The Tigers have announced that righty Dario Agrazal and infielder Jordy Mercer have made the Opening Day roster. Their contracts were selected to the 40-man roster. Former top picks Kyle Funkhouser and Beau Burrows both made the roster as well.
Agrazal, 25, was acquired from the Pirates back in November and later outrighted off the 40-man roster. The righty pitched 73 1/3 innings with the Pirates in 2019 but struggled to a 4.91 ERA with 5.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.84 HR/9 and a 39.9 percent grounder rate. Agrazal doesn’t miss many bats, even in the minors, but he’s averaged well under two walks per nine innings pitched in parts of seven minors league seasons and typically registers a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent. He’s only totaled 64 innings in Triple-A, but he owns a career 3.62 ERA with 5.8 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9 in 608 2/3 total minor league frames.
The veteran Mercer, meanwhile, will return for a second season in Detroit. He spent the ’19 season with the Tigers after signing a one-year deal but was plagued by quadriceps injuries for much of the season, spending multiple stints on the injured list. The signing looked regrettable at the season’s halfway point, but Mercer returned in early July and closed out the year with a sharp .292/.323/.479 slash line to salvage what was looking to be a lost year. The 33-year-old — 34 next month — is a career .257/.316/.388 hitter in parts of eight MLB seasons.
Both Funkhouser and Burrows were at one point first-round picks. Detroit selected Burrows with the No. 22 selection back in 2015, and Funkhouser was a supplemental first-round pick by the Dodgers just 13 spots later in that same draft. Funkhouser, however, didn’t sign and slid to the Tigers in the fourth round a year later. Both showed promise in 2017-18 before ugly 2019 seasons dropped their stock, but they’ll both get their first look in the big leagues to begin the 2020 campaign.
Pittsburgh might regret letting Dario go
Doubtful. They have more than enough backend (or worse) starters.
Agrazal is a low ceiling guy of the highest order, the Pirates won’t lose any sleep if he becomes a serviceable 5th starter. This is not like handing Glasnow over to TB, where Glasnow DID have elite upside, that it seems he is reaching, given health.
a serviceable 5th starter could be Pittsburgh’s ace right now. even if his ceiling isnt too high, its not like Pittsburgh is in a position to be picky.
Pitt is rebuilding and this is a time run Keller, even another prospect like Cody Bolton or to see how Chad Kuehl looks from his surgery. No need to stock the pond with low ceiling guys. And you are dead wrong about a guy like Agrazal being their ace. While Joe Musgrove I would not qualify as an ace (as of yet, I think there is more potential in him) he is vastly superior to Agrazal in every way. Trevor Williams is also better. While not a fan of Derek Holland these days, he’s more of a veteran innings eater and gives the Pirates a lefty so I can see why he’s there.
There is no room or no need for Agrazal and his 4 strike outs per 9 innings. There is NOTHING exciting about watching guys like this play out for a rebuilding team. About the only fun thing Pirates fans have to look forward to IS the kids. No don’t call up Priester or Malone, but certainly take a run with your higher minors prospects.
The Pirates previous GM was hideously stupid for making the Archer trade (I still can’t believe that deal was ever made), but moving on from Agrazal is a real nothing burger and as I said opens up slots for far more promising players. .
also surprises me Funkhouser and Burrows made the roster. what happened in ST 2.0 that made that happen?
Funkhouser was better in summer camp. Both are on the 40 man roster anyway.
Gruß,
BSHH
Pretty much. Chiang and Ramirez pitched better than Funkhouser and Burrows, but this comes down to who is and who is not on the 40 man. Tigers added two from the minors already in Mercer and Agrazal and could make room by using the 45 man DL on Zimmermann and Daz Cameron (I am now hearing, not Stokes though Stokes likely misses the year after hand surgery).
what did Cameron do to get on the 45?
Assuming their spots on the roster were created by Zimmermann going on the 45 day DL, as well as Troy Stokes Jr?
Kind of surprised these were the only two guys added from the minors. Chiang and Ramirez pitched well in the spring and in summer camp.
Stokes was never on the 60. Godley and Santiago were both released, providing room. I don’t expect Agrazal to last past the first round of cuts.
Agrazal only sticks if he has alot of success the in the first few weeks. Burrows and Funkhouser also need to pitch very well out of the pen if they want to stay with the big club. We’ve tried for 5 years now to hold onto the hope of Burrows as a starter and it’s just not going to happen. Might as well see what we have in him as a middle relief guy. Could be three best spot for him. The move I don’t get is Mercer. Why not give that bench spot to someone that MAY be a part of the next successful team in Detroit (Derek Hill as a Pinch Runner, D Lugo, S Alcantara, etc)? We certainly know what Mercer can and CAN’T do. Just another weird move for Big Al that makes zero sense!
Tigers could have drafted Walker Buehler and/or Mike Soroka in the 2015 Draft instead of the Burrows & Funkhouser…