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Angel Martínez Replaces Tyler Freeman On Guardians Postseason Roster

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The Guardians announced a roster move ahead of Game 2 of the ALDS this afternoon: Angel Martínez will sub in for Tyler Freeman, who has been removed from the roster after suffering a left oblique strain. According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Freeman hurt his oblique while playing in a simulated game. Major League Baseball has already approved the substitution.

Freeman, 25, appeared in 118 games for the Guardians this season. A converted infielder, her saw most of his playing time in center field but also took reps at second base, third base, shortstop, and DH. In addition, he was a regular pinch-hitter and pinch-runner for manager Stephen Vogt. While he wasn’t particularly productive in any aspect of the game, his speed, contact skills, and defensive versatility helped him earn playing time throughout the year. However, he did not appear in Game 1 of the ALDS, and he is now ineligible to return until the World Series, should Cleveland advance that far.

Martínez, 22, made his big league debut in June but struggled to stick on the Guardians’ roster. However, he hit well in 55 games at Triple-A this year, producing an .812 OPS and 111 wRC+. Indeed, he was so red-hot at Triple-A to start September (182 wRC+ in 10 games) that he bumped Freeman off the active roster. Unfortunately for Martínez, he just could not find the same success against MLB pitching, going 9-for-41 (.220) with a .517 OPS and a 51 wRC+ over 12 games after his latest promotion. That likely explains why the Guardians went back to Freeman in favor of Martínez on the ALDS roster in the first place. With Freeman on the shelf, Cleveland will turn back to Martínez to fill the role of the athletic backup outfielder/pinch-runner/utility man off the bench.

Guardians Activate Alex Cobb For ALDS Roster

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The Guardians released their 26-man roster for the AL Division Series this morning, and veteran right-hander Alex Cobb was included after being activated from the 15-day injured list.  Cobb has pitched in just one MLB game since August 14 due to a pair of IL stints — first due to a fractured fingernail, and now this latest stint due to blisters on his right hand.

It has been an injury-plagued season overall for Cobb, as he has only three total starts and he didn’t make his season debut until August 9.  Cobb had hip surgery last October, and his recovery from that surgery was delayed by both some shoulder soreness and then some earlier blister issues.  As it turned out, Cobb’s final year with the Giants didn’t even involve one last trip to the mound in a San Francisco uniform, as the Giants dealt the veteran starter to the Guardians at the trade deadline.

Cleveland felt confident enough in Cobb’s status to swing the trade despite his lack of action during the season, and his subsequent pair of trips to the IL haven’t exactly calmed any doubts about his health.  However, the Guards were able to win the AL Central even with Cobb providing limited help, and for what it’s worth, he did pitch well (2.76 ERA in 16 1/3 innings) over his three starts with his new club.

An impactful October performance would certainly help Cobb make a true mark on his new team, though it remains to be seen exactly how the Guardians might deploy Cobb in the ALDS.  Tanner Bibee is the scheduled starter for Game 1 and Matthew Boyd is the likeliest candidate to start Game 2, though the Guards could go in many directions given the uncertain nature of their rotation.  Considering how Cobb is just returning from the IL, his innings could be limited if he does get a start, or Cleveland might even use him as a bulk pitcher (behind an opener) or perhaps in a piggyback capacity.  The Guardians are hoping to get as much as they can out of their starters and then rely on their elite bullpen.

Here is Cleveland’s full 26-man roster for its ALDS matchup against the Tigers.  Cobb, Bibee, Gavin Williams, Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, Eli Morgan, and Andrew Walters are the right-handed pitchers, and Boyd, Tim Herrin, Joey Cantillo, and Erik Sabrowski are the four southpaws on the roster.  The list of position players consists of catchers Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges, utilityman David Fry, infielders Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Brayan Rocchio, Daniel Schneemann, and Kyle Manzardo, and outfielders Steven Kwan, Lane Thomas, Jhonkensy Noel, Will Brennan, and Tyler Freeman.

11 Players Elect Free Agency

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As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Diamond Sports Group Planning To Cut Ties With 11 MLB Clubs

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Diamond Sports Group said in court today that it plans to broadcast just one MLB club next year, the Braves, per reporting from Evan Drellich of The Athletic. The company, which owns the Bally Sports Networks, also had deals with the Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Cardinals, Rays but plans on walking away from those. As Drellich notes, as part of the company’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, they can accept and reject contracts though the measures have to be approved by the court. The Brewers, Guardians, Twins and Rangers had one-year deals with Diamond for 2024. Those 11 clubs will now have to renegotiate new deals with Diamond or find other broadcasting arrangements.

Drellich provides some more specifics on X, noting that it’s more complicated than Diamond simply abandoning these 11 clubs, but that seems to be the company’s goal regardless. Alden González of ESPN adds some more details, noting that a confirmation hearing has been set for November 14 and 15 in Houston. The Marlins and Diamond have mutual interest in working out a new deal, per a report from Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. The Angels are working on a new deal with Diamond, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

Per Drellich, league representatives said they were “sandbagged” by the news. “We have no information about what is being done,” said Jim Bromley, lawyer for MLB. “We’ve had no opportunity to review and now we’re in front of the court and being asked to make our comments.”

The ongoing financial situation of Diamond Sports Group has been a significant part of baseball’s economic landscape for a long time and this could prove to be a major development as part of that narrative. Largely due to cord cutting, the regional sports network model has been gradually collapsing in recent history. In the 2022-23 offseason, reports emerged that Diamond was in rough shape financially and the company filed for bankruptcy before the 2023 MLB season began.

They dropped their contracts with the Padres and Diamondbacks during that 2023 campaign. It threatened to do the same with the Guardians, Twins and Rangers for 2024 but ultimately renegotiated lower fees with those clubs and continued those broadcasts through this year. Now it seems like the company is continuing down this path but with an even more aggressive severing of their existing ties to Major League Baseball.

This is bound to have short-term effects on clubs and players. These contracts have been sources of significant revenue for clubs, as MLBTR covered earlier this year. The 11 teams that Diamond plans to cut ties with were previously receiving between $33MM (Brewers) and $125MM (Angels) on an annual basis. Per reporting in April, the Padres were set to receive about $60MM in 2023 before their deal with Diamond collapsed. The league reportedly covered about 80% of those fees last year but didn’t plan to do so in 2024 and beyond.

Uncertainty around broadcast revenue seemingly played a major role in the 2023-24 offseason, which was disappointing for players. Teams like the Padres, Rangers, Twins and others were either cutting payroll or not increasing it as much as had previously been expected, with the TV situation often being used as justification. This appeared to play a role in various free agents not finding markets as strong as they had anticipated and many of them lingered unsigned into the early months of 2024 and/or signed for deals well below projections. It seems fair to expect that similar narratives could emerge in the coming winter.

Per González, a company source says that Diamond is still hoping to sign new deals with the 11 clubs being cut out today. However, that would presumably involve reduce fee payments, such as those received by the Guardians, Twins and Rangers this year. As mentioned up top, the Marlins and Angels seem to expect to continue their relationship with Diamond/Bally in 2025, though negotiating new deals may take some time.

In the long-term picture, MLB might be happy to be further cutting ties with Diamond. They have continually expressed skepticism about the company’s plans to stay afloat. Diamond has tried various methods of refinancing, including signing a streaming deal with Amazon, but the league hasn’t seemed convinced that any of the company’s plans would lead to long-term stability.

As mentioned, the league has already started selling some games to fans in direct-to-customer fashion. Commissioner Rob Manfred has aspirations of marketing a digital streaming package consisting of several MLB teams, which fans could watch without blackout restrictions. MLB.TV already exists and allows fans to watch most games, but the RSN deals lead to certain teams being blacked out in the areas covered by those deals.

Having less commitment with Diamond going forward will increase the viability of that streaming plan over the years to come. However, as mentioned, less TV revenue figures to have a sizeable impact on the short-term economics of the game. This will lead to ripple effects throughout the upcoming offseason and will likely be worrisome for certain players hitting the open market in the coming weeks. New deals could be negotiated between now and the 2025 season, which could put some money back on the table, though likely less than in previous years.

There is also the matter of the fan experience, as there were times in 2024 where the Braves were not available on TV to some customers during a dispute between Bally’s and Comcast. For fans of these 11 clubs today, they will have to keep an eye on the proceedings to determine if their favorite club will still be accessed in the ways they are accustomed to or if they will have to switch to some new broadcast model.

MLBTR Podcast: Buster Posey Takes Over In SF And The Cardinals’ Succession Plan

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Giants firing president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and giving the job to Buster Posey (1:15)
  • The Cardinals will replace president of baseball operations John Mozeliak with Chaim Bloom after 2025 (15:05)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Guardians Outright Carlos Carrasco

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Carlos Carrasco is sticking with the Guardians. Cleveland announced this evening that the veteran right-hander accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus. The Guards had designated Carrasco for assignment on Tuesday when they needed a 40-man roster spot to add Myles Straw as a replacement for injured left fielder Steven Kwan.

Carrasco was on the injured list at the time of his DFA. He last pitched in the majors on August 7. A left hip strain sent him to the 15-day IL. Injured players cannot go on outright waivers, but Carrasco was on a minor league rehab stint at the time of his designation. That the Guards were permitted to outright him suggests he’s back to full strength. Cleveland announced that he’ll start tomorrow for Columbus.

This has been a tough year for the 37-year-old. Carrasco broke camp with the Guardians after returning to the organization on an offseason minor league deal. He’s taken the ball 21 times and is third on the team (behind Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively) with 103 2/3 innings. The results haven’t been great, as he’s allowed 5.64 earned runs per nine. Carrasco’s strikeout rate is a bit south of 20% and he has been far too prone to the home run ball (1.65 HR/9). The longball has been an issue for the past few seasons, the main reason Carrasco has allowed an ERA north of 5.00 in four of the last six years.

Carrasco has more than enough service time to decline a minor league assignment while collecting what remains of his $2MM base salary. He and the Guardians clearly have a strong relationship, so he’ll instead head to Columbus and hang around as depth for Cleveland’s playoff run. Carrasco wouldn’t have been eligible for postseason play elsewhere, meaning he’d have simply sat out the rest of the year had he elected free agency.

While Carrasco has clearly fallen down the organizational depth chart, the Guardians have one of the weaker rotations among playoff teams. Bibee, Gavin Williams and midseason pickup Matthew Boyd (2.52 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout rate in seven starts) project as Stephen Vogt’s top three starters. Deadline acquisition Alex Cobb landed on the IL last week with blister issues. He’d be in that mix if he’s healthy by the start of the playoffs. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, he was scratched from a scheduled simulated game yesterday as the blister lingers.

Lively would probably be the option right now if Vogt needs a fourth starter, but there’s very little depth after that. Carrasco and rookie Joey Cantillo project as the top depth options if any of the Guards’ top four starters were to suffer an injury. Vogt will look to get into his elite bullpen early and often once October rolls around.

Guardians Place Steven Kwan On Injured List

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The Guardians announced that outfielder Steven Kwan has been placed on the 10-day injured list. They have selected the contract of Myles Straw to take his place on the active roster. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco, currently on the 15-day injured list, has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Straw.

Kwan hasn’t played in a game since September 12. He was scratched from the lineup on September 13 with the club describing his issue as body fatigue, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com on X. Manager Stephen Vogt later described the issue as back soreness, per Bell.

It’s unclear how long the club expects Kwan to be out, but it seems they want him to rest for at least a week. IL stints can be backdated by as many as three days if they player has been out of the lineup, so the Guardians have presumably done so with Kwan.

For however long he’s out, the Guards will be without one of the game’s best contact hitters. Kwan has only been punched out in 9.4% of his plate appearances this year. Among qualified hitters, only Luis Arráez has been struck out at a lower rate this year. Kwan is generally not a power threat but has 13 homers this year, more than doubling his previous career high of six. He’s hitting .291/.364/.419 on the year overall for a wRC+ of 127.

In addition to the offense, Kwan has stolen 12 bases and received strong grades for his left field defense. That’s allowed him to produced 3.8 wins above replacement on the year, per the calculations of FanGraphs, second on the team to José Ramírez.

Losing a player like that would be a blow at any time, but it’s especially concerning at this part of the calendar. Perhaps the club is just giving Kwan a breather and expects him to be healthy by the time the playoffs start. But even in that scenario, any kind of setback would roll into the postseason.

With Kwan out in recent days, the Guards have been utilizing an outfield mix of Lane Thomas, Ángel Martínez, Jhonkensy Noel and Will Brennan. Thomas has been the club’s regular center fielder since coming over from the Nationals in a deadline trade but he hasn’t taken well to his new club. He has hit .217/.273/.377 for Cleveland while striking out in 37.3% of his plate appearances.

Perhaps the Guards will install Straw in center and hope for better results, though that might be a tall ask. He was outrighted off the club’s roster in March after a few years of offensive struggles. He hit .229/.296/.284 for the Guards over 2022 and 2023, leading to a combined wRC+ of 67. Since clearing waivers and getting sent down to Columbus coming into this year, his results haven’t improved much. in 123 Triple-A games this year, he’s hitting .240/.321/.329 for a wRC+ of 72.

Despite the lack of offense, Straw at least has a solid floor from his speed and defense. He has swiped 30 bags in 31 tries this year and has regularly had similar stolen base totals in previous seasons. Thomas is also capable of providing value in those departments, with 32 steals this year and defensive metrics that are roughly average for his time in center. Whether Straw will push Thomas for playing time or simply serve as a glove-first bench guy remains to be seen.

Straw signed a $25MM extension with Cleveland going into 2022, which has not worked out so far due to his aforementioned offensive downturn. Given his struggles and that contract, it was unsurprising that he went unclaimed off waivers. He had the right to elect free agency at that time since he has at least three years of service, but since he has less than five years, doing so would have meant walking away from the money still to be paid out on that deal. He unsurprisingly accepted his outright assignment and gets back on the roster today. There’s not enough time left in this season for him to hit that five-year mark, so it’s possible he’s outrighted again later this year or in the winter.

Carrasco, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Guards in the winter and made the Opening Day roster. He has made 21 starts for the club this year with a 5.64 earned run average in 103 2/3 innings. That’s obviously not amazing production but it was valuable to the club at times this year as various other starters struggled or landed on the injured list.

The club currently has a rotation of Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Matthew Boyd, Joey Cantillo and Ben Lively with Alex Cobb currently on the IL due to a blister. Williams was on the IL for most of the first half of the year but has since returned. Boyd wasn’t signed until midseason as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery but has looked strong since joining the club. Cobb was a midseason trade acquisition and Cantillo has gradually pitched his way into the picture with a solid season.

That leaves less room for Carrasco than earlier in the year and he has had his own injury issues. He landed on the injured list in May due to an acute neck spasm and returned a couple of weeks later. A second IL stint put him out of action just over a month ago, with a left hip strain being the culprit. He began a rehab assignment a few days ago but the club has nudged him off the roster today.

Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers so Carrasco should be on release waivers shortly. It’s a fairly moot point as he’s likely to clear in either case. He’s making a $2MM salary this year and other clubs won’t have much use for him at this part of the calendar. He wouldn’t be postseason eligible for any other team and wouldn’t have much time to make contributions in the regular season either.

Assuming he clears waivers, he would be able to elect free agency as a veteran with plenty of years of experience, but it’s possible he decides to stay and serve as non-roster depth for the Guards and possibly get a chance to rejoin the roster for the postseason.

Guardians’ George Valera To Undergo Patellar Tendon Surgery

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Guardians outfield prospect George Valera is headed for season-ending surgery, tweets Mandy Bell of MLB.com. The 23-year-old sustained a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee while trying to make a catch at the wall in Triple-A. The procedure comes with a six-to-nine month recovery timetable, so it’s likely Valera will open next season on the injured list.

Injuries have sapped some of Valera’s value. The lefty-swinging outfielder appeared at the back half of Baseball America’s top 100 prospect lists in both 2022 and ’23. Valera underwent hamate surgery during the 2022-23 offseason and has had brief injured list stints because of hamstring issues in the last couple years. He’d been healthy between the start of May and the middle of September this year, spending the entire time on optional assignment to Triple-A Columbus.

Valera had hit very well through Double-A. His Triple-A numbers are closer to average. He’s a career .229/.336/.424 hitter in 205 games at the level. That includes a .248/.337/.452 line with 17 homers in 374 plate appearances this year. While Valera has a strong 12% walk rate, he has gone down on strikes at a lofty 27% clip. A center fielder early in his career, he has played all but nine innings in the corners or at designated hitter this year.

Cleveland has carried Valera on the 40-man roster going back to the 2021-22 offseason. He has spent the past three seasons on optional assignment. Most players can only be optioned to the minors in three separate seasons. MLB sometimes grants teams a fourth option for players who have less than five full seasons on a minor league or MLB roster.

Valera, who didn’t play a full season at an affiliate until 2021, could be a candidate for a fourth option. That’d afford the Cleveland front office an extra year of flexibility. If Valera is out of options going into next season, Cleveland would need to carry him in the majors or make him available to other teams once he is ready to return from the injured list.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Kwan, Olson

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The Twins recently welcomed a pair of key players back from the injured list, returning both center fielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa to the starting lineup. Buxton was activated in advance of yesterday’s game after missing the past month with a hip injury, while Correa has been out for the past two months due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The duo’s return to action is surely a relief for Twins fans. After all, only Matt Wallner’s 162 wRC+ surpasses Correa’s 152 and Buxton’s 142 figures among the club’s regulars, and the two stars also play key defensive roles at shortstop and center field respectively.

As important as both Correa and Buxton are to the Twins’ pursuit of an AL Wild Card spot and impending postseason push, however, they won’t be in the lineup every day down the stretch. As noted by Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters earlier today that both players will be in the lineup on a truly game-to-game basis, with the team’s medical staff evaluating them both after each game to determine whether or not they’ll be available to play in the club’s next game.

That aggressive management of the club’s two top players might seem counter-intuitive for a Twins club that’s clinging to a 2.5-game lead over Detroit for the final AL Wild Card spot, but it’s fairly understandable given the pair’s significant injury woes. After all, Buxton’s injury woes throughout his career have been extreme enough that the next game he takes the field for will mean he’s played more games in 2024 with 93 than he has in any season of his 10-year big league career except 2017. While Correa’s injury woes haven’t been quite that extreme, the shortstop has been limited to just 75 games this year by injury and is now attempting to play through plantar fasciitis for the second consecutive September. For a Twins club that hasn’t made it to the ALCS since 2002, keeping Correa and Buxton as healthy as possible for the playoffs is clearly a top priority.

For his part, Correa seems to be on board. The shortstop told reporters (as relayed by Gleeman) that “Realistically, [he’s] not going to play every game” before adding that he wants to be on the field for the Twins “as much as possible” going forward this season. When Correa and Buxton are unable to play, Brooks Lee appears to be the club’s primary backup at shortstop while Willi Castro is the top option in center field.

More from around the AL Central…

  • The Guardians are dealing with an injury scare regarding one of their top hitters, as club manager Stephen Vogt told reporters (including Mandy Bell of MLB.com) that outfielder Steven Kwan has been out of the lineup in recent days due to what he described as “back soreness.” While that diagnosis may seem fairly benign, it’s at least somewhat concerning that Vogt added Kwan has been sent for testing to determine the severity of the issue. While it’s nearly impossible for the Guardians to miss the playoffs at this point, the club holds a fairly tenuous three-game lead over the Royals for the AL Central crown, which is likely to come with a bye through the first round of the playoffs. The loss of Kwan, who has excelled as the club’s leadoff hitter with a .291/.364/.419 slash line this year, would surely complicate the club’s hopes of holding onto its present playoff positioning and an lengthy absence could even jeopardize Kwan’s availability in the early rounds of the playoffs. Will Brennan, Angel Martinez, and Daniel Schneemann are among the club’s options in left field while Kwan is unavailable.
  • The Tigers have been without Reese Olson for virtually the entire second half this year after the right-hander went on the IL back in July due to a shoulder strain. Fortunately, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic) this afternoon that the club hopes to activate Olson from the IL during the club’s upcoming series against the Royals early next week. A healthy and effective return from Olson would be a huge boost for a Detroit club that sits just 2.5 games back of Minnesota for the final AL Wild Card spot, as the 25-year-old righty was in the midst of a breakout season with a 3.23 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 19 starts before being sidelined.

Guardians Place Alex Cobb On Injured List, Select Andrew Walters

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The Guardians announced Thursday that right-hander Alex Cobb has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to blisters on his pitching hand. Right-hander Andrew Walters has had his contract selected from Triple-A Columbus in his place. Cleveland already had a 40-man vacancy after recently outrighting left-hander Anthony Gose again.

It’s the second time since Cobb was acquired at the trade deadline that he’s landed on the 15-day IL due to a minor injury on his pitching hand. He was previously out from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1 with a fractured fingernail on his right hand as well. Though neither a broken nail nor a blister is severe in nature, both issues can prevent a pitcher from gripping his pitches properly — particularly a knuckle curve like the one thrown by Cobb.

Though he’s now twice been briefly shelved, Cobb has made three starts with the Guards: two of them excellent and one rather rocky. He surrendered four runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Twins in his team (and season) debut, but he’s since rebounded with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Cubs and six shutout frames against the Pirates. There’s still time for him to get back by the end of the season, and Cobb could factor into the team’s postseason plans as well.

Cleveland acquired Cobb from the Giants in exchange for a pair of prospects (Jacob Bresnahan, Nate Furman). The Giants had hoped he’d be able to return early in the season after recovering from hip surgery performed over the winter, but a shoulder issue and a separate set of blister troubles delayed his activation. From 2021-23, Cobb pitched 394 1/3 innings with a 3.79 ERA and quality strikeout and walk rates (22.8%, 6.8%) with the Angels and Giants.

Turning to the 23-year-old Walters, he’ll be making his big league debut barely a year after being selected with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The University of Miami product has pitched exclusively in relief this season and laid waste to Double-A and Triple-A lineups alike. In the first 50 1/3 innings of his professional career, he’s recorded a 2.32 ERA and whiffed more than 37% of his opponents, though some command troubles have cropped up in Triple-A in particular. He’s issued a free pass to 11.8% of his opponents this season, including a 13.2% mark in Triple-A. Walters has also plunked three hitters, meaning more than 12% of his opponents this season have reached base without putting a ball in play.

Control issues have been the primary knock on Walters since he turned pro. He boasts a mid-90s heater that can reach 100 mph and couples that with a slider that he barely used in college while focusing on a fastball-heavy approach. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen  gives him 30-grade command on the 20-80 scouting scale, ranking him 14th among Cleveland prospects and noting that he lacks feel for finishing and command his breaking ball. MLB.com tabs him 22nd in the system and notes that his command was sharper in college (evidenced by a 5.6% walk rate in the NCAA), voicing some optimism that he’ll be able to improve as time goes on.

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