HARRISBURG, PA - JULY 19: Devin Fitz-Gerald #3 of the Harrisburg Senators looks on during the game between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Harrisburg Senators at FNB Field on Sunday, July 19, 2026 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kyle Mace/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Devin Fitz-Gerald is one of the more fascinating prospects in the Nationals system. The switch hitting infielder is the 5th ranked prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline and 4th according to Baseball America. Out of the 5 prospects the Nats received in the MacKenzie Gore trade, Fitz-Gerald looks like the best one at the moment.
However, there is more to Devin Fitz-Gerald than just the baseball player. This has been a difficult year for the Fitz-Gerald family. Devin’s mother, Colleen was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told she has about 18 months to live. This layer of personal tragedy has hung over the 21 year old’s season.
As Devin Fitz-Gerald became a top-100 prospect, his mom was diagnosed with brain cancer and told she had ~18 months to live.
Dad is searching for a way to pay for treatment. Mom is stuck at home. And Devin?
Fitz-Gerald, also known as DFG, has said he is playing for his mother this year and forever. To have this going on while also going through a professional baseball season is a major challenge for anyone, let alone a player in a new organization. For those curious, the Fitz-Gerald family has set up a Go Fund Me.
Now that we have discussed this very important context, I wanted to dive into Fitz-Gerald’s season on the field. It was an up and down year for DFG, who had a great start and great finish to the season. However, he faced some bumps along the way in the middle.
Fitz-Gerald is a second baseman who can do a little bit of everything. He is not the biggest, strongest or fastest, but DFG gets the most out of his tools. A big reason for that is because of his baseball IQ. That high level of on field intelligence comes from being the son of a high level high school baseball coach. His dad coaches at Stoneman Douglas High School, which has produced several big leaguers such as Roman Anthony, Coby Mayo and Jesus Luzardo.
Now the son of the coach is looking to be next in line. Despite not having jaw dropping raw power, Fitz-Gerald still found a way to put up 20 home runs this season between High-A and Double-A. He does a great job consistently elevating the ball and that allows him to outslug his average raw power.
THIRD-straight game with a homer for devin fitz-gerald 🙂↕️
DFG also has a very solid hit tool to go with that power. On the season, he struck out just under 22% of the time. He struggled with strikeouts early in his AA stint, but he gradually improved, as did his overall play.
In the beginning of the season, DFG took the prospect world by storm. In April and May, he was lighting it up with Wilmington. There was a stretch where Fitz-Gerald homered on a near daily basis. In that insane May, DFG homered 9 times.
However, when the calendar turned to June and the youngster got promoted to Harrisburg, he went ice cold. Fitz-Gerald struggled on the baseball field in a way I doubt he ever had before in his life. He went 10 for 88 in 22 games that month. Between the off field tragedy and struggling on the field, that must have been a very difficult time for him.
That tough month made him show resilience though. The turnaround did not happen overnight. In July, Fitz-Gerald was better, but still only hit .250 with a .639 OPS. By the time August and September rolled around, Fitz-Gerald had figured out his new level and was rolling. Seeing that growth after being dominated early on in AA was very encouraging to see.
Devin Fitz-Gerald’s month by month progression at Double A has been a joy to witness. Outside shot of making his debut in late 2027 at this rate, and a good chance at becoming a regular by 2028 pic.twitter.com/bzKnm08eJ7
By September, DFG was back in his flow state. He homered 4 times in 9 games to end his season. Even while going through an extended slump, Fitz-Gerald still put up solid numbers in his first year in the Nationals organization. He hit .251 with a .780 OPS and hit 20 homers while stealing 15 bases.
I still think the best is yet to come for Fitz-Gerald. The 21 year old will likely start next season in AA, but if he gets off to a fast start, I could see him getting promoted to AAA quite quickly. We will see if he can reach the big leagues in 2027, but I do not think it is impossible.
However, I think the most likely outcome is an early 2028 debut. Once Fitz-Gerald arrives, I think he has a good chance of making second base his long term home. I do not see super star potential, but he can be one of those players who quietly hits 15-20 homers, hits about .260 and plays solid defense. That is not a flashy profile, but it can get you to 3 WAR pretty easily.
Chase Meidroth of the White Sox is a player who I think profiles pretty similarly and he has 4.4 fWAR this season. Overall, Fitz-Gerald is a quality ball player and seems like a quality young man as well. Given his story, I will always be rooting for DFG.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies fields a fly ball with Brandon Marsh #16 the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are the lineups for the final game against Milwaukee. Let’s discuss!
Boston, MA - August 31: Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela smiles after making a diving catch in the sixth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on August 31, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Keep those fingers crossed, but it looks like we may have dodged the worst case scenario in the Ceddanne Rafaela injury department. Ceddy spoke after the game last night and downplayed the severity of the incident, saying the he only experienced a little cramping, possibly due to dehydration. “Every time I get pulled out of the game, I’m not happy,” Rafaela said. “But hopefully it’s just something minor.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Rafaela did undergo an MRI today, but everything must have come back clean, as he’s already back in the lineup:
Tonight’s lineup for Guardians @ Red Sox:
1. Nick Sogard 1B 2. Mickey Gasper DH 3. Adley Rutschman C 4. Wilyer Abreu RF 5 Caleb Durbin 3B 6. Ceddanne Rafaela CF 7. Jarren Duran LF 8. Trevor Story SS 9 IKF 2B
Speaking of injury scares, Aroldis Chapman returned to the mound last night for the first time in 10 days, as he’s been battling a sore lat. It took him only 12 pitches to end the game, so it looks like he’s all good. “I felt good,” said Chapman through a translator. “I was happy to be able to go out there. I felt like my pitches and my stuff were very good today, so I’m happy to be back.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
There was speculation that, with a doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow, the Sox may attempt to use their extra roster spot to get Garrett Crochet into a game before the playoffs start. That’s not going to happen, but he is going to throw another bullpen session this weekend before the team decides what to do with him. “What is he able to give you?” Chad Tracy said. “Can he give you two games? Can he give you multiple innings? Can he go back to back? All those questions have to be answered, not only for his own health, but for our team and what puts us in the best position.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
If the Sox do make it to the World Series, Sonny Gray will have played a big part in it. And, in doing so, he’ll have proved a lot of people who thought he couldn’t hack it in Boston wrong. “When I left New York in 2018, I told myself that I’m going to go back to a big market at some point in my career. Especially after learning what I learned and having the experiences that I had [in New York], I knew I could [succeed] anywhere after that. So I always told myself that I was going to [pitch again in a large market].” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) reacts after fouling a ball off his leg during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on September 22nd, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ronald Acuña Jr. is back in the Braves lineup and ultimately missed just one game after fouling a baseball off his knee during night’s contest against the Cincinnati Reds. Acuña is batting second in the order — sandwiched between Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson — and is playing in right field, an even more encouraging sign that he is feeling better after receiving treatment on his knee the last 36 hours. Here’s hoping Ronald continues to mash baseballs the way he was before exiting Tuesday’s game.
As for the rest of Atlanta’s lineup, Baldwin is serving as the DH with Sean Murphy set to catch Tyler Mahle. Mike Yastrzemski is back in there after sitting the past few nights against left-handed starters. Austin Riley finds himself batting eighth as he continues to battle his strikeout issues.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Brock Rodden #90 of the Seattle Mariners prepares for the pitch in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The final series of the season for the Seattle Mariners will be without one of their rookie utilitymen. INF Brock Rodden was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 23rd, with left patella tendon inflammation. Correspondingly, Seattle activated INF Leo Rivas to fill the role for the final weekend of the regular season.
The move concludes what’s been a difficult debut for Rodden. After a spark of hot initial play on Seattle’s brutal August road trip, the diminutive switch-hitter cooled at the plate and struggled to compensate defensively. Despite impressive power in the minors, Rodden didn’t manage to get the barrel to the ball consistently in Seattle. His year concluded with a .197/.306/.279 line, a 77 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR in 72 plate appearances and 30 games. Good plate discipline and switch-hitting helped him run a healthy walk rate, but he’ll enter his age 27 season in 2027 trying to find better timing against big league arms.
Much of what’s been said of Rodden could apply to the 28 year old Rivas in 2026. A good showing in Seattle a season ago did not translate forward, with the M’s sorely needing depth he struggled to provide early in the year. Losing favor to several debuting youngsters, Rivas was more competent in his return to the bigs back in August, but will likely receive sporadic play at most in the final few games of the regular season.
Yankees relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Cross Clarke Schmidt off the list of potential bullpen options for the Yankees, at least for the early part of the playoffs.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL Thursday with right bicep neuritis. The move is retroactive to Monday.
Schmidt came back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, but appeared in just one game.
Yankees relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. AP Photo/Abbie Parr
The Yankees had hoped he’d be a valuable arm in the postseason as a reliever, along with lefty Ryan Weathers.
Weathers (left forearm flexor) could still make it back. He’s expected to throw live Friday.
Without Schmidt, the Yankees will have to look elsewhere to fill out their playoff bullpen.
Aaron Boone said Wednesday that hard-throwing righty Carlos Lagrange is “in the conversation for something,” even though he hasn’t pitched in the majors. He’s coming back from a sprained right shoulder.
To take Schmidt’s spot on the roster, right-hander Bradley Hanner was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees in all likelihood will face the Red Sox starting Tuesday in The Bronx in a best-of-three series.
The Yankees will be operating without Clarke Schmidt again.
New York placed Schmidt back on the IL with right bicep neuritis before Thursday's game.
Because of the IL stint, the right-hander will not be a bullpen option for the Yanks for at least the upcoming Wild Card series.
Schmidt had been warming up to enter Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Diamondbacks when he first started experiencing bicep soreness.
He underwent testing earlier this week, and the team felt he was in a "pretty good spot."
The 30-year-old was set to play catch at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday to determine his availability, but he was unable to do so and now officially lands back on the IL.
Schmidt made just one big league appearance in his return from Tommy John surgery, striking out two of the four batters he faced last Wednesday against the Twins.
In his place, Bradley Hanner has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) looks on while a bug flies by his head during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, Aug 13, 2025, Bronx, New York, USA. Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The San Francisco Giants won their trade with the New York Yankees from last year’s deadline when they sent Camilo Doval to the Bronx in exchange for Jesus Rodriguez, Parks Harber, Trystan Vrieling, and Carlos De La Rosa. Well done, Agent Doval. And welcome home.
The Giants claimed Camilo Doval. A truly incredible way to set the MLB record for players used this year.
Yes, I’m aware that Doval was with the Pirates when the Giants claimed him, but the photo tool didn’t show me any pictures of him as a Pirate even though he pitched better for them than in New York (3.79 ERA / 3.73 FIP in 19 IP). His Yankees career was… not good. A 4.82 ERA / 4.10 FIP in 18.2 innings last season and a 4.54 ERA / 4.61 FIP in 39.2 innings this year. Walks and hits continue to be a problem for him — he’s still the warts and all pitcher we and the team grew frustrated with — but he’s still got that 98+ velocity and the slider is still fantastic.
He’s under team control for 2027 in what will be his final trip through arbitration and, well, cynically, I guess the Giants will be spending money on a reliever with 9th inning experience. It’ll just be Camilo Doval… who has 107 saves as a Giant (7th all-time). And it will be for significantly less than what they’d have to spend for a closer or quasi-closer on the open market.
This is just funny. It’s also the sort of things fans wish for all the time — the trade away and then return to us move — but rarely happens. The Giants have had so much turnover even in the time he’s been gone that it’s not a given they know him well enough to “fix” him, but gosh, for a team that values nostalgia above all else, this is sort of perfect.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on September 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Summary
Paul Skenes and a host of Pirate relievers shut down the Cardinals, holding them to only a solo HR by Alec Burleson. A likewise effective Cardinal starter-follower combination matched Skenes when Leahy and Hjerpe combined to give up one run. Consistent with the theme of the season, bullpen hijinks allowed the Pirates to capture the winning running without benefit of a hit.
Pre-game Notes
Leahy is the opener, to be followed by Hjerpe.
Skenes for the Pirates. Lots of hype around the narrative he’s not as good, but still a 4+ fWAR pitcher. Cardinals could use one of those.
Springfield closed out their season last night with a loss in the AA Texas League Championship finals.
Memphis continues their season for one more game with a lopsided win last night in the AAA International League Championship finals.
Let’s see. Day game. Check. Getaway day. Check. Eliminated. Check. I’m thinking quicker game with lots of swings today. A team has to grind against Skenes, so I think the scenario plays his way.
Today may be a new normal line-up. With the exception of Torres in LF and perhaps Saggese at 3B, this could be a form of line-up we see next year.
The first inning
Burleson gets the Cardinals off to an early lead with a long, solo HR (104.6 mph). Walker K’s on a well off the plate sweeper, notable only because this has been happening a lot lately (again). Contributor BigJawnMize likes to observe that AA is the level where hitters learn not to swing at outside sliders and sweepers. Seemed like he had muted that tendency, but it is disquieting to see this re-appear. The Pirates quickly respond, accumulating a double and two singles to net a run to tie the game at 1-1.
The middle innings
The game remained tied at 1-1 for much of the rest of the afternoon. Leahy departed after two innings and 3 K’s. Hjerpe followed with 3.1 shutout innings with 3 K’s. Three hits and three walks added traffic to his innings, but he worked around that well. Graceffo finished the sixth with a K. Mautz got through the seventh without drama.
Skenes pitched into the seventh, leaving only after accumulating his 200th K of the season (and eighth of the game). A line of Pirate relievers (Ramirez, Soto, Weaver, Montgomery) continued Skenes’ mastery.
The decisive and bitter end
Stanek relieves in the eighth. A quick flyball portends, but a walk quickly follows. A following wild pitch (which seems to be a Cardinal reliever specialty) combined with an ill-advised and poor throw puts the runner on third where he scored an unearned run moments later on a SacFly by Horowitz. Yet another walk continues the inning. But a ground out ends the inning with the Pirates leading 2-1.
Montgomery comes in to close the game out. He strikes out the side. Pirates win 2-1.
The eighth inning reminds me of a comment Oli made this spring about their margin for error being slim…that they needed to be really good at not missing opportunities or shooting themselves in the foot. Realistically, they will need more talent to give them more margin for errors and mistakes that naturally occur in this game. In the meantime, when it comes to cleaning up their play, it’s not clear to me that they’ve improved over the season.
Post-game notes
Cardinals on to Milwaukee for the last series of the season. I’ve always thought it would feel odd to finish the season on the road, but in reality, most of the players are on the road the whole six months. Tomorrow, they get to go home, wherever home is.
For what it is worth, it appears that the Cubs will have something to play for this weekend. They have still not clinched, which suggests that Cub fans have likely clenched. Their inconsistency appears to be rearing its ugly head at a bad time (for them).
Organizational meetings and off-season planning sessions begin in earnest soon.
Been lots of comments that the Cardinals need to acquire a TOR pitcher. Can’t disagree, but I keep coming back to … what exactly constitutes a TOR pitcher? Been considering an article on that, with a data deep dive. In comments, tell me what kind of stats you expect to see with a pitcher who is TOR.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 25: Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees reacts against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Yankee Stadium on May 25, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It began as a joke. Clint Frazier was commenting on his frequent shuttling between the New York Yankees and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that he proclaimed himself a “RailRider for Life.”
Funny thing, though. The moniker stuck, and Frazier still embraces it to this day.
“I think it started around the time I got optioned to the minor leagues in 2019,” Frazier said. “I was doing relatively well at the big-league level. When I came down here, there was something in the media about September roster expansion and the Yankees were kind of vague on whether I was going to be coming back. I remember parking in a parking garage and seeing this sign that said ‘Scranton Life,’ and I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t want to be a Yankee. I want to be a RailRider for Life.’ It was a facetious comment and I ended up running with it because it was kind of funny. People obviously took notice to it because I put it on my Twitter bio and it’s been there for like 10 years.”
With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rebranding for next season, the team brought Frazier back for what proved to be the final game as the RailRiders on Saturday night at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania. He signed autographs for fans, posed for pictures and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
i’m soooooo back ! saturday i’ll be back in scranton — railriders for life ! https://t.co/ALTht0RT10
Frazier admitted he was a little surprised and a bit disappointed when he heard that the team was retiring the RailRiders nickname.
“I’m not a part of the Yankees anymore, and I’m not here in Scranton,” Frazier said. “So if they want to rebrand or it’s something the fans want, you give it to them. But other than that, I was kind of like, ‘Damn, I guess I won’t be a RailRider anymore. I’ll be whatever they are, but I’ll still be a RailRider at heart.”
Drafted fifth overall by Cleveland in 2013, Frazier joined the Yankees organization on July 31, 2016, in a trade along with Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and J.P. Feyereisen for reliever Andrew Miller. He was assigned to the RailRiders and helped them win the International League Governors’ Cup title, then capture the Triple-A National Championship with a 3-1 win over the Pacific Coast League champion El Paso Chihuahuas.
He wound up playing 213 games with the RailRiders between 2016-19 and batted .263 (213-for-811) with 55 doubles, nine triples, 33 home runs, and 96 RBIs. Looking back, he enjoyed his time in Scranton.
“This is a really good environment for a minor league facility,” Frazier said. “The revamped clubhouse, it looks a lot different now than it did then. I think it’s good for guys to be in an atmosphere like this because you have to go through Scranton to get to New York. They’ve done a really good job making this place feel like a major league clubhouse. The fans show up, the stadium is great. I don’t really have anything bad to say other than I lived above a funeral home all year my first go-round. That’s the one thing I remember the most.”
On July 1, 2017, Frazier made his MLB debut with the Yankees in Houston. After striking out in his first at-bat, he doubled in his second at-bat off Astros pitcher Francis Martes, leading off the top of the sixth inning for his first major league hit. In his next at-bat, leading off the top of the seventh, he hit his first home run off Tony Sipp.
“I think it’s really cool to be able to say my first moment in the big leagues, I was able to capitalize by hitting a home run and contributing to the game,” Frazier said. “I don’t know how I could really top that feeling. If you saw where I was from, to make it to the major leagues from Loganville, Georgia, to be with the New York Yankees and to homer in my debut. I was so young and so desensitized to what was actually happening. To look back on it from where I am now, the home run in my debut has to be the best thing I went through. It was awesome.”
Seven days later at Yankee Stadium, he hit his first walk0ff home run — a three-run blast off Corey Knebel of the Milwaukee Brewers to give the Yankees a 5-3 win. He was the second Yankee with nine extra base hits before his 15th game. The first? Joe DiMaggio.
Things took a turn, however, in February 2018. During spring training, he crashed head-first into an outfield wall and suffered a severe concussion. Then, in September 2020, he suffered a second concussion, again colliding with an outfield wall. This time, he kept it secret for fear of losing his roster spot. The lingering effects from both concussions impacted his career.
“That was a really tough time to go through,” Frazier said. “It was a very scary injury to have. It’s not like any other one, like getting Tommy John (surgery) or a sprained ankle. You know the exact time frame it’s going to take to fix it. A lot of the unknown is what I went through. I was pretty symptomatic in terms of having a lot of trouble being able to track pitches. I would get extremely dizzy or feel nauseous every single day. That was a really tough time to go through because physically I was fine. It was cognitively something that was affecting my ability to live my life and, even more so, play the game I played my entire life.
“As I sit here today, I feel significantly better. Time was the only thing that was going to heal the stuff I was going through. Unfortunately, in a baseball season or offseason, you don’t have a lot of time to be able to go through those certain things. I rushed sometimes to get back on the field. I was going with what my gut was telling me was the right thing to do. I’m just glad that, sitting here today, I’m not really hampered the way that I was when I was going through those issues.”
After five seasons with the Yankees (2017-21), Frazier was released. He played one season with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. Following a brief stint in the Texas Rangers organization, he played one season with the Chicago White Sox in 2023. He then spent 44 games in 2024 with the Charleston Dirty Birds of the independent Atlantic League before retiring in July. His seven-year major league totals read 29 home runs and 101 RBIs in 280 games with a .235 batting average (190 for 810), 45 doubles, and six triples.
Even though his career was cut short by the concussions, Frazier doesn’t think “What if?” and holds no bitterness on how it ended.
“In the moment I might think to myself, ‘I wish I didn’t run into that wall,’ but I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it,“ Frazier said. ”I certainly have moments. But I played baseball, and it always was about the next at-bat. So I get over things pretty quickly. I don’t know if it’s healthy or not, but it’s something I’ve learned about myself once I got out of playing. I don’t really spend a lot of time thinking about the past. I get over it pretty quickly.”
As for the next phase of his life, Frazier doesn’t have any aspirations to coach in baseball. He might do some broadcasting. But he said he has been offered a deal to potentially play professional pickleball.
“It’s a crazy thing to say, but dude, it’s so much fun! And they pay well. It’s some high-level stuff,” Frazier said. “I get very passionate about it because so much of what I’ve done in my baseball career translates so well to how that sport is played. I kind of feel like I have a little bit of a head start in terms of picking up on the way the new sport would be. The next time you see me, I could be in that world.”
No matter what he does, Frazier will always be a “RailRider for Life.”
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Jeremiah Jackson #82 of the Baltimore Orioles forces out Nathan Lukes #38 of the Toronto Blue Jays to start a double play in the fifth inning during game one of a double header at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is the last off-day of the regular season, before the series with the Reds.
I forgot that today was an off-day. I went to see what time tonight’s game was starting and whoops there isn’t a tonight’s game.
And there isn’t much for Jays news. Everything is about Vlad’s interview, and I think I said everything I need to yesterday. It was a clunky answer to a question, likely with a clunky translation. Everyone is stuck on that one answer.
He also said:
Every at-bat that I fail, I think about my contract, I know all these people who come to the games, they pay to see me being successful, to do something good every at-bat.
He said he’s disappointed in his season and in the team’s season.
Why do players hate doing interviews? Because they know one bad statement will be all that people will notice. I’ve only interviewed players a very few times and I always can see them trying to parse the question to see how I’m trying to screw them. It is hard to get them comfortable enough to get anything of interest. I understand that players don’t see the upside to doing interviews.
Anyway, I’m sure everyone’s tired of that particular story. Yeah, right.
Anyway, use the thread to chat about whatever you’d like. Baseball or not baseball.
Sep 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) walks off the mound during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After this matchup, the next time the Dodgers play at home, it will likely be hosting the winner of the WC series between the third- and sixth-place teams, and the theme of this game against the Friars is one. Having split the first two games of this series, the Dodgers are still one win away from that second seed in the National League, and for the Padres, it’s one win away from clinching a playoff berth—even though they currently occupy the fourth seed, one game up on the Phillies and Cubs.
The contrast between the importance of securing that one win in this specific game could not be bigger. For the Dodgers, visiting the lowly Giants at the end of the season, whatever happens here, only a travesty could prevent them from sitting out the Wild Card round. It’d take a travesty for the Padres too, but it’s a more real possibility given they host the Diamondbacks in the final series of the year. A sweep there isn’t particularly likely, but ideally, San Diego would like to play that series with the playoff spot locked up.
Carrying on the similarities, you have a pitching matchup with two names that could be defined as the X factors for these teams and their respective goals in postseason baseball. Nick Pivetta and Tyler Glasnow are both coming off injury-filled campaigns, with the pair combined falling short of 20 starts. All things considered, though, at least Glasnow has been fully built up for some time, while Pivetta has yet to crack 80 pitches in his three starts back, slowly working his way up.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 22: Pitcher Bryan Baker #47 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates clinching the AL East title during game two of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 22, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Tampa Bay Rays won 6-1. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the benefit of the first-round bye, the Rays will have an opportunity to set their rotation exactly as they want it for the ALDS. A postseason rotation really only needs to have three true starting pitchers given the abundance of off days within and bookending a series.
The Rays will almost certainly begin their postseason with Drew Rasmussen taking the ball in game one followed by some combination of Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez in games two and three. Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour make sense as potential bulk options behind the rotation, or they could work in short relief. The rotation seems pretty clear, but the bullpen situation gets a little murky.
We’ll start with what we know: Bryan Baker will be closing games. Kevin Kelly has enjoyed a fantastic 2026 season and will see high-leverage innings. Cam Booser has been lights-out after beginning the season in Durham to refine his cutter shape, and he will also pitch in big spots. Manuel Rodriguez is with the team again after a brief IL stint and has not yet been activated at the time of writing this, but would certainly be on a postseason roster with his high-leverage experience.
So far that puts us at nine pitchers, and the Rays can carry 13. Shane McClanahan has been ruled out of the ALDS, but may return later. Tyler Wells and Garrett Cleavinger are dealing with similar injuries and could be on track for the ALDS. Assuming Wells and Cleavinger are good to go, that fills 11 of the 13 spots.
Here are the options to fill the remaining two bullpen spots:
Cole Sulser
Steven Matz
Casey Legumina
Ty Johnson
Brody Hopkins
Joe Boyle
Jesse Scholtens
Jake Woodford
Mason Englert
Alex Cook
Alexander Alberto
Sulser and Matz are a pair of experienced veteran arms who have quietly been lights-out lately. Since returning from the IL, Sulser has filled up the zone and pitched to a 1.29 ERA in seven innings, picking up a save. Matz sat out for a little over a week in August, and has since thrown 11 innings across eight appearances with a 1.59 ERA. Both offer solid and safe middle relief profiles given their strike throwing.
Legumina is another strike thrower who might not blow anyone away with his stuff, but his advanced feel for multiple shapes gives Cash and the Rays a reliable reliever in the middle innings. He has converted all seven of his hold opportunities with the Rays this season with several of his outings lasting multiple innings.
Hopkins and Johnson are a pair of rookies with significant upside. Hopkins combines elite stuff with emerging command and is simply unhittable when he’s in the zone and throwing strikes. He has maintained average strike and zone rates since converting to a relief role, but has yet to see any high-leverage opportunities in the majors. Johnson has already pitched in some key spots in the majors with underlying data that suggests he has been much better than his 4.05 ERA. In his limited time, Johnson has the highest whiff rate on the team and is a nightmare against right-handed hitters – he could be a real weapon in October.
If the Rays wanted to add a multi-inning arm, they could turn to any of Boyle, Scholtens, Woodford or Englert. Boyle has the highest ceiling of this group with plus-plus stuff across the board, but has struggled with command. However, Boyle has recently found a new breaking ball shape that has allowed him to maintain average command over his last month in Durham and could be a real weapon in October. A Rays home-field advantage would also give opposing teams limited time to train on Trajekt (a pitch replication system that simulates almost any pitcher’s release and shapes) against his new pitch. Scholtens and Englert represent safer, strike-throwing profiles with each having solid feel for their plus offspeed pitches. They’re fairly platoon-neutral and could help navigate a lineup one time through before handing the ball over to the leverage relievers.
Woodford is interesting because he has some incredibly unique stuff along with over 250 innings of major-league innings. His offspeed pitch fits the Rays philosophy this season very well, and he throws plenty of strikes to work in a bulk role. It may be difficult to prepare for someone as unique as him, so that could give Woodford an advantage when pitching at home.
Cook and Alberto appear to be on the outside looking in, but still represent significant upside. Cook has a strong track record of throwing strikes, and his cut-ride fastball comes in from a low release that makes 95-96mph look even faster. His arsenal is platoon-neutral, so he could be a potential high-leverage option some day. Cook has spent some time in the majors in low-leverage as a rookie. Alberto is a dark horse, and that could work in his favor as opposing teams would be unfamiliar with him. He’s not on the 40-man roster so there would need to be some maneuvering to get him on a playoff roster, but it’s possible. Alberto has one of the most unique releases in baseball thanks to his 6’8 frame and low three-quarter slot with plus extension. His upper 90s fastball has touched 100 in the past, and it’s cutter shape is incredibly difficult to square-up from both sides of the plate. He has been able to throw strikes at an average or better rate all season while still maintaining plus whiff rates. In addition to his ability to miss bats, Alberto has a career ground ball rate around 60% in the minor leagues and has only allowed seven home runs in over 230 innings. Unfortunately, five of those have come in Triple-A this season, but the run environment is relatively high-scoring and the ball really travels in those small International League parks.
There are lots of names in consideration for those final two bullpen spots in the ALDS, and I think the Rays would lean towards the safe, experienced arms in Sulser and Matz. They both have enough in the tank to get big outs in the postseason, and the clubhouse presence of the veterans on this roster is a key reason for the team’s success this year. However, if there are more injuries or Wells and Cleavinger aren’t ready in time, we could see some high-upside guys work their way into the postseason bullpen. Here’s how I expect we’ll see the Rays lineup their starting pitching:
Rasmussen starts game one; he has flat out been their best starter this season.
Peralta starts game two; he has been great with the Rays after making some adjustments, and his fastball-offspeed combo plays exceptionally well in high-drag environment in the Trop.
Martinez starts game three; he could start game two, but I think the benefit of Peralta at the Trop along with Martinez’s mentality going into a hostile road environment makes him an ideal game three starter.
Jax and Seymour work in tandem in game four; they’re the top two whiff leaders among Rays starters, and they offer a nice contrast in slots and styles that make it difficult to plan a lineup against. The Rays could also opt to go with Ras here on four-days rest.
Rasmussen; should we see a fifth game, Rasmussen likely gets the ball, but it would also be an all-hands-on-deck approach. Everyone would likely be available to pitch – including Peralta and Martinez.
Here’s how I expect the bullpen to fill out:
Baker
Kelly
Booser
Rodriguez
Wells
Cleavinger
Sulser
Matz
If Wells or Cleavinger aren’t ready, I think Hopkins and Johnson would fill in those spots. Next up to fill any spots due to injury would be (in no particular order): Legumina, Boyle, Scholtens, Woodford. Englert, Cook, and Alberto. There’s a clear surplus of pitching talent and not enough roster spots. Some really talented players will inevitably get left off, but that’s a nice problem for the Rays to have as they look to make some noise in October.
CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club when the Chicago Cubs star stole his 40th base of the season against Miami Marlins.
A favorite to win the NL MVP award, Crow-Armstrong became the seventh player with at least 40 homers and 40 steals in a season, joining a group that includes Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Jose Canseco was the first with the 1988 Oakland Athletics.
Crow-Armstrong hit his 45th homer during a 9-1 win at Cincinnati, extending his career high. The 24-year-old drew a leadoff walk from Tyler Phillips in the first inning and swiped second base on the next pitch to Seiya Suzuki for his 40th steal in 47 attempts. Fans chanted “MVP” as the Wrigley Field videoboard proclaimed the feat.
Ohtani was the previous player with a 40-40 season, hitting 54 homers and stealing 59 bases for the 2024 Dodgers. Acuña hit 41 homers and swiped 73 bases for Atlanta in 2023.
Alfonso Soriano (2006 with Washington), Alex Rodriguez (1998 with Seattle) and Barry Bonds (1996 with San Francisco) are the other 40-40 players.
Sep 5, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) celebrates with designated hitter Bryce Eldridge (8) after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The San Francisco Giants’ wRC+, if you take out March/April, the first 14 days of May, and all of August, was #2 in baseball (112) behind only the Washington Nationals and tied with the Dodgers, Brewers, and Cubs. Sure, they were just 10th in runs, but when the weighted stats are on your side, you’ve gotta use ‘em! Anyway, all that to say that there was a moment in time this season when the Giants had a great lineup. We know their pitching was an ingrown hair that would’ve exploded in October, but how might their bats have stacked up against the field had they managed to make it to the postseason?
This pointless exercise is inspired by an article on Baseball Savant by David Adler that went up last week titled, “9 stats that will loom large this October.” The Giants do seem to have made their lineup meaningfully competitive in the modern landscape.
Occasionally, anyway.
And just going off the eyes & ears tests (mainly, the looks and sounds of Devers & Eldridge homers).
Statistically, they’re 23rd in runs scored this season and 21st in runs scored over the past five seasons combined. But this season they were (briefly) intriguing enough to spark my imagination! Rafael Devers swaying the outcome of a short series with his bat? Bryce Eldridge and Jonah Cox doing things, too? And what if Matt Chapman and Willy Adames were in the mix? What might a healthy lineup do?
Let’s go through the 9 stats that Adler spotlights.
Bat speed + fast swing rates
This is a highlight of Atlanta’s lineup, with Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II, and Matt Olson all averaging bat speeds of 74.8 mph to 75.8 mph. That puts them all in MLB’s top 50, though none land in the top 20. Bat speed isn’t the be all end all, but it’s worth noting that the top 20 features a lot of great hitters:
What does this have to do with the Giants? Well, to Adler’s point, the key hitters in Atlanta’s lineup are all within the top 50 in terms of bat speed. No other team has five players in the top 50. The Dodgers have 1. The Giants have 0. But the Giants do occupy a lot of slots on the next tier (or four if you want to count Heliot Ramos):
Bryce Eldridge, 73.4 mph
(Heliot Ramos, 72.7 mph)
Casey Schmitt, 72.5 mph
Willy Adames, 72.3 mph
That’s pretty good! They’re in good company. Bat speed is required to counteract the increased velocities featured in the postseason. But when it comes to fast swing rate — defined as how often their swing is 75+ mph — the Giants don’t measure up. As a team, they have the fourth-lowest rate in the sport (20%). Atlanta is #1 (33.5%). Meaningfully, though, the three “worse” teams than the Giants: Cubs (19.4%), Dodgers (17.6%), and Guardians (16%). The Dodgers and Cubs seem to be doing just fine, offensively, so why should fast swing matter? Per MLB.com,
Similarly to how a hard-hit ball is one with 95 MPH+ of exit velocity as that’s where it begins to “matter,” 75 MPH of swing speed is where you see per-swing production reach league-average, with gains then accruing as swing speed increases (to a point). The difference between a hard swing and any slower swing that did not reach 75 MPH was considerable – there is great value in swinging harder.
Fast swing
.307 BA // .603 SLG // .389 wOBA // 52% hard-hit rate // +0.6 run value per 100
Not a fast swing
.246 BA // .369 SLG // .266 wOBA // 35% hard-hit rate // -3.2 run value per 100
Not referenced in Adler’s article is a look at the quality of contact. The Dodgers lead the sport in Squared-Up contact rate (34.6%). The Giants are #4 (33.4%). Squared-Up is something that only data science could quantify:
A swing’s squared-up rate tells us how much of the highest possible exit velocity available (based on the physics related to the swing speed and pitch speed) a batter was able to obtain – it is, at its simplest, how much exit velocity did you get as a share of how much exit velocity was possible based on your swing speed and the swing of the pitch.
[…]
For Statcast purposes, any swing that is at least 80% squared up is considered to have been “a squared-up swing.”
That means about 1/3 of the time, the Giants attained at least 80% of the highest possible exit velocity on contact. Combined with their lower fast swing rates, you can see how much pitching they’d need to be competitive, as that combo suggests lots of strikeouts and runs scored through dingers.
Lineup diversity
In this section, Adler points out that the Rays’ diverse lineup makes them harder to handle by highlighting their extremes: Junior Caminero’s power and Chandler Simpson’s contact and speed. He has a great image of the two players’ Statcast summary pages with the red and blue bars interlocking, or complimenting each other. The Giants don’t quite have that (because those two players are quite extreme), but here’s the closest they come:
He concludes, “Home runs matter a lot in October, but so does having different types of hitters in your lineup. The Rays can beat you with a bloop or a blast.” Theoretically, the Giants could have done that, too.
Defense is a big difference maker
The third point is that the Cubs’ defense stands out and makes them unique in the playoff field.
And the 2026 Cubs’ advantage in the field is like none we’ve seen since Statcast started tracking. They’ve now prevented more runs with their defense than any team of the last 10 years.
Highest team Fielding Run Value, Statcast era
2026 Cubs: +70 runs prevented
2018 D-backs: +64 runs prevented
2022 Yankees: +58 runs prevented
2019 Guardians: +58 runs prevented
2022 Astros: +52 runs prevented
2019 D-backs: +52 runs prevented
2024 Blue Jays: +50 runs prevented
The highest-rated Giants team on this list is the 2023 squad with a +28, good enough for 39th in the Statcast era. You can thank Patrick Bailey and Thairo Estrada for that (and a little bit Brandon Crawford).
The 2026 Giants are 24th in MLB with a -18. The only playoff team in the bottom third is the Philadelphia Phillies (-15, 23rd). So, here’s where the defense part of the “playing winning baseball with pitching and defense” shows up as a huge drag on the Giants.
Wait, we’re not talking about pitching
Okay, 4 of the 9 categories are about pitching. Nobody wants to talk about the Giants pitching or imagine what it would’ve been like had this group stayed healthy and somehow made it into the playoffs. But, Adler’s emphasis is on unique qualities, the big pitches that can swing a short series. He talks about Skubal’s dominant changeup and how it has been one of the best secondary pitches in the game over the past two postseasons (and past three seasons). How Jacob Misioroski’s fastball velocity as a starter should be a difference maker (“In the regular season, two out of every three fastballs Misiorowski throws are 100 mph or faster. Over 40% are 101 mph or faster. Over 20% are 102 mph or faster. Almost 10% are 103 mph or faster.“). The Yankees’ fastballs have different shapes and movements from pitcher to pitcher, and while that doesn’t scream dominance like Misiorowski’s velo, it’s sort of like the Caminero-Simpson comp above, where there’s simply quality extremes that can be hard to stop. And, finally, he mentions how dominant the Padres’ bullpen has been all season.
[By] Statcast’s expected ERA metric, which takes into account a pitcher’s quality of contact allowed, strikeouts and walks, the Padres have three top-10 pitchers: Bradgley Rodriguez (10th), Adrian Morejon (seventh) and, of course, Mason Miller (first).
And talks about Miller’s dominant, unhittable slider.
My post is about the lineup, so I’ll just point out that not even Logan Webb’s arsenal ranks highly — and that’s with removing 2026 from the filter. They don’t have a Skubal, a Mis, or intriguing pitch design with multiple fastball types. In fact, one of the questions in-season was whether or not the rotation of Webb-Landen Roupp-Trevor McDonald simply let hitters become comfortable facing a specific arsenal. And the Giants reliever corps does seem to be a lot of sinker-slider guys, too.
The Giants plainly don’t matchup in the pitching area, at least for this year. They’ve had a lot of pitching injuries and been mostly bad when they were healthy, but I’m sure the front office feels pretty good about their pitching plan and acquisition model going forward, because it’s their plan.
The importance of catcher defense
Adler emphasizes Adley Rutschman’s game-changing defense (+11 Catching/Fielding Runs) but also mentions how critical his excellent ABS challenge “ability” could be in a playoff series, getting strikeouts in key situations. Would a healthy Giants team with Patrick Bailey been a big deal? Well… actually… while Bailey’s remains good (+6 Catching/Fielding Runs), his ABS skills aren’t special: 55% success rate, but also — and I’m not sure what this stat actually means, but it’s what Adler sorts the leaderboard by — just 39th in something called Net Overturns vs. Expected. Daniel Susac and Andrew Knizner measure as good or even slightly better than Bailey.
The power of power
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are significant power threats in the Phillies’ lineup because they’re among the best hitters against fastballs.
Highest batting run value vs. fastballs, 2026
Yordan Alvarez: +32 runs created
Kyle Schwarber: +30 runs created (27 HR, most in MLB)
Bryce Harper: +28 runs created (18 HR)
Willson Contreras: +25 runs created
Ben Rice: +23 runs created
They can slug velo, too. Against fastballs 97 mph or faster this season, Harper is slugging .523 with three home runs. Schwarber is slugging .525 with six homers, the most of any hitter.
Rafael Devers cracks the top 10 with a +20 (8th as of this writing). Bryce Eldridge is +11 and ranked in the forties and with an interesting group of other +11s: Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson, Nick Kurtz, Seiya Suzuki, and Sal Stewart.
Against 97+, Devers slugged .576 with 4 homers while Eldridge slugged .630 with a pair of homers. And just because you deserve something nice, here are both of them:
So, it’s not a stretch to say that the Giants had the offensive firepower to compete in the 2026 MLB postseason… if they’d stayed healthy. And if they’d had the pitching and defense to get them there. You can see the contours of what a successful version of this roster could be. Now it’s up to Zack & Buster to compliment its strengths with the right mix and the right coaching before those strengths age out.
