Baseball Chatter 02/22

Both MLB.com and Baseball America rank Pedro Severino as one of the Nats’ top 10 prospects Unless David Robertson gets injured or has a dip in form, the Sox can also bide their time and wait until the trade deadline to find a suitable return for the closer.  Given the Nationals’ uncertainty at the back of their bullpen, Washington may not have that luxury. 

The White Sox say they are in no rush to move along their prospects, and Lucas Giolito will begin the season at Triple-A Charlotte. Success there would give him another shot in the majors this season. When the Nats called him up last year he gave up 26 hits and walked 12 in 21 innings pitched.

Unless someone gets hurt, or a rookie named JaCoby Jones pulls a reprise of the old Spring Phenom act, Mikie Mahtook is in line to be the Tigers’ choice in center when they get rolling

Zach Burdi is viewed by the organization as a potential closer

“We view him as an elite reliever, but he has back-end-of-the-bullpen type of stuff, Does that mean that’s where he starts? Is he going to go right as a closer? Not necessarily, but he has the potential to become a closer.”

White Sox director of player development Chris Getz

Hyun Soo Kim Kim said he’s in much better shape than a year ago and is confident he’ll perform at a higher level this season than he did in 2016

Kevin Cash instructed left-handed reliever Enny Romero to throw four intentional balls to Gary Sanchez, which would have loaded the bases. Unfortunately for Romero, the very first pitch, or in this case lob, dropped right into Sanchez’s hitting zone.

 

The Indians led the American League with 134 stolen bases last year. Most of those steals came from five players including Rajai Davis, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis. Expect Jose Ramirez to lead off once again this season.

Don’t expect Yandy Diaz, Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen to break camp with the Indians unless someone gets hurt or suspended. Francona said Tuesday that those three players did not receive the same message that Naquin heard last year.

  • Diaz batted .325 with an .860 OPS in 95 games for Triple-A Columbus last season.
  • Zimmer didn’t find as much success in his first stint at the level, as he hit .242 with a .654 OPS and only one homer and 56 strikeouts in 37 games.
  • Allen advanced to Double-A Akron last summer. Overall in 2016, he logged a .416 on-base percentage, with 45 stolen bases and nearly as many walks (77) as strikeouts (78).

If Michael Brantley isn’t ready for Opening Day, Diaz deserves strong consideration for a roster spot. He has progressed every year since becoming an Indian.

Mikie Mahtook is young, athletic, can run, has a strong arm, plays good defense and is loaded with potential. But there is a question mark: can he hit both righties and lefties? For his career, he has hit .276 against lefties and .192 against righties.

Mets Manager Terry Collins is considering Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera as potential leadoff batters if Jose Reyes is not fully healthy.

Drew Hutchison had a bad 2016, but he pitched in a hitter friendly ballpark in Toronto and his raw skills are real. The Pirates have a pretty impressive record of turning around struggling pitchers so hopefully they can get Hutchinson to induce a ground ball or two..

Matt Kemp came to camp early looking like he lost some weight and got in shape over the winter. He has been the talk of Braves camp so far as he is looking great in batting practice. Kemp batted .280 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and a .519 slugging percentage in 56 games for the Braves after he arrived in late July.

Gerardo Parra was out of shape last year when he reported to spring training after signing a three-year, $27.5 million contract last winter. On June 15 he suffered a high ankle sprain and missed 46 games. Upon his return, Parra played 39 games, including 19 as a fill-in first baseman. He hit .253 with a .271 OBP, both career lows. Was his ankle fully healed? Watch this spring

Reds Mgr Bryan Price wants his back-of-the-bullpen relievers to get fewer appearances but deliver multiple innings. As has been telegraphed during the off season, the job will be shared among Raisel Iglesias, Drew Storen, Michael Lorenzen and Tony Cingrani.

Avisail Garcia lost 14 pounds this offseason, and will be given a chance “to settle into right field,” manager Rick Renteria said. Garcia fell short of high expectations last year when he displayed below-average defensive skills, along with 12 home runs, 51 RBI and a .245/.307/.385 slash line. (.355 average with runners in scoring position.)

 

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