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Quick Hits: Soria, Renfroe, Gordon, Stanton

By Kyle Downing | August 9, 2018 at 8:44pm CDT

Joakim Soria suffered a mild right groin strain during the Brewers’ ninth-inning meltdown against the Padres today. Soria walked off the mound with an apparent injury after allowing a go-ahead grand slam to Hunter Renfroe. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the malady was later described as a mild right groin strain. There’s no official word on the severity of the injury yet, so it’s not known at this time whether Soria will need to miss any games. The right-hander came over from the White Sox just prior to the trade deadline in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers: left-hander Kodi Medeiros and right-hander Wilber Perez.

Here are a few other small items from around the league this evening…

Speaking of Renfroe, the Padres outfielder has been on a tear of late. Including tonight’s grand slam off Soria, Renfroe’s slugged four homers in his past four games. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune suggests that Renfroe’s performance could solidify an everyday spot in the lineup even after Wil Myers returns from the disabled list. That’s good news for the 26-year-old in the wake of today’s news that some of the young Padres outfielders are being intensely evaluated, but it’s also worth noting that Franmil Reyes also homered tonight; his third in his past four games. It will be interesting to see how the Padres address their corner outfield logjam this offseason, or if they choose to at all (Reyes and Renfroe both have minor league options remaining and can be stashed at Triple-A).
The Mariners moved Dee Gordon all the way down to ninth in the batting order in tonight’s game. That’s largely due to the speedster’s incredibly pedestrian offensive performance on the season. He’s hitting .280, but with just a .300 on-base and .343 slugging percentage. The biggest culprit to his lackluster showing is a paltry 1.5% walk rate that’s by far the lowest in the majors and approximately half the size of the next player on that list (Salvador Perez of the Royals). Though the plan right now seems to be for Robinson Cano to usurp some playing time from Ryon Healy when he returns from his suspension, it’s fair to wonder whether Gordon could rest in favor of Cano on occasion down the stretch, if he can’t figure out how to show more patience.
With his 121.7 MPH homer tonight off Rangers starter Ariel Jurado, Giancarlo Stanton broke a Statcast record. The Yankees’ headline offseason acquisition drilled the ball at a launch angle of 17 degrees, propelling it an estimated 449 feet. It’s officially the hardest-hit homer that Statcast has ever tracked. It’s part of a larger trend for Stanton, who has heated up after a somewhat average start to the season. The right-hander’s .308/.363/.561 batting line since the start of June is much more in line with what the Bombers had imagined when they took on the lion’s share of his contract from the Marlins this offseason.

Quick Hits: Bumgarner, Strasburg, Correa, Happ

By Kyle Downing | August 9, 2018 at 7:14pm CDT

Kerry Crowley of The Mercury News boldly calls Madison Bumgarner’s contract situation the Giants’ “elephant in the room”. Crowley wonders whether Bumgarner must be traded in order to spark a rebuild for the club, who failed to make any significant moves at the trade deadline and now sit at 57-58 on the season after struggling to the league’s worst record last year (tied with the Tigers, of course). Whether the club ultimately decides to “rebuild or remodel”, Bumgarner’s the only player on the roster whose contract might warrant teams forking over a significant prospect return; something an aging Giants team could certainly use. Crowley describes Bumgarner’s future as “uncertain” in the amidst a mediocre team with a gargantuan payroll.

More on a few interesting items from around MLB this evening…

The Nationals received some welcome news on Stephen Strasburg today, as the right-hander reportedly “felt good” after tossing a 42-pitch bullpen session. According to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, he’s likely to throw another one tomorrow and could potentially embark upon a rehab assignment soon thereafter. He’s been on the DL since June 26th with a cervical nerve impingement, but on the bright side he was cleared of any structural damage in his shoulder shortly thereafter.
The Astros appear to be even closer to getting a valuable asset back on the field, as Carlos Correa was spotted at Minute Maid Park today, with Christian Boutwell of MLB.com among those eye witnesses. Though he was inactive for today’s game, the former Rookie of the Year shortstop believes he could be back on the field as soon as tomorrow. Correa’s having a down season by his standards, hitting .268/.352/.480 with a slightly-bloated 24.4% strikeout rate.
The Yankees, for their part, already got a notable player back from the DL. J.A. Happ was activated today, filling the roster spot left vacant after they optioned Chance Adams to Triple-A last night. Happ’s been on the DL with hand, foot and mouth disease for the past week plus, but will return to the rotation and attempt to provide the value the Bombers envisioned when they traded Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney in order to obtain him. Happ’s posted a 4.05 ERA through 21 starts

Red Sox Move Drew Pomeranz To Bullpen

By Kyle Downing | August 9, 2018 at 5:45pm CDT

Manager Alex Cora announced today that Drew Pomeranz is being shifted to the bullpen, as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe was among those to tweet.

The move hardly comes as a surprise by measure of Pomeranz’ merit. After all, the lefty has walked more batters than he’s struck out in three starts since returning from his second stint on the disabled list already this season. On the whole, the 29-year-old has averaged fewer than five innings in his 11 starts on the season while pitching to an eye-popping 6.31 ERA (5.96 FIP). He currently owns a 1-5 record, and although that’s not the greatest measure of a pitcher’s talent, he also allowed at least four earned runs in four of those five losses.

The move will make room for the return of Chris Sale to the rotation when he ultimately returns from the DL this weekend, leaving Rick Porcello, David Price, Brian Johnson and the recently-acquired Nate Eovaldi to round out Boston’s starting five. Though Pomeranz certainly won’t intimidate many hitters coming out of bullpen if he continues to pitch the way he has, it’s interesting to point out that he’ll become the lone left-handed reliever that Sox have on hand. Though his overall 2018 performance has been thoroughly disastrous, a quick look at his splits show that Pomeranz has actually done a reasonable job at getting out opposing left-handed hitters. They own just a 3.61 FIP against him in a limited sample.

Of course, there’s not much in the way of a silver lining for Pomeranz himself. The timing of his struggles couldn’t be worse, as the southpaw is slated to hit free agency at season’s end and previously figured to be one of the most sought-after targets in a thin 2018-2019 free agent starting pitcher class. After some early-career struggles that led to somewhat of a journeyman adventure, Pomeranz caught fire with the Athletics in 2014 and went on to hurl 499 1/3 innings through the end of the 2017 season. During that span, he managed to consistently out-pitch his peripherals and earned a 3.24 ERA mark that bested his FIP by more than half a run. He also struck out more than a batter per inning during that time.

For now, though, it seems as though Pomeranz is destined to pitch out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. In order to restore his free agent stock, he’ll need to pitch well enough to earn a place in Boston’s playoff rotation, and he’ll face a difficult battle in that area considering how little time he has to make that case.

Padres To Promote Jacob Nix

By Kyle Downing | August 9, 2018 at 4:17pm CDT

According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, the Padres plan to promote Jacob Nix, and he’ll be making his major-league debut this week. Robert Murray of The Athletic confirmed the news today thanks to his own source.

Nix, 22, is perhaps best known for suffering the collateral damage of the fallout between Brady Aiken and the Astros following the 2014 amateur draft. After the club failed to come to an agreement with Aiken, the number one overall selection, they didn’t have the leftover draft pool money necessary to sign Nix (their fifth-round selection) on the terms they’d originally had in place with him. Ultimately, the two were unable to reach a new agreement, and the right-hander re-entered the draft the following season. He ultimately ended up signing with the Padres after they selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft.

Since then, Nix has risen quickly through the minor-league ranks. Through his first three professional seasons, he met limited resistance despite unspectacular strikeout rates and an average ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio, posting FIP figures south of four at each level of the minor leagues. Though a groin strain delayed his start to the 2018 season, the righty went on to post a 2.05 ERA across nine starts with the Friars’ Double-A affiliate. He twirled a scoreless outing at Triple-A as well, and the club evidently feels he’s ready to help their depleted rotation at the major-league level.

MLB Pipeline ranked Nix as the Padres’ 14th-best prospect in their most recent rankings. The publication praises his ability to generate easy velocity by way of a “fluid delivery and smooth arm action” that allows him to touch 97 MPH on the radar gun. They also describe his curveball as a second plus pitch, but adds the disclaimer that his inability to miss bats could hold him back at the major-league level. His ceiling looks to be that of a number three starter, according to MLB Pipeline, though they do believe he’ll stick in the majors; his floor is described as that of a back-of-the-rotation starter.

MLBTR Chat Transcript: August Trades, Braves, Giants, More

By Jeff Todd | August 9, 2018 at 2:01pm CDT

Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with host Jeff Todd.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/9/18

By Jeff Todd | August 9, 2018 at 1:39pm CDT

This post will house the minor MLB transactions of the day:

The Rangers announced that southpaw Brandon Mann has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. He was designated for assignment recently. This year, Mann became one of the older rookies you’ll ever encounter when he reached the majors for the first time at 34. He earned his way up after carrying a 2.70 ERA through 43 1/3 frames at Round Rock, though he managed only 7.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in that span. In 7 1/3 big-league innings, Mann allowed five earned runs on four hits while recording two strikeouts against four walks.

The Best Minor League Signings Of 2018: Position Players

By Jeff Todd | August 9, 2018 at 11:55am CDT

Early this season, we checked in on the players that were playing notable MLB roles after settling for minor-league deals over the winter. (Position players; starting pitchers; relievers.) It was small samples galore.

Unsurprisingly, many of the names that featured in the initial look have faded, while other minor-league signees have emerged. Accordingly, we’ll reexamine this year’s crop of budget acquisitions to see which players have provided real utility over the course of the season to date.

We’ll begin, as we did the last time around, with position players. Frankly, as is typical, there haven’t been many significant contributors from among the MiLB contract ranks. But these five are all worthy of note:

Alen Hanson, Giants: Once a notable prospect, Hanson has made the most of his first extended MLB opportunity this year in San Francisco. Driven by a surprising .194 isolated slugging mark, the out-of-options 25-year-old owns a .276/.301/.469 slash with six home runs and five stolen bases through 208 plate appearances. While defensive metrics aren’t in love with the glove, Hanson’s versatility has been of use and he adds value on the bases, too. He seems like a keeper for the Giants, who control him through the 2022 season.
Mark Reynolds, Nationals: The 35-year-old languished on the market before landing with the Nationals, but has proven he can still draw a walk and hit for power. On the year, he carries a .269/.359/.537 slash with 11 home runs in 156 plate appearances. That certainly helped keep the Nats afloat as injuries derailed the team’s original plans, though certainly Reynolds remains severely limited by his defensive limitations and poor baserunning.
A.J. Ellis, Padres: Long a respected presence behind the dish, the 37-year-old Ellis has contributed with the bat as well in 2018. As usual, his most notable offensive skill is his plate discipline — his 15.0% walk rate even exceeds his peak levels — but Ellis has also hit for more average than usual thus far. While the .370 BABIP gives cause for skepticism as to sustainability, Ellis has been one of the game’s biggest on-base threats this year among players with at least 100 plate appearances.
Max Muncy, Dodgers: Okay, this is cheating a bit. Muncy signed with the Dodgers in 2017, after all. But he did not appear with the organization at the MLB level until the present campaign, and the results have been too good not to warrant mention. True, Muncy has come back to earth of late, slumping out of the All-Star break, but he still owns a stunning .253/.380/558 slash line with 24 home runs on the season. Better still, he has not only received good marks on the basepaths, but has mostly drawn average marks for his fielding while lining up at five different positions.
Jose Bautista, Mets: Yup, I’m bending the rules here again. Joey Bats signed onto the MLB roster with New York, but he squeezes onto the list because he initially inked a minors pact with the Braves. You also have to put up some blinders on his early showing in Atlanta. Since going to the Mets, though, Bautista has contributed a .208/.360/.372 slash. The once-prodigious power just isn’t there, and he’s striking out at twice his mid-prime rate, but a 17.5% walk rate has allowed Bautista to rate as an above-average offensive player despite a sub-Mendoza batting average for the season.
Niko Goodrum, Tigers: With a hat tip to MLBTR commenter JosephofMichigan for the suggestion, we’ll add the 26-year-old switch-hitter here as well. Goodrum is swinging and missing too much and only has a .294 on-base percentage through 340 plate appearances, but he’s showing good pop (.188 ISO, ten home runs) and adding value on the bases (3.1 BsR, eight steals). As with Hanson, the metrics are somewhat bearish on Goodrum’s glovework, but he has been asked to play all over the infield along with both corner outfield spots.

Did I miss a worthy player? Let me know in the comments.

Central Notes: Martin, Cutch, Bucs, Hamilton, Carpenter

By Jeff Todd | August 9, 2018 at 10:42am CDT

The Indians announced today that recently acquired center fielder Leonys Martin is headed to the 10-day DL owing to a stomach ailment. It’s unclear at this point how long he’ll be sidelined, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian adds on Twitter. The club will surely hope the issue resolves itself in short order, as Martin is expected to play a significant role in the team’s outfield rotation down the stretch and into the postseason. The 30-year-old had been off to a productive start in his first six games in Cleveland.

Here’s more from the central divisions …

Bob Nightengale of USA Today took an interesting angle on the Pirates’ deadline moves recently, discussing them with former star Andrew McCutchen. The veteran outfielder, who was dealt to the Giants in the winter, said he was surprised that the Pittsburgh organization decided that this was the summer to push hard for improvements. It’s an interesting story, particularly for fans of these two clubs, in no small part because McCutchen discusses the feeling within the clubhouse of going through the trade deadline. Referring to his past experiences with the Bucs, he explained: “We felt we had a good team to compete, but then you see other teams making those moves, getting the key pieces to their team to make them stronger, and you feel like, “Dang, we’ve got to do something, too.'”
In a recent post with notes on several ballclubs, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic presents one potential explanation for the timing of the Pirates’ moves. (Subscription link.) He writes that an executive with another team posits that the acquisitions of Chris Archer and Keone Kela were driven in some part by the team’s slumping attendance. That’s not the case, per president Frank Coonelly, who says instead the swaps were made out of a “desire to improve the club for this 2018 stretch run and for the next several years.” Coonelly also cited prospect depth as a factor that enabled the maneuvers. That certainly seems to be a fair explanation, but there’s also little doubt that the team has an eye on the bottom line as well. As Rosenthal writes, perhaps there’s some evidence here of “the power of a disgruntled fan base to effect change.”
As Rosenthal further reports in that post, the Reds’ decisionmaking on center fielder Billy Hamilton continues to be influenced by the views of owner Bob Castellini, who has gone on record as a proponent of the exceedingly speedy but light-hitting player. Hamilton didn’t feature as a particularly likely August trade candidate regardless, though perhaps there’s some hypothetical plausibility to such a scenario. But the report suggests the organization may still be rather reluctant to part with the 27-year-old, who is set to enter his final season of arbitration eligibility after earning $4.6MM this year. Perhaps there’s still a way the front office can make this all work in a sensible manner. Hamilton, after all, is a useful MLB player — he’s a great defender and baserunner, and has at least been somewhat better historically against right-handed pitching — who is simply miscast in an everyday role. He could still make sense on what’s hoped to be a competitive 2019 roster, at least if the organization makes a supplemental addition in center and commits to leaning less heavily on Hamilton.
It seems like it was just yesterday we were preaching patience in response to chat questions from irate Cardinals fans about Matt Carpenter’s struggles. But a turnaround of this magnitude remains a surprise. As things stand, he’s among the most productive hitters in baseball — even including his meager opening performance — with a .281/.393/.598 slash and 31 home runs through 476 plate appearances. It’s a fascinating situation for a variety of reasons, to be sure. Carpenter himself evidently feels that way, too, as MLB.com’s Joe Trezza tweets. “It’s just not who I am,” says the 32-year-old Carpenter of his exploits. “It’s not who I was. It’s not the hitter I’ve ever been. I’m developing into somebody I’ve never dreamt of or tried to be like. I don’t have an explanation for it.”

Ben Cherington Open To Pursuing GM Opportunities

By Jeff Todd | August 9, 2018 at 8:26am CDT

Blue Jays VP of player development Ben Cherington, formerly the GM of the Red Sox, discussed his past and future in an interesting recent chat with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. While he says he loves working in Toronto, Cherington also indicated an openness to pursuing other opportunities.

As the offseason approaches, it seems likely that Cherington will at least be discussed as a potential candidate for whatever GM positions open up. Indeed, he has already been tied to the Mets. It’s worth noting, though, that there aren’t many other organizations that seem likely at this point to be hiring new top decisionmakers in the coming offseason.

Cherington certainly did not sound like he’s eager to end his tenure with the Jays. To the contrary, he says he’s “completely focused” on his work there, crediting the “collaborative effort.”

But when asked about the possibility of pursuing another shot at a GM role, Cherington acknowledged that he’s “not shutting the door on anything.” He explained that, “if something is presented to me, I’ll evaluate it and see if it’s something I want to do.”

That seems to represent a shift in thinking for Cherington. Per Cafardo, the exec has not pursued opportunities to interview for other GM openings since his time with the Red Sox ended in the middle of the 2015 season.

Red Sox and Blue Jays fans, especially, will want to read the full article, as it covers topics of interest on the AL East rivals. Among other things, Cafardo discusses Cherington’s role in compiling (or, at least, not trading away) key members of the current Boston core. And Cherington expressed confidence that the Blue Jays’ prospect base has improved under his supervision.

Quick Hits: Darvish, Bartolo, Bird, Padres

By Connor Byrne | August 8, 2018 at 10:17pm CDT

Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish could be on track to rejoin the team’s rotation in early September, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Darvish’s two-inning, 33-pitch sim game on Wednesday went well, manager Joe Maddon suggested. The next step for the 31-year-old Darvish is to embark on a rehab assignment, which may happen by the end of next week, per Wittenmyer. Triceps and elbow problems have kept the big-money free-agent signing off a major league mound since May 20.

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