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Pete Crow-Armstrong

NL Central Notes: Hinds, Crow-Armstrong, Mathias

By Mark Polishuk | March 5, 2022 at 9:21am CDT

The Reds are moving power-hitting prospect Rece Hinds from third base to the outfield, The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith writes.  The club first considered a position change for Hinds earlier this spring — as detailed by MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon — and a more official decision has now been made, in an effort to help keep the 21-year-old healthy.  Between the canceled 2020 minor league season and a pair of serious leg injuries in both 2019 and 2021, Hinds has barely played (57 games, 236 plate appearances) since the Reds selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft.  Changing positions will theoretically help Hinds “concentrate on his legs, his agility and his leg health,” Reds VP of player development Shawn Pender said.  “As big as he is, third base is not easy for a big man to play, no matter how athletic he is.  Let’s put him someplace where that bursting stop and start isn’t impacting him.”

The 6’4, 215-pound Hinds is ranked amongst the Reds’ top ten prospects by both MLB Pipeline (7th) and Baseball America (8th).  Both outlets’ scouting reports cited the possibility of Hinds eventually moving to the outfield, and between Hinds’ athleticism and a very strong throwing arm, the transition could be relatively smooth.  Beyond his glovework, Hinds’ power and bat speed are his true calling cards, and he has hit a respectable .249/.326/.522 with 12 homers over those 236 PA, amidst all his injuries.  Hinds played in A-ball last season, and it isn’t yet known if Cincinnati will start Hinds at Double-A, or perhaps at least start him back at A-ball just to get a few more games under his belt and some more seasoning at this new position.

More from around the NL Central…

  • Injuries have also limited the brief career of Pete Crow-Armstrong, as shoulder surgery ended the outfielder’s first pro season after only six games.  That health concern didn’t stop the Cubs from making Crow-Armstrong the key piece in the trade package they received from the Mets in the Javier Baez blockbuster last July, and MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes that Crow-Armstrong was cleared for regular activity in the Cubs’ minicamp.  During his recovery time, Crow-Armstrong and Chicago minor league hitting coach Rachel Folden made some adjustments to his swing and approach, and the early results are promising.  Crow-Armstrong “might have the biggest exit velocity jump of anyone we have in camp.  He’s just way more physical,” Cubs director of hitting Justin Stone said.
  • Mark Mathias is unfortunately no stranger to shoulder injuries, having twice undergone procedures for torn labrums.  The latest surgery cost Mathias the entire 2021 season, but he is back at fully participating in the Brewers’ minicamp with no apparent limitations.  “It’s a miracle, man.  I was thinking I wasn’t going to be able to recover from this one fully,” Mathias told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.  “This is my second surgery on the throwing shoulder, and most of the time when guys have that, it’s career ending….I’m able to throw and it looks right, and I’m thankful.”  Mathias has been able to work out at camp and consult with the Brewers training staff because Milwaukee outrighted him off its 40-man roster in November, and thus Mathias isn’t subject to the lockout.  Mathias spent much of his career in Cleveland’s farm system before being acquired by the Brew Crew in November 2019, and he made his MLB debut by playing 16 games for the Brewers in 2020.  With Milwaukee constantly on the lookout for versatile roster pieces, Mathias will have a chance to win himself a bench job whenever big league camps finally open.
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Mets Acquire Javier Baez, Trevor Williams

By Mark Polishuk | July 30, 2021 at 3:30pm CDT

The Mets and Cubs announced agreement on a deal sending star shortstop Javier Baez to Queens. He’ll be accompanied by right-hander Trevor Williams, with outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong sent back to Chicago in return.

Between landing Francisco Lindor during the offseason and now trading for Baez, the Mets have obtained two of the sport’s best shortstops (who are also great friends with each other) within the span of a few months.  Baez is a free agent after the season, so while this is quite possibly a short-term pickup meant to only help the Mets in 2021, it will nonetheless be a huge boost to New York’s chances of winning the NL East and making a run in October.

The trade ends a very memorable eight-season run for Baez in Wrigleyville, after he was selected with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 draft.  Beginning his career as a free-swinging power bat, Baez’s propensity for striking out never really went away (his 131 whiffs leads the league this year), but he has hit .269/.307/.502 with 116 homers over 2310 PA since the start of the 2017 season.  That includes a huge 2018 season that saw Baez finish second in NL MVP voting, while also winning a Silver Slugger Award.

As accomplished as Baez is at the plate, his defense has become his calling card.  It took Baez until 2020 to capture his first Gold Glove, but his shortstop ability has been celebrated for years, even if he didn’t fully leave second (or even third) base duty until 2019.  Since Lindor has played only as a shortstop at the MLB level, Baez is the likelier of the two to be moved around the diamond as the Mets’ needs develop.

Most of the Mets’ rumors were centered around the team’s search for third base help, though Lindor’s recent placement on the 10-day injured list seemed to expand the search to the shortstop position as well.  Baez can handle short until Lindor is healthy, and could then slide over to play second base or potentially even third base, giving the Mets a clear and immediate upgrade to their infield defense.  Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis are the current first-choice options at second and third base, though either could be moved into the outfield, with McNeil being the more versatile of the two.

Williams will add depth to a Mets rotation that has been thinned by injuries, though once everyone is at full health, Williams is likely to be relegated to bullpen duty.  The 29-year-old right-hander has a 5.06 ERA over 58 2/3 innings for the Cubs this season, and there isn’t much to like about his Statcast metrics.  That said, Williams’ SIERA is a more palatable 4.18, and he has experienced some misfortune — a .343 BABIP, and a .358 wOBA that is far above his .320 xwOBA.

The Baez deal continues a Cubs fire sale that has already seen the likes of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera, and Joc Pederson all dealt. The Mets announced they’ve received an undisclosed amount of cash in the deal. Baez has roughly $3.96MM remaining on his $11.65MM salary for the 2021 season.  The Mets still have some breathing room under the $210MM luxury tax threshold, as only the prorated portion of that $11.65MM counts against their tax number (and the Cubs might are also kicking in some money).

In exchange for Baez and Williams, the Cubs will receive a solid but not quite elite prospect in Crow-Armstrong, who wasn’t listed by either MLB Pipeline (fifth) or Baseball America (sixth) as one of New York’s top four prospects.  Still, Crow-Armstrong was selected 19th overall just last summer, and he began his pro career with a 1.024 OPS over the very small sample size of 32 PA for the Mets’ A-ball affiliate before having to undergo shoulder surgery.

The 19-year-old Crow-Armstrong might already be just about MLB-ready on the defensive front, as he has an excellent throwing arm and speed that makes him a fit as a future center fielder.  As Pipeline’s scouting report simply puts it, “the offensive game will be a work in progress,” as Crow-Armstrong has shown only power potential thus far rather than any real power.  He does make a lot of contact, however, and his speed could be a difference-maker in helping him turn grounders into singles or singles into doubles.

Andy Martino of SNY reported the Mets’ acquisition of Baez. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that New York was also acquiring Williams, while Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Crow-Armstrong was headed back to Chicago in return. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark initially reported the two sides were making progress on a trade, with The New York Post’s Joel Sherman tweeting that a pitcher might also be involved as part of the negotiations.

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Chicago Cubs New York Mets Newsstand Transactions Javier Baez Pete Crow-Armstrong Trevor Williams

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Mets Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

By Steve Adams | May 18, 2021 at 1:49pm CDT

The Mets’ injury woes continued this week, as the team announced Tuesday that top outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong will undergo surgery on his right shoulder “for a GLAD lesion (glenoid labral articular disruption).” Crow-Armstrong, according to the Mets’ press release, underwent an MRI this week, which “revealed a tear of the labrum as well as injury to the articular cartilage of the shoulder.”

The 19-year-old Crow-Armstrong wouldn’t have been a viable option for the Mets’ banged-up outfield in 2021 anyway, but it’s nevertheless a notable setback to the 2020 first-round pick’s development. He appeared in six games of Class-A ball in 2021, going 10-for-24 with a pair of doubles to begin his professional career. That limited sample will now be the only experience he gets under his belt for the 2021 season. The Mets have yet to announce a formal timeline on his recovery, but a surgery of this nature surely won’t be something from which he can return in just a few months’ time.

Crow-Armstrong becomes the second high-profile Mets prospect now slated for major surgery, joining 2019 draftee Matt Allan, who is out for the year due to Tommy John surgery. Both players rank among the Mets’ top six farmhands on the organizational rankings at Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs.

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New York Mets Pete Crow-Armstrong

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Mets Sign First-Rounder Pete Crow-Armstrong

By Connor Byrne | June 25, 2020 at 3:21pm CDT

The Mets have signed first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tweets. He’ll earn the full slot value of his selection, No. 19, with a $3,359,000 bonus.

The 18-year-old Crow-Armstrong, an outfielder from Los Angeles, committed to Ohio State prior to the draft. He entered the proceedings as a top 25 prospect according to Keith Law of The Athletic (No. 10), Baseball America (No. 17), ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (No. 18), MLB.com (No. 20) and FanGraphs (No. 25). Law, the biggest fan of Crow-Armstrong among the bunch, praised his all-around game, especially his defense in center field, writing, “The defensive and positional value give him a higher floor than most teenagers in the class have, and the possibility for a 60 bat with 50 power gives him a star ceiling.”

The Crow-Armstrong deal leaves the Mets with just one unsigned draft pick, second-rounder J.T. Ginn, whose selection (No. 52) comes with a recommended value of $1,403,000. The Mets still have about $2.6MM left in their draft pool, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, so it seems they’re in good position to sign Ginn.

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