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Archives for June 2013

Quick Hits: Adams, Cole, Twins, Rangers

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The 2013-2014 class of free agent pitching is "grim," says Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan. Hiroki Kuroda figures to be the best starting pitcher on the market, Passan says, but Kuroda is 38. A.J. Burnett is also pitching very well in his walk year, but he's 36 and has said he plans on staying with the Pirates or retiring. The likely recipient of the biggest free-agent contract for a pitcher next offseason is Matt Garza, who is 29. Garza ranks sixth, behind five hitters, in Tim Dierkes' recent 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings. Kuroda ranks seventh, and Burnett eighth. Here are more notes from around the league.

  • The Cardinals aren't interested in trading Matt Adams, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. Adams, 24, is hitting .313/.352/.552 as a bench player this season, and he's blocked by Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday.
  • Pirates coaches have more to learn about top prospect Gerrit Cole, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Cole is set to make his big-league debut on Tuesday. "I'll talk to [Indianapolis pitching coach Tom Filer] and ask if (Cole) is a guy you can converse with during the middle innings of a game, during the down time, or if he's a guy you have to stay away from and let him be in his own little world," says Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage. Pirates GM Neal Huntington, meanwhile, says that the Pirates would have preferred to let Cole stay at Indianapolis for awhile, but injuries to Wandy Rodriguez, Jeanmar Gomez and others forced their hand. It's unclear whether Cole will stay in the Bucs' rotation after his start on Tuesday.
  • The Twins' selection of Kohl Stewart with the fourth overall pick in this weekend's draft marked the first time since 1992 that the Twins have taken a high-school pitcher with their first first-round pick, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN. That 1992 pick was Dan Serafini, who struggled as a Twin and ended up a journeyman, with brief stints pitching for the Cubs, Padres, Pirates, Reds and Rockies, and also in Mexico and Japan. The Twins haven't had much more luck with other high-school pitchers taken in the early rounds, Mackey says, although it should help that Stewart was the fourth overall pick. "The odds are good that he's going to surface at the major leagues,"says Twins GM Terry Ryan. "Most of the first rounders surface at the major league level. Now, whether or not they become All-Stars or the types of guys that have the careers of a (Joe) Mauer, that is few and far between. But picking up at the 4-hole, certainly the odds are better than if you're picking at the 24-hole."
  • The Rangers have signed 12 draft picks, including their fourth- through ninth-round picks, according to a team release. One of those signed was catcher Joe Jackson of the Citadel, who is the great-great-great nephew of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

East Notes: Myers, Red Sox, Zambrano

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Earlier this weekend, ESPN.com's Jim Bowden suggested that the Rays would promote outfielder and top prospect Wil Myers sometime in the next 10 days. The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, though, says Myers wouldn't have a place to play. Kelly Johnson, Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist have all performed well at the corner outfield spots for the Rays this year. The Rays could drop Luke Scott and create a rotation of players for the DH spot in order to clear space for Myers, but if they don't, Myers is a man without a position. Topkin also says that Rays manager Joe Maddon has not recently had discussions about Myers with executive vice president Andrew Friedman. The 22-year-old Myers was the key player acquired from the Royals in the James Shields trade last offseason. Myers is hitting .286/.359/.515 for Triple-A Durham. Here are more notes from the East divisions.

  • One reason for the Red Sox's success this year, as compared to last, is improvements in their advance scouting, says Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Manager John Farrell was hired earlier in the offseason than his predecessor, Bobby Valentine, had been, and so Farrell had a stronger pool of coaches from which to hire. Farrell and GM Ben Cherington both say interest in advance preparation was an important criterion as they hired their coaching staff. Brian Butterfield, the Sox's third base coach, prepares the team's infield shifts and is a key figure in the team's advance-scouting efforts.
  • Veteran pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies in mid-May, does not enjoy relieving, Mike Still of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. "I signed here to be a starter," says Zambrano. "Last year was miserable when I went to the bullpen, I didn't enjoy it." Still notes, however, that Zambrano is willing to pitch in any role with the Phillies. Youngsters Tyler Cloyd and Jonathan Pettibone have helped keep the Phillies' rotation steady in the absence of Roy Halladay, and the Phils also have a rehabbing John Lannan waiting in the wings. Their plans for Zambrano are unclear. Zambrano has a July 1 opt-out date.

Week In Review: 6/2/13 – 6/8/13

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Let's look back at the week that was here at MLBTR.

Draft Notes: Diamondbacks, Giants, Indians

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The Diamondbacks got a great value by picking Nevada pitcher Braden Shipley with the No. 15 pick in the first round of this weekend's draft, Keith Law of ESPN says in his NL draft roundup (Insider-only). He also praises the Phillies for their first several picks (which began with California high school shortstop J.P. Crawford at No. 16), and says the Giants (whose draft class was headlined by Florida high school shortstop Christian Arroyo) had his least favorite draft of any team this year. Be sure to check out the rest of Law's post for his analysis of other NL teams' picks this weekend. Here are more notes on the draft.

  • The Indians took Georgia high school outfielder Clint Frazier with the fifth overall pick this year, and made what might turn out to be an excellent pick when they took Francisco Lindor in the first round in 2011. But right now, they don't have any of their former first-rounders on their 25-man roster, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer points out. C.C. Sabathia (1998) and Jeremy Guthrie (2002) are currently on other teams' rosters, however.
  • In the 34th round on Saturday, the Diamondbacks selected Arizona State center fielder Cory Hahn. Hahn was paralyzed from the chest down while attempting a stolen base in a Sun Devils game in 2011. The pick was a meaningful one, both for the Diamondbacks and for Hahn, MLB.com's Tyler Emerick reports. "It's something that you can't really put into words, it was very humbling that they wanted to do this for me," says Hahn. "It's something I'll always cherish. No one made them do it, so the fact that they did — I'll be forever thankful."

Mets Demote Ike Davis

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The Mets have demoted Ike Davis to Triple-A along with Mike Baxter and Robert Carson, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The decision to send Davis to the minors was apparently made during or after the Mets' fifth consecutive loss to the Marlins this afternoon, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, who was, earlier in the day, told by a high ranking source such a move was not imminent.  

GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including Rubin, the demotion is in the best interest of Davis. "I was one of his biggest supporters," Alderson said. "I just felt at some point we've got to get him out of here. Hopefully he'll be back in a short period of time. But he needs to go there. He needs to be able to play every day. He needs to be able to work on his swing without worrying necessarily about the outcome. We think it's in his best interest."

Davis, drafted 18th overall by the Mets in the 2008 draft, has struggled offensively since injuring his left ankle in a collision with David Wright in May 2011. Davis was hitting .302/.383/.543 at the time of the injury and only .211/.292./.410 since, including a mark of .164/.245/.262 in 2013. With the struggles, many have suggested Davis needs to make radical changes to his approach at the plate. Alderson, as quoted by Rubin, alluded to this as one of the issues the first baseman faces.

"First and foremost, Ike needs to get his confidence back. He's had a lot of people in his ear talking about his swing and talking about what he needs to do to get back to where he was. In some ways, maybe this is another way to clear the deck, to get to Vegas. I don't know that there's any one mechanical thing that anybody is saying he needs to do."  

Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Davis declined to speak about the move, but his teammate Daniel Murphy predicted, "I.D. is a professional and we will see him again." (links to Rubin's Twitter account). 

Alderson indicated the shakeup will only involve players and not the coaching staff. "This is not a staff issue," the GM said. "This is a player issue." The Mets will not announce the corresponding roster moves until tomorrow, tweets Newsday's Marc Carig.

Blue Jays Notes: Reyes, Lawrie, Wang, Arencibia

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Jose Reyes ran the bases yesterday and today practiced taking double-play relays. The big question posed to GM Alex Anthopoulos, when he met with reporters before the Blue Jays' three-game winning streak ended with a 6-4 loss to the Rangers, was the timing of Reyes' return. "Our medical staff had said about 10 days or so, maybe a little bit less, but he’s certainly getting close and it’s great to see," Anthopoulos said (as quoted by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca). "Then it will be a question of how many at-bats is he going to need and how do his legs feel playing seven innings, nine innings, and so on. We’re definitely going to be anxious to have him back." Based on that timeline, Davidi speculates Reyes, on the disabled list since April 13 with a left ankle sprain, could begin his rehab June 19 and rejoin the Jays for the start of a four-game series in Boston June 27. In other Blue Jay notes:

  • The injury news isn't as encouraging for Brett Lawrie, who is now wearing a protective boot to speed the healing of his high left ankle sprain. "I don't really have a timeline [for his return], because it just takes time to heal," said Anthopoulos (as quoted by MLB.com's Evan Peaslee). "Again, he's going to have to get back to running and all those kind of things. It's not as severe as Reyes, but it seems like it's certainly healing very slowly right now."
  • Anthopoulos is taking a game-by-game approach with right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, who was signed Friday to a $500K contract, reports Davidi. "We hope he makes a lot of starts for us, but we don’t want to go in and promise x-number amount of starts," the GM said. "Hopefully, he does well and we catch lightning in a bottle with him. But he understands, his agent understands, that if things don’t work out, we have the right to turn the page."
  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star feels the offseason moves made by Anthopoulos will only be judged as a total failure if he starts a firesale at the Trade Deadline and continues in the off-season to quickly turn some of his off-season acquisitions into prospects because he would invariably receive less in return than what he surrendered.
  • Asked in a readers' mailbag about the possibility of trading slumping catcher J.P. Arencibia, Griffin writes this is one question the organization has to really think about moving forward, but there are no internal, minor-league options after trading away Travis d'Arnaud. If Arencibia (owner of a .220/.240/.436 line with 72 strikeouts and five walks in 225 plate appearances this year) were to be dealt, Griffin thinks it would only happen during the off-season when a quality replacement could be acquired.
  • Griffin still sees the Blue Jays as contenders in the AL East because, even though all five clubs could finish with winning records, it is unclear whether there is a 100-win team in the division and 90 wins could quite possibly be enough for the second Wild Card berth.

Draft Notes: Appel, Red Sox, Shipley, Cardinals

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The Astros had scouted Mark Appel for two years before making the Houston native the first overall selection in the 2013 amateur draft, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.  The Astros passed on the Stanford right-hander with the top pick in 2012, but Appel's stuff and performance were too much for the club to pass up this time around.  Here's some more notes from the draft..

  • The Red Sox expect to sign their first rounder Trey Ball (7th overall) and their second-round choice Teddy Stankiewicz (45th overall) to bonuses less than the slot recommendation, multiple industy sources have told WEEI.com's Alex Speier. This would allow the Red Sox to make an aggressive above slot offer to third-round selection Jon Denney, who was viewed as a likely first-round pick. Speier notes the high school catcher was invited to the day one broadcast of the draft on MLB Network and earned the distinction of being the only invited player not taken in the first two rounds. Denney, who has a commitment to Arkansas, was the 81st overall selection, which carries a slot recommendation of $671,200 (per Baseball America).
  • The Diamondbacks prioritized advanced pitching and athleticism with their selections, writes Tyler Emerick of MLB.com.  Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery was pleasantly surprised Braden Shipley was available when the club first picked at No. 15, since the Nevada right-hander was thought to go much earlier. 
  • The Cardinals focused on cost-certainty and upside, according to Chad Thornburg of MLB.com. The club approached the draft with a specific plan, and Cardinals scouting director Dan Kantrovitz was "thrilled" with the way things worked out, "Based on saving some money yesterday [Friday] through some more cost-certainty maneuvers, we could then translate that into some higher-upside guys early on [Saturday]."
  • Although the Brewers did not have a pick in the first round as compensation for signing Kyle Lohse, the club was still excited about the pitching they found in the draft, notes Kevin Massoth of MLB.com.  The Brewers selected high school right-hander Devin Williams with their first pick, No. 54 overall.
  • Meanwhile the Padres like the hitting the club was able to snatch up over the last three days, reports Jamal Collier of MLB.com.  The club used five of their first six selections on position players, including the 13th overall pick, Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe. 

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

East Notes: Phillies, Harper, Marrero, Cano

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In the aftermath of a 20-inning loss to the Marlins, the Mets designated Rick Ankiel for assignment and recalled Kirk Nieuwenhuis. However, the team's biggest concern was the health of young ace Matt Harvey, who left the game with stiffness in his lower back. But as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports, Harvey is apparently fine and will make his next scheduled start on Friday. Here's more news from around MLB's East divisions:

  • The Phillies' recent hot streak may have turned the club from sellers to buyers, argues Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brookover notes the discussion just last week was about which top players would be unloaded, whereas now it is about what pieces could be added to the young core. 
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo downplayed Bryce Harper's visit to orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion regarding the bursitis in the outfielder's left knee, according to MLB.com's William Ladson. "There's no worry," Rizzo said. "It is our protocol that players get a second opinion on any part of the body that we feel is a disabled list-type of injury. Guys get second opinions all the time here, and every guy that we put on the disabled list has gotten a second opinion." Harper is eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and is expected to rejoin the team then.
  • Chris Marrero may be up to stay, although the first baseman is temporarily serving as the Nationals' 26th man for today's doubleheader reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The former first rounder may help the Nationals' disappointing offense get going, as Marrero has hit for a .306/.355/.502 line in 228 plate appearances.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Alex Rodriguez saga hurts Robinson Cano in his negotiations with the Yankees in a way you might not expect.  While Rodriguez’s record deal looks like it has soured from a value perspective, Sherman argues that the negative attention the contract has gotten has been even more detrimental. Cano is the top ranked free agent on MLBTR'S 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.   

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Brewers To Sign Tucker Neuhaus

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The Brewers have agreed to a deal with competitive balance pick Tucker Neuhaus (No. 72 overall), reports Patrick Ebert of perfectgame.org (Twitter link).  According to Ebert, the signing bonus will be right at the slotted amount (according to Baseball America) of $771K.

Neuhaus ranked 83rd on BA's Top 500 Draft Prospects. The youngster will presumably start off at shortstop, the position he played in high school, although some scouts think he profiles as a  third baseman according to BA (Subscription Required). Neuhaus is advised by Meister Sports Management.

 

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