Georgia wouldn't be in the SEC Championship game if the season ended today. Third place is a great spot for Kirby Smart's team.
Giants notes: Prospect acquired in Camilo Doval trade opens eyes in Fall League
Giants notes: Prospect acquired in Camilo Doval trade opens eyes in Fall League originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — When they finally pulled the trigger on a Camilo Doval trade, the Giants opted to take several shots at finding help instead of pushing for one higher-ranked prospect. At the time, catcher Jesus Rodriguez was the clear centerpiece of the four-player package, but in this year’s Arizona Fall League another player emerged as a potential contributor from that trade.
Infielder Parks Harber didn’t garner much attention at the deadline, which wasn’t surprising. He was undrafted out of North Carolina, and while he put up good numbers in the New York Yankees farm system before the trade, he was a bit on the older side for A-ball.
The Giants sent Harber to the Fall League to get some more reps, and he ended up representing them in the Fall Stars Game. In 17 AFL appearances, he had a .383/.513/.683 slash line with three homers, nine doubles and 14 walks. Harber’s 1.196 OPS was fourth in the league, which is filled with some of the game’s top prospects.
“For him not maybe getting a lot of attention nationally or in the media, he surely got a lot of attention in our room,” general manager Zack Minasian said on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “It’s a credit to Hadi Raad, our pro [scouting] director, Josh Zimmerman, our director of player procurement, [VP of analytics] Paul Bien [and] a lot of our scouts who were on Parks.
“I think what he has shown in the Fall League is just a continuation of what he did all last year in A-ball and High-A, and that’s just hit. He can hit, he impacts the baseball, he has shown decently at third base, maybe even better than what we expected. There’s maybe a chance to move him on the field and see where else he’s comfortable defensively, but I think the bat is real and it’s been fun to watch.”
Harber primarily has played first and third in the minors, but those two spots might be spoken for at Oracle Park for the rest of the decade. He made four appearances in right field in the Fall League, and that figures to be part of the plan moving forward.
Harber was injured at the time of the trade, but he hit the ground running as a member of the Giants organization. In 25 games with High-A Eugene, Harber hit .333 with a 1.097 OPS and seven homers. The Giants were slow in promoting prospects last year, but given Harber’s background — including four seasons at big colleges — the 24-year-old should see Double-A early in the 2026 season. He might not have been a well-known prospect when the Giants acquired him, but they’re thrilled that he was part of the deal.
“Right-handed power in our ballpark seems to fit pretty well,” Minasian said. “It’s always going to be a welcome addition.”
No Action
An offseason deadline came and went Tuesday without any moves from the Giants. They elected not to add any minor leaguers to their 40-man roster to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft, which wasn’t a huge surprise.
The Giants had several potential relief pitching candidates, but none who had done enough to force the front office into removing someone else from the 40-man, which currently is full.
Will Bednar, the organization’s first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, was one potential option after his velocity ticked up in the bullpen this year. But he also had a 5.85 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A with 6.7 walks per nine innings. The Giants also elected not to protect 2022 first-rounder Reggie Crawford, betting that 29 other teams will pass on the left-handed reliever, who just had his second shoulder operation in as many years. Another club could draft Crawford and stash him on the 60-day IL, but he isn’t likely to be ready until the middle of next season at the earliest.
The Rule 5 Draft will take place on the final day of the Winter Meetings next month in Orlando. To protect a player, the Giants would have had to DFA someone, and while there are several candidates for that on the 40-man at the moment, they’ll need those spots for offseason additions.
Coaching Tree
The 2021 season will always be a remarkable outlier in a decade of otherwise mediocre Giants baseball, and years from now people will still be trying to figure out exactly how it happened. One thing the Giants knew at the time was that their coaching staff was firing on all cylinders, and it’s more apparent than ever that there was a lot of talent in that room.
With Mark Hallberg departing to become bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, there are now three members of that staff who are MLB bench coaches. Kai Correa is No. 2 with the New York Mets and Donnie Ecker is the next man up to Craig Albernaz, who was hired as Baltimore Orioles manager a few years after he coached the catchers for Gabe Kapler.
Kapler himself is now the general manager in Miami, and he certainly can brag about his coaching tree. There were 13 coaches on that young and inexperienced staff, and just about all of them are now in notable spots elsewhere. Dustin Lind, the director of hitting on that staff, is another one who got an offseason promotion; he’s now Albernaz’s hitting coach.
James breaks NBA record with first game of season
LeBron James became the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons when he stepped onto the court for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old, who missed his side's opening 14 games of the season because of sciatica, contributed 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz.
James - the NBA's record scorer - overtook Vince Carter's mark of having played in 22 successive NBA seasons, while his two three-pointers also moved him above Reggie Miller into sixth place in the NBA's all-time list of most three-pointers made.
"It's been a long time since he played basketball, so I think for the first game back, he looked amazing," said Lakers team-mate Luka Doncic.
"He's going to keep getting his rhythm, and help us a lot."
Doncic had a game high 37 points and four steals in the win against the Jazz as he also contributed 10 assists and five rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, while Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen scored 34 and 31 points respectively for Utah.
The win puts the Lakers fourth in the Western Conference, with the Jazz in 10th place.
Georgia jumps, Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M stay 1-2-3, and what is going on with Miami?
No. 10 Alabama fell six spots after its 23-21 loss to Oklahoma, which moved up three notches to No. 8.
Cameron Boozer scores 18 points as No. 5 Duke outlasts No. 24 Kansas 78-66
The Jayhawks (3-2) were still without their best player, freshman Darryn Peterson, the nation’s top recruit and potentially the top pick in next year’s NBA draft, because of a lingering hamstring injury.
No. 17 Michigan State gets an unexpected 3-point barrage to beat No. 12 Kentucky
The Spartans shot 11 of 22 from beyond the arc at Madison Square Garden after making just 13 of their first 60 3-point attempts in their first three games, good for 21.7% and fourth-worst out of 361 Division I programs.
Schmid Makes Momentous Save To Help Golden Knights Top Rangers, 3-2
LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights got two power-play goals, including one from rookie forward Braeden Bowman, and held on for a 3-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers.
The Knights, who recently endured a 0-2-2 four-game skid, have now won two of three, going 2-0-1.
The win moved Vegas (24 points) into a second-place tie with the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, both one point back of the surprising Anaheim Ducks.
Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore also scored for the Knights, while Akira Schmid made 17 saves to improve to 7-1-2 on the year, having earned seven of Vegas' eight wins.
Hutton's goal was his first in 609 days.
Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) on XHUTTY WAS HYPED TO GET HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON 🤩Theodore, a cancer survivor, scored the game-winning goal on Hockey Fights Cancer night in Vegas.
Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) on Xthe power play has been on FIRE tonight 🔥The Rangers got goals from Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck, while goalie Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s assist on Hutton’s second-period goal marked his 100th career point. Dorofeyev, who ranks fifth on the team with 15 points (11 goals, 4 assists), is the fourth player in franchise history to record his first 100 career points with the Knights.
KEY MOMENT: With Vegas on the power play, Schmid found himself facing a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with the Knights clinging to a 2-1 lead. As Schmid squared up to defend Trocheck coming down the right side, a quick pass to Will Cuylle shifted the play. Schmid shifted quickly to stymie the effort and keep momentum in Vegas' favor. Moments later, Theodore buried what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
"Critical moment," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "That is how you turn a one-goal game into a win as opposed to a loss. ... He makes the save to give us a little bit of life. We got through it, let's keep pushing. We did, and we got the next goal. Ends up being the game winner."
KEY STAT: 0-for-9 ... that would be the stretch of games in which Vegas star Jack Eichel has not scored a goal. Eichel, at one point, led the league in points after opening the season with 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) through Oct. 28. Since then, Eichel has five assists and is -2.
WHAT A KNIGHT:Bowman continues his impressive play after just four games. The 22-year-old made his debut Nov. 13 against the Islanders. In his second game, on Saturday in St. Louis, he scored the first goal of his career, also on the power play.
"He's given us good minutes. The things we're looking for are, can he keep up the pace and strength of NHL hockey night after night. In four nights, that has not dropped off. That's a good sign, because that's the challenge for all the newbies in the league."
Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) on XBraeden Bowman on the power play is a cheat code 🎮UP NEXT: The Golden Knights open a three-game road trip at Utah on Thursday.
PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid (40) makes a save against New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle (50) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena.
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No. 17 Michigan State drains 11 3-pointers in 83-66 win over No. 12 Kentucky
Kur Teng hit three of Michigan State’s season-high 11 3-pointers on the way to scoring a career-best 15 points, and the 17th-ranked Spartans beat No. 12 Kentucky 83-66 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the opener of the annual Champions Classic. Michigan State (4-0) made half of its 3-point attempts after entering the game shooting 21.7% from long range — fourth-worst out of 361 Division I programs — with just 14 total through its first three games. The Spartans outrebounded Kentucky 42-28 and never led by fewer than 10 after Teng’s baseline fadeaway jumper deep in the corner with 2 seconds remaining in the first half.
No. 19 UCLA turns new look into 79-48 victory over Sacramento State
Eric Dailey Jr. had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Xavier Booker scored 12 and No. 19 UCLA rode a new-look starting lineup to a 79-48 victory over Sacramento State on Tuesday night. Trent Perry, Jamar Brown, Steven Jamerson II and Brandon Williams all started for the Bruins (4-1) after making just two starts between them in the first four games of the season. Booker, Tyler Bilodeau, Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark all began the game on the bench.
Rangers unable to get much going in 3-2 loss to Golden Knights
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Rookie forward Braeden Bowman scored his second career goal and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore also scored for the Golden Knights, and Akira Schmid stopped 17 shots. Vegas improved to 2-0-1 in the past three games following an 0-2-2 stretch.
Two of Vegas’ goals came on the power play. After a 3-for-34 skid, the Golden Knights have scored five times with the man advantage in the last three games.
Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck scored for New York. Another would-be goal by Brodzinski in the third period was wiped out following a replay review when center Mika Zibanejad was ruled offside after Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the play.
Trocheck’s deflection during a 6-on-5 with 2:43 left cut the margin to one.
Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves for the Rangers.
Bowman, playing his fourth NHL game, scored his second power-play goal in four nights. After making a pass to the top of the slot for Mitch Marner, whose shot deflected off Shesterkin’s pad, Bowman was there to one-time the rebound into the net midway through the first period.
Hutton gave Vegas a 2-0 lead when he scored his first goal in 609 days, beating Shesterkin from the left dot early in the second.
Brodzinski cut the lead in half when he banged in the rebound of Will Cuylle’s shot on a 2-on-1 later in the period.
Theodore, who underwent surgery to treat testicular cancer prior to the 2019-20 season, scored the game-winning goal midway through the third on Hockey Fights Cancer night at T-Mobile Arena.
Up next
Rangers: Will visit Colorado on Thursday.
Golden Knights: Play at Utah on Thursday.
New lineup equals big victory for UCLA men against Sacramento State
UCLA begins game with four regular starters on the bench and the Bruins go on to rout an overmatched Sacramento State.
Champions Classic takeaways: Michigan State, Duke pick up top-25 wins at Madison Square Garden
Michigan State looked dominant in its win over Kentucky, while Duke was able to outlast Kansas with Darryn Peterson sidelined due to injury.
Brewers say Brandon Woodruff's return doesn't mean a Freddy Peralta trade is imminent: 'Independent decisions'
The Mets need starting pitching, and there are options this offseason, whether it's in the free agent or trade market.
However, the Brewers are making it known that ace Freddy Peralta being dealt isn't inevitable.
After Brandon Woodruff was one of just four players to accept the $22 million qualifying offer to return to Milwaukee, many believed it was a precursor to the Brewers trading Peralta -- who is on an expiring contract -- to recoup assets. ESPN's Jeff Passan cited executives with interest who believed the chance for a Peralta trade would "drastically increase" if Woodruff took the qualifying offer.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and president of baseball operations Matt Arnoldcommented to The Athletic late Tuesday that one decision doesn't impact the other.
“Independent decisions Matt and his group will make,” Attanasio told The Athletic. “We’re certainly excited about our rotation now.”
Peralta is set to make just $8 million in 2026, a very team-friendly deal that the Brewers could afford, but with the threat of losing their best pitcher to free agency at the end of the season, it could be the best chance to get the most back in a deal, especially after the year the 29-year-old just had. The 2025 season was arguably Peralta's best as a pro. In 33 starts, he pitched to a 17-6 record and a 2.70 ERA. He made his second All-Star team and was fifth in Cy Young voting.
Currently, the Mets' starting rotation is in a state of uncertainty. Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and Nolan McLean are expected to be a part of the mix while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns looks to add and remake the rotation this offseason.
What pitcher or pitchers he can obtain is not yet known as Stearns navigates the ever-evolving offseason.
"There are teams that are still feeling out where they're heading this offseason," Stearns told SNY's Andy Martino at the GM Meetings. "I have experience and recognize that positions at the GM Meetings may not always be the position a club takes at the Winter Meetings and may not be the position a club takes at the end of January. These things can evolve at the end of the offseason and be really challenging for me to predict at this point...what we try to do is stay involved in the conversations and make sure we're informed as much as possible and that allows us to make the best decisions."
Aside from Peralta, the Mets could try and pry other top-line starters like Tarik Skubal from their respective clubs. They have the young talent like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat that they can use as trade chips, but it's not the only avenue Stearns has to add to the Mets rotation.
Other arms like Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Michael King are available via free agency.
Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson to have his hamstring injury re-evaluated
A lingering hamstring injury caused Darryn Peterson to miss a third consecutive game for Kansas, and coach Bill Self is not sure when the nation’s top recruit and potentially the top pick in next year’s NBA draft might be ready to play again. Peterson has not played since getting hurt during a pregame shootaround on Nov. 11. Self said the team feels good about how it is handling Peterson and doesn't expect the absence to be “long at all.”
Connor Bedard Scores Another Hat Trick; Blackhawks Defeat Flames 5-2
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Calgary Flames at the United Center on Wednesday in their 19th game of the season. This is the second meeting between the two clubs.
The Blackhawks came in feeling good about themselves after a big win over the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. The Flames arrived in Chicago with the worst record in the National Hockey League, so they were looking for a spark in any way they could get it.
Earlier this season, the Blackhawks and Flames met up in Calgary. It was a 4-0 shutout victory for Chicago, and it featured a lot of physical play, including multiple fights.
At 15:05 of the first period, Ryan Donato ended a little bit of a scoring slump by giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. On the goal, Louis Crevier earned another assist, giving him 8 on the season. Oliver Moore also picked up an assist.
Almost a full period later to the minute, at 15:11 of the second, Connor Bedard scored with a high-effort play. He used his newfound extra burst to reach the puck and poke it into the net through the wickets of goalie Dustin Wolf. Sam Rinzel earned the helper on the goal with his nice puck-clearing pass from the defensive zone.
Late in the second, the Calgary Flames scored their first goal of the season against the Blackhawks. It almost took them five full periods, but Matt Coronato's goal pulled them within one.
Eventually, in the third period, the Flames found a way to tie the game. Rasmus Anderson ripped one past Arvid Soderblom to even things up at two goals apiece.
Not even two minutes of game clock later, Connor Bedard scored again with a snipe of his own. Ryan Greene made a perfect pass to find him, and Bedard didn't miss.
Oliver Moore later scored his first goal at home, and second of his career. That gave the Blackhawks some insurance, which Moore made mention of after the game as a reason to be extra proud of the goal.
With the net empty for Calgary as they tried to come back, Connor Bedard launched one from his defensive zone into the vacant cage for the hat trick. It is his second hat trick of the season.
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xgood night Hawks fans❤️❤️❤️Bedard is now up to 13 goals and 29 points in 19 games played. The run that he is on is special, as he continues to make his case for Team Canada at the Olympics.
The 5-2 score following Bedard's hat trick stood as the final, and the Blackhawks are now 10-5-4 with 24 points in the standings. They are getting awfully close to being in a playoff spot on American Thanksgiving, which is a noteworthy checkpoint in the NHL.
Watch Every Blackhawks Goal
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xdelivering you this beauty🤩
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xjust tap it in, tap tap tap it in
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XConnor Bedard what a shot😮💨
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xgood golly, Ollie‼️
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xsecond career hat trick✅Next Up For Chicago
The Chicago Blackhawks will return to the ice on Thursday night for a date with the Seattle Kraken, who are not off to a terrible start themselves. Earlier this month, the Blackhawks and Kraken met up in Seattle, with a 3-1 decision in favor of the home team.
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