Day One Draft Reactions
With day two of the MLB amateur draft now in the books, let’s run through some reactions from around the game to the first day’s action …
- Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com breaks down the day one action, writing that he liked the hauls brought in by the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Royals. He also discussed the Pirates‘ early-pick strategy. The team made a surprise choice of shortstop Cole Tucker with the 24th overall pick, but McDaniel explains that the team’s later picks give a fuller picture, as potential under-slot signings of Tucker and college outfielder Connor Joe (#39) could allow the team to ink prep righty Mitch Keller (#64).
- In his own wrap-up of the draft’s first day (Insider link), ESPN.com’s Keith Law says that he likes the Indians‘ work in landing Brad Zimmer, the already-inked Justus Sheffield, and Mike Papi. He also credits the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and Red Sox with strong choices. You’ll want to read the full piece for all the details, including Law’s take on teams that may have whiffed.
- Nick Faleris of Baseball Prospectus also takes a turn at explaining all of the first-round choices (1 through 17; 18 through 34). He wonders whether the Mariners will need to go above-slot to sign sixth overall pick Alex Jackson, a high-schooler committed to Oregon. As for best values, Faleris says that one candidate is high-school righty Touki Toussaint, who went 16th to the Diamondbacks.
- Assessing things from the industry perspective, ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (Insider link) says that many are high on the Twins‘ choice of shortstop Nick Gordon — son of Tom and brother of Dee — at the fifth slot. While the Brewers seem to value 12th overall choice Kodi Medeiros higher than most, leading to some questions, Bowden says that the club may have scored by adding shortstop Jacob Gatewood at 41st overall.
- A run on college seniors has led to a new record, tweets Clint Longenecker of Baseball America. According to his tally, 70 seniors have gone in the first ten rounds, easily more than the previous high of 60. Of course, the general view is that such players lack leverage, making them popular choices for teams looking to save slot money to ink younger players.
NL Notes: Dodgers, Brewers, Morales, Zimmerman, Welker
Tyler Stubblefield was stuck at low-A ball last year for the Padres at age 25. This year, writes MLB.com’s Corey Brock, he played a key role in recommending the team’s first-round draft choice, N.C. State shortstop Trea Turner, as San Diego’s area scout for eastern George and North and South Carolina.
Here’s the latest from the National League:
- It is time for the Dodgers to initiate a shake-up, opines Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider link). While the team undeniably has talented pieces, they have not fit together well, says Olney, who recommends that the team consider bringing up top prospect Joc Pederson to play center and installing the defense-first Erisbel Arruebarrena at short. Of course, those moves would have repercussions involving key veterans Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez, among others, but Olney says that dramatic action may be necessary with the club still sitting well back of the Giants in the NL West.
- The Brewers do not seem like a good fit for Kendrys Morales, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy writes on Twitter. McCalvy says that two key questions — Morales’s ability to handle first and the team’s ability to fit him in the payroll — make a signing unlikely.
- Ryan Zimmerman says that he is not sure that he will ever return full-time to third base for the Nationals, as Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. “I don’t know if I’m the best option over there anymore,” he said. “I’ve always said I’ll play until someone is better than me, or I’m not the best option at that position.” It will be fascinating to see how the Nats proceed when Bryce Harper returns, which is expected to occur around the turn of the month. While the team would have several options heading into 2015 — Zimmerman could stay in left and the team could deal Denard Span, or he could move to first if Adam LaRoche leaves town — the mid-season calculus is even more complicated. It seems hard to imagine that the team would leave second base in the hands of Danny Espinosa while taking away significant at-bats from any of the other players just mentioned. It seems at least possible that the Nationals could explore some creative trade possibilities to right-size the everyday lineup.
- Pirates righty Duke Welker underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday, reports Tom Singer of MLB.com (via Twitter). The towering 28-year-old was the player to be named later in last year’s Justin Morneau deal, but later returned to Pittsburgh in exchange for lefty Kris Johnson.
Braves To Sign Second Rounder Garrett Fulenchek
The Braves have agreed to an above-slot deal with Garrett Fulenchek, the team’s second round draft choice (66th overall), reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Fulenchek will get $1MM, higher than the bonus pool value of the pick of around $860K.
Fulenchek is a Texas high school product who emerged late and is said to have big upside if he can develop his secondary pitches and command behind a heavy sinker. Both MLB.com (which rated him the 57th-best prospect in the draft) and Baseball America (54th) placed the 6’4 right above the place he was taken. ESPN.com’s Keith Law, on the other hand, had Fulenchek in the 78th slot. He had been committed to pitch for Dallas Baptist.
Rusney Castillo Declared Free Agent, Represented By Roc Nation
Cuban free agent outfielder Rusney Castillo, 26, has officially been declared a free agent and will be represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 26-year-old is expected to hold a showcase for interested clubs soon.
Badler writes that, while Castillo is not viewed as an impact talent on the level of some of his countrymen who have broken into the bigs in recent years, he is definitely considered to have major league ability. Scouts have been split as to whether he is more likely to be an everyday option or a fourth outfielder. Castillo is a solid line-drive hitter with excellent speed, says Badler, and is said to be capable of playing center.
While it is far too early to handicap where Castillo will ultimately sign, the Orioles and Dodgers are among the clubs that have reportedly scouted him recently. As Badler notes on Twitter, the news is also notable for Castillo’s choice of representation. Roc Nation, which famously announced its entrance by taking on Robinson Cano as a client (and also represents C.C. Sabathia), appears now to be positioning itself in the Cuban market.
Johan Santana Tears Achilles Tendon, Out For Year
Orioles hurler Johan Santana has torn his achilles tendon and will miss the season, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Baltimore had signed Santana to a minor league deal that included a $3MM base salary and up to $5.05MM in incentives.
The Orioles had just purchased Santana’s contract and moved him to the 15-day DL as he completed his rehab from left shoulder surgery. With Santana no longer an option, executive VP Dan Duquette says that the club will look to add depth over the summer, possibly via trade.
Though Santana was only working in the high 80s with his fastball, he had found success with that level of heat earlier in his career. Once perhaps the best pitcher in the game, Santana last threw in the bigs in 2012 with the Mets, when he posted a 4.85 ERA in 117 innings with 8.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. For his career, Santana owns a 3.20 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9.
Now 35 years old, and having already rehabbed two significant shoulder surgeries, it is fair to wonder whether Santana will make another attempt at a comeback. The initial word is that we should not count him out, per a report from Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (Twitter link). When asked if Santana’s career was in jeopardy, agent Peter Greenberg responded: “No. Not with this guy.”
Rangers In The Mix For Kendrys Morales
The Rangers are among several teams that are considering signing first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. With the first day of the draft now past, teams can sign Morales without sacrificing a pick.
As Grant notes, the Rangers are anticipating around $8MM in insurance claims to flow back to the club due to the injuries to first baseman Prince Fielder and pitcher Matt Harrison. Texas opened the season with a record $133.5MM payroll, but has struggled to play up to expectations with a series of notable injuries.
A serious pursuit of Morales would certainly signal that the club hopes to stay in contention in spite of its many losses. The Rangers stand at .500 entering today’s action, seven games back of the A’s in the AL West. Grant says that Texas is interested in adding another power bat alongside the struggling Mitch Moreland after losing Fielder from the middle of the lineup. Of course, Fielder and Moreland were already falling well short of their anticipated production, and Morales’s bat represents a clear upgrade over the team’s current internal options.
Giants Designate David Huff For Assignment
The Giants have designated lefty David Huff for assignment, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The move was made to clear roster space for the return of Matt Cain from the DL.
Huff, 29, came to San Francisco from the Yankees after he lost his roster spot to Masahiro Tanaka. Through 20 innings this season, Huff has scuffled to a 6.30 ERA. He has posted 5.0 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 on the year, both of which are worse than the marks he put up in each of the last two seasons.
The former first-round pick came up as a starter with the Indians, but shifted primarily to the bullpen last year. He has been solid against same-handed hitters thus far in 2014, allowing just a .659 OPS, but righties have hit a blistering .354/.415/.479 against him.
Minor Moves: Worth, Simunic, Mazzaro
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- Though the Tigers announced earlier today that infielder Danny Worth has cleared outright waivers, though as Chris Iott of MLive.com reports, Worth has not yet decided whether or not to accept the assignment. Worth, 28, was designated for assignment earlier in the week when Detroit purchased the contract of shortstop prospect Eugenio Suarez.
- Utility man Andy Simunic has inked a minor league deal with the Braves after being released by the Astros, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (via Twitter). Simunic, a former 17th-round pick, is a career .261/.332/.304 hitter in four seasons at the Triple-A level. The 28-year-old’s entire career has been spent in the Houston organization to this point.
- Pirates reliever Vin Mazzaro, who cleared outright waivers yesterday, has accepted his assignment to Triple-A, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Our own Zach Links initially reported that he was on outright waivers, with Biertempfel reporting last night that he’d cleared.
Indians To Sign Justus Sheffield
3:15pm: Agent David Sloane of Taurus Sports tells MLBTR that Sheffield has agreed to terms at $1.6MM plus the value of a $250K scholarship with Vanderbilt. Sheffield’s deal is technically under slot, but the additional value of the scholarship money and the fact that the bonus is to be paid up front takes the value of the deal over the slot value while allowing Cleveland to allot roughly $133K to other picks later in the draft.
10:45am: Zach Birdsong of Sheffield’s hometown Tullahoma News tweeted late last night that a “source close to the deal” informed him that Sheffield has neither signed nor agreed to anything. Sheffield himself retweeted Birdsong shortly thereafter, suggesting that there likely isn’t an agreement in place just yet.
12:29am: The Indians and first-round pick Justus Sheffield have agreed to a $1.6MM bonus plus eight semesters worth of tuition to Vanderbilt, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). The No. 31 overall draft slot carried a value of $1.733MM, meaning Sheffield signed a bit under slot. Cleveland received the No. 31 overall selection as compensation for losing right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez to the Orioles via free agency. Including college tuition as a fallback isn’t uncommon among high school draft signings, though it isn’t always reported, either. That money does not count against the team’s bonus pool.
Sheffield, a high school left-hander out of Tennessee, ranked 21st among draft prospects according to ESPN’s Keith Law, 39th according to Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and 49th according to Baseball America.
Callis and Mayo feel that Sheffield has the chance to develop three plus pitches. His heater already sits 89 to 92 mph and touches 94, and he also features a mid-70s curveball and changeup, both of which the MLB.com duo refers to as advanced for high school. Law feels that Sheffield’s fourth pitch, a slider in the 82-84 mph range, also has a chance to be plus and can already miss bats. BA called him a strike-thrower with a four-pitch mix and a chance for average or better command. All three scouting reports praised his athleticism.
Athletics Designate Kent Matthes For Assignment
The Athletics have designated outfielder Kent Matthes for assignment, according to the team’s transactions page. Matthes’ DFA creates room on the 40-man roster for the recently acquired Justin Marks.
Matthes, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Rockies back in March. Injuries have slowed three seasons of an otherwise promising career prior to 2014. Matthes was a frequent member of Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect rankings and has a career .269/.326/.490 batting line in the minors. However, he’s struggled to a .217/.275/.370 triple-slash through his first 200 plate appearances between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Sacramento.