The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Marlins acquired catcher/first baseman Lorenzo Quintana in a trade with the Astros. The 32-year-old Quintana is a veteran of seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, hitting an impressive .310/.377/.438 over 1636 plate appearances. Quintana signed with the Astros in November 2017 and hit pretty well in his first three minor league seasons, including a .311/.372/.340 slash line in 113 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land this season. While his power dropoff is a concern, Quintana gives Miami another depth option in the minors, particularly at the catcher position.
- The Cubs announced Sunday that right-hander Dakota Chalmers has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Tennessee. Chalmers was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this month, and the Cubs can now keep a young arm in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot. Chalmers entered this season as the #24 prospect in the Minnesota system, per Baseball America, which praised his mid-90s velocity and high-spin curveball but questioned his strike-throwing ability. Indeed, Chalmers has since walked an untenable 23.8% of opposing hitters at Double-A this year, so the Cubs player development staff will need to help him improve his control if he’s to make it to the big leagues.
- Earlier this month, the Rockies signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson to a minors contract and released right-hander Ben Meyer. Tomlinson appeared in 273 games with the Giants from 2015-18 (hitting .265/.331/.332 in 687 PA), primarily playing as a second baseman but also making appearances as a third baseman, shortstop, and left fielder. Since his last big league game, Tomlinson has inked minor league deals with Diamondbacks, Mariners, and also the Rockies in a previous contract last season; Colorado released Tomlinson last June. Meyer has been in Colorado’s organization for almost exactly two years, since the righty was let go by the Marlins. A 29th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2015 draft, Meyer’s MLB resume consists of 19 innings and a 10.42 ERA with Miami in 2018.
Kelby Tomlinson hit his first career home run (a grand slam) off of James Russell of the Chicago Cubs on August 27, 2015. According to my research, they were both teammates with Marlon Byrd at one time. Kelby in 2015 with the Giants and James in 2011 with the Cubs. It just so happens that Marlon Byrd was the batter who hit right before Kelby’s first career home run and Marlon was intentionally walked by James!! Did Mr. Russell do this to Marlon to try and make Kelby’s first career home run that more exciting?? We shall never know!
Wanna make up a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game using Marlon Byrd?
2009 Topps cards featured a “six degrees of Mickey Mantle” section on their reverse sides
I always loved watching Marlon Byrd play. His smile and enthusiasm were always on display.
No way… I saw Lorenzo in the airport on Sunday with all his bags…. I had no clue who he was but now I do
Big move by the Marlins with Quintana. Maybe we’re bringing him in so Sandy Leon can become our regular go-to reliever. After all, Sandy has been our best reliever after Anthony Bender.
Who or what did the Marlins give up in the trade, no mention of anything.
Just cash considerations according to climbingtalshill. He’s almost as old as Machete and Castro, who are both under contract in 2022, so they didn’t need another 30-something catcher. They had too many younger guys like Stubbs and Korey Lee to keep Quintana.