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Josh James Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

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Josh James signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, according to the league’s transaction log. The right-hander became a free agent when he was released from a minor league deal with the Cardinals last week.

James, 31, spent his limited time in the St. Louis organization at Triple-A Memphis. He walked 15 of the 51 hitters he faced. Putting on free baserunners at that rate isn’t tenable, and James was rocked for 18 runs in 7 2/3 innings. He’ll need to demonstrate he can find the strike zone with the Ducks to pitch his way back to affiliated ball.

A former 34th-round pick by the Astros, James had a promising first two seasons in Houston. He worked 23 innings of 2.35 ERA ball as a rookie back in 2018. While his 4.70 mark across 61 1/3 frames the following year wasn’t as impressive, James punched out almost 38% of his opponents. He looked like a potential high-octane relief arm before his control evaporated. He walked more than one-fifth of hitters during the shortened season and has barely pitched in the majors since then.

Various injuries cost James most of the 2021-23 campaigns. He battled hip, hamstring and lat problems before undergoing flexor surgery at the tail end of the ’22 season. Houston non-tendered him that winter. James sat out all of last season before beginning his short-lived stint with the Cardinals this past January.

Rays Sign Tyler Zuber To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have purchased the contract of right-hander Tyler Zuber from the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, the Ducks announced yesterday. Zuber will head to Tampa Bay on a minor league contract and is headed to Triple-A Durham.

Zuber, who’ll turn 29 next month, signed a minor league pact with the Guardians in the offseason and spent spring training with them but struggled in his brief look in the Cleveland organization. He served up 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in 5 1/3 frames this spring and unsurprisingly didn’t land an Opening Day roster spot. He was released and went on to sign with the Ducks, hoping a strong showing would bring about just this type of opportunity with another club.

Brief as his time with the Ducks was, it’s not hard to see why Zuber’s performance piqued some interest. The former Royals righty pitched just 5 2/3 innings of Atlantic League ball but held opponents to one run on five hits and one walk. He faced a total of 22 opponents and set 10 of them down on strikes (45.4%).

Zuber previously pitched for the Royals in 2020-21, debuting during the pandemic-shortened season with 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball. He posted a gaudy 30.3% strikeout rate that year but coupled it with an alarming 20.2% walk rate. Overall, he’s pitched 49 1/3 big league innings with a 5.29 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate and a 16.7% walk rate.

Command was never an issue for Zuber in the lower minors, however. His overall minor league ERA sits at a tidy 3.20, and he’s paired that with a terrific 31.3% strikeout rate and a solid 8.5% walk rate. Zuber began to battle pronounced control struggles during that 2020 debut, and his penchant for walks carried over into subsequent seasons.

It’s likely that injuries played a part in the abrupt erosion of Zuber’s command. He had shoulder injuries in both 2021 and 2022, missing the entire ’22 season as a result. He was with the D-backs’ Triple-A Reno affiliate in 2023 but still walked 11.1% of his opponents in 20 2/3 innings. Given his recent struggles to locate the ball, Zuber’s impressive command in the Atlantic League is all the more notable, but time will tell whether he can carry that over in his return to affiliated ball.

Taylor Kohlwey Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

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Outfielder Taylor Kohlwey has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, per a post on X from Michael Pfaff, the president and CBO of the Ducks.

Kohlwey, 29, had signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the winter. He reported to their Triple-A club but hit a dismal .088/.162/.118 in 37 plate appearances. He was released last week as the Mets signed Mike Brosseau to a minor league deal.

The Padres gave Kohlwey a brief major league debut last year. He got into five games, stepping to the plate 13 times. He was struck out five times with two hits, both singles, and no walks. That leaves him with a current batting line of .154/.154/.154. The Friars non-tendered him after the season, which led to his deal with the Mets.

Prior to his struggles with Syracuse this year, Kohlwey’s results in the minors were strong. Over the 2021-23 seasons, he took 1,572 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. He walked in 12.3% of those while only striking out 17.5% of the time. He hit 31 home runs and produced a combined batting line of .294/.388/.442 for a wRC+ of 110. He also stole 35 bases while playing all three outfield spots and a bit of first base.

His slow start this year bumped him out of affiliated ball, but he’ll head to the Ducks and look to get himself back on track. If he’s able to put a few good weeks together, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him returning to a Triple-A club via a new minor league deal.

Clint Frazier Signs With Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds

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The Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League lost one former big leaguer yesterday when infielder Drew Ellis signed with the Angels, but they quickly filled that roster spot with another, announcing the signing of outfielder Clint Frazier.

Now 29 years of age, Frazier was the No. 5 overall pick back in 2013 and spent the better part of a half decade ranked among the sport’s top prospects. Cleveland shipped him to the Bronx as part of a deadline blockbuster netting star reliever Andrew Miller in 2016.

For a time, Frazier looked like a potential building block for the Yankees. While injuries (multiple concussions, an ankle sprain, an oblique strain) and a big league roster crowded by well-paid veterans (e.g. Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks) routinely cut into Frazier’s playing time, he appeared in 123 MLB games from 2018-20 and turned in a combined .267/.351/.485 batting line and popped 20 home runs in just 447 plate appearances. Frazier got a notable run as the team’s primary left fielder in the shortened 2020 season and delivered the best stretch of his career: .267/.394/.511 with eight homers, six doubles, a triple and five steals in just 160 plate appearances.

On the heels of that performance, Frazier secured himself the Opening Day nod in left field for the 2021 Yankees. He hit safely in his first four games and briefly looked to be picking up where he left off, but a protracted slump would soon set in. Frazier wound up struggling mightily through the season’s first three months, hitting .186/.317/.317 with a bloated 29.8% strikeout rate. The Yankees placed him on the injured list in early July with vertigo symptoms. Frazier would not only go on to miss the remainder of the season — he’d ultimately be non-tendered that November, ending his Yankees tenure.

Subsequent low-cost deals with the Cubs and White Sox didn’t get Frazier’s career back on track. He tallied just 45 plate appearances with the former and 76 with the latter, combining for a .204/.322/.262 slash and going homerless on both the north and south side of the Windy City. The once-lauded prospect also had a brief stint in the Rangers organization after inking a minor league pact but didn’t get called up from Triple-A Round Rock.

Tumultuous as his stay in the Bronx was, Frazier showed plenty of promise at times and is still just 29 years old. He won’t turn 30 until September. He’ll face a long road back to the big leagues, but he’d hardly be the first player to parlay a strong showing in the Atlantic League back into affiliated ball.

Angels Sign Drew Ellis To Minor League Deal

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The Angels are adding infielder Drew Ellis on a minor league contract, per an announcement from his now-former team in the independent Atlantic League: the Charleston Dirty Birds. Ellis’ contract was purchased from the Dirty Birds by the Angels yesterday, per the announcement. Presumably, he’ll head to the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City.

Ellis, 28, has appeared in each of the past three major league seasons, spending time with the D-backs, Mariners and Phillies. He’s only tallied 129 overall plate appearances, during which he’s popped three homers and walked at a 13.2% clip while struggling to an overall .157/.295/.269 batting line. Ellis has fanned in 31.8% of those 129 trips to the plate. He’s played first base, second base and third base in the majors, plus a pair of minor league games at shortstop and 37 games in left field back in his days at the University of Louisville.

Originally drafted by the Diamondbacks back in 2017, Ellis was that year’s No. 44 overall pick. Baseball America ranked him 66th in that year’s draft class and pegged him as high as ninth in Arizona’s system at one point, touting his plus power, athleticism and solid skills at the hot corner.

In parts of three Triple-A seasons, Ellis has shown off that power and a good approach at the plate but still hit for a low average. He’s a career .247/.364/.500 hitter at the minors’ top level. Given his big league contact issues and that low average, it’s easy to suspect he’s been excessively strikeout prone in the minors. But while Ellis has fanned at a slightly higher-than-average 24.3% rate in Triple-A, the greater culprit has been his penchant for weak infield flies. He’s totaled 1124 Triple-A plate appearances and popped up to the infield a staggering 86 times. That propensity has undercut his plate discipline and impressive power.

The Angels are in clear need of some infield depth, making their pickup of Ellis plenty understandable. The Halos just acquired veteran Luis Guillorme from the Braves and moved Anthony Rendon to the 60-day injured list. Rendon will be out until at least late June. Brandon Drury exited his most recent game due to a hamstring issue and seems likely to head to the injured list. Infielders Miguel Sano and Michael Stefanic are also on the IL. The Angels are currently rostering both Ehire Adrianza and Cole Tucker, but neither has provided any offense in an eight-game sample. Niko Goodrum was claimed off waivers from the Rays today. Ellis will give them some depth with a bit of versatility and a nice track record of power and on-base skills in Triple-A, should the Halos eventually want to shuffle their bench mix or in the event that they incur further injuries.

Cubs, Dan Straily Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran right-hander Dan Straily, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald. Straily had recently signed on with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, but he’ll change course and instead return to affiliated ball on a non-guaranteed pact with one of his former clubs. The agreement between the two parties is still pending a physical.

The 35-year-old Straily has spent the past four season with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball organization, although he also had a brief run with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club in 2022. His time in the KBO produced a 3.29 ERA in 503 innings, as Straily whiffed 23.4% of his opponents against an 8.4% walk rate. His 2023 season wasn’t his best, however; he posted a 4.37 ERA over the first half of the season before being cut loose.

Prior to that stretch of overseas success, Straily pitched eight seasons in the big leagues, splitting his time between the A’s, Marlins, Reds, Cubs, Orioles and Astros. He had a fair bit of success, albeit in inconsistent fashion. From 2016-17, Straily posted a 4.01 ERA with a 21.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate in 373 innings between Miami and Cincinnati. Overall, he has a lifetime 4.56 ERA in 803 1/3 big league frames.

The Cubs already have a fair bit of pitching depth, but they also have Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks and Drew Smyly — who’s been working in a relief capacity this season — on the injured list. At the moment, the rotation includes Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon (who just returned from the IL himself), Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks. Ben Brown and Luke Little have also started games this season. Straily becomes the second notable veteran starter to join the Cubs organization on a minor league deal in recent weeks. Right-hander Julio Teheran also inked a minors pact with the Cubs after being cut loose by the Mets and is currently in the Triple-A rotation in Des Moines.

Dan Straily, Tyler Zuber Sign With Long Island Ducks

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Former big league right-handers Dan Straily and Tyler Zuber have signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, per a team announcement.

Straily, 35, has spent the past four seasons pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization, though he did briefly return stateside for Triple-A run with the 2022 D-backs. The former A’s, Marlins, Reds, Cubs, Orioles and Astros righty has pitched 503 innings for the KBO’s Lotte Giants, working to a 3.29 ERA with a 23.4% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. Lotte released him midway through the 2023 season, however, as he scuffled to a more pedestrian 4.37 ERA in his first 16 starts.

Prior to his largely successful KBO run, Straily enjoyed a good bit of success in an eight-year span in the big leagues. While the righty wasn’t especially consistent, he had stretches where he looked like a solid innings-eating workhorse, including a 2016-17 run between Cincinnati and Miami wherein he tossed 373 innings of 4.01 ERA ball with a 21.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. On the whole, Straily owns a 4.56 ERA in 803 1/3 innings split between the aforementioned six teams. He’s also pitched in the upper minors with the D-backs and Phillies.

Straily’s most recent MLB work came back in 2019, so he’s quite a ways removed from major league action at this point. Still, given the slate of pitching injuries that permeate Major League Baseball early every season, a nice run with the Ducks could be a springboard back into affiliated ball.

As for the 28-year-old Zuber, he was in spring training with the Guardians this year after signing a minor league deal but didn’t make the club after being torched for 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in just 5 1/3 innings. Zuber previously pitched for the Royals in 2020-21, debuting during the pandemic-shortened season with 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball. He posted a gaudy 30.3% strikeout rate that year but coupled it with an alarming 20.2% walk rate. Overall, he’s pitched 49 1/3 big league frames with a 5.29 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and 16.7% walk rate.

Command was never an issue for Zuber in the low minors. When looking at his minor league career as a whole, his 3.20 earned run average, 31.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate are all impressive. However, Zuber began to battle pronounced control struggles during that 2020 debut, and his penchant for walks carried over into subsequent seasons. Perhaps not coincidentally, he was plagued by shoulder troubles in 2021-22 — missing the entire 2022 season as a result. Zuber spent the 2023 season with Arizona’s Triple-A club and showed a somewhat improved 11.1% walk rate but also a diminished 20% strikeout rate in 20 2/3 innings.

As with Straily — and any big league veterans who sign with indie ball clubs — it’s possible that a good showing in Long Island will serve as a catalyst for renewed interest from affiliated clubs.

Pablo Sandoval Signs With Atlantic League’s Staten Island FerryHawks

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The Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League have signed Pablo Sandoval to a contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link).  It is the latest step in Sandoval’s comeback attempt after he didn’t play during the 2023 season.

Sandoval spent most of his 14 Major League seasons with the Giants, becoming a Bay Area legend for his contributions to the “Even Year” mini-dynasty that saw the team win the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014.  The third baseman hit .344/.389/.546 over 167 plate appearances during those postseasons, coming up particularly big in the latter two of those championship runs.  The highlight was World Series MVP honors in 2012, as Sandoval had a whopping 1.654 OPS in 17 plate appearances, including three homers in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

After an ill-fated free deal with the Red Sox didn’t work out, Sandoval found himself back in San Francisco for parts of the 2017-20 seasons.  He then appeared in 69 games with the 2021 Braves, and hasn’t since re-appeared on the Major League radar.  The Kung Fu Panda played in the Mexican League in 2022, and played winter ball in his native Venezuela and in Puerto Rico.

San Francisco inked the 37-year-old Sandoval to a minor league deal in February, and he hit .250/.323/.250 over 31 plate appearances in Spring Training.  Sandoval made it clear that he didn’t view the signing as a ceremonial gesture, and he was willing to play in the minors in order to continue his career before the Giants released him as part of their Opening Day roster cuts.  Sandoval will now become the latest MLB veteran to ply his trade in the Atlantic League, joining former big leaguers like Justin Williams, Jairo Labourt, and Mike Shawaryn on the Staten Island roster.

Jackie Bradley Jr. Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

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The Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League announced that they have signed outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. He’s the second former big leaguer they’ve signed this week, joining left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who signed with the Ducks on Tuesday as he apparently embarks on an age-38 comeback attempt.

Bradley, 34 this month, has played in the past 11 major league seasons, carving out a career as a superb defender in the outfield who could occasionally chip in with the bat and on the basepaths as well.

There were some whispers over the winter that Bradley was considering retirement but it was reported in February that he was open to continuing his career and was working out in the hopes of finding a club for the 2024 season. It seems he didn’t find an opportunity to his liking from an MLB club but will get some game action with the Ducks. The Atlantic League is an official partner league of MLB so perhaps Bradley can use this signing as a platform to getting back to the big leagues.

Bradley is within range of 10 years of major league service time, currently with a tally of nine years and 57 days, putting him 115 days shy of that milestone. It’s a significant marker for players both due to the fact that there are significant benefits in the MLBPA pension plan for those over the ten-year line and due to the symbolism of reaching a feat that fewer than 10 percent of players get to.

He has played in 1,182 major league games to this point, racking up 78 Defensive Runs Saved and 62 Outs Above Average in the process. Both of those figures place him in the top 10 among outfielders from 2013 to the present. Even as he’s moved towards his mid-30s in recent seasons, his glovework has continued to receive positive grades.

The offense has been less consistent. His best stretch at the plate was with the Red Sox in 2015 and 2016. He hit 36 home runs over those two seasons and slashed .262/.345/.489 for a wRC+ of 119. For the next three years, he settled in as a subpar hitter, but just barely. He combined for a line of .234/.318/.409 for the 2017 through 2019 seasons, with a wRC+ of 90 over that stretch.

He then had a well-timed surge in the shortened 2020 season, hitting seven home runs and batting .283/.364/.450 for a 118 wRC+ just as he was going into free agency for the first time. He was able to parlay that into a two-year, $24MM deal with the Brewers but his offense crashed after signing that pact and never really recovered. He has hit .176/.238/.275 since the start of the 2021 season, wRC+ of 40, while bouncing from the Brewers to the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Royals.

Wei-Yin Chen Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks

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Eight-year MLB veteran Wei-Yin Chen has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, the team announced Tuesday. He’ll return to the mound after not pitching anywhere during the 2023 season.

Chen, now 38 years old, was a mainstay in the Orioles’ rotation from 2012-15 when he recorded 706 2/3 frames of 3.72 ERA ball (4.14 FIP, 4.04 SIERA) with an 18.5% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 38.5% ground-ball rate. The Taiwanese-born lefty came to the O’s on a four-year deal after a five-year run with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He parlayed his solid showing in Baltimore into a five-year, $80MM contract in Miami that didn’t at all pan out as he or the Marlins hoped.

Chen was active for parts of the first four seasons of that contract, combining for 358 innings with a greatly diminished 5.10 ERA. His average fastball dropped by more than a mile per hour, and while his command remained strong and his strikeout rate slightly improved in Miami, Chen was quite a bit more homer-prone with the Fish than he had been with the O’s. A UCL injury midway through his Marlins tenure wiped out nearly all of his 2017 season. It never required surgery, but Chen still struggled out of the 2018 rotation and in a bullpen role in 2019. The Marlins ate the final year and $22MM on his contract when they released him following the 2019 campaign.

Since leaving the Marlins, Chen signed a minor league deal with the Mariners but never made their roster. He returned to Japan for the 2020-22 seasons, suiting up for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers. He was limited to 68 innings with those two teams’ big league clubs but pitched quite well when healthy and on the roster, turning in an ERA well shy of 3.00. Chen didn’t pitch in 2023.

While a big league comeback as he approaches his 39th birthday (July 21) seems like a long shot, it’s not impossible. The Atlantic League is an official partner league of MLB, and we’ve seen plenty of players utilize that setting as a launching pad back to affiliated ball over the years. MLB scouts will surely get looks at him on the mound. A strong enough performance could net him a minor league deal with an MLB club and put him one step away from getting back to the majors. Even if not, he’ll make for a fun comeback story to follow on the indie circuit this season.

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