There might not be a player on the New York Knicks that represents the team’s identity more than Mitchell Robinson. The backup center has a modest stat line at All-Star break, averaging just 5.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Robinson is the secret weapon to New York’s championship hopes this season.
The Knicks are outscoring the opposition by 8.9 points per 100 possessions in Robinson’s 766 minutes on the floor this season according to NBA Stats, which is the second highest net rating on the team, only behind Miles McBride.
If the Knicks are going to reach their goal of making the NBA Finals, Robinson will be instrumental. A solid defender and quality rim protector, the big man has regained his defensive mojo after a slow start.
Even though his defense is effective, Robinson’s super power really is on the offensive glass.
Among players who have played at least 30 games, he is number one in offensive rebound rate. Teams still haven’t found a way to keep Robinson off the offensive boards, and many of his offensive caroms have led directly to open three-pointers for his teammates.
When Robinson’s on the floor, New York is collecting 40.8 percent of its misses, a number that would be first in the NBA. The Knicks have a 29.3 percent offensive rebound rate when Robinson sits, a figure that would rank 22nd in the NBA. That has helped juice the Knicks' offense, which is ranked third in the NBA, recording 118.9 points per 100 possessions.
Injury history
Robinson brings tools that no one else on the roster can provide, but it’s not all roses with him.
The eight-year veteran has a significant injury history.
Robinson has missed 16 games this season -- he sat out the first four games of the season and is not playing back-to-back games due to left ankle injury management. He’s also been out for a total of 139 contests over the previous three seasons.
It’s hard to rely on a player who is unavailable so often.
Robinson is in the final year of a four-year, $60 million deal. He’s eligible for a contract extension but the Knicks and the 27-year old center did not engage in substantive talks before the season, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
Contract negotiations between the two sides seem a bit complicated. The seven-footer’s importance to the Knicks is hard to quantify, but the number one question would be if Robinson is unable to play back-to-back games the rest of his career? If not, that puts a cap on how much he can truly earn on the free agent market.
Also, the big man is limited on the offensive end. Some teams intentionally foul Robinson, who is shooting a career-low 40.8 percent from the free-throw line.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) warms up prior to the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden / Wendell Cruz - Imagn Images
At 19.6 minutes this season, Robinson has averaged 21.0 minutes over the last three seasons.
The Knicks already have Karl-Anthony Towns as a starter at center. Towns is set to make $57.1 million next year and has a player option for $61 million in 2027-28. It would be a significant amount of money to allocate to one position, and with New York brushing up against the second apron, there’s only much more scrutiny on each move the team makes.
Towns and Robinson have played 213 minutes together this season. The pairing has worked for the most part with a +5.4 net rating, but recently, it hasn’t been as successful.
Some of Robinson’s contributions have driven some of New York’s finest moments over the last few years. Robinson was the X-factor in the Knicks’ second round win against the Boston Celtics. He also proved vital in this year’s NBA Cup championship win, recording 15 rebounds, 10 of them coming on the offensive end.
Robinson is such a unique player that the Knicks are probably the best fit for him. With only a few teams having significant cap space, it’s more than likely that Robinson and the Knicks extend their partnership past this season either through an extension or in free agency -- but the playoffs will truly determine his future with the club.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 14: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was created using a halo filter) Jaylen Brown #7 of Team USA Stripes poses for a portrait during the NBA All-Star Game Portraits as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday, February 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Barron/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Last week, Jaylen Brown shared an Instagram story that highlighted the Celtics’ record this year compared to last year.
The graphic, created by NBC Sports Boston, compared the 2024-2025 Celtics’ and the 2025-2026 Celtics’ record, net, offensive, and defensive ratings at the All-Star break, ultimately demonstrating how, remarkably, both teams’ on-court success were pretty comparable.
Both Celtics teams held the the second seed in the Eastern Conference at the break, as well as the NBA’s third-best net rating. This year’s Celtics have the better offense; last year’s more veteran team had the better defense.
Almost immediately, Brown’s post was widely criticized, with some fans perceiving it as a shot at Jayson Tatum, who has been sidelined all season due to an Achilles injury he suffered last spring.
But, Brown was perplexed about how that happened – how a post touting his team’s unlikely success turned into a negative thing.
“The thing I posted, that was about celebrating our group,” Brown told CelticsBlog in an exclusive conversation. “People make it seem like it was about me, because that’s what people wanted it to be about. But in reality, I’m just so proud of our group. I’m extremely proud.”
Back in July, the last time we extensively spoke 1-on-1, Brown told me that he expected to surprise the world ahead of a season in which few expected the Celtics to be competitive.
But, even he didn’t know that this level of team success was coming so soon.
The Celtics have the third-best record in the league since December 1st, and a litany of improbable victories. Earlier this month, for example, they blew out the Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back in a game in which two-way player Ron Harper Jr. got his first career start — and the Celtics got a big-time win with Brown and Sam Hauser both sidelined.
So, it fills him with an immense amount of pride and gratitude to talk about the Celtics’ success so far.
“I believed that we were going to be fine, but even to me, it’s like, ‘Damn, we’re the second seed – one of the five best records in the whole league,” Brown said. “Only a few teams have a better record than us in the entire league. We’re a top-five team in the league, coming from the start of the season, when it was [supposed to be] a gap year.”
Brown can’t stop beaming as he talks about his group.
He appreciates that the Celtics have blown previous expectations out of the water, and enjoys gushing about how this season has been playing out.
But, in our lengthy conversation, he never brings up himself – not his own career-best individual season, nor his first-ever All-Star start, which he celebrated in Los Angeles.
For Jaylen Brown, this season has been about the young guys
What Brown has enjoyed most this season is seeing the Celtics organization at its best — watching unproven players like Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez tremendously impact winning. In his first two years in the NBA, Walsh had yet to break into the Celtics’ rotation, and Brown, a close friend of his, stayed in his ear, encouraging him.
He broke through this season en route to a career-year highlighted by 20 consecutive starts for Boston. Walsh is averaging 5.6 points in 18.5 minutes per game — both career-highs.
And, Gonzalez, drafted late in the first round and at just 19 years old, quickly became an impactful rotation player. As it currently stands, he has the best individual net rating of any player in the NBA. Few predicted that, at 19 years old, the Celtics rookie would be so impactful, so soon. But he’s been a critical part of multiple victories.
“As a leader, to see our guys finding their footing and flourishing, I’m prouder about that,” Brown said. “Just to see certain guys unsure about their roles, or their situation, and to see Jordan playing well, Hugo playing well in stretches. Like, they’ve helped us win games. I take pride in that. I’m proud of that.”
<p>Jaylen Brown and Hugo Gonzalez celebrate after Gonzalez hit a game-tying three-pointer against the Brooklyn Nets last month. </p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
He’s especially in awe of the Celtics’ player development program, which, alongside Gonzalez and Walsh, has propelled players like Baylor Scheierman and Luka Garza toward career seasons. He shouted out each of the Celtics’ assistant and player development coaches, people who are integral to the Celtics’ team success, but rarely receive credit in the public eye.
“I’m extremely proud of our group, coaching staff included,” Brown said. “All the guys that put time and effort – Sham [God Shammgod Jr], Da’Sean [Butler], Ross [McCain], DJ [MacLeay] – all our coaching staff have done a really good job of developing guys.”
Brown is also adamant that Derrick White should have been an All-Star, and that starting center Neemias Queta is only beginning to scratch the surface of his ceiling. He’s been thoroughly impressed with how Anfernee Simons carried himself through his 49-game Celtics stint, and with how Payton Pritchard has handled an increased role as one of the Celtics’ primary scoring options.
So, Brown might just keep posting Instagram graphics that highlight just how good this Celtics team has been playing.
He emphasized that, alongside Tatum, they lost four other great players this offseason – Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Kristaps Porzingis.
And, he’s in awe of how the Celtics have adapted in the face of those veteran losses.
Brown also attributes some of the the Celtics’ success this season to a formative offseason conversation between himself and Joe Mazzulla, in which both candidly discussed their preferred approach for the year ahead.
“Before the season started, Joe had an idea of what he wanted, how he wanted to coach the team,” Brown said. “I had an idea of how I wanted to lead the team, and we kind of had to meet in the middle before the season even started. We had an idea of how we were going to both work together. Because if we don’t work together, if it would have been me not buying into Joe, none of this would work. Me being able to be on the same page with Joe has allowed us to be in the position that we’re in now.”
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 19: Jaylen Brown #7 talks with head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on January 19, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jaylen Brown has found peace
At age 29, Brown understands that words and actions can be taken out of context. That’s part of why he started regularly Twitch streaming — so that he can address things head-on and elaborate on his perspective.
For example, in a recent stream, Brown spoke glowingly about Tatum’s rehab, and shared how much pride he has in his co-star for all the progress he’s made.
“If you hear me talk about anything in my most recent streams, I mentioned how proud I am of my team, I mentioned how proud I am of JT’s progression,” Brown said. “It’s all that type of stuff.”
Brown still finds it perplexing why his Instagram story had become controversial, though it’s far from the first time something like that has happened in his NBA career.
After a screenshot of his Instagram story blew up online, he ended up Tweeting it on his own account, with a simple caption emphasizing why he had highlighted those statistics: “I’m proud of this group and staff / office looking forward to 2nd half go Cs.”
I’m proud of this group and staff/ office looking forward to 2nd half go Cs ☘️ pic.twitter.com/I0cqxQTPYg
But, at this point in his career, he doesn’t worry too much when these kinds of things happen.
Tuning out the outside noise has brought him an inner peace.
“People have always tried to pick apart everything that I said,” Brown said. “And over the course of my career, I’ve tried to be very meticulous about it. I try to say as little as possible, I try to make sure that I’m not saying anything that’s gonna stir the pot. Now, I’m at this point in my career, and I’m like, I could care less.”
“People are going to infer whatever they want. It’s not in my control… I say how I feel. I say what I’m proud of. And, I’m proud that our team is doing great.”
What Brown does want to talk about is how incorrect the pundits and analysts were about how good this Celtics team could be.
“We were supposed to be tanking, that was the talk,” Brown said. “To be in the top five teams in the league? I’m proud of that. I’m extremely proud. Ain’t nobody can tell me nothing.”
It doesn’t matter how outside people might perceive that sentiment.
“I feel like the most peaceful I’ve felt this season is because I just stopped caring about all that stuff,” Brown said. “And that’s why I feel like I’ve been at the most at the most peace I’ve ever been at in my career, because I just stopped giving a fuck about what the media or what people feel about what I gotta say, or, you know, if they feel offended by something I said – whatever. I said it with the right intent. I said it to highlight something that I feel like is important to highlight.”
And, in this case, he won’t let the world forget about how wrong people were about this Celtics team.
“Everybody was calling it a gap year,” Brown said. “How do you go from a gap year to top five in the East? That’s a big jump. That’s not a small jump. People want to skip over that. I’m not gonna let you skip over it. That is a big deal.”
Most importantly, he thinks this Celtics team is only going to get better as the year continues. As it currently stands, they hold a half-game lead for second place in the Eastern Conference, with Tatum’s potential return looming.
And, he wants to keep talking about how they’re doing the improbable.
“I’m proud of our group,” Brown said, beaming. “And I would yell it from the top of this house.”
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 5: Avery Hayes #85 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with teammates after scoring his first career goal during the first period of an NHL against the Buffalo Sabres game at KeyBank Center on February 5, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joe Hrycych/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s a famous story in sports about how in 1925 the first baseman for the New York Yankees, Wally Pipp, showed up to the ballpark with a headache.
Miller Huggins, the Yankees’ manager, noticed this, and said “Wally, take the day off. We’ll try that kid Gehrig at first today and get you back in there tomorrow.” Gehrig played well and became the Yankees’ new starting first baseman. This story first appeared in a 1939 New York World-Telegram on Gehrig’s career, in which Pipp was interviewed. Pipp was later quoted to have said, “I took the two most expensive aspirin in history.”
For the non-baseball fans (or young) out there, Lou Gehrig would go onto play in a then-record 2,130 straight games. And thus, getting “Wally Pipp’d” became a point for the last hundred plus years in sports about a replacement stepping in and never looking back.
Avery Hayes might not go down in history to the same degree as the legendary ‘The Iron Horse”, though after Hayes’s two-goal NHL debut it’s worth thinking about the situation for where he might go from here for the rest of the season. That debut was partially brought on, ironically enough, in a fourth line right wing spot because the typical holder in the lineup of that position, Noel Acciari, was sick for a game. It won’t cost Acciari his spot forever, though it has opened up a door that will be worth further exploring this season.
Hayes was sent back to the AHL for the Olympic break, he still looks on a high, recording a hat trick in his first game back. Last night Hayes picked up an assist and dropped former Penguin Zach Aston-Reese in a fight with a mean short left.
You can bet Penguin management has to be intrigued. The question now becomes just how much they’ll be looking to do to get Hayes a chance to get back into the NHL lineup. It’s a legitimate question since the current forward group figures to leave the break with full health with the normal fourth line featuring Acciari, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte playing with an abundance of chemistry and success together.
Josh Yohe wrote a good line in The Athletic today, saying: “the second you think pieces of your fourth line are unmovable, you’ve got yourself a problem”. That would apply to moving in or out of the lineup, or even status on the team itself.
One area working in the Pens’ favor is the 23-player roster maximum disappears after the NHL trade deadline. Teams just have to be mindful to stay under the salary cap (no problem at all there for Pittsburgh) and the limitation of four post-deadline call-ups (which is also no problem since emergency recalls if a team needs them due to injury as also allowed), all of which should definitely open up the possibility to get Hayes and his good pal Rutger McGroarty back with the NHL squad after the March 6th deadline. From there it won’t be too difficult to rotate out a player like Acciari or Dewar at times to get some younger blood in the lineup.
That could also be an audition for next season. Both of Acciari and Dewar are impending free agents this summer. Hayes and McGroarty are waiting in the wings as natural, younger replacements for next season, if the management team decides to go in that direction.
Another alternative could be to consider moving one of Dewar or Acciari in a trade. The wisdom of doing that when the team is clicking and remove a piece of their success is questionable at best. Trade value on both players won’t be high either, likely making the reward not worth the potential risk of damage it could do to this team’s morale and unity. Had this season unfolded like the previous few in Pittsburgh, it would be easy to trade veterans as their contracts near expiry (including Lizotte, who has already re-signed) and move onto younger players. This Pens team is fourth in the Eastern Conference with a .625% points percentage, they’ve earned keeping their group together a while longer.
The good news for the Penguins is that it’s a good problem to have right now where they have about 14 forwards that, all things considered, they’d probably like to have dressing for an NHL game on any given night. The problem pops up in that only 12 can actually dress. That offers them a lot of options on what to do next in the course of managing the excess of players they have available now at their disposal, building in some comfort to hedge against future injuries.
One of those angles will certainly be how much they decide to work Hayes back in for NHL opportunities down the stretch. The Pens are starring down a very difficult upcoming March that sees 17 games in 31 days against many of the best teams in the league. They have a real grind coming up, the post-March 6th ability to have fresh bodies like Hayes and McGroarty on hand could be a real blessing to keep players fresh and inject the lineup with new options as they go along.
Based on that timeline a transition wouldn’t be as immediate or impactful as a Hall of Famer like Gehrig entering the picture and never leaving it, but as Wally Pipp knew all too well opening the door to a new option can lead to changes that end up lasting longer than just a single game. Hayes is making a strong case to be in the NHL picture down the stretch in some form, the answer to just how much opportunity he’ll get will be one of the more intriguing little storylines for the Penguins in the final sprint of their 2025-26 season.
The Orioles addressed a lot of needs this offseason. They brought on Pete Alonso, one of the splashiest signings of the offseason, period. They signed a bona fide lockdown closer in Ryan Helsley. They added a corner bat in Taylor Ward. But with spring training games just days away, one question keeps nagging: Is the rotation good enough to win the division?
It’s a question worth asking, because the AL East rotations look nastier than ever. The Blue Jays, fresh off a World Series run, added Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210 million deal to pair with Kevin Gausman and postseason revelation Trey Yesavage. The Red Sox went on a pitching spending spree, landing Ranger Suárez ($130 million over five years) and trading for Sonny Gray to slot behind Garrett Crochet. Even the Yankees, despite taking something of a “run it back” approach, will get Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón back from injury sometime this spring to join Max Fried and young flamethrower Cam Schlittler.
Meanwhile, the Orioles—well, if you read this blog regularly, you know pretty much exactly where the Orioles rotation stands. Baltimore missed out on Framber Valdez (now in Detroit) and watched Suárez and Cease land with division rivals. Instead, as has become customary, they cobbled together a rotation through trades and one-year deals: Shane Baz from Tampa Bay, veteran Chris Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5 million deal, and Zach Eflin back on a $10 million deal after August back surgery.
These weren’t, like, the splashiest moves ever, but to judge by team quotes to the press, you shouldn’t be worried. Manager Craig Albernaz says he “like[s] his guys.” Trevor Rogers says the rotation is “scary.” New signing Bassitt says he’s ready to win a World Series.
Is there cause for such optimism? It’s true that a 1-2 punch of Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers looks none too shabby: Bradish finished fourth in the 2023 Cy Young race and has a 2.44 ERA over 44 combined starts in the last three seasons. If he’s healthy, he’s deadly. Trevor Rogers was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after returning from injury last May, posting a 1.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 18 starts.
Behind them, the depth behind them is intriguing (which is more than could be said of O’s back-end starters in recent years). Shane Baz has “Cy Young” upside, according to Albernaz himself. Chris Bassitt is a proven innings-eater who just pitched in the World Series. Zach Eflin was a rock after the 2024 trade deadline before his back gave out. And that’s not even counting a sixth man in Dean Kremer, who is a solid backend arm.
So let’s hear it, Camden Chatters: Can this rotation compete with the staffs in Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston, and New York? Are you buying the upside, or do you wish the front office had landed a true ace? Sound off in the comments.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 13: Bo Bichette #19 of the New York Mets looks on during spring training workouts at Clover Park on February 13, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Juve directors condemned Pierre Kalulu’s dismissal but beyond the outrage there were reasons to take heart
At the end of a spectacular, ferocious Derby d’Italia, none of Juventus’s players nor their manager would answer questions from the media. Instead, their chief executive, Damien Comolli, and director of football strategy, Giorgio Chiellini, spoke on the club’s behalf. They were not there to discuss tactical nuance.
“You can’t talk about football today,” said Chiellini. “Something unacceptable happened.” Comolli offered an even more grave verdict: “Juventus lost three points, but Italian football lost much more.” A strong claim. If true, might Comolli have done better to acknowledge his part in it?
Feb 13, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) talks to manager Dave Roberts (30) during spring training camp. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
After digesting that Ben Rortvedt will now join fellow former Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, a non-roster invitee, in New York Mets spring training camp, here are more baseball stories to begin your week.
Roki Sasaki faced hitters, including Hyeseong Kim, on Sunday at Camelback Ranch, as he begins building toward his second year in the majors.
“Reflecting back on my last year, I felt like I just stumbled with my own responsibility in the sense that it wasn’t really about the level of Major League Baseball or the hitters,” Sasaki said. “It was just really more about things that I could’ve controlled that I didn’t. So this year, coming into the year — my goal is to be able to pitch throughout the entire season. And I think that will allow me to be able to show what I have to work on in the big league level.”
“The sliders that I threw last year weren’t good. Results-wise, it wasn’t good too,” he said. “This year, I want to focus more on the gyro-spin slider. Today I haven’t thrown the two-seamer, but that’s also in the works.”
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After Tommy John surgery last June, Evan Phillips could return in July or August, roughly, and talked to reporters Sunday about his timeline, which could include throwing bullpen sessions at some point during spring training.
“He’s feeling really good, throwing looks great, body looks great,” general manager Brandon Gomes said, per Sonja Chen at MLB.com. “I think it’s just being mindful and viewing him almost as like a Trade Deadline acquisition in some way, shape or form.”
Sunday around spring camps included a few players asked about Dodgers spending, including San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper.
Said Machado, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today: “I (expletive) love it. I think every team should be doing it. They’re figured out a way to do it, and the (stuff) is (expletive) great for the game honestly. I think every team has the ability to do it. So, I hope all 30 teams could learn from it.”
From Harper, per Katie Woo at The Athletic: “I love what the Dodgers do, obviously. They pay the money, they spend the money. I mean, they’re a great team. They understand how to run it. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way. They understand where they need to put their money into.”
As Kevin Durant was playing in the NBA All-Star Game for the 16th time in his illustrious career on Sunday evening, allegations were circling online that the Houston Rockets star was behind a “burner” account trashing his current and former teammates in group messages on Twitter. It’s important to note that nothing has been confirmed on if it’s really Durant behind the account, but the entire Internet sure seems to think it’s him at the moment.
Do you believe KDF will address the burner of his @gethigher77 weird how all his friends in search engine are the ones who are responding to it and he goes in chats on it trashing teammates pic.twitter.com/ICzj2f912E
These screenshots show the account allegedly operated by Durant saying his All-Star teammate Alperen Sengun doesn’t shoot or defend, that Devin Booker got all the credit when the Suns won but he took all the blame when they lost, that he was questioned for holding Steph Curry accountable in film sessions, and calling Russell Westbrook a “triple-double cocaine bear.”
The header of Durant’s alleged burner account was the same as a photo he tweeted in 2021:
Durant is believed to operate this account because, a) people in his groupchats allegedly knew it was him, b) it sounds like his tweeting voice, and c) we already know he’s addicted to Twitter. It’s certainly possible that at least some of these images are doctored. It’s hard to verify anything on Elon’s internet.
kd was/is going stop to stop hoping a fanbase will finally adopt him LMFAO the common denominator is him arriving somewhere and not understanding why its natural for a fanbase to be more partial towards the existing talent that was there before him
I really hope not, but it seems possible. Durant will likely be asked about this when the season resumes on Thursday, but we may never get confirmation. We’ll keep this story updated as it develops.
BRONX, NY - 1982: The 1982 New York Yankees pose for the team photo (First Row seated L-R) Bucky Dent, Bobby Murcer, coach Yogi Berra, Mike Ferraro, Gene Michael, Jeff Torborg, Joe Altobellie, manager Clyde King, (Second Row L-R) video operator Mike Barnett, trainer Gene Monahan, Butch Wynegar, Graig Nettles, Butch Hobson, Andre Robertson, Rick Cerone, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Roy Smalley, Tommy John, batting practice pitcher Doug Melvin, trainer Mark Letendre, equipment manager Pete Sheehy, (Thrid Row L-R) Dave Collins, bullpen catcher Dom Scalla, Juan Espino, John Mayberry, Shane Rawley, Barry Foote, batting practice pitcher Mickey Scott, Dave LaRoche, Lou Pinella, (Back Row L-R) Doyle Alexander, Roger Erickson, Mike Morgan, Dave Winfield, Rudy May, Rich Gossage, Jerry Mumphrey, George Frazier, Ken Griffey, (Seated on Ground L-R) batboys: Sammy Carey, Lou Cucuzza, Rob Adamenko circa 1982 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
One of the most interesting pipelines in major sports, especially in baseball, is the transition from player to manager. Although the managerial ranks are always changing, there are plenty who used to play for their MLB teams, with the Yankees consistently having them on the top step of the dugout (Aaron Boone and Joe Girardi are the most recent two to fill the position after putting on pinstripes).
Barry Foote isn’t a name that may resonate with many current Yankees fans, simply for the fact that he was not a Yankee for very long, at least as a player. However, he did find an interesting career after retirement — both on and off the field.
Barry Clifton Foote Born: February 16, 1952 (Smithfield, NC) Yankees Tenure: 1981-82
Expectations were high on Foote from the jump in his professional career, as he was quite talented and the son of a minor-league pitcher as well. The Montreal Expos made the Smithfield-Selma High School catcher the third overall pick in the 1970 MLB Draft — just one spot ahead of future Royals/Cardinals standout Darrell Porter. Following a couple of seasons of development in the minors, Foote was raring to go for The Show, and in 1973, he slugged .441 with 22 doubles and 19 homers in 137 games for the Triple-A Peninsula Whips of the International League.
So Foote made his long-awaited debut behind the plate for the Expos against the Phillies on September 14, 1973. At 21 years old, he posted just one at-bat and flew out to center field in his appearance against Steve Carlton. He would go on to play five more games with the ’73 Expos, and in six at-bats, smacked four hits with one triple and an RBI.
The next season, Foote was a regular for the Expos and still an extremely highly-regarded prospect. He was even dubbed “the next Johnny Bench” by general manager Gene Mauch. He played in 125 games and slashed .262/.315/.414 with an OPS+ just slightly below average at 99. Foote was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie team at the end of the season for his work.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) November 22, 2025
However, the sophomore slump for Foote was real. He went from hitting extremely well and being named the starting catcher for the Expos (after eventual Hall of Fame backstop Gary Carter was moved to the outfield in favor of him) to dropping off hard and fast. He finished his second year in the big leagues, slashing .194/.229/.295 with a paltry OPS+ of 43. And, to add insult to his already brutal season, Foote suffered torn cartilage and underwent knee surgery after the season ended.
In 1976, Foote’s numbers got better but were still supremely below average at the plate, putting the onus back on Carter to reclaim his spot, which he did, and it was soon that Foote’s career with the Expos would come to an end. Hall of Fame skipper Dick Williams took over in Montreal, declared Carter his starter, and that was essentially all she wrote.
On June 15, 1977, Foote was traded to the team he debuted against way back when, being sent to the Phillies along with southpaw Dan Warthen (a future Mets pitching coach) for Wayne Twitchell and Tim Blackwell. But Foote only played in 33 games total in 1977, with 18 of them coming as a Phillies backstop, and in 1978, following a devastating loss for the Phillies in the 1977 NLCS against the Dodgers, Foote played 39 games and was still not even a close-to-average player. There was no reason for him to dislodge incumbent All-Star Bob Boone—yes, Aaron’s dad—as the primary catcher.
Foote was then traded again to the Chicago Cubs, where he seemed to find his spark a little bit more with regular time, albeit more in year one than year two. In 1979 and 1980, he appeared in 195 games, generated 2.9 bWAR, and slashed .249/.305/.418 for an OPS+ of 90, which is still below average but far better than anything he had created the previous few seasons. He played in a career-high 132 games in 1979 after immediately being named the team’s starting catcher, and if it weren’t for a back injury, he would have played far more in 1980.
Tim Blackwell had done a nice job in Foote’s absence in 1980, and with future All-Star Jody Davis now in the mix as well for ’81, Foote was deemed expendable. The Yankees traded for Foote with Rick Cerone out with a broken thumb, and he received some playing time in 1980 when he played 40 games for New York. He even hit a home run in his first at-bat for the team, going deep off the Tigers’ Dan Schatzeder. Foote had a nice little power stretch and actually set an obscure Yankees franchise record for the homers in his first seven games with the team: five. Eric Hinske would tie that mark in 2009.
Foote mustered just one more bomb after that, though. Cerone soon returned as the main catcher, with Foote backing him up. A midseason strike made that year a little weird and the Yankees were declared first-half champions, so Foote knew that he at least would likely witness October ball, even if Cerone started. He didn’t get an at-bat in the Division Series win over Milwaukee, but in the ALCS against Oakland, he got to contribute in a pinch-hitting role. With the Yankees leading by a slim 1-0 margin in Game 3, manager Bob Lemon called on the righty Foote to pinch-hit for Oscar Gamble with Tom Underwood on the mound for the A’s. Foote got the better of his former batterymate with a clean single to right:
Foote was removed for pinch-runner Bobby Brown and the dangerous Graig Nettles cashed in the bases-loaded opportunity with a three-run double. That all but sealed the three-game sweep and an American League pennant for the Yankees. Unfortunately, Foote fanned in his lone World Series at-bat and the Yanks lost a six-game heartbreaker to the Dodgers.
That was effectively the swan song for Foote. Back spasms limited him to just 17 bad games in 1982, and at age-31 in ’83, he was released on the last day of spring training. Offered a chance to take on a new off-field role with the Yankees, Foote accepted the assignment. The former No. 3 overall pick retired with 687 career games across 10 seasons, and he never lost his strong defensive reputation.
Foote was the Yankees’ NL scout at first, but he later moved to the minor-league dugout. Foote skippered three different Baby Bomber outfits from 1984-86, starting with Class-A Fort Lauderdale (where he won a league title) and moving up to Triple-A Columbus. He later managed in the Blue Jays’ system and joined the MLB staff for former Yankees coach Jeff Torborg during his stints with the White Sox and Mets from 1990-93, primarily as a first-base coach.
Once Torborg was fired by the Mets however, Foote was out of a job. Unsure of his next possible step and unwilling to go back to the minor-league coaching grind, Foote left pro baseball behind for business pursuits, running oil and gas companies as well as a water treatment enterprise in California. He remained involved in youth sports as well, still able to connect to baseball in a less formal manner. We wish him the best on this, his 74th birthday!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - MAY 10: Tekoah Roby #48 of the Springfield Cardinals pitches during the game between the Springfield Cardinals and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Saturday, May 10, 2025 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Last year, when Tekoah Roby was voted as the 10th best prospect, he had not yet proven that his stuff would return. Had fans known that he would have the 2025 season he did, he would have been voted higher. So weirdly, these rankings do not reflect his rise and fall, so to speak, as you would maybe assume. In fact, he is arguably considered a better prospect this year with a stronger system and more high upside players in front of him, despite dropping one spot. Here is your list:
JJ Wetherholt
Liam Doyle
Rainiel Rodriguez
(or 5) Quinn Mathews
( or 4) Jurrangelo Cjintje
Joshua Baez
Leonardo Bernal
Jimmy Crooks
Brandon Clarke
Tink Hence
Tekoah Roby
Jurrangelo Cjintje I’m going to make this introduction every time because this may be the first prospect vote you’ve seen. When the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan, we had already ranked the first 7 prospects. Cjintje was by most measures going to be somewhere in that top 7. So instead of starting over, Cjintje is facing off against the prospects, one-by-one, head-to-head, until he loses. He has already defeated Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, and now Joshua Baez. If he defeats Quinn Mathews, he would get a crack at Rainiel Rodriguez. If he loses the vote, consider him the #5 prospect in the system. Scouting report below:
Cjintje is technically a switch pitcher, but it is very clear from the scouting and the numbers that he is a far better pitcher right-handed. From the right side, Cjintje throws mid-90s and has topped at 99 mph. He has both a cutter and a sweeper, though the sweeper is the better pitch. He also throws an upper-80s change. From his left side, he is effectively a two-pitch pitcher, throwing low 90s with a solid sweeper. Statistically, it wasn’t close. He walked more than he struck out and allowed 7 homers in 21 innings from the left side, but from the right side he had a 5.0 K/BB ratio and only allowed 3 homers in 34.1 IP.
Today is not really a clean comparison, in my opinion. I don’t think these pitchers are alike and I would ordinarily try to find two pitchers who were more similar. But in a weird way, sometimes when players are total opposites, it makes for a fun poll too. Today, we have a player who is relatively close to the major leagues against a player who made last year’s top 20. Pete Hansen appears in another player poll and I would like to see exactly how high you guys are on him after he won last week’s poll. In the other corner, I’m not real sure where you guys are on Chen Wei-Lin after a bit of a down year.
Pete Hansen has methodically made his way to AAA after being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft. He spent the following year in Low A, he spent 2024 in High A, and he spent 2025 in AA. He will be spending his age 25 season in AAA after posting a 3.93 ERA/3.65 FIP/3.71 xFIP with a 21.1 K% and a low walk rate. I don’t know that he has a standout pitch, but his main strength is his command.
On the flip side, hard to argue command was Chen-Wei Lin’s strength with a 17.2 BB%. Command was less of an issue in 2024 and it may have been injury-related, as he was limited to 50.1 IP last season. Pitch-wise, he may have an MLB quality fastball right now and Fangraphs think its potential is a 70 grade fastball. Even with his command issues, he still had a 3.69 FIP and 4.17 xFIP (with a 4.89 ERA) in High A, so if healthy, along with the fact that he’ll be 24, he may very well be in AA for the majority of 2026.
Folks, the day has arrived. The day I finally add newly acquired Tai Peete. In case you have the memory of a goldfish or just don’t keep that up-to-date on things, Peete was part of the return for Brendan Donovan. I have been trying to add him to the voting for a few votes, but I think this is a strong system and other players just made more sense. But finally, I think he makes the most sense to add at this point.
Scouting (FG): 30/45 Hit, 35/50 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 40/40 Speed, 40/45 Fielding
Just as a quick reminder, because I don’t know if I’ve pointed this out. The age I list is the age they are considered for this upcoming season. Baez is being listed at 21 despite currently being 20 because his birthday is in 10 days. I think Baez is a good player to point this out for because it essentially means he will be 21 and in AA for the 2026 season. That’s probably the thing he has going in his favor the most honestly. He is younger than everyone in the top 10 except for Rainiel Rodriguez.
Scouting: 55/55 Hit, 35/35 Game Power, 40/40 Raw Power, 55/55 Speed, 45/45 Field
The other reason I felt the need to point this out – and I would argue this point needs to be applied to Church as well as Baez – is that when you see the age and you see the stats, you might mistakenly think they compiled those stats at their listed age. Church had his ascension last year at 24-years-old and not 25-years-old and I think that’s an important thing to know. Some of you probably already know this, I just feel like sometimes our brain can unconsciously associate their stats with the age I have listed and they are actually a year younger when they compiled those stats.
Also, while I doubt I’m as high on his defense as some of you commenters, a 45 is an absurd grade for his defense honestly.
I probably could have waited to add Fajardo. Last week, I took out Ryan Mitchell so that I could add Fajardo and Church. And while all the voting basically went to just two people, Church certainly justified his early inclusion with the results of the poll. Fajardo performed less well, but again, it’s difficult to say when two players got 67% of the vote and nobody else got 10%. To keep on the age theme, Fajardo pitched in both the complex league and Low A ball at 18-years-old, so he will presumably be pitching in High A at 19-years-old.
Franklin pitched at both Low A and High A after he got drafted mainly a way of building up his innings just a little more and perhaps also to get him more used to pitching into August. I’m not sure we should really pay attention to his stats last year even slightly, because he was effectively still in the bullpen given the 2 inning stints. He’ll throw more than 2 innings per start, but I would be surprised if it’s 5 innings per start. But yeah as far as his legitimacy as a starting pitching prospect, his first step will be remaining effective over 3-4 inning stints first.
Its times like these that I really, really wish we could have finished the top 20 earlier. I feel the recent news is totally going to affect how many votes he gets and I’m not convinced it should. I just found out Brandon Clarke is out until June and I might be breaking this news to some of you and if this was more widely known when Clarke made the #9 prospect, would he be the #9 prospect? Honestly, the timing couldn’t be worse, because we don’t actually know anything. And fans are absolutely going to assume – most of them I think – it’s the worst case scenario. Should we ignore the news because the first 11 prospects have the benefit of not having had reported to spring training yet? This is a tough one honestly.
Good news about Hjerpe: he had Tommy John surgery in April of last season. That is not a statement that is usually said, but basically it means Hjerpe’s Tommy John recovery should put him in line to throw half a season or so of innings. A very reasonable timeframe of returning in fact would have him in line to throw his career high in professional innings. That’s the bad news about Hjerpe: he hasn’t given us a lot of faith in staying healthy.
Fangraphs released the Cardinals list recently and with that came some updated scouting. If you were wondering, the pitches did not collectively change a lot. The fastball and slider were the exact same, his actual and potential both improved by 5, but his change went down 5 in both actual and potential. His command current took a bump but his potential remained at 55. Basically, they think he’s a slightly better pitcher than when he was graded on last year’s list, but his potential hasn’t moved.
Somewhat unbelievably, Fangraphs gave an updated list and yet I still have no scouting numbers for Deniel Ortiz. Whether or not you think Ortiz should be a top 20 prospect, is is objectively insane that he is not among the top 53 by Fangraphs. I have been very open that I’m more of a scouting the stat line guy than probably wise, but I feel like certainly stats alone should get you on the top 53. It’s not like he did this in the Dominican Summer League. Or when he was old for his level. Age-appropriate (young if anything), elite performance across two levels – I mean he should be above most relievers at minimum, no?
Scouting: 25/55 Hit, 20/55 Game Power, 40/60 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 30/40 Field
The interesting thing about Padilla has a prospect is I did not realize that his prospect ranking was quite so tied to a belief in his bat. I honestly thought it was because of a belief that he would be an above average shortstop and that his bat would be good enough – a Masyn Winn type essentially. And while that may be what other publications think, this is very clearly a bat first profile. I actually think Fangraphs is lower on his defense than other publications to be fair, nonetheless, I found that surprising when I saw the scouting.
Another trick I like to use with age: you look at the age for the upcoming season and then you look at how they performed at the most recent level. Then you decide whether or not they will be promoted from that level in the upcoming season – in some cases, even if you expect them to start at the level they were at, you can see them getting promoted quickly. In Peete’s case, it seems pretty clear, he’ll be spending his age 20 season back at High A. And he’ll probably be there all season, barring a Joshua Baez like crushing of the baseballs. Good news: you see that .187 ISO from a 19-year-old in High A.
Oct 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) looks on from the dugout during game three of the NLDS of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Happy Monday, everyone. It has been a very interesting week for an old friend, as Nick Castellanos was released by the Phillies—for some potentially interesting reasons—and will move on to the Padres and a brand new position on the field.
We’ve got other Phillies news, as well, with Bryce Harper being as candid as even when talking about Dave Dombrowski. Harper was also joined by Manny Machado in sharing his positive feelings about the Dodgers’ bold spending strategy. Go figure that players have no qualms about teams spending big bucks on massive contracts.
Plenty of other little tidbits as we get into the first week of Spring Training, so let’s just jump right into i.
A great tidbit from Jason Kendall’s (@jasondkendall18) first spring training. 😂
I really enjoyed chatting with Kendall for my “Called Up” book. I recently revisited his interview and couldn’t resist sharing this gem. pic.twitter.com/8osXScnMJ6
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Luis Rengifo #2 of the Los Angeles Angels at bat during the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 24, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After they traded away their third base depth chart last week, it was widely expected that the Brewers would add someone to the mix in their infield. Without doing so, the Brewers would enter the season relying on a whole bunch of promising prospects who have never played a meaningful number of games above Double-A. Remember, last season when the Brewers had questions at third, they started the season with a Vinny Capra/Oliver Dunn platoon at the hot corner. It wasn’t until that ran its course that Caleb Durbin entered the picture, about three weeks into the season.
Of course, the Capra/Dunn combo failed quite miserably. But the Brewers, by signing Luis Rengifo on Friday, have signaled that this year they’re going to start with veteran options at third — some combination of Rengifo and David Hamilton, who was also acquired in the Durbin trade. Milwaukee had very little money tied up in Capra and Dunn last year, so when that project went south, they gave up on it almost immediately. The Brewers are paying Rengifo at least $3.5 million in 2026, which suggests they have a little more faith that he’ll produce at an acceptable level. Meanwhile, the Jett Williams-Brock Wilken-Cooper Pratt-Eddys Leonard group will wait for an opportunity while getting reps in the minor leagues (where their service clocks will not run, which the team is certainly conscious of).
Is the Brewers’ faith in Rengifo misplaced? He had a rough year in 2025, but was a solid player in the three years prior to that. Let’s dig in and see if we can’t see what caused his problems last season, and whether or not we should expect a rebound.
Recent season results
In 2022, Rengifo had a breakout year. He’d played in parts of three seasons with the Angels going back to 2019, but had never really hit at all, and the results were, to be generous, mixed. (The Angels, never shy about promoting prospects, called him up to the big leagues just after his 22nd birthday, after a solid year in 2018, which he split between Anaheim’s High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels.) But after bouncing back and forth between the minors and the big leagues in 2021 (which he could not do in 2020, when the minor league season was cancelled), Rengifo earned a steady role with the Angels in 2022, in which he played most often as the second baseman but appeared also at shortstop, third base, and briefly at both corner outfield positions.
In 127 total games that year, Rengifo hit .264/.294/.429 (a 102 OPS+) with 17 homers and 22 doubles. While his defensive metrics took a step back in 2023, Rengifo’s offensive numbers jumped up in 2023, mainly due to a more patient approach at the plate, and he posted a 112 OPS+ with a .264/.339/.444 batting line, 16 homers, and 15 doubles in 126 games. In 2024, Rengifo was having arguably his best season when he injured his wrist in July; he played only nine more games after the injury and finished the season batting .300/.347/.417 in 78 games.
Rengifo had season-ending wrist surgery in August of 2024, but supposedly was fully healthy when he reported to camp in 2025. But the results at the plate told a different story. He hit just .238, had an OBP of just .287, and slugged only .335 — he hit just nine homers despite a career-high 541 plate appearances.
Here’s what we can learn by glancing back at the surface-level stats on Rengifo:
He isn’t an especially patient hitter, but in 2023, he posted a perfectly acceptable 9.2% walk rate. That was back down to 5.3% in 2024 and 6.1% in the next two seasons; expect the Brewers to ask him to lean into the more patient approach he showed in 2023.
Rengifo has flashed power, but it was down in 2024, even before the wrist injury. From 2022-2025, his ISO was as follows: .166, .180, .117, and .098. (For a reference point, Brice Turang over the past three seasons has posted ISO numbers of .082, .095, and .147.)
Rengifo also stole some bases in 2024 — 24 of them in just 78 games, but he was caught seven times. Rengifo is not especially fast, according to Statcast, so I wouldn’t expect him to be a prolific base stealer with the Brewers. (He has shown solid baserunning instincts at times, but that data is kind of all over the place.)
Looking under the hood
Let’s examine some “advanced” numbers from Rengifo’s last four seasons:
The first thing to look for are the outliers. There are a couple that stand out. First: Rengifo’s .339 BABIP in 2024, which is significantly higher than the other three seasons, and explains why his batting average that year was .300, 36 points higher than the previous two seasons. Given the decrease in expected slugging, this leads me to mostly disregard Rengifo’s 2024 season; not only do we have the outlier BABIP number, but it happened in far fewer plate appearances because of the injury.
Another “outlier,” or at least a change in trend: launch angle. In 2022 and 2023, when Rengifo was hitting homers, he was elevating the ball. In 2024 and 2025, when the homers dried up, he was not. That seems to be the only major difference; while he was making a little more good contact in 2023, he didn’t have a meaningfully better hard-hit percentage in 2022 than in ’24 or ’25.
Other than those things, there are a lot of fairly similar numbers here. The launch angle explains why Rengifo’s 2025 xSLG is lower than in 2022 and 2023, and the BABIP seems to show us that his 2024 season — in which he looked like a borderline All-Star through 70 games — was fluky, and probably should’ve been more like his 2025 season.
The question here is whether Rengifo can get his launch angle back up. Otherwise, I don’t see a whole lot to tell me that he can’t be the same hitter he was in 2022 and 2023. His 2024 wrist injury does not seem to be the culprit for why his power decreased in 2024 and 2025 — that change happened prior to the injury and is explainable by the launch angle. Rengifo’s plate discipline numbers, which you can dig into on Statcast, don’t show any alarm bells — he did a slightly better job at swinging at good pitches to hit in 2022-24 than in 2025, but for the most part, there are no major changes.
What should we expect?
The Brewers value patience, so expect them to tell Rengifo to lean into that. He has shown the ability to take a walk; in 126 games in 2023, his 9.2% walk rate was 59th percentile in the league. That’s plenty good — and way better than 2022 (first percentile) and 2025 (24th percentile).
While Rengifo’s BABIP in 2025 was the worst of the previous four years, I’m not sure we should expect a meaningful bounce back here. His sprint speed, via Statcast, has been decreasing: from 2021 to 2025, he went from 77th percentile to 67th, 51st, 37th, and 38th, respectively. Speed plays a big part in BABIP, so if he’s just slower now than he used to be, that might explain the small decrease in BABIP between ’22-’23 and ’25.
The good news is that there’s nothing here that suggests that Rengifo cannot be the hitter he was when he was a solidly above-average hitter. Exit velocities and hard-hit percentage are largely the same. The big difference is just that launch angle, so expect the Brewer hitting coaches to tinker with Rengifo’s approach to try to get the ball back in the air a bit.
Rengifo’s 2022 and 2023 seasons, in which he had a 107 OPS+ over 956 plate appearances, were probably a little better than the underlying numbers say they should’ve been. His 2025 season, when he had a 73 OPS+ in 541 PA, was probably worse than the underlying numbers suggest.
He probably falls somewhere in between, and whether he’s good in 2026 will depend largely on launch angle. The projection systems listed on FanGraphs are not optimistic: none project him for more than 10 homers. The other big factor that will weigh on his success in 2026 is whether he’s more like the batter who walked 9% of the time in 2023 or the one who walked 3.3% of the time in 2022 (or 6.1% of the time in 2025).
It seems reasonable to expect that Rengifo will hit somewhere around .250-.260. But the next two numbers in his slash line could be pretty much anywhere. The tools seem to be intact, and it will be interesting to see how things play out.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 15: Kris Bubic #50 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the sixth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bubic faced several hitters during the live batting practice. He showcased his pitching arsenal and had a few minor self-critiques. Overall, he felt his fastball command was there and that his changeup could’ve been a little sharper. Yet, the gravity of his performance was noticeable. He didn’t miss a beat, and that bodes well for the Royals as they enter Cactus League play on Friday.
“Getting back out there is step No. 1,” Bubic said. “Just hearing the feedback, too, right away has been great. You know, just seeing a hitter in the box is great as well. It’s great to always have the support of my teammates. They saw me quite a bit last year and was with me too when I was doing the rehab towards the end of the year. But I’m excited and I know they are excited. Obviously, we just want to keep it going.”
“It was amazing,” Perez said. “I don’t remember the last time I played. Last December, I played 22 games and Jose Alguacil was the manager. I played for Caracas, my mom’s team, so she was super excited. You know, I think it’s going to help me. It’s kind of different to face some pitchers and not wait for a month to face pitchers here in live BP (batting practice) in spring training.”
Now, Kudrna is ready to seize his opportunity this spring.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “You know, now being here, I look at it as a big opportunity to learn. You’ve got guys that have been there and done that. They have illustrious careers, and you don’t stay in this game that long unless you’re doing the right things.”
“I don’t think pitchers should challenge any call,” Sweeney said. “Let the guy behind the plate … who has the feel for it. I’m sure we are going to see it over there right away. …
“It’s a process that we are trying to understand. And talking with R&D (research and development) and the guys in the minor leagues that have used it before, it’s, OK, when do we use our challenges and who calls them?”
The two to really watch are Avila and Falter. The Royals still believe in Avila as a starter, but there are enough voices on the Major League side saying he could make an impact as a reliever right now. The stuff ticked up when he got a chance in the ‘pen last year, and his curveball was devastating. Falter is out of options, so the Royals need to decide how and where he fits. He had a rough time last year when he was moved to the ‘pen, ultimately ending the season on the IL, but Falter could be another lefty out there.
The most important thing Caglianone worked on this offseason was swing decisions. He felt he got himself out “a lot more than the pitchers did,” he said. Whether that was because he was seeing the best stuff he’s ever seen in his life at the Major League level or because of the subconscious pressure he put on himself — or very likely both — Caglianone wanted to be more prepared for what he was going to face in 2026.
“One of the biggest things I took away from last year was these guys are really good at throwing strike-to-ball pitches,” Caglianone said. “Out of the hand, it looks really good, and it ends up being a 58-foot curveball.”
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 13: Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch during a spring training bullpen at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 13, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
Scottsdale, Ariz. – Chase Dollander was drafted ninth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and skyrocketed through the Colorado Rockies’ minor league system, finally making his MLB debut on April 6 last year against the Athletics.
Dollander had an up-and-down season, but he ended on a strong note when he went head-to-head against Tyler Glasnow in September before ultimately straining his patellar tendon during the game and finishing the year on the IL.
But Dollander is ready to take on 2026 with a new approach and a coaching staff.
“I’ve got to throw strikes,” Dollander said of his biggest 2025 takeaway.
“I’ve got to get in the zone early, which is something we’ve really honed in on. Especially with this new staff, they’ve been really big about just throwing strike one. You put a hitter in a defensive mode, and it’s not good for them. So that’s been a huge focus of mine this offseason – command, making sure I’m getting strike one, and going from there.”
That was something that Warren Schaeffer echoed, as well.
“I think the main thing is getting in the strike zone early in the count,” Schaeffer said. “That’s something he did not do very well last year with any of his pitches, specifically at Coors Field.”
Dollander spent his offseason making adjustments to ensure he could command the ball, both physically and philosophically.
“[I’ve made] a couple of mechanical adjustments,” he said, “being more direct to the plate, making sure my energy and everything like that goes towards the plate rather than away from it, which I think just in its own right has helped a lot of other things as well. So it’s been cool to kind of see the changes and stuff like that.”
And now that he’s gotten to work with the new coaching staff, he’s impressed.
“I like a lot of them so far,” he said, grinning.
“It’s a big change from what we had last year, and I think all of us are very excited. Some are more outspoken than others, but it’s definitely a change. It’s just exciting!”
In addition to a new coaching staff, the Rockies rotation is also shaping up to be dramatically different from 2025. Just in the last week, they added veterans José Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano after bringing on Michael Lorenzen in January.
And Dollander is taking full advantage of the new brainpower.
“I’ve been talking to Lorenzen a lot, picking his brain and getting to know him as a person rather than the player, as well,” he said.
“I haven’t gotten to talk to Sugano all that much, and Quintana the same thing, but I’m looking forward to getting to know those guys and really talking to them and picking their brains. Obviously, all three of them have a lot of experience – along with [Kyle] Freeland – so I feel like there’s a lot to learn, and I have the right guys around me to do it, so I’m going to do it.”
Dollander said his head is hurting a little bit from all of the information being thrown at him, but “in a great way!”
“I’d rather have too much information than not enough,” he said. “I think they’re really good at just making sure that we’re all understanding and making sure we’re all on the same page. I think it’s going to be great.”
Schaeffer also praised the new veterans and what they can bring to a young pitcher like Dollander.
“I think just that attitude and being around new people and being around a lot more veterans – not just Kyle Freeland and [Antonio] Senzatela, but now it’s Michael Lorenzen and Sugano and Quintana. These are all guys that can help him with getting in the zone. His stuff is nasty – if he gets the ball over the plate, he’s going to be really good for a long time.”
And, of course, Dollander is working on a new pitch.
“The other day, we were playing around with a sweeper,” he said. “Obviously, the sinker got added last year. That has taken off in its own right. And then it’s just refining everything else, making sure that the slider stays hard with more of a downward action rather than side-to-side.
“I feel like my stuff is good enough,” he continued. “If I throw strikes, it’ll be a tough time for hitters. So that’s been my focus: Just command the zone.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Dollander is looking the most forward to working with the staff and veteran pitchers.
“[I’m most looking forward to] picking their brains more, especially as games go on, like, ‘Hey man, what did you see here? What would you throw in this situation?’ That kind of stuff,” he said.
“I think that’s when I’ll start to really learn a lot. It’s hard now just because we’re all doing different things – we’re all throwing live (batting practices) at these different times and stuff like that – but once games start, I’m in learning mode.”
To say Brenton Doyle had a difficult 2025 is underscoring things. Between personal tragedy and professional challenges, it was a rough one. But Doyle is looking to bounce back in 2026, hopefully to reclaim himself at the plate and in the field (and perhaps at the MLB Honors once again).
The Rockies have always struggled to attract free agent pitchers, but something changed this year and they’ve had an influx of pitchers eager to sign with them. Sam Blum spoke with them, as well as the new pitching coaches and PBO Paul DePodesta, to see what the difference is in 2026 compared to years past.
