A group of Stanford Cardinal Football players is reportedly making a push towards forming a group that could lead to collective bargaining.

The move comes as the ‘Protect College Sports Act’ has renewed optimism of passing Congress.

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I discuss the latest story coming out of Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Football program.

Will the Tarheels be able to put this matter with their GM behind them with a strong season?

Oregon State is looking to recapture the program momentum it had just a few years ago, with JaMarcus Shephard at the helm.

Will the Beavers make a bowl game for the first time since 2023? 

00:00 Stanford’s push for collective bargaining
04:52 College football transfer rules
07:04 Discussing player representation in college sports
12:49 Last year’s North Carolina hype
16:30 Discussing North Carolina’s upcoming season
22:05 Texas Tech football analysis
25:24 Fresno State’s quarterback concerns
27:43 Predicting team win outcome

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with USC, which has played 795 games against regional foes, winning 547, losing 217, and recording 31 ties, for a winning percentage of .708.

The Trojans have recorded the most wins (73), played the most games (112) against Cal, and lost the most games (37) against Stanford.

Here is a breakdown of USC’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Roberto De Zerbi has told Lucas Bergvall he must show the “right spirit” if he wants to stay at Tottenham amid speculation linking the midfielder with a move away from the club.

The uncertainty comes after Bergvall made his first pre-season start in Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Sydney FC on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old endured a challenging 2025-26 campaign, making only 17 starts and frequently playing out of his preferred position. This summer has seen further competition arrive in the centre of midfield with the big-money signings of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.

It is understood that bids from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle for Bergvall this month have been rejected. However, the midfielder could still depart Tottenham before the transfer window closes, driven by his desire for regular first-team football in the upcoming season.

Despite De Zerbi speaking positively about the Swedish international staying at Spurs after the Sydney draw, an element of the unknown persists regarding immediate plans for Bergvall.

Sources close to the player claim there has been no dialogue between De Zerbi and Bergvall for two months, a sentiment seemingly confirmed by De Zerbi himself on Saturday when he stated, “I have not spoken to Lucas yet” during a press conference in New Zealand.

However, De Zerbi offered a different perspective to reporters on Wednesday, saying: “I am speaking with (Bergvall) before the end of the last season, during the World Cup two times but now we are speaking better, face to face, without a competition in this moment.”

When asked if Bergvall had expressed a desire to leave, De Zerbi was unequivocal.

“No, never. I’m always being very clear with him and with you. I would like that he stays with us. I think he’s potentially a top, top, top player, but then I don’t want to convince anyone to stay. Tottenham is already, without me, a top club and we are not to convince anyone to stay. He can find the space if he stays with us.”

The manager stressed the intense competition within the squad.

“The competition within the players will be very strong because we are Tottenham and we have to build a strong squad. Not just 11 players,” he explained. “It’s very clear, his idea. He wants space. He wants to play as a double pivot as a position. I can’t give, for any player in the world, the place in the first XI guaranteed, especially for me, I want to be honest with the players. I want to be clear.”

Mathys Tel scored in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Sydney, which concluded with a penalty shoot-out won 4-2 by the Premier League side after a Panenka penalty by 17-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett. However, Bergvall’s future dominated De Zerbi’s post-match agenda.

“I would like that he stays. I would like that he stays, but if he doesn’t want, then what can I do? Nothing,” De Zerbi reiterated.

“He has to speak with Vinai (Venkatesham) or Johan Lange. To stay with us, we have to have the right spirit to stay. He’s a good guy. We will see in the next weeks.”

Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain on Tuesday said she has been unable to fully focus on her Commonwealth Games campaign because of the devastating floods in her home state of Assam, and appealed to people to extend help to those affected.

The 28-year-old boxer from Assam is assured of at least a bronze medal after receiving a direct entry into the women’s 75kg semifinals because of the five-boxer draw.

“I am feeling very bad that a lot of people have lost their lives because of the flood in Assam. A lot of people are facing a lot of problems at this time,” said Borgohain, who became only the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal when she claimed bronze at the Tokyo Games, in a video message.  Check CWG 2026 DAY 6 (July 29) LIVE UPDATES, MEDAL NEWS AND INDIA FULL SCHEDULE here

“A lot of people have lost their homes and everything has been washed away. At this time, people are not getting food, water, clothes, and other necessities.

“I am not able to focus properly here because of the condition of my people. I am trying to do my best. Our people are working hard to deliver the necessities to the people.

“The government is also doing its best. A lot of people from Assam are also coming out to help them. I need everyone to reach out to the people and help them. I request everyone to help us reach out to the people and deliver the necessities to them.”  According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 68 people have lost their lives in floods across the state so far this year. The disaster has affected 445,495 people in six districts, namely Sivasagar, Golaghat, Charaideo, Jorhat, Nagaon and Kamrup (Metropolitan).

Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary vowed to “change the colour of the medal to gold” after she advanced to the women’s 51kg semifinals at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after defeating Northern Ireland’s Caitlyn Fryers with a dominant unanimous 5-0 decision in the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Sakshi, who came into the Games in good form after moving back to the 51kg category and beating top Indian boxers during the trials, controlled the bout with a composed performance. She won all three rounds by identical 5-0 margins, using her movement and accurate punches to keep Fryers under pressure, according to ESPN.

The victory also assured Sakshi of a Commonwealth Games medal. She will now face Canada’s Amber-Jane Wall in the semifinal on Friday for a place in the gold medal bout.

Speaking to ANI, Sakshi said her aim is now to change the colour of the medal she assured to gold. She added that she will focus on staying calm and giving her best in the next bout, while dedicating the achievement to India, her family, coaches and supporters.

“The colour needs to change, but achieving this milestone was also very important. After this, there will be a little less pressure. Now I just have to change the colour of the medal to gold, and I want to win a gold medal for India. My focus will be to stay calm and play my game to the fullest,” she said.

“I would like to dedicate my medal to the whole of India, who supported me to reach here, my family, all the coaches, and everyone else,” she added.

Earlier, Sakshi had defeated Botswana’s Lethabo Modukanele in the previous round to book her quarterfinal spot.

India has enjoyed a successful campaign in Glasgow, winning 12 medals so far — two gold, seven silver and three bronze.

India’s medallists are Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women’s shot put F57), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men’s high jump), Gulveer Singh (silver, men’s 10,000m), Harjinder Kaur (silver, weightlifting), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women’s shot put F57) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting).

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Spain Vs Argentina | Dani Olmo On WC Triumph: ‘Wanted To Set An Example For The Next Generation’

Despite his great achievements in the sport of boxing, many fans remain frustrated that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has never, and likely will never, face David Benavidez.

Alvarez is coming towards the end of his career with perhaps three or four bouts left. The focus, after losing his undisputed super-middleweight title to Terence Crawford last year, is to win belts back at 168lbs.

It means that a long-awaited clash between Canelo and Benavidez is off the table, as the latter currently competes at cruiserweight and will only drop back down as far as light-heavy.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Canelo explained that ‘the perfect time’ was when they were both at 168lbs, though Benavidez being a contender rather than champion stopped it from happening.

“He’s a heavyweight fighting at 175, or a cruiserweight. It’s not fair. When I [was] turning undisputed, if he would have been a champion at that point, that was the correct time to do the fight, but he wasn’t. He was fighting at 168 at that point, but he wasn’t a champion. That was, I think, the perfect moment to do it.”

Benavidez previously held the WBC super-middleweight belt twice, but was stripped on both occasions. When Canelo was on his undisputed run, Benavidez fought his way back to mandatory status with the WBC, but the sanctioning body never forced the fight, frustrating the 29-year-old to the point that he decided to move up in weight.

Though Benavidez would still eagerly make the fight at light-heavyweight, a division in which Canelo has competed twice, fans should not hold out much hope.

Instead, Alvarez returns on October 31 to face the new WBC super-middleweight champion, Christian Mbilli, in his first attempt to win back a former belt.

The Perfect Game All-American Classic will have some star power leading the way in the dugouts.

The world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform announced Wednesday that World Series champion Joe Girardi and former All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino will serve as managers. The game will take place Sunday, Aug. 16, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

The All-American Classic will feature many of the nation’s top high school baseball players. Girardi, who won three World Series as a player during his 15-year career, and one as a manager of the New York Yankees, said it is a “thrill” to be part of the game.

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Joe Girardi salutes the crowd during the New York Yankees Old Timers Day on Aug. 24, 2024, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“It’s a thrill for me to be around so much young talent. I think the big leagues has a ton of young talent and this is going to give me an opportunity to see more and probably in like three or four years I’m going to say that young man in the big leagues I got a chance to manage him and I saw him when he was 17 years old, and you could just tell that he was going to be a big leaguer,” Girardi told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

“I’m really excited about that and just to be around so many great players and the biggest thing for me is that they go have fun and enjoy this and realize what they’ve accomplished so far, but this they’re just scratching the surface.”

The former Philadelphia Phillies manager said that he will tell the players they have a “gift.”

“I would tell them they have a gift and that gift is baseball. And don’t waste it. Put everything you have into getting better every day. Taking care of your body, taking care of your mind, making sure that you don’t overwork, but you have to work. I mean, this is a game of repetition, and you have an opportunity to do something really, really special that so few people get a chance to do. And don’t waste the effort,” Girardi said.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Shane Victorino of Team Victorino bats during the MLBx All-Star 3-on-3 Challenge presented by ITO EN at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pa. (MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“Don’t waste your opportunity here. Really, really go after this and you will be rewarded.”

Not only will the players have Girardi and Victorino to look to, but they will also be guided by a host of assistant coaches who starred in the major leagues. The coaching staff includes 1995 American League MVP Mo Vaughn, Hall of Fame pitcher Trevor Hoffman, All-Star outfielder Ryan Klesko, along with MLB veterans Todd Coffey, Denard Span and Jason Phillips.

Rounding out the coaching staff will be members of the 1993 Phillies National League championship team Milt Thompson and Ben Rivera, 2008 World Series champions Kyle Kendrick and Tom “Flash” Gordon, and 2010 and 2011 National League East champion Jose Contreras.

Also among the coaching staff is Girardi’s son, Dante.

“I also get to coach alongside my son, Dante, and that’s really special for me because Dante has always loved the game since he was 5 years old. And we went through these Perfect Game events and I actually coached for his team FTB one year when I wasn’t managing and went to the great Perfect Game events,” Girardi said.

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Dante Girardi standing next to his father, Joe Girardi, in the outfield at Yankee Stadium. (Courtesy of Dante Girardi)

“We went to Atlanta and I remember building a bed in the back of the truck as we were driving around playing in different places. It’s just really fond memories for me and it’s going to create another great memory between my son and I. And I’m sure he’ll have a lot of advice for me. And I probably should listen because he understands what it’s like to be youthful.”

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Girardi guaranteed that one of the players in this game will be in an All-Star Game in the future.

The All-American Classic debuted in 2003, and since its inception, the game has featured some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball play in the event. Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt. Jr, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Lindor are among the star players who have played in the game over the years.

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As the spring carnival draws nearer, Nathan Doyle is aiming to capitalize on the current form of his progressive gelding Funshow by testing him in Saturday metropolitan races.

The son of Cosmic Force, who has impressed in his past two starts with combined winning margins of 6-1/2 lengths, is entered for a Benchmark 72 race over 1500m for three and four-year-olds at Rosehill this Saturday.

The race conditions are particularly appealing, as Saturday marks the commencement of the new racing season and Funshow officially becomes a four-year-old.

“He seems to be trending the right way,” Doyle said. “There’s nowhere to hide now, he’s probably at that level. He’s got to step up and go to that 72 grade, but he’s in good order and 1500 metres I think he’ll run out strongly.”

After successive victories at Newcastle over 1300m and Hawkesbury over 1400m, Doyle has no concerns about stretching Funshow to the 1500m distance, especially with the $160,000 prizemoney available.

“He’s always shown us that he’d be a miler in time and he’s slowly getting there,” Doyle added. “It’s definitely the right time to try them. Obviously, it’s carnival time very soon, so you probably try them while those 72s are on a Saturday for the good prize money.”

Doyle might also have two other runners at Rosehill on Saturday, including last-start winner Silvanito, who is set to contest another Benchmark 78 over 1400m.

“He finally drew a gate third up and we were able to ride him a little closer,” Doyle noted about the former Godolphin gelding. “It’s the difference from being able to drag him back from bad gates and always hitting the line strongly but never getting the cash. He’s rock hard, race fit so the four weeks between runs won’t worry him.”

Formal could also represent the stable, holding nominations for a Benchmark 78 sprint over 1100m at Rosehill and a race at Doomben, with his final race program still under consideration.

Check out the latest racing betting markets at betting markets for the race.

Manchester City already had priorities in the summer transfer window but now must add another position

There are now less than five weeks remaining in the summer transfer window and while it isn’t time for Manchester City to panic there is a need for them to pick up the pace. The Premier League begins again on August 22 and there are still major incomings needed at the Etihad.

City went into the summer with midfield as their biggest priority, followed by right-back and a forward. They have added Elliot Anderson for a club record £116m but arguably still need to act in all areas – especially with the uncertainty over Rodri and several other midfielders.

The impending £40m sale of James Trafford to Leeds throws up another priority that cannot afford to be ignored. City won two cup competitions last season in part because they had the strongest pairing of goalkeepers in the league, and losing effectively a No.1 in Trafford is a serious blow to their hopes of going deep in four competitions.

While he may not have been ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma in the pecking order, hence why he has gone after just one year, Trafford was a major strength for City in an awkward position that now needs replacing. Finding a goalkeeper who is good enough to compete for the jersey and be an able stand-in but doesn’t sulk at being No.2 is one of the most difficult roles in the squad to fill, and a good price is not a guarantee.

Hugo Viana’s search should be well under way, given Trafford has been fairly clear about his ambition to move since before the January transfer window opened. City resisted interest in him then but knew that they had to line up a new signing for the summer.

They have managed to work so far without any names on the shortlist getting out, yet as it stands it is yet another outstanding item on City’s transfer list for the summer. As bold as it was to bring in both Trafford and Donnarumma last summer, that has now created more work for Viana – not counting for any other players that could yet leave.

City are expecting business to pick up now the World Cup is over and players start returning from their holidays and the work is ongoing; negotiations for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi continue and the pace is picking up in the search for a winger. A lot is left to do though if City are to sign the players they need to in the remaining five weeks of the window and Trafford’s departure will increase the number of new arrivals needed.

It’s August o’clock and high time that an article half-focused on identifying the next prospect call-up came clean about something.

We’re probably not seeing any for the next couple weeks.

True, an injury could force a GM’s hand, and the upcoming trade deadline could create new pathways for some of the most obvious promotion candidates. But if a team has waited this long to loop in that top prospect who’s tearing up Triple-A, what’s a couple more weeks?

By waiting that length of time, a team can ensure that the prospect in question, provided he’s up for the first time, will retain his rookie standing for next year, and that’s important because only true rookies can secure teams extra draft picks if they place high enough in awards voting, namely Rookie of the Year. Who doesn’t love draft picks?

The past few years have introduced us to this dead promotion period leading up to the critical point when 45 days remain in the season. That point this year is Aug. 14.

You’re free to stash prospects until then — it is only two weeks, after all — but I wouldn’t expect any high-impact promotions until then. 

FIVE ON THE VERGE

(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)

Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners

2026 minors: 9-1, 1.27 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 77 2/3 IP, 10 BB, 115 K

After a three-week respite, save for an inning in the All-Star Futures Game, Kade Anderson returned to the mound Friday and, in keeping with the theme of everything coming too easily to him in his first professional season, threw five perfect innings. The only thing that hasn’t come easily for him is a promotion. He’s been begging for one for months now but happens to be in the one organization that’s managed to keep its starting rotation healthy all season. Word is that the Mariners are shopping Emerson Hancock and Luis Castillo, though, ostensibly to create an opening for Anderson, and what makes it so ostensible is their handling of him. Why shut him down for three weeks midseason if not to have those innings available later on, like during postseason play? I doubt they pull the trigger before mid-August, for reasons already discussed, but their deadline maneuvering is likely to telegraph what’s coming.

Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies

2025 minors: .268 BA (365 AB), 14 HR, .820 OPS, 52 BB, 112 K
2026 minors: .288 BA (330 AB), 20 HR, .964 OPS, 55 BB,100 K

Charlie Condon has held steady over the past week, with no significant changes to his production or outlook. As with all potential prospect call-ups, we’re in a holding pattern for now, just waiting to see what avenues are created at the trade deadline and then counting down the days until Aug. 14. For Condon, a Jake McCarthy or Mickey Moniak trade would present the clearest opportunity, seeing as he’s spent nearly half of his time in the outfield this season. Trading both would be even better since it would prevent Condon from taking a back seat to Zac Veen, who’s already on the 40-man roster. Condon is the more disciplined hitter and has a batted-ball profile that lends itself better to power, but he’s not the base-stealer that Veen is.

Joshua Baez, OF, Cardinals

2025 minors: .287 BA (418 AB), 20 HR, 54 SB, .884 OPS, 59 BB, 103 K
2026 minors: .247 BA (364 AB), 31 HR, 15 SB, .886 OPS, 32 BB, 123 K

Is Joshua Baez getting closer to a promotion or further away? His batting average has crept up a couple points since the last Prospects Report, with another two home runs added, but the contact gains he enjoyed during his massive May and June have fallen by the wayside. He’s simply striking out too much, which isn’t always a deal-breaker for a player with his kind of power, but seeing as president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom recently talked about major league pitchers potentially exploiting Baez’s weaknesses and how he doesn’t want the 23-year-old to be “just a one-dimensional guy,” I’m skeptical that Baez has demonstrated the kind of growth Bloom is looking for. Even so, it’s hard for me to believe the Cardinals would pass up the chance to promote him this year, for all the success he’s had, which is why I’m keeping him in my Five on the Verge for now.

Quinn Mathews, SP, Cardinals

2025 minors: 4-7, 3.73 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 99 IP, 74 BB, 115 K
2026 minors: 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 92 IP, 52 BB, 111 K

Quinn Mathews may not be as impactful as Baez, but his arrival is more assured. There’s already a case to install him over Matthew Liberatore, and if the Cardinals end up moving Dustin May at the trade deadline, then the need will become even more acute. Mathews was one of the breakout prospects of 2024, putting together a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.7 K/9 across four levels, but then his control abandoned him last year. It’s been pretty shaky this year, too, accounting for his 5.1 BB/9, but that number has dropped to 3.3 in his past nine starts as he’s put together a 1.55 ERA, 0.78 WHIP (very difficult to hit, clearly) and  10.1 K/9. His last start Friday was arguably his best yet, seeing him strike out 10 without allowing an earned run in seven innings. I still think his control could be his undoing in the majors, but with the way his stuff is playing up again, the upside is promising enough to stash him preemptively.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins

2025 minors: .286 BA (308 AB), 10 HR, 17 SB, .850 OPS, 50 BB, 76 K
2026 minors: .297 BA (195 AB), 6 HR, 10 SB, .883 OPS, 30 BB, 32 K

Walker Jenkins has been a consensus top 15 prospect basically from the time the Twins drafted him fifth overall in 2023, and the only reason I have to say top 15 rather than top 10 or even top five is because he’s spent so much of the intervening period injured. Even this year, a shoulder sprain cost him about six weeks in the middle of the season, but he’s come back looking as polished as ever, slashing .292/.364/.494 in 23 games at Triple-A with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts.

It’s that polish, most evident through his plate discipline, that’s bolstered his stock since he was still a teenager, and even with all the lost development time, he’s well ahead of where a 21-year-old would normally be. The power production is a bit lacking, but his average and max exit velocities both rank in the top 20 percent at Triple-A, suggesting he has the tools for much more. Whether the Twins buy or sell at the deadline, it’s likely they’ll want Jenkins to be part of things in September.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)

Max Clark, OF, Tigers

2025 minors: .271 BA (431 AB), 14 HR, 19 SB, .835 OPS, 94 BB, 90 K
2026 minors: .277 BA (358 AB), 10 HR, 21 SB, .795 OPS, 49 BB, 63 K

Sometimes the Five on the Verge spills over to the Five on the Periphery, and while Zac Veen would probably be my sixth choice to stash, I want to give a nod here to Max Clark, who has had an open path to the majors basically from the second week of the season, when Parker Meadows got hurt. Whether Clark deserved to be promoted at that time is debatable, but with the ups and downs he’s had at Triple-A this year, the lengthier stay was probably justified.

His July, though, may be reworking the math. He’s batting .343 (23 for 67) for the month with four home runs, four stolen bases and more walks (15) than strikeouts (13). He rarely chases pitches out of the zone and basically never misses pitches in it, having compiled an absurd 94.2 percent zone-contact rate. How much thump he’ll provide has long been in question, but his exit velocities are at least respectable. He could make an impact akin to A.J. Ewing if and when he gets the call.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers

2025 minors: .255 BA (474 AB), 13 HR, 32 SB, .741 OPS, 70 BB, 108 K
2026 minors: .395 BA (43 AB), 3 HR, 3 SB, 1.191 OPS, 4 BB, 11 K

Sebastian Walcott is about two weeks into his return from a torn UCL, having had an internal brace procedure to stabilize the ligament, and is clearly no worse for wear, taking a wrecking ball to Double-A in a way he didn’t last year. It probably means he’s soon destined for Triple-A, and his stay there could be a short one. Prospects of this caliber (he was in line to be in everyone’s top 10 prior to the injury) are like a runaway train once the talent clicks. Walcott always projected for massive power, and he may have grown into it, finally. What could slow him down is his continued recovery from the surgery. For as well as he’s hitting, he has yet to play the field, with all of his starts coming at DH. He won’t be joining the big club until he’s prepared to handle all facets of the game.

Cam Cannarella, OF, Marlins

2025 minors: .284 BA (88 AB), 0 HR, 1 SB, .712 OPS, 7 BB, 18 K
2026 minors: .349 BA (229 AB), 13 HR, 14 SB, 1.014 OPS, 37 BB, 42 K

The Marlins liked Cam Cannarella enough to take him with the 43rd pick in last year’s draft, and that gamble has paid off so enormously that they may be installing him as their center fielder as soon as next year. I want to stress center field because his defense may be what stands out the most, which means there isn’t some sneaky reason why his offensive dominance would go unrewarded. His recent move up to Triple-A has so far met with the same success as his previous stops. The plate discipline is stellar. The contact quality is strong. To this point, no obvious weaknesses have revealed themselves (too opposite field-minded, maybe, but whether that’s an actual weakness is debatable). He’s looking like one of the most underrated prospects in Dynasty play right now, particularly for how close he is to contributing.

Blake Burke, 1B, Brewers

2025 minors: .292 BA (490 AB), 16 HR, 15 SB, .832 OPS, 65 BB, 135 K
2026 minors: .276 BA (326 AB), 27 HR, 25 SB, .966 OPS, 40 BB, 90 K

Drafted 34th overall in 2024, Blake Burke has grown into the power you’d expect from his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame. We don’t have official exit velocity readings for Double-A, but there have been reports of multiple home runs in the 115 mph range, including his latest one Tuesday, shown here:

The real surprise is that he’s nearly matched his home run total with his stolen bases. Surely, that’s just a byproduct of a less competitive league and not something that would translate to the majors, but in a world where Josh Naylor is a perennial 30-steal threat … maybe? For as impressive as his totals are, Burke is also striking out at less than a 25 percent rate, so I wouldn’t be so quick to write him off.

Josiah Ragsdale, OF, Brewers

2025 minors: .300 BA (70 AB), 0 HR, 9 SB, .751 OPS, 16 BB, 15 K
2026 minors: .318 BA (289 AB), 15 HR, 31 SB, 1.005 OPS, 63 BB, 91 K

The Brewers system has given us a bunch of standout performers on the hitting side this year, and Josiah Ragsdale might be the most surprising. A seventh-round pick just last year, the 22-year-old has slashed .318 /.444/.561 between High-A and Double-A with enough home runs and stolen bases to make the whole stat line reminiscent of Josue De Paula — a little better than his, actually. Now, Ragsdale isn’t actually De Paula. The strikeout rate runs five percentage points higher, and while I can’t cite the actual data, my understanding is that he doesn’t hit the ball nearly as hard. Still, numbers like this are simply too good to ignore, particularly from a player who’s already in the upper minors.