Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Colorado Rockies. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as my 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 »

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s new experimental minor league rules, and the potential downsides of trying to skip straight to a desired on-field result, then complete the 14th annual season preview series by previewing the 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers (35:35) with The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, and the 2026 Colorado Rockies (1:30:13) with Rockies Insider’s Patrick Lyons.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 2: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ward article 1
Link to Longenhagen on the new rules
Link to Stark on the new rules
Link to Stark on second base
Link to disengagement rules
Link to Bois on balks
Link to team payrolls page
Link to Dodgers offseason tracker
Link to Dodgers depth chart
Link to Baumann on Roki
Link to Fabian on Roki
Link to Dodgers first-rounders
Link to field-sponsorship story
Link to Fabian’s author archive
Link to Rockies offseason tracker
Link to Rockies depth chart
Link to Rockies team wRC+ by year
Link to article on Bryant’s back
Link to article on Vodnik’s family
Link to article on Vodnik at the WBC
Link to Brebbia on EW
Link to Patrick’s work

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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.

When the Colorado Rockies buy low on a former first-round prospect coming off an abysmal season, the null hypothesis is that the player in question is cooked. The Rockies’ front office might not be the laughingstock it was before the hiring of Paul DePodesta… but it could still be, and even if things are going to change for the better there, it’s going to take a minute to find out for sure.

If the Diamondbacks let Jake McCarthy loose in a my-garbage-for-your-trash trade, the smart money is on Colorado not rediscovering the magic that made McCarthy an enticing prospect a few years ago.

But what if the smart money is wrong? Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of people think this job is about immersing oneself in the glorious, vibrant culture of baseball. Feeling the sun on your face, schmoozing with athletes, learning the finest intricacies of a children’s game. And it is, to some extent. Some people think this job is about the craft of writing, and ingesting and disseminating knowledge. It is, to some extent. Some people think this job —at least how we do it here at FanGraphs — is about math, the unforgiving exactitude of numbers. And again, it is, but only to an extent.

The more time I spend doing this job, the more I’ve come to believe it’s about the rules. Sometimes literally — once a week I answer a question for our Members Only mailbag, and it usually has something to do with “Why hasn’t anyone thought to do X?” The answer, more often than not: Because they’re not allowed.

So I’ve found myself spending lots of time with two documents: The major league rulebook and the collective bargaining agreement. The latter document is of interest to most fans because of the ways in which it governs transactions. This is where the minimum salary is established, along with the competitive balance tax and rules about arbitration — the minutiae of which made headline news just last week.

Those are the headline details — the big-money sections, literally — that will likely capture the public’s imagination over the next several months. But the CBA is first and foremost a covenant between labor and capital to govern workplace conditions, and it is herein that you’ll find all manner of fascinating tidbits that fans would never notice or care about, but are important to the everyday lives of the players. Read the rest of this entry »

At this time last week, the Mets were celebrating their signing of Bo Bichette. Up until that point, though, their offseason was largely being viewed as a letdown as they assembled an oddly shaped roster. Earlier this winter, they watched as Edwin Díaz spurned them for the Dodgers, let Pete Alonso walk and then signed Jorge Polanco to play first base, and missed out on Kyle Tucker. Sure, they upgraded at second base with the Marcus Semien trade, but doing so required them to part with Brandon Nimmo, who was coming off a year in which he hit a career-high 25 home runs and posted 3.0 WAR. They decided to replace that production with 23-year-old Top 100 prospect Carson Benge, who had a 53 wRC+ in 103 Triple-A plate appearances last season, as the big spoon of a platoon in left field. They also reinforced their bullpen with two of the more inconsistent members of the 2025 Yankees’ relief corps, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. These weren’t bad moves, to be clear. Williams especially is a strong bounce-back candidate; Polanco is a quality player, though his entire experience at first base consists of one defensive plate appearance; and Semien fulfills the team’s desire to get better defensively. But they were a bit puzzling given that the Mets’ greatest areas of need were another impact bat, a center fielder, and a frontline starting pitcher.

As it turns out, adding Bichette was just the first in a trio of acquisitions to address those major roster holes. Late Tuesday night, the Mets traded for center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who is coming off two straight seasons of injuries and poor performance but is still a tantalizing talent and just 28 years old. “If you made an outfielder in a lab, he’d look a lot like this,” wrote Ben Clemens about Robert after the trade. Then, on Wednesday, they swung a swap with the Brewers for All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta to anchor their rotation. They had to give up two of their top prospects to get him, but as Davy Andrews noted in his column on the trade, “the Mets are trying to win this season, and now that he’s not in Milwaukee, David Stearns has the luxury of leaving tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow.”

We won’t be answering any questions about the Mets or any of the other big recent transactions, such as Cody Bellinger’s re-signing with the Yankees or the Rangers’ trade for MacKenzie Gore, but we will be talking about the other big baseball topic of the week: the Hall of Fame. We’ll also discuss the best left-on-left hitters of all time, the aesthetic potential of the Colorado Rockies, and what to expect from Foster Griffin with the Nationals. But first, I’d like to remind you that this mailbag is exclusive to FanGraphs Members. If you aren’t yet a Member and would like to keep reading, you can sign up for a Membership here. It’s the best way to both experience the site and support our staff, and it comes with a bunch of other great benefits. Also, if you’d like to ask a question for an upcoming mailbag, send me an email at mailbag@fangraphs.com. Read the rest of this entry »

In early November, MLB Trade Rumors and Baseball Prospectus released their top 50 free agents lists, which included guesses about where each player would end up. Our focus in this article is on Luis Arraez, and in those two lists, seven very smart people and one random number generator made their best estimations about his likeliest destination. Only two of those experts picked the same team for him. The next week, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello broke down a whopping seven potential landing spots for Arraez. Only one of those teams was on either of the two previous lists. Lastly, just this weekend, a Fox Sports article with no byline explained why three teams would make the best fit for Arraez, and only one of those teams had any overlap with the previous three articles. By my count, that’s eight different experts, one robot, and one I-don’t-know-what making a total of 18 predictions. Somehow, those 18 predictions included 15 different landing spots for Arraez. That’s half the league! Only three teams got multiple votes, and no team got more than two. We’ve got a genuine mystery on our hands.

To some degree, all of this is understandable. Most projections have Arraez signing for either one year or two with an average annual value of $11 or $12 million. That means even the stingiest teams can afford him. And although Arraez is a poor defender who only projects for roughly 1.5 WAR (depending on your projection system), he’s never once put up a below-average season on offense. With the possible exception of the Dodgers, there is no such thing as a team that couldn’t find a spot for a hitter of Arraez’s caliber. ZiPS is slightly higher on Arraez than most systems, projecting him for 1.8 WAR in 2026. That’s more than we have projected in our Depth Charts either at first base, DH, or both for 21 different teams. Everybody can afford him. Almost everybody could use him. He really could end up anywhere.

While I don’t have any special insight about where Arraez will end up, I do have a strong preference. I want him to sign with the Rockies, and I want this for a very simple reason. I want to see Luis Arraez be the most Luis Arraez he can be. His skill set is unique in today’s game, and Coors Field is the perfect environment to let him flourish. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2026 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Daniel Murphy was not a home run hitter. Over the course of a 12-year major league career that was interrupted by knee injuries, he reached double digits in just seven seasons, topping 20 homers just twice. Like Howie Kendrick — another Jacksonville-born second baseman debuting on this Hall of Fame ballot, one who even played on the same team as Murphy in 2017–18 — the lefty-swinging, righty-throwing Murphy was known for his exceptional bat-to-ball ability. And like Kendrick, he went on a memorable, power-driven October run and won NLCS MVP honors. In 2015, he set a record by homering in six straight postseason games, carrying the Mets to their first pennant in 15 years. While it didn’t culminate in a championship, it earned him an indelible spot in postseason history; without that run, he probably wouldn’t even be on this ballot.

…

Daniel Thomas Murphy was born on April 1, 1985 in Jacksonville, Florida, the oldest of three children of Tom and Sharon Murphy. Tom taught kindergarten while Sharon sold insurance (in one amusing anecdote, an 11-year-old Murphy declared he wanted to be “an insurance person” for his school yearbook). Younger brother Jonathan (b. 1990) was a 19th-round pick by the Twins in 2012 and spent three seasons as an outfielder in their minor league system. Read the rest of this entry »

Our annual preview of free agency doesn’t include projected destinations for free agents. I don’t know if that has always been a site-wide editorial decision, but it’s one I wholeheartedly agree with. Predicting how much money someone will get is hard enough. Predicting which team out of many similar teams will give that money to them is essentially guesswork; sure, matching names to teams has entertainment value, but it’s hard to actually be good at it. Except, if you made me predict where Willi Castro would have signed before this offseason started, I absolutely would have picked the Rockies, and voila: Castro agreed to a two-year, $12.8 million deal with Colorado on Thursday.

The Rockies haven’t been players in free agency for a number of years, though that appears to be changing. Earlier this month, they signed Michael Lorenzen to a $8 million contract, the largest deal they’ve given to a pitcher in the 2020s. Castro’s deal is the biggest guarantee they’ve handed out to a free agent since Charlie Blackmon, and that hardly counts, what with him being a long-time Rockie signing the last deal of his career and all. Really, Castro is the team’s biggest signing since Kris Bryant, which says a lot about how the past few years have gone in Colorado.

What compelled the team to wade into the free agent position player pool – the shallow end, to be sure – for the first time in years? Signing a good major league player, that’s what. Castro is a versatile defender who won’t embarrass you offensively. In 2025 alone, he logged 100 innings at four different positions, plus cameos at shortstop and in center field. He’s not a standout at any of those spots, but the sheer flexibility is inarguably useful. Roster Castro, and you have a nice backup plan nearly everywhere. He’s a switch-hitter, too, so he can shore up any of the positions where you’d really prefer a platoon, regardless of who his platoon partner might be. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2026 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

From being called out publicly by his general manager, manager, and third base coach during an historically wretched season one year, to being robbed of an MVP award after falling just short of a 40-homer, 40-steal campaign the next, Matt Kemp was an enigma. Because he focused more on basketball than baseball growing up, his instincts for the sport sometimes lagged behind his physical abilities, but at his best, he was a superstar, and a sight to behold thanks to his speed and power — a combination of traits that earned him the nickname “The Bison.” He made three All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves (despite subpar metrics), but unfortunately, a series of injuries to his shoulders and legs compromised those abilities. The $160 million contract he signed after that near-MVP 2011 season became a millstone that sent him from team to team during its eight-year run. Read the rest of this entry »