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Zack Collins

Blue Jays Promote Gabriel Moreno, Option Zack Collins

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As expected, the Blue Jays have promoted top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno today to make his big league debut. As a corresponding roster move, catcher Zack Collins was optioned to Triple-A, per the Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath (via Twitter). The inevitability of Moreno’s arrival in the bigs first broke a couple of days ago. Today should be the day we get to see him on the diamond as the Jays take on the Tigers in Detroit later this afternoon.

This is not likely to be the last time that Collins sees time in the bigs, as he has largely performed as expected, providing some left-handed pop from behind the plate. The 27-year-old has slashed .212/.288/.455 with four round-trippers in 73 plate appearances. Collins was acquired from the White Sox in a straight swap for Reese McGuire.

Moreno was the 7th-ranked prospect in all of baseball at the start of the season per both MLB.com and Baseball America. He now gets his first taste of the bigs after slashing .324/.380/.404 across 150 plate appearances in Triple-A so far this season. Whether or not Moreno is here to stay could depend on a number of factors, but with the Blue Jays fairly well-stocked behind the plate, Moreno will likely have to hit the ground running to make himself into a fixture in Toronto. With Alejandro Kirk behind the plate and Danny Jansen set to return from the injured list at some point, the Blue Jays may not be able to find regular at-bats for Moreno unless he’s back in Triple-A.

White Sox Trade Zack Collins To Blue Jays For Reese McGuire

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The White Sox and Blue Jays have agreed to a swap of catchers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link).  Zack Collins is headed to Toronto, while Reese McGuire has been dealt to the Sox.

Rumors have swirled for months that the Jays were looking to move some of their catching depth, though today’s move still gives Toronto a bit more roster flexibility behind the plate while still retaining that depth.  Collins has a minor league option remaining while McGuire is out of options, so the Blue Jays can now more easily stash Collins at Triple-A.

From Chicago’s perspective, the Sox now have a more established big leaguer who can work as the backup behind Yasmani Grandal.  Since Grandal will get some time at the DH spot, McGuire and Seby Zavala (who is also out of options) can each get some action behind the plate, and the expanded 28-man rosters for April will allow the White Sox the luxury of carrying three catchers.

The Pirates selected McGuire with the 14th overall pick of the 2013 draft, and he was a regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in Pittsburgh’s farm system.  However, despite some good numbers in limited action in 2018-19, McGuire’s potential has yet to really manifest itself at the big league level.  The 27-year-old has hit .248/.297/.390 with nine homers over an even 400 plate appearances with the Blue Jays, with McGuire often finding himself behind Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Luke Maile on the catching depth chart.

Collins and McGuire share rather similar resumes — both are left-handed hitting catchers, they were born less than a month apart in 1995, and both are former first-round picks.  The White Sox selected Collins 10th overall in 2016, and like McGuire, Collins has also yet to offer much production in the majors.  Collins has a .195/.315/.330 slash line and seven home runs in 351 career PA, and he has struck out in 113 of those plate appearances.

Defense has been a question mark for Collins dating back to his college days at the University Of Miami, whereas McGuire is regarded as a decent defender.  (Statcast gave McGuire a solid +4 in framing runs during the 2021 season.)  This could be seen as something of a hitting-for-defense swap, if the Jays think they’ve seen something in Collins that can allow him to unlock his power potential.

With Collins able to be optioned, Jansen and Kirk now projects as Toronto’s regular catching tandem, and Kirk is also expected to get some DH time.  It isn’t out of the question that the Jays might still deal from this catching depth, as star prospect Gabriel Moreno is starting the season at Triple-A and could be making his Major League debut before 2022 is out.

Jonathan Lucroy Granted Release By White Sox

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The White Sox have released veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy from his minor league contract, reports FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter). The decision leaves Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes as backup catching options still in camp. The Sox have already optioned Seby Zavala, and Yasmani Grandal is of course slated to serve as the primary catcher again in 2021. The Athletic’s James Fegan tweets that Lucroy asked for his release after being informed that he would not crack the Opening Day roster.

Lucroy, 34, appeared in 14 games with the Sox during Spring Training but only tallied 23 trips to the plate. It’s a small sample of work, but he hit well in that time, going 6-for-18 with a double and drawing five walks against just one strikeout. He’d long looked like a very plausible backup option behind Grandal, but it seems the Sox will instead turn things over to younger, in-house alternatives.

Keeping Lucroy would’ve required opening another 40-man roster spot. They’ll already need to do so for Andrew Vaughn at the very least — assuming he makes the club, as expected — and could need to do so for Jake Lamb, depending on the terms of the agreement he reached with the South Siders earlier this morning. Eloy Jimenez can be moved to the 60-day IL to create one such opening, but the Sox may not be keen on finding ways to open too many additional spots.

Lucroy was arguably MLB’s premier catcher at one point, but that was back in 2016 and his subsequent decline has been precipitous, to say the least. Since Opening Day 2017, Lucroy has posted a combined .248/.315/.305 batting line that clocks in at 24 percent worse than league-average production by measure of both OPS+ and wRC+. His once-vaunted framing numbers have tumbled as well, as has his ability to catch opposing base thieves. Lucroy appeared in just one big league game last year, with the Red Sox, and did not tally a plate appearance.

White Sox Designate Nicky Delmonico For Assignment

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The White Sox have designated outfielder Nicky Delmonico for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot will go to outfielder Jarrod Dyson, whose previously reported acquisition from the Pirates has now been formally announced. Chicago also announced that second baseman Nick Madrigal has been reinstated from the injured list, with catcher Zack Collins and outfielder Luis Gonzalez both being optioned to the alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Delmonico, 28, was released by the ChiSox last year but found his way back to the club on a minor league pact over the winter. He appeared in six games this year, going 3-for-20 with two walks and two strikeouts. The former Orioles prospect has spent time with the South Siders in each of the past for seasons, hitting at a combined .224/.312/.384 clip. However, since a terrific rookie showing at the plate in 2017, Delmonico has mustered only a .210/.287/.326 slash.

Sox fans will surely be thrilled to welcome Madrigal back into the fold. The 2018 No. 4 overall pick and top prospect debuted earlier this season but separated his shoulder while diving into a base. He’s 5-for-17 to begin his big league career, but the Sox hope that Madrigal, who slashed .311/.377/.414 with 35 steals and a minuscule 3.0 percent strikeout rate across three minor league levels in 2019, will cement himself as their second baseman of the future.

White Sox Designate Carson Fulmer For Assignment, Sign Ryan Goins To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox set their Opening Day roster Thursday, announcing that they’ve designated former top-10 pick Carson Fulmer for assignment. Chicago also signed old friend Ryan Goins to a minor league deal and assigned him to its alternate training site and selected the contracts of four players: infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, outfielder Nicky Delmonico, left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-hander Codi Heuer. Additionally, veteran utilityman Andrew Romine was released by the organization.

Sox fans will surely be glad to see Yoan Moncada activated from the injured list and placed on the Opening Day roster after previously being out with Covid-19. The White Sox also called up right-hander Jimmy Lambert and catcher Zack Collins from their alternate site.

It’s a disappointing outcome for the Sox and Fulmer alike. The former Vanderbilt star was at one point considered during his junior year to be a possible No. 1 overall pick, but he’s simply never put it together in the Majors. I explored the Fulmer conundrum at length during the league’s shutdown, looking at the right-hander’s lengthy history of struggles in the Majors and upper minors. Fulmer was touted as one of the surest big leaguers in that year’s draft, as even his critics felt he was a high-probability late-inning bullpen piece. Those with reservations about taking him at the top of the draft weren’t so much worried that he’d bust completely but that he’d thrive “only” as a reliever rather than a starter.

Fast forward a half decade, and Fulmer is an out-of-options righty with a career 6.56 ERA in the Majors and 5.39 ERA in Triple-A. As detailed in the previously linked piece on him, there are plenty of positive indicators in his arsenal, and I personally have wondered how he might fare working at the top of the zone with his four-seamer, but the win-now White Sox clearly didn’t feel he was among their 30 best options. Perhaps his struggles will be pronounced enough that he’ll clear waivers, but one can also imagine a non-contender rolling the dice on his once touted arm.

Of the players selected to the 40-man roster today, Delmonico and Detwiler have both appeared for the Sox in the past. Delmonico will give them a left-handed bench bat with sparse MLB success, while Detwiler can soak up some innings if need be — either as a spot starter or long reliever. Cuthbert was once a high-end Royals prospect but has never hit much in five MLB seasons. Heuer, meanwhile, was Chicago’s sixth-round pick in 2018 and posted dominant numbers in the minors last year. He has long-term bullpen potential for them, and the Sox are surely excited to get a glimpse of how he’ll fare against MLB opposition.

As for Goins, he’ll return to the organization for a second season after hitting .250/.333/.347 in 52 games with the Sox last year. The longtime Blue Jays infielder doesn’t have much of a track record at the plate — he’s a career .230/.279/.335 hitter — but he can play all over the infield and is generally considered a strong up-the-middle defender.

Recently Optioned Players Of Note

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In case you haven’t noticed, transactions aren’t exactly plentiful since the league shut down Spring Training. There have still been a few batches of moves in the past few days, however, with a trio of Central Division clubs sending some players to their minor league ranks.

  • The Brewers optioned corner infielder Ryon Healy to Triple-A, per the MLB.com transactions log. The 28-year-old slugger’s 2019 season with the Mariners came to an end when he underwent August hip surgery, and he opted for free agency in the winter when Seattle removed him from its 40-man roster (as was his right as a player with three-plus years of service time). Healy signed a one-year deal with the Brewers and, assuming he’s healthy, should factor into Milwaukee’s mix at both corner-infield slots and as a right-handed bench bat. He notched a .282/.313/.475 slash through 888 plate appearances with the A’s in his first two big league seasons but never matched that production in Seattle (.236/.280/.423 in 711 plate appearances). Healy was healthy enough to play in 10 spring games, but he went 4-for-23 with a walk and seven strikeouts in 24 trips to the dish, which didn’t exactly help him stand out from a crowded group of infield options. Milwaukee also optioned catcher David Freitas and infielders Mark Mathias and Ronny Rodriguez.
  • Catcher Zack Collins was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte by the White Sox. The former No. 10 overall pick out of Miami, Collins is now blocked long-term by Yasmani Grandal at catcher. James McCann’s presence on the roster eliminates the possibility of Collins serving as a backup, and the organization would surely prefer him to get everyday at-bats rather than toiling away on the bench anyhow. Collins could potentially see some increased reps at first base down the road, particularly if Jose Abreu transitions to more of a DH role in 2021 and beyond. Collins struggled with a .186/.307/.349 slash in 102 MLB plate appearances in his debut last season, also striking out at an alarming 38.2 percent clip. But he ripped Triple-A pitching apart with a .282/.403/.548 slash, 19 home runs and a massive 17 percent walk rate in 367 trips to the plate with Charlotte. Chicago also optioned fellow catcher Yermin Mercedes and right-handed reliever Jose Ruiz to Triple-A.
  • The Tigers announced this week that catcher Jake Rogers was optioned to Triple-A Toledo. That move shouldn’t come as a surprise, particularly after Detroit signed longtime Yankees backstop Austin Romine earlier this winter. The Tigers hope that Rogers can be the catcher of the future, but he floundered in 128 big league plate appearances upon debuting last year. Rogers is only 24 and only had 191 career plate appearances in Triple-A when he was summoned to the Majors last year, so there’s still plenty of hope — particularly considering the manner in which he ripped through Double-A competition last year (.302/.429/.535 — 179 wRC+). Tigers general manager Al Avila suggested this winter that Rogers needs some more seasoning in Triple-A, though, so he’ll get that while Romine and Grayson Greiner comprise the catching tandem at the MLB level.

White Sox Select Contract Of Danny Mendick

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The White Sox announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder Danny Mendick. He’ll be joined on the active roster by a trio of other September call-ups: righty Dylan Covey, catcher Zack Collins, and outfielder Daniel Palka.

Mendick is a 25-year-old who is capable of playing short, second, or third base. He just wrapped up his first full season at the Triple-A level, where he slashed .279/.368/.444 with 17 home runs. That’s not quite the big season it might appear to be at first glance, but it does equate to a sturdy 109 wRC+.

White Sox Place Welington Castillo On Injured List

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The White Sox have placed catcher Welington Castillo on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. He’s said to be dealing with a strained left oblique.

This move will create active roster space for the previously reported arrival of Zack Collins, who’ll receive his first taste of the majors. The South Siders also reinstated lefty Jace Fry from the injured list. He’ll take the place of the previously optioned Thyago Vieira.

Castillo, 32, has long been a solid offensive performer. But he’s slashing a meager .196/.289/.364 over 121 plate appearances this year. Unsurprisingly, he has ceded more and more time to James McCann, who has continued his scorching start at the plate.

It’ll be interesting to see how this backstop situation plays out over the course of the season. In addition to the introduction of Collins, there are some reasons to expect both veterans to move back towards their career norms. Castillo has only a .232 batting average on balls in play, while Statcast credits him with a .340 xwOBA that dwarfs his actual .290 wOBA. It’s just the opposite for McCann, who has enjoyed a .400 BABIP and .378 wOBA but carries a xwOBA just scarcely north of Castillo’s at .348.

White Sox To Promote Zack Collins

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The White Sox are set to call up catcher Zack Collins from Triple-A, tweets Andy Slater of 640 The Hurricane radio. Collins is not on the Chicago 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move to clear room for him.

Collins, a 24-year-old catcher from the University of Miami, was a first-round pick (tenth overall) by the White Sox in 2016. MLB Pipeline regards Collins as the 11th-best prospect in the Chicago farm system, lauding his combination of power and on-base skills. Collins’s patience at the plate is perhaps his best trait, as he drew 101 bases on balls in 122 Double-A games last season, good for a 19% walk rate. MLB Pipeline also touts his “prodigious power to all fields,” with Collins hitting nine home runs in 48 games this season.

On the flip side, Collins’s patience in working counts has also translated to high strikeout totals in his professional career: in 1365 minor league plate appearances, Collins has produced a 29% strikeout rate. His struggles making contact have also produced low batting averages, though Collins’s skillset is such that he can be productive without hitting for a high average. Scouts are also skeptical his defense behind the plate, with MLB Pipeline suggesting that Collins “lacks soft hands and is a shaky receiver.”

This season, the White Sox have turned to James McCann and Welington Castillo to handle the catching duties. While McCann has been one of the most productive White Sox this season, the results have not been so promising for Castillo, who has produced a paltry .642 OPS this year and looks to be a candidate to be designated for assignment. It’s also notable that Yonder Alonso, who has been the team’s primary DH this year, has been largely unproductive for the South Siders, as he has mustered just a .591 OPS in 60 games.

Considering the concerns about Collins’s defensive ability behind the plate, there may be an opening for regular ABs as a designated hitter. However, if the White Sox are primarily concerned with Collins’s development, it may be most beneficial to give him every opportunity to prove his worth as a catcher before relegating him to DH. It remains to be seen just how often Collins will get reps at catcher, but the youth movement in Chicago is firmly underway, with Collins the latest prospect to join the MLB club.

Latest On Zack Collins

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UPDATE: There no formal agreement between the two sides in place as of yet, Murray tweets, retracting his initial report.

10:19am: The White Sox have agreed to terms with first-round pick Zack Collins, per Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray (links to Twitter). The University of Miami catcher was selected with the 10th overall pick, which came with a slot value of $3,380,600. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Collins signed for slot value.

Zack Collins

Collins entered the draft ranked 14th on the Top 200 prospects list from Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com, ranked 16th by Baseball America and ranked 18th by ESPN’s Keith Law. Mayo and Callis note that Collins was a top 100 draft prospect back in 2013 but slid to the Reds in the 27th round due to his strong commitment to Miami. All three scouting reports agree that Collins is a bat-first catcher that may not be able to stay behind the plate, as Law notes that a move to first base or DH is likely. The other two give him more of a chance to remain at catcher, noting that he’s improved his throwing. BA writes that he’ll never be an above-average backstop but has a chance to stay there thanks to the improved throwing.

Collins addressed those perceived defensive shortcomings in an interview with MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom earlier this spring, telling Wasserstrom: “Obviously, I’m an offensive catcher, but I’m working on my defense a lot lately. I think I’ve gotten a lot better defensively … I’ve worked a lot on my blocking and receiving and throwing and footwork – all that kind of stuff. We actually have a new catching coach down here in Miami (Norberto Lopez), and he’s helped me a ton.” Collins also talked about his extremely patient approach at the plate and the importance of recognizing that it’s best for the team to take a walk when he’s not presented with pitches to hit as opposed expanding the zone to try to put a ball in the seats.

In his junior season at Miami, Collins batted an impressive .358/.534/.631 with 13 homers and nine doubles in 176 at-bats. He drew 69 walks against just 48 strikeouts as well, and that display of power and a discerning eye at the plate led MLB.com to peg him as a potential 20-homer bat on a year-to-year basis. Collins is the first player from this year’s first round to reportedly agree to terms with a club, and we at MLBTR will be continually updating our list of first-round and list of compensation/competitive balance round A picks with numbers as the players begin to sign. The White Sox had a draft pool of $9.354MM, so with Collins signing for slot value, they have $5.973MM remaining to spend on their other selections before exceeding their pool (and $6.441MM to spend before incurring the loss of future draft picks for exceeding said pool by more than five percent).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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