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A.J. Achter

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/8/18

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Twins have signed utility man Jordan Pacheco to a minor league contract, per their Triple-A affiliate’s PR director, Nate Rowan (on Twitter). Initially a catcher by trade, Pacheco has broadened his skill set by logging more than 350 innings at each of third base, first base and second base in recent years, and he’s even chipped in 133 innings as a shortstop in the minors. Set to turn 32 later this month, Pacheco most recently played 42 games for the independent Long Island Ducks, hitting .273/.351/.420 in 42 games. Pacheco is a career .272/.310/.365 hitter in 1149 MLB plate appearances and a .272/.343/.388 hitter in parts of six Triple-A seasons. The Twins project to have a crowded bench as is, with Eduardo Escobar, Mitch Garver, Zack Granite and Robbie Grossman all currently projected for spots, but Pacheco can bring some versatile depth to the Rochester roster.
  • Former MLB hurler A.J. Achter appears to be moving on from his playing days, as he has been announced as the new pitching coach at Eastern Michigan University. The 29-year-old, who was selected out of Michigan State in the 46th round of the 2010 draft, threw 62 total frames in the majors between 2014-16 with the Twins and Angels. Last year, Achter worked at the Double-A level with the Tigers. While he was never able to hold down a firm job at the game’s highest level, Achter thrived at Triple-A. In 190 innings there, he worked to a 2.79 ERA with 8.0 K/9 versus 3.1 BB/9. MLBTR wishes him the best of luck in his new line of work.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/7/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the league…

  • The Orioles have outrighted infielder Paul Janish to Triple-A Norfolk after Janish cleared waivers, according to an announcement from the team.  Janish was designated for assignment yesterday to clear room for Ruben Tejada joining the O’s.  Janish has spent much of his three years in Baltimore’s organization at the Triple-A level, appearing in 205 games for Norfolk and just 31 with the Orioles.
  • The Cardinals have purchased the contract of first baseman/outfielder Chad Huffman, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports (via Twitter).  Righty John Gant was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.  Huffman’s MLB career consists of nine games with the Yankees in 2010 and he hasn’t been back to the Show since, bouncing between the Cardinals, Tigers and Indians farm systems, as well as spending parts of two seasons in Japan.  Originally a second-round pick of the Padres in the 2006 draft, Huffman has an impressive .281/.376/.463 over 4094 career plate appearances in the minors.
  • The Marlins have signed right-hander William Cuevas to a minor league deal, as announced by the A1 Performance Group (Twitter link), Cuevas’ agency.  The righty elected free agency earlier this week after rejecting an outright assignment from the Tigers.  Cuevas, 26, has a limited Major League resume that consists of one-third of an inning for Detroit this season and five innings for Boston in 2016.  The 26-year-old has a 3.67 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 2.67 K/BB rate over 772 2/3 career innings in the minors, with 103 of his 171 appearances coming as a starting pitcher.
  • The Tigers and right-handed reliever A.J. Achter “mutually agreed” upon his release yesterday, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. The former Twins/Angels reliever will now hit free agency in search of a new club. Achter, 28, has appeared in 45 games between Minnesota and Anaheim in the past three seasons, pitching to a combined 3.92 ERA with 4.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 38.4 percent ground-ball rate in 62 innings of Major League action. He’s had a rough year with Detroit’s Double-A affiliate, however, limping to a 5.34 earned run average with a 24-to-14 K/BB ratio through 28 2/3 innings.
  • Infielder Jose Pirela had his contract selected by the Padres prior to last night’s game, the team announced. The former Yankees farmhand was off to a .331/.387/.635 start with 13 homers and eight stolen bases through 201 plate appearances in the admittedly hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 27-year-old Pirela has yet to perform offensively in a brief sample of MLB work (148 plate appearances dating back to his debut in 2014), but he does have a nice track record in Triple-A. To clear a spot on the roster, San Diego put Jarred Cosart (foot contusion) on the 10-day disabled list and moved Travis Jankowski from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.

Tigers, A.J. Achter Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers and right-hander A.J. Achter have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter).

Achter, a longtime Twins farmhand, will return to the American League Central after spending the 2016 season with the Angels organization. The 28-year-old made his big league debut with the Twins back in 2014 and has appeared in parts of each season since, but he received his lengthiest and most successful Major League stint with the Halos last year. In 37 2/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen, Achter worked to a 3.11 earned run average. Achter displayed solid control (2.9 BB/9) and posted a roughly league-average ground-ball rate, but he also showed an inability to miss bats at the Major League level. In his 37 2/3 frames, he picked up just 14 strikeouts (3.3 K/9). Achter entered the 2016 campaign with a career 9.1 K/9 rate in the minors and with 19 strikeouts in 24 1/3 Major  League innings, but the extreme levels of contact against him led ERA estimators such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA to each peg him well north of 5.00.

With a career 2.79 ERA and solid K/BB numbers in Triple-A, Achter is at the very least a solid depth piece to have on hand. He’ll have a homecoming of sorts in joining the Tigers — Achter is from Ohio and went to college at Michigan State — and hope to force his way to the bullpen of a Tigers team that is attempting to trim its payroll this winter.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/15/16

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Orioles have outrighted infielder Paul Janish, who has elected free agency, per a club announcement. Baltimore designated the 34-year-old defensive specialist for assignment last week after he logged 35 plate appearances with the club this season. Most of Janish’s time this year was spent at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .248/.333/.280 in 283 trips to the plate. In his 1,277-PA big league career, Janish – previously with the Reds and Braves – has batted .216/.284/.289.
  • Like Janish, Angels right-hander A.J. Achter and outfielder Nick Buss have also elected free agency in lieu of outright assignments. The Angels designated the pair for assignment on Oct. 5. Achter pitched to a terrific 3.11 ERA in 37 2/3 innings with the Angels this year, but he did so despite striking out just 14 batters and surrendering 43 hits. The 28-year-old, also a former Twin, has 62 big league frames on his resume with a 4.79 K/9, 3.05 BB/9 and 3.92 ERA. In his most extensive major league action since the Dodgers selected him in the eighth round of the 2008 draft, Buss collected 90 PAs with the Angels this season and hit a meager .198/.247/.346. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has slashed a solid .298/.358/.444 in 1,820 Triple-A plate appearances.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/10/16

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Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Righty A.J. Achter and outfielder Nick Buss were outrighted to Triple-A by the Angels after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. Achter, 28, carried a 3.11 in 37 2/3 innings last year but did so with a 14:12 K/BB rate. Having previously been outrighted, he’ll have the chance to elect free agency. As for the 29-year-old Buss, he is coming off of a solid campaign at Triple-A. But after putting up a .290/.345/.462 slash in 372 trips to the plate at the highest level of the minors, Buss failed to hit in a limited stint in the bigs. He’s also eligible to take free agency given his accumulation of minor league service time.
  • Left-hander Dana Eveland elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The 32-year-old has seen action in eleven major league campaigns, but this one was awfully rough. In 23 innings, he coughed up 23 earned runs on 32 hits while recording 19 walks to go with his 21 strikeouts. On the other hand, Eveland was lights-out at Triple-A, allowing just one earned in 29 2/3 frames.

Angels Claim Blake Parker, Kirby Yates; Designate Nick Buss, A.J. Achter

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The Angels have claimed pitchers Blake Parker and Kirby Yates from the Yankees, according to an announcement from New York. In a corresponding move, the Halos designated outfielder Nick Buss and righty A.J. Achter.

Parker and Yates both provide the Angels with bullpen options heading into 2017, at least assuming they hold onto their 40-man positions over the months to come. The former threw 17 1/3 major league innings last year, posting a 4.67 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9. He was much better, however, during his time at Triple-A, which came with the Mariners organization.

As for Yates, he’ll look to bounce back after coughing up 5.23 earned runs per nine in his 41 1/3 innings with the Yanks. Actually, though, his peripherals were rather promising. He logged 10.9 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 while carrying a career-high 11.6% swinging strike rate and topping 93 mph with his average fastball for the first time.

Moving off of the Halos’ big league roster are Buss and Achter. The former cracked the majors briefly last year, struggling badly in 90 plate appearances. In his 372 Triple-A plate appearances, Buss posted a .290/.345/.462 batting line with six home runs.

The 28-year-old Achter threw a superficially productive 37 2/3 major league innings, with a 3.11 ERA, but things didn’t look great under the hood. He managed only 14 strikeouts against 12 walks while permitting 43 hits. Perhaps only sequencing luck — he carried a 93.1% strand rate — got in the way of much greater damage.

The Yankees also announced that righty Anthony Swarzak elected free agency rather than taking an outright assignment. He tossed 31 innings for the Yankees after a solid showing at Triple-A, but the results didn’t match up to his peripherals. Swarzak ended the year with a 5.52 ERA, owing largely to a sky-high 2.90 homers per nine. But he did compile 9.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 with a 46.4% groundball rate — leading to a 3.21 SIERA and 3.86 xFIP.

Angels Place Cam Bedrosian On DL, Claim Brett Oberholtzer From Phillies

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The Angels announced several roster moves this afternoon, including the placement of right-hander Cam Bedrosian on the 15-day disabled list due to flexor tendinitis in the middle finger on his right hand. Additionally, the Angels have claimed left-hander Brett Oberholtzer off waivers from the Phillies and selected the contract of fellow righty A.J. Achter. Oberholtzer will join the Major League club but will not do so today, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

The injury to Bedrosian means that the Angels will now have both closer Huston Street and Bedrosian, their top setup man and interim closer, on the disabled list at the same time. Those injuries and the trade of setup man Joe Smith to the Cubs creates some uncertainty at the back of manager Mike Scioscia’s bullpen. Right-hander Deolis Guerra has had the most impressive season thus far of any of the team’s remaining relievers, but righty Fernando Salas tops him in terms of experience. Bedrosian’s loss is a notable one for the Halos, as he’s quietly delivered one of the best seasons of any reliever in baseball. The 24-year-old has posted a brilliant 1.12 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings in his breakout campaign.

As for Oberholtzer, the 27-year-old went from Houston to Philadelphia in last December’s Ken Giles blockbuster, but he was unable to find his footing as a member of the Phils. In 50 1/3 innings this year, Oberholtzer limped to a 4.83 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 44.8 percent ground-ball rate. He hasn’t factored into a big league rotation much recently, but Oberholtzer does has 42 Major League starts under his belt. That could be key for an Angels organization that is thin on rotation depth with Andrew Heaney, Nick Tropeano and likely Garrett Richards all slated to miss the 2017 season (or most of it) due to Tommy John surgery. While Oberholtzer certainly isn’t an overpowering arm, he has a 4.09 career ERA in 304 big league innings.

Achter, 27, has a 3.98 ERA in 20 1/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen this season but has fanned just nine batters in that time. He has plenty of Triple-A success under his belt though: a 2.90 ERA with a 164-to-64 K/BB ratio in 183 innings. The Halos have designated Achter for assignment and outrighted him twice already this season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/21/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Angels announced that right-hander A.J. Achter has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. Acther, a longtime Twins farmhand who made his way to the Halos via waivers, has pitched to a 3.98 ERA in 20 1/3 innings with the Angels this season and issued just four walks. However, he’s also struck out just nine batters in that time and has only 28 strikeouts in 44 2/3 relief innings in the Majors. The 27-year-old was already outrighted once earlier this season, so he’ll have the opportunity to reject in favor of free agency or accept and head to Triple-A, where he has a career 2.94 ERA in 174 1/3 innings with a vastly superior 8.2 K/9 rate.
  • The Dodgers announced that they’ve selected the contract of left-handed reliever Grant Dayton from Triple-A Oklahoma City and moved Chris Hatcher to the 60-day DL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. (Zach Links of MLBTR/Pro Football Rumors first reported, on Twitter, that Dayton would be promoted.) The 28-year-old Dayton has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors before today’s promotion, which looks to be well-earned. He’s posted a 2.44 ERA with eye-popping averages of 15.9 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings pitched through 48 minor league frames this year.

Angels Designate A.J. Achter

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The Angels have designated righty A.J. Achter for assignment, the club announced. He lost his roster spot to make way for Sean Coyle, who was claimed off waivers today.

Achter, 27, had appeared in a long relief role for the Halos, tossing 20 1/3 innings in a dozen appearances. He owns a 3.98 ERA on the year, with 4.0 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9, though earned-run estimators took a much less favorable view. Achter is carrying a 6.21 FIP, 5.06 xFIP, and 4.72 SIERA for the season.

The former 46th-round draft pick has certainly performed beyond his draft status, and could represent a useful depth piece with Los Angeles or another organization. It’s fair to note that he owns a strong record in the upper minors, including a 2.94 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 174 1/3 Triple-A frames.

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