Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the game…
- The Angels have signed right-hander Branden Pinder, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy in his always-informative weekly Minor Transactions roundup (which includes dozens of moves). Pinder is a known commodity to Angels GM Billy Eppler, having spent his career to date in the Yankees organization, where Eppler was previously an assistant GM. Pinder had Tommy John surgery in 2016 but had worked back to throw 11 2/3 innings in the minors thus far in 2017. He showed promise in 27 2/3 frames with the 2015 Yankees (2.93 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.6 BB/9) and should have a better chance to work back to the Majors with the Halos than he’d have had in New York.
- In a pair of moves from the Dodgers, left-hander Tommy Layne has been released, while outfielder Peter O’Brien has been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Eddy. Layne spent less than a month in the Dodgers’ system after signing a minors pact in mid-July. He threw 5 2/3 frames with their Triple-A club but walked more batters (six) than he struck out (three). He does have a nice track record in the Majors (3.23 ERA in 136 1/3 innings from 2012-16) but was hit hard with the Yankees in 2017. As for O’Brien, he’s bounced around on the waiver wire this season but finally went unclaimed and will return to the Dodgers’ minor league ranks while no longer occupying a 40-man roster spot. O’Brien’s power generated plenty of intrigue a few years ago, but there have long been questions about his defense and plate discipline. He’s also posted a .666 OPS in the minors this season.
- Right-hander Esmil Rogers has signed on with the Nationals on a minor league pact, according to Eddy. Rogers last pitched in the Majors in 2015 and has since spent the second half of the 2015 season and the entire 2016 campaign pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization. He’s already made a pair of starts for Washington’s Triple-A affiliate and has thrown well. Rogers has 454 big league innings under his belt, but his success has been sporadic. He’ll give the Nats another veteran arm to potentially join the bullpen in September and could potentially act as a spot starter down the stretch if he continues to show well in Syracuse.
I guess O’Brien doesn’t draw many waive reviews?
Oh boy
Hahaha. I love how this is on EVERY article Peter O’Brien is mentioned in
Brilliant, siddfinch1079!
After baseball Pete O’Brien can be a surfer. As they wrote, “He bounces around on the waives.”….
*standing ovation*
I understand Eppler is familiar with the Yankee organization and its players, but he doesn’t have to sign every outcast that happens to graze the market.
He doesn’t? he got blake parker and one of the killer b’s, I don’t even think parker was with the yankees when parker was there.
.666 OPS seems rather beastly, but not in today’s game.
John Rocker had a 6.66 ERA in a season once. Fitting.
That is a hellish season O’Brien has had.
I wonder how in the devil he managed a .666 OPS
How does being waived so often affect a player’s confidence/self esteem? Do they just get used to it and go on or is it a struggle each day? O’Brien has had how many hitting coaches over the past 2 years? You would think they may take a break from it all and work on fundamentals for a bit and try to latch on somewhere (or go overseas).
On one hand it shows that a lot of teams want you in their organization. On the other one it shows that they don’t think he’s worth a 40 man spot.
Nailed it. Double edged sword.
You have to love Tommy Layne. Guy eats up left handers with that delivery, yet can’t get RH out to save his life. Giants used to pay Javier Lopez 5m a year to do the same thing for years and years.. Must have been a SF thing huh? Nobody else ever would have.