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When you think of Guidey’s from the bayous outside of New Orleans, the mind automatically shifts to Louisiana Lightning, but there is no blood relation between the two. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Gavin Guidry attended Alfred M. Barbe High School. If that sounds familiar, it should- another Mets-related Gavin was also born in Lake Charles, attended Barbe High School, and was drafted by the Mets not too long ago.

A three-year letterwinner who lost the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barbe baseball team won consecutive district championships in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and the state and national championship in 2021, and Guidry was a major reason why. Coach Cecchini let his star player pitch and hit, and his efforts culminated in winning the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year (Louisiana) in his senior year. At the plate, he hit .422 with 5 home runs and on the mound, he posted a 0.16 ERA in 45.0 innings with 83 strikeouts.

Guidry generated a ton of scouting buzz and by the time the 2022 MLB Draft rolled around, he was in high demand. Considered the best high school player in the state and one of the top prep players in the 2022 draft class, he was forced to choose between accepting one of the many offers made to him by professional teams or honoring his commitment to Louisiana State University. The two-way high school star elected to attend college, with the ability to be drafted as a sophomore thanks to his age.

In 2023, head coach Josh Jordan used Guidry as a two-way player, having him pitch out of the bullpen in 23 games and trying him out at second base and shortstop in an additional 12. The freshman quickly emerged as a weapon out of the bullpen, posting a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 innings, allowing 23 hits, walking 12, and striking out 42 while notching 3 saves; at the plate, he hit a much less impressive .143/.333/.143, going 1-7 and drawing a walk.

The right-hander did not experience a sophomore slump in 2024, posting similar numbers to his strong freshman season. Appearing in 22 games, Guidry posted a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings, allowing 14 hits, walking 18, and striking out 36 while locking down 3 saves. Unlike the 2023 season, coach Jordan did not give the right-hander much time at the plate, utilizing him as a hitter in just a single game. Guidry made it count, though: in his two at-bats on the year, he smacked a double. Draft eligible, the right-hander did not have his name called in the 2024 MLB Draft.

At some point after he threw his final pitch of the 2024 season and 2025, Guidry’s back began hurting him. There was no one specific event where he hurt it, but the pain became so intense that basic functions like laying down to go to sleep left him in excruciating pain. The 2025 season began without Guidry, and every time he started feeling better and began working out to get himself in baseball shape, he would later find himself in even more pain than before. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his L4-L5 lumbar spine and underwent surgery, formally ending his season. Adding insult to injury, LSU won their second NCAA national championship in three years with the right-hander having to sit on the sidelines. Eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft, the right-hander once again went undrafted.

Guidry returned from his surgery in 2026, his redshirt junior season, fully recovered. The 22-year-old appeared in 20 games and posted a 6.39 ERA in 43.2 innings, allowing 38 hits, walking 20, and striking out 59, saving 1 game for the Tigers. Following the conclusion of the season, he left LSU for the cape, playing for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League to attempt to further round into form. Retaining his draft eligibility, Guidry has expressed interest in returning to the Tigers to attempt to win another championship.

The 6’2”, 185-pound right-hander throws from a high-three-quarter arm slot with a medium arm action through the back. He drops and drives off the mound with good extension and has clean, simple, deliberate mechanics. Though a reliever, the right-hander has a large pitching repertoire, utilizing a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, and curveball.

Guidry’s fastball was noticeably not where it was before his back surgery, sitting in the low-90s rather than in the low-to-mid-90s. While the velocity was on the lower side of the spectrum for a right-handed pitcher, he made up for it by getting well above-average induced vertical break on the pitch, up to 20 inches, thanks to its spin and his high release point.

His slider is his go-to strikeout pitch, a mid-80s offering with above-average spin rates, giving it tight, gyroscopic break. It tunnels well out of his hand with his fastball thanks to his high release point and its sudden downward bite has consistently flummoxed hitters, though he hung plenty of the course of 2026 that batters had no issues with. Because of the success of the pitch, for good and for bad, Guidry can sometimes get slider-heavy and throw the pitch just as much, if not more, than his fastball.

Both his cutter and curveball are more change-of-pace offerings than much else. His slider sits in the high-80s and has a bit of horizontal hop, but is primarily used as a transition pitch between his fastball and slider, to set up the latter. His curveball is used similarly, with the mid-to-high-70s pitch mainly used as a sequence-buster to set up his next pitch.

The right-hander was still shaking the rust off in 2026 and nowhere was that more apparent than with his home run problems. After having allowed 6 homers in 53 innings in 2023 and 2024, Guidry allowed 10 in 43.2 innings this past spring. He is not allowing more fly balls as compared to prior seasons- he actually had a 44.5% flyball rate this spring as compared to a cumulative 49.4% in his freshman and sophomore seasons- but he was giving up home runs left and right, his HR/FB% almost doubling from 10.5% in 2023 and 2024 to 20.4% this past season. Hitters did not otherwise hit him particularly better- opposing batters hit .229/.318/.434 against him with a .280 BABIP as compared to .209/.298/.355 with a .297 BABIP in his freshman season and .165/.317/.247 with a .255 BABIP in his sophomore season, making the home run spike an outlier that will likely end with the expected and then return of his prior fastball velocity.

Rob Manfred has made his position on the Giants’ Pride Night controversy unmistakably clear: San Francisco failed to properly communicate with its players.

“End of story,” the MLB commissioner told reporters Tuesday at the Baseball Writers’ Association of America gathering.

Four Giants pitchers protested the team’s Pride-themed caps during its June 12 celebration. Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses beside the rainbow-colored logo, while Sam Hentges chose to wear the club’s standard cap.

MLB initially warned the three players who added messages to their hats because league rules prohibit players from writing on uniforms or equipment. That response drew criticism from Republican lawmakers and eventually prompted a Department of Justice inquiry into possible religious discrimination.

Manfred, however, has continued to place responsibility on the Giants.

The Giants and the Dodgers are the only clubs permitted to use Pride-themed logos on the field. That allowance came with the understanding that players would not be required to wear them and that each organization would clearly explain the opt-out process.

“The understanding with the two clubs that were grandfathered, in terms of using logos on the field, was that they would take responsibility to communicate with their players that they had the option to wear their own uniforms if they were uncomfortable with whatever logo it happened to be,” Manfred said. “That didn’t happen. End of story.”

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There is some ambiguity over how widespread the communication failure was. Hentges said after the game that he knew players could decline the Pride cap, suggesting at least part of the roster understood the policy.

Roupp, Brubaker and Walker later told the San Francisco Chronicle they were not pressured to wear the hats and had planned their demonstration in advance. Manager Tony Vitello also indicated he knew some form of protest was possible.

Manfred previously told Sen. Josh Hawley that the players would not be fined or disciplined. He described MLB’s response as a routine warning issued before the league learned the Giants’ messaging had been “inadequate and not clear.”

The Giants have not publicly answered Manfred’s criticism beyond prepared Pride Night statements and have declined interview requests on the issue.

That silence has left the commissioner’s version as the league’s final word.

For Manfred, the controversy was not created by religious expression or uniform policy.

It began with the Giants failing to adequately explain the rules — end of story. Right?

With the help of Tyler Hardman’s bat, the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders rode some momentum into the All-Star break.

The RailRiders took four of six games in a series at Sahlen Field in New York against the Buffalo Bisons, top affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hardman led the way, batting .500 (12-for-24) in the six games with one double, four home runs, eight runs and nine RBIs.

Those numbers earned him International League Player of the Week honors for July 6-12.

In the series opener July 7th, Hardman went 4-for-6 with a double, two home runs, four runs, and four RBIs as the RailRiders romped to an 18-3 victory. He hit a two-run shot in the top of the second inning and a solo blast leading off the top of the sixth. It is his second two-homer game with the RailRiders — the other came June 25th at Indianapolis — and third of the season. The other came May 2nd with Double-A Somerset.

One night later, Hardman capped a four-run first inning with a three-run home run off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who was making a MLB rehab start with Buffalo, and the RailRiders won, 5-1.

Hardman had three hits, including another home run leading off the sixth inning, and two RBIs on July 10th in a 9-1 RailRiders win. In a doubleheader July 11th he went a combined 3-for-5 although the RailRiders wound up losing both games of the twin bill, 5-2 and 3-1. Hardman contributed a hit in the series finale which the RailRiders won in 10 innings, 8-7.

It took Hardman quite some time to get to Triple-A and he is making the most of it. In 44 games with the RailRiders, he is batting .276 (43-for-156) with nine doubles, nine home runs, 23 runs, and 26 RBIs.

Including 42 games at Somerset, Hardman is batting a combined .288 (88-for-306) with 17 doubles, and 22 home runs. He leads all Yankees minor leaguers in games played (86) and RBIs (66). His 88 hits rank second behind Kaeden Kent’s 97 with High-A Hudson Valley and his 22 home runs are second behind teammate Garrett Martin. Both Kent and Martin are currently on the seven-day injured list at Hudson Valley and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, respectively. Martin has 24 home runs, with his last three coming as a RailRider.

This is the fourth time this season that a RailRider has won the MiLB weekly award. Yanquiel Fernández was named Player of the Week for the period of May 18-24. Brendan Beck was twice chosen Pitcher of the Week: May 11-17 and June 1-8. Beck also was named IL Pitcher of the Month for June.

By winning four of the six games in Buffalo, the RailRiders took the season series from the Bisons, 10-5. They also improved to 11-6 in the second half (48-43) and are in second place in the International League standings, 2.5 games behind the Durham Bulls — right in the thick of the playoff race.

Coming out of the All-Star break, the RailRiders will be home at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania for nine consecutive games. First, they host the Worcester Red Sox on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then, they entertain the Syracuse Mets in a six-game series next week. Against the WooSox this season, the RailRiders are 4-7, while they are 7-11 against the Mets.

The Chicago Cubs are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year. The Chicago White Sox, charter members of the American League in 1901, are in their 126th season.

That’s a lot of baseball and a lot of history. And in the World Series era of Major League Baseball the two Chicago teams have played in October in the same year in just three of the 121 seasons we’ve had postseason baseball. Those years are 1903 to 2025, with these exceptions: 1904 (no World Series because manager John McGraw of the Giants was being pigheaded and refused to play the AL champion A’s) and 1994, when the postseason was cancelled due to a players’ strike.

In addition to having been in the postseason together just three times, the Cubs were often awful when the Sox were in the postseason and vice versa. Consider this article a slice of Chicago baseball history.

I’ve made two tables to show that to you. First, here are the 22 Cubs postseason years:

While the Cubs were good in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the Sox were pretty bad for almost that entire era. Here’s the chart for the 11 White Sox postseason years:

Apart from the three matching postseason years, the Cubs were also generally pretty bad when the Sox played in October, most recently in 2021 when the Sox appeared to have a team that could make the playoffs in multiple years and the Cubs had their big selloff. That postseason run for the Sox obviously didn’t happen and they have been terrible since then… until this year.

And that brings us back to 2026, where we come out of the All-Star break with both Chicago MLB teams in postseason position. The Cubs are currently in the first NL Wild Card spot, with a real chance of winning the NL Central, and the Sox are in a virtual tie with the Guardians for the AL Central lead, both teams at four games over .500. In fact, only five of the 15 AL teams are over .500 at this time — besides those two, the Rays and Yankees are battling for the AL East, and the Rangers, currently two games over .500, lead the AL West.

Of the three seasons where both Chicago teams made the postseason, one of them (2020) was the shortened pandemic season and should be taken with some grains of salt. Both teams were bounced out of that year’s 16-team postseason in the first round, the Cubs swept by the Marlins and the Sox losing a Wild Card series 2-1 to the A’s.

In 2008, the Cubs appeared possibly headed to the World Series with the best record in the NL (97-64) and breakage of their WS drought on its 100th anniversary. But they were rudely dispatched by the 84-78 Dodgers, swept in a division series. Meanwhile, the Sox had to win three straight games against three different teams just to get in — the final regular-season game vs. Cleveland, then a rainout makeup game against Detroit, then a divisional tiebreaker with Minnesota. After that they got bounced in the division series by the eventual AL champion Rays.

The other one, of course, was 120 years ago, when the Cubs won a still-MLB record 116 games and were expected to demolish the 93-win White Sox. But the “Hitless Wonders” White Sox, who had the best pitching staff in the American League, outscored the Cubs 22-18 in winning the World Series four games to two.

One other year in which there was hope in Chicago that both teams would make the postseason was 1977, when the Cubs got off to a 47-22 start, only to collapse and finish at .500. The Sox, who roared into first place at midseason on the strength of a 22-6 July, also faded and finished 92-70. Both teams were in first place as late as Aug. 6. This year? “As always, we await developments.”

As we return to the present day, it does seem as if 2026 will be the fourth time both Chicago MLB teams will be in the postseason and first in 18 years. They could, conceivably, both go into the October tournament as division champions with first-round byes. Who knows? 118 years after their only World Series meeting, could the Cubs and Sox play in October this year? Now that would likely grab a lot of nationwide attention.

There’s just something inherently magical about a kid who can sling a football on Friday nights and launch a 97-mph fastball or turn a smooth double play on the diamond in the spring. That’s exactly what Will Stein, Nick Mingione, and the rest of Big Blue Nation envisioned when Matt Ponatoski committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.

And now, that dream has reportedly become a reality.

According to KSR’s Drew Franklin, Ponatoski has enrolled at UK ahead of the start of football training camp. That means the highly decorated recruit is set to stick with the Wildcats after being drafted in the 18th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by his hometown Cincinnati Reds.

Ponatoski is an absolute stud. A phenomenal talent out of Archbishop Moeller in Ohio, he signed to play both baseball and football at Kentucky. On the gridiron, he’s a highly touted 4-star quarterback who set school records and earned Ohio Mr. Football honors.

On the diamond, he’s a Gatorade Player of the Year with pro-level tools and a winner’s mentality. The talent is undeniable, and he has the skills to excel in either sport. But as the 2026 MLB Draft approached, the looming question hanging over Lexington was: Will he ever actually step on campus?

For those of you who might be unfamiliar with how the MLB Draft rules work, it’s completely different. When a high school player who has signed with a college program gets drafted, they face a massive choice. They have a narrow negotiating window to either sign a professional contract with the MLB franchise that drafted them or honor their college commitment.

The deadline to sign is July 27 at 5 PM ET. If they don’t sign on the dotted line by that exact deadline, the team loses its rights, and the player is headed to college for three years or until they turn 21 at a 4-year school (unless they opt to attend a junior college the school year after the draft, which makes them draft-eligible again the following year).

Ponatoski told Over Slot Baseball that being a professional baseball player was “my dream since I was a little kid.”

Heading into the draft, MLB.com ranked Ponatoski as the 206th-best player in the class (funnily enough, former Cat Tyler Bell comes in at number 10 on those same rankings, the exact same spot he was selected in the first round by the Colorado Rockies). While he isn’t a first-rounder, Ponatoski has serious pro-level stuff, and scouts clearly love his upside.

That’s why Ponatoski was selected by No. 542 overall in the 18th round of the draft. But thankfully, it appears he’s going to attend college and give the Cats some much-needed depth at quarterback on the gridiron while also giving the Bat Cats a boost in the bullpen.