Category: Sports News

Washington Nationals baseball is back folks. After six long months, the boys are back in town. It will be a much different vibe from the last time we saw the Nats play though. At the end of September, they were at the end of a long and unsuccessful slog. Now, they are at the start of a new era.

Everyone will have chances to prove themselves and roster spots will be up for grabs. I cannot remember a Spring Training where so much is up in the air. That is only natural because there is a new POBO, a new GM and a new manager. They are going to want to get close looks at these players.

Today, the new braintrust will have a chance to see a lot of different players, as the Nats are playing two games. There is a split-squad, with one group playing the Astros on Nationals TV, while the rest of the team is playing against the Cardinals in Jupiter.

wake up, we have LINEUPS 🙌

→ split squad vs. astros live (and free) on https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/Jty7ejUSwA

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 21, 2026

Based on the lineups, the team in West Palm Beach is the stronger one. That team will feature the likes of CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, Keibert Ruiz and Abimelec Ortiz. The Jupiter team has Harry Ford and other roster contenders like Joey Wiemer and Matt Mervis. Sam Petersen is an interesting prospect at the bottom of that lineup.

We are not going to see much in the way of well known pitching, at least to start. Jake Eder and Shinnosuke Ogasawara will be the starters today. Both are long shots to make the roster, but could get looks at some point this season. The reason they are the ones pitching today just has to do with their throwing schedules. I would not read much into that.

Spring starters set.

Jake Eder opens Grapefruit League play. Shinnosuke Ogasawara starts the split squad game in Jupiter.

More about schedules than roster locks, but baseball is back 👀

Info via @MarkZuckerman. pic.twitter.com/TfmQwWZJ5c

— natsfanatics (@natsfanatics_) February 18, 2026

However, it is still fun to see the team back on the field. This is the first time we will see the boys back in action in the Paul Toboni era. I am curious to see if we will be able to see any notable changes today. It is much easier to spot changes in pitchers than hitters in Spring Training though.

It is easier to identify changes with pitchers right away. You can see the velocity on the radar gun and the shapes of the new pitches. Speaking of the radar gun, we will have a better read on that this year. Every Spring Training site now has statcast, so we will be able to see all of that data. That is very helpful and it will be something I will follow.

It allows us to track things like the progress of Cade Cavalli’s new sweeper and whether Robert Hassell’s added muscle is allowing him to hit the ball harder. Shoutout to the MLB for adding statcast to all the spring sites.

Another thing statcast allows for is the ABS challenge system. With the challenge system coming to the MLB this season, catchers are going to need to learn what to challenge. Spring Training will give the Nats catchers important reps. Since it is so early, there are no main strategies for challenging. Spring Training will give catchers trial and error opportunities. 

Most importantly, baseball is back. I am so excited to watch the first Nats game on Nationals TV. Some people say Ground Hogs day can be the start of spring, but in my opinion, the first game of Spring Training is when spring truly gets underway.

The San Diego Padres started their Cactus League season against the Seattle Mariners in Peoria, Ariz. and the game ended with the Friars falling, 7-4. Players often say the result of the game is not the focus in Spring Training, instead they focus on their results. If that is the case, Jose Miranda is pleased after he recorded a two-run home run and a double in his first game with the San Diego organization. Miranda is one of several players looking to make an impression early and often in an effort to make the big-league roster. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball said the final bench spots are one of the three questions the Padres need to answer before the conclusion of Cactus League play.

Padres News:

• Much has been said and written about the depleted San Diego farm system, but the starting pitcher for the first game of spring for the Padres, Jagger Haynes, showed enough potential to elicit a vote of confidence from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball.
• Craig Stammen wasted no time differentiating himself from former Padres manager Mike Shildt. Stammen’s first lineup had Xander Bogaerts leading off with Fernando Tatis Jr. batting cleanup. It’s the first lineup and the first game of Cactus League play, but AJ Cassavell of Padres.com thinks it might be a sign of things to come under Stammen’s tenure.
• Stammen revealed reliever Yuki Matsui suffered a groin injury during a live batting practice session on Thursday, which could cause him to miss the World Baseball Classic. While Matsui will have to determine how best to rehab and recover from his injury, his bullpen mate Jason Adam continues his quest to return to the field with fielding drills to test the stability of his repaired quadriceps tendon.

Baseball News:

• The ABS challenge system was put to the test with the first Spring Training games of the season. Brent Maguire of MLB.com says there were 23 challenges and 13 calls overturned. Two of the overturned calls were made by Luis Campusano and one call that was not overturned was Cal Raleigh who challenged a called ball against Jackson Merrill that was confirmed as a ball.
• Pete Alonso introduced himself to his new Baltimore Orioles fanbase with a home run in his first Spring Training action.
• Munetaka Murakami almost missed his debut because he was stuck in traffic on his way to the stadium. He arrived just in time to make the start and recorded two hits in the game.
• Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association are each preparing for a work stoppage by setting aside money to deal with a prolonged absence of games.
• The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly talking to free agent pitcher Max Scherzer about a return to the team for the 2026 season.
• The Minnesota Twins will officially be without starter Pablo Lopez for the 2026 season after it was reported he will undergo Tommy John surgery next week.

The Orioles’ farm system might be past the point of boasting the consensus #1 prospect in baseball every year. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and the like have long since graduated to the majors. But there’s still plenty to like about the Orioles’ prospect pipeline. And there will be no shortage of promising youngsters whose progress we can follow throughout the 2026 season.

The one who most interests me is a guy we got a long look at in the Orioles’ Grapefruit League opener yesterday: Trey Gibson. A year ago, Gibson isn’t someone who was on my prospect radar, considering his unheralded background as an undrafted free agent signing who had just completed his first year of full-season pro ball. But Gibson’s dynamic arsenal and stupendous 2025 season, highlighted by a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts at Double-A Chesapeake, have rocketed him to a status as arguably the Orioles’ best pitching prospect. He’s ranked as a top-100 prospect by ESPN, Baseball America, and FanGraphs. His intriguing arm was on full display against the Yankees yesterday as he pitched three scoreless innings to complete the Birds’ shutout win. Gibson will begin this year at Triple-A Norfolk but has a great chance to contribute to the Orioles’ rotation at some point this year.

What about you, Camden Chatters? Which Orioles prospect are you most excited to follow this season? Is it former first rounder Enrique Bradfield Jr., or 2025 breakout prospect Nate George? A power arm like Luis De León? Perhaps one of last year’s top draft picks, Ike Irish or Wehiwa Aloy? Or someone else? Let us know in the comments.

Major League Baseball doesn’t have a long offseason by calendar days. But man, it’s been a long one this season. It’s time for getting your nearly everyday baseball fix. Although, for the next few weeks it’s going to be more like Braves ‘n’ Friends. We’re getting Mike Yastrzemski, Jonah Heim, Eli White, Jorge Mateo and the kids. And on the mound, it’s Carlos Carrasco. This is pretty good in that they have on the Braves uniform and everything. But you know what I want. At least we’ll get to see John Gil.

Yesterday I repaired my HVAC insulation and watched ice hockey. And I liked it. You tell me how ready I am for first pitch.

It’s been a few months since Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski made public comments questioning Bryce Harper’s status as an elite player. Harper certainly didn’t have an elite season in 2025, but is that enough to demote a player entirely?

Harper has admitted to still being baffled by the comments, but the good news is that he often performs at his best when he has a chip on his shoulder.

So, what say you? Is Bryce Harper still an elite player?

Bill Mazeroski, the Gold Glove former second baseman of the Pittsburgh Pirates who danced around the bases after his bottom-of-the-ninth, solo home run beat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, died at the age of 89.

“The author of one of the game’s most indelible moments, Bill Mazeroski will be remembered as one of baseball's most respected figures – both for his character and for his brilliance on the field as one of the game’s best second basemen," Baseball Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.

"Maz remained humble about his career, even as he was celebrated in Cooperstown. On behalf of his Hall of Fame family, we send our deepest sympathies to his loved ones and to Pirates fans everywhere.”

Mazeroski was an amazing defensive player who could turn the double play in a blink. He was a shortstop when he signed with the Pirates in 1954, at 17, but Branch Rickey promptly moved him to second base.

Late Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince called Mazeroski "The Glove." He had the defensive statistics to back up his excellence, and they helped put him in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

But as a career .260 hitter, he also got a big boost in that induction from his monumental homer – still marked by a plaque on a Pittsburgh sidewalk where it cleared the left field wall at since-demolished Forbes Field. Today there is a statue of Mazeroski outside Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

Mazeroski was 24 on that Oct. 13, 1960, day when, at 3:36 p.m. ET, he blasted into baseball immortality against the Yankees. He was 64 and white-haired in 2001 when he got a private tour of his exhibit at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, a few days before his induction.

On that tour, he recalled to USA TODAY Sports that he was "floating" as he rounded the bases in 1960 after hitting a one-ball, no-strike slider for a home run off Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry. The ball barely cleared the ivy-covered wall.

"Fantastic. It's something unbelievable that you just never would expect to happen to you," Mazeroski said then. "All of a sudden, here it is. It gets a little overwhelming."

Who has the ball?

In 2010, on the 50th anniversary of the home run, Mazeroski told USA TODAY Sports' Mike Dodd that as the kid of a coal miner he grew up dreaming of hitting a home run to win a World Series: "But it was with a broomstick and a bucket of stones. I wore out a lot of broomsticks, (pretending), 'I'm Babe Ruth and I'm hitting a home run to win the Series.' "

While Pittsburgh partied that 1960 day, Mazeroski and his wife, Milene, went to a quiet park to savor the moment.

The home run ball won't be on display at the Hall of Fame. Several fans claimed to have it.

"Everybody wanted a hundred bucks," Mazeroski said. "There were so many of them, nobody knew for sure. I have one or two."

Unlike a typical Hall of Fame visitor, he alone knew just how that bat in a third floor display case felt in his hands when he used it to hit his World Series-winning homer against the Yankees.

"You can still see the spot on the seams where I hit the ball. It dug into the bat," Mazeroski said during his 2001 Hall tour.

Defense his calling card

Mazeroski didn't get close to 3,000 hits (2,016) or 300 homers (138).

But defense is part of the game, too. On his Hall of Fame tour, as he passed a wall of balls from no-hit pitching performances, he saw one from a 1970 no-hitter by former Pirate Dock Ellis against the San Diego Padres.

"I saved that one," Mazeroski said of the no-hitter. "Line drive up the middle. I dove and backhanded it about a foot off the ground."

He won eight Gold Gloves, but the gloves he actually used looked as if they wouldn't bring a buck at a yard sale.

“It’s pretty simple: He was the best I ever saw at turning a double play," Hall of Famer Joe Torre said of Mazeroski.

He figured he used about four gloves from 1956 to 1972, and they were barely gloves at all. He liked them small, and he always removed the padding from the heel for better feel. When a glove wore out, he got it fixed and kept using it.

The Hall has one which Mazeroski used at various times.

"This was one of the good ones," he said on the pre-induction tour, slipping on the mitt and pounding it. "When a ball hit in there, it just closed."

But the gloves also helped him get the ball out of his hands quickly on double plays. Balls bounced off the heel of his glove into his throwing hand. No second baseman turned as many double plays in a career (1,706) or a season (161 in 1966).

That skill didn't get him into the Hall in 15 years of eligibility on voting by baseball writers. He was elected by the Veterans Committee.

"I never thought that I hit enough to get in the Hall of Fame," Mazeroski said.

"I didn't think they would put defense in. I'm glad they did. … I don't know everybody's (batting) average in the Hall of Fame. In fact, I don't know anybody's, really. I don't know if there's anybody worse than .260. Is .260 the lowest?"

No. Turn-of-the-century catcher Ray Schalk hit .253. Shortstop Rabbit Maranville hit .258. Harmon Killebrew, a home run slugger, hit .256.

"But defense wins as many games as offense wins or anything else," Mazeroski said. "You turn a double play, that's like hitting a grand slam sometimes."

As a Pirate, Mazeroski played two exhibition games in Cooperstown. The Hall has a score sheet from a 1959 game in which he homered twice.

"I didn't even remember that," he said. "I do remember we had a home run contest before the game, and I beat Ted Kluszewski."

His 1960 World Series homer triggered a massive celebration in Pittsburgh. At the Hall's archives, his wife spotted a photo of that day in Pittsburgh, its streets piled with paper.

"Bill, look at this picture," said his wife, a former Pirates secretary. "These cars are old. These buildings are old. Are we this old?" she asked with a laugh.

Mazeroski grew up in a one-room home in southeastern Ohio coal country in the community of Rush Run. Hall of Famers from nearby include baseball's Phil Niekro, basketball's John Havlicek and football's Lou Groza.

In retirement in the Pittsburgh area, Mazeroski enjoyed fishing and golf: "If I'm hitting the ball bad in golf, I go fishing. If I'm not catching any fish, I go golfing."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Mazeroski dies at 89: Pirates Hall of Famer won 1960 World Series

The wait is finally over, and the Atlanta Braves kick off play in the Grapefruit League this afternoon.  Right-hander Carlos Carrasco has been named today’s starter against the Tampa Bay Rays. After just a few games with Atlanta last season, Carrasco looks to make an impression in his spring debut.

Mike Yastrzemski, Jonah Heim, Eli White and Jorge Mateo will also be getting in on the action and making an appearance in today’s matchup. First pitch is slated for 1:05 ET.

More Braves News:

The television broadcast saga continues, and FanDuel Sports Network has officially announced the closure of its Atlanta office. The Braves have yet to announce their broadcast plan for the 2026 season.

Pitcher Jared Gridlinger has reclassified for the 2026 draft, and here’s what that means for the Braves.

MLB News:

Minnesota Twins ace Pablo Lopez will undergo Tommy John surgery next week and miss the entire season. 

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly moved into more serious talks with Max Scherzer.

Josue De Paula is the highest-ranked Dodgers prospect on average and a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport heading into 2026. After playing the last week of last season with Double-A Tulsa, De Paula is one step closer to the majors and won’t turn 21 until May.

Dylan Hernández for The California Post talked with De Paula, who is in his second straight spring camp as a non-roster invitee, about the challenges ahead:

“Like really stressing the importance of defense,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Really, it’s one thing to stress it, it’s another to have deliberate work and being consistent with it.”

Friedman believes his time in major-league camp will be instructive.

“I think he’s seeing that (consistency) with some of our guys, and you really don’t know what that means until you see it and experience it. So we’ve challenged him with that.”

Links

Andrew Friedman was a guest on Foul Territory on Friday and talked about newcomer Kyle Tucker.

Andrew Friedman feels the concerns surrounding Kyle Tucker's passion for the game were unfairly voiced.

"Some guys will talk trash about it [his approach] if it doesn't line up with what they do instead of appreciating the individualized aspect." pic.twitter.com/finSg36RXP

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 20, 2026

Corner outfielder and first baseman Ryan Ward and left-handed pitcher Ronan Kopp were both added to the 40-man roster in November. Sonja Chen talked to the new Dodgers for MLB.com.

Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register talked to Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart, and Brusdar Graterol, three relievers working their way back from surgery who will start the season on the injured list.

If you are new to MLB.tv, there are explainers at both ESPN and at MLB.com about the costs and details of a subscription, and how to access.

Good morning baseball fans!

As we approach the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!

Today’s question: Who do you think the fanbase tends to overrate?

Personally, I have no business answering this question. That would be extremely hypocritical. Although the favorite players of my youth tended to be franchise icons (Barry Bonds and Tim Lincecum for examples) I also tend to root for underdogs (or perceived underdogs) so I am absolutely guilty of overrating players that I like.

I’m also aware that I am guilty of letting nostalgia color my opinion of players long after their prime and I hate to see them leave. So I’m pretty sure I am the one being judged by this question. And I’m okay with that.

Who do you think the fanbase tends to overrate?

Good morning Birdland,

After a long, chilly winter (that is still going on), the Orioles got back on the diamond down in Sarasota to play an actual game. It didn’t count for anything other than vibes, but we will take the vibes in late February with snow on the way.

If you are like me and your work or school day got filled up, you probably didn’t see the game, which got started in the early afternoon. But fear not, because you didn’t actually miss too much.

The Orioles collected eight hits on offense, but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Midseason form, baby! But the headline will undoubtedly be Pete Alonso’s debut home run. The new first baseman slugged a sixth-inning home run to score himself and Jeremiah Jackson, who had singled earlier in the inning.

Meanwhile, the Orioles pitching was dynamite. Six hurlers combined to toss a nine-inning shutout. Trevor Rogers struck out three over two innings. Trey Gibson went three innings to close out the game and earn the save. And the four potential bullpen arms in between (Keegan Akin, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, and José Espada) all threw one hitless frame each.

They were not facing the Yankees “A squad” here. There was no Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, but some notable names were sprinkled in. And you can only face who is right in front of you.

Tough to give the team anything but full marks for their first actual game of the Grapefruit League season! They won. No one else got hurt. 10/10

They will be right back on the field today. Dean Kremer is on the bump (for an inning or two, anyway) to face the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. It sounds like Chayce McDermott will also appear. The game will be on MASN, and we will have a game thread for you on this very site right at first pitch.

Links

Orioles Claim Bryan Ramos | MLB Trade Rumors
He’s back! This is the second time this month that the Orioles have claimed Ramos. This time they get him from the Cardinals. For the time being, he is on the 40-man roster, the room for which was made when Félix Bautista was transitioned to the 60-day IL. Will he stick around this time? Maybe. They might actually need him now that Jordan Westburg is on the shelf through April.

Without Jordan Westburg, Orioles lean on infield depth and believe in Coby Mayo | The Baltimore Banner
Speaking of which…it’s a good thing that Coby Mayo wasn’t traded this offseason. Who knows if he will pan out, but the upside of Mayo is a better option than several other avenues they could have taken instead. His presence at third base at least gives the O’s a shot of fielding an above-average player at the position.

Some morning notes following yesterday’s Orioles exhibition opener | Roch Kubatko
Roch has some notes on the games this weekend, and quotes from a whole bunch of guys, particularly McDermott. He’s a guy that the Orioles could be counting on to pop this summer and solidify the bullpen.

Adam Jones on 2026 Orioles: ‘The vibes are great’ | Baltimore Baseball
Jones is in camp as a guest instructor this week. Those “honors” are really starting to make me feel old. Each year it’s another guy that was good for the Orioles when I was in high school and college. That’s not how this is supposed to me! They should be significantly older than me!

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Tom Shopay turns 81 today. He spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles from 1971-72 and then again from ‘75-77.

This day in O’s history

It’s been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. Here are a few happenings from beyond Birdland:

1925 – The New Yorker publishes its first issue.

1947 – The “instate camera,” the Polaroid Land Camera, is demonstrated by Edwin Land for the first time at a meeting of the Optical Society of America.

1948 – NASCAR is incorporated

1995 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a baloon.

Two veteran pitchers with the Colorado Rockies are gearing up for spring training as full-squad workouts began this week. Both are under contract 2026 with a club option for 2027; both are right-handed; and both will be competing in this year’s highly-anticipated edition of the World Baseball Classic.

Michael Lorenzen and Antonio Senzatela also provide a study in contrasts.

Michael Lorenzen

The Rockies brought in the 34-year-old Michael Lorenzen on a one-year, $8 million contract with a $9 million club option for 2027.

Lorenzen has become something of a journeyman after playing with the Cincinnati Reds for seven seasons to start his career. In the last four seasons, he has suited up for five different teams and made multiple post-season appearances. The Rockies will be his seventh team in 12 Major League seasons. He has posted generally good—if unremarkable—numbers throughout his career and has worked both from the rotation and the bullpen depending on team need.

He represents a significant change in standard operating procedure for the Rockies, who had not signed a free agent pitcher for more than $5 million since 2015.

“He ran toward this challenge,” said Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.

“Michael actively wanted to pitch here. He’s done a lot of different things in his career – he was an outfielder, he’s been a reliever, he’s been a starting pitcher. I don’t think he’s afraid of anything.”

Colorado actively courted Lorenzen for his extensive arsenal of pitches—which could potentially reach as many as eight different offerings—with the hopes of finding an answer to the longstanding mystery of pitching at Coors Field.

Lorenzen returned their interest for the opportunity to learn and to be a “problem solver” for the Rockies, and for Lorenzen, that also means solving the problems of his teammates.

“That’s all I want to do. I want to improve myself, and then I want to help the guys around me improve,” Lorenzen told Purple Row in Scottsdale. “That’s through my experience and the wisdom that I’ve gained through years of failure and success, and being able to help guys out through that. That’s what I’m looking forward to — to be able to see guys grow around me and establish who they are in this league. That excites me.”

In the coming weeks, Lorenzen will depart Rockies camp and report for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The veteran discussed looking forward to the fun environment, and to also swing a bat again—something he did regularly before Major League Baseball adopted the universal designated hitter.

“It’s fun. It’ll be great to just play in in that environment. Guys say it feels like the playoffs. So I’m excited about that, to be able to start for the team,” Lorenzen said. “One of the one of the deals was that I was going to be a two-way player in the WBC. That’s how I [ended up] playing for Team Italy.”

Playing for Team Italy also represents more opportunities to learn, especially with former Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino as one of his teammates.

“When I saw that he was pitching for Team Italy, even before, he was one of the first guys that came to mind of how he was successful here, how his sweeper played. I’ll pick his brain.”

Lorenzen will likely start the season following the World Baseball Classic as part of the Rockies’ starting rotation. Although he wants to help the Rockies conquer Coors Field, a bad season from him can be brushed off. He would be far from the first pitcher to come up short in that regard. A new landing spot wouldn’t be too hard to find.

Antonio Senzatela

31-year-old Antonio Senzatela is entering the 2026 season on the final year of a five-year, $50 million deal signed in 2021 after finishing four of his first five MLB seasons with a sub-5.00 ERA and establishing himself as a regular in the Rockies’ rotation. He is set to make $12 million this season with a $14 million club option for 2027.

The duration of the contract hasn’t gone as planned for Senzatela. During the first year of the deal, he tore his ACL mid-season. The injury caused him to miss the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the start of the regular season. When he returned to the active roster, he made just two starts before Tommy John surgery shut him down for the rest of the year and most of 2024—where he made just three starts at the end of the season. Things only got worse in 2025, where he struggled and eventually lost his spot in the rotation to be relegated to mop-up duty in the bullpen.

Senzatela has never had an extensive arsenal. After coming up through the Rockies farm system and his first few big league seasons, he really only had one pitch: his four-seam fastball. In 2025, Senzatela threw his fastball 1,316 times in 130 innings of work, just barely under 1,000 more times than he threw his secondary slider.

Now in the final year of his contract with the only team he has ever known, Senzatela is focused on his own growth and development this spring. Rather than be a “problem solver,” he has to find solutions to problems of his own.

Senzatela spent the off-season working with the new Rockies pitching coaches on new grips, pitches, getting in better shape, and trying to get away from his over-used fastball.

“I worked on all my pitches and my body and everything,” he told Purple Row. “I worked on the shape of my fastball, tried to make a new slider. I talked to everybody and it feels great. They have really good information to release to us, and I think that will be great for us.”

Senzatela will be departing Rockies camp to join his native Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic, an opportunity he missed in 2023 due to his ACL injury.

“I’m super excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to wear that uniform, put the Venezuela on my chest. It’s gonna be huge for me. It’s gonna be huge for my family, for all my friends.

“It’s the country I was born in. It’s the country I pray for.”

Joining Senzatela on Team Venezuela is his fellow countryman, former teammate, and close friend Germán Márquez.

Márquez found himself in a similar situation to Senzatela last season, recovering from Tommy John surgery and struggling on the mound in the final year of his contract. This off-season he tested the waters of free agency for the first time and signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the San Diego Padres with a mutual option for 2027.

“It’s really, really cool,” Senzatela said on reuniting with Márquez. “We’re still in touch. We’re still talking, we’re still friends, and, man, it’s really nice to have him out there too, so we can keep talking and keep playing together.”

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said during the off-season that Senzatela would remain in the bullpen. However, Senzatela will now have an outside chance at earning his rotation spot back this spring thanks to the work he has put in over the offseason. Presently, however, his chances seem small with the Rockies having brought in two other veteran starters, Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana.

“I think I’m just coming in here to throw the ball the best I can and just let [the coaches] make the decision,” Senzatela said. “I’ll be happy in the starting rotation, but everything depends on them. I just want to keep going and have the ball.”

For Senzatela, the impact this spring and season may have is far more profound. Another bad season means the Rockies are even less likely to pick up his expensive 2027 option, and trading him at the deadline would be difficult. He would enter free agency for the first time in his career with his value at an all-time low.

Closing Thoughts

The circumstances this year for Antonio Senzatela and Michael Lorenzen are very different, as are the ways they view the upcoming season, their status entering spring training, and even the way they view the World Baseball Classic. One is working to help the Rockies find their own future while the other is fighting for their own baseball life and future.

However, when you pull the camera back and view the picture as a whole, the tales of Antonio Senzatela and Michael Lorenzen are representative of the new-look Colorado Rockies and of their upcoming season. Their interwoven stories are those of learning, development, open minds, and, ultimately, transition and change.

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To Read (Rockpiles)

• Monday: Chase Dollander is in “learning mode” | Sam Bradfield
• Tuesday: Brett Pill takes a swing at the Rockies hitting problems | Renee Dechert
• Wednesday: 2026 spring training storylines for position players | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday: Charlie Condon welcomes the “challenge” of his first big league camp | Sam Bradfield
• Friday: Chuck Nazty’s impact and the importance of routines in spring training | Joelle Milholm

To Read (PuRPs)

Full Stream

• No. 9, Zac Veen
• No. 8, Sean Sullivan
• No. 7, JB Middleton
• No. 6, Robert Calaz
• No. 5, Jared Thomas

To Read (Other)

• Staff Feature: Kyle Karros is ready to make the Rockies his own | Sam Bradfield
• Roster News: Kris Bryant addresses the media as he starts 2026 on the injured list | Evan Lang
• Purple Row After Dark: Paul DePodesta revisits “Moneyball” | Renee Dechert
• Weekly Pebble Report: Introducing the 2026 Prospect Non-Roster Invitees: Pitchers | Evan Lang
• Purple Row After Dark: Come learn how to steal bases with Doug Bernier | Renee Dechert

Weekend Discussion Topics

What are your early impressions after yesterday’s Cactus League Opener? Let us know in the comments!

Baseball is so back!

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