Quick Hits: Vogt, Giants, Braves, Phillips, Red Sox
Mariners bullpen and quality control coach Stephen Vogt will interview with the Giants about their managerial vacancy this week, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Giants have thus far interviewed only internal candidates about the manager’s job, yet Vogt isn’t exactly a true outsider, having played with the Giants during the 2019 season. Vogt has plenty of other ties to the Bay Area, as he also played six seasons with the Athletics, and hails from Visalia, California (about a four-hour drive from San Francisco).
Vogt only retired from playing after the 2022 season, and his one season on the Mariners’ staff represents his only coaching experience. That said, Vogt has been regarded as a future manager for years, so it isn’t surprising seeing him immediately pop up as part of a managerial search even though he is relatively lacking in coaching experience. All of the candidates linked to the Giants thus far would also be first-time MLB skippers, so clearly the front office isn’t prioritizing a long resume when considering its next dugout hire.
Over 10 Major League seasons, Vogt appeared in 794 games with six different teams. The big majority (528) of that action came with the A’s, but the Giants rank second on Vogt’s game list with 99 games played. Vogt also briefly played with the Brewers in 2017, so speculatively speaking, it is possible the Brewers might give him some consideration if Craig Counsell doesn’t return as the manager in 2024.
Some more items from around the baseball world…
- Some flame-throwing relief help figures to be a target for the Braves this winter, as Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that only two bullpens in baseball threw fewer pitches of 96mph or higher than the Braves did in 2023. Joe Jimenez and Pierce Johnson contributed a big chunk of the high-velocity pitches Atlanta did throw, yet both relievers will be free agents. With Jesse Chavez also a free agent and Collin McHugh, Kirby Yates, and Brad Hand all on club or mutual options, “the situation allows the Braves to rebuild their bullpen, if they want,” Toscano writes. Rookie Daysbel Hernandez could be an option on the high-velo front, as Atlanta thought enough of Hernandez’s potential to include him on their ALDS roster even though injury limited the righty to 3 2/3 innings in his first MLB season.
- J.D. Martinez was known to be a Red Sox trade candidate heading into the 2022 deadline, and WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports that the Dodgers came “very close” to a deal to land the veteran slugger. However, talks fell through when the Sox asked for Evan Phillips to also be included in the trade package. At the time, Phillips was partway through a breakout 2022 season that saw him post a 1.14 ERA over 63 innings, and he went on to another outstanding year as the Dodgers’ first-choice closer in 2023 (2.05 ERA over 61 1/3 frames, with 24 saves). Since the Dodgers pivoted to adding Joey Gallo at that deadline, it’s easy to wonder if Martinez could’ve or would’ve done more to upgrade the lineup, yet it’s hard to fault the team’s logic in wanting to retain Phillips. As it turned out, L.A. got the best of both worlds in 2023, with Phillips closing games and Martinez delivering a big year at the plate after signing with the Dodgers as a free agent last offseason.
The Dodgers Grabbed An Elite Closer Off Waivers
There are myriad reasons for the Dodgers’ decade-long run of excellence. They’ve added elite players via trade (Mookie Betts) and free agency (Freddie Freeman). Their strong player development pipeline has allowed them to consistently supplement their high-payroll, star-laden roster with controllable talent.
As with any good team, the Dodgers have also hit on less visible acquisitions. Jason Heyward has looked reinvigorated after cracking the L.A. roster following an offseason minor league pact. Ryan Brasier and Shelby Miller have turned in solid results in the middle innings since being acquired at little cost. None of those have been as impactful as the August 2021 waiver claim of right-hander Evan Phillips.
Phillips had pitched in parts of four MLB seasons at the time. He’d debuted with the Braves and been included in the 2018 deadline deal that sent Kevin Gausman from the Orioles to Atlanta. Phillips flashed strikeout upside with the O’s over the next couple seasons but couldn’t consistently throw strikes. At the end of the 2020 campaign, a rebuilding Baltimore team put Phillips on waivers. He went unclaimed.
The reliever stayed in the O’s system until the following August. He was carrying an ERA a little above 5.00 in Triple-A when Baltimore released him. The Rays signed Phillips to a minor league deal, called him up for one three-inning outing, then pushed him back off the MLB roster. When he hit waivers for a second time, L.A. claimed him.
It seemed a nondescript move. Phillips had a 7.26 ERA in 49 career appearances. Relievers with swing-and-miss potential but control woes often change hands. Phillips was out of options, meaning he couldn’t be sent to the minors without running through waivers. It seemed entirely possible he’d get quickly squeezed out of the Dodger bullpen the way he had been in Tampa Bay.
Phillips threw 10 1/3 unremarkable innings down the stretch. He was left off the playoff roster for the first two rounds before working three scoreless frames in an eventual NLCS loss to the Braves. He held his spot on the 40-man all winter and began last year in middle relief.
It only took a couple months for him to establish himself in a higher-leverage role. Phillips broke out with 63 innings of 1.14 ERA ball, the lowest mark of any reliever with 60+ frames. He struck out nearly a third of opposing hitters while cutting his walks to a lower than average 6.4% rate. While he didn’t dramatically increase the number of pitches he threw within the strike zone, he more consistently got hitters to chase pitches off the plate. Hitters’ rate of swings on would-be balls went up, while they began taking more pitches within the zone. He was giving opponents a much more uncomfortable at-bat.
Upon landing with the Dodgers, Phillips made a couple adjustments to his pitch mix. Against right-handed batters, he increasingly leaned on his slider — his best offering — while scaling back on his four-seam fastball. When facing southpaws, he dropped a split in favor of a low-90s cutter. He has dominated hitters of either handedness since that point.
Phillips was never likely to repeat a 1.14 ERA — that’s an almost impossible ask of any pitcher — but he has again been one of the game’s best relievers. He’s allowing only 2.18 earned runs per nine over 53 2/3 frames. His strikeout rate is down slightly but still well above-average at 29.9%. The Dodgers have increasingly used him in the ninth inning, and he’s responded with 22 saves (and six holds) while blowing a lead just twice.
Going back to the start of last season, Phillips leads MLB relievers (minimum 100 innings) with a 1.62 ERA. He’s 11th among that group in strikeout percentage and eighth in both strikeout/walk rate differential and SIERA. He’ll turn 29 on Monday but still has three more seasons of club control via arbitration. Phillips played last year on a near-minimum salary and is making $1.3MM this season as a Super Two qualifier.
The Dodgers will go into the postseason with perhaps their spottiest starting staff in years. Julio Urías is on administrative leave after a felony domestic violence arrest. Clayton Kershaw is pitching through shoulder discomfort. Lance Lynn continues to struggle with home runs. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin have undergone season-ending surgery. There’s a case that rookie Bobby Miller — who has all of 17 major league starts to his name — is L.A.’s most reliable starter at the moment.
That’ll very likely increase the pressure on the relief corps in October. The Dodgers have an above-average bullpen, with Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson joining Brasier, Miller and hopefully deadline acquisition Joe Kelly in bridging the middle innings. Dave Roberts figures to lean most heavily on Phillips, something no one would’ve projected when the Dodgers placed their claim a little over two years ago.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
West Notes: Musgrove, Rodriguez, Phillips, Sborz
Padres manager Bob Melvin told reporters today (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that right-hander Joe Musgrove “tweaked” his shoulder in his most recent rehab start, and could have his next rehab start pushed back by a day or two as a consequence of this. Musgrove opened the season on the injured list due to a fractured toe he suffered during Spring Training. In Musgrove’s absence, the club has opted for a six-man rotation with Yu Darvish and Blake Snell being followed by Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, and Ryan Weathers.
An All Star in 2022, Musgrove has blossomed into a top of the rotation arm since being traded to the Padres ahead of the 2021 season. Over the past two campaigns, Musgrove has posted a 3.06 ERA with a 3.64 FIP while notching 387 strikeouts in 362 1/3 innings of work. Those numbers put him among the more durable starters in the game today in addition to his quality run prevention numbers and above-average strikeout rate. 2023 is the first year of Musgrove’s five-year, $100MM extension that he signed with the club last summer.
More from around MLB’s western divisions…
- Per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters today that right-hander Chris Rodriguez suffered a setback in his rehab from shoulder surgery. While Rodriguez is still throwing, but he is stepping away from facing live hitters as the Angels plan to take his rehab process slowly. Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since he made his major league debut in 2021, impressing with a 3.64 ERA and 3.14 FIP in 29 2/3 innings of work. When healthy, Rodriguez figures to be in the mix alongside Griffin Canning and Tucker Davidson for a swing role on the major league pitching staff.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided some clarity on the club’s preferred bullpen usage yesterday, telling reporters (including Jack Harris of the LA Times) that right-hander Evan Phillips is his preference to hand the ball to in the ninth inning if everyone’s available. That being said, Roberts stopped short of properly anointing Phillips the closer, leaving the door open for Phillips to be used in other roles in certain situations. Teams have moved away from having a designated closer in recent seasons, preferring to try and maximize performance by playing matchups, though given Phillips’s 1.41 ERA in 76 1/3 innings since joining the Dodgers in 2021, it’s no surprise he’s Roberts’s preference for save situations over other back-end options like Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia.
- The Rangers have announced that right-hander Josh Sborz has started a rehab assignment in Triple-A as he looks to return from a sprained ankle that sent him to the injured list to open the season. Sborz struggled badly in 2022 while dealing with elbow issues throughout the season, posting a 6.45 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work, though his 32% strikeout rate did leave reason for optimism headed into the season. Once healthy, Sborz could factor into the Texas bullpen in a middle relief role currently held by the likes of Ian Kennedy and Taylor Hearn.
Quick Hits: Walker, Glasnow, Dodgers
Top Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker left today’s spring training game against the Astros with a shoulder strain suffered while sliding into second base, according to MLB.com’s John Denton (Twitter links). The team is listing Walker as day-to-day and he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow, but manager Oli Marmol said the team’s medical staff is “not overly concerned,” and that Walker even wanted to keep playing.
The 20-year-old Walker has been on fire in Spring Training, raising speculation that he could break camp with St. Louis and make his Major League debut on Opening Day. The 21st overall pick back in 2020, Walker has crushed minor league pitching and wound up with a .306/.388/.510 line slash with 19 home runs at Double-A last year. It remains to be seen how Walker’s shoulder problem might impact his immediate future or the Cards’ development plans, though since Walker has yet to play any Triple-A ball, there was some sense that he might not break camp with the Cards no matter how well he performs in spring action.
More from around the majors….
- Rays manager Kevin Cash provided reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) an update on Tyler Glasnow, saying that the right-hander is still in the “treatment” phase of his recovery from a Grade 2 oblique strain. Glasnow hasn’t thrown a ball in almost two weeks, which tracks with the 6-to-8 week timeline initially attached to his recovery process.
- The Dodgers don’t see having a set closer as “a necessity,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “I think the most important question to answer is whether you think our ‘pen is going to be really good, and we do,” Friedman said. “And then it’s about the mindset of each one of those guys, keeping them in the best headspace to go out and have a lot of success…. I think our bullpen is going to be a real strength and exactly how it’s deployed, I think we have some time to figure it out.” Evan Phillips might be the key figure as the bullpen’s fireman, though as manager Dave Roberts hinted, Phillips’ ability to pitch in all manner of high-leverage situations might conversely make him too important to be restricted to just the ninth inning. Brusdar Graterol, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, or Alex Vesia are also among the relievers who could be called upon for save situations.
Dodgers Remove Craig Kimbrel From Closer Role
The Dodgers are going to take a closer-by-comittee approach for the remainder of the regular season, manager Dave Roberts informed reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Craig Kimbrel will pitch in different roles while the club takes a variable approach to the ninth inning based on matchups.
Roberts didn’t guarantee he’d stick with the committee approach through the playoffs, although it’s hard to envision the Dodgers removing Kimbrel from the closing role for the final 12 regular season games before reinstalling him in the ninth at the start of the postseason. The decision comes in the wake of a dip in production for the eight-time All-Star, who has surrendered runs in three of his last four outings. That includes a game-tying homer to Christian Walker to blow a save opportunity yesterday against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers walked off in the bottom of the ninth inning anyhow, but the blown lead finalized the team’s decision to take a more flexible approach with the playoffs on the horizon.
Kimbrel is in his first season as a Dodger. Acquired from the White Sox in a surprising one-for-one swap with AJ Pollock just before Opening Day, he’s made 57 appearances. Kimbrel certainly hasn’t been disastrous. He owns a 4.14 ERA across 54 1/3 innings, striking out an above-average 27.2% of opponents. His 9.6% walk rate is a bit higher than the league mark but not an untenable figure. He has successfully closed out 22 of his 27 save attempts. The right-hander’s overall production has been fine if unspectacular.
Nevertheless, Kimbrel clearly hasn’t performed at the level at which the Dodgers were hoping. The 34-year-old was arguably the best reliever in the game through last season’s first half with the Cubs. While he disappointed following a deadline trade to the White Sox — largely due to home run troubles — he still generated whiffs on an excellent 17.2% of his offerings with the South Siders. That led to some hope Kimbrel could continue pitching at an elite level in a new environment, but this season’s 12.1% swinging strike rate is only a bit better than average.
Taking Kimbrel out of the ninth inning should allow Roberts to be more judicious with his usage once the postseason arrives. Maximizing his work against right-handed hitters figures to be a priority. Kimbrel has held same-handed batters to a .208/.296/.307 line across 115 plate appearances this season; lefties, on the other hand, have managed a much more robust .266/.355/.431 showing in 124 trips.
The White Sox picked up a $16MM option on Kimbrel for this season before trading him to L.A. He’s in the final few weeks of that deal and will hit free agency for the second time in his career this offseason. In the interim, he’ll remain part of one of the game’s top relief corps.
That the Dodgers feel equipped to take the career-long closer out of the ninth inning is a testament to the strength of the remainder of their bullpen. Los Angeles enters play Friday with the majors’ second-lowest bullpen ERA (2.94) and fourth-best strikeout percentage (26.5%). Evan Phillips, a waiver claim from the Rays last August, almost immediately emerged as one of the best relievers in the game. The slider specialist has a 1.24 ERA with a 31.8% strikeout rate over 58 innings during his breakout campaign. Flamethrowing sinkerballer Brusdar Graterol has ridden a massive 63.5% ground-ball percentage to a 2.96 ERA. Deadline acqusition Chris Martin has a 1.71 mark with a laughable 26:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio since landing in Los Angeles. Southpaw Alex Vesia has the bullpen’s best strikeout rate (34.6%) and a 2.24 ERA in 51 2/3 frames.
That quartet looks likeliest to assume the highest-leverage work in the playoffs. Roberts can also call upon Kimbrel, Phil Bickford and Tommy Kahnle from the right side, while Caleb Ferguson and the rehabbing David Price are left-handed options. Yency Almonte has had a nice season of his own and is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and there’s still a possibility of Blake Treinen making a playoff return (although Treinen is currently on the injured list and continues to battle shoulder discomfort).
Dodgers Remove David Price, Billy McKinney For NLCS
The Dodgers narrowly survived a five-game tilt with their rival Giants, but now they must quickly turn the page and prepare for a seven-game NLCS rematch with the Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately for Dodger fans, the club will continue without star first baseman Max Muncy. The injury the knocked Muncy out of the lineup in game 162 will keep him out at least through the World Series.
Here’s how the rest of the roster breaks down for the NLCS…
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Phil Bickford
- Walker Buehler
- Tony Gonsolin
- Brusdar Graterol
- Kenley Jansen
- Joe Kelly
- Corey Knebel
- Evan Phillips
- Max Scherzer
- Blake Treinen
Left-Handed Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
The most notable subtraction from the NLDS roster is southpaw David Price. He’s essentially replaced on the roster by the southpaw Bruihl. Though Price was on the NLDS roster, he did not appear in a game against the Giants. Bruihl provided the Dodgers with a more traditional bullpen lefty while giving up the potential length provided by Price. The veteran Price has plenty of postseason experience, whereas Bruihl is a 24-year-old rookie with just 21 big league games under his belt.
Regardless, it will be Bruihl in the bullpen alongside Vesia preparing for showdowns with Freddie Freeman, Eddie Rosario, or Joc Pederson. Bruihl faced 43 lefties over his 18 1/3 Major League innings, compared to just 30 right-handers. Those same-handed hitters struggled to a .150/.209/.150 mark with just six hits – none for extra bases. Of course, Freeman is usually protected in the lineup by righty Austin Riley, and with the three-batter rule, Bruihl likely won’t escape usage against opposite-handed hitters if he makes an appearance.
They also removed outfielder/first baseman Billy McKinney from the roster. The well-traveled McKinney had mostly been used as a late game replacement at first base. With Beatty, Pujols, and Bellinger on the roster, however, that’s a role the Dodgers should have no trouble filling. Manager Dave Roberts likely trusts both Beatty and Bellinger at first late in games, depending on what the match-ups at the plate dictate.
What is interesting is that the Dodgers chose to add an additional pitcher for this round. Right-hander Evan Phillips will give Roberts another arm with which to mix-and-match. They now have 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Phillips, 27, is a well-traveled righty who has logged innings in his professional career with the Braves, Orioles, Rays, and Dodgers. He made one appearance with Tampa this season before being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. He appeared seven times down the stretch for the Dodgers, logging more than one inning in five of those seven outings.
The decision to remove McKinney and add Phillips leaves Roberts with a five-man bench. Most days, Pujols, Barnes, Beatty, Souza Jr., and Lux will be available to Roberts off the bench.
As for the rotation, the Dodgers are going with a bullpen game in game one, with Knebel serving as the opener, just as he did in game five against the Giants. Scherzer and Buehler should line up for games two and three.
Dodgers Designate Conner Greene For Assignment
The Dodgers announced they’ve designated Conner Greene for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Shane Greene, whose previously-reported agreement with the club has been made official. Evan Phillips has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain to open room on the active roster.
Los Angeles just added Conner Greene off waivers from the Orioles two weeks ago. They could now stand to lose him after just a pair of big league outings, as the 26-year-old will find himself on the waiver wire again over the coming days. He’s made his first five MLB appearances between Baltimore and L.A. this season, tossing 5 2/3 innings of six-run ball but striking out seven while issuing only a single walk. Greene struggled over a much larger body of work with the O’s top affiliate in Norfolk, where he posted a 7.39 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (20.4% and 12.4%, respectively).
Obviously, Greene hasn’t gotten the results he’s desired so far in 2021. But he’s averaged just under 96 MPH on his fastball during his big league action and generated strong swinging strike rates at both the major league and minor league levels. He’s also a former well-regarded prospect who ranked among the Blue Jays’ most promising farmhands during his earlier days in the Toronto system. Greene still has a minor league option remaining, so any team that claims him could keep him in the high minors through the end of the season.
Dodgers Claim Evan Phillips
The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Evan Phillips off waivers from the Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Tampa Bay designated Phillips for assignment over the weekend. The Dodgers later formally announced the claim.
Phillips, 26, came up with a big three-inning save for Tampa Bay over the weekend, helping to spare the bullpen and give some of the rest of the relief corps some needed rest. Baseball is often a numbers game for players on the fringes of 40-man rosters, however, and Phillips was reminded of that when he was designated for assignment the very next day. He’ll now join the Dodgers, who’ll be his third organization of the season in addition to the Rays and the Orioles.
Phillips has shown considerable strikeout potential in past MLB stints with the O’s but has also given up far too many walks to remain effective. From 2019-20, Phillips pitched 42 1/3 frames with the O’s and fanned 28.7 percent of his opponents but also walked about 14.4 percent of them. Between that and a sky-high .398 average on balls in play, he was knocked around for a 5.95 ERA in that time.
This season in Triple-A, Phillips worked to a 5.04 ERA with the Orioles’ top affiliate, but he also whiffed 35 hitters in 25 frames. He was sharp in 3 1/3 Triple-A frames with the Rays and was clearly impressive in his lone MLB appearance of the season so far. He averaged 96 mph on his heater in that brief look with the Rays and has a track record of generating whiffs with a slider that possesses above-average spin rates, too.
Phillips is out of minor league options, so it could potentially be a quick run for him with the Dodgers, too, given their own penchant for frequent turnover on the fringes of the MLB roster, but he’ll first hope for a chance to make any such decisions more difficult for the organization.
Rays Designate Evan Phillips For Assignment, Select Adam Conley
The Rays have designated Evan Phillips for assignment and selected the contract of Adam Conley, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times.
Phillips was released by the Orioles August 2nd and then signed a minor league deal with the Rays the very next day. After getting into two games with the Durham Bulls, the righty then had his contract selected by the Rays on Thursday. He pitched three innings in Friday’s game against the Twins, allowing one run on three hits and striking out two.
As for Conley, the 31-year-old lefty spent five seasons with the Marlins from 2015 to 2019. He worked primarily as a starter for the first three seasons before transitioning to a bullpen role for the latter two. In total, he tallied 414 1/3 innings during that stretch with an ERA of 4.82. In 2020, Conley was designated for assignment by the Marlins and outrighted without appearing in a game.
The Rays added Conley on a minor league deal back in May. In 31 Triple-A innings this year, he has an ERA of 4.35, including a spike in strikeouts but also walks. His 14.1% walk rate is higher than any previous season at any level, whereas his 26.6% strikeout rate tops all previous stops since his stint in A-ball way back in 2012.
Rays Select Evan Phillips
The Rays announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Evan Phillips. Lefty Dietrich Enns was optioned to Triple-A Durham to open a spot on the active roster. Tampa Bay had an open 40-man spot, so an additional corresponding move was needed.
Phillips, 26, recently inked a minor league deal with the Rays and will give the club a fresh arm to keep the bullpen fresh. He’s shown considerable strikeout potential in past MLB stints with the Orioles but has also given up far too many walks to remain effective. From 2019-20, Phillips pitched 42 1/3 frames with the O’s and fanned 28.7 percent of his opponents but also walked about 14.4 percent of them. Between that and a sky-high .398 average on balls in play, he was knocked around for a 5.95 ERA in that time.
This will be Phillips’ first big league stint of the season. He’s split the year between the Triple-A clubs for Baltimore and Tampa Bay, working to a 4.76 ERA in 28 1/3 innings. He’s spent parts of four seasons in Triple-A, compiling a 3.67 ERA with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and a 10.7 percent walk rate. He averages just shy of 95 mph with his heater and also features a mid-80s slider and lesser used changeup (also clocked in the mid-80s).