Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. World Baseball Classic exits pool stage:
Yesterday, the WBC wrapped up its pool stage as the eight teams advancing to the next round were finalized. The biggest wins of yesterday’s games were Aaron Nola and Team Italy’s victory over Javier Assad and Team Mexico, as well as Cal Quantrill and Team Canada’s victories over Team Cuba. Canada (3-1) and Puerto Rico (3-1) made it out of Pool A, while Italy (4-0) and the United States (3-1) are the victors in Pool B. Japan (4-0) and Korea (2-2) made it through Pool C, and Pool D saw the Dominican Republic (4-0) and Venezuela (3-1) emerge. Those eight teams are now set to travel to the continental United States (if they weren’t already here) for the quarterfinals and beyond, which will take place in Houston and Miami. While the quarterfinalists travel and prepare for the next round, no games are on the schedule for today. The knockout round begins on Friday with Korea facing the Dominican Republic and Canada squaring off against the United States.
2. Brewers await news on Priester:
Brewers righty Quinn Priester is poised to start the year on the injured list due to soreness in his wrist. The righty reportedly went to visit a specialist yesterday, and the feedback from that visit could shed some light on the injury for Milwaukee and provide them with a more specific diagnosis. While the soreness has been intermittent and hasn’t stopped him from playing catch this spring, ruling out a more significant injury could give Priester and the club some confidence as he builds up towards his return to the big league mound. Kyle Harrison, Brandon Sproat, Chad Patrick, and Logan Henderson are all vying for spots in the rotation, with only Brandon Woodruff and Jacob Misiorowski locked into spots come Opening Day with Priester headed for the IL.
3. Game Preview: Tigers vs Yankees:
While the World Baseball Classic is on hold for the day, attention turns back towards Spring Training for fans looking to follow baseball today. Spring Training games are much lower-stakes, but there are still some things worth watching for clubs nonetheless. In today’s game between the Yankees and Tigers, for example, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander will simply be getting his work in ahead of his 21st year in the big leagues. Even so, he’d surely like to turn in a stronger performance than he did in his first outing of the spring, where he struck out four in two innings but also allowed two runs on two hits (including one homer) and two walks. He’ll be pitching today opposite Will Warren, who will spend both Spring Training and the early part of the regular season looking to earn a more permanent spot in the rotation with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon expected back from the injured list during the first couple months of the season. On the positional side of things, Ryan McMahon has been trying his hand at shortstop throughout camp for the Yankees, while top Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle has been trying to force his way onto the MLB roster.
Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic?
Spiders!
No because I don’t have a basement and I don’t go to my attic!
I have a basement full of wine and an attic full of spiders.
Be careful to check under your trailer home before you nap tho might be the blonde bride in tracksuit intent on kharmic revenge armed with her ginzu knives
Enjoy
Only when I’m watching, Prognosis Negative 🤣
Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night?
Sometimes I hear people at 1 AM outside just talking.
Those people are just the voices in your head!
Well, they certainly are strange voices. And I have seen people talking outside at 1 AM.
Trouble with incontinence or strangw rattling in the carburetor
My parents hid all the goodies in the basement. Loved it.
What do you mean by “goodies”?
I see dead people
Quite freaky.
Have you or any of your family ever seen a spook, spectre or ghost?
Tiger Kevin McGonigle is the real deal and there’s just no way he doesn’t make the opening day roster, barring a major collapse over the next couple of weeks.
I hope so I have him on one of my fantasy teams! 😀
Ima believer! So he pushes Baez off SS and Baez moves to center ? How does Keith not have a spot in this lineup ? Surely he’s ready to breakout this season….tigers rotation and pen is sick ! They are going to run away with the Central this season. A futures lock for my gambling friends lol
I believe Keith is going to be their primary 3rd baseman with McKinstry a super utility player. Baez and Meadows should split time at Center but you know how Hinch likes to move players around and sub out to get the platoon advantage.
How do you know he’s the real deal – based on spring training results? Small sample size plus going against pitchers just getting ramped up and many not even going to make their team’s rotation. Look, I’m not saying that he isn’t good or ready for mlb. I’m just saying you can’t possibly know for sure at this point.
Probably because he’s kicked the hell out of pitching every place he’s played during his rapid rise through the minor leagues.
He’s the real deal based on age in minor league, power, and ability to draw walks. In double A he had more walks than Ks, hit 52 extra base hits in 88 games at age 20.
Hes a guarantee lock as a future all star and no, spring training has little to do with any of it unless he actually breaks camp. I do think he’s Roy but he can earn that while starting in 3A
If they’re going to continue this clown shown known as the WBC, they should at least rotate the championship sites to different countries.
I can’t believe there are still detractors of the WBC.
You’re really missing out.
Im not necessarily a detractor, I just don’t think it’s an accurate representation. I’d like to see it as a permanent, metaled, Olympic sport. (With or without MLBers, although my preference is with)
Professional sports isn’t corrupt enough with gambling entering every facet. Partnering with the IOC could definitely speed up that process.
WBC is head and shoulders above whatever Olympic baseball has ever been. The red tape for scheduling and mlb’ers participating is only worse. Plus, having the tournament in March is still the best time to have it.
AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!
Eh? Eh? Eh?
– my Canadian response
We’ve only got 4 teams in the Australian Baseball League at the moment. What a joke! The talent in the juniors is there but the people in charge of running a national senior competition are useless.
that is interesting, the Aussie pro baseball league. I am German/English myself, but have always appreciated the Aussie spirit in competition. Win or lose, its always an AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE! and I like that about the Australians.
What for ? They are going to play the games where they can make the most money which excludes any Central American country. Then how are all of those teams going to afford to send their players to japen to compete ?
And why hate on meaningful baseball in March lol
Jepan*
You’re crazy if you don’t think these games would sell out in Asia, Mexico, the DR, and Canada if they stick with Toronto. They might as well call it the United States baseball classic. I’m surprised they haven’t considering they still call it the World Series when there’s only two countries ever involved.
I’m not buying your argument that certain teams are too poor to fly. Nonsense.
So when the Olympics are held in Italy, as they just were, how is that not a single country? By your definition we should have called it the Italian Olympics.
If the Olympics were played in Italy every time, then they should be but wait for it
….. they rotate the Olympics every four years.
Arguing for the sake of arguing is just weird
The argument that they have to move it for the sake of legitimacy every few years (or whatever) is just as odd as the argument as keeping it in the same place. Just because one event moves around doesn’t imply all events have to move around to maintain legitimacy. That’s just a hang-up.
Wow, that’s a huge slam on Japan, Korea, Mexico, and the DR where baseball is huge.
I don’t get what you’re saying nor do I get who you’re even talking to. I was advocating for those countries to host a championship event, not slamming them.
I think theCervelli/Posada tandem is ripe for the Yankees picking, post-Boone. They have the drive, the desire to win, the experience…… Let’s go!
Either of those guys would be an improvement over Boone even now. They are both showing that drive that Boone doesn’t really have.
Booney : can you pull the plug on the Ryan McMahon SS experiment: NOW. This re-positioning garbage with other players has been equally as foolish over the years! Enough already leave well enough alone. With Lombard waiting in the wings behind Caballero + Volpe Paul Dejong, etc. what is the big idea? McMahon was acquired to play THIRD base. Why not devote your managerial thought processes elsewhere? Start with RLISP and inability to consistently generate baserunners and get them across home plate! Amen.
While the Yankees did rank 25th with runners left on base last season, they also had the second highest team OBP (.332). Yet they topped the MLB in runs scored.
Sandy Alcantara was sitting 98 last night, has the heater where it needs to be. Sweeper was sweeping, he is still giving up a lot of contact but he looks strong and is poised for a big season.
I would think the Marlins would definitely be looking to cash in on Alcantara with Fulton and Meyer having good springs.
Where is Alcanatara giing to land? Do the Padres have what it takes to land the great Marlin? Or, will it be the Kansas City Royals who have some good pitching prospects.
Marlins:
(SP) Sandy Alcantara
(OF) Estuary Ruiz
–for–
Royals:
(C) Blake Mitchell
(SP) Ben Kurdna
(SP) Drew Beam
(SP) David Shields
(SP) Yeri Perez
Thats a stack for the Marlins. Im a still a Estuary Ruiz fan, his bat is going to come back and he is going to be a force on the base paths. Alcantara, Ragans, Lugo, Bubic, Wacha, Cameron — a formidible rotation.
The Marlins have the chance to be a dark horse wild card team. If they move Alcantara it won’t be til the trade deadline
That is funny. That the Marlins are going to compete this season. They had an opportunity to compete.
From my perspective, it’s like leaving half of the pot in the center of the table if they don’t follow through and trade Alcantara this season.
Stack up and go for it, this was the season to make that play, or cash out and rebuild with Perez (if you can extend him), Meyer, White and Snelling but that’s next season. They chose Owen Caissie this season.
Unless they are ready to put the big money deal in front of Alcantara, and I dont see that happening, but its a possibility. If they don’t, he will be on cruise control all season.
🤞we continue our dominance over Canada after the Olympics USA, USA, 🇺🇸
Don’t you have a war to lose?
Lol
Unless you’re watching M*A*S*H War isn’t funny or appropriate to be used for sarcasm . People are dying whether you agree with what’s going on or not.
Who was being sarcastic?
That was a “police action”.
Yeah, it’s just an excursion. Like a three-hour tour. A threeee-hourrrr tourrrr….
Canada Vs USA part 2!!! Ahhhh, but somehow I think this lacks the luster of the Hockey game but only by the length of the ice…🏒
Tigers, watching them is like a black hole now. Xfinity still has no channel listed for them, nor is any information out there. They say they’ll be on cable tv but it’s only 2 weeks before they open. The good is I can still watch them on replay with MLBTV, and I grew up listening to games on the radio which also has the best play by play since Ernie and George. In fact I just listen to the radio while watching the game on cable. You’d think they could work out a deal with MLBTV, but it’ll probably take till next season to sort it all out. GO TIGERS !
@ Mprck
Greetings. I always enjoy your positivity.
I could easily be wrong, but I think I remember reading on this site that MLB was going to be broadcasting the Tigers games this year. I know MLB TV normally blocks out the local games, but it must be possible to watch them (live, locally) on TV this coming year. Who has info on this? Nick? Anybody?
It’s the hockey GAMES the women were just as awesome