Angels’ Tommy La Stella Likely Out Eight To Ten Weeks
Angels infielder Tommy La Stella has been diagnosed with a fractured tibia in his right leg, the team announced today. He’s expected to miss the next eight to ten weeks of action. The injury, sustained last night when fouling a ball into his shin, will cause La Stella to miss the All-Star Game. Meanwhile, outfielder Brian Goodwin, who exited last night’s game after being hit by a pitch, has been diagnosed with a contusion. Both have been placed on the 10-day injured list.
In a pair of corresponding roster moves, the Angels have selected the contracts of corner infield prospect Matt Thaiss (as had been previously reported) and former Giants outfielder Jarrett Parker. Additionally, right-hander Jaime Barria is up from Triple-A Salt Lake to start tonight’s game.
The loss of La Stella stings both for the team and for La Stella himself. A longtime reserve infielder who at one point was undecided as to whether he wanted to continue his career, La Stella has thrived in a near-regular role in 2019, hitting at a .300/.353/.495 clip in 312 plate appearances. La Stella’s 16 home runs are more than he had in his entire career (947 plate appearances) heading into the season, and his brilliant showing drew enough fan recognition to earn the 30-year-old a starting nod in the aforementioned All-Star Game.
From a team standpoint, it’s another disheartening setback in what has become one of the most difficult seasons in franchise history. The Angels were (and are) still reeling from the gut-wrenching death of left-hander Tyler Skaggs when La Stella had to be helped off the field. Watching La Stella suit up for the All-Star Game could’ve served as a brief respite from the unyielding grief felt in the Angels’ clubhouse, but La Stella himself will now be a spectator for the Midsummer Classic.
In his absence, the Halos will get their first look at Thaiss, a 2016 first-rounder who has begun to tap into his power since reaching Triple-A in 2018. Thaiss was a catcher at the time of his draft but widely expected to move to first base in pro ball. He’s done just that, for the most part, but Thaiss has played more third base (391 innings) than first base (191) in 2019. The Angels could potentially shift David Fletcher over to second base and continue the Thaiss experiment at the hot corner, thus adding a left-handed bat to help replace La Stella. In 372 plate appearances in Salt Lake, Thaiss was hitting .274/.390/.477 with 14 home runs.
As for Parker, the 30-year-old will return to the big leagues for the first time since 2017 with today’s promotion. He spent parts of the 2015-17 seasons in San Francisco, hitting a combined .257/.335/.456 with 15 homers in 382 plate appearances. Most of his production came early in his MLB tenure, though, and he mustered a lackluster .247/.294/.416 slash through a career-high 177 plate appearances in his final season on the MLB roster. So far in 2019, Parker has turned in a terrific .296/.424/.604 slash with 19 home runs in just 283 plate appearances. He’s fanned at a fairly high 27.2 percent clip but helped to offset those whiffs with a 17.3 percent walk rate.
Angels To Promote Matt Thaiss
The Angels are set to promote corner infield prospect Matt Thaiss for his MLB debut. Halos Prospects first reported on Twitter that Thaiss was “expected” to be called up today, and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets that Thaiss is indeed getting the call. Corresponding moves aren’t yet clear, though Tommy La Stella did sustain a painful-looking leg injury last night upon fouling a ball into his shin and has since been replaced on the All-Star roster. Brian Goodwin also exited last night’s game after being hit by a pitch.
Thaiss, 24, was the Angels’ top pick (No. 16 overall) back in 2016. A catcher at the University of Virginia, Thaiss was widely expected to move to first base in pro ball but was a first-round pick all the same due to his offensive upside. While he has indeed moved out from behind the plate, he’s spent considerably more time at third base than at first base so far in 2019. At the plate, Thaiss is enjoying a solid .274/.390/.477 slash with 14 home runs, 17 doubles and two triples in 372 plate appearances. Long touted for his terrific plate discipline, Thaiss has walked at 15.9 percent clip against a 17.2 percent strikeout rate.
Entering the season, MLB.com ranked Thaiss sixth among Angels prospects and ninth among all first base prospects in baseball. Fangraphs tabbed him as the Halos’ No. 9 prospect, praising a swing change in 2018 that finally allowed Thaiss to tap into some in-game power. He doesn’t have off-the-charts power, drawing more average scouting marks in that regard. Combined with his strong on-base skills, an ability to work counts, passable defense at first base and his recent exposure at the hot corner, that could be enough to make Thaiss a solid contributor for the foreseeable future.
Notable International Signings: 7/2/19
The 2019-20 July 2nd international signing period is officially underway, though it’s not exactly laden with suspense. Teams have long since lined up deals with newly eligible teenage players, so the news today largely represents confirmation of what was anticipated. Still, it’s a day of no small moment, particularly for the young men embarking upon professional careers.
Let’s round up some of the most notable signings of the day. Throughout, we’ll be citing to the reporting of Baseball America (signings tracker; scouting links) and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter feed; rankings) along with analysis from Fangraphs. You can find each team’s total bonus pool and other information on the process right here. Check the above links for further information and other signings. Here are a few key deals:
- Jasson Dominguez, OF, Yankees: Everyone’s top target is reportedly holding strong on his commitment to go to the Bronx. The deal is said to be for $5.1MM, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, with an announcement expected this evening. Dominguez is a switch-hitter who’s said to possess five-tool ability. The Fangraphs team is sufficiently impressed to run him all the way up to the #61 overall MLB prospect ranking right out of the gates (via Kiley McDaniel, on Twitter). The Yanks also have struck a $1.2MM deal with outfielder Jhon Diaz, Sanchez tweets. He was the 18th-rated player on the MLB.com board but ran all the way up to #7 at Fangraphs.
- Robert Puason, SS, Athletics: Another player who’ll command about $5MM, Puason is a toolsy shortstop with big upside. He was said to have a deal in place with the Braves before that team was slapped with international sanctions. It’s worth noting that the Atlanta organization wasn’t actually punished for agreeing to terms early (though that widespread practice is officially forbidden) but rather for structuring a group deal with Puason’s trainer, as Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper explains on Twitter.
- Luis Rodriguez, OF, Dodgers: The value on this one is unknown, but BA’s Ben Badler has photographic evidence of the signing (Twitter link). Rodriguez gets top-three billing from Fangraphs. The Los Angeles club is also in agreement with righty Kristian Cardozo, who’s also considered one of the thirty best players available.
- Bayron Lora, OF, Rangers: Baseball America has made this connection for some time; Sanchez tweets that it’s a $4.2MM deal for the slugging prospect. Shortstops Maximo Acosta and Zion Banister are also members of the Texas signing class. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter) has the former at $1.6MM and the latter at $835K. As he notes, the Texas organization will need to acquire some added pool capacity to make the math work.
- Erick Pena, OF, Royals: This is another signing called in advance by the BA crew. Sanchez has the bonus at $3.8MM (Twitter link). FG labels Pena “a well-rounded outfielder with considerable physical projection.”
- Ronnier Quintero, C, Cubs: Occupying the #6 spot on the boards of both Fangraphs and MLB.com, Quintero will follow Willson Contreras from Venezuela to the Chicago organization. The Cubbies also have a deal with fellow top-ten-ish prospect Kevin Made, a shortstop. Sanchez puts the Quintero deal at $3MM and Made’s mark at $1.7MM. Another Venezuelan backstop, Brayan Altuve, will cost the Cubs another million bucks, seemingly setting up the organization for a search for some added pool money.
- Roberto Campos, OF, Tigers: The Detroit organization popped for a hefty $3MM to secure the services of the Cuban outfielder, per Badler (via Twitter). Campos defected in somewhat dramatic fashion several years ago at just 13 years of age. He wasn’t listed among the best prospects, but Chris McCosky of the Detroit News indicates on Twitter that the Tigers like his bat quite a bit.
Several other well-regarded prospects also secured bonuses of $2MM or more, per Sanchez and/or Badler:
Tyler Skaggs Passes Away At 27 Years Of Age
Tyler Skaggs passed away today at 27 years of age, according to an announcement from the Los Angeles Angels. Tonight’s scheduled game against the Rangers has been postponed. MLBTR joins all those around the game in mourning his untimely loss.
The Angels organization issued a statement as follows:
“It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas. Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time.”
According to a press release from the Southlake Police Department (Twitter link), officers were summoned to the team hotel early this afternoon. They found Skaggs “unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.” The department stated that, “at this time, no foul play is suspected.” Neither is suicide suspected to be the cause of death, the department later released (via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register).
Skaggs graduated from California’s Santa Monica High School. He began his professional career with the hometown Angels organization, which selected him in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft — just months after the tragic passing of Halos pitcher Nick Adenhart. Skaggs was traded to the Diamondbacks organization and made his MLB debut in Arizona in July of 2010. He was traded back to the Angels in December of 2013 and had played for the L.A. team ever since.
This season was the seventh in which Skaggs had logged innings at the game’s highest level. He was finally been on track for a fully healthy season after so many prior campaigns were marred by (or lost altogether to) injury. Skaggs took the ball on Monday, making his 96th MLB start. In 520 2/3 career innings, he pitched to a 4.41 ERA.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pitcher Notes: Scherzer, Tigers, Archer, Angels, D-backs
Washington is visiting Detroit, where current Nationals ace Max Scherzer will start against his former team Sunday. Scherzer blossomed into a star as a member of the Tigers, with whom he won his first Cy Young Award in 2013. At the conclusion of the next season, though, Scherzer signed a seven-year, $210MM contract with the Nationals after rejecting a $144MM extension from the Tigers. Scherzer, now a three-time Cy Young winner and a potential Hall of Famer, reflected on his Detroit departure Saturday, saying (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News): “That’s just the business side. I didn’t feel slighted. That stuff just all takes care of itself. I don’t hold any grudges or anything like. When I look back on my time in Detroit, I have great memories here and great friends.” Scherzer also noted he and fellow righty Anibal Sanchez, teammates in Detroit and again in D.C., still lament they were never able to win a World Series with the Tigers. The club clinched playoff spots from 2011-14, each of the four seasons Scherzer and Sanchez were part of its rotation. Those teams earned one World Series berth, falling to the Giants in a 2012 sweep.
More on a few other pitchers…
- Pirates righty Chris Archer left his start against the Brewers on Friday after just four innings with left hip discomfort. However, it’s still unclear whether he’ll require a stint on the injured list. The club will reevaluate Archer when it returns to Pittsburgh on Monday, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com. Archer was already on the IL earlier this season with a thumb injury, and has come up well short of expectations when healthy. The 30-year-old has managed a discouraging 5.50 ERA/5.77 FIP in 73 2/3 innings.
- Angels righty JC Ramirez is at least one more rehab start from making his 2019 MLB debut, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Ramirez, who’s working back from April 2018 Tommy John surgery, made his fifth rehab start Saturday and threw five innings of two-run ball for Triple-A Salt Lake. His average fastball was sitting in the 88 to 91 mph range, according to Salt Lake broadcaster Steve Klauke. That’s down significantly from the 95.5 mean Ramirez posted in 2017, the last time he logged extensive major league action.
- Injured Diamondbacks righty Jon Duplantier‘s most recent MRI on his shoulder yielded positive news, manager Torey Lovullo announced Saturday (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Still, the Diamondbacks aren’t any closer to determining how much more time Duplantier will miss. The 24-year-old has already sat out almost three weeks, having gone on the IL on June 12. With Luke Weaver and Taijuan Walker also injured, the Diamondbacks have cycled through Taylor Clarke, Zack Godley and Alex Young at the back of their rotation during Duplantier’s absence. Clarke and Godley have struggled mightily, though the former did turn in a solid five innings in a win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. Young just made his MLB debut Thursday and tossed five innings of one-run ball in a victory over San Francisco.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/29/19
The latest in minor moves from around the game…
- Twins lefty Gabriel Moya has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA-Rochester, tweets Do-Hyoung Park of mlb.com. Moya, 24, had struggled with command at Rochester this season before his designation last week, the first time in eight professional seasons he’d exhibited such an issue. FanGraphs lauds the lefty’s 60-grade changeup, which won’t effectively be put to use if the wildness continues.
- Angels infielder Wilfredo Tovar has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA-Salt Lake, per the team. Tovar had a 16-game stint with Los Angeles earlier this season, during which he slashed a meager .195/.283/.293 in 46 plate appearances. The 27-year-old’s been mostly punchless in 12 professional season thus far, though he continues to flash his sticky leather all around the infield.
- The Pirates have signed former farmhand Gift Ngoepe, per the team’s Altoona Curve affiliate. Ngoepe, 29, will report to Altoona after a less-than-stellar showing with AAA Lehigh Valley in the Phillies system this year. Like Tovar, Ngoepe hasn’t hit much in the minors over his career, though his defense has his earned him call-ups with both Pittsburgh and Toronto over the last two seasons.
AL West Notes: Stroman, Astros, Yordan, Trout, Laureano
Marcus Stroman has been mentioned as a possible trade target for not only the Astros, but virtually every team in baseball that could be looking for starting pitching help. Houston’s interest in the Blue Jays righty, however, dates back to at least 2017, as Peter Gammons reports (Twitter link) that the Astros heavily evaluated Stroman when exploring pitching targets that summer. Houston “did almost as much work on” Stroman as they did on eventual acquisition Justin Verlander, Gammons writes. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle addressed Gammons’ tweet and the Astros’ pitching needs as part of a mailbag piece, noting that Stroman’s pitching style doesn’t match Houston’s preferred model for a starter, though the Astros don’t hold hard and fast to that model — case in point, their signing of Wade Miley last winter.
Here’s some more from around the AL West…
- Yordan Alvarez left today’s game after three innings due to what the Astros described as “discomfort” in his left knee. (MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart was among those who reported the news.) The injury isn’t thought to be serious, as Alvarez said he could have continued playing, though manager A.J. Hinch said he removed Alvarez “as a precaution” and “we’ll give him a day or two” to get healed up. Alvarez initially suffered the injury after fouling a ball off his knee on Tuesday. The rookie slugger has been nothing short of incredible during his first 65 Major League plate appearances, with seven homers and a .298/.385/.719 slash line.
- Before Mike Trout signed his record-setting extension with the Angels in March, Phillies fans long wondered if the superstar would one day join the Phils to play closer to his hometown of Millville, New Jersey. As Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller writes, however, Trout appreciates keeping some space between his real-life home and his adopted hometown of Los Angeles. “Obviously, a lot of people from home wanted me to come back east. We were thinking about it, my wife and I,” Trout said. “But it’s perfect to be able to go back in the offseason and have a life, be myself and spend time back in my hometown. It’s always good to go back.” The story is well worth a full read for Trout’s loyalty to the Angels, the connection between Trout and Millville, plus the interesting note of how Bryce Harper got in touch with Trout before signing to learn some details about the Philadelphia area, prior to Harper’s deal with the Phillies.
- The Athletics are known to be considering extensions with several of their players, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle adds Ramon Laureano‘s name to the list of those under consideration for a long-term deal. “Laser Ramon” has already gained attention for his excellent throwing arm, and has also shown some promise at the plate, entering today hitting .261/.306/.440 with 12 home runs over 314 plate appearances. An extension for Laureano would probably be a relatively inexpensive investment for Oakland, certainly in comparison to the much greater dollar figures it would take for the A’s to extend the likes of Matt Chapman or Marcus Semien. But, there’s also no real rush to extend Laureano yet, as the outfielder has yet to amass even a full year of MLB service time.
Angels Activate Andrelton Simmons From Injured List
The Angels have activated shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the 10-day injured list, with right-hander Jaime Barria heading down to Triple-A following last night’s game. (Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group was among those to report the news.)
Simmons will return to action a little over a month after suffering a Grade 3 ankle sprain back on May 21. It represents a remarkably quick recovery, all things considered, given that Grade 3 sprains are usually severe enough to merit absences in the range of 8-to-12 weeks. However, Simmons was able to begin a rehab assignment last week and, despite a very minor setback over the weekend, he’ll now be back in his usual spot quarterbacking the Angels’ infield.
As Fletcher noted in another tweet earlier today, the Angels now have Simmons, Justin Upton, Shohei Ohtani, and Andrew Heaney all active for the first time all season. Despite these injuries and some middling-at-best performances from the rotation and bullpen, Los Angeles has held its ground, entering today’s play with a 41-40 record. This puts them four games out of a wild card position, and 8.5 games behind the slumping Astros in the AL West race. The Halos can’t be counted out of the postseason hunt by any means, especially if they were to add an arm or two before the July 31 trade deadline.
Simmons had a .298/.323/.415 slash line over 195 plate appearances at the time of his injury, representing a 99 wRC+ and a dip below the slightly above-average offensive production he delivered in the previous two seasons. Perhaps more troubling is his lack of hard contract, as Simmons has only a .276 xwOBA (well below his already-modest .320 wOBA). His defense had also somewhat declined, if only in comparison to his usual all-world standards — Simmons has “only” a 14.4 UZR/150 and +4 Defensive Runs Saved over 379 innings at short this year, numbers that are still the envy of just about every other shortstop in the game.
Angels Designate Wilfredo Tovar For Assignment
The Angels announced Wednesday that they’ve designated infielder Wilfredo Tovar for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Right-hander Jaime Barria was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, with righty Jake Jewell being optioned back to Salt Lake in his place. The Halos also reinstated right-hander Trevor Cahill from the injured list.
Tovar, 27, appeared in 16 games with the Halos and tallied 46 plate appearances with a timid .195/.283/.293 slash in that time. That marked his first big league action since appearing in nine games with the Mets from 2013-14. The versatile Tovar has also spent time with the Twins and Cardinals at the Triple-A level, and he logged a .289/.332/.407 slash in 211 plate appearances with the Angels’ Salt Lake club prior to his promotion earlier this month.
Cahill, who signed a one-year deal worth $9MM this offseason, has been sidelined since June 3 due to elbow soreness. Like fellow offseason pickup Matt Harvey, who also agreed to a one-year deal, he’s struggled immensely in his time with the Halos. The 31-year-old enjoyed a strong season with the division-rival Athletics in 2018, logging a 3.76 ERA and 3.54 FIP with 8.2 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 53.4 percent grounder rate in 110 innings. The Angels will surely hope that version of Cahill returns from the IL rather than the iteration who has limped to a 7.18 ERA and 6.39 FIP through his first 57 2/3 frames of the 2019 campaign.
Zack Cozart Not Progressing
Infielder Zack Cozart‘s Murphy’s Law tenure with the Angels continues. Out since late May because of left shoulder tightness, Cozart revealed Tuesday that he’s not progressing toward a return, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
“It’s not too promising,” said Cozart, who will visit a doctor Monday. Cozart’s still “hopeful” he’ll play again this season, per DiGiovanna.
For Cozart, this is the latest unsettling development in an Angels stint loaded with disappointment. The former Red joined the Halos on a three-year, $38MM contract in December 2017, though injuries and underperformance have defined his career since then.
Always known for his defense, Cozart found another gear at the plate during an eyebrow-raising .297/.385/.458 showing (140 wRC+) with 24 home runs in 507 attempts in 2017 – his last season in Cincy. Cozart hasn’t come anywhere near that line as an Angel, though, nor has he been durable. The 33-year-old underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last June, thus limiting him to 58 games and 253 PA, and came back this year to total 38/107 in those categories before landing on the IL with yet another shoulder problem. Worsening matters, Cozart has batted a miserable .190/.261/.296 (55 wRC+) with five HRs and minus-0.6 fWAR in 360 trips to the plate as an Angel.
Now, Cozart’s no longer the necessary piece the Angels regarded the veteran as when they signed him. Primary second baseman Tommy La Stella and main third baseman David Fletcher have each blown by Cozart on the team’s pecking order to help comprise a respectable infield alongside currently injured shortstop mainstay Andrelton Simmons. Still, it’s far from ideal Cozart’s eating so much payroll space. The Angels will owe him another $12.6MM-plus in 2020 to conclude his ill-fated deal.