Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shelby Miller is closing again, Abraham Toro is on fire
The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs.
For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.
Matthew Pouliot,
Waiver Wire Hitters
Roman Anthony - OF, BOS: 65% rostered
(TOP PROSPECT, RECENT CALL-UP)
Anthony doesn't qualify for this list, but he was just promoted on Monday, so it feels like I need to at least address my expectations for the top prospect in baseball. The 21-year-old hit .288/.423/.491 with 10 home runs, 45 runs scored, 29 RBI, and three steals in 58 games at Triple-A, which should be enticing on its own. Anthony has also never posted a swinging strike rate above 9% at any point in the minors, except for 50 games at High-A in 2023, which will aid his adjustment to the big leagues. He has already demonstrated the ability to hit MLB pitching hard, and I believe he can be a solid asset with a decent batting average, power, and the ability to swipe 5-10 bases. He's going to sit against most lefties, at least for now, so keep that in mind, but he should be added in all formats.
Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 32% rostered
(POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH)
Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter the other day, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the IL...again. He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In the 10 games since being activated, he's gone 11-for-27 with three homers, eight RBI, two steals, and a 4/4 K/BB ratio. He's now hitting .283/.368/.517 on the season, with four homers, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and five steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. Another underrated platoon outfielder is Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (20% rostered). Larnach is hitting well over the last month and will bat in the middle of the order against all right-handed pitchers, but it can be hard to roster players that we know are going to sit against lefties.
Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR: 32% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BELATED BREAKOUT?)
We've been waiting for the Alejandro Kirk breakout for quite some time, but the 27-year-old has been on fire of late, going 19-for-46 (.413) over his last 11 games with two home runs, nine RBI, and six runs. We know he's going to play at least 75% of the games for Toronto, and this is a team that has been playing well of late as well. Hitting fourth in the order now gives him plenty of opportunity for RBIs, and I like Kirk as an add in all formats if you need a catcher, but just keep expectations in check for his power ceiling.
Abraham Toro - 1B/2B/3B, BOS: 31% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, HOT STRETCH)
Listen, we know this isn't likely to last, but Toro is just 28 years old and was an intriguing prospect when he was coming through the minors. He's had some hot stretches before, and he's on a pretty good run of late, batting .350 over his last 23 games with four home runs, 14 runs scored, and 11 RBI. More importantly, he's starting regularly at first base for Boston and likely will continue to do so as long as he's hitting well. As we get closer to the trade deadline, it's possible that Toro could be replaced by somebody the Red Sox trade for, but if Toro is still starting and producing in a month, you'll have already earned value on picking him up. A deeper league multi-position add is Otto Kemp - 2B/3B, PHI (3% rostered). The 25-year-old has gotten off to a slow start since being called up by the Phillies, but he's playing first base pretty much every day while Bryce Harper is on the IL. Kemp has been a fixture in our Rotoworld blurbs because he has been crushing Triple-A to the tune of a .313/.416/.594 slash line in 58 games with 14 home runs and 11 steals. He has always posted high swinging strike rates in the minors, and the overall contact rate was just 67% in Triple-A, so don't expect a good batting average, but the power and speed are legit.
Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 28% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT)
I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 35 games, Adell is batting .276/.372/.612 with 10 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 23% strikeout rate over that span, with a 50% hard-hit rate and 11 barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset, so he's worth adding while he's running hot. A deep league option primarily for batting average is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .280 batting average.
Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 24% rostered
(RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE)
Nick Kurtz didn't set the world on fire this week in his return from the IL, but there is plenty of talent in his bat. He was heating up before landing on the IL with a strained oblique, hitting four home runs in his last five games before the injury. The talented rookie returned to the lineup on Monday, and we know that offense is going to pick up in Sacramento as the weather warms, so I'd be trying to add him in any leagues where he's still available. I'm actually surprised Kurtz is rostered in so many fewer leagues than Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, CIN (35% rostered). Kurtz is a higher-rated prospect and is in a similarly strong environment. We know CES is going to play almost every day for the Reds, and we know that he flashed solid power skills in the minors. However, he has also had strikeout issues since being promoted to the big leagues and is not a lock to produce, given his career stats. He came off the IL like a house on fire and then went 3-for-17 in his next five games, which is emblematic of what we should expect from him. He's well worth a gamble given his power upside now that he's back and healthy, but I'd still rather have Kurtz.
Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 23% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
I've had Meidroth in this column for weeks, and I'm going to keep him here because he has multi-position eligibility and great batting average upside with some steals thrown in for good measure. In 30 games since May 11th, Meidroth is hitting .310/.385/.397 with 13 runs scored, five steals, two home runs, and a 16/14 K/BB ratio. He's another hitter I'm highlighting on here who is making good swing decisions and succeeding due to a strong understanding of the strike zone. He had never stolen more than 13 bases in a season at the minor league level, so that number is a bit shocking to me, but he can run a bit and is a smart baseball player on a bad team that has no problem taking chances on the bases. Meidroth is also hitting leadoff and playing every day, so he could accumulate runs and steals while hitting for a solid batting average. Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Over the same period since May 11th, Clement is hitting .316/.352/.500 with four home runs, 18 runs scored, 12 RBI, and an 8/6 K/BB ratio in 31 games. Even with Andres Gimenez back, Clement is still an everyday player, just at 3B now. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues.
Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 19% rostered
(POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL)
Meadows has struggled a bit since coming off the IL, but I often think that we're too quick to turn away from a player just because he doesn't hit the ground running. Adjusting to MLB pitching is hard, even if you've been at this level before. Meadows was out for almost three months; it's going to take some time for him to get his rhythm back. He's a talented hitter and is playing pretty much every day in Detroit. Scoop him up before he gets hot. On the flip side, Matt Wallner - OF, MIN (13% rostered) has been hot since returning from the IL, or has at least seen his power return to previous form with three home runs in his last 10 games. The power is exactly what you're looking for with Wallner, and he's been batting cleanup against righties, which should provide solid counting stats. I think the batting average will tick up a bit as well and maybe settle closer to about .250.
Marcelo Mayer - 3B/SS, BOS: 19% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Last week, I mentioned that Mayer was off to a slow start to his MLB career and may be a better real-life player than a fantasy player. While I still think that's true, Mayer has shown a bit more power this season and then put that on display with his two-homer game against the Rays on Wednesday. Sadly, he and Roman Anthony are going to sit versus most left-handed pitchers, which can make it harder to roster him in weekly lineup lock leagues. His teammate, Trevor Story - SS, BOS (32% rostered), is also heating up after a horrible May. Story is hitting over .319 in 12 games in June with two home runs, two steals, and 12 RBI. He's going to be in the lineup every day for Boston and has nine home runs and 10 steals on the year, so there is some power and speed here as well. He's prone to some cold stretches, but he remains a solid fantasy asset.
Jeff McNeil - 2B/OF, NYM: 11% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, SURPRISING POWER)
I think most people wrote off Jeff McNeil as a fantasy-relevant player when he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has been great for the Mets since coming off the IL, hitting .268 with 22 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one stolen base through his first 144 plate appearances this season. However, he has been heating up of late, along with this entire Mets offense, going 16-for-47 (.340) in his last 13 games. The multi-position eligibility is also helpful, and while I think McNeil will be primarily a batting average asset, he is showing some surprising power this year as well. Brooks Lee - 2B/3B/SS, MIN (4% rostered) is another solid multi-position eligible player who has remained in the lineup even as the Twins have gotten healthy. With Royce Lewis seemingly headed to the IL with yet another lower body injury, that should keep Lee as an everyday player in Minnesota. The power and speed numbers aren't going to be great, but he'll chip in a few and then add solid counting stats in a decent lineup.
Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 11% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Kyle Teel was promoted last weekend and has started every game but one at either catcher or DH. It seems like he's getting a chance to supplant Edgar Quero, who was fairly average in his first 39 MLB games and provided below-average defense. Teel also may have more offensive upside, slashing .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals. He's gone just 4-for-18 to begin his big league career, but he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS (20% rostered), who has not only emerged as the starting catcher in Boston but one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for his plus defense when he was acquired from the Yankees in a trade this off-season, but he's hitting .347/.448/.541 over his last 30 games with three home runs, 19 runs scored, and 13 RBI. He provides top-tier defense behind the plate and is going to start about two-thirds of the games for the Red Sox while hitting near the middle of the order.
Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 11% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH)
I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and if your primary goal isn't power, then I think Schanuel could be a good bet for you. Same goes for Ty France - 1B, MIN (7% rostered), who remains the starting first baseman in Minnesota with a solid 8.4% barrel rate. He has less speed than Schanuel does and similarly modest power, but his batting average will be helpful, and he'll chip in enough in the counting stats to help you in deeper formats.
Christian Moore - 2B, LAA: 8% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)
The Angels announced on Friday that they would be calling up Christian Moore. Shockingly, Moore is now the FOURTH player from last year's draft class to already make his MLB debut, along with Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, and Cam Smith. Moore struggled to start the season in Double-A, but was playing solid in Triple-A and now has a .279/.374/.422 slash line in 54 games across Double-A and Triple-A with five home runs and eight steals. He also has a 14% swinging strike rate and just a 70% contact rate, so that tells us there will be swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues. Maybe expect a .240 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. I get wanting to add him for his upside, but it does feel like more of a deep league target. Ryan Ritter - SS, COL (1% rostered), is another rookie who has stepped into a full-time role with Ezequiel Tovar on the IL with an oblique injury. Ritter was crushing at Triple-A with a .305 average with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and three steals in 52 games. His contact rate was under 73% in Triple-A, which isn't ideal and makes me think the batting average will be a fair bit lower in the big leagues. I don't think he'll be up for long, but in deeper formats, he could be worth a gamble if you need a MIF.
Mike Tauchman - OF, CWS: 6% rostered
(OFF THE IL, PLAYING TIME GUARANTEE)
Tauchman has been playing every day for the White Sox, batting leadoff and hitting .297/.410/.547 in 18 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI. We've seen Tauchman be a solid deeper league fantasy asset in the past, and his plate discipline metrics are really strong so far this year. He will sit against most lefties, and doesn't play on a really good offense, so that caps some of the counting stats upside. However, in deeper formats, I think Tauchman is worth a look given his solid performance and consistent role. Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL (14% rostered) is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd and figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta. If you have space to stash him now, that might not be a bad idea in deeper formats.
Thairo Estrada- 2B, COL: 6% rostered
(OFF THE IL, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Estrada was a big late-round favorite of mine early in the season after he signed with Colorado. I think he hurt his fantasy value by playing through injury last year, but he's a .270 15/15 type of talent who will now be playing in Coors Field. A fractured wrist could impact some of that power, and Estrada is certainly going to be a better bet when Colorado is at home. However, I believe he could be a solid source of batting average and speed while being the likely everyday starter at second base for the Rockies. We've also seen Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL (3% rostered) emerge as the regular right fielder for the Rockies since being called up. He has hit .299/.367/.448 in 28 games with five stolen bases. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .260-.270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility.
Alek Thomas - OF, ARI: 1% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
I had Thomas on here a bunch earlier in the season and, admittedly, dropped him in a few formats because his lack of power and speed really limit his fantasy viability. However, we have seen his power tick up a bit lately, with him having two home runs in his last 12 games. I don't think Thomas will become a power hitter, so he's probably more of a target if you need some batting average. Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (1% rostered), who is hitting .280/.315/.540 in 16 games this season with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's been playing a lot of right field with Kerry Carpenter shifting to DH and Colt Keith riding the bench a lot, and that could be how Detroit approaches this moving forward. He's likely only going to play four games a week, so it's more of a daily moves play or a stash and hope he takes Keith's place permanently.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Jacob Misiorowski - SP, MIL: 45% rostered
Much like Anthony, Misiorowski doesn't technically qualify for this list, but he made his MLB debut on Thursday, so I wanted to take the time to discuss him here because, man, that was an impressive showing. He regularly hit triple digits with his fastball and had solid command after his cutter/slider, which he can also use to get ahead. The curveball command was spottier, but it has good break, and then he also ripped off a few 90 mph changeups that got some swings-and-misses to lefties. Epect some inconsistency because he's a rookie with a spotty track record of command, but by all mean,s go out and grab him.
Mick Abel - SP, PHI: 39% rostered
It turns out, Abel's stay in the rotation is going to be longer than some assumed when he was called back up last week. Aaron Nola's ribcage strain is going to prevent him from even throwing for the next two weeks, and then he'll need to build back up to bullpens before going on a rehab assignment. That means Abel may have another month before his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy. I'm not sure his ceiling is exceptionally high right now, but he has a deep pitch mix and seems comfortable attacking the strike zone, so I don't see him putting up too many stinkers for you either.
Shane Smith - SP, CWS: 34% rostered
It's rare you see a pitcher with a 2.37 ERA and 23% strikeout rate across 68.1 innings be rostered in so few leagues. But I guess that's what happens when you're on the White Sox. Smith has slowed a little bit of late, with two poor starts against the Mets and Mariners, but bounced back this week against the Tigers a bit. He has gone six innings only three times this season and has only two wins, so that can make him tough to start, but the ratios and strikeouts have been pretty good these past 6 weeks. Also, just some respect for Smith's teammate Adrian Houser - SP, CWS (18% rostered), who has a 2.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 29.1 innings for the White Sox this season. It's still Houser, and he pitches for the second-worst team in baseball, so there's not tons of upside here, but he's been really good so far and he'll likely be traded at the deadline, so maybe he ends up somewhere he can be more useful.
Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 34% rostered
Justin Martinez is out for the season as he deals with a UCL injury, and AJ Puk just suffered a setback in his rehab, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. With Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks actually sell at the deadline, which means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (9% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option.
Quinn Priester - SP, MIL: 26% rostered
Priester has been on a tremendous run of late, pitching to a 2.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. He's still more of a match-up play than anything, but I thought he was worth highlighting here.
Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 21% rostered
Cabrera looked so good early in his start against Washington on Friday, but then he got stepped on while covering first base and was clearly laboring. He allowed a home run immediately after the injury and was then removed from the game. Provided his injury isn't anything major, I remain very interested here. The right-hander has long tantalized with his upside and disappointed with his command, but he is making some pitch mix changes that caught my attention. I dug into him for my starting pitcher news column last week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for a more detailed breakdown.
Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 19% rostered
Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. I have no idea. He has four saves in the last month and has had the last few save chances for Texas, but his ratios have been really problematic. Now, some of that is connected to a 'blown' a save against the Rays last weekend, which was one of the unluckiest blown saves I've seen with TWO runners scoring on THE SAME infield single. Two of the three hits Garcia gave up in that inning were infield singles. It feels like a fluky poor performance. However, Chris Martin - RP, TEX (21% rostered) is also returning from the IL and could get back into the closer conversation as well, but nobody has seemed to want Martin to close during his career, and you have to wonder whether or not that has something to do with his preference.
Michael Kopech - RP, LAD: 14% rostered
Kopech has come off the IL and pitched the ninth for the Dodgers and then also walked three batters in one inning in the seventh. We have no idea what his role is going to be, but Los Angeles seems likely to have a right-handed complement to Tanner Scott, and maybe that's Kopech. However, Alex Vesia - RP, LAD (19% rostered) also picked up a save this week and while that was mainly due to matchups, he's been good this year and maybe can help you with your ratios while getting a handful of saves.
David Festa - SP, MIN: 7% rostered
With Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews both hurt, David Festa is locked into a rotation spot in Minnesota. Perhaps more importantly, he was also allowed to pitch six innings in his last start, and it seems like Rocco Baldelli may loosen the leash on him a bit. There remain some command concerns, but Festa has upside if you're swinging for the fences.
Hunter Dobbins - SP, BOS: 4% rostered
Dobbins was featured in an article I wrote this week that highlighted starting pitcher targets for the second half of the fantasy baseball season. Check that out for the details on why I like Dobbins, but you maybe also saw that for yourself last night.
Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 3% rostered
The White Sox flame-throwing prospect is up and pitching out of the bullpen for now. Taylor has legit electric stuff, and I think he could be closing for the White Sox in short order.
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- New York Times
‘Do you want the 50/50 cleats?': Where Shohei Ohtani's history-making Decoy cleats ended up
On September 19, 2024, Shohei Ohtani earned the first and only key to the historic 50/50 club. By going six-for-six with three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBI, he achieved a season-long chase with one of the greatest single-game performances ever. Naturally, every item tied to this historic achievement instantly became a desirable piece of memorabilia. Before the game was over, the MLB authenticator was sorting through all of Ohtani's equipment in the Los Angeles Dodgers' dugout, cataloging items that had suddenly shot up in value. Advertisement Soon after that, a variety of items from the game were shipped off to various places. Ohtani's game-worn pants and batting gloves went to Topps, where they were cut up and put into valuable trading cards. The MLB logo patch from those pants was incorporated into a one-of-a-kind, autographed card that was pulled and then sold for slightly over $1 million, setting a record for an Ohtani card. The 50th home run ball was the subject of multiple lawsuits between fans who claimed to be the rightful owner of it before it was auctioned off for a record-setting $4.392 million. The Marlins' lineup card from the game sold for nearly $22,000. First base sold for more than $25,000, and third base sold for $91,522. Despite speculation at the time that key items would soon go to the Baseball Hall of Fame, it says it has yet to receive anything from that game to display. Several key items from that night went unaccounted for after going through the authentication process, though: Ohtani's bat, jersey, and the most distinctive pieces of equipment of all, his custom cleats featuring his dog Decoy. Ohtani's love for dogs dates back to when he was in first grade, and he asked his parents for one. The family welcomed a golden retriever with the perfect name for a dog belonging to a future two-way star: Ace. Fast forward to when Ohtani was announced as the unanimous winner of the American League MVP award in 2023 with a puppy sitting on his lap. It resulted in unplanned fame for the furry companion whose name was being withheld at the time, and Topps released a trading card celebrating both the AL MVP and his 'Most Valuable Puppy.' Fans spun theories about the Kooikerhondje's name as Ohtani embarked on his free agent tour. It wasn't until Ohtani signed his decade-long deal with the Dodgers that it was finally revealed: Decoy Ohtani, known in Japanese as Dekopin. All the Decoy love gave New Balance the idea to create cleats bearing his image for Ohtani in time for Players Weekend in mid-August. Advertisement Weeks later, Decoy delivered a ceremonial first pitch the night the Dodgers gave away a wildly popular bobblehead of Ohtani and his dog. Naturally, Ohtani wore the Decoy cleats again that night, as he went on to hit a home run and steal two bases. 'Shohei was on a historic run, and we were trying not to be disruptive, but we talked about doing something quickly with Decoy, so we worked with an artist who does work with us and across the league,' said Evan Zeder, Director of Global Sports Marketing for Baseball with New Balance. New Balance tasked Miami-based sneaker artist Marcus Rivero 'to do something fun with Decoy and Ohtani,' Zeder recalled. Rivero has created custom designs worn by top athletes in the NFL, NBA, and MLB ranging from Dwyane Wade and Bryce Harper to Drew Brees and Tom Brady. After what Ohtani did while wearing those cleats on Sept. 19, they went from 'something fun' to something historic. But following the 50/50 game, no one knew what became of the cleats. New Balance says he never wore that pair of Decoy cleats again, and a different pair was provided for him to wear during the Dodgers' championship run.. Shohei rocking the Decoy cleats 🐶🫶 — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2024 Months later, the New Balance team was planning for the Tokyo Series that would kick off the 2025 season with the Dodgers facing the Cubs. New Balance's team went to visit Ohtani in Arizona at the end of February to discuss plans around the series when Ohtani surprised them with a question: 'Do you want the 50/50 cleats?' 'If you want them, and you want to show them at the activation (in Tokyo), you can take them,' Ohtani said, according to Zeder. New Balance hosted an Ohtani pop-up shop in Shibuya, Tokyo from March 15-23 that included Ohtani's Signature Collection, and other exclusive products. But before it came to life, there was an exhaustive process to preserve the cleats and get them safely to Tokyo. Advertisement Enter Eva Grizzard, New Balance's resident archivist. Grizzard got her start with the U.S. military, doing preservation work with rare books and films. It was her interest in 'how people interacted with objects, and how we view them' that drove her into this line of work. 'The product is lived in, worn well, and it comes back to us with stories to tell,' Grizzard said of the Decoy cleats. 'You'll see dirt on them, things are torn, and that's okay, it's all part of the story,' This led to funny conversations on preserving the clods of red dirt embedded in the cleats. Grizzard leaned on her conversations with the staff at the Baseball Hall of Fame. She had questions specifically about preserving the deterioration of the tongue on the cleat. 'Knowing the cleats are game worn, they have grass stuck in them, or something is worn off, scratched, this is what makes them authentic and real,' Grizzard said. Grizzard recalled receiving the cleats at 11 at night in Shibuya. She then transported them in a cross-body bag to their destination. 'There were people everywhere, and I came into this space and it looks very post-apocalyptic (since construction was still ongoing). And then the hush settles, I put the shoes down on the table and open them up,' Grizzard said. The display, closely guarded by security, became a focal point in the pop-up shop that drew in over 70,000 fans off a busy street in Tokyo. 'This is like a national pride attachment to a historical event; everywhere you look in Tokyo is Shohei's face, but to have this personal experience, it was amazing, it was emotional at that point,' Gizzard said. The theatrical ambience began with a butler welcoming people into a dark room to pick up their keys, a reference to Ohtani being welcomed in as the only member of the 50/50 club. The Tokyo pop-up was constructed to be a private club where attendees were given an intimate audience with the cleats.. Advertisement 'An older Japanese gentleman walks in, kind of looks, and we've got the keys up on there, and then he gets to it and starts crying,' Zeder said. Ohtani understood the importance of what he accomplished. His pride in his country, to come back as a World Series champion, having this historic season, and letting it resonate with his fans. 'That touches someone on a level, and that's why Shohei did it, it's him opening himself up to his fans,' Zeder said. Following the exhibit, the cleats returned home to Ohtani, where the biggest threat to their preservation just might be Decoy gnawing on them himself. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
