Rick Hahn: Dylan Cease “Not Too Far Away” From Promotion
White Sox Triple-A right-hander Dylan Cease, one of baseball’s premier prospects, is moving closer to his major league debut. While general manager Rick Hahn said Monday that the White Sox won’t “rush” Cease, the executive revealed the hurler’s “not too far away” from jumping to the bigs (via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Now 23 years old, Cease joined the White Sox in July 2017 in what they hope will go down as one of the most beneficial trades in franchise history. The club sent quality lefty Jose Quintana to the crosstown rival Cubs for four players, including Cease and outfielder Eloy Jimenez. Those two no doubt have the potential to wind up as long-term cornerstones for the White Sox.
Cease was a top 100 prospect when the teams swung the deal, but his stock has soared even higher since he changed Chicago organizations. Cease now ranks as MLB.com’s 19th-best prospect, with Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo crediting the former Tommy John surgery patient’s fastball- and curveball-led repertoire and projecting he’ll become an “impact” major leaguer.
So far in Charlotte this year, Cease has pitched to a 4.10 ERA/3.65 FIP with 10.08 K/9, 3.76 BB/9 and an excellent 57.7 percent groundball rate in 11 starts and 52 2/3 innings. Although that’s not a lights-out ERA, much of the damage came Sunday during a start in which Cease yielded four earned runs on two hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning. Hahn called that ugly outing “a really good developmental day for” Cease, whom he expects to learn from it.
Depending on when Cease comes up (assuming he does debut this year), he could potentially have some say in a playoff race. Chicago’s certainly a long shot for the postseason, but at 3 1/2 games out of wild-card position, its hopes aren’t dead at this point. The White Sox would likely have a much better shot if they could’ve found superior complements for budding ace Lucas Giolito in their rotation.
Despite Giolito’s spectacular efforts, the team’s starters rank a lowly 25th in the majors in ERA and 26th in FIP. Reynaldo Lopez, Ivan Nova, Carlos Rodon, Dylan Covey and Manny Banuelos have each posted horrid run prevention numbers across at least seven starts apiece. Worsening matters, Rodon had season-ending Tommy John surgery a month ago and Covey went to the injured list Sunday with shoulder inflammation.
Of course, the White Sox have had to make do all season without one of Cease’s fellow standout pitching prospects, Michael Kopech, who underwent TJ surgery last September. The hope is Cease and Kopech will eventually provide two more superb options alongside Giolito. Cease just may get his first opportunity to emerge as a legit major leaguer sometime this summer.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/10/19
We’ll kick the morning off with some of the game’s minor moves throughout the league…
- Righty David Carpenter was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers, the Rangers announced. His return to the majors proved spirited but brief, as the 33-year-old was hit hard in his lone appearance. He had produced strong results at Triple-A, however, working to a 1.76 ERA with a 17:4 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings. Perhaps Carpenter will find his way back up to the bigs at some point.
- The Cubs granted right-hander Matt Carasiti his release from their Triple-A club over the weekend, per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register (Twitter links). He quickly latched on with the Mariners on a new minor league pact and has already appeared in his first game with Seattle’s top affiliate in Tacoma, where he allowed an earned run in 1 2/3 innings of work. In 27 innings of work with Chicago’s Iowa affiliate this season, Carasiti notched a 2.67 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 54.1 percent ground-ball rate. The 27-year-old righty has a 2.85 ERA with 98 strikeouts against 36 walks in parts of three Triple-A campaigns (85 1/3 innings). He’s also had some success overseas, with a 3.98 ERA in 103 2/3 innings in his lone season pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, and he made a brief big league appearance with the Rockies in 2016. Carasiti allowed 16 runs in 15 2/3 innings with the Rox, though he’s pitched fairly well at every turn since that rough debut.
- The White Sox released minor league corner infielder D.J. Peterson, according to the Triple-A International League’s transactions page. A former first-round pick (Mariners, 2013) and Top 100 prospect, Peterson has yet to make his Major League debut. After a productive year with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in 2018, he’s struggled to a dismal .189/.268/.370 slash through 143 plate appearances so far in 2019. The right-handed-hitting Peterson has ample experience at both infield corners but spent more time at third base than at first in his brief time with the White Sox. He’s a career .254/.310/.424 hitter in 1320 plate appearances across parts of five Triple-A seasons.
White Sox Release Nicky Delmonico
The White Sox announced Monday that they’ve released outfielder Nicky Delmonico. His spot on the 40-man roster will got right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, whose contract as been formally selected from Triple-A Charlotte (as was first reported last night). To open space on the 25-man roster for Despaigne, left-hander Jace Fry was placed on the injured list due to soreness in his left shoulder.
The 26-year-old Delmonico recently underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Injured players can’t be run through outright waivers, so Chicago opted to simply release Delmonico to open the necessary 40-man roster spot. As noted at the time of his surgery, it’s commonplace to see teams release and then re-sign 40-man players who incur a season-ending injury while in the minors. That could well be the case here. Delmonico certainly has the right to explore other options, but as a player who’s fresh off surgery and won’t be ready to play until 2020, his appeal to a new organization will be fairly limited.
Back in 2017, Delmonico looked like a nice find for the White Sox when he hit .262/.373/.482 with nine homers and four doubles in a 43-game audition down the stretch (166 plate appearances). The former Orioles and Brewers prospect made the team’s Opening Day roster the next year but hasn’t produced in the Majors since that rookie season. Over his past 386 plate appearances at the MLB level, he’s slashed an anemic .213/.290/.357 with a 27.2 percent strikeout rate.
White Sox To Select Odrisamer Despaigne’s Contract
The White Sox will select the contract of veteran right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne from Triple-A prior to tomorrow’s game, according to Francys Romero of Las Mayores (Twitter link). Another move is forthcoming to create space for Despaigne on both the 25-man and 40-man rosters.
Despaigne is lined up to start Chicago’s game against Washington on Monday, as the 32-year-old is set to get his first taste of Major League action in the 2019 season. Despaigne joined the White Sox in mid-May on a minor league contract, just days after opting out of another minors deal with the Reds signed last winter. Over 59 1/3 combined inning for both clubs’ Triple-A affiliates, Despaigne has produced some pretty solid numbers — a 3.34 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 2.8 K/BB rate.
The White Sox were already thin on MLB-caliber pitching talent to begin the season, and they’ve seen that depth further stretched due to injuries; Carlos Rodon was lost to season-ending Tommy John surgery and Dylan Covey hit the 10-day injured list just earlier today with shoulder inflammation. Despite a breakout performance from Lucas Giolito, the Sox rotation as a whole still ranks at or near the bottom in most cumulative starting pitching categories.
With this in mind, there’s plenty of opportunity for Despaigne to win himself some regular work, and try to firmly establish himself as a starter in his sixth big league season. Despaigne has a career 4.94 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 1.76 K/BB rate over 349 2/3 career frames in the majors, spending time with the Angels, Marlins, Orioles, and Padres since 2014.
White Sox Place Dylan Covey On 10-Day IL
The White Sox have announced that right-hander Dylan Covey has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Righty Thyago Vieira is coming up from Triple-A Charlotte to fill Covey’s spot on the 25-man roster.
Covey has a 4.58 ERA over 37 1/3 innings this season, starting seven out of his nine appearances for Chicago. The 27-year-old hasn’t missed many bats (5.3 K/9) while also posting a 4.82 BB/9, so between those numbers and a generous .239 BABIP, ERA predictors paint a significantly downcast view of Covey’s performance — 5.66 FIP, 5.84 xFIP, 6.12 SIERA.
Covey moved into the rotation when Carlos Rodon was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, and Covey’s absence further thins out Chicago’s pitching mix. Depending on how long Covey is out, the White Sox may be able to get by without a fifth starter altogether, as the club only plays eight times over the next 11 days. Beyond that, Odrisamer Despaigne is the only experienced option available at Triple-A, and he would need to be added to the 40-man roster. Of course, the White Sox also have one of baseball’s top pitching prospects in Dylan Cease, though it remains to seen if the Sox will promote Cease (and burn valuable service time) this season or wait until 2020.
White Sox Claim Jimmy Cordero
The White Sox have claimed righty Jimmy Cordero off waivers from the Mariners, per club announcements. Southpaw Carlos Rodon was shifted to the 60-day IL to create 40-man space.
Cordero has now moved three times already this season. He started out with the Nationals, who had employed him for a few years after claiming him from the Phillies a few years back, before brief stints with the Blue Jays and M’s.
Though he didn’t manage to take advantage of a 22-appearance MLB showcase last year in D.C., Cordero has obviously shown enough to pique the interest of multiple organizations. He carries a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, with twenty strikeouts but also 13 walks.
AL Central Notes: Kimbrel, Witt, Vaughn, Greene
We’ve heard that the Twins are involved in the still-evolving market for free agent reliever Craig Kimbrel. But how aggressive will the Minnesota organization be and what will it take to make a deal? One unidentified source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post that Kimbrel is seen as a “priority” for the Twins, though it’s tough to pin down the meaning of that phrase unless it’s coming straight from the top of the Minnesota front office. Notably, Kimbrel is said to have continued his quest for a multi-year deal into the summer. That approach promises to have major ramifications for his market, as it could both limit the field of suitors (some teams may only want a rental) and expand it (others may also shop for the future and see an opportunity to defer the money it will take to secure his services).
While the Twins are posing a challenge to the perennial front-running Indians, a few other teams from the division have been busy cashing in their consolation prizes from rough 2018 seasons …
- The Royals did not hide their excitement at landing Bobby Witt Jr. with the second overall pick of the MLB Draft, as Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star writes. It’s easy to dream on top picks, but the Royals have done more than that. They’ve been waiting for this moment for quite some time. GM Dayton Moore says the club has been tracking Witt closely “since he was 14 years old,” calling it “an absolute honor and privilege to follow him and his career.” The high-end high school shortstop will look to follow his father in turning in a lengthy MLB career. Just how excited are the Royals? Moore: “It’s a great celebration in this organization today because we were able to select him. We knew a little over a year ago that this was a player that we were going to target. To see this day come has been very, very special for all of us.”
- The White Sox now have a first baseman of the future in Andrew Vaughn, who went third overall. As Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Tribune writes, the club went with Vaughn on a pure talent assessment. But the fact that he’s quite possibly a quick-to-the-majors bat that suits the roster wasn’t lost on the team. Scouting director Nick Hostetler said of the selection: “the fact it might fill a void in the future here was an added bonus.”
- And the Tigers were thrilled to find high school outfielder Riley Greene waiting for them at #5, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. With ample rotation talent already filtering up the ranks of the Detroit farm, it’s no doubt gratifying for the club to find such a highly regarded position player in that spot. The youngster obviously isn’t even close to the MLB radar at this point, but he’ll immediately become a player to watch for the organization’s fans.
Nicky Delmonico Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
White Sox outfielder Nicky Delmonico will miss the remainder of the 2019 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.
Delmonico, 26, looked to be a terrific bargain find for the White Sox in 2017. The former Orioles and Brewers prospect made his big league debut with the South Siders that season and impressed with a .262/.373/.482 batting line, nine homers and four doubles in a 43-game audition down the stretch (166 plate appearances). That strong showing put him on the team’s Opening Day roster in 2018, but Delmonico’s bat has eroded over the past year-plus.
In 386 trips to the plate since that rookie campaign, Delmonico has mustered a timid .213/.290/.357 slash. And while he walked at a 14 percent clip with just an 18.7 percent strikeout rate as a rookie, those rates have gone in the wrong direction since that time (8.0 percent walk rate; 27.2 percent strikeout rate). Delmonico hit well in 17 Triple-A contests this year, but he’ll now sit out the remainder of the year. He’s on the 40-man roster but on the minor league injured list; if the Sox need Delmonico’s roster spot, they could bring him up to the big leagues and place him on the Major League 60-day injured list or release him and attempt to re-sign him to a minor league pact.
Health Notes: Eovaldi, Peralta, Jay, Franchy, Bradford
Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi could return from the injured list as early as June 15, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe suggests. As Abraham notes, that would mark 52 days since Eovaldi underwent right elbow surgery April 22, at which point he was reportedly supposed to miss four to six weeks. Eovaldi’s absence has deprived Boston of a second-half hero from 2018, someone whose late-season excellence convinced the reigning world champions to bring him back on a four-year, $68MM contract in free agency. The hard-throwing Eovaldi, 29, then came out of the gates slowly prior to his surgery, logging a 6.00 ERA/7.05 FIP with 6.86 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9 over 21 frames and four starts. Still, considering the Red Sox are fighting for a playoff spot and haven’t gotten enough from their rotation in general, Eovaldi’s return should be a welcome one for the club.
- The Diamondbacks activated outfielder David Peralta from the 10-day IL on Monday and optioned right-hander Stefan Crichton to Triple-A Reno, the team announced. Peralta had been out since May 22 with right AC joint inflammation. He got off to a terrific start before then, following up last year’s 30-home run effort with a .309/.357/.524 line (126 wRC+) and seven HRs in 207 trips to the plate.
- White Sox outfielder Jon Jay began a rehab assignment with Double-A Birmingham on Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com tweets. Perhaps in an attempt to lure his friend Manny Machado to the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox signed Jay to a $4MM guarantee in the offseason. Machado wound up in San Diego, however, and the 34-year-old Jay still hasn’t played under his new deal because of a hip issue. Long a competent if unspectacular offensive player, Jay has batted .285/.352/.378 (103 wRC+) in 4,061 attempts at the major league level.
- Outfielder Franchy Cordero could rejoin the Padres as early as Wednesday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 24-year-old has been shelved since April 9 because of a right elbow sprain. Cordero underwent surgery on the same joint in early July of last year, ending his season.
- The Mariners placed Chasen Bradford on the 10-day IL and recalled fellow righty reliever Matt Festa from Triple-A Tacoma, per a team announcement. Bradford’s dealing with a right forearm strain, which is an ominous-sounding injury for a pitcher. This also marks Bradford’s second IL stint of the season, as he previously missed time with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. The 29-year-old still ranks fifth among 2019 Mariners relievers in innings (16 2/3), and has only walked 2.16 hitters per nine while generating ground balls at a 51.9 percent clip. However, a lack of strikeouts (5.94 K/9) and a bloated home run rate (3.24 HR/9) have contributed to an uninspiring 4.86 ERA/7.23 FIP for Bradford.
Orioles Considering Several Players For First Overall Pick
With less than a day to go before the 2019 amateur draft, the Orioles seem to still be exploring their options with the first overall pick. Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman has long been considered the top talent in this year’s draft class by scouts and pundits, though according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the Orioles are also looking at Cal first baseman Andrew Vaughn and Vanderbilt outfielder J.J. Bleday as “the top two alternatives” if Rutschman doesn’t end up being the pick (plus, high schooler Bobby Witt Jr. also might be a possibility).
Two scouts on rival teams have told Mayo that the Orioles won’t select Rutschman, though Mayo notes, this could also be some of the gamesmanship every team deploys to create uncertainty about their selections. Still, Baltimore’s front office hasn’t given any indication about their plans in Mike Elias’ first draft as the team’s GM, and the linking of Rutschman to the O’s was more based on Rutschman’s high profile than it was on any reports coming out of Camden Yards.
A wealth of factors go into any draft pick, of course, especially one as important and potentially franchise-altering as a 1-1 selection. It’s worth remember that Elias was the Astros’ director of amateur scouting when the team made the then-surprising move to select Carlos Correa with the first overall pick of the 2012 draft. Mark Appel was widely tabbed as the top prospect of the 2012 class, though since Correa was willing to sign for a lesser bonus than the recommended slot price attached to the first overall pick, Correa ended up being the choice, giving the Astros more space in their draft pool to sign Lance McCullers Jr. for a larger bonus in the supplemental first round (41st overall).
We haven’t heard much about what Rutschman or some of this year’s top prospects are seeking in their first contracts, though if Vaughn or Bleday are willing to sign for less than the first overall pick’s recommended $8,415,300 slot price, that certainly be a point in their favor should Elias again look to spread his bonus pool money around on several top prospects.
Beyond just finances, of course, the O’s could also simply prefer Vaughn, Bleday, Witt, or another player to Rutschman for pure baseball reasons. The Astros received some criticism for being cheap when they took Correa over Appel, though time has clearly vindicated Houston’s strategy in that draft.
If Rutschman isn’t the top pick, it could greatly shake up the remainder of the first round. As a matter of due diligence, teams scout virtually all of the top prospects to prepare for just such an unexpected scenario, plus other teams could also be preparing to make outside-the-box situations. Callis and Mayo cite a number of interesting prospects within their piece, including an item on how high school third baseman Brett Baty‘s stock could be on the rise, potentially to the Rangers (who have the #8 pick) or even the White Sox with the third overall choice. Vaughn, Baty, Bleday, and high schooler CJ Abrams have all been mentioned as being on Chicago’s radar, though these plans could again change should Rutschman or Witt be available when the White Sox are on the clock.