Ask Tanner Scott about his origin story as a pitcher, and he’s quick to point out one key detail about where his journey began:

“It no longer exists.”

Last spring, Notre Dame College (Ohio) announced it would be closing its doors due to significant financial challenges after more than a century of academic instruction. Eleven years prior, its baseball team had rostered a hard-throwing lefty who went on to become the only big leaguer in school history.

Today, that hard-throwing lefty is the closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending World Series champions whose presence in the sport’s global landscape is more powerful than ever. He has already notched his first save with his new team, delivering a perfect ninth inning against the Cubs in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series. The four-year, $72 million deal Scott agreed to in January is the fifth-largest free-agent contract ever secured by a relief pitcher. It was a payday well earned over the previous two seasons, during which Scott ranked at or near the top of the reliever leaderboard by numerous statistical measures.

Today, Scott’s ability is widely renowned. But he had to start somewhere.

“Notre Dame gave me a chance to pitch,” Scott told Yahoo Sports in February of the small Catholic college that used to be located in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

‘I just didn’t know how to use my body’

At Howland High School just outside of Youngstown, Scott primarily played outfield. As a self-described “terrible hitter,” his strong left arm earned him occasional cameos on the mound, albeit without much success. “I would try to pitch, and it was not good,” recalled Scott, who received minimal interest as a recruit. But nearby Notre Dame believed his live arm was worth taking a chance on.

Once he arrived on campus, Scott’s velocity crept up as hoped; his fastball touched 92 mph in his freshman season as a Falcon. But his control was untenable. His 37 1/3 innings across nine starts featured 44 strikeouts — with 47 walks and nine hit-by-pitches. A 5.54 ERA with extreme wildness against Division II competition wouldn’t seem to portend a long and successful professional career. But it turned out to be a fitting start to Scott’s decade-long quest to translate his rare physical ability into consistent run prevention.

The numbers weren’t pretty at Notre Dame. But the reality is, southpaws with serious velocity don’t grow on trees. And when he pitched the following summer for the Cincinnati-based Midland baseball program that has produced dozens of big leaguers, Scott’s heater climbed to 94 mph. He got an offer to go play at Howard College, a strong junior college program in west Texas, and he decided to take the leap.

“That’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done,” Scott said of his decision to leave Ohio for a new challenge after just one season. At Howard, Scott started to understand how much better he could get — and how much harder he could throw — by upgrading his movements on the mound.

“I learned how to actually use pitching mechanics instead of just throwing,” he explained. “I just didn’t know how to use my body.”

Although Scott’s control remained shoddy (6.64 BB/9), his overall effectiveness saw a notable uptick with the Hawks, as his four-seamer soared to 97 mph and his ERA plummeted to 2.66 across 61 innings. During his lone season at Howard, he emerged as one of the top junior college prospects in the 2014 MLB Draft and was ultimately selected in the sixth round by Baltimore. He signed with the Orioles in June, and by September, a little more than two years removed from scraping 90 mph as a part-time high school pitcher, Scott was touching triple digits as a professional.

Tanner Scott vs. Shohei Ohtani

A decade later, Scott is still touching triple digits as one of baseball’s premier relievers. But en route to landing his lucrative deal to join a historically star-studded Dodgers roster, Scott’s development mostly took place out of the spotlight. The Orioles finished in last more often than not during his tenure. Then he was the closer for the 93-loss Marlins in 2022, his first taste of game-ending duties after years of showcasing closer-like stuff without closer-like consistency. Scott’s career continued to trend favorably as an individual, but he was flourishing on losing clubs.

More recently, however, Scott’s gradual ascent has garnered attention as he has starred for postseason teams. Although he shared ninth-inning responsibilities with A.J. Puk in 2023, Scott led all relievers in fWAR, contributing to Miami’s stunning surge to October and helping cement his status as one of the most dominant late-game weapons in MLB. Scott’s profile was amplified further last summer, when he was one of the bigger names traded at the deadline to a San Diego team in the thick of a playoff race.

As a Padre, Scott made an impression on his future employer. He had thrived against the Dodgers with Miami, but that was far different than taking them on in the context of one of baseball’s fiercest rivalries. In San Diego’s victory over the Dodgers on Sept. 24, which shrunk Los Angeles’ division lead to two games, Scott pitched a scoreless seventh inning punctuated by a three-pitch strikeout of Shohei Ohtani. Two nights later, Scott again entered in the seventh in a tie game and this time had a rare misstep, allowing three runs on three hits, including the go-ahead knock from Ohtani. The Dodgers won 7-2 and clinched the NL West crown.

“For us to get to [Tanner] Scott was a big message,” manager Dave Roberts said on the radio the next day, acknowledging the then-rival reliever’s outsized importance.

A couple of weeks later, the Dodgers prevailed against the Padres again in the NLDS — but not before Scott exacted some individual revenge. He delivered four scoreless outings in the series, all four of which featured a strikeout of Ohtani.

Scott’s tremendous showing in the NLDS wasn’t enough to help the Padres advance, but it did provide an emphatic conclusion to a remarkable season that primed him to cash in considerably in free agency. And with the Dodgers boasting the league’s deepest pockets and an unwavering appetite for elite talent, Scott emerged as a logical target for L.A. 

As the saying goes: If you can’t beat ‘em, give ‘em a whole bunch of money to join you.

‘He’s just got a different kind of engine’

In joining the Dodgers, Scott got the opportunity to reunite with one of his best friends in baseball in fellow reliever Evan Phillips. Not long after making his MLB debut with Atlanta, Phillips was traded to Baltimore at the 2018 deadline, joining the Orioles franchise in the depths of their rebuild. Over the next three years, he and Scott grew close as they both worked to solidify themselves as big-league relievers, if even on a very bad team. They lived together in Florida leading up to the shortened 2020 season, bonding during a time of uncertainty. Their then-fiancées, now-wives grew close as well, with Scott serving as a groomsman in Phillips’ wedding.

It wasn’t until after they both departed Baltimore that the duo blossomed into the high-leverage arms they are today. The two stayed in close contact as Scott thrived in Miami and Phillips found another gear in L.A., with Phillips occasionally sharing how much he loves being a Dodger. Once Scott reached the open market, however, his friend was mindful of respecting the free-agent process.

“We talked here and there throughout the offseason, but we never really dove deep into what it would be like to be teammates again,” Phillips said. “It was a big decision for him and his family.”

That said, Phillips would’ve appreciated a heads-up once it was clear that a reunion was in store.

“When the news broke that he signed, I was kind of mad he didn’t text me first,” Phillips admitted. “That’s kind of the nature of how he is — he’s more of a low-key guy. But the group chat we have with his wife and my wife was certainly buzzing after that.”

Now the two are back in the same bullpen, affording Phillips a front-row seat to watch the star pitcher Scott has become and beginning a new chapter for them as teammates.

“He would flash it in Baltimore — he would strike out two guys on six pitches and then walk the next one on four,” Phillips said, describing the roller-coaster ride that Scott so often rode before he harnessed his stuff more consistently.

“I think things really came into form with San Diego,” he added. “You saw him take another step on a winning team. And that’s the kind of dominance he can present. To watch that growth from afar was really awesome.”

Cassidy Sparrow via Getty Images

For Phillips, having known the more unrefined version of Scott in the early stages of his career, witnessing his glow-up has been especially rewarding. At the same time, it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise, considering Scott’s uncommon ability to light up the radar gun from the left side. “He’s just got a different kind of engine,” Phillips said.

As commonplace as high-90s heat has become across baseball, the number of southpaws capable of touching triple digits remains an ultra-exclusive club. It’s a group that has been headlined by Aroldis Chapman for the past decade, with only a handful of new entrants demonstrating such heat each season. In 2024, Scott’s four-seamer averaged 97 mph, the fifth-highest mark among left-handers with at least 1,000 pitches thrown. He has thrown 12 pitches in excess of 100 mph as a big leaguer, the most recent of which came against Ohtani in the postseason.

“The physicality he brings, he looks like a strong safety,” Phillips said of Scott, whose older brother, Tyler, was a defensive lineman in college. “He’s got a bit of a football background … and that kind of intensity he brings to the mound.”

It’s that combination of relief firepower and dominating demeanor that made Scott such an alluring free agent, even as a reliever without a lengthy track record of closing games. His 55 career saves at the time of his deal pale in comparison to the gaudy totals compiled by other elite closers who commanded massive free-agent contracts, such as Chapman, Edwin Díaz, Josh Hader and Kenley Jansen. But the Dodgers didn’t hesitate to declare Scott the most likely in their loaded bullpen to receive the bulk of the save opportunities, a reflection of their confidence that he’s ready for the high-stakes role.

For years, Scott’s focus has been on turning his high-end stuff into high-end results, an ongoing odyssey of individual development. But now, as a key cog on baseball’s super-team, his results carry more weight than ever. After proving his postseason mettle against the Dodgers in October, Scott will be tasked with delivering on their behalf when the games matter most.

“It’s just applying it on a championship team, right? It’s one thing to have those goals, but to try to be a part of it year in, year out … ” Phillips said. “On a team like this, you know you want to be at your best and be bulletproof when the time comes.”

Ask Tanner Scott about his origin story as a pitcher, and he’s quick to point out one key detail about where his journey began:

“It no longer exists.”

Last spring, Notre Dame College (Ohio) announced it would be closing its doors due to significant financial challenges after more than a century of academic instruction. Eleven years prior, its baseball team had rostered a hard-throwing lefty who went on to become the only big leaguer in school history.

Today, that hard-throwing lefty is the closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending World Series champions whose presence in the sport’s global landscape is more powerful than ever. He has already notched his first save with his new team, delivering a perfect ninth inning against the Cubs in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series. The four-year, $72 million deal Scott agreed to in January is the fifth-largest free-agent contract ever secured by a relief pitcher. It was a payday well earned over the previous two seasons, during which Scott ranked at or near the top of the reliever leaderboard by numerous statistical measures.

Today, Scott’s ability is widely renowned. But he had to start somewhere.

“Notre Dame gave me a chance to pitch,” Scott told Yahoo Sports in February of the small Catholic college that used to be located in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

‘I just didn’t know how to use my body’

At Howland High School just outside of Youngstown, Scott primarily played outfield. As a self-described “terrible hitter,” his strong left arm earned him occasional cameos on the mound, albeit without much success. “I would try to pitch, and it was not good,” recalled Scott, who received minimal interest as a recruit. But nearby Notre Dame believed his live arm was worth taking a chance on.

Once he arrived on campus, Scott’s velocity crept up as hoped; his fastball touched 92 mph in his freshman season as a Falcon. But his control was untenable. His 37 1/3 innings across nine starts featured 44 strikeouts — with 47 walks and nine hit-by-pitches. A 5.54 ERA with extreme wildness against Division II competition wouldn’t seem to portend a long and successful professional career. But it turned out to be a fitting start to Scott’s decade-long quest to translate his rare physical ability into consistent run prevention.

The numbers weren’t pretty at Notre Dame. But the reality is, southpaws with serious velocity don’t grow on trees. And when he pitched the following summer for the Cincinnati-based Midland baseball program that has produced dozens of big leaguers, Scott’s heater climbed to 94 mph. He got an offer to go play at Howard College, a strong junior college program in west Texas, and he decided to take the leap.

“That’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done,” Scott said of his decision to leave Ohio for a new challenge after just one season. At Howard, Scott started to understand how much better he could get — and how much harder he could throw — by upgrading his movements on the mound.

“I learned how to actually use pitching mechanics instead of just throwing,” he explained. “I just didn’t know how to use my body.”

Although Scott’s control remained shoddy (6.64 BB/9), his overall effectiveness saw a notable uptick with the Hawks, as his four-seamer soared to 97 mph and his ERA plummeted to 2.66 across 61 innings. During his lone season at Howard, he emerged as one of the top junior college prospects in the 2014 MLB Draft and was ultimately selected in the sixth round by Baltimore. He signed with the Orioles in June, and by September, a little more than two years removed from scraping 90 mph as a part-time high school pitcher, Scott was touching triple digits as a professional.

Tanner Scott vs. Shohei Ohtani

A decade later, Scott is still touching triple digits as one of baseball’s premier relievers. But en route to landing his lucrative deal to join a historically star-studded Dodgers roster, Scott’s development mostly took place out of the spotlight. The Orioles finished in last more often than not during his tenure. Then he was the closer for the 93-loss Marlins in 2022, his first taste of game-ending duties after years of showcasing closer-like stuff without closer-like consistency. Scott’s career continued to trend favorably as an individual, but he was flourishing on losing clubs.

More recently, however, Scott’s gradual ascent has garnered attention as he has starred for postseason teams. Although he shared ninth-inning responsibilities with A.J. Puk in 2023, Scott led all relievers in fWAR, contributing to Miami’s stunning surge to October and helping cement his status as one of the most dominant late-game weapons in MLB. Scott’s profile was amplified further last summer, when he was one of the bigger names traded at the deadline to a San Diego team in the thick of a playoff race.

As a Padre, Scott made an impression on his future employer. He had thrived against the Dodgers with Miami, but that was far different than taking them on in the context of one of baseball’s fiercest rivalries. In San Diego’s victory over the Dodgers on Sept. 24, which shrunk Los Angeles’ division lead to two games, Scott pitched a scoreless seventh inning punctuated by a three-pitch strikeout of Shohei Ohtani. Two nights later, Scott again entered in the seventh in a tie game and this time had a rare misstep, allowing three runs on three hits, including the go-ahead knock from Ohtani. The Dodgers won 7-2 and clinched the NL West crown.

“For us to get to [Tanner] Scott was a big message,” manager Dave Roberts said on the radio the next day, acknowledging the then-rival reliever’s outsized importance.

A couple of weeks later, the Dodgers prevailed against the Padres again in the NLDS — but not before Scott exacted some individual revenge. He delivered four scoreless outings in the series, all four of which featured a strikeout of Ohtani.

Scott’s tremendous showing in the NLDS wasn’t enough to help the Padres advance, but it did provide an emphatic conclusion to a remarkable season that primed him to cash in considerably in free agency. And with the Dodgers boasting the league’s deepest pockets and an unwavering appetite for elite talent, Scott emerged as a logical target for L.A. 

As the saying goes: If you can’t beat ‘em, give ‘em a whole bunch of money to join you.

‘He’s just got a different kind of engine’

In joining the Dodgers, Scott got the opportunity to reunite with one of his best friends in baseball in fellow reliever Evan Phillips. Not long after making his MLB debut with Atlanta, Phillips was traded to Baltimore at the 2018 deadline, joining the Orioles franchise in the depths of their rebuild. Over the next three years, he and Scott grew close as they both worked to solidify themselves as big-league relievers, if even on a very bad team. They lived together in Florida leading up to the shortened 2020 season, bonding during a time of uncertainty. Their then-fiancées, now-wives grew close as well, with Scott serving as a groomsman in Phillips’ wedding.

It wasn’t until after they both departed Baltimore that the duo blossomed into the high-leverage arms they are today. The two stayed in close contact as Scott thrived in Miami and Phillips found another gear in L.A., with Phillips occasionally sharing how much he loves being a Dodger. Once Scott reached the open market, however, his friend was mindful of respecting the free-agent process.

“We talked here and there throughout the offseason, but we never really dove deep into what it would be like to be teammates again,” Phillips said. “It was a big decision for him and his family.”

That said, Phillips would’ve appreciated a heads-up once it was clear that a reunion was in store.

“When the news broke that he signed, I was kind of mad he didn’t text me first,” Phillips admitted. “That’s kind of the nature of how he is — he’s more of a low-key guy. But the group chat we have with his wife and my wife was certainly buzzing after that.”

Now the two are back in the same bullpen, affording Phillips a front-row seat to watch the star pitcher Scott has become and beginning a new chapter for them as teammates.

“He would flash it in Baltimore — he would strike out two guys on six pitches and then walk the next one on four,” Phillips said, describing the roller-coaster ride that Scott so often rode before he harnessed his stuff more consistently.

“I think things really came into form with San Diego,” he added. “You saw him take another step on a winning team. And that’s the kind of dominance he can present. To watch that growth from afar was really awesome.”

Cassidy Sparrow via Getty Images

For Phillips, having known the more unrefined version of Scott in the early stages of his career, witnessing his glow-up has been especially rewarding. At the same time, it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise, considering Scott’s uncommon ability to light up the radar gun from the left side. “He’s just got a different kind of engine,” Phillips said.

As commonplace as high-90s heat has become across baseball, the number of southpaws capable of touching triple digits remains an ultra-exclusive club. It’s a group that has been headlined by Aroldis Chapman for the past decade, with only a handful of new entrants demonstrating such heat each season. In 2024, Scott’s four-seamer averaged 97 mph, the fifth-highest mark among left-handers with at least 1,000 pitches thrown. He has thrown 12 pitches in excess of 100 mph as a big leaguer, the most recent of which came against Ohtani in the postseason.

“The physicality he brings, he looks like a strong safety,” Phillips said of Scott, whose older brother, Tyler, was a defensive lineman in college. “He’s got a bit of a football background … and that kind of intensity he brings to the mound.”

It’s that combination of relief firepower and dominating demeanor that made Scott such an alluring free agent, even as a reliever without a lengthy track record of closing games. His 55 career saves at the time of his deal pale in comparison to the gaudy totals compiled by other elite closers who commanded massive free-agent contracts, such as Chapman, Edwin Díaz, Josh Hader and Kenley Jansen. But the Dodgers didn’t hesitate to declare Scott the most likely in their loaded bullpen to receive the bulk of the save opportunities, a reflection of their confidence that he’s ready for the high-stakes role.

For years, Scott’s focus has been on turning his high-end stuff into high-end results, an ongoing odyssey of individual development. But now, as a key cog on baseball’s super-team, his results carry more weight than ever. After proving his postseason mettle against the Dodgers in October, Scott will be tasked with delivering on their behalf when the games matter most.

“It’s just applying it on a championship team, right? It’s one thing to have those goals, but to try to be a part of it year in, year out … ” Phillips said. “On a team like this, you know you want to be at your best and be bulletproof when the time comes.”

The Yankees and Mets ended Monday afternoon’s matchup in a 6-6 tie.

Here are the key takeaways…

–Marcus Stroman made his final start of spring training, and it was a solid outing for the right-hander, who will now play a much bigger role in the rotation, given the injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil,and Clarke Schmidt.

Though he allowed a pair of solo home runs to Brett Baty and Pete Alonso, that was the extent of the damage. Stroman went 3.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Stroman finishes his spring with a 4.73 ERA.

–Ben Rice’s power has been on full display this spring, as he came into this final game with five home runs. He was kept in the ballpark on Monday, but he did fly out to the warning track in right against Max Kranick in the fifth.

Rice went 0-for-3, but he did drive in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

–Jasson Dominguez was one of the few 2025 regulars in the lineup on Monday. Though he struck out in the third inning, the ball got away from Luis Torrens, allowing Dominguez to reach. He then showed off his wheels, stealing second and scoring from there on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. RBI single.

Dominguez went 0-for-3, but he scored a run and later drove in a run with an RBI groundout.

–Pablo Reyes had a cup of coffee with the Mets in 2024, appearing in one game as a pinch-runner and scoring a run, and he got a small measure of revenge against his former team in the top of the second inning when he lined a solo home run to right off of A.J. Minter.

Reyes went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

–Spencer Jones homered to left field in the eighth inning, lifting a towering solo home run off of Douglas Orellana, who allowed four earned runs over his 2.0 innings of work.

Jones is still probably a good ways away from the major leagues, but he’s posted a .986 OPS this spring.

–Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, the Yankees’ one-two punch for the end of games, combined to pitch 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two.

Who was the game MVP?

Reyes, who had a three-hit day.

Highlights

Marcus Stroman strikes out Mark Vientos to get out of trouble in the first pic.twitter.com/T9YFFaXMHZ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 24, 2025

Pablo Reyes goes the other way for a solo homer! pic.twitter.com/xJGvFiTrZ6

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 24, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. brings home Jasson Dominguez with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/VMDw0eb90X

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 24, 2025

Spencer Jones goes the opposite way for a home run! 💣 pic.twitter.com/mW2ghGtjwE

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 24, 2025

What’s next

The Yankees have one final spring training game on Tuesday when they face the Marlins in an exhibition game at loanDepot Park in Miami. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.

The Mets tied the Yankees, 6-6, on Monday afternoon as their spring training slate concluded.

---

Here are the takeaways…

– Brett Baty launched a solo homer to right-center field in the second inning after falling into an 0-2 count. It was Baty’s fourth home run of spring training.

Baty is expected to not only make the team, but be the regular second baseman while Jeff McNeil is out.

– Pete Alonsoalso went deep, scalding a solo homer to right field in the third.

– With the Mets trailing, 6-3, in the ninth inning, Brandon Nimmo blasted a three-run homer to right field to tie things up.

– A.J. Minter, pitching for the second time in three days, allowed a solo homer in his inning of work. But his stuff was sharp, as he struck out a pair swinging during his 20-pitch outing as he threw 16 strikes and four balls.

As long as Minter feels good following his outing, the expectation is that he’ll be in the Opening Day bullpen.

– Max Kranick worked a perfect inning in the fifth, inducing a fly out to right field and a soft grounder back to the mound before striking Jazz Chisholm Jr. out looking with a 96 mph fastball.

Kranick, who is in competition with Huascar Brazoban for the final spot in the bullpen, has more than earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. He finished spring with a 1.46 ERA.

– Pitching the inning after Kranick, Brazoban also twirled a perfect frame with one strikeout. He finished spring with a 1.69 ERA.

– Luisangel Acuña entered in the middle of the game. He smacked a single and drew a pair of walks.

– Hayden Senger, who is expected to be the backup catcher until Francisco Alvarez returns, nailed two runners trying to steal second base in the fourth inning.

At the plate, Senger had a run-scoring infield hit.

– Ryne Stanek worked around a pair of walks in 1.0 scoreless inning. He did not allow a hit or run in five Grapefruit League outings.

Highlights

A base hit up the middle for Brandon Nimmo! pic.twitter.com/agSwhNApoE

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

The reception for Juan Soto with Mets and Yankees fans at Clover Park pic.twitter.com/1PvTB1We0H

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

ANOTHER ONE!

Brett Baty’s fourth home run of the spring! pic.twitter.com/gs87SJS37f

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

“That must give Devin Williams sitting in the Yankee bullpen flashback memories”

Pete Alonso with an opposite field home run! pic.twitter.com/8uUsOPqXzH

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

Hayden Senger got ’em 🚀 pic.twitter.com/nzFxdrspUC

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

“That’s just good, clean fun.”

Francisco Lindor was hyped after getting a ground ball hit the other way pic.twitter.com/tXbTfAcrYS

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 24, 2025

A base hit for Luisangel Acuña 💪 pic.twitter.com/m0RkznU7yr

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

A 1-2-3 fifth inning for Max Kranick 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fWkEedPUK8

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 24, 2025

Hayden Senger hits a bullet down the line and the Mets take the lead! pic.twitter.com/Jq3rhi3PcR

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

Brandon Nimmo launches a game-tying three-run homer in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/08YV9PkM9X

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2025

Upcoming schedule

The Mets break camp and travel to Houston on Monday night.

Opening Day is Thursday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes will get the start for New York, opposed by Framber Valdez for the Astros.

Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — when it comes to setting your lineup or music in my rotation — for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.

Each week, you’ll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make and a quick look at the schedule and lineup notes (who’s in and out of rotations).

Press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.

♟️Week 21 Playoff Strategy

Last week, the key to streaming was focusing on quality over quantity. In Week 21, the games are more evenly distributed, so my strategy is using a transaction early in the week for a team playing three games in four nights and evaluating your needs thereafter. As always, keep an eye on load management and injuries while doing your best to stay ahead of the curve — make every move count!

✅ Must-Add Players

These players should be at the top of your list if they’re still available in your league.

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation

Justin Edwards – SF, Philadelphia 76ers (22% rostered)

The undrafted rookie and former high school star has been the Sixers’ best player not named Quentin Grimes. Edwards finished with sixth-round value in 9-cat leagues last week, dropping 21/3/3 with 3 3s and almost 2 stocks per game on 51% shooting from the field. With Philadelphia continuing to play for lottery seeding, you can count on Edwards to log heavy minutes the rest of the way. 

Spencer Dinwiddie – PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks (33% rostered)

Week 20 was a good audition of what to expect from Dinwiddie. He was a first-round value in 9-cat formats and has averaged 43 fantasy points per game over the last seven days. With a ton of injuries in the backcourt, Dinwiddie is thriving in points, assists, 3s and steals.

But keep in mind: Anthony Davis will reportedly make his return on Monday the 24, which will impact any streamers on the Mavericks.

Ryan Dunn – SF/PF, Phoenix Suns (4% rostered)

The rookie from UVA was impressive in Week 20, finishing 71st in 9-cat leagues. The Suns are still fighting for a playoff spot and Dunn is stepping up in Bradley Beal’s absence. With the Suns playing four games this week, Dunn’s mix of 3s, rebounds and stocks will be an asset for fantasy managers. He’s widely available, so scoop him up, especially in deeper leagues. 

Early Week Streamers

If you’re looking for a quick boost to start your week, these players are worth a look because they play three games in four nights from Monday to Thursday.

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation

Max Christie – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (18% rostered)

The Mavericks are shorthanded and even though Anthony Davis was upgraded to probably, Christie will be involved. He’s pulled down eight boards in three straight games and a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back offers some upside in gathering 3s and stocks, too. 

Andrew Nembhard – PG/SG, Indiana Pacers (28% rostered)

The Pacers play Monday with a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back. There’s a chance Tyrese Haliburton sits on one leg of that back-to-back, but even if he doesn’t, Nembhard gets 30 minutes most nights and is productive for points and assists. 

Anthony Black – PG/SG, Orlando Magic (3% rostered)

Selecting Black comes with some risk because he’s all over the place. However, I think Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will sit for one leg of the Magic’s Monday/Tuesday back-to-back, which should give Black more touches. He’s coming off a 13/6/6 game on Friday, where he played 26 minutes. That’s the momentum you want to take advantage of at the start of the week. If he plays poorly, drop him after Tuesday. 

Keon Ellis (SG/SF, Sacramento Kings)

Scooping Ellis is more of a schedule play to get some stocks and 3s, but stay up on the injury report. The Kings have a tough Monday/Tuesday back-to-back versus the Celtics and Thunder — two teams that Sacramento would be wise to deploy their best on-ball defender. But it’s the Kings, so you never know. He’s generally better in real life than in fantasy, so the minute allocation is key. 

Early week fades

• Los Angeles Clippers: Cut the fringe guys like Kris Dunn because the Clippers don’t play until Wednesday.

• Washington Wizards: Questionable rotational decisions drive too much unpredictability, even though they play three games in four nights. 

• Los Angeles Lakers: The squad is getting healthy, which doesn’t leave much room for fringe streamers like Dorian Finney-Smith and Dalton Knecht.

• Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors: Each team plays on Tuesday and won’t play again until Friday. That two-day hiatus midweek makes it challenging to hold fringe players like Moses Moody, Ausar Thompson and DaQuan Jeffries.

Mid-to-Late Week Streamers 

Here are a couple of options, but we don’t know what surprises the injury report will reveal after Thursday. 

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation

Ty Jerome – PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (21% rostered)

The Cavaliers have three games in four nights from Thursday to Sunday, making Ty Jerome an appealing pickup. He’s shown the ability to contribute points and assists while sprinkling in some 3s and steals. If Cleveland decides to rest a starter or two, Jerome’s value could climb even higher.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

Keon Johnson – PG/SG, Brooklyn Nets (23% rostered)

The Nets are in tank mode and likely to manage their veterans, particularly during their back-to-back late in the week. This creates an opportunity for Keon Johnson to soak up extra minutes and contribute across the boxscore. He’s a solid addition, particularly if you’re chasing counting stats in categories like points, assists and steals. Just remember he can struggle with efficiency. 

🗓️ Weekly Game Schedule

Here’s how the week breaks down in terms of total NBA games played per day. Use this to identify when streaming options will be the most favorable:

• Lightest slates: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

Day	Games Played
Monday	8
Tuesday	8
Wednesday	7
Thursday	8
Friday	7
Saturday	7
Sunday	8

Back-to-Back Sets

• Monday/Tuesday: Kings, Magic and Mavericks

• Tuesday/Wednesday: Knicks

• Wednesday/Thursday: Lakers, Pacers and Wizards

• Thursday/Friday: Cavaliers and Jazz

• Friday/Saturday: Nets

• Saturday/Sunday: Sixers and Spurs

🚑 Injury Roundup

• Latest injury reporting for all NBA teams

• NBA Injury Report – Monday, March 24

Some kids from the neighborhood were shooting hoops in my driveway the other day, so I asked them, “Who’s your favorite player?” One said LaMelo Ball. (His highlights speak to the youth. Apparently they do not show the bad shot selection on YouTube.) Another said Jayson Tatum. (This is the Boston area.)

“What about Stephen Curry?” I asked.

“Yeah,” they all said.

“And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?”

“He’s a free-throw merchant,” one kid said, probably repeating something he had seen on social media.

This issue has reached the children, people. The children! It is a problem that needs solving, so we did.

Urban Dictionary defines a “free-throw merchant” as “a basketball player who relies entirely on free throws to score. Known for running into defenders before falling down and begging for foul calls.” The actual definition is probably a little softer. A free-throw merchant games the game, baiting defenders into contact and, more importantly, officials into blowing a whistle when the contact was his own doing.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 606 free-throw attempts this season lead the league. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo (600) is within 99 free throws of Gilgeous-Alexander. James Harden (507) is third.

A week ago, this play was stirring what has really been an ongoing conversation over the past several weeks, as Gilgeous-Alexander inches closer to what betting lines are suggesting will be his first MVP:

Late in a five-point game between Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, he deftly used his left hand to pull the defender, Ausar Thompson, into his body, eliciting a shooting foul in the waning seconds of the shot clock. Originally whistled a defensive foul, the call was overturned and changed to an offensive foul upon review, as referees discovered Gilgeous-Alexander had fooled them.

So we decided to review every challenged call against the Thunder this season, just to see if this was a trend. Not only that, but we reexamined every one of Gilgeous-Alexander’s drives in late-game clutch situations, when the score was within five points in the final two minutes or overtime of any contest.

What we found is zero evidence that Gilgeous-Alexander is more of “a free-throw merchant” than any of your other favorite ball-dominant guards who drove their way into the MVP conversation over the years.

Coaches have challenged defensive foul calls on nine of Gilgeous-Alexander’s drives this season, and six of them have been overturned. Only the one against Detroit was whistled an offensive foul upon review.

“Hey, the majority of them were overturned,” you might say. “That is evidence of foul-baiting!”

Sure, you could think that. Or you could consider that Gilgeous-Alexander has logged a league-leading 1,325 drives this season, and on only nine of them (0.7%) did a coach dare to even challenge the call.

You could also see all six of those overturned calls for yourself:

Find one instance, other than the one against Detroit, in which Gilgeous-Alexander blatantly baited his opponent into a foul. I am not saying it does not happen. We are just here to say it is not an epidemic.

After all, you can also find an instance in which Gilgeous-Alexander was whistled for an offensive foul, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault challenged the call, and referees overturned it into a defensive foul. See:

And, yes, that foul was originally called against Gilgeous-Alexander.

Not convinced? We combed every last-two minute report, too. The NBA analyzes each reviewable call or non-call whenever games are within a handful of points in either direction in the final two minutes. You would think, if Gilgeous-Alexander is benefiting greatly from generous foul calls, at least one of them would have been rescinded late in a close game, when being a free-throw merchant comes in most handy.

Fortunately for those doing this research, the Thunder have played few clutch games this season, as they have dominated the campaign from its inception, so there were not many late-game situations to review. Unfortunately for the “SGA is a free-throw merchant” crowd, the only call involving him that was deemed incorrect by the NBA was this, an ultimately meaningless lane violation at the very end of an OKC loss:

As a whole, the Thunder have been within five points of their opponent in the final two minutes only 11 times all season, according to the NBA. In those games, just six calls were considered incorrect, per our review of the last two-minute reports, and three of them went against the Thunder. Compare that to the rest of the NBA, and the whistle for or against OKC is as neutral as it gets. Our Sleepless Nights Index:

Just because coaches are not challenging a lot of calls against Gilgeous-Alexander and the NBA is not conceding that its referees have missed calls against the Thunder superstar does not mean a ton of foul-baiting is not happening. There could, after all, be a grand conspiracy to benefit SGA’s MVP candidacy.

That would not explain Gilgeous-Alexander’s place in the annals of so-called free-throw merchants. His nine free-throw attempts a game rank 72nd among guards in NBA history, tied with Kobe Bryant’s 2008 MVP campaign. Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook and James Harden all have captured MVP awards while averaging more free throws per game than Gilgeous-Alexander’s nine.

In fact, among the 47 seasons in which a guard has averaged 30 or more points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander’s current free-throw rate (.416) — or the number of free throws he takes per shot attempt — ranks below the mean and median. His free-throw rate was higher in each of the previous two seasons. 

So, at the very least, you have to admit that Gilgeous-Alexander is less of a free-throw merchant than he was before, when this conversation was not so ubiquitous that it infected our youth. You also have to concede that most every guard who has scored like SGA has also been a free-throw merchant. Or we can dispel this notion entirely and just accept that this is how potent scorers have always gamed the game.