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Whisenhunt No. 5 lefty pitching prospect

Starting pitcher Carson Whisenhunt, who had success across three levels in the minor leagues in 2023, is the MLB Pipeline’s No. 70 overall prospect and the fifth-best lefty pitching prospect. He was shut down in July with a left elbow strain, but he did not require Tommy John surgery and the Giants organization believes he’ll be ready to go by the time Spring Training arrives.

The lefthander posted a 2.45 ERA and struck out 83 in 58 innings over 16 starts in Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He was one of only nine pitchers in the minors to throw 58-plus innings and achieve an ERA below 2.50 and a K/9 of at least 12.7.

Red Sox interested in Merrifield

Could Whit Merrifield’s next home be Fenway Park? It’s possible as the Boston Red Sox have reportedly expressed interest in the free agent. Last season Merrifield, who can play second base or anywhere in the outfield, hit .272 with 11 homers, 67 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.

Caleb averaging 11.5 for Heat

Caleb Martin is again thriving as one of the first subs off the bench for the Miami Heat. He is averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2 assists.

After playing 19 minutes in the Oct. 25 season opener, he missed 10 games with an injury. He returned Nov. 16 and has turned in scoring games of 14, 22, 14, 14, 18, 24 and 15 points. In a Dec. 6 contest against Toronto, Caleb had 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.

Twin brother Cody Martin is still recovering from a knee injury. He appeared in just seven games in 2022-23 and he hasn’t played at all in 2023-24. But Cody is expected back on the court within the next month or so.