Mar 4, 2026; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (5) scores a run during the fourth inning against Team Canada at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Now that the roster is (unofficially) set, here is what we can find.
Phillies have a roster:
Realmuto, Marchán, Harper, Stott, Turner, Bohm, Sosa, Moore
There are a lot of moves here that are unsurprising. Much of this team has been set for a while now, but there are still at least maybe a few eyebrow raisers here. Among them
Dylan Moore getting to keep his 26th man spot, giving the team really only three true outfielders
Tim Mayza getting the nod over Rule 5 pick Zack McCambley as the last member of the bullpen to be added before either Orion Kerkering or Max Lazar come off the injured list
Rob Thomson coming to his senses and not keeping Garrett Stubbs over Rafael Marchan
I’m sure there are thoughts about this roster, so let’s share them. What thoughts do you have about this Opening Day roster right now?
Following a 2025 season where the Mets went from the team with the best record in baseball to one that missed the playoffs, president of baseball operations David Stearns overhauled the roster, which included trading or letting go of a bunch of its core players.
While the club led in part by Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil helped make New York go during its magical run to the 2024 NLCS, that group was also part of the incredibly disappointing 2025 season, the massive failure that was 2023, and the 2022 team that squandered the division lead late and was eliminated in the Wild Card Series at home to the Padres.
Also gone from the recent core is Edwin Diaz, though his departure seemed less intentional from the Mets' end and more like a negotiation gone wrong.
In any event, out are Diaz, Alonso, Nimmo, McNeil, and most of last year's bullpen.
With the Mets opening the regular season this week at Citi Field against the Pirates, here are five big storylines to watch...
Is the starting rotation a strength?
It was the rotation that was largely responsible for the Mets' downfall last season.
While injuries impacted things, the starting staff in 2025 was a debilitating combination of ineffective and allergic to pitching deep into games.
The group heading into 2026 has been bolstered in a big way by the addition of Peralta, and should be further transformed by getting a full season from Nolan McLean -- who made eight starts toward the end of last season in what was his first taste of the bigs.
Back are Clay Holmes and David Peterson, with the latter's struggles late in 2025 possibly attributable to fatigue as he tossed a career-high 168.2 innings.
Also back: Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, whose campaigns last year were marred by injury and underperformance.
Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Senga looked terrific in spring training, with his fastball routinely reaching the high-90s, and Carlos Mendoza repeatedly said Senga simply looks like a healthy player again.
Manaea's spring was up and down, with his decreased fastball velocity (which hovered around 88 mph) being the main focus.
If you squint just a bit, you can see a staff that could have three top-of-the-rotation starters and three solid mid-rotation starters.
But it's fair to wonder how Manaea's stuff will play in the regular season and whether Senga will stay healthy. And the Mets are seemingly wondering about Manaea, too, with the lefty in a bullpen/piggyback role to start the season.
Fortunately for the Mets, their depth is very good, including Christian Scott (who is healthy after recovering from Tommy John surgery), Jonah Tong, and Jack Wenninger.
While the Mets haven't announced Benge is on the team, it will be a massive shock if he doesn't come north. He has earned the right field job and is the clear best option.
Stearns said last November that Benge would get a real chance to win a starting job out of camp, and held that position all throughout the offseason and spring training, including when Juan Soto unexpectedly shifted to left field.
And Benge, who has played just 24 games above Double-A, looked the part all spring.
It wasn't just the results (which were great). It was Benge's approach at the plate, his long at-bats, his ability to hit the ball with authority to all fields, his defense, and his demeanor.
Most of the focus has been on Benge's offense, but he's also a plus outfield defender, which includes a cannon of an arm.
While there will be pressure on Benge to perform, he should have a bit of a soft landing since he won't be viewed as a lineup anchor from the jump, with him likely hitting in the lower third of the order.
Lindor returned to game action over a week before Opening Day, as he completed his recovery from hamate surgery in his left hand.
The shortstop's presence in the lineup for the start of the season was never really in doubt, but it's fair to wonder how the surgery might impact his power -- at least in the short-term.
Mar 15, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Clover Park. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Earlier this spring, SNY spoke with Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford and Harvard-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics, to get insight regarding Lindor's surgery and what it could mean for his 2026 season.
"The amount of time varies," Chona said about the power aspect, "but generally projects to six weeks after returning."
In other words, while the impact to Lindor's power should not be significant, it could still be notable -- as was the case with Francisco Alvarez last season.
"Most likely, this timing correlates with the recovery of grip strength and control of the bat," Chona explained. "This dips after surgery (1) because of the generalized trauma/swelling to the muscles of the hand and (2) because the part of the bone (called the hook of the hamate) that they cut out to treat the fracture is involved in generating grip force as well."
Chona added:
"The area near the hamate sees greater force on a left hand when batting right-handed, so it’s possible – if not likely – that Lindor being a switch hitter may help him bounce back faster than other batters.
"Limited data exists, but we’d anticipate a greater effect when he bats right-handed early on in the recovery. By one-to-two months post-return, most data suggests he’d be near his baseline level from both sides of the plate."
The Mets' bullpen would undoubtedly be more fearsome if it had Williams and Diaz.
But Williams' relative struggles last season should not cloud the kind of reliever he was for his entire career before that.
Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Devin Williams (38) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Over the first six seasons of his career, Williams had a 1.83 ERA (2.39 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP in 235.2 innings while striking out 375 batters -- a rate of 14.3 per nine.
While he didn't perform up to his standards in 2025, with a 4.79 ERA over 62.0 innings, pretty much all of Williams' underlying metrics suggest it was largely a fluke.
Specifically, Williams' 2.68 FIP was more indicative of how his stuff played than his top line numbers. Meanwhile, his WHIP, HR/9, BB/9, and SO/9 were all near his career rates.
As far as the stuff? Williams' fastball remained an above average offering, and his vaunted changeup was in the 95th percentile.
Put it all together, and it's fair to expect Williams to be elite again in 2026.
The first base plan
Jorge Polanco got lots of time at first base in spring training games as he learns a position he has yet to play in a regular season game.
And in those games, Polanco looked pretty comfortable.
However, Brett Baty also got a significant amount of burn at first base in Grapefruit League play as he also learns the position.
With Baty frozen out at third base byBo Bichette and at second base by Marcus Semien, it's fair to believe he'll be mainly at designated hitter or first base when he's in the lineup.
Add to that the mild health concerns surrounding Polanco and you get a situation where it might make sense to use Baty at first base and Polanco at DH more often than not -- if he handles the position as well or better than Polanco.
LAKELAND, FL - MARCH 12: Cade Winquest #80 of the New York Yankees pitches during the spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Lakeland, Florida. The Yankees defeated the Tigers 4-3. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Among decisions to be made throughout spring training, the ones that can change the most as the preseason progresses is the bullpen. Often, the low-leverage arms will be the 25th or 26th guys on an Opening Day roster, and are not immune to trips back-and-forth to the minors. For the Yankees, Cade Winquest may end up fitting the spirit of that description quite well — albeit with a catch.
Acquired this offseason, the 25-year-old righty has not pitched in The Show to this point in his career, and has worked primarily as a starter in various levels of the Cardinals’ organization. In the 2026 season, both are likely to change. Although he won’t be getting any high-leverage appearances out of the ’pen (especially early on), he’s likely to get some work, and the Yankees clearly had enough interest to bring him aboard back in December.
In the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees selected Winquest from the Cardinals. Again, he has no MLB experience as of yet, but has been a respectable run preventor between A-ball and Double-A, relying on a solid fastball-curveball combination that clearly sparked a baseline level of interest from New York in the righty, if they already considered them potentially big-league ready.
During the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A in the Cards’ system, Winquest worked easily the most innings of his professional career with 106. He did so while striking out more than a batter per inning, and did enough to warrant the Yankees taking him via the Rule 5 in December. Almost any player acquired in this fashion is a flier, but in this case, there is a good chance that Winquest will see MLB time in his first season in the Yankees organization.
New York partially rebuilt the back end of their bullpen at the trade deadline last year, when they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird. All three righties remain with the Yankees for 2026, and at least Bednar and Doval figure to get plenty of high-leverage work, not to mention the presence of Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill, who played key roles in out of the ’pen in 2025.
Winquest is the youngest pitcher projected to be a part of the Opening Day bullpen, and the only one with under three years of service time. All of that considered, along with the talent at the top of the depth chart, meaningful innings may be hard to come by for Winquest. That being said, there’s a reason bullpens run so deep, assuming he’s actually in the fold, he’ll get his opportunities.
It is theoretically not out of the question that Winquest makes a spot start here or there as well, but there are several others in the projected bullpen with starting experience, namely Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough. Tellingly, the Yankees haven’t started him once this spring, preferring to use him in relief.
The right-hander did a solid job last season, managing a 3.57 FIP in over 100 innings as a starter, though that was in the lower levels of the minors, and big league lineups could prove to be an issue for him. He features a solid curveball, with a fastball and slider that leave some room to be desired, as well as a cutter, all of which the Yankees will likely try to develop and optimize while he’s in the Bronx. His eight spring training appearances have been forgettable, as he’s allowed six runs and three homers, but it’s a small enough sample that hope hasn’t completely run out. At worst, Winquest offers immediate depth, and if they don’t like what they see when the games count, then they can just return him to the Cardinals (he will have to stick with the Yankees all year to remain in the organization past 2026). It’s a relatively low-risk endeavor, and the Yankees’ decision to roster him or not will be a signal about what they think about his stuff.
Getting any meaningful or high-leverage work will be an uphill battle for Winquest with the Yankees this season, but their acquisition of him says something of their interest. He will surely get some looks in the early part of the season; the onus will just be on him to capitalize on the rare opportunity to be an impactful Yankees Rule 5 pick.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 19: Members of the New York Mets warm up on the field prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Reynaldo Lopez #40 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at CoolToday Park on February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Results were not kind to Reynaldo Lopez in his final Spring start on Sunday. His velocity was down while the Twins production at the plate was up. Lopez has seen mixed results this Spring, including less than ideal velocity on his fastball. While there are no reports of injury, it is fair to wonder how effective Lopez can be as the season starts. Hopefully results will be better once the games start to count.
ELMONT, NY -- Once the final buzzer sounded on Sunday night, signaling the New York Islanders' 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, that meant one thing: The Islanders were back in a playoff spot with 11 games to go.
With the newfound two points, the Islanders leapfrogged the Detroit Red Wings to sit in the second wild-card spot with 85 points. The Red Wings, who have 84, do have a game in hand, but a game in hand only matters if that team wins the game.
After falling out of a playoff spot last Thursday following a devastating 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators, the Islanders had the chance to rebound against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. However, they fell 7-3, making Sunday's game against Columbus, the team holding down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, incredibly important in keeping their playoff hopes alive.
"That was probably one of the high-stress games of the year for our group," Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. "I mean, it was a hard-fought battle by everybody. Everybody was contributing tonight. All four lines were rolling, and obviously, Sorokin was phenomenal."
The Islanders, who kicked off a stretch of 10 of the final 12 games on home ice Sunday, host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night at 7 PM ET, a must-win as they continue onward with their playoff push.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 1: Alex Freeland #76 of the Los Angeles Dodgers participates in a fielding drill prior to a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Camelback Ranch on March 1, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the third inning on Sunday night in Anaheim, the Dodgers plated 10 runs against the Angels thanks to seven walks (five in a row at one point) and four hits (Teoscar Hernández had the first two hits in the frame, including a home run).
The last time the Dodgers scored double-digit runs in an inning in a game that counted was June 2, 2021 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, putting up 11 in the first inning.
Hyeseong Kim was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, with Alex Freeland earning the heavy side of a platoon at second base to open the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts explained the roster move on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
“There’s no doubt that Hyeseong at some point is going to come help us out. I think the driver, as far as at the outset, is giving Hyeseong an opportunity to play every day, play all over the diamond,” Roberts said Sunday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s going to play some short, some center, some second base there. Whereas here, he wouldn’t have the runway to do that, to play more frequently.
“I think with Alex, with what he’s done in Triple-A already, he’s really played well. There’s nothing left for him to prove there. For us to give him a little bit of runway to see what we’ve got in him, to give him an opportunity to play here for us against right-handed pitching, and just kind of see where it goes.”
Dave Roberts spoke ahead of tonight’s #FreewaySeries opener about Alex Freeland earning his opportunity, evaluating spring performance, and maximizing Hyeseong Kim’s versatility. pic.twitter.com/59DgU8i7pG
While his stats haven’t really reflected it yet, his contact rate took a big dip in 2025, and a change in contact rate is one of those Statcast indicators that is predictive of big downside risk. I’m hoping this isn’t how things play out, but I think this might be the first year in a long time in which Freeman won’t have a case for being the NL’s best first baseman. Either way, I look forward to checking his name on a Hall of Fame ballot sometime in the 2030s.
Freeman walked twice and doubled in Sunday night’s win in Anaheim, his first game this spring not played at Camelback Ranch. He’s up to 44 total plate appearances this spring, for those of you keeping track of Project 47.
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 22: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on March 22, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Suns finally snapped their losing streak. We have said it throughout this stretch: this team is injured, and expecting them to win every game in this state is unrealistic. What made it frustrating was how close they were. Four of the five losses were competitive. They were right there, within reach, and for a variety of reasons, they could not finish.
None of that mattered on Sunday night.
Phoenix handled the Toronto Raptors with ease, and honestly, it was a bit surprising. Toronto is a good team, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference and playing with something to protect. But the Suns came out with pressure and never let it go. From the opening tip, they dictated the pace and never allowed themselves to be put into a position where they had to close late. That was the difference.
When Toronto made its push, which they did after the first quarter, Phoenix responded. A 10–2 run right back at them. That has not been happening during this losing streak. Too often, the opponent dictated terms. On this night, the Suns punched back. And they did it together. Shots were falling. Rebounds were secured. The offense had flow. The defense had purpose. It looked like a cohesive group again. Maybe it is growth. Maybe it is players settling into roles. Maybe it was an off night for Toronto.
Either way, you take it.
Because losing wears on everyone. Prolonged losing brings out all the noise. The trade conversations. The overreactions. The hot takes about Devin Booker or Jalen Green that start to creep in. That is not where this team is right now. They are hurt. They are navigating a difficult stretch. It is hard to make clean evaluations when the roster is this limited. The goal is to get healthy, and with each passing day, they move closer to that.
Sunday night was one of those days where it resulted in a win.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Second consecutive game in which Gillespie has earned the BSB. He’s creeping up on Booker in the standings.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 72 against the Raptors. Here are your nominees:
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Ryan Mountcastle #6 of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium on March 11, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With Opening Day less than a week away, the Orioles appear poised to keep Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle all on the active roster. Mouncastle and Mayo quickly emerged as trade candidates after the team signed Alonso, but a deal never materialized. Mayo returned to third base once Jordan Westburg went down with an injury, and Mountcastle will enter the season as a bench bat with some pop.
Injuries to Westburg and Jackson Holliday reduced the crowd in the infield. Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo will frequent the starting lineup early in the season, and the team appears to have room for another utility player in addition to Mountcastle. That’s great for those guys, but Mountcastle will only play first base at this point in his career. His path to playing time involves a day off for Alonso or a spot start as the designated hitter.
ZiPS: .260/.305/.432. 111 games, 17 home runs, 107 wRC+
ZiPS DC: .260/.305/.432. 34 games, 5 home runs, 107 wRC+
Baseball Reference: .261/.309/.414. 429 plate appearances, 12 home runs
Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference anticipate Mountcastle to bat around .260 and get on base three out of 10 times. The ZiPS projection that factors in playing time expects Mountcastle to appear in only 34 games this season. Mike Elias said over the weekend that he expects the team to find a place for the 29-year-old.
“Mounty has historically been great against left-handed pitching, so I think he’s going to be a front-line player for us,” Elias said. “We’ll figure out a way to help him impact games for us.”
Every team has bench players. Mountcastle features significantly more offensive upside than guys like Tony Kemp, Emmanuel Rivera, or Daniel Johnson. Mounty has failed to reach his full potential over the last few seasons, but the team still believes in his ability to make an impact at the dish. There’s a reason they didn’t deal him for a low-leverage reliever or a scratch-off lottery ticket prospect.
I’m sure he’d like to play every day, but Mountcastle is used to a part-time role. He platooned with Ryan O’Hearn for a few years and yielded a large amount of starts to Mayo last September. He’s handled any uncertainty with class, and he looked loose throughout camp.
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) takes a lead off second in the first inning against the against the Cleveland Guardians at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Our contributors at Brew Crew Ball are excited to get the 2026 season underway after an offseason that featured a few big moves, including trading away Freddy Peralta and several others to reload with a younger roster. Here are our team award predictions for the Brewers in 2026.
Team MVP
Paul Dietrich: Brice Turang
I’m tempted to go with Jackson Chourio here, because it does feel like a leap is coming soon. But Turang has been one of the team’s most valuable players for two straight years, he was just named the best second baseman of the World Baseball Classic, and he was killing the ball in spring training before he took off to play for Team USA. Ever since Turang’s power breakout last August, we’ve had to consider what could happen if he’s a guy with 30 homer potential who could steal 30 bases and play Gold-Glove-level defense. I don’t know if he’ll put all of that together this season, but I think he might end up as Milwaukee’s best player.
Harrison Freuck: Brice Turang
I don’t think Turang is the best offensive player for Milwaukee (that title probably belongs to William Contreras, or, if 2026 is finally the breakout, Jackson Chourio), but Turang’s combination of strong defense and offense makes him the most valuable player for this team. Coming off an impressive season that garnered him some MVP votes, followed by a great performance in the World Baseball Classic, Turang is poised to take another step forward this year.
Dave Gasper: Brice Turang
During the World Baseball Classic, John Smoltz declared he thought Brice Turang was the MVP of Team USA. If Turang can be the MVP on a team filled with actual MVPs, then he certainly can be the MVP of the Milwaukee Brewers this year. Turang has some of the best raw power at this time, and he has finally learned how to tap into it in games. He’s improved every year in the major leagues, and heading into his age-26 season, he’s primed to be even better and could even be a 30/30 threat.
Pair that power/speed combo with still being able to hit for a high average and Platinum Glove defense at second base, and you have a star that will get plenty of MVP votes.
Jason Paczkowski: Brice Turang
The rise of Brice Turang is going to continue in 2026. After leading the team in WAR (both bWAR and fWAR) in 2025, Turang is still improving. He’s starting the season well with a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic, and he’s on track to continue that into the regular season. With just a little more power, as well as a return to his strong defense from 2024, he could easily be a top 10 candidate in the NL MVP vote after finishing 14th last season.
Adam Zimmer: Brice Turang
I’m buying into the hype. Turang played well enough down the stretch last season to earn himself some down-ballot MVP votes. He hit 13 home runs post-July 1 and finished the season with 5.6 bWAR. In this month’s World Baseball Classic, he posted a.936 OPS in 22 at-bats.
I already wrote an article last November detailing why I think the new version of Turang is here to stay. If Turang can indeed carry his late-season form into 2026, he could very well end up hitting 30-plus home runs. He already posted almost 6 WAR last season with an OPS under .800. Improvement over a full season would make him a legitimate MVP candidate, especially when you consider his stellar defense at second.
Most Improved Player
Paul Dietrich: Jacob Misiorowski
Is this cheating? I’m not sure. Miz only threw 66 innings in the big leagues during last year’s regular season, and then 12 more in the postseason, and at times — especially in the postseason — he looked like the Brewers’ best pitcher. But it’s easy to forget how much of a roller coaster his regular season was; he actually finished with a below-league-average ERA at 4.36, and while his walks are trending in the right direction, he still walked guys at a rate higher than all but two of the qualifying starting pitchers last season. I think he’s going to keep improving that walk rate, and I think experience is going to make him a little better at handling pitching with guys on base, and I suspect he’ll be well above average this year. I’m not going to predict full-blown stardom, but I’m also not going to NOT predict that.
Harrison Freuck: Jake Bauers
I’m not one to read too much into spring training results, but Jake Bauers has been playing great for longer than just spring training. In 22 games (16 starts) in the final month of the season, Bauers hit .360/.458/.560 with a pair of homers, nine RBIs, 11 runs, and three steals across 59 plate appearances. He’s been even better this spring, hitting .471/.581/1.147 with six homers, five doubles, eight RBIs, 11 runs, and three steals in just 13 games (43 plate appearances). While he’ll split time with Andrew Vaughn at first base, it isn’t out of the question for him to turn in his best season yet, as last year’s 0.7 bWAR is his career-high.
Dave Gasper: Garrett Mitchell
I’m hoping and praying this is the year we get to see a fully healthy Garrett Mitchell. He has played in parts of four MLB seasons but has just 390 ABs over 141 games played. The best way to improve is to get reps, and getting a full season of reps should help Mitchell improve tremendously as he goes along. When he had that healthy three-month stretch in the second half of 2024, Mitchell posted a 124 OPS+ and a 2.0 bWAR. A full season at that pace would make him a 4 WAR player. The upside is tremendous; he just needs the ABs to get there.
Jason Paczkowski: Robert Gasser
This is a tricky pick after a 2026 season where most of the Brewers had a strong season. As a result, I’m going to go with a player who missed most of the season due to injury. Robert Gasser had a great start to his major league career in 2024, but elbow surgery ended his season and took most of 2025 as well. He made it back on the roster late in the season and even pitched in a couple of postseason games. As he enters 2026 healthy, he’s looking good and ready to contribute in the majors. Even if he does begin the season in the minor leagues, he should still have a strong impact on the Brewers this season.
Adam Zimmer: Joey Ortiz
Call me delusional, call me ignorant, call me what you want. I’m choosing to be an optimist here. For one, Ortiz quite literally cannot get worse at the plate than the numbers he put up last season. He had the worst OPS in baseball last season, and his Statcast data, by and large, supported his numbers. The bar is the floor. Ortiz is also playing for his job, as the Brewers have a few uber-talented middle-infield prospects breathing down his neck.
However, there remain signs that Ortiz could still become a serviceable hitter. Over the last 92 games of the season (from June 1 onward), he hit .261. Ortiz would need to show improved plate discipline while maintaining his contact rates, but that could push his OPS into normal, albeit below‑average, territory. In that case, he’ll have improved more than any other Brewer compared to last season.
Newcomer of the Year
Paul Dietrich: Ángel Zerpa
The choices here are basically Luis Rengifo, David Hamilton, or a bunch of young pitchers who we’re not totally sure when they’ll be on the big-league roster… or Zerpa, who I’m going to go with after he looked good in the WBC. His numbers weren’t great last season, but if the Brewers gave up both Isaac Collins and Nick Mears for him, they obviously saw something they liked. And I like it when the Brewers’ front office and pitching gurus see something they like.
Harrison Freuck: Luis Rengifo
Entering 2026, it seemed like the Brewers had found their third base solution in the form of Caleb Durbin. But Matt Arnold and Co. did what they do best, surprising everyone and shipping Durbin (as well as the rest of the third base depth chart) to Boston in February. A week later, they added Luis Rengifo in free agency.
Rengifo, who turned 29 last month, was a solid major leaguer just a few seasons ago, and he can also hold his own defensively. While he may not be the flashiest player, if he can replicate his 2022/2023 seasons — when he hit 33 homers and drove in 103 over 253 games — he’ll provide the Brewers with a solid stopgap as they wait for their infield prospects to develop.
Dave Gasper: Ángel Zerpa
While the acquisition of Ángel Zerpa from the Royals may have gone under the radar, especially after the Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin trades, Zerpa could have a big impact on this bullpen. The Brewers traded two very productive players from last year’s squad, Nick Mears and Isaac Collins, in order to get Zerpa, who has a career 3.97 ERA. While his ERA hasn’t been overly impressive, the Brewers see untapped potential in him and believe they can tap into it.
Zerpa pitched for Venezuela in the WBC, and in their path to the title, he struck out Shohei Ohtani looking by painting 97 mph on the outside corner. Zerpa opened some eyes with his WBC performance, including mine. It may not be long before he’s a trusted high-leverage option for Pat Murphy.
Jason Paczkowski: Kyle Harrison
Though his Opening Day status is up in the air after he left his last spring start with a blister, Kyle Harrison is going to be in the Brewers’ starting rotation. The Brewers believed in him enough to acquire him from the Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin trade. The overall spring numbers don’t look great, but his strikeout rate is strong. The Brewers grabbed a gem from the Red Sox last season with Quinn Priester. Have they done it again with Harrison?
Adam Zimmer: Kyle Harrison
As I wrote about last month, Harrison can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter — or better — if he develops an effective secondary pitch (or two). His fastball will always be a plus pitch, but his changeup has been quite effective this spring after he tweaked it over the offseason. Expect him to show fans why he was once a top prospect in all of baseball.
I almost chose Ángel Zerpa, who looked electric in the WBC and is a prime candidate to benefit from the Brewers’ famed “pitching lab.”
Paul DePodesta, Josh Byrnes, and Ian Levin look on at Rockies spring training. | Kyle Cooper | Colorado Rockies
Here we are on the eve of the 2026 MLB season, and we’ll have Colorado Rockies baseball this weekend. Finally, we will get to see the Paul DePodesta–Josh Byrnes rebuild strategy in action.
That also means it’s time for my yearly SWOT analysis. (Read 2024’s here and 2025’s here.)
As a refresher, my preference is to write a (very rough) SWOT analysis that examines strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This year’s column poses a challenge. After all, these 2026 Rockies are a very different team than they were in September of 2025. With a new front office and coaching staff, deeper roster, enhanced analytics capabilities, and an updated approach to the game, it’s an exciting, albeit unpredictable, time.
That’s a long way of saying that we don’t really know what 2026 will look like, but we do know (with some certainty) that it will be different.
With that said, here’s my best attempt to evaluate the 2026 Rockies though I would add one caveat. I am not confident of the categories in which I have placed the evidence. Is the new front office a strength or an opportunity? I’m not sure, but I went with strength. You get the idea. And one of the things I hope we discuss in the comments is how these factors should be evaluated and which ones I’ve missed.
(And for those of you who do this professionally, please forgive my amateur application of the form.)
Strengths: Characteristics that give an organization an advantage over others
A new front office — This is not exactly a strength since the Rockies are playing catchup to other organizations, and they won’t be caught up in six months when the season ends. However, the Rockies now have a serious MLB front office. While we should expect to see improvement from players on the field, the real changes will be happening behind the scenes, and it will be some time before we know their effectiveness. This front office is going to rely on more than “guys playing better,” and they may even surprise folks.
A coaching staff the players like — The players have been clear — pretty much all of them — that they like manager Warren Schaeffer and the ways in which the coaching staff is working with them. After a miserable 2025, Schaeffer earned their trust and managed to get young players through an unforgettable (derogatory) season. This is no small feat. That terrible season gave Schaeffer a chance to hone his skills and build trust, and this season, he should be able to capitalize on that investment. Someone commented a couple of weeks ago that if Schaeffer can get this team under 100 losses, he should be under consideration for Manager of the Year. I agree.
The bullpen — Bullpens are, of course, volatile conglomerations, but the potential is there for the Rockies to have a bullpen that much of MLB overlooks. That may prove valuable during the season and certainly as the trade deadline approaches.
Hunter Goodman — I suspect the Rockies All-Star and Silver Slugger came as a bit of a surprise to MLB, but Rockies fans always knew the bat was for real. Will Goodman regress? We don’t know. But if he doesn’t, the Rockies will have a catcher with significant offensive upside, which is a valuable commodity.
Weaknesses: Characteristics that place the organization at a disadvantage relative to others
The Rockies are behind — For all those strengths outlined in the previous section, the fact remains that the Rockies are woefully behind their peers. Should fans expect losing? Yes. Should they expect a lot of it? Also, yes. But should things be improved? Probably. Still, losing is hard on professional athletes, and while DePodesta and Byrnes implement their system, there will surely be some grim games lying in wait.
The offense is bad — This may change, but based on what we saw last season, the Rockies had an offense that couldn’t hit and struck out a lot. That’s no way to win baseball games. Hopefully this is an area in which the Rockies will improve, but based on what we saw last season, there’s work to be done.
The starting rotation will have its work cut out — Last year’s starting rotation was historically bad, and it’s not possible for the Rockies (or any team) to win without at least a replacement-level rotation. To their credit, DePodesta and Byrnes have set out to correct this by signing veterans with diverse arsenals who aren’t afraid of pitching at elevation.
The farm system is marginal — Ranking systems have been down on Rockies prospects since last year. The question remains whether this is a lack of talent or a lack of player development. By September, we will have a better idea.
Opportunities: Elements in the environment that the organization could exploit to its advantage
Coors Field should be weaponized — We’ve talked about the “Coors Effect” ad nauseam, and the Rockies talk a lot about the challenges of playing at elevation. This year, it feels like, finally, they have a front office ready to transform Coors Field into a visiting pitchers’ house of horrors.
The Rockies will have players to deal at the trade deadline — I expect the Rockies to be very active at the trade deadline — as in, “I-wonder-if-Purple-Row-will-be-able-to-keep-up” active. DePodesta and Byrnes have said that they will listen to offers on any player, and the Rockies may have players — especially pitchers — to move in July. Add to that the possibility of trading Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, and Ezequiel Tovar, and the Rockies can begin rebuilding their farm.
A curious fan base — We hear a lot about how “Rockies fans show up no matter the team’s record,” but serious fans know that’s a fiction. Much of the gate is driven by fans of visiting teams who are either transplants or taking a three-day weekend. Just go to any series with the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Houston Astros or the Baltimore Orioles . . . I could go on, but you get the idea. One thing that has happened because of the front office and coaching changes is a fan base that is ready for winning and a front office that is ready to answer questions and build relationships. The Rockies need to spend this capital wisely.
Threats: Elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the organization
The NL West — The Dodgers have built a juggernaut. They want a third consecutive World Series (and to their credit, who wouldn’t?). They made offseason moves in signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz to load up to take another run at it. The Rockies luck against the Dodgers has rarely been good, and that trend will probably continue in 2026. In addition, I think the Arizona Diamondbacks are sneaky good. In addition, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants are solid. Before the Rockies can contend, they must find a way to win in the NL West.
The looming lockout — Strictly speaking, this is beyond the scope of the 2026 season, but any momentum the Rockies build they risk losing in the event of a lockout that extends into the 2027 season. Certainly, no team would be immune from its effects, but for a young and rebuilding team, the impact might be especially devastating.
Predictions
Okay, so here are my (probably wrong) predictions.
The Rockies will go 63-99. That would mean three additional wins per month, and that strikes me as reasonable given the improvements the front office has made. Any record that includes fewer than 100 losses is an unquestioned win for this organization.
Three players will surpass 30 home runs: Hunter Goodman, Ezequiel Tovar, and T.J. Rumfield.
The Rockies will be in the top 10 teams in terms of stolen bases.
So that’s what I’ve got.
Let me know what you think.
This week on the internet
I know the World Baseball Classic happened last week, but I feel compelled to share this Ezequiel Tovar video:
Thomas Harding talked with Rockies coaching, pitching, and catching staffs to get their takes on pitching “suggestions” coming from the dugout. Truly, this one is worth your time.
As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Winter Warmup as a reporter. Last year, I used that experience to write several season previews. Due to the late start of the top 20 prospect series (caused by waiting for Brendan Donovan to be traded), my Winter Warmup stories have been pushed to now instead of at the beginning of spring training. Thus technically, these could also be called season previews, but there’s a good chance I write a couple of these after the season has already started. I’ll try to pick stories that are not outdated for the ones during the season.
If you’re dissatisfied with Victor Scott’s offense, I have some good news. Victor Scott agrees with you.
“I do a lot of reflecting and a lot of looking at myself in the mirror so I like to see where there are areas I can grow, but I told them I wanted to come back a totally different player,” Victor Scott said. “I know I have two calling cards: the defense and the speed aspect, but I’m not complete without my offense.”
And yes, from a performance standpoint, Scott’s spring training has not gone well, but we all understand how important spring training stats are: they’re not. Especially if a player is working on a new swing. Because he wanted his offense to get better, he looked at why his swing was not working the way he wanted it to.
“What I didn’t realize is what a lot of what my swing was doing before, I was loading the ball of my foot which was basically cheating my rotation, so with that my knee would drive the rotation which then spins my upper half off the ball,” Scott said. “I had no idea I was doing that. That’s why you kind of get that pull-across swing and you start to pull groundballs to second base. For me, groundballs aren’t necessarily a bad thing, they are when they are at 2nd base because I can’t run that out.”
He and the coaches, as he describes it, knew he had to crawl before he walked. He went to West Virginia for motion capture and force plate testing to see how his body was moving. In other words, he was trying to see if he was doing something wrong and if there was something he could do.
“We found out that some of my movements were kind of inefficient and didn’t really help me with being adjustable which I thought they did, but they got exposed,” Scott said.
He did movement prep to get his hips to rotate the right way and to create better shin angles. These would give him a firmer front ankle so that he could better use his energy.
“We’re to the point where we are hitting lives, the swing is much shorter, much more compact and I’m able to be more adjustable and more athletic, so that’s fun for me.”
His slow decline as the season went along means that he was not doing a good job adjusting once pitchers figured out how to pitch to him. There are reasons for optimism on how he should be better positioned to make adjustments due to a couple factors. The Cardinals have made a serious investment in tech and coaching.
“That speeds up development and a lot of things can be done in-house instead of going outside and having to get that information. That’s kind of how I viewed this offseason working with Casey (Chenoweth) and working with Brownie (Brant Brown), so when I need help or when I need to make an adjustment or something is a smidgen off, I can correct it faster.”
Chenoweth in particular is a new addition to the MLB staff. He will be an assistant hitting coach, but Scott worked with him before back in 2023 when Chenowith was the hitting coach for the Peoria Chiefs. That year, Scott had a 117 wRC+ and got promoted midseason to Springfield.
“He’s a guy who understands what he’s talking about, he understands the swing, he understands kind of how to talk to the player and present that information, so that’s a guy I like to use for assistance for help.”
One person who does not need to be sold about Victor Scott is his manager. Oliver Marmol brought up Victor Scott twice during his Winter Warmup interview and Scott’s named was not brought up in any question by a reporter. He went out of his way to talk about Scott. He was asked a question about the rotation and after sharing how he was excited about that group, he then specifically called out Victor Scott.
“When I’m going into spring training, that’s one of the things I’m most excited about, in addition to our centerfielder,” Marmol said. “I’m excited to see Victor Scott and see what he’s capable of this year. Those two things excite me daily.”
Nobody asked a follow-up about Scott, but clearly Marmol wanted to talk about Victor Scott, because later on in the interview, he was asked a question about Masyn Winn and how he wanted to become a more well-rounded player and not just a “defense” guy. And in the process of answering the question about Winn, he decided to give another shout-out to Victor Scott.
“Like Vic, the ceiling is so high for both those guys offensively, I don’t think we’re close to seeing what they’re capable of doing, but I do think because of the way they’re going about it, they’ll close that gap sooner or later,” Marmol said.
These comments were made towards the end of the interview and I think he was genuinely disappointed nobody asked about Victor Scott. So instead of waiting for a question that never came, he wanted to make sure we knew that he believed in Scott. The reason I am emphasizing this is because this is bad news for anyone who thinks Nathan Church should play CF over Scott. I don’t think you’re going to get your wish.
Old school fans should love what Victor Scott wants to be this upcoming season. One of his personal goals this season, with the logic that he plans to get on base more, is to steal twice as many bases as last season. His personal goal is 70 bases. The last time a Cardinal stole 70 bases, it was Vince Coleman in 1988 when he stole 81 bases. To put it another way: I’ve never personally seen a Cardinal steal 70 bases, so that would be cool to experience.
“When this works this year, I’ll be on base more, stealing bases,” Scott said. “That’s what I like to do. I like to put myself into scoring positions in order to score more runs. Driving the ball in the gap more; homers is not in my cards, that’s not me. I can do it every now and then, but I’m a guy who is a line drive guy; gets on base, hits the ball the other way. That’s my brand of baseball.”
And this will annoy some of you, I am sure, but still he plans to bunt. I think the difference between the average fan’s thinking and Victor Scott’s thinking is that fans see how successful Scott was at bunting last season (not very) and think “this is his true talent success rate at bunting” while Scott thinks he is capable of getting bunt hits more often.
“This shorter and more compact swing is going to help me utilize those abilities and I don’t want to miss the fact that I’ve been bunting like crazy this offseason,” Scott said.
If you want a little insight into why he was still bunting in spring training, I believe that is why. And for now, I am personally okay with it for two reasons. First, this is the season to do it. This is a season of experimenting to some extent and honestly he was a very good at bunt hits in the minors. I am willing to accept the possibility that he underperformed last year in his bunt attempts.
Secondly, at least for now, he’s pretty much a singles hitter anyway so I don’t see some huge missed opportunity that he’s not actually swinging the bat. He needs to improve on his bunt attempts no question, but it’s not a terribly high bar he has to reach for a bunt to make sense. He batted .216 last season with not much power. Obviously if his changes to his swing work like he hopes, this argument will not apply and I would honestly love to face that reality.
Masyn Winn
Another player who hopes to steal more bases is Masyn Winn, who is under no illusions that he has no shot at stealing as many bases as Scott.
“Vic is track speed,” Winn said. There’s a difference between track speed and baseball speed. Now if I could be within five, I would love that.”
Sadly, we can not interpret that as Winn saying he’d love to steal 65 bases. There’s a very good chance he did not know Scott’s personal goal was to steal 70 bases or that Scott would say that to the media later. Since Scott stole 35 bases last season however, I do think something like 30 bases is what Winn is hoping for.
“I need to take my shots – in the right situation of course – but I didn’t even give myself a chance last year,” Winn said. “This year, with a healthy knee, I’ve been working a lot on running in PT, getting it back for a reason, I want to be able to use that speed.”
Winn is also redirecting his offensive goals for this upcoming season. Last season, he wanted more homers. This year he just wants to get on base more.
“I wanted to hit a bomb every time and that’s just not gonna happen,” Winn said. “That’s something I need to take pride in, is just being annoying at the plate, a guy pitchers don’t want to throw to, just cause they’re going to waste pitches.”
One cannot also underestimate what a healthy knee can do for Winn’s offense. He played through a slight meniscus tear and it required arthroscopic surgery. Only after the surgery was Winn able to realize how much it hampered his game.
“I walked out of surgery and it was almost like a week after, I was like “this is what it’s supposed to feel like to walk” and I had just gotten so used to the pain of playing through it that I was like this is my normal,“ Winn said. ”I do think last year, looking back on it, probably affected me more than I thought it did.”
After Nolan Arenado got traded and Arenado said his goodbyes to the Cardinals group chat, Winn joked to Arenado that if Arenado robbed him of a hit, he would slide in cleats first. Arenado told him that he’d try to rob Winn like he robbed Andrew Knizner.
“I’m sure he’s gonna hit one over to me,” Winn said. “I’m going to rob it, take my time, let him get down to first base, make him think he’s got a hit. I’m sure he’ll do the same.”
(Winn was the most effusive in last year’s Winter Warmup about wanting to play next to Arenado, so in case it wasn’t clear, this is joking with your friends, not any kind of dig at Arenado. Well except his speed. I do think it’s clear, but I know how easy it is for people to misinterpret these kind of things.)
DENVER, CO - MAY 20: A detail of a baseball on the field in the first inning of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on May 20, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Massey will stay back in Arizona as the team heads to Texas, allowing him to get more at-bats in Minor League Spring Training games and fully test his running. He played second base on Saturday and is scheduled to play the outfield on Sunday. By Tuesday, the Royals hope to have a better idea of whether they can have him on the roster, which has to be set by Wednesday because of the Yankees and Giants beginning the 2026 season that night.
“If Massey’s ready, he’ll be on the team,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “It may affect which way we go if he’s not on the team. We’ve got Drew Waters, we’ve got Nick Loftin. Trying to figure out how they fit. The good thing is we’re confident in anybody. We’d like to have Michael on the team. But it’s a deeper roster, and that’s a good thing. We’re in a good spot either way.”
He did throw a scoreless inning, but it was ugly. He threw 28 pitches but literally seven were in the zone. That’s brutal. He got just two chases on the 21 pitches outside the zone. His average velocity was 89.0, which was better than we’d seen when he was last in camp, but not good enough. And he maxed out at 90.7 MPH. I was concerned, but when it was going up somewhat steadily, I figured it was just something to monitor. We’re a week from Opening Day and he has two more outings to get this figured out. Look, maybe he does and we look back on this the same way we looked back on spring last year. But this is also worse than last year. Not every game had Statcast last year, but he pitched on March 17, March 20, March 22 and March 25 that was tracked. His average velocities were 92.8, 92.5, 93.9 and 93.2. He hasn’t touched any of those numbers on any pitch this spring.
In 2024, my bold prediction was the Kansas City Royals to make the playoffs on the strength of their emerging young offense. Bold Predictions HQ took a win on that one despite the fact that their playoff berth was more due to pitching than anything else. But we’re going back to the well and being more specific this time. The offense. It’s ready to bust out.
Cameron’s cutter is key to his success—the pitch comes in fairly slow at just 88 mph on average, but it’s got loads of induced horizontal break to it and it works beautifully, posting a 33% chase rate (78th percentile among cutters) a 34.5% ICR (71st percentile), and a 47.1% groundball rate (76th percentile).
BRADENTON, FL - MARCH 20: Max Clark #31 of the Detroit Tigers and Konnor Griffin #75 of the Pittsburgh Pirates greet each other after the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Of course, projecting the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens roster is also a sneaky excuse for one more final projection of the Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster. Nothing has really changed at the major league level. I expect Kevin McGonigle and Parker Meadows to be with the Tigers on Opening Day, and for some combination of Enmanuel de Jesus, Brant Hurter, Sean Guenther, and Brenan Hanifee to start the season with the three open spots in the Tigers’ bullpen.
We got news on Saturday night that second ranked Tigers’ prospect, center fielder Max Clark, will start the season in Triple-A Toledo. That move has consequences, indicating that almost certainly Parker Meadows has made the Opening Day roster. They can’t both play center field in Toledo, although it’s at least plausible that they could share center and right field duties or something. Trei Cruz will also need to stay sharp in center field, though he’ll also split some time at the shortstop position.
Either way, here is our crack at the players manager Gabe Alvarez and pitching coach Doug Bochtler will be working with to start the 2026 season. They can carry 28 players on the active roster.
The Hens open on Thursday the 26th, just as the Tigers do. They’ll be on the road as well, taking on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in a short series to begin the regular season. Then they’ll spend a week in Syracuse, before returning to the Fifth Third Field on April 7th for their home opener against the St. Paul Saints.
Starting rotation
RHP Keider Montero
RHP Ty Madden
LHP Bryan Sammons
LHP Carlos Pena
RHP Dylan File
RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long – IL
RHP Troy Watson – IL
Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Troy Watson are all working their way back off the injured list. Gipson-Long suffered an oblique strain at the beginning of camp and is throwing bullpens. He should return shortly, perhaps in time to take the fifth spot in the rotation right out of the gate. Watson had arthoscopic surgery on his right elbow and may be a while longer.
We’ll probably see a pitcher or two released from the relief ranks before the season starts. Depending on Gipson-Long’s status, they will likely spot start their final rotation spot out of a deep group of veteran minor league relief arms until one of the two is ready to go.
Jake Miller is close to a return after a lost 2025 season in Erie with back issues and then surgery on both hips to correct the underlying labrum tears that contributed to his back trouble. The Tigers assigned him to Toledo back on March 6, but seem likely to send him back to Erie to get back into form before he makes the jump to Toledo. Fellow lefty starter Andrew Sears had some kind of issue that kept him from seeing major league camp, but is reportedly throwing bullpens. We’ll see how long it takes for him to get on the mound again, but he’s not too far from a promotion to Toledo either.
Bullpen
RHP Dylan Smith
RHP Tyler Mattison
RHP Tanner Rainey
RHP Jack Little
RHP Matt Seelinger
LHP Sean Guenther
LHP Konnor Pilkington
LHP Colin Poche
RHP Woo-Suk Go
RHP Ricky Vanasco
RHP Scott Effross- IL
RHP Tyler Owens – IL
LHP Bailey Horn – IL
RHP Dugan Darnell – IL
RHP Phil Bickford – IL
The bullpen is pretty full, though a veteran or two might end up opting out, but really only Dylan Smith and Tyler Mattison are notably exciting. Bailey Horn fits the bill in terms of good stuff, but he’ll be a little while before returning from right elbow arthroscopy. With minimal information available, it’s impossible to know when guys will come off the injured list. Sean Guenther has had a good camp and should get a look again this year and could possibly take a spot on the Opening Day roster instead, bumping Brant Hurter or Enmanuel de Jesus to Triple-A for a while.
Drew Sommers could be a quality lefty reliever if his command comes together, and he’s still young at 25 years of age. I expect he’s bound for Erie to start the year to keep working on his command. It’s just hard to imagine them carrying four lefties in the pen to start the year, and Pilkington, Poche, and Guenther feel like bigger priorities as major league depth until Sommers levels up a bit more.
RHP Cole Waites is still trying to rebuild his velo after his return from Tommy John last year. He used to be 98 mph, but was 92-93 mph for the most part in camp. I will guess he’s going to Erie until it comes back, but they could keep him in Toledo instead, and send RHP Woo-Suk Go to Erie instead. Otherwise it’s a collection of veterans with enough quality stuff to succeed, but not enough command, and in most cases, no huge carrying pitch to lean on if they don’t improve that command.
The Tigers have added minor league veterans like RHP Yendy Gomez, RHP Wandisson Charles, RHP Luke Taggart, RHP Jan Carabello, and RHP John Stankiewicz, along with a few younger free agent signings who will be in Lakeland. Since we haven’t seen them, it’s pretty impossible to know where the Tigers will play the older minor league veterans in that group. Gonez and Carabello are young though, and project for West Michigan or Erie to start the season.
Either way, leaving out the injured list guys, that gives them a five-man rotation and an 10-man bullpen to start with on the 28-man roster.
Position players
CF Max Clark
OF Wenceel Pérez
OF Ben Malgeri
OF Corey Julks
OF Cal Stevenson
1B Jace Jung
2B Max Anderson
SS Trei Cruz
3B Hao-Yu Lee
UT Chris Meyers
UT Gage Workman
C Tomas Nido
C/1B Eduardo Valencia
SS Trey Sweeney -IL
Obviously, we’re assuming Parker Meadows is with the Tigers on Opening Day, moving Wenceel Pérez, Trei Cruz, and Corey Julks to Toledo. It sounds like Hao-Yu Lee is just about healed from his oblique injury. If not, the Tigers could add a veteran minor leaguer like 1B/LF types, Chris Meyers or Justice Bigbie. Whenever Lee is ready, he and Anderson will split days between second and third base together.
We’ll see what the Tigers decide to do with John Peck. There’s a good chance he goes back to Double-A if only to keep both he and Trei Cruz playing shortstop most days. Still, Peck has had a great camp, and while he’s only spent about a month and change at the Double-A level, the Tigers clearly are impressed as he’s travelling to Arizona with the club for the final two exhibition games. I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up in Toledo either, in which case veteran minor leaguer Chris Meyers can easily be bumped back to Erie. Peck can play all over the infield, and so if Cruz gets a lot of time at shortstop it isn’t going to hinder Peck’s development as a versatile right-handed hitting infielder who has some power and is pretty good at shortstop to boot.
If Peck is starting the year as the Hens’ shortstop, splitting some of that time with Trei Cruz, that might spell the end for Trey Sweeney. The Tigers will need a 40-man spot for Kevin McGonigle sooner rather than later, and it’s just hard to see Sweeney doing anything without a major overhaul to his swing. Of course, they could also drop Workman at this point and keep Sweeney as a utility infielder, and that’s probably more the move as Workman has aged out and couldn’t take advantage of his major league look with Cubs last year. Still, they’re both 26 this year, so pick your poison I suppose. They’re young enough not to totally give up on, but not important enough to worry about at the same time.
Overall, this is a really good group of position players with Clark as the headliner. Wenceel Pérez is a solid MLB caliber hitter who just doesn’t stand out in terms of power or defense. Anderson and Lee are just outside of top 100 consideration. Jung and Cruz are older minor league former prospects who had pretty good camps. Valencia isn’t much of a catcher in MLB terms but he bat did erupt in a big way last year and he could provide some power and lefty mashing depth to the Tigers along the way.
The Tigers have a far stronger supporting cast in case of injury or ineffectiveness from their position player group than we’ve really even seen before. It’s just unfortunate that they don’t really have an ace pitching prospect or at least a fearsome relief prospect waiting in the wings. Keider Montero may be able to help out, but until his command takes another step he’s still just quality depth for the rotation and bullpen. Tyler Mattison has the stuff, as does Tanner Kohlhepp, but they’re now deep into their mid-20’s and neither has been able to develop enough command to reach the major league level yet. Hopefully Troy Melton, and maybe by late July or August, Jackson Jobe, can ultimately provide some more impressive help, while top pitching prospects like Miller and Sears get in position to contribute spot starts or long relief work this summer.
