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Steve Johnson

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/23/18

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • Veteran right-hander Steve Johnson, 31, announced his retirement Friday on Instagram (hat tip to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com), ending a pro career that began when the Dodgers used a 13th-round pick on him in 2005. Johnson never got past the Double-A level with the Dodgers, though the Baltimore native eventually reached the majors with his hometown Orioles. The O’s selected Johnson in the 2009 Rule 5 Draft, and he went on to amass 59 1/3 innings with the club from 2012-15. Johnson added another 16 2/3 frames with the Mariners in 2016, the last time he appeared in the bigs. In total, Johnson tossed 76 innings of 4.26 ERA ball with 10.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 at the game’s highest level. He wrapped up his career last season with Lancaster of the independent Atlantic League.
  • The Cubs have signed left-hander Mike Zagurski to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp, Jerry Crasnick reports. The 35-year-old spent last season with the division-rival Brewers, though he only threw one big league inning – a disastrous frame in which he yielded seven earned runs. But Zagurski did thrive as a member of the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in hitter-friendly Colorado Springs, with which he posted a 3.20 ERA, 13.2 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 45 innings. Zagurski has held his own in Triple-A with a few organizations, evidenced by his 2.84 ERA, 12.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 294 1/3 frames. However, Zagurski has had a horrid time across 76 1/3 MLB innings with the Brewers, Philles, Diamondbacks, Yankees and Pirates, having logged a 7.78 ERA with 9.08 K/9 and 5.66 BB/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/9/17

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The White Sox have added righty Steve Johnson from the Orioles, per an announcement from the latter organization. Cash considerations are heading back in return. Johnson, 29, becomes the latest pitcher added to the Triple-A roster by the South Siders, who are lining up options for the MLB roster down the stretch. He has 76 major league frames of 4.26 ERA pitching on his ledger, with 10.2 K/9 but also 5.6 BB/9 in that stretch. The free passes have never been quite as much of an issue for Johnson in the minors, though, where he has been excellent at times. Things haven’t gone quite as well this year, though, as Johnson owns a 5.30 ERA in his 37 1/3 frames — though he has still managed more than a strikeout per inning.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/4/17

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

  • The Mariners have outrighted infielder Mike Freeman after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. He’ll head back to MLB camp as a non-roster player. GM Jerry Dipoto suggested yesterday that Freeman lost his place on the roster in large part because the club felt he was the likeliest of the reserve infield candidates to clear waivers. Now that he has, presumably, there’s still a chance he could crack the Opening Day roster, though he’ll also be at a disadvantage since he lost his 40-man spot.
  • Righty Steve Johnson will join the Orioles on a minor-league deal, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on Twitter. The 29-year-old has spent five prior years in the O’s organization, cracking the majors in three seasons. Last year, he worked to a 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 MLB frames with the Mariners, striking out 9.2 but walking 5.9 batters per nine. Johnson did produce better numbers at Triple-A, though, posting a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings with 10.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. That continued a noticeable pattern in which Johnson struggles with free passes at the MLB level (5.6 BB/9 lifetime) despite carrying palatable (or better) rates in the upper minors.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/19/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the page…

  • The Rockies acquired lefty Pat McCoy from the Blue Jays, according to the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate (Twitter link).  McCoy has pitched in four different organizations during a pro career that began in 2007, and his Major League experience consists of 14 relief innings with Detroit in 2014.  McCoy has a 4.43 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.63 K/BB rate over 491 2/3 career minor league frames, with 288 of his 312 games coming as a reliever.
  • The Pirates selected the contract of catcher Jacob Stallings from Triple-A and added him to both their Major League and 40-man rosters.  Jason Rogers was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.  Stallings will give the Bucs some depth behind the plate with Francisco Cervelli on the DL and Chris Stewart also battling an ankle injury.  A seventh-round pick in the 2012, Stallings has a .675 OPS over 1266 career minor league PA and wasn’t listed on Baseball America’s ranking of the Pirates’ top 30 prospects.
  • The Mariners have sent right-hander Steve Johnson outright to Triple-A Tacoma, the team announced. Johnson has been outrighted in the past, so he’ll have the option of declining in favor of free agency. The Mariners designated him for assignment Friday after he totaled a 4.32 ERA and 11 walks over 16 2/3 innings.
  • The Rays have outrighted lefty Dana Eveland to Triple-A Durham, according to the club. Eveland, like Johnson, has been outrighted previously. The 32-year-old has racked up 16 2/3 frames of 7.56 ERA ball at the major league level this season.
  • Minor league Red Sox reliever Anthony Varvaro has retired, per a club announcement. Varvaro, 31, concluded his career by recording a 2.83 ERA, 9.73 K/9 and 4.08 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket this year. Prior to tossing 11 frames at the major league level for the Red Sox in 2015, he was a member of the Braves, with whom he had a pair of standout seasons from 2013-14. Varvaro combined for 128 innings of 2.74 ERA pitching in that span, also posting a 6.54 K/9, 2.67 BB/9 and 48.2 percent ground-ball rate.  Over the course of 183 2/3 innings in the majors with the Mariners, Braves and Red Sox, Varvaro logged a 3.23 ERA, 7.35 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9.
  • The White Sox have signed first baseman K.J. Woods, whom the Marlins released, and outfielder Slade Heathcott to minor league deals, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link). The Marlins used a fourth-round pick in 2013 on Woods, who hit .239/.326/.386 in 872 minor league plate appearances with their organization. Heathcott, the more notable player of the two, was the Yankees’ first-rounder (29th overall) in 2009. BA ranked him as baseball’s 63rd-best prospect entering the 2013 season, but injuries and disappointing production led the Yankees to release him last month. Heathcott did perform well during his first taste of major league action last year, though, collecting 10 hits – including two home runs and a pair of doubles – in 30 PAs.

Mariners Designate Steve Johnson, Place Wade Miley On 15-Day DL

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The Mariners have announced a series of roster moves involving their pitching staff. Righty Steve Johnson was designated for assignment and southpaw Wade Miley was placed on the 15-day DL with a shoulder impingement. Seattle has called up right-hander Jonathan Aro and lefty David Rollins to take their places.

Johnson, 28, pitched to a 4.32 ERA over 16 2/3 frames on the year for the M’s. He was striking out better than a batter per inning, but his 11 walks certainly rate as a concern. Those numbers largely match his career line of a 4.26 ERA and 10.2 K/9 against 5.6 BB/9.

The 29-year-old Miley has struggled to keep runs off the board in Seattle and owns a 5.28 earned run average over his 76 2/3 frames on the year. Other than allowing more home runs and drawing a few less grounders than usual, though, he’s looked much like his typical self. Miley has checked in with 6.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 on the year, right around his career averages.

To take a look at the new Mariners pitching alignment, check out the updated Seattle depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/3/16

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves right here:

  • The Cubs announced that they’ve placed outfielder Matt Szczur on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring and selected the contract of outfielder Ryan Kalish to take his place on the active roster. In order to clear a spot for Kalish on the 40-man roster, the club has transferred infielder Christian Villanueva to the 60-day disabled list. Kalish, 28, was long a top-rated Red Sox prospect and is, as such, quite familiar to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer. Excellent production in the minors has earned Kalish his first taste of the Majors since 2014 (also with the Cubs). In 20 games (70 plate appearances) at the Triple-A level thus far, Kalish is batting a ridiculous .368/.471/.509 with four doubles, a pair of triples, three steals and more walks drawn (10) than strikeouts (nine).
  • The Mariners announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Steve Johnson from Triple-A Tacoma and placed right-hander Tony Zych on the 15-day DL with rotator cuff tendinitis. Johnson, 28, has a fair amount of big league experience — all coming with the Orioles between the 2012-15 seasons. In 59 1/3 innings at the big league level, he’s worked to a 4.25 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9. However, he’s posted a 20-to-2 K/BB ratio in 16 innings with Tacoma this season, so the Mariners will undoubtedly hope that they’ve helped iron out his longstanding control problems. Zych, meanwhile, had a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings this season and had punched out 19 batters against eight free passes (one intentional).

Earlier Moves

  • The Reds have purchased the contract of catcher Rafael Lopez from the Bridgeport Bluefish, the indy league club announced. He’ll head to Triple-A Louisville, providing another depth option for an organization that is filling in for injured MLB starter Devin Mesoraco. Lopez, 28, has only appeared briefly at the major league level. He spent last season at Triple-A in the Cubs and Angels systems, slashing .266/.339/.335 over 246 plate appearances.
  • Righty Matt Buschmann has been outrighted to Triple-A by the Diamondbacks, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports on Twitter. The 32-year-old was designated recently as Arizona continues to cycle through relief pitchers to keep its pen fresh. He surrendered only one earned run in his first 4 1/3  big league frames, but will for head back to Triple-A once again to wait for another shot. Buschmann had been working as a starter in the minors, as he has for much of his minor league career, but it remains to be seen what role he’ll take upon his return to Reno.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/17/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Mariners have added righty Steve Johnson on a minor league deal, per a club announcement. Johnson, who was recently cut loose by the Rangers, will not receive an invite to big league camp. It’s been a disappointing spring thus for the the 28-year-old, who struggled in his time with Texas, but Seattle will hope he can provide some pen depth. There’s some track record to go on with Johnson, who is coming off of a 2015 season in which he carried a 2.30 ERA over 54 2/3 Triple-A frames while racking up 11.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
  • Former Cubs prospect Josh Vitters is headed to the indy league Bridgeport Bluefish, per a club announcement (via Twitter). Still just 26, Vitters has yet to return to the majors after a brief look back in 2012. Once a consensus top-100 prospect leaguewide, the infielder struggled badly at Triple-A in 2014 and was ultimately released by the Cubs. He joined the Rockies on a minor league pact last year, but Colorado ended up releasing him in the spring.

Rangers Release Steve Johnson

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post. There’s only one of note thus far:

  • The Rangers have released right-hander Steve Johnson, per a club announcement. He had been hammered for eight earned runs on nine hits over 3 1/3 spring innings, though he did pick up five strikeouts in that span. The 28-year-old has seen only sporadic major league time over the past several seasons with the Orioles, and joined on with Texas on a minor league deal in hopes of a new opportunity. That will have to come with still another organization, but the rest of the league will surely take notice of Johnson’s strong output at Triple-A last season. Over 54 2/3 innings, he worked to a 2.30 ERA with 11.0 K/9 versus 2.6 BB/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/29/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Righty Steve Johnson has signed on to a minor league pact with the Rangers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. He’ll get a spring invite. Johnson lost his 40-man spot with the Orioles earlier in the winter. The 28-year-old has seen limited major league time over the past several years, but has put up some intriguing numbers in the upper minors. Last year, he threw 54 2/3 Triple-A frames with a 2.30 ERA and 11.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
  • The Reds have agreed to terms with lefty Jonathan Sanchez, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Sanchez, 33, hasn’t seen the majors since a brief stop with the Pirates in 2013. Best known as a former starter with the Giants, Sanchez has seen only minimal action in organized ball over the last two seasons and will be looking to get back to action in the Cincinnati organization.
  • Veteran infielder Maicer Izturis has joined the Blue Jays and will head to major league camp, the team announced. The 35-year-old switch-hitter missed last year with shoulder surgery. Izturis will presumably try to battle onto the roster as a utility candidate. It’s been a while since he’s posted league-average numbers at the plate, but he is a versatile defender.

Orioles Designate Steve Johnson For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they’ve designated right-hander Steve Johnson for assignment. The move creates space on the club’s 40-man roster for new acquisitions Mark Trumbo and C.J. Riefenhauser (only one spot was needed, as a second was opened up when Steve Clevenger went to Seattle in the deal).

Johnson, 28, logged a 2.11 ERA with 46 strikeouts against 18 walks in 38 1/3 innings for Baltimore back in 2012 but has tallied just 21 innings of 8.14 ERA ball in the Majors since that time. He’s spent stints on the disabled list due to a lat injury and an oblique injury since that successful rookie debut and also spent considerable time at the Triple-A level. Johnson has 317 1/3 career innings at Triple-A, where he’s worked to a 4.20 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9.

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