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Diamondbacks Notes: Buchholz, Perez, Defense

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Here’s the latest from the Diamondbacks, who are clinging to a half-game lead over the Rockies in the NL West…

  • Clay Buchholz didn’t want to sign a minor league contract last offseason, though the righty tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila that the experience ended up being “a restart” for him, leading to his eventual revival with the D’Backs.  “I swallowed my pride and did that [pitch in the minors] for a little bit. It was for the best, because it helped me get to where I’m at now,” Buchholz said.  “It feels good to be able to go out there and throw without anything going on, mentally or physically.”  Buchholz initially signed a minors deal with the Royals but was released before pitching for the big league team, only to sign another minor league contract with Arizona and emerge as a big piece of the Diamondbacks’ rotation.  In 73 innings for the D’Backs this season, Buchholz has a 2.47 ERA, 3.81 K/BB rate, and a 7.5 K/9.
  • Rookie catcher Michael Perez has made a strong first impression with the Rays after being traded from Arizona to Tampa as part of the Matt Andriese deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  The seeds of the trade were planted in the offseason when Rays scouts became impressed by Perez while examining the Diamondbacks’ system in preparation for the three-team deal that sent Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona and Brandon Drury to the Yankees.  “We were fortunate he was in a position where he was blocked by three catchers there in the big leagues….In a lot of organizations he may have had more of an opportunity than he had at the time in Arizona,” Rays pro scouting director Kevin Ibach said.
  • Excellent glovework has been an underrated part of Arizona’s success this year, as Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan notes that the Diamondbacks have the best overall defense of any team in baseball.  D’Backs pitchers and catchers rank first in the league in combined UZR and Defensive Runs Saved, while their infielders and catchers are also near the top of the list.

Pitcher Notes: Stroman, Syndergaard, Ray, Cobb

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Somewhat overlooked in last night’s rain-shortened 7-5 loss to the Yankees was the fact that Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman experienced a resurfacing of his blister issues. Though Stroman himself didn’t speak to reporters after the game, manager John Gibbons told reporters that Stroman’s blister tore in the seventh inning of a recent dominant start against the Red Sox (h/t Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca). Gibbons also admitted that the club is considering a DL stint in order to get Stroman right again after he took 88 pitches to get through four innings last night (while giving up five earned runs).

More notes on a few pitchers around the league…

  • Packed deep in a piece by Laura Albanese of Newsday are a few notable quotes by Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard that shed some (admittedly vague) light on his struggles and seeming fall from “ace” status. Not only is Thor upset about his inability to hold baserunners (the Phillies swiped five bags off him and batterymate Kevin Plawecki last night), but he also hinted at some wider mechanical issues he’s trying to work through. “It’s something I battle every day when I go out there,” said Syndergaard. “I’m just trying to correct a lot of things that I’ve been doing wrong for a long time.”
  • Elsewhere in the National League, Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray still hasn’t been able to get back on track, as Nick Piecoro details in a piece for the Arizona Republic. After a breakout 2017 campaign, Ray’s been unable to deliver any semblance of a repeat performance this season after starting the year with diminished velocity and succumbing to an oblique injury. After walking five batters last night, Ray had the following to say about his command issues. “I just need to get back to what I do best and that’s pound the zone. I’ve got too good of stuff to be pitching around the zone. I’ve just got to attack guys and then my off-speed stuff gets better.” Interestingly, Ray felt confident while warming up yesterday and felt in complete command of his pitches. He wonders whether a “lack of focus” could be to blame.
  • Though the early returns of the Alex Cobb signing didn’t look good for the Orioles, the return to effectiveness of his change-up seems to have vaulted the right-hander back to his previous form, as Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun details in this piece. He notes that Cobb’s given up just nine hits on 184 change-ups since the All-Star break. His confidence in the pitch has led to him almost doubling its usage lately, and the results have spoken for themselves. Cobb’s strung together four consecutive quality starts of late, posting a 2.08 ERA with a 54.9% ground ball rate during that span.

Rangers, Diamondbacks Complete Jake Diekman Trade

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The Rangers annnounced today that they have acquired minor-league lefty Joshua Javier from the Diamondbacks. He’ll represent the player to be named later from the agreement that sent veteran southpaw Jake Diekman to Arizona at the trade deadline.

Javier, 19, showed well last year in the Dominican Summer League. He reached the Rookie level Arizona League in 2018, marking his first time playing professionally outside of his native Dominican Republic. Through 35 1/3 innings over four starts and six relief appearances, he carries a 2.80 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 15 walks.

Otherwise, there isn’t much information available publicly on Javier, who is a native of the Dominican Republic. He’ll join young righty Wei-Chieh Huang in constituting the return for Diekman. While both pre-MLB hurlers seem to have their share of promise, it doesn’t appear to be a major haul of talent, though neither was one expected for a rental reliever who has his share of demerits on the hill. Of course, the 31-year-old Diekman still brings a mid-nineties heater and has dominated right-handed hitters this year, contrary to his more typical career platoon numbers. He owns a 3.86 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 this year through 42 innings and figures to be a useful asset for Arizona down the stretch.

Diamondbacks To Re-Sign Randall Delgado

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The D-backs have brought right-hander Randall Delgado back to the organization on a new minor league contract, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). Delgado was designated for assignment on July 25 and subsequently released. Delgado, a client of MVP Sports, will head to Triple-A Reno for the time being, according to Piecoro.

Delgado, 28, missed the vast majority of the 2018 season while recovering from a fairly severe oblique injury that landed him on the 60-day DL and kept him out of action from Opening Day until early July. Once healthy, he yielded four runs on seven hits and three walks through seven innings for Arizona, though he managed just two strikeouts in that time. Delgado’s fastball, which averaged 94.2 mph in 2017, averaged just 91.9 mph in his brief run with the D-backs earlier this season.

Uninspiring as those results might’ve been, Delgado brings a track record of solid bullpen work with him back to the Arizona organization. From 2015-17, he pitched to a 3.78 ERA over the life of 209 2/3 innings and averaged 8.6 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with 0.9 HR/9. Given his experience and the organization’s familiarity with Delgado, there’s a decent chance that he’ll get a look as an extra arm in the team’s bullpen when rosters expand in September. He has enough MLB service time to reach free agency at season’s end, so even if he pitches his way back into the front office’s good graces, he’ll likely be exploring the open market once again in the near future.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/14/18

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There are quite a few minor moves to cover, with Baseball America’s Matt Eddy releasing several weeks’ worth of transactions. We’ll use this post to cover the most notable ones that haven’t yet featured on MLBTR:

  • The Angels released outfielder Ben Revere, who could perhaps be an interesting player to target for contending clubs that like the idea of adding a good defender and baserunning threat to their system. Revere, 30, hasn’t seen the majors this year after seven-straight seasons of action at the game’s highest level. He’s slashing .277/.319/.406 with a pair of steals through 166 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Ending a relationship that never seemed to work out, the Dodgers have cut loose infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena. Now 28, the former international signee hadn’t played much in the club’s system since he was suspended in May of 2016.
  • The Phillies have released a pair of former big leaguers: infielder Danny Espinosa and outfielder Adron Chambers. Espinosa’s always fickle bat has not yet recovered from a 2017 nosedive. In 240 Triple-A plate appearances with three organizations this year, he owns a .295/.239/.312 slash. Chambers, meanwhile, hasn’t seen the majors since 2013 and last played affiliated ball in 2015, but came back from an indy stint to produce a .278/.328/.437 batting line in 138 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • A host of players received their walking papers from the Diamondbacks. Righty Brian Ellington is among them; the flamethrower struggled badly with his command in limited minor-league action. Southpaw Anthony Vasquez was also released after after 85 2/3 innings of 5.04 ERA ball in the upper minors. The club also dropped several outfielders. Cesar Puello (.317/.426/.454) and Dan Robertson (.263/.361/.407) are both former big leaguers who were getting on base at Reno, but will now seek other opportunities.
  • The Giants released two notable players in righty Chris Heston and backstop Ryan Hanigan. Heston, 30, only made nine appearances in the minors this year owing to injury. Hanigan, who’s closing in on his 38th birthday, is still looking to crack the majors for the 12th-straight season but did not help his cause with a .175/.254/.193 batting line in 63 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • The Cubs parted with Ryan Webb after he made just 11 appearances at the Rookie ball level. It is not immediately clear why the 32-year-old did not get a shot in the upper minors, or what’s next for him In eight seasons of MLB pitching, from 2009 through 2016, Webb owns a 3.43 ERA through 393 1/3 innings.
  • A variety of other former major-league relief pitchers were also on the move. Among them: The White Sox signed once-promising Braves reliever Mauricio Cabrera. Righty Dallas Beeler was released by the Royals. A trio of former MLB lefties are back in free agency after being cut free: Elvis Araujo (Orioles); Paco Rodriguez (Twins); and Dario Alvarez (Mariners).
  • Meanwhile, the Mariners parted with outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis and the Nationals did the same with Alejandro De Aza. One-time Rule 5 pick Taylor Featherston landed with the Reds.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/10/18

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Today’s minor league moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Diamondbacks outrighted infielder Deven Marrero to Triple-A, as per a team press release.  Marrero was designated for assignment earlier this week.  After being acquired by Arizona from the Red Sox back in March, Marrero appeared in 45 games for the D’Backs this season, hitting .167/.224/.205 over 85 PA.  Selected by Boston as the 24th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Marrero has been able to reach the big leagues by virtue of his excellent defense, though he has never been particularly strong at the plate even at the minor league level.
  • First baseman/outfielder Brock Stassi is joining the Giants organization after it purchased his contract from the New Britain Bees, Mike Ashmore of MyCentralJersey.com notes in a tweet. The 29-year-old Stassi cracked the majors last year with the Phillies for the first time, but didn’t hit enough to stick. He also struggled earlier this year at the Triple-A level with the Twins organization. Even as his younger brother, Astros catcher Max Stassi, has enjoyed a breakthrough MLB campaign, the elder Stassi found himself out of the affiliated ranks. Fortunately, he’s now back after destroying indy ball pitching to the tune of a .361/.458/.592 batting line.

Diamondbacks Designate Deven Marrero

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The Diamondbacks have designated infielder Deven Marrero for assignment, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert was among those to tweet after last night’s game.

Marrero had been working back from a stint on the disabled list. Clearly, the organization decided not to bring him back onto the active roster. Marrero is out of options, so this was the only other choice.

Soon to turn 28, Marrero was picked up from the Red Sox just before the start of the season. Valued highly for his glovework, the former first-rounder has never come around with the bat. In 85 plate appearances this year, he managed only a .167/.224/.205 slash line, leaving him with a 39 wRC+ in 343 trips to the MLB plate over the past four seasons.

Diamondbacks Release Jorge De La Rosa

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The Diamondbacks announced today that they released lefty Jorge De La Rosa after he cleared waivers. He had been designated for assignment at the trade deadline.

De La Rosa, 37, had been working out of the pen after cracking the roster on a minors deal this spring. He’s owed $2.25MM for the season, his second in Arizona.

The veteran southpaw managed only a 4.63 ERA in his 35 innings for the Snakes before he was cut loose. Though he carried a solid 51.9% groundball rate, De La Rosa posted a marginal combination of 6.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 while allowing homers on twenty percent of the flyballs put in play against him.

Jake Lamb To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, manager Torey Lovullo announced to reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via Zach Buchanan of The Athletic). Lamb was previously said to be weighing surgery to repair a frayed left rotator cuff. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training 2019, per Lovullo.

It’s been a poor season all around for the 27-year-old Lamb, who hit 59 homers from 2016-17 in establishing himself as Arizona’s primary third baseman before a sharp decline in his offensive output in 2018. Through 238 plate appearances this year, Lamb has been limited to a paltry .222/.307/.348 slash with just six home runs. His walk rate has dipped by nearly three percent from 2017, while his strikeout rate has risen by a similar margin.

There’s little doubt that the balky shoulder significantly hampered Lamb’s production in 2018. Lovullo said that the slugger felt that he “couldn’t finish his swing,” as Jack Magruder of The Sports Xchange tweets. He’d already missed roughly six weeks of the season — from April 3 through May 18 — due to an sprained AC (acromioclavicular) joint in that same shoulder.

With Lamb now out for the duration of the season, trade acquisition Eduardo Escobar will likely slot in as Arizona’s primary option at the hot corner. The D-backs acquired Escobar from the Twins six days ago, sending minor leaguers Gabriel Maciel, Jhoan Duran and Ernie De La Trinidad to Minnesota in return. Given Lamb’s disappointing numbers as he attempted to play through shoulder pain, Escobar and his .276/.339/.511 slash will be a significant upgrade over the final couple of months as the Diamondbacks try to catch the division-leading Dodgers. Escobar will be a free agent at season’s end, so Lamb will have a clear path back to the lineup in 2019 — assuming he’s healthy.

Lamb is earning $4.275MM after avoiding arbitration for the first time last offseason. He’ll be eligible for a small raise given this season’s struggles at the plate and lack of playing time due to injury, and he’ll be controllable for another two seasons before he’s eligible for free agency.

Jake Lamb Considering Rotator Cuff Surgery

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The Diamondbacks revealed last night that third baseman Jake Lamb is dealing with “fraying” in his left rotator cuff, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The 27-year-old is currently weighing surgery that would end his season.

As Piecoro documents, recent signals have suggested there was some real concern with the joint, as Lamb’s case has been assessed by some of the game’s foremost surgeons. Still, the hope remains that Lamb will not have to go under the knife. If he chooses to attempt a rehabilitation approach, it’s still possible he could be back this year, though surely there are other risks and drawbacks also being weighed.

It seems the organization’s quick strike for Eduardo Escobar days before the trade deadline was motivated in no small part by the uncertainty that sprung up regarding Lamb. Though manager Torey Lovullo says there was no indication at the time the injury was this significant, GM Mike Hazen acknowledged last night that he went after Escobar before word of uncertainty on the team’s regular third baseman got out. (Via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Twitter.)

While the presence of Escobar leaves the team in good shape at the hot corner, the roster would look much stronger with both him and a healthy and productive Lamb available. Of course, Lamb hasn’t been at his best thus far in 2018 prior to today’s news. Over 238 plate appearances, he’s slashing just .222/.307/.348 with six home runs. With a .126 isolated slugging mark that’s about half the ISO he produced over the past two seasons, it could well be that the shoulder problem has been a factor all along.

Looking ahead, the D-Backs will have to hope that Lamb can get back to full health over the winter, regardless of which approach he takes to addressing the injury. After all, Escobar is heading to free agency. The Snakes control Lamb for the next two seasons via arbitration. Given his struggles this year, he’ll be in line for only a light raise on his $4,275,000 salary.

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