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Kole Calhoun To Undergo Core Muscle Surgery

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The Angels announced on Tuesday that right fielder Kole Calhoun will undergo surgery to repair a “bilateral core muscle injury” today. The operation comes with a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks, after which the Halos are anticipating a normal offseason. Per the announcement, the team expects Calhoun to be ready for Spring Training.

Calhoun, 28, enjoyed yet another quietly excellent season, further building on his resume as a highly productive but largely unheralded talent. The soon-to-be 29-year-old (Friday) posted a very solid .271/.348/.438 batting line with 18 homers, 35 doubles and five triples this season while also posting career-best walk (10 percent) and strikeout rates (17.6 percent). In addition to his quality work at the plate — Calhoun has batted .267/.329/.438 and averaged 23 homers per 162 games over the past four seasons — the former eighth-round pick rates as an above-average defender in right field by measure of both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved, and he’s also notched positive baserunning contributions on a yearly basis, per Fangraphs.

Calhoun’s strong all-around play has him in line for a projected salary of $6.9MM in 2017, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz — a sizable raise from the $3.4MM payday he took home last winter when his service time landed him directly on the Super Two cutoff. He’s controllable for another three seasons via the arbitration process and serves as a reminder of the potential financial importance that Super Two status carries for players. Relatively comparable outfielders to Calhoun such as Marcell Ozuna and Wil Myers are projected at $4.5MM and $4.7MM, respectively, but Calhoun has topped each by more than $2MM in projected earning capacity after already banking $3.4MM despite being in the same service class. That level of additional earning power is a driving factor behind many teams’ decisions to hold off on promoting their top prospects until June, as the earnings will only compound over time. (Calhoun’s 2018 raise will now be based off a $6.9MM salary as opposed to something in the mid-$4MM range.)

Of course, the Angels will hope that there are no lingering effects from the core muscle operation that Calhoun will undergo. While core muscle surgery is not uncommon, Calhoun’s is listed as bilateral in nature, indicating that there are multiple areas in need of repair. And we’ve seen recent examples of such an operation having a lasting impact on players throughout the course of the season immediately following the surgery (Justin Verlander in 2014, Denard Span in 2015), even if that level of ripple effect isn’t necessarily the norm. The fact that he’s undergoing the procedure so early in the offseason certainly bodes well for him and the Angels, though, as Calhoun will have virtually the entire offseason to recover. (Verlander and Span, on the other hand, had their respective surgeries in early January and early March.)

No Plans For Syndergaard, Cabrera To Undergo Offseason Surgery

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OCT. 11: Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera will not require offseason surgery, either. Cabrera met with doctors following the Mets’ elimination from the Wild Card game for an evaluation of a knee injury that he played through for the majority of the season, and surgery was reportedly a possible outcome. Instead, he’ll take an additional two weeks of rest before beginning his offseason regime, which will be monitored by medical officials over the course of the winter to ensure that his left patellar tendon is properly healed.

Cabrera will play out the second season of a two-year, $18.5MM contract with the Mets in 2017, and the Mets also hold an affordable club option over his services for the 2018 campaign. That contract looks to be one of the offseason’s biggest bargains, in retrospect, as Cabrera batted .280/.336/.474 with 23 home runs, 30 doubles and a triple over the course of the season en route to a season that both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference pegged at roughly three wins above replacement. He’ll earn $25MM over three years if that 2018 option is exercised next winter.

OCT. 10: Though it was revealed during the season that Noah Syndergaard had been diagnosed with a bone spur, he won’t require offseason surgery to correct the issue, per ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link). That has generally been the expectation since the news trickled out in late June.

It is certainly a good sign for the Mets that Syndergaard will enter spring camp next year after a normal winter. He ended up with only a modest increase in innings on the year. The 24-year-old ultimately tossed 190 2/3 innings after his appearance in the NLDS, but had already racked up 179 2/3 frames in 2015 (including his five Triple-A starts).

New York is no doubt hoping that the outstanding Syndergaard will not only remain in good health, but will be joined in that classification by his rotation mates. Steven Matz recently had his own, much more significant bone spur removed in a procedure recently. Jacob deGrom’s season ended early when he checked in for a surgery in which his ulnar nerve was re-positioned. And, of course, Matt Harvey is the biggest question mark of all after undergoing a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome.

Syndergaard is now the unquestioned ace of the staff after posting a 2.60 ERA with 10.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9. While it seems reasonable to expect Matz and deGrom to line up behind him, the remainder of the rotation is a bit uncertain. Zack Wheeler is still an option but he hasn’t thrown since 2014 and hasn’t enjoyed a straightforward return from Tommy John surgery. Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo both showed well in limited outings, but haven’t yet fully established themselves in the majors. The only Mets hurler who didn’t miss a start was 43-year-old Bartolo Colon, who spun 191 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball, but he’s a free agent. Given the state of affairs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team move to keep him in the fold for a fourth-straight campaign.

Braves Name Brian Snitker Manager, Hire Ron Washington As Third Base Coach

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The Braves announced on Tuesday morning that they’re dropping the “interim” label from Brian Snitker’s title and naming him their full-time manager. Additionally, the Braves announced that Ron Washington has been hired as the team’s new third base coach, as Bo Porter will become a special assistant to general manager John Coppolella. Snitker receives a one-year deal for the 2017 season with a club option for the 2018 campaign as well.

Brian Snitker

In addition to those moves, the Braves exercised their 2017 options on bench coach Terry Pendelton, first base coach Eddie Perez, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and assistant hitting coach Jose Castro, adding that bullpen coach Marty Reed will return to the team in 2017 as well. Pitching coach Roger McDowell is the only 2016 coach that won’t remain with the club, as was reported last week, and he’ll be replaced internally by minor league pitching coordinator (and former Rays pitching coach) Chuck Hernandez.

“Brian earned this opportunity through his dedication to the Braves and to our players,” said Coppolella of his new full-time manager, via press release. “We are excited for the energy and momentum he will bring into SunTrust Park next season.”

The 60-year-old Snitker (61 next week) was named interim manager earlier this season after the Braves dismissed Fredi Gonzalez from the post that he had occupied since the 2011 campaign. The 2017 season, incredibly, will be the 41st year that Snitker has spent with the Atlanta organization, Atlanta notes in its release. He’s spent 20 of those seasons as a manager at the minor league level, overseeing clubs in Triple-A, Double-A, Class-A Advanced, Class-A and Rookie ball.

Suffice it to say, while Snitker may not have been a household name at the time he was named interim skipper earlier this year — and may still not be a household name now — he’s been a mainstay in the Braves organization and has earned the trust of Coppolella, president of baseball operations John Hart and vice chariman John Schuerholz over the life of his lengthy career with the team. Beyond his four decades of loyalty, the turnaround to which Snitker guided the rebuilding Braves in 2016 was indeed impressive. Inheriting a 9-28 club, Snitker saw the Braves finish at a much-improved 59-65 pace — including a 37-35 record in the season’s second half. While some of that success, certainly, can be attributed to the arrival of players like Dansby Swanson and Matt Kemp, in addition to rebounds from veterans Nick Markakis, Jim Johnson and others, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mark Bowman of MLB.com have repeatedly reported on how well respected Snitker became in the clubhouse early on as they began to report over the past week that he had emerged as the favorite to land this position.

Snitker’s primary competitors in the search were longtime Padres manager Bud Black and the man who will now serve as his third base coach: Washington. O’Brien and Bowman have been suggesting that Snitker was the likeliest candidate to come away with the job over the past week, however, and multiple reports yesterday indicated that Snitker was the favorite, with an announcement expected in the very near future. Washington will depart the Athletics organization, where he also served as third base coach, to join the Braves, and Coppolella expressed excitement over the addition of the former Rangers skipper to his coaching staff in the aforementioned press release:

“Ron’s background and success as a Major League manager will be an asset to everyone on the club,” said Coppolella. “His tireless work ethic, up-beat attitude and tremendously high baseball IQ will benefit our players and our staff.”

Black, meanwhile, will have to wait a bit longer to find himself at the helm of another big league club, though his reputation, experience and industry-wide respect make it likely that he’ll land such a post at some point in the future if he remains interested in pursuing such opportunities.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Papi, A’s Ballpark, Mariners’ Roster, Mancini, Harvey

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Tonight represented the end of the illustrious career of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, as Boston was knocked out by the Indians in a sweep. The 40-year-old’s twentieth season in the majors was one of his best, as he led the league in slugging percentage and OPS (with a .315/.401/.620 batting line) while knocking 38 long balls in 626 plate appearances. Despite the team’s disappointing end to the year, the Fenway Faithful stayed on hand long after the game for one final in-uniform curtain call. MLBTR offers its congratulations to a player who was one of the greatest designated hitters ever to suit up. All told, he racked up over 10,000 MLB plate appearances with a monster .286/.380/.552 slash line and 541 home runs — 17th most in major league history.

As the Hall of Fame debate begins in earnest on Ortiz, here’s more from around the game:

  • MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed optimism that there will be a positive resolution in “relatively short order” on the Athletics’ quest for a new park, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (in a tweet) and Joe Stiglich of SportsNet California (Twitter links) were among those to report. Nothing seems to be imminent — Manfred suggested that something will come together within the next year — but it nevertheless seems that there’s some forward progress. He suggested that there are still several potential sites being explored in Oakland, with mayor Libby Schaaf having “made it clear to [Manfred] that baseball is her first priority.”
  • Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune takes a long look at the Mariners’ many roster decisions this winter. Among other things, he notes that Seattle is open to bringing back Drew Storen, though the sense is that the reliever will look for a late-inning opportunity elsewhere. He also breaks down the decisions on many arbitration-eligible relievers; you can find their projected arb salaries right here. In the field, Dae-ho Lee could be retained as a righty option at first, but that’s no certainty. And one of the biggest questions is at short; Dutton notes that the club intends to look into a veteran option after a tough year for Ketel Marte.
  • The Orioles may face a call on young first baseman Trey Mancini, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com explains. He had a solid season in the upper minors, but swatted three long balls in just five games of major league action late in the year. Some might suggest that the O’s shift Chris Davis to right field, but Kubatko suggests that’s not a likely outcome. And while Mancini could get a look there, the club hasn’t seemed optimistic about such a move. Instead, perhaps, he’ll more likely push for a spot in the DH mix — but could end up back at Triple-A, at least to start the year.
  • Matt Harvey remains a wild card for the Mets after undergoing surgery to help alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, but there’s a bit of good news on that front. Harvey is already able to throw, as he posted to his personal Instagram account. His specific timeline remains unclear, but that would seem to suggest that he’ll be ready for a full spring.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/10/16

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Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Righty A.J. Achter and outfielder Nick Buss were outrighted to Triple-A by the Angels after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. Achter, 28, carried a 3.11 in 37 2/3 innings last year but did so with a 14:12 K/BB rate. Having previously been outrighted, he’ll have the chance to elect free agency. As for the 29-year-old Buss, he is coming off of a solid campaign at Triple-A. But after putting up a .290/.345/.462 slash in 372 trips to the plate at the highest level of the minors, Buss failed to hit in a limited stint in the bigs. He’s also eligible to take free agency given his accumulation of minor league service time.
  • Left-hander Dana Eveland elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The 32-year-old has seen action in eleven major league campaigns, but this one was awfully rough. In 23 innings, he coughed up 23 earned runs on 32 hits while recording 19 walks to go with his 21 strikeouts. On the other hand, Eveland was lights-out at Triple-A, allowing just one earned in 29 2/3 frames.

Diamondbacks Expected To Seek Permission To Interview Mike Rizzo

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The Diamonbacks intend to ask the Nationals for permission to speak with executive Mike Rizzo about their open front office position, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden. Any request, it seems, would come after the Nats’ postseason run wraps up.

Arizona has Rizzo “at the top of their list” of candidates to run the team’s baseball operations department, per the report. It seems that he would be considered for a president of baseball operations title. The long-time Nationals GM, who spent seven years at the helm of the Snakes’ scouting department before going to DC, declined comment and said that he’s “focused on winning this series [against the Dodgers] and nothing else.”

It’s certainly difficult to imagine Washington having much interest in making their top baseball decisionmaker available just months after picking up an option to keep him around through 2018. Rizzo has overseen the organization’s rise to a perennial contender, with his rosters having taken NL East titles in three of the last five years — driven not only by strong draft results but also a series of heists on the trade market.

Rizzo, 55, has been in D.C. since 2006 and has held the GM seat since 2009. Importantly, also, he was named president of baseball operations back in 2013, so Arizona wouldn’t be in a position to give him a promotion. (The organization just gave president/CEO Derrick Hall a new long-term deal of his own.)

Given all the considerations noted above, perhaps the only way for Rizzo to end up in Arizona is if he and the Nationals’ top brass are more interested in parting ways than is known publicly. There have been whispers about Rizzo’s status in the past, and the organization was somewhat slow to pick up his option. Certainly, the club would be in position to demand a significant player asset in return if things were to progress. And Rizzo would no doubt have the leverage to command a big contract from the wayward D-Backs.

At this point, of course, that’s all speculation. Arizona has been tied to a rather wide variety of potential executive candidates already. Rays AGM Chaim Bloom and Dodgers VP Alex Anthopoulos have reportedly declined requests for an interview. The Diamondbacks are also said to have interest in Royals AGM J.J. Piccolo, Dodgers senior adviser Ned Colletti, MLB senior VPs Kim Ng and Peter Woodfork, and Brewers VP of scouting Ray Montgomery, while also considering a promotion for current team executives Bryan Minniti and Mike Bell.

Braves “Close” To Naming Brian Snitker Manager

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4:58pm: Atlanta appears to be close to naming Snitker the full-time skipper, per Bowman. An announcement is expected in the coming days, at a time that won’t coincide with the ongoing postseason action.

3:13pm: Snitker is indeed the favorite for the position, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, citing a league source.

OCT. 10, 10:00am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that the Braves are nearing the completion of their managerial search and believes that Snitker will ultimately land the job. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution also expects news sooner rather than later and believes that Snitker will ultimately be selected for the job (Twitter link).

OCT. 8: The Braves are deciding among Brian Snitker, Ron Washington and Bud Black for their managerial position, according to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who adds that they’re likely to make a hire during the upcoming week.

Snitker has the least experience of the three, but as the only in-house candidate, he has much more familiarity with the organization than Washington or Black. The 60-year-old Snitker took over the Braves’ dugout on an interim basis after the rebuilding club fired Fredi Gonzalez in May. The Braves started 9-28 under Gonzalez, but the Snitker-led outfit rallied to post a respectable 59-65 mark. Impressively, Atlanta finished above .500 (37-35) after the All-Star break.

Washington has experienced more success as a manager than either Snitker or Black, though he had plenty of talent at his disposal in Texas. Between Washington’s hiring in 2007 and his resignation in 2014, the Rangers went 664-611 and made three playoff trips – two of which resulted in American League pennants. After leaving Texas, Washington took over as the Athletics’ third base coach in 2015. Notably, the 64-year-old has a connection that goes back nearly 50 years with Braves president John Schuerholz. When Washington signed with the Royals in 1970, Schuerholz was a member of the club’s front office. More recently, Braves president of baseball operations John Hart was an executive in Texas when Washington managed there.

The well-regarded Black, 57, grabbed the reins as the Padres’ manager in 2007 and held the position until the team fired him in June 2015. Black’s Padres won at least 89 games in a season twice, with the second successful campaign leading to 2010 National League Manager of the Year honors. That was also the final time the talent-challenged Padres finished above .500 in a season under Black, who compiled a 649-713 mark in San Diego. Black – who’s now part of the Angels’ front office – knows Schuerholz and Hart from his days as a pitcher in Kansas City and Cleveland (Hart also worked there previously).

Before whittling their search down to Snitker, Washington and Black, the Braves interviewed bench coach Terry Pendleton, first base coach Eddie Perez and third base coach Bo Porter. Perez is now a candidate for the Rockies’ job.

Reds Announce Five Outrights

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The Reds announced this afternoon that outfielder Tyler Holt, infielder/outfielder Patrick Kivlehan, catcher Rafael Lopez and right-handed pitchers Matt Magill and Jon Moscot have cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville, thus removing each from the team’s 40-man roster.

Holt, 27, received the most big league playing time of the group this season, tallying 208 plate appearances across 106 games and batting .235/.327/.296. This marked the third season in which he’s seen some degree of Major League action — the entirety of which has come between Ohio’s two MLB teams. A longtime Cleveland farmhand, the former 10th-rounder (2010) is a career .228/.306/.274 hitter in 318 PAs as a Major Leaguer and a .304/.398/.382 hitter in Triple-A. He has enough time in the minors to elect free agency and will do just that, tweets MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.

Lopez, 29, appeared in just eight games and tallied seven hitless plate appearances with the Reds this season. He has only 21 PAs and two hits at the big league level to go along with a .259/.333/.322 slash through 175 Triple-A games in his pro career. He, too, will become a free agent, Sheldon notes.

The 26-year-old Magill returned to the Majors for the first time since 2013 when he was with the Dodgers, though his action was fairly limited, as he tossed just 4 1/3 innings across five games late in the year. Magill has a 6.47 ERA 32 Major League innings and has struggled greatly with his control, issuing more walks (33) than innings pitched (32). He does have a more respectable 4.57 ERA with 9.0 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9 in his Triple-A career. Like both Holt and Lopez, Magill is headed for minor league free agency.

As for Kivlehan and Moscot, both will remain in the organization, as neither has the requisite Major League or minor league service time to elect free agency, and neither has been outrighted in the past. Kivlehan, who was designated for assignment last week, is a .282/.344/.470 career hitter in the minors, where he’s played both corner infield positions extensively and has seen limited action in all three outfield slots. The former Mariners prospect is set to turn 27 in December and could compete for a bench spot next spring. Moscot, meanwhile, underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-July. He’ll presumably spend most of the next year rehabbing and hope to factor back into the Reds’ bullpen or rotation in late 2017 or early 2018. The 25-year-old has made eight starts for the Reds over the past two seasons but has an ERA just shy of 7.00 in that time, as he’s struggled to locate the ball effectively and to miss bats. Moscot does have a solid minor league track record, however, as he’s logged a 3.79 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 draft (including a 4.38 ERA in Triple-A).

Central Notes: Tigers, Royals, Peralta, Brewers

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Tigers GM Al Avila tells Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press that he takes full responsibility for the team’s underperformance in 2016. “…[A]t the end of the day, I make those decisions and you’ve got to put a lot of the blame on myself,” said Avila. “So the guys that we brought in — and let’s say they didn’t perform for whatever reason — that’s on me. As Fenech explores, about $56MM of the Tigers’ 2016 payroll was dedicated to free agent signings Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Pelfrey, Mark Lowe and Mike Aviles. That quintet of players, however, fell woefully shy of expectations and finished the season with a collective performance that was scarcely better than replacement-level. Fenech notes that Avila fared much better on the trade market — Cameron Maybin, Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson — and will probably have to be more active in that regard this winter anyhow due to the lack of appealing free-agent options.

More from the game’s Central divisions…

  • Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star explores some potential trade scenarios for the Royals, noting that the team’s desire to shed payroll could result in moving a player who has been central to the team’s previous run of success. However, Dodd also reports that to this point, Kansas City “has shown little inclination to trade one of its central players,” so the listed scenarios are predominately speculative in nature. Among the soon-to-be free agents are Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Wade Davis, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar — each of whom will hit the open market following the 2017 season.
  • The infield is a source of some uncertainty for the Cardinals heading into the 2017 season, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, unlike many clubs with positional uncertainty, St. Louis’ problem isn’t a lack of options but rather a number of potential fits. The hot corner looks to be Jhonny Peralta’s entering next year, Hummel surmises, as Matt Carpenter could play either first base or second base — representing another position change for the versatile infielder. Peralta acknowledged to Hummel that rookie Aledmys Diaz has seized the shortstop gig and will play there moving forward, and the veteran didn’t have any complaints about the move. Nonetheless, Hummel writes that Peralta could potentially be dealt this offseason as well, if there’s interest, noting that he’s owed $10MM next year in the final season of a front-loaded four-year, $53MM pact. The presence Matt Adams and Kolten Wong (as well as potential interest in re-signing Brandon Moss), of course, only further clouds the infield picture.
  • Brewers GM David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell spoke to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the team’s 2016 season and explained that many of the incremental goals the team set for itself were met, even if there’s still quite a bit of work to be done. Counsell spoke positively about the competition among players not only at the minor league level but also at the big league level as a particular source of excitement for him. As Haudricourt notes, the Brewers led the Majors in stolen bases and also came second only to the Blue Jays in pitches per plate appearance (3.97), which resulted in a staggering increase in walks but also an uptick in strikeouts. The Brewers struck out too often and ranked in the bottom third of the league in overall runs scored, so Stearns isn’t celebrating the increase in selectivity just yet. “I think ultimately you evaluate offense by the number of runs you create,” said the GM. “All offensive contributions are geared toward creating runs. Clearly, we’d like to create more runs in the future. We can get there in a variety of ways. There’s no prescribed way to build a lineup. We have to be flexible in how we approach run creation.”

Donovan Solano Elects Free Agency Following Outright

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1:15pm: The Yankees also announced that Solano has elected free agency, as he was expected to do.

11:35am: The Yankees announced that they’ve outrighted infielder Donovan Solano off the 40-man roster. The 28-year-old Solano has enough big league service to elect free agency following his removal from the 40-man roster and figures to do so in the near future. Earlier this morning in MLBTR’s arbitration projections, we noted that Solano would’ve been arbitration eligible and in line for a modest bump from the league minimum salary (or thereabouts) to about $700K (he’s since been removed from the list, as he obviously won’t be going to arbitration now that he’s been outrighted).

Solano, a longtime infielder for the Marlins, appeared in just nine games with the Yankees and hit .227/.261/.455 with a homer and a pair of doubles in 23 plate appearances. Prior to the 2016 campaign, the entirety of his big league experience came in Miami, where he slashed .257/.307/.328 over the life of 1145 plate appearances across parts of four seasons. While the vast majority of Solano’s experience in the Majors has been as a second baseman, he’s also appeared at shortstop, third base and left field in the bigs and has amassed more than 1800 innings at each of those three infield slots in his minor league career.

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