MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 12: Brady Singer #51 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
You need not dig too deeply through the annals of Major League Baseball history to discover a time when the Cincinnati Reds sported one of the finest collections of starting pitching in the land. In fact, you need only turn back the clock to last year to find the Reds, with 15.6 collective fWAR, ranking as the 2nd best starting pitching unit in the sport.
Oh, how times change!
Despite Chase Burns emerging as a legitimate ace prior to having his innings curtailed, Cincinnati’s starters sit with a meager 8.0 fWAR combined so far this season. That ranks 22nd overall, and given the rate at which they’ve been getting shelled lately there’s reason to believe that number could even shrink before season’s end.
(Where have you gone, Hunter Greene’s elbow? Reds nation turns their lonely eyes to you.)
As Cincinnati slumps its way towards game 162, it’s worth pointing out the meteoric fall of two starters in particular.
As of the morning of September 17th, there have been 52 big league pitchers to log 150 innings so far this season, and not a single one has a higher FIP (5.40) than Brady Singer, who’ll start this afternoon in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That’s the guy that the front office hinted might get a $23 million qualifying offer at season’s end after they didn’t deal him away at the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, you need not look far down that bad-news leaderboard to find a fellow Reds starter, as Andrew Abbott (4.90) ranks 3rd worst. So, Cincinnati has had a bit of durability from these arms – as I mentioned, fewer than two starters per club have reached 150 IP so far this season, on average – but the ones the Reds have had clear that mark rank as the guys who more likely than not shouldn’t be pitching that much after all.
It’s almost like they lost their pitching coach mysteriously in the middle of the season and couldn’t remember how to throw anymore.
With just over two weeks remaining in the 2026 season, it’s unlikely that either of these two finds a new gear, a new pitch, a new approach that rights their respective ships enough for it to matter in the larger sample. That’s work that will be reserved for the long, cold offseason when Cincinnati once again gets to lick its wounds while other clubs play meaningful postseason ball. Whether or not it’ll be a long enough winter for them to fix all the problems remains to be seen.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 12: Kyle Harrison #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on September 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a come-from-behind win on Wednesday night, the Brewers are looking for a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon, as the team is now just three wins away from setting a new franchise record and five wins away from a 100-win season.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison gets the ball for the Crew, and while his season stats still look solid — 3.98 ERA, 4.03 FIP, and 134 strikeouts over 110 2/3 innings — he’s really struggled in his last few outings. Spanning 7 1/3 innings over two starts and a relief appearance, Harrison has allowed a whopping 19 runs (17 earned) on 23 hits (including six homers) and six walks while striking out seven. That’s raised his ERA and FIP from 2.79 and 3.30, respectively. He’ll look to get back on the right track against a team he’s had plenty of success against — across 17 career innings against the Pirates, he’s allowed no runs and struck out 29. That includes a pair of wins this season, as he’s totaled 11 innings with 22 strikeouts against them.
Opposite Harrison is right-hander Wilber Dotel. Dotel, 23, has made 19 appearances this season, and this will be just his second start. Across 35 1/3 innings here in his rookie year, he’s 1-5 with a 4.84 ERA, 2.98 FIP, and 36 strikeouts. He pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning against the Brewers in Tuesday night’s loss, allowing a hit and striking out one. His only other start came on Friday against the Cubs, when he went two innings and allowed three runs before Khristian Curtis (3 IP, 6 ER) and Antwone Kelly (3 IP, 3 ER) finished things out in a 12-2 loss.
In roster news, the Brewers have designated left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny for assignment. Zastryzny, 34, made 35 appearances for the Brewers between 2024 and 2025, pitching to a 2.12 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 25 strikeouts across 29 2/3 innings. He hasn’t appeared in any major league games this year as he’s dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks. He was sent on his latest rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville last week, but the Brewers activated and DFA’d him today. The move doesn’t open a 40-man spot, as Zastryzny was on the 60-day IL.
Brice Turang sits in the leadoff spot today, followed by Luis Lara and Jackson Chourio. Andrew Vaughn bats cleanup, with Gary Sánchez in the five-hole. Joey Ortiz, Sal Frelick, Bo Naylor, and David Hamilton round things out, as regular starters Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and Christian Yelich all get the day off.
First pitch is set for an early 11:35 a.m. CT and will be on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Jul 10, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, United States; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Sam McWilliams (64) throws a pitch during a simulated game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
We need to come up with a cool nickname for Allan Castro. Clutchstro? The Bull Runner? Because, he’s running those Bulls (Rays AAA) out of town the last couple of nights. After capturing the walk-off knock Tuesday, he was right back at it again on Wednesday with two home runs including a 7th-inning shot that turned the game on its head. The WooSox went into that seventh inning down 5-3 and never looked back after taking the lead. Castro’s home runs were aided by Tsung-Tse Cheng. Franklin Arias and Braiden Ward really extending those innings in front of him; Ward had a three-hit night, Cheng had two, and Arias had two RBIs of his own.
Defensively, things weren’t pristine, as Blake Wehunt allowed four runs in his five innings of work and left the game in the loss column, but it was also far from a terrible start. The bullpen shoved. Seth Martinez struck the side out, Sam McWilliams again slammed the door to get his second save in just over a week, and overall this all led Durham to go 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. McWilliams is an interesting case for a “get him up to eat some innings” once the playoff spot is captured and the team is secure in their slot. A 2014 Phillies draft pick, the 6’7” 230 righty touches the high 90’s with his fastball, but, due to the 31-year-old imploding at the wrong times, he hasn’t touched an MLB roster. This includes being selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Royals in 2018 and promptly having an ERA of 15 in 7 appearances in Spring Training. Still, if you want a low-leverage, innings eater, mop-up guy for late September, look no further than McWilliams, who now hasn’t allowed a run since last month.
Another eyebrow-raiser is Romy’s OPS growing closer to that hallowed 1.000 mark in Triple-A and the possiblity of him being a guy that can help should one of these platoon guys need some rest. Gonzalez is hitting .462 in September. That’s good, right? It’s also good that the team has several “break glass in case of emergency” guys that are not a considerable step down from guys currently on the roster… or at least not guys the fanbase would collectively be quivering in fear to see on a line-up card. At least, not any more than usual…
NEWARK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 13: New Jersey Devils Matyas Melovsky #57 celebrates after scoring a goal during a game between the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils at RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House at Prudential Center on September 13, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The New Jersey Devils 2026-27 roster is mostly set.
Yes, players have just started to report and media day just came around yesterday, but let’s face facts. With the way the New Jersey Devils roster is currently structured, training camp is a mere warm-up for the preseason which is warming the team up for the regular season. While that might sound exactly like what the definitions of those things should be, training camp in thew NHL has had its surprises in the past. Some young players have excelled to the point of making the team out of nowhere, while players that would be expected on the roster have shown themselves to not be ready for NHL action.
The Devils made enough adjustments in the offseason to fill out their forward and defense group, leaving very little room for anyone to come out of obscurity and make their way onto the opening night squad. If you’re still not sold on the idea, take a look at the Devils page on Puckpedia. Oh sure, maybe there’s one fourth line/press box guy that’s currently listed at the NHL level who will be swapped with one currently listed at the AHL level. Maybe Vladislav Kolyachonok is the 7th defender rather than Declan Chisholm when the opening night roster is announced. Perhaps the Devils choose to carry three goalies and have one less forward on the roster, at least at the start of the season. While there’s a few small details that are still to be ironed out, there’s no room for any major surprises.
That means unfortunately for anyone wanting Anton Silaev on the opening night roster, (barring a slew of injuries in preseason games) it’s going to have to wait until at least 2027-28. The players who just appeared at the team’s rookie camp/matchup against the Islanders? Don’t expect to see any of them cracking the lineup either. Players like David Rittich and Amadeus Lombardi (who were alluded to earlier with the “press box guy” label) were already being penciled into the Devils’ roster as they wouldn’t have signed/traded for guys who need to be placed on waivers if they did not intend to play them, although in Rittich’s case, third goalies do sometimes get signed and placed on waivers for depth purposes.
Training camp this year will be about training for these Devils. It will serve as an introduction to some of the younger players through practices and maybe the first or even first two preseason games. Beyond that, with a shorter, four game preseason, the team will be looking to just get all of the new pieces to mesh and figure out who is going to play with who and where on the depth chart. Between signing Anthony Mantha in free agency, and bringing Evan Rodrigues in and Jesper Boqvist back from Florida while also acquiring Luke Evangelista from Nashville. That’s four new forwards at a minimum; with a shorter preparation period, the Devils probably won’t be looking to work in too many other new parts.
Training camp and the preseason will be coming at us quickly, with the first game already slated for this coming Sunday. For the Devils, however, there won’t be much to figure out before the regular season starts. A couple minor things for sure, but the larger parts are already sorted; this preseason, roster formation is a mere formality.
What are your thoughts about the Devils’ training camp; do you feel there’s room for a roster surprise, or do you agree there’s just no space for it this season? Is there anyone you want to see make a strong showing even if it doesn’t result in an NHL spot? If there’s injuries, who do you think could step up? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!
The first practice of Boston Bruins training camp took place Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton.
The Bruins underwent a retool last season and surprised a lot of people by making the playoffs. The expectations have increased as a result. Can the Bruins not only make the playoffs again, but also win a round? They have advanced past Round 1 only once since 2021.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney added a few good players to the roster in the offseason, most notably winger JJ Peterka and defenseman Will Borgen. But if the Bruins are going to take the next step and be a contender, they really need some of their young players to step up and fill a larger role.
James Hagens, who the Bruins selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is at the top of that list.
Let’s dive into our first Opening Night roster projection of camp.
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JJ Peterka was the Bruins marquee offseason addition, and getting him off to a strong start is important. Playing alongside Pastrnak is the best way to accomplish that objective. Peterka plays with great speed and has scored 25-plus goals each of the last three seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising if Peterka hit the 30-goal mark with Pastrnak, who set a career high with 71 assists last season. Asking Fraser Minten to be the first-line center is a lot of responsibility for the 22-year-old forward, but the B’s did outscore opponents 23-7 at even strength last season when he played with Pastrnak.
Geekie scored a career-high 39 goals last year. Getting to the 30-goal mark for the third straight season would be impressive. Geekie and Zacha only played about 111 minutes together at even strength last season, per Natural Stat Trick, but the B’s had a plus-42 edge in shot attempts, a plus-19 advantage in shots on net, and a plus-13 lead in high-danger chances during that ice time. Mittelstadt is entering the final year of his contract and has all the motivation to be more productive offensively.
James Hagens is a real X-factor for the B’s this season. The team’s top prospect has immense offensive talent, which was on full display earlier this week when he scored four goals in a 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres in the 2026 Prospects Showcase.
“I was so happy and I’m glad he played in that tournament,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said at a press conference Wednesday. “I’ve seen in the past with some other guys I had. It’s a great opportunity to shine, and he did. It gives him a little bit of a head start. I think he feels pretty good today. I saw him around, he was smiling. That means he’s going to be ready for tomorrow and that’s all what I’m looking for.
“He doesn’t have to be doing this and doing that. No, he’s just got to be James Hagens. He worked extremely hard, like [Don Sweeney] said, this summer. Now he should just reward himself and play free. It’s different, it’s not playoff hockey. It’s training camp. He’s going to be ready to go tomorrow. I’m excited, too, to see him play in preseason.”
Lindholm has disappointed offensively since signing a seven-year free agent contract with the Bruins in 2024, but he’s still a very good defensive center. He can handle those responsibilities and allow Hagens to jumpstart the attack. Hagens’ speed would also mesh well with Khusnutdinov, who also plays with plenty of pace. Hagens could eventually move into a top-six role, but a third-line spot is probably the best spot for him to make a complete transition to regularly playing against NHL competition.
The fourth line speaks for itself. This group played well last season. There’s no reason, at least at the moment, to break it up.
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Charlie McAvoy’s six-game suspension to start the season is a tough setback for the Bruins considering he’s by far their best defenseman. It also makes putting together these pairings much more difficult. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Sturm try a bunch of different combinations in camp.
The Bruins have 10 waiver-eligible defensemen, so unless someone is traded, they might risk losing one of these defensemen to another team through waivers if they are sent down to the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
Sturm admitted Wednesday that he wants to see the blue line produce more offensively this season.
“Sometimes I think the offense was kind of the one thing, one area, it kind of got lost a little bit,” Sturm said. “I think there’s times we could have maybe joined the rush more. We could have been more active overall as a defensive group. That’s something we’re going to touch on starting tomorrow to be more involved, I would say, in our offensive game.”
Two young players who could provide some offensive punch from the back end are Mason Lohrei and Frederic Brunet. Lohrei is in the final year of his contract and has proven to be a good skater with playmaking ability, but defensively he still has a ton of room for improvement. Brunet is the Bruins’ top defenseman prospect and excelled in Providence last season with 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 65 games. Having a good camp and preseason is important for both players. It’s possible both players could play Opening Night, but Jonathan Aspirot should be in the mix, too.
Aspirot and Nikita Zadorov played 160:23 of even-strength ice time together last season and the B’s outscored opponents 11-5 and had a .939 save percentage during those minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.
The one thing we know about this blue line is there will be plenty of internal competition over the next two weeks.
“I think the competition is going to play out,” Sweeney said Wednesday. “Clearly, we had an eye toward the fact that Charlie wasn’t going to start the year for six games. You get through training camp, albeit it’s a little shorter than what it has been in the past. You could run into injury troubles, last year we did, and we tested that pretty quickly. We’re in a good spot there. Will we have to make a move? Time will tell in that sense, in how the players play, how their health is. At some point in time, we will have to get to the waiver question and make smart decisions as a result.”
Goaltenders
Starter: Jeremy Swayman
Backup: Michael DiPietro
Swayman had a great bounce-back season in 2025-26 and was voted a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time. He was the Bruins’ best and most valuable player throughout the regular season, and in the playoffs.
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The unknown coming into the 2026-27 campaign is whether the Bruins will increase his workload after he played in a career-high 55 games last season. Michael DiPietro has earned a chance to be an NHL goalie after excelling for Providence the previous two years, highlighted by an AHL MVP award in 2025-26. But he only has one game of NHL experience. If he’s not ready, Swayman might need to play a ton of games.
“We’ll see, time will tell,” Sturm said Wednesday when asked about Swayman’s workload. “He had a pretty good run last year, and that’s why there’s a lot of nights we even talk about who’s going to be in net the other night or the next night. Sometimes we had to go with him because he was pretty hot for a while, so hopefully he’s going to have stretches like this again, regardless of who’s going to be the backup, a veteran or a young kid like Mikey [Michael DiPietro].
“We just want to give him the best opportunity, and hopefully he’s going to have another year like this, like he had last year for us, and get us a lot of good saves and a lot of points on the board.”
The Golden State Warriors' Zaza Pachulia (27) reacts after he was called a foul against him on San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard in the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, May 14, 2017. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) (Photo by RAY CHAVEZ/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
It was a tightly contested match, with UD (representing “Spurs Haters”) just narrowly beating Kawhi (representing “Former Spurs”) 53-47. I mean, how could you choose? Should you vote for Kawhi, the actual player and face of all this scrutiny, or Uncle Dennis, the mastermind behind it all? I would’ve bet my entire life savings on Kawhi dominating the tournament, but after the recent events surrounding the Aspiration scandal, I think the voters got it right.
On the other side of the bracket, Zaza from the “Dirty Players” quadrant edged out Derek Fisher, who led the “Spurs Killers” section. I find it hilarious how both finalists are directly related to Kawhi, yet neither is the Nephew himself. He still lives rent-free in the heads of Spurs fans, and given what’s gone down the past year, that also applies to the NBA as a whole.
The Finals
1. Zaza Pachulia vs. 4. Uncle Dennis Robertson
Zaza coming out of his side of the bracket makes sense. He was the sole reason why we didn’t get to see a more competitive Western Conference Finals in 2017 against the greatest team ever assembled, with the Spurs up 20 when he conveniently slid into Kawhi’s landing zone. Not only was the result a sweep for the Spurs, but Zaza also had the honor of being made an example of with a new rule created that summer.
On the other side, I think the fans got it right by voting for Uncle Dennis, even if the result surprised me. From what we now know, the signs point to him being the puppet master who created all this chaos. That doesn’t mean Kawhi isn’t also complicit (whoever thinks he didn’t know about the Clippers’ side deals is lying to themselves), but Dennis seems to be the one whispering sweet lullabies in Kawhi’s ear and persuading him to go through with all the shady business.
Recency bias also helps both sides. I doubt Uncle Dennis would’ve gotten the support (hate?) he did throughout the tournament if the suspension and reporting dropped later, and Zaza being one of the most recent players in his section helped his case too. With both finalists being connected to the same player, my mind starts to come up with what-if scenarios had neither impacted Kawhi.
Zaza’s case is simple. With Kawhi still playing in the 2017 West Finals, the Spurs would’ve won game 1 and made it a more competitive series before likely still bowing out to the juggernaut Warriors. I know many fans like to believe that San Antonio would’ve beaten Golden State with a healthy Kawhi, but let’s not kid ourselves: that was the greatest team ever assembled, and the series would’ve gone 6 games max.
The Uncle Dennis implications are far more interesting. Without him casting spells on Kawhi, does that mean the latter would’ve remained a lifelong Spur? Personally, I doubt it. It seems like Kawhi always had his eyes set on LA and would’ve made his way there eventually, although the exit wouldn’t have been as messy, and he could’ve waited until 2019 to leave as a free agent.
If that scenario played out, the Spurs would’ve potentially had two more seasons to compete as a legitimate contender. Kawhi would still have dealt with his quad injury heading into the 2017-18 campaign, but perhaps he could’ve healed and come back 100% that season had he listened to San Antonio’s medical staff instead of scheming his way out of town.
Chris Paul was also rumoured to have been interested in joining the Spurs in the summer of 2017, and the Kawhi uncertainty definitely didn’t improve the Spurs’ chances of landing the Point God. The chances of acquiring him were slim to begin with, but can you imagine the 2018 version of CP3 playing alongside a prime Kawhi? In that alternate universe, the Spurs would be the ones taking Golden State to game 7 of the West Finals (and potentially beating them), and not the Rockets.
Alright, enough with the hypotheticals — it’s time to vote for the ultimate Spurs villain! Will it be the man who ended the Spurs’ exhilarating playoff run in 2017, or the infamous uncle who will (hopefully) never be heard from again? Let us know with your final vote!
As Swans turn sights on Fremantle for the preliminary final, their suspended players are still the story on and off the field
Four weeks ago, the Sydney Swans were preparing to play North Melbourne in the final round of the home and away season. By that point of the week, five of their players had been suspended for the rest of the year for a breach of club standards. We’d been bombarded with think pieces. We’d been lectured to by personal injury lawyers. Sydney’s chief executive Matthew Pavlich, who’d previously been reading the sports news on Perth television and reporting on dressage from the Paris Olympics, was central to a national conversation about how we talk about violence against women. The prime minister, the governor general and the Victorian premier had all weighed in.
At that stage, much of the outrage had been directed at the way the story was framed as a footballing story. As a result, nearly every single comment on the Swans by the football media was prefaced by an acknowledgment that our thoughts were foremost with the alleged victims. Most of the time they sounded like one of those disclaimers at the end of a betting ad.
For the average person, $30,000 is a sizeable chunk of an entire year's salary.
For Connor Hellebuyck, it could soon become the approximate cost of a single day away from the Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets suspended their star goaltender Wednesday after Hellebuyck failed to report for medicals and physical testing ahead of training camp. Winnipeg will hit the ice for its first practices Thursday morning at hockey for all centre without the three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
And there it is.
Connor Hellebuyck has been suspended by the #NHLJets.
Hellebuyck isn't yet sacrificing regular-season salary, with NHL players not receiving their regular pay during training camp. But should his absence continue once the regular season begins, the financial implications become staggering.
Hellebuyck is in the third season of a seven-year, $59.5-million contract carrying an $8.5-million annual cap hit.
Photo by Ron Cheney/USA Today
Depending on the calculation applied to his actual salary and the number of days in the NHL pay period, we are talking tens of thousands of dollars for every day Hellebuyck remains suspended - roughly $30,000-plus per day.
A week? More than $200,000.
A month? Potentially approaching $1 million.
And yet, for now, Hellebuyck isn't budging. The 33-year-old publicly confirmed his trade request on Aug. 27, saying he had privately asked the Jets for a move several months earlier.
“I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options,” Hellebuyck said in the statement released by his agent, Ray Petkau. “My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Three weeks later, Hellebuyck has backed those words with action.
The Jets included him on their 51-player training camp roster, but when players reported Wednesday, Hellebuyck wasn't among them. Winnipeg responded by suspending him for failure to report.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is scheduled to address reporters Thursday morning, with Hellebuyck's future certain to dominate the conversation.
Hellebuyck has spent his entire 11-year NHL career in Winnipeg, appearing in 625 games while winning three Vezina Trophies and the 2024-25 Hart Trophy. But after requesting a trade and now refusing to report to camp, the relationship between Hellebuyck and the only NHL organization he's ever known has reached its most significant impasse yet.
Training camp has officially begun in Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck is nowhere to be seen. And if that remains the case into October, staying away is going to start getting very expensive.
I think it bears repeating as the Cubs split their season series with the Braves. The Cubs won the season series from seven teams, including the Dodgers, Phillies, Padres and Diamondbacks. They split the series with four teams, including, now, the Braves. They lost the season series to only the Cardinals and Brewers. Are the Dodgers definitely doing a thing where they coast through the regular season just trying to stay healthy for a postseason run? Absolutely. Were all of those other teams? Did any of those other teams think they had so much margin of error that they could just mail in their games with the Cubs? I don’t think so. The National League was the better league this year, by a decent margin. And the Cubs played better against the NL.
My point? This Cubs team is a flawed team. We’ve all seen that. We all know it. Heck, this was a pretty good game and it saw the Cubs bullpen allow three runs in three innings of work. And the three guys who threw have definitely been three of the better arms of late, regardless of what that says about the guys who didn’t throw in this one. So even in a nice win, we see the problem. And yet, when you have the presumptive NL MVP, a guy who is going to get a fair bit of downballot support for that same award and a deep cast of supporting characters, you do have a chance to be a pain in somebody’s butt. I see what you see. I know what has you nervous or disappointed about this team. I get it. But this team can play. They’re not going to shy away from anyone (even the Brewers who, yeah, maybe they should).
Oh and one more thing. You aren’t digging around the web and finding BCB and then finding what I write and then hanging around because you are a casual fan. You are looking for sports talk and getting in the weeds. You’re a smart baseball fan. Don’t be one of those people who’s still doom speaking and suggesting this team won’t even get into the playoffs. This team is going to be a playoff team. They’ll probably, but not definitely, be the first Wild Card. They’ll clinch a playoff spot early next week.
Can’t let Al have all of the fun. The big picture is fun, but what a fun game this was from the closeup view. This was pretty certainly the best combined game of the two best Cub hitters this year. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman each had three hits, all extra base hits. 20 total bases between the two of them. Seven runs driven in between the two of them. Four runs scored. With Bregman’s continued late push, he might finish in the top five in the NL in fWAR among position players.
PCA? He’s chasing Rogers Hornsby for the highest fWAR season in Cub history. With two more homers and a triple along with his usual excellent defense, he feels like a good bet to set that record. He’s already set new records for most homers and most extra base hits by a Cub left handed hitter. It is mind-boggling that if he doesn’t get a 40/40 season, it’s largely because he has too many homers. As if that’s such a thing. As if his season will be any less special at 44/37 (and counting). There are players in baseball history with 37 or more steals and 44 or more homers in a single season — PCA, Shohei Ohtani and Alfonso Soriano.
Simply remarkable. If we didn’t have PCA, we’d be talking a lot about the impressive season of Bregman. Pretty amusing for a guy who many suggested was a terrible signing for the first couple of months of the season, while he was working hard to work out a couple of issues. How many teammates do you think were paying attention when a savvy veteran with a couple of rings and an enormous contract was working his butt off trying to work out some issues? He could have just been satisfied and plodded along until he got things together. But we saw on Marquee several times early him going through the process of getting things worked out.
This has been the kind of season that makes you want to pull your hair out. But it has also been so much fun. I suspect we’re going to have a long offseason to digest all of the things that went wrong and try to figure out how to triage that and correct it in what will likely be a disrupted offseason. We know in some way or another there will be new economics going forward and the team will have to figure out how to navigate that new system while also trying to keep a talented team building while significantly upgrading the pitching staff. We know that they can’t solely depend on the returns of a number of guys who missed all or most of this year. But we also know that those guys might come back and have a lot to add too.
Let’s do our best to put the frustration aside and really enjoy these last few weeks of the season. I feel like there are probably some thrills still to be had before the ride comes to a full and complete stop. Do keep your hands inside the car until then. Wouldn’t want to lose anybody.
Three Positives:
Perhaps the wildest thing in this game was a Tommy Hottovy mound visit for Shōta Imanaga with no clear reason. Imanaga was terrific in this one. Four hits, no walks, one run. He struck out eight over six. The Cubs got terrific work from their starters in this series. I have to wonder if the Marquee broadcast was correct and Imanaga was tipping pitches and the Cubs rather than the Braves picked up on it. He’s so often good other than when allowing homers, you don’t need a lot of tinfoil to wonder if he has a consistent ongoing problem with tipping his pitches.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had two homers and a triple. If I heard right on the broadcast, this was his second such game. The all time record for such games is four by a couple of fellows named Ruth and Gehrig. Pete’s probably going to break that record eventually, too.
Alex Bregman joined the club of guys who have gotten the three hardest parts of a cycle but didn’t finish it. Bummer for Alex not to finish it. That’s one thing he’s never done in his very successful career. He might join some fun groups this offseason. Things like Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, MVP top 5’s, etc.
Game 153, September 16: Cubs 8, Braves 4 (85-68)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Shōta Imanaga (.266). 6 IP, 22 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 8 K (W 11-10)
Hero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.210). 3-4, 2 HR, 3B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
Sidekick: Alex Bregman (.199). 3-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI, R
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.083). 0-4, HBP, R, DP
Goat: Michael Conforto (-.054). 1-3, BB, RBI
Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.056). 1-4
WPA Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s solo homer with one out in the third inning increased the Cub lead to two. (.103)
Braves Play of the Game: JR Ritchie got Seiya Suzuki to ground into a double play with a runner on first and no outs in the first inning. (.072)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 152 Winner: Kevin Gausman received 22 of 50 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Pete Crow-Armstrong +26.5
Alex Bregman +25
Carson Kelly +16.5
Shōta Imanaga +15
Ben Brown +13.5
Jameson Taillon -13
Nico Hoerner -16
Dansby Swanson -17
Caleb Thielbar -17.5
Seiya Suzuki -18
Note: For the second time this week we see four of the top six (Conforto drops to sixth in the overall standings) on the podium. And Suzuki drops back into the cellar as his slump continues.
Scoreboard Watching: Blake Snell left a start early for the Dodgers in their loss to the Reds. The Phillies won and remain half a game behind the Cubs (but the Cubs own the tiebreaker). The Padres won for the ninth time in 10 games (1.5 back of the Cubs but Cubs own the tiebreaker). The Diamondbacks lost another close one (five back of the Cubs and Cubs the own tiebreaker). So the Diamondbacks would have to make up six games on the Cubs over nine games played. With full understanding that the Cubs do own a 10-game losing streak this year, they are going to be in a Wild Card spot. It’s only a matter of which one. That D-backs loss was notable because Sandy Alcántara got his first career save in the game. A team using a starter out of the pen late in the season probably wouldn’t raise eyebrows. But Alcántara was Monday’s starter for the Marlins. Now that is a throwback performance.
Up Next: The Reds will host the Dodgers again on Thursday afternoon while the Cubs have an off day. The Cubs can rest their bullpen and all of the players have a day to recharge and they don’t have any crazy travel. Of course, the Reds are staying at home, so no travel for them either. I’m sure the Reds would love to win two or three games from the Cubs here and play spoiler, but they are in last place in the division and very much playing out the string at this point. Heading into play Thursday, they’ve lost seven of 10.
We just covered this team at the end of August. They are 24th in OPS. They don’t really walk but they hit a lot of homers. This series features the first and third place teams in baseball in homers hit (and first and fifth in homers allowed). The Reds are 28th in ERA and 28th in WHIP. Their bullpen is 25th in ERA and WHIP, just slightly better than their starters. Keep the ball in the park and the team is very beatable.
Fangraphs still has the Reds as favorites in the first two games of this series. They have the Cubs as favorites in just four of the final nine games. Coincidentally, the four games the Cubs would need to reach the playoffs even if the Diamondbacks win out and the other two teams do enough to pass the Cubs.
The Cubs haven’t announced starters. But Clay Holmes (6-7, 2.85) is due. Clay is 2-3 with a 3.46 as a Cub in seven starts. Last time out, he got no decision as he allowed two runs over 5.2 innings versus the Pirates. He’s not started against the Reds this year. The Reds did beat him in New York once last year. So there are several Red hitters familiar with him.
Chase Burns (15-3) is scheduled for the Reds. He beat the Cubs a few weeks ago, allowing two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. The Reds have him significantly pitch limited. He’s thrown three innings in each of his last two starts (at the Dodgers and Brewers). He allowed two runs over six innings and threw 100 pitches total in the two starts. So it’s essentially a bullpen day, regardless of how well he pitches (he had three no hit innings against the Dodgers).
Survive the Burns start and then beat the bullpen. Stay hot. Go Cubs.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 15: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves fields a ball in centerfield in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn) | Getty Images
Coming off a series where the Braves mostly sewed up the NL East by taking two of three from the Phillies, they then departed on a road trip consisting of the final part of their September gauntlet. The first part of that road trip had them go up to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs, who are in the midst of maybe the weirdest season (by one measure) ever. With Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle not deployed pitching-wise against the league’s best offense, things didn’t go well for the Braves… except for the one game where they donned their homer-hitting shoes and pulled off a really fun comeback win.
The Braves gave the start to Reynaldo Lopez, and it went pretty poorly. The Cubs plated three in the second (with an inning extended due to a non-double play on a slow-enough grounder hit by the Cubs’ catcher), and then two more in the third. AJ Smith-Shawver came out of the bullpen and finished up the rest of the game, but was taken deep by presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, who ended up going 4-for-5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle in the game. For their part on offense, the Braves mostly just hit a bazillion grounders when they weren’t striking out against David Peterson. They plated three in the seventh, including two on a Mike Yastrzemski pinch-hit homer, but nothing else. There was a rally-killing double play in the eighth after the first two batters reached, and then Ronald Acuña Jr. hit into a game-ending double play while representing the tying run in the ninth.
For a while, this game felt like it was going to be similar to the first one. The Cubs plated a run in second, but the big blow came in the fourth: with two on and no out, Pedro Ramirez hit a routine double play ball to Mauricio Dubon at short, but the latter inexplicably threw the ball nowhere near second base. By the time the inning ended, Martin Perez and the Braves trailed 3-0.
That’s where things stayed until top of the sixth, when the Braves finally got to old friend/frenemy Kevin Gausman, thanks to Acuña drilling a two-run shot to pull them within one. The tormenting of old friends wasn’t done there, though. In the top of the seventh, Ozzie Albies exorcised his latest slump demons by mashing another huge two-run homer, this time off Jacob Webb. That turned the game around, and after two perfect innings from Didier Fuentes, Drake Baldwin added a third two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Raisel Iglesias shut the door, and the Braves had a fun comeback win where they actually hit pulled fly balls in the air to good results, instead of not doing that (which has been a theme for about the last six weeks with this team).
Crow-Armstrong was kept in check here, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Martin Perez had a fairly brutal outing with a 2/4 K/BB ratio, but danced through the raindrops successful-y-ish, aside from Dubon throwing that ball away.
Braves: .367 wOBA, .359 xwOBA
Cubs: .201 wOBA, .300 xwOBA
Wow, the Cubs underhit their xwOBA massively. Go figure.
The Braves gave JR Ritchie the ball in this one after he had a really good four-start run in Triple-A, and it went terribly. Meanwhile, Shota Imanaga, who’s been having a meh season due in large part to an incredible run of homers allowed since August, absolutely eviscerated the Braves.
Ritchie’s struggles were present from the get-go, with two walks and a run in the first. Crow-Armstrong tagged him for a homer on an 0-2 pitch in the third. Alex Bregman followed suit with a homer in the fourth, and the rout became apparent when the Braves left Ritchie in to face the lineup a third time, where it quickly became 6-0. Owen Murphy and Brent Suter mopped the game up, with the former giving up yet another homer to Crow-Armstrong. He finished 3-for-4 with two homers, a triple, and a walk in this one, while Bregman finished a single shy of the cycle. Combine that with Imanaga putting up an 8/0 K/BB in six innings, and the Braves didn’t really have a chance.
The Braves did score four runs in this game, through three game on RBI groundouts, which is a tough way to sustain a rally. Two of those runs came in the ninth, where the first three Braves batters reached, but the next three all made outs to end the game.
Ritchie finished with an awful 5/2 K/BB, two homers, one HBP in 4 2/3 line. Murphy was even worse with a 2/1 K/BB ratio and a homer allowed in 2 1/3. The Braves don’t need to do much to clinch the division, but this sort of stuff doesn’t help.
Braves: .257 wOBA, .247 xwOBA
Cubs: .513 wOBA, .400 xwOBA
I’m kind of surprised this game was only 8-4, to be honest.
The great news for the Braves is that the Phillies went 1-1 against the Nationals while the Braves were going 1-2 against the Cubs. So, they lost only half a game, and are up 4.5 with nine to play (including holding the tiebreaker, which is kind of like being 5.5 up). They’re also more or less assured a playoff berth at this point, as it looks like just one more win or one more Diamondbacks loss will secure them a playoff berth. It’s fine for the Braves to be coasting at this point in terms of the big picture, but it does make the games somewhat less watchable. On the flip side, this team hasn’t had much offensive success for weeks now, whether facing the Cubs’ league-worst pitching or anyone else: they’re 20th in xwOBA and 26th in wRC+ since the start of August.
So, hopefully the three-homer game that led to a win was more of a sign of things to come than the other two games. We’ll see.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 05: Trevor Keels #8 of the Miami Heat in action against the Los Angeles Lakers during their 2026 California Classic Summer League game at Chase Center on July 05, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards have signed Trevor Keels to an Exhibit-10 contract, per Spotrac’s Keith Smith.
Trevor Keels and the Washington Wizards have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract, a league source told @spotrac.
The Capital City Go-Go recently acquired Keels' G League rights.
Keels, 23, will spend training camp with the Wizards and likely join the Capital City Go-Go following the preseason. It’s a homecoming for the Duke product, who is from Clinton, Maryland, and played high school basketball at Paul VI Catholic.
The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 15.6 PPG on 40.4% 3PT in the G League last year. His best showing was a 46-point outburst in which he made all 12 of his 3-point attempts with the Sioux Falls Skyforce — the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate.
The E-10 contract allows the Wizards to retain Keels’ G-League rights. They can offer Keels a $91,000 bonus if he signs with the Go-Go and stays on the roster for at least 60 days, which provides some incentive for him to sign with them.
Mathew Barzal “still has a chance for opening night,” even as the Islanders opened training camp Thursday morning without the star centerman, general manager Mathieu Darche said.
Darche confirmed the absence is related to a left kneecap injury Barzal suffered two seasons ago. Barzal played 81 games last season while managing the issue behind the scenes, but it flared up a couple offew weeks ago.
“We’re playing the long game here,” Darche said. “We’ll have to manage it all the time. He did have an injury in his knee, and that’s fine. There’s a lot of players that manage stuff every day throughout their career. That’s just something we’re gonna manage.
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) looks to pass during the third period against the Calgary Flames at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Saturday, March 14, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We had a meeting after the physical [Wednesday], meeting with the doctor, with Mathew, with his agent … and let’s make sure we control that information and hopefully we’ll be good to go.”
Barzal’s knee was what led him to pull out of World Championships in the spring, Darche confirmed. Darche said that over the summer, Barzal “skated a few times” and “a couple times, it flared up.”
In the past couple of weeks, it did so again.
Mathieu Darche, general manager of the New York Islanders, speaks with members of the media at the site of a new community and kid-designed playspace at the Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose, N.Y., Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
The Islanders said Wednesday that Barzal wouldn’t skate for two weeks, a timeline that runs into the Sept. 30 opener at the Maple Leafs. Darche said that two weeks was an approximation, thus the possibility he plays in Toronto.
Nevertheless, that still appears a long shot. Even if Barzal returns to the ice, skating is not the same thing as being ready to play.
In his absence, Cal Ritchie is getting the first shot at centering the second line, skating Thursday between Mattias Maccelli and Brayden Schenn.
“He wants the opportunity to play center if he can,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think he sees himself as a center. … We talked about, if you’re gonna play center, you have to go 200 feet, goal line to goal line. Some of that’s conditioning and skating, things like that. I thought he worked hard this summer.”
Mathew Barzal (13) of the New York Islanders reacts after scoring a goal during the first period of a game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Though it’s easy to overreact to training camp lines and pairs, there were a few things of note Thursday.
The Islanders opted not to start camp with Matthew Schaefer on his off side, instead reprising last year’s usual top pair with Schaefer to Ryan Pulock’s left. Tony DeAngelo was to Adam Pelech’s right, Alexander Romanov to Scott Mayfield’s left, while Isaiah George skated with Matt Kessel.
Bo Horvat centered Kyle Palmieri and Simon Holmstrom on a de facto top line. JG Pageau skated between Emil Heineman and Victor Eklund. Ondrej Palat, Casey Cizikas and Anthony Duclair formed a line, as well.
Aside from Barzal, the Islanders were healthy on Thursday. Romanov, Palmieri, Pierre Engvall and Semyon Varlamov — the foursome that spent most of last season rehabbing together — all practiced without limitation.
After another summer that featured several changes to this still-retooled roster, training camp is officially here.
The Blueshirts hit the ice for the first time on Wednesday.
Camp is shorter with the changes made to the NHL schedule this year, but there are still some big storylines going in.
Here are five of the biggest to keep an eye on…
Shortened camp
One of the big things to watch, not just for the Rangers but the entire league, is how this shorter camp changes things.
Head coach Mike Sullivan said that it should switch things up significantly.
“When you look at starting [Thursday] to Opening Night against Boston, we have 12 days,” he explained. “We have four exhibition games and two off days built into those 12 days, so we essentially have 10 practices, six when we’re not including a game that night -- so, time is of the essence.”
There are 13 fewer players on the camp roster this year compared to last, none of whom are on professional tryouts, and no junior-level players have been invited.
Again, every team is facing the same schedule, but getting off to a slow start could be costly for a revamped team looking to return to the playoffs after back-to-back down seasons.
The backup goalie competition
There’s no question that Igor Shesterkin will be back in the No. 1 spot for the Blueshirts, but the team has a two-way battle for his backup.
Sullivan said that it will be a “fierce, internal competition.”
Rookie Dylan Garand seemed like the favorite after his strong late-season cameo, but the front office felt goalie was one of the areas they needed to add veteran depth.
Because of that, Joonas Korpisalo was brought in in a summer deal with the Bruins.
Korpisalo is coming off back-to-back down campaigns in Boston, but his $3 million cap hit over the next two years likely puts him in the front seat for the spot.
With the shorter preseason schedule too, Garand may not get too many opportunities to unseat Korpisalo, as Shesterkin will likely appear in at least two of the four games.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Blueshirts do if that’s the case, though, as the 24-year-old may need to pass through waivers if they try to send him down to Hartford.
Who rounds out the revamped d-core?
Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov are back leading the way, and Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi were brought in in offseason trades an effort to solidify the second pair.
Braden Schneider remains in the mix on a one-year deal after being floated in trade rumors again, but who slides in next to him on that third pairing still isn’t set in stone.
Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Matthew Robertson seems like the favorite heading into camp after his breakout campaign in his first real opportunity at the pro level last year.
Sullivan already said that 2026 first-round pick Alberts Smits will have the chance to earn himself a spot out of camp too, but the team will also play things smart with him.
21-year-old Drew Fortescue could be in that mix as well, or they could turn to Urho Vaakaninen or Justin Dowling if they are looking for more experience in the lineup.
Right-handed d-men Scott Morrow and Vincent Iorio are back on one-year deals and figure to be in the mix for the seventh spot on the depth chart.
All in all, this group has strong depth and should be sharper this season.
Will any youngsters crack the team?
For the first time in a long time, the Rangers have some intriguing young talent knocking on the door at the NHL level.
Some of the youngsters have already been mentioned above.
Smits, Fortescue, and Morrow are the most notable to keep an eye on as things progress in the defensive battle.
As far as the forwards, the offseason additions may make it a bit tricky to scratch out anything more than a bottom-six spot, but you never know.
Just look at Noah Laba last season, carving out a regular role for himself during his rookie campaign after coming into camp as one of the longer shots.
Taylor Raddysh and Matt Rempe appear to be favorites, but someone like Jaroslav Chmelar could unseat them with a strong camp showing. Keep an eye on Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin, as well.
What will the top six look like?
Out with the old, in with the new.
The Rangers knew they needed to add some goal-scoring after moving on from their most consistent scorer, Artemi Panarin, ahead of last trade deadline.
So, Drury went out and landed himself a big fish, bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev in a blockbuster Draft Day deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Dorofeyev, who also immediately inked a seven-year extension, comes to the Big Apple seemingly only getting better and better with each passing season -- the big question that remains is who his new linemates will be.
It’ll be interesting to see if Sullivan decides to pair him with top center Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere or bumps him down to the second line.
Zibanejad, Lafreniere, and young Gabe Perreault were clicking on all cylinders after being put together down the stretch last season. If Sullivan elects to keep that trio together, Dorofeyev would see himself skating alongside J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand or Will Cuylle.
There are many different ways the Blueshirts can go; we'll see soon enough how they line up to start the year.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - SEPTEMBER 06: Luke Pelzer #6 of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals runs during the game between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Sunday, September 6, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Caton Marsh/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
I am not a prospect hound. I don’t spend my time poring over scouting reports or watching tape. But that doesn’t mean that I am not interested in what’s happening on the Kansas City Royals farm. Those players playing in Omaha and Springfield and Davenport and Columbia have the potential to be future big leaguers, the potential to change the fortunes of the entire franchise.
So every year I like to peruse what I have access to: Minor League stats. And when I’m looking at those stats, I keep an eye out for guys with lines that interest me in one way or another. I have a system of sorts that I use, and though it’s basic I think it does pretty well. I look at four aspects of the stats:
Performance. I get that tools are important. But tools are meant to accomplish things on the field, and I value players who are productive.
Age. Until you get to the big leagues, you generally expect older players to dominate younger players. How often a player competes against older talent is an important indicator.
Skillset. How is a player accomplishing their production? Some skillsets translate better to big league play than others, and some deficiencies can be exploited more than others.
The Double-A line. Lots of guys are good in A ball. The upper minors are a crucible that separates guys who have a potential big league future and those who have a potential Banana Ball future.
Is this approach perfect? No. But I’m not in search of perfect. I’m in search of players who intrigue me and who I might want to spend time learning about because they could be future Royals.
Back in February, I applied this framework to Carter Jensen’s 2025 campaign. I argued that people were sleeping on Jensen, and that his track record and skillset at his age suggested that chances were really high that he’d end up as an effective big leaguer. Sure enough, Jensen has cruised to a 3.3 WAR season per Fangraphs this year–an incredible achievement for a rookie catcher. He’ll end up in the top three of the American League Rookie of the Year vote.
And now, I’m applying this framework to somebody a lot of Royals fans have no idea about: a 5’ 10” utility player from Wisconsin by the name of Luke Pelzer. What, you might be asking, is so interesting about a guy drafted in the 17th round from the University of Illinois Chicago? I’ll tell you what: dude just hits.
A .374/.450/.515 career slash line as a pro. Is that good?
After two full seasons in the minors with time in Columbia, Northwest Arkansas, and the Quad Cities, Pelzer has a robust .351/.429/.482 line. Oh, and this is coming off his senior year with the Flames where he hit .387/.455/.559.
Normally, you could chalk this up to a guy just being on a heater for a while–after all, batting average is a notoriously luck-dependent stat. Normally, you could chalk it up to your average late-round, no-power guy and point to Pelzer only having four home runs in those 565 minor league innings.
But I think there’s something there with Pelzer, for two key reasons. First: Pelzer’s swing is optimized to produce batted balls that result in hits. This year, Pelzer has posted a hilarious line drive rate of 27.5%. For context, there isn’t a single qualified hitter in Major League Baseball who has a line drive rate at 27% this season. Pelzer also limits fly balls, hitting them at a rate of 25.9% this year. And again, for context, only two of the 137 qualified MLB batters this year have hit fewer fly balls. Pelzer maximizes the types of batted ball events that could become hits and avoids the ones that become outs at a high rate.
The other reason is Pelzer’s plate discipline. Luke has walked 10.4% of the time this year and hasn’t walked below 10% in any of his three stops so far. It is pretty rare for a player with a contact-oriented swing to also have the eye to be able to take walks at the same time.
How rare is it? I took a look at all Minor League seasons dating back a decade with these qualifications:
Age 23 or younger season
Minimum 450 PAs
At least one plate appearance in Double-A
Batting average at least .300
Walk rate 10% or more
Line drive rate 27% or higher
Pelzer is one of only nine guys who qualify, and he has the highest batting average of anybody. Take a look:
Year
Name
Team
Level
Age
PA
BB%
K%
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
2026
Luke Pelzer
KCR
A+,AA
23
482
10.4%
20.7%
0.336
0.407
0.466
128
2024
Kristian Campbell
BOS
A+,AA,AAA
22
517
14.3%
19.9%
0.330
0.439
0.558
177
2023
Vaughn Grissom
ATL
AAA
22
468
12.0%
14.1%
0.330
0.419
0.501
138
2016
Chance Sisco
BAL
AA,AAA
21
497
12.3%
17.7%
0.317
0.403
0.430
130
2025
A.J. Ewing
NYM
A,A+,AA
20
564
12.1%
18.6%
0.315
0.401
0.429
147
2025
LuJames Groover
ARI
AA
23
547
11.5%
14.4%
0.309
0.399
0.434
120
2026
Murf Gray
PIT
A,A+,AA
22
558
11.8%
20.4%
0.305
0.402
0.567
146
2026
Josue De Paula
LAD
AA
21
588
13.8%
14.8%
0.303
0.401
0.547
145
2024
Nick Yorke
PIT
AA,AAA
22
541
11.1%
18.7%
0.303
0.385
0.449
127
Now, none of those guys are world-beaters, at least not yet. But you know what they are? Big league players. Kristian Campbell, Vaughn Grissom, Chance Sisco, AJ Ewing, LuJames Groover, Josue De Paula, and Nick Yorke have all debuted with an MLB team. Murf Gray is a Top 100 prospect who is setting up a 2027 debut.
And then there’s Pelzer.
I want to be clear: I’m not saying that Pelzer is going to be the next Big Thing. The fact that he doesn’t hit for much power lowers his overall ceiling, and Pelzer is probably going to end up as a left fielder as opposed to a center fielder. That’s nice, but not a cornerstone defender or anything.
But what I am saying is that I think Pelzer is going to be a big leaguer, and it could happen as soon as next year. Keep an eye on him, because players with his performance and skillset don’t come along very often.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals is interviewed on the field after the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we enter the offseason, extensions will be a hot topic. Outside of Keibert Ruiz a few years ago the Nats have not really given out long term contracts to their young players. I hope that changes this offseason now that Paul Toboni has had a chance to evaluate everything.
Obviously, we would all love to see CJ Abrams and James Wood extended. However, those deals seem pretty difficult to pull off. A more realistic target is Daylen Lile. While Lile is not a superstar, he has established himself as a solid regular who still has room to grow. He is a well-rounded player who has the capability to carry the offense when he is rolling.
At 23 years old, Lile is still a player on the rise. After winning NL player of the month in September last year, Lile’s offensive production has been less consistent than expected. However, he has taken massive strides defensively, which has made him a solid ball player. Even with a streaky offensive season, Lile has posted 1.8 fWAR and 2.0 bWAR.
This just feels like the beginning for Lile as well. He has been more or less a league average hitter this season with a .251 average and .742 OPS. As he develops, I think he will be closer to a 120 wRC+ bat. If you can get that with his now above average defense, you have a very good starter.
Daylen Lile has 21 HR in his first full major league season. His OPS is up to .740.
Nats fans know what Lile is all about as a player at this point. The real question is what would an extension look like? When I looked over some recent contract extensions, I found a comparable deal. Before the 2025 season, the A’s signed Lawrence Butler to a 7-year $65.5 million extension with a club option for an 8th year.
Like Lile, Butler was coming off his first full big league season at age 23. His 2024 season was better than Lile’s 2026, but Lile has a longer track record of success. Butler’s 2024 success was propelled by a monster second half, he has been unable to replicate before or since. With Lile, we have a longer track record of at least solid production.
There are just so many similarities between the two. I think if you offered Lile that deal, he would have to seriously consider it. There is a chance that it could take a little bit more, but I think we are in the right range here. Jacob Wilson’s 7-year $70 million deal is another bench mark to look at too.
Getting an extension done this offseason would be a PR win for Paul Toboni and I think Lile is a good candidate. While it is unlikely that Lile explodes and becomes a mega-star, it is tough to see this deal just going off the rails.
Lile is not a Boras client and was drafted by the organization. All of these things make him such a logical extension candidate. I still think the ceiling is fairly high as well. If everything clicks, there still is a Michael Brantley type player in Lile.
One other thing I love about Lile is that he gets better as the season goes on. That has not been the case for a lot of the Nats key players. Lile can be a guy who can pick up the slack if James Wood goes into his customary August rut.
With his bat to ball skills, power and athleticism, Lile is also a very fun player to watch. He can fly around the bases and loves pushing the envelope. The youngster already has 19 triples in his career, which is a testament to his speed.
Even in a year that could have been better for Lile, he has still put up impressive numbers. 21 homers, 15 steals and 85 RBI’s is a good jumping off point. I still truly believe the best is yet to come for Lile though.
This year seems to have taught him a lot. He is known to be tough on himself and can get into ruts because of that. However, he has kept pushing and is peaking at the right time. Lile has an .823 OPS since the All-Star break.
Daylen Lile will never be the face of the franchise, but he is one of those perfect complementary players. I can totally envision him being a force on a good team. He also feels like the type of player who would rise to the occasion in a big spot.
He is not the biggest name on the team, but I think Daylen Lile is a prime extension candidate. I would love to see the 23 year old locked up and spend his whole prime in DC. He is already a good young player, but he has so much more left in the tank.
