Sam McWilliams

Cubs, Richard Lovelady Agree To Deal

By Anthony Franco | January 29, 2024 at 11:51pm CDT

Free agent reliever Richard Lovelady is signing with the Cubs, as announced by Driveline Baseball (on X). Lovelady confirmed the news on his own X account. It’s presumably a minor league contract with a Spring Training invitation. Chicago also agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Sam McWilliams this afternoon, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (X link).

Lovelady, a 28-year-old southpaw, has pitched in parts of four MLB campaigns. A former 10th-round pick of the Royals, he debuted with Kansas City in 2019. Lovelady struggled in 26 appearances between 2019-20 before an impressive small-sample showing in ’21. He worked to a 3.48 ERA over 20 2/3 innings that year. Lovelady punched out an above-average 27.2% of opponents while running an excellent 56.6% grounder percentage.

Unfortunately, his time in K.C. was cut short by injury. A UCL sprain in his throwing elbow was a precursor to Tommy John surgery. He spent the following season rehabbing and was traded to the Braves in Spring Training last year. Lovelady never made an MLB appearance with Atlanta, who tried to sneak him through waivers in mid-April. The A’s stepped in to make a claim.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay called on Lovelady 27 times. The Kennesaw State product allowed 4.63 earned runs per nine. He punched out a quarter of opponents with a 47.5% ground-ball rate. Those are reasonable peripherals but down from the numbers he showed in 2021. His average fastball speed was down to roughly 91 MPH after sitting in the 93 MPH range before the surgery. There wasn’t as dramatic a dip in his slider velocity, which was only marginally down from 86.6 to 85.9 MPH.

Injuries again ended Lovelady’s season and, ultimately, his tenure with the organization. He was shut down around the All-Star Break after being diagnosed with a pronator strain in his forearm. Lovelady finished the year on the injured list. Oakland waived him at season’s end and he became a minor league free agent.

Driveline included video of Lovelady throwing a recent bullpen session at their training facility. That’s a positive indicator for his arm health and seems to suggest he’ll be ready for game action this spring. Chicago is very light on left-handed bullpen options. Drew Smyly is likely pushed into relief after struggling as a starter. Luke Little and Bailey Horn, neither of whom have much MLB experience, are the only other lefty relievers on the 40-man roster.

McWilliams, 28, has spent time on the 40-man rosters of the Mets and Padres in his career. He has yet to make his major league debut. Sky-high walk rates in the upper minors kept him from getting a look in the majors. The 6’7″ hurler sat out last season before a return in the Mexican winter league this year. Over 25 1/3 frames there, he owns a 3.55 ERA with a 28.4% strikeout rate but a 13.7% walk percentage.

Reds To Sign Sam McWilliams To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | March 19, 2022 at 12:04pm CDT

The Reds have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with righty Sam McWilliams, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic.

Originally drafted by the Phillies, McWilliams was part of a couple of trades as a prospect, going to the Diamondbacks for Jeremy Hellickson before later being flipped to the Rays as part of the Steven Souza Jr. trade.

In 2019, he got his first taste of Triple-A, struggling mightily at that level, putting up an ERA of 8.18 in 44 innings there. After the pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020, McWilliams reached free agency and signed a Major League deal with the Mets. Yet again, McWilliams struggled, throwing 8 1/3 innings in Triple-A and getting shelled to the tune of a 10.80 ERA. He was designated for assignment and claimed by the Padres, struggling some more before being DFA’d again and clearing waivers.

Ghiroli recently wrote about McWilliams, providing insight into how all this came to be and why teams continue to be interested in the hurler. While the full story is worth a read for all the details, the short version is that McWilliams became a disciple of advanced analytics, greatly improving the speed, spin and shape of his pitches. However, he became overwhelmed in a sea of data and lost the ability to locate his pitches, developing a condition that is commonly known as “the yips.” The data certainly backs that up, as he had a 20.2% walk rate in the minors last year. (Average is usually in the vicinity of 8%.)

McWilliams is now changing his approach and hoping to make the journey back from his struggles, much like Tyler Matzek of the Braves. The yips kept Matzek out of baseball for years, but he made a remarkable comeback that led all the way to a World Series title last year. The Reds are hoping that McWilliams can similarly overcome these obstacles and find the best version of himself. The club has been primarily focused on cost-cutting recently, which involved subtracting Wade Miley, Sonny Gray and Amir Garrett from the pitching staff. Taking a flier on a pitcher like McWilliams is a no-risk way of trying to recoup some of those losses without a significant financial investment. McWilliams is only 26 years old and has yet to make his MLB debut. He also has a couple of option years remaining, meaning he could be a valuable depth option for the club if he can crack the roster.

Quick Hits: Free Agents, Goodrum, Zombro

By Mark Polishuk | February 17, 2022 at 8:53am CDT

We have continued to see minor league signings even with the lockout still limiting most offseason business, though The Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli note that the total number of minors contracts signed this winter is naturally much lower than usual compared to past offseasons. While the lockout extends to MLBPA members, players on MLB contracts, and players on 40-man rosters, some players within these parameters are stuck in a strange middle ground, like Sam McWilliams. Since the righty signed a Major League contract with the Mets last winter but hasn’t actually appeared in a big league game in his pro career, he is both locked out and not an official union member.

It isn’t known exactly how many players are in McWilliams’ status, which is part of the confusion shared over which players are exactly “covered” by the lockout regulations. As a result, some offseason throwing showcases have had to stagger workout times (since MLB scouts aren’t permitted to even observe locked-out players) or even prevent some “covered” players from attending these showcases. McWilliams and others might therefore have even more of an uphill battle in landing a contract during what is expected to be an absolute frenzy of transactions once the lockout is finally over. [UPDATE: Ghiroli tweets that the MLBPA has adjusted its qualification standard for stipends to include McWilliams and other players in his situation]

Padres Place Pierce Johnson On 10-Day Injured List, Outright Sam McWilliams, Select Daniel Camarena

By TC Zencka | June 19, 2021 at 3:54pm CDT

The Padres announced a trio of moves tonight, first and foremost placing right-hander Pierce Johnson on the 10-day injured list with right triceps inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 18th. The Padres selected the contract for southpaw Daniel Camarena from Triple-A El Paso to take Johnson’s roster spot.

Johnson, 30, has been a productive member of the Friars’ bullpen when healthy. He rides an unconventional curve-forward arsenal, throwing his hook 73.1 percent of the time this season. He compliments his high-spin curveball with a 95.5 mph power sinker. The combo put Johnson in the 93rd percentile league-wide by K-rate with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate. In 27 appearances, he’s has a 3.57 ERA/2.84 SIERA over 22 2/3 innings with three holds and a blown save.

Camarena, 28, has yet to make his Major League debut, but he’s likely to do so either today or tomorrow, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). He was a drafted out of San Diego area Cathedral Catholic High School in the 20th round by the Yankees way back in 2010. He career took a hit, however, when he underwent Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the entire 2015 season.

The 6’0″ lefty rehabbed and reached Triple-A in 2016, but he’s been unable to break through. Baseball America had him as the Yankees’ 31st-ranked prospect back in 2017, writing, “Camarena’s fastball typically sits in the low-90s but touched 93 in the middle portion of the season before backing up again as the fatigue from a lost year set in down the stretch. He coupled the fastball with a full offspeed arsenal that included an above-average changeup, a get-me-over curveball and a slider he added this year to give him an extra weapon against righthanders.”

BA pegged him for a back-end rotation arm, but he became a minor league free agent before receiving a big-league opportunity in New York. In eight starts with El Paso this season, Camarena finally earned his call-up with a 3.00 ERA in 39 innings, where he has allowed 33 hits and 11 walks while notching 24 strikeouts.

Lastly, recently-acquired right-hander Sam McWilliams was also outrighted to Triple-A. The 6’7″ McWilliams impressed scouts this past winter, driving a mini-auction for his services. He ultimately signed with the Mets. The well-traveled McWilliams has spent time with Philadelphia, Arizona, Tampa Bay, New York, and the Padres, reaching Triple-A with the Rays in 2019. He’s been knocked around at the highest level of the minors this season, giving up 15 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings between the Mets’ and Padres’ Triple-A clubs. Control has been his bugaboo; McWilliams has a 25.4 percent walk rate this season.

Padres Claim Sam McWilliams Off Waivers From Mets

By Mark Polishuk | June 5, 2021 at 1:06pm CDT

The Padres announced (via Twitter) that right-hander Sam McWilliams has been claimed off waivers from the Mets. Right-hander Taylor Williams was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for McWilliams.

New York designated McWilliams for assignment earlier this week, as the righty had gotten off to a very rough start in his first 8 1/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse. McWilliams issued eight walks and also allowed three home runs over those 8 1/3 frames, en route to a 10.80 ERA.

Over 52 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level in both the Mets and Rays organizations, McWilliams now has an 8.60 ERA. Though he has yet to reach the big leagues, the Mets inked McWilliams to a one-year MLB deal worth $750K last November, taking a flier on a promising young arm.

The Padres will now assume the remainder of that salary as per their waiver claim, and they’ll see if they can get McWilliams on track. Given the number of trades between the Padres and Rays in recent years, it wouldn’t be surprising if San Diego had initially had interest in McWilliams back in his days in Tampa’s farm system.

Mets Make Several Roster Moves

By Connor Byrne | May 31, 2021 at 5:00pm CDT

The Mets have reinstated first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Kevin Pillar and reliever Seth Lugo from the injured list, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. In other moves, the Mets designated outfielder Cameron Maybin and right-hander Sam McWilliams for assignment; selected outfielder Mason Williams; and optioned outfielder Khalil Lee, catcher Patrick Mazeika and reliever Sean Reid-Foley.

The returns of Alonso, Pillar and Lugo (all previously reported) will add some reinforcements to a New York team that has been ravaged by injuries this year. Despite their health issues, though, the Mets have started a solid 25-20 en route to a 3 1/2-game lead in the National League East.

Thanks in part to their injuries, the Mets acquired Maybin from the Cubs on May 18. The Mets bought extremely low on Maybin, whom they picked up for a dollar, but they got little bang for their buck. The 34-year-old totaled 33 plate appearances, collected one hit (a single) and struck out 12 times before they designated him.

McWilliams, meanwhile, signed a major league contract with the Mets last offseason despite having never pitched in the bigs. He also hasn’t reached the majors this season, instead throwing 8 1/3 innings of 10-earned run ball at the Triple-A level. The 25-year-old owns an ugly 8.60 ERA with 53 strikeouts against 25 walks in 52 1/3 Triple-A frames.

Mets To Place Taijuan Walker On 10-Day IL

By Connor Byrne | May 19, 2021 at 4:55pm CDT

4:55pm: McWilliams and Tarpley are on the COVID list, Healey tweets.

4:46pm: The team has officially placed Walker and fellow hurlers Sam McWilliams and Stephen Tarpley on the IL, Thosar relays. New York also activated outfielder Cameron Maybin, whom it acquired from the Cubs on Tuesday.

4:06pm: The Mets will place right-hander Taijuan Walker on the 10-day injured list, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News was among those to report. Walker is dealing with tightness in his left side.

The Mets now have four notable starters on the IL, with Walker joining Jacob deGrom (right side tightness), Noah Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery recovery) and Carlos Carrasco (hamstring strain) on the shelf. Nevertheless, the Mets have gone 20-16 and are in possession of a one-game lead in the National League East.

For his part, Walker – whom the Mets signed to a two-year, $20MM guarantee in free agency – has more than held his own in 2021. The former Mariner, Diamondback and Blue Jay, 28, has pitched to a 2.05 ERA over eight starts and 44 innings. That’s obviously going to be difficult production to replace, but the Mets seem hopeful Walker won’t miss much time, per manager Luis Rojas (via Tim Healey of Newsday).

Mets Sign Sam McWilliams To Major League Contract

By Steve Adams | November 20, 2020 at 1:33pm CDT

The Mets announced Friday that they’ve signed right-hander Sam McWilliams to a one-year, Major League contract. The 25-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut and spent the 2020 season in the Rays’ 60-man player pool. The contract comes with a $750K salary, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, which is considerably north of the league minimum — an unusually high commitment for a minor league free agent on a Major League deal. McWilliams is represented by Brian Grieper of Paragon Sports International.

An eighth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2014, McWilliams was traded to the D-backs a year after being selected in the deal that brought righty Jeremy Hellickson to Philadelphia. Arizona then shipped him to Tampa Bay alongside southpaw Colin Poche to complete their acquisition of Steven Souza Jr. in 2018.

The 6’7″ McWilliams has just 44 innings of Triple-A work under his belt, and they didn’t go particularly well (8.18 ERA), but he fared well prior to reaching the top minor league level. In a total of 535 innings since being drafted, he owns a 3.85 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 1.4 HR/9. He’ll step into one of the three vacancies the Mets had on their 40-man roster, bringing their total to 37 players.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Tepera, Norris, Trumbo

By George Miller | March 24, 2019 at 2:07pm CDT

Chris Sale’s freshly-inked 5-year contract extension will leave the Red Sox searching for answers to a number of questions as they move forward, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI. With Sale’s contract including an opt-out after 2022, the Red Sox could find themselves in a tricky situation at that time. Bradford notes that the contracts of fellow starters Nathan Eovaldi and David Price expire after 2022, and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is controllable through 2021, meaning that if Sale chooses to exercise his opt-out clause, the team could find itself wanting for starters. Of course, it’s far from a foregone conclusion that Sale will opt for free agency after the third year of his new contract, but it is certainly a situation that Red Sox brass will monitor as that time draws nearer. Pressure could be on the Red Sox to find and develop a new guard of young pitchers to fill the shoes of big-name Boston starters.

Some other notes from the AL East…

The Blue Jays received some encouraging news today, with manager Charlie Montoyo informing reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) that right-handed reliever Ryan Tepera, who has recently been dealing with elbow inflammation, will not require surgery. Having been cleared, Tepera will resume throwing on Tuesday. Montoyo added (Twitter link) that fellow right-hander Bud Norris is expected to be ready to play on Opening Day and will pitch an inning today.
Orioles designated hitter Mark Trumbo will begin the season on the IL, reports Dan Connolly of The Athletic. After undergoing knee surgery last September, the slugger will have to wait to make his 2019 debut. With Trumbo on the shelf, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde may look to allocate DH at-bats by committee, though Trey Mancini appears the most obvious candidate to fill that role. While it remains unclear just how much time Trumbo will miss, he said that it could be a month or more before he’s able to take the field (via MASN’s Roch Kubatko on Twitter).
The Rays will get right-handed pitcher Sam McWilliams back, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com (Twitter link). McWilliams had been selected by the Royals in December’s Rule-5 Draft, but will be returned to his prior club after failing to crack Kansas City’s Opening Day roster. McWilliams, who is not on the Rays’ 40-man roster, will report to minor league camp with the Rays.

Rays Acquire Two Prospects From D-Backs To Complete Steven Souza Trade

By Jeff Todd | May 1, 2018 at 3:49pm CDT

3:49pm: The Rays and Diamondbacks have now announced the trade.

2:51pm: The Rays have acquired righty Sam McWilliams and southpaw Colin Poche from the Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. That pair of hurlers will make up the final portion of the late-February swap that brought outfielder Steven Souza to Arizona.

The Tampa Bay organization had insisted it only relented to moving Souza because of the quality of the return. Today’s news does help to bolster that claim, as the two newcomers are not just throw-in assets.

McWilliams, 22, is a big right-hander who was tabbed as the 13th-best prospect in the Arizona system coming into the season by Baseball America. He has opened eyes since, turning in 25 2/3 innings of 2.10 ERA ball in his first turn at the High-A level. Importantly, he has drastically increased his strikeout rate (to 11.2 K/9, nearly double his career rate) while maintaining his typically reliable control (2.1 BB/9). Arizona had initially picked him up in the trade that sent right-hander (and former Ray) Jeremy Hellickson the Phillies, though McWilliams has raised his profile a bit since that time.

The 24-year-old Poche is closer to the Majors, though unlike McWilliams he does not carry the potential upside of working as a starter. He has enjoyed some success in the past, but nothing like what he has shown thus far this season at Double-A. In 11 shutout innings, Poche has allowed just three hits while compiling a whopping 23:2 K/BB ratio.

It seems reasonable to think that he could be on the MLB radar in the relatively near term — he was included on Jason Martinez’s first Knocking Down the Door feature of 2018 — if he can sustain anything approaching that level of production. Baseball America rated Poche 29th among Arizona farmhands this past offseason, though like McWilliams, his early work has likely elevated his status to an extent.

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