Jul 7, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Robert Stock (89) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
It’s February 1st, which means that we are just about two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting. And while we are all excited to see the return of our favorite players, let’s be real. There’s very little that Francisco Lindor or Juan Soto could do on a spring training field that would change much for their status on the club.
But there are 35ish people who will be in camp whose performance over the six weeks of spring training will mean everything to them. To some, it will allow them to make their big league debut; for others, this may be their last chance at the spotlight. For others, it is the difference between bus rides and plane rides between games. These are the real stories of spring training, even if, for the vast majority of fans, they will go unnoticed.
That brings us to Robert Stock. Stock is a 36 year old veteran pitcher who has logged time with five MLB franchises – including the Mets in 2021 – as well as played in Korea, Mexico, and has even suited up for that station of the cross for so many journeymen: the Long Island Ducks.
Stock is an unusual signing not just because of his age, but because of the type of player he’s been in his career. Yes, he’s had a cockroach-like ability to adapt and survive in a game where many players flame out a decade earlier than where Stock is now. Yes, it’s a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, so it’s not exactly a financial burden to the Mets to take a chance on Stock. But Stock never had that one ‘pop’ in his career that teams are trying to recapture when they sign him.
Stock agrees that this is unusual, as he posted on Twitter shortly after his signing was announced:
“I’m 36 years old and have had extremely limited MLB success. And yet MLB teams continue to give me chances. Why? Because I continually find new ways to improve. Newest trick for 2026 – the knucklecurve.”
Stock is right – there aren’t many pitchers of his age with his lack of easy to point to successes (a career -0.5 bWAR) who keep getting the call to travel to Florida or Arizona each year to give it another try. But his curiosity and his ability to move beyond what is expected of him and try new things – like the aforementioned knucklecurve – that allows him these opportunities. He’s also a thoughtful and interesting follow on Twitter, where he talks about baseball in a way that belies his professional pedigree.
If Stock works out for the Mets, he’s likely looking at some time split between Syracuse and the big league club. That would be considered, objectively, a good outcome for him. Could magic happen and he earns a full-time role with the Mets? It seems unlikely, but sure, that’s possible. Could he earn a high-leverage spot by taking his 20+ years of baseball knowledge and applying it in a new way, stunning not just the Mets but baseball in general?
He could. Even though that possibility is slight, it is still a possibility. And that is what makes the next eight weeks so intriguing for fans and players alike. We’ve all got our dudes that we root for, despite their longshot status. We know the stories of the guys not willing to trade in their sliders for Adidas sliders just yet. And we hope that maybe, just maybe, one of our dudes can have a year and make all of this look even more romantic and magical than it already does to our frostbitten eyes on the eve of a new season.
Sep 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a home run against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In Mariners news…
Fan Fest returned for day one yesterday and the biggest reveal was the demise of the cream alternate uniforms in favor of what I can confidently say is the new best uniforms in the entire league.
Introducing Steelheads Sundays!
New in 2026, we’ll be honoring the 1946 Seattle Negro League team by wearing our Seattle Steelheads uniforms every Sunday home game and committing $500,000 to support local Black-led baseball & softball initiatives.
Everything we once loved continues to be ruined in unique and terrible ways. The newest ruination is insurance potentially ruining the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Contract insurance is pretty complicated, and it’s become a very serious issue with a suspicious number of Latin American players being denied contract insurance and being forced to withdraw from the tournament, with Team Puerto Rico being most heavily affected after team captain Francisco Lindor withdrew due to insurance denial. Puerto Rico’s roster has been so gutted that the president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation threatened to drop the team from the tournament altogether.
Los Angeles, CA - May 30: Arizona St. pitcher Ben Jacobs (22) throws at the NCAA baseball regional tournament game between Arizona State and UC Irvine at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
While it’s going to take time to see if the Detroit Tigers prep pitching strategy ultimately pays off, they’ve managed to balance out their risk with some successes with college pitchers. They’ll be hopiong left-hander Ben Jacobs out of Arizona State will be the next.
The Tigers selected the 6’1” 195 pound southpaw in the third round of the 2025 draft. They signed him for roughly $60,0000 under slot value at $722,500, and as they’ve typically saved money with college players, paying so close to slot value says they really liked Ben Jacobs at 98th overall.
Jacobs played his high school ball for Huntington Beach HS, a notable long-tiem prep powerhouse. He pitched for UCLA in his freshman year before transferring to Arizona State for his sophomore and junior seasons, where he became their Friday night starter. In 2024, between those seasons, he pitched in the Cape Cod League and for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, so he’s been well known to scouts for a long time.
After a very good college career, one might expect Jacobs to go in the first or second round, but he just doesn’t have that one monster pitch teams can dream on. He was closer to late first, early second round levels on draft boards after his sophomore season, but regressed a little at times throughout his junior year. He throws strikes, and he has three average pitches that flash plus. He’ll need to refine them in pro ball to push his ceiling higher than backend starter projections.
His fourseam fastball is typically around 93 mph, and he had some stretches his junior year where it was down a little bit further. However, he’s also shown some bursts where he’s reaching back for 95 mph. The fourseamer had good riding life his sophomore year and is aided by pretty good extension, but that movement wasn’t as consistent in his junior year, which was another part of him slipping a bit into the late third round. His primary breaking ball is a low 80’s slider and he shows feel for both a harder version with late gloveside break and a softer, slurvier version to steal strikes. His changeup is typically 82-84 mph with good fade but pretty average depth. Both offeringa got whiffs for him in college and give him weapons to handle either-handed hitters. Overall he’s a good strike thrower who needs a little more precision and consistency as he develops. Nothing unusual there, and Jacobs has already shown himself capable of managing all that for stretches in his college career.
Jacobs has a pretty prototypical delivery and generally repeats it well. He usually lands closed to the plate, and will sometimes lose his landing spot and start rolling off his lead foot to get back on his target. His lead leg blocking and lower half strength and balance could use some work, but those are things the Tigers are pretty good at correcting. If he can clean that up he should hold 94 mph more consistently with more consistently good ride on the fourseamer. If the slider and changeup keep their shapes but are thrown a little harder, that’s all enough to make him a solid 4/5 starter, and if his command really improves, perhaps even a regular mid-rotation arm. If he falls a little short he’ll fall more in the swingman category.
Jacobs is not super projectable in terms of his physique, but his best is already near good enough for the major leagues. If he can build himself up to produce his best stuff and command consistently, he develop into a solid starting pitcher. He threw 83 2/3 innings in his junior year, and the Tigers would like to see him get to 100 innings and graduate through Single-A by the end of his 2026 pro debut. He’s advanced enough that he shouldn’t spend long in extended spring training, nor the Complex League. If conditioning and minor adjustments to his delivery click for him this year, he’ll move pretty quickly into the upper levels as an advanced lefty.
Since we began our Yankees’ birthday series at the start of the new year, we’ve generally gone back in time to celebrate a Yankee from the distant past. However today, we don’t have to go back very far at all. In fact, we’ll almost certainly see this player take part in further games as a member of the Yankees this season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the brighter lights in the Yankees’ lineup. Today also happens to be his 28th birthday, so let’s look back at the Bombers’ current second baseman.
Jasrado Hermis Arrington “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. Born: February 1, 1998 (Nassau, Bahamas) Yankee Tenure: 2024-current
While it’s an emerging sport, baseball is hardly the biggest in Chisholm’s birthplace of the Bahamas. However, he was drawn to the game as a child. His grandmother, who was a member of the Bahamas national softball team taught it to a young Jazz and would practice with him. (And apparently will still call him after every game with advice and well wishes.) The lessons turned Chisholm into a full-blown fan, who would watch highlights of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds. and other stars of the time.
Chisholm moved stateside for a couple years to attend high school in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to the Bahamas and enrolling at a sports academy. He also developed into quite the baseball player himself, and eventually signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2015.
As he began to play in the minors, Chisholm started to develop into a a big deal of a prospect. By 2019, he started to crack Top 100 prospect lists. However, he soon found himself on the move. At the 2019 Trade Deadline, the Diamondbacks traded him to the Marlins for pitcher Zac Gallen in a rare win/win deal involving prospects.
Chisholm would make his MLB debut in the 2020 COVID season, and appeared a bit in the Marlins’ unexpected run in that year’s expanded playoffs. He then made the team out of spring training the following season. His combination of speed, some power, and a whole bunch of flashiness quickly got him on the radar around the sport. By 2023, he was selected as the cover athlete for MLB: The Show.
However, the third part of that equation often made him a target, even in his own clubhouse. Chisholm drew the ire of some Marlins’ veterans, especially Miguel Rojas, now of the Dodgers. The young star’s fashion sense seemed to irk Rojas in particular, who reportedly destroyed a couple pairs of custom cleats Chisholm had made. Things got so bad that then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly had to call a team meeting to try and resolve the issues.
On the field, Chisholm broke out with a All-Star season in 2022. The following season, the Marlins even tried playing him in center field to make room for trade acquisition Luis Arraez. Advanced metrics didn’t grade Jazz out as a disaster, and that alone shows the raw talent he possesses.
As 2024 came along, trade rumors started to surface, as they so often do for Marlins’ players — especially given the controversial front-office change from Kim Ng to Peter Bendix despite the team’s Wild Card berth in 2023. In the end, the Yankees were the team that pulled off the move to land Chisholm, sending prospects Agustín Ramírez, Jared Serna, and Abrahan Ramírez to Miami.
On a new team, and one that has seemingly been much more willing to let Jazz be Jazz, Chisholm made an immediate impact. He hit two home runs each in his second and third game as a Yankee and quickly won people over. Over the course of his 46 games with the 2024 Yankees, Chisholm posted a 133 wRC+ and hit 11 homers, taking him to a career high 24 for the year. Looking to try and put their best lineup on the field, the Yankees also moved him over to third base. While it wasn’t always pretty, it did help accommodate Gleyber Torres at second, and the Yankees went on a deep playoff run. In the postseason, Jazz didn’t quite replicate his regular season results, but did hit a home run in Game 5 of the World Series, prior to everything going wrong. Along the way that October, he also managed to alienate the entire city of Kansas City for being correct.
This past year, having moved back to the keystone, Chisholm followed up with another stellar campaign in his first full season as a Yankee. He topped the 30 home run mark for the first time in his career, as he became the third Yankee to ever join the 30/30 Club (alongside Bobby Bonds and Alfonso Soriano) while posting a 126 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR. He also won his first career Silver Slugger and earned his second All-Star nod as well.
As for the future, Chisholm will be back for the Yankees in 2026, but is set to be a free agent after the season. While that will probably lead to trade rumors at points, it would be tough for the Yankees to improve on the production that they’ve gotten from him at second. He also seems to fit in well in this particular clubhouse, and it’s been pretty easy to jump in a root for him. Happy birthday, Jazz!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 31: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 31, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If anyone needed any more evidence that Philadelphia is an insanely intense fandom, all you need to do is check the latest reviews of Dr. Jonathan Glashow. Sixers fans have flooded him with online reviews after he performed surgery on Joel Embiid’s left knee last spring. So much so that Glashow posted a video on Instagram thanking everyone.
Dr. Jonathan Glashow, who has received recent praise from Sixers fans as Joel Embiid’s progression continues, posted this video on Instagram earlier today: https://t.co/RcbQqMGp3hpic.twitter.com/pCNMnXnLGO
Fans continue to marvel at both he and Embiid’s work as the former MVP continues to put up production resembling his old self. Embiid seems to look better with every performance — his most recent was the first time he’s scored 40 points in the regular season since his 70-burger two years ago against the Spurs. He dropped 40 along with 11 rebounds going 13-of-27 from the floor in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
As Embiid continues to stack games like this together, the work of he and Glashow only looks more impressive. Glashow’s warm welcome into the Sixers fanbase has been wholesome fun. But, with no disrespect to his medical ability, it’s important to give Embiid just as much credit for working his way back into this form.
“Obviously, it’s been a long road, so that right there talks about the amount of work,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “He certainly looks like he’s moving better all the time. I think he’s still a ways [away], he would say he’s still a ways [away] from moving as good as he would like to.”
Embiid has added wrinkles to his game, skill after skill since before he even played an NBA game. His touch and jumper are two of the biggest weapons in his arsenal, and that was something he developed after playing at Kansas in college. In the past, Embiid has joked about taking more jumpers when he’s been asked about trying to preserve his body.
His footwork in the post has always been one of his greatest skills. He’s relying on it now more than ever as he can’t quite push past and blow by defenders as easily as he used to.
Even as recent as earlier this season, the idea of Embiid producing like this on a consistent basis seemed farfetched. He needed two days off before games. He was only playing 20 minutes a night. He wasn’t even taking jump balls.
The only games he missed in January were planned absences on back-to-backs. In the 14 games he played in the month, he averaged 29.7 points per game on a 56.9% effective field goal percentage. The team is also 10-4 in those contests.
Even Embiid himself seems a bit surprised that he’s gotten back to this level so quickly.
“Coming into this year I think it was going to be more of a try-out year,” he said after the Pelicans game. “This year has already been successful.”
He said that this year was all about figuring how to treat his knee on a day-to-day basis, how it will react to the stresses of a regular season grind.
Getting back to All-Star level production can only be the product of a lot of hard work, and his teammates and coaches have certainly witnessed that.
It’s given Tyrese Maxey the chance to bring back his go-to catchphrase when asked about the big fella.
“He’s really good at basketball, like really good though. And I’m not trying to be funny like, he’s playing the right way,” Maxey said after the win. “It’s a blessing, man. He works hard, he does a good job of getting his body right. He played more minutes than me tonight, so that’s good.”
If anything, it shows that it takes a village to get through this process. Embiid made sure to shoutout Sixers trainer Simon Rice when discussing his 40-point performance.
“I would say probably everybody gave up on me. He’s the one guy who just kept trying to figure it out,” Embiid said.
This recent surge might have come too late for Embiid to make the All-Star reserves, but his bounce back this season has become the feel-good story of the NBA, with national outlets such as the Zach Lowe Show saying as much. There’s plenty of credit to go around for this turnaround — doctors, trainers, coaches, teammates.
Just don’t forget about the person at the very center of it.
Boston, MA - April 8: Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell reacts after committing a throwing error in the sixth inning. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
I like Kristian Campbell and want him to succeed. But I am totally convinced that, if he does, it won’t be at second base.
Is it harsh to say that he was arguably the worst defensive middle infielder I’d ever seen last season? Maybe I’m still haunted by the routine double play that he flubbed against the Yankees, when he broke the wrong way on a ground ball that was hit just a few feet to his left. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen a big league middle infielder go the wrong way on a slow grounder like this:
The Red Sox brass seemed to agree with my assessment. He barely stepped foot on the infield grass after his demotion to Worcester and played exclusively in the outfield during winter ball, amongst a lot of chatter that he would focus on left field going forward.
There’s no question that Kristian Campbell learning to be merely an average big league infielder would be a tremendous boon to the Sox. It would instantly fix some major roster issues and, along with Marcelo Mayer, secure the team’s double play partnership for years to come (if, you know, Kristian Campbell can turn double plays).
But can he actually succeed there?
Talk about that, along with whatever else you want, in this open thread and be good to one another.
In a nationally-televised matchup, the Ducks look to sweep the season series against the Golden Knights.
The first two games of the three-game series have gone the way of the mallards, with both results coming in overtime. Jacob Trouba beat Akira Schmid through the five hole on Nov. 8 and Cutter Gauthier replicated the extra frame outcome on Nov. 22 after taking advantage of a Mitch Marner turnover.
Both teams are currently navigating injuries, especially in the center category. The Ducks have been without Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish while the Golden Knights are missing Brett Howden and William Karlsson. Karlsson suffered injury in that Nov. 8 game against the Ducks and has not played since. He is unlikely to return for the remainder of the regular season.
Nov 22, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Face off between the Anaheim Ducks and the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
Anaheim is expected to have one, if not two of their players return from injury on Sunday. Troy Terry is expected to be in the lineup after missing the last 11 games with an upper-body injury. Terry has tried to return from the injury several times already, but ultimately felt unfit to play.
“It’s been frustrating,” Terry said. “Just annoying and frustrating, I would say. But it’s been a process and I feel confident going into (Sunday), so I’m excited.”
McTavish has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury, but participated fully in team practice on Saturday, centering Jeff Viel and Cutter Gauthier.
When asked if he would be ready to play in Sunday’s game, McTavish responded with “I feel good. It’s up to (the training staff).”
With Terry and potentially McTavish back in the fold, Anaheim would return two of their top offensive talents. With Carlsson still weeks away from returning after undergoing a procedure to treat a Morel-Lavallée lesion, the team has been a bit short of offensive creativity with the trio of Terry, McTavish and Carlsson out of the lineup.
Jan 29, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks Center Mikael Granlund (64) skates up ice against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Morris-Imagn Images
Simplicity on defense and a streamlined approach on offense helped spur the Ducks to a seven-game winning streak, but a winnable game in Edmonton that was lost during a four-minute stretch and an offensively-devoid performance against the Canucks has been the latest wobble. They’ll look to get back in the saddle against Vegas, who is 1-2-2 in their last five games.
“They have some high-end forwards, and they’re just a good team,” Terry said. “(Can’t give) them rush chances. I think we’ve had success in their end. Establish the forecheck and just trying to do whatever we can to establish a ground game going down there.”
“They’re a really experienced team,” McTavish said. “Really big. You’ve got to really get to the inside, and put an emphasis on that. That’s something we can do. We can get to the inside really quick, too, so we can catch them off guard sometimes, but they’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a good one.”
Ducks Projected Lines
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke Chris Kreider - Ryan Poehling - Troy Terry Jeff Viel - Mason McTavish - Cutter Gauthier Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Jansen Harkins
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas Pavel Mintyukov - Ian Moore
Lukáš Dostál (projected)
Golden Knights Lines
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Mark Stone Pavel Dorofeyev - Mitch Marner - Braeden Bowman Jonas Røndbjerg - Tomáš Hertl - Keegan Kolesar Cole Reinhardt - Reilly Smith - Alexander Holtz
Mar 14, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) passes the ball away from Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Tonight, Toronto Raptors will face off against the Utah Jazz, starting a 5-game home stand that will carry them to the All-Star break. This is their first of two matchups against the Jazz this season, the other slated to occur in late March.
Toronto was able to prevail in both games against the Jazz last year, earning the series sweep. This could be a good reset for the Raptors who have just dropped consecutive games against Orlando and New York. Of course, it will be important for Toronto to enter the game with the right mindset, as several “easy win” contests against the Wizards, Nets, and Hornets haven’t gone in their favour despite overwhelming odds.
So how do the Raptors walk away with this one?
Utah just finished a home stand where they dropped five consecutive games. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George have headlined for the Jazz this season, carrying one of the weakest teams in the league to a surprising 15-34 record. Losing Walker Kessler to a shoulder surgery early on for the remainder of the season was the biggest blow, but they’re in the midst of a rebuild and the health of their vets varies by day, meaning they’re relying on young talents who are likely outperforming expectations.
Take Brice Sensabaugh for instance. Drafted in 2023, he’s averaged mediocre numbers for most of his career, but is starting to come to life for the Jazz in January. He posted almost 18-4-2 for them last month while playing 27 minutes per game. He had seven 20+ point games, one of which he ended with 43 points against the Bulls.
Of course, stats don’t necessarily give you the full picture. Interestingly enough, on paper, the Jazz have more assists and rebounds per game than the Raptors do, but despite strong individual performances and solid numbers, they haven’t been able to turn that into substantial wins.
Which leads us to what the Raptors will need to do to take advantage. Over the Jazz’s losing stretch, their turnovers were one of their biggest weaknesses. Coughing the ball up 19 times in one contest while averaging almost 16 a game almost guarantees a losing outcome. The Raptors have proven all season that this is where they shine, creating turnovers, getting out in transition, and scoring. This will be one of the keys to this game, as there will likely be more opportunities than usual to do so.
They will also have to prioritize shutting down Utah’s tandem of Markkanen and George and force the others to score. This leaves guys like Svi Mykhailiuk, rookie Ace Bailey, or sophomore Kyle Filipowski responsible for the majority of scoring which isn’t any of their strong suit.
Their injury report is extensive, with Nurkic listed as questionable. This could give Toronto a size advantage, something that they haven’t had much of this year. The combination of Barnes, Ingram, and CMB on Markkanen and Filipowski should be enough to limit him on the boards, but a group effort will be necessary to prevent easy second chance points for the Jazz.
Ingram looked more true to form in his last two outings, so hopefully he can be a factor in the win tonight as well. It would be nice for Toronto to go into the All-Star break with some momentum, and this home stand is the perfect opportunity.
Utah: Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, Svi Mykhailiuk, Keyonte George
Injury Report
Toronto: Chucky Hepburn (Out: G-League), Jakob Poeltl (Out: Lower back strain)
Utah: Keyonte George (Questionable: Left ankle sprain), Elijah Harkless (Out: G-League), Walker Kessler (Out: Shoulder surgery), Kevin Love (Questionable: Illness), Georges Niang (Out: Left foot soreness), Jusuf Nurkic (Questionable: Illness), John Tonje (Out: G-League), Oscar Tshiebwe (Out: G-League)
Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Bennett (24) during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Who is he and where did he come from?
He’s Jake Bennett, the former Oklahoma Sooner and 2022 second-round draft pick who the Red Sox acquired for Luis Perales earlier in the offseason. This is curious because Perales had just returned from a 2024 UCL tear and still is just 22 years old, but the 25 year-old Bennett had a pretty fantastic 2025 season, albeit capping out at double-A; he even ended his campaign after fall ball as the organization’s number 10 prospect. Although he’s primarily been a starter in his career, Bennett is on the 40-man roster and, amongst a lack of lefty relief arms, definitely stands to have an opportunity at some Spring Training innings come March.
Is he any good?
Craig Breslow on Jake Bennett: “We feel like Bennett is a high probability starter that excels in some things that are hard to teach. Fastball playability driven by above average extension and strike throwing ability. His whiff rates and ability to manage hard contact have us…
Too early to really tell, but he could be. If nothing else, Bennett’s archetype is definitely a favorite of Craig Breslow’s since his appointment as Chief Baseball Officer. He’s a towering lefty, sizing up at 6’6”, 234 pounds. In the 2025 MLB draft, the Red Sox used six of their first eight picks on SEC pitchers who are at least 6’2”. It helps that Bennett, who missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery (another possible favorite trait of this front office…) is a lefty. Between Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Johan Oviedo, and an emerging Brandon Clarke, Bennett joins a room full of giants. And I don’t mean the ones in San Francisco!
To get more into Bennett’s skillset, though, he certainly has some velocity across all five of his pitches (he goes to three more often, though). His fastball is creeping back up towards he 97 mile per hour peak it reached before his elbow injury. His cleanest pitch, a mid-80’s changeup with 7.1 feet of extension (which, had he pitched in the Majors, would have placed him in the top 10 percentile) is graded at a 60 on a 20-80 scale on Baseball America. His cutter is quite a bit shorter, but tops out at 88. As a whole, though Bennett struggles with control, he gets a 47.3% groundball percentage, which is definitely a positive sign in a guy with his velocity.
Too long didn’t read: big guy throws hard. And throwing hard certainly comes with advantages, as he worked his way up the Nationals’ system after returning from a year’s absence, proving himself to be up to the challenge at each level. He finished 2025 with a cumulative 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP and allowed just three home runs in 75 innings.
His extension is on display here, along with his velocity, as he punches four consecutive batters, going four innings in relief while allowing a run, earning him the hold in this particular contest in front of an attendance of 488 that, at first glance, seems a bit embellished, but it’s fine.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
I’d like to take the opportunity to say that, with his shoulder length hair and big frame, Bennett definitely looks like a guy in a mid-2000’s coming-of-age film named “Jake.” His facial expression up there adds to that.
For one more fun fact: he went to high school AND college with Nats hurler (and 2020 1st round pick) Cade Cavalli. Bennett was actually the first one drafted late in the 2019 MLB draft, but went to Oklahoma instead. Here’s the rapport between the two of them and Jake Irvin.
Jake Irvin, Cade Cavalli & Jake Bennett have a ton in common – they all pitch, they all went to Oklahoma, they all got drafted by the Nats, and they all had to come back from Tommy John.
I sat down with them in spring to discuss the bond they share & how they lean on each other. https://t.co/rWUdD9kKcL
There are a few ways this can go given that the Red Sox still have about 100 lefty relief appearances to fill between the absences of Justin Wilson and Brennan Bernardino (note that the former, at 38 years old, has not opted to retire yet amidst rumors of him doing so but is a free agent currently.) It’s possible that Bennett still lacks the stamina or the control to give the rotation five strong innings, especially at a Major League level, and especially coming off of a lengthy injury.
Luckily, he won’t have to worry about the pressure of performing the rotation, given the big bodied southpaws ahead of him in the depth chart, like the aforementioned Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, and obviously the staples of the rotation like Crochet and a newly acquired Ranger Suarez. But, it stands to question whether, should Bennett really impress, he could be this year’s version of a Zack Kelly or Darwinzon Hernandez, who fights his way into the bullpen, wins over some goodwill and, even better, unlocks some potential in a pitching staff that holds pitchers like Bennett so dearly. Here’s hoping that Bennett has more staying power than either of those. He certainly has the mechanics to.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 1: Fans wait outside of the ballpark before the Padres Fan Fest at Petco Park on February 1, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres held their annual Padres FanFest at Petco Park and fans came out to see the organizational leadership and the some of the players who were in attendance. One of the fans who made the trip to the ballpark and committed to a full day was Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball. She gives insights from her time at Petco Park, which included Q&A sessions and overall observations. One critical phrase Bell heard throughout the day was “World Series.” Brent McGuire of Padres.com captured a similar sentiment stating vibes were high and one specific reason for that was the return of pitcher Joe Musgrove to the starting rotation.
Padres News:
Many members of the San Diego baseball organization spoke at Padres FanFest and one thing admitted by most of them is there is still work to be done. General Manager A.J. Preller said he is still looking to make additions to the roster as the start of Spring Training draws near.
Some important notes came out of Padres FanFest, which included Nick Pivetta opting to focus on the MLB season rather than competing in the World Baseball Classic; Gavin Sheets is currently the starter at first base and Luis Campusano is currently in line to be the backup catcher.
A contract extension for Preller is still not done and that has some fans wondering if an extension will happen at all. Preller said he is confident he and the team can reach an agreement but added that he has been more focused on completing the roster.
Baseball News:
Former Padre Luis Arraez and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract. Arraez wanted an opportunity to return to second base and that is where he will play in San Francisco.
Dominican Republic added Arizona Diamondbacks infielders Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo and New York Yankees reliever Camilo Doval to the WBC roster.
The Seattle Mariners held their FanFest, Saturday and part of the festivities was the announcement they will wear Seattle Steelheads black-and-white uniforms for Sunday home games. The uniforms are said to honor the legacy of the 1946 Negro League team.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 13: Francisco Lindor #12 of Puerto Rico celebrates in the dugout after teammate Javy Baez #9 hit a double in the first inning against Israel at loanDepot park on March 13, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets reliever Adbert Alzolay, who the Mets signed to a two-year minor league deal last offseason as he spent 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, is healthy and ready to fully participate in spring training in 2026 to try to compete for one of the Mets’ bullpen slots.
“With [Juan] Soto in his prime and a core of young talent coming up through the Mets’ system, it’s not entirely about the Mets winning this year, but you can be sure the expectation is that they better win soon,” writes Mike Lupica for MLB.com
The Mets’ trade for Freddy Peralta underscores a new trend that the Dodgers (like many trends in baseball) have spearheaded: amassing six, seven, or more legitimate big league starting pitchers to prepare for injuries.
Around the National League East
Theo DeRosa of MLB.com outlines three things that could make the Phillies bullpen better in 2026.
Mark Bowman gave his thoughts on the Braves’ pursuit of a top of the rotation starter.
The image immortalized on 21-year-old Atlanta Braves prospect Cody Miller’s first Bowman card, recently released by Topps, happened to be taken by his father, Brian Miller.
Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews and Luis Perales are the three Nationals players Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball is most excited to see in spring training.
Around Major League Baseball
Tensions are rising around the World Baseball Classic regarding heightened insurance concerns for players. Since injuries to Jose Altuve and Edwin Díaz in the previous WBC derailed their MLB seasons, player insurance has become more expensive and the league’s insurer “has become more stringent about which players it approves,” per reporting by The Athletic.
Because many Puerto Rican stars (like Francisco Lindor) did not receive permission to play in the World Baseball Classic due to these insurance issues, Puerto Rico is considering not participating in the tournament. “We are considering not participating in this edition [of the WBC],” said President of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, Dr. José Quiles in an interview. “It’s a discussion we’ve already had. If we are not playing under equal conditions, we will not participate. It’s a decision that is almost, almost, made. We are issuing a warning. We’ll see what happens in the coming days and we will make a final decision.”
One provision in the new WBC insurance rules prevents players’ contracts from being insured after they turn 37. “It’s not right. I don’t feel it’s right,” said Miguel Rojas, who turns 37 on February 24 and therefore was denied permission to participate for his home country of Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the WBC, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who said it was Ohtani’s decision.
The Giants signed free agent infielder Luis Arráez to a one-year, $12 million deal. He will play second base for San Francisco.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com takes a look at which teams may still sign Framber Valdez—the top starter remaining on the free agent market.
Austin Hays, who had been connected to both the Mets and Yankees this offseason, signed with the White Sox on a one-year, $6 million deal.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
I wrote about Griffin Canning’s injury-shortened 2025 season and how his success presents a reason to be optimistic about the Mets’ pitching apparatus in 2026.
Lukas Vlahos took a look back at Chris Devenksi’s 2025 season, in which he didn’t throw that many innings, but the ones he did throw were good ones.
This Date in Mets History
On this date in 2008, the Mets signed Johan Santana to a six-year deal. Of course, Santana would go on to throw the first no-hitter in franchise history.
Jan 31, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Hawks concluded their regular season series with the Indiana Pacers with a disappointing 129-124 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
Jalen Johnson notched 33-point, 12-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double, his eighth of the season ahead of what is expected to be his first All-Star nod later today. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points for the Hawks. For the Pacers, three players scored 23 or more points, led by Andrew Nembhard’s 26 points with Pascal Siakam adding 25 points.
The Hawks welcomed back Johnson to the starting lineup after missing the Houston game with left calf tightness, while Zaccharie Risacher made his long-awaited return to the lineup having last played on January 7th due to a left knee, bone contusion. Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and Onyeka Okongwu (dental fracture) remain out, while Vit Krejci was a game-day scratch with a left ankle sprain. In place of the absent Okongwu, Mo Gueye started at center.
Both teams started this game with momentum, both teams finding their opportunities at the rim/in the paint, particularly Jalen Johnson, who scored 10 first quarter points. Nembhard starred for Indiana in the first, scoring 15 points behind three three-pointers in a first quarter narrowly swinging in the Hawks’ favor.
The visitors, briefly, took a nine-point lead early in the second quarter — a lead that was, quickly, erased by the Pacers, who scored 45 points in the second quarter in another half where the Hawks concede 80 points.
The Hawks made inroads in the narrow Indiana lead in the third quarter, with CJ McCollum and Alexander-Walker scoring eight points in the third, where neither team shot the ball well from three and the high-level scoring — up to that point — slowed down. Heading into the fourth quarter, both teams found themselves in a clutch-game situation, so, let’s go through the plays down the stretch.
The Hawks never led in the fourth quarter; it was a game they were ultimately chasing down the stretch, though, a Dyson Daniels floater brought the Hawks to within one point — 114-115 — with 5:12 remaining. The Pacers extend this back to four points with this Aaron Nesmith three-pointer, leading to a Hawks timeout with just over four minutes left:
While I think Johnson could have hustled a little harder around the Jay Huff screen to prevent the penetration, it’s Corey Kispert who wanders a little farther than he needs to from Nesmith, and it’s not as though he’s rotating to the corner to cover Daniels’ man, with Daniels having to rotate and deter a shot at the rim.
Kispert is subbed out of the game at this timeout, and Johnson brings the Hawks back within one point as Johnson successfully hits the jumpshot after backing down Nembhard, drawing the ‘and-1’ on the play and dispatching the free throw:
A few things to say about this play. The Pacers ran this Nembhard-Huff screening action a lot in the fourth and, for the most part, I thought Alexander-Walker applied excellent pressure on the ball on these actions, and Gueye also did a good job of moving his feet to reciprocate the pressure Alexander-Walker exerted.
However, this play was one where Huff was able to get the slip ahead of Gueye. McCollum does a good job to read the play, rotate, and hold up Huff as well as you could ask for (almost getting his hand on the ball for the steal), and Gueye is able to get Huff back in front of him. However, Huff is in too deep at this point, and if anyone is finishing with a reverse finish it’s Jay Huff, taking the contact on the way.
Johnson tried to attack Nembhard, again, in the post, but is unable to make the same headway on the back down, and Johnson tries to rise over Nembhard again with the jumper, but this time it’s missed:
I wonder if Johnson was expecting Nembhard to make contact again for a foul call on the jumpshot here. Nembhard, wisely, keeps his hands out of the cookie jar this time — his body clearly positioned to avoid any contact on the jumper again.
Alexander-Walker’s defense creates a steal out-front, and he leads the one-man break where he’s fouled at the rim, where he would go on to miss his first free throw in seven games as he splits the pair to bring the Hawks within three points — 118-121 — with 2:51 remaining:
Not ideal from Johnson defensively, particularly the way Nesmith just bodied him out of the way to create the opening at the rim.
The Hawks’ hole suddenly becomes alarming, as a turnover from McCollum leads to an immediate Siakam basket in transition, putting the Pacers up by seven points with 2:17 remaining:
It’s just a bad pass from McCollum; it’s behind Gueye on the roll, and even if it wasn’t, the ball is at his feet — he was never reaching it.
Jalen Johnson comes up with two big plays to give the Hawks a chance. First, he hits the three-point at the end of the clock before taking a charge, to give the Hawks a chance to bring the lead back down to a one possession game. The Hawks work a quick shot with the Johnson-Alexander-Walker pick-and-roll, but the three from Alexander-Walker is missed:
This clip has the Pacers’ commentary, but one of the funnier moments last night was from the Hawks’ broadcast, with Brian Oliver outlining that the Hawks do not need to go for a three at this point, and, as he says, this he trails off, as Alexander-Walker hoists the three at this exact moment and misses. Difficult to describe, but pretty funny to watch!
Unfortunate miss: it’s not the worst shot in the world and Alexander-Walker can hit those… It’s one of those plays that looks a lot worse because it missed, especially with 16 seconds left on the clock.
A turnover from Nembhard gives the Hawks another chance to bring the lead down to one-possession — and now with under a minute remaining — but the Hawks miss another chance, as Johnson’s turn and drive toward the rim is deterred by Huff on the contest:
This play speaks to a larger theme of the second half which we’ll discuss later, but a lot of it has to do with Jay Huff, who does well to alter the shot at the rim. Critically, in the immediate aftermath, Daniels claims the offensive rebound on the ground and successfully calls the timeout, giving the Hawks another, crucial chance to reduce the Pacers’ lead.
Out of the timeout, McCollum is finally able to bring the Hawks within two points, successfully connecting on a fadeaway jumper in the paint:
The Pacers don’t call for a timeout, but this upcoming possession is the most important of the game. If Indiana scores, they extend the lead to two possessions (up four-plus points) with the shot clock off and force Atlanta to play the foul/free throw game. If the Pacers miss, the Hawks have a chance to tie or take the lead with the shot clock off.
In the middle of the paint, Siakam backs down Alexander-Walker, with Johnson arriving late to apply pressure. Siakam rises up to take the free throw line jumper, sinking it, giving the Pacers the crucial four-point lead:
It’s a good make from Siakam, but for neither Johnson nor Alexander-Walker to get a hand up to contest this shot will be of disappointment for the Hawks.
The Hawks charge immediately with Johnson, who gets near the rim and kicks the ball out to Gueye in the corner, who misses the three. Alexander-Walker gets in the mix for the offensive rebound and is fouled, resulting in free throws:
Hindsight is always a wonderful thing, and I think in this instance, the Hawks may have been served with Gueye kicking the ball to the more open, and reliable from three, option in McCollum. Alexander-Walker splits the free throws, bringing the lead down to three points.
The Pacers, however, hand the Hawks a gift: the in-bounder after the timeout, TJ McConnell, travels before the ball is inbounded, handing the Hawks possession with seven seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game with a three. All of a sudden, however, those missed Alexander-Walker free throws down the stretch become very costly…
However, just as the Hawks received a chance on the inbounds pass they also spurned this gifted chance, as Johnson turns the ball over on the attempted pass to Alexander-Walker, returning the ball to the Pacers where they would ice the game at the free throw line:
A tough one for Johnson and Alexander-Walker combined here, and ultimately just not a turnover you can accept in a situation like this. To get a bad shot is one thing — to not get anything is the worst outcome of all.
The Pacers seal victory, leaving the Hawks to reflect on what may have been. In the case of Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, he was left to reflect on a style of play that he was not pleased with, believing the Hawks didn’t play to the way that brings them success: driving, finding perimeter shooters, and sharing the ball. Snyder was particularly unhappy with the Hawks’ 25 assists and just 28 three-point attempts, both considerably below their season averages. Snyder would go on to mention Onyeka Okongwu specifically as the most unselfish player on the team, and while Snyder said he wasn’t ‘lamenting’ Okongwu’s absence, he is clearly perturbed by his absence and what Okongwu provides the Hawks and his fellow teammates.
“We weren’t committed to taking good shots, we weren’t committed to passing the ball,” said Snyder postgame. “We had people open. It shows in our assist totals, and it shows in the fact we got 28 threes. When we play well, we’re getting in the lane and kicking the ball out. When we play well, we’re running and we’re spacing, offensively. On the defensive end we lose focus. What you see is we play a certain way, we get a lead — or close a lead — and then we play a different way, we look like a different team during stretches. We cut it to one, it’s back to 10. We know, we just have to execute it. Often times, the other team has something to do with that.
“I’m not lamenting Onyeka not being here but he’s the most selfless ball-mover on our team. He sets an example for everybody, because when they give it to him, they know it’s going to come back to them. We’re comfortable because he’s going to make a play for someone else, and everybody has to have that mindset. You have to make a simple pass and trust in your teammates. When you do that, we don’t shoot 28 threes. We shoot 40 threes. When we do that, we don’t have 25 assists, we have 35 assists. It’s something that we believe in, I don’t think there’s any lack of buy-in. There just has to be execution in those things. It’s harder to execute in that way because it requires everybody on the same page, everybody committed to a certain way of playing. But that’s who we need to be. When we’re like that and play that way, we’re efficient. When we’re not, the game looks like it did tonight.”
Snyder was probably wanting to make a more public indictment of how the Hawks played last night, but I don’t actually think the Hawks not shooting threes or getting into the paint and finding shooters was their issue last night. In fact, the Hawks’ greatest contribution to this game was the fact they were getting to the rim and finishing there; not getting to the rim and finding shooters.
In the first quarter alone, the Hawks scored 24 points in the paint and scored another 20 points in the paint in the second quarter; scoring 44 points in the paint in the first half alone. And it wasn’t a situation where it was just Jalen Johnson scoring, for example, 18 points in the paint (though, he did lead the way) — it was everybody. Johnson scored 10 paint points, Alexander-Walker, Gueye, Luke Kennard, Daniels, McCollum all scored six paint points each: everyone was contributing and excelling in the first half in the paint/at the rim:
11 three-point attempts is obviously a low volume of threes, but with the shots the Hawks did get they, mostly made. The Hawks shot just under 55% from the field in the first half for 73 points — offense was not their issue. Defensively, that’s another conversation, but I don’t agree with Snyder when he talks about the issues he saw offensively if he’s referring, in any way, to the first half.
The second half saw the Hawks score only 20 points in the paint, seeing a far lower volume and shooting percentage in the paint and at the rim:
If the message at halftime was to shoot more threes, it was the wrong message. It completely took away the good things the Hawks were doing offensively in the first half, and you could see the Hawks settle for those jump shots more in the third quarter.
In the first half, Johnson is absolutely taking this drive into the chest of Johnny Furphy (as he did in the first half), but instead he settles for a three which is missed:
I would have liked to have seen Johnson continue to play as he had in the first half: getting into the paint and finishing, taking it to the chest of defenders who weren’t able to deal with him in the first half (scoring 21 of his 22 points in the first half), and especially to begin the third when Huff wasn’t on the floor.
While the likes of Siakam, Nembhard, Nesmith…they all scored 2o or more points in this game (extremely efficiently in the case of Nesmith and Siakam, who shot 80% and 73% respectively).
The most influential player for the Pacers in this game, I thought, was Jay Huff, and he’s a big key as to the reversal of paint scoring fortune the Hawks experienced in the second half (in addition to the coaching staff likely wanting more threes). Huff checked back into the game off the bench with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter — he did not check back out of this game until 42 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.
What Huff provided the Pacers was a clear deterrent in the paint and at the rim, one which the Hawks were wary of. Coming off the screen, McCollum knows that Huff is backpedaling and that any attempt to drive and finish inside would be futile, and he instead backs the ball out and misses a three:
If Huff isn’t there, I think McCollum likely takes this ball to the rim, similar to this next play where McCollum gets deeper into the paint as he gets downhill, and with Huff looming McCollum kicks it out to the perimeter and the three from Gueye is missed:
When Christian Koloko was on the floor, it allowed Huff to sit a lot more in the paint; when Gueye was on the floor there were times where Huff wouldn’t be centered in the paint, at least somewhat respecting the three-point threat of Gueye. Had Okongwu been available the same would be said.
With Koloko there, Huff doesn’t really need to concern himself, and he can drop deep like he does on this possession. McCollum is unable to get into the paint for a high percentage look, and has to settle for a jumpshot just outside the paint:
It’s an example of instances where the Hawks’ attempts inside the paint were so much more limited in the second half.
On the pick-and-roll with Gueye, Alexander-Walker gets separation, but he can’t take the drive to the rim with Huff looming, and Alexander-Walker elects to lean back into the jumper which is missed:
Alexander-Walker’s apprehension is understandable, as in the third quarter — one of the first plays Huff was involved in when he checked in — he was blocked emphatically by Huff:
Johnson, too, was impacted by Huff’s presence at times. While Johnson was able to exploit mismatches and score some paint points in the second half, he struggled to operate in the same manner as the first half, and when he tried to take it to Huff, he faced a similar outcome:
Something that the Hawks may have possibly seen more success in going to with Huff on the floor was the Dyson Daniels floater — the one instance Daniels whipped it out over Huff in the second half, he hit it (and the only shot he took/made in the second half):
By the time this shot was hit, it was already hitting the stretch run in the fourth, and I can’t help but wonder if the Hawks had gone to this sooner maybe they could have found some paint success with Daniels’ floater…
Going back to Snyder’s comments… I think the Hawks going away from some of their paint scoring and emphasizing more threes (not that those went down with much success; shooting 5-of-17 in the second half, 11-of-28 from three for the game) combined with Huff’s presence limiting the Hawks’ attempts/percentages in the paint/at the rim was I think, ultimately, the Hawks’ undoing in the second half. The clutch plays…The Hawks were chasing the game for all of the fourth quarter, they struggled to get stops, the Pacers made some plays, but I think the two plays the Hawks would like a do-over would be replacing the Gueye three with a McCollum, and the Johnson turnover on the inbounds pass.
Looking at the Hawks’ individual games, Johnson led the way with 33 points on 12-of-29 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, and 6-of-8 from the line. Quite a high volume for Johnson last night, barely scraping above 40% shooting from the field. Production-wise, it looks good: a 33-point triple-double, but you’d like to see more efficiency from the field. After scoring 21 points in the first half and coming out for the second half, with no Huff on the floor, I would have liked to see Johnson pick up where he left off and attacking the rim. Defensively, some questionable moments for Johnson in the fourth, which is always disappointing as the potential is there to be a plus-defender.
Speaking of defense, Alexander-Walker was excellent defensively in the second half in particular, but struggled to shoot with great efficiency, scoring 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field. CJ McCollum scored a strong 18 points off the bench on 8-of-15 from the field — many of his misses in the second half were in those situations with Huff that we looked at. Mo Gueye was active last night, scoring 15 points, including 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Gueye was running the floor well, on both ends of the floor. It was a productive, and mostly positive game from Gueye — the late miss from three was unfortunate, but I think it takes away the focus on what he did do well, particularly in the pick-and-roll defense along with Alexander-Walker.
Zaccharie Risacher had a quiet return to action, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 five shooting from the field in — you guessed it — 21 minutes. While Risacher is working with a minutes restriction, he basically just played the amount of minutes he would have normally played: right in that 18-to-22-minute zone.
Quin Snyder was pleased with what Risacher did while he was on the floor, and emphasized that Risacher’s stat-line does not reflect his qualities as a player.
“He ran, he did the things we talked about before the game,” said Snyder of Risacher. “I liked that he was aggressive shooting the ball when he was open. His timing and his reads will get better, where he can drive in and keep his eyes out, keep his feet and find other people. He’s capable of doing that and has done that. The feel for those situations offensively is something — when you don’t play for a while — that’s more challenging. I thought he really came out in early in the game, I liked his aggressiveness defensively, I liked the way he guarded the ball, I like the way he rebounded. I think the key thing with Zacch, and everyone is that we can’t judge Zacch based on his stat-line. That’s not the way that Zacch improves, because he’s capable of doing a lot of things. Tonight, he looked good shooting the ball, but he also looked good making an impact in other areas that help his team win.”
I can’t say I share the same enthusiasm as Snyder, but good to have Risacher back nevertheless after a long absence. Hopefully, Risacher’s season will be able to kick on and end the season strong, because his absence at the upcoming Rising Stars game doesn’t reflect well of the perception of his contributions from the league.
All in all, a disappointing loss for the Hawks. The Pacers have played better of late, and in late-game situations, but the Hawks would have been expected to win in this spot against a team whose season has long been lost. The Hawks are without some key contributors themselves, particularly Okongwu. Gueye played well, but Okongwu is still sorely missed.
The Hawks (24-26) will hope that Okongwu will be close to returning by the time they are in action next on Tuesday, when they take on the Miami Heat (26-24) at Kaseya Center in Miami. A key matchup, not just as division rivals, but in close contest with the Heat for seeding, with a top-6 seed still within the realms of possibility.
AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Patrick Reed’s bid for back-to-back titles on the European tour came up just short Sunday when he was beaten in a playoff won by Freddy Schott for his first title.
Reed made bogey at the first playoff hole to drop out of a three-man contest also including Calum Hill.
The 24-year-old Schott clinched victory on the second playoff hole after Hill drove out of bounds, shanked his fourth shot into water and shook hands with Schott.
Reed was seeking a second straight win, after the Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday, to complete a whirlwind week in which he also announced he was leaving LIV Golf with the aim of returning to the PGA Tour.
Ten shots off the lead heading into the weekend, the American shot 6-under 66 on Saturday and 67 on Sunday to close on 17-under par. He was tied for the lead in the final round after picking up a shot at No. 14 for a third straight birdie, but played the final four holes in 1 over.
Schott (69) bogeyed No. 17 and Hill (71), the leader of the second and third rounds, three-putted for bogey at No. 18 as they joined Reed in a playoff watched by Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Royal Golf Club.
TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 31: Mason Fluharty #68 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in game six of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on October 31, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sorry about the lack of content the last couple of days. It has been busy. It should ease off soon.
Mason Fluharty is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher. The Jays picked him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
He was #40 on our 40-man prospect list in 2022. Matt said:
Listed at 6’2” and 215 pounds, the lefty has an extreme cross-fire delivery from a low arm slot that hides the ball and makes it tough to pick up, especially for lefties. A reliever profile all the way, Fluharty doesn’t have huge raw stuff with a bat-breaking low-90s cutter and sweeping breaking ball. Profile wise, there’s a lot of similarities to Brandon Eisert, just tracking about 18 months later.
The Jays called Mason up to take Max Scherzer’s roster spot early in the season. He was optioned out and brought back two times, but he still made it into 55 games (fifth most among Jays’ relievers, and second most among lefty relievers.
He had a 4.44 ERA, but a 3.31 expected ERA and a 4.19 FIP, so there was some bad luck involved.
He has a couple of option years left, which means he’ll likely have some more drives between Toronto and Buffalo in his future.
Mason and Brendon Little are the two lefty relievers the team relied on last year, and, at least at the moment, they appear to be the two important lefties in the pen this year. Eric Lauer is likely to be in the pen, too, but is likely to be in a long relief role. I did expect the team to add another lefty bullpen arm over the winter (and they might still). They did pick up Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 draft, who was a top (ish) prospect with the Giants, and who we’ll talk about later in this series. If they hold on to him, Fluharty and/or Little will lose playing time.
Baseball Savant tells us that Fluharty was a two-pitch pitcher, throwing a cutter (90.2 MPH) and a Sweeper (81.7).
Steamer figures Mason will pitch in 42 games, with a 3.94 ERA. That seems fair. Let’s do the polls:
Boston sent right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks, minor-league RHP David Sandlin, and two players to be named later to Chicago in exchange for minor-league RHP Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. The Red Sox sent $8 million to the White Sox to cover some of Hicks’ $24 million contract, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Hicks was initially acquired as part of last year’s blockbuster trade that sent slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The 29-year-old struggled mightily in Boston, posting an 8.20 ERA and 1.98 WHIP across 21 appearances.
Sandlin was the No. 9-ranked prospect in the Red Sox’ system, per SoxProspects.com. The 24-year-old, whom Boston acquired from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever John Schreiber in 2024, had a 4.50 ERA in 32 games (14 starts) for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester last season.
Ziehl, 22, was a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 2024. He notched a 4.12 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across three minor-league levels (Low-A, High-A, Double-A) last season.
For the Red Sox, this trade was all about shedding Hicks’ salary and making room on the 40-man roster for future moves. A right-handed bat, specifically a middle infielder, remains a glaring need with less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers for spring training.
