Worldwide Sports News

Previous Winner

Tre’ Morgan, 1B/LF
23 | L/L | 6’0” | 215
AAA | .274/.398/.412 (119 wRC+) 402 PA, 8 HR, 8 SB, 15.9% BB, 19.2% K

Morgan continued to hit without power in 2025, a great discouragement for some evaluators, but his present 50-grade hit tool and feel for the zone allow a major league projection. He continued his improved, quieter two-strike approach in 2025 that built on his success retooling his swing in the AFL last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in Left Field last season, and Baseball America called the defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his plus-plus defense at First.

Rank	Player	Position	Votes	Total	Percentage	Last Season
1	Carson Williams	SS	14	25	56%	1
2	Brody Hopkins	RHP	19	25	76%	8
3	Jacob Melton	OF	14	28	50%	NA
4	Theo Gillen	OF	14	26	54%	13
5	Ty Johnson	RHP	12	25	48%	15
6	Daniel Pierce	SS	13	23	57%	NA
7	Jadher Areinamo	INF	15	28	54%	NA
8	TJ Nichols	RHP	13	28	46%	NR
9	Michael Forret	RHP	8	33	24%	NA
10	Santiago Suarez	RHP	11	30	37%	16
11	Anderson Brito	RHP	7	28	25%	NA
12	Xavier Isaac	1B	9	28	32%	3
13	Caden Bodine	C	10	25	40%	NA
14	Brendan Summerhill	OF	11	27	41%	NA
15	Slater de Brun	OF	10	25	40%	NA
16	Nathan Flewelling	C	8	26	31%	NR
17	Trevor Harrison	RHP	9	26	35%	10
18	Jose Urbina	RHP	13	26	50%	25
19	Tre’ Morgan	1B/LF	15	25	60%	4

Morgan pulled 15 votes in the previous round, tied for the second most in any poll this off-season. We didn’t get a poll up on Wednesday, sorry about that friends, but we are back at it for an interesting vote over the weekend. In the round for No. 19 only one player had multiple votes other than Morgan, and that was Baumeister (8). Next round adds Fabricio Blanco.

Candidates

Jackson Baumeister, RHP
23 | 6’4” | 224
AA | 4.62 ERA, 4.15 FIP (15 GS) 62.1 IP, 19.5% K, 9.6% BB
AFL | 6 ER (1 HR), 9.0 IP (4 G, 3 GS), 10 K, 9 BB

A shoulder injury derailed what should have been Baumeister’s coming out party, as his previously plus breaking ball was expected to carve up Double-A. After a tough start to the year and two months on the sidelines, Baumeister returned in August and salvaged the season with a brilliant finish. The tough luck continued, however, in the Arizona Fall League, where a line drive struck him in the head, but he escaped without significant injury. Currently, Baumeister has taken on a fastball/slutter profile, with a slow curve in his back pocket, and has shown teachability and pitchability over the years. The former Seminole currently thrives on his frequently used major league fastball that may be better challenged by a promotion to Triple-A.

Fabricio Blanco, SS
17 | S/R | 5’11” | 161

A bat-first middle infielder, the Venezuelan is an elite prospect within the context of the international signing process, with some believing he’s the best Rays signee this off-season, despite gathering only a $1 million bonus. He can barrel up from both sides of the plate, but may settle into a right handed swing in the long term, with quick hands. He has the ability and instincts to stick at short, with a high-IQ approach and gritty demeanor.

Homer Bush Jr.
24 | R/R | 6’3” | 215
AA | .301/.375/.360 (122 wRC+) 546 PA, 0 HR, 57 SB, 8.8% BB, 17.9% K

Acquired in the 2024 Jason Adam trade, the starting center fielder at Double-A passed the test of advanced pitching, but just barely. He lacks in-game power due to a lack of use of his lower half in his swing, and he whiffed more often than you can for long term success with a low-power approach. His calling cards are Rays-grade defense and plus-speed, having notably swiped 57 bags in back-to-back seasons.

Cooper Flemming, SS
19 | L/R | 6’3” | 190

One of the best high school bats in the 2025 draft, Flemming surprisingly fell into the Rays laps in the second round. He has a too-quiet swing that lacks the load necessary to hit for power, but he’s historically compensated for that with a high contact rate that would have rated him as first round material if his defense projected to stick. The Rays were able to convince him to forgo an education at Vanderbilt by going above slot ($2.3m, Comp-A money).

Brailer Guerrero, OF
20 | L/R | 6’1” | 215
A | 249.338/.399 (119 wRC+) 222 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 11.3% BB, 29.3% K
AFL | 2 H, 0 HR, 2 SB, 3 BB, 16 K, 29 PA

Good news: the $3.7 million 2023 signee made the leap out of the complex league in his final teenage season. Bad News: He was injured yet again, with hamstring and knee injuries limiting him to 51 games for Charleston. The Rays tried to make up for lost time with an aggressive assignment to the AFL that resulted in only two hits in 29 plate appearances. He makes loud contact from a quick, quiet swing which he pre-loads by reaching back for even more power. He appears to make early decisions to swing, leading to a bit extra whiffs against anything off-speed, but that could easily clear up with some consistent playing time.

OF Victor Mesa Jr.
24 | L/L | 5’11” | 195
AAA (MIA) | .301/.368/.510 (136 wRC+) 171 PA, 7 HR, 4 SB, 9.9% BB, 16.4% K
MLB (MIA) | 6 H (1 HR), 5 BB, 5 K (81 wRC+) 38 PA

This Cuban power bat already made his major league debut with Miami last year after bouncing back from a spring hamstring injury, and was dealt to the Rays in February. He profiles as a fourth outfielder but has an option remaining, so the organization may send him down for regular playing time and one last chance for something more in development. If not, he’s a center field capable on defense, which goes a long way for a platoon bat. In the running for the nicest guy in baseball.

Austin Overn, OF
23 | L/R | 6’0” | 175
A+ (BAL) | .242/.367/.386 (127 wRC+) 341 PA, 8 HR, 43 SB, 15.5% BB, 28.2% K
AA (BAL) | .266/.326/.427 (112 wRC+) 136 PA, 5 HR, 21 SB, 6.6% BB, 25.0% K

Acquired in the Shane Baz trade, Overn was once a top draft prospect after committing to baseball over football at USC, but surprisingly struggled as a draft-eligible sophomore. That didn’t stop Baltimore from taking him in the third round (97th overall) in 2024. Now a professional, Overn overhauled his swing in the first half of 2025, and earned an early promotion to Double-A for his efforts, where he didn’t look overmatched. His biggest threat is his speed, which raises his floor and gives him an easy projection to a major league bench thanks to plus defensive instincts (BA gave 70’s to his run and field tools). His offensive profile is buoyed by his ability to work the count, but evaluators would like to see him punish fastballs more often for him to be considered a regular.

Aidan Smith, OF
21 | R/R | 6’2” | 190
A+ | .237/.331/.388 (114 wRC+) 459 PA, 14 HR, 41 SB, 11.5% BB, 31.2% K

Acquired in the Arozarena trade, Smith became the prince who was promised, a five tool athlete with a strong bat, good face, and a preternatural glove in center field. That promise unraveled a bit in 2025, with his strikeout rate rocketing nine percent and his power stroke faltering after facing harder velocities in High-A, causing both his hit and power grades to drop into the 40’s. It was a full transformation into a “center field” profile, but with his ceiling that’s not a compliment. He plays with a fire, but the dip in contact rate left some evaluators feeling burned.

Brayden Taylor, 2B/3B
24 | L/R | 6’0” | 180
AA | .173/.289/.286 (77 wRC+) 437 PA, 8 HR, 17 SB, 14% BB, 27.7% K
AFL | .264/.400/.472 (.384 wOBA) 65 PA, 1 HR, 5 SB, 12 BB, 19 K

Taylor entered 2025 as a top-100 prospect after demolishing High-A (154 wRC+), and left 2025 as an afterthought on prospect lists, although he was selected as an Arizona Fall League “Fall Star” in between, where he worked to keep his chase rate low and his hard hit rate high. The juice must have been worth the squeeze, as the Rays have elected to invite Taylor to major league Spring Training this year.

Victor Valdez, SS
17 | R/R | 6’1” | 186

A pretty swing with a low whiff rate earned Valdez a big payday this winter — $3.5 million — with as good of a power projection as you can reasonably ask for from a a teenage bat, having been given a 25+ home run projection by Baseball America, who also praise his plus foot speed, bat speed, and control of the zone. Reports say he has ever improving lateral movements on defense, with smooth actions and a strong arm. If it all clicks, it’s a middle-of-the-order bat on the left side of the infield. At signing, the Rays gave him a comp to Francisco Lindor. It will be interesting to see if his first professional season can solidify the five tool profile.

We’re so close to two very pivotal things! The start of baseball, and the end of the Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List. On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants play their first Cactus League game of the year. On Wednesday, we wrap up the communal rankings of the top 44 prospects in the organization.

Taking home the most votes on the last ballot is catcher Jancel Villarroel, who makes his CPL debut as the No. 42 prospect in the system.

Villarroel, a right-handed hitter, is one of the newest prospects on the farm, as he came over just before the start of camp in the Kai-Wei Teng trade. So we’ve yet to see him don a Giants jersey.

The recently-turned 21-year old signed with the Houston Astros late in 2022 out of Venezuela, and had a strong 2025. He spent the bulk of the year with Houston’s Low-A affiliate, where he posted a .746 OPS and a 123 wRC+, with six home runs in 85 games, and 20 stolen bases in 27 attempts. That earned him a late-season promotion to High-A, where his numbers came down a bit: he had a .699 OPS, a 91 wRC+, two home runs in 15 games, and no stolen bases.

While Villarroel didn’t post a great batting average (.259 across the two levels), like so many players the Giants have targeted lately, he kept the strikeouts in check, running just a 17.8% rate, made even better by a 10.4% walk rate.

There are questions about how Villarroel will perform as he climbs the ladder. He’s a very short player, listed at 5’8 and probably not much taller than that. He’s played all over the diamond (he has a not-insignificant amount of time at first base, second base, and all three outfield spots), but his lack of speed and agility make it hard to see him playing up the middle, and his lack of power makes it difficult to envision a career at a corner, so it’s probably catcher or bust. But catchers who can hit are always valuable, and that’s the hope with Villarroel, who should open the year as the primary catcher for High-A Eugene. It will be fun getting familiar with one of the organization’s newest members!

Now let’s add to the list. For the final time, we have some new names to choose from.

The list so far

1. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
2. Josuar González — SS
3. Jhonny Level — SS
4. Bo Davidson — CF
5. Dakota Jordan — CF
6. Luis Hernández — SS
7. Gavin Kilen — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Blade Tidwell — RHP
10. Keyner Martinez — RHP
11. Jacob Bresnahan — LHP
12. Trevor McDonald — RHP
13. Argenis Cayama — RHP
14. Luis De La Torre — LHP
15. Trevor Cohen — OF
16. Jesús Rodríguez — C
17. Parks Harber — OF/3B
18. Carlos Gutierrez — OF
19. Drew Cavanaugh — C
20. Daniel Susac — C
21. Gerelmi Maldonado — RHP
22. Josh Bostick — RHP
23. Lorenzo Meola — SS/2B
24. Will Bednar — RHP
25. Yunior Marte — RHP
26. Joe Whitman — LHP
27. Joel Peguero — RHP
28. Alberto Laroche — RHP
29. Trent Harris — RHP
30. Carlos De La Rosa — LHP
31. Diego Velasquez — 2B
32. Lisbel Diaz — OF
33. Maui Ahuna — SS
34. Cam Maldonado — OF
35. Victor Bericoto — OF/1B
36. Reid Worley — RHP
37. Jack Choate — LHP
38. Rayner Arias — OF
39. Nate Furman — 2B
40. Jakob Christian — OF
41. Juan Sánchez — LHP
42. Jancel Villarroel — C

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 43 prospect nominees

ScottBandura — 24.6-year old OF — .626 OPS/88 wRC+ in AA (186 PA); .838 OPS/136 wRC+ in High-A (373 PA)

Sabin Ceballos — 23.5-year old 3B — .670 OPS/102 wRC+ in AA (420 PA)

Reggie Crawford — 25.2-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 1.04 ERA/4.07 FIP in AAA in 2024 (8.2 IP); 4.66 ERA/4.93 FIP in AA in 2024 (9.2 IP)

JoseOrtiz — 21.7-year old OF — .803 OPS/134 wRC+ in Low-A (66 PA)

Jean CarlosSio — 21.10-year old INF — .808 OPS/130 wRC+ in High-A (122 PA); .821 OPS/129 wRC+ in Low-A (385 PA)

Charlie Szykowny — 25.7-year old 3B/1B — .816 OPS/122 wRC+ in High-A (549 PA)

TylerVogel — 25.3-year old RHP — 18.00 ERA/6.47 FIP in AAA (2 IP); 1.13 ERA/2.42 FIP in AA (16 IP); 2.83 ERA/3.86 FIP in High-A (41.1 IP)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.

It’s here. The first Orioles game of the spring training schedule is happening today in Sarasota. The game will be aired on both MASN (TV/streaming) and WBAL (radio) in Baltimore, so if you have access to either of those, you can even follow along. It’ll feel a little warmer with baseball going on somewhere.

This being the Grapefruit League, no questions about anything will be answered today. If someone does well, it doesn’t matter. If someone sucks, it doesn’t matter. Everything over the next month is just about getting everyone prepared for the real games come Opening Day.

As nice as it will feel to have good results, particularly the closer we get to Opening Day, really all that matters is getting through the camp season without more injuries piling up on top of what was already there when players reported. There’s already bad injury news here on Friday with the Orioles having announced the official diagnosis for Jordan Westburg, revealing an elbow injury that’s cropped up during his oblique rehab.

Here’s the lineup for the opener:

1. Gunnar Henderson – SS
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Samuel Basallo – C
4. Tyler O’Neill – RF
5. Colton Cowser – CF
6. Adley Rutschman – DH
7. Heston Kjerstad – LF
8. Coby Mayo – 3B
9. Jeremiah Jackson – 2B

Trevor Rogers is the starting pitcher for this opening game. Pitchers expected to be used after him are: Keegan Akin, Jose Espada, Rico Garcia, Trey Gibson, Jean Carlos Henriquez, Enoli Paredes, and Grant Wolfram. They will probably not appear in alphabetical order by last name. Dean Kremer is set to start tomorrow. Further than that has not been lined up (or at least not revealed publicly) just yet.

New manager Craig Albernaz has already offered caution not to read too much into any spring lineup. We certainly should not make assumptions about how the team is leaning for regular season lineups based on this first spring game.

My question for you is, how much do you think this lineup will resemble the one we’ll get for Opening Day? I think there’s probably seven out of the nine Opening Day players here. This being the first game of spring, we’ll probably only see them for four or five innings and then it will be time for the reserves. Some of the reserves might even be players you’re excited to get to see a bit in the early games.

Friday notes…

• CUBS vs. SOX: According to my research, this will be the 601st game of all kinds between the Cubs and White Sox. They have met in 152 regular-season games, six World Series games and 442 exhibition games, including pre-season, in-season and post-season. Of all exhibition games, the Cubs have won 204, lost 226 and tied 12. Of the 197 pre-season games outside Chicago, they have won 103, lost 87 and tied 7. Of all pre-season games, including those in Chicago, they have won 128, lost 113 and tied 7. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE NEW GUYS: Of the 60 players in Cubs camp, 20 were not in the Cubs organization at all last year.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

We are soooo back.

Watch today's game live on Marquee Sports Network. pic.twitter.com/dKB9CmufVJ

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 20, 2026

White Sox lineup:

White Sox baseball is back! pic.twitter.com/QCMZik9tyU

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 20, 2026

Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Porter Hodge, Gavin Hollowell, Connor Noland, Grant Kipp and Connor Schultz. Also, minor leaguers Frankie Scalzo, Zane Mills, Vince Reilly and Nick Hull.

Jonathan Cannon will start for the White Sox. Other Sox pitchers scheduled today: Tyler Schweitzer, Zach Franklin, Jairo Iriarte, former Cub Tyson Miller, Ben Peoples, Garrett Schoenle and Frankeli Arias.

Today’s game will be on Marquee Sports Network. There will also be a radio broadcast on 670 The Score, as well as on the White Sox radio channel, ESPN 1000.

MLB.com Gameday

Please note that during spring training, Gameday sometimes doesn’t go pitch-by-pitch as it does during the regular season — if not, it will update after each at-bat.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox . If you do go there to interact with Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Kazuma Okamoto is a 29-year-old, right-handed hitting corner infielder from Gojo, Japan. He’s played 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball. The Jays signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract (Ben Clemens at FanGraphs figured him to sign four years and $72 million).

Not that it means much, but he’s shown a nice sense of humour (he is serious and manly) and sense of fun in the few days he’s been at the Jays spring camp.

Rogers hopes to grow the Blue Jays’ brand in Japan. We are going to Japan next month. I’m going to bring a bunch of Blue Jays caps with me. Every holiday, I end up trading a Jays cap for something

Career he’s hit .277/.361/.521, with 248 home runs. Last year, he was limited to 69 games with the Yomiuri Giants because of an elbow sprain, but he hit .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs. FanGraphs notes that he has the second-most homers in NPB since 2019.

He’s lowered his strikeout rate the last two seasons (15.9% in 2024, 11.3% last year). And there is a note that he’s hitting better against fastballs the last couple of years. He’s a pull hitter.

There are questions about his defense at third. FanGraphs says this:

Okamoto can show you nimble lower body stability and has feel for bouncing off the dirt and spinning into accurate throws, but he lacks range and struggles making plays to his glove side.

Baseball America likes his defense more:

In the field, Okamoto is an above-average defender at third base, and he’s won multiple NPB Gold Glove equivalents. He’s a plus-plus defender at first base and offers his signing team defensive versatility.

With Vlad at first, third is Kazuma’s spot. I am interested in seeing his defense this spring. I’m guessing he’ll move to first on Vlad’s DH days.

How will he hit? I’d like to think he’ll be around 25 home runs, maybe a .250ish average, .340-.350 OBP.

Steamer? They have him playing 130 games, 22 home runs, a .251/.323/.446 batting line with a 2.3 fWAR.

One of the best days of the year is here! Spring training has officially opened, the Yankees kicking off their Grapefruit League exhibition series with a trip to Sarasota to take on the Orioles. The offseason may have been “brutal”’ and “frustrating”’ at times as Aaron Judge put it, but baseball is back and we can finally look forward to the season. Let’s take a look at the players who will be suiting up for both division rivals.

Elmer Rodríguez takes the mound as the Yankees’ top ranked pitching prospect according to several publications. The 22-year-old righty vaulted his way to becoming a consensus Top-100 Prospect in baseball after being named Baseball America’s New York Yankees Minor League Player of the Year. In 26 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, Rodriguez went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA across 150 innings, finishing with the second-most strikeouts (176) in the minors behind the Mets’ Jonah Tong. He has a chance to impact the big-league club season, and gets his first true audition this afternoon.

Trevor Rogers was one of the biggest stories for the Orioles last season, going from a Triple-A demotion following his 2024 Trade Deadline move from Miami to one of the most effective pitchers in baseball when he was one the mound in 2025. Among starters with at least 100 innings, Rogers was second only to Nathan Eovaldi with a 1.81 ERA, also placing in the top-ten league-wide in FIP (2.82) and home runs per nine (0.49). He made a pair of starts against the Yankees last year, pitching six shutout frames of one-hit ball in their first encounter before getting tagged for six runs across three innings a week later. The 28-year-old southpaw leads with a four-seamer that sits 93, backed up by a pair of nasty breaking balls, his slider and sweeper both inducing whiff rates in excess of 37-percent. In 18 starts, Rogers went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA (223 ERA+), 2.82 FIP, 103 strikeouts, and 3.3 fWAR across 109.2 innings.

For those disappointed not to see Aaron Judge’s name in the Yankees lineup, the captain generally has not travelled to away games during spring training. We will at least get to see four major leaguers start, with Austin Wells, José Caballero, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Amed Rosario making up the top four of the batting order. The rest of the lineup consists of non-roster invitees: Ernesto Martinez Jr., Marco Luciano, Duke Ellis, Kenedy Corona, and Ali Sánchez

The Orioles meanwhile go with a starting nine that could very well resemble their Opening Day lineup. Gunnar Henderson bats leadoff while Pete Alonso takes his first competitive swings in an Orioles uniform after his big money move from Queens to Baltimore in free agency. The rest of their expected infield has taken a hit, however, with both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg absent after suffering a broken hamate and partially torn UCL, respectively.

How to watch

Location: Ed Smith Stadium — Sarasota, FL

First pitch: 1:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: Gotham Sports App, MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Radio broadcast: WBAL 1090 AM (Orioles broadcast)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Let the games begin 👊 #RepBXpic.twitter.com/qpMUQM7bV5

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 20, 2026

We've got ourselves a baseball game today 😏 pic.twitter.com/kra3igaFj1

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 20, 2026