The White Sox have designated right-hander Dylan Covey for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to Steve Cishek, whose previously reported signing is now official.
Covey has certainly had his chances to forestall this result. Over the past three seasons, he has been given 250 1/3 innings of MLB action with the South Siders. The results simply have not been there.
All told, Covey carries a 6.54 ERA to this point in his career. He has an even fifty percent grounder rate but otherwise the peripherals are equally unsightly: 6.2 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.62 HR/9.
Covey has averaged between 94 and 95 mph with both his four-seam and two-seam fastballs, partnering those with a changing variety of secondary offerings. Opposing MLB hitters have feasted on most everything he has sent across the plate and haven’t been tempted to chase very often.
It’s a disappointing situation for both team and player. Covey was long seen as a potential rotation fixture but just hasn’t made the leap. He has thrown 95 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level over the past three seasons as well, finding much more success there. In that span, Covey owns a 2.63 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Tattedbaker
Good riddance. Please somebody claim him. Get him out of the White Sox organization.
lmmthomas
I don’t see anyone claiming him he is brutal
h0wmyd0ing
Pirates will scoop him up for sure
ChiSox_Fan
Covey numbers are inflated by Houston and Boston alleged cheating!
All of MLB’s Reference and Stats books need to be “asterisked” and restated for all players since 2016.
jorge78
No wonder the Athletics left him exposed in the 2016 Rule 5 draft…..
DarkSide830
bye Quad-A Covey!
Rangers29
Astros will go and get him. Tell him to throw the two-seamer more often, and he will be a star for some reason.
DodgerNation
And then you realized pretty much anyone important on the Astros coaching staff to harness that talent is gone.
DarkSide830
id bet the next manager keeps whoever that is who is working their magic with these guys. clearly working.
agentx
I agree, at least so far as the pitching coaches and coordinators are concerned. Managers having success without swapping out pitching coaches immediately upon arrival just for the sake of making changes are not uncommon.
Rangers29
That’s kind of the point of why I said that, Lunhow may be gone, but the pitching coach isn’t, nor are the people who develop the pitchers.
Dogbone
Covey was an integral part of the White Sox tanking process during their current 8 year rebuild. He was up and down, to assure their gullible base, they were trying to win, lol. Base went along with the gag.
friendly illinois brethren
You’re probably the most pathetic Cub fan on here and that says alot.
friendly illinois brethren
You’re probably the most pathetic Cub fan on here and that says alot.
Brett The Wolfman
This is year 3 of the rebuild. I assume your just trying to be a jerk. Every year after 2008 they went for it but just sucked. They signed Danks but let Mark 2 hitter go to Miami. So that year 10 of rebuilding joke is just lazy the real rebuild started when we traded The Jersey Shredder Sale. Dog bone when your team goes 11-1 in the playoffs has there starters throw 4 complete games to get to the World Series and sweep it then you can talk. Brett The Wolfman. YouTube superstar and baseball expert. Girl bye
Brett The Wolfman
This is year 3 of the rebuild. I assume your just trying to be a jerk. Every year after 2008 they went for it but just sucked. They signed Danks but let Mark 2 hitter go to Miami. So that year 10 of rebuilding joke is just lazy the real rebuild started when we traded The Jersey Shredder Sale. Dog bone when your team goes 11-1 in the playoffs has there starters throw 4 complete games to get to the World Series and sweep it then you can talk. Brett The Wolfman. YouTube superstar and baseball expert. Girl bye
Rallyshirt
Fiesty.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Great post Doggie. Pretty exciting life, eh?
I give no fox
If Cooper couldn’t fix him, I doubt anyone can
Dogbone
To I give no’, what good has Cooper been, the last 8 years?
axisofhonor25
Yup 2- seamer with a side of trash can.
2nd City 2nd Team
A true sign this rebuild is over beyond the obvious acquisitions and Robert signing…based on what we ran out there last year …Nova only got $1.5m from a team that just needs innings eaten and he was arguably our second best SP last year…Covey as a 5 was just insulting
pplama
He’s in a tough spot. Has the stuff, but the teams with quality pitching development staff can’t spare the roster space.
Hope he tries Driveline and can latch on somewhere. Should be a multi-inning weapon, with the right instruction.
andrewf
Baltimore might grab him
Georgiajeff
Someone call Dumpster Diving Theo. If this guy has ever had major shoulder or elbow surgery you can best believe Theo will sign him
sss847
good. now grab another arm and DFA fulmer
MikeS2
Right there with you. But I think they are still emotionally invested in him as a first round pick with good stuff. I think he makes the team out of spring training since he is out of options and can’t be sent to AAA without clearing waivers, then they DFA him in late April or May after he costs them a couple of games.
He will probably get picked up by a bad team that can afford to be patient with him and thinks maybe they can teach him to find the plate.
rpoabr
Eppler will jump on this for the Angels. Good velocity – check. Good AAA stats – check. No MLB success – check.
Frisco500
Someone will probably turn him into a two pitch pitcher where he may find some measure of success as a middle reliever.
Bryan majeski
About time! Hope the cubs claim him and he gets lit up there! Goodbye!
msqboxer
He’ll be a closer in Oakland…..
Miketime53
Thank God! I don’t really care what team if any picks him up; they can have him. 0-7, 5-14, 1-8 over last 3 seasons: comes to 6-29! Nuff said! Miketime53
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Did you really just sign your post?
Aaron Sapoznik
It will be interesting to see if Dylan Covey is claimed on waivers by another team. If not, the White Sox will likely keep Covey and outright him to AAA Charlotte with an invite to spring training. Covey would be an insurance depth piece for them, a role he has pretty much assumed in his three seasons with the organization. Covey still has one more option year available to him, is still a pre-arbitration player in 2020 and won’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2024.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
To quote Monty Python: “And there was much rejoicing.”
“Yaaayyyy!”
maximumvelocity
In fairness to Covey, he was placed in a situation where he was not situated to succeed. He was asked to start because the team had absolutely no rotational depth.
I hope he makes it through waivers, and the team can dedicate him to working as a reliever.
realsox
I think you’re right. Everyone seems to agree that he has good stuff.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
As with a lot of guys, I think the issues are in his head. He was once among the Sox’ top prospects (though that was saying a lot less back then) for a reason. If he can reinvent himself as a reliever, great. But I’m still glad he’s not going to be in the rotation.
Ketch
Covey might be better used out of the bullpen
HalosHeavenJJ
He’ll be an Angel. Throws hard and can go multiple innings. Eppler’s two favorite things.
Honestly, if I was a free agent looking at a minor league deal. this would be a place I’d target. Canning is unproven, Heaney gets hurt every year, Ohtani will be limited. I want a path to the bigs and there likely is one in Anaheim.
Taximan
Ohtani will not be limited by Maddon. GM
will have to contact bench to have him removed from game. Maddon worst butcher of pitching staff there is. He hasn’t a clue when to take a pitcher out and when to leave one in.
Paulie0514
About damn time. Next up, Carson Fulmer.
SupremeZeus
They won’t kick Fulmer to the curb during the relatively quiet winter. When they give Fulmer the bum’s rush and finally admit their failure with the 8th overall selection, they will need much more cover. “Friday news dump” if you will. Hope Buehler or Soroka don’t throw a no-hitter that day.
kamkz99
Went to one game last year. Against the Twins.
Covey started. Never got an out. Outside of my daughter’s company a lost afternoon.
38 starts or more by the likes of Covey, Detwiler, Despagne etc.
At least they will start major leaguers this year
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Totally agree. Keuchel and Gio may not be much and Cease and Lopez may struggle at times, but all of them are better than the three you mentioned. By a long shot.
Idioms for Idiots
And there it is. I was thinking Covey was the odd man out, but wasn’t certain. It was the right move. No idea whether or not he passes through waivers. Never underestimate the dumpster diving teams.
Rallyshirt
On OOTP19 Covey always comes up as a humble personality type.
atlas bunts
What about Danks?
Idioms for Idiots
@atlas bunts
Danks? Did I miss something?
canocorn
No room on this man’s roster for a small flock of quail.
reality
Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets are looking for an Ambidextrous garbage can banger, for flexibility with home and visitor dugouts. Covey is a prime candidate.
reality
The Twins have reached an agreement with free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson, a former American League MVP, a major league source confirmed Tuesday night.
The deal is for four seasons with a fifth-year club option, there is $92 million guaranteed over the four years.
White Sox need to sign Nicholas Castellanos and Brad Miller or get out gunned by the Twins.
stevep-4
No they don’t
Idioms for Idiots
@reality
stevep-4 is right, they don’t. The Sox need to go with their current roster and see what they have. It would be foolish to mess with the rebuild just to chase something that really isn’t there anyway.
They’re about an 85-win team and the moves they made already squeezed out Collins from doing anything meaningful in Chicago in ’20. Maybe he’s not a big deal, but you don’t want to start squeezing out guys that need the playing time to develop, just to chase something seen as a slim chance.
Though Minny really beefed up that lineup, they didn’t fix what really needed fixed this Winter, the rotation. Hill and Homer can’t be seriously taken as “major upgrades” to the rotation. But with that lineup, they can still win a lot of games even if their pitching is brutal in those games.
Excellent move by Minny, but it doesn’t get them any closer to a ring. It just separates them more from the pack in MLB’s toilet division. To get that ring, they need much better pitching as a whole (though Berrios is a good start).
The Sox need to stay on their long term path this year, and make any adjustments they need to as the season goes along. Hahn needs to keep his head on straight, no matter what his rivals might do.
Denman
@83sox, I agree wholeheartedly except that I think that the 2020 Sox win more than 85 games. The Sox are a young team with a talented but unproven core. Most systems of projecting wins rely on norms over player’s careers. The value of players such as Anderson, Moncada, and Giolito, who are coming off of one “break-out” season will project as likely to “regress” when, in fact, they’re as likely to continue to improve. Similarly, from among Lopez, Jimenez, Mazara, Cease, Kopech, Rodon and Collins, two,three, or all are likely to out-perform projections based on their past performance.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Moncada may improve, but I think Anderson is likely to regress. His BABIP was near .400 (as was Moncada’s, but Moncada has more power and can actually field his position), so that’s unsustainable.