Dodgers Agree To Terms With Mitchell Hansen
The Dodgers have agreed to terms with second-rounder Mitchell Hansen, Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs reports on Twitter. Hansen will receive a $1MM bonus, per Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Hansen, who had been committed to Stanford, is a high school outfielder out of Texas. He rated as high as 37th on draft boards coming in, with ESPN.com’s Keith Law giving him that tag based on “above-average tools across the board,” including good athleticism, solid raw power, and a strong defensive profile.
The MLB.com team also saw Hansen as a top-forty draft prospect, while Baseball America had him just a peg lower. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs took the dimmest view of Hansen’s future, putting him in the 61st slot.
The reported signing bonus will require the Dodgers to cover $78,900 in overages as against the slot value of the 67th selection. Hansen becomes the highest Dodgers pick to sign thus far, with righties Walker Buehler and Kyle Funkhouser chosen ahead of him and still unsigned.
Cubs To Promote Kyle Schwarber
The Cubs will promote catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber for his first big league action, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports on Twitter. Schwarber is expected to spend six games as the club’s DH for interleague play, and will thereafter receive his first taste of the Triple-A level.
Schwarber, 22, was taken with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft. Coming into the year, prospect evaluators agreed that he was a top-100 pick, though varied widely in placement. Baseball America placed Schwarber inside the top twenty prospects (19th), while Baseball Prospectus rated him 77th in the game.
Certainly, the Indiana University product has done nothing but enhance his value as a professional. He has destroyed pitching throughout the minors, putting up a composite .333/.432/.610 line over 549 plate appearances. At Double-A this year, Schwarber has slashed .318/.439/.578 while banging 13 long balls in 238 turns at bat.
Of course, the question with Schwarber was never his bat, but whether he would stick behind the plate. He’d likely only need to be an adequate defender to provide value as a catcher, though a move to the outfield or first base could also be possible in the long term. For now, of course, Chicago is giving him every chance to work as a backstop.
It appears that this is nothing more than a brief showcase for Schwarber, who really does not have an obvious roster spot to play in the big leagues. The club is set at catcher, with Miguel Montero and David Ross on hand. And while adding a power bat to the corner outfield would certainly hold appeal, Schwarber has spent just 36 games in left over his young professional career.
A huge showing at the plate or a well-timed injury could always change plans, of course. From a service time perspective, Schwarber can rack up no more than 111 days at this point, meaning he would not line up for Super Two status even if he stuck this year and never returned to the minors. Of course, every day added in 2015 will count for future years, making it harder for the Cubs to hold him back when he seems fully ready to play an everyday role in the majors.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers Sign Eric Jenkins, Michael Matuella
The Rangers have signed second-round pick Eric Jenkins and third-rounder Michael Matuella. Both receive $2MM bonuses, per Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter links).
The second and third overall choices of the Rangers came with $1,360,100 and $777,600 slot values. Combined, the two signings require the team to make up for $1,862,300 in pool money. In addition to the $826,500 saved on first-round selection Dillon Tate, the club has reportedly saved on several other signings (links to Twitter reports): Blake Bass (eighth round, $166,300 savings), Peter Fairbanks (ninth round, $64,700 savings), and Leon Byrd (tenth round, $123,700 savings). That leaves $804,800 left to reach par, though the team can exceed its total allotment by up to 5% without losing a future draft pick.
Jenkins, a high school center fielder, drew broad consensus heading into the draft, with Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs, MLB.com, and Baseball America all pegging him as between #40 and #43 in terms of pre-draft prospect value. His speed is his best attribute, though he also shows promise with the bat (albeit not much in terms of power projection). ESPN.com’s Keith Law is less bullish, rating Jenkins 78th and questioning whether he’ll be able to adapt to higher-level competition.
Of course, Matuella entered the draft as one of the most interesting names to watch. Regarded by some as a possible top five pick heading into the year, Tommy John surgery cut his season short and made him a questionable signing candidate with another season of college eligibility left. Matuella already faced questions about his back heading into the draft, and his stock dropped accordingly. But he remains an intriguing talent, with Law rating him the 19th-best available player and noting that he has top-of-the-rotation upside if he can get healthy.
Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest & Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Tribune first reported that the deals were nearing finalization (Twitter links).
Brewers Sign Cody Ponce, Nash Walters
The Brewers have announced the signings of second-rounder Cody Ponce and third-round pick Nash Walters, both right-handed pitchers. The club also confirmed the signing of first pick Trent Clark.
Ponce’s 55th overall slot came with a $1,108,000 allocation while the pick used to take Walters was valued at $646,300. According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, it appears that Ponce has agreed to a slot bonus while Walters’ deal will pay him close to his allocated amount.
Draft pundits were all in accord on Ponce, a Cal Poly Pomona hurler, with his pre-draft ratings ranging from 32nd to 36th overall. Baseball America credits his big frame, improving stuff, and good athleticism. BA says that a high-80s cutter-slider offering is Ponce’s best, noting that he profiles as a starter with four usable pitches.
Cardinals Sign First-Rounder Jake Woodford
The Cardinals have announced the signing of supplemental first-round pick Jake Woodford, who’ll receive a $1.8MM bonus according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That constitutes a nice increase over the $1.585MM value that attached to the 39th overall selection.
St. Louis also announced the signing of top selection Nick Plummer, who reportedly agreed to terms several days ago, along with compensatory selection Jordan Hicks. That selection came with a $543,300 slot value, and Hicks received $600K to sign (again, per Callis).
Woodford drew a range of opinion, with Keith Law of ESPN.com putting him the highest on his board — 39th overall, where the righty was ultimately taken. Law says that while Woodford’s stuff remains uninspiring at the present, he has a prototypical body and delivery that leave tons of room for projection. As might be expected, that overall package is laden with risk, and MLB.com was much more bearish in placing him 85th on its board.
Pirates Sign First-Rounder Kevin Newman
5:49pm: The exact bonus is $2.175MM, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets.
4:03pm: MLB.com’s Adam Berry reports that Newman’s bonus is less than $100K below slot value (Twitter link).
JUNE 15, 2:17pm: The Pirates have officially announced the signing of Newman.
JUNE 14: The Pirates have reached an agreement to sign first-round draft pick Kevin Newman, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link), to a contract worth close to the $2.273MM slot value tied to the 19th overall pick (slot info courtesy of Baseball America). An official announcement from the team should come tomorrow, per Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter), probably once Newman passes his physical.
Newman, 21, is a shortstop from the University of Arizona. ESPN’s Keith Law rated Newman as the second-best prospect in the draft on his board, describing him as “a surefire shortstop with tremendous feel to hit.” Other draft outlets weren’t quite as bullish, as Newman was ranked 20th on Fangraphs’ list and 29th by both MLB.com and Baseball America. While Newman’s contact-hitting approach at the plate is noted at all, his ability to generate much power is still a question mark. His long-term future at short is also up for debate; some observers (like Law) feel Newman can handle the position at the MLB level, while others have mixed feelings about his range and arm strength.
Mets Designate Dillon Gee For Assignment
2:51pm: The Mets have now confirmed that Gee has been designated, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.
2:30pm: The Mets will designate right-hander Dillon Gee for assignment today, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin (via Twitter).
Gee’s name has been bandied about in trade rumors for the better part of the past nine months, as the Mets possess a number of promising young arms that are projected to have higher ceilings. Nonetheless, he’s been a very serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter for the Mets over the past few seasons, so it’s possible that the team was a ways down the road in trade negotiations pertaining to Gee already and simply opted to designate him for assignment now in order to free up a 40-man roster spot. Gee started yesterday, so his spot on the roster wasn’t going to yield any innings in the next few days anyhow.
For a team in need of a stabilizing force at the back of the rotation, rolling the dice on a rebound for Gee would certainly make some sense. From 2010-14, Gee notched a 3.91 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 639 2/3 innings, and he’s typically posted a ground-ball rate near or above the league average (career 46 percent). Of his $5.3MM salary, about $3.24MM is left on the hook. I’d imagine that a team would prefer the Mets to take on some, if not most of that in a trade.
Track record aside, Gee has struggled to a 5.90 ERA in 39 2/3 innings for the Mets this season, though much of the damage came in an eight-run bludgeoning at the hands of the Braves yesterday. Gee has also missed time this year with a groin strain and spent nearly two months on the DL in 2014 with a strained lat muscle. His 2015 struggles, along with the injuries and his salary have presumably diminished his trade value since Opening Day.
If the team is unable to trade Gee, he could be sent outright to Triple-A upon clearing waivers. There’s a chance that some team would claim him, though the remaining $3.24MM on his deal lessens the chance of that outcome. Were he to clear waivers, he’d head to Triple-A Las Vegas..
Rays Sign Grady Sizemore To Minors Deal
The Rays announced today that they have signed veteran outfielder Grady Sizemore to a minor league contract (h/t: Matt Stein of Sports Talk Florida, on Twitter). Sizemore, who was recently released by the Phillies, will report to the team’s facility in Port Charlotte to begin workouts.
Sizemore, a CAA client, struggled through 104 plate appearances with the Phillies this season, hitting just .245/.288/.296. Back and knee injuries have taken their toll on what at one point was one of the most promising careers in baseball. From 2005-09, Sizemore hit .276/.368/.488 and averaged 28 homers and 28 steals per 162 games. Paired with outstanding value both in center field and on the basepaths, he was one of the game’s brightest young stars.
Now, he’ll hope to rejuvenate his career with the Rays, though for the time being, it’s tough to see a way for him to crack the 25-man roster. David DeJesus, Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza and Brandon Guyer are the team’s big league outfield options, and each is performing relatively well on the year. Additionally, Sizemore’s injury history likely limits him to the outfield corners at this point, further complicating his road to the Majors with Tampa. However, he does give the team some depth following Desmond Jennings‘ knee surgery. Should another Tampa outfielder go down, Sizemore could be a theoretical option for the team as its injured players mend.
Padres Fire Bud Black
The Padres announced that they have relieved manager Bud Black of his duties. The team will begin a formal search for an interim manager to play out the remainder of the 2015 season immediately, per a Padres press release. Until that search is concluded, bench coach Dave Roberts will serve as the club’s manager.
Black’s nine years as manager of the Padres have helped to make him one of baseball’s most respected skippers. The move has been speculated upon in the past, but it still comes as somewhat of a shock to see it actually executed. In 1362 career games as a manager, all with San Diego, Black has totaled a record of 649-713 despite routinely having to work with one of baseball’s lowest payrolls. A pitching coach prior to his work as a manager, he’s drawn praise for his work with many of the Padres’ young arms over the course of his career in the dugout.
The 32-33 Padres have yet to fully live up to expectations, although it’s tough to pin those struggles on Black. San Diego entered the season with the combination of Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes to handle the team’s shortstop woes, and the outfield defense was questioned from the moment that it was announced the team would field an outfield of Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Matt Kemp. The team also possesses few quality left-handed bats, leaving it somewhat vulnerable to strong right-handed pitching.
Cubs, First-Rounder Ian Happ Agree To Terms
The Cubs and first-round pick Ian Happ have agreed to terms on a $3MM bonus, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That bonus represents a savings of $351K for the Cubs in relation to the No. 9 selection’s slot value (per Baseball America).
An outfielder/second baseman out of Cincinnati, Happ was a consensus Top 25 talent in this year’s draft. ESPN’s Keith Law saw Happ the most favorably, ranking him seventh on his Top 100 list. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs also had Happ in his Top 10, ranking him ninth. Callis and Jonathan Mayo pegged him at No. 20 on their Top 200, and Happ ranked 24th on Baseball America’s Top 500.
There’s some debate as to whether Happ’s eventual home will be in the outfield grass or on the infield dirt, which likely contributed to the slight gap in the listed rankings. Law calls second base Happ’s likely position, and McDaniel, too, notes that he has the potential to play there. The MLB.com and BA scouting reports note that a corner outfield spot — likely left, due to lack of arm strength — is a likelier outcome, so it’s not a surprise to see him rank a bit further down those lists.
Happ’s bat seems to generate fewer question marks, as all four agree that he’s one of the most advanced hitters in this year’s class. ESPN notes that the switch-hitter has a better swing from the left side and has shown the ability to hit for power. BA notes that he has “excellent” bat speed from both sides of the plate, projecting as a plus hitter with average power. Happ’s also said to be a solid to above-average runner. McDaniel feels he can have four average-or-better tools on the 20-80 scouting scale, while MLB.com feels all five can be average or better.
Happ will add to the continually proliferating stable of premium young hitters in the Cubs’ minor league system. Though the team has already seen the likes of Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell emerge to lock down regular spots around the diamond, other names such as Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, Albert Almora, Billy McKinney and Gleyber Torres are still working toward that same goal (though of course each comes with varying timelines).