The Reds made the postseason in 2025. Did you notice? They were dispatched quickly by the Dodgers. And, they had the worst record of any of the postseason teams at 83-79.
Still, that’s something to build on, and the Reds are indeed building.
Eugenio Suárez is the active MLB leader in home runs against the Cubs with 36. So it made me very happy when he was traded to the Mariners last summer — had he stayed there, the Cubs would have had to face him only one series a year.
Now Suárez will come back and torture Cubs pitching again. As you’ll recall, he had a four-homer series against the Cubs last April in Arizona, then hit another in that wacky 13-11 Cubs comeback win at Wrigley.
Granted, Suárez is now 34, but I do not look forward to seeing him play 13 games against the Cubs this year. He’ll be mostly a DH with Ke’Bryan Hayes now a Reds fixture at third base.
Otherwise the Reds return most of their 83-win team from last year. Former Cub Pierce Johnson joins a strong bullpen, and Hunter Greene has become one of the better pitchers in the league. Another starter to watch is Chase Burns, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 Draft out of Wake Forest. He struggled at times in his debut season, but can throw 100-plus just as Greene can.
The Reds might be tougher competition for the Cubs in the NL Central than the Brewers in 2026.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Jake Irvin #27 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a baseball against the Chicago White Sox at the Nationals Park on September 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jake Irvin fired two scoreless innings in his first start of the spring. That should be good news, but the start made me more bearish on the right hander. This is due to his drop in velocity. He only averaged 90.3 MPH on his 4-seam and 91.1 MPH on his sinker. This continues an ongoing trend for Irvin.
If you were hoping for improved fastball velocity from Jake Irvin, you are not going to get it, at least not tonight. He is sitting around 90-91
Sure, you can chalk some of this up to building up in the first start of the spring. However, this is a continuation of a multi-year trend. Velocity should have been a point of emphasis for Irvin this offseason, so it is disappointing to see him throw even slower.
When Irvin came in the league in 2023, his 4-seam averaged 94.5 MPH and his sinker averaged 93.9. In 2024, he was still effective, but his velocity dropped off a bit, especially in the second half. His 4-seam averaged 93.9 MPH and his sinker averaged 93.3.
Last year was by far the worst year of Irvin’s career. It should be no surprise to hear that his velocity dropped even further. His 4-seamer averaged 92.4 MPH and his sinker averaged 91.9. Irvin’s velocity has dropped two ticks over the last couple of years, and he struggled to average 90 MPH in this start.
Sure, it is early spring, but the alarm bells are ringing for me. We know that Irvin is at his best when he is able to sit in that 94 MPH range. Yesterday, he was not even able to touch 94.
I always go back to that dominant outing Irvin had on July 4th of 2024 to see what he looks like at his best. That afternoon he went 8 scoreless against the Mets and was absolutely shoving. His fastball was consistently in the 93-96 MPH range, and it was playing like a plus pitch. With the heater firmly in the low-90’s now, it does not play as well.
Jake Irvin retires his 17th batter in a row to get through 8 scoreless innings! pic.twitter.com/i7s5y314kF
I was really hoping to see Irvin sitting 93-94 yesterday, but that did not happen. The hardest pitch he threw was 92.9 MPH. Hopefully that can tick up as we get deeper into spring, but I feel like it is unrealistic to expect him to get back to that 2023-2024 velocity at this point. I am not sure what happened, but that velocity seems to be gone.
Like a lot of Nats pitchers, Irvin does seem to be going away from his fastball. Yesterday, Irvin was using a six pitch mix where you were not quite sure about which pitch was coming. He threw the four-seamer, the curveball, the sinker, the cutter and the changeup at least 10% of the time. Being unpredictable could be a way to offset some of that lost velocity.
43 pitches for Jake Irvin in today’s start 20.9% Fastball (32% in 2025) 23.3% Curveball (30% in 2025) 20.9% Changeup (8% in 2025) 14% Sinker (22% in 2025) 14% Cutter (4% in 2025) 7% Slider (4% in 2025) Result: 2 scoreless, 1 hit, 2 BB, 2 Ks The anti-fastball revolution continues. https://t.co/YEOVrWf7Wj
However, the ceiling of a right hander throwing 90 MPH is quite capped. There is so much nasty stuff in the game right now. Having such limited velocity is a real detriment. You can survive if you have a deep pitch mix and excellent control. However, I think Irvin’s control is good but not great and none of his secondary pitches are dominant.
Irvin needs the velocity to get back to being the solid number 4 starter he looked like he was becoming. If he struggles out of the gate this year, his rotation spot could be in jeopardy. Guys like Mitchell Parker, Riley Cornelio and Luis Perales will be waiting in the wings. They will be ready to roll if Irvin struggles. Around this time last year I expressed my concerns about Irvin’s velocity and was proven right. This year I am ringing the alarm bells again. It is early in Spring Training, so Irvin’s velocity could bounce back. However, we are seeing a multi-year trend continue into 2026. That is not a great sign for the 29 year old right hander.
FORT MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo during the Boston Red Sox photo day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
For all the young players on the Red Sox who have signed long-term deals (Roman Anthony, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela) we haven’t heard much reporting about an extension for Wilyer Abreu. As it turns out, the Sox tried to sign him on the eve of his rookie year. But, unlike Bello and Rafaela, both of whom signed that spring, Abreu decided to take it year-to-year and bet on himself. The Sox have not approached him since, but Abreu says “[he] can listen.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
We haven’t seen any reports about a possible extension for Connelly Early either, as the youngster attempts to establish himself in the big leagues. To that end, he spent the winter bulking up to try to maximize his stuff and lengthen his outings. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Payton Tolle was given the opposite offseason assignment. As he already has plenty of bulk for a pitcher, he worked on refining what the run-prevention unit is calling a “three-headed monster of hard.” That would be his outstanding four-seam fastball, his developing cut fastball, and a brand-new two-seam fastball. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Tolle isn’t the only Red Sox pitcher adding to his repertoire. Brayan Bello reported to camp this spring with a new curveball, though his offseason priority was getting his changeup back on track. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
While Early and Tolle will be two must-sees this spring, the bigger questions about the team are found on the offensive side of the ball. And there’s no denying that the lineup projections for the team are underwhelming. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
One thing to keep an eye on this spring is MLB’s new automated ball-strike challenge system. As teams try to figure out the best strategy for how to use their challenges, the Red Sox plan to feel out the system by aggressively challenging calls this spring. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Three games into the Cactus League and the A’s have collected twenty-five hits, resulting in only four runs and zero wins. Their run differential currently sits at negative nineteen, better than the Detroit Tigers by a single run. The only team with more losses are the Milwaukee Brewers, and that’s only because they’ve played more games.
There’s no reason to panic just yet, but you can’t help but eye roll. Hovering around mediocrity is the minimum we’d wish for in Spring Training. Nobody wants to go into Opening Day after getting kicked around all spring. Especially a young and impressionable A’s team like this one, who have proven to be easily shaken when faced with adversity.
The battle of the winless clubs takes place today between the A’s and the Brewers. Shall this be the day the tides turn in our favor? I’m choosing to feel optimistic. Watching David S. Ward’s Major League last night helped curb the angsty doubts that start to roll in when the W’s aren’t stacking up. Let’s not forget that that those Cleveland Indians struggled out of the gate in their own Spring Training jaunt. Plus, nothing as embarrassing as Willie Mays Hays attempting to steal second base and coming up five feet short, has yet to happen – – so there’s that.
I guess I’m just hoping the A’s get a little more rowdy this spring. I want Hohokam to be all worked up in a frenzy by the end of March. Every bar in Mesa, Arizona should be full of reverse teetotalers holding court, talking about how the 2026 A’s are going to be a problem. That’s the energy I want. Maybe players should start picking fights with other teams? There hasn’t been a really good Spring Training brawl since that Piazza vs. Mota incident back in 2003. For this reboot, I nominate Michael Kelly to go after Zac Veen. That way the Las Vegas series against the Rockies in June has a little buzz behind it.
Just throwing it out there.
I see it to be particularly crucial that the A’s capitalize on any bit momentum for the next month, as the first six series out of the gate are all against the Blue Jays, Braves, Astros, Yankees, Mets, and Rangers :/
Now I’m not saying that this stretch will determine how the 2026 A’s will fair by season’s end, but if the last two season have taught us anything, it’s that no early first half game should go undervalued. The last thing anyone wants is another season where we’re looking back at April and May as the reason we didn’t get a shot at a playoff bid.
So let’s right the ship! It all starts today against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jump is one of my favourite pitching prospects thanks to his electric fastball and velocity from the left side. Both were present today as his stuff graded out well. I will be keeping tabs on his secondaries throughout the spring pic.twitter.com/7Y8R0nKMbK
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 29: A general view of the AL East standings before a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Man, the AL East could be wild this year. Outside of the Rays, it isn’t hard to see any team winning it. And let’s face it: it’s never a good idea to overlook the Rays.
So how do you see the strongest division in baseball shaking out? I change my mind on this nearly every day. Today, it’s hard for me to overlook the high-end talent at the top of the Yankees roster. I’m convinced that the Orioles will have a bounce-back season and I liked their offseason moves, but I’m thoroughly unconvinced of their pitching depth. The Blue Jays will regress, I think, but they have enough talent to stay in contention all year.
As of today, I’ll go with:
Yankees
Orioles
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Rays
Ask me again this afternoon and I may have changed my mind.
Peoria, Ariz. - February 10: Ethan Salas #90 of the San Diego Padres throws at the Peoria Sports Complex on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres had a banner day on the baseball field on Monday. They came back from a 5-1 deficit with a six-run bottom of the eighth inning. That was great, but not necessarily the big story. That honor went to a perfect usage of the new ABS challenge system. Catcher Freddy Fermin had three calls overturned from balls to strikes with the system. Two calls were at the bottom of the strike zone, and one was at the top. Ethan Salas followed suit when he replaced Fermin and had one call overturned. Jose Miranda completed the challenges when he got a called strike overturned to a ball resulting in a walk in the six-run eighth. The system seemed to held the home plate umpire accountable for his calls and worked just as was described by Major League Baseball.
Padres News:
Randy Vasquez looked sharp in his first action of Spring Training against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. He allowed one hit and walked one in two scoreless innings. Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball thinks that could be a preview of a big season from Vasquez as he looks to solidify his position in the rotation and on the San Diego roster.
Joe Musgrove returning after a lost season after Tommy John surgery. Luis Campusano looking to prove he can compete at the major league level. Nick Castellanos changing positions while trying to show he has more in the tank after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies. These are just a few of the players AJ Cassavell of Padres.com says are the most important to watch this spring.
Garrett Hawkins impressed at the lower levels of the Padres system and now has his sights set on making the big-league roster with San Diego. The roster spots available for position players is tight as well due what appears to be a surprising amount of depth according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune gives a progress report for the Padres to discuss the financials of the team as well as the importance of additions to the roster.
The Padres designated outfielder Tirso Ornelas for assignment on Feb. 17, and he cleared waivers today which meant a return to the San Diego organization. He is back in camp with the Padres.
ATLANTA — Left-hander Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a contract on Tuesday adding $27 million for the 2027 season.
A 36-year-old who won the 2024 NL Cy Young Award in his first season with Atlanta, Sale agreed to a deal that includes a $30 million team option for 2028.
Atlanta acquired Sale from Boston in December 2023 and he agreed to a reworked $38 million, two-year contract that included an $18 million club option for 2026. The Braves exercised the option in November.
Sale is 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA in 49 starts and one relief appearance with the Braves. He made the All-Star team twice, raising his total to nine.
He is 145-88 with a 3.01 ERA is 15 major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2010-16), Boston (2017-23) and Atlanta, striking out 2,579 in 2,084 innings. His 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings are the most among pitchers with 1,500 or more innings.
Sale has thrived with the Braves after making nine trips to the disabled and injured lists with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.
Feb 23, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (22) throws in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Good morning.
Shawn McFarland writes about the Texas Rangers winning their Cactus League game yesterday and hitting their first home run of the spring.
McFarland writes about yesterday’s starter Jack Leiter and how the Rangers hope more efficient innings will be the next step in further unlocking his full potential.
Kennedi Landry writes about Evan Carter and his quest to stay healthy and change the narrative about his availability.
Evan Grant writes that Wyatt Langford appears to be on the cusp of superstardom so the clock is ticking for the Rangers to lock him up long term.
Jeff Wilson takes an initial stab at predicting the roster that we could see the Rangers roll with come Opening Day in March.
With clubhouse culture a big topic this spring, Grant provides an anecdote about Corey Seager playing for laughs by imitating Brandon Nimmo during yesterday’s game.
CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder has the rotation for the Rangers as the fourth best in the game heading into the 2026 campaign.
Grant notes that the Rangers added to their international signing class via a loophole that allowed them to sign Breyner Figuereo, brother of Gleider Figuereo.
And, McFarland writes about outfield farmhand Braylin Morel as the 29th best prospect on the DMN top 30 prospects list.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies is seen on a video monitor as he delivers a pitch in the first inning of game 2 in a series between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on September 29, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Casey Sykes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, that’s the name they went with. Remember when everyone was excited about Wandavision? Are you more or less excited about this? What about just this name? In any case, read on. Or, just go here, which has all the details that I’ll attempt to summarize: https://www.mlb.com/braves/schedule/watch.
Basically, BravesVision is the new, wholly-Braves-owned media home for the team. Since chances are that you are reading this to understand how you can watch the Braves in 2026, let’s go through the options, based on the information provided in the above link.
Cable or satellite. BravesVision is a direct-to-distributor model, so it will work just like Bally Sports/FanDuel used to in this regard. Your current cable/satellite provider is currently negotiating with the Braves on fees for adding BravesVision to their list of channel offerings. If they successfully negotiate, then you’ll have access to BravesVision (possibly within your tier, or you’ll have to change tiers, I don’t know, I haven’t had cable in decades). If not, you’ll need to use another option. Things like YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are probably in a similar boat: they can either successfully negotiate to have BravesVision, or not.
Over the air. As mentioned before, some but not all games will be simulcast on Gray Media. There’s a handy map identifying the over-the-air Gray Media station for a given locality at the link above. This won’t cover every game the Braves play, but it is something.
In-market streaming. In addition to the direct-to-distributor offering, the Braves are also offering a direct-to-consumer channel called Braves.TV. Basically, this is essentially the single-team MLB.tv package, but Braves-branded. There are no blackouts when you buy this, but, see the next clause: this is an in-market package only. In other words, if you were blacked out because you lived in the Braves’ “home broadcast area” per the MLB.tv regional map, you can use this to get every non-national broadcast Braves game. Yay for you. You can also upgrade your subscription to include all the out-of-market MLB.tv games, too, if you want all Braves games and basically every other game, too. I don’t know anything about pricing at this time, but it’ll likely be comparable to other single-team MLB.tv packages, a la ~$20 per month. It is unclear exactly how stringent the offering structure is going to be — will you be able to get Braves.tv if you live not that far outside the Braves’ region per the blackout map? I have no idea, stay tuned! Theoretically, the Braves aren’t supposed to sell a direct-to-consumer streaming option to people living outside their local rights footprint, but… it’s a digital transaction with a login. Will they inadvertently or purposefully end up doing so anyway? Anyway, there’s no link to sign up yet, but stay tuned.
Out-of-market streaming. Nothing has changed here. MLB.tv will still carry all Braves games, but will black out any games in your local market. For me, that’s Red Sox games. For you, it might be something else. Actually, I lied: what has changed is the insane rigmarole that ESPN absorbing MLB.tv is now imposing on folks that want to subscribe to MLB.tv for the first time. But, if you already have MLB.tv, then nothing has really changed for you.
Does that cover everything? What questions do you have?
Probably the key thing here for the Braves financially is that BravesVision is apparently owned (and possibly wholly owned?) by the Braves. While we don’t know exactly what this means for the franchise financially at this point, it does open up opportunities that they didn’t previously have in terms of revenue and profit — including earnings based on their in-market TV rights that would not be subject to the league’s revenue sharing requirements.
Anyway, stay tuned, but hopefully the above was helpful. Theoretically, there should be more clarity on deals with distributors as we hurtle towards Opening Day.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 21: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets during the spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Clover Park on February 21, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida.(Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets topped the defending American League Champion Blue Jays 4-3 to earn their second spring win. Newcomer Tobias Myers earned the win in his first outing with the club after pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Vidal Bruján did leave the game with an injury after stealing second base.
Clay Holmes, who started yesterday’s game for the Mets and threw 57 pitches over 3 2/3 innings, talked about being recruited to the join Team USA in the WBC by ex-Yankee Andy Pettitte.
Juan Soto is determined to become the first Mets’ MVP, and even more determined to steal the crown from perpetual winner Shohei Ohtani, saying, “I’ve got to find a way to beat him.”
Darryl Strawberry was ‘shocked’ that Pete Alonso left the Mets, and believes the former Mets’ first baseman will regret the decision to leave New York. Strawberry, who made a similar move in his career and has noted his own regret at leaving New York, said he disagreed with Alonso’s decision.
Speaking of ex-Mets, Brandon Nimmo squashed any claims of their being clubhouse issues with the 2025 squad.
It looks like former Mets beat writer Adam Rubin has lobby for a job with the Pirates as their new Director of Communications.
Around the National League East
Ronald Acuña Jr. has returned to the leadoff spot for the Braves.
Buster Olney compiled a list of the top ten third basemen in baseball, with Bo Bichette coming in at seventh.
Jeff Kent ended up answering a call he believed was a spam call, only for it to be Johnny Bench on the other end of the line.
Bryce Harper dished on MLB’s number one prospect, Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin, whom he said will be a ‘stud’.
Brewers assistant GM Will Hudgins discussed the science of measuring players for the ABS system, which is difficult because, “People shrink over the course of a day”. Hudgins is Milwaukee’s point person on ABS.
In the loss to the Mets, Kazuma Okamoto hit his first home run as a member of the Blue Jays.
Colson Montgomery of the White Sox, who was an ex-Indiana baseball recruit, learned a lesson in the Hoosier football’s title run
Michael McGreevy of the Cardinals was convinced the baseballs were different this year, until he learned they were batting practice balls.
Coming off a year in which he earned a World Series ring as a member of the Dodgers, old friend Michael Conforto has signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. Chicago skipper Craig Counsell spoke about his team’s latest signing.
Alex Vesia felt the love from fans in an emotional return to the mound.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Chris McShane previewed Nate Lavender’s 2026 campaign, while Linus Lawrence did the same for catcher Ben Rortvedt.
This Date in Mets History
On this date in 1966, Tom Seaver signed a $40,000 deal with the Braves, a contract that was later nullified by Commissioner William Eckert, who said Seaver was ineligible to sign because he played two exhibition games earlier in the year with his collegiate baseball team. One year later, he was a Met, and the rest is history.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 19: A detail of the Atlanta Braves A logo on a hat during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 19, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, the it was reported that the Braves could be joining with a few other pro teams in the Southeast on a new RSN for the games in 2026 and perhaps beyond. Well moments ago, the Braves officially announced the new home for their games this season, BravesVision:
Obviously, there will be more to come on this exciting new venture for the Braves and the future of their TV Broadcasts. Make sure to stick with Battery Power for the latest.
Braves News
Mark Bowman looks at some early Spring observations for the Braves, including the current setup for the top of the lineup and the starting rotation.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Pitcher Alex Vesia #51 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning of a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 23, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch, which in itself wasn’t all that irregular. After all, the left-hander has been a staple in the Dodgers bullpen for four years, including 142 scoreless appearances lasting at least one inning last season during that time, most on the Dodgers.
But this was his first game action since last season, and the first since he and his wife Kayla lost their newborn baby in October. That was not lost on Vesia, nor was it lost on the fans in Arizona, who gave him a nice ovation after finishing the 17-pitch inning.
“It’s been hard, actually. Hard in a good way. Because I want to interact with the fans and all that, but I know I have a job to do,” Vesia said. “Even on the back fields the first day, we walk out the doors, and (there were) cheers and lots of love.
“It means a lot to myself, and Kay too.”
News & notes
Outfielder Alex Call has yet to play in any of the three Dodgers Cactus League games this spring. He’s being slow-played with “a minor foot issue,” per Jack Harris of The California Post.
Gavin Stone gets the ball for the Dodgers on Tuesday, in his first game action in 542 days. Roki Sasaki starts Wednesday on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks and, per Plunkett, Tyler Glasnow will start Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.
Old friend Brent Honeywell Jr., who did not pitch in 2025 after pitching whenever needed the year before, signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants, per Justice delos Santos of the San Jose Mercury News.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: A detailed view of official major league baseballs stacked up in pyramid form is seen on the field prior to the start of the game between the Athletics and San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 18, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning baseball fans!
As we approach the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!
Keeping with the theme of the week (the potential work stoppage after the upcoming season), today’s question: Who would be to blame if there is another work stoppage?
This is a tricky question, because there’s politics involved. Theoretically, if both parties are operating in good faith, the blame would fall equally if they failed to come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
But that is rarely the way these things play out.
So for me, I look at who has the power. While the players ultimately have the ability to strike if a deal can’t be reached, they are (generally speaking) approaching negotiations in good faith. But I don’t feel like I can say the same of the other side. And they have the power.
They have the power to push a media narrative about players just being “greedy,” or “difficult,” or whatever else they want to say about them to get fans to turn on them. They have the power to implement a lockout if they want to. And they have the ultimate power to get a deal done either way; they just tend to choose not to in order to wear the players down and extract concessions from the union.
As always, that’s just my opinion after watching the way things have played out over the last decade or so for both the sport, and labor issues in general.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2024: Seth Stephenson #34 of the Detroit Tigers runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during a minor league spring training game against the New York Yankees at the Himes Complex on March 21, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Something the Detroit Tigers have lacked for a long, long time is speed. Sure, they have some players who can run and plenty who grade out around average, but I’m talking about a real burner. A guy who is a threat to steal a bag every time he gets on base. At various times over the past two decades, the Tigers have brought in a player like Cameron Maybin in 2017, or you’ll recall Quintin Berry back in 2012, but they haven’t really developed that kind of player. The fact that we have to go back a good ways just to find two free agent acquisitions who fit the bill says it all. Perhaps, center field prospect Seth Stephenson will finally be the homegrown player who provides elite speed off the bench.
The 25-year-old right handed hitter has racked up a whopping 179 stolen bases over the past three seasons in the minor leagues. His 5’9” 165 pound frame isn’t built for power, it’s built for quick jumps, and high end straightline speed. That was his strength when the Tigers selected him in the seventh round out of Tennessee, where he was a star defensive center fielder. After some slow early progress, Stephenson has done a great job over the past two years in building a hitting foundation from which his speed can play a decisive role for his teams.
The element of excitement at West Michigan Whitecaps and Erie SeaWolves games when Stephenson was on base was palpable in 2025. He has not only the speed, the ability to get good reads on pitchers and jumps that make even courtesy throws to second base from minor league catchers ill-advised. Even better, he finally got stronger and developed some batspeed, moving from slap-hitting fringe prospect you might want as the 26th man on the roster solely to pinch-run, into more of a quality contact oriented hitter who can make things happen with his legs. As a result, Stephenson looks more like a player who may be able to hold down a full-time bench role in the future. Think of him as potentially a right-handed hitting Jarrod Dyson from the Royals run circa 2014-2015
Boasting 70 grade speed, Stephenson profiles as a plus defender. Stephenson has a solid arm as well, fitting into right field well on top of being a good center fielder. His role as a future major leaguer would mainly be to start against left-handers, though his splits are nicely balanced, and otherwise come in to pinch-hit and boost the outfield defense in close, late game situations. He’s very well suited to that task.
At the plate, Stephenson puts the ball in play a ton, and has really worked hard to build himself up physically over the past two seasons. His batspeed has perked up, and more and more he’s been on time to pull the ball while still spraying the ball around to all fields with a little more authority. Not only does he have the speed to beat out singles on throws from shortstops and third baseman going into the hole on the left side of the infield, routine singles down the line or up the gaps can turn into doubles as he regularly beats throws into second from outfielders who don’t hustle or can’t make strong accurate throws to second base. Over a quarter of his knocks in 2025 were extra base hits as a result, despite 45 FV power grades.
Stephenson struck out just 14.2 percent of the time in 2025, and actually cut his strikeouts down two percent when he moved up to Double-A Erie after the All-Star break. His walk rates are just average, but again, as long as Stephenson is putting the ball in play a lot, he’s a menace on the basepaths for any defensive unit in the game.
Over the past two years he’s worked to develop a little more power, and while he hit 8 home runs in 2025 after never topping 5 in a season, that’s clearly not his game. Stephenson hits the ball in the air a good amount, but his swing is built to hit the ball hard on a line, and he tends to hit a ton of pop-ups if pitchers get him swinging up in the zone or chasing pull side power too much. It’s good that he’s trying to develop some pop, but the sweet spot for him is line drives and gap power. His max exit velocities say it just isn’t worth it for him to try and hit like a light-hitter with good HR totals, like Isaac Paredes. The more balls in play that aren’t routine fly outs or easy pop-ups, the better for Stephenson’s speed game.
The increased strength doesn’t need to translate into much more over the fence power. It’s more about having the batspeed to handle velocity and still turn on inside pitches. Stephenson accomplished that much in 2025, and he’ll be looking to solidify himself at the Double-A level this season and get into a position where the Tigers might value him enough for his defense and havoc wreaking speed on the bases to call him up as a bench weapon sometime this summer.
The road to a full-time gig is probably closed at this point. The road to a part-time gig where he brings plus defense and high end base-stealing ability with plenty of contact at the plate, is wide open to him. ZIPS projection systems is a big fan, forecasting a part-time role in which Stephenson racks up 25-30 stolen bases a year, puts the ball in play a lot, and plays plus defense in the outfield. That’s good enough for 1.3-1.4 fWAR projections in the big leagues in the years ahead.
That’s a bit optimistic in terms of his likely playing time, but it does lay out the upper floors of his potential impact. All he needed was a quicker bat to handle better stuff, and the strength gains produced that jump in 2025. Now we’ll see how far he can take it as he tries to break into the major leagues in 2026-2027.
Some surprises out in Surprise? Possibly. I mean, the surprise for us right now would be a Cubs victory… the team was 0-3, started a lineup of Triple-A players and PCA, with Ben Brown on the mound, against the Royals ‘A’ lineup.
Brown worked two scoreless innings and that was good. Javier Assad took the ball and followed suit with a scoreless frame. They were supported by a Jefferson Rojas big fly in the fourth. Jackson Kirkpatrick, a decent-looking prospect, followed Assad. Porter Hodge, Ryan Rolison, and others threw for the cause. Tyler Ras gave up a solo shot to KC’s Josh Rojas in the eighth.
Former Cubs prospect Alex Lange pitched for KC. and didn’t throw enough strikes. He loaded the bases with one out and James Triantos liked one of his offerings enough to pound into the outfield between first and second for two runs.
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Wayne Drehs (Chicago*): Welcome to the PCA Show. “Cubs fan favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of baseball’s most exciting young talents — and his own biggest critic.“
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