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Recapping The CPBL’s International Player Signings

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Chinese Professional Baseball League teams are preparing for their spring camps, and the last several months have seen the CPBL’s five clubs adding some familiar foreign-born names to their rosters.  Under CPBL rules, teams are allowed to have a maximum of four international players on their active rosters, so with some teams opting to add a fifth or sixth player to keep in their minor leagues for replacement purposes.  However, replacing an international player isn’t as simple as a normal call-up — a foreign player must be released in order to be removed from a CPBL team’s active roster.

There isn’t an official limit on how many international-born players can be signed per team, so it is possible that more names could be added to this list in the coming days or weeks.  (The post will be updated to reflect such moves.)  Much thanks to the CPBL Stats website for their work in reporting on many of these signings.  Here’s the rundown…

CTBC Brothers
Jose De Paula, Shawn Morimando, Francisco Pena, Teddy Stankiewicz, Jose Valdez

Fubon Guardians
Xavier Batista, Yomar Flande Concepcion, Luis Escobar, Joe Van Meter

Rakuten Monkeys
Ryan Bollinger, Dylan Covey, Bradin Hagens, Henry Sosa

Uni-President Lions
Brock Dykxhoorn, Keury Mella, Logan Ondrusek, Wilin Rosario

Wei Chuan Dragons
Jake Brigham, Drew Gagnon, Telvin Nash, Ronny Rodriguez, Bryan Woodall

CPBL’s CTBC Brothers Sign Shawn Morimando, Jose Valdez; Release Gabriel Ynoa

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TODAY: The additions of Morimando and Valdez will help make up for the loss of right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, who was released by the Brothers (hat tip again to CPBL Stats).  Ynoa has spent the last two seasons overseas, pitching in Japan in 2020 before inking a one-year deal with the Brothers last offseason.  A veteran of three MLB seasons, Ynoa had a 5.39 ERA over 163 2/3 innings with the Mets and Orioles from 2016-19.

OCTOBER 8: The CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League announced agreements with left-hander Shawn Morimando and right-hander José Valdez last week (h/t to CPBL Stats). Both Morimando and Valdez have appeared in the major leagues.

Morimando was in the majors as recently as this past August with the Marlins. The 31-year-old bounced on and off the Marlins’ roster a few times, ultimately making four appearances. He was tagged for eleven runs over 10 1/3 innings over his brief MLB look but had a nice 2021 campaign with Triple-A Jacksonville. Morimando made eighteen appearances (including sixteen starts) with the Jumbo Shrimp, tossing 89 2/3 frames of 4.32 ERA ball with strikeout and walk rates not far off the league average and a strong 50.4% ground-ball percentage.

The 2021 season marked Morimando’s second in which he picked up some big league time. The southpaw also worked 4 2/3 innings over a pair of outings with the Indians in 2016. He’s tossed fifteen frames altogether, allowing seventeen runs with fourteen strikeouts and ten walks.

Valdez has appeared in parts of four major league seasons. From 2015-18, he bounced between the Tigers, Angels, Padres and Giants. Overall, he’s worked 55 1/3 innings of relief at the big league level, posting a 6.34 ERA. Valdez has spent the past few seasons pitching in the Mexican League.

Giants Re-Sign Jose Valdez

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The Giants have re-signed right-hander Jose Valdez after releasing him recently, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports as part of his latest roundup of the league’s minor transactions. Valdez was designated for assignment back on June when the Giants activated Mark Melancon from the disabled list and, apparently, was eventually released (though there was no formal announcement from the team).

Valdez, 28, was tagged for seven runs on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings of relief for the Giants earlier this season. He’s seen time in the Majors in each of the past four seasons, including 2018, pitching to a collective 6.34 ERA with a 47-to-26 K/BB ratio in 55 innings out of the bullpens for the Tigers, Angels, Padres and Giants.

While those results aren’t exactly encouraging, Valdez has averaged just under 96 mph on his fastball so far in his big league career, and he notched a solid 11.2 percent swinging-strike rate in 18 MLB frames last season. He also comes with a more encouraging Triple-A track record, where he’s recorded a 3.70 ERA with a strikeout per inning but a more troublesome 4.9 BB/9 mark in 151 innings — all coming out of the ’pen.

Valdez has actually already suited back up for the Giants organization, though the results weren’t pretty; in a third of an inning with the team’s top affiliate in Sacramento, he was tagged for four runs on and two hits and two walks.

Giants Activate Mark Melancon, Designate Jose Valdez

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The Giants have activated veteran reliever Mark Melancon from the disabled list, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to report (via Twitter). To create a roster spot, the club designated righty Jose Valdez for assignment (technically, after activating him from the 10-day DL).

Melancon will appear for the first time this season. He has dealt with ongoing elbow and forearm issues since joining the San Francisco organization on a four-year, $62MM contract before the 2017 season.

Though he signed to be a closer, Melancon is expected to spend some time working up to speed before his role settles out. Hunter Strickland has handled the ninth inning to open the year, performing well though perhaps not putting the job in a stranglehold, either.

It remains to be seen how that’ll all shake out. Generally, it’s preferable to have that problem than for Melancon still to be on the shelf. It is fair to wonder, though: since the Giants are paying Melancon top dollar, perhaps they would prefer to see him return to closing rather than running up Strickland’s future arbitration tab by giving him save opportunities.

Valdez, 28, has been knocked around in five MLB innings on the year, allowing three long balls among eight total base hits. He carries a 6.34 ERA in 55 1/3 total frames at the game’s highest level over the past four seasons.

Giants Notes: Samardzija, Upcoming Roster Decisions

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The Giants announced on Wednesday that right-hander Jeff Samardzija has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to tightness in his right shoulder. Right-hander Tyler Beede is up from Triple-A Sacramento to take his spot on the roster for the time being, though the organization’s current hope is that Samardzija will only miss one start, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. An MRI revealed some inflammation in Samardzija’s shoulder, per Schulman, but there’s no structural damage. With so many injuries in their rotation, the Giants briefly had all three starters listed as “TBA” this weekend, though they’ve since said that Chris Stratton and Andrew Suarez will start the first two games of the series, while a determination on Sunday’s starter has seemingly yet to be made. Schulman notes that the club had been planning to move lefty Ty Blach to the bullpen, but he’s now a candidate to start in Samardzija’s place on Sunday, as is rookie Dereck Rodriguez.

A bit more out of San Francisco, where there are several roster decisions looming on the horizon…

  • With Joe Panik, Alen Hanson and Mark Melancon all likely to return from the DL this weekend, and Madison Bumgarner likely to be activated next Tuesday, and two of them (Melancon and Bumgarner) will require corresponding 40-man moves. Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News runs through some possibilities for the roster over the next six days, listing Steven Okert, Roberto Gomez and Jose Valdez as candidates to be designated for assignment in order to clear 40-man spots for Melancon and Bumgarner.
  • More complicated, Crowley notes, is the impending return of Hunter Pence from the 10-day DL. Manager Bruce Bochy implied that Pence will return to the 25-man roster when his rehab window expires this weekend, though his exact role looks uncertain. Andrew McCutchen is the team’s regular right fielder, and the Giants have said that Mac Williamson will be given an everyday opportunity in left field. Pence, of course, can’t play center field, so he appears headed for a limited role. Crowley suggests that either Austin Jackson or Gregor Blanco could land on the disabled list as a temporary fix, though it stands to reason that if Williamson proves adept in left field, the Giants could eventually have a more difficult decision on their hands.

Giants To Place Johnny Cueto On 60-Day DL, Select Contract Of Jose Valdez

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The Giants have announced some pitching-related roster moves, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to report (Twitter links). Starter Johnny Cueto will move from the 10-day to the 60-day DL to open a 40-man spot for fellow righty Jose Valdez.

Meanwhile, relievers Derek Law and Josh Osich have each been optioned to Triple-A. The latter had been on the DL with a hip strain after struggling in the majors to open the year.

With the move, the Giants are making a somewhat early call on the length of Cueto’s absence. It had been suggested he would miss six to eight weeks with a forearm strain. With today’s placement, though, Cueto won’t be able to return until June 29, by the calculation of Pavlovic (Twitter link).

By making the move now, the San Francisco organization will have another 40-man spot to work with. That should help the team keep the bullpen fresh, which in turn will help weather the absence of Cueto — particularly while Madison Bumgarner is also working back from the DL.

The 28-year-old Valdez has thrown 50 1/3 innings in the majors over the past three years. This will be his first stint with the Giants after brief runs in the bigs with three other team. Thus far in 2018, Valdez has worked to a 3.71 ERA with 13.8 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 through 17 innings over a dozen appearances at Triple-A.

Giants To Sign Hector Sanchez, Chase d’Arnaud, Jose Valdez

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The Giants have struck a minors pact with catcher Hector Sanchez, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. He’ll be expected to take up a spot on the depth chart but not open the season on the MLB roster, as the Giants have already re-signed Nick Hundley to pair with stalwart regular Buster Posey.

In other news, San Francisco has agreed to terms with infielder Chase d’Arnaud and righty Jose Valdez, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Like Sanchez, both players saw time with the Padres in 2017.

Sanchez, 28, is no stranger to the Giants organization. He broke into the majors in San Francisco in 2011 and played there through 2015. In 637 total MLB plate appearances thus far with the Giants, Sanchez carries a .240/.274/.345 batting line.

Since departing, Sanchez has mostly plied his trade for the division-rival Padres. As Pavlovic notes, the otherwise light-hitting backstop turned into a slugger when stepping into the box against his former mates. Sanchez slashed just .219/.245/.423 over 143 plate appearances on the year, but he did launch four long balls against the Giants.

As for d’Arnaud, who’ll soon turn 31, he suited up for three MLB teams in 2017 but received just 61 total plate appearances. The shortstop-capable utilityman carries a .223/.278/.306 batting line in 499 total MLB plate appearances.

Valdez, meanwhile, will reach his 28th birthday before the 2018 season. He has a 5.72 ERA over 50 1/3 total MLB innings spread over the past three seasons. Valdez does own a mid-to-upper-nineties heater and managed an 11.2% swinging-strike rate during his time in the majors in 2017.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/25/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, all via Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted:

  • Likewise, the Red Sox will bring back outfielder Aneury Tavarez on a minors pact. The 25-year-old qualified for minor-league free agency after a 2017 season in which he missed significant time due to injury. Tavarez had been taken in the Rule 5 draft by the Orioles, but was returned to Boston before playing in the Baltimore organization. He ended up slashing .244/.292/.400 in 145 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • Braves lefty Ian Krol has elected free agency following his outright, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick first tweeted. The 26-year-old reliever worked to a 5.33 ERA over 49 frames in 2017, with 8.1 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9. The results weren’t exciting, obviously, but Krol did still average a healthy 93.7 mph with his fastball and recorded a career-best 11.4% swinging-strike rate, so he’s likely to draw plenty of interest from organizations looking for bullpen competition and depth in camp.
  • Similarly, Athletics righty Chris Smith took free agency after being outrighted off of the 40-man roster. The 36-year-old handled 55 2/3 MLB innings in Oakland over nine starts and five relief appearances, but surrendered 2.6 homers and 6.79 earned runs per nine innings. Smith had never before topped 46 innings in a single season over his unusual career.
  • Other right-handed pitchers taking free agency include Jacob Turner of the Nationals and Jose Valdez of the Padres. The 26-year-old Turner made it back to the majors with the Nats, but managed only a 5.08 ERA in his 39 frames of action. A former top prospect, Turner averaged better than 95 mph on his fastball for the first time in his career, but carried a marginal 6.0% swinging-strike rate. Valdez, 27, was knocked around for 15 earned runs on seven home runs in 17 MLB frames last year, though he did record 16 strikeouts against just four walks. He has spent time in the bigs with three organizations in the past three campaigns.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/21/17

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Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Padres announced that shortstop Dusty Coleman and right-hander Jose Valdez have cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. Both players have subsequently been sent outright to Triple-A El Paso. Coleman, 30, saw his most extensive big league stint to date this season, appearing in 27 games for the Friars and hitting .227/.268/.455 with four homers in 71 plate appearances. He’s only appeared in two Major League seasons, though he’s a veteran of five Triple-A campaigns, where he’s compiled a .239/.296/.414 batting line. Valdez, 27, has seen limited Major League action in each of the past three seasons, though he’s struggled to a 5.72 ERA through 50 1/3 innings in that time. The hard-throwing Valdez has averaged better than a strikeout per inning in the minors but has also averaged more than five walks per inning in that time. Valdez owns a 3.43 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 through 133 2/3 Triple-A frames.

Padres Designate Dusty Coleman, Jose Valdez

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The Padres have designated infielder Dusty Coleman and right-handed reliever Jose Valdez for assignment, according to an official announcement from the organization. The contracts of catcher Rocky Gale and infielder Christian Villanueva have been selected in a related move. The Padres have also recalled RHP Tim Melville, along with outfielders Travis Jankowski, Hunter Renfroe.

Valdez has thrown a combined 50 1/3 innings for the Tigers, Angels and Padres over the past three seasons, pitching to a 5.72 ERA. While that number may seem high, his 6.66 career FIP shows that he’s actually pitched even worse than that number indicates. He throws hard, averaging 96 MPH on his fastball and 86 MPH on his slider, but he gets hit hard as well; opponents have managed hard-hit balls against him in over 40% of their at-bats. That, combined with his 36% career ground ball rate and the fact that opposing hitters are able to pull the ball against him 41% of the time, has likely been the cause of a 4.00 HR/9 that’s done Valdez in. The 27 year-old right hander was originally signed as an international free agent by the Tigers in 2009.

Coleman, 30, was selected by the Athletics in the 28th round of the 2008 draft (844 overall). Though he garnered five official plate appearances with the Royals back in 2015, this season was his first extended stay in the majors. In 71 trips to the plate with the Padres, Coleman showed some power (4 HR, .227 ISO), but a crippling 46.5% strikeout rate held him back, leading him to a paltry .227 average and .268 OBP.

Gale is a light-hitting catcher who has only seen 17 innings behind the plate at the major-league level. He has spent his entire career in the Padres organization after being selected in the 24th round of the 2010 draft (724 overall). The 29 year-old hit .278/.325/.365 at Triple-A El Paso this season.

Villanueva was part of the 2012 trade between the Cubs and Rangers; he was sent from Texas along with Kyle Hendricks in exchange for Ryan Dempster. He missed the entire 2016 season after suffering a right fibular fracture during spring training, and was subsequently non-tendered that offseason. Since signing a minor-league deal with the Padres in the offseason, he has impressed with a .269/.369/.528 batting line at Triple-A. The 26 year-old third baseman will be getting his first taste of major-league action; he has spent eight years in the minor leagues after being signed as an international free agent by the Rangers in 2009.

Renfroe, a former top prospect, made his major-league debut last season. He burst onto the scene by clubbing four homers and two doubles in just 11 games, but struggled mightily with plate discipline this season (125 K’s against just 26 walks) before being demoted to Triple-A. After hitting over .500 over 61 PA in El Paso with almost as many walks as strikeouts, the Padres will hope he can sustain those skills with the MLB club.

Jankowski played 131 games with the Padres last season, but suffered a foot injury in April that has caused him to miss most of 2017. He’s known far more for his speed and defense in center field than he is for his bat. Both UZR and DRS have rated him well above average for in 148 career games in the majors, but he’s slugged just .305 across that time. Jankowski has been out since April with a foot injury.

Melville was claimed off waivers from the Twins back on August 26th. He’s spent time in the minors with five different organizations and has made three major league starts in his career, none of which lasted more than four innings. He does, however carry some pedigree. Though he fell to the fourth round in the 2008 draft, the Royals spent $1.25MM to sign him; well above slot. Melville has a big frame, standing at 6’5″ and weighing 210 pounds, so perhaps he can still reach the potential that Baseball Prospectus saw in him when he ranked #93 on their top prospects list back in 2012.

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