Category: Players

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Exclamation Point on the World Series

The end of the World Series always represents a sad time for us. Winter is coming, and with it, a long four months of the game we all love disappears from our everyday conversation. At least we sat together last night and viewed an epic Game 7. Yes, all of us (minus the wife) managed to stay up into Sunday morning (or was it a continuation of Saturday night) to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers finally claim the mantle of repeat champions. The Toronto Blue Jays made it one heck of a show but in the end, a smorgasboard of missed opportunities will haunt the team and their fans for a long time.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is officially a World Series legend. Credit: MSN

Let’s call this year’s Fall Classic for what it was. It was a solid, bordering on excellent World Series with a thrilling finale. That’s it. There is no need to make comparisons to any series of the past, no breathless analysis of a litany of numbers telling us this was or wasn’t better than say, 1991 (it wasn’t; 1991 is the gold standard of a World Series). However, one person’s performance stands above all else and does deserve to be mentioned with all of the October legends of the past: Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Complete games just don’t happen anymore. Yet, there was Yamamoto out there in Game 2, with his team down a game already. He needed to go deep into the game just to give his beleaguered bullpen a breath. What resulted was one of the finest pitching performances we have ever seen. Yamamoto retired the last 19 batters he faced, surrendering only Alejandro Kirk‘s solo home run and walking no one as the Dodgers evened the series. Again, his team needed a big start in Game 6 to fend off elimination and again, the righty delivered with six innings of one run ball. Finally, on the very next night, he was summoned with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game and asked to bring Los Angeles home. You know what happened. He ended up going 2 2/3 innings to finish the job and frankly, probably would have pitched another 5 2/3 innings if necessary. In my opinion, in the 11th inning, he pitched around Addison Barger and walked him, knowing he was needing a double play. He did just that getting Kirk with a jam shot that gave the Dodgers the championship. By the way, I called that entire sequence. The kids will admit to that.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s World Series performance is one that even the most hardened of baseball fans would agree is legendary. Three victories in a single World Series is remarkable and has been done now only 14 times. If you are my age and older and can’t appreciate Yamamoto’s accomplishment, I don’t know what to tell you. Cherish this moment because it might be a long time before we see something like this again.

Win This For Don Mattingly

The World Series is finally here. None of our teams are participating. It’s definitely a different vibe than last year when the New York Yankees were gearing up for their first Fall Classic in 15 years. Now we get the Los Angeles Dodgers looking for a repeat while the Toronto Blue Jays are back after a 33 year absence. On the surface, why would I root for either team? Who outside of Los Angeles wants the Dodgers to win? The Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees. I can’t pull for these teams.

Don MAttingly is why I am rooting for Toronto Credit: Sportsnet

You bet I can. Two words: Don Mattingly

If you are a Yankee fan of a certain age, Don Mattingly was your guy. He is by far the best player in franchise history to never make a World Series. Even as a coach on Joe Torre‘s staff, Mattingly missed out, starting with the 2004 collapse vs. the Boston Red Sox. Now, as the hitting coach of the Blue Jays, he gets to feel the brightest of lights. Though he no longer is a member of the Yankee organization, I want Toronto to win it for Donnie Baseball, the man with rotten luck. He made his big league debut with the Yankees in 1982, the year after the Yankees made the World Series. The playoff drought would last 14 years. In my 50 plus years on Earth, New York finished last one time. The year was 1990 and it was the season Mattingly’s back problems first reared its ugly head. After all the losing and misery, the Yankees made it back to the playoffs in 1995. He hit .417 as the Yanks lost a thrilling five game divisional series to the Seattle Mariners. Retirement beckoned and wouldn’t you know it, the Yankees went on to win four of the next five World Championships. Eventually, he got into coaching the Yankees and managing the Dodgers. You would think that between those teams, Mattingly would have made at least one World Series. You would be wrong.

Don Mattingly’s playing career lands on the doorstep of the Hall of Fame. If his teams made more than one playoff appearance, he would have been enshrined. He was the best player in baseball for a five year stretch. Injuries robbed him of more productive seasons that were to follow. He’s been knocking on the door for the chance at a championship for almost 45 years. I hope the Jays get him to the mountaintop.

Anthony Volpe’s Surgery: What Took So Long?

Today came the news that New York Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe had surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The news does not come as a shock as there were rumors of an issue involving his shoulder for most of the 2025 season. However, the question is, why did it take so long for Volpe to have the surgery?

Both Anthony Volpe and the Yankees messed up his season. Credit: Sports Illustrated

The origin of this goes back to May 3rd in which Volpe heard a pop in his shoulder during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. An MRI and X-rays revealed “good news” and, after sitting out the next contest, he returned to the lineup on May 5. You know what happened after that. Volpe’s production both at bat and in the field suffered dramatically. As the Yanks swooned during the Summer, Volpe became the face of the team’s struggles. He was booed at Yankee Stadium and vilified on sports talk radio. He rallied briefly in September after a second cortisone shot and even homered in the Wild Card round against the Red Sox. But he was miserable in the Blue Jays series, striking out 11 times in 15 at bats. Now we have to wonder, how much of his season struggles do we put on him or on the organization for not sitting him down right after the initial injury?

Perhaps Volpe said in the two weeks or so after the injury that he was fine. Once his struggles continued, the Yankees should have been the ones to make him sit down. Protect the athlete from himself, the saying goes. Instead, Volpe went out there game after game, clearly (we now know) less than 100%. His failings at the plate carried over onto the field where even routine plays became an adventure. I thought that he should have been sent down to the Minors to get a reset. The Mets did that with Francisco Alvarez. However, based on what we know with the severity of the injury, he needed a trip to the Injured List. Instead, the guy suffered every day, probably too prideful to say, “hey, I don’t think I am quite right”. Maybe he was fearful that having surgery during the season would end his season. That’s his fault for not addressing it sooner. But it is also the organization’s fault for not forcing him to take a couple of weeks off.

Sometimes, organizations ruin players. Anthony Volpe having the surgery in June would have saved him the agony of a terrible season. The injury provides a plausible explanation for his struggles. However, do we still think he is capable of being the everyday shortstop? He regressed badly in 2025. Was it the shoulder or was it the player? Thanks to the delay by both player and team, that question is difficult to answer.

Do These 3 Free Agents Re-sign With Their Teams?

The number three factors into many parts of my life. I have three kids. I am one of three siblings. My favorite number since childhood is three. I have three legs (OK that part isn’t true). As we trudge on during this offseason (those of us without playoff teams), there are three free agents, one for each of our respective teams, that made huge impacts in 2025. You know who they are; what I am going is predict the likelihood that they return to their clubs.

Will Cody Bellinger return? Credit: Sports Illustrated

Cody Bellinger: He enjoyed an extremely productive first and, perhaps only, season in the Bronx. Bellinger’s 29 home runs represented his highest output since 2019. He has defensive versatility, having spent time in left field, center field and first base, playing each spot flawlessly. He opted out of the final two years of his contract, a total of $52 million dollars. At 30 years old, Bellinger probably has one last chance to to score a big payday. The Yanks have been linked to Kyle Tucker for a while; he is also a free agent. There are some moving parts that could affect a reunion such as signing Tucker, where to put Jasson Dominguez and the possibility of a Trent Grisham return. If Bellinger opted out of a $25 million dollar deal for 2026, he has to believe he can get more on the open market. I am not sure New York will go much more and add a significant amount of years. 38% chance Cody Bellinger returns to the Yankees.

Pete Alonso: For a long time, I believed the Mets’ first baseman would not be back beyond this year. You know how the contract negations went last offseason. I thought the big celebration for Alonso after he broke Darryl Strawberry‘s club record for home runs was a, “thank you for all you have done for us” type moment. I interpreted that as the team not making a competitive offer to keep Alonso. However, as time has gone on, I have altered my thinking. The Mets have some significant money coming off the books over the next two years with Jeff McNeil due to be a free agent after 2026; Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are done after 2027. The three young pitchers that debuted in 2025 are club controlled for the next five to six years. After the disastrous ending to the season, I can see Steve Cohen overruling David Stearns and outbidding everyone to keep Alonso. Edwin Diaz is equally as important to resign. Cohen gets it done with his big two stars. 65% chance Pete Alonso returns to the Mets.

Kyle Schwarber: The Phillies’ designated hitter picked the perfect season to hit free agency. His 56 home runs and 132 RBI’s were tops in the National League. All he has done in his four years in Philadelphia is slug 187 homers. He turns 33 prior to the start of the 2026 season and figures to ask for at least a five year deal. Do the Phillies want to pay him upwards of $30 million per season for a guy who does not play the field? The outfield isn’t an option and Bryce Harper seems to be locked into first base. Nick Castellanos is most certainly gone; the same can probably be said for Max Kepler. Philadelphia will need to address their outfield holes. What is a higher priority, right field or DH? Will they spend enough to get quality for both? I can’t picture the organization running it back with this core after two straight divisional round exits. Then again, Schwarber has become such an integral part of the team and the city that it is hard to picture him somewhere else. 53% chance Kyle Schwarber returns to the Phillies.

Kyle Schwarber is Making His MVP Case

Kyle Schwarber is rolling into free agency the right way. The Phillies’ designated hitter has 56 home runs to lead all National League hitters. He sits two behind Ryan Howard‘s club record of 58. Schwarber’s 132 RBI’s is nine better than his closest competitor, Pete Alonso. Most importantly, his club is all but guaranteed the #2 seed and a first round bye. Put it all together and you have a man that should be looking at a nice payday this offseason, be it from the Phillies or someone else.

Kyle Schwarber is pointing to his first MVP award. Credit: 97.3 ESPN

There is one other thing you might call Kyle Schwarber: Most Valuable Player.

The odds are long that Schwarber claims the award over Shohei Ohtani. It’s very difficult to beat out the guy that pitches and hits exceptionally well. Most of Ohtani’s stats are better than Schwarber’s. However, Schwarber has been the one constant on the Phillies, whose 93 wins are second in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers. People can talk all they want about the Dodgers’ injuries and underachievement. The only other player who has performed consistently for Philadelphia is J.T. Realmuto. Schwarber has not missed a game this season. Isn’t the old saying, “the best ability is availability”? No one has more ability in 2025 than Kyle Schwarber. I know it’s not necessarily an apples to apples comparison but if Cal Raleigh is the favorite to win MVP in the American League and his OPS is 180 points lower than Aaron Judge‘s, why can’t Schwarber beat out Ohtani?

I’ll have no issue if Schwarber loses out to Ohtani. I would like him to win it because I truly believe he has been slightly more valuable for the Phillies. If he gets to 60 home runs, then I do believe Kyle Schwarber will be your National League Most Valuable Player.

Nick Castellanos Is Making Waves At the Wrong Time

The Philadelphia Phillies should not be sweating anything right now. Their biggest worry is supposed to be lining up their rotation for the playoffs. Alec Bohm is back in the lineup and Trea Turner is scheduled to face live pitching when the team returns home. A playoff bye is in sight, and the team has a chance to claim the best record in baseball. However, one guy is threatening to send the Phils into October on a bit of a Debbie Downer. This is not the first time Nick Castellanos has made questionable comments this season as it relates to his playing time. But they do come at a point of the season when all of the focus of the team should be on winning the World Series.

Nick Castellanos seems to be unhappy. Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer

This post was originally going to be about which starting pitcher will not get a turn in the National League Division series between Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo. That can still be debated in this space sometime over the next week. However, when cruising around looking for news, I came across this latest Castellanos quote, courtesy of On Pattison’s Grace Del Pizzo:

Q: Do you understand why you haven’t been playing as much as your normally would? 

Castellanos: Uh, I don’t really talk to Rob [Thomson] all that often, so that’s just … I play whenever he tells me to play. And then I sit whenever he tells me to sit. 

Q: So the coaches or Rob don’t sit down and explain to you what they want you to do in whatever role they want you to have? 

Castellanos: Uh, communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience. But also, I grew up communicating with somebody like my father, which is very blunt, direct and consistent. 

I attached the full transcript here. It reads like a guy who is frustrated with a deceased role. Castellanos does go on to say that him saying he was “unhappy” would be “creating a narrative”. He clearly is trying to thread a needle between stating his clear disappointment and the team’s goal of winning a World Series. Nothing else in the interview suggests that Castellanos is trying to cause a distraction (at least intentionally) for the Phillies. However, it is a bad look to be saying a week before the season ends that the manager hasn’t been a good communicator with him.

As guy who has enjoyed much success during the course of his career, Nick Castellanos is feeling hurt with a decreased role. I can’t blame Rob Thomson for employing his outfield rotation. Castellanos’s production has slipped. I also don’t blame him for his reaction to all of the questions. I just wish he could find a way to express his feelings a little differently.

Tim Hill, Underrated Bullpen Star

Last month, I wrote about the one thing that united us as a baseball family. Actually, if you talk to most baseball fans, the majority will say bullpens are terrible. Much like the offensive line in football, bullpens seem to catch the most flak for a team’s troubles. The New York Yankees are no exception … Continue reading “Tim Hill, Underrated Bullpen Star”

Last month, I wrote about the one thing that united us as a baseball family. Actually, if you talk to most baseball fans, the majority will say bullpens are terrible. Much like the offensive line in football, bullpens seem to catch the most flak for a team’s troubles. The New York Yankees are no exception as two of their three deadline deals for relievers have not worked out. Jake Bird made two appearances and is now stuck in the Minors. Camilo Doval‘s ERA hovers near 6.00 as a Yankee. David Bednar, the third arm, has morphed into the Yankees’ closer thanks to the mid, bordering on subpar, performances of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. He has been a savior since his arrival at the trade deadline. It’s easy to think he’s the team’s only reliable man from the ‘pen.

I’ll take Tim Hill getting important outs. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Don’t forget about Tim Hill.

It’s so easy to focus on the failings of Doval, Williams, Weaver and the rest of the crew. Bullpens bring out irrational emotions. Hill has made 66 appearances, most on the club, to the tune of a 3.09 ERA. I will grant you that he has been below average for the last month or so. Still, he’s probably the one guy aside, from Bednar, I would want to close out a game. Crazy? Sure, I will submit to that. However, until we get more consistency from Williams and Weaver over these last two weeks, I will stand by that take. Plus, I am always partial to guys that throw submarine style. Think Tyler Rogers across the bridge in Queens and Dan Quisenberry and Kent Tekulve from a different era. That fact Hill is a submarining left-hander makes him even more a favorite of mine.

During last year’s World Series run, Hill allowed one earned run in 8 1/3 innings. That tells me he is battle tested and is reliable when it counts. Right now, the bullpen pecking order is Bednar, Hill and then everyone else. If the crew, specifically Williams and Weaver, pitch to their ceiling, they become the next guys up. However, don’t forget the importance of Tim Hill to the New York Yankees’ bullpen.

The Troubles of Kodai Senga

For a good portion of the 2025 season, Mets’ fans had lots of negative things to say about Juan Soto. When you get paid $765 million dollars and your average with runners in scoring position is under .200 (until recently), expect to hear a lot of boos. However, Soto’s resurgence has put him in the good graces of the Flushing Faithful with nary a middle finger directed his way. However, one pitcher seems to have taken the high priced outfielder’s place as the subject of Mets’ fans’ ire. It’s not quite the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe level of discontent but it is getting close to the Soto range.

Kodai Senga to the Minors? It could happen. Credit: Newsday

Kodai Senga has some real problems.

It was only two short years ago that Senga finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Corbin Carroll. Since then, it’s been one big disappointment. Injuries limited him to one regular season start and three playoff outings in 2024, with each appearance memorable in a truly bad way. His only regular season start on July 26th ended with him limping off the mound with a calf injury. His three playoff games resulted in seven runs surrendered in only five innings. Senga’s overall 3.02 ERA in 2025 is solid but since his June 12 outing of 5 2/3 shutout innings, he has been dreadful. His ERA has nearly doubled and he has had all kinds of problems getting through five innings. The booing is becoming more intense as Matthew found out this past Sunday as he was at Citi Field for the latest less than stellar performance.

Now comes a report that the Mets are considering having Senga make his next start at Triple A Syracuse. This would be a seismic drop for a highly touted Japanese import who enjoyed much early success. If the Mets make the playoffs, can’t you envision Senga being left off the playoff roster? In the Wild Card round, your three starters would be Nolan McLean, David Peterson and a combination of Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea. Throw in the fact that Jonah Tong had a great first start and another youngster, Brandon Sproat could be promoted soon, and there is the possibility Senga may not throw a pitch in October. With three years left on his contract, the Mets will have to decide if Kodai Senga will be part of their future or trade him at a discount.

Ryan Helsley Will Figure It Out

At the trading deadline, all three of our teams strengthened their bullpens. The Yankees led the way with three additions (David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird), the Mets brought in Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers while the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran and his interesting game entrance. Not all trades work out; Bird has already been sent to the Minors, hopefully he will be back before the end of the season. Bird’s troubles pale in comparison to those of Helsley. In six games covering five innings, the right-hander has surrendered seven total runs. The latest debacle was giving up two runs to the Braves in Thursday’s 4-3 loss. Things look bleak.

I am here to say Ryan Helsley will be much better from now on.

Ryan Helsley will be better. Credit: Rising Apple

Maybe that very sentence dooms Helsley to a miserable two months in New York. I doubt it. He is too good, too talented to be down for very long. This guy had 49 saves last year and is armed with a 100 MPH fastball. It’s only a matter of time before Helsley realizes he is one of the top relievers in baseball. He has admitted that he is still “trying to figure out” pitching as a setup man in the eighth inning. I have no doubt he will. After all, the thrill of a playoff chase and impending free agency is more than enough motivation for Hensley to revert back to his 2024 form. A brief story from almost 30 years ago also convinces me Helsley will be better.

In 1996, at right around this time, the Yankees made a trade for left handed reliever Graeme Lloyd. You couldn’t have pitched any worse than Lloyd did in the regular season: 13 games, 5 2/3 innings pitched, 11 earned runs. But once the playoffs began, he was a different animal, allowing one hit in eight games. Perhaps the comparison isn’t 100% accurate as the Mets are not guaranteed a playoff spot. However, the idea that Ryan Hensley is an automatic failure as a Met is way too premature.

Where Have You Gone, Jasson Dominguez?

Remember the good old days of “The Martian”? No, I am not referring to the 2015 movie starring Matt Damon. I am talking about Jasson Dominguez. You know, the guy that once upon a time was the most talked about player in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. Heck, the only other player with more hype in the entire organization was Aaron Judge. We loved his September 2023 callup at the age of 20, finally getting a glimpse of the player we had heard about for four years. He did not disappoint, slugging four home runs in 33 plate appearances.

What a difference two years makes.

Will we ever see Jasson Dominguez in a full time role with the Yankees again? Credit: Yahoo

Dominguez has had seemingly nothing but issues since his highly anticipated debut. His 2023 campaign was cut short because of a torn UCL. When he returned the following May in the Minors, he appeared in 23 games before an oblique strain sidelined him. He finally returned to the Majors in August and received significant playing time in September. However, a .179 batting average made him a spectator for the Yanks’ World Series run. Fast forward to today, and Dominguez has once again been relegated to the bench. He has not started any of the games against the Minnesota Twins this week and most likely will be the odd man out until Judge returns to the field full time.

Actually, there is no guarantee Dominguez becomes a regular for the rest of the season. No way Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are coming out of the lineup. Trent Grisham seems to be more trusted than Dominguez. It feels as though he will get one, maybe two starts per week from now until October. In fact, Domingez may not even be on the team in 2026. Even though Grisham will be a free agent and Bellinger could very well opt out of his contract, can’t you see the Yankees attempt to re-sign both players? That would once again relegate Dominguez to a part time role, a return to the Minors, or a trade out of town. Any of those three scenarios seemed laughable two years ago.

Should Domiguez fail to earn a full time role in 2026, he will just be another in a long line of “can’t miss” Yankee prospects that did not pan out in the Bronx. Think of guys like Everson Pereira, Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial and Oswald Peraza. You can argue that none of these players were given a long enough rope to see whether or not they could play at the Major League level. They certainly were not allowed to fail and try to get back up like Anthony Volpe. Unfortunately, it appears Jasson Dominguez is headed for the same path as the aforementioned Pereira and company. Is his trade value cooked? Maybe not as toasted as the other players. However, Dominguez’s best chance to land an every day role in the Show may only come with a change of scenery.