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Kyle Crick

Trio Of Free Agent Pitchers Work Out For Clubs

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A handful of free agent hurlers threw for scouts this afternoon in Arlington, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Cole Hamels, Derek Holland and Kyle Crick each worked out for clubs in search of an opportunity.

Hamels, who turned 39 last month, is obviously the highest-profile of the bunch. One of the top pitchers in the game during his peak with the Phillies, Hamels is a four-time All-Star and former World Series MVP. He was an exemplar of durability throughout his peak, starting 30+ games each season from 2008-16. Hamels missed a bit of time with the 2017 Rangers and 2019 Cubs but still topped 140 innings in both years, with a 32-start showing sandwiched in between.

Unfortunately, the veteran southpaw has had virtually nothing go his way the past few seasons. Signed to a one-year deal by the Braves in 2020, Hamels was limited to just one appearance by shoulder issues. He lingered in free agency until August of the following season, when he caught on with the Dodgers on a $1MM contract. Hamels’ first comeback attempt was derailed within weeks by renewed shoulder discomfort, and he returned to the open market over the 2021-22 offseason.

The 15-year MLB veteran required surgery on his shoulder and didn’t sign for 2022. While initial reports last offseason suggested he could factor into the mix by the end of the summer, he eventually turned his attention to the upcoming season. Throughout the process, Hamels has maintained interest in a comeback, even as he told the Associated Press last month he’s also undergone operations on his right knee and left foot. It seems he’s now healthy enough to get back on a mound, where clubs will evaluate whether his current form warrants a minor league contract.

Holland also has over a decade of MLB experience. The 36-year-old has played for six different clubs over a 13-year big league career. He had some success as a starter early on with the Rangers and committed to a full-time bullpen role in 2019. The southpaw soaked up plenty of innings out of the ’pen for the Giants, Cubs, Pirates and Tigers from 2019-21 but allowed nearly six earned runs per nine altogether in that stretch. He spent last season in Triple-A in the Red Sox and Blue Jays organizations, combining for a 5.77 ERA with a 22.8% strikeout rate in 39 innings at the top minor league level. Released by Toronto around the All-Star Break, he didn’t pitch during the season’s second half.

Crick has the most recent big league experience of the group. The 30-year-old righty has pitched in the majors in each of the last six seasons, including 14 outings with the White Sox last year. His final outing came in mid-June, though, as he was placed on the injured list with inflammation in his throwing elbow. He hit minor league free agency at season’s end once Chicago ran through waivers. Crick had a couple excellent seasons to start his career with the Giants and Pirates in 2017-18; he owns a 4.47 ERA in exactly 100 big league outings since the beginning of the 2019 campaign.

White Sox Outright Kyle Crick, Adam Haseley

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The White Sox announced to reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com, that they have outrighted right-hander Kyle Crick and outfielder Adam Haseley to Triple-A Charlotte.

Crick, turning 30 this month, has appeared in each of the past six seasons. He broke into the majors with the Giants before spending a few years with the Pirates. He signed a minor league deal with the White Sox and cracked the Opening Day roster here in 2022. He was optioned and recalled several times over the first few months of the season, throwing 15 2/3 MLB innings with a 4.02 ERA along with a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 Triple-A frames.

He was placed on the injured list in June with right elbow inflammation, eventually getting transferred to the 60-day IL and finishing the season there. Since there’s no injured list between the World Series and Spring Training, Crick would soon need to retake his roster spot. But it seems the White Sox put him on waivers instead, without Crick getting claimed. He has more than three years of MLB service time and therefore has the right to reject this outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Haseley, 26, was a first round draft pick of the Phillies back in 2017. He got scattered time in the big leagues starting in 2019 but never clicked and was traded to the White Sox prior to the 2022 season. He only got into 14 big league games for Chicago this year, spending most of his time in Triple-A. In 110 games for the Charlotte Knights, he hit just .239/.305/.411, wRC+ of 88. He should stick around the organization as outfield depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man.

As mentioned earlier, the IL will soon go away until Spring Training rolls around again, meaning each team will see certain players added back to their 40-man roster. In addition to that, the deadline to add players in order to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft is coming up on November 15. Given those factors, each team might have to make some tough choices by making cuts around the edges of their rosters, with Crick and Haseley apparently making up two of those for the Sox.

White Sox Select Carlos Pérez

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The White Sox announced they have selected the contract of catcher Carlos Pérez. Fellow backstop Yasmani Grandal has been placed on the 10-day injured list on the heels of last night’s injury, which created room for Pérez on the active roster. Grandal’s injury has been described as a left knee strain. To open a spot on the 40-man, right-hander Kyle Crick has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Pérez, not to be confused with the Carlos Pérez who is catching in the Rockies’ system, is a 25-year-old who has been in the White Sox organization for his entire career so far. He made his professional debut in rookie ball back in 2014 and has been working his way up the minor league ladder since. He has never been a highly-touted prospect, though he has frequently been an honorable mention on FanGraphs’ lists of top White Sox farmhands, with those reports noting his bat-to-ball skills and strong arm but lack of power.

This year, he’s played 91 games in Triple-A, trying his best to get rid of that lack-of-power reputation. He’s hit 17 home runs on the year after only hitting 20 total long balls in his seven previous minor league seasons. He’s also struck out in just 8.2% of his plate appearances, which is barely one third of the 22.3% MLB average. That’s led to a batting line of .257/.319/.446, wRC+ of 101, a hair above league average.

Pérez will make his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game. It’s possible that he sticks around for a bit, joining Seby Zavala as the club’s catching tandem. Those two and Grandal are the only three catchers currently on the White Sox 40-man roster.

As for Crick, this won’t affect his timeline since he’s already been on the injured list for over 60 days. It was June 15 when he was first placed on the IL due to elbow inflammation, with no indications he’s close to returning.

AL Roster Notes: Twins, White Sox, Rays

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The Twins have reinstated Gilberto Celestino from the COVID injured list, per the team. Chi Chi Gonzalez was returned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster. It’s worth nothing that Gonzalez has an opt out clause in his contract that he can trigger next week, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP Eyewitness News (via Twitter). The 30-year-old Gonzalez made just one appearance for the Twins, yielding three earned runs in three innings of work. Let’s check on other roster moves made today in the American League…

  • The White Sox optioned Tanner Banks to Triple-A today to make room for reliever Kyle Crick, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Crick has 10 appearances on the year with a 3.60 ERA/3.95 FIP across 10 innings with a 11-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Banks, a 30-year-old rookie, made 14 appearances spanning 21 2/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA/4.44 FIP.
  • Southpaw Ben Bowden, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Bowden, 27, was claimed off waivers earlier this season from the Rockies. He has not yet seen big league action for the Rays.

White Sox Select Davis Martin

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The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Davis Martin from Triple-A Charlotte and transferred lefty Garrett Crochet to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The move involving Crochet was a formality after the southpaw underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Martin will start the second game of today’s doubleheader, per the Sox. Chicago also placed right-hander Michael Kopech on the paternity list and called up right-hander Kyle Crick as the 27th man for today’s twin bill.

It’ll be the Major League debut for Martin, 25, who was the ChiSox’ 14th-round pick back in 2018. He entered the season ranked 22nd among Chicago farmhands over at FanGraphs and can’t have hurt his stock with a strong performance so far. Maritn opened the season in Double-A Birmingham, where he notched a 3.38 ERA with a huge 32.4% strikeout rate against a tidy 6.9% walk rate. His strikeout rate has dipped to 18.6% in a smaller sample of two Triple-A starts, but Martin has also walked just 4.7% of his Triple-A opponents while pitching to a 1.50 ERA there. Overall, he’s sporting a combined 2.50 ERA and 41-to-9 K/BB ratio through 36 frames between the minor leagues’ top two levels.

After seeing the fruits of their last rebuild (e.g. Luis Robert, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Eloy Jimenez) graduate to the Majors (to say nothing of names like Dane Dunning and Nick Madrigal, who were traded for veterans) the Sox have a notoriously thin farm system. That doesn’t, however, mean it’s totally devoid of depth, and Martin certainly has the makings of a potentially useful spot starter or back-of-the-rotation option. Given that the South Siders currently have Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito on the injured list, having some optionable rotation depth is of increased importance.

That said, Giolito is expected to return from the Covid-related injured list perhaps as soon as tomorrow. The Athletic’s James Fegan tweets that he’s expected to start Wednesday’s game, pushing the remainder of the rotation back a day. Lynn, meanwhile, is slated to throw to hitters Friday as he works back from knee surgery.

Even with Giolito and perhaps Lynn not too far off on the horizon, there should be ample opportunities for Martin if he impresses in today’s spot start and continues to impress down the line in the upper minors. The Sox are likely going to be judicious with Michael Kopech’s workload, and both Dallas Keuchel and Vince Velasquez have struggled mightily in the season’s first six weeks. Johnny Cueto was brilliant in yesterday’s White Sox debut, giving the team a much-needed boost after having his contract selected from Triple-A — he’d inked a minor league deal in early April — but other injuries and absences will surely open additional doors for Martin and others from the farm to make an impact.

White Sox Notes: Adolfo, Banks, Crick

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White Sox outfielder Micker Adolfo has been generating trade interest in recent days, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. The out-of-options Adolfo has, somewhat remarkably, ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects at Baseball America for eight straight seasons. Since signing as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Adolfo has slowly risen through the South Siders’ system, though injuries and the canceled 2020 minor league season have slowed his ultimate path to the big leagues. Adolfo has twice undergone right elbow surgery, including Tommy John surgery in 2018.

Now 25 years old, Adolfo split the 2021 season between Double-A and Triple-A, where he slashed a combined .245/.311/.520 with 25 home runs, 24 doubles and a triple. There’s little doubting Adolfo’s prodigious raw power. FanGraphs gives him 70 power on the 20-80 scale, while, MLB.com notes that even after the Sox’ signings of Oscar Colas and Yoelqui Cespedes, Adolfo might have the most raw power in the system. That said, Adolfo’s hit tool is lagging quite a bit behind his power. He’s fanned in a jarring 33.1% of his plate appearances, including a combined 34.1% in Double-A and Triple-A last year.

Chicago doesn’t have much room in its outfield mix for the 6’4″, 225-pound Adolfo, so trade speculation is only natural. Like Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, AJ Pollock, Adam Engel and Andrew Vaughn, Adolfo is a right-handed hitter. MLB.com touts his plus-plus (70) arm strength but notes that he doesn’t have the speed or range to handle center, likely relegating him to corner work.

There are plenty of clubs that could roll the dice on a slugging left or right fielder, and given Adolfo’s lack of options, some form of deal involving him indeed seems likely. The Sox would have to designate him for assignment and pass him and attempt to pass him through waivers before they’d be able to assign him to Triple-A Charlotte. Adolfo likely wouldn’t command a huge return for the Sox, but clubs like the Padres and Guardians, for instance, are known to be looking for some corner outfield help. It’d also make sense for rebuilding or retooling teams to take a look at Adolfo and see whether that power might outweigh the strikeouts at the MLB level. The Orioles, Pirates, Rangers and Nationals ought to at least have a bench spot available.

A move involving Adolfo seems all the more likely given that it became clear last night the Sox would need at least one additional spot on the 40-man roster. That spot will go to eight-year minor league veteran Tanner Banks, a 30-year-old left-hander whom the Sox drafted back in 2014 and has been informed he’s made his first big league roster (as first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale).

Assistant general manager Chris Getz told reporters last night that Banks has seen a velocity jump this spring and is now sitting at 94 mph with his heater (Twitter link via James Fegan of The Athletic). With some extra life on his heater, a strong spring showing (two runs in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks), and a newfound need for some bullpen lefties following Garrett Crochet’s looming Tommy John surgery, Banks finds himself on the cusp of making his big league debut.

The Sox can, of course, just move Crochet to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot, but Banks probably isn’t the only player for whom the Sox will need to open a 40-man spot. Veteran righty Kyle Crick, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, appears ticketed for the big league bullpen and will need to have his contract formally selected to the 40-man roster himself.

Crick, 29, had a big showing with the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate last year — one run in 10 1/3 innings with a 15-to-3 K/BB ratio — but didn’t make the Majors. He re-upped with the ChiSox on a minor league pact this winter and has continued that impressive showing in Cactus League play, ratting off seven shutout innings with just one hit and two walks allowed against five punchouts.

Formerly the No. 49 overall pick in the 2011 draft (Giants), Crick went to the Pirates alongside Bryan Reynolds in San Francisco’s ill-fated trade for Andrew McCutchen (a Pirates heist that is often overshadowed by Pittsburgh’s own regrettable Chris Archer swap). He had four mostly solid seasons in the Pittsburgh bullpen, working to a 3.62 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate but a bloated 13% walk rate. He’ll get a chance with the Sox to show that the command gains he’s displayed in Charlotte last season and so far in Cactus League play can be sustained at the MLB level. If that’s the case, Crick has the stuff to serve as an important bullpen piece for Tony La Russa — one who can be controlled through the 2023 season as he still has only four-plus years of Major League service time and would be arbitration-eligible next winter.

White Sox Re-Sign Kyle Crick, Sign Ryder Jones

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The White Sox have re-signed reliever Kyle Crick and signed infielder Ryder Jones, per Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. Crick joined the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte last July after being released by the Pirates, while Jones, whose last taste of the majors came in 2018, spent 2021 bouncing around the Diamondbacks’ system. Both signed minor league deals.

Crick, a one-time high-end prospect in the Giants’ system, tossed 24 1/3 innings of 4.44 ERA ball with the Pirates in 2021. But while his top-line numbers hovered around league average and he didn’t allow a single home run, an elevated walk rate (17.8%) and below-average strikeout rate (19.6%) suggest he may have been buoyed by a bit of luck. The righty did put forth a strong showing at Triple-A Charlotte — a 0.87 ERA with three walks and 15 Ks in 10 1/3 innings — in a small sample, but the call back to the bigs never came.

For his career, Crick has posted a 3.51 ERA (4.25 FIP) in 171 2/3 innings across parts of five seasons with the Giants and Pirates. After a strong debut (3.06 ERA in 32 1/3 innings) following a 2017 mid-season call-up with San Francisco, the Texan looked like a bona fide high-leverage option after heading to Pittsburgh (with Bryan Reynolds) for Andrew McCutchen ahead of the 2018 season, in which he logged a 2.39 ERA (3.14 FIP) in 60 1/3 innings across 64 appearances. Control problems began to bite in 2019, however, and elevated walk and home run rates (15.5% and 4.4%, respectively) saw his ERA balloon to 4.96 before a broken finger (sustained in a clubhouse fight with teammate Felipe Vázquez) ended his season in September. Crick did post a 1.59 ERA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he was limited to only 5 2/3 innings due to right shoulder problems.

Like Crick, Jones came up in the Giants system. Primarily a third baseman, he reached the bigs in 2017 but posted a meager .173/.244/.273 batting line in 164 plate appearances across 53 games. Including a further 8 trips to the plate logged in 2018, Jones’ career line stands at .185/.250/.316, a far cry from the solid .283/.347/.467 Triple-A line he’s put together in 782 plate appearances across parts of four seasons at that level. After becoming a minor league free agent following the 2019 season, the lefty-swinging Jones signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox before spending 2020 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Constellation Energy League following the cancellation of the minor league season. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona ahead of the 2021 season and compiled a .288/.344/.500 line in 293 trips to the plate across three levels.

Of the two, Crick likely has the easier path to breaking spring training with the big club, where he’ll be given a chance to slot in at the back end of a solid White Sox bullpen. The South Siders’ starting infield is set between Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada, but Jones will hope to benefit from the mid-season departure of Nick Madrigal in the Craig Kimbrel deal; he’ll vie for a bench slot as a backup infielder alongside the more versatile Danny Mendick, though the White Sox are likely to bring in at least a few more bodies to compete for bench roles.

White Sox Sign Carl Edwards Jr.; Kyle Crick Opts Out Of Minors Deal

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The White Sox signed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league contract yesterday, per an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. He had been released by the Blue Jays earlier in the week.

Edwards has appeared in the big leagues with both the Braves and Toronto already this season. Between the two clubs, he has only tallied 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs. Edwards landed on the injured list with an oblique strain in mid-June and has spent the past couple months recovering. While he recently embarked upon a rehab assignment, the Jays evidently decided to release him rather than bring him back to the big league roster.

It has been a difficult few seasons for Edwards, who was once high-end reliever during his time with the Cubs. Between 2016-18, Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA across 154 1/3 innings for the North Siders. Injury issues and an increasing propensity for issuing walks, however, have knocked him off course in recent seasons.

While the White Sox didn’t announce their deal with Edwards until this morning, that it was finalized yesterday is significant. Players in an organization by August 31 are eligible for a team’s postseason roster, so Edwards could be an option for the ChiSox come playoff time. There’s no question Chicago will reach the playoffs, given their insurmountable lead in the AL Central. Of course, Edwards would have to pitch his way into the big league bullpen to warrant that consideration.

While Chicago adds some right-handed relief depth with the Edwards signing, they’re losing Kyle Crick to free agency. MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports that Crick has triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal and been granted his release. The former Pirate signed with Chicago a month ago and tossed 10 1/3 innings of one-run ball with Charlotte, striking out fifteen while issuing just three walks. That strong showing should help him find another opportunity elsewhere in relatively short order.

White Sox Sign Kyle Crick To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed reliever Kyle Crick to a minor league deal, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Crick, 28, posted a 4.44 ERA, 19.6 K% and 17.8 BB% in 24 1/3 innings this year, though he was able to avoid allowing any home runs.  Crick worked at 92.6 miles per hour this year, up from 2020, but well down from his 95-96 days of 2017-19.  The Pirates designated Crick for assignment and ultimately released him earlier this month.

Crick was drafted 49th overall out of high school back in 2011 by  the Giants as compensation for the loss of free agent Juan Uribe, luring him away from TCU.  Crick was viewed as a potential frontline starter back then.  Never able to work out his control issues, by 2017 Crick was permanently moved to the bullpen.  In January 2018, the Giants traded Crick and Bryan Reynolds to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen.  Crick had success for the ’18 Pirates as a setup man, but he hit the IL for triceps tightness in April 2019.  At the end of that season, Crick underwent surgery on his right index finger after a fight with Felipe Vazquez, after Crick refused to turn off his music.  He dealt with shoulder and lat strains last year, making only seven appearances.  Crick then landed on the COVID-IL to start this season, and dealt with a triceps strain back in May.

If the White Sox add Crick to the 40-man roster, they’ll be able to control him beyond this year as an arbitration eligible player.  The Sox recently added Ryan Tepera in a trade with the Cubs, who will join Liam Hendriks, Ryan Burr, Garrett Crochet, and Michael Kopech in high-leverage situations.

Pirates Release Kyle Crick

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The Pirates have placed right-hander Kyle Crick on release waivers, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports (via Twitter).  Crick was designated for assignment earlier this week and cleared DFA waivers, and the Bucs elected to part ways with Crick rather than outright him to Triple-A.

The move ends Crick’s three-plus seasons in Pittsburgh after 139 1/3 innings and several ups and downs within the righty’s overall solid 3.62 ERA.  Crick had a very strong 2018 season but struggled in 2019, missed most of 2020 due to injury, and again couldn’t find any consistency this year.  Control has been Crick’s biggest problem, as he has an ungainly 16% walk rate since the start of the 2019 season.

Crick is still only 28 years old and he has two seasons of arbitration control remaining.  Between these points and the “change of scenery” factor, it seems likely that another team will look to pick him up on a minor league deal and see if they can solve Crick’s lack of command.

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