Category: Baseball

The Texas Rangers have signed veteran outfielder/DH Andrew McCutchen to a minor league deal, per Evan Grant.

The Rangers have had a need for a righthanded bat who can platoon with Joc Pederson at DH all offseason, and the only real move they have made to potentially address that was adding Mark Canha on a minor league deal.

McCutchen, 39, has a much stronger pedigree and recent track record than Canha. The 2013 National League MVP has spent the majority of his career with Pittsburgh, including each of the past three seasons. He has gotten the bulk of his playing time at DH since the 2022 season, though he has made the occasional appearance at a corner outfield spot.

McCutchen slashed just .239/.333/.367 last year, but did put up a .267/.353/.389 slash line against lefties. He is also known as a positive clubhouse presence, and has the potential to offer some veteran leadership should he make the team.

In 2013, the consensus number one prospect in all of MLB was Jurickson Profar. The switch-hitting shortstop for the Texas Rangers was turning heads with his elite combination of power, speed and defense.

It’s hard to forget the miraculous year that Profar had in 2024 with the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, that season is stained by the PED suspension that caused Profar to miss 80 games last year.

Yesterday came news that Profar tested positive for PED usage for the second time in as many years. This forfeits the $15 million he’s owed by the Atlanta Braves for the 2026 year and keeps him out of MLB until 2027. 

So what happened to Jurickson Profar? How did the former number one prospect fall so far from grace? 

It’s not totally his fault

Injuries have wrecked Profar’s career, plaguing him since he was a prospect. In fact, right after being labeled the top prospect in the game, he was diagnosed with a shoulder injury that kept him out for both the 2014 and ‘15 seasons, halting his entrance into MLB. 

Following his rehab, Profar came back for the Rangers and struggled at the big-league level. He hit .222 in three more years with Texas before being traded to the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2019 season.

Hopes of improvement in his new environment were dashed as Profar only hit .218, but it was his second consecutive season with 20-plus homers. So, when the offseason came, Profar was again on the trade block, and Oakland sent him to the Padres.

Tenure in San Diego

Profar has been more successful with the Friars than any other team, and it’s not even close. Across five years he’s hit .265/.350/.401 with 51 home runs. He was also a part of the 2022 San Diego team that made a World Series run which ended in heartbreaking fashion against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.

But prior to ‘24 his bat was middling at best. So, when Profar became a free agent after the ‘22 season, he signed a $7.75 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. And he performed so poorly there that the team released him (a Colorado team that only won 59 games in ‘23, by the way). 

After being released, the Padres scooped him back up for the back stretch of the season where he began to flash promise, hitting .295 across 14 games.

The (besmirched) turnaround

The best year of Profar’s career, by a lot, was 2024. He was the starting left fielder in San Diego, finishing with a .280/.380/.459 slash line, mashing a career-high 24 home runs. More than that, he was an All-Star and a key piece of getting the Padres to the postseason.

After that season he was a free agent again and (due to a payroll crunch Padres’ fans know all too well) Profar left San Diego for Atlanta. The club signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract, expecting him to be their starting left fielder.

In a fun twist of fate, Profar played the first game of the ‘25 season at Petco Park, but with his new team, as the Padres faced the Braves to open the year. That would be the only action he saw for a while, with MLB handing down its 80-game suspension as opening weekend wrapped up.

After returning from his suspension, he hit at a decent .245 clip with 14 home runs across only 80 games for Atlanta. The team went into the offseason excited to finally get a full year of Profar in ‘26.

Then came the news early Tuesday morning that Profar had been suspended 162 games, forfeiting the $15 million he was owed for the season. If he is caught a third time, he’ll face a lifetime ban from MLB.

In the heat of the 2024 offseason it felt like Padres general manager A.J. Preller was dragging his feet by not re-signing Profar. And when news came that San Diego hadn’t even extended him an offer to return, fans were upset.

But looking back, it seems that this is a move the Friar Faithful can be grateful for not having made. The Braves have been forced to scramble for outfield help while the Padres have managed to figure it out without the burden of an expensive contract. 

And, whether you love him or hate him, you can thank Preller for that.

Hello everyone!

The Mariners played a late one last night, dropping the contest to the Giants by a 9-4 final.

It’s a bit disappointing that unlike many teams, the Mariners don’t get to play an exhibition against a World Baseball Classic squad. It would have been cool to see some of our own stars playing against us, like Julio on the Dominican team or Cal Raleigh on Team USA. Which WBC team would you have liked to see face off against the M’s this spring?

In Mariners news…

• MLB Pipeline unveiled their ranking of the top 30 Mariners prospects.
• After a rough 2025 season defined by struggle and injury, Luke Raley is ready to reclaim his role as a key figure in the M’s lineup.
• Mariners relief prospect Charlie Beilenson is one of several top prospects getting a chance to shine on the international stage for Team Israel.
• Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times spoke to J.P. Crawford, who believes this might be the best Mariners team he’s a part of so far.
• Andrés Muñoz has already climbed the mountaintop as one of the game’s premier relievers. But as he told Shannon Drayer, he’s always seeking wisdom from other MLB veterans.

In the World Baseball Classic…

• Team Korea prevailed over Team Czechia in an 11-4 rout.
• Top Guardians prospect Travis Bazzana powered Team Australia to a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.
• Patrick Dubuque at Baseball Prospectus tried to figure out which team could be this year’s Cinderella story in the tournament. ($)
• Clayton Kershaw, who appeared in an exhibition challenge against the Rockies yesterday, was cheered on even by fans of his former rival team.

Around the league…

• Young Reds ace Hunter Greene will undergo an MRI after experiencing a stiff throwing elbow.
• The Royals have signed veteran outfielder Starling Marte to a one-year contract. Davy Andrews at Fangraphs analyzed the fit for both sides.
• Former big leaguer Matt Holliday has listed his Stillwater, Oklahoma home (which sits on 136 acres of land) for $12 million.

Here we have one really good team (Mariners), one pretty good team (Rangers), a team on the decline (Astros) and a team on the rise (A’s).

Oh, yes, and the Angels.

Athletics

Key departures: JJ Bleday, Osvaldo Bido, Mitch Spence, Max Schuemann

Key arrivals: Joey Meneses, Geoff Hartlieb, Wander Suero, Mark Leiter Jr., Jeff McNeil, Andy Ibañez

So last year I decided I was going to follow the San Francisco Chronicle’s format and call this team “Sacramento Athletics.”

I’m giving in to MLB this year. Just gonna call them “Athletics” like MLB insists. Baseball-reference.com is doing it, so… I’m good with it.

Anyway, in 2025 the A’s, after a bad start, had a pretty good end to their season. From July 1 to season’s end they were 41-34. Among AL teams, the only ones who did better over that span were six postseason teams and the Royals.

The A’s have a tremendously good young player in Nick Kurtz, the AL Rookie of the Year who hit 36 home runs in only 117 games — and he’s only 23 (turns 23 a week from now). Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers also provide power. The A’s were seventh in home runs last year with 219 and 12th in runs scored, which is pretty good.

The pitching, though… a lot of that is the ballpark. Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is a hitter’s paradise. Look no farther than Luis Severino, who had a 3.02 ERA in 14 starts on the road, but 6.01 in 15 starts at home. So the A’s will have to slug their way to victory this year.

At Wrigley Field: June 2-3-4

SB Nation A’s site:Athletics Nation

Houston Astros

Key departures: Victor Caratini, Framber Valdez, Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon, Jacob Melton, Jesus Sanchez, Kaleb Ort

Key arrivals: Mike Burrows, Roddery Muñoz, Cavan Biggio, Tom Cosgrove, Carlos Perez

The Astros’ eight-year playoff run ended last year when they finished second in the division and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The “key” above really is the replacement of Valdez, who they declined to re-sign as a free agent, with Burrows. Burrows has shown flashes of good pitching with the Pirates, but he’s no Valdez.

They will have Yordan Alvarez back from an injury which limited him to 48 games last year, but some of their other players (Jose Altuve, Christian Walker) are getting older. They still don’t really know where to play Isaac Paredes.

I think they’re missing the postseason again. A member of the Biggio family is here now, so that could be fun.

At Wrigley Field: May 22-23-24

SB Nation Astros site:The Crawfish Boxes

Los Angeles Angels

Key departures: Kyle Hendricks, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Chafin, Luis Rengifo, Kenley Jansen, Cavan Biggio, Jose Ureña, Brandon Drury, Taylor Ward, Brock Burke

Key arrivals: Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano, Angel Perdomo, Alek Manoah, Vaughn Grissom, Kirby Yates, Nick Madrigal, Trey Mancini, Jeimer Candelario, Jose Siri, Adam Frazier

I will never understand this team. Look at those arrivals! They seem to constantly be trying to re-constitute an All-Star team from like six years ago.

For a better understanding of how bad this team is, Sam Blum, a writer for The Athletic who’s been covering the Angels for the last few years, has left that beat. He wrote this article on his departure, and check all of this out:

My coverage of the Angels, I said, would be to answer one question: “On paper, the Angels should win. So why do they always lose?”

Little did I know at the time just how much of my career would revolve around that question. I’d like to think that five years later, I’ve done all I can to answer it.

From poor minor league living conditions to a lack of Spanish broadcasters, and a lack of air conditioning. There were the unnecessarily late start times, delusional lack of trades, weird call-ups, unjustifiable frugality, flippant firings, and overall lack of accountability for their failures. The team has a damaged relationship with the city, bungled the sport’s all-time greatest superstar and just generally treat people poorly.

That ought to sum things up. The Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014 and haven’t had a winning season since 2015. Mike Trout’s entire postseason career consists of three losses. He deserves better. So do Angels fans.

At Wrigley Field: March 30-31-April 1 (that ought to be fun for guys whose home field is in California)

SB Nation doesn’t have an Angels site. Please check out Crashing The Pearly Gates.

Seattle Mariners

Key departures: Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco, Collin Snider, Luke Jackson, Eugenio Suárez, Jackson Kowar, Ben Williamson

Key arrivals: Randy Dobnak, Andrew Knizner, Rob Refsnyder, Yosver Zulueta, Dane Dunning, Cooper Criswell, Brendan Donovan

The M’s had one of their most successful seasons ever, and still fell one win short of going to the World Series, where they’ve never been.

They’re pretty much running all their key players back from last year, with the exceptions of Polanco and Suárez. One of the biggest acquisitions they made at the deadline was Josh Naylor, a pending free agent who they decided to keep. Donovan, arriving from St. Louis, will solidify their infield.

Of course, the incomparable Cal Raleigh returns. He’d have received my MVP vote last year if I had one. He dismantled the Cubs in a three-game series at Wrigley, going 6-for-12 with four home runs.

The rotation remains the same and Andres Muñoz was one of the better closers in the league last year. Seattle should win the division again.

At Seattle: Aug. 21-22-23

SB Nation Mariners site:Lookout Landing

Texas Rangers

Key departures: Adolis Garcia, Jonah Heim, Jacob Webb, Marcus Semien,

Key arrivals: Jonah Bride, Tyler Alexander, Brandon Nimmo, Danny Jansen, Alexis Diaz, Chris Martin, Jakob Junis, MacKenzie Gore, Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Ryan Brasier, Jordan Montgomery, Mark Canha

After the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, they expected to continue to contend. It didn’t happen, as they plummeted to an 84-loss season in 2024 and finished at .500 last year.

Injuries had a lot to do with that. So, apparently, was some friction between Semien and Corey Seager, resulting in the trade that brought Nimmo to Texas.

The Rangers have tried to improve their rotation by adding Gore and Montgomery. The latter has been injured much of the last two years, but pitched well down the stretch for Texas in 2023 and in that year’s postseason. The Rangers led MLB in fewest runs allowed last year (605) and scored 684 runs, so they underperformed their projected record of 90-72 based on runs scored and allowed. Teams that underperform by that much tend to do better the following year, so… maybe this is the Rangers’ year to return to the postseason.

At Texas: May 8-9-10

SB Nation Rangers site:Lone Star Ball

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was perhaps no better rivalry in MLB than the Yankees and Royals. They seemingly met every postseason in the ALCS for the right to represent the Junior Circuit in the World Series, the Yankees usually coming out on top of those yearly meetings. A mainstay of those matchups, and one of the few players to play for both teams during that period, the Yankees chapter in Doug Bird’s story was one of unfortunate timing.

James Douglas Bird
Born: March 5, 1950 (Corona, CA)
Died: September 24, 2024 (Asheville, NC)
Yankees Tenure: 1980-81

James Douglas “Doug” Bird was born on March 5, 1950, in Corona, CA. He was an accomplished high school pitcher whose six-foot-four frame and live arm enticed scouts before even applying to college. He has the rare distinction of being one of the few players drafted four different times. Cleveland attempted to draft him in the 29th round of the 1968 MLB June Amateur Draft directly out of Pomona High School, but he turned down that offer. Seven months later and after moving to Louisville, KY, the Seattle Pilots selected him in the eighth round of the secondary phase of the 1969 MLB January Draft, but again he declined. That summer in the June Amateur Draft, the Pilots again selected him in the eighth round only to have their advances rebuffed.

Bird enrolled in Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, in 1969, right around the time of the MLB expansion that saw the establishment of the Royals, Pilots, Padres, and Expos. Only after a conversation with Royals scout Spider Jorgensen which convinced him that he “had a better shot signing with an expansion team than going to four years of college,” did Bird acquiesce, and he joined the newly-minted Royals in the third round of the secondary phase of the 1969 June Amateur Draft.

Bird debuted as a starter in the minors and experienced immediate success, pitching to a 1.84 ERA with 149 strikeouts in 147 innings with Class-A Waterloo. The following year, he repeated the level and won 15 games while pitching to a 3.41 ERA across 182 innings. 1972 saw the beginning of his transition to the bullpen, and by the time he hit Triple-A at the end of the season, he was used exclusively as a reliever.

Not expected to compete for a roster spot in 1973, Bird forced his was into the the conversation by pitching 13 scoreless innings in spring training including a combined no-hitter of the Tigers alongside Steve Busby. Needing bullpen help at the end of April, the Royals handed Bird his MLB debut on April 29, 1973, and he pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in the sixth against Detroit. With some major league experience under his belt by the time summer rolled around, Bird was handed the closer role. Despite some initial struggles, Bird finished off his debut campaign strong with the Royals embroiled in the heat of a pennant race in the AL West. He made 54 relief appearances in the regular season, with a 2.99 ERA in 102.1 innings while finishing fourth in the AL with 20 saves, leading manager Jack McKeon to say of his rookie pitcher, “There’s no question about it, Bird’s our No. 1 reliever.”

Though his save totals declined in the next two seasons, Bird remained a reliable reliever for Kansas City, pitching to a 3.00 ERA, 3.09 FIP, and 226 strikeouts across 160 appearances totaling 300 innings in his first three seasons in the bigs. With the acquisitions of relievers Marty Pattin and Mark Littell and given Bird’s ability to throw multiple innings in relief, Bird was inserted into the starting rotation in 1976. He led all AL starters that season with a minuscule 3.8-percent walk rate, finishing the year with a 12-10 record in 39 appearances (27 starts), pitching to a 3.37 ERA in 197.2 innings.

His Royals finally made the playoffs after several seasons of just missing out on the AL West crown, beginning a three-year odyssey of matching up against the Yankees in the ALCS. He made his lone appearance of that series in Game 4, brought on in relief of Larry Gura in the third, after the starter surrendered a pair of runs. He held the Yankees to a run in 4.2 innings, allowing his hitters to ambush Catfish Hunter and Dick Tidrow for a 7-4 victory to send the series to a winner-take-all Game 5, when Chris Chambliss hit his iconic walk-off home run to send the Yankees to the Fall Classic for the first time in 12 years.

Bird returned to the bullpen in 1977 reprising his role as a multi-inning reliever. He still managed to finish with a team-high 14 saves, going 11-4 in 53 appearances with a 3.88 ERA in 118.1 innings. He met the Yankees again that postseason and this time appeared in three games. He recorded the final three outs of the Royals 7-2 win in Game 1, but wasn’t as effective in his subsequent two appearances. In Game 4, he entered in the ninth with Mickey Rivers on third and one out and gave up a sac fly to Thurman Munson for a crucial insurance run in an eventual 6-4 Yankees win to force a Game 5. Then in that decisive final game of the series, Bird came on in the eighth with a runner on first an no outs after Willie Randolph led off with a single. Bird surrendered back-to-bacl one-out singles to Lou Piniella and Reggie Jackson, the latter plating Randolph to pull the Yankees to within one, 3-2. In the top of the ninth, the Yankees scored three runs off three different relievers to win the game, 5-2, and earn the chance to avenge their World Series defeat the year prior.

The following season saw Bird’s first real struggles in a Royals uniform, fully demoted from the ninth inning after Kansas City acquired closer Al Hrabosky in the offseason. He made 40 appearances and saw his ERA balloon to 5.29 in 98.2 innings, but he and the Royals still earned a ticket back to the ALCS and a rematch with the Yankees. His first appearance that series was a scoreless ninth inning in Game 1, brought in to get some work in with the Yankees winning big, 7-1. After the Royals leveled the series at a game apiece, Bird was called on again in the bottom of the eighth of Game 3. The Royals were leading, 5-4, but Paul Splittorff allowed a one-out single to Roy White, prompting Whitey Herzog to call upon his former closer. Bird sailed two fastballs out of the zone to Thurman Munson, but couldn’t sneak a third one by him, the Yankees captain crushing a 2-0 elevated heater out over the plate to the deepest part of the ball park, the ball sailing over the 430-feet sign in left-center for the game-winning two-run blast.

That would turn out to be the final pitch that Bird would throw in a Royals uniform, Kansas City trading him to the Phillies the following spring for prospect Todd Cruz after Philly suffered several injuries in their bullpen to open the season. he departed as the Royals’ all-time leader in appearances with 292. His fortunes wouldn’t improve pitching in a new city and new league, missing a month with shoulder soreness and finishing with a 5.16 ERA in 32 appearances totaling 61 innings. Philadelphia released him the following spring, allowing the Yankees the opportunity to sign a pitcher who had postseason success against them.

Bird remained in the bullpen in his first season in the Bronx and finished as the team’s third-best reliever in terms of ERA (2.66), behind only Goose Gossage and Rudy May. As it happens, the Yankees would get swept in three games in the ALCS by Bird’s former employers, the erstwhile Royal not making an appearance that postseason, but 1980 still helped to rejuvenate his career.

The following season saw Bird post his best start to a season in five years, Bird pitching to a 2.70 ERA in 17 appearances. He even earned a move back to the rotation, where he won a pair of decisions before the players’ strike brought the season to a screeching halt. When the strike was lifted, the first-place Yankees traded Bird to the Cubs for Rick Reuschel, Chicago pursuing the deal under the mistaken belief that top prospect Pat Tabler would be included as a PTBNL. Bird pitched exclusively as a starter for the Northsiders, logging a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts lasting 75.1 innings. Between the Bronx and Chicago, he made 16 starts out of 29 total appearances, going 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 3.42 FIP.

1982 saw Bird remain in the Cubs’ rotation as a full-time starter, but his best days were behind him. In 33 starts, Bird went 9-14 with a 5.14 ERA in 191 innings and an NL-worst 26 home runs, though he did lead all of MLB with a 3.7-percent walk rate. That winter, the Cubs traded Bird to the Red Sox for pitcher Chuck Rainey, and things only got worse in Boston. After pitching to a 6.65 ERA in 22 appearances (six starts), the Red Sox granted Bird his release at the end of the season, and he announced his retirement at the age of 33.

After a short stint in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in the late-80s, Bird retired to Southwest Florida, where he offered pitching lessons and free cage time to underprivileged and special needs children at a gym he converted into a batting cage. He passed away in Asheville, North Carolina on September 24, 2024, at the age of 74.

Bird’s relationship with the Yankees was characterized by unlucky timing. He played for the Royals teams that were the perennial losers to the Bombers in the ALCS. When he finally joined the Yankees, it came just after their championship years of that era. And when he finally had a chance to make it to the World Series in 1981, the strike interrupted his season and led to his trade from a title contender to the hapless Cubs. All the same, he was a serviceable pitcher for the Yankees in his year-and-a-half with the team, though he is more known for his postseason performances against them. He appeared in six playoff games in his career, all with the Royals against the Yankees, and he held the Bombers down to the tune of a 2.35 ERA and 1.87 FIP in 7.2 innings.

References

Doug Bird. Baseball-Reference.

Doug Bird. Baseball Almanac.

Gazdziak, Sam. “Obituary: Doug Bird (1950-2024).” RIP Baseball. November 15, 2024.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

In the process of writing about every player who received votes in our biannual Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list — this edition it was 55 players across 19 ballots — I learned a bit about trends and system strengths and weaknesses. So for anyone who missed a few write-ups or even who has a more casual relationship with the farm system, I wanted to synthesize some of those thoughts into a bigger picture than any individual prospect. Even with a new baseball operations regime that looks outward more often, the players on this list are likely going to play a big role in the next 5-7 Colorado Rockies teams.

Here are the big picture items I took away after my review of Colorado’s top prospects as 2026 begins:

The system is weaker than it was at mid-season and sits in the bottom third of MLB

Some of this is understandable, as the Rockies graduated an abnormally large amount of players from rookie eligibility. The problem is that only Kyle Karros and Ryan Ritter project to have much of an impact on the 2026 Rockies from that graduated group, and both of them have seemingly been pushed into a backup role by offseason acquisitions. What remains is largely international amateur free agents (7) and players from the last two draft classes (10, including 4 of the top 5).

Considering the Rockies have lost 323 games over the last three years, you’d hope the Rockies would have a farm system that ranks higher than the bottom third of MLB, but that’s not the case.

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked the system 23rd overall in January:

There is talent here, and even before the change in GM, they were starting to turn the ship and do some more advanced things on the player development side, including creating their own pitching lab, so they could be set to see some real system-wide improvements in Year 1 with the new group in charge. There’s power potential all over the place, as they love those types in the draft, but all of those hitters have hit tool risk, and I’m sure Rockies fans will tell you that the team hasn’t developed a real starting pitcher in eons. Giving their player development people the resources and the autonomy they need will be a big step forward.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, who ranks farm systems according the expected Major League value of their prospects, listed the org in 28th place at $88 million in value in January, down from 18th and $185 million last year (in part because he’s way down on Charlie Condon:

The Rockies turned over their leadership this offseason, and it will be interesting to monitor how the preferences for scouting and development shift; we don’t have much evidence yet.

The final first-round pick from the past regime is a polarizing player with big potential and big questions in Holliday, their only top-100 prospect. I liked deadline addition 2B Roc Riggio, acquired from the Yankees. But there isn’t anyone else in the top 200, maybe even the top 250, with a lot of the depth in the system ranking after that.

FanGraphs uses a similar system to ESPN.com and ranked the Rockies 24th ($137 million) in their late 2025 rankings.

The team has drafted and signed interesting players, but by and large those players just haven’t made the same kind of developmental leaps that other organizations have managed with their players. I suppose that’s why there’s a refreshed baseball operations department in charge.

2026 PuRPs Impact

Though a number of the mid-season PuRPs have already graduated, there’s another wave of players right behind them who could contribute to the 2026 team.

Already made their MLB debut (3):

• Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP): former first-round outfielder who made a dramatic change to his body this off-season and has already hit two walk-offs this spring
• McCade Brown (18): key rotation depth with potential to earn a full-time rotation slot
• Carson Palmquist (19): he’s mostly started as a professional but ended 2025 in relief, where he was in college – provides some funk from the left side

Likely starting in Double-A, Triple-A, or MLB this year and could make their MLB debut this year (13):

• Charlie Condon (1): 2024 first rounder who has impressed this spring while playing both first base and the corner outfield.
• Cole Carrigg (4): primarily a center fielder now, but can play all over the diamond (he’ll be Team Israel’s shortstop in the WBC)
• Jared Thomas (5): talented hitter with utility at all three outfield positions and first base (where he played in college), currently nursing a hamate injury
• Sean Sullivan (8): command lefty starter who gets lots of strikeouts despite sitting in the mid-80s on his fastball thanks to excellent deception and extension
• Griffin Herring (10): lefty starter who was acquired from the Yankees near the deadline last year as part of the Ryan McMahon trade, put up excellent numbers in his first professional season
• Gabriel Hughes (12): first-round polished righty starter who is now two-plus years out from Tommy John surgery, has yet to fully recover the nastiness of his arsenal
• Sterlin Thompson (13): former comp round A pick whose refined hit tool stands out in the system, though he’s limited defensively even in left field
• Roc Riggio (14): second baseman acquired from the Yankees at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Jake Bird deal, short of stature but does a lot of things well (include getting his raw power into games)
• Welinton Herrera (17): lefty reliever who can touch 100, still just 21 but on the 40 man roster and on the verge of the big leagues
• RJ Petit (23): gigantic Rule 5 righty reliever from the Tigers org, will either stick with the Rockies for all of 2026 or get returned to Detroit
• Michael Prosecky (25): college lefty reliever turned starter as a professional, possesses a strong curveball but needs a third strong pitch to stay in the rotation
• Cole Messina (26): was known for strong production and leadership in college, hasn’t yet shown the offensive heft he’ll need to succeed at the big league level
• Konner Eaton (28): lefty starter who rose all the way to Double-A in his first full professional season

Of the players listed above, the most likely to break camp with the team is Petit due to his Rule 5 status, though I wouldn’t rule out Veen, Condon, Brown, or Thompson either. If I were wagering on it, I’d expect Condon and Veen to lead WAR production for the Rockies among the above players in 2026.

The top half of the PuRPs ranking remains flush with outfielders, the bottom half with pitching

Seven of the top 15 PuRPs are primarily outfielders, including four of the top nine and four who will begin the year at Double-A or higher. The five players below Double-A include the 2025 breakout prospect in the system, Roldy Brito (who has received some top 100 love by FanGraphs), 2024 breakout Robert Calaz, and the toolsy Max Belyeu.

You can never have too much pitching at Coors Field, so it’s no surprise the Rockies have historically prioritized pitching in the draft and in trades. The pre-season PuRPs list contains 16 pitchers, but only five of them are in the top 15. The top two of those ranked pitchers (Brody Brecht and JB Middleton) will likely begin 2026 below the Double-A level.

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As I do each PuRPs cycle, I’m going to look at the current system and project which players could be on the 40-man roster in the lead-up to the Rule 5 draft this off-season. The upcoming Rule 5 Draft will see players who were signed either in 2022 (if they were 18 or younger at signing) or 2023 (signed at 19+ years old) become eligible for the first time.

When I did this exercise in August, I listed 43 players who would be under contract, on the 60-day IL, had a likely team option, or were prospects that were very likely to be added before the Rule 5 draft. Today, 25 of the top 29 on that list (Yanquiel Fernandez, Angel Chivilli, Warming Bernabel, and Bradley Blalock are the exceptions) which I deemed “likely” are still around, while among the bottom 14 there are only six that are still in the org.

The new regime has accelerated the roster churn this off-season so far and I would expect the pace to continue during their first season in charge. With that in mind, let’s take stock of the 40-man roster moves which could occur between now and the end of the year.

Sure things (current)

These players are on the current 40-man roster, have already seen major-league action, and will still be on the roster after the Rule 5 draft barring trades (which is a condition that applies to every category). Players with multi-year guaranteed deals are generally ranked higher than arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players:

1. Ezequiel Tovar
2. Hunter Goodman
3. Jordan Beck
4. Brenton Doyle
5. Chase Dollander
6. Willi Castro

Likely (current)

These players have major-league experience, are currently on the 40-man, and will likely be on the post Rule 5 draft 40-man roster — but under-performance could cause them to lose their spot to a DFA or non-tender — or they could retire. I also consider players with a likely to be picked up player or club option in this category. Presented roughly in my order of confidence:

7. Kris Bryant (60 Day IL, possible “retirement” in which he’s still collecting checks a la Prince Fielder)

8. Michael Lorenzen (club option)

9. Seth Halvorsen

10. Victor Vodnik

11. Juan Mejia

12. Kyle Karros

13. Zac Veen

Likely (future)

These players haven’t yet seen MLB action but are in good shape to retain their 40-man roster spot or get added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft. Players who don’t need to be Rule 5 protected after the season (most notably Condon) aren’t listed, though a couple of them could also squeeze their way onto the roster. Again, presented in order of confidence:

14. Gabriel Hughes

15. Cole Carrigg

16. Sean Sullivan

17. Welinton Herrera

18. Jackson Cox

19. Sterlin Thompson

20. Roc Riggio

Under contract but at risk

These players are on the 40-man now but are serious candidates for a DFA or non-tender during or after the 2026 season (I also consider players with a possible player or club option in this category as well as those signed as minor league free agents who won’t have the service time for major league free agency) — presented from most safe to least:

21. Kyle Freeland (his vesting option requires 170 IP in 2026, which he hasn’t done since 2022)

22. McCade Brown

23. Ryan Feltner

24. Ryan Ritter

25. Adael Amador

26. Carson Palmquist

27. Tanner Gordon

28. Jake McCarthy

29. Zach Agnos

30. Jaden Hill

31. Jimmy Herget

32. Mickey Moniak

33. Pierson Ohl (will be 60 Day IL)

34. Edouard Julien

35. Brennan Bernardino

36. Keegan Thompson

37. Tyler Freeman

38. RJ Petit

39. Troy Johnston

40. Blaine Crim

41. Luis Peralta

42. Braxton Fulford

43. Jeff Criswell (60 Day IL)

I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the above players were not in the organization after 2026, but in particular anyone below Herget should consider their 40-man roster slot vulnerable. That gets us to 43 players (including four new prospects), so we’ve already got a full house.

Remember though that the Rockies will probably re-sign some free agents and/or exercise options, which also will take up spots (at the expense of some of the more vulnerable players above, some of whom could be designated for assignment or non-tendered).

Here’s how I would rank other players (among those with no non-IL MLB service time) in terms of getting a 40-man spot after 2026:

1. TJ Rumfield (could win the primary 1B job this spring)
2. Braylen Wimmer
3. Jordy Vargas
4. Yujanyer Herrera (depending on TJ surgery recovery)
5. Jack Mahoney
6. Michael Prosecky
7. Ben Shields
8. Carson Skipper
9. Cade Denton
10. Eiberson Castellano
11. Kelvin Hidalgo
12. Andy Perez
13. Roynier Hernandez
14. Luichi Casilla
15. Marcos Herrera
16. Dyan Jorge
17. Victor Juarez
18. Benny Montgomery
19. Isaiah Coupet
20. Austin Smith

I would guess the top three guys may be protected. I listed 20 players here and still somebody from off this list could make a surprise appearance, as I think the bottom 10-12 slots on the 40-man are quite fluid. With the 40-man roster, change is always the expectation.

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Hopefully that summary of the system and the 40-man roster was helpful, I’d love to read your own projections and opinions in the comments. Until next time!

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

In the 2021 MLB Draft, Kumar Rocker- who was seen at times by scouts and executives as a top 5 pick near the beginning of the NCAA season- fell to the Mets with the 10th overall pick. It turned out that there was a reason for that, and the two sides ended up failing to agree to terms over medical issues. Rocker ended up being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 2022 MLB Draft but has so far looked unimpressive as a major league pitcher.

In that same 2022 MLB Draft, history seemed to repeat itself, as Kevin Parada- who was seen at times by scouts and evaluators as a top 5 pick near the beginning of the NCAA season- fell to the Mets with the 11th overall pick. Once again, things turned out to be too good to be true.

While he may have been a .341/.420/.636 hitter with the Yellow Jackets and hit 35 home runs and gotten to home plate with even more with a great deal of the roughly 13,000 female students enrolled at Georgia Tech, college baseball is not professional baseball, and three full seasons later, Kevin Parada just hasn’t been able to make the transition.

At times, the backstop has looked fine. In his brief taste of professional baseball in 2022 after he was drafted, the 20-year-old hit a combined .275/.455/.425 in 13 games with the FCL Mets and Single-A St. Lucie Mets. In 2023, he started off a bit sluggish but hit well upon being promoted to High-A Brooklyn, batting a solid .265/.340/.447 in 87 games with the Cyclones and a cumulative .248/.324/.428 in 105 games with St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. From there, it was all downhill. In 2024, Parada spent the entire season in Double-A and hit a paltry .214/.304/.359 in 115 games. Last season, he played 92 games with Binghamton and an additional 16 with Triple-A Syracuse and hit a combined .245/.319/.407. If his defense behind the dish was solid, the offensive numbers would be semi-palatable, but Parada doesn’t even have that going for him, as he is considered one of the worst catchers in full-season minor league ball.

So what went wrong?

If I knew, I’d be getting paid the big bucks.

In all likelihood, it wasn’t any one thing that caused Parada to spiral from top prospect to organizational farmhand, but a bunch of different things synergistically interconnected. Parada’s swing, most notably, was problematic. Parada had a unique pre-pitch setup, wrapping his bat behind his head and angling it down behind his back at about 4:00 while raising his lead shoulder. According to Parada himself, at times the organization has had him tinker with it, and for the most part, he has sanitized his swing, but what he is doing now is not what he is doing at Georgia Tech, where he had success. Nor is he using the same bat, nor is he facing the same kind of ACC pitchers. All of this seemingly has led to an elevated strikeout rate, poor contact- a lot of weakly hit infield fly balls in particular- and a weak pulled fly ball rate, sapping his ability to hit for much average or power. All of this coupled with, as mentioned, poor defense, has led to Parada turning into the most disappointing 1st round draft selection made within the top 15 picks that the Mets have made since Geoff Goetz back in 1997 (though his career faltered due to injury, not ineffectiveness).

Is Parada salvageable? He is still only 24-years-old, and the maturation and development of catchers takes place on a much different timeline than position players and pitchers, so maybe? He will begin 2026 with Syracuse but will really need to impress in order to get resuscitate his standing among Mets minor league players, let alone to give anyone hope for some kind of potential future major league career.

We generally cut our prospect rankings off when a player turns 26 but as right-hander Ty Madden has just a small amount of major league experience and missed his age 25 season with a strained rotation cuff that took longer than hoped to rehabilitate, we’ll make an exception. Long an interesting starting pitcher prospect with a deep, solid repertoire of pitches and average command, Madden has been unable to build on his 2024 debut due to the injury. If he’s finally beyond the shoulder trouble this year, the Tigers suddenly have another quality pitching prospect they weren’t necessarily counting on.

Madden was selected by the Tigers in the Competitive Balance A round of the 2021 draft with the 32nd overall pick. A hard-throwing starter with a deep pitch mix for the Texas Longhorns who put together a great college career, Madden’s stock faded a little going into draft day as concerns about his fastball shape started to crop up. The Tigers bet that his mid-to-high 90’s velocity, strike throwing, and good pair of breaking balls were enough to make him a future mid-rotation starter. He was occasionally a bit home run prone but still he really breezed through the minor leagues averaging 120 innings in 2022-2023 until he hit a wall at the Triple-A level in 2024.

With the Toledo Mud Hens, the fastball got exposed as advanced hitters and former major leaguers teed off on it for a 1.94 HR/9 mark. Madden was forced to nibble more, his walks spiked, and the whole profile got messy for a while. He turned things around by attacking with a deeper pitch mix in the summer months, and he was able to make his major league debut and contribute to the pitching chaos effort with solid work in six appearances as the “bulk guy” though he struggled in his one playoff appearance. Expected to give the Tigers some starting depth behind Jackson Jobe, Madden instead had some shoulder trouble in the spring which turned out to be a rotator cuff injury, and he never got back on the mound.

Now apparently healthy this spring and trying to rebuild his old velocity, the primary issue remains his fourseam fastball. In all other respects, Madden looks the part of a power right-hander with good breaking stuff and plenty of velocity. He’s always been able to reach back for 96-98 mph when he wants it, and learned to mix in his sinker to give hitters something else to think about when they’re sitting fastball. The problem is that his fourseamer had a classic bad fastball shape, and he and the Tigers have been working to improve it several years now.

The fourseamer has always gotten a pretty pedestrian amount of ride, and doesn’t run all that much either. It’s right in that middle ground where it’s often hit hard. He and the Tigers have tinkered with this quite a bit trying to optimize the shape. Some efforts to move his slot a little higher seemed to coincide with the shoulder issue, but he’s been so durable otherwise since his college days that wear and tear is plenty good enough as an explanation. Either way, the fourseamer has continued to be hit harder and miss less bats than it’s velo and look out of his hand says it should.

Madden has made one appearance in major league camp this spring, throwing two scoreless innings against the Phillies back on February 25. He’s since been optioned to minor league camp, but what we saw in that one outing was promising. His other pitches still looked very solid, particularly the cutter-slider combination. Even better, his fourseam velocity was back up to 94.4 mph, which is pretty close to his average throughout his minor league career. Even better than that, he was popping 19 inches of induced vertical break. That’s an above average mark. He’s typically averaged more like 16 or 17 inches, so that may be the sign that the move to produce more ride is paying dividends now. If that sticks, he should miss more bats and get a lot more weak contact in the air, and that would quickly turn him into a top 100 caliber starting pitching prospect.

He threw all six pitches at least once in that outing, and left the strong impression that he could be a help to the Tigers’ pitching staff this season. He needs time to stretch out and get his command fully back in form, but if he’s improved the fourseam shape finally, Madden may again look like a mid-rotation starting pitching prospect this spring. If that was more of a flash in the pan outing and the improved ride doesn’t really stick, there’s still a good chance for him to help as a spot starter or middle reliever by leaning into the cutter and slider more, and simply throwing that deeper pitch mix instead of relying on the fastball.

This is obviously a big season for Ty Madden. He turned 26 two weeks ago, and while he has all three options remaining, his 40-man roster spot means it’s time to become useful at the major league level. There are a variety of ways in which he might do that, but the improvement in fourseam shape is intriguing enough to keep him starting in Toledo with time to get his legs back under him fully. If all goes well, the Tigers might suddenly have a pretty good starting prospect again. If not, Madden’s deep pitch mix still gives him ways to contribute in middle relief or even a setup role as the 2026 season unfolds.

The term “old friend alert” usually applies to players who have taken the field in a major-league game for the Royals. Over a thousand athletes have worn a Kansas City uniform in the big leagues, but is that the only standard for being considered a “former Royal”?

Here are some players who didn’t play in a regular-season game for Kansas City. Should they be considered former Royals?

Players who were in the Royals farm system, but never appeared in a game with them

Thousands of players have been part of the Royals organization, but never appeared in a big league game for them. Many are guys you’ve never heard of. Charles “Pickles” Smith. Lance Jennings. Nick Van Stratten.

Some were high draft picks that busted. Rex Goodson. Juan LeBron. Chris Lubanski.

It includes guys who went on to fame elsewhere, like Cecil Fielder. That’s right, the two-time home run champ became an All-Star with the Tigers, but he began his career as an 18-year-old hitting .322 with 20 home runs in 69 games in Butte, Montana, for the Royals. But the Royals wanted to get veteran outfielder Leon Roberts from the Blue Jays, so they traded the rotund first baseman. In fairness, he didn’t really pan out with the Jays either, and it wasn’t until he returned to MLB after a stint in Japan that he became a star.

Other Royals farmhands who had solid careers elsewhere include Greg Minton, Ken Phelps, Greg Hibbard, Jon Lieber, Fernando Cruz, and Rookie of the Year Wil Myers.

Then there were those MLB veterans that the Royals signed to play in the minors, but who never appeared with the big league squad. Players like Todd Van Poppel, Erik Hanson, Benny Agbayani, Chris Truby, Pat Mahomes, Xavier Nady, Casey Kotchman, Travis Snider, Clay Buchholz, Kyle Lohse, Dallas Keuchel, Bobby Dalbec, and Nick Gordon.

And then there are those players that the Royals signed, but who couldn’t stay healthy enough to ever appear in a game with them. Former 20-game winner Kyle Wright was acquired by the Royals with the hopes he could join the rotation. But he suffered setbacks in his rehab and never appeared in a big league game with the Royals, signing with the Cubs this offseason. Is he an “old friend”?

Players who were in spring training with the Royals but didn’t make the team

Then there are the players that the Royals signed to a deal and invited to spring training, but never made a roster out of camp. Lee Smith announced his retirement in 1997 after 478 career saves. But he kept in shape that winter, and the Royals invited him to spring training the next year. “My wife told me to see about playing some ball. She was about tired of me. She had to cook every day. She said, ‘Go do something with yourself,” joked Smith.

Smith pitched well enough to be considered for the Opening Day roster, but the Royals had some pitchers out of options and asked the future Hall of Famer if he would go to Omaha for 30 days. He passed. “That’s kind of a weak act for somebody with 18 years in the big leagues to be waiting for somebody to screw up,” he reasoned.

Lee Smith pitched for eight different MLB teams in his career, and his bust in Cooperstown has a Cubs cap. But is he a former Royals pitcher?

Players that were acquired, but left the organization before ever playing a game with the Royals

Then there were those players who were Royals only on paper, never to adorn the blue jersey. Hoyt Wilhelm, another Hall of Fame reliever, was selected by the Royals in the expansion draft before their inaugural season. But he was immediately traded to the Angels for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke. Is he a former Royal?

The Royals signed pitcher Jeff Shaw to a minor league deal after the 1992 season, after he had a decent showing in Triple-A in the Indians organization. But a month later, he was shipped to the Expos in a four-player trade for pitcher Mark Gardner. Five years later, he led the National League in saves and became an All-Star closer. Do we consider him a former Royals pitcher?

So what exactly qualifies someone as a “former Royal”? Is it only players who appeared in a regular-season game for Kansas City? Or does time in the farm system count? Is it anyone that has ever been acquired by the team? Baseball transactions can be messy, and players pass through organizations in all sorts of ways. So where do you draw the line? Who counts as a former Royal?

Much of the Red Sox’s offense has been in flux over the last 12 months: Rafael Devers was traded, Alex Bregman walked, Wilson Contreras and Caleb Durbin were acquired, while the infield platoon was refreshed. The combination of moves sounds awful for offensive pop, it but does offer more stability defensively. Meanwhile, he team decided to stick to what they know at the catcher position. Let’s evaluate!

The Starter: Carlos Narvaez

There’s a lot to like about Carlos Narvaez, who finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. But before recognizing Narvaez as a potential fantastic defensive catcher in due time, I must put my Scrooge hat on — because it wouldn’t be one of my articles if I didn’t — and state that he has some work to do at the plate. But I’ll also remain optimistic and state that he can probably do that work.

Narv slashed .241/.306/.419 last year for an OPS of .726, which ranked 18th in baseball amongst catchers, and his Savant page looks like a Frozen movie. But his career is still in his infancy, with still under 500 career plate appearances. The catcher bell curve was more steady than usual, meaning Narvaez was within striking distance from being an average catcher at the plate. Whether this is more noticeable on a team that doesn’t have the same offensive pop remains to be seen, but I’m willing to wait.

In retaining Carlos Narvaez as a starting catcher, the Red Sox have something that only a few teams in baseball can claim: a Gold Glove finalist behind the dish. Folks may want to point to Carlos Narvaez ending a game with a walk-off interference for just the second time in league history (and some of the folks may be in the room with us right now) as proof that he’s got some flaws as a defensive catcher. But, even though the Red Sox led the Major Leagues last year with nine catcher’s interference calls, the proof to the contrary is in the pudding.

As I referenced when Narvaez was nominated for the award that Detroit’s Dillon Dingler definitely dutifully (okay, sorry, got carried away with the alliteration) eventually won, the 27-year-old Narvaez was ranked in the 85th percentile in framing. All of these pitches below were called strikes, which is huge when an inning starts getting a little hairy. Here’s a visual on some of those pitches. Good framing keeps pitchers confident, controlled and, best case scenario, well rested. Now the ABS challenging system may put all this to rest, but remember that teams also need to be diligent with when they call for challenges, and managers may ask to be more strategic and only challenge defensively. For now, framing and taking away strikes is a huge strength of Narvaez’s.

Narvaez also led all catchers with 32 runners caught stealing, and his 90th percentile pop time proves his arm and reflexes are speedy. In time, Narvaez. may just become one of the most reputable defensive catchers in the game. And the best part of all is that he cost the Red Sox nothing and is likely ours to enjoy for at least five years.

The Backup: Connor Wong

The last remaining piece of the Mookie Betts trade, Connor Wong looked like he had it all in 2023 and 2024. He was quick, had power, and looked like a pretty good defensive catcher. The first two of those took a huge step backward last season, resulting in Narvaez taking his starting job. It took until the summer for Wong to record his second RBI of the season. His OPS was just .500 and he batted below the Mendoza line for the first time.

Even Wong’s defensive prowess dipped, as he dropped to 26th in catcher framing. But there was a curious anecdote about Aroldis Chapman’s world-renowned fastball that perhaps sparked some faith in Wong’s ability as a collaborative catcher. Wong reportedly told Chapman he can try to actually locate and place his fastball, resulting in him having a career year at 37 years of age. Remember, again, that Chapman’s fastball has topped out at nearly 106 miles per hour, that Chapman ha been in the Cy Young conversation at times, and that he could end his career with over 400 career saves. Here’s what Narvaez had to say about it:

“It’s kind of crazy, bro,” Narváez said. “Because I mean, when you ask a catcher, you want to call a fastball away, fastball in, fastball up and in, especially with the PitchCom. So, now, I mean he’s been in the league for a while and he’s just saying like ‘Okay, I’m actually locating my fastball now. In when I want it and away when I want it.’ It’s like ‘Okay, I didn’t know why you didn’t before but let’s do it.’ He’s pitching with conviction now and every pitch has an intent. It was a big adjustment for him, bro.”

The Red Sox brought Wong back on a 1-year, 1.375 million dollar deal without going to arbitration. He’s under team control for three more seasons, but if Wong isn’t producing either offensively or defensively it’ll be easy to say goodbye one day, though it will be a departure where that meme of Wolverine holding a picture with the words “2024 Connor Wong” comes to mind.

I’d also be remiss to not acknowledge the other options in the room, but these aren’t real options in my mind, nor should they be in anyone’s. Willson Contreras has almost 1000 career games logged behind the dish, but at this stage of his career, especially seeing as he was acquired in a trade for capital, he needs to preserve his health for the potential of this team. Anthony Seigler has also caught in his career (although just once in the Majors) but this is another break-glass-in-case-of-real-emergency option. There’s also old friend Christian Vazquez still in free agency, but his best years are well behind him.

The Minor League Depth

This team has notably been incredibly astute with depth signings this offseason. Matt Thaiss is probably most teams’ backup backup catcher in terms of experience, as he has 305 games in the bigs including 60 games in 2025 where he batted .218/.349/.288. Bbut as you can see, there’s no power to speak of and he’ll almost certainly be heading to Polar Park as the team has already assigned him to AAA. Nate Baez was brought in on a minor league deal. So, too, was another old friend (and native New Englander) in Mickey Gasper, who returns to the organization with his first Major League hit – and home run! – in tow from his time with the Twins. Jason Delay is another depth signing with Major League experience albeit with no seasons over replacement level yet (but he can slug!). Ronald Rosario sent one out of the park in the Northeastern game but hasn’t progressed past Double-A yet, and my own personal favorite WooSox player (if Nick Sogard stays on the Major League roster), Nate Hickey, hit 17 home runs in Worcester last season but, realistically, will be more of a first baseman, as he spends much more time there. Password’s little brother Johanfran remains in the organization following a promotion in 2025 and shares the power tool. And, finally, Brooks Brannon might surge up to Worcester as he’s been promoted once in each of the last four seasons and certainly looks viable at the plate.

Fangraphs Projections

Around the AL East

Throughout the Blue Jays’ run to nearly dethroning the Dodgers as World Series champions, it was evident that Alejandro Kirk is one of the best catchers in baseball. The Yankees’ Austin Wells, like Narvaez, is an excellent pitch framer in his own right with more Major League experience and a solidified starting spot. Adley Ruschmann had a down year but he remains the Orioles’ starter, with Samuel Basallo waiting in the wings, complete with long-term deal in hand. I’d probably slot Narvaez and Wong fourth. The Rays remain the only team I’d put definitively under Narvaez, marching out a tandem of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes; that position will likely be a pain point for Tampa as the season grows long.

Ultimately, I feel great with Narvaez being the catcher of the present and the future, and we can at least pencil him in as part of the the next generation of winning in this organization.

The World Baseball Classic officially got underway last night with the first game in the Tokyo Dome that featured Chinese Taipei and Australia. There are a couple of lower-level Phillies prospects on Team Australia, but most of the names you would recognize won’t start official WBC play until tomorrow. Meanwhile, we still have plenty of meaningless spring training games to satiate your appetite!

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Jhoan Duran made his spring debut yesterday and he feels “fantastic.” ($)
• Bryce Harper has a plan for this season: controlling the zone.
• What does Johan Rojas’ suspension mean for the Phillies outfield?
• Dylan Moore, whose stock has risen in the wake of Rojas’ pending suspension, is embracing the uncertainty that comes with fighting for a roster spot.

MLB news:

• Hunter Greene is set to have an MRI on his elbow after feeling some stiffness that forced him to leave Reds camp and head to Cincinnati to consult with team doctors.
• A big ol’preview of everything you need to know as pool play starts at the WBC.
• Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts breaks down the insanity that was Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. ($)
• How will the exit of Tony Clark affect the MLBPA’s plan ahead of the upcoming CBA negotiations? ($)

Hello, friends.

There are now three weeks remaining until Orioles Opening Day. Between now and March 23 are more exhibition games that will hopefully help the team set a successful roster. They travel to play the Rays today, a game that will not be televised by either team and will only have a radio broadcast from the Rays side. Those are not my favorite spring training games.

Yesterday’s contest saw the Orioles lose to the Astros, 4-2. There was some sloppiness, including two runs that scored on the same strikeout – yeah, really – Pete Alonso getting thrown out by a mile trying to score, and Colton Cowser getting picked off first base. Reliever Keegan Akin gave up another run. The results aren’t there for him so far this spring. There is time to turn it around, but it seems like there’s some reliever every year who stinks in spring training and that’s just who he is this year. Akin would only be following in Cionel Pérez’s footsteps if he ended up that way.

One guy who IS getting the results is Vance Honeycutt. Oh yeah, he did it again. The outfield prospect whose 2025 season made him look like a complete bust hit another homer yesterday, which makes it four home runs in four at-bats. If you haven’t seen the video yet, trust me and watch this:

Holy mackerel. This latest blast from Honeycutt came off of a Triple-A pitcher for the Astros named Miguel Ullola. That’s not quite as impressive as hitting a homer off an MLB-experienced pitcher – which Honeycutt has done before, just to be clear – but it’s still a tougher pitcher than he was facing last year in High-A. It’s early yet to proclaim there’s something real going on here. He’s going to have to do this in real games, at multiple levels, before he can overcome last year’s track record. But, you know, maybe?

Not all news was good in Orioles camp yesterday. Manager Craig Albernaz revealed before Wednesday’s game that reliever Andrew Kittredge, who the Orioles went out of their way to re-acquire back in November, is suffering from shoulder inflammation. Kittredge is “a low probability for Opening Day,” and Albernaz also said “we don’t want to put any timetable on him,” which probably means a while. A bullpen that is light on proven names gets even thinner. Time will tell us if “sign only Ryan Helsley to improve the relief corps” was a good offseason strategy.

Helsley pitched a scoreless inning yesterday. So did Dietrich Enns, another expected Opening Day reliever. Tyler Wells struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. He’s yet to allow a run this spring. People have wanted Wells in the Orioles bullpen for a few years now and it might be happening this year at last, out of necessity but hopefully also because of performance.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Vance Honeycutt’s stunning home run streak gives hope for a slow-starting career (The Baltimore Banner)
The general sports columnists, too, have taken note of Honeycutt’s fascinating little spring accomplishment. He’s the only guy in all of spring training with four homers!

Kittredge’s shoulder injury, Wells’s role out of bullpen, Bautista’s progress after surgery (School of Roch)
It would be pretty funny, in a morbid way, if the Orioles traded Kittredge away at the right time only to trade for him again at the wrong time. At least they’ve still got prospect Wilfri De La Cruz out of the deal.

Do the Orioles have enough in the back end of their bullpen? (Steve on Baseball)
Steve Melewski observes there isn’t much of a backup plan if Helsley comes out of the gate looking as bad as he did with the Mets to close out last season.

Jackson Holliday to begin hitting with surgically repaired hand (The Baltimore Sun)
A solid incremental update, although not one that’s going to change the picture that he’s going to miss some time in the regular season.

Guest coaches Ben McDonald and Scott McGregor share their wisdom (Baltimore Baseball)
Albernaz said of these two and other guest coaches, “They’re great mental skills coaches.” McDonald is apparently a lot more excited about Orioles minor league pitchers than he was four or five years ago.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1996, the Veterans Committee selected Earl Weaver for the Baseball Hall of Fame. His legend needs no elaboration in Birdland.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2012-13 three-gamer L.J. Hoes, 2002-07 pitcher Érik Bédard, 1993-98 outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds, and 2000-01 pitcher José Mercedes. Today is Mercedes’s 55th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: cartographer Gerardus Mercator (1512), magician Penn Jillette (1955), voice actor Yuri Lowenthal (1971), and singer-songwriter Madison Beer (1999).

On this day in history…

In 1770, British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, killing five people. Though several years passed before ongoing open hostilities, this event proved a key rallying cry in the drive for independence for the North American colonies.

In 1872, engineer George Westinghouse received a patent for his air brake, the principle of which still forms the core of brakes on trains to this day.

In 1946, once and future British prime minister Winston Churchill gave a speech at Westminster College in Missouri where he coined the now-famous phrase “Iron Curtain” regarding the wall separating Soviet-controlled countries from the rest of the world.

In 1953, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who had been in power for more than 30 years, died days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a little book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. I’ve been skipping stupid or incredibly easy questions, so we’re already on #56. In the book, they’re multiple choice answers, but that would be too easy here, wouldn’t it? Here’s today’s question:

How many members of the 500 home run club played for the Orioles during their careers?

Manny Machado, sitting on 369 home runs heading into his age 33 season, might well add one more to the tally before he’s done. He sure doesn’t count yet, though. If you were wondering, our recently signed Polar Bear Pete Alonso has 264 home runs. If he averages at least 35 home runs per year with the Orioles, he might get on the list before his career is done too.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 5. Have a safe Thursday.

It’s perhaps the ultimate rite of spring – poring over prospect ratings, getting too excited over a rookie’s chance to impact their Major League Baseball squad, going nuts over absurdly small samples of fake baseball in Grapefruit and Cactus league exhibitions.

Well, maybe this is the year to revel in it a bit.

Four top prospects have done little to dispel that they may not only be big league-ready, but poised to break through even before the most starry-eyed prospect-head could’ve imagined.

Yes, three weeks remain before Opening Day, plenty of time for twentysomethings to get schooled by superior pitching and steady veterans look more alluring to a manager. Noted.

Let’s take a minute to hone in on four uber prospects who have made the industry take notice with their early performances in camp:

Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates

Might as well start with the aircraft carrier. Griffin is a teenager, at least until April 24, the game’s top prospect and a dude who has no idea how to tamp down the hype surrounding his name.

Thankfully, the dude finally mixed in a single in an exhibition against Colombia, ending his spring streak of every hit being a gargantuan home run. Alas, those tape-measure shots did little to dull the roar that emerged from a .333/.415/.527 first professional season that started at low A and concluded at Class AA.

At 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, Griffin looks the part and, in his comportment and style of play, acts it as well. Ace Paul Skenes has voiced his support that the kid start in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.

And for whatever it’s worth, he’s still at shortstop while presumed incumbent Jared Triolo is getting reps at third.

Tea leaves will soon turn to brass tacks. And the most anticipated debut in several years may very well stay on the fast track.

Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers

Here’s the deal: The Tigers were a really good team last year, falling short of the ALCS only because the Seattle Mariners outlasted them in a 15-inning elimination game. And the really good team returned virtually intact on the position-player side.

Run it back? Not so fast, perhaps.

McGonigle is the consensus No. 2 prospect in the industry behind Griffin and we just have to say, this simply doesn’t happen. Nos. 1-2 never bust down the door in tandem, in spring training. Perhaps 1 is major league-ready and 2 is an uber talented kid ticketed for Class A.

But no. While Griffin’s loud noises in Bradenton have generated attention, McGonigle is doing even more to win a job up in Lakeland.

The Tigers keep putting him in high-profile positions – imagine never playing above Class AAA and suddenly playing behind Tarik Skubal – and he keeps answering. They batted him leadoff against the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic team in front of a crowd in the D.R. ready to tear the roof off in support of their heroes.

And McGonigle hit a leadoff home run and produced a 3-for-3 night.

Never mind the stats, which are great – six hits in 15 Grapefruit League at-bats, a 1.137 OPS. The 21-year-old simply seems unbothered, and steady.

“The confidence that he's showing in his at-bats against these particular pitchers,” manager A.J. Hinch said after McGonigle lit up the Dominicans, “is impressive.”

There was little doubt McGonigle would impact the Tigers this season, especially as it got closer to the playoffs. The next three weeks will reveal just how much that timeline has sped up.

Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies

Don’t be alarmed, but the Phillies very much look poised to plug a young player into the lineup.

Nope, John Middleton’s store-bought NL East champions all won’t carry nine-figure contracts this season. In fact, one of the most important positions figures to be manned by a guy making his major league debut when he jogs out to center field March 26 at Citizens Bank Park, when the Phillies open against the Texas Rangers.

He’s had a very nice spring thus far, with six hits in 19 at-bats, including three doubles, a nice catch in center field and, like McGonigle, a feeling that he’s ready.

Probably more than ready.

Crawford is 22 and has 112 Class AAA games already under his belt. And it’s true ... legacy players are typically less fazed by the big league environment and Crawford bears many uncanny resemblances – looks and game-wise – to his father Carl, a four-time All-Star.

Unlike Griffin or McGonigle, Crawford carries neither the top two prospect hype nor the weight of franchise expectations. Batting ninth in a lineup of All-Stars is actually a pretty great way to break in.

Right now, it feels only a matter of time.

Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies

OK, it was just two innings in a fake baseball game in Clearwater.

Yet 20 pitches, two perfect frames against the New York Yankees and a sense of command – figuratively and literally – went an awful long way toward cementing Painter’s spot in Philadelphia’s rotation to begin the season.

“I was very encouraged,” manager Rob Thomson told reporters after the March 1 outing. “I thought it was great.”

It is no small thing. It’d been three years since Painter’s first exhibition start. Then came Tommy John surgery, sidelining what was then the game’s top pitching prospect, and two years spent largely on the mend. He fought himself and his new arm a bit last summer, costing him a chance at a late-season recall once Zack Wheeler succumbed to a blood clot and thoracic outlet surgery.

Wheeler won’t be ready until perhaps a month into this season. That created the opening Painter is vying for and, most likely, has already nailed down.

His next start is March 7 against the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. They will see a guy with enhanced confidence and a five-pitch mix building himself up for his big league debut.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle lead MLB rookies to watch in spring

Teams competing in the World Baseball Classic have a most delicate task: Carve out a legacy in less than two weeks.

Yet despite the microwaved format that’s inverse to how we typically watch the sport and assess greatness, the five championship teams all managed to both showcase their talents, conserve their resources and suppress some pretty elite competition to hoist the trophy at tournament’s end.

The WBC has changed almost as much as the sport itself in two decades. Ranking the best of the best is certainly a dicey proposition, as several mini-eras have emerged in the game during that span.

Still, some squads shined a bit brighter. With that, ranking the five WBC champions as the 2026 edition gets under way March 5:

5. Japan 2006

Record: 5-3, 60-21 run differential

Pool play: 2-1 (Lost to Korea 3-1, beat China 18-2, beat Chinese Taipei 14-3)

Second round: 1-2 (Lost to Korea 2-1, lost to USA 4-3, beat Mexico 6-1, advanced on tiebreaker among USA, Mexico, Japan).

Semifinals: Beat Korea 6-0.

Final: Beat Cuba 10-6

Star power: Daisuke Matsuzaka – one year away from making the leap from Japan to the Boston Red Sox for a total commitment of $103 million – won all three of his starts, giving up three earned runs in 13 innings, a 1.38 mark, striking out 10. Ichiro Suzuki showed he was still in the peak of his MLB career, ripping 12 hits in 33 at-bats and producing a .964 OPS.

And while Koji Uehara was most renowned stateside as a reliever, including with the 2013 champion Red Sox, he was a dominant starter then, having won 20 games as a 24-year-old in 1999. In this WBC, he was unbeaten in three starts with 16 strikeouts to zero walks. Uehara avenged Japan’s two previous losses to Korea, pitching seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts in the semifinals.

Championship: Matsuzaka tossed four innings of one-run ball while Suzuki reached base three times and scored three runs to subdue Cuba.

Legacy: They’re the lone WBC champ to suffer three losses, dampening the ledger a bit. Yet it was a harbinger for the next decade in the game, as Matsuzaka, Nori Aoki and Aki Iwamura went on to populate our TVs in subsequent Octobers.

4. Dominican Republic 2013

Record: 8-0, 36-14 run differential

Pool play: 3-0 (Beat Puerto Rico 4-2, beat Spain 6-3, beat Venezuela 9-3)

Second round: 3-0 (Beat Italy 5-4, beat USA 3-1, beat Puerto Rico 2-0)

Semifinals: Beat Netherlands 4-1

Finals: Beat Puerto Rico 3-0.

Star power: Robinson Cano, on a fast track to Cooperstown at the time, banged out 15 hits, two homers and a 1.296 OPS. Nelson Cruz and Jose Reyes contributed 10 and 11 hits, respectively while Hanley Ramirez, 29, and Carlos Santana, 27, each hit a pair of homers. Even 39-year-old Miguel Tejada put up a .316/.350/.368 line.

Hard to believe the lone unbeaten champ in WBC history called upon Sam Deduno as its ace, but he gave up one earned run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA) of three starts. Edinson Volquez also started three games but struggled, striking out nine but walking six. That’s OK – the bullpen was heroic. Fernando Rodney – who saved seven of their eight wins – Pedro Strop, Santiago Casilla, Octavio Dotel and Kelvin Herrera gave up zero runs and 11 hits across 28 innings.

Championship: Deduno pitched five shutout innings against a Puerto Rico lineup with 36-year-old DH Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina in the middle, but precious little else. And, of course, Dotel, Strop and Casilla combined for four innings of one-hit, no-run relief.

Legacy: It’s tough to argue with an unbeaten squad, and the bullpen managed to hold down the fort. But the lack of a true No. 1 – and the tepid opponent they faced in the final – downgrades the Dominicans just a bit here.

3. USA 2017

Record: 6-2, 41-21 run differential

Pool play: 2-1 (Beat Canada 8-0, lost to Dominican Republic 7-5, beat Colombia 3-2)

Second round: 2-1 (Beat Venezuela 4-2, lost to Puerto Rico 6-5, beat Dominican Republic 6-3.

Semifinals: Beat Japan 2-1

Finals: Beat Puerto Rico 8-0

Star power: The home team finally got one, though it was due in large part to high-end grinders rather than superstars. Shortstop Brandon Crawford and Eric Hosmer each had 10 hits and OPSes north of 1.000. Christian Yelich scored a team-high seven runs. And the consensus starting squad had Gold Glovers (Buster Posey, Hosmer, Ian Kinsler, Crawford, Nolan Arenado, Adam Jones, Yelich, Andrew McCutchen) at every position.

Marcus Stroman carried, starting three games, pitching 15 1/3 innings with a 2.35 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Danny Duffy started and won two games, including the must-win quarterfinal against the Dominicans. Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek combined for nine innings of scoreless relief.

Championship: Stroman pitched six innings of one-hit ball, while Kinsler – who also homered – Yelich, Arenado, McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton each had two-hit games. Puerto Rico started Seth Lugo and had a star-studded lineup compared to its 2013 finalists: Francisco Lindor, a young Carlos Correa, Beltran, Molina and Javy Baez.

Legacy: This team remains the only group that beat all the Latin American powers – Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico – as well as Japan to win it all. And this WBC marked a turning point, with Jones’ home run robbery of Manny Machado in the quarterfinals at Petco Park turning it into a can’t-miss event.

2. Japan 2009

Record: 7-2, 50-16 run differential

Pool play: 2-1 (Lost to Korea 1-0, beat Korea 14-2, beat China 4-0)

Second round: 3-1 (Beat Cuba 6-0, lost to Korea 4-1, beat Cuba 5-0, beat Korea 6-2)

Semifinals: Beat Venezuela 10-2

Finals: Beat Korea 5-3

Star power: Perhaps the apex of Japanese talent, both old and new. Suzuki banged out 12 more hits and scored seven runs, and Aoki also had a dozen hits and drove in seven. Catcher Kenji Johjima never found stardom with the Seattle Mariners but had a 10-for-30 WBC with a home run.

Meanwhile, Matsuzaka was back, as he posted a 2.86 ERA and Japan won all three of his starts, but this time he had company. Yu Darvish, the 22-year-old who was still three years away from debuting with the Texas Rangers, struck out 20 in 13 innings with a 1.000 WHIP. And Hisashi Iwakuma, who won 63 games in six seasons with the Mariners, posted a 1.35 ERA in three starts an a relief appearance.

Final vs. Korea: Iwakuma pitched four-hit ball into the eighth and Suzuki had four hits, including a two-out, two-strike two-run single in the top of the 10^th inning off Chang Hong Lim, giving the WBC a thrilling finish that wouldn’t be matched for 14 years.

Legacy: Let it be known that the Japanese WBC squads of the aughts struggled mightily with Korea. But they were more or less unbeatable otherwise and this team’s pitching depth separates it from almost all the champions.

1. Japan 2023

Record: 7-0, 56-18 run differential

Pool play: 3-0 (Beat Korea 13-4, beat Czechia 10-2, beat Australia 7-1)

Quarterfinals: Beat Italy 9-3

Semifinals: Beat Mexico 6-5

Finals: Beat USA 3-2

Star power: Might be oversimplifying it to say any team with Shohei Ohtani is a default No. 1. Yet he truly never disappoints. Ohtani led Japan with 10 hits and 10 walks, produced a 1.345 OPS and, on the mound, a 1.86 ERA in winning both his starts and adding his epic relief strikeout of Mike Trout to end the championship. Munetaka Murakami – catch him on Chicago’s South Side this spring – produced an .845 OPS while American-born Lars Nootbaar posted a .424 OBP.

Future Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto had his international coming-out party, striking out 12 in 7 1/3 innings. The youngsters – Shota Imanaga, Rōki Sasaki and Yamamoto – ensured that Darvish, now 36, could get hit a little harder and Japan survived it.

Final vs. USA: Ohtani’s strikeout of Trout was the Polaroid moment; home runs from this year’s spring curiosities – Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays – pushed them toward victory. Kyle Schwarber got Team USA within 3-2 with a solo homer, but that only made Ohtani’s heroics all the more necessary.

Legacy: It’s debatable whether this squad is deeper overall than the 2009 edition; it will take a few seasons to gauge Murakami and Okamoto’s MLB production to further contextualize the talent. But any team with Ohtani already has a massive edge – and he proved it emphatically.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Baseball Classic: Ranking the previous five champions

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of Spring Training, but they have a couple of players who are playing in the World Baseball Classic, including two bullpen guys who will be suiting up for the Dominican Republic.    

Right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana and left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto showed up against the Detroit Tigers in an exhibition match at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo on March 3.

Soto entered the game in the third inning where he struggled early. He walked first baseman Spencer Torkelson and allowed a single to Tigers third baseman Colt Kieth.

 After the struggle, the lefty was able to get out of the inning without allowing a run. He got center fielder Max Clark to ground out, then he struck out second baseman Zack McKinstry and designated hitter Thayron Lizano to end the inning. 

Santana then came in the fourth inning where he struck out catcher Jake Rodgers on an 85 mph slider. 

Santana just threw 18 pitches after allowing an unearned run from the bat of Riley Greene. Even though it was a short outing for the righty, he looked solid against a Tigers team that made the playoffs last season. 

Santana and Soto are two of the Pirates best bullpen arms and they are going to be important pieces to one of the better pitching staffs in all of baseball going into the 2026 season.

Santana was picked off of waivers from the Yankees in 2024. He has quickly improved with the team and had a strong year in 2025. He became the full time closer after the Bucs traded David Bender to the Yankees at the trade deadline. 

He finished with a 4-5 record in 70 appearances, a 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched, 13 holds, 16 saves in 19 opportunities, 60 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .179 opposing batting average and a 0.87 WHIP.

The Pirates signed Soto to a one-year, $7.75 million deal, which was made official on Dec. 15, giving them an important piece of their bullpen. Soto is coming off of a 2025 season where he had a 3.96 ERA over 45 appearances and 36.1 innings pitched with the Baltimore Orioles, before they traded him to the New York Mets at the deadline. 

I am excited to see what Santana and Soto will do for the Pirates this season. Pittsburgh’s starting rotation should be great which will put pressure on the bullpen to do its job as well.  

I will obviously be rooting for team USA and pitcher Paul Skenes during the World baseball classic but I will also keep a close eye and see what two of our top bullpen guys are doing for team Dominican Republic.