The best MLB team setup for the future, a baseball-style 4 Nations tournament
In the current game of baseball, teams are always looking for ways to get younger and more athletic. Some teams try to acquire these types of players via free agency (New York Mets with Juan Soto, Boston Red Sox with Garrett Crochet), while others try to do it via the draft. There are a few teams that stand out higher than the others, and we're here to give you our rankings.
Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss their 26-and-under power rankings for the 2025 season, explaining why the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are sitting at the bottom of this list, while the Red Sox and Atlanta Braves are in prime shape for the future.
Also, on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys answer your emails, including whether MLB should adopt an in-season tournament similar to the successful NHL 4 Nations tourney, and discuss why the automated ball-strike system might be the best replay review system in sports. Jake and Jordan then make their picks for The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.
(1:50) - The Opener: Reviewing the 26-and-under power rankings
(18:18) - Who's in the top 10?
(33:49) - BBQ Mailbag
(42:07) - 4 Nations in MLB?
(50:34) - The Good
(54:33) - The Bad
(58:47) - The Uggla🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube
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Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Pete Rose gets his 3,772nd hit, passing Hank Aaron for 2nd place all-time
June 22 1925 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 24-6 with Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor each hitting a grand slam and Max Carey getting two hits in the first and eighth innings. 1930 — Lou Gehrig hit three home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 20-13 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader. Babe Ruth, who hit three homers in the nightcap the previous day, hit two homers in the opener and one in the nightcap for the Yankees. Ruth tied major league records for five homers in two games and six homers in three games. 1944 — Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves threw a five-inning 7-0 no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies. 1947 — Cincinnati's Ewell Blackwell almost duplicated Johnny Vander Meer's double no-hit record by following up his June 18 gem over Boston. Brooklyn's Eddie Stanky singled with one out in the ninth to end Blackwell's bid. Blackwell ended up with a 4-0 two-hitter. 1962 — Baltimore Orioles first baseman Boog Powell became the first batter to hit a home run over the center-field hedge at Memorial Stadium. The 469-foot clout came off Don Schwall of the Boston Red Sox. 1982 — Philadelphia's Pete Rose doubled off St. Louis pitcher John Stuper in the third inning to move into second place on the career hit list. Rose moved ahead of Hank Aaron with hit No. 3,772. 1994 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 31st home run of the season in Seattle's 12-3 victory at California, breaking Babe Ruth's record for most homers before the end of June. Ruth needed 63 games to reach 30 homers in 1928 and 68 games in 1930. Griffey did it in the Mariners' 70th game. 1997 — The Atlanta Braves, behind a four-homer, nine-run third, beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-5. Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Michael Tucker and Jeff Blauser homered in the inning. 2002 — The Detroit Tigers ended Luis Castillo's 35-game hitting streak. Castillo went 0-for-4 and was left on deck when the Florida Marlins finished off a four-run, ninth-inning rally to beat the Tigers 5-4. 2007 — Miguel Tejada goes on the disabled list with a wrist injury, ending a run of 1,152 consecutive games played, the fifth-longest run in major league history. 2010 — Jamie Moyer serves up the 505th home run of his major league career, to Russell Branyan, in a 2 - 1 win over the Indians. Moyer ties Robin Roberts for the most homers surrendered in the majors. 2013 — Francisco Rodriguez earned his 300th career save, finishing off Milwaukee's second straight 2-0 victory over slumping Atlanta. 2015 — ESPN reveals it has obtained a copy of a notebook belonging to Pete Rose which contains evidence of regular betting on baseball games during the 1986 season. The notebook was seized during a police raid on one of Rose's associates in 1989, after Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and had been under court-ordered seal since. Its content corroborate the contents of the Dowd Report, which led to Rose's suspension, and make it even less likely that current Commissioner Rob Manfred will reverse it, as Rose has pleaded for him to do. 2020 — MLB owners agree unanimously on a plan for a 60-game season beginning around July 24th - if everyone signs off on health and safety protocols. 2021 — The Arizona Diamondbacks snap their franchise record 17-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 2022 — One day after setting a personal best as a hitter with 8 RBIs, Shohei Ohtani sets another one on the mound as he racks up 13 strikeouts in 8 scoreless innings in a 5 - 0 win over Kansas City. _____


New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Rafael Devers is gone. Wilyer Abreu is back. How will the Red Sox divide up the playing time?
SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers stepped to the plate in the first inning at Oracle Park on Friday, his first game against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. It had been five days since a shocking trade between the Red Sox and Giants rocked the baseball world. Devers, wearing No. 16 and donning San Francisco's orange and black, walked the batter's box as the crowd rose for a standing ovation. In the opposing dugout, Red Sox manager Alex Cora nodded his head to his longtime former player. Rafael Devers receives a big ovation before his first at-bat against his former team 👏 — SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 21, 2025 Devers took his customary deep sigh at the plate before digging in. He grounded out on one pitch in the first of five hitless at-bats during a back-and-forth affair, one which the Red Sox held on to win 7-5 over the Giants. It marked Boston's eighth win in its last nine games. 'It's not surreal, just weird, you know,' Cora said of seeing Devers on the other side after nine years in Boston. 'But like I said, we as an organization, we made a decision, he's with the Giants. And like he said a few days ago, he has a job to do. We got a job to do.' Advertisement There was a bit of irony in the fact that the Red Sox had their best offensive game since trading Devers in their first matchup since his departure. The Red Sox had scored a total of five runs across their previous three games in Seattle, with some natural questions about what losing Devers' bat might mean for the team's offense. Those questions were quieted on Friday as the Red Sox posted seven runs on 11 hits and scored in five straight innings after falling behind 3-0 in the second inning. 'Now somebody else has to step up,' Cora said of the team's offensive identity without Devers. 'We might have to play a little bit of small ball, especially in places like this and places like Seattle. I do believe, athletic-wise, we're in a good spot. Obviously, we've got a bunch of kids that are learning how to play in the big leagues, and it's not that easy. But we're very pleased with the at-bats.' Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and finished a triple shy of the cycle, while David Hamilton's two-run homer in the third put the Red Sox on the board. Devers' bat provided a consistent power threat, but the Red Sox showed Friday that they can produce without him. Wilyer Abreu, in his first game back after 10 days on the injury list with an oblique strain, collected two hits and drove in a run in the win. With Abreu back, the Red Sox optioned Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester. In 67 games, Campbell hit .223 with a .664 OPS. He burst onto the scene in April, winning Rookie of the Month before hitting a wall in May and struggling to find consistency. Since the start of May, he'd hit just .159 with a .465 OPS. Campbell had started 54 of his 67 games at second base, but racked up minus-14 Defensive Runs Saved, the worst in the majors. In Worcester on Friday, Campbell continued to take grounders in pre-game work at first base. Advertisement 'I think it was a good time for him to reset, to be honest with you,' Cora said before the game. 'Go down there and work on a few things that we have seen the last few weeks that we were not doing here. 'To be able to play the (first base) position, that'll be important,' Cora added. 'Obviously, with time, we're going to have to make some more decisions with the roster. Him playing first base is going to help us.' With Campbell having a majority of the reps at second recently, Cora said Hamilton will see more playing time at the spot. He also noted rookie Marcelo Mayer, who has taken over third base since Alex Bregman went on the injury list May 24, could see time at second, particularly when Bregman returns from the IL. Bregman isn't close to returning, but continuing to ramp up his running progression. Bregman and Masataka Yoshida worked out at Boston College this week as Fenway Park prepares to host a series of concerts this weekend. Yoshida has been building up arm strength since offseason shoulder surgery, but with the DH spot now open, Cora said there's less of a need for Yoshida to fully strengthen his throwing arm to play the outfield and that he could move into the DH role once he completes a rehab assignment. Yoshida isn't quite ready to begin a rehab assignment, but Cora said that he will be soon. Meanwhile, by optioning Campbell to Triple A, the Red Sox gave a vote of confidence to Roman Anthony, who entered the game with two hits since his promotion on June 9. Anthony went 1-for-4 on Friday and drove in a run. Cora noted with Abreu returning to man right field, a spot where he won the Gold Glove last season, Anthony will see time at all three outfield spots. Anthony had only played right field since his promotion. On Friday, he served as the designated hitter. Advertisement Without Devers at DH and with Yoshida still a ways from returning, the club will rotate players through the DH spot. Cora has mixed and matched the roster to maximize the pieces, and on Friday, in their fourth game of the post-Devers era, the offense looked more than capable. (Photo of Rafael Devers: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How to watch Blade Tidwell's second MLB start with Mets
Philadelphia (45-30) will open a three-game series against the Mets (45-30) Friday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First pitch between the Phillies and Mets is slated for 7:15 p.m. EDT. The National League East contest can be watched on Apple TV+. Advertisement Former Vol Blade Tidwell (0-1) will make his second appearance and start for New York on Friday in 2025. He made his Major League Baseball debut for the Mets on May 4 in a, 6-5, loss at St. Louis. Tidwell pitched 3.2 innings and recorded two strikeouts against the Cardinals. He allowed nine hits, six runs (six earned) and three walks, while totaling 82 pitches, including 48 strikes, against 23 batters. 14 of Tidwell's strikes were on a first pitch. He also totaled 15 called strikes, seven swinging strikes, nine strikes from foul balls and 16 in-play strikes in his MLB debut. Tidwell (13-5) played for the Vols from 2021-22, appearing in 31 games (27 starts). He recorded 141 strikeouts and a 3.53 ERA, while leading all Tennessee pitchers with 18 starts as a true freshman in 2021. More: 2021 Tennessee-Texas College World Series baseball photos Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: How to watch former Vol Blade Tidwell's second start with Mets