Author: Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY

Since baseball’s top prospect made his debut, he’s convinced his teammates and coaches that he’s impervious to the pressures and expectations.

While a few teams have seemingly insurmountable leads halfway through June, a couple of other races should go deep into September.

As revered as he is in New England, David Ortiz is even more cherished in the the Dominican Republic.

Tampa has been talent-rich in baseball for nearly a century, but the city’s latest stars also symbolize a greater demographic shift in the sport.

With eight MLB teams on track to lose at least 89 games, plenty of inconsequential baseball games loom.

The Yankees are on a 24-8 run despite an injury-ravaged roster – missing players like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Now 27 years old, Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant has grown immensely since breaking into the league four years ago.

With Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, the Angels have two of the greatest players in baseball history. The rest of the roster? Well, it’s interesting.

Boston has won 11 of 17, largely erasing a 7-13 start, since summoning to replace injured second basemen Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt.

The Red Sox owed it to manager Alex Cora to see this conflict coming well in advance.