Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cooper Hummel

Diamondbacks Reinstate Cooper Hummel

By | at

The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Cooper Hummel has been reinstated from the injured list, with infield Drew Ellis being optioned to make room on the active roster.

Hummel, 27, was acquired from the Brewers in the Eduardo Escobar trade at last year’s deadline. He made his major league debut with the Snakes this year, getting into 32 games on the campaign so far. His propensity for taking walks in the minors has carried over into the big leagues in his limited time, as he’s posted a 15.2% walk rate in his young career, nearly double the 8.5% league average. However, big league pitching has also vaulted his strikeout rate to 30.3%, well above any of his seasons in the minors. On the whole, he’s hitting .190/.313/.345 for a wRC+ of 90.

The team’s outfield/DH mix is a bit crowded, with David Peralta, Jordan Luplow, Jake McCarthy, Pavin Smith, Alek Thomas and Hummel all competing for the four lineup spots. However, Hummel’s ability to hit from both sides of the plate gives the team some flexibility to have him fill in for the others at strategically opportune times.

Hummel was one of many D-Backs players placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons, which points to a COVID-related reason. Players on the COVID-IL don’t count against a team’s 40-man roster. The club had an open spot on the 40-man, which is now full, though Jose Herrera, Nick Ahmed and Kyle Nelson are still out for undisclosed reasons and aren’t being counted against that tally. As those players return to health, corresponding roster moves will be required.

Diamondbacks Place Kyle Nelson, Cooper Hummel On Injured List

By | at

The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves, including the placement of left-hander Kyle Nelson and outfielder Cooper Hummel on the injured list.  No designation was specified, which indicates that the placements are related to COVID-19.  With right-hander Edwin Uceta also optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game, the D’Backs will fill the three roster vacancies with infielder Yonny Hernandez and right-handers Luis Frias and Jacob Webb.  Frias was called up from Triple-A, while Hernandez and Webb were recalled from the taxi squad.

Nelson has been one of the most effective members of Arizona’s bullpen, posting a 1.23 ERA, 30.2% strikeout rate, and a 3.8% walk rate over his first 14 2/3 innings of the season.  After struggling at both the Triple-A level and in 10 1/3 big league innings with Cleveland in 2019-20, Nelson’s early-season performance could indicate that he has harnessed the big strikeout potential he showed throughout his minor league career.  The Diamondbacks claimed Nelson off waivers from the Guardians back in November.

Hummel is in his rookie season, with a .190/.313/.345 slash line (92 wRC+ and OPS+) to show for his first 99 plate appearances as a big leaguer.  The switch-hitter has seen a lot of DH and pinch-hitting duty, and Hummel has also received some starts in left field when a left-hander is on the mound (thus relegating David Peralta to the bench).  Hernandez is also a switch-hitter, though Jordan Luplow figures to more directly take over Hummel’s role while Hummel is sidelined.

As always with the COVID list, it is possible Nelson or Hummel could be activated as early as tomorrow, if their placement was only due to a close-contact situation or symptoms without a positive test.  If either has tested positive, Nelson/Hummel will miss a minimum of 10 days, unless they meet the criteria (two negative tests, clearance from three physicians, 24 hours without a fever) for early activation.

Trying To Find Hidden Gems With BB/K

By | at

A few days ago, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco looked back on the trade that sent LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants. At the time, Wade had a fairly unimpressive track record, but did have a knack for generating walks and limiting strikeouts. Whether that was what piqued the Giants’ interest or not, it worked out for them, as Wade had a nice season in 2021. His strikeout rate shot up, but he still hit 18 home runs and slashed .253/.326/.482, for a wRC+ of 117.

A young hitter’s command of the strike zone can often be a helpful indicator of future success, like it was in Wade’s case. Mookie Betts was never at the top of prospect lists, as he was on Baseball America’s Top 100 only once, coming in at #75 prior to the 2014 season. But looking back on his strikeout and walk rates in the minors, perhaps it should have been more obvious that he was a superstar in the making. At Low-A, A-Ball, High-A and Double-A, he posted a BB/K above 1.00, meaning he walked more than he struck out. At Triple-A in 2014, it was 0.87, still very impressive. Jose Ramirez never appeared on Baseball America’s Top 100, and even just among Cleveland prospects, he peaked at #9 in 2014. He also kept his BB/K rate around 1.00 for most of his time in the minors, and has carried that forward into the majors as well.

That’s not to say that every minor leaguer with a strong BB/K rate will turn into a superstar like Betts or Ramirez. Jace Peterson put up solid BB/K rates as well, but has settled in as an average-ish role player. Austin Barnes also had a keen eye throughout the minors, before becoming a solid second string catcher. But those players can still be plenty useful for a big league club. Can we find the next hidden gem of this type? Let’s sniff around. Here are some standout BB/K numbers from the minors in 2021.

Alejo Lopez, infielder, Reds, BB/K at Double-A and Triple-A in 2021: 1.41

A 27th round selection of the Reds in 2015, Lopez had never appeared on the club’s top 30 prospects list at Baseball America prior to this season. (He would eventually crack the midseason rankings, coming in at #21.) He had posted strong strikeout and walk numbers in rookie ball action in 2016 and 2017, putting up a BB/K above 1.00 in each year. In 2018 and 2019, he played in A-ball and High-A, with his BB/K slipping to around 0.50 in each year. After the pandemic canceled the minor leagues in 2020, Lopez hit the ground running in 2021. In 92 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .320/.401/.447, with a walk rate of 11% and strikeout rate of just 7.8%, leading to a huge BB/K of 1.41. He got called up for his MLB debut and didn’t hit much, but in a tiny sample size of 23 plate appearances. He’ll turn 26 in May.

Isaac Paredes, infielder, Tigers, BB/K at Triple-A in 2021: 1.19.

In 2018, Paredes reached Double-A for the first time and put up a BB/K rate of 0.86 in just 39 games. In 2019, he returned to Double-A and played in 127 games, improving his rate to 0.93. In 2020, the pandemic wiped out the minor leagues, but Paredes made his big league debut. The transition to MLB wasn’t terribly smooth as he hit .220 over 34 games, with a BB/K of just 0.33. In 2021, he spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A, playing 72 games there, hitting .265/.397/.451 while walking in an incredible 17.8% of his plate appearances and striking out just 14.9% of the time, for a BB/K ratio of 1.19. He also got into 23 more MLB games and had a BB/K rate of 0.91 there. Paredes has appeared on the backend of Baseball America’s Top 100, coming in at #94 before the 2019 season and #100 before 2020. He’s still quite young, as he won’t turn 23 until February.

Steven Kwan, outfielder, Guardians, BB/K at Double-A and Triple-A in 2021: 1.16

Kwan was selected by Cleveland in the fifth round of the 2018 draft and got into 17 games that year in the lower levels of their system. In 2019, he played 123 games at High-A, with a BB/K of 1.04. After missing out on 2020 due to the pandemic, he spent 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A, playing 77 games in total and logging 341 plate appearances. Overall, he hit .328/.407/.527, along with a walk rate of 10.6% and strikeout rate of 9.1%, winding up with a final BB/K of 1.16. He’s never been on Baseball America’s prospects for Cleveland, though he did just barely crack FanGraphs’ list a year ago, taking the final spot on a list of 49. The Guardians added him to their 40-man roster in November.

Tyler White, infielder, Blue Jays, BB/K at Triple-A in 2021: 1.10

A 33rd round draft pick of the Astros in 2013, White has never been viewed as a top prospect. He only appeared on Baseball America’s top 30 Houston Astros’ prospect list once, coming in at #16 back in 2016. But he has always had a good eye for the strike zone. His first crack at Double-A was 59 games in 2015, where his BB/K was 1.20. In 57 games at Triple-A that same year, it was 1.11. He made his MLB debut the following year and appeared in parts of four seasons from 2016 to 2019. He showed some promise with the bat in 2017 and 2018 but floundered in 2019 before joining the SK Wyverns of the KBO for 2020. In 2021, he signed a minors deal with the Blue Jays, playing 105 games and hitting .292/.424/.476. His walk rate was 18.1% and his strikeout rate was 16.5%, for a final BB/K rate of 1.10. Despite that tremendous year at the plate, he never got the call to the big leagues, likely due to his limited positional flexibility. Other than one game at third base, he was exclusively a first baseman or designated hitter in 2021. Now 31, he signed a minor league deal with the Brewers last month.

Cooper Hummel, utility, Brewers/Diamondbacks, BB/K at Triple-A in 2021: 1.03

Hummel was selected by the Brewers in the 16th round of the 2016 draft and never appeared on Baseball America’s top 30 prospects for the club. In 2021, he started the year at Triple-A and got into 46 games for the Nashville Sounds, racking up an incredible BB/K of 1.58. He was flipped to the Diamondbacks as part of the Eduardo Escobar trade and got into 46 more games after that. Although his BB/K was just 0.63 after the trade, he still finished the year at 1.03 overall. Oh, and he hit .353/.429/.575 after the deal. Now 27, the Diamondbacks added Hummel to their 40-man roster in November.

Jonah Bride, utility, Athletics, BB/K at Double-A in 2021: 1.00

Bride was a 23rd round selection of the Athletics in 2018. He hit well in his first couple of minor league seasons, but took a step forward in 2021 in terms of plate discipline. His walk rate and strikeout rate were equal at 17.1%, as he had exactly 57 of each in 334 Double-A plate appearances. He’s never been on Baseball America’s top 30 Oakland prospects, but FanGraphs just placed him 17th in the organization, noting that he recently started an attempt to convert from an infielder into a catcher. He was added to Oakland’s 40-man roster in November.

Diamondbacks Announce Several Roster Moves

By and | at

The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of utilityman Cooper Hummel, outfielder Kristian Robinson and righty Ryan Weiss to the 40-man roster. In a trio of corresponding moves, the D-backs passed lefty Miguel Aguilar, righty Kevin Ginkel and right-hander Riley Smith through waivers and outrighted them to Triple-A Reno.

The 26-year-old Hummel came over to Arizona from Milwaukee in this summer’s Eduardo Escobar trade and has done nothing but rake in his new organization. In 92 Triple-A games, split at 46 apiece between both teams, Hummel mashed for to the tune of .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs. Perhaps most impressively, Hummel managed that level of production while walking (63) more times than he struck out (61). The 18th-rounder has gradually started to cede playing time behind the plate due to subpar receiving abilities, but after seeing action at both infield and outfield corners this past season he should have plenty of avenues to crack the Major League roster soon.

Kristian Robinson’s selection to the team’s roster has more to do with the 20-year-old’s top prospect status than it does with any recent performance. Coming into the season, the young outfielder was ranked as high as the 15th best prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, achieving that distinction without the benefit of a full season of A-level ball.

However, Robinson’s status is complicated by legal issues that could impact his visa status. In August, Robinson — a native of the Bahamas — pled guilty to an assault charge that could impact his ability to renew his work visa in the United States. Zach Buchanan of the Athletic covers Robinson’s situation in a detailed piece that’s well worth a read in full. Both the organization and Robinson’s attorney remain hopeful that his immigration status will be resolved in his favor now that he’s completed the community service to which he’d been sentenced as part of his plea agreement.

Robinson did not play in 2021. Now that he’s been added to the roster to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft, he’ll revert to the major league restricted list, general manager Mike Hazen told reporters (including Buchanan). He won’t count against the 40-man roster while he’s on the restricted list.

A 4th-rounder back in 2018, Ryan Weiss made his Double-A and Triple-A debuts this season. Across 78 innings between the two levels Weiss pitched to a 4.60 ERA, seeing action out of both the rotation and bullpen. The 24-year-old struck out roughly 27% of opposing batters but will need to tamp down on the number of baserunners he allowed in Triple-A before Arizona can count on him as a member of their pitching staff.

After a layoff in 202o the left-handed Aguilar struggled in his first Triple-A and big league look, posting ERAs north of 5 at both levels. Right-hander Kevin Ginkel wasn’t able to replicate the success he found in Arizona’s 2019 pen, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in 28 innings. It was a similar story for the right-handed Riley Smith, who spun 18+ innings of 1.47 ERA ball last season before struggling to the tune of a 6.01 ERA in 67 innings this year.

Brewers Acquire Eduardo Escobar

By | at

After picking up shortstop Willy Adames and first baseman Rowdy Tellez in earlier trades, the Brewers have made another addition to the infield. Milwaukee announced the acquisition of All-Star Eduardo Escobar from the Diamondbacks this evening. Catcher Cooper Hummel and infielder Alberto Ciprian are going to the D-Backs in return.

Escobar has been one of the game’s most obvious trade candidates for months now. The 32-year-old was an impending free agent on the league’s worst team, making him a virtual lock to be moved so long as he performed reasonably well. Escobar has done so, hitting .246/.300/.478 with 22 home runs over an even 400 plate appearances this season. Escobar is making $7.5MM in the final year of his deal, with around $2.8MM still to be paid out. The Brewers are reportedly picking up the entirety of that remaining salary.

The switch-hitting Escobar was a productive player throughout the majority of his time in the desert. He’s been an above-average bat in three of the past four years, doing a surprising amount of damage at the dish. In addition to his strong power numbers this season, he popped 35 home runs and slugged .511 back in 2019. Escobar doesn’t draw many walks, leading to generally low on-base percentages, but he’s also fairly tough to strike out — particularly for a player with a power-focused profile.

While Escobar saw some time at shortstop earlier in his career, he’s mostly been limited to third and second base since he’s entered his 30’s. Advanced defensive metrics have generally pegged him around average at both positions, so he gives the Brew Crew some cover at a couple spots on the infield. He has never played first base in the majors, although it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think he could also handle that position given his other experience around the diamond.

Kolten Wong figures to handle most of the workload at second base. He’s had a few stints on the injured list this year, though, so it’s certainly reasonable for the front office to look to build depth at the position. Luis Urías has played fairly well at third base, but Escobar could also work in there and at first. There’s not necessarily a clear need on the Milwaukee infield, but there’s enough broad opportunity around Adames that manager Craig Counsell should have no trouble finding at-bats for Escobar.

In addition to salary relief, the D-Backs add a pair of young players to the organization, one of whom could be a big league option this season. Hummel has spent the entire campaign with Triple-A Nashville, hitting .254/.435/.508 with six home runs and a massive 24.4% walk rate against a solid 15.5% strikeout percentage.

A former 18th-round pick, Hummel has mashed throughout his entire minor league tenure. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old was left unprotected for and went unselected in last winter’s Rule 5 draft. That seems largely due to trepidation about his receiving ability behind the plate. Hummel has seen a good bit of time at first base and in the corner outfield throughout his professional career, and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN suggests he’s unlikely to be a viable regular defensive catcher unless MLB adopts an automatic strike zone (thereby negating the value of a catcher’s pitch framing ability).

Even if Hummel isn’t a future regular catcher, he seems likely to get a shot as an offense-first utility option before long. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft again this winter if not selected to the 40-man roster. He doesn’t have much more to prove against minor league pitching, so the D-Backs front office seems likely to give him a look soon enough.

While Hummel could be at Chase Field in 2021, Ciprian’s years away from the big leagues. The 18-year-old has made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this season. Ciprian signed with Milwaukee during the 2019-20 international signing period for $500K. Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote at the time that above-average raw power was the right-handed hitting third baseman’s most impressive tool.

Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report the Diamondbacks and Brewers had agreed upon a trade. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Escobar was involved. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported the D-Backs were receiving two players. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Hummel’s inclusion, while Zach Buchanan of the Athletic was first to report Ciprian’s involvement. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported the Brewers were assuming all of Escobar’s remaining salary.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top