DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 11: Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) swings at a pitch and misses during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on June 11, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images
There’s no doubt that the Colorado Rockies are improved from 2025.
They’ve got a better record than they had at this point in the season last year, and in some areas, they’ve made clear improvement.
However, the Rockies still rank dead last in runs allowed at 397, which has the basement rankings sealed at 32 more than the No. 29 Nationals. That averages out to 5.75 runs per game.
While it’s not ideal, it might be manageable if Colorado had a powerful offense that could put up the runs in the counterattack. But the Rockies don’t.
The Rockies are tied at No. 15 with 297 runs scored, for an average of 4.30 runs per game. Considering the perennial challenges of pitching at Coors Field and adjusting on the road, the Rockies have a better chance of fielding a hard-hitting lineup than a knockout pitching staff.
There are several reasons for the Rockies lack of offensive prowess and run production, including Ezequiel Tovar’s strikeout problems and injuries. But one of the most peculiar things about Colorado’s struggles is the challenges to take advantage of the thin air and spacious outfield at Coors Field.
In 34 games, the Rockies offense is tied at No. 11 at home with 157 runs. That’s 4.62 per game, just above Colorado’s 140 for an average of four runs per game on the road. Considering that opponents are averaging 6.41 runs per game at 20th and Blake, other teams seem able to hit at Coors Field just fine.
The problems are evident in Colorado’s 14-20 record at home (.412), which is just slightly better than the team’s 12-23 road record (.343). Only the San Francisco Giants (13) and Boston Red Sox (10) have fewer wins at home. Massive crowds of opposing fans in Denver don’t help.
The 14-20 includes a 2-4 performance when the Rockies were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and took a series 2-1 against the Chicago Cubs in the most recent homestand, which wrapped up Thursday. Colorado was outscored 42-25 over the six-game stretch, including being outscored 28-12 against Milwaukee.
The Rockies were out-homered 11-8 over the homestand, but mostly due to the Brewers, who hit six while the Rockies hit two. The Rockies did out-homer Chicago 6-5. Of course, the Brewers (41-25) are better than the Cubs (35-34), which explains the split, but it also could mean the Rockies are improving.
After Thursday’s 9-3 loss, when the Rockies actually out-hit the Cubs 12-10, Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer was impressed by the Rockies at-bats and contact, which included putting 19 balls in play that were over 90 mph.
“A lot of hard outs. Some days it just goes like that. Some days you hit it right at people,” Schaeffer said.
“We had an opportunity in the sixth inning with the bases loaded to flip the script of the game, and got no runs out of it. We’d like to put better at-bats together right there to push something forward, but then the momentum shifts right there. But overall, I thought we swung the bats pretty well.”
One example of that potential improvement is Hunter Goodman. The 2025 All-Star catcher has hit much better away from Coors Field this season.
Team
G
AB
R
H
2B
HR
RBI
BB
IBB
SO
SB
CS
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
Home Games
31
114
20
24
6
7
14
13
1
42
2
0
.211
.300
.447
.747
Away Games
32
124
21
34
5
11
19
10
1
47
3
2
.274
.338
.581
.919
Total
63
238
41
58
11
18
33
23
2
89
5
2
.244
.320
.517
.837
In the first five games against the Brewers and Cubs, Goodman hit three homers, drove in six runs, totaled five hits, stole a base and drew five walks. A 0-for-5 performance with three strikeouts on Thursday didn’t help, but Goodman could be figuring things out at Coors. Considering that Goodman had four homers at Coors Field entering the homestand, his three over the last six games, which moved him to 18 on the season, was a big deal.
Hopefully, Mickey Moniak and Tyler Freeman will be back from injuries to add power and hits to the lineup the next time the Rockies return to Coors Field June 19-24 to host the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. Combined with the bats of impressive rookies like TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg, perhaps the Rockies offense is trending up at Coors Field.
In the meantime, the Rockies are headed to a hitters’ paradise to play The Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark, home to the Triple-A Aviators, this weekend. In a three-game series there Monday-Wednesday, the A’s and Brewers combined to hit 22 homers and score 48 runs. With right field and left field foul poles each at 340 feet, plus highs expected around 106-107 degrees this weekend, the Rockies could use the weekend to turn on the offense — as long as they stay hydrated.
Zac Veen hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Charlie Condon hit a two-run home run in the sixth, but it wasn’t enough for Albuquerque on Thursday night. Condon’s shot put the Istopes up 5-3, but Tacoma put up a five-spot in the sixth to earn a lead it never lost. Veen also added a double and Condon drove in three runs.
Jack Mahoney struck out 10 batters in five scoreless innings, giving up only one run to improve to 3-0 on the season and lead the Yard Goats to a victory on Thursday. The game got off to a good start when Dyan Jorge led off the first inning with a double, then stole third and then stole home to score, despite the Yard Goats striking out three times in the frame. Zach Kokoska hit a two-run homer in the second inning to give Hardford a 3-0 lead. Roc Riggio added an RBI double in the fifth and Cole Messina hit an RBI single in the eighth for an insurance run. Jorge recorded three hits and scored two runs, Bryant Betancourt, Messina and Kokosa each added two hits.
Max Belyeu hit two solo homers, including one in the top of the ninth, to help Spokane overcome a 6-3 deficit for a late win. Tommy Hopfe and Kelvin Hidalgo each added a solo homer. Belyeu finished with three hits and drove in three runs, Hidalgo had two hits and scored two runs and Jack O’Dowd doubled and scored a run. Hunter Mann threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts to close out the game and earn the win.
Fresno scored four runs in the sixth inning to go up 7-4 after Yeiker Reyes hit an RBI single, Ashly Andujar followed with a two-run single and Roldy Brito finished out the inning with another run-scoring single. Carlos Renzullo hit an RBI single and drove in another on a sac grounder and Brito hit a run-scoring single to help the Grizzlies score their first three runs by the fifth inning. Along with Brito, Reyes and Andujar both recorded two hits. Manuel Olivares threw two solid innings, giving up one run to earn the win.
Even though he’s on the IL with a left oblique contusion, Brenton Doyle still managed to impress fans at Coors Field on Thursday. Turns out, he’s got talent at serving up chocolate-covered strawberries, in addition to his baseball skills.
Eli Whitney checks in with former All-Star reliever Jordan Romano, whose promising career was derailed by an elbow injury. He’s now playing for Triple-A Albuquerque after the Rockies signed him to a minor league deal on May 6. Romano also talks about why he picked the Rockies for his comeback bid.
I hate the term “Wrigley Field West.” Coors Field is basically a home away from home for almost every MLB team. Patrick Saunders dives into the multiple reasons why opposing fans outnumber Rockies fans, which can be seen and heard in the stands. It’s no surprise that the Rockies staff and players don’t like it.
TOPSHOT - Dirk Nowitzki (C) of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates with teammates after winning the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on June 12, 2011 at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Jason Terry scored 27 points and Nowitzki finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Mavericks won 105-95 to take the best-of-seven championship series four-games-to-two to claim their first NBA championship in franchise history. AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo by MARK RALSTON / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Jason Terry’s 26-footer rimmed out, and the clock hit triple zeros. Dwyane Wade caught the rebound and emphatically threw the ball towards the American Airlines Center rafters. The Miami Heat just won their first championship. The 20,000+ in attendance stood in awe as what seemed like a foregone conclusion a week before had turned into a brutal nightmare. Just nine days earlier, the Mavericks had taken a commanding 2-0 lead over the Heat. But then it all fell apart, and Dallas lost the series 4-2, letting their first real chance at a championship slip away.
How did we get here?
A total of 1,818 days passed between that day and when the Mavericks entered American Airlines Arena in Miami for Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals. Dressed in all black, taking only one outfit to South Beach, Dallas had a chance to flip the script from five years earlier. How fitting it was for the Mavs to have a chance to secure their first ring on the road, in a game six, against this Miami Heat team.
Remember, this Miami Heat team had no shortage of star power. The “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up over the prior summer to win “not six…not seven…not eight…” championships, but also to cripple the league with its trio of stars for the foreseeable future. Miami started the season slowly, but found its rhythm, finishing the season 58-24, earning the East’s second seed. They coasted to the NBA Finals, beating the 76ers, Celtics, and Bulls each in five games. After dismantling the 62-20 Bulls in the Conference Finals, the Heat seemingly had all the momentum heading into the Finals. They looked unstoppable.
While everything felt so new and exciting in Miami, Dallas felt the exact opposite. It was the same old, same old Mavericks. At the beginning of the season, the only people who thought the Mavericks would be on the cusp of their first ring were the 15 players in the Dallas locker room. After a decade of disappointing playoff runs, questions began to swirl about whether Dirk Nowitzki could actually lead a team to a championship. “He’s European. He’s soft. He’s slow.” The criticism was higher than ever entering the finals for Nowitzki. After an early surge of deep playoff runs with co-stars Steve Nash and Michael Finley from 2000 to 2004, Dallas let Nash walk in 2004, and Finley left for the champion San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
Dirk’s new co-star, Jason Terry, was the consolation prize of Nash’s leaving. But that duo just wasn’t enough to get the job done, losing in the 2006 NBA Finals and getting embarrassed by the Golden State Warriors in 2007, losing in the first round as the one seed. Dallas switched gears in 2008, trading for Jason Kidd, hoping he could solve some of the point guard issues. After a second-round exit in 2009 and a first-round exit in 2010, Dallas made big changes coming into the 2010-2011 season. Adding to its core of Nowitzki, Kidd, Marion, and Terry, Dallas signed heavily coveted center Tyson Chandler to bring protection in the middle. The Mavs also had a slew of other veterans to add depth, like DeShawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic, Caron Butler, and Brendan Haywood.
The rematch
The season felt different as Dallas secured the third seed with a record of 57-25. But they’ve been there before. Good regular season, then playoff flameout. But this team truly was different. The Mavericks took out the young Portland Trailblazers in six, swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and bullied the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. They entered the finals also feeling like they could finally get over the hump. But the juggernaut Heat awaited on the other side.
After the Heat opened the series with a convincing win, 92-84 over the Mavs, a miraculous comeback from Nowitzki and company evened the series at 1-1, as Dallas narrowly escaped 95-93. Miami bounced back in game three, taking a 2-1 series lead before the Mavs put them on the brink of elimination, notching two gritty wins, and coming within a game of basketball glory. And of course, all roads led back to Miami, the place where it all fell apart just five years earlier. And while all the noise continued whether Dallas could actually finish it off in Miami, no group seemed more poised to finish the job this time than these Mavericks.
Game 6: first half
Game six started nearly picture-perfect for Miami. LeBron James, who struggled the entire series with his jump shot, started 4-4 from the field, scoring nine quick points. His 20-foot step back jumper from the top of the key prompted a Dallas timeout, as Miami led 14-10 with 7:47 left in the first quarter.
As good as he’d been the entire series, Dirk Nowitzki struggled in the first half, going just 1-13 from the floor, with his only make being in the first quarter, a tough baseline jumper over Joel Anthony to cut the Miami lead to seven, 20-13 with 6:05 remaining. Unlike 2006, it was his partner in crime, Jason Terry, who took the reins for the Mavericks. Terry was 8-10 from the field in the first half, scoring 19 huge points. With Dirk starting ice cold, other Mavericks had to step up, too. DeShawn Stevenson hit a trio of threes spanning from the end of the first quarter to 9:42 left in the second, as Dallas surged to a 40-28 lead. Stevenson, the “3 and D” wing that brought toughness on the perimeter for the Mavs, shot a blistering 56.5% from three in the Finals, going 13 for 23.
The Heat responded. Eddie House was the spark plug for Miami, igniting a 14-0 run with a trio of his own on threes, giving Miami a 42-40 lead. The Mavericks called a timeout with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter, and a mid-court scuffle between the two teams, particularly Mario Chalmers and DeShawn Stevenson, caused a 15-minute delay in action while both teams caught their breath.
Miami pushed the lead to 47-43 before Jason Terry again steadied the ship, scoring the next 10 points for Dallas, as the Mavs held a narrow 53-51 lead at halftime.
Game 6: second half
Twenty-four minutes away from their first ring, the Mavericks came out in the third quarter with something to prove. There was never a plan to play game seven. As the blue shirts read, “The Time is Now.” The first positive sign was Nowitzki hitting an elbow jumper 10 seconds into the 3rd quarter, equaling the number of baskets he had in the first half. But despite an uncharacteristic start from Nowitzki, the Mavs still led 55-51, and the supporting cast continued to rally around their leader.
The third quarter was all about the J’s: J.J. Barea, Jason Kidd, and lots of jumpers. The 5’10 Puerto Rican-born J.J. Barea upended the Heat defense in the third quarter. Barea got the start in the second half and scored six quick points to force the Heat defense to collapse in the middle. This opened free space on jump shots around the perimeter for Dallas. He assisted Nowitzi on another rhythm jumper from the elbow that gave Dallas a 61-56 lead with 9:27 remaining in the third.
Then Jason Kidd found his stroke. Kidd scored his first bucket, a three from the top of the arc, that pushed the Mavs’ lead to 68-62. Kidd did it again with under a minute left in the third quarter, hitting a step-back three to give the Mavs a 79-71 lead. The icing on the cake was when French native Ian Mahimni, who scored a total of nine points in the series, hit a free-throw line jumper at the buzzer, and gave Dallas an 81-72 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
After Miami scored the first five points in the fourth quarter, it was Jose Barea once again who came to life, hitting a three to get the Mavs’ lead back to seven, 84-77. In the game, Barea had 15 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Then it was time to hand the steering wheel to the man who the franchise starts and ends with – Dirk Nowiztki.
After the third quarter helped him get his shot rhythm back, Nowitzki took over. He hit an 18-foot jumper with 7:24 remaining to give the Mavs a 91-80 lead, and never looked back. He attacked Haslem on the baseline, going left, and finished at the rim, giving the Mavs a 94-84 lead. Another Nowitzki elbow jumper snapped the bottom of the net with 3:41 remaining, and Dallas still holding control 97-87. The biggest shot of the game came for Nowitzki with under 2:30 to play. With nowhere to go along the baseline and the shot clock winding down, Nowitzki hoisted up a heavily contested jumper that hit nothing but nylon. Miami called timeout and Dirk, tongue out at the Miami faithful pumped his fist all the way to the Maverick sideline.
Finishing the job
Fittingly, Jason Terry hit a dagger free throw line jumper with 1:55 remaining that gave the Mavs a 101-89 lead. Terry ended the game with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. As the Mavericks bench celebrated downcourt and fans who made the trek to Miami cheering loud enough for the AAC to hear them back home, Dallas had one last play up its sleeve. With 35 seconds left, Nowitzki met Kidd at the top of the arc for a slip screen that caught LeBron James sleeping. Kidd found Nowitzki on the cut, and he finished with his left hand at the rim, putting the nail in the coffin for good.
After a Miami miss and foul to put Kidd at the free throw line, the camera found each veteran Maverick with a look of awe. Nowitzki and Chandler both with their hands behind their heads, Shawn Marion with his mouth wide open, Jason Terry with a blank stare of amazement. The jewelry was finally theirs.
The clock hit triple zeros. “And the Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions, their first title in franchise history,” as Mike Breen called the final buzzer. Nowitzki, overcome with emotion, immediately left the court to take a moment for himself before celebrating with his teammates. “The Mavericks have scaled the NBA playoff mountain and planted their flag, they are the NBA Champions for 2010-2011,” Mavs radio voice Chuck Cooperstein sang over the airwaves.
Five years’ worth of waiting
The job was finally complete. After five long years from the brutal heartbreak of 2006, and 31 years since its inception, the Dallas Mavericks were NBA champions.
And finally, the awkward lanky kid from Germany found his way to what he always deserved – to raise a Finals MVP trophy and the long-coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. As he hoisted the championship trophy towards the rafters, Nowitzki yelled, “Yeah!” to a stunned Miami crowd. What felt like a painful ending five years earlier, was a path to something greater, as it was only a chapter to a storybook ending for one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) runs back on defense after scoring a three-point basket during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Currently, a lot of names are being floated as possible Suns picks at 47. Most of the players I initially identified as bargains at 47 back in April have moved so far up the chart that they are now late first or early second round picks, including Tarris Reed, Henri Veesaar, and Zuby Ejiofor.
Only three or four players I have reviewed previously look like they might be available at 47: Jaden Bradley (12% chance of still being available at 47), Trevon Brazile (16%), Izaiyah Nelson (56%), and Bruce Thornton (58%). I’d be happy with any of them.
Unfortunately, there are nightmare scenarios where none of them are available (like the latest mock draft on The Athletic), and the Suns have to dig a bit deeper. I’ve gone and looked at all the mock drafts out there, plus the latest articles from The Arizona Republic and other reporting online to see who the Suns have been working out, or draft experts have flagged as guys who are “aligned” with Brian Gregory’s vision, and some who make no sense whatsoever.
I’ve broken them down into a few guys who make some sort of sense, those who are a definite maybe, and players I’d be VERY unhappy if we drafted them because I cannot envision a role for them on the team, or even in the NBA at all. I also look at a few players that will go undrafted, but have been mentioned as potential UFAs and summer league invites.
Makes Some Sort of Sense
These are players with some upside who fit the team’s vision and fill a team need. They’re guys whom I could see carving out a niche in the NBA with some skill that’s far above average, like rebounding or three-point shooting. They’re not going to be stars, but you could imagine a role for them on the team at some point.
Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia, Senior, C)
Ugonna Onyenso is a 7’0”, 245-pound center who emerged as an elite rim protector and efficient play-finisher during his senior season at Virginia. Possessing an impressive 7’5” wingspan and high-level athleticism, he projects as a low-mistake defensive anchor and rotational big man at the professional level.
Draft Range
Mid-30s to Mid-50s with an average of 44.9 and a median of 40.5.
Why He Makes Sense
Have you heard about second-Maluach? Onyenso, a native of Nigeria, seems like a 21-year-old carbon copy of the Suns’ big man, but with even better shot-blocking instincts. He averaged a ridiculous 5.7 blocks per 36 minutes and managed 57/28/73 shooting splits. That free-throw percentage suggests to me that his three-point shot and mid-range game might improve significantly as he gets older.
There’s only a 41% chance he will still be available when the Suns pick at 47, but if he’s still there, he should be the top target. Imagine Dikembe Mutombo with a three-point shot. The No Ceiling NBA Mock Draft V8 has the Suns picking him at 47.
Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA, Senior, PF)
Bilodeau is a 6’8”, 235-pound small/power forward high-IQ, three-level scorer who projects as an immediate floor-spacer at the professional level. Having started over 100 collegiate games, he brings significant experience, toughness, and a steady veteran presence. During his senior year, he shot 46.4% from three-point range.
Draft Range
Late 40’s to undrafted. Average: 54th; median: 56.5.
Why He Makes Sense
Bilodeau has been compared to Cameron Johnson, and it’s fair. He might be an even better shooter and might even be the best left in the draft. He averaged 17.6 points on 52/46/88 shooting splits, spitting distance from a 50/40/90 in college. He’s a below-average rebounder and defender, but he brings one elite skill to the table, and it’s the one that keeps people in the league. Combine with a better size than Brooks or O’Neale, and he could carve out a spot as an 11th or 12th man.
Pavle Backo (KK Mega Basket, 18.9 YO, C)
Pavle Backo, a skilled 18-year-old Serbian center for Mega Superbet, has officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft. Standing between 6’10” and 7’0” and weighing 262 pounds, Backo fits the classic mold of a highly fundamental, slow-paced Balkan “offensive hub” center. He built major draft momentum by winning back-to-back U19 Adriatic League MVP honors and dominating the FIBA U18 EuroBasket. He averaged 36.5% from three-point range in Euroleague play.
Draft Range
Anywhere from mid-30s to undrafted. The average is 52.8, but the variance is so high that it is very hard to predict where he’ll land.
Why He Makes Sense
There’s always a spot in the league for centers who are legit 3-point threats, and Backo projects to be one. He’s only 18.94 years old, according to Tankathon, so he has potential to grow. Probably not the net Nikola Jokic, but a big body who could hit threes and has a feel for the game would be an interesting change of pace from the slight Ighodaro and the developing Maluach.
The Suns could do worse than taking a flyer on him and stashing him in the G League to develop, or even leaving him overseas as a draft-and-stash. NBA comparisons might be Pat Burke or Aron Baynes.
Big Red Flags, but Maybe?
Maliq Brown (Duke, Senior, PF/C)
Maliq Brown (6’9.25”, 217 pounds) is an elite, positionless defensive prospect known for his active hands, elite quickness in pick-and-rolls, and the rare ability to defend all five positions. However, his limited offensive repertoire and lack of perimeter shooting have capped his draft stock, leading some to project him as a gritty, defensive-minded specialist.
Draft Range
High-30s to high-50s, with an average of 51 and a median of 53.5. There is an estimated 70% chance he will be available with the 47th pick.
Why He’s a Maybe
Maliq Brown is a defensive specialist with no offensive game to speak of. In the modern NBA, there’s really no place for players like this anymore. He does a lot of things really well on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s a willing passer, but does he have a place in the modern NBA game? He’s basically Ryan Dunn, but a couple of inches taller.
Given how Dunn struggled to stay on the court last year, it’s hard to envision Brown doing much better. NBA comparisons would be Ryan Dunn and maybe Draymond Green. He was mentioned as a possible target by AZCentral and ThePhoenixSuns.com website.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee, Senior, PG)
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6’1”, 188 pounds) is a highly skilled, veteran combo guard whose prolific scoring, deep shooting range, and competitive point-of-attack defense make him an intriguing prospect for professional levels. Following his senior year, he emerged as a late-round draft prospect, particularly after a strong NBA Combine performance.
Draft Range
Mid-40s to late-50s with an average of 48.2 and a median of 47. There’s an estimated 60% chance he’ll still be on the board when the Suns pick.
Why He’s a Maybe
Gillespie is a solid defender and projects to be a good three-point shooter at the NBA level (38.3%). He doesn’t do anything amazingly well, but there’s nothing horrible either.
It’s hard to see him surprising the league because he lacks an elite skill, but his combine measurements, times, and shooting all looked good enough for the big show. The Suns could do a lot worse if they’re looking for a point guard to develop in the G-League. Draft Room and Bleacher Report have the Suns drafting him at 47, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing. At the same time, he lacks an elite skill, and his ceiling seems low.
Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State, Senior, PG)
Tamin Lipsey (6’1”, 200 pounds) is a tough, defense-first lead guard known for his elite on-ball pressure, high basketball IQ, and excellent assist-to-turnover ratio. The four-year Iowa State standout projects as a prototypical backup point guard and energy spark plug, with physical play that allows him to box out and guard bigger wings.
Draft Range
Late 40s to undrafted, with an average of 58.6 and a median of 54. Due to the small sample size and high variance, it is difficult to say with precision what the odds are that he will be available at 47, but it is likely to be very high (95+%).
Why He’s a Maybe
Lipsey is an able floor general who’s “got that dawg in him” on defense. He fits the Suns’ archetype of defensive-minded high-motor players. Statistically, there are a lot of things he is very good at, and they outnumber the bad. However, his size and so-so shooting (46/32/66 splits) are giant warning flags about his viability as an NBA player.
There are a number of more interesting players available, and there is roughly a 50-50 chance that Lipsey will go undrafted if the Suns want a second chance to try him with the Summer League team. One NBA comparison might be Markelle Fultz, who is, to begin with, something of a cautionary tale. He was mentioned as a possible target by AZCentral and ThePhoenixSuns.com website.
Quadir Copeland (NC State, Senior, PG/SG)
After a collegiate journey with stops at Syracuse and McNeese State, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound jumbo guard breakout season came as a senior under Will Wade at NC State, where he averaged 13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He established himself as an elite offensive engine and defensive disruptor, earning All-ACC Third Team honors.
Draft Range
Late 40s to undrafted, though most likely undrafted. The average is 53, the median is 51. There is an estimated 73% chance he is available at 47, though in reality, it is likely higher.
Why He’s a Maybe
Quadir Copeland is intriguing as a backup to Booker or as someone who could play alongside him as a second distributor. He has the size and skills to play three positions. He was not known as a three-point shooter until his senior year, and still doesn’t take them at a high rate. He’s not stellar in any one area, but his three-point percentage, size, and ability to run an offense make him at least interesting. He’s only a mediocre defender at best.
Still, there is a strong chance he will go undrafted and will be available as an unrestricted free agent if the Suns are that interested. The Suns also have more shooting guards than they could play, meaning he’d be spending his time in the G-League for a year at least.
Get Out the Pitchforks and Torches
All of these players are a hard “no” from me: they don’t address team needs (i.e., the Suns need another shooting guard or small forward like they need Bradley Beal back), the player has no future in the NBA, or some combination of both. If the Suns spend the 47th pick on any of these players, it will be a waste of a pick.
Dillon Mitchell (St. John’s, Senior, SG/SF)
Dillon Mitchell (6’8”, 202 pounds) is an explosive athlete and defensive specialist whose value lies in his transition scoring, high-motor rebounding, and defensive versatility. However, his lack of perimeter shooting and traditional size for a wing present clear developmental hurdles for his offensive fit at the next level.
Draft Range
Low-40s to high-50s, with an average of 47.9 and a median of 46.
Why He’s a “No”
Mitchell shot 6.7% from three-point range as a senior. There’s really no place in the current NBA meta for wings who cannot shoot. Ryan Dunn is a way better shooter, and he already looks like he’s on his way out. He also plays positions where the Suns already have too many players. He was mentioned as a possible target by AZCentral.
Kylan Boswell (Illinois, Senior, PG)
Measuring roughly 6’1” barefoot and weighing a sturdy 226 pounds at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, Boswell utilizes his unique “bully-ball” frame to disrupt opponents and absorb contact. After spending his first two collegiate seasons at Arizona, he transferred home to play his junior and senior years for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he anchored a 2026 Final Four run.
Draft Range
50s to undrafted.
Why He’s a “No”
He’s a point guard who doesn’t do the necessary point guard things: namely, generate assists or shoot threes effectively (30.7% from range). The combination of the two means I don’t see a future for him in the NBA. He is likely to go undrafted for a reason: scouts can read a stat sheet, too. He was mentioned as a possible target by AZCentral.
Tobi Lawal (Virginia Tech, Senior, PF)
Lawal is a 6’8.5” (in socks), 214 pound forward from London, England, who spent his first two collegiate seasons at VCU before transferring to the Virginia Tech Hokies, where he broke out during the 2025–26 season and wowed onlookers at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine with a 45.5” vertical.
Draft Range
Mid-40s to late-50s, with an average of 52.9 and a median of 53.5.
Why He’s a “No”
Lawal lacks any sort of shooting range (25% from three) and has a poor feel for the game. He’s more “bad at his job” than good, per Tankathon. At his age, I don’t think there’s much chance his basketball IQ and skills ever catch up with his athleticism. I don’t see a future for him in the NBA. Rookiescale.com projects the Suns taking him at 47.
Tyler Nickel (Vanderbilt, Senior, SG)
Tyler Nickel is a 6’6”, 217-pound wing prospect known for his movement shooting and high basketball IQ. After a standout collegiate career, he projects as a late-second-round pick or a priority undrafted free agent, with his ability to space the floor and play within a system making him a valuable offensive asset.
Draft Range
Mid-40s to undrafted. Average of 48.7 and median of 47.5.
Why He’s a “No”
Nickel isn’t a bad player: he’s a 3-point specialist SG when the Suns have too many SGs, and they already have Koby Brea at home who can’t find minutes on the team either. In fact, Koby Brea is probably the better player of the two. Sam Vecenie at The Athletic projects the Suns taking Nickel at 47 for some unfathomable reason.
Milos Uzan (Houston, Senior, PG)
Milos Uzan (6’4”, 185 pounds) high-IQ floor general with a rare combination of modern point guard size, exceptional pick-and-roll patience, and strong defensive capabilities. After a breakout junior year leading the Houston Cougars to the NCAA Championship game, he returned for his senior season, establishing himself as a second-round prospect.
Draft Range
Late-40s to undrafted. Average of 51.3 and median of 51.
Why He’s a “No”
Three major mock drafts (Tankathon, Sports Illustrated, HoopsHype) have the Suns picking Uzan at 47, and I cannot tell you how much I hate this pick. Uzan is bad at just about everything, and the one thing he’s “good” at mostly involves not trying to pass the ball (turnovers). He doesn’t generate assists, and shot a putrid 38% from the field. I look at his stat profile as a senior from Tankathon, and I cannot imagine him having any sort of future in the NBA: he’s bad at a lot of things, and what he’s good at doesn’t really matter.
Felix Okpara (Tennessee, Senior, C)
Felix Okpara is a highly athletic, defensive-minded center prospect with elite physical tools. At 6-foot-11 and roughly 237 pounds, he features a massive 7-foot-4 wingspan and a standing reach of 9-foot-4. Known for his rim protection and lob-catching.
Draft Range
Late-40s to undrafted. Average of 50.1 and median of 51.
Why He’s a “No”
Okpara is another one of those amazing athletes who isn’t a basketball player. He’s not good at much, but he’s bad at a lot of things. He doesn’t do the things you want a center to do (rebound, block shots). I do not see him as having a future in the league. CBS projects the Suns picking Okpara with the 47th pick.
Otega Oweh (Kentucky, Senior, SG)
Otega Oweh is a prototypical two-way wing known for his relentless motor, physical toughness, and high-level perimeter defense. Measuring 6’4” barefoot with a near 6’9” wingspan and a chiseled 216-pound frame, he excels as a downhill slasher and a versatile, disruptive stopper who consistently guards the opposing team’s best scorer.
Draft Range
Late-30s to Undrafted. Average: 46.6; median: 46.
Why He’s a “No”
A lot of people like Oweh far more than I do, but he makes no sense on a Suns team with too many shooting guards already. His three-point shooting is mediocre at best (34.3%), and his defensive rating is not great. There’s nothing he does that’s elite, and there are a lot of things he’s below-average at. It’s hard to envision him having a role in the league, much less the Suns. Despite this, NBADraft.net projects the Suns taking him at 47.
Guys Who Will Go Undrafted
These are players that have been mentioned in connection with the Suns’ workouts, whom I 100% expect to be undrafted free agents. If the Suns bring them on, it’s mostly for the attitude they bring.
Derrian Ford (Temple, Senior, PG/SG)
Derrian Ford is a physical, tough-minded 6-foot-3, 200-pound combo guard who declared for the 2026 NBA Draft following an outstanding breakout senior season as Temple University’s leading scorer. He averaged 18.1 PPG on 42.7/37.9/85.2 shooting splits with 4.3 RPG and 1.9 APG.
Isaac McKneely (Louisville, Senior, SG)
Isaac McKneely is a highly efficient 6’4″, 195 lb shooting guard prospect noted for his elite three-point shooting, high basketball IQ, and steady playmaking. Following a successful three-year stint at Virginia, he finished his final college season at Louisville. He averaged 10.9 PPG on 41.6/39.5/86.0 shooting splits, with 3.0 RPG and 1.4 APG.
Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue, Senior, PF)
Trey Kaufman-Renn is a 6’9”, 241 lb, fundamentally sound, physical, and highly efficient inside scorer and rebounder entering the 2026 NBA Draft following a standout redshirt senior season at Purdue University. He is currently projected as a late second-round pick or high-priority undrafted free agent who recently boosted his draft stock with a standout performance at the G League Combine, earning a call-up to the official NBA Draft Combine. He averaged 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, with .6 stocks on 57.8/15.4/63.6 shooting splits in his senior year.
Conclusions
At this point, I have reviewed 18 players likely to go in the second round. Many of them were effectively me doing it at gunpoint: mock drafts by people who seem to have no understanding of how the Suns’ roster is constructed or what makes a viable NBA player.
Realistically, the Suns have a shot at 8 players of real interest to me with the 47th pick. My ranking of these, and the likelihood they will be available, are listed below. In effect, this would be my draft board for the Suns with the 47th pick.
Trevon Brazile (15.7%): Freaky tall and athletic 4/5 who shoots the three, but there are questions about his intensity.
Bruce Thornton (58.6%): My pick for the most underrated player in the draft. Does a lot of things very well, fantastic intangibles, but scouts are hung up on his speed and height.
Ugonna Onyenso (41.2%): Elite rim protector with three-point range. Might make Mark Williams expendable. Projects are a dangerous backup center.
Jaden Bradley (12.2%): Arizona product with a lot of nice intangibles, decent stats, and no giant red flags
Izaiyah Nelson (56.4%): Freaky athletic and long PF/C with a high motor, but no 3-point range
Tyler Bilodeau (86.2%): Ultimate low ceiling, low risk player with power forward size and great 3-point range, and not much else. Great fallback option.
Pavle Backo (59.4%): Great draft-and-stash candidate if the Suns don’t know what else they want to do. Young, skilled, 6’11” center with three-point range has some potential future value.
Maliq Brown (70%): Defensive specialist who might be worth a look as a Draymond Green-type player, but whose archetype generally no longer has a place in the NBA.
The Prem’s top points scorer has been rejuvenated this year as the Chiefs look to overturn their fancied hosts Bath in Saturday’s semi-final
It is early afternoon in Exeter and Henry Slade is reflecting on his day so far. As a type 1 diabetic he has already injected himself “four or five times” and a training schedule change has left him playing catchup with his insulin levels. “I had a bit of a stinker today. I had to bang some carbohydrate down me before training but didn’t quite get it right. I was a bit on the low side and didn’t feel very good. I guess it was my fault for not reading the schedule properly.”
Later there will be further injections and more monitoring, none of it stress free for someone who wrestles with obsessive compulsive disorder. Plus, there are the demands of having three daughters under six back at home; the youngest, Delphine, is not yet three months old. After an intensely physical match even changing a nappy can be challenging. “With the last two I’ve spent hours on the floor changing nappies. It’s a nightmare getting up again. We’ve now got nappy-changing tables which are an absolute gamechanger.”
Tobias Myers started this game and went two-and-two-thirds innings before reliever Matt Turner finished the third inning. And then Jack Wenninger pitched the remainder of the game, giving up all three of Buffalo’s runs in his five innings of work. The Syracuse lineup didn’t get much going.
Kodai Senga’s rehab start was his best one thus far during this rehab assignment, as he went six innings, gave up just one run on one hit, struck out five, and walked one. Unfortunately, Binghamton’s bats didn’t do much, and the two runs that the bullpen allowed were all Somerset needed to beat them.
The Cyclones led 1-0 and 2-1 in this one, but a pair of late runs allowed by the bullpen turned the game in Frederick’s favor. Cyclones starter Nicolas Carreno struck out nine and walked two, allowing just one run in six innings of work.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 12: Daniel Espino #66 of the Cleveland Guardians poses for a portrait at Cleveland Guardians Photo Day during 2026 Spring Training at Goodyear Ballpark on February 12, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians have demoted Codi Heuer and promoted Daniel Espino. They also traded Nolan Jones to the White Sox for $250K in international free agency.
It’s quite exciting to think of Espino finally making the big leagues. Zack Meisel has a story out about his arduous journey.
Nolan Jones is not good, but if he is somehow miraculously good with the White Sox, it’ll be time o fire the hitting coaches here.
Meisel has an article on the hitting issues for the Guardians.
The Tigers will start Jack Flaherty vs. Tanner Bibee tonight at 7:10PM, Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo on Saturday at 4:10PM and probably Casey Mize vs. Gavin Williams on Sunday at 1:40PM. Feels like a very important series right now. The Guardians are on a four-game losing streak.
AROUND MLB:
The Tigers destroyed the Twins and the Royals lost to the Rangers.
The Atlanta Braves were unable to seek a win on Thursday evening, as the series finale against the Chicago White Sox was a washout. The game will be made up on August 20th at 2:10 ET.
The road trip has continued to New York, where the Braves face the Mets in a three-game series. First pitch is set for Friday night at 7:15 ET.
More Braves News:
MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft has new names connected to the Braves.
Isaiah Drake logged two homers and a double in Rome’s win on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap.
MLB News:
The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired outfielder Derek Hill and international bonus pool finds from the Chicago White Sox. In exchange, the Sox received two prospects.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a few areas on their roster that they should be looking to improve during the summer. Among them is their blueline, as their defensive group could simply use more depth.
When looking at this year's pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs), Buffalo Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley is an interesting potential option for the Blue Jackets to consider.
The first thing that immediately stands out about Stanley is his size. The 6-foot-7, 231-pound defenseman would provide the Blue Jackets' defensive group with a hulking defenseman, which is never a bad thing for a team with playoff expectations like the Blue Jackets to have around.
Stanley also showed this season that he is capable of providing some offense from the point in addition to his toughness. In 76 games this season split between the Winnipeg Jets and Sabres, Stanley set new career highs with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points. If he translated this kind of offense over to next season, he would give the Blue Jackets a bit more offensive production from the point, which is needed.
However, Stanley's biggest impact comes from his gritty style of play. The big blueliner isn't afraid of the physical side of the game, as threw 110 hits and had 128 penalty minutes this season. He would be a good player for the Blue Jackets to have around when the games get tougher and would give them another player to protect their top stars.
Another appealing factor about Stanley is his age. This is because the Sabres defenseman just turned 28 years old in May and has multiple years left in his prime. With this, he could be a nice long-term fit on a Blue Jackets club that is looking to break out and become real threats in the Eastern Conference.
If the Blue Jackets signed Stanley, he could fit well on their bottom pairing. He would also give them another option to work with on their penalty kill because of his shutdown ability.
Overall, if Stanley ends up not re-signing with the Sabres and testing the market, he is one of the defensemen that the Blue Jackets should have on their radar. While he is not a star, he would be a good hard-nosed defenseman for the Blue Jackets to add to their roster.
In 278 career NHL games over six seasons, Stanley has recorded 14 goals, 48 assists, 62 points, 333 penalty minutes, 351 blocks, 467 hits, and a plus-29 rating.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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Two factions of former Philadelphia Flyers have been pitted against each other in the Stanley Cup Final, but only one end is living up to their end of the bargain so far.
With a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, the Carolina Hurricanes are in the driver's seat to win their first Stanley Cup in 20 years, taking a 3-2 series lead.
They've managed that on the strength of longtime Flyers nemesis Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes' captain who has scored in each of the first five games of the series, making him the first player to do so since Rocket Richard in 1956
Additionally, Staal's five-game scoring streak is tied for the longest such streak in Stanley Cup Final history.
The wily vet has been historically great for the Canes when it matters most, while a former Flyers goalie at the other end of the ice has been historically terrible.
On Tuesday night, after allowing five goals in a 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes, ex-Flyers netminder Carter Hart became the only goalie in NHL history to allow four or more goals in each of the first four games of a Stanley Cup Final.
Things only got worse for the 27-year-old on Thursday night, as another four goals by the Hurricanes put his team down in the series for the very first time, extending his historically bad record by one more game.
Hart was a strong playoff performer dating back to his early days with the Flyers, but he's had a save percentage no higher than .879 in his last five starts for the Golden Knights.
As a result, his once-elite numbers this postseason have plummeted to a more average 2.59 GAA and .909 save percentage. Still respectable, but hardly jaw-dropping as they were previously.
At the other end of the ice, the Hurricanes have turned to Brandon Bussi in place of Freddie Andersen; Bussi has now won two straight with Andersen serving as a scratch and not dressing at all.
Former Flyers head coach John Tortorella has one more chance, with or without Hart, to figure it out for Vegas, before the Stanley Cup goes home with Carolina.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Members of the New York Knicks celebrate their 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe the impossibility of the Knicks’ 29-point comeback to win Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Or the euphoria that spread like wildfire from Madison Square Garden across the city and the surrounding areas, into the hearts of every Knicks fan on the planet.
It’s still something that, 36 hours later, doesn’t feel real. Even as this team has repeatedly shown that nothing is impossible, they continue to find a way to up the ante over and over again.
Just drilling into Wednesday night’s miracle. A 29-point comeback has only happened 17 times in the history of the sport, regardless of time of year. Of those 17, only nine saw the lead overcome in just one half of basketball. To cherry-pick, it’s the seventh-largest comeback of any kind in the final 21:30 of a game.
Only one of those games, a 2019 thriller between the Clippers and Warriors, happened in the playoffs. These larger comebacks, while more impressive in size, come nowhere close in terms of the leverage of the NBA Finals. It’s pound-for-pound the greatest comeback in NBA history, and likely, basketball history.
There will be time for historical, multi-sport comparisons, but the point of this article is to talk about the team that made said comeback. One-off comebacks happen all the time. Sometimes, a team pulls a rabbit out of the hat twice, or even three times.
This team has somehow done it a half dozen times over the last two postseasons. Since 2024, five of the eight 20-point comebacks in the playoffs belong to the Knicks. There aren’t enough stats I can easily find that encapsulates how ridiculous this is.
Here’s one. Two of the top-five largest comebacks in Finals history belong to the Knicks… this year.
This isn’t their only time this postseason with such an outlier comeback that makes no sense. Remember the 22-point comeback against Cleveland? Well, there’s only one other game in history where a team came back from that deficit with under eight minutes, and it happened 50 years ago, which is honestly extremely impressive given the lack of a three-point line.
I’ve completed my research into the #Knicks’ historic comeback. The only other time an NBA team has made this big a comeback so late in a game was the Bucks’ 117-115 win on November 25, 1977. Milwaukee was down 29 with 8:10 left. What we don’t know is if they were down by more… pic.twitter.com/i51ZCVb2rC
Well, in Game 4, the Knicks trailed by 20 with 9:20 to go. They were eerily close to what they did against Cleveland in terms of a dead sprint, while additionally upping the raw numbers.
But unlikely comebacks have been engrained in this team’s DNA ever since Jalen Brunson became the head of the snake in New York.
The ridiculous narrative of continuous Knicks doubters as this series has progressed is that the Spurs have had firm control of this series, losing three games merely because of failed execution late. It was them blowing it, not the Knicks rallying back!
But these first-half 12-14 point leads are nothing in the modern NBA, and they’re child’s play to the Brunson-era Knicks. Observe.
2024 Game 1 against the Sixers. Philly led 32-19 in the first quarter and 78-72 in the third quarter after rallying back from a valiant Knicks charge. Guess who out-executed whom in the end?
2024 Game 2 against the Sixers. This time, they effectively maintained a 9-10 point lead for the first 22 minutes of the game, and ultimately seemed to be evening up the series with a 101-96 lead with 30 seconds left. We all know what happened next.
2024 Game 4 against the Sixers. Again, a 10-point lead in both the first and third quarters. Again, they blew it. Is this sounding familiar?
2024 Game 6 against the Sixers. The Knicks blew a 22-point lead in an eyeblink, and soon trailed 71-61 in the third quarter. About 12 minutes later, the Sixers lost their final lead of the season and endured a slow death after a fourth consecutive blown double-digit lead.
2024 Game 2 against Indiana. The Pacers led 75-63 in the first minute of the second half. While the series, as we know, didn’t go our way, it was another sign of resiliency.
2025 Game 1 against Detroit. The first 15 minutes of the second half were all Pistons, to the point where they led 98-90 with 9:10 to go. How’s a 21-0 run sound to you? Shoutout Turbo.
2025 Game 4 against Detroit. The Knicks were down 11 in the third, 10 in the fourth, and four with just 90 seconds to go. Karl-Anthony Towns to the rescue.
2025 Game 6 against Detroit. After going up 11 early in the fourth in a closeout game, the Pistons went on a 20-2 run to go up seven with under 2:30 to go. Somehow, the Knicks found a way… again.
Now it’s time for the good stuff.
2025 Game 1 against Boston. The Celtics led 75-55 midway through the third quarter. The Knicks won in overtime.
2025 Game 2 against Boston. The Celtics led 73-53 with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The Knicks won in regulation.
2025 Game 4 against Boston. At the World’s Most Famous Arena, the Knicks responded to a dominant first half by the Celtics and found themselves down 14 with 9 minutes left in the third. They won again.
2025 Game 3 against Indiana. In the only bright spot of a miserable return to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks somehow found their way back down 20 from late in the first half and as many as 15 with 2:15 to go in the third.
2026 Game 3 against Philly. The desperate Sixers sprinted out to a 20-8 lead in the first six minutes. The Knicks took the lead for good just nine minutes later.
2026 Game 1 against Cleveland. The Knicks are down 22 with under eight minutes to go. Cue Harden-flavored BBQ chicken.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks are down 29 early in the third. They’re down 20 with 9:20 to go. They win… again.
In the last three playoff runs, the Knicks have made five 20-point comebacks, 13 double-digit comebacks, and three additional unlikely comebacks given big momentum shifts.
The defining trait of the Brunson era has been to never give up. To never let go of the rope. Sure, they’ve still been blown out a few times over the years, but there’s a reason the team somehow has a winning record when they trail by 20 the last two years.
They don’t point fingers. They don’t sulk. They don’t look at a deficit and say, “We’ll get ‘em next time.” No lead is impossible to overcome for them.
This is what has the Knicks one game from the ultimate dream. A ridiculous level of buy-in and belief in one another that breaks the scale of what should be possible in the NBA.
No matter how discouraged, no matter how depressive, no matter how bad the intrusive thoughts get, they never give up.
They stared down the barrel of being forced into a Game 7 against Philly in 2024 and Detroit in 2025. They stared down a 3-0 deficit against Indiana in 2025. They risked completely bottling the 2-0 road leads against Boston in 2025 and the Spurs this year. They risked losing home-court advantage against Indiana in 2024 and Cleveland this year.
All the times the vibes have been utterly rancid, they refuse to let the noise impact them. When adversity hits, they pick each other up.
After the missed layup…
Hart collapsed to the floor and sat there for a second.
For a brief moment, disbelief, disappointment and dejection overtook him.
He buried his head in his hands. Then his teammates came to pick him up.
So as the Knicks embark on the quest to win the toughest closeout game ever, as they wake up on Saturday to be the first to wear the orange and blue with a chance to win a championship with one more win in 32 years, here’s one more note to leave you with.
The Knicks have never lost three consecutive playoff games in the Brunson era. They’ve played 60 of them. The last three-game playoff skid was in 2021, when not a single player on this roster played (Mitch was hurt!).
The only way this season ends without the euphoria of a championship is a historic aberration. A team that has shown time and time again that their will is unbreakable and that they will never spiral into the despair that has plagued multiple teams this postseason alone will have to be driven to that point by the youngest NBA Finals team in history, who’ve consistently failed to execute late in games, have a star running on fumes, and won’t have a real home-court advantage.
Happy birthday to Damon Buford, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1939 – In front of a record crowd of 23,864 fans at Ruppert Stadium in Newark, NJ, Lou Gehrig plays his last game in a Yankee uniform when he participates in an exhibition contest against the Kansas City Blues, the team’s American Association farm club. The “Iron Horse”, playing only three innings and batting eighth, grounds out weakly to second base in his only at-bat, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
1880 Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond throws the first perfect game in MLB history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Blues at the Agricultural County Fair Grounds in Worcester
1970 – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellisno-hits the San Diego Padres, 2-0. Ellis receives all his support on two home runs by Willie Stargell. Ellis will later claim that he was suffering from the after-effects of his previous night’s LSD trip while pitching this gem.
1923 – Harry Houdini frees himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet (12 m) above ground in NYC.
1930 – German boxer Max Schmeling beats Jack Sharkey by disqualification in 4 rounds in NYC for vacant NBA, NYSAC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles; first time title won on a foul.
1931 – Al Capone is indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition violations and perjury.
1979 – Kevin St Onge throws a playing card a record 185 ft-1 inch; record broken in 1992.
1987 – US President Ronald Reagan challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin wall.
2008 – Patrick Kane receives the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Today in music history:
1909 – “Shine On, Harvest Moon” by Ada Jones & Billy Murray hits #1.
1965 – Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours List names The Beatles as MBEs (Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire); dozens of past winners return medals in protest.
1966 – Dave Clark Five sets record as they appear for 12th time on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
1970 – Rocker and blues singer Janis Joplin debuts in Kentucky.
1990 – Mariah Carey‘s self-titled debut album is released.
1993 – “Three Little Pigs” by Green Jelly hits #17.
2008 – Coldplay release their 4th studio album ” Viva la Vida or Death” (winner of 3 Grammys).
Jun 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A detailed view of the All-Star Game logo on the hat of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
The Phillies now head to Wisco for a set against the Brewers. I’ve heard that actual Wisconsinites never say “Wisco”. Is that true? As you can tell (or maybe not?) from my use of the term, I am not from Wisconsin.
Onto the links.
Phillies news
The Phillies are going to have some All-Stars for the hometown All-Star Game. But how many?
The Detroit Tigers wrapped up their homestand on Thursday afternoon with an 11-0 shellacking of the Minnesota Twins to give the team its seventh win in nine tries so far in June. Already, AJ Hinch and Co. have exceeded their win total for May with just under 2/3 of the month remaining.
Not too shabby.
Now, the Motor City Kitties hit the road for another big series against a fellow American League Central rival — the Cleveland Guardians — starting on Friday night at Progressive Field. The Guards have experienced an opposite level of success in June, winning just three of their nine games so far while bringing a four-game losing streak into the weekend that includes a three-game sweep at home against the New York Yankees.
The Tigers will open up with right-hander Jack Flaherty, who was cruising through five innings against the Seattle Mariners last time out before getting knocked out in the sixth. The 30-year-old’s final line saw him surrender three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over five frames in what eventually turned out to be a 5-4 victory for Detroit.
Flaherty last faced Cleveland in the 2025 AL Wildcard series, in which he gave his team 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks while striking out four in a 6-3 team win.
Up against him for the Guardians will be fellow righty Tanner Bibee, who is coming off his best start of the year on the road against the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old gave his team eight frames of shutout ball on three hits and two walks while striking out just three to earn his first and only win of the 2026 campaign.
That effort just barely outdid his previous performance against Detroit this season back on May 20, when he also went eight innings, surrendering just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three. However, the Olde English D ultimately prevailed that day in 10 innings, 3-2.
Take a look below at how the two match up on Friday night.
Detroit Tigers (29-40) vs. Cleveland Guardians (37-33)
Time (ET): 7:10 p.m. Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 70: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (1-7, 4.09 ERA)
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 11: Andrew Kittredge #39 and Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after the Orioles defeated the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The path to getting there might not have been ideal, but the Orioles salvaged a split with the Mariners in the opening series of their seven-game homestand. The O’s have snapped a four-game losing streak by winning their last two, taking last night’s finale by a 7-5 score. A six-run third inning did the heavy lifting for the Birds, who held on despite Kyle Bradish’s second straight lousy start thanks to a great effort by the bullpen. Check out Alex Church’s recap of all the action.
The O’s are right back where they started the homestand, at four games under .500. It’s not exactly where they want to be. Things could be better. But they could also be worse! #analysis
The Orioles arguably could have won all four games of the series. Both of their losses were by one or two runs, and if just one or two things had gone differently in each game, the O’s could’ve made a huge statement with a sweep of the first-place Mariners. But baseball doesn’t work that way, especially not 2026 Orioles baseball. Even in their almost-wins, they keep making some dumb mistakes, like Blaze Alexander getting thrown out to erase a potential sac fly on Monday, or Gunnar Henderson first-pitch hacking into a groundout with the bases loaded in a tie game in the ninth on Tuesday.
We’ve seen what the Orioles can look like when they’re firing on all cylinders. They’ve got the talent to go on an extended run, but most of the time the biggest obstacle they need to overcome is themselves. The fundamental mistakes — sloppy defense, sloppy baserunning, failures with RISP — are holding them back. If they clean up some of that stuff more consistently, they can certainly make a postseason push in an American League that has very few dominant teams.
For now, the O’s will try to extend their modest winning streak as they welcome the Padres to Camden Yards for the first time since 2024, when San Diego took two of three. The Pads have a winning record overall but have been struggling for a couple of weeks now, just 4-12 in their last 16 games. Their offense in particular has struggled badly, nobody more so than former Oriole Manny Machado, who’s hitting .172 with a .597 OPS.
This series is the Orioles’ for the taking, and a good opportunity for the Birds to inch closer to that elusive .500 mark. Will it happen? It’s hard to predict anything with this team.
It does seem like Albernaz isn’t particularly expressive with umps when arguing calls. Then again, he is still recovering from taking a baseball off the face a couple months ago. I’d probably be trying to avoid any unnecessary facial movement, too.
Every year it seems there’s some journeyman veteran who makes the O’s roster as an afterthought and ends up being a much bigger contributor than expected. Leody Taveras is that guy.
A great story from Ken Rosenthal about the beloved former Oriole, who just made it back to the majors for the first time since 2023 after nearly retiring earlier this season. I’ll be rooting hard for Trey, and I don’t think I’m the only one.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two former Orioles: Baltimore-born outfielder Damon Buford (56) and catcher Dave Skaggs (75).
On this date in 1986, Orioles DH Juan Beníquez hit three home runs in one game, an especially unlikely feat considering that he hit only six in his entire O’s career. The O’s lost the game anyway, 7-5, to the Yankees.
On this date in 2004, in the first game of a doubleheader at Camden Yards, the Orioles’ Rafael Palmeiro hit his 536th and 537th career homers while the Giants’ Barry Bonds hit his 675th. It marked only the third time in MLB history that two members of the 500-homer club went deep in the same game. Once again, the O’s lost, 9-6, in 11 innings.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 12, 2006, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays in Toronto, 6-4. Starter Kris Benson delivered a quality start, working six innings and giving up three runs, all of them coming on a pair of Alex Ríos homers. His battery mate, Ramón Hernández, went 3-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle to lead a well-balanced O’s offense. Chris Ray got the save in the ninth despite giving up a homer to former and future Oriole Gregg Zaun. The win improved the O’s to 30-35, but they never got even within five games of .500 again for the rest of the season.
Since most of the conversation lately seem to have zigged towards the Nolan Gorman question and somewhat the Riley O’Brien question, I decided to zag in another direction. My curiosity? Of the minor leagues prospects we’ve been watching, who has the most interesting pitch shape metrics (ie. the under the hood stuff)? We seem to be far enough into the season to have built up some stats that can stand up to Small Sample Size (SSS) scrutiny. Since I do the daily down on the Farm Reports, I see the various pitcher usage and line score results every day. That has made me curious about some things that might be going on beyond the line score.
That real-time curiosity met up with a longer-term, nagging deficiency in my knowledge set. It goes like this: Every so often as prospect watcher like @KareemSSN will post an interesting tidbit on a pitcher with stuff I find really cool. He is pretty good at explaining things, but one of things that has frustrated me is I can look at a chart like this and lack the context of what is good, what is bad and what is irrelevant and I have to re-remember all that and I can’t find a reliable source for reference. So I set out to build my own reference, so when something like this pops up, I can open my reference card and interpolate if an SI spin of 2038 with an HB of 13.7 is good, bad or irrelevant. In this case, it’s not great, but very relevant to gauging a Slider’s potential effectiveness.
I’m going to start with a set of numbers similar to what is above, although I can’t help myself and add a few and delete some others. I’m going to pull all the pitch data for our Low-A and AAA pitching prospects and see who has elite level metrics in any of the categories. I will be dropping VREL, Ext and Chase and add in some expected performance measures like xwOBA, xBA, along with actual measures like K and BB rate.
My first crack at this will be to discover which Low-A pitchers have top 10th percentile metrics. This is a “who has a tool that sticks out” kind of question. For those pitchers with a notable metric, I will show a comparison not only to their league, but AAA and MLB standards for the same metric. For fun, I will also include a notable non-Cardinal prospect in the analysis (Seth Hernandez) to give some context to some of the numbers you will see.
A couple of quick notes on the data:
The data comes from Baseball Savant (probably not surprising). The minor league side only has data for Low-A and AAA pitchers, so my research will unfortunately exclude High-A and AA pitchers. We have to wait for Liam Doyle to get to Memphis before we get to look under the hood.
I’d love to use Chase%, but I can not find it in the exported set that comes from Savant. If anyone has any pointers, let me know.
I arbitrarily set a cut off at 50 pitches … any pitcher with less than 50 pitches in that league is excluded. It helped make the data manageable, and also smoothed out most major league rehab pitchers. I’m not comparing prospects to veteran MLB pitchers, I’m comparing them to their peers.
The vertical and horizontal movement ranks are non-intuitive. Whereas a low xBA is good (top 10th percentile) and a high xBA is bad (bottom 10th percentile), when it comes to direction, either extreme can be good, depending on the pitch type. For example, a high positive on the horizontal axis on a Sinker (SI) can produce a top 10th percentile, whereas a high negative on the same axis coupled with a Slider (SL) can produce a bottom 10th percentile result, which is equally good, given the pitch type.
Low-A Metric Leader Board
player_name
total_pitches
pitch_type
pitch_percent
spin_rate
Velocity
spin_rate P10
Velocity P10
K rate P10
whiff rate
whiff.rate P10
Walk Rate P10
Vertical Break (in)
Vertical Break P10
Horiz break (in)
Horiz break P10
Hernandez, Seth
371
FF
48.2
2405
98.4
4
1
6
28%
3
2
17.44
3
13.88
1
Hernandez, Seth
371
SL
18.1
2543
89.0
3
1
1
71%
1
5
3.04
4
-0.19
1
Hernandez, Seth
371
CH
18.1
2289
85.0
1
5
1
71%
1
7
9.59
2
14.55
5
Hernandez, Seth
371
CU
15.6
2574
81.4
6
2
1
73%
1
5
-9.68
6
-8.62
5
Breckheimer, Alex
510
CU
11.8
2176
76.9
10
9
10
22%
9
7
-14.71
10
-7.34
3
Breckheimer, Alex
510
FF
55.9
2334
93.3
5
5
3
22%
6
1
17.71
3
10.62
3
Crossland, Cade
784
CH
31.6
2254
82.7
1
8
3
55%
2
9
7.58
3
18.81
1
Crossland, Cade
784
CU
11.1
2383
78.1
8
8
1
57%
1
1
-13.18
9
-9.99
7
Crossland, Cade
784
SL
7.4
2163
84.4
9
3
10
24%
9
7
3.07
4
0.66
1
Cuello, Antoni
359
FF
49.3
2461
95.2
3
3
10
12%
10
7
14.98
8
14.5
1
Cuello, Antoni
359
SL
24.5
2224
83.1
8
7
1
45%
3
9
2.56
5
0.18
1
Driessen, Dylan
315
FF
54.6
2231
94.5
9
4
1
26%
4
7
20.31
1
5.51
10
Driessen, Dylan
315
CU
23.5
2768
80.2
3
4
5
29%
5
1
-11.82
8
-8.5
4
Echeman, Kaden
557
CU
23.5
2594
81.4
5
2
2
45%
2
5
-15.9
10
-4.77
2
Jovi Galvez
297
SI
30
2169
94.4
8
3
3
28%
2
9
14.24
4
15.14
3
Martinez, Jack
783
SL
36.9
2462
81.3
5
9
10
28%
8
10
8.86
1
-6.65
7
Odle, Jacob
584
FF
28.6
2432
97.1
3
1
4
24%
5
8
17.58
3
8.87
5
Odle, Jacob
584
CU
18.8
2593
83.0
5
1
4
34%
4
4
-11.51
8
-8.6
5
Shelagowski, Jake
601
FF
55.9
2235
95.8
8
2
5
20%
8
4
15.68
7
14.2
1
Shelagowski, Jake
601
SL
23.5
2162
86.1
9
1
5
28%
8
1
1.18
7
-2
2
Van Dyke, Ty
431
FF
44.5
2290
92.4
7
8
2
24%
5
1
15.67
7
13.61
1
Van Dyke, Ty
431
SL
16.7
2796
81.5
1
9
1
36%
5
2
2.2
6
-12.57
10
Ynfante, Nelfy
358
SI
38.8
2167
94.3
8
3
4
23%
4
4
14.71
3
13.96
6
Young, Ethan
514
SI
30.2
2353
93.8
3
4
5
26%
3
6
16.57
1
15.47
2
Young, Ethan
514
CH
20.4
2081
84.9
2
6
4
56%
1
9
5.83
6
17.4
2
Young, Ethan
514
FF
19.1
2328
93.2
6
6
9
17%
8
1
18.49
2
12.31
2
The above table depicts 12 Palm Beach (Low-A) pitches who have at least one pitch metric in the top 10th percentile of their league. These represent the tools the Cardinals have to work with and develop.
The thirteen pitcher is a proxy – Seth Hernandez. If you’ve never heard of him, you will. He is what scouts dream of when it comes to pitch metrics:
(FF) Four seam fastball that has top 10th percentile in velo AND horizontal movement
(SL) Slider with top tenth percentile in whiff rate and horizontal movement
(CH) with top tenth spin rate and whiff rate
With that primer, let’s look at Cardinal Low-A prospects:
Alex Breckheimer has elite command with his four seamer w/ a top 10th percentile walk rate.
Cade Crossland’s spin rate and horizontal break on his change-up (CH) are top 10th. His curve (CU) has elite whiff rate and elite horizontal break (90th percentile). This is one of those counter-intuitive ones where the large negative number is a great number. In an odd one, his slider (SL) has a really odd outlier horizontal break – it breaks into RH hitters. That will need fixing.
Antoni Cuello has top 10th horizontal break on his FF and SL, and has a superior K rate with that slider. It is a put away pitch.
Dylan Driessen has top 10th percentile induced vertical break on this 4-seam fastball (FF). I always get this backwards but I think this means it has “ride” or “hop” to it. He also has exceptional command over his slider (SL).
Kaden Echemann has an even better curve (CU) that Crossland with 16” of downward break. Memories of Uncle Charlie with this one.
Jack Martinez has unusual break on his slider. It doesn’t miss bats, and walks lots of guys, so I don’t see this 10th percentile rating as all that helpful.
Jacob Odle carries top tenth percentile on both his FF. He had one of the hardest curves in the league, too, before he advanced to High-A.
John Shelagowski has elite horizontal break on his FF and has elite and near-elite characteristics on his slider (SL).
Tyler Van Dyke’s FF really rides in on RH batter, with a high K and low walk rate (the velo itself is pedestrian). He also carries very good command characteristics on his SL.
Ethan Young carries top tenth percentile characteristics on his SI, CH and FF. Looks a little like Seth Hernandez, huh?
Performance Matters
Stuff (and the underlying metrics which show it) are one thing. Performance is another. Which pitchers (in Low-A Palm Beach) are getting the most out of their stuff? Let’s look more at performance outcomes as see how they rate.
player_name
pitch_type
pitch_percent
xwoba
K Rate
BB Rate
HardHit%
xwOBA P10
Hard Hit Rate P10
K rate P10
Walk Rate P10
Breckheimer, Alex
FF
55.9
0.23
28
5.3
39.58
2
5
3
1
Breckheimer, Alex
CU
11.8
0.27
10
10
14.29
7
2
10
7
Crossland, Cade
CH
31.6
0.24
42.4
18.2
19.23
5
4
3
9
Crossland, Cade
CU
11.1
0.08
77.8
0
25
1
5
1
1
Crossland, Cade
SL
7.4
0.57
8.3
8.3
37.5
10
7
10
7
Cuello, Antoni
FF
49.3
0.35
7.9
18.4
44.44
7
8
10
7
Cuello, Antoni
SL
24.5
0.2
54.5
13.6
0
3
1
1
9
Driessen, Dylan
FF
54.6
0.26
40
20
28.57
2
2
1
7
Driessen, Dylan
CU
23.5
0.3
41.2
0
60
7
10
5
1
Echeman, Kaden
FF
53.1
0.34
19.8
23.5
37.78
6
4
6
8
Echeman, Kaden
CU
23.5
0.25
58.1
6.5
30
6
5
2
5
Martinez, Jack
SL
36.9
0.26
14.6
16.7
21.21
6
2
10
10
Martinez, Jack
FF
30.8
0.27
34.9
14.3
27.59
2
1
2
5
Odle, Jacob
FF
28.6
0.32
25.6
23.3
40.91
5
6
4
8
Odle, Jacob
CU
18.8
0.15
48.3
3.4
61.54
3
10
4
4
Shelagowski, Jake
SL
23.5
0.16
34.6
0
35.29
2
6
5
1
Shelagowski, Jake
CU
12.5
0.36
23.8
14.3
18.18
9
3
8
9
Van Dyke, Ty
FF
44.5
0.2
31
5.2
33.33
1
2
2
1
Van Dyke, Ty
SL
16.7
0.08
54.5
0
0
1
1
1
2
Ynfante, Nelfy
SI
38.8
0.22
18.8
9.4
26.09
1
2
4
4
Young, Ethan
SI
30.2
0.34
18.2
13.6
43.33
7
8
5
6
Young, Ethan
CH
20.4
0.15
41.7
16.7
0
1
1
4
9
Young, Ethan
FF
19.1
0.31
8.7
4.3
57.89
4
10
9
1
Young, Ethan
CU
11.9
0.15
60
10
0
2
1
2
7
In the above table, you will see many of the same names and pitches, this time with how those pitches are performing in real games. There are few new names, as some guys without top 10th percentile stuff are still getting top tenth percentile results, such as Nelfy Ynfante, who really limits hard contact without any top tier stuff.
Some notes:
Crossland’s change and curve perform well. Sure enough, that odd slider does not.
Odle’s FF seems to perform a bit worse that the metrics suggest it should.
Van Dyke’s command sets him apart.
Jack Martinez seems to get more out of his FF that the metrics suggest he should.
Ethan Young, with 4 pitches on this chart, should become a name to remember. How many low-A pitchers do you remember that already have 4 average or better offerings?
Summary
So I’m ending this just with Low-A pitchers. Round 2 will include AAA pitchers, in similar format, depending on how commenters react to this first go. This hopefully provides you with some names to watch for, some reasons to watch for them and some explanation about why these guys keep getting used in priority situations.
Closing
Oh, yeah. Remember that cheat sheet I keep looking for to remember what is a really good pitch metric…like for when someone tell us so-and-so’s sinker (SI) breaks arm side 18”. Is that good? Is it elite? Below is an MLB chart and indeed, anything above 17.9” is top tenth percentile. This is for all pitchers in the MLB in 2026.
pitch_type
OBA
xBA
Hardhit
Top Spin Rate
Bottom Spin Rate
Whiff Rate
K Rate
Walk Rate
Top Vertical
Bottom Vertical
Top Horiz
Bottom Horiz
Velo
FF
0.253
0.166
31.3
2485
2135
13%
34.5
5.6
18.5
12.9
11.9
3.6
91.8
SI
0.261
0.211
26.5
2382
2018
6%
20.0
2.4
13.0
2.2
17.9
13.2
90.8
SL
0.187
0.147
19.3
2699
2174
20%
43.3
0.0
5.7
-3.5
-1.0
-8.0
83.2
CH
0.196
0.161
17.2
2123
1313
20%
36.0
0.0
9.1
-0.9
17.5
11.1
81.8
ST
0.176
0.132
18.0
2873
2268
21%
43.6
0.0
5.6
-3.7
-10.0
-17.4
78.9
FC
0.263
0.190
22.5
2623
2155
14%
24.3
0.0
12.0
4.5
0.6
-4.8
86.8
CU
0.187
0.134
17.6
2879
2266
19%
48.2
0.0
-5.2
-15.8
-3.6
-14.2
75.0
FS
0.195
0.149
16.7
1709
971
18%
46.4
0.0
6.8
-0.7
15.1
8.0
82.7
KC
0.200
0.151
26.3
2794
2278
19%
41.3
0.4
-4.2
-14.7
-2.0
-13.2
78.3
SV
0.245
0.207
22.8
2856
2215
23%
33.0
0.0
-2.2
-7.6
-5.6
-17.2
80.1
FO
0.241
0.174
27.7
1073
649
33%
34.9
3.6
0.2
-2.5
10.5
4.1
82.9
KN
0.264
0.232
40.9
299
299
21%
29.4
5.9
-1.9
-1.9
1.6
1.6
80.5
Contains both pitch shape and performance metrics
One interesting thing I think I see in this data. There really doesn’t seem to be a lot a difference in top tenth pitch metrics (spin rate, horizontal break, etc.) between Low-A and MLB. Is that a reasonable look? That tells me that location, command and sequencing is what they learn coming up the ladder, but the raw materials are pretty much in place in Low-A. Valid observation?
Long-term, I might spiff this up by blanking out more irrelevant columns. For example, percentile rank is not crucial for velocity on a Knuckle Curve. For most breaking/off speed pitches, the offset from the FF/SI is more crucial, as well as the spin direction (which isn’t in the data set, as far as I can tell).
