MLB 26-and-under power rankings: Which clubs have the best young players?

A team’s farm system can take a huge hit when a star player like Julio Rodríguez or Michael Harris “graduates,” but that doesn’t make those players magically way older — they just aren’t prospects anymore. J-Rod and Harris, now certified big-league stars, will play 2023 at 22 years old, the same age as (or younger than) many of the top prospects still eligible for your top-100 list of choice. With more and more of the game’s best players arriving in MLB at such an early age, it feels incomplete to assess a team’s future outlook by strictly looking at how good their prospect-eligible players are or project to be.

This limitation inspired the following project from the FOX Sports MLB staff ahead of the 2023 season: rank every ...

Check out all 30 Opening Day starters

Opening Day will feature eight Cy Young Award winners on the mound (Sandy Alcantara, Shane Bieber, Corbin Burnes, Jacob deGrom, Zack Greinke, Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer and Blake Snell) and 21 All-Star hurlers. In addition, five pitchers—deGrom, Kyle Gibson, Kluber, Pablo López and Kyle Muller—will take the mound on Opening Day in a debut performance with their new clubs.

Here are all MLB pitching matchups for the 15 Opening Day games scheduled for Thursday, March 30th. pic.twitter.com/sKykrLLgiB

— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 24, 2023

All-Star pitcher Miles Mikolas, Cardinals agree on multi-year extension: Sources

A day after a teammate predicted that Miles Mikolas would finish top five in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award with the Cardinals this coming season, the All-Star right-hander finalized an agreement that will assure his next few seasons will also be with the Cardinals.

Mikolas, a two-time All-Star and Jupiter native, as has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Cardinals, sources told the Post-Dispatch.

An official announcement is expected Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals have agreed to a 2-year, $40 million extension with starter Miles Mikolas, sources tell ESPN@dgoold was first to report an agreement.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 24, 2023

MLB to stream all minor league games for free on Bally’s casinos app

Major League Baseball owners have cut a deal with a casino giant to provide free broadcasts of all minor league games this season — a bid to lure more viewers to the sport as rampant cord-cutting continues to shrink its audience, The Post has learned.

MLB sold the broadcasts rights to all 120 minor league teams — from the Class A Savannah Sand Gnats to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes — to casino operator Bally’s Corp., which will offer the free streams on its Bally Live app, according to two sources.

Last season, fans who wanted to catch a glimpse of rising stars like Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe or Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez had to pay a $29.99-a-year premium to watch them on MLB’s At Bat Live app.

MLB Commissioner ...

Rhys Hoskins suffers torn ACL in Phillies’ spring game | ESPN

CLEARWATER, Fla.—Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins needs surgery for a torn ACL after injuring his left knee Thursday fielding a grounder in a spring training game and is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

The Phillies did not say when Hoskins would have the surgery or exactly how long the slugging first baseman might be sidelined.

Baseball’s Most Valuable Teams 2023: Price Tags Are Up 12% Despite Regional TV Woes

The average MLB team value is up 12% this year, to $2.32 billion. During the 2022 season, revenue (net of stadium debt service) increased 7.8%, to an all-time high of $10.3 billion. The top-line gain was driven by a 64% increase in ticket revenue (including postseason and spring training), to $2.4 billion (the 2021 season started with nearly all ballparks under capacity restrictions) and a 35% increase in premium seating (suites and club seating) revenue, to $$1.16 billion. But operating income (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) came in at an average of $17.7 million per team, down 20% from the previous season as player costs (salaries, bonuses and benefits) rose 13%, to $5.2 billion, and an ...

Reggie Jackson: Former commissioner Bud Selig blocked me from buying A’s

Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson wanted to purchase the Oakland Athletics nearly 20 years ago, but he says then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig got in the way.

Appearing on the “Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday, Jackson revealed his plans to buy the A’s alongside a group of investors, including the founders of Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen. However, despite having more than enough funding and offering $25 million more than the highest bid for the A’s, Jackson says he “absolutely believes” Selig blocked his attempt.

“He said, ‘Reggie, stay with me, I’ll guide you through, I’ll get this done for you, don’t worry about,’” Jackson said. “Then all of a sudden, it came out that the A’s were sold to a guy by the name of Lew Wolff — ...

Jed Lowrie announces retirement, reflects on 7 years with A’s

Jed Lowrie’s 14-year major-league career started with a strong rookie season for the Boston Red Sox, when the infielder stood out in the Division Series despite playing with a broken wrist. He also spent three stints with the Oakland Athletics and was part of three playoff teams.

“We always outperformed what our payroll was and exceeded expectations, and I was always drawn to that, and that’s why I always ended up going back,” Lowrie said of the A’s.

He will not be lured back for another season. That stage of Lowrie’s baseball life is over, he told The Chronicle. His retirement is official as of Thursday morning.

“The fact that I wound up playing for the A’s for seven years is amazing,” Lowrie said. “The ...

MLB Pipeline: Ranking all 30 farm systems

The Orioles retain the top spot in the MLB Pipeline Farm System Rankings for the fourth consecutive time between preseason and midseason lists. Since Pipeline began ranking systems in 2015, only one other organization has claimed No. 1 four times in a row, and that was the Padres (2018 pre/mid, 2019 pre/mid). Baltimore and San Diego are also now tied with the most No. 1 rankings with four each; the Rays (three) are the only other club with more than one.

The baseball world caught sight of what’s coming to Charm City last year, when Adley Rutschman became AL Rookie of the Year runner-up and new No. 1 overall prospect Gunnar Henderson debuted in August. The result: a 31-win increase over 2021. There’s lots more where those two came from ...

The Shift is dead in MLB. But is the ‘two-man outfield’ next? And will it work? [$]

The Athletic sub required.

Defensive innovation in virtually all sports is a risk-and-reward game. But do the rewards of the two-man outfield ever justify the inside-the-park-homer risk? In reality, not very often. But what we’re about to find out this season is whether the actual answer is:

Not never.

“I think it’s always a balance of what you’re willing to give up and what you’re trying to accomplish,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “You’re trying to change an immeasurable. You’re trying to change (the hitter’s) approach, which we can’t measure. Because the risk of a triple down the left-field line, that’s real. And that’s a run. That leads to a run, which is super valuable.”

Hinch isn’t announcing ...

Record finish for World Baseball Classic

If there was any doubt that the World Baseball Classic is here to stay, the record audience for Tuesday’s final should put that to rest.

Tuesday’s Japan-United States World Baseball Classic championship game averaged 4.48 million viewers on FS1 (4.97 million with Fox Deportes included), easily the largest audience in the history of the event. The previous high was 3.05 million for the 2017 U.S.-Puerto Rico final on MLB Network, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

Four of the seven largest World Baseball Classic audiences ever took place in this year’s tournament, with the caveat that out-of-home viewing was not included in prior years.

Including postseason, Japan’s win outdrew all-but-one Major League Baseball game on FS1 last year. Game 4 ...

MLB making small changes to pitch clock rules, memo says

• On brushback pitches and “big swings”—which either knock equipment out of place or land a player splayed out on the ground—umpires will delay the start of the clock and, if the clock operator starts it early, have the ability to wave off the timer…

• In situations where pitchers find themselves away from the mound—whether to cover first base or back up throws to home or third base in foul territory—the 30-second between-batters clock will be delayed. It restarts when the pitcher making a play at first is back on the infield grass and one backing plays up is in fair territory.

• Leniency for catchers who end an inning on base or at-bat. Umpires could turn off the 2-minute, 30-second between-innings clock at the 30-second mark if ...

“Friday Night Baseball” resumes on Apple TV+ on April 7

Today Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader, will be available to all Apple TV+ subscribers on Fridays throughout the regular season. Fans in 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups over 25 weeks with no local broadcast restrictions. “Friday Night Baseball” will begin the 2023 season on Friday, April 7, with the Texas Rangers at the Chicago Cubs for the inaugural “Friday Night Baseball” daytime game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, and the San Diego Padres at the Atlanta Braves. Apple and MLB also announced the “Friday Night Baseball” schedule for the first half of the season, through June 30….

This season, “Friday Night Baseball” welcomes an ...

Ohtani fans Trout to seal Japan’s 3rd Classic championship

MIAMI—Team Japan hoisted the 2023 World Baseball Classic trophy to celebrate its third tournament championship with a 3-2 victory over Team USA on Tuesday at loanDepot park.
...
In a matchup anticipated by many, Shohei Ohtani clinched the game by striking out Angels teammate Mike Trout in the ninth.

A deeply satisfying finish to a spectacular tournament.

MLB’s Rob Manfred pushes for more star pitchers in next WBC

The World Baseball Classic, which has produced a string of exhilarating games and enthusiastic crowds, will “100 percent” return in 2026, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday, moments before Team USA and Japan squared off in the championship game from LoanDepot Park.

Before then, Manfred said, he would like to see more stars playing in the tournament, particularly on the pitching side.

“It’s great the guys that we have,” Manfred told a small scrum of reporters, “but I’d like to see pitching staffs that are of the same quality as our position players.”

A long list of star position players decorated rosters throughout the World Baseball Classic, but a lot of the sport’s best pitchers either did not participate or ...

Braves option Grissom to minors, clearing Arcia to start at SS

The Atlanta Braves have apparently decided who will replace the departed Dansby Swanson as their starting shortstop. It’s not who most people expected it to be.

Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday. That leaves utility infielder Orlando Arcia as the likely replacement for Swanson, who left the Braves in free agency during the offseason for a $177 million, seven-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Japan plates 2 in ninth, ousts Mexico in World Baseball Classic

Munetaka Murakami, it turns out, was due.

Murakami, the star Japanese third baseman who owns the nation’s home run record and is coming off a Triple Crown, struck out in his first three plate appearances of Monday night’s World Baseball Classic semifinal. But he came through when it mattered most, delivering a two-run double in the ninth inning that sent Japan to a thrilling, 6-5 walk-off victory against Mexico at a sold-out LoanDepot Park.

AS CALLED ON JAPANESE TV: pic.twitter.com/3zzrOXp0O5

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 21, 2023

Why MLB Feels RSN Pinch More Than Other Leagues

Local media, including radio, is 23% of MLB team revenue. It is the third biggest revenue stream after central revenue and tickets, but it is by far the biggest exposure to regional sports networks of any major U.S. sports league, and the NBA’s 13% of revenue will dip further when its next national TV deals commence in 2025. Most MLB teams are in the 18% to 25% range, but the two Los Angeles franchises lean on local media for more than 30% of their revenue after netting out their revenue sharing payments….

Baseball RSN ratings were and still are elite. Last season, it was the No. 1 programming in primetime on cable in 22 of 29 markets and 13 out of 29 when including broadcast networks, according to Nielsen (Toronto data is not available). ...

Reds would reportedly consider trading Joey Votto to Blue Jays if he asked for it

Votto, born in Toronto and raised in Etobicoke, Ont., was drafted by Cincinnati in 2002 and has played for just one franchise his entire career, compiling 16 seasons with the Reds. But as he prepares for his 17th major-league campaign, management has considered what life could be like without the six-time All-Star.

In speaking with former general manager and current MLB analyst Jim Bowden, Reds GM Nick Krall said he hopes Votto will finish his career in the same place it started. If Cincinnati becomes a seller at the trade deadline, though, Krall could be open to dealing the 2010 NL MVP to his hometown franchise if that’s Votto’s wish.

The 39-year-old Votto is entering the final season of his 10-year, $225-million contract, which ...

Phillies Release Mark Appel

The Phillies announced today that right-hander Mark Appel has been released. He had been in camp on a minor league deal. They also reassigned left-hander Ben Bowden, right-hander Louis Head and catcher Max McDowell to minor league camp.

Appel, 31, had been having a rough showing this spring. In six appearances, he allowed six walks and ten hits, including three home runs. He did record five strikeouts, but the seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings led to an ERA of 11.12.

The righty was looking continue a nice comeback story from last year. The first overall pick from the 2013 draft, taken by the Astros, Appel was a mainstay of top prospect lists for a few years. He was traded to the Phillies prior to the 2016 season in the deal that sent ...

Reports: Jurickson Profar, Rockies reach 1-year, $7.75M deal

The Colorado Rockies have agreed to a one-year, $7.75 million contract with veteran utility man Jurickson Profar, according to multiple reports.

The deal is pending a physical, according to reports. Profar was not in the U.S. as of Sunday morning, according to the Denver Gazette, and his availability for Opening Day is uncertain.

Profar can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses, getting the full amount for 400 plate appearances, according to The Associated Press.

Altuve suffers broken thumb in Venezuela’s WBC loss to Team USA

Venezuela second baseman and Houston Astros All-Star Jose Altuve suffered a broken right thumb when he was hit by a pitch in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Team USA, according to Venezuelan team officials.

Altuve was hit in the right hand by a Daniel Bard pitch during the fifth inning at Miami’s LoanDepot Park and replaced by pinch runner Luis Rengifo. While Rengifo scored one of Venezuela’s four runs in the go-ahead rally, Team USA came back to eliminate Venezuela 9-7 on Trea Turner’s grand slam.

2023 World Baseball Classic 1st round a global success

The 2023 World Baseball Classic registered an attendance record for the First-Round drawing 1,010,999, the most attended round in the history of the tournament and a +98% increase vs. the previous record of 510,056 in 2017. The average attendance of 25,275 also set a record for the First Round of the tournament eclipsing 2017’s average of 20,402 by +24%...

In Japan, the March 10th Japan vs. Korea game on TBS registered a 44.4 rating, making it the most-watched game in the history of the World Baseball Classic in any country. The game outrated all sports competition during the Tokyo Olympics. Japan’s four First Round games averaged a 42.3 rating in the country….

In the Dominican Republic, viewership for the Dominican team’s games ...

Mets’ Edwin Diaz carried off field after Puerto Rico WBC celebration injury

Edwin Diaz injured his right leg as Puerto Rico celebrated its 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Mets closer, who struck out the side and earned the save, appeared to hurt his knee as the team began celebrating.

Diaz had to be carried off the field and was eventually placed in a wheelchair.

After securing the final out, he was has embraced by some of his teammates and they began jumping up and down together.

‘Slow-motion’ crash: How Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy will affect teams, fans

Diamond said in a statement on Tuesday that it expects to work out a restructuring agreement that will allow it to become a standalone company. Diamond said its top-tier secured creditors will not lose anything in the deal, while secondary and unsecured creditors will wind up with an equity stake in the new company.

In court filings on Wednesday, the Athletic reported that Diamond said it expected the restructuring to wind up by the end of 2023.

It all means that the lights are not at risk of going out, at least not immediately, on Bally RSN channels in most affected markets this baseball season. The situation in Cleveland, Cincinnati, San Diego, and Arizona is a little more muddled, but more on that later.

Most Bally broadcasts could ...

Playing for the Yankees Has Its Perks. In-Flight Internet Is Not One of Them.

Gerrit Cole had dreamed of playing for the Yankees since he was a kid, and in so many ways the experience has been exactly what children envision: the crisp pinstripes, the retired numbers, the Bleacher Creatures.

But one thing surprised him when he got to New York after signing a nine-year, $324 million deal before the 2020 season: The fourth-most valuable franchise in sports charges players for internet access on the team plane.

“It’s your fault,” longtime center fielder Brett Gardner told him. “Your contract is too big, so they can’t pay for the Wi-Fi.”

Technically, it’s Delta that does the charging, approximately $9 per flight. (Delta also offers free iMessage and WhatsApp.) But the Yankees, whom Forbes estimates are ...

Puerto Rico’s De Leon, bullpen ‘perfect’ in WBC mercy-rule win

Officially, Puerto Rico’s 10-0 victory over Israel in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night will not enter the record books as a perfect game, even though four pitchers combined to retire all 24 hitters they faced in the mercy-rule win.

Just don’t tell that to Puerto Rico’s players.

“It’s perfect for us,” said starter Jose De Leon, whose 5.2 brilliant innings spearheaded the best performance of the Classic from the two-time runners-up and sets up an epic matchup against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in which the winner is expected to advance and the loser likely will bow out after pool play.

The Elias Sports Bureau, which renders official scoring decisions for Major League Baseball, said WBC games are being held to the same ...

Flamboyant Yankees great Joe Pepitone dies at 82

Yankees first baseman Joe Pepitone, known for his terrific defense and bringing the first hair dryer into a major league clubhouse, has died, the Yankees announced on Monday.

The left-handed swinging Pepitone played the bulk of his career for the Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves. During his time with the Yankees, Pepitone played in three All-Star Games and won three Gold Glove awards.

“The Yankees are deeply saddened by the passing of former Yankee Joe Pepitone, whose playful and charismatic personality and on-field contributions made him a fan favorite of generations of Yankees fans even beyond his years with the team in the 1960s,” the ...

Mets planning to shut down Jose Quintana for three months

The Mets will prepare to play the first half of the season without Jose Quintana.

The left-hander is expected to be shut down from throwing for at least three months, according to sources, after he was diagnosed last week with a stress fracture on the fifth rib on his left side.

Under that timetable, Quintana would begin throwing again in mid-June at the earliest to ramp up for a return to the Mets’ rotation around the All-Star break.

Quintana, 34, arrived in the offseason on a two-year contract worth $26 million.

Trevor Bauer is Reportedly Off to Pitch in Japan

Trevor Bauer is signing with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization in Japan, per @YamadaSANSPO

The contract is for one year and $4 million plus incentives pic.twitter.com/snHhFgUINX

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 13, 2023