The early part of the season is when boards tend to evolve the fastest. Conference play is ramping up, high school circuits are gaining momentum across the country, and every weekend seems to introduce a handful of new names that evaluators and scouts suddenly can't stop talking about.
In NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Wasserman's most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report, the Washington Wizards find themselves at No. 5 overall, where they make the best out of a bad situation selection Illinois star Keaton Wagler. Obviously, Wagler isn't a name many fans are rooting for and with talents like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer available, it's easy to get lost in the hype.
As we inch closer to the end of January, the excitement builds for NHL players to return to the Olympics. But, for fans of teams that don't have any/many players headed to Italy for the Games, it's also a fun time to start talking about two other subjects: the trade deadline, and breaking down mock drafts. I've been writing mock drafts throughout the season ( my most recent), so don't worry about my specific picks.
The Miami Heat weren't hopeless entering the 2025-26 NBA season, but their hopes were all tied to the future: future star pursuits, future prospect emergences, future splashes on the trade market. Multiple months into this campaign, things are pretty much still the same. They're still scanning the trade market for difference-makers, but the ones they want aren't available, and they don't want the ones that are.
In the end, though, all the White Sox got were Luisangel Acuña and a 12th-round overslot signee arm from last year's draft that registers as a fringy prospect at best. Not to denigrate Ronald Acuña Jr.'s younger brother too much, but Luisangel looks like an all-glove utility infielder based on his 200ish PAs of MLB exposure thus far, and a big chunk of his defensive value to date.
We will be skipping over the four guys who as of right now have no shot at falling that far, the top three shortstops (Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Justin Lebron) and the top pitcher (Liam Peterson). We will continue our series with a third shortstop in Eric Becker, following Jacob Lombard and Tyler Spangler at the position. This group of players is based on how things look ahead of the spring, as players could see their stock or even game change significantly
Peguero was once a touted young infielder whom the Pirates acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Starling Marte. He's a former top-100 prospect who was once viewed as a possible shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. Peguero's bat has never come around, however. He's seen action in four big league seasons but has mustered only a .227/.278/.368 slash line in 315 turns at the plate.
He's Tristan Gray, and he comes from Missouri City, Texas. He went to Elkins High School, which also produced longtime big leaguers in Matt Carpenter and James Loney. While MLB talent has gone through Elkins, the indoor drumline might have been more of a draw. They had a dynasty from 2001 to 2008, winning six state titles over that span. Gray was presumably more interested in baseball than drums, going on to play college baseball at Rice and summer ball with the Falmouth Commodores.
Angeles spent his entire season in the DSL, appearing in 10 games (4 starts) and pitching 35.1 innings. He recorded a 3.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts to 10 walks. He allowed just 6.1 hits per nine innings. Angeles pitched very well, and was arguably the best pitcher on the DSL Braves staff. He limited his base runners, which helped him to limit the damage against him.
That's obviously a tiny sample of work but his minor league track record also isn't great. From 2021 to 2023, he hit .233/.350/.419 on the farm. That offense translates to a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above average but barely. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in that time. In 2024, he had a monster .299/.372/.514 showing in Triple-A.
When he was drafted by San Jose, a large chunk of fans were incredulous that General Manager Mike Grier didn't take Matvei Michkov instead (ignorant of the reality that Michkov almost certainly didn't want to come to the Sharks, given that he said no to Washington and Arizona). When he spent his post-draft year with Boston College, NHL scouts focused on his linemates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault instead, ignoring the reality that it was Smith's playmaking and play-driving ability carrying the line.
Earlier this week, the Rangers rookie camp roster was released, as rookie camp starts today. Most of the names are as expected, with one exception. Brennan Othmann, who is entering the final year of his entry level contract signed in 2021, is a bit of a surprise to see on the roster. Othmann could be named captain of the rookie camp, which would explain why the soon to be 23 year old is participating this year.
As a 17-year-old who was promoted to the U20 squad and immediately began breaking scoring records, Viggo Björck has already commanded the attention of scouts. He broke out with 27 goals and 74 points in 42 games played, facing off against older and more competitive opponents. Björck even made his Hockey Allsvenskan debut, the second-highest league in Sweden behind the SHL, scoring a goal in his first and only game with the club (so far).
Lots of positives with #WhiteSox right now but Hagen Smith's struggles are a massive disappointment. I'm getting Carson Fulmer vibes and they passed on premium hitting talent to take him as a fast moving college arm. Brian Bannister has a project on his hands.- James Fox (@JamesFox917) August 24, 2025 Fulmer was the highly regarded pitching prospect out of Vanderbilt that the team took with the No. 8 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Hugo Ekitike is a transfer-scouting Rorschach test: How you view him says everything about how you view the sport. More than any player I can remember, Ekitike somehow both reaffirms and rejects conventional wisdom and scouting biases. He's a physical marvel with glaring physical weaknesses. He's an analytics darling with massive analytical red flags.
The volatility of rookie pitching prospects is evident in recent performances, highlighting the uncertainty faced by fantasy managers. Jacob Misiorowski's stellar outing contrasts sharply with Chase Burns' struggles.
