NL West Notes: Kim, Padres, JDM, Smith, DeSclafani, Giants
Ha-Seong Kim suffered what Padres manager Bob Melvin described as a “jammed shoulder” that led to an early exit from today’s game against the Rangers. Kim suffered the injury while diving to score a run in the third inning, and partially colliding with Texas catcher Sam Huff while trying to reach and touch the plate. The good news is that tests revealed no structural damage, and Kim expressed hope that he might be able to play as early as Monday when the Padres start the series in Denver with the Rockies.
Only nine players have a better fWAR than Kim’s 3.7 total, as his bat (.279/.374/.447 with 14 homers and 21 steals in 391 plate appearances, for a 130 wRC+) and excellent defense (primarily as a second baseman but also at third base and shortstop) have somewhat quietly made him one of the better overall performers in baseball this season. Even if he misses a game or two, Kim’s presence is key to a team that might still be the biggest unknowns as the trade deadline approaches. The Padres are 52-54 and are five games out of a wild card spot, with three other non-playoff teams still ahead of San Diego in the standings. The Padres are known to be at least listening to trade offers for some of their top names, but The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal write that their “asking prices for both [Blake] Snell and [Josh] Hader…have been exorbitant.” It seems increasingly likely that San Diego might wait until almost the last minute before deciding whether to sell, buy, or (the most probable course) a combination of both tactics.
More from around the NL West…
- J.D. Martinez will undergo an MRI to determine the nature of his nagging left hamstring problem, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Juan Toribio). The veteran slugger has been bothered by the injury for almost a week, and tests should determine whether an IL stint might be necessary. Martinez missed close to three weeks due to back problems earlier this season, but it has otherwise been a strong year for the 35-year-old, who reached the All-Star Game and is hitting .260/.310/.562 with 25 homers over 365 PA.
- The Dodgers got another injury scare Sunday when Will Smith had to leave the game after being hit in the elbow by a Graham Ashcraft pitch. Smith remained in the game for three more innings after being hit and x-rays were negative, so the catcher is considered day-to-day and might be able to return as early as the Dodgers’ next game on Tuesday. Another Los Angeles All-Star, Smith has continued to be one of the game’s best catchers, entering today’s action with a 137 wRC+ (from 13 homers and a .279/.386/.474 slash line in 347 PA).
- The Giants placed Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list earlier today due to a right elbow flexor strain, with Tristan Beck recalled from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that DeSclafani will miss “several weeks” with the injury, which at least creates some question as to whether or not DeSclafani might have thrown his last pitch of the 2023 season. An MRI revealed a grade 1 strain after DeSclafani reported some forearm discomfort during a bullpen session. DeSclafani’s injury might end whatever chance there was that the Giants might deal from their starting pitching depth, and it’s even possible San Francisco might look to add an arm before the deadline. Beck, Sean Manaea, or Jakob Junis could all be candidates to replace DeSclafani in the rotation or as bulk pitchers (behind an opener).
- Sticking with the Giants, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that San Francisco had interest in both Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernandez before the Dodgers landed both players in respective trades with the Guardians and Red Sox. With Brandon Crawford back from the injured list and Thairo Estrada also back soon, the Giants may no longer have quite as pressing a need for infield help, though Rosenthal feels the Giants could still trade from their pitching depth to address another need.
Michael Conforto Reaches Vesting Option Threshold, Can Opt Out After 2023 Season
Giants outfielder Michael Conforto reached 350 plate appearances on the season during Sunday’s game, and in doing so vested a provision in his contract that converts the second season of his two-year, $36MM contract into a player option. He’ll now have the right to decline that player option, valued at $18MM, and opt back into free agency this offseason.
Whether Conforto, 30, ultimately opts out of his deal will depend on his final couple months of play. As things stand, he’s had a roughly average season at the plate, batting .241/.331/.401 (102 wRC+) with 13 homers, 10 doubles, four stolen bases, a 10.5% walk rate and a 23.5% strikeout rate. As recently as late May, it looked like the longtime Mets slugger was trending toward an opt-out, but his bat has gone cold as the weather has warmed. Conforto was hitting .250/.347/.464 through his first 196 plate appearances, but he batted just .228/.303/.324 over his next 152 trips to the plate.
Conforto’s season-long numbers are respectable — but they’re also a far cry from the .265/.369/.495 slash he turned in across 1959 plate appearances from 2017-20. The former first-round pick might’ve commanded a nine-figure deal in free agency had he sustained that output for one more season, but Conforto’s production slipped to .232/.344/.384 through 125 games in 2021. He turned down a qualifying offer from the Mets at the end of that season, still hopeful of securing a multi-year deal, but an offseason shoulder injury required surgery that kept Conforto out of action for the entire 2022 season. He didn’t sign with a club until the 2022-23 offseason when he inked his current deal with the Giants.
Though Conforto performed at a star-caliber level during that 2017-20 peak, he’s now turned in tepid .237/.337/.392 slash over his past 827 plate appearances — his 2021 and 2023 campaigns combined. He’s still walking at a strong clip, and his exit velocity and hard-hit rate remain largely unchanged. However, he’s hitting the ball on the ground at the highest rate of his career (46.9%), and this season’s 17% line-drive rate is the lowest of his career. The plus defensive marks he regularly generated early in his career have also deteriorated; he’s sporting negative marks in Defensive Runs Saved (-3) and Outs Above Average (-3) so far in 2023.
The upcoming free agent class skews heavily toward pitchers, with very few impact bats available. A strong finish that looks more like Conforto’s peak years could position him as one of the better bats on the market, joining the likes of Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman. As far as pure corner outfielders, Conforto would be up against Teoscar Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Joc Pederson, among others.
Giants Have Shown Interest In Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez
The Giants are known to be in search of middle infield help. Two names under consideration: Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong and Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
DeJong seems very likely to be dealt within the next few days. The Cards are preparing to move a number of short-term pieces as they regroup for 2024. DeJong is in the final guaranteed season of his contract; the club holds a $12.5MM option for next season but seems unlikely to exercise it.
After a pair of dismal offensive seasons, DeJong has had something of a return to form in 2023. The right-handed hitter owns a .237/.303/.422 line over 297 plate appearances. He’s striking out at a lofty 29% clip but has connected on 13 home runs in roughly half a season of playing time.
That’s exactly league average offense by measure of wRC+. The scope of the production could lend itself particularly well to more matchup usage. DeJong entered play tonight hitting only .227/.279/.411 against same-handed pitching, but he’s teed off on lefties at a .274/.378/.468 clip.
The Giants are as aggressive as any team in leveraging platoon matchups. They haven’t had to do so at shortstop in recent years. Brandon Crawford has had a hold on the everyday job there. Yet the lefty-swinging Crawford is hitting only .207/.285/.333 in 65 contests this season. He’s not hitting well against pitchers of either handedness. He also landed on the injured list with left knee inflammation 10 days ago, his second IL stint of the year.
Crawford joined Thairo Estrada on the shelf. San Francisco’s second baseman has been down for three weeks after breaking his hand on a hit-by-pitch. Estrada recently began baseball activities and could make it back before too long, but the Giants are presently relying on a rookie rotation of Brett Wisely, Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt up the middle without much success.
DeJong would bring above-average shortstop defense and some pop against left-handed pitching. Lopez would strictly be a defensive target. The lefty-swinging infielder hasn’t hit a home run in two years and carries a .223/.292/.276 batting line since the start of 2022. Yet he has drawn strong marks for his second base defense and is capable of manning shortstop or third base effectively as well.
Lopez would be easier to accommodate financially. The 28-year-old is playing this season on a $3.7MM arbitration salary, around $1.3MM of which is still to be paid out. He’s controllable for another two years after this but seems to be trending towards a non-tender. DeJong is making $9MM this year and still due around $3.2MM in salary, plus a $2MM buyout on next year’s option.
Both Kansas City and St. Louis have alternatives who could take on a larger middle infield role if they were to push across a deal with San Francisco. The Royals have already curtailed Lopez’s playing time in favor of a longer look at Michael Massey. DeJong is playing every day in St. Louis, but the Cards have Tommy Edman as a potential immediate replacement and top shortstop prospect Masyn Winn in Triple-A.
St. Louis also has depth on the other side of the second base bag. Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman are quality bat-first second basemen with extended control windows. With that middle infield strength in mind, Feinsand writes that St. Louis has also gotten interest from various clubs (not necessarily San Francisco) on Donovan and Edman.
Of course, the asking price on Edman or Donovan would be far higher. They’re a lot less likely to move than DeJong. Not only do they have extended control windows (Edman through 2025, Donovan past ’28), neither is fully healthy right now.
Edman is on the injured list with wrist inflammation. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat relayed this afternoon (on Twitter) that he’ll begin a minor league rehab stint over the weekend. Donovan is healthy enough to hit but playing through a flexor tendon injury in his right arm. He’s unable to throw and relegated to DH duty for now. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote earlier in the week that Donovan was hoping to avoid surgery and return to defensive work at some point this season. Even if that proves to be the case, he wouldn’t be a middle infield option for anyone in the immediate future.
Giants’ Starters Drawing Trade Interest
With the trade deadline now just a few days away, teams are calling the Giants about their starting pitching, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. There’s nothing to indicate the club is motivated to move any of its starters, but it’s an interesting development nonetheless. Murray also lists the Giants as one of many clubs seeking bullpen upgrades.
The Giants are 56-47, just three games back of the Dodgers in the National League West and currently in possession of a Wild Card spot. That means they are more likely to do some buying than selling, but the interest in their starting pitching might be a function of the strange market this summer. Due to the expanded playoffs and some weak divisions, there are very few clearcut sellers. It’s been speculated that we may see more trades between contenders this year, such as yesterday’s deal that sent Amed Rosario to the Dodgers and Noah Syndergaard to the Guardians.
The Giants currently have a rotation that consists of Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Ross Stripling. Webb and Cobb each have ERA under 3.50. DeSclafani is at 4.88 but with a low strand rate of 64.8%, leading to a 4.38 FIP and 4.35 SIERA. Wood is struggling this year with a 4.75 ERA but has been much better in the past. Stripling struggled earlier in the year but has a 3.91 ERA since coming off the IL in late June.
Contractually, Webb signed an extension in April and isn’t going anywhere. But Wood is an impending free agent while Cobb is in the final guaranteed year of his deal, with a $10MM club option for 2024 with a $2MM buyout. DeSclafani and Stripling are under contract through 2024, with the latter having an opt-out opportunity at the end of this year.
That’s pushed Sean Manaea and Jakob Junis to long relief roles in the bullpen, both of whom have starting experience and would be good enough for rotation jobs on some clubs. Manaea has a 5.86 ERA this year but a 27.1% strikeout rate and 55.2% strand rate, leading to a 3.98 FIP and 3.74 SIERA. Junis is somewhat similar with a 4.79 ERA but 26.7% strikeout rate and .367 batting average on balls in play, leading to a 4.54 FIP and 3.37 SIERA. Junis is an impending free agent whereas Manaea can opt out of the one year left on his deal after this one.
On top of all those major league options, the club also has more starting pitching currently in Triple-A. Keaton Winn has a 4.47 ERA at Triple-A this year in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, as well as posting a 4.09 in his first 22 big league innings. Tristan Beck has a 4.32 ERA in Triple-A and 3.06 ERA in 50 major league innings. Sean Hjelle has a 7.79 ERA in the bigs this year but that’s likely skewed by a .434 BABIP and 51.9% strand rate, leading to a 4.03 FIP and 4.39 SIERA. Kyle Harrison is not yet on the 40-man roster but he’s one of the top pitching prospects in the league.
Given all of those options, and widespread interest in starting pitching around the league, it’s possible the club could line up a deal that sees them move a starter for help elsewhere on the roster. As Murray mentions, the club is looking for bullpen upgrades. Their relievers have a collective 3.75 ERA that’s one of the 10 best in the league, but just about every contender looks for additions to their relief mix at this time of year.
The Giants are also known to be looking for middle infield help, with Thairo Estrada having recently suffered a fractured bone in his hand. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco looked into some potential paths for them, which included some straightforward seller options like Paul DeJong of the Cardinals and Tim Anderson of the White Sox. Some of the infielders on contenders that could potentially be available are Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal of the Blue Jays, while the Orioles have Ramón Urías, Jorge Mateo and Adam Frazier. Both of those latter clubs are theoretical fits for starting pitching, which could perhaps lead to some interesting talks.
Again, there’s nothing to suggest the Giants are actively pursuing this line of thinking, as Murray only reports that other clubs are inquiring about their depth. But it’s a logical part of the Giants’ roster for them to use to improve elsewhere. The trade deadline is August 1.
Red Sox Acquire Mauricio Llovera From Giants
The Red Sox acquired reliever Mauricio Llovera from the Giants, per a club announcement. Minor league righty Marques Johnson is going to San Francisco in return. The Sox transferred Kaleb Ort from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster for Llovera, whom San Francisco had recently designated for assignment.
Llovera, 27, has pitched for the Giants in each of the past two seasons. The right-hander got into 17 games last year, working to a 4.41 ERA through 16 1/3 innings. San Francisco non-tendered him at the start of the offseason but brought him back on a new minor league pact.
The Venezuela native worked to a 3.92 ERA over 20 2/3 frames in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. San Francisco selected his contract in early July, deploying him in five big league contests. He worked 5 1/3 frames, allowing a run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Llovera has exhausted his option years, meaning the Giants couldn’t send him back to the minors once they called him up. They designated him for assignment on Saturday to make room in the bullpen for Luke Jackson to return from the injured list. Llovera’s upper minors production intrigued the Sox enough they’re willing to install him in the middle innings.
Boston also can’t option him to the minors, so he’ll be on the MLB roster once he reports to the club. He’s the third upper level right-handed relief arm added to the organization within the past two days. The Sox acquired Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman from the Dodgers in the Enrique Hernández trade. Both those pitchers were assigned to Triple-A Worcester as upper minors depth.
In return for a pitcher who’d been squeezed off the roster, San Francisco picks up a low minors reliever. Johnson was an 11th-round selection out of Long Beach State last season. He owns a 6.55 ERA through 34 1/3 innings across 28 outings at Low-A. Johnson has punched out 27.9% of opponents but is walking batters at an alarming 15.6% clip.
Ort has been out since July 5 with inflammation in his throwing elbow. He’s now ineligible to return to the MLB roster until the first week of September. The 31-year-old has a 6.26 ERA over 23 innings on the season.
Giants To Promote Marco Luciano
The Giants are planning promote top infield prospect Marco Luciano prior to tonight’s game against the A’s, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Luciano is already on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move will only be needed to add him to the club’s active roster.
Luciano, 21, has long been considered one of the game’s top prospects. He was a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport as recently as last year, and is currently considered a consensus top-50 prospect across most services. Scouts are enamored with Luciano’s power potential and bat speed, but have long questioned his hit tool due to an elevated strikeout rate throughout his minor league career. While Luciano’s defense previously raised questions regarding his ability to stick in the infield long-term, with many projecting a move to the outfield in his future, a strong 2023 campaign on that side of the ball has largely alleviated those concerns, indicating he should at least be able to stick at third base if not his native position of shortstop.
Luciano has struggled to stay on the field in recent years due to back troubles, missing ten weeks in 2022 due to the issue and another month this year. When healthy, however, he’s produced at the plate with a .263/.339/.549 slash line with a 121 wRC+ in 57 games at the High-A level last season and a Double-A slash line of .228/.339/.450, good for a wRC+ of 114 in 56 games this year. Luciano’s strikeout rate rose more than 7 points this season, nearly reaching 30% at Double-A, though the youngster managed to mostly make up for the additional whiffs with a massive 14.9% walk rate.
Luciano’s performance at Double-A recently earned him a promotion to the Triple-A level, where he’s slashed an excellent .292/.370/.625 that’s good for a wRC+ of 130 even in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. The Giants, who have struggled to a 9-11 record in July and just snapped a six-game losing streak last night, seemingly view Luciano as a potential spark who can help cover for the injured Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford up the middle, roles that currently fall to struggling youngsters Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely.
Mike Ivie Passes Away
Former Padres, Giants, Astros, and Tigers first baseman Mike Ivie passed away on Friday, as noted by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was 70 years old.
Selected first overall by San Diego in the 1970 MLB draft, Ivie made his MLB debut at just 18 years old in 1971, slashing a phenomenal .471/.526/.471 in a six-game cup of coffee that season. Initially drafted as a catcher, Ivie developed the yips early on in his professional career, an issue that forced him to move to first base shortly after his debut. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues before returning to the majors in 1974. From 1975 to 1977, Ivie served as the Padres’ regular first baseman, slashing a roughly league .271/.322/.393.
Following the 1977 campaign, Ivie was traded to San Francisco, where he would have the best seasons of his career. In 1978 and 1979, Ivie stepped to the plate a combined 807 times, slashing a phenomenal .296/.361/.515 that was 41% better than league average at the time by measure of wRC+. Ivie slugged a combined 38 home runs, 32 doubles, and six triples across those two campaigns, and even chipped in eight stolen bases.
Ivie struggled to replicate that strong production in 79 with the Giants during the 1980 season, and was traded to the Houston Astros early on in the 1981 campaign. Continued struggles led Ivie to request his release from the Astros, which was granted early in the 1982 season. He finished his career as a member of the Tigers, for whom he slashed .232/.299/.448 with 14 home runs and 12 doubles in 80 games during the 1982 campaign before retiring from professional baseball in 1983 at the age of 30. Overall, Ivie’s major league career spanned 11 seasons and saw him record 724 hits including 81 home runs in 857 career games. He finished his playing days with an above average career slash line of .269/.324/.421.
MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.
Giants Interested In Justin Verlander
With the Giants in pursuit of at least a wild card berth and maybe the NL West crown, San Francisco is looking to make some additions at the trade deadline. At least one of those possibilities is a big name, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that the Giants are one of the clubs interested if Justin Verlander opts to waive his no-trade clause to join another team.
The 45-51 Mets are 6.5 games behind the Phillies for the final NL wild card slot, and four other teams sit between Philadelphia and New York in the wild card standings. While the Mets have a 9-5 record thus far in July, they may already be in too deep a hole to mount a serious charge at the postseason, and it looks like the club will be sellers in some respect at the deadline barring a big winning streak between now and August 1. Given the Mets’ record payroll, they might well wait until close to the last minute before the deadline to determine the extent (if at all) of their selloff, as the Amazins might only look to move pending free agents, or they could make a more significant move in dealing a controlled asset like Verlander.
One of the top players available in the 2022-23 offseason, Verlander signed a two-year, $86.66MM deal to join the Mets, and the contract also contains a $35MM vesting option for 2025 (Verlander gets that $35MM player option if he tosses at least 140 innings in 2024). A teres major strain near the end of Spring Training delayed Verlander’s Mets debut until May 4, and while there was some rust over his first month of action, Verlander has more recently started to display his usual form. The right-hander has a 1.74 ERA over his last five starts and 31 innings, though his strikeout rate (20.8%) and walk rate (10.4%) haven’t yet normalized.
These numbers, the large salary, and Verlander’s age (40) stand out as red flags for a possible trade suitors, though these concerns are also perhaps simply outweighed by Verlander’s incredible track record. It was just last season that Verlander won the AL Cy Young Award and helped lead the Astros to a World Series title, and even his recent outings suggest that he has plenty left in the tank. An argument can also be made that Verlander might benefit from a change of scenery, with the ideal scenario being his last stint as a trade candidate. Verlander was already pitching well for the Tigers in 2017 but his performance was kicked into a higher gear when Detroit moved him to Houston on August 31, resulting in Verlander playing a big part in the Astros’ first championship.
It is worth noting that Verlander waived a previous no-trade clause in his Tigers contract to accommodate that 2017 deal, though the Astros agreed to waive a $22MM vesting option that was included for the 2020 season. If Verlander was open to a trade this summer, he might first insist that his potential $35MM in 2025 get turned into a player option right away, without the vesting threshold. Of course, this is just speculative and Verlander might be willing to waive his no-trade protection entirely to join a contender, but it is an example of the leverage that he holds in whatever trade talks the Mets might explore with other teams.
Even taking on an extra $35MM in 2025 wouldn’t necessarily be an obstacle for the Giants, who don’t have much in the way of long-term payroll commitments on their books. Acquiring Verlander would also represent a win in the team’s longstanding search to land a face-of-the-franchise superstar, after coming up short on signing Aaron Judge in the offseason and having their deal with Carlos Correa scuttled due to medical concerns. This isn’t the first time San Francisco has been linked to Verlander, as the Giants were one of the many teams who had scouts attending Verlander’s showcase when he was a free agent in the 2021-22 offseason.
Despite the high price tag of Verlander’s contract, the length of the deal fits the Giants’ general preference for shorter-term contracts, especially for pitchers. Most of San Francisco’s current rotation consists of veteran starters on two-year or three-year contracts, and since Alex Wood and (pending a club option) Alex Cobb might both free agents this winter, trading for Verlander would provide a top-shelf upgrade both for this year’s playoff run and at least through the 2024 campaign.
Returning to the financial aspect, it is possible that Verlander’s salary might not even be the Giants’ problem, should the Mets agree to pay most or all of his salary in order to land a better prospect return. This would represent a larger-scale version of the strategy the Mets have already employed in earlier moves this summer (trading Eduardo Escobar to the Angels and temporarily acquiring Chris Flexen from the Mariners), as owner Steve Cohen has no issue in spending big, whether that means acquiring MLB talent or in using the payroll to accommodate the acquisition of premium young talent. Considering that the Mets still plan to contend in 2024, they would naturally want some big league-ready help if they moved a front-of-the-rotation arm like Verlander.
Giants Designate Mauricio Llovera For Assignment
The Giants designated right-hander Mauricio Llovera for assignment today, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The move clears space on the active roster for right-hander Luke Jackson, who the club has activated from the 15-day IL. San Francisco’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.
Llovera, 27, began his big league career with the Phillies before signing with the Giants on a minor league deal prior to the 2022 season. He was non-tendered last November but re-signed on a fresh minor league deal shortly thereafter. Though Llovera has pitched in the majors during parts of four seasons, he’s thrown just 29 1/3 big league innings with a 6.14 ERA and 6.19 FIP in that time. That being said, Llovera does sport a solid 2.82 ERA in 92 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level throughout his career, and his most recent stint with the Giants was a solid one despite its brevity. In 5 1/3 innings of work with San Francisco this season, Llovera sports a 1.69 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate.
Llovera’s departure opens the door for Jackson to return to the Giants’ bullpen. Jackson, 31, spent his entire career with the Braves prior to signing in San Francisco on a two-year deal prior to the 2023 season. While Jackson posted a sensational 1.98 ERA in 63 2/3 innings of work back in 2021, he missed the entire 2022 campaign due to Tommy John surgery and returned to the mound just two months ago. He looked good in 8 1/3 innings of work for the Giants in June, but his return was cut short by a low-back strain that has kept him out for nearly a month. Now that Jackson’s healthy again, he figures to factor into the club’s late-inning mix alongside Camilo Doval, Taylor Rogers, and Tyler Rogers.
Going forward, the Giants will have one week to trade, waive, or release Llovera. Llovera’s been outrighted previously in his career, meaning if the Giants successfully pass him through waivers, Llovera will have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment and test the open market.
Eddie Bressoud Passes Away
Former major leaguer Eddie Bressoud recently passed away due to cerebellar ataxia, per an obituary from Thomas Gase of the Vallejo Times-Herald. Bressoud was 91 years old.
Bressoud was born in Los Angeles in 1932 and signed with the New York Giants in 1950. He spent the next few years in the minors and also served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, eventually cracking the big leagues in 1956. He got into 49 games with the Giants that year and another 49 the year after, hitting a combined .245/.290/.345 in those two seasons.
Prior to the 1958 season, the Giants moved across the country to San Francisco. He stuck with them for that move and spent another four years with the Giants after, hitting .237/.301/.376 in 345 games, mostly playing shortstop but also bouncing to the other three infield positions.
After the 1961 season, there was an expansion draft held for two new franchises in the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s, the latter of whom would later change their name to the Astros. Bressoud was selected by Houston but then was quickly traded to the Red Sox. He would spent four years in Boston, hitting 57 home runs and producing a batting line of .270/.337/.435 in 558 games for the Red Sox. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 1964.
He was traded two more times in his career, joining the Mets in 1966 and the Cardinals in 1967. Bressoud only had a part-time role with that St. Louis team, getting into 52 games, but they went 101-60 and won the National League pennant. Bressoud entered two games in the World Series as a defensive replacement but didn’t get to make a plate appearance, though the Cards emerged victorious over the Red Sox in seven games.
That ultimately proved to be his final major league season as a player. He appeared in 1,186 regular season games and made 4,106 plate appearances. He recorded 925 hits, including 184 doubles, 40 triples and 94 home runs. He stole nine bases, scored 443 runs and drove in 365. He finished his career with a .252 batting average and .319 on-base percentage. He was both an All-Star and a World Series champion.
His post-playing days saw him serve as a minor league manager and as a scout for the Angels. He also served as a faculty member, coach, and dean of athletics at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. We at MLBTR send our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.