Browsing: Year

The city of Anaheim faces an annual deficit projected at $64 million, so every little bit helps. And, because of the Angels†poor play, that is exactly what the city got in ticket revenue from its hometown baseball team this year: just a little bit.

Until Sunday, in fact, the city did not know for certain that it would get even a penny in ticket revenue.

Advertisement

As part of their lease to play in the city-owned stadium, the Angels are required to pay the city $2 for every ticket sold beyond 2.6 million. On Sunday, the final day of the regular season, the last-place Angels topped that threshold by 15,506. The payment to Anaheim: $31,012.

In better times — amid a run of six postseason appearances in eight years — the city received more than $1 million annually in ticket revenue. The high point: $1,613,580 in 2006, when the team sold a record 3,406,790 tickets.

Although major league teams do not disclose their financial data, Forbes estimated the Angels generated $120 million in ticket revenue last year. The Angels sold 2.58 million tickets last year, so the city received none of that revenue.

Advertisement

When the city and the Walt Disney Co. — then the owner of the Angels — agreed on that stadium lease in 1996, the 2.6 million figure was largely aspirational. The Angels sold 1.8 million tickets that year. In the previous 30 seasons playing in the stadium, the Angels†attendance had topped 2.6 million only four times.

In 2003, however, Arte Moreno bought the Angels from Disney, inheriting a Cinderella World Series championship team and fortifying it with premier free agents, including Hall of Famer outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and star pitcher Bartolo Colon.

The city first received ticket revenue that year, when the Angels†attendance shot past 2.6 million and topped 3 million. Under Morenoâ€s ownership, the Angels won five division championships in the next six years and sold more than 3 million tickets every year from 2003-2019.

The Angels have not made a postseason appearance in 11 years — the longest drought in the major leagues — and have not posted a winning record in 10 years. Attendance dropped sharply after the pandemic, and Anaheim has received a share of the Angels†ticket revenue only twice in the past six years: this year, and $81,150 in 2023.

Advertisement

The city does receive revenue from parking and other stadium events, but only after certain thresholds have been reached. Under the lease, ticket sales are the primary driver of city revenue.

The Angels pay no rent under their lease, since Disney paid all but $20 million of a $117-million stadium renovation. The city said it would make its money back from development of the parking lots around the stadium, which has not happened in the three decades since the lease took effect.

Moreno twice has agreed to deals in which he would own the stadium and develop the land around it, but the city backed away both times: in 2014, after then-mayor Tom Tait objected to leasing the land to Moreno for $1 per year; and in 2022, after the FBI taped then-mayor Harry Sidhu saying he would ram a deal through and ask the Angels for a million-dollar contribution in return. (Sidhu was sentenced to prison last March, after signing a plea agreement that specified he had leaked confidential negotiating information to the Angels. The government has not alleged the Angels did anything wrong.)

Advertisement

In April, current mayor Ashleigh Aitken invited Moreno for a new round of discussions. He made no commitment, and the city subsequently decided to put any talks on hold until the completion of a property assessment designed to determine how many hundreds of millions of dollars would be needed to keep the 1966 stadium viable for decades to come. That study is expected to be concluded next year.

In January, the Angels exercised an option to extend their stadium lease through 2032. They have two other options to extend the lease if they wish: one through 2035, the other through 2038.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Source link

Sep 27, 2025, 07:06 PM ET

BOSTON — Jahmai Jones hit a two-run single in the fifth inning, and the Detroit Tigers hung on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday, clinching a spot in the American League playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox sealed their postseason berth, the Tigers claimed at least a wild card spot and pushed the Houston Astros closer to elimination. Detroit still could win the AL Central title but would need help from Texas, which played Cleveland on Saturday night.

Keider Montero and four relievers held Boston to one run and seven hits. Tyler Holton (6-5) got four outs for the victory. Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

Editor’s Picks

“Kind of a crazy ride, but it’s well worth it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told his team in the clubhouse Saturday night during the celebration. “We went up, we went down, we went up again.”

The Tigers (87-74) led the division by as many as 14 games in July and still held a 9½-game lead on Sept. 11 before losses in 12 out of 14 games dropped them into a tie with Cleveland (86-74). The Guardians, who were in fourth place and 15½ games back on July 7, are 17-4 since Sept. 5 and hold the tiebreaker against Detroit.

Detroit has ace Tarik Skubal (13-6) lined up to pitch in Sunday’s regular-season finale, but the Tigers would love to save him for the postseason opener.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source link

Following the completion of his 12-month-ban, Barker has been able to make two appearances for Hampshire to close out the season.

After playing for Hampshire’s second side, Barker returned to the first-team once more for County Championship contests against Sussex and Somerset.

“Not being able to be around my team-mates and train properly was hard,” Barker added

“Luckily I had my family there to support me but its then been great to get back into training recently and play some games for Hampshire.”

The all-rounder will now return to Warwickshire where he spent 10 seasons between 2009 and 2018 – taking 357 wickets and scoring six first-class centuries.

He also helped the club win the County Championship title in 2012.

During his time at Hampshire, Barker took 179 first-class wickets at an average of 24.

“If someone had said to me that I’d done better with my stats, especially at the back end of my career then I’d have taken it,” he added.

“I’m really happy with how it’s gone but I couldn’t have done that without my team-mates, without them it wouldn’t have been possible.

“Things don’t always go to plan but I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play and represent Hampshire again these last few weeks.”

Source link

Image credit:
Kevin McGonigle (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

In the final game of the 2025 season, Kevin McGonigle struck out three times. It was a rare thing for the Tigers shortstop, as it had happened only twice over his previous 190+ games as a professional.

Unfortunately for McGonigle and the Erie Seawolves, this came at an inopportune time. Erie, playing in its fourth consecutive Eastern League final, fell to Binghamton 8-2 in a deciding game three.Â

Despite a massively productive season, it has, in some ways, also been a season defined by second-place finishes and runner-ups for the Tigers’ top prospect, On Monday, Baseball America named Konnor Griffin the 2025 Minor League Player of the Year. Two days later, Erie and McGonigle fell in that Eastern League final.Â

Still, you canâ€t tell the story of the 2025 minor league season without McGonigle.

Currently No. 2 among BA’s Top 100 Prospects, McGonigle is a dynamic player with one of the most polished hit tools weâ€ve seen in the minors in some time. The 21-year-old has an old-school gamer mentality, and he gets into more power and speed than his physical tools might suggest.Â

For many evaluators outside the Tigers’ organization, McGonigle is the top prospect in the game and praise has been effusive. It’s left Tigers fans wondering if McGonigle—a player who is capable of doing everything well and brings a winnerâ€s mentality—could have provided a spark to a free-falling major league team over the final month of the season.Â

In many ways, McGonigle is the final cog in a rebuild thatâ€s taken a decade and spanned multiple general managers. Alongside Tigers teammate Max Clark, he has found success throughout his minor league career, racking up winning records at every stop along the way. The Tigers hope the dynamic duo can do the same when they reach Detroit in 2026.Â

What sets McGonigle apart from other top prospects is his robust and well-rounded set of tools at the plate. While Griffin is the best all-around player in the minors, it wouldnâ€t be wrong to say that, at the moment, McGonigle is MiLB’s best hitter.

The data backs this statement when comparing McGonigle to minor league averages across his skill metrics:

Miss%IZ-Miss%Chase%Swing%Chase-Swing%Kevin McGonigle18%13.60%20.20%45.20%25%MiLB Avg.27%19.20%25.10%45%19.60%Difference-9%-5.60%-4.90%+0.20%-5.40%

Here we see that McGonigleâ€s skill-based metrics are well above minor league averages. On paper, his numbers roughly equate to a 70-grade hit tool (or better), as he shows elite contact and swing decisions.

Where McGonigle really separated himself from other highly-skilled hitters this season, though, is in his ability to hit for power. After hitting just five homers in 2024, McGonigle smashed 19 across three levels in 2025.

Again, we find standout metrics:

Avg. EV90% EVMax. EVPullAir%xWOBAHard-Hit LAKevin McGonigle91.5 mph105.3 mph113.3 mph24%0.38517.4MiLB Avg.86.2 mph101.5 mph108.4 mph18.60%0.29410Difference+5.3 mph+3.8 mph+4.9 mph+5%+0.091+7.4

McGonigle not only displays elite plate skills, but his power numbers compare well to other top prospects, too. He shows above-average raw power based on major league averages with strong launch angles that allow him to drive his best-struck contact in the air.

Where McGonigle really stands out compared to other prospects is with his optimized swing path. His ability to hit the ball hard in the air to his pull side has allowed him to get to more of his power and likely will lead to 20-plus home run totals annually in the majors.

In many ways, McGonigle is what a fully-optimized hitter looks like: few holes in his swing, a discerning eye at the plate and a swing optimized for power. And while he may have experienced a season of close-call finishes when it comes to awards and trophies, with a future as bright as any in the game, we may one day see McGonigle reach the gameâ€s greatest heights.

Source link

Paul Skenes will finish the 2025 season with a 1.97 ERA after throwing six shutout innings in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-3 win in 11 innings over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Despite the all-around impressive performance for Skenes this year, he joked that he got “worse” in 2025 after posting a 1.96 ERA in his rookie season.

“Yeah, I got a hundredth worse than last year,” Skenes said after the game. “I’m actually worse than I was last year. I’m just kidding. It’s cool. I don’t come into the year with any numerical goals or anything like that, any stat goals, but it’s a product of doing what you’re supposed to do.”

Even though Skenes was clearly embarrassed by his ERA inflating from 2024, he did get support from Livvy Dunne on social media.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Skenes is the first qualified pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA in his age-23 or younger season since Dwight Gooden’s Cy Young season in 1985.

Skenes, the heavy frontrunner to win the NL Cy Young award, finished his stellar sophomore season currently leading MLB in ERA and FIP (2.37). He’s also first in the NL in strikeouts (216) and strikeout-to-walk percentage (23.7).

Wednesday’s outing was Skenes’ 14th game of the season allowing no earned runs. He allowed two earned runs or fewer in 26 of his 32 starts.

Assuming the Cy Young voting goes the way everyone anticipates, Skenes will become just the third Pirates pitcher to win the award. He will join Vernon Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990) to receive the honor.

Source link

Image credit:
Nick Kurtz (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

They were the four swings heard round the baseball world. Yet for Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, that July night when he became the first rookie—and one of just 21 players ever—to slug four home runs in one game still feels like a blur.

To the Aâ€s organization, it was something else entirely. The long-awaited light at the end of a dark, winding tunnel. A moment that didnâ€t erase the pain of the firesales, the empty seats or the heartbreaking dislocation to Sacramento ahead of a planned relocation to Las Vegas.

For the Aâ€s fans who endured the chaos and stayed when others walked away, it offered something rare—hope. Hope to keep following, to keep caring, even when the times are tough.

As the Aâ€s embark on a new chapter, they do so with a new foundation. At its center is Kurtz, the Baseball America Rookie of the Year.

More than just a cornerstone of transition, he is rapidly becoming one of the gameâ€s most formidable young sluggers. For Aâ€s fans who have waited so long, Kurtz represents the promise of a future that finally feels possible.

“Heâ€s been a revelation,†said Aâ€s assistant GM Billy Owens. “He was No. 1 on our (draft) board. The numbers were overwhelming, and the picturesque swing was amazing. I made sure, right after the draft, that it was on record in multiple interviews: Nick Kurtz was No. 1 on our board going into that season.â€

Kurtz authored one of the most dominant rookie seasons the game has ever seen. He slashed .291/.384/.613 with 33 home runs in 111 games. He led all rookies in homers. He led with 81 RBIs and 83 runs. His .998 OPS rank seventh-highest in history for a rookie with at least 450 plate appearances. His 168 wRC+ ranks fourth.

Kurtzâ€s meteoric rise becomes even more remarkable when one considers where he was a year prior to his MLB debut, wearing a Wake Forest uniform on a quiet Tuesday night road game at Elon. Twelve months later, he was anchoring a big league lineup, carrying the hopes of a franchise and proving why the Athletics made him the No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft.

Even “revelation†might undersell what the 22-year-old meant before he even debuted in West Sacramento. Kurtz started the season with Triple-A Las Vegas and quite literally swung his way to the big leagues. In 20 games with the Aviators, he went 27-for-84 (.321) with seven home runs before earning his callup on April 23.

Kurtz knew his bat was making a case for him, but an April callup still felt far-fetched. His focus wasnâ€t on the big leagues, but simply on playing the game

“I didnâ€t put too much pressure on myself,†Kurtz said. “There were a lot of people who were saying, ‘How early is he going to be up?†I was just present and enjoying time with the guys I played with in the Arizona Fall League or Double-A the year before.â€

It took some time for Kurtz to find his footing in the majors. The same dominance he showed at Triple-A didnâ€t immediately translate, and he didnâ€t hit his first home run until his 16th game. But once that ball left the yard, everything began to click.

And July? That was Kurtzâ€s coming-out party.

It wasnâ€t just a hot streak. It was a month in which raw potential became production. The rookie didnâ€t just announce his arrival—he demanded attention. The four-homer game was the exclamation point.

“Itâ€s crazy how all that happened,†Kurtz said. “A lot more people knew who I was after that game.â€

– –

For many, those four swings were the moment Kurtz truly arrived. For Owens, though, they brought him back to the very first time he saw Kurtz play. Owens had seen the same easy power, the same smooth stroke, the same feeling that this was a hitter destined to change a franchise.

While Owens scouted Wake Forest standouts Rhett Lowder and Brock Wilken for the 2023 draft, a then-sophomore Kurtz stepped to the plate in the teamâ€s second game against Pittsburgh and unleashed a swing that silenced the ballpark. The crack of the bat echoed. The ball seemed to carry forever.

For Owens—who has spent 27 years in the game—it was one of the furthest shots he had ever seen.

The Aâ€s didnâ€t draft Lowder or Wilken in 2023, but that trip still ended up shaping their future. Instead, with the sixth overall pick, they turned to Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson, a twitchy athlete with advanced bat-to-ball skills who quickly became the table-setter of their system.

And while Kurtz wouldnâ€t be theirs until the following summer, the Athletics†first glimpse of him planted a seed. By the time the club was back on the clock in 2024, the organization saw a chance to pair Wilsonâ€s contact-driven game with Kurtzâ€s thunderous power.

The Aâ€s already had Kurtz at the top of their board for 2024, but his junior season at Wake Forest erased any remaining doubt. He slashed .306/.531/.763 with 22 home runs, 57 RBIs and a 1.294 OPS, numbers that showcased both top-of-the-scale power and elite on-base ability.

His 61 career home runs ranked second only to Wilken in program history, but no Wake Forest batter had ever drawn more walks than Kurtz and his 189.

His makeup in pre-draft meetings only strengthened that conviction. Owens and the rest of the Aâ€s scouting staff came away impressed not just with Kurtzâ€s work ethic, but with the way he carried himself as a young man handling the spotlight.

For all the certainty inside the Athletics†draft room, Kurtz himself wasnâ€t sure just how much they wanted him.

“I really didnâ€t know until draft day that it was going to be them,†Kurtz said. “I knew they had a bunch of interest. We had really good pre-draft meetings with them. They liked the way I approached it, the way I felt about hitting and the preparation I put in every day. It shows they had a lot of trust in me.â€

There was one roadblock—or three—ahead of the Aâ€s in their pursuit of Kurtz. The Guardians held the first pick in the 2024 draft, followed by the Reds and then Rockies. All the Aâ€s could do was hope Kurtz was available with the fourth pick. And as the draft happened, members of the Aâ€s scouting department held their breath with every pick announcement.

The Guardians selected Oregon Stateâ€s Travis Bazzana at No. 1 overall. The Reds took Kurtzâ€s Wake Forest teammate Chase Burns with the second pick. When the Rockies chose Georgiaâ€s Charlie Condon at No. 3, a big sigh of relief could be heard in the Aâ€s war room.

“Rarely do things just line up like that,†Owens said. “Baseball is a sport where you’re going to have peaks and valleys. For Nick Kurtz to be there at four was fortunate.

“Yeah, we were holding our breath.â€

– –

Kurtz got the phone call he had been working toward his entire life, surrounded not only by his family but also by the friends and coaches who helped shape his journey. From his early days in Lancaster, Pa., to his development at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., to his breakout at Wake Forest, each stop had built toward this moment.

A week later, the Aâ€s flew Kurtz and his family, consisting of his parents Jeff and Marie and his three siblings Logan, Brandon and Grace, to Oakland to sign his contract at the Oakland Coliseum.

The team treated the Kurtz family to lunch, at which a handful of Aâ€s front office staff were present, including GM David Forst, scouting director Eric Kubota and senior adviser Billy Beane. They reasserted the belief in their prize pick to create an impact as the club transitioned from Oakland to Las Vegas.

It was a gesture that went a long way

“That whole first-class treatment made us feel really special,†Jeff Kurtz said. “It was important to them to have us there, and they wanted Nick to know. The whole situation has been run really well . . . We couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.

“He was drafted by the right team.â€

That trust carried into the start of Kurtzâ€s professional career. When he reported to the Athletics†complex in Mesa, Ariz., he braced himself for a wave of adjustments, including mechanical tweaks, approach changes, the kind of tinkering many young hitters face

Instead, the message from player development was simple

“They wanted me to be me,†Kurtz said. “I like having the freedom to do what I think, and if they find something wrong, they would come to me after the fact. It just shows the trust they have in me as a hitter and what they think I can do.â€

If Kurtzâ€s rookie season was just a glimpse of whatâ€s to come, then baseball fans have plenty to look forward to. Kurtz knows the talent he brings, but heâ€s just as quick to acknowledge the importance of the teammates around him.

Whether itâ€s homegrown players such as Wilson, Lawrence Butler or Tyler Soderstrom or scouting finds such as Brent Rooker or Shea Langeliers, the group around him has pushed Kurtz to elevate his game.

Together, theyâ€ve done more than just compete. Theyâ€ve laid the foundation for what comes next, whether in West Sacramento or Las Vegas. The Aâ€s donâ€t just have players. They have a core.

And in Kurtz, they finally have a superstar to build around.

“You want to be excited to come into work every day,†Kurtz said. “It makes the tough times not as bad. You can come here, spend it with your guys, and (you) are grinding together and getting even closer as time goes on. I think we built a good, tight-knit group and that will pay dividends throughout the future.â€

Highest OPS By Rookie Batters (Min. 450 PA)

nameteamyearPAavgobpslgopsJoe JacksonCLE1911641.408.468.5901.058Aaron JudgeNYY2017678.284.422.6271.049Ted WilliamsBOS1939677.327.436.6091.045Albert PujolsSTL2001676.329.403.6101.013Bernie CarboCIN1970467.310.454.5511.004Ryan BraunMIL2007492.324.370.6341.004Nick KurtzATH2025464.291.384.613.998Wally BergerBSN1930625.310.375.614.990Mark McGwireOAK1987641.289.370.618.987Hal TroskyCLE1934685.330.388.598.987

When Kurtz hit four home runs in one game on July 25, three of those blasts  were hit to the opposite field at Houstonâ€s Daikin Park. In fact, most of Kurtzâ€s 33 home runs this season were hit to left field. The rookieâ€s slugging percentage to the opposite field is the highest of the ball-tracking era, dating back to 2008.

Highest Slugging Percentage To Opposite Field (Since 2008)

playerteamyearABhrslgNick KurtzATH2025164261.061Chris DavisBAL2013202321.030Aaron JudgeNYY2025228361.026JD MartinezDET/ARI201720330.980Jim ThomeMIN201011317.973Ryan HowardPHI200821933.950Aaron JudgeNYY202313224.947Aaron JudgeNYY201914821.946Aaron JudgeNYY201720129.940Ryan HowardPHI200921728.940

Source link

Sep 24, 2025, 06:43 PM ET

NEW YORK — White Sox pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez will miss the rest of the season because of a right elbow impingement and Chicago outfielder Mike Tauchman will be out because of a right knee meniscus tear that requires surgery.

Gonzalez was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday and Tauchman on the 10-day IL. Both moves were retroactive to Sunday.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Gonzalez was feeling pain.

“I think there’s not a lot of long-term concern,” Venable said. “I think he could pitch. Just want to protect him a little bit.”

Outfielder Derek Hill was claimed off waivers from Miami and right-hander Jonathan Cannon was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Hill was due to arrive in New York later Wednesday.

A 23-year-old right-hander, Gonzalez made his major league debut on June 20 and went 1-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 16 relief appearances, striking out 25 and walking 12 in 20â…“ innings.

Tauchman, 34, hit .263 with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 93 games this season. He told White Sox beat writers he will have surgery Tuesday.

“He really set the tone for going out there and grinding through a lot of physical ailments, and his body just eventually just gave up on him there,” Venable said.

Source link

Image credit:
Konnor Griffin (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

Farmers donâ€t get to choose the weather. No matter if it rains all summer or the soil dries out and cracks, harvest comes and silos are either filled or left empty.

When it comes to picking Baseball America’s end-of-season awards, we’re a bit like farmers. We cannot control whether itâ€s a bumper crop or a fallow period.Â

Each year since 1981 (with the exception of the cancelled 2020 season), we’ve chosen a Minor League Player of the Year. We added a Minor League Pitcher of the Year award in 2022. So, that’s two major award winners we have to pick whether itâ€s a year overflowing with top prospects having standout seasons or one in which no one clearly stood out. Some years we have a bounty of choices, some years we face slim pickings.

This year, we’re happy to say the silos were overflowing.

MiLB Player of the Year

The 2025 season was one of those years in which multiple prospects were worthy of the POY award. In the end, we felt like we had a clear choice, but it was is a year in which the runners-up would have been excellent choices, as well.

In many years, Kevin McGonigle would have been a slam dunk choice. The Tigers shortstop, who only turned 21 late in the season, showed off his polished hitting ability by slashing .305/.408/.583 with 19 home runs in 88 games, the final 46 of which came with Double-A Erie. He knows the strike zone better than some of the umpires, as his 59 walks to 46 strikeouts attests.

Notably, McGonigle also began to grow into his power in 2025. In his standout 2024 season, which was spent mostly at Low-A, he hit just five homers in 74 games.

This is a perfect encapsulation of why heâ€s one of the game’s best overall prospects. If you surveyed evaluators about the best pure hitter in the minors, the lefthanded-hitting McGonigle would likely have his name on the most ballots.

But as good as his season was, Konnor Griffinâ€s was even better.Â

The 19-year-old Pirates shortstop took home our 2025 MiLB Player of the Year Award in part because was younger and less experienced than McGonigle, but he finished at the same level, Double-A. Griffinâ€s performance was also equally excellent, but he did it for a full season, while McGonigle missed a month.Â

Defensively, Griffin is a plus center fielder. But that feels like a waste, because heâ€s also a plus defender at shortstop. His arm is plus-plus, allowing him to make plays many shortstops cannot consider. Heâ€s also sure-handed and reliable. Griffin committed just seven errors at shortstop in 89 games, making him one of three teenage shortstops with at least 75 games at the position and fewer than 10 errors (Franklin Arias of the Red Sox and George Lombard Jr. of the Yankees are the others).

Griffin also has top-of-the-scale speed that led to 65 stolen bases in 78 attempts.

Most importantly, Griffin addressed the one big concern he faced coming into pro ball—his hitting ability. Over the course of 2025, Griffin’s hit tool has proven to be a strength. His .333 average is the best by a teenager in the full-season minor leagues since 2018, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .381.

Griffin was also wonderfully consistent this season. He hit .328 or better at all three stops from Low-A to Double-A. His strikeout rate didnâ€t climb, and his walk rate didnâ€t dip significantly as he was being promoted. His exceptional season also included 21 home runs to give him a rare combination of power and speed production for a teenage prospect.

MiLB Pitcher of the Year

Itâ€s good we have a Minor League Pitcher of the Year award these days. A few years ago, we realized the reduction in minor league pitchers†workloads made it unlikely that a pitcher could ever again win the POY award.

In the past 20 years, only Blake Snell in 2015 and Jeremy Hellickson in 2010 have won our POY award.

This yearâ€s Pitcher of the Year is Mets righthander Jonah Tong. While itâ€s hard to argue that his 113.2 minor league innings outweigh Griffinâ€s 563 plate appearances, his season made a strong case as the most impressive performance of the year.

Baseball America has tracked the overall minor league leaders in every season since 1993. In that time, never before had a pitcher led the minors in ERA (1.43) and strikeouts (179). Tong did that while also leading in opponent average (.149), strikeout rate (40.5%) and K-BB% (29.9). He had to settle for No. 2 in WHIP at 0.92.

Tong posted those outlandish numbers despite working through a slightly rocky April, as he gave up seven earned runs in his first three starts for Double-A Binghamton. From then on, he starred every time he took the mound. He didnâ€t allow three runs again in an outing again even once over his final 19 minor league starts. In fact, his 10 scoreless starts outnumbered his six one-run outings and two two-run starts combined.

His 113.2 innings just barely edges over the line to qualify for the MiLB ERA title because he was called up at the end of August to play a key role in the Mets†playoff push. In fact, the rulebook doesnâ€t address whether Tong actually qualifies or not, but at Baseball America, we are treating him as a qualifier.

As far as dominant minor league pitching performances in the 21st century, Tongâ€s season ranks alongside other standouts like:

• Justin Verlander in 2005, when he pitched to a 1.29 ERA in 118.2 innings
• Cristian Javier in 2019, when he led the minors with a 1.74 ERA and .130 opponent average
• Josh Beckett in 2001, when he led the minors with a 1.53 ERA and .170 opponent average

Verlanderâ€s ERA and Javierâ€s opponent average are the best overall marks since 1993—and maybe longer, but we canâ€t verify that.

McGonigleâ€s season was special. Tong had a year for the record books. And Griffinâ€s breakout season is one anyone who saw him play in person will remember for decades to come.

It was a great year for anyone who loves seeing great prospects provide exceptional performances. Here’s hoping for more full silos in 2026.

Source link

For the second straight year, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes has been ranked number one on the prestigious Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 list. The official announcement from the magazine confirms that the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion has once again been selected as the top male professional wrestler in the world.

The achievement places Rhodes in truly elite company, as he becomes only the fourth wrestler in the history of the PWI 500 to top the list in back-to-back years, joining a group that includes Bret “The Hitman” Hart, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and John Cena. The evaluation period for this year’s list ran from August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025. During that time, Rhodes had one of the most dominant years of any superstar, holding the Undisputed WWE Championship for the entire period.

His reign included numerous championship defenses, a main event victory at WrestleMania 41, and wins over top competitors such as Kevin Owens, GUNTHER, and Solo Sikoa. The PWI 500 criteria for ranking includes a wrestler’s win-loss record, influence on the sport, and success against the highest level of competition, all areas where Rhodes excelled during the evaluation period.

The rest of the top ten was a mix of stars from WWE, AEW, and CMLL. The top ten for the 2025 PWI 500 is below:

• 1. Cody Rhodes
  2. Jon Moxley
  3. GUNTHER
  4. “Hangman” Adam Page
  5. Hirooki Goto
  6. Jey Uso
  7. Swerve Strickland
  8. Seth Rollins
  9. Místico
  10. Will Ospreay

Source link

Cody Rhodes had a phenomenal year as the Undisputed WWE Champion thanks to his epic feuds and solid matches with numerous top names in WWE. Thatâ€s why it comes as no surprise he has topped the PWI 500 list for the second year in a row.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated took to Twitter and released its 2025 PWI 500 list, and Cody Rhodes is No. 1 again. This makes Cody only the fourth wrestler ever to be ranked No. 1 two years in a row, proving heâ€s one of the biggest names in wrestling today. At No. 2 is Jon Moxley, known for his intense style and big wins. GUNTHER takes No. 3 after a year of solid matches and long title reigns.

In fourth place, Hangman Adam Page continues to shine as one of AEWâ€s best names . Hirooki Goto lands at No. 5, showing the strength of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Jey Uso is No. 6 after breaking out as a top singles star in WWE over the past year.

Swerve Strickland is No. 7, building momentum as one of AEWâ€s most dependable stars. Seth Rollins follows at No. 8 after another year of really good bouts. Mistico ranks No. 9, showing his big impact in Mexico and beyond. Closing out the Top 10 is Will Ospreay, who obviously showed the world why heâ€s one of the absolute best.

With another year at No. 1, the American Nightmare now joins the short list of wrestlers who have topped the PWI rankings two years in a row. Fans are already wondering who could take his spot in 2026, as anything could happen in a year.

Who do you think will take the No. 1 spot next year? Will Cody Rhodes continue his dominance for a historic third year, or will a new challenger rise to the top? Sound off in the comments.

September 23, 2025 9:26 am

Source link