Jordan Hicks To Begin Season On Injured List
Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks will open the 2020 season on the injured list, manager Mike Shildt told reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). The flamethrowing 23-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery last June and is still in the final stages of his rehab process.
Back in May, Hicks had progressed to the point where he was able to throw multiple 20-pitch bullpen sessions. About six weeks have elapsed since that time, but it doesn’t seem that Hicks is yet at the point where he can immediately contribute. The club does expect him to factor into the bullpen before too long, though no clear timetable was provided.
Hicks turned in a sharp rookie season back in 2018, tossing 77 2/3 innings of 3.59 ERA ball — albeit with a more troubling 5.2 BB/9 mark and 13.3 percent overall walk rate. He looked to be taking his game to another level in 2019, though. Prior to going on the injured list, Hicks pitched 28 2/3 frames with across-the-board improvements in ERA (3.59 to 3.14), FIP (3.74 to 3.21), K/9 (8.1 to 9.7), K% (20.6 percent to 28.2 percent), BB% (13.3 percent to 10.0 percent) and ground-ball rate (60.7 percent to 67.2 percent). Those results and a fastball that averaged 101.6 mph in his brief career to date certainly paint the picture of a potentially dominant reliever.
With Hicks on the shelf to begin the year, the Cards should have plenty of alternatives — headlined by 2019 breakout setup man Giovanny Gallegos and veteran southpaw Andrew Miller. Gallegos, acquired in the 2018 Luke Voit trade with the Yankees, has helped to balance the scales on what initially looked like an inordinately lopsided deal. But while Voit came roaring out of the gates in the Bronx, Gallegos slowly and steadily increased his role in the St. Louis bullpen and wound up with downright dominant results in 2019: 74 innings, 2.31 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 11.3 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, one save, 19 holds. He’s controlled for another five seasons, so it seems the Cards may have unearthed a key long-term bullpen piece.
As for the 35-year-old Miller, the 2019 season wasn’t his strongest. Like many pitchers, Miller saw his home-run rates skyrocket last year as hitters piled up big flies at record rates amid revelations about alterations to the ball’s composition. Miller’s 4.45 ERA and 5.19 FIP were his highest marks since breaking out as a high-end reliever, but he still averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Rockies Agree To Terms With Supplemental 1st Rounder Drew Romo
The Rockies have wrapped up their draft business by agreeing to terms with catcher Drew Romo, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He’ll receive a bonus for the precise $2,095,800 slot value of the 35th overall pick.
Romo will bypass a commitment to Louisiana State University to go pro with the Rox. He’s seen as a defensively proficient switch-hitting backstop, which is certainly a nice starting point for a player hoping to maximize his opportunities to reach the majors.
The question remains whether Romo will really ever emerge as a compelling player on offense. Baseball America cites “swing-and-miss concerns” and indicates that the upside is limited. Per BA, Romo “has a good understanding of the strike zone and could provide enough offense with his plate discipline and ambush power.”
Though high school catchers constitute a generally disfavored class of players, Romo’s serious defensive chops were sufficient to push him into the top forty players chosen. That’s at the top of the range at which prospect watchers graded him, but all agreed he was at least a second-round talent.
Mexican League Cancels 2020 Season
Following yesterday’s decision of Minor League Baseball to cancel the 2020 season, the affiliated Mexican League has followed suit. In an official announcement, the 16-team circuit says it will not attempt to launch play this year.
While it’s obviously disappointing to see Mexico’s top league on ice, the announcement makes clear the decision was made for good reason. Health and safety priorities rendered a campaign untenable, the league says.
No doubt this decision was driven in large by an anticipated inability to generate significant revenue without regular paid attendance. Expanding the income possibilities through television and other media initiatives rates as a priority for the league, the announcement goes on to specify.
Despite the bad news, the Mexican League sounded a rather upbeat tone. Players and umpires will receive financial support, though to what extent isn’t specified. And the league says it’ll use the time off to work on various changes to secure the long-term viability of the business.
Giants Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Patrick Bailey
The Giants have agreed to a $3.8MM bonus with first-round selection Patrick Bailey, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He was selected 13th overall, a position that came with a $4,197,300 slot allocation.
This represents the first big draft strike for the San Francisco organization, which has quite a bit of signing left to do. The savings on this selection will presumably be rolled over to later-drafted players.
Bailey, a backstop out of N.C. State, will slot in behind recent top selection Joey Bart in the long-term catching pipeline. If and when the club ends up with some tough decisions to make involving those two players and long-time star receiver Buster Posey, it’d surely consider it a good problem to have.
Entering the draft, all major pundits graded Bailey as one of the twenty best players available. ESPN.com and Fangraphs each rated him within the top dozen. The switch-hitter isn’t exactly hyped for his endless ceiling, but prospect watchers seem to agree he has solid all-around skills and real potential to become a regular backstop at the game’s highest level.
Rockies Release Zac Rosscup
The Rockies recently released southpaw Zac Rosscup, according to the latest Baseball America transactions log. It seems the organization determined he would not be a part of the 60-man player pool and was not otherwise worth keeping under contract.
Also cut loose by the Rox were fellow lefty Evan Grills and infielder Carlos Herrera. The BA report also mentions that the Colorado organization parted ways with Kelby Tomlinson, a transaction that MLBTR recently reported.
Rosscup, 32, has seen action in six of the past seven MLB campaigns. But he has really never held down a consistent job in a big-league bullpen. Rosscup appeared with three teams in 2019 alone.
All told, the former 28th-round draft pick has compiled a 5.16 ERA in 83 2/3 innings at the game’s highest level. While he owns an excellent 12.2 K/9 over that run, he has also surrendered 5.9 free passes and 1.6 home runs per regulation game. Through 115 career frames at Triple-A, he owns a similar K/BB mix but has found much greater success (2.74 ERA) by avoiding the long ball (0.5 per nine).
Eppler On Possibility Of 2020 Debut For Jo Adell
Top Angels prospect Jo Adell won’t have a chance to force his way into the big leagues this year through his play at Triple-A, but that may not be altogether necessary. GM Billy Eppler says that he anticipates Adell will have the opportunities he needs to show the team he’s ready, as Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report.
That’s certainly far from a guarantee that Adell is going to debut in 2020. But Eppler says the Halos intend to structure their second preparatory camp in such a way that the talented 21-year-old will see plenty of competitive action.
“There’s some upside to the intrasquad format,” says Eppler, who explained that the organization anticipates staging contests between its major and minor-league participants. “We’ll just have to keep getting [Adell] at-bats. There’s going to be talented pitchers over there for him to face and we’ll go from there.”
Adell is by most accounts one of the five best overall prospects in baseball. On the whole, he has done nothing but impress since the Angels took him out of high school with the tenth overall pick of the 2017 draft. But having only just turned 21, Adell does probably have a few more boxes to check before he’s handed the keys to an outfield spot alongside Mike Trout.
Last year, after working through some early-season injuries, Adell laid wasted to High-A and Double-A pitching but showed his age a bit after moving to the highest level of the minors. All told, he finished with 340 plate appearances of .289/.359/.475 hitting. Adell was productive, but not overwhelmingly so, in a 24-game Arizona Fall League stint (.273/.351/.444).
It was never likely that Adell would force his way onto the Opening Day roster, with legitimate remaining developmental goals alongside service-time consideration. Any faint hope dissipated as he struck out 13 times in his 26 Cactus League plate appearances.
With an odd and uncertain 2020 season now on the docket, the Angels will surely take a flexible approach to handling Adell. The plan, clearly, is to get him as many reps as possible. If there’s a need and opportunity at the MLB level, and Adell seems ready, there’s not much reason for the Halos to hold back on a promotion. (Service time will be pro-rated. So long as Adell spends a few days off of the active roster, he won’t qualify for a full year of MLB service.) Making a surprise run at the division in a short-season format may well hinge upon the ability to call upon such a special talent.
Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy Details COVID Bout
Players and staff members are reporting today in order to re-launch the 2020 season. The first order of business will be coronavirus check-in testing.
One important member of the Cubs organization won’t be anxiously awaiting the results of his test. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has already endured a bout with COVID-19, he tells 670 The Score’s Mully and Haugh (h/t Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, via Twitter).
While Hottovy is no longer positive for the virus, he says he is still not fully back to himself. He’s through the worst of it, which required some time in the hospital, but is still struggling with lung function and cardiovascular fitness.
In yet another reminder of how insidious this particular disease can be, Hottovy says he had acted quite cautiously in public before coming down with it. Fortunately, he was able to self-isolate and avoid transmitting it to his family.
Hottovy was able to work with Cubs pitchers remotely even while battling the infection, so he’s ready to hit the ground running. He says the organization’s hurlers worked hard during the lockdown and should be well-prepared to tackle the 2020 campaign.
KBO Preparing For Return Of Fans
JULY 1: The return of live fans will have to wait at least a bit longer, per Yoo (via Twitter). Governmental approval still hasn’t been issued, though it still seems likely to come before long — except, perhaps, in the Kia Tigers’ home city of Gwangju, where there has been an uptick in coronavirus cases. (It’s still a much smaller number than most U.S. cities are dealing with.)
JULY 30: The Korea Baseball Organization has thus far successfully followed Taiwan’s top league in launching a 2020 season. Now, the KBO hopes to join the CPBL in re-introducing live attendance.
Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News reports (Twitter link; full story) that fans could be in the seats within days. The plan is to open at approximately thirty percent capacity, with careful precautions in place to limit the potential for coronavirus transmission.
All of the planning is obviously occurring in concert with Korean authorities, who’ll need to sign off on the final plan. The league is working up a variety of protocols, according to Yoo.
While it may seem like a fairly rapid development to go from no fans to nearly one-third attendance, it seems the KBO has been hard at work all this time preparing for a re-launch. Among the measures being taken:
- Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
- Utilization of QR codes at entry to limit contact and enable tracing if transmission is suspected.
- Modified entrance and spaced seating protocols.
It’s obviously quite important to understand that the KBO (like the CPBL) is operating in a nation that has far lower current COVID-19 prevalence than does the United States. Korea’s top league has already provided a model for relaunching play, but its strict standards for maintaining its schedule — the league says it will shut down for at least three weeks if any member of a team tests positive — would almost certainly be unworkable for MLB. If and when it comes to considering the reintroduction of fans on this side of the Pacific, it’ll be important to learn from the KBO while also recognizing the very different public health situation.
Hoyer On Cubs’ Roster Plan
Like all of their competitors, the Cubs have just launched into a whole new world of roster management with the introduction of a 60-man player pool for the 2020 season. The Chicago organization elected to open with just fifty slots filled — a decision that GM Jed Hoyer discussed with reporters including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. (Links below to Twitter.)
Different teams took differing approaches, with the Cubs among those wary of getting stuck with an over-stuffed 60-man unit. Hoyer says the Cubs elected to leave so many openings now to remain nimble as an unusual season unfolds. The idea is to have capacity to add depth as needed in a 60-game sprint. Ensuring adequate support for the active MLB roster is obviously the top priority, but Hoyer did note that the Cubs may ultimately add some more prospects to the pool for developmental reasons.
[RELATED: Explaining The 2020 MLB Roster Rules]
Of course, it may ultimately also be necessary to have prospects on the 60-man in order to structure deals for big league talent. Hoyer plainly believes there’s quite a lot of uncertain waters yet to be navigated. “I just don’t think we know what this is going to be like,” he said when asked about the August 31st trade deadline. 60-man pool flexibility could come in handy if the Cubbies end up being active in dealmaking, which Hoyer left open as a possibility. He says “it’s way too early to tell” how much mid-season player movement we’ll experience.
At the moment, anyway, it doesn’t seem the Cubs are holding spots open for any particular targets from outside the organization. Hoyer says the team is “not down the road” on bringing in any new talent.
That’s true even though the team now has a previously unknown need: filling out a DH spot. Flexibility will be the name of the game there as well, Hoyer indicates. While some National League clubs have added veteran hitters, the Chicago GM says his team intends to utilize its existing depth. Hoyer says the Cubs can manage the position in “a lot of different ways.” He specifically mentioned the possibility of rotating outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Stephen Souza and catchers Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini through the DH slot.
Nelson Cruz Discusses Future Plans
Wednesday is Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz‘s 40th birthday, but that doesn’t mean the six-time All-Star is closing in on retirement. On the contrary, Cruz suggested to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune that he still has enough gas in the tank to play beyond the 2020 campaign.
“I don’t see it [soon],” Cruz said of calling it quits sometime soon, and he went on to state that “my body is in good shape, and I’m doing everything I can to keep it that way. Why would I retire?”
Indeed, based on the eye-popping offensive numbers he has put up over the past few seasons, Cruz doesn’t look like someone who’s anywhere near the finish line. Cruz was a force with the Mariners from 2015-18 over 2,558-plate appearance tenure in which he slashed .284/.362/.546 (147 wRC+) with 163 home runs, and he only got better a year ago.
Owing to his age and his inability to factor in as a defender, Cruz didn’t secure a multiyear guarantee in free agency after his time in Seattle ended. He instead inked a one-year, $14.3MM deal with the Twins, though that contract did come with a $12MM club option for 2020. The Twins exercised it this past offseason, which was a no-brainer in light of the production Cruz posted in Year 1 in Minnesota. While Cruz only played in 120 games, his fewest since 2013, he still managed to amass 41 home runs across 521 PA and slash .311/.392/.639 – good for a personal-high wRC+ of 163. His HR total played a major role in the Twins setting a single-season record with 307.
Although Cruz is seemingly dead set on playing past 2020, that doesn’t mean he’ll continue to don a Twins uniform. Cruz is a pending free agent, and if he turns in another banner year and the National League keeps the DH going forward, he could encounter a robust market for someone his age. The Twins have shown interest in extending Cruz, though, so perhaps those talks will pick back up now that the league has lifted its freeze on transactions.