David Horowitz bequeathed his rage-filled and slanderous extremism to Stephen Miller David Horowitz speaks at Columbia University in New York David Horowitz died last Tuesday Any number of public figures have careers that follow a left-to-right His journey from extreme left to extreme right was so extreme that the through line of his affinity for extremism ultimately overshadows the claims of mere ideology He carried with him from his youth the belief that any conflict he participated in (never mind that he provoked almost all of them) was in the words of “The International,” “the final conflict.” No conflict was worth his time if it didn’t enable him to vilify no matter where they stood on the ideological spectrum necessarily had to pose a threat to civilization itself So grave a threat required an almost Goebbels-esque level of vilification and falsification (else But Horowitz was not only up to that task; he reveled in it More from Harold Meyerson Horowitz had a conventional American communist childhood—his parents were party members until they quit after Khrushchev’s revelations of Stalin’s crimes—and in his twenties became a comrade of the great Marxist biographer Isaac Deutscher he became enamored of the less scholastic revolutionaries of the Black Panthers whom Horowitz hailed as “America’s Viet Cong.” He grew close to party leader Huey Newton When a woman he’d recruited to be the Panthers’ bookkeeper was found murdered in an effort to keep her from disclosing criminal irregularities But the attributes that had attracted him to the Panthers—not just their better angels in their food banks and other community services their Manichaean worldview and their complementary belief in violence—were his own attributes as well but he very deliberately and consistently tried to approximate that by other means As he famously instructed others on the right they should “begin every confrontation by punching progressives in the mouth.” “he celebrated the burning of a bank by a student mob Today he’s an intellectual pyromaniac who honors the MAGA mob that attacked the U.S The “totalitarian movement … destroying America,” he wrote in one of his more recent tracts was headed by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer Horowitz worked to cultivate a younger generation of right-wing extremists but his greatest achievement was to both inspire and instruct the most hate-filled member of Donald Trump’s inner circle: Stephen Miller He first became aware of Miller when he was a wildly obstreperous far-right kid at Santa Monica High (where he was known for ostentatiously dumping his trash on classroom and hallway floors and insisting that the school’s janitors pick it up) Horowitz nurtured Miller’s preternaturally boundless antagonisms and when Miller left Sessions for Trump’s 2016 campaign began coaching him on inserting properly inflammatory language into Trump’s speeches Mentors matter: As Roy Cohn once instructed Trump in the power of lying so Horowitz instructed Miller in the power of hating That power was in full display last Thursday, when Miller, now Trump’s deputy chief of staff, went before the White House press corps for a full half-hour to praise his boss’s first hundred days as a second-term president Miller had long since won a reputation as the architect of Trump’s cruelest policies the separation of border-crossing small children from their parents during Trump’s first term He enhanced that reputation by his performance on Thursday where his praise of Trump was eclipsed by his Horowitzian attack on the press Miller “raised his voice and banged the lectern He accused the media of siding with ‘terrorists’ in its coverage of undocumented immigrants told them they live in condos in nice areas [far from the terror of gangs] and decried the “‘cancerous woke culture that is destroying this country.’” was simply channeling Horowitz from the podium But Horowitz’s handiwork is no such short-lived phenomenon His bile flows through every Miller utterance Harold Meyerson is editor at large of The American Prospect About the Prospect | Contact Info Careers |FAQ Newsletters Browse Archive / Back Issues Manage A Print Subscription Manage A Recurring Donation Privacy Policy DONATE TO THE PROSPECT Related: , Recruiting Board Watch SNYLog In Mets' foundation for pitching success a process five years in the making -- with many to thank Jets Draft Report Card: Grading Gang Green's picks Dart is Giants' future, it's only a matter of time before he's their present Grading the Jets pick of Membou in the draft Grading the Giants pick of Carter Mets' wave of rapidly approaching pitching prospects is tantalizing — and potential X-factor Mets Minor League Mailbag: Could a top pitching prospect come up as a reliever? Giants Draft Report Card: Grading Big Blue's picks Jets establishing their identity under Glenn with Membou selection Everything you need to know about Giants first-round pick Carter With Sproat close, Mets could soon have a good conundrum on their hands Mets top 30 prospects for 2025 season 1 Yankees prospect received the call to Somerset this evening ahead of slugging 2022 first-rounder Spencer Jones Despite posting a .231/.286/.462 slash line in the spring and catching the attention of both manager Aaron Boone and captain Aaron Judge Lombard began the season back in High-A with the Hudson Valley Renegades at the same level he ended the 2024 campaign he only had 29 games under his belt with Hudson Valley so it was far from controversial for the Yankees to want to see how the changes might have improved his output at the same level Lombard’s 2025 stint with the Renegades proved to be short-lived ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported a few minutes ago that the Yankees were promoting him to Double-A Somerset The New York Yankees are promoting shortstop George Lombard Jr. 11 stolen bases and a 23-to-22 walk-to-strikeout ratio at High-A The move should come as no surprise to anyone who has been watching the Yankees farm system in recent years While the Yankees have a reputation for bringing their prospects along slowly they have been more aggressive promoting prospects once they have shown conclusively that they have conquered the level A .329/.496/.488 slash line with more walks than strikeouts certainly counts as conquering High-A not only have his numbers popped off the page but rival scouts have been raving about everything to his poise on the field to his increased power after an offseason working with a professional training staff the jump from High-A to Double-A alone is considered one of the most difficult to make in pro ball — even more so than the leap from Double-A to Triple-A and there’s plenty of reason for excitement about the acclaimed infielder — if not for 2025 looks like he could be a superstar in the future and that has been on display early this season After reaching High Single-A last year, it has taken just 24 games during this campaign for the Yankees to promote him to Double-A Somerset, per Jeff Passan of ESPN Lombard has slashed .329/.495/.488 with a homer 13 RBI and just 22 strikeouts compared to 23 walks and in the midst of only his second full one New York has decided to aggressively move him through their pipeline The 2023 first-round pick, who was selected No. 26 overall, comes from a baseball family. His dad, George Lombard, played in the MLB for six years before he got into coaching, where he currently serves as the bench coach of the Detroit Tigers has impressed at times during the early stages of his career but he's taken his game to the next level in 2025 "More confident, stands straighter," a talent evaluator said, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic (subscription required) "Looks like he has a plan for when he goes up there There's a presence to him — you already know he was a high pick It doesn't seem like the plan is for the Yankees to get him to the Majors this year He's only played 147 professional games to this point So taking the next step up in competition will be Lombard's first test to see if he'll be on a rapid promotion plan again or if he needs more time on the farm and there's a chance he could be the next star infielder of this franchise if he continues developing at the rate he already has The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Yankees have made the call to promote shortstop George Lombard Jr. to Double-A Somerset the son of the former big leaguer of the same name has been one of the better hitters in the minor leagues this season the Florida prep product was hitting .329/.495/.488 with a home run and more walks (23) than strikeouts (22) will now get to test his mettle against best the upper levels have to offer Track Record: Lombard is the son of former big leaguer and current Tigers bench coach of the same name The younger Lombard was one of the youngest players in the 2023 draft class and was selected by the Yankees 26th overall out of Miami’s Gulliver Prep Lombard signed for $3.3 million and made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League He split his first full season between both Class A affiliates including a turn in the South Atlantic League finals with Hudson Valley Scouting Report: The back of Lombard’s baseball card doesn’t jump off the page but scouts outside the organization were heartened by what they saw on the field the 19-year-old posted mature at-bats and showed strong leadership traits on the field and in the dugout His swing got off-kilter early in the season thanks to a stride that had gotten too long and caused his bat path to get out of whack Those problems led to a high number of swings and misses Lombard has a flat path and enough strength to predict a player capable of shooting line drives from gap to gap He shows hints of power that should become more frequent as he adds strength to his still-growing frame and loft to his swing Lombard is a sound defender at shortstop with sure hands an above-average throwing arm and average range but he has a strong internal clock and intangibles forged from years around the game tools and intangibles still give him plenty of runway toward his ceiling as an above-average big league shortstop with a well-rounded set of skills Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Field: 55 | Arm: 55 we talk about names to know in the upcoming Top 100 Prospects update crown jewel of the 2024 international free agent class tops the Hot Sheet after slashing .533/.667/.867 last week Presenting 10 Statcast standouts from the past week of minor league action led by arguably the top pitching prospect in the game 1 team in the College Baseball Top 25 rankings after another wild weekend Cooper are taking a look at basement dwellers in the AL and NL BA college writers Jacob Rudner & Peter Flaherty break Chris Lemonis’ surprise firing at Mississippi State and lots more Geoff Pontes & Dylan White highlight prospects who could be playing themselves into the Fantasy Top 100 we talk about Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft slide and why it wouldn’t happen in the MLB Draft Ben and Carlos talk about Red Sox and Yankees pitchers with physicality and stuff who are off to hot starts in 2025 On this week’s episode of the Baseball America Draft Podcast Carlos and Peter hop on to briefly talk about their relationship to the NFL draft… Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone Catch up on all the Mets prospects in yesterday’s minor league action SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 4, SYRACUSE 2 (BOX) Anthony Gose’s first blowup outing of the season wasted homers from Donovan Walton and Billy McKinney The offense did almost nothing else though Roster Alert: Syracuse Mets activated SS Diego A. Castillo Roster Alert: Syracuse Mets activated 3B Luis De Los Santos from the 7-day injured list GAME 1: ERIE 1, BINGHMATON 0 / 7 (BOX) who was quite good but got literally a single hit in support from the offense GAME 2: BINGHAMTON 6, ERIE 4 / 7 (BOX) Six runs in support of a cavalcade of relievers - capped off by podcast interest Ryan Lambert’s first Double-A save - was enough for the win in this one William Lugo finished a triple shy of the cycle BROOKLYN 7, WILMINGTON 1 (BOX) Jefrey De Los Santos led the offense out of the nine hole Jacob Reimer also had a two hit day and has raised his OPS up to 1.027 JUPITER 4, ST. LUCIE 2 (BOX) Don’t strike out 13 times and make costly errors if you want to win a game they have had to not only develop talented prospects by placing them in the right locations and coaching them up but also obviously acquiring the talent as well Some of the guys who make the Tigers farm system what is is were acquired via the trade market top of the line players which separate the organization came from the draft To state the obvious, successful talent evaluation is the key aspect in drafting successful players, and the early returns on Detroit's newest star prospect are that their evaluation has prevailed over other teams once again Playing his first professional season for Low-A Lakeland this year, shortstop Bryce Rainer is already turning some heads over his first 14 games According to a post from Emily Waldon of Baseball America Rainer's exit velocity and seemingly hitting everything hard is starting to impress scouts "Rainer’s exit velos are just stupid," an American League scout told her Rainer has hits in eight of his last nine games including three of them with multiple hits and has hit three doubles the 19-year-old has played just 15 games and slashed .260/.381/.440 with 13 hits and 10 RBI The Tigers were shocked when Rainer fell out of the top-ten to them at No. 11 in last year's MLB draft the youngster is already proving Detroit's evaluation department to have been correct once again It's going to take at least a few years for Rainer to make the climb to the Major Leagues though they are not in a huge rush to get him there and are going to let him do all the developing he needs to In a farm system filled with some unbelievable players Rainer very well could prove to be the best of all of them and the organization is certainly not going to risk messing with that potential Don't count on seeing Rainer in the show anytime soon, but the current No. 4 prospect in the farm system is clearly already establishing himself as a name Tigers fans need to keep a very close eye on for the next couple of years With the Devils defeated in the first round it’s time to look at some positional needs in the Devils prospect pool ahead of the draft If I only had one word to sum up the Devils needs in its prospect pool it would be one word: centers Despite a bit of a depletion due to trades the Devils pool is still pretty stacked on the back end with Seamus Casey Ethan Edwards and to an even lesser extent some potential developing longer shots in Daniil Karpovich and Chase Cheslock it’s perhaps the Devils could use another right-handed shot or two with NHL potential Simon Nemec is likely going to graduate from the pool full time to the NHL next season highlighting that weakness in the pool on the right side sooner rather than later the Devils have some quality goaltenders in their pool for the first time in a long time While there was some hype around Akira Schmid and Nico Daws neither have stuck at the higher levels yet Both goaltenders put up terrific numbers in the NHL this year in limited starts finished the season 2-0-1 with a 1.26 GAA and .944 SV% in limited action put up very similar numbers with a 3-1-0 record both goaltenders struggled in the AHL this year for two subpar teams Schmid for the Henderson Silver Knights and Daws for the Utica Comets The Devils no longer have Schmid and Daws will have a one-way contract for the Devils next season Jakub Malek will likely contend for the backup Devils role with Daws after a season as one of the best goalies in the Liiga The emergence of Mikhail Yegorov at Boston University gives the Devils system someone to look forward to growing into their net years down the road Veeti Louhivaara is probably the strongest but not overwhelming numbers for JYP’s U20 team in 19 games Tyler Brennan has one more year left on his contract who has been the stronger of the two netminders There is nothing wrong with additional goalie depth and the position is a fickle one I would prefer if the Devils grabbed a goalie later in the draft and not used a 2nd round pick on one as they have done many times in recent drafts This assumes that Joshua Ravensbergen is long gone by the time the Devils make their first selection Center depth is notorious non-existent the pool The Utica Comets signed Matyas Melovsky to a one-year-deal Melovsky exploded in the QMJHL this year with 83 points in 57 games another forward who also plays center and wing heading into his senior season at the University of Denver The scoring winger cupboard is a little bit better with two great prospects in Arseni Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho Gritsyuk will likely graduate from the pool once he signs his contract with the Devils and Hameenaho may not be much further behind two players showed great promise in their AHL debuts at the end of the season in Shane LaChance and Cam Squires Kasper Pikkarainen still has a shot to turn into something but lost a year of development with an injury Josh Filmon had a dreadful season and is trying to earn his way back to the Comets who has committed to the University of Notre Dame the Devils traded away useful forward prospects in Herman Traff Zakhar Bardakov and Max Graham and those losses are starting to be felt in the pool The Colorado Avalanche recently signed Bardakov to his one-year ELC starting next season identity forward with offensive skills the Devils need in their bottom six I would like the Devils to focus on refilling the forward cupboard snag a late round right-handed defenseman and throw a dart at a goalie in the fourth or fifth round If they could find another Bardakov-esque player somewhere that would be swell As the Devils currently do not have a first round pick best player available is usually a range of similarly-flawed projects later in the draft BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles put third baseman Ramón Urías on the injured list with a hamstring strain before Saturday night's 4-0 loss to Kansas City The Orioles called up top prospect Coby Mayo from Triple-A Norfolk Manager Brandon Hyde said he didn't think Urías who went on the 10-day IL retroactive to Thursday "I think it's a minor hamstring strain," Hyde said "He's going to have to have a few days off." Mayo entered as a pinch-hitter Saturday and went 0 for 2 Mayo is No. 8 in MLB's Top 100 prospects although he went 4 for 41 in his big league debut with Baltimore last season He's hit .252 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 28 games for Norfolk this season Information from The Associated Press was used in this report During a road trip to Louisville in late April Iowa Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw walked back to the dugout following an out and found co-hitting coach Rick Strickland held up his pointer finger near his thumb to signify how he was barely off with his swing “He could almost predict that he was coming out of this thing,” Strickland said He was on the verge of breaking through with his swing The struggling prospect quickly turned things around Shaw has since been one of the hottest hitters in Iowa’s lineup and is making his case to return to the big leagues The 23-year-old first-round pick by the Cubs in 2023 opened the year as Chicago’s starting third baseman But Shaw struggled during his first stint in the big leagues one homer and one double in 18 games and 58 plate appearances the confidence was down a little bit,” Strickland said Strickland believes that in the midst of Shaw’s struggles started making unnecessary changes and adjustments Major League Baseball is not a developmental league and with Chicago chasing a spot in the postseason So Shaw was sent to Des Moines so he could have an opportunity to get his swing back and be in the lineup on a daily basis More: Iowa Cubs baseball: Prized prospect Matt Shaw talks about his demotion back to minors “We definitely looked in and took some things that maybe he was doing differently in his move — maybe causing himself to be a little bit off-balance in his swing but just getting him back to being grounded and being a really good athlete that he actually is,” Strickland said With the help of Strickland and co-hitting coach Rachel Folden with Shaw going 1-for-17 in his first five games back in the minors Shaw was getting back into a rhythm of playing every day and feeling good at the plate More: Meet Iowa Cubs co-hitting coach Rachel Folden he was feeling much better,” Strickland said Now Shaw is feeling more comfortable and getting results He entered the May 3 game with the Buffalo Bisons riding a six-game hitting streak Four of those games were multi-hit contests including a four-hit performance on April 29 Shaw lined out to left field but the exit velocity on the ball was 106.6 mph Shawn's rapid improvement is no surprise to Strickland “I didn’t think coming back here would be much of a problem,” Strickland said It’s just something that he naturally does So getting him back here a little bit allowed him enough time to catch his break and get it back together I would say nothing special as far as mechanical tricks or things we did It’s really probably just getting that mental reset more than anything.” who had a .333 batting average and a .967 OPS in his first 11 games with Iowa he's likely to get another chance with Chicago Strickland believes that Shaw has put himself in a good position to succeed at the big leagues this time around the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter has been working at the newspaper since 2008 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468 April 28-May 4This browser does not support the video element This browser does not support the video element posted an absurd 1.382 OPS with 2 homers in 6 games for High-A Cedar Rapids going 13-for-29 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs for Triple-A Lehigh Valley 20 prospect struck out 8 batters and allowed just 2 hits in 6 scoreless frames for Double-A Amarillo 15 prospect struck out 6 batters across 2 perfect relief outings for High-A Fort Wayne Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here who entered the event with exponentially more experience finished Nickal in Round 2 with a brutal final sequence collapsing the undefeated prospect and pulling off the upset After falling for the first time in his UFC career Nickal expressed gratitude in his first post-fight comments Nickal was pushed towards the Top 15 far too quickly just a handful of fights into his fighting career Following two Dana White’s Contender Series fights the UFC took a chance on Nickal and signed him to the roster despite his limited experience in MMA The former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler fought just once before his two DWCS invites Nickal’s team has some regrets with how their talented prospect’s early UFC career was handled In a recent Instagram post American Top Team head coach Mike Brown admitted Nickal was possibly pushed too high “Was a tough weekend but maybe one that was needed,” Brown said of Nickal’s performance “Things have been moving fast for Bo Nickal and to this point he was been able to make things happen and secure six finishes and seven victories with the limited experience that he has Bo has all the attributes that you want if your goal is to become a world champion in mixed martial arts and he started combat sports (specifically wrestling) at a very young age These are all the boxes that you want to check when developing an elite MMA fighter “But the one thing Bo doesn’t have is live fighting cage time and for this there is no substitution,” Brown continued “MMA fight experience is crucial and actual time in the cage is extremely important As a team we had our concerns about moving so fast and we realize the dangers of fighting such high level opponents so early but Bo is a unique athlete and the UFC has him on a fast track.” Before falling to de Ridder, Nickal went the distance for the first time in his MMA career, defeating Paul Craig by unanimous decision at UFC 309. Nickal was heavily criticized for the slow-paced showing as booes showered him around Madison Square Garden Ahead of UFC Des Moines, Nickal went through a dramatic weight cut cutting about 40 lbs at the beginning of fight week likely contributed to his TKO loss against de Ridder A former lightweight star took things a step further after watching Nickal’s performance at UFC Des Moines. Josh Thomson pleaded with UFC CEO Dana White to cut Nickal so that the ATT blue-chip can face lesser competition that matches his experience level During his quick ascent in the UFC, Nickal called out the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Israel Adesanya, and Dricus du Plessis for future fights it’s clear that Nickal has a ways to go before making the case to compete against the top middleweights As Nickal processes suffering from the jaws of defeat for the first time he’ll look to bounce back in his next fight later this year More eyes will likely pay attention to Nickal’s MMA return and how he handles a rare case of adversity A post shared by Mikey Brown (@mikebrownmma) Baseball America’s Hot Sheet ranks the 20 hottest prospects from the previous week This week’s installment considers how minor league players performed through May 4 Contributing this week were Baseball America staffers Josh Norris The Hot Sheet simply recognizes how the hottest prospects in the minors did in the past week—it’s not a re-ranking of the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects We host our weekly Hot Sheet Show on YouTube at 3 p.m We’ll also be answering prospect questions in our weekly Hot Sheet chat on Tuesdays at 2 p.m The Scoop: The kid is all right. Wait, scratch that. The kid is more than all right. He’s spectacular. In fact, he’s exactly the type of player who might one day reign as the best prospect in the sport De Vries is the youngest player in the Midwest League by nearly a year He’s already had a cycle and two home runs he went 22 plate appearances without striking out he swung and missed just four times all series At the close of Fort Wayne’s week against Dayton De Vries was leading the Midwest League in slugging (.593) and OPS The Scoop: After muddling through the season’s first month which was second-most in all of Double-A that day Whitman was the highest-ranked southpaw in his draft class two seasons ago and he’s flashed his potential in fits and starts along the way including a pair of eight-punchout efforts last summer between the Class A levels those outings pale in comparison to his turn this past week which was the best of his professional career The Scoop: It’s been an excellent opening month for the Mariners slugger as his seven home runs rank fourth in all of MiLB Montes reached base in all six games while registering three multi-hit efforts Montes is hitting .278/.418/.629 on the season and leads the Northwest League in OPS The Scoop: When the Twins drafted DeBarge last year in the supplemental first round, much of his profile was reminiscent of Luke Keaschall The Twins have made him even more of a Keaschall clone by playing him all around the field DeBarge has driven in a run in eight consecutive games The Scoop: With a pair of strong outings against Jacksonville this week, Seymour has overtaken Sean Liñan for the overall minor league lead in strikeouts The lefthander punched out eight hitters over five innings in a Sunday matinee bookending a series he’d started with six innings of three-hit shutout ball Seymour has done his work without making radar guns break a sweat None of his pitches in either outing topped 93 mph and just three even reached that threshold The Scoop: With Nick Kurtz settling in at the major league level in West Sacramento Thomas is becoming Las Vegas’ new resident power hitter The 24-year-old had four multi-hit games last week and flexed his 60-grade power by launching a 471-foot homer to dead center field There is no doubt Thomas has the hit tools—he had one of the fastest bat speeds in the entire A’s system last year—to succeed in the majors he is coming off back-to-back seasons recording at least 140 strikeouts and he already has 36 strikeouts to 10 walks this year Cleaning up his plate discipline a bit should help him when the A’s feel like he’s ready for the next level The Scoop: It had been a while since Caglianone left the yard—not since April 19 to be exact What better way to reintroduce his immense power than by going deep in back-to-back games maybe 15 days between homers isn’t necessarily a long time but Caglianone’s 70-grade power holds him to a high standard And every time he sends a ball out of the park Caglianone has proven to be an all-around advanced hitter with his .314 batting average in Double-A It seems like he’s already outgrown the level and is ready for a promotion to Triple-A He’s also started four games in the outfield which should help his case to arrive in the majors sooner rather than later considering that is a weak spot for the Royals but this week’s start by Chandler seemed almost routine He touched 100 mph while sitting 98 with a seemingly unhittable fastball Chandler got 12 whiffs out of 36 four-seam fastballs The Pirates are still being very careful with Chandler’s workload—his 71 pitches in this week’s start was the most this season—but that’s pretty much the only quibble with what’s been an exceptional first six starts in which he’s gone 2-0 The Scoop: White’s week ended on a down note as he was placed on the seven-day injured list after leaving Saturday’s game having crashed into the wall chasing a foul ball But that was the only rough moment of his week He has just five strikeouts during his hit streak Tommy Tanks has been more of Tommy Line Drives with just three home runs so far this year but he’s shown a polished approach that is producing hits in bunches 11. George Lombard Jr. The Scoop: Lombard Jr.’s ascension in the Yankees system stands out as one of the most remarkable developments among this year’s prospects. There was plenty of praise about him during spring training, and it carried into the regular season. Following a scorching stretch at High-A Hudson Valley, the Yankees have decided to promote him to Double-A Somerset posted an eye-catching line of .329/.495/.488 showcasing elite plate discipline with more walks (23) than strikeouts (22) He departs the South Atlantic League ranked among the top four in batting average and OPS—a testament to his advanced approach and consistent production at the plate there is still plenty of room for growth for the son of former major leaguer George Lombard The Scoop: Ingle got off to a slow start this year which is surprising considering he’s one of the better pure-hitting catchers in the minors This past week did a good job bringing his performance back to normal Ingle did give up five steals in five attempts in a game this week he’s continued to make strides defensively this year and his seven wild pitches allowed are among the best in the Eastern League for everyday catchers 13. Trey Yesavage getting upwards of 20 inches of induced vertical break consistently He generated 13 swinging strikes in the outing and nine ground balls The Scoop: With the reduction of the MLB Draft to 20 rounds and liberalized NCAA transfer rules D-II and D-III players who jump straight from those levels to the minors has been reduced a star at San Diego’s D-II Point Loma Nazarene has clawed through the undrafted free agent ranks to knock on the door of the minors and he’s been one of the better hitters in the International League The Scoop: White Sox general manager Chris Getz was high on Perez’s advanced zone awareness and bat-to-ball skills when he was acquired from the Dodgers in a three-team deal at last year’s trade deadline Perez offered a glimpse of that offensive potential—and then some—by flashing serious power He launched four home runs over the stretch including a two-homer performance on Wednesday signaling that his hit tool might come with plenty of thump just three shy of matching his career high The Scoop: Tavera was issued a $1.7 million bonus when he signed in January 2022 He performed solidly in 2022 and 2023 but had an atrocious 2024 in which he hit .173 between the Florida Complex League and Low-A He got off to another slow start this season but perhaps a spike in production at the end of April and heading into May can turn things around for the once-promising international prospect Tavera’s best game of the season came on Tuesday when he went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and two walks 18. Mikey Romero Romero had home runs in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday and has shown good power production this season The infielder is now hitting .267/.370/.535 with five homers and ranks eighth in the Eastern League in OPS The Scoop: Hardin is yet another find by the Brewers’ amateur team as the righthander was picked in the 12th round of last July’s draft After spending nearly all of his time at Mississippi State as a reliever Hardin has seamlessly made the transition to starting Hardin has allowed two earned runs while striking out 29 batters to four walks sitting 94-95 mph from a 5-foot-3 release height and generating a flat plane of approach and he also mixes in a low-to-mid-80s sweeper and changeup Hardin is one of the biggest pop-up prospects of the season’s opening month The Scoop: The bulk of Ritchie’s professional career has been spent rehabbing Tommy John surgery he had in 2023. Fully removed from the injury and its recovery process, the righthander from the Pacific Northwest is shining. He opened eyes in both Atlanta’s Spring Breakout game and subsequent outings on the backfields and now is continuing to mow down hitters in the regular season He shackled Hub City in two starts this past week four-hit gem with six strikeouts and a walk in his Tuesday turn He’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his six starts this season with Jump going the distance as he retired eight of the final nine batters he faced Jump has sat 95-96 mph this season with 18-19 inches of induced vertical break from a 5-foot-7 release height He mixes a slider and curveball as his primary secondaries Gonzalez is one of this season’s fastest risers He’s also one of this season’s fastest runners The 19-year-old burner put together a strong first stateside season—spent mostly in the Arizona Complex League but also including a cameo at Double-A Northwest Arkansas—and finished with 23 stolen bases in 45 games Gonzalez already has 31 stolen bases in 26 games Chandler Simpson had 27 steals in 31 tries we could be looking at a second straight MiLB season with the steals leader breaching triple-digits whose .404 batting average and .513 on-base percentage were the best in the minor leagues Now they want to accentuate the 2024 fourth-rounder’s speed and defense Welcome to 2025 Triple Crown Prospect Profiles – updated after the first jewel of the Triple Crown from the previous title of Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles – where we’ll take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown trail This week’s profile, of course, is Sovereignty, the 1 ½-length winner of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve May 3 at Churchill Downs let’s take a closer look at Sovereignty and how he might fit for both races Sovereignty has been a top 3-year-old pretty much from the start of the year He ran fourth in his debut in a sprint in August 2024 at Saratoga Race Course, ran second in a one-mile maiden race five weeks later at Belmont at the Big A, and had a coming-out party in his first start around two turns when winning the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes by five lengths Oct Sovereignty scorched his final three eighths of a mile in :36.74 to give every indication that he was a serious racehorse and his star has continued to rise as a 3-year-old Mott had Sovereignty ready to fire on Kentucky Derby day on a track he had shown an affinity for and with an extra eighth of a mile for his closing bid He completed his final three-eighths of a mile in :37.75 and his final furlong in :12.71 to outfinish favorite Journalism completing the 1 ¼ miles in 2:02.31 on a sealed sloppy track He improved to three wins and two seconds in six career starts and earned his first Grade 1 win in U.S he was traveling beautifully,” winning jockey Junior Alvarado said after Sovereignty rallied from 16th of 19 starters to prevail “When we hit the five-eighths pole he said he was ready I got him in the clear and he showed his stuff Speed Figures: Sovereignty needed to take a step forward in terms of speed figures to win the Kentucky Derby and he did so recording a new career-best Equibase and Beyer Speed Figure He improved four points from his previous best to a 103 Equibase Speed Figure and recorded a nine-point Beyer improvement to a 104 If he can duplicate that effort on two weeks rest in the Preakness or on five weeks of rest in the Belmont Stakes Sovereignty is dependent on multiple variables out of his control He benefitted from a fast pace in the Kentucky Derby but he was forced very wide in the stretch Ground loss is better than getting stopped behind a wall of fading horses and Sovereignty sustained his rally from the turn through the finish line Pimlico has a reputation as being kind to speed horses Last year’s Preakness winner Seize the Grey led from start to finish and six of the last 16 Preakness winners led after a half-mile The only deep closer to win the Preakness in the last 16 years was Exaggerator in 2016 so Sovereignty’s running style could hurt his Preakness chances The 1 ¼-mile Belmont Stakes at Saratoga last year was won by a runner who was second in the early stages but it’s not fair to predict if there is any type of preferred style off of one edition of the race at Saratoga Sovereignty should have no problem with 1 3/16 miles for the Preakness and 1 ¼ miles for the Belmont Stakes – he just won the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby There also is a strong chance he continues to improve with age and experience Sovereignty might just be figuring things out Triple Crown Potential: Ten years ago, American Pharoah ended a 37-year drought by sweeping the Triple Crown. Justify followed suit in 2018 Could Sovereignty become the 14th Triple Crown winner There is a reason Triple Crown winners are so rare: it’s incredibly hard to win three races against elite competition in five weeks the second (Preakness) coming on a short turnaround with two weeks rest There will be new shooters in the Preakness Stakes, like speedy Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino winner Rodriguez Other Derby runners will rest up for the Belmont Stakes five weeks later Should Sovereignty win the Preakness – and there is no guarantee as of this writing he will even return in two weeks – he would have a host of rested contenders from the Kentucky Derby and beyond waiting to play spoiler in the Belmont Stakes is very unlikely against what looks like a quality group of 3-year-olds The Preakness would be a difficult assignment for a deep closer like Sovereignty unless he gets a fast pace in the race or he can track a little closer to the front. If Mott and owner-breeder Godolphin opt to skip the Preakness in favor of the Belmont Stakes Sovereignty would be very tough to beat in his current form on five weeks of rest I’d love to see a Sovereignty-Journalism rematch in the Preakness Stakes for the milestone 150th edition but for now we wait to see how the field develops and whether or not there will be the chance for a Triple Crown sweep should Sovereignty take his talents to Baltimore A Beginner’s Guide to the 150th Edition of the Preakness Stakes Sunday Silence: The Star No One Wanted 2025 Triple Crown Prospect Profiles: Evaluating Sovereignty’s Chances in Preakness, Belmont Stakes Ten Unforgettable Kentucky Derby Upsets A Beginner’s Guide to the 2025 Kentucky Derby Sixteen Things to Know About the Kentucky Derby 2021 Kentucky Derby Cheat Sheet Preakness Quick Sheet: Get to Know the 2021 Preakness Horses Get to Know All 13 U.S. Triple Crown Winners Wagering Menus, Post Times Set for Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan Cards at Pimlico NBC Sports Reports Largest Kentucky Derby Audience Since 1989 Five Takeaways You Need to Know From an Action-Packed Kentucky Derby Weekend The Loan Programs Office is one of the most successful government agencies in history—or it was until Elon Musk arrived benefited from financing from the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office One of the hidden gems of American government is a small division of the Department of Energy called the Loan Programs Office This is a government bank that hands out loans to companies with business plans that go beyond the technological frontier Commercial banks will generally not loan to such companies—as a rule private bankers want something that is already proven to work—so the LPO helps such entrepreneurs get from the drawing board to producing and selling an actual product The LPO has funded thousands of successful projects to the first new nuclear power plant in decades with just a few hundred staffers running a fund of more than $400 billion Almost all of these projects are successfully paying back their loans For any government—and especially the American one with its underfunded and sclerotic agencies—this counts as a smashing success More from Ryan Cooper a government bank should arguably have a lot more failures than this The fact that nearly all of the LPO’s investments are successfully paid back tends to indicate that it is being quite conservative in its risk assessments—probably a defensive reaction to Republican attacks But the whole point of a government bank is it can accept a lot more risk than private banks moon-shot ideas with a higher risk of failure but a chance for a much larger success At any rate, all that is beside the point. Yet another highly successful government agency is being illegally destroyed by an unelected billionaire and his pack of teenybopper fascist criminals The main difference between this and similar efforts to destroy the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—in this supposed cost-cutting exercise—is that the LPO makes a fair bit of money The estimated $500 billion in additional federal debt brought about by DOGE gutting the IRS will only get bigger by taking the LPO off the board Alternatively, we could simply impose confiscatory taxation on all rich people government should be careful about how it is enabling private companies but not if it ends up destroying democracy Ryan Cooper is the Prospect’s managing editor and author of ‘How Are You Going to Pay for That?: Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics.’ He was previously a national correspondent for The Week Follow live coverage of the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery today Today is a quick update of my 2025 NHL Draft big board ahead of the draft lottery and with the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championships concluded although the top of the draft remains mostly unchanged Despite this draft being led by a defenseman at No this class is known for its forward depth (and lack thereof on defense) especially at center with several premium center prospects in this class Ranked players are placed into tiers and given tool grades Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor “Average” on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor Player comparables are my best attempt at giving readers an idea of what I think these prospects could realistically become in the NHL (Photos of Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa: Mathias Bergeld / Sipa via AP Images and Dennis Pajot / Getty Images) Corey Pronman is the senior NHL prospects writer for The Athletic. Previously, Corey worked in a similar role at ESPN. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreypronman as infielder Jordan Lawlar was named the Pacific Coast League's Player of the Month for April 2025 Lawlar slashed .408/.487/.748 with six home runs Among players in the Pacific Coast League with 100 plate appearances this season Lawlar has been arguably the best offensive player statistically he leads the league in batting average (.357) His 12 stolen bases rank second behind Oklahoma City's Hyeseong Kim's 13 It's great that Arizona's top prospect has gotten off to a strong start to the season He missed much of the 2024 season due to thumb and hamstring injuries He's making up for lost time with his hot start and hopefully the reps gained from this year will allow him to be more prepared for his next big league stint he was optioned to Triple-A Reno due to a lack of consistent everyday opportunities at the major league level and Eugenio Suárez established at the three infield spots there wasn't any playing time left for Lawlar Lawlar has played half his time at second base 15 of his 30 starts have come at that position as the team tries to find more creative ways to possibly fit him on the major league roster While Lawlar has taken to the new position fairly well he was passed up for a promotion opportunity in favor of Tim Tawa when Marte hit the injured list to a hamstring injury April 5 At that juncture Lawlar had only three games played at second base in his professional career Lawlar wasn't the only prospect to get accolades Right-handed pitcher Dylan Ray was named the Texas League Player of the Week for April 28-May 4 Ray fired six scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and eight strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Midland Cardinal Robert Prevost with Pope Francis in 2013 Credit: Vatican Media.While Prevost reportedly has high-profile advocates among the cardinals the prospect of a Prevost papacy is also prompting pushback And as cardinals tell The Pillar they’re aiming for a pontiff unsullied by the prospect of scandal it is not clear whether the allegations and reports about Prevost’s leadership will prove a deterrent to the prospect of his election or whether cardinals will consider them a kind of weaponized smear campaign against a candidate in the mold of Pope Francis is the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops a high-profile position that’s made him known to cardinals from around the planet and which has put him in fairly regular contact with many of them as an American who spent the whole of his episcopal ministry in South America sources have told The Pillar that Prevost is regarded by some electors as having a now-desired Western approach to management and governance without the perceived limited ecclesial vision often attributed to American bishops As the prospect of electing the cardinal to the papacy has made headlines in recent days Prevost has reportedly gained support from two-high profile advocates urging votes his way reported in Italian and Spanish-language media the 82-old-year Honduran cardinal who is widely credited with helping to see Francis elected in 2013 and who is also regarded as responsible for the meteoric 2014 rise of Cardinal Blase Cupich to become Archbishop of Chicago and later a key member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops But as Maradiaga and Pierre seemingly urge votes toward Prevost abuse advocates are raising concerns about the cardinal’s candidacy suggesting that Prevost’s handling of abuse cases should disqualify him from office Among the cases flagged by advocates are charges that Prevost’s former Diocese of Chiclayo has been accused of mishandling clerical allegations made by three sisters, who say that in 2022, when they reported abuse in the diocese, Prevost failed to open an investigation into the claims. They also charge that documentation sent to Rome on the case was purposely designed to look inadequate so as to prevent action on the case The Diocese of Chiclayo has maintained that the accusations had been handled according to canonical norms and in line with Church policy - that Cardinal Prevost had met with the young women in April 2022 and encouraged them to take their case to the civil authorities while opening an initial canonical investigation The diocese further said that the results of their initial investigation were sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith along with notice that the civil investigation had been shelved for lack of evidence and because the statute of limitations had expired But in a statement published last September the three alleged victims claim that there had been no investigation or at least nothing substantial or serious it was tailored to be considered insufficient and not merit the opening of a full penal canonical investigation “We strenuously deny the existence of any ‘initial investigation’ during the tenure of Mons Robert Francis Prevost Martínez OSA,” they said we point to the non-existence of any decree ordering the opening of an investigation or of any decree issuing precautionary measures.” we were never called by any investigator to make any deposition,” they state noting that they are referring specifically to the period between April 2022 and November 2023 when one alleged victim went public with her allegations The women also claim that they were never offered any psychological support They also point to what they say is a legal error in the diocesan statement which claims that the civil case was thrown out for lack of evidence — the sisters say that the only reason given by the civil authorities was that the statute of limitations had expired with no reference made to a supposed lack of evidence the victims claimed that an accused priest admitted guilt to Prevost directly compounding the charges that Prevost had mishandled the case Leave a comment Another case — first reported by The Pillar in 2021 — has also drawn attention amid Prevost’s candidacy In 2000, Prevost allowed a Chicago archdiocesan priest who sexually abused minors to live in an Augustinian rectory around the corner from a Catholic school — in a residence Cardinal Blase Cupich later said was not appropriate for priests accused of abuse. in September 2000, Fr. James Ray was permitted to live at St. John Stone Friary, a house of the Chicago province of the Augustinian religious order. The friary is half a block from a parish elementary school. According to diocesan records, the move required approval by Prevost, who was then an Augustinian provincial superior. A July 2000 memo from a Chicago archdiocesan official indicates that the Augustinians at the friary said they would permit Ray to rent rooms in the building after they received permission from their provincial superior, Prevost. Ray actually moved in two months later. The friary was the second choice of a residence for Ray, who was required to move in 2000 because of the pending sale of the diocesan property where he had been living under supervision. The first rectory proposed for his residence was rejected by the archdiocesan review board because it was on the same property as a parish school. Archdiocesan records say the Augustinian residence was considered suitable for Ray because “there is no school in the immediate area.” In fact, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic elementary school is less than a block from the residence. But there is no record that archdiocesan officials who visited the site or Augustinian leaders raised that as a concern, even though a Catholic school principal had warned the archdiocese years earlier that Ray sometimes took children out of class, and that he was “touchytender” with some students. When the Augustinians permitted Ray to live at the friary, records indicate they understood at least summarily what accusations the priest faced. Augustinian leaders met with diocesan officials to discuss Ray’s background, and an Augustinian in residence at the house agreed to monitor the priest’s compliance with the restrictions of his ministry set by the archdiocese, including that he not be alone with children. But administrators at St. Thomas the Apostle School were not notified that a priest accused of serial sexually abusing children was living in proximity to the parish elementary school, that he should not be allowed to help out in the school or parish, or that he was not permitted to be alone with children. —To date, Prevost has declined comment on the Chicago situation, giving no indication of regret for the decision, or indicating how he might have handled it differently. On the Peruvian charges, the cardinal has pointed to a defense made by the diocese, suggesting that Prevost took the necessary canonical steps to address the allegations raised against him. For their part, victims’ advocates have in recent days called attention to the cases in Rome, urging the College of Cardinals to choose someone as pope who is seemingly less connected to the prospect of negligence or cover-up with regard to abuse. But it’s not clear whether those concerns are being heard by cardinals — and the complexity of the Peruvian situation has likely caused some cardinals to throw their hands up over the whole thing, suggesting that the truth can’t be furrowed out ahead of the conclave. Some cardinals have also expressed their view that in 2025, no prelate who has been a diocesan bishop is exempt from criticism over his handling of abuse cases, and some have raised concern about the prospect that information about Prevost is being weaponized by his perceived ideological enemies. Indeed, it is likely the case that in the run-up to the conclave, some media outlets are highlighting charges of negligence or cover-up connected to ideological opponents, and downplaying allegations of perceived allies. But abuse advocates themselves say they have no party in inter-ecclesiastical spats, they want only confidence that the next pope will act with integrity — and without personal bias — in handling clerical abuse cases around the world. And some have said Prevost’s record should give the cardinals pause. Advocates especially note that after Francis gained a reputation for protecting friends and allies from abuse charges, the perception of integrity should be a critical factor in assessing the next pontiff. That, they say, is the only way to see meaningful reform on clerical abuse and neglect across the Church. Advocates will continue to make those points over the next days, before the cardinals go into the conclave and make decisions among themselves. But what that will mean for Prevost remains to be seen. ReplyShare35 more comments...LatestNo posts As the Church\u2019s College of Cardinals prepare to enter the papal conclave Wednesday, American Cardinal Robert Prevost is reportedly among the prelates most-discussed for election to the papal office. And as cardinals tell The Pillar they\u2019re aiming for a pontiff unsullied by the prospect of scandal it is not clear whether the allegations and reports about Prevost\u2019s leadership will prove a deterrent to the prospect of his election a high-profile position that\u2019s made him known to cardinals from around the planet and later a key member of the Vatican\u2019s Dicastery for Bishops abuse advocates are raising concerns about the cardinal\u2019s candidacy suggesting that Prevost\u2019s handling of abuse cases should disqualify him from office Among the cases flagged by advocates are charges that Prevost\u2019s former Diocese of Chiclayo has been accused of mishandling clerical allegations made by three sisters, who say that in 2022, when they reported abuse in the diocese, Prevost failed to open an investigation into the claims. \u201CWe strenuously deny the existence of any \u2018initial investigation\u2019 during the tenure of Mons Robert Francis Prevost Mart\u00EDnez OSA,\u201D they said or of any decree issuing precautionary measures.\u201D we were never called by any investigator to make any deposition,\u201D they state which claims that the civil case was thrown out for lack of evidence \u2014 the sisters say that the only reason given by the civil authorities was that the statute of limitations had expired Leave a comment Another case \u2014 first reported by The Pillar in 2021 \u2014 has also drawn attention amid Prevost\u2019s candidacy In 2000, Prevost allowed a Chicago archdiocesan priest who sexually abused minors to live in an Augustinian rectory around the corner from a Catholic school \u2014 in a residence Cardinal Blase Cupich later said was not appropriate for priests accused of abuse. a house of the Chicago province of the Augustinian religious order The friary is half a block from a parish elementary school who was then an Augustinian provincial superior According to diocesan records reviewed by The Pillar Ray had been restricted in ministry for nine years by 2000 and had been accused multiple times of sexually abusing boys He had admitted to bringing at least one boy to sleep in his rectory bed but said of one allegation that he \u201Cdid not recall\u201D having sexually assaulted a child with whom he admitted to having \u201Ccuddled.\u201D Ray did admit to diocesan officials that in 1993 he engaged in sexual activity with a man while on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje a supposed Marian apparition site in Croatia A July 2000 memo from a Chicago archdiocesan official indicates that the Augustinians at the friary said they would permit Ray to rent rooms in the building after they received permission from their provincial superior The friary was the second choice of a residence for Ray who was required to move in 2000 because of the pending sale of the diocesan property where he had been living under supervision The first rectory proposed for his residence was rejected by the archdiocesan review board because it was on the same property as a parish school Archdiocesan records say the Augustinian residence was considered suitable for Ray because \u201Cthere is no school in the immediate area.\u201D Thomas the Apostle Catholic elementary school is less than a block from the residence But there is no record that archdiocesan officials who visited the site or Augustinian leaders raised that as a concern even though a Catholic school principal had warned the archdiocese years earlier that Ray sometimes took children out of class and that he was \u201Ctouchytender\u201D with some students When the Augustinians permitted Ray to live at the friary records indicate they understood at least summarily what accusations the priest faced Augustinian leaders met with diocesan officials to discuss Ray\u2019s background and an Augustinian in residence at the house agreed to monitor the priest\u2019s compliance with the restrictions of his ministry set by the archdiocese including that he not be alone with children Thomas the Apostle School were not notified that a priest accused of serial sexually abusing children was living in proximity to the parish elementary school that he should not be allowed to help out in the school or parish or that he was not permitted to be alone with children Prevost has declined comment on the Chicago situation giving no indication of regret for the decision or indicating how he might have handled it differently the cardinal has pointed to a defense made by the diocese suggesting that Prevost took the necessary canonical steps to address the allegations raised against him victims\u2019 advocates have in recent days called attention to the cases in Rome urging the College of Cardinals to choose someone as pope who is seemingly less connected to the prospect of negligence or cover-up with regard to abuse But it\u2019s not clear whether those concerns are being heard by cardinals \u2014 and the complexity of the Peruvian situation has likely caused some cardinals to throw their hands up over the whole thing suggesting that the truth can\u2019t be furrowed out ahead of the conclave Some cardinals have also expressed their view that in 2025 no prelate who has been a diocesan bishop is exempt from criticism over his handling of abuse cases and some have raised concern about the prospect that information about Prevost is being weaponized by his perceived ideological enemies it is likely the case that in the run-up to the conclave some media outlets are highlighting charges of negligence or cover-up connected to ideological opponents and downplaying allegations of perceived allies But abuse advocates themselves say they have no party in inter-ecclesiastical spats they want only confidence that the next pope will act with integrity \u2014 and without personal bias \u2014 in handling clerical abuse cases around the world And some have said Prevost\u2019s record should give the cardinals pause Advocates especially note that after Francis gained a reputation for protecting friends and allies from abuse charges the perception of integrity should be a critical factor in assessing the next pontiff is the only way to see meaningful reform on clerical abuse and neglect across the Church Advocates will continue to make those points over the next days before the cardinals go into the conclave and make decisions among themselves But what that will mean for Prevost remains to be seen Subscribe now ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneyMeet Jac Caglianone, The Kansas City Royals’ Roof-Top Power ProspectByChuck Murr The Royals knew they needed a slugger like that when they drafted him No They know it now as they rank tied for 28th among 30 MLB teams in home runs this season And that is only after crunching seven homers Sunday in Baltimore AZ: Kansas City Royals prospect Jac Caglianone of the Suprise Saguaros bats during the 2024 .. More Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby at Sloan Park on Nov (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) They know it as they have watched Caglianone bat .314 with 6 doubles 6 homers and 27 RBI in 27 games at Northwest Arkansas of the Double-A Texas League in 2025 The organization also knows it does not want to rush him to the big leagues and potentially stymie or even ruin a blossoming career It’s a tough decision for General Manager J.J After sending Caglianone to the minor-league camp in March he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com: “Just because he’s not on our Opening Day roster doesn’t mean we’re not going to be open-minded to him being on the team at some point I think he’s going to be a fast mover to the Major Leagues It’s just a matter of when we feel secure that when he comes up we have less doubt about having to option him back “You can see why our scouts felt so good about him and are so high on him He just needs to keep building that foundation to become a ready Major League hitter KANSAS CITY: Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals hits a two run home run against the Cleveland .. former Royals all-star first baseman Eric Hosmer said the time is now This dude is straight up dominating the minor leagues right now.” Picollo told Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star: “When it comes to Jac Caglianone’s development and the right way isn’t to fire guys into the big leagues but in the best interest of the organization and Jac In 165 games over three years at the University of Florida 250-pound first baseman clouted 75 homers with 189 RBI and a .355 average He also had a 12-6 record in 34 starts as a pitcher with a 97-mph fastball He struck out 170 in 148 1/3 career innings for the Gators FL: First baseman Jac Caglianone of the Florida Gators celebrates hitting a home run .. More against the Florida State Seminoles on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium on April 9 He got a whopping $7,497,500 to sign as a two-way player but he has not taken the mound as a professional His long arms generate immense power from a smooth he mashed one ball with an exit velocity over 121 mph Such swings are prone to a lot of swing and miss Caglianone’s profile is similar to Nick Kurtz, recently called up by the Athletics. Kurtz was picked two spots ahead of him last July Both bring comparisons to big lefty sluggers who were alternately stars and disasters at the big-league level Caglianone is not fast but displays good agility around the first-base bag He has played four games in right field this year fielding all 11 of his chances with no errors AZ: Jac Caglianone of the Surprise Saguaros fields a grounder at first base against the .. The ability to play right field may ultimately be Caglianone’s ticket to The Show it is probably keeping him from arriving in Kansas City right away In addition to adjusting to the rigors of pro ball and facing better pitching he needs much more than four games at a new position to be MLB-ready Vinnie Pasquantino was expected to be a big run-producer at age 27 at first base after hitting 19 homers with 97 RBI in 2024 The lefty is batting only .197 with 6 homers particularly with veteran catcher Salvador Perez getting some time there to rest his 35-year-old legs has played the most in right field this season and been brutal: a .160 average 21 overall and is batting .282 but with only 1 homer of the Kansas City Royals dives into third for an RBI triple against the .. More Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on June 30 Kansas City has won 11 of its last 13 games a good bullpen made stronger by the recent acquisition of closer Carlos Estevez – and one of the most exciting players in the game in star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr Royals management is going to have to decipher if the risk of bringing up Caglianone “too soon” outweighs the potential reward if he succeeds – or in a less-favorable scenario experiences possible failure that would delay his career development Jac Caglianone could be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out on a return trip the Royals finished tied for second with the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central to the Cleveland Guardians The Tigers currently lead Cleveland by 1½ games and the Royals by 3 I don't know how much longer the Phillies can keep Otto Kemp down in Lehigh Valley before he forces his way onto the big league club Bateman among 6 early-season prospect standoutsMay 5th Last summer, as they traded a handful of upper-level prospects amid a flurry of moves, the Padres were tasked with rebuilding their farm system from the lower levels They’ve done it before A number of early-season standouts in San Diego's farm system come from the lower levels of the Minor Leagues With one month of Minor League Baseball in the books here’s a look at six Padres standout prospects (with all stats entering play Sunday): 1. SS (Padres No. 1 prospect, No. 16 overall) What a start. Before the season there was buzz about the 18-year-old De Vries emerging as a candidate to be the sport’s top overall prospect entering 2026. He’s done nothing to discourage that buzz. De Vries turned in perhaps the Minor League game of the season hitting for the cycle with two home runs a couple weeks ago in Lansing He’s batting .308 with a .998 OPS at High-A Fort Wayne The Padres held tightly to De Vries through numerous trade possibilities -- and they might soon reap the rewards of that decision 2. LHP (Padres No. 5 prospect) The 6-foot-8 Bateman was selected in the second round of last summer’s Draft and didn’t appear in games last year He’s making his pro debut this season at Single-A Lake Elsinore -- and he’s off to quite a start Bateman has a 3.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings he twirled six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed His fastball/slider combo already looks lethal 3. RHP (Padres No. 12 prospect) Baez was added to the 40-man roster in November He’s justified that decision already this season Baez has a 3.18 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and 27 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings Recent reports are that his fastball is hitting 98 mph and the 22-year-old righty will put himself in the mix as a depth option for a callup this season the three others who were Rule 5 protected last year -- Omar Cruz Ryan Bergert and Tirso Ornelas -- have already received callups in 2025.) 4. RHP (Padres No. 15 prospect) Another Padres Draft pick from last summer Neighbors has been brilliant for High-A Fort Wayne spanning 11 2/3 innings -- and he’s already punched out 22 hitters Drafted out of Kansas State in the fourth round last year Neighbors has been given save opportunities with Fort Wayne -- and Padres evaluators have come away hugely impressed with his demeanor in that role 5. RHP Enmanuel Pinales (unranked) But he’s been dominant all season -- and probably won’t be at High-A much longer The right-hander has made five starts for the TinCaps posting a 1.40 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a .184 batting average against when he posted a 3.49 mark with Fort Wayne But he’s taken further steps this year -- with his fastball velocity up a tick or two and two distinct breaking pitches which have kept High-A hitters off-balance It's probably time for his next challenge Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball 6. RHP (unranked) Morgan’s excellent start to the season earned him a callup to the big league bullpen though he was sent down on Sunday as the Padres returned to their five-man rotation by calling up Stephen Kolek Morgan made seven appearances with Double-A San Antonio spanning 8 2/3 innings with a whopping 19-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio in that span He didn’t get a chance for his big league debut in his brief stint in the Majors But now that he’s been added to the 40-man roster the hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander will presumably be back soon enough Chandler dominated Triple-A batters throughout April while posting 27 strikeouts and holding opposing hitters to a .106 batting average He also led all International League pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched with a 0.64 WHIP plus batting average and fewest hits allowed and was third in ERA Chandler is the first Indianapolis pitcher that earned International League monthly honors since Zach Duke did so in 2005 He also excelled in his most recent start on the road vs the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals He allowed just three hit and an earned run over five innings while posting a season-high nine strikeouts Chandler has dominated since coming up to Triple-A in early August 2024 a 1.67 ERA over 64.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts He is the top rated prospect in the Pirates farm system and No. 13 overall, according to MLB Pipeline while posting 30 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .132 in the month of April He dominated again in his most recent start on May 3 vs the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians while posting five strikeouts over five innings Barco set a franchise record with the longest scoreless inning streak to start a season at 25.2 innings pitched He is one of two qualified pitchers in the minor leagues with a 0.00 ERA his 11 hits allowed rank second least for a pitcher with at least 25.2 innings pitched and he ranks both seventh in batting average Barco also reportedly earned promotion to Indianapolis where he will likely join Chandler for a short period of time before Chandler makes it up to the MLB with the Pirates Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates DOMINIC CAMPBELL but the pitching staff has been the star of the show 10th in WHIP (1.23) and ninth in opponent batting average (.233) The bullpen has been a little bit better than the starters but there have been a few pitchers struggling Lou Trivino is one of those relievers that has not pitched great The veteran reliever has a 6.35 ERA through 11.1 innings pitched while his ERA+ is well below average at 62 the Giants DFA'd Trivino to bring back their former top prospect Lou Trivino was DFA’d to clear a roster spot Harrison was 97-98 mph in his last Triple-A start Harrison has been pitching great in Triple-A, and he recently saw an uptick in his velocity. In six starts for the Sacramento River Cats, Harrison has a 3.46 ERA, 38 strikeouts and just eight walks through 26.0 innings pitched. Per Pavlovic, the plan for Harrison is to use him out of the bullpen. With his recent increase in velocity, Harrison can be valuable at any point in the game. Giants plan is to have Kyle Harrison in their bullpen. Velocity has gotten better and better in recent weeks and he had 38 strikeouts in 26 innings in Triple-A. Also gives them some needed coverage as they head back out on the road. The former third-round pick can still be used as a starter, despite the plan to have him come out of the bullpen. With both Harrison and Hayden Birdsong on the Major League roster, San Francisco has two good options they can slot into their starting rotation. In terms of their starting rotation, the Giants have three pitchers that are going to be mainstays. Those three are Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander. They are all throwing the ball well enough to be locked into the rotation. Jordan Hicks and Landen Roupp are the two current starters that could see their spot taken. Hicks has a 6.07 ERA through seven starts. He has thrown 37.1 innings, allowed opponents to hit .267 off him, and he has struck out 34 while walking 15 batters. His last two starts have been pretty good, but the move to bring Harrison back to Oracle Park shows San Francisco could be getting impatient. Roupp, on the other hand, has allowed opponents to hit .294 off him this season, but his ERA is a little bit better than Hicks' at 5.10. The right-hander has struck out 35 batters and walked 14, as well. Both Hicks and Roupp can be replaced as starting pitchers. Harrison has shown a lot of improvement in the minor leagues to begin the year. Now that he is in the Majors, San Francisco is hoping he will be able to hold the same velocity and give them the same production. 2 prospect Mayo for return to MajorsUrías (right hamstring strain) becomes 14th Baltimore player on injured listMay 4th BALTIMORE -- feels he has proven all he can in the Orioles’ farm system “I think I’ve done a really good job of being a really good Minor League player,” Mayo said He entered in the seventh inning and went 0-for-2 Mayo took the roster spot of infielder Ramón Urías who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain after getting scratched from Friday's lineup Urías became the MLB-high 14th player on Baltimore’s IL which features such other key position players as infielder Jordan Westburg (left hamstring strain) and outfielders Colton Cowser (left thumb fracture) and Tyler O’Neill (neck inflammation) Upon reaching the Majors for the first time in 2024 Mayo went 4-for-41 (.098) with no extra-base hits over two stints with the O’s (Aug Mayo hit .190 (8-for-42) with three doubles and three RBIs in 17 Grapefruit League games he went 7-for-19 (.368) over his final eight contests That wasn’t enough to push his way onto a crowded MLB roster as the Orioles optioned the 2020 fourth-round Draft pick on March 18 Mayo had been playing well at Triple-A, where he batted .252 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs, 22 RBIs and an .869 OPS over 28 games for Norfolk He didn’t start Saturday as he didn’t find out the news of his promotion until 11:45 a.m “I think he was really pressing in Spring Training and trying way too hard,” manager Brandon Hyde said “Sounds like he’s hitting the ball hard down there.” General manager Mike Elias said on Friday that Mayo was “really close” to a big league return “I’m really happy with where he is,” Elias said “It seems like he’s in a good spot -- the production that we’re seeing out of him He’s going to be a big part of this team.” If Mayo’s hitting and power tools begin to translate to the big leagues he could quickly become a big boost to an Orioles offense that could use more production amid the team’s 13-19 start Baltimore ranks last in MLB in batting average (.174) and OPS (.490) vs The right-handed-hitting Mayo was 9-for-17 (.529) with two doubles four home runs and nine RBIs against lefties at Triple-A this season “That can be a big role for me in my career just a really good hitter in general,” Mayo said “I’m being stingy with swing decisions and whatnot just narrowing the zone down in Triple-A and trying to make them come to me.” The Orioles are temporarily losing one of their more consistent righty hitters in Urías but Hyde is optimistic the hamstring injury won’t become a long-term issue “I think that he’s going to continue most baseball activities once he gets feeling a little bit better,” Hyde said “So I don’t think it’s going to be very long.” Baltimore will begin to get reinforcements The first could be right-handed starter Zach Eflin (right lat strain) who is making a rehab start for High-A Aberdeen on Sunday O’Neill and Westburg might also be back soon potentially without even needing rehab assignments (which is still to be decided) the banged-up O’s are trying to build positive momentum They ended April with a series victory against the Yankees “You just got to worry about the 26 guys right now that we have on the roster and do everything we can to play well “I don’t see anybody hanging their head or feeling sorry for us The other teams aren’t going to feel sorry for us You’ve got to just put one foot in front of the other.” See how the prospects performed last night Another day of baseball in the books! See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here Brown started for Sugar Land and lasted just 2 innings as he allowed 4 runs Weiman struggled in relief allowing 5 runs and Tamarez allowed another 3 runs late The offense had a quiet day picking up just 2 hits Santos started for the Hooks and pitched well tossing 3 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts The Hooks got on the board in the 3rd inning on a Ferreras RBI single Mancini relieved Santos but struggled a bit allowing 3 runs over 4.2 innings the offense rallied for 3 runs on a Gonzalez RBI double and Castro 2 run single The Hooks took a 4-3 lead to the 9th but Knorr allowed 2 runs as the Missions won 5-4 Guedez started for Asheville and went 3 innings allowing 5 runs Gillis pitched in relief but struggled allowing 8 runs The drive picked up another 3 runs off of Rodriguez The Asheville offense struggled collecting just 4 hits as they fell 16-0 Note: Jaworsky has 7 stolen bases this season The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on a Powell 2 run homer Ogando got the start but struggled allowing 5 runs over 3.1 innings The offense got two back in the 6th on a Trimble RBI single and a run on a wild pitch Palmer allowed 2 runs over 4 innings and Smith allowed a run in the 8th as the Shorebirds extended the lead The offense was unable to complete the comeback as the Woodpeckers fell 8-4 NEW YORK - One of the Yankees' top prospects The son of ex-MLB outfielder George Lombard, currently the Detroit Tigers bench coach entered Sunday batting .329 with a .983 OPS at Class A Hudson Valley also has 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts during his first 24 games (82 at-bats) at Hudson Valley made an impression at big league spring training with his talent and demeanor just the amount that I've gotten to learn and experience from just being around the guys every single day,'' Lombard Jr Despite the Yankees' current infield needs (Jazz Chisholm Jr is out for at least a month due to an oblique strain Anthony Volpe is dealing with a shoulder issue) does not project to make the majors this year But he could be in the mix to win a job next spring training as a third baseman 88 prospect by Baseball America and was the Yankees' No between outfielders Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones Yankees captain Aaron Judge offered this defensive scouting report of Lombard Jr.: "He's got a great arm was rated the Yankees' best defensive player in their minor league system entering 2025 by MLB Pipeline Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardHarry Genth started his college baseball career at Haverford He’ll end it as an MLB prospectIn a record-shattering senior season on the Main Line Genth leads the nation in multiple statistical categories in Division III baseball In his final season at Haverford College second baseman Harry Genth has wrecked his way through Division III baseball Genth propelled himself to the top of NCAA D-III “Harry’s always worked to try to find out how good he can be,” Haverford coach Dave Beccaria said he wanted to find out if he’s good enough to play after college I think the numbers show that he’s capable of doing some pretty great things and that kind of production has opened the eyes of several major league organizations.” 10-8 Centennial Conference) dropped a 14-4 decision to Johns Hopkins in the conference championship on Sunday a Baltimore native who has been attracting major league scouts and embracing the possibility of continuing his playing career past Haverford Genth is one of a succession of players to attract MLB attention to the 200-acre campus of Haverford College, which enrolls just under 1,500 students. The program’s alumni network maintains strong connections across major league front offices — and the field in the case of Los Angeles Dodgers minor league pitcher Stephen Ridings (drafted in 2016) and former Dodgers and Reds minor league pitcher Tommy Bergjans (2015) Both were picked in the eighth round » READ MORE: Ryan Taylor is the leader in stolen bases for Penn, which hopes to swipe the Ivy League title “It’s great because we can do a lot of things in-house,” Beccaria said “We can get feedback from scouts from different organizations because we have contacts within those organizations We also have people who can give us advice to help us maneuver through this process so Harry can put himself in the best position.” Genth was an underrated high school prospect and concedes that his 5-foot-7 frame was deceptively unimposing Contacting programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic when recruiting camps were largely shut down made identifying the right fit even more challenging a lot of it was posting videos of yourself hitting on Twitter and you almost became your own agent,” Genth said noticed Genth’s potential and recommended him to Beccaria Genth was drawn to Haverford’s high academic standing and every single one said phenomenal things about playing here and that it’s a pretty transformational experience,” Genth said “Coach [Beccaria] views his job here through the lens of being a teacher Genth stood out and was named a team captain heading into his junior season He ended 2024 as the Centennial Conference Player of the Year and the NCAA champion in stolen bases per game (1.25) batting .339 with a .510 on-base percentage and he has an infectious enthusiasm for the game,” Beccaria said As he gained confidence throughout the last three years Genth’s offensive production this season reached levels unseen before at Haverford he now owns school records in single-season home runs (23) Genth more than doubled last year’s home run and RBI totals “I don’t think we’ve had anybody have a senior year like this from a position player standpoint,” Beccaria said “To be a part of it and to see it has been pretty special it becomes a more regular occurrence after this year but people are so happy for Harry because they know how hard he works.” While only a handful of D-III players are considered MLB prospects each season Genth sports a .428 average and an impressive OBP of 1.034 — enough to make any local scout take notice Genth has earned invitations to the MLB Draft League summer season and a pre-draft workout with the Reds sign as an undrafted free agent,” Genth said “The plan right now is to play in the MLB Draft League this summer for a couple of weeks to generate a sample of data against some better competition that we otherwise wouldn’t have » READ MORE: Follow the Inquirer's complete coverage of college sports right here! There it goes ... Harry Genth's Division III-leading 22nd homer of the season! @HCFords_Sports #GoHCFords #d3baseball pic.twitter.com/yIFA4oBhl5 Following a win in the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs the Lehigh Valley Phantoms were going up against Goliath in the Atlantic Division semi-finals The back-to-back defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears were waiting the Phantoms were unable to solve Hunter Shepard in a 3-0 loss But in the two games that following this weekend the Phantoms have now moved to the brink of the Atlantic Division finals the two teams were locked in a scoreless game when Anthony Richard broke the ice with 1:19 remaining in the second period to give the Phantoms the lead Zayde Wisdom scored a shorthanded goal at 2:05 to make it 2-0 Hershey answered 45 seconds later on the power play but Wisdom struck again at 6:34 for another shorthanded goal to make it 3-1 That brought the series back to Allentown on Sunday evening The Phantoms were at it again shorthanded in the first The Bears scored twice in 1:24 early in the second and Parker Gahagen exited at the 11:12 mark of the period with an injury after making 15 saves on 17 shots The Phantoms tied the game at two at 13:09 on a power-play goal by Garrett Wilson then took the lead at 15:51 on a goal by Nikita Grebenkin After killing off three penalties with the lead the Phantoms finally got some insurance with 5:51 remaining in the third as Olle Lycksell scored off the rush to make it 4-2 Cal Petersen stopped all 15 shots he faced in relief Emil Andrae and Richard had two assists each The series continues on Friday night at 7:05 p.m as the Phantoms have a chance to advance with one more win in the Best-of-5 series Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a win away from advancing to the Atlantic Division finals and defeating the back-to-back defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.\nRead More Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso Last year it was Dalton Knecht hearing his name called in the NBA Draft. Will Tennessee have another called this year? It’s much more questionable this time around, but according to a big board released by ESPN Chaz Lanier seems like he’s got a good chance the Nashville native and latest transfer portal success story for Rick Barnes That would obviously project Lanier has a mid-second round selection in next month’s NBA Draft coming off of one big season of production in perhaps the greatest conference of all time shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range He didn’t quite have the game-takeover ability that Knecht had but he filled his shoes nicely to help lead Tennessee to another Elite Eight Lanier previously spent four years at North Florida where he was a role player for three seasons The light came on for Lanier in his fourth year at North Florida as Lanier exploded out of nowhere to average nearly 20 points per game His minutes jumped from 19.6 to north of 33 per game and Lanier responded by hitting 44 percent of his shots from long range He’ll now take that quick shooting stroke to the NBA level where he could likely fit as a shooter off the bench Igor Milicic was also ranked in the top 100 by Givony likely staring at an undrafted free agent route to get started as a professional scored 9.4 points and pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game for Tennessee in his lone season with the Vols Milicic’s father is a decorated head coach over in Poland so that could be a natural backup plan for Igor if the NBA doesn’t work out Looking ahead, Nate Ament checked in at No. 4 overall in an ESPN 2026 NBA Mock Draft The five-star prospect picked Tennessee over Duke Arkansas and several others a few weeks ago giving Rick Barnes an elite prospect to mold for one season The 6-9 forward will be a focal point for Tennessee this upcoming season in hopes of going very early in the 2026 draft but that doesn't mean their roster has no flaws Left field in particular is a position of weakness and that should get the team to promote top prospect Dalton Rushing to play there sooner rather than later The Los Angeles Dodgers are considered favorites to repeat as World Series champions for a reason Dodgers left fielders rank 21st in the majors with an 86 WRC+ and that production only continues to decline got off to a hot start to his Dodgers career but he's gone hitless in his last 28 at-bats and has just three hits in his last 50 his upside isn't high enough to justify playing him on most nights as the team has been it's time for the Dodgers to try something new Rushing might give the team the jolt it needs in left field For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season perhaps hinting at a possible position change While defense at a position he's barely played might be a bit of a concern Rushing's bat is becoming too good to ignore Rushing has slashed .306/.425/.494 with three home runs and 12 RBI in his first 25 games of the 2025 campaign but Rushing has done nothing but rake in his entire Minor League tenure The Dodgers' lineup is terrifying, but with Max Muncy's struggles the lack of production from left field and Tommy Edman's injury suddenly the bottom of the order is easier to navigate than it had been and there's always some level of risk promoting a player who lacks big-league experience but considering how weak left field has been for the Dodgers this season © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter The Dodgers' lineup is terrifying, but with Max Muncy's struggles A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025 here’s a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy roster this season but the outfielder is still performing well and shown how he is far from a one-category player in that timeframe He ended his weekend with a three-hit effort against Toledo on Friday and he also added a stolen base to go with it Anthony is the best prospect in baseball whether you’re considering it from a fantasy perspective or not The Red Sox may want to see him driving the baseball on a more consistent basis before they make him a part of their MLB roster but it’s very hard to imagine Anthony isn’t going to see time with Boston in the coming weeks I said Anthony was going to stay at the top of this list until he gets the call but for the first time in the first month-plus of the season Lawlar went 0-for-9 over his last two games but that ended a streak of four consecutive multi-hit games including a four-hit effort April 30 Lawlar is doing everything he can to get back to Arizona and while there’s no room in the infield right now you have to think the D-Backs will come to the conclusion soon that this is a bit of a waste Shaw failed in his time with the Cubs to open the year and those who didn’t can just look at those stats You know how many young players faltered to begin their career and still went on to become excellent players Shaw started out slowly after being demoted to Triple-A but the infielder has turned a corner even with a hitless final two games over the weekend Shaw isn’t guaranteed to help fantasy rosters in 2025 but there’s obviously enough talent for him to be a contributor in redraft leagues this summer He wouldn’t be on this list if that wasn’t the case Chandler was impressive again Thursday with a season-high nine strikeouts over five innings while allowing just an unearned run against Triple-A Omaha The right-hander has not allowed more than two runs in any outing thus far this year and while he’s not missing bats at an exceptional rate there’s more than enough punchouts to go with weak contact and a lack of self-inflicted damage to be excited about what he’s doing in the International League and while the Pirates may not provide a ton of win chances his stuff is good enough to roster him and adding him to lineups against all but the best teams in the sport Misiorowski has been fantastic for Nashville in 2025 outside of one start where he allowed five runs WIth two pitches that grade 70 in his fastball and curve -- you could argue the movement and velocity on his heater make it an 80-grade pitch -- to go with a strong slider there’s no question Misiorowski has the stuff to be a starter The question is whether he can throw enough quality strikes for that stuff to play as free passes have been an issue since being drafted in the second round back in 2022 Add in the fact that the Brew Crew have dealt with injuries to their rotation and Misorowski is a name fantasy managers need to pay close attention to Arjun Nimmala has shown flashes of brilliance since being a first-round pick in 2023 but those flashes have often been followed by spurts of frustrations Nimmala has done the opposite of frustrate He’s homered four times in his last ten games and is slashing .295/.374/.547 over 23 games with High-A Vancouver Nimmala has easy plus power in his right-handed bat with an approach that gets better each year and while he does have some swing-and-miss profile his ability to make hard contact gives him a decent chance for average He isn’t likely to be a major stolen-base threat with average speed but he has the actions and enough athleticism -- with a quality throwing arm -- to stick at short and it’s great to see him tapping into it in his second full season The Athletics have their top prospect in the majors in Nick Kurtz and their second best prospect could be up soon in Colby Thomas the outfielder is now hitting .296/.364/.504 with five homers and a pair of steals over 31 games Thomas has a swing from the right side that suggests he’ll hit for quality power at the next level and his plus speed gives him a chance to steal 20 bags in the majors He does strike out at a less-than-spectacular rate with 288 over his last two full seasons it’s not out of the question that he’ll hit for a decent average despite the punchouts but he’s someone to keep an eye on in redraft leagues with a great chance of helping the A’s in 2025 Trey Yesavage was Toronto’s first-round pick the year after Nimmala and he was viewed as one of the steals of the 2024 draft after ‘sliding’ to the 20th pick out of East Carolina and after throwing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on Thursday he’s now forged an ERA of 2.31 with a 36/8 K/BB over 23 1/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .163 average for Low-A Dunedin Yesavage has three well above-average pitches in his fastball splitter and slide while mixing in a solid curve The command needs work -- most pitchers who are still 21-years-old do -- but he generally throws strikes with those four pitches It’d be nice to see Yesavage at a higher level considering his experience but it’s tough to complain about these results Griffin Herring was a sixth-round pick by the Yankees out of LSU in 2024 and to say his stock has risen over the first month of the season is quite the understatement He allowed just his second run of the season Thursday for Low-A Tampa and in the process he struck out 11 without issuing a walk That gives him a 0.60 ERA and 39/10 K/BB for the Tarpons over a not-so-small sample of five starts and 30 innings The 21-year-old offers a plus change that allows a low-to-mid 90 mph fastball to play up and he’ll also mix in a decent change for good measure Add in solid command of those offerings and Herring has the stuff to be a mid-rotation arm and while that doesn’t sound super exciting on the surface he’s the type of player that can be underrated in dynasty/keeper leagues A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service The 2025 NHL Draft class doesn’t feature a Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini type of talent as the top prize for winning the draft lottery 1 for most NHL scouts in defenseman Matthew Schaefer from OHL Erie Behind him is a well-defined group of forwards with NHL tools and legitimate top-six potential The five teams with the lowest points percentage and the clear best odds to pick in the top two spots — San Jose Philadelphia and Boston — each enter the lottery with distinct needs The NHL Draft Lottery will determine the order of the first 16 picks at this year’s draft Two lottery draws determine the first and second picks meaning only the bottom 11 teams are eligible to win the No The worst team in the league has an 18.5 percent chance of landing the top selection This draft has a clear top tier of seven players for most evaluators maybe eight depending on a team’s perspective on Roger McQueen’s injury He’s a great skating blueliner who makes a lot of difficult offensive plays He defends and competes at a high level and projects to play big all-situation minutes in the league He has dominated at several events and in the OHL when healthy this season but he’s missed a lot of time due to mono and a broken clavicle Misa is a former OHL exceptional status forward who has produced consistently He’s a great skater who sees the ice at a high level creates chances with pace and showed up consistently this season Desnoyers was a top player in the Q this season but plays in all situations and could be a big minutes center in the NHL Frondell is a talented center who also plays a structured intelligent game and has excelled against men this season competes hard and endears himself to coaches but teams like how ready and reliable he looks Hagens is among the most dynamic skaters and puck-handlers in the class He excels in transition and has top-line scoring potential and worries scouts when he doesn’t have the puck Martone is a super skilled winger with legit size who is strong around the net He’s an average skater but he competes hard and could serve a valuable role in the NHL even as a winger if not a top three talent in the draft by scouts due to his unique combination of skill and skating at 6-foot-5 but a concerning back injury sidelined him almost all season O’Brien is a big right-shot center with high-end skill and vision His game came on a lot in the second half of the season This is the most straightforward fit in the draft San Jose has a lot of great young forwards and a pressing need for a premier young defenseman — specifically a No He would immediately become the best D prospect in their system whom they picked in the first round in 2024 but adding yet another premier forward would still be great for them early in their rebuild Chicago has its centerpiece in Connor Bedard but doesn’t yet have a true dynamic forward to play with him long-term but the Blackhawks need more top-end offensive skill Their blue line is in good shape long-term especially after picking Artyom Levshunov second last summer They are the one team that could be stress-tested to go away from Schaefer Nashville has been competitive for a long time but fell off this season The team lacks elite talent both on the roster and in the farm the Predators have a massive need to add talent down the middle their best move is to take the best available center Schaefer could become Roman Josi’s eventual successor The Flyers have a pressing need for a premium young center in their organization They have good young talent on the wings and defense and center Jett Luchanko is a strong prospect but being able to land a potential top line center such as Misa Hagens or Frondell would be massive for them their blue line is not so good that they would go away from Schaefer if they won the lottery The Bruins still have elite players in Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak They haven’t picked this high in over a decade and this lottery is their best shot to start rebuilding and that player will become the centerpiece of their next core I have a hard time seeing them go with Porter Martone given how badly they need a center in their organization it’s expected to be a run on centers with several top pivots available unless a team adores Martone (which some do) Some teams don’t view Hagens as a for-sure NHL center as well The 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be broadcast on ESPN spending only a few bucks to construct playoff-caliber teams A big reason for that is obviously strong scouting and that includes both scouting within the United States and on the international level We don't have to look too much further than Jose Ramirez to see a shining example of the latter the Guardians appear to be zeroing in on another top international prospect as they are now the favorites to sign Venezuelan shortstop Jostin Melo will not be able to officially sign with Cleveland until next January Cleveland #Guardians are favorites to sign switch-hitting (SS) prospect Jostin Melo out of Caracas, Venezuela. Melo trains at Salas Baseball Academy. He is not eligible to sign until the 1/15/26 International signing day.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/FHX8Rrlw8o Melo would hardly be the first Venezuelan shortstop to come through the Guardians' organization as Cleveland landed Omar Vizquel via trade with the Seattle Mariners in December 1993 Vizquel then proceeded to enjoy a terrific 11-year run with the organization earning three All-Star selections and winning eight Gold Glove awards It should also be noted that the Guardians just signed fellow Venezuelan shortstop Angel Abreu so Cleveland is obviously looking to double down at the position Brayan Rocchio is currently manning shortstop for the Guardians slashing just .183/.258/.220 thus far in 2025 having logged minus-3 defensive runs saved over the first month and change of the season Melo would have a long way to go to reach the major-league level even if he is signed but perhaps he could ultimately become Cleveland's shortstop of the future MORE: Guardians Skipper Gives Update On Tanner Bibee After Early Exit MORE: Former First Round Pick Becoming Key Member of Guardians Bullpen MORE: Go-Ahead Grand Slam Gives Guardians Shocking Win Over Blue Jays MORE: New Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Makes Solid First Impression Journal Star readers were invited to choose their favorite beauty and health service providers for the 2024 Community’s Choice Awards Here are the top three hair salons in the Peoria area as voted on by participants: beauty-bar-on-prospect.square.site j-bstudio.com Previous reporting: This Peoria barbershop is expanding with a second location solasalonstudios.com More: The best real estate agents in Peoria as voted on by readers Posted by | May 5 Felipe De La Cruz is the International League Pitcher of the Week (AAA) after going six innings of scoreless ball while striking out nine The 23-year-old southpaw debuted with Syracuse after earning a promotion from Binghamton De La Cruz went 0-1 but posted a brilliant 1.98 ERA through 13 ⅔ innings He struck out 20 batters and only walked three Zach Thornton is the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month (High-A) he held batters to a .162 average and pitched to a 0.83 WHIP Thornton earned a promotion to Binghamton for his April performance in Brooklyn was named FSL Player of the Week (Low-A) and promoted to Brooklyn Ewing has been one of the Mets’ best-hitting prospects to start 2025 The utility infielder hit .400/.506/.615/1.121 with four triples fourteen stolen bases and 20 RBIs in just 14 games before his promotion Copyright © 2005 - 2023 Metsmerized Online | Designed & Developed by WP CLINICS Buffalo Hockey Beat There’s a belief that instead of using his first-round pick to draft a prospect next month Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams might trade it to pry away some established talent from one of his counterparts Adams has resisted the temptation to deal one of his coveted early selections before the NHL Draft Ten months ago, however, he sent center Matt Savoie, the ninth overall pick in 2022, to the Edmonton Oilers in a trade that brought center Ryan McLeod to Buffalo scoring a career-high 20 goals and 53 points this season Trading a highly rated prospect to secure immediate help illustrated Adams would be operating differently he’s under more pressure to fix the Sabres following their 14th consecutive playoff DNQ So the Sabres’ first-round pick on June 27 – their position will be determined in tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery – could certainly be dangled if Adams can acquire assets that can be plugged into the lineup have just 6.5 percent odds for the top pick in the lottery They can also move back two spots to ninth The San Jose Sharks have the highest odds for the first selection What happens if the Sabres move up from that seventh slot it was a slam dunk they would keep a top-10 pick believes they will add a terrific prospect “These are all solid players that are going to have very productive careers,” he told the Times Herald “There’s a lot of high-value picks at the top end here Some intriguing prospects who could be available to the Sabres are below 183-pound Schaefer earned Central Scouting’s top ranking because of “the way he dominates in a game.” “He impacts and influences the game in all three zones and in all situations,” he said “And this is a player who plays a proactive style And his game will have to mature at the pro level “But he’s shown everybody that he has all the tools experienced that unique spotlight leading up to their respective drafts and you’re looking for holes and warts,” Marr said of Lafreniere they were expecting him to lead them to the Stanley Cup right away so the first couple years they were all over him he’s going to be one of those players that’s going to be a big difference-maker.” who scored 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games this season might be the most decorated player in the draft won the scoring title this year and became the youngest captain in Spirit history “But he’s on that pedestal where everybody seemed to want to find holes in his game rather than look at what his accomplishments are,” Marr said “So we thought he took his game to another level this year putting up the offense he did But just the elite skills and elite hockey IQ to where he sees the ice like no one else The passes are tape-to-tape; they’re right on time.” he’s got a lot of patience and savviness with the puck But then he’s ultra-quick in his ability to read and execute the plays.” possesses “all the offensive tools in his toolbox.” “But it’s his hockey sense that’s his biggest one,” he said He sees the ice and just reads it very well because you know he’ll find you with the puck “I would reference him as a two-way centerman with offensive skills because he does pay attention to the game without the puck Central Scouting rank: first among European skaters came into his own after an injury slowed him early “He’s another two-way centerman with skill,” he said win the one-on-one battles to gain position on the play His game with the puck is his real asset – his puck skills and his hockey sense.” They SHOULD NOT trade the pick unless something incredible is a possibility if only because they have a log jam of the same type of guys on the same timelines and need someone of high ability on a different timeline (and hopefully It would be preferable from an asset management perspective to deal an existing prospect (Rosen / Ostlund but maybe Helenius) a long with Byram / Sammy / etc) to solidify RHD and someone with the skill/grit combo that the Sabres have lacked for GMKA’S entire tenure and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organizationApril 30th The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year) Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest League in slugging at age 18 and Pirates shortstop/center fielder Konnor Griffin and Brewers shortstop Jesús Made are raking in their full-season debuts More from MLB Pipeline:• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage Below, we spotlight the hottest hitters on each organization's Top 30 Prospects list. They include nine members of our overall Top 100 Prospects list as well as seven guys who rank in the bottom third of their team's Top 30 lists Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West Blue Jays: Arjun Nimmala, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 83)The 2023 first-rounder hasn’t had much trouble carrying last year’s second-half surge into a new season at a new level Nimmala homered in three straight games from last Friday to Sunday and now has five dingers through 19 games for High-A Vancouver tied with Eduardo Tait for the most in the Minors among players in their age-19 season or younger Orioles: Ethan Anderson, C/1B (No. 18)Speedster Enrique Bradfield Jr got off to a really good start (1.032 OPS) but has been on the injured list since April 11 the O’s second-rounder in last year’s Draft out of Virginia is more than holding his own hitting for average (.290) and getting on base (.413 OBP) walking nearly as often as he’s striking out while also going 9-for-10 in stolen-base attempts for High-A Aberdeen Rays: Cooper Kinney, 2B/3B (No. 23)With a career .287 average and .810 OPS in his fourth season Kinney has always produced offensively when healthy during his time in the Tampa Bay system but this might be one of his best stretches yet He’s gone deep four times over his last seven games for Double-A Montgomery and has six homers on the season only four fewer than his career high of 10 His .699 slugging percentage on the season leads Double-A qualifiers while his 1.111 OPS and 222 wRC+ rank second Red Sox: Roman Anthony (No. 1/MLB No. 2)Baseball's top position prospect is pushing for his first big league callup by slashing .306/.439/.565 with five homers in 24 Triple-A games at age 20 burnishing his reputation as a plus hitter with plus-plus raw power The Red Sox don't have an obvious spot for the 2022 supplemental first-rounder from a Florida high school but they're going to need to find one soon Yankees: George Lombard Jr., SS (No. 1/MLB No. 98)The son of former big leaguer and current Tigers bench coach George Lombard Sr. he's displaying an advanced approach as a 19-year-old at High-A batting .309/.500/.456 while ranking second in the Florida State League in on-base percentage and walks (22 in 21 games) A 2023 first-rounder out of a Florida high school he also has 11 steals and is playing quality defense Guardians: C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF (No. 8)Kayfus began this season by hitting .364/.475/.591 with nine extra-base hits in 18 Double-A games which is good enough to lead the Eastern League in OBP and OPS (1.066) -- and to earn a promotion to Triple-A on Monday The 2023 third-rounder is showing more power in pro ball than he did in college at Miami now that he's attacking driveable pitches early in counts and looking to launch them in the air to his pull side Royals: Asbel Gonzalez, OF (No. 23)If you’ve smelled burning rubber in the Columbia area recently who has stolen 29 bases over 21 games for Kansas City's Single-A affiliate and Gonzalez is accomplishing that with a .500 OBP and more walks (12) than strikeouts (seven) He hasn’t shown much power (only one extra-base hit) but that may not be as needed if he’s picking up extra bases in other ways Tigers: Max Anderson, 2B (No. 22)The 2023 second-rounder started his second full season with a bang and caught even more fire lately Over his last eight games with Double-A Erie Anderson is 18-for-37 (.487) with four homers and two doubles pushing his season line to .342/.388/.620 through 19 contests He has as many extra-base hits on the season as strikeouts (12) and is one of only two Minor League qualifiers to maintain a K rate below 15 percent while slugging above .600 Twins: Billy Amick, 3B (No. 14)The Twins’ first- and second-round picks from the 2024 Draft are both hitting well for High-A Cedar Rapids right now the second-rounder out of Tennessee the nod only because first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper missed time on the injured list Amick is going to have to watch the strikeouts (27.4 percent K rate so far) but he’s also drawing walks (15.8) while posting a .333/.474/.444 line over his first 20 games White Sox: Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B (No. 11)The White Sox gave Bonemer an over-slot $2,997,500 bonus as a second-round pick out of a Michigan high school last July and the early returns from his 2025 pro debut have been good His bat speed and considerable raw power have translated into a .294/.425/.485 slash line with nine extra-base hits in 19 games at Single-A Angels: Denzer Guzman, SS (No. 9)The 21-year-old Guzman’s slash line of .243/.341/.443 is relatively modest but there are some encouraging trends here for a guy who’s struggled to gain any offensive traction since signing in 2021 He’s striking out a smidge less and drawing more walks and that’s helped him tap into his raw power more than he has previously and that’s just three shy of his career high Astros: Joseph Sullivan, OF (No. 12)Yes a guy right at the Mendoza Line has the highest OPS on our Astros Top 30 list Sullivan is slashing .200/.461/.433 thanks to four homers and a High-A South Atlantic League-leading 24 walks in 20 games The grandson of 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Patrick Sullivan and a seventh-round pick from South Alabama last year he makes good swing decisions and uses his plus speed to steal bases (eight this year) and chase down balls in center field A’s: Logan Davidson, UTIL (No. 30)Just added back to the A’s Top 30 the 27-year-old Davidson had a .915 OPS in 2024 but with what has been his typical K/BB ratio (109/30 in 90 games) he’s still striking out a lot (31.0 percent) but he’s drawing a lot more walks (22 in 25 games) that has helped him post a .348/.487/.472 line while seeing time at five different positions Mariners: Lazaro Montes, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 39)Montes has shown he can get to his power at every stop since signing in 2022 including hitting 21 homers and driving in 105 runs last year in his first full year in full-season ball more than two years younger than the average hitter in the High-A Northwest League and he leads the circuit in extra-base hits (13) and is tied for the league lead in homers (five) and total bases (47) while sitting second in slugging (.588) and fourth in OPS (.988) Rangers: Justin Foscue, 2B/1B (No. 15)A Mississippi State product drafted 14th overall in 2020 Foscue has some of the best bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline in the Rangers' system but he's blocked at the big league level because he doesn't provide much power or defensive value He's off to a .300/383/460 start with three homers in 26 Triple-A games Braves: Carlos Rodríguez, OF (No. 29)The Braves signed Rodríguez as a Minor League free agent and added him to their 40-man roster this offseason because they liked his bat-to-ball skills and he’s doing kind of what he’s always done: hit but got bumped up after hitting .342 over his first 10 games with Columbus right in line with his career marks of .291 and .355 Marlins: Joe Mack, C (No. 9)The 31st overall pick in the 2021 Draft as a New York high schooler Mack finally broke out offensively last season and hasn't slowed down this year He's batting .328/.458/.627 with five homers in 19 games between Double-A and Triple-A and he's also a much better defender behind the plate than Marlins rookie sensation Agustín Ramírez Mets: A.J. Ewing, OF/2B (No. 27)Ewing played 71 games for Single-A St Lucie last year but showed he didn’t plan on having as extended a stay this time around The 2023 fourth-rounder hit .400/.506/.615 over 18 games to open his age-20 season and was promoted to High-A Brooklyn to begin this week 14 steals and 1.122 OPS still lead the Florida State League Nationals: Daylen Lile, OF (No. 9)If you hit Lile has certainly hit with a 14-game hitting streak for Double-A Harrisburg entering Wednesday He’s gone 23-for-62 (.371) with two homers two triples and four doubles over that stretch And now he’s certainly moving with a trip up to Triple-A Rochester less than a month into his age-22 campaign The Nationals have a crowded outfield depth chart but the left-handed slugger is elbowing his way into consideration for a look this summer ahead of his Rule 5 eligibility in the offseason Phillies: Aroon Escobar, 2B/3B (No. 13)Tip of the cap to Otto Kemp who is knocking on the big league door with nine homers and a 1.139 OPS at Triple-A but we’re going to give the nod to the younger guy in A ball Escobar is just 20 and making his full-season debut look easy The infielder has already set his career high in home runs with four has a .357/.464/.600 line and is currently third in the Florida State League with a 1.064 OPS Brewers: Jesús Made, SS/3B (No. 2/MLB No. 52)Made opened 0-for-9 over his first two games for Single-A Carolina (contests sandwiched between an absence due to an ankle issue) and it could have been a slow start for a 17-year-old pushed into the deep end of full-season ball The switch-hitter has gone 21-for-57 (.368) with three homers in 14 games since then His four-hit performance Tuesday tied a career high for knocks in a game and featured his latest dinger a long ball off the videoboard in left field The Mudcats have Single-A’s (if not the entire Minors’) most exciting lineup Cardinals: Travis Honeyman, OF (No. 24)The former Boston College star missed much of his first full season with shoulder issues and got off to a delayed start this year with an April 11 debut But he’s done plenty to make up for lost time opening with a nine-game hitting streak for Single-A Palm Beach Honeyman is 15-for-36 (.417) with an equal 5/5 K/BB ratio through 10 contests and should see High-A Peoria before long in his age-23 campaign Cubs: Moisés Ballesteros, C/1B (No. 4/MLB No. 65)After winning the Cubs' Minor League player of the year award in both 2023 and 2024 Ballesteros is looking to make it a trifecta He's slashing .402/.459/.619 with four homers in 24 games pacing the Triple-A International League in batting and hits (39) Signed for $1.2 million out of Venezuela in 2021 he has nothing left to prove offensively in the Minors but his defense is still a work in progress Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 40)Griffin is sure to hit some bumps along the way during his pro debut this year with Single-A Bradenton and he’ll need to keep working on his approach (29.2 percent K rate and 6.7 pct BB rate) but it’s been fun to see him tap into his considerable tools already The 19-year old is in the Florida State League top five in home runs (four) total bases (38) and steals (11) over his first 19 games Reds: Héctor Rodríguez, OF (No. 11)Rodríguez has always had a feel for hitting but also had a tendency to be overaggressive He’s never swung and missed much (14.9 percent career K rate) but chased out of the zone a lot (40 percent in 2024) a big reason why he’s slashing .365/.427/.514 and leading the Southern League in hitting (second in OPS) in his first taste of Double-A Lawlar has been an extra-base-hit machine for Triple-A Reno with 20 (six homers He leads MiLB with 39 hits total and sports a .365/.460/.682 line but Lawlar is taking advantage with good swing decisions decent power and the ability to pull fly balls Dodgers: Mike Sirota, OF (No. 20)The grandnephew of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford Sirota went to the Reds in the third round of the 2024 Draft out of Northeastern and joined the Dodgers in the Gavin Lux trade in January he's destroying the California League in his pro debut batting .361/.451/.672 in 15 games and leading the Single-A circuit in slugging Giants: Bo Davidson, OF (No. 9)Signed for $50,000 as a nondrafted free agent out of Caldwell (N.C.) CC in 2023 Davidson posted a 1.042 OPS last season and is continuing to thrive in the High-A Northwest League He's slashing .339/.388/.565 with eight extra-base hits in 14 games and showing the potential for at least solid tools across the board Padres: Leo De Vries, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 17)The 18-year-old was the youngest player on a High-A Opening Day roster in 2025 two-homer cycle on April 22 was his biggest highlight of the season so far for Fort Wayne going 3-for-3 with a homer and a double Tuesday De Vries leads the Midwest League with a .609 slugging percentage over 18 games and ranks second with a .968 OPS despite being more than four years younger than the average hitter on the circuit Rockies: Jared Thomas, OF (No. 12)Thomas was thought to be one of the best pure hitters as a Draft-eligible sophomore coming out of Texas last year and that’s why the Rockies took him in the second round He’s lived up to that billing so far during his full-season debut with High-A Spokane putting up a .349/.462/.535 line over his first 22 games He tops the Northwest League in hits (30) and is second in average and third in OPS After finally making his major league debut with the New York Yankees following 601 minor league games Vivas checked off some other firsts from his weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays (When it comes to walks and runs driven it – make it two of each actually.) First compliment as a major leaguer from his team captain and two-time American League Most Valuable Player Jorbit's first base-hit in the Big Leagues 👊 pic.twitter.com/6VCPaOuzkK Vivas ended the weekend with a .200 average – he was 1-for-5 – but that number alone doesn’t really tell the story with Judge crediting him for a “great job on defense” and his “electric at-bats.” Judge seemed to enjoy watching Vivas’ debut weekend unfold that was pretty special," he told reporters Aaron Judge praises Jorbit Vivas for his "electric at-bats""To see him come up, make his debut, get his first knock, that was pretty special" pic.twitter.com/oGCt6RVMN8 Vivas was called up to fill in for starting second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. who is expected to miss four to six weeks with a right oblique strain He had two prior call-ups without any major league action but is expected to get a good look from manager Aaron Boone this time around 19 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system by MLB Pipeline He opened the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a hitting line of .319/.426/.436/.862 He also walked 15 times and stole six bases The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him in 2017 as a 16-year-old prospect from Venezuela. He’s got a career batting average of .273 with 122 doubles, 20 triples, 50 home runs and 324 RBIs in the minors to go with 88 bases. The Yankees acquired him on Dec TEEN PHENOM PROMOTED: The New York Yankees are sending 19-year-old George Lombard Jr. to Double-A Somerset. CLICK HERE BIG RECORD, BIG NEWS: Hunter Barco etched his name into the Double-A Altoona record books on Saturday while pitching against the Akron RubberDucks. And it earned him a promotion. CLICK HERE PROSPECT SIDELINED: The Minnesota Twins got bad injury news about one of their top prospects.  CLICK HERE: JAMI LEABOWJami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels. Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge played at all four minor league levels in 2024 Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero is seen doing an interview overlooking the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor in the Port of Long Beach Two milestones converged this week that seem important in the moment but in retrospect will be minor blips historically: yesterday’s reaching of the first hundred days of Donald Trump’s second term, and today’s announcement of first-quarter gross domestic product showing the economy contracted by 0.3 percent on an annualized basis The former is just a news hook to overlay “what it all means” stories that are as light as air The second covers the period before the April 2 Liberation Day The reason the economy contracted is that imports and companies bulked up imports in anticipation of tariffs That’s more of a noisy statistical quirk than a recession setting in The import surge also shows that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wasn’t completely out of his mind the other day when he downplayed incoming supply shocks by saying “I think retailers have managed their inventory in front of this.” More from David Dayen This moment feels to me like February 2020 you knew that a global pandemic was coming to our shores in weeks a crystal ball into a hideous moment ahead It was nerve-racking to know that everyone else wasn’t freaking out as much as you That’s how I feel about the supply chain right now either looking for new markets or finding another business And China’s retaliatory measures are an embargo in the other direction that means cratering business for longshoremen and truckers and warehouse workers But there is this buildup of inventory that businesses can draw down they can fend off the spectacle of empty shelves And this is why shortages are a matter of time with supply-linked inflation accompanying them That accompanies layoffs in the logistics sector But China dominates things like transformers for electricity and pumps and other component parts for air conditioning The near-term gap could mean serious disruptions in the summer months I’m not an oracle. All of this information is readily available. But the majority of Americans just have a wisp of it, a vague sense that something bad is going to happen Trump’s poor approval ratings reflect that and I’m just doing a basic reading of things happening in the real world David Dayen is the Prospect’s executive editor His most recent book is ‘Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.’ Measures introduced in 13 states this year would impose criminal penalties on people who obtain an abortion Published in partnership with the Center for Media and Democracy Inside a dingy conference room in the North Dakota state house, Texas attorney Bradley Pierce coolly made the case that the 14th Amendment and biblical scripture require the state to charge anyone who obtains an abortion with murder When asked by North Dakota Representative Jayme Davis (D–9) about whether the overtly Christian basis of his reasoning disregarded other people’s freedom of religion Pierce responded with a wry smile and a comment to match I think the Aztecs believed it was okay to rip the hearts out of children and offer them as a burnt sacrifice to their gods Pierce’s testimony in support of HB 1373 a bill that would criminalize all abortions in North Dakota was one of more than a dozen heard by the state’s House Human Services Committee on February 5 Other supporters taking the podium that morning inside the crowded Pioneer Room included the son of Democratic career diplomat Susan Rice the co-executive director of a Wisconsin-based network of crisis pregnancy centers and a “post-abortive” activist from North Dakota HB 1373 is not a “typical” anti-abortion bill in post-Roe America it would expand the definition of “human being” in the state’s Century Code to include zygotes at “the beginning of biological development at the moment of fertilization” for the explicit purpose of banning all abortions and subjecting anyone who performs or obtains one to criminal punishment anyone who harms a zygote or embryo in North Dakota could be prosecuted for murder or assault earning a mere 16 “yeas” out of 93 votes cast The introduction of this extreme bill in North Dakota was not an isolated incident at least 14 other so-called “abortion abolition” bills have already been introduced in a dozen other states state lawmakers have considered abortion abolition bills in at least 21 states Often called “prenatal equal protection” acts most were introduced after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 and opened the door to this type of legislation which had previously run counter to SCOTUS precedent on abortion Even in states with severe restrictions on abortion access and criminal penalties for abortion providers those who actually obtain an abortion are not subject to prosecution themselves The explicit criminal liability for the person who obtains an abortion is the most crucial difference between abortion abolition bills and other more common anti-abortion legislation These types of bills amend state criminal codes to charge those who obtain an abortion with homicide for the “death” of their “unborn child,” including anyone who self-induces an abortion using medication legally prescribed and mailed from another state No exceptions are made for rape and incest ill-defined allowances for attempting to save the life of a pregnant person but only insofar that this attempt is “accompanied by reasonable steps Though none of these bills has ever survived a simple majority vote in state legislatures the rapid reemergence of abortion abolition legislation across the country indicates the growing influence of a radical militant faction of anti-abortion fanatics whose ultimate goal is nothing short of the complete and total eradication of abortion access in the U.S The abortion abolitionist movement is a relatively nascent one tracing its origins to a new generation of mostly white and Christian Reconstructionists emboldened by the anti-abortion stance of the Trump administration While anti-abortion activists have likened abortion to slavery since the passage of Roe v the abortion abolition movement takes this comparison to extremes Abolitionists appropriate rhetoric from the anti-slavery abolitionists of the 19th century employing an “equal protection” argument from the 14th Amendment to compare embryos and fetuses to enslaved people and Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America arguing that unless coercion is proven on a case by case basis anyone who has an abortion is an active and willing participant in the “murder” of her “preborn child.” Abolitionist leaders are rather explicit about this. According to NPR Hunter told a crowd of several hundred supporters at an April 2024 Abolitionists Rising event “We know the mother is the abortionist or the father is the abortionist the abortionist needs to be punished and we’re not going to lie about it in order to be friends with the world because that is precisely what the pro-life movement has done and is doing.” Jeff Durbin, leader of End Abortion Now, takes this position to its most extreme conclusion the Christian pastor calls for women who have abortions to be executed by the state then what the state owes you—if it’s proven and it’s true—is capital punishment Despite advancing a broadly unpopular position legislators have introduced 15 abolition bills in 13 states so far this year These bills don’t just share an underlying ideology An analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) found the same language—word-for-word or nearly word-for-word—in all but one bill This suggests that these abortion abolition bills all emanate from a single source that provides lawmakers with a template to quickly and easily draft legislation One person stands out as the most likely author of this template: Bradley Pierce the Texas attorney who used such forceful language when testifying before the North Dakota House Human Services Committee in February Most significantly, Pierce leads a national abolitionist nonprofit called Foundation to Abolish Abortion (FAA), which he founded in 2019. According to the organization’s IRS form 990 from 2023 its mission is “to exalt and vindicate the image of God” through “promoting sound public policy that provides all preborn human beings the equal protection of the laws.” FAA’s revenue for 2023 reached over $350,000 with at least $85,000 coming from the National Christian Charitable Foundation a favorite donor conduit of the Christian Right that funneled more than $2 billion in donations that year to its preferred causes As the sole staff member listed on FAA’s website, Pierce is described as a “constitutional lawyer” who claims that he has drafted “dozens of equal protection bills filed to abolish abortion.” The 990 form also discloses that FAA “draft[s] and analyze[s] legislation.” In 2022, Pierce filed an amicus brief in support of the petitioners in Dobbs v the case that overturned the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v on behalf of 21 organizations and 20 state lawmakers he laid out the same argument of “equal protection” under the 14th Amendment and Christian scripture that is the basis for past and present abolition bills The lawmakers who signed this brief included four state Freedom Caucus members and six state legislators affiliated with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Only nine of the 20 state lawmakers who signed the brief are still in office just three years later but six of those nine have sponsored abortion abolition bills introduced during this legislative session Neither Shippy nor Money are particularly coy about how closely they work with Pierce. Shippy disclosed that, “With the help of Bradley Pierce, we drafted some legislation that would essentially provide equal protection for the baby in the womb, the preborn child,” referring to Idaho’s “Prenatal Equal Protection Act.” Shippy has previously said that under SB 1059, law enforcement officers could be authorized to investigate miscarriages as suspected abortions, according to the Idaho Statesman Pierce describes his national reach even more bluntly getting bills drafted and ready for legislators around the country… We’re expecting around 20 to be filed this year.” Emails obtained by CMD through an open records request show that Missouri is another state where FAA has been deeply involved in pushing abortion abolition legislation while Moon is one of the signatories of the Dobbs amicus brief Rice-Cameron, the son of Susan Rice, testified in favor of North Dakota’s HB 1373 and is not listed as a staff member on FAA’s website, nor did he disclose this affiliation during his testimony. However, the registration page for an Equal Protection Advocacy Workshop event held in February describes him as a “Legislative Liaison” for FAA Also included on this email exchange was Wesley Scroggins, the executive director of Abolish Abortion Missouri and a professor of management at Missouri State University Scroggins asks whether FAA would be willing to bring a legal challenge against Amendment 3 if the abolition bills sponsored by Sparks and Moon passed the AG should defend it,” responded Pierce yes we would [be] more than happy to do so.” North Dakota’s abortion abolition bill is the only one to receive a floor vote so far this year, and its resounding failure in the Republican-dominated legislature suggests that no abolition bills stand a strong chance of becoming law this year. Three out of four Americans oppose criminal prosecution of doctors and parents for abortion and other anti-abortion legislation presents a far less politically risky alternative Pierce sat side by side with the bill’s sponsor Georgia State Representative Emory Dunahoo (R–30) who explicitly introduced him as the author of HB 441 Pierce also answered questions asked by members of the committee with representatives from prominent abolitionist groups like Operation Save America the head of End Abortion Now who voiced support for executing abortion patients was one of nearly a dozen abolitionists who testified During an exchange with Representative Esther Panitch (D–51) the only Jewish member of the Georgia Assembly Durbin told her that her understanding of the teachings of her own faith regarding abortion was incorrect and equated her pro-choice viewpoint with the Nazis’ dehumanization of Jews during the Holocaust While HB 441 will not be put to a vote this year Georgia’s two-year legislative system means that this same bill will be automatically reconsidered next year As in many other states where abolition bills have been introduced Georgia permits the death penalty for acts of homicide Abortion abolitionists are also becoming more organized. The Colorado Times Reporter noted in 2023 that Pierce promotes a “precinct strategy” for influencing local Republican parties at the state level This “ground-up” approach enables abolition activists to infiltrate state and county Republican parties effectively making their extremist position more acceptable within the broader party by suppressing more moderate voices members of the State Republican Executive Committee Support for this position in Pierce’s home state has grown so much that in May 2024 the Republican Party of Texas adopted abortion abolitionism as part of its official platform becoming the first in the country to do so At an abolitionist event in August 2024, guest speaker Rice-Cameron presented an implicitly transactional approach to lobbying state lawmakers: abolitionists offer their time and money to support the campaigns of conservative lawmakers who demonstrate an openness to abortion abolitionism He alluded to the successful use of this strategy in the case of Texas “abolitionist champion” Money who unseated the moderate Republican incumbent boasting that abolitionists helped him win by canvassing for him in the lead-up to the election build relationships with sympathetic legislators early on in their political career preferably before they even get into office while they’re still campaigning,” Rice-Cameron said “It’s important to realize that prior to actually winning an election a politician is a lot more open-minded than after being in office for some time.” Activists like Pierce are under no delusion that their bills will pass in any state legislatures this year the work they do now through abolition organizations and ministries builds crucial relationships with state lawmakers and local Republican leaders that increase their prospects of success in future years co-sponsored by increasingly more lawmakers indicates that this position is gradually becoming more mainstream among the conservative base would make getting an abortion a capital offense in many states Colleen Scerpella is a research assistant with the Center for Media and Democracy Her previous research experiences centered around political violence since the spot in the rotation isn't needed for several days there's still a chance that Horton could be called up to make the next start in that spot ET: The Chicago Cubs are rolling right now sitting at 21-14 through the first 35 games of the season After failing to make the playoffs in 2024 they are in first place in the National League Central as left-hander (and All-Star) Shota Imanaga left Sunday's game with a hamstring issue giving up two earned runs as the Cubs lost 4-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers While it's unclear at this point if Imanaga will need to miss time this could be the opportunity for the Cubs to call-up top pitching prospect Cade Horton Horton is dominating at Triple-A Iowa and just threw six strong innings on Sunday He's on the same schedule as Imanaga and could slide into his rotation spot easily if necessary Shota Imanaga left today’s game with an apparent hamstring injury.Depending on the severity, Cade Horton could be in line for a call-up.Horton made a strong case today, tossing six innings of one-run ball with just two hits and one walk.pic.twitter.com/cz9oN4Lpex Horton has fanned 33 batters in 29.0 innings Horton was originally supposed to play quarterback and baseball at Oklahoma The Cubs will be back in action on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants with the first pitch coming at 7:40 p.m Left-hander Matthew Boyd will pitch for Chicago HISTORIC DEBUT: AJ Blubaugh, the No. 10 ranked prospect in the Astros' organization, became the first pitcher from his college to ever make the big leagues on Wednesday. CLICK HERE: CADE INCOMING? Cade Horton has been dominant for Triple-A Iowa, so when are the Chicago Cubs going to give him the call? CLICK HERE: COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Bubba Chandler is posting almost identical numbers as Paul Skenes did at Triple-A, so when will he get the call to Pittsburgh? CLICK HERE: crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.