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Quick Hits: Thames, Tsutsugo, Minors

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Eric Thames is planning on holding a showcase in Korea in November, according to a report from MK Sports relayed by The Athletic’s Sung Min Kim. The slugger previously played in Korea from 2014 to 2016 and parlayed his star turn there into a three-year, $16MM deal with the Brewers for the 2017-2019 seasons. He had a solid run over the length of that deal, playing 383 games, hitting 72 home runs and slashing .241/.343/.504. That production was 18% better than league average, according to wRC+. But it only amounted to 5 fWAR due to his defensive limitations. The Brewers passed on a 2020 option, leading Thames to sign a one-year deal with the Nationals. That turned out to be a miserable campaign for Thames, as he hit just .203/.300/.317. He then signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Unfortunately, as Kim notes, Thames missed all but one game this year due to a torn achilles. It’s unclear who will be invited to the showcase, but it stands to reason that interest from MLB teams will be limited, given how the past couple of years have gone. However, if this winter’s Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations lead to a universal DH, as has been widely speculated, that could theoretically increase the chance of Thames getting offers, though likely only of the minor league variety.

Some other items of note from the baseball world…

  • The Pirates have interest in re-signing Yoshi Tsutsugo, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports.  Given how Tsutsugo performed (.268/.347/.535 with eight homers in 144 plate appearances) after signing with the Pirates in August, it isn’t a surprise that the Bucs would want him back in the fold.  Returning to Pittsburgh on a short-term (or one-year) deal makes sense for both sides, Stumpf reasons, as Tsutsugo would get a full season as a platform year for a bigger deal in the 2022-23 offseason, while the Pirates would get a relatively inexpensive player who could maybe be flipped at the trade deadline.  A few weeks ago, MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about Tsutsugo’s breakout with the Pirates.
  • Over at Baseball America, in relation to the CBA expiring December 1st, J.J. Cooper answers a question about a theoretical work stoppage and how that would impact the minor leagues. Cooper reminds readers about previous stoppages and how the minor leagues continued essentially as normal. However, only players not on a 40-man roster were allowed to participate since the MLBPA includes every player who is on one. If the next strike or lockout follows historical precedent, that means baseball fans could get their fill with minor league ball while waiting for the big leagues to return. Cooper also relays that the 1994 Rule 5 draft took place during the most recent strike of 1994. This situation could theoretically pop up again, as the current CBA expires December 1st, with the Rule 5 draft typically taking placing a the end of the Winter Meetings, in the second week of December.

Pirates Part Ways With Joey Cora

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  • The Pirates will not bring back third base coach Joey Cora, the team announced today, per Jason Mackey of PGSportsNow (via Twitter). The 56-year-old Cora began his Major League coaching career in 2003 on Ozzie Guillen’s staff with the White Sox, where he eventually rose to the level of bench coach. He was the third base coach for the World Series winning team in 2005. His time in Chicago ended after in September of the 2011 season, corresponding with Guillen’s own departure. Cora would joined Guillen’s staff in Miami for 2012. He had been the Pirates’ third base coach since the 2017 season.
  • Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton will need to fill out a couple of positions on his staff for next season, including hiring a new hitting coach following the mid-season firing of Rick Eckstein. The Pirates are likely to hire from outside the organization to fill Eckstein’s spot, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Pirates Promote Oneil Cruz

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TODAY: Cruz’s promotion has been officially announced by the Pirates.  Right-hander Tanner Anderson has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a right foot contusion.

OCTOBER 1: The Pirates are planning to promote shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to make his major league debut, reports Héctor Gómez of Z101 (Twitter link). The 22-year-old checked in as the game’s #50 overall farmhand on Baseball America’s midseason update. Cruz is already on the 40-man roster.

Cruz signed with the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic over the 2015-16 international signing period. Los Angeles included Cruz, who was then in Low-A, as part of a package headed to Pittsburgh for Tony Watson at the 2017 trade deadline. The left-handed hitter has spent the past four years climbing the minor league ranks, moving fairly slowly but posting big numbers at every level.

In 2018, Cruz hit .286/.343/.488 while spending the entire season at Low-A. He split the 2019 campaign between High-A and Double-A and was added to the 40-man roster that offseason to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft. Last year’s canceled minor league season obviously cost Cruz the chance to play in games, although he was part of the Bucs’ alternate training site group.

As Cruz has aged, he’s continued to fill out one of the bigger frames in affiliated ball. The 22-year-old is now listed at 6’7″, 210 pounds, and he’ll soon become the tallest shortstop in major league history. That atypical profile has led to some concern among prospect evaluators he’d eventually have to move off the position, but he’s worked there exclusively in the minors this year and has continued to hold his own. In their midseason report, BA pegged Cruz as a capable defender, and evaluators credit him with one of the better arms in the minor leagues. There’s still some sentiment he could wind up moving into the outfield eventually, but it seems he’ll at least get an opportunity to first try and stick on the left side of the infield.

While there may be some questions about his long-term defensive home, there’s no debate concerning Cruz’s power potential. His exceptional size and athleticism leads to some of the game’s biggest power projection, with Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs grading his raw power as a future 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. BA, meanwhile, pegs his power potential at a 70 on the same scale.

Cruz’s size has led to some trepidation about his ability to consistently make contact. Longer-levered players can sometimes have trouble synchronizing their swing mechanics, and Cruz indeed had some alarming strikeout numbers early in his minor league career. As he’s climbed the ladder, he’s ironed out those issues significantly. Cruz has taken 302 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season, hitting .310/.375/.594 with seventeen home runs and a 22.8% strikeout rate that’s right in line with this year’s major league average.

With Cruz performing at a high level on both sides of the ball, the Pirates will give him a two-game cameo to close out the season. He can still be optioned to the minors in one more season, and he’s only played in six career Triple-A games. It’s certainly possible he starts next season back in the upper minors, whether for developmental or service time reasons. (Barring a change to the current service time structure in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, the Pirates would only have to keep Cruz in the minors for a couple weeks to delay his path to free agency by an additional season). But whatever long-term plans the organization has, they’ll reward his consistently strong performance with his first big league call to close out this season, giving fans a glimpse at one of the most exciting young players in the organization in the process.

Pirates Select Tanner Anderson

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected righty Tanner Anderson to the big league roster. Prospect Roansy Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis after tossing three scoreless innings in his big league debut yesterday. To create space for Anderson on the 40-man roster, the club transferred lefty Dillon Peters from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Anderson is back in the majors for the first time in two years. Originally a Pirates’ draftee, he got to the big leagues with Pittsburgh in 2018 and made six relief appearances. That offseason, the Pirates traded him to the A’s. Anderson made five starts for Oakland the following season before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since, but he’ll get another opportunity over this season’s final few games.

Over 33 2/3 big league innings, the 28-year-old Anderson has managed only a 6.15 ERA with a below-average 14.9% strikeout rate. He’s pitched fairly well in a swing capacity with Indianapolis since signing a minor league deal with the Bucs in July. Anderson has a 4.17 ERA over 36 2/3 frames with the Pirates’ top affiliate. His 15.6% strikeout rate there is similar to his lackluster big league mark, but Anderson has a decent 8.8% walk percentage and has racked up ground-balls at a huge 60.9% clip.

Peters landed on the IL last week with a lower back strain. Once the club determined he wasn’t going to make it back this season, there’s no harm in transferring him to the 60-day IL. Pittsburgh acquired the 29-year-old from the Angels for cash considerations a few months ago. He’s made six starts in black and gold, tossing 26 2/3 frames of 3.71 ERA ball.

Pirates To Promote Roansy Contreras

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The Pirates will call up right-handed pitching prospect Roansy Contreras tomorrow, Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez reports (via Twitter).  The 21-year-old Contreras will make his big league debut in a start against the Cubs.

Acquired from the Yankees as part of the Jameson Taillon trade package last winter, Contreras has pitched only 58 innings in his first season in the Pirates organization due to a forearm strain.  He missed all of July and August recuperating, and has since pitched in four games.  Just one of those games was at the Triple-A level, so Contreras is heading to the majors with only 3 2/3 innings under his belt at the highest rung of the minor league ladder.

That said, Baseball America’s Mark Chiarelli writes that “Contreras arguably raised his stock as much as any pitcher through the first half of the minor league season.”  The right-hander had a 2.64 ERA and a big 35% strikeout rate over 58 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A, and added some very solid control with a 5.55% walk rate.  The big spike in strikeout rate over Contreras’ three previous minor league years with the Yankees was due to increased fastball velocity (up to 95-97mph), plus a slider that serves as a fourth pitch behind an already-intriguing changeup and curveball.

This breakthrough year has increased the optimism that Contreras can remain as a starter at the Major League level. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline rank Contreras as the sixth-best prospect in a strong Pittsburgh’s farm system, which speaks to Contreras’ development.  The rebuilding Bucs don’t have much to lose in taking a look at Contreras in late September, as the youngster could now be on the radar to join the rotation by early 2022.

Braves, Brewers Made Pirates “Big-Time Offers” For Bryan Reynolds

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You can add the Braves and Brewers to the list of teams who asked the Pirates about Bryan Reynolds prior to the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel hears from a source that Pittsburgh received “big-time offers” from the two clubs.  Atlanta and Milwaukee join the Marlins, Indians, and Astros as teams known to have at least checked in on Reynolds’ availability, though it sounds as if the Braves and Brewers went a step further with their overtures.

Of course, Reynolds wasn’t dealt anywhere, as the Pirates value the outfielder as a cornerstone of their future plans.  Biertempfel’s report comes within the context of a larger piece about which current Pittsburgh players are most likely to be on the roster come Opening Day, and Reynolds is seen as someone who is “not going anywhere.”  Reynolds’ price tag will start rising this offseason in his first of four (as a Super Two player) arbitration-eligible years, the Bucs have him controlled through the 2025 season, and the team is surely hoping to be back in contention while Reynolds is still producing at a high level.

After a big 2019 rookie season and a sophomore slump in 2020, Reynolds has enjoyed a strong season as the Pirates’ everyday center fielder.  The 26-year-old has hit .293/.382/.505 with 24 home runs over 628 plate appearances, resulting in a 136 wRC+ and 139 OPS+.  While Reynolds’ hard-hit numbers are nothing special, his speed has allowed him to turn even moderate contact into base hits.  As a center fielder, Reynolds’ glovework is either elite (+10 Outs Above Average, one of the higher totals of any player at any position) or slightly below average (-3.2 UZR/150, -2 Defensive Runs Saved) depending on your metric of choice, though the eye test would certainly seem to lean closer to OAA’s analysis.

There’s plenty to like about Reynolds as a contributor both now and in future seasons, which is why it was no surprise that so many teams were inquiring about trades.  The Braves and Brewers stand out as particularly intriguing, considering that Milwaukee has already won the NL Central and Atlanta has a 2.5-game lead in the NL East with six games remaining, so the specter of a Reynolds trade will loom as an interesting “what-if” should either team fall short in October.

Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is no stranger to big deadline moves, and while a Reynolds trade would’ve counted as a blockbuster, Atlanta was hardly lacking in activity.  With Ronald Acuna Jr. gone for the season, Anthopoulos reinvented his outfield by adding Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Adam Duvall.  That quartet has all hit well, helping carry the Braves from a 52-55 mark on August 1 to the brink of a division title.  It is worth wondering if Atlanta’s inquiries about Reynolds led to the notable trade that the Braves did make with the Pirates, landing Richard Rodriguez for Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito.

The Brewers had a relatively quieter July than the Braves in terms of sheer volume of moves, though the Brew Crew had the benefit of a much wider division lead, and the team certainly picked up some solid offensive contributors in Eduardo Escobar and Rowdy Tellez.  Installing Reynolds in center field ahead of the Lorenzo Cain/Jackie Bradley Jr./Tyrone Taylor combination would’ve certainly been a huge upgrade for Milwaukee’s lineup, and perhaps solidified the Brewers as World Series favorites.

If the Pirates had been moved to deal Reynolds, it would’ve surely taken an enormous trade package from any team, and it is quite possible Pittsburgh might’ve demanded a premium to send Reynolds within the NL Central.  While the Pirates and Brewers combined on a pair of minor trades earlier this season, swapping minor league depth pieces is a far different matter than sending a star player to a division rival.

Yoshi Tsutsugo Is Finding His Stride In Pittsburgh

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Expectations likely weren’t too high for most onlookers when Yoshi Tsutsugo signed with the Pirates last month. Pittsburgh was the third organization of the season for the 29-year-old Tsutsugo — a star with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball who’d struggled since signing a two-year contract with the the Rays. That contract guaranteed Tsutsugo a total of $12MM, but he never found his footing with Tampa Bay.

In 272 plate appearances as a member of the Rays, Tsutsugo batted just .187/.292/.336 with a 28.3 percent strikeout rate. He showed a bit of pop during the shortened 2020 season, at least, slugging eight homers and reaching base enough to register an even 100 wRC+ through 185 plate appearances (in spite of a poor .197 batting average). Things went much worse in 2021, as Tsutsugo went homerless with an increased strikeout rate and decreased walk rate through 85 trips to the plate. The Rays designated him for assignment on May 11.

A trade to the Dodgers didn’t bring about better fortunes. Tsutsugo appeared in only 12 games and went 3-for-25 without an extra-base hit and a dozen strikeouts. Los Angeles outrighted him off the 40-man roster in early July and released him by mid-August.

Enter the Pirates.

Pittsburgh is paying Tsutsugo the prorated league-minimum after signing him on Aug. 15, and since donning the black and gold, he’s quietly looked like the middle-of-the-order bat the Rays hoped to be signing in the first place. It’s a small sample, but Tsutsugo has flat-out mashed for the Bucs. In 117 plate appearances prior to today’s game, he’s turned in a .291/.368/.612 slash with as many home runs (eight) as he tallied in 303 plate appearances between Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.

It’s not just the long ball that’s driving the turnaround, either. Tsutsugo fanned at a 29.4 percent clip between the Rays and Dodgers, but that’s plummeted to 19.7 percent in Pittsburgh. He’s added seven doubles and a triple with the Pirates, too, bringing his extra-base hit total to 16 (just two fewer than his combined mark in his prior two organizations).

Like many other hitters in recent years, Tsutsugo has found some success by beginning to elevate the ball more regularly. His 42.4 percent ground-ball rate during his time between L.A. and Tampa Bay has dropped to just 33.3 percent with his new club. His infield-fly rate has dropped, his line-drive rate has risen a bit, and he’s improved his barrel percentage — even if his overall hard-hit rate has declined.

Defensively, the Pirates have played Tsutsugo in right field and at first base. The results in the outfield haven’t been great, which isn’t a huge surprise. He was billed as primarily a first baseman or left fielder upon coming over from Japan, but the Rays deployed him at both infield corners and in both outfield corners. Colin Moran’s presence and the lack of a designated hitter in the National League has pushed Tsutsugo to the outfield too frequently, but it’s of course possible there will be a designated hitter in the NL next season, which would open some more avenues for Tsutsugo.

This all amounts to little more than a trial run with the Pirates, as Tsutsugo’s initial contract called for him to become a free agent after the 2021 season. That’s still the case, as noted by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last month. One would imagine that a rebuilding team like the Pirates wouldn’t have taken a post-trade deadline look at Tsutsugo in the first place without some interest in retaining him beyond the current season, though. Even if he was viewed as a mere placeholder at the time, his play in Pittsburgh ought to have piqued the front office’s interest moving forward.

Improbable as it might’ve seemed a few weeks ago, they’ll now likely face competition in that regard. After all, this is a hitter who posted a combined .293/.402/.574 batting line with 139 home runs, 116 doubles, five triples, a 15.1 percent walk rate and a 20.4 percent strikeout rate in his final four seasons of NPB action. That includes a huge 2016 season, when Tsutsugo launched a career-high 44 home runs and slashed .322/.430/.680.

Given that Tsutsugo won’t turn 30 until November and is now starting to look a bit closer to that NPB form against Major League competition, it would only stand to reason that other teams would have interest. The expected advent of a universal DH can’t hurt his chances, if it indeed comes to fruition.

It’s possible Tsutsugo will simply prefer to return to Japan, where he’d undoubtedly garner interest from other NPB clubs. However, if he’s intent on carving out a career in the Majors, his late run with the Bucs should create opportunities to do just that — whether it’s back in Pittsburgh or with a fourth organization in three years.

Pirates Reinstate David Bednar, Option Kyle Keller

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  • The Pirates have reinstated David Bednar from the 10-day injured list and optioned Kyle Keller to Triple-A to create the open roster spot, per the team. Bednar has put together a solid season out of the Pirates’ bullpen, establishing himself as a high leverage arm for the Pirates with a 2.18 ERA/2.70 FIP over 57 2/3 appearances, chipping in three saves and 11 holds.

Pirates Release John Nogowski, Ka’ai Tom

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The Pirates have released first baseman John Nogowski and outfielder Ka’ai Tom, relays Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Both players had been with Triple-A Indianapolis after being outrighted last month. Each of Nogowski and Tom would have qualified for minor league free agency this offseason if not reselected to the 40-man roster before the end of the year. The Pittsburgh front office evidently determined neither player was in line for a promotion, so they’ve elected to cut both loose a few weeks early.

Pittsburgh acquired Nogowski from the division-rival Cardinals for cash considerations in early July. He tallied 143 plate appearances with Pittsburgh but scuffled after a hot start, ultimately posting just a .233/.301/.310 line. After being outrighted to Indianapolis, Nogowski hit an impressive .259/.406/.352 with thirteen walks and only ten strikeouts in 69 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter has shown that strong on-base ability throughout much of his minor league career, and he owns a .269/.388/.423 slash over 680 career trips to the dish at Triple-A.

Tom has spent the bulk of his career in the Indians’ organization. The A’s selected him in the Rule 5 draft last winter but bumped him from the big league roster after just nine games. The Pirates claimed Tom off waivers and gave him a bit more run, but the 27-year-old only managed a .152/.308/.261 showing in 117 plate appearances with the Bucs. Pittsburgh designated him for assignment and passed him through waivers.

Rule 5 draftees have to be kept on the MLB roster (or injured list) for the entirety of their rookie season or offered back to their original organization. The Pirates offered Tom back to Cleveland once he cleared waivers, but the Indians declined to bring him back into the system. He instead reported to Indianapolis but continued to struggle, hitting .190/.299/.310 in 67 plate appearances before being released.

Pirates Select Taylor Davis

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected catcher Taylor Davis to the big league club. Starting backstop Jacob Stallings has been placed on the 7-day concussion injured list. To open space for Davis on the 40-man roster, right-hander Bryse Wilson was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.

Davis appeared in the majors with the Cubs in each season from 2017-19 but tallied just 39 total plate appearances. The 31-year-old has spent almost the entirety of his eleven-year professional career in the minor leagues, with the bulk of that experience coming at Triple-A. Over parts of six seasons at the minors’ top level, the righty-hitting Davis owns a .275/.350/.381 line.

Signed to a minor league deal by the Orioles, Davis was flipped to the Pirates in a minor trade in mid-June. He’s split the season between the two clubs’ Triple-A affiliates, hitting .253/.347/.331 across 176 plate appearances. Davis will get the call to pair with the lefty-hitting Michael Pérez with Stallings landing on the shelf.

It’s technically possible Stallings recovers in time to make it back for a few more games, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the concussion brings his year to a close with just two weeks left on the schedule. One of the game’s more underrated catchers, Stallings owns a .240/.329/.366 line in 414 plate appearances this season. That’s more or less in line with that of the league average catcher, but he rates very highly among publicly-available defensive metrics.

Statcast’s pitch framing metrics have pegged him as above-average in that regard for three years running. He’s been a little below-average at throwing out attempted basestealers, but Stallings rather incredibly hasn’t been charged with a single passed ball in 865 innings behind the plate this season. That’s contributed to a league-leading estimated 21 Defensive Runs Saved.

The Pirates never seemed anxious to discuss Stallings in trades this summer, but it wouldn’t be a shock if his name comes up in rumors over the upcoming offseason. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the second of four times this winter, due a raise on this year’s $1.3MM salary. Even a bump in salary to the $3-4MM range would be a bargain for a player of Stallings’ caliber, and catcher-needy teams won’t have much to choose from in free agency. With the Pirates amidst a full rebuild and Stallings set to turn 32 in December, a few clubs figure to at least gauge his availability.

Wilson’s season is officially over on account of a left hamstring strain. The 23-year-old split the year between the Braves and Pittsburgh, making sixteen starts in aggregate. Wilson struggled to a 5.35 ERA with well below-average strikeout (14.3%) and swinging strike (8.7%) marks. The righty had been one of the Braves’ top pitching prospects before being sent to Pittsburgh as part of the deadline day Richard Rodríguez deal. In spite of his struggles, Wilson seems likely to have an inside track at a rotation spot next season based on that pedigree.

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