Worldwide Sports News

What Tony Vitello is learning from ‘entertaining' infield coach Ron Washington originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giants manager Tony Vitello is enjoying the Ron Washington experience.

The first-year skipper detailed the lessons he has learned thus far from the seasoned infield coach in talking to KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” on Friday.

“‘Entertaining’ is easily the first word that comes to mind, and I don’t know if that’s going to change between now and the end of the year,” Vitello told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “And obviously, there are other attributes he’s bringing to the table, but it’s been entertaining for sure. And, you know, you talk about him helping me or giving me advice …

“I jumped in on some PFP (pitcher fielding practice) yesterday — more than anything, because I kind of wanted to be in the middle of it to see how it was going and the differences and stuff like that — and he was all over me about my fielding technique. And so I think we’ve had fun and he’s had fun with the players, kind of giving each other some locker room humor, jabs back and forth. But also, I can tell you, he was very, very serious about me correcting my technique on a particular ground ball.”

That sounds like Washington.

The 73-year-old is one of the more respected names in baseball, known for his blend of humor, seriousness and teaching abilities. Considering Washington has been in MLB since his playing career started in 1977, he is a perfect fit for the up-and-coming Vitello’s staff.

Vitello is learning as he goes. And having Washington, who just served as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, around helps the Giants’ new manager formulate his plan to make San Francisco one of the more enjoyable teams in MLB.

“So that’s the balance he’s got going on between having a lot of fun, but also bringing a lot of intensity to the ballpark. It’s one of the reasons why fans like Drew Gilbert is a player, why everyone loves Washington as a coach.

“And … when this year is complete, we like fans to reflect on the team and say, ‘You know what, it was a fun group, but they also played hard. They brought a lot of intensity to the ballpark every day.’”

Washington sure does bring “fun” and “intensity” to the Giants, as Vitello has experienced firsthand.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Last July, the Washington Nationals made Eli Willits the youngest first overall pick ever. With more famous prospects like Ethan Holiday and LSU ace Kade Anderson available, it was a bit of a risky pick. However, after a strong pro debut, Willits’ stock is higher than it was on draft day. Despite ranking behind Holiday in draft rankings, he is now ahead of him in prospect rankings.

While Willits was considered a very well-rounded prospect, there was one part of his game that caused some concerns. That was his lack of raw power. It is important to note he was just 17 last year, but his exit velocities were still below average in his pro debut. When you looked at him, he still looked like a kid because well, he was a kid.

Entering this offseason, Willits knew he had to hit the weight room. He will never have James Wood power, but if he can get to average power, Willits has star upside. The rest of his game is so solid. He has elite contact skills and plate discipline as a hitter. In the field, he has smooth actions at shortstop. Willits is also a well above average runner.

Willits acted accordingly, and was in the weight room early and often. All offseason, you would see him posting videos lifting weights. When you saw him on the field, it was clear that Willits had room to add weight. He still looked like a baby out there. His goal this offseason was to add some man strength.

It is not like Willits is tiny. He is listed at 6’1 and could still be growing. There is room to pack strength onto his frame. Willits’ pro debut showed all of his strengths and weaknesses. He hit .300 and had a great feel for the strike zone. However, basically all of his hits were singles. Out of his 15 hits, only two went for extra bases and none were home runs.

His slugging percentage was only .360, which is not very good. However, his .397 OBP allowed him to post a solid .757 OPS. For a 17 year old in pro ball, that is highly impressive. He adapted to pro ball like a duck to water, starting his career with a 9 game hitting streak. Most high school draftees either struggle or don’t even play in their draft year, but not Willits.

However, the physical limitations were still clear. Willits’ 90th percentile exit velocity was the lowest of any top 100 prospect. As the youngest player on the list, that is easy to explain away though. We will still need to see that improve though. As you rise through the minor leagues, defenses get better and Willits will have to hit the ball with more authority to get hits.

I think we will see him hit the ball harder though. Willits looked noticeably bigger and stronger when he arrived to camp a couple days ago. His lower half was so much sturdier and it was clear he put in the work. 

The before and after of Willits is pretty crazy. He truly developed from a boy into a man in one offseason. Given his age and bloodlines, this is not overly surprising. Most people get a lot bigger and stronger from that 17 to 18 mark. You start to gain that adult strength. 

Another reason why I was confident Willits would add weight is just seeing his family. His brother Jaxon is the star shortstop at the University of Oklahoma, and actually a pretty good draft prospect. Jaxon Willits is listed at a sturdy 6’0 203 pounds. Eli looks like he might be close to 200 pounds after this offseason.

As we know, there are some potential downsides to adding too much muscle. It can come at the expense of your quick twitch athleticism. Hopefully that will not be the case with Eli. I do not think it will because his frame had room to add good weight before this offseason.

Even if he does lose a little bit of twitch, it would be a fine trade off. Willits needs the strength to reach his potential. With his feel for hitting, he will be able to maximize the power he has. It will never be light tower power, but he could hit 15-18 homers one day.

As long as he is able to stick at shortstop, the strength will be a good addition to his game. Even if he does lose half a grade of speed, I am still confident in his ability to field. The best part of his defensive game is his IQ and hands. Willits is so fundamentally sound that he does not need to be a hyper-athlete to be a good defender.

That also applies to the basepaths. He will be able to maximize all the speed he has due to his IQ and his ability to get good jumps. Willits loves trying to take the extra base and is a true grinder. He combines that hard scrabble style with elite talent. That is what made him the first overall pick.

Willits’ baseball IQ allows him to make the most of his tools. However, you can only do so much without power. Willits clearly spent this winter trying to add power. Given how he looks, I think the mission was a success. He is already the 13th ranked prospect in baseball, so it is scary to imagine his ceiling if he starts hitting for power.

Nick Castellanos already has a new home.

Castellanos agreed to a deal with the Padres for the veteran’s minimum, pending a physical, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed Saturday morning.

The Phillies, who were his home for four seasons, released Castellanos on Thursday with one year and $20 million remaining on his contract, which was initially for five years and $100 million.

The Yankees inquired about a potential trade prior to Castellanos’ release but receivd mixed reviews, according to Heyman.

His exit didn’t come without some fire.

The 33-year-old wasn’t shy about expressing his “disdain” for Phillies manager Rob Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long

Additionally, he told his former teammates that he did not trust both of them since they never played in the majors — and it was not the first time he has aired that grievance.

In September, Castellanos explained he only wants to hear from those who have professional experience.

“The only opinions that I honestly care about are (from) the ones that have carried the stick,” Castellanos said during “On Base with Mookie Betts.”

“The ones that have put on the gloves and put on the cleats.”

The strain between the two parties is one of the biggest reasons Castellanos’ time ended early in Philadelphia.

Castellanos and Thomson often bumped heads, including when Castellanos brought a beer into the dugout after being removed for a defensive replacement and reportedly yelled at his manager in front of coaches and teammates.

Last season, Castellanos had a down year, hitting .250 with a .694 OPS — a significant dip from his last All-Star season in 2023 when he hit .272 with a .788 OPS.

He joins a Padres team that lost to the Cubs in the wild-card round.

While he played right field with the Phillies, the plan with the Padres is to rotate among the outfield, first base and designated hitter, according to Heyman.

The Padres already have an everyday right fielder in Fernando Tatis Jr.

Earlier this week MLB announced details of the ABS challenge system that will go into effect this season. If you missed it, here’s my article describing all those details.

There’s going to be another change you’ll notice on TV broadcasts of MLB games this year, and Jeff Agrest of the Sun-Times notes that change:

The strike-zone box, which has become as vital to baseball broadcasts as the first-down line is to football broadcasts, will remain on the screen but no longer will indicate whether a pitch was a ball or a strike. (In addition to showing the pitch speed and type, the box previously marked a strike with a filled-in circle and a ball with a hollow circle. Home viewers might never have noticed.)

The change was made because that box now will be used for the ABS system, and MLB is doing everything it can to ensure no one can exploit it. In fact, the box will be shown in just one place in the ballpark: the broadcast booth.

You know… he’s right. I never noticed that. Did you?

Here are two screenshots from games of the final weekend of the regular season at Wrigley Field, Cubs vs. Cardinals. Both are from Seiya Suzuki at-bats — I chose him because he might become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the ABS system.

Here’s a screenshot of a called third strike Suzuki took on the final day of the season, Sept. 28:

As you can see, that pitch was a strike. And the circle indicating the location and speed is filled in.

Now, here’s a pitch on which Suzuki walked on the previous day, Sept. 27:

Now, that pitch was exceptionally close. Some umpires might call that a strike, in which case it would probably be challenged with the ABS system. In this case it was ball four, and you can see that the circle indicating the pitch isn’t filled in.

With the ABS system, you’ll see the same indicator no matter whether the pitch is a ball or strike, along with the pitch speed. (Some TV channels also indicate what type of pitch it is. The White Sox channel CHSN does, as shown here (another Suzuki at-bat from the Crosstown Series):

Personally, I’d like to see Marquee Sports Network do that. Perhaps they will this year.

As noted by the Sun-Times article, you will still see the box if you are watching at home or on one of your devices. But at the ballpark, no one will see that box except in the broadcast booth:

That means players in the clubhouse and dugout and fans waiting in line for concessions won’t see the strike-zone box on nearby televisions. Technical teams from local and national outlets have spent a lot of time figuring out how to change the feeds they send through the park. It won’t affect home viewers.

Producers don’t expect ABS challenges to provide many dramatic moments to display, and they want to be careful not to overdo them. The challenge system might just blend into the game as quietly as the pitch clock has. But in big moments, those 14 seconds could provide some compelling sights.

As I mentioned in my article giving the details of the ABS system, MLB wants to get the box you see on MLB Gameday, the box you see on broadcasts and the actual box used for the ABS system to be the same. Presuming they do this, that will be a distinct improvement for what you’re watching at home, where the box on broadcasts will represent the actual ABS zone.

I’m a big fan of the ABS system and I believe that as players get used to it, there will be more challenges retained as teams and players pick the most important spots to challenge ball-and-strike calls. Hopefully, the feedback gained by this system will help umpires improve their calls, too.

As always, we await developments.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Following a snow-filled winter, we’re starting to feel that baseball buzz back in the air. Pitchers and catchers have reported to the Yankees spring training complex, and based on recent social media posts, a significant contingent of the position players are already down in Tampa as well. Earlier in the week, we surveyed fans on a pair of questions, asking whether they approved of general manager Brian Cashman as well as their overall impression of the Yankees’ offseason.

Let’s take a look at the results of those polls now that spring training is here. First, we’ll start with Cashman’s approval rating.

Yankees fans overwhelmingly disapprove of the job Cashman in doing, with roughly one in six voters lending their approval. The GM always tends to poll poorly when we put these surveys out throughout the season, but it is rare to see his approval rating sink this low. The lingering disappointment over the Yankees’ early exit from the playoffs surely plays a part, as does the somewhat self-satisfied approach to the offseason.

In largely running it back from last season, Cashman has adopted a ‘good enough’ stance toward the roster: the team as constructed both last year and this was and is good enough to make the playoffs and that’s good enough for him and ownership. It’s a direction they are entitled to take while also acknowledging that it falls well short of the attitude many fans wish they would take toward running the team.

We also asked voters to assign a letter grade to the Yankees’ offseason. Like with Cashman, it appears the fanbase is unimpressed.

Based on the distribution of letter grades, I think it would be fair to say that Yankees fans would give the team a D+ on their offseason business. The majority of voters assigned them a D or worse while only eleven percent feel satisfied with the moves they made.

The decision to run it back is certainly defensible — the Yankees boasted the best offense in baseball (119 wRC+, 5.24 runs/game) last season and while expected to take a step back, are still projected as a top-5 offense in baseball (4.72 runs/game). What’s more, FanGraphs projects them to win the division with 86 wins, while PECOTA pegs them for the third-best record in the AL (88-74) behind the Mariners and Blue Jays.

It’s also defensible to wish the team had more ambition when it comes to building the roster. Plenty of impact starters were available this winter via free agency or trade, yet the Yankees took a conservative approach to reinforcing their injured rotation, Cashman predictably likening the returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón from elbow surgeries to big ticket trades. The bullpen also lost two of its highest leverage arms, replaced by a Rule 5 lottery ticket (Cade Winquest) and a borderline DFA candidate (Angel Chivilli).

There is a lot of pressure on Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham to repeat their top percentile outcomes from last season, each now a year older. There is no telling whether Anthony Volpe’s shoulder injury was the culprit for the plummeting in defensive ability, while we also have three straight seasons of poor offensive production. And perhaps most puzzlingly, the Yankees reunited with Paul Goldschmidt despite Ben Rice emerging as one of the most promising slugging first basemen in baseball. Cashman lauded Goldschmidt’s presence as creating flexibility for Rice to play backup catcher. However, you would think the best road forward for Rice’s development would be to get him the most reps at first as possible rather than split time with a platoon partner while also sparing him the wear and tear of playing catcher.

It is disheartening to see how few of our surveyed fans are particularly excited heading into the 2026 season. However, I cannot help but feel a palpable sense of anticipation now that I am seeing pictures and videos of the team down in Florida, and it is those positive feelings of renewed hope that I choose to focus on now that baseball is back.

Good morning everyone and happy Valentines Day! A quick reminder that if you’re in the Seattle area, Kate is hosting a Heated Rivalry watch party/trivia night today at Kate’s Pub in Wallingford (now known as The Rebel) at 5pm. If you don’t have any plans today, go join some friends to enjoy drinks and good times!

Now, onto the baseball news.

In Mariners news…

• Bryan Woo revealed that he was offered a spot on the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic but turned it down so he can prepare for the 2026 season, with a goal of surpassing 200 innings pitched this year. Only three pitchers reached that mark in 2025.

Around the league…

• Right-handed starter Zac Gallen is returning to the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $22.05M deal, which is the exact value of the qualifying offer that Gallen declined earlier this offseason.
• Righty pitcher Shelby Miller signed a two-year, $2.5M contract with the Cubs.
• Longtime Mariners opp Luis Rengifo signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.
• The Astros pulled a classic Jerry Dipoto, re-acquiring outfielder Joey Loperfido from the Blue Jays for outfielder Jesús Sánchez.
• Rangers right-hander Nabil Crismatt will undergo UCL surgery, which is expected to cost him the entirety of the 2026 season.
• Rockies outfielder Zac Veen opened up about his recent experience with substance abuse and how he got back on his feet.
• Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia broke his silence four months after the death of his newborn daughter (which happened during the team’s World Series run), saying he is thankful for the outpouring of support he and his wife have recieved.
• Even with the ABS being implemented in MLB games this year, Braves left-hander Chris Sale says he will “never” challenge a pitch call.
• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs recapped the total overhaul of the Red Sox roster this winter.
• Colin Evans at The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on MLB’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) initiative, talking about how the program is not currently supporting those who need it most in Philadelphia.

Anders’ picks…

• In a heartbreaking Winter Olympics result, superstar male figure skater Ilia Malinin — who has spent the last four years transforming the sport and had not lost an individual competition since 2023 — collapsed under the pressure during yesterday’s free skate performance and ultimately placed 8th.

Jaylon Thompson talks to Alec Marsh, who was placed on the 60-day Injured List, about his setbacks.

Marsh dealt with right-shoulder tightness after the 2024 season. He worked to rehab from that injury but suffered setbacks along the way. Ultimately, Marsh missed the entire 2025 season while dealing with constant physical discomfort.

“Just impossible,” Marsh said of the setbacks he encountered. “I think it’s a good word for it, because you never expect anything like that to happen. Especially when you feel like you start figuring out some things about your game. … Yeah, just not having a healthy camp and the thing just kept steam-rolling and going downhill all year.”

David Lesky reacts to Seth Lugo wanting to throw more fastballs.

I think Lugo knows a lot more about pitching than I do. He deserves the credit he gets for that. I might suggest that instead of throwing more fastballs. He should throw fewer off-speed pitches…or maybe focus on throwing them better. I think we can ignore his splitter since he threw so few and look at his changeup. He threw 227 of them, which was 9.5 percent of his total pitch mix. And he allowed a .297 line with a .563 slugging percentage on them. The changeup was very effective for him in 2024, but less so in 2023. I know the changeup sets up the fastball, but if that pitch is struggling the way it was in 2025, I’d almost scrap it entirely. I really like his splitter when he throws it, so maybe there’s the answer.

Craig Brown writes about what to look for in spring training.

So Erceg lost a tick off his fastball from 2025. Big deal you say! Except it was a big deal for the reliever. The heat Erceg brings sets up his other three pitches he will feature. All of them were negatively impacted in unique ways last season. The whiff rate on his sinker went from 21 percent in 2024 to 8.4 percent in 2025. Opponents went from slugging .140 against his slider to .407. The average exit velocity on his change was 82.5 mph in 2024 to 86.1 mph in 2025. In other words, the decline in four-seam velocity led to him being much less effective than he was in 2024.

Of course he wasn’t entirely healthy last year. He missed time in the middle of the season with a lower back strain and then ended the year with a shoulder impingement. A healthy—and feisty—Erceg would be one of the lynchpins in the back of the bullpen and could even see a handful of save opportunities.

Bradford Doolittle evaluates what each team didn’t do this offseason.

I’m of two minds about the Royals as spring training begins. On one hand, they look like a clear playoff contender. I love the run prevention across the board, though the depth behind the pitchers likely to be on the Opening Day roster means some health luck will be needed. The other mind is that I’m just not sold on the idea that Kansas City’s offseason moves made it any better.

I liked the additions of Matt Strahm and Alex Lange to what looks like a fully stocked bullpen. But I’m not sold on the offense being markedly different with Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas on board and Jonathan India coming back.

This puts a lot of pressure on Jac Caglianone to make significant improvement, which he is certainly capable of doing. Having Carter Jensen around for a full season will also help. Neither of those situations is related to offseason transactions. Ultimately, I fear that too much has been pinned on the effects of moving in the fences at the K. It will help hitters and hurt pitchers — that’s just physics. But the key is whether those effects shake out in the Royals’ favor. Of that, I will believe it when I see it, so Royals fans have to hope that the math behind this bold decision proves to be spot-on.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep considers whether the Royals should look at Nick Castellanos.

Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman considers a Kris Bubic contract extension.

Terrance Gore’s widow reveals he went for an appendectomy, but went into cardiac arrest afterwards.

The Cubs sign reliever Shelby Miller to a two-year contract.

The Brewers sign infielder Luis Rengifo.

Former Royals outfielder Nelson Velázquez could be a power source for the Cardinals this year.

Ben Clemens at Fangraphs looks at Boston’s offseason.

MLB is reportedly withholding revenue to teams in anticipation of a work stoppage.

Bad Bunny offered to pay for insurance for Puerto Rican ballplayers during the World Baseball Classic.

Feds say Emmanuel Clase participated in a rigged pitch scheme during a playoff game.

MLB is considering partnerships with prediction markets.

Teams are preparing for the new ABS challenge system coming to MLB games.

NBA star Cade Cunningham purchases a stake in the Texas Rangers.

U.S. figure skater Ilia Malini falls twice in a stunning eighth-place finish.

Chris Paul retires after 21 seasons in the NBA.

Nevada sportsbooks saw their lowest wager totals on the Super Bowl in a decade.

How the Easy-Bake Oven revolutionized the toy industry.

People at farmers’ markets are selling a box that gives you free illegal streaming from every channel.

Your song of the day is Jim Croce with I Got A Name.

Dylan Ross had such a good year in the minors in 2025 that he put himself on the prospect map here at Amazin’ Avenue, ranking 18th on our list of the team’s top 25 prospects. And that was before the Mets’ trade that sent Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers, which effectively bumped nearly everyone on the list up a couple of spots.

You can read all about the the 25-year-old right-handed pitcher’s backstory in Steve Sypa’s write-up of him during the prospect list countdown. The short of it is that the Mets drafted him in the 13th round in the 2022 draft. The team was aware that he was injured at the time, and a lengthy recovery delayed his professional debut until the 2024 season, and even that consisted of just a one-inning appearance.

Ross finally got the chance to pitch a full season in 2025, and started the season in High-A Brooklyn, got promoted to Double-A Binghamton in mid-May, and got bumped up to Triple-A Syracuse in late June. In total, he threw 54.0 innings with a 2.17 ERA over the course of 49 appearances with a 35.7% strikeout rate and a 14.7% walk rate.

Whether or not Ross can be an effective reliever at the major league level remains to be seen. It’s not impossible for a reliever to pitch well in spite of a bad walk rate, but it certainly doesn’t help to have one. And for what it’s worth, the projection systems published at FanGraphs generally have him hovering around an ERA of four in thirty-something innings at the major league level this year.

Good morning, LSB.

Evan Grant says “Not so fast, my friend” and write that Sebastian Walcott could still maybe possibly see the field in 2026.

Grant also writes about the homecoming of Jordan Montgomery in what could turn into a Rangers Hallmark movie.

Kennedi Landry also writes about Montgomery’s return and how happy he is to be back in Texas.

Elsewhere Grant writes about a Rangers waiver claim catcher making a big impact with his “Austin Hedges personality.”

Wyatt Langford will not be in the World Baseball Classic.

FanGraphs has updated its 2026 MLB draft rankings.

And finally, Doug Melvin is the latest guest on the new episode of Evan Grant’s SportsDay podcast.

That’s all for this morning. Have a great weekend!

Nick Castellanos, whose career appeared to be in some jeopardy after revelations regarding his split with the Philadelphia Phillies emerged, will join the San Diego Padres, the New York Post first reported.

Castellanos, 33, is owed $20 million in the final year of his five-year, $100 million contract. But the Phillies will pay all but the pro-rated minimum salary after they released him.

The two-time All-Star fell out of favor in Philadelphia as his four years there progressed, coming to a head in 2025. The low point: His one-game benching after confronting manager Rob Thomson when he was removed from a game in Miami.

Shortly after his release, Castellanos revealed in a lengty handwritten note posted to social media that he'd brought a beer into the dugout. Teammates interceded and Phillies special assistant Howie Kendrick took the bottle from Castellanos.

His handwritten screed was intended to get ahead of a story in The Athletic detailing that incident and the growing rift between player and team.

Castellanos had a league average 100 adjusted OPS in his four seasons, and reached an apex there in 2023, when he made the All-Star team and hit four home runs in the Phillies' NLDS vanquishing of Atlanta.

In San Diego, he will fold into an odd mix of outfield/first base/DH types, presuming he makes the team. The club recently signed Miguel Andujar and also has lefty-swinging Gavin Sheets penciled in to take significant DH at-bats.

If nothing else, Castellanos provides more quality outfield depth behind the starting trio of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano.