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Pirates Re-Sign Chase De Jong To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates appear to have resigned right-handed pitcher Chase De Jong to a minor league pact per Jason Mackey of the Post Gazette. De Jong was spotted in Pittsburgh’s Major League camp today, signaling his status as a likely non-roster invitee.

The 28-year-old De Jong returns to Pittsburgh after spending the duration of the 2021 season at the Triple-A and Major League levels for the team. While the well-traveled De Jong flashed tantalizing strikeout potential in his limited Triple-A action last season, that skillset didn’t quite translate to the big leagues after he was called up in late May of last year. An errant line drive struck De Jong in the knee in July, ultimately ending his season and leading to knee surgery. He was subsequently outrighted off Pittsburgh’s roster and elected minor league free agency in November.

All told, De Jong soaked up over 43 innings across 9 starts before his knee injury, sporting a 5.77 ERA with uninspiring peripherals. Despite the lack of results, the right-hander may serve as a source of innings for an unproven Pittsburgh pitching staff that largely remains in “let’s see what happens” mode.

A former second round pick, De Jong has yet to find much success at the Major League level but continues to get looks. Now in his sixth organization, the journeyman pitcher has pitched at least one inning at the game’s highest level in five straight seasons. He’s likely to keep that streak going if his knee proves fully recovered in the weeks to follow.

Lance McCullers Jr. To Miss Start Of 2022 Season

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Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. is set to start the 2022 season on the IL, he told reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). The right-handed pitcher continues to rehab the flexor tendon in his pitching arm that was injured during last year’s playoffs. Surgery does not appear to be in the cards at this time, and McCullers stressed he’s not dealing with a UCL issue (via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle).

While it’s still uncertain when McCullers will be able to return atop Houston’s rotation— currently he’s not even cleared to throw— Astros brass and fans should be encouraged by the news that their pitcher has not been recommended to head down the surgical route. The 28-year-old was already known to be behind in his recovery, with MLB’s lockout disrupting that recovery process, but there was still some ambiguity about the status of the player’s health.

Fortunately, several doctors have confirmed that the 2018 Tommy John recipient has not re-injured his UCL and instead have advised non-surgical PRP injections and stem cell therapy to treat the ailing tendon. This course of action is certainly preferable to a season-derailing surgery, though it still serves as an inauspicious beginning to the $85MM extension agreed upon by player and team early last year. Even with continued rehab progress and no further setbacks, McTaggart writes that McCullers figures to be out of commission “well into April,” owing to a need to build up the starter’s pitch count.

Houston will be hard-pressed to fill the shoes of their #2 pitcher behind veteran ace Justin Verlander, as the righty posted a stout 3.16 ERA and 27.1 K% across 162 plus innings last year. Difficult as that production may be to replace however, the Astros have a stable of arms who showed ample promise in the big leagues last year. Assuming good health, each of José Urquidy, Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and veteran Jake Odorizzi should do an adequate job holding down the fort until the homegrown McCullers is ready to take the hill again.

Should Houston’s top decision-makers go the way of other teams in recent days and add to their rotation depth, they will likely have the means to do so. Thanks to the new CBA, the Astros have more than $33MM to spend before hitting the first luxury tax threshold in the eyes of RosterResource, and none of the remaining pitchers on the free agent market figure to be too cost prohibitive. It remains to be seen if a deal with more Major League pitching is even on Houston’s radar, particularly if rumblings of a Carlos Correa reunion add another large salary to the books, but the Astros appear capable of weathering McCullers’ absence regardless of how the next few weeks unfold.

Padres Showed Interest In Michael Conforto Pre-Lockout

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The Padres expressed interest in free agent outfielder Michael Conforto prior to the MLB lockout, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres join a growing list of known teams to have reached out to the longtime Met’s camp, including the Yankees, who were reported to have interest earlier today.

Conforto is the latest player in a long line of free agent left field fielders the Padres have looked into. Reports from earlier in the offseason have connected San Diego to a number of offensively-gifted outfielders to bolster their lineup, including Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, and Seiya Suzuki. The interest in Conforto and other top outfielders stems from the departure of incumbent left fielder Tommy Pham, himself a candidate to be re-signed by the club via free agency.

Replacing Pham with Conforto may not deliver the jolt to a disappointing San Diego offense that fans expect, however. In 2021 Conforto slashed an uncharacteristically middling .232/.344/.384 with a 101 OPS+, not far off from a post-injury Pham’s .229/.340/.383 and 103 OPS+ output. Considering both players dealt with injuries and seemingly underperformed their batted ball metrics, it’s possible the Padres may simply find more bounce-back appeal (and, potentially, contract value) in the 29-year-old over the more senior Pham, who just turned 34-years-old.

Whether the Padres and their growingly-thin farm system should take a risk on Conforto is up for debate, as the Boras client rejected a qualifying offer en route to free agency and will cost his new team a draft pick and international bonus pool money. Still, the upside Conforto— a career .255/.356/.468 (124 OPS+) hitter— possesses is undeniable, and a likely upgrade over any current in-house options.

With plenty of offseason (remarkably) left to go in March, San Diego’s projected lineup still has room to change. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that RosterResource currently has non-roster invitee Nomar Mazara penciled into left field, a risky proposition for a team looking to take on their two 100+ win division rivals.

Acee notes that the Friars have roughly $15MM left to spend before hitting the new luxury tax threshold, and potentially more given the team’s willingness to surpass that threshold last season. Even if the club is hesitant to pass the threshold in consecutive seasons it’s still possible a long-term deal can be worked out with Conforto, owing to the likely departure of the well-compensated Wil Myers after the 2022 season. Efforts to move Eric Hosmer’s remaining salary persist as well, which would only further serve president of baseball operations AJ Preller’s penchant for big moves.

With this in mind, team officials have told Acee that the club “is in position to spend for an offensive upgrade”. Whether Conforto is atop Preller’s shopping list remains to be seen, but it’s clear based on this report that the Padres will be a team to watch in the coming days.

Free Agent Notes: Rodon, Kikuchi, Correa, Soler

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News of the finally-ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement is dominating headlines, with good reason, but some free agent leads had quietly emerged during the final hours of CBA negotiations. Notably, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees had requested and received medicals for free agent pitchers Carlos Rodon and Yusei Kikuchi prior to the lockout. Heyman notes that the Yankees have received the medicals of free agent shortstop Carlos Correa as well, though disclaims that the team already has “two good shortstop prospects”, referring to touted youngsters Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.

It has been speculated for some time that the Yankees minor league depth may impede their run at baseball’s top free agent, but their interest in Rodon and Kikuchi appears more straightforward. Despite possessing a high-upside stable of arms behind Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, the Bronx rotation has no shortage of risk baked into it. Signing either Rodon or Kikuchi would add a similar high-risk, high-reward pitcher to the mix however, as these free agent targets dealt with injury and ineffectiveness down the stretch, respectively. Still, with a much higher luxury tax threshold to work with clubs like the Yankees are further incentivized to sign as many playoff-caliber arms as they can to see who sticks.

Some more free agent leads to usher in the post-lockout world…

  • Piggybacking off of Heyman’s tweet, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reports that the Twins have received medicals on Rodon and Kikuchi as well. Per Wolfson, the Twins are still searching for “multiple arms, starters and relievers” which should come as little surprise to fans who have followed Minnesota’s offseason to date. A Rodon signing would likely represent an uncharacteristically large splash for the Twins, though it should be noted they’ve shown interest in high-risk pitchers in the past, to say nothing of their interest in Rodon last offseason.
  • Another free agent generating buzz is Jorge Soler, who Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports has received interest from more than six clubs. Now that the universal DH has been implemented Feinsand speculates that Soler will see his list of suitors grow. That theory certainly checks out on paper, as Soler has sported a useful 117 OPS+ since 2019, though his glovework during that same stretch has been decidedly below average.

CBA Negotiations Set To Resume Thursday

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Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association have scheduled a negotiation session for 1:00pm ET on Thursday in New York, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. For those keeping score at home, Nightengale adds that tomorrow’s meeting will be the sixth session between both parties to discuss the sport’s next CBA since MLB instituted baseball’s lockout 78 days ago.

As disheartening as the frequency of these negotiating sessions has been, it could be an encouraging sign that tomorrow’s session will take place just five days after the two sides last convened. Last Saturday’s meeting revealed some minor concessions but didn’t yield much cause for optimism, as it lasted less than an hour and left both sides some mix of “unimpressed” and “underwhelmed”.

One reason for last weekend’s uneventful session was a continued disparity between how each party would like to alter the Competitive Tax Threshold. MLB proposed the luxury tax threshold increase to $222MM by 2026, with disincentives that would likely stop teams from crossing that threshold. The Player’s Association meanwhile would like to see team spending incentivized, not punished, and have been seeking a new tax threshold ending at $273MM in 2026.

As large as that $51MM gap between each side’s tax threshold proposal may appear, it pales in comparison to the $85MM gap between exchanged bonus pool figures. A bonus pool funded by central revenues to reward high-performing, pre-arbitration players has been one concept already agreed to by both parties, though how much these players should be rewarded is clearly a divisive subject. The Player’s Association lowered their bonus pool number by $5MM to $100MM to be divided amongst pre-arb performers, while MLB raised their proposal from $10MM to $15MM.

Further discussed topics included a raise to the league minimum, limiting the amount of times players can be optioned in a single season, and changes in the signing process of drafted and international amateurs. Fortunately, there seems to be mutual amenability to adjusting all three of these topics in the next collective bargaining agreement. However, as we’ve seen with previously suggested CBA changes like implementing a universal DH, even when both sides generally agree on a subject it’s no slam dunk they’ll see eye to eye to the point of implementation.

As is often the case with negotiations it may only take one new concession to start a chain reaction of agreements that, in this case, will ultimately lead to a new CBA. For either side to concede much of anything, they’ll need to meet at the bargaining table. Tomorrow’s sit-down then is certainly a welcome sight for the droves of fans who are skeptical a new CBA can be reached in time for the season to begin when originally scheduled on March 31.

NL Notes: Giants, Chipper, Freeman, Cactus League

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With the implementation of a universal DH growing in likelihood, NBC Sports’ Alex Pavlovic took a look at how Gabe Kapler’s Giants might handle the new position after the lockout. Pavlovic extrapolates from the team’s usage of the DH position in interleague play and in 2020 that the team would prefer to use the DH spot as a chance to bolster the lineup’s offense, not to give a quasi-off day to a regular position player. Accordingly, the resurgent Darin Ruf could see his playing time increase as his defensive limitations have limited him from being a true mainstay in Kapler’s starting lineup card.

With plenty of payroll maneuverability and a few Kris Bryant and Buster Posey-sized holes in the lineup, however, the possibility remains that the Giants splurge on a big bat to take the lion’s share of DH reps. Pavlovic speculates that free agents Kyle Schwarber or Joc Pederson could slot into the new position, owing to their typically strong numbers with the platoon advantage and ties to the team’s top executives. Should the team pass on either left-handed hitter, as well as come up short on their Seiya Suzuki pursuit or a Bryant reunion, a right-handed power bat could be signed to claim the DH spot. Nelson Cruz and Nick Castellanos remain open-market options for a team looking to keep its strong offensive performance in 2021 going, with the benefit of the DH position negating the need for either to suit up in the spacious Oracle Park outfield.

Some more baseball news from around the league…

  • Braves Hall of Fame third baseman and friend of the site Chipper Jones appeared on the Dukes & Bell podcast to offer some input on fellow Brave Freddie Freeman’s prolonged stay on the free agent market. Jones posits that Freeman is “probably a little frustrated [an extension wasn’t reached] in Spring Training last year” and acknowledges (correctly) that non-Atlanta teams are courting the first baseman as well. Of note to Atlanta fans however is Chipper’s comment that he and Freeman have often talked about the latter’s place in Atlanta history, and how his potentially-retired number would slide between Atlanta icons Dale Murphy and Bobby Cox.
  • Count Arizona city managers as another group taking issue with baseball’s delayed start to spring training. Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times documents how the MLB lockout has negatively impacted the host cities of baseball’s Cactus League, who are already reeling from limited tourism revenue the past few years due to the pandemic. Sites like Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers’ $300MM spring training ballpark in Glendale, are leased out to MLB teams for $1 a year with the express understanding that teams will drive tourism in the area. Due to clauses in the lease agreements signed by teams however, a certain number of home games are required to be played during spring training without the incurrence of legal penalty. The language of these clauses meant that the pandemic and other “acts of God” spared teams from any legal recourse being taken by host cities in recent years, but teams falling short of that game threshold due to the avoidable, league-induced lockout may not provide the same protection. It seems unlikely for the Dodgers and a handful of other teams to be kicked out of their Cactus League homes, but a lawsuit from Arizona cities looking to recoup lost hospitality industry funds may soon be the next legal storyline for baseball fans to follow.

Quick Hits: Mullins, Farm Rankings, Mariners, Universal DH

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Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles, baseball’s top power-speed threat in 2021, opened up in a video (Twitter link) that dropped today about some previously private health struggles with Crohn’s disease. The 27-year-old details how teammate Trey Mancini’s abrupt colon cancer diagnosis before the 2020 season helped him pay more attention to his own health woes.

This introspection ultimately led Mullins down a path that included intestinal surgery in November 2020, severe weight loss, and a Crohn’s disease diagnosis that very well could have been career-derailing. That Mullins broke out last season— earning an All-Star nod, Silver Slugger, and the distinction as baseball’s only 30-30 player— is made all the more remarkable by the presence of a condition that so often proves debilitating. We at MLBTR tip our collective caps to Mullins for sharing his story and raising awareness for a condition that is growing in prevalence.

Some more uplifting news from around the league…

  • Baseball America unveiled their 2022 Organization Talent Rankings today, with the Seattle Mariners claiming the top spot on this offseason’s installment. With talented youngsters like Julio Rodriguez, George Kirby, and Noelvi Marte forcing their way up the minor leagues and the Mariners fresh off a 90-win season, the time may be right to buy stock in the Mariners franchise. BA’s Kyle Glaser notes that 16 of the last 17 teams to claim the top farm system have reached the playoffs within two years of earning that distinction. The one team who bucked that trend, the 2011 Royals, took three years, reaching the World Series in 2014 and winning it in 2015. This history may prove to be of huge import for Seattle fans, who are now 20 years removed from their last playoff appearance.
  • Jon Heyman of MLB Network lent more credence to the idea that a universal DH will be included in the next CBA, stating (via Twitter) “Barring something totally unexpected, it can be assumed at this point that the universal DH will be in place in 2022”. Heyman adds that both the player’s union and league are in favor of implementing the rule, though there is some disagreement about which party will benefit more from having a DH in the National League. We polled readers back in December to gauge how a universal DH would be received, with 62% of readers expressing enthusiasm, 26% expressing disdain, and another 12% expressing indifference to the change.

15 Hitters Who Quieted Injury Concerns In 2021

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One of the most inescapable realities in any professional sport is that athletes are going to get hurt. For baseball, a 162-game schedule combined with limited chances in each game for a player to make an impact leads to a high frequency of all-out plays. Sprinting to first base, diving for flyballs, and standing firm in the face of 100mph fastballs are commonplace— as are the injuries that can result from each of those actions. 

The effects of injuries on a player’s career are, naturally, high variance. This winter’s top two free agents, for example, have been dogged by injuries throughout their careers to the general indifference of bidders. More often, however, it appears that injuries turn All-Stars into afterthoughts or dash a player’s shot at a breakout year altogether. No matter the severity of an injury, fans, players, and front offices can all generally agree on one thing: injuries are annoying.

With few players ever immune from the injury bug, a number of stars entered the 2021 season looking to correct some health trends from previous seasons. The sheer number of stars looking to prove their health at the beginning of 2021 may be larger than many remember, as 2020’s pandemic-shortened season did little to showcase player health. After all, even if a player played in all 60 games that season, would it be enough to shed the “injury prone” label if they were hurt often in 2018 and 2019? Another issue with the 2020 season was how it disrupted player conditioning, leading to a higher rate of injuries than the average season (per research compiled by Chet Gutwein of FanGraphs).

Determining which players were worthy of the “injury prone” label coming into the season (and accordingly, who shirked that distinction after a mostly healthy 2021 campaign) is a subjective activity. Still, we can put some parameters on our search to narrow the list of players who actually needed to prove they can stay on the field and produce.

For starters, we can look at players who dealt with injuries over the past three seasons prior to 2021; out of a possible 384 games we’ll say any player who missed more than 100 of those games carried noteworthy injury questions in recent years. That pool can then be whittled down further to include players who ultimately proved healthy in 2021— we’ll set the bar there at 2/3 of games played, or 108 games, to indicate a player was twice as healthy as not. Lastly, a player had to be good in 2021 in order to quiet doubters, so the following list of players will only include players who produced at an above average level in 2021, with a wRC+ north of 100. 

To recap, this list of players missed at least 100 games between 2018-2020, but played in 2/3 of their team’s regular season games at an above average level in 2021. Players like Yordan Alvarez, who technically meet the above criteria but did not debut until 2019, will be excluded on the basis of having too small a sample size to draw health trends from. Likewise, players like Ian Happ who only meet the above criteria due to minor league demotions or some other non-injury related reason will not be included on the list.

  • Kris Bryant (Missed 101 games between 2018-2020; Played 144 games, posted 123 wRC+ in 2021)
    Bryant may seem like an odd entrant on this list, but questions existed after he sported a .644 OPS in 34 games during the shortened season. A shoulder injury limited Bryant to 102 games and just 13 home runs in 2018.
  • Justin Turner (Missed 104 games between 2018-2020; Played 151 games, posted 127 wRC+ in 2021)
    Turner matched a career high in games played last season, a welcome sight after a myriad of maladies in recent years allowed him to land on this list. Entering his age-37 season, Turner seems like a prime candidate to stay fresh at the DH position if/when it becomes universal.
  • C.J. Cron (Missed 106 games between 2018-2020; Played 142 games, posted 127 wRC+ in 2021)
    Knee surgery and a 13-game showing in 2020 are the driving reason for Cron’s inclusion here. This layoff made Cron’s career year in Colorado all the more surprising, as his jump to the NL saw him blow most of his previous bests out of the water.
  • Joey Gallo (Missed 109 games between 2018-2020; Played 153 games, posted 123 wRC+ in 2021)
    Another oddball entrant on the list, Gallo missed the bulk of his time during his 2019 All-Star campaign owing to a second half wrist injury. A .679 OPS showing across 57 games in 2020 did little to quell concerns that Gallo was back to his 40-homer days, but a 38-homer campaign with the Rangers and Yankees in 2021 may have done the trick.
  • Andrew McCutchen (Missed 113 games between 2018-2020; Played 144 games, posted 107 wRC+ in 2021)
    The former-MVP has largely been the pinnacle of health, but a torn ACL in 2019 led to over 100 lost games in that season alone. McCutchen has seen better days on both sides of the ball, but entering his age-35 season he again seems as solid a bet as anyone to provide durability and solid production.
  • Kevin Kiermaier (Missed 118 games between 2018-2020; Played 122 games, posted 101 wRC+ in 2021)
    Kiermaier is one of those players who seems like a walking injury-risk, a stigma perhaps upheld by the fact that Tampa Bay has yet to trade him. To his credit however, Kiermaier just had one of the better offensive campaigns of his career, showing solid health and sterling-as-always defense as well.
  • AJ Pollock (Missed 130 games between 2018-2020; Played 117 games, posted 137 wRC+ in 2021)
    On a star-studded Dodgers roster Pollock quietly played in 117 games last season, a number he hadn’t eclipsed since his otherworldly 2015 campaign. The Dodgers have weened Pollock off of center field duty in recent years, which may again help him stay healthy entering his age-34 season.
  • Carlos Correa (Missed 141 games between 2018-2020; Played 148 games, posted 134 wRC+ in 2021)
    Baseball’s top remaining free agent found an optimal time to stick on the field and produce. Correa’s elite 2021 season came on the heels of three seasons that were each plagued with underperformance or IL time.
  • Aaron Judge (Missed 144 games between 2018-2020; Played 148 games, posted 148 wRC+ in 2021)
    Wrist, oblique, and calf injuries sapped Judge of playing time from 2018-2020, but there wasn’t any rust last season. Judge played in 148 games last year, a total he hasn’t reached since his Rookie of the Year-winning 2017 campaign, and remains as fearsome an at-bat for opposing teams as ever.
  • Josh Donaldson (Missed 149 games between 2018-2020; Played 135 games, posted 124 wRC+ in 2021)
    Donaldson has alternated healthy seasons with injury-riddled ones as of late, though he’s made his presence felt in recent odd-year seasons.
  • Miguel Sano (Missed 155 games between 2018-2020; Played 135 games, posted 110 wRC+ in 2021)
    A few minor league demotions contributed to that missed game total, though injuries have still kept Sano out of 100+ Major League games, making him eligible for this list. Sano’s 135 games played represent a career-high, even if the rest of his 2021 rate stats seem modest compared to years past.
  • Mitch Haniger (Missed 164 games between 2018-2020; Played 157 games, posted 120 wRC+ in 2021)
    Surgeries kept Haniger from taking the field at all in 2020, a year after missing most of 2019’s season to injury. Haniger filled up the stat sheet in 2021 though, matching his personal best of 157 games played while hitting 39 home runs and reaching the century mark in both runs scored and RBIs.
  • Giancarlo Stanton (Missed 184 games between 2018-2020; Played 139 games, posted 137 wRC+ in 2021)
    It had been a few years since Stanton was regularly healthy in pinstripes, as he played in just 41 regular season games from 2019-2020. Stanton was in such good form last season however, that he was able to stay healthy even with irregular outfield reps.
  • Tyler Naquin (Missed 194 games between 2018-2020; Played 127 games, posted 110 wRC+ in 2021)
    Injuries took the shine off what had the potential to be a strong Cleveland tenure, thanks to a solid rookie season in 2016. While he was probably miscast as a centerfielder, Naquin offered solid production across a career-high 127 games for the Reds last season.
  • Salvador Perez (Missed 218 games between 2018-2020; Played 161 games, posted 127 wRC+ in 2021)
    An elbow injury wiped out all of Perez’s 2019 campaign, while eye issues limited his follow-up season. That Perez was able to bop 48 home runs and play 161 games— 124 of which came from behind the dish— was remarkable, and may spell a return to form for a catcher who logged huge games played totals up to 2018.

The above players still carry some level of risk heading into the eventually-going-to-happen 2022 season, as all athletes do. With largely healthy and productive 2021 seasons in the books though it’s hard to argue this group didn’t elevate their stocks, providing at least some extra cause for optimism that they can stay on the field when baseball resumes.

But what do you think, did any other hitter inspire enough confidence in 2021 for you to feel good about healthier days ahead? Let us know in the comments!

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/14/22

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A few more minor league signings to supplement the recent flurry of minor league deals around the league…

  • The Tigers are bringing back right-handed pitcher Ricardo Pinto after he spent all of the 2021 season in Detroit’s minor league ranks. Pinto was previously a prospect of some note, pitching in the 2016 Futures Game in the Phillies organization before making his Major League debut a year later. A tough debut season has resulted in a whirlwind few years, as Pinto has since been stashed on various teams’ Triple-A rosters and made a tour through the KBO League in 2020. Between Double-A and Triple-A last year the right-hander pitched to a 4.29 ERA in 123 innings (23 starts), with solid peripherals dipping upon reaching Triple-A.
  • The Braves have re-signed infielder Ryan Goins to a minor league pact. The 33-year-old Goins saw a good chunk of big league action from 2013-2017, serving as an oft-used utility player in Toronto. He’s bounced between a trio of teams since then, last suiting up at the major league level for the White Sox in 2020. The left-handed hitter will bring his versatile glove back to the Atlanta organization, where he spent all of his time last year in Triple-A.
  • Drew Jackson and Christian Bethancourt are joining the A’s for the first time. Both players are incredibly versatile, as Jackson appeared everywhere but the catcher position for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate last year. The 28-year-old Jackson sported a patient .251/.397/.424 line across 85 games, chipping in nine home runs and 24 stolen bases (in 27 tries). The 30-year-old Bethancourt was once a frequenter of top prospect lists as a catcher in Atlanta’s talent pipeline, but has recently bounced around trying to cut it as a two-way player. The pitching project didn’t gain much traction last year but the rest of the catcher’s play was encouraging, as he fielded four positions and slashed a solid .281/.339/.468 with 14 home runs across 92 games for the Pirates’ Triple-A team.

Dodgers Re-Sign Yefry Ramirez

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed pitcher Yefry Ramirez to a minor league deal according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. The right-hander spent last year in the Dodgers organization, with the bulk of his time stemming from his stay at Triple-A.

Ramirez has typically worked as a starter throughout his career, though his lone big league action in 2021 came out of the Dodgers’ bullpen. The 28-year-old’s season ERA sits at 0.00 after pitching two innings of mop-up duty against the Diamondbacks on August 1. Ramirez was designated for assignment a few days later to make room for LA’s ill-fated summer signing of Cole Hamels.

The right-hander didn’t fare nearly as well in a hitter-friendly Triple-A environment, however. In 25 games (22 starts) and 113 innings sandwiched around that major league call-up, Ramirez sported a 5.02 ERA. His 22.9% strikeout rate at the level was respectable but a corresponding 10.2% walk rate speaks to a growing command problem, as Ramirez has seen his control numbers worsen after every promotion.

That Ramirez has received as many promotions as he has however speaks to his talent level. A converted-infielder, Ramirez has now been a part of six organizations and seen major league time with three of them. Similarly encouraging is that Ramirez regularly carves up competition in the Dominican Winter League, even if his current 1.42 ERA there is accompanied by nearly a walk per inning.

All told, the right-hander is likely to occupy a similar depth role with the Dodgers next year, as further pitcher acquisitions should push him back to the minors. Still, he stands a good chance of receiving another call-up at some point given the team’s current roster construction.

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