Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is on a tremendous batting run. Since May 14, when facing left-hander Chris Sale in Atlanta, PCA made an adjustment in his batting stance and since then, in 34 games he’s batting .346/.426/.699 (46-for-133) with seven doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, 15 walks and eight stolen bases.
I noticed this about PCA when I was in San Francisco last week — check out the photo at the top of this post to see just how close he’s standing to the plate. It does, apparently, make a difference. Incidentally, I took that Sunday, June 14 in the first inning, when PCA was facing Logan Webb, who is definitely not a left-hander. So he’s standing there not necessarily exclusively against LHP. Here, though, is a screenshot from the game against the Dodgers April 26 in Los Angeles, showing PCA standing in against left-hander Jack Dreyer. You can see how much farther he’s standing from the plate:
“It was just to give them less room to go,” Crow-Armstrong said. “The visual of seeing somebody standing right on top of the plate may change things. In turn, it’s helped me know where I need [pitches] to start. It’s helped me lay off stuff inside and cover the outer half of the plate.”
As the article notes, PCA’s walk rate is also up, and this new stance might be helping that. He’s just one walk short of matching his total for all of 2025, and in 22 games batting in the leadoff spot he’s posted a .462 OBP, which is just outstanding.
We are watching Pete Crow-Armstrong become a superstar right in front of us. As I noted earlier this morning, he very well might win a second consecutive NL Player of the Week award, he’s a strong candidate for NL Player of the Month, and he’ll almost certainly make a second straight NL All-Star team.
And if he continues to produce like this, the trade that brought PCA to the Cubs from the Mets for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams might go down as one of the best in franchise history.
NEW YORK - 1903. The 1903 New York Highlanders pose for portraits made into this team photo collage by the Sporting Life newspaper in 1903. Willie Keeler, second row down, far right, Herman Long, third row, second from right, plus Clark Griffith, manager and second baseman, center, and Jack Chesbro, bottom row, far right, are the stars of the team. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the consensus best baseball movies to ever hit the silver screen is Field of Dreams. And while the story isn’t solely focused on him, one of the most appealing characters through a key part of it is Archie “Moonlight” Graham, whose entire dream was to take one major league at-bat. I won’t spoil anything about the film in this article, and it’s important to remember that, yes, he’s just a character in a movie (albeit one based on a real person), but there are tons of real ballplayers out there whose dreams look similar to Graham’s. Some achieve it, and some don’t. However, there are stories surrounding players who took the field only a handful of times and eventually returned to the minor leagues, never to grace that dirt again.
Jack Zalusky—like Graham, another fellow with ties to Minnesota—was one of those players, who got to realize a dream, but just for a short while.
John Francis Zalusky Born: June 22, 1879 (Minneapolis, MN) Died: August 11, 1935 (Minneapolis, MN) Yankees Tenure: 1903
Born to Frank and Barbara Zalusky, John, who was called “Jack” all his life, grew up in Twin Cities area. He began playing semi-pro baseball at the age of 20 and bounced around in the early stages of his career simply due to the nature of the sport at the time. A right-handed hitter and thrower, he initially played for the amateur Pabst Brewing Company team in 1898. He received the position on the team because he also worked for Pabst as a packer.
The next year he continued to play in the semi-pro leagues. The team he played for, though, required him to travel a bit to Rock Rapids, Iowa, in 1899. And in 1900, he played for Minneapolis Brewing Company while also playing in a few college games. The University of Minnesota said they needed someone to catch a few games, and Zalusky was up to the task.
After 1900, Zalusky was able to make his way into the pro baseball season. He was signed by Louisville Colonels, which eventually turned into the Grand Rapids Furniture Makers (how could you not love minor-league team names?). He played 129 games for them through the season and finished with a batting average of .198 on the way to a minor league, Western Association pennant.
In 1902, Zalusky was signed by the Chicago Orphans (the team that would eventually turn into the Cubs) and played in spring training for them. However, not only did the team have three other veteran catchers, but Jack also sustained an injury before the season began, stacking the odds very much against him to make the cut.
So following 36 games with the Tacoma Tigers where he hit just .165, he was released and sent back to his hometown of Minneapolis to play for the Millers in the American Association, an independent league. He played 56 games with them that season and hit .185 with a slugging percentage of .233. However, he was released from his club in Minneapolis and moved on to Sioux Falls, where he was on the roster of a semipro squad in South Dakota.
Zalusky would find his luck buried in the year 1903, though. At the age of 24, he was traded by Tacoma to Spokane in Washington state with the Pacific National League. And in 89 games at Class-A, he was excellent. He hit .296, which, to that point was a career-high, and it drew some attention from other clubs that had an important mark on his tenure playing professional and semipro baseball.
Despite his impeccable batting average, Zalusky was cut from the team, but that gave the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees) of the recently-established American League a chance to pick him up. Player/manager Clark Griffith thought that there might be something there with the 24-year-old from Minnesota. And after signing with the team, Zalusky joined New York for the rest of the big-league season — the first in the great history of the team that would soon be the Yankees.
The rest of the season at that point was only seven games, but he made the most of it. Zalusky made his debut on September 2nd against the Washington Senators, and not only did he debut, but he also caught a complete game, hurled by the spitballing right-handed Hall-of-Fame pitcher Jack Chesbro, who was in his first season with the Yankees following a move from the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is worth mentioning that complete games were far more common in that day-and-age, as Chesbro finished the season with 33 to his name and in the next season tossed 48, but for a kid making his MLB debut, it’s still something to write home about.
In 17 plate appearances, Zalusky tallied five hits (all of which were singles) and two runs scored. He walked once and tallied a singular RBI as well while also striking out five times. He finished those seven games with a slashline of .313/.353/.313. His best single-game performance came when he went 3-for-4 in a 7-6 win against the Detroit Tigers, which ended up being his penultimate game in Major League Baseball. In Zalusky’s final game, he went 1-for-4, but he scored one of the two runs in his career and the only RBI he ever tallied at the highest level. The Highlanders won, 10-4.
Following his short seven-game stint in the major leagues that finished off in exciting fashion, Zalusky was returned to the minors and would stay there to live out the rest of his playing days. He was first with the Altoona Mountaineers in the Tri-State League in 1904 before going back to the American Association and playing 73 games between the St. Paul (before he was let go due to the team signing another catcher) and Indianapolis. Then, in 1906, his contract was purchased by the Denver Grizzlies in the Western League, where he would play out the next four seasons. He played 295 total games there over four seasons, the most coming in his debut year for the club. He played 114 games that season and batted .308, the highest of his minor league career.
In 1907, Zalusky played only 57 games due to blood poisoning from an accident that he sustained, and as a result, he only hit .222 in the games he did play. However, he returned to the field for the Grizzlies the next season and bounced back, playing 112 games and hitting .255. The 1909 season came around, and Zalusky had dealt with another issue — a knee injury — that took him out of comission for most of the season. He played only 12 games and still hit above .250, but he wasn’t the same player, and his time playing baseball would soon come to and end. Not only that, but he and a teammate were suspended from the Grizzles club until they were healthy to play again, but both believed they were on the wrong end of the injuries due to playing in harsh conditions. They wound up in a court of law and sued the team and won, recieving a settlement of $250 each, which is equivalent to just over $9,000 today.
The final year of baseball for Zalusky came in 1910 with La Crosse Outcasts in the Minnesota-Wisconsin League. There are conflicting reports with how many games he played, with Baseball Reference saying he appeared in 87 games and the Society for American Baseball Research saying he played in 110. Regardless, he hit .265, and eventually hung up his spikes in an official manner.
Zalusky reportedly still played baseball through the 1910s (and was even considered for managing jobs) before last being seen in catcher’s gear in 1920. From then on, he worked a security guard for a bank in his hometown of Minneapolis, where he passed away at the age of 56 due to a heart ailment.
A baseball traditionalist in every sense of the word, Zalusky spent most of his time in the minor leagues. But for just a moment, he held the title of a Major League Baseball player, one that not many can say they held at any point in their lives. His career ended where it started, but a single RBI and an impactful showing in his brief time is worth all the work to get there. Happy birthday, Jack!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Logan Gilbert is probably two starts away from recording his 1,000th career strikeout. After adding another eight in yesterday’s win over the Red Sox, he now sits at 984 since he made his debut. Yesterday’s outing, in which he walked just two and allowed only a smattering of good contact, marked the sixth solid start in a row for Gilbert, a streak that might just mark a turning point for the skyscraping Stetson.
Gilbert has been a good pitcher since his very first strikeout, a three-pitch manhandling of Cleveland’s César Hernández on May 13, 2021. But he’s never been satisfied with being good and so has been constantly tinkering and tailoring throughout his five-plus years in the show. The most remarked upon change has probably been that he has drastically cut down on his fastball usage.
In his first MLB season, he threw his fastball 60.8% of the time, 10th most in the league. Historically, it was his best pitch, appearing even faster than its actual velocity thanks to how close his hand is to home plate by the time he releases it. But after refining his slider and developing a nasty splitter, that number plummeted to 41.8% in 2023 and has held steady in the low thirties over the past few seasons. That may be changing again.
Over the past six starts, Gilbert has bumped up his four-seamer use to 45.2%, including a whopping 68% yesterday, his high-water mark in a game since his rookie season. It’s not the best velo he’s ever had, but he’s back up to 96.0 mph on it. The velo spike was particularly dramatic yesterday, when he averaged a season-high 96.8, bested 98 nine times, and even hit 99.9 mph. (In an exceedingly rare joke, Dan Wilson noted, “I’m sure we’ll be hearing about that all week.”)
The increased presence of his heater has corresponded with a bounceback in his effectiveness. Over that six-game stretch, his K%-BB% has spiked to 24.1% from 19.5% in his first ten starts. And he’s picking up whiffs on an elite 16.2% of his pitches. His 18 yesterday were somehow just the third most this month; he had 21 on June 2nd and June 16th.
Where are those extra fastballs coming from? Mostly, they’re replacing his terrible cutter, a pitch that couldn’t elicit either whiffs or weak contact. It’s a pitch he’s tried before, to try to make his arsenal a little more east-west than the strictly north-south profile on his other pitches. But he’d abandoned it halfway through last year for a reason. Hitters were not fooled by it and the in-between velocity and movement just ended up making all his pitches blend together a little too much. Now, after bringing it back to start the year, he’s abandoning it again, down from 11.5% of his pitches through his first ten starts to just 4.5% over his last six. Not only is he throwing more fastballs, he’s using them to replace his worst pitch.
Gilbert’s curveball is also down, but he used it a bunch yesterday with two strikes. And I’m expecting him to continue that trend. As Gilbert said after the game, “[Cal Raleigh] went to curveball a few times with two strikes. I think that was smart, looking back afterwards. Like if guys are kind of in-between bat speed you don’t really want to give them a gift, something at 90 or whatever. So the curveball at 81, if you’re keeping the same hand speed and everything. I think it does a good job fooling them.”
Importantly for a team that’s running with a seven-man bullpen, this stretch has also seen Gilbert work deeper into games. After being one of the game’s true workhorses, leading the league in innings pitched in 2024, he averaged just 5.1 innings per start in 2025. In his first ten starts of this season, he increased that by an additional out per game (no small thing), and now, over this six-game span, he’s averaging more than six innings per game, which is the kind of pace we want to see him on.
To recap all that: Since May 22, Logan Gilbert has averaged an extra half a tick on his fastball, he’s using it more, and pitching deeper into games.
To be sure, not all indicators are pointing in the same direction. Gilbert’s been inducing more foul balls, and not coincidentally, needing about 0.23 more pitches per plate appearance (which doesn’t sound like a lot, but is). That wouldn’t prevent him from pitching deeper into games as long as he wasn’t allowing too much traffic. But the quality of contact he’s allowing, long his greatest weakness, has deteriorated a little too. It’s possible he’s just been a little lucky lately. His BABIP is down and his strand rate is up as well.
I don’t think it’s that simple, though. The logic behind his change in approach is too sound. Throw the fastball more and guys will get fewer looks at the slider, splitter, and curveball. So Gilbert can use those to actually put guys away. All those extra strikeouts will leave runners stranded too. And his BABIP is only down within the margin of error, with “error” being the operative word for the Mariners defense—nobody should be making too much of BABIP changes one way or the other in front of this defense.
Dan also credits Gilbert’s recent success to the fastball: “It’s the velo, but it’s also the combination of that with being in the zone. You’ve got to get the hitter in swing mode, and it makes the splitter and the slider work so much better. That was the key [yesterday], getting ahead of a lot of guys. I think the first nine out of 10 he was ahead in the count with the heater, and when you’re throwing 98 to 100, getting ahead, that’s going to speed the bat up and leave them susceptible to the off-speed stuff.”
Gilbert tried a lot of different ideas to get out of the funk he’d been in for the past year and a half. He tried new pitches, he changed the shape of others. But the one thing he’d had yet to try was reversion. I get why. If you moved away from something and started improving, it can be scary to try to go back to it. But it might be just what the doctor ordered. That very first strikeout of Hernández was set up by a first-pitch fastball on the top rail. Then he went after him with a curveball on the bottom rail. And finally, he threw an ankle-high slider that Hernández swung right over the top of. How poetic would it be to set up his 1,000th strikeout with a fastball too?
Back in business: Kyle Teel hit his way back into the majors this week. | David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images
Charlotte Knights Record 4-2 (last week), 42-33 (first half), 42-33 (overall)
Knights Players of the Week Kyle Teel .500/.529/.750, 16 at-bats (finished rehab assignment, called back to Chicago on June 22)
Andy Weber .391/.440/.652, 23 at-bats Ryan Galanie .381/.409/.667, 21 at-bats Dustin Harris .348/.423/.609, 3-for-4 stolen bases, 23 at-bats Rikuu Nishida .286/.333/.321, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 28 at-bats William Bergolla Jr. Did not play (7-day IL from shin bruise)
Shane Murphy 8 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 7 K Jonathan Cannon 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K Mason Adams 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K David Sandlin 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K Noah Schultz 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 8 K
The Knights kept their strong season going with a winning series against the Bisons (35-40) in Buffalo. This was the only winning week for any team within the White Sox organization.
Catcher Kyle Teel, 24, wanted to return to the majors as soon as possible, and his performance proved it. Currently working hard to fully recover from a right knee LCL sprain, went 8-for-16 with a homer, a double, a walk, and four RBIs. Teel’s MLB career got off to a nice start in 2025, as he posted 1.9 fWAR in 78 games. Meanwhile, with Teel out due to injury, the catcher position has been a weak area for the South Siders in 2026. Teel’s return will go a long way in terms of patching up a thin area.
2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week Korey Lee (March 27-April 5) Oliver Dunn (April 6-12) Shane Smith (April 13-19) Jarred Kelenic (April 20-26) Oliver Dunn (April 27-May 3) LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 4-10) Jacob Gonzalez(May 11-17) LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 18-24) Jacob Gonzalez(May 25-31) Braden Montgomery(June 1-7) Ryan Galanie(June 8-14) Kyle Teel(June 15-21)
Dylan Cumming 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K Connor McCullough 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K Lucas Gordon 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 K Jake Palisch 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 K Morris Austin 3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K Gabe Davis 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Birmingham lost another series, but for the second straight week, at least they made it competitive. The Barons won two of the first three games, but they dropped the last three to the Blue Wahoos (36-33).
Catcher Grant Magill, 25, only played in three games, but he made his playing time count. The talented catcher went 5-for-10 with a homer, a walk, and five RBIs. During Thursday’s game, which was one of the wildest of the season, Magill played a big role in Birmingham’s 16-13 victory., going 3-for-5 with a homer. Magill also drove in four to lead all players and help the Barons recover from allowing 10 runs in an inning. Magill got promoted on from High-A on June 10, and he is already dominating Double-A pitching.
2026 Birmingham Barons Players of the Week Samuel Zavala (April 6-12) Braden Montgomery (April 13-19) Alec Makarewicz (April 20-26) Wilfred Veras (April 27-May 3) Jake Palisch(May 4-10) Wilfred Veras(May 11-17) Alec Makarewicz(May 18-24) Drake Logan(May 25-31) Dylan Cumming(June 1-7) Anthony DePino(June 8-14) Grant Magill(June 15-21)
Dash Player of the Week Kyle Lodise .368/.429/.895, 19 at-bats
Boston Smith .214/.421/.857, 14 at-bats Ely Brown .263/.417/.263, 19 at-bats Kaleb Freeman .263/.333/.474, 19 at-bats Alex Ungar .250/.357/.500, 12 at-bats
Riley Eikhoff 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 7 K Grant Umberger 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K Drew McDaniel 4 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K Liam Paddack 4 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K Max Banks 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K
For the third consecutive week, the Dash went .500 to remain nine games better than .500. Winston-Salem is still in second place in the South Atlantic League South.
Shortstop Kyle Lodise, 22, was fantastic across the board for the Dash. Overall, Lodise’s excellent performance was a major factor for Winston-Salem being able to salvage a series split. Lodise went 7-for-19 with three homers, a double, a walk, and a team-leading six RBIs. That monstrous week resulted in a 1.324 OPS that increased Lodise’s season OPS to .775. On top of his bat and defensive value, Lodise is 24-for-30 in stolen bases.
2026 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Week Caleb Bonemer (April 6-12) Colby Shelton (April 13-19) Colby Shelton (April 20-26) Caleb Bonemer(April 27-May 3) Colby Shelton(May 4-10) Boston Smith(May 11-17) George Wolkow (May 18-24) Morris Austin(May 25-31) Caleb Bonemer(June 1-7) James Taussig(June 8-14) Kyle Lodise(June 15-21)
Truman Pauley 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K Anthony Patterson 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K Gabriel Rodriguez 4 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K Gabe Tanner 4 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K Caedmon Parker 7 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 6 BB, 8 K
The Cannon Ballers dropped three of the first four games, but they rallied with two dominant victories to even the series against the Woodpeckers (33-35).
Infielder Matthew Boughton, 20, who plays second base, shortstop, and third base, was an enormous problem for Fayetteville pitching. The infielder, who the South Siders selected in the 11th round last year, posted massive numbers. Incredibly, Boughton went 14-for-27 with a homer, three doubles, two walks, three steals in four attempts, and a team-leading seven RBIs. Boughton reached base safely at least twice in every game this week. Boughton got off to a slow start to the season, and he entered this week with a .182/.244/.266 slash line. However, this week boosted his numbers up to .232/.292/.337.
2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Players of the Week Stiven Flores (April 6-12) Abraham Núñez (April 13-19) Javier Mogollón(April 20-26) Arxy Hernández(April 27-May 3) Javier Mogollón(May 4-10) Max Banks(May 11-17) Riley Eikhoff(May 18-24) James Taussig(May 25-31) James Taussig(June 1-7) Derek Cerda(June 8-14) Matthew Boughton(June 15-21)
ACL White Sox Record 1-4 (last week), 11-25 (first half), 11-25 (overall)
Complex Sox Player of the Week Tommy Vail 3 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 7 K (on a rehab assignment)
Justin Fuson 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K Reudis Diaz 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K Wikelman González 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K Orlando Suarez 2 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K
The Complex Sox only picked up one victory in five games this week, dropping to 14 below .500 overall. The offense had serious problems, only managing to score 14 runs (2.8 per game).
Pitcher Tommy Vail, 27, is on a rehab assignment and is expected to join the Barons when ready. Double-A is where Vail spent the majority of his 2025 season, and during those 51 innings, Vail posted a 3.00 ERA and a 4.11 FIP. This week, Vail showed he is about ready to return to normal baseball activity, as he delivered 3 1/3 shutout innings and did not even allow a hit.
2026 Complex Sox Players of the Week Alexander Albertus(May 4-10) Eduardo Herrera(May 11-17) Yordani Soto (May 18-24) José M. Mendoza(May 25-31) Yordani Soto(June 1-7) Landon Hodge(June 8-14) Tommy Vail(June 15-21)
DSL White Sox Record 2-3 (last week), 5-10 (first half), 5-10 (overall)
DSL White Sox Player of the Week Sebastian Romero .333/.400/.611, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 18 at-bats
Carlos Vielma .429/.579/.429, 14 at-bats Ronald Cardozo .250/.308/.250, 12 at-bats Samuel Luis .143/.250/.143, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 14 at-bats Hector Hernández .571/.625/.714, 2-for-2 stolen bases, seven at-bats
Roderic Ramirez 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K Jhoriel De La Rosa 3 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 4 K Alexander De Los Santos 3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K Ronald Kelly 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K David Colmenares 2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K
The DSL White Sox had another rough week, only winning two of their five games. As a result, they are already five games worse than .500.
Once again, outfielder Sebastian Romero, 17, was on top of his game, and he is off to a great start to the season. This week, Romero went 6-for-18 with two triples, a double, a stolen base in his only attempt, and he comfortably led the team with seven RBIs. That resulted in a 1.011 weekly OPS, and overall, he is slashing .367/.448/.796 (166 wRC+).
2026 DSL White Sox Players of the Week Carlos Vielma(June 1-7) Sebastian Romero(June 8-14) Sebastian Romero(June 15-21)
Who gets YOUR vote for Minor League Player of the Week?
Shohei Ohtani has won four MVPs, and now he’s making an impressive bid for an honor that has thus far eluded the two-way star: the Cy Young Award.
Problem is, the competition in the National League might be a little too stiff this year.
Ohtani is 7-2 with a 1.47 ERA so far this season. With the Los Angeles Dodgers nearly halfway through their schedule, he’s made 12 starts and thrown 73 2/3 innings. His career highs in those categories are 28 and 166, back in 2022. That year he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA for the Los Angeles Angels and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young race.
Ohtani’s hitting always has been more reliable than his pitching on a year-in, year-out basis. He didn’t pitch at all in 2019 or 2024, and his teams have been careful with his workload. Even now, he’s a few innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title, but with a mark that far below 2.00, he’s clearly one of the game’s top starters.
Still, he remains a long shot for the Cy Young according to oddsmakers. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45 in 15 starts) is the favorite, and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (9-3, 1.80) isn’t far removed from throwing 50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
Ohtani is a runaway favorite to win another MVP, of course. He isn’t on pace for the eye-popping home run and stolen base stats he’s produced in the past, but he leads the National League in on-base percentage, and when you factor in his pitching value it’s hard to make a case for anyone else.
Trivia time
The very first Cy Young Award went to a member of the Dodgers, back in 1956 when there was one honor covering both leagues. Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe won it. Since moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers have had seven pitchers win the Cy Young. Who were they?
Performance of the week
The first two cycles of the 2026 season took place this past week. Pete Crow-Armstrong completed the single-double-triple-homer set for the Chicago Cubs in a win over Colorado. Then Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies pulled it off during a rout of the New York Mets.
Crow-Armstrong did get picked off first immediately after the single that gave him the cycle — so give the slight edge to Harper here.
Honorable mention: Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies hit three home runs in the same game Harper hit for the cycle. The only other time two teammates pulled that off was June 3, 1932, when Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees hit four home runs and Tony Lazzeri hit for the cycle. The Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics 20-13 that day.
Comeback of the week
The Athletics overcame a seven-run, sixth-inning deficit to beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-11 in 10 innings. It was a wild evening, with the A’s taking a 4-0 lead before allowing 11 consecutive runs. The Angels had a win probability of 99% by the bottom of the seventh according to Baseball Savant.
The comeback began an inning earlier when Zack Gelof singled home a run to make it 11-5. With two outs in the seventh, Tyler Soderstrom walked and Jacob Wilson followed with a homer to cut the deficit to four. A two-run homer in the eighth by Max Muncy made it 11-9.
The A’s were down to their last out when Jonah Heim hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth. After Muncy, the third baseman, threw a runner out at the plate in the top of the 10th, the Athletics won when Nick Kurtz drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom half.
The A’s (38-40) are 1 1/2 games out of first place in the AL West despite what is now the worst run differential in the AL at minus-54.
Trivia answer
Sandy Koufax (three times), Clayton Kershaw (three times), Don Drysdale, Mike Marshall, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Eric Gagne.
Andre Tourigny isn’t going anywhere—and this time, Utah made sure of it in a much more meaningful way than initially understood.
What was first reported by The Fourth Period and Daily Faceoff insider Dave Pagnotta as a one-year extension has since been clarified: the Utah Mammoth have instead signed Tourigny to a multi-year contract extension, securing their head coach well into the next phase of the franchise’s growth.
The move removes any ambiguity around his future and signals clear organizational belief in the coach who has guided the Mammoth from early-stage rebuild to a legitimate playoff team.
Tourigny was entering the final year of his previous contract in 2026-27, a situation that often creates noise around a coaching staff heading into an important stretch. Utah instead opted to eliminate that uncertainty entirely, locking in continuity behind the bench as the roster continues to mature.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The extension comes on the heels of the most successful season in the franchise’s brief Utah era. The Mammoth finished 43-33-6, earning fourth place in the Central Division and a Western Conference Wild Card berth—marking the organization’s first playoff appearance since relocating.
Their postseason run was short but revealing. Utah grabbed a 2-1 series lead over the eventual Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights before ultimately falling in six games. While the exit stung, it also underscored a growing internal reality: this team is no longer solely projecting future competitiveness—it is already beginning to test it.
Across five seasons behind the bench dating back to the Arizona Coyotes era, Tourigny has compiled a 170-195-45 record. The raw numbers don’t tell a simple success story, but they do reflect something the organization values more—steady progression through a prolonged rebuild and the development of a young core that has finally started to deliver results.
Few coaches have lasted longer in today’s NHL landscape. Only Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar, and Rod Brind’Amour have had longer continuous tenures. And while the NHL officially treats Utah as a separate expansion-era franchise, meaning Tourigny’s “Utah tenure” is technically just two seasons, his influence spans the entire organizational transition.
What matters most inside the building is trajectory.
“André and Blaine have both been instrumental in building the foundation for our organization and will be critical in our continued success and leadership moving forward,” general manager Bill Armstrong said. “André is an excellent leader, communicator, and person, who is extremely well respected by our players and our staff.”
Utah also confirmed multi-year extensions for assistant coach Blaine Forsythe while adding Adam Foote to the coaching staff.
Blaine Forsythe is back for another go at it. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas
Forsythe remains a key part of the structure despite a down year for the power play. Over his tenure, Utah’s man advantage has generally ranked in the top half of the league, including a top-10 finish during the 2024-25 season, and continues to be viewed internally as a stabilizing strength.
“Blaine’s an experienced, knowledgeable, and Stanley Cup-winning coach who has a strong body of work running the power play,” Armstrong said.
Adam Foote played parts of 17 of his 19 NHL seasons with the franchise that began as the Quebec Nordiques before relocating and becoming the Colorado Avalanche. Credit: Ron Chenoy.
Foote, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2002 Olympic gold medalist, joins the staff following a brief head coaching stint with the Vancouver Canucks. His arrival is expected to bring a different voice and added experience to the room.
“We are also thrilled to have Adam, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2002 Olympic gold medalist right here in Salt Lake, join the organization and bring a fresh perspective to our room backed by years of experience as both a player and coach,” Armstrong added. “This is another exciting day for the organization.”
The foundation isn’t being reconsidered—it’s being reinforced. And at the center of it remains the same coach who helped build it from the ground up.
The Columbus Blue Jackets own the 14th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Let's take a look at the history of that draft position for the CBJ.
Some notable picks around the league at #14 are Charlie McAvoy, Brent Seabrook, Jake DeBrusk, and Devan Dubnyk.
Alexander Wennberg - 14th in the 2013 Draft - Wennberg was drafted in the 1st round of the 2013 NHL Draft as the 14th overall draft pick.
Wennberg came to North America and made his NHL Debut in 2014. After having three decent seasons, including a 59-point year in 2016-17, Wennberg was signed to a six-year deal on September 1st, 2017.
Tom Wilson would seemingly derail Wennberg's career in the 2018 playoffs when he laid a devastating check on him. The next two seasons, Wennberg would only total 47 points. In October of 2020, the CBJ would buy Wennberg out, making him a free agent.
In addition to playing with the Florida Panthers since leaving Columbus, He's played for the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks. After the 59-point season he had in 2016-17, Wennberg failed to score more than 38 points in a single season. That streak was stopped last season, when he scored 18 goals and had 55 points for San Jose.
Jackson Smith - 14th in the 2025 NHL Draft - Smith was announced as the 14th pick by Johnny Gaudreau's widow, Meredith, at the 2025 NHL Draft and instantly became a fan favorite.
Jackson Smith is an elite freshman defenseman for the Penn State men’s ice hockey team. A native of Calgary, Alberta, he made program history as the first-ever first-round selection for the Nittany Lions, having been drafted 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The youngster paced all Big Ten blueliners in points and broke the Penn State program record for the most single-season goals by a defenseman. He totaled 54 points and had 43 assists.
The Blue Jackets seem to be open to trading the 14th pick this year, much like they were last year as well. But that's easier said than done in today's NHL.
Can Waddell get a deal done involving the 14th pick? We won't know for a few days, but if they don't, they're sure to get a pretty good draft pick as well.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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Chicago (40-37) had an unscheduled day off yesterday to prepare for their short three-game road trip to New York (34-43). Both the Mets and Cubs are coming off losses as they meet for their second and final series of the season. Chicago swept the Mets earlier this year and outscored the Mets, 18-9.
Chicago is 6-3 in the last nine games and starting to turn the corner in June. The Cubs are 8-9 overall this month and ranks middle of the pack in ERA, BA, OBA, and most categories. The one area that the Cubs stand out is their plate discipline. Chicago has the third-most walks (72) and the eighth-fewest strikeouts (136).
New York is coming off two straight losses to Philadelphia and were outscored 25-11 in the series. The Mets surrendered 21 runs in the last two games and have the seventh-worst ERA (5.79) over the last week. In that same span, New York ranks 10th in batting average (.266), but has the second-fewest extra bases hits (5).
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Cubs at Mets
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Time: 7:10 PM EST
Site: Citi Field
City: Flushing, NY
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Cubs at the Mets
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Chicago Cubs (-125), New York Mets (+104)
Spread: Mets +1.5 (-159), Cubs -1.5 (+131)
Total: 8.5
Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Mets
Monday's pitching matchup (June 22): Kodai Senga vs. Shota Imanaga
The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting .286 with 83 hits, 16 home runs and 40 RBI over 290 at-bats
The Cubs’ Dansby Swanson is hitting .183 with 44 hits and 66 strikeouts over 240 at-bats
The Mets’ Juan Soto is hitting .301 with 66 hits, 17 home runs, and 38 RBI over 219 at-bats
The Mets’ Marcus Semien is hitting .219 with 61 hits and 65 strikeouts over 279 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Mets
The Cubs are an MLB-worst 29-48 ATS
The Mets are 32-45 ATS, ranking fifth-worst
The Cubs are 40-36-1 to the Over
The Mets are 35-34-8 to the Under
The Cubs are 15-22 ATS on the road, ranking fourth-worst
The Mets are 15-21 ATS at home, ranking seventh-worst
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Mets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Cubs and the Mets:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Mets on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Mets at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.5
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With another busy slate of games across the Majors, I've found more value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions.
Gerrit Cole will dominate the Detroit Tigers, while Hunter Brown will miss some more bats against the Toronto Blue Jays. I'm also eyeing the St. Louis Cardinals to jump on Merrill Kelly early, while Andre Pallante deals.
Yankees at Tigers SGP: Cole leads Yankees to victory
Gerrit Cole takes the hill for the New York Yankees tonight, and he's been holding his own. The right-hander has a 3.29 xERA over his last two starts, and he's held opponents to a 27.6% hard hit rate during that span. He's also cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in back-to-back outings.
On the other side, Framber Valdez takes the ball for the Detroit Tigers, and he has been struggling. The lefty has a 4.85 FIP over the last month, and he's given up a 40% hard hit rate across his previous two appearances. Most notably, Valdez's FIP sits at 5.72 at home compared to 3.52 on the road.
Jose Caballero is one of the Yankees' hitters I expect to jump on Valdez. He has a .388 wOBA across his last six games and has a hit in five of his last six.
Yordan Alvarez has been one of the best hitters in the big leagues this season, and he continues to crush. The slugger owns a ridiculous 68.4% hard hit rate and 26.3% barrel rate over the last week. He has three extra-base hits in his last six games, and Alvarez has cashed the Over in total bases in two of his last four.
Hunter Brown returned from the IL last week and was solid, allowing just one run while striking out seven. While it's not a large sample size, Brown has cashed the Over in Ks in all three outings this season, and he's averaging 13.2 K/9. The Toronto Blue Jays do not strike out a ton, but with a modest total of 5.5, there's value in the Over.
George Springer is in the midst of a three-game hitting streak, and he sports a .471 wOBA in his last five games and a .368 average. Springer's 38.9% hard hit rate during that span adds fuel to this pick.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Space City Home Network, Sportsnet
Diamondbacks at Cardinals SGP: Pallante tosses another gem
The St. Louis Cardinals send Andre Pallante to the mound tonight, and he's been brilliant lately. He sports a 2.57 xERA over his last two outings, and the righty has cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in three straight.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, meanwhile, counter with the struggling Merrill Kelly. He owns a 5.31 FIP over his previous two outings, and home runs have been an issue over the last month, giving up 2.20 per nine innings. After scoring 16 runs on Sunday, the Cards should jump on him.
Expect Alec Burleson to be one of those hitters who thrive. The slugger has cashed the Over in total bases in two straight games, and he owns a .414 xwOBA in his last six contests.
Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Cardinals.TV, DBacks.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
SGP picks: 0-3, -3.00 units
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The question now is what is to happen with the players remaining on Michigan's roster. While some players, such as Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., have already declared for the draft as first-round selections, others will have the opportunity to leave Ann Arbor via the transfer portal — but not immediately.
Here's what to know of the NCAA's transfer rules, and when Wolverines players can transfer from Michigan:
Can Michigan basketball players transfer with Dusty May leaving?
Yes, NCAA rules allow for the creation of a special transfer portal window following a head coaching change. At that time, players can enter the portal and potentially sign with another team.
When can Michigan players enter the portal?
According to the NCAA on Jan. 14, 2026, the Division I Cabinet enacted immediate rules changes for the transfer portal, including those for a team going through a coaching change.
Per the NCAA:
When a head coaching change occurs, a 15-day period will open five days after the new head coach is hired or publicly announced. If a new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the previous head coach's departure — and the 31st day after the head coach's departure is after the championship game — a 15-day window will open. The additional head coach departure window is available only after the basketball transfer window opens through Jan. 2.
Five days after Michigan hires or publicly announces its hire, the 15-day transfer portal will open, allowing players to enter and potentially sign with a team. The 15-day window will open if the Wolverines are unable to make a hire within 30 days of May's departure for the NBA.
That is separate from a 15-day transfer window that opens the day following the championship game, which in 2026 was on April 4.
Michigan's 2026 high school recruiting class ranks No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings. Here's who the Wolverines signed, including their national rank:
Officially, Philadelphia Flyers hockey returns in less than three months with the team announcing its 2026 preseason schedule on Monday morning.
Now, the special new novelty with this year's preseason slate, for all NHL teams, is that it is two games shorter, with the NHL instead opting for two more regular season games.
The 2026-27 regular season will now be 84 games long.
As a result, the Flyers only play two teams in the preseason this year: the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins.
Here's the full schedule, as announced by the Flyers:
Monday, Sept. 21 at Washington Capitals at 7 p.m.
Note: This Sept. 21 game at Washington will be played at the GIANT Center in Hershey, PA.
Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Boston Bruins at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 24 vs. Boston Bruins at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Washington Capitals at 5 p.m.
The 2026 preseason will represent the first opportunity for Flyers fans to see new trade additions Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit in action for Philadelphia, as well as any other exciting players the team adds in free agency, the 2026 NHL Draft, or another trade.
Officially, the offseason will get underway on Friday, when the Flyers pick 21st overall in the draft.
On July 1, free agency opens, and then the Flyers are off to the races towards their preseason dates.
On June 22, 2021, Montreal Canadiens rookie Cole Caufield had the first of many milestone nights. In a third-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the winger became the first rookie since P.K. Subban in 2010 to score at least eight points with the Habs in a single playoff tournament.
The Canadiens would go on to eliminate the Golden Knights three days later, on St-Jean-Baptiste, to book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Caufield would finish the tourney with 12 points in 20 games, a very successful first taste of playoff action, but like the rest of the Habs, he would then go four years before seeing any postseason action.
Still, it’s been all about progress for the sniper since then, and this last season, the NHL had to acknowledge just how important a role he is playing with the Habs as he gave Nathan MacKinnon a run for his money for the Rocket Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s best goal scorer. The diminutive winger pocketed 51 lamplighters this year, and it feels like we’ve yet to see his ceiling.
While his size has so far prevented him from finding his way on Team USA, it’s hard to imagine that he will never get his opportunity, especially since he forced the other markets to take notice this season, as evidenced by his Lady Bing Trophy win.
Caufield is under contract with the Canadiens for the next five seasons, and if the Habs are to finally be successful in the quest for their 25th Stanley Cup, they will need him to be at the top of his game. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with next season after establishing career-best numbers in both goals and points and tying his career-best numbers in assists.
Real conversations are happening regarding defenseman Morgan Rielly and his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After 13 seasons in Toronto, and the longest active tenured player for the team, it could be the end of the line for Rielly and the Maple Leafs this off-season.
However, a breakup between both parties isn't as simple as it may seem, and that's because of Rielly's contract. The 32-year-old is entering the fifth year of an eight-year contract and earns $7.5 million against the salary cap. In addition, he has a no-move clause in his deal, which allows the player to dictate where he goes next if he were to get traded.
With all that in mind, the complications of Rielly's situation and contract would factor into a potential trade and could hinder what the Maple Leafs receive, depending on the trade partner and what that other team may be interested in.
To anticipate what Toronto should expect in return if they dealt Rielly this summer, let's go through some previous examples of notable defensemen on unpopular contracts that were traded, or players who had trade protection and got moved anyway in recent memory.
It doesn't take a deep search to find a recent example of when a player with a no-move clause was traded. In fact, it happened before last year's Olympic break when the New York Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings.
Because Panarin had a say in where he wanted to end up, the Rangers were practically forced into a deal in which they probably could've garnered more assets elsewhere if Panarin had no trade protection.
In the end, New York received a solid prospect in Liam Greentree, as well as a 2026 third-round pick and a 2028 fourth-round pick.
It's worth noting that Panarin's situation is very different, considering he was on an expiring deal and is a top-five scorer in the NHL over the course of the past decade. Nonetheless, that's how a no-move clause can affect the return in a trade.
There are multiple other ways to go about trading a player with a no-move clause or with an unpopular contract. Salary retention can certainly help with that.
However, the Panthers found a way to get Jones with the Blackhawks retaining $2.5 million of his contract. In the process, Florida sent goaltender Spencer Knight and a 2026 first-round pick. That's quite the return for Jones, who was coming off some of the worst campaigns of his NHL career in Chicago.
And though many teams would be hesitant to retain any salary on a long-term contract like Jones' (expires after 2029-30), it doesn't mean something can't be worked out. Like Jones, Rielly's contract also expires through the 2029-30 season with a no-movement clause attached.
Another defenseman who was once in a similar situation to Rielly is Jacob Trouba of the Anaheim Ducks. Although this deal comes without salary retention.
Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Trouba inked a seven-year contract with the Rangers at $8 million per season. Not long after, it would be seen that Trouba did not play up to his dollar value, and when a highly-paid player can't perform to expectations, questions come to the surface.
Eventually, Trouba was traded to the Ducks through his 15-team no-trade list at the time, and New York didn't receive much in return. The Rangers received defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
There is a wide range of what can go down when a player needs a change of scenery. Sometimes, both parties in a trade walk away happy, or the team parting with the big-name player is handicapped by a bad contract or a trade-protection clause.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Collins will posthumously be honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his impact on LGBTQ+ visibility in pro sports at The ESPYS in July.
Collins was the NBA's first openly gay player who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league. The 13-year center died May 12 of a brain tumor at age 47.
Before his death, Collins publicly shared his cancer journey and spoke openly about his prognosis in hopes of advancing understanding and helping others facing similar diagnoses.
The Ashe award is given to a person who has made a difference beyond the field of play by fighting for what they believe in. It will be accepted by Collins' twin brother, Jarron.
"It is profoundly bittersweet but deeply meaningful to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage on my brother’s behalf, celebrating a legacy of visibility, strength, and love that will endure forever,” Jarron Collins said in a statement.
Among the past recipients of the Ashe Award are the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse survivors, NBA player Kevin Love, the U.S. Women’s national soccer team, former NFL player Steve Gleason, and NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
Hosted by “Saturday Night Live” comic Marcello Hernández, The ESPYS will air July 15 on ABC from New York. The show will also stream on ESPN+.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - APRIL 06: Udoka Azubuike #20 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Jaylin Williams #6 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of a game at Vivint Arena on April 06, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During the last decade the Jazz have had their fair share of hits and misses in the draft. Today we take a look back at the best, and worst of these picks, tomorrow the Jazz will make their most important selection in franchise history.
Best:
Donovan Mitchell
In 2017 the Jazz made one of the best decisions in franchise history and traded Trey Lyles and 24th overall pick to move up to 13th and select Mitchell. In his 5 seasons in Utah he was a three time All-Star, runner up for rookie of the year, (thanks Ben Simmons) winner of the 2018 Dunk Contest, and made the play-offs every year. Although the furthest the team ever made it during this span was a Western Conference Semifinals appearance it was still a very entertaining time to be a Jazz fan, and Mitchell was the main reason why.
Walker Kessler
Though technically drafted by the Grizzlies I’m going to include Kessler here anyway because he was immediately traded to the Jazz, and because he deserves all the love from the fan base, especially in the midst of contract negotiations. At the time there was very little excitement about Kessler, and the main focus of the trade was on the draft picks involved, but Kessler quickly proved himself as an extremely talented starting level center. His first three seasons in Utah he averaged 2+ blocks per game, and probably would have done so again if his season hadn’t ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury. Going into this offseason Kessler is a restricted free agent and the Jazz will look to negotiate a deal to keep him here longterm. He also seemed to add a new skill to his game as he shot 6-8 (75%) from deep this season. While it’s obviously a very small sample size, his shooting form looked solid, and it could make him an even bigger threat on offense if he can be a 30ish% shooter from three.
Keyonte George
If not for the 65 games played rule Keyonte would’ve firmly been in the running for the Most Improved Player Award. Picked 16th overall in 2023, the Jazz got an absolute steal. Before injuries and tanking slowed him down, he was averaging 24 points, and six assists per game, while also averaging a steal per game for the first time in his career. It will be so exciting to see how Keyonte will look on a team that is trying to compete next year.
Ace Bailey
After so much pre-draft drama surrounding the Jazz’s selection of Bailey 5th overall, he showed that the Jazz absolutely made the right call when drafting him. He looked every bit like the explosive highflying player that he was projected to be. Additionally he still hasn’t celebrated his 20th birthday yet, so he’s really only scratched the surface of his potential. It will be interesting to see if he will remain in the starting lineup after the Jazz add a blue chip player in this year’s draft. My guess would be that he will remain a starter and have an even better second year in the league.
Isaiah Collier
Collier was another certified draft steal when he was selected 29th in the 2024 draft. Since coming to the Jazz he has been a true floor general, even breaking John Stockton’s rookie assist record. Another thing that stands out about Collier is his speed, when he attacks the rim at full speed, not many other players can keep up with him. This most recent season his jumpshot also looks to have improved.
Worst:
Cody Williams
I almost couldn’t bring myself to include Williams on this list, but I did my best to set my biases aside. To put it bluntly Williams appeared to be unplayable at times as a rookie. He lacked an NBA body and shot a putrid 32.3% from the field. There were so many times during his rookie year that he would become a ghost on the floor, but what a difference a year can make. Williams put in a ton of effort during the offseason, and gained 13 pounds. His confidence also grew considerably, and he took on a much more aggressive playstyle, and looked like a different player. If he can take a year three leap, he will find himself off of this list.
Taylor Hendricks
Hendricks finds himself on this list for reasons completely outside of his control. A gruesome leg injury just 3 games into his sophomore season greatly derailed his development. In his third year as a Jazzman he could never really find his footing on the team. Since then he was included in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, and has looked like a different player. The change of scenery seemed to be exactly what Hendricks needed, as in his 26 games in Memphis he averaged 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. Hopefully he can continue to develop with more consistent playing time, and a more stable role.
John Tonje
Is it really fair to include a player taken 53rd overall who was traded before he ever even appeared in an NBA game? Probably not, but I’m going to do it anyway because I have a horrible feeling that the Celtics will turn him into a decent player, and I wanted to put this prediction out there just in case I end up being correct. Other players that I could have included in this spot are: Nigel Williams-Goss, Justin Wright-Foreman, or Joel Bolomboy. Those three combined played just 26 games for the Jazz.
Grayson Allen
Allen was the Jazz’s lone selection in the 2018 draft, and after just his rookie year he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Mike Conely deal. Since then Allen has really come into his own as a player. He’s shown that he can be a real contributor on a playoff team. This past season was his most impressive, as he posted career highs in points, assists, and steals.
Udoka Azubuike
Azubuike was selected 27th overall in 2020, unfortunately his NBA career got off to a horrible start as he suffered a serious ankle injury in a G-League game. After that he could never really stay healthy and only played in 68 games during his 3 year Jazz tenure. When he was on the court however he was awful. He couldn’t defend, he was slow, and he was the least talented offensive player I have ever seen in a Jazz jersey. Jeff Withey had more of an offensive bag than Azubuike did. After a 16 game stint in Phoenix, he was out of the NBA. Currently he plays for the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
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