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Thursday was pretty light with the on-field action, with only one day game and two night games to watch, but the big news of the day came off the field and out of Pittsburgh.
Today’s Headlines
Baseball’s No. 1 Prospect Is Here
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced early Thursday morning that they will be calling up baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin, ahead of their home opener today against the Baltimore Orioles. Many Pirates fans were hoping that the 19-year-old shortstop was going to make the team out of spring training, but they did not have to wait long after Griffin was sent to AAA to start the year. He’s gone on to hit .438 through the first week of the Minor league season, with three stolen bases, and should be an immediate injection of production into the Pirates lineup, albeit with some of the growing pains expected with any player at that age.
The club obviously has full confidence in their future shortstop, as it has been reported by Buster Olney of ESPN that the Pirates and Griffin are working on finalizing a 9-year contract extension worth $140 million.
Tough Luck Loss
Cole Ragans (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K, 4 H, 1 BB) pitched extremely well for the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, giving up zero earned runs and striking out eight — and yet he still came away with the loss. Due to an unearned run given up in the second inning on a rare throwing error by five-time Gold Glove winner Salvador Perez, Ragans was handed the loss in the Royals’ 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins without giving up a single earned run.
Mets Offensive Woes Continue
The New York Mets have scored a total of three runs in their last 27 innings, despite having added Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. Jr. to the middle of their lineup to hit behind superstars Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. Last night’s 7-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants put the club one game below .500 at 3-4 — certainly not a record to panic over, but the lineup especially looks disjointed and out of sync at the moment.
Atlanta Bats Burst Out
Atlanta improved to 5-2 with their 17-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Matt Olson and Dominic Smith each hit 430-ft. blasts in the win, with Olson’s being his first of the 2026 campaign.
By The Numbers
⚾ 0. That’s the number of position players that have gotten big league playing time as a teenager since Juan Soto accomplished the feat at 19-years-old in 2018. That will change today with the arrival of Konnor Griffin.
⚾ 25. That’s the exact number of years ago that future first-ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals.
It is also the exact number of years since fellow-legend Ichiro Suzuki made his MLB Debut.
⚾ 100. That is the number that, in MPH, was the fastest pitch thrown by Minnesota Twin starter Taj Bradley (6 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 5 H, 1 BB) yesterday. The 25-year-old Bradley was acquired by Minnesota this past off-season from Tampa Bay, and though he has had an inconsistent career thus far, he certainly has looked good in his first two starts with his new club.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Ranger’s Unveil New…. Nacho Rally Sombrero??!
The Texas Rangers have announced that they will be offering fans attending future games the opportunity to… wear an edible nacho “Rally Sombrero”, and I am just as confused as you are on this one.
Yankee Stadium Treats
On the other hand, the New York Yankees announced a host of new food offerings for the 2026 season that actually all look delicious, including the new #99 Aaron Judge burger.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Nick Lodolo, who is currently on the IL for the Cincinnati Reds but was expected to return as soon as next week, was pulled early from a rehab start for Single-A Daytona due to a flareup of the blister issue that sent him to the IL in the first place. This setback has got to be extremely frustrating for the southpaw, and will likely push his return timeline back at least one more week.
⚾ Former Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer will be playing professional baseball in the U.S. again for the first time in several years. It will not be in the MLB, though, where he last served a 194-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He instead will be playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League and will serve as their opening night starter on April 15.
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