Team Comments as Draft Approaches
- Jim Santora
- 5 days ago
- 9 min read
With the draft just around the corner. All eyes are on all twelve KPSL teams and how they will fare as new faces will join teams and hopefully will be the piece (or pieces) that will take their teams to the Championship.
Each team has been asked about where they feel they stand, along with where they feel they will be on draft day.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies have spent a over a decade in playoff purgatory. Since their last title in 2015, we have made the playoffs in 8 of 10 seasons. Our record during those seasons? 468-381...a gaudy .551 winning percentage. That's better than our KPSL lifetime winning percentage. We've had a lot of good teams.
Our playoff record in those years? 17-28! We may have had good teams, but that is ugly. So what about 2026? Is it the year we get the playoff mojo back?
The oddsmakers are betting against it. This is a Rockies team that will score some runs. The defense looks solid. It could be a fringe playoff team. But our pitchers didn't really pitch enough in the 2025 MLB season, forcing a scramble this offseason to fill up the innings. And we're going to keep scrambling.
So we're setting the line of Rockies wins in 2026 at 43.5. Plenty of giveaway nights and 2-for-1 ticket deals this year at Coors Field.
Milwaukee Brewers
Year 2 of Brewers Manager Jordan Schmidt's run in Milwaukee, on the surface, seems very similar to the first year. Not much has changed especially, and if anything, some of the rare assets of the 2025 season have atrophied, such as the team's above-average defense [now painfully average thanks to too many 3 defenders at too many positions], the team's innate ability to pound left-handed pitching [Heliot Ramos's left side is very mediocre, a year after his lefty-killing breakout], and the team's deceivingly deep starting pitching well [man has this rotation dried up].
But below surface-level gripes and fears of a similar finish to 2026 lies the reality that the Brewers could, in fact be the league spoilers this year. Jackson Chourio looks to be even better than his already-great rookie year, with 60.9 total bases, 3.5 home run chances and 6 ballpark homer chances against lefties. On the right hand side, Kyle Stowers is the true standout, with 54.5 total bases, 7.3 home run chances and 8 ballpark homer chances. Even with only 220 at-bats, similar to Isaac Paredes's 208, the quality is high enough that the core of the lineup, consisting of Chourio, Stowers, Paredes and Heliot Ramos, will pack quite the punch. The contact game also looks to be strong, thanks to great projections from J.P. Crawford, Xander Bogaerts and Wilmer Flores, the latter of which looks to be the team's star clutch hitter. Major roles look to be in store for newcomers Pedro Pages, looking to take the majority of reps behind the plate after a year of backing up William Contreras in St. Louis, and Blaze Alexander, picked up from Cincinnati in order to supplant lower-inning options at 2nd and 3rd, without even mentioning the return of Matt McLain after a lost year of rehabbing, where he hopes to pick up where he left off at 2nd.
Plus, even amidst the rotation disarray post-trade deadline last year, 2026 will feature a starring performance from Carlos Rodon, snagged from Washington for Erick Fedde; Rodon's hit chances vary from 5.4 to 6, and his total base chances vary from 13 to 13.5. It is a very even, dominant and reliable card, and though it's currently the only safe bet in the rotation [Sonny Gray's and Jameson Taillon's cards are a lot shakier], the hope is that the draft will further replenish the unit. As for the bullpen, between Kyle Finnegan, Anthony Bender and Victor Vodnik, opposing offenses may have their work cut out for them for a bit this year.
The Brewers look to not only stay in the fight for as long as they did in 2025, but surprise people in a way they couldn't in the past. Depending on how the draft goes, the team could add enough pieces to join the middle of the pack in a quest for a long-elusive playoff spot, and procure enough talent to continue the expansion team's quest to build a perennial competitor. If 2026 goes a certain way, or if several unpredictable things fall into place, this could be the start of something beautiful in Milwaukee. Or at least the start of something credible.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
The 2026 pirates are looking to rebound from a down year in 2025. keys to the rebound are making smart picks with a ton of draft picks before the 5th round in this years draft.
Individually, the team will be leaning on the arm of freddie peralta as the ace of the staff. the starting pitching rotation does need more depth, which the pirates hope to improve in trades or key draft picks.
Offensively the team is well balanced but has no superstar in the day today lineup.
Defensively the team is solid up the middle which in the past was part of the formula of success.
Bullpen is solid but needs a couple of arms from the draft.
Prediction: 45 wins and a spot in the playoffs! reach for the sky!!!
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Dbacks head into the 2026 season about as far down the slide as they could go before they said, what are we doing.
It is hard to believe that we are 5+ years from the 2020-21 teams that went to back-to-back World Series. Owner Jim Santora took a look at this years team, which finished 11th in 2025 and said let’s do something to make this team closer to a playoff team. The result was upgrading the starting pitching as Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo and Zac Gallen join the rotation. This is a huge move and will make a significant improvement sliding into the rotation with Andrew Abbott and Michael King.
On offense, picking up Brendan Donovan and Ivan Herrera takes a major step forward with the bats. Arizona hit average in 2025 but had problems driving in runs. Hopefully, those moves will pay big dividends. The Dbacks are looking at Miguel Andujar and Trevor Story to be big bats this season, but it’s Luis Arraez who may be the best bat in this lineup.
Arraez is clearly one of the best hitters in the KPSL. He may not be full of power, but in his two seasons with Arizona, he has averaged 95 hits, 18 doubles, a .304 career batting average and .360 on-base percentage. In the past, Arraez has sat in the cleanup spot of the lineup, but with some of the other hitters in the mix and the expectations, Arraez will be setting the table higher up in the order.
The team needs to fill some holes and hope that the draft will cover that. There is a outside chance for the Dbacks to crack the playoffs. Arizona hopes that window opens a little more if the team gets off to a hot start.
Philadelphia Phillies
The past two seasons the Phillies have entered into the seasons with less than good pitching but have made the World Series only to fall short as their offense went dormant on the biggest stage.
This year the Phillies enter the season with perhaps their best pitching staff since the great runs of the 2010. (who remember Greinke, Hamels, Kershaw Miller and Bumgarner) While DeGrom, Gore, Peterson, Nola and Libertore are a far cry it is much better than recent years. The bullpen is strong so the Phillies should win their fair share of games.
Where the Phillies should have concentrated on was upgrading their offense, sure they are led by Corbin Carroll and Fransisco Lindor and they will score some runs. But Bryce Harper and Michael Harriss amd KeBryan Hayes aren't exactly trending upwards.
This season the Phillies brass motto will be....let's see how the season plays out. They feel that the Phillies could be a middle of the road team, hanging out on the playoff edges. That is where they were the last two years and then made the World Series. Another appearance is not out of the question.
Washington Nationals: The Washington Nationals enter 2026 in a very different position than a year ago. What started as an expansion project turned into a KPSL championship, as a 49–39 team got hot at the right time and made a run. Now comes the harder part: Proving it wasn’t a one-off. This WAS a fourth-place team, remember.
The foundation still pops according to the early power ratings, ranking the Nats #3 overall with the #2 lineup in the league and arguably the most power top-to-bottom. The deep, flexible group includes Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Matt Chapman. As always, the Bathurst offense will lean on OBP, platoons, and matchup advantages ... with a dollop of jabronis of course.
That approach comes with trade-offs. Defense remains an issue, and we’ll once again be asking a few bats to survive in the field. CJ Abrams will hold down SS, glove optional.
The pitching staff is still a strength — even after dealing significant pieces. Despite moving Carlos Rodón, Robbie Ray, and Jesús Luzardo, the rotation ranks high, led by Cristopher Sanchez, newcomer Ryan Pepiot, Dylan Cease, and Nick Lodolo. There’s still depth here — just a bit less margin for error.
The bullpen, on the other hand, remains a work in progress. Tony Santillan is a bright spot, but this is clearly an area of focus heading into the draft.
With the #4 overall pick in hand, the plan is straightforward: Add pitching (both SP and RP), reinforce the corner outfield, and look for future value where we can find it in a shallow class. This is a contending roster, but not a complete one.
There will be platoons. There will be creativity. There may be some defensive adventures.
But if the bats carry over and the pitching holds, the Nationals will be around again, come October.
Good luck to all — and go Nats.
Chicago Cubs
Trust the Process
This season is all about tearing it down and building it back up. The Cubs are embracing the grind, leaning into a transition year with eyes firmly on the long game. It’s going to be a tough 2026, no sugarcoating it, but there are still real cornerstone pieces here — or real trade chips, depending on how the market shakes out.
At the heart of the rebuild are Perdomo, Alonso, and Schwarber — the Three Amigos — tasked with outslugging opponents often enough to keep the team out of the basement. The offense should hold its own; the defense will be… let’s call it an adventure. But adventures can be fun.
The pitching staff is built with 2027 in mind, not 2026. The hope is simple: get healthy, get right, and get back to form. A bounce‑back trio of Strider, Musgrove, and Eflin could flip the script next year, but for now the goal is survival and development.
On the bright side, there’s star power.
· Schwarber has a legitimate shot to lead the league in homers.
· Perdomo is a dark‑horse MVP candidate if everything clicks.
And as always — the Cubs are OPEN FOR BUSINESS. If you’ve got an offer, bring it. Rebuilds aren’t passive; they’re active, aggressive, and opportunistic. This one will be no different.
San Diego Padres
After a tough 2025 where the Padres sleep walked through half the season, only to be eliminated from the playoffs in game 87. Losing to Giants 1-0 on a solo Homerun. We start 2026 in a bad spot looking to rebuild in a weak draft class.
Hoping to fill some of the many holes in the pitching staff and outfield, the Friars will hoping to fill some holes through the draft. and possibly some trades down the road. San Diego hopes to build behind our main strength in our always dependable infield of Machado, Hoerner, Swanson & Goldschmidt.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. - shohei Ohtani
Cincinnatti Reds
"The Reds went to the offseason with another early exit from the playoffs where they were expected to go deep. Unlike the real-life Phillies, the Reds decided to restructure their roster via the trade market. The Reds have one aim: taking back what should have been ours the last few years."
St. Lousi Cardinals
The Cardinals enter 2026, once again, with a balanced club that will rely on strong pitching over power. This has been the Cardinals model for a while now and while it has exactly zero titles to show for it, the Cards have been in the playoffs more times than not.
So, is this the year? Could it really be time for a title for the Red Birds?
Maaaaaaay-beeeeeeee????
The team is pretty solid pre-draft. The starting pitching or Paul Skenes, Kevin Gausman, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Woodruff and Shota Imanaga dovetails nicely with a good pen led by Tyler Rodgers Carlos Esteves and Raisel Iglesias.
There are few holes in the line-up as well. Willam Contreras, Freddy Freeman, and Christian Yelich lead a contact-heavy attack. The defense is good with Masyn Winn and Harrison Bader. Again, solid but not spectacular.
There are some upgrades to be made, some depth to be added, through a bottom-heavy draft board, but this is a team that should compete for a playoff spot. After that, who knows?
San Francisco Giants
After a long offseason away, we gathered ourselves after the disappointment of an early playoff exit. We now start to make our plan to move forward.
We have a solid core of SP with Wheeler, Webb, and Sale but have little depth in the rest of the rotation and plenty of room for growth in the bullpen. We are solid in the OF with Soto, Acuna, Happ, and a 1 in CF. We are a mere ok at 1B, 2B, and 3B. Well maybe not that ok but we will make do. Solid at SS and C.
We feel like we have the last couple offseason where we feel we might be able to contend but have some real glaring holes and major depth issues. Decisions, decisions. Decisions will need to be made. Probably sooner than later
Tuesday, March 17 is when it all goes down. Good luck to all the teams.
