#mlb-2026-preview

#mlb-2026-preview

"If I see a new sweeper grip, I almost always pick the ball up and throw it that next day. I can't get it, but I'm relentless. I'll get it one of these days. I'll get it. Or I'll get something else."

The Captain's Hat giveaway by the Miami Marlins on May 3 represents the team's sea-related branding and has a design that appeals to fans beyond the stadium.

Cincinnati has nine home runs during the past 10 games, slugging .329 with 2.1 extra-base hits per contest, while batting .215 and averaging 7.3 hits per game.

In 1901, the American League declared itself a competitor to the NL, jumping up from its minor league status (where it had been called the Western League). The two leagues agreed to play a World Series in 1903, and for the next 90-odd years the leagues served as heated rivals. The NL's dominance in the All-Star Game from 1963 to 1982 -- it won 19 of the 20 contests -- was offered as proof of its superiority, certainly by its players and fans.

There is no shortage of stats and metrics these days that attempt to predict how baseball teams will fare in an upcoming season. But there is one area lacking in all of it: human will, and how certain players can push themselves to be better than even the best analytical models could have foreseen. The foundation is laid over the winter, when pitches are learned and swing mechanics are tweaked and bodies are molded.

Several teams have experimented with a six-man rotation over the years, and it's virtually a requirement for the Dodgers thanks to the presence of Shohei Ohtani and his unique needs as a two-way player. It's become increasingly common for teams aside from the one that employs Ohtani, however. MLB.com's Mike Petriello wrote prior to the 2025 campaign that starts on five days of rest have become more common than the traditional four days of rest associated with a standard five-man rotation.