Monte Harrison is taking an unconventional path to gridiron glory. The 28-year-old former MLB player has committed to play wide receiver at Arkansas. He will enroll as a freshman walk-on.
Harrison was a two-sport start at Lee's Summit West High School and committed to play football at Nebraska in the summer of 2013, but was also a top prospect entering the 2014 MLB draft. The Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the second round as an outfielder, and he signed on June 14.
In January of 2018, he was traded to the Miami Marlins as part of the blockbuster Christian Yelich deal, and was immediately ranked as one of the Marlins' top prospects. He made his big league debut on August 4, 2020 and in 32 games slashed .170/.235/.255 with one home run and three RBIs. Over the next two seasons, he only got into 18 games with the Marlins (in 2021) and the Los Angeles Angels (in 2022). In 50 career games, Harrison hit .176 with an on-base percentage of .253, while slugging .295. He hit two home runs, drive in six runs and posted an OPS of .547 and a -0.1 WAR.
He caught back on with the Brewers in 2023, and played in 88 Triple-A games but was released in September. He decided football was his best option.
As a high school senior, 247 Sports ranked Harrison as a four-star receiver and the 376th-best player in the nation. In his final prep season, he caught 60 passes for 1,007 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. He also added 12 touchdowns on 198 rushing yards and threw a touchdown pass.
This is a fascinating story. Harrison is one part Bo Jackson, one part Van Wilder.
During an appearance on the Talkin' Yanks podcast on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who is no stranger to being ejected from ballgames, weighed in on the incident and revealed what he said to Judge after the game.
"It was surprising. I don't think he should've got ejected," Boone said. "He's walking away, he's not in an aggressive stance or anything, like, come on, man."
Boone said that he rewarded Judge with the game ball after New York's 5–3 win over the Tigers, and joked that he gave him a, "Welcome to the club."
After Judge's ejection, Boone gave him the game ball and a "welcome to the club" pic.twitter.com/nYFmJ6d4hp
Boone was ejected seven times last season, which was tied with Cincinnati Reds skipper David Bell for the most in MLB. Already with two ejections under his belt in 2024, Boone paces the American League, a feat he's stunningly achieved in each season since 2021, a span during which he's been tossed 24 times.
Judge, who had gone 869 games without getting ejected in his career, was the first Yankees captain since Don Mattingly in 1994 to get thrown out of a game.
Judge didn't elaborate when asked what was said between him and Blakney, telling reporters that he preferred to leave it out on the field.
Let’s have some fun and look at a couple of plus-money dogs that could be worth a wager Tuesday night—all odds according to DraftKings.
Braves ML +145 at DraftKings
Sure, the Braves are at home, and yes, Reynaldo Lopez has been excellent to start the season, but +145 for the Red Sox to pull off the upset looks mighty fine to me.
Kutter Crawford gets the start for the Red Sox, and he has been excellent this year. If you’re a fantasy baseball enthusiast, you probably already know this. He was one of my favorite sleepers heading into the season and became a waiver wire must-add some time ago.
But I digress.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford on April 5, 2024.
Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
Crawford has a 1.56 ERA this season and isn’t allowing hard contact. His 26.1% hard-hit rate is in the top 3% of the league.
The Braves have scored the second-most runs per game this season (5.09), but their bats have been cold for the past two weeks. They have managed only 3.18 runs per game across the past two weeks of play. That ranks 27th out of 30 MLB teams.
The Red Sox have averaged 4.92 runs per game across the last two weeks of play, ranking seventh in MLB.
The public will be all on the Braves bouncing back at home. After all, the Braves are 11-4 this season when they are the home favorite. It’s tempting to back the home team, but the +145 is even more enticing.
Houston Astros ML +105 at DraftKings
The Yankees swept Houston in the first series of the season at Minute Maid, and now they even get home-field advantage.
So, why are we backing the Houston Astros, whose bullpen has blown nine saves?
Justin Verlander.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander takes the mound Tuesday.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Verlander has been sharp since returning from the IL, allowing only four earned runs across three starts and 17 1/3 innings pitched. Not only that, but this Yankees lineup is hitting a collective .158 and slugging a mere .354 lifetime vs. Verlander.
Both teams have hit well recently, and yes, Juan Soto seems to be Houston’s daddy, but for the plus-money payout, I’m willing to bet the road team comes out on top in a low-scoring affair Tuesday.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
Since the Compton native's debut album Section.80 arrived alongside the Toronto lifer's opus Take Care in 2011, the two rappers have been the subject of breathless comparisons from music fans. They collaborated, won awards, set records, and defined hip hop's commercial might in the 2010s.
Unless you've been living under a rock over the last month, you doubtlessly know that the two icons have erupted in open warfare—trading increasingly sordid allegations in one of the most jaw-dropping rap feuds in history. Now, a sagacious minor league baseball team is seeking to take advantage of the beef's publicity.
ANNOUNCING BEEF NIGHT 🚨
Join us next Thursday, May 16th as we dive into the legendary Beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar!
— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 7, 2024
On Tuesday, the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades of the South Atlantic League announced "Beef Night" on May 16 against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws—a promotion commemorating the rivalry.
Fans can vote for which artist they prefer when they buy tickets—which are priced at $6 for Drake's nickname for Toronto and $6.16 for Lamar's track "6:16 in LA." Additionally, if a fan's chosen artist releases a song before the game, they receive a free burger.
While Los Angeles enjoys its day in the sun (most nonpartisan analysts agree Lamar is "winning" the feud), kudos to the rap haven of Fishkill, N.Y. for finding a way into a pop culture moment to remember.
Shohei Ohtani's hot streak continued this past weekend, as his incredible hitting efforts helped lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a sweep over the Atlanta Braves. In the three-game series, Ohtani hit three home runs, six RBIs, and notched five runs. The Dodgers struck a blow in the rivalry between the two National League superpowers.
Ohtani's top performance came Sunday, when he went a terrific 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs, and two runs, and broke the Dodgers record for most home runs hit by a Japanese-born player. This game even included the third-longest home run of Ohtani's career, at 464 feet.
While Ohtani is regularly commended for his play, his efforts this weekend solidified how great he is, and brought in even more praise: he won the NL Player of the Week award for the first time this season.
Former MLB utility player Mark DeRosa is joining in on the praise for Ohtani. DeRosa, who had a 15-year career playing for eight MLB teams, called Ohtani the "best hitter in the game."
"We're watching a guy take over the sport," DeRosa said on MLB Network. "He is trumping the game offensively ... He's doing Ruth-ian type stuff, he's doing Lou Gehrig-type stuff, he's doing Barry Bonds-type stuff. And by the way, he's been an ace . He's the best hitter in the sport, and it's kind of not close."
Through Monday, Ohtani is slashing .370/.434/.705 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs. He’s leading MLB in home runs and batting average.
The two-time AL MVP and reigning home run leader appears to be on his way to leading MLB in more statistical categories this season. While he's still in the middle of his career and it's hard to tell if he will be able to go down alongside the all-time greats at this point in time, he is certainly making his case, especially if he continues on this pace.
The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Monday at Kaufman Stadium. Ten thousand fans were in attendance to see the home team come from behind to win their 21st game of the season, but at least one of them did not care about the final score.
There was one on and two outs when Gary Sánchez stepped to the plate in the fourth inning. After taking three pitches from Cole Ragans, he hit a fastball deep to left center. As the ball hurdled towards a waterfall feature, a Brewers fan jumped and grabbed the ball with his outstretched, gloved hand and caught the home run.
What followed was one of the most intense celebrations in the history of sports.
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) May 7, 2024
If there was ever a case for excitement to be measured on the Richter scale, this is it. This guy was jacked up. Who knows how long he's been bringing that glove to games hoping for this exact thing to happen?
And for the ball to be hit by a player on his favorite team in a different city? That's a really intense state of euphoria. Like the kind of thing that only happens when Dan Campbell or a young Blake Griffin is involved. Guys who win by knockout in the UFC are more subdued.
This is why sports are the best. All this guy really did was catch a baseball. Big deal. But everything that preceded this moment made him react like it the greatest thing to ever happen to to anyone. Ever. And that's worth celebrating.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw is just like every other MLB fan: He's sometimes befuddled by Shohei Ohtani's greatness.
Kershaw, on the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery he underwent in November of 2023, has had a front-row seat to watch Ohtani in his first season in Los Angeles. And the two-time American League MVP hasn't disappointed, as he is swinging a hot stick lately, having belted four home runs in his last three games for the Dodgers (24-13).
Kershaw raved about Ohtani on Monday night in an in-game interview with Dodgers broadcasters Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser on Spectrum Sportsnet LA during the team's 6-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday, saying that the Japanese slugger's recent hot streak has been "unbelievable."
"I don't remember him even being this good in Anaheim," Kershaw said, shaking his head. "I don't remember him ever being on this kind of tear. This is unbelievable. Every ball that he hits, he's just so strong. I don't get it. I don't think anybody does. He's just amazing."
We don't get it either, Mr. Kershaw.
Ohtani, 29, is the early frontrunner for the National League MVP, as he currently leads MLB in batting average, hits, home runs and OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage). In April, he broke the record for the most career home runs hit by a Japanese-born player.
Beyond the numbers, Ohtani's feats of strength have been of the usual, jaw-dropping variety. He smashed a heat-seeking missile of a single, the hardest-hit ball of the 2024 season, in an April 27 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ohtani crushed the second-longest home run of the 2024 season, a 464-foot blast into the center field bleachers of Dodger Stadium, on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.
But the fact that Kershaw, an all-time great pitcher ticketed for Cooperstown, can't comprehend Ohtani's greatness tells you all you need to know about just how good he really is.
The New York Mets were able to overcome a bad call by the umpiring crew in the eighth inning and hold on for a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
In case you missed it, Mets center fielder Harrison Bader appeared to beat a tag at third base but the ump called him out. New York then challenged the call but the review center didn't overturn it.
Mets announcers Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez are two of the best in the game and they each had perfect reactions after the umpire explained that the call would not be changed.
Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez disagreed with Harrison Bader being called out at third here, a call that was upheld after the Mets challenged it.
The San Francisco Giants called up pitcher Mason Black from Triple-A ahead of Monday's game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies, giving Black the opportunity to make his MLB debut in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Black, who's originally from Scranton, Penn., made the start on Monday for the Giants. He recorded his first career strikeout in MLB, and his parents were fortunately in attendance to see this milestone happen in person.
His father, George, could barely speak at first when NBC Sports Philadelphia interviewed him after the first inning because of how excited he was for his son.
"This is awesome," Black said. "I sat there in disbelief because I couldn't believe that he did that. I think it's unbelievable what he's able to achieve."
Mason Black's first career strikeout came in his home state of Pennsylvania💥
Black finished his first MLB start with eight hits, five earned runs and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. He threw 51 strikes out of the 84 pitches thrown.
Anyone who’s ever started a new job knows the feeling. You’re new to the area, perhaps you don’t know the workspace layout very well. Coworkers’ names prove elusive. Maybe you do something mildly embarrassing to leave a shaky early impression—for example, in the case of Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, throw away a treasured keepsake of your nine-time All-Star closer.
There’s a reason they call them rookie mistakes: It’s because rookies make them. A lot of them.
But fear not, newbies, because the 2024 season is now more than a month old, giving plenty of opportunities to shake off the early butterflies and settle into your new lives as big leaguers. To mark the occasion, we present to you the first edition of Sports Illustrated's Rookie Roundup. Each week, we’ll check in on the latest from the game’s standout first-year players, alternating between the American and National Leagues.
The idea is to shine a spotlight on the best (and most entertaining) happenings from rookies far and wide. We’ll cover the headliners, of course—and with the steady influx of young talent, there are plenty of already big names to track—but also aim to uncover hidden gems making names for themselves as the season progresses.
This week’s focus is simple: We’ll highlight the five best AL rookies so far, with the NL’s top five coming next week. All of the players considered have, of course, made their fair share of rookie blunders. But they’ve made up for them (and then some) with their stellar play to this point.
1. Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore’s organizational rebuild (read: tank-a-thon) from the late-2010’s resulted in the franchise picking in the top-five of the draft in four consecutive years from ’19 to ’22. One of those picks turned into Cowser, whose 26-game debut last season (with a .115 batting average and zero home runs) left a lot to be desired. Named to the Opening Day roster by manager Brandon Hyde after posting a 1.136 OPS during spring training, Cowser seized an everyday role by the season’s second week and hasn’t looked back.
Cowser’s hitting profile is a modern twist on the "three true outcomes" template: lots of walks and strikeouts, sure, but plenty of hard contact (rather than merely home runs). His 34.3% strikeout rate is the eighth-highest among players with at least 90 plate appearances, and his 38.1% whiff rate is the seventh-highest. But a quick glance at his Baseball Savant page shows plenty of red bars, as Cowser’s barrel rate, hard-hit rate and expected slugging percentage all rank in the 90th percentile or better. Combine all that with a 10.1% walk rate and excellent defense, and Cowser could follow in Gunnar Henderson’s footsteps and make it back-to-back Rookie of the Year awards for the Orioles.
Miller has struck out 29 batters in 14 1/3 innings so far this season.
Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports
2. Mason Miller, RP, Oakland Athletics
If they gave trophies to teams for putting together five-and-a-half weeks of mediocre play when almost everybody in the baseball world expected nothing short of total ineptitude, the Athletics would get one. The franchise is in an abysmal position, with an owner resolved to move the team to Las Vegas and coming off consecutive 100-plus loss seasons. While the roster is low on household names (an A’s staple as old as time itself), the team has outperformed projections to this point with a 17–18 mark, and Miller’s been a key reason.
A five-year college career spent at Division III Waynesburg (with one season at Gardner-Webb) didn’t keep Miller from being drafted by Oakland in the third round in 2021. He logged just 28 2/3 minor league innings from ’21 to ’23 before debuting in April of last year. Miller pitched in 10 games for the A’s last season—six of them starts—and impressed enough to make the roster out of spring training this season as a part of the bullpen.
That’s an extremely truncated acceleration timeline, which is sort of fitting given how quickly Miller has ascended into becoming the league’s most dominant closer. His fastball averages (yes, averages) 100.7 mph, and he’s struck out 29 of the 54 batters he’s faced this season. Miller is a perfect 8-for-8 in save chances, helping Oakland to a 7–5 record in one-run games. His FIP currently sits at -0.06, and while it’s sure to climb out of the red eventually, Miller’s already established himself as one of baseball’s most electric pitchers.
3. Wilyer Abreu, OF, Boston Red Sox
Abreu earned himself a late August call-up in 2023 but retained his rookie status coming into ‘24. He hit well in his debut, and has built on last year’s showing to quickly become one of Boston’s most important pieces so far.
Abreu ranks fourth among AL rookies in runs scored (16) and RBIs (13), adding strong defense in right field and speed on the base paths, going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. If there’s a reason to temper optimism a bit, it’s the fact that his .297/.381/.473 slash line is buoyed by a .403 BABIP. Statcast paints a far less enthusiastic view of Abreu, with an expected batting average of .225. Even if regression is on the way, he’s shown enough to solidify promise as a bonafide everyday player.
Gil gave up just two hits and no runs with five strikeouts in his last start against the Orioles.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
4. Luis Gil, SP, New York Yankees
New York’s rotation has collectively risen to the occasion in reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole’s absence, and Gil has more than done his part in the efforts.
The 25-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six starts. His most impressive outing was also his most recent: 6 1/3 shutout innings against the Orioles on Wednesday. Gil averages 11.61 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth-most among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 frames. Walks have been an issue, though one that’s trending in the right direction: He gave up 17 free passes in 19 2/3 innings in his first four outings, but has allowed only three in his last two starts.
5. James McArthur, RP, Kansas City Royals
A Royals team coming off of a 106-loss campaign has been one of 2024’s biggest surprises so far, with a 20–15 record and the second-highest run differential (plus-44) in the AL. There’s plenty of credit to go around the roster, but McArthur’s emergence as a lockdown closer (Sunday’s blown save against the Rangers notwithstanding) deserves recognition.
McArthur’s best asset is his control. He’s walked only two of the 66 batters he’s faced so far, compared to 18 strikeouts. Missing bats is also a strength, as McArthur has a whiff rate of 34.9%. Sunday’s meltdown was his first blown save since taking over as the team’s closer, but even then, his strengths were on display. He drew 18 swings on his 30 pitches—with eight of them whiffs—and he didn’t walk a batter. McArthur spent six years in the Philadelphia Phillies’ system working primarily as a starter before being traded to the Royals in 2023, beginning his transition to the bullpen. He seems to have found his rhythm there, and has so far played a crucial role in one of MLB’s best success stories.
