The Diamondbacks picked up a pair of lefties, signing David Huff and Joe Mantiply to minor league contracts. Both signings were recently announced by Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno.
Huff, 35, wrapped up a four-year run of pitching abroad this past weekend. A veteran of parts of eight MLB seasons, Huff logged a 2.66 ERA in 199 1/3 innings with the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization from 2016-17. He then signed with the Yakult Swallows in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and posted a combined 4.50 ERA in 160 frames there from 2018-19. Huff made his MLB debut with the Indians back in 2009 and has also pitched for the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers and Giants. In 393 1/3 innings, he has a 5.17 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever in his career and spent the ’19 season in the bullpen.
Mantiply, 28, tossed three innings for the Yankees in 2019 — his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The longtime Tigers farmhand only has 5 2/3 innings of MLB experience but has posted a combined 3.13 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 126 1/3 career innings of Triple-A.
Pretty sure Mantiply is just the name of a math-based Bug Pokemon and not a person, still.
Low risk will not get you anywhere.
I remember David Huff pitched in the first Yankees game I went to in 2010. He gave up 6 runs then left the game after getting drilled in the head by a line drive off the bat of ARod. I’m amazed that he’s still finding work in baseball after that.
Keep in truckin’, David. Major respect here
Cool Huff got to use his baseball talents to see a couple of countries, experience a couple cultures.
His stop here was brief and brutal.
Smrt;
I remember that outing. Huff misunderstood the pitching coach who visited the mound to say, “Get your head in the game!”
Illegitimate son of Don mattingly?
These minor league signings are really starting to Mantiply!