From the Collection: Otto Lopez, if, Florida Marlins
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Otto Lopez was a good middle infield prospect for the Blue Jays from 2020-2023, ranking as high as the team’s #6 prospect by Baseball America in 2022. But injuries sapped his prospect stock, and he was released in February 2024. He was eventually selected off waivers by Florida, and he opened the 2024 season with their AAA club.
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Lopez was called up in April and never looked back. He spent the rest of the season with the big-league club. While he only had an 87 OPS+, his glove at second base made up for the lack of offence. He also had 20 stolen bases and was only caught four times.
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Lopez will open the season as the club’s second baseman, and while he will bat towards the bottom of the line-up, his plus defense and speed on the basepaths should make him a valuable player moving forward.

From the Collection: Teoscar Hernandez, of, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The only reason Teoscar Hernandez is that he was a player that many Guardians fans hoped the club would sign for the 2024 season. He would have helped elevate a well-below league average outfield, and wouldn’t have cost the team too much money or contact length. But alas, he was signed by the Dodgers and had a career season in 2024, with a 137 OPS+ and earning his second All-Star selection. His 33 HR would have been welcomed in the Guards line-up, especially in the second half of the season. Though I am not sure how much he would have helped Cleveland’s overall chances, since it is was pitching that ultimately doomed the club in the playoffs.

Witchia Baseball was visiting Hawaii this past weekend and had some interesting players. On the shortlist of guys I was hoping to get was infielder Kam Durnin. He had a good series, starting all four games and hitting .294 with four RBI. Hitting in Hawaii is never fun.
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Durnin is a big part of the future of the Wichita program. He had a fantastic freshman season in 2024, hitting .267/.366/.467 with 7 HR. There is no reason to think he won’t improve on those numbers this season.

From the Field: Derek Tatsuno, p, University of Hawaii
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Well gosh, getting this autograph made my night. You know who Paul Skenese is, right? Pittsburg Pirates phenom pitcher who won the NL Rookie of the Year last season. In 2023, Skense set the LSU and SEC record for strikeouts in a single season, with 209 over 122.2 innings. Amazing, sure. But not the all-time single-season strikeout record. That belongs to the guy who signed those cards: University of Hawaii’s Derek Tatsuno.
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Derek Tatsuno struck out 243 over 174.1 innings in 1979 for the Univerity of Hawaii.  During his record-breaking season, Tatsuno was also the first college pitcher to win 20 games. It’s a record that has never been matched once since, in 1986, by Florida State’s Mike Loynd
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Tatsuno was not a single-season flash in the pan. He was dominant during each of his three seasons with the Rainbow Warriors and ended his college career with a 40-6 record, 2.04 ERA, and 541 K’s. His 541 K’s was the NCAA career record until Auburn’s John Powell surpassed him in 1994 with 602 K’s. He is easily one of the most dominant pitchers in college history.
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Tatsuno was named to the College Baseball All-Century team by Baseball America in 1998, and in 2007 he was selected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

From the Field: Jacob Wilson, ss, Oakland Athletics
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Jacob Wilson is an exciting prospect. In 2024, his first season of pro ball after being drafted by Oakland with the 6th overall pick of the 2023 draft, he carried a .447 OBP and 1.142 OPS over three levels. Do you want to get promoted to the majors? That is how you do it. And the Athletics thought the same thing, calling Wilson up in July 2024. While he does not have a ton of power when you get on base like he does–all while playing a strong shortstop–you can overlook that. It’s interesting how he looks like an upgraded version of his dad, Jack Wilson, who spent 12 seasons in the majors playing shortstop.

The Cleveland Guardians drafted pitcher Braylon Doughty with the 36th overall pick of last season’s draft. I was happy to get his autograph on such a nice card, that way I don’t have to worry about trying to find some way to get him this season.
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Doughty, a high school pick, has lots going for him. With a fastball that touches the high 90’s, Doughty projects as a top-of-the-rotation starter. He also had fantastic numbers his senior year (50.1 innings, 85 strikeouts, and only 10 walks). He is widely regarded as one of Cleveland’s Top 10 prospects and arguably their best pitching prospect coming into the 2025 season.

New Arrival: Ray Durham, if, Oakland Athletics
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When I think of Ray Durham, I think about the 2002 Oakland Athletics. That is the same season made famous in the movie “Moneyball”. And while I love that movie, the baseball nerd in me would like to point out that the film left out much of what made that 103-win Oakland team special. This included its insane rotation of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Mark Mulder, and the 30+ HR seasons of Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. That was such a fun team.
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Another transaction was Oakland trading for the Chicago White Sox Ray Durham. Durham, a two-time All-Star, was an offensively minded second baseman. Oakland had used a rotation of Mark Ellis, Frank Menechino, Randy Velarde, and Jeremy Giambi at second. The hope was that Durham could stabilize the position and add a spark to the lead-off spot. And he did well enough: following the trade Durham had a 115 OPS+ and hit extremely well in the playoffs.

New Arrival: Spencer Horwitz, if, Pittsburg Pirates
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Baseball is not always a fast game until it is. Example: infielder Spencer Horwitz.
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On 10 December, the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays made a small market blockbuster trade. Cleveland sent IF Andrés Giménez and pitcher Nick Sandlin to Toronto in exchange for Spencer Horwitz and OF prospect Nick Mitchell. It was a decent trade, I thought. Horwitz was only 26, has some pop, can take a walk, and technically could play first or second base. And goodness knows Cleveland likes their position flexibility.
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Little did I know that Cleveland had plans for Horwitz that did not involve him swinging a bat. Almost immediately he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitchers Luis Ortiz, Michael Kennedy, and Josh Hartle. Another decent trade. Goodness knows the Guards needed the help in the rotation. The only downside was that in his hours-long tenure with the Guards, I quickly scooped up the above autograph and his first minor league card…probably should have given it a day or two.
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All and all I am happy with all these moves. Cleveland has roughly a dozen players who are middle infielders who need major league at-bats. And Andrés Giménez was expensive for a glove-first second baseman on a small market roster. So here is hoping one of Juan Brito, Tyler Freeman, or Gabriel Arias pan out.

From the Field: Gideon Antle, of, North Greenville University Trailblazers
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Another player on my shortlist to get on Thursday night was North Greenville’s outfielder Gideon Antle. Antle spent the last two seasons playing at Ohio University, and put up some impressive numbers. In 2024 he hit .350 with a .398 OBP (or .401, if you look at baseballreference) and 10 HR, and was All-MAC Second Team. There is no reason to think he won’t put up even better numbers with the Trailblazers this season.

From the Field: Eddie Taubensee, c, Cleveland Guardians
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I am from Cleveland. I grew up watching those 90’s Cleveland baseball teams dominate the American League Central. Ed Taubensee played a big role in that success, though not quite how you might think. So it was thrilling to see that he is a coach with the University of North Greenville and visiting the islands this week.

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In late-1991 Cleveland had their eye on a light-hitting but toolsy outfielder named Kenny Lofton. When Cleveland reached out to talk trade, the Astros said they were in the market for a left-handed hitting catcher. And, as luck would have it, Cleveland had just that in a well-regarded prospect named Eddie Taubensee.
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While the trade is a no-brainer in hindsight, at the time it was not. The Cleveland front office thought highly of Taubensee. But Taubensee was blocked by Sandy Alomar Jr on the depth-chart. Eventually, Cleveland pulled the trigger, tossing in pitching prospect Willie Blair to sweeten the deal.
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Taubensee would go on to have a solid career. In his prime from 1994-1999 he was a bat-first catcher with a .814 OPS and 109 OPS+. He probably should have made an All-Start team during that period, but he was playing in the same era as Mike Piazza, Iván Rodríguez, and Javy López, and that is a tough group for anyone to crack.