While the Montreal Canadiens have lost their last two games, on Thursday, NHL.com released its latest power rankings, and the youngest team in the league remained in the top five.
So far this season, the Canadiens have managed to keep fans on the edge of their seats with comebacks and overtime wins. With Thursday night’s defeat, the Canadiens have now played 11 one-goal games in the first 14 matchups so far this season. This speaks to their ability to perform under pressure, but it also shows that they struggle to separate themselves from their rivals when they are in control of the game and to protect a lead.
While Martin St-Louis’ men aren’t afraid to live dangerously, there’s something to be said about successfully managing the game and putting it away when the occasion arises. NHL.com’s article mentions Lane Hutson as one of the reasons why the Habs are so high in the rankings. The young defenseman had 81 points after 97 career games, which is quite a feat. After the same number of games, Vancouver Canucks’ captain Quinn Hughes had 77 points. Whichever way you look at it, Hutson has been a major factor in the Tricolore’s success this season and even though his opponents know what he’s about now, having studied plenty of video, he still gets it done. As things stand, he’s on pace for 76 points this season.
I feel the article should also have mentioned Ivan Demidov. The rookie is fourth in scoring on the Canadiens with 12 points in 14 games. Five of his points came on the power play, but that number would likely be higher if he had been put on the top unit sooner; however, Martin St-Louis understandably wanted to wait until he had “earned it”.
The young Russian is on pace for 70 points so far, and, likely, he’ll even pick up the pace. The more he plays, the more comfortable he gets. His youthful enthusiasm is great to see, but after picking up another penalty in Thursday’s match, he’s got 10 penalty minutes in 14 games. A few of those calls came on the power play, cutting short the man-advantage unit. When you’re on the power play, the refs are looking for a reason to cut it short and are more prone to blow the whistle and make calls, something he’ll adjust to. On BPM Sports yesterday, winningest goalie of all-time Martin Brodeur named Demidov amongst the current players he wouldn't want to play against.
While the youngsters have both played significant roles in the Canadiens’ early success, it’s impossible to forget about Jakub Dobes’ hot start, Nick Suzuki’s leadership and productivity, and Cole Caufield’s goal scoring and ability to score the big goals when it matters the most.
The Mets have the longest history of any team in MLB when it comes to adding players from Japan. Whether that is most recently with Kodai Senga or dating back when they made a splash, at the time, in signing Kaz Matsui. In between, they have been stops for names like Hideo Nomo and Daisuke Matsuzaka, among others.
They have been unable, however, to land someone who is considered the "generational" type of player, as they leave Nippon Professional Baseball for MLB. I am talking about the Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Shohei Ohtani,and Yoshinobu Yamamoto types.
The next potential Japanese star is going to be posted this winter by his NPB team, the Yakult Swallows. That player is 25-year-old third baseman/first baseman Munetaka Murakami.
While not projecting that Murakami is by any means a lock to end up with the types of careers some of the above players had, Murakami will be considered the biggest offensive player to come over from Japan since Ohtani in 2018.
He had an all-time season in 2022. At just 22 years old, Murakami slashed .318/.458/.710 and set the NPB single-season home run record when he hit 56 home runs, passing the legendary Sadaharu Oh.
Projections on a potential contract for Murakami are wide-ranging for various reasons. It would be surprising if the contract wasn’t in the range of six-to-seven years and $100 million or more.
Here are the pros and cons of signing Murakami…
PROS
One thing the Mets were lacking in 2025 was an additional thumper in the lineup. Once opposing teams got past Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, there wasn’t that same level of threat. Mark Vientos did not repeat his 2024 season, and Brandon Nimmo had a perfectly good 2025 campaign, but he isn’t the best fit as a cleanup hitter on a team looking to win a championship.
A slugger like Murakami could have fit perfectly in that spot. Alonso's Mets future is up in the air, but whether he is here or not, the Mets could use another power hitter in the lineup.
In 2025, Murakami missed a lot of time due to an oblique injury. When he returned, he hit .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs in 69 games. One of those 24 home runs was a walk-off shot that happened to have Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns in attendance.
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami (55) celebrates home run against the USA in the second inning at LoanDepot Park. / Rhona Wise - Imagn Images
Murakami has a power grade of at least 70 with elite bat speed that should easily project 30-plus home runs, if not closer to 40. His bat speed and exit velocity numbers all project to be in the class with some of the best in those metrics in MLB. He accompanies his power with the ability to get on base, with a career .394 on-base percentage in Japan.
From a defensive profile, he projects more as a first base/designated hitter type despite playing a lot of third base in Japan. If the Mets were looking for a power-hitting first baseman type to potentially replace Alonso, Murakami might be the closest one-for-one replacement that they could do.
When it comes to signing long-term contracts, Stearns has so far preferred to reserve that for younger players. The Mets, of course, signed Juan Soto last offseason at 25, and in his first year here, they made a substantial push for the then-25-year-old Yamamoto. The 25-year-old Murakami would fit his mold.
CONS
Murakami does possess some elite traits offensively, but there are some concerning red flags in his profile, specifically in the swing-and-miss category.
His in-zone contact rate, which is a baseline barometer of bat-to-ball skills of 73 percent, ranked near the bottom among qualified players in NPB over the last three years. For comparison’s sake, the MLB average for in-zone contact rate in 2025 was nearly 83 percent.
Murakami’s general strikeout rate over the past three seasons in NPB was all in the 28-29 percent range. The concern is that, in general, expectations are for strikeout rates to rise in the transition from NPB to MLB.
He has also struggled against high-end velocity (considered greater than 93 mph for this metric) over the last couple of years. The average MLB fastball in 2025 was 94.4 mph.
Murakami projects best defensively at first base, but even at that spot, he is not projected to be any better than average, if that.
Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami (55) plays his position during the sixth inning against the USA at LoanDepot Park / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
VERDICT
Murakami fits the mold of a high-risk, high-reward player with a wide range of potential outcomes. The question that teams like the Mets will have to ask is if the power and on-base skills simply outweigh the swing-and-miss issues.
The reality is that most high-end home run hitters do strike out a lot. Seven of the top 11 leaders in home runs in MLB in 2025 had strikeout rates north of 25 percent. If Murakami is going to crack that range for home runs, then his strikeout rate would be high, but likely not unreasonably so.
At 25 years old, he is still young enough to get into an MLB hitting program and improve his mechanics and plan at the plate to help mitigate some of the flaws.
I personally do not look at Murakami as a potential Alonso replacement. If the Mets were to seriously pursue Murakami, it should be in addition to trying to retain Alonso. That would create a top four of a lineup that could be as impactful as any in baseball.
The best path might be Murakami spending a lot of time at designated hitter and playing first base and third base when necessary.
If the cost on a contract can stay in the range that is typical for Japanese hitters coming over to MLB in recent years, usually in the range of $18-20 million per season, the Mets should be in on a pursuit of a hitter that you can just see hitting balls to the back of the Coca Cola corner.
Having not beaten New Zealand in 32 attempts spanning 120 years, Scotland sense an opportunity despite the surprise absence of Duhan van der Merwe
It is 100 years since Scotland played their first match at Murrayfield, but that is the least of the monuments confronting them this weekend. New Zealand’s unbeaten record against them stands at 120 years and counting. Which is to say, Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks, and Saturday represents their 33rd attempt.
The good news is that Murrayfield’s centenary celebrations will culminate in its showcase fixture of the autumn with Scotland given as healthy a chance of victory as they ever have been against these tourists. True, that means little more than that victory has not been ruled out, but recent contests between these two (all at Murrayfield, it should be said) have seen a narrowing of the usual margin of defeat. At times over this past century, those defeats have been hideous to behold. Not so any more.
For better, and sometimes for worse, the 2025-26 season has been all about perceived draft wins and losses for the Philadelphia Flyers.
For example, they drafted Cutter Gauthier, who now leads the NHL in goals, but were effectively forced to trade him to Anaheim to Jamie Drysdale, who's playing the best hockey of his NHL career, and a second-round pick that became Jack Murtagh.
Fans still like to talk about the selection of defenseman Cam York, too, who was drafted ahead of Montreal sniper Cole Caufield. What many haven't realized yet is that York, 24, has been one of the very best defensemen in the league this season.
After needing to recover from an injury sustained at the end of the preseason, the former No. 14 overall pick has quietly racked up a goal, eight assists, and nine points in just 11 games, placing him 22nd in scoring amongst all blueliners.
And, York could be even higher in scoring, given he reached nine points in fewer games than Thomas Harley, Rasmus Dahlin, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (14 games).
He's not just getting finishing luck or anything like that, either. The Flyers are legitimately relying on York in heavy minutes, and the results have been the results.
Through 11 games, York's 24:55 average ice time ranks ninth in the entire NHL, trailing only Mike Matheson, Jackson LaCombe, Moritz Seider, Miro Heiskanen, Cale Makar, teammate Travis Sanheim, Zach Werenski, and Quinn Hughes.
That's pretty good company.
Further to that point, York has recorded more points than five of those players, including Hughes, of all players.
Will that last? Probably not, given Hughes is a perennial Norris Trophy finalist who has been better than a point-per-game producer in each of his last two seasons.
At the same time, though, Hughes did that playing for Rick Tocchet, who now coaches York and the Flyers.
There's some real potential for York to reach heights we've never seen before or thought possible if he can keep up this pace.
LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights scored more than two goals for just the second time in six games, but it wouldn't be enough as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning secured a 6-3 win Thursday night.
Nikita Kucherov scored a pair of third-period goals and added an assist on a late empty-netter as the Bolts pulled away for the win.
Ivan Barbashev scored two goals for the Golden Knights (7-2-3), while Mitch Marner added his fourth of the season in the third period when his shot deflected off Victor Hedman and past Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game.
Brandon Hagel scored 35 seconds later and the Lightning (6-5-2) never looked back, and the Knights lost for the fourth time in six games.
Vegas rookie Carl Lindbom made 21 saves.
Gage Goncalves and Dominic James also scored for the Lightning while Hagel scored his second of the game with 45 seconds left in the game.
Vegas opened the game looking as if it might dominate, with Barbashev providing the two-goal lead and the Knights outshooting Tampa Bay, 15-3.
But the Bolts turned the tables in the second, outshooting Vegas, 15-4, including goals from Goncalves and James.
"All those things that went our way, in the second period they did the exact same thing," Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said.
KEY MOMENT: Less than one minute after Kucherov scored his first goal to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead, Marner tied the game. But Hagel's goal was the turning point when his backhand from in front of the net beat Lindbom glove side. The momentum and energy Marner provided just 45 seconds earlier were drained from T-Mobile Arena.
KEY STAT: The Golden Knights were 0 for 3 on the power play, and are now 2 for 23 with a man advantage since Oct. 20. Their 8.7% power-play conversion rate is the second lowest in that span, as they're one of just four teams that is less than 10%.
WHAT A KNIGHT: Both Barbashev and Marner turned in three-point nights, which ended being all for not, after Vegas squandered its two-goal lead and then failed to capitalize when tying the game and briefly seizing momentum.
"A team doesn't give up on anything ... they don't care what the score is," Marner said of the Lightning. "Momentum swing is a lot. It got weird ... I think we got too much into a track race.
There's gonna be ups and downs in a season. That's how a season goes. The thing that this team does really well is stay even-keeled."
UP NEXT: Vegas hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday in a battle between the Pacific Division's top two teams. The Knights have won the last four meetings and will come into the clash on a 7-1 run against Anaheim when the teams meet at T-Mobile.
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The 27-year-old, who is in season three of an eight-year deal worth $8.125 million, only had four goals with four assists through 14 games this season and was a -8.
The Blues, who did notch a 3-0 shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres in Kyrou's absence, 5-8-2 on the season, just two points from the Western Conference floor.
Monty on scratching Kyrou: “Many players could have been scratched after last night’s game and ultimately I decided on this group tonight.” #stlblues
Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, Kyrou's name appeared in many trade rumors primarily because his no-trade clause was set to kick in on July 1.
Per industry sources, the Blues had poked around on the New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson, and the asking price for the 25-year-old offensive-defenseman would have likely been Kyrou, a potential 1-for-1, if you will.
Whether the Blues were serious about moving Kyrou or just testing the waters to see what the value was, his being healthy-scratched this early in this season doesn't turn down the volume on those trade speculations.
It's been tough sledding for Kyrou this season for sure, but he reached the 70-point mark in 2024-25, which was the third time he’s done so in his seven-year NHL career. He recorded 36 goals, one short of his career high, and 34 assists in 82 games.
He is a top-six talent that many teams would love, but given his no-trade clause, Kyrou's future is in his own hands.
The New York Islanders should be all over Kyrou if he becomes truly available.
Many viewed this Islanders' season as a step back to take two steps forward, and that first-year general manager Mathieu Darche will be selling at this year's deadline, which comes on March 6.
But, with the emergence of Matthew Schaefer and what the immediate future now looks like, could the Islanders be buyers? Could they go out and get a player like Kyrou that will help them in the short term, in a bid to make the playoffs, and someone who fits the long-term game plan?
When Mathew Barzal went down with his season-ending injury last February, Kyrou seemed like a perfect acquisition to counteract the loss while making the Islanders faster and more dynamic once No. 13 returned.
Now, with Darche and Patrick Roy wanting to play that speedy transition game, Kyrou is even more of a fit than he was a few months ago.
As for fitting Kyrou in under the cap, the Islanders would have no issues. The Islanders could add Semyon Varlamov's $2.75 million on Long-Term Injured Reserve, joining Pierre Engvall's $3 million. That would leave the Islanders with $1.623 million left to clear, as they have $752,000 in cap space before those moves.
With the Islanders' rapid rise in the prospect pool world, they could part ways with one, along with picks and a rostered NHLer that makes more than league minimum -- Maxim Tsyplakov and his $2.25M AAV stand out just because he's not playing.
Could you imagine a top line of Barzal-Horvat-Kyrou?
Nothing is imminent on the trade front at this moment, but the Islanders should be keeping tabs on the Kyrou situation very closely.
As Wales prepare to face the Pumas, the only thing uniting anyone is a lack of trust in the WRU to sort the game out
It’s a wet Wednesday afternoon and Wales are holding an open training session at the Principality Stadium. Admission is free, apart from the £1 booking fee, and the 6,000 seats they’ve made available are filled with raucous kids and weary parents looking for something new to do during a rainy half-term day. The announcer keeps reminding everyone that tickets are still available for all four of Wales’ autumn internationals, against Argentina on Sunday, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. No one in the media seats can quite remember the last time there were spare tickets for a Test match against the All Blacks.
I join a couple of old boys loitering in the back rows. They’re Mervyn and Steve, down from Pontypridd. The previous Friday the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had announced its grand plan to revitalise the sport, which included – almost an hour into the press conference – the revelation that it is going to scrap one of the four regional teams. Everyone agrees that the four regions are overstretched and underfunded. A Welsh team has not finished in the top seven of the United Rugby Championship (URC) since before the pandemic. The decision to make a cut was easy enough. The harder part is figuring out who, why and when, and the hardest is persuading everyone to go along with it.
The Boston Celtics currently sit 10th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference at 4-5 after an up-and-down start to the 2025-26 season. But if they defeat the Orlando Magic on Friday night, they can lay claim to first place in Group B of the 2025 NBA Cup.
The league’s third annual in-season tournament continues Friday with more group play action, as Celtics-Magic is one of 11 games around the league that will count toward the NBA Cup standings. The C’s — who are in Group B of the NBA Cup along with the Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets — are 1-0 in the group stage after edging the Sixers 109-108 last Friday in their NBA Cup opener.
That Celtics-Sixers game has been the only Group B game to date, as the Magic, Pistons and Nets have yet to begin their NBA Cup slates. All three teams are in action Friday, however — Detroit and Brooklyn play at 7:30 p.m. ET — so we’ll see more movement in the standings by the end of the night.
As a reminder, point differential is a key tiebreaker in the NBA Cup, so expect both the Celtics and Magic to play hard until the final whistle, even if the game is already in hand for either side.
How will it all play out? Below is a brief refresher on the NBA Cup format, followed by the Celtics’ schedule and the Group B standings, which we’ll update at the conclusion Friday’s games.
How does the NBA Cup work?
The tournament begins with the group stage. All 30 teams will compete in group play, having been placed into six groups of five teams within their conference. Teams face each of their group opponents once for a total of four group play games (two at home and two on the road).
Eight teams advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds: the top team in each of the six groups and a wild card team in each conference that’s awarded to the second-place finisher with the best overall record.
If two or more teams are tied within a group, the following tiebreakers are used:
Head-to-head record in group play
Point differential in group play
Total points scored in group play
Record from the 2024-25 NBA regular season
Random drawing
The knockout rounds begin with quarterfinal games on Dec. 9 and 10 hosted by the higher seed, and then the semifinals and finals, which will be held in Las Vegas.
All Group Stage games count toward teams’ regular-season records. Teams enter the season with only 80 scheduled games, and the 22 teams that don’t advance to the knockout round will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights on Dec. 11/12 and Dec. 14/15.
Celtics’ Group B schedule
The Celtics’ four Group Stage games will be played across a 27-day span from Halloween until the day before Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, Nov. 26: Pistons vs. Celtics, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Group B Standings
Each team in Group B will play each other once during Group Stage play. If two teams have the same record in group play, the first two tiebreakers are head-to-head record and point differential.
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For the first 20 minutes of their Thursday matchup - and first of the season - against the Washington Capitals, the way the Pittsburgh Penguins were dominating was quite similar to what they did to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first 40 minutes of a heartbreaking 4-3 loss on Monday.
In that game, the Penguins were up, 3-0, heading into the third period, and they surrendered the lead within the first seven minutes. The Leafs won it in the back half of a dominant final 20 minutes that had the Penguins back on their heels for a lot of it.
Well, in this one, the Penguins went up, 3-0 early in the second period. The same thing couldn't possibly happen twice, could it?
As it turns out, it could. And it did.
It happened in the second period this time, but for the second consecutive game, the Penguins surrendered a 3-0 lead in a single period. But - contrary to what happened after Toronto tied the game Monday, the Penguins did not just give up and give in against the Capitals.
Instead, they kept fighting, and the result was different. Pittsburgh had the opportunity to respond in the third period, and with a much better response, they were able to come away with the 5-3 win.
"Credit to the guys,” head coach Dan Muse said. “We were just in this situation three days ago. It would have been really easy for this group to cave. It would have been very easy for this group to play back on their heels, to play worried. I thought we came out in the third period and we did the things that we needed to do to win the game.
“We’ll continue to look at things, we’ll continue to clean up things there. But, at the end of the day, the guys got the job done. They got the two points."
The Penguins started off strong, as they went to an early power play, and rookie Ben Kindel and veteran Sidney Crosby - new linemates at five-on-five, too - connected on a beautiful Kindel cross-ice seam pass to 87, who buried the one-timer for his 10th goal of the season.
Then, about eight minutes later, Capitals’ forward Sonny Milano went to the box for hooking, and the power play was at it again. And so was Crosby. Erik Karlsson threw one at the net from the point, and on its way in, the puck was deflected by Bryan Rust. Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren made the initial save with his glove but couldn’t hold onto it, and Crosby buried the rebound for his second of the game, league-leading sixth power play goal, and league-leading 11th goal.
The Penguins outshot the Caps, 16-7, in the opening period, and it was a pretty clinical performance from them once again. Anthony Mantha added another one to the board on a rebound early in the second period.
But, then, things started to get eerily reminiscent of Monday’s game.
The Capitals began pushing hard and often after Mantha’s goal. The first domino to fall was Dylan Strome, who scored midway through the middle frame to cut the lead to 3-1. Then, about five minutes later, youngster Ryan Leonard appeared to make it 3-2, but an offside call reversed the goal.
But, no matter. Less than a minute later, Rasmus Sandin scored the Caps’ second goal, anyway, and Tom Wilson tied the game with just five seconds remaining in the second.
Once again, the Penguins found themselves in a precarious situation. Both teams traded a few chances in the first part of the third, and the Penguins took a pair of penalties within the first 10 minutes but managed to kill off that time. During the second penalty - a Delay of Game infraction by Kindel - Strome took an offensive zone penalty for cross-checking, and the teams played four-on-four for a little more than a minute before a brief power play opportunity for the Penguins.
And - for the third time on the evening - they didn’t miss. Karlsson gave the puck away to John Carlsson at the offensive blue line, but he quickly recovered with the reverse on Carlsson. The puck found its way back into the attacking zone on the stick of Kindel, who sent it all the way around the boards to Evgeni Malkin on the wall at the left point.
From there, Malkin sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to the low slot, where Rust was skating in from the opposite direction. He put a gorgeous one-time redirection behind Lindgren, and the Penguins took back the lead, 4-3.
Connor Dewar - who played with high energy the entire game - was rewarded with an empty-net goal with just 2:04 left on the clock.
Obviously, the difference in response ended up being the actual difference in this one. But - no matter the result - the Penguins know there are a lot of defensive holes and lapses in their game right now and that they need to be much better for a full 60 minutes.
“Obviously, you never want to give up three unanswered goals,” Kindel said. “Like I said [after the Toronto game], we’re learning a lot. It’s still early in the season, and you don’t want to have it happen all the time. So, just got to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.”
The Phillies’ outfield enters the winter with more uncertainty than any other position group.
In 2025, the results simply weren’t there. Phillies outfielders combined for a .712 OPS (18th in MLB), a 7.8% walk rate (22nd), and 219 RBIs (24th). They stole 29 bases, tied for the fourth-fewest in baseball. The group struggled to generate impact at the plate and rarely changed games with speed.
The front office is expected to explore ways to add power, inject more athleticism and balance a lineup that leaned too heavily on its top-three hitters.
As of right now, who will return in 2026?
LF/CF Brandon Marsh
Credit: Bill Streicher – Imagn Images
Marsh was the most stable everyday outfielder the Phillies had.
He hit .280/.342/.443 with a .785 OPS, bouncing between left and center while offering better-than-average defense at both spots. He was at his best against right-handed pitching, where he hit .300 with a .838 OPS, nine home runs and 33 RBIs.
Marsh isn’t going anywhere. His role may shift depending on what else changes around him, but his roster spot is secure.
RF Nick Castellanos
Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images
Castellanos struggled in 2025.
He drove in 72 runs, but his .694 OPS and .294 on-base percentage led to an 88 OPS+, which is 12 percent lower than the average hitter. The defensive limitations became more pronounced, finishing in the 1st percentile in Outs Above Average, reflecting limited range at 33 years old.
With one year left on his five-year, $100 million contract, Castellanos is expected to remain in trade conversations throughout the offseason and there’s a chance he gets designated for assignment.
UTIL/LF Otto Kemp
Credit: Bill Streicher – Imagn Images
Kemp’s season played out in two chapters.
Called up in early June, the rookie hit .228 over his first 46 games before returning to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. When he came back in September, the adjustments showed. Over his final 16 games, he posted an .856 OPS with eight extra-base hits.
Phillies skipper Thomson sees real upside, saying, “I like him being an everyday player.”
An infielder by trade, Kemp got some run in left field — including a start in the NLDS — and showed his effectiveness against left-handed pitching, producing a .786 OPS in 74 at-bats. That platoon potential could pair with Marsh, though Alec Bohm’s future at third base could ultimately influence Kemp’s role.
CF Johan Rojas
Credit: Brett Davis – Imagn Images
Rojas remains one of the easiest players on the roster to summarize.
His defense changes games and the speed is elite — 99th percentile sprint speed. The offense is still lacking. He hit .224/.280/.289 in 2025 and never established consistent timing at the plate.
His glove and range keep him in the picture as a likely candidate to make the roster, but his path to everyday at-bats will depend on how he fares offensively.
A pair of prospects on the horizon?
Justin Crawford
Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel – Imagn Images
Crawford keeps hitting, everywhere.
He’s not a power hitter, but he controls at-bats, reaches base and pressures defenses with his legs. Few hitters in the organization offer that combination. If anyone can force an Opening Day outfield job internally, it’s Crawford.
At Triple-A in 2025, he hit .334 with a .411 OBP and stole 46 bases. Since entering pro ball, he owns a .322 average across 325 minor league games.
He can also hit to all fields. Per Prospect Savant, Crawford pulled the ball 29.2 percent of the time and went the other way 36.5 percent. That approach plays in the big leagues.
Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck – Imagn Images
Rincones provides the power counterpoint to Crawford.
At Triple-A, he hit a career-high 18 home runs, logged 41 extra-base hits, and drew 80 walks, finishing with a .370 OBP in his most complete pro season.
President Dave Dombrowski pointed out the 24-year-old as a prospect to keep an eye on, “I really like Gabriel Rincones, who’s got a lot of pop in his bat and really hits right-handed pitching even better.”
A left-handed bat with power and patience will draw trade interest by default. Whether he fits the 2026 Phillies or becomes part of a larger transaction will depend on how aggressively the club looks to reshape the outfield.
An idea
Credit: Kyle Ross – USA TODAY Sports
Last summer, when the Phillies were exploring third-base help and checked in on Eugenio Suárez, one scenario gained traction: Bryce Harper moving back to right field.
It never happened — Harper stayed at first — but with Pete Alonso on the free-agent market and Houston’s Christian Walker potentially available via trade, the idea could surface again if the Phillies want more lineup balance during this championship window.
Targets via trade or free agency
Harrison Bader remains a logical reunion candidate. Max Kepler, also a free agent, is unlikely to return. And the thought of external options comes to mind.
Steven Kwan — a four-time Gold Glove award winner and a two-time All-Star — would give the Phillies an established leadoff hitter and elite left field defense. But after hitting .272 with a .705 OPS in 2025 — down from .292 and .793 in 2024 — and with club control through 2028, the cost would be significant. If Philadelphia believes Crawford can supply similar contact skills, the fit may be less necessary than it once looked.
Credit: Ken Blaze – Imagn Images
The White Sox exercised Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million option, but given where that organization is right now, he could still be a trade candidate. Injuries limited him in 2025, but in the final six weeks he hit .298/.352/.456 in 31 games — closer to the version that finished second in AL MVP voting in 2023.
A winter trade feels unlikely, but if Chicago leans into a reset, he fits better as a mid-season or deadline move than a November one.
Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski – Imagn Images
Philadelphia has also been linked to Jo Adell and Taylor Ward, two right-handed power bats. Randy Arozarena could fit that same mold if Seattle is open to moving him.
At the top of the free agent market, talented outfielders Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham all hit from the left side. If the Phillies bring back Kyle Schwarber, committing premium dollars to another left-handed hitter may limit the lineup’s flexibility.
The outlook
The Phillies don’t have a set outfield for 2026.
Some answers could come from within. Others will likely require a trade or a meaningful free agent addition. However it unfolds, the 2026 outfield is unlikely to look — or perform — like the 2025 version.
As we enter MLB free agency and what should be a busy offseason, there are guaranteed to be some surprises. Baseball America threw out the first eyebrow-raising moment for Phillies fans today. The publication released its latest ranking of the top ten prospects for all 30 MLB teams, and there is a new player at the top of the list.
It is not starting pitcher Andrew Painter, as it was last year, and the year before that.
It is shortstop Aidan Miller, the team’s 2023 1st-round draft pick, riding the wave of a strong 2025 season at the plate, and on the basepaths.
Baseball America writer Josh Norris was a guest on The Phillies Show podcast. He drew up the rankings, and this isn’t a hot take. He does exhaustive research on the players and teams he covers, and interviews many people throughout front offices and developmental departments within MLB franchises.
The reason for the shake-up is largely because Painter was shelved following Tommy John surgery, and between his injury in 2022 and the start of 2025, he really only pitched 15 innings in the 2024 Arizona Fall League.
“[2025] certainly wasn’t a bad year, it was a great year for a guy just coming off Tommy John surgery,” Norris said of Painter, who pitched to a 5-6 record and a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts for the AAA Iron Pigs.
Despite dropping Painter to No. 2, Norris remains high on the righty flame-thrower.
“I’m Andrew Painter’s number-1 fan, outside of the Painter household,” Norris joked. “I put it all out there and said the young man is gonna be a Hall of Famer based on what I’ve seen.”
“I’ve seen a ton of pitching prospects in my life. I mean, I’ve seen just about all of them. He was up there. I remember leaving the park [after watching Painter pitch] saying I’ve only felt this way three times.”
The other two pitchers? Former Nationals All-Star Stephen Strasburg, who was among the best in the game before injuries curtailed his career, and the late Jose Fernandez, who won Rookie of the Year for the Marlins in 2013 and made two All-Star teams before tragically losing his life at 24.
As for Miller’s rise to the top? “There were a lot of questions on whether he could stick at shortstop,” Norris said. “Right now, the only question on whether he could stick at shortstop [with the Phillies] is Trea Turner.”
“He’s a shortstop. He’s become more athletic, more explosive, his arm has gotten better, [baseball insiders] in and out of the organization, people say ‘this is probably a really good, above-average major league shortstop right now.’”
Miller played nearly all of 2025 at double-A Reading. He struggled through the first half of the season, and on July 31st was hitting .222 with a .696 OPS.
But he finished strong. Over his final 36 games – which included eight at triple-A Lehigh Valley – Miller hit .356 with an OPS of 1.099, more walks (31) than strikeouts (29), and 39 runs scored.
He also led the entire organization with 52 stolen bases, a number that belies his “run tool grade” from scouts. MLB scouts grade players on a 20-to-80 scale, and gave Miller a 50 for his speed, slightly above average. These grades aren’t etched in stone, but this can show a bit of the difference subjectivity plays in scouting, and perhaps, that Miller has base-running instincts that you can’t get from a 60-yard dash time.
Here is Norris’ full Top 10 list of Phillies prospects:
