BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome back to our in-depth schedule preview for the Sixers’ 2026-27 season (here’s a look back at part one and part two). Part three will be picking the schedule back up in the middle of January and stretching through the beginning of March. It’s another spread out part of the season as it contains the trade deadline and the All-Star break.
It’s a 20-game stretch that contains three back-to-backs, with most of the travel being short trips to the middle of the country. It starts with one of the biggest road trips of the season, shipping up to Boston to take on the Celtics on January 21. Jaylen Brown will have already played his former team once, but all eyes will be on him when he plays in TD Garden as an opposing player for the first time (in the regular season at least, the Sixers are also scheduled to play in Boston in the preseason.) Unsurprisingly, that game will be on national television.
It’s a bit of a wonky two-game trip as they’ll head over to Chicago for a game on the 23rd, but the Bulls should present a much easier opponent. They’ll get two more games at home against opponents that should be easier games in the Clippers and Kings before hitting the road again, this time for a back-to-back against the Pelicans and Heat.
By this point in the season, how the Sixers stagger their stars in back-to-backs will be clear, but this looks like one where they can play everyone in Miami and feel confident about that Pelicans game as well. Of course how healthy the team is generally will dictate those decisions as well.
They’ll get their fill of the Pelicans that week, playing them again at home on February 1, then they’ll wrap up their series with the Grizzlies on the 3rd. That trip to Memphis is sandwiched between five games at home, and tricky ones at that.
The Pistons come to town on the 5th, then another nationally televised matchup against the Celtics on the 7th. Things lighten up only a bit when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on the 8th, before the defending champion New York Knicks play Philly on the 11th.
February 11 also marks the trade deadline, so that’ll be a big day in several areas for the team. Not only should those three games be a pretty big measuring stick for the team, but it’ll be their last day to make significant in-season changes to the roster.
Life doesn’t get much easier as the Sixers’ next game will be in Oklahoma City on the 13th. After the Thunder they’ll just have to get through the Mavericks on the road and the Suns at home before getting to the All-Star Break.
After the time off and hopefully some participation in All-Star Weekend, the Sixers start one of their lightest road trips in terms of travel, albeit with two tough opponents. They’ll start the unofficial second half of the season in Brooklyn on the 25th before wrapping up their season series with the Knicks on the 27th at MSG. That sound you heard is every traveling Sixers beat reporter celebrating such a convenient trip. They’ll wrap up the trip with a flight to Cleveland, wrapping up that season series on March 1.
This stretch of games concludes with a home back-to-back against the Hornets and Lakers. Those certainly aren’t the two hardest opponents listed but with the lack of rest it won’t be an easy one either. This stretch of games will tell the Sixers a lot about how they stack up with the rest of the Eastern Conference and for the most part, they’ll be well rested enough to show it.
Well…it’s that time of year again! I’ll spare you a long-winded intro with a medium-winded intro instead. The Guardians are coming out of the MLB Draft having lost out on their second round pick, Logan Schmidt, who was a shoo-in for this list’s top 10, but they did a solid job replenishing needed depth around the system.
There are a couple new wrinkles to the list and the rankings that are vital to the process. Firstly, you will see star ratings on every graphic. Working similarly to college football or basketball’s one to five star scale, this will work similarly. How do we get to those star ratings? Great question. Everything else, namely the future value (FV for short) works like the traditional 20-80 baseball scale, from hit tool to power to defense and decisions. Another factor that plays into the star rating a player receives is their 80th percentile FV, or FV80. This is a grade I give a player based on what I believe their skillset can develop into at an 80th percentile level. This is less of “if everything comes together” kind of thinking as it would heavily cater towards heavy tools in flawed profiles, but it works more along the lines of projecting what a player has shown in their development thus far and casting a net to capture what their best likely outcome is.
One last note: if you see red stars, that signifies an extreme profile risk, whether for injuries or extreme tool flaws and/or extreme outcome swings.
We’ll look back briefly at the preseason Top 20 (only on Twitter, sorry) as we expand out to 45, and take a look at players who have graduated as three of my top 10 prospects have since moved onto bigger and much better things at the big league level for the Guardians.
Chase DeLauter (PRE #1 // 60 FV): DeLauter rakes, who knew! Fully living up to the 60 I threw on him pretty aggressively, DeLauter has been the best hitter for a Guardians offense in desperate need for anything and everything across the power/contact/approach spectrums. He hit a clear wall and then got hurt, but since, he’s been terrific. A clear #1.
Travis Bazzana (PRE #3 // 55 FV): I’ve been very critical of both Bazzana and the org’s overwhelming desire to play it safe living through his selection as the 1.1 in his class, but it’s critical within the realm of a 60-grade I placed on him. There are some real concerns with his quality of contact, and the bat speed is playing well below what I thought he could get to, but he’s been an above average hitter and positive value player even through his cold spells because he has shown different ways to impact games, and he’s also flashed the power potential when he consistently gets to his pull-side.
Parker Messick (PRE #7 // 50 FV): I screamed and shouted to anyone that listened that Parker Messick was going to be a good major league pitcher, and here I am, before god and country, admitting that even I underrated Messick. As a rookie, his fastball trails only Jacob Misiorowski’s ultra heater in run value, and he’s even seen an uptick in velo by over a full mph since last season, and his changeup is among the best in the league. An absolute stud who’s going to get a lot of Cy Young votes.
Alright, now let’s get into the NEW and IMPROVED and LONGER list, starting with our brand new number one:
Velazquez is a specimen unlike anything we have seen in this organization in quite some time. I ranked Velazquez second coming into the season despite Bazzana having a proximity edge over him, but that’s just how highly I think of the bat here. Thus far in Triple-A, Velazquez is running a 105.6 EV90, good for 84th percentile. It took Velazquez a minute to figure out Triple-A, and his chase and whiff rates have ballooned over 30% each, but for a 21 year-old who has only shown that he will figure out the level with the more at-bats he gets, I have no doubt that he’ll figure this level out as well.
Velazquez hammers all pitch types, though RHP changeups have been prone to giving him issues. Velazquez’s hot streak last season in Double-A saw him find elite power to all fields. This season, especially lately, he’s been finding optimized pull-side launch while his z-con% still hovers right around 80%. Velazquez has precocious feel for the barrel. His hard hit launch angle sits at 19°, well above the Triple-A average, showing that he’s getting his hardest hit balls lifted and with thump, and this is really where his ceiling comes into play. Ralphy has all-fields home run power, but to best optimize it in Cleveland, he’ll need to find it pull-side, and he is at a high level.
Velazquez has shown some defensive versatility, but in a perfect world, he’s manning first base for the foreseeable future.
A shortstop by trade who has found himself scattered across the infield since his promotion, Genao has proven right away to be more than just a ceiling to hope on but a high floor, immediate helper for a roster in desperate need of his skill set in Cleveland.
A switch hitter, Genao is once again fully healthy and has elevated himself back towards the top of this list, a list he sat at #1 on this time a season ago, after dealing with nagging injuries that depleted his production in 2025, causing him to drop to 5th on the preseason list.
Genao would be a lock for the top of this list if not for a couple of things, only one being in his control. Velazquez has ascended into the premier first base prospect in the sport, now knocking on the door for Cleveland, and Genao, while possessing above average power, has struggled for years now elevating his best exit velocities. Genao’s raw data reads like 50+ power potential. In Triple-A, Genao ran a 104.7 EV90 (76th percentile) and 45.5% hard hit rate (76th pctl), but that equated to a 5.5% barrel rate. This comes down to his pure ability to launch. The Triple-A average hard-hit launch angle (average LA on batted balls hit at 95+ mph) is 12°. Genao’s sits at 6°.
That being said, it’s not overly extreme, and it’s more separated by handedness. Genao lifts the ball better from the right side, running an 11° hard-hit launch angle, but his EV’s and overall hard hit rates aren’t as strong as those from the left side.
Defensively, Genao has already proven to be versatile, naturally gifted with a high baseball IQ and a plus arm. If he can develop into a plus defender, there’s a real outside shot at 5-tool potential here. Long story short, Genao is destined to play in Cleveland for a very long time, and we’re merely in the infancy of it now.
3) OF JUNEIKER CACERES | 55 FV | 60 FV80| #29 T100 PRESEASON RANK: 10 19 | L/L | 5’10” / 168 lbs | Los Taques, Venezuela ACQUIRED: IFA 2024 HIGHEST LEVEL: A+ LAKE COUNTY ETA: 2028
Caceres is the best pure hitter in the Guardians’ system at just 19 years old, and if his swing decisions improve as expected, he has 70 hit tool potential, the highest grade I’ve ever given a hit tool within this organization.
There are two key inflection points in 2027 that will make or break Caceres’s potential growth to #1 on this list sometime next season: can he collect himself against breakers (he hits them well and has no issue seeing spin, but he’s far too aggressive and will extend the zone too much) and can he start finding quality exit velocities when hitting fly balls? Caceres is a pure line drive hitter who has seen his own physical development lead to above average underlying metrics for his age (104 EV90 per TJStats), but his power potential is heavily tempered by his inability to find his best EV’s with home run-carrying launch.
So, why does this create an issue? It’s all in projection. Caceres has naturally gifted hands with barrel control that is second to none, the swing is just fairly flat. If anyone in this system could sell out to hunt for more consistent launch, it’s Caceres as his precocious hitting ability likely would not be hurt much, if at all. It’s vital to Caceres, as a 55 FV player, that he does develop 15+ MLB home run power because if his hit tool is the major carrying tool come two seasons from now, he’s more likely to be a 50 FV.
I have covered Braylon Doughty extensively both in written form and on any podcast that lets me talk, but this is the most excited I’ve been about a prep arm in this organization since Daniel Espino was rising the ranks. Doughty, while a bit undersized, has all the makings of a mid-rotation staple, but he’s now dealt with arm fatigue in August in each of his first two seasons. Getting stronger and building the capacity for innings will continue to be something he needs to work on and also monitor, but the pure stuff here is terrific.
Doughty is mechanically further along than just about anyone for his age and has done nothing but excel at every level he’s been at. Doughty began the season in Lake County, and right around May, he turned up a level, riding a strong May and June into a Double-A promotion. Doughty’s biggest strength is plus command across his entire six pitch arsenal, a repertoire that’s only deepened since he found more separation between his slider and cutter.
Doughty, outside of his first start (new team, new ball, etc.) has been terrific in Akron despite the aforementioned arm tightness, and even since he’s returned, he’s picked up right where he left off. The low-80’s curveball has double plus potential as its tremendous drop and 3,000+ RPM spin capability combine with tremendous command and big horizontal movement, creating a lot of swing and miss against either handedness.
It’s flat out one of the best curves in the minor leagues. Doughty’s ceiling right now feels a bit gray, but the floor is a big league starter, 4th or 5th in a rotation. The ceiling, if he can reach the 94-95 mph range on his heater consistently, feels like he can comfortably figure into a mid-rotation slot. The fastball shape is strong enough to be an above average pitch as he’s still reaching back for 96-97 early in starts, and though he settles back into 92-94 regularly, there’s a higher likelihood that he develops this into an offering that can be more 93-96.
The cutter and slider have slight separations and their usages based on handedness largely create their effectiveness. I see the slider developing into a beast of its own given Doughty’s spin propensity. The more separation he finds between the offerings, the more I think he settles in with a devastating slider.
Doughty doesn’t use his changeup a ton. The feel for it is easily his weakest and he exclusively uses it against LHH. He opts for a cutter/four-seam mix primarily against lefties, and he’s seen that drive up his swing and miss against them, but a changeup will be a pivotal development as he nears Cleveland.
Peterson was Cleveland’s first round pick in this Summer’s draft, and the Guardians are chasing the upside big time here. Peterson has big stuff. He toys with 100 mph, settling down into the mid-90’s on his fastball, and his size and 6.6-foot release height create a steep angle for the heater. There’s a lot of Gavin Williams to Peterson’s mechanics and breaking shape potential, and that alone is enough to buy in.
The fastball has all the desired traits from spin capacity to velocity (20+ iVB, 2500+ RPM), but Peterson’s inability to locate his entire arsenal plagued him all season as a junior at Florida.
The calling card here is the slider. Peterson’s mid-to-upper-80’s slider was a wipeout offering throughout college, generating big time miss rates north of 50% in his draft season.
When he can command it, it’s been unhittable, but he often found himself behind in counts, making him go away from the slider and lean way too much on the fastball, ultimately handcuffing his best two pitches. There’s also a low-90’s cutter that tries to escape from his slider at times, so just know that’s in there.
Peterson flashes a fringe average, upper-80’s changeup that feels like it has real potential to be a future above average offering for him. He’s still able to get high spin on it, and it generates big arm-side run while staying pretty vertical, letting it tunnel with the fastball well.
Florida does not develop pitching all that well (see: firing their pitching coach). That’s why valuing Peterson’s stuff, spin, and mechanical potential is vitally prioritized right now. Cleveland’s pitching dev team gets a lot out of most all of its high-end pitching prospects, and they’re primed to go crazy getting their hands on Peterson.
6) OF AARON WALTON | 45 FV | 55 FV80 PRESEASON RANK: N/A 22 | 6’4” / 218 lbs | R/R ACQUIRED: ‘25 Draft: CB-B, P66| Arizona HIGHEST LEVEL: AA-AKRON ETA: 2027 Walton has emerged as the top player thus far in what’s been a strong offensive ‘25 draft class, showcasing improved mechanics in the box as well as above average, pure effort defense in the outfield.
Walton has a unique leg kick that gets him going in the box. It’s about as big as you’ll see and it’s slightly altered from his swing at Arizona and a bit longer, but he does a good job keeping himself on time. My concern is, as he continues to see better pitching, if the moving parts there lead to struggles staying on time and in rhythm, but the newer leg kick has helped him get his lower half engaged in his swing, leading to a big power surge this season. Walton has seen his underlying metrics get a big boost, posting EV90’s north of 105 mph at both Lake County and thus far in Akron.
There’s all-fields power here, but the home run power is going to come pull-side almost exclusively. Some of his better contact thus far in Akron has also come at lower launch points, so seeing him elevate with more consistency will be vital as he continues to climb the rungs here. Walton has real 55-grade future value because his bat has potential to be a power-led above average stick while his defense has real plus potential. Walton shows average speed, gets strong reads, has an above average arm, and above all else, is fearless in centerfield. He can and will stick in CF, and that is vital to this high of a ranking as he creeps ever closer to T100 consideration.
Curley has remained the same profile at the plate, and thus far, he’s finding a lot of success with it.
An overly passive hitter (1st percentile swing rate and zone-swing rate), Curley’s approach is simply something you don’t see in MLB. The average z-swing% in MLB is 64.7%. Curley’s 47.9% mark would be the lowest in MLB among players with 150+ PA. Where this comes into play tends to be against breakers and offspeed. Does Curley’s passivity lend to his sub-20% chase rate, or does he see offspeed well? As in many cases, the truth rests somewhere in the middle, and the high K-rate is something worth noting as a player running ~80% z-contact% shouldn’t be striking out 30% of the time. That being said, Curley’s noted improvements at the plate have very little to do with how much or little he swings, and it’s why, despite his low defensive grade, I have him top-10.
Curley’s swing was very long coming into the season. A lot of his best contact was oppo because of a noticeable hitch in his handset. The positive for Curley is that his hand speed is quality with good bat speed, and he’s cleaned it up a bit, finding much better contact while finding better results against velocity. Curley has upped his air-pull rates
Curley has played a lot of shortstop, but he’s going to have to be a 3B long term. He just struggles mightily in all facets laterally, and his hands are sub-par. Getting him to a corner where he’s only covering a large portion laterally to his left is the clearest projection here.
8) IF WELBYN FRANCISCA | 45 FV | 55 FV80 PRESEASON RANK: 18 20 | 5’8” / 148 lbs* | S/R ACQUIRED: ‘23 IFA | Dominican Republic HIGHEST LEVEL: A+ LAKE COUNTY ETA: 2028 Francisca has had a full resurgence back to the status of prospect he was coming out of 2023. Between swing changes and injury, 2024 derailed his path briefly, but 2026 has been full go for Francisca as soon as he returned to the field.
Francisca is up 10 spots from the preseason, and he’s even up five spots from where he was this time last season. He has seen physical maturation (that 148 lbs is certainly wrong) turn into a full understanding of his approach, and it’s turned into a major power surge as Francisca has blasted 16 home runs in Lake County thus far.
There are some swing decision nitpicks with Francisca as he’s still a fairly free swinger, extending the zone quite a bit, but it’s necessary to split this up by handedness, with some help from TJStats.
Francisca has been obliterating right-handed pitchers, especially depositing fastballs with ease. His chase rate is significantly better than his overall mark, and he’s barely whiffing north of 20%. This is where the bread gets baked for Francisca, and the left side will continue to be why I remain high on his outlook despite his RHH woes because outside of Velazquez and Caceres, Welbyn’s bat from the left side is the bat I’m most excited about.
Defensively, Francisca feels like a better fit for 2B than shortstop. He has a strong arm, but it’s been a bit erratic, and his movements look much smoother overall at second. There’s even an outside chance be winds up in the outfield as his plus speed and aforementioned arm make for a possible transition out there.
REPERTOIRE 4-Seam: 93-96 T98 | Slider: 83-86 Cutter: 87-92 | Curveball: 75-78 Changeup: 82-84 HIGHEST LEVEL: AAA-COLUMBUS ETA: 2027 Campbell’s story is well known, and in his first season pitching in the Guardians’ organization, he’s been everything the dreamt of when drafting him back in 2022. Campbell is a big presence on the mound at 6-foot-5, and, similar to Peterson, works very vertically, getting on top of hitters with his fastball. Campbell’s heater sits ~94, reaching back for 97 and a rare 98 early in outings. It’s a big ride-n-run heater, generating north of 17 inches of vertical break and just shy of a foot of arm-side run. It’s an average pitch that can play up to plus at times. Campbell mixes in a quality, plus changeup off of it, generating nearly 17 inches of arm-side tail while cutting close to 10 mph off his fastball. He will tunnel it very well off the heater against lefties, and any solid contact against it is few and far between.
Where Campbell has thrived is in his ability to adjust. He dominated Lake County in a way we’ve not seen from a pitcher in years, but when he got to Akron, he was struggling to get the same consistent swing-and-miss and chase outside the zone. So, he adjusted. More cutter, less early count sweeper, and he found himself working ahead in the count, and over his final four starts in Akron, he was striking out 30% of batters while generating whiff rates north of 35%. He is still struggling to generate chases, but he pounds the zone with big stuff with a slider whose shape he’s still working on finding.
Campbell will need added to the 40-man this offseason, but Cleveland will have no issue doing that. From ulnar decompression surgery to Tommy John to wrist surgery, Campbell’s comeback story is nothing shy of a miracle. An oblique injury delayed his debut in Columbus by over a month, but he will finish out his season with the Clippers, capping off a tremendous first year of progress. Campbell will factor into the back-end of the rotation competition in ‘27 if all goes well, and at the very least, there’s a quality reliever in here if his arm just can’t handle to year to year work given the injury history.
ARSENAL: Fastball/Sinker: 91-94 T96 | Slider: 81-84 | Changeup: 84-87 | Cutter: 85-88 Rounding out the top-10 is Franklin Gomez, a pitcher who I strongly believe will be a capable back-of-rotation arm at the MLB level. Gomez dealt with an elbow injury scare in 2026, but thankfully, it wasn’t anything more than that, and he returned from the IL, going from Lake County to Akron. Similar to Doughty, whether it be new ball, etc, Gomez’s first outing was rough. He rebounded nicely, however, and looked like the same old Franklin Gomez.
Gomez possesses some of the best command in the system across his entire arsenal. He works from a high three-quarters slot, and his fastball has some cut-ride traits, generating above average ride. He also mixes in a sinker that he almost exclusively uses against lefties, and then runs a cutter that he’ll use to either handedness.
The real gems here are Gomez’s secondaries. His sweeper gets a lot of ugly swings and can be used against either handedness, but it’s especially effective against lefties for whiffs, and a lot of them. The changeup is a nasty change-of-pace offering that serves as an equalizing whiff and weak contact pitch. Gomez tunnels well, but it’s the area I want to see him continue to flesh out the most in Akron to end the season.
Gomez thrives on sequencing and command to generate weak contact. His changeup and sweeper are both running high quality wOBA against marks, and those two pitches will help carry him through this system and into a back-end starter role.
11) IF LUKE HILL | 45 FV | 50 FV80 PRESEASON RANK: N/R 22 | 5’11” / 193 lbs | R/R ACQUIRED: ‘25 Draft: 4:132 | Ole Miss HIGHEST LEVEL: AA-AKRON ETA: 2027
Hill already feels like the prototypical bat-first utility piece of the future, or at least that was before the oblique injury. He started the season off on a torrid pace in Lake County, and it was the power surge that shocked everyone, hitting more home runs in the first two months than he ever did in a single season at Ole Miss. Hill has shown sustained power ability, and even though it’s average bat speed, his quick hands, quality barrel control, and top flight swing decisions have made for exit velocities well above what he was showing in college. Hill’s EV90s at both High-A and Double-A are well above average, though because of the aforementioned oblique injury, it’s crept down a bit as of late.
Hill swings and misses a bit more than his profile would indicate, but the trade-off has been more XBH and home run power as well as trading some passivity for more aggression in the zone.
Defensively, Hill is a jack of all trades, master of none. He’s fringe average across the board, and below average at 3B, but the ability to be able to stick him at the three non-1B spots across the infield makes his versatility that much more valuable. He’s an average runner with a good IQ on the base paths. All in all, this is exactly the kind of player Cleveland needed in its system, and most importantly, he’s swinging from the right side.
Chourio has bounced back exactly how he needed to, coming off a 2025 riddled with injuries that affected his swing and everyday game significantly. While I still end up being the low man on Chourio – Baseball America had him in their Top 100 – the reasons largely come down to defense and approach.
At the plate, Chourio remains incredibly passive, but it’s better than it’s been in previous seasons. The groundball rate, while still high, is down overall, something he’s continually worked on. Now, the pull-side propensity has ticked up, but if he can start converting some of his pulled batted balls into line drives and flyballs, his above average raw power could turn into some fringe average to average game power. Chourio is much better from the left side, generating more consistent quality EV’s while lifting the ball, and his swing is tailored better to elevate the ball more.
Where Chourio struggles offensively is from the right side and with his overall passivity in the zone. We will touch on it more later, but he stares at fastballs in the zone quite often, leaving a lot of meat on the bone.
Defensively is where Chourio suffers the most. He’s a poor defender in centerfield who will have to make the move to a corner at some point. Despite plus speed, his reads are rough and routes are even worse. With more work, he can improve, but I don’t envision him ever becoming an average defender, eventually taking him off a premium position entirely.
Sims was Cleveland’s big prep signing after the debacle that was Logan Schmidt, and the 6-foot-8 right-hander has as much raw clay for the Guardians to mold as you’ll have seen in the system in a very, very long time.
Sims boasts a huge fastball with triple digit ability with a longer arm action. Sims notably raised his arm slot this year, and it’s seen his fastball generate more carry while finding the upper 90’s with more consistency as he continues to fill out his massive frame. The physical projection is as tantalizing as anything else. The velo is already there, the 6’8” frame is as well, but now it’s about building strength up from the 215 pounds and allowing his lower body to work more in tandem with his upper half.
The reliever risk is a vast amount of the projection, as it always is with size, traits, and velocity in this package. That being said, even below average to fringe average command would signal that Sims has a future as a starter, and the Guardians are going to give him a long runway into finding that out because a starter ceiling with this kind of stuff is limitless.
If you’re looking for your Guardians 2026 breakout prospect of the year, look no further than Ryan Cesarini. While I’ve been higher than most on Cesarini, I still didn’t have him within the preseason Top 20 (he was 26), and this should really show you a couple things; one, thanks to surges like Cesarini and Luke Hill and others we’ll get to later on, this has become a deeper system in the middle of the pack, and I think Cesarini is in a prime spot to emerge as a player who can separate from that pack a bit.
Cesarini had been a bat-to-ball, contact-centric swinger since the day he was drafted. He’s always been making solid contact, but this season, Cesarini approached his…approach…in search for more. Cesarini operated with a quick toe turn as a timing mechanism to quickly get his compact swing in motion to cover all fields. Now, Cesarini is looking to create damage, and he’s orchestrated a minor leg kick, allowing him to get more stable weight on his back leg to drive through his hips more efficiently. You’ll see in the 2025 swing in the gif above that Cesarini is a bit squatty and that his hips fly open, a commonality throughout his ‘25 tape. Now, his hips stay through his swing, and he’s in a much more athletic, stable base, allowing him to create the launch he’s been seeking.
Cesarini’s raw power output has backed up his results, with hard hit rates north of 40% in Akron, as well as an EV90 above 106 mph. Cesarini is an adequate defender with average speed, and he will be a corner outfield utility type who hasn’t shown any kind of weakness in splits. This is a huge rise for Cesarini, and I now firmly believe in him finding a way up to Cleveland some time in 2027 at the rate he’s going.
Where to even start with LaViolette? Top flight athlete, adequate to above average in the field, cannon of an arm, above average speed, 70-grade raw power. LaViolette has also found his best power to the pull-side. That’s all to say that LaViolette’s struggles are capable of completely derailing him.
LaViolette has a below average hit tool at a level right now that would disqualify him from ever being a big leaguer. The top of the zone completely owns him as his swing is tailored and grooved to win against low pitches, and his plate coverage is not strong enough for him to win along the outer third with any consistency, and it leads to some suboptimal quality of contact and a ton of strikeouts. Even getting that up to a 35, Gallo-esque hit tool could do him wonders considering the strengths of all his other tools being able to create value.
That’s what makes ranking LaViolette so difficult. He was poised to fall in rankings as he continues to work on changes to his stance and swing. Through changes come adjustments on the fly in the box, and we’re seeing that in real time in Akron as his overall numbers continue to fall. 2027 will be a huge year for LaViolette’s future within the org. If he progresses, there’s something here, but the flip side is just as likely, if not more so.
I have been lower on Cooper Ingle than most, and it comes down to two things: I don’t think he can stick behind the plate and an untenable approach at the plate. Ingle is an undersized catcher whose arm isn’t strong enough and defensive prowess lacks behind the dish. This has pushed him into a corner outfield spot both in Triple-A at times and fully at the ML level during his cup of coffee up in Cleveland. It goes without saying that Ingle struggled mightily in the outfield, and all it’s done is raise major questions about his future.
At the plate, Ingle possesses a fairly extreme profile. Prior to his promotion, Ingle displayed extreme passivity against all pitch types, but especially fastballs. MLB’s average swing rate against fastball types (fastballs/sinkers) in the zone is 65.5%. Ingle’s was 53.1%. Prior to his promotion, Ingle’s approach saw him running tremendous whiff rates, chase rates, and overall quality contact, but it simply wasn’t tenable with a minuscule 36% swing rate. The answer to why it wasn’t tenable is simple: MLB pitchers have no reason to fear Ingle and would attack in the zone at a much higher rate with better stuff. Ingle often found himself behind in counts, and he uncharacteristically struck out in 12 of his 21 at-bats in Cleveland.
Things have shifted a bit for Ingle since being demoted. That 53.1% zone-swing rate against fastball types has elevated up to 67.6%, now above the major league average. With more aggression against heaters has come more swing and miss across the board, namely against sliders. I think this is a net positive for Ingle though. He had to come off the extreme approach and be willing to actually put his hit tool to use. Ingle has above average bat to ball skills with quality barrel control that he harnesses in a quick, compact swing that he generates quality lift with. While there are some pretty extreme splits concerns here, if Ingle wants to profile as a major league bat, this was the change he had to make, and it’s a huge deal that he’s doing it now.
ARSENAL: Fastball: 93-96 T98 | Slider: 80-83 | Changeup: 81-84 | Cutter: 88-91 Zibin has found it in 2026. Command, mechanical consistency, sequencing, all of it. It’s night and day for Zibin from last season, his first pro season after missing three years due to various arm injuries (Tommy John in ‘23, ulnar nerve transposition surgery in ‘24). Like Justin Campbell in that same draft, the lengthy absence showed signs of rust, but the talent is breaking through in a big way in 2026.
Zibin took a few starts to adjust, but since the start of May, he’s largely been very good, and since his promotion to Lake County, he’s taken off. Zibin finished August with a 0.64 ERA and .132 batting average against. The command has taken leap from below average to fringe average potential, and his arsenal is beginning to flesh out into that of a starter’s.
Zibin’s fastball lives in the mid-90s consistently. It was the pitch he needed to find consistent command with, and he has. Shape-wise, the fastball can be a bit dead zone-y, generating as much run as ride, but he tunnels well off of it, allowing him to generate more swing-and-miss and weak contact than expected.
Zibin’s bread and butter is his changeup. It has plus potential with really sharp late bite. It generated a whiff rate north of 40% in A-ball, and it’s been just as effective thus far in Lake County. Zibin mixes this in against either handedness which is a bit unique in today’s repertoire splits, showing his comfortability and success with the offer. A new cutter has been mixed in, helping Zibin live in the zone a bit more, and it’s mixed well off the fastball as well as Zibin’s sweeper which has served effectively against right-handed bats.
Zibin has upped his strikeout rate by over 12% from last season while dropping his walk rate 2%. This is a real deal starting pitcher prospect now, and though some reliever risk still hangs around as the command is still a work in progress and the preexisting arm issues lurk, Zibin has made himself a name to watch in the org.
Khal Stephen probably had the most unfortunate 2026 of any Guardians prospect. Stephen’s command had previously been above average while flashing plus on certain pitch types. That all took a huge step back, namely with the fastball which he left center-cut way too often with diminished shape. All in all, Stephen’s time within the Guardians org has been spent struggling, and now he will go under the knife for Tommy John surgery, derailing his 2026 and all of his 2027.
ARSENAL: Fastball: 97-100 T101 | Slider: 90-93 | Changeup: Espino pitching in the major leagues in 2026 is nothing shy of a miraculous success story. Espino flashing 100 multiple times? We’ve never been more back.
Espino drops to 18 now for one reason, and that reason is that I solely see him as a reliever now. The care and overall caution this organization has handled Espino with this season not only makes a ton of sense, but it showed me that they don’t really see him as a starter long-term. While the dream of having Cleveland’s version of deGrom (Espino) and Cole (Gavin) seems dead, Espino’s future with this team is not. Daniel Espino has dominant backend reliever written all over him.
Espino’s fastball is still double plus, somehow, as its velocity, shape and Espino’s ability to optimize it at the top of the zone have culminated in a 52.8% whiff rate against big league bats. The big issue was his inability to find the zone, though a lot of that could come down to how seldom he was used. Espino has not pitched in consecutive days, and they rarely go to him every other either in Columbus or Cleveland. That kind of usage is enough to disrupt some outing to outing adjustments, and while understandable, it has been a bit frustrating.
Espino’s gyro slider is a 92 mph bullet train that stays verty and can serve similarly to a cutter earlier in counts, and his curveball is a pitch he’s been going to more since going back to Columbus, and he’s seeing huge swing-and-miss success with it now.
While Daniel Espino will likely never toe the rubber as a starter in a playoff game for the Guardians, he will absolutely do so as a reliever in big spots for years to come.
ARSENAL: Fastball: 95-97 T100 | Slider: 85-88 | Changeup: 87-91 | Cutter: 89-91 Oakie is among my biggest droppers, and it all comes down to a regression in command and overall mechanical deficiencies that scream reliever future. Oakie was a huge riser for me to end last season after showcasing better command over his final month and turning in the two most dominant starts by a Guardians pitching prospect in 2025. Enter ‘26, however, and the same ugly woes are back, and we’re right back down to 20-grade current command.
Oakie’s fastball command is bad right now. The buggy whip action he gets creates a ton of deception, and the velocity it generates does a lot of work, but he has no idea where it’s going right now. Oakie’s slider is a dominant offering in the mid to upper 80’s that can completely overwhelm hitters when he’s ahead in the count, but he rarely is.
The best move here is to just stash Oakie away for a rainy day next season and see what his mechanics look like. The long whippy action has to end, or we’re looking at another Chase Mobley.
Watson drops a bit here, solely due to the additions of Liam Peterson, Luke Hill, and Savion Sims as well as Jacob Zibin’s breakout. My outlook on Watson has not changed at all since before the season, but Watson has shown one area of improvement that may be what keeps him on a major league roster as a depth piece one day and buy him time to figure out his offensive approach, and that’s his above average, bordering on plus defense across the outfield. Watson is an average defender in center while showcasing some plus defense in the corners in Cleveland, including an above average arm and speed.
What holds Watson back is what’s always been Watson’s kryptonite: he whiffs too much at all pitch types. Watson has run a whiff rate north of 30% in Triple-A. That number is above 30% for fastball, offspeed, and breaking types. It’s so hard to succeed when whiffing that much, and while he hasn’t shown a penchant for chasing much in Triple-A, that discipline went by the wayside during his run in Cleveland as he was running an O-Swing% of 35.6%. Watson simply may need more time at the major league level to work out his kinks, but unfortunately, the line in front of him is pretty long.
Broussard was Cleveland’s third round pick out of the University of Houston, and he’s a very interesting profile worth keeping an eye on.
Broussard’s handset at the start of his swing is a bit high, above his head, and this creates an unconventional path to the ball. I think the Guardians will try and clean this up a bit, finding something a bit more natural to anchor a more consistent swing path.
Broussard was a pure bat-to-ball contact hitter in his last season at Houston, showcasing sub-20% whiff rates and high-80% range zone-contact ability. Broussard feasted on fastballs in the zone, and when the rare pulled flyball happened, he tended to hit them a long way. There’s more power in Broussard’s profile that his stats don’t tell you. Broussard posted a max-EV of 110.4 mph with strong average EV’s and what would equal out to be right around MLB average bat speed. Some swing and approach changes will be in the works here, and Broussard’s natural bat-to-ball ability should be able to survive a search for a more complete profile.
Defensively, Broussard is incredibly gifted in centerfield, and he will be able to stick there long-term. He has plus ability in center, and his double plus speed not only makes him a threat on the base paths, but it makes his already strong reads in the outfield even more advantageous.
Broussard will not make his affiliated debut until 2027.
Monstrous, sky-scraping power with surprisingly good swing decisions, Schubart differs from his fellow 2025 extreme hit tool partner in that one simple regard. Swing decisions. Schubart ranks low for a reason. He’s landlocked at the most non-premium defensive position on the field and/or a DH, and his bat profile is beyond extreme. There isn’t a single everyday big leaguer striking out 35+% of the time, and Schubart’s 64% zone-contact rate is 6% lower than the lowest of MLB. This profile rhymes with the extreme power hitting profiles of today’s game, but the overall success rate of someone of this level of extreme is low.
But enough about why it won’t work and more about why it could. Schubart just about whiffs equally at all pitch types, but he’s selective at what he does swing at. Schubart’s swing is so unique. He physically towers over the ball as he swings, getting bend on his upper body that you wouldn’t see anyone else generate. This does create two distinct features to Schubart’s swing: a ton of whiff above the thighs and prodigious power against anything below them. Schubart’s success across the minor leagues this season is driven by his ability to dominate the lower half of the zone with passable plate coverage without being overly aggressive and extending beyond it all the time. When Schubart does chase, it’s almost always down and away as he’s big game hunting, but he’s still poised enough to lay off the vast majority of the time.
I said it the other day, but Schubart is impossible to rank as I’ve never once put stock into a profile like his, and he may be among the most extreme 3TO profile that you’ll find, but I’ll be damned if he isn’t fun.
Herrera is a name you need to become acquainted with ASAP. Herrera was a bit older for the Complex League at 20 this season, but he dominated it to the tune of a .324/.487/.721 slash line with 11 home runs in 35 games. He received a promotion out of the CPX to Hill City where his keen eye and power production has continued.
Herrera is a Guardians special of a swinger. He controls the inner half, aims to lift and pull and finds his power that way. Herrera doesn’t expand the zone much, and he’s found success against all pitch types thus far.
What makes Herrera more advanced than others around his age in this system is his approach. Herrera is a two-handed finisher, finding his best power that way, but he’ll adjust his swing in two-strike counts, opting for a flatter bat path and one handed follow through, simplifying his approach to battle to get on base. Beyond that, Herrera has also flashed well above average power outputs for his age, and the Guardians may have something brewing here.
Defensively, Herrera is still a bit stiff behind the plate but has an above average arm. He’s done well controlling the run game thus far at levels where pitchers can’t be bothered holding runners, now he gets a chance to further develop his pitch to pitch mechanics back there. It can be harder to project out from A-ball, but Herrera lands as the highest ranked catcher who I think sticks behind the plate.
Huff has been a bit of an enigma this season, emerging onto the radar almost out of nowhere. Arriving in Cleveland’s system via the Cal Quantrill trade, Huff has scratched out a very good second season in Columbus, providing solid play across the diamond, from catcher to third base to first base. That being said, you’ll see by the grades that I think Huff has been playing above his skis in Triple-A, and I’ll explain why.
Since the All-Star Break, Huff has had a hard time finding consistency, namely against right-handed pitching. Even with some home runs against RHP at the end of July, Huff has struggled against them in this span, but he’s crushed left-handed pitching exclusively.
I had a hunch based on Huff’s whiff rates by pitch type and pitcher handedness in the first half that this would be how this enveloped, and thus far, that’s been who he is in the second half. This is why I have a hard time buying into Huff any more than I had already been coming into the season. The defensive versatility likely sees him some time in Cleveland, but outside of him coming up and crushing the ball right away when he does get that chance, I don’t see him as a long-term big league option.
ARSENAL: Fastball: 91-94 T96 | Slider: 80-84 | Changeup: 82-86 Hynes was the player taken with the comp pick received in the Josh Naylor trade. Hynes, just 19 years old, has a ton of physical projection left on his frame, firing from a three-quarters slot with capable velocity already.
Hynes has three pitches right now as he works on developing consistency in his mechanics and release point. Hynes’s fastball is more run over ride, generating big arm-side tail, working almost more as a 2-seam profile. The slider is his easiest pitch to project as it generates good spin rates with a ton of sweeping movement. The key with the slider will be keeping it from getting so loopy and staying up. When he can get the slider to bite, it’s been a huge swing-and-miss pitch, but right now, there’s a lot of shape inconsistency. His changeup has been used almost exclusively to lefties. It pairs really well with the fastball when he can locate.
Hynes is a ball of clay already being molded. He is younger than Savion Sims, for reference, and has all the chance in the world to develop into something of note here.
Lachance exploded onto the scene after a monster late season tear and eventual CWS run, winning the College World Series with Oklahoma. Lachance’s profile is very simple. He will swing and miss, he is hunting to hit bombs, and behind the plate, he’s more comfortable than he once was, showcasing more consistent footwork blocking balls.
Lachance’s calling card that can keep him behind the dish is his quick pop time and cannon of an arm. As we move into a world where more teams begin to call pitches from the dugout, Lachance’s profile behind the plate will likely emerge as the preferred one: big bat, control the run game, keep balls in front of you.
The hit tool will be the concern. Can he keep from whiffing too much as he climbs the ranks through the system? Time will tell, but the swing is geared for big power, and his personality is geared to win over this fanbase as well.
28) OF ROBERT ARIAS | 40 FV | 50 FV80 PRESEASON RANK: N/R 19 | 6’1” / 168 lbs | L/L ACQUIRED: IFA ‘24 | Dominican Republic HIGHEST LEVEL: A-HILL CITY ETA: 2030
Arias was poised for a huge leap up this list (I had him at 13 when I began putting this together in early June), but a fractured ankle on a really unfortunate play ended his season. It’s unknown right now if Arias will miss any time early next season, but my only concern is just how much an injury like a fractured ankle could affect a player whose speed and athleticism are the driving force behind their profile. Wishing Robert all the best, and if he comes back looking the same way he did before the injury, expect a massive leap up this list.
Martinez has had a stellar season thus far, taking a much more patient approach to A-ball after struggling in the short stint he spent there in his draft year. His swing decisions have been quality, his approach is very good, and he’s been aggressive in the zone while doing a lot of damage with quality plate coverage.
Martinez has showcased above average power thus far as well, exhibiting a 105.2 EV90 in Lake County thus far with hard hit rates over 40% at both levels this season, and this makes him a bit of a rare breed 1B bat across minor league baseball. Big power tends to have some give and take with some swing and miss, but not for Martinez. Martinez has supplemented his power with little swing and miss (18.3% whiff%) little zone expansion (22.4% O-Swing%), and elite zone-contact and swing selection rates (91% Z-con% with a 49.% Z-O Swing%). Should Martinez get up to Akron in 2027 and continue this, he’s going to skyrocket up these rankings.
30) SS DAURI FERNANDEZ | 40 FV | 50 FV80 PRESEASON RANK: 15 19 | 5’9” / 155 lbs | S/R ACQUIRED: IFA ‘24 | Dominican Republic HIGHEST LEVEL: A+ LAKE COUNTY ETA: 2030
One of the bigger fallers on this list, Dauri Fernandez is still a player I like quite a bit, but his approach at the plate has to clean up. Fernandez is a slash-n-dash profile whose contact ability and double plus speed make for a terror when he gets on base. Fernandez has really strong bat-to-ball skills, but a K-rate that’s jumped 8% (albeit from the CPX to affiliated ball) lends to some digging into. Fernandez is running a pretty extreme chase rate, and it’s affecting his ability to get on base at the rate he should. Fernandez has a good eye, but leaning on a solid bat to do all the work just isn’t going to work as the pitching gets better.
When Fernandez is on base, he’s a total pest. Fernandez has swiped 54 bags at the time of this release this season, though he’s been caught 16 times. Where his speed and suddenness helps him most is defensively. Fernandez doesn’t have the smoothest of hands, but he can get to balls many others can’t due to good reads across the infield and his quickness. He also possesses an average arm, and I think he can stick at shortstop.
Fernandez simply has to mature at the plate. The larger concern here is his frame may not have a lot of physical development in it of itself, so developing a better approach is paramount to his future success.
31-45
Rk.
Name
Acquired
Position
Age
B/T
FV
FV80
Synopsis
31
Kade Lewis
‘26 Draft: 4:123 | Wake Forest
3B
21
L/R
40
50
Bat-first 3B; quality swing decisions, not great athlete and likely to move off 3B long-term over to 1B
32
Carson Lane
‘26 Draft: 14:423 | UNLV
RHP
21
R/R
40
50
Starter with good fastball, command steers SP or RP
33
Alejandro Blasco
IFA ‘24 | Venezuela
OF
19
S/R
40
50
Undersized contact specialist with great approach; undersized w/ little physcial projection
34
Franco Aleman
‘21 Draft: 10:306 | Florida
RP
26
R/R
40
45
back-end RP potential with some shaky command; huge stuff, but struggles to get batters to expand zone
35
Svert Reinoso
‘26 IFA | Dominican Republic
IF
17
S/R
40
50
CLE’s top IFA signing of 2026, Reinoso flashed capable power and a good approach in his DSL debut
36
José Pirela
IFA ‘23 | Venezuela
OF
20
L/R
35
50
Has cleaned up some swing-and-miss
37
Yorman Gomez
IFA ‘19 | Venezuela
RHP
23
R/R
40
45
A reliever turned starter who is probably a reliever; fastball struggles have cratered 2026
38
Bennett Thompson
‘24 Draft: 13:385 | Oregon
C
23
R/R
35
45
Good bat-to-ball skills with great approach; severe lack of bat speed has made AA transition tough; fringy defender
39
Ryan Degges
‘26 Trade w/ PHI
RHP
23
R/R
35
45
Likely a reliever due to poor command, but big stuff positions a quicker rise for Degges through system
40
Alfonsin Rosario
‘24 Trade w/ CHI
OF
22
R/R
35
45
Swing-and-miss problems have made him among the worst hitters in AAA (36% chase rate, 43% whiff)
41
Tyler Howard
‘25 Draft: 11:342 | Portland
C
22
R/R
35
45
Bat-to-ball specialist; above average framer, blocker w/ fringe arm
42
Matt Scott
‘26 Draft: 8:243 | Georgia
RHP
21
R/R
40
45
Reliever arm with quality stuff + spin; solid mechanics w/ outside chance to transition back to SP
43
Andrew Walters
‘23 Draft: CB-B:62 | Miami
RHP
25
R/R
35
45
‘26 served as lost season; going under the knife again
44
Rafe Schlesinger
‘24 Draft: 4:113 | Miami
LHP
23
L/L
35
45
Groundball getter who flashed some strikeout stuff in LC; will need to improve sequencing & secondary command to grow
45
Ben Cleary
‘26 Draft: 12:363 | Santa Clara
SS
21
R/R
35
45
Contact savant with no power projection who will pepper the opposite field; above avg defender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: A general view during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Sunday, September 10, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Loren Elliott/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Last week, our fearless leader Brady and I had an entertaining conversation that stemmed from the San Francisco Giants partnering with Kalshi. I thought I’d share a bit of that because it leads into our prompt for today.
It started with Brady ironically using the Giants’ slogan: “It doesn’t get more Giant.” To which I replied, “How much do you think their PR team regrets that one?” Brady mentioned that he always thought “Game Up” was the silliest slogan. I added that “Giants baseball: there’s nothing like it” was pretty bad too, given how often it’s been memed by the fanbase.
This prompted me to suggest honest slogans for the current trajectory of the team’s future:
“Giants Baseball: And that’s a threat.” and “Giants Baseball: And what are you gonna do about it?” were my suggestions.
Brady’s suggestion was: “Giants Baseball: Deal with it.”
So now we’re bringing the conversation to you guys for your suggestions. What do you think the Giants’ slogan should be for 2027 and beyond?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue this three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at 3:40 p.m. PT.
Hampshire make U-turn over Scott Kuggeleijn signing after fan backlash as Warwickshire add to their troubles
Kent’s start is on the crunchy side of autumn. Compton (8) and Crawley (6) both gone. Kent 18-2.
Rain at The Oval too, where my daughter is looking after my nephews and a couple of their friends. If you see an auburn haired young woman looking harassed, placate her with a mini roll. Auqib Nabi is Surrey’s latest recruit.
Sep 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Good morning Birdland,
Being a .500 team was cool while it lasted! The Orioles dipped right back to a losing record with their 4-2 loss on Tuesday night in Denver. Kyle Bradish labored, only getting through five mediocre innings. Luis De León debuted out of the bullpen and gave up a two-run homer, which proved to be the difference. And the Orioles offense was disappointing against a Rockies starter that entered the game with an ERA approaching seven.
Jackson Holliday had three of the teams seven hits, including his seventh home run of the season, which tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the seventh, but he also made a bad error with the debutant De León on the mound. Tough to complain too much about him when the rest of the offense did so very little.
As a team, the Orioles created just three at-bats with a runner in scoring position. They went 0-for-3 in such situations. The only other run they scored came in the third inning, when Gunnar Henderson hit into a double play that saw the first baseman make the force out at first, and throw to second for the tag out. Pete Alonso smartly stopped and ran back towards first base, which bought just enough time for the run to score.
Despite the reputation of Coors Field as an offensive haven, the Orioles haven’t had much success in the first two games of this series. They have scored just four runs over 18 innings of baseball. The streakiness of this lineup cannot even be healed by the thin Colorado air.
Elsewhere, the Guardians beat the Blue Jays 6-1, the Mariners beat the Red Sox 9-6, the Twins beat the Tigers 15-2, the Rangers beat the Athletics 8-5, and the White Sox beat the Astros 5-1.
All of that leaves the Orioles 1.5 games back of the Guardians for the AL’s final wild card spot.
The Orioles and Rockies will wrap up their three-game series this afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. with Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.38 ERA) on the mound to face old friend Tomoyuki Sugano (12-8, 5.23 ERA). Then the Birds fly home for a big four-game set with the Red Sox.
Links
Luis Robert Jr. joins the Orioles, a sign the owners ‘believe in this team’ | The Baltimore Banner It just made too much sense for the Orioles to not try and get Robert for the stretch run. It’s going to be an expensive month, but don’t forget that the team dumped a bunch of salary at the trade deadline, so they have some wiggle room. Robert, a right-handed hitter that can play a decent center field, should see regular playing time against left-handed pitching.
Looking back at flurry of Orioles roster moves | Roch Kubatko The decision to call up Heston Kjerstad instead of someone like Enrique Bradfield Jr. is an interesting one. Perhaps with Robert also coming in, the Orioles didn’t feel like they needed the speed or the glove of Bradfield. This feels like Kjerstad’s last chance to prove to this organization that he can be productive at the big league level.
Dusten Knight turns 36 today. Perhaps known best for his celebratory backflips in the minors, Knight made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2021, pitching in seven games that season.
Jason Hammel is 44 years old. Acquired from the Rockies prior to the 2012 season, the righty emerged as, arguably, the staff ace of the team that brought winning back to baseball. He had a 3.43 ERA over 118 innings in 2012, followed by a less enjoyable campaign in 2013.
Rex Hudler turns 66. His 13-season MLB career included a 14-game pit stop in Baltimore during the 1986 season. After his playing career came to an end, he became a well-regarded broadcaster for the Angels and now the Royals, plus being the color commentator in several versions of the video game, MLB The Show.
The late Drungo Hazewood (b. 1959, d. 2013) was born on this day. He played in five games for the Orioles in 1980.
John Flinn is 72 years old. The pitcher had two short stints in Baltimore. He appeared in 17 games between 1978 and ‘79, and then five more in 1982.
Nate Snell turns 74. He began his big league career with three seasons pitching out of the Baltimore bullpen, from 1984 through ‘86.
Dave Criscione is 75. The seven games he played for the 1977 Orioles were the only time he played in the big leagues.
A posthumous birthday for Marv Throneberry (b. 1933, d. 1994). He spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 1961-62.
This day in O’s history
1960 – The Orioles beat the Yankees 5-0 thanks to a strong pitching performance from Milt Pappas. The O’s now trail the Bombers by mere percentage points in the standings, .003 to be exact.
2012 – Mark Reynolds hits two home runs and Randy Wolf gets the win on the mound with 3.1 solid innings of relief as the O’s beat the Yankees 8-3 and move to within two games of the AL East leaders.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 19: Jonathan Santucci #12 of the New York Mets pitches during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Jonathan Santucci was solid, throwing five-innings of two-run ball, both runs coming on a pair of solo homers in the fourth, but Mets had built up a solid lead by that point, scoring six runs in the game’s first three innings. The southpaw ended up getting his first Triple-A win and 40th rounder Brian Metoyer locked down his first Triple-A save. With their win against the division-leading Red Wings, the Syracuse Mets now find themselves 3.5 games back in the standings.
The Fisher Cats were in control of this ballgame for most of it, but Binghamton took the lead in the bottom of the seventh on held on to win it. The victory, combined with Reading’s loss to Hartford, leaves them 3.5 games behind in the division.
This one was a continuation of a game that was suspended way back on July 5th. The game was tied 2-2, with the Cyclones just having tied things up on a Mitch Voit sac fly. When things returned, neither team was able to score within the next two innings, forcing the game into the tenth. Brooklyn wasn’t able to cash in on their ghost runner, but the Keys were in the bottom of the frame.
Both teams had a long layover waiting for this one to start on account of the rain, but when it did, the Cyclones got down to business quickly, with Elian Pena hitting a triple, Aiden Robbins driving him in with a single, and Robbins eventually getting driven in himself on a Yonatan Henriquez sac fly. Nick Carreno responded to their efforts by leading off the bottom of the inning walking three consecutive batters to load up the bases, allowing three runners to score and putting the Cyclones in an early hole. The Keys added a few insurance runs, and while the Cyclones were only able to get two of those runs back, solo homers off the bats of Robbins and Antonio Jimenez. With the two losses, the defending South Atlantic League champion Cyclones have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. On the bright side, Aiden Robbins- who I wasn’t much of a fan of on draft day because of concerns with his mechanics- is looking more and more legit.
St. Lucie and Jupiter were evenly matched for the majority of this ballgame, with the Hammerheads coming back down three runs early to tie things up and with the Mets coming back down three runs late to tie things up again. The pivotal run of the game came in the eighth, with the score tied 6-6. Hammerheads reliever Kifraidy Encarnacion melted down, walking Kuhio Aloy, Yovanny Rodriguez, and Jack Toomey to load up the bases. Needing one out to get out of the jam, he walked Branny De Oleo to force in a run, the winning run.
Happy birthday to Christian Bethancourt, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1965 – The Cubs beat St. Louis, 5-3, at Wrigley Field, as Ernie Banks hits his 400th home run, a three-run shot off Curt Simmons in the third. Simmons teed up the 400th home run of Willie Mays in 1963. Banks will end the season with 28 home runs and 106 RBI. Ron Santo and Billy Williams will also knock in over 100 runs, the only team with three such sluggers, but the Cubs will still finish in eighth place; and 1972 – Milt Pappas of the Cubs hurls a no-hit game in beating the Padres, 8-0. Pappas has a perfect game until pinch-hitter Larry Stahl walks with two outs in the 9th inning. Pappas and C Randy Hundley both say of the pitches to Stahl, “They were so close I don’t know how Stahl could take them, but they were balls.” Pappas later comments on the plate umpire: “he had a chance to become famous as the umpire in the twelfth perfect game in history, but he blew it.” Pappas retires former Cub Garry Jestadt to finish the game, and other stories as well.
1912 – At Boston, Christy Mathewson wins both games for the Giants in a 5-2 and 6-1 sweep of the Braves. In the opener, Matty relieves Rube Marquard in the ninth with the score at 2-2 and tosses three shutout innings. Larry Doyle ends it with a three-run homer in the 12th. Matty coasts to his 19th win in the nitecap after the Giants chase Ed Doheny with five runs in the third.
1955 – Whitey Ford throws six innings of no-hit ball against Washington before Carlos Paula spoils it in the seventh with Washington’s only hit. The Yanks win, 4-2, as Mantle hits his 36th home run, a three-run shot. Mantle is ten homers ahead of rivals Al Kaline and Ted Williams.
1958 – At Yankee Stadium, New York snaps a scoreless tie with Boston when Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle crash back-to-back sixth-inning homers off Dave Sisler. New York wins, 6-1. Mantle and Berra will hit back-to-back homers 12 times together, and homer in the same game 50 times before they are through.
1962 – Stan Musial‘s 3,516th hit jumps him over Tris Speaker and into second place behind Ty Cobb on the all-time list, but the Mets beat the Cards, 4-3. Although The Man will continue on to 3,630 hits, he cannot overtake Cobb and, in time, Pete Rose and Hank Aaron will surpass him.
1966 – Phillies ace Jim Bunning continues his whammy over the Mets by shutting them out, 6-0. It’s Bunning’s eighth complete game in as many starts against them, and his fifth shutout.
1966 – The Pirates behind Bob Veale take over first place by topping Fergie Jenkins and the Cubs, 7-5, on Roberto Clemente‘s opposite-field upper deck home run. Besides being his 2,000th career hit, Clemente’s homer is his 23rd this season, tying his career high (he’ll end with 29), and gives him 101 RBI for the year, the first time he’s topped 100.
2020 – The family of Hall of FamerTom Seaver announces that he has passed away on August 31st at 75, after suffering from Lewy body dementia for some time, a condition aggravated by COVID-19. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, he remains the biggest icon in the history of the New York Mets.
1926 – In the first game of a twinbill between Chicago and St. Louis, Grover Alexander exacts revenge on the Cubs, whipping them, 2-0. Charlie Root is the loser. The Cards take the nightcap, 9-1.
1929 – The Cubs beat the Cards twice, 11-7 and 12-10, before 81,000 fans at Wrigley Field. A crowd of 38,000 sees the morning game and 43,000 watch the afternoon game. Rogers Hornsby has two home runs and Hack Wilson has one.
1932 – In St. Louis, the Cubs’ win streak reaches 13 as Kiki Cuyler‘s fifth homer in six games leads the way to an 8 – 5 victory. Mark Koenig adds a round-tripper for Chicago.
1955 – Cubs star Ernie Banks sets the record for home runs hit by a shortstop by hitting his 40th dinger in a 12-2 rout of the Cardinals. ‘Mr. Cub’ will extend the record finishing this season with 44 and will hit 48 in 1958.
2002 – The Cubs beat the Brewers, 17-4, to salvage a split in their doubleheader after Milwaukee takes the opener by a score of 4-2 on solo homers by Ron Belliard (2), Eric Young and Jose Hernandez. Glendon Rusch wins his eighth straight over the Cubs. Chicago P Kerry Wood ties a major-league record in the second game by fanning four Brewers in the fourth inning.
1642 – English Long Parliament issues Ordinance ordering closure of London theatres including the Globe theatre, once part-owned by William Shakespeare.
1666 – Great Fire of London begins at 2am in Pudding Lane, 80% of London is destroyed.
1864 – US Civil War: Union General William T. Sherman captures and occupies Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Atlanta Campaign in the US Civil War.
1901 – Theodore Roosevelt advises “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far” in an address to the Minnesota State Fair, entitled “National Duties”.
1960 – American sprinter Wilma Rudolph wins the coveted 100m gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 11.0; beats Britain’s Dorothy Hyman by 0.3. It’s the first of three gold medals for Rudolph.
1969 – The first automated teller machine in the United States is installed in Rockville Centre, New York.
Today in music history:
1972 – Rod Stewart‘s first No. 1 hit single in the UK, “You Wear It Well”.
1991 – “Ropin’ the Wind,” the third studio album by Garth Brooks is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1992).
2023 – American rock band Aerosmith kicks off “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” with concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Detroit Tigers took a spanking at the hands of the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, succumbing to a 10-run rally in the sixth inning en route to a 15-2 defeat. For the second night in a row, the Olde English D was left bruised and battered, having been outscored at Target Field so far, 26-3.
RIP run differential.
Getting the nod for the final game of the series for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Drew Anderson, who will make his eighth start of the 2026 campaign. The 32-year-old has been perfectly serviceable since returning to the starting role, posting a solid 3.38 ERA but a concerning 5.55 FIP over four games stretching across 18 2/3 innings, allowing 17 hits (four home runs) and 10 walks while striking out 18, taking an L while his team lost three of those four outings.
Anderson has faced Minnesota twice this summer in relief, allowing a run on two hits and three walks while striking out six over 3 2/3 frames of work, picking up a hold in the process.
For the home team, fellow righty Dean Kremer will climb the hill for the American League Central battle. Since being traded to the Twins at the deadline, the 30-year-old has put up a 4.39 ERA and 4.06 FIP — numbers that are much improved over what he did with the Baltimore Orioles (6.50 ERA, 6.22 FIP) earlier this year — allowing 19 hits (three home runs) and 11 walks while striking out 23 and uncorking a wild pitch over his last 26 2/3 innings.
The Tigers absolutely slaughtered Kremer when they saw him with the O’s on July 28 right before the trade, scoring eight runs on eight hits (two home runs) and three walks against four strikeouts over four frames to hand him his fourth loss in a 14-0 blowout.
Take a look below at the matchup between the two hurlers in the series finale on Wednesday night.
Detroit Tigers (63-75) vs. Minnesota Twins (67-72)
Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 139: RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.87 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (2-5, 5.60 ERA)
Aug 31, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (right) tags out Philadelphia Phillies base runner Kyle Schwarber at home plate in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Padres’ former owners are getting what they got and the Angels are being sold for their valuation, what do you think the Phillies would fetch if John Middleton decided to put them up on the market for sale?
After hosting the Pirates series at home, the Cardinals could have been a .500 team or even a winning team; however, the Cardinals lost that series and hover a win or two away from the 70 win plateau. Why am I watching that closely? Why, it’s the number of wins Vegas odds predicted the Cardinals would win. If you are a betting Cardinals fan, rejoice! You are sure to be seeing a payout there. I almost made that bet back in April, but alas, I’m not a betting man.
To start out the season, I was writing warped projections articles showing how it wouldn’t be that hard for the Cardinals to get to around .500 or even surpass that mark. Well they certainly have the ability to go over .500, they just can’t stay over by more than 9 games. They also cannot seem to sink too far below the .500 line, but they still have a month to lose. I think they will be fine, -ish. They surely would have, could have, had a stronger finish if stalwart players like Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Andre Pallante, and the up and coming Hunter Dobbins all could have stayed healthy. But here we are, entering the final month, under .500 and missing key players.
It sure looks like the Cardinals could end up as many as ten or more games below .500, or the team could simply continue to tread water, struggling with .500. Promotions to players like Winquest, Bernal, and Rincon feel more like auditions for next year at this point. So beyond looking forward to seeing how the young players close out the season and set themselves up for 2027, what else is there to do? I don’t know about you, but I feel like reminiscing about what has happened during the first 5 months of the season. Already feeling nostalgic? I guess!
But first, another look at the Rookie of the Year race, which is voted on by a (hopefully) diverse group of assessors that know what they are doing regarding player evaluations…
Who do you vote for if you like defense? JJ Wetherholt gets rookie of the year here. Unless somehow the other players make up some WAR really quick, the vote probably goes to JJ regarding overall value too, unless you just scoff at and completely write off the WAR stat, which many have (I haven’t).
Who do you vote for if you mostly like hitting, but want it coupled with good defense? Carson Benge is probably your guy then. He is possibly the most well-rounded player here, given his steadily increasing OPS, his strong throwing arm, and steady defense in right field.
Who do you vote for if you want them good ol’ counting stats like HR and RBI? Sal Stewart has somehow racked up over 100 RBI already, despite being stuck on one of the worst offenses in baseball. That alone is very impressive, and the fact that he had no problem getting to 30 HR either… some will see this guy as a shoe in. Well I am very impressed, his defense cannot compare with either Benge or Wetherholt, it is the weakness in his game. Benge also is the far superior baserunner and all around baseball playing athlete, as is Wetherholt.
Who do you vote for if you think a good pitcher should always supplant a good hitter? Nolan McLean would be a perfect option then, with his bright and shiny ERA and his 3+ WAR total, already making him one of the best pitchers in baseball.
I won’t be able to fault you picking any of those 4 guys to win it right now. I of course would just defer to WAR and my own fandom here and vote JJ, but then again, if he misses ample playing time, he may get passed up or tied in WAR if something outlandish happens over the last month.
2026 Cardinals Position Players by WAR
A Grade Cardinals
2B JJ Wetherholt had the right combination of defense and above average hitting this year to amass 4.4 fWAR in 130 games played. He arrived as such a valuable player by playing outlandish defense while sustaining an on-base percentage of .343 at leadoff, while occasionally wearing some pitchers down. He may not have many games left to add to his 17 HR total, but even 17 was more than we had imagined. Wetherholt gets an A for his rookie season, even if it’s already over. If you’re curious, Baseball Reference rates JJ even higher at 4.6 WAR. If JJ were to play a 150 game season, he would have no problem cracking 5 WAR.
Injury update: the earliest JJ can come back is Sept 9, and I think the Cardinals expect him to be back then.
RF Jordan Walker has so far inverted his -1.3 fWAR from last season into a +3.1 fWAR as it stands today. This is still the biggest surprise of the season. While Wetherholt doubled his projections, Walker threw the script on himself out the window. The new Walker has emerged, and this version won the Home Run Derby. He is still a liability in right field, but possesses a cannon for an arm to help offset that a little. When you’re chasing down 30 home runs and hitting better than most of the league, you get an A. When you better yourself by over 4.5 WAR from last year, you might deserve an A+, even. There is still work to be done, however, mostly on defense, but an A is enough. Good work Jordan Walker. Prediction: 3.5 WAR, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 20 SB.
1B Alec Burleson the story of Burly goes back to 2022-2023, where he was a below average hitter working his way up. Since then, Alec Burleson has taken his own form of hitting and made it better each season. He remains hacktastic and a little prone to lefties, but he has worked on his weakness. One of which was on-base percentage. Burly has bettered himself by upping his OBP every season. While his batting average seems to have maxed out, Burleson has raised his OBP markedly each season:
2022 .264 OBP
2023 .300 OBP
2024 .314 OBP
2025 .343 OBP
2026 .353 OBP
Walks may be boring, but they open the doors to more runs and even more power. Burleson has already tied his career-high HR total of 21 (2024) while walking a lot more often than that year. Going to have to give out another A. Burly now has 100 RBI, which is easily his career high. What can Burly do to continue his constant improvements? He can lower his strikeouts and keep improving vs left-handed pitching. Of course, if he can play defense even better next year which I believe he will, that’s just another way he can continue to become even more valuable.
B–
SS Masyn Winn daredevil shortstop with the difference maker arm, eliminating baserunners gets a B. The hitting is below average, but enough for a plus defender that is difficult to pin down, value-wise. Wetherholt and Winn turned so many double plays it made my head spin. Winn altered his batting style this year, upping his on base percentage but seeing everything else falter on offense. Prorated to 150 games, Winn is still a 3+ WAR player and a key part of the defense.
LF Joshua Baez I would give Baez a B but his wRC+ is still around Masyn Winn territory. He gets the B- for hitting home runs at a pace of about a home run per series, but mostly because he’s only played in 16 games and I don’t really know what to say about him just yet. The power has been enormous so far: .315 ISO! Far too early, but it’s been a fun debut for the youngster. The statcast numbers aren’t really out yet except for his sprint speed, which is 89th percentile, and his average exit velocity is among the best at 93.4!
Update: Baez now has 6 HR! and is above 100 wRC+.
C+
C/DH Ivan Herrera’s season has come down to him breaking a record by getting hit by pitches (not on purpose!) and well, should he even be a catcher. While he might be the team’s best blocker, he isn’t very good at catching overall. On a team crowded with catchers, it begs the question, should a guy who can’t throw runners out even bother catching? The complicating factor, other than Ivan may not be suited to playing any other position: he doesn’t hit well when he is the designated hitter. He turns into a pumpkin. Do you continue to let him catch, or try to trade him in the offseason? That’s the choice, in my opinion.
How do we grade Herrera against his past self? His power numbers are down but his on-base percentage is up. He takes more walks but isn’t striking out more. I think ultimately he is having a weird off year because of all the hit by pitches and never quite finding his rhythm. As a big Herrera fan, I wanted to give him a better grade, but he has just been an above average hitter that sets the tone at the top of the lineup, very similar to JJ at leadoff. The defensive metric numbers are very similar to Jordan Walker’s, so he will probably be dragged down in value by his defense going forward each year. Here’s hoping he can figure out to hit more as a DH or moving to another position that he is better at. He is fine as a backup catcher, but you want to get the bat into the lineup more often.
C
OF Bryan Torres looks to be a good bench player depth piece! If you started his .6 WAR 150 games, he would be about a 1.65 WAR guy. So I don’t see him stealing a starting spot. But I am definitely not disappointed with Torres. Batting league average with a few home runs while playing decent defense. That works.
C Pedro Pages I give Pedro a lot of crap off and on throughout the season, but ultimately in a way he is like the “lite” version of Masyn Winn. Good defense, bad offense. Pedro should hit better next year, but you cannot expect more than an 80 wRC+ from this guy. I like the plus defense. But the hitting can be bad, using this season as an example: 59 wRC+ is Victor Scott II territory. Unfortunately, Pedro cannot match that kind of elite defense. That said, Pages is perfectly fine as a backup catcher.
CF Everson Pereira’ his 109 wRC+, ISO north of .200, and pretty decent defense make me want to think of him as something more, but he just hasn’t played for the Cardinals enough to assign more than the default C grade, especially if he will be more of a bench guy. That said, I really like this random acquisition, and he’s been fun to watch (except when seeing his hand get smashed by a pitch!). Prorate his .5 fWAR to 2+ WAR. Maybe that’s our center fielder next year, or at least half the platoon! Perhaps a C+ is in order.
Update: now that Victor Scott II has been recalled, I would bet the Cardinals let Pereira heal up for a while.
CF Nathan Church has held his own despite a BABIP of .266. His 10 HR total has been nice. But! his .2 fWAR over 118 games is less than encouraging. Maybe a C-? He needs to improve on that defense (as does Pereira to some extent). Perhaps my biggest concern with Church is the batting average and especially the on-base percentage, but maybe next year will be better for the left-handed hitter.
3B Blaze Jordan while there have been some flashes of brilliance so far, the fact that his season has been tragically shortened by injury will force us to wait and see. The resulting left ankle sprain will have him missing several weeks of play. Blaze did not show a ton of power or on-base ability, but his defense was solid at the hot corner. Not a total disappointment, but definitely not much of a reinforcement either. Gorman was just that bad.
D
C Jimmy Crooks was a replacement level catcher with decent defensive abilities in 52 games played. You might be surprised he hit 5 home runs over that span of time, because his .179 BA due to a .232 BABIP and well, just not connecting with the ball most of the time made every plate appearance a difficult watch. 32.2% K rate.
F
Nelson Velazquez, Victor Scott II, Thomas Saggese, and Yohel Pozo did not make the cut, all had negative WAR, and ties were severed quickly. And yet, the worst negative fWAR “offenders” Nolan Gorman, Ramon Urias, and Cesar Prieto remain on the team. Granted, Saggese and Scott could theoretically be promoted, I just don’t see it happening. Nolan Gorman is still striking out over 32% of the time on the season. So, prorating his season out, Gorman would be one of the most painful ways to get 20 HR while playing mediocre defense at third base. That is not actually a good player when you aren’t doing much else but hitting home runs at a boring clip. While I don’t think Urias is as bad as his statline, he certainly has not been an asset. Many fans are wondering what the point of him being on the team is, other than being the veteran present. Prieto has been nearly legendarily bad in little playing time.
Some things about this season just do not compute, it’s been a weird year. It’s been fun, but the offense and bullpen are too inconsistent. There are about 3 players that are very good MLB producers, but two of them rely a lot on pulling off amazing defensive plays, with the other one being a first baseman.
What is the main flaw of the offense? They don’t strike out much, but they don’t like taking walks. I’m not sure how much this matters because of what the Brewers are doing, but they’re in the bottom 10 teams in HR total as an offense. With a .281 BABIP as an offense, I can tell you there is a pattern with certain players just not having a good BABIP, appearing unlucky at least to some extent. Wetherholt, Winn, etc.
Ok, so, I was wrong about Victor Scott II on Monday night! He’s back now! Guess that’s the main update for one day of a news gap. I think he will make the pitching staff a little more confident. The hitting can’t be much worse than a Church 80-ish wRC+. The catches will look easier out there... or Scott will be a good late-inning defensive replacement.
1996: The Year In Music
I am back to provide you with not the most popular opinions on music, but also, not the most obscure. Join me as I walk a line between total hipster underground albums you’ll never ever hear, and some albums that you are probably all too aware of! And everything in between, hopefully.
Meat Beat Manifesto – ‘Subliminal Sandwich’ industrial dub techno psychedelic multi-genre masterpiece, I can never get enough of this 160 minute masterpiece. I could write many words trying to get you to hear this, but I’ll just put it at the top of the list instead. Perfect double album. Or is that quadruple album? It was two 80 minute CDs… sometimes more is better.
Swirlies – ‘They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons’ well, I have to admit, I like this album just as much as my #1 there. But, it’s a much different sound, more like shoegaze style. Alt rock, noise pop, psychedelic smart kid music, I don’t know what to call it. Indie rock. It’s one of the best most thrilling listens out there. That’s what I’ll say about it. It’s really fucking good.
Aphex Twin – ‘Richard D James Album’ the album title is the name of the mastermind behind Aphex Twin, and this was his original breakthrough album, although maybe he became even more well known for his subsequent EPs ‘Come To Daddy’ and ‘Windowlicker’. Nonetheless, as a fan you must always come back to this album, as it distills his future styles with his multi-layered past into a perfect capture of the multi-layered and tiered mid-90s burgeoning electronic music movement. Many didn’t even hear it until a year or two, few after its release… but once you hear it, it’s unforgettable.
Ministry – ‘Filthpig’ if those two albums are my favorites, then Filthpig deserves a double dipped silver medal since it’s my favorite Ministry album and they’re one of my favorite bands. I am more on the metal/noise rock end of the spectrum of Ministry fans, I suppose. This is an absolutely incredible production. I put it in my album hall of fame, as I did the first two albums from this year. 1996 was a helluva year for music in my book.
Unwound – ‘Repetition’ post-punk ingenuity meets noise rock together forming a force that blows the roof off the joint. This one’s got the juice. Peak years for the northwest’s Unwound. Cannot recommend enough. Check it out to hear Sarah Lund’s unique drumming, if for no other reason.
Squarepusher – ‘Feed Me Weird Things’ an amazingly funky futuristic sounding album, especially for 1996, which appears to have been a good year to release breakthrough sounds. This one has grown on me over the years, and I love it more with each listen. Tom Jenkins used to share an old bank building with Aphex Twin. Anyway, Feed Me Weird Things is just an amazing collection of experimental funky jazz fusion drum and bass meets IDM, resulting in new musical forms.
Dr Octagon – ‘Dr Octagonecologyst’ an incredible listening experience produced by dj Dan The Automator and narrated by bizarre genius Kool Keith.
Dr. Octagon, paramedic fetus of the East With priests, I’m from the Church of the Operating Room With the strikes of force, scalpels since the Holocaust I do indeed in greed, explore meet the patients Back to brooms with the nurse with the voodoo curse Holding up office lights, standing at huge heights Back and forth, left wing swing to North East and South with blood pouring down your mouth I come prepared with the white suit and stethoscope Listen to your heartbeat—delete, beep, beep, beep! Your insurance is high, but my price is cheap Look at the lamp (Let me show you showmthin’)
And with that, I’m going to leave with my 7 favorite albums of 1996. I will have more ‘96 next week, all my honorable mentions and heavy metal and whatnot. But these are my 7 can’t miss 1996 listening experiences.
It’s another late one in LA tonight, adn the night after. Then the quest continues to Denver and the Rockies later this week. Stay tuned!
Sep 30, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) poses for photos during Media day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
For years now, Harrison barnes has shown he more than a basketball player. Together with his wife Brittany, the Barnes have made many charitable donations. Since moving to San Antonio and joining the Spurs, they donated $250,000 to AlamoPROMISE, $50,000 to the San Antonio MLK Commission, and another $150,000 across ten nonprofit organizations. They were involved with court renovations in Austin, Texas and Saltillo, Mexico.
Now Barnes has invest $25M into a bank in Paton, Iowa, a small town of approximately 250 people. The bank is located just over 40 miles from where he grew up. He has previously served on bank boards and studied at the Iowa School of Banking. His interest in community banking blossomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not a vanity project,” Barnes said. “We want to be Iowa’s next great bank.”
Barnes’ ownership in Community State Bank is designed to preserve rather than overhaul it. Community State Bank’s name, staff and management will remain in place. The bank, celebrating its 70th anniversary, was acquired through Barnes Bancorp, Inc., a company he owns.
Welcome to The Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, do not troll and watch the language.
Welcome to September, everyone, also known as the month when the New York Islanders and the NHL return. Not just the preseason, like in previous years, either.
The Islanders' season kicks off in 28 days, and with it, the Islanders will have some big decisions to make in the next four weeks.
The Islanders enter September with the biggest questions at training camp: the battle of the young, new crop of prospects led by Victor Eklund, looking to break through to the NHL, facing up against established veteran forwards.
Some, like Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall, are looking to reset their careers after the last two seasons were lost. For Duclair, that was injury-related in year one, then never received consistent opportunities under then-Head Coach Patrick Roy in year two.
Engvall failed to make the team out of training camp in 2024, but wound up having a decent depth season before suffering multiple injuries and then missing the entire 2025-26 season as a result.
The only addition to the Islanders' roster offensively between their last game of the season and the present date is Matias Macelli. The exits are headlined by Anders Lee, followed by Marc Gatcomb and Maxim Shabanov, all of whom played a lot of games throughout the season.
As a result, some fans have hoped for a potential PTO for some of the top remaining UFAs, including Eeli Tolvanen and Patrik Laine, to add even more competition up front.
However, the New York Rangers swooped in and landed Tolvanen Tuesday afternoon, signing the forward to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
Tolvanen, 27, posted 12 goals and 36 points last season with the Seattle Kraken. In 2024-25, Tolvanen wired home 23 goals, a career high.
Tolvanen boasts strong defensive analytics and could be a solid third-liner at a discount for the Rangers. His issues include poor puck control and a lack of overall offensive play driving compared to some peers.
Given where the Islanders are at this point in time, it just doesn't make sense to give out a guaranteed contract right now, not when they're trying to save spots for Eklund and the rest of the youth to push for roster spots.
The condition on the first rounder is solely what year the pick is in, not a matter of whether it remains a first.
Evangelista notched 12 goals and a career-high 56 points in 81 games with Nashville. He's got sparkling analytics, with people raving about his two-way ability.
The young forward can fit anywhere in New Jersey's top nine, and given their inconsistent wing play over the last 24 months, he can make a difference.
The cost of acquisition was beyond prohibitive for the Islanders, especially considering the style of play.
The Islanders are in no position to trade two premium draft picks for a player who would not be adding goals. The Islanders' version of this bet was Maccelli, who scored 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games, all while posting pretty strong analytics on a dismal Toronto squad.
For the Islanders, the only forward competition they may add ahead of training camp will likely come via PTOs, which allow the team to retain the flexibility they've built in for the youth to push hard this fall.
County Championship side Hampshire backed out of playing New Zealand fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn in their four-day Division One clash with Warwickshire on Wednesday due to fan backlash.
What will Steph Curry’s forthcoming Warriors contract extension look like?
Pretty much whatever he wants it to.
It is no secret that the superstar and Golden State soon will come to terms on a lucrative contract extension before his 18th NBA season, but how will it be structured, with Curry turning 39 years old in March? ESPN’s Anthony Slater shared some insight into the Warriors’ discussions with Curry now that he is, as of Saturday, eligible to sign a maximum two-year, $136.7 million contract extension.
“They’re not like negotiating with Steph Curry right now,” Slater said on the latest episode of the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. They are saying, ‘You can do this, you can do this, you can do this. If you want the one-year max, if you want the two-year max, if you want to wait, here’s your menu. Pick off your menu.”
Curry has made it known that he wants to finish his illustrious NBA career with Golden State, and in all likelihood he will.
“There’s no question I want to be here the rest of my career, and I’m pretty sure that’s going to happen,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson on Monday.
“The deal and the contract stuff will happen at the right time, and we’re not letting it be a distraction from our preparation for the season, and the fact that the team we’re coming back with has a lot of familiarity.”
Will Curry play for one more season? Two? Three? That remains to be seen, but it is safe to assume the 12-time All-Star is not going anywhere for the forseeable future.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 31: (R-L) Trent Grisham #12, Spencer Jones #78 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees during fielding practice before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 31, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are gearing up to welcome Aaron Judge back into the fold sometime soon, perhaps as soon as this current road trip is over. When he returns to the lineup, the team will at last have their Opening Day outfield of Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham all healthy again. However, while the team hasn’t had nearly as much of Judge as they’d like and Bellinger has also missed a decent chunk of time, they’ve gotten a good look at Grisham in 2026 and unfortunately the results haven’t been good.
Grisham’s offense has taken a significant hit compared to his breakout 2025, posting a 97 wRC+ that’s a full 30 points lower than last year’s mark while playing increasingly worse defense out in center field. His luck at the plate was rather unfortunate for the first month before a strong May and June brought him back in line, but after looking nonexistent in July it’s become more and more apparent that the decline he’s faced is closer to reality than the Yankees would like. The team didn’t have much choice but to continue running him out there as the outfield depth has been tested throughout the year, but now that they’re at full strength there’s one option they can make. The team can continue to run Grisham out there to close out the year, or they could lean on the power of one of their top prospects in Spencer Jones as he starts to figure things out at the major league level.
Jones’ first couple cups of coffee as a Yankee didn’t do much to inspire confidence that his swing could play in the majors yet, showcasing the massive holes that had been apparent down in the minors. He ran a strikeout rate north of 40 percent through June, but a major turnaround began when he was called back up at the end of July. He’s managed to pull back that strikeout rate a touch, still running a high 32 percent in August, and he’s provided a power boost to the lineup in the process. His defense is still awkward at best, but considering how Grisham looks covering balls out there nowadays I’d have a hard time saying Jones is worse.
It’s a tough choice for the Yankees to make, but their best lineup might just be with Jones penciled in rather than Grisham. There’s little else they can do to optimize their chances to win at this point — the infield has been brought up a level with George Lombard Jr. manning shortstop and Luis García Jr. at first base, Cody Bellinger has been one of the best left fielders in baseball and shouldn’t be messed with shifting him around, and Judge will play right field out of necessity but can’t give 100 percent on defense with his rib injury. They have the month of September to figure out which of the two outfielders can ride a hot streak into October, but the odds might favor Jones as he’s adapted his swing since his initial callup. Which one would you trust to start the lion’s share of games going forward? Let us know down below in the comments.
We’ve got a busy day ahead of us while we wait for the late night rubber match out on the West Coast. Peter gives a trio of Yankees the spotlight in his At-Bat of the Week, Andrew has the Rivalry Roundup featuring Freddy Peralta exacting some revenge on the Mets after a terrible first half with them, and Nick gives Monte Pearson his flowers on his birthday. Then in the afternoon we’ve got some division check-ins, with Sam, Jeremy, and John covering the NL East, Central, and West respectively.
