Pitching Grips

In a different universe – perhaps one in which Junior Caminero fielded William Contreras’ two-out bouncer in the top of the fifth inning and fired to first base rather than second – Chandler Simpson’s stunning, self-obliterating catch in the second inning would have been the lasting memory of Game 3, and maybe the entire 2026 World Series. In service of the sublime, Simpson hurled himself into… Source * This article was originally published here

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The 2026 Arizona Fall League is three weeks old and I’ve now seen every team at least a handful of times. This means I’ve got a handle on a good bit of the league and also can start to identify what gaps I need to fill in during the second half of the slate. I’ve updated the Fall League tab over on The Board to reflect what Brendan Gawlowski (during his week here in Phoenix) and I have assessed, using the “Trend” column to draw your focus to whose stock we think is moving (with the up or down arrows), who has popped onto our radar for the first time (with the “New” label), and who I still need to see more of (with the target) to feel comfortable assessing. We have not changed anyone’s FV grade because three weeks of looks is only a slice of the evaluation pie and our thoughts might yet change, though we have given interim grades to the “New” players. Below I’m going to take you through my though...

MILWAUKEE — You all know the theoretical concept of a replacement-level player. I suspect I’m not the only one who associates that concept with a specific person: The guy who’s continuously mediocre despite repeated exposure to big league competition. The longer he sticks around, the more chances he gets, the more I catch myself thinking, “Why? Can’t they at least try to find someone better?” Source * This article was originally published here

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon . Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about World Series roster and rotation decisions, the Fall Classic through a “styles make fights” lens, whether travel days are really rest days, and more. Then (31:50) Ben C. delivers a guest Stat Blast about whether bullpen games are really risky because the more pitchers you use, the more likely you are to run into a reliever who “doesn’t have it” that day, and Ben L. Blasts about players who played for three playoff teams in the same season and players who played for a few World Series winners in a row without appearing in the postseason. Finally (1:02:33), Ben and Meg banter about Angels turnover, Yankees non-turnover, Shohei Ohtani ’s two-way future, NPB postings, a KBO breakout, a new baseball video game and K-drama, and a Yandy Díaz nickname. Audio intro : Andy Ellison, “ Effectively Wild Theme ...

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Free agency begins five days after the end of the World Series. As in other recent seasons, FanGraphs is once again facilitating a contract crowdsourcing project, with the idea being to harness the wisdom of the crowd to better understand and project the 2026-27 free agent market. In recent years, we’ve added a few features to these ballots based on reader feedback. You now have the option to indicate that a player will only receive a minor league contract, or won’t receive a contract at all. If there is a player option, team option, or opt out in a player’s contract, you’ll be able to indicate whether you think he will remain with his current team or become a free agent. Statistics are prorated to full season values where noted. Unless otherwise indicated, the projected WAR figures are from the first cut of the 2027 Steamer600 projections. Below are ballots for 11 of this year’s free agents — in this case, a group of infielders, including one with a ...

The World Series — our annual signifier of another season smoked to its filter — is always a culmination of the sport’s beauty. Teams get rewarded for playing a winning brand of baseball all throughout October, managers are vindicated in all of the micro-decisions that got them there, and front offices can comfortably rest their heads at night knowing their systems and philosophies weren’t… Source * This article was originally published here