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With just 15 days left until the Dodgers begin cactus league play, Shohei Ohtani has already started training at Camelback Ranch for his third season in Dodger blue and a shot at defending his country’s title in the World Baseball Classic.

The 2026 season will ultimately define Ohtani’s legacy within the annals of baseball’s best, as he looks to secure his third consecutive NL MVP award (fourth consecutive since 2023) and help the Dodgers become the first three-peat champions in North American sports in 24 years.

The Dodgers’ expectation after addressing their weakest links with more superstar talent is to maintain their footing at the top of the baseball summit, but for Ohtani, it isn’t something that he has put much thought into, as he spoke with Tom Llamas of NBC.

“I don’t think about it too much,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I do hope that when I retire and I look back, I can be able to say that I was on a team that won three championships in a row. That would be very cool.”

Ohtani also discussed with Llamas the inspiration for his new book “Decoy Saves Opening Day,” which hit the shelves on Tuesday.

“I think the initial idea was basically I had my daughter coming soon. Timing wise, I thought it was a nice time to be able to read her a book about my story as well as our dog Decoy’s story.”

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At the beginning of the 2024 season, Bobby Miller was sitting at the top of the rotation and began his season with a scoreless six inning gem against the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, Miller has struggled in the big leagues when getting his opportunities, and was relegated to the bullpen with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets last year.

The hype surrounding the former first round pick has certainly died out, but Comets pitching coach David Anderson believes that there is still some untapped potential within Miller, notes Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

“We feel like we have all the ingredients we need to put it together and get back to 2023 Bobby,” Anderson said. “We just didn’t get the result yet. All the pieces weren’t quite put together, but they were there by the end of the year. So we feel really good about that.”

The Dodgers enter the 2026 season with four prospects within Baseball America’s top-100 list as they continue to sport one of the best farm systems. There is still no telling as to whether or not they’ll pan out in the big leagues, as was the case for former top prospects such as Diego Cartaya. Huston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times breaks down the Dodgers’ top-10 prospects since 2015, and evaluates whether or not the notion of the Dodgers always having big-league ready hitting prospects rings true.

Our newest writer, John Latham, had an interesting look at The Cardinals’ 2026 Roster and the Cost of Choosing Too Slowly.  It got me to thinking about how things might look after the 2026 season is over and it is time to revamp the 40-man roster again.  It can pay to look down the road a bit, as these future considerations can often influence in-season decisions on who gets promoted.

One of the implications of this (almost completed) off-season is how much churn the organization has introduced to the 40-man roster, not only now, but on out into the future.  I count 13 players new to the 40-man roster just since the trading deadline, 9 of them pitchers.  Fully one-third of the roster has turned over.  One could argue that a 78-win team that has missed the playoffs three consecutive years should have that kind of turnover. 

In November 2025 much ado was made of 40-man roster pressure.  Some indicated that 40-man concerns played into why we didn’t see JJ Wetherholt in the majors at all.  In the end, though, the Cardinals added just five players (Bernal, Baez, Torres, Hjerpe and Mautz).  Five additions were enough in the sense they didn’t expose anyone unnecessarily, as only Winquest was drafted away but he is expected back.  It wasn’t enough in the sense there is still a talent deficit.

Not to be harsh, but the only guys that were removed or non-tendered or bypassed were guys that did not have a lot of foreseeable upside or their timeline for development had pretty much expired without enough progress.

To me, a strong draft-and-development program will constantly face progressively more difficult 40-man roster issues, if they are being successful.  Younger guys will pressure the more established prospects in an “up or out” conveyor belt.  If the perception of the Cardinals minor league system is valid, this next November could reveal more difficult 40-man roster choices.  I’m curious if we look over the horizon if that is what we see.

Let’s take an early look at prospects not on the 40-man roster who will need to be at the next deadline in November 2026.  Suffice it to say, the Cardinals will face more than five decisions next year.  That says something good about the depth of the system (improving).  I will focus only on ranked prospects, reducing Latham’s list by a bit:

Guys that are either possible or likely to get 40-man spots before they need to, due to MLB promotion (3):

Wetherholt, Mathews, Doyle

Prospects that will require 40-man spots in November 2026 to be protected from Rule V (9):

Skylar Hales, Luis Gastelum, Ixan Henderson, Jesus Baez, Travis Honeyman, Chase Davis, Zach Levenson, Chen Wei Lin, Tyler Bradt

Reliever prospects that may ascend to the 40-man to feed the Memphis shuttle as the Cardinals rotate bullpen arms and while protecting other prospects (4):

Mason Burns, Michael Watson, Zack Thompson, Scott Blewitt

As I look at the current roster and the number of injured arms, I suspect the seven healthy pitchers who are on the 40-man that won’t be on the 26-man coming out of Spring Training will not be enough to support the MLB bullpen.     

The first complication of 40-man roster management is the need to cycle in fresh arms for the bullpen during the season can muck up the long-term planning.  Sometimes, during the season, these guys get the call not because they are the best arm, but because they are the most expendable.  Blewitt won’t be protected next November.  If a need arises in-season, he’d be a guy they could promote because his occupancy of a 40-man spot would be temporary and won’t force the subtraction of a real prospect.  A guy in his spot really gets one shot.  When he gets the MLB call, he better keep it because his pathway out of the MLB bullpen is likely via the DFA route.  Orgs will burn through these guys before they start promoting younger guys onto the 40-man that don’t need to be.

Once a guy gets a 40-man spot, it is his and pretty much the only way the organization can get it back is letting him go.  The proverbial “cut ties”.  Shuffle that incorrectly, and you end up having to promote a guy before he is ready or needing to go to the waiver wire to fill an unexpected hole.  Both are less than desirable options. 

To balance all this, it helps to understand what spots might open up at the end of the season.  First, there are the players on 1-year contracts (May, Stanek).  Also, one can gander at the current 40-man roster and suspect there are some spots that can use some improvement.  I don’t need to single out any individual player, but you can probably look and imagine in the area of five players.  Easy enough.  But that means that over the summer and into next fall, the organization must carefully balance 16 guys that may need spots in the next 9 months with the 7 spots they will realistically have open.

For those keeping score at home, 16 guys do not fit into 7 spots.  In essence, there are 9-10 hard decisions coming.  A few prospects will drop off the list of 16 due to non-performance but one or two could emerge as breakouts, too.  Saladin? Hansen?  Rajcic?  Rincon? Love?  It happens.  If any one of these guys find that last ingredient to their game, they will need to go on the 40-man by November or be lost.  

How do they balance all this?

1. Wetherholt, Mathews and Doyle are guys that will be promoted when the org feels they are ready.  Hard to put a timeline on each one, but it sure seems possible that JJW would break camp in spring with the big club.  I’d say Mathews is ahead of Doyle but both appear to be around 8-9 on the starter depth chart, behind May, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, Leahy, Dobbins, Fitts.  Most years most teams need more than 7 starters.  Their time will come.  But when it does, they will push someone on the current roster off, and out of the organization. 
2. Blewitt and Thompson are guys not on the 40-man but could well end up there and promoted when there is a critical need.  If they come out of spring healthy and productive.  
3. Gastelum, Hales, Lin and Bradt will likely be handled similarly.  They will idle in in the minors longer than Blewitt and Thompson, developing their game.  When the bullpen needs an infusion (they seemingly always do), the one doing best of this group will be pushed up the ladder earliest, claiming a coveted 40-man spot.  Lin will start at AA, so he is probably last in line.  The others may all start the year in the Memphis bullpen.  Someone will step forward in this group, and an opportunity will undoubtedly arise.  Sometimes you just have be in the right place, at the right time.
4. Burns and Watson are similar to the above group of relievers, but they do not need to be protected at the end of the year, so the org will be reluctant to burn a 40-man spot for them unless forced to by circumstances.  Their 40-man decision will likely not be made in 2026.  Although influenced by how their 2026 season goes, their time is not now.   
5. Honeyman, Davis and Levenson will also likely be handled similarly.  Each must demonstrate a reason to protect them at year end. All 3 three are outfielders on an outfield starved team, so their path to MLB could be quick with great performance and a 40-man spot, once claimed, isn’t easily given up.  I suspect there is a position player roster clean-up coming by the end of 2026 like the pitching clean-up that has occurred this off-season.  These guys could all get swept out if they are unable to progress enough.  My view would be if they haven’t earned an MLB promotion by end of 2026, they won’t be protected. 
6. Jesus Baez is an interesting case.  He too must demonstrate a reason to protect him at years end.  Given he ended the year a High-A, he has no chance at MLB promotion, so his decision will be made in November.  Expect him to start in AA and let’s hope he excels.    

Crafting the 40-man roster, and transacting in-season, requires a long-term look and can be a bit like 3-dimensional chess.  Since 16 guys won’t fit into 7 spots, we might expect to see the Cardinals begin dealing prospects later in the year to consolidate talent.  As well, some of the guys who’ve gotten long lead times to develop may find their runway clearance cancelled.  The more of these 16 players the organization believes will be successful, the sooner in 2026 we could begin to see roster churn.

During their recent magical World Series run, the champion Dodgers had many heroes, but one constant.

Whenever they needed a leader, they found one.

No matter how dire the circumstances, whenever they needed a hero, somebody stepped up.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto won a game on zero day’s rest. Will Smith won a game with one hand.

Freddie Freeman was an 18th-inning savior on one leg. Kiké Hernández was a ninth-inning savior with a bad elbow.

Read more:Dodgers plan to visit White House to celebrate latest World Series championship

Everywhere you looked, there was a veteran Dodger willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team.

That needs to happen again.

That needs to happen now.

A player needs to spearhead a decision that will not be made by the big business that runs this team, a decision that will bypass the biased blather and directly connect to their many besieged fans, a decision that only a player can make.

In the wake of Thursday’s White House confirmation that the Dodgers will be making the traditional champions visit there this spring, somebody needs to send a clear message to President Donald Trump.

“No.”

No, they won’t go.

No, they will not support the ICE raids that are taking place daily just outside their clubhouse doors.

No, they will not openly support an administration that has declared war on its fan base.

No, after basking in the adulation of four million diverse neighbors every summer, the players will not turn their backs on these people while the government continues to round them up despite no criminal history.

This isn’t about asking pro athletes to be politicians. This is about asking them to be people.

Some will say players should not be involved, that it’s a management decision high above the pay grade of the average southpaw or slugger. But when their backyard becomes a battlefield, those players need to fight back, and that time is now.

Dodger management will always leave any tough choice like this one up to the players. By virtue of hundreds of millions of dollars of salaries, the players are essentially partners who need to embrace that responsibility.

No matter what owner Mark Walter says, if the players don’t want to visit the White House, they won’t go.

Read more:Dodgers pledged $100 million to Newsom's wildfire relief fund. So far, they've given $7.8 million

No matter who shouts the loudest, whether it be conservatives or liberals, the players’ collective voice is the only one that counts.

So, when spring training begins next week, here’s hoping for a hero.

After being showered with numerous curtain calls by an adoring fan base, it’s time for the players to return the favor.

How about a standing ovation for the brave law-abiding immigrant family of four that cheers you from in the left-field pavilion even though they know they could be arrested and hauled away at any time?

How about a, “Let’s Go Dodgers” chant for the longtime residents with no criminal record who spent last October huddled around their TV sets clinging to your victories as reason for hope?

How about being there for so many who have been there for you?

This was an issue last year, when former Times columnist Dylan Hernández urged the Dodgers to cancel their initial White House visit.

“This was something we discussed with all the players, all of whom wanted to go,” team president Stan Kasten told Hernández. “Remember, everyone in here grew up wanting to be a world champion and all the things that come with it, and it comes with a champagne toast, silliness in the locker room, a parade, rings, an invitation to the White House. It’s what they all come to associate with being world champions. Everyone wanted to go, and so we did.”

So they went, all of them except an injured Freddie Freeman. The event was even attended by Mookie Betts, who had previously declined a visit when he was with the Boston Red Sox.

Since then, the landscape has dramatically changed in light of the ICE raids that ramped up during the middle of the season.

This is no longer simply about the rebuke of a president. This is about a fight against a system that has consistently terrorized southern California streets and recently, in Minneapolis, resulted in the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of agents of the American government.

Surely the Dodgers clubhouse leaders see this. Surely they feel this.

They can’t be so insulated that they don’t notice the protests in city streets that resemble those near Chavez Ravine. They can’t be so sheltered that they don’t hear the outrage from people who look just like their biggest fans.

The players can’t hide from this. The players need to handle this.

And, no, it’s not even up to Manager Dave Roberts, who last week told the Times’ Bill Shaikin that he supports the visit.

“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House.”

Read more:Shaikin: In these times, Jackie Robinson's team should not grace the White House

Again, this is no longer about just Trump. This is about Tom Homan and Greg Bovino and Kristi Noem and all the other immigration officials that have wrought so much unfounded havoc.

Baseball clubhouses have traditionally leaned heavily to the right.

Nobody is asking anybody to disavow their beliefs. This is no longer about ideology, this is about standing up for those who are being wrongly arrested, being unfairly harassed or being made to feel constantly frightened in their own homes.

Dodger Stadium is one of those homes, and those who permanently live there need to do their best to provide comfort and safety for those who don’t.

Dodgers veteran leaders, this is your time.

Their White House visit would probably occur during the team's trip to play the Washington Nationals in the first week of April. Here’s hoping that before the road trip, the secure and well-paid Dodgers veterans let the team’s kids understand what it means to be a Dodger and how declining a White House visit would be the Jackie Robinson thing to do.

Sending a title team to the White House is baseball tradition. Sending a message about equality and fairness and freedom is a Dodgers tradition.

Somebody in a Dodgers uniform needs to stand up for that tradition.

Anybody?

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Happy Friday, everyone. In arbitration news, two-time Cy Young-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal proved why it’s worth it to know your value. He and the Detroit Tigers did not see eye-to-eye when arbitration came around, with the team offering him only $19 million to the $32 million he estimated he was worth.

The Tigers notoriously do not bargain with players and let most arbitration disputes go to a hearing, but in this instance, it didn’t look great for the team to not pay the best player in the American League what he thought he was worth. Skubal had plenty of evidence and precedent to back up his perceived value, and it looks like the hearing went his way, as he was awarded a new record-breaking arbitration salary of $32M for the 2026 season. It certainly previews the whopping payday Skubal is likely to receive when he hits free agency this coming offseason.

There’s plenty more to dive into in today’s links, so let’s not waste any time, and just jump right into it!

• In possibly the most ill-advised decision made this year, MLB players have struck a deal to be turned into AI characters that can interact with fans. (AP)
• Michael Baumann looks at how Tarik Skubal became the highest-paid player in arbitration history.
• Davy Andrews looks at the complicated relationship between framing and blocking.
• Michael Clair looks at the stacked talent on the World Baseball Classic rosters with over 78 All-Stars named among the players participating.
• Chad Jennings constructs an all-free agent team to show how much talent is still available for teams. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Things just keep looking worse and worse for Emmanuel Clase.

• Dan Szymborski thinks the signing of Framber Valdez has made the Tigers the favorites for the AL Central.
• One 2025 All-Star who won’t be playing in the WBC is former Cub Javier Baez. Baez tested positive for cannabis in 2023, and was hit with a two-year suspension that began in 2024 and won’t run out until April 2026, forcing him to miss this year’s WBC. Story by Patrick Andres.
• ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Buster Olney share what they’ve learned over this offseason, and what impacts it could have moving forward.
• We love some delightful minor league nonsense.

• Davy Andrews reports that Carlos Santana has signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks.
• A team-by-team look at all the players participating in the WBC. (MLB)
• Tom Verducci looks at how Tarik Skubal is poised to revolutionize MLB’s salary system.
• Stephanie Apstein thinks the Tigers may have embraced a new way to build a star-studded rotation.
• Sam Blum shares how copper thieves are putting Southern California Little League seasons in jeopardy. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Sure, I wanted to feel 1,000 years old today.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

THIS IS A GUEST ROCKPILE BY ANTHONY DEPNER

While the 2025 Colorado Rockies will mainly be remembered negatively, two players who stood out as bright spots were Victor Vodnik and Jordan Beck.

Both players took a step forward in 2025 and found success in their respective roles. However, each still has areas of growth that need to be improved upon if they are to continue to provide value at the big-league level.

Identifying their strengths and weaknesses will provide a better look into what they must address heading into 2026.

Victor Vodnik

For a bullpen that cycled through injuries and instability, Victor Vodnik emerged as one of the Rockies’ most reliable arms. Across 50 2/3 innings in 2025, he posted a 3.02 ERA with 49 strikeouts. His fastball averaged 98.7 mph, possessed a 54.3% groundball rate, and owned a changeup that opponents slugged a paltry .130 against. He was primarily a setup man, though he did end up with 10 saves filling in for an injured Seth Halvorsen. Surprisingly, he was better at home, having a 1.33 ERA compared to 4.94 ERA on the road.

He struggled to find control, posting a 12.1% walk rate and ranked in the second percentile in chase rate (22.7%), leading to him pitching behind in counts. This in turn led to him needing to pitch in the zone while being behind, leading to a 48.6% hard-hit rate and a .308 weighted On-Base Average (wOBA). Left-handed batters also proved to be an issue, hitting .260 with a .789 OPS against him.

Looking ahead into 2026, Vodnik will need to reduce his walk rate and generate more soft contact. This could be done by improving his command, increasing swing-and-miss, or adding some additional movement to his fastball.

His four-seam fastball averaged -1.2 inches vertical drop and -2.9 inches horizontal break compared to the average fastball in 2025. Even marginal gains could help his fastball turn hard contact into fly ball outs or soft ground balls. With new pitching coaches in 2026 bringing innovative ideas, Vodnik’s potential could be unlocked further and cement him as the Rockies’ primary late-inning option.

Jordan Beck

Jordan Beck’s athleticism and power/speed dynamic is reminiscent of a young Trevor Story in the outfield, and he reached the big leagues just two years after being drafted out of the University of Tennessee. After an injury-riddled rookie season, Beck settled in as the everyday left fielder in 2025 and produced a solid sophomore campaign, slashing .258/.317/.416 with 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases across 588 plate appearances.

While strikeouts remained an issue (29.6 K%), he improved his walk rate, up from 6.5% to 7.3%. Beck also increased his launch angle sweet-spot rate to 36.9% (74^th percentile), leading to a higher line drive rate (21.7% up to 26.2%). However, breaking balls exposed him, as he whiffed at a 40.2% rate – a trend that followed him from 2024. And like many Rockies hitters, he suffered from the “Coors Field Hangover,” posting a .635 OPS on the road compared to his .814 OPS at home, though he did have eight home runs in both environments.

On the basepaths, Beck stole more bases overall in 2025 (19), but his success rate on attempts was only 70.4% compared to 87.5% the year prior. Defensively, he paired an above-average arm – leading the National League in assists (12) – with below-average range, finishing with -2 Outs Above Average. 

For Beck to take another step in 2026, refinement is key.

Improving his approach against breaking pitches, specifically by laying off sliders and curveballs below the zone, would help him better hunt fastballs, which he handles well. Increased selectivity running the bases could help provide more base-running value, as he finished with a 48.9% extra base taken rate.

Finally, finding greater consistency in his power output is crucial, as averaging 33.7 AB/HR limits his overall impact. If Beck can address these areas, he can further emerge as a cornerstone of the Rockies’ outfield.

Conclusion

While the 2026 Colorado Rockies may suffer many more losses than wins, this season is more about wins in player development and increased productivity from the roster. Both Victor Vodnik and Jordan Beck taking another step toward would help lay the foundation for a more competitive future and give Rockies fans reason to believe in this new front office to usher in a new, hopefully more successful, era of Major League Baseball in Denver.

Texas Baseball: Former Longhorns reunite for alumni game, farm system for Colorado Rockies | Austin American Statesman

Danny Davis talks about the Texas Longhorns alumni game that was played last weekend, where the Rockies had roots running through it. Max Belyeu, Skyler Messinger, and Jack O’Dowd played in the game while OF Jared Thomas was watching the game from the dugout as he recovers from hand surgery. Danny goes more in depth on each player’s comments on last season and their relationships with each other as they have all gotten to pro ball.

Rockies camp opens soon! Here’s what to know | MLB.com

This piece by Rockies beat reporter Thomas Harding goes over everything Rockies fans need to know heading into spring training. He goes over the schedule for spring training for the Rockies for both TV and radio stations, as well as the new faces on the team that fans will be seeing. He also mentions the top minor league prospects that will be invited but does make note that the non-roster invitees have not been officially announced.

Rockies New Pitching Coach Hire Offers Big Implications for Young Arms in 2026 | Sports Illustrated

The Colorado Rockies were busy this offseason, bringing in an entirely new pitching coach staff to help what was the worst rotation in baseball last season. Laura Lambert outlines the fresh set of eyes that Alon Leichman, Gabe Ribas, and Matt Buschmann can bring for this Rockies pitching staff that needs to increase strikeouts and lower earned runs allowed. She includes notes of the new pitchers that the Rockies have acquired this offseason and how their inclusion will be important as well.

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

When something transcends its own arena, gauging its greatness becomes a very difficult thing.

As a film lover, I have found it difficult to assess something like The Godfather fairly — it has almost become its own island within the artform, people joke about it without having seen it, and it is held on a pedestal that can easily block out the light of the truth. And the most difficult part about a situation like this, is that sort of status is sometimes reasonable, given something’s greatness, if not warranted.

The February 6th entry into the Yankees birthday series is none other than Babe Ruth, a man whose legacy often suffers a similar fate. It would be redundant, with regard to the oral and written history of baseball, to follow the same general formatting for the Babe’s birthday post. If you’re looking for something along those lines, I’d direct you to my colleague Josh’s entry for the Great Bambino at No. 1 (where else?) on our Top 100 Yankees feature from a few years ago.

Today, however, we will honor him with a more stream-of-consciousness piece about becoming a mythical figure, written by someone born over a century later than Ruth.

George Herman (Babe) Ruth
Born: February 6, 1895 (Baltimore, MD)
Died: August 16, 1948 (New York, NY)
Yankees Tenure: 1920-34

In all fairness, it wouldn’t be right to completely disregard the basics for Babe Ruth, either. After being spotted clowning the International League as a 19-year-old with the Baltimore kid’s local Orioles (a minors club back then), Ruth was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1914 and debuted that same season, beginning what was a transcendent 22-year career in Major League Baseball. He spent the first six seasons of that span with Boston, primarily as a pitcher, and a very good one at that as the Red Sox won multiple championships. He began to play primarily as a position player over his final two years with the Sox, giving a preview of what was to come — though something like this couldn’t be predicted.

The Sultan of Swat’s services were famously sold to the Yankees before the 1920 season, cursing his former team in the process, kicking off the stretch of Ruth’s career that defined him. As we all know, from there, Ruth went on to out-homer entire other teams, become the first player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season, and then the first to hit 60 seven years later — a record that stood for multiple generations.

It was his 15 years with the Yankees that helped him build on his mind-boggling 162.2 bWAR, his 10 seasons leading the league in OBP, and 13 leading in slugging percentage. With New York, he hit 659 of his near-universally known 714 career home runs, a phenomenon that points to the significance of what Ruth did for the history of the Yankees and baseball on the whole.

With little doubt, Babe Ruth is the most famous name in the history of this game. This is due mostly, of course, to his decades-long scourge of opposing pitchers, but also because of the era during which he played. Before every game was filmed, and every opinion and recollection was recorded and shared in one way or another, Ruth was out there playing the game to a degree that had simply never been seen before.

How exactly, can we compare someone of this stature to a modern player? To do so would be impossible, not to mention mostly useless. I am willing to admit that a lot of contemporary players could probably match Ruth’s skills if they were given his circumstances with their own ability and knowledge, but that’s not how this works. What Ruth did really happened, and it was so hard to believe that Ruth himself is for more akin to a ghost or a Paul Bunyan/John Henry-esque folk hero than a former All-Star and MVP.

There is a famous line from a certain beloved movie, which came out nearly a half-century after his death, in which his laundry list of nicknames is recited (the Yankees themselves reenacted this in a commercial a decade ago). The Sandlot’s premise of course, surrounds a lost baseball bearing the Babe’s autograph. It’s not uncommon for someone to be referred to as “the Babe Ruth of X” — standing in as a descriptor of an undisputed pillar of one’s craft. Ruth’s most famous moment, when he allegedly called his shot during a World Series game, can not even be proven to have happened, because the only evidence is a grainy photograph and old-timey paintings of the event.

The “called shot” is not unique in the story of Babe Ruth, as his career and life contained many myths, the validity of which can vary greatly. I don’t personally care to figure out what the truth is with many of them, I’m just glad that baseball’s rich history provides a character like this: a player whose stat sheet looks like (and is) a ledger of all-time records, doing so in a way and during a time where his mythical status was still a possibility.

There are photographs and videos of Babe Ruth, but it’s almost hard to imagine that he was playing in the same world as us, let alone in a league and with a team that is still thriving. It’s not dissimilar from acknowledging some kind of historical site that now holds homes of people using smartphones.

With all of this in mind, and constantly referred to in the baseball canon, it can be hard to proportionately appreciate what Ruth did on the baseball field. One of the great virtues of Major League Baseball is the overwhelming degree of record-keeping, something that thankfully preserves what Ruth did. He really did hit that many home runs, he really did outpace entire lineups, he really was good enough to make his name nearly synonymous with the sport he played.

In another entry to this series, one about Johnny Sturm, I mentioned how baseball can be a microcosm for the world and the time it inhabits, and how Sturm’s career was an interesting reminder of a time that was done and gone. That aspect of Sturm’s story, a largely unknown one-year player from the ’40s, is not all that different from Ruth’s, a ubiquitous character in American history.

In a way, Ruth’s status as a pillar of baseball history, one that comes with overwhelming statistical greatness, historical significance, and a satisfying level of intrigue and uncertainty, has become his defining factor.

Happy 131st to the Babe! They say it’s the new 30.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Meet the Mets

It’s official: Francisco Lindor will not get to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic for insurance reasons.

Keith Hernandez and SNY have agreed to a three-year contact.

With pitchers and catchers set to report next week and spring training games to follow not too long after that, Abbey Mastracco took a look at which Mets players will be competing for Opening Day roster spots.

David Adler focuses on three Statcast metrics that illustrate the potential of new Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

The Athletic posted Keith Law’s rankings of the Mets’ top twenty prospects.

Around the National League East

The Good Phight looked at what ZiPS projections foresee for the 2026 Phillies.

Federal Baseball wrote about the Nationals hiring a bunch of people from Driveline, and Washington claimed left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk—who was considered a noteworthy prospect three years ago—off waivers.

Battery Power looked at what ZiPS projections say about the 2026 Braves, too.

Here are Keith Law’s top twenty Marlins prospects.

Around Major League Baseball

Tarik Skubal reportedly won his arbitration case and will make $32 million this year.

Ken Rosenthal writes that the Tigers’ addition of Framber Valdez means they’re trying to win now—and not looking to trade Skubal.

The Orioles traded for utility player Blaze Alexander.

Here’s a complete list of major league players who are set to compete in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Francisco Lindor isn’t the only prominent player who will not be able to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, as former Met Javier Báez and one time almost-Met Carlos Correa have also been denied the opportunity.

Dickie Thon, who played for the Astros and several other teams over the course of a fifteen-year career, donated one of his kidneys to his son to save his life.

The Pirates have signed right-handed pitcher José Urquidy.

Baseball America looked a five things we learned from the 2026 Hall of Fame vote.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

With the Mets having traded away two of the prospects who ranked within the top five of our 2026 list, Steve Sypa presented the first of two bonus prospects: Marco Vargas, who finished 26th in our rankings before the Freddy Peralta trade.

Speaking of prospects, our daily question asked which prospect you thought would take the biggest step forward in 2026.

We celebrated Austin Warren’s 30th birthday by publishing our preview of his 2026 season.

APOTO shared their latest episode.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets acquired Al Leiter from the Marlins on this date in 1998.

15. Max Belyeu (293 points, 19 ballots)

Belyeu (pronounced like the bear in The Jungle Book) was Colorado’s third pick of the 2025 draft, going 74th overall and signing for a slot bonus of $1.11 million. Rockies fans will naturally make comparisons between Belyeu and fellow Texas hit-over-power outfielder, Rockies draftee (in 2024’s second round), and PuRP Jared Thomas.

The 6’2” 22-year-old lefty hitting, righty throwing Belyeu handled right field for Texas in 2024 while Thomas (who is only five months older than Belyeu but was old enough to be a draft eligible sophomore) took first base and center field. At Texas, Belyeu didn’t play much as a freshman (only 21 PA) but he broke out in a big way (along with Thomas) in 2024, winning the Big 12 Player of the Year award. That was on the back of a .329/.423/.667 batting line in 249 plate appearances which included 18 homers among his 34 extra-base hits (142 wRC+). Belyeu followed that up with a relatively punch-less .222/.306/.352 summer line in 63 PA in the Cape Cod League while striking out in a third of his plate appearances.

In 2025, Belyeu moved along with Texas to the tougher SEC as a potential first-round draft pick. He started the season pretty well, but suffered a fractured left thumb in March while diving for a ball in the outfield that limited him to only 156 plate appearances and likely impacted his power output. Belyeu’s .303/.410/.576 line with nine homers among his 17 extra-base hits was still good for a 117 wRC+, but he also struck out over a quarter of the time (up from 17% in 2024) and struggled with chasing out of the zone and spin. Those warts were enough to make him available for the Rockies between the second and third rounds of the draft.

The Rockies assigned Belyeu straight to High-A Spokane, where he was 1.3 years younger than league average age. Belyeu started strong (.318/.423/.727 with three homers in his first 26 plate appearances) but he went cold down the stretch, including a 1-20 mark with nine strikeouts in September. In 21 total games, Belyeu hit just .150/.244/.300 with four homers and three steals (42 wRC+) while striking out in 36% of plate appearances (and walking in 10% of them). He split time defensively between right and center field with three outfield assists and one error in 20 games. To read more about Belyeu’s first professional season, Evan Lang wrote about it in August.

And here are some highlights from Belyeu’s draft year with Texas:

Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline were higher on Belyeu than every person in the PuRPs electorate.

BA recently ranked him 7th in the system and listed Belyeu as the 2029 Rockies right fielder:

Belyeu is a strong, physically developed 6-foot-2, 215-pound lefthanded hitter with a compact swing and quick hands. He has an aggressive approach at the plate and is prone to chasing pitches. Belyeu’s plate discipline showed steady improvement throughout his college career but it regressed dramatically in his pro debut. He possesses above-average raw power and projects to hit 20–25 home runs with further refinement.

Belyeu’s routes in the outfield can get scenic at times, but with reps he has a chance to be an above-average defender in an outfield corner. His arm is his loudest tool and is a plus weapon with great carry and accuracy that should leave baserunners questioning themselves when taking an extra bag.

MLB Pipeline also ranked Belyeu 7th in the system (he was 34th in their draft rankings), one spot and half a grade ahead of Thomas, as a 50 FV player with a 60 grade on the arm and a 55 on the power:

One of the best all-around offensive players in the college crop, Belyeu can hit for average and power while controlling the strike zone, though he was more aggressive than usual in 2025. He has a quick left-handed swing geared for hard contact, showing the ability to pull pitches for home runs or backspin them out of the park to the opposite field. His ability to put the bat on the ball cuts into his walk totals a bit, and he struggled against non-fastballs with the U.S. collegiate national team, in the Cape Cod League last summer and again with the Longhorns this spring.

Belyeu is a good athlete with average-to-solid speed but doesn’t stand out with his instincts on the bases or in the outfield. He’s inconsistent with his reads and routes, which precludes him from playing center field. His arm is both strong and accurate, so he fits nicely in right.

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Belyeu 12th in the system this week:

Belyeu got a boost with the Rockies when one of his college coaches, a guy named Troy Tulowitzki, went to bat for him (pun intended), leading Colorado to take him in the second round in last year’s draft. He offers 25+ homer upside with the potential for plus defense in an outfield corner, but his approach is really suspect with a lot of chase and whiff, including too much of a tendency to give away at-bats entirely. He missed about 20 games of his college season with a thumb injury, and then missed fall instructional league with a hamstring injury. It’s a lot to ask of a player to overhaul his swing decisions, making Belyeu a very high-risk/high-reward prospect.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs is less sanguine on Belyeu, grading him as a 40 FV and ranking him 28th in the system (he was 117th in the draft rankings) with a 60 raw power and 55 bat control grade:

Big 12 Player of the Year as a sophomore with .329/.423/.667 line. Had a spike in strikeouts as a junior. Missed half the year recovering from surgery to repair a fractured thumb, but most of his K’s came prior to the injury. Tough to reconcile 18% K% as soph and 25% as a junior. Didn’t perform on the Cape, so that looms, too. Swing has natural uppercut. Has some pronounced swing-and-miss against heaters elevated away from him. Chases spin.

I think it’s not too unreasonable to compare Thomas and Belyeu as prospects given the similarity in their provenance, age, and position. Thomas is faster, makes better swing decisions that gets his raw power into games more, and can play both center field and first base. Meanwhile, Belyeu has a better contact tool (though he didn’t display it in High-A), raw power, and outfield arm that is well suited for right field.

I prefer Thomas as a prospect because the profile has already worked against Double-A pitching and Belyeu’s issues with spin are concerning, but Belyeu is comfortably a 40 FV player who I ranked 22nd on my ballot. Scouts seem to be higher on Belyeu than the electorate, so hopefully he will show why in a bigger professional sample size this year. The Rockies will likely send Belyeu back to High-A to start the season, but like Thomas did in 2025, Belyeu could end the year at Double-A with good performance.

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Good morning, baseball fans!

As we approach Spring Training and the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!

Today’s question is what would a successful 2026 Giants season look like for you?

Personally, I’d take a winning record with meaningful baseball played until September. Meaning I’d like to see them in the hunt for a playoff spot late into the season. And I mean actually in the hunt, not a delusional belief that they could possibly, maybe, miraculously make something happen if every single thing goes right (but really they’re five teams back from a Wild Card slot.)

And the winning record, well, it’d just be nice to see the right side of .500 for a change. I’ve covered this team for a decade and they’ve managed a winning record just twice in that time. And those (2021 and 2016) were seasons where I came onboard towards the end of the year, so I don’t feel like that counts.

I’d also like to see Jung Hoo Lee have a full breakout season; Rafael Devers hit 34 home runs; and heck, let’s shoot for the moon and say I’d like to also see Logan Webb actually get the Cy Young Award he’s been flirting with for a half-decade. But those would just be bonuses/concessions.

What would a successful 2026 Giants season look like for you?

This will, apparently, be a year for a youth movement in Cleveland. Which rookie do you believe will make the biggest impact?

-Chase DeLauter, LHH OF

-George Valera, LHH OF

-Juan Brito, SH IF/OF

-Parker Messick, LHP

-Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B

-Kahlil Watson, LHH CF

-Petey Halpin, LHH CF

-Khal Stephen, RHP

-Daniel Espino, RHP

-Cooper Ingle, LHH C

-Andrew Walters, RHP

-Franco Aleman, RHP

Or, do you see a darkhorse in the system? Let us know in the comments below!