Springtime Turns Eternal For Yankees
PLUS: GREG MADDUX SHARES MEMORIES ON SABR DAY
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY !! Famous person born on this day was radio/TV comedian Jack Benny, born Benjamin Kubelsky on Feb. 14, 1894 in the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, IL. Mel Brooks honored him by inserting a Kubelsky Street in his movie To Be Or Not To Be.
Pregame Pepper
After braving free agency for months, a very disappointed Zac Gallen reluctantly accepted a one-year, $22 million deal — matching the current qualifying offer — to stay in Arizona . . .
Though seeking their third straight world championship, the Dodgers are getting longer in the tooth — re-signing veteran third baseman Max Muncy and jack-of-all-trades Kike Hernandez this week . . .
Perhaps the biggest find in baseball hobby history is the discovery of a T206 Honus Wagner card from 1909 still resting in an unopened Sweet Corporal cigarettes pack . . .
Graded PSA 1, the card was held by the same family for 116 years but will now be up for auction by Goldin’s . . .
Former player and manager Alvin Dark, who should be considered for Cooperstown, was the first winner of the Lou Gehrig Award in 1955 . . .
Dark was one of a handful of managers whose teams won pennants in both leagues . . .
Even though Barry Bonds was his teammate, new Hall of Famer Jeff Kent led the Giants in RBIs from 1997-2000 while hitting .297 with 175 home runs during his six years in San Francisco . . .
Kent, whose plaque should be graced with a Giants cap, says he only regret was never celebrating in the locker room after winning the seventh game of the World Series . . .
Speaking of the Giants, does the insertion of iron-handed Luis Arraez at second base help or hurt an infield that already has Matt Chapman at third, Willy Adames at short, and malcontent Rafael Devers at first?
Leading Off
For the 2026 Yankees, Spring Brings A Host of Hopes
By Paul Semendinger
Spring Training. This is the time when fans and teams can hope that all works out in the most positive ways.
When Spring Training comes, it seems, anything, for any team, is possible.
As one looks at the 2026 New York Yankees, the team looks like it could be a contender.
A careful examination of the team also reveals that the club could be in for a long season.
For the Yankees to achieve their goal of winning the World Series in 2026, it seems that much will depend on hope. For the Yankees to win in 2026, they have to hope that a lot of things go right.
A quick analysis of the club, position-by-position, reveals that the 2026 Yankees are built on mountains of hope rather than likely outcomes.
First Base - The Yankees have to hope that Ben Rice can continue to emerge as a threat in the batting order. Last year blasted 26 homers. The Yankees have to hope his progression continues. They also have to hope that he does better than batting .208 against left-handed pitching and that he becomes a solid defender at first base.
Also in the fold, just now, is Paul Goldschmidt. The Yankees have to hope that his .245 batting average with only two home runs in the entire second half of last season isn’t a portent of things to come.
Second Base - In 2025, Jazz Chisholm had a career year earning 4.2 WAR. He had never before had even a 3.0 WAR season. The Yankees have to hope that Chisholm does not revert back to his previous levels.
Shortstop - In three seasons Anthony Volpe has never had an OPS+ of even 90. He has been a well-below MLB hitter. On top of this, his fielding in 2025 was a disaster. He led the league with 19 errors. Volpe is also coming off an injury. The Yankees have to hope on top of hope with even more hope regarding Volpe in 2026. Volpe needs to recover from his injury, field better, and be at least a serviceable hitter. That’s hoping for a lot.
Third Base - Ryan McMahon, a solid defender, will be entering his tenth big league season. When one sees his career as a hitter, it is another story. He has never had a season (by OPS+) where he has been even a league average hitter. McMahon’s best season were 2021 and 2022 when he posted a 98 OPS+ in both seasons. The Yankees have to hope that he hits better in 2026. (In this, the large sample size seems to indicate that this isn’t even something a rational team should hope for. It seems very unlikely.)
Left Field - Cody Bellinger began his career with three very impressive seasons. He then had three poor seasons. Following that, he has now enjoyed three solid seasons. Last year, Bellinger enjoyed a 5.1 WAR season, amazingly that was the second best of his career. The Yankees will hope that Bellinger doesn’t begin a second three-year slide beginning in 2026.
Centerfield - Trent Grisham had his career best season in 2025. For three seasons, from 2022 through 2024, he batted .191. Last year, he hit .235 with 34 homers - double his highest single season total ever. The Yankees have to hope that Grisham’s 2025 wasn’t a fluke.
Right Field - Since 2022, Aaron Judge has played baseball as well as any player ever. His numbers jump off the page. The 2026 Yankees will need Aaron Judge to not just be very good or great. The Yankees will need Judge to be super great yet again. They have to hope that they aren’t asking too much. (They might be. Very few players have had a period of sustains greatness as Judge has done the last few years.)
Catcher - Austin Wells came to the big leagues with the reputation that he would be a big-time hitter. He hasn’t been. He regressed last year batting only .219. The Yankees have to hope Wells finally figures it out in 2026.
Designated Hitter - Giancarlo Stanton is frequently injured. Over the last seven seasons, he has averaged only .9 WAR a year. (You read that correctly; he’s been below a 1-win player for a long time now. The Yankees have to hope that he stays healthy and is productive when he plays.
Starting Pitching - The Yankees’ starting staff is built on hope. They have to hope Max Fried stays injury free. They have to hope that Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt can return from injuries and be effective. The Yankees have to hope Cam Schlitter progresses and that Luis Gil rebounds from a poor 2025. The Yankees traded for Ryan Weathers who has never reached 100 innings pitched in any season. They have to hope that he finally does (and pitches well while doing that). Of note, for his career, Ryan Weathers has a 12-23, 4.93 record.
Bullpen - The 2026 Yankees bullpen is being bult on the shoulders of David Bednar and a collection of castoffs, could-be’s, and a host of hope.
Manager - Aaron Boone’s tenure as Yankees manager has been uninspired. The Yankees play a sloppy brand of baseball. Boone is often outmanaged by the better teams. The Yankees need that to change in 2026.
Outlook - In the end, for the Yankees to win in 2026, it seems like they’ll be hoping for much too much...
Paul Semendinger’s newest book, West Point at Gettysburg Vol. 1, was released in late December. The book is receiving tremendous positive reviews. Paul runs the Yankees site Start Spreading the News.
Cleaning Up
Modest Maddux Made the Most Of His Ability
By Dan Schlossberg
Of the 10 living members of The 300 Club, who’s the Leader of the Pack?
No, it’s not Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, or Roger Clemens.
Few fans realize it’s quiet, humble, almost-introverted Greg Maddux, who won four straight Cy Young Awards en route to a final total of 355 wins. Had he won eight more, he would have tied Warren Spahn for the most wins by any pitcher since the Second World War.
Maddux, whose Cooperstown cap is blank because his Braves tenure was sandwiched by stretches with the Cubs on the North Side of Chicago, sat for an hour-long Zoom session moderated by John McMurray last week and provided significant new information to his glittering resume.
“Clemens was the best pitcher of my era,” said Maddux in a surprise reference to the power pitcher who won a record Cy Youngs but whose style was so different.
“I stole a lot of his form. He was a very good planner. He was planning his games when inter-league play began.”
Maddux, who relied on pinpoint control rather than overpowering pitches, said he never wasted a pitch. “If I had a guy 0-and-2, I already had him set up,” the soft-spoken right-hander said.
As a result, he pitched 14 games now referred to as “a Maddux,” equal to a complete game with less than 100 pitches.
“My first pitching coach taught me movement and location were more important than velocity,” Maddux said, “and I bought into it.”
Though he never won more than 20 games in a season, he ran off a string of 15-win campaigns like clockwork. He had 18 of them, including a record 17 in a row.
“In 1992, I learned a cutter and that was huge for me,” he said. “I was able to take left-center-field at Wrigley away from left-handed hitters. It made my fastball look better.”
Maddux, a high No. 2 amateur draft pick by the Cubs, jumped to the Braves via free agency even though the Yankees offered him $32 million, $4 million more than Atlanta’s bid.
“I had spent six years in Chicago and knew the National League,” said Maddux, noting that inter-league play did not begin until 1997. “I felt I had more of an advantage there. Plus the Braves were a good team and the Yankees were not yet the Yankees of 1996 or 1998.”
Maddux, whose brother Mike was also a big-league pitcher before coaching called, wanted to play for the University of Arizona, close to his Las Vegas home, before he was drafted. “I thought I should take a chance on baseball,” said Maddux, who is also quite accomplished in golf.
In his first game, the future Hall of Famer was used as a pinch-runner. Then he made his pitching debut as a reliever in a game started by Ryan, the hardest thrower, and Jamie Moyer, the softest.
He got help along the way from Rick Kranitz, who changed his the grip on his changeup; Jim Wright, who told him to throw his fastball down and away; Dick Pole, who preached mechanics; Billy Connors, who said Maddux needed to elevate his goals; and Leo Mazzone, who taught him how to pitch hitters correctly.
Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz eventually became the first trio from the same rotation for at least a decade to reach the Hall of Fame.
“Smoltz had a great slider, like Clayton Kershaw,” Maddux remembered. “He could throw any pitch that was invented. Glavine had a very good changeup and fastball that moved right at the end. He was very good about keeping his team ahead in the game.”
None of the three ever pitched a no-hitter but Maddux came close a few times, he said. Once, with the Braves safely in front, he violated his own rule and threw Jeff Bagwell a fastball with the bases empty in the eighth inning — just to see if the Hall of Fame first baseman could hit it.
Bagwell did, delivering the only hit and run of the game for the Astros.
Maddux himself hit five home runs. “It was like hitting the Lotto five times,” he said. “I only hit one in high school.”
An eight-time All-Star, Maddux helped himself by winning 18 Gold Gloves, a record for a pitcher. Not surprisingly, he has a long list of personal highlights.
“My best year was 1995, the year we won the World Series,” he said. “When you go to a card show, they break out 1995 World Series balls for you to sign. Nobody asks me to sign balls from Cy Young seasons.”
He said luck played a part in the two-hit shutout he hurled against Cleveland to open the 1995 Series. “You’ve always got to have a bit of luck in your back pocket,” said Maddux, who also has found memories of the 1-0 finale pitched by Glavine.
“That was a nut-cracker,” he said in language more polite than the typical clubhouse vernacular. “I remember Carlos Baerga’s fly ball to Marquis Grissom in left-center and the party was on.”
Maddux plans to attend the July 26 Hall of Fame induction of long-time Atlanta center-fielder Andruw Jones. “He was the best center-fielder ever,” the former pitcher insisted. “I can’t believe it took them (the voters) that long. He was like the outfield’s version of Ozzie Smith. He covered up a lot of mistakes out there along the way.”
As for his hat logo, Maddux could not decide between the Cubs and Braves. “Without Chicago, I wouldn’t have made the Hall of Fame,” he said. “Without Atlanta, I wouldn’t have made it either.”
A one-time Reds fan whose card collection included Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, Maddux said former Cincinnati pitcher Mario Soto was one of his role models.
He’s left with multiple magnificent memories from his 23-year career. “The World Series sticks out. My first start. My first start against Mike. Pitching in the World Series against the Yankees. Pitching against Cleveland.
“I tried to do it right and tried to get better each year, each game, and each start. It’s a great game, a great life, and a great job.”
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers the game for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, and many other outlets. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: Spring Flings
Kyle Wright, who once led the National League with 21 wins, is a non-roster spring invitee with the Chicago Cubs . . .
Now that the Yankees have re-signed Paul Goldschmidt, promising Ben Rice may see his playing time reduced . . .
New York will open the season without starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt . . .
Some team that needs a DH should take a flyer on Nick Castellanos, just released by the Phillies . . .
Now that designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has signed with Pittsburgh, Atlanta might pivot toward ex-Pirate Andrew McCutchen, a one-time National League MVP . . .
McCutchen might also be a fit for the Mets, who need a right fielder . . .
Slick-fielding but injury-prone Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy figures to be trade bait now that the team has signed another former Gold Glove backstop in Jonah Heim.
ACTA Seeks New Publisher for Baseball Books
Did you (or someone you know) ever dream of being a sports-book publisher?
Here’s a real way to finally do it.
Greg Pierce, publisher of ACTA Publications, is retiring after 40 years in the business and offering for sale the ACTA Sports publishing imprint that includes such titles as Here’s the Pitch; The Bill James Handbook: Walkoff Edition; The Fielding Bible; How Bill James Changed Our View of Baseball; Diamond Presence: 12 Stories of Finding God at the Old Ball Park, and many other classic sports titles.
Greg is offering a turn-key operation that includes acquisition, editing, production, printing, marketing, fulfillment, and storage services as needed, as well as the sale of the existing backlist of ACTA Sports titles—all at very reasonable cost. You can work full-time or part-time, with low overhead and no permanent staff … and publish as many books as you want, including your own.
Too good to be true? Contact Greg Pierce at 800-397-2282 to find out. This is a unique opportunity to become a publisher without having to start from scratch.
THE FIRST 2026 BASEBALL BOOK — CLICK HERE TO ORDER:
https://actapublications.com/here-s-the-pitch-2026
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.