Browsing: Rodriguez

Chicago Cubs: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Age: 23)

Crow-Armstrong is still searching for consistency at the plate, but it’s hard to poke holes in a 23-year-old posting a 118 OPS+ with 37 doubles, 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored and 35 steals in a 6.0-WAR season. He is also a lock to take home his first Gold Glove in center field, and could be the NL Platinum Glove winner.

Honorable Mentions:SP Cade Horton (24), 3B Matt Shaw (23)

Cincinnati Reds: SS Elly De La Cruz (Age: 23)

Whether it was the grind of playing every day, pitchers making adjustments or something else entirely, De La Cruz went from an All-Star in the first half (.854 OPS, 39 XBH, 18 HR, 25 SB) to a non-factor in the second half (.666 OPS, 21 XBH, 4 HR, 12 SB). The tools are there for him to be a face of the franchise player, but the 2026 season will be an important one in his development.

Honorable Mentions:OF Noelvi Marté (23)

Milwaukee Brewers: OF Jackson Chourio (Age: 21)

Chourio was the youngest player to make an Opening Day roster in 2025, and only four younger players appeared in the big leagues this year, yet he already has two 20/20 seasons under his belt. At an age when most prospects are still in the lower levels of the minors or playing college ball, he was one of the best players on a team that finished with 97 wins and a division title.

Honorable Mentions:SP Jacob Misiorowski (23)

Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Paul Skenes (Age: 23)

The term “generational talent” gets thrown around a lot when talking about young stars, but Skenes truly is that on the mound. Over his first 55 starts in the big leagues, he has a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 386 strikeouts in 320.2 innings, and he is the favorite to take home NL Cy Young honors after leading the NL in ERA (1.97) and WHIP (0.95) while racking up 216 strikeouts in 187.2 innings.

Honorable Mentions:SP Bubba Chandler (23)

St. Louis Cardinals: SS Masyn Winn (Age: 23)

The Cardinals are at a crossroads, looking to get younger this offseason and expected to aggressively shop veterans such as Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and others, which leaves Winn as the foundational piece of their upcoming rebuilding efforts. The slick-fielding shortstop provides a valuable mix of defense, speed, extra-base pop and contact skills, and he is still capable of taking his game to another level.

Honorable Mentions:OF Victor Scott II (24)

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The Seattle Mariners are halfway to an American League Championship Series victory, and they haven’t even played a home game yet.

Seattle seized a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 10-3 victory in Monday’s Game 2 at Rogers Centre. It is now just two wins away from its first World Series appearance in franchise history.

Power was the name of the game for the visitors in their latest triumph, as Julio Rodríguez launched a three-run homer in the first inning, Jorge Polanco sent one over the wall for another three-run long ball in the fifth and Josh Naylor added insurance with a two-run homer in the seventh.

Polanco’s blast broke a tie and put the Mariners ahead for good and helped provide plenty of run support for a strong bullpen that went the final six innings.

The home runs and overall performance also caught the attention of social media:

Neither team wasted any time offensively with immediate fireworks. While Rodríguez’s home run was the first blow, Toronto answered right back with two runs of its own against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert in the first inning.Â

George Springer doubled and scored on an error after Nathan Lukes’ single, and Lukes then scored on Alejandro Kirk’s single. Lukes was far from done, as he tied it up in the second with an RBI single.

Toronto was dialed in against Gilbert across the starter’s brief three innings of work, but the same could not be said against the bullpen. Eduard Bazardo got the ball first out of the Seattle bullpen and was brilliant with two shutout innings.

The Blue Jays were unable to counter with their own bullpen, as Louis Varland came in for starter Trey Yesavage with runners on first and second and nobody out in the fifth only to give up Polanco’s monster homer two batters later. Yesavage was charged with five earned runs in the four innings, but the Mariners continued to add to the lead with an RBI single from J.P Crawford in the sixth.

By the time Naylor hit his homer, the result was hardly in doubt.

Carlos Vargas and Emerson Hancock shut the door the rest of the way for Seattle’s bullpen against a strong Toronto offense that just overwhelmed the New York Yankees in the last series.Â

The formula of timely long balls on offense and shutdown pitching in the late innings from the bullpen is a dominant one in the playoffs, and the Mariners will look to unleash it again when the series shifts to Seattle for Wednesday’s Game 3.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

WWE RAW RESULTS
OCTOBER 13, 2025
PERTH, AUSTRALIA AT RAC ARENA
STREAMED LIVE ON NETFLIX
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor

JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch contributor Chris Maitland to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.

Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. Weâ€ll read your emails live during the post-show.

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[HOUR ONE]

(Note: This event streamed live early Monday morning in the U.S. You can read a full report of the already completed show by Jason Powell over at ProWrestling.net now if you’re eager to catch up. Otherwise, our complete report will be updated soon.

-Michael Cole introduced the show as they showed scenes of Perth, Australia. He said it was the final night of a big weekend. Then he threw to a lengthy four minute video recap of Crown Jewel including some corporate sports headliners reacting to the big happenings.

-They showed the arrivals of C.M. Punk and L.A. Knight, then Jey Uso signing photos backstage, and Rhea Ripley walking backstage.

-They cut to a wide shot of the arena as Cole said 13,737 were in attendance.

-Seth Rollins’s music played and he made his entrance, accompanied by Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman. Seth said, “This is my Vision and, while tonight is about me, I want to acknowledge the greatness that is standing before me in this ring, the greatness that I have assembled.” He turned first to Paul Heyman who was teared up. When he introduced him, fans said Heyman’s name and cheered a bit. He said he was betrayed by the Tribal Chief and he came to him in a moment of need. “I took you in, and with my vision, together we have solidified you as the undisputed GOAT. Heyman bowed his head toward Seth. “Sir, I am blessed man for being in your presence,” Seth said. Heyman and Seth hugged. Heyman kissed Seth’s cheek. Fans chanted, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Seth paused and then kissed Heyman’s forehead. Fans popped. “Ain’t no shame, baby. Ain’t no shame in that!” Seth said. Fans cheered.

Seth turned to Breakker. Fans barked. Seth asked Breakker to do his signature head jerk. They laughed. Breakker did it. Fans popped. Seth said Breakker flourished and “became everything I thought you could be.” He said he is “the undisputed future of this industry.” He turned to Reed. Fans said his name along with Seth and cheered. Fans sang “Bronson, Bronson Reed!” Seth said he couldn’t have beat Roman Reigns six months ago, but he passed along all his knowledge and he had about Reigns. “Not only did you beat Roman Reigns, you destroyed Roman Reigns, you embarrassed Roman Reigns. You are the new Tribal Chief!” he said. Reed threw his hand up.

Fans chanted, “C.M. Punk!” Seth said he had two questions for Perth. He said he knows they aren’t very smart, but he’s going to ask them anyway. He asked who was the greatest World Champion of all time “and why is it me?” He said Reigns likes to talk about there being “levels.” He said what’s special about him is that he didn’t need anyone to achieve what he has. Fans chanted, “Bullshit! Bullshit!” Seth said he is going to spit some straight fact at you. He said Reigns needed The Shield and The Bloodline. He said Cody Rhodes needed him to beat Reigns. He said he doesn’t need Reed, Breaker, or Heyman. He said he beat Punk and Reigns at WrestleMania on his own and he “trounced” Cody “with one good arm on my own.” He said he doesn’t need anybody. He said he has chosen the men in the ring “and they have chosen me because I am a visionary, I am a revolutionary, and I am the greatest to ever do it. I am Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins!” He held the mic up and the crowd joined in saying his name.

(Keller’s Analysis: That whole segment went about 14 minutes. It was, as often is the case with Seth, a mixed bag. I wanted to watch it on 1.5 speed because he stretches out everything he says with a slow cadence and pauses between phrases. Second, he needlessly broke character like this was some sort of out-of-storyline side event, playing into the crowd wanting him to kiss Heyman. His song and his catch phrases continue to undo some of the heel heat he builds up with the stronger aspects of his promo. The strength and more intriguing aspect of his promo was how much he made it about himself and bragged up himself as the leader of The Vision. I don’t recall him leaning into it to that degree. I mean, he was basically flaunting in the faces of Heyman, Breakker, and Reed that he is superior to them and they’re fortunate to have him in their presence. I don’t know what their end game is, but it’s hard to imagine we’re supposed to think that Heyman, Breakker, and Reed don’t have inner thoughts of resentment toward Seth and his self-centered bragging. And I also hope everyone involved realizes how Seth is coming across.)

-They went to Cole and Wade Barrett at ringside. They reacted to Seth’s speech, and then shifted to a recap of the set-up for the Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta match.

-They cut to Penta backstage. He crossed paths with Rusev. Rusev said he already beat Penta and he said Dom cheated him out of his title, yet Penta gets a title match. He said he is allowing it only because he already talked to Raw G.M. Adam Pearce and he promised him the winner. He said he hasn’t forgotten about the kick last week. “So I have one piece of advice, he said. “Pray.” Dom was in the background, and when he saw Rusev, he slowly backtracked. “Smart move, Dom,” said Cole. [c]

(1) DOMINIK MYSTERIO vs. PENTA – Intercontinental Title match

Dom’s ring entrance took place followed by formal ring introductions. Fans sang, “Dirty, Dirty Dom!” The bell rang 28 minutes into the hour.

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One year removed from a World Series appearance, the New York Yankees were eliminated in the American League Divisional Series in four games by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, and fingers are already being pointed following the early postseason exit.

During the post-game show on FS1 following the Blue Jays†5-2 series-clinching win over the Yankees, former Yankees stars Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter went in on whoâ€s to blame most for New Yorkâ€s downfall. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was the person the former players put this collapse on.

“[Aaron Boone] is the one guy I would circle that has least to blame…one of the worst constructions of a roster Iâ€ve ever seen.” – Alex Rodriguez

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“Iâ€m pretty sure Aaronâ€s not the one thatâ€s calling every move that they make throughout the game.” – Derek Jeter

The two baseball legends stopped short of saying any names, but these comments appeared to be aimed at the Yankees front office, and as the baseball world knows, the buck stops with general manager Brian Cashman in that regard.

Rodriguez called out the construction of the team, and that clearly has to do with the front office. Jeter said Boone did a good job with the team, but that heâ€s probably not the one calling every move in games. Without saying any names, A-Rod and Jeter seem to have called out Cashmanâ€s leadership of the team and placed much of the blame squarely on his shoulders.

New York finished with the same record as last season (94-68) but with much different results. They didn’t win the World Series last year either, but they did make a run all the way there. As defending American League champions, getting knocked out in four games in the ALDS by a division rival, no less, is disappointing.

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Even more disappointing is the fact the Yankees failed to capitalize further on the outstanding postseason right fielder Aaron Judge was having. In seven postseason games Judge was hitting .500 with a .692 slugging percentage and a 1.273 OPS. Those are MVP caliber numbers the Yankees failed capitalize on.

This elimination stretches the Yankees streak of not winning the World Series to 16 years. The last time this franchise won it all in 2010, Rodriguez and Jeter were still playing in pinstripes.

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One year removed from a World Series appearance, the New York Yankees were eliminated in the American League Divisional Series in four games by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, and fingers are already being pointed following the early postseason exit.

During the post-game show on FS1 following the Blue Jays†5-2 series-clinching win over the Yankees, former Yankees stars Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter went in on whoâ€s to blame most for New Yorkâ€s downfall.

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Notably, Rodriguez and Jeter didn’t place the bulk of the blame for the team’s collapse against the Blue Jays on manager Aaron Boone, instead pointing toward issues with roster construction and in-game decision-making that may not necessarily fall on Boone.

“[Aaron Boone] is the one guy I would circle that has least to be to blame. He’s got a lot of talent, but for me, personally, one of the worst constructions of a roster Iâ€ve ever seen,” Rodriguez said. “You have three left-handed catchers. You have five DHs. You have a first baseman in and out. It’s just a very, very difficult hand for Boone.”

“Aaron [Boone] did a good job,” Jeter said. “He’s working with what he has to work with, and he sticks up for his players. I know he takes a lot of heat. But look, I’m not saying it from any inside knowledge, but Iâ€m pretty sure Aaronâ€s not the one thatâ€s calling every move that they make throughout the game.”

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The two baseball legends stopped short of naming names, but these comments appeared to be aimed at the Yankees front office, and as the baseball world knows, the buck stops with general manager Brian Cashman in that regard.

New York finished with the same record as last season (94-68) but with much different results. They didn’t win the World Series last year either, but they did make a run all the way there. As defending American League champions, getting knocked out in four games in the ALDS by a division rival, no less, is disappointing.

Even more disappointing is the fact that the Yankees failed to capitalize further on the outstanding postseason right fielder Aaron Judge was having. In seven postseason games, Judge was hitting .500 with a .692 slugging percentage and a 1.273 OPS. Those are MVP-caliber numbers the Yankees failed to capitalize on.

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This elimination stretches the Yankees’ streak of failing to win the World Series to 16 years. The last time this franchise won it all in 2010, Rodriguez and Jeter were still playing in pinstripes.

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  Alden GonzalezOct 5, 2025, 11:53 PM ET

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  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

SEATTLE — Another sold-out crowd went into its customary “Ju-lio!” chant in Sunday’s eighth inning, but this one felt louder, deeper, more desperate, almost as if you could feel the anticipation that comes from 24 years without a playoff home win. Julio Rodriguez, the Seattle Mariners’ beloved center fielder and one of the sport’s best producers over these past three months, responded by hitting the line drive that drove in Cal Raleigh for the go-ahead run, then arrived at second base, punched the frigid October air, flexed for 47,371 T-Mobile Park fans and, mostly, fed off their energy.

“I kind of looked around a little bit,” Rodriguez said after powering a nail-biting, 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. “I could see everybody jumping around, and that made me feel really good. It was an awesome moment.”

Facing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal with the possibility of going to Detroit down 2-0 in this best-of-five American League Division Series, the Mariners rode an impressive pitching performance and two Jorge Polanco home runs to take a two-run lead heading into the eighth inning. And after Josh Naylor’s error paved the way for Spencer Torkelson’s tying double, the Mariners, one of baseball’s hottest teams, responded yet again. Raleigh hit a one-out double off Kyle Finnegan, Rodriguez did the same, and Andres Munoz, asked to take down two innings for the first time in six years a night earlier, closed it out in the ninth.

For the first time since Oct. 15, 2001, the people of Seattle could witness a playoff win firsthand.

“For us, it means a lot to give the fans what they deserve,” Munoz said. “I’ve been here for a little bit, and they deserve this.”

Skubal knows the Mariners’ struggle well. Long before solidifying himself as the AL’s greatest pitcher, Skubal pitched at nearby Seattle University, the only Division-I school that would offer him a scholarship. As a way to help pay it forward, and inspire kids hoping to follow his path of going from a ninth-round pick to a Cy Young, Skubal invited the entire Seattle University baseball team to watch him pitch.

The Tigers were coming off a gritty effort in which they utilized seven pitchers in 11 innings to practically steal Game 1. Skubal, five days removed from a 14-strikeout masterpiece in the wild-card round, hoped to put his Tigers on the brink. But Polanco got in his way. In the fourth, Skubal left a 2-0 slider out over the plate and Polanco lined it into the Mariners’ left-center-field bullpen, resulting in the first home run Skubal had allowed on that pitch since May 20. In the sixth, Skubal got ahead in the count, 1-2, but Polanco worked it full, then got a middle-middle sinker at 99 mph and sent it 369 feet.

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“It’s a good at-bat,” Skubal said. “Two good swings on baseballs, and that’s how I give up runs tonight. I thought my stuff was really, really good. I thought my execution was great. But that’s the game of baseball.”

Polanco navigated the worst season of his career in 2024, putting up a .651 OPS after the Mariners acquired him from the Minnesota Twins. He spent a lot of that year playing hurt, ultimately undergoing surgery on his left knee shortly after the team’s season ended. The Mariners, scrambling for infield help in February, brought him back on a deal that would pay him $7 million in 2025 and saw him morph into one of their best performers down the stretch.

From the start of July to the end of September, Polanco slashed .282/.348/.551, ranking 11th in the majors in OPS. And when the Mariners needed a win most, he became the first player in four years — Paul Goldschmidt on Aug. 25, 2021 — to hit two home runs in one game against Skubal.

“He’s such a good baseball player,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a grinder. All year long he’s been having great at-bats, coming clutch in so many situations. And today, to have hit two homers against the best pitcher in the game right now — it’s awesome. There is not enough words to describe what he means to the team.”

Luis Castillo, a man known to feed off the home crowd in Seattle, got the Game 2 assignment and needed 51 pitches to record the Seattle’s first six outs. A short start, coming off a night in which the Mariners taxed their bullpen, seemed likely. But Castillo completed the third and fourth innings with just 18 pitches. In the fifth, Mariners manager Dan Wilson confronted the same situation that presented itself the night before: fifth inning, traffic on the bases, left-handed hitter Kerry Carpenter up, lefty reliever Gabe Speier warming in the bullpen.

“Déjà vu all over again,” Wilson said.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Wilson entrusted George Kirby to face Carpenter a third time and watched him surrender a two-run homer. This time, he turned to Speier, who struck out Carpenter to end the fifth, then cruised through the middle of the Mariners’ lineup in the sixth. Eduard Bazardo followed by stranding a runner in the seventh. Matt Brash seemed primed to do the same in the top of the eighth, but Riley Greene’s grounder, a potential inning-ending double play, ricocheted off Naylor’s glove at first base. Five pitches later, Torkelson deflated an entire city with a tying double down the right-field line.

“Just keep going,” Raleigh recalled thinking. “In the playoffs, you have to have a short memory.”

Raleigh, the franchise catcher coming off a historic 60-homer season, responded by turning on a splitter out over the plate and driving it toward the right-field wall. Rodriguez, arguably the game’s best player since the All-Star break, followed by turning on another splitter in almost the exact location and lining it down the left-field line, bringing Seattle back to life.

“It was awesome,” Rodriguez said. “These are things I dreamed of as a kid.”

Mariners fans waited 21 years after that 116-win 2001 season for their baseball team to get back into the playoffs. When they finally did, in 2022, the Mariners won back-to-back wild-card games in Toronto but suffered two brutal ALDS losses in Houston, came back home, played 18 innings and lost 1-0, ending a promising season. The next few years were mired by late-season collapses that left them out of the playoffs, which only added more pressure on a 2025 team widely considered the most talented of this generation. Raleigh called getting that first home playoff win “a nice weight to get off the guy’s shoulders.”

The Mariners hope for several more.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

WWE RAW REPORT
SEPTEMBER 29, 2025
RALEIGH, N.C. AT LENOVO CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor

Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 9,673 tickets had been distributed; arena set up for 10,242. The arena has a capacity of 21,000 spectators when configured for concerts.

JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch contributor Kurt Cadet to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.

Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. Weâ€ll read your emails live during the post-show.

VIP MEMBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE

Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller†(or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so donâ€t share. Itâ€s just for VIP members at this time.

If you canâ€t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller†and “pwtorch†in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.

LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH

[HOUR ONE]

-After the new “Then, Now, Forever, Together” brand stamp, they showed an aerial view of Raleigh, N.C. Joe Tessitore touted the city’s sports and cutting-edge tech business spirit and said it reflected that of modern day WWE. Then they showed the arrivals of the Usos, The Judgment Day (who crossed paths with the El Grande Americanos; Dom smiled at them), and Rusev.

-They cut to the cheering fans in the arena and then Tessitore and Wade Barrett at ringside.

-A several minute long highlight package aired on the main event of last week’s Raw ending with Asuka spraying mist into the eyes of Rhea Ripley who was saving Iyo Sky.

-Rhea Ripley made her entrance.

Advertised Matches & Appearances

• Dominik Mysterio vs. Rusev – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
• Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
• The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed) – Tornado Tag Team match
• AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Los Americanos
• Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley to appear

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