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Archives for June 2013

Athletics Acquire Vinnie Catricala

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The Athletics have acquired minor league infielder Vinnie Catricala from the Mariners in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, tweets Jane Lee of MLB.com. Catricala was designated for assignment by the Mariners last Sunday.

Catricala had been used mostly as a third baseman for Double-A Jackson, hitting .253/.318/.351 in 195 plate appearances. The 24-year-old was a 10th round selection of the Mariners in the 2009 draft.

Central Notes: Ventura, Royals, Cardinals

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While the NL Central features three of baseball's best teams (Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds), only the Tigers have managed to keep above the .500 mark in the AL Central.  Here are some notes from around baseball's central divisions..

  • Robin Ventura reaffirmed his commitment to the White Sox, reports Doug Padilla of ESPN.com. Amid speculation over his desire, as well as the team’s possible seller status at the trade deadline, Ventura stated, "It's just one of those where I know I have my contract and it's going to go (to the end) and then you talk again. But because of this situation, I'm not going anywhere."
  • Joe Werner of ESPN.com takes a look at how the Royals have transformed as an organization.  While the club’s farm system was once highly regarded, because of trades and under performance, the Royals are still struggling at the big league level.
  • Buster Olney of ESPN.com weighed in on a host of topics, including the Cardinals hitting preparation, as well as steroids (Subscription Required).  Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday gave his opinion on the latter, stating that fans should not have to wonder which players are clean and "and players shouldn't, either."

Quick Hits: Myers, Hamilton, Span, Hawpe

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The Rays are likely to promote Wil Myers in the next ten days, says ESPN's Jim Bowden (on Twitter). Myers has not yet appeared in the Majors. Myers, 22, is currently hitting .279/.354/.486 for Triple-A Durham. He is rated as the No. 4 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, Keith Law and Jonathan Mayo. The cutoff point for Super Two eligibility is not entirely clear, but we're now at a point in the season where it's unlikely Myers would be eligible for Super Two status if he were to earn a callup and stick. Regardless, the Rays would maintain his rights through 2019. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

  • David Ortiz thought the Red Sox would sign Josh Hamilton this offseason, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. "I thought it was going to happen," says Ortiz. "It didn’t happen, but I thought it was going to happen. We let some guys go that was like $300 million, so I thought there was a chance." Bradford cites a source who says Hamilton and the Red Sox never came close to an agreement. Hamilton later signed with the Angels for five years and $125MM.
  • Denard Span was surprised when the Twins traded him to the Nationals for Alex Meyer last offseason, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports (via Twitter). "I thought I was one of the cornerstones of the team. When I signed my contract, I thought I’d be there for five years," says Span, who's hitting .267/.318/.360 for the Nats this season.
  • Brad Hawpe of the Angels is back in the big leagues after nearly two years away, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez notes. The Angels promoted Hawpe from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday after he hit .305/.405/.504 in 131 at bats there. His last appearance in a big-league game was June 18, 2011 with the Padres. Hawpe says he had resigned himself to the idea that he might not play in the Majors again. "I was OK with it," he says. "I've had a bunch of good memories in this game. I've been very fortunate and blessed. It doesn't mean I wouldn't like to make some more memories, but I've been very blessed, and if that was the end of it, I was OK with it."

Draft Notes: Angels, Cubs, Whitson

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The Angels took pitchers with their first seven picks in this weekend's draft, William Boor of MLB.com notes. Boor also points out that ESPN and Baseball America both recently ranked the Angels' system the worst in baseball, and that the reason the system has been so poor is because of the team's free agent signings. With the signings of Jeff Weaver, Gary Matthews Jr., Justin Speier, Torii Hunter, Scott Downs, Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Josh Hamilton, the Angels have been missing either a first-round or a second-round selection, or both, in six of the last eight drafts. That includes 2013, when they went without a first round pick due to the Hamilton signing. The Angels made their first pick of the draft, Kentucky high school lefty Hunter Green, with the No. 59 overall selection. Here are more notes from the draft.

  • The Cubs are happy with their draft haul, Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports. "We definitely wanted to have a pitching-heavy draft again this year. After the (first 10 rounds) Theo (Epstein) and I were sitting there looking at the board and I felt really good about it," says vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod. After taking San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant with the second overall pick, six of the Cubs' next seven selections were college pitchers. That was a deliberate strategy, McLeod says, to infuse their system with advanced starting pitching prospects.
  • The Nationals took Karsten Whitson in the 37th round. As Jim Callis of Baseball America notes (on Twitter), the Padres picked Whitson ninth overall in 2010. Whitson opted to go to the University of Florida instead, and he pitched two seasons there before missing 2013 with a shoulder injury. Whitson turned down a signing bonus of over $2MM from the Padres.
  • Earlier today, MLBTR highlighted some stories of teams drafting players with big-league bloodlines. It's not uncommon for teams to draft such players, particularly in the later rounds, and there were so many on Saturday it would be difficult to name them all, but here are a few: Ben Verlander (brother of Justin; Tigers, 14th), Mike Yastrzemski (grandson of Carl; Orioles, 14th), Jonah Arenado (brother of Nolan; Giants, 16th), Torii Hunter Jr. (Tigers, 36th), JaVon Shelby (son of John; Brewers, 37th), Josh Pettitte (son of Andy; Yankees, 37th), Jon Nunnally Jr. (Blue Jays, 38th) and Jacob Heyward (brother of Jason; Braves, 38th).

Rosenthal On Roenicke, Freese, Ethier, Mets

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Here are some notes from a new video by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal …

  • Despite the Brewers' 23-37 record, manager Ron Roenicke does not appear to be in immediate danger, Rosenthal says. The Brewers have struggled with injuries, and Rosenthal suggests that Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin don't like firing managers during the season.
  • Second baseman Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals is emerging as a top hitter for the Cardinals, who have another second baseman, Kolten Wong, waiting in the wings. That leads Rosenthal to wonder about the possiblity that the Cardinals could deal David Freese in the offseason and move Carpenter to third. Freese will make $3.15MM this season, and will almost certainly receive a raise in arbitration in the offseason.
  • The Mets would make sense as a destination for Andre Ethier of the Dodgers, Rosenthal says. With Johan Santana, Jason Bay and Frank Francisco coming off the books, the Mets could have the financial flexibility to deal for Ethier and a chunk of the four years and $71.5MM that will be left on his contract by the time this offseason rolls around.

Mets To Designate Rick Ankiel For Assignment

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The Mets will designate outfielder Rick Ankiel for assignment before the team's Sunday game, David Lennon of Newsday reports (on Twitter). The move will clear roster space for fellow outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who is hitting .232/.339/.486 with ten home runs for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Ankiel, 33, is hitting .194/.254/.387 for the Mets, who have used him sparingly in the past week. New York signed him after the Astros released him last month. Ankiel has hit .241/.302/.423 in 2,111 plate appearances in a strange, winding career with the Cardinals, Royals, Braves and Nationals in addition to the Astros and Mets.

Draft Notes: Phillies, Cavan Biggio, L.J. Mazzilli

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A few notes as the 2013 Amateur Draft winds down on Saturday …

  • In their draft, the Phillies cut against the grain by focusing on offense, Ryan Lawrence of Philly.com reports. The Phils drafted eight hitters in their first 11 picks, including shortstop J.P. Crawford in the first round and outfielder Cord Sandberg, who has already agreed to terms, in the third. "I think [the draft] was fairly deep in the pitching board and not real deep on the offense board for high school or college, so we tried to focus on that and get as much as we could done," says assistant GM Marti Wolever.
  • The Phillies also took Craig Biggio's son Cavan in the 29th round. The draft Twitter account notes that Cavan Biggio (a second baseman) and another 29th rounder, Rockies selection Kyle Serrano (a righty pitcher), are likely to be tough signs. Biggio has committed to play for Notre Dame; Serrano is committed to play for his father Dave, who is the coach at the University of Tennessee. Craig Biggio told Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle on Saturday that his son would not sign with the Phillies, and would head to Notre Dame instead. "He had some options on the first day (of the draft). He is excited about college," Craig Biggio says.
  • Longtime big-league outfielder Lee Mazzilli says his son L.J. Mazzilli, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Mets on Friday, is "a better player than I was," Kevin Kernan of the New York Post writes. The elder Mazzilli was also drafted by the Mets, in the first round in 1973. "I am so excited to have the opportunity that my dad had 40 years ago, and looking forward to making my own name out there and carrying my last name with a lot of pride," L.J. says.
  • And speaking of big-league bloodlines, the Astros chose Roger Clemens' son Kacy Clemens in the 35th round, the draft Twitter account notes. Clemens, a pitcher like his father, is committed to the University of Texas, and is unlikely to sign.

Stark On Miguel Cabrera, Kershaw, Nolasco, Stanton

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Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings & Grumblings column for ESPN came out yesterday; here are some highlights.

  • There have been enough informal conversations between Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers on a contract extension that both sides expect a deal to get done, a friend of the player tells Stark.  The tricky part is that a new deal would begin with the 2016 season, at which point Cabrera will be 33.  It seems likely that Cabrera would need an average annual value in the $30MM range, but Stark's sources picture anywhere from three to five additional years.
  • Some of Stark's sources don't consider Yankees second baseman and #1 2014 free agent Robinson Cano the type of player to build a team around.  One exec, though, told Stark, "I can't imagine him leaving."
  • Stark hears Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw seeks a ten-year deal, which would be the first for a pitcher since Wayne Garland signed a ten-year, $2.3MM deal in 1977 (those were different times).  One exec can't possibly see Kershaw leaving L.A., and could picture $200-210MM over seven years.  Even that would be well beyond C.C. Sabathia's record seven-year, $161MM deal, which was signed on the open market with the Yankees after the '08 season and included an opt-out clause.  I feel that Kershaw's agents at Excel Sports Management have to score an opt-out in any new deal, especially with the Dodgers giving them to Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
  • One exec suggests the Angels offer Mike Trout the Buster Posey deal, which amounted to eight years and $159MM in new money.  Stark says "folks around the game" do not see Trout signing, however.
  • The Orioles and Yankees are "leading the parade of teams that already have interest" in Miami's Ricky Nolasco.  The 30-year-old is easily the highest-paid Marlin, and should have about $7.7MM remaining on his contract at the trade deadline.  Nolasco has a 3.61 ERA in 82 1/3 innings, and sports his best strikeout rate since 2010.
  • Would anyone sign Alex Rodriguez, if the Yankees end up releasing him?  "No chance," says one executive.
  • The Marlins have shown no interest in dealing right fielder Giancarlo Stanton midseason, say clubs that have inquired, though Stark thinks Marcell Ozuna's emergence could push them toward trading Stanton this winter.  Stanton should return from a hamstring injury next week.  

Reds Release Mike MacDougal

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Today's minor moves…

  • The Reds released reliever Mike MacDougal from their Triple-A club, according to the International League transactions page.  MacDougal, who signed a minor league deal in April, posted a 5.49 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 5.0 BB/9, and 0.92 HR/9 in 19 2/3 innings this year.  The 36-year-old made seven relief appearances for the Dodgers in April last year.  MacDougal has 71 career saves, mostly for the Royals and Nationals, and is well ahead of Rocky Biddle for the highest total among native Nevadans.  MacDougal was drafted by the Royals in the first round in 1999, a pick received from the Red Sox as part of the compensation for the loss of Jose Offerman.
  • Seven players currently reside in DFA limbo: Evan Crawford and Henry Blanco of the Blue Jays, Nate Adcock of the Royals, Zach Duke and Henry Rodriguez of the Nationals, Vinnie Catricala of the Mariners, and Jon Garland of the Rockies.

Pirates To Promote Gerrit Cole

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The number one overall draft pick of 2011 is set to make his Major League debut next week.  Gerrit Cole will start for the Pirates Tuesday night as they host Tim Lincecum and the Giants, announced the team.  Cole had been the rumored favorite to fill in for the injured Wandy Rodriguez in that slot.  With nearly 40% of the season in the books, the Pirates are riding high at a 36-25 record, tied for second in the NL Central.  They're bidding to reach .500 for the first time since 1992, but more importantly, the Bucs are fighting for a playoff spot.

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Cole, 22, was drafted 28th overall out of high school by the Yankees in 2008.  He chose not to sign or even negotiate, and his stock had risen when the Pirates drafted him first overall out of UCLA in '11 and gave him an $8MM bonus.  Five other 2011 first-rounders have appeared in the Majors: Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, Dylan Bundy of the Orioles, Trevor Bauer of the Indians, Anthony Rendon of the Nationals, and Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox.  Fernandez, drafted 14th overall with little fanfare, has been the best so far with 67 strikeouts and a 3.17 ERA in 65 1/3 innings this year.

Cole made 12 starts at Triple-A this year, posting a 2.91 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.53 HR/9 in 68 innings.  He's allowed two runs in his last 20 1/3 innings.  Cole's overall walk rate is fairly high, mainly due to a three-start stretch in April during which he surrendered 13 free passes in 17 2/3 frames.  He also hasn't missed as many bats as you'd expect.  Prior to the season, Cole was ranked eighth (ESPN's Keith Law), seventh (Baseball America), and eighth (MLB.com) on various top 100 prospect lists.  He sits at 96-98 miles per hour with a well-regarded slider and a decent changeup. 

If he stays up from June 11th forward, Cole stands to accumulate 111 days of Major League service time this year.  We haven't yet seen a Super Two cutoff that low, though it has been suggested that 2.119 will do the trick after this season.  That number is lower than usual because more Super Two players were added in the most recent collective bargaining agreement, as it's now the top 22% of the two-to-three service class.  Bottom line: it's possible, but not likely, that Cole will be eligible for arbitration after the 2015 season if he stays up from this point forward.  Regardless, the Pirates will control this young gun through 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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