The MLB Draft was just over a week and a half ago at this point, and the good news for the Yankees is that they’ve already signed all 20 of the players they selected. All information on the signing details, player backgrounds, and bonuses can be found in the linked tracker.

The most eyes were on the draft in Day 1 on Saturday, July 11th, when the Yankees made their first four picks: Arkansas southpaw Hunter Dietz, Canadian prep lefty Sean Duncan, Oklahoma catcher Brendan Brock, and Cal State Fullerton outfielder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II. When that day came to a close, we put out a poll in the Feed asking fans to grade it.

The results were probably about as high as Yankees fans have been on a draft class in years:

The “A” grade nearly earned an outright majority, settling for a still-great 47-percent plurality. And 41 percent still gave the Yankees a “B,” meaning that only 12 percent thought this was a middling class or worse.

We also had a separate poll asking fans to just grade the Dietz first-round selection alone, and a commanding 70 percent gave him an “A,” with not a single respondent hitting him with a “D” or “F.” The talented Razorback earned acclaim from draft experts around the sport, as the consensus opinion was that he was normally the kind of arm who would’ve gone within the first 20-30 picks, and the Yanks landed him at No. 35. And while part of the reason for his fall was that a stress fracture had limited his college experience prior to 2026, that’s a different beast than Tommy John or shoulder surgery.

Check out some of the fan responses on Pinstripe Alley to the Dietz pick:

Some other fans debated the Dietz pick with a popular name that had occasionally been linked to the Yankees in mock drafts around this spot: Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson, who won both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball’s best player. He ended up going to the Rockies at No. 37 overall.

As ultramod2 noted, Jackson might be the flashier name, but the Yankees’ third-round pick was another college catcher who should be no slouch.

Although Brock has some questions about his bat, he did just help lead the Sooners to their first national championship in 32 years, and the Yankees have a reputation around MLB for developing backstops who make it to The Show. They ended up getting another well-regarded college catcher in the fifth round as well, Bear Harrison of Texas A&M, giving New York two of the top nine catchers selected in the entire draft. It should be interesting tracking all three of these players to see who ends up having the best career — though all may end up in the shadow of Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, who the Twins took with the third overall pick.

BetweenthePinstripes thought the Yankees’ overall draft strategy was sound, praising the team’s willingness to make sensible rolls of the dice while perhaps not deviating too much from conventional wisdom (à la Trey Sweeney):

Finally, a few community members bantered about scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, who has largely had autonomy from general manager Brian Cashman in running most of the team’s drafts for the past couple decades. It can be a tough assignment, given changing draft bonus rules and the Yankees always picking beyond the first 10 selections. Has he been as good about uncovering diamonds in the rough as, say, Zach Fitzpatrick and Billy Gasparino with the Dodgers? No, but the Yankees have done a fair job at finding prospects who have either become All-Star names (Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler) or who developed into key trade chips (Drew Thorpe, Ken Waldichuk, Josh Smith).

The San Diego Padres took plenty of momentum into their series opener against the Atlanta Braves after beating the Kansas City Royals, 19-2, on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The club fell short versus the Braves despite Manny Machado and Ty France slugging two solo shots against Atlanta.

Multiple poor decisions by manager Craig Stammen regarding the pitching staff hurt the Padres in their eventual one-run loss. Starter JP Sears was taken out after five stellar innings. He had thrown just 55 pitches to that point and seemed ready to enter the sixth. Instead, Wandy Peralta came in and gave up the eventual game-winning run on an Ozzie Albies homer to right field. Stammen has had plenty of question marks surrounding the remaining length of his tenure in San Diego. Moves like that only exacerbate the problem for the Friar Faithful. 

Taking the mound

Reynaldo López (ATL) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

López has been one of the most consistent starters in all of baseball this season. The veteran right-hander owns a 3.50 ERA through 61 2/3 innings pitched this season. The righty has missed some time due to injury as well as his suspension earlier this season. But the Padres will still be facing a formidable opponent tonight.

That said, the Friars have had some success against him in the past. Chief among them is Jackson Merrill, with a career .375 batting average in eight at-bats. Other stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado? Not so much. The two have a combined .222 average against López.

Buehler has yet to find a cure for his July woes. After a ridiculously good June that saw the righty post a 1.71 ERA across five starts, Buehler has surrendered 20 runs in his last three starts. That would mean something if he had pitched six innings in each, but he’s only pitched 11 innings in total. It’s been an historic decline for Buehler.

Thankfully, none of the Braves have much experience against the right-hander. Hopefully, that will give Buehler a slight edge when facing them today. If he can get through five or six quality innings of work, San Diego can consider that a rousing success for their starter.

Batter up!

Despite some pop from France and Machado, the offense fell short against Atlanta starter Bryce Elder. The club went 0-for-3 with RISP, failing not only to create scoring opportunities but not capitalizing on the few they did have. With the Trade Deadline looming, every game is must-win for San Diego. They’ll need more from their offense to earn the win tonight.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Gavin Sheets, DH
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Luis Rengifo, LF

Rengifo came on as a pinch-hitter for Sheets in yesterday’s game. He went 2-for-2 and played left field quite competently. Since joining San Diego, the veteran has gone 5-for-9 across three games. If he can help spark this offense back to life, it would be a major turning point for the Friars.

Relief corps

Apart from Peralta’s lone mistake pitch, the bullpen locked it down. Bradgley Rodriguez and Kyle Hart pitched two scoreless innings to close it out, giving San Diego a chance to come back. Unfortunately, they never did. 

But that usage will leave the Friars primed for a bullpen duel tonight. San Diego has Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Randy Vásquez and Matt Waldron to turn to in Game 2. Vásquez and Waldron are starters who have been working out of the bullpen but should be making a start sooner rather than later.

Joe DeMayo and a returning Connor Rogers drop the latest episode of The Mets Pod, which talks trade deadline possibilities and second half of the season scenarios for the Mets. 

The guys cover Freddy Peralta, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, and what they think should be their returns in any potential trades, while also making a pitch for both Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens to stay put. 

Later, Connor and Joe go Down on the Farm to check in on Jack Wenninger and Ryan Clifford, then answer Mailbag questions about the Mets' organizational issues overall, and the idea of trading Devin Williams.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Texas Rangers have signed pitcher Gio Rojas, infielder Connor Comeau, and pitcher Brody Bumila, the team’s first, second and third round draft choices, respectively, it was announced today.

Rojas, the 16th overall pick, reportedly received a bonus of $4.6 million, which is roughly $500,000 below slow. Comeau, the 54th pick, reportedly received $2.5 million, which is approximately $700,000 above slot. Bumila, who was expected to go in the first round before pre-draft medicals revealed a damaged UCL, reportedly received $2.75 million, which is close to $2 million above slot.

The total for the three, along with the team’s other signed draft picks, pushes them just north of $10 million in total bonus expenditures. The team’s bonus pool is $10,219,000, assuming they sign fourth rounder Hudson Calhoun and eighth rounder Kolby Branch. A team can exceed its bonus pool by up to 5% without incurring the loss of future draft picks. Players drafted after the 10th round can receive up to $150,000 as a signing bonus, with any amount above that applied towards the team’s bonus pool.

Chrissy Baines’ Albuquerque story nearly ended before it started.

She arrived in New Mexico in 2004, a Georgia kid who had barely left the state, taking a retail job with a brand-new Triple-A franchise on the recommendation of a general manager she’d only spoken to over the phone. The welcome was rough.

“I had like three car accidents in three months,” Baines said. “I totaled my car, I broke my arm, and I thought, ‘What in the hell have I done? Why did I move to New Mexico?’”

Twenty-two years later, she runs the place.

Baines took over as general manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes in January, becoming the first woman to hold the job in Albuquerque professional baseball history and succeeding John Traub, who had run the franchise since before it played a game. She’s now a little more than halfway through her first season in the chair — and in her 25th season in minor league baseball.

It’s a career she almost didn’t have.

Baines grew up in Rockmart, Georgia, playing softball, basketball, and tennis — basketball was her first love, and she went on to play in college. She was on track to become a teacher until a practicum convinced her otherwise, and she transferred to the University of West Georgia to study sport management instead. Even then, she figured she’d end up running a parks and rec department somewhere.

Instead, an internship with the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 2002 pulled her into baseball. The staff was tiny, the summers were brutal, and she remembers plenty of tarp duty. She also remembers her first GM, Ken Shepard, who has since passed from cancer.

“He just knew everything about every single department, and I really adopted that mentality,” Baines said. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to be a sponge in this business and learn as much as I can.’”

That approach became the blueprint.

After Traub called about an opening following the Isotopes’ inaugural 2003 season, Baines moved west. Her questions for him, she admits, were less about the job than about what New Mexico was even like — and proceeded to work nearly every corner of the operation: retail, merchandise, box office, stadium operations. She became assistant general manager in 2015.

By then, Traub stopped being subtle about where things were headed.

“He always told me, ‘You’re going to be a GM one day,’” Baines said. “I don’t know if that was my set goal back in the day. I think it took me a little bit to really accept that that was the next move for me.”

She turned down GM openings with other clubs over the years, she said, because she never wanted to leave Albuquerque — the staff, full of 10-, 15-, and 20-year employees, had become the reason she stayed. And when Traub finally did step back, moving into an advisory role as team president, he didn’t go far. The two still talk daily, and Traub keeps asking her to assign him special projects — she’s obliged with batter’s eye work and city business.

“I always tell him I’m glad he didn’t just toss in his keys and walk away,” Baines said.

What a Triple-A GM actually does

The title invites confusion. Fans hear “general manager” and think roster moves, but at the Triple-A level, the Rockies control everything between the lines. Baines got to joke about that firsthand when Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta came through Albuquerque earlier this season, with the Isotopes — powered by prospects like Charlie Condon and Cole Carrigg — playing winning baseball.

“I said, ‘Oh, it must be that new GM the Isotopes hired,’” Baines said. “And we both laugh because I have zero to do with it.”

Her side of the operation is everything else: fan experience, promotions, and making sure the facility and the community keep players comfortable.

“What the Rockies provide us is what the Rockies provide us,” she said. “Where we can be major drivers in this business is the type of promotions that we offer, the type of value we create for these fans.”

The job is also, as she’s learned, a grind measured in hours. During a recent 12-game homestand, season ticket holders would ask what time the staff arrived for a 6:35 game. The answer: nine or ten in the morning, with an 11 p.m. departure.

“That’s a lot of hours for this staff,” Baines said. “You don’t understand the hours that go into some of these jobs unless you’ve worked in the sport.”

The results are showing up at the gate.

Through the interview date in early July, Albuquerque had opened 42 games without a single rain delay, and the Isotopes were leading the Pacific Coast League in total and average attendance, up from last year.

Baines credits the weather, a more aggressive slate of family promotions — a Bluey appearance produced one of the wildest days in ballpark memory, and mascot Orbit’s birthday drew 20 visiting mascots — and a community-relations operation that keeps Orbit out in Albuquerque as many as 19 or 20 days a month.

“I think it’s the community connection,” she said. “We’ve done a really good job throughout the years of remaining relevant in this community.”

One of 15 — and counting

Baines is one of 15 active female general managers in the minors, and she doesn’t shy away from what that means.

“I certainly wasn’t the first,” she said of women running minor league clubs. “Not going to be the last.”

One of her mentors is Brooke Cooper, who runs the Worcester Red Sox, and the two talk often about the state of the industry.

“It definitely shows progress,” Baines said. “Baseball’s been one of those hard sports for women to break into leadership roles. So it definitely means a lot.”

Away from the ballpark — when there is an away from the ballpark — Baines golfs with a group of Isotopes staffers, watches the WNBA (she was headed to Las Vegas the weekend of our conversation to see the Aces and the Fever) and spends fall Saturdays flying a Georgia flag outside her house, smoking something on the Traeger while the Bulldogs play. She and her wife have two dogs — “No actual children,” she said. “Our dogs, those are our children.”

As for the one part of the job nobody can manage: shortly after she was hired, a local reporter congratulated her on now being in charge of the weather.

“I said, no, that is 100% not accurate,” Baines said. “I’m going to pass that on to our groundskeeper.”

Weekly Pebble Report: July 14th- July 20th

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (1-2, 47-49 Overall)

Albuquerque opened the post-All-Star schedule by dropping two of three at home against the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants). The Isotopes were held to limited offense in each loss, sandwiched around an 11-7 win in which they piled up 11 runs over the first three innings. Jordan Beck homered in both defeats — a two-run shot in the opener and a solo blast in the finale. Albuquerque sits fourth in the PCL East at 8-13 in the second half.

⬆️ Stock Up: Machín delivers the damage

Vimael Machín supplied the set’s biggest offensive day, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the 11-7 win and finishing the series at .308 (4-for-13). The veteran infielder was in the middle of the early onslaught that decided Albuquerque’s lone victory, and he continues to hover near .300 on the season. In a quiet set for the lineup at large, Machín’s bat was the one that showed up when the runs came.

Upcoming

The Isotopes host the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers) for a six-game set.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (1-2, 47-42 Overall)

Hartford’s trip to Chesapeake (Baltimore Orioles) was a study in wasted starting pitching. The Yard Goats’ three starters — Jack Mahoney , Stu Flesland III, and Jackson Cox (PuRP No.16) — combined for 17 innings and three earned runs, yet Hartford dropped the final two games on late bullpen collapses, surrendering leads in the eighth inning of both. The set opened with a 7-3 win keyed by Jack O’Dowd’s three-run, ninth-inning homer, but the two one-run losses that followed cost Hartford the series. The Yard Goats sit in fourth place in the Eastern League Northeast with a second-half record of 8-13.

⬆️ Stock Up: Flesland flirts with history

Stu Flesland III delivered the pitching line of the set: five no-hit innings in Saturday’s start, walking one, striking out four and picking a runner off first for good measure. The lefty handed a hitless game to the bullpen with a 2-0 lead, and while the relief corps couldn’t hold what followed, none of that dims the outing — his season ERA now sits at 2.25. It was as dominant as a no-decision gets.

Upcoming

The Yard Goats head to Richmond for a six-game series with the Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants).

High-A: Spokane Indians (1-2, 44-46 Overall)

Spokane’s home set against the Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners) got away from the pitching staff, which allowed 37 runs across three games — including a 21-3 drubbing in the finale that saw Everett pile up 14 runs over the sixth and seventh innings alone. The lone bright spot was a 6-5, 10-inning walk-off in the middle game, built on an early three-run homer and three scoreless relief innings from Nathan Blasick, who improved to 10-2. Roldy Brito (PuRP No.11), promoted from Fresno, started in center field and swiped three bags in the win. The Indians are tied for first in the Northwest League at 15-9.

⬆️ Stock Up:Don’t Hedge your bets

Ethan Hedges (PuRP No.29) was the constant in the lineup, hitting .500 (6-for-12) with two homers, a double, and a hit in all three games. His three-run blast in the first inning of Saturday’s walk-off win staked Spokane to its only early lead of the series, and he went deep again in the finale — his 12th of the season, pushing his RBI total to 50.

Upcoming

The Indians will remain in Spokane for six games with the Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels)

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (2-1, 49-41 Overall)

Fresno shook off an ugly opener at Visalia (Arizona Diamondbacks) to take the road set two games to one. The Grizzlies fell behind 8-0 in the second inning of a 10-2 loss on Friday, then flipped the script — an 8-3 win behind Cameron Nelson’s three-run homer and a 2-1 pitching duel in the finale in which the staff struck out 16. Nelson swung the hottest bat of the series, going 8-for-15 (.533) with five RBIs and a hit in every game. Fresno is fourth in the California League with a 13-11 record in the second half so far.

⬆️ Stock Up: Kelly Flips the Script

Two weeks after landing in this space for all the wrong reasons, Riley Kelly (PuRP No.29) delivered the best start of his season. The right-hander struck out 11 over six innings in Sunday’s 2-1 win, allowing just five hits, one walk, and a lone solo homer while out-dueling Visalia’s staff in a game with no margin for error.

Upcoming

The Grizzlies head back to Fresno for a six-game series with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angels).

ACL: ACL Rockies (1-3, 37-18 Overall)

A wild stretch for the complex-league Rockies began with a bang and ended with a thud. They demolished the ACL Royals 22-5 behind an 11-run sixth inning, then dropped three straight — an 8-7 walk-off at the Red in 10 innings, an 8-6 loss at the Mariners, and an 8-5 walk-off at the last-place Athletics on a three-run homer in the ninth. The bats produced throughout, but the bullpen surrendered late leads in two of the losses. The cushion atop the ACL remains substantial at 37-18.

⬆️ Stock Up: Arguelles Keeps Climbing

Cristian Arguelles stayed one of the toughest outs in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .500 (7-for-14) with a triple, two doubles, and five RBIs across three games. His 3-for-6, four-RBI day fueled the 22-run outburst, and he followed it with a perfect 4-for-4 afternoon at Peoria. Now hitting .399 on the season, the 19-year-old Arguelles is one of the most exciting young prospects in the Rockies system.

DSL: DSL Colorado (4-0) & DSL Rockies (3-2)

Both Dominican Summer League affiliates kept winning, including a head-to-head meeting on July 13 that DSL Colorado took 3-0 behind a seven-inning, non-earned-run effort from its staff. Colorado ran off four straight in this stretch — among them an 8-6, 10-inning walk-off over DSL NYY Bombers and an 8-7 comeback against the DSL Mets Blue — to push its DSL Southeast-leading mark to 23-10. DSL Rockies went 3-2, including that shutout loss to their sister club, and climbed to 16-17, fifth in the DSL East.

⬆️ Stock Up: Mota Stays Locked In

Carlos Mota was nearly impossible to retire, hitting .571 (8-for-14) with two home runs, a double, and six RBIs over four games. His biggest day came July 14 against the DSL NYY Yankees, when he went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer, and he stayed hot with a three-hit, two-RBI effort two days later.

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

The Yankees announced that tonight’s game, scheduled for 7:05 EST against the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been postponed due to inclement weather forecasted to sustain through much of the night in New York.

The Yankees and Pirates will play a split-admission doubleheader tomorrow, with Game 1 at 1:05 EST and Game 2 at 7:05 EST. Those with tickets to tonight’s postponed game can exchange them for tickets to tomorrow night’s Game 2. Tickets from the postponed game cannot be exchanged for Game 1. As tonight was scheduled to be Aaron Judge Harry Potter Bobblehead night, the giveaway will now occur during tomorrow night’s game.

We’ll keep you updated on how the postponement affects the Yankees’ rotation plans and roster, as the team now will have to play a second doubleheader in the span of four days. New York called up Elmer Rodríguez as their “27th Man” for the doubleheader against the Dodgers over the weekend, and the top prospect could be in line to come up again, after having gone unused on Sunday. Will Warren was scheduled to start tonight, with Gerrit Cole scheduled for tomorrow.

The August 3rd MLB Trade Deadline grows closer by the day, and one name that has become increasingly tied to trade rumors is the Nationals’ Luis Garcia Jr. Amidst a breakout season, Garcia Jr. has 1.5 years of control remaining, and is being viewed as one of the better bats on the market as teams search for reinforcements to power a deep October run.

With the likelihood that he gets traded rising, it’s time to start looking at who the Nats could be receiving in return for his services. President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni is set to embark on his first deadline as the head of Washington’s front office, marking another big test in his young tenure. With bolstering the farm system an essential part of building a championship contender, here are 5 prospects who could headline a return for Garcia Jr. if Toboni chooses to deal him.

RHP Kyson Witherspoon, BOS (#4) – 50 FRV

The majority of smoke surrounding a possible Garcia Jr. deal has involved the surging Red Sox, who have been linked as both a possible suitor and a team with varying levels of interest in making a move for him. If those rumors come to fruition, Witherspoon is a perfect player for Toboni to get back as the bulk of the return. The former Oklahoma righty was Boston’s top MLB Draft selection in 2025, and while his prospect prestige has taken a bit of a hit with persistent struggles in 2026, his ceiling as a long-term MLB starter is still very much real.

Witherspoon’s value in a trade at this current moment is far below what it would have been just a handful of months ago, but he could see a rise to becoming a Top 100 prospect once again in a similar amount of time. Toboni’s familiarity with him from his time in Boston could bring added motivation to acquire and develop the 21-year-old, and his name has already been floated on social media as a realistic fit for Washington to receive in a deal with the Sox.

INF Starlyn Caba, MIA (#6) – 50 FRV

Caba was a high-priced international free agent who started his career in Philadelphia before being shipped to Miami as part of the Jesus Luzardo trade. He was seen as a speed/defense-first infielder, with bat-to-ball skills that would need lengthy development before producing at the MLB level. After posting an OPS of .669 and .613 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, his promotion to High-A to begin his 2026 campaign seems to have unlocked something in the 5-foot-9 infielder.

His 5 home runs to date, while not an incredibly impressive number by any means, have already set a new career-high, and he’s slashing .251/.399/.395 across 215 at-bats, good for a .794 OPS. With questions surrounding the future of the Washington infield and a substantial improvement in their minor league offensive developmental program under Toboni, Caba is exactly the type of prospect for Washington to go after. With the defensive aspect of his game already quite advanced, if they can replicate what they’ve done to other prospects this year in terms of furthering their development with the bat, he could very well be a key piece to the Nats’ future if they make a move for him.

INF Demetrio Crisantes, ARI (#3) – 50 FRV

Pitching is likely the focus of Arizona’s deadline plans as they push for a playoff berth, but adding a final piece to their lineup could also be in the cards. If they explore dealing for Garcia Jr., the Nationals might look to get a prospect in Crisantes who matches up perfectly as his future replacement. Crisantes has scorched his way through 3 levels of the minors this season, and is showing no signs of slowing down. His hit tool is very much a strength, and with iffy defensive skills, this could be a way for Washington to acquire a similar profile to Garcia Jr. with much more control.

The Diamondbacks’ 3rd-ranked prospect is currently mashing for the AA Amarillo Sod Poodles, and MLB Pipeline has his MLB ETA listed as 2027. Selling off Garcia Jr. (and their other rental pieces) would indicate that the Nats’ front office still views their contending window as further down the line. The aforementioned improved hitting development infrastructure could turn someone like Crisantes into a player that could fuel their next playoff run, whether that be in 2027 or beyond.

RHP Jaxon Wiggins, CHI (#3) – 55 FRV

Back to the pitching side, an arm like Wiggins might be too valuable to get for Garcia Jr. alone, but could be a part of a larger package deal between Washington and Chicago. MLB Pipeline’s #88 overall prospect and 3rd in the Cubs’ system, Wiggins is a 6’6” behemoth with an intriguing 4-pitch mix but has pitched to varying results through 2+ seasons in pro ball. Some injury issues have made his 2026 season numbers much more complicated than what appears on paper, but an ERA above 6 is certainly cause for deeper evaluation.

Wiggins has emerged as a trade candidate in recent days as the Cubs are set to be buyers at the deadline, and, similar to Witherspoon, he might be just the kind of buy-low pitching prospect that the Nats could strike gold with. At 24 years old, his future is still thought of as being quite bright, and Washington may be able to streamline his development with reps against MLB hitters. Most of the Nationals’ pitching future lies in the lower levels of the minors, and an arm like Wiggins, who boasts 3 above-average offerings including a 70-grade fastball, provides exciting promise as both a short-term and long-term rotation option.

LHP Kash Mayfield, SDP (#4) – 50 FRV

Mayfield exists on the other side of the developmental spectrum, a high school draftee in 2024 who is multiple years away from getting his first real taste of the majors. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA in A ball across 60.2 innings in 2025, and seen similar success at High-A in 2026, with that mark only rising to 3.20 through his first 14 starts. Just about every notable arm in the Nats’s system as it stands is a righty, including the 2 potential trade targets mentioned in this article, so going after a southpaw has to be considered, especially if Foster Griffin is dealt.

This lefty’s arsenal is headlined by a deadly changeup, and his future outlook will be defined by gaining the ability to maintain the velocity on his fastball. With velocity being plentiful among the Nats’ current MiLB arms, that seems to be an area that they have become experienced in training. With AJ Preller’s never-ending desire to contend and play in October, one that is routinely followed by making risky and ambitious trades, Washington could prey on that desire and pry away Mayfield in exhange for Garcia Jr.

What’s that, the Yankees offense is showing the faintest stirrings from a summer of dormancy? It’s just one game, but the eight runs they scored against the normally excellent Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft is a step in the right direction. Jazz Chisholm Jr. took center stage with his two home runs and season-high five RBIs, but it’s his big swing against the Dodgers from the night before along with Cody Bellinger’s clutch RBI single in the first which earn the co-nomination for At-bat of the Week.

We kick things off with Bellinger in the first inning, the Yankees looking to stave off a sweep by the Dodgers in the doubleheader and the series. It’s a bullpen game for both teams, Los Angeles opening affairs with hard throwing reliever Will Klein, a cult hero from the 18-inning Game 3 marathon in last year’s World Series. Paul Goldschmidt kept the frame alive with a two-out double, giving Bellinger a crucial opportunity to score early after getting blanked into the fourth inning of the first two games.

Normally a pitcher who leans heavily on his four-seamer, Klein introduces a wrinkle with a first pitch looking to get Bellinger to expand.

Klein executes an excellent slider that looks like a strike down and in out of Klein’s hand before breaking out of the zone toward Bellinger. Bellinger reads the pitch immediately which is how he knows to limbo out of the way of a pitch that many hitters would have chased had they been expecting a first-pitch fastball.

After failing to get Bellinger to chase that slide, Klein returns to his bread-and-butter looking to blow a high fastball by the hitter.

He achieves exactly that, throwing this 96 mph four-seamer right by Bellinger, who is quite tardy with his swing. It’s a well-located heater, central over the plate but elevated just above the top ledge of the strike zone, close enough that Bellinger can’t avoid chasing.

The classic follow up to an elevated heater that induced a late whiff is to go right back to that back-foot slider as Bellinger’s bat should be sped up to the speed of the fastball.

The problem is that Klein leaves this cement-mixer slider right out over the plate, a complete mistake that Bellinger punishes. This is such a classic two-out, runner in scoring position swing from Bellinger — short, flat, and compact to the ball, not trying to do anything more than send it right back the way it came to drive in Goldschmidt as the game’s opening run.

Here’s the full AB:

We have to fast forward to the eighth inning for the second half of our breakdown. The Dodgers have tied the game, 1-1, on a pinch-hit solo home run by Tommy Edman in the top half of the frame. With the bottom half of the order due up in the final two innings, Jazz represents the Yankees’ best chance to score in regulation. He’s already struck out twice and popped out with the bases loaded, so you wonder if he is feeling a little extra pressure to provide a positive contribution to his team. The Dodgers have brought in another hard-throwing righty in Evan Phillips, who quietly was a top-five reliever in baseball from 2022 through 2024 before Tommy John surgery cost him most of this year and last.

Phillips is pretty much a two-pitch pitcher, relying on the four-seamer and sweeper a combined 80.4-percent of the time. However, against lefties, you’re gonna get a steady diet of four-seamers, and that’s exactly how he starts off this AB.

This is a pretty good heater up and away, close enough to the zone that you wouldn’t be surprised to see Jazz swing. However, he reads the pitch all the way into the catcher’s mitt for ball one.

Jazz got a really good look at the velocity and movement profile of that four-seamer, tracking the pitch its whole journey toward home. He also has likely seen the scouting report on Phillips reveling the tendency to lean on the four-seamer against lefties. Combine these two facts and he can pretty much sit on another heater and effectively match his swing timing and bat path to the pitch.

That is precisely the outcome, Jazz sitting back a hair on this four-seamer knowing that between his own power and the velocity on the pitch, he has more than enough juice to send it out of the park to all fields. He unleashes a beautiful swing staying inside the pitch and sending it oppo over the wall in left-center for the game-winning home run.

Here’s the full AB:

David Cone brought up an expert point on the broadcast of the series opener against the Pirates, conveying his belief that Bellinger and Jazz are the two biggest X-factors who the Yankees need to get going in this extended stretch without Aaron Judge. Both were mired in deep slumps for the opening weeks of summer but have shown encouraging signs of turning things around lately. Bellinger has a 156 wRC+ dating back to the final game of the Rays series while Jazz has four home runs in his last seven games. Their quality of AB has certainly taken a step up according to the eye test. If the Yankees are to achieve all of their goals this season, their stars have to play like stars, and Bellinger and Jazz are starting to perform like stars again.