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Seth Frankoff

Diamondbacks Release Seth Frankoff

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The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that they’ve released right-hander Seth Frankoff. Frankoff had been on optional assignment to Triple-A Reno. The move clears a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster.

Frankoff inked a minor league deal with the D-Backs over the offseason and was selected to the big league club in mid-May. The 32-year-old made four appearances (three starts) and tossed 14 2/3 innings of 9.20 ERA ball before landing on the injured list with forearm soreness. He’s worked 21 frames with Reno, posting an 8.14 ERA at the minors’ top level before being let go.

While Frankoff has seen MLB action in parts of three seasons, he’s only pitched a total of 19 1/3 innings at the big league level. Frankoff spent the 2018-19 seasons with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization, posting a 3.68 ERA with a fine 22% strikeout rate and a strong 7.6% walk percentage. That solid work overseas should get Frankoff a look from another club on a minor league deal despite his struggles this season.

Injured List Activations: Schmidt, Frankoff, Blandino

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A trio of players were reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to their teams’ respective Triple-A affiliates.

  • The Yankees activated right-hander Clarke Schmidt and optioned him to Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. The 25-year-old is one of the game’s better pitching prospects, but he’s been sidelined all year by an elbow strain. Schmidt, who briefly made his big league debut last season, tossed 8 2/3 innings on a rehab assignment and will continue to build up in the minors. Because of last year’s canceled minor league season, Schmidt has still yet to pitch at the Triple-A level. A 40-man roster spot was opened when reliever Clay Holmes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to virus-like symptoms.
  • The Diamondbacks activated right-hander Seth Frankoff and optioned him to Reno. The move fills Arizona’s 40-man roster. Frankoff signed a minor league deal over the winter and was selected to the big league club in April. The 32-year-old made four appearances and tossed 14 2/3 innings of 9.20 ERA/5.72 SIERA ball before landing on the IL with forearm soreness in early June.
  • The Reds reinstated infielder Alex Blandino and optioned him to Louisville. Reliever Art Warren was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot. Blandino, who has been out since June 5 with a fractured right hand, has a .200/.317/.257 line across 82 plate appearances this season. Warren landed on the IL with a left oblique strain on July 15. He’s now out until at least mid-September.

Diamondbacks Place Zac Gallen, Christian Walker On 10-Day IL

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5:46pm: Early test results on Gallen’s elbow have been “encouraging,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

5:02pm: The Diamondbacks have placed right-hander Zac Gallen (elbow sprain) and first baseman Christian Walker (right oblique soreness) on the 10-day injured list, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The team also selected righty Seth Frankoff, recalled infielder Andrew Young and designated infielder/outfielder Wyatt Mathisen for assignment.

Gallen was supposed to start Wednesday against his former team, the Marlins, but he’ll instead be out for a while longer. He’s dealing with a “minor sprain of one section of his UCL in his right elbow,” according to manager Torey Lovullo, who added that the team will “reassess in a couple weeks” (via Piecoro). If the issue is anything but “minor,” it would be a terrible development for Gallen and the D-backs, as the 25-year-old has thrived since they acquired him from Miami for second baseman Jazz Chisholm in 2019.

Chisholm has turned into a valuable player in his own right since the deal went down, but Arizona’s surely pleased with Gallen’s output in its uniform. Gallen owns a 2.85 ERA in 142 1/3 innings as a Diamondback, including a 3.04 mark over 26 2/3 frames this year, and has posted a 28.4 percent strikeout rate against a 9.7 percent walk rate.

This is the second IL placement of the year for Walker, who has landed on the shelf both times because of his oblique. Even when healthy enough to play this season, Walker has fallen well short of the above-average numbers he registered from 2019-20, having hit a disappointing .203/.268/.313 through 71 plate appearances.

Mathisen has joined Walker in seeing time at first base for the Diamondbacks, who will have a week to trade the 27-year-old or get him through waivers. Mathisen has been tremendous at the Triple-A level, where he has slashed .267/.370/.514 with 32 home runs in 627 trips to the plate. However, that success hasn’t translated to the majors, as Mathisen has batted .159/.298/.290 over a much smaller sample size of 84 plate appearances. Mathisen has two minor league options left, so perhaps a team seeking offensive depth will take a chance on him.

Frankoff, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks last winter after the Mariners outrighted him. He had a productive run with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears from 2018-19, during which he combined for a 3.68 ERA in 266 2/3 frames. Prior to that, almost all of his career was spent in the minors with the Athletics, Dodgers and Cubs. Frankoff only has 4 2/3 big league innings under his belt.

Diamondbacks Sign Seven To Minor League Deals

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The Diamondbacks announced the signing of seven players to minor league deals: Bryan Holaday, Seth Frankoff (previously reported), Bradley Roney, Sam Moll, Drew Weeks, Christian Lopes, and Jamie Ritchie, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).

Out of this group, only Holaday, Frankoff and Moll have appeared in the majors. Holaday carries the most experience, having amassed 768 plate appearances with multiple teams (including 33 with the Orioles last season). The 33-year-old owns a .238/.283/.333 line with 10 home runs in the bigs. Moll, 29, has only appeared in MLB in one season – 2017, when he totaled 6 2/3 innings as a member of the Athletics. He has pitched to a much larger sample size of 131 innings in Triple-A and logged a 4.19 ERA.

Among the players here who haven’t reached the majors, Lopes earned the highest marks as a prospect, as Baseball America ranked the former seventh-round pick 23rd in the Blue Jays’ farm system in 2013. Lopes is now 28, though, and didn’t move beyond Triple-A ball with the Jays or the Rangers. He hit .272/.364/.426 with five HRs over 228 PA with the Rangers’ Triple-A team in 2019.

 

Diamondbacks To Sign Seth Frankoff To Minor-League Deal

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The Diamondbacks are signing Seth Frankoff to a minor-league contract, MLBTR has learned. The 32-year-old made his return to MLB last year after spending the previous two seasons in South Korea.

A former Athletics, Cubs and Dodgers farmhand, Frankoff performed well for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears from 2018-19. Over a combined 266.2 innings between the two seasons, the right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA with solid strikeout (21.9%) and walk (7.6%) rates.

That showing earned Frankoff a minor-league deal from the Padres last winter. He failed to crack San Diego’s big league roster, though, and elected free agency. The Vanguard Sports client then signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners and eventually earned his way onto the roster. He made a pair of relief appearances before being optioned out and was eventually outrighted off Seattle’s 40-man.

Frankoff’s big league track record only consists of three MLB games (one with the 2017 Cubs). Nevertheless, he’ll be on hand as a flexible high-minors depth option for the D-Backs. Frankoff’s starting experience in Korea could make him an option for either the rotation or multi-inning relief if he shows well in the spring.

Mariners Outright Four Players

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The Mariners announced the outrights of four players: right-handers Brady Lail and Seth Frankoff, and catchers Joe Hudson and Joseph Odom. Hudson and Lail have elected free agency, while Frankoff and Odom were assigned to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. Seattle’s 40-man roster is down to 34 players.

Lail was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in August. He allowed eight runs (including five homers) in 15 innings down the stretch, striking out eleven against seven walks. Frankoff signed a minor-league contract the day after Seattle claimed Lail. He was eventually selected to the roster but only pitched in two games, allowing five runs in 2.2 innings. A longtime KBO starter, Frankoff will be eligible for minor-league free agency this offseason.

Hudson and Odom each unexpectedly picked up some of the slack behind the plate this season. Presumptive starter Tom Murphy missed the entire season with a foot fracture but figures to return to action next spring. Luis Torrens, who came over from the Padres in the Austin Nola trade, hit fairly well down the stretch and looks to have staked a claim to the backup job. Like Frankoff, Odom can elect minor-league free agency this winter.

Mariners Designate Jimmy Yacabonis, Active Brandon Brennan

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The Mariners have activated right-hander Brandon Brennan from the 45-day injured list, the team announced.  In corresponding moves, righty Jimmy Yacabonis was designated for assignment and right-hander Seth Frankoff was optioned to the team’s alternate training site.

Brennan only pitched in one game before a left oblique strain sent him to the IL on August 2.  The righty will get a bit of time left to try and build on a 2019 rookie season that saw Brennan post a 4.56 ERA, 1.96 K/BB, and 8.9 K/9 over 47 1/3 innings for Seattle.  The results were solid enough to make Brennan look like a nice pickup for the M’s after he was selected out of the Rockies organization in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft.

Seattle acquired Yacabonis from the Padres in August, and the right-hander appeared in two games for the Mariners (allowing one run in 2 1/3 innings).  After spending his entire pro career in the Orioles organization, Yacabonis inked a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason and now could potentially be joining his third different team of 2020 if he is claimed on DFA waivers.  Yacabonis offers some innings-eating length as a swingman, though he has only a 5.71 ERA over 104 career frames in the majors.

Mariners Sign Seth Frankoff

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The Mariners have signed right-hander Seth Frankoff to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site, per a club announcement. Seattle’s 60-man player pool now contains 59 players. Frankoff is repped by Vanguard Sports.

The 31-year-old Frankoff has just two Major League innings under his belt but is a veteran of eight minor league seasons and a pair of successful campaigns in the Korea Baseball Organization. Frankoff spent the past two seasons with the KBO’s Doosan Bears, pitching to a combined 3.68 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 266 2/3 frames (50 starts). He’d inked a minor league deal with the Padres over the winter but elected free agency last month after San Diego opted not to include him in its own 60-man pool.

Seattle currently has five relievers and starter Kendall Graveman on the injured list, so it’s not much of a surprise that they’ve been on the hunt for some extra depth. In addition to adding Frankoff, the club claimed right-hander Brady Lail off waivers from the White Sox yesterday.

Juan Lagares, Kyle Barraclough, Seth Frankoff Elect Free Agency

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The Padres announced Tuesday that a trio of veteran players have elected free agency. Outfielder Juan Lagares and right-handers Kyle Barraclough and Seth Frankoff are all returning to the open market and will now be free to sign with new clubs. None of the three had been included in San Diego’s player pool.

Lagares, 31, joined the Friars on a minor league pact back in February and, at least in the initial version of Spring Training, was seen as a legitimate candidate for the Opening Day roster. The organization’s thinking looks to have changed in the months since the March shutdown, and Lagares will now look for another club with interest in adding him to its player pool.

The longtime Mets outfielder posted a career-worst .213/.279/.326 batting line in 285 plate appearances last year, but Lagares remains a highly regarded defensive player who’d make a nice reserve option for any team with questionable outfield defense and/or an injury among the team’s starters. The Padres have a crowded outfield mix, however, and younger options they’d seemingly like to get a look at in this shortened season.

Barraclough, 30, was a quality late-inning arm with the Marlins from 2015-17, but he saw his production dip a bit in 2018 before completely cratering in 2019. In 33 2/3 frames between the Nationals and Giants last season, Barraclough was clobbered for 5.61 ERA thanks largely to allowing nine home runs in that short time. Control has always been an issue or Barraclough, who has averaged 5.5 walks per nine innings in the Majors, but he’s also never had a problem missing bats (11.4 K/9).

The 31-year-old Frankoff has just two Major League innings under his belt but is a veteran of eight minor league seasons and a pair of successful campaigns in the Korea Baseball Organization. Frankoff spent the past two seasons with the KBO’s Doosan Bears, pitching to a combined 3.68 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 266 2/3 frames (50 starts). Like Lagares and Barraclough, he joined the Padres on a minor league deal this winter in hopes of earning his way back to the big leagues with a strong camp showing, but he’ll now need to find another club to give him that opportunity.

Padres Sign Seth Frankoff To Minor League Deal

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The Padres have signed right-hander Seth Frankoff to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training, tweets MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. He’s repped by Vanguard Sports.

Frankoff, 31, has spent the past two seasons pitching for the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization. In that time, he’s logged a combined 3.68 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 over the life of 266 2/3 innings (50 starts). Prior to his time in the KBO, Frankoff pitched in the Athletics, Dodgers and Cubs organizations. He appeared in one game with the Cubs’ big league team in 2017 but has not appeared in the Majors otherwise. In 165 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball in his career, Frankoff owns a 4.46 ERA and a 152-to-68 K/BB ratio.

Frankoff gives the Friars some depth both in the rotation and in the bullpen, as he’s pitched extensively in both roles throughout a decade-long professional career. San Diego has added Zach Davies to its rotation mix and Emilio Pagan to the bullpen this winter via trade. The Friars have also dished out free-agent contracts to Drew Pomeranz (four years, $34MM), Craig Stammen (two years, $9MM) and Pierce Johnson (two years, $5MM). That slate of acquisitions dampens Frankoff’s hopes of breaking camp with the club, but he’s a reasonable depth option to have on hand in the event of injuries throughout the pitching staff.

 

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