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Aaron Whitefield

Angels Designate Cesar Valdez, Outright Aaron Whitefield

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The Angels announced they’ve designated right-hander César Valdez for assignment to clear space on the active roster for southpaw José Suarez, who has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. Los Angeles also announced that outfielder Aaron Whitefield has passed through waivers unclaimed and been outrighted to Double-A Rocket City.

Valdez’s stint in the big leagues proved exceedingly brief. The team just selected his contract last night, adding some multi-inning relief depth before a game against the Rangers. The 37-year-old got into the game, facing five batters and allowing a pair of runs (one earned) on two hits in an inning. He’ll immediately lose his MLB spot as the Angels cycle through arms after using six pitchers yesterday. Valdez is out of minor league option years, so the only way to replace him on the big league club was to remove him from the 40-man roster.

Signed to a minor league contract over the winter, the former Oriole has spent the bulk of the season with the Bees. After working out of the bullpen in Baltimore, he’s stayed stretched out as a starter with Salt Lake. Valdez was off to a very nice run there to begin the year, tossing 35 2/3 innings over five appearances. He’s posted a 3.03 ERA despite working more than seven frames per start, racking up grounders on almost three-fifths of batted balls while only walking four of the 137 hitters he’s faced (a minuscule 2.9% rate).

The Angels will presumably try to run him back through waivers in hopes of keeping him at Salt Lake as a multi-inning depth option. It’s at least possible some other team will be persuaded enough by Valdez’s strong start in the minors to devote him a 40-man roster spot that wasn’t available over the winter. Having previously been outrighted in his career, Valdez would have the right to refuse an assignment in favor of free agency if he goes unclaimed.

That’s also true of Whitefield, although the Angels didn’t specify whether he’ll do so. The 25-year-old outfielder was selected to the majors ten days ago. He appeared in five games, his first MLB work since a trio of contests with the 2020 Twins. An excellent runner capable of playing all three outfield spots, Whitefield has been off to a great start with the Trash Pandas. Over 111 plate appearances, the Australia native has hit .301/.400/.538 with five homers, 13 stolen bases and a massive 14.4% walk percentage.

Angels Reinstate Matt Duffy From IL; Designate Aaron Whitefield

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The Angels made four roster moves, including the reinstatement of infielder Matt Duffy from the COVID-related injury list.  Right-hander Andrew Wantz was also called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, while infielder Jack Mayfield was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Aaron Whitefield was designated for assignment.

After manager Joe Maddon hinted earlier today that Duffy could be activated for the second game of today’s doubleheader with the Athletics, Duffy will indeed be available for the nightcap.  Both Mayfield and Whitefield were in the starting lineup for the first game as the right fielder and center fielder, respectively, in a 4-3 Anaheim loss.

Duffy spent two weeks on the IL, and the lack of an injury designation implied that his absence was related to COVID-19.  Over his first 41 plate appearances, Duffy was off to a decent start, hitting .278/.366/.306 while getting starts at both second base and first base.  This figures to be Duffy’s role going forward, as the veteran will continue to work with Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, and Luis Rengifo in the Angels’ middle infield picture while David Fletcher is sidelined following adductor muscle surgery.

Mayfield had also been seeing some utility duty, while Whitefield played five games in the outfield after Los Angeles selected his contract from Triple-A earlier this week.  Whitefield’s previous MLB experience consisted of three games with the Twins in 2020, and in eight pro seasons, the 25-year-old has hit .246/.311/.352 over 1920 PA in the minors with Minnesota and Anaheim.  Outfield defense and speed (164 steals in 211 opportunities) were Whitfield’s calling cards in the minors, and another team in need of such a skillset could give the Australian a look on the DFA wire.

Angels To Select Aaron Whitefield

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The Angels are going to select the contract of outfielder Aaron Whitefield, according to Darren Wolfson of Skor North. A corresponding move will be required to open up a spot for Whitefield on the roster.

Whitefield, 25, was signed out of Brisbane, Australia by the Twins in 2015. His best asset has long been his speed, which he has used to provide excellent outfield defense, primarily in center, as well as stealing bases. Baseball America put him in the back half of their lists of top 30 Minnesota prospects in both 2018 and 2019.

In 2020, he was called up to the big leagues and got a three-game cup of coffee, often as a pinch runner/defensive replacement, only getting a single plate appearance. (He grounded out.) He was outrighted in August and then spent 2021 in Double-A. He hit a modest .257/.327/.353, 84 wRC+, with a 24.8% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 36 stolen bases.

He reached free agency at the end of the year and signed a minors deal with the Angels. He’s started this year with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas and is off to a great start. In 111 plate appearances over 24 games, he’s hitting .301/.400/.538, increasing his walk rate to 14.4%. That amounts to a wRC+ of 149, or 49% better than league average. He’s also still got the wheels, notching 13 stolen bases in those 24 games.

The Angels will now add a player to their roster that comes with a high floor. As the old saying goes, speed doesn’t slump. Whitefield should be able to provide excellent speed and defense in any scenario. With his bat seemingly taking a step forward so far this year, there’s also the potential for Whitefield to be even more valuable, should he able to carry any of that up to the majors with him. The club has a solid everyday group in the outfield, with Mike Trout, Brandon Marsh and Taylor Ward all playing very well so far this season. However, with the recent demotion of Jo Adell, there’s room for Whitefield to be a fourth outfielder, coming off the bench as a pinch runner or giving any of that trio the occasional day off.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/10/21

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Some minor moves taking place during this year’s GM Meetings:

  • The Orioles have landed right-handed pitcher Rico Garcia on a minor league accord, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. A 30th-rounder drafted out of Hawaii Pacific University by the Rockies in 2016, Garcia has posted promising (if inconsistent) results throughout his minor league career as a starter. The righty received brief looks in the Major Leagues for a 2019 Rockies team and a 2020 Giants team before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2021 season with the San Francisco organization. He will likely serve as relief depth for a Baltimore team that needs it on the heels of a historically poor pitching season.
  • The Angels have struck a minor league deal with outfielder Aaron Whitefield, reports SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson. The 25-year-old Whitefield signed with the Twins out of his native Australia back in 2015 and had been a staple in their minor league ranks since. The speedster is coming off a decent Double-A campaign in 2021 where hit .257/.327/.353 but with a tantalizing number of steals (36, in 48 attempts) and centerfield-capable defense. He’ll now serve as a depth option for a Los Angeles team that is frequently beset with injuries and look to get called up to the Majors for the first time since a three-game cameo with Minnesota in 2020.

Twins Sign Casey Lawrence, Outright Aaron Whitefield

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The Twins have inked right-hander Casey Lawrence to a minor league deal and assigned him to their alternate training site in St. Paul, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes (Twitter link). Meanwhile, outfielder Aaron Whitefield has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to the minor leagues. Being outrighted to the minors versus the alternate training site is a notable distinction, as it indicates that Whitefield is no longer in the team’s 60-player pool. He won’t be eligible to return to Minnesota’s pool in 2020 (though he could still technically be traded elsewhere). The Twins had 59 players in their pool.

Lawrence, 32, has seen action in a pair of big league seasons without much success. In 78 2/3 innings between the Blue Jays and Mariners, he was knocked around for a 6.64 ERA with a 66-to-35 K/BB ratio (five of the walks were intentional) and a 48.6 percent grounder rate. However, he also has a career 3.73 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in parts of five Triple-A seasons.

Lawrence actually signed a minor league deal with Minnesota back in January, although he wasn’t ever included in the team’s player pool and was seemingly cut loose at some point between the conclusion of Spring Training and today’s re-signing. The Twins currently have Zack Littell, Homer Bailey and Rich Hill on the injured list, which prompted the team to select Cory Gearrin’s contract yesterday. Bringing Lawrence into the mix gives them another experienced arm to stash in St. Paul should they need a long reliever at some point.

As for Whitefield, he made just one plate appearance and appeared in three games with the Twins this year. That marked the 23-year-old Aussie’s MLB debut, but he was destined for a limited role from the moment the Twins put him on the Opening Day roster. Whitefield was a late add to Minnesota’s player pool and was carried primarily for pinch-running and late-inning defensive purposes. He’s a career .238/.299/.338 hitter in the minors but has gone 115-for-148 (77.7 percent) in stolen base attempts through just 357 games in the Twins’ system.

Twins Select Aaron Whitefield

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The Twins selected outfielder Aaron Whitefield to their Major League roster yesterday in setting their Opening Day roster, per a club announcement. The Aussie speedster will go onto the team’s 40-man roster for the first time with the move.

Whitefield, 23, was signed out of Brisbane, Australia back in 2015. He’s something of a surprise addition given that he’s only played 31 games above A-ball, isn’t considered to be among the team’s top prospects and struggled at the plate this past season. Whitefield was a late addition to the player pool, joining the group just last week. However, he’s also swiped 115 bags in 337 minor league games in addition to 64 bases in 169 games while playing winter ball in the Australian League.

Whitefield has logged the vast majority of his time as a pro in center field, so he’ll give Minnesota a backup option at all three spots — notable with Byron Buxton coming back from a minor foot injury — as well as a pinch-running specialist late in games. Whitefield is a career .238/.299/.338 hitter in the minors, so it’s unlikely he’ll see too much time at the plate. However, we’ve seen a few clubs throughout the league opt to carry what amounts to a dedicated pinch-runner/defensive replacement (e.g. Terrance Gore with the Dodgers) while rosters are still at 30 players.

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