Latest news with #KeithLaw
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Nationals top pitching prospect Travis Sykora to have Tommy John surgery
Washington Nationals' right-handed pitching prospect Travis Sykora will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn right UCL, the team announced on Monday. Sykora ranked as the No. 51 prospect in The Athletic's Keith Law's recently released top-60 MLB prospects list and is the team's No. 2 prospect behind 2025 No. 1 pick Eli Willits. Advertisement Sykora, 21, was a third-round pick in 2023 out of Round Rock High School in Texas. The 6-foot-6 right-hander had a 2.33 ERA in 85 innings last season, with 129 strikeouts for Low-A Fredericksburg. He had hip surgery after the season and began this year rehabbing before making his season debut May 3 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. After two starts there and two starts with Fredericksburg, he jumped up to High A, where he dominated in 29 2/3 innings, posting a 1.21 ERA, with 47 strikeouts and only eight walks. He was promoted to Double A on June 29 but left his second start with Harrisburg after only one inning with what was initially termed right triceps soreness. Sykora missed the Futures Game and an MRI later revealed the torn UCL. Law talked about Sykora's potential and his injury risk in the top-60 write-up: 'Sykora's stuff rivals the top pitchers on this list, as he's 95-98 with a plus splitter and a solid-average slider already. But his delivery is high-effort and his arm is very late, neither of which is great for durability. He came out of his last start on July 5 with lower right triceps soreness, with the hope that he'll be back fairly soon,' he wrote. 'He'd gotten off to a tremendous start, dominating High A after his return from offseason hip labrum surgery with 32 strikeouts and just two walks in 18 innings in four outings, and then walked 12 in 16 1/3 innings in his next four outings, including the one he left after an inning. It's No. 2 starter stuff, and he showed that kind of command and control earlier this season before the latest injury. I do have doubts about him holding up, given the whole operation.' The injury is a big blow for a Nationals' organization that has a strong core of position players at or near the big leagues but is lacking top-shelf pitching behind ace MacKenzie Gore. It's been a disappointing season for a club that was hoping to take a step forward this year but instead is in last place in the National League East with a 43-62 record. The Nationals recently fired long-time president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Cardinals pitching prospect Tekoah Roby undergoes Tommy John, will likely miss 2026 season
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tekoah Roby underwent Tommy John surgery and will likely not pitch until 2027, multiple team sources told The Athletic on Monday. Roby, 23, was placed on the injured list on July 14 and underewent the procedure on Friday. He entered the season ranked as the Cardinals' seventh-best prospect on the year list assembled by The Athletic's Keith Law. Advertisement Roby was promoted to Triple-A Memphis in June after posting a 2.49 ERA over 10 starts in Double A. He collected 87 strikeouts over 78 1/3 innings overall and was building a strong case for consideration in next year's major-league rotation. But injury befell the right-hander once more. Roby's availability has been limited since the Cardinals acquired him, along with infielder Thomas Saggese, in a 2023 trade that sent Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers. He logged 58 1/3 innings in 2023, plus 13 2/3 in the Arizona Fall League, and 38 1/3 in 2024 due to various stints on the IL. RHP Tekoah Roby (AAA) tossed 5.2 scoreless innings in the @memphisredbirds 8-1 win vs. Charlotte last night, striking out 6 batters while only allowing one walk. Over his last 4 starts, Roby is 3-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. — Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 11, 2025 The Cardinals overhauled their player development this offseason, and Roby was of the first big beneficiaries. He was in the midst of his best season thanks to a retooled pitch mix. Roby was hurt and/or ineffective all of last year due to elbow trouble — a harbinger of what just happened — but the Cardinals turned him around by giving him a two-seamer, moving him from a straight change to a kick-change, and helping him tweak his slider to make it harder and give it some more horizontal movement. The slider became a real weapon for him to pair with the plus curveball, and the two-seamer helped reduce his hard-contact rates, since the four-seamer does tend to get hit hard despite plus velocity. He was so close to major-league ready with mid-rotation upside that Law considered him for his midseason top 60 ranking until learning he might be about to go under the knife. Advertisement Roby becomes the Cardinals' third pitching prospect to undergo Tommy John surgery this year. Cooper Hjerpe, the organization's first-round draftee in 2022, had it in April and 13th-ranked Sem Robberse in May. Starting pitching depth remains a top concern for the Cardinals, who have struggled to develop arms in their upper minor-league levels. Losing Roby is another significant blow for an organization already lacking viable rotation options. (Photo of Roby in spring training: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox' ‘uber-athletic' 1st-rounder cracks Keith Law's Top 60, along with 2 other prospects
A trio of Red Sox prospects have cracked Keith Law's latest Top 60 rankings of minor leaguers at The Athletic. First-round pitcher Kyson Witherspoon debuted at No. 54 overall, while Jhostynxon Garcia came in at No. 46 and top prospect Franklin Arias is all the way up to No. 9 with Law touting his 'All-Star upside.' Witherspoon is the new face on the list for the Red Sox though. Boston took the 20-year-old from Oklahoma with the 15th pick in this month's MLB draft and signed him for $5 million last weekend. Law loved the selection. 'Witherspoon was the top right-handed pitcher on my draft board this year, as the uber-athletic Oklahoma pitcher held 95+ deep into games and worked with a five-pitch mix that should end up with at least three above-average weapons,' he writes. 'His delivery features an unusual movement after separation where he brings his hand almost straight down, described to me by one evaluator as a 'waggle.' It hasn't inhibited his ability to repeat the delivery or throw strikes. I see at least a mid-rotation starter here, and his athleticism and easy velocity point to the potential for even more.' The radar gun was something that director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson pointed to after selecting Witherspoon as well. 'With Kyson, it's big velocity. And he's held it over a lot of innings with some really good breaking pitches,' Pearson said. 'Whether it's his cutter, slider, a lot of upside there to continue to maximize his mix. But a strike thrower with high velo and interesting secondary shapes.' More Red Sox coverage Fenway Insider Live: Sean McAdam on trade deadline, potential Red Sox moves Former Red Sox superstar might miss return to Boston Red Sox righty said he'd be the janitor to stay in MLB; now he's a 'dude out of the bullpen' again Red Sox rookie finds redemption with game-winning HR after 'crazy' calls ruined two days Red Sox get 'hero moment' from lefty-masher, grind out 'signature win' after trailing by 5 Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Upcoming live Q&A with Keith Law on updated prospect rankings as trade deadline looms
On Thursday, Keith Law is releasing his updated Top 60 prospects list. He'll chat about it and more — the trade deadline is less than a week away, after all — with fans in a live Q&A at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB Draft Analyst Applauds Cardinals Day 1 Selections
MLB Draft Analyst Applauds Cardinals Day 1 Selections originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Highlighted by No. 5 overall pick LHP Liam Doyle out of Tennessee, the Cardinals made four selections on Day 1 of the MLB Draft. Advertisement After taking Doyle in the first round, St. Louis selected 18-year-old outfielder Ryan Mitchell at No. 55 overall. Just based on those two selections alone, Keith Law of The Athletic named the Cardinals as his favorite Day 1 class. Cardinals No. 55 overall pick Ryan MitchellStu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "I think the St. Louis Cardinals had my favorite Day 1 group based on their top two picks," Law wrote. "They took my top pitcher, Liam Doyle, at No. 5. He has one of the best fastballs in the draft class, a deceptive delivery, and a second-plus pitch in the splitter. He dominated early against bad competition, then continued to perform well in the SEC." "The Cardinals followed up that pick with Ryan Mitchell at No. 55, getting what I thought was a first-round bat in need of a new position, a strong kid who makes excellent swing decisions and might come into some power." Advertisement St. Louis took another pitcher out of Tennessee with the 72nd pick, selecting RHP Tanner Franklin. In 38 2/3 innings pitched for the Vols in 2025, Franklin posted a 4.89 ERA with 52 strikeouts. His arsenal is highlighted by a fastball that can reach triple digits. The Cardinals rounded out day 1 by taking Jack Gurevitch at No. 89 overall. A 21-year-old first baseman from the University of San Diego, Gurevitch showcased a ton of power this past season, posting a 1.167 OPS with 17 homers and 35 extra-base hits. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
