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Joe Mantiply

A Breakout Reliever In The Desert: Joe Mantiply

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Amidst a rebuild, the Arizona Diamondbacks are finally seeing the fruits of their labor. Led by promising starters Zac Gallen, 2.54 ERA in 184 innings, and Merrill Kelly, 3.37 ERA in 200 1/3 innings, and backed offensively by a quartet of promising young outfield talent, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho, Jake McCarthy, and Corbin Carroll, the D-Backs are quickly re-entering a competitive window.

However, the Diamondbacks’ bullpen is still falling flat. After signing Mark Melancon to a 2-year, $12MM contract ($5MM mutual option for the 2024 season, $2MM buyout) and Ian Kennedy to a 1-year, $4.5MM contract ($4MM club option for the 2023 season, $250K buyout), the D-Backs’ pen posted the sixth-highest ERA (4.58), the eighth-most blown saves (27), the lowest strikeout rate (19.7%), and allowed the third-highest batting average (.254). Veterans Melancon and Kennedy did not fare much better. Melancon pitched to a 4.66 ERA in 56 innings with a paltry 14.2% strikeout rate and a career-worst 43.2% ground ball rate, while Kennedy pitched to a 5.36 ERA in 50 1/3 innings with a weak 19.0% strikeout rate and an extremely low 24.4% groundball rate.

However, the breakout of lefty journeyman Joe Mantiply was a bright spot among an otherwise weak bullpen performance. Mantiply, a former 27th-round pick from Virginia Tech by the Tigers in 2013, reached the majors for a quick stint in 2016, before shuffling around various minor league teams and undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona in 2020, making another short appearance in 2020 before eventually joining the team in a more long-term fashion during the 2021 season, in which he pitched 39 2/3 innings to a 3.40 ERA with opponents hitting a strong .292/.358/.448 against him.

In the 2022 season Mantiply, who is controllable through the 2026 season, improved his 2021 numbers. Pitching to a low 2.85 ERA in 60 innings with a solid 25.1% strikeout rate, a sparkling 2.5% walk rate, and missing hitters’ barrels (99th percentile for Chase Rate, 94th percentile for Barrel %), the 31-year-old earned a trip to the All-Star game in his second full season. Left-handed hitters have found limited success against Mantiply, slashing a poor .247/.297/.282 against him, while righties are hitting a slightly better .260/.272/.404. The unsightly .252 combined average may be cause for concern, however, Mantiply is tied for the 27th lowest Hard Hit%, among relievers to pitch 50+ innings, and is in the 89th percentile for Average Exit Velocity.

The Diamondbacks will likely look to address their bullpen again this offseason, but with a high-leverage lefty reliever in Mantiply, they will have one less bullpen spot to fill.

Diamondbacks Place Merrill Kelly, Joe Mantiply On COVID List

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3:03PM: Joe Mantiply has also been placed on the COVID-related IL, with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan noting that Mantiply was sidelined due to being a close contact of Kelly.  Pitching coach Matt Herges is also away from the team due to contact tracing.  Left-hander Miguel Aguilar and right-hander Sean Poppen were called up from Triple-A to replace Kelly and Mantiply on the active roster.

8:00AM: Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. He will now have to go on the IL and quarantine for at least 10 days.

The Diamondbacks have been one of the teams hardest hit by the pandemic, with multiple players going onto the COVID IL since early July. The club currently has the worst record in baseball at 38-80, and the lost of Kelly certainly won’t help, as he’s been one of the few bright spots for the team during this trying season.

Kelly has logged 142 1/3 innings this year, the seventh-most in all of baseball, with an ERA of 4.30. His strikeout rate is below average at 19.8%, but his walk rate is an excellent 5.5%. All told, he has accrued 2.5 fWAR on the year thus far, good enough for the team lead.

The Snakes have Zac Gallen starting today and then on off-day on Monday. Kelly was in line to start Tuesday’s game. So, the club has a couple of days to figure out how to juggle their rotation in his absence. Speculatively speaking, Humberto Castellanos could be an option. He was called up a few days ago and hasn’t seen action since. Prior to that, he’d been stretched out and starting in the minors.

COVID Notes: Brewers, Diamondbacks, Protocols

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The latest on COVID-19 around the league:

  • The Brewers have been dealing with virus spread throughout the clubhouse in recent days, and another pair of players has tested positive. Starter Adrian Houser and reliever Jandel Gustave tested positive and were placed on the COVID IL, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). They join Josh Hader, Hunter Strickland, Eric Lauer, Jake Cousins, Keston Hiura and Christian Yelich on the COVID list. Yelich was cleared to return to the club today, but Milwaukee has elected to hold off on activating him for now as the star outfielder works his way back into game shape following a ten-day absence.
  • The Diamondbacks have also been hit by COVID spread recently, but they got one of their players back today. Reliever Joe Mantiply, who had been out as a close contact of a player(s) who tested positive, was reinstated from the IL before this evening’s game against the Padres. Fellow southpaw Ryan Buchter, who was selected last week, was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A Reno. As a COVID replacement, Buchter could be reassigned to the minor leagues without needing to pass through waivers.
  • The recent uptick in viral spread (the Rockies and Yankees have each had similar issues recently) in both the league and the United States as a whole has caught the attention of MLB and the Players Association. After relaxing restrictions for vaccinated players and staff in mid-June, MLB is considering tightening protocols, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. The league updated its mask policy at Spring Training facilities this week, requiring those working at the facilities to wear masks in indoor areas regardless of vaccination status, Drellich writes. It seems MLB would prefer to tighten mask and distancing protocols rather than “aggressively” incentivize further vaccination among players and staff. Drellich writes that 85.5% of Tier 1 personnel leaguewide (players, coaches and other staff members in direct contact with the team) have been vaccinated.

Diamondbacks Reinstate Carson Kelly, Place Five On COVID-IL,

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The Diamondbacks appear to be dealing with a COVID outbreak, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He lists Stuart Fairchild, Joe Mantiply, Noe Ramirez, Riley Smith and Pavin Smith as those going on the IL.

Manager Torey Lovullo told Zach Buchanan of The Athletic that Ramirez and Fairchild actually tested positive. Because of those positive tests, they will have to be isolated for at least 10 days. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic quoted Lovullo as saying that they are dealing with symptoms. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com added that Mantiply and the Smiths were placed on the IL for as close contacts, which means they will have to quarantine for at least seven days.

The team later announced many roster moves to compensate for the loss of so many players. Carson Kelly was reinstated from the IL. J.B. Bukauskas was recalled. Miguel Aguilar, Ryan Buchter, Stefan Crichton and Drew Ellis had their contracts selected.

Kelly has been out since June 20th with a fractured wrist. When healthy, he’s been a force at the plate, playing 50 games and producing a wRC+ of 128, well above average for any player but certainly for a catcher.

Ellis, a 25-year-old infielder, was a second round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2017. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs describes him as “a power-over-hit first base type.” In 65 games at Triple-A this year, he has a slash of .286/.396/.554, good enough for a wRC+ of 129.

In 14 2/3 innings this year, Bukauskas has struggled to an ERA just under 8. Though advanced metrics think there’s some bad luck in that small sample size.

Buchter is a 34-year-old journeyman lefty who also pitched 14 2/3 innings for Arizona this year, with an ERA of  5.52, before being designated for assignment and clearing waivers a few weeks ago.

Crichton, a 29-year-old right-hander, threw 22 1/3 innings of 6.04 ERA ball before himself being designated and outrighted last month.

Aguilar is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher who has spent some time in the Reds’ system and has no major league experience.

 

Diamondbacks Place Kelly, Bukauskas, Devenski On Injured List

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MAY 16: “All options,” including surgery, are a possibility for Devenski, Lovullo said this afternoon (via Zach Buchanan of the Athletic).

MAY 15, 7:05PM: Right-hander Chris Devenski has also been sidelined, as the D’Backs announced that Devenski is headed to the 60-day injured list due to a sprained right UCL.  Left-hander Joe Mantiply’s contract has been selected from Triple-A to take Devenski’s place on both the active roster and 40-man roster.

MAY 15, 6:49PM: Both Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jake Rill) that they’re hopeful Kelly will be able to return shortly after his 10-day minimum absence.

MAY 15, 5:48PM: The Diamondbacks announced that catcher Carson Kelly and righty J.B. Bukauskas have been placed on the 10-day injured list.  Kelly is suffering from a tuft fracture in his big left toe, while Bukauskas has a right elbow flexor strain.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Yoan Lopez was called up from Triple-A and infielder Domingo Leyba’s contract was selected from Triple-A.  To create a 40-man roster spot for Leyba, Kole Calhoun was moved to the 60-day IL.

It’s another damaging injury blow to an Arizona team that has placed Zac Gallen, Christian Walker, and Asdrubal Cabrera on the IL just in the last few days, and the D’Backs have already been without Calhoun and Ketel Marte for the majority of the season.

Kelly’s loss is particularly tough, as the catcher has hit a scorching .338/.491/.613 over his first 110 plate appearances of the season.  While Kelly has enjoyed some BABIP luck (.344) and isn’t posting memorable hard-hit ball numbers, he is also doing an outstanding job at getting on base and making contact.  Kelly’s .491 OBP leads the National League, and he has more walks (23) than strikeouts (16).

Depending on the severity of the fracture, Kelly’s absence could either be relatively short or rather lengthy.  Stephen Vogt could now assume starting catching duties with Kelly out, or the D’Backs could explore giving top prospect Daulton Varsho more of a look behind the plate.  Since making his MLB debut last season, Varsho has made 11 total appearances at catcher, but he has only played the position once in 2021.  Given Varsho’s ability to play the outfield, the Diamondbacks could more or less split his playing time between catcher and outfield whenever Vogt needs a break.

Bukauskas made his Major League debut this season, and has posted an 8.31 ERA out of Arizona’s bullpen over his first 8 2/3 innings in the Show.  While the righty has given up a lot of hard contact, his ERA isn’t quite indicative of how he has pitched — Bukauskas has a much more respectable 3.64 SIERA, as he has been hampered by an abnormally low 54.8% strand rate and an abnormally high .433 BABIP.  Bukauskas the 15th overall pick of the 2017 draft, and was sent to the D’Backs from the Astros as part of the Zack Grienke trade in 2019.

Leyba was also a trade pickup for Arizona, coming to the organization from the Tigers along with Robbie Ray as part of the three-team trade in 2014 that saw Shane Greene go to Detroit and Didi Gregorius to the Yankees.  Leyba made a solid accounting of him by hitting .280/.367/.440 in 30 PA during his 2019 rookie season, but missed all of 2020 due to an 80-game PED suspension.

Leyba has plenty of experience as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, so he represents a versatile asset for the Diamondbacks as they figure out how to juggle their roster amidst all these injuries.  Speculatively, Leyba could provide infield depth if Josh Rojas sees more time in the outfield on account of Varsho getting more catching starts.

Diamondbacks Outright Joe Mantiply

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OCT. 1: The D-backs announced that they have outrighted Mantiply to Triple-A Reno.

SEPT. 28: The Diamondbacks announced that they have designated left-hander Joe Mantiply for assignment. They reinstated infielder Domingo Leyba from the restricted list in a corresponding move.

Mantiply, a former Tiger and Yankee whom the Diamondbacks signed to a minor league contract last winter, threw 2 1/3 innings of four-run ball for the D-backs in 2020. The 29-year-old has tossed just eight major league innings and surrendered 12 earned runs on 13 hits with more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) thus far.

Leyba, meanwhile, is back with the Snakes after receiving an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test last March. The 25-year-old Leyba made his D-backs debut a season ago with 30 plate appearances and seven hits. FanGraphs ranked Leyba as the D-backs’ 26th-best prospect last November.

Diamondbacks Make Several Roster Moves

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The Diamondbacks announced that they’ve selected righties Artie Lewicki and Keury Mella and lefty Joe Mantiply from their alternate site. They also recalled infielder/outfielder Josh Rojas, placed righty Taylor Widener on the 10-day injured list with a strained right rib cage and transferred a pair of hurlers – righty Merrill Kelly and Jeremy Beasley – to the 45-day IL. After all of that, Arizona has 39 players on its 40-man roster.

Lewicki has been part of the Arizona organization since it claimed him off waivers from the Tigers after 2018, but he hasn’t pitched for the Diamondbacks yet, owing to Tommy John surgery. He last took the mound professionally in ’18 for Detroit, where he recorded a 4.89 ERA with 6.98 K/9 and 3.26 BB/9 in 38 2/3 innings.

Mella, formerly a Red and Giant, joined the D-backs on a minor league contract in the offseason. The 27-year-old logged 17 innings as a Red from 2017-19, though he carries a much bigger sample of work – 172 2/3 frames – in Triple-A ball. Mella has notched a 4.59 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 at the minors’ highest level.

Mantiply also became a Diamondback on a minors pact last winter. He has 5 3/3 innings’ experience as a Tiger and Yankee in his past, though obviously most of his action has come in the minors. Mantiply, 29, combined for 39 2/3 frames at three different minors levels as a Yankee and Red last season, when he recorded a 4.31 ERA and put up 7.5 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9.

Diamondbacks Sign David Huff, Joe Mantiply To Minor League Deals

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The Diamondbacks picked up a pair of lefties, signing David Huff and Joe Mantiply to minor league contracts. Both signings were recently announced by Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno.

Huff, 35, wrapped up a four-year run of pitching abroad this past weekend. A veteran of parts of eight MLB seasons, Huff logged a 2.66 ERA in 199 1/3 innings with the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization from 2016-17. He then signed with the Yakult Swallows in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and posted a combined 4.50 ERA in 160 frames there from 2018-19. Huff made his MLB debut with the Indians back in 2009 and has also pitched for the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers and Giants. In 393 1/3 innings, he has a 5.17 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever in his career and spent the ’19 season in the bullpen.

Mantiply, 28, tossed three innings for the Yankees in 2019 — his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The longtime Tigers farmhand only has 5 2/3 innings of MLB experience but has posted a combined 3.13 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 126 1/3 career innings of Triple-A.

Outrighted: Yacabonis, Mantiply, Lail

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Let’s catch up on a few announcements regarding players who have been outrighted after clearing waivers …

  • The Orioles announced that righty Jimmy Yacabonis is destined for Triple-A after clearing. He had struggled in a 41-inning showcase this year, managing only a 5.40 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9. Yacabonis has produced similar numbers in parts of two prior seasons in the majors.
  • A pair of hurlers are heading to the Yankees’ top affiliate via outright assignment. Southpaw Joe Mantiply struggled in his lone outing with the Yanks after being acquired from the Reds. That was his first time in the bigs since a brief 2016 debut. Righty Brady Lail also lost his 40-man spot after a single MLB appearance. He has worked to a 2.79 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 42 minor-league frames this year.

Yankees Announce Series Of Pitching Transactions

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The Yankees announced a series of pitching transactions today. Recently acquired southpaw Joe Mantiply was designated for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster. Also departing the 40-man is southpaw Daniel Camarena, who was released.

Those 40-man spots went to a pair of other hurlers. The club activated righty Jonathan Loaisiga from the 60-day injured list and selected the contract of righty Adonis Rosa. The Yanks had already optioned Mantiply and righty Brady Lail, opening the two active roster spots that have now been filled.

What’s most significant here for the division-leading Yankees is the return of Loaisiga. He has battled shoulder troubles this year and hasn’t yet been a consistent piece at the MLB level. But the talent is obvious and the Yanks have plenty to gain by getting him up to speed down the stretch. He is not fully stretched out as a starter, so the club seems likely to utilize him in some sort of relief role, perhaps of the multi-inning variety.

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