Category: Sports News

In John Green’s 2005 novel Looking for Alaska, the main character Miles is obsessed with famous people’s last words, and especially those of the 16th century French writer François Rabelais: “I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” Over the course of the novel, the Great Perhaps becomes shorthand for the kind of life Miles wants to have; he’s tired of his provincial, “minor” life. He wants something more—he’s just not exactly sure what that might be yet.

For baseball players, the Great Perhaps is pretty clear-cut: ascend the minor-league ladder, make the big leagues and stay there, hopefully for a long time. But while aspiring big-leaguers might have the advantage of a clear path to what they want—they know what’s around the riverbend, over the rainbow, that the somewhere that’s green is a major league field—that doesn’t make the path easy, and there’s no guarantee that once you get there you can stay. This is where Troy Taylor finds himself: caught between the Great Perhaps and the Quad-A Perhaps, looking for a breakthrough.

Taylor crossed into the MLB record books as the 23,305th player in the majors on August 11, 2024, 29 days before his 23rd birthday. The Mariners were trouncing the Mets, 12-1, on the strength of a two-homer day from Cal Raleigh and a nine-strikeout day from Luis Castillo, giving the rookie the softest of landings to make his debut. Not that he needed it: Taylor issued a walk to former Mariner Ben Gamel but also collected his first two big-league strikeouts to finish out the game and secure the series sweep, both on a nasty buckling slider. It was a particularly electric debut, especially combined with Taylor’s top-shelf fastball velocity.

Taylor built on his strong debut with a solid performance down the stretch, striking out over a third of batters faced and working his way up the depth chart with 25 strikeouts in 19.1 innings, and looking like he would be in the mix for a major bullpen role in 2026. But an off-season lat injury held Taylor out of spring training, costing him development time. He scuffled through five rehab appearances with Tacoma, only recording 3.2 innings over the five appearances and allowing six runs on nine hits. But he also struck out four, and the bullpen-needy Mariners recalled him in mid-April at the start of a three-city, 10-day roadtrip with an eye to bolstering the bullpen.

Once again, Dan Wilson tried to provide Taylor a soft landing, putting him in against the bottom half of the lineup in the seventh inning of a 5-0 lead at Cincinnati. By the time Taylor walked off the mound, the score was 5-2 and he hadn’t recorded an out. Taylor’s fastball had good velocity, ticking 96-97, but he struggled to throw strikes with it, keeping him from getting to his best putaway pitch, the slider; and when he did throw the slider, hitters were ready for it, as Christian Encarnacion-Strand pummeled one below the zone for a two-run double.

The Mariners optioned Taylor back to Triple-A after that rough season debut, but were forced to recall him a week later when Logan Gilbert went down with forearm tightness. The team tried to protect Taylor, lacking now both spring training and minor-league rehab innings, using him only in the lowest-leverage situations—blowouts against teams like the Angels and Marlins, as well as a laugher in Texas—as he worked to get back in stride. But he continued to struggle with command, falling behind in counts, and when he did work his fastball in the zone, hitters were able to make solid contact on it. The sweeper, formerly his best whiff-getter, also failed to tempt hitters into swings. Back to Tacoma he went, only to again be recalled just six days later when another injury hit the pitching staff in the form of Trent Thornton’s appendicitis.

Ironically, where things improved for Taylor is where he looks least impressive on paper, in outings against the Blue Jays and Yankees on a particularly dreadful May homestand. Coming into the seventh inning in a game where the Mariners trailed Toronto 5-3, he wound up giving up a run due in part to an extremely weird leadoff hit (nine-hole hitter Tyler Heineman broke his bat on a pop up but somehow made it to first base, charge that run to the Leody Taveras Experiment.). But in the most high-leverage work he’d gotten so far that season, Taylor looked…better. He still walked a batter, falling well behind Bo Bichette when the lineup turned over, but his misses weren’t as wild, he hit more of his spots, and overall seemed to have more confidence on the mound and a better handle on his stuff, an impression backed up two days later by a 1-2-3 inning against those same Jays (this time in a blowout against the Mariners where Leo Rivas would be the final Mariners pitcher).

But because the Mariners pitching at the time was so thin, Taylor had to be called on for back-to-back duty against a hot Yankees team the very next night. Once again, Taylor suffered some bad luck on batted balls, giving up a two-run homer on a well-placed fastball, and then had to face the top of the Yankees lineup, somehow escaping with just one additional run on an Aaron Judge sac fly. However, it was enough to put the game out of reach for the Mariners, and included a gut-wrenching moment where Oswaldo Cabrera, running home on the sac fly, broke his ankle while crossing home plate, suspending play for about ten minutes.

Being a sinker-slider reliever doesn’t work if you don’t have your slider, and it was becoming apparent that Taylor just wasn’t able to rely on that pitch consistently. His relatively good turns against the powerhouses of the AL East was followed by a poor performance against the lowly White Sox, where a 5-0 Mariners lead turned into an already overworked Andrés Muñoz having to come in to finish the game after Taylor issued back-to-back walks to open the frame. After that outing, the Mariners sent Taylor back to Tacoma. He would not return.

Even in Tacoma, away from the pressures of the big leagues, Taylor posted a career-high walk rate, almost 14%. While he’s never been a poster boy for sterling command because of the way his stuff moves, that’s a significant jump from his career average. His ERA/FIP in Tacoma is also a significant outlier—double, or even triple at times, his career average. That’s largely driven by an inverted bell curve of performances: Taylor either gave up no runs or 3-4 runs at a time, with little in-between. To me, all this suggests a performance and execution issue rather than a degradation of stuff or batters figuring him out. That’s encouraging, because it seems like a solvable issue. That’s terrifying, because anyone who has fought for a bigger dream—a Great Perhaps—knows what a cunning adversary one’s own mind can be.

Along with the Great Perhaps, the other controlling quotation in Green’s book comes from the (supposed) last words of Simón Bolívar: Damn it! How will I ever get out of this labyrinth? The characters in the book choose different routes, some more destructive than others, in exploring the question. At the end, Miles comes upon a scribbled notation from his friend Alaska in the margin next to the question of how to escape the labyrinth of suffering: “straight and fast!” While Troy Taylor shouldn’t take this advice exactly—fast okay, straight not so much—the spirit of it is correct: launch yourself into the Great Perhaps, fast and fearless, to achieve escape velocity from a minor (league) life.

Well, the first round of voting was a bit of a non-shocker. Shortstop Leo De Vries absolutely ran away with the top spot on this year’s Community Power Rankings, winning over 95% of the vote en route to being named the top prospect in the Athletics’ system by the fans. It comes as no surprise. Literally, no surprise. After De Vries was one of the top overall prospect in the entire sport last year he didn’t do anything to dispel expectations, especially after coming over mid-season in the Mason Miller trade. It won’t be long before we see him on the biggest stage in the Green & Gold and that could come as soon as this coming season. Another building block on the horizon for the A’s!

The new prospect joining the remaining nominees for the second spot in the CPL is actually one of the newest members to the organization. Shortstop Johenssy Colome, who only just signed with the Athletics last week, was considered one of the top overall prospects out of Latin America this year and the A’s made sure to ink him to a big deal he couldn’t refuse. The 17-year-old, who has baseball in his blood with multiple family members making it to the big leagues, is a far ways away from the major leagues but he’s already displayed huge power for a player his age. Add in the fact that many scouts believe Colome could legitimately stick at shortstop, and the Athletics could reap major rewards for their long-term investment in the Dominican native. How high will Athletics Nation rank him in the list when all is said and done?

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.

Click on the link here to cast your vote!

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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1. Leo De Vries

The voting continues! Who will take the second spot? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.

Nominees on the current ballot:

Gage Jump, LHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 22

2025 stats (A+/AA): 3.28 ERA, 24 starts, 112 2/3 IP, 131 K, 34 BB, 7 HR, 2.96 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

Jump’s fastball is difficult for opposing hitters to pick up with an arm angle that creates some deception. The heater sits about 92-94 mph and can reach up to 97 with good carry up in the zone. His upper-70s curveball has significant downer break, and his low-80s slider has cutting action. His fading low-80s changeup is used far less than his other three offerings.

Listed at 6-foot, Jump lacks the size of a typical starter, though his growth since the surgery and ability to generate his stuff with arm speed helps his potential outlook as a long-term starter. The ceiling of a mid-rotation starter is there, though some scouts believe he might be better suited in a bullpen role. To start out, the A’s will develop him as a starter and look to see him maintain good health and strike-throwing ability.

Jamie Arnold, LHP

Expected level: Single-A | Age 21

2025 stats: None (Athletics’ 2025 1st-round draft pick)

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

A left-hander with a rangy body and a loose, whippy arm, Arnold has seen his stuff tick up since leaving Jesuit High School for Tallahassee. Coming from a lower arm slot and flat approach angle, his fastball, which was 88-92 mph in high school, now sits in the 94-95 mph range and touches 97, with a ton of life to miss bats. While his slider can be a little wide at times, the 82-85 mph sweeping breaking ball is a second plus offering that elicited a 43 percent miss rate in 2024 and ‘25 combined. His changeup is his third pitch, and he doesn’t need it much, but there’s some feel for it.

Arnold has shown the ability to fill up the strike zone and limit damage while maintaining his stuff deep into outings. With the funky arm slot, his stuff has drawn some comparisons to Chris Sale, a reason why people think it shouldn’t take him too long to join a big league rotation.

Henry Bolte, OF

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 22

2025 stats (AA/AAA): 488 PA, .284/.385/.427, 20 doubles, 6 triples, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 57 BB, 141 K, 44 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 65 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Bolte is a tooled-up athlete who continues to fill out his big 6-foot-3 frame. His impressive raw power continues to show up in the Minors, though there is still a real concern over his swing-and-miss and high strikeout rate as he continues to struggle with offspeed stuff out of the zone. The A’s have worked with him to revamp his swing in order to improve his bat path and cover more of the zone, which has produced slight improvements in those areas, though there is still plenty of work to be done.

Another shining tool for Bolte is his near-elite speed, which was on display last season as he swiped 46 bags. That speed also comes in handy on defense, combining that with a strong arm that makes him a solid outfielder at all three spots. Further refining is required, but he remains an exciting talent with a very high ceiling who continues to steadily advance through the system.

Braden Nett, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 23

2025 stats (AA): 3.75 ERA, 24 starts, 105 2/3 IP, 116 K, 48 BB, 8 HR, 3.77 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

While working around the injuries, Nett has continued to show stellar velocity, touching as high as 99 mph in the Minor Leagues last season. He typically sits 95-97 mph and gets swing-and-miss up in the zone thanks to ample carry. He also throws a tight 81-84 mph slider that ran a 38 percent whiff rate in ’24 and a sharper 90-92 mph cutter that can catch hitters off guard. He’ll mix in an upper-70s curveball with more vertical drop and he’s scrapped a low-80s splitter in favor of a much more effective 88 mph kick-change that really neutralizes lefties.

Nett has some effort in his delivery, and the 2025 season (pre-trade) was the first time he’d posted a walk rate below 13 percent at any Minor League stop. Combine that with the early injury concerns, and it’s easy to think he could be a reliever eventually. But his arsenal is deep enough, and his stuff is promising enough — when combined with strides taken this season — to keep landing him in a starting role in the upper Minors.

Johenssy Colome, SS

Expected level: Dominican Summer League | Age: 17

2025 stats: None

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55| Power: 65 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60

It’s not often that teenage prospects launch home runs. But Colome has a tendency to get to that jumpy pop with frequency, consistently leveraging his swing well – so well in fact, that one evaluator mentioned the most recent occasion on which he saw an international prospect continually get to their launch point in such a manner was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Colome is a right-handed hitter with explosive hands and a solid contact rate, although he has been known to be a tad aggressive in the box as a means of getting to said power.

Something of an athletic marvel at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds at age 16, Colome is an agile athlete who shows a lot of lateral quickness. The fluidity of his movements and strong arm led to a Manny Machado comparison being hung on him defensively. Much like the seven-time All-Star, Colome may move off short as his frame fills out, but he’s a tremendously dedicated worker and has the feet, soft hands and instincts to stick at the premium position.

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Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay making your selections!

The people have spoken and sweet-swinging catcher Cooper Ingle is our No. 7 Cleveland Guardians prospect. Ingle won in a landslide, earning 46.4% of the vote, beating out Juan Brito (19.6%) and Jaison Chourio (11.9%). He is the No. 7 CTC prospect for the second consecutive year.

Ingle was the Guardians’ fourth-round draft pick in 2023, selected No. 125 overall out of Clemson. He wasted little time, playing 17 games at High-A Lake County the season he was drafted, impressing with a dominant slash of .288/.464/.385, good enough for a 153 wRC+ in a small sample size.

The backstop began the 2024 season by repeating at Lake County, where he blossomed. Ingle showcased improved power, blasting nine home runs over 68 games, nearly doubling his 2023 ISO from .096 to .187. His contact skills improved as well, slashing .313/.433/.500 with a ridiculous 170 wRC+. He was so impressive that he was named the Midwest League’s MVP while playing just 68 games before being promoted to Double-A Akron.

Upon arriving in Double-A, Ingle’s offense continued to impress, slashing .381/.379/.416 over the season’s final 25 games. He also was interviewed by yours truly, where he discussed building relationships with pitchers, picking Austin Hedges’ brain and much more.

Ingle began the 2025 season repeating at Double-A, where he continued to excel, slashing .272/.391/.441 over 92 games and earning a promotion to Triple-A Columbus. He struggled with making loud contact at Triple-A, but he surprisingly decreased his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate following the promotion, posting a 105 wRC+ over 28 games played.

Look for Ingle to begin 2026 repeating at Triple-A and for him to likely make his MLB debut at some point this season, although how much playing time he gets will depend on injuries and the continued offensive development of Bo Naylor.

Now, it’s time to determine who is number five in the Guardians’ loaded farm system! Your options are below:

Juan Brito, 2B (Age 24)
2025 (CPX) 26 PA, .190/.346/.333, 1 HR, 0 SB, 11.5 BB%, 30.8 K%, 93 wRC+
2025 (AAA): 99 PA, .256/.357/.463, 3 HR, 4 SB, 13.1 BB%, 21.2 K%, 115 wRC+

Was lined up to make his MLB debut in 2025, but multiple injuries prevented the switch-hitter from getting his opportunity and it’s possible he could be passed up completely.

Juneiker Caceres, OF (Age 18)
2025 (CPX) 160 PA, .289/.419/.469, 3 HR, 5 SB, 16.9 BB%, 11.3 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (A): 130 PA, .250/.331/.345, 1 HR, 2 SB, 6.9 BB%, 13.1 K%, 103 wRC+

Impressed at the complex league, then hit the ground running in a late season promotion to Single-A before running out of steam late in his age-17 season. Loaded with potential.

Jaison Chourio, OF (Age 20)
2025 (CPX) 27 PA, .261/.370/.304, 0 HR, 1 SB, 14.8 BB%, 37.0 K%, 95 wRC+
2025 (A+): 353 PA, .235/.380/.284, 2 HR, 9 SB, 18.7 BB%, 21.8 K%, 103 wRC+

Chourio was lining up to be Cleveland’s top prospect after a sensational 2024, but he was slowed in 2025 by a nagging shoulder injury and had a very average season. He’s looking to bounce back in 2026.

Josh Hartle, LHP (Age 22)
2025 (A+): 22 GS, 103.1 IP, 2.35 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 24.0 K%, 8.9 BB%, 1.05 WHIP
2025 (AA): 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 16.3 K%, 4.7 BB%, 1.50 WHIP

Acquired from Pittsburghin the Spencer Horwitz trade, Hartle was one of Cleveland’s most successful starting pitchers in its minor league system in 2025. Stands 6-foot-6, but doesn’t have a ton of velocity.

Jace LaViolette, OF (Age 22)
2025 (NCAA) 262 PA, .258/.427/.576, 18 HR, 7 SB, 21.8 BB%, 25.2K%, 120 wRC+

Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6 LaViolette instantly becomes one of the top power hitting prospects in the system. Strikeouts and contact have been an issue, however.

Alfonsin Rosario, OF (Age 21)
2025 (A+) 354 PA, .268/.362/.490, 16 HR, 12 SB, 10.8 BB%, 25.1 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (AA): 145 PA, .211/.303/.391, 5 HR, 2 SB, 10.3 BB%, 33.1 K%, 105 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league system during his stint at High-A Lake County as a 20-year-old. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but will need to overcome his strikeouts.

Khal Stephen, RHP (Age 23)
w/ TOR 2025 (A) 7 GS, 39.1 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.97 FIP, 31.4 K%, 4.6 BB%, 0.92 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (A+): 9 GS, 48.1 IP, 1.49 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 26.6 K%, 5.4 BB%, 0.85 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (AA): 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6.35 ERA, 1.88 FIP, 11.1 K%, 5.6 BB%, 1.68 WHIP
2025 (AA): 4 GS, 11.1 IP, 9.00 ERA, 9.54 FIP, 21.9 K%, 3.9 BB%, 1.50 WHIP

Acquired from Toronto in the Shane Bieber trade, Stephen rocketed through the minor league system in 2025 before hitting a wall in Double-A. He instantly became one of Cleveland’s top pitching prospects.

O's claim Weston Wilson off waivers following Phillies DFA originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies announced Thursday that infielder-outfielder Weston Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

Wilson, 31, spent parts of his first three Major League seasons with Philadelphia. Across 100 games with the club, the utility man slashed .242/.328/.428, tallying 20 extra-base hits.

Wilson initially joined the Phillies on a minor-league contract in January 2023 and began receiving more consistent playing time in 2024, when he appeared in 40 games.

That season, he posted an .836 OPS across 98 plate appearances.

His most memorable moment came on August 15 against Washington, when he hit for the cycle. Wilson became the 10th player in franchise history — and the first rookie — to accomplish the feat, doing so during the Phillies’ broadcasters in the stands game.

Wilson struggled to find consistent footing in 2025, hitting .198 across 52 games.

When the Phillies made J.T. Realmuto’s signing official Tuesday, the corresponding move was designating Wilson for assignment, opening a spot on the 40-man roster.

The emergence of Otto Kemp provided the Phillies with additional positional flexibility off the bench, alongside Edmundo Sosa, who can handle multiple infield positions.

Robert Eckl Sr. and Robert Eckl Jr., Jack Wenninger’s grandfather and uncle, respectively, both played baseball at the University of Wisconsin, but Jack decided to not follow in their footsteps, instead committing to Murray State University after graduating from Cary-Grove Community High School in 2020. Wenninger’s numbers in his freshman season were only pedestrian, posting a 5.26 ERA 51.1 innings over 16 games with 46 hits allowed, 27 walks, and 42 strikeouts. He entered the transfer portal after the season and transferred to the University of Illinois, where head coach Dan Hartleb saw promise in his size, increasing fastball velocity, and improving secondary pitches.

The right-hander appeared in 15 games in his first season with the Fightin Ilini in 2022 and posted a 5.71 ERA in 34.2 innings over 15 appearances, allowing 30 hits, walking 21, and striking out 30. That summer, he pitched for the Wausau Woodchucks of the Northwoods League and posted a 2.54 ERA in 46.0 innings over 10 games- all starts- allowing 37 hits, walking 21, and striking out 42. He returned to Illinois for the 2023 season and became a mainstay the team’s weekend rotation. The right-hander appeared in 15 games, starting 14 of them, and posted a 4.59 ERA in 80.1 innings, allowing 69 hits, walking 28, and striking out 76.

Following the conclusion of the season, he pitched some supplementary innings with the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League. The right-hander made three starts there and allowed 6 earned runs over 11.0 innings while allowing 9 hits, walking 7, and striking out 19. In early July, the Mets drafted Wenninger in the 6th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the 186th player selected overall, and signed him to a $225,000 signing bonus, below the MLB-assigned slot value of $299,800. Wenninger appeared in two combined games with the FCL Mets and the St. Lucie Mets to finish out his year and allowed 2 earned runs in 2.1 innings, giving up 1 hit, walking 2, and striking out 4.

Wenninger was assigned to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets to begin the 2024 season and struggled early on. The 22-year-old hurler appeared in 15 games for them, making 10 starts, and posted a 5.02 ERA in 71.2 innings, allowing 67 hits, walking 23, and striking out 89. He was promoted to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones in mid-July and finished out the season in Coney Island, having a much better go at it, assisted by the pitching friendly confines of Maimonides Park. Appearing in 10 games and making 9 starts, he posted a 3.12 ERA in 43.1 innings, allowing 40 hits, walking 17, and striking out 51. Altogether, he posted a combined 4.30 ERA in 115.0 innings in his first professional season, allowing 107 total hits, walking 40, and striking out 140; his 140 strikeouts were second-most in the entire Mets minor league system, trailing Jonah Tong and his 160 punchouts.

Promoted to Double-A Binghamton for the 2025 season, Wenninger was even better. Pitching in the shadows of more noteworthy prospects such as Nolan McLean, Joan Tong, and Brandon Sproat, Jack Wenninger was just as good, appearing in 26 games for the Rumble Ponies and posting a 2.92 ERA in 135.2 innings, allowing 114 hits, walking 42, and striking out 147. For a second consecutive year, his strikeout total was the second most in the system (tied with R.J. Gordon), behind Jonah Tong once again. The right-hander ended his season on as high a note as possible, shoving in the Eastern League Championship winner, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out a whopping eleven.

The 6’4”, 215-pound Wenninger has a high-waisted frame, throwing from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a simple delivery that utilizes a leg kick and a long arm action through the back. He gets good extension off the mound and keeps his upper and lower halves in sync. His arm is clean, loose, and repeatable, allowing him to consistently throw strikes and keep unintentional walks to a minimum.

The right-hander throws both a four-seam and two-seam fastball, the latter used moreso against right-handed hitters to keep them honest with an offering that breaks towards them. Both fastballs sit in the low-to-mid-90s, with his four-seam fastball velocity up in 2025, topping out at 98 MPH on occasion but comfortably averaging 94 MPH. Thanks to his tall frame, extension, and high arm slot and release point, the pitch gets above-average ride up in the zone.

Wenninger’s main secondary offering is an extremely effective split change. The pitch is a plus offering, sitting in the low-to-mid-80s with a low spin rate that causes it to absolutely drop off the table. He can throw it in all four quadrants of the zone, throwing it up and letting it drop in for strikes and throwing it low and letting it drop out of the zone for chases and whiffs. He is comfortable throwing the pitch against left-handed and right-handed batters, the pitch’s horizontal movement breaking in on right-handed hitters in addition to its downward dive.

Coming into the 2025 season, Wenninger supplemented his fastball-changeup combo with a cutter, curveball, and slider that were all get-me-over offerings that flashed average, but he has refined his arsenal since. His cutter and slider, already brothers on the pitch spectrum, have melded into a single pitch, a tight mid-80s gyro slider. Using a different grip, his curveball now has more bite to it. Both breaking pitches are now average offerings, their effectiveness amplified by his ability to command them and throw them for strikes.

The improvements made to his arsenal have helped minimalize the reverse platoon splits that he was beginning to show. In 2024, right-handed hitters averaged a .262/.336/.409 batting line against him in 254 plate appearances, while left-handed hitters averaged .213/.275/.324 against him in 248 plate appearances, a difference of roughly .150 OPS points. In 2025, right-handed hitters averaged a .237/.280/.381 batting line against him in 321 plate appearances while left-handed hitters averaged .208/.294/.338 against him, a difference of roughly .030 OPS points. His batted ball data also has marginally improved, with his groundball and flyball rates both improving slightly.