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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Harper, Bellinger, Brewers, Scherzer, Kershaw, CC

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 11:59am CDT

This week in baseball blogs…

theScore delves into Bryce Harper’s recent struggles.
Sports Info Solutions (links: 1, 2) examines the effectiveness of the four-man outfield and the “infield in” defense.
MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed argues that serious regression is in store for Cody Bellinger.
Chin Music Baseball (links: 1, 2) names the 10 best and worst players of the season thus far.
statsswipe focuses on the state of the Brewers.
The Dugout checks in on some of the offseason’s biggest free-agent signings.
Bronx to Bushville believes Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are on their way to Cooperstown.
The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2) looks at CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame case and profiles the Astros’ Mexican talent.
Mets Daddy writes about Noah Syndergaard’s historic previous start.
East Village Times sees the Padres and Blue Jays as potential trade partners.
KC Kingdom lists four positives from the Royals’ April.
Call to the Pen addresses the concerns within the Phillies’ pitching staff.
Chipalatta takes a look at Jose Altuve’s recent slump.
Pinstriped Prospects reports on demoted Yankees reliever Chad Green’s progress.
Everything Bluebirds opines that Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s future is in the outfield, not the infield.
Notes from the Sally scouts Phillies prospects Francisco Morales and Dominic Pipkin.
Baseball Prospect Journal shares feature stories on 50 prospects from the upcoming draft.
Pinstripe Alley praises Yankees GM Brian Cashman for his 2018 acquisition of Gio Urshela.
NatsGM.com talks with Alfred Ford, who co-owns JJ’s Bread and Butter Food Truck with Jeremy Jeffress.

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com

Reds Select Josh VanMeter

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 11:47am CDT

SUNDAY: Cincinnati has announced VanMeter’s promotion. The club made room for him by optioning lefty Cody Reed.

SATURDAY: The Reds will select infielder Josh VanMeter’s contract from Triple-A Louisville, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. VanMeter’s promotion will give the Reds a full man 40-man roster.

VanMeter has made a case for a call-up by serving as one of the minors’ best hitters and the International League leader in OPS early this season. Thus far, the 24-year-old has slashed a remarkable .346/.432/.757 (191 wRC+) with 13 home runs, five stolen bases and 15 walks against 23 strikeouts in 126 plate appearances. The lefty-swinging VanMeter was also effective in his first Triple-A exposure last year, albeit with numbers that pale in comparison to this season’s eye-popping output, as he hit .253/.309/.464 (114 wRC+) with 11 homers and five steals across 362 PA.

Despite his excellence in 2019, no outlet ranks VanMeter among the Reds’ top farmhands. Back in January 2018, FanGraphs prospect guru Eric Longenhagen wrote that emerging as a versatile bench piece may be VanMeter’s “absolute ceiling” in the majors. VanMeter has played first, second and third this year alone, and has also garnered significant experience at shortstop and in the outfield since the Padres chose him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. He later joined the Reds in a December 2016 trade for catcher Luis Torrens, who debuted in the majors in 2017 but is currently in Double-A.

Brewers Select Burch Smith, Designate Jay Jackson

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 11:29am CDT

The Brewers have selected right-hander Burch Smith from Triple-A San Antonio, designated righty Jay Jackson for assignment and optioned righty Taylor Williams, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets.

Smith will provide pitching depth in the wake of the Brewers’ 18-inning marathon victory over the Mets on Saturday, when Williams threw four frames of one-run ball. It’ll be the first time the 29-year-old Smith has suited up for Milwaukee, which signed him to a minor league deal in January.

Previously a member of the Padres and Royals at the big league level, Smith owns an ugly 6.77 ERA/5.41 FIP with 9.68 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 114 1/3 innings – a career-high 78 of which came with Kansas City in 2018. The former Tommy John surgery patient opened this season with a sparking 1.37 ERA and 9.23 K/9 against 3.76 BB/9 across 26 1/3 innings in the Brewers’ system, though ERA estimators FIP (3.74) and xFIP (5.48) have been far less bullish on Smith’s work.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed when the Brewers promoted Jackson on April 29, the 31-year-old endured a long journey back to the majors. Unfortunately, Jackson totaled just 2 1/3 innings before the Brewers booted him from their 40-man. He yielded five earned runs on four hits, including two homers, along the way.

James Paxton Placed On 10-Day Injured List

By Jeff Todd and TC Zencka | May 5, 2019 at 11:16am CDT

SUNDAY: Paxton will miss a maximum of three weeks, general manager Brian Cashman told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM on Sunday (Twitter links). His rotation spot will go to Loaisiga in the meantime.

SATURDAY: James Paxton has been placed on the 10-day IL, per the team (via Twitter). Jake Barrett will be recalled to take Paxton’s roster spot. While no MRI results have been released, Paxton expressed frustration more than concern when questioned about the pain in his left knee, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

The move comes after the Yankee southpaw was pulled from his start yesterday after just three innings. Paxton’s velocity readings did dip a bit during a long third inning, though he still hit 95-96 in his final frame of action. There’s no reason at present to be particularly concerned, though it’s never great to see a key rotation piece leave with any kind of health concern. In Paxton’s case, he has had arm problems in recent years, though that’s not implicated here. The knee joint hasn’t been an issue of late, but it was noted as an issue during his amateur days.

Paxton’s main concern stems from the affect the knee was having on his mechanics. The discomfort was causing him to occasionally open up his motion early, shifting his weight off his back leg – which would certainly account for a dip in velocity. Paxton has been treating the knee with ice, laser treatments and range of motion exercises, and there’s no reason at this time to think Paxton would be unable to continue this strategy moving forward. It’s certainly something to monitor, as Paxton is a critical piece of the New York rotation, going 3-2 so far with a 3.11 ERA and 12.4 K/9.

The Yankees have awaited many an MRI this year, so this is a familiar position for the club. While the position-player side of the roster has been hit hardest, the team lost Luis Severino for a significant stretch and was already missing Tommy John rehabber Jordan Montgomery.

The depth has been up to the task thus far. Jonathan Loaisiga could still be called upon to fill in Paxton’s rotation spot, though Barrett joins the club for now. Barrett, 27, carries a career 4.03 ERA in 103 games with the Diamondbacks, though the most substantial chunk of that came in 68 appearances in 2016. That season, Barrett managed a 3.49 ERA (4.14 FIP) across 59 1/3 innings. He took a circuitous route to New York this winter. The Giants bought his contract from Arizona, but then lost him on waivers to the Pirates, who lost him to the Yankees. He does have an option remaining.

AL Notes: Glasnow, Astros, Alvarez, Ohtani, Jays

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 10:55am CDT

Even though Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow has been incredible this season, the club still plans to tamp down his workload as the year progresses, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The towering 25-year-old has recorded a dazzling 1.47 ERA/2.39 FIP with 9.63 K/9, 1.47 BB/9 and a 51.4 percent groundball rate, but at 43 innings pitched, he’s already closing in on last season’s total. “He threw 112 innings last year and we have to monitor that,’’ said manager Kevin Cash, who added: “If we can get him extra days, we’re going to do that. If we’ve got to shave an inning off of him per start, like (Friday) night we could have taken him out after the sixth. Those are things we have to monitor and consider here early in the season.’’ For what it’s worth, Glasnow’s season-high innings total as a professional came as a member of the Pittsburgh organization in 2017, when the formerly wild hurler racked up 155 1/3 frames. A year later, the Pirates traded him and outfielder Austin Meadows to the Rays for righty Chris Archer in what now looks like a heist for the first-place Tampa Bay franchise.

Elsewhere around the American League…

Astros outfield/first base prospect Yordan Alvarez has gotten off to a scorching start this year at Triple-A Round Rock, where he has slashed an awe-inspiring .418/.505/.923 with 12 home runs in 107 plate appearances. The Astros have taken notice of the 21-year-old’s brilliance, according to president of baseball ops/general manager Jeff Luhnow, who said Saturday that Alvarez “certainly is making it a conversation” within the team to promote him (via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Luhnow also declared, “It’s pretty clear he can hit right now in the big leagues,” and noted Alvarez would likely slot in as a left fielder for the Astros in order to make a maximum impact. At the same time, though, the Astros already have a more-than-capable regular there in Michael Brantley, and Luhnow cautioned, “The same people who were clamoring for Kyle Tucker to come up because he was destroying AAA pitching are the same people now clamoring for Yordan Álvarez to come up.” That indicates it’s not a slam dunk Alvarez will head to Houston imminently, as Tucker disappointed during a 77-plate appearance major league debut in 2018 and has gotten off to a terrible start in Round Rock this year.
Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani’s much-anticipated 2019 debut could come as early as Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register suggests. Ohtani has been on the shelf thanks to October 2018 Tommy John surgery, which will stop the two-way star from pitching this year but won’t keep him out of the Angels’ lineup. To their credit, Kevan Smith and Albert Pujols – especially the former – have offered respectable DH production in Ohtani’s absence. [UPDATE: Regarding Ohtani’s potential activation, GM Billy Eppler said Sunday (via Fletcher): “We hope to be able to activate on him this trip but he has to get through every step of the progression so we’re not going to say anything till the progression is finished.”]
Prospect Jesus Lopez, whom the Blue Jays acquired from the Athletics for Kendrys Morales in March, is switching from infielder to catcher, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. The 22-year-old’s adjusting to his new position in extended spring training, per Davidi.

Jake Peavy Retires

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 9:44am CDT

Right-hander Jake Peavy last pitched professionally in 2016, and though he was angling to return to the majors last summer, that attempt has come to an end. Recent reports from Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe and Scott Miller of Bleacher Report indicate the 37-year-old Peavy has decided to hang up his cleats.

Peavy spent his final two-plus seasons in San Francisco, but his peak came as the ace of NL West rival San Diego’s staff. In a move that ranks among the wisest in franchise history, the Padres used a 15th-round pick in 1999 on Peavy, who debuted in 2002. Just two years later, he emerged as one of the majors’ premier pitchers.

During a 1,050-inning run in San Diego from 2004-09, Peavy pitched to a 3.02 ERA/3.16 FIP with 9.44 K/9 against 2.74 BB/9 and helped the Padres to their two most recent playoff berths (2005-06). He also earned a pair of All-Star nods and twice led the National League in both ERA and strikeouts in that period, during which he accumulated the majors’ fifth-highest fWAR among starters (26.4). Only luminaries Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay outdid Peavy in that category.

In the crowning personal achievement of his career, Peavy beat out Oswalt and others for the NL Cy Young Award in 2007, when he fired 223 1/3 innings of 2.54 ERA/2.84 FIP ball, amassed 240 strikeouts and led all big league pitchers in fWAR (6.7). It was the third straight season of at least 200 innings for Peavy, who exceeded that mark twice more later in his career.

Peavy was unquestionably the Padres’ most valuable player during his seven-plus years in their uniform. However, his reign in San Diego came to an end in August 2009 when the non-contenders traded him to the White Sox for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell.

Save for Richard, who had a long but unspectacular run in San Diego, no one from that group panned out for the Padres. Meanwhile, despite Peavy’s presence, the White Sox never secured a playoff berth during his stint with the franchise. It didn’t help that Peavy often battled injuries throughout his tenure as a member of the White Sox, with whom his numbers declined. Still, he did log a respectable 4.00 ERA/3.70 FIP in 537 2/3 frames with the Pale Hose and pick up his third and final All-Star appearance with the club in 2012.

In July 2013, a year after his last truly great season, Peavy changed Sox when Chicago dealt him to Boston in a three-team, seven-player trade that also included Detroit. Peavy wasn’t any kind of rotation savior by then, but he was still a solid starter whose acquisition paid dividends for the Red Sox during their run to a World Series championship that season. However, Boston couldn’t defend its title in 2014, a season in which it nosedived in the standings and ended up dealing Peavy to the Giants for pitchers Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree.

For the second straight season, Peavy was a midsummer acquisition for a franchise that went on to a championship. Peavy gave the 2014 Giants the vintage version of himself in terms of run prevention over 78 2/3 regular-season innings (2.17 ERA), and he helped the club to NLDS and NLCS victories. Although Peavy struggled in both of his World Series starts, a pair of losses to the Royals, the Giants nonetheless triumphed in a seven-game classic. They then brought back Peavy on a two-year, $24MM contract, which will go down as the last deal of his career. While Peavy pitched well in the first of those seasons, injuries held him to 110 2/3 innings. He was only able to manage another 118 2/3 frames in 2016, a career-worst campaign that included a demotion to the Giants’ bullpen.

Although Peavy’s time in the majors didn’t end on a high note, he enjoyed a prolific career that most pitchers would sign up for without a second thought. Along with his personal and team awards, Peavy registered a 152-126 record, 2,207 strikeouts and a 3.63 ERA/3.65 FIP in 2,377 innings en route to 44.1 fWAR/37.5 rWAR and upward of $127MM in earnings. MLBTR congratulates Peavy on an outstanding career and wishes him the best in his post-playing days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

White Sox Select Juan Minaya, Move Jon Jay To 60-Day IL

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 9:37am CDT

The White Sox have selected right-handed reliever Juan Minaya from Triple-A Charlotte and transferred outfielder Jon Jay to the 60-day injured list, James Fegan of The Athletic tweets.

Minaya has returned to Chicago’s 40-man roster less than two months after the team outrighted him to the minors. The 28-year-old has struggled to a 5.51 ERA/5.99 FIP in 16 1/3 innings in Charlotte since then, but that didn’t stop the White Sox from bringing him back to their unspectacular bullpen. White Sox relievers rank toward the bottom of the majors in strikeouts, whereas Minaya specializes in fanning opposing hitters. Minaya has struck out 12.67 hitters per nine in the minors this year, and he put up 10.28 K/9 (against 4.83 BB/9) with the White Sox from 2016-18. He also pitched to a passable 3.93 ERA/4.04 FIP during that 100 2/3-inning span.

Jay, meanwhile, still hasn’t suited up for the Sox since they signed the contact-hitting veteran to a a one-year, $4MM guarantee over the winter. The 34-year-old went on the 10-day IL on March 26 with a hip issue, and his move to the 60-day version means he won’t come back until at least late May. There’s no timetable for his return, though, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, who reports Jay is headed to extended spring training to rehab.

Tigers Designate Drew VerHagen For Assignment

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 9:00am CDT

SUNDAY: Detroit has recalled righty Eduardo Jimenez from Toledo to replace VerHagen on its 25-man roster.

SATURDAY: The Tigers have designated right-hander Drew VerHagen for assignment, Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to report. Detroit has since announced the move, adding that it will make a corresponding transaction Sunday.

The 28-year-old VerHagen has spent his entire pro career with the Tigers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. But VerHagen’s Tigers tenure may have ended Saturday in a 15-3 humiliation against Kansas City, which throttled him for six earned runs on five hits and three walks in just an inning of work. Even before that disastrous outing, VerHagen began the season in rough fashion. He has now allowed 10 ER on 10 hits and 10 walks, with seven strikeouts, in six frames.

Although VerHagen throws fairly hard and has induced groundballs at a 54.2 percent clip in 146 major league innings, he entered Saturday with an unimpressive 4.87 ERA/4.80 FIP and 6.9 K/9 against 3.64 BB/9 as a Tiger. While VerHagen has almost exclusively pitched as a reliever in Detroit, he has worked mostly as a starter with its Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. VerHagen has been solid in 64 appearances and 44 starts there, having pitched to a 3.89 ERA with familiar strikeout and walk rates (6.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9) across 268 2/3 frames.

Indians Designate Max Moroff

By Connor Byrne | May 5, 2019 at 8:45am CDT

The Indians have designated infielder Max Moroff for assignment, Zack Meisel of The Athletic was among those to report. The team also recalled righty Cody Anderson from Triple-A Columbus.

A Pirate from 2016-18, Moroff joined the Tribe last November in a five-player trade that also netted the Indians outfielder Jordan Luplow. While Luplow has performed well with the organization thus far, the 25-year-old Moroff has fallen flat, leading to his designation. The Indians hoped Moroff would help cover for injured middle infielders Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis at the beginning of the season, but he instead provided minimal production during their absences. Now, with Lindor and Kipnis back in the fold, the Indians are moving on from Moroff after he opened 2019 with a woeful .125/.176/.250 line and 16 strikeouts in 35 plate appearances.

The switch-hitting Moroff has never been any kind of offensive threat in the majors, where he has batted .183/.277/.319 in 244 PA, though he has slashed an effective .233/.363/.399 in 1,045 Triple-A attempts. Moroff’s also a capable defender at both middle infield positions. However, the fact that he’s out of minor league options works against him.

Quick Hits: Paddack, Treinen, Archer, Tulo, L. Gurriel

By Connor Byrne | May 4, 2019 at 11:57pm CDT

Padres rookie righty Chris Paddack has been brilliant across his first six starts and 33 innings in the majors. But Paddack’s already just 57 frames away from the career-high 90 he totaled in the minors last season in his return from 2017 Tommy John surgery. Considering Paddack’s long-term importance to the organization, San Diego has plans to limit his workload, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Indeed, agent Scott Boras told Jon Morosi of MLB.com that the Padres will “manage” his 23-year-old client’s innings. However, Cassavell notes that doesn’t mean the Padres will shut down Paddack – something the Nationals did with Boras client Stephen Strasburg amid a pennant race in his younger days. “It’s mapped out,” manager Andy Green said of the Padres’ plans for Paddack, though he added that “it’s mapped out with the intention for adjustments, as well. So to sit here and walk through exactly what we think is going to happen would be foolish.” Meanwhile, Paddack indicated he’s on board with the Padres’ approach and revealed he’s aiming for a 130- to 150-inning season.

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