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The first day of the MLB draft is over! And members of one of the most loaded classes in recent draft history now have new homes. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Paul Skenes, one of the consensus best picks in the class, first overall, and his LSU teammate Dylan Crews followed to the Washington Nationals at No. 2. But from No. 3 on, we got plenty of surprising picks in the first two rounds.

ESPN baseball insiders Alden Gonzalez, Jesse Rogers and Dave Schoenfield are sharing their favorite and most head-scratching moves of the draft’s first night, as well as their picks for the players who’ll bring the most to their teams long-term. And Kiley McDaniel shares his best names available for the next 18 rounds, which will continue Monday and Tuesday.


There were three clear favorites at the top of this draft: Did the Pirates make the right decision in drafting Paul Skenes?

Gonzalez: I’m mildly surprised, both because some of the latest rumors linked them to Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford and because of the attrition rate for pitchers in general, but I think they made the right choice. The draft is the best and perhaps the only chance for an organization like the Pirates to get an arm of this caliber, and looking back, it would have been foolish to pass up on the combination of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery and having one of the best pitching prospects of this century available to them. Skenes’ stuff is nasty, as we all know by now, but he also has the athleticism and the work ethic for it to translate at the highest level. His workload has also been relatively light. Pitchers can often be a crapshoot, but this is as safe as it can get at that position.

Rogers: Yeah, they did. Some organizations don’t like taking pitchers this high considering the potential for injury, but Skenes isn’t exactly an unproven prospect in need of years of seasoning while the Pirates hold their breath that he stays healthy. More importantly, where else is Pittsburgh going to find an ace if not the draft? In the end, this might have been a no-brainer.

Schoenfield: OK, here’s the short list of best college pitching prospects ever: Stephen Strasburg, Mark Prior and Ben McDonald, and now Skenes, with Strasburg and Skenes the consensus top two. It’s worth noting that Strasburg, Prior and McDonald all had major league success — and all had injuries that ultimately shortened their careers. But if Strasburg’s career is merely a worst-case scenario, imagine what the best case might be for Skenes. Maybe he’s the next Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. And as an added bonus, he’s so advanced that he has a legitimate shot to win Rookie of the Year by next season, which would give the Pirates a bonus first-round pick. I think it was the right pick.

Outside of Skenes, what was your favorite pick of the night — and what was one that had you scratching your head?

Gonzalez: I’ll go with two favorites — a high-floor prospect and a high-ceiling one. The former is Jacob Gonzalez, who was ranked sixth in Kiley McDaniel’s latest rankings and fell to the Chicago White Sox at 15. He’s a 6-foot-2, left-handed-hitting shortstop who will be good enough defensively to stay at the position and makes a lot of contact. The pick I’m really intrigued by, though, came right after, when the Giants took 6-foot-7 aspiring two-way player Bryce Eldridge at 16. It’s a perfect fit.

My head-scratcher came a little later: the Los Angeles Dodgers selecting undersized high school outfielder Kendall George at No. 36, snagging him two to three rounds earlier than most projections expected him to go.

Rogers: The Oakland Athletics taking Jacob Wilson was a good one. He comes ready-made, with his dad, Jack (a former major leaguer), coaching him up throughout his young career so far. Any rebuild the A’s undertake starts with Wilson at shortstop. He was also the toughest player in college baseball to strike out this season.

The Detroit Tigers passing up Langford for high schooler Max Clark was curious. Of course, it’ll be years before we know whether it was the right or wrong pick, but it’s surprising Langford dropped out of the top three — especially since college bats are usually the most reliable picks.

Schoenfield: I actually love that the Tigers instead went with Clark. By all accounts, Clark is a 1-1 type of talent in another draft — one that wasn’t as top-loaded as this one — and I think the upside over Langford is clear: Clark has a more well-rounded game thanks to his blazing speed and defense in center field. That’s going to create a lot of added value that Langford, who is likely limited to an outfield corner, probably won’t possess. Langford has more raw power, but give me the complete player.

As for my least favorite, hard to believe, but it’s the Kansas City Royals. Taking a prep catcher in the top 10? No, thank you. Blake Mitchell is the first one taken that high since Kyle Skipworth in 2008. Never heard of Skipworth? That’s because he never reached the majors. There’s a reason teams rarely select high school catchers that high anymore: History says most of them don’t pan out. No matter the scouting grades, it’s an extremely risky selection.

Which player drafted Sunday night has the best chance to win an MVP or Cy Young award someday?

Gonzalez: I’ll go with Crews, the guy who slashed .380/.498/.689 in three seasons in the nation’s best baseball conference. He’s the best, most complete hitter in this draft and he brings plus defense, the type that could have him debut in the major leagues as a center fielder. He won’t run a ton — though his speed has improved since high school — but he could win multiple Silver Sluggers when his career is set and done … and perhaps an MVP or two.

Rogers: I’ll take the easy route and say Skenes. I don’t care in what level you’re pitching, when you record 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings, you have my vote for most likely to win a Cy Young. Cy Young candidates lead their teams and dominate to the point they can’t be denied; Skenes has that written all over him. Talent evaluators don’t deny the elite talent, so now it’s about staying healthy and having that big year in the majors to garner him an award someday.

Schoenfield: Skenes is the easy call there — although of the 18 previous pitchers to go No. 1 overall, only David Price has won a Cy Young Award (Gerrit Cole has finished second twice and Strasburg had a third-place result). My sleeper: Hurston Waldrep, the Braves’ selection. Big-time stuff, and the Braves have certainly had some success in developing pitchers. For MVP, Crews makes sense, but I’ll toss out Clark here as well. I’m getting Corbin Carroll vibes with his hit/power/speed skill set, and Carroll already looks like a potential MVP candidate as a rookie.

What’s your biggest overall takeaway from Day 1 of this draft?

Gonzalez: How clearly defined the first tier was, consistent with basically every projection coming in. Skenes, Crews, Langford, Clark and Walker Jenkins were so obviously the five best players available — in whatever order you wanted to rank them — but we knew everything beyond them was pretty unpredictable. It played out precisely that way, with Kyle Teel in particular going a little lower than I would have expected (14th to the Boston Red Sox) given the relative lack of talent at catcher in this draft. Gonzalez went lower, too, as I noted, but shortstop was a major strength this year; 14 of the 39 picks that encompassed Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A were shortstops.

Rogers: When in doubt, take an OF or a SS. Teams love athleticism and flexibility. Shortstops, in particular, automatically qualify in those departments. For example, the Chicago Cubs passed on a positional need at third base in order to take shortstop Matt Shaw from Maryland. If he stays in their organization, it won’t be at shortstop, where Dansby Swanson just signed a seven-year deal. Bottom line: Middle-infield guys and outfielders can play anywhere. Shaw said as much after being drafted.

Schoenfield: Only one high school pitcher went in the first round (the first 28 picks). This more or less follows recent trends as high school pitchers — like high school catchers — are viewed as risky selections. It also speaks not just to the reliance on draft models but the importance of all the pitch-tracking and hitting data now available at the college level. Scouting departments can better analyze college players than ever before, and thus have a better level of confidence when drafting them. But it might also mean teams are underrating high school players, so there could be some hidden gems selected in the comp or second/third rounds when we look back at this draft in four or five years.

Kiley McDaniel’s best available players for Day 2

(Listed by top 300 draft prospects ranking)

32. Roch Cholowsky, SS, Hamilton (Arizona) HS, UCLA commit

36. Jack Hurley, CF, Virginia Tech

39. Trent Caraway, 3B, JSerra Catholic (California) HS, Oregon State commit

40. Drew Burress, CF, Houston County (Georgia) HS, Georgia Tech commit

46. Steven Echavarria, RHP, Millburn (New Jersey) HS, Florida commit

55. Paul Wilson, LHP, Lake Ridge (Oregon) HS, Oregon State commit

59. Jace Bohrofen, RF, Arkansas

60. Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, Oklahoma State

61. Cameron Johnson, LHP, IMG Academy (Florida) HS, LSU commit

62. Michael Carico, C, Davidson

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

EDMONTON, Alberta — Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left on a shot that deflected in off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl‘s stick to give the Vegas Golden Knights a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Smith’s goal is tied for the latest game winner in regulation in Stanley Cup playoffs history along with Nazem Kadri‘s goal for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 and Jussi Jokinen’s goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009, according to ESPN Research.

“Honestly, I’ve seen [Vegas forward William Karlsson] use that play a few times where he forechecks and spins it out in front of the net, jumping off the bench,” Smith said when asked about the play. “I think there was around seven seconds. I just tried. And being first on it. … So I thought there was a chance. And once it popped out I saw a lot of guys sell out. So I just hope that I had enough time to kind of pump-fake and find a lane and, you know, worked out.”

The game-winning goal came after Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 to go with a centering pass that went in off defender Brayden McNabb‘s skate.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate,” Draisaitl said of the game-winning goal. “It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce.”

After Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in a 54-second span late in the first period. Karlsson put the Golden Knights in front with 2:55 left in the second, beating goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with Noah Hanifin. And Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ win Saturday cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.

“Before the series starts, if you were to tell us that we were gonna be up 2-1 after three, we’d be happy,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’d be pleased with that, not only up 2-1, but Game 4 at home.”

Vegas rallied in the first period after Golden Knights forward Mark Stone left because of an upper-body injury.

“Big win for our team,” Smith said. “We need to use the momentum in front of us to push forward, but focus one game at a time. That’s kind of always been the mindset for this group. We have a lot of resiliency. So as long as you focus on that next game and get a little bit better every night.”

Roy, playing a day after being fined but not suspended for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face in overtime in Game 2, cut it to 2-1 off a rebound with 4:43 left in the first. Smith then slipped a backhander through Skinner’s legs with 3:49 to go in the period.

Skinner stopped 20 shots, taking over in goal for the injured Calvin Pickard. Pickard appeared uncomfortable and was seen shaking out his left leg after Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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McCullers: Family got death threats during loss

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McCullers: Family got death threats during loss

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. said he and his family were the subjects of death threats made on social media after he allowed seven runs as part of a 10-run first inning for the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

A team spokesperson said the Astros notified the Houston Police Department and Major League Baseball security about the threats.

“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” McCullers said. “So just as a father I think there have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly, and I think actually one or two people from other issues around baseball actually had to go to jail for things like that. But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public, they’re gonna stab my kids to death, things like that, it’s tough to hear as a dad.”

McCullers and his wife, Kara, have two young daughters.

McCullers (0-1) was making just his second start since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series after battling a series of right arm issues. An All-Star in 2018, he has spent all eight of his big league seasons in Houston.

A visibly upset manager Joe Espada addressed the threats at his postgame news conference.

“There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance,” Espada said. “It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all he’s done for this city, for his team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office — I got kids too and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad, very, very sad.

“Listen, he hasn’t pitched in 2½ years. … It’s going to take a little bit of time to get him going. And that’s fine. But this can’t happen. I’m really upset that this can happen to athletes.”

McCullers struggled with his command from the start Saturday. He walked leadoff hitter TJ Friedl before plunking Matt McLain on the backside. Elly De La Cruz then smacked an opposite-field, three-run homer to left to make it 3-0.

McCullers walked two more batters with one out before Tyler Stephenson hit an RBI single. Will Benson followed with an RBI double to make it 5-0 and chase McCullers.

He was replaced by Logan VanWey, but the Reds kept piling on, sending 15 batters to the plate before Santiago Espinal finally struck out to end the inning.

It was Cincinnati’s most runs in a first inning since August 1989, when they scored 14, also against the Astros.

“If you fail you fail on a very large stage [with] a lot of eyes and there’s nowhere to hide,” McCullers said. “At the end of the day, I just want to do my job. I just want to be a good pitcher for the Astros and I believe I’ll get there, but like I said I just think that having to worry about that, worry about leaving town and leaving them and things like that or dropping her off at school, I just think … there should be some type of decency.”

The Reds went on to win Saturday’s game 13-9 as Houston lost for the fourth time in the past six games.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Cubs? White Sox? Villanova? Different claims made to Pope Leo XIV’s fandom after election

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Cubs? White Sox? Villanova? Different claims made to Pope Leo XIV's fandom after election

History was made in Vatican City on Thursday, when Pope Leo XIV was introduced as the first American to be elected pontiff.

Leo XIV (birth name Robert Francis Prevost) was born and raised in southern Chicagoland, where he served as an altar boy in the St. Mary of the Assumption parish. Now, as he ascends to the papacy, an unlikely Second City staple is celebrating the moment: the Chicago Cubs.

After his election, ABC reported that Leo XIV was a fan of the Cubs.

But John Prevost — Leo XIV’s brother — had a different view. Prevost spoke to WGN News in Chicago after Leo XIV’s election and rebuked the idea that the Pope was a Cubs fan.

“He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” Prevost said. “So I don’t know where that came from. He was always a [Chicago White] Sox fan.”

Later on Thursday, Chicago’s ABC7 affiliate also reported on Leo XIV’s White Sox fandom. The White Sox themselves got in on the action, posting their own video board celebration and a clip of Prevost’s interview with WGN.

Prevost’s theory for the possible confusion? Their mother, whose family was from the north side of the city, was a Cubs fan.

The lone team that can conclusively claim to hold the rights to the new Pope’s fandom until further clarification is the Villanova Wildcats. Leo XIV graduated from the university as part of the Class of 1977.

“Roommates Show,” a podcast hosted by Wildcats-turned-New York Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, joked that they’d be having their fellow Villanova alumnus on the show in the near future.

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