The Diamondbacks announced their previously-reported deal with Evan Longoria, making it official. To create space for him on the 40-man roster, right-hander Edwin Uceta was designated for assignment.
Uceta landed in the desert last offseason as a waiver claim from the division rival Dodgers. He held his spot on the 40-man roster for the 2022 campaign as a depth reliever. The righty pitched in the majors 10 times, tallying 17 innings. Uceta allowed 12 runs (11 earned) with 13 strikeouts and seven walks in that relatively small-sample look.
The 24-year-old spent more of the year with Triple-A Reno, where he tossed 50 innings across 28 appearances. Uceta managed a 4.86 ERA there, a respectable mark considering Reno plays in the hitter’s haven of the Pacific Coast League. He struck out an excellent 32.7% of batters faced for the Aces but walked a very high 14% of opponents.
Uceta hasn’t had any issues missing bats throughout his career. He’s generated swinging strikes on a solid 11.3% of his total offerings over 37 1/3 MLB innings. He racked up whiffs on nearly 17% of pitches for Reno last season. Yet he’s paired that quality stuff with inconsistent control as he’s reached the upper levels. The walks have kept him carving out a consistent role in an MLB bullpen to date.
Arizona will have a week to trade Uceta or try to run him through waivers. He still has less than one year of major league service, so he’s at least two seasons away from reaching arbitration. He also has one minor league option year remaining, meaning another club willing to carry him on the 40-man roster could stash him in Triple-A for another season.
Isn’t Uceta a triple digit guy?
Not according to his Statcast numbers. His sinker is his hardest average pitch at 93.5mph. His FB sits at 91.
“Diamondbacks make it official…Evan Longoria has changed his vacation spot to Arizona.”
He lives in Arizona.
Thanks suffer. “Evan Longoria has extended his permanent paid vacation close to home.”
Longoria is the short side platoon partner for Josh Rojas at 3b and a primary DH candidate. As such, he is a big time improvement for the 2023 Dbacks lineup.
Not only that, but Trevor Plouffe has said on multiple occasions that Longoria is his mentor and most respected person between the lines. That says a lot for the youth coming through AZ as well. He could have a very positive impact on that very young team.
I like this guy, good movement on the fastball, but stays at the top of the zone. I was curious to see if he gave up a ton of homeruns because of that, but not so much. I would claim him if I had a spot on the roster and work with him to be a starter as opposed to a relief role.