Category: Sports News

After revealing the Purple Row community’s Colorado Rockies top prospect list over the last couple weeks, it’s time to show the whole list at once with some voting stats. I’ll also have some thoughts on the state of the system as a whole soon to conclude the series.

Without further ado, here is the full mid-season 2026 Top 30 PuRPs list, including some voting stats:

Shortstop Ethan Holliday, Colorado’s first-round pick in 2025, received 15 of the 29 qualifying ballot first place votes to lead the group this time around. That bested pre-season top PuRP and 2024 first-round pick Charlie Condon, who got 10 first place votes, as well as Roldy Brito, Tyler Bell (this year’s first rounder), and Cristian Arguelles — who all received at least one first place vote and rounded out the top five.

As a reminder, 30 points were granted for a first place vote, 29 for second, etc. Until a player was named on ten ballots, his vote totals were modified on a sliding scale to avoid an individual ballot having too much say over the community forecast — though that wasn’t a factor this time around in the top 30. There were no ties in the top 30 this time, though other ties were broken for non top-30 players according to voting rules.

For more info on voting numbers for players that didn’t quite make the top 30, please check out the intro post to this edition of the PuRPs list, two articles’ worth of multi-ballot players (Part I and Part II) as well as the write-ups of the honorable mention PuRPs.

Some more notes:

• The top 16 players were listed on at least 27 of the 29 ballots — 10 were named on each ballot.
• 68 players received at least one vote for this PuRPs list (up from 55 last time), 53 got mentioned on multiple ballots (up from 46), while 32 were named on at least ten ballots (and therefore were unmodified). Here is a link to the polling thread.
• In this edition of the PuRPs list, there were 11 new names compared to the pre-season 2026 list, including five of the top 15. That’s an above average amount of turnover, considering not too many pre-season PuRPs graduated from rookie status.
• Among those who were on the pre-season list, the biggest risers were Wilder Dalis (up 14 spots) and Roldy Brito (up 8), while the big fallers were Robert Calaz (down 20), JB Middleton (down 15), Sean Sullivan (down 13), Brody Brecht (down 11), Welinton Herrera (down 10), Ashly Andujar (down 10), and Max Belyeu (down 8).
• Breaking the list down by position, there are 13 pitchers (one of which is definitely a reliever; ten are righties, three are southpaws, only two are in the top ten, and just five are in the top half of the list), two corner infielders, seven outfielders, six middle infielders, and two catchers — there’s some positional flexibility in there of course.

I’ll have more on the overall system in my concluding post soon!

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It's Dinger Tuesday, and I'm back on the longball beat, combing for the best four-baggers and MLB player props. 

Max Scherzer is one of the more generous pitchers on today's slate, and there are some big Royals prices, while Aaron Nola's reverse splits are giving value to right-handed Seattle bats. 

Plus, Yandy Diaz's price is 250 points longer than yesterday in what might be a better matchup.

These are my favorite home run props for Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Vinnie Pasquantino	+600
Randy Arozarena	+538
Yandy Diaz	+800
💲Today's HR parlay	+35085

Home run pick: Vinnie Pasquantino (+600)

Max Scherzer has the worst HR/9 of all MLB starters today since the beginning of last season, and that's saying something with Aaron Nola getting the ball today.

Scherzer enjoyed a good run after coming back from the IL, but just got shellacked for seven runs in his last start. He owns an 8.33 ERA at Rogers Center this year with nine dingers allowed in 27 innings of work.

All Royals batters get a good look today, but Vinnie Pasquantino at +600 was the easy choice. He doesn't have as many homers (2) as Jac Caglianone (5) in August, but his slugging (.769) paces the team and is third in baseball this month.

He missed 17 games with a wrist injury, but has a 1.218 OPS in his seven games back with two dingers and six extra-base hits. 

There is a lot of meat on this HR bone with the fair price around +450.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Royals.TV

Home run pick: Randy Arozarena (+538)

With Aaron Nola and his home-run gifts on display today, the Mariners were one of the first places I looked for HR prices.

Nola has ripped off back-to-back strong starts, but has still allowed the most dingers in baseball and is coming off a 100-pitch outing — the first time in 21 starts he's reached triple digits. He averages 91 pitches per start this season, and the efficiency could take a hit on the road today.

Right-handers have also handled Nola well, posting a better average against him than lefties since 2024, which is why I'm landing on Randy Arozarena at +538 with a fair price of +475. He leads the team in HR/FB rate (25.9%), HardHit% (41.9%), and SLG (.579) this month.

He's also gone deep seven times in August, with only three other hitters clubbing more.

It's a great price on a reverse-split pitcher who has been a HR gift, especially on Dinger Tuesday.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, NBCSP

Home run pick: Yandy Diaz (+800)

Sometimes it's all about price, and that's where I am with Yandy Diaz vs. Jackson Jobe on Tuesday night at +700 or better.

It's a favorable matchup against Jobe, who has allowed two dingers over 14 innings this year and should see his ground-ball rate regress closer to his career numbers.

Diaz hits right-handed pitching well, with an OPS that's five points better than against lefties, which is why I'm scratching my head over why today's HR price is 250 points longer than yesterday's in a similar, if not better, matchup.

It's a .300 hitter with 25-HR potential getting priced like a No. 9 hitter in a good matchup. Sign me up.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, DSN

Today’s HR combo

Vinnie Pasquantino	Trade Now +35085
Randy Arozarena
Yandy Diaz

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A full slate means plenty of MLB player props to sift through.

Join me as I break down three of my favorite MLB picks for Tuesday, Aug. 25, including why Coby Mayo will torment Matthew Liberatore this evening.

Player	Pick	Odds
Alec Burleson	Over 1.5 total bases	-102
Coby Mayo	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	+111
Jackson Jobe	Under 3.5 strikeouts	-132

Alec Burleson Over 1.5 total bases (-102)

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Alec Burleson has been hitting the cover off the ball over his last 10 games, but he has failed to leave the yard in eight of them.

Still, he has a 51.7% hard-hit rate and 10.3% barrel rate over that span, along with a .605 SLG and .237 ISO.

This evening, he draws Baltimore Orioles veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt, who has struggled in his most recent starts, sporting a 5.25 xERA, 1.79 WHIP, and just a 15.6% strikeout rate.

The last 30 left-handed hitters he has faced own a .328 xBA, .544 xSLG, and .454 xwOBA. Burleson covers almost 100% of Bassitt's arsenal, according to Batters-Box, where he also owns an elite rating.

Do not take this lower than the current number.

• Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CARD, MASN

Coby Mayo Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (+111)

Sticking with this Orioles vs. Cardinals matchup, Coby Mayo finds himself in a great spot against Matthew Liberatore, who has been struggling against right-handed hitters as of late.

So far this season on the road against them, he is allowing a 67.9% elevation rate and 40.6% hard hit rate. The last 60 he has faced own a .315 xBA, .497 xSLG and a 10.8% barrel rate.

Mayo has been on a tear over his last ten games, producing a 55% hard hit rate and 20% barrel rate, while posting a .591 xSLG and .258 ISO. In his last 60 at-bats against left-handed pitching, he has a .764 SLG and .455 ISO.

Getting this prop above +110 is a gift. Anything above even money is a go.

• Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CARD, MASN

Jackson Jobe Under 3.5 strikeouts (-132)

One of the hardest teams in baseball to strike out is the Tampa Bay Rays, who currently own the lowest strikeout rate on the season.

Over their last 21 games, they own the second-lowest. On top of that, during that stretch, they also own the highest contact rate in baseball at 81.8%.

This evening, they draw Detroit Tigers righty Jackson Jobe, who has struggled a ton since returning from injury. On the year, he owns a 5.49 xERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and an 18% strikeout rate.

With the Rays having eight bats with a strikeout rate under 20%, including six under 17.9%, Jobe should struggle to even sniff four strikeouts this evening.

Take this down to -135.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, RAYS

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December 2023 was a transformative month for the Dodgers, who signed Shohei Ohtani to the largest contract in baseball history and signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the largest pitching contract in history. But they also traded forand extended Tyler Glasnow in a move that proved Brad Paisley contributes more to the Dodgers than ensuring extra-inningWorld Series games.

Much like with Blake Snell, the Dodgers knew what they were getting in Glasnow — a pitcher who is mostly excellent when healthy, but one who likely won’t pitch a full season. That’s held true for Glasnow, whose 134 innings in 2024 is his career high, and only his third season out of 11 reaching 100 innings.

Since the start of 2024, Glasnow has a 3.27 ERA and 2.87 xERA in 47 starts, and among the 172 major league pitchers with at least 200 innings since then ranks eighth in strikeout rate (31.2 percent) and 12th in strikeout-minus-walk rate (22.4 percent).

Glasnow was a stabilizing force to start this season, making six full starts before leaving his May 6 start after only one inning with back spasms. Among qualified pitchers at the time, Glasnow ranked 22nd in ERA (2.72), fifth in xERA (2.61), fourth in strikeout rate (33.1 percent), and seventh in strikeout-minus-walk rate (24.3 percent).

During his four-start rehab assignment, Glasnow was sharp with a 1.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts with four walks in 13 2/3 innings, including 17 strikeouts over his final two starts with Oklahoma City.

He’ll be pitching on five days rest in the series opener against the Braves.

Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday to make roster room for Glasnow.

Last season, Glasnow missed 10 weeks in the middle of the season with shoulder inflammation, then returned with a 2.86 ERA and 2.88 xERA in his final 13 regular season starts, then had a 1.69 ERA and 3.77 xERA in three starts and three relief appearances in October.

Tuesday will be the first of potentially six more starts in the regular season for Glasnow, to see what kind of finishing kick he has for this year. Glasnow is another piece of the Voltron Dodgers starting rotation that is nearly fully formed, joining Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, and Blake Snell.

Whether Ohtani is back on the mound this weekend in Detroit or later, he’ll be building up over the final four-plus weeks of the season to join them. But here are the 2026 numbers for those five pitchers.

The Dodgers’ rotation is a load-bearing piece of their potential championship structure, and getting Glasnow back gets them that much closer to fully operational. If there’s a singular reason to get excited about what’s possible in October, these starting pitchers are it.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Braves
• Ballpark: Truist Park, Atlanta
• Start time: 4:15 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA, TBS
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Tyler Glasnow is back in the Dodgers rotation, activated off the injured list on Tuesday to start the series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. To make roster room for Glasnow, right-hander Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday’s off day.

Gervase was active for all three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, but did not pitch in a series in which Dodgers starting pitchers totaled 19 1/3 innings.

The 6’10 Gervase, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2025 trade deadline — a deal that also included catchers Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia, both of whom have since left and returned to the Dodgers — has been called up for four stints in the majors this season, and pitched in four of the 21 games for which he was active. In those four games Gervase has a 2.35 ERA with eight strikeouts and five walks in 7 2/3 innings.

The 26-year-old in Triple-A this year has a 4.86 ERA and three saves in his 31 games for Oklahoma City, with 46 strikeouts and 31 walks in 37 innings.

Glasnow was on the 60-day injured list, but did not need to make a corresponding move for the 40-man roster, because Jonathan Hernández was designated for assignment last Wednesday.

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The Chicago Cubs are priced as -112 moneyline favorites tonight at Chase Field when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. 

With Clay Holmes in good form, I'm backing Chicago in my Cubs vs Diamondbacks predictions as they search for their third straight victory.

Read more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, Aug. 25. 

Who will win Cubs vs Diamondbacks today: Cubs (-112)

Clay Holmes has looked solid since coming over to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. The veteran has posted a 3.17 FIP across his last two outings, limiting walks and not allowing a single home run during that span.

Holmes has also held opponents to a 2.6% barrel rate, and while the Arizona Diamondbacks are swinging it relatively well, Holmes has the profile to contain them.

Brandon Pfaadt, meanwhile, owns a respectable 3.80 FIP over his previous two appearances, but he has given up 2.13 HR/9. That is dangerous against a Cubs lineup showing legitimate power, collecting a .261 ISO over its last six games.

While both arms are keeping their respective teams in games, Chicago’s home run upside gives the Cubs a slight edge against Pfaadt.

Play this pick up to -130.

COVERS INTEL: The Cubbies are raking right now with a 140 wRC+ across the last week. Their season average sits at +114. Chicago's offensive form gives it a clear upper hand. 

Cubs vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-103)

I'm liking the Over tonight. Chicago’s bullpen has been excellent lately — which keeps this from being a slam-dunk angle — but both lineups are swinging it well enough to push this number.

The Cubs have been especially dangerous as I discussed earlier, while Arizona sits at a strong 116 wRC+ in the last week. Pfaadt’s recent home run issues also give Chicago a clear early scoring path.

The biggest factor is Arizona’s bullpen, which owns a 6.57 FIP over its last 26 2/3 frames while allowing 2.36 HR/9.

I’ll play this pick up to -120.

Cubs vs Diamondbacks home run prediction: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+355)

Pete Crow-Armstrong is an NL MVP candidate for a reason, and he’s scorching hot at the moment. The slugger has cracked three bombs in his last six games while posting a .417 ISO.

What really stands out is his 24.5-degree average launch angle during that span. He consistently puts the ball in the air, which is a dangerous setup against Pfaadt amid his HR issues. 

Arizona’s bullpen has also been vulnerable to the long ball lately, giving PCA another path to leave the yard.

Chase Field may not be the easiest park to take deep, but Crow-Armstrong’s current profile gives him a real chance at No. 34.

Play this pick down to +300. 

Cubs vs Diamondbacks weather

Chase Field weather is extremely hot but clear, with temperatures falling from 110°F to 102°F throughout the game window. Humidity is low, winds are light around 3-6 mph, and POP sits at 0%, so there’s no delay concern. If the roof is closed, weather impact is minimal; if open, the heat could slightly help carry.

Cubs vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Cubs -112 | Diamondbacks +101
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+152) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-168)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-103) | Under 8.5 (-107)

Cubs vs Diamondbacks trend

The Chicago Cubs have hit the moneyline in 24 of their last 35 away games (+11.80 Units / 28% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Cubs vs Diamondbacks and game info

Cubs vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

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The Jays start a three-game series against the AL Central last-place Kansas City Royals. The Royals are 58-74. But in August,, they are 12-9, and on an eight-game winning streak.

On the season, they are 10th in the AL in runs scored, at 4.24 runs/game (Jays are last at 3.95).

In runs allowed, they are 13th at 4.93 (the Jays are 7th at 4.36 runs/game).

Starting pitchers:

• Seth Lugo (5-7, 4.71) vs. Max Scherzer (1-6, 7.40). Lugo has been hit hard in his last four starts, giving up 18 runs in 21.2 innings.
• Randy Dobnak (2-1, 1.58 vs. Shane Bieber (5-2, 4.53). Dobnak is coming off two starts where he didn’t allow an earned run. But he only went 10.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, 6 walks and 10 strikeouts.
• Noah Cameron (8-8, 4.02) vs. Likely a bullpen day with Spencer Arrighetti getting the bulk role. Cameron had a complete-game shutout and then threw five innings of shutout ball in his last two starts, allowing just 3 hits in 14 innings, with 4 walks and 10 strikeouts.

Isn’t it just our luck to be playing a last-place team when they are on an eight-game win streak?

They have averaged 6.25 runs per game in the win streak. And they have allowed just 3.37 runs per game. In the win streak:

• Not surprisingly, Bobby Witt Jr. has been hitting terrific, .344/.447/.656 with 3 home runs.
• Jac Caglianone is hitting .333/.391/.429.
• Michael Massey is hitting .429/.478/.667 with a home run
• Even Sal Perez is hitting well, .345/.367/.517 with a home run, a steal (how?) and 6 RBI, during the win streak. He’s having a poor season, with a -0.3 bWAR and a .643 OPS.

The Royals have a couple of ‘old friends’:

• Nate Pearson came to them at the trade deadline, and he has been excellent since the trade with the Astros, posting a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings. He does have 5 walks in those innings, so he’s still Nate, but he’s holding batters to a .140/.260/.186 line, much better than the .225/.345/.296 line he had with the Astros. He has 2 saves as a Royal, one more and he’d tied his career mark with the Jays, just not in this series.
• Luke Maile is also on their roster as backup catcher (or third catcher, really, behind Carter Jensen and Sal Perez, who has played 44 games behind the plate). Maile is hitting much as he did for us, .179.

Late in the game options:

Lucas Erceg was their closer, but he was shipped to the minors last week. He was having a rough time, with a 6.23 ERA.

Pearson, Steven Cruz (4.17 ERA, but 5 saves and a 3.45 ERA in the last month), Alex Lange (5.86 ERA), John Schreiber (3.80 ERA, with 4 holds and a win in August), and recent signing Craig Kimbrel (0 ERA and 1 save in 5 appearances)

Their bullpen has been an issue, with a 5.21 ERA, but it’s been better lately.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockies fans and fans across the country.

Kyle Freeland has been a member of the Colorado Rockies since he was drafted eighth overall in 2014 out of the University of Evansville. The Denver native made his MLB debut on April 7, 2017, against the Los Angeles Dodgers and has seen ups and downs during his tenure.

Freeland is in the final year of a five-year, $64.5 million contract and was just placed on the 15-day IL with cervical radiculopathy (a pinched nerve in his neck). It was unlikely that his 170-inning option was going to vest, but now that is all but impossible.

So our question to you is this: Where will Kyle Freeland pitch in 2027? Will he stay with the Rockies? Will he pitch with another MLB team? Might he go to an international league, such as the NPB or KBO? Or will he retire?

Let us know your thoughts!

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