Quick Hits: Indians, Beede, D’Backs, Giants
On this day in 2005, the Rangers released Andres Torres, a 27-year-old outfielder who had compiled a .534 OPS in parts of four big league seasons. While things looked bleak for Torres at the time, he eventually worked his way back to the bigs four years later with San Francisco. Since then, he has hit .266/.345/.477 and played a key role on the Giants' World Champion squad in 2010. Here are today's links:
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti isn't ready to make additions via trade, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The club is reluctant to part with prospects like Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis, but the solution may ultimately be to turn to those two as they did with Cord Phelps last week. Chisenhall and Kipnis were ranked 25th and 54th, respectively, on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list entering 2011.
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that he expects the Blue Jays to sign their first-round pick, Tyler Beede, for around $3MM. Beede, selected out of high school, has said his decision will come down to the money.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has targeted "about 20 guys" who could be on the trade market over the next few weeks, according to the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. While most teams aren't ready to deal yet, Towers says "that doesn't mean I don't do my due diligence and still call."
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News argues that, while the Giants need to acquire a catcher at some point, there's no urgency to do so immediately.
- Bartolo Colon's trip to the DL is a reminder that the Yankees likely won't be a championship-caliber team in 2011 without at least one more starting pitching acquisition, says John Harper of the New York Daily News.
- All the 40-man roster moves the Cardinals have made recently could suggest there's need for a trade, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- With labor uncertainty surrounding many other professional sports, Bud Selig is proud that baseball is avoiding similar issues, as the commissioner tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hummel's piece includes a rundown of a few key items on the table during CBA talks.
NL West Notes: Giants, Ludwick, Burroughs
No team in baseball has scored fewer runs than the Giants, who have the best record in the National League West. They aren't the only team in the division that's having trouble scoring. The Padres are 29th in MLB in runs and the Dodgers are 25th. Here's the latest from the low-scoring NL West…
- The Giants promoted 21-year-old catching prospect Hector Sanchez from Class A to Triple-A, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Giants GM Brian Sabean has expressed confidence in Eli Whiteside, but the club is eyeing other catchers.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer and Reds GM Walt Jocketty shot down a rumor about a possible Ryan Ludwick–Chris Heisey swap, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer, respectively.
- D'Backs third baseman Sean Burroughs is back in the Major Leagues after five years of late nights and parties, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. "I always say I went out to Vegas to become a rock star," Burroughs said.
Heyman On Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, D’Backs
In the aftermath of Bob Geren’s dismissal, Jon Heyman of SI.com lists a handful of managers with suspect job security. Though 2011 probably won’t be a big year for managerial firings, Jim Riggleman of the Nationals and Edwin Rodriguez of the Marlins are on Heyman’s list. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- Geren had "lost" the Athletics' clubhouse, according to people with Oakland ties.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn’t expect elite starting pitching to be available this summer. "I just don't see a No. 1 pitcher you can pinpoint,'' Cashman said.
- The Yankees will look for starting pitching and left-handed relief.
- The Red Sox will also be looking to add a southpaw to their ‘pen.
- Boston people expect top prospect Jose Iglesias to prove himself as the shortstop of the future and people don’t expect the Red Sox to “make a play” for Jose Reyes.
- Competing executives say the Twins will “do what’s right” for the organization this summer, even if that means trading Major Leaguers for prospects. Watch out for the last-place Twins, who have won seven of eight.
- Executives say the D’Backs, Padres, Pirates, Rays and Red Sox had strong drafts.
Quick Hits: Spangenberg, A’s, Beltran, Cubs, Twins
First Eric Hosmer, now Mike Moustakas. The Royals are calling up their other super-prospect according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter), optioning Mike Aviles to Triple-A to make room on the roster. Moustakas hit .287/.347/.498 for Triple-A Omaha in 250 plate appearances, and congrats to him for reaching the show.
Here's the latest from around the league…
- Padres assistant GM Jason McLeod told Dan Hayes of The North County Times that first round pick Cory Spangenberg will be in San Diego tomorrow to take his physical, indicating that a deal is all but done (Twitter link).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the Padres and Athletics are unlikely to start selling pieces anytime soon (Twitter link). The call-up of Anthony Rizzo and firing of Bob Geren gives both clubs a new look that they'll first take a chance with.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says that Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join a team with a chance at a championship.
- Although calls are being made for a fire sale, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says it won't be easy for the Cubs to move some of their bloated contracts.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains why there is no quick fix for what ails the Twins.
- Big money contracts for relievers like Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano, and Hisanori Takahashi haven't worked so far, and MLB.com's Tom Singer says that could change the way teams build bullpens in the future.
- The Diamondbacks have come to terms with 23 draft picks according to a team press release. The highest pick of the group is fourth rounder Evan Marshall.
- Derrick Goold of The St. Louis-Post Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have inked tenth round pick Lance Jeffries (Twitter link).
Quick Hits: D’Backs, Figgins, Tejada, McCourt
As Anthony Rizzo prepares for his Major League debut tomorrow with the Padres, it was one year ago today that Stephen Strasburg and Mike Stanton both made their first appearances in the majors. Both star prospects lived up to the hype — Strasburg recorded 14 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings against the Pirates, while Stanton went 3-for-5 (all singles) and scored twice against the Phillies.
Some items from around the league…
- The Diamondbacks were judged as the biggest winners of the amateur draft, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Mayo spoke to a number of scouts to produce a list of the five teams who had the best drafts, with three AL East teams making the cut.
- Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski wonders how long the Mariners can afford to keep putting Chone Figgins in the lineup. Pawlikowski also predicts that the Giants will release Miguel Tejada once Pablo Sandoval returns from the DL.
- Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will be able to meet the team's payroll on June 15, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- In a radio appearance on the Mut & Merloni Show today, Peter Gammons noted the lack of top-quality arms available at this year's trade deadline. Gammons said a pitching-needy team like the Yankees would have to look at pitchers like Brett Myers or Edwin Jackson, while he shoots down the idea that Felix Hernandez, Francisco Liriano or any of the Athletics' young arms would be on the market. WEEI's Jerry Spar has the full transcript of Gammons' appearance here.
NL West Notes: Rizzo, Towers, Rockies
Here are a few items of note out of the NL West, where only 7.5 games separated the first- and last-place clubs entering Tuesday's action:
- Padres first baseman Anthony Rizzo may be called up as soon as Wednesday, according to a baseball source, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Friars GM Jed Hoyer said that Rizzo is "close to ready," tweets Brock.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is making all the right moves, writes Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Chiefly, Towers has improved the Snakes' bullpen and bench, cut down on the lineup's strikeouts, and improved the clubhouse, according to Bordow.
- The Rockies stayed true to tradition by selecting a left-handed pitcher in the first round, writes Jack Etkin of Baseball America (subscription needed). The Rox were thought to be on a position player but instead opted for college southpaw Tyler Anderson out of Oregon. Previously, they took Christian Friedrich and Tyler Matzek in the first rounds of the 2008 and '09 Drafts, respectively.
Bauer Expects To Fit In With Diamondbacks
Trevor Bauer isn’t this good by accident. Listen to this year’s third overall pick describe his repertoire and it’s hard not to get the distinct impression that he is intent on combining his wits with his physical skills to become as effective as possible.
“I throw a four-seam fastball, I throw two variations of the curveball, two variations of the slider, two variations of the change-up, a split fingered fastball and two variations of a reverse-slider, which is kind of a cross between a fastball and a screwball," Bauer explained on a conference call with reporters. "It’s a little bit slower than a sinking fastball and a little bit faster than a screwball and has a left-handed cut fastball action to it.”
The 20-year-old's extensive repertoire worked wonders at the collegiate level in 2011, as he posted a 1.25 ERA with 203 strikeouts and 36 walks in 136 2/3 innings for UCLA. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers sees Bauer and fellow first rounder Archie Bradley as future members of Arizona’s rotation and D’Backs’ amateur scouting director Ray Montgomery agrees.
“We see [Bauer] as a potential rotational guy for us and I think his talent gives him a chance to make an impact on us sooner rather than later,” Montgomery said in a statement.
Bauer has an unorthodox workout regimen and unusual Tim Lincecum-like mechanics (the righty models his mechanics after Lincecum and his pitching style after Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee). In conversations with D’Backs vice president of scouting and player development Jerry DiPoto, Bauer was relieved to determine that his thoughts on pitching aligned closely with those of many in the Diamondbacks’ front office.
“The organizational philosophy as far as training and pitching and sequencing pitches and player development fit with my ideas that I already had on my own,” he said.
Bauer understands that Arizona may decide to shut him down for the season as a result of his heavy workload so far. But the Golden Spikes finalist says he's looking forward to the possibility of representing the D’Backs at the Major League level and was honored to have been selected third overall.
“It’s a credit to all the hard work I’ve put in over the years, all the hours of preparation and video analysis, conditioning on days you don’t really want to be conditioning,” he said. “And it’s a credit to the Diamondbacks organization as well, since they talked to me to get an idea about why I do the things I do.”
Archie Bradley On Future With D’Backs
After out-matching the opposition all season long, it was Archie Bradley’s turn to be overwhelmed. The 18-year-old right hander could barely contain himself when the Diamondbacks selected him seventh overall in tonight’s draft.
“I almost broke down in tears,” he said on a conference call with reporters. “For me to finally hear my name called was amazing.”
The Broken Arrow high school product posted a 0.37 ERA with 137 strikeouts and 11 walks in 71 1/3 innings this year (while hitting .395 and leading the team with nine homers). He’s just a teenager, but D’Backs’ director of amateur scouting Ray Montgomery says he already compares favorably with older players.
“The tools Archie Bradley brings fits with what we were looking at with the guys on the college front, and he happens to be two years younger,” Montgomery said. “Bradley is big, physical, athletic and has the stuff to be in our starting rotation in the future.”
He also has the stuff to start at quarterback for the University of Oklahoma. The 6’4” 215 pound Bradley has signed a letter of intent to play football at Oklahoma, which gives him a negotiating tool that others don’t have.
Bradley says “the frontrunner has always been baseball,” though he loves football as well. He declined to say whether he and advisor Jay Franklin would accept ‘slot’ money to sign with Arizona.
“I have no comment on that,” he said. “I’m still just enjoying the moment. That comes later down the road.”
The D’Backs have until August 15th to sign Bradley, third overall selection Trevor Bauer and the rest of their picks.
Draft Notes: Bradley, Bundy, Hager, Starling, Cubs
The first and supplemental rounds are over and teams are reaching out to their top picks and setting up media conference calls with them. Here’s the latest on the draft from the players and teams themselves…
- Archie Bradley (selected seventh overall by the D’Backs) says fellow Oklahoma high schooler Dylan Bundy (selected fourth overall by the Orioles) pushes him to be a better player. “With his workout and the way he goes about the game, it puts some weight on my shoulders to try to equal that or better that” Bradley said.
- High school infielder Jake Hager (selected 32nd overall by the Rays) wants to start his pro career soon. Though he sees himself as a shortstop, he remains flexible to playing elsewhere on infield if that’s where the Rays want him to play. Hager describes himself as a hard worker who’s coachable. The Nevada native “had a feeling” the Rays would take him, since they were scouting him hard most weeks.
- High school outfielder Bubba Starling (selected fifth overall by the Royals) describes himself as an equally good football and baseball player. The Kansas native admits to being a Royals fan, though he says he didn’t have time to see tons of games, since he plays so many sports. Starling says he felt stronger later in the season, after returning from a tweaked quad muscle.
- Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken explained the selection of Javier Baez (ninth overall). “Javier has a tremendously live bat, is versatile in the field and we are happy to welcome him to the Cubs organization,” Wilken said in a team statement. “He has a great arm and is a smart baserunner in tune with the game.
Rosenthal On Rangers, Upton, Marlins, Indians
With only five teams more than seven games out of first place, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks this year's trade market could play out differently than your usual scenario of struggling teams selling to contenders. An unnamed general manager tells Rosenthal “It might be more of a reallocation of pieces than classic buying or selling…Parity also means that teams that aren’t close are saying, ‘Next year, it can be us.’ Maybe they buy a two- to three-year asset that they wouldn’t otherwise.”
Here's the latest from Rosenthal on a number of teams looking to fill needs as the pennant races begin to heat up…
- The Rangers are looking for right-handed relievers and have a number of trade chips to offer other teams. Rosenthal speculates Texas could offer Taylor Teagarden to the Giants for a righty arm, or possibly Chris Davis to the Padres or another team that is looking for offensive help.
- Todd Coffey is drawing interest from the Rangers, and Rosenthal thinks Coffey could be part of a package for Julio Borbon since the Nationals need a center fielder/leadoff hitter type.
- Of course, Washington is also looking at B.J. Upton to fill that hole in center. Rosenthal thinks it's unlikely the Rays move Upton, though they could change their minds if the Nats offer Tyler Clippard and a young positional prospect.
- The Marlins are interested in acquiring veteran bullpen help in exchange for one of their minor league relievers. Right-handers Jose Ceda, Jhan Marinez and Sandy Rosario have all attracted some attention from other clubs.
- While "the Indians’ most obvious need remains a quality starting pitcher," Rosenthal also thinks the Tribe could be in the market for right-handed hitting help. One of Rosenthal's Twitter followers asked if Cleveland could make a move for Hunter Pence, but Rosenthal doesn't think Houston will move Pence and the Indians already have Shin-Soo Choo in right field.
- The Brewers "would love to add another power arm to their 'pen," as Milwaukee relievers rank 13th in the league in K/9.
- The Diamondbacks had an interest in David Purcey before the A's dealt the left-hander to the Tigers on May 27.
- Bruce Bochy thinks rookie shortstop Brandon Crawford can be a productive Major League hitter, which would seem to lessen the Giants' chances of acquiring Jose Reyes before the deadline or trying to sign Reyes this winter in free agency.
- Rosenthal "can't see" Jim Hendry returning as the Cubs' general manager given the team's current state. "Forget about signing a free agent such as the Cardinals' Albert Pujols or the Brewers' Prince Fielder," Rosenthal writes. "The Cubs are so far gone, they are much more than one player away." Carlos Pena, John Grabow, Kosuke Fukudome, Kerry Wood and Jeff Baker are all trade candidates this summer; MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at the values of these players and others on the struggling Cubbies.