The Diamondbacks are signing Heath Fillmyer to a minor league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The right-hander spent last season at the Royals’ alternate training site.
Selected by the Athletics in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, Fillmyer was traded to Kansas City in January 2018 as part of the deal that sent Ryan Buchter to Oakland. He made his MLB debut that summer and picked up 17 appearances (13 starts) down the stretch. He posted a 4.26 ERA but punched out a below-average 16.6% of opposing hitters. Fillmyer was hit hard over 22.1 innings in 2019 and wound up losing his spot on the Royals’ 40-man roster following that season. While he was part of Kansas City’s 60-man player pool last year, the 26-year-old didn’t return to the majors.
Fillmyer has managed a 5.07 ERA/5.10 SIERA over 104.2 MLB innings. He has struggled to miss bats (career 15.9% strikeout percentage) but he’s induced ground balls at a decent clip (45.3%) and avoided walks at a near-average rate (9.7%). Fillmyer posted quality numbers up through Double-A and gives the D-Backs a depth option capable of either starting or working multiple innings in relief.
This feels weird to say, but I can honestly say that I have never heard of this guy before.
I think player names are starting to be made up!
Me either and it’s rare when a player is mentioned I haven’t at least heard the name of.
So Jesse Hahn is the only thing we have left still connected to the Matt Strahm trade. Not that Strahm has set the world on fire, but that’s probably Dayton Moore’s worst trade.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Hahn was part of it. Wasn’t it just Cahill, Buchter and Maurer for Strahm and Wood?
That’s correct other than missing a young infield prospect that also went off to the Padres (he’s still with them and recently turned 22).
Hahn (and Fillmyer) ended up with the Royals in a trade with Oakland for Buchter and Brandon Moss. Hahn was only in Oakland in the first place though because he had been traded there by the Padres.
It’s Esteury Ruiz for those that don’t know.
Every time I hear the name Heath I think about Heath chocolate bars and Heath ice cream.
Man does it stink to be a DBACKS fan sometimes.
Sometimes?
Dbacks busy collecting nobodies. 2021 gonna be a snooze season
I wish him luck. He wasn’t bad in 2018 in his first taste of the majors.
Another who cares minor league filler .. start your life out of baseball young man
He was one of the dudes crap talking Tim Anderson for batflipping. And look where he is now. I guess he was so mad because he gives up HRs so often lol