Category: Sports News

Ryan Tayman was born San Luis Obispo, California, the son of Lauri Tayman, who played softball at Wilfrid Laurier University during her time there. Growing up in Grover Beach, he attended the nearby Arroyo Grande High School and was a three-year letterman there, mainly playing first base, third base, and catching. In his senior year, he hit .453/.570/.800 in 28 games, logging 8 doubles and 6 home runs while drawing 19 walks and striking out 9 times. He did not stand out much in the baseball hotbed that is California and generated very little buzz among scouts and evaluators. When the 2023 MLB Draft came, his name was not called and he put his professional dreams on hold to attend the University of California, Berkeley, the only D1 team that had tendered a collegiate offered to him.

In his first year with the Golden Bears, Tayman appeared in 21 games, logging 67 at-bats, and hit .254/.306/.552 with 2 doubles, 6 home runs, and 4 walks to 28 strikeouts. Following the conclusion of the season, he got into a few more games with the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League and performed about the same in roughly the same amount of games.

He returned to Berkeley in 2025 for his sophomore season and did a bit better in his second spring in the program. Now a SEC team rather than a PAC-12 team, Tayman appeared in 39 games for the Golden Bears and hit .274/.345/.476 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, and 9 walks to 35 strikeouts. Once again, he supplemented his playing time by playing on a summer collegiate team, this time the Willmar Stingers in the Northwoods League, where he was an all-star, hitting .324/.402/.533 in 28 games with 7 doubles, 5 home runs, and 14 walks to 21 strikeouts.

Rather than return to Berkeley for a third season, Tayman opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He received numerous offers from high profile teams, but the offer from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo meant more to him than most. Having grown up in San Luis Obispo, spent many summer afternoons and weekends at Baggett Stadium, and attended baseball clinics run by head coach Larry Lee, attending the school that was his #1 out of high school just made sense; the fact that the Mustangs needed a catcher because incumbent backstop Jack Collins had been drafted by the Texas Rangers and was going to sign was just icing on the cake.

Everything clicked for the backstop and his 2026 junior season was truly magical. Appearing in 63 games for his hometown team, with the stands often packed with friends and family, Tayman hit .357/.447/.672 with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 18 home runs, and 31 walks to 50 strikeouts, getting named to the 2026 Buster Posey Award Midseason Watchlist featuring the top 50 NCAA Division 1 catchers in the country.

At the plate, the 6’2”, 225-pound slugger stands slightly crouched and slightly open, holding his hands low at the letters. While with the Bears and earlier in the year with the Mustangs, he held his hands high and wrapped his bat behind his head at 1:30. The changes to his set-up at the plate have helped him unlock a new level of power he had not shown at Berkley. He is shorter and more direct to the ball, and while lowering hands often sacrifices power in exchange for bat control, Tayman has increased the angle of his swing to not lose power. Indeed, in 2026, the backstop had a 17.5% strikeout rate, down nearly 10% as compared to his prior two years, and a 10.8% walk rate, up roughly 5% as compared to the prior two years. While not purely a fastball hitter, he is considerably better against fastballs than he is other secondary stuff, either fishing at pitches outside of the zone or unable to make solid contact and barrel them thanks to his swing plane. Despite that, the changes have certainly been more beneficial than not, as they allowed him to maximize balls hit in the air, especially to his pull side, with his flyball rate jumping over 10% from 42.6% in 2024 and 2025 to 53.1% in 2026, logging a 17.6% HR/FB rate on the year.

Behind the plate, Tayman has had less success. Most scouts and evaluators don’t feel that he will be forced to move off of the position anytime soon, as he is mobile, a good receiver, blocks the ball well, and is adroit at managing pitchers and their strengths and weaknesses, but his arm is below-average for a catcher, lacking arm strength and accuracy; as such, runners attempted to steal on him often, and Tayman managed only a 22% success rate, allowing 60 of 77 runners to successfully steal off of him.

It’s back.

After 30 years of waiting, MLB’s Midsummer Classic has returned to Philadelphia. Replete with six Phillies participating, including their two biggest stars in Monday night’s Home Run Derby, the center of the baseball world resides in the City of Brotherly Love through Tuesday night’s All Star Game.

And this time around, the Phils are prominently featured.

It’s been a minute since the city last hosted this spectacle, and to say the 2026 Phillies are different from the 1996 group that slogged their way through a brutal last place finish in one of the worst seasons in franchise history is like saying tofu and ground beef are different.

Below is an article I wrote back in 2014, remembering one of the most depressing nights I’ve ever experienced as a baseball fan — the night a dilapidated Veterans Stadium hosted the biggest stars in baseball, and virtually none of them played for the hometown nine.

***

I would like to submit that the 1996 season was the most depressing season in recent Philadelphia Phillies history.

As bad as this season has been, it doesn’t hold a candle to ’96. After all, we are watching a core that won a World Series in 2008, got to another one in 2009, and made five straight playoff appearances. Those memories, although they grow a bit fainter each day, are still strong.

The Phillies are also officially a big budget team now. Even though it’s hard to imagine this team being competitive in the next two or three years, it is conceivable that, once some of these big salaries are off the books, some key international signings are hopefully made and a couple more draft classes are brought into the farm system, the Phils could be good again soon.

Plus, fans still get to see games at beautiful Citizens Bank Park, one of the crown jewels of Major League Baseball.

In 1996, none of that was true.

The Phillies played at the decrepit Vet, on its very last legs at that point. Their payroll of $30.4 million was 16th in baseball, and although the team won the National League pennant in 1993, the strike of ‘94 killed the sport for many Phils’ fans, leading to a malaise and lack of enthusiasm that was almost stifling for the few of us who actually still deeply cared about the franchise and the sport.

That season, the Phillies finished 67-95, and in last place in the National League East, 29 games out of first. This was their starting lineup:

• Benito Santiago – C
• Gregg Jefferies – 1B
• Mickey Morandini – 2B
• Kevin Stocker – SS
• Todd Zeile – 3B
• Pete Incavaglia – LF
• Ricky Otero – CF
• Jim Eisenreich – RF

Lenny Dykstra was limited to 40 games, while Darren Daulton played just five. Stalwarts like Mark Whiten, Wendell Magee, Kevin Sefcik, Mike Benjamin, David Doster, Desi Relaford and Bobby Estalella littered the injury-filled roster, as only three players (Santiago, Morandini and Zeile) played more than 130 games. The only positives were the camero appearances of Mike Lieberthal, who played 50 games, and late-season call-up Scott Rolen, who played 37 games. And, of course, the presence of young sparkplug Ruben Amaro Jr. made viewing the games all worthwhile.

But if you think that was bad, check out this pitching staff.

• Curt Schillling – SP1
• Mike Williams – SP2
• Terry Mulholland – SP3
• Mike Mimbs – SP4
• Mike Grace – SP5

A human being named Rich Hunter made 14 starts that year and, in all, 15 pitchers started games for them, including Sid Fernandez, Russ Springer, Matt Beech, David West, Bobby Munoz, Calvin Maduro, Glenn Dishman, Carlos Crawford and Rafael Quirico.

The bullpen consisted of many of those same names, as well as Toby Borland, Ken Ryan, Steve Frey, Ron Blazier, Jeff Parrett, Dave Leiper, and the some other guys best left to being remembered on the next The Dirty Inning podcast.

Oh, and the Phils’ lone All-Star representative that year, was Ricky Botallico.

So consider, it’s mid-July, you’re still reeling from the stink of the strike, and the Phils are the worst team in baseball. They’re sending one lonely relief pitcher to the All-Star Game which, for reasons passing understanding, is being played IN PHILADELPHIA, AT THE VET.

The Midsummer Classic, being played in Philadelphia for the first time since 1976, would feature just one player from its host city, a relief pitcher, who would likely just see one inning of work.

And yet I watched. I watched the whole thing. Because I’m a sicko.

Of course, the scene was set right from the start. Bunting lined the cracked edifice of the walls and stands, and the Phils’ 1980s video board in center field shown brightly in the glare of network TV. Philadelphia also played home to the stars that weekend, as TV’s “Frasier,” Kelsey Grammar, sang the National Anthem.

Sarah McLachlan also sang the Canadian National Anthem, and Joe Carter was booed by the Vet crowd when he was introduced before the game.

I told you, this game had everything.

The one positive note was the performance of Dodgers‘ catcher, and Philly-area native, Mike Piazza, who was named MVP of the game after clubbing a long home run and going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Back in 2011, The Good Phight did a quick recap of Ricky Bottalico’s performance, one that you probably missed if you blinked for any reason.

1996 – Ricky Bottalico, rhp: NL 6, AL 0. Bottalico pitched a scoreless 5th inning in front of his hometown. He might have faced the minimum number of batters, but for Ken Caminiti’s throwing error on Brady Anderson’s grounder. Clearly, the NL manager should have left Chipper Jones in at third, but well, the guy left a lot to be desired. But for being a hometown hero and for preserving the shutout by overcoming his teammates’ mistakes without being rattled or showing them up, no better reward than *****!

You can watch Ricky Bo’s entire inning right here if you’re a sicko.

After that, a lot of National League All-Stars that were not Phillies beat up on the AL team, 6-0. It was about as miserable as an All-Star Game hosted by your favorite team’s city and stadium could possibly be.

If you’re interested in watching all of this monstrosity, YouTube has it.

I would argue you’d be better served going outside and touching grass, but to each their own.

The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

It’s the first Home Run Derby in Philadelphia since the Phillies inaugurated Citizens Bank Park in 2004.  The former Veterans Stadium hosted the 1996 derby, which was won by Barry Bonds.

Citizens Bank Park has featured 121 home runs this season as of July 13, and Statcast says it’s the fifth-friendliest park in 2026 for longballs. Track all regular-season homers at the park so far:

DIG DEEPER: MLB Home Run Derby also has big bucks on the line for tonight's champ

The eight-man field for the 2026 derby includes two Phillies players, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. They have combined for 29 home runs in Citizens Bank Park this season, with Harper at 10 and Schwarber at 19.

However, there isn’t much home field advantage in the derby — out of the 39 Home Run Derbies, just three have been won by a player whose home stadium was that year’s host. But one of those three was Harper, who won the 2018 derby while on the Washington Nationals.

The other six players are Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox.

This year’s Home Run Derby will consist of a three-round format. In the first round, players will have 20 swings to hit as many home runs as they can. The top four will advance to a head-to-head second round, and the two winners from that round will face off in the final.

Methodology note: Home run data from Baseball Savant.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Track every Citizens Bank Park homer before the Home Run Derby

The managers for the 2026 All-Star Game have officially announced their starting pitchers and lineups for tomorrow night’s Midsummer Classic. 

Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin earned their places as starters during the All-Star fan voting and will bat sixth and ninth, respectively.

The National League starting lineup, managed by LA’s Dave Roberts, is as follows:

1. Kyle Schwarber, PHI – DH
2. Juan Soto, NYM – LF
3. Freddie Freeman, LAD – 1B
4. CJ Abrams, WSH – SS
5. Max Muncy, LAD – 3B
6. Ozzie Albies, ATL – 2B
7. Brandon Marsh, PHI – RF
8. Andy Pages, LAD – CF
9. Drake Baldwin, ATL – C

Baldwin will serve as the battery mate to starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, who gets the nod in his home ballpark. 

The American League, managed by Toronto’s John Schneider, will roll with the following lineup behind first-time All-Star Dylan Cease:

1. Mike Trout, LAA – CF
2. Yordan Alvarez, HOU – DH
3. Shea Langeliers, ATH – C
4. Junior Caminero, TB – 3B
5. Bobby Witt Jr., KC – SS
6. Cody Bellinger, NYY – RF
7. Ben Rice, NYY – 1B
8. Riley Greene, DET – LF
9. Ernie Clement, TOR – 2B

The All-Star Game will start at 8 pm ET on Tuesday night on FOX.

While Juan Soto toyed with the idea of joining this year’s loaded Home Run Derby field, he ultimately decided against participating in the competition he won in 2022 as a member of the Nationals. That choice ensured that this year’s derby would not feature any current Mets. If that fact keeps your interest in the derby low, you can instead reminisce about the times that Mets players participated in the annual competition.

Darryl Strawberry (1986, 1990)

Before the Mets won the 1986 World Series, their outfielder and homegrown superstar Darryl Strawberry, who would finish the season with a team-leading 27 home runs, took home a share of the Home Run Derby crown, making him the first Met to win the derby in the process. He did so by hitting four home runs, which is a paltry and somewhat laughable amount given the current derby most of us are familiar with. However, in the early days of the derby (1985-1990), the participants were given two “innings” of five outs each to hit as many home runs as they could. In doing so, he matched the number hit by California Angels slugger Wally Joyner, who beat out a field including Jose Canseco and Dave Parker. The most notable home run of the derby came courtesy of Strawberry, who hit a speaker in the ceiling of the Astrodome. A few months later, the Mets would author their own magical moment in the Astrodome as a team, when they took down the Astros in 16 innings to win Game 6 of the NLCS and advance to the Fall Classic.

Strawberry would return to defend his crown a few years later to defend his crown. However, he would go on to put up a goose egg. He shouldn’t feel too bad, however, as the eight participants combined for just five home runs total in what many have since been remembered as the worst Home Run Derby ever due to swirling winds at Wrigley Field that prevented much in the way of actual…you know…home runs. The hometown crowd was certainly happy, as Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg hit three home runs to take home the crown, beating out Mark McGwire (one), Matt Williams (one), and a loaded field of hitters that couldn’t muster to knock one out of the park.

Howard Johnson (1989, 1991)

While a less-than-memorable season for the Mets, who missed the playoffs after their 100-win 1988 campaign, Howard Johnson enjoyed the best season of his major league career. HoJo posted a career-best 6.9 bWAR and posted a 30-40-40 season (36 home runs, 41 stolen bases, 41 doubles). He rode that wave to his first career All-Star game, and participated in the Home Run Derby as well. Unfortunately, he managed just two dingers in the derby, which still featured the old format that Strawberry participated in. Eric Davis and Ruben Sierra each hit three homers to take home a share of the derby title.

Johnson returned two years later in the middle of his second 30-30 season in three years. 1991 would serve as the last All-Star season of his career, and one that saw him post a career-high in home runs (38) and RBI (117). That success did not translate to the derby, as HoJo was held off the board in Toronto’s Skydome. Cal Ripken Jr. knocked 12 balls out of the park to win the crown. This was the first year of a new derby format, which invited 8-10 players to hit as many home runs as they can in a round before reaching 10 outs. The new format also featured three rounds, and this would last until 2005.

Bobby Bonilla (1993)

Long before becoming the butt of “Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!” jokes that have been like if a dead horse were beaten by another dead horse, Bonilla was actually a feared slugger. Bonilla hit 34 home runs for the Mets in 1993, his best with the club, and was named to his first All-Star team as a Met. He slugged five home runs and finished third in the competition, matching the number hit by Barry Bonds. Juan Gonzalez outlasted Ken Griffey Jr. in a derby playoff to win the crown. Of note in this derby, future Met Mike Piazza was held off the board and finished in last place. Piazza also failed to hit a home run in the 1994 derby and would never compete in the competition as a member of the Mets.

David Wright (2006, 2013)

In his book Captain, Wright talks about his reluctance to participate in the 2006 Home Run Derby, but with the encouragement of those around him, he ended up doing it. It’s a good thing he did, because he put on a show, hitting a Derby-best 16 homers in the first round and wowing the Pittsburgh crowd. Wright, who was never really a “home run hitter” in the traditional sense and did not see power as his greatest asset at the plate, ran out of steam towards the end and fell one home run behind division rival Ryan Howard, who bested him 23-22 overall and 5-4 in the finals. Wright would go on to become the youngest Met to homer in the actual Midsummer Classic, doing so the next night at the age of 23 (the Mets dominated the 2006 All-Star game, with Carlos Beltrán and Wright scoring both NL runs and picking up three of the NL’s six hits). The Mets would also get the last laugh on Howard and the Phillies, winning the NL East handily that year.

Wright, who also talked about not having much desire to participate in a Derby again after that experience, would go on to participate one last time in 2013 in front of the Citi Field home crowd. He was named captain of the derby and was able to hand pick his participants, which included close friend Michael Cuddyer. He managed just five home runs, ahead of only American League Derby captain/future Met Robinson Canó and his four homers. It didn’t matter much to the Flushing Faithful, who showered Wright with applause and adulation upon his Derby exit. What the crowd and Wright did not know was that 2013 would also be the last All-Star season of Wright’s career.

Pete Alonso (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

By far, Alonso has seen more action than any other Met in the derby. In fact, Alonso has participated almost as many times (5) as the other four players on this list (7). And nobody seemed to relish the spotlight more than Alonso.

Alonso, who went on to surpass Strawberry as the franchise’s all-time home run leader, participated in his first derby in his rookie campaign en route to breaking both the franchise’s single-season home run record and the all-time MLB rookie home run record. The fresh up-and-comer took down some heavyweights along the way, knocking down Carlos Santana in the first round 14-13, topping division rival Ronald Acuña Jr. 20-19 in the second round, and then taking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 23-22 in an electric final round.

Alonso returned to defend his crown in 2021, and defend it he did (and then some). Alonso enacted a small measure of revenge for the 2015 World Series when he knocked out Royals’ catcher Salvador Pérez 35-28 in the first round, then he one-upped 2025 Mets’ teammate Juan Soto 16-15 in the second round, and he beat out Trey Mancini 23-22 in the finals to win back-to-back derbies. He became the third player to accomplish this feat, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (1998, 1999) and future Met Yoenis Céspedes (2013, 2014). He is one of four players to win multiple home run derbies, along with Prince Fielder (2009, 2012).

Alonso failed to join Griffey as the only other player to win a third derby crown, and his participation since 2021 provided diminishing returns for Alonso. In 2022, Alonso again knocked Acuña Jr. out of the competition by beating him 20-19 in the first round. However, he ran out of gas in the second round and could not catch Julio Rodriguez’s 31 home runs.

Rodriguez and Alonso faced off in a rematch in the 2023 derby at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and Rodriguez put on a show for his home fans. He broke a derby record by crushing 41 home runs in the first round, and Alonso could only muster 21 to bow out in his earliest exit at that point. In his final derby performance as a Met, Alonso hit just 12 home runs and failed to advance beyond the first round, finishing ahead of just Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles. Despite those three losses, Alonso put together some of the most memorable derby performances of all time, and by far the most memorable showings from a Met.

You can watch the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park exclusively on Netflix starting at 8:00 PM EDT, with special pre-derby coverage beginning at 7:00 PM.

MLB announced the starting lineups for tomorrow night’s All-Star Game, and as planned two Yankees will feature. Cody Bellinger starts in right and bats sixth, while Ben Rice starts at first and bats seventh:

The pair of Bombers come after a star-studded top five in the AL lineup, starting with Mike Trout in center, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Shea Langliers at catcher, Junior Caminero at third, and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. Riley Greene in left and Ernie Clement at second round out the lineup. Rice is somewhat hard-done-by with his slot in the lineup, his 166 wRC+ second in the AL behind only Alvarez, and Langliers is a curious choice from manager John Schneider (to bat third, the catcher having a great season but lacking the offensive skillset and pedigree of most of the other starters.

Otherwise, the lineup seems fair enough on paper, and it’s very cool to see Trout, the once-and-forever legend who’s been derailed by injuries, slot in at the top, in the midst of a resurgent (and yet still injury-ridden) campaign. He and Alvarez form an awesome one-two, and though I would personally have slotted Rice right in there at the three spot, it’s hard to argue with Caminero and Witt’s positions, the pair each among the game’s brightest young stars.

You can also check out the National League’s lineup here:

The All-Star Game will be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with first pitch scheduled for 8:00 EST on FOX.

Iron Pigs 13, Clippers 5

Cooper Ingle was 2 for 5 with a double, Juan Brito had a two-run homer, and Milan Tolentinto homered and walked to push his OPS over .800. Daniel Espino threw a scoreless ninth and I hope to see him back in Cleveland for Codi Heuer after the break.

Baysox 7, Rubber Ducks 4

Jaison Chourio had a double and ended pre-break play with an OPS of .820. Not a great start for Braylon Doughty who gave up two earned, five hits and three walks in four and two-thirds, but he did strike out six.

Lugnuts 3, Captains 2

Jace LaViolette did not get the call-up to Akron but he did hit a double and talk a walk. Aaron Walton, Nolan Schubart and Dean Curley all ended over .900 OPS and got the call-up, though. Cam Schuelke struck out two in two and two-thirds and should probably be promoted at some point, also.

River Dogs 13, Howlers 4

Junior Caceres hit his 10th Low-A home run right before getting promoted to Lake County that evening, Miguel Flores had a decent start with six scoreless and then Chase Mobley BLEW IT UP. Mobley had a first half to forget.

The Major League Baseball draft is filled with unfamiliar names. Even the most knowledgeable fans have difficulty knowing much about the mostly anonymous high school and college players taken by the 30 teams through 20 rounds.

Every year, however, a handful of names ring a bell. The 2026 draft, held the last two days in Philadelphia ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, was no exception.

Bonds. Thome. Pettitte. Sabathia.

The accomplishments of the fathers or uncles of those draftees loom large. Other high picks hope to eclipse the accomplishments of relatives who had brief MLB or long minor league careers: No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA is a prime example.

And draft picks whose relatives have ties to the Dodgers or Angels draw interest: Salmon, Ebel, Gasparino, Willits and Bard qualify.

Read more:Why 2026 MLB draft will be special for Dodgers coach Dino Ebel’s family

No player wants to be branded as a “nepo pick” — taken as a favor to a relative. But even those can turn out to be brilliant. The Dodgers took Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft largely because his father, Vince Piazza, was a childhood friend of manager Tommy Lasorda. Piazza, of course, became a Hall of Fame catcher with the Dodgers and New York Mets.

A brisk walk through this year’s picks with intriguing bloodlines:

— Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA. First overall pick by the White Sox.
His father, Dan Cholowsky, was the 39th overall pick in 1991 by the Cardinals and played eight minor league seasons. He’s now a scout for the Reds. To focus on baseball, Roch gave up a scholarship offer to play quarterback at Notre Dame. He is the Bruins’ first No. 1 overall pick since Gerrit Cole in 2011.

— Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Fla.). No. 14 overall pick by the Marlins
His father, George Lombard, played parts of six seasons with four MLB teams from 1998-2006 and is currently the Tigers’ bench coach. Jacob’s brother, George Lombard Jr., was the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Jacob is one of 11 shortstops taken in the first 40 picks this year.

— Trey Ebel, SS, Corona High. No. 25 overall pick by the Brewers
Milwaulkee made his brother, Brady, the No. 32 overall pick a year ago. Their father, Dino Ebel, has been the Dodgers’ third-base coach since 2019 and spent the previous 13 years as a coach for the Angels. Strength and conditioning training with MW Athletix’s Keith Coury helped lift Trey into the first round.

— Landon Thome, 2B/3B, Nazareth Academy (IL). No. 34 overall pick by the White Sox.
His father, Jim Thome, ranks eighth on the career home run list with 612 and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018. Like his dad, Landon is a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing. He also has something his dad lacked: speed. Landon stole 54 bases this spring.

— Gavin Grahovac, 1B, Texas A&M. No. 81overall pick by the Angels.
His cousin Garrett Mitchell was the No. 20 overall pick out of UCLA in 2020 and is in his fifth MLB season with the Brewers. His father, Mike Grahovac, was a fourth-round pick in 1989 but topped out in Class-A. Scouts project Gavin has having the potential to hit 30 homers a year.

— Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers. No. 90 overall pick by the Giants.
His uncle, Barry Bonds, is a seven-time MVP who holds the MLB record with 762 career home runs. His grandfather Bobby Bonds hit 332 homers during a 14-year career that ended in 1981. And his father, Bobby Bonds Jr., played 11 seasons in the minor leagues. Peyton is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound center fielder with speed and improving power.

— Rylan Lujo, OF, Georgia. No. 109 overall pick by the Angels.
His grandfather is Rennie Stennett, a versatile player whose nine seasons with the Pirates were bracketed by World Series titles in his 1971 rookie season and 1979 finale. Lujo converted from the infield to center field at Georgia and has plus speed.

— Jaxon Willits, SS, Oklahoma. No. 141 overall pick by the Angels.
His brother Eli was the first overall pick in last year’s draft, going to the Nationals. Their father, Reggie, played parts of six seasons with the Angels and is now a coach at Oklahoma. Jaxon, 21, is older than Eli, who was the youngest player to go No. 1 overall at 17 years, 216 days old. Both are switch-hitters.

— Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA and Harvard-Westlake High. No. 161 overall to the Phillies.
His father, Billy Gasparino, has been a Dodgers executive for 11 years. He is the vice president of baseball operations after being promoted in 2024 from vice president of amateur scouting. Will, a 6-6 right-handed power hitter, transferred from Texas to UCLA before the 2026 season.

— Luke Pettitte, RHP/DH, Dallas Baptist. No. 248 overall to the Yankees.
His father, Andy Pettitte, won five World Series pitching for the Yankees. While Andy remains on the Hall of Fame ballot the next two years, his son will be working through the minor leagues, perhaps as a two-way player. Luke had Tommy John surgery after two years pitching for Dallas Baptist, then batted .337 with 16 home runs as a designated hitter last spring.

— Jack Salmon, OF, UNLV and Corona del Mar High. No. 559 overall by the Angels.
His uncle Tim Salmon is an Angels legend, a key component of their 2002 World Series championship team who played his entire 14-year career in Anaheim. His father, Mike, had a short stint in the NFL with the 49ers and played football at USC.

— Luke Bard, C, Houston Christian. No. 583 overall by the Dodgers.
His father, Josh Bard, spent 10 seasons in the major leagues with five teams and is now the Dodgers’ bullpen coach. Luke batted .345 last season at Houston Christian.

— Carsten Sabathia III, 1B, Houston. No. 611 overall by the Brewers.
His father, CC Sabathia, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2025 who finished his 19-year MLB career with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. He spent one memorable half-season with the Brewers, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA to help them to the playoffs in 2008. Carsten played two years at Georgia Tech before transferring to Houston. He was the third-to-last pick in the draft.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.