Let’s catch up on a few recent minor moves:
- Kyle Lohse is back on the free agent market after refusing an outright assignment with the Rangers, per a team announcement. Lohse, 37, did not look good in his two outings for Texas, and was also struggling at Triple-A — albeit not nearly to the same extent — before his promotion. He nevertheless remains a plausible depth addition for teams needing innings over the next few months.
- Recently claimed and then designated infielder Matt Duffy has been outrighted to Triple-A by the Rangers, the club also announced. The 27-year-old has had a rough year at the Triple-A level, posting a cumulative .222/.299/.344 slash over 301 plate appearances with the Rangers’ and Astros’ top affiliates.
- The Marlins released veteran righty Jeremy Guthrie in the wake of its pitching overhaul, as the club’s Triple-A broadcaster, Tim Grubbs, reports in a tweet. Now 37 years of age, Guthrie has long provided plenty of innings to teams in need of them, but hasn’t seen the majors since he was cut loose by the Royals last year. He had caught on with Miami after opting out of his minor league deal with the Padres.
- Utilityman Don Kelly has been outrighted by the Marlins, per a club announcement. The 36-year-old didn’t hit much in a limited sample in the majors this year, and owns only a .223/.288/.273 slash in his 153 Triple-A plate appearances on the season.
- Joining the Tigers on a minor league deal is veteran lefty Cesar Ramos, the club announced. Ramos was just released by the Rangers. The 32-year-old put up a nice 2.75 ERA in 52 1/3 relief innings last year, but was touched for 32 earned runs in his 47 2/3 frames this season with Texas, posting 5.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in four starts and a dozen relief appearances.
- The Blue Jays recently released catcher Tony Sanchez, as Sportsnet.ca duo Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi report. He lost his spot at the Triple-A level when the club signed Erik Kratz. Once considered a quality prospect with the Pirates, Sanchez has scuffled to a .201/.292/.309 batting line this year in 168 trips to the plate at Triple-A.
- Meanwhile, the Blue Jays announced that outfielder Junior Lake has been outrighted to Triple-A. Lake has seen action in each of the last four major league campaigns, putting up a .236/.279/.377 overall batting line in 702 plate appearances. He was producing right at that rate during his limited time in Toronto.
Ah, Tony Sanchez. Yet another example of a failed top 5 pick from the 2009 draft. You had Strasburg at #1, but to say the rest of the top 5 is disappointing is an understatement.
#2 Dustin Ackley, #3 Donovan Tate, #4 Tony Sanchez, #5 Matt Hobgood
Ackley has been a decent major leaguer, but not exactly what you would want out of the #2 overall pick. The rest are just not good at all.
Ackley as a decent major leaguer is quite generous. He was a train wreck in Seattle. 2-5 just a mess though
Good examples of the possible bust rates for prospects. It’s great to have them, but one has to think they get valued over established production far too often
Matt Duffy is a bit of a steal for Texas. He won the PCL MVP just a year ago and could always rebound with a change of scenery. He’ll never be a star, but he could be a very valuable role player.
2009 angels get Skaggs, Richards, Calhoun, Trout, Grichuk, Lindsey
Corbin was in that draft for LA too, right?
Wow