For the first time in quite some time, the Phillies are primed to have some of their top prospects play real roles on the Major League team. The Big Three of Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter, and Aidan Miller all have paths to playing on the Phillies in 2026 that are varying degrees of open. But there are some outside shots of others in the system appearing in the Majors, such as Gabriel Rincones Jr. being an option in the event of an injury to an outfielder.
Crawford seems the most likely to receive the largest opportunity to provide a spark to the Major League team. It’s essentially an open secret that the starting centerfield job is his to lose this spring, and if all goes well, Crawford will make his MLB debut on Opening Day. The Phillies are clearly high on Crawford, as they’ve reportedly kept him off the table in trade discussions numerous times and are basically handing him a starting job this spring. He still has his issues, but it’s become clear that there’s not much more for him to do at Triple-A after hitting .334 with an .863 OPS in 112 games in 2025. Crawford will likely get a decent sized leash in the Majors, as the Phillies don’t really have another viable CF option currently on the roster outside of moving Brandon Marsh over, so he’ll have plenty of chances to contribute.
Painter, like Crawford, is a candidate to receive real playing time in the Majors, but his is a little murkier. The Phillies as of today have three healthy starting pitchers in Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Aaron Nola. Zack Wheeler will return at some point in 2026, perhaps sooner than later, but his timeframe is not certain. Taijuan Walker is the sixth starter, so he will step into the rotation in the likely event Wheeler isn’t ready for Opening Day.
That leaves Painter with the opportunity to win the fifth starter’s job in the spring in a competition that isn’t a real competition. It would only resemble a competition if Wheeler were ready to go and there’s one rotation spot for Walker and Painter, and even then, the deck would be stacked in Painter’s favor. Painter’s first season pitching in two years after Tommy John surgery was a rocky one, and there’s real concerns about whether his fastball can regain the elite shape it had pre-injury. He will also have some sort of innings limit, as he only threw 118 innings last year as he worked his way back. Still, it would be a surprise if Painter is not on the Opening Day roster, as the departure of Ranger Suárez opened a hole that ideally will be filled by Painter.
Miller meanwhile has the lowest chance to make the MLB roster but nevertheless has a path. He is currently blocked now and in the future at shortstop by Trea Turner, and at third base by Alec Bohm. However, with Bohm in the last year of his team control and the possibility of an extension being almost nonexistent, Miller would be the favorite to be the starting 3B in 2027. But if there were to be a long-term injury to one of the Phillies infielders in 2026, Miller would likely be at the front of the line to earn a promotion and there’s a chance it would be permanent if he starts the year well in Triple-A.
Rincones is in a similar boat as Miller, although he would not be a full-time starter if he were to earn a call to the Majors. A lefty outfielder who hits righties well but struggles mightily against LHP, Rincones profiles as a strong side platoon corner outfielder. The Phillies already have one of those in Brandon Marsh, but if something were to happen to him, Rincones would be the first one up in Marsh’s place.
So, which Phillies prospect will have the biggest impact in 2026? Is it one of the big three of Crawford, Painter, and Miller? Or is it someone more under the radar like Rincones?
Picture the scene. An Orioles hitter works his way into an extended at-bat. On a 3-2 pitch, he lays off of one that’s outside the zone and starts to head to first base — only for the ump to ring him up on a called strike three. The O’s have an out instead of a baserunner. The entire complexion of the inning changes. All because of a blown call on one fateful pitch.
Does it seem like that happens to the Orioles kind of a lot? Well, you’re not imagining things. Orioles hitters have been one of the league’s biggest victims of blown ball-strike calls over the past few years. According to Statcast, since the 2023 season, 2.0% of pitches outside the strike zone have been called strikes against O’s batters, a bit above the American League average of 1.9%.
In a perfect world, you’d hope that O’s hitters would also benefit from blown calls at an equal rate — as in, pitches in the strike zone being called balls. But that hasn’t been happening. In that same time span, only 1.6% of pitches to Orioles hitters have mistakenly been called balls, the lowest rate in the AL.
That 0.4% difference in miscalled strikes and miscalled balls might not seem like much, but it’s the most drastic difference among any AL team, and the most in the majors besides the Giants. Over the past three years, it’s a difference of 273 pitches. And it shows that the Orioles offense has been disproportionately unlucky on umpires’ ball-strike calls.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that umpires are purposely pulling one over on the Birds. Calling balls and strikes is an extremely hard job, especially on borderline pitches, and it’s impossible for umps to get every one correct. Still, the Orioles have made a point of constructing an offense filled with hitters who know the strike zone. When they’re constantly getting saddled with strikes on pitches that they know should be balls, it changes the entire complexion of an at-bat. Hitters might have to start being overly aggressive or swinging at pitches they shouldn’t be swinging at, simply because they don’t trust the umpire to call the strike zone correctly.
Nearly every O’s batter has been affected by this. Of the Orioles’ nine hitters on the 40-man roster with 2+ years of MLB service time, all nine of them have been victimized by miscalled strikes more than they’ve benefited from miscalled balls in their careers. In some cases, the difference is severe.
Player
% of pitches outside zone called strikes
% of pitches in zone called balls
Difference
Jordan Westburg
2.6
1.1
1.5
Adley Rutschman
2.6
1.6
1.0
Ryan Mountcastle
2.2
1.3
0.9
Tyler O’Neill
2.4
1.5
0.9
Colton Cowser
2.2
1.6
0.6
Leody Taveras
2.4
1.8
0.6
Pete Alonso
2.2
1.7
0.5
Gunnar Henderson
2.2
1.9
0.3
Taylor Ward
2.5
2.2
0.3
That’s an entire lineup’s worth of Orioles hitters (including those who just joined the Orioles this offseason) who have suffered miscalled strikes in 2.2% or more of their career pitches. None of them have come close to making up for it with miscalled balls. These guys, through little fault of their own, have been faced with unfavorable counts and blown calls more than the average hitter.
Now let’s get to the good news.
As you might have heard, a major change is coming to baseball this season in the form of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). This will allow a hitter, pitcher, or catcher to challenge a ball or strike call immediately after the pitch, using Hawk-Eye technology to confirm the exact location. Teams get two challenges per game but retain them if they are successful.
ABS could be a game changer for Orioles hitters, who will finally have a way to reverse the undeserved strike calls that have all too often been going against them. It could be a particular boon to Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman, the Orioles’ two biggest victims of blown calls in recent years. Westburg has managed to hit well despite all the miscalled strikes; Rutschman, not so much. If there’s anything that can snap Adley out of his 1.5-year offensive doldrums, perhaps it’s his regaining his confidence in his batting eye and knowing that he won’t be bilked out of an at-bat by a blown call. The same goes for the entire O’s offense.
That’s not to say that every miscalled pitch will be reversed. Since teams can only afford two unsuccessful challenges per game, they’ll likely be judicious about how often they use them. So you might not see a batter challenge, say, a 1-0 called strike in the first inning with nobody on base. It’s not worth the risk if you’re not 100% sure it’s wrong. But in a big situation, when the bases are loaded in the late innings and a borderline 3-2 pitch is called strike three? You’d better believe there will be a challenge.
ABS is a long-overdue addition to Major League Baseball. It’s a quick, easy way to minimize blown calls by home plate umpires that impact the game. And for the 2026 Orioles, it just may be the key to an offensive revival.
The Philadelphia 76ers split their recent home games against the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns. Now, they’ll look to bounce back against one of the tougher opponents on the schedule in the Houston Rockets.
Houston has put together a unique and dynamic roster. They added a marquee name in Kevin Durant, who is putting up some of the best numbers of his career from both a scoring and efficiency standpoint. But the Rockets’ identity goes beyond Durant. They’ve built a frankly massive team across the board.
Amen Thompson has been starting at point guard, standing at 6-foot-7 with a huge frame. The Rockets have rotated starters depending on matchup and availability, but the core usually includes Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and another big wing such as Tari Eason or Josh Okogie.
Thompson has taken steps as a playmaker, but he’s far from a traditional point guard. And as the starting lineup suggests, this is far from a traditional team. There really hasn’t been a roster constructed quite like this in the modern NBA. Houston has found success overwhelming teams on the glass, creating extra possessions through offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities. That’s an area where the Sixers could struggle in this matchup.
On the flip side, that same unconventional makeup has also led to issues. The Rockets have dropped games they probably shouldn’t have, and their offense can bog down and become stagnant at times. The size and inconsistent shooting have allowed teams to crowd Sengun, who doesn’t always have the spacing needed to operate comfortably. Reed Sheppard is an important piece for floor spacing, but inconsistencies on both ends and head coach Ime Udoka’s rotations have kept him from having the impact the team likely hoped for in his second year.
As many know, the Sixers are a guard-centric team that typically plays smaller lineups. That makes this matchup a true clash of opposing roster builds. Tyrese Maxey is coming off a rough stretch, shooting 7-of-25 from the field and struggling in the recent games against Cleveland. This figures to be another tough test, as the Rockets have no shortage of long, physical wing defenders capable of making life difficult for him. On top of that, their size and length can bother him around the rim and shrink driving lanes when help arrives.
This matchup will also test Maxey’s running mates, Joel Embiid and Paul George, both of whom are likely to return. For Embiid, Sengun presents a physical matchup as a mobile big who can score and create from the perimeter. For George, he’ll likely see plenty of Durant on the other end, which needs little explanation. It’s also likely that Kelly Oubre Jr. sees extended time matched up against the future Hall of Famer.
For the Sixers, Embiid is listed as probable while managing an ankle issue, while George is questionable with knee injury management. Houston will be without Steven Adams, who is sidelined with an ankle sprain, and Fred VanVleet as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear. Aaron Holiday, who has taken on extra minutes in the backcourt, is also questionable heading into this matchup.
The Rockets are a talented team in a crowded Western Conference, and this won’t come easily. Still, if the Sixers can pull it off, it would mark another important win against a legitimate opponent. Beyond that, they need to start taking care of business at home if they want a comfortable path to the postseason. This game could be a chance to finally get things moving in the right direction.
Game Details
When: Thursday, January 22, 7:00 p.m. ET Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow:@LibertyBallers
It’s starting to sound like Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to rip off the band-aid.
After the Bucks were smashed, 122-102, by the dominant Thunder, Antetokounmpo called out his teammates with an ominous message that may say quite a bit about his future with the team.
“We’re not playing hard,” Antetokounmpo said postgame after Milwaukee fell to 18-25. “We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together … Our chemistry isn’t there, guys are being selfish. We just don’t get it … and we don’t have enough time.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been clearly frustrated with his supporting case in Milwaukee. Getty Images
It’s not clear exactly who Antetokounmpo is referring to or whether this is simply a blanket statement by the former league MVP, but the comments certainly aren’t what the team wants to hear, given he has flirted with the idea of demanding a trade multiple times over the past year.
Antetokounmpo added that some of his teammates were “trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team.”
The Bucks shot 49 percent Wednesday, but turned the ball over 16 times compared to just eight for the Thunder.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma went 4-12 and 0-5 from 3-point range in 28 minutes.
“At times, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 20, we try to make it up in one play, and it’s not going to work,” Antetokounmpo added.
It seems like the wheels are in motion for a potential divorce amid all the trade rumors, although he dismissed the idea of asking out earlier this month.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’ ” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”
Kyle Kuzma and the Bucks have struggled this season with an 18-25 record. NBAE via Getty Images
When trades were discussed previously involving Antetokounmpo, it became clear that he wanted to be a Knick.
Perhaps the team wishes they had made the deal to acquire Antetokounmpo given the team’s 3-9 record in its last 12 games and the still-present growing pains under new coach Mike Brown.
Star center Karl-Anthony Towns is in the middle of the worst season of his NBA career, where he is averaging 20.8 points per game, the lowest since his rookie year, and shooting just 46.9 percent from the field, by far the lowest percentage of his career.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t formally demanded a trade at any point, but reporter Brian Windhorst previously added some clarity on what a trade demand would look like.
“It’ll be Giannis instructing the Bucks where he wants to be traded and the Bucks trying to make the best possible deal with that team,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “Get Up” in December.
Windhorst added that this past summer, Antetokounmpo basically said, “I want to be a Knick,” but it didn’t quite reach a trade demand.
Antetokounmpo during Wednesday’s loss. Getty Images
The Bucks are currently the No. 11 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference and aim to right the ship before the season gets completely away from them.
Yankees star Cody Bellinger's wife, Chase Carter, is thrilled that he's staying in the Bronx after agreeing to a five-year, $162.5 million deal on Wednesday.
“We are so excited,” Chase wrote in an Instagram post, including a snapshot of them with their two daughters, Caiden and Cy, taking in fireworks at Yankee Stadium.
Her post was set to the song, “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.
Yankees star Cody Bellinger’s wife, Chase Carter, said their family is so excited after he agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million deal to remain in the Bronx on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Instagram/Chase Carter Bellinger
“New York Baby,” Chase added in an Instagram Story post.
She also reposted a snapshot by Amy Cole, the wife of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, which shows them at a Yankees game with Ashley Rodón, the wife of Carlos Rodón, and Reni Meyer-Whalley, the girlfriend of Max Fried.
(L-R) Chase Carter Bellinger, Amy Cole, Ashley Rodón and Reni Meyer-Whalley at a Yankees game. Instagram/Amy ColeYankees star Cody Bellinger and his wife Chase Carter. Instagram/Chase Carter Bellinger
“Jan 21st keeps delivering,” Amy wrote.
The Bellinger deal got done after the Yankees made it clear that retaining the 30-year-old was their top priority after he declined a $25 million player option.
Bellinger will return to the outfield with Aaron Judge in right field and Trent Grisham in center field. Grisham is back the Yankees after accepting the $22 million qualifying offer earlier this offseason.
Cody Bellinger swings through and strikes out for the final out against the against the Toronto Blue Jays as they celebrate their win in Game four of the ALDS in the Bronx, New York, October 8, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
The Yankees may now look to trade Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones, who would have been competing for the starting job in left field had Bellinger not returned.
Ranger Suárez is officially a member of the Red Sox. We found this out unofficially last week. Which started raising questions: what about the 40-man roster? Had the team flipped an outfielder or pitcher, possibly with prospects, they would have plenty of room to sign one of the remaining free agents and add that unnamed infielder. Since they did the free agent signing “first” (if there is a trade for an infielder) it meant that the Red Sox needed to open a roster spot. And they did this by trading a 40-man guy for a prospect.
Not that Tristan Gray’s 47 career MLB games makes him a veteran, but Baez has played 51 games a Double A. Transforming the roster spot into a starting pitcher and a catching prospect is nice and all, but what about that infielder?
Chris Cotillo reports that: “This is not a surprise or particularly revelatory, but have heard the Red Sox are, in fact, involved in serious trade talks all over the place when it comes to adding to the positional player group.”
Whether it’s signing Eugenio Suárez or trading for Brendon Donovan the Sox need a roster spot.
We know the Garrets (Crochet and Whitlock), Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Aroldis Chapman, Trevor Story, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Carlos Narvaez aren’t being traded. There are a few others as well that are highly unlikely to be moved. Think Campbell, Oviedo, and probably even Romy Gonzalez.
Triston Casas would be selling very low on potentially a 30-homer guy at a corner. Could they upgrade from Connor Wong? Sure, but he’s not going to get that other player and the organization seems to really like his work with pitchers, which is reason enough to have him as a backup. Masataka Yoshida would need a really special deal to move the contract for talent.
Nate Eaton, David Hamilton, and Nick Sogard are all more valuable to the Red Sox than what they’d bring back in a trade. Same with Jordan Hicks. Or Greg Weissert (who isn’t bad, Weissert is fine. He’s just not getting you an infielder and is a weird throw-in because he’s got a good role). Kyle Harrison is probably in this group as well. He’s a bit like Quinn Priester. He was acquired with lower value and might end up with higher value. His Red Sox time so far doesn’t seem to indicate a big step forward. And after the last few seasons, while the Sox might trade one pitcher for a bat, they are probably not interested in giving up Early/Tolle plus Harrison, since they are all starting rotation options.
Where does that leave us?
Let’s run down the options.
Jake Bennett: they did trade for him for a reason and while that applies to Tristan Gray too, Breslow probably doesn’t want to move another guy he just acquired to clear space.
The prospect pitchers: Payton Tolle/Connelly Early. We know they don’t want to move either of these guys – at least as far as leaks about Ketel Marte discussions can be believed. But could one of them help the major league team solve an infield spot for more than a year?
The outfielders: Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.
Duran has been the drumbeat all winter. The Mets seemed like a destination, maybe, but acquired Louis Robert Jr. instead. The Cardinals are an awkward fit because turning Donovan into Duran doesn’t really make them better when their window opens again after this rebuild. Duran is 29 and not a free agent for three more years, so he could stick around for a bit. Unless Chaim Bloom thinks maybe Duran has another 8.7 WAR season coming and he could flip him for a king’s ransom at the deadline during that season? Then it’s the Astros and possibly moving Isaac Paredes? He has one fewer year of control than Duran but is a couple years younger.
Wilyer Abreu? His biggest knocks are hitting lefties and getting hurt. And some of the injuries, like falling on the dugout steps, aren’t likely to be recurring issues. He’s the youngest of Duran, Donovan, and Paredes by a couple years. He’s not a free agent until 2030. He’s a Gold Glove fielder. He is, possibly, the best of the players mentioned for swaps here. Maybe there is someone else that has escaped the rumors who could be as valuable an infielder – who is available – and that team needs an outfielder.
That’s nearly the entire 40-man roster and, going guy-by-guy, you can see why the rumor mill has only a few targets. Zack Kelly? Jovani Moran? Patrick Sandoval?
And Craig Breslow says they want to emphasize defense?
This is a very good roster thatm less than a month from Spring Training, is missing either a second or third baseman. Mayer can only play one position at a time. I suppose a Romy Gonzalez-led second base rotation could work? But then if he or Mayer or Eaton struggle or hit the IL the team is back to square one.
At the start of this I thought I might see something there but unless it’s really out of the box, like, Kutter Crawford and Moran or Brayan Bello and David Hamilton (who did attract trade attention last year so there might be suitors out there for some price, if not high) then it really is: (1) trade an outfielder, or (2) trade a pitching prospect.
The Montreal Canadiens will host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night at the Bell Centre and will be hoping for a much better performance than the one they delivered in Buffalo one week ago. In what was Jacob Fowler’s 10th and last game before being sent back down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, Tage Thompson was dominant, scoring a hat trick and adding a pair of assists.
Since that win, the Buffalo outfit has cooled down somewhat, losing its next two games to the Minnesota Wild (5-4 in overtime) and to the Carolina Hurricanes (2-1) before bouncing back with a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. They now have a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games, exactly like the Canadiens. While Buffalo won the last duel between the two sides, Montreal has won seven of the previous 10 contests.
Neither coach has confirmed who will be manning their net yet, but the Canadiens should go back to Samuel Montembeault after Jakub Dobes’ performance against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The former has a 5-5-0 record against the Sabres, with a 3.04 goals-against average, and a .905 save percentage, while the latter has a 2-0-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .930 SV.
At the other end of the ice, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 1-2-0 record with a 4.54 GAA and a .847 SV, Colten Ellis is 1-0-0 with a 3.01 GAA and a .870 SV and Alex Lyon is 4-3-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a 3.01 SV. Lyon played the Sabres' last game, but he has had the lion’s share of the work this season, featuring in 22 games while Luukkonen has played in 19 and Ellis in 11.
Up front, Brendan Gallagher remains the Canadiens’ most productive player against the Sabres with 24 points in 45 games, but captain Nick Suzuki is slowly catching up; he now has 22 points in just 19 games, while Phillip Danault completes the top-three with 15 points in 26 games. The Habs have four players on a three-game point streak: Suzuki (1-4-5), Cole Caufield (2-4-6), Ivan Demidov (1-3-4), and Lane Hutson (1-6-7).
Meanwhile, Thompson has unsurprisingly become the Sabres’ most productive forward after his five-point night last week. He now has 21 points in 18 games, while Rasmus Dahlin has 20 points in 22 games. The defenseman is also on a six-game point streak (3-4-7). Alex Tuch completes the top three with 19 points in 20 games.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game on RDS, TSN2 and MSG-B. Jon McIsaac and Kelly Sutherland will be the referees, and Scott Cherrey and Ryan Daisy will be the linemen. After that game, the Canadiens will next play on the road Saturday night against the Boston Bruins before coming back home for their last homestand before the Olympic break, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche, who will be wearing their Quebec Nordiques jersey for the game.
The BBWAA has released the results of their vote. Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones made the cut and will join Jeff Kent as new members of the Hall of Fame
Chase Utley (59.1%), Andy Pettitte (48.5), Félix Hernández (46.1) and Álex Rodríguez (40.0) were the closest to line without getting over.
Not getting 5% of the vote and falling off the ballot are Ryan Braun, Edwin Encarnacion (1.4), Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Kemp, Hunter Pence, Rick Portcello, Alex Gordon, Nick Markakis, Gio Gonzales, Homie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy (the last three getting zero votes).
Manny Ramirez also drops off the ball as it was his tenth chance. He had his highest vote total, 38.8, which was still well short. He’ll be on the Contemporary Era Committee Ballot in 2028 (but by then they will be calling it different name). We would have voted him in.
Jones gets in despite spousal assault charges in 2012, when he choked and threatened to kill his wife. Beltrán gets in despite being involved in the Astros cheating scandal.
We had our own polls (though I forgot to add the poll to the Andruw Jones post, not the first mistake I’ve ever made). Dale Murphy (from the Contemporary ballot, who I think is a much better choice than Jeff Kent, we did polls for the ones on that ballot too) and Manny Ramirez. We had Delgado very close to the line.
We also had Barry Bonds and Felix Hernandez very close to the which I like. I think Bonds should be in the Hall and Felix was the top pitcher in baseball for a number of years there.
Don Mattingly, on the other hand isn’t a Hall of Famer, in my world, but I’ve been wrong before. Beltran did far worse with us than with the Writers. I don’t see him as a Hall of Famer.
And we were much smarter on Jeff Kent than the Contemporary Committee.
Here are our votes:
Whoops, I see I missed out Dustin Pedroia (must be my personal dislike), he got 29.8
Eight games are on the National Hockey League slate this evening. My NHL player props for the action will include Jason Robertson, Lane Hutson, and Andrei Svechnikov.
Read more in my NHL picks for Thursday, January 22.
Jason Robertson may have been snubbed from Team USA for the Olympics, but there is no question he’s a superstar for the Dallas Stars. The veteran has scored 29 goals and tallied 29 assists this season, and he’s averaging 3.70 SOG per contest.
The 26-year-old just registered nine shots on target on Tuesday's victory over the Bruins, where he scored twice. Robertson is averaging just 2.6 SOG in January, but he’s up against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight, who are allowing the second-most shots on net in the NHL.
The Stars are also on the road, and Robertson averages 3.81 SOG per night away from the American Airlines Center.
Lane Hutson hasn’t missed a beat in Year 2, scoring nine goals and compiling 43 assists.
The reigning Calder Trophy winner has notched six helpers in his last three appearances, cashing the Over in each game. He tallied an assist against the Wild on Tuesday, and he also had three helpers last Saturday.
The Montreal Canadiens are at home tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Hutson has 18 helpers at the Bell Centre, and he has two assists in two meetings with Buffalo this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have lots of offensive weapons, and Andrei Svechnikov is up there with the best. The 25-year-old has netted 15 goals in 2025-26, and he’s fired home seven goals in January.
Svechnikov is riding a three-game scoring streak. He found the back of the net on Monday after bagging a hat-trick last Saturday. Carolina welcomes the Chicago Blackhawks to town tonight, and the Russian has done a lot of his damage at home.
He’s scored 12 of his 17 goals in Raleigh, and the Blackhawks aren’t exactly an elite defensive team.
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On Wednesday, the Dodgers made the Kyle Tucker signing official and held a press conference to welcome the newest Dodger.
Tucker, a seemingly quiet guy, joins a team full of larger-than-life players, including the Best Player on the Planet. The outfielder is now second only to Shohei Ohtani on the Dodgers payroll and is now also ‘just one of the guys’ in a lineup full of Guys.
Manager Dave Roberts indicated on Wednesday that while final decisions have not been made, he intends to tuck Kyle into either the second or third in the batting order. He also said that Tucker will play right field, while Teoscar Hernandez will move over to play left.
The Dodgers did what they felt they had to do to shore up their outfield, their only real weakness. The Dodgers made a more appealing pitch to the biggest free agent on the market, and who wouldn’t want to join the team that just won back-to-back World Series and don’t have much in a change in personnel to run it back a third time?
“I mean, this lineup is pretty good regardless” of his place in it, Tucker said. “I’m excited to be a part of the group and just try and pick the brains of the guys in the clubhouse and see what makes them better. And you know, they might do stuff that I might not do and vice versa, and we can just kind of build each other up.”
Tucker said all the right words in his presser on Wednesday, an awe shucks take on joining a burgeoning dynasty, as Mirjam Swanson states so well in her article.
Bill Plunkett expands on this in his article, how Tucker was the perfect guy to round out the 2026 Dodgers.
“Throughout the offseason we’ve talked a lot about how high the talent bar was of this current club, and how there’d only be a few available players that we felt would be real needle-movers when it comes to bringing another championship to Los Angeles,” General Manager Brandon Gomes said. “Kyle Tucker is at the very top of that group, and one of the most complete players in all of baseball.”
Tucker joins Andy Pages as the only position player under the age of 30, but just barely at the age of 29. It’s obvious that the Dodgers are making the most of their window with this core team, and are determined to be the most recent team to win three World Series in a row.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Despite defeating Washington, the Capitals had the stronger night from an analytics perspective. The Canucks were outchanced at even-strength by a count of 28-20 while also losing the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 14-9. In the end, though, Vancouver found a way to snap their 11-game winning streak, as they outscored Washington 4-1 at even strength.
As for the heatmap, it shows the Canucks willingness to get pucks on net from everywhere in the zone. On the flip side, there were a couple of defensive breakdowns in front of the crease, which is where the Capitals scored their goals from. While it wasn't a perfect game, Vancouver will take it as they picked up their fifth home win of the season.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Washington Capitals, January 21, 2026, Natural Stat Trick
To wrap this game up, the line of Liam Öhgren, Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland dominated their matchups all night. During their 9:37 together, the trio outshot the opposition 7-2 and won the scoring chances battle 8-0. The question moving forward is, can these three develop some chemistry and produce similar performances the rest of the season?
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger (53) shoots around Washington Capitals forward Ethen Frank (53) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
The Canucks homestand continues on Friday when the New Jersey Devils visit Rogers Arena. Vancouver picked up the win the last time these two teams met earlier this season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.
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Alex Steeves always felt he was destined for more when it came to his professional hockey career. When he departed the Toronto Maple Leafs' organization last summer for the Boston Bruins, he was able to turn the page from a lack of opportunity and turned it into a win with his new home.
Steeves was rewarded for his efforts this season with a new two-year extension worth $1.625 million per season that will kick in at the beginning of the 2026-27 season.
In 33 games with the Bruins this season, Steeves has eight goals and six assists. Although he started this year with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League, Steeves was called up early in the year and was essentially told early on to get a place to live full-time in Boston because he wasn't going back down to the minors.
The Leafs signed Steeves in 2021, straight after his college days were over at the University of Notre Dame. Over four years, he dominated with the Toronto Marlies, where he currently holds the all-time franchise records for goals (105) and points (2016).
But frustration set in when Steeves was rarely called up to the Leafs, playing just 14 NHL games during his four-year tenure.
It seemed inevitable that the Steeves would leave the organization, which he was able to do as a Group 6 UFA at age 25 due to not enough games played at the NHL level, but enough years as a professional. Had he been called up a little more often, the Leafs could have squeezed at least another year of the player's rights. And perhaps he wouldn't have left if he could have crafted a full-time NHL role.
Steeves exacted revenge against his former club, scoring his first goal with the Bruins against the Leafs as part of a 5-3 win on November 11.
Primarily playing on the third line with former Leafs teammate Fraser Minten, Steeves has shown some added grit to his game, with 117 hits this season and has earned the trust from new head coach Marco Sturm. The raise is nearly double the $850,000 he signed on a one-way deal with the Bruins back in July.
I don’t think I quite realized how defined the top 3 in the Cardinals system would be. It makes sense, after the votes had been tallied, and I definitely knew that JJ Wetherholt was the favorite for #1 and Liam Doyle the favorite for #2. I didn’t even think about who #3 would be, but I suppose I wouldn’t be surprised by Raniel Rodriguez falling third either. But cumulatively, it is strange and certainly a first since I’ve started this that the first three votes were all about as close to unanimous selections as you can get.
I imagine that stops here. I don’t even know if I’d feel comfortable even saying anyone is a favorite. I don’t think I have a guess quite frankly. Fangraphs listed eight players in its most recent iteration of their top 100 and another player not on that list landed on Baseball America’s top 100. Which is to say that there are, in theory, five legitimate candidates to be selected as the 4th best prospect. Let the games begin.
Comparable Player Corner
Yes, I am bringing this feature back. Instead of trying to read minds or predict the future, I just allow you guys to tell me where your preferences lie. In the near future, I will have to consider adding a prospect from the 2025 draft and when I thought about it, I realized I wasn’t really sure who to add first.
Quick and dirty report – I’m not going to bother with his stats, he threw 6 total pro innings. Reliever out of college, the Cardinals are trying to convert him to starting based on his fantastic fastball. Obviously, he’s a project and it’s not super likely he’ll start, but his fastball also gives him a strong chance to be a good reliever.
Pipeline does not list current scouting, just potential which is probably for the best for a guy who has not yet made his pro debut. Mitchell was listed as a shortstop when drafted, but he was announced as a centerfielder. His potential at least suggests an all-around good player.
Yeah this really comes down to which kind of prospect do you prefer. Do you prefer the likely reliever who has a chance to be a dominant starter or do you prefer the high school prep athlete (and based on the interview I watched after he was drafted, a very smart one) who is all potential right now?
strawpoll.com/Qrgew4W8jyp
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I have a very similar structure for who I will decide to add for the next three weeks. For the next three weeks, I’m adding two players. At that point, we reach 10 people on the ballot and I think that’s enough honestly. But I’ll take advantage of adding two players. There are, to way oversimplify my process, two kinds of players I add: there’s a player who was on last year’s list, where I have a very clear frame of reference on when they might be selected; and then there’s the player who is essentially a complete unknown, where trying to guess where they’ll land will prove difficult.
So because those are the basic archetypes, for the next three weeks, I’ll be adding one of each player. For this week, a top 10 player last year who you know is kind of weird himself honestly. He improved his stock and then needed Tommy John. Where he’ll be placed is anyone’s guess despite him being the more known pick. I’m talking about Tekoah Roby, selected 10th last year. The complete unknown player was quite literally unknown at this time last year: Deniel Ortiz. Anyone with his stats needs to be put on the voting sooner rather than later.
Scouting: 30/35 Hit, 45/60 Game Power, 60/70 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 40/50 Fielding
Baez is one of the more unique prospects I can ever remember following. Not in terms of his ability necessarily, or the stats he puts up, or his scouting report. No, I can’t remember a player who so changed his fortune so suddenly to where the before and after look like different players. Across two levels in 2024, he struck out in 35.5% of his plate appearances. Last year, it was 20.6% across the two levels.
And that wasn’t the only thing that changed. Strikeouts was really the only negative of his game, but boy was it a negative, but his walks kind of improved (though not drastically) and his power definitely improved. Granted, it must be said, it is easier to have power in Springfield than either Peoria or Palm Beach, so you know that’s part of it. Nonetheless, he’s a brand new prospect, we hope, and he did it fairly late in his pro career (fifth season!)
Scouting (FG): 35/50 Hit, 35/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 40/30 Speed, 40/55 Fielding
While we’re talking about progression as a prospect, Bernal made an interesting one from High A to AA. In High A, he had mediocre K/BB numbers and good pop lead to a 119 wRC+. In AA this past season, he had fantastic K/BB numbers but not a lot of power leading to a 103 wRC+. While it seems like he was a worse hitter, his BABIP fell from .333 to .274. That pretty much entirely explains the difference.
Which if you believe in the Baseball Prospectus stat deserved runs created+, which I am going to be incorporating into the stats now, was unlucky. Bernal’s one question is even simpler than Baez’s: do you believe in the low BABIP? A .300 BABIP and he probably has a similar hitting line to his 119 wRC+ last season.
I have also chosen to incorporate deserved run average, or DRA into the stats. I am surprised Clarke’s DRA was that high in his 3 games at Low A. I’m actually not sure how it could be that high given his 47% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate and super high groundball rate. So I might take that particular number with a grain of salt. His DRA in High A, however, looks very similar to his other stats at that level.
If Clarke’s pitches are scouted remotely correctly, that would suggest Clarke could be a reliever at the MLB right now. Of course, his command might prevent him from being good right now, as you can see by the 18% BB rate.
Scouting: 35/40 Hit, 40/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 20/20 Speed, 60/70 Fielding
I think it might be lost in the shuffle that Crooks is rather young, despite kind of not seeming like it. Last year was his age 23 season. Most years, we’d be pretty excited about a 23-year-old catching prospect known for his defense who had an above average hitting line at AAA and made his MLB debut. Getting more specific tends to lower the optimism from that baseline.
But he’s kind of in the perfect farm system to get overlooked with two other big time catching prospects, both quite a bit younger than him. In front of him is a very offensive-oriented catcher who is trying to prove he can throw out runners and a very defensive-oriented catcher who honestly probably looks a lot like the version of Crooks who works out. He’s right in that middle ground.
Hence is in a weird spot. He’s within the mix of pitchers currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, except Hence did not have Tommy John. He is in theory healthy at the moment. Unless I missed a report that is. And yet, he doesn’t exactly feel like a healthy pitcher. I think his 2026 will be a big year for him. I think it’s important that he shows some sort of health. He needs to actually throw innings at a certain point. I might even say he’s likely to get moved to the bullpen if his 2026 isn’t particularly healthy either, despite being only 23 right now.
But also, go look at his numbers from the 2024 season. He was very good in AA. He’s ready for AAA, whenever he’s healthy enough to pitch there.
It might be beneficial in the long run that Mathews had the 2025 that he did, even though most – myself included – largely expected him to not only debut last season, but to make as many as 20 starts. That didn’t happen. Part of it was his fault, part of it was that nobody really got injured, and part of it was that he didn’t need to be added to the 40 man. As a consequence, we are a year later and he’s kind of in the same situation as he was a year ago – we think he’ll make a good many starts, but he’s behind some guys more likely to make the roster. In this year’s case, the guys ahead of him can be sent down, for the most part, so it’s more possible.
And when I say it might be more beneficial, he had some growing pains maybe better experienced in the minors, but also his service time clock has yet to start. Unless he makes the majors earlier than expected, the Cardinals are looking at 7 years of team control. Well, depending on the CBA of course.
Drafted in the 16th round of the 2024 draft, Ortiz did not play the rest of that year. So at this time last year, none of us knew who Ortiz was. There was no reason to pay attention to him. Now there is. Fangraphs does not have a scouting report on Ortiz, so I don’t actually have any scouting information to give you. But really, if he’s voted onto this list, it wouldn’t be for the scouting anyway.
The crazy thing about Ortiz is that he had that season at 20-years-old. It’s unusual for a late rounder to have the kind of season Ortiz had, but when it happens, it tends to be an older prospect, like Matt Carpenter in the 13th round. So the usual downside of hoping it’s not just an old guy beating on guys a few years younger is not present here. Ortiz is the young guy.
I chose Roby ahead of other players basically because he had a good 2025. Most of the other choices didn’t really have a great 2025, or at the very least, it certainly didn’t raise their stock. Now, whether the Tommy John surgery immediately puts him back to where he started at the beginning of 2025 is another matter. But when he pitched, he was great.
And here is the poll to vote on the 4th best prospect in the Cardinals’ system.
Heading into the 2025 season, right-handed reliever Yosber Sanchez was a hard-throwing relief prospect on the rise. There were even hopes that he might be ready to pitch in the Detroit Tigers bullpen by the second half of the season. Unfortunately, he too dealt with injuries and struggled some in making the jump from High-A to the Double-A level. His season ended in late August with an arm injury during an outing in which his fastball velocity dropped precipitously. As a result he’s just another example of a problem in the system in terms of developing pitchers and keeping them healthy. That has to be priority one for the new director of pitching as the Tigers continue their search for Gabe Ribas replacement.
Sanchez was originally signed as an international free agent by the Texas Rangers back in 2018. He debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, but after the COVID year he struggled to develop his control and never did come stateside. The Rangers eventually released him in early 2023 and the Tigers picked him as a minor league free agent.
The power stuff was evident early on, but he continued to have serious bouts of wildness as the Tigers brought him from the DSL to Florida to pitch in the Complex League and then Single-A Lakeland late in the 2023 season. In 2024 he broke out, racking up a ton of strikeouts as he pitched in Lakeland and then moved to High-A West Michigan. He was still walking too many hitters but the misses weren’t as big and his velocity starting hitting triple digits with some regularity. Unfortunately, that progress stalled out in 2025.
The Tigers moved him up to Double-A Erie at the end of April, and while he missed a few weeks with a finger laceration in late May and early June, he looked like he was rounding into form in July and August. He was regularly going two innings for manager Andrew Graham, and while he still had stretches where he got a little wild, the stuff was generally overpowering even at the higher level. Then, on August 25 he saw his velocity collapse mid-outing and called for the trainers. He didn’t appear to be in serious pain, but something was clearly wrong with his arm. That was the last we heard about him.
Sanchez only stands 6”1” so he’s not the prototypical power pitcher, but he’s put together well and has filled out during his time with the Tigers. He has strong legs and good balance, and prior to a little dip in velocity leading up to the injury, was pretty comfortably 97 mph with a few extra ticks up his sleeve on a good night. We didn’t see as many triple digit fastballs this year after he made waves in 2024 by topping 100 mph repeatedly for a stretch of games. He just hasn’t been able to repeat his fairly high effort delivery consistently enough to push his way to the major leagues.
The stuff is already major league quality. On top of the quality velocity, he shows some ability to vary the movement between a pretty straight fourseamer and a little more twoseam action when he wants it. His delivery is pretty compact and he doesn’t have the stride or limb length for good extension, so the fastball does play down a little bit, but it’s still a plus heater even at 97 mph, which was his average most of the season.
He backs up the fastball with a wipeout slider in the low-80’s that draws a ton of swings and misses when he’s spotting it well. You can find reports around that suggest he has both a curveball and a slider, but it’s essentially the same pitch with variations in his release to emphasize depth or sweep depending on how he’s trying to attack the hitter. A lesser used changeup is still just a show-me pitch though it has a lot of velocity separation, and he’s toyed with a 91 mph cutter at times to give hitters a different look. He gets a good amount of whiffs overall, and even at the Double-A level hitters really struggled to square him up.
I consdered dropping Sanchez down into the 35+ tier here, but he’s still just a little more consistent command from getting looks in the Tigers’ bullpen too. A very all or nothing proposition, like many power relief prospects. He’ll rip through several really good appearances in a row and look close to a breakthrough, and then issue a walk or two in an outing before posting a few more clean frames. Now 24 years old and due to turn 25 in May, the injury adds another big question mark just as he really needs to start putting it all together. If he’s resolved the arm trouble, he’s still got to do a lot better job correcting himself during an outing to pitch in the major leagues.
Fastball velocity is still very important, but young hitters are getting used to it earlier too and so Sanchez has got to be able to work around the zone more effectively rather than just trying to blow hitters away at the top rail. We’ll keep a 40 grade on him and see if 2026 is the year things finally come together for him. If so, he’ll move very quickly, but it was a disappointing season and it’s fair to be pretty skeptical that he’s going to make it at this point.
#Tigers 24-year-old RHRP Yosber Sanchez (6’1, 170 lbs) allowed one hit and struck out one over two scoreless frames for Erie tonight.
,” Chase wrote in an Instagram post, including a snapshot of them with their two daughters, Caiden and Cy, taking in fireworks at Yankee Stadium. 
Robertson Over 3.5 SOG
Hutson Over 0.5 assists
Svechnikov anytime goal
