Why Olivia Miles skipped the WNBA draft and left Notre Dame: ‘I ultimately was selfish one time with my career'
But Miles decided to return to college this year instead of going to the WNBA draft as a projected lottery pick. The former Notre Dame star transferred to TCU to try to improve her game, earn some extra NIL money and continue to grow her brand.
'I think it was a mixture of me listening to my body and what I needed and also just another year to develop, you know be in a system where it'll favor me and I'll have great teammates and a great coach around me,' Miles told The Associated Press. 'I'll have a lot of fun so I'm just very excited for that.'
Miles missed the 2023-24 season while recovering from an ACL tear she suffered in the regular-season finale the year before to end her sophomore campaign. She became the first men's or women's freshman to post a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament in 2022, and was putting the final touches on a season that had made her an Associated Press second-team All-American when she crashed to the baseline after her right knee buckled on a drive at Louisville in 2023.
'I just felt like I had a lot more left in me in the tank,' she said. 'Being far, far removed from my injury, mentally, physically, emotionally, was what I was telling myself, so, it was a lot of back and forth.'
Miles said she literally waited until the last minute to decide what she wanted to do, something she'd love to see the WNBA change in the future.
'I didn't decide until the very end, as you know, we have 48 hours to make a huge life decision, which is really hard,' Miles said.
One thing she's happy about when she does enter the WNBA next season: There will be a new collective bargaining agreement that should include an increase in player salaries. Right now the rookie salary is about $75,000 for top picks. She'll make a lot more than that this year in college. The low salaries were one factor in Miles' decision, but she said it wasn't a major one.
Then when she decided to stay in school, Miles made another big choice to enter the transfer portal and leave Notre Dame.
'I knew it was going to be a big story,' she said. 'I knew it was going to (upset) a lot of people. I knew it was going to cause a lot of commotion, but I ultimately was selfish one time with my career. I was talking to a bunch of power schools and then ultimately I really just wanted to go somewhere where I'd be able to showcase my abilities the best that I can.'
Miles didn't get into specifics on why she decided to leave Notre Dame but did say it was hard to tell coach Niele Ivey she was leaving.
'I was her first recruit so there was always a special kind of connection there, so when you have to have a hard conversation about people you care about, it's tough, but it had to be done,' Miles said. 'I didn't want her to find out, apart from me, so I had to grow up in that moment we had the conversation and we kept it going.'
Miles said Ivey reassured her that she would 'always be a part of the family and that she loves me. I'm doing what's best for me, she's doing what's best for her so there's always respect there from my end.'
She said she liked a lot of what TCU has done the last few years under coach Mark Campbell.
'I won't be restricted anywhere, I'll be able to kind of flow and have fun and really showcase before I get to the league,' she said.
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Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 18% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter a few weeks ago, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. Since June 1st, Carter has hit .283/.372/.453 in 38 games with three homers, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, and nine steals. The batting average hasn't carried over into July, but those stolen bases are great to see with the injuries he's had in the past, and Carter has a real five-category skillset. He's unlikely to play against many lefties, but he can be a really solid option in all fantasy leagues. If you're looking primarily for speed in the outfield, you could turn to Jake Mangum - OF, TB (7% rostered), who is playing most days and hitting third for Tampa Bay. 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That's a little bit of production in four of the five offensive categories, and while he won't carry your team, he's a great bench piece to fill in anywhere you have a gap in your lineup. Masataka Yoshida - OF, BOS (7% rostered) (RECENT IL RETURN, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Yoshida came back from the IL the week before the All-Star break and has gone 6-for-19 with two doubles, an RBI, a run scored, and one steal in his first six games of the season. He's a career .286/.343/.433 hitter in Major League Baseball with just a 13% strikeout rate in 254 games. He's going to provide a great batting average and the potential for solid counting stats while hitting near the middle of Boston's lineup. Well, we think. When the Red Sox bring back Yoshida, they will have only four lineup spots for Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. They have managed it so far by rotating days off, but I think a trade has to be coming. Another platoon bat I've always been a fan of is Jesus Sanchez - OF, MIA (6% rostered). He's hitting just .261 on the season with eight home runs, but his 112 Process+ from May 12th on is well above the 100 league average mark. He has a 92 mph average exit velocity and 11.7% barrel rate, so he's making tons of strong contact. He is also chasing far less outside of the zone and making a career-high 76% contact rate. It would not surprise me if we see a power surge from Sanchez in the second half. Andrew Vaughn - 1B, MIL: 7% rostered (POTENTIAL STARTING JOB, APPROACH CHANGE?) With Rhys Hoskins landing on the IL for the next six to eight weeks, Andrew Vaughn is emerging as a starting option in Milwaukee, and I'm intrigued by an approach change he made in the minors since being traded. I recorded a video this week explaining why I think Vaughn might be a decent gamble in deeper formats. Another deeper league corner infield target is Otto Kemp - 1B/2B/3B/OF, PHI (1% rostered). Now that Alec Bohm is headed to the IL, it seems like Kemp is going to be the starting third baseman in Philadelphia. He's hitting .250/.324/.348 in 28 games so far with just one home run and one steal, but he had 14 home runs and 11 steals in 58 games at Triple-A, so there is power and speed in this profile. He's 6-for-23 (.261) to start July, so maybe he's starting to settle in a bit more. There will always be strikeouts, but this is an offense that you want a part of. Ha-Seong Kim - SS, TB: 6% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, SPEED UPSIDE) Kim returned from the IL the week before the All-Star break, suffered a calf cramp, but returned and has emerged as the starting shortstop of Tampa Bay. He's gone 7-for-28 in eight games with one double, one home run, three runs scored, three RBIs, and two steals. I think his value will be primarily in stolen bases, but I recorded a video on Kim last week, so you can check it out for my detailed thoughts. Josh Bell - 1B, WAS: 5% rostered (HOT STREAK, POTENTIAL TRADE CANDIDATE) Bell has a Process+ score of 116 since June 15th, which is far better than the league average score of 100. Over that stretch, Bell is hitting .308/.379/.451 with two home runs, eight runs scored, and 11 RBI in 27 games. The power numbers aren't great there, but we have seen Bell be a consistent 20 home run hitter before, so maybe the ball starts to fly a bit in the summer, or he gets traded into a better lineup. Brady House - 3B, WAS: 5% rostered (HOT STREAK, PROSPECT GROWTH) Another prospect starting to figure it out a little bit is Brady House. The rookie has gone 14-for-48 (.292) in July with two home runs, six runs scored, and seven RBI. Since being promoted, he has 23 strikeouts in 25 games with a 17.5% swinging strike rate, so I'm a little concerned about the contact, but it hasn't bit him yet. While his first two MLB home runs just came the Saturday before the break, he had 13 in Triple-A this season with a 46% hard hit rate, so there is some power in that bat. I have liked his approach of late, and the results are solid for deeper formats. If we're just using Process+, we should note that Hose's teammate, Daylen Lile - OF, WAS (0% rostered), has a Process+ score of 112 since June 15th, which is pretty solid work from a young rookie. Over that span, he's hitting .244/.293/.349 in 24 games with two home runs, 12 runs scored, and three steals, but he also has just 13 strikeouts to six walks in that span. The process is there, and the contact has been there, so maybe the results will also start to tick up in the coming months. Nick Gonzales: 2B/SS, PIT: 4% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, STARTING JOB) Gonzales was another hitter I highlighted in my article over the break as a potential batting average asset. His 110 Process+ from May 12th on tells us that Gonzales could be a batting average asset in the second half of the season. In July, Gonzales has taken a pretty drastic opposite field approach, making contact -4.4 inches behind the front of the plate after being out over 10 inches in front of the plate earlier in the season. That has led to a massive spike in his Ideal Attack Angle%, and while it will limit his power ceiling, it could mean more line drives and hits fall in. If you wanted another multi-position option for deeper leagues, Lenyn Sosa - 1B/2B/3B, CWS (4% rostered) has jumped on the Process+ leaderboard with a score of 107 since June 15th, which is above the league average of 100. Over that same stretch, he's hitting .274/.317/.505 with five home runs, 14 runs scored, 17 RBI, and one steal in 26 games. That's not bad production across the board in deeper formats. Tommy Pham - OF, PIT: 2% rostered (STARTING JOB, HOT STREAK) We all talked a lot about Max Muncy's glasses, but perhaps we need to pay attention to Tommy Pham's contacts. There is a great video from Logan Arblaster that shows Pham discussing a difficult situation with his contact lenses based on a rare eye condition that he has. The video was taken on June 23rd, and Pham mentions in the video that he has made contact lens changes throughout the year, but has 'felt better the last week.' If we take Pham's stats from June 16th, we see that he's hitting .359/.394/.609 in 20 games with four home runs, nine runs scored, and 17 RBIs. That will play in any league type. A name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues is Nathan Lukes - OF, TOR (1% rostered). Lukes has recently moved into the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching and is hitting .325/.400/.500 in 12 games in July with one home run, seven runs scored, and seven RBI. His role may change when Daulton Varsho comes back in a couple of weeks, so I'm not saying this is a breakout for the 31-year-old, but his approach is great for a leadoff hitter, and the Blue Jays have been playing really good baseball lately, so perhaps this is a solid multi-week add. Dominic Canzone - OF, SEA: 2% rostered (PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE) Canzone has been putting up tremendous production since being called up and ranks 14th in Process+ among all hitters with at least 200 pitches faced since June 15th. Over that stretch, he's hitting .347/.364/.613 with five home runs, nine runs scored, and eight RBI in 23 games. Canzone is not going to play against lefties, and he doesn't have quite the track record of success, but Canzone has always made impressive quality of contact throughout his MLB career, so there is some upside here in deeper formats. Another option would be Isaac Collins - OF, MIL (2% rostered), who has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .300/.413/.500 in 34 games with five home runs, 22 runs scored, 17 RBI, and four steals. He has good plate discipline overall and is pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 88.5 mph over that span, so this is not a hitter you're adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee. Waiver Wire Pitchers Zach Eflin - SP, BAL: 44% rostered Eflin is technically rostered in too many leagues to count for this article, but I wanted to highlight him here because I think he's being overlooked due to some early-season struggles. Eflin has been a solid starter for the last few years, posting an ERA of 3.59 or better in each of the last two years and keeping his ERA under 4.00 most years. He had a lat injury earlier in the season and then a back injury that landed him on the IL, but I think he can be a solid starter in the second half if he's healthy and may even be traded into a slightly better situation since he's a free agent at the end of the season. If you're open to a longer-term stash, I like Spencer Arrighetti - SP, HOU (30% rostered). The right-hander is beginning his rehab assignment next week and will likely begin at around 40-50 pitches. Unlike pitchers like Shane McClanahan and Cristian Javier, Arrighetti has not had any arm issues this season; he's on the IL due to a broken thumb suffered when he was hit by a batted ball during batting practice. He might need three or four rehab starts, but if you can wait until early August, he should be back and healthy. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 36% rostered I have to mention Cabrera here because I'm a big fan of what he's doing this year, but I'm worried about his injury. I know he was cleared to pitch next week, but being removed from the game last week with a shoulder injury doesn't give me warm and fuzzy feelings, especially with his injury track record. I'm not dropping him yet if he's on my team, but I'm also probably not starting him against the Padres next week since I have some questions about his health. Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 29% rostered Sheehan started on Saturday and wasn't his best, but I still believe in the talent. I'm not sure if he will continue to piggyback with Shohei Ohtani once the Dodgers get back into their normal schedule, and with Blake Snell also nearing a return and Ohtani getting closer to being ready to pitch a full five innings, there may not be many weeks left of Sheehan in this rotation. However, even when that happens, the Dodgers could decide to limit Clayton Kershaw's workload to save him for the playoffs. At this point, I'm not ready to drop Sheehan from fantasy rosters just yet; his upside is too high. Zebby Matthews - SP, MIN: 26% rostered I wrote about Zebby Matthews as a pitcher I think could end the season in the top 25 starting pitchers, so clearly I've been in the bag for him all season. He looked really good in his rehab start last Sunday, sitting 97.4 mph on his fastball and striking out nine batters in four innings, so I'm not going to let a rough first start back in Coors Field put me off of bidding on him in fantasy leagues. He has also deserved better in his big league innings with a 12.1% SwStr% and 20.5% K-BB% in 19 innings since May 15th. That has helped him post a 3.39 SIERA despite his 5.21 ERA. He looked electric in his Triple-A rehab start last week, and I'd be stashing him now. Brandon Walter - SP, HOU: 18% rostered Walter is another pitcher I covered in that article on second-half breakouts and breakthroughs. In that article, I said: 'Walter is another pitcher I wrote about earlier this season, and I've been impressed with what he's done so far. He's registered just an 11.9% SwStr% but a 23% K-BB% and 2.98 SIERA in 40.2 innings this season. He relies more on command and deception than overpowering stuff, which makes him a bit riskier than some of the other names on this list, but I think his spot in the rotation is rather secure, and I could see him being a streamer in 12-team leagues and a locked-in option in deeper formats.' Blake Treinen - RP, LAD: 11% rostered Trienen has made two rehab performances during this week and looks pretty good, commanding the zone while sitting 96 mph on his sinker. He seems healthy and could be called up after the weekend. With Tanner Scott struggling to close out games, Treinen could emerge as an option in a closer committee in Los Angeles. Joey Cantillo - SP, CLE: 9% rostered Cantillo was another pitcher I had mentioned in my article from earlier in the week. He seems to have a rotation spot locked up with Luis L. Ortiz undergoing an MLB investigation for a gambling infraction. Since coming back as a starter, Cantillo has a 14.9% SwStr% and 20.7% K-BB% in 12.2 innings with a 3.33 SIERA. His changeup can be a truly dominant pitch, and he gets elite extension on his fastball, so there is enough here to tie up right-handed hitters and make Cantillo a good high-upside play for the second half. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 3% rostered I'm also fully in the bag for Fitts and have been since he showed increased velocity and an expanded pitch mix this spring. Since coming off the IL, he has been sitting 97 mph on his four-seam fastball with his secondaries starting to get more consistent. He's posted a 13.2% SwStr% in 16.2 innings since May 15th, with a 3.84 SIERA that is much better than his 5.40 ERA. I think he was done a disservice by the Red Sox rushing him back from the IL, and it wouldn't shock me if he keeps his rotation spot for the remainder of the season. The schedule isn't great for him next week, but that might be a way you can get some really cheap exposure to him. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 7/21 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation Desperate / Uncertain Health
Newsweek
an hour ago
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Intra-Division Mock Trade Sends $8 Million Slugger To Desperate Red Sox
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. FanSided's Quinn Everts recently pitched a trade proposal that would send Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O'Hearn to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects Nelly Taylor and Hayden Mullins ahead of the trade deadline. "The Boston Red Sox are one of the hottest teams in baseball. Their ten-game winning streak was just snapped by the Chicago Cubs, but things are going about as well as possible for the Sox, especially considering they traded their best player earlier this season," Everts wrote. "Still, the team isn't without its holes, and first base is one of them. "Abraham Toro, the team's current option, has been passable for most of the season. But if this team wants to make a real push in the postseason, it needs to make an upgrade at that position; enter Orioles first baseman / designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn, one of the most popular names on the trade market." ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: Ryan O'Hearn #32 of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: Ryan O'Hearn #32 of the Baltimore Orioles bats during the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Matthew Grimes Jr./Intra-division trades are rare, but they still happen. In fact, the Orioles already pulled off an intra-division trade with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month. For the Red Sox, acquiring O'Hearn would be a dream come true. He would be a massive upgrade at first base, and it would be one of the more affordable deals on the market. Prying O'Hearn from the Orioles would likely be much easier than stealing Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Orioles will likely need to take the best trade package from whichever team is willing to give it up for O'Hearn. While he's having a great season, it's not like trading him to the Red Sox would come back to bite Baltimore in the long term. This deal looks to have the framework of a realistic trade in the coming weeks. More MLB: Yankees Linked To $66 Million Slugger As Trade Buzz Reaches New Peak
