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Andrew Bellatti

Phillies Announce Five Roster Moves

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The Phillies announced five roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Marlins.  The Phils have selected the contract of right-hander Andrew Bellatti from Triple-A and also reinstated James Norwood from the bereavement list.  Righty Connor Brogdon and left-hander Damon Jones were optioned to Triple-A, while Sam Coonrod was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for Bellatti.

Coonrod has been dealing with a shoulder strain that initially shut him down at the end of March.  The right-hander tossed only 1 2/3 innings of Spring Training action, so between the injury rehab and then making up for his lost preseason work, it was already expected to be a while before Coonrod made his 2022 debut.

The 60-day IL placement means that Coonrod won’t make it back until mid-June at the earliest, which represents another injury setback for the 29-year-old.  Coonrod missed over two months last season due to forearm tendinitis, and over three weeks of the shortened 2020 season due a lat strain.  That same season also saw Coonrod hit the IL late in the year with another shoulder strain.

Between Coonrod’s injury absence and Brogdon’s demotion, the Phillies find themselves without two of their better relievers from last season.  However, since Brogdon has pitched in three of Philadelphia’s last four games, the move is probably just a way to get a fresher arm into the bullpen than indicative of a long-term stint in Triple-A for the right-hander.  Brogdon had a rough outing last night, allowing two earned runs and two more inherited runners to score over two-thirds of an inning in a 9-6 loss to the Mets.

Bellatti signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in December after being outrighted off the Marlins’ 40-man roster at the end of last season.  After tossing 23 1/3 innings for the Rays in his 2015 rookie season, Bellatti bounced around the minors before finally returning to the majors last year, pitching 3 1/3 innings of relief work out of Miami’s bullpen.  Bellatti has a 3.77 ERA and 24.03% strikeout rate over his 547 career frames in the minor leagues.

Phillies Sign Six Players To Minor League Deals

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Dec. 15: Bedrosian’s contract was actually agreed to on Dec. 1 but only formally announced by the team this week, MLBTR has learned. That explains any confusion surrounding how the deal was possible, as Bedrosian otherwise appeared ineligible to sign during the lockout by virtue of the fact that he ended the 2021 season on the Phillies’ Major League roster.

Dec. 14: The Phillies announced this evening that they’ve signed six players — all right-handed pitchers — to minor league contracts with invitations to big league Spring Training. Joining the organization are Cam Bedrosian, Andrew Bellatti, Jake Newberry, Joe Gatto, Tyler Cyr and Michael Kelly.

Bedrosian is the best-known of the group. He emerged as a high-leverage arm early in his career with the Angels, a stint highlighted by a brilliant 2016 campaign in which he pitched to a 1.12 ERA across 40 1/3 innings. Bedrosian remained in Anaheim through the end of 2020, but his formerly strong strikeout rate has dropped in recent seasons. That has come in conjunction with a downturn in fastball velocity from the 95-96 MPH range to around 92-93 over the past couple years.

The 2021 season was a struggle for Bedrosian, who split the year between the Reds, A’s and Phils. He combined to work 25 innings over 26 outings, posting a 5.04 ERA/5.27 SIERA. Bedrosian’s 19.8% strikeout percentage was a few points below the league average, while his 14.7% walk rate was a career-high. Still, the 30-year-old made a strong enough impression during a late-season run in Philadelphia to get another opportunity to crack the big league bullpen out of Spring Training. (As an interesting historical footnote, Bedrosian’s father Steve Bedrosian won the 1987 NL Cy Young Award in Philadelphia after saving a league-best 40 games).

Bellatti has appeared in two MLB seasons, six years apart. After working 23 1/3 innings of relief with the Rays in 2015, Bellatti bounced around between various high minors and independent clubs without getting a return opportunity in the majors. His long-awaited break came this past July, when he cracked the Marlins’ MLB roster.

The 30-year-old bounced on and off the Miami roster a few times down the stretch, averaging 94.3 MPH on his heater over a three-game cameo. He spent the bulk of the season with their top affiliate in Jacksonville, where he posted an impressive 1.52 ERA over 29 2/3 frames. Bellatti punched out a lofty 33% of opponents at the minors’ top level while walking a decent 8.7% of batters faced. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected minor league free agency at the end of the season.

Newberry is the other of the Phils’ newcomers with MLB experience. The 27-year-old has suited up with the Royals in each of the past four campaigns. He’s tallied 70 2/3 cumulative innings over 65 relief outings, pitching to a 4.84 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk numbers (21.9% and 12.7%, respectively). Newberry, who became a minor league free agent at season’s end after being outrighted off the Kansas City roster, has a 4.06 ERA in parts of four Triple-A seasons.

None of Gatto, Cyr nor Kelly has pitched in the big leagues, although Gatto and Kelly have been a part of clubs’ 40-man rosters in the past. Gatto, 26, split the 2021 season between the Rangers’ top two affiliates. He posted a 3.32 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates (29.2% and 8.1%, respectively) but never got a big league look in Texas. Cyr, 28, has spent his entire career in the Giants’ system, topping out at Triple-A, where he owns a 4.66 ERA. Kelly, 29, has pitched in the Padres, Orioles and Astros systems. He has a 4.76 ERA over four seasons at the minors’ highest level.

Marlins Outright Four Off 40-Man Roster

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The Marlins have outrighted infielders Eddy Alvarez and Deven Marrero and right-handers Preston Guilmet and Andrew Bellatti off their 40-man roster, tweets Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The Fish now have 36 players on the 40-man roster, but with seven players on the 60-day injured list, they’ll still need to clear three more spots to reinstate all of their injured players between now and the conclusion of the postseason. All four players will be eligible for minor league free agency.

Of the two infielders, Alvarez saw significantly more action in 2021, compiling a .188/.297/.328 line across 74 plate appearances. He also made a few headlines in both 2020 and 2021: first when he became the first Winter Olympic medalist to appear in a Major League Game (he won a silver medal in speed skating at the 2014 Sochi Games), then again when he became the third American to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics (he was a member of the silver-winning USA baseball squad in this summer’s Tokyo Games).

Marrero, a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2012, put together a similar .188/.316/.375 line across just 19 PAs. He’s seen big-league action in six seasons (three with Boston, one with Arizona, and two with Miami) but has never managed to put together an extended run of production. Across a career-high 188 PAs for the BoSox in 2017, he managed only a meager .211/.259/.333 triple-slash. He hasn’t managed much more in the minors (he has a .623 OPS across 490 games in Triple-A) but remains a plus defender and could get a chance to catch on elsewhere.

Like Marrero, neither Guilmet nor Bellatti saw much time on the field for the Marlins. Guilmet covered only two innings (4.50 ERA) in two appearances, while Bellatti was roughed up (13.50 ERA) in a tiny sample of 3 1/3 IP in three trips to the mound. Guilmet’s track record is much longer, appearing with seven clubs across five big-league seasons, but he’s never seen more innings than the 10 1/3 he covered for Baltimore in 2014.

Bellatti’s brief run in 2021 was his first in the bigs since he posted a strong 2.31 ERA (albeit with a 5.23 FIP) across 23 1/3 innings for the Rays in 2015 before injuries derailed his career. He was out of baseball entirely in 2017 and ’18 before latching on with the Yankees Double-A affiliate in 2019 (after a single outing with the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters) and ultimately getting the call from the Marlins this year.

Marlins Select Three Players

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The Marlins announced a set of roster moves in advance of their final series against the Phillies. Infielder Deven Marrero and right-handers Preston Guilmet and Andrew Bellatti were all selected to the big league club, while outfielder Brian Miller was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville. Outfielder Jesús Sánchez (right hamstring strain) and right-hander Edward Cabrera (blister) were placed on the 10-day injured list. To create 40-man roster space, utilityman Jon Berti was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list, while infielder Joe Panik and right-hander Luis Madero have been designated for assignment.

It’s promotion number six for Marrero, who has been shuttled on and off the 40-man roster at various points throughout the season. He’s been limited to just twelve big league plate appearances amidst all the back-and-forth. The right-handed hitter owns a .215/.299/.337 line over 207 trips to the plate with Jacksonville.

Guilmet and Bellatti were also in the majors at earlier points this season before being outrighted. Guilmet tossed a scoreless inning back on July 28, his first MLB action in three years. He’s had a solid campaign with Jacksonville, working 52 1/3 frames of 3.78 ERA ball with very impressive strikeout and walk rates (32.5% and 6.3%, respectively). Bellatti — back in the bigs for the first time since 2015 — made two appearances in late July, allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings. He owns a sterling 1.52 ERA in 29 2/3 frames of Triple-A work with similarly strong peripherals as Guilmet’s.

Sánchez and Cabrera were both injured in last night’s game against the Mets. Their respective seasons will come to a close a few days early, but both young players look to be potential core pieces in Miami moving forward. The 23-year-old Sánchez posted an impressive .251/.319/.489 showing over 251 plate appearances this season. That came with an elevated strikeout rate, but he demonstrated the impressive power potential that once made him a top prospect. Cabrera struggled badly through his first seven big league starts, but he’s regarded by public prospect evaluators as one of the more promising young pitchers in the game.

Panik joined the Marlins as a salary offset in this summer’s trade that sent Corey Dickerson and Adam Cimber to Toronto. A New York-area native, he accompanied the team on their trip to Queens for the series against the Mets but decided to stay in his home area to attend to the birth of his child, manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald) after last night’s game. Panik is slated to reach free agency at the end of the season anyhow, so the Marlins free up a 40-man roster spot by designating him for assignment a few days early. (Had they placed Panik on the paternity list, he’d have still counted against the 40-man). Over 257 trips to the plate between Miami and the Jays, the lefty-hitting Panik slashed .208/.266/.284 with three home runs.

Madero has been selected and outrighted a few times this season. He’s allowed twelve runs in as many innings at the big league level, his first taste of the majors. Should Madero again clear waivers, he’d have the right to elect free agency. Even were he to accept another outright assignment, Madero would reach minor league free agency this offseason unless Miami were to add him back to the 40-man roster.

Marlins Select Deven Marrero, Designate Andrew Bellatti

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The Marlins have designated right-hander Andrew Bellatti as part of a series of roster moves, per a team announcement. Miami also placed infielder/outfielder Jon Berti on the 7-day concussion IL, selected the contract of infielder Deven Marrero and recalled catcher Chad Wallach from Triple-A.

Bellatti, 29, pitched in two games with the Fish and wound up yielding five earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work. That marked his first Major League appearance since a 2015 cup of coffee with the Rays, during which time he’d pitched to a 2.31 ERA with some more dubious peripheral marks. He might’ve gotten another look at some point in 2016 even in spite of a low strikeout rate and lofty walk rate, but shoulder troubles derailed much of his season. He pitched a total of just 14 innings that year and was eventually designated for assignment.

From there, Bellatti bounced to the Orioles on a minor league deal but was again derailed by injury. He never pitched for an O’s affiliate and had to parlay a stint with the then-independent Sugar Land Skeeters into another minor league look with the Yankees. He joined the Marlins on a minor league deal back on June 1 and quickly ascended to the Majors once he posted a 2.03 ERA and 16-to-5 K/BB ratio in 13 1/3 innings. The Marlins will have a week to trade Bellatti, pass him through outright waivers or release him.

As for the other moves announced today, the loss of Berti will strip the club of some speed and defensive versatility for the time being. The 31-year-old’s bat has taken a nosedive in 2021 — .210/.311/.313 after hitting .269/.362/.388 in 2019-20 — but Berti’s jack-of-all-trades skill set has still surely been appreciated by skipper Don Mattingly. He’s played every position on the diamond other than catcher and first base so far in 2021.

Marrero, a 2012 first-round pick of the Red Sox, will return for a third stint with the Marlins. He’s played in six games with the Fish since 2019 and gone 0-for-8 in that very minimal opportunity. Marrero is known as a solid defensive infielder, but his bat never developed as hope. He’s a .193/.244/.276 hitter in 351 MLB plate appearances and a .233/.291/.338 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns.

Marlins Select Andrew Bellatti

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The Marlins announced a handful of roster moves before this evening’s game against the Nationals. As expected, infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (left shoulder contusion) and corner outfielder/first baseman Garrett Cooper (left elbow sprain) have landed on the 10-day injured list. To take their places on the active roster, outfielder Lewis Brinson has been recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, while Miami selected the contract of reliever Andrew Bellatti. Miami already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was needed in that regard.

Bellatti is now in position to make his first major league appearance in six years. The right-hander tossed 23 1/3 innings of 2.31 ERA ball for the Rays in 2015 but hasn’t been in the big leagues since. Bellatti pitched in the high minors of the Tampa Bay system in 2016. He signed a minor league deal with the Orioles in 2017 but missed the entire season due to injury. Bellatti didn’t return to action until 2019 on a minors pact with the Yankees before spending some time in independent ball.

The 29-year-old hooked on with the Marlins on a minor league deal over the offseason. He’s earned a second big league call with 13 1/3 innings of 2.03 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A. Bellatti has struck out sixteen batters while walking only five and has allowed just a single home run.

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