Mining the News (3/20/26)

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• A solid article by TJStats on some breakout players for each team. For example, this write-up on Denzel Clarke.

Denzel Clarke is arguably the best defender in MLB. His unprecedented stretch of elite defense propelled him up the OAA and DRS leaderboards before he exhausted prospect status. Unfortunately, a hip injury stalled Clarke’s meteoric rise to defensive stardom, and his poor offensive production made it difficult for the Athletics to grant him an everyday role. I do, however, have some faith that Clarke can improve his bat to a passable level and secure a full-time role in 2026. His whiff rates, particularly in-zone, were not as alarming as his 38.4 K% would suggest, and he has consistently shown patience throughout his MiLB career. The power-speed combination is undeniable, and if he can put more balls in play, his results should improve substantially. I am not expecting his bat to reach league-average levels, but if it becomes playable, Clarke could be in line for a potential three-win season.

American League

Blue Jays

• The rotation will be Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce 폰세, and Eric Lauer 라우어, as long as everyone stays healthy.

With Yesavage out and José Berríos dealing with a stress fracture in his right elbow, Toronto’s Opening Day rotation will likely consist of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce and Eric Lauer.

Red Sox

• Ranger Suarez might not be able to throw many innings in his first start.

Aside from Oviedo, one of the bigger rotation questions is Ranger Suarez’s readiness. He made two Grapefruit League starts, allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings, then allowed six runs over 4 2/3 innings in two starts for Venezuela in the WBC. Cora said the team would likely push him back in the rotation — not because he’s a No. 5 starter, but purely to give him extra time to build up before the season starts.

“He’s kind of like the only one that we are worried about,” Cora said this week of Suarez, who lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed five runs for Venezuela on Saturday. “Let’s see where he is. He’ll be good to go (for the season), but how much we can get from him in his first outing, we’re not sure, because the last one (for Venezuela) obviously was a short one.”

Royals

• The rotation will be Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, and Noah Cameron.

The rotation seems fairly set, with Cole Ragans starting Opening Day and then some order of Michael Wacha, Lugo, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron, with Bailey Falter now preparing as a swingman/long reliever. That’s going to have implications for the rest of the bullpen.

White Sox

• Hagen Smith added a cutter.

One of the biggest developments for Smith — MLB Pipeline’s No. 72 overall prospect — has been the addition of a cutter, a pitch he began experimenting with only days ago after watching teammate Anthony Kay.

“That’s kind of why I want to start throwing a cutter,” Smith said. “I’ve literally been throwing the cutter for two or three days now. So like after watching [Kay] throw the other day, I was just like, ‘I kind of want to try.’”

National League

Brewers

• Kyle Harrison’s changeup is causing him to get a blister.

Brewers starter Kyle Harrison exited his Spring Training start in a 4-3 loss to the Angels on Wednesday with a blister on his left index finger, a minor ailment in the grand scheme of things but problematic at the moment, given the state of Milwaukee’s starting rotation and the approach of Opening Day.

Manager Pat Murphy said the club caught the matter early enough that Harrison won’t be set back by more than a day or so, if at all.

“He’s had issues with this in the past,” Murphy said. “It’s a new grip on his changeup and that produced the blister. It’s done it a little bit in the past so it’s something we wanted to get under control early. I think he’ll be on track soon.”

Cardinals

• The team’s rotation will be Matthew Liberatore, Kyle Leahy, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, and Andre Pallante.

The Cardinals optioned right-hander Richard Fitts to Triple-A Memphis, which means the starting rotation is set with Liberatore, Kyle Leahy, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante.

Cubs

• Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation thinks Michael Conforto will get outfield reps over Matt Shaw because Shaw’s defense is subpar.

Matt Shaw played right field in the game for the first time in a little while, and had two(!) fielding errors in four(!) innings. Without a broadcast, I can’t really tell you exactly the nature of the errors or how concerning they are, but an outfielder making two in four innings is … well, if that happened in the regular season, let’s just say it would be the kind of thing you might see once in 162 games, if that. I have plenty of leniency for it in terms of beefing with Shaw – he’s learning a new position while bouncing all around and trying to develop at the plate – but it does nothing to change my suspicion that, if Seiya Suzuki were to miss more than a day or two, it won’t be Shaw out there as an everyday guy.

To that end, Michael Conforto played left field in the game, as he continues to get a lot of run lately, and is my best guess at the starting right fielder on Opening Day if Suzuki is expected to be out for a week or so. Kevin Alcantara, who can’t be ruled out if it’s a long-term injury situation either, started in center field in the game and went deep …

Diamondbacks

• Reading between the lines, the team is leaning towards Paul Sewald being the closer.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday he is close to announcing his rotation behind Opening Day starter Zac Gallen. The closer role, however, will likely be revealed when Arizona faces its first save situation.

“You’ll probably figure it out as I’m doing it,” Lovullo said. “That’s kind of the mindset I’ll have right now. I love where a few guys are at.

“I love where Paul Sewald is at. He’s been throwing the heck out of the ball. We have other guys that have been doing the exact same thing. So, out of fairness to the group, I probably won’t say anything until Opening Day and I’ve got to go out there and execute a game plan and win a baseball game.”

This is not the first time he’s brought up Sewald when asked about possible closers.

Sewald is a prime candidate based on his familiarity with the role and given the rehab status of high-leverage relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez after elbow surgeries. Puk and Martinez have been playing catch and throwing on flat ground this spring with the former looking at a return in the first half of the season and the latter in August.

• In some order, the rotation will be Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Michael Soroka.

Until Lovullo speaks with Rodriguez, he doesn’t want to say how things will shake out behind Opening Day starter Zac Gallen, but the other starters will be Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and Soroka.

Dodgers

• River Ryan didn’t make the team to control his innings.

River Ryan had as impressive a camp as anyone before the Dodgers officially optioned him to the minors after Wednesday’s game. The decision was more about future planning than anything Ryan actually did this spring. The organization still feels Ryan has to log innings coming off of Tommy John surgery — he’s still thrown just 196 2/3 innings as a professional — and they want to keep him in a controlled environment at least to start the season. It’s a matter of whether they’d rather have Ryan now or have him peaking in October.

“I think that’s the right question,” Roberts said. “He’s been through a lot, as far as off the field with the surgeries and stuff like that, the rehab, and hasn’t pitched much in the last 18 months. Two years, you can even (say).”

Nationals

• For now, it seems like Luis García Jr. will start against righties and lefties , with Andrés Chaparro facing lefties and Nasim Nuñez facing righties.

Infielders (6): CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr., Brady House, Nasim Nuñez, Andrés Chaparro, José Tena
Next up: Abimelec Ortiz

This group always felt the most set coming into camp. Really, the only question is how the Nats handle the right side of the infield.

At the moment, the most likely scenario against right-handed pitching would put García at first base and Nuñez at second, shifting Chaparro to the bench. Against left-handed pitching, Chaparro and García would likely start at first and second, respectively.

Still, there are significant questions about the defensive floor of this grouping. García is a better hitter than he gets credit for, but he has logged only 16 professional innings at first and has graded out poorly at second. Part of Washington’s hope is that Nuñez — an exceptional fielder — could make life easier on him.

• Clayton Beeter and Cole Henry will get the first Save chances.

Beeter should frequently get the ball in the ninth, though perhaps not to the same degree Kyle Finnegan had during his time in Washington. Henry could close at times, too.

Pirates

• Hunter Barco, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Mitch Keller added or reworked pitches.

New pitches are a consistent theme of Spring Training, regardless of team. It’s been no different with the Pirates.

Barco was an overachiever this winter and incorporated three new offerings into his arsenal: a sinker, sweeper and changeup. They’ve been very good and give him a well-rounded pitch mix.

However, the best singular development might be Mlodzinski’s splitter.

It’s something he learned while talking to David Bednar and a pitch he perfected in Hawaii. It also helped save Mlodzinski’s season in 2025 and may enable him to fare better as a starter this time around.

Keller debuted a reworked changeup. It looks perfectly suitable for regular-season action.

• Henry Davis reworked his batting stance.

Sko (@sko0024): Has Henry Davis made any adjustments to his swing this year? Is he trying to work on taking the ball the other way? It just seems like he tries pulling everything.

Mackey: Yes, Davis has changed his swing. He has his hands away from his body, he’s more upright and has tweaked his load. It’s been a process and one that has probably affected Grapefruit League results. Davis is hitting just .120 in 11 games.

• Mike Clevinger is throwing with more velocity.

A consistent theme with Clevinger has been his increased velocity, how he’s felt better than he has in years due to actually having an offseason and full health. The right-hander’s fastball really popped during the third and fourth innings, averaging 95.9 mph.

That’s 2.4 mph better than Clevinger averaged this past season, and he topped out at 97 mph.

The Pirates must make a decision soon on whether to give Clevinger a roster spot or allow him to pursue an opportunity with another team. Though he allowed a home run on a mistake pitch, Clevinger also ended his outing on a high note by striking out four of the final five hitters he faced.

“[The velocity] has always been there,” Clevinger said. “Just a matter of me having the body put together”