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Daniel Bard Reportedly Making Comeback Attempt

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Six seasons have elapsed since Daniel Bard threw his last pitch in a Major League game, but the 34-year-old righty threw in front of scouts recently and is hoping to make a comeback, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (via Twitter).

Bard, for those who don’t recall or have only begun following baseball in recent seasons, at one point looked to be a high-end closer in the making. Selected with the 28th overall pick in 2006, Bard debuted for the Red Sox in 2009 and went on to post a 2.88 ERA with 9.7 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 in his first 197 innings at the MLB level. Were it not for Jonathan Papelbon’s presence in the Boston bullpen, he’d surely have been afforded more save opportunities in the early stages of his career.

The 2012 season was an ugly one for Bard, however, as he was blown up for a 6.22 ERA through 59 1/3 innings. A sudden deterioration of his ability to locate the ball was the chief culprit, as Bard averaged 6.5 BB/9 and hit eight batters in 59 1/3 frames that season. Bard missed more than two months of the 2013 season with an abdominal strain and only tossed one inning in the Majors plus another 15 1/3 frames in the minors; he walked 27 batters in that time.

Winter ball in the 2013-14 offseason and a brief stint with the Rangers in 2014 only confirmed that Bard’s control had completely evaporated. Call it the Yips, Steve Blass disease or whatever moniker you prefer — Bard walked 18 of the 31 hitters he faced between the Puerto Rican Winter League and his quick run with the Rangers’ Class-A club. He embarked on comeback attempts with the Cardinals and Mets in 2016-17 but was met with similarly disheartening results.

Since calling it quits before the 2018 season, Bard has been working in as a “minor league player mentor” with the D-backs organization, where GM Mike Hazen and assistant GMs Amiel Sawdaye and Jared Porter know him well from their time in the Red Sox’ front office. Expectations on another comeback attempt should be measured, of course, given the long layoff and Bard’s prior, unsuccessful attempts. Still, it’s hard not to root for the 34-year-old. A successful renaissance after this much time off the radar would make for a wonderful story to follow and surefire Comeback Player of the Year favorite.

Diamondbacks Hire Jonny Gomes As Rookie League Hitting Coach

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The Diamondbacks announced a number of hirings, title changes, and promotions throughout their organization today, including the news that Jonny Gomes will be the new hitting coach for the team’s rookie ball affiliate in the Arizona League.  The move would seem to indicate that the 37-year-old Gomes has decided to call it a career after 13 seasons in the big leagues.

Gomes played for seven MLB teams from 2003-15, with his first six seasons spent in Tampa Bay.  His first extended taste of Major League action resulted in a third-place finish in AL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2005, after he hit .282/.372/.534 with 21 homers over 407 plate appearances.  While Gomes was rarely an everyday player during his career, he found plenty of regular playing time as a noted masher of left-handed pitching, posting a lifetime slash line of .273/.376/.479 against southpaws.

Beyond just his performance on the field, Gomes was well-known for his fiery personality and reputation as a clubhouse leader.  During his final four seasons, he was sought out as a mentor for young A’s and Royals teams making postseason runs, and Gomes was one of the originators of the beard craze that defined the World Series-winning 2013 Red Sox.

Several notable names were included in the Diamondbacks’ list of baseball operations moves, including the promotion of Burke Badenhop to special assistant to the general manager.  Badenhop, an eight-year MLB veteran, worked as an analyst in the D’Backs front office in 2017.  The recently-retired Daniel Bard is also joining the organization in the newly-created Player Mentor role.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/4/18

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After attempting numerous comebacks over the past half decade, former Red Sox setup man Daniel Bard has opted to officially retire, he tells SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Bard chronicles the ups and downs of a once-promising career that was derailed by his inexplicable development of the yips and an an inability to throw strikes at any level. Bard reminds that he overcame a similar issue early in his career after being drafted, but injuries and recurring difficulties in locating the strike zone ultimately led him to retire after signing five unsuccessful minor league deals since his last big league appearance.

Here are some of the day’s other minor moves from around the league…

  • The Indians announced on Thursday that they’ve signed left-hander Robert Zarate to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Zarate, 31 next month, didn’t pitch in 2016 or 2017 due to a spring elbow injury in ’16 that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Zarate has had a unique career, spending more time pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League than he has with MLB affiliates in his big league career. His 2015 campaign produced a 2.90 ERA with a 49-to-15 K/BB ratio and a 52.1 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, however. Zarate has never reached the big league level in his career.
  • The Rangers announced minor league deals for right-hander Steve Delabar and outfielder Destin Hood (via Twitter). Both players will be invited to Spring Training, per the announcement. Delabar didn’t pitch in 2017 after being popped for an 80-game suspension following a failed PED test. Delabar, 34, was an All-Star with the Blue Jays back in 2013 and served as a very effective member of Toronto’s relief corps from 2012-13 before declining in 2014-15. He has a career 4.07 ERA and has averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings in 194 2/3 MLB frames. Hood, meanwhile, long rated as one of the Nationals’ more promising farmhands, but the former second-rounder’s career stalled in Triple-A. He spent the 2016-17 seasons in the Marlins organization and posted solid, albeit unspectacular numbers in Triple-A.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/11/17

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the game.

  • The Mets are the latest team to take a flier on righty Daniel Bard, signing him to a minor league deal, as SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Bard was once a first-round pick and top prospect of the Red Sox, but the 31-year-old’s wildness has reached Rick Vaughn levels in recent seasons, as he’s posted BB/9 rates above ten in eight consecutive stops from the Majors to the minors to winter ball. The Cardinals released him last month after he walked 19 batters in 8 2/3 Double-A innings.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/23/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Blue Jays announced that catcher Michael Ohlman has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. Ohlman had the option to elect free agency, having been previously outrighted in his career, but he’ll return to Buffalo in hopes of another big league opportunity with the Jays. The 26-year-old went 2-for-9 in his brief MLB debut with Toronto this year, and he’s slashed a more impressive .246/.388/.594 with seven homers and three doubles through 23 Triple-A contests.

Earlier Moves

  • Right-hander Al Alburquerque has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced on Tuesday. Kansas City designated the veteran 30-year-old for assignment over the weekend after just four innings with the big league bullpen. Alburquerque has totaled just six innings in the Majors over the past two seasons after serving as a regular in the Detroit ’pen from 2013-15. The hard-throwing Alburquerque has no trouble missing bats but has long been prone to control issue as well. Alburquerque has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
  • Per an Orioles announcement, catcher Francisco Pena has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. The out-of-options 27-year-old has seen limited action in the majors in recent years, but has slashed .249/.295/.452 in his 1,221 career plate appearances at Triple-A. While he’s a highly regarded defender, Pena may need to boost his on-base abilities before he’ll earn a full shot at the majors.
  • The Phillies have released southpaw Mario Hollands, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Once a promising young reliever, Hollands seemingly never fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old has produced middling results in the upper minors over the past two seasons since sitting out all of 2015. This year, he has allowed a dozen walks in his 13 frames at Double-A.
  • Also hitting the open market is former Phillies righty Dalier Hinojosa, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 31-year-old worked to a 1.51 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 through 35 2/3 MLB frames in 2015-16, but clearly hadn’t convinced teams that was sustainable. Hinojosa hasn’t yet pitched this year due to a shoulder injury.
  • It seems that righty Daniel Bard is back at a career crossroads, as he has been released by the Cardinals, according to Eddy’s report. Bard, once an elite bullpen arm with the Red Sox, ran up 19 walks in 8 2/3 outings at the Double-A level as he has continued to struggle to stay in the zone.
  • The Braves released veteran minor-leaguer Blake Lalli, per BA. The 34-year-old catcher saw a bit of action at the major league level last year, but he has mostly plied his trade in the upper minors in recent seasons. He was off to a rough start at the plate this year at Triple-A, with a .167/.226/.271 batting line through 53 plate appearances.
  • Outfielder Tyler Holt has been released by the Dodgers, Eddy reports. Holt has seen action in each of the last three major league campaigns and appeared in 106 games last year with the Reds, but he’s slashing just .228/.306/.274 in 318 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. The 28-year-old was struggling badly in the upper minors with the Los Angeles organization, but will surely hope to regain some lost momentum with another organization.
  • The White Sox have snapped up righty Jake Johansen, who was released recently by the Nationals, according to Eddy. A second round pick back in 2013, Johansen had failed to make the jump to the upper minors and was cut loose after allowing eight earned runs in 11 2/3 innings at Double-A this year.
  • Veteran infielder Chris Nelson has joined the Royals on a minors deal, per Eddy. Once a semi-regular player with the Rockies, Nelson has bounced around in recent years and hasn’t seen any major league action since 2014. He spent time in 2016 at Triple-A with the Rockies organization, slashing .232/.273/.310 in 218 plate appearances.
  • Finally, the Reds have added MLB veteran Vin Mazzaro on a minors deal. He had been working in indy ball, throwing six scoreless frames for the Somerset Patriots, but will now try to crack the bigs for the ninth consecutive year. Mazzaro had a nice run with the Pirates in 2013, but has not seen much MLB action since. He did work to a 3.22 ERA over 67 Triple-A frames last year, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9, though obviously he didn’t convince many teams with his underlying skills.

NL Central Notes: Peralta, Rangers, Arroyo, Bard

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Here’s the latest from the NL Central…

  • Some Rangers officials watched Brewers righty Wily Peralta start this weekend as Texas continues to look for rotation depth, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.  It’s been a rough pair of seasons for Peralta, who was limited to 108 2/3 IP in 2015 due to an oblique injury and then posted a 6.68 ERA through his first 13 starts last season.  After a demotion to the minors, however, Peralta returned in good form, posting a 2.92 ERA over his final 61 2/3 innings.  Peralta will earn $4.275MM this season and isn’t eligible for free agency until after 2019, so Grant notes that he would fit the Rangers’ preference for a controllable pitcher.  Milwaukee and Texas have already linked up on two trades since David Stearns took over as the Brewers’ GM, most notably last summer’s five-player swap that saw Jonathan Lucroy join the Rangers.
  • Barring anything unforeseen in the next week, it looks like Bronson Arroyo will make the Reds’ starting rotation, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes.  Arroyo is still scheduled for a minor league start on April 2 so he won’t officially break camp with the Reds, but the 40-year-old righty is on pace to return to the big leagues for the first time since June 15, 2014.  Arroyo has pitched in just two minor league games since that date due to Tommy John surgery and a torn tendon his rotator cuff.
  • Daniel Bard hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013 due to injuries and a loss of control, though as Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes, the former Red Sox setup man is refusing to give up hope of a career revival.  Bard signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals last summer, and Gammons notes that the contract was actually a two-year pact, as Bard was in need of a significant mechanics overhaul.  Now throwing from a lower arm slot, Bard has seen his command improve.  Gary LaRocque, the Cardinals’ director of player development, thinks Bard may start the season at the Double-A level.

Quick Hits: International, Org Rankings, GMs On Strategy, Buehrle, Bard, Ankiel

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International prospects are among the most mysterious — but potentially impactful — elements of the baseball transactional world. If you’re interested in learning more about this year’s class, and have a Baseball America subscription (as we’d heartily recommend), then be sure to check out Ben Badler’s round-up of the latest array of young talent. Per Badler, the Rays and Twins are expected to land two of the top players in this year’s class: switch-hitting shortstops Wander Franco and Jelfrey Marte. The new CBA rules will be in effect as of the new July 2 signing period, and you can find details of those here.

Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:

  • The BA staff has also released its spring organizational prospect rankings, with the Braves, Yankees, and Astros receiving the three highest grades. The Dodgers and White Sox round out the top five, while the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins received the lowest overall ratings for pre-MLB talent.
  • Over at Fangraphs, David Laurila spoke with several general managers about strategic decisionmaking. You’ll want to read the piece in its entirety, of course, but it’s interesting to note the subtle variations in thinking. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti emphasizes that every market imposes different limitations on a team’s front office. Jerry Dipoto of the Mariners says that his front office has worked to acquire and develop certain types of players. Several execs noted the difficulty of committing to a rebuild, while also emphasizing the need to avoid being stuck in a middle-ground. For White Sox GM Rick Hahn, who has launched a rebuilding effort, “staying the course is essential once you pick a direction.”
  • Speaking of the White Sox, former lefty Mark Buehrle discussed the team’s just-announced decision to retire his number. As Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, the veteran hurler says he’s “blown away and floored” at the honor — though he’s also apprehensive of the public-speaking duties that will come with it. Buehrle says he more or less decided he’d retire not long after signing his last contract, a free-agent deal that took him away from the Chicago organization for the first time as a professional. “The reason I didn’t say anything, I didn’t want all the attention,” he said of his quiet exit from the sport, which had left many wondering whether he’d pitch again. “I’ve always told people I was a young guy that came into the big leagues unknown. Kind of snuck into the big leagues and I wanted to kind of sneak my way out.”
  • Whereas Buehrle entered the game quietly and steadily flourished, righty Daniel Bard flashed great promise before washing out of the majors with sudden control problems and injuries. Now, he’s back in camp with the Cardinals, and as GammonsDaily.com reports (with a video), Bard hasn’t lost any of his arm strength even as he works on a new delivery.
  • Bard’s career path mirrored somewhat that of former Cardinals hurler Rick Ankiel — who later reinvented himself as an outfielder. As Derrick Good of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, Ankiel has decided to tell his story of dealing with the sudden inability to command the baseball. That’ll be available in full on April 18th, when Ankiel and Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown will release a book titled “The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch That Changed My Life.” For now, you can check out that article and a recent podcast with Goold’s interview of the former phenom.

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, White Sox, Hanigan, Papelbon, Miller, Bard, Marlins

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Here’s the latest notes column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, with a particular focus on how the Red Sox will be targeting DH, the bullpen and the rotation as their three main areas of need this offseason…

  • Acquiring Chris Sale would be a major rotation upgrade for the Red Sox, and since they had discussions with the White Sox about the star southpaw this summer, talks could be revisited in the offseason.  Cafardo figures Boston would have to give up Jackie Bradley Jr. (who the White Sox have long liked) and at least one of top prospects Yoan Moncada or Rafael Devers to land Sale; Chicago could also ask for Eduardo Rodriguez as part of the trade package.  It would be a heavy price to pay, though the White Sox are obviously going to shoot for the moon if they explore dealing their ace, who is both one of the game’s best pitchers and one of its best bargains thanks to his team-friendly contract.  The Red Sox would have Andrew Benintendi take over for Bradley in center field, while left field would presumably be handled by some combination of Chris Young, Brock Holt, Blake Swihart.  If not dealt, Moncada would also be in the mix for both 2017 and as a long-term answer.
  • Beyond those three big areas, catcher is also something of a question mark for the Red Sox.  Boston seems to be looking at a tandem of Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez behind the plate in 2017, which would indicate an $800K buyout of Ryan Hanigan’s $3.75MM club option for the coming season.  Leon had a huge breakout at the plate but rather came back to earth over the last six weeks of the season, while Vazquez has yet to show any ability to hit Major League pitching.
  • There’s still a chance the Red Sox could reunite with Jonathan Papelbon, as Cafardo figures the team will again check in with the veteran reliever.  Papelbon drew interest from several teams (including Boston) after being released by the Nationals last summer, though he didn’t sign anywhere.  There hasn’t been much Papelbon news in the last several weeks, so it’s unknown what the former closer’s plans are for 2017.
  • In his sole year as Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine wanted to use both Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard out of the bullpen.  Miller was turning to relief pitching after failing to catch on as a starter, and he went to become one of the game’s best relievers.  Bard was already a bullpen star for the Sox, though both he and the front office wanted to transition to starting pitching.  That move proved disastrous for Bard, as he developed severe control problems that have curtailed his career.  He last pitched in the bigs in 2013 and has since bounced around the minors with four different organizations.
  • Marlins management will soon meet with club owner Jeffrey Loria to decide on the team’s offseason plans, which were thrown into disarray in the wake of Jose Fernandez’s tragic death.  Miami was in need of pitching even with Fernandez in the fold, and this winter’s very thin pitching market could leave the team unable to augment its impressive lineup.  Cafardo notes that rumors of the Marlins reloading the farm system by trading Giancarlo Stanton have swirled for years, though with Fernandez gone, Stanton may have become even more of a cornerstone piece for the club.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/6/16

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Here are the day’s most notable moves from around the game, all coming courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy, unless otherwise noted…

  • The Nationals brought back infielder Steve Lombardozzi on a minors deal, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reports. Lombardozzi, 27, saw minimal playing time in each of the last two years at the major league level after playing a significant role in D.C. during his 2011-13 stint. After failing to find a suitable opportunity over the winter, Lombardozzi joined the independent league Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to start 2016. He was off to a .367/.401/.428 start with eight steals before the Nats came calling.
  • Righty Nick Tepesch has joined the Dodgers on a minor league deal and will take the ball tonight at Triple-A, as Oklahoma City Dodgers broadcaster Alex Freeman tweets. Interestingly, he’s squaring off against his recent teammates at the Rangers’ top affiliate. The 27-year-old recorded over 200 frames for the Rangers over 2013-14, posting a 4.66 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9, but missed all of 2015 and eventually underwent thoracic outlet surgery. After returning for 11 starts at the Triple-A level this year, where he tallied a 4.11 ERA, Tepesch opted out of his minor league deal with Texas.
  • Outfielder Jake Goebbert has been outrighted to Triple-A Durham by the Rays after being designated for assignment. The 28-year-old entered the season as an accomplished Triple-A hitter, but he’s struggled mightily with Durham this season, hitting just .183/.288/.275. Even with his career numbers at Triple-A weighed down by his 2016 performance, Goebbert is a lifetime .271/.375/.444 hitter at that level. The Pirates saw enough in him to give him a big league deal this winter, but he didn’t make it through Spring Training and was ultimately claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay after being designated for assignment. He’ll look to get back to his productive ways now that he’s been removed from the 40-man roster and hope to factor into Tampa Bay’s big league plans later in the year.
  • The White Sox outrighted outfielder Daniel Fields off their 40-man roster over the weekend, and the 25-year-old was released shortly thereafter (presumably upon refusing the assignment, as was his right having been previously outrighted). Fields is a career .281/.359/.423 hitter in in 672 plate appearances at the Double-A level, but he’s struggled to a .223/.312/.345 line in 957 PAs at the Triple-A level. The former sixth-round pick (2009) had spent his entire career in the Tigers organization prior to this season.
  • The White Sox also picked up veteran catcher Brett Hayes in a trade that sent cash considerations to the Diamondbacks. The 32-year-old Hayes tallied 32 plate appearances with Cleveland last season and has appeared in parts of each of the past seven Major League seasons, splitting his time between the Marlins, Royals and Indians. He’s a career .205/.250/.359 hitter at the big league level and a .239/.279/.387 hitter in nearly 1200 PAs at the Triple-A level.
  • The Cardinals have signed right-hander Daniel Bard to a minor league deal after he was released by the division-rival Pirates. St. Louis will become the latest organization to attempt to revitalize Bard’s once dominant right arm in the hope that he can resurface as a quality bullpen piece. Bard, a former first-round pick, was a strong setup piece for the Red Sox from 2009-11 (specifically in 2010) but struggled terribly in 2012 and had a cataclysmic decline in the years to follow, as he lost the ability to throw the ball over the plate entirely. His last stint in affiliated ball came with the Rangers’ Class-A affiliate in 2014 when he faced just 18 men and walked nine of them in addition to hitting another seven.
  • Right-hander Felipe Paulino, who was granted his release from the Indians in order to pursue a deal in Japan late last month, has signed a deal with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, his agents at Octagon tweeted last week. The 32-year-old Paulino, a veteran of six Major League seasons, was pitching quite well for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, having logged a 2.77 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He’s worked as a starter for the vast majority of his career and has displayed an ability to miss bats at the big league level but has nonetheless struggled to a 5.22 ERA in 403 2/3 big league frames. This will be Paulino’s first stint in NPB, but as we often see, players that have struggled to thrive in the Majors can still make an excellent living pitching in Asia.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/13/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Pirates have released righty Daniel Bard, according to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (via Twitter). Now 30, Bard hasn’t seen the majors since a brief stint in 2013; indeed, he hasn’t even appeared in the minors since the campaign that followed. The live-armed reliever completely lost his ability to hit the zone and has seemingly never regained it. Pittsburgh had been the latest organization to take a chance on a return to form for the one-time late-inning ace, but obviously it appears as if the experiment didn’t take.
  • There were several notable promotions today, some of which we haven’t yet covered. Tommy Joseph got his first big league call from the Phillies, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark was first to report on Twitter. He was moved out from behind the plate after dealing with numerous concussions, but has rebounded while shifting to first base and was scorching the ball at Triple-A. Meanwhile, the White Sox brought up lefty Matt Purke, once a high-dollar draftee who never worked out for the Nationals as he battled through significant shoulder issues. Purke owns a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 Triple-A innings, with 8.0 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9.
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