Emmet Sheehan (80) battled through 5⅓ strong innings, and Shohei Ohtani belted his ninth leadoff homer, but the Dodgers were swept for the first time this season. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers needed to turn things around Sunday to wrap up the first half on a high note. Manager Dave Roberts said as much the night before.
“When you give teams free bases, extra outs, it’s hard to win a game, regardless of the opponent,” he said. “Emmet [Sheehan] needs to go out there and throw the baseball well tomorrow. We’ve got to find a way to win a game tomorrow to feel somewhat better about going into the break.”
Instead, the Dodgers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3, swept for the first time this season. It was Arizona’s first sweep at Dodger Stadium since September 2017.
“I guess,” Roberts said. “Gives guys a reset. ... We’ve got some good teams coming up and we’ve got to play good baseball.”
Sheehan at least did his job, holding the Diamondbacks to three runs in 5⅓ innings. It was clear from the first at-bat that his pitch count could limit how deep he pitched into the game. Sheehan won a 14-pitch battle to strike out Ketel Marte.
The right-hander then struck out the side and was efficient enough to pitch into the sixth. He exited after his pitch count reached 101.
Max Muncy swings at a pitch in the seventh inning. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Shohei Ohtani sparked the offense with his ninth leadoff home run of the season — and 22nd overall — on a two-hit day. But he’ll get treatment this week instead of playing in the All-Star Game.
It wasn’t a clean defensive game for the Dodgers. In the midst of the Diamondbacks’ two-run fifth, All-Star center fielder Andy Pages tracked a long fly back to the wall but missed the catch as the ball bounced off his glove for an error.
In the sixth, the tying run scored when All-Star third baseman Max Muncy’s throw to the plate hit Geraldo Perdomo in the back as he ran home for another error.
“Just a slump,” Muncy said. “You go through slumps both offensively and defensively, mentally. It’s just one of those stretches for us right now, and I think everyone’s ready for the break.”
Regardless of some sloppiness, the Dodgers have had a successful season going into the break.
“Just flush it,” Roberts said. “We’re still in a really good spot. Don’t let it carry over to the second half.”
They have the best record in the majors (61-36) and an 11½-game lead in the National League West. They also had six players selected as All-Stars.
So, as Major League Baseball pauses play and honors some of the best performers in each league, now’s a good time to hand out our first-half awards.
MVP: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani follows through on a double in the third inning. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Who else? Ohtani’s the frontrunner for the NL most valuable player — not just these unofficial first-half awards — for his two-way performance.
He’s been a top performer both on the mound and in the batter’s box. He entered Sunday among the top three in the league in offensive fWAR (26.6) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.940). And his 1.79 earned-run average ranked second among NL pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings. He remains in the Cy Young conversation, despite pitching only 85 ⅔ innings in the first half because of the Dodgers’ six-man rotation and a missed start stemming from an irritated left knee.
Honorable mention: Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy
Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Yamamoto has carried this rotation through both performance (2.85 ERA) and workload, leading the team with 110⅔ innings.
Last month, he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning and no-hitter into the ninth against the Chicago White Sox. That was one of two starts of at least eight innings that he’s authored. He’s thrown six or more innings in all but two starts.
Pitcher Justin Wrobleski holds an All-Star jersey during a pregame ceremony honoring the Dodgers' All-Stars. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
This time last year, Wrobleski was moving back and forth between triple A and the majors, providing length out of the bullpen after making changes to his delivery.
Coming into this season, a regular rotation spot was not guaranteed. Now, he’s an All-Star. And in a star-powered rotation, he has the second-best ERA (2.69) and has pitched the second-most innings (100⅓).
Honorable mention: Tanner Scott, Dalton Rushing, Andy Pages
Second-half breakout candidate: Kiké Hernández
Dodgers infielder Kiké Hernández high-fives his daughter, Penelope, after she threw out the ceremonial first pitch Sunday at Dodger Stadium. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Hernández has been on the field for only four plate appearances, exiting because of a strained left oblique in just his second game back from offseason surgery on his left elbow. But he recorded a hit in each of those plate appearances, including a pair of doubles.
Hernández, on the verge of a rehab assignment, is on a faster track to return than Roberts initially expected.
Others to watch: Edwin Díaz, Edgardo Henriquez, Alex Freeland, Kyle Tucker
Jul 12, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Cole Carrigg (16) loses his helmet on a swing during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies fell to the San Francisco Giants in yet another close, low-scoring game in the Bay Area. This afternoon’s series finale was the last of 17 straight games the Rockies had to play before the All-Star Break. After a hard fought close series in Los Angeles, the Rockies lost four of their final five games of the half.
“It’s disappointing,” said manager Warren Schaeffer after the game. “We come expecting to win every night, but the season isn’t over yet.”
The season so far has been full of ups and downs, but has also been infinitely more watchable. The Rockies finish the first half with a 39-59 record, a full 17 games better than they were at the All-Star break in last year’s 119-loss campaign.
Now the Rockies will take a well deserved rest in preparation for the true dog days of summer: the second half of the MLB season.
“We’ll come back and get after it on Friday,” said Schaeffer.
Lorenzen gets the job done
Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen wasn’t necessarily sharp, but he gutted his way through five innings while only giving up one earned run to Giants hitters. Lorenzen entered today’s game having given up more than two earned runs in just one of his last six starts while going at least five innings in all but one outing during that same stretch.
Lorenzen struck out just one batter while giving up five hits and issuing three walks. That one strikeout came in the first inning against Rafael Devers, who came to the plate with runners on first and second with just one out. The Giants would fail to score that inning. Lorenzen worked just two 1-2-3 innings–the second and fifth–and dealt with frequent traffic, but really only had one truly bad inning where the Giants were able to capitalize. In the fourth inning, Lorenzen gave up a walk and back-to-back singles with two outs, allowing the Giants to score their first run of the game. He then issued a walk, but was able to navigate out of the inning with no further damage.
Jake McCarthy—who has been an electric acquisition for the Rockies this season—kicked off the game with a leadoff inside-the-park home run. It was his second such feat of the season and put the Rockies ahead early.
McCarthy becomes the just the third Rockies player in franchise history to hit two inside-the-park home runs in a single season–joining Brandon Barnes in 2014 and Charlie Blackmon in 2017–and is also the first player to hit two leadoff inside-the-park home runs since 1929.
“If anybody’s going to do it, it’s going to be Jake,” Schaeffer said of the accomplishment when informed after the game.
In addition, Hunter Goodman went 2-for-2 and the Rockies lineup as a whole struck out just six times.
That sadly does it for the positives, as the Rockies’ offense was whisper quiet for most of their final game of the first half. Outside of those two Goodman hits and the McCarthy home run, the Rockies had just one other hit. It came off the bat of Tyler Freeman in the fifth inning.
With the Rockies down to their final out in the ninth inning, rookie center fielder Cole Carrigg fought valiantly to keep the game alive. He worked an 11-pitch at-bat with a full count and fouled the ball off six times. Unfortunately, a sliding catch by Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee in shallow right field cemented the Rockies’ loss.
Relievers Brennan Bernardino and Jimmy Herget combined to give up just one hit and one walk over their two innings of relief for Lorenzen. Each pitcher recorded a strikeout.
Where things fell apart was when Antonio Senzatela entered the game in the eighth inning.
Senzatela issued a leadoff walk to Devers and a single to Bryce Eldridge to put a runner in scoring position. The pinch runner for Eldridge stole second base and an errant throw from Goodman ended up in the outfield allowing Devers to score the go-ahead run for San Francisco. A Willy Adames single plated another run to put the Rockies behind 3-1 in what would be the final score of the game.
After an incredibly strong start to the season, Senzatela has faltered as the months wear on. Since the start of June, he had a 6.60 ERA over his last 13 appearances, although his 3.17 FIP in that stretch indicates he’s also gotten unlucky.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies are off until Friday for the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia, where Hunter Goodman will be their sole representative. After the break, they will start a three game series against the Cincinnati Reds at home.
The first game of that series will start at 6:40 PM MDT with right-handed pitcher Brady Singer on the bump for the Redlegs. The Rockies have yet to announce who will start for them.
The Mets closed out their disappointing first half on Sunday afternoon with a heartbreaking loss against the Boston Red Sox, wasting rookie Zach Thornton’s incredible performance in just his third major league start.
The left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out five and throwing just 82 pitches (56 strikes). It was the best outing of Thornton’s young career which has seen him only make sporadic starts for New York – one in May, one in June and one in July.
But after his dominant outing, Thornton, at least for now, has earned a spot in the rotation and will make his next start for the Mets at some point after the All-Star break.
“We’ve been mostly floating with four starters for a while, so to have him step up and throw the baseball the way he did we’ll take a lot of encouragement from that because we’ve been needing that from someone and you can see he’s unafraid and you can see he’s on the attack,” interim manager Andy Green said. “So as painful as this moment is, those are good signs for our future to see a young guy step on the mound and pitch like that.”
Through three starts, Thornton owns a 2.60 ERA (0.92 WHIP) in 17.1 innings. His last start against the Philadelphia Phillies, which came on June 26, was also a good one. He pitched six innings while giving up one earned run on five hits and a walk. He also struck out seven and kept his pitch count to 78 pitches, 54 of them being strikes.
The back-to-back solid outings by the left-hander is a great sign, considering his struggles during his MLB debut against the Washington Nationals on May 20, in which he allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings.
“[Thornton is] just a guy who can mix and attack with aggression and he just needs to continue to repeat that and step on the mound,” Green said. “Not every time is it gonna be seven scoreless… but for us that is what we want to see out of him. There’s days that he’ll pop it up to 95 [mph] and he can use that to punch guys late in counts. Didn’t see a lot of that today, didn’t need a lot of that today so just encouraged three starts in. We know he's unafraid.”
After the game Thornton was asked about his performance and what it is he needs to do to continue pitching like he did on Sunday.
“Just get back to what I do best and throwing strikes with all five pitches,” the rookie southpaw said. “I'm super excited to be here and just keep contributing to getting wins around here.”
The 24-year-old also mentioned that his teammates giving him words of encouragement has helped too.
“I think I belong anywhere,” Thornton said.
After all, Thornton earned his right for the call-up earlier this season after owning a 3.32 ERA in 48 games (39 starts) in his career in the minor leagues, making him the next highly touted Mets pitching prospect.
Thornton joins fellow rookie starters Nolan McLean and Christian Scott in the team's starting rotation, both of whom have shined as well. Meanwhile other pitching prospects are waiting in the wings for their opportunity to take the mound.
“Thornton was really good in his third major league start against a lineup that has hit left-handed pitching all season long, and Luis Torrens called a great game for him,” Green said. “They kept hitters off balance the entire game, he missed barrels the entire game, he got some punchouts, and it was fun to see. Encouraging for us as we look to round out the rotation.”
In a season where very little has gone right for New York, perhaps Thornton is a bright spot worth keeping an eye on as the Mets look to the future.
Ole Miss' Austin Fawley (24) strikes out against Mississippi State in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Day two of the 2026 MLB Draft is now complete and five more Rebels will now have a choice to make between signing with the clubs that drafted them or returning to Ole Miss and attempting to improve their draft position.
Interestingly enough none of Judd Utermark, Will Furniss or Tristan Bissetta were selected in the 20 round draft. It was also announced that Hunter Elliott was returning to Oxford and withdrawing from the draft.
Wil Libbert was the first off the board on Sunday, going to the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round (144th overall). Libbert is an interesting one regarding his decision to stay or sign. He could become a weekend guy for the Rebels or opt to start his pro career in a $500,000 signing slot.
The New York Mets took another Rebel hurler in the eighth round, selecting Landon Koenig 240th overall.
Bullpen arm Landon Waters was taken in the 17th round by the Toronto Blue Jays and is likely to return to Oxford.
The Atlanta Braves double dipped and took Austin Fawley in the 19th round. With Drake Baldwin set to be the Braves catcher for the next decade plus, Fawley would be wise to return to Ole Miss and have a more consistent year at the plate.
Rounding out the Rebel draft picks is JP Robertson, taken by the San Francisco Giants 598th overall (out of 613 total).
If any of the three big bats sign free agent deals to with a minor league team, the Cup will be here to update you.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 12: Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) scores a run during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 12, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (Photo by David Dennis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The silver lining for the Dodgers on Sunday is that they did not lose in lopsided fashion. But they did fall to the Diamondbacks for a third consecutive day, this time a more conventional 5-3 win for Arizona that capped off a series sweep and a deflating final week before the All-Star break.
Fielding miscues plagued the Dodgers this week, as nine errors in the last five games is no way to make a living. Two errors cropped up Sunday. Andy Pages dropped a fly ball during the two-run fifth inning, then Max Muncy’s throw home hit a smartly-positioned Geraldo Perdomo, facilitating the two-run sixth inning that gave the Diamondbacks the lead for good.
That spoiled a promising start by Emmet Sheehan, who struck out seven against only one walk in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs but only one of them were earned.
Shohei Ohtani hit the first pitch of the game for a solo home run, his fourth in six games, and also doubled. Ohtani had two home runs in the series against Arizona, which matched Diamondbacks first baseman Tim Tawa for the weekend.
Tawa drove in seven runs in the series, one fewer than the Dodgers scored as a team. It was that kind of a weekend for Los Angeles.
The All-Star break is here. But first, several Dodgers will be in Philadelphia for the All-Star Game on Tuesday (5 p.m. PT, Fox). Next real game is Friday in The Bronx against the New York Yankees (4:05 p.m. PT; SportsNet LA, MLB Network).
KNOXVILLE, TN - MAY 31: Wake Forest Demon Deacons infielder Dalton Wentz (1) throws to first base during the NCAA Division I Regional Tournament baseball game between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Miami (OH) RedHawks on May 31, 2025, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After two days, 20 rounds, and more than 600 names announced (some even with correct pronunciations!), the 2026 MLB Draft has come to a close. It was a very fun one for the Giants … after a few years of losing picks due to the Qualifying Offer, the Giants had their full slate this time around … and then added an extra pick in the top 30 when they traded Patrick Bailey, all while getting lucky in the lottery and landing the No. 4 overall pick.
What follows is a breakdown of the final 10 selections that the Giants made on draft day.
If you want to read about the earlier picks, here are the links:
The Giants kicked off the second half of the draft with a player who posted comical numbers this year: first baseman Charlie Bussey III, a right-handed hitter out of Francis Marion, taken with the No. 328 pick. Obviously players are drafted first and foremost based on scouting their live mechanics, which is good because it’s hard to know how much stock to put into smaller school stats. Bussey is Example A: in the Division II Conference Carolinas, playing against competition such as Ferrum College and Shorter University, Bussey hit a truly laughable .489/.604/.866 with 21 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 60 games, while walking well over twice as frequently as he struck out.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that he’ll be a good Major Leaguer if he can keep those numbers up at the next level.
Perhaps more importantly, Bussey, who turns 23 in December and is listed at 6’2, 205, played in the Cape Cod League this summer, where he hit 6-27 with one double, nine walks, seven strikeouts, and three stolen bases. He was the D2 National Player of the Year this season, which is a great honor … remember that not all great players and prospects come from big name schools, as Bo Davidson frequently reminds us.
In the 12th round, with the No. 358 pick, the Giants took their fourth player who has some serious MLB bloodlines: prep outfielder Josiah Kemp, from Choctaw High School in Oklahoma. Kemp, a right-handed hitter, is the nephew of three-time All-Star Matt Kemp, whom the Giants were all too familiar with given his excellent run with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kemp, who has a commitment to Oklahoma that the Giants will have to buy him out of, is an exceptionally athletic and twitchy outfielder. He’s fairly lean, but projects to fill out as he grows. If he can maintain his speed and agility as he adds strength, he could become a very intriguing two-way player. He has good speed with both his bat and legs. The Giants need more athletes, and they just got one. Kemp was the No. 311 prospect on Baseball America’s big board.
With their 13th-round selection, No. 388 overall, San Francisco turned to Arkansas left-handed pitcher Colin Fisher. The soon-to-turn 22-year old saw his stock drop a little bit in his third year with the Razorbacks, and he finished the season with a 5.59 ERA and a 4.80 FIP while getting moved to the bullpen after 10 starts. That rough start probably cost him a few rounds in the draft, but there’s still a lot to like, as evidenced by the fact that Fisher still was listed as the No. 268 draft prospect on Baseball America’s big board.
Fisher has a good frame, with a listed height of 6’3 and 225 pounds. His curveball is his best pitch, but to this point he has struggled to put together a competitive fastball. Needless to say, that will be something he needs to address in the Minor Leagues if he wants to have success at the next level. He did have good command though, as he only walked 17 batters in 56.1 innings this year. With three years at Arkansas on his ledger, he’s someone that Tony Vitello will have had some experience watching and playing against. Like so many prospects, Fisher also pitched in the Cape Cod League this year, where he had a 4.70 ERA in 15.1 innings, with nine strikeouts and six walks.
San Francisco continued the pitching theme in the 14th round, taking Houston right-hander Alex Solis with the No. 418 pick. Solis, who is listed at 6’1, 190, and turns 22 in December, doesn’t have very good college stats, but that’s not unusual at this part of the draft. This past year, which was his junior season, was his best year, as he posted a 5.50 ERA and a 4.05 FIP while working almost entirely in relief. Solis cut his walk rate nearly in half this year, issuing just 11 bases on balls in 37.2 innings, with 37 strikeouts.
While his numbers aren’t great, he certainly has experience playing against decent competition, as he spent all three of his collegiate years at Houston in the Big 12. Given his role in college, it seems likely that the Giants will jump straight to using Solis as a reliever in the Minor Leagues.
In the 15th round, with the 448 selection, the Giants chose third baseman Drew Smith from Oregon. Smith had a spectacular year in the Big 10, hitting .342/.425/.622 for a 1.047 OPS and a 139 wRC+. He showed off some serious power gains, with 16 home runs in 272 plate appearances … after just 12 homers in 496 prior plate appearances.
So why was he available in the 15th round, when he finished 15th in a quality conference in OPS, just a few percentage points behind No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky? A few reasons. For starters, Smith was a four-year college player, so he’s on the older side. Having turned 23 last month, Smith is only nine months younger than the other Oregon third baseman in the Giants system, Sabin Ceballos … who has already logged more than 700 plate appearances in AA. The other primary reason is that, despite his .342 batting average, Smith had a 25.0% strikeout rate in his senior year at Oregon, which is incredibly high for a college player, especially a four-year player.
Still and all, late in the draft the Giants got a guy with good power, who hits the ball incredibly hard, and has a track record of success at a good baseball school, while playing a defensively important position (he also has some defensive versatility, as he’s played second base and the outfield). That’s always a win in my book! And when he makes it to High-A, he’ll have plenty of experience at the ballpark, as the Eugene Emeralds share a field with the Oregon Ducks, where Smith played all four of his collegiate seasons.
After a pause, the draft resumed for the 16th round, where the Giants got a very exciting player: Wake Forest third baseman Dalton Wentz. A powerful switch-hitter, Wentz was projected to be drafted at the start of the day, if not at the end of Saturday … he was ranked as the No. 165 prospect by MLB Pipeline, No. 170 by Baseball America, and No. 188 by ESPN. As such, the Giants will surely have to use some of their savings from earlier underslot signings to facilitate a Wentz signing, as he’ll likely command something like a sixth-round bonus … perhaps higher given that he was a draft-eligible sophomore, so he can head back to school.
Wentz, who was a Freshman All-American, had a spectacular 2026 in his second season of college ball. He slashed .306/.414/.629 on the year, with 18 home runs in 60 games, which was tied for fifth in the ACC. He’s a serious power hitter, for better and for worse — his .323 isolated slugging was an outrageously good number, while his 22.7% strikeout rate surely gave scouts pause. He’s a very aggressive hitter, also for better or for worse, with strikeouts driven more by swing decisions than contact ability (although, despite that, he had a 15.1% walk rate).
Despite his size (he’s listed at 6’2, 215), Wentz also plays second base, though his future is almost certainly at a corner, be it in the infield or the outfield. His biggest strength on defense is, fittingly, his arm strength. Ultimately, the Giants got an extremely-powerful switch-hitter who will turn 21 later this month, about 10 rounds later than he was projected to go. That’s extremely exciting, though whether or not they can sign him now becomes one of the biggest questions of their 2026 draft class.
In the 17th round, with the No. 508 pick, the Giants got an extremely Giantsy player: Western Michigan outfielder Tanner Mally. A right-handed hitter who is about to turn 22, Mally has a whole lot of Wade Meckler in his game. His contact ability is truly absurd: this year he posted an almost unbelievable .446 batting average, with a .554 on-base percentage (and while the Mid-American Conference isn’t the best baseball in the world, it is D1). And he did all of that while striking out just 13 times in 243 plate appearances.
The downside? He ends his college career without having recorded a single home run, in nearly 500 plate appearances. So not a lot of power in that bat. But my goodness can he hit, and he’s got some speed as well, and used it to steal 19 bases this season. That speed has allowed him to become a quality defensive player in the outfield, and I would expect the Giants to develop him in the center of the grass.
Mally also played summer ball last year in the Coastal Plain League, where he hit .316/.446/.393, with only eight strikeouts in 148 plate appearances (funnily enough, despite the donut in college, he hit two homers in summer ball). He’ll be a fun player to follow, and we know the Giants will be enamored with his skillset.
The Giants returned to pitchers in the 18th round, selecting UC Irvine southpaw Ryder Brooks with the No. 538 pick. After having subpar results as a starter in 2025, Brooks returned to the bullpen this past year for his junior season. The overall results were mixed — he posted a 4.86 ERA and a 3.59 FIP — but the move to the pen helped Brooks decrease his walk rate, while his strikeouts took off. In all, he struck out 41 batters in 33.1 innings, while only walking 11 (though he did hit seven batters).
A three-year Anteater, Brooks pitched in the Cape Cod League last summer and struck out 12 batters in nine innings, though he walked seven. Brooks has an incredibly smooth and repeatable motion, with a highish release that induces a lot of ground balls. He lives in the low-90s currently, so his fastball has a lot of room for improvement, but his sweeper is a very nice pitch.
With their penultimate pick of the draft, No. 568 overall, the Giants picked another third baseman, Mikey Bell from Gonzaga. A right-handed hitter who grew up in Fresno, Bell has a lot of power, and in 2026 hit .379/.456/.607 with nine home runs in 54 games, en route to West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors (he won the award in both of his seasons with Gonzaga, after transferring from a community college). He also showed off some considerable contact improvements, lowering his strikeout rate from 20.4% in 2025 to 14.2% this past season.
Despite lowering that strikeout rate, Bell, who is 22, has a good amount of chase in his game, and will likely strike out a lot in the Minors unless he makes some adjustments. But his power plays to all parts of the field, and that led to him sneaking into the Baseball America top 500 draft prospects list, at No. 444. There’s also a lot left to untap there: Bell posted better exit velocities than his power numbers would suggest. He’s spent some time in the outfield, and could end up at a corner there, or at first base.
While Bell won’t be as hard to sign as Wentz, he’ll likely command a decent bonus, as he was scheduled to transfer from Gonzaga to Georgia. An SEC school offers a lot more NIL money and a better chance to showcase himself against top talent before potentially entering the draft as a fifth-year senior, so the Giants will have to compete with that.
And finally we arrive at the team’s 20th-round pick … their 21st and final selection of the draft. With the No. 598 pick in the draft, the Giants returned to the defining position of their draft by selecting right-handed pitcher JP Robertson from Mississippi.
Robertson spent just one year at Mississippi after transferring from a community college, and ended the season with a 4.34 ERA and a 4.25 FIP. He worked almost exclusively as a reliever, and had some serious punchout stuff, as he recorded 49 strikeouts in 37.1 innings, which is very impressive in the SEC. He has some notable command issues to work through, though, as he also issued 21 walks.
But there’s a lot to work with there, as Robertson has some serious power. He lives in the mid-upper 90s, and has tickled triple digits on the radar gun. His cutter has a lot of movement, and he also has an intriguing slider. Despite his command issues, he has a compact delivery that should be fairly repeatable. Robertson will likely be used as a pure power reliever, and that’s something the system has been awfully short on this year.
And that’s the 2026 draft for the Giants! For stats and videos on all 21 picks, go check out our draft tracker.
A huge thanks to all the great publications and prospectors who help provide so much information pertaining to the draft. A special thanks to Bluesky users EB and Giant Futures, whose posts helped me fill out my understanding of these 10 players. Give them a follow.
The Calgary Flames are adjusting their roster, moving out veteran players to provide spots for the youngsters, the future of the franchise. In 2026 alone, they traded Rasmus Andersson and Olli Määttä and moved on from one of their core leaders, Blake Coleman.
Going into the 2026-27 season, the only player in the current Flames lineup with a Stanley Cup title is 29-year-old Zach Whitecloud, who won a championship with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He came to Calgary in the deal that sent Andersson to the desert, where he helped the team advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Now, in a recent post on Sportsnet, author Rory Boylen asks whether the Flames will move Whitecloud.
Whitecloud's Experience Could Net Flames a Decent Trade Return
Based on his NHL statistics, Whitecloud will not be a team's most offensive defenseman, with a career-high of 19 points in 2021-22. But based on averages, his totals include five goals and 18 points; in 31 games with Calgary last season, he had no goals and 10 assists.
As a right-shot defenseman who averaged more than 18 minutes a night on one occasion with the Golden Knights in seven and a half seasons, Whitecloud had a chance to play more with the Flames, averaging more than four minutes per night at 22:40.
Right now, he's on Calgary's top pairing with Kevin Bahl, a 26-year-old, who is one of the few core skaters in the organization signed until the next decade. Moreover, Whitecloud is on the team's top penalty killing unit, along with veterans Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, and recently acquired Jacob Middleton.
When Whitecloud steps onto the ice for the Flames' season-opener, it will be his 400th NHL game. He's scored only 23 goals and 88 points with 188 penalty minutes.
Meanwhile, he's changing his on-ice role a bit, having recently set a career high of 140 blocked shots in 2025-26, surpassing his previous high of 115. Also, Whitecloud finished last year with 124 hits, the third consecutive season with at least 117 hits.
In a limited time with the Flames, Whitecloud assumed a leadership role, sporting the alternate captain letter for some games. Despite not being in the same class as Cale Makar or Zach Werenski, there's a market for Whitecloud to land with a contender, who needs a top-four defenseman that can play a variety of roles and brings 78 games of Stanley Cup playoff experience.
With two years remaining on his current deal at a modest $2.75 million, someone may come knocking on Craig Conroy's door to check on the defender's availability before opening night, sometime in the middle of winter, or in the hours leading up to the trade deadline. Whenever that call comes, it will be up to Conroy to have the answer on where Whitecloud fits into the organization's long-term plans and rebuild.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 09: AJ Dybantsa #4 of the Washington Wizards brings the ball up the court against the Utah Jazz in the second half of a 2026 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Sacramento Kings in NBA Summer League action tonight at about 8 p.m. ET. Watch it on Monumental Sports Network or Prime Video.
After beating the Utah Jazz in their first showing, I’d like to see the Wizards make a run at the Summer League playoffs and possibly a championship game. Wouldn’t that be a nice way to kick off the AJ Dybantsa Era?
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 23: Owen Kramkowski #48 poses for a photo during the 2026 Draft Combine at Arizona Grand Resort Phoenix on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In most cases, the number of players drafted is a strong indication of how good a college baseball team was the previous season. Arizona had nine draftees last year after reaching the College World Series, but following a disastrous 2026 campaign only two Wildcats heard their names called in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 5th round, while fellow righty Collin McKinney went in the 9th round to the Baltimore Orioles.
Kramkowski was taken with the No. 145 picks, which has a bonus slot value of $506,100. McKinney’s bonus slot at No. 260 is $213,300. Players chosen in the 11th round or later can sign for up to $150,000 without it impacting a team’s bonus pool.
The two draft picks for Arizona is its fewest since 2022, when catcher Daniel Susac went in the 1st round and outfielder Tanner O’Tremba went in the 15th round. It was also the first time since 2014 the UA did not have a player taken in the first four rounds.
While the loss of existing UA players to the MLB Draft was minimal, the same can’t be said for future Wildcats. Two members of Arizona’s 2026 recruiting class as well as three transfers signed this summer were drafted Sunday.
Incoming freshman catcher Francisco Rivero, from Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley, went in the 15th round to the Washington Nationals while righty Garrett Ahern—a transfer from GCU—went in the 16th round to the New York Yankees. The 17th round then saw righties McCartyEnglish (Southern Miss) and Collin Cobb (Williston State JC) and New Mexico prep righty Jack Byers all get picked.
Each has until July 27 to sign a pro contract or they’ll join the Wildcats this fall for the 2027 season.
The 6-foot-3 Kramkowski, who grew up in Sahuarita, is the fifth player recruited to the UA out of high school by Chip Hale and his staff to get drafted. He spent three seasons with the Wildcats and was part of the weekend rotation the last two years, starting the opening game of the College World Series. In 2025 he wen 9-6 with a 5.48 ERA, striking out 90 batters in 92 innings, but struggled as a junior with a 1-8 record and 6.13 ERA.
In 35 career appearances, Kramkowski walked only 38 batters in 165.1 innings against 165 strikeouts.
The 6-foot-5 McKinney spent the last two seasons at the UA after beginning his career at Baylor. He was the Wildcats’ Friday night starter for most of 2025 before getting moved to the bullpen, and this past spring spent time in the rotation and as a reliever. He struck out 109 in 91.2 innings with Arizona.
McKinney had entered the NCAA transfer portal last month and committed to Houston but is expected to sign.
Arizona’s lack of draft picks from its roster was indicative of a team that went 19-34, its worst record since 1994, and finished 9-21 in the Big 12 after winning the conference tournament title the previous year. The same can’t be said for ASU, which failed to advance beyond the NCAA regionals despite having 10 draft picks on the roster.
Jul 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) third baseman Austin Riley (27) and first baseman Matt Olson (28) walk off the field after the Braves defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Remember when I asked in the headline of the Pirates series recap if the Atlanta Braves had finally found that spark at the plate that they’d been looking for? As it turned out, they probably haven’t found that spark because we ended up watching them fall into yet another extended period of struggling as the first 18 innings of this series saw the Braves get completely clamped at the plate by the Cardinals.
Also, a trend that has been killing Atlanta’s pitching staff lately was on full display throughout this series. It’s honestly fitting that the Cardinals were the ones who exposed it since it’s the type of situation that historically makes sense for the Cardinals to do damage in but it’s also something that the Braves have been dealing with for far too long so far this season. Let’s see if you pick up on it throughout this piece, yourself. Time to take a look back at the weekend that was for Atlanta.
We got our requisite rain delay for a matchup between these two clubs and unfortunately for the Braves, that meant that what was shaping up to be yet another solid start from Chris Sale got wiped out. With that being said, the bullpen did a decent enough job of keeping the Cardinals mostly quiet at the plate and the trio of Sale, Victor Mederos and Didier Fuentes went six innings with four hits, two walks, nine strikeouts and just one run allowed so it was effectively another full Sale start.
We unfortunately got another hallmark of a 2026 Chris Sale start, which is that the run support was non-existent. Once the nearly three-hour rain delay came to a close, the Braves scratched across a run thanks to Austin Riley shooting one up the middle to plate Mike Yastrzemski (who took a trip to the IL on Saturday) and that was all that Atlanta would get on the night.
St. Louis, meanwhile, picked up a game-tying run in the sixth after Didier Fuentes saw three-straight Cardinals reach base safely with one out (with Jordan Walker’s RBI single tying the game) and then Jimmy Crooks got a two-strike hanger from Danny Young in the eighth inning in order to hit his third-career homer that ended up being the game-winner. Another long night at the ballpark ended in defeat for Atlanta.
For the second night in a row, the Braves just could not get anything going at the plate and their success in Pittsburgh seemed like a distant memory once this game was over. Reynaldo López got to two strikes and two outs with two men on against Lars Nootbaar in the first inning but ended up paying the price for leaving a curveball in the zone as Nootbaar crushed it for a three-run dinger to make it 3-0 Cardinals. He once again got to two strikes and two outs in the fourth inning and this time, Blaze Jordan sent one up the middle to make it 4-0 Cardinals.
The Braves had another shot against the struggling Matthew Liberatore and for the second time, they made him look like a Cy Young candidate. Liberatore ended up tossing six scoreless innings where he only gave up four hits and a walk with six strikeouts, to boot. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II were the only two batters to make it into scoring position against Liberatore in this one and it came in the first and sixth inning. Outside of that, the Braves continued to be befuddled by a guy who the rest of baseball seems to have figured out.
Mauricio Dubón continued to be the most consistent hitter at the plate for the Braves since their current month-and-a-half-long downturn in form as he cracked a dinger that ensured that the Braves wouldn’t get shut out. Eli White doubled later on in the frame with one out but the Braves got nothing else going from that point forward and Atlanta had no choice but to accept yet another series loss. Michael Harris II had a crazy day in the field, though, so there’s that.
With two strikes and two outs and a man on second base in the first inning, Alec Burleson somehow got solid contact on a hanging sinker from Danny Young that was out of the zone. Once the ball landed, Mauricio Dubón was chasing after it and the Cardinals were up by a run to start things off. Fortunately, Atlanta responded pretty quickly and scored in the second inning after Dustin May uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded. They could’ve had more in that frame but at that point, beggars couldn’t be choosers as far as the Braves were concerned and they just needed to take the run and try for more later on.
More ended up arriving in the fourth inning in dramatic fashion, as Austin Riley made it home on an aggressive send from third base coach Tommy Watkins on a single from Drake Baldwin to give the Braves the lead and their first game with multiple runs scored in this series. In fact, they even added on and made it a two-run lead in the sixth after Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen went back-to-back with doubles (just like we all predicted back in February, right?) to make it 3-1.
Things got serious again once the Cardinals came to the plate in their half of the sixth inning. Didier Fuentes very nearly got out of a JR Ritchie-manufactured jam but (and I hope you’re sitting down for this) with two strikes and two outs in the inning, José Fermín got a hold of a fastball and looped it into center for a game-tying RBI single. It’d be unbelievable if it hadn’t happened all weekend and for the past few weeks to the Atlanta Braves.
Eventually the ninth inning rolled around and it was still a 3-3 game. Ozzie Albies got something going with a one-out double and then Michael Harris II kept the inning alive after he just about got hit by a pitch that was upheld on replay. The ruling infuriated Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, who got ejected for arguing the ruling and then I’d imagine that he was just as irate as the crowd was once he saw what happened in the next at-bat. With two strikes and two outs on the board, something finally went Atlanta’s way. Mauricio Dubón seemingly grounded into what should’ve been an inning-ending out but Masyn Winn uncorked a shambolic throw to first that extended the inning and, more importantly, allowed Ozzie Albies to score from third and give the Braves the lead.
Raisel Iglesias made his first appearance since Wednesday and sat down the Cardinals in order so that the Braves could salvage the series and at least ensure that Atlanta would be on top of the NL East heading into the All-Star break.
The Cardinals scored nine runs in this series. Six of those runs came in situations where the Braves were pitching with two strikes in the count and two outs on the board and seven of them came in situations with two strikes in the count. This series likely looks a lot different if the Braves had finished off those situations and while it would be easy to simply chalk it up to Cardinal Devil Magic, it actually sums up how the Braves have fared in that particular situation for the past month or so.
From June 1 heading into Sunday’s action, opposing hitters have slashed .188/.295/.325 with a .283 wOBA in two-strike two-out situations against the Atlanta Braves. That batting average is the eighth-worst number in all of baseball, the OBP is the worst in the National League, the slugging percentage is the fifth-worst in all of baseball and the wOBA mark is also the worst in the National League during that span. That is ghastly.
Sure, the offense has had its fair share of problems (and they certainly deserve much of the blame for how this series went) but it’s tough for the Braves to play their way out of a rough patch when they’re constantly tripping up in a situation that is seemingly the most advantageous moment in any given inning for a pitching staff. It’s frustrating and explains a lot for how some of these games have gotten away from Atlanta in recent times.
If any team in baseball needs the break, though, it’s the Braves. While they may not have the most players on the IL, there are enough big names and impact players on there that they badly need this time to recover. The bullpen has been sketchy in recent times so Walt Weiss should benefit from having a full-rested bullpen for the first time in what feels like ages. The games themselves have just felt like a slog lately, so this just feels like a solid time for Atlanta to regroup.
They’re still in first place but now they’ve got two teams breathing down their neck at the top of the NL East and the Wild Card race figures to be incredibly fierce should the Braves fall from the top of the divisional standings. Atlanta’s got to get things going again and hopefully they’ll hit the ground running once they’re back in action for Friday. For now, it’s time for the squad to take this time to retreat and figure something out for the second half of the season. We’ll see what happens.
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 23: Trey Ebel bats during the 2026 Draft Combine at Chase Field on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
UPDATE: The Brewers signed 17 of the 20 players they drafted. The three unsigned players are fifth-round RHP Aidan Knaak, who will return to Clemson for his senior season; 14th-round LHP Daunte Bell II, who is committed to Houston; and 16th-round RHP Bradyn Havard, who is committed to Pearl River Community College. The Brewers also came in just under their total signing pool overage (=5%) of $7,998,375 (because Knaak opted to go back to Clemson, the Brewers lost the $425,400 slot value allocation), spending $7,993,300 across the 17 signees.
The Brewers drafted 20 players over the course of 20 rounds in the 2026 MLB Draft, including first-round shortstop Trey Ebel, second-round outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, Wilmot Union HS (Wisconsin) shortstop Chance Ruby, and CC Sabathia’s son, first baseman Carsten Sabathia III. The team now has until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to sign each draft pick. We’ll keep track of the signees below.
Milwaukee’s total signing bonus pool is $8,042,900, which can be allocated as the team chooses (i.e., slot bonuses are not the guaranteed signing value). Rounds 11-20 automatically have $150,000 allocated to the slot — money given to these picks only counts toward the bonus pool if they exceed $150,000. Teams that exceed their bonus pool face financial penalties, with higher thresholds resulting in the loss of future picks.
The Brewers have also signed undrafted free agent Kendall Hagedorn for $150,000. His signing bonus does not affect the team’s bonus pool. Hagedorn is listed as a catcher, and he joins the Crew out of Smith-Cotton High School in Missouri.
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 23: Andruw Giles #29 and Martin Shelar #25 look on during the 2026 Draft Combine at Chase Field on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Those hoping hoping to see the Sox splash the cash on some hard-to-sign candidates on day 2 of the MLB Draft were immediately disappointed, as the Red Sox spent their fifth round pick on Lucas Davenport, a pitcher out of Baylor University who was unranked by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline heading into the draft.
Davenport is a beastly 6-6, 230 lbs. and his pick launched a mini-run on those big college pitchers Craig Breslow likes so much: sixth rounder Brett Lanman, a 6-5, 23o lbs. lefty out of Abilene Christian, eighth rounder Josh Volmerding, a 6-4, 210 lbs. lefty out of California Polytech, thirteenth rounder Mason Lei, a 6-4, 215 lbs. righty out of the University of Illinois-Chicago, and fifteenth rounder Chase Frey, a 6-6 225 lbs. lefty out of Grand Canyon University.
The highlights of Day 2 are the two higher-ranked high schoolers the Sox nabbed back-to-back in the ninth and tenth rounds. Ninth rounder Martin Shelar, an outfielder, comes out of the baseball powerhouse that is the Marist School in Georgia. He has massive power potential, is committed to Mississippi State, and was ranked as the 65th-best prospect overall by FanGraphs, 125th by Baseball America, and 175th by MLB Pipeline.
Tenth rounder Kaleb LaFavor out of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City, Iowa is a towering 6-7 righty with a ton of extension who can already hit 95 MPH on the gun. He was ranked the 171st-best prospect by ESPN evaluator Kiley McDaniel, 465th by Baseball America, and is committed to the University of Iowa. Craig Breslow’s got bonus pool money burning a hole in his pocket, and it’s going to go to these guys in hopes of enticing them away from college (speaking as someone who spent a fair bit of time partying in Iowa City as a 22-year-old, good luck in LeFavor’s case).
Here’s the full slate of day 2 picks:
Round 5:: Lucas Davenport, RHP, Baylor
Round 6: Brett Lanman, LHP, Abilene Christian
Round 7: Kide Adetuyi, LHP, Florida Atlantic
Round 8: Josh Volmerding, LHP, California Polytechnic
Round 9: Martin Shelar, OF, Marist School (GA)
Round 10: Kaleb LaFavor, RHP, Bishop Heelan High (IA)
Round 11: Wills Maginnis, SS, Georgia State
Round 12: Jacob Webster, SS, Oak Hills High (CA)
Round 13: Mason Lei, RHP, University of Illinois-Chicago
Round 14: Jase Evangelista, RHP, UNLV
Round 15: Chase Frey, LHP, Grand Canyon
Round 16: Colton Coates, SS, Louisiana Tech
Round 17: Alex Kranzler, RHP, Vanderbilt
Round18: Ethan Offing, OF Dutch Fork HS (SC)
Round19: Luis Calderon, RHP, El Shaddai Christian HS (PR)
The Arkansas right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2025, but pitched 14 innings in 14 games out of the Razorbacks' bullpen before going under the knife. In that span, he allowed five earned runs on seven hits and nine walks while striking out 20 batters.
Robbins, 21, had a very strong season with the Longhorns. He slashed .333/.426/.696 with an OPS of 1.122 to go along with his 24 home runs and 64 RBI across 60 games during his third collegiate year.
Sdao, 22, has played three seasons with Texas A&M, amassing a 13-6 record to go along with his 5.22 ERA across 59 games (20 starts). This past season, he has pitched to a 7.03 ERA, but that's after having Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for the 2025 season.
The season prior to surgery, Sdao pitched to a 2.96 ERA across 20 games (five starts) in 2024.
DAY 2
Fifth round, pick No. 152: RHP Luke McNeillie
Over the course of three seasons at the University of Florida, McNeillie has been used almost exclusively as a relief pitcher. He has registered a 5.24 ERA and 1.467 WHIP across 122.0 collegiate innings. With a fastball that can touch 99 mph and a heavy dose of sliders sporting significant movement, the 21-year-old could be converted into a starting pitcher in the long-term. Tallied 163 strikeouts to 62 walks during his time with the Gators.
Sixth round, pick No. 181: RHP Alex Petrovic
A big right-hander – 6-foot-5, 235 pounds – Petrovic made 31 appearances (22 starts) across three seasons with the Auburn Tigers. During that time, he pitched a 3.60 ERA and 1.054 WHIP over 122.1 innings, surrendering 43 runs (49 earned) on 98 hits and 31 walks to 134 strikeouts. The bulk of that came during the 22-year-old's final season (92.2 innings over 17 starts) as he posted a 3.21 ERA with 8.9 strikeouts per nine.
Seventh round, pick No. 210: RHP Aidan Keenan
Keenan is a 21-year-old reliever who stayed in-state to attend Stanford University in California, where he has appeared in 36 games (eight starts) and recorded six saves through three seasons with a 5.79 ERA and 1.592 WHIP. The right-hander has had some control issues, but he has flashed big strikeout stuff with 75 in 65.1 collegiate innings.
Eighth round, pick No. 240: RHP Landon Koenig
Koenig, 21, pitched last season with Ole Miss after transferring in from North Dakota State. During his lone season in the SEC, the 6-foot-6 righty had a 6.35 ERA and 1.853 WHIP in 22.2 innings over 17 games, but flashed with 33 strikeouts to seven walks. During his two seasons with the Bison, he struck out 87 in 106.1 innings of work.
Ninth round, pick No. 270: C Ryan Tayman
Tayman is a 20-year-old catcher who has clubbed 29 home runs in 123 games for two schools - California (Berkeley) in 2024 and 2025 and Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) in 2026 - across three collegiate seasons. He boasts an NCAA career OPS of .995, and both bats and throws righty.
10th round, pick No 300: RHP Nate Isler
Isler, 21, is another big pitcher at 6-foot-6. In three seasons with Dartmouth, he pitched to a 6.89 ERA and 1.716 WHIP in 141 innings over 33 games (26 starts) with 140 strikeouts to 53 walks. He had his best collegiate season this past year, striking out 80 in 65 innings over 11 starts with a 4.98 ERA.
11th round, pick No 330: OF Kuhio Aloy
Born and raised in Hawaii, Aloy transferred from BYU to Arkansas after his freshman year. Both throwing and batting right-handed, Aloy has totaled 30 home runs across 162 NCAA games, recording an .859 OPS at that level in the process.
12th round, pick No 360: RHP AJ Krodel
Yet another Californian, Krodel is a right-handed reliever who stands 6'4". The 21-year-old has generated strikeouts at a good clip during his three seasons at UC Santa Barbara with a career 11.3 SO/9 in the NCAA.
13th round, pick No 390: C Jacob Madrid
New York went into the high school ranks to grab the 6-foot-5 backstop out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. The 18-year-old had committed to play college ball at Oregon.
14th round, pick No 420: LHP Zach Crotchfelt
Crotchfelt, who turns 23 in October, pitched for three schools in college, starting his career with two years at Auburn before spending a year each with Texas Tech and Troy. The righty got it right last year, pitching to a 3.49 ERA and 1.328 WHIP in 67.0 innings over 29 games (one start) for the Trojans, striking out 81 with just 23 walks.
15th round, pick No 450: RHP Dustin Hagens Jr.
Hagens, 21, pitched three seasons with Missouri-St. Louis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. After being a starter for most of his first two years (22 starts out of 29 games), he worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen in 2026 (19 of 20 games in relief) and pitched to a 3.89 ERA and 1.271 WHIP over 39.1 innings with 57 strikeouts to 18 walks.
16th round, pick No 480: RHP Gavin Guidry
In three years at LSU, Guidry has featured as a relief pitcher, starting pitcher, and middle infielder (albeit sparingly). As a 22-year-old in 2026, he has spent his time exclusively on the mound, and through 20 appearances (including three starts), he struck out 59 batters in 43.2 innings. He missed the entirety of his school's 2025 season after requiring surgery for a herniated disc in his back.
17th round, pick No 510: RHP Cooper Dossett
The 22-year-old righty reliever stayed in-state to attend the University of Arkansas. Through three seasons with the Razorbacks, he has recorded 41 strikeouts in 34.1 innings, and has notched one save as well.
18th round, pick No 540: OF Marcus Ward
Ward is an 18-year-old outfielder who both bats and throws left-handed. He is listed at 5'11" tall and is committed to Western Carolina University.
19th round, pick No 570: OF John Smith III
Outfielder John Smith III, drafted as a 22-year-old, recorded a .919 OPS across two seasons of college baseball, one at UCF and one at South Alabama. He both bats and throws right-handed.
20th round, pick No 600: SS Kooper Schulte
The 22-year-old shortstop has taken the road less traveled in becoming an MLB draft pick. He spent time at Central Arizona College and Southeastern Iowa Community College before moving to the University of Iowa in 2026, where he broke out with an .840 OPS and 11 stolen bases in 56 games.
Charlotte Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson said the franchise’s decision to trade LaMelo Ball was made with a long-term mentality.
The goal, short-sighted and shocking as it may appear to some in Charlotte, is to compete for titles, Peterson said.
“These decisions are challenging at times, but when you look at the totality of the season and everything of where we were, it’s important to take an honest look in the mirror of where you guys are as a team,” Peterson told reporters at the Las Vegas summer league on Saturday.
The comments come three months removed from a 44-38 season and a play-In appearance in the Hornets’ best season in a decade.
“And it just felt like the goal is never to compete for a play-in spot. The goal isn’t to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year,” Peterson said. “I’ve said it plenty of times since I’ve been here in Charlotte: The goal is to get to the playoffs and stay there for a long time. And eventually contend to compete for championships. Getting Naz Reid when you can get a player of his caliber. And of course, the draft capital and the flexibility just felt like it was something that was able to achieve multiple goals in one transaction.”
LaMelo Ball was stunningly traded after this year’s NBA Draft. Getty Images
Peterson was hired as president of basketball operations for the Hornets in March 2024 after a five-year stint as the assistant GM of the Nets, which followed a six-year front office run with the Hawks, where he held roles as assistant GM and director of scouting, among others.
Peterson executed two sizeable deals for Charlotte this season, which notably had the No. 1 net rating in the NBA for about the last four months of the regular season and ended their 2025-26 run with a 28-10 record.
The blockbuster deal sent Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three second-round selections.
General Manager Jeff Peterson and 2026 first-round pick Hannes Steinbach talk to the media on June 25, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NBAE via Getty Images
It ended Ball’s six-year run in Charlotte after he was selected No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft and developed into the franchise’s centerpiece.
Peterson acknowledged the move was not easy.
“It’s my job to not just look at half of last season or two-thirds of last season,” Peterson said when asked what he saw in the second-half surge that led him to consider trading Ball. “I’ve been here for a little bit over two years now. So, looking at the totality of the picture and also looking at trends along the league. Just making an objective decision in terms of just the timing and being honest with myself of where we really are as it compares to the rest of the league.”
Ball, who turns 25 in August, has yet to play a playoff game in his career, but was acquired by the contending T-Wolves in an effort to shake up their roster around Anthony Edwards.
“I’ll say it every day: LaMelo was tremendous in our run last year,” Peterson acknowledged. “He was extremely impactful and I know he’s going to do great in Minnesota. But for the Charlotte Hornets, just felt like it was the right time to execute a trade of that magnitude. We’re in a great position because of the talent, the depth of our roster and our flexibility.”
The Hornets acquired Naz Reid in the LaMelo Ball trade. Getty Images
Even though Ball never made the postseason with Charlotte, and didn’t play well overall in their three play-In appearances during his six seasons, he rose to become one of the most popular stars in the NBA with younger fans, even despite a career marred by injuries.
Ball’s 72 games played last season — where he averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, while earning some consideration for All-Star and All-NBA — were the second most in his career, and only his second time playing over 51 games.
Leading up to the 2025-26 campaign, Ball had played 105 out of a possible 246 games across three seasons.
“I do empathize with the fans and I understand just where they’re coming from,” Peterson said when asked for a message to Hornets fans. “If I’m honest, I love LaMelo. He’s a tremendous human being. Of course, he’s an enormous talent. He and I have a great relationship.
“But I would hope that they understand that I have the best interest of the Hornets organization. I truly do. And it’s not about one year or two years. It’s about sustained success and just being objective of where we truly are in our life cycle. I have no doubt that this team we roll out next year and the years to come is going to continue to compete and eventually we’ll get there.”
The Hornets have since doubled down on that direction by also trading Miles Bridges to Phoenix for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a future first, signaling the organization is officially moving on from the Ball-Bridges era that defined much of the past six seasons.
Charlotte now appears committed to building around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, while adding Naz Reid, re-signing Coby White for three years and $74 million, and adding a growing collection of future draft assets.
Charlotte has the second-most first-round picks in the NBA moving forward.
Baseball's biggest stars from the American and National Leagues are set to clash in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, with the 96th edition of the Midsummer Classic taking place in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14.
Phillies fans have plenty to cheer for in this year's All-Star Game, as stars Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Cristopher Sánchez lead several home favorites selected to represent the host city alongside familiar foe and Mets superstar Juan Soto, Braves standout 2B Ozzie Albies and more. That's not to mention the likes of speedy outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Corbin Carroll, who make their ways east to shine under the lights.
They'll be matched up against a loaded American League roster featuring the likes of veteran star Mike Trout, Royals face of the franchise Bobby Witt Jr. and the imposing Yordan Alvarez, with a pair of standout rookies (Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle, Guardians' Travis Bazzana) among 26 of this year's first-time All-Stars.
Below is everything you need to know about the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, including the schedule, how to watch information, and this year’s rosters.
How to watch 2026 MLB All Star Game
Fans can watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14, on FOX at 8pm ET. Pregame coverage will start at 7pm ET.
When and where is the 2026 MLB All Star Game?
This year's MLB All-Star Game will be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, July 14.
What time is the 2026 MLB All Star Game?
First pitch is scheduled for 8pm ET.
2026 MLB All Star Game starters and full rosters
* = Replacement
American League
Starters:
C: Shea Langeliers (ATH)
1B: Nick Kurtz (ATH) — Out due to injury, with Tristan Peters (CWS) taking Kurtz's roster spot
2B: Ernie Clement (TOR)
3B: Junior Caminero (TB)
SS: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
OF: Mike Trout (LAA)
OF: Riley Greene (DET)
OF: Cody Bellinger (NYY)
DH: Yordan Alvarez (HOU)
Original starting players 1B Vladimir Guerrero, OF Aaron Judge,and OF Byron Buxtonwill miss the All-Star Game.
Starting pitchers:
RHP: Dylan Cease (TOR)
LHP: Parker Messick (CLE)
RHP: Nick Martinez (TB)*
RHP: Drew Rasmussen (TB)
RHP: Joe Ryan (MIN)
RHP: Cam Schlittler (NYY) - Announced Sunday he will not pitch in All-Star Game
LHP: Ranger Suarez (BOS)
RHP: Michael Wacha (KC)
Commissioner's Legend Pick, SP Justin Verlander, will not play in All-Star Game.
Relief pitchers:
RHP: Bryan Baker (TB)
LHP: Aroldis Chapman (BOS)
LHP: Jacob Latz (TEX)
RHP: Cade Smith (CLE)
RHP: Louis Varland (TOR)
National League
Starters
C: Drake Baldwin (ATL)
1B: Freddie Freeman (LAD)
2B: Ozzie Albies (ATL)
3B: Max Muncy (LAD)
SS: CJ Abrams (WSH)
OF: Brandon Marsh (PHI)
OF: Juan Soto (NYM)
OF: Andy Pages (LAD)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — Will not play in game
Reserves
C: William Contreras (MIL)
C: Hunter Goodman (COL)
INF: Luis Arraez (SF)
INF: Bryce Harper (PHI)
INF: Otto Lopez (MIA)
INF: Matt Olson (ATL)
INF: Sal Stewart (CIN)
OF: Corbin Carroll (AZ)
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC)
OF: Jordan Walker (STL)
OF: James Wood (WSH)
DH: Kyle Schwarber (PHI)
DH: Ivan Herrera (STL)*
Starting pitchers
RHP: Braxton Ashcraft (PIT)* - Justin Wrobleski (LAD) to take Ashcraft's spot
RHP: Chase Burns (CIN) - Out due to injury, with Foster Griffin (WSH) taking Burn's roster spot
LHP: Jesús Luzardo (PHI)*
RHP: Max Meyer (MIA)
RHP: Jacob Misiorowski (MIL)
LHP: Eduardo Rodriguez (AZ)
LHP: Chris Sale (ATL)
LHP: Cristopher Sánchez (PHI)
RHP: Paul Skenes (PIT)
RHP: Logan Webb (SF)
RHP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
LHP: Foster Griffin (WSH)*
Relief pitchers
RHP: Jhoan Duran (PHI)
RHP: Raisel Iglesias (ATL)
RHP: Mason Miller (SD)
RHP: Riley O'Brien (STL)*
Is Aaron Judge playing in the 2026 MLB All Star Game?
Despite being elected as an American League starter, the eight-time All-Star and Yankees captain will miss the game as he recovers from injury.
Is Shohei Ohtani playing in the 2026 MLB All Star Game?
Ohtani, a six-time All-Star, will not play in this year's Midsummer Classic after the Dodgers announced their two-way superstar would receive "medical interventions" regarding his left knee. Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera was named as Ohtani's replacement.
Who won the 2025 MLB All Star Game?
The 2025 All-Star Game ended in historic fashion with the first-ever swing-off to break the 6-6 tie between the NL and AL teams. With three homers in the Derby-esque contest, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber helped the NL take home the win, while securing Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP honors in the process.
MLB Sunday Leadoff is a weekly Major League Baseball showcase featuring live Sunday daytime games. It highlights marquee matchups throughout the regular season and streams primarily on Peacock, with some games also airing across NBC Sports and NBC.
MLB Sunday Night Baseball is a weekly primetime Major League Baseball showcase, featuring marquee matchups each Sunday night during the regular season. The games air on NBC and Peacock and anchor NBC Sports’ Sunday night programming lineup.
NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.
