Jack Martin at RotoGraphs looks at fantasy value from young hitters that show good bat speed.
Carter Jensen hit 27 home runs with a .467 SLG, backed by his 73.9 mph bat speed and a 44.8% HardHit% (73rd percentile). The power is certainly there, almost hitting 30 bombs this year, but the batting average is the problem: he hit .239 with a .217 xBA, so the contact quality needs to improve. His 28.2% strikeout rate and 29.7% whiff rate are also areas he should improve. If he trims the strikeouts even
modestly, the bat speed and hard contact give him a clear path to a higher average while maintaining his power. Given his age and that he has already registered a top 10 fantasy season at the catcher position, he will be in a good spot going into 2027 even if it is a high strikeout, power bat.
Alec Marsh, Connor Seabold, and Easton McGee elect free agency.
Sam Caulder at Royals Keep thinks Lucas Erceg should get another chance.
Erceg comes with a five-pitch mix, which allows him to attack hitters in a variety of ways. He’s particularly effective at generating soft contact, and even with his struggles this season, his barrel rate and average exit velocity both ranked in the 91st percentile or higher. His ground-ball rate also ranked in the 88th percentile, while his hard-hit rate remained well above league average.
Three of his five pitches graded out as above league average according to Stuff+. Even the two that didn’t, his four-seam fastball and changeup, generate strong arm-side run. There’s enough here to believe Erceg can still be an effective major league reliever, even if the results didn’t show it in 2026. He’s also been a reliable late-inning option for the Royals for most of his Kansas City tenure. Even in a season where he struggled enough to be sent to Triple-A, Erceg still led the team with 13 saves.
A Reds blog considers a swap of Sal Stewart for Vinnie Pasquantino.
Sal Stewart could be the lynchpin in the Cincinnati Reds pulling off a successful offseason in which they fill all of their holes and improve a lineup that was terrifyingly top-heavy in 2026. With 32 homers, 112 RBI, and a strong Rookie of the Year case, the 22-year-old is clearly part of the solution.
However, the extent to which Stewart can help solve the Reds’ offensive woes extends beyond how he plays on the field and includes where he plays on the field. The youngster is a natural third baseman, and by moving him back to his comfort zone, Cincinnati would not only extract more value from him, but also open up a spot at first base that should be easier to fill than the hot corner.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that the Yankees have had interest in Michael Massey in the past.
Sweeny Murti writes how in 1985, Royals pitcher Danny Jackson threw the only immaculate inning in postseason history.
Danny Jackson struck out the side on nine pitches in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the 1985 World Series. Al Michaels made no mention of it on the TV broadcast because the term “immaculate inning” had not yet entered the baseball lexicon.
Fast forward to 2015 when the Royals won their second World Series title. Jackson, who makes his home in Kansas City, where he spent five of his 15 Major League seasons, was sitting in the stands with his family when a trivia question on the scoreboard revealed his one-of-a-kind feat.
And that’s the moment Jackson himself found out he made history.
“It took me 30 years to know that I even did it,” Jackson, the two-time All-Star and 1988 NL Cy Young runner-up, told MLB.com in a phone interview this week. “I had no idea. My whole family was there with me — my kids, grandkids, all that — and they saw my name and they looked at me and said, ‘Dad, did you have that?’ And I said, ‘I have no idea if I did or not.’”
Game 2 of the World Series had some questionable defense.
Two years after being battered by Hurricane Milton, Tropicana Field will host the World Series.
What the Rays need to do to send the series back to Milwaukee.
Rob Manfred says a small market World Series is good for the game, but a salary cap is still needed.
Evan Dreilich and Eno Sarris at The Athletic looks at whether baseball has a competitive balance problem.
Stephen Vogt says he will manage the Guardians in 2027, and won’t be heading to Seattle.
Could Eugenio Suarez be a bargain in the free agent market?
Hideki Matsui is hired as manager of the Giants – the Yomiuri Giants.
A look at Jacob Latz’s breakout season with Texas.
How Sean Forman went from a small town in Iowa to developing Baseball Reference.
Baylor fires football coach Dave Aranda after they lose to Kansas.
Josh Simmons was reportedly told to leave a team meeting after a confrontation with Andy Reid.
Chicago is getting a life-size statue of Siskel and Ebert.
The “five-second rule” is scientifically false.
Three years after two ABC News hosts had an affair, their exes are getting engaged to each other.
Your song of the day is Tokyo Police Club with Your English Is Good.
