Draft Signings: Curtis Taylor, DJ Peters
The 2016 MLB Draft is in the books, and over the coming weeks we’ll see plenty of picks agree to terms with their new clubs. Rather than list all of the several hundred players, we’ll run down some of the more notable picks (either due to the size of their signing bonus, the round they were selected or a significantly over-slot/under-slot deal) as they’re reported. Here are today’s notable mid-round signings, with all slot values coming courtesy of MLB.com’s Jim Callis)…
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to sign fourth-rounder Curtis Taylor for $496K, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (Twitter link). The bonus is just barely under slot for the 119th overall pick, which carries a $496.7K value. Taylor is a 6’6″, 225-pound right-hander from the University of British Columbia who was ranked 130th on Baseball America’s top 500 list of draft prospects. BA’s scouting report (available to subscribers) says Taylor has touched 96mph with his fastball.
- The Dodgers have reached an agreement with fourth-round outfielder DJ Peters, as indicated by the Glendora Baseball Twitter feed (Peters’ high school). Terms of the deal weren’t announced, though the 131st overall carries a $442.4K slot price. A product of Western Nevada Community College, Peters was also selected in the previous two drafts (by the Cubs in 2014 and the Rangers in 2015, both in the 36th round) and was ranked by Baseball America as the 290th-best prospect in this year’s draft class.
Astros Agree To Deals With 6 Draft Picks
5:30pm: Rogers’ deal is worth $614K, an exact match of his slot price, Berman reports. Dawson’s deal also matches his slot value, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
3:29pm: The Astros have agreed to deals with six members of their 2016 draft class, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 (links: 1, 2, 3, 4). Second-round outfielder/second baseman Ronnie Dawson, third-round catcher Jake Rogers, fifth-round third baseman Abraham Toro-Hernandez, eighth-round right-hander Nick Hernandez, ninth-round southpaw Ryan Hartman and 10th-round righty Dustin Hunt will officially join the organization.
Financial terms aren’t yet available on any of the deals, but Dawson stands to collect the highest amount. His selection, 61st overall, carries a $1.057MM slot value. MLB.com ranked the lefty-swinging Dawson as the 121st overall player in this year’s class, lauding the Ohio State Buckeye’s athleticism, raw power, bat speed and strength. Baseball America was more bullish on Dawson, placing him 53rd prior to the draft and also offering similar praise as MLB.com. However, BA doesn’t expect Dawson to end up in center field as a pro and wonders whether the 21-year-old will hit enough to hold down a corner outfield position.
Rogers’ pick, 97th, has a $614K pool allotment. The backstop from Tulane earned a higher rating than Dawson from MLB.com, which viewed him as the 87th-best player available and sees him as the premier defensive catcher in college baseball – and, per some scouts, the best defender at any position in this year’s draft class. Rogers’ lack of offensive skills could be problematic, though, as the right-hander has both a big leg kick that disrupts his timing and a long swing. BA had Rogers at No. 95 because of his defensive skills, but the outlet contends that he should put more focus on trying to hit for average to improve his issues at the plate.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/12/16
Here are today’s minor transactions from around baseball:
- The Cubs have announced the signing of free agent infielder Josh Silver to a minor league pact. The 26-year-old has been playing for River City of the independent Frontier League since last season and has hit .320/.392/.442 with six homers in 306 PAs.
- The Diamondbacks have signed free agent third baseman Travis Denker to a minor league deal, per a club announcement. Denker last spent time with a major league organization in 2012, when he appeared in 64 games with the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate. His only big league action came in 2008 as a member of the Giants, with whom he hit .243/.333/.486 in 42 plate appearances. Denker has bounced around multiple independent leagues and the Mexican League in recent years.
- The Cubs have claimed right-handed reliever R.J. Alvarez off waivers from the Athletics and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Alvarez has impressively struck out 32 hitters in 28 career major league innings, but the 2012 third-round pick has offset that by walking 18 and registering a 7.39 ERA. The 25-year-old is currently working his way back from March surgery on his right elbow.
- The Marlins have signed free agent righty Travis Ballew to a minor league contract, the team announced. The reliever spent 2012-15 with the Astros organization after going in the 23rd round of the draft, though Houston never promoted him to the big leagues. Ballew, 25, opened this season pitching for Fargo-Moorhead of the independent American Association. In 221 career minor league innings, Ballew has posted a 4.03 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Yankees, Ike Davis Agree To Major League Deal
The Yankees and free agent first baseman Ike Davis have agreed to a major league contract, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The lefty-swinging Davis will soon join the Yankees and team with right-handed hitter Rob Refsnyder to form a platoon at first, tweets Heyman.
Davis’ agreement with the Yankees means he’s returning to New York, where he began his career with the Mets and where his father, Ron, pitched for the Bombers from 1978-81. The Rangers released the 29-year-old from his minor league deal earlier today and he became an obvious fit for the Yankees, who have dealt with major injury issues at first base going back to Greg Bird‘s offseason shoulder surgery. The team has also lost starter Mark Teixeira and a pair of reserves – Chris Parmelee and Dustin Ackley – to the disabled list in recent weeks, and will now hope to draw production from Davis. The Yankees courted Davis over the winter before he elected to sign with the Rangers, eventually leading New York to bring back veteran Nick Swisher on a minor league deal. Swisher hasn’t fared well at the Triple-A level this year, though, which is why the Yankees are turning to Davis.
In 2,377 major league plate appearances, Davis has slashed .239/.332/.416 with 81 home runs, a career-high 32 of which came in 2012. Most of the damage he’s done has come versus right-handed pitchers, against whom he owns a quality 122 wRC+. The Yankees’ hope is that Davis will be able to take advantage of the short right field porch at their stadium and post respectable production in a platoon with Refsnyder, thereby helping the club stay in the playoff hunt.
Twins Claim Neil Ramirez
The Twins have claimed right-handed reliever Neil Ramirez off waivers from the Brewers and transferred Phil Hughes (knee) to the 60-day DL, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press was among those to report (Twitter links).
Ramirez, 27, threw just 1 2/3 innings during his brief stint with the Brewers, who claimed him off waivers from the Cubs on May 31. In his time with those two teams this season, Ramirez yielded a combined six earned runs, three home runs and eight walks in 9 1/3 innings. The former 44th overall pick isn’t far removed from major league success, however. As a member of the Cubs from 2014-15, Ramirez totaled 57 2/3 frames of 1.87 ERA pitching, also posting an excellent 10.6 K/9 and a decent 3.6 BB/9 along the way. Ramirez has dealt with multiple injuries, though, and his fastball velocity has dropped as a result. He’ll now join a Twins bullpen that ranks fourth from the bottom in ERA (4.61), although the unit has the league’s fifth-best K/BB ratio (3.18).
Ramirez entered the season with 1.158 years of major league service time, meaning he comes with four more years of control. That also makes him a likely Super Two candidate this winter.
Rangers Release Ike Davis; Deal With Yankees Close
12:54pm: The Yankees are nearing a deal with Davis, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
12:40pm: There has been contact between the Yankees and Davis’ representatives, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link).
11:12am: The Rangers have released first baseman Ike Davis from his minor league contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report (Twitter link). Davis joined the Rangers in February after receiving interest from multiple clubs, and he could find another taker on the open market.
Interestingly, the Yankees were among the teams that pursued Davis in the winter. Injuries have beset the Bombers at first base – where Mark Teixeira, Chris Parmelee and Dustin Ackley are all on the disabled list – so they once again look like a fit for Davis. The 29-year-old wasn’t all that effective at the Triple-A level for the Rangers, though, batting .246/.329/.406 with four home runs in 158 plate appearances.
Davis spent last season with the Athletics and hit a subpar .229/.301/.350 with three homers in 239 PAs. Those numbers are a far cry from his output during the first few years of his career. In his best three-year stretch (2010-12), Davis put up an above-average line of .252/.336/.461 and amassed 58 HRs in 1,334 trips to the plate with the Mets. In the last of those three seasons, he hit a career-high 32 balls over the fence. It’s worth noting that the lefty-swinging Davis has a significant platoon split as a major leaguer, having compiled a solid 122 wRC+ in 1,883 PAs against right-handers and a horrid 61 wRC+ in 494 PAs versus southpaws.
Brewers Demote Wily Peralta To Minors
11:27am: Garza will indeed take Peralta’s place, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
10:54am: The Brewers have optioned Opening Day starter Wily Peralta to Triple-A Colorado Springs, per a team announcement. There’s no official word on a replacement, though fellow veteran right-hander Matt Garza could be the choice on the heels of making his final rehab start earlier this week. Garza hasn’t yet pitched for the Brewers this year because of a back injury.
Peralta took the hill for the Brewers in their 7-4 win over the Mets on Saturday, striking out four batters and surrendering three earned runs on five hits and a walk in five innings. Given the way Peralta has performed in 2016, that so-so outing counts as one of his best of the year. The highlight of his day came as a hitter, believe it or not, as he clubbed a 429-foot home run off Mets starter Logan Verrett.
In 66 frames prior to today’s demotion, Peralta pitched to an unsightly 6.68 ERA – the worst mark among the majors’ qualified starters – with 42 strikeouts and 27 walks. His K/BB ratio sits at 1.56, which puts him ahead of just eight other starters.The wheels began falling off last year for Peralta, who struck out a meager 4.97 hitters per nine innings and recorded a 4.72 ERA in 108 2/3 frames. He was a more reliable option the previous two years, combining for a 3.93 ERA, 6.67 K/9 and 3.16 BB/9 across 64 starts and 382 innings. At his best, Peralta logged a 3.53 ERA, 6.98 K/9 and 2.76 BB/9 in 198 1/3 innings just two seasons ago.
Peralta, 27, is on a $2.8MM salary this year and is slated to make two more trips through arbitration, though it’s possible the Brewers will simply non-tender him at season’s end.
Mariners Sign First-Rounder Kyle Lewis
The Mariners have signed first-round pick Kyle Lewis, whom they took 11th overall in this year’s draft. That selection comes with a $3.287MM slot value, which is what the outfielder will receive.
Lewis chatted with MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom before the draft, discussing his late commitment to the game of baseball. He also explained all the work he’s done and confidence he’s gained since turning his attention away from hoops late in his high school career.
MLB.com prospect gurus Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis called Lewis the third-best player available entering the draft. That was based in large part on his “easy pop to all fields,” but the duo credited him also with a strong overall skillset to go with the power.
That was largely the same assessment of the Baseball America team, which rated him fourth. ESPN.com’s Keith Law pegged Lewis as the tenth overall draft prospect, suggesting that he’s slightly more concerned than others with the 20-year-old’s need to refine his hitting mechanics — though that was a common issue raised by all of these evaluators.
While Lewis is a center fielder by trade, the consensus appears to be that he’ll eventually settle in at a corner spot. A strong arm could land him in right field, per the reports. Perhaps due in part to his lack year-round baseball before heading to college, Lewis’s game speed is said to lag his raw velocity on his feet.
Seattle has to be pleased with the way things broke with its first pick. The club was somewhat hamstrung last winter because it fell out of the top 10 with a win in its final game last year — meaning that it possessed the top unprotected pick in the draft for purposes of signing players who declined qualifying offers. After holding on to the choice rather than punting it to add a high-profile free agent, it was surely gratifying to see an elite name not only fall to them, but also sign in short order.
Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune first reported the deal. Chris Cotillo of SB Nation had the financial details.
Braves Release Dale Thayer
Less than two weeks after signing reliever Dale Thayer to a minor league contract, the Braves have announced the release of the right-hander. Prior to his brief stint in the Braves organization, Thayer spent a month with the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate before opting out of his deal with Los Angeles on May 3. He’ll now look for work again after totaling just 1 1/3 innings with the Braves’ Triple-A team.
In his latest taste of big league action, the 35-year-old logged 37 2/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA, 5.97 K/9 and 3.58 BB/9 as a member of the Padres last season. That was Thayer’s fourth year with the Friars, whom he joined in 2012. He previously racked up major league experience with the Rays and Mets. All told, Thayer has pitched to a respectable 3.47 ERA, with a 7.62 K/9 and 2.36 BB/9, in 251 1/2 major league innings.
With just over four years of MLB service time on his ledger, Thayer will still be controllable through arbitration if he lands elsewhere.
Dodgers To Sign Third-Round Pick Dustin May
The Dodgers have agreed to terms with third-round draft pick Dustin May, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. May will receive $1M, significantly above the pool allotment for the No. 101 pick, which is $591K.
May, a 6-foot-6 Texas high school righty, was committed to Texas Tech. Baseball America ranked him the No. 117 prospect in the draft. MLB.com ranked him No. 166, writing that he throws 90-93 MPH, has touched 95, and still has projection remaining. He also throws a slider and curve. He doesn’t yet have much of a changeup and could reportedly stand to work on his mechanics, but that’s not surprising for a high school draftee.