The Buzz — Wednesday, August 12

Blake Snell

The take Snell's dominant 10-K return from elbow surgery

10 strikeouts, six innings, one run — and he struck out seven of the first ten men he faced, retiring the first ten in order before back-to-back singles and a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly put a run across in the fourth.

This was Snell's return from NanoNeedle Scope surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, his second injured-list stint this season after one prior start on May 9. The expectation for a start like this is cautious — feel for the breaking ball, a short leash, a line you grade on a curve. Snell gave none of that. He left tied and took a no-decision in a 5-4 walk-off win. A pitcher coming off the 60-day injured list with ten strikeouts in six innings is a rotation answer for October.

Blake Snell cards on eBay →(paid link)

Brenton Doyle

The take Doyle's first White Sox HR was a leadoff shot post-trade

A two-time Gold Glove center fielder traded on August 3, and the first pitch from Nick Lodolo lands 415 feet away. Brenton Doyle drove that pitch into deep center for a leadoff home run — his first as a White Sox, the fourth leadoff shot of his career, and the sixth Chicago has gotten this season. Exit velocity: 106.6 mph.

He came over from Colorado for Mason Adams and Carlos Vielma after a season wrecked by injury. The White Sox acquired him for the glove, not the bat. A leadoff homer on the first pitch is the kind of arrival that buys a player room to settle in. The Sox lost 5-4 in ten innings anyway.

Brenton Doyle cards on eBay →(paid link)

Fernando Tatis Jr.

The take Tatis hits HR to take 2nd on Padres all-time list in rout

Second on the Padres' all-time home-run list, behind only Manny Machado — and the name that used to hold that spot was Nate Colbert, who had it for decades. Fernando Tatis Jr. passed Colbert with a solo shot in the fourth inning of an 11-2 rout of the Brewers, the 164th home run of his career. The milestone lands amid a power surge, four homers in his last seven games, for a player who did not hit his first of 2026 until May 30.

Fernando Tatis Jr. cards on eBay →(paid link)

Pete Crow-Armstrong

The take PCA homers, elite all-around play, Cubs wins, MVP buzz

Shohei Ohtani is the argument for the most talented player alive, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is the argument for the most valuable. The number that separates them is 8.0 — his FanGraphs WAR, leading the majors, more than a full win ahead of Ohtani's 6.6. That is total value, and it is what separates a hot streak from a candidacy.

The counting stats confirm it. Twenty-seven home runs — the latest a 437-foot shot off the third-deck facade in last night's 8-6 win over the Nationals — and thirty stolen bases, making him the first Cub with consecutive 25-homer, 25-steal seasons. On August 5 he hit two in a sweep of the Dodgers while Ohtani homered twice in the same game, and DraftKings made Crow-Armstrong the MVP favorite at minus-120. The next night he singled, stole third, and scored the winning run on a throwing error. The Cubs are 20 games over .500.

The argument for Ohtani is talent. The argument for Crow-Armstrong is production — across every category, every game. The award goes to value, and right now he has more of it.

Pete Crow-Armstrong cards on eBay →(paid link)

Junior Caminero

The take Caminero's 35th HR ties him for MLB lead

A two-run shot in the first inning — 412 feet at 105.4 mph — and Junior Caminero is tied for the major-league lead in home runs at 35. The blast off Mason Barnett scored Yandy Díaz and set the tone in a 12-4 Rays win. He went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, raising his season total to 76.

His line through 119 games reads .277 with a .923 OPS and 451 at-bats — sustained production, not empty power. The milestone matters because it is not a hot streak: thirty-five home runs tied with Yordan Alvarez, Matt Olson, and Kyle Schwarber. He is not having a surge. He is having a season.

Junior Caminero cards on eBay →(paid link)