MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: As spring training nears an end, these are some interesting observations or storylines to follow. Due to a minor setback, Cam Schlittler’s buildup time was pushed back a little, so while he’ll probably only be able to throw 70 or so pitches come Opening Day, the Yankees can leverage a piggyback situation for his season debut since they won’t need a fifth starter the first time through the rotation. Outside of that, Carlos Lagrange and Kervin Castro are names to watch. While the former will likely continue to build up as a hard-throwing starter in the minors, both could make an impact out of the bullpen at some point this year.
New York Post | Mark Suleymanov: Following the United States’ victory over the Dominican Republic on Sunday night, Aaron Judge spoke to reporters about the atmosphere that he’s been a part of during the World Baseball Classic. Captain America compared the atmosphere of the tournament to the World Series we don’t talk about and said that it’s “been bigger.” It makes sense though as fans get to cheer for their countries here and display national pride, and right now his team’s winning as they get ready to play Venezuela in the final tonight.
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FanGraphs | Davy Andrews: It’s everyone’s favorite time of year — Power Rankings Season! Between now and Opening Day, FanGraphs will be going around the diamond and doing a positional power ranking to see how teams stack up against each other. They start with catchers and the Bombers come in just outside of the top five in sixth place. Though Austin Wells is coming off a down year in 2025, he’s still projected to be a solid lead backstop for The Bombers and legitimate power threat who can really be an asset at home plate. This ranking also factors Ben Rice into the catching mix, even though he’ll likely see little-to-no playing time there, barring an emergency, but they’re also still high on J.C. Escarra.
FanGraphs | Eric Longenhagen: When MLB is considering any drastic rule changes, they first pilot them in the minors to see how players adapt to them and see what kind of results they produce. So it’s always interesting to see what rule changes MLB is trying out in the minors, as they announced their latest set of experimental rules. Granted none of these are locks to make it to the majors, but still fun to see and think about. Some of the more interesting ones include rules to allow a starting pitcher to re-enter a game after being removed and introducing a “Check-Swing Challenge” to go along with the ABS system. Outside of that, they’re experimenting further tinkering with rules around mound visits, pitch clocks, batter disengagements, and the position of second base.
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