Nationals Move Doug Fister To Bullpen
The Nationals have shifted veteran righty Doug Fister to the bullpen, manager Matt Williams told reporters after today’s game, Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com among them (on Twitter). Impressive rookie Joe Ross will take his regular spot in the rotation.
The move is surprising to see, in some respects, but makes sense as the evidence on both pitchers has continued to accumulate. Fister has dealt with injuries, lost velocity, and a continued decline in his ability to generate strikeouts.
All told, he owns a 4.60 ERA over 86 innings, with 5.0 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 with an uncharacteristically low 42.0% groundball rate. Those are his worst results as a big leaguer, and ERA estimators suggest that his earned run average reflects his performance this season.
On the other side of the ledger, Ross — who came over with Trea Turner in the deal that sent Steven Souza to the Rays and Wil Myers to the Padres — has been excellent since making the jump to the big leagues. After today’s strong outing, he sits at a 2.80 earned run mark over 45 frames, with an outstanding 47:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Ross now seems to have the inside track on a rotation spot for next year’s club.
Beyond the impact on the postseason race, Fister’s demotion carries important implications for his upcoming free agent case. For one thing, the 31-year-old no longer seems at all likely to receive a qualifying offer from the Nationals. Not unlike Justin Masterson last year, Fister entered the season primed to be an important second-tier arm on next year’s market, but now looks like a candidate for a short-term deal with a club that is willing to take a gamble on a return to form.
NL East Notes: Hamels, MacPhail, Mets, Fister
The Phillies announced today that a “mild” strain of his right hamstring will prevent Cole Hamels from making his scheduled start tomorrow. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont will be promoted from Triple-A to take Hamels’ place, which will necessitate a 40-man and 25-man roster move, per the team. That’s interesting in its own right, as the DFA of Dustin McGowan today should have opened a 40-man spot for Aumont, though perhaps the team has a different player in mind for that spot. (GM Ruben Amaro stated specifically yesterday that Aaron Nola would not join the team this weekend, ruling him out.) On a larger scale, any injury to Hamels is extra noteworthy as the trade deadline approaches. The Philadelphia ace will be among the most coveted trade chips on the market this July, if healthy. The ailment seems relatively minor at this time, but his health will be a situation to monitor in the coming days, as anything more serious could have serious ramifications.
Here’s more from the NL East…
- If the Phillies are serious about adding Andy MacPhail as their new club president, the team needs to make the hire sooner rather than later, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brookover notes that acting president Pat Gillick was unavailable for comment yesterday when he tried to reach him and calls it “reasonable to believe” that Gillick was in the process of negotiating with MacPhail at the time. Brookover points out that both assistant GM Scott Proefrock and director of player development Joe Jordan worked for MacPhail in Baltimore, so he does have some connections within the current front office. An expedited hiring process would maximize the amount of time for MacPhail or any other new president to evaluate the organization, top to bottom.
- Though a great deal of focus has been directed at the Mets‘ need to add another bat to the lineup, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes that the need to acquire a reliable setup man is perhaps just as important. Injuries to Vic Black and Rafael Montero have thinned out the team’s options, and Bobby Parnell‘s velocity is nowhere near its previous heights. Recent discussions about possibly moving Noah Syndergaard to the bullpen for 2015 ended with the conclusion that the promising rookie should remain in the rotation. Jenrry Mejia will soon return from his 80-game suspension, though even he is an imperfect option, because he’ll be ineligible for the postseason, should the Mets make it there. Martino notes that GM Sandy Alderson has been reluctant to trade for short-term upgrades in the past but wonders if the win-now nature of the current club makes someone like Tyler Clippard more realistic than he would have been in previous years.
- Doug Fister will return to the Nationals‘ rotation today, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. While a healthy Fister should be a boon for the club, his return creates some questions in the rotation. Both Tanner Roark and Joe Ross have been in the rotation while Fister and Stephen Strasburg have been shelved, and it’s unclear which will be bumped to accommodate Fister. Skipper Matt Williams called those “good decisions” to have to make and said he couldn’t rule out Ross getting another turn, although Strasburg, too, is said to be nearing a return. A free agent at season’s end, Fister has extra incentive to rediscover his previous success. As Janes notes, his ground-ball rate is down nearly 10 percent from its career mark in 2015, and I’d add that his velocity has been a big concern as well. Fister has averaged just 86.1 mph on his heater this season, which is probably a factor in his rapidly declining strikeout rate (4.1 K/9).
Quick Hits: Pompey, Ross, Reds
The Blue Jays have moved center fielder Dalton Pompey from Triple-A Buffalo to Double-A New Hampshire, as Ben Nicholson of Sportsnet.ca notes. It’s been a rough season for the 22-year-old Pompey, one of the Jays’ top prospects. He hit .193/.264/.337 in 91 plate appearances in the Majors before being sent to Buffalo, where he continued to struggle offensively while also dealing with knee trouble. “He just hasn’t gotten it going yet,” says Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. “I don’t know that there’s anything specifically. … Some guys just aren’t swinging well at a certain time.” Here’s more from around the game.
- The Nationals lost 4-2 to the Cubs Saturday, but top prospect Joe Ross had a reasonably good big-league debut, allowing three runs over five innings but striking out four without walking a batter. Ross’ promotion caught him by surprise, as Chase Hughes of NatsInsider.com writes. Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross, Joe’s brother, watched him make his big-league debut in Washington, and Cubs manager Joe Maddon noted similarities between the two pitchers. “Quick arm. Velocity was there. Really, an effective slider, not unlike his brother,” says Maddon. “Great athlete… He’s going to be very good for them. Coming out of Double-A, he represented himself really, really well.”
- With his big-league debut Friday, Jon Moscot became the fourth rookie pitcher to start for the Reds this season, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. Moscot joins Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias. “Well, we’re playing with what we have,” says manager Bryan Price. “[W]e had to make some roster adjustments for some payroll flexibility which led to some of the offseason moves. And it also created some opportunities for these young guys when needed to come in and pitch, but we knew this was our fall back.” The Reds currently have Homer Bailey and Iglesias on the disabled list, and they recently designated Jason Marquis for assignment after nine unsuccessful starts, leaving Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake as the only veterans in the rotation at the moment.
Nationals Promote Joe Ross
SATURDAY: The Nationals have officially announced the move. To clear space for Ross on their active roster, they’ve optioned fellow pitcher A.J. Cole to Triple-A Syracuse. The clear space on the 40-man, they moved righty Craig Stammen to the 60-day disabled list.
FRIDAY: The Nationals will promote right-handed pitching prospect Joe Ross (the younger brother of San Diego’s Tyson Ross) on Saturday prior to their game versus the Cubs, according to a tweet from NorCal Baseball — Ross’ baseball league from his teenage years. Nationals manager Matt Williams has since told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson (Twitter link) that Ross will indeed be starting against the Cubs tomorrow.
One of two key players acquired in the three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres and Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays (the other being Trea Turner, who is still with San Diego due to PTBNL status), Ross entered the season ranked as the No. 63 prospect in baseball, according to ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider subscription required). Baseball America and also considered him a Top 100 prospect, although they were a bit less bullish, ranking him 96th.
Ross has made pitching at Double-A Harrisburg look easy in his first year with the Nationals organization, compiling a 2.81 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 51 1/3 innings. The former 25th-overall draft pick is said by BA to possess a fastball that sits 91-93 mph but can be ramped up to 96 mph when needed. BA also calls his low- to mid-80s slider a plus pitch and notes that his changeup made a significant amount of improvement in 2014, giving Ross a chance to pan out as a No. 3 type starter in the Majors.
The Nationals have incurred a pair of notable injuries in their rotation, with both Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister on the shelf at the moment. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that neither pitched particularly well when healthy. Strasburg’s velocity and K/BB numbers remained strong, giving the team some hope, but Fister’s velocity was down around 85 mph, and his strikeouts have all but vanished. Tanner Roark has slotted into the rotation in their absence, and the highly regarded Cole has made a start as well. But Roark has not matched his 2014 success either; despite a 2.59 ERA, Roark has just 11 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings this year and a woeful 5.35 FIP.
None of this is to say that Ross is guaranteed to receive a prolonged look in the Major Leagues. Given his complete lack of experience at the Triple-A level, he could very well find himself back in the minors for more seasoning. Were Ross to remain with the Nationals for the duration of the season, however, he’d accumulate 122 days of Major League service time, which would, in all likelihood, leave him short of attaining Super Two status down the line.