Worldwide Sports News

Ah yes, the dream of spring. With a major winter storm barreling down on the Philadelphia area this weekend, thoughts of Clearwater are most welcome. The Phillies have obliged by giving us their list of non-roster invitees that will make the trek to spring training.

Lots of interesting names here. Justin Crawford and Aidan Miller stand out (note: Crawford is not on the 40-man, hence the invite) as ones that have a shot at making the major league team, Crawford a near lock to be in the Opening Day lineup.

Here is the full list of names:

Pitchers: Génesis Cabrera, Tucker Davidson, Tim Mayza, Andrew Walling, Andrew Bechtold, Jonathan Hernández, Michael Mercado, Trevor Richards, Bryse Wilson

Catchers: Kehden Hettiger, Mark Kolozsvary, Paul McIntosh, René Pinto, Caleb Ricketts

Infielders/Outfielders: Keaton Anthony, Christian Cairo, Carson DeMartini, Aroon Escobar, Aidan Miller, Liover Peguero, Bryan Rincon, José Rodríguez, Felix Reyes, Dylan Campbell, Justin Crawford, Bryan De La Cruz, Dante Nori

Henry Chadwick, who is often referred to as the “Father of Baseball”, pioneered statistics and overall was a huge proponent of the game of baseball. He is credited with some of the first journalistic covering of the sport, as well as the first database of statistics of the sport. Chadwick was an outspoken critic of the ‘bound rule’ – if a batted ball bounced once and a fielder caught the bounce, it was recorded as an out. In 1864 this rule was changed for fair territory, but it took until the 1880’s for it to change with foul balls.

In addition to all of these advancements, he also used the word ‘battery’ to mean the duo of catcher and pitcher for the offensive team. It later evolved to mean a pitcher and their favorite catcher.

There have been many famous batteries throughout baseball history, and some cool facts about those duos.

The record for most games together belongs to Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have the most team wins together, with 213 of their 328 games started as a battery.

Max Scherzer and Willson Ramos had two no-hitters together in 2015 for the Washington Nationals. One duo had already done them one better, however.

In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer and Eddie Lombardi orchestrated back-to-back no hitters with no runs allowed in a five-day span. The second of those was against the Brooklyn Dodgers and happened on the night of the first ever night game at Ebbets Field. Vander Meer somehow managed to complete the second no hitter despite walking three (!) batters in the ninth inning. For a more complete look at that crazy game, ESPN has a great article covering it here.

Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey were the first battery mates to each hit a grand slam in the same game when they both did it on July 13, 2014, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The first battery comprised of all Black players was that of George Stovey and Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1887. The duo played for the Newark Little Giants. Over their first 10 starts together, Stovey went 10-0. On July 15th of that year, the players from the Chicago White Stockings refused to take the field if Black players were allowed to play, an incident which helped usher in the league’s segregating baseball again.

As far as the Dodgers go, both Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale had over 200 starts with catcher John Roseboro. Roseboro took over backstop duties for the Dodgers after Roy Campanella was involved in an auto accident that ended his career. Roseboro went on to catch four World Series, with the Dodgers winning three of those.

In 1965, Roseboro was involved in a game in which Juan Marichal took things too far in retaliation, and was hit in the head at least twice by Marichal’s bat. Roseboro sustained a huge gash on his head which required 14 stitches.

The Dodgers had the first all Jewish battery in MLB history in brothers Larry and Norm Sherry. Larry was on the mound for all four of the Dodgers wins in the 1959 World Series and was the winner of record in two of them.

The most recent favorite battery in Dodgers history was of course that of Clayton Kershaw and A.J. Ellis. The duo had 64 regular season starts together, including Kershaw’s no-hitter in 2014. Both players were devastated when their careers together came to an abrupt end when the Dodgers traded Ellis to the Philadelphia Phillies in August of 2016.

Who is your all time favorite pitcher-catcher pairing?

There will be a significant change concerning Mets broadcasts this season on SNY.

Longtime director John DeMarsico is departing the network after 17 seasons at the helm of the game broadcasts featuring the popular booth trio of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling.

“This wasn’t easy to write. Thank you for taking a moment with it,” DeMarsico wrote on X. “After 17 seasons with the Mets on SNY, my time directing games there has come to an end.

“I was incredibly fortunate to help tell the story of this team for nearly half my life, after a lifetime of fandom that made the opportunity feel almost impossible when it began. From the very start, I believed deeply in the idea that baseball is cinema. I poured myself into that belief, grateful for the trust to take creative risks in service of the game and the fans who embraced them.”

Without specifics, the Emmy-winning director cited “the broadcast moving in a different creative direction” as one reason for his departure. DeMarsico added that he’s unsure of his next professional move.

“Coming to terms with that hasn’t been easy, especially when the work mattered this much, and I felt so deeply tied to who I am,” he wrote. “Mets baseball and the community around it became part of my identity in ways I’m still processing. That doesn’t disappear just because a chapter ends.

This wasn’t easy to write. Thank you for taking a moment with it. pic.twitter.com/VGqRgJDnD0

— John DeMarsico (@JohnDeMarsico) January 23, 2026

“I’ve never been a free agent before. I’m taking a breath, looking ahead, and carrying a lot of pride and gratitude with me, While remaining open to the next place where that same care, curiosity, and belief in storytelling can live. I love this game, this art form, this crew, and the fans who made it matter, and I’ll miss it all more than I can put into words. Thank you for watching.”

We made it to another Friday. I had my birthday yesterday and didn’t really do all that much differently than a normal Thursday, which made it a nice day. I had a cardio tennis class, which is just a run-yourself-into-the-ground-for-an-hour thing, and squash last night, which, again, is run-yourself-into-the-ground. And there were calls from our kids and friends mixed in. Tonight it is drinks with friends.

There isn’t much for news, yet again, today.

The Jays are going to wear a patch celebrating their 50 years in the MLB this seasson:

As always, my first reaction is that it can’t be 50 years because I remember the first season. My second is I’d like to get a pin of that.

Bo Bichette sent Jays’ fans a message through Hazel Mae:

Whit Merrifield has decided to tell us that Bo “loves Toronto, loves the Jays, loves the city, loves the fans.” And “that there was some stuff along the way that happened with Bo and the coaching staff.” I’m sure that Bo did love Toronto and all. I don’t believe that the reason he signed with the Mets had anything to do with a problem with the coaching staff. I think it had more to do with the $42 million a season the Mets offered. The Jays weren’t going to match that.

Whit also told us that Kyle Tucker wanted to sign with the Jays, they just wouldn’t offer enough money. I’ll believe that. I believe that Tucker wanted to sign with whatever team offered the most money. The Dodgers decided to offer what I think is an insane amount of money, so he signed there.

There are three Blue Jays on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list:

• 10: Trey Yesavage
• 62: Arjun Nimmala
• 68: JoJo Parker

About Parker they said:

Scouting Report: Parker is a physical shortstop who stands 6-foot-2 with a strong, muscular build and room to add more strength. He was one of the older players in the 2025 high school class but shows arguably the best balance of hitting and power among his prep peers. Parker sets up with an open stance and a narrow base. He rests the bat on his shoulder, then engages his load with a leg kick that feeds into an aggressive stride. Parker shows plus bat-to-ball skills and a patient approach. He can get overly passive at times, taking too many hittable pitches in the zone. He does a good job of pulling pitches located on the inner half of the plate and shows plus raw power. His swing is more geared toward hard line drives than lofted fly balls, but he should grow into above-average power at peak. Parker is an average runner who gets out of the box well, but he’s unlikely to impact the game much with his speed. Parker is a shortstop at present but is likely to move to third base. He lacks the quick-twitch mechanisms and range needed to play shortstop. He does have a strong internal clock and an above-average arm.

The Future: Parker projects as an above-average regular at third base who could one day grow into an all-star.

They also had LHP Johnny King on their ‘just missed out’ list. He was a third-round pick in 2024 and struck out 105 in 61.2 innings spilt between Dunedin and the FCL.

The Jays announced their non-roster spring training invites.

The Atlanta Braves had what can only be described as a woefully year. They were wracked with injuries to their rotation and lineup which led to a 76-86 record. good for 4th in the NLE. It was the first time Atlanta has missed the playoffs since 2017 and spelled the end for long time manager Brian Snitker. It’s clear the Braves are at a crossroads, especially with a farm system considered weak, yet the roster does include some formidable talents and some excellent young players along with established stars? Was this just an injury generated blip that will see the Braves return to power in the NLE or has the organization between eclipsed by the Mets and the Phillies?

I reached out to Ivan the Great, one of the editors at Battery Power, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about his take on the Braves offseason and the issues they face going into 2026.

So far, the Braves have added Ha-Seong Kim, Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubón and Jorge Mateo this offseason. Is this likely it and if not, what are the key areas that still need addressing?

It’s probably it. The Braves could probably use a lower-risk starter given that pretty much their entire rotation is high variance due to missing time with injury last year, but prices for durable starters have gone off the rails over the last few years, so I don’t think it’s necessarily something to expect. The flip side is that the Braves tend to operate by drawing a line in the sand about acquisition prices, but then being very opportunistic if they see something that comes in below that price – so you can’t rule out a late-breaking roster shuffle if an opportunity presents itself. That said, as prices for quality players of all stripes continue to rise, don’t bank on that, either.

The 2025 season was the least successful for the Braves since 2017. Is that largely attributed to injuries to key players or are there any underlying issues the team is facing to be competitive in 2026?

There was a point last season where I asked our community this question – framed as a binary choice between either the roster needing to change, or everything but the roster needing to change. To a person, every single respondent said the latter. Injuries are injuries, but the team was also horrendously injured in 2024 and weathered it okay, all things considered. 

To avoid beating around the bush, I think the most succinct-if-a-little-too-glib correct answer is that the Braves have a very well-built roster, but do (or did, or have done) a lot of stupid stuff with it, and that level of “stupid stuff” hit a new high in 2025. The team consistently snubbed its nose at stuff like the times-through-the-order penalty and leverage, but was usually fine because the bats were outslugging everyone. The coup de grace, then, came in the offseason, when the powers that be, apparently spooked by a catastrophically large input-output gap on offense for much of the 2024 season, wheeled around to an offensive approach that was directly at odds with what the team had implemented from both a roster construction and coaching perspective from 2019-2024. A team of sluggers was asked to draw more walks and fight the ball off the other way, and it basically destroyed the season.

None of us have any idea whether “doing stupid stuff” is an underlying issue, or if things will magically be fixed with some turnover in the coaching staff in the offseason. We’ll have to wait and see. In general, you don’t expect a team’s talent to play down because who would bother with such a huge unforced error, right? But that’s what we’ve seen on the pitching end from this team here and there over the last few seasons, and then we saw it on the hitting side last year. 

Which players really took the biggest steps forward this year for the club?

I think it has to be Drake Baldwin to start. He wasn’t really even in the conversation for the Opening Day roster, but Sean Murphy’s injury led to a Rookie of the Year campaign. Baldwin’s approach to hitting sort of goes against the grain of his teammates but also happened to dovetail really well with what the team was hoping the bats would do offensively. Given Sean Murphy’s bizarre status (playing through worse than a run-of-the-mill hip injury for multiple years), Baldwin has leapfrogged his way to being a key cog in this machine.

Hurston Waldrep had a nice run down the stretch last year, but he looks like he has a bunch of stuff to work through. That’s true of most young pitchers, but I think Baldwin took a definitive, huge step forward, and everyone else, Waldrep included, isn’t really in the same tier.

The Braves’ farm system is generally considered to be weak at the upper levels compared to most other clubs. Is there a likely world where one of their top prospects like Richie or Caminiti has a legitimate shot at the bigs this year, or is it most likely they’ll stay put until 2027 at the earliest?  

One thing we know about the Braves is that they’ll promote you when they think you’re ready. They don’t care at all about outside evaluations, and they don’t seem to care about anything that you could likely garner from a stat sheet either. They have internal benchmarks and once you hit them, you’re going to be thrown into the fire, irrespective of innings at level or whatever. To that end, I don’t know how to speculate about a legitimate shot at promotion, since it depends on Caminiti and company hitting benchmarks that are totally opaque to me. Didier Fuentes got a promotion last year and didn’t stick – one of the few times a prospect call-up who appeared rushed to the majors by this regime didn’t. 

The one thing possibly working against another out-of-nowhere promotion is that the Braves have a bunch of rotation options, at least until injuries strike. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez could start or relieve depending on health and needs, Bryce Elder is kind of like the proverbial bad penny, and AJ Smith-Shawver should return eventually. That means that if prospect promotion were a combination of “readiness” and opportunity previously, the opportunity may be more constrained this time around.

Of the remaining FAs, which would fit best for the Braves, even if it’s a bit of a stretch they’d land there?

The QO and personality issues probably pose a challenge with regard to Framber Valdez, so I guess Chris Bassitt is the next man up in that regard. Whether Bassitt is truly a “fit” is hard to say, because it depends on whether the Braves consider him good enough to start a playoff game – that seems to be their (self-professed) bar for shelling out for a starter acquisition. If he is, then I think it’s not even a stretch that they add Bassitt eventually, as he helps smooth out the innings burden across the rotation. If not, then I have no idea – Zac Gallen also requires the loss of a draft pick. Maybe Zack Littell? Bassitt seems like the easy answer, though.

Assuming you could put on the ‘accept all trades’ button, what would an ideal but still realistic target be for you before ST starts?

Once upon a time this offseason, I would’ve said Otto Lopez, as he fits pretty much everything the Braves like, want, and need: undervalued relative to inputs and production, an approach that fits with 2025-Braves but could also benefit from the instruction of 2019-2024 Braves, and at a clear position of need. That ship has not only sailed with the Braves re-adding Ha-Seong Kim, but was probably never really tied up at the pier anyway.

The alternative is for some starters that aren’t really on the trading block but would’ve been nice if they were: Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, the largely unheralded Jose Soriano, that sort of thing. Other names that I could throw out in this tier would be MacKenzie Gore, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Yusei Kikuchi, and Sandy Alcantara – none are perfect but that’s the sort of thing I expect from the Braves if “force trade” were a reality and they couldn’t go too off the rails. (In other words, they didn’t abuse their power to get Cole Ragans or something.) 

Thanks Ivan!