The Guardians have sent pitcher Chris Vallimont outright to Triple-A Columbus, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment on Monday when Cleveland claimed Ramón Laureano from Oakland.
Vallimont hasn’t thrown a big league pitch with the Guardians. His sole major league experience came last month as a member of the Orioles, when he recorded two outs in a scoreless appearance against the Yankees. Baltimore designated him for assignment shortly thereafter and sold his contract to Cleveland.
The 26-year-old righty has spent parts of five seasons in the minors. Split between four organizations — Minnesota, Miami, Baltimore and Cleveland — he owns a 4.97 ERA in 422 1/3 minor league frames. That includes a 5.65 mark between the O’s and Guardians’ Triple-A clubs in 2023. Vallimont has a serviceable 22.7% strikeout rate over that stretch, but a 12.7% walk rate is suggestive of strike-throwing concerns that have been present for much of his career.
This is the second time Vallimont has cleared waivers in his career. Baltimore outrighted him over the offseason before re-selecting his contract and then designating him again. Players with multiple career outrights have the right to test minor league free agency. It’s not clear whether Vallimont will do so or stick with Columbus and try to pitch his way back onto the MLB roster before season’s end.
They had a real sleeper tonight, Toronto is missing Bichette, but what was Cleveland’s excuse ? The battle for the Central takes a night off with both losing. Maybe the Tigers keeping E rod will help ? Stranger things have happened.
I think perhaps missing their best hitter Josh Naylor have have something to do with their terrible offense lately. Though, even with Josh, they still don’t hit very well. Jose Ramirez is their star, but is not as clutch as Josh Naylor.
Cleveland needs a new hitting coach, and probably needs to change it’s philosophies of teaching hitting in the minor leagues as well.
o I noticed that Josh Bell hit HR’s from both sides of the plate for the Marlins last night. So I checked his numbers – he’s hitting far better with the Marlins than he did with Cleveland.
o I watched Will Benson play for the Reds the other day. Cleveland traded him for 2 young guys that don’t look good today. Meanwhile Benson is hitting .269 with an .875 OPS, stealing bases, and playing a fine OF. Cleveland doesn’t have an OF like him.
o Nolan Jones is hitting .280 with an .869 OPS. Cleveland doesn’t have an OF hitting like him.
Meanwhile none of Cleveland’s publicized prospects have come up and hit for crap. The team in 27th in MLB in Runs Scored. Kwan is not hitting as well this year as last. Gimenez has been awful. Last years hitting hero of the playoffs that had a good year – Oscar Gonzalez – spent most of the year in AAA and isn’t hitting….same as most of the players. Arias plays all over the place but his O line is: .193 / .288 / .315 / .603. And on and on.
Only Josh Naylor and Jose Ramirez are hitting decently, and Ramirez is down from last year.
It’s nice to have good pitching. The historically weak AL Central was theirs for the taking even with many of their pitchers being injured. But this teams offense is pathetic. They need to find a competent hitting coach for 2024. There is no way they can bring that guy back next year.
Doesn’t Cleveland have the same hitting coach as last year? I wonder what the difference is?
That is exactly the question Detroit fans were asking in ’22. The offense in ’21 was pleasantly surprising. In ’22 it was putrid with the same coaches. They fired the coaches, yet ’23 isn’t much better. Let us know if Cleveland finds the solution.
sometimes hard questions simply don’t have easy answers.
I agree but I also think it runs even deeper than the coaching staff. They can’t coach hitters but they also can’t develop them or self-scout their own.
Many of those Guardian AB’s seem totally I give up , non competitive. Swing swing swing , you’re out.
Guardians have, literally, the lowest strikeout rate at the plate in MLB at 18.5%. Want to see swing, swing, swing, you’re out? Just have to watch the Minnesota Twins and their abhorrent 27.1% K rate.
Absolutely right about non competitive at bats. Zero adjustment from at bat to at bat. Left handers and off speed pitchers wreak havoc on this team. Until adjustments are made, it’s gonna be the same ole song and dance.
“Changeup outside and Gimenez grounds weakly to second base to end the inning. Cleveland strands a runner on 3rd base.”
Multiple teams have seen Vallimont’s K/9 and thought they could fix him by teaching him to throw strikes (ignoring the fact that anything he throws near the strike zone turns into a hit). Not sure why he’s stuck around as long as he’s made it already.
They can fire the hitting coach but it’s just a gesture. Oscar Gonzalez has no clue at the plate, Straw while an elite defender is pretty much an out each time at bat short of getting hit himself and Josh Naylor will not have a season like this consistently. So it’s not the hitting coach only.