Pirates To Promote Gerrit Cole
The number one overall draft pick of 2011 is set to make his Major League debut next week. Gerrit Cole will start for the Pirates Tuesday night as they host Tim Lincecum and the Giants, announced the team. Cole had been the rumored favorite to fill in for the injured Wandy Rodriguez in that slot. With nearly 40% of the season in the books, the Pirates are riding high at a 36-25 record, tied for second in the NL Central. They're bidding to reach .500 for the first time since 1992, but more importantly, the Bucs are fighting for a playoff spot.
Cole, 22, was drafted 28th overall out of high school by the Yankees in 2008. He chose not to sign or even negotiate, and his stock had risen when the Pirates drafted him first overall out of UCLA in '11 and gave him an $8MM bonus. Five other 2011 first-rounders have appeared in the Majors: Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, Dylan Bundy of the Orioles, Trevor Bauer of the Indians, Anthony Rendon of the Nationals, and Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox. Fernandez, drafted 14th overall with little fanfare, has been the best so far with 67 strikeouts and a 3.17 ERA in 65 1/3 innings this year.
Cole made 12 starts at Triple-A this year, posting a 2.91 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.53 HR/9 in 68 innings. He's allowed two runs in his last 20 1/3 innings. Cole's overall walk rate is fairly high, mainly due to a three-start stretch in April during which he surrendered 13 free passes in 17 2/3 frames. He also hasn't missed as many bats as you'd expect. Prior to the season, Cole was ranked eighth (ESPN's Keith Law), seventh (Baseball America), and eighth (MLB.com) on various top 100 prospect lists. He sits at 96-98 miles per hour with a well-regarded slider and a decent changeup.
If he stays up from June 11th forward, Cole stands to accumulate 111 days of Major League service time this year. We haven't yet seen a Super Two cutoff that low, though it has been suggested that 2.119 will do the trick after this season. That number is lower than usual because more Super Two players were added in the most recent collective bargaining agreement, as it's now the top 22% of the two-to-three service class. Bottom line: it's possible, but not likely, that Cole will be eligible for arbitration after the 2015 season if he stays up from this point forward. Regardless, the Pirates will control this young gun through 2019.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers To Promote Yasiel Puig
The Dodgers tweet that they will promote outfielder Yasiel Puig, also noting that they have optioned pitcher Matt Magill to Triple-A Albuquerque make room. Puig, 22, was hitting .313/.383/.599 for Double-A Chattanooga. With Matt Kemp (hamstring) on the disabled list, Puig could appear in center field, although the Dodgers can use help throughout the outfield — left fielder Carl Crawford left Saturday's game, also with a hamstring injury. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes (via Twitter) that the Dodgers think Puig profiles best as a right fielder, but suggests that they could use him at all three outfield spots.
Puig was the object of plenty of Spring Training hype when he batted .517/.500/.828 before being sent to the minors. He was listed at No. 47 in Baseball America's preseason list of the top 100 prospects in the game, and No. 70 on MLB.com's list. Baseball America's Prospect Handbook ranked Puig the Dodgers' No. 2 prospect (behind Hyun-Jin Ryu) and praised Puig's bat speed and raw power.
In 2012, the Dodgers signed the Cuban outfielder to a seven-year, $42MM deal that included a $12MM signing bonus. He is set to make $2MM this year and next, and $4.5MM in 2015, although he can opt into the arbitration process once he becomes eligible. If Puig were to stick in the big leagues, it's unclear at this point whether he might be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player after the 2015 season. (Here's more about Super Two eligibility.)
Rays To Promote Alex Colome
The Rays will promote right-handed starter Alex Colome and add him to their bullpen, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). The 24-year-old Dominican native ranked as baseball's No. 81 prospect prior to the season, per ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required and recommended).
The move is reminiscent of the Cardinals' promotion of Carlos Martinez earlier this month, although Martinez was recently optioned back to the minors to continue to develop as a starting pitcher. In 55 1/3 innings (10 starts) at Triple-A Durham this season, Colome has a 2.60 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. He first reached Triple-A as a 23-year-old last season when he finished the year by making three starts for Durham.
Colome, the nephew of former big leaguer Jesus Colome, has a "big arm" with a fastball in the mid-90s, an upper-80s cutter that "blows up bats" and a curveball around 80 mph with tight rotation, according to Law. Baseball America, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Law all agree that there's a chance Colome ultimately ends up as a reliever. Law prefers to project him as a high-end starter, however, despite uncertainty surrounding his delivery and durability. While Colome failed to make the Top 100 list from BA or Mayo, BA ranked him sixth among Rays prospects, and Mayo ranked him 12th.
By calling Colome up now, the Rays run the risk of allowing him to achieve Super Two status if he never returns to the minor leagues. Assuming Colome is in uniform tonight, he will accumulate 124 days of service time this season. With the projected Super Two cutoff at two years, 119 days, he could end up in the top 22 percent of his two-to-three service class and reach arbitration four times instead of three. Any return to the minors would likely delay him from accumulating that much service time.
Cardinals To Promote Michael Wacha
The Cardinals announced today they will promote righty Michael Wacha to start Thursday against the Royals, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports and others. The Cards had scratched Wacha from his Monday start in anticipation of the possibility of having him start Thursday in place of the injured John Gast. The Cardinals will need a 40-man roster spot for Wacha, but that can be opened easily by transferring Jaime Garcia to the 60-day DL.
Wacha, 21, was drafted 19th overall by the Cardinals last year out of Texas A&M, a pick the team received from the Angels as part of the compensation for the loss of Albert Pujols. Wacha made nine starts at Triple-A this year, posting a 2.05 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.85 HR/9 in 52 2/3 innings. He'll be the fourth member of the 2012 draft class to reach the bigs, after Paco Rodriguez of the Dodgers, Kevin Gausman of the Orioles, and Michael Roth of the Angels. Prior to the season, Wacha ranked 76th on Baseball America's top 100 prospects list and the same on MLB.com's, failing to rank on Keith Law's list for ESPN. Law, however, elevated Wacha to #24 on a top 25 prospects list released today.
Baseball America ranked Wacha sixth among Cardinals prospects, as he was part of what they considered the best farm system in baseball given the presence of Oscar Taveras, Shelby Miller, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, and Kolten Wong. BA wrote that Wacha had the best changeup in the 2012 draft, adding, "It's easy to project him as a mid-rotation starter, and he could turn into something more if he finds a reliable breaking ball." He may have since found it, as Law wrote today, "Multiple scouts have told me they've seen an above-average breaking ball from Wacha this year, which was the main concern about him coming out of Texas A&M last June."
Will there be room in the Cardinals' rotation for Wacha beyond Thursday? Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and Miller are holding down the first three spots, Garcia is out for the season, Chris Carpenter had a setback, and Jake Westbrook's elbow is improving. Tyler Lyons is in the rotation mix, Martinez could be at some point, and Gast could be as well when he's healthy.
If he stays up all year, Wacha will accumulate 123 days of big league service, making Super Two arbitration eligibility possible after the 2015 season. It's unknown whether that amount of service will put him within the top 22% of the two-to-three class at that point. Super Two players go to arbitration four times instead of the usual three, thus earning extra money.
Nationals To Promote Nate Karns
The Nationals will promote pitcher Nate Karns, who will start against Kevin Gausman and the Orioles tomorrow, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post notes (on Twitter). Karns will start in place of Ross Detwiler, who has a right oblique strain.
Karns ranked 99th on Keith Law's top 100 prospects list (Insider-only). He did not rank in Baseball America or MLB.com's lists. Law notes that Karns "was 93-97 as a starter with a yellow hammer of a curveball at 80-85 that he threw for more and more strikes as the season went on, meaning he could have two pitches that grade out at 70 on the 20-80 scale." Baseball America's Prospect Handbook lists Karns as the Nationals' fifth-best prospect and pegs him as a future mid-rotation starter or high-leverage reliever.
Karns, 25, had pitched this season at Double-A Harrisburg, posting a 4.60 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. He has not yet pitched at the Triple-A level, so his promotion qualifies as a bit of a surprise. It appears likely that the Nationals will send Karns down at some point, but if they don't, he will accumulate 125 days of service time this year. That means he might be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player after the 2015 season, although the exact date that will establish the threshold of Super Two eligibility that season is unclear. He would be eligible for free agency after the 2019 season.
Mariners Promote Nick Franklin; Demote Ackley
Second baseman/shortstop Nick Franklin has been called up and will join the Mariners today, tweets Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. Franklin will have to be added to the team's 40-man roster; he'll take the place of a minor leaguer, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The news comes on the heels of Carlos Triunfel's season debut, which occurred Friday. Triunfel's one start came at second base, though both Mariners prospects can play both middle infield positions. Former first-rounder Dustin Ackley, meanwhile, has limped to a .205/.266/.250 line and will join Jesus Montero at Triple-A, according to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710.
Franklin, 22, was drafted 27th overall by the Mariners out of high school in 2009. He was hitting .324/.440/.472 in 177 Triple-A plate appearances, a vast improvement from his production at that level last year. Franklin's rankings on top 100 prospect lists prior to the season: 69th by ESPN's Keith Law, 79th by Baseball America, and 43rd by MLB.com. BA ranked him fifth among Mariners prospects prior to the season, noting, "He profiles as a solid regular who could play in a few All-Star Games."
If he stays up all year, Franklin will accumulate 126 days of big league service, making Super Two arbitration eligibility possible after the 2015 season. It's unknown whether that amount of service will put Franklin within the top 22% of the two-to-three class at that point. Super Two players go to arbitration four times instead of the usual three.
Orioles To Promote Kevin Gausman
The Orioles are calling up right-hander Kevin Gausman, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Gausman will make his big league debut on Thursday night, taking the mound against the Blue Jays.
Gausman ranked No. 26 on both Baseball America's and Keith Law's prospect rankings for ESPN, while MLB.com listed him ten spots lower at No. 36. Prior to the season, BA wrote that Gausman's "aptitude and intelligence help set him apart." The youngster, who is second only to Dylan Bundy in Baltimore's system, is praised by BA for his premium fastball and changeup.
If he sticks on the O's roster, Gausman could potentially gain Super Two status and trigger arbitration a year early. Had the the Orioles waited until mid-June or later to promote the pitcher, they could have avoided the possibility of him becoming a Super Two player after the 2015 season. For now, the 22-year-old is slated to be under team control through 2019.
Cardinals Promote Carlos Martinez
The Cardinals announced that they have optioned Mitchell Boggs to Triple-A Memphis and called up top prospect Carlos Martinez from Double-A Springfield to take his place.
Martinez, 21, was a consensus Top 40 prospect among Baseball America (No. 38), MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (No. 33) and ESPN's Keith Law (No. 39). The Dominican native has totaled just 83 innings at Double-A and has a 2.82 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 17 starts. In total, he has 277 strikeouts in 259 2/3 minor league innings.
Baseball America, Law and Mayo all praise Martinez's fastball, which sits at 94-98 mph and can be dialed up to 100 when he needs it. Martinez's curveball draws more praise than his changeup, though BA notes that the changeup could develop into a third plus pitch for him. Mayo adds that it's a circle change with nice fade, and he doesn't feel it's that far behind Martinez's sharp 12-to-6 curveball.
Martinez is listed at 6'0" and 185 pounds. In addition to eliciting comparisons to Pedro Martinez (no pressure, Carlos), his size has led many to question whether or not he will be durable enough to handle a starter's workload. Martinez already missed a month with shoulder tendinitis last season but was able to bounce back. In his write-up, Law noted: "If the shoulder issue recurs, he may end up a shutdown reliever with two pitches near the top of the 20-80 scale." Upon learning of Martinez's promotion, Baseball America's J.J. Cooper wondered whether or not Martinez would ever start again, given the Cardinals' bounty of talented starters (Twitter link).
The Cardinals have kept Martinez in the minor leagues long enough to delay his free agency by a season, but his call-up falls well short of the June barrier that would prevent him from becoming a Super Two player. If he sticks on the roster from this point forward, Martinez will pick up 150 days of Major League service time and be under team control through the 2019 season.
Marlins Promote Marcell Ozuna
The Marlins have promoted 22-year-old right fielder Marcell Ozuna, who will make his big league debut tonight against Jeremy Hefner and the Mets. Ozuna, who was already on the team's 40-man roster, replaces slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton hit the DL with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will be out a few weeks in the best case scenario, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald among others.
Ozuna ranked 75th on Baseball America's top 100 prospects list, but failed to place on Keith Law's list for ESPN or the MLB.com list. Prior to the season, BA wrote that Ozuna "oozes tools, particularly with his plus-plus raw power and a cannon arm." He opened the season on the DL with a broken left wrist but showed no ill effects in ten Double-A games. If Ozuna manages to stick in the Majors permanently, a tall order, he'll accumulate 153 days of big league service this year and qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player after the 2015 season. He'd be under team control through 2019.