Braves Dismiss Pitching Coach Chuck Hernandez
The Braves announced to reporters this morning that pitching coach Chuck Hernandez will not return in that role for the 2019 season (Twitter links via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The rest of the coaching staff is returning on new two-year contracts, which match the length of the extension inked by manager Brian Snitker earlier this morning. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman had previously tweeted that Hernandez’s spot on the coaching staff could be in jeopardy.
Though the Braves surprised with a 90-win season and a National League East division title in 2018, the team’s pitching staff was an obvious question mark down the stretch and proved to play a significant factor in the team’s early exit from the postseason. Atlanta pitchers walked an MLB-worst 10.31 percent of the hitters they faced during the regular season, and the Braves’ staff issued 27 walks in a 3-1 series loss to the Dodgers in the NLDS.
Hernandez, 57, will unsurprisingly take the fall for the staff’s inability to locate the strike zone, even if the blame can’t be solely placed on his shoulders. He spent three seasons in the Braves organization, serving as a minor league pitching coordinator in 2016 before taking the reins as the Major League pitching coach in 2o17. A baseball lifer, Hernandez began his career as a coach 33 years ago in the White Sox’ minor league system and has served on Major League staffs with the Braves, Marlins, Indians, Tigers, Rays and Angels (where he was named pitching coach at the age of 31 in 1992).
Burns notes that GM Alex Anthopoulos indicated an openness to retaining Hernandez in a different capacity (Twitter link), though it’s not clear whether Hernandez himself wants to return in a new role. Given his vast experience, he’d certainly be a candidate to land a coaching job elsewhere even after being cut loose in Atlanta, and he may simply prefer the opportunity to embark on a new challenge in another organization.
The rest of the Atlanta staff includes bench coach Walt Weiss, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Jose Castro, first base coach Eric Young, third base coach Ron Washington, bullpen coach Marty Reed and catching coach Sal Fasano. The Braves will presumably go outside the organization to find a new pitching coach in the coming weeks.
Braves Extend Brian Snitker
The Braves announced this morning that they’ve signed manager Brian Snitker to a two-year contract extension that includes a club option for the 2021 season. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman had indicated earlier this morning that Snitker’s widely anticipated new contract was expected to be announced today (Twitter link).
Snitker, 63 on Wednesday, took over as manager on an interim basis back in 2016 after the Braves dismissed Fredi Gonzalez on the heel of a 9-28 start to the season. While he only took over on an interim basis, Snitker impressed the former front office enough that he landed a modest one-year extension with a 2018 option following his initial run at the helm. Even following the resignation of GM John Coppolella and the departure of former president of baseball operations John Hart, though, Snitker has done enough that the new-look front office, headed by general manager Alex Anthopoulos, will retain him for another few seasons.
The 2018 Braves surprised many by winning 90 games and capturing the National League East division title, making an extension for Snitker nearly a foregone conclusion. Snitker and his staff enjoyed a potential Rookie of the Year-winning campaign from Ronald Acuna, while Ozzie Albies, Johan Camargo, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb all enjoyed varying degrees of breakouts. Meanwhile, franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman had yet another excellent season, while veterans Nick Markakis and Anibal Sanchez each enjoyed their best seasons in a half decade. Catchers Kurt Suzuki and Tyler Flowers enjoyed solid seasons as well.
If there’s one area that the Braves need to improve moving forward, though, the pitching staff stands out as the most obvious. Specifically, no team in baseball yielded a higher walk percentage than Atlanta, as the Braves walked a staggering 10.3 percent of the hitters they faced. Braves hurlers did check in 12th overall with a strong 23.1 percent strikeout rate, but the free passes proved to be too substantial an obstacle to overcome — especially in the National League Division Series, when the pitching staff doled out 27 walks while falling to the Dodgers in a four-game loss.
That could potentially lead to some coaching changes, as Bowman suggested this morning that pitching coach Chuck Hernandez could be on the hot seat (Twitter link). There’s no word on that from the organization just yet, but clearly Snitker’s strong work to date and the relationships he’s built with the team’s impressive young core have earned him a longer run as the skipper in what should be an extended period of competitive baseball for the Braves.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Callaway, Twins, Braves
Some rumblings from around the NL East…
- In the latest Marlins organizational news, the team hired Adrian Lorenzo as a special assistant in scouting and baseball operations, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports (via Twitter). Lorenzo had previously been working as assistant director of international scouting for the Red Sox. The Marlins also let go of pro scouting director Jim Cuthbert earlier this week, according to the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer (Twitter link), ending Cuthbert’s three-year tenure with the franchise.
- These changes and the recent overhaul of the Marlins‘ coaching staff are just the latest in an extensive front office reshuffle since Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman took over the team, and since Jeter hired Gary Denbo as Miami’s VP of player development and scouting. While it isn’t unusual for new owners to put their personal stamp on a team, “people in baseball are just mystified by Denbo’s actions,” according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, and “morale in that organization, I’m told, is at an all-time low.”
- Cafardo also discusses the Twins’ managerial search in his column, writing that Mets manager Mickey Callaway “would have been high on the Twins’ list if he were available.” Callaway and Minnesota chief baseball officer Derek Falvey are familiar with each other from their shared time with the Indians, when Callaway was pitching coach and Falvey was working in the front office. Of course, the chance still exists that Callaway could become available, as the next Mets GM will reportedly have the authority to make a managerial change. Since the Twins’ search for a manager is already well under way, however, one would think the club wouldn’t wait under the Mets have made a hire and decided on Callaway’s fate. Callaway’s first season with the Mets was a rocky one, though he is still under contract for two more years (plus a club option for the 2021 season).
- Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos is scheduled to meet with the media on Monday morning, with The Athletic’s David O’Brien (Twitter link) expecting that the team will announce a new contract for manager Brian Snitker and possibly some coaching changes. Snitker’s previous deal is up after the World Series is over, though the team was expected to offer him another contract and it wouldn’t be surprising if negotiations went rather quickly. After all, Snitker did just lead the Braves to a somewhat surprising NL East title, and Snitker is a Braves lifer with over 40 years of experience in Atlanta’s organization.
- Also from O’Brien (Twitter links), he thinks the Braves will probably have somewhere in the range of $30MM-$35MM to spend this winter. The team has just over $90.8MM on the books for 2019 for current contracts, projected arbitration salaries, and minimum salaries for pre-arb players, give or take a few million less if Atlanta parts ways with any players on the non-tender bubble. The Braves have never had an Opening Day payroll higher than their $122.6MM figure from 2017 since Liberty Media has owned the team, so one would figure they wouldn’t go too far beyond that number. The club could also save some cash for midseason additions or, as O’Brien notes, use some money to sign in-house players to extensions. Regardless, the Braves’ offseason promises to be a very interesting one, as the team makes it next step towards long-term contention now that the rebuild phase seems to be over.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Orioles
The Yankees were impressed enough with Aaron Boone’s first season at the helm to bring back his entire staff for 2019, tweets George A. King III of the New York Post. Boone made a number of changes to the staff after the 2017 season, promoting Marcus Thames to hitting coach and installing bench coach Josh Bard, third-base coach Phil Nevin and first-base coach Reggie Willits, among others. The 2018 coaching crew will get a chance to run it back after an impressive 100-win season and a second straight playoff appearance.
Here’s a couple other notes from around the MLB…
- The Diamondbacks are replacing their natural playing surface with artificial turf in advance of the 2019 season. Arizona’s baseball operations staff conducted in-depth research, finding their new dual-fiber surface provides performance and health benefits previously unavailable. The retractable roof at Chase Field made it increasingly difficult to maintain consistent growing conditions for their natural surface. Arizona will join Tampa Bay and Toronto as the only franchises to utilize an artificial turf, though the Rangers are reportedly considering a similar surface for their new stadium. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Texas has yet to make a decision on the playing surface for the stadium set to open in 2020, but decision-makers within the organization will be closely monitoring the situation in Arizona.
- Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes that there’s symbolic value to the Orioles’ attempts to woo top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, even if they can’t close the deal. Considering the Marlins’ recent push to collect international spending pool money and their cultural ties to Cuba, Miami is now widely considered the favorites to sign Victor Victor Mesa, though Mesa’s intentions are as of now unclear.
- In a separate tweet, Meoli suggests that the Orioles summer trade of starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Braves was motivated by financial considerations. Though not initially presented as a primary concern, the trade cleared Gausman and Darren O’Day‘s contracts from the Baltimore ledger in 2019 and beyond. Gausman has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining after making $5.6MM in 2018. Darren O’Day has yet to pitch for the Braves, though he’ll likely have a role in their bullpen next season as he’s under contract for $9MM in 2019.
Braves Notes: Snitker, Markakis, Albies
The Braves are planning to offer manager Brian Snitker a new contract, Jon Heyman of Fancred writes in this week’s notes column. Soon to turn 63, Snitker took over as manager on an interim basis back in 2016 after the Braves dismissed Fredi Gonzalez. There were ups and downs during the first two seasons of his tenure, but the ’18 ballclub outpaced expectations by winning 90 games and securing an NL East division title. Snitker’s current contract only runs through the end of the month, and it’s not yet clear how long of a deal the Braves will put on the table.
A bit more out of Atlanta…
- Snitker held an extensive chat with reporters after the club’s exit from the postseason, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to cover. The skipper says he’d like to stay in his post for “a few more years.” It’s not hard to see why, as there’s considerable excitement for the future in Atlanta. Of course, as Snitker also noted, there’s still work to do for the club to reach its potential. “We’ve just got to continue to work to get stronger with the bullpen depth, the bench and things like that,” he said. “We’re not a finished product by any means. There’s a lot of young players on our team — position players and pitchers — that will take steps to get there.”
- Heyman also reports that the Braves are not currently planning on issuing a qualifying offer to right fielder Nick Markakis. The 34-year-old veteran enjoyed his most productive season since 2012, hitting .297/.366/.440 with 14 home runs, 43 doubles and a pair of triples in 705 plate appearances while playing in all 162 games for the Braves this season. It’s worth noting, though, that Markakis’s season was largely fueled by a five-week power surge early in the year. He homered seven times in his first 160 plate appearances and then went on to hit .285/.350/.407 with seven homers in his next 545 PAs. That’s certainly solid production, but it’s more in line with Markakis’ three prior seasons in Atlanta (.280/.357/.386). Given the manner in which aging corner outfielders have struggled in free agency in recent seasons, it’s not entirely surprising that the front office wouldn’t want to risk a $17.9MM offer.
- Second baseman Ozzie Albies also got off to an incredibly impressive start in 2018, but struggled through a terrible second half of the season at the plate. Still, as Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Snitker voiced confidence in the youngster’s ability to develop into a consistent threat at the plate. “I have every confidence, and I think everybody does, in him as a player,” said Snitker. “He’s got the skill set. It’s sometimes not a bad thing that you kind of get sobered up a little bit. That’s part of it. And it takes awhile. You just have to have patience with these guys.” Albies, still just 21 years of age, hit just .254/.296/.409 from May 1 through season’s end and struggled even more mightily when looking solely at his post-All-Star break split: .226/.282/.342.
Anibal Sanchez Plans To Continue Pitching
Late in the 2018 season, right-hander Anibal Sanchez said he wasn’t sure whether he’d continue pitching or retire, but the veteran righty now tells Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he hopes to pitch for multiple seasons beyond the 2018 campaign and would “love” to return to the Braves.
It’s the second straight offseason where a return to the Majors for Sanchez was somewhat up in the air, although the script has flipped substantially over the past 12 months. Whereas last October, the question was one of whether Sanchez had anything left in the tank, this winter it was merely one of whether he had a desire to return for his age-35 season.
Sanchez put to rest any concerns about his ability to succeed against Major League hitters, tossing 136 2/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball with 8.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9 and a 45 percent ground-ball after joining the Atlanta organization on a minor league deal late in Spring Training. There was arguably no better bargain pickup last offseason than Sanchez, who played a significant role in helping the upstart Braves secure the NL East title.
Sanchez has never been a flamethrower, and this year’s 90.7 mph average on his fastball was largely in line with the velocity he’d displayed over the final few seasons of an ill-fated five-year deal in Detroit. However, he ramped up the use of his cutter, throwing that at a 23 percent clip, per Fangraphs, while also leaning a bit more on his changeup and relying less on his slider. It’s hard to argue with the results, as Sanchez posted his best swinging-strike rate and chase rate of the past half decade. Opponents seemingly had a difficult time squaring up that more prominently featured cut fastball; Sanchez’s hard-contact rate plummeted by nearly 10 percent, and his line-drive rate dropped from 24.7 percent to 18 percent.
There’s an argument to be made that the Braves have enough pitching depth to get by even without Sanchez and should either target a more definitive front-of-the-rotation upgrade or spend more heavily in the bullpen, in right field or at catcher. But Sanchez was an invaluable depth piece who also played a significant role in the Atlanta clubhouse as a veteran leader on a young pitching staff. He’s spoken to Burns in the past about his desire to work as a coach after his playing days are done, and the young Braves staff gives him ample opportunity to impart some of his experience on younger pitchers.
Sanchez originally inked a non-guaranteed Major League deal with the Twins last spring, but Minnesota cut him loose upon signing right-hander Lance Lynn — a sequence that seemed logical at the time but, in retrospect, certainly didn’t work out in the Twins’ favor. Minnesota’s loss was Atlanta’s gain, but this time around in free agency, Sanchez won’t have to settle for a non-guaranteed deal. At the very least, he seems poised to command a solid salary on a one-year deal, and his success could potentially even make a two-year deal plausible.
NL Notes: Correa, Arenado, Suzuki, Mattingly
If you haven’t yet come across this recent profile of former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa, via SI’s Ben Reiter, then you’ll certainly want to give it a read. The analytical guru ended up in federal prison after impermissibly accessing the computer systems of the Astros. While he’s still mostly remaining silent on details of that stunning episode, Correa offers a fascinating glimpse into his time behind bars.
The latest from the National League:
- While it’s hard to see the 2018 campaign as anything but a success for the Rockies, the organization faces some tough decisions in the offseason to come. One of those involves franchise cornerstone Nolan Arenado, who is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. As Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports, extension scenarios have yet to be discussed by team and player. Arenado’s arb salary will force the sides to the bargaining table, but it’s not yet clear whether there’ll be a clear path to a long-term deal. It is certainly possible to imagine a trade scenario, though that’d be a tough call to make for the organization. For his part, Arenado says he loves playing in Colorado and anticipates remaining with the organization, but does acknowledge that “things can get a little iffy because of the business side of it.”
- As he wraps up his contract with the Braves, backstop Kurt Suzuki tells Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) that he’d like to find a way back into the fold. The Atlanta organization has already struck a deal to retain Tyler Flowers, who has combined with Suzuki to form a solid and cost-effective duo. Continuing that situation surely holds some appeal, though it’s also quite reasonable to expect that the Braves front office will look into the acquisition of a top-tier option behind the dish. [RELATED: 2018-19 Market Snapshot: Catcher]
- Even as the Marlins make some changes to their coaching staff, they haven’t given indication that they’ll replace skipper Don Mattingly in his post. That said, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that there hasn’t been any effort on the part of the team to extend Mattingly’s contract, which is entering its final season. It’s certainly possible that’ll still come to pass, though it would hardly be surprising if the club preferred instead to maintain the status quo.
Players Electing Free Agency
Quite a few players will hit the open market this fall, and they’ll do so by way of varying mechanisms. The end of the regular season triggered a recent wave of free agents, consisting of a certain subset of players — namely, those who were outrighted from 40-man rosters during the season and accepted minor-league assignments at that time despite having the right to elect free agency. Players in that situation are entitled instead to hit the open market at season’s end, if they were not added back to the 40-man roster in the meantime.
As conveyed by Matt Eddy of Baseball America, who also covers quite a few other minor moves, these players have now elected free agency:
Athletics: RHP Raul Alcantara, LHP Danny Coulombe
Blue Jays: RHP Mike Hauschild, INF/OF Darnell Sweeney
Braves: LHP Rex Brothers, RHP Miguel Socolovich
Cardinals: LHP Tyler Lyons
Indians: RHP Evan Marshall, RHP Alexi Ogando
Mariners: RHP Christian Bergman, LHP Ross Detwiler, RHP Mike Morin, INF Zach Vincej
Marlins: OF JB Shuck
Mets: RHP Chris Beck, OF Bryce Brentz, RHP Scott Copeland, OF Matt den Dekker, INF Ty Kelly
Nationals: LHP Tommy Milone, OF Moises Sierra, RHP Carlos Torres
Orioles: RHP Jhan Marinez, INF Luis Sardinas
Padres: OF Matt Szczur
Phillies: INF Trevor Plouffe
Pirates: LHP Buddy Boshers, RHP Casey Sadler, RHP A.J. Schugel
Rangers: C Juan Centeno, LHP Anthony Gose, RHP Drew Hutchison, INF Tommy Joseph, RHP Chris Rowley
Rays: INF Brandon Snyder, RHP Ryan Weber
Reds: C Tim Federowicz, RHP Kevin Quackenbush
Tigers: INF Dixon Machado, RHP Jacob Turner
White Sox: RHP Tyler Danish
Quick Hits: Mesa Brothers, Giants, Rays, Braves
Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, the consensus top prospect on the International circuit, held a showcase for all 30 teams yesterday at Marlins Park with his brother Victor Mesa, Jr., and made a strong impression, reports Jesse Sanchez of mlb.com. Victor Victor, the older of the two by five years, posted top marks in the 60-yard dash, flashed plus arm strength, and hit “with authority” during a live batting practice session against current Marlins minor leaguers. One top-level American League scout left unimpressed with the eldest’s power projection and noted that Mesa, Jr. could have higher upside, though the prevailing notion, according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, is that Victor Victor is the superior prospect and may only need “a year” in the minor leagues. The Orioles, who boast the most international bonus pool money for the upcoming signing period at $6.7MM, are considered the “likely” favorite to sign the 22-year-old Victor Victor, according to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, though the market remains nebulous.
In other news from around the league . . .
- The Giants haven’t yet been bit by the returns for offseason acquisitions Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, writes Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The McCutchen trade was dually headlined by reliever Kyle Crick, whose substantially improved command still falls short of the threshold for sustained success, and outfield prospect Bryan Reynolds, who turned in a solid, if unspectacular season as an old-for-the-level 23-year-old for Double-A Altoona. Reynolds, who dealt with hamate issues at the beginning of the season, still faces questions about his ability to stay in center field and whether or not he’ll possess enough thump should he be confined to a corner. For Longoria, the Rays’ lot was headlined by the 23-year-old Christian Arroyo, who again struggled this season after a disastrous MLB debut in 2017. Arroyo’s strikeout rate ballooned to a career-high 27.1% at Triple-A Durham, and his coveted versatility won’t much matter if he continues to be inept at the plate.
- The Rays are preparing for an about-face this offseason, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa’s startling turnaround, headlined by an embarrassment of pre-arbitration riches and unanticipated minor league breakouts, has left the team with a litany of options as they enter the winter. “The expectations are up,” GM Erik Neander said. “We go into next year off the season we had, we want to improve. And to improve on the number of wins we had this year should put us in the territory where we’re expecting playoffs.” Neander did add that the club isn’t necessarily expecting an “active winter,” but with only $32MM in payroll commitments for the upcoming season, the Rays figure to be a team to watch as we enter the Hot Stove.
- Sean Newcomb will start tomorrow’s game three for Atlanta, reports Mark Bowman of mlb.com. The club had originally tabbed righty Kevin Gausman for the outing, but abruptly changed plans after dropping the first two games in Los Angeles. Newcomb, who was shaky at best for the Braves in the season’s final weeks, perhaps will get the nod merely for his status as a left-handed arm: the Dodgers, after all, destroyed right-handers to the tune of a 117 wRC+ this season, the top mark in the league.
Agency News: Gausman, Stroman, Pina
Here’s the latest in player representation news. For more details on agents and clients, be sure to check out the MLBTR Agency Database, which contains representation info on more than 2,500 Major League and minor league players. If you see a notable error or omission, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com
- Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman will continue to be represented by agent Brodie Scoffield, who recently left the Legacy Agency, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Both 27-year-old hurlers will be entering into their third year of the arbitration process, and, as Super Two players, are also arb-eligible in the 2019-20 offseason. Gausman earned $5.6MM in 2018, and turned in a solid season (3.92 ERA, 2.96 K/BB rate, 7.3 K/9) over 183 2/3 innings with the Orioles and Braves, with better numbers and a smaller homer rate after being dealt to Atlanta at the July trade deadline. Stroman earned $6.5MM this year after losing an arbitration hearing to the Blue Jays in February, but will only be in line for a modest raise on that figure after a disappointing, injury-shortened 2018 campaign.
- Brewers catcher Manny Pina is now being represented by Peter and Ed Greenberg of the Legacy Agency, Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Pina will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason and looking to earn a raise after becoming Milwaukee’s first-choice catcher over the last two seasons. Pina has hit a respectable .266/.317/.410 over 696 PA, while delivering strong ratings for his blocking behind the plate, and his ability to throw out baserunners (catching 41 of 108 runners trying to steal on him in 2017-18).