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Marcos Diplan

Orioles Select Marcos Diplan, Dusten Knight

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The Orioles are set to shake up their bullpen mix a bit on Wednesday, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic, who reports that the team is set to select right-handers Marcos Diplan and Dusten Knight to the big league roster (Twitter link). Neither pitcher is on the 40-man roster, so Baltimore will need to make a couple of corresponding moves.

Diplan, 24, has bounced around the league a bit in recent years but looks to have found a home in the Orioles organization. The righty was designated for assignment by the Brewers two days prior to the 2019 deadline and traded to the Twins in exchange for cash just an hour before the deadline itself. The Twins designated Diplan a couple weeks later, prompting a waiver claim from the Tigers. Detroit held onto Diplan into the offseason, but the O’s picked him up on a waiver claim of their own in December. Baltimore then managed to pass Diplan through waivers unclaimed the following month, allowing the Orioles to keep him as a non-40-man player.

Despite that journeyman trajectory, Diplan thrived out of the bullpen in Triple-A Norfolk to begin the season — so much so that he was a surprise participant in this summer’s Futures Game. Diplan himself said he was caught off-guard by his selection but very appreciative of the opportunity (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). At the time, he’d pitched to a 2.60 ERA with a 28.6 percent strikeout rate and a 7.8 percent walk rate. He’s yielded four runs in 2 1/3 innings since the Futures Game, but it’s nevertheless been a strong year for Diplan, and he’ll now be rewarded with his first trip to the big leagues more than eight years after he initially signed with the Rangers as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic.

Similarly, it’s been a grind for Knight to reach this point. The 30-year-old righty worked through seven minor league seasons prior to the 2021 campaign, and he also spent time pitching in Mexico and in the independent Atlantic League. He’s pitched in 272 professional games since being selected by the Giants in the 28th round of the 2013 draft, but he’ll now be able to call himself a big leaguer once Baltimore formally adds him to the MLB club later today.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/9/20

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The latest minor league moves from around baseball….

  • The Reds signed southpaw Brooks Raley to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter).  After posting a 7.04 ERA over 38 1/3 innings for the Cubs in 2012-13 and then spending 2014 back in the minors, Raley headed for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League.  Raley posted a 4.13 ERA, 2.79 K/BB rate, and 7.5 K/9 over 910 2/3 innings in Korea, starting all but one of his 152 outings.  If the 31-year-old Raley can carry over some measure of that form from the KBO League, he’ll provide the Reds with some veteran rotation depth at the Triple-A level, putting him in line for another crack at the majors in the event of an injury to Cincinnati’s starting five.
  • The Orioles have outrighted right-hander Marcos Diplan to Triple-A Norfolk, the team announced.  Diplan cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week to create roster space for the newly-signed Kohl Stewart.  Diplan has a 3.88 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 1.85 K/BB rate over 540 2/3 career minor league innings, working mostly as a reliever (starting seven of 38 total appearances) in 2019, pitching for the Double-A affiliates of the Twins and Brewers.  It has been a busy transactional stretch for Diplan, who was claimed off Minnesota’s waiver wire by the Tigers in September, and then claimed again by the Orioles in December.

Orioles Sign Kohl Stewart, DFA Marcos Diplan

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The Orioles announced the signing of former Twins’ right-hander Kohl Stewart. Fellow right-hander Marcos Diplan has been designated for assignment to clear 40-man space. Stewart’s deal is a split contract which will pay him $800K if he stays in the majors, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN (via Twitter). While Stewart was used primarily as a reliever/opener with the Twins, he’ll be in line to compete for a permanent spot in Baltimore’s rotation, hears Joe Trezza of MLB.com (via Twitter).

Stewart, 25, is best known as being the fourth overall pick by Minnesota out of a Texas high school in 2013. The former two-sport athlete was named Baseball America’s #52 overall prospect after that season, although he never realized his lofty upside with his original organization. In fairness to Stewart, injuries could have played a part in that, as he went on the injured list eight times as a prospect. He has been healthy the last two years, though, and he made the majors in 2018.

In 62 MLB innings over the last two seasons, Stewart has compiled only a 4.79 ERA. More importantly, his 12.7% strikeout rate and 7.4% swinging strike rate are both well below average. Coupled with a relatively lofty 9.7% walk rate, that convinced the Twins to bump Stewart from their roster last month.

That said, there’s plenty of reason for the rebuilding Orioles to take a look. Stewart has two option years, so the organizaton can shuttle him back-and-forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk for the next couple seasons. He also comes with six years of team control and just turned 25, so there’s plenty of time for him to emerge as a long-term success.

It’s not hard to see the appeal for Stewart, either. Calling Camden Yards home and facing the high-powered AL East may not be ideal, but it’s not hard to see a path toward a rotation spot. As Trezza notes, Stewart’s internal competition includes Asher Wojciechowski, prospect Keegan Akin, and Rule V selections Brandon Bailey and Michael Rucker. There are things to like about each, of course, but it’s a quartet light on MLB experience and track record.

Diplan, 23, has yet to make the majors but obviously holds some leaguewide appeal. He’s been acquired by five different organizations, four in the last six months. He made his mark as a Brewer farmhand but logged eight minor-league games in the Minnesota organization after being acquired in a minor trade. He’s been claimed (and subsequently waived) this offseason by the Tigers and Orioles, the teams with the top two waiver priorities. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see some other club further down the waiver order take a chance on him, too, even if in hopes of passing him through waivers themselves. Diplan has flashed strikeout stuff in the minors but that has too often come with a high volume of walks.

Waiver Claims: Kinley, Rodriguez, Diplan

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A spate of waiver claims have hit the wire this afternoon …

  • The Rockies claimed righty Tyler Kinley from the Marlins. Righty Joe Harvey was designated for assignment to create 40-man space in Colorado. Kinley, a 28-year-old righty, carried an ugly 46:36 K/BB ratio in 49 1/3 MLB frames last year. But he also managed a 3.65 ERA on the year, generated a 12.9% swinging strike rate, and carried a mid-nineties heater. He was a Rule 5 pick by the Twins in 2018, so it’s clear that multiple clubs are intrigued by his raw potential. He has a pair of minor league options remaining, so he’s a sensible and affordable depth option for the Rockies, who opened the season by proclaiming a lack of payroll flexibility.
  • The Brewers announced that they claimed infielder Ronny Rodriguez from the Tigers. The 27-year-old has struggled in two seasons with the Detroit organization, showing some power and defensive versatility but demonstrating some of the worst on-base skills in the league. Through an even 500 plate appearances at the MLB level, Rodriguez is a .221/.254/.396 batting line. He still has multiple option years remaining, so he can be shuttled between Triple-A and the Majors in both 2020 and 2021.
  • Also departing the Tigers is right-hander Marcos Diplan, who was claimed by the Orioles, per a team announcement. He appeared in 38 games between the Double-A affiliates for the Twins and Brewers, totaling 68 2/3 innings of 4.85 ERA ball with 9.6 K/9 against 5.8 BB/9. Diplan was ranked among the Brewers’ 10 to 20 best prospects back in 2017 but has seen his stock dip in recent seasons as he’s begun to bounce around the waiver circuit. Notably, Diplan was has now been claimed by the Tigers and Orioles this winter — the teams with the No. 1 and No. 2 waiver priorities. He has a minor league option remaining.

Tigers Claim Marcos Diplan

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The Tigers announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Marcos Diplan off waivers from the Twins. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, Detroit placed left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf on the 60-day injured list due to a left elbow strain.

Minnesota picked up Diplan in a minor July swap with the Brewers, sending cash to Milwaukee after Diplan had been designated for assignment. The 22-year-old righty never pitched in a big league game with the Twins before being designated for assignment himself this past weekend when Minnesota added hard-throwing prospect Jorge Alcala to its MLB roster.

Diplan, in fact, has never pitched at the big league level or even progressed beyond Double-A. He appeared in 38 games between the Double-A affiliates for the Twins and Brewers, totaling 68 2/3 innings of 4.85 ERA ball with 9.6 K/9 against 5.8 BB/9. Diplan was ranked among the Brewers’ 10 to 20 best prospects back in 2017 but has seen his stock dip in recent seasons. As Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote back in ’17, he has an above-average fastball that runs up to 95 mph and a pair of inconsistent but at-times above-average secondary pitches in his changeup and slider.

Control has clearly been an ongoing issue for Diplan, who has averaged nearly five walks per nine innings pitched in his professional career. He has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, however, and given the total lack of certainty in the Detroit bullpen, there’ll be ample opportunities for him in 2020 if he sticks on the 40-man roster over the course of the offseason.

Twins DFA Marcos Diplan, Select Jorge Alcala

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The Minnesota Twins designated Marcos Diplan for assignment, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). Diplan’s designation paves the way for Jorge Alcala to join the big league club at Progressive Field for today’s doubleheader against the Indians. Alcala was not on the 40-man roster prior to today’s call-up.

Alcala, 24, came to the Twins from Houston as part of the Ryan Pressly trade. He is their 23rd ranked prospect, per MLB.com. Baseball America put him at #19 in their midseason report, while Fangraphs was less bullish, ranking him 26th at the outset of the season with a future value score of 40. The 6’3″ right-hander began the year in Double-A, where he made 16 starts and 26 total appearances for a 5.87 ERA and 2.84 K:BB. While those numbers won’t make you jump out of your seat, he did throw 7 2/3 scoreless innings in relief since a promotion to Triple-A.

Diplan, 22, was acquired from the Brewers at the trade deadline. He made 8 appearances for Double-A Pensacola since his acquisition with a 4.09 ERA in 11 innings.

The team also announced Devin Smeltzer as the starter for game one of today’s twin bill. Smeltzer is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA/4.96 FIP across 40 innings (4 starts) on the year. The Twins acquired Smeltzer from the Dodgers at last year’s deadline as part of the Brian Dozier deal.

Twins Acquire Marcos Diplan From Brewers

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The Twins have acquired right-handed pitching prospect Marcos Diplan from the Brewers for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. The Brewers designated Diplan for assignment earlier this week.

The 22-year-old Diplan ranked as FanGraphs’ 18th-best Brewers prospect as recently as the offseason, but that wasn’t enough to keep him in the organization after he struggled to start the 2019 campaign. He has made 30 appearances (five starts) at the Double-A level this season and pitched to a 4.99 ERA/4.41 FIP with 9.83 K/9 and 5.77 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings.

Brewers Designate Marcos Diplan

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The Brewers have designated pitching prospect Marcos Diplan for assignment, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. His 40-man spot goes to righty Jordan Lyles, whose acquisition was just announced.

It’s a bit of a surprise to see the Milwaukee org giving up on a player who was once considered a potential mid-rotation starter. Diplan has never been an elite prospect, but has certainly been on the prospect map for quite some time.

Unfortunately, despite holding a 40-man spot since the fall of 2017, Diplan has yet to earn his way past the Double-A level. He returned there to begin the present season, but continued to struggle. In 114 2/3 total frames at the penultimate level of the minors, Diplan carries a 4.79 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9.

It bears noting that the Brewers could still utilize Diplan in a trade. He can be shipped out to another organization before the trade deadline. Otherwise, he could be a possible waiver claim target for a team that likes his long-term outlook.

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