Last week I dug into the things we think we know at this point of the Orioles spring. We know that Tyler Wells is going to start the season in the bullpen because Craig Albernaz told us. We’re pretty sure that Coby Mayo is going to get a shot at third base with Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday sidelined, and we’re all but certain that the Orioles roster will not have room for a third catcher.

We know a lot more than that about the Orioles, but those were questions that followed the team to Sarasota. With those all but settled, I’m focused on a few things we still don’t know at this point of spring training.

What if Eflin is ready for Opening Day?

With Wells set to join the bullpen, a healthy Eflin would still give the Orioles six solid starting pitchers for the rotation. The Orioles resigned Eflin after an injury-filled 2025. Last year’s Opening Day starter tallied only 71 1/3 innings last year with an inflated 5.93 ERA.

Eflin underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure to address prolonged back pain in the second half of last season. The surgery could have ended his tenure in Baltimore, but the organization brought him back on a one-year, $10-million deal that features a mutual option. At the time of the signing, it seemed unlikely that Eflin would be healthy enough to break camp with the team. Eflin has undergone a delayed ramp up this spring, but the team has yet to announce whether he’ll be ready in two weeks. Eflin has a pair of Grapefruit League starts under his belt in 2026.

If Eflin is ready to go, and the Orioles avoid any other injuries, he’ll join a rotation that features Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Dean Kremer. A majority of Orioles fans recently came out in support of a six-man rotation, but the strategy would potentially weaken an already certain bullpen.

Who will set up Helsley with Kittredge sidelined?

Speaking of the bullpen, the Orioles are running it back with another pitcher that missed time with an injury last season. Baltimore re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from Chicago in exchange for cash considerations. Unfortunately, Kittredge will begin the season on the IL for the second consecutive year. The team announced that the veteran reliever had a “low probability” of making the Opening Day roster due to shoulder inflammation.

Kittredge and new closer Ryan Helsley are expected to anchor a bullpen with several unknowns. Wells could emerge as a multi-inning option, a high-leverage reliever, or anything in between. The same can be said for Albert Suárez. Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin have leverage experience but come with less certainty. Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram have potential, while several others remain in the mix for a spot in the ‘pen.

Albernaz said that Kittredge was “on the right track” after he played catch earlier this week, but the skipper reiterated that the they are taking it one day at a time. The bullpen will need to tread water in the meantime. The roster will be set at the end of spring, but the hierarchy will remain fluid throughout the start of the season.

Which infielder takes the last spot?

There’s more room on the roster due to the Holliday and Westburg injuries. Holliday appears on track for a quick return, but Westburg’s status represents the greatest unknown of the Orioles spring. Westburg’s long-term availability will not be decided in the next two weeks, but Baltimore’s utility infield competition will.

Jeremiah Jackson, Luis Vázquez, Weston Wilson and Bryan Ramos all have a shot at making the team. Jackson could be considered a favorite after slashing .276/.328/.447 over 48 games in his debut season, but the 25-year-old still has minor league options. The 25-year-old looks like player that could carve out a Ramon Urías type role in Baltimore, but the Birds may be willing to stash him at Triple-A in an effort to keep another guy in the organization.

Vázquez is back in camp after representing Puerto Rico in the World Baseball classic. Vázquez appeared in 32 games for Baltimore last season. He slashed a discouraging .160/.208/.240 over 53 plate appearances, but his versatile glove proved valuable. The 26-year-old made 12 appearances at third, 11 at short, three at second, and he even logged an inning at first base. His four relief appearances won’t win him any prizes, but the ability to play shortstop holds real merit. The Orioles believe there’s at least a little more offensive upside than what he displayed last season.

Bryan Ramos is the flavor of the day after finishing a triple shy of the cycle yesterday. Ramos made his first start at second base and took future hall-of-famer Justin Verlander deep in a 1-1 tie. The Orioles DFA’d Wilson when they acquired Ramos from the White Sox. Wilson has big league experience at multiple infield positions and the corner outfield. He can match Vázquez with mop-up relief appearances too.

One possession from my childhood that is a continuous source of fascination is a Kansas City Athletics yearbook, the type that you used to be able to buy at the ballpark, or by sending in a few dollars to the club.  The yearbook looks to be from 1967.  It was given to me by a friend of my father’s, who attended a game.  The cover has been missing for years and the brittle pages are starting to show their age which is tragic, as the yearbook is a time capsule for that era.  Near the front, there are two pages dedicated to Charlie O. Finley, and his family.  No surprise there given Finley’s ego.  Towards the back, there are two pages dedicated to Charlie O., the mule mascot of the Athletics.

Overall, the publication is put together very well.  It has two pages of headshots of the players; all dressed in black suits and ties.  Very classy.  There are several pages dedicated to player profiles, talking about their careers, where they grew up and some tidbits about how they came to be Athletics, either through trades or free agent signings.  Since the player draft was new, no drafted players had yet made the Kansas City roster.  Rick Monday was the first ever choice of the Athletics and at this printing, he was still in the minors.

One player who figured prominently in the publication was a slugging first baseman named Ken Harrelson. 

Harrelson was born September 4^th, 1941, in Woodruff, South Carolina.  He grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where he was a star athlete in baseball, golf, football and basketball.  Like many young men from the south, he dreamed of playing basketball at the University of Kentucky.  Golf may have been his best sport, but his mother convinced him to pursue baseball as she thought the sport gave him the best chance for a long and lucrative career.  Harrelson listened to his mother and signed with the Athletics after graduating from high school, figuring correctly that the woebegone Athletics offered him the best chance of quickly making the majors.   The scout who signed him was the legendary Clyde Klutz. 

At the age of 17, Harrelson was assigned to the Olean A’s of the New York-Pennsylvania league.  He started to blossom at the age of 19, hitting .301 with 25 home runs and 114 RBI at Class C Visalia.  He followed that up with a .272, 38 home run, 138 RBI effort in 1962 at Class A Binghampton during his age 20 season.  His rapid ascension continued in 1963 as he started the year at AAA Portland.   He hit .300 with 9 home runs in 41 games for the Beavers.  That was enough to convince Finley to call up the young slugger.  Why not?  The Athletics weren’t contending and they needed fresh young stars to attract fans, and the somewhat flamboyant, talkative Harrelson was nothing if not fresh.

He made his major league debut on June 9^th, 1963, at the age of 21.  He got two pinch hit at bats before he got his first start on June 12^th against the Twins in Bloomington.  He collected his first major league hit with a first inning single off Hall of Famer Jim Kaat.  He collected his first home run, and RBIs, in the 8^th inning with a two-run shot off Bill Pleis.

The Athletics acquired veteran slugger Jim Gentile in the offseason, which left no position for Harrelson going into the 1964 season.  Gentile did what he was brought in to do, by hitting 28 home runs and driving home 71.  Finley went all in on power for the 1964 season.  Another off-season acquisition was Rocky Colavito.  The Rock was very popular with Athletics fans and his 34 home runs, and 102 RBI didn’t hurt his standing.

Harrelson started 1964 at AAA Dallas.  His batting average dropped to .232, but he still hit 18 home runs and drove home 52 in just 77 games.

The Athletics recalled Harrelson in July and gave him the start in leftfield on July 9^th against the Twins.  Facing Kaat once again, he smoked a 6^th inning pitch into the left field stands for a solo home run.  Welcome back to KC Hawk.  Why left field?  With Gentile entrenched at first, and regular left fielder Manny Jimenez only hitting .241, why not?

About that nickname.  Early in his KC career, someone started calling Harrelson “Hawk” due to the shape of his often-broken nose.  Harrelson wasn’t crazy about the name at first, but eventually it became his identity.  It rolls nice, Hawk Harrelson.  And Finley had a thing about nicknames.  He even tried to convince Vida Blue to change his first name to True. 

The Gentile/Colavito experiment only lasted one season (Finley had a history of being what you might describe as impulsive). 

The first base job was Harrelson’s in 1965, with Tommie Reynolds and Jose Tartabull moving to left, while Mike Hersberger manned right.

Harrelson hit just .238 but did lead the team with 23 home runs and 66 RBI.  Those totals don’t sound too imposing but remember, the Athletics finished with a 59 and 103 record.  They were not good.  Yet.

The team was starting to play some of the young talent they acquired.  Dick Green and Bert Campaneris made a solid double play combo.  Catfish Hunter and Blue Moon Odom both made their debuts in 1965.  This was also the year that 58-year-old Satchel Paige came out of retirement and threw three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox.

Harrelson got off to a slow start in 1966 and in late June, the Athletics traded Harrelson to Washington for pitcher Jim Duckworth.  The trade didn’t make much sense, other than to fulfill the Athletics constantly churning roster.  Why trade a 24-year-old with power potential?  Duckworth appeared in eight games for Kansas City during which he compiled a 9.00 ERA.  He never appeared in another major league game.   

On June 9^th, 1967, the Athletics realized they needed Harrelson back, and with him Harrelson only hitting .237 with ten home runs during his 97 game Washington tenure, the cash strapped Senators gladly sold him back to Finley.  The reunion was not peachy.  After Finley fired manager Alvin Dark, Harrelson popped off to the media, calling Finley “A menace to baseball.”   Harrelson denied using the word menace, but even if he did, he wasn’t wrong.  The enraged Finley ordered Harrelson released, which was a major stroke of luck for the Hawk.  Three days later, he signed with the Boston Red Sox and made several key contributions down the stretch in the Sox Impossible Dream season.  Unfortunately, Harrelson had a miserable World Series, going 1 for 14 in the seven-game loss to St. Louis.

Harrelson had his best year as a pro in 1968, hitting .275 with 35 home runs and a league leading 109 RBI for Boston.  He made his only All-Star team and finished third in the leagues MVP vote.  That was Kansas City’s lot in life in those days, trade away or release a player and watch him become a star in another city.

Harrelson hit another 30 home runs in 1969, drove home 92 and drew a career high 99 walks. 

Just ten games into the 1969 season, the Red Sox shocked Harrelson by trading him to Cleveland in a six-player deal.  Harrelson then announced his retirement, saying that leaving Boston would cost him money from lost business interests.

Bowie Kuhn intervened, Harrelson relented and reported to Cleveland with a new contract in hand.  The Hawk slugged 27 home runs and drove home 84 which endeared him to the Indians faithful.  It was in Cleveland that Harrelson got his first taste of television, hosting a program called The Hawk’s Nest.

The Hawk broke his leg early in the 1970 season and when Chris Chambliss took over the first base job in 1971, Harrelson elected to retire and pursue a professional golf career.

Harrelson was a terrific golfer.  His KC bio says he won the Baseball Players Golf Tournament with a record score of 290 over the 72-hole event.  In 1972, he played in the British Open and missed the cut by one stroke.    

While he was still playing baseball, Harrelson strode to the plate once and with his hands blistered from playing golf and used his golf glove.  Some people credit Harrelson for introducing modern “batting” gloves to the sport.  Records show that other players used gloves periodically, especially in the 1950’s but Harrelson and Rusty Staub were the two modern era players who popularized the use of gloves.

In 1975, Harrelson went to work for the Red Sox as a TV announcer.  He jumped to the White Sox for the 1982 season.  He served in a variety of front office jobs for Chicago through the end of the 1986 season.

He spent a couple of years with the Yankees, before moving back to Chicago for the 1990 season.

Harrelson, an admitted homer, is one of those broadcasters that you either love or you hate.  He has a large collection of Hawkism’s such as “You can put it on the board” and “Mercy!”.  He had a long running feud with umpire Joe West and has been called to the carpet on multiple occasions by the commissioner’s office for his colorful remarks about other umpires.

Love him or hate him, Harrelson is never boring.    

MESA, Arizona — While most of you were watching Cubs closer Daniel Palencia close out the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, Cubs catcher/DH Moisés Ballesteros and starting left-hander Shōta Imanaga put on quite a show in front of a festive St. Patrick’s Day full house at Sloan Park.

Ballesteros smashed two monster home runs to center field and Imanaga had his best outing of the spring, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over four innings (okay, it was another homer, but still, he was dominant). The Cubs defeated the Angels 8-6.

Imanaga struck out the side in the first, all swinging, and had two more K’s in the second before the Cubs offense got to work. Michael Conforto led off with a double and Carson Kelly gave the Cubs a lead with this two-run homer [VIDEO].

Ballesteros batted next and hit a baseball a very, very long way:

The Cubs loaded the bases after the homer but could not score again, leaving the second with a 3-0 lead.

Then Ballesteros smashed another homer to nearly the same spot in center field in the third. Here are both of the homers [VIDEO].

And remember, Ballesteros is just 22 years old. He usually sprays balls all over the field. This sort of power is something he’s developed more recently. I think he could be primed for a big season.

While this was going on, Imanaga was mowing down more Angels hitters. He didn’t allow a hit through four innings, just a walk and former Cub Jorge Soler reaching on catcher interference. Former Cub Jeimer Candelario homered off Imanaga leading off the fifth, the only Angels hit off the Cubs left-hander. It was a really good outing for Shōta, who struck out eight [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Imanaga’s outing [VIDEO].

And a bit more [VIDEO].

Imanaga threw 76 pitches (50 strikes). Seven of the eight strikeouts were swinging and he had 23 whiffs, which is the most by any pitcher in the Cactus League so far this spring. I’m really encouraged by this great outing from Shōta.

The Cubs scored three more in the fifth, highlighted by this double from Dansby Swanson [VIDEO].

Kelly drove in the Cubs’ eighth and final run with a single in the sixth. Most of the Cubs starting players stuck around until the top of the seventh. They likely won’t play in Wednesday’s away game and the team has Thursday off, so this is part of getting them ramped up for full games beginning next week in Chicago.

After that it got a bit sloppy, particularly in the ninth when Cubs minor leaguer Jackson Kirkpatrick walked in a run and Tyler Beede had to be called on to wrap things up.

I look forward, though, to more good games like this from Ballesteros and Imanaga. Also of note: Pedro Ramirez made a couple of really slick plays at third base and had two hits in this game. He’s a prospect to watch, for sure.

Attendance watch: First, an update on Sunday’s game, where the official attendance is now reported as 13,888. For Tuesday evening, a full house of 15,055 paid to see the Angels and Cubs. Many in attendance (myself included) were keeping track of the WBC game on their phones or at one of the ballpark bars that had TVs. The season attendance at Sloan Park is now 176,674 for 14 dates, or 12,620 per date.

Also, ICYMI (Bluesky link):

Hopefully it will be just a bit warmer in Chicago a week from tomorrow. It’s definitely going to be warmer for Friday’s game at Sloan Park. Forecast highs for Friday in the Phoenix area are supposed to reach 106, which is nearly 30 degrees above average.

The Cubs travel to Scottsdale to play the Diamondbacks Wednesday afternoon. Edward Cabrera will start for the Cubs and Merrill Kelly will go for Arizona. Game time is 3:10 p.m. CT and there will be a TV broadcast via the D-backs streaming service AZ Video.

There was a hint of optimism after Roki Sasaki struck out nine Chicago White Sox hitters in a “game B” outing last week. After Tuesday’s performance, the struggles that Sasaki has experienced throughout most of spring have returned.

Sasaki was finally able to throw at least half of his pitches for strikes on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals— 71 pitches, 38 strikes— but was wildly inconsistent over 3 1/3 combined innings, as he walked the bases loaded in the third inning and was forced to be relieved by Nick Robertson. Sasaki came back out to the mound in the next two innings, allowing a two-run home run in the fourth inning and was again relieved after allowing a double to Starling Marte to begin the bottom of the fifth inning.

Sasaki now carries an ugly 13.50 ERA over 6 2/3 innings, and although he has struck out 10, he has walked nine hitters over that span. Sasaki is cognoscente that his spring training numbers don’t ultimately matter, but Dave Roberts has expressed repeatedly the urgency for him to be a quality starter, especially as Blake Snell and Gavin Stone nurse injuries, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“I have a lot of things I need to work on,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “But it’s just Spring Training, so just keep continuing to work on that. The results in Spring Training don’t really matter.”

“I think there’s progress in the sense that we got him into the fifth inning. The stuff was good, so that’s continued progress. Pitch count we got up,” Roberts said. “But I think the thing with Roki is, again, you’ve got to be efficient, you’ve got to be able to take down innings and be able to make adjustments sooner.”

Links

After a down second half last season that bled into the postseason, Blake Treinen has yet to get over his obstacles on the mound. He is posting a 10.80 ERA across five innings of work, with his latest meltdown coming on Monday’s 24-9 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers where he allowed two runs over 2/3 of an inning.

Dave Roberts noted a lack of confidence and conviction from Treinen this spring, but isn’t concerned about opening up a potential roster spot in lieu of the veteran reliever, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“I don’t see confidence,” Roberts said. “Obviously the execution is not there, with the sinker, the sweeper is a ball. It’s been a few, three or four outings consistently not throwing the baseball the way we expect. But for me, off the top, there’s no conviction. I see a lack of confidence.”

For the first time in his big league career, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will kick off the Dodgers’ regular season in Los Angeles, as he is slated to start the team’s home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Yamamoto spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA on Tuesday about the significance of having his name called to begin the season.

Per interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda: “It’s an honor for me, and it’s opening day at a Dodger Stadium home game. It’s an honor for me and I also feel the responsibility.”

Build Your Winning Bracket!

SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)

• Sun 4-7pm: Chris Dobbertean
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Hello Bluebird Banterers and welcome to my first post, formally known as nute39jays I will be trying to help out the two Tom’s with some posts.

It is the time of year where a career minor leaguer can look like an All Star and a unknown prospect can put themselves on the public’s radar but, as most know, you can never believe anything that happens in Spring Training what with the small samples and veteran players working on certain aspects of their games. However that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to take a look around the Jays Spring Training stats and ask what if this was sustainable or do deep dive to look for signs of actual improvement instead of small sample size noise.

I will be digging thru some batted ball data and underlying metrics on a few Blue Jays who have had some interesting starts to their Spring Training to see if even in this small sample there could be something to be excited for or if their current production has been more of a mirage that is likely to fall off more towards their expected production moving forward.

Daulton Varsho

First up is Daulton Varsho who in his first two seasons as a Jay hit 217/289/398 with 38 HRs, a 24.9% K rate and a 8.5% BB rate for a 91 WRC+ over 1094 PAs.

Varsho went into last season coming off a off-season shoulder surgery and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried as historically shoulder surgeries have had a major impact on a player’s offense the following season but Varsho bucked that trend and put together easily his strongest season as a Jay despite the should surgery and another two months missed due to a hamstring injury Varsho hit .234/.284/.548 with 20 HRs, a 28.4% K rate and a 6.3% BB rate for 123 WRC+ over 271 PAs.

Last season, Varsho had career highs in AVG EV, Max EV, Barrel rate, Hard Hit Rate, Fly Ball rate and K rate so looked like a batter selling out for power and well it worked for him he had the lowest Zone Contact and total Contact rates of his career but when you are hitting a HR every 14 PAs while being one the best defensive CFs in MLB that is going to provide a ton of value.

Going into Spring Training, the question was what would Varsho do this year would he still be hitting HRs at 44 per 600 pace and so far in a very small sample he is hitting .432/.475/.946 which of course is not going to last but for me when I dug thru the data there is one stat that I can’t ignore, not only is Varsho carrying forward the power from last season but he is doing so while improving his contact rate and striking out at ridiculously low 2.5%!

Obviously this level of hitting is not sustainable for anyone but a Varsho who hits for power like he did last season while improving his contact rate and while still playing his customary high end defense in CF would be on the verge of at least an All Star season if not an MVP level type of season.

It is Spring Training so my first thought was he is feasting on minor leaguers and his opponent quality has been roughly between AA and AAA level according to Baseball Reference but he has also hit very well against some known pitchers having HRs off Skubal, Abel as well as a 2B off Vest, a 3B off Warren and base hits off Abel, Chandler and Alvarado.

I also considered maybe he is just not striking out because it is Spring Training and the lesser quality of pitching but his lowest K rate in Spring Training since 2023 was 15% from the 2024 season, that regular season his K rate did jump to 26.7% but his Called+Swinging Strike% that Spring Training was 21.5% which means he was likely heading to a regression in K rate as CSW% tends to a decent job predicting future K rates although like most stats needs more data than Spring Training provides in order to stabilize.

Varsho was never going to sustain a 2.5% K rate, but like his 2024 season the bad news for the sustainability of his K rate improvement is also going to be dampened a lot by his CSW% so far in Spring Training as he is massively out performing his 18% CSW.

The improvement in his CSW% is mostly on the contact portion of the stat and that tracks with his Contact rate being 88.2% this Spring but like the CSW% he has also shown higher Contact rates in past Spring Trainings but also again like the CSW% it has never been quite this good before.

Prior to this Spring Varsho’s best Spring CSW% was 21.5% and his best Contact rate with regular at bats was 84.3%, this Spring his CSW% is 18% and his Contact rate is 88.2% so even if Varsho could make enough contact to get his K rate to the lower 20% range that paired with last season’s power and his glove could be enough for a 2026 All Star season.

With Spring Training the sample is too small to make any sweeping judgements but what do you think, is Varsho about to have a career season by striking out less and hitting 35+ HRs are is the extra contact all a Spring Training mirage.

Let me know in the comments what do you predict for Varsho this season.

Samuel Basallo is 21 years old, under contract for the next seven-plus years, and widely regarded as one of the most exciting young hitters in baseball. After a brief debut in the MLB last season, he heads into 2026 as Baltimore’s everyday designated hitter and heir apparent behind the plate. So: what should we actually expect from him this year?

In 2025, the numbers Basallo put up in the minors were legitimately eye-popping. In 76 games at Triple-A Norfolk, he slashed .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs and a .966 OPS—all at age 20. Named an International League All-Star at catcher, he ranked among IL leaders in OPS (first), SLG (second) and HR (tied for second) at the time the Orioles selected his contract.

His short stint in the MLB was, predictably, a much rougher ride. In 31 games between August and September, he hit .165/.229/.330, with nearly a strikeout per game. But he did go deep four times, including a walk-off homer on September 5 against the Dodgers, the youngest player in Orioles history to do so. Moments like this served as a reminder of the raw tools that led Baseball America to name Basallo the best power hitter in the Orioles organization last season.

Struggles to adjust at the plate are entirely unsurprising for a 21-year-old seeing big league arms for the first time, which makes the question this season: how quickly will Basallo’s adjustment cycle play out? Spring stats are notoriously unreliable, but in 11 Grapefruit League games he’s hitting .310 with a .946 OPS. That includes a double off future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander on Tuesday, which elicited a “Nice hit” from the veteran (who is also more than twice Basallo’s age). This suggests, at least, that the swing and the approach are in a good place heading into the year.

To judge Basallo’s potential from his existing track record, he enters the major leagues a career .283/.366/.498 MiLB hitter with an .864 OPS. But those numbers hide the fact that each time Basallo climbed a level, his numbers dipped for a bit, then leapt. Take OPS: an .887 OPS at Single-A Delmarva in 2023 foresaw a 1.167 mark in Double-A Bowie the same year, and a .637 OPS at Triple-A Norfolk in 2024 was followed by a jump of 300 points the next season. What’s more, Basallo’s minor league walk rates (around 12-13%) speak to genuine plate discipline, and his scouting hit grade (55) implies scouts believe he can make enough contact to let the power play.

Here are a pair of predictions for what the youngster might do in 2026:

• ZiPS: 122 G, 493 PA, 24 HR, 39 BB, .238/.304/.457, 2.3 fWAR
• Baseball Reference: 259 PA, 9 HR, 20 BB, .231/.301/.406

I find these numbers decidedly meh, maybe with the exception of the nice slugging percentage and 24 home runs from ZiPS. BRef, in particular, expects limited playing time for the O’s catcher/DH. While it’s true Basallo isn’t going to catch every day so long as Adley Rutschman is healthy, with any luck, he’ll make up a full season’s worth of at-bats at DH, which is fine. Basallo’s bat should be an everyday part of the lineup.

There remain questions about his ability to handle a full load at catcher. And while his defense behind the plate is still a work in progress, it was better than most expected in his debut. A 38% caught-stealing rate is legitimate, driven by what Baseball America grades as a 70 arm. Framing and blocking still need work, but “not a liability” is already ahead of where some projected him defensively, and continued improvement only strengthens the case for giving him more games behind the dish over time.

To sum up, Basallo’s 2025 MLB debut was short enough and rough enough that there’s real uncertainty about the timeline for his development this season, but the underlying gifts (elite power, plate discipline, improving defense) point toward a player who will take a significant step forward this year. Whether that step looks like a .231/9 HR “still figuring it out” season (BRef), a .238/25 HR one (ZiPS), or better than either of those seemingly stingy projections probably comes down to how quickly he makes adjustments to the breaking ball. Whatever happens, Basallo’s 2026 is going to be one of the most-watched stories in Baltimore baseball.

So what are your expectations for Samuello Basallo in 2026? Is this a full breakout year, or more of a transition season before he really arrives in 2027?

With so many Kansas City Royals at the center, Craig Brown looks at what made Venezuela-Italy so joyous.

Was this what is was like when Richard Williams watched Venus and Serena square off in a tennis tournament? Truly, I could not bring myself to root for either team, yet I was transfixed, hanging on every single pitch. I just wanted a good showing from the boys. I feel bad for Lorenzen, but good for Garcia. It’s too bad that Vinnie and Jac aren’t going to play in the final, but I sure hope Salvy gets in the lineup. I loved those espresso-chugging Italians. I don’t think they were underdogs. This was a legit team with plenty of talent.

But those Venezuelans…they make you feel something. You knew they had a run in them. You knew they were going to make things very uncomfortable for Italy. That game should’ve been the final.

Anne Rogers talks with new Royals pitcher Nick Mears about joining the team and the changes in store.

“If we’re looking at my pitches, it’s four-seam up, slider away, curveball down,” Mears said. “It’s moving away from a righty. If it’s away, they’re committing to away. With the two-seam, it’s taking advantage of that commitment to the outside, and it just goes, ‘Whoosh,’ inside. It’s not like a metrically glorious pitch. It’s a different look from everything else that I’m throwing.”

Mears wasn’t as sure about a changeup because he had tried to throw one in 2019 and “it was bad, just being blunt,” he said. He also tried a splitter a few offseasons ago, and it looked too much like his gyro slider. But then the Royals brought up a kick-changeup. The R&D department had scoured through video and data to find pitchers similar to Mears — who throw from the same slot and release point, along with a similar repertoire — who also throw a changeup. There were a few different grips they brought to Mears, including a splitter, a three-finger change and a kick-change.

Derek Jeter caught some flak for asking Maikel Garcia to compare the World Baseball Classic to Kauffman Stadium.

You could say Garcia has been Captain Clutch for Venezuela, which has enjoyed a decided home advantage in games played in Miami during the WBC. Captain Clutch was one of the nicknames Yankees fans gave Derek Jeter, who is now a broadcaster for Fox Sports. After Venezuela defeated Italy, Jeter asked Garcia about the enthusiastic pro-Venezuela crowd. “Take a look around, does it remind you of Kansas City?” Jeter asked. Garcia replied: “Not even close.”

David Lesky looks at the pitching rotation and the resumed depth ahead of 2026, but let’s remember just how healthy the 2024 rotation was.

In 2024,as we all remember so well, the Royals got 151 starts from the original five-some, and then six more from a guy they traded for to replace one of the original five. That left five starts to be made by someone else. Five! One of the five was a true bullpen game. Daniel Lynch IV started three of the other four and then Jonathan Bowlan started the last one. Those four starts for Lynch and Bowlan marked the end of their careers as starters, for whatever that’s worth. It was pretty magical.

FanGraphs’ positional power rankings were not kind to the Royals on Tuesday. Both first base and second base earned below-average rankings from the site, including a 28th-place rank at the keystone.

The Athletic looks at how the world off the diamond causes “complicated feelings” from Team Venezuela fans ahead of the WBC final.

Andscape looks at Dusty Baker’s time and energy managing Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

Is college baseball focusing too much on velocity? Baseball America breaks down how that correlates to success in collegiate action.

Famed sportswriter Joe Posnanski ponders what the humanity of umpiring is in 2026.

Lance Brozdowski has updated rankings and data for 40 top pitching prospects.

Under the Knife has some updates on two veteran Toronto Blue Jays starters.

Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring training pitching debut today.

Gerrit Cole is also scheduled for his first spring game since Tommy John surgery.

Seiya Suzuki suffered a ligament strain in the World Baseball Classic, casting doubt on Opening Day availability.

The Denver Broncos traded for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg admits Kentucky offered him “$7 (million) to $9 (million)” when he was in the transfer portal.

How is F1 staying on the leading edge with global brands?

Heed the letter X.

Nicole Kidman returns to streaming in new Prime Video series Scarpetta.

Story time. I had the better part of a year between when I graduated high school in May 2014 and shipped out to basic training in January 2015. I found ways to pass the time, but the most important thing I did during that time was be a friend to someone. My mom was a special education teacher for most of my life, nearly 20 years in all. She had a student, let’s call him T, who loved to go to school sports games. Did not matter the sport, T always had a friend there or a great time at least. But T was raised by a single dad, and that made getting to these events, with no post-event travel provided, hard. There was a program in Kansas that paid very little, enough for gas, snacks, and admission, in our case, for me to be there for T. That fall, we went to every game we could. It was amazing, honestly. But more often than not, we had to leave early because T was overstimulated by the environment. It was just part of the deal. So that is why, when these sensory areas became more popular, like what the Omaha Storm Chasers are doing with Autism Action Partnership for the 2026 season, I love it. You may never need it, but this makes a world of difference for those who need it.

Today’s song of the day is Could Have Been Me by The Struts.