Mining The News (2/5/20)

During the offseason, I caught up on the news every couple of weeks. The news is picking up so I’m going to have to now go weekly. This article is too long but I didn’t want to cut anything useful. Sorry for the length and I try to keep them shorter.

• Teoscar Hernández will start the season with full-time at-bats.

Even though he’s managed to improve there in each of his three seasons with the Jays, it seems likely Hernández’s ceiling as an outfielder will never be higher than below average. Still, his big second half of 2019 (142 wRC+), and the fact that his platoon splits were even over that span (144 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, 141 against right-handers), means that he should be playing every day — at least until he proves that was a mirage. In a perfect world, he’d do so at DH, but that would force one of Alford or Shaw to the bench against right-handers, which isn’t ideal.

• Mitch Haniger will be out six to eight weeks because of hernia surgery.

“He’s gone through his surgery and we think it was successful,” Dipoto said. “We’re just fingers crossed. We have no expectation on his timeline until we actually see him live [at Spring Training]. We’re not going to push him. Mitch will return at his own pace. Whether that is some time around Opening Day or sometime around the middle of the season, I have no idea. We’re going to see where it takes us.”

Haniger was expected to miss at least 6-8 weeks after feeling an issue in his core muscles while ramping up his hitting program two weeks ago in Menlo Park, Calif.

Dipoto indicated at that time that Haniger almost certainly would still be sidelined at the start of the regular season in late March, but he was less specific on Tuesday as the team edges closer to the start of Spring Training.

• Gio Urshela will be the Yankees everyday third baseman with Miguel Andújar taking on more of a utility role.

So, heading into spring training, Urshela is the presumed starting third baseman for the Yankees. Cashman did also speak about Andújar working on versatility — first base, left field — to help find playing time for him.

• James Paxton is out three to four months putting his return time between early May and early June.

Earlier today, LHP James Paxton underwent a microscopic lumbar discectomy with removal of a peridiscal cyst. The surgery was performed by Dr. Andrew Dossett in Dallas, Texas. His approximate timeline to return to Major League action is 3-4 months.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 5, 2020

This fresh news throws a monkey wrench into the rotation plans. Now, the Yankees are going to need another starter to step up. Ed. note: Consider Jordan Montgomery in your deeper leagues. He’s just a couple years from a really nice debut in 2017 (3.88 ERA, 1.23 WHIP in 155.3 IP).

The Yankees believe that their rotation is set for the upcoming season, with general manager Brian Cashman telling the YES Network on Thursday that he envisions veteran left-hander J.A. Happ as the favorite to serve as the No. 5 starter.

• Watch how Luis Robert handles non-fastballs this Spring Training to see if he’s ready for the majors.

“You saw how teams treated Eloy [Jímenez]. They treated him like a seasoned vet in terms of setting him up and trying to exploit some weaknesses off the plate with some breaking balls,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “I think you’re going to see Luis get that same treatment. I don’t think you’re gonna see too many guys challenging him early with fastballs, because they’re going to know the report. He’s not a finished product at age 22, obviously.

• Jeff McNeil expects to be the Mets full-time third baseman.

If everything goes to plan, fans can expect McNeil to patrol third base full-time in 2020.

“I think I’ll be playing a lot of third,” McNeil said on Saturday at the team’s inaugural FanFest. When asked if he anticipates playing more at third base than any other position, McNeil said “I would imagine so.”

• Here is a look at how the Diamondbacks rotation and bullpen currently stand.

Archie Bradley will get the nod as the closer, unless something drastically changes during Spring Training. It’s a role he filled for much of the last few months of 2019; manager Torey Lovullo just never officially called him the closer.

The competition for the setup roles will be interesting. I think you’ll see holdover Kevin Ginkel, along with free-agent acquisitions Junior Guerra and Héctor Rondón, all see time in setup roles. From the left side, the D-backs still have Andrew Chafin, who could also fill the setup role.
….

With Ray not getting traded and the signing of Bumgarner, the D-backs have a lot of depth in their rotation. In addition to the two you mentioned, Luke Weaver and Mike Leake enter camp with spots in the rotation. The fifth spot will be a fierce competition. Zac Gallen would seem to be the frontrunner, but I wouldn’t count out Merrill Kelly, who had a sneaky good year in 2019. You also have Alex Young, Taylor Clarke, Jon Duplantier and Taylor Widener.

• The Red Sox first and second base situations seem fluid at the moment with no one securing a job.

José Peraza looks to be the primary second baseman. Things are a little more fluid at first, but Michael Chavis certainly has a chance to win that job with a strong showing in Spring Training. Part of it has to do with Bobby Dalbec. If he proves he is ready to make the team, Dalbec could play first, with Chavis being used in more of a rover type of role.
…
Since your inquiry came in a few days ago, the Sox did bring back Mitch Moreland on a one-year deal that includes a club option for 2021. This is a good move, as his lefty bat nicely complements righty sluggers Dalbec and Chavis at first.

• Leury García will likely start off the season as the White Sox leadoff hitter. While he may not keep the job for long, he could be a nice value play at the top of the lineup and stealing a few bases.

I’d go with García as the leadoff man at the start of the season, although Grandal would be a good choice as well. Luis Robert eventually moves into that role, but White Sox manager Rick Renteria has talked about easing him into the lineup at the outset and hitting him lower.

• There is a decent chance Rowdy Tellez starts the season in the minors.

When it comes to omissions, first base and the outfield come to mind. Rowdy Tellez is a well-known name among fans, but he’ll need to show an improved plate approach between his bursts of power this spring to stick on the roster.

• Matthew Boyd’s change is a good third pitch (15% SwStr%) and he could take a step forward if he threw it more. If he states he plans on throwing his curve more, beware, it has never been effective.

Considering it was the one pitch other than the slider that Boyd threw in abundance, hitters took advantage. Boyd’s fastball-slider combination was good enough to comprise more than 85 percent of his pitch selection, including 86.6 percent of his pitches in August, when he allowed 14 home runs.

By September, catcher Grayson Greiner was pushing Boyd to throw his changeup more, insistently signaling for the pitch. It comprised 20.8 percent of his pitches in 2017, but just 6.1 percent last year.

• Michael Fulmer will return from Tommy John surgery mid-summer.

The deliberate pace is meant to lessen the risk of re-injury. The Tigers set up Fulmer’s recovery timetable this way when he was scheduled for surgery at the end of last Spring Training, pushing him to an estimated return of 15-16 months.

“It’s going to be into the summer,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He looks great; he feels great. He’s had two major surgeries. He’s lost a ton of weight, and he’s working really hard, but we still have some time here. It’s going to be deep into the summer.”

• Alex Reyes will go to the Cardinals bullpen when he returns from IL.

“It’s going to be tough for him to break our rotation given the talent and the names we have in it,” Mozeliak tells Hummel. “We are going to bring him to camp and stretch him out the best we can. But I think the likelihood of how he most likely contributes to the Cardinals in 2020 is in the bullpen.”

• Here a great read where MLB.com’s beat reporters discuss their team’s potential closer. Here are three highlights.

Braves: Mark Melancon
When the Braves signed Will Smith in November, the assumption was he would become the closer and Melancon would move back to a setup role. This was the arrangement the two shared while pitching in San Francisco last year. But the club instantly said the closer’s role still belonged to Melancon, who produced a 3.86 ERA in 23 appearances (21 innings) after being acquired by Atlanta on July 31.
…
Marlins: Brandon Kintzler
The Marlins put to rest who would take the ball with a lead in the ninth inning by signing Kintzler in free agency. Even though the 35-year-old will still have to “win the job” in Spring Training, at least he provides experience in the role. Kintzler has 49 career saves, with 29 coming in 2017. Drew Steckenrider, who missed almost all of last year with right elbow inflammation, had been the frontrunner to close prior to the signing of Kintzler. Steckenrider still has a chance to win the job.
…
Rockies: Wade Davis
After leading the National League and setting a club record with 43 saves in 2018, Wade Davis lost his delivery, lost the strike zone and eventually lost his job in 2019. The Rockies trust that Davis’ track record, postseason pedigree and knowledge of his motion will get him back in line. Manager Bud Black wants Davis back in the role, and pitching coach Steve Foster believes that will happen.

• Rich Hill is expected to return to the Twins in June.

Hill said at TwinsFest on Friday that he will begin baseball activity and get back into his throwing motion with a baseball next week, and he hopes to be back on a Major League mound for the Twins by early June.

• Nolan Jones doesn’t seem to be in the Indians in-season plans.

At the Winter Meetings, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti clarified that Jones was not impacting any of their offseason plans — specifically the decision of whether to move José Ramírez to second — and it seems more likely that Jones will play more of a role on the big league club in 2021. However, Antonetti is optimistic about his development.

“He’s made a lot of progress,” Antonetti said. “I mean Nolan, at the time we drafted him, he was a shortstop. He’s a really big, physical guy, so he works really hard as a third baseman. And he’s developing really well. We think he has a chance to be good over there.”

• Lots of good info here on projected starting rotations (dated a bit).

• We have a little thievery going on over at The Athletic where Nando Di Fino dove through various articles for fantasy-relevant topics. How dare he! (Psst … go read it especially the stuff on Nomar Mazara).