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Join NBC Sports Philadelphia for Phillies Down the Shore watch party! originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Mark your calendars, NBC Sports Philadelphia is heading down the shore for a Phillies watch party!

Join us 5 p.m. Aug. 12 at Excursion Park in Sea Isle to watch the Phillies take on the Reds with raffles, special guests and more!

Presented by AC Electric

What Buster Posey, Giants need from top prospect Bryce Eldridge before MLB debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Anything worth having is worth the wait. 

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, while in ESPN’s broadcast booth during San Francisco’s matchup against the Mets on Sunday, shared what the organization’s top prospect, first baseman Bryce Eldridge must do to earn a much-anticipated call-up. 

“We’re excited about Bryce. I think the key number that you mentioned is that he’s 20,” Buster said. “He’s still got a lot of growth both offensively and defensively.” 

Eldridge has played 150 games over the last two seasons and been promoted four times, including twice to Triple-A. 

As it stands, there’s only one more to make, and that would ascend him to the Giants in the big leagues, but with Rafael Devers joining Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith in the first base mix at some point this season, there’s no rush to promote the 20-year-old. 

Not yet, at least.

“One of the luxuries now with having Rafael Devers is that we’re not as rushed with Bryce,” Posey added. “Randy Wynn and Kyle Haines and player development I know feel strongly that it’s important for these guys to get their reps.” 

As Eldridge, the Giants’ 2023 first-round draft pick (No. 16 overall), continues to skyrocket through the minor leagues and is knocking on the big-league door the question begs: So what exactly do Posey and Co. want to see from Eldridge prior to his big-league debut? 

Posey has the answer.

“We want them to beat the door down,” Posey concluded. “We really want them to beat the door down to get here and be ready to make an impact when they get here.”

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Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun headline Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 candidates originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner got their call to Cooperstown, but who will be joining them next year?

The three players were enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday as part of the Class of 2025 with each surpassing the requisite 75% vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Now, baseball fans can start looking ahead to the 2026 ballot.

Next year’s ballot does not have nearly as much star power as the 2025 class, which had two first-ballot Hall of Famers in Ichiro and Sabathia. Still, a handful of players could be on their way to Cooperstown next summer.

Here’s a look at the top names to watch in the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame voting process.

First-ballot potential

• Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels could look to follow in Sabathia’s footsteps as a first-ballot southpaw, but his resume isn’t nearly as strong.

The former Philadelphia Phillies star’s accomplishments include a 163-122 record in 422 career starts, a 3.43 ERA, 2,560 career strikeouts, four All-Star selections, NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008 and a no-hitter in 2015 that doubled as his last career start with the Phillies. By comparison, Sabathia had 88 more wins and eclipsed the 3,000-strikeout threshold.

Returning candidates

• Carlos Beltrán
• Andruw Jones

Carlos Beltrán is the most likely player to join the Class of 2026. The nine-time All-Star appeared on 70.3% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2025, leaving him 19 votes shy of Cooperstown. It was still a significant rise from the 57.1% he received just one year prior, so he’s on pace to get his call to the hall in 2026.

It could be Andruw Jones’ time, as well. The Atlanta Braves star was on 66.2% of ballots in 2025, which marked his eighth year of Hall of Fame candidacy. The five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover will need a noticeable increase in voting with just two years of eligibility remaining.

Returning longshots

• Chase Utley
• Andy Pettitte
• Félix Hernández
• Alex Rodriguez
• Manny Ramirez

Hamels isn’t the only former Phillies star on the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, as several of his former teammates are returning players. Chase Utley is the top vote-getter among them after appearing on 39.8% of ballots in 2025, which was his second year of eligibility. Bobby Abreu (19.5% in 2025) and Jimmy Rollins (18.0% in 2025) are entering their seventh and fifth year of eligibility, respectively.

Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, made the biggest leap of any returning player on the 2025 ballot. He went from 13.6% in 2024 to 27.9% in 2025, giving him some hope for future enshrinement as he goes into his eighth year of eligibility.

Félix Hernández is the most notable name to watch among players who were first-year eligible in 2025. The Seattle Mariners legend will look to make a second-year leap after receiving 20.6% of the vote on his first ballot.

As for players linked to MLB’s steroid era, Alex Rodriguez (37.1% in 2025) is entering his fifth year of Hall of Fame eligibility, while Manny Ramirez (34.3% in 2025) is entering his 10th and final year on the ballot.\

First-year longshots

• Ryan Braun
• Edwin Encarnación
• Matt Kemp
• Shin-Soo Choo
• Chris Davis
• Nick Markakis
• Alex Gordon
• Daniel Murphy
• Rick Porcello

Ryan Braun started his MLB career on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but a performance-enhancing drug suspension in 2013 stained his resume. He finished his career as the Milwaukee Brewers’ franchise leader in home runs with 352.

Edwin Encarnación (424 home runs), Matt Kemp (three-time All-Star) and Shin-Soo Choo (one-time All-Star) are among the players who should appear on more than 5% of ballots in 2026, allowing them to stick on the ballot in 2027.

When is Pete Rose eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose from the league’s permanently ineligible list in May, paving the way for MLB’s all-time hits leader to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Instead of the BBWAA ballot, the Historical Overview Committee will oversee Rose’s posthumous candidacy. The committee is next scheduled to meet in 2027 to develop a ballot with names for the Classic Era Committee, so 2028 is the soonest Rose could be voted in.

Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun headline Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 candidates originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner got their call to Cooperstown, but who will be joining them next year?

The three players were enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday as part of the Class of 2025 with each surpassing the requisite 75% vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Now, baseball fans can start looking ahead to the 2026 ballot.

Next year’s ballot does not have nearly as much star power as the 2025 class, which had two first-ballot Hall of Famers in Ichiro and Sabathia. Still, a handful of players could be on their way to Cooperstown next summer.

Here’s a look at the top names to watch in the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame voting process.

First-ballot potential

• Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels could look to follow in Sabathia’s footsteps as a first-ballot southpaw, but his resume isn’t nearly as strong.

The former Philadelphia Phillies star’s accomplishments include a 163-122 record in 422 career starts, a 3.43 ERA, 2,560 career strikeouts, four All-Star selections, NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008 and a no-hitter in 2015 that doubled as his last career start with the Phillies. By comparison, Sabathia had 88 more wins and eclipsed the 3,000-strikeout threshold.

Returning candidates

• Carlos Beltrán
• Andruw Jones

Carlos Beltrán is the most likely player to join the Class of 2026. The nine-time All-Star appeared on 70.3% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2025, leaving him 19 votes shy of Cooperstown. It was still a significant rise from the 57.1% he received just one year prior, so he’s on pace to get his call to the hall in 2026.

It could be Andruw Jones’ time, as well. The Atlanta Braves star was on 66.2% of ballots in 2025, which marked his eighth year of Hall of Fame candidacy. The five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover will need a noticeable increase in voting with just two years of eligibility remaining.

Returning longshots

• Chase Utley
• Andy Pettitte
• Félix Hernández
• Alex Rodriguez
• Manny Ramirez

Hamels isn’t the only former Phillies star on the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, as several of his former teammates are returning players. Chase Utley is the top vote-getter among them after appearing on 39.8% of ballots in 2025, which was his second year of eligibility. Bobby Abreu (19.5% in 2025) and Jimmy Rollins (18.0% in 2025) are entering their seventh and fifth year of eligibility, respectively.

Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, made the biggest leap of any returning player on the 2025 ballot. He went from 13.6% in 2024 to 27.9% in 2025, giving him some hope for future enshrinement as he goes into his eighth year of eligibility.

Félix Hernández is the most notable name to watch among players who were first-year eligible in 2025. The Seattle Mariners legend will look to make a second-year leap after receiving 20.6% of the vote on his first ballot.

As for players linked to MLB’s steroid era, Alex Rodriguez (37.1% in 2025) is entering his fifth year of Hall of Fame eligibility, while Manny Ramirez (34.3% in 2025) is entering his 10th and final year on the ballot.\

First-year longshots

• Ryan Braun
• Edwin Encarnación
• Matt Kemp
• Shin-Soo Choo
• Chris Davis
• Nick Markakis
• Alex Gordon
• Daniel Murphy
• Rick Porcello

Ryan Braun started his MLB career on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but a performance-enhancing drug suspension in 2013 stained his resume. He finished his career as the Milwaukee Brewers’ franchise leader in home runs with 352.

Edwin Encarnación (424 home runs), Matt Kemp (three-time All-Star) and Shin-Soo Choo (one-time All-Star) are among the players who should appear on more than 5% of ballots in 2026, allowing them to stick on the ballot in 2027.

When is Pete Rose eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose from the league’s permanently ineligible list in May, paving the way for MLB’s all-time hits leader to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Instead of the BBWAA ballot, the Historical Overview Committee will oversee Rose’s posthumous candidacy. The committee is next scheduled to meet in 2027 to develop a ballot with names for the Classic Era Committee, so 2028 is the soonest Rose could be voted in.

A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility, and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025.

That out of the way, here’s a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy baseball roster this season.

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1. J.J. Wetherholt, INF, St. Louis Cardinals

2025 stats: 73 G, .306/.421/.513, 11 HR, 14 SB, 48 BB, 48 SO at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.

If I listed every reason for this, it would make this a 6,000-word article and absolutely no one wants that, but I’ll just get this out of the way: This is the least confident I’ve ever been in a list this late into the year. I have no idea whether Wetherholt (see what I did there?) is going to make his debut in 2025, but it’s not just about proximity, folks. Wetherholt’s talent is exceptional, and the fact that he’s slugged four homers with a .762 OPS since being promoted to Triple-A didn’t hurt his case for ascending to the top of this list, either. Wetherholt has played more shortstop than second base in Memphis, and the latter position is obviously covered right now for St. Louis. I still think his ability to hit for average, power and steal bases — potentially, anyway — makes him the prospect I’d roster right now.

2. Luke Keaschall, INF/OF, Minnesota Twins

2025 stats: 22 G, .244/.358/.295, 1 HR, 8 SB, 14 BB, 17 SO at Triple-A St. Paul; 7 G, .368/.538/.526, 0 HR, 5 SB, 5 BB, 2 SO at Minnesota.

You would be forgiven if you forgot about Keaschall, but now’s a good time to, well, stop forgetting. The 22-year-old missed nearly three months while dealing with a fractured right forearm, but he’s returned to action and shown off his impressive speed and approach. The power is the question mark with Keaschall, but he can put the ball into the gaps and can turn on enough fastballs to suggest he won’t be just a dink-and-dunk hitter. Keaschall should rejoin the Twins in the coming weeks, and fantasy managers could do worse than to give the right-handed hitter a shot once that takes place.

3. Jordan Lawlar, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks

2025 stats: 53 G, .319/.410/.583, 10 HR, 18 SB, 30 BB, 60 SO at Triple-A Reno; 8 G, .000/.136/.000, 0 HR, 0 SB, 3 BB, 9 SO at Arizona.

Ranking Lawlar is kinda impossible right now, but I’ll do it anyway. The case against him is pretty simple; he’s out with a hamstring injury and there’s no word as to when he’ll be able to return. The case for him is those stats you see above — the minor league ones, not the small-sampled struggles in a brief cup of coffee — and the fact that Arizona is very much in sell mode/should want to see Lawlar playing everyday. So it goes like this: If the Diamondbacks recall Lawlar, add him; he’s the type of player who can contribute in every fantasy category. But don’t be surprised if they take it easy and have their top prospect make his debut as a full-time starter in 2026.

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4. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles

2025 stats: 64 G, .280/.394/.615, 120 HR, 0 SB, 40 BB, 57 SO at Triple-A Norfolk.

If I absolutely knew that Basallo was going to be up in the coming weeks, he’d be the top prospect on this list. He should be up already, as he’s scorching hot with a .350/.413/.775 slash over his last 10 games that was buoyed by a 5-for-5 effort with a homer against Lehigh Valley on Friday. Basallo has some of the best power in the minors right now, and the approach at the plate keeps getting better to suggest he’ll get on at a solid clip with a decent average to go with it. There’s just no guarantee that Baltimore is going to bring him up, so fantasy managers need to play the wait-and-see game. Unless you play in a league with two catchers. I’d probably roster him now in that case.

5. Spencer Jones, OF, New York Yankees

2025 stats: 68 G, .314/.411/.706, 29 HR, 16 SB, 42 BB, 94 SO at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

I want you to look at that number of games played and that number of homers closely, because it still feels like that’s not possible. Jones homered three times for the RailRiders on Thursday, but has been out of the lineup since then due to back spasms. Obviously that injury is a potential concern, but with potential concern comes a 6-foot-7 left-handed hitter who has homered 13 times in 19 games since being promoted to Triple-A. Yes, he strikes out a ton. Yes, there’ll likely be an adjustment period when he gets a chance to face MLB pitching. But yes, I am still rostering him if the Yankees promote him because of the potential power production.

6. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

2025 stats: 20 G, 82.2 IP, 3.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 41 BB, 104 SO at Triple-A Indianapolis.

I feel like this late in the year we have to have a pitcher on the list, and the fact of the matter is that Chandler — with all due respect to Andrew Painter and a few other names — is the best pitching prospect in Triple-A right now. So, I’m adding a spot for him. He’s also been pitching well after a bit of a funk in the middle of the summer, and fired back-to-back shutouts over six innings to begin July with a 5 2/3 inning effort of two-run baseball with seven strikeouts in his most recent outing. The Pirates are just as likely to shut down Chandler as they are to promote him, but if he gets a chance in the majors, his swing-and-miss stuff and ability to throw four pitches for strikes makes him relevant.

Around the minors

There’s a lot of debate as to who the best prospect in baseball is, but right now, I would argue that the best fantasy prospect in the sport is Jesús Made. Made has been solid with the bat all year, but better of late with a .306 average and .836 OPS over his last 10 games. Even as a player that turned 18 in May, the switch-hitting shortstop has shown off four plus-tools, and three of those are relevant to fantasy in his hit, power and speed. There’s some question as to whether he’ll need to move off shortstop, but the Brew Crew have a few years to find out exactly where he profiles best. If he sticks at short, he has a chance to be a fantasy superstar, but if he moved to the outfield, second or third base he’s still the player I’d want the most in any eligible format.

The Marlins have been a pleasant surprise in 2025 — if only because the expectations were so incredibly low — and they also have seen Robby Snelling develop into one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. Since being promoted to Triple-A in July, Snelling has an ERA of 2.30 over his three starts with a 15/4 K/BB ratio over 15 2/3 innings with the Jumbo Shrimp. Eleven of those punchouts came in his start Saturday against Triple-A Durham, and he’s shown the ability to miss bats with three pitches while throwing them for strikes on a consistent enough basis to suggest good things. He could make his MLB debut in 2025, but even if he doesn’t he’s a name to keep a close eye on for 2026.

We talked about Jones and his impressive power display, but there’s another slugger who has been bashing the ball over the fence in Triple-A lately, and it’s Mariners’ first base prospect Tyler Locklear. Locklear has homered six times in his last 10 games, and in that timeframe he’s slashing a robust .417/.511/.972 for Tacoma. The 2022 second-round pick really struggled in his short time with the Mariners last year, but he’s a player with well above-average power and the ball jumps off his bat when he makes contact. Seattle isn’t likely to give him a chance in 2025 after the trade for Josh Naylor, but he does have the skill set to be a middle-of-the-order hitter in the coming seasons. If he were to be traded before the deadline, he’d be worthy of consideration; assuming he gets promoted after that transaction, of course.

Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun headline Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 candidates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner got their call to Cooperstown, but who will be joining them next year?

The three players were enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday as part of the Class of 2025 with each surpassing the requisite 75% vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Now, baseball fans can start looking ahead to the 2026 ballot.

Next year’s ballot does not have nearly as much star power as the 2025 class, which had two first-ballot Hall of Famers in Ichiro and Sabathia. Still, a handful of players could be on their way to Cooperstown next summer.

Here’s a look at the top names to watch in the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame voting process.

First-ballot potential

• Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels could look to follow in Sabathia’s footsteps as a first-ballot southpaw, but his resume isn’t nearly as strong.

The former Philadelphia Phillies star’s accomplishments include a 163-122 record in 422 career starts, a 3.43 ERA, 2,560 career strikeouts, four All-Star selections, NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008 and a no-hitter in 2015 that doubled as his last career start with the Phillies. By comparison, Sabathia had 88 more wins and eclipsed the 3,000-strikeout threshold.

Returning candidates

• Carlos Beltrán
• Andruw Jones

Carlos Beltrán is the most likely player to join the Class of 2026. The nine-time All-Star appeared on 70.3% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2025, leaving him 19 votes shy of Cooperstown. It was still a significant rise from the 57.1% he received just one year prior, so he’s on pace to get his call to the hall in 2026.

It could be Andruw Jones’ time, as well. The Atlanta Braves star was on 66.2% of ballots in 2025, which marked his eighth year of Hall of Fame candidacy. The five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover will need a noticeable increase in voting with just two years of eligibility remaining.

Returning longshots

• Chase Utley
• Andy Pettitte
• Félix Hernández
• Alex Rodriguez
• Manny Ramirez

Hamels isn’t the only former Phillies star on the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, as several of his former teammates are returning players. Chase Utley is the top vote-getter among them after appearing on 39.8% of ballots in 2025, which was his second year of eligibility. Bobby Abreu (19.5% in 2025) and Jimmy Rollins (18.0% in 2025) are entering their seventh and fifth year of eligibility, respectively.

Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, made the biggest leap of any returning player on the 2025 ballot. He went from 13.6% in 2024 to 27.9% in 2025, giving him some hope for future enshrinement as he goes into his eighth year of eligibility.

Félix Hernández is the most notable name to watch among players who were first-year eligible in 2025. The Seattle Mariners legend will look to make a second-year leap after receiving 20.6% of the vote on his first ballot.

As for players linked to MLB’s steroid era, Alex Rodriguez (37.1% in 2025) is entering his fifth year of Hall of Fame eligibility, while Manny Ramirez (34.3% in 2025) is entering his 10th and final year on the ballot.\

First-year longshots

• Ryan Braun
• Edwin Encarnación
• Matt Kemp
• Shin-Soo Choo
• Chris Davis
• Nick Markakis
• Alex Gordon
• Daniel Murphy
• Rick Porcello

Ryan Braun started his MLB career on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but a performance-enhancing drug suspension in 2013 stained his resume. He finished his career as the Milwaukee Brewers’ franchise leader in home runs with 352.

Edwin Encarnación (424 home runs), Matt Kemp (three-time All-Star) and Shin-Soo Choo (one-time All-Star) are among the players who should appear on more than 5% of ballots in 2026, allowing them to stick on the ballot in 2027.

When is Pete Rose eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose from the league’s permanently ineligible list in May, paving the way for MLB’s all-time hits leader to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Instead of the BBWAA ballot, the Historical Overview Committee will oversee Rose’s posthumous candidacy. The committee is next scheduled to meet in 2027 to develop a ballot with names for the Classic Era Committee, so 2028 is the soonest Rose could be voted in.