Flores? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
Rafael Flores Jr. (PIT): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.
The Pittsburgh Pirates got on the board early yesterday, but it was Rafael Flores Jr. who turned this one into a 13-1 blowout of the Miami Marlins. Flores delivered a pair of three-run homers in the eighth and ninth innings to put this game out of reach for Miami. Both home runs were absolute scorchers too, clocking in at 106.3 and 101.4 mph, respectively.
The former New York Yankees prospect hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere with this power either, as Flores delivered on his 60-grade raw power with 20+ home runs over his last two seasons as he climbed up through the minor leagues. While the usual small sample size rules apply here, he has also posted a 91.6 mph average exit velocity, 19.0% barrel rate, 47.6% hard hit rate, and 73.9 mph bat speed with the Pirates this season.
His cup of coffee last season went largely overlooked due to a 41.2% strikeout rate, but this season, Flores has copied and pasted his 16.7% walk rate and 25.0% strikeout rate from Triple-A into the majors. Barring that strikeout rate imploding once again, Flores is primed to break out as a 20+ home run bat with a low average, but high OBP, playing at both catcher and first base in a dominant Pirates lineup.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:
Kyle Schwarber (PHI): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Hey, is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.
Last night was the MLB’s annual Field of Dreams game, and Kevin Costner wasn’t the only one who mistook Iowa for heaven as Kyle Schwarber went deep for his 36th and 37th homers of the year. Now back in sole possession of the home run crown, he’s on pace for back-to-back 50+ home run seasons. Schwarber would be only the eighth player in MLB history to accomplish the feat. If the ghost of Babe Ruth chose to emerge from the cornfields to endorse it, then I’m here for it, too.
Sal Stewart (CIN): 2-3, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Cincinnati corner infielder Sal Stewart recorded his 26th home run yesterday as he attempts to stave off any competition for NL Rookie of the Year. The dinger also allowed him to capture his 89th RBI, which moved him into second in the league. While it’s highly unlikely that Stewart has enough time left to chase down Ted Williams’ historic 145 RBI rookie campaign, a triple-digit season would make him only the seventh player in the 21st century to do so, and the first since Pete Alonso in 2019 (120 RBI).
Caleb Durbin (BOS): 3-5, HR, R, 5 RBI.
The Boston Red Sox had a 1-0 lead over the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the eighth. Enter Caleb Durbin. Durbin hit a grand slam to left field to blow this game wide open and would later add an RBI-single in the top of the ninth. Despite his lack of pedigree, the Red Sox have been adamant about Durbin being their third baseman of the future.
While Durbin’s grand slam was his 12th homer of the year, I’m skeptical that he can keep this up. Durbin has posted an 83.8 mph (1st percentile), 3.0% barrel rate (9th percentile), 26.9% (4th percentile), and 69.3 mph (14th percentile). Those are some ice-cold Savant sliders below even Myles Straw.
Abimelec Ortiz (WSN): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Washington Nationals have been one of the biggest surprises of 2026, and even more surprising is how much the offense has stepped up in the absence of superstar James Wood. One of those surprises has been rookie Abimelec Ortiz, who has taken over at first base with Luis García Jr. being shipped out to the Yankees at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old has been flexing the power that made him one of the top prospects in the Texas Rangers farm system over the past several years. In 11 games since his major league debut, Ortiz has gone 10-for-30 with four homers and eight RBI.
His 93.1 mph average exit velocity and 76.4 bat speed may experience a slight regression, but it should be slight, as Ortiz posted a 91.3 mph average exit velocity in Triple-A before his debut.
Eduardo Valencia (DET): 1-3, HR, R, RBI.
While Dillon Dingler has rightfully warranted our attention behind the dish in Detroit, rookie Eduardo Valencia has quietly been taking the majors by storm. Valencia has now gone 17-for-44 with five homers and 14 RBI in his first 16 major league games. The Tigers have rewarded Valencia with playing time at DH and even some reps in the cleanup spot with Riley Greene on the IL. I’ll go out on a limb and say a 31.3% barrel rate and 59.4% hard-hit rate are unsustainable, but Valencia already has 17 homers in Triple-A this season and notched 24 between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The power is real, and if the hit tool continues to perform at the same level it did in the high minors, this may be the most productive pair of catchers in the majors.
Jacob Gonzalez (PIT): 1-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Another member of this electric 2026 Pirates squad, rookie Jacob Gonzalez drilled a 108.6 mph bomb in the top of the ninth. The homer was his sixth in the majors, but 25th of the season, going back to his hot start in Triple-A earlier this year. Since being traded from the Chicago White Sox, Gonzalez has settled in as the Pirates’ starting shortstop and should hold onto that role for now with Konnor Griffin on the IL.
Weston Wilson (SEA): 1-2, HR, R, RBI, BB, SB.
Journeyman utility player Weston Wilson served up a “Combo Meal” to deliver a 1-0 victory over the Yankees. Wilson hit a 104.1 mph, 396-foot bomb in the second inning, and the Yankees were unable to break the shutout to fire back. Rookie Colt Emerson replaced Wilson in the bottom of the seventh, and playing time will likely continue to be a problem for Wilson here. The former Phillies prospect has been relegated back into a timeshare now that Brendan Donovan has come off the IL and taken over the hot corner once again.
