Jayson Stark

New column from me: The Phillies have questions. But is "running it back" one of them? I dug in deep on that fun little topic nytimes.com/athletic/71012…

⚾️ 🎙️APPRECIATION COLUMN: Howie Rose, the fans’ soundtrack of so many Mets summers, puts it in the books nytimes.com/athletic/71311…

Rays shortstop Taylor Walls is going on the Injured List with an oblique issue. So top prospect Carson Williams, who was just sent back to minor league camp, is back with the big league team in Clearwater today. But for now the Rays' shortstop plans are TBD

The 2026 Aces Project. MLB insiders rank starting pitchers: Who’s ‘just a guy’ and who’s No. 1? (Story with @ByMcCullough and @sahadevsharma): nytimes.com/athletic/71222…

If you missed this in what’s been a busy sports week, Jayson wrote a good big-picture preview on #Braves season. There’s a great quote from an unnamed opponent about what seems missing with these Braves, which I agree with and have previously said as much.

MLB wants more national TV $$ 👇👇

The WBC was awesome. But what if they played the last 3 rounds in July, in the same week as the All Star Game? As I wrote last week, that would create the greatest week of baseball ever. nytimes.com/athletic/71102…

Ken on Bryce. Good stuff on the moment and the disappointment.

There is now a Trajekt, pulse bands, plyo walls, TVs in the ‘pen, TruMedia, weighted bats and… did you leave anything out? “Dude, I might [have]. We have so much stuff, it’s insane.” My first story for @TheAthletic goes inside the Nats’ tech revolution: nytimes.com/athletic/71244…

Nolan McLean's fastest 2025 pitch was 98.4 MPH. He threw two at 99 MPH in the first inning tonight.

Liam Hendriks got 4 whiffs on 8 swings today, ticked his fastball velocity up to 93.6 and is starting to get the Twins’ attention. Derek Shelton: “You can’t take away the been there, done that….There are guys who can’t do it. And he’s done it at a really high level.”

It’s no longer enough to know the strike zone. Big league catchers now have to learn every strike zone and better recognize the difference between, say, the top of 5-foot-6 Jose Altuve’s strike zone and the top of 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge’s.

JT Realmuto nailed another successful ABS challenge in the top of the first. He's now 5 for 5 on challenges this spring, turning two balls into strikeouts and two walks into strikes. Catcher challenging skills are going to turn into the new framing this year.

Moving second base? No more batter timeouts? Fascinating rule changes coming to the minor leagues nytimes.com/athletic/71237…

Hey everyone! Among the many new things I’m doing with The Athletic: Chatting with you all during the game. To ask me questions and hear about my early impressions from Nats spring training, tap in! I’ll be in starting at 5:30 p.m. nytimes.com/athletic/mlb/g…

Latest on Mason Miller from @dennistlin and @maria_torres3: nytimes.com/athletic/71236…

Michael Harris…Ozzie Albies…Austin Riley…Spencer Strider Ne column: Can the Braves lead the league in bouncebacks? nytimes.com/athletic/71204…

In front of family and former Air Force teammates, Paul Skenes shows why he’s a ‘special presence.’ nytimes.com/athletic/71220…

Paul Skenes has thrown 241 breaking pitches up in the zone in his MLB career. This is the first time he's allowed a home run on that pitch and location. #WorldBaseballClassic