The fascination with Jackie Robinson started early for author Danny Peary. By the time he was 3 or 4 years old, he was already into baseball cards. His older brother not only collected them but would tell him about the players.

Vince Velasquez had one of the best starts in Phillies history on Thursday. But while the Phillies’ front office loved Velasquez’s performance, it is being mindful of his workload moving forward.

Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez, who extended his career-high hit streak to 20 games by going 2-for-4 in Friday’s 6-1 victory over the Cubs, believes the key to smart hitting is turning off the brain.

Mets officials were not optimistic Friday evening that Jacob deGrom would be able to pitch, indicating that Logan Verrett will be the starter in Philadelphia.

Save the talk about a changing of the guard in the ranks of elite third basemen.

Featuring juggling and an alley-oop.

For 250 fourth- and fifth-graders, a Friday auditorium assembly marking Jackie Robinson Day turned into a memory of a lifetime.

Congratulations, Jim Leyland. You’ve been named Team USA manager for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, one last assignment in a Cooperstown-caliber career. Now comes the hard part: picking the team.

They tried to spike his shins. They tried to wound him with words. They tried to drown hope with hate. Through it all, Jackie Robinson’s competitive spirit and his unyielding belief that he belonged in the big leagues would not be deterred.

Javier Baez walked into the Cubs’ new clubhouse for the first time Friday morning, and he didn’t have a clue where to go. The Cubs officially activated Baez on Friday, optioning infielder Munenori Kawasaki to Triple-A Iowa.

Every week of the baseball season is packed with hot topics, and on Fridays we touch on a few of them (and touch all the bases) here in The Cycle. Four items (single, double, triple and home run), each with a little more magnitude than the last. Let’s swing away.

Talk about going all out.

Wrigley Field of Dreams?

Jim Leyland, named Friday as Team USA’s manager for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, chuckled over the phone. “I already told Miggy I’m going to walk him,” Leyland said. “I’ve been kidding with him. In that situation, I’m putting up four fingers.”

He’s been around the block.

Braves general manager John Coppolella has engineered the massive rebuilding process since the conclusion of the 2014 season. But while the Braves were aiming to be more competitive than they were during last season’s second half, they are off to a 0-9 start. During a conversation with MLB.com, Coppolella discussed this disappointing start, the club’s direction and what he hopes Braves fans will experience this year and beyond.

Some prospects have already made big contributions at the Major League level, even beyond those who broke camp on 25-man rosters. Who might be next to get the call and make a fantasy impact? That’s what this weekly feature is all about.