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Around the League...non Padres
#2141 · August 26, 2025, 9:49 am
Quote from MrPadre19 on August 25, 2025, 2:32 pmOur Ol’ friend Luis Urias was just DFA’d.
He,and Luis Patiño are good examples of why trading prospects while their value is high is most of the time the best way to use them.
Most of us thought both would be above average major leaguers of not more.
90% don’t live up to what we think they will be…losing that 10% sucks sometimes but getting major league players that improve your team is the way to go.
Then build it back….which IMO AJ Preller does better than most
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/athletics-designate-luis-urias-for-assignment.html
#2142 · August 26, 2025, 1:47 pm
Juan Soto hitting a wopping .251, with just 15 more hits than Gavin Sheets( who has 100 less AB's).
I can't believe ANYONE gave that guy more money than Ohtani. And it's going to look even worse when the Mets don't make the playoffs.
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brent wolff
#2143 · August 26, 2025, 2:52 pm
Quote from WindsorUK on August 26, 2025, 1:47 pmJuan Soto hitting a wopping .251, with just 15 more hits than Gavin Sheets( who has 100 less AB's).
I can't believe ANYONE gave that guy more money than Ohtani. And it's going to look even worse when the Mets don't make the playoffs.
Even though It would be interesting to see, still don't think the Reds have what It takes to overcome the Mets and stay above them, which means the Mets could barely hang on and become a very dangerous team when the postseason begins.
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Randy Manese
#2144 · August 27, 2025, 5:46 pm
https://www.mlb.com/news/each-team-s-hottest-pitching-prospect-august-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage
Marlins: Robby Snelling, LHP (No. 4/MLB No. 79)
What a difference a year makes. One year ago, Snelling’s prospect shine was wearing, as he slumped terribly before a midseason trade to the Marlins. This year, he’s at Triple-A pitching as well as he ever has. Snelling owns a 0.88 ERA and quite ridiculous 46-6 K/BB ratio over his past five starts dating back to July 26. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his past three starts, racking up 28 strikeouts in that span. Snelling’s most impressive gem came on August 7, when he punched out 11 across six innings of one-hit ball against Nashville.
Nationals: Jarlin Susana, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 72)
Susana missed two months with a Grade 1 UCL sprain, made three rehab appearances with High-A Wilmington, returned to the Double-A Harrisburg rotation on Aug. 7 and has been near-lights-out ever since. He’s fanned 38 batters in his last four starts with the Senators, including 13 on Aug. 19 and 10 on Sunday (both times against a loaded Erie lineup). The 6-foot-6 righty has shown his trademark velocity by revving his fastball up to 103, but his 86-88 mph slider could be an even better pitch with the way it generates wicked whiff rates.
#2145 · August 28, 2025, 10:25 am
Dodgers recieve another blow adding to their injury list. Top reliever Alex Vesia was placed on the 15-day IL.
#2146 · August 29, 2025, 1:54 pm
Eno Sarris at The Athletic
... There are other ways to parse a swing further, though. Kurtz has great opposite field power and he lets the ball travel closer to him. You can see it in his spray chart:
This is very different than Eugenio Suárez, a right-handed hitter who goes and gets the ball a whopping 10 inches closer to the pitcher.
This is notable for a couple of reasons. One is that these just look like fundamentally different approaches and therefore different swings. Put another way, bat speed is measured near contact, and if Suárez is swinging 10 inches further before making contact, he has more of a chance to get that bat up to speed. What makes Kurtz so special is that he has great tilt, swings the bat fast and gets it going that fast much quicker than almost all hitters in baseball.
So let’s now take the average swing for qualified hitters, and compare them by bat speed, swing tilt and now also intercept point. Here are the two players who come within 2 mph of bat speed and 2 degrees of swing tilt when compared to Kurtz’s swing, and also let the ball travel more than league average (30.8 inches):
Nick Kurtz swing comps
| Nick Kurtz | 77.5 | 39° | 24.6 |
| Aaron Judge | 76.9 | 38° | 30.7 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 76.1 | 37° | 28.0 |
| If you relax the bat speed requirements a little bit, you get Mike Trout and his 74 mph bat speed, too, but it’s amazing how well Kurtz’s swing maps to Ohtani’s. Here is Ohtani’s swing mapped on top of the rookie’s, courtesy Baseball Savant: |
It’s like the same swing!
Trout, Judge and Ohtani all offer a good visual comparison for the type of approach a high-velocity, high-tilt hitter with a good eye at the plate can take. Hitters like this can let the ball travel a little bit because they have a ferocious bat that can hit the ball out to any field. They don’t depend on getting the ball out in front and pulling it. They rake — with a few swings and misses because their bats are so fast they’ll miss sometimes, and because they have so much tilt that they can sometimes be beat at the top of the zone — but they rake and they rake and they rake.
Kurtz may just be a 22-year-old from Lancaster, Pa., but the Big Amish has a sweet swing, one as good-looking in a few key metrics as a couple of historic talents in today’s game. Let’s see if Kurtz can put together the consistency that will keep him on their paths to greatness.
#2147 · September 2, 2025, 4:32 am
Old Friend Alert ...
Sunday Notes: Now an Arm In Miami, Lake Bachar Had a Big Leg In Whitewater
#2148 · September 3, 2025, 8:55 am
Old Friend Alert ...
Ha-seong Kim Atlanta Braves
Rotowire
Two hits in Atlanta debut
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025
Kim went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs.
Analysis
It was a nice beginning to his Atlanta tenure for Kim, who got the start at shortstop and hit sixth in the order after being claimed off waivers from the Rays and activated from the IL earlier in the day. The 29-year-old infielder should be the team's starting SS for the rest of September as he tries to wrap up a tough, injury-plagued 2025 with a strong final month.
#2149 · September 3, 2025, 1:11 pm
NL Rookie of the Month: Jakob Marsee, Marlins
Talk about announcing your presence with authority. Marsee didn't even debut until Aug. 1, but he certainly hit the ground running. Or, rather, swinging. His .352 average, 1.059 OPS, 11 doubles, 37 hits and 25 RBIs were all the highest marks among MLB rookies with at least 80 plate appearances during the month. His biggest showing came against the Guardians on Aug. 13, when he went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double and seven RBIs.
#2150 · September 4, 2025, 5:12 am
Rotowire
Two hits in Atlanta debut
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025
Kim went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs.
Analysis
It was a nice beginning to his Atlanta tenure for Kim, who got the start at shortstop and hit sixth in the order after being claimed off waivers from the Rays and activated from the IL earlier in the day. The 29-year-old infielder should be the team's starting SS for the rest of September as he tries to wrap up a tough, injury-plagued 2025 with a strong final month.