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Knocking Down The Door: Burnes, Granite, Mahle, Moya, Smith

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“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.

Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi)

The Brewers’ starting rotation has been much better than expected and, arguably, the biggest reason why they’re sitting atop the NL Central with a 41-37 record. But while their five starters are healthy and performing well at the moment, the team’s rotation depth has taken a hit as of late. Top prospect Josh Hader was moved to a relief role in order to balance out a right-handed heavy bullpen, and Brandon Woodruff landed on the disabled list when he suffered a strained hamstring just before his MLB debut. All of a sudden, Burnes is not only rocketing up the prospect lists with his impressive performance in 2017, he could actually help a playoff-contending Brewers team at some point.

A fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, Burnes posted a 1.05 ERA in 10 High-A starts before a June promotion to Double-A. The 22-year-old right-hander hasn’t slowed down one bit, allowing two earned runs and 10 hits over 23 2/3innings in his four Southern League starts. He threw close to 140 innings in 2016 between the NCAA and the Minor Leagues, so it’s realistic that he can exceed 150 innings this year—he’s currently at 83 2/3—and that some of those innings might actually be thrown at the Major League level.

Brewers Depth Chart

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Zack Granite, OF, Minnesota Twins (Triple-A Rochester)

The Twins’ patience with Byron Buxton paid off as he was productive over a 146 plate appearance stretch (.746 OPS from April 21-June 14) after a slow start. But he’s gone ice cold again—he’s 5 for his last 38 with no extra bases and 13 strikeouts—while the Twins have been one of the worst offenses in baseball this month. If they’re looking for a spark, and a player who can at least spell Buxton occasionally in center field, it’s becoming clear that Granite could be a solution.

After his third consecutive two-hit game on Monday, the 24-year-old has a Triple-A slash line of .365/.419/513 in 48 games. His 17 walk-to-22 strikeout ratio might be his most enticing stat considering that Buxton and left fielder Eddie Rosario have combined for 34 walks and 127 strikeouts.

Twins Depth Chart

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Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville)

Mahle is the first player to earn “Knocking Down The Door” honors for a second time in 2017, although he was dominating at the Double-A level when I pegged him as a potential call-up in early May. This time around, he’s coming off of an impressive Triple-A debut in which he pitched four-hit ball over six innings with no earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts.

A struggling Reds’ rotation was hoping for a shot in the arm with Homer Bailey and Brandon Finnegan both back from the disabled list. But Bailey’s 2017 debut was disastrous (1 2/3 IP, 8 ER) and Finnegan is headed back to the DL with a shoulder injury. The Reds have already used an NL-leading 12 starting pitchers and are certain to dip into their farm for reinforcements again at some point. Will the 22-year-old Mahle be the 13th?

Reds Depth Chart

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Gabriel Moya, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks (Double-A Jackson)

Fernando Rodney and Archie Bradley have been the keys to solidifying what appeared to be a very suspect Diamondbacks bullpen heading into the season. But, will it hold up down the stretch as they try to lock down their first playoff berth since 2011? It would be a surprise if general manager Mike Hazen didn’t acquire some late-inning help prior to July 31st, but they could also take a look at some potential in-house options prior to the deadline. Moya, a 22-year-old who has been close to unhittable as the Double-A closer, should be considered.

The left-hander out of Venezuela has allowed a run in only two of his 26 appearances while holding opponents to a .139 batting average and walking only 12 hitters with 52 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Right-handed hitters have a .107 batting average against him, which is at least an indication that he could be more than a situational reliever.

Diamondbacks Depth Chart

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Caleb Smith, SP, New York Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)

With Chance Adams still waiting for a much-deserved and much-anticipated MLB call-up, Smith’s work in Triple-A has gone relatively unnoticed. The 25-year-old lefty has made 14 starts in 2017 and has allowed two earned runs or less twelve times, including back-to-back gems (13 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 13 K) to lower his ERA to 2.84 with impressive peripherals across the board (6.5 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9).

Yankees Depth Chart

Brewers Designate Nick Franklin, Activate Braun & Villar

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The Brewers have announced that utilityman Nick Franklin has been designated for assignment. Veterans Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar, meanwhile, were both activated from their DL stints.

Franklin, 26, has not performed well for Milwaukee after coming over from the Rays in a waiver claim right at the start of the season. Through 89 plate appearances, he carries an ugly .195/.258/.317 batting line.

That said, Franklin has shown more at times in the upper minors and even against major league pitching. Last year, he gave Tampa Bay 191 plate appearances of .270/.328/.443 hitting with a half-dozen homers and as many steals. He’s also capable of playing all over the diamond, though the metrics haven’t always been kind to his glovework.

Draft Signings: 6/27/17

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Here are the latest draft signings of note:

  • The Astros have landed second-round pick Joe Perez, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.6MM bonus that exceeds the 53rd overall pick’s slot value of $1.265MM. Perez is coming off of Tommy John surgery, but he has a big arm that led to top-100 grades from MLB.com and Baseball America. The righty looks like a possible future bullpen piece, but the Astros say they’ll give him a shot at developing first as a hitter. Per BA’s scouting report, he’s a question mark to stay at third but shows promising all-fields power. Perez, who forewent a scholarship at Miami to join the ’Stros, becomes the first of Houston’s top four picks to agree to terms.
  • We previously covered the Brewers’ signing of second-rounder Caden Lemons, but his bonus information wasn’t available at that time. Per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link), the prep righty will receive $1.45MM — just shy of the $1,493,500 slot value of the 46th pick. While top selection Keston Hiura is already in agreement, the remainder of Milwaukee’s slate of draftees were held up a bit by the NCAA tournament.

Brewers Option Lewis Brinson, Jett Bandy To Triple-A

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  • The Brewers have optioned Lewis Brinson and Jett Bandy to Triple-A, manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links).  Bandy has been in a major slump at the plate, and his demotion was expected after the Brewers claimed catcher Stephen Vogt off waivers earlier today.  Brinson, one of the game’s top prospects, hit just .100/.206/.167 over 34 PA in his first taste of Major League action, so it isn’t surprising that Milwaukee felt he needed some more Triple-A seasoning.  Brinson’s spot on the roster is expected to be filled by Ryan Braun, as the star outfielder is slated to be activated from the DL before the Brewers take the field again on Tuesday.

Brewers Claim Stephen Vogt

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The Brewers have claimed catcher Stephen Vogt off waivers from the Athletics, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN (on Twitter). Milwaukee was the only team to put in a claim for Vogt, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

[RELATED: Updated Brewers Depth Chart]

The 32-year-old Vogt had been in limbo since the A’s designated him for assignment on Thursday. Moving on from the respected clubhouse leader was a difficult decision for Oakland, but the club deemed it necessary after Vogt batted just .217/.287/.357 over 174 plate appearances. That was a steep drop-off for Vogt, who served as a better-than-average offensive catcher from 2013-16, when he combined for a .260/.319/.423 line in 1,478 trips to the plate and earned All-Star nods in each of the previous two seasons.

Defensively, Vogt has struggled behind the plate as a pitch framer throughout his career (per Baseball Prospectus). Vogt hasn’t fared well at keeping would-be base stealers at bay this year, either, having thrown out just 15 percent of runners. However, he did hover around the league-average mark in prior seasons.

In the aggregate, Brewers catchers Manny Pina and Jett Bandy have offered better production than Vogt this year, having combined to slash .250/.307/.416 in 323 PAs. But both have come down to earth at the plate since hot starts, and Bandy has been especially poor lately (he’s hitting .053 this month). Bandy’s also giving the Brewers subpar production behind the plate and, unlike Pina, has a minor league option remaining. As such, it appears he’ll head to Triple-A, which would leave the righty-swinging Pina and the left-handed Vogt to work in a timeshare.

A resurgence from Vogt could help the surprising Brewers stay in the playoff hunt this season (they’re a half-game up on the Cubs for the NL Central lead), but he also comes with further team control. Vogt, who’s earning an affordable $2.965MM salary this season, is scheduled to take two more trips through arbitration.

Brewers Could Look To Add Relievers

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  • Heyman also writes that the Brewers, a surprising division leader, could look to add some bullpen help prior to the trade deadline this summer. Milwaukee’s top tier of prospects, however, looks to be nearly untouchable in trade talks, he continues, listing the likes of Josh Hader, Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz, Corey Ray and Isan Diaz. Heyman also notes that Travis Shaw was a target of the Brewers’ front office from day one last offseason, though it took until the Winter Meetings in early December to finalize a deal with the Red Sox.

Brewers Sign Keston Hiura

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The Brewers announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed their first-round pick, UC Irvine second baseman/outfielder Keston Hiura. According to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter), he’ll receive a bonus of $4MM, which comes in a bit south of the $4.57MM slot value of the No. 9 overall selection. Tom Hadricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that Hiura will likely head to the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona before eventually joining Milwaukee’s Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

Hiura, who will turn 21 in August, was considered one of the best college bats in the draft and has drawn immense praise for his plus bat speed, hit tool and power. He ranked 14th on Baseball America’s top 500 list, 15th on the top 100 of Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, 19th per ESPN’s Keith Law and 22nd in the draft per Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo.

Hiura might’ve gone higher in the draft, but an elbow injury prevented him from throwing all season long, limiting him to DH. He’s already seen Dr. Neal ElAttrache for the issue, per Longenhagen. Callis and Mayo write that some scouts believe he’ll  eventually require Tommy John surgery, and BA’s report concludes by stating that many believe he’s headed for some form of elbow procedure as soon as he signs. (An assignment to the team’s Class-A affiliate, of course, would run counter to that belief.)

Because of the elbow issue, there’s no clear consensus on where Hiura will profile defensively in the long run. MLB.com’s report on him notes that Hiura’s footwork in the infield is questionable and needs some work, while the injury to his throwing arm obviously casts some level of uncertainty when it comes to whether he’ll be able to handle center field. He’s also played left field in college, and he could potentially profile at any of the three positions if things break right for him and the Brewers. While all of the linked scouting reports express some degree of concern about his defense, the common consensus is that Hiura has a very good chance to hit wherever he plays.

Brewers To Sign Tom Wilhelmsen

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The Brewers have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran righty Tom Wilhelmsen, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. He’ll head to the team’s top affiliate.

As McCalvy notes, Wilhelmsen has an interesting history already with the Milwaukee organization. The Brewers drafted him and welcomed him back after an extended stint away from the game.

Of course, the now-33-year-old Wilhelmsen has never suited up for the Brewers at the game’s highest level, instead plying his trade in the majors elsewhere over the past seven seasons. If he wants to do so now, he’ll need to earn his way back up.

Wilhelmsen became available when he was released recently by the Diamondbacks. He has seen his swinging-strike rate drop all the way to 6.2%, with 17 strikeouts and 12 walks through 26 1/3 innings. But the veteran is still popping 95 with his fastball and getting grounders on about half of the balls put in play against him.

For Milwaukee, it certainly makes sense to add some cheap depth given the club’s recent bullpen struggles. Wilhelmsen will cost only the league minimum during any time he spends in the majors, as the D-Backs will continue to pay the remainder of his $1.25MM salary for the season.

Draft Signings: Reds, Brewers, Yankees, Tigers

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Here are some of the day’s notable draft signings:

  • The Reds have agreed to terms with three of their top four picks, according to reports from MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (on Twitter) and Jim Callis (also via Twitter). 32nd overall selection Jeter Downs and 38th pick Stuart Fairchild have both signed for at-slot bonuses, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Downs, a high-school shortstop, will receive $2,084,400 to forgo his commitment to the University of Miami. The MLB.com prospect team was the only one to place him inside the top 50, at #37, citing his solid all-around profile and rising status entering the draft. Fairchild, a junior outfielder out of Wake Forest, will take the $1,802,800 slot money. ESPN.com’s Keith Law was the highest pundit on Fairchild, ranking him 31st among eligible players while noting his strength and potential ability to remain in center field as a professional. Meanwhile, third-round pick Jacob Heatherly will land well over the $743,900 slot value of the 77th overall pick. The prep lefty will take home a $1,047,500 bonus, per Callis.
  • Brewers second-rounder Caden Lemons has struck a deal with his new team, he tells Kyle Parmley of the Vestavia Voice. The Ole Miss commit elected to turn pro for a still-unreported bonus amount. Lemons was taken 46th overall, a pick that comes with a $1,493,500 allocation. Entering the draft, the righty was ranked as high as 52nd overall. He received that grade from ESPN.com’s Keith Law, who cites Lemon’s projectability as well as concerns about his ability to stick in the rotation with a slight build.
  • The Yankees are in agreement with their second-round pick, righty Matt Sauer, pending a physical, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports on Twitter. Bonus terms remain unknown at this time, but the 54th overall pick comes with a $1,236,000 allocation. Sauer, a California high-schooler who had been ticketed for the University of Arizona, drew top-thirty billing from MLB.com, Baseball America, and Fangraphs. While Sauer’s big fastball and slider point towards significant upside, the analysts agree he’ll need to work on a third offering to make it in a MLB rotation.
  • Tigers second-rounder Reynaldo Rivera is in agreement on a $850K bonus, Callis tweets. That’ll save the organization nearly $300K against the slot value to utilize on other players. Rivera, a power-hitting first baseman from Chipola Junior College, did not draw any top-100 prospect tabs but did land in the 150th place on MLB.com’s board.
  • Diamondbacks supplemental second-round choice Daulton Varsho will receive the slot value of $880,100 that comes with the 68th overall pick, Callis reports on Twitter. The Wisconsin-Milwaukee backstop, who’s the son of former big leaguer Gary Varsho, was the last player to reach the top 100 on Baseball America’s ranking.
  • In bonus news, the Rays gave second-round pick Michael Mercado $2,132,400, Callis tweets, which is well over the $1,714,500 bonus allocation for the 40th overall pick. His signing had previously been reported. Angels second-rounder Griffin Canning will indeed receive the slot value of $1,459,200, Callis tweets, as had previously been suggested.

Jonathan Villar May Be Nearing Rehab Assignment

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  • Things are clearing up for Brewers infielder Jonathan Villar as well, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. Villar, who has struggled in the wake of a breakout 2016 season, says that his lower back is feeling so much better that he might be ready for a rehab stint soon. Milwaukee may well need a healthy and more effective Villar if it hopes to continue to outpace the rest of the NL Central.

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