Worldwide Sports News

Triple-A: Jacksonville JumboShrimp (Marlins) 8, Norfolk Tides 4

It’s been a tough adjustment to Triple-A for Tides starter Juaron Watts-Brown, and it didn’t get much better here. Over 4.2 innings he allowed seven runs on six hits, four walks, five strikeouts, and three home runs. The relievers behind him were solid overall. The rehabbing Félix Bautista was one of those four arms that came out of the bullpen. He threw 26 pitches (15 strikes), recorded two outs, and allowed one run on a hit, two walks, and two strikeouts. The other three relievers—Yosver Zulueta, Gerald Ogando, and Yaramil Hiraldo—combined for 3.2 scoreless innings.

The Norfolk offense collected just four total hits, three of which did go for extra bases. Brandon Butterworth hit a solo shot in the eighth inning, his fourth of the season. Jeremiah Jackson launched a three-run shot in the eighth inning. Jud Fabian doubled and scored a run. Enrique Bradfield Jr. went 0-for-4 with a run scored.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 5, Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 4 – F/10

Joseph Dzierwa started on the mound, and had a second consecutive laborious outing. The lefty went four innings and allowed three runs on six hits, a walk, seven strikeouts, and a home run. His Double-A ERA has jumped from 1.89 two starts ago to 2.43 now. Still an impressive season for the former second-round pick. Bradley Brehmer tossed two shutout innings in support. Ryan Long followed with two innings of his own, in which he gave up a solo homer and struck out four. Brock Moore earned the win by throwing two perfect innings to close out out the Baysox victory.

Wehiwa Aloy drove in four of Chesapeake’s five runs on a pair of two-run homers, bringing his season total to 23 (eight at Double-A). Aloy’s round-trippers were the team’s only extra-base hits. Aron Estrada, Vance Honeycutt, Ethan Anderson, and Anderson De Los Santos had one single each. Honeycutt was responsible for the other RBI, a walk-off base knock to score Griff O’Ferrall in the bottom of the 10th inning.

High-A: Frederick Keys 5, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 1

Four different Keys took the mound. They combined to allow just the one run on four hits, three walks, and 13 strikeouts. That one run was a solo home run allowed by Zac Lampton in the bottom of the eighth inning. Starter Evan Yates was the headliner, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out six to earn the win. Chandler Marsh and Teddy Sharkey recorded three outs and four outs, respectively, without giving up a run.

Frederick’s only extra-base hit was an eighth-inning, pinch hit home run for Andrés Nolaya. Jaiden Lo Re, Yasmil Bucce, and Jordan Sanchez each had one single and an RBI apiece. DJ Layton walked, stole two bases, and struck out three times. Ty Head had a single, a walk, a stolen base, and two strikeouts. Enddy Azocar had a tough day, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 9, Delmarva Shorebirds 8

Several Shorebirds hitters filled up the box score. Eric Booth Jr. collected two hits, including a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Stiven Martinez had three hits, including a double, an RBI, and a run. Jimmy Anderson had a three-RBI day that included a single, a double, a walk, and a run scored. Miguel Rodriguez reached base three times with a single and two walks.

Iziah Salinas, drafted in the 17th round back in 2024, made his affiliate debut here. The starter worked one inning and allowed two runs on one hit, a walk, and two strikeouts. Isaac Silva was first out of the bullpen. He gave up five runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Connor Gehr covered the final four frames. He was charged with two unearned runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Box Scores

Thursday’s Schedule

Norfolk: vs Jacksonville, 12:05. Starter: TBD

Chesapeake: vs Portland, 6:35 pm. Starter: Anthony Eyanson (6-1, 1.83 ERA)

Frederick: at Brooklyn, 4:00 pm. Starter: Boston Bateman (4-3, 3.46 ERA)

Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 7:05 pm. Starter: Brayan Orrantia (1-8, 5.76 ERA)

The San Francisco Giants wrap up this road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this morning.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Blade Tidwell, who enters this morning’s game with a 4.54 ERA, 4.37 FIP, with 31 strikeouts to 13 walks in 37.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 10-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday, in which he allowed six runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

As of the time this is being written, the Pirates have not yet announced a starting pitcher for this morning’s game. But you can head down to the comments for more up to date information.

Game #141

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

When: 9:35 a.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Carter Jensen made history last night, with his 6th leadoff homer of the season, but the Royals bullpen blew it.

However, it’s clear that rookie catcher Carter Jensen will not be of much concern. The standout KCMO product continues to shine for his hometown team.

And on Wednesday — in a 9-6 loss to the Marlins — Jensen set a single-season franchise record. In the first inning, Jensen recorded his sixth leadoff home run — a club record — off Miami Marlins starter Eury Perez. The blast traveled 414 feet into the Royals’ bullpen. It was Jensen’s 20th home run of the calendar year.

Royals Double-A prospect Hunter Owen received nice praise as being the organizations hottest pitching prospect.

A fourth-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2023, Owen is a former member of Kansas City’s Top 30 prospects ranking, and he’s pushing himself back into prominence with a late charge at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. His 45 strikeouts over 27 innings were second-most in the Minors in August, and he racked up those K’s while posting a 1.33 ERA, .181 average-against and 1.19 WHIP over five starts. The 6-foot-5 southpaw hasn’t been big on velocity with a fastball only around 91-93 mph but managed to get whiffs across his four-pitch mix.

Noah Cameron wasn’t as sharp last night, but has been a part of something that has made Royals relievers strike more hitters out. (LOL after last night).

The bullpen session that Noah Cameron threw before his now notorious July 24 outing against Detroit — the seven scoreless innings in relief that kickstarted this successful run he’s on — was one of the best he’s ever thrown.

Luke Maile, who tries to catch as many bullpen sessions as his schedule allows, called it the best bullpen he’s caught all year. Cameron’s word for it was “ridiculous.”

Some of the Royals 2026 draft class has made their pro debut, Brian Burrows of Kings of Kauffman checks in on them.

Yirsandy Rodríguez of Royals Keep looks in on the adjustment Nate Pearson has been making in Kansas City.

Is Vladdy Jr. back?

Jacob Misiorowski had an impressive streak come to an end last night, but the Brewers still beat the Cubs.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is the fastest player in MLB history to get to 200 career stolen bases and home runs.

Who are the leaders for rookie of the year in the AL and NL as we head into the final month?

Uh, the Clippers may never be good again, after historic NBA punishment.

Ohtani has no timeline to return to the mound

Here is your song of the day: Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees

My introduction to baseball fandom was through an invite to an Out of the Park Baseball sim-league run by some of my father’s friends when I was in high school. I was tasked with playing as a general manager of a fictional baseball team filled with fictional baseball players, and I was competing against my father and his friends who were all running their own teams.

To me, it was just like all the numbers-heavy roleplaying games I’d played throughout my childhood where part of the point is finding ways to optimize a system. I took that mindset into this league primarily made up of older baseball fans just having fun with their friends.

My ruthlessly optimized team quickly became the most dominant in the league.

Now as an adult, I have mixed feelings about the way in which I treated roster building like a math puzzle that could be solved. I probably did a disservice to the spirit of what was, basically, a beer-and-pretzels-style game. I was a child at the time, and everyone still had a good time, so there wasn’t any real harm done.

But I do regret how I went about it.

I mention all of this to give you a sense of the lens through which I am naturally inclined to think about baseball. I have always been one for whom following the numbers and their relation to wins is my first instinct when considering team decisions.

Given all that, I am shocked to discover that Rockies closer Jordan Romano has managed to almost singlehandedly shift how I think about bullpen management.

For almost two decades, I’ve bought into the notion that the best way to organize a bullpen revolves around exploiting hitter tendencies and looking to the leverage of each plate appearance. The idea of holding to reliever roles defined by the inning in which the player is allowed to pitch has always seemed far too simplistic to me.

The question I’ve always put to folks advocating for set closers and set up roles is this: Why save your best relievers for the final two innings? Why wouldn’t you want to use your best arms in the most important situations of the game, regardless of which inning that occurs in?

Watching the Rockies have 12 different relievers blow saves over the course of the past two seasons wore down my previously held belief. The sheer number of times the Rockies lost a lead in the late innings since the start of 2025 is mind boggling when taken into the context of how few leads they’ve even had.

The 2026 Rockies bullpen, in search of a means of blowing fewer leads, has undergone a transformation throughout the summer.

In April, when the starting rotation was consistently unable to make it through the fifth inning, a collection of long relievers were the most important feature of the bullpen. By June, both the effectiveness of those long-relief appearances and the need for innings had been reduced, so the Rockies were left with an amorphous collection of role-less relievers.

Through the first half, 10 different Rockies pitchers had been awarded a save for the team, and seven had blown a save opportunity. In July, Romano joined the big league team, and the Rockies bullpen usage changed immediately.

He was handed the reigns to the ninth inning in his first game with the team. He was given a fancy closer entrance in his eighth appearance for the team. By early September, Romano had cemented himself as the Rockies most effective reliever with a 2.00 ERA backed up by a 2.43 FIP.

Romano has pitched outside the ninth inning only once in his 19 games as a Rockie.

I should hate this. I should be pushing for Romano to be used in any important situation instead of being limited to the end of the game.

In reality, I find myself simply at ease whenever the ninth rolls around and the broadcast team cuts the final commercial break in favor of showing Romano’s entrance. The memories of so many games having flipped suddenly right at the end from a Rockies lead to a Rockies loss are starting to fade. I am no longer beset by a sense of mounting dread during the final few innings of most Rockies games.

I still want the Rockies to win. To that end, I want them to make roster building and tactical decisions that give them the best chance to do so. I’m not yet convinced that using your best relievers in a rigidly defined inning is actually optimal. What I have been convinced of, however, is that the emotional experience of a lead feeling safe heading into the final inning or two is worth being a bit illogical.

I wish that the younger version of myself had read the room better instead of chasing every last advantage in my old OOTP league. I’m glad that the current version of the Rockies has set aside this one portion of the modern baseball zeitgeist in favor of providing both some spectacle and peace of mind to a fanbase that has had to endure a lot of disappointment in recent years.

Romano is thriving as the Rockies closer. Warren Schafer has to do less hand-wringing when deciding how to line up his bullpen. I get to feel excited at the end of games instead of fighting that old sense of dread. All parties involved get something nice out of the current arrangement.

Should the Rockies eschew all modern analytics and stop trying to find other ways to give them better chances to win?

Of course not.

I’m just glad that they aren’t so beholden to pursuing every single marginal advantage that they aren’t willing to stick to a “sub-optimal role” for a player like Romano when he shows them that he is incredibly comfortable in it.

Should the Rockies go ahead and sign Romano to a big multi-year extension based on his 18 innings of work for the team? Absolutely not, but… if they happen to bring him back for next year, you won’t hear me complaining given how much more pleasant he has made it to be a fan of this team.

On the Farm

Triple-A:Tacoma Rainiers 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 2

This was a close game right up until the end as the Isotopes couldn’t hold a one run lead when it counted most.

While the Rainiers would get on the board first with a one out RBI single from Stuart Fairchild in the top of the fourth it wouldn’t be long before the Isotopes struck back. Roc Riggio (No. 13 PuRP) opened up the bottom of the fifth with his first Triple-A double and was driven in by Nic Kent on a grounder that was just barely missed by Rainiers second baseman Leo Rivas. Albuquerque would take the lead in the eighth when Riggio walked with the bases loaded to score Drew Avans.

The Isotopes would enter the ninth inning with a thin one run lead after great performances from starter Jake Brooks, and relievers Valente Bellozo and Mason Green. The ninth rolled around and TJ Shook was handed the ball. Shook would load the bases on a couple of walks and single before a two-out wild pitch would allow Fairchild of the Rainiers to score and tie the game.

When the Isotopes were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth the game went to extras where Evan Shawver took over on the mound. A pair of walks to open the inning combined with the automatic runner at second loaded the bases before a Nolan Jones sacrifice fly gave the Rainiers the lead again. That would ultimately be all the runs that were needed for a Tacoma victory but they tacked on another two before it ended for good measure.

Double-A:Reading Fightin Phils 5, Hartford Yard Goats 3

The Hartford lineup couldn’t dig the team out of a whole dug by their bullpen.

Bryson Hammer started the game for the Yard Goats and, other than four walks, pitched quite well. Hammer held the Fightin Phils to a single run over five innings while striking out five. When Hammer was done he was relieved by Davison Palermo who did not have nearly as good a day at the ballpark. Palermo set down the side in order in the sixth but allowed a two-run homer to Bryson Ware in the seventh. While Palermo came back out in the eighth, he was pulled after allowing another two runs. Nathan Blasick shut the door for the remainder of the game but the damage had already been done.

The Yard Goats came out the gates in the first with a run after Andy Perez doubled and then Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP) and Jack O’Dowd singled to drive him in. Hartford would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a string of hits to load the bases before a Zach Kokoska grounder and a Cole Messina walk drove in two. Despite a single in each of the remaining innings The Yard Goats scoring would end in the sixth and they’d ultimately drop to a 62-65 record.

High-A:Everett AquaSox 14, Spokane Indians 2

The less said about this blowout the better.

After a recent string of impressive pitching performances from Jordy Vargas hopes were high for him coming into this game. Vargas could threw 96 pitches to get through four and two thirds innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks. The majority of the runs came on a Cesar Quintas double in the third and an Aiden Taurek home run in the fifth but ultimately Vargas simply allowed far too traffic on the bases to be successful. Once Vargas was pulled the string of Luke Hansel, Austin Emener, and Justin Loer would come in to fill out the rest of the game. None of them was able to get avoid allowing the AquaSox to add on to their score.

At the plate both Wilder Dalis (No. 10 PuRP) and Max Belyeu (No. 23 PuRP) hit solo home runs which was essentially the end of the positives for the Spokane lineup. In total, Spokane hitters struck out fourteen times which at least meant that that teams struggles on the mound were not the only reason the team lost.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 6, San Jose Giants 2

An early flurry of hits and consistent pitching brought the Grizzlies ten games above .500.

Three straight ground outs in the first from Fresno hitters was quickly forgotten in the second. Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP) and Ronny Ugarte led of the inning with back-to-back hits before Jack Natili (No. 20 PuRP) walked the bases loaded. A triple from Cort MacDonald, a sacrifice fly from Juan Martinez, and a home run from Landyn Vidourek would score five for the Grizzlies before the inning would come to an end. Natili would go on to score an insurance run in the eighth after he doubled and came home on a wild pitch.

That insurance run was ultimately unnecessary due to the solid combined pitching from the Grizzlies. Luichi Casilla and Austin Newton threw four innings apiece. While Newton’s four innings of one-run pitching was solid, it paled in comparison to Casilla’s four scoreless with seven strikeouts. Ben Davis would throw the ninth and allow another run to the Giants on an Andy Polanco RBI single but at that stage the Grizzlies were so far ahead that it never got particularly stressful.

MLB players on salary cap, CBA talks, potential lockout, more | ESPN

Statements about the CBA negotiations from those directly involved are generally pre-prepared and crafted with a specific purpose in mind. The idea of getting any individuals actual personal thoughts on the process is implausible if their name is attached to the quotes. In order to get insights from players ESPN collected quotes from a two dozen players and anonymized them all. A fascinating look into how the players side is feeling heading into this pivotal offseason.

Running the bases with Colorado Rockies Jake McCarthy | Mile High Sports

The Rockies were 23rd in the league in terms of stolen bases last season but have risen up to 14th so far in 2026. Jake McCarthy and his team leading 26 stolen bases are the clear difference for Rockies baserunning this year. Drew Creasman talks with McCarthy about the year he’s had in Colorado and his mindset on the bases. It’s worth the read for McCarthy’s quote about his throwing arm in the outfield alone.

Rockies’ Cole Carrigg can’t give fans the bird, but Colorado needs his edge to win
| Denver Post ($)

Troy Renck offers his take on the Cole Carrigg benching situation that unfolded this past week. For his part, Renck sees disciplining Carrigg as a delicate line to walk in avoiding extreme outbursts while also not smothering the intensity that he plays with. If the quotes from Schaeffer, Josh Byrne, and Carrigg himself are any indication, the Rockies organization tends to agree with Renck’s assesment.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Today’s Reflections

After some thought, I felt this was the best way to review Monday night’s game:

Tyrone Taylor, Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Bregman, Carson Kelly, Matt Shaw, Michael Conforto, Bregman.

Team record nine home runs.

National League record 62 home runs for the month.

Clay Holmes, six innings, zero runs, five hits, two walks and eight strikeouts (don’t want to forget him).

A blow-out game with a dominant pitching performance, plus team and NL records for home runs. A very nice, neat, tidy victory in Game One over the Brewers.

Tuesday night’s game — ehhh, not so nice or neat or tidy. Matthew Boyd had the Cubs in a winnable position to pull off their second game from the Brewers. And the bullpen did their best avalanche impression.

Boyd left the game with one out in the sixth, with runners on second and third with the Cubs up, 3-1. He had given up one run while scattering seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. It was up to Daniel Palencia to slam the door on any chance that a Brewer rally may occur.

Instead, he held the door open and waved the fellas through. Balked in a run, then gave up a two-run double and a two-run home run. Milwaukee was up, 5-3, but there was still plenty of time for the Cubs, especially following Carson Kelly’s fielder’s choice which allowed a run to score to pull within one. Michael Busch’s TOONBLAN on the play ended the inning. But the bullpen just needed to hold it together as entering the game was Ryan Jefferzahn—

Zeferzahn allowed an RBI-double to make the score, 6-4. Still in reach as the next pitcher entered the game, Caleb Thielba—

RBI-single. 7-4, in the top of the seventh. Three runs down, three innings left, there’s time. All that was needed was a great inning by just-called-up Tyler Fergus—

Two-run home run. 9-4. Game over.

First thought was maybe Palencia, coming off an injury, may not be ready for prime-time. Is anyone in the bullpen really ready? They have to be. It IS prime-time.

After the offensive explosion Monday, one hoped a little of that could continue Tuesday. The Cubs managed six hits total. In addition to Kelly’s RBI, Tyrone Taylor had a two-RBI-double and scored on an error. Five singles among five hitters amounted to nothing.

At this point, the Cubs can still win the series, but they will need consistency from all players on the roster. And a lotta luck against Misiorowski.

*Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*

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Tuesday’s Game Stories:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Key takeaways: Brewers 9, Cubs 4 . “The bullpen has been working through a recent rough patch.”

• Alex House (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Craig Counsell says quiet part out loud about loss to Brewers. “When reviewing all the evidence, it is odd to expect more from the Cubs’ first-class defense, especially on a night when the Brewers committed two errors. And yet, Craig Counsell actually made a valid point.”

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs’ offense and defense have led the way — can the pitching staff be more consistent in September? “The Cubs’ frequency in surrendering home runs has cost them games this year and could continue to be costly in the playoffs.”

Monday’s Game Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs slug record nine homers as aggressive additions look capable of getting them over Brewers-shaped hurdle. “Whether in paying big bucks for Alex Bregman in the offseason or making aggressive moves at the trade deadline, the Cubs’ decisions to add to their roster could make the difference if they’re going to get past the Brewers.”

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs outslug Milwaukee Brewers in 17-3 blowout win to cap NL record home run month. “Alex Bregman started August without a three-homer game in his career. Amid a scorching stretch, Bregman ended the month with his lifetime total sitting at two.”

• Tyler Edmunds (OnTapSportsNet): Cubs Make Franchise History in Absolute Power Display Against Brewers. “The Cubs did not just have a good game on Monday night, they had a historic one. And it happened for the sixty-second time in August.”

Assorted Pitching Stories:

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Why the Cubs are sticking with Shota Imanaga — for now. “Despite Imanaga’s recent struggles, the Cubs need the lefty to regain some of his All-Star form if they hope to make a deep playoff run.”
• Casey McAleer (DaWindyCity): Shota Imanaga is giving the Cubs a problem they cannot ignore. “Imanaga’s home run issues have reached historic territory at the worst possible time for Chicago.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery): Do the Chicago Cubs Still Trust Shōta Imanaga in the Starting Rotation? “There’s an old saying in Tennessee, I know it’s in Texas, and it’s probably in Tennessee that says, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me…you can’t get fooled again.”
• Andrew Wright (Yardbarker): One fault the could prevent the Cubs from winning the World Series. “There’s one glaring fault holding the Cubs back, and it could derail their World Series hopes.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Zeferjahn looking to make the impact the team envisioned at the trade deadline. “The ups and downs can test any pitcher, and as right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn has experienced lately, those challenges can be amplified as he continues to get acclimated to his new organization.”

Assorted Hitting Stories:

• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Alex Bregman is making Red Sox fans look foolish for their Caleb Durbin victory laps. “This the Alex Bregman the Cubs paid for.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs call up their No. 19 prospect BJ Murray Jr. for MLB debut vs. Brewers. “With a standout showing for Triple-A Iowa, Murray put himself on the radar to make his Major League debut for a team chasing down a playoff spot.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): How Pete Crow-Armstrong, on long-term Cubs deal, is exceeding Jed Hoyer’s expectations. “Crow-Armstrong has already generated 38 home runs, 91 RBIs, 100 runs scored and a .943 OPS at a premium defensive position.”
• Bennedetto Vitale (ClutchPoints): Is Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong new face of MLB? Here’s what an ex-player said. “A former MLB player shares his thoughts on Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong becoming the new face of the league.”

Assorted Stories:

• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Phillies suddenly flip NL Wild Card race that should put Cubs on notice. “Uh oh.”
• Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): The Cubs’ Playoff Picture Is Starting to Come Into Focus. “The Cubs are firmly in the National League playoff picture, but September could change everything. With the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres all fighting for October, Chicago has plenty of work left to do.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): As hitters rack up ‘insane’ home-run totals, Jed Hoyer needs more consistent pitching for Cubs to ‘fare well’. “The Cubs woke up on the first day of the regular season’s final month with baseball’s best offense and its best defense. But Hoyer spoke with a desire to see more from his pitching staff as the countdown to the playoffs begins.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Next two weeks give Cubs opportunity to make NL Central push vs. Brewers, but wild-card fate in balance, too. “With all eyes on the Cubs’ seven games in 10 days against the Brewers and the possibility of a late push for the NL Central crown, the team’s fats in the wild-card race is also on the line in the regular season’s final month.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): ‘Foodie’ and World Series vet Kevin Gausman sees something cooking in Cubs: ‘The recipe is kind of there’. “Gausman racked up recommendations when he asked where to track down cinnamon rolls in Chicago, but the self-proclaimed “foodie” is an expert in more than just sweet treats, a World Series veteran who likes what he sees from these Cubs.“
• Paolo Mariano (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Kevin Gausman shares fascinating superstition origin story. “Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman said he was told to stop his bizarre superstition when he made it to the MLB.”

Food For Thought:

Never had the hardships of the world been transformed into such a poetic height; never had the blues plumbed such an emotional depth. Johnson took the intense loneliness, terrors and tortuous lifestyle that came with being an African-American in the South during the Great Depression, and transformed that specific and very personal experience into music of universal relevance and global reach. “You want to know how good the blues can get?” Keith Richards once asked, answering his own question: “Well, this is it.” Eric Clapton put it more plainly: “I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson.”

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians last night.

It was a game that does not need to be revisited by us fans any time soon.

But at least we got to watch Austin Hedges pitch.

In all seriousness, the Guardians are still (at the time of writing), 3.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the division and only 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot. They absolutely need to pull themselves together and shake of last night’s game. With Detroit coming to town for four games, there is a great opportunity to stay in win column, but just as easily is there the opportunity to wash away all playoff hopes.

Welcome to September baseball.

Around the League

MLB Highlighted the hottest pitching prospect from each team with Caden Favors getting the nod for Cleveland.

Yes, it’s that time. Last week saw the end of the Dominican Summer League season. In fact the Cardinals’ affiliate ended earlier than that, because they did not make the playoffs. The Florida Complex League ended well before that: though unofficial games have been played since then, games with actual recorded stats I can find online stopped in July. I like to cover the leagues as their seasons end and the less leagues I cover, the more players I can list. It will certainly include players who I probably would not bother covering if I needed to cover more teams, but I prefer that over ignoring players who I want to cover, but don’t want to make this 5,000 words. We will start with the DSL.

Dominican Summer League

Sebastian Rojas, C – 17

Stats: 32 G, 139 PAs, .357/.439/.609, 10.1 BB%, 18 K%, .252 ISO, .404 BABIP, 144 wRC+

In a shocking twist, there is another catcher. I genuinely don’t understand this. The Cardinals are growing catching prospects on trees. They just keep popping up in the DSL every year, seemingly limitless. I have followed the minor leagues for over a decade and I can tell you that it did not use to be like this. Catching prospects used to be quite rare in fact, it was the entire reason the Cardinals signed Willson Contreras. They could not find a Yadi replacement.

Jordan Beltran, RHP – 17

Stats: 12 G (GS), 23.2 IP, 34.5 K%, 18.5 BB%, 30.4 GB%, .311 BABIP, 8.37 ERA/6.45 FIP/5.46 xFIP

When hitters step up to the plate against Beltran, nearly 60% of the time, they did not make contact. That’s the good news. The bad news is he was nearly as likely to let a hitter on base for free as he was to strike them out. He had 22 walks and 8 hit by pitches. He had 41 strikeouts. He faced 119 batters all season. He was also quite bad at preventing runners from scoring once they did get on base, with a 53.7 LOB%. But he’s young and he clearly has swing-and-miss stuff and he has a better shot at becoming an elite prospect than probably anyone else on this team. I have no scouting information to back that up, just basing it off his stats.

Michael Cordero, 3B – 17

Stats: 48 G, 199 PAs, .236/.367/.404, 15.1 BB%, 25.6 K%, .168 ISO, .312 BABIP, 90 wRC+

It has been said before that sometimes how much a prospect plays can tell you more than how they actually perform. And Cordero had the most PAs on the team, and it came a season after getting over 100 PAs as a 16-year-old. Ideally, he manages a better hitting line than this of course, but the Cardinals are flashing a neon sign that he’s worth following. He also played some first base.

Juan Garcia, RHP – 18

Stats: 11 GS, 43 IP, 20.5 K%, 5.3 BB%, 38.5 GB%, .309 BABIP, 4.40 ERA/4.40 FIP/4.50 xFIP

And your innings pitched leader on the DSL Cardinals is Garcia. When watching MLB pitchers, I prefer pitchers who don’t walk hitters. When following prospects though, I don’t find these kind of prospects particularly interesting. If you aren’t really striking out a lot at this level, I find it hard to put any sort of investment in the prospect.

Lucas Takahashi, OF – 17

Stats: 43 G, 163 PAs, .264/.521/.321, 33.7 BB%, 19 K%, .057 ISO, .373 BABIP, 142 wRC+

Takahashi played in 12 games last season as a 16-year-old and was basically the same exact hitter. Well this season he actually managed to have a good average. But tons of walks, no power. It is kind of fascinating to see a prospect with the rating bar for patience being 100 and the rating bar for power being 0 though. Hopefully with age comes power or all that walking won’t make much of a difference.

Juan Santillan, RHP – 19

Stats: 15 G (GS), 22.2 IP, 24.5 K%, 14.7 BB%, 30.9 GB%, .232 BABIP, 3.18 ERA/6.37 FIP/5.65 xFIP

By the way, the offensive environment of this league is all kinds of screwed up, because while I wouldn’t actually expect this to be a good pitching slash line, I feel like like the FIP numbers here are weirdly low. Santillan has the lowest ERA on the staff by a good margin.

Luis Estrella, OF – 17

Stats: 24 G, 107 PAs, .306/.439/.576, 15.9 BB%, 29.9 K%, .271 ISO, .404 BABIP, 140 wRC+

It must be easier to find hitting prospects internationally. It’s clearly easier to play in the DSL as a hitter, that is for sure. Each year there are number of notable DSL prospects worth following and they’re always hitters. 17 or younger with good stats. There seem to be around five per year.

Rafeli Moronta, RHP – 16

Stats: 12 G (GS), 25.2 IP, 23.8 K%, 21.8 BB%, 36.6 GB%, .397 BABIP, 11.92 ERA/8.44 FIP/7.56 xFIP

This is what I’m talking about. If I ever stumble on a 16 or 17-year-old pitcher, they always have the worst stats you’ve ever seen. Anyway, Moronta is the lone 16-year-old on the staff and he actually threw the 6th most innings on the team. So he’s a real prospect. But yeah hard to get excited with these stats.

Diego Consecion, 2B/SS – 18

Stats: 41 G, 158 PAs, .294/.462/.496, 23.4 BB%, 25.3 K%, .202 ISO, .423 BABIP, 138 wRC+

Consecion is doing pretty much exactly what you want an 18-year-old to do in this league. The downside is that I don’t really believe in any 18-year-old hitter performing well in this league. But he never got a chance to play at 17, so he’s done all he can do.

Daniel Gomez, RHP – 18

Stats: 11 G (10 GS), 37.1 IP, 23.1 K%, 7.5 BB%, 37.6 GB%, .288 BABIP, 4.10 ERA/5.08 FIP/4.72 xFIP

Trust me when I say that these are elite stats for a pitcher in this league. They are at least elite stats on this team. This is about as good as they get. Well, I don’t need to tell you, you see the evidence.

Misael Sanchez, OF – 17

Stats: 46 G, 183 PAs, .297/.377/.430, 11.5 BB%, 20.2 K%, .133 ISO, .364 BABIP, 97 wRC+

Sanchez is yet another player whose stats I am sharing primarily because of the amount of opportunities they got. They are very mediocre in just about every way, but the Cardinals gave him the 2nd most PAs on the team as a 17-year-old. They see something in him.

Jose Vega, RHP – 17

Stats: 11 G (10 GS), 38.2 IP, 13.8 K%, 14.4 BB%, 50 GB%, .256 BABIP, 5.82 ERA/7.34 FIP/6.73 xFIP

If I shared these stats independent of the rest of this article, you’d wonder why I bothered sharing his stats at all. But you can see how rare it is for a pitcher to have good stats at all, and you might notice the 17 next to his name and also his 10 starts. Which is certainly eye-popping. I’ll also shout out his groundball percentage, which I noticed because just about nobody else has a good one on this team. But he’ll need to miss more bats for sure.

Emanuel Luna, OF – 17

Stats: 9 G, 33 PAs, .417/.576/.875, 24.2 BB%, 18.2 K%, .458 ISO, .467 BABIP, 226 wRC+

Eduardo Mirabel, C – 18

Stats: 7 G, 26 PAs, .333/.462/.667, 15.4 BB%, 19.2 K%, .333 ISO, .400 BABIP, 162 wRC+

Two position players with the smallest sample you could possibly want. In Luna’s case, it appears that he got injured multiple times. But he hit 3 homers in his 9 games. Aside from playing DH, he was also the CF in the games he played in the field. So Luna’s exciting! Mirabel was the backup catcher whose season started at the very end of July, and that’s why he only played in seven games.

Emilio Jimenez, LHP – 17

Stats: 11 G (6 GS), 22.2 K%, 22.2 BB%, 54.2 GB%, .347 BABIP, 9.21 ERA/6.83 FIP/6.58 xFIP

I was on the fence on whether to list these stats until I noticed that he was left-handed, which I actually don’t see very often in the DSL for whatever reason. He is very wild with 12 wild pitches, 3 hit by pitches and a 22 BB%, but I also like how many balls are hit on the ground against him.

Jhon Franganten, OF – 16

Stats: 28 G, 119 PAs, .227/.361/.402, 15.1 BB%, 31.9 K%, .175 ISO, .345 BABIP, 88 wRC+

You know the drill. Look at the age. He got quite a few plate appearances as a 16-year-old and on top of that, he had a good amount of power. Obviously, he had trouble making contact and that’s why he had a below average batting line.

Brayan Amoroso, RHP – 18

Stats: 16 G, 21 IP, 23.8 K%, 20 BB%, 28.6 GB%, .370 BABIP, 8.57 ERA/7.23 FIP/6.70 xFIP

Why am I sharing his stats? Well, he’s a converted position player is why. I thought that was cool. He played the last two seasons as a 1B/OF and could never quite hit, so the Cardinals moved him to pitcher. And while he hasn’t been good, nobody is a good pitcher at this level and he managed to miss 23.8% of bats in his first try pitching. Maybe there’s something here.

Florida Complex League

Hendrick Cana, RHP – 18

Stats (DSL): 5 GS, 19 IP, 29.9 K%, 5.7 BB%, 37.5 GB%, .434 BABIP, 4.26 ERA/3.00 FIP/3.73 xFIP

CPX: 3 G (2 GS), 27.8 K%, 11.1 BB%, 30 GB%, .318 BABIP, 5.87 ERA/3.19 FIP/4.41 xFIP

Oh yeah Cana had good stats at the DSL, but midseason got promoted to the states, which you don’t usually see. He has also thrown a game at Low A, which was on the 19th of August actually. I assume that was a one-off, or I would think he’d have thrown another game since then. It was 2.2 IP of 1 run ball, albeit with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Cristofer LeBron, UT – 19

Stats: 47 G, 179 PAs, .289/.365/.484, 10.1 BB%, 23.5 K%, .195 ISO, .360 BABIP, 105 wRC+

LeBron has played just about everywhere so I was puzzled as to what position to list, but I realized I could just put utility. He has played 13 games in Low A and has struggled to make contact with a 36 K%. I don’t feel the need to list his stats, because I will likely share his Low A stats later when I share stats from Palm Beach.

Jan Cabrera, RHP – 21

Stats: 12 G (6 GS), 42.2 IP, 24.7 K%, 8.1 BB%, 52.9 GB%, .370 BABIP, 2.95 ERA/4.49 FIP/4.28 xFIP

Okay so most of the pitchers with halfway decent stats at this level have been promoted to Palm Beach. Cabrera is no exception. These pitchers usually also have terrible stats at Palm Beach. Again Cabrera is no exception. He’s made 4 appearances and has a 7.90 ERA with not a lot better peripherals. I would prefer not to list those stats out and focus on the positive part of his season.

Yaxson Lucena, OF – 18

Stats: 23 G, 88 PAs, .114/.295/.157, 19.3 BB%, 15.9 K%, .043 ISO, .143 BABIP, 32 wRC+

Lucena had a very good season in the DSL with a 142 wRC+. Clearly he struggled to hit the ball with any kind of authority. His season ended in early June, I suspect for development reasons. Good thing is he’s still just 18-years-old.

Earle Zulueta, RHP – 19

Stats: 12 G (8 GS), 36.1 IP, 22.4 K%, 14.5 BB%, 40.2 GB%, .327 BABIP, 5.45 ERA/6.05 FIP/5.70 xFIP

Zulueta, aside from having an incredibly hard name to spell, had pretty good stats last season in the DSL. Obviously, he struggled in the complex league, although there were positives and he’s just 19-years-old. He also made an appearance in Palm Beach, which was not a good appearance. That was a week ago, I’ll be curious if he pitches again.

Kenley Hunter, OF – 18

Stats: 41 G, 155 PAs, .266/.390/.391, 14.2 BB%, 12.3 K%, .125 ISO, .299 BABIP, 100 wRC+

Interesting fact about Hunter is that he’s displayed more power in the complex league than he did in the DSL. In the DSL he had under a .100 ISO. So not a super exciting line, but he certainly held his own and I imagine he’ll be in Low A next season at 19-years-old.

Xavier Cruz, RHP – 20

Stats: 5 G (2 GS), 15.1 IP, 43.5 K%, 12.9 BB%, 47.4 GB%, .190 BABIP, 3.52 ERA/6.06 FIP/3.19 xFIP

Cruz has been quite unhittable this season. He’s made two multi-inning appearances at Palm Beach as well and has struck out over 40% of batters there too. He’s also getting groundballs. You don’t usually see both at these levels.

Juan Rujano, C – 18

Stats: 22 G, 77 PAs, .224/.325/.343, 9.1 BB%, 28.6 K%, .119 ISO, .302 BABIP, 68 wRC+

After a good offensive season in the DSL, Rujano struggled quite a bit with the bat in the complex leagues. But again, these players all being 18 is really making this a lot more palatable. You can take multiple seasons to adjust to a level when you are that young.

Royelny Strop, OF – 18

Stats: 50 G, 181 PAs, .228/.354/.322, 13.8 BB%, 23.2 K%, .094 ISO, .299 BABIP, 76 wRC+

Strop didn’t really hit in the DSL either, so this is not completely unexpected. He actually significantly cut his strikeout rate in fact, although he also lost some power.

And I’m going to stop there. I forgot that a lot of the good performances in the complex league get promoted to Low A, so not as many players to cover! Good for me though though, because I just watched the Cardinals come back and beat the Dodgers and I need to go to bed!

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 9-2 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

CF Jarred Kelenic 1-4, BB, 3 K
3B Anthony Volpe 2-3, 2B, SB, HBP
LF Duke Ellis 0-0, BB
RF Jasson Domínguez 1-4, RBI, BB, SB
C J.C. Escarra 2-4, RBI, BB
2B Marco Luciano 1-5, RBI, 3 K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera 1-5, 2B, RBI, K
LF-3B Max Schuemann 3-5, HR, RBI
DH Yanquiel Fernández 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI — 24 on the year for Fernández
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, 2 K

Clarke Schmidt 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K — solid in his second rehab start
Alex Cornielle 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR (win)
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Eli Morgan 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots: W, 8-6 at Erie SeaWolves

SS Core Jackson 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, SB — first Double-A homer
CF Jace Avina 0-4, 3 K
2B-3B Roderick Arias 1-4, BB, 2 K
3B-1B Coby Morales 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K — oppo for his 21st of the season
1B Josh Moylan 1-1, HR, 3 RBI
2B Connor McGinnis 1-3, BB
RF DJ Gladney 2-5, 2B, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo 2-3, 2 BB, K, fielding error
C Manuel Palencia 1-5, 2 RBI
DH Luis Durango 0-5, 3 K

Chase Hampton 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR — after a strong outing last time, back to the struggle bus for Hampton
Kelly Austin 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (win)
Trent Sellers 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (hold) — bang-up job by the ‘pen after Hampton departed
Yerry Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (hold)
Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (save)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 5-0 at Wilmington BlueRocks

CF Jackson Lovich 1-3, BB, K, 2 SB
DH Maika Niu 1-4, 3 K
1B Kyle West 0-1, 3 BB, SB
C David McCann 0-4, 2 K, throwing error
3B Hans Montero 0-2, BB, 2 K, SB
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-4
LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, BB, K
RF Camden Troyer 0-3, BB
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-4, K — just two hits, both singles from HV on the night

Pico Kohn 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 6 K (loss)
Jack Sokol 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Luis Velasquez 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Brady Kirtner 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: W, 4-0 (7) vs. Dunedin Blue Jays — game called in the top of the seventh by rain, was meant to be a doubleheader but game 2 was pushed back to today

SS Dax Kilby 1-3, HR, 2 RBI — turned nicely on an inner-third heater for his fourth dinger
CF Yostin Pena 1-3, SB, CS — I could watch Pena highlights all day: hit a 109-mph single yesterday
RF Wilberson De Pena 1-3, HR, RBI
C Bear Harrison 0-3, K
3B Anthony Potestio 2-3, HR, RBI
LF Luis Puello 0-3, K
1B Tyce Armstrong 0-2
DH Brando Mayea 0-2, K
2B Luis Escudero 1-2, 2B

Tyler Boudreau 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Rafael Arias 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win)
Brennan Stuprich 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Season over

The Phillies are finally coming home after a long but successful west coast road trip. Over that time, they’ve been able to cushion their lead in the race for the NL Wild Cards as well as narrow the deficit for the NL East. That second thing will take center stage this weekend, as the Phillies begin a critical four game series with the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow. It will be the first four of seven total meetings between the teams over the next ten days, a stretch that will likely go a long way in deciding who will take the NL East crown.

On to the links.

Phillies News:

• In case you haven’t noticed, Bryce Harper has been extremely locked in of late. His teammates have certainly taken notice. ($)
• Speaking of Harper, Don Mattingly and the Phillies believe he’s held up well since making the shift back to right field. ($)

MLB News:

• The looming CBA negotiations and a discussion about a salary cap is becoming a bigger topic as the season nears its end. What do some (anonymous) players think about all of it?
• The surprising sale of the Angels to L.A. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has brought a bevy of new unanswered questions to the fold. ($)
• Position players pitching has gone from a goofy anomaly to common place as more and more managers deploy non-pitchers to pitch in mop-up duty.

Note: the stats in this article are from Wednesday afternoon, before Chourio had four hits and his 21st homer on Wednesday night.

Jackson Chourio contains multitudes, as they say. When he’s on, he looks like the best position player on the Brewers, by far. He has a knack for rising to the challenge—in 12 postseason games, he is a .341/.362/.682 hitter—and he is, in my qualitative view, the one player on the Brewers who I never think has no chance no matter how good the opposing pitcher is. Simply: he can do things offensively that nobody else on the team can.

At the same time, he can be frustrating, certainly due in part to the confidence he has in his immense natural ability. There are times when it looks like he’s going to swing, no matter what. While I don’t think Chourio is outmatched physically by any pitcher in the league, he can get out-thought on occasion. Chourio’s splits with runners on base suggest that he tries to do way too much in those situations, to his and the team’s detriment. (More on that in a bit.)

Here’s where I remind you that he’s 22. 22-year-olds get outwitted. It happens. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It could also be concerning if we weren’t seeing tangible signs of improvement from Chourio.

It’s easy to occasionally feel like Chourio’s last two seasons have been, at minimum, mildly disappointing. In his second season, Chourio’s wRC+ dropped seven points (119 to 112) and his WAR was down from 4.0 to 3.0 via FanGraphs and from 3.9 to 2.2 via Baseball Reference. This season, injuries delayed the start of his season, and he hasn’t yet turned into the offense-carrying totem that many people hoped he would be by now.

And yet: those tangible signs of improvement exist. In a general sense, Chourio has ticked up this year. He’s surely going to set a new career high in home runs while playing fewer games than in either of his previous seasons:

• 2024: 148 games, 21 home runs
• 2025: 131g, 21 HR
• 2026: 104g, 20 HR (23 team games remaining)

This has led to an uptick in wRC+, which currently sits at a career-best 124. Chourio continues to be a solid baserunner: the advanced metrics have him about the same as the previous two years, while he is stealing bases at a moderate volume (15) and acceptable rate (75%), both right in line with what he’s done previously (coming into this season Chourio was 43-for-57 in stolen bases, 75.4%).

The most encouraging offensive sign for Chourio is in his plate discipline, something that has been an obvious point of difficulty at times during his young career. Last season, Chourio’s plate discipline was a real problem. His chase rate and walk rate were both in the bottom 12 percent among MLB hitters, which was a tangible drop from his rookie season when he was 26th percentile in chase percentage and 31st percentile in walk rate (6.8%).

This year, we’re seeing, at minimum, a bounceback to 2024 levels. Chourio still chases too much—he is 21st percentile this season—and that’s one of the biggest weak points in his game. But Chourio has worked the walk percentage back to a respectable 8.1%; he’s never going to be Barry Bonds, but for a player with such advanced bat-to-ball skills, you can live with an 8.1% walk rate.

Interestingly, even with the uptick in homers, Chourio’s isolated power (ISO) hasn’t really improved this season—it’s the same as it was last year (.193), which is just a few ticks above his rookie season (.189). He’s hitting more homers, though… so what explains that? Well, Chourio is hitting more homers, but he’s traded off some of his other extra-base hits, most notably the second-most important hits to a player’s slugging percentage: triples. Chourio hit four triples in each of his first two seasons, but doesn’t have any this season. He’s also a little behind his doubles pace from last year, when he hit 35 compared to 21 homers; this year, he has 23 doubles (a full-season pace of 30-31).

To be clear: it’s good to turn some of your doubles into homers. And when you add in the better plate discipline, Chourio’s OPS is up a significant 48 points over last season (and 27 points over his rookie year).

Chourio and the Brewers have also been able to highlight another strength this season: defense. Despite a certain lack of aesthetic beauty, Chourio has generally been a good defensive outfielder since coming to the big leagues. Outs Above Average had him as an excellent right fielder and mediocre left fielder in 2024, and as pretty good in both right and center in 2025 (though with way more attempts in center than right).

This season, Chourio has done far less moving around—91 of his 100 starts in the outfield have come in left. DRS sees him as a clearly good left fielder, and via Outs Above Average, he ranks behind only Chandler Simpson, Cody Bellinger, and Jarren Duran amongst left fielders.

Add all of this together, and Chourio is having his best season (when accounting for his missed games); extrapolate his WAR to the number of plate appearances he had in 2024, and you’d get 4.1 fWAR and 4.3 bWAR. That’s not a huge improvement over the highs he set as a rookie, but it’s an improvement.

There are still things to work on, obviously, and the biggest thing is Chourio’s bizarre splits this season with runners on or off base. Check it out:

• With nobody on base, Chourio is batting .327/.383/.534 for a 154 wRC+
• With men on base, he is hitting .219/.286/.393 for an 81 wRC+
• With runners in scoring position, he’s at .223/.307/.321 for a 68 wRC+

Interestingly, Chourio might be almost too passive with runners in scoring position—his walk rate actually increases from 8.4% with the bases empty to 10.2% with RISP. BABIP is also playing a huge role: Chourio has a sky-high .395 BABIP with no one on, but that drops to .256 with runners on base and .282 with RISP. Most tellingly, his power has evaporated completely with runners in scoring position: his ISO is .207 with bases empty, .174 with runners on, and .098 with runners in scoring position.

How much of that is bad luck? He’s only got 127 plate appearances with RISP plus 69 more with a runner on first, so it’s not like we’re dealing with huge samples here. It certainly seems like there’s a mental side to this; it feels like he’s pressing with runners on. There could be a ‘snake eating its tail’ aspect at play, too: perhaps Chourio knows how bad his numbers are with runners on, so he’s tightening up in those situations.

Figuring out how to get Chourio to relax with runners on base should be one of the team’s biggest goals over the next month—they’re going to need him locked in to make a deep run in the playoffs. He certainly has the ability, and to highlight just how rare Chourio’s accomplishments already are, let’s revisit a list I shared in this week’s Week in Review. When Chourio hit his 20th home run last week, he joined a list of just 16 other players to have three seasons of at least 20 homers before their age-23 season:

• Eight of those 16 players are in the Hall of Fame (Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Eddie Mathews, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, and Ken Griffey Jr.)
• One is one of the best players ever but isn’t in the Hall of Fame because of steroids (Alex Rodriguez)
• Five are active players who have Hall of Fame cases ranging from “lock or near lock” (Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto) to “we have to at least discuss it” (Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Correa)
• The remaining two are players whose careers were cut short due to various circumstances (Tony Conigliaro, Bob Horner)

It’s a good list.