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TORONTO — Two days after throwing a complete game on 105 pitches, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pressed himself into duty for a Dodgers team that had exhausted its entire bullpen. The sight of him tossing in the bullpen was nearly as big a spectacle as Game 3 of the World Series itself, in its sixth hour and 18th inning — but Freddie Freeman ended the instant classic with a walk-off homer before Yamamoto was needed to pitch the 19th.

That game turned Will Klein into an October hero and cemented Freemanâ€s status as a clutch Fall Classic performer. But Yamamotoâ€s postseason legend only grew that night, despite ultimately not throwing a pitch in the contest.

The way Freeman tells it, Yamamoto was soft-tossing around 10-15 mph to feel things out. The coaches in the bullpen asked if he could go, and he replied that he could. Prompted to ramp up his warmup, Yamamotoâ€s next pitch clocked in at 97 mph, perfectly located.

“I think thatâ€s just all you need to know about Yoshinobu,†Freeman said. “He will do anything to win a baseball ballgame.â€

Not that the Dodgers needed any convincing that Yamamoto was the right man on the mound with their season on the line.

Yamamoto is tabbed to start Game 6 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre, where he threw his second consecutive complete game last Saturday. Like then, heâ€ll take the mound looking to tie the Series, but the stakes are significantly higher given that the Blue Jays are one victory away from winning it all.

“It did give me a certain level of confidence,†Yamamoto said of going the distance again, through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But now my mind is reset and then just focusing on the new game.â€

Two seasons into a 12-year deal, the baseball world has grown to understand why the Dodgers gave Yamamoto $325 million — a record for guaranteed dollars for a pitcher — before he had thrown a Major League pitch.

He tends to stand tallest in the biggest moments, rather than allow himself to bend under pressure.

“Itâ€s something that weâ€ve always seen,†pitching coach Mark Prior said. “I think a lot of that now, what youâ€re seeing, is a guy whoâ€s been around the league, heâ€s played every team, heâ€s pitched almost against every team. … I think all that just breeds more and more confidence in him.â€

Yamamoto has turned back the clock of late, going the distance in back-to-back postseason starts for the first time in 24 years. He now has a chance to join a particularly exclusive club of pitchers with three consecutive complete games in the postseason. Only three have done it in a single postseason in the past 55 years: Curt Schilling (2001), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Luis Tiant (1975).

It is already rare to get one complete game, let alone two, in this era of baseball. Yamamotoâ€s NLCS gem against the Brewers was the first in the postseason since Justin Verlander in 2017, and the one against the Blue Jays was the first in the World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015.

Three in a row would truly be uncharted territory in this day and age.

Very rarely in baseball does one player singlehandedly win a game, which can be a blessing and a curse. As much as Yamamoto would like to finish what he started for a third time, a beleaguered offense and bullpen will have to step up behind him.

“I expect Yamamoto to throw well,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But we still got to take good at-bats and catch the baseball, convert outs. And if we play a good clean game, I feel good about our chances.”

After Game 3, once Freeman and Klein had been properly fêted for their heroics, several Dodgers ran over to celebrate with Yamamoto — among them Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Roberts. Later on, his teammates couldnâ€t say enough about his willingness to put his body on the line.

“Thatâ€s unbelievable,†Clayton Kershaw said that night. “He just threw a complete game two days ago. Cross-country travel. Get in at four in the morning. One day of rest basically. … Sometimes, thatâ€s what you need to win World Series.â€

For a Dodgers team that can no longer afford to lose, matching that grit could just be the key to keeping their season alive.

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TORONTO — Two days after throwing a complete game on 105 pitches, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pressed himself into duty for a Dodgers team that had exhausted its entire bullpen. The sight of him tossing in the bullpen was nearly as big a spectacle as Game 3 of the World Series itself, in its sixth hour and 18th inning — but Freddie Freeman ended the instant classic with a walk-off homer before Yamamoto was needed to pitch the 19th.

That game turned Will Klein into an October hero and cemented Freemanâ€s status as a clutch Fall Classic performer. But Yamamotoâ€s postseason legend only grew that night, despite ultimately not throwing a pitch in the contest.

The way Freeman tells it, Yamamoto was soft-tossing around 10-15 mph to feel things out. The coaches in the bullpen asked if he could go, and he replied that he could. Prompted to ramp up his warmup, Yamamotoâ€s next pitch clocked in at 97 mph, perfectly located.

“I think thatâ€s just all you need to know about Yoshinobu,†Freeman said. “He will do anything to win a baseball ballgame.â€

Not that the Dodgers needed any convincing that Yamamoto was the right man on the mound with their season on the line.

Yamamoto is tabbed to start Game 6 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre, where he threw his second consecutive complete game last Saturday. Like then, heâ€ll take the mound looking to tie the Series, but the stakes are significantly higher given that the Blue Jays are one victory away from winning it all.

“It did give me a certain level of confidence,†Yamamoto said of going the distance again, through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But now my mind is reset and then just focusing on the new game.â€

Two seasons into a 12-year deal, the baseball world has grown to understand why the Dodgers gave Yamamoto $325 million — a record for guaranteed dollars for a pitcher — before he had thrown a Major League pitch.

He tends to stand tallest in the biggest moments, rather than allow himself to bend under pressure.

“Itâ€s something that weâ€ve always seen,†pitching coach Mark Prior said. “I think a lot of that now, what youâ€re seeing, is a guy whoâ€s been around the league, heâ€s played every team, heâ€s pitched almost against every team. … I think all that just breeds more and more confidence in him.â€

Yamamoto has turned back the clock of late, going the distance in back-to-back postseason starts for the first time in 24 years. He now has a chance to join a particularly exclusive club of pitchers with three consecutive complete games in the postseason. Only three have done it in a single postseason in the past 55 years: Curt Schilling (2001), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Luis Tiant (1975).

It is already rare to get one complete game, let alone two, in this era of baseball. Yamamotoâ€s NLCS gem against the Brewers was the first in the postseason since Justin Verlander in 2017, and the one against the Blue Jays was the first in the World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015.

Three in a row would truly be uncharted territory in this day and age.

Very rarely in baseball does one player singlehandedly win a game, which can be a blessing and a curse. As much as Yamamoto would like to finish what he started for a third time, a beleaguered offense and bullpen will have to step up behind him.

“I expect Yamamoto to throw well,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But we still got to take good at-bats and catch the baseball, convert outs. And if we play a good clean game, I feel good about our chances.”

After Game 3, once Freeman and Klein had been properly fêted for their heroics, several Dodgers ran over to celebrate with Yamamoto — among them Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Roberts. Later on, his teammates couldnâ€t say enough about his willingness to put his body on the line.

“Thatâ€s unbelievable,†Clayton Kershaw said that night. “He just threw a complete game two days ago. Cross-country travel. Get in at four in the morning. One day of rest basically. … Sometimes, thatâ€s what you need to win World Series.â€

For a Dodgers team that can no longer afford to lose, matching that grit could just be the key to keeping their season alive.

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Following the rollout of our latest ranking of the Top 100 MLB Draft prospects for next year, we’re back today with an in-depth look at seven 2026 prospects who pique my interest.

Itâ€s a bit of a smorgasbord in that each of the seven players fits into their own respective buckets while also being intriguing, under-the-radar names—only one of the cracked our latest big board update—to follow closely throughout the draft cycle.

In what is usually the case with these kinds of pieces, the players below are not ranked and listed alphabetically.

Dane Burns, LHP, Mississippi State

Burns logged a modest 15.2 innings with 19 strikeouts as a freshman this past season, but he is in line for a more sizable workload in 2026. A 6-foot-5 lefthander with some thickness in his lower half, Burns works exclusively out of the stretch and features a slightly-deep arm stroke in which he coils his wrist. He attacks out of a three-quarters slot, and thereâ€s minimal effort in his operation.

Burns relies heavily on his fastball-slider combination. His heater sat in the 91-93 mph range and was up to 95 with both run and sink. Itâ€s most effective when located down in the zone, where Burns is able to generate soft contact and plenty of ground balls. His command is a bit scattershot, but if he can consistently locate his fastball in the bottom half of the zone, it figures to yield positive results thanks to his steep approach angle and the pitchâ€s “heavy†traits.

Burns pairs his fastball with a sharp, low-to-mid-80s slider he spins well. It averaged over 2,750 rpms in 2025 and garnered a whopping 62% miss rate. Burns has demonstrated enough feel to manipulate its shape, and against lefthanded hitters it flashes plenty of lateral life with late bite, while against righthanders it will sometimes take on a more true two-plane look.

Burns†slider is also effective against righties when it takes on a lengthier look. It will get in and under the hands of opposing hitters, and last spring it generated a handful of uncomfortable swings-and-misses. It flashes plus and projects to be a consistent whiff-generator for Burns as he progresses through professional baseball.

The two biggest keys going forward for Burns will be the continued development of a viable third pitch and improving his command. The latter will escape him at times, and he needs to do a better job of competing in and around the strike zone.

Alex Conover, OF, Oklahoma State

Conover began his career at Cowley College before transferring to Oklahoma State, where last season he showed flashes of his upside and posted a .254/.370/.474 slash line with seven doubles and six home runs. Conover spent 15 games in the Appalachian League this summer and went 18-for-50 (.360) with seven doubles, a triple and eight RBIs. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, he has a pro body with room to fill out further.

Conover stands fairly tall in the box, and his operation is simple without a lot of moving parts. He uses a slight barrel tip as a timing mechanism, and his leg lift leads into a small stride. Conover moves well in the box and generates fairly easy bat speed. His batted-ball data stands out, and in 2025 he posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.4 and a gaudy hard-hit percentage of 66%. When he made contact, he was consistently on the barrel.

Conoverâ€s power upside is exciting, though, heâ€ll need to show he can make contact on a consistent enough basis to be able to tap into it regularly in games. He fares well against fastballs in the zone, but less so against secondaries, against which heâ€s shown heâ€s susceptible to both miss and chase. If Conover is able to shore up his swing decisions over time and pull the ball in the air more frequently, it figures to serve him well.

Between the Appy League and Oklahoma State, Conover has experience in all three outfield spots. He has an average arm and profiles as a power-over-hit corner outfielder at the next level.

Michael DiMartini, OF, Duke

After logging just six at-bats as a freshman at Penn State, DiMartini entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to Dayton. Though he was a Flyer for just one season, DiMartini certainly made his mark, posting a gaudy .403/.465/.685 slash line with 11 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs and 37 stolen bases. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he has a strong, athletic frame, and his toolset enables him to impact the game in myriad ways.

In the box, DiMartini has a crouched stance and an ear-high handset. He has plenty of hand speed and uses the middle of the field well, though, he has also shown the ability to drive the baseball to the opposite field and generate quality contact. He posted a maximum exit velocity of 113 mph to go along with an impressive 90th percentile exit velocity of 107.9 and a hard-hit rate of 51%.Â

While DiMartini has been all over pitches in his “nitro zone,†Iâ€ll be curious to see how his hit tool translates in the ACC. He made contact at just a 64% overall clip and also showed the tendency to expand the strike zone, especially against secondary offerings. In addition to DiMartiniâ€s 32% chase rate, seeing spin out of the hand proved to be a bit of a bugaboo.

DiMartiniâ€s speed translates well in the outfield and especially on the basepaths, where heâ€s proven to be an effective basestealer and someone who speeds the game up for opposing teams.

Ty Head, OF, NC State

Head, who ranks 97th in our updated 2026 big board, made an immediate impact during a freshman season in which he earned the starting center field job and hit .274/.433/.402 with 15 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and 48 walks to just 28 strikeouts. Head checks a number of boxes on both sides of the baseball, and at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he looks the part and still has physical projection remaining.

Head stands fairly upright in the box with a slightly-open front side. He deploys a slight barrel tip and a toe tap that leads into a small stride, and he has some present bat and hand speed. Headâ€s bat-to-ball skills are comfortably plus—last spring his overall in-zone contact rate was 91%—and they jump to double-plus when focusing solely on fastballs. Head seldom whiffs against heaters, and last spring he posted an eye-popping in-zone contact rate of 96% against them. He does a nice job of picking up spin out of the hand and has demonstrated a patient approach with polished swing decisions.

Head could stand to get more aggressive, which is a development that figures to have a positive effect on his offensive output. Currently a hit-over-power profile, the vast majority of Headâ€s extra-base hits—and highest quality of contact—last spring came to the pull side. His under-the-hood numbers are modest for now, though his launch angle data is solid, and heâ€s shown he can pull the ball in the air. Itâ€s intriguing to project on what kind of impact Head might grow into as he continues to fill out.

Defensively, Head is an outstanding athlete in center field, where his athleticism, instincts and speed all translate well. He has plenty of range in all directions and looks the part of a player who will not only stick in center long term, but be a potential impact defender at the position.

Anthony Potestio, SS, UC San Diego

A West Coast name on which to keep close tabs, Potestio has a rather lengthy hitting track record and is fresh off a career-best 2025 season in which he posted a .323/.450/.476 line with 13 extra-base hits, 30 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He has a simple, hitterish operation with some quickness in his hands. And while he will always fit in the hit-over-power bucket, last season he flashed some sneaky thump to the pull side.

Potestioâ€s calling card is his hit tool. His comfort in the box is evident, and he has plus bat-to-ball skills to go along with advanced pitch recognition skills. In 2025, he posted an overall in-zone contact rate of 90% and an overall chase rate of just 18%.

Potestio consistently moves the baseball and makes opposing pitchers work. Changeups down and/or out gave him trouble at times, but thatâ€s more of a nitpick than it is a pockmark on his profile. Patience is a positive part of Potestio’s game, but if he gets even a little more aggressive against pitches in the zone—last season his zone swing and heart swing percentages were a modest 49.4% and 59.8%, respectively—it could serve him well.

Defensively, Potestio got plenty of run in right field this summer and will be the Tritons†everyday shortstop this spring. He doesnâ€t have the quickest first step, but he has some gloveside range and has shown comfort throwing from different slots with an average arm. When all is said and done, his defensive skillset likely profiles best at second base professionally.

Shane Sdao, LHP, Texas A&M

Sdao was sidelined for the entirety of the 2025 season and certainly could have signed if he wanted to, but he instead chose to head back to College Station where heâ€ll headline Texas A&Mâ€s rotation. Sdao will look to recapture his 2024 form, when he pitched to a 2.96 ERA with 55 strikeouts to just nine walks across 48.2 innings.

Though he sports a lean, skinny build at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, Sdao has gradually gotten stronger over time and still has plenty of physical projection remaining. He features a slightly abbreviated arm stroke and attacks out of a high three-quarters slot with above-average arm speed.

Sdao’s fastball in 2024 sat in the 92-95 mph range and topped out at 97. His heater jumps out of his 5-foot-10 release height and flashes both run and ride through the zone. The pitch averaged almost 18 inches of carry last season and is most effective when located in the top half of the zone, where it will get over the barrels of opposing hitters. Sdao has shown he can draw swings outside of the zone with the pitch, and he also has the ability to locate it on either side of the plate.

Sdaoâ€s best pitch is a low-to-mid-80s slider. He lowers his slot when delivering it to help him get more length and sweep. While itâ€s effective against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters, itâ€s a particularly tough look for the latter. Against lefties, it acts almost as a true sweeper with plenty of lateral movement and occasionally flashing late depth. Against righties, it will flash two-plane break with some teeth and more depth than sweep. Sdao has shown heâ€s capable of back-footing it for swings and misses against righties, and it’s clear he has an advanced feel for the pitch.

Sdao rounds out his arsenal with a mid-to-upper-80s changeup he throws predominantly to righthanded hitters. He used it just 13% of the time in 2024, but he turned over a handful of good ones that flashed late tumbling life. Itâ€s a fringy pitch right now, but it projects as a potentially-average third offering.

Andrew Wertz, RHP, Northeastern

Wertz is undoubtedly the biggest sleeper in this piece, but he came into his own last season and heads into 2026 as a name to know in the Northeast.

Wertz began his career at Stonehill College before opting for a change of scenery and transferring to Division III Salve Regina. He thrived during his time there, headlined by a dominant 2025 campaign in which he pitched to a 1.33 ERA with 38 strikeouts to 14 walks across 27 innings.

For all that success, Wertz somehow upstaged his spring season with a lights-out summer in the NECBL to the tune of a microscopic 0.41 ERA with 33 strikeouts to only four walks in 22 innings. As a cherry on top, Wertz finished his summer in the Cape Cod League, and while he wasnâ€t as sharp as he was in the NECBL, he managed to turn in a pair of scoreless appearances.

Wertz has an extremely deep arm stroke and attacks out of a high three-quarters slot. His fastball has been up to 97 mph with plenty of ride, especially in the top half of the zone. He supplements it with an upper-80s-to-low-90s cutter and an upper-70s curveball. The former routinely flashes plus with effective gloveside break, while the latter has also flashed plus with depth and sharp, downward tilt.

Wertz has a chance to cement himself as one of the best relievers in the CAA en route to a draft selection.

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Pro football is nearly at midseason, college football is in full swing, the NBA season has just begun, along with the NHL. And you know what people are talking the most about this week? They are talking about baseball. They are talking about the Blue Jays and the Dodgers and Shohei and Freddie and Vlad. Weâ€re all talking about a Fall Classic that already feels just that: classic.

Theyâ€re talking about the 18 innings that the Dodgers and Blue Jays played on Monday night, all the way to midnight in Los Angeles and nearly into the middle of the night on the East Coast, one of the greatest World Series games ever played. And now theyâ€re talking about how the Blue Jays came back from losing it and have won the last two games by a total score of 12-3.

So much has happened this October in baseball, and may still be happening in Toronto on Nov. 1, Saturday night. There have been so many moments, and memories made, and the way things have been going, in this Series alone, you know there are more to come. But the beauty of what we have seen over the last week is that the World Series can still feel like the national pastime in two countries and not just one.

Think about it: One night after the second 18-inning game in Series history, one night after Ohtani once again looked like the best baseball player whoâ€s ever lived — and acted like the biggest sports star in the world — there was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stealing his thunder with a two-run homer — off Ohtani — that felt like it squared the series for the Jays even though the game was still just 2-1 at the time.

Last night? Davis Schneider hit the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall and then Vlad Jr. went back-to-back with him and the Jays were on their way to being one win away.

Two more October swings. A Game 5 that was one more memory for Jays fans. It feels as if there have been at least a dozen moments like this in a World Series that will be passed on. And this Series isnâ€t over yet.

Which fans who stayed up for Game 3 will ever forget the drama of Clayton Kershaw, in what might have been the last appearance of his career, coming out of the bullpen with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th?

This isnâ€t about people who love the Blue Jays wanting Nathan Lukes to get the hit that would most likely have won that game for the Blue Jays. This is just about the people who love baseball, and who were rooting for Kershaw to somehow get out of this jam, and do it at Dodger Stadium with a game like this on the line.

In a Hollywood setting, this was an extraordinary Hollywood moment, in a sport that still frames moments like this better than any other. So there was Kershaw breaking off one more Kershaw curve and Lukes rolling one to Tommy Edman at second base. There was Sandy Koufax, the greatest Dodger left-hander of them all, in the stands to watch it happen.

This was after Ohtaniâ€s two home runs, and before the Blue Jays started walking him on a night when he would ultimately reach base nine times, one more ridiculous number for a ridiculous talent like this. This was before Freddie Freeman hit another walk-off extra-inning home run in the World Series, one year after his walk-off extra-inning homer against the Yankees.

So many heroic moments from relievers in Game 3, so many terrific plays in the field. There was that amazing throw Vlad Jr. made across the infield to nail Teoscar Hernández at third base — it’s part of World Series history now. So is the similar one Edman made in the same game.

And in your life, you will never see a more perfect relay play than we saw from Teoscar and Edman and Will Smith, Smith finally putting the tag on Schneider at the plate. If any part of the play had taken just a split-second longer, if either throw had been bobbled or errant, Schneider would have been safe. But he wasnâ€t. Go back and look at the start of the play, in the right-field corner, and how far Hernández went to retrieve the ball and how quickly he got rid of it, even running to his left — before he threw a dime to Edman.

Weâ€ve had all that to go with Yoshinobu Yamamotoâ€s dazzling complete game, and 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, the kid throwing the game of his young life in Game 5, dominating the Dodgers as he struck out 12. He reminded you of 23-year old Josh Beckett going into Yankee Stadium in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series and dominating the Yankees that way.

Now the whole thing goes back to Toronto, where I once watched Joe Carter walk off a World Series in another Game 6, back in 1993. You know what the best thing is about the best World Series any of us have seen in such a long time? It really isnâ€t over yet. Itâ€s still baseball season. Yeah. National pastime. Times two.

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LOS ANGELES — For the past three games, every Dodgers reliever has donned a cap featuring a small piece of embroidery: the No. 51, tucked beside the World Series logo.

Itâ€s their subtle way of keeping lefty Alex Vesia — who wears uniform No. 51 — with them, even when he cannot physically be there himself.

As the Fall Classic shifts back to Toronto, Vesia remains away from the team while he and his wife, Kayla, navigate a family matter. The Dodgers have not given any additional updates on Vesia since before Game 1, but he is not expected to return during the World Series.

“Dating back to while we were still in Toronto,” Evan Phillips said, “we had tried to think of many ways to show our love and support for him and his family. … Just acknowledging that we really miss them, and baseball is completely secondary to what they’re going through.”

In a situation thatâ€s bigger than baseball, Vesia is where he needs to be. After he came through time and again for the ‘pen during the season, his fellow relievers are looking to do the same in the final game or two, with his number etched onto their caps in tribute.

Vesiaâ€s absence has been noticeable in multiple senses during the best-of-seven series against the Blue Jays. Jack Dreyer is without his catch partner, a season-long ritual that builds a deep bond. The Dodgers are without their fireman, and a few narrow deficits have spiraled into outsized defeats. But they ultimately miss the person more than the pitcher.

“He’s the same guy every day, regardless of how he performs or how the team performs or what day of the week it is,” Dreyer said. “He’s always the same guy with the energy. That’s not something that you can really measure or see on a stat sheet, but it brings a lot to the team and helps a lot. Definitely missing him, but just hoping that he and Kayla are doing OK.”

The relief corps was at its best the night they first wore the caps honoring Vesia.

In the instant-classic marathon that was Game 3, the Dodgers†bullpen held the Blue Jays to just one run across 13 1/3 innings, using all nine arms in the ‘pen in a rare triumph for the much-maligned group, recognized far more frequently for its failures than its successes this year.

All with Vesia’s No. 51 on their caps.

“Heâ€s a huge piece of that bullpen,” Emmet Sheehan said. “Heâ€s a leader. Heâ€s helped me a ton, with just adjusting to that role. Just to not have him here is tough. We just did that because weâ€re thinking of him. And that was for him.”

“Iâ€m new to the bullpen,” said Clayton Kershaw, who recorded a critical out in the 12th on Monday in his final appearance at Dodger Stadium. “But Ves means a lot to all of us. He is a huge part of this team, a huge part of that bullpen. We just wanted to do something to honor him.”

Vesia notwithstanding, the Dodgers’ World Series bullpen is a far cry from the high-powered unit they constructed for their repeat bid. Last offseason’s big free-agent acquisitions, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, are not on the roster. Neither are Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech and Brock Stewart, the latter of whom was the lone reliever they added ahead of the Trade Deadline.

From underperformance to injuries, the bullpen has been at the center of much of the Dodgers’ adversity this year. Through it all, the relief arms have leaned on each other.

“As a bullpen, we really think of ourselves as a family,” Dreyer said. “Whenever somebody is going through something in the group, we’re gonna be there for them on and off the field.”

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Image credit:
Trey Yesavage (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

If the Blue Jays win one of the next two games to claim their first World Series title since 1993, there will be many crucial decisions that led to winning it all.

One of the most important will be the choice to draft East Carolina ace Trey Yesavage with the 20th pick in the 2024 MLB draft.

Yesavage, who struck out 12 Dodgers while allowing just three hits, no walks and one run in Toronto’s Game 5 win on Wednesday night, was the fourth college pitcher off the board last summer. But considering what heâ€s already accomplished in his brief pro career, the trio of arms drafted ahead of him—Chase Burns, Hagen Smith and Jurrangelo Cijntje—have a lot of catching up to do.

As crucial as it was for the Blue Jays that Yesavage fell to their pick, perhaps even more important was the organization’s plan to slowly build up his innings over the course of the 2025 MiLB season to ensure he’d be both ready and fresh enough to help the big league club come October. Yesavage didnâ€t throw 20 innings in a month until August, and he logged just 20.1 in September (14 of which came with the Blue Jays). Heâ€s thrown more innings this month than he threw at any stretch in the regular season.

Yesavage is in the odd situation of having now thrown more playoff innings (26) than MLB regular season innings (12). Heâ€s 3-1, 3.46 this postseason for the Blue Jays, and heâ€s fresh off a completely dominating the Dodgers’ vaunted lined to help put Toronto just one win away from the championship.

HISTORIC PERFORMANCE BY TREY YESAVAGE 🔥

7 IP
3 H
1 ER
0 BB
12 K

He has set a new record for the MOST strikeouts by a rookie in a World Series game.

(🎥@TalkinBaseball_ )
pic.twitter.com/NyLYUFX4Jl

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) October 30, 2025

What Yesavage has done is unlike anything seen in MLB history. His 12 strikeouts were the most in a World Series game by a rookie.

And while it might be foolhardy to think we’ll see anything like this unique development in the future, professional sports are often filled with copycats. Thanks to his wild success, Yesavage is now a trend-setter who poses an intriguing question: Which 2025 MLB draftees could do their best approximation of his path in 2026?

Here are three candidates who could make a big impact come next year.

Kade Anderson, LHP, Mariners

Rarely does a team on its way to the postseason get a chance to pick the College World Series†Most Outstanding Player, but the MLB Draft lottery has led to some remarkable surprises. The Mariners narrowly missed the playoffs in 2024, finishing 85-77. They were statistically slated to pick 17th in the 2025 draft, but the ping pong balls bounced their way, and they ended up with the third-overall pick, giving them a chance to land a top-tier talent.

Anderson was the ace of the LSU staff as the team won its second CWS title in three years. The 20-year-old lefthander went 12-1, 3.18 while leading the country with 180 strikeouts. And since he threw 119 innings in LSUâ€s run to the title, heâ€s more stretched out than most college pitchers.

Kade Anderson has thrown 16 innings on college baseball’s biggest stage.

He has 17 strikeouts to just one run.

The @LSUbaseball star pitched like the best pitcher in college baseball last night â¤µï¸ pic.twitter.com/EaF4G2TpHa

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 22, 2025

The Mariners have a very deep starting rotation, which played a massive role in the team getting to the ALCS. But the clubâ€s starters seemed somewhat worn out by mid October, and Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert all posted ERAs above 7.00 in the ALCS. The Mariners donâ€t need Anderson on the Opening Day roster, but if he can be developed like Yesavage was in 2025, he could provide an excellent end of season boost, especially if the Mariners can help him add a bit more velocity.

Anderson was generally sitting 92-95 mph in 2025, but he did touch 97. The Mariners are one of the best organizations in baseball at helping pitchers clean up deliveries and add velocity (see Kirby as a perfect example). If they can do that with Anderson, heâ€s the best bet of the 2025 draft to make a late-season impact.

Jamie Arnold, LHP, Athletics

The Aâ€s have been one of the most aggressive teams when it comes to promoting prospects. Jacob Wilson reached the majors a year after he was drafted, and then Nick Kurtz joined the big league club in late April. He immediately became the teamâ€s best slugger, and was named Baseball Americaâ€s 2025 Rookie of the Year.

But Kurtz also provides a lesson for the Aâ€s: As aggressive as they were, they could have been even more aggressive. Kurtz showed signs in spring training that he may be MLB ready, and itâ€s hard to say that less than a month in Las Vegas was vital to his development. If the team had placed him on the Opening Day roster, they would assuredly have landed the club a PPI draft pick for his impending AL Rookie of the Year award.

That doesnâ€t mean that Arnold should make the Athletics’ Opening Day roster, but it does help set the stage for the team to be aggressive once again.

Jamie Arnold does it all.

The @FSUBaseball star has a two-seam fastball that…

– Touches 97
– Has an extremely short release height
– Gets great horizontal movement

There’s a reason he might be the first arm off the board 👀 pic.twitter.com/E4sTEVDjrb

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 22, 2025

While Arnold doesnâ€t have Yesavageâ€s overwhelming stuff, he is an extremely polished pitcher, and one with a 100-plus inning college season on his resume. If the Aâ€s second-half surge—they had a 41-34 record from July 1 on—is the foundational step of a potential wild card team, Arnold would make sense as a potential playoff starter.

Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Red Sox

On pure present stuff, Witherspoon stands out more than Anderson or Arnold. He can touch 99 mph with his fastball, and he sat 95-97 at Oklahoma in 2025. He has a bit less of a track record of success, but the trend lines were all extremely positive for the 21-year-old righthander. He showed significantly improved control in 2025, and heâ€s developed his slider and cutter to the point where either could end up as a plus pitch.

The Red Soxâ€s pitching development has shown that it can help pitchers develop velocity and stuff in pro ball, as Payton Tolle and Connelly Early demonstrated in 2025. And Witherspoon is starting at a higher level of present stuff than either of them had when they entered pro ball.

Witherspoon didn’t top 100 innings in a college season, so the Red Sox will have to be careful with how they use him if heâ€s going to still be fresh and MLB-ready come September. But he does have the arsenal to provide a late-season boost.

Some other first-rounders who could follow in Yesavage’s footsteps next season are Cardinals lefthander Liam Doyle and Angels righthander Tyler Bremner. The holdup, however, is that the Angels havenâ€t posted a winning record since 2015, and the Cardinals seem inclined to rebuild for one more season, which makes postseason runs for either team less likely than the candidates listed above.

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Twins hire Derek Shelton as next manager

\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:” news conference will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. CT to introduce Shelton, who will be the 15th manager in Minnesota history but only the fifth since 1986. He succeeds Rocco Baldelli, who was dismissed following a 70-92 season.\n\nShelton helmed the Pirates from 2020 until early in this past season, when he was let go after Pittsburgh started the season 12-26. He had a 306-440 record with the Bucs, his first big league managerial job.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2025-09-24T15:55:14.413Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:” Shelton answers 10 questions from Lauren Shehadi on MLB Central, giving his favorite player, road city and more”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:03:38″,”slug”:”derek-shelton-on-his-favorite-player-city-and-more”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”vod”,”title”:”vod”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-network”,”title”:”MLB Network”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlbn-mlb-central”,”title”:”MLB Central”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:” Shelton on his favorite player, city, and more”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/derek-shelton-on-his-favorite-player-city-and-more”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Shelton served as the Twins†bench coach under Paul Molitor in 2018 and Baldelli in â€19 — the famous “Bomba Squad.†Thus, he is a familiar face to the Twins†front office, including Falvey, who has run the baseball side for the club since prior to the 2017 season.\n\nA native of Carbondale, Ill., who attended Southern Illinois University, Shelton has been coaching professional baseball since 1997. He began his Major League coaching career as the interim hitting coach in Cleveland in 2005. He has also been on the staffs of the Rays and Blue Jays.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”* Latest on MLB managerial hirings, searches”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Shelton was chosen over a field that included Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, former Mariners manager Scott Servais, Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez, Royals third-base coach Vance Wilson, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and former Twins infielder Nick Punto. According to The Athletic, the other finalists for the job were Rowson, Servais and Flaherty.\n\nFor the Twins, a 2025 season that began with playoff hopes gave way to a 70-win campaign — the franchise’s fewest in a non-shortened season since 2016 — and a Trade Deadline sell-off. 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Sometimes accountability starts by looking in the mirror. Giants third baseman Parks Harber knows that better than most.

These days, that reflection looks a little different. Harber is leaner, stronger and more confident—the product of offseason commitment that reshaped not just his body, but his mindset, too.

After the 2024 season, Harber dedicated himself to a focused workout and diet program, ultimately shedding 15 pounds to enter 2025 in peak physical condition.

“My approach to baseball is to outwork everyone else,†Harber said. “Iâ€m always trying to plan ahead and think about adjustments I can make now that are going to benefit not just next year, but hopefully in the big leagues one day.â€

Harber has shown flashes of under-the-radar production since joining the Giants organization this summer, although his arrival didnâ€t come with much fanfare at the time. He, alongside righthander Trystan Vierling, lefthander Carlos De La Rosa and catcher Jesus Rodriguez, were acquired from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade at this year’s deadline.

As a 23-year-old undrafted player in High-A, itâ€s easy to see why Harber mightâ€ve gotten lost in the shuffle in the transaction. But by the end of the season, his strong underlying metrics told a different story.

Harber, now 24, finished the season with a 108.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. It was 4.8 mph jump over last year and a mark that ranks in the 95th percentile and would be considered a plus-plus tool at the major league level. He also showcased strong plate discipline with an 18% in-zone whiff rate and 23% chase rate. He barreled the ball at a near 30% clip.

Within his first month as a Giant, Harber made Baseball Americaâ€s Hot Sheet in a week he went 9-for-24, smashed five home runs and drove in 10 runs. He finished his first season of pro ball slashing .323/.420/.550 with 13 home runs, 64 RBIs and .970 OPS across Low-A and High-A (Yankees and Giants).

San Franciscoâ€s pro scouting department was excited to sneak him into the deal with the Yankees.

“His name just stayed with us the whole time,†said Giants farm director Kyle Haines. “The more we learned about him, the more we really liked him. And since we acquired him, he’s been quite the story. It’s just tough to find the guy who blends plate discipline with just very strong power output numbers.â€

It’s been more of the same for Harber so far in the Arizona Fall League. In 11 games, he’s hitting .400 with a 1.363 OPS while showing high-end velocities. Recently, he smoked a single with a 113.7 mph exit velocity, making it the fifth-hardest-hit ball in the circuit. He averages near 95 mph in EV, which is also in the top five in the league.

A big bat has always been the case for Harber, dating back to his days as an amateur at Westminster High in Atlanta. Scouts noted his tools and potential to be a real power threat at the time, but a slow showcase circuit combined with the pandemic-shortened 2020 season saw him make it to Georgia.

Harber played three seasons with the Bulldogs, where he was a middle-of-the-order bat with plenty of pop. In 2023, he slashed .283/.342/.575 with 18 home runs, which was second on the team behind Charlie Condon. For 2024, he transferred to North Carolina and delivered his best collegiate season, posting career highs across the board with a .343/.425/.648 slash line, 20 home runs, 63 RBIs, 80 hits and 35 walks.

But as draft day arrived that summer, Harber waited by his phone and watched the broadcast to hear his name called, only to go unselected.

Rather than sit in sorrow, Harber found solace in the moment.

“I saw it as motivation,†he said. “People didnâ€t see me as good enough to get drafted. It was up to me to put in the work to get myself to a place where I could be considered good enough.â€

The Yankees wound up signing Harber as an undrafted free agent for $50,000. With a new opportunity ahead to chase his major league dreams, Harber realized the sport he played growing up was no longer a hobby. It was his job, and he needed to treat it as lifeâ€s first occupation.

It was then that Harber dedicated himself to getting into peak physical shape, and the results soon followed. That level of personal accountability is another reason why the Giants are high on him.

“It’s a testament to his focus and determination,†Haines said of Harber’s physical transformation. “He strikes me as a kind of premium, premium athlete. He is strong, physical and moves well. It’s kind of shocking to see, looking back at the amateur reports, that he was a different guy.â€

While currently unranked, Harber has put his best foot forward in making a case to become a Top 30 Giants prospect and could develop into a premium bat. His journey—undrafted, overlooked and then transformed through sheer dedication—reflects the player heâ€s becoming.

“Iâ€m super grateful,†Harber said. “The fact that I get to put this uniform on every day, play with these guys in the dugout and get to know my teammates, I pinch myself and appreciate the opportunity. I donâ€t want to have regrets in 10 years. I want to feel like I gave it my all.â€

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Baseball America continues its look at the transfer portalâ€s impact across college baseball by spotlighting some mid-major programs that put together particularly strong offseasons. Each added key pieces that should help position them for NCAA Tournament contention in 2026 or, in the case of proven powers like Coastal Carolina, help them remain in the national title conversation.

Below, you’ll find 10 programs, listed alphabetically, that stood out for the quality and fit of their additions. Please note that a number of notable mid-majors such as Tulane, Lamar, Troy and Missouri State were previously covered in our Underrated Transfer Portal Classes story listed above.

Charlotte

Charlotte continues to use the transfer portal as a core part of its roster-building strategy under coach Robert Woodard, who has elevated the programâ€s expectations in recent years.

The 49ers showed how impactful that approach can be last year when Georgia transfer Blake Gillespie became the American Conference pitcher of the year and a Second-Team All-American after posting a 2.42 ERA with 131 strikeouts—the most punchouts by a Canadian-born pitcher in Division I history.

Replacing Gillespie is a challenge, but Charlotte again found arms with potential to develop in its system.

Ryan Combs arrives from Tennessee with a slightly crossfire delivery and a low three-quarters release that produces a plus changeup in the low-to-mid 70s and a fastball that sits 88-90 mph. His profile mirrors what has worked for Charlotte in recent years: a pitcher with unique traits who could take a step forward in an expanded role. Drew Munn from Central Connecticut State adds a durable frame and saw his velocity tick up this fall. Heâ€s sitting 92-95 and up to 97, according to Woodard, giving the staff another experienced option.

Offensively, Alec DeMartino from UNC Wilmington brings intriguing batted-ball data to a lineup looking for more impact. He hit .252 with seven home runs and 14 stolen bases in 2025, posting a 105.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 42% hard-hit rate. Refining his zone contact and ability to elevate the ball could make him a valuable everyday piece. Corner infielder Dylan Koontz presents similar impact potential after hitting five home runs in 13 games in the Coastal Plain League over the summer.

VCU shortstop Adrian Jimenez, Miami outfielder Todd Hudson, Auburn catcher Cale Stricklin, East Carolina righty Jaden Winter, South Carolina righty Eddie Copper and Oklahoma righty Jacob Gholston are all positioned to contribute, as well.

Charlotteâ€s track record suggests these additions, among others, will have a chance to thrive, continuing a pattern of extracting high-level production from the portal.

Coastal Carolina

After reaching the national championship series and finishing with the most wins in program history, Coastal Carolina entered the offseason needing only selective additions to sustain its national title aspirations. With several critical pieces from its 2025 roster returning, including potential top 2026 draft pick Cameron Flukey, coach Kevin Schnall and pitching coach Matt Williams focused on complementary talent that fit the programâ€s established identity.

Jordan Taylor, a corner outfielder from Stetson, headlines the incoming group. He hit .322/.359/.504 with eight home runs, 16 doubles and 22 stolen bases in 2025. He produced an 89 mph average exit velocity, 42% hard-hit rate and 32.6% air-pull rate—metrics that suggest untapped power. Taylorâ€s next step will be refining his approach by improving zone contact and limiting chases. His athleticism and contact quality make him a strong fit for Coastalâ€s aggressive offensive style, which is looking to hit the ball beyond the wall more than it did a year ago.

On the mound, Ross Norman transfers in from Georgia State with intriguing release traits and a low-90s fastball that produced a 28% chase rate despite heavy usage. Heâ€ll need to improve his strike-throwing after recording a 7.68 ERA, but his fastball quality and frame give Williams a promising developmental project. Will Girardi, a lefthander from Lenoir-Rhyne, logged 101.2 innings with a 3.63 ERA and could provide valuable rotation depth, while Phillip Ard, a powerful corner infielder from North Georgia, hit .329 with 24 home runs and 41 walks to 52 strikeouts, giving the lineup another legitimate run producer.

Even after a season that ended two wins shy of a national title, Coastal Carolina found ways to strengthen its roster. The portal additions reinforce one of the most complete teams in the country and give the Chanticleers more options to navigate another deep postseason run.

Connecticut

After being left out of last yearâ€s NCAA Tournament field, Connecticut enters 2026 positioned to return to the postseason mix. Coach Jim Penders retains an experienced core while adding meaningful depth through the transfer portal, highlighted by a trio of players from Division II power Southern New Hampshire.

Righthander Austin Trumpour headlines the group after posting a 3.07 ERA with 80 strikeouts to 17 walks across 73.1 innings last season. The 6-foot-3 righty works from a high three-quarters slot with a quick, repeatable delivery and a fastball in the upper 80s. His cutter generated consistent swing-and-miss and gives him a reliable secondary offering as he transitions to Division I competition.

The Huskies also landed Nate Wachter and Jackson Marshall, both productive bats who hit 15 home runs for Southern New Hampshire in 2025. Wachter brings a corner outfield profile with strength and bat speed, while Marshall offers infield versatility and a power-driven approach.

The infusion of experienced, ready-made talent alongside an established core gives Connecticut the kind of roster balance needed to reassert itself in the postseason picture.

Creighton

Creighton was the lone Big East representative in last yearâ€s NCAA Tournament and now turns the page to a new era under coach Mark Kingston, who takes over following the retirement of long-time coach Ed Servais. The Bluejays didnâ€t overhaul the roster but added several key Division I transfers who fit their disciplined, contact-oriented identity.

Rocco Gump, an infielder from Northwestern State, was the headline addition after drawing significant Power Four interest during the offseason. He hit .303/.433/.505 with eight home runs, 10 doubles and 19 stolen bases while producing standout underlying data—an 88.3 mph average exit velocity, 39% hard-hit rate, 19.1% chase rate and 88% zone-contact rate. His 41.2% air-pull rate supports his ability to lift and drive the ball with consistency, making him an immediate impact bat.

Isaac Wachsmann, who transfers from Xavier, brings a more power-oriented profile. While he didnâ€t make as much contact as Gump last year, he hit the ball with authority, posting a 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 41% hard-hit rate. Chris Baillargeon, from Holy Cross, might offer the highest ceiling of the group. He averaged 92.4 mph in EV with a 48% hard-hit rate and 16% chase rate in 2025, flashing advanced barrel control. Refining his selectivity and lifting the ball more often could unlock significant production.

Lew Rice, an outfielder from Charleston Southern, adds a different element. He posted a 92% zone-contact rate and brings plus athleticism and baserunning ability, giving Creighton a reliable top-of-the-order option.

This class isnâ€t large, but it addresses multiple needs with players who combine data-backed offensive profiles and Division I experience, giving Kingston a strong foundation to begin his tenure in Omaha.

Dallas Baptist

Dallas Baptist again used the transfer portal to strengthen both its rotation and bullpen, supplementing an already-deep roster with experienced arms and a polished middle infielder, among others.

Righthander Jared Schaeffer, who arrives from Akron, is a strong candidate for a weekend role after recording a 4.31 ERA with 79 strikeouts to 20 walks across 85.2 innings last season. He mixes a low-to-mid-90s fastball with two distinct breaking balls and a changeup he can land for strikes or expand the zone with.

Junior college addition Russ Smith has also turned heads, including among scouts. He sits 92-94 mph, touches 96 and pairs his fastball with a sharp curveball and a firm slider. DBU coach Dan Heefner described him as an athletic mover who repeats his delivery well and commands the zone effectively. JT Long, a 6-foot-7 righthander from Polk State, brings a heavy fastball up to 96 and a quality splitter that gives him late-inning or matchup potential.

From the left side, Michael Benzor, a Houston transfer, features a fastball up to 97 and a two-plane slider that could make him a bullpen weapon if he finds consistent control.

Offensively, Dylan Cupp adds infield stability after transferring from Mississippi State, where he hit .282/.451/.424 with nine doubles in 33 games.

In all, Dallas Baptist put together one of the more complete portal classes among mid-major programs.

East Carolina

Even in a season that marked its lowest conference finish since 2017, East Carolina extended its streak of regional appearances by capturing the American Athletic Conference tournament title—the programâ€s ninth NCAA berth in 10 full seasons under coach Cliff Godwin. With an eye toward returning to its dominant form, ECU was aggressive in the transfer portal and assembled one of the deepest classes in the country, particularly on the mound.

Gavin Van Kempen, a righthander from West Virginia, headlines the group. Once viewed as a reasonably prominent draft prospect, Van Kempen has yet to find consistent results, but he still flashes high-level traits. He posted a 6.13 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 26 walks across 39.2 innings last year, working with a 92-94 mph fastball that touched 96 and a two-plane slider that produced a 39% whiff rate and 30% chase rate. ECUâ€s track record with arm development—most notably with Trey Yesavage in recent years—makes Van Kempenâ€s upside especially intriguing.

The Pirates also added Joseph Webb from Liberty, who recorded a 3.50 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 20 walks over 46.1 innings, and Thomas Paxton from Belmont Abbey, who turned in a 2.50 ERA in 39.2 innings. Both bring strike-throwing ability and experience that could stabilize the staff immediately.

Offensively, Jeff Sabater transfers in from Millersville after hitting .363/.491/.478 with eight doubles, five triples, 39 stolen bases and more walks (39) than strikeouts (26). The undersized center fielder adds plus speed, strong zone awareness and top-of-the-order potential.

East Carolinaâ€s portal class provides both quality and volume, giving Godwin a retooled roster capable of reestablishing the program as a consistent regional host candidate without needing to rely on a late surge in the conference tournament.

Hawaii

Hawaii came close to an NCAA Tournament berth last season, drawing serious consideration from the selection committee after a strong showing before fading down the stretch. With much of their pitching staff returning and a deep incoming transfer class, the Rainbow Warriors appear well positioned to push through in 2026 and compete near the top of the Big West.

Coach Rich Hill emphasized lineup depth through the portal, adding a wide range of position-player talent. The group includes Garrett Greco (Saint Peterâ€s), Tino Bethancourt (San Diego State), Christian Hoffman (Oklahoma), Mikey Easter (Azusa Pacific), Gabe Wright (Quinnipiac), Jack Bollengier (Westmont) and Kody Watanabe (San Francisco). Easter stands out as a key addition after hitting .350 with six home runs and 14 doubles. He brings advanced contact ability and gap power that could translate immediately to Division I competition.

The pitching side features fewer newcomers, but Jack Berg, a lefthander from Arizona, has drawn strong early reviews. Multiple scouts and Division I coaches told Baseball America that Bergâ€s raw stuff already rates among the best in the Big West for 2026. His fastball–breaking ball combination has flashed plus potential, and if he can find the strike zone more consistently, he could become a major weapon for a staff that has traditionally been a program strength.

With improved offensive depth and an intriguing new arm to pair with a stable returning rotation, Hawaiiâ€s roster looks equipped to stay in the Big West title mix and earn serious consideration for an at-large bid next spring.

San Diego

After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2025 following regional appearances in 2022 and 2024, San Diego took a volume-based approach to roster construction this offseason. Coach Brock Ungricht and his staff leaned on the transfer portal to add experience and stability—a strategy that has become increasingly effective for mid-major programs aiming to match the production of older, veteran-heavy rosters.

The Toreros brought in a large group of transfers, 11 of whom are upperclassmen. Among the most intriguing is Logan Piper, a lefthander from California whose fastball features significant carry despite modest velocity. His changeup fades hard to his arm side and has proven capable of generating swings and misses, giving him a profile that could play in multiple roles. Diego Gutierrez, a transfer from Cal State Northridge, brings a lively low-90s fastball and a solid changeup, both of which show promising movement traits.

This is not a class defined by a single star, but rather, by its collective experience and depth. San Diego prioritized players who can contribute immediately across the roster, and that balance of maturity and versatility could help the Toreros return to postseason contention in 2026.

Southern Mississippi

Few programs have matched Southern Miss for consistency, as the Golden Eagles have made nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances and had a 2025 season that placed it above the hosting line. Even after losing several key contributors to the draft, including JB Middleton, Nick Monistere and Jake Cook, the program reloaded effectively through a small but well-targeted transfer class.

Kyle Morrison, an infielder from South Alabama, headlines the newcomers and profiles as an immediate impact bat. He hit .294/.399/.521 with nine home runs and 13 doubles last season, pairing that production with standout underlying data like an 88.8 mph average exit velocity, 46% hard-hit rate and 28.2% barrel rate. His disciplined 22.3% chase rate supports a mature offensive approach, and added zone contact and lift could elevate his power output even further. Caleb Stelly, a transfer from Louisiana, offers a similar offensive profile with solid contact ability and strength.

On the mound, Thomas Crabtree arrives from Tennessee and could quickly emerge as one of the more intriguing arms on staff. The righthander works primarily off a fastball-curveball combination, with his heater sitting 91-93 mph and touching 96. The fastballâ€s life at the top of the zone helps it miss bats, while the curveball shows sharp action and room for refinement in inducing chases. He also mixes a slider and changeup, giving coach Christian Ostrander—long regarded for his development of pitchers—another high-upside arm to mold.

Southern Miss didnâ€t need volume from the portal, only precision. This class brings exactly that, as it presents experienced, data-backed talent capable of keeping the Golden Eagles in their familiar position near the top of the postseason picture.

Western Kentucky

Western Kentuckyâ€s 2025 season ended short of its potential, but confirmed the programâ€s upward trajectory under coach Marc Rardin. The offseason initially threatened to derail that progress, as the Hilltoppers lost a significant portion of their roster to the draft and the transfer portal, with several departing players landing at high-major programs. Instead of backsliding, however, WKU responded with one of the more resourceful portal hauls of the summer, rebuilding both depth and impact across the roster.

Lefthander Rijnaldo Euson from Francis Marion stands out as one of the most underrated additions in the Division I transfer market. He was dominant last spring, logging a 3.20 ERA with 114 strikeouts to 37 walks in 98.1 innings for his third-straight season with more than 100 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA or better. Euson works in the low 90s with a quality changeup and could make an immediate difference in the rotation.

The Hilltoppers also added a trio of arms with Division I experience in Nathan Lawson (Eastern Kentucky), Jude Favela (USC) and Sam Frizzi (Southern Illinois), each of whom are capable of contributing meaningful innings. On the offensive side, Parker Coley (Southeastern Louisiana), Hayden Robbins (Morehead State) and Cael Frost (Nebraska) provide a mix of contact ability, power potential and defensive versatility.

Western Kentucky absorbed heavy offseason losses but recovered impressively through a portal class built on experience and production. The new additions should allow the Hilltoppers to remain firmly in the postseason conversation in 2026.

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LOS ANGELES — In the moments before Game 5 of the World Series, Trey Yesavage was under attack. Warming up in the visitors bullpen in right field at Dodger Stadium, surrounded by Los Angeles Dodgers fans on both sides, the Toronto Blue Jays’ 22-year-old right-handed rookie weathered insults of all manner and variety. At one point, Yesavage took a breath, stepped off the mound and turned to pitching coach Pete Walker.

“This is fun,” Yesavage said. “I love this.”

Of all the improbable happenings amid the Blue Jays’ run to the cusp of their first championship in more than 30 years, none rivals the emergence of Yesavage. His first game this season came in April in Jupiter, Florida, for Single-A Dunedin. There were 327 fans in the stadium. His latest, on Wednesday night, was a seven-inning, no-walk, 12-strikeout masterpiece that thrust the Blue Jays to a 6-1 victory and sent them back to Toronto one win shy of a World Series title. It was a performance that muzzled the mouthy masses in right field and the remainder of the 52,175 who saw an all-time performance from a pitcher throwing in his eighth major league game.

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Against a lineup featuring three future Hall of Famers, in front of a crowd that understood the desperation Los Angeles would face with a Game 5 loss, Yesavage devastated the Dodgers over and over. They swung and missed 23 times, at his disappearing splitter and darting slider and carrying fastball. When they did make contact, it was mostly feeble; a solo home run from Kiké Hernández accounted for their lone run. Yesavage carved them like a pumpkin, appropriate considering the Blue Jays will attempt to secure their first championship since 1993 on Halloween.

In part because the kid taken with the No. 20 pick in last year’s draft went from Single-A to High-A to Double-A to Triple-A to the big leagues, where almost immediately everyone around him understood how he made such an ascent. Yesavage’s stuff is nasty, sure, but his demeanor — country boy who sees the big city as just another thing to conquer — exudes calmness and confidence without a whit of arrogance.

After Toronto’s Game 5 win, in which home runs by Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the first and third pitches staked them to a lead they would not yield, Chris Bassitt and Shane Bieber, who together have thrown more than 2,000 major league innings and made 359 major league starts, sat next to each other in the clubhouse and simply marveled. They’ve known Yesavage for six weeks, and every outing — whether it was shutting down Tampa Bay in his debut or throwing 5â…“ no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts against the Yankees in his postseason debut — reinforces what they find most impressive about him.

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“How he was able to make Game 5 of the World Series, mentally, look like any other day,” Bassitt said. “It could’ve been May. You couldn’t tell. He’s just calm, and he’s got wholehearted belief in himself.”

Said Bieber: “It would be easy to say it’s an ignorance-is-bliss thing, but I don’t think it is. It’s full conviction in himself and his game plan and his stuff. When he’s got it, he’s got it. Look in his eyes. And he had it.”

Bassitt continued.

“When he gets his splitter going, I think he realizes the other team has no chance,” he said. “Because no one has been able to figure it out. Early on, when he had the split going, it was like: strap in, because you guys are gonna be in trouble.”

Trouble doesn’t fully describe the Dodgers’ fruitlessness against Yesavage in Game 5. In Game 1, he had operated with no control of his splitter, leaving him to navigate Los Angeles’ lineup handicapped. Between his bullpen session this week and catch play Tuesday, Yesavage said he found his splitter grip and entered Wednesday with faith in it. He was awake at 8:30 a.m., called his girlfriend, ate an egg sandwich and two pieces of sausage at breakfast with his parents and brother, showered and relaxed on the outdoor patio in his hotel room with his family. He went to the stadium ready to perform.

And once there, he made history, striking out more batters than any previous rookie in a World Series start.

“I saw something on Instagram that someone took a video of me on my phone saying I was locked in,” Yesavage said, “but I was just doomscrolling on TikTok and Instagram reels. I just keep it as chill as possible. I don’t change anything I say to myself, but I’m also just here to go to work. I try not to think about anything.”

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Head empty of concern, arm full of vigor, Yesavage stood atop the mound opposite two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and outdueled him. Yesavage felt good in the first inning. After striking out the side in the second, good evolved to great. And from there, every pitch was an attempted emasculation — fastballs up in the zone from the highest arm slot in the big leagues, and splitters and sliders in the bottom half that tease and tempt hitters into swinging even when they know they shouldn’t. Yesavage hunts strikeouts as if they’re prey, a quality that endeared him to another of the Blue Jays’ veteran starters.

“When they pulled him after 78 pitches in that Yankee start,” Max Scherzer said, “I was like, ‘Hey, would you have gone back out there and just navigated that?’ And he said, ‘No, I’m trying to strike everybody out.'”

Scherzer smiled.

“I know exactly what he’s talking about,” said Scherzer, he of 3,489 career punchouts. “You start smelling it. You start smelling, this is how I’m going to get you. I’m here to strike you out.”

Yesavage’s olfactory glands were working overdrive Wednesday. He struck out every Dodgers starter — and got their Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, two times apiece. Yesavage’s girlfriend, Taylor Frick, sent him photos throughout the game of her crying happy tears. Scherzer, manic as ever, celebrated a double play by yeeting sunflower seeds against the dugout wall. After a performance like that, in a moment so big, large displays of emotion are more than acceptable.

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Meanwhile, Yesavage remained cucumber cool. He makes it easy to forget sometimes how new this all is. He and Bieber had been talking recently about introducing Yesavage to some high-end alcohol, to enjoy the spoils of the big leagues.

“You like tequila?” Bieber said.

“I’m 22,” Yesavage said.

Bieber chuckled.

“You were just in college, weren’t you?” he said.

He was, at East Carolina, where he had pitched in big games in front of big crowds at North Carolina and North Carolina State. But there was nothing like this. Dodgers fans are notorious for their razzing in the right-field bullpen, relentless and nasty and boundary-smashing, all part of the experience. Yesavage, who had topped their team in Game 1, received the gamut.

“If I were a Dodgers fan, I would try to rattle him, too,” Bassitt said. “Given the fact that he is 22. Given the fact that he barely has pitched on the road. Given the fact that this is the World Series. I’d be talking s—. But the reality is, I don’t think many people realize it doesn’t faze him. He’s like, just wait until I get on the mound. I’ll show you.”

He showed them all right. Over 104 pitches, each thrown with the weight of a nation on his shoulders, he manifested his pregame feelings into something bigger and better.

This was fun. And he had every reason to love it.

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