Mining the News (3/9/24)

• Here is a list of players out of options. Either they will need to remain on the major league team or be released.

American League

Astros

• Management has put J.P. France into the initial rotation with Ronel Blanco next in line.

“It’s more like Valdez is probably going to be our No. 1, and it’s probably some combination of Javier, Brown, Urquidy and France,” Brown said. “France has been throwing the ball well. That’s kind of like what the five will be, and there’s a chance we may go to a six-man [rotation] at some point, and we could throw Blanco in there, or J.V. will slide in when we go to a six-man. The good thing is we have depth, and we also have Arrighetti, who has been throwing the ball well.”

• The seventh rotation arm is Spencer Arrighetti.

“I feel good about our depth,” Brown said. “I feel good that last year we got Blanco in the rotation. I think he’s legitimate depth. I think he’s throwing the ball very well. I think Arrighetti is another option — he’s throwing the ball very well. I think those two guys are really big pieces going forward. If you add those two guys to our other six, that’s eight pretty good starters to start the year. We know that at some point someone (will) be put on the IL It just goes with the territory of 162 games. It’s a grind. But I feel really good about that depth.”

• While on the subject, the team will use a sixth starter at times.

Brown is a fan of using a six-man rotation when the scheduled dictates during long stretches of consecutive games without a day off. It allows for extra rest for a pitching staff that has worked hard the last few years with deep playoff runs. The Astros will play 13 games in a row from April 5-17 and 16 in a row May 7-22.

“We’ll have conversations with our pitching coaches,” Brown said. “When you don’t have those days off, you try to insert that sixth man to keep these guys fresh.”

• The manager plans on running more and using a “modern” lineup.

Espada has stated some of his priorities — more aggressive baserunning, better fundamental play and straightforward communication. Considering slotting Yordan Alvarez second in the batting order is a more modern take on lineup construction than Baker deployed, too. Espada has also acknowledged he may be a bit more fiery with umpires than the oft-calm Baker.

Athletics

• Esteury Ruiz’s exit velocities are up.

“The exit velos are definitely up,” Kotsay said of Ruiz. “His bat path looks better. I told him he’s taking some great swings. Last year, his helmet was falling off, which means his head position wasn’t in the right place. He’s cleaned the mechanics up a little bit and he looks better.”

• Darell Hernaiz has been taking reps at third base.

Darell Hernaiz, Oakland’s No. 9 prospect, was thought to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot entering camp. Between his hot start and an injury to Aledmys Díaz, however, Hernaiz is doing all he can to force the A’s hand. The 22-year-old infielder is 5-for-16 (.313) through seven spring games.

What Hernaiz is doing on defense is perhaps the more important development in camp. Primarily a shortstop in the Minors, Hernaiz has silenced previous concerns about his arm, leading the A’s to believe he can handle third base, a position which remains without a true established starter.

Guardians

• Will Brennan made some mechanical adjustments.

Brennan had burst onto the big league scene in late 2022, making his debut and then starting postseason games in a matter of a couple of weeks. But in 455 plate appearances last year, his .266/.299/.356 was muddled by some of the lowest barrel and hard-hit rates in MLB.

“Everyone’s always looking for more power numbers,” he said, “but how or why are you going to get there? You have to be able to solve that. You have to change your identity, in a way.”

For the 26-year-old Brennan, the identity change comes down to a mechanical one. He lowered his hands to create an easier loading pattern to, hopefully, generate more power.

• Tyler Freeman is getting more time in center field.

That’s given them time to see Tyler Freeman in center field — something they didn’t expect.

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But on Wednesday, he made his fourth start of the spring in center and is up to 20 innings at the position this spring. He continued to make an impression with his bat, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double. But just as meaningfully, he has performed well in a position that is new to him.

Vogt said the 24-year-old Freeman, who has also made starts at second and third this spring, will continue to bounce around the diamond.

“It’s valuable to have somebody that can do that,” Vogt said. “He’s been swinging the bat really well, running the bases well, and his defense has been phenomenal no matter where we throw him.”

Orioles

• Albert Suárez added ~3 mph compared to last season when he threw in the KBO by adjusting his mechanics.

Suárez racked up seven strikeouts over three scoreless innings while overpowering a Philadelphia lineup featuring a number of regulars. His four-seamer, which accounted for five of those seven K’s, averaged 96.3 mph and maxed out at 97.5.

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But keep in mind, Suárez did it all in just three innings. By needing only 17 swings to induce his 10 misses, that works out to a whiff rate of 58.8%. Only five pitchers across the entire Majors last season registered at least 10 whiffs and a 58.8% whiff rate in a single game with their four-seamer: Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola, Freddy Peralta, Yusei Kikuchi and Bryce Miller.

Not bad for a pitch that averaged just 93.5 mph and had a 15.4% whiff rate when we last saw Suárez in the Majors with the Giants in 2017.

“I made some adjustments on my mechanics, with the hip separation,” Suárez said. “I think that’s helping me a lot to create more power toward home plate.”

Tigers

• Andy Ibáñez will start against lefties at second or third base.

As for Ibáñez becoming the “starting” second baseman, the short answer is no.

The long answer is this: Hinch and Harris have been trying to signal that we should stop viewing the roster as nine starters and four bench players. Think of it instead as a 13-player roster where everyone has a sizable role. Keith hits left-handed and will likely play most days against right-handed pitching. The Tigers need to expose him to some lefties, as well, but Ibáñez can crush lefties (an .819 OPS vs. LHP last season), so I’d expect him to play second many days against lefties.

Hinch will likely lift starters for pinch hitters late in games based on the composition of the opposing bullpen. Keith will probably see the most ABs at second base, but we’ll see plenty of Ibáñez in the lineup at second, third and maybe elsewhere, too.

• Jackson Jobe will not make the major league roster.

That last part isn’t imminent. The Tigers told Jobe on the first day that he’s in big league camp to observe and learn from Major Leaguers, not to try to make Detroit’s Opening Day roster. They’ve kept him out of Grapefruit League games, ramping up his throwing on a slower timetable. At some point, he’ll head to Minor League camp to pitch in games there and prepare for his upcoming season at Double-A Erie.

National League

Cardinals

• Dylan Carlson is going full BEEFCAKE in the hope of staying healthy.

Regardless of whether he was rehabilitating his surgically repaired left ankle, lifting weights, working to add bat speed or downing some 4,000 calories a day to add bulk, Carlson was laser focused on being at his best in the season ahead.
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As for those 4,000 calories he’s still eating daily, he’s gotten his weight to 205 pounds, and he thinks the bulk will help him over a long season.

“The extra weight makes a difference when you’re replenishing and you just want to put yourself in the best position possible at all times,” said Carlson, who eats four sizable meals a day. “Taking care of yourself off the field is how you do that. So far, I’ve been able to stay on top of everything and I’m confident it will pay off for me.”

Did he not learn anything from being Tyler O’Neill’s teammate?

Cubs

• Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie will not make the Opening Day roster.

First of all, manager Craig Counsell has already let it be known that many of these players who are experiencing their first camp — like Shaw and Caissie — won’t be making the Opening Day roster. These aren’t unsaid assumptions. Counsell has told both players their regular seasons will start in the minors.

Dodgers

• Because of his defense, Gavin Lux may not be the starting shortstop.

With Lux’s erratic defense this spring — including errors on each of his first two defensive chances, and multiple bounced throws in an ugly sequence Wednesday — the Dodgers’ position appears to be softening. Roberts said “I don’t know” whether Lux would be the club’s shortstop when their season opens in 13 days in Seoul, South Korea.

“Obviously, performance is paramount at this level, and for our team vying to win a championship,” Roberts said. “So I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that it will be in the vein of whatever gives us the best chance to win.”

Marlins

• A.J. Puk is still being considered as a starting pitcher.

Puk tossed three innings for the first time since September 2021 and faced a lineup twice Monday night in the Marlins’ 3-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Yankees at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. He gave up no runs and one hit, struck out six and walked two in a 46-pitch outing.

“I think just going back and completing three innings,” Puk said. “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had to go three innings. Right now, my biggest thing for me is just build up my arm strength and build up my endurance, just to keep building up and going deep into ballgames.”

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Puk, who was supposed to start on Sunday but saw both split-squad games canceled due to inclement weather, ranged from 94-96 mph in the first inning compared with 93-95 by the third.

Mets

• Kodai Senga will likely be out until around mid to late May.

Senga won’t even throw a baseball until at least the end of next week (not counting the balls he was spotted tossing with his left hand in recent days). Once he restarts a throwing program, Senga will need to go through a typical six-week spring progression, and you can probably tack another week onto that because the Mets are going to want him to pitch every six days during his rehab assignment, rather than every five. That brings Senga to early May if everything goes perfectly, which is probably unrealistic. Tack on some buffer time and call it mid- to late May as a reasonable goal for Senga’s return. Shoulders are tricky, and the Mets are going to err on the side of taking things slowly.

Nationals

Padres

• If the team promotes a prospect to the majors, the prospect will be a full-time starter. Otherwise, they will play fulltime in the minors.

Merrill, Jakob Marsee and Graham Pauley could earn a spot. But Shildt expressed an aversion to promoting his top prospects unless they’re going to play every day. (It should be noted, there are everyday jobs available for all three — left, center and DH.)

• Manny Machado has not started at third base yet.

Coming off October elbow surgery, Manny Machado has served as DH in all six of his Cactus League starts. He has yet to play third — though he has gone through all of his defensive drills, and he’s throwing regularly.

That said, Machado’s throwing progression is being closely monitored, and there’s a chance he won’t be fully built up to play the hot corner against the Dodgers. That would relegate him to DH, freeing up third base.

Pauley is an option, albeit with questions about his glove. Batten is an option, with questions about his bat. Machado, of course, remains an option — but with the DH spot available, the Padres won’t rush him back defensively.

Phillies

• Johan Rojas implemented a swing change and hopes to be a better bunter.

He’s one of the main characters this spring; the expectation is Rojas starts in center field on Opening Day and will have a few months to prove he can be an everyday player on a contending team. Hitting coach Kevin Long has implemented some swing changes. Rojas might never be a league-average hitter, but the Phillies want to see growth so he’s not a total zero at the bottom of the lineup.

One area worth improving is how Rojas bunts. He had three bunt hits and six sacrifices in 164 plate appearances. But he fouled off nine different bunt attempts. Often last September, the Phillies decided against calling for Rojas to attempt a bunt because they were not confident he could do it.

Pirates

• Paul Skenes will not be on the Opening Day roster.

While it always seemed like a remote chance of happening, general manager Ben Cherington announced Tuesday that the Pirates told their top pitching prospect, Paul Skenes, that he will not be on the Opening Day roster.