The main event for the 2026 NHL draft across the league and for the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the first overall pick and who they'll take with that grand opportunity.
There are a handful of enticing prospects to take with that selection, and history says that the Maple Leafs will make a great pick with No. 60. In fact, Toronto has been fairly solid picking players around the 50 to 65 range.
Here's a quick look at how the Leafs have fared with second-round picks in recent memory.
Tinus Luc Koblar, 64th Overall (2025)
Though he hasn't made an impression in the NHL yet, Tinus Luc Koblar has proven to be a promising prospect for the Maple Leafs, after the team drafted him 64th overall in the 2025 NHL draft.
What makes Koblar particularly impressive is his campaign at the 2026 IIHF World Championship for Norway. The 18-year-old center scored six goals and nine points in 10 appearances for his country, leading the team in scoring and to their first-ever bronze medal at the competition.
Fraser Minten is a much earlier pick than the other names on the list. Nonetheless, he was a second-round selection by the Maple Leafs in 2022, and he's been a solid player in the NHL since.
Minten has played 107 regular-season games, along with six playoff contests in his short NHL career. He played his first full season in the league last year for the Boston Bruins, featuring in all 82 games and putting up 17 goals and 35 points.
Matthew Knies, 57th Overall (2021)
Matthew Knies is easily the best draft pick the Maple Leafs have made in recent years. Now, at 23-years-old and three full seasons in the league to this point, Knies has cemented himself as a star in Toronto.
Knies registered his second straight 20-goal season and set new personal bests in the assists and points departments, recording a total of 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points.
Even if it feels like he's always needing to prove himself, Nick Robertson has blossomed into a legit regular NHL player over the past couple of years.
Robertson, 24, is coming off a career-high season, marking 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 78 appearances for the Leafs, and that's while averaging 12:40 of ice time.
The 5-foot-9 left winger has struggled to earn top-six minutes in Toronto, but whether he climbs into that realm next season or with another team eventually, he can certainly be a steady 20-goal scorer.
Sean Durzi, 52nd Overall (2018)
Sean Durzi has never made an appearance with the Maple Leafs, as he was a part of the trade that saw Toronto acquire Jake Muzzin in January 2019. However, there's no denying that he has been a solid NHL blueliner since entering the league in 2021-22.
His best campaign came in 2023-24 when he was with the Arizona Coyotes. The Mississauga, Ont., native provided 41 points and averaged 22:43 of ice time in 76 contests. In his five-year career, Durzi has featured in 302 regular-season games and averaged 20:28 of ice time on the back end.
Some other notable names that the Maple Leafs have drafted in the second round include Carl Grundstrom, Travis Dermott, Jimmy Hayes, Nikolay Kulemin and Matt Stajan.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 26: John Collins #20 of the Utah Jazz handles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during the Emirates NBA Cup game on November 26, 2024 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Chris Nicoll/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Over the past two evenings, the Spurs drafted four new players. The Silver & Black now hold the draft rights to Jayden Quaintance, Tarris Reed, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and Maliq Brown. The draftees address vulnerabilities in the Spurs game. But the work is not yet done.
Heading into the draft, the Spurs had nine contracts committed for next season. Six players including Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo, and Jordan McLaughlin could be packing their bags heading into the 2026-2027 season.
The Spurs now look toward free agency to maintain their “win now” mode which carried them into the 2025 NBA Finals. One free agent who has previously been linked to the Spurs — and is an unrestricted free agent — is John Collins.
Collins career as a player has passed its peak. With the Clippers last season he averaged 13.6 points per game, the sixth best on a team that didn’t make the playoffs. What he lacks in statistics he brings in leadership. His veteran presence paired with hunger to win a title may pair well with a team who had a championship within their sights.
The Spurs need a true power forward. There are some worthy candidates in free agency. Is Collins a good fit for the Spurs?
What do you guys see as the biggest needs to the Spurs to attend to when the window opens on June 30th?
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: Blaze Alexander #23 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 24, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The west coast road trip of disappointment is finally over. At times, it seemed like it could have been something better than it was. If only the Orioles had scored more than six runs in three games against the Mariners. If only they hadn’t blown the series opener against the Dodgers. If only they hadn’t laid an egg against Ryan Johnson. And then, added to the pile freshly yesterday, if only they hadn’t… I don’t even know how to describe that. Check out Tyler Young’s recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
These guys ain’t got it. They can trick you a little bit for a few days at a time at most, and because of the general state of the American League they haven’t yet faced a crisis point in the standings stemming from not having it. But we’re now past the halfway point of the season and it’s clear that this is what they are. There is not some other, better thing waiting inside to break out.
The Orioles are everything bad that they inflict upon us in more than half of their games. Perhaps there is nothing more representative than the play in the tenth inning where the Angels tied the game, where Keegan Akin was slow to cover first base and therefore did not catch what would have otherwise been an easy toss to end the game, and this error let the go-ahead run get all the way to third base. That runner promptly scored on a bad-luck (for the Orioles) chopper where only catcher Samuel Basallo could field it and he tried to tag the runner because Akin wasn’t moving for home.
He was not able to do this and they lost. Maybe he should have tried to throw to first instead. I don’t know. After the game, Basallo took the blame for this decision:
In a lot of ways, the specifics don’t matter as much as the fact that there’s always something stupid that finds a way to happen. That is just how the 2026 Orioles do it. I don’t understand why or how they do it. They just do. If you didn’t know any better, you might think that they never practice anything, routine or otherwise, to do with fielding baseballs.
They could have built something after winning two of three against the Dodgers. They could have! They just can’t do it because the players aren’t good enough. Mike Elias did not put together a roster with the horses to do this thing. He apparently thought the relief corps he assembled could get him through the season. What’s happened is a couple of guys were good in April and/or May and nobody else was, and now the good ones are collapsing too, as in the case of Rico Garcia’s contribution to yesterday’s loss. They wasted a game where Basallo hit two home runs for the first time in his career. It could have felt good.
The fact that the game unraveled in the hands of the bullpen does make the decision to lift yesterday’s starter, Trey Gibson, after only 66 pitches, something worth second-guessing. This was not a desperation move. Gibson could have gone for longer. He wasn’t struggling at the end; he’d given up runs in the first inning and then was doing better.
There was, of course, a logic to it. The bullpen had been lightly used in recent days and, with an off day tomorrow, spreading the work around was important because if guys get rusty and stink for that reason, that’s not good either. Gibson dodged the third time through the order penalty and things were lined up so five guys could get an inning. This failed on the first guy: Grant Wolfram couldn’t get an inning. Tyler Wells saved his bacon, then Yennier Cano couldn’t get an inning. Garcia got an inning but gave up three runs in the process.
On the other hand, if Gibson had pitched six innings instead, the Orioles probably still would have turned to Garcia in either the eighth or the ninth inning and would have been just as vulnerable to getting wrecked by June Garcia. They don’t have any good choices because they haven’t given themselves any good choices.
We all get a day off from them today. That’s nice. I need one after watching that Wednesday game squandered in the most frustrating fashion possible. Do you have anything fun planned on this off night? I’ll likely try to take a bite out of one of my nerdy pursuits, logging some time in a JRPG called Trails of Cold Steel.
Updates on Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Baseball) It’s far down the list of things to complain about after everything else that happened yesterday, but the Orioles not having Holliday available for four straight games and not just putting him on the injured list so the team ends up short-handed is silly and counterproductive. One visible manifestation of this was Leody Taveras having to play third base mid-gae a couple of days ago.
Cedric Mullins is elevating and… oh no. (FanGraphs) The .199/.286/.305 for Mullins this year is sad to see. Apparently, he’s currently in position to set a record for highest fly-ball percentage by a batter ever recorded.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
The most recent Orioles victory on this day came in 2023. That year’s team beat the Mariners, 3-2, to raise their record to 47-29. That’s pretty good! Kyle Bradish tossed seven innings with two runs allowed and the Orioles only gave up three hits all game. Only two players who appeared in that game for the O’s remain on the 40-man roster: Bradish and Gunnar Henderson.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2008-11 outfielder Luke Scott, 2000-01 pitcher Ryan Kohlmeier, and 1977 pitcher Dick Drago.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: five-star Air Force general Henry Arnold (1886), author George Orwell (1903), singer-songwriter Carly Simon (1943), baskeball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo (1966), and actress Mckenna Grace (2006).
On this day in history…
In 1876, Lt. Col. Custer led his men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment into an ambush by a force of three native tribes that had him outnumbered more than 10-1. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was one of the last battles that saw the army battle native tribes; despite the victory in the battle, the Great Sioux War came to a close before long and the tribes could not withstand a reinforced army.
In 1947, The Diary of a Young Girl, secretly written by Anne Frank, was published posthumously.
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. There was an armistice after close to three years of fighting, though the two Koreas have never concluded a peace treaty so the war has technically never ended.
In 1978, the rainbow flag waved at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, the first time that was used to represent gay pride. Tomorrow night is Pride Night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 25. Have a safe Thursday.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 19: Mitch Voit #55 of the New York Mets smiles in the dugout prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Syracuse went down 3-0 in the second inning, and that score held until the seventh. A rehabbing Tyrone Taylor drove in a run with a single to make it 3-1. The Mets took the lead in the eighth, on the back of a Grae Kessinger ground out and a Ronny Maruicio two run single. Yonny Hernandez made it 5-3 with a single in the ninth, which ended up being an important insurance run. Ben Simon surrendered a home run in the ninth, but held on for the two inning save.
SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-5, 2 RBI
REHAB ALERT: CF Tyrone Taylor: 1-4, RBI, K
LF Nick Morabito: 2-5, R, 2 K, 2 SB (25, 26)
1B Ryan Clifford: 0-5, 2 K
RF Cristian Pache: 1-5, R, K
3B Yonny Hernández: 3-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
DH Ben Rortvedt: 0-3, BB, K
PR-DH Ji Hwan Bae: 0-1, R
2B Grae Kessinger: 0-3, RBI, BB, K
C Hayden Senger: 0-3, R, BB, K
RHP Jack Weisenburger: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (1-0)
RHP Ben Simon: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (1)
Both teams plated a run in the first, and Binghamton took a short lived lead with a run in the third. That lead did not make it out of the inning, as Erie put three on the board to make it 4-2. Matt Rudick homered and Nick Roselli grounded out to tie it in the sixth, but two runs in both the seventh and eighth put the game away for Erie.
C Chris Suero: 0-2, 2 K
C Vincent Perozo: 0-3, K
CF Jose Ramos: 1-4, R, BB, K, SB (6)
DH Nick Lorusso: 1-3, R, 2B, BB
1B JT Schwartz: 2-4, 2 RBI, K
RF Matt Rudick: 1-4, R, HR (1), RBI
SS Wyatt Young: 1-3, R, BB, 2 SB (14, 15)
LF Jaylen Palmer: 0-3, BB
2B Nick Lucky: 0-2, 2 BB, K
3B Nick Roselli: 0-4, RBI, E (1)
LHP Jonathan Santucci: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 WP
LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Garrett Stratton: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, L (0-1)
RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
A blowout! Brooklyn was powered by a six run fourth, and a pair of three run innings in the sixth and seventh.
It was one of those games where the offensive contributions are too much to mention individually. The team amassed 17 hits, with every member of the lineup notching one. The first six batters all had multi-hit games, with Yonatan Henriquez pacing the team with four. They also hit three home runs (John Bay, Trace Willhoite, and JT Benson). It was an overall excellent game.
As one would expect with a 12-8 final, this game was up and down. The Mets went up 1-0 in the third, and Fort Myers took the lead with a two spot in the bottom of the frame. The Mets came back in the fourth to drop four in the fourth, two on a Simon Juan double and two on a Jeremy Rodriguez single, making it 5-2.
The Mighty Mussels tied the game in the fifth, and ran with it from there. They scored one in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the eighth, which put it away. The Mets scored in the sixth and eighth as well, but simply could not keep up the pace.
Jun 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) and Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) stand in the on deck circle prior to the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Athletic’s Trade Target big board 1.0 is out and it features 50 names of players who all have varying degrees of possibility to be moved this upcoming deadline. ($)
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 6-8 at Indianapolis Indians
LF Duke Ellis 1-4, BB, K, SB 2B-SS-2B Marco Luciano 0-4, BB, K, throwing error — some weird defensive notes afoot, though not as funny as Travis d’Arnaud and Asdrubal Cabrera with the Mets a few years ago DH Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, RBI, SF CF Garrett Martin 2-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI — the dingers and ribbies will continue until morale improves, regardless of level (his third in four games at Triple-A and 24th in 66 games combined between Double-A, 435 feet); also a great catch! SS-3B-SS Tyler Hardman 1-4, K, HBP, throwing error 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-4, BB, K C Payton Henry 2-5, K 3B-2B-2B Cole Gabrielson 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 fielding errors and a throwing error — made errors at both positions, and then a third (this was his first carer pro game in the infield); anyway, Scranton made five errors, whoops RF Kenedy Corona 2-3, BB, RBI, K
Adam Kloffenstein 4 IP, 3 H, 5 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 2 K, HR, HBP Dylan Coleman 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (loss) Jake Bird 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Eric Reyzelman 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 10-2 at New Hampshire Fisher Cats
LF Jackson Castillo 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI — his and Cobb’s two-run doubles helped Patriots build 4-0 lead early DH Jace Avina 1-5, RBI, 2 K CF DJ Gladney 0-5, 4 K RF Nicholas Torres 1-4, 2 K, SB, HBP 3B Coby Morales 2-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 K, CS C Miguel Palma 1-4, BB, RBI, K 1B Josh Moylan 2-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, K — first Double-A homer SS Owen Cobb 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K 2B Connor McGinnis 2-4, 2B, K
Xavier Rivas 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 6 K (win) Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K Matt Keating 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Michael Arias 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Hayden Merda 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K Chase Chaney 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 6-7 (10) at Bowling Green Hot Rods
3B Kaeden Kent 3-5, K, CS SS Core Jackson 2-5 C Eric Genther 1-4, BB, K, catcher interference error 1B Kyle West 3-5, BB, RBI, K LF Wilson Rodriguez 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, picked off — two-run homer tied it in the second and two-run single gave HV a 6-4 lead, but it did not hold DH Roderick Arias 2-5, 2B, 3 K 2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-5, GIDP CF Camden Troyer 0-3, BB, K RF Robbie Burnett 0-4, K
Luis Serna 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 9 K, balk Tanner Bauman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, HBP, WP — uncorked wild pitch to let Hot Rods tie it in eighth Andrew Landry 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 2 K (loss) — allowed walk-off knock to Nathan Flewelling
DH Brando Mayea 3-6, K, SB — single to begin game was the first of 15 knocks for Tampa SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-4, BB, 2 K, HBP 3B Hans Montero 1-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, SF — 410-foot blast in the eighth CF Willy Montero 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB — two-run shot in the first went 108 mph off the bat (distance not captured, but it went deep to left-center) LF JoJo Jackson 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, CS — has hit .442 in his last 13 games 1B David McCann 0-4, BB, 3 K 2B Luis Escudero 3-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, K, 2 SB — went yard in the second, along with Lara C Ediel Rivera 1-4, BB, RBI, K — RBI hit made it 7-0 in the fifth RF Gabriel Lara 1-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 K
Thatcher Hurd 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K — 15 swings and misses as well, easily his best pro start yet (out of eight this year post-Tommy John surgery) Jose M. Rodriguez 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HR (win) Pedro Rodriguez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, WP
Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 1-12 (7) vs. DSL Mets Orange — Bombers held to two hits, they probably wish they had just been off too
SS Mani Cedeno 0-2, BB, 2 K, SB 3B Adam Feliz 0-0 DH Alessandro Rodriguez 0-2, RBI, K, SF 2B Carlos Bello 0-3, 2 K RF David Carrera 0-2 RF Sebastian Pinto 0-0, HBP 3B Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, GIDP C Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB, K, throwing error, passed ball, picked off 1B Stalen Ramirez 0-1, BB, K, CS LF Eddison Charles 0-2, K, GIDP CF Alfiery Matos 2-2, SB — hey, someone had to get the hits! (two singles)
The Detroit Tigers failed to secure a series win against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, falling short in a 4-2 defeat that saw Tarik Skubal earn his fourth loss of the season. The offense did him no favors, going just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine on base, but Skubal’s three home runs surrendered did nothing to further the cause either.
Next up for the Motor City Kitties are the Houston Astros, who arrive in town on Thursday for a four-game weekend series to wrap up the current homestand at Comerica Park. The ‘Stros have collected four straight series wins after recently beating the Toronto Blue Jays on the road — including one against Detroit at Daikin Park last week, two games to one.
Opening things up for the Tigers is right-hander Troy Melton, who has been a steady presence in the rotation but has yet to crack the zero fWAR mark in just under 32 innings of work. While statistically he is dead even with the average replacement player, he still has a perfect 4-0 record and a sub-3 ERA — much more than any of the other starters can claim.
The 25-year-old recorded his third quality start in five tries last time out against the Chicago White Sox, who he shut down with six one-run innings, allowing just a solo home run along with three walks while striking out five and hitting a batter. He earned the win in a 4-1 victory for the good guys.
Going up against him is fellow righty Tatsuya Imai, who has struggled a bit in his first season on this side of the Pacific. The 28-year-old from Japan did manage to notch a quality start in his last outing against the Cleveland Guardians, tossing six frames of three-run ball on six hits (one home run) and zero walks while striking out a season high 11 batters for his fourth victory of 2026 in a 9-3 triumph.
Both starters are facing each other for the first time this season. Here is a look at how they match up on Thursday night.
Detroit Tigers (34-46) vs. Houston Astros (39-43)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 81: RHP Troy Melton (4-0, 2.56 ERA) vs. RHP Tatsuya Imai (4-3, 6.15 ERA)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 16: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds speaks with William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers during a baseball game at Great American Ball Park on July 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Note: All stats/records as of the morning of June 24
Though it sort of feels like their first game was not that long ago, the Milwaukee Brewers have played 78 games and are nearing the mathematical halfway point in the season. I thought it would be a good time to reassess the division, to see how things are going elsewhere, and to check on the Brewers’ outlook the rest of the way.
The National League Central got off to quite a start in 2026; as recently as June 4, all five teams were over .500. Compare that to the entire American League, which has just five teams above .500 total. But as the season has gone on, the back of the NL Central has slowed a bit, while the Brewers — who were not, I will remind you, generally regarded as preseason favorites — have opened up a cautiously comfortable lead at the top.
Let’s take a look at the other four teams to see how things are going and how we might expect the rest of the season to play out. We’ll go in reverse standings order.
Cincinnati Reds
Record: 37-41 (5th) Paul’s preseason record prediction: 85-77 (3rd) Best position player so far: Elly De La Cruz Best pitcher so far: Chase Burns
The Reds got off to a hot start. On May 1, they were 20-12 and led the division. But the next day, they started a seven-game losing streak which dropped them all the way to last place in the division, and they’ve hovered around .500 ever since. They’re just 7-13 in June, which coincided with the loss of De La Cruz, who didn’t play between May 31 and June 23 because of a hamstring strain.
De La Cruz has ascended to star status after tantalizing but inconsistent play during his first three seasons. He has career highs in all three slash-line categories, and he’s seen an uptick in power that could get him to his first 30/30 season despite missing most of June. His defense, which was excellent in 2024 but took a step back in 2025, has also seemingly rebounded.
Rookie Sal Stewart carried the offense over the first month. Through April 25, he was hitting .303/.398/.626 with nine home runs, 29 RBIs, and seven stolen bases in just 27 games. But he has cooled considerably since then: in his last 51 games, Stewart is hitting just .216/.305/.351 with five homers.
One nice surprise has been outfielder JJ Bleday. A former No. 4 overall pick, Bleday had a nice season with the A’s in 2024 but took a major step back in 2025 and was non-tendered after the season. Bleday signed with Cincinnati, and he’s put together an excellent year: in 50 games, he’s slugging .530 with 13 homers, 11 doubles, and 35 RBIs. His 138 OPS+ leads the team.
On the pitching side, the headlines belong to the 23-year-old Burns. The flamethrowing right-hander was the No. 2 overall pick in 2024 and quickly climbed prospect lists. He has some of the nastiest stuff in the league, and through 15 starts and 85 innings this season, he’s pitched to a 2.00 ERA with 102 strikeouts. If not for his fellow second-year pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, Burns would perhaps be the biggest pitching story in the league this year; with Burns, Misiorowski, and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes all under 25, this division boasts one of the best young pitching trios we’ve seen in the league for some time.
There are disappointments elsewhere on the roster. Closer Emilio Pagán got off to a rough start before going on the injured list with a hamstring problem, and the team has had trouble replacing him. He’s expected back soon, but his ERA (6.43) and FIP (5.82) were both unsightly before his IL stint. Eugenio Suárez was the team’s big free-agent acquisition, signed to a one-year, $15 million contract before the season after he hit 49 homers for the Diamondbacks and Mariners last year. This year has been awful: he’s hitting just .201/.260/.253 and has only seven home runs in 51 games. The rotation, considered a strength coming into the season, has just two players with an ERA below 4.80.
That rotation has also been missing one of the league’s most dynamic starters, Hunter Greene. Greene was an All-Star and finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 2024 before getting off to an even better start in 2025, but he missed the entire second half of last season with a groin injury before needing to undergo surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow during spring training this year. He may be nearing a return, which would be a major boost.
Threat level: Low. There’s some potential for this pitching staff; if Greene and Pagán look good upon their returns and Nick Lodolo (who pitched well against Milwaukee on Tuesday) improves, they could be a challenge to score on. But the problem lately has been offense, and unless Suárez goes on a major heater and Stewart finds his early season form, there’s not enough here.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 39-40 (4th) Paul’s preseason record prediction: 78-84 (4th) Best position player so far: Bryan Reynolds Best pitcher so far: Paul Skenes
A trendy pick to do well in the division at the beginning of the season, I never bought in with the Pirates; I didn’t think they did enough to improve upon what was one of the worst offenses in the league last year, and while I thought the pitching staff had some potential, I thought they were still a ways away.
The offense has improved quite a bit more than I expected it to. Some of that is from external forces: their new second baseman, Brandon Lowe, has been excellent, and he’s been holding it down defensively at second base, which was a question. Their other acquisitions have had mixed results; Ryan O’Hearn has been okay, but Marcell Ozuna has been a disaster — he has a 65 OPS+ and -0.8 WAR in 54 games.
The biggest reasons the offense has improved came from within. One is Oneil Cruz, who was flaming hot for a stretch during the season’s first month. He’s cooled a bit, though, and strikeouts will always be a problem: Cruz is ninth in the majors with 98 strikeouts, but he’s played 10 fewer games than any of the eight players in front of him.
The biggest factor for the Bucs this season has been an old Brewer nemesis: Bryan Reynolds. I’ll admit that after the then-30-year-old Reynolds had a thoroughly unspectacular season in 2025 I wrote him off. I was wrong. Reynolds is having his best season since he finished 11th in MVP voting in 2021: through 79 games, he’s hitting .287/.401/.482 with 18 doubles, 11 homers, and 51 RBIs, and he’s on pace for his best season by WAR in years.
On the other side of the ball, Skenes has been really good… but he hasn’t quite been the “this is one of the two best pitchers in the league” guy he’d been in his first two seasons. Skenes already has four games in 2026 in which he’s given up four runs or more; he only had five such games in his first two seasons combined. Skenes’ peripheral numbers are mostly in line with previous years: his strikeout rate (30.6%) is slightly higher than it was in his unanimous Cy Young campaign last season, and his walk rate (5.1%) is the lowest of his career. The big difference has been the long ball; it’s not a huge jump, but Skenes is giving up home runs at a rate that’s a couple ticks higher than in either of his previous fantastic seasons.
Some concerns still remain. It is a question as to whether Reynolds and Lowe, who’ve been carrying the offense of late, can keep their pace, and similar questions apply to surprising role players like Spencer Horwitz. Konnor Griffin is off to a solid start as a pro, but Pittsburgh will need more from his bat if they want to make noise this season. The pitching staff is a mixed bag: Braxton Ashcraft has been good, and Carmen Mlodzinski has been a nice surprise, but Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler, who were both being counted on to be major contributors, have been disappointing. Evan Sisk has been incredible in 34 innings in the bullpen, but Dennis Santana couldn’t hold the closer job at the beginning of the season and Gregory Soto, who has been plagued by inconsistency over his career, is now closing games. It’s gone well so far, but I would not want to rely too heavily on Soto.
Threat level: Low. I’ve been down on Pittsburgh as a short-term threat all year. The offense has been significantly better than I expected, but that’s with several guys outperforming their expectations, and I wouldn’t expect that to keep up. They’ve also sacrificed defense in order to improve the offense: at -14.4 fielding runs, they’ve got the fourth-worst defense in the league via FanGraphs.
Chicago Cubs
Record: 41-37 (3rd) Paul’s preseason record prediction: 91-71 (2nd) Best position player so far: Pete Crow-Armstrong Best pitcher so far: Ben Brown
The bad news, if you’re a Brewers fan: Pete Crow-Armstrong is, I think, better than we all gave him credit for. As of Wednesday, PCA is the MLB leader in bWAR among position players with 4.7. Despite the occasional boneheaded move, he is the best defensive outfielder in baseball by far. After a slow start that extended a months-long slump from the second half of last year, someone poured gasoline on PCA and flicked a match at him: in June, he is batting .432/.488/.946 in 18 games. That scorching stretch has bumped his season numbers up to .287/.366/.529 (a 152 OPS+) with 17 homers, four triples, and 18 stolen bases. He’s also improved his batting eye; PCA may never walk a lot, but with 30 free passes in 2026, he’s already surpassed last season’s total in fewer than half the games.
The good news, if you’re a Brewers fan: little else has gone right for the Cubs, particularly on the pitching staff. They have had horrible injury luck: as of this writing, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon — four fifths of what they hoped would be their rotation this season — are on the injured list, as are relievers Daniel Palencia, Riley Martin, Porter Hodge, and Hunter Harvey. Their remaining starters have struggled: Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea, and Edward Cabrera — who they traded their top prospect, Owen Caissie, for in the offseason — have a combined -1.3 bWAR. The bullpen has been similarly erratic; aside from one bright spot in Ryan Rolison, consistency has been difficult to come by.
One exception is Ben Brown, the 26-year-old righty. He started the season out of the bullpen, but the team needed starts, so he moved to the rotation in early May. In eight starts since then, Brown has a 1.70 ERA and 2.40 FIP in 42 1/3 innings.
Note: both Brown and Cabrera were also added to the injured list after this piece was written on Wednesday. Things just keep getting wore for the Cubs’ pitching staff.
The lineup has been okay, but the two highly paid guys on the left side of the infield are struggling. Dansby Swanson can’t get over the Mendoza line but is maintaining some amount of offensive utility only because he’s got 11 homers. Alex Bregman, in the first year of a five-year, $140 million contract, is having the worst offensive season of his 11-year career.
Threat level: Medium-low. The offense is still potent, the defense is still good, and PCA looks like an MVP candidate, but the pitching just isn’t coming together. Boyd might be back soon, but Steele may miss the whole season, and Horton won’t pitch until 2027. Taillon could be back in the second half, but he was leading the league in home runs allowed when he went out. Palencia’s status is iffy. There are just too many injuries.
St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 42-35 (2nd) Paul’s preseason record prediction: 74-88 (5th) Best position player so far: J.J. Wetherholt Best pitcher so far: Michael McGreevy
This team is the biggest surprise here, maybe in the whole league. The Cardinals were expected to be bad — they traded away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan, their most accomplished players, before the season. But in a very Brewers-y twist, they’ve improved over last season’s 78-84 team, at least thus far.
A lot of that has to do with rookie JJ Wetherholt, who came into the season as a consensus top-five prospect. Wetherholt has played some of the best infield defense in the National League, and he’s more than carried his weight offensively, too. Through 73 games, he was hitting .267/.366/.421 (125 OPS+) with 12 homers and eight stolen bases in eight tries; as of Wednesday, he ranked only behind Crow-Armstrong and the Dodgers’ Andy Pages in bWAR among NL position players.
The other big reason is the resurgence of Jordan Walker. His story is well-known: he, like Wetherholt, was a mega-prospect. But he was called up when he was really young — he played 117 big-league games in his age-21 season in 2023 — and while he hit pretty well, the Cardinals couldn’t find a defensive home for him. Over the next two years, his offense disappeared, and he had to go back to the minors on various occasions. But he was still only 23 years old at the start of the 2026 season, so maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised when he finally started to deliver on his prodigious offensive talent. As of Wednesday, Walker was leading the NL in RBIs, with a .290/.343/.523 (143 OPS+) batting line and 18 homers.
I still have concerns. The pitching staff has only two above-average starters, one of whom — Andre Pallante — had -1.2 bWAR in 2025. The other, McGreevy, had barely thrown 100 big leagues innings prior to this season, and he’s got a FIP that’s more than a run higher than his ERA. The bullpen isn’t good; of the seven Cardinal pitchers with double-digit relief appearances, only two have an ERA+ better than 102.
The most notable crack in the St. Louis façade is in their run differential, which sat at just plus-four coming into play Wednesday. That’s worse than the Cubs and Pirates and gives them an “expected” win-loss record of 39-38, three games worse than their actual record.
Threat level: Low. The Cardinals should be praised for what they’ve done this season, and they’ve already exceeded my expectations, but they’ve done that with basically perfect scenarios from Wetherholt and Walker. The pitching staff, an expected weakness, has been middle of the pack and I see no reason to think it will improve, if it doesn’t regress. If the Cardinals hang around .500 for the rest of the season, it’d be a positive outcome for them; to ask for more than that is probably asking too much of this young, inexperienced group.
Milwaukee’s Outlook
The Brewers have put themselves in a great position not because they’re lucky but because they are good. Even with a healthy pitching staff, I never thought the Cubs were quite on Milwaukee’s level and given how the Brewers have surprised everyone by seemingly improving again, they’ve built a cushion in this division that I don’t see any of the other teams being able to overcome.
There is still a lot of season left, but the Brewers are the class of this division, and the numbers bear it out: Milwaukee’s +122 run differential, the second-best mark in baseball behind the Dodgers, is almost 100 runs better than second place in the division (the Cubs at +31). Chicago is still the biggest threat, but I still expect Milwaukee to cruise to another division title.
Now that the smoke has cleared from the NBA Draft, it seems like Kentucky’s two draftees found themselves in really good situations.
Starting off with Jayden Quaintance, who found himself in a really good spot being selected 20th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. Quaintance lands on a Spurs team coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals where he will join a frontcourt with one of the best players in the league in Victor Wembanyama.
That frontcourt pairing of Wembanyama and Quaintance should strike fear into opposing teams with the length and shot-blocking ability those two possess.
Of course, that all hinges on Quaintance’s health, which has been (and continues to be) a significant question mark. The good thing for Quaintance is that he isn’t going to a team whose success will hinge on his ability to be an impact player right away. The Spurs have the luxury of being able to let Quaintance come along at a slower pace and make sure he’s healthy before rushing onto the court.
If everything is good for Quaintance health-wise, this could be the best pick of the draft.
Otega Oweh heard his name called in the second round at 41st overall, as he will head to the Oklahoma City Thunder to join a pair of former Cats in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace.
I also really like the Oweh-OKC pairing. The Thunder needed to add depth on the wing, and Oweh will have an opportunity to fill that role. Oweh will look to be a strong perimeter defender for the Thunder, and if he can continue to develop his jump shot, he could prove to be a reliable rotation player for a Thunder team that should be a championship contender.
This year’s draft turned out well for the pair of former Cats.
The Hockey News recently inquired about the Colorado Avalanche targeting Mason Marchment in free agency this summer. General manager Joe Sakic, however, went a step further by acquiring a younger, more physical version of him.
Zachary L’Heureux was acquired from the Nashville Predators as part of the Jack Drury trade on Wednesday. Colorado also sent prospect Chase Bradley and a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft to Nashville in a deal that also brought Fedor Svechkov to the Avalanche organization. On paper, it’s a multi-layered swap that addresses both immediate depth and long-term upside.
Jack Drury's all-out, team-first style will be missed. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
Over the past two seasons, the Avalanche have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in part because more physical, gritty teams have been able to wear them down in key moments. It’s not just about talent matching anymore — it’s about the ability to handle contact over a long series and still execute at pace. That gap has shown up when games tighten and space disappears.
The Dallas Stars eliminated Colorado in seven games in the 2025 postseason, a series in which the Avalanche were repeatedly on the receiving end of heavy contact and retaliation sequences. Roope Hintz high-sticked Nathan MacKinnon in the face and back of the head, while Jamie Benn cross-checked Valeri Nichushkin in front of the net and along the boards. The response from Colorado’s side was inconsistent, and the power play was largely ineffective, which ultimately became a deciding factor in the series.
This season, the frustration only deepened as expectations rose even higher. The Avalanche finished with 121 points, a franchise record and one of the highest totals in NHL history, while also leading the league in both goals scored and fewest goals allowed. That combination usually translates into a deep playoff run, especially for a team that also secured the most points before the Christmas break since the stat began being tracked in 1972, opening the year 27-2-7.
After sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round and defeating the Minnesota Wild in five games, it looked as though Colorado was finally set for a true Stanley Cup push. The roster was rolling, the structure was intact, and the depth scoring was showing up at the right time. Instead, the Vegas Golden Knights swept the Presidents’ Trophy winners out of the playoffs in a series that turned quickly and decisively.
And one of the reasons Vegas won that series was their clear edge in physical play from the opening puck drop. The Golden Knights didn’t just match Colorado’s pace — they forced them into a different kind of game entirely, where every entry became contested and every loose puck came with contact. Over time, that pressure built into something Colorado couldn’t solve.
The turning point came in Game 3, when Colorado built a 3-0 lead before giving up five unanswered goals in a collapse that shifted the entire series. From that point forward, Vegas leaned into a tighter, heavier structure that eliminated clean looks in the offensive zone. The Avalanche were pushed to the perimeter and forced into low-percentage chances far more often than they were used to.
The physical gap showed up every night in the numbers and in the eye test. Ivan Barbashev finished the playoffs with 110 hits, setting the tone for a Vegas group that included Colton Sissons, Keegan Kolesar, Brett Howden, and Cole Smith. Each shift carried weight, and Colorado’s puck carriers rarely had time to settle.
In fact, six of the top 10 hitters in the playoffs were Golden Knights. And if you guessed how many Avalanche players finished in the top 10 — zero, you’re right. Zero. No Avs in the top 25 either, which only reinforced how one-sided the physical category became over the course of the series.
That trend has become part of a larger conversation around Colorado’s postseason identity. It’s not that the Avalanche lack skill — they clearly don’t — but the way games are called and played in late May often strips away space, and that’s where physical teams gain control. Vegas understood that better than anyone in the series.
Now the Avalanche are finally acknowledging—perhaps reluctantly—that the years-long strategy of chasing immediate help and spending future assets under Chris MacFarland didn't fully solve the roster's underlying issue. The organization spent years prioritizing skill and short-term upgrades, but the lack of physical edge eventually caught up to Colorado when it mattered most. The roster was built to dominate the regular season, yet it lacked the pushback necessary to withstand the grind of the postseason.
The addition of L’Heureux is the latest attempt to change that equation. He brings an edge Colorado has been missing — not just in terms of physicality, but in the way he can disrupt rhythm and tilt a shift. He’s expected to slide into a flexible fourth-line role under Jared Bednar alongside Fedor Svechkov and Parker Kelly, giving the Avalanche a heavier, more disruptive look at the bottom of the lineup.
Svechkov partnered with Parker Kelly and L'Heureux sounds like a match made in heaven. Credit: David Kirouac - Imagn Images
He’s also shown he can produce when given opportunity. In 30 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate, he posted 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, along with four points in limited NHL action. Svechkov brings a two-way foundation, while Kelly adds speed and a career-high 21-goal season, giving that line a more balanced identity than Colorado’s depth has had in recent years.
The Avalanche now sit with just under $5 million in cap space, which leaves room for flexibility but not major swings without corresponding moves. If they explore moving Valeri Nichushkin for draft capital and relief, it could open the door to additional changes that further reshape the bottom of the roster.
If nothing else, this feels like a shift in tone more than a finished product. Not a full identity change yet, but a clearer understanding that what works in the regular season doesn’t always survive the grind of May and June.
It may not seem like it this year but one of baseball’s greatest rivalries is renewed tonight in Boston when the Yankees (48–31) and Red Sox (32-46) open a weekend series. New York sits atop the American League East while Boston is mired in the cellar.
You might think the Sox at Fenway helps level the playing field, but Boston has been a terrible home team this season with a record of just 12-25 while the Yankees have been dominant even on the road with 26 wins in 42 games. To date this season, it really has not mattered where they have played as these teams have played five times this season with New York winning four of the five and all three at Fenway.
Last night, the Yankees wrapped up their series in Detroit with a 4–2 win taking the final two games of the three-game series. Paul Goldschmidt homered twice to pace the Bronx Bombers against Tarik Skubal. The Sox dropped two of three to the Rockies earlier this week including 8-6 last night. Five of the eight runs that crossed the plate for Colorado were unearned. It's been that kind of season for the Red Sox. New York is a pedestrian 6–4 over their last 10 games but as mentioned do remain atop the division. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have dropped three of their last four and are 3–7 over their last ten games.
Tonight’s pitching matchup features two arms coming off strong outings in their most recent trips to the bump. The Yankees send the favorite to win the Cy Young, Cam Schlittler (8–3, 1.71 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 109 K) to face the Sox. Schlittler struck out 13 Reds over six shutout innings of four-hit ball last Friday. Boston counters with Connelly Early (6–5, 3.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 79 K). The lefty allowed one run on two hits while striking out seven over six innings Saturday in Seattle.
Ben Rice continues to pace the Yankees’ attack. He leads the team with a .286 average, 22 HR, and 53 RBI. Paul Goldschmidt has been white hot recently, going 14‑for‑41 with five home runs over his last 10 games. Boston’s most productive bat has been Willson Contreras, hitting .280 with 16 HR and 46 RBI this season. Ceddanne Rafaela is swinging a hot bat with at least one hit in seven of his last eight and 10 of his last 12 games.
Let's dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Fenway Park
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, YES, NESN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Yankees vs. Red Sox
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: New York Yankees (-176), Boston Red Sox (+145)
Spread: Yankees -1.5 (-104), Red Sox +1.5 (-115)
Total: 7.5 runs
Starting Pitchers and their Stats: Yankees vs. Red Sox for June 25
Red Sox: Connelly Early Season Totals: 81.2 IP, 6-5, 3.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 79K, 31 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. Red Sox
Jasson Dominguez homered yesterday and has hit safely in 5 of his last 6 games (7-23)
Jose Caballero was 1-10 in the series against Detroit
Ben Rice was 2-13 in the series against the Tigers
Ben Rice has struck out 4 times in 4 career ABs against Connelly Early
Speaking of strikeouts, Boston hitters have K’d 18 times in 63 career ABs against Cam Schlittler
Jarren Duran is hitless in his last 16 ABs and 1-26 over his last 7 games
Ceddanne Rafaela is hitting .313 in June (25-80)
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Yankees vs. Red Sox
The Red Sox are 31-47 on the Run Line this season
The Yankees are 39-40 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 34 times in games involving the Red Sox this season (34-41-3)
The OVER has cashed 35 times in games involving the Yankees this season (35-40-4)
Expert picks & predictions: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and the Yankees:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.5.
Yankees Team Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees Team Total OVER 4.5 Total Runs.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
First time heat hazard has been declared this season
Formula One’s governing body has declared a heat hazard for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring this weekend, the first time this season that the designation has been used.
The race director, Rui Marques, said the official weather service forecasts temperatures in excess of 31C during the race. Declaring a heat hazard requires teams to fit a driver cooling system, such as a liquid-cooled vest, though drivers are not obliged to use them and can take a ballast penalty instead.
Jan 27, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) reacts with center Carson Cooper (15) after scoring a basket during overtime against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
After going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, as expected, the starting frontcourt of the 2025-26 MSU Basketball Team each were signed by NBA teams.
Carson Cooper earned the more promising of the two offers. The former Spartan center continues the pipeline from East Lansing to Memphis as he signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies. A two-way contract means a player can play for both an NBA team as well as its G-League affiliate, in this case the Memphis Hustle. Per NBA rules, players on two-way contracts can play up to 50 NBA games, but are not eligible for the playoffs unless they receive a standard contract.
During the Tom Izzo era, other big men to go straight from MSU to Memphis include Zach Randolph, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Xavier Tillman, though all three of them were drafted. The Grizzlies roster also includes former Purdue star Zach Edey as well as recent Detroit Pistons player Isaiah Stewart (traded during the draft) at the center position.
Jaxon Kohler signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz, his home state team. This type of contract allows a team to have a player on their training camp roster. Basically, this means that Kohler will get to play with Utah on their Las Vegas Summer League team, which runs in July. If Kohler can impress in Vegas, he can earn a two-way or even a regular contract, otherwise he can just be put on the Jazz’s G-League roster, the Salt Lake City Stars. There is also the possibility, ever so small, that Kohler does not do well with this opportunity and doesn’t even get on the G-League team, in which case he will have to find another team to sign with, domestically or abroad.
The Utah Jazz feature former Spartan (and former Memphis Grizzly) Jaren Jackson Jr. as their starting power forward. They also have depth with Kyle Filipowski and Blake Hinson who have two and one years of NBA experience, respectively.
We now are closer to the solutions to the poll questions we ran in the Feed earlier this week.
Most of the votes predicted Cooper would be on a G-League team, though a couple of you said he would be on an NBA roster, and that still has a chance of happening.
Similarly, most thought Kohler would play for a G-League team, though he did not receive any NBA votes.
Wishing both of these Spartan Dawgs loads of success in their next chapter.
Major League Baseball has reached the halfway point of its season – actual, not symbolic, with the All-Star Game not tipping off until July 14 in Philadelphia. But come Thursday, June 24, more teams than not will have played 81 games, and it’s all downhill until this baby wraps up Sept. 27.
Weird year, right? The league is filled with lots of bad teams who really aren’t out of it, leaving observers to ponder if any team is actually any good. Perhaps the hot summer months will bring clarity.
Or perhaps we’ll wonder why MLB will insist on a lockout for competitive balance when everyone is mid.
Either way, now’s a fine time to look at the many eye-opening paces that teams and players alike have set. Perhaps some of them will even hold up.
But for now, the math’s easy, so here’s seven numbers that catch our eye should they hold up come Game 162:
10: American League teams below .500
Yeah, that’s two-thirds of the league under water. #IfTheSeasonEndedToday (and it doesn’t), the Toronto Blue Jays would claim a wild card spot with a losing record.
What gives?
Well, it’s easy enough to look at the interleague records and realize 12 of 15 teams have losing records against the National League. The Angels (9-18) and Twins (9-17) are the worst of the bunch, while only the Mariners (12-11) and Rangers (16-14) are above .500.
Bo Bichette (Blue Jays to Mets) and Alex Bregman (Red Sox to Cubs) hopped leagues, and while they haven’t lit up the scoreboard with their new clubs, their losses are palpable for the teams they left. Tarik Skubal remains in the AL, for now, and while he missed five weeks and his team has floundered, the Tigers are still alive.
Which brings us to our next point: Everyone’s in it.
25: Teams within six games of a playoff berth
Put it this way: It’s a lot easier to list the clubs who aren’t a fortuitous week away from getting into playoff position. That would be the Angels and Red Sox in the AL and Mets, Giants and Rockies in the NL.
Don’t think that automatically means those teams will be sellers, though. The Angels are just 6½ games out of a playoff spot and the Mets 8. Still, though, you wonder how many teams will truly believe, come Aug. 3, that They Are Good.
Will the floating mass of contenders break up a bit by then? That’s typically how it goes, but don’t discount anything in this season of the meager.
0: Teams on pace to lose 100 games
OK, now for some good news: Nobody’s objectively terrible.
The Colorado Rockies lost 119 games a year ago and they’re once again at the bottom of the league, but the new regime has them at 32-49 and on pace to go 64-98. Progress!
218: Strikeouts for Cam Schlittler
That would be the most for a Yankee not named Gerrit Cole since 2018, when Luis Severino punched out 220. In his first full season, Schlittler has pitched like an ace practically every start, more than holding it down while Cole and lefty Carlos Rodón were on the comeback trail.
While Cole has had moments of dominance in his return from Tommy John surgery, it’s hard to imagine anyone unseating Schlittler as the club’s bona fide, Game 1 playoff starter. Presuming Max Fried returns without incident from his elbow malady, the Yankees have a potentially daunting quartet of playoff starters.
9: Hits per nine innings given up by Freddy Peralta
Pardon the esoterica, but it’s hard to pinpoint one number for all that’s befallen the Mets this season. So let’s go with this one, simply because it appeared baseball ops president David Stearns stole Peralta at the end of the winter from the Milwaukee Brewers, a bona fide ace ready to lend stability to a star-studded team that needed pitching.
Yeah, about that.
Peralta has been getting thoroughly peppered, giving up 41% more hits than last season, when he won 17 games, posted a 2.70 ERA and finished fifth in Cy Young voting.
That ERA has swelled to 4.83, his K rate has shriveled from 10.4 to 8.7 per nine innings and Stearns, it seems, is experiencing the business end of Brewers devil magic he was so good at brewing up in Milwaukee.
Now, it’s doubtful Peralta can help the Mets get back into contention, unclear how much trade value he’ll have come August and curious what his market will look like when he finally hits free agency this winter.
220: Home runs for the Chicago White Sox
Yep, guess who’s second to the Bronx Bombers in home runs? These White Sox of Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami, who lead the team with 20 longballs each. Those two are tied fourth in the AL, a remarkable feat for Murakami, since the Japanese rookie hasn’t played since May 29 due to a hamstring injury.
They are, somewhat stunningly, in first place in the AL Central just two seasons after losing a record 121 games. It’s a startling display of resolve for both team and individuals, most notably Miguel Vargas, who has 17 homers and has doggedly continued his rise since getting traded to the sad-sack ’24 Sox.
If they actually reach that 220-homer mark, that’ll tie the 2003 White Sox for fourth-most bombs in franchise history.
Credit where it’s due. The Nationals’ entirely new regime signed virtually no free agents, traded former All-Star MacKenzie Gore to Texas and ran it back with a group that went 71-91 in consecutive seasons.
Yet it’s all working: The 33-year-old manager, a resurgent Aussie, and All-Star talents like James Wood and CJ Abrams stepping to the fore have made what seemed like a bottom-up rebuild look less laborious and much more fun. Should they go out and get a bullpen if they hover in playoff position?
Can't hurt. Consider that they were on pace for 84 wins until lightning struck in the ninth inning on consecutive nights.
WASHINGTON – Cristopher Sánchez and Jacob Misiorowski are on a collision course that leads directly to Philadelphia on July 14.
The Phillies left-hander and the Milwaukee Brewers’ velocity-crazed right-hander are far and away the two best pitchers in the National League this season and could create a quandary for their teams and Major League Baseball, while opening up a year-old wound.
Which one starts the All-Star Game?
In any other season, Sánchez would be an easy choice. After all, the game is returning to Philly for the first time since 1996, and Sánchez posted the lion’s share of his amazing 55 2/3-inning scoreless streak – longest in major league history for a left-hander – at Citizens Bank Park.
Ah, but then there’s Misiorowski, again posing a roadblock that could affect Sánchez.
The Brewers’ 6-foot-7 24-year-old leads major league qualified starters with a 1.45 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 93 innings. He threw the fastest pitch ever recorded by a starting pitcher – 104.5 mph – and showed the Phillies how dominant he can be.
On June 12, Misiorowski threw a one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts against the Phillies, just the third pitcher to punch out that many batters while allowing just one baserunner.
And while back in the day, the long ball was the in thing, nowadays it’s velocity that gets more clicks.
But can a case be made that Sánchez has both statistics and sentiment – all of Philly wrapping their arms around him – on his side?
“There’s so many deserving guys. But I think it’s cool if someone can start in their home season,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner tells USA TODAY Sports, noting the atmosphere when Clayton Kershaw started the 2022 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
“I thought that was really cool. Not that MIsiorowski isn’t more than deserving – he is, he’s had an unbelievable season. But I think the home start’s cool. The fans would love it and I think all of baseball would love it.”
Yet several factors will determine which ace gets the ball – or doesn’t pitch at all – in the Midsummer Classic.
A controversial choice, a pro response
The Phillies were aghast. They had a pair of left-handers – Sánchez and Ranger Suárez – having fantastic seasons. Yet when a rash of pitcher replacements were required to substitute pitchers who started games the Saturday or Sunday before the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta, neither were chosen.
Instead, MLB opted to showcase Misiorowski, then a rookie with just five starts and a mere 25 innings pitched in his career – 90 fewer than Sánchez’s first-half total, paired with a 2.50 ERA.
“What a joke,” Turner told The Athletic. “I mean, that’s terrible, dude.”
"That's just how MLB does it now," catcher J.T. Realmuto added. “Nothing against the Misiorowski kid. But (Suarez and Sanchez) are deserving of being on the team in the first place. There's no doubt.”
It was an admittedly calculated risk by the league. The Miz could have cracked under his first global pitching assignment. A poor second half or injury might have made the decision foolhardy in retrospect.
But Misiorowski aced the assignment, pitching a scoreless inning, hurling nine pitches harder than 100 mph, handling his media obligations with aplomb and, while his second-half ERA ballooned to 5.36, he helped pitch the Brewers to the National League Championship Series.
This year, both pitchers seem separated by a razor-thin margin, with bulk vs. sizzle possibly entering the picture again.
A little more work to do
Sánchez once again has an innings-pitched edge, 105-93, second in the majors only to Sandy Alcantara’s 110 innings pitched for Miami. That seems a negligible difference, though 12 innings provides nearly two starts worth of coverage to a pitching staff.
Otherwise, it’s hard to deny Misiorowski’s dominance.
What a combination: Misiorowski leads the majors in both strikeouts per nine innings (13.35) and opponents’ batting average (.146, 53 points better than No. 2 Paul Skenes).
The Phillies saw firsthand how deadly his combination of a 103-mph fastball and a 98-mph slider can be. Kyle Schwarber managed their lone hit, and he was erased on a double play, Misiorowski facing the minimum in just 95 pitches.
“I feel like he’ll give you a pitch in the middle of the zone maybe once an at-bat, but if you miss that one pitch, it’s nearly impossible,” says Turner, who struck out twice in three at-bats. “Just so much extension. A lot of guys throw hard. He’s not only throwing harder, but the extension is crazy.
“Last year, we got to him a little bit. This year, he pitched one of the best games I’ve ever seen.”
Sánchez counters with a fastball he runs up into the high 90s with the game’s greatest changeup and, increasingly, a slider that makes the whole package deadly when everything is clicking.
With a PitchCom device in his ear, Turner, at shortstop, can relish just what Sánchez is going to do next to a helpless hitter.
“Watching from this side’s a little more fun,” he says. “As a hitter, you know (the changeup) is coming. It’s just, is it a strike? Can you lay off it if it’s a ball? It tells you how good it is when you know that’s the pitch, you’re going to face him three or four times and he still gets awkward swings.
“I think that just speaks so highly of him when you know it’s coming and you can’t do much with it.”
While both pitchers’ 2026 bodies of work are accumulating, there’s still plenty of work to do before one of them is warming up in the Citizens Bank Park bullpen come July 14.
Both have four starts left, Sanchez June 25 at Washington, home to Pittsburgh and then road assignments at Kansas City and Detroit. Misiorowski faces the Cubs June 26 and will take on Cincinnati, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
And there’s a chance the calendar won’t align for one or both of them.
Hands up for Hollywood
On paper, Sánchez is in good shape. If the Phillies skip the unsettled fifth spot in their rotation thanks to an off day July 3, Sánchez would start Sunday, July 5 at Kansas City and Friday, July 10 at Detroit.
That’s an ideal three days of rest before a likely one-inning All-Star assignment.
Misiorowski, though, is on turn to make his final first-half start Saturday, July 11 at Pittsburgh. In 2025, six pitchers were scratched from the roster because they started the Saturday before the All-Star Game – including the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd, whose absence opened up Misiorowski’s spot.
The Brewers can certainly fiddle with the rotation before then, and might welcome extra days of rest for Misiorowski, pushing him back a day or two and eliminating that last late-week start. And weather, of course, is a factor when the Brewers are on the road.
Yet logistics are only half the equation, now. Increasingly, narrative plays a role.
When Kershaw made that start in 2022, he was not the best pitcher in the NL’s first half. That distinction belonged to Alcantara, who posted a 1.76 ERA, threw three first-half complete games and six starts with zero earned runs given up.
It’s not like Kershaw was chopped liver: He had a 2.13 ERA and, in his last start before the break, nearly tossed a perfect game at Anaheim.
Yet this was L.A., home of the Dodgers and also Fox Sports. Kershaw was named the starter and the network spun up a goofy pregame bit where Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani, then an Angel, were mic’d up and talked trash to each other moments before the first pitch.
Ohtani complied by hitting a first-pitch single, and then Kershaw picked him off first base. Almost like it was scripted.
Not sure if they can contrive any such theatrics with The Miz or Sánchie. Yet if all things are equal, velocity just might be the tiebreaker.
That may leave the Phillies with a mild beef for a second year in a row. That’s OK – they still get to watch Sánchez pitch every five days.
“It’s pretty amazing to watch him on a start-in, start-out basis,” says manager Don Mattingly. “Ninety-seven, 98 is pretty good, with movement. He’s a guy whose mix all tunnels. He’s tough to pick up.
'My Game Got More Professional': Maple Leafs Prospect Tinus Luc Koblar Speaks On NHL Future, Personal DevelopmentToronto Maple Leafs prospect, Tinus Luc Koblar, impressed the hockey world with his performance at the 2026 World Championship for Norway. In a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on his personal development, how that tournament went for him, and his NHL future.
'We're Going To Evaluate Everything' Maple Leafs' John Chayka Speaks On Matthew Knies Trade RumorsWith conversations regarding Matthew Knies and the possibility of him being traded, Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka spoke to those rumors on Friday.
Maple Leafs Full Order Of Selection For The 2026 NHL Draft Officially RevealedThe Maple Leafs have eight draft picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, including the No. 1 overall pick.
