Baseball Chatter 03/13

 

Julio Urias looks to open the season in the minors in an attempt to keep his innings down

The Dodgers were expected to give a rotation spot to Julio Urias to start the season, but now it looks like he will start in the minors

Chris Tillman was shut down after he made approximately 10 throws during a long toss session on Sunday, more updates to follow

Anthony DeSclafani is likely to begin the year on the disabled list after suffering a setback Friday, so Michael Lorenzen could join the Reds rotation, as manager Bryan Price is against the idea of transitioning Raisel Iglesias back to a starting role.

AJ Pollock was taken out of the game Sunday due to mild tightness in his left groin. Mild is a good sign but this is the same groin he injured in September, which is a real cause for concern.

If the Royals are out of contention in July, GM Dayton Moore has told outside executives that impending free agents Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar will all be available

The Rockies injuries so far this spring:

Mark Reynolds has two doubles and an RBI while hitting .400 over seven games so far this spring. He has also struck out six times in 15 at bats. Reynolds hopes to make the Rockies Opening Day roster.

Charlie Tilson is wearing a walking boot and hasn’t played this spring because of a stress reaction in his right foot, and will be re-evaluated Monday. Tilson tore his left hamstring in his major-league debut last season and had season-ending surgery. Possible replacements in center field include:

Eddie Butler had a 6.50 ERA in 36 appearances (28 starts) for the Rockies. The Cubs got him nearly free in a trade a few weeks ago. So far this spring, Butler is 3-0 this spring.

If Michael Brantley isn’t healthy on opening day, Yandy Diaz could get a shot at making the roster. He hit .318/.408/.446 across two minor league levels last season. He walks, he hits and he even steals some bases.

Tigers prospect Sandy Baez has struck out seven and walked one over five innings and three games. He has allowed one hit, a homer. His fastball reaches 100 mph and also has an above average splitter. ETCH IN YOUR KITCHEN TABLE

Pujols has struggled a ton against shifts. While his career average is .321, his average since 2014 has been .261.

Last season, Pujols faced a shift in 261 plate appearances in which he put the ball in play, and he hit .229. The year before, it was .231. The Angels as a team hit .279 on their balls in play against shifts, the second worst average in the majors

I don’t worry about where they’re playing me. My goal is to see a good pitch and put my best swing on it. After I put that swing on it, I can’t control where the ball goes. If you’re asking like I’m supposed to place the ball here or there, nobody in this room has the ability to do that.

Active players with the most hits through age 26:

  1. Miguel Cabrera, with 1,220 through 2009.
  2. Albert Pujols, with 1,159 through 2006.
  3. Starlin Castro, with 1,147 through 2016.

Giants Third Basemen so far this spring:

Manager Bruce Bochy is pretty declarative that it’ll be Eduardo Nunez starting at third, provided he stays as healthy as he is right now.

I thought he did a really nice job for us last year. He played a really good defensive third base and once he got settled in, he showed the player that he is.Bruce Bochy on Nunez

 

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