Bryce Harper shocked in Phillies debut: 'I've never seen that'  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper drew big cheers, a pair of walks and a most unusual defense in his spring training debut for the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  Both times the slugger with the biggest contract in baseball came to the plate …

Detroit Tigers score vs. New York Yankees, spring training: How to follow  —  Detroit Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd and wife, Ashley, weren't looking for this cause.  But ending sex slavery in Uganda has become their mission.  —  CONNECT  —  Exhibition: Detroit Tigers (7-9) vs. New York Yankees (7-6)

Gary Sanchez's latest Yankees showing met with mixed reviews  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — Gary Sanchez showed off how good he is feeling Saturday night.  —  The Yankee catcher made two noteworthy athletic plays in the Yankees 6-1 win over the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.

What the Padres having the top farm system might actually mean  —  The Kansas City Royals' minor league system was ranked by Baseball America as the best in baseball in 2011.  —  Nine of the team's prospects were deemed to be among the top 100 in baseball.  Names like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy.

Yasiel Puig dances after a stand-up double in the Cincinnati Reds' loss to the San Diego Padres  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - San Diego Padres designated hitter Francisco Mejia crushed a grand slam in the seventh inning against Reds pitcher Jesús Reyes, handing the Reds a 6-2 loss at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Having his contract renewed is symptom of a ‘system that is not great,’ says Flaherty  —  JUPITER, Fla.  • By rejecting the Cardinals' calculated salary offer for the 2019 season, Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty forced the team to unilaterally renew his contract, not because he took issue with the club …

Giants give no guarantee to Dereck Rodriguez  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Dereck Rodriguez was like a painkiller for the Giants last year, providing the ailing team with a desperately needed dose of starting pitching after coming up from the minors in late May.  —  While most of the staff …

White Sox at spring training: A game-by-game recap  —  Chicago Tribune  —  A game-by-game look of how the White Sox fared during spring training games in 2019.  —  March 9: White Sox 12, Rangers 2  —  James McCann hit a two-run homer and Reynaldo Lopez struck out seven over four innings for the White Sox.

Pete Alonso still finds ways to stun the Mets  —  Pete Alonso showed the sold-out crowd at JetBlue Park that his barrel is more than a match for the replicated Fenway Park Green Monster.  Alonso annihilated a fastball from reliever Tyler Thornburg well beyond the towering left-field wall for his third homer of spring.

Mariners' Seager awaits MRI results on wrist  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager is awaiting MRI results after rolling over his left wrist during a spring training game.  —  Seager visited a hand specialist Saturday and has been receiving treatment on his left wrist and hand.

Cubs prospect Adbert Alzolay headed back to Iowa  —  One of the biggest prospects in the Chicago Cubs' system is headed back to Des Moines this summer.  —  Right-handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay was among 14 players assigned to Chicago's minor league camp on Saturday.

UC Irvine caps regular season in record fashion with win against CSUN  —  IRVINE — UC Irvine put an exclamation point on one of the best regular seasons in program history on Saturday night, beating Cal State Northridge 86-74 at the Bren Center to finish league play at 15-1 for the second time in school history.

Column: ‘I believe in myself’: Javier Baez is getting overlooked again — and that's just the way he likes it  —  Photos of Cubs infielder Javier Baez.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  After Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies, a prominent Las Vegas betting website installed him as a 4-1 favorite …

It was a good day for Rangers' right-hander Lance Lynn  —  Lance Lynn filled the zone and worked fast.  —  The Texas Rangers' right-hander struck out four, walked none and allowed one single in four innings against the Colorado Rockies Friday afternoon at Salt River Fields.

Billy Hamilton has no hard feelings toward the Cincinnati Reds: ‘I still want them to do well’  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Playing against many of his former teammates Friday, Billy Hamilton couldn't stop smiling throughout the afternoon.  —  When players were stretching before the game …