Category: Baseball

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The Dominican Republic is a huge favorite to beat Korea in their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal matchup at LoanDepot Park on Friday, March 13.

My top World Baseball Classic best bets expect the Dominicans to win comfortably, while starter Cristopher Sanchez falls short of his lofty strikeout total tonight.

Korea vs Dominican Republic prediction

Korea vs Dominican Republic best bet: Cristopher Sanchez Under 5.5 strikeouts (-150)

Dominican Republic lefty Cristopher Sanchez only pitched 1 1/3 innings in his first start of the World Baseball Classic, and while he has the swing-and-miss stuff to pile up punchouts, I’m not anticipating him pitching deep enough into tonight’s game to record six or more strikeouts.

The Dominicans have a deep bullpen, and manager Albert Pujols hasn’t sent his starter out for more than five frames in the tournament.

Plus, the Koreans have averaged just nine strikeouts a game, and Sanchez’s 23.2 strikeout percentage in the bigs is a middling mark. 

Korea vs Dominican Republic same-game parlay (SGP)

The Dominicans have scored a tournament-high 41 runs with 13 homers and massive 1.130 team OPS. Additionally, while I don’t anticipate Sanchez racking up strikeouts, I do expect him to pitch better than he did in his first start.

The crafty lefty spun a tidy 2.50 ERA and 2.77 xFIP across 202 innings in the majors last year, after all.

Turning to the Over, Korea has averaged seven runs per game and has enough pop in the lineup to help push this total Over the number.

Julio Rodriguez star player prop

Julio Rodríguez 1+ RBI (+115)

Dominican center fielder Julio Rodriguez projects to bat down the order behind the who’s who of MLB stars in the lineup, so he’s positioned to have plenty of ducks on the pond to bring home tonight.

Rodriguez also posted a high-end .354 wOBA against lefties over the past three MLB seasons, and Korea is sending southpaw Hyun Jin Ryu to the hill.

Korea vs Dominican Republic opening odds

• Moneyline: Korea +600 | Dominican Republic -1000
• Run line: Korea +4.5 (+105) | Dominican Republic -4.5 (-130)
• Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-115) | Under 10.5 (-105)

How to watch Korea vs Dominican Republic and game info

Korea vs Dominican Republic weather

Cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. 

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Not that it really matters, but the New York Yankees are tied for the Grapefruit League lead with a 13-6 record after beating the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. On Friday, they will visit the Atlanta Braves in North Port, with left-hander Ryan Weathers looking to bounce back after putting up a stinker the last time out.

Facing the Mets last Sunday, Weathers conceded six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks, striking out three. It’s a big contrast in comparison to how he looked in his first spring start in late February vs. the Nationals, striking out five in 3.2 scoreless frames. The 26-year-old trade acquisition has been a hot topic among fans because of his fastball velocity, which touched 99.5 mph the last time he pitched and averaged 98.2 mph. Getting whiffs with his secondary pitches will be the key, though.

Didier Fuentes, the Braves’ starter, is a legitimate prospect, ranked third in their system. The 20-year-old boasts a big fastball that averaged 97.4 mph the last time he pitched and could be a good starter or a shutdown reliever someday. Atlanta also has a track record of being unafraid of aggressive promotions, and indeed, he made his MLB debut last year just three days after turning 20. He made three more starts after that but returned to Triple-A afterwards and ended the year in Gwinnett after suffering right shoulder inflammation.

Since this is a mid-spring road game, the Yankees are sending out a lineup full of mostly reserves and players fighting for relevance, but also with some regulars. Leadoff hitter Trent Grisham made the trip, as did Cody Bellinger and Ryan McMahon. They’ll be joined by Randal Grichuk, Oswaldo Cabrera, Max Schuemann, Jonathan Ornelas, Ernesto Martínez Jr., and Payton Henry.

The Braves welcome the return of Ozzie Albies to their starting nine after he spent some time away from the team playing for Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. He’ll be joined in the lineup by plenty of other likely faces who will play roles for Atlanta in 2024, including Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubón, and Jonah Heim. Kyle Farmer, José Azócar, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. round out the batting order.

How to watch

Location: CoolToday Park — North Port, FL

First pitch: 1:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: MLB Network, Gray TV (ATL)

Radio broadcast: ESPN 103.7 (ATL), available via MLB.tv

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

First pitch against the Boston Red Sox is at 1:05 at JetBlue Park and the Red Sox will be providing radio coverage.

Previous Winner

Adrian Santana, SS
20 | S/R | 5’11” | 155
A+ | .263/.324/.326 (94 wRC+) 409 PA, 2 HR, 47 SB, 8.6% BB, 12.0% K

Once a top-ten or so prospect in 2024, Santana fell off our site’s 2025 list after failing to clear as an honorable mention. Why? The switch-hitting slick fielding short stop was the Rays 31st overall pick in 2023 but has delivered sub-100 wRC+ each stop of his career, although that got closer than ever last season, his third as a professional and his third as a teenager in the Rays system. Could expectations be too high on his bat? He has plus athleticism, is learning to wheelhouse, and has “acrobatic” defense at the hardest position in the game, with 98 swiped bags over the last two seasons. What happens if he survives the test of Double-A breaking balls?

Santana sneaks a win through despite three other prospects getting 5 votes in Overn, recently optioned Mesa Jr., and Valdez. Next round adds 2025’s top international signee.

Candidates

Fabricio Blanco, SS
17 | S/R | 5’11” | 161

A bat-first middle infielder, the Venezuelan is an elite prospect within the context of the international signing process, with some believing he’s the best Rays signee this off-season, despite gathering only a $1 million bonus. He can barrel up from both sides of the plate, but may settle into a right handed swing in the long term, with quick hands. He has the ability and instincts to stick at short, with a high-IQ approach and gritty demeanor.

Alex Cook, RHP
25 | 6’2” | 220
AA | 2.30 ERA, 2.29 FIP, 15.2 IP (13 G), 30.5% K, 5.1% BB

The Rays added Cook to the 40-man roster this off-season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, despite only throwing 20 innings (if you include four appearances in the complex league) after a slow start to the season. Cook attempted to convert to starting in 2024 and succumbed to a should injury, but bounced back in the bullpen in 2025 throwing 99 mph — and he has shown up to camp continuing to pitch with confidence. He has plus control and command, with stuff that leans into his low release point, including a cut-ride fastball and two-plane slider, and an MLB average cutter to prevent platoon slit problems. He should slot into high leverage for Durham and ride the shuttle in 2026.

Maykel Coret, OF
18 | R/R | 6’4” | 187
DSL | .273/.294/.370 (115 wRC+) 188 PA, 2 HR, 15 SB, 12.8% BB, 22.3% K

Tampa Bay’s top signee from the 2025 international class, Coret reported tall and young with a lot of projection. His future depends mostly on his hit tool, with prospect evaluators divided on a player that has a long way to go, but the exit velocity (111 mph) and foot speed are plus for his age. Promisingly, after he had a hot start to his professional career, Coret saw his strikeouts elevate in July, but he got them back under control in the final month. A move to the complex league in 2026 would be aggressive.

Cooper Flemming, SS
19 | L/R | 6’3” | 190

One of the best high school bats in the 2025 draft, Flemming surprisingly fell into the Rays laps in the second round. He has a too-quiet swing that lacks the load necessary to hit for power, but he’s historically compensated for that with a high contact rate that would have rated him as first round material if his defense projected to stick. The Rays were able to convince him to forgo an education at Vanderbilt by going above slot ($2.3m, Comp-A money).

Taitn Gray, 1B/OF/C
18 | S/R | 6’4” | 220

The Rays 86th overall pick in 2025, Gray fell to the third round due to some concern about whether he will stick at catcher, but that buries the lead. Still just 17 at the time of the draft, Gray showed up to the Rays organization and proved his rumored power was real, running exit velocities up to 115 mph from both sides of the plate, although the left handed swing is sweeter. He has plus athleticism, which elevated his bat speed, foot speed, and fluidity — despite his size. It will be interesting to see where the Rays deploy him on defense, but it’s a great bat to dream on.

Victor Mesa Jr., OF
24 | L/L | 5’11” | 195
AAA (MIA) | .301/.368/.510 (136 wRC+) 171 PA, 7 HR, 4 SB, 9.9% BB, 16.4% K
MLB (MIA) | 6 H (1 HR), 5 BB, 5 K (81 wRC+) 38 PA

This Cuban power bat already made his major league debut with Miami last year after bouncing back from a spring hamstring injury, and was dealt to the Rays in February. He profiles as a fourth outfielder but has an option remaining, so the organization may send him down for regular playing time and one last chance for something more in development. If not, he’s a center field capable on defense, which goes a long way for a platoon bat. In the running for the nicest guy in baseball.

Dean Moss, OF
19 | L/R | 6’0” | 180

Signed well above slot out of the 2025 draft at No. 67 overall, Moss’s family moved from California to the Tampa Bay Area to enroll Moss at IMG, and it earned him a new-home-town selection. A jack of all trades, Moss’s hit tool shades his best thanks to plus bat speed. His swing is clean, with and the projection for his power over time is major league average. He will have competition internally to stick at center, but may get the first nod in the rookie league.

Austin Overn, OF
23 | L/R | 6’0” | 175
A+ (BAL) | .242/.367/.386 (127 wRC+) 341 PA, 8 HR, 43 SB, 15.5% BB, 28.2% K
AA (BAL) | .266/.326/.427 (112 wRC+) 136 PA, 5 HR, 21 SB, 6.6% BB, 25.0% K

Acquired in the Shane Baz trade, Overn was once a top draft prospect after committing to baseball over football at USC, but surprisingly struggled as a draft-eligible sophomore. That didn’t stop Baltimore from taking him in the third round (97th overall) in 2024. Now a professional, Overn overhauled his swing in the first half of 2025, and earned an early promotion to Double-A for his efforts, where he didn’t look overmatched. His biggest threat is his speed, which raises his floor and gives him an easy projection to a major league bench thanks to plus defensive instincts (BA gave 70’s to his run and field tools). His offensive profile is buoyed by his ability to work the count, but evaluators would like to see him punish fastballs more often for him to be considered a regular.

Émilien Pitre, 2B
23 | L/R | 5’11” | 185
A+ | .268/.356/.393 (122 wRC+) 524 PA, 9 HR, 14 SB, 11.6% BB, 20.4% K

The Rays 58th overall pick in 2024, Pitre has risen on draft boards through a strong performance in the Cape Cod league in 2023, but the power was a real question mark on his profile. Now given a chance to develop as a professional, he wouldn’t be the first to add muscle. His run and hit tools are plus, with a well coiled swing and solid contact in and out of zone. He’s too old to return to High-A and it be viewed as positive. His power stroke will be the key to his success in 2026.

Victor Valdez, SS
17 | R/R | 6’1” | 186

A pretty swing with a low whiff rate earned Valdez a big payday this winter — $3.5 million — with as good of a power projection as you can reasonably ask for from a a teenage bat, having been given a 25+ home run projection by Baseball America, who also praise his plus foot speed, bat speed, and control of the zone. Reports say he has ever improving lateral movements on defense, with smooth actions and a strong arm. If it all clicks, it’s a middle-of-the-order bat on the left side of the infield. At signing, the Rays gave him a comp to Francisco Lindor. It will be interesting to see if his first professional season can solidify the five tool profile.

Alex Cora was right. The Red Sox should win some sort of award for getting their guys ready to play entering the 2026 World Baseball Classic. 

Boston’s bats hit .310 during pool play and contributed to some of the tournament’s best performances thus far. The most impactful of all entering 2026? Jarren Duran balling out for Team Mexico. 

Watching Roman Anthony start every game and contribute at a high level for Team USA is super encouraging. But if the Red Sox are going to be a playoff team in 2026, Duran has to perform like an All-Star caliber offensive weapon. He’s done that so far this spring.

Here are three reasons the Red Sox should feel great about Duran with two weeks to go before Opening Day. 

The Power Surge

Duran has left the yard six times so far this spring. His two most recent homers came against Matthew Boyd in Team Mexico’s pool play battle with Team USA, emphasizing the 29-year-old’s sizzling start to competitive action this season.

Duran hit 21 homers in his All-Star 2024 season, but dropped back down to 16 home runs in 2025. The left-handed bat flashed raw power as a prospect, though the ability to bring that thump consistently in the big leagues hasn’t always been there. Swing changes and approach tweaks have reshaped Duran’s offensive identity, but he can contribute to the 20+ home run club that’s become a major talking point around the Red Sox lineup.

Put it this way: the math looks great. Across 27 total spring training and WBC at-bats, Duran homered in nearly a quarter of them. Only Vinny Pasquantino joins the Red Sox outfielder with a trio of WBC long balls. 

Lefties? No problem. 

For the Red Sox to produce at an efficient level in 2026, their young left-handed bats have to meet the matchups against southpaws. That especially goes for Duran, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu. 

Duran felt the dropoff against lefties in 2025 with just a .211 batting average and .600 OPS. He has to be better and voiced his intention to make the right adjustments in 2026: 

Well, he’s mashing lefties this spring. THAT is the storyline of his strong start. If Duran holds his own left-on-left, Boston’s offense could reach a completely different level.

Oh, and about that power surge we talked about above: of those six homers, four came against left-handed pitching. 

Leaning into athleticism

Duran’s defense was concerning at times in 2025 (-4 OAA, 18th percentile), headlined by his inability to secure an Aaron Judge line drive that led to the Yankees taking the lead in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series. 

The Red Sox outfielder already turned in a quality defensive moment for Mexico when he started a timely relay to cut down USA’s Anthony at the plate early in the pool play matchup. 

The speedster nabbed a pair of stolen bases as well in WBC action. 

All of these trends point to the way Duran has to attack with his playing style in 2026: Play loose. Dominate with athleticism. Make the adjustments. 

With 13 days to go before Opening Day, the Orioles have their starting pitcher. The team announced before Friday’s spring training game against the Phillies that the dominant star from last year, Trevor Rogers, is getting the nod for the first start of the season.

On one hand, it’s no surprise that the guy who had a 1.81 ERA across 18 starts last season, who accumulated 5.5 bWAR in only 109.2 innings, is getting lined up as the #1 starter for the season. If he had performed like that over a full season, he would have been an easy winner for the AL Cy Young award.

On the other hand, it’s at least a tiny surprise, if only because there’s also Kyle Bradish, who is longer-tenured with the team and still looked pretty ace-like in his return last year from Tommy John surgery. By starting Wednesday’s spring training game, Bradish appeared to be lined up for Opening Day on regular rest. The team has gone in another direction.

As of this writing, there has not been any official indication from manager Craig Albernaz about how he might line up his other starting pitchers. Given that there are six starting pitching candidates, he hasn’t even announced whether he will do a six-man rotation. For now, my best guess is that things will line up with Rogers followed by Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, and Dean Kremer, with Zach Eflin getting something like a two-week rehab stint at the start of the season to fully build up from last year’s back surgery.

The team has continually not indicated Eflin is behind schedule, though, so I’m starting to doubt that as the resolution. If nobody gets hurt between now and Opening Day, are they going to put Kremer in the bullpen? Send him to the minors? Though the #1 spot is resolved, many questions remain here. The Orioles probably have an idea internally what they’re going to do about these things, but they haven’t showed their cards yet.

Jordan Wicks has been a bit of an enigma for the Cubs. When he first came up, he was an effective lefty starter, but those results haven’t been consistent, and he keeps getting hurt. He’s starting this season on the IL, along with Porter Hodge, who didn’t look good. Neither injury is said to be long-term, but you never know. Wicks hasn’t pitched yet this year.

Wicks is still just 26 but the clock is running and the luster has been worn off of the #21 overall pick in 2021. He’s pitched to a lifetime 6-6 record, with a ghastly 5.21 ERA and 1.516 WHIP and 0.5 bWAR (0.3 fWAR).

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly the problem is. His stuff is not bad. He clearly puts in the effort and the coaches says he puts in the work. His K/9 is in the eights. He gives up around 1.5 HR/9.

Projections have him as a spot starter, and that’s probably his future, if he gets into major-league games at all. Wicks might be better off in another organization where he’ll have more chances to throw in the bigs, but he’s a tough sell right now, and teams hate to give up on first-rounders historically, because of their potential.

Wicks has a five-pitch mix — FB, sinker, slider, curve, change. He’s also thrown a cutter in the past but not in 2025. Let’s hope that the Cubs’ coaches can determine what the issue(s) is/are, and Wicks can regain the effectiveness that got him drafted in the first round.

Here are the lineups for today’s Grapefruit League matchup. Let’s discuss!

For the Phillies:

For the Orioles:

The National League Central could be the most highly volatile, wide open division of the 2026 season.

The Central was red hot in 2025, producing three of the six playoff teams in the NL. It looked like the year that the Chicago Cubs might finally dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Brew Crew rocketed up the standings from third place on June 1st to a 97 win season and a three-peat as division champs. The Cubbies finished with 92 wins and clinched the 4 seed, joined by the Cincinnati Reds who snuck in as the final Wild Card team.

The year ahead could yield wildly different results.

The PECOTA Standings are projecting major swings for three teams, predicting an 11-game improvement for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while calling for the Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals to be 16 and 11 games worse, respectively. Anchored by rising superstar Paul Skenes, the Pirates seem to be trending in the right direction and could push for a playoff spot, or escape the basement at the very least. On the other hand, the Cardinals are facing the reality that they may not be perennial contenders anymore. 

It feels likely that the Central will have two representatives in the postseason. If things break right, they may get three again. But who those two or three teams could be feels very up in the air in a wide open division. 

Chicago Cubs

2025 Record: 92-70 | PECOTA 2026 Projection: 89.9 wins

Key Additions: 3B Alex Bregman, SP Edward Cabrera, RP Hunter Harvey

Key Departures: OF Kyle Tucker, RB Brad Keller

The NL Central may be competitive and could come down to the wire like last year, but the Cubs are heavy favorites as things begin. Chicago brings back a very talented lineup on both sides of the ball, with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Ian Happ. 

That core group will be bolstered by one of the splashiest offseason signings, as the team finally got their long-pursued free agency target, signing Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. Bregman will hold down third base and add a strong bat and a Gold Glove, along with World Series experience and a veteran presence. The Cubs also re-signed Shota Imanaga on a qualifying offer, keeping him in the North Side for another year. 

Chicago has done an excellent job of fostering a roster of both home-grown talent and smart acquisitions, which has been rewarded with slow but steady improvement since 2021. They now feel like they’re at the place to add some final big pieces to compete regularly. With a balanced attack, they hope to continue their upward trajectory and perhaps avenge last year’s NLDS result, climbing a step higher in 2026. 

Cincinnati Reds

2025 Record: 83-79 | PECOTA 2026 Projection: 79.2 wins

Key Additions: 3B Eugenio Suárez, OF JJ Bleday

Key Departures: INF Gavin Lux, OF Austin Hays, 3B/OF Miguel Andujar

On the back of a strong finish and a New York Mets collapse, the Reds finished 8-3 in their last 11 games — including a four-game sweep of the Cubs — to make the playoffs with some Game 162 luck across the NL. Their success came with a slight down year for their star Elly De La Cruz, who dropped in home runs (from 25 down to 22) and stolen bases (plummeting from 67 to 37) between 2024 and 2025, despite playing all 162 games. 

Cincinnati floated right under the league average in most team batting and pitching statistics last year. Despite that, the Reds didn’t tinker with the roster much in the offseason, opting for stability. Still, there will be noticeable change as their key offseason pickups, Suárez and Bleday, are projected to slot right into the starting lineup at DH and left field, respectively. 

As is, they’re likely to finish right around where they did last season, so their floor is steady.

However, they bring back a pitching rotation with upside. A strong year from that group plus an offensive boost from their newcomers and a return to 2024 form for De La Cruz keeps their ceiling high. Consistency throughout the year could once again set them up for a Wild Card push if things begin to click. 

Milwaukee Brewers

2025 Record: 97-65 | PECOTA 2026 Projection: 81.2 wins

Key Additions: SP Brandon Sproat, SP Kyle Harrison

Key Departures: SP Freddy Peralta, C Danny Jansen, 1B Rhys Hoskins, INF Caleb Durbin

Projections are not being kind to a team looking for a fourpeat as NL Central champs.

It feels hard to bet against a team that’s won 90+ games and finished first in four the last five seasons. That bet feels especially risky given Milwaukee’s explosion last season. The team was unstoppable after the All-Star break, including a stretch where they went 15-1 in August. 

The Brew Crew is well-rounded. On the mound, they had the second best ERA, gave up the third-fewest hits, the third-fewest homers, and were top 10 in saves. Offensively, they were third in runs scored, third in hits, second in stolen bases, and fifth in strikeouts against. For the cherry on top, they were a very strong fielding team, too. 

By the numbers, they’re a top team and well-worthy of last year’s NLCS appearance as the 2 seed. So why the pessimism? Milwaukee heads into the season looking to prove that they can weather a number of key departures. Most notable might be the loss of their ace, Freddy Peralta. Peralta was a source of consistency, hitting the 30 game and 200 strikeout mark in each of the last three seasons. Brandon Woodruff, coming off an injury, is set to be the team’s new ace. Harrison and Sproat will mix into the rotation alongside some younger pieces who debuted in 2025: Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick. 

Milwaukee may be able to patch together a lineup to withstand some of their offensive losses. The loss of a 30-game starter and a reliance on more unproven pitching assets could cost make or break the team’s season and their hold on the division. 

Pittsburgh Pirates

2025 Record: 71-91 | PECOTA 2026 Projection: 82.4 wins

Key Additions: 2B Brandon Lowe, 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn, DH Marcell Ozuna

Key Departures: DH Andrew McCutchen, SP Johan Oviedo

The upcoming season will be a defining year for the Pirates. Some expectations place them in a tier with the Reds, firmly behind the Cubs and Brewers in the division pecking order. PECOTA is much more bullish, projecting them to finish ahead of the Brewers for second in the division, with a 43.3% chance to make the playoffs. Honestly, though, both a fight for second or a fight for third would both be a welcome sight for the Bucs, who have finished in last for five of the last nine seasons (and in fourth for the remaining four).

A competitive year in the Central would show marked improvement for the young squad. 

Obviously, ace Paul Skenes is a reason for a lot of the buzz around this team. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year turned 2025 Cy Young winner has been nothing short of phenomenal. He’s added to his young legacy with a brilliant World Baseball Classic debut, driving his stock even higher. With that, he’s obviously drawing interest from every other team in the league, but is under club control through 2029 and has denied any trade rumors. That window could force the club to strike while the iron is hot, so a successful 2026 could very well lead to an exciting offseason heading into 2027.

As for 2026, a sense of realism might check expectations for a jump from fifth to second. Pittsburgh will need to not only grow but make a big leap in a number of categories to meet their projected 11-win jump. In batting, the team was 28th in hits and batting average, bottom 10 in strikeouts, and dead last in home runs and RBI. That doesn’t inspire confidence. The Pirates acquired three new starters in the offseason (Lowe at second base, O’Hearn in right field, and Ozuna at DH). The trio will help, but will certainly have their work cut out for them.

To end on a positive, Pittsburgh’s success comes from its rotation. Last year, they were third in home runs allowed, seventh in ERA, and top 10 walks, The club brought back four of its five starters and kept the bullpen mostly unchanged. More pitching magic mixed with some new bats could help the Buccos reach new heights. 

St. Louis Cardinals

2025 Record: 78-84 | PECOTA 2026 Projection: 66.0 wins

Key Additions: SP Dustin May

Key Departures: 3B Nolan Arenado, SP Sonny Gray, 1B Willson Contreras, SP Miles Mikolas, INF Brendan Donovan

It’s hard to imagine a world where the Cardinals aren’t in the playoff mix after the team’s historical success for so many decades. But playoff misses in 2023, 2024, and 2025 might have been the final three nails in the coffin for the Cards. This offseason represented a full shift into rebuild mode, following the vision of new President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom.

The team shipped out two pitchers from their starting rotation in Gray and Mikolas. They moved on from an all-star in Donovan. And they moved away from players like Arenado and Contreras, core veteran pieces that were brought in when the club felt firmly in contention. However, a few years of middle of the road finishes led the team to make those sweeping changes.

Given the commitment to the rebuild and the other strong teams in the division, the projected dip and last place finish make sense. While the Cardinals were neck and neck with the Reds at the end of July and even again in early September when they crawled within half a game of third, their dropoff from their most recent first place finish in 2022 warranted bigger changes. 

They have moved to a younger roster, restocked their farm system, and added draft capital. Although they are a team who won’t be kept down for long, the growing pains and move to new talent are likely to keep them towards the bottom of the division this season. 

After winning the division for three years in a row, will the Brewers really fall as far as they’re expected to? Is a Cubs crown feeling like a sure thing? Or do the Pirates have what it takes to go worst to first?

Let us know what you think the NL Central has in store!

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

I guess we’ve found out why José Berríos wasn’t allowed to pitch in the WBC. The team is saying he’s heading to Texas to talk to Dr. Keith Meister about ‘right elbow inflammation. We hadn’t been told that there was an issue. He was scratched from his start against the Phillies. This is one of those things that gives Tom a bad feeling in his stomach.

Apparently, an MRI didn’t show anything. I can’t imagine he’ll be on the roster out of spring training.

Beyond that:

• Shane Bieber is throwing from flat ground and will continue doing that. In a few days they will decide if he is ready to pitch in a game.
• Alejandro Kirk is back in camp. He’s catching tomorrow, when Max Scherzer throws next.
• Scherzer has become more important now that Berrios isn’t going to be on the team and Trey Yesavage is a a long shot too, depending on how things go the next few days.

The Jays host the Twins today, 1:00 Eastern. Here’s the lineup. Cody Ponce starts. Use this as the GameThread:

And tonight we have two WBC quarter finals:

6:30 PM Dominican Republic/Korea

8:00 PM Canada/USA. Logan Webb and Mike Soroka are the starters. I think we’ll have a GameThread up.

The Guardians have some players who are doing well in Spring Training, so let’s talk about that.

The usual caveat applies here that in-game performance in Spring Training is a dangerous game. You never know exactly what is meaningful, what is not meaningful, and what is somewhere in between. With that said, here are some players catching my eye this Spring:

Pitchers:
Slade Cecconi – 3.15 FIP, 9.95/2.13 K/BB/9 – Cecconi has come into camp looking a lot more confident in his new, Guardians-inspired pitching repertoire/pitch shapes than he did last year, and seems primed for improvements across the board.

Cade Smith – 0.96 FIP, 12/0 K/BB/9 – Despite missing the first part of camp with neck soreness, Smith looks absolutely locked in as the team’s established closer for 2026.

Magnus Ellerts – 0.63 FIP, 13.5/0 K/BB/9 – Folks, if Ellerts has corrected at least some of his walk issues he will be in the major league bullpen sooner rather than later because he has electric stuff and can hit 100 mph. He has the highest perceived velocity in Guardians’ camp this spring at 95.9 mph.

Daniel Espino – 0.65 FIP, 13.5/0 K/BB/9 – Ah, if he can only stay healthy… he looked special as always.

Jack Jasiak – 0.20 FIP, 15.43/0 K/BB/9 – Jasiak has been eating hitters alive with his sweeper. Can that continue? I guess we will see.

Peyton Pallette – 0.96 FIP, 21/6 K/BB/9 – Pallette has popped with some great velocity and pitch movement. We’re all rooting for him to make the Opening Day roster and stay with the club.

Erik Sabrowski – 1.38 FIP, 20.25/6.75 K/BB/9 – Sabrowski remains absolutely nasty for no good reason.

Will Dion – 2.05 FIP, 7.11/0 K/BB/9 – With Austin Peterson hurt, it’s important that Dion looks like a potentially viable fifth starter.

Connor Brogdon – 3.05 FIP, 10.29/2.57 K/BB/9 – Brogdon should get a chance to show he belongs with Hunter Gaddis likely building up for the season after experiencing forearm tightness.

Tim Herrin – 3.63 FIP, 10.8/5.40 K/BB/9 – Herrin has been building on some positives late in 2025 to show he belongs back in the bullpen.

Tanner Bibee – 3.15 FIP, 7.82/0 K/BB/9 – Bibee has very obviously been working on throwing strikes and getting his pitch mix right… stop throwing that four-seamer so much, Tanner.

Gavin Williams – 3.38 FIP, 10.13/1.13 K/BB/9 – Williams looks like the Opening Day starter and anchor to the rotation the Guardians need him to be.

Shawn Armstrong – 2.63 FIP, 11.25/4.50 K/BB/9 – Reliable veteran doing reliable veteran things.

Jack Leftwich – 0.90 FIP, 12.270 K/BB/9 – Leftwich is working his way into that long-man role and looking potentially viable there if called upon.

Some underlying numbers also look great for Joey Cantillo and Colin Holderman, they just need to hone in on control and command.

Hitters:
Bo Naylor – 258 wRC+, 16.7/16.7 K/BB% (his OPS in the WBC is a shade below .700, which isn’t great but not bad, either).

Chase DeLauter – 188 wRC+, 5/10 K/BB% – If he’s healthy, the kid just HITS.

George Valera – 108 wRC+, 25.9/7.4 K/BB% – This can play vs. RHP.

Petey Halpin – 176 wRC+, 20.8/16.7 K/BB% – No way that Halpin can maintain this walk rate, but if he could cut his strikeouts closer to this and play great defense, he will be an excellent strong-side platoon centerfielder.

Ralphy Velazquez – 155 wRC+, 7.1/7.1 K/BB% – Ralphy definitely opened some eyes this Spring. He is getting steady “First Baseman of the Future” talk, but hopefully will make himself a left-field option.

Kahlil Watson – 213 wRC+, 31.3/12.5 K/BB% – Watson was a camp darling and you can see his approach was “swing the bat” and he made a lot of quality contact… but also had a lot of whiff.

Brayan Rocchio – 144 wRC+, 18.2/12.2 K/BB% – Rocchio has looked quiet, confident and effective at the plate. Him being an above average hitter would be a huge boon to this lineup.

Milan Tolentino – 185 wRC+, 14.3/33.3 K/BB% – Tolentino is not going to be a good major league hitter unless a miracle happens, but he is at least making himself look like he can do a Gabriel Arias approximation if the team FINALLY moves on there.

Jaison Chourio – 144 wRC+, 18.8/0 K/BB% – Good to see Chourio get some solid contact, but he’ll obviously need to take some walks to build back up his prospect status

Angel Martinez – 250 wRC+, 14.8/7.4 K/BB% – Angel has looked more confident in center and his K/BB% is what you want to see, along with – obviously – some good hitting. I think Angel has probably secured the 4th outfielder spot on the Opening Day roster, and good for him.

Juan Brito – 104 wRC+, 29.2/20.8 K/BB% – Just on the edge of missing this list, Brito had a couple terrible games defensively at third base, but has looked fine at second base. Really wish they’d give him a shot at Opening Day there and move Rocchio to short, but it looks like we are getting Arias at short and Rocchio at second for a while. Ah well.

As we’ve said several times, if the Guardians can finish camp mostly healthy, it will be a successful spring training. But, so far, with a couple weeks left, the team has also seen plenty of performances to be encouraged about as far as 2026 is concerned. Which of the names above has you most excited? Let us know in the comments below.

Diamondbacks news

(Arizona Sports) Projecting the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day lineup with 2 weeks until games count

While there is still plenty to sort through in the rotation and bullpen, notably the decision of whether or not Kelly will start on the injured list, the D-backs’ position player group has cleared up to a degree with the minor league reassignments of many prospects and dark horse candidates such as outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt and infielder Tommy Troy.

The position player group is not completely settled, but here’s what the Opening Day starting lineup could look like two weeks out — keeping in mind that the Diamondbacks will play the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will likely start a right-handed pitcher based on who’s available.

(MLB.com) Has Lawlar finally found a home as D-backs’ center fielder?

It was his first taste of the outfield since travel ball, but he played it well enough that with Perdomo at short and the addition of third baseman Nolan Arenado via trade this winter, the Diamondbacks have had him playing center this spring.

Does he enjoy the outfield?

“I enjoy playing every day,” Lawlar said with a smile. “I played all the sports growing up, and it kind of reminds me of like a slot receiver in football — run your route and go track the ball down.”

(SI.com) Former Diamondbacks Reliever Agrees to Deal With Rangers

Former Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jalen Beeks has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Texas Rangers, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It is a major league deal, pending a physical.

Beeks, who was one of the D-backs’ most effective relievers in the 2025 season, won’t be returning to Arizona ahead of the regular season, after all.

WBC News

(Arizona Sports) Ketel Marte among 7 Diamondbacks players advancing in World Baseball Classic

WBC pool play wrapped up on Wednesday with eight teams left standing. The Diamondbacks’ players and prospects eliminated from the WBC have started heading back to spring training, while those alive in the tournament will take the field in win-or-go-home games starting this weekend.

(Fox Sports) World Baseball Classic Power Rankings: All 8 Quarterfinalists Ranked

The 20-team field is down to eight, and while pool play didn’t go the way Team USA would’ve envisioned, the dream team survived thanks to Italy’s extraordinary 4-0 run through Pool B. Now, the top four favorites from our initial World Baseball Classic power rankings still remain standing, but Italy looks capable of taking any team down. 

(Fansided) The World Baseball Classic exposes everything American baseball is missing

The circumstances were virtually identical — a superstar of the sport delivering an early lead in a critical game — and yet the reactions, and the atmosphere, could hardly have been more different. Here’s another look. And it’s not just the D.R. Listen to how loud it got in San Juan, at a stadium with half the capacity of Daikin Park in Houston, when Puerto Rican pitcher Seth Lugo escaped a jam against Columbia:

1934
All-time White Sox playing and managing great Fielder Jones died, at age 62, in Portland. His 32.0 WAR for the club ranks 10th all-time among hitters and places him as the best center fielder in White Sox history. Jones was staggeringly good with the White Sox, never dipping below a 3.1 WAR season and leaving the game after a 1908 season that saw him tally 4.7 WAR, at age 36.

Jones was a player-manager for his final five White Sox seasons (1904-08), never suffering anything close to a losing season and by far the winningest (%) manager in club history. He piloted the White Sox to their first World Series win, over the Cubs in 1906.

1952
One day before celebrating his 31st birthday, southpaw hurler Bill Kennedy was sold to the White Sox by the St. Louis Browns. Kennedy would end up having the best season of his career on the South Side, leading the AL in appearances (47) and putting together a marvelous 2-2, five-save, 2.80 ERA/131 ERA+, 1.4 WAR season.

Eleven months after this purchase, Kennedy was shipped to Boston in a package that yielded the Pale Hose Vern Stephens.

1954
Think today’s streaming madness has made baseball too hard to watch, or the MLB’s blackout rules are an anachronism?

On this day, ABC made an ill-fated effort to televise a Spring Training game featuring the White Sox at the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. ABC intended the game as a national Game of the Week presentation, while GM Frank Lane of the White Sox felt it would not be shown in MLB cities and the Phillies believed the game was only going to be broadcast back to Chicago.

ABC proceeded with its broadcast prep, which would feature just a single camera, in the stands behind home plate. A hole was cut in the protective screen and the sole cameraman, from a local affiliate in Ft. Lauderdale, donned full catcher’s protective gear in case of foul balls getting through the opening.

The resulting chaos — during the game broadcast, mind you — forced ABC to cut its broadcast off after the third inning, without any explanation for viewers.

The White Sox won the game, 6-3.

1960
During spring training and near this date, the White Sox became the first team in MLB history to wear player names on the the back of their jerseys. The announcement had been made back on January 22. It was another Bill Veeck innovation, only done on road jerseys, met with some resistance from players, but soon adopted across baseball.

Brett Ballantini wrote a detailed “Flashback” article about the jersey-naming innovation on South Side Sox in 2018.

2000
White Sox slugger Frank Thomas was again featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A lengthy story talked about his career, the controversies and his desire to return to the top of the game. The headline stated, “Don’t Question My Desire. Frank Thomas Comes Out Swinging.” 

Thomas would have a spectacular 2000, missing a chance to win his third AL MVP after losing in a narrow vote to the A’s Jason Giambi, who’d later admit to using steroids in grand jury testimony. Frank’s numbers in 2000 included a .328 batting average, 43 home runs, 143 RBIs, 112 walks and a slugging percentage of .625 for the team that led the American League in wins with 95. Despite those gaudy figures, Thomas didn’t lead the league in any single category that year.

2024
In the first major trade of GM Chris Getz’s tenure, the White Sox shipped superstar starter Dylan Cease to San Diego. The Padres shipped back four players: starting pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, outfield prospect Samuel Zavala and veteran reliever Steven Wilson.

Cease originally arrived on the South Side with Eloy Jiménez in exchange for José Quintana in 2017. The righty had a brilliant year out west, putting up 4.2 WAR and going 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA/3.10 FIP and 1.067 WHIP, and continued his streak of essentially never missing a start to five seasons. Brilliant beginnings in Double-A by Thorpe (7-1, eight earned runs in his first 10 starts) and Iriarte (one earned run in his first four starts) seemed to grade this speculative deal out evenly from the get-go. But after making their major league debuts later on in the summer, both Thorpe (injured elbow) and Iriarte (wildness) ended the year on softer notes and Zavala had a very down season in High-A ball.

Texas Rangers lineup for March 13, 2026 against the Colorado Rockies.

Texas heads to Scottsdale to take on the Rockies of Colorado. Sam Haggerty is playing second base and Josh Smith is at third, as Josh Jung continues to be unavailable. Jacob Latz is starting.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Langford — CF

Seager — SS

Burger — 1B

McCutchen — DH

Jansen — C

Carter — LF

Smith — 3B

Haggerty — 2B

3:10 p.m. Central start time.

When you see someone dubbed with the nickname “Home Run” and then compare that to their career total of 96 homers, you might think that was an ironic title. Maybe it was a joke like when a big guy gets nicknamed “Tiny.” However for his time Frank “Home Run Baker” was a prolific slugger, leading the league in homers on four occasions. It’s just that his era was directly before and then overlapping a certain Babe Ruth, who proceeded to blow Baker and everyone else’s tallies out of the water.

However, Baker was very rightly a star of his era and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame, for his work with the Yankees and the then-Philadelphia Athletics. Today is also his birthday, so let’s look back on the man dubbed “Home Run.”

John Franklin “Home Run” Baker
Born: March 13, 1886 (Trappe, MD)
Died: June 28, 1963 (Easton, MD)
Yankees Tenure: 1916-19, 1921-22

Baker was born in 1886 in a town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, not far from the Chesapeake Bay. He was born into a farming family, and spent many years of his youth working the farm. Doing all that hard work on the farm helped Baker develop into a muscular young man, who first started to make waves on the baseball field while playing for his high school.

In high school, Baker was a pitcher and an outfielder, and caught some scouts’ eyes. He was signed by a local semipro team, where he was moved to third base, which would become the only defensive position he would ever play in the major leagues.

After a couple seasons playing semipro ball, Baker received a tryout with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles of the Eastern League in 1907. While a run with Baltimore wasn’t on the card, Baker did sign professionally for 1908, joining the Reading Pretzels of the Tri-State League. Putting up a .299 batting average and a .417 slugging percentage, Baker was noticed by Philadelphia Athletics legendary manager Connie Mack. With Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins nearing the end of his career, Mack was looking for a young third baseman to take his place, and gave Baker a try, purchasing his contract from Reading in September. In eight games at the end of 1908, Baker hit just well enough for Mack to not only keep him around, but to install him as the regular third baseman for the A’s in 1909.

In Philadelphia, Baker would become a star and one of the key cogs in the A’s dynasty of the early years of the World Series. In seven seasons from 1908-14, he put up 40.9 fWAR and 42.2 rWAR, including a 1912 season that was worth 9.1 and 9.3 respectively. He led the league in home runs every year from 1911-14. It’s just that, again, the highest of those totals was 12 as it was the Deadball Era. The A’s won four AL pennants in that time and won the World Series title in 1910, 1911, and 1913. In all three of those victories, Baker OPSed over 1.000 for the series. Had the World Series MVP Award existed then, he would’ve had an especially good argument in ’11, as he hit a couple crucial home runs (the real spark for his amusing-in-hindsight nickname), including one in their clinching Game 6 win that ended up providing the series-winning runs.

After a World Series loss in 1914, Mack began to sell off several of the pieces from the previous championship teams. While he attempted to keep hold of Baker, the slugger was looking for a pay raise, having been one of the heroes of the A’s recent successes. However on the other side of the negotiating table was the notoriously stringy Mack. Both sides were also quite stubborn and stuck to their guns. In the end neither side budged, and Baker ended up sitting out the entire 1915 season. Eventually, AL president Ban Johnson put some pressure on Mack to try and resolve the situation of one of the league’s stars, which ended with Baker being sold to the Yankees ahead of the 1916 season.

In New York, Baker hit the ground running, putting up a 130 wRC+ in 1916, even with having sat out the entire previous season. He continued to be a very steady bat for them over the next several seasons, as the Yankees turned from a cellar dweller in the early 1910s to a contender by the end of the decade.

Tragedy struck in 1920, as during that offseason, Baker’s wife passed away after a scarlet fever outbreak. Devastated, Baker sat out the entire season, which was also Babe Ruth’s first in the Bronx. Towards the end of that year, he eventually began to get the itch again, and eventually rejoined the team for the 1921 season.

However this time, taking an entire season off led to some rust. The now 35-year old Baker was a below average hitter for the first time in his career, although he did help the team to their first ever AL pennant in 1921. Despite his previous postseason heroics, Baker struggled this time around, recording just two hits as they lost to the Giants. He returned to the Yankees the following year, but in more of a bench role. He again helped the Yankees to the World Series, but got just one at-bat in another series loss.

After that season, Baker decided to hang it up, just narrowly missing the Yankees finally getting over the hump in 1923. Still, he had been a major part of the team building up to get in position to win the championship. Over his six seasons in New York, he put up 19.2 fWAR and 20.6 rWAR. Following his playing career, he returned to his native Maryland and spent some time as a minor-league manager, including giving a pro debut to future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx and helping connect him with Mack, his old A’s skipper. He was later voted into the Hall himself, by the Veterans Committee in 1955. He eventually passed away in 1963.

It’s somewhat funny that someone got the nickname “Home Run” immediately before there was a huge jump in homers, making his record look paltry. Make no mistake though, for his era, Home Run Baker was absolutely a feared slugger.

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