Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Orioles, D-backs, Jays, Bucs, Yanks
This week in the baseball blogosphere…
- Camden Depot contends that Orioles closer Zach Britton has been the second-best pitcher in the American League this season.
- Inside the ‘Zona covers the Diamondbacks’ off-the-field woes.
- Baseball Hot Corner talks with former major leaguer Otis Nixon.
- Jays From The Couch interviews Blue Jays Triple-A outfield prospect Dalton Pompey.
- Think Blue Planning Committee chats with Dodgers right-handed pitching prospect Isaac Anderson.
- Outfield Fly Rule and Wayniac Nation focus on the Braves’ promotion of shortstop Dansby Swanson.
- BigThreeSports looks into whether Mariners catcher Mike Zunino has actually turned into a good hitter.
- SaberBallBlog studies which players have fared the best while leading off innings this year.
- Now On Deck highlights the Orioles’ surging offense.
- Outside Pitch MLB names five teams that could be fits for Yankees catcher Brian McCann.
- Philliedelphia forecasts how righty Aaron Nola’s injury-shortened season will affect him and the Phillies in 2017.
- North Shore Nine suggests a two-closer committee for the Pirates.
- Dan Grant of Same Page Team approves of the job Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins have done since taking over the team’s front office in 2015.
- Bleeding Royal Blue delves into the struggles of first baseman Eric Hosmer.
- TPOP compares a recent Pirates acquisition, righty Ivan Nova, to 2015 deadline pickup JA Happ.
- Pirates Breakdown isn’t wistful about Happ’s time in Pittsburgh.
- The Game Day Report points out that the fastball-heavy Happ could be the favorite to win the AL Cy Young.
- Other League presents in-depth scouting reports on Brewers prospects Trent Clark, Isan Diaz and Lucas Erceg.
- Chin Music Baseball analyzes the Orioles.
- Deadline Detroit paints a gloomy picture of left fielder Justin Upton’s Tigers tenure.
- The Runner Sports wonders when the Astros will promote Yulieski Gurriel (Sunday, it turns out).
- Everything Bluebirds has concerns about the Blue Jays’ strikeout-prone offense.
- MLB451 ponders how things would have turned out had the Angels, not the Red Sox, signed David Ortiz after the 2002 season.
- Sports Heaven opines that Jameson Taillon, not Gerrit Cole, should start the wild-card game for the Pirates if they get there.
- Brew City Sports Report and Brew Crew Fever pay tribute to Prince Fielder’s tenure in Milwaukee.
- A’s Farm offers a progress report on the the Athletics’ top 20 draft picks of 2016
- Jays Journal explains that Toronto closer Roberto Osuna’s career is off to a historic start.
- Super Two Sports is a proponent of first baseman Ryan Howard staying with the Phillies for the rest of the season.
- Baseball Docs checks in on the MVP races.
- Yanks Go Yard puts together ideal Yankees lineups against righties and lefties.
- Rotisserie Duck is a fan of OPS.
- Notes From The Sally tries to figure out why Red Sox first base prospect Josh Ockimey has had such a poor second half.
- Pinstriped Prospects provides updates on recent performances by some Yankees farmhands.
- Halo Headquarters thinks the Angels should part with manager Mike Scioscia when his contract expires.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@ gmail.com.
Latest On Brian McCann, Braves
With red-hot prospect Gary Sanchez in the midst of taking over the Yankees’ starting catcher role, an offseason deal sending veteran Brian McCann back to Atlanta is a legitimate possibility, writes Randy Miller of NJ.com. In theory, the teams could work out a deal sometime this season, as McCann cleared trade waivers two weeks ago. At the time, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees and Braves engaged in McCann-related discussions prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.
Atlanta likes the idea of adding the 32-year-old McCann as a leader of a young team, Heyman reported. Further, general manager John Coppolella told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM on Sunday that, along with finding a manager and upgrading his club’s rotation, improving at catcher will be a high priority during the offseason (Twitter link).
“We need to win games next year,” Coppolella said of the Braves, who will move to a new ballpark in 2017.
As of now, the Braves’ leading in-house candidate to start behind the dish next season is likely Tyler Flowers, who has been out since mid-July after suffering a broken hand. Flowers hit a solid .254/.343/.422 with seven homers in 210 plate appearances before the injury, but the Braves clearly aren’t buying into him as a solution.
Before joining the Yankees on a five-year, $85MM deal in December 2013, McCann was a star with the Braves. As a full-time member of the team from 2006-13, he batted .277/.350/.477 with 171 home runs in 4,150 PAs. That stellar production hasn’t quite transferred to New York, where McCann has posted a league-average .233/.311/.418 line in 1,452 trips to the plate. Still, McCann’s on-field mix of respectable offense and well-regarded defense (StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus have mostly given him good pitch-framing marks, and the latter is fond of his blocking skills) could make him an appealing option.
Moreover, the Yankees are amid a youth movement, making a McCann deal seem like an inevitably. Of course, McCann would first have to agree to waive his full no-trade clause. Money could also complicate matters, as he’s owed $34MM through the 2018 season. However, McCann’s best chance to continue as an everyday catcher will likely be in another uniform. The writing is on the wall in New York, which has turned to Sanchez lately and shifted McCann to designated hitter. The 23-year-old Sanchez is doing his best to seize the backstop role for good, having recorded a videogamelike .379/.419/.776 line with six long balls in 62 trips to the plate.
“It was always the case that Sanchez at some point was going to come up and hopefully come up to stay,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said earlier this week. “So we’ll cross that bridge in the offseason when we come to it, but McCann’s a great player, too.”
McCann is taking the Yankees’ future-oriented approach in stride, telling Miller, “This is the best young group I’ve seen.”
He’ll soon get a look at a different group of young players if a potential return to Atlanta becomes a reality.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tigers Activate Cameron Maybin; Latest On Nick Castellanos
The Tigers have activated center fielder Cameron Maybin from the 15-day disabled list and optioned shortstop Dixon Machado to Triple-A Toledo, reports Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Maybin, who went on the DL on Aug. 10 (retroactive to Aug. 6) with a sprained left thumb, will rejoin the Tigers’ lineup Sunday and bat second against the Red Sox.
[RELATED: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]
Maybin has endured two DL stints this season, but the 29-year-old has posted strong numbers in between. In 261 plate appearances, Maybin has slashed .325/.394/.398, also adding 13 stolen bases on 17 attempts. A difficult-to-maintain BABIP of .382 has helped fuel Maybin’s output at the dish, but the former Marlin, Padre and Brave has made legitimate gains this year in terms of plate discipline. Both Maybin’s 14.9 percent strikeout rate and 10 percent walk rate are career bests, and his BB/K ratio of .67 ranks well above the league-average mark of .39.
Maybin’s return is a welcome one for 64-59 Detroit, which has lost two in a row to fall 3 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the American League’s second wild-card spot. In addition to Maybin, the Tigers’ lineup has been without third baseman Nick Castellanos for most of August. Castellanos, who suffered a fractured left hand on an Aug. 6 hit by pitch, is nowhere near ready to swing a bat or return to game action, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. As a result, the Tigers have increased the timeline of his recovery from the originally announced four weeks.
“Four [weeks] is probably too short,” general manager Avila said, “and we’re hoping seven [weeks] is too much.”
Seven weeks would point to a mid-September return for Castellanos. In the meantime, barring an outside acquisition, Casey McGehee is likely to continue filling in for Castellanos. The 33-year-old McGehee has hit just .264/.278/.283 with one extra-base hit and one walk in 54 plate appearances this season.
Marlins Activate A.J. Ramos From DL
The Marlins have activated closer A.J. Ramos from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Brian Ellington to Triple-A New Orleans, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Ramos landed on the DL Aug. 9 (retroactive to Aug. 6) with a finger injury, meaning he ended up staying on the shelf for the minimum amount of time.
[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]
Ramos, 29, is amid his fourth consecutive season as a quality option out of the Marlins’ bullpen. This season, his second as Miami’s closer, Ramos has converted 32 of 34 save opportunities and posted a 3.05 ERA and 11.37 K/9 in 44 1/3 innings. On the negative side, control has been an issue at times during Ramos’ major league career – including this year. Ramos currently has a lofty 5.28 BB/9, which isn’t that far above the 4.77 figure he has recorded in 268 innings as a Marlin.
With Ramos back, midseason acquisition Fernando Rodney should head back to a setup role for 64-59 Miami, which is just 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the National League’s second wild-card spot. Since Aug. 5 – Ramos’ latest appearance – Rodney has allowed a mere one earned run and five hits in eight innings, though he has walked five against seven strikeouts. In all, the 39-year-old has compiled a 2.25 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 56.6 percent ground-ball rate across 52 frames with the Marlins and Padres this season. With him, Ramos and Kyle Barraclough, Miami has an enviable trio of late-game righties.
Blue Jays Option Aaron Sanchez To Minors
In a surprise move, the Blue Jays have optioned one of the American League’s best starters, right-hander Aaron Sanchez, to Single-A Dunedin, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (Twitter link). To take Sanchez’s roster spot, the club recalled left-handed reliever Aaron Loup from Triple-A Buffalo.
[RELATED: Updated Blue Jays Depth Chart]
Manager John Gibbons said Friday that the Jays were considering skipping a Sanchez start to limit his workload, notes Davidi (Twitter link), so the fact that he’s headed to the minors isn’t a total shock. As long as he’s down for fewer than 20 days, Sanchez will still accrue a full year of service time, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. That will indeed be the case, as Sanchez expects to rejoin the Jays for an Aug. 31 start against the Orioles, per Davidi (Twitter link).
The hard-throwing Sanchez was previously scheduled to make his 25th start of the year next Saturday against the Twins. In his 24th outing, Sanchez yielded five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk in four innings of a 6-5 win over the Indians on Saturday. Despite that less-than-stellar showing, Sanchez has fared brilliantly this season. In his first full year as a starter, Sanchez has emerged as a high-end option while logging a 2.99 ERA, 7.60 K/9, 2.65 BB/9 and 57.1 percent ground-ball rate in 156 1/3 frames. There has been much discussion along the way about an innings limit for Sanchez, who tossed just over 100 last season in the majors and minors. His previous high since joining the Blue Jays organization as a first-round pick in the 2010 draft came in 2014, when he amassed a combined 133 1/3 innings at three levels. When the Jays switched to a six-man rotation earlier this month to help preserve Sanchez, president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro told the media “no scenario” exists in which the 24-year-old will throw 220-plus innings this season.
At 70-53 and in first place in the American League East, the Blue Jays look as though they’ll play into October, which further complicates the Sanchez situation. If Toronto does clinch a playoff berth, the expectation is that Sanchez will factor heavily into the team’s plans as it attempts to win a World Series. For now, though, Sanchez will go down a few levels to help ensure his place in a potential playoff run. His departure will leave the Jays with a capable rotation featuring AL Cy Young hopeful JA Happ, Marco Estrada, Marcus Stroman, RA Dickey and Francisco Liriano.
Rangers’ Jon Daniels On Carlos Gomez Signing
10:14am: Manager Jeff Banister revealed Sunday that Gomez will be the Rangers’ everyday left fielder when he joins the team, tweets Wilson. Profar and DeShields have been platooning there recently.
9:12am: Newly signed Rangers outfielder Carlos Gomez will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, but he could join the big league team as early as Thursday, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Unsurprisingly, Rangers president and general manager Jon Daniels would like Gomez to debut with the first-place club in short order.
“We signed him with the hope that he can help us in the big leagues,” Daniels told Wilson. “Probably sooner than later given where we are on the calendar. We want to take a look at it before too much time passes.”
The 73-51 Rangers, who have a six-game lead in the American League West and own the AL’s best record, haven’t yet decided how often they’ll play Gomez or which position he’ll fill. One place he won’t line up is center field, Daniels said. While center is Gomez’s natural position and where he has spent nearly his entire major league career since debuting with the Mets in 2007, Texas has a better option on its roster in Ian Desmond.
Desmond has solidified the Rangers’ outfield up the middle, but they aren’t as well off in the corners – especially given the loss of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to a fractured forearm earlier this week. Without Choo around, Jurickson Profar, Nomar Mazara, Ryan Rua, Delino DeShields Jr. and Drew Stubbs are the Rangers’ current choices, as their depth chart shows.
Like Gomez, Rua, DeShields and Stubbs are all right-handed hitters. The only one who has fared nicely versus lefties this year is Rua, though the 31-year-old Stubbs does own a .274/.349/.445 line against them in 932 career plate appearances. Historically, Gomez has performed similarly against both left- and right-handers, and that has continued this season. Unfortunately, though, that’s no longer a positive for the erstwhile star, whom lefties have held to a .221/.275/.326 line and righties have limited to a .205/.271/.320 output in 2016. As evidenced by those numbers, and the fact that the wild-card contending Astros released him amid a playoff race, Gomez no longer looks like any kind of a solution. However, Daniels felt Gomez was worth taking a flyer on for the prorated league minimum of $110K.
“The way we’re looking at it is he’s an extremely talented player who is having a down year,” Daniels stated. “He’s 30 years old; he’s still in his physical prime. Sometimes trades don’t work out the way the acquiring club intends. We’re taking a chance on him thinking he’s better than his most recent performance.”
Gomez, of course, was among the majors’ premier all-around players from 2013-14, when the ex-Brewer combined for 13.1 fWAR in 1,234 PAs and slashed .284/.347/.491 with 47 home runs and 74 stolen bases. Gomez’s career went into a tailspin when Houston acquired him last summer. Now, the Rangers are left to hope that a change of scenery serves him well.
MLBTR Originals
Here’s a recap of the original analysis MLBTR offered over the last week:
- With the Astros having released center fielder Carlos Gomez, Steve Adams broke down eight potential fits for the former star. The Rangers, whom Steve included, have since signed Gomez.
- Jeff Todd looked at eight midseason prospect call-ups who are impacting the postseason race.
- Mark Polishuk forecast the upcoming offseason’s qualifying offer market, concluding that at least 11 players are locks to receive a QO. There are also plenty of other players who could also be in the mix, as Mark detailed.
- Jason Martinez examined the 10 American League playoff contenders’ needs in the wake of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.
- In this week’s “Knocking Down the Door,” Jason listed four pitching prospects and two young infielders who are making cases for promotions.
- Despite being in first place, the Indians could certainly stand to upgrade at catcher. With that in mind, Steve polled readers on which path they should take at the position.
- I ranked the five best rookies in each league (AL, NL) as the end of the regular season draws closer.
- Finally, Jeff focused on the performance and potential offseason earning power of Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, an impending free agent.
Astros To Promote Yulieski Gurriel
Over a month after signing him to a five-year, $47.5MM contract, the Astros will promote infielder Yulieski Gurriel to the majors Sunday, reports Julia Morales of ROOT Sports (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Astros Depth Chart]
Gurriel, one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of Cuba, hasn’t gotten off to an overly productive start in a small sample size of 95 plate appearances in America. In his first game action of the season, the 32-year-old hit .229/.293/.361 with two homers while spending minimal time at four different minor league levels. The Astros will now hope to receive something a bit closer to Gurriel’s output in 2015, when he concluded his career in Cuba by notching a hit in exactly half of his 174 at-bats. In 225 plate appearances, he drew 38 walks against a meager three strikeouts and smashed 15 home runs en route to an .874 slugging percentage.
Given their collection of infield talent, there have been plenty of questions regarding where the Astros will use Gurriel. Initially, he’ll serve as their designated hitter, according to Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). That means fellow midseason call-up Alex Bregman will continue at third base, where the highly regarded 22-year-old has spent most of his time since the club promoted him last month.
If the hot corner is where the Astros want Bregman for the long haul, it could push Gurriel to first base or even the corner outfield. First baseman Luis Valbuena suffered a setback with the strained right hamstring that has kept him out all of August, and he could miss the rest of the season, per Todd Karpavich of MLB.com. Gurriel could slot in there in the near term, then, but the Astros have a highly touted prospect who’s currently in the majors in A.J. Reed. In the outfield, Houston hasn’t gotten much production this year from anyone other than George Springer. With Colby Rasmus out until next month with an ear cyst and scheduled for free agency in the offseason, left field seems like a logical landing spot for Gurriel.
Regardless of where he plays, the Astros need the Gurriel signing to pay dividends immediately if they’re going to climb back into the American League playoff race. The Astros were surging when they recalled Bregman on July 24, but they’ve since lost 16 of 25 and are 9 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Texas and 4 1/2 out of a wild-card spot.
Matt Kemp, Mitch Moreland Clear Waivers
In addition to the previously reported Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, James Shields and Scott Kazmir, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds Braves outfielder Matt Kemp and Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland to the list of veterans who have cleared waivers. Like the other four players, Kemp and Moreland are now eligible to be traded anywhere.
[RELATED: Players Who Have Cleared Revocable Waivers]
Kemp is only a few weeks into his stint with the Braves, who acquired him from the Padres in exchange for Hector Olivera on July 30. In doing so, the Braves got rid of an on- and off-field disappointment in Olivera and added Kemp on a $21.5MM salary through 2019. The Braves are on the hook for $18MM of that sum, while the Padres will pay $3.5MM of it for the duration of the deal. Undoubtedly, Atlanta would have to eat quite a bit of money to move Kemp, who hasn’t provided much all-around value since the 2012 season.
Kemp’s best asset is his bat, but he has only produced a league-average line (.259/.291/.475) despite 24 home runs in 505 plate appearances this year. At .265/.312/.443 in 648 PAs last season, Kemp wasn’t overly effective then, either. Even if the former MVP candidate and ex-Dodger experiences an offensive revival, which looks unlikely for a player whose walk rate is at a career-worst 4.8 percent, his defensive woes will continue limiting his value. Long a negative in the field, Kemp currently ranks toward the bottom of the majors in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-6), Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-7.9) and UZR/150 (minus-12.3). Thus, Kemp is likely better off as a designated hitter than an outfielder, yet the 31-year-old has played his entire career in the National League. Given his likely low to nonexistent trade value, Kemp looks primed to continue in the Senior Circuit.
While Kemp is on a last-place team that has no hope of contention in 2016, Moreland is a member of a club with World Series aspirations. In 376 trips to the plate, Moreland has mimicked Kemp in swatting plenty of homers (21) while recording a batting line that’s only slightly better than league average (.251/.316/.481). Those numbers are essentially right in line with Moreland’s career, as the 30-year-old has hit .258/.319/.449 in 2,635 PAs. He’s also amid his third straight 20-plus-HR season, making him one of four Rangers who have achieved the feat this year (excluding midseason pickups Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy).
Moreland, who’s on a $5.7MM salary, is due to hit free agency in the offseason. While he could leave the Rangers then and perhaps pave the way for the Joey Gallo era, it seems unlikely to happen during a season in which first-place Texas is 73-51 and aiming for a championship.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Send Ryan Buchter To Minors
The Padres optioned left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday, according to Carlos Collazo of MLB.com. The 29-year-old rookie has been a highly productive part of the Friars’ bullpen this season, but they sent him down amid concerns about fatigue and a decline in spin rate. Buchter has relied almost exclusively on his fastball, which FanGraphs’ Eno Sarris wrote earlier this month has been among the best of its kind in terms of spin rate.
“We’ve pushed him hard all season. He’s got more appearances right now than he’s had at any point in time in his career,” manager Andy Green said in regards to Buchter’s demotion. “He threw 25 innings in winter ball. It’s been a long year for him.”
Prior to Thursday, Buchter had worked 11 straight scoreless appearances and, along with fellow southpaw Brad Hand, served as one of the Padres’ top relievers in 2016. He then pitched in each of San Diego’s previous two games and allowed earned runs in both outings. Buchter recorded just one out Friday and surrendered two runs on a hit and a pair of walks. Still, the offseason minor league signing has been a significant steal for the Padres, with whom he has recorded a 3.00 ERA, 11.33 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 across 54 innings. While the longtime minor leaguer is worst among all qualified relievers in ground-ball percentage (19.5), he has offset that to a degree with a quality infield fly rate (14.9 percent).
With Buchter headed back to the minors, where he pitched with a handful of different organizations from 2006-15, the Padres have recalled fellow southpaw reliever Keith Hessler to take his place in their bullpen. However, Buchter still seems to figure prominently into their plans at the major league level.
“He’s healthy. He just needs a little reprieve,” Green said of Buchter. “I think smart organizations do that from time to time. They look at a guy and recognize what he needs and get him back here and let him back into his role that he’s been dominant in for the better part of the season.”