Worldwide Sports News

As we enter the last week of January, Spring Training is coming into full view and is about three weeks away for most teams. But many teams still have a need or two to address before the prep for the season arrives. The need for the Braves remains starting pitching, with some intriguing names still available. MLB.com looks at how current FA starter Zac Gallen can return to form plus reports many teams have interest in Lucas Giolito. It will be interesting to see who the Braves may target to add to their staff.

MLB News

Though the Pirates do have interest in resigning veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the former MVP was less than happy about not being able to attend a recent Pirates fan event.

MLB.com looked back at 10 memorable games from the 2025 season. From the World Series to the All-Star game, there were certainly some fun moments to relive.

1963
With expansion resulting in an explosion of offense, the MLB Rules Committee decides to increase the strike zone to the top of a batter’s shoulders down to his knees. The results swing the balance of power so dramatically that in just five years and in spite of a four-team expansion looming, baseball will shrink the strike zone in order to inject some offense back into the game.

1983
The White Sox and GM Roland Hemond outfoxed the Cubs by hinting through the media that they might select pitcher Fergie Jenkins after the Cubs left him unprotected in the free agent draft. Jenkins, the future Hall-of-Famer, was getting close to the magical 300-win mark in his career, and the Sox were entitled to compensation after losing outfielder Steve Kemp to the Yankees.

The Cubs were forced to make a rushed trade of Scott Fletcher, Dick “Dirt” Tidrow, Randy Martz and Pat Tabler to the Sox for a promise not to take Jenkins, along with pitchers Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar. The Sox then flipped Tabler to Cleveland for Jerry Dybzinski. After it was all said and done, Cubs GM Dallas Green was quoted as saying, “To say I’m relieved probably would be an understatement.” 

While traditionally there has been a reluctance for the Chicago teams to trade with one another, this marked the third deal made between the White Sox and Cubs in the 1983-83 offseason.

Fletcher would be a key part of Chicago’s 1983 division champions. But his bigger impact perhaps came during his second stint with the White Sox, in 1990, for the “Doin’ the Little Things” White Sox, who shocked baseball by winning 94 games. Fletcher was a defensive rock at second base and executed small things exceptionally well — bunting, hitting behind a runner and to the opposite field, and driving in key runs. Tidrow did just about everything a relief pitcher could do in 1983, and Dybzinski stabilized a shaky infield in the early part of that same season. (Unfortunately, Dybzinski’s baserunning error in Game 4 of the ALCS is what he is best remembered for.) 

The White Sox starting staff was so deep in 1983, with seven pitchers on the roster who all won at least 10 games in a major league season, that Martz never really got a chance. He only made one emergency start that year, in a game at Detroit. The other pitchers besides Martz who won at least 10 games were LaMarr Hoyt, Richard Dotson, Floyd Bannister, Britt Burns, Jerry Koosman and Steve Mura. 

In the end, Trout provided several strong starting years for the Cubs, offsetting the great value Fletcher brought with him to the White Sox. But there hasn’t been a weirder — or more panicked — trade between Chicago clubs than this one.

And one year later, Hemond successfully plucked an unprotected future Hall-of-Famer through the compensation draft: Tom Seaver.

1987
One of many flash points of the coming Rick Hahn rebuild, Néctor Noesí, was born in Esperanza, Valverde in the Dominican Republic.

Noesí came to the pitching-poor White Sox off of waivers from the Texas on April 25, 2014 — already his third team of the young MLB season. Oddly, the White Sox had just seen him the previous April 20, crushing him for seven earned runs in the ninth inning of a blowout over the Rangers.

Nonetheless, the White Sox plugged him into the next night’s game, on April 26. His next appearance was a start, and he logged 26 more to finish the season as a relative standout, with 0.9 WAR, 4.39 ERA, and 85 ERA+. Perhaps the most impressive about his 2014 was that despite his 8-11 record, the 73-89 White Sox went 14-14 in games he pitched.

Here’s some crazy trivia. Noesí brought an 11-game losing streak to Chicago with him and added three more losses before snapping it with a win on June 3, 2014. To end his White Sox career, Noesí dropped his final three starts of 2014 and then went 0-4 during the 2015 season in Chicago; the White Sox lost all 10 of the games he appeared in, making the club 0-13 in all Noesí games to end his time with the team. In that stretch, Noesí carried an 0-7 record and 6.31 ERA in that losing stretch.

Noesí went to the KBO in South Korea from 2016-18 and turned his losing ways around, going 46-20 in that time. However, when he got a final look in the majors with Miami in 2019, naturally he went 0-3, with the Marlins going 2-10 in the games he pitched.

All in all, Noesí finished his major league career 0-10, with his teams going 2-23 in that time.

2023
All-time great South Side southpaw Gary Peters died, at age 85, in Sarasota, Fla. The Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star and two-time ERA titlist finished his White Sox career with 21.4 WAR, placing him 17th all-time among White Sox pitchers and tied for 40th among all players in team history. When Peters was on, he was dominant, as indicated by three MVP finishes of ninth or better in his career (eighth in 1963, seventh in 1964 and ninth in 1967).

Hello and happy Monday, folks. A very happy Monday, indeed, even after we’ve been whacked with snow—13 more days until we get a chance to see the Pats hoist another Lombardi. Perhaps Malcolm Butler can sign onto the practice squad, just for ol’ times’ sake.

This is a Red Sox blog, though. Not a ton of news about our beloved team right now, but rest assured that your ol’ pals at OTM will be on it if anything does happen. Maybe Craig Breslow’s communication systems are down due to the blizzard. Maybe we can get some sled dogs to get him over to another GM’s office if need be. Can’t risk missing out on any transactions due to Mother Nature; you gotta do what you gotta do.

Drop your favorite snow storm snack/drink/treat below in the comments. Not that I’d be able to go to the store right now, but I’m just curious.

Be good to each other and go Sox.

In the long history of the Yankees, the players to have donned the pinstripes run the spectrum from complete unknowns to national heroes. In between those two extremes, you have the type of player who maybe didn’t compile the most noteworthy career, but who provided a moment that has become immortalized in the annals of the franchise. Brian Doyle certainly falls into this category.

Brian Reed Doyle
Born: January 26, 1954 (Glasgow, KY)
Yankees Tenure: 1978-80

Brian Doyle and his twin brother, Blake, were born on January 26, 1954, in Glasgow, KY, the younger brothers of major league second baseman Denny Doyle. The pair attended Caverna High School in Horse Cave, Kentucky, where Brian (a second baseman) and Blake (a pitcher and shortstop) led the team to the second state baseball championship in the program’s history in 1972. Both brothers had received several athletic scholarship offers from Division I schools, but had to change course following a family health scare. Their father suffered a heart attack in 1972, causing both brothers to declare for the 1972 June amateur draft thanks to the lucrative signing bonus offers that could help keep the family afloat in that time of financial need.

Brian and Blake were drafted in the fourth round that summer, by the Rangers and Orioles, respectively, and this is where the twins’ baseball stories diverged. Doyle experienced instant success upon being assigned to the Geneva Senators in the Short-Season A New York-Pennsylvania League, batting .256/.390/.363 with 16 stolen bases in 215 ABs. Unfortunately, Doyle was not able to sustain that early success, with injuries limiting him to just 115 ABs in 1974 and a prolonged slump leading to his demotion to the Class A Carolina League in 1975.

But then in his fourth season in the minor leagues, something clicked. In 1976, Doyle started the season on fire, leading to a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League. He finished that season batting .290 with three home runs and 32 RBI in 393 ABs, attracting the attention of the Yankees. Intrigued by this surging young player, on February 17, 1977, the Yankees traded Sandy Alomar Sr. to the Rangers for Doyle, fellow minor leaguer Greg Pryor, and $25,000.

Doyle was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs of the International League and began his tenure in the Yankees organization exactly as he ended his tenure in the Rangers organization — on fire. He scored nine hits in his first 26 ABs including lining up opposite his twin in a May 16th game against the Rochester Red Wings. However, misfortune struck again, a severely injured finger derailing a player who looked to be on the fast track to the majors. Both his offense and defense suffered, Doyle finishing the year batting .200 with no home runs in the second half of the season.

By the time 1978 rolled around, Doyle was back to full health, though the same could not be said for the major league club. The Yankees were struck by an uncommon number of injuries to start the season, which led to Doyle’s first call-up in April to replace infielder Mickey Klutts, who had broken his thumb. Doyle made his MLB debut on April 30th, going hitless in three ABs against Twins righty Roger Erickson after replacing Willie Randolph at second base early in the contest.

Doyle was briefly optioned back down in May, but found his way back to the major league club after batting .333 in 75 ABs at Triple-A Tacoma. He collected his first two major league hits in a 4-0 win over the California Angels on June 17th, but was back on the shuttle to the minor leagues when first baseman Jim Spencer came off the DL. The September roster expansions gave Doyle another crack in the majors, but he registered just one appearance as a defensive sub with the Yankees and Red Sox locked in a fierce divisional battle for first place.

Sometimes, all you need is one opportunity, and Doyle’s came when Randolph suffered a season-ending hamstring injury running out an infield single in the eighth inning of a September 29th tilt against Cleveland. Doyle entered as a pinch-runner and scored the go-ahead run in a 3-1 come-from-behind victory. In the final games of the regular season, Doyle platooned with Fred Stanley, including starting the famous Bucky Dent Game when the Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the AL East tiebreaker playoff at Fenway to punch their ticket to the postseason.

The following day, Doyle was penciled in as the starter at second for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Royals. However, after being left off the 25-man playoff roster, he had to receive last-minute emergency dispensation from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to be added to the roster. He collected a pair of hits including the first RBI of his career, a fifth inning single off Steve Mignori to plate Graig Nettles as the Yankees went on to win, 7-1. Doyle was used as a defensive sub in Game 2, did not appear in Game 3, and drew a walk in the series-clinching Game 4 as the Yankees were set to defend their World Series crown against the Dodgers.

With the southpaw Tommy John on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 1, Doyle started on the bench and was only used as a late-inning defensive replacement as the Yankees lost, 11-5. He drew the start in Game 2, knocking a single off Dodgers starter Burt Hooton, but Ron Cey’s three-run homer off Catfish Hunter put the Yankees in a hole, 0-2, to start the series.

Doyle got the start again in Game 3 and went hitless in four ABs, but the Yankees clawed themselves back into the series with a 5-1 victory. John started his second game of the series in Game 4, which again relegated Doyle to being a late-inning defensive replacement as Lou Piniella leveled the series at two games apiece with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.

Hooton was back on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 5 meaning Doyle earned the start and batted eighth. He singled to center with one out in the fourth off reliever Lance Rautzhan and scored on a Mickey Rivers single as the Yankees plated three in the frame to extend their lead to 7-2. He singled again with one on and one out in the seventh off reliever Charlie Hough, scoring on a Roy White single as part of a four-run outburst. He collected his third single of the contest in the eighth, this time with two outs, and the Yankees completed their 12-2 romp to pull within a win of back-to-back titles.

The series returned to Los Angeles for Game 6 with future Hall of Famer Don Sutton on the mound for the home team. Davey Lopes opened the scoring with a leadoff home run off Hunter in the first, but Doyle responded in the second, doubling to deep left with two on and one out to plate Nettles as the tying run. Both Doyle and Spencer would score a batter later when Dent grounded a two-run single up the middle to give the Yankees the lead, 3-1. After Lopes drew the Dodgers within one in the third, Doyle legged out an infield single in the fourth, though the Yankees failed to score in the frame. Two innings later, Piniella led off with a single, but Sutton recored a pair of quick-fire outs to seemingly end the threat. However, Doyle lined a two-out single to center to plate Piniella and restore the Yankees’ two-run cushion before scoring himself on a Dent single to left that made it 5-2, Yankees. Reggie Jackson clinched the World Series winning victory with a two-run home run in the seventh, and just like that Doyle went from a September call-up to World Series hero in the span of six weeks.

Doyle led all Yankees hitters with a .438 average across those six games. He finished second in World Series MVP voting behind Dent. The pair collected three hits each in Games 5 and 6 as the No. eight and nine hitters in the lineup, scoring four runs between them in Game 5 and driving in five runs combined in Game 6. As Doyle put it after raising the trophy, “All I know is, I’m not going to sell clothes this winter,” in reference to his offseason job selling shirts and fitting customers at Gold & Farley’s clothing store in Bowling Green, KY. Doyle was celebrated in a parade on “Brian Doyle Day” in his hometown of Cave City, KY, a week later and capitalized on his newfound family name fame by opening the Doyle Baseball instructional school in Florida alongside his brothers that winter.

With Randolph fully healthy at the start of the 1979 season, Doyle returned to a bench role and appeared in just 20 games. It was more of the same in 1980, though Doyle did collect the lone home run of his major league career — a solo shot off Cleveland righty Len Barker on June 29th. Following the conclusion of the season, the Yankees traded Doyle’s platoon partner Stanley and a player to be named later to the A’s for pitcher Mike Morgan, the Yankees sending Doyle to complete the deal. However, the commissioner vetoed Doyle’s inclusion given he was assigned to a minor league club at the time, though the A’s managed to complete the transaction by selecting Doyle in the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Injuries prevented Doyle from ever nailing down a starting role in Oakland, as a separated shoulder suffered in a collision at second base with Blue Jays DH Otto Vélez on May 24, 1982 ended Doyle’s major-league career. After brief management stints in the minor leagues, Doyle retired from organizational baseball in 1984. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014, but was able to make it to Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium that season, where he was celebrated for his World Series performance. Doyle has remained a familiar presence at Old-Timers’ Day events ever since.

If not for his World Series heroics, Brian Doyle would likely have joined the long list of players to have played for the Yankees but faded into obscurity. However, those six games cemented Doyle’s place in the memories of many Yankees fans.

References

Brian Doyle. Baseball-Reference.

Brian Doyle. Baseball Almanac.

Skelton, David E. “Brian Doyle.” SABR

Grubbs, Rob. “From the Bronx to the Barn: Brian Doyle’s remarkable journey comes full circle in Newnan.” The Newnan Times-Herald. July 3, 2025.

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

Good morning.

• The Guardians and star third baseman José Ramírez have agreed on a seven-year, $175 million extension that will keep Ramírez in Cleveland until 2032. Jesse Rogers reports.
• Zack Meisel thinks that Ramírez and Cleveland are a perfect match that almost never happened. (The Athletic sub. req.) Ramírez has now twice agreed to a below-market extension to stay in the Western Reserve.
• Tim Stebbins thinks that the Ramírez extension and its attached deferrals could give the Guardians the flexibility they need to add some other bats.
• The White Sox have signed free agent reliever Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year, $20 million deal. Dominguez is expected to close for the Pale Hose.
• Former Cub Craig Kimbrel has signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. Jack Baer has the story.
• It sounds like free agent and future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer will wait until after the season starts to sign with a team.
• The Mets also traded right-handed swingman Cooper Criswell to the Mariners for the most-traded player in history, cash considerations.
• Thomas Harrington lists the ten top positional upgrades that teams made this winter.
• The Mets have made a lot of moves this winter. Matt Snyder has one question: Will the 2026 Mets be any better than the disappointing 2025 version?
• Anthony Castrovince ranks every non-LA National League team by how likely they are to dethrone the Dodgers.
• After re-signing Cody Bellinger, Mike Axisa has what’s left on the Yankees to-do list this winter.
• Pete Caldera also has some suggestions of you the Yankees can yet improve.
• Jordan Schusterman has five questions for the Mariners.
• Andrew Baggarly looks what the Giants still want to accomplish this winter and reports that San Francisco’s attempts to trade for Nationals infielder C.J. Abrams were rejected. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bob Nightengale talks about deferred contracts and speaks with the godfather of such deals, former Met Bobby Bonilla.
• David Adler has four keys to a bounceback season in 2026 for free agent right-hander Zac Gallen.
• Jared Greenspan notes that the two remaining big-name free agent hitters, Eugenio Suárez and Luis Arraez, could not be more different at the plate.
• Gabe Lacques argues against a salary cap in baseball, saying that the real problem is owners who aren’t trying.
• In case you care, MLB released their “Top 100 Players Right Now” list for 2026. Brian Murphy with the details.
• Murphy also has the 18 players who made the biggest rise on that list over the past year.
• Sarah Langs has 11 players looking to set historic milestones in 2026.
• Tyler Kepner looks at newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Carlos Beltrán’s cap dilemma for his plaque in Cooperstown. (The Athletic sub. req.) Kepner also notes that this has been an increasing issue in recent years. Beltrán appears to be debating between a Mets cap, a Royals cap or going in without a team insignia on his plaque.
• Jen Vestuto has a preview of Team Brazil in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
• And finally, Shohei Ohtani wasn’t the only member of his family to be honored at the BBWAA Awards Banquet over the weekend. Jeffrey Lutz reports that Decoy went home with the MVD—“Most Valuable Dog” Award.

For years, many folks have clamored for the Colorado Rockies to honor their history. Many teams around the league have some sort of “Hall of Fame” honoring great achievements in franchise history. The Arizona Diamondbacks came into the league five years after the Rockies did, and even they set up both a 20th Anniversary Experience in 2018and a team Hall of Fame in 2024. The Rays, who also joined MLB in 1998, created their own team Hall of Fame in 2023; and the Miami Marlins — the Rockies’ 1993 expansion twins — created one in 2025.

In 2022, Skyler Timmins wrote about establishing a Rockies Hall of Fame. In 2025, Evan Lang called upon the Rockies to celebrate more of their history. After all, they now have two Hall of Famers in Cooperstown and both have had their numbers retired.

While the team has not officially announced a team Hall of Fame, they did make an announcement on Saturday at Rockies Fest: Hall of Famers Larry Walker and Todd Helton would be honored with statues commemorating their time with the Rockies.

While Helton was unable to attend the festival due to an illness, both Walkers — Larry and Monfort — were on hand to discuss the momentous occasion.

“A while back, a few of us here internally got together,” Monfort explained.

“Obviously, we have two retired numbers up there — 33 and 17. It commemorates their incredible achievements as Rockies, both Todd and Larry. To me, they are a big part of me being a baseball fan today. They’re just incredible athletes, and we took it a step further. We got together and decided ‘Hey, we ought to also commemorate here at Coors Field the fact that they are also both members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“So this year, we are very excited to announce that on Sunday, August 23, we will unveil a Larry Walker statue here at Coors,” he continued. “And on Saturday, September 19, we will unveil a Todd Helton statue.”

In addition to the statues, Monfort also said that fans will receive commemorative mini statues. (“I wouldn’t say bobbleheads because their heads don’t bobble.”)

“Obviously, these two have meant so much not only to me and my family personally, but to all of us Rockies fans and staff, and we’re very excited that they will live forever here at Coors Field.”

Larry Walker said he has already met with the sculptors, and explained how much this moment means to him.

“The number being retired, and you walk in the ballpark, and I see 33 up there, trust me, it melts my heart. It’s a pretty cool honor to have that,” Walker said.

“And then when the phone call comes and says ‘We’re going to put a statue outside the ballpark’ — those are two pretty cool things that when you play baseball you don’t (think about). And I’m glad I enjoyed my career in a Rockies uniform, and I’m honored and thank you to the Monfort and Rockies family for allowing this to happen.”

Monfort mentioned that they took inspiration from the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as the New York Yankees Monument Park. He also said the process has been in the works for the last five or so years, with Vice President of Community Relations and Retail Operations Jim Kellogg working to secure the sculptors.

Eventually, the Rockies commissioned George and Mark Lundeen of Lundeen Sculptures in Longmont.

Even though the Rockies are still considered an expansion team, they do have history to be recognized and are finally leaning into it.

“If you’ve been a Rockies fan for long enough, we’ve been impacted by these guys,” Monfort said.

“We have memories that will never, ever go away because we were either here or we saw something on TV, and that’s what this is all about. We’re capturing history, and want to be able to explain our history to future generations and to the kids that are running around here that didn’t have the chance to see them play… that’s why it’s so important to us.”

While this wasn’t an official “Rockies Hall of Fame” announcement, it is a step in the right direction. The Rockies have had some bad years as of late and won’t be competitive in 2026. However, there is a new vibe at 20th and Blake; there is an optimism for what can be accomplished, and there is a lot of buy-in from coaches and players. While the statues might be part of “the future of nostalgia,” it’s a great way for the Rockies to continue to honor their greatest players while setting a precedent for the future.

Walker, Helton statues coming to Coors Field while Condon prepares for Rockies debut | Kevin’s take | Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry offers a look at not only the statue announcement, but other goings-on from Rockies Fest.

Rockies Future Success Hinges on Development of Two Future Stars | Sports Illustrated

There is a lot riding on the 2026 season, but even more in the seasons beyond. Matt Postins identifies Ethan Holliday and Charlie Condon as key cogs to turn the franchise around. So far they’ve showed promise, and Condon could be in the majors potentially as early as 2026.

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

Our first real battle happened in the vote for the #4 prospect, with Quinn Mathews winning by a mere 4%. Last year’s #2 prospect, he had a bit of a down year, or at least a year that didn’t go as well as hoped, but his drop to 4 actually had less to do with that and more to do with another top 10 pick and a huge year from a teenager. I think it’s safe to say even an excellent year and he lands as the #4 prospect, because he just doesn’t really have the upside of the first three guys. This leaves the current top 4 at:

1. JJ Wetherholt
2. Liam Doyle
3. Rainiel Rodriguez
4. Quinn Mathews

Comparable Player Corner

Okay, most of the time I run this feature, I am planning way ahead. I usually do not know when I will add the players in this section, I just know I will have a hard decision to make in the future and this vote will help me make that decision. Well, today we have a vote between two players, the winner of which is going into the next vote. Never has a decision more clearly indicated your philosophy towards prospects. And we have the two perfect representatives.

On one corner, we have Tanner Franklin representing the high upside, higher variance prospect. With an elite fastball, he still has to make that transition to starter, and has 6 total innings to his name.

On the other corner, we have Brycen Mautz representing the lower variance, close-to-the majors prospect. In Springfield, he he had a great season, he does also have relief risk because his change is a work-in-progress.

ORSTLcardsfan had a great idea to just say vote here instead of trying to paste the address bar. So click on vote here to vote.

VOTE HERE

New Adds

Last time, I mentioned that I was going to add one player based on his ranking on last year’s list and one player who either wasn’t in the system last year or is in such a wildly different place from last year that the voters haven’t had a chance to express how they feel about that prospect. Basically, one player where previous voting helps me out and one player where I have no clues as to when they might be put on the list.

Last year’s player is Cooper Hjerpe, selected 9th last year. If he was coming off a healthy season, he’d already be in the voting, but I felt it fairly safe to wait until now because of the Tommy John. And the player where I really don’t know where he’ll place is Ixan Henderson. He was in the system last year, but he was an 8th rounder with a good debut season in Low A and six starts in High A where he didn’t really strike people out. And then the Cardinals decided he only needed six starts in High A, and he had the kind of season in AA to land you on a top 20.

Joshua Baez, OF – 23

Stats (High A): 168 PAs, .317/.404/.483, 10.7 BB%, 21.4 K%, .166 ISO, .400 BABIP, 152 wRC+, 108 DRC+

AA: 331 PAs, .271/.374/.509, 12.4 BB%, 20.2 K%, .238 ISO, .294 BABIP, 141 wRC+, 125 DRC+

Scouting: 30/35 Hit, 45/60 Game Power, 60/70 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 40/50 Fielding

I know people say that Baez’s change has been more like a year and half than a year, but I kind of object to that, because the main reason people are suddenly giving him attention is the strikeouts, or the sudden drop in them. While he destroyed Low A, he had an improved strikeout rate, but not that out of line with expectations given he was sent down to a level he had already played. A 27.9 K% rate does not get my attention in that context.

His 21% and then 20% K rates last season, however, very much do. Imagine if Nolan Gorman suddenly strike out 20% of the time? It won’t happen. So I will be absolutely fascinated to know what Baez’s strikeout rate looks like next season. He may very well strike out a lot at the MLB level. But he’s at least starting from a lower place; a 35% K rate might be over 40% in the majors. I think that might be off the table, especially if his K rate remains reasonable.

Leonardo Bernal, C – 22

Stats (AA): 107 G, 455 PAs, .247/.332/.394, 10.8 BB%, 16.9 K%, .146 ISO, .274 BABIP, 103 wRC+, 113 DRC+

Scouting (FG): 35/50 Hit, 35/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 40/30 Speed, 40/55 Fielding

Two things I wonder: will Bernal start in Springfield if Crooks is sent to Memphis? And would Bernal start in Springfield if there wasn’t another strong catching prospect in front of him? We will get an answer to that first question and we may get an answer to the latter. If he’s sent to Memphis anyway, well obviously he would. And if Crooks makes the MLB team, we will also get an answer. But if Crooks is sent to Memphis and Bernal to Springfield, that part will remain unknown.

It does seem like he’s ready for the next step, but I can see an argument to repeating AA given his slow finish to last season. It’s an easier argument to make if Crooks is in Memphis too. And while he would get a lot of playing time in Memphis, things are just easier if Crooks is at one level and Bernal at another with regards to playing time.

Brandon Clarke, 23 – LHP

Stats (Low A): 3 GS, 9.2 IP, 47.2 K%, 5.6 BB%, 68.8 GB%, .125 BABIP, 0.93 ERA/0.98 FIP/1.32 xFIP/3.66 DRA

High A: 11 GS, 28.1 IP, 31.2 K%, 18.1 BB%, 62.5 GB%, .254 BABIP, 5.08 ERA/4.17 FIP/4.74 xFIP/4.75 DRA

Scouting: 60/60 Fastball, 70/80 Slider, 40/50 Change, 30/40 Command

I will be interested to see where Clarke lands, because there are a few things that make his ranking more of an unknown than normal. Obviously, there’s the fact that it’s the first time he’s been in the voting. He is also very much a fringe top 100 prospect and the Cardinals have a few of those guys. And also, in the past, people have tended to be less connected to recent trade acquisitions than people they’ve followed for a few years. It doesn’t affect everyone, but certainly some players. So his ranking could go just about anywhere.

Jimmy Crooks, C – 24

Stats (AAA): 98 G, 430 PAs, .274/.337/.441, 8.4 BB%, 26.5 K%, .167 ISO, .352 BABIP, 105 wRC+, 106 DRC+

MLB: 15 G, 46 PAs, .133/.152/.244, 0 BB%, 37 K%, .111 ISO, .185 BABIP, 5 wRC+, 67 DRC+

Scouting: 35/40 Hit, 40/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 20/20 Speed, 60/70 Fielding

Crooks may end up ranking similar to last year’s voting, but I feel less love for him than last year for sure and I’m kind of curious if it’s more related to what he did in AAA or the majors. If he had never played in the majors, but hit the exact same in AAA, would there be a bigger push for him? His MLB performance clearly did not help, but was also 46 plate appearances at the end of a long season.

Tink Hence, 23 – RHP

Stats (Three levels): 8 G, 21.1 IP, 27.9 K%, 15.1 BB%, 45.8 GB%, .255 BABIP, 2.95 ERA/3.80 FIP/4.18 xFIP, 4.56 DRA

Scouting: 45/45 Fast, 50/55 Slider, 60/70 Change, 45/55 Command

I just noticed that Fangraphs gives Tink Hence a 45 fastball, which unless my memory has mistaken me, is a new development? I don’t remember his fastball being listed as his weakness essentially. Since he barely pitched last year, I wonder if this is accurate or an overreaction to a small sample of pitches trying to fight through injury. You can still make it work because his secondaries do, it would just be tougher.

Ixan Henderson, 24 – LHP

Stats (AA): 25 GS, 132 IP, 25.2 K%, 9.6 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .278 BABIP, 2.59 ERA/3.16 FIP/4.00 xFIP/4.51 DRA

Scouting: 50/60 Fastball, 45/50 Slider, 30/40 Change, 40/45 Cutter, 40/50 Command

Henderson’s stat line just kind of reminds me of a classic Cardinals pitcher of the past. The advanced stats end up closer to mediocre, but the ERA ends up in a good place. Sort of looks like a Michael Wacha line of recent years honestly. The question is if it reflects a pitchability that will keep him crafty enough to succeed or was the ERA more fluky?

Cooper Hjerpe, 25 – LHP

Didn’t pitch

Scouting: 55/55 Fastball, 55/60 Slider, 50/50 Change, 45/50 Cutter, 45/50 Command

The good news is that Hjerpe should be ready to pitch fairly early in the season since he had his Tommy John surgery pretty early last season. Recovery is 12-16 months, so he seems to be in the window to pitch some innings this year. The bad news is that his career high in innings right now is 52 innings, so it does kind of feel like there’s a real ceiling in how many innings he will actually pitch this upcoming season.

Deniel Ortiz, 21 – 1B/3B

Stats (Low A): 320 PAs, .285/.406/.446, 15.3 BB%, 27.5 K%, .162 ISO, .386 BABIP, 145 wRC+, 119 DRC+

High A: 130 PAs, .336/.438/.500, 13.8 BB%, 22.3 K%, .164 ISO, .436 BABIP, 168 wRC+, 97 DRC+

Drafted in the 16th round of the 2024 draft, Ortiz did not play the rest of that year. So at this time last year, none of us knew who Ortiz was. There was no reason to pay attention to him. Now there is. Fangraphs does not have a scouting report on Ortiz, so I don’t actually have any scouting information to give you. But really, if he’s voted onto this list, it wouldn’t be for the scouting anyway.

The crazy thing about Ortiz is that he had that season at 20-years-old. It’s unusual for a late rounder to have the kind of season Ortiz had, but when it happens, it tends to be an older prospect, like Matt Carpenter in the 13th round. So the usual downside of hoping it’s not just an old guy beating on guys a few years younger is not present here. Ortiz is the young guy.

Tekoah Roby, 24 – RHP

Stats (AA): 10 GS, 47 IP, 31.1 K%, 6 BB%, 42.9 GB%, .273 BABIP, 2.49 ERA/2.90 FIP/2.73 xFIP/4.56 DRA

AAA: 6 GS, 31.1 IP, 22.6 K%, 6 BB%, 44.7 GB%, .319 BABIP, 4.02 ERA/4.01 FIP/4.04 xFIP/4.50 DRA

Roby had Tommy John surgery in July of 2025, so his ability to pitch next year is a little more question than Hjerpe. But he pitched well last year, re-establishing himself as a prospect. Without the injury, I wonder how high he would be selected. I also feel that Roby was an example of a prospect that didn’t get as much love because he was a deadline acquisition so there was less attachment. However, fans have gotten familiar with him for now two and half seasons, so he’s probably not harmed by this effect anymore.

VOTE HERE

Preston Farr writes about what the Royals could still do before the season, such as add infield depth.

Brendan Rodgers and Ramon Urias are both interesting names. Rodgers, 29, is a former top prospect out of the Rockies organization. He signed a minor league deal with Houston a year ago. He suffered through a few injuries, finishing the season with a horrendous 35% strikeout rate and 55 wRC+. He’s a career .261 hitter and was stellar defensively at second base for one season. There’s just no real track record, and it’s a lot of hope on potential alone. Urias was the 27th-ranked prospect for the Cardinals in 2019 before he went to Baltimore. He was a solid contributor for parts of five seasons with the Orioles before he was traded to Houston in 2025. He has a career 104 wRC+ but enters his age-32 season in 2026. Defensively, Urias is stellar. In 2025, he finished with seven defensive runs saved (DRS) and four outs above average (OAA) at second base. At third base, he was worth five DRS and one OAA.

David Lesky also looks at potential last-minute moves, with an eye towards the bullpen.

So who can they add? They still want another lefty reliever. I’d take a look at Justin Wilson. He had a 27.5 percent strikeout in 2025 with Boston and would like very nice in the middle of the bullpen. He made $1 million in 2023, $1.5 million in 2024 and $2.25 million in 2025. Maybe he’s in line for a raise after the season he had, but this late, I’d bet you can probably get him for $4 million or so. I wouldn’t mind them taking a chance on a hard-thrower from either side, but someone like Michael Kopech would be interesting to me.

I still think they could add Austin Hays or Harrison Bader if the price is right on either of them. I still think they could make some sort of trade, though I do agree with the people who know more than me that a big splash is probably out at this point. But the point here is that the Royals have a history of doing something for their big league club this late in the spring, so don’t discount any moves happening over the next two or three weeks.

MLB Pipeline looks at the top prospects from each team.

It’s a party behind the plate for Kansas City. Jensen has already ascended to the Majors by showing plus power, a balanced approach and improving defense, and he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate as he shares catching duties with Salvador Perez. Mitchell dealt with a broken hamate in 2025 that dulled much of his offensive projection, but as he showed in the Arizona Fall League, he can still produce top-end exit velocities and be a dexterous defender with a strong arm.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep wonders if Royals fans are selling Blake Mitchell short.

One of the positive developments to see from Mitchell in the AFL was his 74 percent Z-Swing%, which ranked in the 86th percentile. He has long been known for his solid plate discipline, and he showed that in Arizona with a 15.8% O-Swing%, which ranked in the 89th percentile, according to Statcast data. However, one critique of his approach at the plate as a prospect has been his passivity.

Last year, in Quad Cities, he had a 49.5% F-Strike% and 29.4% CSW (called-strike plus whiff) rate. He also only had a 41.2% swing rate, which was 1.3% lower than his mark in Low-A Columbia.

Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman writes about how the Royals could use Lane Thomas this year.

Former Royals infielder Hanser Alberto announces his retirement.

The Padres sign former Royals infielder Samad Taylor to a minor league deal.

The Yankees sign former Royals reliever Dylan Coleman to a minor league deal.

The Mets sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal.

The Cleveland Guardians sign José Ramírez to a seven-year, $175 million contract.

Which teams have made the biggest upgrades this offseason?

Jose Altuve will play mostly second base for the Astros this season.

Andrew McCutchen wants to return to the Pirates, but is puzzled by the team’s response.

Yu Darvish denies reports he has retired.

What National League teams can dethrone the Dodgers?

Twins owner Tom Pohlad personally calls season ticket holders and finds some hostility. [$]

The Washington Post is reportedly shutting down its sports coverage.

Jay Vine wins a cycling race in Australia despite a kangaroo crash.

American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes.

The e-bike industry is hitting a slump.

A new documentary tells the wild stories in building Disneyland.

Your song of the day is The Replacements with Bastards Of Young.