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Archives for May 2022

Drew Hutchison Elects Free Agency

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The Tigers announced that right-handed pitcher Drew Hutchison has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. The 31-year-old veteran signed with the team in March but was designated for assignment earlier this week to clear a space on the 40-man roster for young starter Joey Wentz.

Through 10 Detroit appearances this year Hutchison has soaked up 15 plus innings and posted a 4.60 ERA, albeit with a bloated 16.7% walk rate. After a two-year run in the Tigers system it seems the organization, owner of a dismal 9-23 record to start the Major League season, prefers to shake up the roster by infusing some younger players over rostering a frequently shuttled veteran type. The former fifteenth-rounder is just a season removed from 21 plus innings of 2.11 ERA ball though, and has put up solid results in the upper minors for most of his career.

Hutchison will now head to a largely picked-clean market of free agents in hopes of latching on with another team. That the righty cleared waivers hints that his next deal will likely be of the minor league variety; given the conservative handling of many pitchers this year, however, the odds are good that Hutchison will draw interest as a depth piece in the near future. In the event of a promotion and late career breakout, a signing team can keep Hutchison under team control via arbitration through the 2023 season.

Rockies, Jose Urena Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander José Ureña, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll head to the team’s Arizona complex before embarking on an affiliated assignment.

Ureña elected free agency earlier this week after being outrighted by the Brewers. The 30-year-old broke camp with Milwaukee and spent a month on the active roster, appearing in four games out of the bullpen. Ureña tossed 7 2/3 innings of five-run ball, striking out three batters and issuing five walks. The Brew Crew then designated him for assignment on the deadline to trim active rosters from 28 to 26 players; Ureña has enough service time that he couldn’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.

That brief run in Milwaukee marked the eighth consecutive season in which the Dominican Republic native has appeared in the majors. He spent the first six years of his MLB career in Miami, primarily working as a starting pitcher. Ureña’s tenure with the Marlins was up-and-down, but he posted consecutive seasons with an ERA below 4.00 while soaking up a rotation workload from 2017-18. He’s consistently run below-average strikeout and swinging strike numbers, but he typically posts capable ground-ball marks.

Ureña caught on with the Tigers last season but put up a 5.81 ERA in 100 2/3 innings. He managed a personal-best 52% grounder rate last year, though, which is no doubt of interest to the Colorado front office. While his early results with the Brewers weren’t good, he also averaged north of 96 MPH on his fastball in abbreviated stints.

The Rockies have started the year 16-15, although that respectable showing still places them at the bottom of a loaded NL West. Colorado starters have the league’s third-lowest strikeout rate (17.8%), but they’ve been among the five best in terms of generating grounders (47.7%). Ureña fits a similar profile and could be a rotation or long relief depth option.

White Sox Sign Rafael Dolis To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox recently signed reliever Rafael Dolis to a minor league contract, as noted by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. According to Dolis’ transactions tracker at MLB.com, he has been assigned to the team’s Arizona complex. After some time to build arm strength, he figures to head to Triple-A Charlotte.

Dolis, 34, spent the past two seasons with the Blue Jays. The 6’4″ righty signed a one-year guarantee with Toronto on the heels of a strong four-year run for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He fared well in his initial return stateside, working to a 1.50 ERA with a 31% strikeout rate in 24 innings during the truncated 2020 season. He walked an alarming 14% of batters faced, but the Jays were nevertheless impressed enough with his swing-and-miss acumen they exercised a cheap $1.5MM option on his services for 2021.

That didn’t pan out, as Dolis scuffled last year. He tossed 32 innings — his biggest MLB workload since a 38-inning campaign with the 2012 Cubs — but posted below-average results. Dolis managed just a 5.63 ERA and saw virtually all of his peripherals go in the wrong direction relative to the previous year. His strikeout percentage dropped to 25% as his swinging strike rate dipped from 12.6% to a below-average 10.5% mark. The already-worrisome walk figure spiked even further, while Dolis’ ground-ball rate fell from 50% to 41.4%.

As his struggles continued, the Jays designated Dolis for assignment and passed him through outright waivers in mid-August. He managed better results with Triple-A Buffalo late in the year, but he continued to demonstrate control issues and the Jays never added him back to the 40-man roster. Dolis qualified for minor league free agency after the season and will try to pitch his way back to the big leagues with the ChiSox.

He’ll be joined in that effort by former Yankee Brody Koerner, who also recently signed a non-roster with Chicago (h/t to Hilburn-Trenkle). Koerner was assigned directly to Charlotte earlier this month and has already made a couple appearances for the Knights. The 28-year-old got his first cup of coffee in the majors with New York last August, suiting up in two games and tossing three innings of one-run ball.

Designated for assignment and outrighted just before the Yankees’ Wild Card game, Koerner qualified for minor league free agency. The Clemson product has a 4.92 ERA in 228 2/3 innings at Triple-A, but he owns a more impressive 3.55 mark in three Double-A seasons. Koerner has come out of the bullpen for his first two outings with Charlotte but was primarily a starting pitcher during his time in the New York organization.

Trevor Bauer’s Appeal Hearing To Begin On May 23

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Major League Baseball handed down a 324-game suspension to Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer last month after finding he’d violated the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy. Bauer denied all wrongdoing and immediately announced plans to appeal the ban, and Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic reports that hearing is set to begin on May 23.

That’s not to say a resolution is forthcoming shortly. Ghiroli reports that the process is likely to take place over several days in the coming months, with scheduling subject to the availability of the arbitrators. The panel will consist of three individuals — one of whom was selected by the league, one selected by the Players Association, and one independent arbitrator approved by both parties.

Three women have made public allegations that Bauer assaulted them during sex. He was not charged criminally, but the league has the authority to hand down discipline even in the absence of charges (as it did in this instance). The pitcher has denied the allegations.

Bauer’s appeal marks the first time a player has contested a ban under the Domestic Violence policy. (All previous players found to have committed a violation agreed to their suspensions). The 324-game suspension is the longest handed down by the commissioner’s office since the policy was put into place. Bauer was on paid administrative leave between last July — when the first woman’s allegations were made public — until the suspension was announced on April 29. He is not being paid during the appeals process. Bauer signed a three-year, $102MM free agent deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2023.

Mariners Option Jarred Kelenic, Claim Adrian Sampson

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The Mariners announced this afternoon they’ve claimed right-hander Adrian Sampson off waivers from the Cubs. They’ve also selected outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the big leagues in place of Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also reinstated Sergio Romo from the 10-day injured list, optioned Danny Young and designated Stuart Fairchild and Yohan Ramirez for assignment to clear 40-man roster space for Sampson and Souza.

Kelenic’s demotion is the most notable of Seattle’s spate of moves. A former sixth overall pick and top prospect, Kelenic has yet to produce against big league pitching. He struggled to a .181/.265/.350 line over his first 377 MLB plate appearances last season, striking out in 28.1% of his trips while hitting only .216 on balls in play. The M’s surely hoped to see more from the left-handed hitting outfielder in the early going this season, but that hasn’t yet been the case.

Through 30 games, Kelenic owns just a .140/.219/.291 mark. The youngster has gone down on strikes 36 times while making contact on only 67.8% of his swings. That’s the 12th-lowest contact rate among 192 batters with at least 90 plate appearances, and the M’s have decided it’s time for a reset against Triple-A arms. It’s the second time in as many years that Kelenic has been optioned after scuffling against MLB pitching, but he responded well during a month-long stint in the minors last summer.

The timing of Kelenic’s latest option comes rather ironically as the M’s are headed to Queens for a weekend series with the Mets. New York, of course, originally drafted him and included him in the controversial Robinson Canó/Edwin Díaz swap. That looked to be a coup for Seattle given Kelenic’s prospect pedigree, but he’ll obviously need to perform better whenever the M’s bring him back to the big leagues. There’s plenty of time to do so, as he won’t turn 23 years old until July. Because of the canceled minor league season in 2020, the Wisconsin native has still only played 51 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Barring an exceptionally lengthy stint, the demotion doesn’t seem likely to affect his path to free agency after the 2027 season. Kelenic entered the year with 105 days of big league service; players are credited with a full service year for spending 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list. He’s accrued approximately 36 more days this year, meaning he needs to be in the majors for around a month more to surpass the one-year threshold in 2022. How long this stay in Tacoma lasts will no doubt be determined in large part by Kelenic’s performance there, but it’s hard to imagine the M’s keeping him down until September barring some major struggles against Triple-A pitching.

In the meantime, Seattle will turn to the veteran Souza with Julio Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and Dylan Moore as outfield options. The 33-year-old has gotten sporadic MLB time with the Cubs and Dodgers over the past couple years, but he hasn’t played a full season in the majors since 2017. Signed to a minor league deal in Spring Training, Souza has gotten off to an excellent start with the Rainiers. He’s hitting .267/.417/.533 with five homers and a massive 19.8% walk rate in 22 games. The 14-18 M’s will see if he can carry over that production against big league arms to inject some life into an outfield that has underwhelmed.

Fairchild was part of that outfield mix very briefly. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash in late April and appeared in three games, going hitless in a trio of plate appearances. A Seattle native, Fairchild was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2017 and has been traded twice in his young career. The M’s will have a week to deal him again or try to run him through outright waivers.

That’s also true of Ramirez, who has pitched in the bigs over the past three seasons. The right-hander owns a 3.97 ERA in 56 2/3 career innings, striking out a strong 28.6% of opponents. He’s also walked 15.2% of batters faced, however, and he’d been tagged for three homers in his first seven outings this year. The Mariners elected to move on, but he works in the mid-90s and has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so it’s possible another club takes a chance on him.

In his place, they’ll bring aboard a multi-inning option from the Cubs. Sampson started five of his ten appearances for Chicago last season, tossing 35 1/3 frames of 2.80 ERA ball. That came with an underwhelming 19.3% strikeout rate and an alarming 2.04 homers allowed per nine innings, but he pounded the strike zone and induced a fair amount of ground-balls. Chicago re-signed the righty to a minor league deal over the winter. He was selected to the big leagues on Sunday, pitched in one game, then was designated for assignment.

White Sox Activate Andrew Vaughn, Place Lucas Giolito On IL

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The White Sox announced they’ve reinstated first baseman/corner outfielder Andrew Vaughn from the injured list. In a corresponding move, ace Lucas Giolito was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

Vaughn hasn’t played since late April due to a hand injury. The team initially kept him on the active roster in hopes he’d avoid an IL stint altogether, but he required a bit more time than initially hoped. Chicago finally sent him to the IL on May 5 (retroactive to three days prior). He embarked upon a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte within a week, however, and he makes his return after two games with the Knights.

A former #3 overall pick, Vaughn has shown the kind of offensive promise the White Sox have dreamed on through the season’s first few weeks. He’s hitting .283/.367/.566 with four homers in 16 games after a roughly league average .235/.309/.396 showing as a rookie. The right-handed batter figures to rotate between first, DH and both corner outfield spots and assume a middle-of-the-order role while the team is without Eloy Jiménez.

Giolito’s IL placement seems to be precautionary. The team announced he’s been experiencing virus-like symptoms for the past couple days but is expected to return next week (via James Fegan of the Athletic). The right-hander has a 2.70 ERA in 26 2/3 innings over his first five starts; he made his most recent appearance on Tuesday, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Guardians.

James McCann Out Approximately Six Weeks Due To Hand Fracture

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The Mets announced that catcher James McCann has a hamate fracture in his left hand (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). He’ll undergo surgery and miss around six weeks. Patrick Mazeika has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his place.

McCann has gotten off to a rough start, the second season of a four-year free agent contract he signed during the 2020-21 offseason. Through 21 games, the right-handed hitting backstop owns a .196/.266/.286 slash line. That’s a continuation of the .232/.294/.349 struggles he experienced during his first season in Queens, as McCann hasn’t managed to replicate the above-average form he showed for the White Sox in 2019-20.

Nevertheless, McCann has started 18 of New York’s first 33 games behind the dish. The veteran backstop is highly regarded for his work handling a pitching staff, and the Mets have gotten excellent results on the mound en route to their 22-11 start. While he’s out, New York will down to the light-hitting catching tandem of Tomás Nido and Mazeika.

It’s possible New York explores the catching market midseason. Even heading into the season, the Mets’ catching situation looked like a possible area for upgrade for a club hellbent on winning this season. McCann’s early offensive struggles and injury would only seem to increase the likelihood of an eventual external pickup. Willson Contreras and Christian Vázquez are among the impending free agent backstops who could be dealt by the end of July.

Acquiring a rental could allow New York to upgrade their catching corps for the stretch run without impeding the eventual path for top prospect Francisco Álvarez. One of the sport’s most talented prospects, Álvarez is viewed by many as the organization’s catcher of the future. At just 20 years old with only 24 games of Double-A experience under his belt, he probably won’t be a factor in the majors this year.

Big Hype Prospects: Rutschman, Kirby, Hall, Stott, Brujan

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This week, we check in on three prospects already in the Majors and two more on their way. 

Five Big Hype Prospects

Adley Rutschman, 24, C, BAL (AAA)
26 PA, 1 HR, .200/.385/.350

After quickly trouncing High- and Double-A competition, Rutschman has settled into Triple-A over the last week. While his stats at Norfolk aren’t yet glowing, he is nearing a promotion, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic. First, he has a couple boxes to tick to complete his rehab journey from a triceps injury. The most important step is starting at catcher multiple days in a row. Thus far, he’s caught only three of six games in Triple-A. Encouragingly, he delivered his first home run of the season on Thursday. He’s also demonstrating the quality plate discipline and contact skills associated with his previous rise through the system.

Connolly believes a promotion will come this month and perhaps as soon as next week. While many would undoubtedly like to see him arrive on Monday for the start of a home stand, that might be too soon for Rutschman to complete his rehab goals. Next weekend or the following week make for reasonable expectations.

George Kirby, 24, SP, SEA (MLB)
6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 10.50 K/9, 0.00 BB/9

Last week’s Big Hype Prospects noted the potential for Kirby to fill Matt Brash’s spot in the Seattle rotation. That potential became reality on Sunday. Against the Rays, he faced 21 batters, allowing four hits and recording seven strikeouts. He did a fair amount of nibbling in his debut – only roughly half of his offerings were in the strike zone. Despite this, he was efficient, needing just under four pitches per batter. He also induced 14 whiffs out of 81 pitches thrown. He mostly relied on his fastball and slider while showing the occasional curve and changeup.

As several observers noted, Kirby’s fastball velocity plunged throughout the game. Six innings and 21 batters faced both stand out as season-highs, and it’s fair to wonder if debut jitters had him overamped in the early innings. Kirby’s next test comes Saturday against the Mets. We’ll want to see if he shifts how he uses his four-pitch repertoire, and if he can maintain his velocity from beginning to end.

D.L. Hall, 23, SP, BAL (AAA)
3 IP, 3.00 ERA, 12.00 K/9, 6.00 BB/9

Hall’s preparation for the season has taken him on a similar path to Rutschman. They probably could have shared transportation from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A. Hall’s stuff is truly electric. The southpaw can sit around 96-mph, and his fastball has natural carry. He complements it with two wipeout breaking balls and an effective changeup. Besides health, command is his primary shortcoming. However, he showed signs of turning a corner last season. Comparisons to Josh Hader abound. Remember, Hader had a chance to stick in the rotation before he proved too valuable as a reliever.

Injuries and poor command have prevented Hall from topping 100 innings in a season. The Orioles front office undoubtedly wants to take it slow while getting him ready for an expanded role in future seasons. He’s faced between 12 and 15 batters in his three starts, a sign he might be used as an opener or bulk reliever this season. That would also be an effective way to get him a full season of outings without a burdensome workload.

Bryson Stott, 24, SS, PHI (MLB)
(AAA) 40 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, .333/.375/.611

Stott made the Phillies out of Spring Training then proceeded to flop. He hit just .133/.161/.167 in 31 plate appearances. Upon a demotion to Triple-A, his bat immediately awakened. He delivered multiple hits in five of nine games played. The sole red flag was a 25 percent strikeout rate which, while not egregious by leaguewide standards, is on the high side for him. Still, we’re talking a couple extra strikeouts in a small sample. An injury to Didi Gregorius necessitated Stott’s recall. The Phillies hope Gregorius can return sometime next week. In four games since returning, Stott has one hit, one walk, and seven strikeouts in 16 plate appearances.

Vidal Brujan, 24, UT, TB (MLB)
(AAA) 70 PA, 6 SB, .300/.400/.467

Brujan’s offensive template is speed-based. However, despite what many say, he’s not entirely powerless. Think of him as similar to Cardinals utility man Tommy Edman. Both have the capacity to sting the ball even if most of their contact is on the ground. Brujan raised his launch angle in Triple-A Durham last season, launching 12 home runs in 441 plate appearances. He also stole 44 bags. He could age into more power. For now, the focus is on maintaining a low strikeout rate and high BABIP. The Rays have lumped Brujan into their ever-mutating series of platoons. He should receive regular, if unpredictable, playing time.

Five More

Oneil Cruz (23): While his triple-slash of .190/.315/.324 remains an eyesore, Cruz has shown signs of life in his last six games (.304/.467/.565). As Chris Clegg of Fantrax notes, Cruz is capable of Stantonian exit velocities. The Pirates are using Diego Castillo and Rodolfo Castro at shortstop, both of whom are considered second basemen by most scouts.

Riley Greene (21): Greene was on pace to make the Tigers Opening Day roster before breaking his foot. He’s expected to resume baseball activities today. The Tigers could use an upgrade in center field. Greene is a patient slugger who comes with the usual high strikeout rate.

Josh Lowe (24): Lowe was demoted to Triple-A in early May. The results are mixed. His .207/.303/.552 batting line is above-average mostly thanks to three home runs in 33 plate appearances. He’s also too strikeout prone at the moment. His 18 punch outs equate to 54.5 percent of plate appearances.

Chase Silseth (22): Although lacking in “big hype,” Silseth has flown through the Angels system. He’ll start for the big-league club tonight, skipping Triple-A in the process. Overall, he’s tossed just 31.1 innings in the minors. The right-hander had a 1.73 ERA in 26 Double-A innings complimented by 12.81 K/9, 2.42 BB/9, and an 18.5 percent swinging strike rate.

Royce Lewis (23): Our lead story last week, Lewis has held his own through 21 plate appearances. Overall, he has six hits and four strikeouts, good for a .286/.286/.333 line. He does not appear to be overmatched. Carlos Correa returns soon.

Tigers Claim Sam Howard From Pirates

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The Tigers announced they’ve claimed reliever Sam Howard off waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. He’d been designated for assignment last week. Detroit had two vacancies on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Howard, 29, has pitched in the big leagues with the Rockies and Bucs in each of the past five seasons. The Georgia Southern product has shown the ability to generate plenty of whiffs, but he’s also battled notable control woes. He’s tallied 91 MLB innings across 103 appearances, pitching to a 5.34 ERA with a solid 27.2% strikeout rate but a 14.1% walk percentage. He had an even more extreme version of that batted ball-averse style last season, when he fanned 30.2% but walked 16.1% of opponents in a personal-high 45 innings.

Those strike-throwing concerns became problematic enough for the Bucs to move on, but the Tigers will roll the dice on Howard’s swing-and-miss capabilities. He generated whiffs on 15.8% of his offerings last season, the 16th-highest rate among relievers with 40+ innings pitched. His four-seam fastball, in particular, was excellent at missing bats.

Howard still has a couple minor league option years remaining, so the Tigers can keep him at Toledo as a depth option for a while if he holds onto a 40-man roster spot. He’ll be the third left-handed reliever on the depth chart behind offseason signee Andrew Chafin and primary closer Gregory Soto.

Kumar Rocker Signs With Frontier League’s Tri-City ValleyCats

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Draft prospect Kumar Rocker has signed with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the independent Frontier League, according to a club announcement. He’ll use the league as a showcase to demonstrate his health and current form in advance of July’s draft.

Rocker has been one of the more talented and well-known draft prospects in recent years. Regarded as a possible first-round talent out of high school, Rocker matriculated to Vanderbilt after not agreeing to terms with a major league team on draft day. The 6’5″ right-hander stepped right into the Commodores’ rotation and would spend three seasons there. He posted a 3.25 ERA over 99 2/3 innings as a freshman, capping off the season with an utterly dominant 19-strikeout no-hitter in an elimination game against Duke.

Vanderbilt would go on to defeat Michigan in that year’s College World Series. From 2020-21, Rocker teamed with Jack Leiter — who would eventually be selected second overall by the Rangers — at the top of the rotation. The 2020 college baseball season was shortened because of the pandemic, but Rocker returned with a 2.73 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 122 frames last year. Vanderbilt finished national runner-up, and Rocker headed into last summer’s draft as a possible top five selection.

The Mets wound up selecting him with the 10th overall pick, with reports suggesting they were prepared to offer an overslot $6MM signing bonus. New York took issue with something in his throwing elbow during a post-draft medical evaluation, however, and wound up pulling their offer entirely. The Mets received the 11th selection in the upcoming draft as compensation. Unsurprisingly, Rocker’s camp pushed back against the idea that he was a particular health risk, with advisor Scott Boras saying last summer the hurler “is healthy according to independent medical review by multiple prominent baseball orthopedic surgeons.”

Rocker elected not to return to Vanderbilt, preferring to prepare for the 2022 draft on his own. Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin suggested in February he may eventually pursue an opportunity in independent ball, and that’s the course of action he’s chosen. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter) that Rocker will begin pitching in games for the ValleyCats around a month from now, giving him about four weeks of game action before draft day.

Baseball America placed Rocker 35th on its latest ranking of this summer’s top draft prospects. Obviously, much of his stock will depend on how concerned various team medical personnel are during their evaluations of his elbow. This is generally regarded as a weak year for college pitching, so the 22-year-old Rocker would be one of the top nearer-term arms in the class if his arsenal is intact and the medical evaluations check out.

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