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Tristan H. Cockcroft Apr 9, 2025, 10:24 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The early stages of the MLB season tend to be critical for close-up pitching examinations. That’s because it’s a time where each year’s unexpected aces often surface, with 2024 presenting as good an example for us as any. On this date just one […]

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4 weeks ago

April 10, 2025

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Tristan H. Cockcroft

Apr 9, 2025, 10:24 AM ET

The early stages of the MLB season tend to be critical for close-up pitching examinations. That’s because it’s a time where each year’s unexpected aces often surface, with 2024 presenting as good an example for us as any.

On this date just one year ago, Garrett Crochet had a 2.00 ERA and a 31.3% strikeout rate through his three starts, on a path to a major breakthrough campaign. Eventual AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal had a 2.08 ERA and a 32.6% K rate through his two turns. And that’s not to say that either’s microscopic sample was precisely what mattered, but rather, each had already shown us skills-related signs of what might be to come over the subsequent five-plus months.

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This is the dilemma for us in fantasy baseball analysis: We caution not to read too deeply into small sample sizes, yet we must make judgments upon them nevertheless, or risk missing out on league-deciding possibilities. I therefore consider April to be a time to closely scrutinize the starting pitching field, dig deeply into the underlying numbers, and see what’s there to hint at the potential emergence of which unexpected sources could become 2025’s versions of Crochet or Skubal.

Let’s identify five starting pitchers who already appear to be on track to take sizable steps forward this season. Based upon their offseason adjustments, spring training outlooks and/or early season returns, I’m labeling this quintet as my five DO NOT TRADE pitchers.

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Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves: Here’s a pitcher I’ve written about before, not to mention aggressively targeted in my own leagues. Through two starts, Schwellenbach has looked every bit the part of the fantasy ace. Despite questions about the effects of his 2024 workload spike — he totaled 168 2/3 IP between the majors and minors, after only 65 in 2023 and zero in 2022 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery — his stuff hasn’t looked any less filthy than it did when he had a 2.47 ERA and a 27.1% K rate across his final 12 starts of 2024.

Schwellenbach already has positive Statcast Run Values on five of his six pitches — his cutter, just as it was last year, remains his weakest offering. Plus, he’s doing a much better job of locating his fastball up and away to left-handed hitters, who have a 42% whiff rate against it thus far (after only 10% in 2024). Yes, he’s actually improving, which is exactly what we want to see from a pitcher with whom we might otherwise have had stamina concerns.

The upshot is that, fingers crossed on said stamina holding, Schwellenbach is a legitimate Cy Young Award contender, and a boost beyond the 180-IP threshold would make him a virtual lock for a top-10 positional valuation.

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies: Another pitcher cited in my preseason “Kings of Command” column, Sanchez has continued to exhibit the heightened sinker velocity that he did during spring training, with the pitch averaging 96.1 mph through two starts (compared to 94.5 mph in 2024 and 92.1 mph in 2023). That boost, and the contrast it provides to his put-away pitches, the changeup and slider, make it all the tougher for opposing hitters to handle them, too.

One of the reasons Sanchez makes this list is the reminder that, despite his 4.09 ERA, he remains one of the year’s bigger breakthrough candidates. Bear in mind that his ERA has been adversely impacted by one of his two starts coming against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a game in which Teoscar Hernandez took him deep twice on sinkers. Even with that, Statcast says that Sanchez’s expected wOBA on his most-used pitch should be .268, not its current .349, so tuck that away as a matchups-driven aberration.

Sanchez concluded spring training as my No. 36 starting pitcher, but his upside is within the position’s top 25, making him a poor choice to trade away (and, naturally, an excellent target if you didn’t get him in the draft).

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MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals: Gore was all the rage in fantasy after striking out 13 Phillies across six shutout innings on Opening Day and his roster rate soared by 10% the following day. However, he was also awfully impressive in his most-recent start against the Dodgers, generating 12 swinging strikes and 19 called strikes among his 100 total pitches. What’s changed for Gore this season is a greater reliance upon his secondary pitches, especially when ahead in the count or in put-away mode, which is a big deal for a pitcher who has a curveball (19% career usage) with a 35% whiff rate, a slider (11%) at 37% and a changeup (6%) at 48%.

Gore is now effectively a fastball/slider pitcher against lefties. Other than the three hits (a single, a triple and a home run) he surrendered to Shohei Ohtani on Monday, lefties are just 2-for-15 with 10 K’s and a 41% whiff rate against him. That Gore is also doing a better job of getting ahead in the count — his 64% first-pitch strike rate thus far would represent a career high, coming on the heels of his 65% rate in that category over the final two months of 2024 — only helps his cause, with all those filthy pitches with which to generate punchouts.

There might not be any pitcher I’m more disappointed to have missed out on this season, as other than Gore’s fly ball tendencies (a 24th percentile 39% career ground ball rate) and difficulties minimizing hard contact (a 19th percentile 42% hard-hit rate), little stands in his path to a breakthrough, top-20 SP caliber season.

Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers: The “shot in the dark” pick on this list, Mize’s 2025 transformation is far too interesting to peddle him on the fantasy trade market at the probable expected level of return. Yes, he has made only two starts. Yes, he has durability concerns underscored by his having exceeded 110 professional innings in only one of the last five uninterrupted seasons, but the adjustments he has made amplify his upside in a way that most fantasy managers don’t yet fully appreciate.

Mize, another of the increasing number of pitchers who went to Driveline during the offseason, has made his splitter — a staple of his repertoire dating back to his days at Auburn — more of a focus of his game this season. He’s throwing it considerably harder this season, averaging 88.1 mph with the pitch, nearly 2 full mph faster than in any prior year. He has also generated seven strikeouts and 11 swings-and-misses with it (with many of them coming in Monday’s start against the vaunted New York Yankees lineup).

This isn’t to say that Mize should immediately be treated like a top-40 fantasy starting pitcher. Sure, if that’s the caliber of trade package you’re being offered for him, by all means cash in now. His ceiling is certainly within that range.

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Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies: Like Gore, I missed out on many shares of Luzardo. In this case, it was a matter of my being unimpressed by how he looked during the brief spring action in which I saw him. His 9.49 spring ERA probably turned many prospective fantasy managers away. Between that and his injury history — a pair of IL stints in 2024 and an average of only 21 starts annually from 2022-24 — he probably won’t currently fetch you an appropriate return via trade.

Luzardo has, thus far, shown excellent fastball velocity (96.8 mph, which would be a career high) and is getting oodles of swings-and-misses with both his sweeper and slider (14 total K’s, 18 whiffs). It was always apparent during his time in Miami that he had front-of-the-rotation stuff and, considering all the questions surrounding him during the offseason and early stages of spring training, it’s promising to see his stuff registering with some of the best rates of any point in his career.

As with Mize, Luzardo is a pitcher worth cashing in on if the offer is generous — I’d say a top-30 starter’s price point should do it — but I’ll point out that he was a pitcher I considered mentioning in my “Phillies dominate the Cy Young balloting” hot take over on our MLB pages. If he somehow could stay healthy for 180 innings — a bold, bold leap, I know — he’d have every bit as good a shot at those votes as would the aforementioned Sanchez.

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Princeton University

Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships Sat. May 10th and Sun. May 11th | New Haven, Conn. Live Results | ESPN+ | Schedule PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton men’s track and field team will compete for its 12th all-time Triple Crown at the Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships this weekend in New Haven, Conn. […]

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22 minutes ago

May 9, 2025

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Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships
Sat. May 10th and Sun. May 11th | New Haven, Conn.
Live Results | ESPN+ | Schedule

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton men’s track and field team will compete for its 12th all-time Triple Crown at the Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships this weekend in New Haven, Conn.

After winning both the 2024 cross country and 2025 indoor Ivy championship titles, Princeton will seek another outdoor title which would complete the program’s second-consecutive Triple Crown.

Outdoor Season in Review
The Tigers have had a strong outdoor season so far, setting new program records in four events, including the 1500, the 10000, the 4×400 relay and the discus.

Most recently, the Tigers hosted the Larry Ellis Invitational at home in Weaver Stadium last weekend. Karl Dietz, Kavon Miller, Joey Gant and Xavier Donaldson ran the record-breaking 4×400 relay, clocking in at 3:04.85 to clear the previous school record of 3:05.86 set in 2011.

For their efforts, the group was named Ivy Athlete of the Week.

Harrison Witt also had a standout weekend at home, setting a new Princeton record in the 1500 with a time of 3:37.22 to break the previous record of 3:37.60 set by Sam Ellis in 2022.

After the regular season, Princeton leads the Ivy League in seven events. Jadon Spain ranks first in the 100 (10.22), Joey Gant leads the 200 (20.88), Myles Hogan leads in the 5000 (13:37.56) and Jackson Shorten leads in the steeplechase (8:40.45).

In the field events, Greg Foster leads the league in the long jump (8.11m/26′ 7.25″), while Casey Helm leads in the discus (63.37m/207-11″) and Joe Licata leads in the shot put (19.24m/63-1.5″).

National Notice

Several Tigers currently rank high up on the NCAA Qualifying list.

Foster holds onto third in the long jump, while Helm ranks sixth in the discus. Licata ranks 20th in the shot put.

Witt ranks 17th nationally in the 1500.

The Tiger 4×400 squad from Larry Ellis comes in at 30th on the list.

Last Time Around

At last year’s Outdoor Heps, the Tigers achieved their 10th all-time Triple Crown at home in Weaver Stadium, winning Ivy Outdoor Heps for the 22nd time after compiling 204.5 points. The Triple Crown was also the first under Head Coach Jason Vigilante.

In the fall, Princeton won its fourth-consecutive cross country Ivy League championship on its home course at Meadows campus. In the Winter, the Tigers followed up their success by winning their 11th-consecutive indoor Ivy League title.

Now, Princeton will look to complete the Triple Crown in New Haven on Saturday and Sunday.

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Wodonga Waterpolo Club among recipients of Victorian Government ‘Change Our Game’ sport funding

The Wodonga Dolphins Waterpolo Club is among the recipients of Victorian Government grants as part of The Change Our Game Community Activation Grants program, benefitting more than 11,500 individuals. The Wodonga Dolphins Waterpolo Club will deliver the Funfit Ladies Water Polo Program, a 10-week program with modified rules catering to beginners with all levels of […]

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May 9, 2025

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The Wodonga Dolphins Waterpolo Club will deliver the Funfit Ladies Water Polo Program, a 10-week program with modified rules catering to beginners with all levels of fitness.

The Change Our Game Community Activation Grants program delivers grants of up to $10,000 to community sport and recreation clubs to help inspire women and girls to take part – including new women’s programs, opportunities for club leadership roles and other on and off field options.

Since 2018, The Change Our Game Community Activation Grants program has provided more than 700 grants totalling more than $3.7 million for community sport and active recreation clubs and organisations across the state.

Another recipient, Broadmeadows Basketball Association, will provide 60 multicultural women from three junior clubs access to a nine-week program featuring closed basketball sessions and the opportunity for formal coaching accreditation.

Community leaders are also backed through the program – among them Warrnambool Wolves Football Club’s U14 Girls Coach Melissa Francis, who will undertake the Football Australia/AFC C-Diploma to further her coaching journey and support the club’s junior teams.

Through the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, launched in August 2022, and the Community Activation Grants Program, the State Government is helping community sporting organisations achieve more equitable access and increase the number of women and girls actively taking part in their club.

Victorian Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation Sarah Styles noted “Community sport is a powerful vehicle to create positive change. We are dedicated to breaking down barriers and fostering a level playing field for women and girls in community sport.”

Warrnambool Wolves Club President Jeff Morland-Hunt added “as part of our strategic plan, one of our key goals is to invest in opportunities for both new and experienced coaches, with a strong focus on supporting junior and girls’ coaching pathways. This grant brings us one step closer to achieving that vision.”

For more information about Change Our Game programs, visit changeourgame.vic.gov.au.

2nd February 2025 – Applications open for 2025 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants program

23rd October 2024 – Change Our Game continues to support opportunities for women as sport and active recreation leaders

5th February 2024 – Applications open for 2024 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants program

25th October 2022 – Hockey Victoria’s Suzanne Henderson among 96 Change our Game scholarship recipients

25th May 2021 – Victorian Government continues to support Change Our Game program

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MU track and field signs European distance athlete Lecoutre | Mizzou Sports

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May 9, 2025

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Dutch multi-eventers strong on day one of conference meet

Story Links INDIANOLA — Three of the four Central College track & field athletes entered in the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon are in position to score after the first day of competition at the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday. Reid Pakkebier (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) is […]

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May 9, 2025

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INDIANOLA — Three of the four Central College track & field athletes entered in the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon are in position to score after the first day of competition at the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday.

Reid Pakkebier (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) is currently second in the men’s decathlon with 3,606 points and teammate Gage Huyser (junior, Pella) is third with 3,387 points. In the women’s heptathlon Sage Austin (Carlisle) has 2,179 points to sit in eighth place. Jessica Larson (freshman, Britt, Garner-Hayfield HS) is in 12th with 1,813 points.

“They all competed well and set themselves up for success tomorrow,” assistant coach Aaron Fuller said.

Pakkebier had new personal-best marks in the 400-meter dash (51.01 seconds) and shot put (42 feet, 6.75 inches). He also had the fastest 100-meter dash time in 11.09 seconds. Huyser also ran the fastest 400 meters of his career in 51.20 seconds.

Austin’s best event was the 200-meter dash, running the fourth-fastest time in 26.77 seconds. Larson had a new personal-best in the 110-meter hurdles (18.11 seconds) and a season-best shot put (22-9.75).

Day two of the decathlon and heptathlon starts at 10 a.m. Friday in Indianola. The meet will start in earnest at 1 p.m. with field events followed by track events at 2:30 p.m.

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Track and Field Completes Regular Season at Army West Point Twilight

Story Links The Keiser University men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the West Point Twilight meet today, and the Seahawks navigated through a lengthy weather delay to stand out in their final meet before NAIA Outdoor Nationals. KU was able to log nine top-15 placements at the meet, while Dallas […]

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May 9, 2025

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The Keiser University men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the West Point Twilight meet today, and the Seahawks navigated through a lengthy weather delay to stand out in their final meet before NAIA Outdoor Nationals. KU was able to log nine top-15 placements at the meet, while Dallas Desouza placed first overall in the men’s 400m. With this meet completed, Keiser now shifts its focus toward May 21, in Marion, Ind. where the Seahawks will compete for championship glory.

1.Dallas Desouza – 400m (48.34)

2. Dallas Desouza, Devin Christopher, Alex Cruz, Hugo Biget – 4x100m Relay (41.76)

2. Braylen Jones – Triple Jump (14.34m – 47 ft)

2. Claudio Pugnetti – Javelin Throw – 60.48m – 198.5 ft)

3. Hugo Biget – Long Jump (6.66m – 21.10 ft)

3. Gorata Gabankitse – 800m (1:52.22)

5. Charlem Diable – Triple Jump (14.17m – 46.6 ft)

9. Sigmund Le Fjeld – Triple Jump (13.66m – 44.9 ft)

11. Niesha Aldajuste – Hammer Throw (38.87m – 127.6 ft)

The Seahawks will go for it all at the NAIA Outdoor National Championship, starting May 21st in Marion, Ind.

For all the latest on Keiser track and field, follow @keisertf on X and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

General athletic news can be found at KUSeahawks on Facebook, kuseahawks on Instagram, and kuseahawks on X.

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Florida State University Athletics

TALLAHASSEE – The awards are continuing to stack up for freshman pitcher Jazzy Francik as she was named one of 10 finalists for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award. Francik was the only ACC player to make the list and continues the Seminoles’ streak as having a top 10 finalist for the award […]

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2 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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TALLAHASSEE – The awards are continuing to stack up for freshman pitcher Jazzy Francik as she was named one of 10 finalists for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award. Francik was the only ACC player to make the list and continues the Seminoles’ streak as having a top 10 finalist for the award in four consecutive seasons.

Francik has been a breakout star for the Noles in the circle as she leads the team with a 1.64 ERA in 81.1 innings. Francik is 9-2 this season and has been outstanding as of late. In her last three starts, Francik has pitched 19 scoreless innings and struck out 21 batters while allowing just five hits. Francik threw the first no-hitter against a ranked opponent in program history last week against Virginia Tech. It was also the first no-hitter by a true freshman since Lacey Waldrop in 2012.

The list will be trimmed to three athletes on May 22.

For updates and exclusive content, follow the Seminoles on X (FSU_Softball), Instagram (fsusoftball) and Facebook (Florida State Seminoles Softball).

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