With their second pick on Saturday, the San Jose Sharks selected San Jose native, and San Jose Jr. Sharks alumnus, center Jake Gustafson in the sixth round, 174th overall, in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Gustafson's father, Jon Gustafson, is currently the president of the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda and is also the senior vice president of the SAP Center and Sharks Ice. He previously served as the vice president of the Baracuda, joining the organization over a decade ago.
Jake Gustafson left the Jr. Sharks to attend Shattuck St. Mary's during the 2024-25 season, and then later moved to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. During his first year with the Winterhawks, he scored 13 goals and totaled 25 points in 68 games.
Gustafson brings a big frame to the Sharks' prospect pool, standing at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds.
"Jake Gustafsson can be a highly disruptive forward," Elite Prospects scout David St. Louis wrote in May. "He looked faster here, making some defensive interceptions, and he played his role in the defensive formation, staying connected with teammates and removing options from the opposition. Good routes defensively. A C-grade forward with a chance at a bottom-line role."
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 25: Alex Hoppe #48 of the Seattle Mariners gets a new ball after giving up an RBI single to Ryan O'Hearn #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) in the eighth inning during the game at PNC Park on June 25, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Seattle Mariners made a move in their shallow bullpen, optioning RHP Alex Hoppe to Triple-A Tacoma and recalling LHP Josh Simpson from the Rainiers. The move comes in front of two more games with the Cleveland Guardians, whose lineup is incredibly lefty-heavy. It’s the easiest to understand reasoning behind the move for the M’s, whose typical wariness towards using walk-prone relievers is being set aside for Simpson’s groundball-generating skills.
Simpson has managed a 2.08/3.42/4.77 ERA/FIP/DRA in 21.2 innings with Tacoma, all reasonable enough to consider for recall. Hoppe, by contrast, has had difficulty getting his ducks aligned, seeing a 2.86/4.59 FIP/DRA undermined by a 6.38 ERA in his 24.0 big league frames, due to an astoundingly unfortunate 46.2% strand rate and a .343 BABIP. It’s not all unluckiness, as Hoppe’s command has been underwhelming, but the hard-hurling righty has been tasked to mop up many unsavory moments and might not be jettisoned so quickly were Seattle not utilizing all six starters.
To that plan, today’s piggy-back will not occur as scheduled. The Mariners, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, don’t wish to disrupt the rhythm Logan Gilbert has been in of late, instead pushing Emerson Hancock to a solo start Sunday and George Kirby back home on Monday. While it’s not a shocker, this is another alteration to the rotation as laid out, and will be something to track within the clubhouse and on the field. Of course, lining George Kirby up against the Angels is hard to argue with.
Additionally, the club is apparently considering a “super bullpen” late in the season, making use of both LHP Kade Anderson and RHP Ryan Sloan who’ve been stellar in Double-A Arkansas and could provide multi-inning relief ahead of the club’s five or so high-leverage arms.
The second of the three-game series between the Mets and Phillies at Citi Field will be delayed due to impending weather in the area, the team announced.
New York announced a new 5:20 start.
Christian Scott (2-0, 3.10 ERA) will take the mound against the Phillies reliever Tim Mayza (2-2, 2.06 ERA).
Scott is set to make his first start since coming off the IL with a right hip impingement. His last start saw him allow four runs on seven hits and one walk in 4.2 innings against the Cardinals back on June 11.
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 21: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to bounce back after a 6-4 loss against the Cincinnati Reds to start off their three-game series at PNC Park.
Luckily for the Pirates, it’s a new day, and they will place Jared Jones on the mound. Jones is making his sixth start of the year, but he is coming off his shortest start of the season on June 21 against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched three innings, giving up one hit and one earned run in Pittsburgh’s 8-6 victory at Coors Field. The Pirates will likely have a short leash again, but the goal for Jones should be to pitch five innings and keep the lead for the team.
The Reds are countering with Chase Burns, who has been one of the best pitchers in the league this season. Burns is 9-1 with a 2.00 ERA. He’s coming off a win in his last start on June 21 against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He pitched five innings, giving up five hits and one earned run in a 4-1 victory for the Reds.
The Reds are 11-4 this season when Burns makes a start. This includes seven of the last eight games, in which he has been the winning pitcher in six of them.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Chase Burns (9-1, 2.00 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (1-1, 5.75 ERA)
BD community, chime off in the comments section below.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 13: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks pose for a photo with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award after the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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
How incredible is it that an article like this can be written seriously after what we went through the last 20 years?
It’s been a few weeks since the Knicks lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy and put themselves into the history books. With the NBA Draft now behind us and a brief lull before the start of free agency on Tuesday night, the only sensical thing to do is to bask in the glory of being champions before the cold reality of the second apron sets in.
A topic of discussion in a few of my circles during the NBA Finals was about those banners hanging up in the rafters of the World’s Most Famous Arena.
No, not Billy Joel, Mark Messier, or the championship banners. These babies.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 15: The New York Knicks retired number banners hang above the court during the 64th NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia as part of the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York, 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 2015 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Only seven numbers are out of circulation for the Knicks, with nine total players/coaches honored in the rafters.
Of those nine, only two are ringless. Dick McGuire played in the 1950s, where he made seven all-star teams and appeared in three NBA Finals, but even his number retirement is shared with Earl the Pearl. The only other player in the long history of the Knicks to retire ringless and get his name in the rafters is Patrick Ewing, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
There’s an existing debate to put Carmelo Anthony’s No. 7 in the rafters after he existed as the team’s only mainstream star between the Ewing and Brunson eras, but it feels like it would’ve happened by now. Melo’s number still hasn’t been worn since he left in 2017. No other number lower than 27 has been out of circulation longer.
Even if the Knicks never won a championship, you could probably add at least one name to the rafters when their careers are over. But now that they’ve joined the elite club of champions, suddenly half the roster is in contention to get their numbers retired.
Remember, those 1970 and 1973 teams got six players in the rafters. The entire starting lineups of both championship teams are up there. Only Earl Monroe wasn’t on both teams. That distinction probably means we aren’t putting six in the rafters this time, but there will be retirement ceremonies in the future.
But for whom?
Start Making The Banners
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 18: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 and Jalen Brunson #11 look on during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating winning the 2026 NBA Finals on June 18, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jalen Brunson
The only person who might’ve objected to this was Becky Hammon, but she seems to have finally admitted she was wrong about the Knicks’ captain.
There are few things to say about Jalen Brunson that haven’t been said on this site, on every other site, and what will be said about him when the NBA Champions series we’re doing gets to him. He is, quite simply, the best thing to ever happen to this franchise.
Whether he’s the greatest Knick of all time is open to interpretation, but the circumstances that led to his arrival and superstardom surpass anything in history. The way he revived one of the NBA’s most iconic organizations from the doldrums will go down forever. Even if he never won a championship here, he would deserve this honor.
If the team wanted to retire his number on Opening Night while presenting him with his ring, that would be a perfectly acceptable reaction.
Karl-Anthony Towns
This was honestly the biggest debate before the chip was closed out. Could Towns do enough, without a championship, to ensure 32 is never worn again?
The legacy of Renaldo Balkman, Jimmer Fredette, and Noah Vonleh is a tough one to overshadow…
In all seriousness, it was probably 50/50 whether a half-decade of all-star play and perennial contention could get Towns in the rafters, but now there’s no question.
An All-NBA-caliber running mate for Brunson that ended a 53-year drought. A Piscataway native who grew up a Knicks fan. As New York as any player not named Jose Alvarado. What he did against Victor Wembanyama in the first two games will be replayed forever.
There’s a good chance that 32 is never worn again in Minnesota, either, which could make Towns part of an elite fraternity of players to have their numbers retired by multiple teams. Regardless of how the remainder of his Knicks career goes, or how long it is, he’s a legend who helped end a 53-year drought as the second option. It’s a slam dunk.
Under Consideration
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 21: OG Anunoby #8 and Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks look on during the game against the Indiana Pacers during Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2025 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
OG Anunoby
This is something I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted when Anunoby became a Knick on December 30, 2023. A guy who may never make an all-star team, who probably won’t win a Defensive Player of the Year award, or ever be a top option might have his number retired by an iconic franchise.
Anunoby’s 2026 playoff run was one for the ages. Aside from missing two games due to a hamstring injury and a slow start to the Cavs series as a result, he was arguably the team’s most consistent player and overall MVP due to his incredible defense. His sequence in the final 20 seconds of Game 4 of the NBA Finals might be the most impactful sequence in team history.
The difficult thing to do is compare him to someone on the 1970/73 teams. If the all-stars-to-roster-spots ratio was the way it was back then, Anunoby would be an all-star, so comparing legacies in that fashion would be improper. It’s objectively a lot harder to get to that point today.
If I had to guess, OG will be here for long enough that he will be remembered in such a fond way that he gets his number retired. If not, nobody will wear 8 for a while as an informal retirement, similar to Melo.
Josh Hart*
It’s pretty bold to put a player like Hart up here with Anunoby, whose case to be enshrined among the greats is in him effectively swinging the entire NBA Finals by himself at the end of Game 4, but there’s a case to be made that Hart could get to this point, while also adding an asterisk to make it more likely.
Hart will forever go down as the heart of this championship team. It’s been spoken about ad nauseum, but the 6’4″ wing is possibly the best hustle player of this generation, a connector, a positive presence in the locker room, and a flat-out winning player. His impact matters every postseason, regardless of how fans can turn on him due to clunky regular season performances or lineups.
Will that be enough to get him in the rafters with another few years on the team? I’m leaning no, but I offer a addendum.
What if we take a page out of Dick McGuire and Earl Monroe’s book and double-retire No. 3? Not many fans would object to honoring John Starks’ contributions to the franchise, even if he alone didn’t merit a number retirement. If only Game 7 went differently…
Would Take Another Title
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 13: Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks smiles before the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Mikal Bridges
Imagine hearing “F— Them Picks” chants while 25 is raised to the rafters?
Probably won’t happen, but a man can dream.
Bridges is firmly in the territory of needing a 1973 to happen to join the pantheon. It’s nothing against him; it’s just really hard to get your number removed from circulation. He was a major part of this postseason run on both ends of the floor and was Leon Rose’s biggest and boldest gamble, one that will go down in Knicks lore forever.
Individual excellence would be the other path, but I don’t see him getting there. He’s going to be the fourth option going forward, so while I can see a path to OG Anunoby becoming an all-star or making a run at Defensive Player of the Year (if Wemby is ever ineligible again), I don’t see that for Bridges.
Longshot
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JUNE 12: Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks talks to media during 2026 NBA Finals Practice and Media Availability on June 12, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Mitchell Robinson
I think, if anything, this would be a sentimental, unofficial retirement.
Robinson’s story is a great one, as he’s the only person involved in the organization beneath James Dolan who was around for the darkness that was the pre-COVID Knicks. He’s lived through so many ups and downs, and I’m overjoyed he’s here to enjoy this.
But will he be here much longer? That probably stops the conversation here. It would be a miracle if he were back in this organization next year with the team’s self-inflicted second-apron hard cap. If he managed to take a pay cut and remain with the Knicks for another few years, maybe he could get to the point where No. 23 isn’t worn again for a good while, similar to Melo’s.
The New York Rangers have traded Adam Edström to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Massimo Rizzo and a fifth-round pick (148th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Edström broke onto the scene during the 2025-26 season, as he made the Rangers’ opening-night roster out of training camp and earned a full-time bottom-six role.
However, after playing 51 games, Edström suffered a season-ending lower-body injury, derailing his momentum.
Toward the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, he suffered another injury, which sidelined him for multiple months.
“I mean it sucks,” Edström said of dealing with constant injuries. “What I was dealing with this year, I felt for a long period of time that I can push through it and take care of it after the season, but the more I played, the worse it got. It finally reached a point where the doctors and me made a decision together, it was better for us to just take care of it right away.
“That also puts you in a bad spot, not playing at 100%, playing injured, and from there, missing a lot of time. When you get put on the sideline for that amount of time, it’s not good for your career. It’s been two frustrating years, and knock on wood, I’m hoping I can stay healthy.”
Upon his return to the lineup in March, Edström fell out of favor with head coach Mike Sullivan, losing his spot in the lineup and he was scratched for the majority of games to close out the season.
By April, it was evident that the 25-year-old forward was in need of a fresh start.
“We’ve had some conversations,” Edström said in April about his dialogue with Sullivan. “He's kind of told me how he looks at my season, and I got to talk to him and kind of tell him how I felt. At the end of the day, it’s his team, and he decides who plays, so all I can do is respect that…
“I feel like there are a lot of parts in my game that I can develop for sure. I can work on physicality, always skating hard, those kinds of things. It’s been a very choppy year, playing big amounts of the year not feeling well, playing injured, missing a lot of time. As I said, it’s been a tough year.”
Rizzo, the player the Rangers received in return for Edström, is a restricted free agent, and he reportedly won’t be given a qualifying offer.
In the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders selected right-shot defenseman Vladimir Dravecky out of the Guelph Storm in the OHL.
Under a stacked Brantford Bulldogs team last year, Dravecky tallied nine goals with 19 assists for 28 points in 58 games, as well as three assists in 11 playoff games. Dravecky also scored five assists in 11 games with the Czechia U20 team in international competition, but was held scoreless at the 2026 World Junior Championship.
Dravecky was traded from Brantford Bulldogs (OHL) to Guelph Storm on June 9.
Standing at 6’0” and 192 pounds, Dravecky has a well-rounded game, possessing strong mobility and hockey sense. The blueliner doesn’t have a standout trait, but he may have scored more on a less talented team; Dravecky was stuck behind other defensemen within the Brantford depth chart.
Dravecky was expected to be selected around the third round by some scouts, so the Islanders may have found some value by picking him in the fifth.
Islanders just picked up Vladimir Davecky who was a bit buried on an elite Brantford team, but you could see signs of the ability he has. He'll be featured more at Guelph next year as they build towards the Memorial Cup. Right shot, can move pucks and make some plays.
Dravecky is now the third defenseman selected by New York, and the second right-shot blueliner chosen by general manager Mathieu Darche, who is seeking to bolster the weak right side in his team’s prospect pool.
The Islanders are slated to draft two more times, once each in rounds six and seven. Day 2 of the NHL Draft is available to watch on NHL Network, Sportsnet, and ESPN+.
Ron Harper Jr. is a real Boston success story from last season. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 (training camp contract) before camp last year, but by the end of camp, the team had turned that into a two-way contract. As the season moved past the All-Star break, Harper became a regular part of the Celtics' rotation. In April, Boston converted him to a standard NBA contract.
Now the Celtics have declined Harper's $2.6 million team option for next season to re-sign him to a three-year, $9 million contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
After the All-Star game last season, Harper averaged 11 minutes a night, scoring 5.1 points per game.
Harper is entering his fifth NBA season, but the first one with a guaranteed deal. He was on two-way contracts with Toronto and Detroit before he came to Boston.
Harper is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and the older brother of Spurs guard Dylan Harper.
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the twenty eighth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson after he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Last June, the Brooklyn Nets traded Cam Johnson, a player earning a little more $20 million to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and a future first round pick, the Nuggets unprotected first in 2032. It was a salary dump and Denver seemed tired of MPJ. The cost to the Nets for salary cap purposes: $17 million.
This June, the Brooklyn Nets traded Nic Claxton, player earning a little more than $20 million to the Chicago Bulls in a three team deal for Julius Randle and a swap of future first round picks that yielded them the Timberwolves’ unprotected first in 2026. It was a salary dump and Minnesota seemed tired of Randle. The cost to the Nets for salary cap purposed: $17 million.
You have to hope at the Nets do as well in last week’s trade as they did in last year’s. Like last year, the big piece is a 20-point scorer who’s in the prime of his career. Unlike last year, they won’t have to wait years to see how the pick worked out. Brooklyn took Joshua Jefferson, a 6’9″ point senior forward out of Iowa State at No 28.
As our Lucas Kaplan noted in story his about the pick, “though his stock dropped toward the end of the season, there had been often lottery buzz surrounding him” earlier in the season. His stock dropped in part because he’s older, turning 23 a month into the season, and he was coming off a left ankle sprain that cut short his NCAA Tournament. So upside was the issue. On the other hand, Jefferson is a big — 246 pounds at the NBA Combine — point forward, ideal for Jordi Fernandez’s offense and the Nets overall strategy of choosing quick decision-makers.
“The way Josh plays with the ball, the DHOs, the reads, the passing ability,” Sean Marks said in his post-draft Zoom call with reporters. “That’s absolutely going to fit within Jordi’s system and Jordi’s style and how he wants to play.”
Jefferson said after being drafted and an impromptu trip to get a handshake from Adam Silver that he appreciates his good luck in getting selected by Brooklyn, as Brian Lewis reported.
“It was really good feedback, from the late first round, from all the front office, just seeing what they need for their team,” Jefferson said. “They felt that I fit in a lot of spots because of my versatility. I’m where I need to be. The Nets took a great chance on me, and I’m very thankful for that.”
In a way the Nets took a chance on him like they took a chance on Mike Brown at No. 6. He too missed time with a back injury.
“When that injury happened, I feel like a lot of things [were] jeopardized from that. Going into pre-draft, I was like, make the most out of your workouts and attack your rehab hard and everything will go how it needs to go, Very blessed for this position that I’m in and just very thankful.”
Marks said there was a connection between trading for Randle, then drafting similar sized forward even if their skillsets are different. Jefferson will be backing up both forwards.
“It absolutely was,” Marks said. “Josh was a guy that we have absolutely been all over all year long and watched how he played the game, his skill set. That definitely translates.
“High IQ, and when you watch him play — when Iowa State plays through him, his teammates feed off of him — he’s definitely a facilitator out there. The toughness that he has. So there were a lot of intangibles. And then he’s a winner, an absolute flat-out winner. There’s an edge to how he plays and a toughness, which we loved.”
Moreover, Jefferson brings something that the Nets have been missing for a long while: physicality, something Randle will also help with in the starting lineup.
“The thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality. The NBA is a physical game right now. You have to be physical in the playoffs to win, and that’s what I’m going to bring,” Jefferson said. “Then just continue to work on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. So if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor. And defending.”
That probably more than anything will give Nets fans positive vibes.
He is, as you might expect, not a plus athlete. His max vertical was measured at 33.0 inches at the Combine and in fact all of his athletic measurements were around the 30th percentile of the 72 prospects on hand. He has been compared to Kyle Anderson, the similar sized point forward who’s had a long NBA career playing the same game. The Nets should be so lucky.
The Detroit Red Wings initially entered the 2026 NHL Draft without a first-round selection, but that was remedied on Friday evening with the acquisition of the No. 23 overall pick from the Utah Mammoth in return for goaltender Sebastian Cossa.
With the selection, they drafted forward J.P. Hurlbert.
Heading into the second day of the NHL Draft on Saturday, the Red Wings selected a familiar name with the 47th overall pick, welcoming winger Victor Plante to the organization.
Plante's excitement was on full display, as he couldn't stop beaming throughout his first official NHL media availability session.
"I mean, it's so awesome," Plante said about his initial reaction. "Going (in) the same spot as my brother, the same exact pick too, it's pretty funny. But a huge honor, going to the Detroit Red Wings, an Original 6 franchise, it's awesome."
His family also includes brother Zam, taken by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022, along with father Derek Plante, a former NHL player.
"I wouldn't be there without them, they're so awesome and so supportive," he said of his family. "They pushed me so hard, which is awesome. Just to live in that house is a huge honor, and it's great."
Meanwhile, knowing that he's now part of the Red Wings organization is nothing short of exciting for him.
"Just the fact that I get to go to the same franchise as my brother, which is so awesome," he said. "And just the fact that it's Detroit. So much history there, such a great franchise. There's just not enough words to be said about it, it's awesome."
Plante, who will be playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth this fall, scored 21 goals with 27 assists for the U.S. National Development Team this past season in Plymouth.
He even lived with former Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood during the season and took in a few games at Little Caesars Arena.
"It was great, he's a fun guy to be around," Plante said of Osgood. "He took me to about four or five games. It was sick.
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TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 13: Josh Naylor #12 and Julio Rodriguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners celebrate after Rodriguez's three-run home run in the first inning of Game Two of the American League Championship Series presented by loanDepot between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Monday, October 13, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Thomas Skrlj/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Seattle Mariners are struggling offensively. Yes, their team wRC+ is around league-average. Yes, they are finally running nearly their entire full healthy lineup out for the first time all season (save Bringo Dingo, may your groin heal in peace). But Seattle entered Saturday 25th in MLB in runs per game at 4.02, a 651 run pace. T-Mobile Park always will curtail Seattle a bit, but a season ago they concluded at 4.75 runs per game, 10th in MLB and a 766 run season. There are several culprits, but one of the most glaring is one you don’t have to wait around to see.
Of the 158 players to receive at least 250 plate appearances this year, Seattle has three of the worst hitters in baseball on the first pitch.
Julio Rodríguez, 356 PAs, 116 swings, .224 wOBA (151st)
League-average for 2026 is a .389 wOBA on first pitch swings, well ahead of the .317 league-average wOBA overall. Obviously, you can’t strike out on a first pitch swing, but it’s a common strategy for hitters to maximize their outcomes. Kyle Schwarber is notorious for this, swinging 104 times out of 343 opportunities, with a staggering .759 wOBA this year. Nick Kurtz, Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, as well as numerous other less-notable over-performers are also among the most successful ambush hitters. Quelle surprise, as a team overall, the M’s are near the cellar as well, with a .348 wOBA (28th) on 1,027 swings in 3,105 PAs. Some M’s are obviously lifting the numbers a bit, like Arozarena and his .443 wOBA (62nd) in 318 PAs and 106 swings. But it’s is a huge hole from three of the most present and frequent hitters in Seattle’s lineup.
This is not some longstanding issue, either. A year ago, all three players were right there with Arozarena as above-average ambushers. Per Baseball Savant, the cliff of poor production has been precipitous thus far this year.
Not a single barrel for Julio on first pitches, and a 31.9% hard hit rate for Naylor, on pitches ostensibly meant to be receiving a hitter-friendly hack. If we’re wondering where the missing power has been for Naylor this year, ta da!
Moreover, this issue has been prolific. Naylor is tied for 14th-most swings on first pitches, while Julio is 45th. Crawford’s numbers are poor, but his first pitch swings not as frequent by rate (26.6%) as Naylor (41.9% of first pitches) or even Rodríguez (32.6%). And as we can see from their 2025 numbers, it’s not just average performance they’re losing out on. First pitches were where all three players generated MUCH of their offensive production a year ago. All three hit the ball harder, drove in runs and generated scoring opportunities, and blew open big innings with this aggression.
There’s still time to turn things around, and not a crystal-clear explanation as to why these numbers have sunk so prodigiously. But at least for the next few weeks, it might be nice to see some of Seattle’s key hitters take a pitch.
Apr 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) greeted by designated hitter Casey Schmitt (10) following his two run home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
The Giants have played 81 games, marking the official halfway point of their 2026 schedule. Before I highlight some of the truly lowlights of this what’s-shaping-up-to-be historically awful season, let’s first contextualize their 33-48 record and then do that fun thing where we double all the current stats to “project” end of season results.
To start, this is a top 10 worst first half of a season in the history of the Giants. Not just the San Francisco era, but New York, too.
That’s very impressive. Buster Posey is on his way to the Hall of Fame and is one of the most famous Giants in living memory, and yet he will go down as having grounded the franchise into one of the most destructive shoals ever encountered. So, let’s give Buster credit for doing something that most would’ve assumed only a total amateur with zero experience could’ve done. That he’s done it a whole year into the job, too, shouldn’t be dismissed. Whatever he learned last year led him to the decisions that have begat a total disaster this year.
That the Giants are still off the pace of the franchise’s sole 100-loss team doesn’t appear to be a fluke of luck (double their wins and they might go 66-96!). This is (probably) where senior advisor Bobby Evans comes in. He was running the team during their 98-loss season, so we can be sure he’s providing the input that keeps the team clear of triple digit losses. Hold on to him, Buster!
But it’s not all mockingly great news. The Giants do, as anticipated, have one of their best lineups in the 21st century.
Kinda.
Sorta.
The team’s 102 wRC+ through the first half of the season (.255/.309/.418) is ranked 8th just looking at Giants offenses since 2000. This is a fun list, too:
I don’t know what it means that the 8th worst record aligns with the 8th-best offense of the century, so I have to assume it’s just a coincidence. Remarkably, it looks as though that Buster has managed to recreate the lineup of the Giants team that is of a kind with at least two teams from his era:
There are obviously some notable differences between these teams (way better defense in 2009 & 2014) and the hitting and pitching environments have changed quite a lot (for example, the 2014 team’s 3.50 ERA was 10th-best but with all the advanced metrics just 9.4 fWAR in value — 26th!) but it seems pretty clear that the objective is to literally take the franchise back to the championship era. Most nostalgia lovers can be criticized for falling in love with a misremembered past, but credit to Buster Posey for sticking to actual facts.
If you just double some of the counting stats, though, these Giants, while projected to have one of the higher team home run totals of the century (172 — 11th out of 27). Their projected runs scored (642) would be 21st, though. But 1,422 hits? Humm baby, that’d be good enough for 12th! Then again, they’re also on pace for 396 walks (25th) and just 52 stolen bases (24th). Hmm, but their on-pace-for 316 doubles? That’d be the most by a Giants team this century.
Actually, that’d be the most doubles by a Giants team in the history of the franchise. I’m serious! I can’t believe it, either. The 314 doubles hit by the 2004 team is currently #1 in the entire history of the Giants. The 2026 Giants have already hit 158, so they’re on pace to set a new mark. And if that feels a little off to you, that’s because the Giants used to hit way more triples back in the 1800s and early 1900s. That franchise leaderboard is replete with teams from that pre-war era. The 1911 team leads the franchise with 103 triples (just 41 home runs). The 1893 team is second (101 triples — 61 home runs).
If we round up Jung Hoo Lee’s 297 plate appearances a bit, then the team is also on pace to have six hitters with at least 600 plate appearances. That’s NEVER happened in the entire history of the Giants franchise. And even if Luis Arraez were to be traded, let’s say, five times is still rare (2000, 1973, 1962, 1954, 1951, 1935 — and multiple times it has happened four times). Some other positives and curios.
Casey Schmitt
He’s on pace for 30 doubles and 32 home runs in 618 plate appearances. Just 167 Giants have hit that mark in the history of the franchise and, yeah, there’s a lot of Bonds (Bobby & Barry), Willie Mays, Will Clark, etc. on there, but if you limit it to the 21st century (the Oracle Park era), just 45 Giants make the cut.
Schmitt is on pace to match 2003 Marquis Grissom in plate appearances, but with those “projected” power numbers, he ascends to some rarified air (for the Giants, anyway). He’d eclipse Willy Adames’s 30 home run mark from last season to rank 8th on the season home run total list in the Oracle Park era.
He has 85 hits through 81 games and if that pace holds (no reason to believe it will — but just in case…) a 170-hit season would tie Buster Posey’s 2014 total. Now, here’s the kicker. Buster Posey was 27 in 2014. Schmitt would be just the fourth Giant under 30 to record that many hits. Just for fun:
Matt Duffy just missed the cut with 169 hits in 2015 at the age of 24, but that’s it. There have been 95 seasons of Giants Baseball where a player under 30 had at least 170 hits and most of them occurred before 1930. But even since 1930, the Giants’ offensive strengths coming from young players is confined to the pre-Will Clark era, with just 11 players under 30 to record at least that many hits since 1989.
So, if it happens, it will be very cool, and historically significant. But no matter the final result, 2026 being Schmitt’s breakout season is already the story.
Jung Hoo Lee
He’s on pace for 182 hits which would put him into the same company as the group I mentioned for Casey Schmitt. The story of his 2026 is also that it’s his breakout season. If his 38-doubles pace holds, he’d match 1993 Barry Bonds, 1989 Willy Clark, 1958 Orlando Cepeda, and 1941 Johnny Rucker
He’s also on pace for just 54 strikeouts, which only 90 Giants who were under 30 with 600 plate appearances have done in franchise history. Drop the age filter and we’re still talking just 144 Giants, none of whom played in the 1980s and 1990s. In the Oracle Park era, it’s happened just four times:
4. Buster Posey, 2015 — 52 K 3. Omar Vizquel, 2006 — 51 K 2. Barry Bonds, 2002 — 47 K 1. Barry Bonds, 2004 — 41 K
I deem this absurd! And hope it happens.
Luis Arraez
It’s a shame he’s likely to be traded, because he’s on pace to have a lot of hits in his age-29 season which puts him in the same group I placed JHL and Schmitt in, but with just 13 strikeouts through the first half, his “on pace for” total of 26 would put him on a list of Giants that hasn’t welcomed anyone new in over 70 years: have fewer than 30 strikeouts in a season. The last time was 1955 when Don Mueller struck out just 12 times in 640 plate appearances. Again, a shame he won’t end the season on the Giants.
Let’s talk pitching
Their “on pace for” mark of 700 earned runs allowed would land the 2026 team into the top 10 most runs allowed in franchise history, pushing the 1995 squad (699 runs) down one notch. They’d slot in just behind 2008 (701). If they wind up with a team ERA of 4.40 ERA (where it stands now), that’d be 12th-worst in franchise history, ahead of teams like 1997, 1984, 2018, 2008, and 2005, but behind 1947, 2017, 1970, 1895, 1896, 1930, 2006, 2020, 1999, 1996, and 1995.
The Giants are on pace for 870 innings from their starting rotation. Now, not to be misleading, they got just 837 innings from the starting staff last season.
They’re on pace for just 30 saves, which hasn’t happened since 1992.
On pace for 1,274 strikeouts, though, which would be the 11th-best in franchise history.
On the other hand, 616 walks, which would be the 8th-worst in franchise history. They walked 652 in 2007 and 623 in 2000, so it would be the 3rd-worst result of the Oracle Park era.
This was a simple doubling exercise just to see if there was much fun in taking the team as is and imagining the future. If you want to be more scientific, you can always go to players’ FanGraphs pages and see the rest of the season projections to get perhaps a more realistic look at where they’ll land. For example, just doubling Logan Webb’s numbers gives him 26 starts, 166.2 IP, and a 3.36 ERA with a 3.8 fWAR, but if you look at, say, ZiPS, he’s projected to make 15 more starts (28), wind up with 178.1 IP, a 3.14 ERA, and 4.3 fWAR. Half a win better, and something proved by the eye test as he’s looked simply dominant and like his old self since coming off the IL.
So, the Giants could do better overall the rest of the way. They’ve been slightly better here in June, after all… then again, with the trade deadline looming and the dog days of summer on the horizon, is it reasonable to expect improvement on what has been a bad team for three months? Eh, why not? If you’ve read this far, it means you’re a fan who never stops hoping.
The Vancouver Canucks have selected Connor Davis with the 129th-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Davis, a re-draft who is currently 19 years old, spent the 2025-26 season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL, scoring 26 goals and 29 assists in 59 games with the club. During the post-season, he scored two goals in two games. Prior to this season, he played for Salisbury School in USHS-Prep, putting together 21 goals and 23 assists in 31 games played.
Davis is currently committed to the University of North Dakota in the NCAA for the 2026-27 season.
As it stands, Davis is the sixth forward the Canucks have selected at the 2026 NHL Draft, with their only other non-forward selected being a goaltender.
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; The logo for the NHL draft during the first round at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Canucks now have three picks remaining at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Through the first four rounds of this year’s draft, Vancouver selected Caleb Malhotra (3rd-overall), Adam Novotný (24th-overall), Brooks Rogowski (33rd-overall), Niklas Aaram-Olsen (41st-overall), Dmitri Ivchenko (78th-overall), and Yaroslav Bryzgalov (97th-overall). Their next selection will take place in the sixth round, when they select 161st-overall.
Follow along with the Canucks’ 2026 NHL Entry Draft picks via our tracker:
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 21: New Jersey Devils introduce General Manager Sunny Mehta at Prudential Center on April 21, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI vis Getty Images
After acquiring the 119th overall pick in the fourth round from the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft when they traded down from 35th to 37th in the second round, the New Jersey Devils selected Lavr Gashilov from Avto Yekaterinburg of the MHL. In the 2025-26 season, Gashilov scored 16 goals and had 53 assisst in 51 MHL games while also getting into two VHL games and three KHL games. Gashilov stands at 5’11” and 185 pounds (per Elite Propsects, though he is listed much taller elsewhere [as high as 6’3″, with the KHL having him at 6’2″]) and is a left-handed center. Per Byron Bader’s Hockey Prospecting, Gashilov may be the steal of the later rounds with first-round level production.
Gashilov is highly regarded as a playmaker with defensive deficiencies. However, he looks pretty good in the offensive zone! In HSD Prospects’ highlight package on him, you can see just how lethal a passer he is from anywhere on the ice.
In Smaht Scouting’s midseason rankings, Gashilov was ranked 38th. However, they did knock him for his skating. Here’s what Dan Haurin had to say about him there:
He plays with an above average motor, constantly keeping his feet moving and involving himself in the play. He also plays a strong physical game, putting bodies on opposition every chance he gets, while showing an ability to make quick plays to teammates while tangled up in battles. He’s got some soft hands and an ability to feather pucks through tight lanes to teammates in the offensive zone. The skating is a question at this point in his development however, with his strides being a bit too choppy and lacking an element of explosiveness and quickness on his edges.
This does contrast with NHL Network’s view of the player, where he was regarded as a plus skater who completely lacks physicality. I guess we will see. Watching him skate in his highlight package, I do tend towards the Smaht Scouting view of him. He seems like far less of a rush threat than the forwards the Devils have previously selected this draft, and his soft hands and high-level offensive IQ should be a boon to the Devils when they do establish possession. He looks like a PP1-type player who probably should not play on a shutdown line, which is fine. Player development should focus on maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses, rather than washing over what makes a player valuable in the first place.
Importantly, Gashilov is only under contract through the 2026-27 season. If he does not get established in the KHL by the end of this season, he could very easily be signed by Sunny Mehta to play in the AHL or NHL after the upcoming year. Since Gashilov is coming out of the MHL, I could very well see him going to the VHL to continue developing his skills in the second-tier Russian league. He certainly has little left to learn in Russian juniors.
In all, I am a fan of these picks. Our previous GM regime put little value on these kinds of high-scoring, low-risk picks in the later rounds, and that has seemed to reflect in the lack of prospect viability over the last few years. Gashilov has a lottery-level NHLe. And while I wish I could have the data to look at his microstats to evaluate his playdriving ability, what publicly available analytics we can see seem to like him as well.
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - MAY 31: Arkansas Razorbacks outfielder Justin Thomas Jr. (4) at bat during the NCAA Division I Regional baseball game between the Creighton Blue Jays and Arkansas Razorbacks on May 31, 2025, at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (35-43) lost 8-1 (BOX SCORE)
McPherson started for Sugar Land and allowed 2 runs in the first inning only retiring two batters before being pulled. The offense got on the board in the third inning on a Brooks sac fly. The Sugar Land pen struggled allowing another 6 runs as El Paso extended their lead. The offense had their troubles too as they were unable to score again and fell 8-1.
Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Roddery Munoz, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
J.P. France, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jose Fleury, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (33-40) lost 3-0 (BOX SCORE)
Hicks started for the Hooks and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs with 3 strikeouts. The bullpen allowed one run but the Hooks’ offense had a rough night collecting just 2 hits as they were shutout in the 3-0 loss.
Note: Encarnacion has 33 stolen bases this season.
James Hicks, RHP: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Railin Perez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Jack Dashwood, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
A+: Asheville Tourists (20-52) won 7-4 (BOX SCORE)
Smith started for Asheville and was solid allowing 2 runs over 4.2 innings while striking out 6 batters. Asheville got on the board in the 5th inning on a Daudet RBI single. The Drive took a 4-1 lead in the 6th but Asheville got one run back in the 8th on a Powell solo home run. In the 9th, Asheville got a run on a bases loaded hit by pitch to Garcia and with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Thomas connected on a 3 run double to give Asheville the lead. Powell added an RBI single to extend the lead. Frias was solid in relief tossing 3 scoreless innings as he closed out the 7-4 win.
Parker Smith, RHP: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Garrett Apker, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Francisco Frias, RHP: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (WIN)
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (37-35) won 2-1 (BOX SCORE)
The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning thanks to a Flores 2 run home run, his 11th home run of the season and second game in a row with a home run. Perez started for the Woodpeckers and pitched well allowing 1 run over 5 innings while striking out 7. The game went into a rain delay before the start of the 6th and was ultimately called, ending in a Perez complete game and Woodpeckers 2-1 win.
Note: Perez ha 10 BB/77 K in 67.2 innings this season.
