Might as well start a thread on this:
* First news is that Brian Clark was reassigned to the minor league camp for the White Sox. He spent the entire year at AAA last year during decently to good in relief. I expect he'll get a chance at some point, but the reports I hear is that basically scouts don't think his stuff is all that great.
* Taylor Williams is in the Brewers camp and doing pretty well so far. He will be given a shot at a bullpen role for the Brewers, but there are only 2 open spots and the question around Williams seems to be more how he can be used given uncertainty to the lack of pitching he has done professionally over the last three years.
Ok, time for an update.
Eric Lauer pitched really well for the Pads this spring, but has been assigned to the minor league camp and will likely start the year at AAA. From what I've read, the Pads are happy with Lauer and he fits into their future plans.
Taylor Williams has pitched well for the Brewers and he seems to be in the running for the last two spots in the bullpen.
Taylor Williams was assigned to AAA today. He came very close to making the club as he was one of the last two players cut. Because of some bizarreness in Milwaukee, it is possible that he may be back up really soon though, as the Brewers are keeping 4 first basemen on the roster (Eric Thames, Ryan Braun (now expected to play mostly 1st), former Indians farmhand Jesus Aguilar and Ji-Man Choi), leaving them only 11 pitchers (which seems like plenty, but modern managers like using a lot of relief pitchers these days).
So, the short of it is that Ji-Man Choi was given a major league contract because he would have become a free agent otherwise, BUT has a minor league option left, so he might be demoted in a few days for a 12th pitcher.
How are or are not the following Kent State alumni doing in Minor League Baseball Luke Burch, Dylan Rosa, Zach Willeman, Patrick Dayton, Nick Jensen-Clagg, Andy Ravel, Connor Simonetti, John Fasola, and Jake Latz?
For the minor league guys, it usually is hard to get much info during the offseason unless they are prospects. Now that the season is starting, they will get assigned somewhere and about a month into the year, we'll get a sense of how much they are playing or not.
From what little I know, Burch and Rosa were both in spring training because they each got a few at-bats with the Tigers. Willeman never played last year, so I don't know that he signed. If I remember correctly, Fasola was hurt and didn't pitch last year. Simonetti got released by the Nationals organization and played indy ball in the Frontier League and I don't know if he latched on anywhere over the off-season. And I don't think Jensen-Clagg went pro.
Best sources for info on these guys is milb.com and baseball-reference.com
The Brewers did send Choi to the minors but signed a leftie that got cut by the Devil Rays, so it looks like Williams will be in AAA for a bit this year.
And now another Brewer gets hurt, so Williams has been called up. He pitched on Sunday against the Cubs (2 Hits and an unearned run in one inning of work).
So, three Flashes in the bigs right now!
Eric Lauer is headed to the show. Going to start on Tuesday for SD.
San Diego's rotation is a mess. I wonder if they didn't have Lauer start the year at AAA to keep him from being eligible for free agency a year earlier because you have to look at those rotation and think that Lauer was a better option for 4th or 5th starter on opening day.
Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
(04-24-2018 09:56 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
Maybe having your major league debut as a pitcher at Colorado isn't the nicest thing to ever happen, but, on the plus side, he singled in his only at-bat.
And, even if this is the best he ever does, he will always be a major league baseball player.
(04-24-2018 10:25 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 09:56 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
Maybe having your major league debut as a pitcher at Colorado isn't the nicest thing to ever happen, but, on the plus side, he singled in his only at-bat.
And, even if this is the best he ever does, he will always be a major league baseball player.
He did pitch a 1-2-3 3rd inning so there were positives.
(04-25-2018 08:54 AM)goldenflash99 Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 10:25 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 09:56 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
Maybe having your major league debut as a pitcher at Colorado isn't the nicest thing to ever happen, but, on the plus side, he singled in his only at-bat.
And, even if this is the best he ever does, he will always be a major league baseball player.
He did pitch a 1-2-3 3rd inning so there were positives.
Always look on the bright side of life...
(04-24-2018 10:25 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 09:56 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
Maybe having your major league debut as a pitcher at Colorado isn't the nicest thing to ever happen, but, on the plus side, he singled in his only at-bat.
And, even if this is the best he ever does, he will always be a major league baseball player.
This isn't going to be the best he ever does. He will be fine. I would venture to say a majority of guys take a while to get acclimated to MLB hitters.
(04-25-2018 06:41 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 10:25 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ] (04-24-2018 09:56 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]Well that didn't go so well. Lauer lasted 3 innings and now has an 18.00 ERA.
Maybe having your major league debut as a pitcher at Colorado isn't the nicest thing to ever happen, but, on the plus side, he singled in his only at-bat.
And, even if this is the best he ever does, he will always be a major league baseball player.
This isn't going to be the best he ever does. He will be fine. I would venture to say a majority of guys take a while to get acclimated to MLB hitters.
I think so. I saw an article that listed all the starting pitchers that made their debut at Coors and the best start was ok, 2 were mediocre and 4 were horrible (including Lauer's). I think Lauer is going to get a very fair shake and I expect him to have a solid year and a good major league career if he can stay healthy.
And Lauer just gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning.
(04-30-2018 09:46 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]And Lauer just gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning.
..........and then buckled down and didn't allow a run for his remaining 4 innings.
Left in a position to win the game until the closer let up 3 runs in the ninth. There's the full story, not 1/9th of it.
(05-01-2018 04:58 AM)thanksjim Wrote: [ -> ] (04-30-2018 09:46 PM)dannyb73 Wrote: [ -> ]And Lauer just gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning.
..........and then buckled down and didn't allow a run for his remaining 4 innings.
Left in a position to win the game until the closer let up 3 runs in the ninth. There's the full story, not 1/9th of it.
Yep. He did settle down. I fell asleep
or would have posted that too.
Most pitchers need to go back and forth a few times before they settle in. Think Carasco, Bauer and Clevinger. Lauer will be fine.
It also seems like the starting pitchers are emerging at older ages than they used to. I don't know if I am colored by following the Indians, but this very good starting rotation has a lot of late bloomers.
Kluber wasn't a regular until 26.
Bauer has been a major league starter since 23.
Salazar as a 24 or 25 year old.
Carrasco became a full-time ML starter at 28.
Clevinger was 26 last year when he got serious big league time.
Lauer is 22 and will turn 23 next month.