#player-performance

#player-performance

When Mikel Merino joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in August 2024, few thought they would ever ask if he could be their number nine. He arrived at Emirates Stadium as a 28-year-old Spain international midfielder with more than 200 La Liga appearances and a Euros title to his name. Not once had he played as a striker. But little more than a year on, Merino is a serious contender to be Arsenal's main frontman

In the summer, it seemed Rafael Leao would be transformed by Massimiliano Allegri, and the Portuguese is now shining brighter than ever for AC Milan. Players like Leao are far more difficult than they are easy. Of course, it can be easy, but working out where to make them stand out is the challenging bit. For Allegri, the star is a striker, and so the change was made in the summer.

with the game tied at one apiece, when the Sharks let things get away from them. Vegas reeled off three quick unanswered goals and suddenly it was 4-1. But the good news is that unlike previous iterations of this team, this one rallied back and didn't let the minutes tick by to do it. By the end of the period, San Jose had scored two answering goals of its own and was chasing down a third.

The opposing defense was as stiff as the wind in Cleveland. The 49ers cut right through it. It wasn't pretty, but it was a marginal-stress road victory against an elite unit the kind of win that a playoff team should author against the Browns. Here were the studs and duds from the Niners' 26-8 win, which gave them nine wins on the campaign and a foot into the NFC playoff bracket.

Alavés' goal was a bit of a surprise, but the team handled the situation very well. We stuck to our game plan, I think we dominated, and in the end, we managed to win,

He is a big guy. He has to be a physical and hard player to play against. He is going to make and score his goals around the net, right? A little more puck touches in the offensive zone from the forecheck, and then getting to the net front and winning those battles there and tipping pucks. He has good hand-eye. He has the capability of putting the puck in the net.

Kampf was a serviceable piece for Toronto during the height of the Core Four era. Kampf was part of the replaceable depth pieces that supported the big guns. However, Kampf's role on the team gradually diminished as his limited scoring vaporized, and his defensive play didn't warrant a lineup spot. The situation came to a head this season when Kampf didn't even make it out of training camp.

The Royals have signed infielder Jonathan India to a one-year, $8MM deal for the upcoming season, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. India had been widely viewed as a non-tender candidate on the heels of a poor first season in Kansas City, but he'll return and hope to rebound in 2026. He'll be a free agent next offseason. India, 29 next month, posted career-worst marks in most categories during his first season as a Royal.

"I did have some initial nerves," Henderson said. "But it was more excitement to come in and get started."

Fans love a good comeback story, and baseball arguably produces the most of any sport. Each season, there are at least a handful of players who once built strong reputations, only to fall on hard times -- through underperformance or, more often, injury -- and are forced to start fresh with a new club. Then, somehow, they manage to rediscover what made them great in the first place.

That said, for that hefty price tag, Nylander better be delivering in all facets of his game. BREAKING NEWS: He's not. Not that he's known for his defensive acumen, but there's no question Nylander can do a lot more without the puck. Even by his standards, he's looked lost far too frequently to start the 2025-26 campaign. Yes, the points have been there, but he hasn't controlled games the way he has in the past.

On pace for under 40 points on the season, Miller is at the center of all the Rangers struggles on offense this season. With just four goals and nine points through the first 20 games, the Rangers look to have acquired 2017-2018 Miller and not 2024-2025 Miller. Rumblings that JT Miller is injured, and has been since the preseason, have taken center stage as we try to explain away his struggles. But if JT Miller is injured, then he needs to sit.

The Blue Jays acquired Hernández before the 2017 trade deadline, with the outfielder breaking out in June of 2019 after a stint in Triple-A. Over his next 1660 plate appearances from Jun. 5, 2019, until the end of the 2022 season, Hernández slashed .277/.332/.525 with 96 home runs, for a 131 wRC+. During that span, he earned MVP votes in 2020 and 2021, the same two years he won a Silver Slugger for the outfield. He also earned his first All-Star Game nomination in 2021.

Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan figures to be one of the most sought after trade candidates this offseason. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Royals and Guardians are two of the clubs interested in acquiring him. Goold also mentions that the Yankees and Dodgers had interest prior to the deadline, which perhaps indicates they would be interested again.

sometimes we know in advance who the best quarterbacks will be in a given season. Other times, however, it takes us a little while to figure things out. We headed into 2025 with far less known star power than usual, but even the guys we thought would shine -- Clemson's Cade Klubnik (fourth in the preseason top 100 players list), LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (eighth), Penn State's Drew Allar (17th), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (19th),

Harper had a good season in 2025 but it wasn't close to a career year which included a 3-for-15 performance in the postseason. "He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star-caliber player," Dombrowski said last month. "He didn't have an elite season like he's had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good."

It may come as no surprise that when it comes to the trade market, Nationals All-Star left-hander MacKenzie Gore is viewed as one of the top prizes on the block this offseason. Accordingly, he ranks at the very top of Adams' top 40. Trade speculation swirled around Gore heading into the trade deadline this past season, but on the heels of two brutal drubbings in the span of three starts leading up to August 1, Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo was unable to find a suitor he felt was fitting for Gore and the team stood pat on the 6'2" southpaw.

It has been a tough fall league for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They dropped five of their six contests last week, moving into last place in the league, and the Atlanta Braves prospects haven't done much to help them out. Jim Jarvis and Luke Sinnard had a strongly positive impact on the team, but only in limited playing time, and elsewhere Braves players struggled to have good days.

Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles returned to the lineup after missing the first two games for the Raptors. He finished with 0 points, 2 rebounds and 0/4 from the field in 13 minutes. Scottie Barnes put up 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes but it wasn't enough. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.

After a summer filled with drama and trade rumors, Robertson and the Leafs agreed to a one-year deal. This was seen by many as a prove-it deal. The last chance for Robertson to prove he can be a constant contributor in the lineup. The hope was that not being guaranteed a spot in the future would light a fire under Robertson and finally have him live up to his potential.

However, one player who has impressed a lot and overall this season is Fermin Lopez, who is seemingly making a case for becoming the club's number one choice in the No. 10 position. Fermin, after all, is one of the few players who have performed well for Barcelona lately. He notably scored a hat-trick in the win over Olympiacos, while the Spaniard quietly produced one of the better performances for Barcelona in the defeat to Real Madrid.