Mariners lefty James Paxton is slated to make his final start of the season Saturday, and he’ll be on a pitch count of about 85, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Paxton is aiming to top 160 innings in an effort to build up to the point where he’d be able to strive for a 200-inning season without any workload limitations. Paxton, 30 in November, has never approached that mark in any professional season, topping out at a combined 171 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors in 2016. He’s battled everything from a lat strain, to a forearm strain, back inflammation and a severe tendon injury in his pitching hand over the course of an impressive but injury-laden career to date. Seattle has control of Paxton through the 2020 season and will certainly be hoping for a larger workload and better health next season, given the deterioration of previous ace Felix Hernandez. Thus far in 2018, Paxton has pitched a career-high 154 1/3 innings with a career-best 11.6 K/9 mark against just 2.5 BB/9. He’s been more homer-prone than in recent years (1.34 HR/9) but still owns a solid 3.85 ERA that is backed by career-best marks in fielding-independent marks like xFIP (3.08) and SIERA (3.01).
More from the division…
- The Angels shut down right-hander Ty Buttrey for the remainder of the season this week, as the promising 25-year-old has been dealing with a bout of bursitis in his right knee, per MLB.com’s Maria Guardado (Twitter links). Buttrey’s ascension to the big leagues didn’t draw many headlines, but he’s quietly been sensational both in the upper minors and in 16 1/3 innings for the Angels since being acquired from the Red Sox in the trade that sent Ian Kinsler to Boston. Buttrey pitched to a combined 2.20 ERA with 13.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 with three different minor league affiliates this season, and he’s sporting a 3.31 ERA with an outstanding 20-to-5 K/BB ratio and a 56.8 percent ground-ball rate in the Majors. He’s averaged a hearty 96 mph on his heater thus far in his young Major League career, and so long as his knee issues don’t prove to be especially serious, he should have an opportunity to earn his way into high-leverage spots with the Halos early next season; he did, after all, tally four saves with the Angels shortly after his MLB debut. Small sample caveats clearly apply, but the Angels have to be pleased with the early returns on that swap.
- The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan takes a look at six questions facing the Astros as the gear up for the American League Division Series against the Indians, including a pair of questions they’ll face in setting their roster (subscription link). If Lance McCullers Jr. is ready to go as a piece in the bullpen, Houston brass will have to decide between a hard-throwing multi-inning option, Josh James, and Joe Smith, a seasoned veteran who could be a matchup specialist against Cleveland sluggers like Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson. The ’Stros also need to weigh whether Max Stassi should be carried as a third catcher, thus freeing up more pinch-hitting opportunities, or if Myles Straw and his blazing speed should command the final bench spot.
- Ramon Laureano’s brilliant play with the Athletics since debuting in early August has earned him the team’s everyday center fielder role moving forward, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. That spot had been earmarked for Dustin Fowler, a more high-profile prospect acquisition in last summer’s Sonny Gray blockbuster with the Yankees, but he now looks like a corner option for the foreseeable future. Oakland added Laureano in a trade that barely went noticed last November, sending minor league righty Brandon Bailey to the Astros in return. Since debuting, though, Laureano has posted a .295/.364/.486 batting line with terrific center field defense and a perfect seven steals in seven attempts. A’s EVP Billy Beane tells Slusser that the “job is [Laureano’s],” adding that the 24-year-old “has played that position just about as well as anyone we’ve ever had here.”
Funny, a year ago the A’s didn’t look like they had anybody of quality to play OF. Now, there’s Piscotty, Martini, Laureano, Pinder, Canha, Fowler and Powell. Could absolutely see the A’s flipping Fowler for a potential 2B (assuming Jed moves on), C (someone to bridge the gap until Murphy’s ready for the Show) or SP talent.
Naa Boog and Martini hit too many singles to be everyday guys and Pinder is a utility guy at best, we’ll keep the Fowler/Canha platoon around to play LF. Also we got Barreto to take over 2B if Jed bounces and Lucroy to continue being the bridge to Murphy. If anything we’ll flip Semien’s last 2 years of control for some pitching help and let former 1st rd pick Richie Martin take over at SS
I don’t think we have anybody ready in MiLB to step into a starting role in MLB in 2019.
I’m not sold on Barreto. I get it, he’s still young but now that the team is in a contending window can we afford to just give 2B to Franklin?
No way Martin’s ready to be an every-day MLB SS. Up until this year he was a disaster offensively. I think he needs another year to show consistency. If he can continue his strong hitting at AAA Vegas to go along with his steady hands then yes, he could be an everyday MLB SS. That’s 2020 at best.
Re Martini. Agreed that he isn’t a HR guy, but he gets on base and hits his fair share of doubles. His OPS currently sits at .830, which certainly means that he’s more than a Punch-n-Judy singles hitter..
Lastly, we don’t know what the market will be for Lucroy. Probably not much. His WAR sits at 0.8 which means that he’s not going to have tons of teams vying for his services.. I’m hoping that he stays on another 1-yr contract to groom Murphy but that’s not a given either.
I simply believe that Fowler’s expendable, and we’ll have bigger needs elsewhere.
It is possible (but unlikely) that the A’s trade Fowler back to NY for Sonny Gray.
Gray’s not worth Fowler at this point but add in another prospect on each side to even it out and I can see it happening.
lol
Hey JTO, what happened to that A’s surge to get the home field? Yea Fowler is such an established MLB player at this point..whatever dude.
Yeh, he also was one of the A’s fans leading the charge regarding Sonny Gray and the fact that he was worth a kings ransom based on his pitching abilities…now of course, with the truth unmasked, he wouldn’t even take him straight up for Fowler!
What a joke!
Go Yankees….see you all in the Bronx and at the party afterwards!
Crickets from this guy about how far the A’s are going.
I’m not that high on Fowler but he’s not wrong when he says gray isn’t worth Fowler anymore.
There’s no way the A’s would do that deal.
2 WAR in 39 starts Ramon is a beast, Dustin/Canha and Piscotty got the corners on locks
If Fowler is not Oakland’s CF of the future, he should be traded. I don’t like him as a LF going forward.
In the cavernous ball park that Oakland plays in it might not be the worse thing to have a strong defensive outfielder in left field. Fowler would be a very good defensive left fielder. The question with him is the plate discipline. Whether or not he can keep that in check enough to play everyday out there is the question.
Two comments: Paxton’s 3.85 ERA is helped by his big home park. Also Buttrey’s success albeit limited suggests that the Sox minor league talent may not be as bare as described.
Safeco is not a pitchers park and hadn’t been for years. Do some research and quit pushing false narrative.
Not sure where you get your info from but the first site googled was ESPN which ranked it 27th out of 30 for home runs. I guess saying it’s tougher than 3 other parks makes it power friendly.
2nd site has Safeco the fifth toughest for HRs and the overall hardest for any extra base it.
Take it too em dewey!
Thanks Fiber. I try hard to temper my words and last week apologized when i went over the top. We’re all wrong sometimes but the arrogance is just false ego (hiding behind tge username). Loved the back and forth with Eileen last week and if the Yankees beat Oakland it will be a fun week. I just hope people don’t bet more than they can afford to lose. Gambling and the ability to post anonymously seem to be (IMO) the major reasons postings get out of control.
Buttrey and Jalen Beeks will probably end up as halfway decent MLB pitchers, but neither is going to be a star. The Sox have some prospects in the lower minors, but nothing much to crow about at AA or AAA.
Moved the fences in at Safeco a few years ago.
Maybe they need to do it again ala Citi Field.
I don’t think you should relate Buttreys success and the BoSox farm (or lack there of). Any team in baseball could call up a reliever who has immediate success due to how volatile relievers are.
JD,
Agreed which is why I mentioned a small sample size. The Sox farm has been depleted by call ups, trades and injuries but such creates opportunities for others and part of the beauty of baseball is sometimes the chance to shine in the big leagues is all that’s needed. Sorry to say this but Travis Shaw is a perfect example.
Even if buttreys success is long term that has no correlation to the strength of the rest of the bosox’s farm. Pretty much Any Farm in baseball has a good reliever down there.
That actually was the point I was trying to make. All systems have hidden gems waiting to be unearthed and sometimes the opportunity is what is needed. Many are overhyped but who heard of Travis Shaw before he got his chance?
Buttrey was another pitcher who screamed transfer me to a reliever they have had for a few years now and was wanting called up myself earlier this year.
He, along with Callahan were the jewels of the 2012 draft, but they wasted 4 seasons as awful starters before finally transferring to relief and immediately both became nice relievers, same with Lakins this year and probably will waste another couple of seasons attempting to make Jake Thompson a starter before finally moving to relief and possibly Chris Machamer also.
They did seem to go ahead and start out college reliever Schellinger in the reliever role right away in the Pros and same with Durbin Feltman, so they haven’t lost it altogether in the twisted logic of “everybody is a starter when drafted” mentality.
King Felix will be back heathy to anchor that M’s rotation.
Wishful thinking perhaps but would be amazing and make the AL West s beast next year.
I would love to see Hernandez bounce back but he’s been pretty lousy for a few years now. Just way too many inning at a young age. But when he was in his prime, he was so much fun to watch.
The Astros have some big decisions to make for their post season roster.
This is likely not popular but, I feel that Tyler White absolutely makes the cut. I would take White and Max Strassi over Evan Gattis. Gattis is limited.
Myles Straw has CF range similar to that of Kevin Pilllar. However, he hasn’t had enough MLB exposure to take Tony Kemp or Jake Marisnick out of the equation. Still, I like him.
Also, Chris Devenski, Lance McCullers and Framber Valdez are near the bottom of the Astros pitcher best performers. Josh James looks better than these three.
I’ve heard others say they don’t see McCullers making it. I really don’t understand that theory. He may be unable to start right now, but he projects to be one of the best they’ve got out of the pen. I like James a lot, but if it’s between him and McCullers, I’ll take McCullers. He has been there and his stuff is still filthy.