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Heath Fillmyer

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/24/21

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Rounding up a few recent minor league signings involving one-time major leaguers, all courtesy of Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America:

  • The White Sox have signed outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe. The switch-hitting outfielder was a fairly well-regarded prospect for a good portion of his early minor league career, beginning his career in the Red Sox’s system before going to the White Sox as part of the Chris Sale blockbuster. Basabe, now 25, topped out at Double-A during his first run through the Chicago farm system, making it onto the 40-man roster but never appearing in a big league game with the Pale Hose. The White Sox traded him to the Giants for cash considerations in August 2020, and he made nine big league appearances with San Francisco that year. Basabe was outrighted off the Giants’ 40-man in February and recently elected minor league free agency after spending this year in Double-A.
  • The Padres have signed right-hander Heath Fillmyer. A former fifth-round pick of the Athletics, Fillmyer reached the majors with the Royals in 2018. Between that year and the following season, he tossed 104 2/3 innings of 5.07 ERA/5.10 SIERA ball. The 27-year-old spent the bulk of the 2021 campaign with Cleveland’s top minor league affiliate, working to a 6.18 ERA with a below-average 21.9% strikeout rate and a slightly elevated 10.2% walk percentage across 83 frames with Columbus.
  • Catcher Juan Graterol has landed with the Diamondbacks. The right-handed hitting backstop suited up with the Angels, Twins and Reds between 2016-19, combining to tally 129 plate appearances over those four seasons. Graterol has significantly more experience in Triple-A, where he’s a .280/.321/.344 hitter across parts of seven seasons. The 32-year-old (33 in February) spent the 2021 campaign with the Blue Jays’ top affiliate, hitting .293/.355/.359 with a pair of home runs over 186 plate appearances.

Central Notes: Indians, Fillmyer, Cardinals, Pike, Elledge, Tigers, Greiner

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It’s Memorial Day, which means a full slate of day baseball. While we await the start of the action, let’s round up some news and notes from around the game…

  • The Indians have purchased the contract of Heath Fillmyer from the Lancaster Barnstormers, per the Atlantic League club. Fillmyer has been assigned to Triple-A. The 27-year-old right-hander last appeared in the Majors in 2019 withe the Royals. He owns a 5.07 ERA/5.31 FIP over 104 2/3 innings between 2018-19.
  • The Cardinals have called up Seth Elledge from Memphis, per MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (via Twitter). The move comes as a response to Kodi Whitley being placed on the 10-day injured list because of mild back spasms. St. Louis also signed southpaw Tyler Pike to a minor league contract, according to their transactions log on MLB.com.
  • Tigers catcher Grayson Greiner is putting his rehab assignment on hold for now after experiencing some hamstring discomfort, per Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group (via Twitter). He’s been on the injured list since May 12th. The 28-year-old backstop owns a .237/.256/.342 line in 39 plate appearances on the year.

Diamondbacks To Sign Heath Fillmyer

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The Diamondbacks are signing Heath Fillmyer to a minor league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The right-hander spent last season at the Royals’ alternate training site.

Selected by the Athletics in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, Fillmyer was traded to Kansas City in January 2018 as part of the deal that sent Ryan Buchter to Oakland. He made his MLB debut that summer and picked up 17 appearances (13 starts) down the stretch. He posted a 4.26 ERA but punched out a below-average 16.6% of opposing hitters. Fillmyer was hit hard over 22.1 innings in 2019 and wound up losing his spot on the Royals’ 40-man roster following that season. While he was part of Kansas City’s 60-man player pool last year, the 26-year-old didn’t return to the majors.

Fillmyer has managed a 5.07 ERA/5.10 SIERA over 104.2 MLB innings. He has struggled to miss bats (career 15.9% strikeout percentage) but he’s induced ground balls at a decent clip (45.3%) and avoided walks at a near-average rate (9.7%). Fillmyer posted quality numbers up through Double-A and gives the D-Backs a depth option capable of either starting or working multiple innings in relief.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/29/20

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Checking in on a few minor moves…

  • Rob Whalen walked away from the game last February, but the right-hander has returned to professional baseball less than a year later. He announced Wednesday on Twitter that he has joined the Mets on a minor league contract. This will be the second go-around with the Mets for the 25-year-old Whalen, who broke into the pro ranks as a 12th-round pick of the club in 2012. He wound up pitching in the majors with the Braves and Mariners from 2016-18, but battles with anxiety and depression played a part in his decision to briefly step away from the game.
  • The Royals announced that they’ve outrighted hurler Heath Fillmyer to Triple-A Omaha. The club designated Fillmyer Jan. 22 to clear a roster spot for the re-signed Alex Gordon. Fillmyer hasn’t been outrighted before, nor does he have the service time to elect free agency, so he’ll stay with the KC organization. Notably, Wednesday’s the two-year anniversary of the Royals acquiring Fillmyer from the Athletics in a trade that also included Ryan Buchter, Brandon Moss and Jesse Hahn. Fillmyer performed reasonably well in his first year as a Royal (4.26 ERA/4.75 FIP with 6.23 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 82 1/3 innings), but his numbers went south at the major league and Triple-A levels last season. The 25-year-old righty spent the majority of 2019 in Omaha, where he pitched to a 5.11 ERA/5.72 FIP and logged 9.3 K/9 against 4.74 BB/9 over 49 1/3 frames.
  • The Twins have signed righty Chris Rowley to a minors deal, per Nate Rowan, the director of communications for their Triple-A affiliate in Rochester. The 29-year-old, a former standout at West Point, saw a bit of major league action with the Blue Jays from 2017-18. Rowley spent last season in Triple-A ball as a member of the San Diego organization, though, and injuries helped limit him to 16 1/3 innings. Rowley gave up a whopping 20 earned runs on 27 hits and nine walks (with 11 strikeouts) in that span.

Royals Re-Sign Alex Gordon

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TODAY: Gordon has agreed to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade rights beginning on June 16, as per The Associated Press.  Talking with MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan and other reporters about the signing, GM Dayton Moore referred to the unusual provision as a way to “eliminate the red tape” and “take out the dynamics of going through the union” if a trade offer from a contender emerged.  Moore also implied that Gordon would still have an unofficial veto about any trade proposal, saying “anything we do with Alex, we would have a conversation with him first.  It’s really important to know that.  It’s always about the players….If you decide together at some point [that a trade] could benefit Alex, you want to have very easy conversations about things.”

JANUARY 22, 5:33pm: Gordon’s contract pays him an extra $500K upon reaching 250 plate appearances, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. There’s also a $500K assignment bonus in the event that he’s traded, although as a player with 10-and-5 rights, Gordon can veto any proposed swap.

9:15am: The Royals have struck a new deal with outfielder Alex Gordon, as first reported by MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter). The pact is said to guarantee him $4MM for the 2020 season. Righty Heath Fillmyer was designated for assignment to create roster space.

Gordon’s second free agent return to Kansas City comes with less drama and a much lower cost than did his prior one. The veteran previously inked a four-year deal in January of 2016, all but ensuring he’d never wear another uniform.

Entering the 2019-20 offseason, the only question was whether Gordon would decide to continue his career for an additional season. He and the K.C. organization decided upon at least one more.

That aforementioned contract hasn’t worked out at all from an on-field perspective. Gordon, who’ll soon turn 36, has yet to turn in even an average offensive campaign under the new deal. He carries an ugly .237/.320/.366 batting line over the four-season span.

On the other hand, Gordon has continued to turn in sterling defensive work in the outfield. And his bat did trend up in 2019, as he slashed .266/.345/.396 (96 wRC+) with 13 home runs.

While there was never any chance the Royals would pick up a high-priced option over Gordon, it’s not hard to understand the rationale for this move. The money, roster spot, and playing time surely could’ve been appropriated elsewhere, but every team needs some veterans around and the Royals are as familiar and comfortable with Gordon as any club could be with any player.

As for Fillmyer, the 25-year-old has thrown 104 2/3 MLB frames over the past two seasons, working to a 5.07 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He turned in solid results while working his way through the farm, but has also struggled at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 5.48 ERA over 116 2/3 innings in 2018-19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Royals Select Contract Of Richard Lovelady

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The Royals have selected the contract of lefty Richard Lovelady, as Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM first reported (Twitter link). Right-hander Heath Fillmyer is also on his way up to the active roster.

To create active roster space, the Kansas City organization has optioned down lefty Tim Hill and righty Kevin McCarthy. Both of those hurlers were knocked around in yestreday’s loss.

Lovelady, 23, took an open 40-man spot, so a corresponding move was not rquired there. In some respects, it’s surprising that it has taken him this long to make it up to the majors, as Lovelady has already produced stellar results for three full seasons at all levels of the minors.

Last year, Lovelady mowed down Triple-A hitters in 73 innings over 46 appearances. He finished with a 2.47 ERA and 8.8 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. He was impressive again this spring, turning in an 11:3 K/BB ratio and allowing just two earned runs in 8 2/3 frames, and has already turned in two more quality outings at the highest level of the minors.

A’s Acquire Ryan Buchter, Brandon Moss From Royals For Jesse Hahn, Heath Fillmyer

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The Royals and Athletics have agreed to a four-player swap. Left-hander Ryan Buchter and first base/DH-type Brandon Moss will head to Oakland in the deal, while right-hander Jesse Hahn and minor-league righty Heath Fillmyer are ticketed for Kansas City. The Royals also included $3.25MM in cash as part of the deal. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was first with the news.

Though Moss is certainly the biggest name of the four, Buchter is actually the prize for the Athletics in this deal. In fact, the inclusion of Moss in the deal is probably more related to financial implications. Indeed, Royals GM Dayton Moore told Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star that “The economic part of it is very real to us,” which has in turn led to some speculation throughout the industry that the Royals are attempting to clear salary in order to make re-signing Eric Hosmer more feasible. Moore responded to an inquiry from Flanagan on the subject, telling him that it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment on a free agent right now. However, he did add that he’s been “very clear” about what the team’s thoughts are on Hosmer.

Turning away from speculation and rumors and focusing on the here-and-now of the deal, the A’s will fill a bullpen need by getting a much-needed lefty. Prior to this trade, the only southpaw reliever in their projected bullpen was Daniel Coulombe. Buchter will serve as a long-term piece for the budding A’s (perhaps into their next window of contention), as he’s under team control through the end of the 2021 season. The Royals, meanwhile, will add a new potential candidate to their rotation. Per Moore’s conversation with Dodd, Hahn will compete during spring training for a spot in Kansas City’s rotation.

Ryan Buchter | Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Buchter’s a rare type of pitcher who’s been able to consistently out-perform his peripheral statistics. The soon-to-be 31-year-old has a career 2.85 ERA against a 4.68 xFIP. The latter statistic normalizes a pitcher’s homer/fly ball ratio as a method of estimating a pitcher’s true run-prevention skills, but it doesn’t account for the fact that many of Buchter’s fly balls are actually infield pop-ups, which go for outs nearly 100% of the time. Over the past two seasons combined, Buchter’s 16.7% infield fly ball rate (IFFB) ranks 10th in the majors among qualified relievers. He also ranks 14th during that span with a 26% soft contact rate against.

Buchter is even tougher against lefties, limiting them to a .160/.255/.306 batting line during his MLB career. The late-blooming Buchter spent a whopping eight seasons in the minors before finally making his debut with the Braves in 2014, and was shuffled through the Triple-A affiliates of the Dodgers and Cubs before finally latching on in the majors with the Padres in 2016. Interestingly, the A’s were reportedly competing with the Padres for his services as a MiLB free agent.

As for Moss, 34, he’ll return to the team with which he broke out in 2012. That’s just about the only clarity surrounding his presence in Oakland, however. Athletics GM David Forst has already told him that it’s not clear how he fits on the roster (per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). With young phenom Matt Olson earmarked for the first base job and Khris Davis likely to assume full-time DH duties, the declining Moss doesn’t have a clear path to everyday at-bats. His sub-replacement-level 2017 performance (.207/.279/.428) was a far cry from his peak years in Oakland during which he slugged 76 homers and put up a .844 OPS across 1,381 plate appearances.

Hahn’s had a roller coaster career. The right-hander showed great promise early on, posting a 3.07 ERA and 3.59 xFIP across 12 starts following his major-league debut with the Padres in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, he was shipped to Oakland in the Derek Norris trade, and continued to impress with a 3.35 ERA and 52.6% ground ball rate through the first day of July. However, a flexor tendon injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, and although he’s shown flashes of brilliance since, he’s not yet been able to maintain good numbers over the course of a full season. Hahn’s posted a 5.59 ERA with a 6.05 K/9 and 3.57 BB/9 across 23 games (22 starts) across the past two years while battling a number of injuries.

Fillmyer, 23, started 29 games for Oakland’s Double-A affiliate last season while pitching to a 3.49 ERA. MLB Pipeline considered him to be the team’s 18th-best prospect in 2017, noting his quick arm and a fastball that can reach 96MPH with good sinking action. Though his control and command took a step backwards last season, their report suggests that he can become a back-end starter at the MLB level. Fillmyer was selected by the A’s in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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