Reds Grant Mike Ford His Release
2024/03/reds-release-mike-ford.htmlThe 31-year-old slugger appeared in 10 games and tallied 35 plate appearances, during which he posted a torrid .455/.486/.727 slash with three home runs, a pair of walks and just three punchouts. … In 2023, Ford posted huge power numbers with the Mariners, slashing .228/.323/.475 with 16 homers in just 251 trips to the plate.
Casey Mize, Reese Olson Win Rotation Spots With Tigers; Matt Manning Optioned To Triple-A
2024/03/casey-mize-reese-olson-win-rotation-spots-with-tigers-matt-manning-optioned-to-triple-a.htmlOlson posted the best blend of strikeout and walk rates in camp (22.6% and 6.5%, respectively). … Manning was perhaps done in by the six home runs he yielded in 16 innings.
Rangers Sign Michael Lorenzen
2024/03/rangers-to-sign-michael-lorenzen.htmlThe Phils acknowledged at the time of his acquisition that they could eventually squeeze him out and go with a five-man staff of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sanchez. … In his first home appearance at Citizens Bank Park, he no-hit the Nationals.
Padres Select Graham Pauley
2024/03/padres-to-select-graham-pauley.htmlHe started with a .309/.422/.465 slash with as many walks as strikeouts over 62 games in Low-A. … He popped 16 home runs in just 45 games to earn another promotion to Double-A.
Jackson Chourio To Make Brewers’ Opening Day Roster
2024/03/jackson-chourio-to-make-brewers-opening-day-roster.htmlHe walked at a modest 7.3% clip in Double-A, although that's hardly an overwhelming concern given his youth. … The right-handed hitter put together a .280/.336/.467 slash with 22 home runs and 43 steals over 559 plate appearances.
Guardians Reassign Kyle Manzardo To Minor League Camp
2024/03/guardians-reassign-kyle-manzardo-to-minor-league-camp.htmlIt's a small sample, of course, as with all spring stats -- but Manzardo's seven strikeouts (29.2%) were uncharacteristic for a player who carries a career 17.5% strikeout rate against a robust 13.7% walk rate. … At least in the early portion of the season, he'll continue to get some work in Triple-A, where he slashed .237/.337/.464 with 17 home runs and 27 doubles in 2023.
Jose Urquidy Diagnosed With Forearm Strain, Will Open Season On Injured List
2024/03/astros-jose-urquidy-forearm-strain-injured-list.htmlIn 405 big league innings, Urquidy has a solid 3.98 earned run average with a below-average 19.6% strikeout rate but a very strong 5.8% walk rate. … As an undersized righty (6'0") with fly-ball tendencies and an average fastball, he's susceptible to home runs (1.49 HR/9).
Pirates Sign Michael A. Taylor
2024/03/pirates-to-sign-michael-a-taylor.htmlHe's coming off a year in which he hit 21 homers, a personal best, but his 6.7% walk rate was subpar. … His hitting has been less straightforward, as he has generally provided a bit of home run power but with limited on-base ability and some concerning strikeout levels.
Danny Jansen Diagnosed With Small Fracture In Right Wrist
2024/03/blue-jays-danny-jansen-fracture-broken-wrist-bone.htmlIt's not an ideal start in what'll be Jansen's walk year before free agency. … Since 2021, Jansen carries a stout .237/.317/.487 batting line with 43 home runs in 754 trips to the plate.
Padres Acquire Dylan Cease
2024/03/padres-finalizing-deal-for-dylan-cease.htmlHe has walked more than 10% of batters faced in three of the past four seasons, including his Cy Young runner-up campaign. … That has come in a tough home ballpark for pitchers in front of generally lackluster defenses.
Taj Bradley To Undergo MRI Due To Pectoral Tightness
2024/03/taj-bradley-to-undergo-mri-due-to-pectoral-tightness.htmlHe posted a 5.59 earned run average in 104 2/3 frames last year, despite strong strikeout and walk rates of 28% and 8.5%, respectively. … He may have been hampered by a 67.7% strand rate but his 23 home runs allowed on the season also may have played a role in that.
Angels, Mets Remain Engaged With J.D. Martinez
2024/03/angels-mets-remain-engaged-with-j-d-martinez.htmlIf the club is willing to consider such an expenditure, it would lengthen the lineup as they walk a tightrope in 2024. … Adding Martinez would be a clear upgrade to the club's lineup, as he has a long track record of effective hitting and is coming off a 33-home run campaign with the Dodgers.
Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Reds
2024/03/offseason-in-review-cincinnati-reds-14.htmlHe made 32 starts with the A's in 2021 with a 3.37 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 42.8% ground ball rate. … But he's a flyball pitcher who saw his home run to flyball rate drop to 5.3% on the season.
Gerrit Cole Undergoing MRI On Right Elbow
2024/03/yankees-rumors-gerrit-cole-mri-elbow-injury.htmlAfter a dominant two-year run between the White Sox and Giants from 2021-22, Rodon was limited by injuries in 2023, logging just 14 starts (64 1/3 innings) and yielding a grisly 6.85 ERA with strikeout and walk rates that both trended heavily in the wrong direction (22.4% and 9.8%, respectively -- down from 33.9% and 7.1% in the two seasons prior). … Cortes didn't see a disproportionate number of his fly-balls leave the yard (just 11%), but the sheer volume of balls in the air worked against him both at home (1.45 HR/9) and on the road (1.73 HR/9).
Free Agent Faceoff: Adam Duvall/Tommy Pham
2024/03/free-agent-faceoff-adam-duvall-tommy-pham.htmlEven so, it's certainly fair to wonder if teams in search of a regular fixture in their outfield mix would prefer Pham's more consistent production and stronger plate discipline, with a 24.1% strikeout rate and a strong 10.9% walk rate over the past three seasons in spite of his paltry .158 ISO over that same period. … Taylor is generally regarded as the best player remaining on the market in that group due to his superlative center field defense and a strong platform season in Minnesota that saw him slug a career-best 21 home runs.
Marlins, J.D. Martinez Have Had Recent Discussions
2024/03/marlins-rumors-j-d-martinez.htmlLast year's 7.1% walk rate was Martinez's lowest since establishing himself as a big league regular, however, while his 31.1% strikeout rate was a career-high. … The 36-year-old Martinez just wrapped up a strong rebound season with the Dodgers, wherein he slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs.
Blue Jays Sign Joey Votto To Minor League Deal
2024/03/blue-jays-agree-to-minor-league-deal-with-joey-votto.htmlHis 11.5% walk rate in that time was still a few ticks above average but below Votto's career rate of 15.6%. … For most of the past two decades, Votto has been mashing for the Reds and becoming a fan favorite with his unique personality while Blue Jays fans looked south of the border with envy, hoping that the local legend would someday return home.
Caleb Kilian To Miss Several Months Due To Teres Major Strain
2024/03/caleb-kilian-to-miss-several-months-due-to-teres-major-strain.htmlHe struck out 22.1% of batters faced in that time, gave out walks at a 9.5% clip and got grounders on roughly half the balls in play he allowed. … Madrigal is a hit-over-power guy who has just four home runs in his 846 major league plate appearances.
Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals
2024/03/offseason-in-review-washington-nationals-13.htmlHe's still walked in 14.5% of his plate appearances and hit for plenty of power, but his already problematic strikeout rate has ballooned to 40.5% in a significant sample of 970 plate appearances. … He's a career .239/.302/.369 hitter -- about 23% worse than average, by measure of wRC+, which weights for the hitter-friendly home park in which Senzel has spent his entire career to date (Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park).
Mike Zunino Announces Retirement
2024/03/mike-zunino-announces-retirement.htmlHis batting average was just .199 and his on-base percentage only .254, thanks to a 3.6% walk rate. … On offense, he launched 22 home runs but also had some less-exciting elements.
Pirates’ Trade Talks For Rotation Help Have Slowed
2024/03/pirates-trade-rumors-marlins-pitchers-slowed-down-focused-in-house.htmlJones, on the other hand, logged a combined 3.85 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate in 126 1/3 frames between Double-A and Triple-A in '23. … Like Contreras, he saw his strikeout, walk, swinging-strike and home run rates all back up in 2023 as he finished out the season with a 5.36 ERA in 80 2/3 frames.
Nationals To Sign Eddie Rosario
2024/03/nationals-sign-eddie-rosario.htmlHe appeared in 142 games with the Braves last season, tallying 516 plate appearances and batting .255/.305/.450 with 21 home runs, 24 doubles, three triples, three steals, a 6.6% walk rate and a 23.6% strikeout rate. … From 2017-20 with the Twins, Rosario was a key presence in the middle of the lineup, popping a total of 96 home runs in 2002 plate appearances and hitting .281/.317/.493 -- about 12% better than league average, by measure of wRC+.
Offseason In Review: Oakland Athletics
2024/03/offseason-in-review-oakland-athletics-14.htmlWood's traditionally solid strikeout and walk rates both plummeted to well below the league average last year, though it could be argued that his ever-shifting roles (and five weeks missed due to a pair of stints on the injured list) might've contributed to these struggles. … Next year's edition of the Offseason In Review could be devoted to the Salt Lake City Athletics or the Sacramento Athletics, as the Athletics have been exploring alternate cities as their short-term home.
Michael Lorenzen Reportedly Seeking Two-Year Deal
2024/03/michael-lorenzen-rumors-two-year-deal.htmlHis 17.8% strikeout rate was well shy of the league average, while his 7.5% walk rate and 41% grounder rate were closer to par among starters. … But Lorenzen's lack of whiffs, solid-but-not-elite command and susceptibility to home runs caused fielding-independent metrics to cast a far more bearish outlook on his season overall (4.46 FIP, 4.87 SIERA).
Lucas Giolito Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear, Flexor Strain
2024/03/red-sox-lucas-giolito-elbow-issue-injured-list-opening-day.htmlA spike in Giolito's home run rate contributed heavily to the downturn in performance, but he maintained a better-than-average 25.5% strikeout rate against a slightly higher-than-average 9% walk rate in that span. … The primary culprit in Giolito's struggles was a spike in home run rate; metrics like xFIP (4.08) and SIERA (4.01) felt he was better over the past two seasons than his earned run average would indicate -- but also still worse than he was in 2019-21 peak, when he fanned nearly 31% of his opponents against a stronger 8% walk rate.