Alex Dickerson

NPB’s Chunichi Dragons Sign Alex Dickerson

By Mark Polishuk | December 23, 2023 at 11:24am CDT

The Chunichi Dragons have signed outfielder Alex Dickerson, according to multiple reports out of Japan (hat tip to Jon Heyman of the New York Post). Dickerson didn’t play in the affiliated minors in 2023, instead playing 115 games with the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, and also 12 games with Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.

Dickerson is a veteran of six MLB seasons from 2015-2022, playing in 339 games and hitting .255/.325/.460 over 1001 career plate appearances. The large majority (872) of those plate appearances came against right-handed pitching, even though the lefty-swinging Dickerson’s career splits aren’t too dissimilar, apart from a lot more power against righty pitching.

Injuries have been perhaps the chief reason why the 33-year-old hasn’t been able to carve out a solid niche for himself in the big leagues. Dickerson missed all of the 2017-18 seasons due to back surgery and Tommy John surgery, and he has been a frequent visitor to the injured list several other times in his career. The pandemic-shortened 2020 season was the only “full” season of good health for Dickerson, and he delivered an impressive .298/.371/.576 slash line over 170 PA for the Giants.

Though Dickerson hit very well after being acquired by San Francisco during the 2019 season, his production started to tail off during an injury-marred 2021. The Giants designated him for assignment after the season and he caught on with the Braves, but Dickerson struggled badly in 13 games with Atlanta in April 2022, which marked his last appearances in the major leagues.

Dickerson will now get another international opportunity with the Nagoya-based Dragons, who are looking to reverse their fortunes after struggling for most of the last decade. While Dickerson’s big numbers in the Atlantic League may not necessarily hint at future success in NPB, it seems quite possible that the outfielder might get on track if he can just stay healthy. A successful season with the Dragons might then led to more opportunities in Japan, or perhaps more looks from MLB teams next winter.

13 Players Elect Free Agency

By Anthony Franco | October 25, 2022 at 10:17pm CDT

With the World Series kicking off on Friday, we’re only a couple weeks from the opening of the offseason. It’s customary each offseason for dozens of players to hit the open market, separate from the players who reach MLB free agency at the end of the World Series based on the expiration of their contracts while having six-plus years of MLB service time.

Any player who is not on his team’s 40-man roster at season’s end but has three-plus years of MLB service, multiple career outright assignments and/or seven-plus seasons in the minor leagues has the right to elect free agency. Everyone in today’s group falls under that umbrella. The majority will take minor league deals over the winter, although one or two could find a big league deal as a bench piece or middle-inning reliever.

In recent weeks, we’ve provided periodic updates on players qualifying for minor league free agency. Here are the latest, courtesy of the MiLB.com transactions tracker.

Pitchers

Anthony Banda (Yankees)
Luke Bard (Yankees)
Jacob Barnes (Yankees)
Roenis Elías (Mariners)
Robbie Erlin (Dodgers)
Thomas Eshelman (Padres)
Chi Chi González (Yankees)
Ryan Hendrix (Reds)

Infielders

Ryan Goins (Braves)
Ronald Guzmán (Yankees)

Outfielders

Alex Dickerson (Braves)
Travis Demeritte (Braves)
Michael Hermosillo (Cubs)

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/30/22

By Mark Polishuk | April 30, 2022 at 10:29pm CDT

Today’s minor moves from around baseball…

Alex Dickerson cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate. Dickerson was designated for assignment on Thursday, and as a veteran with more than five years of Major League service time, he had the right to reject an outright assignment to the minors. Instead, Dickerson has opted to remain in Atlanta’s organization and try to get on track in Gwinnett after a dismal start to the season — the outfielder has only four hits and a .407 OPS over his first 36 plate appearances. In making the big league roster, Dickerson locked in a $1MM guaranteed salary on the minor league contract he signed with Atlanta in March.

Braves Activate Ronald Acuna Jr., Designate Alex Dickerson

By Steve Adams | April 28, 2022 at 10:55pm CDT

Ronald Acuna Jr. is back. The Braves announced this morning that they’ve reinstated their star outfielder from the 10-day injured list — the culmination of a nine-and-a-half-month rehabilitation process following an ACL tear sustained last July. It’s a bit of a surprise, as the Braves had been targeting a May 6 return according to manager Brian Snitker, though Snitker acknowledged at the time of that statement that the date was not set in stone. In a corresponding roster move, Atlanta has designated outfielder Alex Dickerson for assignment.

The 24-year-old Acuna is one of the game’s most dynamic talents and effectively has been since the moment he reached the Majors as a 21-year-old in 2018. Shaking off a rough couple of weeks to begin that original MLB promotion, Acuna went on an absolute tear and finished out the ’18 campaign as the near-unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, claiming 27 of 30 first-place votes (with two going to Juan Soto and one going to Walker Buehler).

Acuna slugged 26 homers and swiped 16 bases as a rookie, hitting at a .293/.366/.552 clip along the way. He’s kept that pace in the three seasons since that time, and will come off the injured list looking to build on a .281/.376/.549 career batting line and add to his already impressive total of 105 big league home runs (to say nothing of 78 doubles, seven triples and 78 steals).

While some fans may worry that Acuna is being rushed back to the big leagues, he certainly hasn’t shown any rust in his limited work with Triple-A Gwinnett so far. It’s only six games and 25 plate appearances, but Acuna is 7-for-19 with a double, six walks and three stolen bases (in three tries), which certainly paints the picture of someone whose major knee injury is firmly behind him. And, given that the Braves’ outfield is producing — or rather, failing to produce — at an alarming level, Atlanta brass has opted to proactively make a move to inject some life into the offense.

Marcell Ozuna has gotten out to a nice start in left field, hitting .257/.291/.486 with four homers and five doubles on the year. It’s a bit light in the OBP department, but the power production has generally offset Ozuna’s lack of walks. The rest of the Atlanta outfield, however, has been nothing short of a disaster. Adam Duvall is hitting .197/.250/.258 in 72 plate appearances. Eddie Rosario batted .068/.163/.091 in 49 plate appearances before undergoing an eye procedure that’ll sideline him for up to 12 weeks. Guillermo Heredia is hitting .158/.273/.368 in 22 plate appearances. The Braves have gotten some production in small samples from infielder-turned-utilityman Orlando Arcia and former prospect Travis Demeritte, but it’s clear that the current group wasn’t sufficient for a team with designs on defending a World Series championship.

Dickerson, at whose expense Acuna is returning, was also a notable culprit when it comes to the Braves’ general lack of offense. Signed late in spring to a one-year deal, he’s been used primarily as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching but has gone just 4-for-33 with one extra-base hit (a homer) while punching out in a quarter of his 36 plate appearances.

The 31-year-old Dickerson has generally been a productive hitter in his big league career when healthy, though that health caveat has loomed large. Dickerson was out for the entirety of the 2017-18 seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery and back surgery, and he’s spent considerable time on the injured list even during his active seasons. Dating back to the 2019 campaign, he’s been sent to the injured list with wrist, shoulder, oblique, hamstring and back injuries.

Dickerson was a revelation for the 2019-20 Giants after going from San Diego to San Francisco in exchange for minor league reliever Franklin Van Gurp. In 341 plate appearances with the Giants over those two seasons, he raked at a .294/.361/.552 clip, mashing 16 home runs, 23 doubles and four triples while walking at a solid 8.5% clip and striking out in 19.1% of his plate appearances (a good bit south of the league average). Dickerson’s 2021 season, however, included a trio of IL stints due to a shoulder strain, a back strain and a hamstring strain. He posted a diminished .233/.304/.420 slash last season and has yet to right the ship so far in 2022.

The Braves will have a week to trade Dickerson, place him on outright waivers or release him. Given his track record and an affordable $1MM salary on his 2022 contract, it’s possible another club will take a look. It’s equally, if not more plausible, however, that teams will simply wait for Dickerson to clear waivers and hope to sign him as a free agent. Because he has more than five years of MLB service time, Dickerson can reject an assignment to the minors upon clearing waivers and still retain his salary.

Braves Sign Alex Dickerson

By Steve Adams and Darragh McDonald | March 16, 2022 at 12:14pm CDT

The Braves announced Wednesday that they’ve signed free-agent outfielder Alex Dickerson to a non-guaranteed Major League deal that comes with a $1MM base salary. Dickerson, a client of Moye Sports Associates, will be placed on the 40-man roster for now and report to Major League Spring Training.

After playing 95 games with the Padres over 2015 and 2016, a few injuries cost him two whole seasons, with a bulging disk and a torn UCL preventing him from playing at all in 2017 or 2018. Dickerson was able to have a nice comeback season in 2019, however, splitting his time between the Padres and Giants. He got into 68 games, making 190 plate appearances, hitting .276/.332/.489, wRC+ of 112.

2020 was a tremendous breakout for the outfielder, as he hit 10 home runs in the pandemic-shortened season, finishing the campaign with a line of .298/.371/.576, wRC+ of 151. Unfortunately, injuries struck yet again in 2021, limiting him to 111 games and a line of .233/.304/.420, wRC+ of 97. The Giants designated him for assignment in November to make room on the roster for Anthony DeSclafani.

For Atlanta, this is a low-risk gamble on a player who has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy. The $1MM is barely above the league minimum salary, which is now $700K in the new CBA. It’s also not guaranteed, meaning that the club wouldn’t be on the hook if Dickerson’s past injury issues linger into this year. As it’s a non-guaranteed deal, Dickerson would earn a lesser rate if he’s in the minors instead of with the big league team. He could theoretically reject an optional assignment given that he has more than five years of MLB service time, but it seems likely he signed such a deal with an awareness that spending some time in Triple-A could be a possibility.

For the Braves, their incredible run to the World Series last year involved acquiring a number of outfielders that were set to reach free agency at the end of the year: Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario. They have since re-signed Rosario, who will join Adam Duvall, Marcell Ozuna, Guillermo Heredia, Orlando Arcia, Travis Demeritte and Drew Waters in the outfield mix. Ronald Acuna Jr. is still rehabbing from his torn ACL and is hoping to return by May. That somewhat crowded picture could be helped by this year’s implementation of the designated hitter for National League teams. Dickerson’s never really earned favorable ratings for his defense, making him a good fit for some time in the DH slot, especially considering his injury history.

Alex Dickerson Placed On Release Waivers

By Steve Adams | November 26, 2021 at 11:07am CDT

The Giants placed outfielder Alex Dickerson on release waivers this week, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Dickerson was designated for assignment Monday when the team needed to open a 40-man roster spot to finalize the re-signing of Anthony DeSclafani.

Traded from San Diego to San Francisco in June 2019, the now-31-year-old Dickerson immediately endeared himself to Giants fans with a six-RBI showing in his team debut. He proved to be a godsend for the 2019 and 2020 Giants, hitting at a combined .294/.361/.552 clip with 16 homers, 23 doubles and four triples through 341 plate appearances from the time of that June acquisition through the conclusion of the shortened 2020 campaign.

Unfortunately for both the Giants and Dickerson, the 2021 season was marred by three stints on the injured list. Dickerson missed 10 days with a shoulder issue in May, two weeks with a back strain in June and nearly three weeks with a hamstring strain in September. The extent to which those physical ailments impacted Dickerson’s production can’t be known with certainty, but this year’s .233/.304/.420 slash (312 plate appearances) was a far cry from that 2019-20 output.

The 2021 season was hardly the lone injury-plagued year of Dickerson’s career. After turning in what looked like a breakout campaign as a late-blooming, 26-year-old rookie in 2016, Dickerson missed the entire 2017 season due to a back injury that required surgery, and his 2018 season was lost to Tommy John surgery after he suffered a ligament damage in his throwing elbow. He also missed time in 2019 due to wrist and oblique strains that necessitated separate trips to the injured list.

Dickerson had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $3MM in arbitration, but if he goes unclaimed he’ll be free to sign with a new club for any amount. Though he has five-plus years of Major League service time, Dickerson has only appeared in 326 games and tallied just 965 plate appearances thanks to those repeated injuries. For the most part, he’s been plenty productive when healthy enough to take the field — evidenced by a career .260/.330/.470 slash at the Major League level (113 wRC+).

Giants Re-Sign Anthony DeSclafani

By Anthony Franco | November 22, 2021 at 6:16pm CDT

The Giants have made the first of what’ll be multiple additions to the starting rotation, announcing agreement with free agent starter Anthony DeSclafani on a three-year, $36MM contract. (The team confirmed the contract terms). The deal pays the VC Sports Group client flat $12MM salaries each year from 2022-24.

DeSclafani, 32 next April, spent this past season in San Francisco. He joined the organization on a one-year, $6MM guarantee last December. That was a buy-low play for the front office, as DeSclafani has struggled with both injuries and performance en route to a 7.22 ERA across 33 2/3 innings the year before, his final season with the Reds.

The move worked out as well as president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi could have reasonably expected. DeSclafani stayed healthy — aside from a minimal IL stint due to ankle inflammation — and made 31 starts, finishing 18th in the National League in innings pitched. Along with taking on a heavy workload, DeSclafani posted arguably the best rate numbers of his career. He worked to a personal low 3.17 ERA and 3.62 FIP, while his 4.11 SIERA is right in line with his best marks during his time in Cincinnati.

Despite averaging north of 94 MPH on his fastball, DeSclafani’s swing-and-miss and strikeout numbers are more fine than spectacular. His 11% swinging strike rate and 22.5% strikeout rate this past season were both almost exactly in line with the respective league averages (10.9% and 22.4%) for starting pitchers. While he hasn’t been overpowering, DeSclafani has typically paired those decent strikeout numbers with plus control and a ground-ball rate at or just a tick above the league average.

Fielding independent metrics suggest DeSclafani’s more of a capable mid-rotation workhorse than a true top-of-the-rotation starter. There’s plenty of value in a third or fourth starter who soaks up average to slightly above-average innings in bulk, though, and that’s the type of pitcher DeSclafani has been over the course of his career. For a Giants team that could’ve lost all but Logan Webb from this year’s rotation, making a run at bringing DeSclafani back always seemed like a strong possibility.

San Francisco elected not to make him an $18.4MM qualifying offer at the outset of the offseason, but they struck fairly quickly to bring him back on a multi-year deal at a lesser average annual value. The guarantee comes in just a hair below MLBTR’s three-year, $42MM projection. It’s a sensible price point, although it’s worth noting that this kind of deal has become fairly atypical as teams have tended to devalue mid-tier arms in recent years. Among free agent starting pitchers, only Kyle Gibson ($30MM with the Rangers in 2019-20) and Tyler Chatwood ($38MM with the Cubs in 2017-18) have signed three-year deals worth between $30MM and $50MM over the past five offseasons.

The Giants have an abundance of payroll flexibility — both in 2022 and beyond. They’re apparently taking advantage of it to address their aforementioned rotation needs early in the offseason. In addition to the already-finalized DeSclafani reunion, the club is reportedly nearing a two-year deal with Alex Wood and was said to be making a strong run at Alex Cobb this morning. Whether all three starters will wind up in black and orange remains to be seen, but it’s clear the front office has made addressing the rotation a priority — seemingly in advance of the December 1 expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement.

To clear space on the 40-man roster for DeSclafani’s return, the Giants designated corner outfielder Alex Dickerson for assignment. That’ll almost certainly conclude Dickerson’s two and a half season tenure in the Bay Area, as he has more than enough service time to refuse an outright assignment even if he’s not traded or claimed off waivers over the coming days.

The Giants acquired Dickerson in a minor deal with the division-rival Padres in June 2019. That paid off handsomely, as the lefty-hitting outfielder performed quite well down the stretch that year and mashed in a limited sample during last year’s shortened season. Between those two campaigns, Dickerson kicked off his Giants’ career with a .294/.361/.552 showing over his first 341 plate appearances.

Impressive as he started, Dickerson couldn’t get on track in 2021. While he tallied a career-high 312 plate appearances this past season, he managed just a .233/.304/.420 line with 13 home runs. Combined with a limited defensive profile and an arbitration salary projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to land in the $3MM range, the front office determined not to bring him back in 2022.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the Giants and DeSclafani had reached agreement on a three-year, $36MM deal. Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group reported that the deal paid DeSclafani an even $12MM in each season.

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.

Giants Place Darin Ruf On 10-Day IL, Activate Alex Dickerson

By Mark Polishuk | September 23, 2021 at 2:27pm CDT

The Giants have placed first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. The placement is retroactive to September 20. Alex Dickerson has been activated from his own 10-day IL stint to replacement Ruf on San Francisco’s active roster.

This is the second time Ruf has been on the injured list this season, as he missed just under a month earlier in the year due to a right hamstring strain. If Ruf’s has a low-level oblique strain, he might very well be able to return to action in the minimum 10 days. However, if Ruf has a Grade 2 strain or worse, or if he simply has a setback in his recovery from a mild strain, it could impact his availability for the Giants’ postseason roster.

Missing Ruf for even 10 days will be a blow for the Giants as they try to hold off the Dodgers for the NL West lead. One of many unheralded players who have emerged as huge contributors for San Francisco, Ruf has hit .270/.383/.513 with 20 home runs over an even 400 plate appearances since the start of the 2020 season. Ruf saw a lot of action at first base in Brandon Belt’s absence, and in left field as the right-handed hitting side of the Giants’ ever-shifting outfield platoons.

It has been quite a return to Major League Baseball for Ruf, who broke into the Show in impressive fashion with the Phillies in 2012-13, but his production trailed off over the next three years. Ruf then went to the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization and revitalized his career, hitting .313/.404/.564 with 86 homers over his 404 games in Daegu.

San Francisco will look to replace Ruf’s right-handed bat with a lefty swinger in Dickerson, though Dickerson is looking to re-establish his own status as a hidden gem on the Giants’ roster. After some big numbers in his first two seasons in the Bay Area, Dickerson has hit a more modest .235/.303/.426 over 304 PA in 2021, though he has hit a career-best 13 homers. Dickerson’s performance has surely been hampered by injuries, as he previously spent time on the IL with a right shoulder impingement and back tightness this year prior to this current absence for a right hamstring strain. Dickerson will return after just shy of three weeks on the injured list with this latest problem.

Giants Place Alex Dickerson On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | September 4, 2021 at 6:41pm CDT

Alex Dickerson has been placed on the 10-day injured list, as the Giants announced that the outfielder is suffering from a right hamstring strain. Mauricio Dubon has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

This is the third time Dickerson has visited the IL this year, with slightly more than the minimum amount of time missed due to an upper back strain and a right shoulder impingement. The Giants are surely hopeful of another brief absence since the team will want all hands on deck in the battle with the Dodgers for the NL West crown. Considering the timing, however, anything more than a minor strain could threaten to sideline Dickerson for the remainder of the season.

These cumulative injuries could explain Dickerson’s struggles this year, after batting .286/.350/.529 with 16 homers over 360 plate appearances in 2019-20. This year, Dickerson is hitting only .235/.303/.426 with 13 homers in 304 PA, with much less hard contact and dropoffs in both his strikeout and walk rates. After tearing up right-handed pitching in the previous two seasons, the left-handed hitting Dickerson has managed just a .719 OPS in 278 PA against righties in 2021.

The Giants do have outfield depth to make up for Dickerson’s loss, as Kris Bryant could see more time as a corner outfielder now that Evan Longoria is back from the injured list and ready to assume third base duties. With LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski toggling back and forth between center and right field, the Giants could also shift Wade to left field duty, or use Austin Slater or Darin Ruf. The versatile Dubon’s return also adds a bit more infield help considering that Donovan Solano and Wilmer Flores are both still on the IL.

Giants Notes: Wade, Outfield, Deadline, DeSclafani

By Steve Adams | June 21, 2021 at 4:21pm CDT

The Giants announced Monday afternoon that they’ve reinstated outfielders Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf from the injured list. Infielder Jason Vosler and, more surprisingly, outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to open space on the 26-man roster. It’s a tough break for Wade, who has hit quite well in his first season with San Francisco — albeit in a tiny sample of 94 plate appearances. Acquired in a lopsided deal that sent righty Shaun Anderson to Minnesota — the Twins already lost Anderson on waivers — Wade is hitting .265/.344/.470 with four homers, three doubles, a triple and a pair of steals in his limited time as a Giant.

That’s a far cry from anything Wade has done previously in the Majors or in Triple-A, particularly in the power department, and it’s worth noting that Wade has batted a tepid .220/.273/.390 over his past 11 games. Still, the overall numbers are solid and ought to earn the 27-year-old another look before too long. The Giants are quite active when it comes to roster turnover, and Wade only needs to be down for 10 days (or less, if recalled in place of someone going on the injured list) before he can return.

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