Feature Photo: Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves
Why, hello there! I didn’t see you sitting there waiting to read about the (counts on her fingers and a few toes) 13 players who made their major league debuts this week! I’m so sorry! I was busy getting ready for the upcoming onslaught of overuse of printer ink and paper as ROSTERS EXPAND TO 40 PLAYERS (and the world of Les Debs gets turned upside down and inside out, as Diana Ross would say if she were a baseball writer.)
Well, no one can say that the middle of August doesn’t provide the big league debuts of some of the biggest names in baseball. Sure, April is busy. September is busy. But this past week has brought us the Braves’ Dansby Swanson (the 1:1 from 2015, in case you’ve forgotten already – and if you had, no worries – I had to look up who the 1:1 was two months ago – sorry, Mickey Moniak (OF, Phillies) I promise it won’t happen again), and Astros shortstop Yulieski Gurriel (or Gourriel, if you prefer), one of the biggest power hitting superstars in Cuba over the last decade, and Brewers RHP Damien Magnifico, a perennial denizen on the annual list of the best names in the minors.
American League Debuts
YULIESKI GURRIEL, SS, ASTROS
Ht/Wt: 6’0”/190 B/T: R/R BORN: June 9, 1984
ACQUIRED: Signed as an international free agent (Cuba) on July 16, 2016.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .250 with two homers, 14 RBIs and four doubles in 15 games among the Gulf Coast League (Rookie), Lancaster (High A), Corpus Christi (Double-A) and Fresno (Triple-A).
PROMOTED: Recalled from Fresno August 21 when INF Tyler White was sent down.
DEBUT: August 21, in a 5-3 win over the Orioles. The starting DH, he batted sixth and went 1-for-2 before being removed for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. In his first big league at-bat in the second inning, he singled to center field with two outs against starter Yovani Gallardo. In the fourth, he drew a two-out walk. In the fifth, he grounded out for the third out of the inning. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Tony Kemp in the eighth inning.
PLAYER NOTES: Gurriel, whose name has been alternately spelled “Gourriel” (we are using the spelling that MLB uses for him), didn’t take long to make it to the bigs after Houston signed the heavily-pursued international free agent to join recently-promoted phenom Alex Bregman, adding two of the most vaunted bats in the system to the lineup as the Astros make their last stab at a post-season berth. Bregman was recalled on July 25, and the pair’s name has been spoken together frequently in the past month since Gurriel inked with the Astros. In fact, there could be another Gurriel in the fold before too long, as his brother, Lourdes, 10 years younger, also defected from Cuba and recently became eligible to sign as a free agent. As of this writing, he remained unsigned but many believe the Astros have the advantage by virtue of already having big brother in the fold. Gurriel, though 32 years old and no longer an “up and comer,” was one of the most feared power hitters in Cuba for more than a decade, hitting a combined .335 in 15 pro seasons, mostly for his hometown team in Sancti Spiritus (12 years), but also over three seasons with Industriales as well as significant time with Yokohama in Japan in 2014. He topped the 20-homer mark six times, with his best season coming in 2009 when he hit .363 with 30 homers and 105 RBIs in just 89 games for Sancti Spiritus. He becomes, technically, the 10th “rookie” on the Astros this season, after signing a 4.5-year deal for $47.5 million a few months after his February defection. His signing and promotion may be viewed as a “last call for fall” as, at the time of his call-up, the Astros sat in third place in the American League West at 63-60, nine games out of first place, and four-and-a-half games out of the Wild Card race in the AL.
2080 NOTES: You can read our international scouting expert Dave DeFreitas’ report on Gurriel here.
CHAD PINDER, SS, ATHLETICS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/195 B/T: R/R BORN: March 29, 1992
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the second round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Virginia Tech aka Virginia Polytechnic Institute).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .258 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs in 107 games at Nashville (Triple-A) with 23 doubles and a .425 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Nashville August 17 when IF Tyler Ladendorf was placed on the 15-day DL.
DEBUT: August 20, in a 6-2 loss to the White Sox. The starting second baseman, he batted ninth and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. In his first at-bat in the third inning, facing pitcher Chris Sale, he led off the inning with a grounder back to the mound. In the fifth inning he struck out swinging. In the eighth inning he fanned swinging on three pitches. In the ninth inning, he flew out to center field to end the game.
PLAYER NOTES: Pinder was the reigning Texas League MVP from 2015 when he hit .317 with 15 homers, 86 RBIs and 32 doubles at Midland (Double-A) as he has steadily moved his way up through the Athletics’ ranks one level at a time since raking as a Hokie. He spent his first full season, 2014, at Stockton (High A) where he hit .288 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 32 doubles in just 94 games for a .489 SLG. Drafted as a second baseman, he’s seen most of his time at shortstop and could also profile at third so there are lots of options for that bat and glove. He appeared in this summer’s Pacific Coast League All-Star Game but spent his formative years on the East Coast. Raised near Virginia Beach in Poquoson, his brother Chase is and up-and-coming player and they both learned a lot from their dad, Chris, who was a minor league pitcher in the Orioles’ and Indians’ organizations in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s (disclaimer: Your humble scribe saw him pitch in the Carolina League at Kinston when she was cutting her own baseball-writing teeth! Team Delmont!)
2080 NOTES: If you want to know more about Pinder, there is no better place to find out than from 2080 corntributor Melissa Lockard, who shares the scoop at Scout.com!
PARKER BRIDWELL, RHP, ORIOLES
Ht/Wt: 6’4”/190 B/T: R/R BORN: August 21, 1991
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Hereford H.S. (TX).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 4-2 with a 4.13 ERA in 24 games, seven of them starts, among the Gulf Coast League (Rookie), Aberdeen (Short-Season A), Bowie (Double-A) and Norfolk (Triple-A), striking out 53 while walking 31 and allowing 62 hits in 69.2 IP.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Norfolk August 21 when RHP Odrisamer Despaigne was sent down.
DEBUT: August 21, in a 5-3 win against the Astros. The last of two pitchers, he came on to pitch the last two innings in relief of starter Yovani Gallardo, allowing one run on two hits in two innings, striking out two without walking a batter and allowing one homer. He started the eighth and struck out the first batter he faced, Evan Gattis, swinging. The next batter, Tony Kemp, who was pinch-hitting for fellow debutante Yulieski Gurriel, lined out to center field before Jake Marisnick hit a two-out solo homer to left field. Marwin Gonzalez then grounded out in front of the plate for a 2-3 put-out at first. In the ninth, Teoscar Hernandez led off with a single to left field. George Springer flied out to left, and Hernandez was caught stealing second, after which Alex Bregman struck out looking to end the inning.
PLAYER NOTES: Bridwell earned his “tough cookie” card when he pitched with a broken rib for much of the beginning of the 2016 season before finally fessing up to the pain and going on the DL. An Arizona Fall League Rising Star in 2014, he’s a good athlete with plus secondary pitches, most notably his changeup, as well as a fastball that sits in the low 90s. At Bowie in 2015, he went 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 93 in 97 innings, missing time with elbow tendinitis. Over six pro seasons coming into 2016, he’d posted a 4.83 ERA so his numbers have improved in his last two summers.
ADALBERTO MEJIA, LHP, TWINS
Ht/Wt: 6’?”/??? B/T: R/L BORN: June 20, 1993
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Giants on July 29, 2016, for SS Eduardo Nunez. Originally signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) by the Giants on February 1, 2011.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 8-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 21 starts between Richmond (Double-A/Giants), Sacramento (Triple-A/Giants) and Rochester (Triple-A/Twins), striking out 121 and walking 30 while allowing 111 hits in 125 innings.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Rochester August 20 when 1B Kennys Vargas was sent down.
DEBUT: August 20, in a 10-0 loss to the Royals. The second of three pitchers on the night, he allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits over two-and-a-third innings, walking one. Of 42 pitches, 26 were for strikes. He came on in relief of starter Hector Santiago with no on and two outs in the fifth innings and got the first big-league batter he faced, Alcides Escobar, to ground out to third base. In the sixth, leadoff batter Christian Colon grounded out back to the mound before Paulo Orlando singled right field, followed by a Cheslor Cuthbert single which moved Orlando to third. Lorenzo Cain delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to score Orlando. Eric Hosmer then singled to center and Kendrys Morales drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Mejia got Salvador Perez to pop out to shortstop to strand the runners and end the threat. In the seventh, Alex Gordon led things off with a ground rule double to right field. Escobar followed by lining out to right before Colon collected a “double” on a pop up to shallow left field which left fielder Robbie Grossman misjudged and shortstop Jorge Polanco finally fielded (though not before Grossman kicked it foul), allowing Gordon to score. Orlando then flew out and Cuthbert grounded back to Mejia to end the inning – and Mejia’s night.
PLAYER NOTES: Mejia, who was sent back to the minors the day after his debut, brings a career 3.32 ERA into his major league debut, boasting a plus fastball in the middle 90s with good command. In 2015 at Richmond, he went 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 12 games, nine of them starts, striking out 39 batters and walking 18 in 51.1 IP while, limiting opposing hitters to a .204 average. That was an improvement on his 2014 campaign at the same stop, where he was 7-9 with a 4.67 ERA in 22 starts, fanning 82 and walking 31 in 108 innings while allowing 119 hits. Now, you may have noticed those questions marks under his height and weight, and you cannot shout at editor Mark Shreve for missing that information. Most official rosters list Mejia at 6’1” and 195 pounds while a few show him at 6’3”/195, whereas the usually accurate Baseball America Prospect Handbook has him at 6’3 and 240. Now, of course, that could just be a typo. However, if you note his low number of innings in 2015, that was due to a 50-game suspension served for a prohibited drug that is usually used for weight loss, and most write-ups on the southpaw describe him along the lines of “thickly built.” (BA describes him as “thick-waisted, thick-legged”) Our scouting report on Mejia from this past May listed his official height and weight but noted “heavier than listed.” So, to be better safe than sorry, I bring you my good, good friend the asterisk. Maybe he’s 6’1” and 195. Maybe he’s 6’3” and 195. Maybe he’s 6’3” and 240. The eyeball test says he is closer to the latter than the former. Who cares. He can pitch.
2080 NOTES: Time missed in 2015 notwithstanding, Mejia clocked in on 2080’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List at No. 120 where we noted: “Mejia was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2015 season but returned strongly, posting a 2.45 ERA over 12 starts at Double-A Richmond.” You can also check out our scouting report on Mejia from this past May here.
National League Debuts
DANSBY SWANSON, SS, BRAVES
Ht/Wt: 6’0”/190 B/T: R/R BORN: February 11, 1994
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Diamondbacks on December 8, 2015, with RHP Aaron Blair and OF Ender Inciarte for RHP Shelby Miller. Originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in the first round (first overall) of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Vanderbilt University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .261 with eight homers and 45 RBIs at Mississippi (Double-A) with 13 doubles, a .342 OBP and .402 SLG.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Mississippi August 17 when SS Erick Aybar was traded to the Tigers.
DEBUT: August 17, in a 10-3 loss to the Twins. The starting shortstop, he batted eighth and went 2-for-4. In his first at-bat, in the bottom of the second inning against Kyle Gibson, he lined out to center field. In his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, he singled to right field. In the bottom of the seventh, he struck out swinging. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, he singled again to second field and advanced to second on “defensive indifference” but was stranded there to end the game.
PLAYER NOTES: Let’s get the (very brief) 2015 numbers out of the way and then get into the fun stuff. In his pro debut at Hillsboro (Short-Season A) Swanson hit .289 in 22 games with one homer and 11 RBIs, adding seven doubles and three triples, and walking as many times – 14 – as he struck out. One of the most heralded college players in recent memory, and deservedly so, the player known at two-time College World Series finalist (and 2014 winner) Vanderbilt as “Lieutenant Dans” (a reference to the “Forrest Gump” character Lieutenant Dan who was Gump’s best friend and commanding officer) was the CWS Most Outstanding Player in ’14 and the quickest “1:1” arrival to the big leagues since Nats ace Stephen Strasburg in 2009, making it up a mere year after his draft. Traded just months after being chosen by the Diamondbacks (when the rules had been changed about that sort of thing) to his hometown Braves (he hails from nearby Marietta), he has been hailed, deservedly, as a hometown hero and it took the town no time at all between word of his promotion and his arrival in Atlanta to get welcome signs up on the billboards on I-75. He not only has everything it takes to get the job done in the middle of the infield (where he is expected to be joined by fellow uber-prospect Ozzie Albies before long for the long haul) but his leadership and makeup are off the charts. A line-drive hitter with a little power and plus defense, it’s Dans time in Atlanta (oh, and his name is actually James Dansby Swanson, with Dansby being his mom’s maiden name), but this makes him (no big surprise) the first major league player with the first name of Dansby. If he lives up to billing it could be a popular first name with boys born in 2017 (joining what is sure to be an onslaught of baby girls named Simone). You’ll have no problem finding articles about Swanson but this one from the Nashville Tennesseean, by the awesome Adam Sparks, is totally worth the read.
2080 NOTES: Swanson checked in at No. 23 on our Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List, where we had this to say about him: “Swanson’s plus arm, plus glove at shortstop, and power from the position got him drafted first overall in 2015, and those tools were on display in Short-Season A ball over the year. Swanson is a high-IQ player, and he should stick at shortstop long term.” You can also check out our Prospect Spotlight on Swanson here, and our scouting report on him here.
DAMIEN MAGNIFICO, RHP, BREWERS
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/195 B/T: R/R BORN: May 24, 1991
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (University of Oklahoma).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 6-6 with a 3.18 ERA and 17 saves in 47 games at Colorado Springs (Triple-A), striking out 54 while walking 29 batters and allowing 49 hits in 56.2 IP.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Colorado Springs along with RHP Tyler Cravy on August 16 when RHP Michael Blazek was placed on the 15-day DL. With a doubleheader scheduled for that day, the team was allowed a 26th man but Cravy was the pitcher designated as such.
DEBUT: August 16, in a 4-0 loss to the Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader. The last of three pitchers, he allowed one run and walked one in one inning, not allowing a hit, but throwing a wild pitch and hitting a batter with a pitch. Of 21 pitches, seven were for strikes. Coming on to start the bottom of the eighth inning in relief of Cravy, he walked the first batter he faced, Ben Zobrist, on four pitches and then hit Addison Russell with a pitch. With Chris Coghlan at bat, he threw a wild pitch to allow the runners to advance to second and third without an out. Coghlan proceeded to hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Zobrist. Jason Heyward then flew out to center field and Miguel Montero flew out to right field to end the inning and the threat.
PLAYER NOTES: Magnifico grew up in Dallas, Texas, but comes from a family transplanted from New York City, thus he comes by his status as a childhood Yankees fan honestly. He’d been drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 draft out of high school in Mesquite, Texas, by the rival Mets, but opted to continue his higher education, attending Howard (TX) Junior College and then transferring to Oklahoma before signing with the Brewers after his junior year in the same round. Before his promotion, he had not allowed an earned run in his last 10 games. He’s best known for his blazing fastball which has touched 100 mph more than once, but early thoughts of making him a starting pitcher were abandoned after 2014 when he was converted to closer with much better results. In 2015 at Biloxi (Double-A), he went 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA and 20 saves in 42 games, striking out 38 while walking 22 in 53.2 IP.
BRENT SUTER, LHP, BREWERS
Ht/Wt: 6’5”/195 B/T: L/L BORN: August 29, 1989
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the 31st round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Harvard University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 6-6 with a 3.50 ERA in 26 games, 15 of them starts, at Colorado Springs (Triple-A), striking out 75 while walking 14 and allowing 129 hits in 110 2/3 innings.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Colorado Springs August 19 when OF Domingo Santana was activated from the 15-day DL, RHP Damien Magnifico was sent down and INF Ramon Flores was designated for assignment.
DEBUT: August 19, in a 7-6 loss to the Mariners. The starting pitcher, he took the loss, allowing four runs, all earned, on seven hits in four-and-a-third innings, walking three while striking out two and giving up two homers. He also made an error and threw a wild pitch. Suter got the first big-league batter he faced, Shawn O’Malley, to ground out to shortstop and got through three scoreless innings to open his career. In the fourth, Kyle Seager broke up his shutout with one out with a solo home run to right field. After Stefen Romero reached on an error by shortstop Orlando Arcia and advanced to third via a groundout and then a single by Leonys Martin, Ketel Marte hit into a 1-2 fielder’s choice, as Suter threw Romero out at home to end the threat. In the fifth inning, Arcia led things off with a single to center, moving to second on a groundout by Jake Elmore before Robinson Cano launched a two-run homer to right field. Nelson Cruz kept the rally going with a single to right field and, after moving to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a single by Seager, putting him in position to score on Romero’s single to center field, which signaled the end of Suter’s night, as Jhan Marinez came on in relief.
PLAYER NOTES: The Ivy League product (come on, you knew we couldn’t let that slide, right?) has just as impressive a high school pedigree as he’s a graduate of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, the alma mater of one Ken Griffey, Jr. A smart pitcher (in ways that have nothing to do with what he learned in Cambridge) who has also been an innings eater for most of his career, he was a workhorse as a starter but split his time between starting and relief this season and his big league role could go either way down the line. In 2015, between Biloxi (Double-A) and Colorado Springs, he combined to go 8-4 with a 2.36 ERA and fanned 83 while walking just 39 in 118.1 IP, giving up 106 hits. He’d also maintained a fine ERA in 2014 at Huntsville (Double-A) where he was 10-10 with a 3.96 ERA in 28 starts, striking out 118 and walking 53 in 152.1 IP, giving up 144 hits.
FELIX PENA, RHP, CUBS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/190 B/T: R/R BORN: February 25, 1990
ACQUIRED: Signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) on March 9, 2009.
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 36 games at Iowa (Triple-A), striking out 81 and walking 23 while allowing 46 hits in 63.1 IP.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Iowa August 19 along with LHP Rob Zastryzny when RHPs John Lackey and Hector Rondon were placed on the 15-day DL and RHPs Aaron Brooks and Dallas Beeler were transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear space on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 19, in a 7-6 10-inning loss to the Rockies. The fourth of six pitchers, he tossed a perfect ninth inning, throwing only 10 pitches, seven for strikes. In relief of Carl Edwards, Jr., he started the ninth with the score tied at 4-4 and struck out the first big-league batter he faced, Daniel Descalso swinging. Nick Hundley then grounded out to first base, and Ryan Raburn struck out swinging.
PLAYER NOTES: Pena’s move back to reliever (where he spent his first several minor league seasons) from starter (where he’d spent the last few) certainly accelerated his arrival in the big leagues, as he made it up in just his first year working exclusively out of the bullpen. In 2015, he went 7-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 25 games at Tennessee (Double-A), leading the Cubs organization with 140 strikeouts while walking 49 in 129.2 IP, and allowing just 111 hits. In 2014, he split his season between Daytona (High A) and Tennessee, combining to go 6-10 with a 4.15 ERA. While he excelled in the Florida State League with a 3.19 ERA in 19 starts, he struggled in his six outings at Tennessee for a 7.48 ERA before adjusting in his return there in ’15. He was a member of his respective leagues’ mid-season All-Star Teams in 2013 (Midwest), 2014 (Florida State) and 2015 (Southern).
ROB ZASTRYZNY, LHP, CUBS
Ht/Wt: 6’3”/205 B/T: R/L BORN: March 26, 1992
ACQUIRED: Drafted in the second round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft (University of Missouri-Columbia).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 10-5 with a 4.31 ERA in 24 games between Tennessee (Double-A) and Iowa (Triple-A), striking out 119 while walking 51 and allowing 117 hits in 135.2 IP.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Iowa August 19 along with RHP Felix Pena when RHPs John Lackey and Hector Rendon were placed on the 15-day DL and RHPs Aaron Brooks and Dallas Beeler were transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear space on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 19, in a 7-6 10-inning loss to the Rockies. The fifth of six pitchers, he allowed two hits in one scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Of 22 pitches thrown, 12 were for strikes. Starting the 10th inning in relief of Felix Pena, he struck out the first batter he faced, Charlie Blackmon, swinging and then got David Dahl to ground out to second. He surrendered back-to-back singles to D.J. LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez and walked Nolan Arenado to load the bases before getting Gerardo Parra to ground out to first base to end the threat and leave the game tied at 4-4.
PLAYER NOTES: Aside from the obvious fact that he may have his name misspelled more than every other debutante this season combined (with the possible exception of Zach Eflin who I still type as “Elfin”), Zaz now joins a team that already has Matt Szczur on its roster (at least that’s easier to pronounce than it is to spell). And I’m not the first to note and won’t be the last to note that if you also throw in Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez, the Cubs may lead the majors in Zs. He is also the first of our 198 debutantes so far this season whose last name begins with the letter Z. But I digress … Zaz missed some time earlier this season with shoulder fatigue, but earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors to kick off August, tossing 11 shutout innings and showing he was healthy again. He’d missed half of 2015 with a broken ankle, posting a combined 2-5 record and 5.98 ERA in 15 starts between Mesa (Rookie League) and Tennessee, striking out 52 and walking 30 in 64.2 IP while allowing 80 hits, after posting a 4-6 record and 4.66 ERA at Daytona (High A) in 2014, fanning 110 in as many innings over 23 starts, while walking just 33 and allowing 121 hits.
2080 NOTES: Here is 2080’s scouting report on Zaz from last year’s Arizona Fall League.
MITCH HANIGER, OF, DIAMONDBACKS:
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/215 B/T: R/R BORN: December 23, 1990
ACQUIRED: Via trade on July 31, 2014, from the Brewers with LHP Anthony Banda for OF Gerardo Parra. Originally drafted by the Brewers in the first round (#38 overall) in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .325 with 24 homers and 86 RBIs in 119 games between Mobile (Double-A) and Reno (Triple-A) along with 10 stolen bases and 32 doubles for a .423 OBA and .588 slugging percentage.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Reno on August 16 when OF Socrates Brito was sent down.
DEBUT: August 16, in a 7-5 loss to the Mets. The starting left fielder, he batted seventh and went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs, adding a double and a triple. In his first big-league at bat in the second inning against Mets starter Noah Syndergaard, he struck out looking. In the fourth inning, with one out, he grounded out to second base. In the sixth inning, with one out and two on, he tripled to center field to drive in baserunners Jake Lamb and Welington Castillo, and then scored on a fielding error by T.J. Rivera. In the seventh, with two outs and two on, he doubled to left field to score Paul Goldschmidt.
PLAYER NOTES: Haniger combined to hit a combined .310 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 12 steals and 26 doubles along with a .368 OBA and .515 SLG between Mobile and Visalia (High A), but he was actually struggling at Mobile and as a result was sent down to Visalia. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he worked his tail off to make adjustments in all aspects of his offensive game which showed on the field, and carried over into 2016. He had spent time at three different stops in 2014, thanks in part to the deadline deal that saw him switch organizations, combining to bat .259 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 79 games between Huntsville (Brewers/Double-A), Arizona Rookie League (Diamondbacks) and Mobile.
JOSH SMOKER, LHP, METS
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/195 B/T: L/L BORN: Nov. 26, 1988
ACQUIRED: Signed as a minor league free agent April 2, 2015. Originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in the first round (#31 overall) of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Calhoun H.S., GA).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 52 games at Las Vegas (Triple-A), striking out 81 batters and walking 18 in 57 innings while allowing 66 hits.
PROMOTED: Recalled from Las Vegas August 19 when LHP Josh Edgin was sent down.
DEBUT: August 19, in an 8-1 loss to the Giants. The third of five pitchers, he allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits in one-third of an inning. Of nine pitches thrown, five were for strikes. Coming in to start the eighth inning with the Mets down, 3-1, the first big-league batter he faced, Brandon Belt, reached on an infield single to second base. The next batter, Buster Posey, reached on a force out to shortstop, and Brandon Crawford followed by singling to center field to put runners at the corners with one out. Mets closer Jeurys Familia was brought in to relieve Smoker, and allowed a single to right field by Hunter Pence to load the bases. The next batter, Eduardo Nunez, grounded into a force out at second base, which allowed Posey to score and putting runners at the corners with two outs. The next batter, Joe Panik, reached on an error by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera which allowed both Crawford and Nunez to score, though only Crawford’s run belonged to Smoker and was an unearned run.
PLAYER NOTES: This was Smoker’s second promotion of the season after being recalled from Vegas back on July 26. That time, however, it was just as an emergency 26th man for a doubleheader and, after not getting into either game that day against the Cardinals, he was dispatched back to Sin City and the 51s. He’d lowered his ERA by nearly half a run in the three weeks between promotions, a span of nine games. Smoker’s rise to the majors has been one of highs and lows. Armed with a plus fastball and a dangerous splitter, he was his state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in high school in 2007, signing with the Nats as a bonus baby before an array of injuries slowed what had promised to be a swift ascent. Arm and shoulder woes ranging from a bone spur in 2008 to a torn rotator cuff and labrum in 2013 and others in between saw him sit out most of 2012 and all of 2013 after having seen mixed results in the lower levels of A ball in 2010 and 2011. Finally healthy in 2014, he needed to detour through the independent Frontier League (one of the lower rungs of established indies), posting a 4.03 ERA in 28 games at Rockford to prove to teams that he could still pitch. The Mets signed him the next spring and he worked his way through Savannah (Class A), St. Lucie (High A) and Binghamton (Double-A), combining to go 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 41 games and striking out 60 batters while walking 19 in 49 innings and limiting opposing hitters to a .213 average.
PATRICK KIVLEHAN, 3B, PADRES
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/215 B/T: R/R BORN: December 22, 1989
ACQUIRED: Claimed off waivers from the Mariners on August 4, 2016. Originally drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Rutgers University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .254 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 92 games between Tacoma (Triple-A), Round Rock (Triple-A) and El Paso (Triple-A).
PROMOTED: Recalled from El Paso August 20 along with P Keith Hessler when INF Nick Noonan and LHP Ryan Buchter were sent down.
DEBUT: August 20, in a 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. The starting left fielder, he batted seventh and went 2-for-4 with a homer and also made an error. In his first big-league at-bat, facing Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray, he struck out looking in the third inning. In the fifth, he launched a one-out solo homer off Ray to left field, accounting for the lone hit off of Ray in his nearly perfect seven innings of work. Kivlehan He led off the eighth inning with a single to right off of reliever Jake Barrett but was left stranded. He made a fielding error in the top of the ninth with two outs but it did not lead to any runs.
PLAYER NOTES: That “acquired” note may sound really simple, but in reality Kivlehan may boast the single most confuzzling acquisition transaction record we’ve seen yet this year (the “current season stat” line may give you an indication), so try to follow along here: Originally drafted by the Mariners in 2012, he was dealt to the Rangers on December 2, 2015, as the player to be named later in a November 16 multi-player deal that had sent outfielder Leonys Martin and right-hander Anthony Bass to the Mariners for Kivlehan, right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen and outfielder James Jones. However, on May 23, 2016, the Rangers designated Kivlehan for assignment and he was claimed by the Mariners and dealt back to them for another player to be named later (who has yet to be named, as far as I can tell). On August 1, the Mariners then designated Kivlehan for assignment and he was claimed by the Padres on August 4. Got that? There will be a test on this later (though probably only Kivlehan would pass it). Kivlehan came out of Rutgers as the reigning Big East Player of the Year in 2012 and the first player in that league’s history to win a Triple Crown, hitting .402 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs. He followed that hot streak up by earning Northwest League MVP honors at Everett (Short-Season A) in his pro debut, hitting .301 with 12 homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBIs that summer for a .511 SLG. He also reached or topped the 20-homer mark in 2014, when he combined for 20 homers and 103 RBIs between High Desert (High A) and Jackson (Double-A) and 2015 when he blasted 22 homers and had 73 RBIs while hitting .313 at Tacoma.
JEFF HOFFMAN, RHP, ROCKIES
Ht/Wt: 6’5”/225 B/T: R/R BORN: January 8, 1993
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Blue Jays on July 28, 2015, along with SS Jose Reyes, RHP Miguel Cairo and RHP Jesus Tinoco for SS Troy Tulowitzki and RHP LaTroy Hawkins. Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft (East Carolina University).
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 6-9 with a 4.02 ERA in 22 starts at Albuquerque (Triple-A), striking out 124 while walking 44 and allowing 117 hits in 118.2 IP.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Albuquerque August 20 when RHP Christian Bergman was sent down and LHP Jason Gurka was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
DEBUT: August 20, in a 9-2 loss to the Cubs. The starting pitcher, he took the loss, allowing seven runs, six of them earned, on seven hits in four-plus innings, walking one and striking out two. He faced three batters in the fifth inning. He also made an error on a pickoff attempt. The first batter he faced, Dexter Fowler, singled to center field but Kris Bryant then flew out to center and Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play to end the threat. Hoffman tossed three shutout innings, including 1-2-3 innings in the second (in which he capped the inning with his first big-league strikeout of Jorge Soler swinging) and third, before running into trouble in the fourth. Once again, Fowler got things started with a leadoff single to right and moved to third on Hoffman’s errant pickoff attempt throw. He scored on Bryant’s single to right, and Rizzo followed with a third consecutive single to right. Ben Zobrist then doubled to center to score Bryant. Hoffman got the next two batters out, with Addison Russell grounding out and Soler flying out, before Miguel Montero’s two-out two-run single to center scored Rizzo and Zobrist before Matt Szczur lined out to end the fourth inning. In the fifth, pitcher Mike Montgomery led things off by reaching second on an error by first baseman Ryan Raburn, and after Fowler drew a walk, Bryant hit a three-run homer, ending the day and closing the book on Hoffman as reliever Chris Rusin came on.
PLAYER NOTES: Hoffman, the staff ace at ECU in 2014, underwent Tommy John surgery the month before the June draft and so he did not make his pro debut until 2015 and both of the teams that have had his rights have, understandably, continued to be very careful with his innings count. In his pro debut in ’15, he combined to go 5-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 20 starts among Dunedin (High A/Blue Jays), New Hampshire (Double-A/Blue Jays) and New Britain (Double-A/Rockies), striking out 75 and walking 27 in 104 innings while allowing 95 hits. Before his surgery he was throwing a fastball that came close to 100 mph, and since his recovery he’s regained most of that heat, sitting around the middle 90s and supplementing the pitch with a power curveball, changeup and slider.
2080 NOTES: Hoffman checked in at No. 28 on our Preseason Top 125 Prospect Rankings List, where we had this to say about him: “A main piece to the Troy Tulowitzki trade with Toronto, Hoffman was heralded by the Rockies. Before his Tommy John surgery at East Carolina, Hoffman was considered a strong 1:1 candidate going into the 2014 draft. A mid-90s fastball and potential curveball are the carrying tools for him, and as long as his command gets refined, Hoffman should have a quality #3 starter ceiling.” Nick J. Faleris also wrote this Prospect Spotlight on Hoffman.
