Worldwide Sports News

With a little bit more than two weeks of Spring Training down, we’ve got a little bit less than two weeks of Spring Training left before they break camp and begin the slow journey to Opening Day. They’re in Arizona, and it’s enduring an unseasonable heat wave, so everyone is literally hot, but it’s time to ask the question of who is figuratively starting off hot and who is not.

All stats are as of the morning of Friday, March 6.

Hot: Jac Caglianone

Among the stickiest stats (stats that are most correlated) for hitters going from Spring Training to the Regular season are those related to plate discipline and exit velocity. This makes a lot of sense because the altitude and weather have minimal ability to impact a player’s ability to identify a ball or strike. Similarly, exit velocity is measured as close to impact with the bat as possible, reducing the atmospheric impact. Jac Caglianone is a standout in just about every conceivable way here.

Max EV is the stat of choice for many analysts; Jac is easily tops here with his 120.2 MPH double. (Ignore the title, the first swing is Jac’s double, the second is someone else’s home run at ~109 MPH)

But 90th-Percentile Exit Velocity (EV90, an average of the top 10% highest exit velocities) is a more standard way to measure a player’s power potential, so I prefer that. But, hey, would you look at that? Jac is on top there, too, at 116.5 MPH! Jac also has the fourth-best chase rate among Royals with at least 16 PAs, and is sixth-best in Royals with at least 11. He’s also walked more than he’s struck out. Basically, it’s hard to imagine a way in which Caglianone could be having a better spring.

He also notched a 106 MPH RBI double in his first World Baseball Classic action, so that’s pretty cool, too.

Not: Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas

In contrast to Jac, Lane Thomas is chasing more than just about anyone who is likely to break camp with the big club. Among those worse than Thomas is Isaac Collins. In fairness, the switch-hitter has only nine plate appearances so far after being delayed to start the season due to PRP injections during the offseason. Collins’ EV90 is a measly 98.9, while Thomas does at least boast an EV90 of 104.3. However, to give that a bit of context, that would have slotted him in right between John Rave and Jonathan India if he did it during last year’s regular season.*

*Jac led the team in EV90 among players with at least 100 PAs at 109.5

Isaac and Lane should get plenty of opportunities to impress over the remainder of Spring Training, but looking at those numbers is enough to make the Starling Marte signing even more reasonable than it had already seemed.

Hot: Michael Massey

I’ll be the first to admit that Massey is chasing more and whiffing more than you’d like, but he’s also walking at a much higher rate than normal. He also got an EV90 of 105. Which doesn’t sound all that impressive compared to Thomas above, but would have put him firmly between Mike Yastrzemski and Maikel Garcia last year. This stat is one of those that doesn’t have to change much in order to be significant.

Add in that he’s always been a more-than-competent second baseman and appears to be doing just fine in the corner outfield spots, and he seems likely to have locked up a utility spot on the team that was probably his to lose as camp began.

Not: Jonathan India

In complete contrast to Massey, India has the best chase rate among players with more than four plate appearances, but even his middling power has evaporated this spring. His Max EV and EV90 are both worst among players* with at least 16 plate appearances at 99.8 and 90.7 MPH, respectively. Unless he can start hitting the ball much harder, very soon, he’s going to lose the everyday 2B job to Massey if not at the start of the year, then very shortly into the season.

*The home run on Saturday will have bumped both of these, but even that is only one swing.

Hot: Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, and Ryan Bergert

For pitchers, strikeouts, walks, and “stuff” are the stats to pay the most attention to. Ragans, Bergert, and Bubic have the best overall tjStuff+ numbers among starters for the Royals. (You can read more about how this stat is derived here; but the short version is that 100 is average, and every 10 is a standard deviation from the norm. Small changes indicate large differences.) They’ve also combined to strike out ten while walking only two in 8.2 innings. Ragans has the best-rated fastball and cutter among the Royals. Only Stephen Kolek’s changeup and Luinder Avila’s slider rate more highly than those pitches. Ragans’ slider also comes in second only to Avila’s.

Bergert’s fastball is the third-best. Bubic’s is second. Bubic also wields the second-best sweeper (Abbreviated ST on the form linked above.) Basically, they’ve been the three best pitchers in camp who have a chance to start the year with KC.

Not: Noah Cameron

Noah Cameron came into camp with the fifth starter job his to lose after the Royals decided to keep him rather than try to swap him for an outfielder during the offseason. I’m not sure he’s yet lost that job, but with as hot as Bergert has been, Cameron probably needs to get better in a hurry. So far, he’s struck out two and walked two in 2.2 innings. He also has a sub-100 tjStuff+ overall, and not a single one of his pitches has rated as above-average.

It’s been said that he doesn’t have good stuff, but last year, his slider and cutter both rated as above-average, while only his four-seamer was truly below-average. His velocity is also down across the board from last season, including 2 MPH lost on his already fairly weak heater. Last spring, he was averaging an extra 2 MPH on his heater ahead of the regular season. He’s doing me a hecking concern.

Hot: Josh Rojas

If you’ve been paying attention at all, you didn’t need me to tell you Josh Rojas was having an excellent spring. But I didn’t want people to think I’d forgotten him. He’s tied with Salvy for fifth on the team in EV90, and he’s not chasing or striking out to a ridiculous degree, though he’s also not walking. If this were another year, he’d be playing his way on to the team, but with all the guaranteed MLB contracts the Royals handed out to bench players this year, there just doesn’t seem to be any room for him.

Not: Brandon Drury

Drury was a guy I really wanted the Royals to get a few years ago, but it seems that the time for that move is long past. He didn’t play in the big leagues at all last year, and despite some impressive metrics, he just doesn’t seem like he’s got anything to contribute to this team. He’s got some of the better exit velos and chase rates, but he’s also struck out in more than a third of his plate appearances. You’re not supposed to judge players by their spring slash lines, but when you’re sporting a .167/.375/.167/.542 it’s hard not to.

Hot: Steven Cruz, Beck Way, and Dennis Coleran Jr.

We all already knew Steven Cruz was going to look good; we saw him pitch last year. But Beck Way had an absolutely awful year for AA and AAA last year, with a combined 5.93 ERA, walking almost as many as he struck out. He’s still battling his command in Spring Training, but the stuff is undeniable. His cutter, sweeper, and changeup all look absolutely filthy. He needs to find his command if he’s going to make it work, but he’s certainly raising some eyebrows.

Dennis Colleran Jr. is probably getting the biggest bump of all the minor leaguers to appear in major league camp this year. He pitched very well in High-A and AA last year, but walked a few too many to be confident in his future. He’s not yet walked anyone this spring, though, and his sweeper is the only one better than Bubic’s among pitchers with at least 30 plate appearances against, while his cutter is second only to Ragans. Don’t expect him to break camp with the club, but if he doesn’t debut in 2026 at this rate, I’ll be surprised.

Not: Ben Kudrna, Aaron Sanchez, and Héctor Neris

Sanchez and Neris are both trying to make comebacks, and Ben Kudrna just got added to the 40-man roster over the winter. None of them are turning heads in a good way at all. Neris doesn’t have a single above-average pitch. They’re all bottom-10 in walks allowed; Neris and Sanchez have both walked more than they have struck out. At least Kudrna is still young.

Hot: Bobby Witt Jr. and Carter Jensen

I mean, we all expected this, right? Bobby is Bobby! Carter Jensen hasn’t missed a beat from last September, just fueling the growing fire that is his early candidacy for 2026 Rookie of the Year. Bobby’s EV90 is still over 108 MPH; Carter is at 105.8. They’re both also doing a great job of not chasing; Carter has the second-best chase rate among those with at least 20 PA, and Bobby is sixth. They’re just killing it.

Not: Vinnie Pasquantino

I almost didn’t include Vinnie here, because I refuse to believe that he’s going to be anything less than terrific for KC this year. But his chase, whiff, and strikeout rates are all way up from where they were last season. His EV90 is also only 99 MPH. I’ll just bet on him to improve those numbers when he returns from the WBC.

We’re about two and a half weeks into the Dodgers’ Cactus League schedule, with another roughly two and a half weeks of exhibition games to go. It’s the first year that an automated ball-strike challenge system will be used in real, actual major league games, and thus far the Dodgers have been quite unsuccessful in using their challenges.

The latest example came in the eighth inning on Sunday against the A’s in Mesa. Eliézer Alfonzo while batting challenged a strike call, and the call was upheld upon review.

MLB teams are allowed two ABS challenges per game, and they exhaust those challenges only by losing them. If a team successfully challenges a call and it is overturned, the team retains the same number of challenges it had at that point.

Using challenges in a case study in strategy, with teams using spring training to figure out the best time to use their challenges.

In February, Maxfield Lane and Owen Riley at the Down on the Farm newsletter wrote about ABS challenge efficiency, with a few key points. Among them:

• Deep counts are where it’s worth taking risks
• Be cautious when runs seem a long way off, aggressive when they’re knocking on the door
• Be willing to take risks in high-leverage situations, particularly late in games

In similar fashion, Tom Tango developed a statistical model based on the ideal times and situations to challenge pitch calls, which serves as the basis for metrics used by Baseball Savant to measure the efficiency of teams’ choices.

Through Sunday, the Dodgers have challenged 22 pitch calls this spring, and have only won five of those challenges (22.7 percent). MLB-wide this spring, 52.4 percent of all calls have been overturned.

Per Baseball Savant, the Dodgers have gotten 9.6 fewer overturned calls than expected based on the pitch calls they’ve challenged, second-worst in the majors

Here are all of their challenges to date.

One interesting trend thus far for the Dodgers is that, of their challenges while batting, five of the 11 have come from catchers, which I guess stands to reason given the position having such an intimate knowledge of the strike zone. To date, Dodgers position players to challenge calls at the plate are Freddie Freeman (unsuccessful), Alex Call (successful), Andy Pages (unsuccessful), Zach Ehrhard (unsuccessful), James Tibbs III (unsuccessful), and Miguel Rojas (successful).

Dodgers catchers have challenged 11 calls and gotten three overturned (27.2 percent), while Los Angeles batters have challenged 11 calls and gotten two overturned (18.2 percent). Through Sunday, MLB batters league-wide have been successful on 46.2 percent of challenges, with pitchers/catchers at 58.1 percent. To date, no Dodgers pitcher has initiated a challenge.

Spring training is for figuring things out for the regular season. And with a little more than two weeks left of practice games, the Dodgers need to get better at using their ABS challenges.

This is the second installment in analyzing team trends as we move towards the regular season. It’s still early and the exact numbers matter less than the trends they point toward – especially when compared to the same measurements from the 2025 season. The underlying data from Rays outfielders has stood out the most so far in Spring Training, which isn’t surprising given the moves the front office made this offseason.

If these early trends hold, the Rays’ outfield could shift from a weakness in 2025 to a legitimate strength in 2026.

49.2%

is the line drive plus fly ball rate for Rays outfielders so far this spring. This is up significantly from the 42.1% mark during the 2025 regular season, when they were dead last in the league by a wide margin. They’re sitting closer to the middle of the pack this spring, and even a jump from worst to average should translate to significantly better run production, especially when coupled with the next data point.

104.6mph

is the 90th percentile exit velocity from Rays outfielders so far this spring. This is an increase from 102.7mph during the 2025 regular season. While it’s still slightly below average, the front office took clear steps to address the lack of impact from the Rays outfield last season – particularly adding Jacob Melton and Ryan Vilade. After being near the bottom of the league in 2025, the group now looks closer to 45-grade raw power rather than the 30-grade impact they showed last season.

-7.9%

is how much Rays outfielders have collectively decreased their chase rate compared to the 2025 offense. Disciplined hitters like Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins were brought in to raise the floor of the group, while guys like Ryan Vilade and Richie Palacios are looking to settle into their offensive identities and be more selective. Going from a league-worst 33.9% to a better-than-average 26.0% is a major shift, and this improvement outpaces the roughly 3% reduction in overall swing rate so we know they’re being selective rather than just passive.

Three, maybe two

is the number of players we expect to begin the season on the Injured List. Relievers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez will begin the season on the 15-day and 60-day ILs respectively. Edwin Uceta may also begin the year on the IL, but he is progressing nicely after a slow start this spring due to shoulder inflammation.

Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios are dealing with lower back tightness that may keep them out of game action for a little bit. Mullins worked out on Friday in Port Charlotte and felt better, so there doesn’t appear to be much concern about him being ready for Opening Day. Palacios is still a bit of a question mark given his injury history, but there’s plenty of time for him to rest – and he may be slated for AAA anyways. Chandler Simpson is dealing with some hamstring soreness, but the team is being overly cautious and he doesn’t appear to be in danger of beginning on the IL at the moment.

The San Diego Padres posted another football score against the Cincinnati Reds in their meeting at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday. Logan Gillaspie made the start in place of Nick Pivetta and he was able to do so without the pressure of a tight game. Gavin Sheets connected on a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to put the Padres in front and they never looked back. San Diego won the Cactus League matchup 14-3. Gillaspie completed four innings of shutout baseball and allowed just two hits over that span. He also walked two and had two strikeouts. Kyle Hart picked up where Gillaspie left off and threw 2.2 innings without allowing a run or a hit while striking out three.

Padres pitchers held the Reds off the board through 6.2 innings and in that span the offense posted four runs with the home run by sheets and an RBI-triple by Jake Cronenworth in the bottom of the second inning. The San Diego offense added a run in the seventh inning but erupted for nine runs in the eighth thanks to poor Cincinnati pitching and some timely hits.

The Padres will be back in action against the Texas Rangers at the Peoria Sports Complex at 1:10 p.m. today.

Padres News:

• Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball believes Ty France may find his way onto the San Diego roster thanks in large part to his defense and his ability to hit left-handed pitching. France is competing for roster spots with multiple position players, but he is competing for first base reps with Sheets, Nick Castellanos, Miguel Andujar and Jose Miranda. AJ Cassavell of Padres.com posted a similar report, but he believes Sheets’ power sets him apart and above the other first base and designated hitter options.

• Sung-Mun Song was the player who the fans believed could benefit the most from Padres regulars playing in the World Baseball Classic. However, his health has been an issue early in his tenure in San Diego and without the additional reps and swings at the plate he may find himself competing for a roster spot and playing time like so many others.

• Jake Cronenworth has had some success in his couple of opportunities to hit leadoff in spring. If he can continue to find success at the plate and can play solid in the field, he could be poised for a career season in 2026.

• Dennis Lin of The Athletic provided his second roster projection for the 2026 Padres and his focus was on Fernando Tatis Jr. and where the best hitter on the team will bat in the lineup.

Baseball News:

• Free agency for Zack Littell came to an end Sunday when the right-hander agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals.

WBC News:

• Juan Soto helped the Dominican Republic walk-off the Netherlands in a 12-1 mercy rule win.

• Cuba added another win to its WBC record and is poised to take on Puerto Rico as two 2-0 teams.

• Italy notched another WBC win, showing they are not going to concede Pool B to the US and Mexico.

• Israel topped Nicaragua with solid pitching that only allowed two hits.

• Japan moved to the top of Pool C with a win over Australia.

• Mexico battered Brazil and won their contest 16-0 on Sunday.

We finally get to the end of the positions on the hitting side of the equation. Keep in mind, we are trying to include all of the relevant candidates to be on the opening day roster. Fans and analysts alike sometimes forget the dimension of time. In other words, what the roster looks like on March 26th will not be what it looks like on June 26th and August 26th. It is a fair expectation that every profiled player will get a crack at the big league level at some point in 2026.

For our purposes, we will profile only two right fielders even though multiple players can fit in right field at some point. It would be inaccurate to call right field the most important position on the diamond for the Astros, but it may come with more question marks than any other position. Cam Smith got off to a promising start last start but faded horribly down the stretch. Maybe the peripheral numbers can give us a clue as to who the real Cam Smith is.

The Astros gambled a bit when they dealt Jesus Sanchez for Joey Loperfido. Loperfido has looked good in short bursts on the big league level, but has yet to play an entire season in the big leagues. He has an option left, so he still might spend time in Sugar Land. We are using the same numbers we have used for the other articles and we will use the same for pitchers as well.

• Chase rate: This is the percentage of balls a player swings at outside of the zone. The league average normally lives around 30 percent, but we will be looking at three year intervals and we should notice trends more than where a player is in relationship to the league average.

• Hard hit percentage: This is simply the percentage of balls that a player hits hard. Hard hit balls become hits and extra base hits more often than softer contact. Typically 35 percent is around the league average in this category.

• BABIP: This is batting average on balls in play. Home runs are obviously excluded since they are not in play. The league average tends to hover around .300 but it will largely depend on hard hit percentages and breakdowns between groundballs, flyballs, and line drives.

• Contact percentage: This is the percentage of swings that turn into contact. Typically 75 percent is around league average.

• HR/FB percentage: This is the percentage of flyballs that result in home runs. Ten percent is typically around the league average.

Cam Smith

If we take the 2025 numbers at face value then we would surmise that Smith should be pretty close to a league average hitter because he is essentially average in almost every indicator. He is slightly above average in hard contact and slightly below in contact. Everything else is drop dead average. He produced a 90 wRC+ last season and that is a similar stat to OPS+. but it includes a base running element. So, I would expect growth even if there is no improvement in the underlying numbers.

The question is how much growth. He demonstrated more power and more contact in the minors, so maybe he finds his way to the aggregate numbers. If that is the case then he would be an above average hitter. We would be looking at gains in contact rates and power production. That might bump him up to .250/.325/.400. Couple that with his strong defensive potential and you are looking at maybe a three win player in 2026.

If there is one player that could be a huge growth candidate it is Smith. He was a first round pick, so he showed impressive skills at some point and with the limited exposure in the minors, he never had the opportunity to develop those tools. So, we might be looking at those tools develop at the big league level, so he is the hardest player to predict.

Joey Loperfido

I know it is tempting to get excited over potential. I remember watching Loperfido in Spring Training of 2024 and thinking I liked the cut of gib. As an analyst I have to look at the total information available and make a dispassionate assessment. Most of these numbers are at the minor league level. They are virtually average across the board with some a little higher or little lower. Yet, all of them are pretty close to average.

When you are average across the board in all of the indicators then you are likely average overall. There is nothing wrong with average. Some of my favorite Astros were historically mediocre. Loperfido could end up being one of those guys. He can play a multitude of positions and that will help him stick at the big league level eventually.

Over at Battle Red Blog I write a feature called “The Value of Things.” The general idea is that every player has an appropriate value. Loperfido is probably best cast as a fourth outfielder and occasional first baseman. If you have a fourth outfielder that can play all three spots and produce a 100 OPS+ you are probably going to be pretty happy. If that is one of your starting corner outfielders you probably won’t be happy. So, the key to enjoying Loperfido is understanding who he is and who he is likely to be. Expect a star and you will be disappointed. Expect a useful bench guy and you will probably be pretty happy.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is well underway.

Early mornings, extra innings, slaughter rules, ludicrous dingers from Kyle Schwarber, and walkoffs—so far, this tourney has had it all. With pool play set to wrap up in a few days, I thought now would be a good time to take stock into how the Red Sox’s best representatives have been.

That’s a fool’s errand, though, isn’t it?

With all due respect to Nate Eaton and company, one man in particular has been setting the world (baseball classic) on fire, as you may know already.

His name is Masataka Yoshida.

In a trio of pool play games, the lefty outfielder/DH option for Boston has logged an OPS nearly reaching 1.800. He’s driven in six runs thanks to three extra base hits, most notably the clutch two-run home run he notched to put Japan on the board against Australia on Sunday. The go-ahead blast with two outs in the seventh gave the Japanese the lead, one that they didn’t surrender afterwards.

At this rate, Yoshida could break the record for the most RBI in a single World Baseball Classic. That high water mark of 13 was set by…well, Masataka Yoshida in 2023’s iteration of the tournament! Masa’s hot start in 2026 has added onto his impressive resume in this tournament; last time around, he went 9 for 22 at the dish en route to Japan’s third WBC title.

Now granted, I’ve still got some reservations about Yoshida heading into the new MLB season. His tenure in Boston hasn’t exactly been consistent, to put it charitably, and his spot in the everyday lineup isn’t clear. I can only tolerate so many grounders to second. To boot, there’s only so much we can deduce from his performance against—respectfully—teams like Australia. It’s not like he’s doing this against prime Pedro right now.

He doesn’t pick the opponents he faces, though, and the pair of teams he’s already faced aren’t exactly full of scrubs. Even if he were consistently playing against a bunch of slapdick prospects (to use a baseball quote), perhaps the most notable thing with Yoshida’s play so far is that there hasn’t been any sign of his shoulder bothering him—and if it is bothering him, he’s doing a damn good job of hiding that fact. The shoulder issue kept him on the injured list for a big part of 2025; if he’s put that trouble behind him, maybe he can turn a corner for the Red Sox in the final years of his contract.

But let’s just break down what we’ve seen in the (albeit limited) sample size this month into the most simple terms possible: Masataka Yoshida—a guy who literally has a ground ball rate over 50% over his major league career—is not not hitting into ground balls half of the time during the WBC after major issues with his shoulder. As a matter of fact, he’s hitting piss missiles into the power alley. Yoshida is at his best when he’s hitting piss missiles into the power alley.

Is this smoke and mirrors? I don’t think that’s an unfair a fair question to ask.

Is this a run that can set him up for some sort of success in 2026? Again, I think it’s very fair to ask that.

Keep on keepin’ on, Macho Man.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The top two teams in Pool A square off today as Cuba and Puerto Rico each look to move to 3-0.

Puerto Rico has been remarkably stingy thus far, and my Cuba vs. Puerto Rico predictions expect its run-prevention skills to play a big part in another winning effort.

Let’s take a closer look at my World Baseball Classic best bets for Monday, March 9.

Cuba vs Puerto Rico prediction

Cuba vs Puerto Rico best bet: Puerto Rico -2.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

It’s been feast or famine for Cuba in this tournament. The Cubans have struck out as many times as they’ve reached base through two games (18), with four homers helping mask a sub-.300 on-base percentage.

Puerto Rico has done a great job of keeping the ball in the park, giving up zero homers through two games. It's also allowed the lowest batting average and ranks first in team ERA.

The Puerto Ricans should neutralize Cuba’s lineup while generating enough offense to separate, capitalizing on Cuba’s high team WHIP.

Cuba vs Puerto Rico same-game parlay (SGP)

Puerto Rico has conceded three runs in this tournament. It's keeping the ball in the park and limiting walks, making it tough for opponents to score.

Cuba’s profile isn’t as spotless as Puerto Rico’s, but it's only allowed five runs over two games. We’re unlikely to see fireworks.

Heliot Ramos has yet to pick up a hit at the World Baseball Classic, but he is in a good spot. He has historically performed much better against left-handed pitching, and he’ll face a lefty starter in Julio Robaina.

Heliot Ramos star player prop

Heliot Ramos best bet: Hit a home run (+500 at DraftKings)

Robaina relies on location rather than overpowering batters with elite stuff. If he misses his spot, Ramos is certainly capable of taking him yard. He owns a career OPS of .849 against lefties and excels against the fastball, which he should see plenty of.

Cuba vs Puerto Rico opening odds

• Moneyline: Cuba +285 | Puerto Rico -370
• Run line: Cuba +2.5 (-105) | Puerto Rico -2.5 (-115)
• Over/Under: Over 10 (-110) | Under 10 (-110)

How to watch Cuba vs Puerto Rico and game info

Cuba vs Puerto Rico weather

81 degrees F, 14 mph winds, mostly cloudy. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

This offseason, the Orioles acted like a team focused on the present. They gave out a big contract to a slugger on the “wrong side” of thirty. They traded a pitcher with four years of control for an outfielder that will be gone in a year. And they swapped a package of four prospects and one pick for a pitcher they hope will work out. It was a lot of movement, and much of it was done with 2026 in mind.

But as the team’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias has explained throughout his tenure, he doesn’t make moves without considering the ripple effects. Trading away too many young players at once in pursuit of a short-term advantage will weaken the future. And Elias has told the fanbase that the full teardown and rebuild of the organization we experienced from 2019-21 was a one-time thing. Moving forward, he wants to win at the big league level while maintaining a “pipeline” of talent that constantly replenishes the roster in Baltimore.

The degree to which all of that has panned out to this point can be argued. The Orioles organization certainly feels stronger now than it was when Elias entered the fold. But the team’s lack of a playoff win and their steep dropoff in 2025 may have left a sour taste in the mouth of those that are tired of Elias’ theory of team building. A bounce back in the season ahead, including a deep-ish playoff run, could win him back some supporters.

On paper (which is all we have until games start), the Orioles are a solid major league squad entering the 2026 campaign. Most outlets project them for 85-87 wins, which would represent at least a 10-win improvement from 2025. If they are competitive, you would imagine Elias will supplement them with a few in-season additions that could add to that total. So in Elias’ mind, he has checked the box of building a competitive big league roster.

As the O’s have improved in the majors, the focus locally has understandably shifted away from the minors. But the talent level down on the farm is just as crucial to Elias’ philosophy. They don’t need to have the absolute top-ranked prospects, as they did when the likes of Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman were coming up, but the organization does need to churn out worthwhile youngsters in order to avoid any of those lengthy dips in form up in Baltimore.

So, how does the future look? Not bad!

Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers are widely considered Top 100 prospects. Basallo has already signed a long-term deal to be a slugger in the middle of the Orioles lineup for years to come. He’s got a solid .333/.455/444 line this spring. Beavers had a huge season in Triple-A last year, forcing those in the industry to take notice. Both of them are among the favorites to win Rookie of the Year, which would net the Orioles a draft pick in the process.

Don’t forget about Coby Mayo, a former top prospect in his own right, has plenty of years of team control remaining. Suddenly, the 24-year-old looks like one of the most important players on the team. He is going to get lots of playing time with Jordan Westburg on the shelf. So far this spring he is 8-for-19 with only one strikeout.

Outfielder Nate George and pitcher Trey Gibson won’t make as immediate of an impact, but they have both made it onto radars around the league in the last year. Some outlets have them listed among their “Top 100” prospects, or thereabouts. The Orioles have given each a taste of big league camp this year and they are viewed as future impact players for the club

Some newer faces are also flashing. Ike Irish, the O’s top pick in last year’s draft, is 4-for-4 in big league camp. Wehiwa Aloy, another high pick from 2025, is 2-for-3 with a walk and has gotten rave reviews out of camp. And there is, of course, the crazy line from Vance Honeycutt; 5-for-6 with four home runs.

On top of that, we are still waiting for the wave of talent to come from the Orioles, led by Elias, finally getting involved in Latin America. Basallo is the first major arrival, but more are coming. Lefty Luis De León could make it to Baltimore this summer. Infielder Aron Estrada could be here the year after. And big righty Esteban Mejia is one to watch with his big fastball. Oh, and the Orioles just signed one of the best classes of international free agents back in January.

Although it is an imperfect measure (and a few months out of date at this point), FanGraphs attempts to quantify the value of each minor league system. It is based on their perceived quality of each prospect. The Orioles have the most players that FG actually considers to be prospects, and they have the seventh-most valuable farm system in all of baseball. The average value of those prospects is below average, indicating that the Orioles are loaded up on fringier talents, but those sorts of players can be useful depth or packaged together for an impact player.

The main goal of Elias and the Orioles has to be to win games at the major league level. They didn’t do that enough in 2025, which forced them to adjust their approach to this past offseason. We saw a more aggressive version of the team’s front office. But they did it without abandoning the future. In fact, the players coming down the pike are pretty exciting. Hopefully they will be supplementing a contending team in the years to come.

Good morning.

Shawn McFarland has observations from camp for the Texas Rangers as manager Skip Schumaker has tough decisions to make.

Evan Grant checks out how the Rangers fared in a messy game against the Angels yesterday in Cactus League action.

Grant writes that Schumaker injected a dose of perspective into camp by bringing brain tumor survivor Cade Spinello in as a guest over the weekend.

Fred Zinkie offers up an AL West preview ahead of the 2026 season, as does Matt Snyder at CBS Sports.

Grant writes about roster hopeful Peyton Gray having a standout spring for Texas as the 31-year-old longshot hopes to grab a spot in the bullpen

Grant notes that the Rangers moved Jordan Montgomery to the 60-day IL and claimed the speedy Dairon Blanco from KC.

Kennedi Landry writes that the No. 5 spot in the rotation is still up for grabs in a battle that has been between Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker this spring.

Grant writes that, after throwing live batting practice on Saturday, Marc Church is nearing the end of a long string of injuries.

And, McFarland names infield prospect Jack Wheeler as a powerful No. 16 on the DMN top 30 Rangers prospects list.

Have a nice day!