Major League Baseball 2023 Season

**S Landreth** · 24-03-2023, 03:02 AM

Carl Edwards Jr. looks to repeat success in 2023

'Perfect place for me': Nats saved Edwards Jr.'s career

One thing is certain: right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. will be part of the Nationals’ bullpen this season -- and the team is hoping he remains consistent like he did last year.

In 2022, Edwards was arguably Washington’s best reliever, leading the bullpen in ERA (2.76) and finishing eighth on the team with 1.3 WAR.

It was a comeback season for Edwards, who would like to forget the previous three years, which were filled with injuries and inconsistency with the Cubs, Padres, Mariners, Braves and Blue Jays. Edwards couldn’t do much right, but he remembered something Nationals manager Dave Martinez told him in 2018 when he was with the Cubs: “If you are ever in a bind, we have a place for you [in Washington].”

At first, Edwards laughed. At the time, he was still going strong in Chicago.

Edwards' friendship with Martinez dates back to their days with the Cubs. Martinez was the bench coach and Edwards was a key figure out of the bullpen during the club's World Series title run in 2016.

Three years later, Edwards found himself in a bind. It looked like no one was interested in his services, but then he heard from Martinez who said, “Remember, I told you, ‘I got you, man. You got me.’”

The Nationals signed Edwards to a Minor League contract on March 8, 2022. His contract was selected by the team on May 10, and he hasn’t looked back. Every time the 31-year-old is on the mound, he thinks about Martinez and his teammates. That’s how badly he wants to win with the Nats.

**S Landreth** · 24-03-2023, 02:13 PM

Farm system rankings 2023 preseason

1. Baltimore Orioles
2022 midseason rank: 1
2022 preseason rank: 1
2021 midseason rank: 1
2021 preseason rank: 5

**S Landreth** · 24-03-2023, 10:07 PM

**S Landreth** · 25-03-2023, 04:43 PM

Keston Hiura, Tyler Naquin won't make Brewers' Opening Day roster

Friday didn’t mark the end of former first-round Draft pick and hotshot prospect Keston Hiura’s tenure with the Brewers, but it was certainly a fork in the road.

The Brewers informed Hiura about an hour before he was to start a split-squad game against the Dodgers that he won’t make the Opening Day roster. Hiura, 26, is out of Minor League options, so the Brewers will try to find him a Major League opportunity in the coming days, according to general manager Matt Arnold.

If they are unsuccessful, then the club would have to put Hiura on waivers. Any team could claim him and pick up his $2.2 million salary. Should he clear, Arnold said “it’s definitely a possibility” that the Brewers would keep Hiura in their Minor League system.

“We wanted to give him as much runway as possible, in fairness to him, to get an opportunity with another Major League team,” Arnold said.

“It’s not necessarily the end, but it certainly could be,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Keston has been a good player. He handled himself like you’d want every Milwaukee Brewer to handle himself. It’s tough news you have to deliver, and we’ll just see what happens.”

The Brewers also informed non-roster invitee Tyler Naquin, an outfielder, that he would not make the Opening Day roster. Naquin has the right to opt out of his deal, but as of Friday he remained in camp and started the Brewers’ other split-squad game against the Rockies.

**S Landreth** · 26-03-2023, 12:46 PM

2023 Opening Day starting pitching matchups, ranked

Mets at Marlins, 4:10 p.m.
Max Scherzer vs. Sandy Alcantara

Giants at Yankees, 1:05 p.m.
Logan Webb vs. Gerrit Cole

Phillies at Rangers, 4:05 p.m.
Aaron Nola vs. Jacob deGrom

Guardians at Mariners, 10:10 p.m.
Shane Bieber vs. Luis Castillo

The rest in the link

**S Landreth** · 26-03-2023, 03:38 PM

Royals, Bally Sports announced 2023 television schedule

With the 2023 Kansas City Royals season starting in less than a week, Bally Sports Kansas City announced the 2023 television season schedule.

Bally Sports Kansas City will televise 158 regular season games, and four games are currently scheduled for Major League Baseball’s national television package.

National telecasts include two on Apple TV+, on May 12 at Milwaukee and June 9 at Baltimore, and two on FOX, on July 1 vs. the Dodgers and Aug. 12 vs. the Cardinals.

Three games will be televised on Bally Sports Kansas City and FS1: June 5 at Miami, June 17 vs. the Angels, and Aug. 28 vs. Pittsburgh.

Every game on Bally Sports Kansas City will be preceded by a 30-minute pregame show, “Price Chopper Royals Live,” and followed by the “Rally House Royals Live” postgame show. Both the pre and postgame shows at Kauffman Stadium will originate from Bally Sports Kansas City’s set on the left field concourse adjacent to the Royals Hall of Fame.

**S Landreth** · 27-03-2023, 12:51 AM

Bobby Witt Jr. LAUNCHES his FIRST HOMER of the Spring - YouTube

**S Landreth** · 27-03-2023, 03:51 PM

Astros still finalizing Opening Day roster

As camp closes, Astros still have decisions to make

The Astros were set to board a charter flight to Houston following Sunday’s Grapefruit League finale, a 24-1 victory against the Cardinals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, bringing an end to the team’s stay in the Sunshine State but not the debate about the composition of the 26-man roster prior to Opening Day.

Much of the roster was set when the Astros arrived in Florida about six weeks ago. But injuries to All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve (fractured right thumb), the lingering recovery of outfielder Michael Brantley after his right shoulder surgery and the uncertainty over slugger Yordan Alvarez’s readiness for Opening Day have clouded the roster somewhat.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Friday the final decisions won’t be made until later this week, perhaps after the team plays a pair of exhibition games against Triple-A Sugar Land -- on Monday in Sugar Land and Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. Houston plays host to the White Sox on Thursday to open its defense of its World Series championship.

**S Landreth** · 28-03-2023, 12:57 PM

Cardinals' Jordan Walker has priceless reaction to making roster

Rookie phenom Jordan Walker breaks down after being told he's made Cardinals' roster

Baseball fans just can't get enough of these kinds of stories. Even if they happen multiple times every spring.

A young player who works hard in camp is rewarded with the news that he's won a spot on the opening day roster. And his reaction is priceless.

That's how things played out Saturday when 20-year-old Jordan Walker was called into St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol's office for a chat.

"The separator when watching you this entire camp was very simple. When you faced adversity, you weren't bothered by it," Marmol said as Walker waited patiently for the words he hoped to hear.

"You deserve every bit of being with us opening day."

And there was much rejoicing.

A third baseman-turned-outfielder, Walker hit .304 with 19 home runs, 22 stolen bases and an .894 OPS last season at Class AA Springfield (Mo.), but he played his way onto the Cardinals' opening day roster with a strong performance in spring training (.286/.308/.508 with three home runs, 19 runs scored and nine RBI in 65 plate appearances).

He'll be the youngest player to make his MLB debut with the Cardinals since Rick Ankiel in 1999.

**S Landreth** · 29-03-2023, 12:26 PM

Rhys Hoskins diagnosed with torn ACL

Rhys Hoskins carted off with apparent left knee injury

Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins was taken off the field on a cart after sustaining a left knee injury during the second inning of Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Tigers at BayCare Ballpark

The club said Hoskins will undergo further evaluation and testing, and an update will be provided when available.

Hoskins ranged back onto the outfield grass to track down a high hopper off the bat of Tigers right fielder Austin Meadows. The ball popped out of Hoskins’ glove as he attempted to plant in shallow right field, and he went down and grabbed his left knee area.

Teammates surrounded Hoskins and knelt by his side for approximately five minutes while a cart was summoned to help him off the field

Rhys Hoskins injures knee #shorts #mlb ⚾️�� - YouTube

**S Landreth** · 30-03-2023, 03:43 AM

Shohei Ohtani to make MLB-record $65M in 2023, per Forbes

Shohei Ohtani is expected to make a Major League Baseball-record $65 million for the 2023 season including endorsements, according to an annual list published Monday by Forbes, making the Los Angeles Angels' two-way standout the highest-paid player in the sport.

The amount includes the one-year, $30 million contract extension that Ohtani signed in October as part of an agreement to avoid salary arbitration.

Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was second on the overall list at $59.3 million. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million deal in December to remain in New York, took the third spot at $44.5 million.

Mets pitcher Justin Verlander ($43.3 million) and Ohtani's Angels teammate Mike Trout ($39.5 million) rounded out the top five of Forbes' list.

Ohtani is expected to make at least $35 million from endorsements, according to Forbes, up from $6 million in 2021 and $20 million in 2022. The magazine's endorsement revenue estimates showed a substantial gap between the Japanese star and his peers. Judge, the American League MVP in 2022, was next on the list -- in line to make $4.5 million in endorsements. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, was third with $4 million in endorsements.

In total, the 10 highest-paid players are expected to collect record earnings of $436 million, up from last year's $377 million, according to Forbes.

Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP, will be a free agent after this season and is widely expected to land one of the most lucrative contracts in baseball history. He led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic last week after striking out Trout to clinch the title.

Ohtani was the runner-up to Judge in the MVP voting last year after finishing with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs while posting a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts with a 15-9 record. He will be the Angels' Opening Day starter Thursday against the Athletics.

**S Landreth** · 30-03-2023, 08:26 AM

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto ejected after bizarre incident with short-tempered umpire

Major League Baseball umpires can oftentimes have a short fuse, but Monday's spring training game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays reached a new level of a player receiving their walking papers in quick fashion.

In the fourth inning just after pitcher Craig Kimbrel had committed a pitch timer violation, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was down in his crouch position, and was waiting for a new baseball from home plate umpire Randy Rosenberg. As Realmuto had his back to the home plate umpire he had briefly moved his glove out of the way just as the Rosenberg threw the ball towards Realmuto's glove.

Rosenberg took it as an act of disrespect from Realmuto and ejected the star catcher on the spot.

There's no way J.T. Realmuto got ejected for this???? #shorts - YouTube