MLB Player News

It seemed like it would come down to McGriff, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy when the nominating team picked five far more controversial players (Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling) for the eight-man ballot, and things set up especially well for McGriff, who had his former Blue Jays COO Paul Beeston and a bunch of contemporaries doing the voting today. As it turned out, McGriff was elected unanimously. No one else came close to the 12 votes needed from the 16 voters; Mattingly got eight, Schilling seven and Murphy six. McGriff hit 493 homers in a career that spanned from 1986 to 2004, leading the league twice in that category. He also led in OPS once. Overall, he hit .284/.377/.509 in 10,174 plate appearances.

The results are insignificant as the more important variable is that Rodón built up his pitch count to 65 in his rehab debut. It’s possible the Yankees will have him make an additional tune-up start next week before bringing him back for his season debut. There should be some clarity on his status at some point later this weekend.

Anderson’s latest dominant performance where he allowed just one baserunner was cut short due to inclement weather after just 59 pitches (39 strikes). The 21-year-old southpaw, who was selected third overall in last year’s draft, has looked like one of the top pitching prospects in baseball during his professional debut, recording a sublime 0.48 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 30/4 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings over four starts at the Double-A level. There’s a non-zero chance he makes it to Seattle at some point later this season and he would offer enough strikeout upside to merit a roster spot in all fantasy formats.

Arias went hitless following a surreal hot streak where he homered in three consecutive games and six times in a seven-game span since April 14. The 20-year-old prodigy finished with just eight round-trippers in 116 games last season. His combination of elite plate skills and emerging over-the-fence power at a premium defensive position will position him as an elite fantasy prospect by midseason, if he’s not there already.

Ewing isn’t known for his over-the-fence power, but he’s shown a little extra thump this season while providing his usual blend of batting average and stolen bases. The 21-year-old speedster, who posted three homers and 70 steals in 124 games last year, is hitting .345/.466/.552 with eight extra-base hits and 10 thefts through 16 games at the Double-A level. He projects as a strong batting average and steals source for fantasy purposes once he reaches the big leagues.

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that Bonemer is already a top-10 fantasy prospect from a dynasty standpoint as he’s slashing a robust .275/.378/.696 with 15 extra-base hits and one steal through 18 games this season. The 20-year-old’s ability to generate consistent hard contact, without sacrificing anything from a plate skills perspective, puts him on a trajectory to finish the year in the upper minors as one of the top prospects in baseball.

Hernandez has looked like one of the top pitching prospects in baseball during his professional debut, recording a pristine 0.53 ERA and 32/5 K/BB ratio across 17 innings over five starts. The 19-year-old phenom, who was selected sixth overall in last year’s draft, flashes triple-digit fastball velocity in addition to strong secondaries. He topped 96 mph on 30 of his 61 pitches during Friday’s latest dominant performance. He’s a couple hyperspace jumps from the majors, despite being extremely advanced for his age and experience, but there’s a realistic chance he finishes the year in the upper minors.

Melton suffered the injury earlier this week while rounding third base during Wednesday’s game for Triple-A Durham. The 25-year-old is viewed as Tampa Bay’s center fielder of the future after coming over in a trade with the Astros in the offseason. He has a chance to make his Rays debut at some point in the second half, especially if Cedric Mullins doesn’t get it going at the plate.

The homer off Adrian Houser was Norby’s only hit in five at-bats, but it was quite the blast, traveling 418 feet to left-center. Norby is batting .244/.333/.423 in 90 plate appearances while mostly starting at first base in Christopher Morel’s absence. That he has 190 points of OPS on Graham Pauley bodes well for his chances of remaining in the lineup after Morel returns, which could happen early next month.

Alcantara gave up nine hits but only three hard-hit balls, which is kind of nuts. Really, though, this was the offense the Giants envisioned this season; they did a wonderful job of hitting flare singles and a couple of doubles in front of outfielders. If only their pitchers hadn’t given up nine runs, Buster Posey and Tony Vitello would be having quite the celebration. Alcantara, though, already had eight runs of support before giving up three runs in the fifth. He’ll take a 3.05 ERA into a tough start Wednesday against the Dodgers. Mixed leaguers might have better options next week.

Liam Hicks and Connor Norby homered off him. Even though Houser’s velocity is still up from his career norms, he’s sporting an 11 percent strikeout rate that is way down from his career average of 18 percent. His walk and groundball rates remain strong and he’s kind of unlucky to be 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA after five starts, but the Giants should be thinking about stretching out Blade Tidwell and shifting Houser to middle relief.