Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. When the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway on Sunday night, Matt Holliday's son could very well hear his name called as the No. 1 pick. You might be saying that sounds familiar. And you'd be right. Matt Holliday, the seven-time All-Star outfielder, saw one son, Jackson (now the Orioles' starting second baseman), selected first overall just three years ago. Now another son, Ethan, is MLB Pipeline's top-ranked Draft prospect and a strong candidate to go No. 1 to the Nationals. Even as MLB Pipeline's latest mock has the Nats going with LSU left-hander Kade Anderson, Holliday remains near the top of a group of prospects who appear to be under consideration. While two brothers becoming No. 1 overall picks is unprecedented -- Justin (No. 1 in 2005) and B.J. Upton (No. 2 in 2002) did come very close -- Draft prospects having family members with familiar names is quite common. Just last year, the list of players selected included the sons of former players such as Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Kevin Brown. And that brings us back to the 2025 Draft. Every year, our MLB Pipeline prospect experts and MLB research squad put their heads together, comb through a list of Draft-eligible players and come up with a lengthy list of famous names. The resulting article is a lot of fun, especially if you're an aficionado of "remembering some guys." And while sons or brothers of former or current players are definitely the most common type of family tie, it's a much more eclectic list than that. Here are just a few of this year's examples -- Holliday aside -- to whet your appetite. Mark McGwire, Manny Ramirez (once again) and Jeff Kent sound like part of a Home Run Derby field from the late 1990s or early 2000s. It's also a trio of dads who have Draft-eligible sons this year.
Do you like to put your baseball knowledge to the test with Immaculate Grid? (Play FREE!) Then names such as Grudzielanek (Mark), Agbayani (Benny) and Bevacqua (Kurt) are probably music to your ears. You might also hear those names called during this Draft. (And yes, there is another Leiter in the mix as well -- a pitcher, of course.)
Sure, we love second-generation big leaguers. But an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, a renowned bull rider and a Beach Volleyball Hall of Famer are just a few of the many accomplished athletes in other sports who are related to 2025 Draft prospects. See the full list of famous names here, and then watch the Draft (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, on MLB Network, MLB.com and ESPN) to find where they go. -- Andrew Simon |
- Cubs at Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): The NL Central-leading Cubs are looking to hold off the Brewers to finish the first half on top of the division, but their path runs through the Bronx, where the Yankees are riding high off a sweep of the Mariners. Newly minted All-Star Carlos Rodón, who replaced teammate Max Fried, will start for the Yanks opposite Chris Flexen, who is 5-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA out of Chicago's bullpen. They'll go up against a pair of offenses with the top two slugging percentages in baseball.
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If you've been to a Dodgers game this season, you've undoubtedly been confronted by a sea of No. 17 unis -- and maybe you were even wearing one. Shohei Ohtani has sold more Nike jerseys since 2023 than any other player, and coming off his third MVP Award and first World Series title, it's no surprise he leads all of MLB again in the first half of 2025, according to Fanatics. Yankees megastar Aaron Judge ranks second, which also shouldn't stun anyone.
Scroll down a little on the list, though, and the future and depth of the sport is on full display. Five players hold down spots in the Top 20 for the first time: Rafael Devers (No. 7), Jarren Duran (No. 12), Jung Hoo Lee (No. 17), Pete Crow-Armstrong (No. 18) and Tarik Skubal (No. 19).
From that group, the three-time All-Star Devers is the most well known, but he reached a new level of fame following his stunning midseason trade to the Giants. His new teammate, Lee, offers international appeal a la Ohtani; the "Grandson of the Wind" is a former KBO Most Valuable Player.
The one to watch, however, is Crow-Armstrong. If the dynamic Cubs outfielder keeps piling up game-breaking performances like his two-homer masterpiece yesterday, PCA may very well top this list soon -- or at least enter the same rarefied air as Ohtani and Judge. (Want to rep these guys this summer? Shop the top-selling jerseys right here.)
-- Bryan Horowitz |
You can take the All-Star out of the Bahamas, but you can't take the Bahamas out of his cleats -- literally.
Known for his excellent on-field footwear, Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. is proud of his Bahamian roots, and that manifested itself on Thursday night in these Air Jordan 1 customs, which included a Nike Swoosh composed of real sand from a beach in the Bahamas.
Chisholm, an All-Star for the second time, is also participating in his first Home Run Derby, and given his red-hot bat over the past month, we're eager to see how he does. We're also excited to see what he has in store for the Red Carpet Parade -- and what heat will be on his feet the entire week in Atlanta.
-- Bryan Horowitz |
ALL-STAR WEEKEND FESTIVITES |
In addition to the Draft and the ongoing events at the Capital One All-Star Village, there's plenty more on tap this weekend in Atlanta.
FRIDAY HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile, 7 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MLB.com and MLB.TV
All-Star Week in Atlanta begins with 50 student-athletes from Division I programs at Historically Black Colleges & Universities showcasing their talents at Truist Park. The event will also feature marching band performances, a Divine Nine step show and postgame fireworks.
SATURDAY MLB All-Star Futures Game, 4 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MLB.com and MLB.TV
Watch baseball's rising stars face off at Truist Park in a clash featuring top MiLB talent, electric in-game entertainment and a chance to see the MLB legends of tomorrow, today.
MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by GEICO, immediately after All-Star Futures Game, MLB.TV and MLB.com
Check out some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment in action at Truist Park.
SUNDAY 2025 MLB All-Star 4.4 Miler, 7:30 a.m. ET
In celebration of Hank Aaron's iconic uniform No. 44, a 4.4-mile run will start and finish at Center Parc Stadium, around the corner from where Aaron set records with the Braves.
MLB Home Run Derby X presented by Sage, gates open at 1:30 p.m. ET
Braves legends Andruw Jones, Ryan Klesko and Jeff Francoeur will compete against former NL East rivals, including Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond and Ryan Howard, in a timed 3‑on‑3 co-ed competition on the campus of Georgia Tech University. -- Ed Eagle |
PLAY HOME RUN DERBY PICK 'EM! |
8 power hitters. 3 rounds. 1 Champion. Who will take home the title? Enter your picks in the 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby® Pick 'Em and you could win $100,000! Be sure to get your picks in by 8 p.m. ET on Monday. Play Now >> |
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