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The grass. It’s the grass man. Not that kind of grass, though it is legal in The Grand Canyon State. The grass where the players play- that’s the first thing you notice when visiting a Spring Training facility. It’s impossibly green. Maybe it just looks so much greener because of the contrast against the hundred plus shades of tan that frame it, or the blue sky that at times looks entirely hazy thanks to the brightness of the sun. Whatever the reason, when I lay eyes on that impeccably manicured kelly green carpet, I know it’s about to be baseball time in Texas. So here we go.

Let’s get this outta the way. The farm isn’t elite at the moment. Everyone reading this is aware of that. Baseball America has them at # 24, MLB Pipeline has them at # 25. They traded 8 prospects for Merrill Kelly and MacKenzie Gore, Bam Bam Walcott is out for the year, and (ahem) Texas has graduated some good players to the big league team in recent seasons. That said…HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL and in this entire first entry, we’ll just focus on two players. Let’s roll.

I’ve posted to Twitter (yes, I’m still in that messy cesspool and we still have a nice community of Rangers fans- despite [waves arms] everything else happening there) that Josh Owens is the most interesting player on the Rangers farm, and by the end of the season, he might be one of the most interesting players in minor league baseball. He’s raw as hell, but there’s tools on both sides. He really got after it this offseason and he’s a muscular 6’3” 185lbs a couple months past his 19th birthday. The son of a Padres 8th round pick, Josh gets his love of baseball from his Pops. Though I’m not sure ANYONE can love baseball as much as Dad Jeremy did. I’ve not met him, but this man played 10 seasons of affiliated ball, climbing as high as AAA, then 6 more FULL seasons in Indy Lg Ball as a speedy CFer. That’s serious passion for playing at a time when minor leaguers were literally making peanuts in salary. Anyways, back to Josh. He’s experimenting with both a 2S and 4S FB at the moment, a CB, CH and I saw a few really nice 83mph SLs too. He really slings it- coming from a low, whippy slot. The 2S was often getting 18” of run and sitting 93-94 while the 4S was straight but has touched 98 this Spring. At the plate, he’s got an aggressive left handed swing with beautiful extension and power coming from the bat speed. He’s faster than average and showed great actions on a handful of chances at 2B in the game I watched, though I think the goal is to get him just as comfy at SS this season too. Physically, he reminds me of Michael Lorenzen in many ways including the fact that he’s a two-way player, an elite athlete and has the frame to someday become as jacked as Lorenzen. Add in the tufts of quality lettuce sticking out back of his ballcap and I’m comfortable with the Lorenzen lookalike vibes.

Seong-Jun Kim isn’t far behind Josh Owens. At all. This kid is fundamentally gifted. Whomever his coaches were growing up in Korea, they drilled some wonderful mechanics into Kim and he took to them like a duck to water. 5 months younger than Owens, I got the impression Kim has a longer runway but might pick up speed very quickly. Despite sitting 93-95 T 97 with the FB, Kim looks even younger than 18 and somewhat slighter than his listed 6’0” 185lbs. He’s the opposite of Owens, who looks older than his age and bigger than his listeds. Back to those mechanics. Get a peek at this kid’s smooth, repeatable delivery on the bump and his quick, compact swing at the plate. While there’s not likely many ballplayers LESS like Albert Pujols than SJK, he does have that similar setup at the dish- hands held ear-high with his back elbow pointing at the fans in the expensive seats. Like Owens, he’s a fast, athletic runner and I watched him put pressure on the pitcher every time he got on base. On the mound, he’s got the kitchen sink and that’s great. Showing feel for a lot of pitches at this age is a great starting point to refine the best of them. I even saw a few slow CBs, which is a VERY fun lost art these days. Nothing like hurling 94, 95, 94, then 71. (side note: peep big ol’ Braylin Morel wandering into the frame in this first clip)

Here’s a wild one: lead off hitter in a game he was also starting on the mound, Kim is plunked in the head with the first pitch of the game. (he was fine and promptly stole 2B and scored on Owens’ triple)

We’ll talk in the coming weeks about others who popped for me in Surprise including Jack Wheeler, PaxtonKling, Anthony Gutierrez, Yolfran Castillo and a lanky lefty named Enyel Lopez, but for today it’s the Kim and Owens show. Are the two-way players the best prospects on the Rangers farm? Not at the moment. Are they the most interesting? Yep. Admittedly, this is gonna be a slow burn for both, but it’s gonna be fun!

As always, enjoy baseball!

Love Ya!

-Tepid

Yesterday, facing off against Nick Pivetta and what may well have been a preview of the Padres Opening Day lineup, the Rockies managed a convincing 9-3 victory. Combining 14 hits across ten different batters, the offensive outburst was a team effort. Similarly, on the pitching side, six different pitchers combined to only allow four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Today, the Rockies take on the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in a duel between both teams Opening Day starters.

For the Royals, that means Cole Ragans will be on the mound. After a fourth place finish in the AL Cy Young race in 2024, shoulder problems limited Ragans to 61.2 innings last year.

So far this spring Ragans has struggled to keep runs off the board and enters todays contest with an 8.44 ERA. That can largely be attributed to his second start of the spring in which he allowed six runs in fewer than two innings.

Opposing him will be Kyle Freeland in his final tune up before his franchise record fifth Opening Day start. Between his two other spring training starts and his exhibition game against team USA, Freeland has looked sharp (two runs/seven strikeouts) in limited innings (six).

He has yet to exceed a pitch count of 43 this spring, so how high he’s able to push that number in this final outing will inform how long Warren Schaeffer will be able to use him on Opening Day.

First Pitch: 1:05 pm MDT

TV: None

Radio: ALT 96.5 (Royals)

MLB Gameday: Live Box Score

Lineups:

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Guardians fans will see Gabriel Arias as the team’s starting shortstop to begin 2026. How long will he stay there?

Readers of this blog may recall that I have been staunchly of the opinion that the Guardians should start Brayan Rocchio at short and let Travis Bazzana or Juan Brito try their hand at second base to begin 2026, allowing Arias and Daniel Schneemann to compete for the utility role. In over 1,000 major league plate appearances, Arias has a 76 wRC+. His defense at short – especially his bazooka of an arm – has been good. But Arias is 342nd in wRC+ out of 360 MLB hitters with 1,000 plate appearances or more since 2021. That is simply not good enough to hold a place in a major league lineup.

However, Arias is about to get one more shot at proving a Guardians’ front office that apparently loves him like I love Matt Festa a chance to show their unreasonable faith is justified. Partially this is because Juan Brito did not do anything to win the second base job this Spring, and partially it is because Bazzana has not quite been busting down the door to make his ML debut. But, I genuinely think the Guardians still have a sliver of hope for Arias to become a valuable major league. Let’s look at what reasons for hope they may have:

–Arias is only 26 years old.

This is, reasonably, the last year an Arias defender can point to his youth. 27 is generally acknowledged as the peak age for the average major league player and by 1,200 plate appearances, the conclusions to be drawn about the average major league hitter are pretty sticky. There are always exceptions and late breakouts. But, within the general bounds of logic, the team shouldn’t have any doubts about what kind of player Arias is by the end of May, if he is given regular plate appearances and doesn’t show marked improvement. Arias will be handed the full-time shortstop job and all the runway needed to keep it. So, he will have no excuse of having to fight for playing time.

–Arias has shown an improved ability to avoid chasing.

It is hard to know what to make of Spring Training stats, but Arias has always had three primary flaws as a hitter: 1. He chases bad pitches, 2. He hits too many groundballs, and 3. He whiffs too much in the zone. Numbers 2 and 3 on this list have remained true in Spring Training so far, but Arias has cut his chase rate 15% from his career average and his overall whiff rate by 3%, while hitting the ball as hard as he ever has (his only skill as a hitter). Can he sustain this? Very probably not. But if he can make a significant cut in chase and a minor cut in whiff, he would give himself a chance at a 90 wRC+, which would make him a roughly 3-win player with his fielding skills at short.

–Arias was an incredibly clutch hitter last season.

It is useless to read much into one season’s worth of situational data. With that said, Arias had a 182 wRC+ in high leverage situations last season. For a player whose attention has often seemed to wander, he showed the ability to lock in at crucial moments last year. It’s not repeatable but it can give players a sense of confidence and calm at the plate that can carry over. Arias has tried to move his hand position and stand closer to the plate this spring. Perhaps the adjustments and confidence can provide some intangibles to give him slight improvements to inch his offensive output up.

–Arias’s glove at short has the potential to be GOLD.

When Arias is focused, he is a great defender at short. When he isn’t focused, his arm is still strong enough to cover over a multitude of sins. Arias and Rocchio provided great defense for the Guardians down the stretch in 2025 and they will get a chance to do the same to begin 2026. Perhaps that familiarity and trust will enable Arias to grow into the potential we have all seen in him since day one.

I believe by June, we will see Brayan Rocchio at short and Travis Bazzana at second base. But, I’ll be rooting for Arias to prove me wrong and make the team look like geniuses for sticking with him this long. Either way, we are about to find out the answer to “how do you solve a problem like Gabriel?” very soon.

Getaway day for the Dodgers on Saturday morning in Arizona. Emmet Sheehan is on the mound, Will Klein is also scheduled to pitch, and the starting lineup has four players who will be on the opening day roster.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Athletics
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 11:05 a.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: A’s Cast

The Royals are making noise on the global stage — and baseball itself may be on the verge of change.

In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco break down a dramatic World Baseball Classic run, highlighted by Venezuela’s upset over Team USA and standout performances from Kansas City Royals players. The hosts dive into Salvador Perez’s leadership and clutch moments, as well as Maikel Garcia’s breakout tournament, cementing his status as a rising star after an MVP-caliber showing.

Back in Arizona, the focus shifts to the future of the organization as Royals prospects shine in Spring Breakout action, including standout performances from recent draft picks and emerging arms pushing their way into the conversation. The episode provides a detailed look at Kansas City’s developing pipeline and what it could mean for the team’s long-term competitiveness.

Beyond player performance, Jacob and Jeremy explore the future of baseball itself, breaking down experimental rule changes in the minors — including second base positioning adjustments, pitch clock tweaks, and potential challenge systems for check swings and pitch communication issues. The discussion examines what changes could realistically make their way to MLB and how they might impact the game’s pace, fairness, and fan experience.

From international dominance to organizational depth and the evolution of the sport, this episode delivers a complete snapshot of where the Royals — and baseball — are headed.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
– Jacob Milham: @jacobmilhkc.bsky.social

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– Podcast: @RoyalRundownPod

Here’s our mini primer on the A.L. West with longtime National MLB writer, Kyle Glaser.   

We start of course with the Astros, who are looking to reclaim the division.   

Has the Astros window for titles closed? 

Has the window closed for Houston?

I wouldn’t say the Astros are completely out of the running, but there is no question they’ve lost a lot of talent in recent years and are no longer the dominant team they once were. Their success this year will depend heavily on if Yordan Alvarez can stay healthy and if Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows fortify the rotation as hoped. If that happens, they’ll be fine. If not, it could be a long season.

It’s still such an enjoyment to watch the daily enthusiasm that Jose Altuve approaches the game with. Do you think if he continues to be productive, we’ll see him as a first ballot member at Cooperstown?

First ballot will be tough unless Altuve reaches 3,000 hits, and even then I expect some voters won’t vote for him because of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. That said, with a strong finish to his career, I think it’s very likely he will be elected to the Hall of Fame, even if it isn’t on the first ballot.

If the Astros get off to a slow start, could Joe Espada be on the hot seat?

Espada will be on the hot seat this season even though he doesn’t deserve to be. Let’s not forget he’s led two flawed, injury-riddled teams to 88 and 87 wins, respectively, in his first two seasons as a manager. But Astros owner Jim Crane is notoriously demanding, and it would not shock me if he fires Espada if things don’t go according to plan this season. It would be a mistake for him to do so, but there’s no question it’s a very real possibility.

Is the most exciting player in the division Julio Rodriguez?    Is he the one guy you’d personally pay to see?

Julio Rodriguez is the most exciting player in the division and one of the 5-10 most exciting players in all of baseball. Cal Raleigh is coming off a historic season, Nick Kurtz is an unbelievable offensive talent and let’s not forget Mike Trout is still around, but no one else can impact a game offensively, defensively and on the basepaths like Rodriguez. I expect him to come out extra motivated after how close the Mariners came to reaching their first World Series last year and deliver an MVP-caliber season.

Doesn’t it “feel” like it’s been much longer than Fall of 2023 since the Rangers won the World Series?

There’s no question the Rangers’ last two seasons have been a disappointment and they’re in a very different place as an organization. They really need their  young players like Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Evan Carter, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker to deliver strong, consistent, healthy seasons. Otherwise, it’s hard to see things meaningfully changing for them this year, even with the additions of MacKenzie Gore and Brandon Nimmo.

Does A.L. West place multiple teams into the post season or just the division winner?   

I think it will be close, just as it was last season when the Astros missed out on a wild card spot because of a tiebreaker. I expect the Mariners to run away with the division and assert themselves as arguably the best team in the American League. I can see the Astros contending for the final AL wild card spot, and don’t rule out the Athletics if you’re looking for a sleeper team. Their offense will be one of the best and most exciting to watch in baseball, and even with a lot of question marks on their pitching staff, they’re going to win some slugfests.

Astros manager Joe Espada made the declaration before today’s spring training game vs. the Mets.

Today, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada declared the team would open the season with a 5-man rotation, a reversal from earlier statements about using a 6-man rotation this season.

While the Astros can still employ a 6-man rotation at various points this season, it does perhaps signal a lean towards more traditional relievers on the team to start the season, before swapping arms and moving to a 6-man rotation later on.

The Astros signed Tatsuya Imai from Japan this offseason, and he is used to only pitching once per week on the NPB schedule. It is one of the biggest reasons the Astros will likely use a 6-man rotation this season, to keep things as close to “normal” for Imai in his first season in MLB.

Most likely projection for the Astros initial 5-man rotation would be Hunter Brown, Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr.

It will be worth watching to see if pitchers like Spencer Arrighetti, A.J. Blubaugh, and Ryan Weiss pitch out of the pen to start the season, or go to Triple-A Sugar Land to stay stretched out. All three would be unlikely to be in the bullpen at the same time, as at least one of them would be the proposed sixth starter, and would need to be stretched out to go 5 or more innings.

The Mets continue the winnowing of their major league camp, optioning catcher Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets currently have 38 players in big league camp.

Senger, who made headlines last winter for his tale of working at Whole Foods in the offseason, appeared in 33 games for the Mets in 2025, filling in for Francisco Alvarez when he was both injured and in Triple-A, working on his swing. He batted .181/.221/.194 with four home runs in 78 plate appearances.

This roster move is good news for Mets fans, as it means that the club is not worried about Francisco Alvarez, who was pulled from Thursday night’s game with back tightness. Alvarez is in the lineup today for the Mets’ home game against the Astros at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

This spring, the Mets had a number of catchers in camp alongside Senger, Alvarez, and Luis Torrens, including veterans Austin Barnes and Ben Rortvedt, as well as prospects Kevin Parada, Jose Aular, and Chris Suero.