\u201cWe liked the guys as well,\u201d Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow said. \u201cWe felt we had an opportunity for a postseason run. We wanted to prioritize our major-league team and give ourselves the best chance we could. And we felt Dustin was someone who could fit us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breslow said he knew the Red Sox were giving up good players. But the team, deep in young outfielders, was dealing from somewhat a position of strength. Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kristian Campbell (currently in the minors) are signed long-term. Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu are prominent pieces as well.<\/p>\n
The problem with the trade is that May did not perform to expectations and created an opportunity cost for the Red Sox because they did not receive a better return.<\/p>\n
Guardians\u2019 kids coming<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just Chase DeLauter. In a recent phone conversation, I asked Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti to list the team\u2019s position prospects who might reach the majors this season. Antonetti rattled off eight names, including second baseman Juan Brito, who got off to an excellent start at Triple A and has stayed hot since making his major-league debut on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Guardians are so loaded with young hitters, perennial MVP candidate Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez joked with manager Stephen Vogt at one point this spring, \u201cCleveland or Columbus for me?\u201d Kidding aside, so many of the young players are close to the majors, the Guardians\u2019 roster seems likely to evolve as the season progresses. The promotion of Brito to replace the injured Gabriel Arias likely is only the start.<\/p>\n
George Valera, recovering from a left calf strain, figures to enter the outfield picture once he is healthy. Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, could force the issue at second base. Ralphy Velazquez, the 23rd overall pick in 2023, could do the same at first. Among the other names who might draw consideration: Outfielder Petey Halpin, shortstop Angel Genao and catcher Cooper Ingle.<\/p>\n
The Athletic\u2019s Zack Meisel wrote at length about 12 Guardians prospects to watch shortly before the season started.<\/p>\n
Antonacci on the way?<\/p>\n
The Chicago White Sox are discussing a promotion for Triple-A infielder\/outfielder Sam Antonacci, who starred in Team Italy\u2019s 8-6 victory over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Antonacci hit a two-run homer that night, scored on a wild pitch and made an impressive backhand play at shortstop on a 106.4 mph grounder by Brice Turang.<\/p>\n
Antonacci, 23, was only 2-for-19 in the WBC, but he also walked, reached three other times after getting hit by pitches and sparked Italy with his all-out, hard-nosed style. I knew he wasn\u2019t a top prospect \u2014 Law had him only No. 10 in his White Sox top 20 \u2014 so I reached out to Sox GM Chris Getz, asking him to tell me more.<\/p>\n
This is what Getz said about Antonacci, who was the White Sox\u2019s fifth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina in 2024:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been turning heads since we drafted and signed him. How Sam is playing the game in the WBC is how he plays every game, hair on fire, locked in every pitch, always on the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past year, he has gotten stronger so the exit velos have increased. He can play all over the diamond, high contact, good decisions at the plate and overall advanced process with growing power. If we have interest in acquiring a player from another team, the first player they ask for is Sam.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a top prospect and has been \u2014 for some reason public rankings haven\u2019t caught up, but projection systems (including ours) have him in our top tier of prospects. We anticipate he\u2019ll be on our major-league club at some point this season. If you surveyed staff throughout our org what we want a White Sox player to look and play like it\u2019s Sam Antonacci.\u201d<\/p>\n
It shouldn\u2019t be long before the White Sox make room for Antonacci, who is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds. After drawing two walks Sunday, he\u2019s batting .289 with a .484 on-base percentage and .928 OPS at Triple A. He\u2019s also 5-for-5 in stolen-base attempts.<\/p>\n
The passion of Sanoja<\/p>\n
Miami Marlins superutility man Javier Sanoja was another player who made an impression on me during the WBC, even though he rarely took the field for Venezuela.<\/p>\n
Sanoja, 23, was the most energetic player in Venezuela\u2019s dugout, bouncing from one end to the other, loudly supporting his teammates, urging on the crowd. Watching him from my position as Fox\u2019s dugout reporter, I thought he was maybe drinking a little too much Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Nah, that\u2019s just Sanoja, a favorite of Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. His passion for his country was unmistakable. And while he tones down his energy to a more realistic level for the 162-game regular season, he is a unique, fascinating player.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2268706294-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Sanoja (right) and Marlins infielder Otto Lopez celebrate the team\u2019s Opening Day win over Colorado last month. (Megan Briggs \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Sanoja as a rookie last season won the Gold Glove for the National League utility position, playing center field, left and every infield spot but first base (he also pitched 9 1\/3 innings, with an unsightly 16.39 ERA). Like Antonacci, he excels at making contact, and in the offseason he added muscle to his 5-foot-7, 150-pound frame.<\/p>\n
The Marlins would like Sanoja to improve his plate discipline \u2014 his career walk rate is just 5.1 percent, in part because he is so proficient getting his bat to the ball. But Sanoja, who doesn\u2019t turn 24 until September, still should have offensive upside.<\/p>\n
\u201cBottom line, he\u2019s a really good player, young and has baseball IQ,\u201d McCullough said in a text. \u201cI trust him anywhere on the field, and for a young player, he is very mature with how he takes his role. (He\u2019ll get) lots of playing time, but where he plays is dependent on current roster construction and team needs. Room to improve offensively but already does the hard part (making contact) at a plus rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
DBacks making it work<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (.597 OPS), shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (.541), center fielder Alek Thomas (.410) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (.392), are all off to poor offensive starts. Catcher Gabriel Moreno is expected to join outfielder Jordan Lawlar and numerous others on the injured list. But the DBacks, who won four of six while visiting the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, are plugging along.<\/p>\n
Rookie first baseman Jose Fernandez, infielder Ildemaro Vargas and catcher Adrian Del Castillo are making unexpected offensive contributions, and more help is on the way.<\/p>\n
Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is about 10 days away from his return from ACL surgery. And at some point, the team\u2019s top prospect, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, is expected to make his debut.<\/p>\n
Waldschmidt, the 31st overall pick out of the University of Kentucky in 2024, is off to a strong start at hitter-friendly Triple-A Reno. He also is playing center field. The DBacks value Thomas\u2019 defense at that position, and Waldschmidt ultimately might project better in a corner. But if he continues to hit, he could force the team\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
Around the horn<\/p>\n
\u2022 Many statistical analysts believe hitting successfully with runners in scoring position is not a repeatable skill. Well, how does one explain Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, whose eighth career walk-off hit Saturday night made him 30-for-77 in his career with the bases loaded?<\/p>\n
Those numbers include six grand slams, two triples and seven doubles, good for a .390 batting average, 1.162 OPS and 88 RBIs in 91 plate appearances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think there\u2019s skill involved,\u201d Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. \u201cThe pitcher is almost always more anxious than J.P., who has always been a low pulse, selective hitter in these situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think many guys get themselves out with aggression. J.P. is calm in the moment. He makes them come to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Through seven games, Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman had a 3.1 percent chase rate and 31.3 percent swing rate, both unusually low. Bregman through Saturday had raised those rates to 13.2 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively. He wanted to be more aggressive than he was initially, but said it\u2019s a fine line.<\/p>\n
If Bregman gets too aggressive, his knack for making contact on even pitches outside the zone will lead to too many easy outs. So, Bregman only wants to swing at pitches on which he can do damage. Wrigley Field, though, presents another variable. On days when the wind is blowing in, Bregman knows he will need to settle for singles and walks.<\/p>\n
\u2022 First baseman Alec Burleson, 27, is one of the Cardinals\u2019 more senior homegrown players, and probably the one with the most trade value. At the end of the season, Burleson will be under club control for only two more years, the same position Brendan Donovan was in when the Cardinals sent him to the Mariners in February.<\/p>\n
No player is untouchable, especially for a rebuilding club. But Burleson is one of the Cardinals\u2019 better hitters, and one of their leaders along with shortstop Masyn Winn. The same, of course, could have been said of Donovan. But at some point the Cardinals will need to retain a few veterans. Even if they resist signing Burleson to an extension, they need not be in a rush to trade him.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Why is it that a team forfeits its eligibility for a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick if it signs a top 100 prospect before his major-league debut? The answer stems from the original intent of the program: Incentive.<\/p>\n
The players and owners agreed upon PPI as a way to reward teams for promoting players they might not have otherwise. Once a player is under contract, no extra inducement is necessary.<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Pirates played it just right with shortstop Konnor Griffin, meeting PPI criteria by promoting him in time for him to reach a full year of service and waiting until he made his debut to finalize his nine-year, $140 million contract.<\/p>\n
\u2022 New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday underwent surgeries to repair fractured hook of hamates within a two-day span in early February. Lindor and Carroll returned by Opening Day. Holliday, 11 games into a rehab assignment at Triple A, is batting .167 with a .453 OPS.<\/p>\n
The difference with Holliday is that his surgery was on his right hand, which is both his throwing hand and dominant hand as a left-handed hitter. Lindor, a switch-hitter, and Carroll, a left-handed hitter, had their hamates removed from their non-throwing hands. Lindor\u2019s surgery was to his dominant hand when batting right-handed, Carroll\u2019s to his dominant hand.<\/p>\n
\u2022 And finally, raise your hand if you expected the Washington Nationals to rank second in scoring at any point this season, much less 15 games in.<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers lead the majors at 6.07 runs per game, followed by the Nationals\u2019 at 5.93 and the Houston Astros at 5.81. How real is the Nats\u2019 surge? Check back in a month. No one saw this coming in spring training, when the Nats ranked next-to-last in runs per game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown compares rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt\u2019s makeup to that of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2317,374,479,2318,2323,2324,363,1189,369,2240,481,99,1231,2331],"class_list":{"0":"post-581660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","9":"tag-boston-red-sox","10":"tag-chicago-cubs","11":"tag-chicago-white-sox","12":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","13":"tag-miami-marlins","14":"tag-mlb","15":"tag-new-york-mets","16":"tag-new-york-yankees","17":"tag-pittsburgh-pirates","18":"tag-seattle-mariners","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","21":"tag-washington-nationals"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}