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No prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization has generated more buzz this season than Rome Emperors outfielder Eric Hartman. The 20-year-old possesses a combination of power and speed that sent him rocketing up hot sheets in the midst of a breakout season.

Hartman, Atlanta’s 20th round selection (611th overall) in the 2024 draft, bypassed a potential college career at Michigan to sign with the Braves for a well-over-slot value of $337,500 as the result of a rigorous scouting effort.  

That investment is paying major dividends for Hartman and the Braves. Hartman is slashing .302/.362/.569 with 18 home runs, 29 stolen bases, 47 RBIs and 51 runs scored in 65 games for Rome, where he is nearly two years younger than the average High-A player.

With roughly half the minor league season in the books, Hartman is closing in on a 20-homer, 20-steal season. No Braves prospect has combined the elements of power and speed like Hartman since Ronald Acuña Jr. blitzed his way through the Atlanta system nearly a decade ago. It can be difficult to avoid those kinds of comparisons as the numbers pile up, but Hartman is keeping his focus on each and every day rather than getting too far ahead of even his own expectations.

I caught up with the impressive Braves prospect this week to get his take on what has been one of the most exciting minor league seasons in all of baseball. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Grant McAuley: Eric, I’d say that 2026 has been quite a year for you thus far. So, I’ll open up with the most general question I can ask you – what has 2026 been like, because it seems like some big things have been happening for you on the field?

Eric Hartman: I would say just a lot of fun. I think just having fun every day really just allows everything else to work. [I’m] just enjoying the process, enjoying the ups and enjoying the downs, knowing that this is a sport and anything can happen. So, I’m just being excited when things go good and being level when things don’t go as planned.

GM: Sounds like you’ve had an opportunity to really find out what the professional baseball life is all about. There’s another game tomorrow until there’s not, basically. So, a lot to be learned, good, bad and everything in between.

Before we dive into your story, I want to ask you about the guys that you’re playing with. There’s a lot of talent, a lot of excitement on a daily basis to come out to the ballpark with these guys. What has made the Rome Emperors such an exciting team this year?

EH: I’d say just that we can really win any ball game and we’re never out of it on any given day. I think everyone’s really excited based on how we’re stacking at-bats. Every at-bat something cool could happen, so all the guys are really good and really positive. I think that just translates into every day.

GM: As far as what you’re doing every day, it would seem like leveling up your game this year has been the overall theme. Walk me through the difference between, say, the 2025 season, and the things that you learned and the adjustments you wanted to make over the winter. How did you parlay that into a very successful first half this year?

EH: I’m just hammering the basics, really. I wouldn’t say it’s anything crazy, but just really learning, fixing and really focusing on the things I do really well and mastering those. Then it’s just being able to repeat that on a day-to-day basis and trusting myself when a bad game happens. That’s what brought me success before. Then I’m just kind of repeating the things that brought me success, and keeping a steady head on my shoulders.

GM: One of the things I love about the minor leagues is that it is the story of development and of everybody coming into their own at different times and learning more about themselves through the successes and through the failures as well. 

A lot of folks look at the draft, the international signings, or maybe how someone is traded over from another organization – a lot of different things can bring a team together. For you, as the final pick the Braves made in the 2024 draft class, what was that process like?

EH: Yeah, it wasn’t really that crazy. They kind of told me in the final rounds, like 15-19 [I’d be selected]. I definitely was getting a little worried as I saw rounds going by, but I was really pumped to see my name pop-up with that last pick.

GM: I would say that it’s worked out pretty well thus far. I want to talk about your style of play. We’ve seen some of the speed that you’re flashing early in your career, but you’ve really grown into the power this year. I know you said it was kind of hammering the basics over the winter and sticking with those things. Was there anybody you were working with in particular, whether it’s this year in spring training or over the winter, that helped you maximize that part of your game?

EH: All my coaches have really helped me hone in on better misses in terms of flyball percentage, hard-hit percentage, and really just hammering down my bat path and my approach, too. So, all my coaches throughout spring training and here in Rome, too.

GM: The spring training experience for minor leaguers is a different one than over in the major league camp. Did you have an opportunity to get around the major league side and observe some things, or maybe talk with some coaches or players who gave you a little bit of feedback to get the year going or just help you out in little ways that can help a baseball player take that next step?

EH: Yeah, I backed up a few big league games and I think just being around the guys and just realizing that for them it’s just a game, too. That and just watching them handle their business is a really important aspect of it. Learning from that and learning that they don’t put too much pressure on themselves, even when everyone’s looking at them, I think learning that really helped me.

GM: Now, success on the field individually is obviously important. As somebody who’s going out there, going to battle every single day, winning obviously beats losing. But how critical is that to this step as you go along in the minor leagues to have competitive teams – teams that can win a championship at whatever level you’re at?

EH: I think just wanting to win, and like knowing you can win, that’s when everyone succeeds individually. But when you lose focus of that, then that’s when stuff hits the fan and you start losing some of your individual talents. But when you’re all just worried about winning and doing whatever you can to help the team win, then that’s when you really shine.

GM: I talked to your teammate, [Braves 2025 first-round pick] Tate Southisene. He was just promoted to Rome, but he told me that you were one of the first guys that he got to know last year as he was just coming into pro ball. You guys are reunited here in Rome now, so could you describe what his game looks like and the difference a year in pro ball can make? It seems like he’s leveled up quite a bit, too.

EH: Yeah, when he first came in, he was just so talented and he still is. He’s just cleaned up a few things with his swing and in his approach, and it just really shows. It’s totally impressive how far even just confidence-wise a year under your belt can give you and I’m looking forward to watching him here, too.

GM: I know not every player is going to come into a year and say, “I need to get certain statistics or pile up this particular stat line.” Are there certain goals or levels that you set out to achieve in a year? Anything you say that you would like to do this thing or that thing? I know being healthy is a big part of doing those things, but anything in particular?

EH: Not really. I would say, just showing up every day, and yeah, like you said staying on the ball field and giving it my best. But I think as soon as you put a number on anything it slows you down. So, I just like to keep pushing and keeping it going.

GM: I really like that. I think that’s a great way to look at it, because you don’t want to get too focused on the here and now, because it might keep you from where you’re going to be tomorrow. 

That brings me to my final question – which is the fact that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But if you play really well in the minor leagues, oftentimes you’ll change addresses a couple of times. Does any of that kind of stuff creep into the back of your mind, or are you really trying to be solely focused on what you’re doing today and getting ready to do it all over again tomorrow?

EH: Yeah, you hit it on the head. Like, I’m just really focused on controlling the controllables and doing whatever I can to stay here. Yeah, taking it a day at a time, because stuff can change really quickly and I’m just enjoying the process here.

GM: Well, I think folks are enjoying you enjoying that process here in Rome. It’s been a great season thus far with a lot of baseball left to be played. Thanks so much for the time and good luck the rest of the way.

EH: Awesome. Thanks for having me.

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Rivals collide tonight at Citi Field as the Philadelphia Phillies visit the New York Mets. 

With the flourishing Zack Wheeler on the hill, my Phillies vs Mets predictions are eyeing the visitors to take the series opener. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Friday, June 26. 

Who will win Phillies vs Mets today: Phillies -1.5 (+105)

The Philadelphia Phillies enter this series having won five of their last six, and they've covered the run line in four of those games. Zack Wheeler gets the ball tonight, and he owns an impressive 2.71 xERA across his last five appearances. 

During that span, Wheeler has held opponents to a 32.4% hard hit rate, and a solid 44.6% ground ball rate. The veteran is inducing a lot of weak contact, and he's up against one of the most inconsistent lineups in baseball. 

The New York Mets haven't yet announced who will start, but it's likely to be a bullpen game. That's not ideal, considering they own a 41% hard hit rate over the last week. 

I'll play this pick up to -120. 

COVERS INTEL: The Phillies are jumping on everything right now, with a 45.6% hard hit rate in their previous six contests. That's compared to a 40.4% mark in the last month. 

Phillies vs Mets Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 runs (+101)

The Philadelphia Phillies have been the hottest offense in baseball lately, scoring 51 runs over their last six games while slugging 14 home runs. Their .262 ISO and 155 wRC+ during that stretch back up the production.

Zack Wheeler should keep New York's offense in check, but the Phillies have a favorable matchup against a Mets bullpen allowing 1.87 home runs per nine innings over the last week. Even if the Mets contribute only a couple of runs, Philadelphia has more than enough firepower to push this game beyond the total.

I'll play this pick up to -130.

Phillies vs Mets weather

Conditions at Citi Field should be slightly favorable for hitters tonight. Temperatures around 81°F and warm summer air could help the ball carry a bit better, while light 8.1 mph winds aren't expected to have much impact. Overall, the weather provides a modest boost to offense without dramatically changing the matchup.

Phillies vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Phillies -150 | Mets +144
• Run line: Phillies -1.5 (+108) | Mets +1.5 (-113)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Phillies vs Mets trend

The New York Mets have hit the Game Total Over in 11 of their last 17 games at home (+6.65 Units / 36% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Mets.

How to watch Phillies vs Mets and game info

Phillies vs Mets latest injuries

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After a third straight bullpen meltdown, we saw a different side of Blake Butera. His answers were short and to the point. He was asked about what went wrong with the bullpen, and he simply said “they did not throw strikes and didn’t execute” and when he was asked about his takeaway from the game today, he simply said “our bullpen”.

Last night just felt like a breaking point because we could all see it coming from a mile away. I am sure Blake Butera knew the game had slipped away when he went out to the mound to pull Mitchell Parker after yet another dreadful outing from the lefty. It just felt like Butera had a sense of acceptance with the state of the bullpen. He was asked if he trusted the guys he had to figure it out, and he simply said that they will get opportunities.

Obviously Blake Butera does not trust his relievers, and frankly he would be out of his mind if he did. They let him down and let this fanbase down for three straight nights. The only reason Butera did not say that is because unfortunately, you can’t replace a whole unit overnight. The reality is that Butera does have to keep giving some of these guys shots because this is all they have.

While you can’t send down an entire bullpen, I am quite baffled about why Mitchell Parker keeps getting chances. Yet again, he was at the center of a bullpen collapse. However, it does not look like he will be sent down. On the season, the southpaw has a 6.39 ERA and is coming off a 2025 season where he had a 5.68 ERA. I have no clue what more they need to see here.

One pitcher they did send down was Gus Varland, whose 9th inning meltdown put the nail in the coffin. Varland was very good for this team in April, but had an ERA of 5.79 in May and 11.17 in June. As much as I like Varland the person, this was a move that had to be made. He was just unable to get outs at the big league level.

To Varland’s credit, he was the only Nationals reliever who made himself available to the media. This is despite the fact he had clearly just been told he had been sent down to AAA. He just looked defeated when we spoke to him, saying “this f*cking sucks”. I asked what had changed between April and now, to which Varland said he wished he knew.

Three nights in a row, the Nats had a win probability in the 90’s and blew it. On two of those nights, they were one strike away with nobody on base. Instead of a four game sweep, the Nats lost three of four due to the biggest achilles heel in all of baseball.

As has been pointed out a lot lately, this Nationals team is a resilient bunch, or at least the hitters are. They bounced back after the San Francisco game, and bounced back last night, putting up 5 runs on one of the best pitchers in baseball. Unfortunately, the bullpen does not have that same sort of talent or resilience.

Blake Butera even said that he thought his relievers were pitching scared. You could see the confidence completely drain from Mitchell Parker after allowing a couple hits. He became scared to throw strikes, and that sent the wheels in motion. Clayton Beeter, who is always erratic, just did not have it tonight. In that 7th inning, they walked three straight hitters, including two with the bases loaded.

Somehow though, I don’t even think the walks are the biggest problem plaguing this bullpen. That would be the home run ball. On the season, the Nats bullpen has allowed 61 homers. No other unit has even allowed 50. They are on pace to allow 120 home runs as a bullpen, the most by any unit that did not pitch in 2019 with the juiced balls.

The bullpen allowed 6 homers in this series alone. There are multiple bullpens that have not allowed 6 homers all month. It is honestly an embarrassment that this is the product being put out by this unit. This offense is absolutely amazing, and even if the same group is brought back, it is far from guaranteed that the results will be this good again.

This has to be fixed by Paul Toboni at the trade deadline and/or in the offseason. The team has overachieved and are ahead of schedule. They could truly make a push in 2027 even with an average bullpen. A rockstar closer would be nice, but I would take MLB quality pitchers at this point. This bullpen would not look out of place at all in Triple-A.

It is just a real shame that it has come to this. This season was, and in some ways still is very fun. It is cool to actually feel things again after not even being close to competing for so many years. However, we just got a reality check this week. Until the bullpen is totally overhauled, this team is going nowhere.

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We have a ton of value to attack this evening, so here are my favorite MLB player propsfor June 26.

Kyle Manzardo and TJ Rumfield will lead the way on Friday night.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Kyle Manzardo	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-101
TJ Rumfield	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-109
Owen Caissie	Over 0.5 hits	-161

Kyle Manzardo Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-101)

Getting nearly even money on a hitter batting .300 with a .519 SLG, .886 OPS, 58% hard-hit rate, and a 16% barrel rate over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching is simply too good to pass up.

Kyle Manzardo has been seeing the ball extremely well as of late, and tonight he draws Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Manzardo owns nearly 82% arsenal coverage against his below average pitch mix.

Castillo has been getting torched by left-handed hitters on the road, allowing a 71.4% elevation rate and a 43.7% hard-hit rate. Over the last 60 lefties he's faced, opponents have generated a 48% hard-hit rate, 12% barrel rate, and a 66% elevation rate. They have also posted a .490 xSLG and .357 xwOBA during that stretch.

If you're looking for a plus-money look, pair Manzardo and Travis Bazzana to each record a hit. I think both of these guys are in outstanding spots tonight.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CLEG, SEAM

TJ Rumfield Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-109)

A very tough price to overlook.

Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield not only owns an elite rating, but also has 76% arsenal coverage against Minnesota Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

Rumfield has been on fire lately, batting .327 with a .692 SLG, 1.092 OPS, .365 ISO, and just a 13% strikeout rate over his last 60 at bats against right-handed pitching.

Bradley, on the other hand, has been getting lit up by left-handed hitters all season. Over the last 30 lefties he has faced, he has allowed a 60% hard-hit rate, 25% barrel rate, and 75% elevation rate.

Looking at his last three starts overall, Bradley owns a 6.19 xERA while allowing a 54% hard-hit rate and 16% barrel rate to opposing hitters.

I think the young Pebble and the rest of the Rockies are in a great spot tonight against a pitcher who consistently gives up loud contact. I would have gladly paid -120 for this prop, so make sure to shop around and grab the best number you can find.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MNNT, COLR

Owen Caissie Over 0.5 hits (-161)

The Miami Marlins have a guy near the bottom of their lineup named Owen Caissie who has been on an absolute tear. Tonight, he draws St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy, and the young slugger owns 74% arsenal coverage against his entire pitch mix.

Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Caissie has produced a 55.6% hard-hit rate, 27.8% barrel rate, .430 wOBA, .679 SLG, and a 1.012 OPS.

On the other side, McGreevy owns a 5.67 xERA and just a 10% strikeout rate over the last 60 left-handed batters he has faced. During that stretch, lefties have posted a .358 xBA, .569 xSLG, and .382 xwOBA against him.

This is a spot where I am more than willing to lay a little extra juice. Caissie to record a hit this evening is a go in my book at anything below -170.

If you're looking for a little more value, his Over 1.5 total bases is a pretty sexy number. Me? I am in the juice-paying business, so I do not mind laying a little extra for the higher floor.

• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CARD, MIAM

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Two NL West ballclubs, fresh off a sweep, meet for a weekend series as the Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Petco to face the San Diego Padres.

L.A. is the favorite (-133) and possesses a nine-game lead in the division, and my Dodgers vs. Padres predictions think the price might be short.

See my full MLB picks below for Friday, June 26.

Who will win Dodgers vs Padres today: Dodgers (-137)

The standings show that only nine games separate the Los Angeles Dodgers from the San Diego Padres.

This short line is influenced by the standings, which fail to mention that L.A. has a +144 run differential while San Diego lags behind at -5.

The Padres have been one of the most fortunate teams in the league, so I’m fading them and quantifying them as an overvalued asset. Their 37-42 BaseRuns record indicates they really could be five wins worse off.

Walker Buehler (15th percentile xBA, 12th percentile whiff rate), similarly, has been lucky.

COVERS INTEL:Roki Sasaki has stepped up a level, posting the eighth-best Stuff+ (113) among starters in his last six outings. His patented splitter should play nicely against a Padres lineup with -3.58 runs above average per 100 splitters seen — the worst mark in the league.

Dodgers vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-105)

Since May 18, San Diego has ranked dead last in AVG (.216), and second-last in OPS (.652) and runs scored per game (3.5).

While Buehler’s underlying metrics are somewhat questionable, the on-field results are not. He’s allowed just a single run in each of his last four starts.

Buehler rarely has an off day, surrendering no more than three earned runs in any of his last eight starts, and no more than four earned in any of his 15 starts this season.

Both bullpens have an ERA below 3.00 across the last 14 days and are fully rested.

Dodgers vs Padres weather

Partly sunny with winds at 9 mph. 

Dodgers vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -148 | Padres +123
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+119) | Padres +1.5 (-144)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Dodgers vs Padres trend

The Dodgers have won 13 of their last 18 road games against the Padres. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Padres. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Padres.

How to watch Dodgers vs Padres and game info

Dodgers vs Padres latest injuries

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It’s going to be a lucrative winter for major league managers.

The New York Mets’ firing of Carlos Mendoza on Friday, June 26 marks the third major-market manager to get canned this season, as the third-year skipper took the fall for the club’s poor performance in the face of huge expectations that come with carrying the major league's biggest 2026 payroll.

Now, the Mets join the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies as clubs seeking full-time managers, though interim manager Don Mattingly’s 36-17 performance guiding the Phillies back into contention for the NL East title may certainly thrust his name into the permanent mix, should he desire.

Some good news: Francisco Lindor returns, but Mets still face injury woes

As for the Mets, this is a pressure-packed hire. President of baseball operations David Stearns has taken considerable heat for offseason moves that largely went awry once the lights came on this season; Mendoza was under fire almost immediately, received an April stay of execution and then became easily disposable once the Mets fell to 34-47.

Now, it will be Stearns facing more heat should the club not turn it around in 2027, and owner Steve Cohen will closely scrutinize this hiring.

Here are seven potential fits in New York as the club looks toward the future:

Alex Cora

No wonder the man felt more blessed than stressed when a dysfunctional Boston Red Sox organization kicked him to the curb after just 27 games.

Cora’s firing was shortly followed by Rob Thomson’s dismissal in Philadelphia, prompting speculation Cora and former Boston boss Dave Dombrowski might consummate a shotgun wedding and bring Cora to Philly.

Yet Cora opted to chill, and now he might enjoy something resembling a bidding war for his services. And the Mets are probably the best fit of all.

Cora is an excellent manager in the dugout and the clubhouse and would excel in handling the New York media, as he did in Boston when he served under three general managers yet established himself as an organizational cornerstone — at least until he and current boss Craig Breslow got sideways.

But the resume remains unblemished — a 620-541 career record, one World Series championship and significant regard in the game.

Cora would also connect nicely with Puerto Rican baseball fans in New York, and his experience handling big-money superstars — from Mookie Betts to Chris Sale to Rafael Devers - would come in handy. Cue up the Mets fan fever dreams of Cora and Zohran Mamdani piloting a float down the Canyon of Heroes.

Carlos Beltrán, Mets special assistant

Wouldn’t this be something?

Beltrán arguably got the worst deal out of the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme, with Cora and A.J. Hinch bouncing back to managerial jobs, every other player skating freely yet Beltrán, a player at the time of the scandal, losing his impending job as Mets manager.

This might be the time to make it right.

Former Mets GM Billy Eppler re-hired Beltrán as a special assistant in February 2023 and he’s stayed aboard into the Stearns era. Lest we forget, Beltrán nearly got the New York Yankees job that went to Aaron Boone before the 2018 season.

Highly regarded and respected still, and that’s before he earned election to the Hall of Fame.

George Lombard, Tigers bench coach

The man has methodically climbed the ranks, from Dodgers coach to Hinch’s No. 2 in Detroit, along the way interviewing for managerial jobs in Detroit and Pittsburgh in 2020 and Miami in 2024.

He now has six years of experience alongside Hinch, helping Detroit to a pair of playoff berths, and could check both the managerial and developmental boxes.

In this scenario, sometime in 2027 Lombard would be managing the Mets while his son, George Jr., is across town manning a spot in the Yankees infield.

Omar Lopez, Astros bench coach

His star rose significantly when he piloted an underdog Venezuela squad to a stunning World Baseball Classic championship in March. Pressure? The New York media pales in comparison to the expectations of piloting his home country through two WBCs.

Lopez has been a key figure in the Astros II resurgence, beginning as a first base coach and then as Joe Espada’s bench coach the past three seasons. The Astros’ midseason rally puts them back in contention, and come October, the Mets hiring the bench coach of a playoff team wouldn’t be a difficult sell.

Rickie Weeks, Brewers special assistant

He served for two seasons as Pat Murphy’s associate manager in Milwaukee before shifting to a role as special assistant in baseball operations and domestic and international scouting. Perhaps that puts Weeks on a more executive track, but helming the Mets is one of the game’s elite jobs, and Stearns knows what he can do.

Brandon Hyde, Rays senior advisor, baseball operations

He’s the most prominent lurker among the half-dozen managers who got axed last year and haven’t returned to the dugout. Hyde saw every angle of the manager’s job in seven seasons with Baltimore, from a grim and cynical rebuild to an eventual rebirth and division title, and then unmet expectations.

Yet money and high-end talent acquisition would not be a problem in New York. Wherever he lands, Hyde will almost certainly benefit from a second-time-around hindsight that many managers enjoy. The lone bullet point missing on his resume is dealing with mega-market conditions and a clubhouse filled with highly-paid superstars.

Ryan Flaherty, Cubs bench coach

A moderate surprise Flash didn’t get one of the many openings last fall, with several clubs opting for surprise hires rather than a proverbial big league manager-in-waiting.

Yet Flaherty would bring ex-player credibility and four seasons as bench coach under his belt, working under Bob Melvin and Craig Counsell. Oddly enough, he replaced Andy Green — now the Mets’ interim manager after Mendoza’s firing — as bench coach with the Cubs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mets manager candidates: 7 potential replacements for Carlos Mendoza

The New York Mets have done what was long expected and fired manager Carlos Mendoza after the team got off to a 34-47 start, including a 12-game losing streak in April.

Mendoza, who led New York to the National League Championship Series in 2024 during his first year on the job, will be replaced by Andy Green, a former manager of the San Diego Padres, who will be the interim manager for the rest of the season.

Green has a tall task in front of him as the Mets have lost six consecutive games, including being swept at home by the Chicago Cubs. New York is currently 15 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

Mets manager candidates: 7 potential replacements for Carlos Mendoza

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Ace Reese scouting report.

The 2026 is just a few weeks away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese.

Ace Reese is a 6’4″, 220 lb. lefthanded hitting junior third baseman for Mississippi State. Born in Plano, Reese, who turned 21 in April, was undrafted and relatively unheralded coming out of Canton High School in Canton, Texas, county seat of Van Zandt County, in 2023. He played his freshman year for the University of Houston before transferring to Mississippi State, where he’s anchored the middle of their lineup the past two seasons.

Reese is a bat-first guy with big time power. Looking at the differing measurements out there for him, it appears he’s gotten significantly bigger in his college career, as BA lists him at 180 lbs. and B-R at 200 lbs., compared to 220 lbs. in the more updated listings. He has good bat speed and plus power, posting what Keith Law calls “elite top-end exit velocities.” He gets dinged for being overly aggressive at the plate, with reports saying he doesn’t make great swing decisions, resulting in an elevated K rate and less than ideal contact when he does make contact on pitches he should probably let go. That said, his swing is geared towards loft and power, with BP referencing “Griffey Jr. swing vibe” because of his “extreme lefty uppercut” swing. BA’s list of the best tools in the draft class has Reese third on the Best Power list for college players.

Reese currently plays third base, and there are questions about whether he can stick at the position. He is not considered particularly athletic and his arm is graded at average, so he may end up at first base, where the requirements from the bat are higher than if he can stick at third. He’s a below-average runner, which makes him a better fit at first base than in, say, left field, if third base isn’t in the cards.

As a freshman at UofH, Reese hit well while manning left field, slashing .278/.395/.506 with 29 walks against 37 Ks in 195 plate appearances. Moving up a level in competition to the SEC as a sophomore with the Bulldogs, Reese played through a toe injury that required offseason surgery, slashing .352/.422/.718 with 21 bombs in 263 plate appearances, walking 26 times and striking out 52 while being the everyday third baseman. He largely replicated that as a junior, slashing .336/.432/.721 with 63 Ks and 41 walks, putting up 24 homers. He also played in wood bat summer leagues the past two summers and performed fairly well there.

Baseball America has Reese at #12 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Reese at #21 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Reese at #21 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Reese at #49 on his board. Fangraphs has Reese at #6 on their board. Baseball Prospectus has Reese at #26 on their top 30 draft board.

In the June 8 Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Reese going to the Marlins at #14. The BA staff draft on June 15 has Reese going to the D-Backs at #15. Jim Callis’s June 4 mock draft has Reese going at #14 to the Marlins. Jonathan Mayo’s June 11 mock draft has Reese going at #19 to the Guardians, but mentions him with several other teams drafting in the teens. Jim Callis’s June 18 mock draft has Reese going to the Marlins at #14, but mentions him with several other teams in the middle of the first round. The June 25 Callis/Mayo mock has Reese going to the Marlins at #14.  Keith Law’s May mock draft doesn’t have Reese going in the first round. Law’s June 10 mock draft also doesn’t have Reese going in the first round. Kiley McDaniel’s May 29 mock draft has Reese going to the Guardians at #19. Kiley McDaniel’s June 18 mock draft has Reese going to the Brewers at #25.

Lefthanded power is always in demand, and it wouldn’t be surprising to me if Reese is off the board before the Rangers pick. He’s put up big power numbers in the best college conference two straight seasons, which makes him attractive. Yes, there are concerns about his contact rates, and he could end up at first base long-term, but if the contact rates were better and he was a near-lock to stay at third base, he’d be off the board in the first five picks.

I’m not sure to what degree he’d be a fit for the Rangers. Texas has tended to emphasis hit tool over present power with their draft picks, looking for guys with contact ability who they think can develop power, versus someone like Reese, who needs to make adjustments to improve his contact ability and better allow his power to play at the next level.

Jake Burger went 11th overall as a power hitting third baseman in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017 who had questions about whether he would stick at third base and about how well his hit tool would play in the pros. It is a very imperfect comparison — Reese gets better marks for being lefthanded and performing in a better conference, as well as having less concerns about his build — but that sort of low-OBP, high-power 1B/3B result is something you could see from Reese.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Marcelo Mayer has had an ugly first full season in the big leagues. Ironically, the Red Sox general, season-long suckitude has helped him fly under the radar. If the Sox were playing well, his spot in the lineup would probably be a major topic of controversy; but as it is, he’s just one of a multitude of problems overwhelming the team. But the spotlight finally fell on him at the end of the Rockies series, thanks to a major blunder in the field that cost the Sox big time. Does it make sense to consider sending him down? Probably not, but some inside the organization are reportedly unhappy with a seeming lack of “mental toughness” from the infielder. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

If Marcelo needs any inspiration, all he needs to do is look to his right. It’s only been 24 games, but Caleb Durbin has turned his season around after being arguably the single worst hitter in baseball for two months. “Pretty proud of him for where he was at,” Chad Tracy said. “With the expectations and the heat he was taking, he has just fought back and got up off the mat.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

That Durbin – or any of the Sox – played well last night was a surprise considering the travel issues they faced getting back to Boston. The Sox didn’t land at Logan until 5 AM yesterday. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Making the late arrival even worse was the bad news the team received about Roman Anthony when they got back home:

Considering Anthony’s injury and Mayer’s struggles, it’s been a bad year all-around for the once vaunted Big Three. And that obviously includes Kristian Campbell. Campbell isn’t exactly making a case to come back to the big leagues, but he’s still working at it. “[Adversity] does make you better,” said Campbell. “Everybody’s route and path is different. I’m working every day to get back, and they know that I really want to get back as soon as possible. I know I’ve got some things I need to correct down here first before I go back.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

With Anthony out indefinitely, the Sox don’t have the outfield depth they once thought they had, and that depth could be further depleted if they trade from that group at the deadline. But in the case of uber-struggling Jarren Duran, at least, a trade doesn’t look likely. “What could Boston get back for the 2024 All-Star Game MVP? Would the return be worth it? The more likely scenario is for the Red Sox to hold Duran for the rest of this year, hope he has a strong second half to regain some value, then look to move him in the offseason.” (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

We use these daily posts to revisit the biographies of Yankees past, from the stars that delivered 27 World Series titles or those that have been nearly forgotten to history. Today we celebrate a player that everyone should be familiar with, the Captain that took over the mantle from Don Mattingly and led the club into a new dynasty. I’m not sure there’s anything I could write that would add to the collective biography of Derek Jeter, so instead I’ll write about how, in so many ways, he is a cornerstone of the way I experience baseball.

Derek Sanderson Jeter
Born: June 26, 1974 (Pequannock, NJ)
Yankees Tenure: 1995-2014

When you’re a kid, there are much worse role models to have than Jeter. That quote about no excuses for anyone to work harder than you must have been repeated by every single coach I had until high school — even though, when you think about it saying it to an entire team doesn’t make sense, cuz we can’t all work harder than each other. Perhaps observations like this are why I never really went anywhere in sports.

But the hustle was such a part of the Jeter narrative, that he was always just there. There’s a reason The Flip, that inconceivable out from the 2001 ALDS, is still my favorite baseball play ever:

This should never have happened. There is no reason for Jeter to be in the neighborhood where intercepting that ball is possible. But he did it, because he’s always there. Derek Jeter was the most consistent, in a sport where that’s the hardest thing in the world to find. Every year of my childhood, for whatever a nebulous timeframe that is, Jeter hit .310 from the same spot in the lineup. And yes, I just used batting average.

I used batting average because in the early-to-mid 2000s, the summers of my childhood that’s what we had to gauge players. Around the game, Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and Billy Beane were starting to look at new, undeveloped ways of evaluating players, but the Toronto Sun was still primarily concerned with the classic Triple Crown stats.

I remember running home from my very first job after clocking out (Swiss Chalet, morning potato peeler and cutter) because Jeter was sitting on 2,998 when I started my shift, only for my dad to text me that 2,999 came in the first inning. And of course he hit a home run for 3,000, because he’s Derek Jeter:

The first time I heard of WAR was in 2010, in a Sports Illustrated article outlining the stat and why Ben Zobrist was the second-best player in the game. I was 16 by then, I knew Jeter wasn’t number one at that point — and yet, one of the things that sold me on WAR in the first place was it was pretty bang on about how good he was. Albert Pujols was the best player in baseball and maybe I could see the value of Zobrist, but Jeter had a great 2009, finishing sixth that season with 6.7 fWAR. Ok, WAR makes some sense because yeah, Jeter was a top 10 player last season and the stat reflects that.

Of course the other elements of WAR would be less kind to the Captain. That article opened a lot of doors for me in terms of how I see baseball and what I find valuable, and what I found tied with Jeter’s inevitable decline had me in that “Jeter is incredibly overrated” internet camp that existed for a while, and presumably still does even in smaller numbers. The defense was not good, the way he seemed entrenched in the leadoff spot even as the OPS — I had a good handle on that one by now — was slipping into the .700s after a career in the .800s or better.

By that point I’m a teenager anyway, and the Class and Grace gimmick that Jeter was so known for was just less appealing. The cool ease with which Robinson Canó could drive a ball off the right-center wall or the sheer dash that Mike Trout brought in my second-favorite rookie season of all time was just more of what I wanted. The sequential retirement tours Jeter and Mariano Rivera took alternated between annoying me and leaving me with some of my favorite memories of baseball:

And then before you knew it Jeter was gone, and the Yankees had to figure out how to move on on the field, and if you remember, the off-the-field relationship wasn’t very good either. The golden boy image was at least a little bit tarnished, and Jeter went off to Miami. At the same time I’m in college, living on my own, figuring out all those little things that you have to if you want to wear clean clothes and have a functioning bathroom.

I started writing here, free and clear in the post-Jeter era while he was funking around trying to run the Marlins, and the Yankees found an immediate replacement for the face of the franchise role in Aaron Judge, a man I have written about more than anyone else. We all just, kinda stopped thinking about Derek Jeter outside of career highlights or the befuddling decisions he made in South Beach (thanks again for Stanton, Cap).

Of course he goes into the Hall of Fame one vote shy of unanimity, he liquidates his holdings in the Marlins, and he seems to patch up enough of the sore spots he had with the Yankees that he’s been re-embraced. I’m a little bit older, hopefully a small bit wiser and for all the love I have for baseball it’s no longer the most important thing in the world to me the way it was when I was eight. They are finally developing stats that are getting hard for ME to follow:

And yet I too have re-embraced Derek Jeter.

Yes, his defense could be terrible and the Yankees likely left runs on the table by not having Alex Rodriguez play shortstop after the trade. I think the strong silent stuff that he still tries to keep up on MLB on FOX in the postseason broadcasts is pretty silly. The Jump Throw was overused.

He is also unequivocally one of the finest baseball players I, you, or anyone else that has watched a game in the last half century have seen play. Nine seasons as a full-time, every day MLB shortstop while managing a 125 wRC+ is absurd. I wasn’t even a baseball fan until the year 2000 and I still get mad about the 1999 AL MVP voting. While “name the only Canadians to win an MLB MVP Award” is a great trivia question that has delivered me wins before, the 2006 award probably should have gone to Jeets, too.

I’m less interested and thus less involved in shouting at people over the Internet, which is where about 90 percent of How Good Was Derek Jeter discourse happens so I no longer have to be a part of that. Lastly, it just doesn’t matter to me whether Jeter was the sixth or the eighth or the 11th best player of an era. He was damn good.

A couple years ago we re-visited the Top 100 Yankees series, a project I loved very much. I still think my profile of Thurmon Munson might just be the best thing I’ve ever written here. Towards the end of that series we ruffled some people’s feathers by having Mickey Mantle supplant Lou Gehrig for second place, and I think there’s been some very intelligent pushback to the legacy of Joe DiMaggio that has annoyed some of the… shall we call them veterans of observing baseball. What I learned from all this is that the stack-ranking doesn’t matter. Certainly not for this team, for this franchise.

What matters is your cluster. That Mickey Mantle can be mentioned in the same cluster with the Iron Horse is what matters, that Jeter is usually the first guy mentioned after the guys shot in black and white matters.

Happy birthday, Cap.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.