Two top NFL prospects and one epic title game: When Caleb Williams and Olu Fashanu were high school teammates
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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
WASHINGTON — With Olu Fashanu, it was the size.
That was the first thing former DeMatha Catholic High School offensive lineman Golden Israel-Achumba noticed when he saw his rival offensive lineman on the opposing sideline in 2018.
“I’m looking at Olu like, ‘Who is that guy?'” Israel-Achumba said of the now 6-foot-6, 317-pounder who is his friend and teammate at Penn State. “That guy’s huge. He’s not letting anything get by him.”
For Caleb Williams, it was the demeanor. Whether it was seeing him as a high school freshman in 2017 or as a USC star today, the way he carried himself stood out.
“I know his look on his face, I know the body language, the way he walks, the way his arms move, the ways his feet move,” Gonzaga College High School football coach Randy Trivers said. “It’s the way his shoulders, his posture … a lot of athletes under certain circumstances are going to be really, really good. But there’s few athletes under circumstances that can really consistently triumph and be good. There’s a fearlessness of failure.”
Not only did their 2018 Gonzaga football team defeat its biggest rival, DeMatha, to win the school’s first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 16 years, but the Eagles did it in epic fashion. The dramatic championship game, which was highlighted by SportsCenter and Good Morning America, featured three touchdowns and three lead changes — in the final 29 seconds.
That 2018 team could again make history this spring as the only known high school team in at least the past 20 years to produce two top-five NFL draft picks in the same class. While most draft experts have Williams — USC’s starting quarterback and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner — as the No. 1 overall pick, many also have Fashanu as the top offensive lineman and the No. 5 overall pick. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the most comparable high school duo would have been Alex Smith and Reggie Bush, who played together at Helix High in San Diego, but weren’t in the same draft class. Smith was No. 1 overall in 2005, while Bush was No. 2 in 2006.
But before they hear their names called in the draft, Williams and Fashanu both have College Football Playoff dreams to attend to, continuing this Saturday. Williams, coming off the worst performance of his college career in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame, will look to bounce back against Utah, a team that beat the Trojans twice last year. Fashanu and Penn State head to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State in a game that will go a long way toward determining Big Ten supremacy.
In July, Williams said being so close to the CFP last year and ultimately falling out of the top four on Selection Day frustrated and fueled him.
“It bothers me because I play for championships,” he said. “I don’t play for anything else.”
He and Fashanu have the high school history together to prove it.
WILLIAMS AND FASHANU have emerged in the national spotlight, but both left their prints all over Gonzaga, a 203-year-old private school located about four blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
The school’s football field is connected on one side by the red brick St. Aloysius Church and the U.S. Government Publishing Office on the other. The Eagles compete in one of the nation’s most elite high school football conferences, with its best teams annually producing some of the top collegiate players at the Power 5 level.
Virginia Tech running backs coach Elijah Brooks was the head coach at DeMatha when Williams was choosing where he would go to high school.
“Losing Caleb in the high school recruitment might have been my worst recruiting loss ever,” he said. “He had come to my camps for many years, and he was almost a shoo-in to come to DeMatha. When that didn’t happen, I knew we lost a talented player. But I had no idea he was gonna be this phenomenal. And he is exactly that.”
Sam Sweeney, then a junior at Gonzaga and a contender for starting quarterback, conceded he wasn’t thrilled a freshman quarterback came in and won the starting job. Sweeney and Williams had a good relationship. They were always together, going to meetings and extra film sessions, and training with the same personal quarterbacks coach — Chris Baucia, a DeMatha alum.
“It was very unique to me, just because you sit two years … waiting to be the starting quarterback and then you come your junior year, and this freshman shows up and you kind of question it,” said Sweeney, now a star lacrosse player at Penn State, “but now seeing what he’s done … it makes sense now.”
Trivers said it wasn’t a difficult decision to start Williams as a freshman.
“We had opportunities for him to show us his level of maturity in the meeting room,” Trivers said, “his level of maturity and toughness in the strength and conditioning program, his level of maturity and competence on the practice field. And when he was doing those things over and over again, it just became clear that, OK, this goes against what my norm would be with a freshman quarterback for sure, but this guy, that’s what he is. And he’s ready.”
While Williams had football tunnel vision from an early age, Fashanu was a basketball player who didn’t immerse himself in football until he was at Gonzaga. One of Fashanu’s former Gonzaga teammates, current Wake Forest offensive lineman Luke Petitbon, said all of the offensive lineman during the 2018 season were big, but Fashanu “was just bigger than all of us.”
“Gonzaga is a school where the athletes and regular students, everyone is such good friends,” he said, “so Olu would be with a friend who doesn’t play football and he’s like nine inches taller than him and outweighs him by 150 pounds, but it’s normal at Gonzaga, which makes it cool because it’s not just athletes in a clique hanging out with each other. It’s definitely funny seeing Olu next to people who are 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds.”
Petitbon said he first spotted Fashanu in the stands at Buchanan Football Field for the school’s annual cookout for freshmen. The freshmen football players had already reported, and Fashanu hadn’t even signed up yet.
“At the time he was probably like 6-foot-4, kind of skinny,” Petitbon said. “He’s not as big as he is now, but he was still a massive human being, and I talked to him. He never played football before.”
Fashanu signed up for freshman football, but it wasn’t until Petitbon’s junior year that they played side-by-side. During their senior year, Fashanu had moved to his current position at left tackle, and Petitbon was at right guard.
Petitbon, who said he is on a text chain with Fashanu and a few other former Gonzaga linemen, said they still laugh about going to Outback together in his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, where “Olu would eat an ungodly amount of food.”
“The Outback appetizers are ginormous,” Petitbon said, “and Olu would eat an entire cheese fries and a Bloomin’ Onion, and a bunch of wings and then have a big steak afterwards.”
Multiple former teammates and coaches described Fashanu as a “gentle giant” who has continued to develop, including at Penn State. Trivers said Williams was “more refined” when he arrived at Gonzaga because he had more experiences leading up to high school, while Fashanu had potential “with a capital ‘P.'”
“You could see his body, he had good length and as a young kid, decent enough thickness to know this guy has a chance to be a big dude, but he was very green, very raw because he really had no football experience coming in,” Trivers said.
Gonzaga assistant coach Justin Young, who coached Fashanu on the offensive line during his freshman and sophomore seasons, has also been the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Young said Fashanu was “molding clay,” as far as improving his flexibility in the weight room, but knew from the start he was “a first-rounder based on his size and his potential.”
“To be honest and completely humble, we just assumed he would be this type of player because of his build, just a massive young man walking these hallways,” Young said. “… He didn’t come in at the strongest but he definitely attacked getting strong. He was definitely a four-year project, three-and-a-half year project as far as getting his flexibility where it needed to be. Caleb on the other hand, he’s different. He came in there prepared and ready, came to our morning workouts a freshman prepared and ready and in shape. He just attacks some of the hardest things we try to give our players and attacks them with a smile. He’s built for whatever. He just plays quarterback.”
IN ORDER TO make it to the WCAC title game, Gonzaga had to finish as one of the top four teams in the 10-team conference.
“No one thought we were gonna be good,” said Sweeney, then a receiver for Gonzaga. ” … We were written off from the start, even in the summer, and we just put our heads down and worked and used that as motivation.”
Gonzaga won its first six games, but stumbled down the stretch. The Eagles finished the regular-season with three losses, including a triple overtime loss to DeMatha, located about 11 miles away from the heart of the nation’s capital. The storied history between the two all-boys Catholic schools is comparable to “a miniature Ohio State versus Michigan,” said Wolverines defensive back Josh Wallace, who played the same position for DeMatha.
The regular-season loss to DeMatha ensured Gonzaga would lose its division for the second straight season. Two weeks later, on Nov. 3, Gonzaga lost again, this time on its home field to St. John’s in the nation’s oldest Catholic high school football rivalry. It was a convincing 34-17 loss in front of a crowd of more than 2,500.
“They crushed us,” Petitbon said. “We were going into the playoffs as the four-seed.”
And they won — against the very team that had just “crushed” them a week earlier.
Gonzaga beat St. John’s, 24-14, in the WCAC semifinal that would pit them against DeMatha in the championship game. DeMatha had won four straight conference titles from 2013-2016 and produced NFL talent such as Chase Young and Anthony McFarland Jr.
“That was the thing with Gonzaga,” said Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross, who played for DeMatha in the 2018 title game. “They were never as talented as us. They’d always find a way to get lucky and to win. They would out-fundamental us.”
As determined as Gonzaga was to win its first title since 2002, the Eagles fell into a 20-0 hole in the first half of the championship game, and a 16-year-old Williams would have to lift them out of that hole.
“The main plan was to contain him, keep him in that pocket and make him make the throws that he didn’t want to make,” Israel-Achumba said. “We also wanted to get him and hit him in the pocket, but that was obviously hard because we had Olu stopping dudes from doing that. It was like, OK, they have a trump card — not only one, but two.”
Gonzaga trailed by three with less than a minute remaining when Williams was sacked, forcing a third-and-33 situation. Williams had injured his ankle on the play, and Trivers said that had the Eagles needed to play another game, Williams probably wouldn’t have been able to participate. Ultimately no cast or surgery was needed, but Trivers called it “a fairly significant injury.”
“He was laying there, I heard him say, ‘My foot, my foot. I can’t get up.'” Sweeney said. “And that’s when I came to the realization that if he can’t get up, I have to play quarterback right now with a minute left in the championship game and score. OK, that’s not happening. Caleb you need to get up.”
“He gets up,” Trivers said, “and you see visibly, there’s a real limp. That was real, for sure, but then he was able to make the throw on the next play to Sweeney, and then a couple more really good throws to finish off the game.”
“Even that last play — on [an injured] foot — and he’s throwing the ball, he’s flicking his wrist and it’s going 50-60 yards in the air,” Sweeney said. “He was just a sophomore in high school, 16 years old. How much talent he had and his competitiveness and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. It’s pretty crazy. It’s still crazy to this day.”
WILLIAMS, HOBBLED BY his injured ankle, heaved a 53-yard Hail Mary as time expired, and Gonzaga students prayed in the stands. He was on his own 41-yard line when he threw it, and it easily sailed about 60 yards.
Colts’ safety Nick Cross and Atlanta Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams were defending the end zone when DeMatha rushed four and Williams released the ball as the clock expired.
“I didn’t get enough umph in my jump to be able to knock the ball down,” Cross said.
Gonzaga’s John Marshall, who went on to play defense at Navy, did.
He miraculously emerged from a pile of defenders in the end zone with the game-winner from Williams. Brooks, DeMatha’s coach, said there was “dead silence” on his sideline when Marshall came down with the ball, and his “heart just dropped.”
Gonzaga 46, DeMatha 43.
“It was a surreal moment,” Marshall said. “I didn’t know where I was for a couple of seconds after I caught it.”
Fans thundered onto the field, where Williams was lying flat on his back near the 50-yard line with his helmet on, before getting up to join the celebration.
Three of Williams’ six touchdowns came in the final 3:03 of the game.
“Caleb is one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever played against,” Cross said.
Petitbon, who lined up with Fashanu for two seasons, said Williams played “like a man possessed” in the WCAC title game. Williams accounted for 480 of the Eagles’ 530 yards of offense. He completed 13 of 29 passes for 359 yards, and carried the ball 20 times for 122 yards.
He even caught one pass for 9 yards.
“It was probably the best single game performance I’ve ever seen,” said Petitbon.
“It’s just the odds of hitting that is slim to none,” Brooks said, “but if anyone was going to make the play, it was going to be him.
“After years have passed and seeing that not only did we lose to a good team,” he said, “we might have lost to arguably the greatest quarterback — maybe player — to come out of the DMV area in the last 20 years. Maybe ever.”
GONZAGA IS THE oldest all-boys school in Washington, D.C., but the athletic department has only retired three numbers — one from basketball, another from hockey, and Williams’ No. 18. They are displayed above the bleachers in the gym, and Williams returned in May for the dedication.
There are also framed newspaper clippings from the 2018 season hanging on the walls in Trivers’ office, along with the framed and stained jersey Williams wore that season. In the locker room, the first locker has been commemorated with Williams’ purple nameplate and will be reserved in his honor. In the hallway just outside and in plain view of Williams’ locker, is a banner that recognizes him as D.C.’s Gatorade Player of the Year for the 2018 season, when he threw for 2,624 yards and 26 touchdowns.
His legacy is already etched in the school’s history, along with Fashanu, who was named to the league’s first-team offense in 2018 and was part of an offensive line that produced all Power 5 alums.
Their places in the first round of the NFL draft will only enhance that.
Israel-Achumba remembered scrolling through Instagram on his phone last season when he saw an early mock draft that had his roommate projected in the first round.
“Usually I see some guys from other schools, some of the older guys on my team,” he said. “I was shook when I saw him. I’m like, whoa. It’s happenin’. I sent it to him, like, ‘Have you seen this?'”
Fashanu wanted his friend to stop “messing around.” Then somebody else sent it to him. Then his parents. But Fashanu, who Penn State coach James Franklin said has the highest GPA of all scholarship players on the team, turned down the opportunity to possibly be among the first five offensive tackles drafted last year.
“I’d say the main two [reasons] were so I could graduate in the summer and start my master’s in the fall,” he said, “and also I felt like not only myself, but everyone on the team, we know that this year we could go a lot further than just the Rose Bowl.”
Regardless of where Penn State winds up this postseason, NFL scouts will be watching.
“He’s a no-brainer with his height, weight, length and speed,” a veteran scout told ESPN’s Pete Thamel this week. “He’s an easy mover and makes the game look easy. He’s a great kid from a great family. He’ll be the first tackle taken this year.”
Israel-Achumba saw the potential in his roommate the first time he looked at him as a rival.
“Couple that with Caleb Williams and the throws he was making and the scrambling, and all the magic he was doing,” Israel-Achumba said, ” … every single thing he’s doing in college now is what he did in high school. Same with Olu.”
Current USC running back MarShawn Lloyd — now teammates with Williams — played against the Heisman Trophy winner that season as a running back for DeMatha.
“Still to this day, Caleb brings up the Gonzaga game,” Lloyd said. “He’ll wear his Gonzaga shorts, and I’ll be like, ‘Bro, take those off.'”
Petitbon still keeps in touch with Williams, though not as frequently as he does Fashanu and the Gonzaga linemen. He said he and Williams usually talk the most during the offseason when they’re playing Call of Duty together online. (“We’re both actually pretty good,” Petitbon said.).
Regardless of what happens in the future, Williams and Fashanu will remain connected through their championship past.
“Having the Heisman Trophy winner, that’s unique, that’s rare,” said Trivers, who is in his 27th season coaching high school football and has spent two decades as head coach of three different programs. “Having a guy in Olu Fashanu that’s likely a first-round draft pick, that’s rare. It’s one thing to be a good high school player, and even a good college player — and even a great college player — but to be what I think is going to happen for these guys — God keep them healthy — these guys are going to be first-round draft choices. That’s another level of talent.”
As the battle in the National League persists between three powerhouse teams, one has emerged as the new No. 1 in our rankings — the Phillies.
The shake-up in the top five continued beyond that, as the Yankees jumped up two spots to No. 3 and the Braves fell to No. 5 while they try to find an offensive rhythm.
Is Philadelphia the current best team in MLB? And which emerging squad has a chance at knocking one of the elite top-five clubs from its spot?
Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and Jorge Castillo to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Record: 36-14
Previous ranking: 2
The Ranger Suarez show continues after the southpaw allowed one run in seven innings with 10 strikeouts to beat the Rangers on Tuesday, running his record to 9-0 with a 1.35 ERA through his first 10 starts. Here’s the list of pitchers since 1920 to win at least nine of their first 10 starts with an ERA under 1.50: Suarez, Ubaldo Jimenez (2010), Juan Marichal (1966) and Sal Maglie (1952). Now the game has changed: While Suarez has pitched 66 innings, Marichal had thrown 92 innings through 10 starts, which was more than nine per start (including a 14-inning 1-0 shutout). Still, Suarez has been amazing, and those 10 strikeouts in a game matched a career high, set in September against the Marlins. — Schoenfield
Record: 33-19
Previous ranking: 1
The third start of Walker Buehler‘s return from a second Tommy John surgery was by far his most encouraging. He held the Reds scoreless through six innings on Saturday, striking out seven batters without issuing a walk and scattering only three hits. His fastball touched 97 mph. “I think I was pretty good at one point — I’ve started Game 1 of playoff series and Opening Day and things like that — and I want to be really good again,” Buehler said. If the Dodgers can get that Buehler … and pair him with Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the top of the rotation … to go with perhaps the most feared top half of a lineup in the sport — well, it might just be unfair. — Gonzalez
Record: 34-17
Previous ranking: 5
It finally happened: Clay Holmes gave up an earned run. The Yankees closer had not allowed one in 20 innings over 20 appearances to begin the season until Monday’s ninth inning, when some bad luck and two walks snowballed into four Mariners runs, a blown save and a loss to snap the Yankees’ seven-game winning streak. Holmes wasn’t going to keep a 0.00 ERA forever, but the collapse with a three-run lead was jarring nonetheless. The Yankees’ bullpen is still second across the majors in ERA and third in win probability added despite ranking 23rd in strikeout rate. More K’s would make their effectiveness more sustainable. — Castillo
Record: 29-18
Previous ranking: 4
Baltimore finished April second in the majors at 5.46 runs per game, but May has been a very different story for the offense. The Orioles are averaging four runs per game this month. They have been shut out twice and held to three or fewer runs 10 times in 18 games. And yet the Orioles have gone 10-8 in May behind a starting rotation with the second-best ERA in baseball since May 1. A lineup with Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman at the top won’t underperform for too long. Combine that with the standout starting rotation and the Orioles will remain one of the sport’s top five teams. — Castillo
Record: 28-18
Previous ranking: 3
Atlanta’s offensive woes are starting to go beyond just a slow start at this point — at least as compared to last season. The Braves do still rank sixth in the majors in OPS, but they had a three-game stretch against the Cubs and Padres where they scored just one run in each game. Ronald Acuna Jr. still can’t find his power stroke, Austin Riley has been out with an intercostal strain, Orlando Arcia has struggled and Jarred Kelenic has slowed down after a nice start. At least Chris Sale continues to dominate: He tossed seven scoreless innings to beat the Padres on Monday for his third straight scoreless start and sixth consecutive win (1.15 ERA over that span). — Schoenfield
Record: 33-17
Previous ranking: 6
The Guardians made a big statement with a weekend sweep of the Twins, as Jose Ramirez belted a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning on Friday and Will Brennan hit a walk-off three-run homer on Sunday — both off curveballs thrown by Twins reliever Jhoan Duran. Ramirez’s batting average and OBP are down, but he leads the American League in RBIs, as he has hit well with runners on base. He also is getting more RBI opportunities, as opponents are pitching to him more with Josh Naylor behind him. Ramirez was intentionally walked 22 times last season but just twice so far in 2024. — Schoenfield
Record: 28-21
Previous ranking: 7
Christian Yelich is putting together his best season since winning the MVP award in 2019. Just in the past week, he has stolen home and led his team to a win against his old team, the Marlins, with a two-run, eighth-inning double. Even missing time due to a back ailment hasn’t slowed Yelich down. Since returning earlier this month, he is hitting over .300 with an OPS well over .800 to go along with four stolen bases, including that one of home on a throw from catcher to pitcher. That kind of heads-up play is indicative of the Brewers this season and a reason they remain in first place. — Rogers
Record: 32-19
Previous ranking: 10
Those who were forecasting a nosedive after the quick start have to be disappointed about Kansas City’s recent surge. The Royals’ pace did slow during the last couple of weeks of April, but since then, they have reemerged as one of baseball’s hottest teams.
As the first important checkpoint on the season calendar approaches (Memorial Day), there is nothing on the Royals’ dossier that suggests a looming regression — other than the notion that, before the season, no one really thought they’d be this good. The team’s front office seems to be buying in, recently cutting bait with Rule 5 pitcher Matt Sauer, who was not big-league ready. Rather than enduring a nonproductive roster spot, as a noncontending team might, the Royals designated Sauer for assignment. The more they win, the more moves like this we’ll see on a roster that has a number of improvable slots. — Doolittle
Record: 27-23
Previous ranking: 8
Shota Imanaga continues to be the storyline for Chicago, and around baseball, as his ERA continues to lower. He has faced nine different teams this season, and none has been able to figure him out. And he’s doing it with mostly a two-pitch mix: a rising fastball and a splitter. That combo has stymied hitters throughout both leagues. He didn’t even have his best fastball his last time out against the Pirates — it averaged just 90.9 mph — yet it was as successful as ever; he threw seven shutout innings while striking out seven, including his final batter with two men on. Imanaga has been nothing short of dominant. — Rogers
Record: 27-23
Previous ranking: 11
The Mariners’ best player so far has probably been catcher Cal Raleigh, who has Gold Glove-worthy defensive metrics while leading Seattle in both homers and RBIs. That Raleigh can be described as their best player despite a .219 batting average underscores the paradox of Seattle’s roster, one devoid of star-level performances this season. And yet, the Mariners not only continue to lead the AL West but have added to that advantage despite not winning more than two games in a row during May.
There has been plenty of good on the Mariners — Raleigh, utility player Dylan Moore, closer Andres Munoz, the entire starting rotation — but very little great. Great, of course, is the tier on which Julio Rodriguez is supposed to reside. If the Mariners are going to continue to thread this needle, however, J-Rod can’t be the only one to break out at some point. — Doolittle
Record: 26-24
Previous ranking: 13
It’s nearly June and the Red Sox — despite a seemingly never-ending stream of injuries — are hanging in there, hovering right around .500. Rafael Devers helped power the offense with a home run in six consecutive games to set a Red Sox record, before the streak was snapped in a win over the Rays on Tuesday. The victory gave Boston its first series win at Tampa Bay since July 2019. The Red Sox began the series having lost 15 of their previous 16 games at Tropicana Field. Their pitching staff remains one of the best in baseball, ranking second in ERA; but it got bad news when manager Alex Cora announced Garrett Whitlock was diagnosed with ulnar collateral ligament damage in his right elbow and that Tommy John surgery is on the table. The hits keep on coming in Boston. — Castillo
Record: 24-26
Previous ranking: 12
The biggest reason the Rangers have been pegged as a second-half breakout team is the quality of the pitchers they have on the injured list, specifically Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, both of whom should return to action this season. Another indicator that might portend a resurgence is simply that two of their best hitters — Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia — have been more OK than outstanding.
Seager is slugging .404 and has just three doubles after leading the AL last season with 42. Garcia, meanwhile, has seen a regression in his walk rate at the plate and has surprisingly struggled in the field. Out in the grass, the Gold Glover has negative metrics in the various defensive systems, committed four errors and yet to record an outfield assist after registering 28 over the previous three campaigns. The good news for the Rangers: These things are not likely to last. — Doolittle
Record: 26-26
Previous ranking: 14
Joe Musgrove labored through three scoreless innings in his return from elbow inflammation on Tuesday. And though it was an unspectacular start — one that ended in a loss to the struggling Reds — the most important thing is that he’s back, returning to a starting rotation that has been performing quite well of late. Yu Darvish is on a run of 25 consecutive scoreless innings, Matt Waldron has limited the Dodgers and Braves to a combined three runs in 11 innings in back-to-back starts, and Dylan Cease, despite some recent struggles, has a 3.05 ERA in 10 outings this season. The rotation has been encouraging of late. What hasn’t been encouraging: Xander Bogaerts, who was OPS’ing .581 and will now be out at least two months with a shoulder fracture. — Gonzalez
Record: 26-23
Previous ranking: 9
After winning 17 of 19 games, the Twins’ rally sausage magic ended last week with a reality check. The club was swept by two of the American League’s three best teams — the Yankees and Guardians — and lost eight consecutive games. They rebounded Tuesday with a 10-0 win over the Nationals, but the AL Central is already looking like it’ll be the Guardians’ to lose. The impending return of Royce Lewis should greatly help the Twins’ pursuit. The third baseman ran the bases for the first time on Monday since straining his right quad on Opening Day. He is scheduled to go on rehab assignment soon. If all goes well, he should be back in the lineup some time in June, giving it a significant boost. — Castillo
Record: 25-26
Previous ranking: 17
The Rays are yet another team crushed by injuries this season. It was Zach Eflin‘s turn to land on the IL this week, with lower back inflammation. Otherwise, Tampa Bay actually has received reinforcements recently. Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda have all come off the IL this month to bolster the lineup. Right-hander Ryan Pepiot was activated Wednesday after taking a 107 mph comebacker off his leg on May 5. Like the Red Sox, the Rays are staying afloat around .500. That won’t be good enough for long, though. — Castillo
Record: 24-26
Previous ranking: 15
Joc Pederson spent a good chunk of his pregame time in Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday catching up with former Dodgers teammates and executives, before providing a crushing blow against the team he came up with, as his seventh-inning three-run homer pushed the Diamondbacks to a 7-3 victory on Tuesday (they went on to notch a series win with a 6-0 shutout on Wednesday). Pederson finished that game with a .989 OPS, fourth highest in the majors if he’d had enough plate appearances to qualify. Given the continued struggles of young stars Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno — not to mention the injuries to starting pitchers Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez — the D-backs would be in a really bad place if not for Pederson’s contributions. — Gonzalez
Record: 22-28
Previous ranking: 21
The Astros still haven’t caught fire, but little by little, they’ve started to climb out of their early 7-19 hole. Working to their advantage is that neither Seattle nor Texas has taken off and the AL West very much remains up for grabs, even for the sub-.500 Astros. As Houston very gradually builds momentum, the emergence of Kyle Tucker as a front-running MVP candidate continues to generate a brighter — and much-deserved — spotlight. With league-leading totals in homers, walks, OBP, slugging and OPS, a 9-for-9 showing on the basepaths and Tucker’s usual plus defense, this is the best version yet we’ve seen of the perennial All-Star. The “MVP!” chants have already begun at Minute Maid Park. — Doolittle
Record: 23-26
Previous ranking: 16
“Back” Flaherty? OK, so maybe it’s not good enough to put on a T-shirt, but the point stands: Jack Flaherty is so back. He pitched six innings of two-run ball against the D-backs on Saturday, and he has allowed just seven runs in 25⅓ innings over his past four starts. For the year, Flaherty has a 3.79 ERA with 72 strikeouts and only eight walks in 54⅔ innings, displaying a level of dominance we have not seen since he challenged for a Cy Young Award in 2019. With Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Casey Mize, the Tigers boast a really good rotation foursome. But they need more offense. — Gonzalez
Record: 24-26
Previous ranking: 24
The Giants’ outfield has been decimated by injuries of late, especially in center field, where Jung Hoo Lee, their big offseason signing, has been ruled out for the year because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder. That’s why Luis Matos‘ performance has been so reassuring. Matos, Lee’s replacement, went 10-for-26 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in his first six starts, earning the most recent NL Player of the Week honors. The 22-year-old Venezuelan totaled 11 RBIs in a stretch of just two games against the Rockies and became the youngest player in major league history with at least five RBIs in back-to-back games. “Man,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said, “that’s a lot of RBIs.” Sure is. — Gonzalez
Record: 22-26
Previous ranking: 18
Things are getting ugly in Toronto. The rumblings of a possible fire sale, one that could include Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, are growing louder and louder. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke to reporters over the weekend about his club’s disappointing start. He insisted “we believe in the talent” but acknowledged “there is a massive sense of urgency.” It comes down to the Blue Jays’ anemic offense. They rank in the bottom third of the majors in runs scored and wRC+. Guerrero has four home runs. Bichette is slashing .233/.289/.349. The Blue Jays aren’t going anywhere if those two All-Stars don’t level up their production. — Castillo
Record: 23-27
Previous ranking: 23
It’s all about Paul Skenes these days for the Pirates. His performance at Wrigley Field on Friday might be looked back upon as the beginning of a special career. More than 1,000 games have been played there between Chicago and Pittsburgh, but Skenes is the only Pirate to strike out at least 11 hitters in one contest. Oh, and he didn’t allow a hit while averaging over 99 mph on his fastball. His stuff, demeanor and presence are why he was the No.1 pick last summer and why he blew through the Cubs’ lineup in his second major league outing. — Rogers
Record: 21-28
Previous ranking: 19
We mentioned Edwin Diaz‘s home run problem in this space a couple of weeks ago — and it has only gotten worse, culminating in him allowing a three-run shot to tie Saturday’s game in the bottom of the ninth as the Marlins went on to win in 10 innings. For now, Diaz’s role as closer will be “fluid,” according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Reed Garrett picked up a save on Sunday. In other news: left-hander Brooks Raley elected to undergo elbow surgery, and he likely will miss the rest of the season; Drew Smith remains out with right shoulder soreness; Kodai Senga missed a bullpen session with triceps tightness; and top prospects Jett Williams and Drew Gilbert remain sidelined in the minors. — Schoenfield
Record: 21-27
Previous ranking: 20
It will be interesting to see how much more time the Nationals give top prospect James Wood in Triple-A, considering he’s hitting .358/.465/.600 with nine home runs. Sure, you don’t want to rush him, so maybe they give him another month or so. But the most impressive aspect of his season is that he has cut his strikeout rate from 32% last year in Single-A and Double-A all the way down to 19% in 2024 while also walking at a high rate (31 walks, 36 strikeouts). Considering the meager numbers from the likes of Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses and Eddie Rosario, it’s time to call up Wood. — Schoenfield
Record: 20-29
Previous ranking: 22
An awful 3-7 West Coast trip came to an end earlier this week after the Reds dropped their final three games against the Dodgers. The team is simply struggling on offense. Even with Elly De La Cruz doing his thing — especially on the basepaths — it hasn’t been nearly enough. The Reds rank in the bottom third of the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. Yes, injuries have hurt them, but those in the lineup have no such excuse. Newcomer Jeimer Candelario is hitting .223, outfielder Spencer Steer is only slugging .376 and 2021 Rookie of the Year Jonathan India has been as quiet as anyone, producing just six extra-base hits. The Reds need to turn it around soon. — Rogers
Record: 23-26
Previous ranking: 26
St. Louis has climbed out of last place thanks to some struggles on the road by the Reds — and a recent series sweep of the Orioles — but the Cardinals won’t exactly be considered contenders until they get themselves over .500. That hasn’t happened since they won the NL Central in 2022. That feels like ages ago, but at least the team has played better baseball of late. Three series wins in a row have the Cardinals feeling like they can get back into an NL wild-card race that’s pretty wide open. Not one singular thing has propelled them lately; it’s simply been steady play at the plate, in the field and on the mound. Can it continue? — Rogers
Record: 20-30
Previous ranking: 27
No one ever denied Jo Adell‘s raw ability during his years as a prospect, when he drew elite grades in several skill categories. With a career slash line of .214/.259/.366 over 619 plate appearances (roughly a full season of opportunity) and a strikeout rate of 35.4% entering this season, he simply had not put the bat on the ball enough to translate those tools into big league production. Perhaps the best development in the Angels’ latest disappointing season has been Adell’s improvement. His approach remains below average, but it’s way better than it was, with a strikeout rate down to 25% and career-best walk rate. That has allowed him to get to his power more often, and voilà! He has a career-high nine homers already and is slugging .500. — Doolittle
Record: 20-31
Previous ranking: 25
The Athletics didn’t make any splashes in the offseason transaction market, but it did seem like they added some solid roster-stabilizing veterans to raise the floor of the club, if only a bit. But some of those vets have fallen off in a major way as the A’s current plunge back into a 100-loss spiral picks up steam. J.D. Davis dropped into Oakland’s lap during spring training — after the Giants set him adrift — but he has foundered. Davis has managed a 69 OPS+ to date and has driven in just three runs in 101 plate appearances — all on solo homers. He is 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position with zero RBIs. On the pitching side, Ross Stripling leads the AL in losses and hits allowed. After eight MLB seasons of better-than-average pitching, Stripling has an ERA+ of just 75. — Doolittle
Record: 16-32
Previous ranking: 28
Kris Bryant was activated off the IL and played in his first game in more than five weeks on Tuesday. In three years with the Rockies, he has played in just 135 of a potential 371 games. His slash line since the start of the 2023 season is a mere .220/.307/.346. And after this season, he’ll still have four years and $104 million remaining on his contract. Needless to say, the Rockies desperately need him to recapture some of his lost form. “This last month, or the last couple of years, sometimes you take for granted being on the field,” Bryant said. “Now that I am feeling good and on the field again, I’m just ready to have some fun and not take it for granted and see what happens.” — Gonzalez
Record: 17-34
Previous ranking: 30
The Marlins had their best week of the season last week, taking two of three in Detroit then two of three from the Mets at home, including three straight shutouts (two against the Tigers, one against the Mets). Ryan Weathers, Trevor Rogers and Jesus Luzardo started those three games. Weathers followed up his eight shutout innings against Detroit with another strong start Monday against Milwaukee, allowing just two hits and two runs (one earned) in seven innings. The Marlins won that game, tying it in the ninth and walking it off in the 10th on a single from Josh Bell. — Schoenfield
Record: 15-35
Previous ranking: 29
Andrew Benintendi is off to the worst start of his career, compiling the lowest OPS among all qualified hitters so far this season. Benintendi still has three years remaining on his contract after this year, so dealing him won’t be the easiest task for GM Chris Getz. The veteran signed the largest contract ($75 million) in team history before last season, and he is owed over $50 million on it through 2027. And it’s not like he’s coming off a great year. Benintendi had an OPS+ of just 88 last season, the lowest of his career, outside of 2020. And even though he’s playing at a power-friendly home park, he has managed just six home runs in 94 games at Guaranteed Rate Field. — Rogers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2019, but first baseman Freddie Freeman has no doubt that there’s no concern.
“It’s May, it’s baseball,” Freeman said. “Two weeks ago, we were winning every game. I don’t think anybody needs to question in our lineup. We’ll be fine.”
The Cincinnati Reds finished off a sweep of the Dodgers with a 4-1 victory Sunday, extending LA’s slide to five games — it’s longest since dropping six in a row April 8-13, 2019.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-12 in the series while dealing with a bruised right hamstring. He batted second Sunday and went 1-for-3 as the designated hitter, reaching on an infield single while scoring the Dodgers’ only run.
“It’s right around 90%,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani’s hamstring. “Assuming it will keep getting better, I feel confident that he can play smart and not push it. Talked to him about not trying to steal a base. Be smart. The value of having him in the lineup is everything.”
Los Angeles’ lineup has been hampered by inconsistency. The Dodgers scored six times in the series opener, and then scored two more over the next two games.They have been shut out twice this month while scoring two or fewer runs six times.
“When you’re not hitting, it certainly seems lifeless,” Roberts said. “Seems like we’re running cold. I know it’s not from care or preparation. Bottom line, it’s about results and we’re not getting them right now. They outplayed us this series and won three.”
Roberts hinted at a couple of changes to the lineup when the Dodgers begin a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
“Some guys might be pressing a little bit,” Roberts said. “Every time I write the lineup, I feel good that we’re going to put up some runs. It’s not a big picture-type thing. It’s certainly been two weeks where it hasn’t been good.”
Jonathan India and Nick Martini each drove in two runs for the Reds, and Brent Suter, Nick Martinez, Carson Spiers and Alexis Diaz combined for a five-hitter.
Martinez (2-3) pitched 4⅓ innings of one-hit ball on a bullpen day for Cincinnati, and Díaz got two outs for his 10th save.
“It starts with our pitchers,” Reds manager David Bell said. “They’re ready to take the ball. Starting with Brent Suter, who did his job. That’s where it starts. Nick Martinez took over. Nick continues to show when he executes his pitches how good he is. To pitch so well against this team really says a lot.”
Freeman hit an RBI double in the ninth, stopping a 0-for-22 slide for the Dodgers with runners in scoring position. Freeman then advanced on defensive indifference, but Díaz struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages swinging.
The start of the game was moved up from 1:40 p.m. EDT to 12:10 p.m. due to the threat of severe storms that arrived in the sixth inning. The teams then waited through a delay for just over an hour.
Cincinnati scored four times in the third off Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-2). India had a bases-loaded single, and Martini’s bloop hit scored two more.
Yamamoto allowed six hits, struck out eight and walked two in five innings.
“They found a way to fight with two outs and find some outfield grass,” Roberts said. “They stayed inside the baseball. When you fight, you get those breaks sometimes. Outside of that, I thought Yoshi was fantastic. He was one hitter away from going five scoreless.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Right-hander Gavin Stone (4-2, 3.60 ERA) will oppose Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (0-2, 3.00 ERA) on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.
Reds: Left-hander Nick Lodolo (3-2, 3.34 ERA) will come off the injured list to start the series opener against the Cardinals on Monday. Lance Lynn (2-2, 3.68 ERA) starts for St. Louis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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