Cubs lefty Brian Duensing and top Red Sox prospect Jason Groome have switched representation and are now clients of the Legacy Agency, per FanRag’s Robert Murray (Twitter links). Duensing’s switch is especially pertinent, as he’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the 2017 season.
Chicago inked Duensing to a then-surprising $2MM big league deal early in the 2016-17 offseason. While the 34-year-old had previously had some success out of the Twins’ bullpen, Duensing had a lackluster 2015 season in Minnesota and totaled just 13 1/3 innings in the Majors all of last year, logging a 4.05 ERA with the Orioles.
The Cubs, however, saw enough to pique their interest and have been rewarded with what now looks to be one of the best one-year, Major League contracts issued last winter. Through 61 1/3 innings out of the Chicago ’pen this year, Duensing has posted a 61-to-18 K/BB ratio and a 47.3 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.79 ERA. Duensing has relatively even splits versus lefties and righties, though his K/BB numbers are vastly superior against lefties and he’s traditionally had problems against right-handed bats.
As for Groome, the former No. 12 overall pick (2016) posted terrific numbers in three starts in the Low-A New York Penn League but has had more struggles in the Class-A South Atlantic League. Groome has missed bats at a high level in 2017 (11.7 K/9) but has averaged nearly five walks per nine innings and was a bit homer-prone when pitching in the more advanced of his two leagues this season (1.22 HR/9). He only just turned 19 last month, though, meaning he was routinely squaring off against considerably older and more experienced opponents.
Both switches are now reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains representation info on more than 2,500 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any notable errors or omissions, let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Would love to see Jason Groome not become Henry Owens….
We’ll see. The Red Sox haven’t been having the best time developing pitchers that can go more than an inning for a long time now. Not terribly worried at this point though, he’s so young with a ton of time to figure it out. Plus, the raw ability has always been there.
Premature worry.
When Groome returns to mid-A ball next year, he’ll be doing it at the same age that Owens had his professional debut (which was at the same level). Given Groome’s age, Boston hasn’t taken the kid gloves off yet, and that was compounded by Groome having to come back from injury from the start of the season.
This has been his “getting his feet wet” period. Next year is when he can/should/must start showing his real stuff, and so that is when you can really start judging.
Duensing always had better stuff than you’d think by looking at his numbers. I’m glad he had a good year.
Amazing how many they have missed on over the last few years
Owens
Johnson
Barnes (pretty much)
De la rosa
Webster
Ranaudo
Doubront
Even guys they traded haven’t worked out like Casey kelly and Espinoza
ERod hasn’t exactly been a hit either.
What’s up with their scouting ?
Ranaudo had the straight as an arrow FB that never played into anything, then landed Robbie Ross who wasn”t bad until he got hurt earlier this year and pretty much missed the entire season.
Doubrant wasn’t a bad back end starter when he could throw 93-95mph.. Then he hid the fact he got into that car accident, threw 89-90 from that point on and only Theo pretty much wanted him from that point on..
Webster ALWAYS pitched afraid on the mound. It was odd how a guy, even when he COULD throw 96-98mph (early on) with sink was always afraid to throw inside and then he lost the fb, Couldn’t even get hitters out in the Kr league…
Johnson, some of us called a waste pick when made, same with namesake Kris Johnson years before.. All those classic “4 pitch mix” guys Boston nwasted millions on, tho brian Johnson was the only one to ever really get any real time with Boston and might still if can stay healthy.
Barnes has done a decent job, probably will still with 4y control left. Same with brian Workman (2y) They acquired Addison Reed trading off several relievers developed from within.
Starters will come, it was FINALLY getting away from drafting all those garbage tossing Stankiewicz (2013 2nd round) types that they really needed to get past and were among the last to do.
You betray your bias/ignorance with your comment on Eduardo Rodriguez. He’s put up an ERA+ of 107 from ages 22-24 as a LHP in Fenway Park, which is pretty impressive. When you realize that these numbers are GROSSLY negatively impacted by two bad periods that were the result of injury, you’ll understand that Rodriguez has actually been one of the most promising young arms in baseball the past three years, health excepting. THAT LAST PART CAN’T BE OVERLOOKED – health matters, and if ERod will forever have health issues then he’ll never prove to be an overall valuable pitcher – but there is zero questioning his quality or ability, unless you do nothing more than glance at a stat line that is.
It’s foolish to get on Boston for De la Rosa and Webster…both were products of LA, and were largely dice rolls thrown into the big salary dump trade. The team hoped it could straighten them out, wasn’t able to, no big deal.
Doubront was never a top prospect, so I’m not sure why he makes this list. Ranaudo was a hard-throwing high school arm (oh, those NEVER fail to develop, he says sarcastically). Owens has very good stuff and command issues, which is why he has had and still has some promise but might never amount to anything. Johnson was a low-ceiling guy who was looking good but then had anxiety issues, which is hardly a baseball thing. Barnes was a guy whose starting or relieving future would be determined by his ability to develop secondary offerings (he failed to do so, and so has become a quality bullpen arm).
You serious about Kelly and Espinoza? Since when does TJS have anything to do with a failure of scouting?
All you’ve basically done is shown how fickle pitching prospects can be. They say “there is no such thing as a pitching prospect”, and here you go.
Always thought the problem was in the developmental coaching in the minor leagues. Way too many failures to produce a mid rotation starter .