The Padres announced they’re activating catcher Austin Nola from the injured list before this evening’s game against the Diamondbacks. Fellow backstop Luis Campusano has been optioned to the alternate training site in a corresponding move. Víctor Caratini will get the start in tonight’s contest.
Nola will be making his regular season debut when he first gets on the field. He’s been out since fracturing his left middle finger during a Spring Training game on March 13. His return will be a welcome development for the Friars, who have started 13-12 in his absence. Acquired from the Mariners before last summer’s trade deadline, Nola hit .222/.324/.381 in 74 plate appearances down the stretch. That level of offense is more adequate than stellar, but the former Marlins farmhand put up a much stronger .280/.351/.476 mark over 377 plate appearances while playing quality defense for Seattle over the prior season-plus.
In Nola’s absence, the Padres have leaned on Caratini and Campusano behind the plate, to disappointing results. The former has posted a .236/.317/.327 slash over 63 plate appearances, while the latter has only mustered an .088/.184/.088 mark in 38 trips to the dish. Campusano is a supremely talented prospect, but he certainly looks as if he could use more developmental time in the minor leagues. That’s hardly surprising, as the 22-year-old had topped out at High-A in 2019 before last year’s minors cancellation.
Tough to say what made Campusano struggle so much. His k rate wasn’t bad, nor was his walk rate. Was he just snakebit with that low babip? Anyone have data on his exit velocities/launch angles?
The fact he played 0 games above A+ before going to the majors might have something to do with it.
Most catching prospects take an entire year at each level. He came from A ball
That’s his problem. The people promoting/pushing him at this speed
Sample size is too small to really read into anything on his Statcast metrics. We’re talking about 23 batted balls, but his average exit velocity was 94.6 mph, hard hit % of 52.2%, launch angle of 15.4. In theory those numbers are all good, but we just don’t have enough data.
From the eye test for what it’s worth, the guy has smoked some balls right at people and has had some tough luck, but on the other hand he’s had some brutal ABs where he looked completely lost. Tons of raw talent here, so no need to give up on him or anything he just really needs to go to AA for the rest of the year and get some seasoning.
Nola should be a welcome boost for the Padres. Luis “cartel” Campusano will be back soon enough though, he deserves more of a shot.
Weird timing since Campusano was in the starting lineup tonight.
can we get an article on Grullón getting claimed by the Mets
What’s the deal with the Mets and deGrom? It’s like they are going, “oh the best pitcher in baseball is on the mound we shall precede to ruin his start and get zero runs just go piss him off.” Obviously that isn’t the case but it’s almost otherworldly how he gets zero help. It’s one of the most uncanny things. It’s not like the Mets have a terrible lineup either, it’s just strange.
A total of 30 strikeouts and just six hits in that game. Barnes struck out Conforto, Davis, and Smith in the ninth on just 12 pitches. When Mets batters fall behind in the count, they go down without much of a fight. It happens over and over. The Mets surrendered three runs in the series and lost both games.
sounds like the Phillies lately lol
He’s going to have a 1987 Nolan Ryan season. Ryan led the league in ERA, strikeouts/strikeout rate, FIP, was 2nd in the AL in fWAR (3rd in the entire MLB), yet still went 8-16.
Sounds like the Dodgers for young kershaw, under McCourt.
Thank God Nola is back. Campusano will be great long term. For now he is not ready.
He got promoted because they needed someone. His stats likely mean nothing.
But this is just another reminded that, for all the complaints about holding guys back for service time, there are probably 10 guys like Campusano for every guy like Bryant.
Yeah players suffering from service time manipulation are the exception not the norm, but there are some other adverse effects to premature call ups as well.
When you promote a guy too soon and then burn up his options, on the backend when they run out of options those guys can end up getting DFAed off 40 man rosters that they’re good enough to be on, or the team gets stuck carrying them on the 26 and then they cannot promote other deserving players. Tons of cause and effect on both sides of it.