The Indians have designated right-hande Trey Haley for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for new closer John Axford, according to the team's Transactions page.
Haley, 23, was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft. The Texas native posted solid ERA numbers and big strikeout totals in 2011-12 despite a poor walk rate. His command worsened in 2013, however, as he walked 39 batters in 44 frames. Haley still managed to strike out 46 batters in that time and keep his ERA at 4.70, but command looks to be a persistent problem for him. In 323 minor league innings, Haley has a 299-to-241 K/BB ratio to go along with 42 hit batters and 58 wild pitches.
Ricky ‘Wild Thing’ Vaughn
‘nogh said
Wow! 241BB+42HBP, in 323 innings.
That’s 283 men on base, not even counting the hits he gave up!
And how did this warrant a spot on the 40-man roster? Is our pitching future really this bad?
Classic case of great stuff, poor control. Every team has 5 of these guys in the minors. And every pitching coach thinks he can fix them. Sometimes it works.