Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Sox fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
No, we’re not issuing this survey as a goof: We know most of you will favor the top overall pick, Roch Cholowsky. Perhaps it’s the battle for No. 2 that intrigues. The White Sox made an extra sandwich pick at the end of the first round materialize out of thin air (well, actually it materialized at the cost of No. 15 pick overall in 2024 Jacob Gonzalez) and grabbed a local kid with ties to White Sox/baseball royalty with it, Landon Thome. And their second round pick proper, Cole Prosek, might be their own mini-Grady Emerson (left-handed prep bat with pop, middle infielder).
Anyway, let’s ride out the fumes of the triumphant 2026 draft with one more look at it!
Patrick Kane, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer among American-born players, remains unsigned this offseason.
Do the Colorado Avalanche have a realistic chance of signing him this offseason?
Probably not.
At this point, Colorado's offseason appears all but finished unless the front office finds a way to shed salary before training camp. That scenario looks increasingly unlikely. According to PuckPedia, the Avalanche are currently $445,841 over the salary cap, leaving virtually no financial flexibility. Kane would likely command somewhere between $2.75 million and $3 million, not including any potential performance bonuses.
If there's a realistic window for Colorado to pursue Kane, it would likely come closer to the NHL trade deadline. Even then, it raises an important question: Is it worth making a move for a 37-year-old winger?
There are valid arguments on both sides.
The biggest concern is the mixed message it would send. The Avalanche have emphasized getting younger, yet they signed 34-year-old center Jaden Schwartz to a three-year contract despite his lengthy injury history. Kane—who has been linked to Colorado multiple times over the past few seasons, including before signing with the Detroit Red Wings—is hardly a move that aligns with a youth movement.
On the other hand, few players can match Kane's résumé.
The former No. 1 overall pick has built one of the most accomplished careers of his generation. Kane won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 before helping lead the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during Chicago's 2013 title run, and in 2015-16, he put together one of the greatest seasons by an American-born player, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award, and the Art Ross Trophy after leading the NHL in scoring with a career-high 46 goals and 106 points while appearing in all 82 regular-season games.
One criticism that's surfaced is that Kane simply isn't the 100-point player he once was.
That argument misses the bigger picture.
Yes, Kane is 37 years old, and expecting him to produce at an MVP level is unrealistic. But it's also worth remembering that he surpassed the 100-point mark only twice during his Hall of Fame-caliber career. His value has never been defined solely by gaudy point totals.
Even in the later stages of his career, Kane remains one of hockey's smartest offensive players, capable of driving possession, creating scoring chances, and producing in key moments when surrounded by elite talent.
And that final point is where Kane could potentially make sense for Colorado.
Kane has spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, and while injuries have been part of the conversation during that stretch, he has continued to produce at a high level. Last season, he recorded 57 points in 67 games, including 16 goals and 41 assists. The year before, he finished with 59 points in 72 games.
When looking at the numbers, Kane was actually more productive on a per-game basis during the 2024-25 season.
The biggest area where Kane could help the Avalanche is on the power play.
Since Colorado traded Mikko Rantanen, finding consistency on the man advantage has been a challenge. Kane's ability to operate from the right half wall—a spot where he has made a living throughout his career—could address one of the Avalanche's biggest offensive needs.
Kane has scored 140 career power-play goals, which ranks 73rd on the NHL's all-time list, tied with former Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk and Scott Mellanby. He also scored 12 power-play goals during the 2024-25 season, although that number dropped to just two last year.
While his goal-scoring production is no longer what it was during his prime, Kane remains an elite playmaker who understands how to manipulate defenses and create opportunities for teammates.
Colorado's power play has struggled at critical moments since moving on from Rantanen. The Avalanche experienced a brief resurgence after acquiring Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames, but that momentum disappeared when the playoffs arrived and the man advantage failed to deliver when the team needed it most.
If the discussion is strictly about offensive skill and power-play production, Kane would be an intriguing gamble.
The concern is that his age has also brought some defensive drawbacks.
Kane has become more prone to costly turnovers, and those mistakes can create dangerous scoring chances the other way. His offensive instincts remain elite, but the margin for error becomes smaller as players get older.
That was highlighted late last season during Detroit's playoff push.
The Red Wings were fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive when they erased a 4-1 deficit against the Minnesota Wild, tying the game in the third period. Shortly after Patrick Kane scored, he was involved in a controversial sequence when his stick caught Jack Hughes' skates while he was heading toward the bench away from the play, resulting in a tripping penalty.
Minnesota capitalized, scoring with fewer than 15 seconds remaining on the power play to secure a 5-4 victory and effectively end Detroit's playoff chances.
Kane later took full responsibility for the mistake, telling reporters the penalty made him feel "maybe the worst I felt personally in my career."
From a hockey standpoint, however, Kane would still bring something Colorado cannot easily manufacture: experience.
He knows what it takes to win. He knows how to handle pressure. He knows the demands of playoff hockey.
Kane has appeared in 143 career playoff games, recording 138 points, including 53 goals and 85 assists. That type of postseason résumé would immediately add another layer of experience to an Avalanche team built around championship expectations.
But the decision is not solely about what Kane can provide on the ice.
The biggest question surrounding Kane's potential fit in Colorado may come from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks and the controversy that followed the organization’s 2010 Stanley Cup championship.
Kane was a member of the Blackhawks during that championship season when former Chicago prospect Kyle Beach alleged that he was sexually assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich. Beach, who was initially identified as John Doe in legal proceedings, filed a lawsuit in May 2021 detailing the allegations.
A subsequent independent investigation examined how the Blackhawks organization handled the claims and found that members of the team's leadership became aware of the allegations during the playoffs but decided to wait until after the Stanley Cup Final before addressing the matter.
After Chicago won the championship, Aldrich was eventually given the option to resign or face termination if the allegations were substantiated. He resigned and was permitted to participate in postseason celebrations.
The fallout from the investigation extended beyond Aldrich and the organization's leadership. Beach later described the treatment he received during his time with the Blackhawks, alleging that he was “subjected to humiliating trash talking by his teammates during scrimmages where coaches were present” and was “repeatedly” targeted with gay slurs.
Beach also described an alleged incident during training camp where a teammate asked if he “missed his boyfriend Brad [Aldrich],” referring to the man Beach accused of assaulting him.
Kane, along with longtime Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, was one of the established players within the organization during Beach's time in Chicago. Neither player was accused of participating in the abuse, but they certainly did nothing to stop what transpired as established leaders of an elite organization
For Colorado, that history creates another factor to consider.
The Avalanche would have to evaluate not only whether Kane can still provide offensive value at 37 years old, but also whether adding him fits the culture and identity the organization wants to maintain.
Ultimately, the Patrick Kane debate comes down to risk versus reward.
On the ice, there is still plenty to like. He can create offense, elevate a power play, provide veteran leadership, and bring championship experience to a team trying to win another Stanley Cup.
But the Avalanche are also operating with limited cap space, trying to balance an aging core with a desire to get younger, and would have to weigh the off-ice considerations that come with adding one of the most accomplished—and complicated—players of his generation.
Right now, the salary cap alone makes a Kane-to-Colorado reunion unlikely.
But if the opportunity presented itself at the trade deadline, the Avalanche would face a difficult question:
Is the potential reward of adding Patrick Kane worth the risk?
The Montreal Canadiens could use another skilled forward on their roster. With it now being two weeks since the start of free agency, there are not a ton of UFA options still available for the taking. While this is the case, the Canadiens still have an intriguing potential target to consider in future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane.
When looking at the Canadiens' current roster, it is fair to argue that they could use another skilled forward in their top six. While Kane is not as dominant offensively as he was during his prime years, he would still have the potential to be a strong pickup for their second line and power play if signed.
Kane just had another solid season in 2025-26 with the Detroit Red Wings, posting 16 goals, 41 assists, and 57 points in 67 games. This was after he had 59 points in 72 games with the Red Wings in 2024-25 and 47 points in 50 games for Detroit in 2023-24. With numbers like these, he is still plenty capable of providing good offense, and he would be a nice pickup for Montreal because of it.
Kane would also be a good veteran for the Canadiens to have on their roster as they enter their Stanley Cup window. The 37-year-old is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, after all.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Canadiens make a push for Kane. On a one-year, affordable deal, there could be a good match here.
Many celebrity personalities around the Bay have been excited and hopeful about the possibility of the Warriors signing LeBron James. Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini has a different initial feeling on the matter.
“It’d be weird,” Celebrini recently told ESPN. “It’d be weird just because of that rivalry with LeBron on the [Cleveland Cavaliers]. I feel like they’ve been going at it every step of the way. I’d be like if Ovi [Ovechkin] and Sid [Crosby] played together.”
Macklin Celebrini on LeBron James potentially joining the Warriors:
"It would be weird. It would be weird just because of that rivalry with [LeBron James] on the Cavs and I feel like they've been going at it every step of the way. So, it would be like if [Alex Ovechkin] and… pic.twitter.com/AmQLLiImZ0
Two of the greatest players of all time teaming up does feel a little strange, but something similar did happen in free agency 10 years ago. Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors in July 2016, and the league wasn’t ready for it.
“They never been a winning organization… Nobody liked Golden State… It felt like still an underdog to me… I'm looking at the totality of the franchise… Not what happened the last 5 years."
The central question is whether James joining Steph Curry and Draymond Green would deliver the same legendary results and success as previous acquisitions.
The Warriors were the second-oldest team in the NBA last season, only trailing the Los Angeles Clippers. Durability and health would be two hurdles to consider, especially when the star players in Golden State are in their late 30s.
Jimmy Butler is coming off a torn ACL, and there is no set timetable for his return at this point. Kristaps Porziņģis showed flashes of greatness last year, but could not stay on the court consistently.
On the other side of the coin, the basketball IQ of the Warriors would be through the roof. The years of championship experience would be plentiful. If the roster can stay healthy heading into the postseason, they’d be feared among most opponents in the Western Conference.
Celebrini’s point strengthens the main argument: after intense battles between Cleveland and Golden State, seeing LeBron join the Warriors would feel unprecedented and require an adjustment period.
James and the Warriors’ core of Green, Curry, and coach Steve Kerr would be uniting with one goal in mind: ring No. 5.
Patrick Kane has had some incredible seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He has also been great in a supporting role as a member of the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings since leaving Chicago behind.
Kane is going to go to the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire. He will have his number retired by the Blackhawks, and possibly even have a statue at the United Center.
However, he has some good hockey left in the tank, maybe multiple years, and he is currently looking for his next NHL home. Of all the places that make sense for the greatest American-born player ever, these four stick out the most:
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the mix. They are going to be without Connor Bedard for the first month of the season, which would make Kane a solid option during that time. When Bedard gets back, he will have a power-play specialist and another option at even strength.
Whether Kane or Bedard plays together at 5-on-5 would be a mystery, but it's a possibility. If not, Kane would be a great winger for any of the young centers that Chicago is trying to develop.
Not only would he fit in, as he knows the city, building, and organization, but he would also be an incredibly experienced player who would be a great mentor for the kids on the team.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are the other "obvious" candidate for Kane. Before making Chicago his home, Western New York was where he learned to play the game as a Buffalo native. This, much like returning to Chicago, would be a homecoming for Kane.
The Sabres are actually good for the first time in a long time, too. Before making the playoffs and winning a round in 2026, they hadn't been in the postseason since 2011. For most of Kane's career, his hometown team was an undesirable place of employment.
Now, they are a great team to join as they are hoping to be a playoff team for the second year in a row, this time getting past the second round.
The Sabres just lost Alex Tuch in free agency. Tuch is the player that Kane would mostly be looking to replace (offensively) if he chose to go to Buffalo.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are an interesting option for Kane. After winning the draft lottery and selecting Gavin McKenna first overall, they are looking to compete in 2026-27 with stars like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Darren Raddysh leading the way.
Adding Kane would give them some scoring touch in the middle of their lineup. They missed Mitch Marner's creativity last season, and although Kane won't match Marner at this stage of his career, he can bring that element back to the lineup in a smaller role.
Kane would also bring a sense of calmness to the group. Playing in Toronto is not easy with the coverage that they get nationwide, and Kane has the experience and status necessary to take on some of that responsibility.
Colorado Avalanche
If Kane wants to lock himself onto a sure playoff team that needs a dynamic winger, he'd sign with the Colorado Avalanche on a cheap deal. They have superstars in Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Martin Necas, all of whom are good enough to lead a Cup-contending team.
If Kane were to go there, he'd for sure be a factor on one of thier power play units, which needs some help as that was one of their only weaknesses en route to a Presidents' Trophy last year.
Kane's potential fit in terms of his linemates is less important with Colorado than if he were on other teams because they are going to be a well-oiled machine regardless. Of all the truly elite teams in the league right now, if both parties are truly willing, this would make the most sense from a team success perspective.
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Tennessee pitcher Brandon Arvidson (25) pitches against Vanderbilt during the second inning at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 27, 2026. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2026 MLB Draft is now over and if they all sign, there will be 21 new members of the Cubs family. Scouting director Dan Kantrovitz said before the draft that the Cubs would work on the weakness on the pitching side of the Cubs farm system and boy, did they ever. With 21 picks over the 20-round draft, the Cubs took 16 pitchers, one outfielder, one shortstop, one catcher, and two first basemen, although one of the first basemen catches some. Nineteen of the 21 picks were college players.
Here, once again, are all 21 Cubs draft picks.
Round 1 (23):Cade Townsend RHP Mississippi
Round 2 (62):Caden Sorrell OF Texas A&M
Round 2 Comp (75):Myles Bailey 1B Florida State
Round 3 (98):Carson Jasa RHP Nebraska
Round 4(126):Dylan Marioneaux RHP Northwestern State (LA)
Round 5 (159):Dylan Blomker RHP La Cueva HS (NM)
Round 6 (188):Isaac Morton RHP Minnesota
Round 7 (217):Cole Tryba LHP UC Santa Barbara
Round 8:Lance Williams RHP Maryland
Round 9:Chase Meyer RHP West Virginia
Round 10:Luke Alwood RHP Seattle University
Round 11:Ariston Veasey RHP Clemson
Round 12:Brandon Arvidson LHP Tennessee
Round 13:Emanuel Hernandez C Carlos Beltran Academy (PR)
Round 14:Corey Nunez SS UC Santa Barbara
Round 15:Griffin Naess RHP Caly Poly SLO
Round 16:Ashton Pocol RHP Florida Gulf Coast
Round 17:Ryan Marton RHP UNLV
Round 18: Luke McGrath RHP James Madison
Round 19: Luke Guth RHP Vanderbilt
Round 20:Brennan Hudson 1B Georgia
So the Cubs stuck to their long-standing preferences for college players over high school players by drafting only two high schoolers—Blomker in the sixth round and Hernandez in the 13th. That’s a trend that is taking hold in all of baseball as around 77 percent of the players drafted came from a four-year college. Another two percent came from the junior college ranks, so only around 1 out of 5 picks were high school players.
Otherwise, two things stand out. Obviously the Cubs took a lot of pitchers. Kantrovitz hinted that they would and they did. But what is striking is what kinds of pitchers they took. While the Cubs did not take many soft-tossers, even the hardest throwers sit more 95-96 miles per hour on their four-seam fastball. Some have touched the upper-90s and perhaps the Cubs think they can put a few ticks of velocity on them in the pitch lab. They’ve had some successes doing that in recent years.
But the one thing that unites almost all these pitchers is a high spin rate. In his video press conference with the Cubs media, first-round pick Cade Townsend said:“Spin is really my super power. That’s what I tell everyone. I just have a weird, innate ability to spin the ball and make the ball move left or right.” Kantrovitz said he was going to work with Cubs pitching coordinator Tyler Zombro to identify pitchers that he could work with. Apparently Zombro wants pitchers who can spin the ball.
Beyond Townsend, 3rd round pick Carson Jasa, 4th round pick Dylan Marionneaux, 5th round pick Dylan Blomker, 6th round pick Isaac Morton, 8th round pick Lance Williams and 9th round pick Chase Myers are praised for the spin they get on the ball. Spin affects the path of the ball—more spin means less vertical movement and more arm-side horizontal movement. Basically, the mis-named “rising fastball” is a fastball with a lot of spin. A pitch with a high spin rate is just harder to hit.
Clearly, Kantrovitz and Zombro targeted pitchers with that high spin rate and Zombro thinks he can build upon that kind of profile better than he can with lower-spin pitchers.
The two position players taken with the two second-round picks are interesting as well in that neither one of them have great contact rate, which is something that the Cubs have targeted in past drafts. Instead, Sorrell and Bailey are athletic and powerful sluggers who struggle sometimes to make contact. Sorrell’s problem is pitch recognition and swinging at too many pitches out of the zone. Bailey just swings so hard that he misses a lot of hittable pitches, even if he tends to lay off bad ones and draw a fair number of walks.
I’m not going to go over the first five picks as I already wrote about Townsend, Sorrell,Bailey, Jasa and Marionneaux. I will add, because I didn’t have much information on Marionneaux right after he was drafted, is that he’s a pitchability right-hander whose best pitch is his mid-80s slider. He also has a low-90s fastball, a cutter, a curve and a change. He was used as a starter at Northwestern State, but he’s almost certainly a reliever in the professional ranks where his slider could be an effective weapon out of the pen. In my article on Saturday I said that Marionneaux was likely a below-slot pick so that the Cubs could sign a player who wanted a bigger bonus later. That pick turned out to be Blomker. But I do want to make clear that the Cubs didn’t just grab some random pitcher who’d sign cheap. They clearly like Marionneaux and that slider fits in with what Zombro wants to work with down in Mesa.
I also want to add that Bailey is likely to be the most fun Cubs hitting prospect since Daniel Vogelbach and maybe even farther back than that. He’s going to strike out a ton and we hope that doesn’t derail his career. But man, he hit home runs than just made your jaw drop at Florida State. Bailey is gonna be a must-watch player for the sheer entertainment value.
So here are some quick thoughts on the Cubs other 16 draft picks.
Dylan Blomker is one of the two high school players the Cubs took in the draft. He’s a 6’4” right-hander with a pretty vertical pitching motion. His fastball is timed in the low-90s, but it touches higher and a lot of scouts think he can add a few ticks on to his four seamer as he develops. But his best pitch is a sweeping slider with a lot of spin and impressive break. He, like most high school pitches, needs to work on his changup.
Blomker has already said he’s going to sign. Fun fact: the Blomker family is friends with the Bregman family and Dylan has known Alex most of his life. Alex Bregman helped recruit Blomker to LSU. Now he is a major reason Blomker is excited to forgo LSU and sign with the Cubs.
Isaac Morton is a 6’3” right-hander who had two seasons at Texas A&M before transferring to Minnesota. He’s got a hard sinking fastball that sits 94-96. He also has a low-90s cutter and a mid-80s slider. Both pitches have a lot of spin and the slider is his put-away pitch. He also made major strides with his control his junior year after coming home to Minnesota.
On talent alone, Morton should have gone in the top three rounds. Baseball America named him as one of their “college sleepers” in this year’s draft. But he struggled to stay healthy with the Aggies and after making 13 starts with a 3.26 ERA for the Gophers, he suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery. So it will probably be late next season before we see Morton pitch at the earliest. But Baseball America write that Morton is the best pitcher to come out of Minnesota since Max Meyer and if Morton is anywhere near as good as Meyer is these days, he’ll be worth the wait.
Cole Tryba is an undersized lefty with a low arm release and above-average control. His fastball is around 90-93 mph. He also has a sweeping slider that is his go-to pitch. Tryba’s changeup needs some refinement, but it’s promising at this point. He also has a cutter.
Tryba has been the Gauchos closer for the past three years and he’s most likely going to stay in the pen as a pro. Tryba pitched well in the wooden bat Cape Cod League last summer (1.07 ERA over 25.1 innings) and that’s always a good sign.
Lance Williams is an undersized (5’11”) righty who nevertheless gets some good velocity on his fastball, which sits mid-90s and has touched 99. Once gain Williams ties into the “spin rate” that the Cubs are chasing, and both his slider and cutter some impressive spin. He rarely threw his change, but when he did, he got a lot of swings and misses.
In his one year at Maryland, Williams split time between the rotation and the bullpen. He missed a lot of bats and missed the plate a lot, leading to 69 strikeouts and 29 walks over 57 innings. It’s a profile that works better in the pen than as a starter as a professional, but it’s also some good clay for the pitch lab to work with, so I wouldn’t completely dismiss the chance that he starts.
Chase Meyer is a 6’2” right hander with some electric stuff. Meyer sports a fastball that sits around 96 and can go as high as 98. He’s also got those high-spin breaking pitches. His change is a low-8os 12-6 with a hard break and the slider comes in just a bit faster but with good glove side break.
Unfortunately, Meyer was dismissed from the Mountaineers after two appearances and 3.1 innings this February after he was involved in a locker room incident where he angrily criticized the coaching staff. Since then, he’s pitched in both the MLB Draft League and the Cape Cod League to give scouts some looks. Again, Meyer is likely a reliever.
Luke Alwood ia a big, 6’5” right-hander who spent four full years at Seattle University. His fastball is only 92-94, but there is some thought that someone that big should be able to throw harder and he has hit 98 once or twice. He has good control, although his pitches can be a bit too hittable. For a college senior, his stuff is still pretty raw. With his size, Alwood is definitely someone whom the pitch lab would like to work with and see if they can make something out of him. It’s definitely a starter’s frame, if not a starter’s arsenal at this point.
I fully expect that all of the top ten draft picks will sign. There may be one or two picks in the second half of the draft that don’t.
Ariston Veasey is a 6’1” right-handed junior out of Clemson. He missed the start of the season after getting involved in a campus bar fight, but all charges were dropped in the end. Veasey transferred to Clemson after two years at Alabama and quickly became the best reliever on the Tigers with a 3.29 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 25.1 innings. Opposing hitters managed just a .143 average against Veasey. He did struggle with control at times and walked 18 batter. Veasey has a mid-90s fastball.
Brandon Arvidson is a tall, 6’5” left-handed reliever with a lot of swing-and-miss in his fastball/slider combination. The mid-80s slider breaks down hard and is a potential plus pitch if he can learn to throw it for more strikes. It’s Arvidson’s bread-and-butter pitch. The fastball sits low-90s but can touch 95-96. Arvidson struck out 35.2 percent of hitters over his two years with the Volunteers. He improved his walk rate this past season and he will need to improve it still if he wants to be a major league reliever.
About all I know about Emanuel Hernandez is that he’s a Miami of Ohio commit and that the Cubs needed to grab some catchers or all these pitchers they drafted will have no one to throw to. I did see a video of him throwing to second base from behind the plate and he looked fine there. We’ll see if he sticks to his college commitment. The Cubs need catchers.
Corey Nunez is the second Gaucho the Cubs took in this year’s draft after Tryba and after they took two more Gauchos, Ryan Gallagher and Ivan Brethowr, in the 2024 draft. Nunez took a step forward in his senior season at UCSB with a line of .280/.361/.393 and hit .345 in limited (seven games) action this summer in the Cape Cod League. Despite being 6’3”, Nunez doesn’t have much power and has a stroke that is geared towards contact on a line to all fields. Nunez struck out just 23 times in 200 plate appearances this past season.
Griffin Naess is another tall, 6’6”, lanky right-hander who was a three-year starter for Cal Poly. From what I’ve seen of Naess, despite his size, he’s not a hard-thrower with a fastball checking in around 90 mph. But by far his best pitch is a fall-of-the-table upper-70s changeup that gets a lot of swings and misses. He’s also got a mid-70s curve with some good break on it but I didn’t see him land it for a strike much.
With the Mustangs last year, Naess went 8-5 with a 4.63 ERA over 91.1 innings and 17 starts. He struck out 97 and walked 35. The Mustangs seems to ride his arm more than I like and he threw 137 pitches in the Big West Championship Game.
Ashton Pocol was the senior closer for FGCU. He put an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio with 50 strikeouts and just ten walks over 33.1 innings. He was 3-4 with a 3.24 ERA and six saves.
Canadian Ryan Marton is a big 6’4”, 235 right-hander who spent two years in junior college before transferring to UNLV this past year. He didn’t get much of a chance with the Rebels, throwing just 19 innings over four starts and nine relief appearances. His numbers aren’t all that impressive—6.16 ERA, 22 strikeouts and nine walks—but he was pitching in Las Vegas.
Luke McGrath is a 6’2” redshirt sophomore right-handed reliever who struggled with control last year at James Madison. I didn’t get a radar reading on his fastball from the video I saw of him pitching, but it looked hard. He also appears to have a slider and a curve, again, at least from what I saw. The breaking pitches appeared to have good movement, but from the 20 walks he had in 28 innings last year, I wonder how often he can throw them for strikes. McGrath struck out 28.
Luke Guth is another one of those big spin guys that the Cubs took so many of in this year’s draft. Guth has a 92-93 mph fastball with that good spin and “rise” that the Cubs have targeted. His breaking stuff has a lot of movement—maybe too much as he seems to struggle to throw them for strikes. Guth was dominating as a sophomore reliever for the Commodores with a 0.93 ERA and 22 strikeouts and seven walks over 19.1 inning. But Guth couldn’t follow that up and he struggled this past year with a 5.18 ERA. The problem was he was just walking too many batters. If Guth can live up to his promise of 2025, there might be a solid reliever in there.
I have Brennan Hudson listed as a first baseman but a lot of places list him as a catcher. He did both at Georgia this year, with more first base than behind the plate.
Hudson wasn’t much of a draft consideration last year in his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Georgia State. But as a senior this year Hudson had a breakout season, hitting .294/.466/.730 with 22 home runs in 56 games. The big difference between Hudson’s junior and senior season is a huge drop in his strikeout rate from a whopping 37 percent as a junior to 20.8 percent as a senior. Hudson walk totals also increased as his power numbers soared. He has a kind of violent left-handed pull swing that is geared to power.
Despite those impressive numbers, both the scouts and the data analysts think those senior season numbers were a bit of a fluke. That’s why Hudson was still available in the 20th round. But he certainly seems like someone worth the gamble this late. And if he can catch, that’s all the better.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 12: A detail shot of the All-Star Game logo during the 2026 MLB Partner welcome reception at Fairmont Water Works on Sunday, July 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Derik Hamilton/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Somehow, the 2026 All-Star break is here.
What a first half for the Atlanta Braves. We’ve run the emotional gamut in this 55-40 record – delirious joy, abysmal lows, and all the in-between. Much like the summer temperatures, a certain divisional race is heating up. But a two-game lead, no matter how tenuous, is still a lead. Enjoy it.
The boys will be partaking in some much-needed rest before returning to game action on Friday. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, Chris Sale, and Raisel Iglesias will represent Atlanta in our rival’s city tonight in the Midsummer Classic.
The All-Star Game and accompanying activities are polarizing for baseball fans. We asked the good people of Battery Power to put on their commissioner hats and share the ways they’d change the ASG. Hot takes ahead!
Let’s see some skills
We talk about tools all the time when we’re talking about ballplayers. Beyond the ability to hit dingers, why can’t we see more of what’s possible in our beautiful sport?
In a different flavor, we spend a decent chunk of ASG festivities honoring current players and getting excited about future stars. Why limit the alumni activations to brands and collabs?
Scheduling logic
Why do the All-Stars Futures Game and the MLB Draft happen while games are still being played? This is prime sicko content and it’s competing with real baseball, and seemingly for no reason.
Similarly and pedantically, this isn’t halfway through the season. So if we want it to serve as a real demarcation in the 162, it should theoretically be earlier.
Roster revamps
Fan voting will forever be contreversial, so some alts:
Get rid of [X]
Of course, some people want to simplify or eliminate the things they don’t personally enjoy. Whether it’s the fan vote, the Derby, or simply baseball’s newest game rules… nothing is sacred or safe:
With all our differing opinions, I think we can all agree on this one:
TORONTO, ON - JULY 02: New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates his two-run home run with designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27), while catcher Ben Rice (22) and outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) look on in the top of the eighth inning of an MLB game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays on July 2, 2025, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Last week, we polled Yankees fans about how they envisioned the 2026 regular season ending for the ol’ Bombers. Only 24 percent said that they thought the Yanks would overtake the upstart Rays in the second half and win the AL East, though 58 percent maintained that they would still make the playoffs as a Wild Card, with the plurality of the options in the poll—35 percent—adding that New York would be the top Wild Card and host a best-of-three first-round series.
Had we sent this survey to fans during a different week when the Yanks weren’t in midst of a 4-14 stretch, perhaps the results would have been different. But even now after sweeping the Nationals to finish the second half on a better 5-2 road trip (splitting a tough Rays series in Tropicana Field as well), it’s clear that the Yankees have work to do. A three-game deficit sits in front of them, and unless they sweep a four-game set against the Rays in September, it might as well be four because Tampa Bay holds the tiebreaker. They’re most likely safe to make the playoffs because they hold a 6.5-game lead on the last Wild Card spot, but there are enough clubs at least vaguely in the mix that if a couple get hot, then it could get tense there as well.
In this week’s survey, we want you to predict the Yankees’ October, months ahead when the roster will look at least a little different due to the unforeseen injuries, players like Aaron Judge and Max Fried ideally returning to health, and any Trade Deadline tweaks. Do you think they’ll get themselves in good enough shape to win their 28th World Series, or at least to advance to their second in three years? Will they fall short somewhere in the AL playoffs? If so, where?
Vote in the poll and we’ll check out the results around the time the second half begins. A challenge awaits with those two-time defending champion Dodgers coming to the Bronx on Friday.
Jul 12, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a single against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
It has been an entire year since a member of the Phillies has won the All-Star Game MVP award. Can any of this year’s contingent of Phillies All-Stars break the long-standing “Curse of Kyle Schwarber?”
For newer readers, or those that generally tune me out: For the past few years, I lamented the fact that the Phillies hadn’t had the MVP of the All-Star Game since Johnny Callison in 1964. But thanks to Schwarber’s heroics in the overtime of last year’s game, The “Curse of Johnny Callison” was finally broken!
Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber made history on Tuesday night, winning All-Star Game MVP after clubbing three home runs in the first ever tie-breaking swing-off. https://t.co/fkKL2teKVc
With a healthy representation on the National League squad, and the game being played in Philadelphia, it feels like there’s a decent chance the Phillies could have the MVP of the game two years in a row.
Here are the candidates and the likelihood that they’ll win:
I don’t see it happening
Zack Wheeler – Since he understandably rejected the belated invitation to the team, he will (probably) not appear in the game, which generally reduces the chances of winning the MVP award.
You’d be better off investing in Crypto
Jesus Luzardo – Pitchers are generally at a disadvantage to win the award in general, and unless Luzardo is called upon to get a pivotal out – and as a late addition to the roster, I can’t see that happening – he’s not going to win
If you squint, you could see it
Cristopher Sanchez – For the past 40 years, the only pitchers to win the MVP award have done in when pitching in their home city. As the starting pitcher, Sanchez might get to work an inning plus, and if he looks great in a game where there are no clear offensive standouts, they might give the hometown guy the nod.
If the vibes are right
Jhoan Duran – I have to imagine that if the NL is leading in the ninth inning, Duran is going to get the save opportunity, because that entrance is going to play well on national TV. As with Sanchez, if there are no standout offensive players, and Duran closes out the game in dominating fashion, he could be the choice.
Brandon Marsh – Being in the starting lineup can actually be a disadvantage for a player’s chances, as he might get just one at bat, and it will be early in the game. Based on Monday night, Marsh is really enjoying being an All-Star, and his beard does garner attention. Sometimes early hits can prove just as decisive as late ones, so if Marsh drives in a few runs to put the NL ahead for good, he’s got a chance.
You know he wants it
Bryce Harper – Believe it or not, this will only be Harper’s second time playing in an All-Star Game as a Phillie. After falling short in the Home Run Derby, you know Harper is itching for the chance to shine on Tuesday. After his WBC heroics, you have to figure that if there’s a key at bat late in the game, manager Dave Roberts will deploy Harper. If he comes through, the award is his.
Let’s do it again
Kyle Schwarber – Maybe he’s worn out from Monday’s epic Home Run Derby…Or maybe it’s just left him hungrier. As the NL’s leadoff hitter, a Schwarbomb to start things off would be positively majestic. And if the game goes into overtime again, it’s almost a given that Schwarber will be one of the NL’s hitters in the swing off. Can lightning strike twice?
The Colorado Avalanche’s offseason has been pretty quiet. Aside from some day 1 signings like Jaden Schwartz and Noah Juulsen, the rest have been depth signings to bolster their roster and fill out AHL Colorado Eagles contracts. While there are still some big names left in free agency, the Avalanche have negative cap space, so it won't be hard to make room, but that leaves out many potential targets.
Though they could go bargain hunting and look to sign potential veteran maximum contracts, something similar to Brent Burns' new contract, low AAV, but with bonuses and signing bonuses to appease the player. Potentially a soon-to-be Hall of Famer looking for a short-term deal in hopes of one more Stanley Cup?
Show Time Coming To Mile High?
OnLeafs Morning Take, NHL Insider for The Fourth Period, David Pagnotta, appeared on the show, and during a discussion on what Patrick Kane’s future looks like, here is what he had to say:
“Is it [Toronto], is it Buffalo, is it back to Chicago, is it Colorado” - Leafs Morning Take (7/10)
Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane finished with 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games, 19 of those points coming from the power play.
During the season, Kane talked about his time in Detroit, and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, what it might look like if he came back to Detroit if he wanted to.
“I think there is mutual interest for me to come back and continue my career here. It’s been a great spot for me, my family, and my son, and I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here," Kane said in April during Detroit's season-ending media availability. "But there’s no rush. I’ll talk things over with my agent and my family, and we’ll see how everything plays out.
As Pagnotta said, there are many options for where he might want to play out the remainder of his career. Does he want to re-sign with the Red Wings and see if they put something together? What about a reunion with the Chicago Blackhawks and helping mentor Connor Bedard and the rest of the prospects over there? Or he heads home to Buffalo and joins the red-hot Sabers.
All places mean something to Kane, but if he wants to join a contending team and potentially push for one more championship, the Avalanche might be the best fit.
Taking The Offense To Another Level
Despite turning 38 heading into next season, Kane has shown during his time with the Red Wings that the skills that earned him the nickname “show time” remain, though he has also shown signs of regression. Though in a system like the Avalanche, there could be ways to enhance those positives while mitigating some of the negatives.
The main aspect of Kane joining the team is the power play. Last season, it was not good at all. At times, it looked like it was progressing better, but it quickly reverted to overpassing and missing shots on net that went wide, ending up reaming all the way back to the other end of the ice. If you're looking for a better player to set up players like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, or Cale Makar to put the puck on net, it's Kane. Add Arturri Lehkonen as a net front presence and work from there.
As a right-winger who shoots left, he opens up options in the top nine for how they might want to utilize him. You could force either him or Necas to the left if you want a really dynamic top line, but we have seen Necas moved down with Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. So we could rock a line of Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Kane, and the second line would be Lehkonen, Nelson, Necas, bumping Kadri down to the third line as a winger or center.
Steps Needed Before Signing
The biggest issue would be what Kane is asking for and for how long. I can’t imagine it's going to be a long contract, somewhere in the two-year range, but what AAV can work between Kane and management? As stated, the Avalanche are currently over the cap. If they want a contract to go through, they will need to move off some money, likely meaning Nicholas Roy, Parker Kelly, or Lehkonen going out, which is something I imagine the Avalanche don’t want to do.
As another winger, who comes out of the lineup? Is one of the recent additions, Zachary L’Heureux or Fyodor Svechkov, a casualty? While it's not the worst to replace them for Kane, you hoped they'd get playing time to really reignite and further develop their skills.
Is it likely that the Avalanche are done this offseason and are happy with the moves (or lack thereof) they made? For sure, but if there is an opportunity for Kane, I think they should 100% take that chance, given that level of talent is available every offseason. At the same time, it might not be what he showed in Chicago; it's another level this Avalanche offense can add.
The Athletic released its 2026 summer edition of their top NHL-drafted prospects, featuring four St. Louis Blues prospects.
Topping the list was unsurprisingly Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL draft. Following closely behind McKenna in the top tier of Scott Wheeler’s rankings were San Jose Sharks’ Ivar Stenberg, Philadelphia Flyers’ Porter Martone, and Sharks’ Michael Misa.
The four Blues players to feature in these rankings were Tynan Lawrence, Dalibor Dvorsky, Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jiricek, all of whom are first-round picks for the Blues in the past four drafts. Wheeler mentioned left winger Otto Stenberg and defenseman Theo Lindstein as some of the final cuts. He considers those players Tier 6 prospects.
In Wheeler’s rankings, he provides tiers for groups of players, their positional ranks, and blurbs about their games.
Tynan Lawrence, C
Lawrence was the highest-ranking Blues prospect, landing at 27th, good enough for Tier 2 and the 11th-highest-ranked center. The 10 centers ranked above Lawrence were Misa, Caleb Malhotra, Viggo Bjorck, James Hagens, Ilya Protas, Anton Frondell, Berkly Catton, Michael Hage, Caleb Desnoyers, and Jake O’Brien. Five of the 10 centers ranked above him have already played NHL games.
Lawrence is still just 17 years old, as he’ll turn 18 on August 3. Heading into the 2025-26 season, Lawrence was widely considered the top center in the draft, but an injury delayed the start of his season, and after dominating the USHL, he decided to make the big jump to NCAA hockey.
The transition wasn’t smooth, and his production suffered, but he still has plenty of translatable NHL qualities. He plays a sound two-way game, is a strong skater, and is creative with the puck.
He has a natural release, getting pucks off his stick quickly after an intentional move to the inside or a pass into his catch-and-release (though he can overhandle it at times). He’s a good, strong skater who plays with pace and can make plays off the rush as well as inside the offensive zone. He plays pucks into space and under sticks a ton and wants to take the play to the slot. He moves into the middle of the ice and stays around the action. - Scott Wheeler
In his rookie season, Dalibor Dvorsky showcased all the qualities that will allow him to have a long NHL career, as he ranked 37th overall, in Tier 3 and as the 15th-ranked center.
His attention to the defensive side of the puck will, without a doubt, provide him the floor to be a third-line center who can score 20 goals and be a lockdown center.
But it’s the little parts of his offensive game that, with some fine-tuning, will allow him to be a top-six center. On multiple occasions, Dvorsky displayed his lethal shot. Whether it was the one-timer on the power play or his wrist shot in transition, Dvorsky has a heavy, accurate shot.
At the moment, what seems to be holding Dvorsky back is his explosiveness with his skating. He doesn’t have the acceleration to separate himself from his defender and make plays. Dvorsky is reliant on moving the puck to teammates and working off them to find open space. It’s a trait that will allow Dvorsky to score a lot of goals in the NHL, but if he truly wants to be a star, play driving is the next step.
He uses his body to gain inside positioning on defenders and shields pucks from defenders extremely impressively. I don’t think his skating is prohibitive. He has shown more fire and competitiveness as he has developed. I see legitimate finesse skills, point-production upside and power-play tools. He can run the wall or the point on the PP, effortlessly picking coverage apart and feathering pucks through seams. He has excellent touch and weight on his passes (he’s a great saucer passer off his forehand and backhand in particular) and does a beautiful job waiting for lanes to open. - Scott Wheeler
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Justin Carbonneau, RW
By size and frame, Justin Carbonneau isn’t a true power forward, but he’s showing more than a willingness to be aggressive and physical. Coming in at the 39th spot in Wheeler’s rankings, Carbonneau lands in Tier 3 as the fifth-ranked right winger. The four right wingers ranked ahead of Carbonneau were Stenberg, Martone, Roman Kantersov, and Alexander Zharovsky.
Carbonneau was excellent in the QMJHL season once again, and when the campaign concluded, he joined the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL for a few playoff games. Standing 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Carbonneau has become a high-end goal scorer with strong playmaking instincts.
Although Carbonneau has his sights set on earning an NHL roster spot during training camp, it’s more likely he’ll start the season in the AHL and continue to develop. With his NHL-ready attributes, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Carbonneau earn a call-up at some point in the season. A one-two punch of Jimmy Snuggerud and Carbonneau as the top two right wingers of the future is a strong foundation.
Carbonneau is a talented offensive-zone player with naturally quick hands, a quick release that can beat goalies from midrange and change angles on defensemen and strong athletic tools as a solid and sturdy skater, though he could get a little quicker, with a pro frame. He can challenge defenders and threaten offensively on or off the puck. He has good outside-in hands pulling pucks across his body. He has a good wall game and can make plays for himself or play in and out of give-and-gos; he does try to beat guys one-on-one a little too much, but often pulls it off. - Scott Wheeler
Adam Jiricek is often a prospect Blues fans are a bit higher on than most scouts, but it’s for good reason. Wheeler ranked Jiricek 82nd overall, landing in the fifth tier and as the 14th best right-handed defenseman. Jiricek has struggled to stay healthy, but when he is on the ice, he’s a game changer. In the 2025-26 season, Jiricek finally had that spell of good health he desperately needed, and he showed everyone exactly what he is.
In the OHL and at the World Junior Championships, Jiricek was a two-way force, routinely finding his name on the score sheet while also taking on the bulk of the top matchups. On a stacked Brantford Bulldogs team, Jiricek didn’t have to be line-matched, as that roster featured stout defenders like Ben Danford, Vladimir Dravecky, Edison Engle and Owen Protz. But at the biggest junior hockey tournament in the world, Jiricek scored five goals in seven games while logging huge minutes as Czechia won silver.
Jiricek then made the jump to the AHL when his season concluded and impressed once again, skating in six post-season games. Jiricek has the size, puck skills, skating, and defensive awareness to be a potent top-four defender in the NHL. With some more time to develop, the Blues could see a top pairing of Philip Broberg and Jiricek for a long time.
He plays the game with confidence and intention, and has shown ambition and even creativity at times against his peers. He has good four-way mobility, an active disposition — he also showed at the pro level that he could simplify and play a more effective game — and balanced shooting mechanics. Jiricek has an eye for spacing and identifying opportunities to jump on both sides of the puck, plus good skill with the puck, and spent a lot of shifts all over the offensive zone in the OHL. I like his defensive habits, and he has size and ability. He breaks up his fair share of plays in the neutral zone with good timing on surfs and close-outs, though he will occasionally get beaten by being a little overactive. He’s capable of involving himself against his peers. He projects as a No. 4 D for me. - Scott Wheeler
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LAS VEGAS — In Tyler Herro's mind, he is entering a new chapter in his career — he's been traded from the only NBA team he knew, Miami, back to where he was born, Milwaukee, and that's what he wants to focus on.
He'd rather forget the altercation he had with former Heat teammate Bam Adebayo outside a Las Vegas casino and hotel this week, he told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
"Honestly, I'm just trying to move past all of it," Herro told ESPN. "I'm focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they've been doing....
"I'm ready to come home and not prove everyone wrong," he said, "but just be able to represent the city and the state because I wanted to do that coming out of school as well."
Both the Heat and Bucks were asked by NBC Sports about the incident — coincidentally, they played each other in a Summer League game as news of the altercation broke — but both chose not to comment.
The incident reportedly occurred outside the Resorts World Casino, where the Miami Heat's Summer League team showed up to practice on a court that had been used not long before by Herro's AAU team (in town for an EYBL event). The altercation was reportedly over direct messages sent to someone from a secondary Instagram account linked to Herro (not his primary one, but apparently this second account was widely known to be Herro's). Those comments reportedly included "You should get paid 60 million to be a top tier defender on some nights?"
According to the latest ESPN report, Adebayo walked up to Herro, confronted him, and the altercation got physical but was quickly broken up, and Herro was not knocked to the ground.
Considering it happened in front of a casino and Herro's teenage AAU team, it's surprising that video of the incident has yet to be leaked. But for both sides, they likely want to move on... although it will be a subplot when Miami and Milwaukee face each other this season.
The Buffalo Sabres took care of some significant business on Monday, avoiding arbitration with forward Peyton Krebs and agreeing to a four-year, $18 million contract extension, making a minor trade with the Washington Capitals (sending Tyler Kopff for Zac Funk) and announcing the addition of veteran NHL executive John Davidson as a senior advisor.
“John and I have a strong working relationship that we have developed over many years. His experience leading multiple organizations, combined with his player evaluation skills and relationships around the NHL make him a great fit for this role.” Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a press release. “He will lend his expertise and guidance to all areas within the hockey department as we aim to continue to improve our club."
The 73-year-old has a long history with Kekalainen, who was an assistant GM in St. Louis when Davidson was hired to his first stint as an NHL executive as President of Hockey Operations with the Blues in 2006. After shifting to the same position with the Blue Jackets in 2012, the former NHL goalie fired Scott Howson and replaced him with Kekalainen as GM.
After leaving to serve as president of the NY Rangers, Davidson returned to Columbus for three seasons as president before becoming a senior advisor the last two seasons under Kekalainen and Don Waddell.
“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and look forward to the opportunity to help the organization in any way I can,” Davidson said. “The momentum in Buffalo is palpable throughout the entire league and the passion from Sabres fans makes this opportunity all the more exciting. I look forward to continuing the relationships with many in the Sabres’ front office and building new ones in this role, all with the goal of contributing to a winning culture.”
This continues the transition of ex-Columbus management personnel to the Sabres, as Kekalainen brought in Josh Flynn as an assistant GM after taking over for Kevyn Adams last December. Ironically, on Tuesday the Boston Bruins announced that Adams had been hired as a senior advisor to GM Don Sweeney.
Adams was fired by the Sabres last December, which coincided with the club’s turnaround, but was later given credit for assembling the talent that finally broke through to make the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. The Bruins seem to collecting former Sabres, as Sweeney dealt a pair of first round picks to Utah for JJ Peterka, who will join Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju, Nikita Zadorov, and Connor Clifton in Beantown.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro says he wants to "move on" from his altercation with former Miami Heat teammate Bam Adebayo after it was reported that Adebayo hit him in the face.
According to multiple media reports, Herro was approached by Adebayo at the Resorts World Hotel in Las Vegas on July 10.
Herro was at the hotel watching his AAU team practice when Adebayo confronted him about comments made on social media.
"Honestly, I'm just trying to move past all of it," Herro said to ESPN. "I'm focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they've been doing."
"I'm ready to come home and not prove everyone wrong," he said, "but just be able to represent the city and the state because I wanted to do that coming out of school as well."
Adebayo and Herro spent seven seasons as teammates before Herro was traded to Milwaukee in a deal that sent two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 10: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on July 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I thought I’d ask the question, Who do you think will improve the most the second half of the season?
I planned on have all the Jays regulars in the poll, but I’m limited to six option in the poll. Oh well.
There is room for any of our hitters to improve, but let’s go with these six. The team offense isn’t what it ought to be. Let’s use OPS as a measure, the one who’s second half OPS is the most improved from the first half.
Obviously, Vlad’s numbers are nowhere near what we expect from him. And there has been some improvement over the ten games. He has a .773 OPS over those ten games, mostly because he hit two home runs and took seven walks in those ten games. I don’t think that means he is sure to improve after the All-Star break, but it would be hard for him not to improve.
Myles Straw has a .626 OPS in the first half. He’s never been a great hitter, but last year his OPS was .680. So there is a lot of room for him to get better. And he’s been some better in his last ten games, with a .692 OPS.
Andrés Giménez has a .640 OPS. He isn’t in the lineup for his bat, but he can do batter than that. His last ten games have been awful offensively, .400 OPS.
Daulton Vasho has a .696 OPS, after a .833 last year. And his last ten games have been terrible, .276 OPS. I think he’s looking better defensively, but the bat? He isn’t striking out, but he isn’t making any hard contact.
George Springer has a .677 OPS. After a bounce back season last year, he’s back to be hitting like he did in 2024. He’s finally been moved out of the leadoff spot. He’s only had three games since the last injury.
Alejandro Kirk has had a tough season, breaking a hand. Guys often have a tough time after an injury like that. His OPS is .587. I’ve always thought that Kirk could fall out of bed and hit .290. In his last ten games, he has an .589 OPS.
