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NL Notes: Nationals, Third Base, Coaching Announcements, Reds, Cubs

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The Nationals have no qualms about Carter Kieboom as their starting third baseman despite an alarming lack of power, writes Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. The 23-year-old has produced a meager .051 ISO over his first 165 plate appearances, including just a solitary double in 122 plate appearances in 2020. Kieboom hit 16 home runs in 2019 at Triple-A with a respectable .189 ISO, and Fangraphs gives him a 55-potential in-game power grade on a 20-80 scale. The Nationals believe the power will come. Luis Garcia, the Nats’ top offensive prospect after Kieboom, was rushed to the Majors in 2020, but he does not appear to be in serious consideration for an everyday role on the 2020 roster, notes Zuckerman. Starlin Castro enters camp as the starter at second base, while Josh Harrison lines up as the primary backup at all three non-first-base infield spots. The Nationals aren’t famous for boasting tremendous depth, though they do have non-roster invitees Jordy Mercer, Adrián Sanchez, and Hernán Pérez also in camp. Let’s check in on some coaching announcements in the National League…

  • Jose Moreno, the Manager of the Year in the Venezuelan Winter League this season, will take over as manager for the High-A Dayton Dragons in the Reds’ system, per the Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter) and a press release from Dayton. It will be Moreno’s second season with the Reds after spending 19 years in the Seattle Mariners’ organization. As the Dragons make the move from Low-A to High-A, they’ll do so with with Darren Bragg, Brian Garman, and Daryle Ward on Moreno’s staff as a development coach, pitching coach, and hitting coach, respectively. Ward returns as the Dragons hitting coach after serving in the same role with the club in 2016 and 2017. Garman, meanwhile, was hired for the 2020 season before the cancellation.
  • The Cubs announced their minor league coaches and coordinators for the 2021 season today. Among the additions, Dustin Kelly has taken over as minor league hitting coordinator after three seasons as a hitting coach in the Dodgers’ organization. He played three seasons in the minors after being drafted in 2004 by the Red Sox. Kelly replaces Chris Valaika, who was promoted to assistant hitting coach for the big league club, notes the Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma (via Twitter).

AL East Notes: Rays, Franco, Red Sox, Benintendi, Cora, Pedroia

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Rays top prospect Wander Franco is on his way back to the United States for precautionary tests on the bicep injury that forced him out of the lineup in the Winter League, according to John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The Dominican League reported news of Franco’s discomfort last week, but it seemed like a minor injury at the time. Coming back stateside certainly adds a note of concern, but that’s still not much to go on. For the time being, it’s safe to presume the best. While we await further updates, let’s check in on the Rays division rival…

  • There’s some concern that Andrew Benintendi won’t be able to regain the form that made him a top prospect before his debut in 2016, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Boston’s left fielder slashed .290/.366/.465, good for 4.5 bWAR as a 23-year-old in 2018. He’s backslid since then, culminating in an injury-marred 2020. More than the .103/.314/.128 line he posted in just 14 games this season, the concern is that Benintendi no longer registers the sprint speed he booked early in his career. Speier provides some disquieting quotes from talent evaluators who don’t see Benintendi developing into the star many expected. There’s not much chance of Boston exploring a trade with his value at an all-time low. For now, the 26-year-old should have plenty of leash to build back his value in 2021.
  • Before he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora mentored Dustin Pedroia in the early stages of the second baseman’s career. Now, as that career appears to be nearing an end, Cora is again nearby to lend an ear, writes Chris Cotillo of Masslive.com. Cora won’t reveal anything about Pedroia’s plans for the future, but he did speak glowingly about the impact he has continued to have on the team, even if he hasn’t been healthy enough to contribute on the diamond. It’s largely expected that Pedroia will announce his retirement before the 2021 season, but nothing has been made official.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/18/20

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We’ll use this post to track some minor signings throughout the day…

  • The Indians added a pair of minor leaguers, the team announced (via Twitter). Southpaw Gunner Leger and catcher Yojhan Quevedo will report to minor league camp at the beginning of March. A Louisiana native originally drafted in the 26th round by the Miami Marlins, Leger, 24, instead returned to the University of Louisiana in his hometown of Lafayette, where he concluded a successful NCAA career after the 2019 season. Leger went 24-13 with a 2.44 ERA across 63 games, 53 starts in college. Williamsport fanatics might remember Leger as a first baseman and pitcher for a Lake Charles team that made it all the way to the United States finals before losing to perennial challenger, Hawaii, in 2008.
  • Quevedo, 26, is a Venezuelan native whose latest baseball action came in the Venezuelan Winter League each of the past two seasons. The catcher is clearly on the older end of the prospect spectrum, thought catchers often develop later. His latest output impressed with a .371/.378/.411 line across 136 plate appearances in the winter league.

MLB Will Not Allow Players To Participate In Venezuelan Winter Ball

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Major League Baseball has decided to preclude affiliated players — both major and minor-leaguers — from participating in the Venezuelan Winter League, according to Jared Diamond and Kejal Vyas of the Wall Street Journal. The move was made in an effort to comply with the economic sanctions imposed by the United States earlier this year.

It isn’t immediately clear whether there’s still some hope of a change in the situation before the winter league launches in October. There have been some recent developments in the political situation that could have an impact, though there’s no indication that the relevant sanctions — those that largely bar U.S. individuals and businesses from economic interaction with Venezuela — are going to be lifted any time soon.

Per the report, the league is engaging with the U.S. government in a bid to understand just what it can and cannot do to comply with the sanctions. Notably, there will be no bar to Venezuelan players who wish to travel back to their home country. But it seems they and others (including, presumably, many players who are not United States citizens) will not be able to participate in game action.

MLB players participate in winter leagues in Venezuela and other locations through agreements involving the leagues, MLB, and the MLB Players Association. Just how the situation will proceed remains to be seen. The ongoing humanitarian crisis and political turmoil in Venezuela has obviously weighed heavily on players hailing from that nation. The situation has also presented difficulties for teams operating there, as Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic explored earlier this year (subscription link), impeding scouting and player development functions.

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