won the voting for that particular slot, then post new players for you to vote on, adding another one to the list each time until we get to our final tally of 20. Once we get to 20 top prospects, we’ll do an honorable mention post at the end. If a player gets traded to another team, we’ll just chuck him right on outta here and all the players will move up a spot. If a prospect gets acquired, we’ll ask where he should go on the list.
Probably the most important thing about this whole process – please vote. Give us a few minutes of your time, just click a button and then we can discuss other players and things in the comment section, but don’t forget – VOTE!
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 01: Billy McKinney #23 of the Texas Rangers swings his bat during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field on July 01, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at outfielder Billy McKinney.
Ah, Billy McKinney…Texas native, product of Plano West, first round pick of the Oakland A’s in 2013.
The funny thing about McKinney coming out of high school is that he’s the type of player the 2013 Texas Rangers steered clear of, but that the 2026 Texas Rangers would have high on their draft board. From BA’s writeup of him at the time:
McKinney has one of the sweetest swings in the 2013 draft, and he has hit his way into the first round with a strong spring. He generates excellent bat speed from the left side of the plate, and he barrels balls with ease thanks to his hand-eye coordination and disciplined approach. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has strength and should grow into solid power. The rest of McKinney’s tools are fringy to average, but his arm and speed play up because he goes all-out all the time. Scouts love his makeup and are confident that he’ll provide the offense required on an outfield corner
Great swing and hit tool, not a lot of current power but projects to power, everything else fringy, great makeup…I expect the Rangers to take a high school hitter in the first few rounds of this year’s draft whose scouting report could be boiled down to that.
Unfortunately, the power never really developed past average, and the hit tool ended up being more okay than great, and when you’ve got nothing else in your box to fall back on, you end up dropping in the prospect rankings and eventually landing in perpetual NRI land.
You can track McKinney’s prospect arc in the myriad of trades he was involved in. A year and a month after being drafted by the A’s, he went to the Cubs as the second prospect (behind Addison Russell) in a deal where the A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, with Dan Straily also going to Chicago. Two years and 20 days after that, he was again sent out as the second prospect in a deadline deal, this time to the Yankees for rental closer Aroldis Chapman, with Gleyber Torres as the headliner, and Adam Warren and Rashad Crawford also going to New York.
Samardzija, incidentally, was traded by Oakland that winter to the White Sox for a package that included Marcus Semien.
Anyway, two years and one day after he was traded to the Yankees, he was once again in a deadline trade, this time wo the Toronto Blue Jays, along with Brandon Drury, in exchange for J.A. Happ, a deal that would indicate that his star had fallen significantly from where it was before. After that, he was claimed on waivers from the Jays by the Brewers in September, 2020, traded by the Brewers to the Mets in May, 2021, for Pedro Quintana, and then traded by the Mets to the Dodgers in July, 2021, for Carlos Rincon. The Rangers purchased him from the Dodgers that November, then non-tendered him a week later.
The transactions log for McKinney in that time paints a picture.
McKinney has spent at least part of every major league season since 2018 in the big leagues, accumulating a whopping 327 games and 964 plate appearances in that time for nine different clubs, one of which is Your Texas Rangers.
You are forgiven if you don’t remember this, but McKinney had two different stints in the bigs with Texas in 2025. Released by the Mets, for whom he was toiling in AAA, in May, he signed at the end of the month with Texas and joined the Express. He was up briefly in July when Evan Carter went on the bereavement list, going 1 for 7 in two games before being DFA’d upon Carter’s return, clearing waivers, opting for free agency, and then re-signing with Texas.
Then, at the end of September, when everyone was hurt, Texas added him to the 40 man and active roster once again, replacing Wyatt Langford, who went on the i.l. He went 3 for 13 in four starts.
McKinney ended the season with a .200/.238/.250 slash line for Texas. Not great, but then, his role was to be a warm body for a handful of games when Texas needed a warm body. The veteran depth in AAA, who can be called up when injuries or other events necessitate a short term plug.
McKinney does not appear to have signed with anyone yet this offseason, but I imagine he will. He’ll get a minor league deal with an NRI, get some plate appearances in camp, probably won’t make the major league roster, will spend the 2026 season at one or more team’s AAA affiliate, and wait to see if he’s needed for a dozen or so plate appearances in the majors for some club needing a short-term patch.
On January 21, 2026, Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. This list, and their place on it, was compiled back in late-November. For continuity’s sake, I decided upon including Williams and Sproat’s profile, but for all intents and purposes, every player on our list below the pair can be considered to have moved up, with the addition of prospects 26 and 27 effectively becoming 24 and 25.
Hartland, Wisconsin native Peter Kussow attended Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin, a school that up until this point has never produced a major leaguer; infielder Scott Doffek, who was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late-80s and made it as high as Double-A is the closest the school has to offer. Initially a two-sport baseball and football player, he gave up the gridiron to focus on baseball, and in doing so, changed the trajectory of his life for the better. In 2025, his senior year, the 20-6 Arrowhead Warhawks were rated 10 among Division 1 schools by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, and Peter Kussow was a big reason why. After growing, putting on some weight, and experiencing a fastball velocity boost, the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA in 33.1 innings, allowing 22 hits, walking 14, and striking out a team-leading 75 batters, nearly 33% of the entire team’s total. Unsurprisingly as a result, scouts and evaluators considered the big right-hander one of the best draft-eligible high school players in Wisconsin in 2025, and arguably the best pitcher.
Overview
Name: Peter Kussow Position: RHP Born: 12/08/2006 (Age 19 season in 2026) Height: 6’5” Weight: 205 lbs. Bats/Throws: R/R Acquired: 2025 MLB Draft, 4th Round (Arrowhead Union High School, Wisconsin) 2025 Stats: DNP
The Mets selected Kussow with their 4th round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the only prep player in the entire state to be selected in 2025. The right-hander had a commitment to play baseball for the University of Louisville but ended up forging it as he signed professionally to play for the Mets. With an MLB-assigned slot value for the 133rd overall pick of $555,800, Kussow and the Mets agreed to an $897,500 signing bonus, $341,700 above slot value. He did not pitch in 2025.
Kussow, who stands 6’5” and is listed at 205-pounds, throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action through the back and wrist hyperflexion. His whippy arm is capable of reaching 97 MPH, though the pitch generally lives in the low-90s. The pitch generally sits around 2400 RPM, generating as much as 18 inches of induced vertical break. In addition to the ride, thanks to his arm slot and his crossfire delivery, the pitch has plenty of arm-side run, and when thrown down in the zone, has steep angle thanks to his height and extension.
His slider is his go-to strikeout pitch, though he also likes to throw it for strikes early in the count as well. The pitch sits in the high-80s and features gyroscopic movement, averaging roughly 2500 RPM of spin, topping out almost 2700 RPM. The pitch possesses late vertical slice without much horizontal movement and the right-hander has consistently been able to command the pitch all throughout his high school career. Kussow rounds out his pitching repertoire with a changeup, which sits in the high-80s and at present is still developing as a pitch but shows promise thanks to the tumble and fade it gets.
The right-hander has displayed inconsistent command of his pitches, partially because of his mechanics and partially because, as a pitcher from a cold weather state, he does not have as much mound experience as many of his peers. Additionally, while he has not displayed them over the course of his high school career, he may eventually develop platoon splits against better competition because of his mechanics. Because of the extremely long arm circle through the back that he utilizes, left-handed hitters have plenty of time to pick up the ball in his hand.
2026 Mets Top 25 Prospect List
1) Nolan McLean 2) Carson Benge 3) Jonah Tong 4) Jett Williams* 5) Brandon Sproat* 6) A.J. Ewing 7) Jacob Reimer 8) Ryan Clifford 9) Will Watson 10) Jack Wenninger 11) Mitch Voit 12) Jonathan Santucci 13) Elian Peña 14) Zach Thornton 15) Nick Morabito 16) R.J. Gordon 17) Chris Suero 18) Dylan Ross 19) Ryan Lambert 20) Antonio Jimenez 21) Edward Lantigua 22) Eli Serrano III 23) Randy Guzman 24) Daiverson Gutierrez 25) Boston Baro 26) Marco Vargas 27) Peter Kussow
In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jeremy “Hokius” Greco is joined by Royals Review Managing Editor Max Rieper to discuss how worried Royals fans should be about Framber Valdez joining the Tigers, John Wathan entering the Royals Hall of Fame, how fans can watch the team this year, and more!
Will the Brandon Drury signing mean anything for the team? Which historical trades have hurt us the most? And who are the Royals counting on the most to improve in 2026?
In 2025, the Boston Red Sox led all of baseball in errors, a statistical category they’ve been near the top of for several years now.
And yet, most defensive metrics don’t think the Sox are that bad, and some think they are elite. By Statcast’s Fielding Run Value as presented by Baseball Savant, the Red Sox had the fifth-best defense in baseball last year. By Statcast’s Fielding Run Value as presented by FanGraphs (which is apparently a slightly different thing, though I couldn’t tell you how) they were the seventh-best. By Statcast’s Outs Above Average as presented by FanGraphs, they were the tenth-best. By Statcast’s Outs Above Average as presented by Savant (again, somehow different!), they were more middling at number 13. And by Defensive Runs Saved from the Fielding Bible, they were twelfth.
Which of these metrics is the right metric? Well, according to the rules of arguing about baseball on the internet, the right metric is the one that helps you prove whatever point you’ve already decided you want to make. If you want to say that the Sox suck defensively, go ahead and use errors. If you want to say they’re great, go ahead and use Fielding Run Value. If you want to provide a nuanced opinion, choose any of the others, but nobody cares for nuance and everyone will ignore you.
The truth is that defensive metrics are far behind the metrics we use to measure pitching and hitting, and they probably always will be. This is just how the field of statistics works: some things are harder to measure than others.
Complicating the issue in the case of the Red Sox is the fact that roster features players of shockingly disparate defensive quality. Ceddanne Rafaela was arguably the best gloveman in all of baseball last year; Kristian Campbell was arguably the worst. Carlos Narvaez graded out as elite by many metrics; Connor Wong graded out as horrendous. When Wilyer Abreu was healthy, the Sox had one of the best defensive right fielders you could ask for; when Rob Refsnyder was out there, they were below average. You get the picture, and if you don’t here’s a pretty shocking little image:
According to Savant’s OAA, the Red Sox outfield (the table on the left side of the slider) was far and away the best defensive outfield in baseball, with the gap between them and the number two team almost twice as big as the gap between number two and number three. But in the infield (on the right of the slider) they were the second-worst collection of defenders, a whopping 47 runs worse than the league leaders.
We still don’t know what the Red Sox infield will look like, but it probably won’t have Kristian Campbell in it anymore. It will have Willson Contreras, who was the sixth-best first baseman in baseball by Savant’s OAA. Marcelo Mayer should absolutely be a plus-defender, though we don’t yet know exactly how good he’ll be, how much he’ll play, or where he’ll play. Much of the same can be said about Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Trevor Story, David Hamilton, and Romy Gonzalez, though, are pretty bad by most metrics.
And then there’s the issue of the revamped pitching staff. The Red Sox outfield (the strongest part of their defense, remember!) had 1074 total fielding chances in 2025, which was actually pretty low overall. And the outfield may get even fewer chances in 2026, thanks to the additions of Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez, two pitchers who induce grounders at a much higher rate than most starters (just like Garrett Crochet).
So how good will the Red Sox defense be in 2026? Talk about that or whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.
