It’s a brave new world for the Orioles’ farm system.

After years of the Orioles’ position player prospects outshining their counterparts on the mound, the tide has started to change in the upper minors. At Triple-A Norfolk in particular, there’s an impressive array of pitching prospects who appear poised to contribute to the Orioles sometime in the near future.

The Tides begin their 2026 tonight with a three-game series against the Nashville Sounds. Let’s take a look at the break-camp roster for the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate:

Catchers

Silas Ardoin, Maverick Handley, Sam Huff, Creed Willems

The Tides listed Ardoin, Handley, and Willems on their opening roster on Tuesday, but since then the O’s have sent the veteran Huff to the minors as well. Four catchers seems like overkill, so someone is likely going to be the odd man out. The only prospect among the group is Willems, the Orioles’ eighth-round pick in 2021, who is coming off a solid season at Double-A Chesapeake (16 HRs, .779 OPS). MLB Pipeline ranks him as the club’s #19 prospect. The 22-year-old will get a chance to test his bat at the Triple-A level, but if the Orioles need a third catcher at some point, they’d likely go with Huff or Handley, who both have major league experience.

Infielders

José Barrero, Ryan Noda, Bryan Ramos, Willy Vasquez, Luis Vázquez, Weston Wilson

After the original Norfolk break-camp roster listed only Noda and Vasquez, the O’s sent a slew of other infielders to Triple-A when they made their final cuts before Opening Day. These guys are minor league journeymen; there are no actual prospects here. Vázquez, who broke his hand after getting hit by a pitch in the Orioles’ penultimate exhibition game, won’t be available for a while. Wilson, a former Phillie, was a candidate for the Birds’ utility infield spot before being reassigned on the final day. So too was Ramos, a waiver claim from the Cardinals who was out of options. Ramos cleared waivers yesterday and will stay in the organization.

Outfielders

Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Camden Chat’s #7 prospect), Jud Fabian, Jhonkensy Noel, Will Robertson, Reed Trimble

Norfolk’s best position-player prospect is in the outfield, where Bradfield will hope to improve upon his 10-for-56 performance in a 15-game sample at Triple-A last year. The 24-year-old’s blazing speed and elite defense are MLB-ready right now, but he’ll need to show a little more on offense before the O’s are comfortable subjecting him to major league pitching. Bradfield figures to make his Orioles debut at some point this season, but whether it’s as a regular starter or as a defensive replacement off the bench will hinge on how he performs at Norfolk.

Another intriguing name here is Trimble, a former top-30 O’s prospect whose career has been sidetracked by injuries. Between left shoulder surgery in 2021 and a hamstring injury in 2024, he has never played more than 90 games in any of his four professional seasons. He is incredibly good at one thing, though: stealing bases. Trimble is a perfect 61-for-61 in stolen base attempts in his minor league career. The Orioles added him to the 40-man roster this past winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, so they must think the 25-year-old still has some promise.

A fellow former top-30 prospect, Fabian, has all but stalled out at Triple-A, posting a .628 OPS since arriving in Norfolk in 2024. The second round of the 2022 draft, in which the Orioles selected both Fabian and the since-released Max Wagner, was not one of Mike Elias’s finest efforts. Rounding out the Tides’ outfield group is Noel, a.k.a. “Big Christmas,” who hits prodigious dingers every so often but doesn’t do much else.

Pitchers

RHP Jose Espada, RHP Cameron Foster, RHP Nestor German (#11 prospect), RHP Trey Gibson (#5 prospect), RHP Jackson Kowar, RHP Dean Kremer, LHP Andrew Magno, RHP Chayce McDermott, RHP Enoli Paredes, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Albert Suárez, LHP Josh Walker, RHP Levi Wells (#16 prospect), RHP Cameron Weston, RHP Brandon Young

Oh yeah, here’s the good stuff. In a stark contrast to last year, the Norfolk rotation is stacked with prospects. Gibson, German, and Wells make for a stellar trio of homegrown right-handers, all drafted (or in Gibson’s case, signed as an undrafted free agent) and developed by the Orioles. We’ve been waiting for a Mike Elias-drafted starting pitcher to make it to the majors, and it will likely happen this year. Gibson is the closest to MLB ready, though his eight-game debut at Triple-A last year was a struggle (8.90 ERA). Trey will take the mound for the Tides’ opener tonight.

I still can’t believe that Dean Kremer is back in Triple-A. I mean, I understand why it happened, but it’s just weird. Other than rehab stints, it’s his first time in the minors since 2021. His stay is expected to be short, as he’ll probably be back in the majors once the O’s need to give extra rest to their other starters, or if one of them gets hurt. It speaks to the Birds’ improved rotation depth that they didn’t have room for an essentially MLB-average starter like Kremer. And Povich and Young, who combined for 32 mostly unimpressive starts for the Orioles last year, will also serve as depth if needed.

Meanwhile, if there’s any hope for former top pitching prospect Chayce McDermott, he’s running out of chances to show it. The O’s converted him to relief last season and he performed well at Triple-A, only to cough up eight runs in just two appearances in the majors. He’s been passed on the bullpen depth chart by guys like Espada and Foster, who were part of the Birds’ bullpen competition in spring training, as well as Kowar, the hard-throwing righty who cleared waivers yesterday. The veteran Suárez returned to the O’s on a minor league deal and will likely be one of the first up when the Orioles need another arm.

When the Detroit Tigers confirmed that young infielder Kevin McGonigle had made their Opening Day roster, the expectations could not have been higher.

Yet somehow, one of Major League Baseball’s top prospects managed to exceed them in his first game.

McGonigle roped the first pitch he saw on Thursday for a bases-loaded, two-run double, and added three more hits on the afternoon to finish the day 4-for-5 with two runs batted in, and two runs scored. In the process, he became just the third-youngest player with four or more hits on Opening Day in the last century of MLB action.

“What a debut,” manager A.J. Hinch said after Detroit’s 8-2 win. “He can hit.”

Hinch penciled McGonigle into the sixth spot in Detroit’s lineup, starting him at third base. He came to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, and jumped on the first pitch he saw, a 91-mph cutter on the inside part of the plate. He laced that down the right-field line, bringing two teammates home on the very first pitch he saw:

“I was nervous, but it’s weird — I feel like right when I started my load to hit, it just went away,” McGonigle said after the game. “I felt great out there. Very confident. Looking to keep that same mindset going.”

McGonigle certainly had that same mindset in his second at-bat, which came in the top of the third inning. After falling down 0-2 in the count after missing on a fastball and taking a curve for the second strike, he battled back to even the count at 2-2. That’s when McGonigle jumped on another fastball on the inner half of the plate, roping a line drive off the top of the wall in right field:

While he just missed his first MLB home run, his head-first slide into second ahead of the throw from Fernando. Tatis Jr. gave him his second double in two at-bats.

He reached on an infield single in the fifth, and then popped out to third in the seventh, recording his first MLB out. But McGonigle had one more at-bat in the game, as he came to the dish in the top of the ninth.

That’s when he laced a single to right center for his fourth hit of the day:

“He won’t be as nervous as that at-bat, and if that’s the nervous version of him, we’re in for a fun year,” Hinch said. “I like the fact he was aggressive on his pitch. Obviously a big hit to open up the game a little bit and give us some breathing room. That set the tone for a really good day for him and for us.”

McGonigle was the youngest Tigers player named to an Opening Day roster since Omar Infante in 2003. And as noted above he became the third-youngest player in the last 100 years of MLB action to record four or more hits on Opening Day.

The only two players younger? Ken Griffey Jr. and Delino DeShields Jr., both of whom accomplished that feat on Opening Day in 1990.

“[I told myself] it’s just another game,” McGonigle said. “I kept that mindset, and I’m looking forward to keeping that going.”

It might have felt like just another game to McGonigle. But it certainly did not to Tigers fans.

To them, it felt like the future. And a very bright one at that.

Meet the Mets

The Mets did as the Mets do on Opening Day, notching another season-opening victory despite having to face reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic

Carson Benge, who made his major league debut as the Mets’ starting right fielder in the win, hit his first big league home run and stole a base.

David Lennon wrote about Benge’s dream debut.

The Mets’ lineup yesterday featured five players who hadn’t taken a major league at-bat with the club before, and Will Sammon asked if this lineup is better than the one the Mets deployed last year.

Francisco Alvarez became the first Met to use an ABS challenge and succeeded.

Shortly before their Opening Day game got underway, the Mets signed outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal.

K Corner, which occupied the space that was McFadden’s earlier in Citi Field’s tenure, is no more, as the space will serve as offices for Hard Rock. Willets Point Brewing is an option for pre- and post-game beers, though.

Speaking of Steve Cohen’s forthcoming casino, some Mets fans voiced their opposition to the project at Citi Field yesterday.

Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto are in the top twenty of MLB jersey sales, and former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is on the list, too.

Anthony DiComo wrote about seven people who are essential to the Mets’ success this year.

Around the National League East

The Braves are set to play their first game of the season today, and they’re going to be much more aggressive baserunners this season.

The Phillies defeated the Rangers in a 5-3 win on Opening Day in Philadelphia.

The Nationals joined the Mets in putting up double digits on Opening Day, defeating the Cubs 10-4.

And the Marlins, like the Braves, are set to start their season today.

Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm filed a lawsuit against his parents, alleging they siphoned away $3 million while managing his finances.

Around Major League Baseball

The Brewers scored fourteen runs in an Opening Day blowout of the White Sox.

It wasn’t all good news for the Brewers yesterday, though, as Jackson Chourio hit the injured list with a fractured hand.

The Orioles topped the Twins as they won 2-1 in Baltimore to start the season.

Garrett Crochet carved up the Reds as the Red Sox won 3-0.

Mike Trout hit a home run as the Angels shut out the Astros.

Kevin McGonigle’s major league debut went incredibly well as the Tigers trounced the Padres.

The Rays fell to the Cardinals in a game that got away.

The Dodgers’ offense was too much contain as they beat the Diamondbacks.

The Guardians defeated the Mariners by a 6-4 score.

Jeff Passan writes that the baseball world revolves around the Dodgers.

Shortly after signing Pete Crow-Armstrong to an extension, the Cubs have agreed to an extension with Nico Hoerner.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the Mets’ three-game series with the Pirates.

Vas Drimalitis took a look at what might be in store for the Mets’ National League East rivals this year.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets traded for David Cone on this date in 1987, sending catcher Ed Hearn to the Royals as part of the five-player deal.

Finally, Opening Day is here and the climb begins for the Colorado Rockies. 

For fans, it’s a chance to see the change in action from an offseason marked with front office and coaching changes.

For the players, it’s a chance to prove they can compete. For four young players, it’s a chance to prove they belong here as they make their Opening Day roster debuts. 

Two of those players, third baseman Kyle Karros and first baseman TJ Rumfield, will be in the starting lineup. Both were beyond excited when they heard they made the roster. 

Karros — the Rockies fifth-round draft pick from 2023 — had set the goal of making the team after being called up in August last year and finishing the season at the Major League level. Still, learning he’d accomplish his goal felt good.

“Obviously [my] first Opening Day will be pretty special. It was cool to tell my family and friends,” Karros said. “But I’ve kinda hinted at it a ton that the goal has been to crack a roster and hang around in The Show. The goal is to be a dude for this team and play baseball in October.”

Karros delivered a more balanced performance in spring training. The 23-year-old hit .372/.426/.628 with two homers, two triples, one double, nine RBI and three stolen bases in 43 at-bats.

“I think the offense was definitely the question mark going into this camp,” he said. “I think everyone’s seen that I can play defense at the big league level. It was just a matter of showing up here and showing I could hit big league pitching.

“And – obviously small sample size – I have a lot to improve, but it’s definitely a good start,” he continued. “Both sides of the ball went well. Baserunning went well; defense went well; offense went well. I thought I got along great with the team. I’m really excited to go through a season with this group of guys. I really couldn’t have drawn up a better spring.”

Rumfield — who came to Colorado from the Yankees in January in a trade for pitcher Angel Chivilli — went to a steakhouse and got a steak to celebrate being named to the roster. He was thrilled to share his news with his wife, Hayden.

“I called my wife and let her know and we were just overcome with emotions because we’ve spent the last five years in the minor leagues just waiting for this day and waiting for this moment and grinding it out. It’s been a long time coming. It’s a happy moment,” Rumfield said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a dream come true, honestly. I’ve been dreaming of this moment my entire life, so I’m just excited to get there and get to experience something like that.”

In Arizona, Rumfield, 25, led the team with five homers and tied Hunter Goodman with the most RBI at 13. That led him to be named the Abby Greer Award winner for 2026. He credits his focus, hard work and communication skills to earning the starting spot at first base, which was the biggest position battle in camp.

“I think it was just the conversations with the coaching staff and being able to communicate with them, and my teammates, as well,” Rumfield said. “Communicating with them throughout the game and picking up on different things, whether it’s a pitcher’s tell or on defense. I think it’s just a culmination of focus and hard work that just happened to land me on a big league roster.”

Earning Depth Spots

One of the biggest surprises who made the team is utility infielder Ryan Ritter, who also added right field to his resume. Ritter, 25, ended the 2025 season on the Rockies roster, but faced stiff competition with the signings of utility players Edouard Julien and Willi Castro.

Ritter, who was drafted by the Rockies in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, hit .362/.422/.603 with three homers, nine RBI, five doubles and three stolen bases. He credits his attitude and work ethic to earning his spot.

“It’s a great feeling. That was my goal – coming in here and being part of the team this year – and I’m excited to be with the boys in Miami,” Ritter said. “What I’ve done my whole life is just being very optimistic and showing up to the ballpark and improving every day. My goal every day is just get better every day, so that’s what I’ve been doing this whole time.”

RHP Chase Dollander started 2025 with Triple-A Albuquerque for a little more time to work on his pitches, which allowed the Rockies to start the season with a four-man rotation before calling Dollander up on April 6. Colorado’s 2023 first-round draft pick had mixed results and finished the season back with the Isotopes.

This year, Dollander, 24, had hoped to earn a starting rotation spot, but will start the season in the bullpen to work on finishing batters with two strikes and avoiding high pitch count innings.

“From my understanding, it’s gonna be kind of a long-relief role,” he said. “I’ll probably get as close to a starter workload as possible but we’re not exactly sure what it’s gonna look like in full detail yet. So maybe that’s just something we figure out as we go, but definitely gonna have some conversations with the coaches and stuff and try to nail it down a little bit more.

“It feels great, just to keep it simple. I’m just gonna prove myself and where I belong.”

Keeping Their Spots

All four players know the hard part has yet to begin. They will have to continue to earn their spots, but all are confident in their abilities to do so. Ritter’s plan is to keep doing what he’s been doing.

“I just say, ‘Have a good routine.’ [I] show up to work every day trying to get better and improve my game for the game that’s going to happen later in the day,” he said. “And just keep it simple – just do my best to be prepared before every game.”

Dollander is also taking the same approach, despite moving from the rotation to the bullpen. He plans to continue making his delivery to the plate quicker, limiting would-be basestealers and throwing more strikes.

“I just worked extremely hard in spring training and in the offseason to make sure that I’m put in this position,” Dollander said. “This is just part of my development and I’m excited that [the coaches] see me in that role but also being able to do that development in the big leagues. I truly think that’s special and I’m not going to take that for granted.” 

For Karros, he knows that he has had success in the big leagues and just needs to remember that when he does “hit a blip in the radar somewhere down the season.” He has goals to take a big step forward with the Rockies this season.

“I’ve always felt like I’m ready, especially putting up the numbers I’ve put up in the minor leagues,” he said. “I’ve never seen a reason why that wouldn’t translate to the big leagues. Obviously, last year – small sample size – I was pretty run down at the end of the year. And I think I’ve just come into this camp more physical – faster, stronger and ready to play at an elite level.”

Rumfield is not only looking forward to making the most of his opportunity, but also being part of a team he believes is improving.

“I think we’re going to play a really good brand of baseball,” Rumfield said. “I feel like the fans are going to respond to our passion that we have on the field and the fact that we’re going to play hard every single night and try to win every night.”

What to know about Rockies-Marlins Opening Day (Fri., 7:10 p.m. ET) | MLB.com

The teams forever linked as the 1993 expansion teams, the Rockies and Marlins will face off today to start the 2026 season. The Marlins improved by 17 wins in 2025, which the Rockies would probably like to aim for in 2026. This has all the Opening Day info you need.

Meet the 2026 Rockies: Roster includes new starters Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano and Jose Quintana | Denver Post ($)

No one is expecting the Rockies to even be a .500 team this year, but more competitive and more wins will go a long way. If that’s going to happen, it will begin with starting pitching, which Patrick Saunders highlights in this feature. The subhead says a lot in this article: “Colorado looking hoping to avoid becoming first team since Washington Senators to have four consecutive 100-loss seasons.” The Rockies would need 20 more wins to get to that point.

Colorado Rockies’ top 10 most intriguing prospects to watch in 2026 | Denver Post ($)

Kyle Newman put together a nice recap of the young Rockies who should make Rockies fans optimistic about the future, with info on all 10 and estimates of when they could make their MLB debuts. Newman thinks we could see Charlie Condon, Sterlin Thompson and Gabriel Hughes this season, but will probably have to wait on names like Ethan Holliday and Cole Carrigg.

Colorado Rockies viewers’ guide 2026: How to watch games for rebuilding franchise | The Athletic ($)

In a rare unicorn-like sighting of Rockies coverage by The Athletic, Jenny Catlin recaps the offseason changes, the struggles the team has faced in recent years and how fans in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond can watch MLB action in the 2026 season.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning again.

• With Opening Weekend here and the World Baseball Classic behind us, Stephen J. Nesbitt, Mike Vorkunov and Evan Drellich ask if MLB has surpassed the NBA as the second-most popular league in the US? (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jared Diamond examines whether or not MLB has a competitive problem. The answer depends on how you frame the question.
• The Athletic polled their own writing staff on their predictions for the 2026 season. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Dan Szymborski reveals Fangraphs’ final ZiPS predictions for win totals in 2026.
• The Fangraphs staff also make some bold predictions for 2026.
• What needs to go right for every team this year. I always like looking at what these kinds of articles predict for the Rockies and then wonder why they didn’t just write “anything?”
• The CBS Sports baseball staff has the biggest question for every team this year.
• The percentage of foreign-born players is the lowest since 2002.
• Keith Law predicts the end-of-the-season Award winners. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Julian McWilliams has five under-the-radar storylines for 2026.
• Dodger Miguel Rojas defends the team, saying other teams just want an excuse for not winning.
• Ben Lindbergh calls the Pirates and the Athletics everyone’s favorite dark horses. What has to happen for those teams to live up to their billing?
• Ryan Blake writes thanks to teammates Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez, the Mariners are the runaway favorites in the AL West.
• Major League third-base coaches say that the new rules limiting them to the coaches’ box is putting them in harm’s way from line drives. (The Athletic sub. req.) Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal with the story.
• Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez made the first successful Automated Ball-Strike challenge in history.
• Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski set a new team record with ten strikeouts on Opening Day.
• The Brewers got some bad news as outfielder Jackson Chourio went on the injured list with a broken left hand. Chourio was hit by a pitch in the hand during the WBC.
• The Mets have signed outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal.
• Dodger Stadium got its official renaming of UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.
• MLB revealed the top 20 selling player uniforms since the end of last year.
• And finally, each team’s most interesting stadium giveaway,

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants continue their opening series this weekend against the New York Yankees. So it’s time to see what promotions and events Oracle Park has on deck for fans this weekend!

The schedule continues to be a little bit odd this weekend, as the team will have a really rare Sunday off-day. So we’ll just have Friday and Saturday games.

First up, today is going to be Opening Day (as opposed to Opening Night, I guess?) which means the first 40,000 fans in attendance will get a commemorative Opening Day pin!

Saturday will be the first Fiesta Gigantes of the season, as the Giants plan to have them every Saturday home game this year to celebrate their Latino fans. Which means we’ll also get to see the team’s new jerseys for these games. There will be live performances and specialty concession options available in the park. This Saturday, the first 15,000 fans in attendance will also receive a Willy Adames bobblehead giveaway!

If you’re headed to the park this weekend, have fun and make sure to post pictures!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants continue their opening series against the Yankees today at 1:35 p.m. PT.

Good morning! Yesterday was a legitimately nice spring day in New England and the Boston Red Sox won a real baseball game. Life isn’t one hopeless gauntlet of pain after all!

As baseball fans, we’re not supposed to overreact to one game. But overreacting is fun. So let’s hear what knee jerk conclusions you’ve drawn from nine piddly innings of baseball. Is Roman Anthony going to shatter Ichiro’s hits record and win the 2026 AL MVP? Should Marcelo Mayer be playing everyday? Will Garrett Crochet cruise to the Cy Young?

As for me, I’m entering this season as a Caleb Durbin skeptic, and boy did yesterday convince me that I’m right and everyone else is wrong. You fools! (See? Overreacting is a blast!)

Use this space to talk about the Red Sox going 162-0 or whatever else you want. And, as always, be good to one another.

SAN DIEGO – Kevin McGonigle looked like a veteran all day.

It was his MLB debut.

The Detroit Tigers' 21-year-old top prospect stepped to the plate five times Thursday, March 26, against the San Diego Padres, batting sixth and playing third base – and he came away with four hits, including a two-run double on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Nick Pivetta in the first inning.

"I was nervous," said McGonigle, who only got four hours of sleep the night before his first game. "It's weird. Right when I started my load to hit, it just went away. I felt great out there."

McGonigle teamed up with ace Tarik Skubal to set the tone for the 2026 Tigers in an 8-2 win over the Padres, securing a 1-0 record. Both players are the early favorites for American League awards: McGonigle for Rookie of the Year, Skubal for his third straight Cy Young.

More importantly, the Tigers have World Series championship aspirations.

They'll need McGonigle's help to get there.

He made an unforgettable first impression in Thursday's win, becoming the first Tigers player since Billy Bean on April 25, 1987, to record four hits in his MLB debut. They're the only two players in franchise history to do so.

"I mean, I guess I gotta start not sleeping before every game – because last night, I barely got any sleep," McGonigle said.

Inside the clubhouse, teammates reacted to McGonigle's historic performance.

"He's a pretty special player," Skubal said.

"I feel like he's not scared of anything," outfielder Riley Greene said.

Manager A.J. Hinch saw the same thing from the dugout.

"He can hit," Hinch said. "He won't be as nervous as that at-bat, and if that's the nervous version of him, we're in for a fun year. I like the fact that he was aggressive on his pitch. That set the tone for a really good day, for him and for us."

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: How Kevin McGonigle learned he made Tigers: 'Get to the point, man'

In the first inning, McGonigle pulled the first pitch he saw – an up-and-in cutter from Pivetta – into right field for a two-run double. In the third, he pulled Pivetta's up-and-in fastball off the right-field wall for a double. In the ninth inning, he pulled a middle-in sinker from left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta for a single.

McGonigle loves to hit all kinds of fastballs on the inner half of the plate.

He took advantage of three opportunities.

"It's just incredible, right?" Greene said. "When I had my debut, I couldn't feel my body and didn't really know what was happening. It looked like that was his 700th game out there. Four hits, it's pretty cool to see."

In the fifth inning, McGonigle tapped a changeup from right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio for a slow roller on the infield grass, but he hustled to beat the bare-handed throw for an infield single, registering an elite sprint speed of 30.2 feet per second.

Sneaky speed is another element of his game.

DON'T SLEEP ON DEFENSE: Kevin McGonigle becomes MLB-ready shortstop with pre-pitch consistency

The way McGonigle handled his second plate appearance shows the makings of an on-base machine, both now and in the future, as he battled back from down 0-2 in the count against Pivetta. He refused to chase an up-and-away fastball, fouled a bottom-of-the-zone curveball and refused to chase a curveball in the dirt – leading to a 2-2 count.

He hit the ensuing up-and-in fastball for his second hit of the game.

"The same approach I have in two strikes is to go up there and battle," McGonigle said. "It's me versus him, and I got to keep that same mindset that I’m better than the guy out there on the mound. I fell down 0-2 and was able to battle back and get a barrel on the ball.”

The hits kept coming.

He had four by the end of his first game.

"Is there some sort of record?" Skubal said, wondering about the historical context of McGonigle collecting four hits in his MLB debut. "It has to be, right?"

He is the 25th player to do it.

"Wow," Skubal said.

One player had five hits.

"Really?" Skubal said.

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Free of charge for the discerning reader. Happy birthday to Lynn McGlothen and a host of others, plus more baseball stories.

Today in baseball history:

• 1902 – The nickname Cubs is coined by the Chicago Daily News, when an unbylined column notes that manager Frank Selee will devote his strongest efforts on the team work of the new “Cubs” this year. In time, the Cubs will replace the Colts as the nickname for the Chicago National League club.
• 1917 – The Boston Red Sox beat the Brooklyn Robins, 11-2, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. For tomorrow’s exhibition game in Memphis, Tennessee, players on both teams will sport numbers on their sleeves, the idea of Robins’ owner Charles Ebbets. His reasoning is that fans in non-major league cities would be unfamiliar with the players.
• 1938 – White Sox shortstop Luke Appling, sliding into second base in an exhibition game against the Cubs, fractures his right leg in two places and will miss almost half the season. He will return on July 8th. 
• 1973 – Veteran pitcher Jim Perry of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first player in Major League Baseball to approve of being traded under the new ”ten and five” rule. The Twins send Perry to the Detroit Tigers for a player and cash considerations. Perry, a 24-game winner in 1970, will win 14 games for the Tigers this year.
• 1978 – Oakland Athletics owner Charley Finley cancels the deal that would have sent the team to Denver, Colorado, under the sponsorship of oil magnate Marvin Davis. Objecting to some of the details, Finley decides to call off negotiations.
• 1984 – The Philadelphia Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier and pitcher Porfi Altamirano to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz. Matthews was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player last season, while Campbell led the National League with 82 pitching appearances. Dernier will win a Gold Glove for Chicago and help them reach the playoffs. His 45 stolen bases will be the most by a Cubs player since 1907. 
• 1986 – Major League Baseball’s Rules Committee votes to change the designated hitter rule for the World Series, allowing a DH to be used in all games played in the American League club’s home park, but not in the National League’s. Since 1976, the DH had been used in all games in even years.
• 1989 – Sports Illustrated publishes a story about Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose’s gambling activities. Rose will eventually agree to a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball as part of an agreement with Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. 
• 2002 – The Chicago Cubs send reliever Julian Tavarez and three minor league prospects to the Florida Marlins for reliever Antonio Alfonseca and starter Matt Clement. One of the prospects, Dontrelle Willis, is rated among the Cubs’ top 20 prospects. Alfonseca, nicknamed “El Pulpo” (octopus) because he was born with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, will replace the injured Tom Gordon. 
• 2011 – Cubs P Carlos Silva fails in his bid to become the team’s fifth starter, but says he will refuse an assignment to the minor leagues and makes disparaging remarks about pitching coach Mark Riggins. This pushes the Cubs to release him and swallow $8.5 million for the two years remaining on his contract, while the Seattle Mariners, who traded Silva to the Cubs before the 2010 season, are on the hook for another $5.5 million. Silva has a 10.90 ERA in spring training after a terrible second half last year, and made headlines earlier for getting into a fight in the dugout with 3B Aramis Ramirez. 
• 2020: In the Season Opener for BCB’s The Show 2020 sim, we made our own history as the Brewers beat the Cubs. Yu Darvish walked his way into trouble and couldn’t get out of it, exiting in favor of Alec Mills in the fourth. Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff looked hittable but that turned out to be mostly theoretical as the Cubs rode solo home runs by Ian Happ and Javier Baez and an RBI single by Kris Bryant to defeat. The outcome was in doubt until the final strike, but in the end Josh Hader closed the door on any comeback hopes.

Cubs Birthdays: George Magoon, Bill Collins, Johnny Gill, Walter Stephenson, Newt Kimball, Wes Covington, Lynn McGlothen*, Vic Harris, Dick Ruthven, Drew Hall, Jaime Navarro, Junior Lake, Eric Stout. Also notable: Miller Huggins HOF.

Today in History:

• 196 BC – Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt.
• 1513 – Spaniard Juan Ponce de León and his expedition first sight Florida.
• 1790 – The modern shoelace with an aglet patented in England by Harvey Kennedy.
• 1915 – Typhoid Mary [Mary Mallon] is arrested and returned to quarantine on North Brother Island, New York after spending five years evading health authorities and causing several further outbreaks of typhoid.
• 1964 – The Great Alaska Earthquake (9.2 magnitude) and resulting tsunami kill 139 people in the largest US earthquake and second largest ever recorded.

Thanks for reading.

Farm systems go through cycles. There are strong classes and cycles that rise through the minor leagues together, graduate together, and recycle through. In a situation like the Yankees’, where minor league depth is routinely pillaged for deadline upgrades, the surviving prospects who rise through the system leave chasms in their wake.

This happened to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2025. While polarizing top prospect Spencer Jones spent the year in Moosic, he was surrounded by veterans on minor league contracts, older prospects without much value or big league potential, and journeymen. The recent graduation of players like Will Warren, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Ben Rice, Jasson Domínguez, and, later, Cam Schlittler, left a chasm at the top minor league level, while development continued below with reinforcements.

After another trade deadline which saw the Yankees’ farm system once again cleaned out of its depth, the top prospects that remained are continuing the cycle. Thanks to those promoted prospects, conjoined with a strong group of the yearly veterans on minor league deals and some demoted major leaguers due to newfound depth, there’s a chance that the RailRiders team we see to start the season is one of the best Triple-A teams in recent memories.

The one area they’ll likely be weak, especially with J.C. Escarra starting the year in the majors, is at catcher. A big part of the Yankees’ deadline prospect purge saw them deal from their catching depth, which included Rafael Flores. This year, expect to see two non-roster invites splitting time between Ali Sánchez and Payton Henry. Both have bounced around the league and have gotten time in the majors as midseason fill-ins due to injury, but aren’t particularly known for their bats.

In the infield, it’s full of veterans who are looking to rebuild themselves and get back to the big leagues. You saw plenty of Paul DeJong and Max Schuemann in spring training, and you figure if any Yankee infielder goes down in the early going, they’ll be seriously considered for a promotion. DeJong has over 900 games of MLB experience across the last nine years, and the former All-Star will play a lot of shortstop, while Schuemann, the former Athletic, is more flexible. Jonathan Ornelas and Braden Shewmake, two more guys with limited big league experience, also factor into the mix, while Ernesto Martinez Jr., signed out of the Brewers’ organization, should start at first base.

Where this team really shines, however, is in the outfield. The Yankees have a numbers problem in the outfield, and with them running back MLB’s top outfield from 2025 and looking to optimize their bench with a right-handed platoon bat, it’s pushed two players coming off tremendous springs into Triple-A. Domínguez and Jones would both be starting on numerous teams in the league, but find themselves on the outside looking in here.

There’s a lot to prove for both of them, who are the biggest storylines of the spring. Domínguez needs to at least be a passable defender in left field and needs to show he’s more than a platoon bat (the spring data is encouraging!). Jones has so many positive traits, but he has to show he can make enough contact for his tremendous power to have an impact against big league pitching.

The rest of the outfield is equally stacked. Seth Brown is just two years removed from being in the heart of the Athletics’ order, Yanquiel Fernandez played 52 games for the lowly Rockies last season, and there’s, of course, Oswaldo Cabrera. He was the odd man out on the Yankees’ bench, and the super-utilityman will start in Scranton as he works his way back from his nasty ankle injury last May. This hitting core has a baffling amount of talent.

Rotations are always in flux at any level, and we’ll likely only see this rotation for a few weeks, but the top of the RailRiders’ rotation has a lot of talent. Luis Gil isn’t needed in the bigs for the next few weeks, so he’ll look to refine his arsenal with a few Triple-A starts. He’s followed up by top prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange. Rodriguez, who boasts a diverse, six-pitch arsenal, got a cup of coffee at this level last year and could be in the Bronx sooner than later in a starting capacity.

With the flamethrowing Lagrange, it’s a matter of how long the Yankees hold onto the tantalizing potential of him as a starting pitcher. His stuff and the way he maintains his velocity inning after inning is legitimately one-of-a-kind. What holds him back is his command, which he improved significantly in 2025, but he still walks too many batters to be an effective MLB starter. The Yankees’ bullpen has a scarily low floor with a lot of question marks, so you cannot rule out that management deems his stuff as too good to keep in the minors and puts him in the big league bullpen this summer.

The rest of the rotation figures to include soft-tossing righty Brendan Beck and some non-roster invite veterans like Adam Kloffenstein or Dom Hamel. The bullpen has several arms who will frequent the Scranton Shuffle all season, like Yerry De los Santos, Kervin Castro, and Angel Chivilli. Some non-40-man arms that will get big innings for this team include Harrison Cohen, who pitched for Israel in the World Baseball Classic, Yovanny Cruz, who flashed triple digits in limited spring action, and former Royals reliever Dylan Coleman. There’s also former Astro Rafael Montero if he ever gets his visa issue figured out.

In a perfect world, the Yankees can lean on their current 26 (and reinforcements) all season and won’t have to dip much into Scranton to replace injured players, but it’ll undoubtedly happen. Last year, there wasn’t much depth at their disposal with a general void in the upper minors. But this year? This is the deepest and most talented minor league team I’ve ever seen. I legitimately wonder what a seven-game series would look like against the Rockies, which would probably not be as competitive as I think, but it tells you how much talent there is that could play in the majors elsewhere.