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Archives for July 2020

New App For Youth Baseball Coaches: Baseball Force Out Teacher

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Hi! I’m Tim Dierkes, the owner of MLB Trade Rumors. If you’ll indulge me for a minute, I want to talk about an app I’ve created for youth baseball and softball coaches that has nothing to do with MLB or rumors.

How many times have you observed this scene in a youth baseball or softball game?

An infielder makes an amazing stop on a ground ball. It’s the highlight of the kid’s budding career to date. And then…NOOOOOO!!! Why did you throw it to THAT base? Or…why did you think you could just step on THAT base??! We’ve been over this in practice!

Fundamentals are crucial to understanding and playing baseball or softball. Chief among them: where are the force outs? Our new Baseball Force Out Teacher app for iPhones and iPads is the perfect at-home supplement to any player or watcher’s education.

The eight different baserunner scenarios are randomly presented, and this fun game-like app drills home the correct answers to one crucial question: Where are the force outs? Simply play it over and over until force outs are second nature!  Most kids have a little bit of time on their hands currently.

Plus, if you’re a coach looking to freestyle or elaborate on infield scenarios, the app has a handy whiteboard feature.

Download the free app today!

Pirates’ Luke Maile Undergoes Finger Surgery

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After being hit by a pitch on Thursday, Pirates catcher Luke Maile suffered a fractured right index finger that required surgical repair, according to team press release.  Maile underwent the procedure yesterday and will be kept out of baseball activities for the next 10-12 weeks, effectively ending his 2020 season.

Maile signed a one-year split contract with the Pirates last December, and the unfortunate injury news will now keep the 29-year-old backstop from participating in what would have been his sixth big league season.  Maile has a .198/.252/.304 career slash line over 657 plate appearances with the Rays and Blue Jays, and was non-tendered by Toronto over the offseason.  Despite his lack of offense, Maile has been a pretty solid defensive catcher, and he had been tabbed as the top backup choice behind Jacob Stallings in Pittsburgh.

Stallings and John Ryan Murphy were the only other catchers with the Bucs’ initial Summer Camp player pool, so Murphy is now the favorite for backup duty.  Like Murphy, Andrew Susac is also in the organization on a minor league deal, and Rule 5 pick Christian Kelley is on hand for further depth.  With Maile now out of the picture, it seems likely the Pirates will be on the lookout for any veteran catchers who become available as teams make roster cuts in the coming days.

Phillies Release Logan Forsythe, Francisco Liriano; Neil Walker To Make Opening Day Roster

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The Phillies announced a series of roster moves, including the news that left-hander Francisco Liriano and infielder Logan Forsythe have been granted releases.  Infielder Neil Walker, meanwhile, has been told he will be on Philadelphia’s Opening Day roster, so the team will be officially selecting his minor league contract at some point between now and the first game.  In other moves, catcher Henri Lartigue has been removed from the Summer Camp player pool and righty Victor Arano was optioned to Triple-A.

Liriano and Forsythe both had opt-out decisions coming this week, and it seems as if the club gave them an early start on the open market since neither were in the Phillies’ plans.  Walker, by contrast, also had an opt-out clause but will now receive the prorated sum of his original (non-specified) guarantee for making the big league team.

Forsythe and Walker were among several veteran infielders added by the Phillies this winter, as Josh Harrison, Ronald Torreyes, and Phil Gosselin were also signed to minor league deals.  The latter trio is still in camp, though it remains to be seen how many other roster spots will be available.  Scott Kingery is back after recovering from COVID-19 though it isn’t yet known if he’ll be ready for Opening Day, while star prospect Alec Bohm figures to arrive at some point in 2020, perhaps once service time considerations are no longer a factor.

Walker, 34, hit .261/.344/.395 with eight homers over 381 PA with Miami last season, delivering roughly league-average (98 OPS+, 99 wRC+) offensive production.  The switch-hitting Walker did much of his damage from the left side of the plate last season, as has been the norm for much of his career.

It seemed as if Forsythe was having a comeback season for the first two months of his tenure with the Rangers last season, but a hot start quickly turned, and the 33-year-old ended up with only a .227/.325/.353 slash line from 367 PA.  Forsythe will now look to catch on with his fifth different organization within the last two years.

There was some doubt as to whether or not Liriano would play at all during the 2020 season, as the southpaw reportedly considered sitting out due to COVID-19 concerns before eventually showing up at Philadelphia’s camp.  2019 saw Liriano work exclusively as a reliever for the first time in his long career, and he delivered a 3.47 ERA, 1.80 K/BB rate, 50.3% grounder rate, and 8.1 K/9 over 70 innings out of the Pirates’ bullpen.  As you would expect, Liriano performed better against left-handed batters (holding them to a .659 OPS) but also held righty swingers to a respectable .730 OPS.

Beyond these numbers, however, Liriano also allowed a lot of hard contract, so there is some uncertainty as to whether he’d be able to replicate his solid 2019 statistics again.  Given teams’ ever-present need for left-handed pitching, one would think Liriano will be able to find another minor league deal elsewhere.

Matt Adams Elects Free Agency

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First baseman Matt Adams has exercised the opt-out clause in the minor-league contract he signed with the Mets, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’s now a free agent. Adams had been included in the Mets’ 60-player pool.

Adams will look for an opportunity with a new team, with the Mets’ group of position players making it unlikely that Adams would find significant playing time this year, even with the National League playing with a Designated Hitter.

With Pete Alonso firmly entrenched at first base and Dominic Smith right behind him, Adams fell firmly behind that combination in the Mets’ pecking order. Smith will likely get priority as the Mets allocate DH at-bats, and Yoenis Cespedes figures to get some run in that role ahead of Adams.

Adams, 31, was a contributor on last year’s title-winning Nationals team, making 333 plate appearances and slugging 20 homers for the Nats. But his overall performance offensively was nothing special, as he tallied a mediocre .741 OPS. And for a player who’s limited defensively, average offense is often not enough to justify clearing space in the lineup for his bat.

That said, Adams is a decent bet to latch on with another club as a situational role-player. He’s made a living as a pinch hitter and reserve bat, and with a track record of solid power numbers, there are certainly teams who can make use of his skillset.

Julio Rodriguez Suffers Wrist Fracture

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July 18: Divish reports that while Rodriguez’s wrist fracture will not require surgery, it will prevent him from participating in baseball activities for the next four-to-six weeks. So while the Mariners’ phenom will be unable to get reps in a Major League setting, the M’s are hoping that Rodriguez will get some at-bats in the Dominican Winter League, which gets underway in October.

July 16: Exciting Mariners prospect Julio Rodriguez is going to spend some time on the mend. He has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left wrist, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to report on Twitter.

Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the twenty (or better) top prospects in all of baseball. The 19-year-old was invited to participate in Seattle’s 60-man player pool even though he has yet to appear in the upper minors.

The M’s had hoped to allow Rodriguez and other elite prospects to gain exposure to upper-level talent and get reps in the absence of a minor-league season. That’s all out the window now for Rodriguez, at least until he’s able to heal up.

There’s not a ton of time left for Rodriguez to get back to full speed and return to the fold, limiting his development opportunities this year. Fortunately, the Mariners won’t have to alter their MLB plans, as Rodriguez didn’t factor in the picture this year.

Padres’ Trey Wingenter Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Padres reliever Trey Wingenter underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Friday, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The procedure will force Wingenter to miss all of the 2020 season and likely the majority of 2021.

Wingenter’s surgery represents a blow to the depth of the San Diego bullpen, which will already be without lefty Jose Castillo for the next six or so weeks. Flamethrower Andres Munoz also fell victim to Tommy John surgery in March.

That said, the Friars’ bullpen should still be a strong unit, with the acquisitions of Drew Pomeranz, Emilio Pagan, and Pierce Johnson strengthening the supporting cast behind Kirby Yates. The trade for Tim Hill is looking like a timely move, and Gerardo Reyes, Javy Guerra, and Cal Quantrill are on board as depth options.

Wingenter, 26, was a core piece in the Padres’ bullpen last year, appearing in 51 games. He’s a strikeout specialist, averaging 12.7 K/9 in his first 70 career innings. Despite that, he ran a high 5.65 ERA last year, in part due to high walk numbers, and perhaps due to some bad luck: although the ERA is inarguably unimpressive, he managed a solid 3.61 FIP last year, indicating that Wingenter’s talent is deserving of a better mark.

Unfortunately, further development to the righty’s game will have to wait until late next season, at best. Without a doubt, it’s an untimely procedure for a young pitcher who looks to be coming into his own at the Major League level.

 

Blue Jays Denied Canadian Approval To Play Games In Toronto

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The Canadian government has denied the Blue Jays approval to play games in their home city of Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from Rob Gillies of the Associated Press. While the Blue Jays were given the go-ahead by the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario to host regular season games at the Rogers Centre, they were still awaiting clearance from the Canadian federal government.

As of now, the likely outcome is that the Blue Jays pivot their regular season games to Buffalo, the home of the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate. Dunedin, Florida, where the team holds Spring Training, has also been floated as an alternative, though Buffalo now looks preferable given the state of the virus in Florida.

In an official team statement, the Blue Jays said they are “in the process of finalizing the best home location for the remainder of the 2020 season and will share an update as soon as it is available.”

This development comes as something of a surprise, as just days ago it was looking like a good bet that the Rogers Centre would host regular season games as intended this year. However, shuttling MLB teams back and forth across the U.S.-Canada border poses undeniable concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19, which have only been heightened in light of diverging COVID-19 trends between the United States and our neighbors to the North.

As reported by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Canadian government has informed the Blue Jays that it would be “open to considering future restart plans for the post-season” if at that time risk of virus transmission has been tempered. But for the time being, it’s looking like Toronto will have to wait until 2021 for Blue Jays home baseball.

Braves Add Josh Tomlin, Yonder Alonso To 40-Man Roster

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The Atlanta Braves added Josh Tomlin and Yonder Alonso to the 40-man roster today, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.

Tomlin, 35, spent last season in the Braves bullpen. It was his first year away from the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the first nine years of his career as a sometimes-regular piece of the rotation. Pitching out of the Braves pen in 2019, Tomlin appeared 50 times (with 1 start as well), going 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA/4.49 FIP across 79 1/3 innings. He’ll continue to be a long man for the Braves in 2020.

Alonso has bounced around in recent seasons since his days as a regular first baseman with the Padres and A’s. After coming up with the Reds, he has also appeared in the bigs with the Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Rockies.

The Braves’ roster construction has gone through a number of potential iterations since the restart was announced. Freddie Freeman’s debut was at risk after he tested positive for coronavirus, but their franchise first baseman is back and he plans to be ensconced in the middle of the lineup by Opening Day.

Still, Alonso provides the Braves with a safety net. He struggled mightily to start the year in 2019 while in Chicago (.178/.275/.301 across 251 plate appearances), but after joining the Rockies, Alonso stepped up his production to .260/.357/.479, albeit over a small sample of just 84 plate appearances. Alonso has experience in the DH role, and he’ll compete with Adam Duvall, Austin Riley, and Charlie Culberson to snag the extra ABs afforded by the universal DH. The 33-year-old is a career .259/.332/.404 batting line with 100 home runs over his 10 years in the bigs.

Bryce Harper Stumps For Spencer Howard To Make Rotation

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Philadelphia Phillies top third base prospect Alec Bohm understands the dynamics of service time manipulation, and he understands the business sense behind holding him back in the minors to start the year, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “That’s a smart business move,” Bohm said.

Bryce Harper isn’t quite as accommodating, speaking out recently about the possibility of Spencer Howard – another top Philly prospect –  not making the Opening Day roster, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. With intrasquad games such a heavy component of the ramp-up to Opening Day this season, Harper has seen Howard’s stuff up close and personal – and he’s impressed.

The Phillies rotation is set with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Jake Arrieta slotted into the top spots with some competition for the final two roles. Still, there are plenty of capable veteran arms on hand, giving the Phils some plausible deniability when they decide that Howard needs more seasoning. Vince Velasquez, Zach Eflin, and Nick Pivetta all spent time in Philly’s rotation last season, and some combination of the three figure to get the early turns on the bump.

Howard, 24 in ten days, has a higher ceiling than those three, but he’s only pitched as high as Double-A – he made just 6 starts in Reading last year after starting the year in High-A. Given traditional development paths, it would be surprising for Howard to make the rotation from the jump – but that’s not to say he’s not capable.

As for Bohm, the 23-year-old is the long-term answer at third base for the Phillies. Like Howard, he made it as high as Double-A last season, hitting .269/.344/.500 across 270 plate appearances. His case for making the big league roster out of camp gained some traction over the winter, but all indications were – under normal circumstances – for Bohm to continue to develop in Triple-A at the start of 2020.

As in the rotation, the Phillies could certainly make room for Bohm if they so desired, but there’s more than enough veteran talent on-hand to make due. Jean Segura and Scott Kingery can split time between second and third, and veterans Josh Harrison and Neil Walker are also in camp as non-roster invitees. Jay Bruce slots in as the regular designated hitter – another veteran totally capable of handling a starting role, even if he might be better suited to the bench. In a vacuum, there’s room for Bohm, but it’s also not against baseball wisdom to give the vets a couple of weeks or more to prove they’re still capable of handling starter’s minutes.

With the shortened schedule, teams need only keep their top prospects off the major league roster for the first 6 games to secure an additional year of team control down the road. The issue, of course, has been hotly debated for years now, culminating in a grievance filed by Kris Bryant against the league. His grievance was unsuccessful. The issue persists year after year with players like Harper taking up the mantle to speak out for the rights of younger players. Service time manipulation of this sort will continue to be a hot button issue until it’s addressed – in some form or fashion – at the time of the next CBA negotiation in 2021.

Jose Martinez Confirms Positive Coronavirus Test

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Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Jose Martinez has arrived in camp for the first time today. He confirmed that he had tested positive for coronavirus. He did feel sick with cold symptoms for a day, but otherwise felt fine during his 14-day quarantine, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links).

The Rays have had a number of their higher-profile players test positive for COVID-19, including Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows. Like Martinez, Glasnow is now back with the club getting ready for Opening Day. Meadows remains out without a definite timetable for his return.

Martinez thinks he’ll be able to go by Opening Day, but there’s no reason to overextend the slugger to get him ready. Martinez figures to get regular time at least against left-handers, though they may make an effort to get him on the field more frequently if he slugs. His primary utility is as a designated hitter, but he’s capable of giving the old college try at first base or right field as well. With the Cardinals last season, Martinez hit .269/.340/.410, down a bit in the power department from his career norms. With 42 of his at-bats coming as a pinch-hitter, however, the Rays are betting that more regular playing time will return Martinez to a level more commensurate with his .458 career slugging.

If he’s not ready by the start of the season, the Rays have built out an impressive collection of depth in the corner infielder/outfielder department. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Hunter Renfroe, Nate Lowe or Brandon Lowe could all see time in the corners or at designated hitter. Brendan McKay could also get some at-bats at DH when he’s not on the hill.

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