TODAY: The Yankees have announced a minor-league deal with Frieri that includes an invitation to MLB camp.
YESTERDAY: Veteran reliever Ernesto Frieri worked out for the Yankees today, as Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter links). While he hasn’t yet agreed to terms with New York, Frieri says he hopes to do so tomorrow.
Frieri, 31, last pitched in affiliated ball in 2015, when he worked to a 4.63 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 over his 23 1/3 frames with the Rays. While that represented an improvement in the earned-run department after Frieri’s massive struggles the season prior, when he allowed 7.34 earned per nine, the peripherals were a big step back.
After all, Frieri had never before finished a MLB season (excepting his two-frame showing in 2009) with anything shy of double-digit strikeout-per-nine numbers. Over his seven years in the bigs, Frieri has averaged 11.6 K/9, though he has also been prone to the free pass (4.2 BB/9) and generates very few groundballs (26.2%).
The swing-and-miss that had defined Frier’s career began to erode in 2014, when he dropped to a 10.0% swinging-strike rate. That fell yet further in the ensuing campaign, when Frieri also exhibited a career-low fastball velocity. Having sat in the 94 mph range for much of his career, Frieri was reduced to working at 91 to 92 mph in his most recent season in the majors.
Those struggles left Frieri without an opportunity in 2016. He spent camp with the Phillies but was released at the onset of the season. Frieri did appear briefly in the Venezuelan Winter League, though, and did notch two scoreless frames in the WBC recently for his native Colombia.
While the overall body of work doesn’t suggest that Frieri would have much of a shot at pitching in the majors out of camp — particularly since he has yet to sign — the key factor will be how he’s throwing. Indeed, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi says that the veteran would have a real shot at making the roster if he is added to the mix, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets.
2017 Champions.
You’re referring to the Cubs. You may kiss their ring.
Cubs are going to win it all again? Gee, thanks for spoiling it.
P{ease excuse Cubs fans. They’re very new to this whole championship thing.
I’m well aware of that. Funny how he tells a Yankee fan to “kiss their ring”. If the Knicks were to somehow win a title in my lifetime, that would be like me telling a Lakers, Celtics, or….wait for it…Chicago Bulls fan, to “kiss their ring”.
If the Yankees sign a superstar or two, they are “buying championships” And if they sign a below average player or two, people still find crap to say…
I’m a Yankee fan. It was a joke.
Hahahahahaha why?????
That’s a clown question, bro.
Cool story bro.
The dude with the bleach blonde hair from the Food network???
fieri
Obviously someone is not a frequent visitor to flavor town.
Hahah
Not that Guy
Nice
Absolutely feel the need to share this:
link to m.mlb.com
What? Was Catfish Hunter busy
While signing his contract, I’m sure that Frieri somehow managed to walk somebody.
With a name like Boof you should know, bro.
Hahaha
If he somehow regained his velocity then this might be a decent signing for a 6th/7th inning guy.
No way will he ever become a reliable bullpen option. He will be brought into camp, sent to the minors, and then opt out mid season.
Live arm
No control
I still will never let go of the fact that the Pirates traded Jason Grilli for Ernesto “Gasoline on top of Kerosene” Frieri.
All GMs have their share of whiffs, but that was a major brain fart by Neal Huntington.
Literally trade for Some Guy Who Has Never Played Baseball Before, and he’d be better than Frieri.
At the time, both Grilli and Frieri were both struggling. It was a change of scenery swap, and Grilli thrived while Frieri continued to dive.
Up to that point in that season, Grilli had been as bad as Frieri. There really wasn’t anything wrong with the trade in theory, but it was simply a disaster in results. If I remember right, Grilli had written a book before that season, and the book supposedly rubbed some Pirate front office people and even teammates the wrong way: there were rumors that the whole “Grilled Cheese” nickname and his success had gone to his head and that he was becoming a bit of a diva. How true that was and whether or not that contributed also to the trade, I don’t know for sure.
Holy Moli Stromboli
As a Yankees fan, nobody is beating the Cubs or the Indians this year, I’m calling a World Series rematch
A true Yankee fan would say Yankees/Cubs World Series. Rematch?
this signing pretty much means Girardi is leaning towards using Bryan Mitchell and/or Adam Warren in the starting rotation instead of the bullpen