The Guardians announced a series of roster moves to reporters tonight, with Zack Meisel of The Athletic among those to relay them on Twitter. Prospect Nolan Jones has been promoted to the big leagues, while catcher Austin Hedges was activated from the seven-day concussion list. To create room for those two, outfielder Richie Palacios was optioned to Triple-A and catcher Sandy Leon was designated for assignment.
Jones, 24, was a second round selection of Cleveland in the 2016 draft. Considered by most evaluators to be a bat-first prospect, he mashed his way through the lower levels of the minors and jumped onto top prospect lists in 2019. Baseball America ranked him the #96 prospect in the league that year, with Jones pushing up the list as the season went on. However, that campaign ended on a bit of a sour note, as Jones underwent thumb surgery in October of 2019.
That was the first of a couple of obstacles that slowed his ascent to the big leagues. 2020 saw the minor leagues wiped out entirely by the pandemic, and Jones showed some rust when organized games returned in 2021. He improved as the season went along, though, finishing the year with a .238/.356/.431 line in 407 Triple-A plate appearances, good enough for a wRC+ of 113. Unfortunately, an ankle injury in August finished his season and caused him to start his offseason with a surgery for a second time.
Things seem to be back on track here in 2022, however, as Jones has hit .311/.417/.500 through 108 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, producing a 146 wRC+. If he can carry any of that over to the big leagues, it will provide an offensive boost to a team that’s lacking in that department. Despite an even 40-40 record, the team’s overall slash line is .243/.307/.377 for a wRC+ of 95, ranking them 21st in the league.
Defensively, things are a bit less certain for Jones. He largely played third base in his first few minor league seasons, but due to questions about his abilities there, coupled with the presence of Jose Ramirez, Jones has been moved to other places on the diamond. He started playing right field last year, with that spot becoming his regular home so far this season. He also played one game at first base last year and a couple in left field here in 2020. With Palacios being optioned out, Jones should step into the outfield mix next to Myles Straw and Steven Kwan.
As for Leon, 33, he started the year with the Reds on a minor league deal. The Guardians acquired him recently when Hedges landed on the IL. He got into nine games and hit .133/.381/.133. He’s never been much of a hitter outside of a surprise surge in 2016, instead earning his keep with quality game-calling and defense. The Guardians will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. If he were to clear waivers, Leon would be eligible to reject an outright assignment by virtue of being a veteran with over five years of MLB service time.
I totally expected Myles Straw to be sent down when Jones was called up. Straw has been mired in a deep slump for well over a month now and really needs to be sent out to find himself at the plate. Big time head-scratcher
I mean if the assumption is that CLE wants to win yeah that makes lots of sense
They signed Straw long term so he is going to have a longer leash.
They value his defense too much
Wonder if this has anything to do with crossing the halfway mark of the season. Are Guardians saving service time at this point?
He missed the first twoish months of the season.
Service time hasn’t really been a consideration since he missed the first two months with an injury. At this point it’s likely just that he’s been playing well and they believe he’s an upgrade over Palacios.
The question is what do they do when Oscar Gonzalez returns. Do they make Gonzalez a platoon player, do they rotate guys in an out, or what?
You mean are the spiders saving service time.
The man has been their #1 prospect for 2-3 years now. They moved him off 3B to LF because of Ramirez, then they moved him from LF to 1B. He went with no resistance and did his best. Now they want to see what he has.
This teams pitching (factory) is fading by the day (after years of excellence it’s back to Willis ball). They have an abundance of young position players and want to sort out who the better ones are. It’s not like they’re going to the playoffs….not after getting swept by a pathetic Tigers team.
Pitching “factory” is hardly fading. You might want to look under the hood, Samuel.
Avory;
3 of the 5 starters are broken.
It’s July 8.
None of the five are “broken.” Not even close.
The two guys everyone likes to dismiss, Plesac and Civale, are clearly on an upswing. Quantrill continues to efficiently fill innings, and McKenzie, while schizophrenic, hasn’t lost a bit of his stuff. Bieber has, we all know that, but it’s still a surprise when he gives up more than three runs.
Is it a great rotation right now? No, but broken? Hardly. For one thing, they are all healthy (knock on wood) and all taking the ball and filling frames. How many rotations in baseball can say that? Showing up is half the battle in today’s decimated pitching landscape.
These guys are all young and all have had their learning curves interrupted rather rudely by abbreviated seasons, freak injuries, sticky stuff bans, and shortened spring camps. For command and control types, it has been difficult consistently developing that necessary feel. But they are rounding into form. I expect a solid 2nd half.
Even worse, your assessment of a fading pitching factory implies that the organization’s pitching talent is drying up, when the complete opposite is true! You might want to check out the minor leagues and prospect charts to see that Cleveland is soon going to wonder what to do with all its talented hurlers, present company included.
Avory;
I respect you.
Think you miss my point……
Carl Willis was pitching coach from 2003 to 2009. Had some hits, but nothing special. He went on to the Mariners for 4 years and Red Sox for 3. His tenure wasn’t – let’s say – memorable. In fact, fans of those 2 teams were clamoring to get him out of there.
Cleveland’s pitching began to turn around in 2013. Two things happened: 1) They traded for Trevor Bauer. Asked him about his training methods and philosophies. He recommended an off-season academy in Texas he attended. Shapiro sent Antonetti and Francona down to check it out. 2) They hired Mickey Calloway from the Rays as pitching coach – Francona later said that during the interview he and Antonetti were looking at one another as they’d never heard anything like his approach. Calloway stayed through 2017 when the Mets hired him as manager. Their pitching staff became one of the best in the AL.
In 2018 they brought back Willis to replace Calloway. Both Matt Blake and Ruben Niebla were part of the pitching coaching tree using the methodologies that Calloway and Bauer had brought in.
In the past few years Blake went to the Yankees where he’s turned that pitching staff around from having a decent (and expensive) bullpen to one of the best all-around staffs in MLB. Niebla took the Padres job this offseason, Their pitching staff is no longer a point of frustration – primarily the starters – it’s one of the best in the NL.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s pitching has slowly been slipping.
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Pitching coaches and their staffs work with their pitchers daily in today’s MLB. Cover video, analytical breakdowns, physical routines, approaches, etc. in addition to throwing (or not throwing).
I’m not a fan of Carl Willis. I thought he might keep the pitching system going when he returned. But MLB’s a sport of constant adjustments. Pitching is forever evolving and pitchers need to have confidence in, and work with their coaches.
It’s not just the starters. The bullpen is slipping too. Not everyone. When Willis was in his first tenure every year he had 3 or 4 guys doing well. But within a year or two they slipped. I see the same thing happening.
next
@ Samuel
Thank you for your well-expressed reply, as well as the points you make.
I’ve heard for some time this theory that Trevor Bauer, Mickey Callaway, et al, are responsible for Cleveland’s pitching renaissance, as well as questions about Carl Willis’s ability to follow through on that..
I’m not particularly persuaded that either side of the equation had quite the impact some think; I tend to believe the effect of coaching at the major league level is rather overstated, as is the genius of one Mr. Bauer.
I’m more of the opinion that the loss of organizational talent like Reuben Niebla, who orchestrated a unified developmental approach, and young communicators like Matt Blake, do put dents in “factory” output.
But it doesn’t really seem to be slowing down productivity looking at the minor leagues, and as far as the major league rotation goes, I contend that external, uncontrollable factors affected a young group more than the ineffectiveness of the coaching staff.
I think Cleveland will continue to churn out pitching talent, and it will continue to anchor the team, although I also think the emergence of good young positional players will take the pressure off the staff to carry a disproportionate load going forward. You’ll see more balance…the future for Cleveland is incredibly bright across the board. You might say the “factory” is expanding nicely into other areas besides just arms.
pitching factory fading? you mean losing 3 of their 4 aces in the span of 3 years? having to develop young guys on the MLB roster while the position players sort themselves out?
Civale is a little worrisome, sure. but I hardly consider that “fading”.
Take Civale officially off the list of “worrisome” after his last three starts.
Okay big news here
The Indians have completely mismanaged Nolan Jones. Should have been up there 2 years ago. Awful front office
@jessaumodesto
What nonsense.
Two years ago he was hitting .240, not hitting home runs, and couldn’t hit a southpaw to save his life. Yeah, it would be REAL smart for teams like Cleveland to bring up a guy before he’s ready, watch him struggle for two years and then only get four good years out of him. What you don’t get is that small markets only control players for 6 years, and the LAST thing you want with high end talent is not get their six BEST years, but instead get something quite a bit less than that.
THAT’S called professional management, not mismanagement. What fans want is almost always mismanagement, as you’ve demonstrated.
Where is Brennan?
He’s not rostered, and likely won’t be until after this season is complete. It’s the smart thing to wait on.
How did Jones play a couple of games in left field in 2020 if there was no minor-league season? Intrasquad scrimmages?
They will see if a Jones Gonzalez platoon makes a trade for an outfielder unnecessary.
Groot at DH, Chris Pratt pitching….
The Pride of Holy Ghost Prep! Best of luck, Nolan Jones! I wish the Phillies had smartly drafted this hometown prospect.
Guardians……what a stupid names for a team IMO.
I am surprised the MLB hasn’t changed the White Sox or Red Sox as being offensive and racist colors. Maybe they need too be Blue, green, or purple Sox as they are not skin colored. Politically correct bs
Just refer to them as the ‘dians’. Don’t concern yourself with ‘In’ or ‘Guar’, and, as a result, you’ll definitely feel less aggrieved. You get can beyond this, I know you can!