The NBA announced its pool of participants for the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars game on Peacock on Monday, Jan. 26. Twenty-one players – 10 rookies and 11 sophomores – along with seven G Leaguers were chosen to represent the future of the NBA to tip-off All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles on Feb. 13.

The rookies are headlined by 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who has looked every bit the franchise centerpiece the Dallas Mavericks were in desperate need of after shipping out Luka Doncic a year ago. Memphis Grizzlies emerging wing Cedric Coward is also in the pool, along with the New Orleans’ Pelicans’ duo of breakout stars Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.

Stephon Castle has established himself as a solid running mate for San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama; he’s among the sophomores selected. So is Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, who has stepped up from his early season struggles in the absence of Fred VanVleet.

The players will be drafted into three teams on Tuesday, Jan. 27 with a fourth comprised entirely of G League players. Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Austin Rivers will serve as the coaches for each team.

Here is the full list of players they will be picking from:

2026 NBA Rising Stars roster

Here is every player named to the Rising Stars game:

Rookies

• Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
• Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets
• V.J. Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
• Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
• Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
• Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
• Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
• Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
• Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
• Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

Sophomores

• Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
• Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
• Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
• Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards
• Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
• Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
• Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies
• Jalon Tyson, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
• Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

G League

• Sean East, Salt Lake City Stars
• Ron Harper Jr., Maine Celtics
• David Jones Garcia, Austin Spurs
• Yanic Konan Niederhauser, San Diego Clippers
• Alijah Martin, Raptors 905
• Tristen Newton, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
• Yang Hansen, Rip City Remix

Rising Stars format

Four teams of seven players each will face off in a mini tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Dabo Swinney went scorched earth late last week, decrying the ills of college football and the absurdity of those in charge ignoring the obvious. 

He laid out the most damning of all tampering allegations against Ole Miss. He called out a head coach and player by name. 

“This is about protecting our program,” Swinney said Jan. 23. “This is about college football.”

Meanwhile, two days before the national championship game, Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich stumped for no salary cap in college football. A free, open market. 

On the same day — an incredible coincidence, I know — Duke quarterback Darian Mensah backed out of the second year of a two-year deal with the Blue Devils, and entered the transfer portal.

Guess which program, after having spent more money on one-year quarterback deals than any other in the free player movement era, desperately needs a quarterback for 2026?

I have no idea if Miami tampered with Mensah, and frankly, I don’t care. Because if the NCAA isn’t going to police it, they’re allowing it. 

We’ve officially entered the if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’ era of college football. 

And that brings us all the way back to Clemson, which hasn’t been the same program since the NCAA flew open the doors to NIL and free player movement in 2021 and left every man for himself.

Clemson has lost 20 games in the five NIL seasons to date — after losing 18 games in the 10 years prior while battling in the high rent district with Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. A 2025 season of national title expectations ended with a loss to an untethered Penn State team in a meaningless bowl game. 

The half-decade of falling back to the pack has officially hit rock bottom. And now — an incredible coincidence, I know — here come the allegations of tampering against Ole Miss coach Pete Golding. 

Buy IU championship books, prints

Swinney laid out the allegations like it was next-level stuff, only it’s not. If you want to know why Clemson hasn’t looked like Clemson since getting thumped by Ohio State in the 2020 College Football Playoff semifinals, the answer is simple. 

Clemson isn’t competing at the same, whatever-it-takes level when it comes to player procurement.

Swinney was floored that Golding allegedly kept recruiting linebacker Luke Ferrelli long after Ferrelli left California at the end of the 2025 season and committed to Clemson. Couldn’t believe that Golding, allegedly, was texting Ferrelli in class and trying to get him to flip. 

Wouldn’t you know it, in this Wild, Wild West world of free player movement and cash is king, Ferrelli jumped at the better offer and switched his commitment to Ole Miss. For those scoring at home, it went like this: 

• January 7: Ferrelli commits to Clemson. 
• January 16: Ferrelli re-enters the transfer portal.
• January 22: Ferrelli commits to Ole Miss. 

As much as I’d love to side with Swinney on this, we now have a clear, unobstructed view into Clemson’s regression from the national elite. Everyone knows the rules to this absurd money grab of free player movement, and Clemson refuses to play by them.

And by rules, I mean no rules at all. 

Swinney says Golding spoke to Ferrelli, and that Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and former quarterback Jaxson Dart called Ferrelli. Even alleged Golding sent Ferrelli a photo of a check for $1 million.

Ole Miss pushed the envelope and Clemson didn’t push back — until after the fact. Until after Ferrelli decided to go with the best offer, and leave Clemson with a significant hole in its defense.

Look, there’s nothing pretty or practical about this new era of the game. It’s unseemly and unsettling and has run off far lesser coaches than Swinney. Good men who refuse to get dirty to get better. 

“We have a broken system,” Swinney said. “If there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and we have no governance.”

There hasn’t been rules and governance for five years now, no matter what the NCAA rulebook says. While there’s a bylaw against tampering, if you’re not pushing the envelope at every possible angle while recruiting, you’re left behind. 

There’s a reason Ole Miss, which has never even played in the SEC championship game, was playing in the CFP semifinals while big, bad Clemson was still thawing out from a brutal bowl game in the Bronx. 

Ole Miss is 52-15 in the NIL era, including its first CFP season of 2025. Clemson is 47-20, despite playing in a significantly easier conference.

Ole Miss was 61-61 in the 10 years prior to the advent of NIL and free player movement, and Clemson was 121-18 — with two national titles and six CFP appearances.

One team presses the new recruiting envelope as well as any program in college football. The other sits around and complains about the transfer portal, and how college football isn’t what it once was. 

In the irony of ironies, by exposing Ole Miss for allegedly tampering with a player, Clemson pulled back the curtain on its fall from the national elite. 

If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’. 

The 2026 MLB season begins on March 25. That’s little more than two months away, and while everyone assumes the Los Angeles Dodgers are destined to three-peat, the bright side is that everyone is already looking to 2027 and beyond.

Looking so far ahead is difficult though. We don’t know how players will age. We don’t know what trades or free agent acquisitions will be made. We don’t even know whether or not there will be a lockout when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1 this year.

The only decent indication we have of each team’s future is their farm system. The teams with the best farm systems often become the best teams in the league soon after. The Chicago Cubs had one of the best in the league prior to their World Series title in 2016. The Tampa Bay Rays were near the top for much of the transition between the 2010’s and 2020’s. The Baltimore Orioles had the best for several years before finally breaking through in 2024, even if they fell apart just one year later.

So, looking ahead to the second half of the decade, which teams are set for contention? Here’s every MLB team’s farm system ranked from worst to best entering the 2026 season.

Power ranking all 30 MLB farm systems

*Prospect rankings listed via MLB.com

30) San Diego Padres

Top 5 prospects:

• C Ethan Salas (No. 77 on MLB.com’s Top 100)
• LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (No. 95)
• RHP Humberto Cruz
• LHP Kash Mayfield
• RHP Miguel Mendez

The Padres basically gutted their farm system last year at the trade deadline, with their biggest prospects, Leo De Vries being shipped to the Athletics in the deal for Mason Miller. The Padres have some players who could wind up becoming franchise stalwarts in the future but outside of Salas, Schoolcraft, and Mayfield, there isn’t much to love about San Diego’s future.

29) Los Angeles Angels

Top 5 prospects:

• RHP Tyler Bremmer (No. 91)
• RHP Ryan Johnson (No. 96)
• RHP George Klassen
• LHP Johnny Slawinski
• SS Joswa Lugo

The Angels reached for Tyler Bremmer at No. 2 overall, and he is widely considered their top prospect. That’s not a great combination unless Bremmer can break out and exceed the expectations he had prior to being drafted. Another one of the organization’s top prospects, Caden Dana, also experienced some setbacks a season ago. For a team prone to calling up their prospects much earlier than they should, that’s a very unfortunate situation and could further delay the team’s rebuild.

28) Houston Astros

Top 5 prospects:

• 2B Brice Matthews (No. 93)
• SS Xavier Neyens
• C Walker Janek
• RHP Miguel Ullola
• OF Joseph Sullivan

Losing Jacob Melton in the Brandon Lowe trade is a huge blow to the Astros’ farm system, which was already rated lowly to begin with. While Melton didn’t have a spectacular stint in the big leagues, slashing just .157/.234/.186 in 32 games for Houston, we’d yet to see how he could perform in a full season. Now, Houston is forced to lean on guys like Janek and Kevin Alvarez who have potential but have yet to establish themselves as legitimate fanbase-inspiring prospects.

27) Atlanta Braves

Top 5 prospects:

• LHP Cam Caminiti (No. 72)
• RHP JR Ritchie (No. 86)
• SS/OF Tate Southisene
• SS Alex Lodise
• LHP Briggs McKenzie

The lack of depth in the Braves’ farm system is really showing here. The team had a great crop of young talent get called up a season ago including Drake Baldwin, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep, but outside of those guys, the Braves didn’t have much else to lean on in 2025. Now, heading into the 2026 season, the team didn’t do really anything to quell those concerns. Luckily for the Braves, most of their key players are locked up for a while, so the farm system isn’t much of an issue … for now.

26) Kansas City Royals

Top 5 prospects:

• C Carter Jensen (No. 39)
• C Blake Mitchell (No. 62)
• OF/2B Sean Gamble
• 3B Josh Hammond
• SS Yandel Ricardo

It’s hard to have faith in this team’s farm considering Jensen will be on the big league team sooner rather than later. Even with Jensen though, this team’s system lacks sustained star power. Sean Gamble doesn’t possess any attributes that really pop out of the stat sheet. Hammond likely won’t be ready for the majors anytime soon, and Ricardo is 18 years old and struggled in A-ball. There’s potential down the line, and Jensen is a stud, but they might have a dry spell of great prospects coming to the big leagues for a few years.

25) Texas Rangers

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/3B Sebastian Walcott (No. 6)
• SS Gavin Fien
• RHP Jose Corniell
• RHP Winston Santos
• RHP AJ Russell

The Rangers have some potential with their group of prospects considering many of their young pitchers were highly touted, even cracking MLB’s top-100 prospect list before small stints of poor play and suffering injuries that derailed their 2025 campaigns. If guys like Santos, Alejandro Rosario, and even Emiliano Teodo can bounce back, there’s reason to be excited. Obviously, Walcott is a stud, but he’s the only sure thing the Rangers have currently.

24) New York Yankees

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/2B George Lombard Jr. (No. 25)
• RHP Carlos Lagrange (No. 74)
• RHP Elmer Rodriguez (No. 97)
• OF Spencer Jones (No. 99)
• RHP Bryce Cunningham

Despite four players in MLB’s top-100 prospect list, the Yankees don’t have anyone outside of Lombard who has proven capable of sustaining such success. Spencer Jones smacked 35 home runs in Double and Triple-A last year, but his previous best was just 17. We’ll need to see more from him, Lagrange, and Rodriguez before we’re ready to rank the Yankees any higher.

23) Colorado Rockies

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Ethan Holliday (No. 19)
• 1B/OF Charlie Condon (No. 61)
• OF/SS Cole Carrigg
• OF Robert Calaz
• RHP Brody Brecht

Everyone lauds Ethan Holliday as this marvelous prospect. He is, but we can’t forget just how many lumps his brother Jackson has taken in the majors. He’s yet to really be an above average player for the Orioles. All that is to say that it might be some time before Ethan Holliday makes an impact for the club. That said, the team did pick up solid left-handed pitching prospect Griffin Herring at the trade deadline, and guys like Calaz and Carrigg have shown flashes of star potential if they can put all of their tools together.

22) Arizona Diamondbacks

Top 5 prospects:

• OF Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 66)
• OF Slade Caldwell
• SS Kayson Cunningham
• 2B/3B Demetrio Crisantes
• 2B/OF Tommy Troy

Much of the Diamondbacks’ farm system lies in the strength of their 2024 draft haul. Waldschmidt has been an offensive juggernaut at every level he’s played in. Slade Caldwell has a great gap-to-gap swing which has allowed him to rack up extra-base hits in A and High-A ball. JD Dix hit .342 in rookie ball last year. And Daniel Eagen posted a sub-2.5 ERA in 97.2 innings of High-A last year. There’s reason to be optimistic moving forward, but it would be a shock to see many of these players make an impact at the big league level before 2027.

21) San Francisco Giants

Top 5 prospects:

• 1B Bryce Eldridge (No. 12)
• SS Josuar Gonzalez (No. 82)
• 2B/SS Gavin Kilen
• SS Jhonny Level
• OF Bo Davidson

The Giants had legitimate depth in their farm system going into the 2026 offseason, then they added the No. 1 international prospect in Luis Hernandez as well. That’s a major get for a team that has struggled to produce home grown talent for the last decade. Eldridge is expected to be a massive bat right away for the Giants in 2026, and although the team lacks star pitchers in their farm, the team needs young position players considering Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers are all 29 or older.

20) St. Louis Cardinals

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/2B/3B JJ Wetherholt (No. 5)
• LHP Liam Doyle (No. 36)
• C Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 55)
• C Leonardo Bernal (No. 92)
• LHP Quinn Mathews

What’s not seen in this top-five above is that the Cardinals have another strong catching prospect in their system in Jimmy Crooks, who appeared in 15 games for the Cardinals last season. The team has depth at a very key position and it’s kind of shocking that they didn’t make any moves by dealing one of those players. Even with down seasons for players like Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews, the Cardinals have more than a few prospects with stellar upside and could probably make a move or two to make themselves more competitive in 2026.

19) Washington Nationals

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Eli Willits (No. 15)
• C Harry Ford (No. 42)
• RHP Travis Sykora (No. 49)
• RHP Jarlin Susana (No. 87)
• RHP Luis Perales

The addition of Harry Ford really propels this team forward. Without him, this is a team that has sunk a lot of assets into unproven talent with recent draft picks Willits, Petry, Harmon, James, and Sime each earning more than $2 million in signing bonuses.

18) Toronto Blue Jays

Top 5 prospects:

• RHP Trey Yesavage (No. 26)
• SS JoJo Parker (No. 43)
• SS Arjun Nimmala (No. 68)
• LHP Ricky Tiedemann
• LHP Johnny King

The Blue Jays lost some depth at the trade deadline last year, dealing guys like Khal Stephenand Juaron Watts-Brown, but Trey Yesavage also put together a monster postseason run, still classifying as a prospect. One hit from a prospect pool is a big plus in my books as very few players are every sure-fire hits. Yesavage looked like a future star and that alone is enough to push Toronto up a few spots in these rankings.

17) Cincinnati Reds

Top 5 prospects:

• INF Sal Stewart (No. 31)
• C Alfredo Duno (No. 48)
• SS Tyson Lewis (No. 76)
• SS Steele Hall (No. 79)
• RHP Rhett Lowder (No. 80)

Sal Stewart and Rhett Lowder have both flashed significant potential in limited MLB action for Cincinnati, but Stewart still only posted a 102 OPS+ and Lowder is coming off a rather severe injury, so it’s yet to be seen if either can create long-term impact.

16) Miami Marlins

Top 5 prospects:

• LHP Thomas White (No. 22)
• SS Aiva Arquette (No. 41)
• OF Owen Caissie (No. 47)
• LHP Robby Snelling (No. 51)
• C Joe Mack (No. 70)

MLB is underrating Thomas White in my opinion. This man could be the top pitching prospect in baseball. He’s succeeded at every level, and even is just 20 years old. He made a brief appearance in Triple-A last season and was striking out 16.4 batters per nine innings. That is insane. Just nutty stuff. That said, I’m not sold on most of the other players in this system. Arquette didn’t wow anyone in his first year in the minors. Caissie was the big name in the Edward Cabrera deal, but he spent nearly two full seasons in Triple-A, didn’t show much improvement between 2024 and 2025 (but he did display a bit more pop) and then struggled in limited MLB action. There’s a reason the Cubs gave him away. That’s all I’ll say.

15) Chicago White Sox

Top 5 prospects:

• OF Braden Montgomery (No. 35)
• LHP Noah Schultz (No. 40)
• SS Billy Carlson (No. 71)
• SS/3B Caleb Bonemer (No. 73)
• LHP Hagen Smith (No. 88)

MLB.com isn’t considering Munetaka Murakami a prospect I guess, which is weird considering they counted Roki Sasaki for the Dodgers a year ago. If Murakami was on this list, the White Sox would have legitimate top-10, maybe top-7 considerations. Still, even without their Japanese slugger, the White Sox have tons of solid talent scheduled to come up in 2026, 2027, and 2028. While they don’t currently have someone who stands out as a potential MLB superstar, they have a well of talent that should continue to improve the team for years.

14) Chicago Cubs

Top 5 prospects:

• C Moises Ballesteros (No. 53)
• RHP Jaxon Wiggins (No. 67)
• SS/2B Jefferson Rojas
• OF Kevin Alcantara
• OF Ethan Conrad

Even without Caissie, I like this team moving forward. They were very well-prepared for the departure of Kyle Tucker in free agency, with Alcantara ready to take over the starting right field job. Ballesteros also flashed remarkable potential in 20 games with the Cubs at the end of 2025. Essentially, the Cubs don’t have a plethora of top-100 talent and lost Caissie, but they have a lot of pieces ready to fill in for anyone who might suffer an injury or get traded and they likely won’t see much of a dip in production.

13) Philadelphia Phillies

Top 5 prospects:

• RHP Andrew Painter (No. 16)
• SS Aidan Miller (No. 32)
• OF Justin Crawford (No. 54)
• RHP Gage Wood
• 2B Aroon Escobar

When a guy with a 5.40 ERA in Triple-A is being heralded as the next big pitching prospect, there’s reason to be concerned. Painter was coming off Tommy John surgery, but there were more reasons to be skeptical about his potential moving forward. If he has a rough start to 2026, this team could fall much further down these rankings. Still, the questions surrounding Painter are mostly offset by breakout seasons from guys like Aroon Escobar, who managed an .828 OPS in A-ball from second base. That’s something to keep an eye on.

12) Athletics

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Leo De Vries (No. 3)
• LHP Jamie Arnold (No. 38)
• LHP Gage Jump (No. 60)
• RHP Brade Nett
• OF Henry Bolte

The addition of Leo De Vries did wonders for this team’s farm. Sure, losing Mason Miller hurts, but it bolsters this team’s future drastically, which is good considering they want to be great for their first year in Vegas. There were far more breakout seasons than there were setbacks in the A’s system altogether. That’s a recipe for succcess when guys like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson have already made valuable impacts at the major league level.

11) New York Mets

Top 5 prospects:

• RHP Nolan McLean (No. 11)
• OF Carson Benge (No. 21)
• RHP Jonah Tong (No. 46)
• 3B/1B Jacob Reimer
• OF/2B A.J. Ewing

It’s shocking to see how the Mets’ farm system has turned on its head in the past year. Brandon Sproat was supposed to be the top guy in the organization, and he didn’t experience a bad year per se in 2025, posting a 4.24 ERA in Triple-A before having a brief, mediocre stint in the majors. But he’s not even on the team anymore after the Mets traded him and Jett Williams to Milwaukee.

Thankfully for Mets fans, the team saw several of their mid-tier prospects break out in unexpected ways. Benge, McLean, Tong, Ewing, and Reimer all exceed expectations, which has set them up very nicely for the immediate future, and enabled them to make the move for Freddy Peralta without their farm system suffering too drastically for it.

10) Boston Red Sox

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Franklin Arias (No. 24)
• LHP Payton Tolle (No. 28)
• RHP Kyson Witherspoon (No. 89)
• LHP Connelly Early
• OF Justin Gonzales

Many people believed the Red Sox farm would fall off after graduating guys like Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer last season. However, the team enjoyed a plethora of breakouts, particularly from Payton Tolle. Pitching certainly won’t be a problem for this team for years to come.

9) Baltimore Orioles

Top 5 prospects:

• C/1B Samuel Basallo (No. 7)
• OF Dylan Beavers (No. 83)
• C/OF Ike Irish
• OF Enrique Bradfield Jr.
• SS Wehiwa Aloy

A little top-heavy, it’s hard to rank the Orioles lower than top 10 considering how good and how ready for the bigs Samuel Basallo is. The Orioles certainly have depth but will need more consistency from their mid-tier prospects before anyone is ready to consider them a true powerhouse farm system again.

8) Tampa Bay Rays

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Carson Williams (No. 50)
• OF Theo Gillen (No. 65)
• RHP Brody Hopkins
• OF Jacob Melton
• SS Daniel Pierce

Another year, another great haul of prospects for the Rays. The addition of Jacob Melton just added to an already loaded farm. The Rays do lack some pithing depth, particularly southpaws, as not a single lefty cracks their top-30 prospects, but outside of that, this team has such a ‘next man up’ attitude and great developmental program that you can’t really knock them too much.

7) Minnesota Twins

Top 5 prospects:

• OF Walker Jenkins (No. 10)
• SS Kaelen Culpepper (No. 52)
• C Eduardo Tait (No. 57)
• OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 69)
• LHP Kendry Rojas

Considering the fire sale the Twins endured in 2025, you’d hope they have a good farm system now. Thankfully, they do, the addition of guys like Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, and Eduardo Tait mark a serious shift in the outlook for this team’s future.

6) Cleveland Guardians

Top 5 prospects:

• 2B Travis Bazzana (No. 17)
• OF Chase DeLauter (No. 58)
• SS Angel Genao (No. 59)
• C Cooper Ingle
• OF Jaison Chourio

For a team that was in the playoffs a year ago, it’s easy to forget they actually bolstered their farm system by playing the role of ‘seller’ at the trade deadline, shipping Shane Bieber to Toronto for Khal Stephen. Stephen struggled in Double-A for Cleveland, but has the tools necessary to be a strong major league arm. He’s still only 22 and doesn’t walk people much. His strikeout numbers could stand to improve though.

5) Pittsburgh Pirates

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/OF Konnor Griffin (No. 1)
• RHP Bubba Chandler (No. 14)
• RHP Seth Hernandez (No. 27)
• LHP Hunter Barco (No. 78)
• OF/1B Edward Florentino (No. 81)

Griffin and Chandler are the truth. They were already on the team heading into the 2025 trade deadline. Then they added Rafael Flores Jr. and Sammy Stafura at the deadline? Yeah, this team has a bright future, meaning they’ll have a three-year window of playoff contention before all their best players sign with the Dodgers, thus beginning another 10-year rebuild.

4) Detroit Tigers

Top 5 prospects:

• SS Kevin McGonigle (No. 2)
• OF Max Clark (No. 8)
• C/1B Josue Briceño (No. 33)
• SS Bryce Rainer (No. 37)
• C/1B Thayron Liranzo

Everyone knows how great the top four prospects in this system are, but they have some potential further down as well. A player a lot of people have noticed is Cris Rodriguez who slashed a stellar .308/.340/.564 at 17 years old in the Dominican Summer League.

3) Milwaukee Brewers

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/2B Jesus Made (No. 4)
• INF Luis Peña (No. 18)
• SS/OF/2B Jett Williams (No. 30)
• SS Cooper Pratt (No. 56)
• C Jeferson Quero (No. 84)

Jesus Made and Luis Peña emerged as two of the best international prospects in baseball last season. They were already highly touted and then each enjoyed an OPS of .760 or better in A-ball. Oh, they’re also each entering their age-19 seasons.

Furthermore, while the loss of Freddy Peralta obviously hurts the team, the additions of the Mets’ No. 3 and 5 prospects in Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat gives the farm system a huge boost.

2) Los Angeles Dodgers

Top 5 prospects:

• OF Josue De Paula (No. 13)
• OF Zyhir Hope (No. 20)
• OF Eduardo Quintero (No. 34)
• SS/3B Alex Freeland (No. 45)
• OF Mike Sirota (No. 64)

The rich get richer. Look at it. This is what baseball has become. It wasn’t enough for them to give out $1.2 billion in guaranteed money, they had to have a tremendous scouting department as well. On the bright side, most of these guys will likely get traded away for proven MLB-ready talent.

1) Seattle Mariners

Top 5 prospects:

• SS/3B Colt Emerson (No. 9)
• LHP Kade Anderson (No. 23)
• OF Lazaro Montes (No. 29)
• RHP Ryan Sloan (No. 44)
• 2B Michael Arroyo (No. 63)

The impressive part of the Mariners’ farm system is that they built it quietly and have put themselves in position to have a steady influx of highly-touted talent join the team for years to come. While the loss of Harry Ford certainly stings a little bit, the Mariners already have a decent catcher (in case you hadn’t noticed) and just added Luke Stevenson via the draft, who enjoyed a very solid year in A-ball, slashing .280/.460/.400.

Injured Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander flashed his middle finger during Sunday’s game when he noticed a TV camera was filming him and other non-playing teammates in the press box.

The gesture cost him $5,000 on Monday, Jan. 26.

The NHL said he was fined the maximum amount because he violated a policy that ‘prohibits inappropriate and offensive remarks, and the use of obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures in the game.’

“This serves as a reminder the code of conduct governing players extends throughout the arena at NHL games and in public game situations,’ NHL disciplinarian George Parros said in a statement.

Nylander suffered a groin muscle injury on Jan. 15 and went on the injured list on the 19th. Sunday’s game was the fifth one he missed. The last four have been losses.

He apologized on social media on Sunday for his ‘moment of frustration’ and also Monday in person during a meeting with reporters.

‘I’m just not playing,’ he said of why he’s frustrated. ‘I just want to be out there with the guys.’

He said he received a text message right after the gesture was shown on the TV broadcast.

‘I was like, ‘Not a good idea, not a good thing to do,” he said. ‘Like I said, I apologize about that.’

Nylander, who sat out 10 other games with injury this season, said he hopes to return to action during the team’s upcoming road trip, which runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3.

He has also been named to Swedish Olympic team.

The wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Katie Meyer against Stanford University has been resolved, the school announced Monday, Jan. 26, in a joint statement from the school and Katie’s family.

Meyer, who led the Stanford women’s soccer team to a national championship in 2019, died by suicide on March 1, 2022.

Meyer, 22 at the time of her death, was found in her dorm at Stanford.

Meyer’s parents sued Stanford in November 2022. The lawsuit, filed with the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California, was scheduled to go to trial later this year.

Meyer’s parents said the school was responsible for their daughter’s death from a disciplinary matter stemming from Katie Meyer either intentionally or accidentally spilling coffee on one of Stanford’s football players.

“Stanford and the family of Katie Meyer are pleased to have reached a resolution in the lawsuit that was filed against the university following Katie’s tragic death in 2022,’’ the university said in a statement issued Monday.

“To honor Katie, Stanford will collaborate with Katie’s family to launch an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes at the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance. Stanford Athletics will establish the Katie Meyer Leadership Award to be given to an exceptional Stanford student-athlete each year. More information on both the initiative at Wu Tsai and the Leadership Award will be provided later this year.’’

Stanford also said it would adopt the principles of Katie Meyer’s Law to provide support to students in its Office of Community disciplinary process. Also, the jersey number worn by Katie while she played soccer at Stanford, #19, will be retired in honor of the impact Katie had on Stanford women’s soccer, according to the statement.

“While Katie’s passing remains devastating and tragic, the memory of her accomplishments and the uplifting influence she had on those who knew her lives on,’ the university said. “Stanford and the Meyer family believe that working together on these initiatives will both honor Katie’s indelible legacy and help current and future students in meaningful ways.’

The coffee incident

At the time Meyer died by suicide, she was facing disciplinary action for allegedly spilling coffee on a Stanford football player in August 2021 while she was riding her bike, according to the complaint filed by Meyer’s parents in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The football player allegedly sexually assaulted a female soccer player, then a minor, on the Stanford women’s soccer team on which Meyer served as a captain, according to the complaint.

The school filed court documents stating the unnamed football player suffered burns on his back that required medical attention and had kissed one of Meyer’s teammates without consent.

Meyer’s father, Steve, previously told USA TODAY Sports that the disciplinary issue arose from Katie Meyer defending a teammate.

Katie Meyer’s soccer heroics

Meyer, a goaltender, was a captain of the Stanford soccer team her senior year. But her most dramatic performance came during her sophomore season.

During the 2019 NCAA women’s soccer championship between Stanford and North Carolina, the game ended 0-0 after two 10-minute overtime periods before going to penalty kicks.

Stanford won 5-4 on penalty kicks after Meyer saved two shots.

In the semifinal game against UCLA, Meyer saved the penalty kick that helped propel Stanford to a 4-1 victory.

Matter of dispute

Meyer’s parents argued that Stanford mishandled the disciplinary process and failed to provide Katie with adequate support, in part because they were not informed of the matter. The Meyers said their daughter suffered acute stress because the matter meant her degree would be put on hold until the previous disciplinary matter was resolved, which could have prevented her from graduating.

The proceedings grew contentious when the school said Meyer’s parents allowed key information to be destroyed. The school argued it needed the information to demonstrate Meyer’s state of mind at the time of her death, that Stanford was not to blame. The Meyers’ attorneys strongly denied that the parents destroyed any evidence.

Katie Meyer’s Law

A California bill spurred by the death of Meyer became state law in September 2024.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1575, which requires public colleges and universities to allow students to have an adviser when facing an alleged violation of a student code of conduct.

In a joint statement Monday, Stanford said it “will adopt the principles of Katie Meyer’s Law to provide support to students in its OCS disciplinary process.’’

In order to receive state funds for student financial assistance, the schools must ‘adopt a policy permitting a student to be assisted by an adviser if the student receives a notification of an alleged violation of … a student code of conduct.’

The bill was an outgrowth of Katie’s Save, a non-profit established by the Meyers, who traveled across the country talking about the initiative they hope will become law in all 50 states.

This story has been updated with new information.

AI-assisted summary
• The New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 10-7 to win the AFC championship.
• Players and executives credit head coach Mike Vrabel for the team’s turnaround from a 4-13 season.
• Team members emphasized the strong culture and brotherhood built through free agency and the draft.

DENVER – As Will Campbell answered questions amid a victorious celebration in the visitor’s locker room, where the New England Patriots toasted their 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game with cans of Miller Lite, Garrett Bradbury had to interject.

“He doesn’t even know what (expletive) means,” Bradbury shouted. 

How could a rookie left tackle put this into perspective? Bradbury, a seven-year veteran who was part of a high-impact free-agent class signed last offseason, could hardly describe the ‘absolute dogfight” that led to the Patriots becoming kings of the AFC – for a league-leading 12th time.  

“You can’t put into words what this means,” Bradbury said. “It doesn’t feel real. It’s like a simulation, like, ‘What’s going on?’

“The vibes in this locker room, the celebration with this team, it means everything.” 

The Patriots have heard from every corner of the football ecosystem how undeserving the pennant is. The easy regular-season schedule, the turnover luck, the fact that the Denver Broncos had to start Jarrett Stidham at quarterback in place of the injured Bo Nix. The Pats will be underdogs in Super Bowl 60 regardless of opponent.  

The 53 guys in the locker, the coaching staff, the front office – to put it mildly – do not care. How else do you go from 4-13 to 14-3, AFC East champions and now bound for the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season? 

“You have to believe things, sometimes,” head coach Mike Vrabel said, “before you can see them.” 

Welcome to the Church of Vrabes, Pats Nation. 

“You get everybody to believe in something and buy in, and that doesn’t come without adversity,” said Vrabel, who repeated his popular refrain that his coaching calling is rooted in supporting the players. 

As a 14-year NFL linebacker, he’s been in their position. As someone who won three Super Bowls as part of the first era of the New England Patriots’ dynasty of the early 2000s, he’s been to the game’s mountaintop on multiple occasions and wants others to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with that. He wants it for their families who make sacrifices. For the players themselves. For the fans. 

“They’re fun to coach. They’re entertaining,” Vrabel said of his team. “They’ve been resilient. They’ve been very coachable. There’s a lot of connectivity in them. I appreciate what they do.” 

Having a second-year quarterback who is an MVP candidate in Drake Maye also helps when it comes to establishing winning ways. Now Maye and Vrabel did something not even Tom Brady and Bill Belichick could manage during their dynastic domination – win a playoff game at Mile High.

‘I respect and appreciate what the Patriots dynasty did, and unfortunately, they didn’t come out with some wins here, but we changed that narrative and look forward to bringing our best football to Santa Clara,’ Maye said. ‘That’ll be pretty special.”

Patriots turnaround engineered in offseason roster overhaul

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said that the offseason priority, working with Vrabel, was finding players who “would fit our culture, that happened to be available, that were good players,” Wolf told USA TODAY Sports. “We were able to hit on some of those guys.” 

The key was that those signings, in most cases, outplayed the league-wide expectation of them. 

“Which is, really, a testament to their work ethic,” Wolf said. “It’s been fun to watch. It’s really cool to work with Mike and understand what he’s looking for in players. 

“It’s one of the coolest things about Mike – it’s all genuine. It’s all ‘This is what the expectation is.’ And if you’re not going to be up to it, you’re probably not going to be here too long. But it’s really cool to see guys come in here and trust the guy next to him and work for each other. It’s not a selfish group at all.” 

For defensive lineman Milton Williams, one of those coveted free agents, the postseason was a chance to stand out in the locker room. As of the divisional round, he was the only player who was still going at that point a year prior (as a member of the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles).

“Crazy. It’s crazy. I didn’t expect it this fast,” said Williams, who started believing this team could be special following a Week 5 win on the road against the Buffalo Bills on “Sunday Night Football.” “But we got a bunch of dogs that’s hungry. A lot of guys that have been counted out … nobody really believing in us all year, picking everybody else all year, all this noise. None of that matters when you go out on that field and do what you’re supposed to do.” 

Right tackle Morgan Moses, who was emotional coming off the field, called his sons upon entering the locker room. They were crying. He started crying more. He thought about how the Patriots went 9-0 on the road. In Moses’ view, it was the road less-traveled. 

“It took me 12 years to get here,” he said. “But I didn’t get here by myself.” 

That’s what a football team is, Moses said. And when it all works out, this is the outcome. 

“Just the brotherhood that we built,” Moses said. “All the guys that we bought in in free agency, hats off to our front office, the guys we drafted.” 

One example of the brotherhood is the bond Moses formed with Campbell, whose locker is adjacent to Moses’ at the team facility. 

“Will came to me and was like ‘Yo, I appreciate everything that you do. A lot of guys your age wouldn’t play through some of the things that you play through,’” Moses said. 

To hear that from the rookie he took under his wing from day one meant a lot. 

“I feel like I’ve learned more from him than he’s learned from me,” Moses said. “I feel like that’s the nature of the game.” 

‘We’ve been through so much.’ Pats point to Vrabel as team’s consistent

Campbell remembered telling Wolf and Vrabel during the pre-draft process that he wanted to be part of the organization “for reasons like this.” The years of losing at the end of Belichick’s tenure and the one season of 4-13 Jerod Mayo-led futility didn’t scare him. 

“Any time you walk through a place of work that’s the only goal in mind,” Campbell said. “We don’t show up to lose.  

“I’m just super-grateful to be here.”

Another rookie, running back TreVeyon Henderson, acknowledged the “rough seasons” before 2025. 

“Just being able to have Coach Vrabes come in and help turn this organization to be where we are now, it’s amazing,” he said. “But it took a lot of hard work. Yeah, it took a lot, man. We’ve been through so much this year.” 

The one constant in each player’s postgame message revolved around one person – Vrabel. After the Tennessee Titans made the mistake of firing him following the 2023 season, Vrabel went from being shown the door to opening new ones for a new group of players. 

“He’s meant everything,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “Just his mentality, his balance of being a player but also coaching in this league. Demanding a lot but also understanding us in a way has been huge.” 

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who had five receptions for 17 yards, said he realized leadership in the NFL flows from the top down. Holding everyone accountable becomes a self-policing standard in the locker room among the players themselves. 

“The camaraderie and the team chemistry that he’s built from the head coaching position,” Diggs said, “I hope he wins Coach of the Year.”

Bradbury said the term player-friendly is thrown around a lot but it often takes form in different ways – few with as much impact as Vrabel’s had in roughly one year. 

“He’s hard on us when he needs to be but he’s also fun a lot of time,” Bradbury said. “I think this whole locker room will ride with that guy. 

“He’s absolutely unbelievable. To share the vision that he wanted in April, and to see it come to fruition – and you’re never arrived, you’re constantly trying to show who you are and put it on film.” 

Bradbury called the 2025 season the most rewarding year of his football career. 

A journey that includes a flight back to New England, eventually, as a massive snowstorm blanketed the northeast United States and delayed the Pats’ homecoming. As of Vrabel’s postgame meeting with the team, the buses for the airport were leaving the hotel at 8 a.m.

To that end, he instituted no curfew for his players Sunday night in Denver. If they missed the bus the next morning, however, they would not play in the Super Bowl. Nobody in their right mind would want to miss out on the ride, figuratively or literally, at this point.