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Archives for June 2016

Dodgers Sign First-Rounder Jordan Sheffield

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The Dodgers have signed first-round pick Jordan Sheffield, the right-hander announced on Instagram. Los Angeles selected Sheffield 36th overall, the competitive balance pick it received for not signing Kyle Funkhouser – whom it took 35th a year ago. Sheffield will land a $1.85MM bonus, which is more expensive than the value of the pick ($1.79MM), tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com.

Sheffield, 21, garnered solid pre-draft rankings from prospect experts, with Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo placing him 19th, Baseball America (subscription required) 23rd and ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider required) 31st. Law actually had Sheffield ending up with the Dodgers in his June 9 mock draft, but with the 32nd pick instead of the 36th. Sheffield is perhaps the likeliest pitcher in this year’s draft to develop three plus offerings, according to Callis and Mayo, who praised his high-velocity fastball (94 to 96, with the ability to hit 98), breaking ball and circle change. However, the 6-foot, 185-pounder’s size, past Tommy John surgery and high-effort delivery are red flags, per Callis and Mayo.

Sheffield, the brother of Indians left-handed prospect Justus Sheffield, was previously a 13th-round pick of the Red Sox in 2013 after his stock fell because of his Tommy John procedure. However, in lieu of signing with the Sox, he chose to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. He recovered from the surgery to rebuild his stock at the college level and will now join the Dodgers. With Sheffield locked up, the Dodgers have their first 12 picks – and 16 of their initial 17 selections – under contract, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets.

East Notes: Phillies, BoSox, Yanks, Mets

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Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez and his agent, Scott Boras, have talked about an innings limit for this season, the 24-year-old told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “The agents and I discussed it a little bit, but I don’t know the definite answer, an exact amount of innings. I don’t know, I’d want to say roughly like maybe 150 or something, maybe 160 tops,” said Velasquez, who has been on the disabled list since June 9 with a strained right biceps. “I would say, philosophically, we’re probably in the same ballpark,” stated team president Andy MacPhail. Velasquez has never racked up more than 124 2/3 innings in a season, as Zolecki notes, and was up to 61 2/3 frames this year before landing on the DL. The hard-throwing Velasquez recorded a 3.65 ERA, 10.65 K/9 and 3.21 BB/9 over that 12-start span, further establishing himself as one of baseball’s most exciting young starters, so it’s no surprise that both Boras and the rebuilding Phillies want to protect the ex-Astro.

Here’s more from MLB’s two East divisions:

  • With Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan nearing a return from a neck strain and the out-of-options Sandy Leon swinging a red-hot bat, 25-year-old backstop Christian Vazquez’s playing time and-or roster spot could soon be in jeopardy, per Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. Vazquez has graded well as a pitch framer this year and has caught a solid 7 of 18 would-be base stealers, but he has offset his terrific defense with an anemic .215/.255/.302 batting line and one home run in 157 plate appearances. That adds up to a 41 wRC+, the third-worst mark among catchers with at least 150 PAs.
  • Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda has rebounded from a nightmarish two-month start to put up sterling numbers in June, with a 3.00 ERA, 37 strikeouts and five walks in 30 innings, and could be pitching his way into the team’s long-term plans, opines Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. That’s not a decision the Yankees will have to make immediately, though, as Pineda isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until the end of the 2017 season. Since recovering from a torn labrum and debuting with the Yankees in 2014, the former Mariner has amassed 320 1/3 innings of 4.08 ERA ball to accompany an excellent 6.45 K/BB ratio and a respectable 45 percent ground-ball rate. Similar production going forward should lead to an appreciable raise for the 27-year-old, who’s making $4.3MM this season.
  • “Mental confusion” is what caused the Mets to demote left fielder Michael Conforto to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday, manager Terry Collins told reporters, including Adam Rubin of ESPN.com (video link). “I just want him to go get some confidence and get back here,” continued Collins. After hitting a videogamelike .365/.442/.676 in 86 April PAs, Conforto, 23, has since collected just 21 hits (six fewer than his April total) in 157 trips to the plate.

Central Notes: Gordon, Kuhl, Putnam

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The Royals have announced that they’ve activated Alex Gordon from the DL and optioned fellow outfielder Brett Eibner to Triple-A Omaha. (The move is now reflected in Roster Resource’s Royals Depth Chart.) Gordon had been out since late May with a broken bone in his wrist. He was hitting just .211/.319/.331 before his injury, but given his usual combination of a high OBP and excellent left field defense, he should be a major addition for the Royals, who are currently four games back of the Indians in the AL Central and a half-game back of the Blue Jays for the last Wild Card spot. Here’s more from the Central divisions.

  • The Pirates recently reinstated Juan Nicasio from the restricted list and are moving him to the bullpen, as MLB.com’s Adam Berry explains. Nicasio has had an uneven year so far and relies almost entirely on a hard fastball and slider, so it’s easy to see the appeal of making him a reliever. Replacing him in the Pirates’ rotation will be Chad Kuhl, who appears likely to start Sunday against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. Kuhl, a former ninth-round draft pick, didn’t rate highly on Pirates prospect lists at the start of the year, but he’s in the midst of a strong season for Indianapolis, where he’s posted a 2.58 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 76 2/3 innings. His bread-and-butter pitch is a high-velocity sinker, which the ground-ball-obsessed Pirates organization surely appreciates.
  • White Sox reliever Zach Putnam is considering his options after getting a second opinion Friday on his ulnar neuritis in his right elbow, and surgery is a possibility, CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes writes. “Still parceling through the options and at this point we don’t have a specific timeframe for him,” says White Sox GM Rick Hahn. When Putnam hit the DL Tuesday, he became the third key White Sox reliever to have a significant injury, following Jake Petricka (hip) and Daniel Webb (elbow), both of whom are now likely out for the season. Putnam’s absence, if it lasts, could end up being the most crucial of the three — with a 2.30 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9, he’s been a key part of the team’s bridge to David Robertson this year. In any case, all the injuries have left the White Sox shorthanded, with rookies Matt Purke, Michael Ynoa and Chris Beck all now on the team’s active roster.

Dodgers Outright Will Venable

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SATURDAY: Venable has cleared waivers and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets.

FRIDAY: The Dodgers have designated outfielder Will Venable for assignment, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the roster by Nick Tepesch, whose contract was selected so he can start tonight.

Venable was with Los Angeles for only about a week after signing directly onto the major league roster. He contributed a single in 11 plate appearances. Venable has a track record of league-average or better hitting and brings a reliable glove to the outfield. While he has put up middling offensive numbers in each of the last two seasons, he could still contribute at the major league level at 33 years of age.

Meanwhile, Tepesch will get the nod for at least one start for L.A. He also recently joined the organization after opting out of his deal with the Rangers earlier this year. The 27-year-old righty contributed some useful frames to Texas at the major league level, but has been derailed recently by injury.

Dodgers Designate Nick Tepesch For Assignment

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The Dodgers have announced that they’ve designated righty Nick Tepesch for assignment. The move clears space for infielder Chris Taylor, who has been promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Dodgers selected Tepesch’s contract yesterday, and he started last night against the Pirates, allowing five runs in four innings and throwing in the high 80s. The start was his first big-league action since 2014, when he was in the Rangers’ rotation. He’s spent the bulk of the 2016 season at Triple-A, where’s he’s posted a 3.66 ERA, 5.2 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 83 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers acquired Taylor from the Mariners for righty Zach Lee last week. The 25-year-old shortstop has spent almost the entire 2016 season so far at Triple-A, where he’s batted .320/.392/.471.

Astros Designate Alfredo Gonzalez For Assignment

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The Astros have designated catcher Alfredo Gonzalez for assignment, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The move clears 40-man roster space for first baseman A.J. Reed, whose promotion is now official.

The 23-year-old Gonzalez earned a spot on the Astros’ 40-man with a .321/.409/.378 season split between three levels in 2015, and he has a reputation for having a good arm. He has little power, however, and has batted just .158/.236/.205 in 162 plate appearances at Double-A Corpus Christi this year. He appears to be a good bet to sneak through waivers.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/25/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Reds have announced that they’ve released righty Steve Delabar, who allowed six runs and ten walks in eight innings of work this season before being outrighted in May. Had Delabar been successful in helping the Reds’ beleaguered bullpen, his return to the big leagues with Cincinnati might have become a feel-good story, due to his roots in nearby Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Unfortunately for Delabar and the Reds, Delabar struggled with his control not only at the big-league level, but at Triple-A Louisville as well. The 32-year-old Delabar was an All-Star with Toronto in 2013 but has fallen on hard times since, with increased walks, decreased strikeouts and a decline in average fastball velocity from about 95 MPH to about 93.
  • The Rockies have selected the contract of lefty Yohan Flande and optioned righty Miguel Castro to Triple-A Albuquerque, Nick Groke of the Denver Post tweets. Flande made 35 appearances, including 20 starts, for the Rockies in 2014 and 2015, but was non-tendered last offseason before returning to the organization via a minor-league deal. Since then, he’s posted a 4.25 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 while pitching multiple-inning stints in relief at the Triple-A level. He hasn’t pitched in five days, and should therefore provide a fresh arm for a bullpen that has been taxed in a string of high-scoring games against the Yankees and Diamondbacks, including a four-and-a-half-hour game against Arizona yesterday.

Mets Sign Jose Reyes To Minor League Deal

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The Mets have announced that they’ve officially re-signed infielder Jose Reyes to a minor league deal. Reyes is represented by the Legacy Agency.

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Colorado RockiesThe move was widely expected, with various reporters writing Friday evening and Saturday morning that the Mets were set to acquire Reyes. Earlier this week, the Rockies requested release waivers on Reyes after designating him for assignment, and he officially cleared those waivers at noon Central time today. Reyes had been placed on administrative leave and then suspended after an offseason domestic violence incident, and he has not yet played in the big leagues this season.

Andy Martino of the Daily News tweets that Reyes is expected to play in the minors for a week or two before being promoted. Reyes will report to short-season Brooklyn on Sunday. He is in the midst of a long-term deal he initially signed with the Marlins, but the Mets will have to pay him only a prorated portion of the league minimum (a bit over $250K for the rest of the season), with the Rockies assuming the bulk of what’s left of his deal.

It’s unclear how the Mets plan to use Reyes. Asdrubal Cabrera has performed reasonably well at Reyes’ usual position of shortstop for the Mets this season, and Reyes has not graded well there defensively in recent years. Third base could be a possibility, or the Mets could play Reyes at second, with Neil Walker heading to the hot corner. Either scenario would bump Wilmer Flores from the lineup, at least occasionally. The team could also simply use Reyes to spot various regulars. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted yesterday that the team has even considered using Reyes as an outfielder. Via Newsday’s Marc Carig (on Twitter), Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that the team has talked with Reyes about him playing a number of positions.

It’s far from clear, at least from the numbers, that Reyes would be an upgrade as a starter for the Mets, since he batted just .274/.310/.378 last year despite spending part of the season with Coors Field as his home park. Reyes’ advancing age (he’s now 33) and apparently declining skills raise questions about why the Mets are interested in him, particularly given the domestic violence incident, in which he allegedly grabbed his wife’s throat and pushed her into a door. The Mets also have a young second baseman in Dilson Herrera who is batting .290/.337/.496 for Triple-A and would appear to fit in well if the Mets do decide to move Walker to third. Despite significant injuries to infielders David Wright (neck) and Lucas Duda (back), the Mets could certainly have found a path forward without Reyes.

As James Wagner of the New York Times explains, though, the Mets see Reyes as family after he spent 12 years in their organization. Despite the domestic violence issue, then, they appear to see him as being worth a second chance.

“We made the decision to offer a contract to Jose after extensive consideration and discussion with Jose, his representatives, Major League Baseball and various departments at the Mets,” said Mets GM Sandy Alderson in a team statement. “We are convinced that Jose has accepted responsibility for his actions and their consequences and have confirmed he is taking steps beyond those prescribed by MLB, including ongoing counseling.”

Reyes himself expressed remorse for his off-field behavior.

“As I have expressed in the past, I deeply regret the incident that occurred,” he said. “I have completed the counseling required by MLB, have been in ongoing therapy, and will continue with counseling going forward.”

Purely from the standpoint of his on-field performance, Reyes might have something left — he produced at least 2.2 fWAR in every season from 2010 through 2014, frequently ranking among his league’s leaders in stolen bases and generally producing good on-base percentages. The Mets currently rank 24th in the Majors with a .308 OBP, and a revitalized Reyes certainly would help with that figure.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mets To Promote Brandon Nimmo, Will Option Michael Conforto

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The Mets will promote outfield prospect Brandon Nimmo, Jeremiah Johnke of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (Nimmo’s hometown paper) tweets. He will take the roster spot of Michael Conforto, who will be optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets.

[Related: Updated Mets Depth Chart]

Nimmo, the 13th overall pick in the 2011 draft, has moved slowly through the minor leagues, but he’s done well in his second season at Las Vegas this year, batting .328/.409/.508 — solid numbers even in a very good environment for hitters. MLB.com currently ranks Nimmo the Mets’ fourth-best prospect, praising his batting eye (he has 290 career minor league walks against 454 strikeouts) but noting that it remains to be seen whether the power he’s demonstrated in batting practice will begin to turn up in games. (He has just five homers this season, although he does have 16 doubles and seven triples.) Nimmo might require a move to a corner spot eventually, but for now he’s a center fielder, having played 48 games there so far in 2016. It’s unclear how the Mets will use him, although their current primary center fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, hasn’t rated well at that position this season and has more career games in left.

Conforto’s demotion, meanwhile, must come as a disappointment for both player and team. He burst onto the scene last year as a rookie and actually hasn’t hit terribly this season overall, with his 24 extra-base hits mostly compensating for his poor .222 average. He has struggled horribly of late, however, with just a .399 OPS in the last 28 days, and could perhaps use a stay in Las Vegas to fix what isn’t working. Conforto skipped Triple-A completely on his way to the big leagues last year, so he’ll get his first experience at the level in the coming weeks.

East Notes: Red Sox, Teheran, Hamels, Rays, Crawford

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Cole Hamels, whose contract permits him to block deals to 20 teams, would not have prevented the Phillies from sending him to the Red Sox, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “It was a team I would have played for,” says Hamels, who adds that he believes the two sides were never close to trade. The Red Sox pursued Hamels before the Phillies traded him to Texas, but the lefty could block a trade to Boston, and at least some members of the organization believed that was an obstacle. The Hamels deal has, of course, worked out well for the Rangers so far — Hamels was solid down the stretch last year and has a 2.79 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 this season. There’s still plenty of time for the trade to turn out well for the Phillies, however, with Jerad Eickhoff already performing well in the big leagues and Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro and Alec Asher all looking like potential future contributors. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Red Sox have the strong farm system necessary to acquire Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. Braves GM John Coppolella, of course, recently said he wasn’t going to trade Teheran, but Cafardo dismisses that claim as “GM speak” and points out that Red Sox senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren was GM of the Braves when Teheran and Vizcaino were coming through their system. (Vizcaino played minor league ball in the Yankees and Cubs organizations as well.) Cafardo points to the Red Sox’ 2005 trade of Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota. The Red Sox paid heavily, as they would likely have to do to acquire Teheran and Vizcaino, but they won the 2007 World Series partially because of the deal.
  • It’s less likely that the Rays will pursue a reunion with free agent Carl Crawford now that they’ve acquired fellow outfielders Oswaldo Arcia and Eury Perez on a pair of minor deals, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Arcia, in particular, is out of options, which would somewhat limit the Rays’ flexibility in adding another outfielder, such as Crawford, to their roster. The Rays’ outfield has been decimated by injuries, with Kevin Kiermeier, Steven Souza, Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook and Steve Pearce (who the Rays have used as an infielder and DH but who has ample outfield experience) all on the DL. The Rays currently have Arcia, Desmond Jennings, Taylor Motter and Jaff Decker to man the outfield positions. Crawford, formerly a standout with the Rays, batted .185/.230/.235 in 87 plate appearances with the Dodgers before being released earlier this month.

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