Neto remains ahead of schedule after undergoing shoulder surgery in early November but hasn’t been cleared to throw across the diamond or hit live pitching just yet. With Neto out, the Angels will have to turn to an internal option at shortstop to begin the season. Washington said he didn’t know whether Neto would miss a week or a month, but he didn’t expect him to be out too long.
Note:Sorry for the lack of content. I’m just returning from the dead (flu). Here is a Mining the News and I will need to rework my rankings.
• Two items I’m going to focus less on are StatCast generated fastball velocities and injuries. I’ll report on the fastball velos that come from game observations like with Ian Anderson (ATL) below. If anyone wants to know the StatCast velo readings, I recommend TJ Stats.
No Pirates pitchers here, even though they have several candidates (Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, Michael Burrows), because there’s no room at the inn at the moment after they signed Andrew Heaney. … Jordan Lawlar needs to get healthy himself, and then needs either an injury to another infielder or for Eugenio Suárez to get old in a hurry for him to have a shot at playing time. But if he plays, Lawlar will be productive. … Logan Henderson deserves a shot at the Brewers’ rotation this year, and I think he’ll be more than just a fifth starter, but I don’t see the opportunity coming soon enough for the list. … Ronny Mauricio should get some time in the minors after a full year lost to an ACL injury, and there’s some risk his defense suffers if he’s lost any range or mobility. … Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri debuted for the Angels last year, but they’re not on this list because they’re too far down the depth chart and neither was remotely ready for the big leagues.
Pirates: Bubba Chandler, RHP (MLB No. 15)
Chandler served notice at the end of last year at Triple-A with a 1.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .183 BAA and 12.4 K/9 rate over seven starts for Indianapolis, and it wouldn’t have been surprising to have seen him up last year to help out had the Pirates hung around the playoff race. It remains to be seen if the club will be willing to bring him north on Opening Day, but the fact that they didn’t get the extra PPI Draft pick from Paul Skenes winning Rookie of the Year because they didn’t bring him up right away and he ended up being awarded a full season of service time anyway will be enough of a lesson learned.
“I’m really happy with the way it’s going,” Moreno said. “Perry has done a good job, Wash is really focused. I like the coaches. Just sit and watch these young guys throw bullpens and where they came from and what programs they came through. And we have a second baseman [No. 68 overall prospect Christian Moore] who just won a championship in college. You have to continue to put up good building blocks. And then the reality is being able to supplement everything.”
• It seems that MLB.com will be updating their injury report pages this season. A reminder that these are not articles but rather pages where info can be added or deleted anytime. For example, here is a report from the Cubs site on Nico Hoerner likely missing the season’s start.
2B Nico Hoerner
Injury: Right flexor tendon
Expected return: Early 2025
Status: Underwent surgery on Oct. 11. Currently in Arizona training and doing light baseball activities. Rehab could linger early into the season
Anderson said things started to change after a leg injury he sustained early in the 2023 season with the White Sox. He took time off to retool his mechanics and clear his head and believes he’s now in a better place.
“I started creating bad habits with my swing,” Anderson said. “I had that injury to the leg, so once I came back, I lost the feel, I lost the touch, I lost a lot. Everything felt different. So, it caused me to start doing the wrong things and start creating that bad habit. I got caught up in that bad habit and that became a norm. That’s what caused the frustration. So, once I got released, I got in the lab and I’ve been training to break that bad habit.”
Anderson admitted it was tough mentally and that he lost confidence, but it was important for him to take time away from the game to get everything back in order. He never seriously pondered retirement, though he felt discouraged and frustrated because of his struggles.
Lynn, 37, has not pitched out of the bullpen since 2018. But his agent, Kevin Lustig, recently informed him that several clubs asked if he would be interested in pitching the ninth inning.
“He said, ‘I got a couple of weird calls today.’ I was like, ‘What? Did someone ask me for a minor-league deal?’” said Lynn, who remains a free agent. “He started dying laughing. He was like, ‘No, they asked what you thought about being a back-end guy, a closer.’
Kingery, with nothing to lose, said he did things the way he wanted to in 2024. With that came an uptick in production. His walks decreased significantly. The enhanced aggressiveness resulted in 12 more homers, 25 more hits and 20 more RBI in just 39 more at-bats compared to the year prior. But also zero call-ups. Not even a promotion back to the 40-man roster.
Last season in AAA, the 30-year-old hit .268/.316/.488 with 25 HR and 25 SB in AAA.
Another option for left field is prospect Zach Dezenzo, who spent a month playing winter ball in Puerto Rico to get more at-bats and some reps in left field. Dezenzo, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Astros’ No. 6 prospect, has played mostly third base in the Minor Leagues, along with some time at second and first base. He was a shortstop when he played at Ohio State University.
While in Puerto Rico, Dezenzo played eight games in left field, 10 at first base and one at third base. The Astros have since signed Christian Walker to play first base, but there remains a real opportunity for Dezenzo to make the club as a contributor in left field.
“The whole goal for me going out there was to get reps in the outfield and get more at-bats,” Dezenzo said. “As you guys know, I missed some games earlier last season [with a wrist injury]. I was in rehab until mid-June. And getting those at-bats, continuing to play, was big. I get better when I’m playing. So I think being in those game environments, atmosphere and situation was good for me.”
…
“Zach Dezenzo played some really good left field there,” Espada said. “I think he’s someone who is going to go to spring, and I’m going to give him some looks in the outfield. I already had that conversation with him. I really like his potential, his athleticism, his bat.”
