Author Archive

Prospects Already on the 40-Man Roster

“When is Alex Bregman getting called up?”

–I don’t know.

“When is Alex Reyes getting called up?”

–I don’t know.

“Do you know when any prospect with the first name ‘Alex’ is getting called up?”

Alex Verdugo: May 22nd, 2017

Prospect call-up inquiries are the toughest to answer because in the majority of situations the team doesn’t even really know when they will call a guy up. With the trade deadline looming, prospects on the cusp get even a little more focus as they could either be traded to a situation with playing time availability or see their team move someone out in order to give them playing time directly. While far from a surefire method, one factor I like to consider is presence on the 40-man roster. It’s easier to get the call when you don’t force an additional move.

Here are a bunch of guys on the 40-man who could be on the way:

Manuel Margot | OF, San Diego Padres

He was acquired in the Craig Kimbrel deal with Boston and he’s done pretty well in his first shot with Triple-A, hitting .297 with 24 SBs. His .761 OPS generates just a 102 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League, but he is a speed and defense asset in the short-term. We saw both on display at the Futures Game with an excellent home run-robbing catch. Melvin Upton or Matt Kemp (more likely Upton with Kemp signed for three more years) could be moved at the deadline to open a spot for Margot in early-August. If not, we may have to wait a little longer for Margot, but the 21-year old should get at least a taste this year.

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 366 – Pomeranz Traded; Gurriel Signed

7/17/16

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

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Paul Sporer Fangraphs Chat – July 14th, 2016

Chat starts around 11:00 Central!

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 365 – All-Star Week Wrapup

7/13/16

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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We recap the Futures Game, BBWAA Luncheon, and the All-Star Game. It was free-form so there isn’t a normal outline, but it’s still a great episode. 

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 364 – Second Half Rebounds

7/12/16

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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Second Half Rebounds

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Checking in on Tommy John Returners

Waiver wires – like the southwest being obliterated by consistent triple-digit temperatures – are bone dry at this point. This is why every top-100 prospect who comes up gets obscenely bid up in FAAB proceedings just in case he’s ready to dominate immediately. Perhaps the ripest avenue for talent still left at this point is the disabled list, and specifically, pitchers on the mend. Let’s check in on three Tommy John returners working their way back and see if they can be our second-half saviors, especially as we seem to lose a top arm every day over the last couple of weeks.

Alex Cobb | Tampa Bay Rays

I’m starting with Cobb almost to just get him out of the way. I’ll state out front that I don’t draft TJ returners in their first year back (though I won’t completely ignore them on the wire at this point in the season). Not only are they rarely anywhere near as good as their peak, but even in those instances where they are really good, they frequently run into setbacks which often results in another DL stint (see also: Darvish, Yu this year and Fernandez, Jose last year). Cobb has all that and the fact that the Rays are notoriously deliberate with pitchers working against him.

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 363 – Futures Game Preview

7/8/16

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

Futures Game Preview

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Adam Conley’s Third Time Through Issue

Adam Conley is having a pretty good season for a 26-year old in his first full MLB season. Adam Conley has looked great at points in this season, including 7.7 no-hit innings at Milwaukee in late-April. Adam Conley even brought a 2.59 June ERA into his final start of the month at Detroit. But Adam Conley has a problem. Well, two problems including that I won’t stop using his full name. Adam Conley can’t get through batting orders three times on consistent basis.

This was crystallized in his start at Detroit on June 28th. He only faced three guys for a third time, allowing a double, walk, and home run that finished off a five-run inning in which he relinquished his 3-0 lead. He had 62 pitches coming into the inning and left with 92. That’s right around his breaking point. He was better against Atlanta in his most recent outing, facing four guys for a third time and going strikeout, flyout, walk, and groundout. But situations like Detroit have been the norm for Conley this year.

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Paul Sporer Rotographs Chat – July 7th

Chat starts around 2:00 PM CT!

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The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 362 – Every Pitcher is Dead

7/6/16

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

Pitchers are dying

(We finished recording before the Matt Harvey to DL news)

Potential Replacements (Yahoo! roster rate)

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