MACK - MORE FOCUS - Top 10 RF, ROY, Schilling on Extension,

 

Thomas Nestico       @TJStats

My Top 10 Right Fielders of 2025

Matt Eddy                        @MattEddyBA

In the post below, you can see all the late-season callups in 2025 who (A) retain rookie status for 2026, and (B) finished the season as Top 100 Prospects.

It's so difficult for pitchers to win ROY. It requires health, durability and not too many blow-up starts

It also takes dominant stuff, which McLean and Yesavage have demonstrated in MLB games

Also: Rookie starters had 40.2 fWAR in 2025, the 7th best total of 30-team era

I don't know which Top 100 Prospects will make Opening Day rosters and remain in MLB for the entire 2026 season, but I can make educated guesses about  Rookie of the Year favorites and thus PPI favorites.

Curt Schilling                   @gehrig38

Today it's 'standing tall' vs 'extension', one is extremely stressful the other is not. Someone has made these guys believe max effort 'whip' is the best way to max velocity, it is NOT. Extension and FINISH generate max backspin and velocity AND you can command the fastball. The new way is why pitchers no longer command the FB INSIDE the zone. They can throw strikes, but they cannot repeat fastball location within a 6-8" box, if they could Skenes would punch out 400

                        Pitch Profiler              @pitchprofiler

                        Curt has no data to back this up.

                        The best way to throw is the way your body moves most    efficiently. Comparing two guys without knowing anything about how they move is pointless. Trying to get a guy to move in a way that his body doesn’t find efficient is a recipe for disaster.

Bleacher Report                        @BleacherReport

Top 100 MLB Prospect Rankings for the Offseason 

92. OF Edward Florentino, PIT 
58. IF Alex Freeland, LAD 

27. SS George Lombard Jr., NYY 

9. RHP Nolan McLean, NYM 

1. SS Kevin McGonigle, DET 

    MACK - McLean has rocketed up the top prospects lists, mainly due to his dominating demonstration last fall for the Mets. May be a true gem here.

 

Michael Baron                            @michaelgbaron

Mets signed INF Jose Rojas and INF Jackson Cluff to Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training.

Jose Rojas   

RF/3B/2B  5-10    200    LHH    36^th rd. 2016   Vanguard U. (CA)

Turns 33 in February

MLB Career -   -1.8-WAR, 224-AB, .188

2025 – AAA/NYY -   517-PA, 108-K 32-HR, 105-RBI, .287/.379/.599/.978

    MACK - this kind of dominating AAA bat could translate into a possible Mets platooned DH next season. Low K-rate for a boomer like this. Too bad he doesn’t play first.

Jackson Cluff    

Turns 29 next month    SS/2B/3B    LHH    5-11    180

6^th round 2019 – Nats – THE Brigham Young U. (UT)

2025 – AAA/WSH – 383-PA, 110-K, 12-HR, 40-RBI, .242/.349/.422/.771

MACK – looks to me to be a filler AAAA utility infielder for AAA-Syracuse