INGLEWOOD, Calif. — "The guys earned their ice. We haven't really earned our ice many times."
That's how Heat coach Erik Spoelstra described his team's effort in a 117-116 win over the Clippers Wednesday night. As the Heat stumbled out of the gate to a 2-5 start this season, the headlines focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo playing next to each other more than off each other, and on how the offense looked clunky. Spoelstra knew that wasn't the issue, it was the bottom-five defense in the league that was keeping the Heat from finding its identity and winning games.
"You have to make plays defensively, and that's what we've been trying to do is find our identity," Spoelstra said. "The offensive stuff like that's way overblown. You know, going into this game, we have almost a top 10 ranked offense [11th in net rating]. That's ahead of where I thought it would be at this time. But our defense is way behind. That's why we lost games."
For 29 minutes Wednesday night in Los Angeles, from the start of the third quarter through Klay Thompson’s overtime game-winner, the Miami Heat found that identity.
Miami used its length and athleticism to pressure the Clippers' ballhandlers up the court, switched pick-and-rolls more — and more effectively — than they have all season, and played bully ball against a team light on shot creation. Davion Mitchell was ripping the ball away from Darius Garland.
They looked like the team Spoelstra envisioned — a team that played intense, high-energy defense and would get enough offense from its stars. A team with a defense-first, gritty identity and turned that defense into offense.
"I think we turned it up in the second half, majorly," Thompson said. "That ball pressure at half court that Bam, Giannis, Davion, Pella [Larsson], Ryan [Conwell] had was just a game changer."
"One game, does that solve everything? No, but at least now we can see," Spoelstra said. "All right, this is what the plan was the first day of training camp. Everybody wrapped their mind around it, and it just hasn't gone according to plan. But you could see the efforts. The guys earned their ice."
All about the second half
They earned that ice in the second half — the second quarter was more of what had the Heat losing games to start the season. The Clippers went on a 30-4 run to open the frame and dropped a 43-point second quarter on the Heat, with Garland carving them up as LA shot 16-of-22 in the quarter, including hitting 6-of-7 in the paint and 8-of-13 from 3. The Clippers had a 172 offensive rating in the second quarter as they got the shots they wanted — 75% of their first half shots came at the rim or from 3 (and they were hitting those deep balls).
"We gave up 67 points in the first half, and we just really wanted to try to prove to ourselves that we could do something tough," Spoelstra said. "And we opened up the third quarter, had a really good defensive quarter, held them to 20 points, and then did it again, held them to 20 points in the fourth before overtime."
Miami did it for a night, but now comes the hard part: Doing it again. Especially on Thursday night, going up to the Bay Area for a back-to-back against a Warriors team finding their identity and with a pretty good shooter of their own in the backcourt.
"That's our identity. That's what we have to be. Not every other night. We gotta be there every night," Adabayo said of the second-half defensive effort. "We're not scoring, we gotta make sure they don't score either... Being disruptive, we were flying around. That's what it takes... It's gonna be moments when it's uncomfortable. So being able to get out of that comfort zone and then communicate, you see what the potential is."
Miami now has to live up to that defensive potential nightly — but the second half against the Clippers showed them the path.
Detroit Tigers catcher Eduardo Valencia (32) is interviewed after helping bring in the win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
This is installment three of our look back at the 2026 BYB preseason prospect rankings and scouting reports for the Detroit Tigers. Typically, we don’t revisit each prospect on our rankings until we re-grade them for next year’s reports and rankings in the leadup to spring training. This year, with a potentially much longer offseason while the CBA negotiations go one, we thought we’d revisit the full rankings and just give a quick assessment of the year went for each player, what improvements they made, or still need to make, and whether their prospect stock is trending up, down, or neutral as the offseason begins.
Most of the players in this ground from the 21st spot to the 30th spot are 40+ FV prospects. Izaac Pacheco, at 30, is the only one from the 40 FV tier in this article. You can find the full prospect list, with links to each individual scouting report right here. Once again, this is just a look back at the preseason grades and rankings, so players added during the season either in trade or via the draft, aren’t included.
One of the more surprising DFA decisions of the Tigers season came right as they set their Opening Day roster and decided to put this 25-year-old right-handed reliever on waivers, ultimately trading him to the Giants for cash considerations. Smith went on to throw 39.2 innings for the Giants, collecting four saves while blowing five, with a 3.86 ERA and a 3.63 FIP on the year, good for 0.5 fWAR. That’s about as much as they could’ve hoped for when they dealt for Smith. He doesn’t have closer caliber stuff, and wouldn’t crack the setup man level for many teams.
We’re not going to lose a ton of sleep over a middle reliever with modest ability to handle a setup role, but right-handers like that were in rather short supply for the Tigers at multiple points during the 2026 season. Just a strange bit of roster mismanagement perhaps indicating some overconfidence in their bullpen depth back in March. Smith’s fourseam-slider combination was effective enough for a solid strikeout rate with the Giants and he limited home runs, but some of that is probably related to Oracle Park being a difficult place to hit homers, as Smith allowed a much higher fly ball percentage than he did in the minors. There may have been an element of pitching to the park as well. He still needs to command both pitches more consistently and limit walks to move into regular high leverage setup work, but he took a pretty nice step in his first full year in the major leagues.
Ty Madden spent years in the Tigers system trying to overcome a fourseam fastball with mediocre shape and declining velocity. His command developed pretty nicely considering the deep pitch mix he wields, but some of his issues have never been fully worked out. The club’s competitive balance pick in Round A back in 2021, much was expected of Madden at the time, and very little has been produced. He made a short debut in 2024 and then missed the 2025 season with a rotator cuff injury. Heading into his age 26 season, we still held out hope that Madden would provide some value in relief.
His pre-injury velocity did not fully come back, but Madden thrived pretty well anyway, utilizing his deep pitch mix more effectively in 2026. It took him some time to get on track at Triple-A, but he eventually started finding his groove and eventually threw 46 innings of middle relief for the Tigers with a 3.26 ERA and a 3.55 FIP combination. Putting a 40+ grade on him was a bit ambitious coming back from major shoulder issues, but Madden lived up to the billing. He knows how to pitch and has learned to mix fourseamers, sinkers, and cutters to take pressure off the fourseamer. With a good slider and a decent splitter and knuckle curve, Madden has the arsenal of a starter, but the pitchability of a potentially valuable middle reliever who can handle going through an order multiple times.
I’m not sure there’s much left to squeeze out of his game at this point. The high 90’s velocity he had as a premier college starter has faded a bit, and unless some radical development occurs, this is probably pretty close to his level. The Tigers have been trying to build more ride into the fourseamer for years, and despite a little higher arm slot this year it’s still pretty mediocre action on it. Still, as the first year after a pretty major injury, it was a success. If Madden can get back to his old consistency with his breaking stuff and punch out more hitters nex year, he’ll be even better equipped to handle a mix of longer relief work along with some setup opportunities. It’s just a pretty similar profile to Drew Anderson’s likely position in the bullpen.
Wake Forest alum Michael Massey might be the best pure relief arm in the Tigers’ system. They drafted him in the 4th round of the 2024 draft, and then watched him follow so many of the Tigers top pitchers drafted onto the injury list in his first year of pro ball. After missing all that time for Tommy John surgery and rehab, all we really wanted this year was to see him back on the mound. We got that much as Massey made two short starts late in the year.
Happily, the stuff is still really good. Massey was steadily 94-95 mph with over seven feet of extension to the plate. His most notable quality is the enormous riding action on that fastball due to his high arm slot and release, and that returned intact as well. He averaged nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break, and while we’d love to see him build up to 97-98 mph over the next year or two, the movement and extension makes this a plus fastball already with good potential for more.
The six-foot-five, 230 pounder has the frame to keep building velocity into his mid-20’s. His curveball is another plus pitch, pairing really well with the heater out of Massey’s high arm slot. He packs a pretty good slider as well. Now the challenge is to stay healthy in 2027, build up his arm, and get on with refining his command. That high arm slot requires him to clear his head off the target line a little early, and timing that up can be tricky, but he has the athleticism to make it work. Massey should move very quickly as long as the Tigers develop him as a reliever as expected.
Until we see him settle in for a full season and improve his strike-throwing, we’ll hold him with a 40+ grade, but he has really high end potential in the bullpen. If the velocity and command develop as projected, Massey could be a closing option for the Tigers down the road. The only goal in 2026 was just to get back on the mound. We’ll see where things go from there.
We were very impressed with Valencia’s breakout at the plate in 2025, but it was still hard to envision a regular role for him with the Tigers, limiting his upside. A decidedly bat first player with a good approach, letting fastballs travel and taking them the opposite way while turning on and crushing breaking balls and changeups, there was a lot to like coming into 2026, and Valencia proved the breakout was real with a really nice major league debut. He hit 8 homers in 42 games while batting .341 and coming up with plenty of big knocks along the way. There was plenty of good fortune on balls in play, and I don’t think Valencia is going to be a consistent .300 hitter, but he is dangerous and kept the strikeouts in check fairly well. If he can be a little more selective in his swing decisions, he should remain a very productive hitter.
The really interesting part of his season was the improvements behind the plate. I still don’t love him as a second catcher, as teams are running more and Valencia’s arm is pretty stretched behind the plate. On the other hand, his framing, blocking, and game calling were all improved to roughly average levels after an impressive offseason’s work. Coming into the season I thought we might have just have a pinch-hitting specialist who could possibly improve as a first baseman but wouldn’t end up catching that much. Instead, Valencia turned himself into a more viable backup to Dillon Dingler and also showed leadership ability and a knack for the big moment. His teammates really seemed to rally around him at times.
Those defensive improvements really help the profile, and bump him up a full grade as he graduates from the system. Valencia is not really built to be an everyday player, but as a backup catcher who will get a lot of plate appearances in the DH slot, he’s got a regular role carved out for himself next year.
This 22-year-old sinkerballer made a fairly impressive full season debut in Single-A back in 2024, but hasn’t been able to take the next steps to break into the upper minors. That’s not surprising considering his age, but now we have back-to-back years with only minor progress. Castillo has a smooth, easy delivery that was steadily producing a tough mid-90’s sinker in 2024 and 2025, but the secondary pitches were still behind the curve. He had a tough go again for parts of this season, but eventually the slider started rounding into form. Just as the strikeouts started to pile up late in the year, he was knocked out in a rough start on September 1 and was shut down at 87.1 innings.
Castillo projected as a future depth starter with possible mid-rotation upside due to his youth and raw stuff. His slider improved this year, but his command of the slider and changeup was still pretty spotty. Still, it’s the glimpses of easy mid-90’s velocity, nasty sink, and high ground ball rate that make him a name worth watching. The fastball command should continue to improve, and he’s still young enough to be optimistic about his secondary pitches becoming more trustworthy weapons. The Tigers may have a pretty good starting pitcher here in time. So, we’ll hold him around this level with a 40+ grade and see if he can put it together and conquer High-A in 2027.
We were higher on Callahan than most in 2024-2025 as he battled a litany of small injuries. Heading into 2026, he finally got some national love and some overcompensated for being late on him by getting a bit too excited. He did reward our confidence in his all around game with a strong campaign at Double-A Erie before leaping quickly through Triple-A to reach the major leagues. Unfortunately, his free swinging ways continued and Callahan got himself out a lot by chasing. As a result, he didn’t tap into his above average raw power much at all after hitting 12 homers in 60 games at Double-A in the first half.
Callahan is a well rounded player, but whether he can lay off chase pitches enough to contribute offensively remains an open question. His rapid trajectory to the majors this year certainly pressed the issue, but he made no progress in his swing decisions. The leap in pitching was just too much for him as he put up a chase rate of 40.1 percent and didn’t make much hard contact. That isn’t sustainable at the big league level, but he didn’t get much time to acclimate himself either. My sense is that Callahan was a little overwhelmed by the rapid promotions and just never settled in after leaving Erie.
The now 25-year-old needs to adapt and improve his approach significantly to get better pitches to hit. If he does, he should do enough damage to earn regular playing time, as the rest of his game is pretty solid, but it’s just a depth outfielder profile unless he can take that big step in 2027. Expect Callahan to work out of Toledo next season while the Tigers see what they have left in Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows. That will give him time to work on his approach, and opportunities to get back to the majors will be his for the taking if he can improve.
Another small college outfielder like Callahan, the 23-year-old Strong is developing into a good center fielder, but there are plenty of issues with the hit tool as well. He has some pop and good speed, and does a decent job controlling the strike zone and taking his walks. He hit 17 homers and stole 22 bases for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps this season while walking a whopping 15.6 percent of the time and playing a pretty nice center field. Unfortunately, he also swings and misses a lot even in the zone, and that was the issue we were looking for improvement with this season. Instead, he struck out nearly 30 percent of the time.
Strong is still working with a fairly grooved swing. He’s a low ball hitter who struggles to cover the upper half of the zone, and is often caught chasing breaking balls and changeups as he hunts for pitches down in the zone. He does show flashes of above average power, but getting to more of it as he progresses is going to be difficult with a lot of chase and too many whiffs as well. The learning curve is steeper for small college hitters who didn’t see much high level stuff, which was part of the pitch for patience with Strong last year. Even so, there aren’t too many hitters who break through and become major league regulars after punching out this much in A-ball.
His speed and defensive ability certainly give him a clean path to an eventual big league role, but the bat has a lot of catching up to do to carry him that far. We gave Strong some benefit of the doubt last spring, and it just didn’t come together. He’s still young enough to wait on, but it got harder to buy into Strong’s bat this year. Even so, legit center fielders with power don’t grow on trees, so the Tigers will have plenty of patience with him.
This 24-year-old right-hander has a nasty sinker that sometimes touches triple digits. One of the few really interesting pure relief prospects in the system, Rodriguez entered the season at Double-A in need of better command of both the sinker and his slider and unfortunately didn’t make any real progress. He still racked up a massive ground ball rate just shy of 59 percent and rarely allows any home runs, but it remains a difficult profile to float without better command of the sinker. I’d like to see him add some muscle and improve his lower half stability this offseason and hopefully become more consistent in spotting it to both sides of the plate. He’s still an interesting relief option who could develop into something like prime Jason Foley, but while he posted a 2.57 ERA in making the jump to Double-A, there just aren’t enough whiffs in the profile to project much of a major league career if can’t make that happen.
After finally conquering High-A with a 2025 season that saw Stephenson make notable improvements in his batspeed and tap into more power, it looked like his contact and speed game had finally gotten the needed boost. Instead, Stephenson struck out more in his first full season at the Double-A level and the power dried up completely. He missed a little time to injury in May, tore it up in June upon his return, but then really faded again in July and August. He did steal 66 bases, illustrating the traits that keep him an interesting young player at a point where the game seems to be valuing speed and contact more highly again. The Eastern League limited pickoff throws to just one this year, and Stephenson and teammate Peyton Graham took full advantage.
There’s still a chance for a Chandler Simpson type player who sprays the ball around and uses his feet to help him hit for average. The problem is that after doing a lot better job of it at the High-A level last year, Stephenson stopped catching balls solidly out in front of the plate and was back in slap and dash mode for most of the year. Most of his fly balls were either pop-ups or routine flyouts where he’s a little late. Getting to even decent gap power looks less likely now, and while his top shelf speed makes him an above average center fielder, Stephenson’s route running and closing ability remain rough around the edges. There’s a role for this type of player but only if he can start driving better pitching more often next year. He’ll be 26 in January, so further progress needs to come quickly.
Pacheco was the one player in this group with a 40 grade last offseason. After four straight years trying to break out of the High-A level, the slugging third baseman finally managed a much improved season in 2025 and got himself back on the radar to a degree. Unfortunately, all the same issues reared their heads at the Double-A level. His power potential remains enormous, and he did a little better job getting to it this season, hitting 24 home runs, 21 of them at the Double-A level. On the other hand, better pitching carved him up routinely as Pacheco posted a brutal 33.9 percent strikeout rate. After years of adjustments and swing changes, he’s tapping into his power at the bottom of the zone but still struggles to cover the rest of the plate with any real consistency even against fastballs. There are just so many comfortable ways for better pitchers to get him out while avoiding Pacheco’s sweet spots in the strike zone.
One saving grace is that his defense at the corners is actually pretty solid. He’s more than a future possible DH. There’s still a pathway to the major leagues for Pacheco, but it remains very narrow. He’s refined his swing and approach to hit a lot of fly balls to the pull field specifically because he has to maximize the damage on his limited amounts of hard contact. To carry that approach to the majors, he’s got to become more selective in his swing decisions. This three true outcomes type of hitting profile is rapidly disappearing around the game, and only players with a great eye for doing damage, like Munetaka Murakami, are really making it work. Pacheco will turn 24 in two weeks, so he really needs to make some adjustments and conquer upper level pitching next season or he’ll be left behind as the next waves of Tigers prospects pass him by.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 04: Michael Porter Jr. #17 and Terance Mann #14 react with Danny Wolf #2 of the Brooklyn Nets during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on November 04, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 114-104. 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 Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nets cried Wolf. This time, he was telling the truth.
Despite selecting a historic slew of first-round picks in 2025, the Nets had seen just two of those rookies, Egor Demin and Nolan Traore, crack Jordi Fernández’s rotation through the first seven games.
Injuries mounted alongside Brooklyn’s losses. Entering Wednesday night with a 1-6 record and coming off a deflating loss to the rival Knicks across the river, they were still winless on their home floor. Urgency kicked in.
Noah Clowney suffered a knee injury in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the night, joining Demin, Joshua Jefferson, Ben Saraf, and Drake Powell on the inactive list — five rookie-contract players forced to watch from the sidelines (or Long Island).
Enter Danny Wolf.
Before Wednesday, the former 27th pick had logged minutes in just two games. His 27 minutes on the court was less than two-way’s Grant Nelson’s 35.
But by the second half, he anchored a unit that turned a tight game into an uncontested 114–104 victory, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 4-of-6 shooting — including two 3-pointers and a game-high +17 in just under 19 minutes.
“Obviously in the NBA, there’s going to be times especially early in your career that you might not be in the rotation, and that was the case for me starting the year,” Wolf admitted postgame. “Everyone emphasizes and preaches ‘you got to be ready’ and you hear it over and over… When coach called my name in the second half, I was ready.”
It’s a small sample size, but when Wolf knocks down shots and makes plays as a secondary facilitator, he gives Brooklyn a distinct way to generate offense in transition. That dynamic starts on the glass: the more defensive stops the Nets string together, the more opportunities Wolf has to snag a rebound and push the pace before opposing defenses can set up.
General manager Sean Marks has long shown an appreciation for frontcourt players who can rebound and push — from Trevor Booker to Ben Simmons to Julius Randle. Wolf fits that modern “grab-and-go” archetype, but adds a legit 3-point stroke to the equation.
“The biggest staple of our team, especially our offensive identity, is supposed to be playing fast,” Wolf explained postgame. “We use the terminology ‘pace and space’ and I feel like there’s times with my play style that I can really help us push the ball up the floor, make simple passes, start the break. Momentum is what helps win you a basketball game.”
The evolution of big men has been fun to watch
Just look at Danny Wolf, who stands at 6’10” but has the fluidity and movement of a guard pic.twitter.com/KbEa6sJlPx
The sequence that swung Wednesday night’s game highlighted that approach. Moments after checking in during the third quarter, Wolf snagged a defensive rebound, pushed the pace, and initiated a transition drive that resulted in a Julius Randle AND-1 layup. On the next possession, he trailed the play, spotted up behind the arc, and hit a 24-foot triple to give Brooklyn its first lead of the second half at 61–59, forcing a Charlotte timeout.
To make it work, Fernández sat three-time All-Star Julius Randle down the stretch in favor of the rookie. Crucially, Fernández didn’t deploy Wolf as a standalone center.
Wolf played every single minute alongside a traditional interior anchor — logging 15 minutes and 37 seconds next to Day’Ron Sharpe and 2 minutes and 59 seconds alongside Moritz Wagner.
Protecting Wolf from heavy low-post drop coverage and rim-protection duties allowed him to roam freely and make decisions in the open floor. During Wolf’s 15:37 alongside Sharpe, the Nets outscored Charlotte 46-32 (+14), with Wolf racking up 10 of his 13 points, all five of his rebounds, and two of his three assists.
The framework for utilizing a player with Wolf’s skillset is familiar to Fernández from his time under Michael Malone in Denver.
“I think that you have to be creative with players that are uncommon,” Fernández said in Oct. 2025. “I was very fortunate to work with Nikola [Jokic], and we had to let him show us what he was able to do. Otherwise, if you see him as a traditional player, then you could fail… Nikola showed certain things that were so different for his position and a seven-footer, and that’s why he makes all these plays and plays in situations where no other big man plays.”
It isn’t about becoming the next Jokic, though. Wolf finding his footing in the NBA has required him adjusting from his heavy-usage roles at Yale and Michigan, where his playmaking came from high volume.
“I think that the coaches [at Michigan] didn’t even know what my role was going to be,” Wolf also said in Oct. 2025. “At Yale, I was more of a traditional 5, and then at Michigan, I don’t even know what you would call my position or how I played… In the NBA, it’s about continuing to get better within the confines of the roles your coach wants you to play.”
On Wednesday, that work in progress delivered real results.
Wolf opened the fourth quarter by hitting a 25-foot transition jumper off a pass from Terance Mann. Operating out of the high-post, he delivered a crisp pass to Traore for a driving floater before driving into the lane himself for an And-1 layup. When Charlotte made a late push, Wolf secured a key offensive rebound, drew the foul, and sank both free throws to seal the victory.
Michael Porter Jr. echoed that praise in the locker room.
“I ain’t gonna lie, the difference tonight was Terance Mann and Danny Wolf. They haven’t been in rotation much, they came in ready to play… Danny coming in and contributing right away like that, that takes a lot of readiness and a lot of discipline to not play for so many games, come in the second half, and contribute the way he did. I always thought Danny was a special player, and I’ve said that since he got here.”
During his first Summer League in August 2025, Wolf said he’s a “work in progress.” Now, some of the progress is tangible and helping lead to wins.
Sports journalist who became a leading authority on football and the Olympics
In 1956 a young science graduate fresh out of Cambridge was given a junior job on the sports desk at the Times. Two years later he made his own way on starvation rations to the football World Cup in Sweden. He reported some of the less enticing matches for his paper for six guineas a game.
By 2012, when David Miller’s career in regular sports journalism finally drew to a close, he had watched 25 Summer and Winter Olympic Games, 14 Fifa World Cups, 62 FA Cup finals, 450 England football internationals and 53 Wimbledon championships. In at least two of those fields – football and the Olympics – he was acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts.
Ontario, CA, Monday, September 15, 2025 - A merchandise store is stocked with caps, jerseys, shirts and toys for the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a single A minor league affiliate of the LA Dodgers. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Images are embargoed until Thursday, September 18, 2025.
For a twenty-year-old playing his first full season as a professional, Easton Shelton was magnificent, destroying pitches in the California League on his way to an MVP award. Four games with the High-A squad were all the exposure that Shelton had to pro ball in Great Lakes at the end of the season. And it certainly didn’t show, with the left-hander presenting himself as not only the Tower Buzzers’ most menacing hitter but also the entire league’s.
Shelton’s career path is a fascinating one, choosing to forego the opportunity to play in UNLV to sign with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent back in 2023—granted, he did so for a hefty signing bonus worth upwards of $200k, but seeing the work this organization has done in its player development evidently also played a role in him choosing them.
After a couple of seasons in rookie ball, Shelton opened the year with the Ontario Tower Buzzers and was phenomenal, but early on there was an adjustment period for the tall first baseman. Shelton wrapped up April with just a .727 OPS, but the Tower Buzzers stuck with him, and from May onward, the results were overwhelmingly positive—Shelton’s power started to appear on a regular basis, with him smashing at least nine home runs in each of the next three months.
Highlighting just how impressive his season was, Shelton alone (37) hit more home runs than the next two highest-ranked Tower Buzzers combined (36). The long ball number 37 certainly wasn’t a cheapie, a grand slam that traveled over 500 ft.
Not only the team leader in most, if not all, offensive categories, Shelton also set Dodger records in the California League with his 37 home runs and 112 RBI—not to mention securing the second-highest OPS in the entire minor leagues, at 1.047.
While the summary of Shelton’s performance begins and ends with his power output, he made the most of that threat to be a complete hitter, which is why we’re standing here with him as the undisputed MVP of the California League.
Only three other players accumulated more hits than Shelton’s 121 in the California League, culminating in a near .300 batting average (.297 to be exact). And the plate discipline, which is what often separates good power hitters from the great ones, was also a key part of his record-setting performance, one of two hitters with an OBP above .400.
Despite all of this success, it’d still be fair to say that Shelton is on the outside looking in in the prospect community. Look no further than his absence from the recently released Baseball Prospectus’ top ten Dodgers prospects here, Shelton thrived under the radar for the better part of 2026. And he’ll need to keep proving himself heading into a higher level in 2027 with the confidence of a player who has conquered his first challenge.
In mid-July, Easton Shelton put up one of the more memorable performances of the 2026 minor league season. He went 5 for 6 with a pair of homers and drove in five to help the Tower Buzzers not just weather the Storm but also send it packing in an 11-5 victory.
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 20: Members of the Atlanta Braves celebrate with BravesVision reporter Wiley Ballard in the clubhouse after clinching the National League East by winning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Sunday, September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Michaela Schumacher/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Braves made their quarterly earnings release call on Wednesday morning. BravesVision isn’t printing money, but they’re still better off producing things in-house than they were with the previous TV arrangement. The Battery is strong, but they appear to be growing into the real estate that they have. They had two postseason games in September, so ticket sales went up. But overall, it’s kind of a meh three months.
Before we dive in, a brief aside:
This post is not financial advice, and shouldn’t be confused as such. Battery Power, SBNation and their parent company, and I don’t care how you invest. I don’t hold a financial position of the Braves, whether that’s buying or holding or selling. We cover all aspects of the Braves here, and we’re walking through these results to get a sense of the financial health of the franchise. I don’t have a take on the stock. And even if I did, you shouldn’t take my advice anyway. I’ve made every bad investing decision at least twice over the course of my lifetime. Ok, back to the news.
Top Line Numbers
The Braves returned to the postseason and saw a 14% increase in average attendance per regular season home game in the third quarter from the prior year period.
Baseball revenue increased 4% in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the prior year primarily driven by increases in baseball event revenue and retail and licensing revenue.
Mixed-Use Development revenue increased 7% for the third quarter of 2026 primarily due to an increase in rental income driven by increases in tenant recoveries and new lease agreements.
Debt increased $20 million in the third quarter primarily due to net borrowings on the League wide credit facility to support working capital, partially offset by net payments on the TeamCo revolver.
Booked a 51.1 million dollar loss January through September 2026 versus a profit of 36.2 million in January through September 2025
Umm yikes, y’all. Going into the lockout and new CBA negotiations, I didn’t expect the Braves to confess to having blowout numbers. And they surely didn’t. The on-field personnel payroll increased by 43 million last year, but that’s just about half of the shortfall. Ticket sales were basically flat when you consider that the Braves had one more home game and two postseason games in Q3.
The first two playoff games were underwhelming
Ticket sales were up slightly. The total revenue is up 7 percent. But that’s with one additional home game and two postseason games. My guess is that Games 1 and 2 of the NL Wild Card Series versus the Phillies brought in about 4 million dollars apiece. That’s more in line with what they get for a regular season game. It’s not overstating it that the Atlanta Braves gave up 7-8 million dollars total to deliver two postseason games in the middle of weekdays with weather in the high 80s and low 90s. I can’t blame Atlanta for staying home. I built a mini-vacation around this playoff series, but not everyone can do that. There is also the issue that even with the increases in season ticket packages and 18 more wins and a NL East Division title, the Braves weren’t able to pay it off with more revenue.
The City Connect uniforms are amazing
However, the retail and licensing part of the house exploded this year. Revenue from this line is up 25 percent over the previous quarter and 21 percent from last year. They really did an excellent job with this City Connect uniform. Most other teams are rolling with some very generic, AI-non-inspired dreck. They honestly looked like something that a movie whose producers wanted to put in a baseball uniform but couldn’t afford the licensing costs. The Braves however, really did combine the old and the new with a big shoutout to Ted Turner. I keep waiting for these to drop in price. Now I understand why they aren’t.
Terry McGuirk is pleased with the roster
While there were no shoutouts to Fangraphs or professed admiration of some stats over others, McGuirk seems very content with the state of the organization. In his words:
I want to be clear about how I see this season. It was real progress. We went from missing the playoffs to winnings the division and a postseason series. Our core is in place. Our young players go better and our new manager’s first year was a success. Our minor league system is stocked with future major league talent. We’re pleased with where this organization is headed and will keep working to build on it in 2027.… Coming into this season, we made a deliberate decision to invest in our roster and our major league payroll was meaningfully higher as a result.
This doesn’t sound like someone who is getting ready to turn over the roster. And I got the sense on the call that he was not looking to move on from Tim Hyers, either. We reportedly got confirmation of that hunch earlier. They did increase payroll this season. But they basically made the team deeper and not necessarily gave it a higher ceiling. (which hey, I wanted a deeper bench too and have been griping about it for years) But outside of the higher salary absorbed in a trade for Utility Gold Glove Mauricio Dubon, they didn’t get much return from Ha-Seong Kim, Aaron Bummer, Mike Yastrzemski, and Joel Payamps.
BravesVision is proving to be a great move
The Braves owning their own network was always the way forward. This year they are trailing their media revenue by 8 percent from last year. There are a few things to consider here, though. The payouts that the Braves receive for their product differ from last year. They used to basically get monthly payments while the season was on, but nothing in the offseason. Now the payments come directly from advertisers, and those will be spread out over the course of the year. Another thing that will spread out over the course of the year are payments from cable companies. They can offer 12 months of programming, and they recently told us what that would be.
The Braves led in league in streaming viewers this season. I take that to mean that more people are buying Braves.TV versus any other <insert team here>.TV. But we expected that with how the last rights holder considered the Braves versus everyone else. I would be curious to know how the Braves did versus the Yankees and Cubs. It’s pretty outstanding considering all of the confusion in March around where fans could see the Braves.
Tax bill should go down next year
The Braves, as a public company, have tax issues around employees making a million plus a year. Which is not great, considering they have about 25-30 of them. But Braves Development Company President and CEO Mike Plant said that there is pending legislation to correct this. “We are aware of the recent legislation introduced and continue to lobby and have had discussion with a number of interested parties, including members and leadership of the House and Senate administration and Treasury” said Plant. I believe this might be the legislation he is referring to here. The Braves have been very mysterious about this and it’s hard to tell. They’re not talking about the CBA negotiations either. Because, yeah.
Mostly not great news
The Braves had a lot more game attendance this year. BravesVision is trucking along. Mixed-use development aka The Battery and Pennant Park is still very profitable. But any revenue growth in the real estate portion would come with more debt and scrutiny. But they are making a very good argument about the idea of teams spending money (in the form of higher player salaries) to make more money. The Braves can’t really hide from these numbers, unless you consider how they report BravesVision numbers. But they will go on the report sometime.
For 24 minutes on Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks looked like a team with more questions than answers. For the next 24 minutes, though, they looked like a team that had found a winning formula against the reigning Western Conference champs. Despite rallying back from being down 19 points in the second half to take a late three-point lead, the Mavs ultimately came up short in a 112-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on the road.
The second consecutive loss dropped Dallas to 4-4 on the season. It’s also the Mavs’ second loss to San Antonio in less than two weeks, after the Spurs rolled to a 122-106 win in Dallas on Oct. 24 with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving both sidelined.
This one had a different feel, though. Despite Victor Wembanyama going off for 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks, the Mavs still had an opportunity to win the game at the end, but Irving’s last-second shot just wouldn’t drop. As encouraging as it was to see the Mavs not give up and fight back to make it a close game, nobody seemed happy to come away with any moral victories on Wednesday night.
“I feel like it’s a bad thing,” Naji Marshall said when asked what it meant to come back from 19 down. “I feel like we’re kind of telling ourselves and showing ourselves personally what we’re doing wrong. I feel like we’re letting ourselves down. Just practice what we preach. Go out there from the jump and play like [how we did in the second half]. Who knows how the game will turn out?”
Irving also spoke about the Mavs’ uninspiring first half. San Antonio put up 32 points in the first quarter and 36 more in the second, and Dallas spent most of that stretch, in his words, “playing on our heels.”
“We just got back to the identity that we’re trying to build for ourselves, which is, you know, it’s not so much desperation basketball, but it’s just playing to be the hunters,” Irving said. “… They were getting a lot of offensive rebounds, a lot of second chances. … The second half, I feel like we hit them and they had to respond, and that’s what got us back in the game.”
Instead of driving into Wembanyama at the rim, the Mavericks made a big adjustment and started kicking the ball out, re-spacing and letting it fly. Dallas ended up shooting 14-of-37 (37.8 percent) from deep.
“We stopped challenging Wemby at the rim, and started making better decisions with the basketball,” Mavs head coach Dusty May said.
This isn’t the first time the Mavericks have had to dig out of an early hole this season, and they know that’s a problem that needs to be addressed if they want to potentially be a playoff contender this year.
“To start off the game and, you know, give two quarters up, 32 and 36, that’s not where we want to be,” Irving said. “And when you’re giving up that amount of points in the first half, teams are going to be very comfortable and you got to work your way back. … I think we have to start trending in a direction where we’re going into halftime with a lead.”
The good news, though, is that the Mavericks now have proof of what that version of themselves looks like. May and the rest of the guys will now just have to figure out how to make it show up from the opening tip more consistently. Dallas will be in action again on Friday at American Airlines Center against the 1-7 Utah Jazz. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the Mavs’ second NBA Cup game of the season. They won their first NBA Cup game against the Houston Rockets last week, improving to 1-0 in Group Play.
The Colorado Avalanche have plenty of problems to sort out right now, but one in particular keeps coming back to haunt them. His name is Ryan O’Reilly, and the former Avalanche forward has been nothing short of a nightmare for his old team over the last two meetings.
Nashville has won two straight against the Avalanche, outscoring them 13-5 in the process. The Predators aren’t considered to be a playoff threat, but they’ve looked like bonafide Stanley Cup contenders against the Avalanche as of late.
Leading the charge has been a familiar face.
O’Reilly, who was selected first overall by Colorado in the 2009 NHL Draft and spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the organization, has turned into an absolute headache for his former club as of late.
The 35-year-old has scored five goals in 10 career games against the Avalanche. But here’s where things get a little ridiculous: all five have come in the last two meetings.
O’Reilly first put on a show at Ball Arena on January 16, recording a hat trick as Nashville cruised to a 7-3 victory.
The two clubs met again nearly two weeks later at Bridgestone Arena, and the result wasn’t much different.
Nashville routed Colorado again defeat, this time by a score of 6-2. O’Reilly was once again right in the middle of everything, finding the back of the net twice.
Combined, O'Reilly has racked up five goals and three assists for eight points in Nashville's last two meetings against Colorado.
Nobody is suggesting the Avalanche should throw the entire defensive game plan out the window just to chase one player around the ice. Hockey doesn’t work that way. But when O’Reilly has had a hand in four of Nashville’s seven goals at Ball Arena and four of its six in the rematch, it’s hard to ignore the pattern.
And perhaps that’s a bigger problem than it initially appears, because the Avalanche (9-6-1) are beginning to reach an interesting crossroads. Are they still a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, or are we starting to see a team that’s far more vulnerable than its reputation suggests?
The frustrating part is that Colorado has shown it can look like just about anybody in the league. At its best, this team is breathtaking. The speed, skill, physicality and overall execution can make the Avalanche look like an unstoppable force. But at its worst? Well, there’s a pretty uncomfortable contrast.
Watching Colorado this season has been a case of strong whiplash. One night, you’re standing in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral, admiring something absolutely breathtaking: colorful, intricate, beautiful and almost impossible to look away from.
The next night, you’re looking at Chernobyl. It’s either a masterpiece or a nuclear meltdown, and the inconsistency is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.
The last thing Colorado needs is another disaster against Nashville. And if the Avalanche are serious about getting back on track, it might have to start with finding a way to get physical with their former first-round pick and make life a little more difficult for O'Reilly.
The Avalanche take on the Predators Thursday night at Ball Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. local time.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 28: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with CJ Abrams #5 after scoring against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 28, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Nationals had a great offensive season in 2026. They finished tied for 3rd in OPS, 6th in homers, 3rd in runs, 4th in doubles, 12th in average and 3rd in slugging percentage. That production did not go unnoticed. Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams were both nominated for Silver Sluggers. The Nationals were also nominated for the best offensive team in the National League.
Your 2026 National League @SluggerNation Silver Slugger Award finalists 💪
While I am happy for Wood and Abrams, the team award is what has me most excited. For the Nats to be nominated alongside the Dodgers, Cubs and Brewers is a great achievement. Those teams have been developing into offensive machines for years now. In Paul Toboni’s first season running the Nats, they are now in that company.
Obviously the players deserve a lot of credit as well, but this is a huge player development win. The Nats have star players like Wood and Abrams, but it takes more than that. This award is due to guys like Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young, Andres Chaparro, Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. all taking big steps in the right direction.
There are plenty of teams who had bigger names in their lineup. However, most of those teams could not match the Nats success at the plate. Based on the numbers, the Cubs will probably win this award, but to even be nominated is a huge win for the Nationals organization.
On to the players, I think both Wood and Abrams have strong Silver Slugger cases. Abrams filled up the statsheet in 2026. He led all NL shortstops in home runs, RBI and stolen bases. Abrams broke the Nats record for homers by a shortstop before July was even over.
CJ Abrams' 26th home run of the year marks the most by a Nationals shortstop in a single season!
For the season, Abrams hit .261 with 33 homers, 34 steals, 106 RBI and an .834 OPS. Doing that as a shortstop is wildly impressive. If you got those numbers from a first baseman or left fielder, they would still be in the Silver Slugger mix.
The race between Abrams, Elly De La Cruz and Otto Lopez will be hotly contested. In my opinion, Abrams and Elly are neck and neck for this award. De La Cruz’s red hot finish to the season might get him over the line, but both had tremendous seasons.
I also think James Wood has a decent chance of picking up hardware. Like Abrams, I think this one could go either way. He was the best offensive outfielder in the NL for the first half. However, he slowed down after the All-Star break and missed about a month.
Even with that context, Wood still had the second best OPS in the National League at .891. He hit 30 homers, scored 106 runs, stole 21 bases and drove in 77 runs. When Wood was at his best this season, he was an unstoppable force that pitchers had no answers for.
We will see if that elite first half is enough to get him silverware. When I look at the numbers, I tend to think it should. Besides Pete Crow-Armstrong, all the other candidates are pretty close together. Fernando Tatis Jr. had a great second half, but also went about two months without homering. Like Wood, Corbin Carroll and Jordan Walker had rough second half numbers, but were not as good as the Nats slugger in the first half.
The winners will be announced on November 17th, so that will be something to look forward to. It would be a real shame if no Nats got rewarded with a Silver Slugger given the offensive season the team had. I tend to think Wood will get over the line, but we will find out in a couple weeks.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 04: Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres reacts after striking out against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning in game two of the National League Division Series at American Family Field on October 04, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team to keep an eye on during free agency this offseason, as they look to take that next step toward making their first postseason appearance since 2015.
Their 82-80 record this past season provides hope for the future and makes them an intriguing team for free agents to sign with. One player that could be on their radar is San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France.
“The Pirates have more than $20 million coming off the books from 2026, just between Brandon Lowe (who has a qualifying offer to decide on) and Marcell Ozuna. A portion of that could be reallocated to France, in hopes that he can help them build on their first winning season since 2018,” Bleacher Report contributor Tim Kelly wrote.
France, 32, was an All-Star in 2022 with the Seattle Mariners, who he helped reach the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. In the years to follow, France’s career took a bit of a downswing, which led to him being designated for assignment by the Mariners in 2024. While he struggled and bounced around the league with the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Toronto Blue Jays, he ended up having a breakout year for the Padres in 2026.
He had a career-high 4.5 wins above replacement while participating in 133 games for the club. He batted .295 with 21 home runs and 72 RBIs, making him one of the top free-agent first basemen on the market.
France would be a strong upgrade compared to Spencer Horowitz, who played 114 games at first base for the Pirates this past season. If Pittsburgh wants to take that next step, they need to be aggressive in free agency, and signing France could be the move that helps them get closer to their goals.
BD community, what are your thoughts on the potential of signing France? Let us know in the comment section below.
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has already taken home three awards this offseason — Player of the Year from Baseball America and the Players Choice Awards, and a Gold Glove.
Thursday, Louisville Slugger announced “finalists” (really just the top vote-getters) for its Silver Slugger awards.
PCA and Seiya Suzuki were finalists for the NL outfield awards. There were seven “finalists” and three will be chosen (regardless of position). The other four: Corbin Carroll, Jackson Chourio, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jordan Walker and James Wood.
Alex Bregman and Max Muncy were the two “finalists” at third base.
It’s entirely possible that all three Cubs “finalists” will win Silver Sluggers this year. For Suzuki and PCA, it would be their first such award. Bregman won a Silver Slugger in 2019 with the Astros and 2026 was clearly his best offensive season since then.
The winners of the 2026 Silver Slugger Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 30: Jalen Smith #25 of the Chicago Bulls attempts a three point basket against the Boston Celtics during the second half at the TD Garden on October 30, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are off to their best start since their franchise record-setting 2017-18 season. That season, of course, featured Chris Paul and the Rockets’ second-best player in franchise history, James Harden. The Rockets won a franchise-best 65 games that season, and it was also the last time they made the Western Conference Finals.
The Rockets have gone through a complete overhaul since then and were hoping they could get back to that level or beyond with the hiring of Ime Udoka in 2023. The Rockets have made progress, going from a rebuilding lottery team after Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 to a playoff team the last two seasons.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they have plateaued over the last two seasons, bowing out in the first round in both seasons. There were legitimate reasons for that, as the Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in four seasons in 2024, and last season they were without not only Fred VanVleet, who was out all season, but also Kevin Durant, who missed all but one playoff game.
Heading into this season, the Rockets plan to have a full roster for the first time in the Kevin Durant era. VanVleet was ready to start the season, along with Steven Adams, who missed the last four months with a lower-body injury. Those plans lasted one game into the regular season, as Adams went on the injury report with a right soleus (calf) injury. Udoka stated that Adams is not day-to-day but week-to-week.
Clint Capela is the Rockets’ third-string center and filled in for Adams last season after he went down in January, and he filled that role again at the start of this season. Capela is now a two-time Rocket who started his career with the team and played during the Harden era; he had some good games filling in for Adams this season, but the 32-year-old is now also out with an ankle injury.
Even after their loss Wednesday night to the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves, the Rockets are still 7-2 and are one of the early favorites to go deep into the playoffs. They have their most versatile team since that 2017-18 team and improved their bench this past offseason. However, the backup center position is the one position the Rockets may need to improve before the trade deadline, and with their assets, they are in a great position to do so.
The Rockets may need to upgrade their backup center position
First off, Adams, when healthy, is one of the best, if not the best, backup centers in the NBA. Since he arrived in Houston, he has catapulted them into the league’s best rebounding team every season he’s been on the roster. When Adams went out with his injury in January of last season, the Rockets’ rebounding dropped noticeably for the rest of the season.
The issue is that Adams’ availability isn’t guaranteed, as he missed several months last season and has played only one game this season. Even before coming to the Rockets, Adams missed the entire 2023-24 season, including the second half with the Rockets after being traded before the deadline.
As mentioned earlier, Capela is a serviceable third center, but he is entering his 14th season and is no longer the lob threat he once was. The Rockets do have another center, Oscar Tshiebwe, who has been good in limited minutes but doesn’t offer what the Rockets lack: an athletic lob threat at center.
The Rockets have the most assets in the 2027 draft, as they can swap picks with the Nets and also have the Phoenix Suns’ first-round pick. Both teams are off to slow starts this season: the Suns are 1-5, and the Nets are 2-6. One quick note: in past seasons, teams that finished in the bottom three in wins had the best odds at a top pick; that is not the case now, as finishing with the worst record gives you only two ping-pong balls, and finishing 4-10 actually gives you better odds.
The Rockets having those two picks is a big deal, and they may use them as part of a bigger trade, but if they continue their current trajectory, they may feel they dont have to swing for the fences and may go for a smaller move, like upgrading their backup center.
As mentioned earlier, the Rockets need a center who is reliable and, more importantly, can run the floor, block shots, and play above the rim or, at the very least, stretch the court. The best move is to hold onto Adams, since he is still the best backup big when he is on the court, and bringing in another center can help the Rockets slowly bring him back.
Some realistic names to consider, even though each comes with its own drawbacks.
Robert Willams
Jalen Smith
Dary’Ron Sharpe
A Quick Synopsis of Each Player’s Pros and Cons
Robert Williams has long been on the trade block. The 6’9 “center is one of the most athletic centers in the league. He would provide the Rockets with a rim-running big who can play above the rim. However, he also suffers from the same injury issues as Adams.
Williams has played only 85 games in the previous three seasons and is the most expensive player on this list at $14 million a year. That would mean you’d likely have to trade Adams, and the best-case scenario would be if you can hold on to him, as he can still have a positive impact, especially in the playoffs.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 2: Jalen Smith #25 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 2, 2026 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Jalen Smith, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls, is more of a stretch big and a good shot blocker. Smith tied his career-high from the 3-point range, shooting .373. The Rockets haven’t had a center who can stretch the floor in a long time, and Smith could provide exactly that off the bench. Smith is also only making nine millon a season, which is a more manageable trade contract.
The drawback is that Smith is in the last year of his contract. Which means he could walk after this season, especially if he is looking for a starting role next season, which he wouldn’t have in Houston.
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 2: Day'Ron Sharpe #20 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on November 2, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Day’Ron Sharpe is another center who could be on the trade block as the Nets continue to rebuild. Sharpe is the youngest of the three. Sharpe is an offensive rebounding machine who can run the floor and has increased his outside shooting. Sharpe would give the Rockets a young, mobile backup center they haven’t had in many years. Sharpe contract is also manageable at only 10 millon a season for the next two seasons.
Sharpe doesn’t provide Smith’s outside shooting, but he can crash the boards with the best in the NBA and gives you a version of Adams when he is on the court. He’s also under contract for two seasons instead of one like Smith.
As mentioned above, the Rockets may hold onto the picks and see what happens next offseason, or use them for a blockbuster move before the deadline. If they do decide to go one of those routes, backup center is still a position they should look to upgrade this season.
Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger were officially announced as American League Silver Slugger Award finalists. Award creator and sponsor Louisville Slugger announced the finalists on Thursday morning, with the winners to be revealed on November 17th.
The Silver Slugger Award was created in 1980 to recognize the best hitter at each position in their respective leagues, with the award recently expanded to be given to a utility player as well as one for the best offensive team in each league. Unlike many of the other year-end honors including MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, the Silver Slugger is not decided by the BBWAA. Instead, coaches and managers from each team cast votes for the winner and are not allowed to vote for players on their own teams.
This is Ben Rice’s second straight appearance as a finalist for the award, getting nominated in the utility category last year before losing out to Zach McKinstry of the Tigers. Despite splitting reps between first base and DH, Rice earns the nod in the DH category this year. Rice led all Yankees position players with 4.2 fWAR this season, finishing third in MLB in slugging (.534) fifth in wRC+ (149) and seventh in home runs (41). Overall, he slashed .264/.363/.534 while also adding a team-high 105 runs and 97 RBIs in 154 games. Should he win, this would be Rice’s first major award of his career — but given his competition, he’s probably a long shot.
As for Bellinger, this is also his second straight nomination as a finalist for the award, missing out last year to Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, and Riley Greene. Bellinger has already secured two pieces of hardware this offseason, winning the AL Gold Glove Award and the Fielding Bible Award in left field. Despite missing a month to a hamstring injury, Bellinger still finished third among left fielders with 3.5 fWAR and fifth in wRC+ (115). In 121 games, Bellinger slashed .264/.338/.429 with 17 home runs, 73 runs scored, and 73 RBIs. Should Bellinger be voted winner on November 17th, it would be the third Silver Slugger award of his career, the other two coming in 2019 and 2023.
As for the rest of the AL nominees, Dillon Dingler and Carter Jensen are finalists at catcher. Pete Alonso and Willson Contreras are first base finalists after both finished in the top-six in MLB in wRC+. Kody Clemens and Chase Meidroth are the second base finalists. Finalists at short include AL MVP finalist Bobby Witt Jr., likely AL Rookie of the Year Kevin McGonigle, and Zach Neto. At third base is AL MVP finalist Junior Caminero and Miguel Vargas, the pair finishing tied for 12th in MLB in fWAR.
The outfield finalists joining Bellinger are Mike Trout, Wilyer Abreu, Randy Arozarena, Chase DeLauter, Jac Caglianone, Chandler Simpson, Riley Greene, and Tristan Peters. It’s a tight group and Bellinger might well end up outside the top three. Rice also has tough competition at DH with likely AL MVP Yordan Alvarez named as the other finalist. Rounding out the finalists are McGonigle, Sam Antonacci, and Ezequiel Duran at utility, while the Astros, Rays, Twins, and White Sox are your team finalists.
Over on the NL side of the award, Hunter Goodman and Gabriel Moreno are finalists at catcher. NLCS MVP and World Series winner Jake Bauers is joined by Alec Burleson, Rafael Devers, and Matt Olson as first base finalists. NL MVP finalist Brice Turang and Brandon Lowe are finalists at second base. Elly De La Cruz was snubbed as an NL MVP finalist, but is nominated for this award alongside CJ Abrams and Otto Lopez at shortstop. Alex Bregman and Max Muncy are your third base finalists.
In the outfield, presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the way, accompanied by Jackson Chourio, Corbin Carroll, Seiya Suzuki, Fernando Tatis Jr., James Wood, and Jordan Walker. NL MVP finalist Shohei Ohtani is joined by Kyle Schwarber as DH finalists. Finally, Bauers and Tatis are joined by NL Rookie of the Year finalist Sal Stewart in the utility category while the Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, and Nationals are your team finalists.
The Bruins are having another strong year, posting an 11-4-1 record through 16 games and leading the Atlantic Division. Every time I think the Bruins will take a step back, they do the complete opposite.
David Pastrnak is still ridiculous, racking up eight goals and 20 points in 16 games. He's not only one of the NHL's best goal scorers, but also an excellent playmaker.
James Hagens is also off to a great start in his first full NHL season with six goals and 12 points in 16 games. He made his debut last year and very much looks the part this year.
Elias Lindholm is second on the team in points with 13, while Morgan Geekie, JJ Peterka, Fraser Minten, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt have also had strong starts to the season.
Defensively, Charlie McAvoy does everything in all three zones and is one of the best at his position. The Sidney Crosby line will likely get a healthy dose of him in this game.
In goal, Jeremy Swayman ranks sixth in the NHL with 7.3 goals saved above expected and has a .913 save percentage in 12 appearances this season. He's one of the league's best goaltenders, so it will be paramount for the Penguins to get traffic in front of him.
The Penguins will get back Evgeni Malkin for this game after he missed Tuesday's game with an undisclosed injury. Arturs Silovs will start in goal after another strong showing on Tuesday.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 9: Miguel Rodriguez #98 of the Baltimore Orioles runs towards first base on a double during a game between the Glendale Desert Dogs and the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on October 9, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Baltimore Orioles went into 2026 with a ton of optimism. They had a core of talent, a couple of high ranking prospects on the cusp, and signed a big veteran bat in Pete Alonso to give them some feared thump in the lineup. However, the 2026 Orioles mostly limped along through the season, rotating between 500 baseball to 9 games below at their worst, finishing with a 79-82 record, good for 4th place. We talked to Tyler Young of Camden Chat about their takeaways from the 2026 season and what the Orioles can look forward to in 2027.
With the 2026 season in the rearview mirror, what do Orioles fans think are the key takeaways, both good and bad on the season?
I think the big takeaway from most in the fan base is that there is something deeply flawed about the front office. There are just too many things not working out for it to be a coincidence. The homegrown hitters have regressed, the former top prospects aren’t living up to the hype, major injuries hit right at the start of spring training every year, and the team has consistently under-performed its perceived talent level ever since the all-star break in 2024. Many fans want Mike Elias, the team’s president of baseball operations, gone. Instead, the ownership group is committing to increase the size of the front office and has already hired a GM (Jared Banner) under Elias that will be responsible for solving some of those issues I mentioned earlier, while Elias focuses on talent evaluation. It’s good that they are doing something, but it’s unclear how much it will move the needle. On the field, it’s all pretty negative, though I think most fans are cautiously optimistic on the pitching side of things. There is organizational stability in that area, and the club does seem to get the most out of the talent they have on the mound.
What would you consider the team front office’s priority to be this offseason (assuming we’ll have baseball like normal next year)?
Outfield help probably needs to be the top priority. Colton Cowser is the only name you can pencil in with any confidence, and I’m not even sure they want him to play against left-handed pitching. There is speculation that they could convert one of their infielders to play in a corner spot. Coby Mayo is a candidate there, but others think Jackson Holliday could do it as well. The front office probably still needs external help in any case. Starting rotation additions are number two.
Who would be the key players targeted in Free Agency or by trade for the team this offseason, and likewise, is there any players you expect to be traded by the team?
I do think a reunion with Trevor Rogers makes sense. As of this writing, they have extended him the qualifying offer, which Rogers will probably decline. He’s been the team’s best pitcher over the last two seasons, and has seemed to enjoy his time in Baltimore. If that doesn’t come through, I would expect them to make a hard push for Reid Detmers in a trade. The Orioles and Angels have made several deals since Elias arrived, and Elias likes trading for pitchers with years of control left. It would be expensive, but might be worth it. Recent reporting indicates that the Orioles are open to trading anyone but Pete Alonso this offseason. I just don’t know how much value anyone outside of Gunnar Henderson really has, and even he has been less than what they expected recently. They probably need to figure something out at third base with Mayo, Jordan Westburg, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all in the mix. One of them could be packaged up to solve a problem elsewhere.
Going into spring, which prospects, if any, look like they’ll have a real chance to start the year with the major league club?
Enrique Bradfield Jr. probably has the best chance. Outfielder, former first-round out of Vanderbilt. Super fast, great glove, no pop in the bat. He’s not a “Top 100” type, but it’s a skillset that could help this team, even if his playing time is sporadic. They need outfielders, and he is the next one up. Trey Gibson might break camp with the big league team too. He spent some time in Baltimore in 2026 as a spot starter. Could battle for the fifth spot in the rotation. And Luis De Léon is another pitcher to watch. They speed-ran him through Triple-A to help out of the big league bullpen near the end of ’26. They probably want him to spend more time in the minors as a starter for now.
What would team fans consider the elements of a successful 2027 season going forward, whether it is just positive steps forward all the way to winning the World Series?
This needs to be a winning baseball team in 2027, and in this version of the American League that should mean a playoff berth. How they get to that point is harder to say, but I think it starts with the offense. The rotation is serviceable, and the bullpen has some sneaky depth. It was the lineup that failed to live up to expectations last year. Outside of Alonso, and a late-season surge from Mayo, the group was disappointing. They need more out of guys like Henderson, Holliday, Cowser, Samuel Basallo, and the return fo Jordan Westburg. If that means a top five-ish lineup, they will be in a good spot.
And a fun little exercise; you’ve been named GM for the Orioles. Tell me the four biggest (and at least vaguely realistic) moves you make this offseason?
– Re-sign starter Trevor Rogers. There is a good relationship there. He flourished in Baltimore, and the Orioles need him (or someone similar) in the rotation. Plus, the projected contract is pretty palatable. – Trade for outfielder Steven Kwan. The Orioles have no lead-off hitter, and they sorely need better outfield defense. Kwan solves both problems. – Sign catcher Tyler Stephenson. It seems like they want Basallo to catch less often, and Carlos Narváez was an offensive disaster last year after coming over from Boston. They need a dependable option behind the plate. – Sign starter Kevin Gausman. Elias loves signing veteran starter pitchers to one-year deals. He does it every winter. Gausman isn’t what he once was, but he stays healthy and gives his team a chance to win. That’s a perfect back-end arm for a team looking to survive a season. Baltimore being a return to where Gausman began his big league career is a nice added bonus from the fan perspective.
