Predict The NL Central Winner
With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway at long last, it’s time to make some predictions. We’ve started to poll the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — starting with the AL Central. With plenty more teams primed to crack the postseason under the inclusive new playoff qualification system, let’s jump the pond and take a look at the NL Central.
Kyle Hendricks gave the Cubs an early lead in the division yesterday with a 2 1/2 hour complete game shutout of the Brewers. The Reds were right there with them in blowing away the Tigers. Many believe the Reds won the offseason, and their beefed-up lineup looks to bullrush the rest of the division. Matt Davidson took the Reds’ DH at-bats in game one, but newcomers Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos will cycle through as well. The pitching is underrated, and they’re going to be a force. The Brewers roll out two of the most impactful rostered players in the sport in Josh Hader and Christian Yelich, a dangerous pair of superstars in a short season. The Pirates are an organization in transition, and if they manage a string together a competitive 60-game season, it’ll be a surprise. Until a new champ is crowned, however, the Cardinals remain the toast of the NL Central. With Carlos Martinez back in the rotation and Matt Carpenter set to take a healthy slate of DH at-bats, the 2020 Cardinals are a slightly different shape, but no less formidable.
Which team do you think is the best of the bunch? (Poll link for app users.)
Predict The 2020 N.L. Central Division Winner
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Cardinals 34% (3,928)
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Reds 28% (3,208)
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Cubs 22% (2,511)
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Brewers 13% (1,466)
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Pirates 4% (462)
Total votes: 11,575
Brewers Select Mike Morin, Set Opening Day Roster
The Brewers on Thursday announced their 30-man roster for Opening Day. Within they revealed that they’ve selected righty Mike Morin the Major League roster. He joins previously announced non-roster invitees Logan Morrison and Justin Grimm in making the club. The Brewers will also bring up righty J.P. Feyereisen to make his MLB debut, though he was already on the 40-man roster.
The 29-year-old Morin is no stranger to the Midwest, having been born in Minnesota, raised in St. Louis and previously pitched for both the Twins and Royals. He split the 2019 campaign between Minnesota and Philadelphia, logging a combined 4.62 ERA with a 26-to-10 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 frames. Morin punched out 95 hitters in his first 94 MLB frames from 2014-15 but has since seen his strikeout numbers plummet. He’ll bring 224 innings of MLB experience, a 4.65 ERA and a much better 3.60 FIP to a deep Milwaukee bullpen.
Brewers Place Ray Black On IL Due To Strained Rotator Cuff
The Brewers announced Tuesday that they’ve placed right-hander Ray Black on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right rotator cuff. Milwaukee also formally announced the previously reported additions of Logan Morrison and Justin Grimm to its 40-man roster. There’s no word from the club on Black’s timeline for recovery, although any shoulder issues are of extra concern in a shortened, 60-game season.
Black, 30, has long been an intriguing arm given his triple-digit fastball and gaudy minor league strikeout totals (career 16.7 K/9), but injuries have hobbled him throughout his career. Milwaukee acquired him alongside Drew Pomeranz in the trade that sent Mauricio Dubon to San Francisco last summer, and he went on to pitch 14 innings of relief out of the Brewers’ pen (eight runs on 10 hits and eight walks with 13 strikeouts).
Black has just 39 1/3 innings under his belt at the MLB level and hasn’t yet found consistent success. That said, he’s also out of minor league options, which made him quite likely to land on the club’s big league roster to open the season. A pitcher who averages better than 98 mph on his heater and has a 98th percentile spin rate on the pitch was never likely to make it through waivers, after all, even if he doesn’t have a track record of success in the Majors. Now, there’s no telling exactly when he’ll be a realistic option for manager Craig Counsell.
If he’s able to make it back this season, Black would likely join a relief corps that includes Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, David Phelps, Brent Suter, Alex Claudio and Grimm. Others who could factor in, particularly early in the year when rosters are expanded, include J.P. Feyereisen, Bobby Wahl and non-roster veteran Shelby Miller.
Brewers Place Brett Anderson On Injured List
The Brewers have placed left-hander Brett Anderson on the injured list, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. Anderson’s dealing with a blister.
Anderson was one of the Brewers’ most important offseason acquisitions of the winter, when they signed him to a one-year, $5MM guarantee, and should play a key role in their rotation when he returns to health. But various injuries have troubled the 32-year-old Anderson since he debuted in the majors with the Athletics in 2009. He remained healthy for the most part last year, though, throwing 176 innings and registering a 3.89 ERA/4.57 FIP in Oakland despite a measly 4.6 K/9. Anderson helped his cause with an above-average 54.5 percent groundball rate and a 2.51 BB/9.
The Anderson IL placement is the latest setback for Milwaukee’s rotation, which will also begin the season without fellow southpaw Eric Lauer. As a result, it’s unclear how their rotation will look when the season starts. Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser and Josh Lindblom make for some of the Brewers’ most experienced healthy starting options. They’re in line for starting jobs, while Brent Suter, Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and David Phelps have also opened games in their own right and could fill in thanks to the team’s health issues.
Health Notes: E. Rodriguez, Teheran, Brewers, Rox, Rangers, Nats
Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez tested positive for the coronavirus July 7, but he returned to the club over the weekend and detailed his serious bout with the illness. Rodriguez told Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe he has never been sicker, saying he felt “100 years old” and was concerned he wouldn’t “make it to the season.” Fortunately, Boston’s No. 1 starter will pitch this year, though it’s going to take time for him to ramp up before he makes his 2020 debut. Rodriguez took an encouraging step Saturday when he came out of a 25-pitch bullpen session feeling fine.
- Like Rodriguez, Angels righty Julio Teheran will miss the start of the season because of a positive COVID-19 test. Teheran began feeling sick in late June, but he explained (via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that he was more concerned about the illness affecting those around him. Teheran’s parents are at high risk of catching the virus, and two other members of his family – his wife and 4-year-old son – as well as their nanny tested positive. Teheran’s wife and son were asymptomatic, but he and the family nanny were not. All of them seem to be doing OK now, luckily. Teheran’s Angels debut will be delayed, but the former Brave informed DiGiovanna he’s only “about a week behind.”
- Brewers slugger Ryan Braun is dealing with “nagging” back, oblique and neck issues, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (Twitter links). It’s unclear whether those problems will jeopardize his Opening Day chances, but it’s worth noting that they have prevented Braun from playing in Summer Camp. Meanwhile, teammate and southpaw Eric Lauer will miss the start of the season “by a little bit,” manager Craig Counsell revealed. Lauer is behind schedule because he was exposed to someone with the coronavirus, but he is healthy. The 25-year-old was a key offseason pickup for Milwaukee, which landed him in a four-player trade with San Diego. Lauer tossed 149 2/3 innings of 4.45 ERA/4.23 FIP ball with 8.3 K/9 and 3.07 BB/9 a season ago.
- It’s in question whether Rockies right-hander Scott Oberg will be available when their season starts Friday, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Oberg has battled a back strain, but he threw his first intrasquad game Sunday and indicated afterward he has made progress in the past week. Manager Bud Black is also encouraged, though he expects a decision on Oberg to “go down to the wire.” Considering Wade Davis‘ recent struggles, Oberg looks like unquestionably the Rockies’ best reliever. The 30-year-old put up his second straight impressive season in 2019, logging a 2.25 ERA/3.54 FIP with 9.32 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 56 innings.
- Rangers left-hander Brett Martin has been cleared for Summer Camp following a positive COVID test. Manager Chris Woodward told MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan and other media members Sunday that Martin will still begin the season on the injured list since “he’s not there yet. So we’re going to keep monitoring him, have him throw bullpens and maybe some live [batting practices] to get him ready.” Martin posted a 4.76 ERA, 3.44 K/BB rate, 53.8% grounder rate, and 8.95 K/9 over 62 1/3 innings in 2019, his debut season in the big leagues.
- Right-handed pitching prospect Wil Crowe is at the Nationals‘ minor league training camp after being in COVID quarantine for several weeks, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (Twitter link). The Nats’ second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Crowe is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the fourth-best prospect in Washington’s farm system. Crowe has a 4.03 ERA, 2.41 K/BB rate, and 7.5 K/9 over 290 minor league innings, and while reached Triple-A last season, his 6.17 ERA over 54 Triple-A innings indicates that he might yet need some more seasoning before receiving a Major League promotion. The Nationals did include Crowe on their initial 60-man player pool at the start of Summer Camp.
Justin Grimm, Logan Morrison To Make Brewers’ Opening Day Roster
6:01PM: Right-hander Justin Grimm has also been told he will make Milwaukee’s roster, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets. Grimm signed a minors contract last December, and will thus also require a 40-man roster spot before being officially selected.
Grimm posted solid numbers over 180 1/3 innings out of the Cubs bullpen from 2013-16, including a 4.10 ERA over 52 2/3 frames for Chicago’s 2016 World Series championship club. Since that memorable year, however, Grimm has struggled, and he didn’t pitch in the big leagues at all in 2019.
11:00AM: The Brewers plan to add Logan Morrison to the Opening Day roster, reports Robert Murray (Twitter link). He’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster. Morrison signed a minor-league deal with the club in January.
The 32-year-old has impressed both in the spring and into summer training camp since arriving as a non-roster invitee. He did hit 3 home runs in 33 Spring Training plate appearances, though it would be rash to draw conclusions from such a small showing. Of course, Craig Counsell and the Brewers have seen more good signs to warrant including him as part of their Opening Day 30.
With Justin Smoak in the fold and slotted in as the regular first baseman, Morrison doesn’t figure into the Brewers’ everyday starting lineup, though he’ll be the first off the bench if Smoak needs a day off. Ryan Braun is in line to get the lion’s share of at-bats at DH, but with Braun’s status for Opening Day questionable due to soreness, Morrison could see an expanded role early in the season.
The last two seasons have been unequivocally disappointing for Morrison, who’s not far removed from a 38-homer showing with the Rays in 2017. Since then, he’s bounced between a few teams, making stops with the Twins, Yankees, and Phillies, but he hasn’t caught on anywhere. Last year, he appeared in just 29 games for the Phils and posted a dismal .663 OPS. He posted solid numbers at the Triple-A level, hitting .308/.369/.640, but the Major League production has not been there. Of course, the Brewers will look to unlock a version of Morrison closer to his 2017 self, and if that happens, he could be a real bargain-bin find for the Brew Crew.
Latest On Brewers’ Eric Lauer
5:31PM: Lauer “was in close contact with someone who had tested positive” for COVID-19, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters today, which caused his delayed arrival in camp. Lauer himself is healthy, thankfully.
TODAY, 8:51AM: Brewers manager Craig Counsell downplayed any issues regarding Lauer while speaking with reporters, including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). “He’s healthy,” said Counsell, who noted the southpaw “just got slowed down a little bit.” Counsell added that Lauer has a chance to be ready by Opening Day.
JULY 11: The Brewers placed left-hander Eric Lauer on the injured list, the team announced. The placement coincides with the news that Luis Urias and Angel Perdomo are also headed to the IL, and since those two players are known to have tested positive for COVID-19, speculation immediately emerged that Lauer’s absence could also be virus-related.
However, the Brewers did say that Lauer was recently out of action with an illness that wasn’t related to the coronavirus. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter links) guesses that this could be something of “a procedural matter” rather than a positive test, since Lauer is still cleared to participate in workouts and scheduled to throw a bullpen within the next few days. That said, McCalvy figures Lauer’s IL placement has something to do with COVID-19 protocols, as otherwise a specific reason would have been given to his condition. More will be known tomorrow when Lauer is scheduled to speak with the media.
Milwaukee acquired Lauer and Urias from the Padres last November, in a notable swap that saw Zach Davies and Trent Grisham head west to San Diego. Lauer was battling for a rotation job in Spring Training before being shut down with a shoulder impingement that would have seen him start the year on the IL had the season gotten underway as expected in March. Lauer was expected to be ready to participate in Summer Camp before being hit by this mystery illness.
The southpaw has a 4.40 ERA, 2.45 K/BB rate, and 8.2 K/9 over his 261 2/3 career MLB innings, starting 52 of his 53 games with the Padres. Since Lauer might not have enough time to get ready for the new Opening Day, the Brewers (one of the league’s more creative teams when it comes to pitcher deployment) could use him out of the bullpen to begin the year, or perhaps as a piggyback starter or bulk pitcher.
Luis Urias, Angel Perdomo Test Positive For COVID-19
TODAY: Urias and Perdomo were placed on the Brewers’ injured list, the team announced.
JULY 6: Brewers infielder Luis Urias and left-hander Angel Perdomo both tested positive for COVID-19 prior to intake, manager Craig Counsell told reporters this morning (Twitter links via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Both consented to their diagnoses becoming public. Urias and Perdomo are thankfully asymptomatic at this point and are going through the league’s COVID-19 protocols. They’ll need a pair of negative tests, separated by at least 24 hours, before they’re able to join Brewers Summer Camp.
There’s no firm timetable on Urias or Perdomo returning to the team, though Counsell estimated at least 10 days would be necessary. That’s of particular note for Urias, who was contending for a starting job in the infield and already had his initial Spring Training wiped out by a fractured hamate bone that required surgical repair.
The overall well-being of the 23-year-old Urias and the 26-year-old Perdomo is certainly the greater focus, but it’s now possible that they’ll only have a week or so to ramp up to the season. The potential impact that would have on Urias’ role, at least early on, is readily apparent. It’s likely that former top prospect Orlando Arcia would shoulder the lion’s share of the workload at shortstop should Urias be unavailable or limited out of the gate. As for Perdomo, he wasn’t in the club’s initial player pool but seems likely to be viewed as a left-handed depth piece who could make his MLB debut in 2020, assuming a full recovery.
Brewers Announce 12 Additions To Player Pool
The Brewers announced Thursday that they’ve added a dozen minor leaguers to their 60-man player pool. In addition to the previously reported addition of righty Dylan File, Milwaukee has added the following players:
- LHP Clayton Andrews
- RHP Phil Bickford
- RHP Antoine Kelly
- LHP Angel Perdomo
- LHP Ethan Small
- RHP Trey Supak
- C/OF Thomas Dillard
- C Mario Feliciano
- OF Tristen Lutz
- OF Corey Ray
- INF Brice Turang
Many of the prospects added today are viewed a key future pieces for the Brewers but shouldn’t be expected to contribute at the MLB level this coming season. Turang, the team’s top pick from 2018, is considered the organization’s best prospect but hasn’t above Class-A Advanced yet. Lutz, Small, Feliciano, Dillard, Bickford and Kelly have all yet to log any notable time even at the Double-A level.
The others in the bunch, though, could potentially reach the Majors for the first time in 2020. File’s quick rise through the system was already touched upon here. Perdomo, who has a strong minor league track record, tested positive for COVID-19 recently but could be a lefty option for the ‘pen assuming a full recovery. Andrews, a two-way star in college who also logged some time in center field this past season, reached Double-A in 2019 and fared well (2.59 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 9.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 in 31 1 /3 frames).
Supak, 24, breezed through 122 2/3 innings of Double-A ball in 2019, pitching to a 2.20 ERA and 3.14 FIP with 6.7 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.44 HR/9 and a 44.8 percent ground-ball rate before struggling in a much briefer run in Triple-A (30 innings). He could be a multi-inning relief piece or make some starts should the need arise. Supak’s 152 2/3 total innings last year were the 13th-most of any pitcher in minor league baseball.
As for Ray, the Brewers have had high hopes for him since selecting him with the No. 5 pick back in 2016. He’s coming off a brutal 2019 season but posted a 124 wRC+ in Double-A a season prior, hitting .239/.323/.477. Strikeouts are a significant issue for Ray, who has whiffed in 29.7 percent of his professional plate appearances (including an alarming 36.6 percent clip in 2019). But Ray also belted 27 homers in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting in 2018 — a season that also saw him swipe 37 bases. The contact issues probably aren’t going to improve dramatically, but there’s still some intrigue surrounding someone with that blend of power and speed — particularly when they can play any of the three outfield slots.
With today’s moves now set, the Brewers have filled 58 of the 60 possible slots in their 2020 player pool. Team can still make additions once all 60 spots are filled, but doing so requires removing a current player via a transaction (e.g. trade, release, outright waivers).
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Castellanos, Holt
The Cubs were among the many teams experiencing delays in COVID-19 testing, as today’s results from this weekend’s batch of tests were late to arrive, writes Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. The delay proved to be brief, and general manager Jed Hoyer told the media this afternoon that all of the team’s tests came back negative. That’s obviously good news for the organization, though they’ll need to continue with caution and Hoyer acknowledged that they’ll likely be faced with positive results at some point.
With that in mind, Hoyer understandably opted not to discuss the possibility of extensions for core players or any trade that might eventually be on the horizon (Twitter link via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune). “At this point, our focus is on making sure this season is operating effectively,” Hoyer said. The Cubs have a number of potential extension candidates — Javier Baez and Kris Bryant among them — and could very arguably use some rotation help following Jose Quintana‘s injury. There are obviously more pressing issues for the Cubs and other teams at the moment as they prioritize health-and-safety protocols in the buildup to this year’s shortened season.
More from the NL Central…
- The designated hitter will be implemented in the National League for at least the 2020 season, but Reds slugger Nicholas Castellanos made clear this week that he hopes to remain in the outfield on a regular basis rather than serve a a primary DH (link via John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “I don’t want to DH,” Castellanos plainly stated. “…I like being in National League where I get to play defense every day. A goal of mine is to become a better and better defender every year that I play – every game that I play is probably a more appropriate answer.” Castellanos went on to note that he’d of course play wherever skipper David Bell asked him to on a given day, and he spoke optimistically about the Reds’ chances in 2020. At least occasional time at DH seems likely for Castellanos and others, though; the Reds have him, Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Shogo Akiyama, Aristides Aquino, Phil Ervin and Scott Schebler all in the mix for outfield reps.
- Brewers infielder Brock Holt tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that like many other players, he’s not particularly comfortable playing in 2020. However, Holt also feels that given his contractual status — he’s on a one-year deal after facing a surprisingly tepid market in free agency this past winter — he has little choice but to suit up if he hopes to continue playing. “If I didn’t play, it would be hard for me to find a job next year,” says Holt, who is making the difficult decision to leave his pregnant wife and child in Texas for three months rather than bring them to Milwaukee. “…If I was in a different situation contractually, it’s definitely something I would have considered with my wife being pregnant.”