After Dansby Swanson’s four RBI in Wednesday nightcap of the double-header with the Mets, PCA’s RBI double in the 10th inning gave the Cubs a 4-3 win and a four-game sweep of the Mets. Yes, it was the Mets. But this was much needed momentum going into the Brewers’ series.
A lot writers have been writing about Swanson’s historic double-header and the week he’s had. This speaks for itself:
There have been several articles written on BCB by our writers, so, along with the articles below, there’s not much for me to add. Good move with a potential innings eater in front the Cubs’ defense.
*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Adding David Peterson is first step as Jed Hoyer tries to solve Cubs’ pitching woes. “The Cubs brought in Peterson on Thursday to help their ailing rotation and believe he could succeed with their defense behind him. But it’s just the start of the front office’s attempt to deal with a torrent of pitching injuries.”
The Cubs desperately need starting-pitching help, and they'll get a big leaguer in Peterson who has a 6.09 ERA this season. He's got a 3.85 FIP, however, and 51.1% groundball rate — and going from the Mets' infield defense to the best-in-MLB Cubs' could be huge for Peterson.
Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports.com): Dansby Swansons June Hot Streak Could Turn His 2026 Season Around. “Dansby Swanson had been dealing with a rough start to the season, and many fans had become frustrated with him. However, recently, he has caught fire and has looked like the best version of himself.”
Cory Sparks (North Side Baseball): Josiah Hartshorn Could Be the Best Prospect in the Chicago Cubs Pipeline. “You’re supposed to struggle when you play at a higher level than is typical for your age. You’re supposed to have a harder time when you move up to a new, harder level. Don’t tell Josiah Hartshorn any of that.”
Slow Blow Fuse is a Dutch contemporary and rock-influenced “power-blues” band formed in 1999. Known for a hypnotic, groove-driven style, their music blends traditional blues with rock and soul, drawing inspiration from artists like Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The band is best known for their raw, high-energy live shows. Their influences include legendary figures like Muddy Waters and Albert Collins, as well as modern acts such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds and The Hoax.
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.
Apr 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jimmy Herget (44) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Jimmy Herget’s season looks ordinary until you start pulling it apart.
The ERA says middle relief. The whiffs, strike-throwing, pitch shapes, and post-IL work suggest something more useful. That does not make Herget a hidden star. It makes him a strange, practical bullpen arm with enough deception and control to make the Rockies’ deadline question more complicated than it might look.
Herget does not overwhelm hitters with velocity. He creates discomfort by making different pitches come out of the same unusual window and then move into different lanes.
The pitch-tracking data helps explain how it works. From a flat 5-degree arm angle, Herget’s 85.9 mph slider stays tight, with just 1.6 inches of lateral break. His 77.9 mph sweeper comes from the same look but moves much farther across the plate, with 15.6 inches of horizontal break. Against left-handed hitters, the changeup gives him a third direction, fading 9.6 inches to the arm side at 85.3 mph. He has thrown the changeup 17% of the time against lefties and just 1% of the time against righties.
That is the glitch.
Right-handed hitters mostly have to separate the tight slider, bigger sweeper, and sinker from the same low-slot look. Left-handed hitters also have to account for the changeup fading the other way. The result is not overpowering, but it is uncomfortable: the ball starts from a similar visual place and then refuses to behave the same way twice.
That still has value, even if the results have backed up from last year.
Herget is still useful for the Rockies
Herget’s 2025 season was one of the few clean bullpen wins for the Rockies. He appeared in 59 games, threw 83.1 innings, struck out 81 batters, and finished with a 2.48 ERA.
His 2026 season has been harder to read, but it is also more encouraging than the surface line suggests.
The full line is mixed, but hardly broken: 19.1 innings, a 4.19 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, 23 strikeouts, and three walks. His whiff rate is up from 26.9% to 31.2%, his strikeout rate has climbed from 23.3% to 28.0%, and his walk rate has dropped from 7.5% to 6.1%.
For context, MLB pitchers this season have a 22.1% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk rate.
Usually, that is the kind of underlying improvement that points toward a cleaner season. But Herget’s 4.19 ERA is nearly identical to the league average of 4.18, and his 1.40 WHIP sits above the league average of 1.31.
Herget has not gotten the cleaner season suggested by the whiffs and command because the contact has gotten louder. His hard-hit rate has jumped from 39.1% to 45.3%, and his barrel rate has climbed from 7.3% to 11.3%. In other words, he is missing more bats and walking fewer hitters, but the mistakes have carried more damage.
The run prevention is ordinary. The baserunner prevention is a little messier. The strikeout-to-walk shape is still strong.
Herget’s season looks better under the hood
Three outings are doing almost all of the earned-run damage. On April 29 against the Reds, May 3 against Atlanta, and May 8 against Philadelphia, Herget combined to allow nine hits, seven earned runs, one walk, five strikeouts, and two home runs over three innings.
Those three appearances account for seven of his nine earned runs and both home runs he has allowed this season.
Split
G
IP
H
ER
BB
K
HR
ERA
WHIP
K/9
BB/9
HR/9
Overall
19
19.1
24
9
3
23
2
4.19
1.40
10.71
1.4
0.93
Rough outings
3
3.0
9
7
1
5
2
21.00
3.33
15.00
3.00
6.0
All other outings
16
16.1
15
2
2
18
0
1.10
1.04
9.92
1.10
0.00
That is not an argument to erase the bad outings. They happened, and relievers are often judged by the innings they cannot contain.
But this has not been a slow leak. It has been a mostly functional season interrupted by one loud stretch.
Across those three rough outings, Herget still had five strikeouts against one walk, including three strikeouts and nine whiffs on 16 swings on April 29 against Cincinnati.
The mix was still creating empty swings. The walk rate was still under control. But when the mistakes got hit, they did not stay harmless. For a reliever, three loud innings can reshape an entire season line.
There is also a transaction-log layer to all of this, and it should be handled carefully.
Herget was activated from a paternity/restricted-list stretch on April 27. His three loudest outings came on April 29, May 3, and May 8. He went on the bereavement list May 9, returned May 12, and then landed on the injured list May 14 with a right shoulder impingement.
That does not explain everything. It should not be treated like a decoder ring. We do not know the private details behind every absence, nor should we need to. A paternity-list stint, a bereavement-list stint, and a shoulder issue are not things to flatten into a baseball excuse.
But they are context.
The baseball line says Herget hit a rough stretch. The transaction log suggests life was happening in full around it.
Still glitching along
In his first three appearances after returning from the injured list on June 17, Herget looked much more like himself. He threw 3.1 scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one, struck out six, and picked up a save.
This has not looked like a reinvention. It has looked like Herget with the damage turned back down.
On June 17 against the Cubs, he allowed two hits, but none of the three balls in play were hit harder than 83 mph. On June 20 against Pittsburgh, he mixed six sweepers, six sliders, and six sinkers over 1.1 scoreless innings. On June 24 against Boston, he tightened the mix even more, leaned on the slider, and struck out two in an 11-pitch save.
Friday night’s loss in Minnesota technically ended the scoreless post-IL run, but it did not change the read much. In his fourth appearance back, Herget entered the bottom of the 10th with the automatic runner already on second and issued an intentional walk. After Royce Lewis fouled off a sinker, Herget yanked a sweeper for a wild pitch, moving the winning run to third and forcing the infield in. On the next pitch, Lewis reached out and rolled a slider off the plate through the drawn-in infield. The contact was not especially hard — 89.3 mph off the bat with a -12 degree launch angle — but it was enough to end the game. Herget was charged with an unearned run and the loss, but it does not tell us nearly as much as the larger post-IL trend.
The Rockies have a real question
That is what makes Herget a real deadline question.
He is striking out more hitters, walking fewer, and still getting whiffs. His rough stretch was loud, but also short and concentrated. Since coming back from the injured list, he has been sharp.
On the Rockies, that creates a real roster question: is Herget more valuable to Colorado on the team, or traded off of it?
He is not a pure rental. Herget is making $1.55 million this season, avoided arbitration for 2026, and can be retained through arbitration again in 2027 before reaching free agency. That gives the Rockies some control and some flexibility.
That is why this is not a “trade him just to trade him” situation. The Rockies still need bullpen innings, and they will need functional relief arms again next year. Herget is affordable, flexible, and experienced.
There are reasons to listen, too. Antonio Senzatela is the more obvious bullpen trade piece, and Brennan Bernardino has left-handed supply-and-demand appeal. But Herget may be one of Colorado’s better practical relief pieces beyond that group: a weird right-hander with strikes, whiffs, role flexibility, and another year of arbitration control.
If the market sees a 4.19 ERA and a useful middle-relief depth arm, the Rockies may be better off keeping him. If another team sees the 31.2% whiff rate, 28.0% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, concentrated three-outing damage, sharper post-IL return, and extra year of control, the conversation gets more interesting.
Herget is useful enough to trade, but also useful enough not to give away.
For now, the better read is simpler. Jimmy Herget had a loud, messy stretch in the middle of an interrupted season. Outside of that stretch, he has looked much closer to the pitcher who gave the Rockies real value a year ago.
The Salt Lake Bees improved to 41-37, while the Albuquerque Isotopes dropped to 41-38 after being shut out 6-0 at Isotopes Park.
Ryan Miller opened with 2.0 scoreless innings before exiting, and Eiberson Castellano kept Albuquerque in it for a while before the game got away from him. Salt Lake broke through for five runs in the seventh, helped by a throwing error from Richie Martin Jr., and Castellano finished with 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K in the loss.
The Isotopes managed just three hits, went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, and left six on base. Conner Capel had two hits, Adael Amador added a single, Jordan Beck went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, and Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Albuquerque turned three double plays, but the offense never found a way back into the game.
The Hartford Yard Goats improved to 41-31 with a late 4-3 comeback win over the Portland Sea Dogs, who fell to 37-35.
Hartford trailed 3-1 after Portland built its offense around a pair of solo homers, but the Yard Goats answered with two runs in the seventh and the go-ahead run in the eighth. Zach Kokoska delivered the key hit, a two-run single in the seventh to tie the game. Kokoska finished 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and 2 RBI, pushing his season line to .290 with a .932 OPS and 30 RBI.
Dyan Jorge helped set up the winner in the eighth, singling, moving to second on an error, advancing to third on a wild pitch, and scoring on an Andy Perez sacrifice fly. Jorge went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Perez added his 28th RBI of the season.
Connor Staine gave Hartford length, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits over 7.0 innings with 4 strikeouts, bringing his ERA to 4.06. Fidel Ulloa was sharp behind him, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts to earn the win and lower his ERA to 2.63.
The Spokane Indians improved to 32-41 with a 3-2 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils, who fell to 39-34.
Tri-City jumped ahead in the first on a two-run homer from Adrian Placencia, his third of the season, but Spokane chipped away from there. Jacob Hinderleider tripled in the third and later scored, Jacob Humphrey tied the game with his ninth double of the season in the fourth, and Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP) supplied the difference with a solo homer in the sixth, his eighth of the year. Hedges finished 2-for-4 with the homer, while Jack O’Dowd went 2-for-4 and is now hitting .364 with a 1.129 OPS.
Everett Catlett settled in after the early damage, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 7.0 innings with 6 strikeouts, improving to 5-4 with a 4.63 ERA. Hunter Mann handled the final two innings, allowing just one hit with 2 strikeouts to earn his third save and bring his ERA to 4.99. Spokane went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, but the pitching staff held Tri-City scoreless after the first inning.
The Fresno Grizzlies improved to 40-33 with a 10-4 win over the Lake Elsinore Storm, who fell to 40-33.
Fresno built an early lead and kept adding on, scoring twice in the second, twice in the fourth, twice in the sixth, three times in the seventh and once more in the ninth. Kyle Fossum led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, 2 RBI and a hit-by-pitch, raising his season line to .285 with an .868 OPS. Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP) also had a big night, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Jesus Freitez went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Tanner Thach opened the scoring with his 22nd double of the season and finished 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored, pushing his OPS to .959. Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) added his seventh triple of the year, and Carlos Renzullo drove in a run while adding his sixth stolen base.
Ethan Cole gave Fresno a strong start, allowing just 1 unearned run on 2 hits over 6.0 innings with 4 strikeouts, improving to 4-5 with a 5.45 ERA. Manuel Olivares allowed three runs over the final three innings but still earned his third save. Fresno finished with 13 hits and went 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
In this week’s Weekly Pebble Report, Eli Whitney checks in on Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP), Colorado’s 2025 third-round pick who has turned last year’s rough Spokane introduction into something useful. Hedges is still settling into his first full pro season, but the early lesson is encouraging: he already met the slump, learned from it, and looks more like the polished USC bat the Rockies drafted. The report also runs through a busy week across the system, including big performances from Nic Kent, Conner Capel, Jack O’Dowd, Tanner Thach, and more.
Ryan Boman at Sports Illustrated looks at Brody Brecht’s (No. 3 PuRP) path toward becoming a real part of the Rockies’ rotation picture. Brecht is still more upside than finished product, but the early shape is easy to see: premium velocity, big strikeout totals, and enough starter intrigue to make his command the developmental question that matters most. If the control keeps moving forward, could Colorado have one of its more fascinating young arms pushing toward Denver in 2027?
MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Brendan Samson take their latest run through the 2026 mock draft, and the Rockies land on a familiar draft lane at No. 10: a college outfielder. This time it is LSU’s Derek Curiel, with Callis noting that Colorado appears to be looking strongly at college hitters.
It was a cool morning in Jupiter, Florida, this past February, and as was his custom, Brant Brown had arrived at the Cardinals training facility early enough to get in a workout before the chaos of spring training ensued. As Brown was about to enter the team’s redesigned weight room, he heard a faint thud in the distance. He stopped to listen and there it was again… An uneasy feeling washed over Brown as he set down his gym bag and cautiously made his way toward the mysterious sound. It seemed to be coming from the batting cages. As he got closer, the sound got louder and more distinct. Wishhhhhh, thud…. Then about 8 seconds of silence and another wishhhhh, thud.
As Brown turned the corner, he was relieved to see the familiar face of Ivan Herrera standing in the batting cages facing the pitching machine. Before Brown could alert Herrera to his presence, another pitch was whistling toward Ivan. To Brown’s shock and dismay, the ball, traveling at over 90 MPH, slammed into his star pupil’s shoulder, producing that thud sound that had been echoing through the abandoned training facility.
“Ivan!” Brown shouted. “Are you ok, man?”
Herrera, obviously thinking he was alone, startled at the sight of the still sleepy bald man rushing toward him. “Oh, hey, coach,” he said, once he recognized it was Brown who was the cause of the interruption. “I didn’t hear you coming. Just trying to get some work in before the boys get here.”
Brown, relieved that Herrera was ok, said, “My bad, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. You aren’t cleared for BP yet. If Oli and the training staff find you in here, you are gonna be in big trouble!” It was then that Brown had a chilling realization… Herrera wasn’t even holding a bat and did not seem to have even brought one with him to the cages. Brown felt a cold shiver run up his spine and instinctually took a step backward, wanting to put a little distance between himself and the now slightly menacing-looking slugger.
“Are you in here practicing letting pitches hit you?” Brown asked, incredulous.
Herrera stood silently for a moment like he was trying to think of a way out of this conversation. The seconds ticked by and finally, Herrera spoke. “Not practicing exactly… I…. I enjoy getting hit by pitches.” Seeing the look of confusion and concern on his coach’s face, Herrera continued. “When I was a kid, all my friends wanted to be major league baseball players. Some dreamed of hitting a walk-off home run in the World Series. Some dreamed of throwing no-hitters. All of them wanted to be stars in the big leagues. I never cared about any of that. I loved, and I mean, LOVED, getting hit by pitches. It didn’t matter if it was a fastball, slider, curveball, whatever. The feeling of getting a free base and knowing that my wRC+ was going up was all I thought about. The only reason I even wanted to keep playing baseball was the thought that one day I could get hit by the fastest fastballs and the wickedest breaking balls in the world…”
Herrera’s voice trailed off and Brown noticed that tears had started to form in his eyes… Tears of joy. Herrera had a far-off look in his eyes as he quietly wept, thinking about all the baseballs that would hit him in the upcoming season.
Brown was so shaken by the conversation that he could not formulate a response. He slowly turned and started walking back to the gym. As he left, he heard that sound again. Wishhhh, THUD.
Ok, now that I have that out of my system, let’s get to the nonfiction portion of today’s program.
Ivan Herrera is getting hit by pitches at an absurd rate. His 22 HBPs is six more than the next highest player in baseball. He is currently on pace for 45 HBPs, which would place him fifth all-time and second since 1900. The Cardinals’ record is 31 (as a reminder it is still June). Herrera’s mark is already the tenth most in a single season for any Cardinals player.
The major league record for hit-by-pitches in a season is 51, set in 1886 by Hughie Jennings, and the post-1900 record is 50 by Ron Hunt of the Montreal Expos in 1971. While these lofty totals may be out of reach, Herrera is getting hit A LOT.
What is the impact of Ivan’s hit-by-pitches on his production? Currently, his xwOBA of .371 ranks 24th in baseball. If you were to normalize his HBP rate to the league average, it would drop to .356, which would rank 44th in MLB.
Setting aside Herrera’s other wonderful qualities as a ballplayer and a human being, his willingness to endure this battering makes him one of my favorite players. As a fan, it is enraging to watch a batter dance out of the way of a pitch with the game on the line and the team badly needing a baserunner. Now, this isn’t a moral judgment against players who make more of an effort to avoid projectiles hurled at their bodies. Obviously, beyond the pain, getting hit introduces the risk of injury, so it is not a free lunch. I am not saying that my fondness for players who are willing to “wear it” is totally rational, but it is what it is.
Appreciating the fact that Ivan gets hit so often is not sufficient. I want to know if there is an obvious reason as to why he is drawing so many HBPs. Perhaps he crowds the plate more than normal? Are pitchers throwing him an inordinate amount of pitches inside? Or maybe something with his exaggerated stance and stride toward the pitcher makes it harder for him to get out of the way?
Baseball Savant has some very granular data on batters’ positions in the box that you can play with here. Looking at this data, there are a few things to note. Herrera starts with the third most open stance of any right-handed batter in baseball at 48 degrees. As he loads, his front foot goes from the back chalk of the batter’s box to hovering over the front chalk closest to the plate and then he strides forward opening back up to become almost perfectly square to the pitcher. He is essentially diving toward the plate as the ball approaches. The combination of a high leg kick and momentum coming toward the plate could make it harder for him to back away from pitches running inside.
Baseball Savant also tracks batters’ distance from the plate defined by where each player’s center of gravity is while in their stance. On average, right-handed hitters stand 27.8 inches from the plate. Herrera is a little closer at 26.7. This is the 111th closest (out of 354 batters) among righties, so he crowds the plate a little but not in some outlier fashion. All things considered, Herrera’s setup and approach might have a little something to do with his HBP total, but it definitely isn’t the whole story.
What about how pitchers are attacking him? Is he simply being pitched inside at a ridiculous clip? Fortunately for us, there is a wealth of data available at Baseball Savant that breaks down the exact location of each pitch.
Location Matrix
This location matrix is from the catcher’s perspective so the left side is inside to a right-handed hitter. The Heart zone (1-9), as you would expect, are pitches in the middle of the plate. The Shadow zone (11-19) includes pitches just on or just off the plate. Chase and Waste are self-explanatory.
I pulled all pitches thrown to right-handed batters that were inside in the Shadow, Chase, and Waste zones. Ivan Herrera has seen the fourth most pitches of any right-handed batter in these zones so far this year. Here is how the top five rank with HBPs added for context.
20.5% of the pitches Herrera has seen this season have been in the inside zones compared to the leaguewide average of 16.2% (again, righties only). While Herrera has gotten more than his fair share of inside pitches, comparing his HBP totals to the other top-five players shows the stark contrast. Junior Caminero somehow avoiding a single HBP is truly impressive. He stands about 2.5 inches farther off the plate than Herrera, but his dodging ability is still truly remarkable.
All right, let’s go a level deeper and see which specific zones are hotspots for HBPs and if Herrera is just being pitched in those zones more aggressively. To do this, I looked at all 33,821 pitches that have been thrown in the inside zones to righties this year and calculated the percentage of pitches that resulted in the 576 HBPs that they absorbed. Here is what the breakdown looks like:
Percentage of pitches that hit batter
There are virtually no HBPs in the Shadow zone, although shoutout to Mike Trout who accounts for the .01% in the middle Shadow zone by virtue of being hit by a pitch that was actually a strike. In total, 14 HBPs have occurred in the Shadow zone. The Chase zone accounts for 135 HBPs with the majority coming on pitches up and in. As you would expect, the majority of hit batsmen are on pitches in the Waste zone where 427 have occurred.
Here is how Herrera stacks up.
Percentage of pitches that hit Ivan Herrera
I have included Ivan’s total HBPs by zone in parentheses. Like the rest of the league, he is racking up most of his HBPs on pitches up and in. He has not done anything heroic like leaning into the Shadow zone, but on wasted pitches inside, he is getting hit two to six times more frequently than the league average. Just to be sure, I checked the types of pitches he is being attacked with, and the mix is essentially in line with the rest of the league.
I will leave you with one statistic that quantifies just how much Ivan likes a free base. If you apply the league average HBP rate by zone to the number of pitches Ivan has seen in each zone, you get an expected HBP total of… 6.7. There you have it. Ivan Herrera is a certified lunatic.
Buster Posey, the president of operations for the San Francisco Giants, makes a statement ahead of an MLB game against the Athletics at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Protesters are expected to gather outside Oracle Park to demonstrate against four pitchers who wrote Bible verses on their caps and opted out of wearing the team's Pride-themed gear during the Giants' Pride Night celebration on June 12. (Photo by Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Good morning, baseball fans!
We have reached the point of this San Francisco Giants season where it’s not really worth finding the silver linings. Everything about this season is crap in a crap sandwich that someone left outside in the heat.
So instead of highlights of the week, this week I thought we’d all pick our favorite lowlights. Because there have been plenty, both on the field and off.
But the one that has made the franchise the laughingstock of the rest of the sports world would have to be the press conference that Buster Posey called early in the week, in which he promptly refused to answer any questions or give any actual information, all while looking defeated and extremely out of his depth.
“Baseball questions only” has become a meme among the sports fans of social media. And rightly so. It was a pathetic display from a pathetic organization and they should be mocked for it. Both MLB and the Giants seem hell-bent on moving on. And that’s great for them, but I’m not interested.
So if you haven’t read Brady’s post from earlier this week, I highly recommend it. I haven’t weighed in on the topic this week because I have been ill, but Brady really hit the nail on the head. So instead of highlighting anything else that might have happened this week, I want us to revisit that excellent post and keep talking about this issue. Because they clearly don’t want us to.
What was your favorite lowlight of the week?
What time do the Giants play this weekend?
The Giants continue this weekend series against the Atlanta Braves, with Saturday’s game starting at 6:05 p.m. PT and Sunday’s game starting at 1:05 p.m. PT.
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 21: NBA Draft prospect, Mikal Bridges poses for a photo at the Mtn. Dew Kickstart Green Carpet on June 21, 2018 at Barclays Center during the 2018 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome back to the Butterfly Effect- kind of…
So far we have discussed the Anfernee Hardaway and Stephon Marbury trade to the Knicks that cleared up the cap space to acquire Steve Nash and Steve Nash’s departure to the Lakers.
This time, we aren’t quite done with Nash-adjacent topics, though we are getting a little further away from him. This week, I want to discuss Mikal Bridges. As we already discussed, the pick that became Mikal came to the Suns in the Nash to LA trade:
July 11, 2012 – The Inception
Phoenix Suns Trade:
Steve Nash
Los Angeles Lakers Trade:
2013 1st round pick (Nemanja Nedovic)
2018 1st round pick (Mikal Bridges)
2013 2nd round pick (Alex Oriakhi)
2014 2nd round pick (Johnny O’Bryant)
The Mikal Bridges pick would go on to be traded on February 19th, 2015 to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three team trade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Knight.
Now, so far we have been trying to pull the total on-court value from the trades the Suns have made to see if they have been worthwhile or not. This week, I want to do something different. This week, I want to take the excuse to make a quick journey through the entire career of one of my all time favorite Suns and NBA Champion, Mikal Bridges.
So, we are ditching the rules of the Butterfly Effect for a week. Let’s talk about the trades and performances of Mikal’s career and their impact on the Phoenix Suns.
June 21st, 2018 – The Hometown Hero, Draft Night
The child of a single mom, Philadelphia native Mikal Bridges sits in the green room during the NBA draft. The Ringer has him rated as the 10th best prospect in the draft. Sports Illustrated and ESPN both have him mocked to go 10th in the draft. It seems everyone is in agreement. The 10th pick in the draft should be Mikal Bridges.
And what a perfect fit that would be. Because the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft is owned by none other than Bridges’ hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, the 76ers don’t need Mikal Bridges. They are coming off of a 52-win 2018 campaign that saw Dario Saric and Robert Covington play well as the forward duo in between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. In fact, only Simmons played more games than this duo for the 76ers this season.
Covington was especially impactful, coming 8th in Defensive Player of the Year voting and making All-Defense 1st team in 2018. He had fully ascended to the title of superstar-role-player.
In some ways, Mikal Bridges may be redundant on this roster. In the Ringer’s 2018 draft guide, their number one comparison for him was in fact Robert Covington.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Bridges is currently one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons.
Just two months before, Mikal was the second leading scorer in the NCAA national championship game. He, alongside other future NBA players Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall, and Collin Gillespie, beat the University of Michigan 79-62. No weak feat, considering that Michigan team sported a few future NBA players as well, including future Phoenix Sun Isaiah Livers.
Bridges, of course, accomplished this great victory at Philadelphia’s own Villanova University.
While Bridges likely isn’t destined to be an MVP and therefore doesn’t have Derrick Rose to Chicago or LeBron James to Cleveland levels of hometown hero aura about him, he is still a Philadelphia champion, and is available when the 76ers are on the clock at pick #10.
And they do select him.
Bridges and his mother celebrated in the green room. Her son was going to be staying in their hometown. Mikal’s mother, by the way, worked in the Philadelphia 76ers human resources department. The connections to Philadelphia seemed never ending.
Mikal Bridges mom talking about she's excited that her son is going to play for the Sixers where she works…..he gets traded to Phoenix about 10 minutes later…Cold world pic.twitter.com/3puYQQcfFq
But, Mikal would not be staying home, he would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first round draft pick. If you’re curious, that pick ended up becoming Tre Mann.
Mikal presented a professional face to the disappointment of being shipped out by his hometown team.
Mikal made a home for himself in the Suns organization. In his rookie season, he averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists per game. His sophomore season wasn’t much more impressive, though it did come with an increase in efficiency.
In his third season in the NBA, 2020-2021, Bridges began to pop. Increasing his scoring to 13 points per game and continuing to be a great defender, he helped lead the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals as a key starter.
A proven winner and true iron-man, Bridges played all 22 playoff games for the Suns that year. He was key in the Suns game two victory over the Bucks in the NBA Finals, scoring 27 points alongside Devin Booker’s 31 to take a 2-0 lead.
It’s hard to overstate how much Mikal Bridges was loved in Phoenix. There were times where Suns Twitter and Reddit were filled with people posting nothing but his name in awe of a great play here or there.
While I can’t find the original tweet from the turn of the decade, The Timeline Podcast’s Mike Vigil returned to the trend during this year’s Finals.
When Mikal Bridges was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as the centerpiece (along with Cam Johnson and every pick known or unknown to man) of the Kevin Durant trade, he was averaging 17 points per game and coming off of a 2021-2022 season where he came in second in the DPOY race.
Many fans were excited about Durant coming to Phoenix. Every fan was sad to see Bridges leave.
In Brooklyn, Mikal shined. He averaged 21 points per game in his two years on the Nets on solid, though lower than normal, efficiency. He wasn’t a superstar. He was a very talented guy playing in a role that he didn’t belong in and still doing well.
While I, and most every Suns fan, was happy to see him do so well on the east coast, the failures of the Suns in the Durant era led to a lot of buyers’ remorse.
It always felt like Mikal belonged in Phoenix in a way that was never true of Kevin Durant.
2025-2026 – The Champion
In July of 2024, the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for four unprotected first round picks, one protected first round pick, a first-round pick swap, a second round pick, and some salary filler.
It was a gross overpay. One made worse, in my mind, by how many picks the Nets got when they traded for Bridges.
If you count the first round picks that the Nets got for KD, as well as the first round picks that the Nets got when they traded away Bridges and Johnson, who came over in the KD deal, you count up eleven first round draft picks. The Nets traded away Kevin Durant and received back eleven first round draft picks by the time it was all said and done.
But, the deal was done. Mikal Bridges would join former Villanova teammates Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart. The ‘Nova Knicks were born.
Fast forward to today, and those ‘Nova Knicks are champions (except for DiVincenzo, who has spent the last couple of seasons in Minnesota).
Now, I have never cared for the big cities on the coasts. I love rooting against anything Los Angeles or New York. But, I couldn’t help but root for the Knicks during these playoffs once the Suns were eliminated. I wanted to see Mikal achieve what the Suns should have in 2021.
And he did.
Mikal Bridges has been many things in his career. The hometown hero, the warden, the centerpiece, and now the champion. To me, he will always be an all-time favorite.
Aaron Boone didn’t have the same outburst as Willson Contreras, but he didn’t shy away from calling out the Red Sox first baseman for his reaction to an inside pitch that led to the benches clearing Friday night.
“I think that’s what he does a lot,’’ Boone said of Contreras’ reaction after the 6-1 Yankees’ loss, their second straight to begin this four-game set at Fenway Park. “His arms hang over the plate, so I don’t know where we’re supposed to go. I think there’s probably a method to what he’s doing, probably wants that. Obviously, nothing’s going on. We probably needed to do a better job of getting the ball in on him tonight and didn’t. The warnings and the barking seemed kind of ridiculous.”
The throwback moment to the heated days of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry happened in the top of the fifth inning with the Red Sox leading, 4-0.
Contreras had already tagged Warren for an RBI single and a solo homer when Warren fired a 1-0 pitch high and inside, before a 3-2 pitch again came close to Contreras.
The Red Sox first baseman flipped his bat and then began jawing at Warren, who said he responded, and the benches eventually cleared.
Benches clear during Friday’s game. Jaiden Tripi-Imagn Images
No punches were thrown nor were any players ejected.
Contreras downplayed the event, saying it’s “part of the game,” but the Yankees’ starting pitcher indicated some frustration, saying “no comment” when asked if he was surprised to hear remarks from Contreras.
The pitch preceding Contreras’ outburst. @TalkingYanks/XContreras yelling at Will Warren on Friday. @TalkingYanks/X
“I’m making a pitch, being competitive,’’ Warren said. “He said something, so I said something back. I’m just trying to make a pitch.”
He added: “I’m trying to get in the zone, he’s playing games in the box.”
Access the Yankees beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Both teams received a warning from home plate umpire Tyler Jones, with Boone unsure if the benches meant that a warning had to be issued.
Either way, he indicated he clearly disagreed with the ruling.
“I don’t know if it’s automatic, I kind of understand. I don’t know, 2026,” Boone said with a laugh. “I mean, honestly. Geez.”
Boone eventually shut down the line of questioning about Contreras when asked for a third time.
“I think we all see how ridiculous it was,” a then-testy Boone said, “let’s just leave it alone. Seriously.”
Aaron Boone didn’t bite his tongue regarding his thoughts on the brawl. @YESNetwork/X
Yankees Merch Shop
WinCraft insulated can coolers
Team Effort driver head cover
47 Brand adjustable cap
Customizable jersey
Logo fleece blanket
14-ounce sculpted relief coffee mug
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
The Yankees have not played well to start this four-game set in Boston, losing the first two games against southpaws before facing a third straight Red Sox lefty Saturday afternoon in Jake Bennett.
Gerrit Cole looks to rebound after a bad start last time out against Detroit.
The draft felt different in town this season, probably because the Montreal Canadiens weren’t expected to pick until the 28th spot, and, unlike last year, there was no big Habs blockbuster trade leaked ahead of time. In fact, there were big trades in the run-up to the draft, but none of them involved the Canadiens. Brady Tkachuk, William Eklund, Bowen Byram, Valeri Nichushkin, and Jordan Kyrou all moved, but aside from two AHL deals, Kent Hughes remained quiet.
Much like last year, the decentralized draft dragged on; 16 minutes were spent on the first overall pick, which was announced by Justin Bieber, who Gary Bettman called iconic, which was an interesting choice of words to say the least. Unsurprisingly, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked Gavin McKenna, kicking off a rather tame draft with few surprises, as most of the trades had been announced before the draft. The big moves of the night were the New York Rangers acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev and signing him to a seven-year contract and the St. Louis Blues landing Mason McTavish for two first-round picks and JJ Peterka heading back to the Atlantic division.
The NHL also used the draft to announce the winner of the Jim Gregory Award as GM of the year, which the Minnesota Wild’s Bill Guerin won. Given that he gave Kirill Kaprisov a $17 million-per-year contract, that came as a surprise to me. While he did trade for Quinn Hughes, he paid quite a high price for him, especially if he cannot sign him long-term. Meanwhile, Habs GM Hughes finished 5th in voting with 20 points (four second-place votes and eight third-place votes).
Originally slotted to pick 28th overall, the Canadiens traded up, sending that pick and a third-round pick in 2027 to the Vegas Golden Knights to draft 26th overall. They used that pick to select Gleb Pugachyov, a right winger from Russia, making this the third straight draft in which Montreal went back to the Russian well with its first pick. Still, it wasn’t Nick Bobrov who was happiest about the pick, according to Hughes, but Martin Lapointe, a rugged player in his day.
Gleb Pugachyov finding out he’s been drafted by the Habs at the Gold Star Hockey Camp, alongside Alexander Zharovsky pic.twitter.com/YgytkgLk0A
Pugachyov is 6-foot-3 and weighs 198 pounds, according to the Central Scouting list. He played at three levels of Russian hockey last season: the MHL, the VHL, and the KHL. Putting up 24 points in 33 games in the MHL, five points in 15 games in the VHL and three points in 13 KHL games. Hughes describes his first pick as a robust player with good hockey sense and the potential to play up and down the lineup, comparing him to Tom Wilson, a player who tortured the Habs in the 2024-25 playoffs.
Given how the Canadiens fared in the playoffs for the last two seasons, it’s not shocking to see them go for size and physicality over pure skill. Hughes confessed the Canadiens had tried to move up several times, as they had Pugachyov much higher on their list:
We had him higher up than we were slotted to select, so we tried moving up several times during the course of the evening. We only managed to go up two spots, but at least we landed the player we were after.
The GM explained that Pugachyov played a mature game, but wouldn’t confirm a timetable for his arrival in North America, simply stating that he wishes to speak to his agent before discussing his contractual situation.
The draft will continue Saturday morning at 11:00 AM, and the Canadiens currently have seven picks across the six remaining rounds.
From our 2026 NHL DRAFT BREAKDOWN:
"Gleb Pugachyov is the most imposing player in this class, who blends explosive athletic traits with devastating physical instincts."
The Philadelphia Flyers had a literal strong start to the 2026 NHL Draft, selecting a hulking defenseman in Maksim Sokolovskii with their first pick.
That said, there is still plenty of work to do with the thinning prospect pipeline.
One move that will help the Flyers greatly was trading down in Round 1, pivoting off the 21st pick, moving back six spots to 27, and picking up the 62nd and 120th overall picks in a trade with the San Jose Sharks.
Now, the Flyers will have the 53rd and 62nd picks in Round 2, which will allow them to either trade up for a prospect they really want, or simply stay put and also draft two prospects they really want.
Plus, Flyers GM Danny Briere implied that the team could double-dip on defense and still draft one of the top remaining puck-moving defenders in the class, like Xavier Villeneuve, who could go early in Round 2.
"There's more out there. It doesn't mean that we're done, that we're not going to draft a puck-moving defenseman. Let's see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully, we can bring you a smaller puck-moving defenseman after losing Emil [Andrae]," Briere said.
Villeneuve is, for me, the best remaining player when accounting for the Flyers' needs.
The Flyers met with him once already, and he is unquestionably the only defenseman remaining who screams "future power play quarterback."
He has to get there at an NHL level, of course, but that is what you're drafting Villeneuve for, unlike Sokolovskii, for example.
I also like William Hakansson and Ben MacBeath at the left defense spot, but it feels like the Flyers are only going to jump back in at defense if they see the Villeneuve-type upside offensively.
At center, and forward in general, the Flyers have a glut of players to consider in the same kind of tier.
Slovak Tomas Chrenko stood out during international competitions this season, and Russians Yegor Shilov and Lavr Gashilov have more legitimate offensive upside if things break their way in development.
Or, if the Flyers want to take a page out of the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes' playbook, they could go with University of Michigan ace Adam Valentini, a pacey and relentless forechecker who can do a bit of scoring.
The Hurricanes proved that a balanced lineup stocked with versatile players can get the job done, and Valentini fits that mold.
In order, my favorite remaining players:
Xavier Villeneuve, LHD Adam Valentini, C Ben MacBeath, LHD William Hakansson, LHD Brooks Rogowski, C Ryan Roobroeck, C Yegor Shilov, C Lavr Gashilov, C Markus Ruck, C Pierce Mbuyi, W Mathis Preston, W Tomas Galvas, LHD Tomas Chrenko, C Alessando Di Iorio, C Beckham Edwards, C
Additionally, I wouldn't discount the possibility of the Flyers drafting a goalie at some point, though a second-round pick on one might be a bit rich.
Regardless, Tobias Trejbal is one to watch as a big right-handed Czech, as is Michal Orsulak. These are two goalies I could see the Flyers taking early or late, respectively, to add more depth at the position.
Luka Doncic (77) will be back next season with the Lakers, but LeBron James’ future remains up in the air. Getty Images
There’s no better free agent on the market than James, who pretty much single-handedly carried the Lakers past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
Of all the stars on the team, it was the 41-year-old whose body was healthy come playoff time. While Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sidelined with injuries, James led the team to a 3-0 series lead over Houston. He’s still a superstar. He still has unparalleled durability.
How many playoff games has James missed over his 23-year tenure in the NBA?
Zero.
It’s shocking. But James is as reliable as they come, even as the oldest player in the league.
James embodies a lot of things the Lakers lack on their current roster, headlined by Doncic and Reaves.
He’s a big body. He has championship experience. He can impact things on the defensive end. And above all else, he can be counted on during the postseason, something invaluable to a franchise that has won 17 championships and considers anything short of a title as a failure.
Now that Austin Reaves (15) is back in the fold, the Lakers need to turn their attention to LeBron James. Getty Images
As for James, he’s not going to find a better situation than the Lakers.
He wants a chance to win his fifth title. There was proof in concept of how successful the trio of James, Doncic and Reaves could be in March, when they went 15-2 and looked like one of the NBA’s best teams. Who knows how far they could’ve gone during the postseason had they all remained healthy.
He doesn’t want to leave his family. He wants to be able to attend as many of his 11-year-old daughter’s volleyball games as possible. He wants to play alongside his son, Bronny, who has a partially guaranteed contract with the Lakers next season.
And during his free time he wants to play golf, his latest obsession since turning 40. That pretty much eliminates Cleveland, which is a frozen tundra for much of the year.
It’s hard to imagine he’d want to start over with new teammates and a new coach in the sunset of his career, even though as you may have read in this column, him teaming up with Steph Curry on the Warriors would be thrilling and him returning to the Cavaliers would put a neat bow on his illustrious career. James cares about narratives. He has been with the Lakers for eight seasons, the longest consecutive stretch he has been with any franchise. A new start at this point seems unlikely.
Things might not be all sunsets and rainbows between James and the Lakers. He may have felt disrespected as they’ve shifted to making Doncic their priority. He may have been stunned when he was asked to be the team’s third option, knowing that he could be No. 1 or No. 2 on many teams around the league. Things may be a bit stilted between a franchise that’s firmly focused on its future instead of James, who has been the sun for two decades.
But the Lakers need James. And he needs them.
He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season. He’s still him.
And of all of the destinations that would make sense for him, the Lakers could pay him the most. They have about $50 million in cap space. They could offer James, say, something in the ballpark of $25 million to $35 million and still have room to build out their roster.
Yes, James would have to take a significant pay cut from the $52.6 million he made last season. Yes, he still plays like a maximum contract player. But he’s not going to command that type of money anywhere he’d want to go.
As currently constructed, the Warriors could only pay him the $15.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Cavaliers have even less money on their books, something in the ballpark of around $4 million unless they make some major moves, according to ESPN.
James and the Lakers both need to just rip the Band-Aid off. They’re not going to do better than each other. The sooner they work out a deal, the quicker general manager Rob Pelinka will be able to build out a competitive roster around the team’s stars.
If they drag their feet, it’s only going to hinder both of them. It could mean the Lakers are forced to act as though James isn’t returning, and they could potentially have even less money to offer him later in the summer. It could mean that James gets fed up and takes his talents elsewhere. It could mean both parties are worse off.
The bottom line is this might not be the perfect marriage. But it’s the one that makes the most sense.
The Lakers are better with James.
And for what he prioritizes, he’s not going to find a better situation.
The Detroit Tigers evened up their four-game home series with the Houston Astros on Friday night with an 8-0 blowout victory over the visitors. Keider Montero tossed seven innings of shutout ball and the offense rallied behind home runs by Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith.
Climbing the mound for the Motor City Kitties on Saturday afternoon looking to take the series lead is left-hander Framber Valdez, who has had a strong June after a rough May. The 32-year-old has allowed just one run in three of his four starts this month and posted a 2.45 ERA and a 4.01 FIP over that stretch with two wins and a loss to show for.
One of those gems he threw came against the Astros the last time he saw them, surrendering an unearned run on six hits and three walks while striking out six in a no-decision at Daikin Park that Detroit ultimately lost, 4-2.
For Houston, right-hander Kai-Wei Teng will make his 10th start of the season as he comes off his second-best outing so far. The 27-year-old held the Cleveland Guardians to just one run over six innings of work on four hits and a walk while striking out four to earn his fourth win in a 4-2 final at home.
However, his prior start against the Tigers was not a pretty one. The native of Taiwan coughed up five runs on six hits (three home runs) and three walks while striking out a whopping nine — and hitting a pair of batters — to earn his sixth loss in a 9-3 final in Houston.
Here is a look at how the two match up on Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers (35-47) vs. Houston Astros (40-44)
Time (ET): 1:10 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 83: LHP Framber Valdez (4-5, 3.91 ERA) vs. RHP Kai-Wei Teng (4-6, 4.03 ERA)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Jhoan Duran #59 and J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 26, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday was quite the bust day, wasn’t it? Lots of news, lots of great baseball being played. It was a great day for baseball. Right?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 27: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees is caught stealing second by Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers in the ninth innning at Globe Life Field on April 27, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When it comes to stolen bases, José Caballero ranks among the best in the business. In each of the past two seasons, the speedy shortstop/utilityman led the American League in steals, with 44 with Tampa Bay in 2024 and 49 between the Rays and Yankees last season. He accomplished this feat despite playing in only 265 games across the two seasons (roughly 80 percent of the available games).
To start this season, Caballero played the role of “elite basestealer” perfectly, successfully advancing on his first ten stolen base attempts to start the season. In the third inning on April 24th, however, Cabby was thrown out trying to steal third after successfully stealing second; since that play, he’s been downright bad, having been thrown out eight times in his last 15 attempts.
Now, the fact that Caballero is getting thrown out isn’t all that unusual. While he is fast, he lacks the overwhelming speed of players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Jorge Matteo, as his 28.3 ft/sec sprint speed ranks 105th in the league (the 76th percentile). Between that and his aggressiveness on the basepaths, he typically finds himself near the top of the caught stealing leaderboards. His 16 failed attempts in 2024 topped baseball (tied with Elly De La Cruz, who led baseball with 67 stolen bases), and his 11 failed attempts last year trailed only Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson.
What is strange this time around, though, is how streaky Cabby has been. After his first 10 successful attempts, he was nabbed in four of his next five attempts. Since then, he’s pretty much gone one-for-one, never going more than two successes or two failures in a row. For someone whose career stolen base percentage heading into the season was almost 80 percent, this seemed a little unusual, so I dove into the MLB Film Room to look at each of Caballero’s recent stolen base attempts. From this, I was able to categorize Caballero’s failed stolen base attempts.
Twice this season, Cabby successfully beat the throw, only to overslide the bag and get tagged out after he came off.
Caballero tends to slide to the center field side of the second base bag, as it increases the distance the ball needs to travel by a foot or two, and thus makes it more difficult for him to be thrown out. The flip side of this, though, is that only friction from the ground is slowing him down; if he starts his slide too late, or the dirt is particularly slick, his momentum will carry him past the bag, because let’s be honest, one hand covered in an oven mitt will not be able to latch onto a flat slab all that easily.
Unfortunately, this is going to happen. Elite base stealers do this to varying degrees. See, for example, this stolen base by Jazz Chisholm Jr. from back in April:
Even though Chisholm goes more directly at the bag than Caballero does – perhaps the result of his slightly faster sprint speed (28.5 ft/sec) – he still leans to the center field side of second base. Maybe Cabby could find a little bit more success if he does this more often, but at this point, if that extra few feet on the throw makes up for a handful of overslid bags during the season, you’ll take it.
Four attempts, meanwhile, required perfect throws from the catcher, and in three of them, for the play to be challenged by the defense. Two of them, furthermore, were in the same game, on April 25th against the Astros.
About these four, there’s not much that I can say with the footage we have. Maybe he got a bad jump? At this point, I wouldn’t know. All I can say is, sometimes, the defense makes a great play, and you tip your cap to them.
There is, in truth, only one play here that I am overly concerned about, and it’s this one:
The MLB Film Room labels it “Nick Martinez Pitchout to Ryan McMahon.” It’s not a traditional pitchout, which typically sees the ball thrown in the opposing batter’s box and the catcher jumping out to get clear of potential obstruction from the batter. But it is clear that the Rays knew Caballero was going to be running on the play. The catcher starts in a position to pop up and is moving well before the ball reaches home plate. Now the Yankees did acquire Caballero from the Rays, so they’re certainly familiar with his thinking, but honestly, I find Cabby predictable at times – and if I can find him predictable, I’m sure other teams can, too. This is, of course, anecdotal evidence, and I don’t like to make conclusions off anecdotal evidence, but in the absence of an easy way to reliably look at teams’ scouting reports, there’s not much else to do.
But is Caballero’s possible predictability a reason for concern? Honestly, not really. Of these seven times he was caught stealing, he was successful but fell off the bag twice, and was close enough three other times that, had the other team been out of challenges, he would have notched a stolen base. Based on what we can tell from our living rooms, it seems to me that Cabby is primarily a victim of sequencing: had all seven of his failed attempts been scattered among all 18 of his successful attempts, rather than bunched up within the last eight, then this wouldn’t be a story.
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 20: NBA Legend, George Gervin of the NBA 75th Anniversary team takes a photo during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For San Antonio Spurs fans (and anyone born in the last millennium) George Gervin is the undisputed “Iceman.” Don’t even get me started on Top Gun…
Chicago Bear quarterback Caleb Williams has also been dubbed “Iceman” for his clutch delivery and calm demeanor. Unfortunately for Williams, the nickname was not available. The QB, undeterred, filed for trademark rights to the name “Iceman” as part of his clothing line.
His first attempt to procure the moniker has failed.
Caleb Williams’ application to trademark “Iceman” has been initially refused by the USPTO.
Ironically, the biggest obstacle wasn’t George Gervin himself. It was a trademark for “Iceman” insulated boots that’s been on the books since 1988.
Ironically, it wasn’t George Gervin who blocked him. As it turns out, Gervin has never trademarked the name. “Iceman” was unavailable due to an insulated boot company that’s had the rights since 1988.
Williams can, and will likely, appeal as his clothing line has been aligned with his use of the handle.
For those of you interested in a Pounding the Rock Summer Book Club (or PTRSBC), I have purchased a copy of Seth Partnow’s The Midrange Theory. I am also simultaneously reading Expensive Basketball by Shea Serrano. For those interested in a Zoom-style meeting, let’s discuss days and times that work. I’m in CST, so let’ds use that as a base. Once we lock in day/time, I’ll share my email for anyone who wants to be added.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
Veteran of 2019 champions in first game for Oakland Ballers
‘The hitter didn’t know what was coming’
The former England cricketer Liam Plunkett swapped his cricket colours for a baseball glove, playing his first game for the Oakland Ballers and even claiming a strikeout.
The 41-year-old was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning side – his final international appearance – taking three wickets in the tied final against New Zealand as England emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins on boundary count. He moved to the United States, where his wife is from, and has played Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns.
Big Blue Nation was ecstatic when Malachi Moreno announced his withdrawal from the NBA Draft and his subsequent decision to come back to Kentucky Basketball for his sophomore season.
It was a big decision, giving Kentucky a formidable player in their frontcourt and a player Mark Pope thinks could be among the best centers in the country.
“One day we got some of the feedback, and we were like it might be in our best favor to go back and really improve this next year and become, like Pope said, the best center in America,” Moreno recently said when discussing the NBA Draft process.
“Become the best All-American center in the country. I think next year is my year.”
Malachi Moreno says it was a "difficult decision" to come out of the NBA draft, but he came back to Kentucky to be the best big man in country and get better for next year #BBN@FOX56Newspic.twitter.com/bfAu1jDwSx
Moreno added that it was a difficult decision. Fans may not realize how happy they are that Moreno is coming back. But this is a player who aspires to be a professional basketball player and may have thought he had a realistic chance at making that dream a reality this year.
That’s not to say he’s not happy to be at Kentucky, but rather that he still has dreams of playing in the NBA.
A member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team in 2025-26, Moreno averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in his Freshman season. Moreno shot 58.2% from the floor and 69.8% from the free-throw line.
Moreno’s most memorable moment was his buzzer-beater against LSU in mid-January that likely saved the Wildcats’ season early on in SEC play.
