Archive for Teams

The Mets Search for the Right Choice(s) in Their New-Look Outfield

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

After slipping from 89 wins and a trip to the National League Championship Series in 2024 to 83 wins and the short straw in a tiebreaker for a Wild Card berth in 2025, the Mets have a new look to their outfield thanks to an active offseason, some position changes, and an astute draft pick. While the right field job has yet to be settled, several players battling for time at the position have put their best foot forward during the first two weeks of exhibition season, with the two who figure most prominently in the team’s plans homering earlier this week. On Wednesday, top prospect Carson Benge hit his first home run of the spring in an exhibition game against Team Israel, and on Thursday, Brett Baty went deep against the Nationals while making his debut in right field, a continuation of his effort to expand his defensive repertoire.

Meanwhile, MLB.com beat reporter Anthony DiComo summarized last week’s highlights:

No spring training result should be taken at face value given the varying levels of competition, and that’s especially true before people have been warned about the Ides of March, but the whole situation is worth a closer look. Read the rest of this entry »


New York Mets Top 45 Prospects

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the New York Mets. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. This is the sixth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.

A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.

All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »


Job Posting: St. Louis Cardinals – Multiple Openings

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

Data Engineer
Application Developer


Data Engineer

Summary of Responsibilities The role of the Data Engineer will be to maintain and further develop the modern, scalable, baseball data pipeline for the St. Louis Cardinals. This person will collaborate with the Baseball Systems group to ensure high quality data is available to scouts, coaches, players, and other baseball decision-makers. This person should be detail-oriented, enjoy collaborating with others, communicate effectively, both verbally and written, have a growth mindset, and love the game of baseball.

Essential Functions of the Job

  • Build and support components of our data pipeline that ingests raw baseball data and outputs baseball data ready for review and analytics modeling by Baseball Operations
  • Continuously extend our data pipeline to ingest additional data sources and handle increasingly dense datasets
  • Continuously improve our data pipeline by reducing latency, reducing cost, and reducing errors
  • Communicate effectively with Baseball Operations staff to ensure we are anticipating and supporting their data needs
  • Rigorously test our data pipeline to improve its quality and maintainability over time

Minimum Education and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, or a combination of relevant education and work experience
  • Experience identifying, triaging, and resolving data issues
  • Interest in modern data system architectures, design patterns, and best practices
  • Ability to apply creative solutions to challenging technical tasks
  • Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment
  • Proficiency with more than one modern programming languages
  • Familiarity with data-related concepts such as data pipelines, databases, SQL, JSON, and REST APIs

Education and Experience Preferred

  • Professional experience in a software engineering, data reliability, and/or a quality assurance environment
  • Proficiency with Python or Go (or proficiency with multiple languages and a desire to learn Python or Go)
  • Proficiency with DevOps tools including Git, CI/CD pipelines, and configuration-as-code
  • Proficiency with Cloud computing, Kubernetes, and/or container-based or serverless application deployment

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.


Application Developer

Summary of Responsibilities
The role of the Application Developer will be to design, develop, and maintain baseball-related applications for the St. Louis Cardinals. This person will collaborate with fellow developers, analysts, systems engineers, and Baseball Operations staff to ensure that high quality data, analytics, and visualizations are accessible in a timely fashion to front office members, scouts, coaches, trainers, and players. This person should be detail-oriented, enjoy collaborating with others, communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and have a strong interest in the game of baseball. This individual will be expected to work on projects independently, participate in code reviews and maintain coding standards, assist in troubleshooting and debugging efforts, and stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in application development.

Essential Functions of the Job

  • Build and support new applications used Baseball Operations staff to engage with player information, performance, and projections used to guide baseball decisions.
  • Create and maintain intuitive interfaces for scouts, coaches, and players to enter and view pertinent information, enhance their day-to-day workflow, and visualize complex data effectively.
  • Investigate and evaluate new technologies and work to incorporate cutting-edge tools into new and existing applications.
  • Communicate effectively with Baseball Operations staff to improve training, generate feedback, and build relationships with users from differing backgrounds.
  • Rigorously test and make appropriate fixes and adjustments to applications developed by yourself and other team members.

Minimum Education and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field.
  • A minimum of 2 years of web development through work experience, internships, co-op programs, or personal projects.
  • Experience with web development frameworks and libraries, such as Angular, React, or Vue.js.
  • Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and TypeScript.
  • Familiarity with version control systems like Git.
  • Experience interfacing with relational databases.
  • Design and development of user interfaces with backend services.
  • Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and eager to integrate them into daily workflows to enhance productivity and code quality.

Education and Experience Preferred

  • Experience developing backend services with Go (Golang).
  • Interest in building reusable UI components.
  • Proficiency in designing intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces (UI).
  • Interest in creating data visualizations using frameworks such as d3.js, Three.js, and GSAP.
  • Experience with Javascript/Typescript testing methodologies and tools.
  • General knowledge of current MLB analytics, news, markets, trends, etc.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the St. Louis Cardinals.


Job Posting: Colorado Rockies – Multiple Openings

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

Director of Baseball Systems
Principal Analyst, Baseball Research and Development
Director of Baseball Data Science


Director of Baseball Systems

About the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies Baseball Club is embracing the climb, committed to building a championship-caliber organization on the field, in the clubhouse, and throughout our business operations. Playing at altitude presents unique competitive challenges and opportunities, and we embrace innovation, collaboration, and evidence-based practices to support elite performance. Rooted in the traditions of America’s pastime, we operate with integrity, service, quality, and trust while striving to create an exceptional experience for our players, staff, and fans.

Position Summary
The Director of Baseball Systems leads the strategy, architecture, and evolution of the technical foundation that powers Baseball Operations decision-making. This role owns the design, governance, and operation of the club’s data platforms, internal applications, and underlying architecture.
This is a transformational leadership role responsible for modernizing and unifying baseball data systems, establishing production-grade data pipelines, and building a durable, AI-ready architecture that enables automation, advanced analytics, and the integration of future capabilities to support long-term competitive advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Strategy & Architecture

  • Define and execute the long-term vision for baseball data platforms and internal systems.
  • Oversee phased re-architecture and modernization of data warehouse and pipeline components where appropriate.
  • Establish scalable, secure, and sustainable data models that unify player, performance, scouting, and operational data.
  • Guide cloud platform strategy, including warehouse and compute decisions, based on scalability, integration, and long-term flexibility.
  • Design platform foundations that enable scalable experimentation, automation, and advanced analytical workflows as capabilities evove.
  • Implement modern data engineering standards, including orchestration, transformation, observability, and infrastructure practices that support long-term platform health.
  • Maintain a clear, multi-year roadmap aligned to competitive and operational goals.

Data Platform & Engineering Leadership

  • Ensure data pipelines are production-grade, reliable, and optimized for performance and cost.
  • Establish governance, lineage, monitoring, and deployment standards across environments.
  • Partner with Baseball Data Science and Research & Development teams to ensure infrastructure supports modeling and applied analytics needs.
  • Lead development and evolution of internal baseball applications and portals.
  • Reduce manual workflows by enabling integrated access to unified baseball information.

Leadership & Collaboration

  • Lead and develop Data Architects, Data Engineers, and Application Engineers.
  • Serve as the bridge between technical teams and Baseball Operations stakeholders.
  • Guide cloud modernization efforts with minimal operational disruption.
  • Foster a disciplined, forward-thinking engineering culture focused on long-term platform health.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).
  • 8+ years of experience designing and operating production data platforms and complex technical systems.
  • Deep experience architecting cloud-based data environments (AWS, GCP, or similar) with the ability to evaluate platform tradeoffs objectively.
  • Experience leading cloud modernization, migration, or multi-cloud architecture initiatives (e.g., AWS,GCP, or similar).
  • Strong understanding of distributed data systems and large-scale data warehousing, including architecture supporting high-volume, multi-source datasets such as spatiotemporal tracking and event-based data.
  • Experience building and maintaining production data pipelines and modern ELT/ETL frameworks.
  • Familiarity with cloud-native tooling and best practices, including orchestration, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and environment management.
  • Demonstrated experience leading technical teams and owning systems in live production environments.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in professional sports or complex, data-rich operational environments.
  • Experience leading data warehouse rebuilds or platform transformation initiatives.
  • Familiarity with modern automation and AI-enabled data architectures, including infrastructure that supports experimentation, model deployment, and operational use of advanced analytics.
  • Experience integrating multiple vendors, tracking systems, or external data sources into unified platforms.

Work Schedule
This role requires flexibility consistent with the demands of Major League Baseball, including extended hours, travel, and non-traditional schedules throughout the season.

Physical Requirements

  • Ability to work in office, stadium, training, and travel environments.
  • Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
  • Ability to travel as required.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in individual and group settings.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $180,000 – 225,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

This full-time position is eligible for the Club’s comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, game tickets, employee discounts, and additional benefits in accordance with plan eligibility.

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by March 13th, 2026. Please note that this is just an estimate, and the posting may be removed or extended at any time.
  • The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by April 3, 2026.
  • A note for Colorado Rockies employees: Please apply via the internal job board in UKG by following these prompts: MENU > MYSELF > MY COMPANY > VIEW OPPORTUNITIES > select the position > CONSENT > APPLY NOW
    • If you cannot access UKG, please list your most recent Manager as an Employee Reference on your application.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.


Principal Analyst, Baseball Research and Development

About Us
The Colorado Rockies Baseball Club is embracing the climb, committed to building a championship-caliber organization on the field, in the clubhouse, and throughout our business operations. Playing at altitude presents unique competitive challenges and opportunities, and we embrace innovation, collaboration, and evidence-based practices to support elite performance. Rooted in the traditions of America’s pastime, we operate with integrity, service, quality, and trust while striving to create an exceptional experience for our players, staff, and fans.

Position Summary
The Principal Analyst is a senior applied leader within the Baseball Insights Department, reporting to the Director of Research & Development. This role serves as the primary analytics partner for Hitting Development and is responsible for translating data science models, biomechanical inputs, and technology outputs into actionable insights that drive offensive performance.
This position bridges Data Science, Research & Development, Performance Science, and field staff to ensure analytical tools are technically sound, practically applied, and meaningfully embedded within baseball environments. While hitting development is the primary focus, this role also contributes to broader analytical direction and applied workflow design across Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Hitting Development & Performance Integration

  • Serve as the lead analytics partner for Hitting Development across Major League and Player Development environments.
  • Integrate bat tracking, ball tracking, pitch metrics, biomechanical data, motion capture, and force plate data to identify performance gains in swing mechanics and offensive production.
  • Partner with Performance Science and hitting coaches to translate analytical and biomechanical findings into clear, actionable adjustments.
  • Identify performance trends, skill gaps, and developmental opportunities through quantitative and qualitative analysis.
  • Advance the organization’s applied understanding of hitting performance and add offensive value.

Model Development & Applied Analytics

  • Contribute to the development of descriptive and predictive models related to hitting performance.
  • Partner with Baseball Data Science to refine, validate, and strengthen models over time.
  • Incorporate coaching insight and baseball domain expertise into model application.
  • Design tools, reports, and workflows that maximize clarity, usability, and on-field adoption.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Serve as a connector between Data Science, R&D, Performance Science, Player Development, and Major League staff.
  • Communicate model assumptions, outputs, and limitations clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Incorporate applied feedback to continuously improve analytical tools and processes.
  • Support alignment between analytics outputs and organizational philosophy.

Leadership & Culture

  • Mentor applied analysts as the department grows.
  • Help establish applied analytics standards and best practices.
  • Contribute to a collaborative, high-performance Baseball Insights culture.
  • Support documentation and knowledge-sharing processes.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Biomechanics, Kinesiology, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
  • 5+ years of experience in applied analytics, sports performance analysis, biomechanics, or related discipline.
  • Demonstrated experience integrating multiple performance data streams (e.g., bat tracking, motion capture, force plates, pitch/ball tracking).
  • Proficiency in Python, R, SQL, or similar analytical tools.
  • Experience contributing to or developing performance models.
  • Ability to translate complex quantitative and biomechanical outputs into actionable insights.
  • Deep understanding of baseball hitting mechanics and offensive performance concepts.
  • Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Advanced degree in a quantitative or biomechanics-related field.
  • Experience in professional or elite-level baseball environments.
  • Experience integrating biomechanical data into applied development settings.
  • Background in model validation, experimental design, or applied research methodology.
  • Experience mentoring analysts or shaping analytics workflows.

Physical Job Requirements
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Work Environment

  • Work is performed in a combination of office settings, indoor training facilities, laboratory/performance environments, and outdoor baseball environments.
  • Regular presence at Major League and Player Development facilities is required.
  • Occasional travel to affiliate locations, training complexes, and other organizational sites may be required.
  • Work may include evenings, weekends, and extended hours during the baseball season.

Physical Requirements

  • Ability to remain in a stationary position (sitting or standing) for extended periods while analyzing data and using computer systems.
  • Frequent use of a computer, keyboard, and other office equipment.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and via electronic communication.
  • Ability to move throughout office spaces, clubhouses, dugouts, batting cages, bullpens, and performance labs.
  • Ability to observe and interpret visual information, including data visualizations, video analysis, and live on-field activity.
  • May occasionally lift and/or move items up to 25 pounds (e.g., portable technology equipment, training devices).
  • Ability to work in varying environmental conditions, including indoor facilities and outdoor weather conditions typical of baseball operations.

Compensation & Benefits
Annual Salary: $130,000 to $170,000

  • This full-time position is eligible for the Club’s benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, game tickets, employee discounts, and other benefits according to plan eligibility.

Application Process

  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by March 13th, 2026. Please note that this is just an estimate, and the posting may be removed or extended at any time.
  • The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by April 3, 2026.
  • A note for Colorado Rockies employees: Please apply via the internal job board in UKG by following these prompts: MENU > MYSELF > MY COMPANY > VIEW OPPORTUNITIES > select the position > CONSENT > APPLY NOW
    • If you cannot access UKG, please list your most recent Manager as an Employee Reference on your application.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.


Director of Baseball Data Science

About Us
The Colorado Rockies Baseball Club is embracing the climb, committed to building a championship-caliber organization on the field, in the clubhouse, and throughout our business operations. Playing at altitude presents unique competitive challenges and opportunities, and we embrace innovation, collaboration, and evidence-based practices to support elite performance. Rooted in the traditions of America’s pastime, we operate with integrity, service, quality, and trust while striving to create an exceptional experience for our players, staff, and fans.

Position Summary
The Director of Baseball Data Science leads the Data Science function within the Baseball Insights group and sets the strategic and technical direction for modeling across Player Personnel, Player Development, Health & Performance, and Major League strategy.

This role defines how descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive models are built, validated, and applied to measure player performance, skill, and value. As the technical leader of the team, the Director establishes standards for analytical rigor, modeling quality, and methodological excellence, ensuring clarity around what the data indicates and where uncertainty remains.

The Director will build and execute a multi-year roadmap to advance data science capabilities, grow team expertise, and sequence investments in models, tools, and AI to support long-term competitive success. While providing strategic leadership, this role remains hands-on in model development and research, particularly as capabilities scale.

Key Responsibilities

Modeling & Research Leadership

  • Establish and maintain consistent definitions for core performance metrics across the organization.
  • Set the modeling philosophy and technical standards for Baseball Data Science.
  • Lead the design, validation, documentation, and continuous improvement of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive models.
  • Develop models that measure and explain player performance, skill development, health, and strategic outcomes.
  • Serve as the senior technical reviewer for core models and analytical methodologies.
  • Contribute directly to high-impact modeling initiatives.

Strategy & Decision Support

  • Establish research priorities aligned with organizational and competitive objectives.
  • Guide the progression from foundational descriptive insights to advanced predictive and prescriptive capabilities.
  • Partner with Baseball Operations leadership to translate analytical findings into actionable insights.
  • Develop and maintain a clear multi-year roadmap for advancing data science capabilities.

Cross-Functional Partnership

  • Collaborate with Research & Development, Baseball Systems, and Baseball Operations to ensure models are understood, trusted, and effectively applied.
  • Provide guidance on model assumptions, interpretation, and limitations.
  • Partner on data infrastructure needs to support scalable and reliable modeling environments.
  • Incorporate applied feedback to continuously refine models and analytical frameworks.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Data Scientists.
  • Build a high-performance culture grounded in rigor, collaboration, and innovation.
  • Assess skill gaps and implement development plans to deepen technical and baseball domain expertise.
  • Recruit top analytical talent and help position the organization as a leader in baseball analytics.
  • Champion responsible and practical applications of AI to accelerate analysis, modeling, and decision support.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Lead and manage the Baseball Data Science team, including Data Scientists responsible for model development and advanced statistical research.
  • Partner cross-functionally while maintaining clear role definition between Data Scientists and applied analyst functions.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative discipline (Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, Economics, Engineering, or related field) or equivalent experience.
  • 7+ years of experience in baseball analytics, sports analytics, or data science, including leadership responsibility.
  • Deep understanding of baseball decision-making across player evaluation, development, and game strategy.
  • Strong proficiency in Python and SQL.
  • Demonstrated experience building, evaluating, and deploying analytical models in applied environments.
  • Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools or methods within research or modeling workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a quantitative discipline.
  • Leadership experience within professional baseball or elite sports.
  • Track record of building models that materially influenced organizational decisions.

Work Environment
This role requires flexibility consistent with a Major League Baseball environment, including extended hours, travel, and non-traditional schedules throughout Spring Training, the regular season, postseason, and off-season planning cycles.

Physical Job Requirements

  • Ability to work in a fast-paced professional baseball environment, including offices, clubhouses, training facilities, stadiums, and travel settings.
  • Ability to sit, stand, and work at a computer for extended periods.
  • Ability to travel by car and plane, including multi-day trips.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in individual and group settings.

Compensation & Benefits
Suggested Annual Salary Range: $160,000 – $200,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

This full-time position is eligible for the Club’s comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, game tickets, employee discounts, and other benefits according to plan eligibility.

Application Process

  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by March 13th, 2026. Please note that this is just an estimate, and the posting may be removed or extended at any time.
  • The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by April 3, 2026.
  • A note for Colorado Rockies employees: Please apply via the internal job board in UKG by following these prompts: MENU > MYSELF > MY COMPANY > VIEW OPPORTUNITIES > select the position > CONSENT > APPLY NOW
    • If you cannot access UKG, please list your most recent Manager as an Employee Reference on your application.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Colorado Rockies.


Waste Not, Walk Not: Tyler Rogers Has A Plan

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Tyler Rogers makes me happy that I’m a baseball analyst. Not in the same way that Shohei Ohtani does, of course. Not in the same way that Tarik Skubal does, or Bobby Witt Jr., or any other number of superstars. Those guys are great because they do the obviously good baseball things, like running fast and throwing hard and hitting balls far. Rogers looks like an accountant who was hurriedly inserted into the game as a last resort. He also just threw 77 1/3 innings with a 1.98 ERA last season. His career ERA is 2.76 over eight seasons. I don’t know about you, but something about that tickles me endlessly.

Rogers’ superpower is his command. Last year, he walked only seven batters, a 2.3% rate. But that command can be hard to pin down. For instance, take a look at the 26 pitches Rogers threw in three-ball counts:

As you can see from the overlaid PitchingBot command grades, these locations are nothing special. There are too many crushable cookies, too many non-competitive pitches, and not enough action on the fringes of the strike zone. It’s a 42 command grade all in, nothing to write home about. In fact, Rogers walked more batters than league average per three-ball pitches thrown (in a tiny sample, to be clear). When batters got to this point in the count against him, they had a decent chance of reaching first for free. How, then, did he post the second-lowest walk rate in the majors?

To understand that, we’ll have to rewind the count. Walks require three things: a three-ball count, a pitch outside the strike zone, and no swing from the batter. Rogers cuts things off with item number one. Look at how he started batters last year:


Read the rest of this entry »


Effectively Wild Episode 2449: Season Preview Series: Mariners and Marlins

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Shohei Ohtani survey, early WBC action, Andrew McCutchen’s new team, Payton Tolle’s triple-digits t-shirt, ABS-driven changes to Alex Bregman’s and Bo Naylor’s listed heights, wonky player cards, why teams start spring training days so early, Dodgers pitching problems, and the prevalence of inventive slides, then preview the 2026 Seattle Mariners (50:22) with The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish, and the 2026 Miami Marlins (1:34:43) with MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola, plus a few postscript updates (2:17:42).

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio interstitial 1: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio interstitial 2: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to YouGov survey
Link to Team USA vs. Rockies recap
Link to WBC soundtrack story
Link to MLBTR on McCutchen
Link to Speier on Tolle
Link to Tolle max velos
Link to in-season velo data 1
Link to in-season velo data 2
Link to in-season velo article
Link to 2025 info on height changes
Link to 2025 Naylor page
Link to 2026 Naylor page
Link to 2024 Bregman page
Link to 2025 Bregman page
Link to 2026 Bregman page
Link to 2024 Lux page
Link to 2025 Lux page
Link to wonky Ohtani card
Link to wonky Judge card
Link to wonky Bregman card
Link to wonky Naylor card
Link to email about giant player
Link to early starts post
Link to Baumann on Sasaki
Link to FG World Series odds
Link to Crizer on slides
Link to Sam on slides
Link to Naylor’s inclusiveness comments
Link to team payrolls page
Link to Mariners offseason tracker
Link to Mariners depth chart
Link to “Boys Podcast” SNL skit
Link to Ryan’s author archive
Link to Marlins offseason tracker
Link to Marlins depth chart
Link to Christina on Marlins’ elimination
Link to Christina on Alcantara’s outing
Link to “catcher’s balk”
Link to Christina on pitch-calling
Link to 2025 Marlins Pythag/BaseRuns
Link to 2025 team RP WAR
Link to 2025 team RP WPA
Link to Pérez nickname article
Link to grievance avoidance article
Link to Lauren’s NL East post
Link to Christina’s author archive
Link to ball/strike ejections article
Link to Brewers challenges tweet
Link to Tango’s challenges tweet
Link to Brewers challenges article

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I Hope He’s Not Broke-i Sasaki

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

You should never worry about spring training results; it’s a small sample against uneven competition, in which the outcome of the game is irrelevant. But it’s not going great for Roki Sasaki. In two Cactus League starts, the Dodgers’ 24-year-old right-hander has allowed half of the 20 batters he’s faced to reach. His ERA is 18.90, and no matter the context, you never want to see a pitcher with a post-Civil War ERA.

For people doing the Chicken Little act about the Dodgers signing every big free agent, Sasaki — not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, or Kyle Tucker — is the guy who should’ve been scariest. The Dodgers signed a 23-year-old NPB ace even though, by dint of his youth, money was not an issue. If the Dodgers could land Sasaki, perhaps their dominance would become self-perpetuating. Read the rest of this entry »


Angels Top Prospect Tyler Bremner Has a 70-Grade Changeup

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Tyler Bremner is the top prospect in what is widely viewed as a below-average Los Angeles Angels system. Drafted second overall last summer out of UC Santa Barbara, the 21-year-old right-hander is anything but below average — and that is especially true when it comes to his signature offering. Bremner boasts one of the best changeups of any prospect, in any organization. Factor in a fastball that sits mid-90s and touches 98, and you can see why my colleague Brendan Gawlowski referred to Bremner as “the draft’s most big league-ready player.”

Premium strike-throwing is another of Bremner’s attributes. As Gawlowski pointed out in his January write-up, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound San Diego native not only averaged fewer than 2.5 walks per nine innings across three collegiate seasons, he also “missed a ton of bats.” His draft-year strikeout rate was a heady 35.8%.

Bremner discussed his high-spin changeup, his sometimes-sinking four-seamer, and what he’s been learning in big league camp, prior to a recent game at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

———

David Laurila: I’ve read that you have a 70-grade changeup. What can you tell me about it?

Tyler Bremner: “I’ve kind of had the same grip since high school. I wouldn’t say it’s the most conventional grip. It’s a circle change, but I’m sliding down from the two-seam, so my middle and ring fingers are both on the horseshoe. I also like to tuck my pinky under it. That’s maybe a little unconventional, I guess. Not many people tuck their pinky like that.

“The grip is one thing, but there is also how you throw it. I’ve been blessed with being able to pronate the ball pretty well. For me, it’s not about trying to kill spin. I’m basically making it spin hard the other way, so I get that diving action. My arm speed also helps make it look like a heater. At the end of the day, you can have a changeup that moves a lot, but if it comes out in a way that hitters can pick it up — they can see the circle, or the spin is different than the fastball — then it’s not going to be as effective as one that isn’t as nasty. A changeup plays well if it is deceptive off the heater, so I’m really just trying to keep the arm speed and make it look like a fastball.”

Laurila: How much does your changeup spin? Read the rest of this entry »


Kevin McGonigle’s Time Isn’t Soon — It’s Now

Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the signing of Framber Valdez served as an exclamation point on what had been a fairly quiet offseason, the Detroit Tigers have established themselves as the preseason favorites in the AL Central. With a generally deep lineup and a solid rotation further buttressed by what is likely Justin Verlander’s swan song, you have to like Detroit’s chances, even if you think that the Royals or Guardians could prove to be a bigger threat than Vegas currently does.

But as someone who has now spent decades feeding data into a cold, impersonal machine and watching it spit out projections, I know about as well as anyone that the future is horribly uncertain. Predictions are not destiny, and a team with a 75% chance of making the playoffs still has a one-in-four shot of watching them on TV. Over the next few weeks, the Tigers need to answer as many questions about their team as possible, and one of the biggest is whether their top prospect, Kevin McGonigle, will start the season in Detroit or Toledo. And if the Tigers are truly in win-now mode, McGonigle being in the Opening Day lineup is the absolutely correct move to make.

That the Tigers have made “now” into their most important timeframe isn’t an assertion that I’m just pulling out of nothingness. With the negotiating gap between Tarik Skubal and Detroit on an extension reportedly in the range of $250 million, retaining Skubal’s services for 2026 only makes sense if you’re going for it. If their goal is simply to try to quietly cruise into the playoffs with 86 wins, then they might as well have traded Skubal to a team that is willing to go all-in, and hoped that they’ll do fine with the impressive players they’re likely to get in return. Read the rest of this entry »


Doubling Down: Jurickson Profar Draws a Second PED Suspension, and Johan Rojas (Likely) a First

Tim Heitman and Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

In 2024, 11 years after he was the consensus no. 1 prospect in the game, Jurickson Profar finally broke out, setting career highs in home runs (24), wRC+ (139) and WAR (4.3), making his first All-Star team, and helping the Padres to an NL Wild Card berth. He cashed in that winter; after never making more than $7.75 million in a season, Profar signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves. Four games into his tenure with his new team, however, he drew an 80-game suspension for violating the Joint Drug Agreement. While he was productive upon returning and figured prominently in the plans of a team expected to contend for the NL East title this season, on Tuesday, the 33-year-old outfielder drew a second PED suspension, this one for the entire 2026 season.

Profar wasn’t the only player reported to be facing a PED suspension on Tuesday, or even the only NL East outfielder who had run afoul of the game’s drug policy. According to multiple sources, the Phillies’ Johan Rojas has an 80-game suspension looming for a first-time offense. While MLB officially announced Profar’s suspension in a press release sent at 6:47 p.m. ET on Tuesday — over six hours after ESPN’s Jeff Passan first broke the news — Rojas’ is not yet official.

Both players are reportedly appealing their suspensions. An hour after Passan’s tweet, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Major League Baseball Players Association is filing a grievance on Profar’s behalf. It’s not clear yet on what grounds the union is challenging the suspension, but such a case would be heard by MLB’s independent arbitrator, Martin F. Scheinman. Later that afternoon, The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb reported that Rojas is appealing his suspension, as well. He is starting in center field and batting seventh in Philadelphia’s exhibition game on Wednesday against Team Canada. Read the rest of this entry »