Pete Rose now eligible for Hall of Fame after years of ineligibility
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale discusses Pete Rose now being eligible for the Hall of Fame and what it means for the steroid era players.
Sports Pulse
As Major League Baseball celebrates its Memorial Day mile post marker this holiday weekend, the 2025 season, we’re about one-third of the way into the campaign.
From Aaron Judge’s onslaught to the Colorado Rockies‘ historic struggles, it’s been a fascinating few months of baseball with summer approaching and plenty more to come.
Here’s a look at the best and worst of 2025 so far:
Most valuable player
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – He’s Albert Pujols in his prime, a one-man wrecking machine. He leads MLB in virtually every offensive category, and was the first American League player in history to hit 17 homers with a batting average as high as .398 in a team’s first 50 games, hitting No. 18 on Saturday. Who would have thought that he’d also be the most underpaid player in the game at $360 million, guaranteed not even half of Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the Mets?
Most valuable pitcher
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers – He is threatening to become the first American League pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young awards since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000. It’s still unfathomable that everyone but Seattle University refused to give him a scholarship out of Kingman, Arizona. Skubal (4-2, 2.87 ERA, 79 strikeouts in 59 ⅔ innings) is pitching better than even last year.
Best manager
Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers – Is there any other manager who could have his team sitting atop the NL with 14 pitchers on the injured list, missing three of their starters (Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki) and three of their opening-day relievers (Evan Phillips, Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen)?
A year ago, he brilliantly managed an injury-ravaged rotation and exhausted bullpen in the playoffs. Now, he’s being forced to do it all summer with a pitching staff in shambles, surrendering its worst ERA (4.15) at this juncture since 2010.
Best rookie
Jacob Wilson, Athletics of Sacramento – Wilson leads all rookies in virtually every statistical category as the A’s shortstop. He’s hitting .342 with an .857 OPS, with five homers and 27 RBIs, striking out just 11 times. He’s the favorite to become the A’s first position player to win the AL Rookie of the Year award since shortstop Bobby Crosby in 2004.
Worst first impression
Juan Soto, New York Mets – Sure, everyone in the game knows it can be a rough adjustment switching teams in free agency, particularly when you’ve got the biggest contract in history. But this is a guy who spent all of last season in New York. He simply switched boroughs, not coasts. The transition shouldn’t be this difficult, and he’s had the body language of someone who discovered their luxurious hotel accommodations is actually a Motel 6.
A year ago, Soto had a 1.143 OPS last season with runners in scoring position, ranking third in baseball.
This year, he’s hitting .136 with a .505 OPS – including a bases-loaded double in Saturday’s win over the Dodgers.
Worst trade rumor
The Pittsburgh Pirates will start listening to offers for ace Paul Skenes. Simply, this is not happening. Sure, it stinks that the Pirates are 4-7 in Skenes’ starts this year, but there’s a better chance of the Pirates abandoning gorgeous PNC Park and moving back into Three Rivers Stadium than trading Skenes. The Pirates fans have gone through enough heartache without dumping one of the most talented young pitchers in a generation. Besides, he’s still cheap, earning just $875,000 this season.
Biggest wasted performance
The Texas Rangers have stolen the identity of the Seattle Mariners. They have pitched brilliantly, with the best starting rotation in the American League (2.83), but simply can’t hit. Why, since April 19, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi have yielded a 1.37 ERA in their last 13 starts, striking out 89 batters while walking 12 in 79 innings. And the Rangers have managed to lose five of those games.
Best bit of empathy
The Chicago White Sox are on the same miserable pace as a year ago when they lost a record 121 games, but now are feeling downright sad for the Colorado Rockies, who are on pace to obliterate their record, and finish 73 games out of first place.
The Rockies currently are on pace to go 28-134, and considering they play in the powerful NL West, there’s not enough Coors Lite to guzzle for fans in Colorado to believe they can avoid the record.
“You feel for them because no one wants to lose a lot of games,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi says. “Obviously, there’s in a pretty tough division. I’m just glad it’s not us again.”
Best family day
The Boone and Leiter families were at Yankee Stadium this week where manager Aaron Boone and Mark Leiter Jr. were in the Yankee dugout, hitting coach Bret Boone and Jack Leiter were in the Rangers dugout, and family members were in the stands.
They got group pictures, Bret and Aaron Boone exchanged lineup cards, and the memories that will last forever.
“It was cool as [anything],” said Al Leiter, the father of Jack and the uncle of Mark. “You dream of this stuff. I get to the big leagues and then my brother [Mark] is in the big leagues, then his kid and now my kid.
“It’s great to have my son and my nephew in the big leagues at the same time.”
Says Mark Jr.: “It’s amazing. Getting to grow up with my dad and my uncle, and then having Jack and I having this crazy childhood and everything we experienced, and then have the same dreams while understanding what a long shot it really is, is amazing. To accomplish it, and have a chance to be in uniform on the same field where my dad and mu uncles get their start here, it’s pretty special. Hopefully soon, my uncle Kurt and my cousin Cam will also be with us.”
Yes, there could be another Leiter on the way with Cam, a 6-foot-5 pitcher for Florida State University. Cam’s dad, Kurt Leiter – Al and Mark’s older brother – pitched in the minor leagues for the Baltimore Orioles.
So, if these blue-blood baseball families got together for a fierce battle on “Family Feud,” who would win?
“I think we are winning,” Aaron Boone says. “I did not like facing Mark Leiter or Al Leiter, so that was not a favorable matchup for me in the box … But I’ll take a shot at Family Feud.”
Best sidekick
Carlos Rodon, Yankees – Remember when the Yankees’ rotation was supposed to be in shambles when Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil went down, believing it couldn’t survive simply with ace Max Fried?
Well, look who’s pitching the best he has since putting on a Yankee uniform. Rodon is 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA in his last seven starts, yielding a major-league low .161 batting average. The Yankees’ rotation, behind Fried (7-0, 1.29 ERA) and Rodon, is yielding a 2.68 ERA over the last 34 starts, second only to the Rangers.
“We feel good about what those guys are bringing to the table for us every day,” Aaron Boone says.
Worst excuse
Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Elias: He declined to speak publicly for four days after firing manager Brandon Hyde. The reason? He was busy.
Best pivot
New York Yankees – The Yankees offered $760 million to Juan Soto, and once he shunned them, they quickly turned around and used the money to land ace Max Fried ($218 million), former MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger ($25 million), former MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ($12.5 million) and All-Star reliever Devin Williams ($8.6 million).
Biggest ruination of front office plans
St. Louis Cardinals – This was supposed to be Year 1 of a rebuild where the Cardinals unload anyone and everyone of value this summer. Well, a funny thing has happened along the way. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and the players have refused to listen, and find themselves hanging with the Cubs in the NL Central with a 29-23 record. Until they start losing, the Cardinals will have a whole lot of ‘splainin’ to do if they dump All-Star closer Ryan Hesley, Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, starters Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas and company at the trade deadline.
Most dramatic return
Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta – Acuna, making his 2025 debut just three days shy of the one-year anniversary of tearing his ACL, swung at the first pitch he saw and sent it 467 feet into the left-field seats, coming 115.5-mph off his bat. It was his first home run in 364 days.
“He’s one of those players where you better not go get a beer or anything because you might miss something cool,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s that kind of force in the game. He’s going to energize everybody.”
Biggest change of plans
The Baltimore Orioles, who fully intended to be a buyer at the trade deadline, now will have no choice but to be a seller with the third-worst record in baseball.
They will have plenty of attractive pieces to trade: Zach Eflin, Felix Bautista, Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle, Seranthony Dominguez, Andrew Kittredge and Ryan O’Hearn.
Most awkward ring ceremony
Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees – Yarbrough pitched for the Dodgers last season before being traded to Toronto on Aug. 1, and three months later the Dodgers beat the Yankees to win the World Series. This week, the Yankees will be at Dodger Stadium where the Dodgers plan to present Yarbrough a World Series championship ring.
Best self-reflection
Spencer Strider, Atlanta:
“I don’t enjoy failing, and certainly not at the expense of the team,” Strider said after his second start coming off the IL. “We sent a pretty good guy down (Bryce Elder) that was supposed to pitch in my spot. That’s not lost on me. It’s kind of the nature of the game. I think it’s important to have that perspective that the goal is to win. That takes 26 guys. The guy who’s starting on the mound is a big component in coming out and winning every day, so if I can’t be better, I don’t need to be out there. I certainly want to play, but I take no joy in not giving us a chance. If I don’t feel like I can’t provide for the team, then I don’t take much pleasure in losing games for us.”
Most pink-slipped player
Mariners 37-year-old pitcher Casey Lawrence has been designated for assignment five times already this season, including four times by the Seattle Mariners and one by the Toronto Blue Jays.
He can be found these days back at Class AAA Tacoma where he’s basically the 41st man on a 40-man roster.
Ugliest retro stat
The San Diego Padres. Just when they looked like a juggernaut in the NL, believing this could be the year they finally win a World Series, along came the horrid memories of their inaugural 1969 season.
The Padres managed to do something that only one team in history has done when they scored three runs, allowed more than 30 with at least 10 homers, while committing five errors in their five-game stretch.
Yes, the 1969 Padres.
Most powerful condemnation of social media
Liam Hendriks, Boston Red Sox:
“Threats against my life and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel. You need help. Leaving comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile. Maybe you should reevaluate your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families. Whether you do it from your ‘fake accounts’ or are dumb enough to do it from your real account. I think I speak for all players who have had to deal with this in their career when I say enough is enough.”
Hendriks told reporters he sent out the message on his Instagram account to not only protect his family, but for all of his teammates and peers throughout the game.
“This is almost a daily occurrence for almost everyone in this clubhouse,” Hendriks said. “… With the rise of sports gambling, it’s gotten a lot worse. … There needs to be some sort of punishment so that people can think twice before they start doing this stuff.”
