Diamondbacks News
These three young D-backs could be in for breakout years in ’27 by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]
RHP Gerardo Carrillo
Carrillo was signed as a Minor League free agent in the offseason, and after eight seasons in the Minors, he made his big league debut in late July at age 27.Carrillo allowed a run in two innings in that game, then rattled off nine straight appearances (14 1/3 innings) without allowing an earned run and striking out 18.
With several relievers set to depart via free agency, Carrillo could
be a big contributor in the Arizona ‘pen in 2027, provided he finds a way to improve his control. Overall, he allowed 16 walks (one intentional) over 17 1/3 innings.
“He has electric stuff,” Slivka said. “Upper 90s fastball, low-to-mid 90s cutter, a nasty split. We saw some inconsistencies with control. When he got sent down, we worked through some things in his delivery to help him find the zone more frequently, and he really started to dial things in.”
3 Diamondbacks Prospects Who Could Earn MLB Role in 2027 by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Diamondbacks power-hitting infield prospect Manuel Pena turned plenty of heads in 2026. In fact, he crushed 31 home runs between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
Pena slashed .305/.345/.555 for a .900 OPS between the two levels. His sky-high numbers in Amarillo evened out a bit in Reno, where he posted just a .746 OPS, however.
Pena certainly strikes out a lot (119 in 2026) and could use a more all-field approach, but the raw power is clearly there, and the Diamondbacks desperately need power production from their first base position.
Pena likely won’t make the majors out of camp, but he’s a name that could find its way to the big league level in the coming season if he produces early and shows improvement.
Around the League
Guards come up big late to rally past Rays in ALCS opener by Keegan Matheson [MLB]
The Guardians have landed the first punch in the ALCS, stunning the widely favored Rays with a come-from-behind win in Game 1 on Monday night.
The Guardians’ 7-3 win looked so much different for the first six innings, with the Rays in full control and playing their famous, airtight brand of baseball. Once that door cracked open, though, the Guardians burst through with the combination of power and timely hitting that got them here in the first place.
Crew overcomes3 deficits in seesaw Game 2, tightens grip on NLCS by AJ Cassavell [MLB]
The Brewers and Dodgers spent the summer on a collision course. Two 100-plus win juggernauts. Only one National League pennant to go around.
Two games into their NLCS clash, the series has lived up to the billing — and the two-time defending champs are on the ropes.
MLB teams using ABS challenges more frequently in postseason [ESPN]
Batters have been more successful on robot umpire challenges in the playoffs than during the regular season, and teams are utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike System more overall in its postseason debut.
Seventy-one of 121 overall challenges under ABS prevailed during the 25 games of the Wild Card Series and Division Series. The 59% success rate was up from 54% during the regular season. That includes an improvement for batters to 57% (29 of 51) from 49%.
It’s not that hitters are necessarily being more conservative, either. Teams are challenging more in the postseason overall, with 4.8 per game compared to 4.3 during the regular season. Batter challenges are up to 2.04 per game from 1.96.
Dodgers To Consider Benching Ohtani In Game 3 by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]
If the Dodgers do take Ohtani out of the lineup, it’d very likely mean the first career playoff start for 21-year-old Josue De Paula. The Dodgers have carried the top prospect as a bench bat after calling him up in September. De Paula hasn’t shied away from the moment, working two walks in three postseason plate appearances. He took a crucial base on balls against Didier Fuentes to help the Dodgers take a decisive lead in Game 4 of their Division Series. De Paula kept Game 1 of the NLCS alive by working a two-out walk against Trevor Megill in the ninth inning, but Mookie Betts flew out to end the game 2-1.
