Together Again For Opening Day
Nobody does Opening Day like the Mariners. It was so good to be back together again.
EVERY THROW: Michael Penix INSANE FULL NFL Pro Day Debut🔥 “Most SLEPT ON QB in 2024 NFL DRAFT”
The Passion of Mariners Fans Is Unmatched
We love your passion. It makes a difference. We can't wait to hear Mariners fans get loud this season.
No Fly Zone, huh?
A Rookie of the Year trophy, two All-Star selections and a 30-30 season is a pretty impressive resume to compile by one’s 23rd birthday. There are few young stars across all sports so beloved by their cities, and Mariners fans are certain to cry foul that their franchise player isn’t above
his division rival. And all of that is for good reason: if he continues on his current career trajectory, Julio Rodríguez is a name destined to go down in baseball lore.
Julio Rodríguez Is Dialed In For Year Three and he's Fired up about it.
Get Hype: 2024 Opening Day Around the Corner
Here’s a little something to get the blood flowing... the Seattle Mariners are ready to go for the 2024 season.
It’s called aura. #TridentsUp
We are rockin’ with @SEAbuoy after that win
here’s a little something to get the blood flowing
Michael Jordan talks about playing in the current NBA:" I could have scored 100 points"
Michael Jordan is one of the best scorers to ever play in the NBA. MJ's career scoring average of 30.12 points per game is slightly better than the legendary Wilt Chamberlain's 30.07 PPG. So if Wilt once scored 100 points in a single game, why not His Airness?
Well, Jordan himself claimed that he could do so under today's rules. During a promotional event for the NBA 2K11 video game in 2010, MJ talked about how the game has changed since his days and then made the bold claim.
"It's less physical, and the rules have changed, obviously," declared Jordan. "Based on these rules, if I had to play with my style of play, I'm pretty sure I would have fouled out, or I would have been at the free throw line pretty often, and I could have scored 100 points."
Chamberlain's feat remains the only centennial scoring game in the history of the NBA. Wilt accomplished the feat during the 1961-62 season, where he averaged 50.4 points per game. That currently stands as the highest single-season scoring average in the history of the league.
Meanwhile, MJ's best scoring year was in 1987, when he averaged 37.1 points per game.
Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 out of his 15 NBA seasons, averaging at least 30 PPG in eight of those campaigns. Because he played in the most physical era of basketball, many argue that he could've scored more in today's game, where defenders are no longer allowed to use the
hand-check to defend the offensive player.
According to Jordan's former Bulls teammate Dennis Rodman, MJ would average 50 points per game if he played in today's era. If Rodman is correct, then Jordan would've matched Wilt's best-scoring season. And if that's the case, then maybe perhaps scoring 100 points isn't impossible.
Michael Jordan had 173 career 40-point games, a number topped only by Wilt's 271. MJ also had 31 50-bombs during his 15-year NBA career, the most by any player in history except Chamberlain. Meanwhile, His Airness topped the 60-point mark four times, including a career-high 69
points which he achieved against the Boston Celtics on March 28, 1990.
In that game, MJ took 37 field goal attempts and made 23. He also shot 21-23 from three free throw lines in 50 total minutes of action. When Wilt scored 100 points in 1962, he took a total of 63 shots and made 36. Chamberlain also made 28 out of 32 free throws while playing the full
48 minutes.
You can make a good argument that Mike would've been a better scorer in this era. Perhaps he would average over 40 points per game when playing under today's rules. But scoring 100? That's another story.
‘It was nothing really’: Seahawks rookie Devon Witherspoon clears the air after brief contract holdout
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon was the only first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft who didn’t report to training camp on time because he had yet to sign his rookie contract. The matter was quickly taken care of when Devon Witherspoon agreed to a contract a few days into Seahawks training
camp. On Thursday, the 22-year-old suggested that there was never much chance of an extended holdout.
Even before officially agreeing to a deal, Witherspoon knew how much his contract would be worth because of the NFL’s rookie salary scale. It was reported at the start of training camp that the cornerback and the Seahawks couldn’t agree on when the No. 5 overall pick would be paid his signing bonus. Ultimately, it
was something that Witherspoon knew would be cleared up.
“It was nothing really,” Witherspoon said of his ever-so-short training camp holdout, via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.
Witherspoon’s contract is worth $31.86 million over four years, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal is fully guaranteed and reportedly includes a $20.2 million signing bonus.
The early reports from training camp indicate that Witherspoon has already been an impressive member of the Sehawks defense. In one practice, Witherspoon tracked down backup quarterback Drew Lock for what would’ve been a major loss of yardage. He stopped Tyler Lockett from making a touchdown reception
and added a few big tackles.
Seattle was able to grab Witherspoon in the top five because of last year’s Russell Wilson trade. Witherspoon was the first cornerback drafted in 2023. Another defensive back didn’t come off the board until the Washington Commanders drafted Emmanuel Forbes 16th overall.
Hamlin couldn't hold back his tears as he introduced the Bills' training staff to the audience. Many in the crowd were also brought to tears by the raw and emotional moment, while others made sure to give a round of applause to Hamlin and the Buffalo franchise.
As everyone who has followed Damar Hamlin's story would know, the Bills' training staff played a key role in helping save the life of the 25-year-old.
When Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals back in January, the Bills' training staff quickly conducted CPR and resuscitated him on the field. Had the staff not done so, it could have been fatal for the youngster.
Hamlin spent weeks in the hospital before being released. He has since recovered from the scary accident and has even returned to practice to resume his football career. Hamlin has been fully cleared to do all football activities, even being a full participant in the team's OTA's early in June. However, it wouldn't have
been possible without the members of the Bills staff who were alert and quickly responded to the accident.
It's only fitting that Hamlin was the one who presented the Pat Tillman Award for Service on the ESPYs to the Bills, and more than just making it more beautiful and memorable, it's also just an impactful moment overall.
Jaxon Smith Njigba looking unstoppable getting ready for training camp.
SMTV 2384 All Star Fireworks
He threw a well-placed fastball Julio fouled off. Another do-or-die pitch. Would Kimbrel go for the fastball again or back to the curveball that got him his lone swinging strike in this at-bat?
Kimbrel opted for the same fastball he’d literally just walked Kyle Tucker on. It makes sense: Tucker, a lefty, will chase low-and-in, and Julio, a righty, will chase low-and-away. Here was Tucker’s at-bat:
And here’s Julio’s:
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“Given the situation that I had to pass the baton,” Julio said postgame. “My thought was just get a good pitch to drive and let’s try to win this game.
But I had to pass the baton.”
Seattle Mariners Manager Scott Servais MLB Press Conference
4 New Celebrities Join The Experiment | Stars On Mars
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| National League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| American League | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
All-Star Game: Edgar Martínez, Ken Griffey Jr. Jay "Bone" Buhner, Dan "The Man" Wilson Throw Ceremonial First Pitch
2023 MLB All-Star Game: Edgar Martínez, Ken Griffey Jr. Throw Ceremonial First Pitch
┏┓ ┃┃
╱╲ in this ┃
╱╱╲╲ house
╱╱╭╮╲╲ we
▔▏┗┛▕▔ love
╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲Julioooooo
╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲
▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔
J-Rod dazzles in 1st round before Derby ouster
Julio Rodríguez put on a show in the first round of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby with a single-round record of 41 before falling in the second round to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Live watching the MLB All-Star Drone Show at the Space Needle in Seattle, WA. Show at 1:17:00 Mark.
MLB All-Star Week: Visitors express optimism about Seattle and a willingness to return
Psyched in Seattle: Corbin Carroll returns to hometown as an MLB All-Star
Opinion by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
SEATTLE − Corbin Carroll bought a plane ticket and planned to spend this week at home in Seattle, staying with his parents and little sister, hanging out with childhood friends.
Well, those plans changed.
Oh, Carroll is still coming home. He traveled back on the same flight with his high-school baseball coach, who spent the past week with him in Phoenix.
But he’s not staying at his parents’ home, after all, and may have little time to visit everyone he wants.
He checked into a downtown Seattle hotel Sunday night near T-Mobile Park.
The Arizona Diamondbacks rookie outfielder is there along with all of the other Major League Baseball All-Stars, and is the only All-Star who’ll be playing in his actual hometown.
"Can you please let everyone know he won’t be staying at the house," says his mom, Pey-Lin Carroll. "I don’t want people having any idea about coming over to the house expecting to see him."
Consider the public-service announcement done.
Those who know Corbin Carroll − and, really, who doesn’t among the 733,000 Seattle residents − plan to be at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, cheering until their lungs burn and taking pictures until their fingers ache, celebrating their homegrown prodigy in this 93rd All-Star Game.
"I can’t begin to tell you how many people we know are planning to come to the game and celebrate with us," Pey-Lin Carroll said, "but, oh, you’re going to hear them. There are going to be watch parties for Corbin all over town, too. Everyone feels part of this. So many people reached out telling us they voted for
him, everyone thinks their vote pushed him over the top.
"People who have never watched baseball before now can now tell us everyone on the roster. We’re helping cultivate new fans in baseball. It’s a little surreal."
Carroll, 22, who is the runaway favorite for the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year award − hitting .289 with 18 homers, 48 RBI, 26 stolen bases, .915 OPS − can hardly believe this is all happening so fast.
He was drafted with the 16th pick in the country in 2019. He couldn’t play in 2020 with COVID-19 shutting down the minor leagues. His 2021 season lasted one week when he underwent shoulder surgery. He made his major-league on Aug. 29, 2022. And in March he signed an eight-year, $111 million contract.
And here he is, not just making the All-Star team as a rookie, but voted to the National League’s starting lineup.
"It’s going to be such a cool moment," Carroll told USA TODAY Sports, "especially for it to happen to me in Seattle, in the town I grew up playing in. I’m probably a bit oblivious to the context of what it all is, the rarity of starting an All-Star Game in your hometown. This has always been a dream, but it always
seemed so far-fetched.
"I’ll be able to share it with so many more people now, high-school friends, teachers, my family, this amazing community and support system that helped me put me in this position. It just means a lot."
Carroll grew up going to Seattle Mariners games with his parents and sister, Campbell. His dad, Brant, an ophthalmologist, shared season-tickets with others in his practice for 20 years, and they would attend about 10 games a season. They would take a leisurely 30-minute walk from their Queen Anne neighborhood
to the ballpark, or sometimes ride scooters, and watch Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki, Felix Hernandez. He was born too late to see the magic of Griffey leading the Mariners to their prominence, and the 116-win season in 2001, but sat in the stands idolizing Suzuki and marveling over Hernandez’s
dominance.
The only time Carroll got to see a Mariners’ playoff game was last year when he sat behind home plate, watching them lose 1-0, to the Houston Astros in the first round. He can’t remember any other memorable regular-season games he attended, but still teases his sister to this day about the time she went to the
Mariners’ game on a fifth-grade field trip and saw Hernandez pitch a perfect game.
D-BACKS ROOKIE: Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll makes wise decision: Baseball over soccer
"Only she didn’t even know what happened," Carroll said. "I had to tell her when she got home. So, yeah, that’s a good one."
The first Mariners memorabilia he ever owned was an Ichiro child-sized jersey. He brought it along with him when he met Ichiro with Mariners’ officials before the 2019 draft, got a picture taken holding the jersey with Ichiro, which is still a screensaver on Carroll’s phone.
He’ll offer apologies ahead of time, but if he gets the chance to meet Griffey or Hernandez during the All-Star festivities, he may act like a kid all over again.
"I can’t wait to meet the players I grew up watching," says Carroll, who bought tickets for 20 friends and family members. "I think every kid tries to emulate the guys they look up to, their idols. There are so many great young players in the game right now, who are so exciting to watch, I look forward to meeting
those guys, too, and seeing how they operate."
Well, Carroll shouldn’t be taken aback, then, if others in the clubhouse grab a pen and baseball to get an autograph, too, while soaking up his knowledge, and secrets of his meteoric rise to stardom.
"It’s crazy, I was just sitting next to him here at the Futures Game a year ago," said D-backs shortstop prospect Jordan Lawler, the team's first-round pick in 2021. "And here is, coming home as 'The Man.' I couldn’t be happier for him."
It was eight years ago when Kellen Sundin, 39, Carroll’s baseball coach at Lakeside School, first laid eyes on Carroll. He was just a skinny, frail kid with a big swing, but, oh, could he ever run. Sundin played him in right field the first two years before moving him to center field. He became team captain his junior
year, and then drew the attention of every amateur scout in the country when he earned a spot on the national 18-and-under team with the likes of Anthony Volpe and Bobby Witt Jr.
"I remember his first game of his senior year, and all of the scouts had come to town to watch (future Orioles’ No. 1 pick) Adley Rutschman, with the (Oregon State) Beavers playing the (Washington) Huskies," says Sundin. "Well, after watching Rutschman, they stayed over a day to watch us. There must have been
75 scouts in the stands.
"I asked our guys before the game, 'How many of you are the most nervous you ever been?' They all raised their hands.
"Including Corbin."
Well, the scouts kept coming out to watch Carroll, and as he kept performing, it became awfully clear he wouldn’t be needing that college scholarship to UCLA. The D-backs pounced on Carroll four picks before the Mariners had a chance to draft him.
Carroll became only the second player in the history of his prestigious high school, which includes Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen as alumni, to reach the big leagues. He joins John Leaovich, who had just two at-bats in the big leagues for the 1941 Philadelphia Athletics, but included a double off Hall
of Famer Bob Feller.
Now, here is Sundin, sitting in Section 130, Row 33, Seat 1 at Chase Field on this past Thursday night, watching the D-backs play the New York Mets, and lowering his head in anguish. Carroll took a huge swing, dropped his bat, and walked off the field clutching his right arm, trying to stabilize his shoulder. He did
the same thing on a swing six days earlier, but this looked horrifying.
Here he is, just five days before the All-Star Game, and now this?
"I pretty much thought that the season was over," Carroll said. "I was pretty crushed walking off the field."
Carroll immediately underwent tests to show the strength and stability was fine, had a sleepless night before heading to the doctor’s office Friday morning for an MRI. The the next thing he knew, doctors cleared him, he’s in the batting cage swinging, and back in the starting lineup as if nothing happened.
He produces two hits Friday in their 7-3 victory over the Pirates, gets a walk-off hit in their 3-2, 10-inning victory Saturday, and spent Sunday on the plane home ahead of Monday’s All-Star festivities. He’ll be riding along with his family for the red-carpet ceremony in downtown Seattle Tuesday morning, with the
game that evening (8 p.m., ET, FOX-TV).
"Besides being the best player I ever had," says Sundin, one of Carroll’s closest friends, "he’s just such an awesome guy. It’s just everything he does, on a baseball field, in life, everything."
Carroll arranged to have his family and sister come down on his off-day last Monday in Anaheim celebrating Campbell’s birthday. He plans to be in Seattle as much as possible this winter to see her soccer games before she graduates and attends college at Cal-Berkeley. His best friend from high school, William
DeForest, an intern in the D-backs analytics department, stays in his house along with teammate Dominic Fletcher. And don’t try reaching for your wallet when it comes to pay for a meal, particularly one that includes his favorite: sticky rice.
"That’s why everyone who knows Corbin is trying to find a way into that building for the All-Star Game," Sundin said. "It's not just for the player he is, but the person. He was always popular and well-liked. He always did the right thing. He doesn’t forget people, teachers, strength coaches. You name it, he remembers.
"He’s just a special human who was never blinded by the success."
Carroll was 11 months old the last time the All-Star Game was in Seattle. He has never seen an All-Star Game in person. Now, here he is as the hometown centerpiece.
"It definitely is a dream come true," Pey-Lin Carroll said, "because we didn’t realize it would come so quickly. I remember when they announced it was coming, we thought, 'Oh that’s too bad, I wish it was a couple of years later.' You know, just being practical.
"We’re just kind of speechless how everything has aligned so nicely."
Even though Carroll may not have the opportunity to address everyone, he wants to thank all of Seattle, letting them know they’re all part of this wonderous, glorious journey.
"To have this opportunity, in your own hometown," Carroll says, "I’m not sure when it’s all going to hit me, but I know I’ll appreciate it.
"And, obviously, I will never, ever forget it."
He may not be a Mariner, but the entire community of Seattle may feel quite the same.
What we learned from Wemby’s big game against the Trail Blazers
Now that was what everyone paid to see when they bought their unusually expensive tickets for the Las Vegas Summer League. For better or worse (for him and his teammates), it was always about Victor Wembanyama. In his first game in the American spotlight on Friday, he struggled to find his spots but patiently
played within the system by making the right reads to find his teammates and being a force on defense. However, those aren’t the type of stats people appreciate, and he was unfairly eviscerated online by haters for already being a bust.
He had already said he wouldn’t dominate in his first game because he would need time get his feet beneath him and a feel for the NBA game (not that we or anyone else listened — thanks, Britany Spears). However, it didn’t take much longer that that, because in his second game, after a slow first quarter for the
Spurs as a whole, he came alive and took over, nearly leading his team to a 16-point fourth quarter comeback (reminder: these are 10-minute quarters, not 12).
While they would go on to lose for the first time in four tries in Summer League, the crowd wasn’t buzzing over the result, but rather getting to see the true potential of a superstar while experiencing some Wembymania in the process. This may or may not be the last we see of him it until October — Coach Matt
Nielson said he is not sure if Wemby will play another SL game, and Wemby himself said he plans to disappear from the media’s eye for the next month or so — but if this is it for now, he certainly gave everyone a night to remember and something to cling to for the next three months.
Lost in all the Wembymania of the fourth quarter was Blake Wesley, who played just as big of a role in the comeback with his hardnosed defense at the point of attack and transition offense. He finished the game with 14 points and five assists off the bench and has fan in Doris Burke (for whatever that’s worth). He
also finished the game with zero turnovers, which will always be a plus for him as he looks to get a handle on the ball, let the game slow down for him, and improve on his 3:2 assist-to-turnover ratio from last season.
After both coming up huge in all of their SL appearances so far, Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham finally had off nights, combining for 10 points on 2-23 shooting (with Branham shooting an especially horrendous 1-17). If one of those two show up, the Spurs easily win this game. However, they both had big
moments in the comeback attempt, with Branham’s one make being a huge three to get the Spurs within four with under five minutes left, and Champagnie was robbed of the defensive play of the game when he was wrongfully called for defensive goaltending on Shaeden Sharpe with just under a minute to go (and
Nielson not challenging the call). As a result, instead of the Spurs being down two with the ball, they were down four, which robbed them of the momentum and had them desperately trying to catch up instead of playing for the tie or lead.
Sidy Cissoko finally got his first buckets in a Spurs uniform, going 3-3 from the field with two threes and a transition dunk. If I were the Spurs, I’d put him in a gym with Bruce Bowen and have him develop a reliable corner three (which is where his two makes came from last night). He already looks like a potential
All-NBA defensive player, so once he finds a steady shot, he’ll be NBA ready.
Dominick Barlow is still sitting in no man’s land as a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer from the Spurs. With the way he’s been playing — he had another impressive night with 17 points on 8-12 shooting with 6 rebounds while showing off his midrange game — it would be impossible to imagine the Spurs not
bringing him back if it weren’t for all the extra contracts they are carrying. He seems to be above a two-way contract at this point, but with 17 players currently under contract, three would have to go to make room for him on the main roster. So, who goes? Khem Birch seems like an easy one to waive since he
hasn’t played for the Spurs yet, but then what? Do the Spurs try to redirect or simply waive any of their three pickups from the trade market in Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and/or Reggie Bullock, or maybe one of their veterans like Devonte’ Graham? There’s simply no telling what is going on in PATFO’s mind, but at
this point I just know one thing: Barlow is coming into his own as a basketball player, and I want to see more.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama received advice from none other than a fellow No. 1 draft pick in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Wembanyama made his long-awaited debut Friday at the NBA Summer League when the Spurs took on the Charlotte Hornets. Wembanyama and San Antonio got off to a winning start as they eventually won the game 76-68.
However, it wasn’t the most ideal debut for the talented Frenchman despite having some impressive moments.
While he posted eight rebounds, five blocks and three assists, he only managed nine points going 2-13 from the field and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, even airballing a three during the game.
Abdul-Jabbar — a six-time NBA champion — was in a similar position when he started his first exhibition game for the Milwaukee Bucks as he didn’t have time to work his way into the role.
And so, he provided sage advice to the Spurs man, stating that it will take a while before things start to click.
“You have things to learn but as you see he’s an intelligent young man, he’ll get it done,” Abdul-Jabbar told Wembanyama while appearing together on a panel at the inaugural NBA Con hosted by Isiah Thomas. (via ESPN).
It’s no secret that Wembanyama wants to bring championships back to San Antonio and to that, Abdul-Jabbar provided further wisdom.
“The difficulty is in learning how you can best contribute to a winning effort,” Abdul-Jabbar added. “That’s what you got to learn how to do with your skill set. And you will find out what that is basically in preseason, you’ll find out a lot about that.”
In the end, it’s still just one game for Wembanyama and if he heeds the advice from Abdul-Jabbar and continues working on his game, it’ll only be a matter of time before we see him reach his potential.
Steph Curry discusses how Chris Paul will fit in with Warriors | NBA Summer League
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs keep proving they’re ALL-IN on Wembanyama 🤩🏀 | The Hoop Collective
SPURS vs TRAIL BLAZERS | NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Victor Wembanyama Talks 27-pt game in 2nd SL Game, Postgame Interview 🎤
#1 Overall Pick Victor Wembanyama Records MONSTER 27-PT DOUBLE-DOUBLE! | 27 PTS, 12 REBS & 3 BLK
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Victor Wembanyama first Bucket
Victor Wembanyama's Summer League Debut vs. Hornets
Victor Wembanyama Talks Summer League Debut, Postgame Interview 🎤
#1 Overall Pick Victor Wembanyama Makes His Summer League Debut!
Victor Wembanyama BLOCKED Brandon Miller at the 3-point line 🤯 | NBA Summer League
HIGHLIGHTS from Victor Wembanyama's Summer League debut | NBA on ESPN
Victor Wembanyama on his Debut : "Honestly, I didn't really know what I was doing"
Victor Wembanyama gets dunked on by Kai Jones
Victor Wembanyama SPURS DEBUT 🔥 9 PTS 8 REB 5 BLK Full Highlights vs Hornets
NBA Summer League - Las Vegas
Top performers from the 2023 HS All-American Game
SEATTLE -- Offense was hard to come by in the annual MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game at T-Mobile Park on Friday, and PJ Morlando provided most of it.
Considered one of the most dangerous hitters in the 2024 prep class, Morlando singled and walked in two plate appearances, scoring both of the National team's runs in a 2-1 victory over the American squad. The Summerville (S.C.) HS outfielder squared up a 94 mph fastball from travel ball teammate Tegan Kuhns
History and thrills delight during season's first 100 days
It's definitely time for a deep dive into some notable statistics, storylines and Statcast superlatives as we hit Day 100 of the season.
First 100 days of 2023 MLB season
Visit with Griffey Jr. a highlight at Swingman Classic
The 2023 Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected Fellows were treated to a meet and greet with the former Mariners great at the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile & powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation.
MORE https://www.mlb.com/news/ken-griffey-jr-meets-chevy-fellows-at-swingman-classic-event
K. Griffey
2024 Draft hopefuls impress at HS All-American Game
by Joe Doyle
Friday saw 37 of the top high school prospects for the 2024 MLB Draft enter T-Mobile park and compete in the annual High School All-American Game. The 7-inning showcase featured 33 prospects featured on the FSS Plus Top 100 High School Prospects for the 2024 MLB Draft, including every single prospect ranked
inside the top ten.
PJ Morlando, a first baseman and left-handed pitcher from Summerville, South Carolina. Morlando laced a 103 mph rocket single through the left side on a 94 mph fastball from Tegan Kuhns in
the second inning, adding two walks later in the game. Nobody impressed quite like Morlando did in batting practice either, launching two pull-side homers into the right-field seats without deploying any leg kick. For his efforts and showing, he was awarded the MLB Develops MVP Award for the event. A loud showing,
indeed.
Pitchers feasted during the event striking out 20 hitters and limiting the game to just three total runs scored. In fact, just one ball was hit 270 feet or more on the day. The event is jammed into an already loaded summer schedule for these players, the constant flights and timezone jumps surely taking their toll.
Especially if only to be in town for a day or two.
A few players stood out in taking in the event. Poughkeepsie, New York shortstop Owen Paino looked like a professional in batting practice and in-game. He did the little things like practicing a couple bunts and working the ball the other way in his first round. His final few rounds included considerable bat speed, a
natural feel for loft and a bat path that kept the barrel through the zone with long extension in front. His ground ball work was smooth with soft hands and a gliding nature on the dirt. Paino, FSS Plus’s no. 7-ranked high schooler in the 2024 class, showed well in games too. He worked a walk off arguably the
toughest pitcher of the day in Carson Wiggins, and put the ball in play against Zach Swanson in the first inning, albeit leading to an out.
Wiggins himself may have been the star of the show. A streaky performer thus far this summer, Wiggins has dealt with control and command woes over his last couple tournaments and was looking for a bounce back on Friday. He accomplished that and more, sitting comfortably in the mid-90s, touching 97 and
punching out two of the four batters he faced. It was a considerable step forward for Wiggins this early in the cycle.
Arguably the top prospect in the 2024 class, outfielder Konnor Griffin had a strong day at the plate going 1 for 3 with a hard-hit 99 mph ground ball through the left side. He also just about beat out a chopper to the first baseman.
The summer high school baseball showcase cycle is upon us and as the 2023 MLB Draft reaches its end on Tuesday, we’ll turn the page to next year and a fresh crop of supremely talented bluechip players.
In other news, holy moly it’s officially All-Star Week in Seattle. We thankfully got the great news three days ago that Julio Rodríguez and George Kirby will be joining the AL All-Star squad. No need to cancel the game after all; Julio is in. Phew!
