Rockies V. Padres: Who’s More Likely To Make Playoffs?
Neither Colorado nor San Diego entered the season as teams expected to contend for playoff berths, but both the Rockies and Padres have been among the National League’s best teams a week-plus into what will go down as a strange 2020 campaign. The NL West rivals met over the weekend, and the Rockies took two of three to vault them into first place in the division – yes, even ahead of the mighty Dodgers – with a 6-2 record. The Padres, who are trying to snap a 13-year playoff drought, are now a game back at 6-4.
When the dust settles at year’s end (if a full season actually happens), there’s little doubt that the Dodgers will be the top team standing in the NL West. Frankly, they’re too loaded to expect otherwise. But it would still be a major accomplishment for the Rockies or Padres to earn wild-card berths. Colorado’s not far removed from back-to-back playoff spots, having played meaningful October ball in 2017-18, though the team fell on hard times during a 71-win effort last season and did little to nothing to improve during the offseason. San Diego was pretty aggressive, meanwhile, though it entered the winter as a 70-win team with a similarly high hill to climb.
The fact that the league added three extra playoff teams in each league for 2020 obviously helps the causes of every club, especially those that have started well this year. The Rockies have charged to first in their division on the strength of some of the usual suspects (Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, German Marquez and Jon Gray), and they’ve done so despite struggles from team MVP Nolan Arenado. Surprisingly, though, veterans Daniel Murphy, Matt Kemp and Daniel Bard – whose best days seemed long gone when the season started – have picked up some of the slack.
The Padres are playing .600 ball in the early going thanks in no small part to continued marvelous performances from second-year stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack, but they’ve also gotten excellent production from other sources. Outfielder and offseason acquisition Trent Grisham has been fantastic; so have currently injured first baseman Eric Hosmer and outfielder Wil Myers, both disappointments in recent years, as well as righty Dinelson Lamet. To the surprise of no one who has paid attention to his career, newcomer and outfielder Tommy Pham has also thrived. The Padres also sport an impressive bullpen on paper, though the unit’s off to a surprisingly poor start. Regardless, in order to upgrade their cast of pitchers, the Padres could pick from a deep well of prospects (MacKenzie Gore? Luis Patino?) if they need to bolster their roster in the next couple months.
It’s going to be interesting to see if either of these rival clubs will emerge as playoff teams in 2020. They’ve certainly begun well, but which one is more likely to keep up its current pace? (Poll link for app users)
Who's more likely to make 2020 playoffs?
-
Padres 76% (3,108)
-
Rockies 24% (969)
Total votes: 4,077
Mike Soroka Helped Off Field With Lower-Leg Injury
Braves starter Mike Soroka had to be helped off of the field after suffering an evident injury. He was attempting to cover first base when he came up limping and ultimately could not bear weight on his right leg.
While it’s obviously far too soon to know what kind of prognosis Soroka will face, replays suggest he may well have suffered damage to his Achilles tendon. That could be a potentially devastating injury to the hurler, who turns 23 tomorrow.
Soroka was excellent last year, his first full campaign in the majors, as he earned an All-Star nod and came in second in the A.L. Rookie of the Year voting. He finished the season with 174 2/3 innings of 2.68 ERA pitching.
It had been more of the same early in 2020, as he carried a 1.59 ERA through his first two outings. While Soroka is anything but overpowering, he has succeeded to this point in his young career by keeping batters off balance and limiting the long ball.
Soroka is on track for likely arbitration qualification as a Super Two player after the 2020 season. His earning power would be reduced greatly if he’s unable to participate fully in the truncated season.
Any significant absence would obviously also pose a major problem for the Braves. They’re already missing Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez from the anticipated rotation mix.
Shohei Ohtani Diagnosed With Strain Of Flexor Pronator Mass
Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani has been diagnosed with a Grade 1-2 flexor pronator mass strain, the team announced. Ohtani is unlikely to begin throwing for at least four to six weeks. He’s day-to-day as the club’s designated hitter.
Considering the timeline the Angels provided, it doesn’t seem probable that Ohtani will factor into their rotation again this season. With so little time left in the season, a bullpen role might be a best-case scenario. Either way, it’s yet another awful blow to Ohtani’s attempt to become a two-way star in the majors. He has dealt with multiple injuries – including Tommy John surgery – that have limited him to 53 1/3 innings since he emigrated from Japan as a much-ballyhooed prospect prior to the 2017 season.
Ohtani didn’t pitch at all last season after undergoing TJS, and his return from the procedure didn’t go well this year before this latest issue. He made two starts and could only muster a combined 1 2/3 innings, in which the 26-year-old allowed seven earned runs on three hits and eight walks (with three strikeouts). Ohtani’s average fastball also fell below 94 mph, well under the near-97 mph mean he posted as a rookie.
Already off to a dismal 3-7 start this season, the Ohtani news is one of the last things the Angels needed at the 10-game mark. Fortunately for the Halos, there have been bright spots in their starting staff this season in the form of Dylan Bundy, Griffin Canning and Andrew Heaney. Some combination of Patrick Sandoval, Matt Andriese and Julio Teheran figure to round out their Ohtani-less rotation.
While the loss of Ohtani takes away a potential front-line starter from their staff, it shouldn’t stop him from factoring in as a DH option. Even when he was recovering from TJS last year, Ohtani turned in a solid .286/.343/.505 line with 18 home runs and 12 stolen bases across 425 plate appearances. He’s off to a rough start at the plate this year, though, having batted .148/.179/.407 with a pair of HRs in 28 PA.
Astros To Acquire Chase De Jong
The Astros have struck a deal to pick up righty Chase De Jong, per Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). He had been working with the indy league Sugarland Skeeters.
It’s not immediately clear whether De Jong will join the Astros’ active roster or instead head to the team’s alternative training site. Regardless, he’ll first have to pass a physical and covid screening.
De Jong, 26, is a former second-round pick who has appeared in each of the past three MLB seasons. He hasn’t found much success at the game’s highest level, allowing 31 earned runs with a 26:22 K/BB ratio in 47 total frames. He also ran into the Triple-A home run buzzsaw last year, but did carry a 3.66 ERA in 160 frames at the highest level of the minors in the 2018 campaign.
Twins Select Caleb Thielbar
The Twins have selected the contract of lefty Caleb Thielbar, per a club announcement. To create active roster space, the team optioned outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr.
Thielbar, 33, is making a triumphant return to the majors after four seasons away. He worked to a 2.74 ERA over 98 2/3 innings with the Twins from 2013-15, but teams obviously didn’t buy into his ability to sustain anything approaching that level of output.
In the interim, Thielbar has kept turning in good results, first in the indy ball ranks and then in the upper minors. Last season, he worked to a 3.22 ERA in 78 1/3 Triple-A innings with 94 strikeouts and 16 walks.
Padres Select Abraham Almonte
The Padres have selected the contract of outfielder Abraham Almonte, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune was among those to cover on Twitter. He’ll take the active roster spot of righty Jerad Eickhoff, who was optioned down.
More to come …
White Sox Sign Clayton Richard
The White Sox have inked left-hander Clayton Richard to a minor-league deal, per LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune on Twitter. He’ll report to the team’s alternative training site.
Richard, 36, has eleven years of MLB experience under his belt. He had a nice run earlier in his career before injuries intervened. Richard hasn’t found much success of late.
Last year, Richard took ten starts with the Blue Jays, limping to a 5.96 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over 45 1/3 innings. Given those most recent results, it seems fair to presume that the South Siders view the veteran southpaw as a depth option.
Pirates Select Yacksel Rios
The Pirates have selected the contract of righty Yacksel Rios. Fellow right-hander Michael Feliz was moved to the 45-man injured list.
Rios was outrighted off of the 40-man roster in late June. The 27-year-old will now get another shot. He owns a 6.20 ERA through 65 1/3 total MLB frames over the past three seasons.
It’s obviously somewhat ominous news to see Feliz move right onto the lengthier injury list. He came down with forearm issues yesterday. Clearly, the team anticipates a rather lengthy absence for the 27-year-old.
Marlins Announce Numerous Roster Moves
As they prepare to resume play, the Marlins have announced a flurry of additions to the active roster (as covered on Twitter by reporters including Jordan MacPherson of the Miami Herald). Just who’ll move to the COVID-19 injured list remains to be seen.
Most of these players were picked up in the last week or so as the organization’s coronavirus outbreak unfolded. The Fish will select the contracts of righties Nick Vincent and Josh A. Smith, infielders Logan Forsythe and Eddy Alvarez, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway.
Also coming up are a host of other fill-ins that had already gone onto the 40-man roster. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Lewis Brinson are coming off of the injured list. Righties Justin Shafer, James Hoyt, and Mike Morin will join lefties Josh D. Smith, Richard Bleier, and Brian Moran in the bullpen.
Most notably, perhaps, are the additions of youngsters Jordan Yamamoto, Monte Harrison, and Jorge Guzman. Yamamoto had 15 solid starts in 2019 and will be looking to lock down a job for the foreseeable future. As for Harrison, a former top-100 prospect, it’ll be his first taste of the bigs. Guzman is a live-armed young hurler who’ll get his first look.
In other news from Miami, both president Derek Jeter and manager Don Mattingly pushed back on the prevailing narrative surrounding the team’s coronavirus issues. While the leaders acknowledged that some players may have let their guard down, they rejected any rumors that players had recklessly engaged in risky activities away from the ballpark.
Jeter also rejected the notion that the Marlins’ players had made their own decision to take the field against the Phillies after several players tested positive. He says the organization simply played a scheduled game and noted that the league and opposing team had full knowledge of the testing results.
Angels To Promote Jo Adell
The Angels will promote top prospect Jo Adell, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The club is off tonight, so he’ll have his first shot at playing in the majors tomorrow evening.
Adell entered each of the past two seasons as a consensus top-ten prospect leaguewide. Selected out of high school in the first round of the 2017 draft, he has certainly hit his ceiling as a prospect. Now we’ll see whether he can do so as a major leaguer.
Given the timing of the promotion, Adell will not be able to accrue a full season of MLB service this year. He’s now on track to reach free agency after the 2026 season. If he holds down a roster spot from this point forward, Adell will surely qualify for arbitration in advance of the 2023 season as a Super Two player.
The 21-year-old Adell has generally thrived on his way up the ladder. He didn’t impress at Triple-A last year after a late-season promotion, but he showed well in the Arizona Fall League and doesn’t really have anything left to prove. All told, Adell owns a .298/.361/.518 batting line in the minors.
Most prospect watchers expect Adell to grow into added power. He’s already driving the ball all over the field and has the wheels to take extra bases. That speed also serves Adell well in the outfield, where he also possesses a big arm.
There’s really not much not to like. Adell does have some swing and miss but not so much that it’s considered a likely hindrance. As with any prospect, there’s a wide variance of potential outcomes. But Halos fans have every reason to be excited to welcome another premium talent to the roster.