The 2016 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread...

[EmpireMaker]

Ian Desmond was the last of the 20 free agents issued a qualifying offer to sign a contract, so with the compensation picks all settled, the selection order for first round of the 2016 amateur draft has now been finalized. Eleven of those QO free agents joined new teams, leading to quite a bit of shuffling from the original draft order set at the end of the regular season. MLB.com has the full order of all 40 rounds, and here is how the first round shakes out:
1. Phillies
2. Reds
3. Braves
4. Rockies
5. Brewers
6. Athletics
7. Marlins
8. Padres
9. Tigers
10. White Sox
11. Mariners
12. Red Sox
13. Rays
14. Indians
15. Twins
16. Angels
17. Astros
18. Yankees
19. Mets
20. Dodgers
21. Blue Jays
22. Pirates
23. Cardinals
COMPENSATION ROUND (bonus picks given to teams who issued qualifying offers to players who signed elsewhere; picks are allotted in inverse order of 2015 record)
24. Padres (for Justin Upton signing with the Tigers)
25. Padres (for Ian Kennedy signing with the Royals)
26. White Sox (for Jeff Samardzija signing with the Giants)
27. Orioles (for Wei-Yin Chen signing with the Marlins)
28. Nationals (for Jordan Zimmermann signing with the Tigers)
29. Nationals (for Ian Desmond signing with the Rangers)
30. Rangers (for Yovani Gallardo signing with the Orioles)
31. Mets (for Daniel Murphy signing with the Nationals)
32. Dodgers (for Zack Greinke signing with the Diamondbacks)
33. Cardinals (for John Lackey signing with the Cubs)
34. Cardinals (for Jason Heyward signing with the Cubs)

[LT Profits]

Steamer and I: Sonny Gray

[Chi_archie]

Perhaps...


By the way, Arch, I'm really high on Alen Hanson. I think he's gonna be a star!

The kid is having a very nice spring so far and I absolutely love his speed and base running ability!

Plus the fact that he can play almost anywhere in the infield...

Alen Hanson Alen Rery (Michel) Hanson (twitter: @AlenHanson92) Positions: Shortstop, Second Baseman and Third Baseman Bats: Both, Throws: Right Height: 5' 11", Weight: 180 lb.

Born: October 22, 1992 in La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic (Age 23.143)


2016 Spring Training

2016	PIT	23		8	19	15	4	7	1	0	0	3	3	0	3	3	.467	.556	.533	1.089	8	1	0	1	0	0	6.8

yep, he had a sub par season last year in milb, but I think he could be a very good player if developed right

[Cross]

Pirates already have speed, should be another asset.

[El Nino]

Like what?
The closest I come to agreement with him is pitch counts. I don't think they contribute to injuries like he does, I just don't think pitch counts prevent injuries.

Pitch counts, steroid users being welcomed back, paid after they have been caught, and admired by the fans even after. The "Moneyball" stat nerd phenomenon which was inaccurately portrayed and completely ignored the fact that Zito, Mulder, and Hudson contributed to their greatness. Changing rules due to player incompetence. Everything is babied now. Cut down the season, training and you'll have less injuries.

[BigSpoon]

Hopefully Freese can resurrect his career and perform like he did with the Cardinals several years ago...

He's worth the gamble at just $3M.

[mr. leisure]

He's worth the gamble at just $3M.

Definitely worth a shot at that price .

[Andy117]

Pitch counts, steroid users being welcomed back, paid after they have been caught, and admired by the fans even after. The "Moneyball" stat nerd phenomenon which was inaccurately portrayed and completely ignored the fact that Zito, Mulder, and Hudson contributed to their greatness. Changing rules due to player incompetence. Everything is babied now. Cut down the season, training and you'll have less injuries.

No one cares about steroids other than sportswriters. The whole NFL is using and no one gives a shit. Every team in baseball is using advanced statistics and models. It's not nonsense like old timers like Gossage think.
Obviously if you play less games there will be fewer injuries.

[stevenash]

Watching the Mariner's before, that's an interesting team.
King was very sharp today.

They can win the AL West this season if:


a) King is healthy
b) Cano hits 20 home runs plus.
c) Cruz continues to crush.

Lind is a quality hitter, sure you'd like more than 15 pops out of your 1B/DH guy, but he can hit. (put one out today)
Cano is a premier 2B
Ketel Marte is a 22 year old that's not quite Altuve or Correa, but he's close.
A career .300 hitter in the minors, hit .282 last year as a 21 year old. Too bad he broke his thumb in late May last season, would have loved to see what he could have done for a full season.
Has double power, no home run power though. Has speed to spare, will steal 20 +, will bat in front 2 in the order in front of Cano/Cruz/Lind. Could be a little more patient at the plate, plays a good SS.
Kyle Seager is a vastly underrated third baseman, entering his fifth full season has hit 20 or more homers in all four full seasons, and averages 85 driven in, the M's aren't the Blue Jays offense, but Marte/Cano/Cruz/Lind/Seagar is a quality middle of the order.
Nori Aoki and Martin round out the outfield, and I have no problem going to war with Ianetta behind the plate.

If, a big if, if King and iwaguma give the M's 30 healthy starts each, M's will win the division.
Wade Miley is a nice middle of the rotation starter, will win 11, lose 11, but he's an innings eater, and that's very important, he'll give you 200-210 innings pitched, saving wear and tear on a bull pen that starts the year with co- set up man Furbush and long reliever Scribner on the shelf.

Right now you have Benoit setting up an iffy Cischek, with long man Montgomery and Zych in the 'pen.

Look for Seattle to be in he thick of the division title hunt.

[BigSpoon]

Don't see the Mariners finishing any higher than 3rd in the AL West in 2016.

[EmpireMaker]

Giants starter Johnny Cueto was hit in the head on a Billy Burns liner on the first pitch of his outing Monday night, according to various reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman. Cueto stayed in the game and pitched three innings, but was checked by team doctors after pitching and will head to the hospital in accordance with team protocol (Twitter links). One would think the Giants would have removed Cueto from the game after the incident if they had considered the issue serious (acknowledging, of course, that pro sports teams have at times underestimated the impact of potential concussions). There would have been no reason for the Giants to keep Cueto in a Spring Training game if they had any indication he was hurt. Still, the situation bears monitoring. Here’s more from around the NL.

• The grievance filed by the Marlins against the Nationals regarding former Marlins GM and manager Dan Jennings was settled in favor of the Nationals, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. The Nationals are paying Jennings $115K to be a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported yesterday that the Marlins took issue with that salary because they owed Jennings $1.5MM based on his previous contract with them, minus his salary in his new position. The Marlins thought the Nats’ $115K salary was too low given Jennings’ responsibilities, and that they were therefore on the hook for too much of his remaining salary. Via Janes, though, the disagreement has been resolved. “It’€™s an old grievance, and it has been settled,” says Rizzo.
• Pirates GM Neal Huntington is excited about his organization’s Triple-A rotation, Stephen A. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Bucs today optioned top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned fellow starters Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Trevor Williams. (They also optioned outfielder Harold Ramirez and reassigned catcher Reese McGuire and lefty Kelvin Marte.) Of those starting pitchers, Glasnow and Taillon are the headliners, but Kuhl, Brault and Williams are all prospects in their own right. All could wind up pitching at Indianapolis this year (although perhaps not right away, as Nesbitt notes, since the Bucs might need to preserve a spot there for a depth starter like Kyle Lobstein or Wilfredo Boscan.) “The future is bright,” says Huntington. “You run Taillon, Glasnow, Kuhl, Brault and Williams out in one setting — that’s a very exciting group. … Each one of them brings something that’s very, very intriguing. Now you put that group of five together, it bodes well for our future.” Kuhl is a sinkerballer who pitched well for Double-A Altoona last season. Brault, a lefty, excelled at Class A+ and Double-A after arriving last winter in the trade that sent Travis Snider to Baltimore. And Williams is a recent arrival who the Bucs acquired from the Marlins when pitching guru Jim Benedict headed to Miami.

[stevenash]

Don't see the Mariners finishing any higher than 3rd in the AL West in 2016.

Oakland and Angels are not contenders,

[Chi_archie]

kyle lobstein baby!!!!!

[koz-man]

Just 19 more days until Opening Day!

[koz-man]

Giants starter Johnny Cueto was hit in the head on a Billy Burns liner on the first pitch of his outing Monday night, according to various reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman. Cueto stayed in the game and pitched three innings, but was checked by team doctors after pitching and will head to the hospital in accordance with team protocol (Twitter links). One would think the Giants would have removed Cueto from the game after the incident if they had considered the issue serious (acknowledging, of course, that pro sports teams have at times underestimated the impact of potential concussions). There would have been no reason for the Giants to keep Cueto in a Spring Training game if they had any indication he was hurt. Still, the situation bears monitoring. Here’s more from around the NL.

On the first pitch. wow.!!! haha

...going to be a long season for Johnny Boy!!!

[BigSpoon]

Oakland and Angels are not contenders,

I agree but the Astros and Rangers are better than the Mariners.

[mr. leisure]

Just 19 more days until Opening Day!

Can`t come too soon !

[Shortstop]

Wow! I still can't get over the fact that Cueto was allowed to continue after getting drilled in the head!

It really makes me scratch mine!

Plus, it's Spring Training for Christ's sake!

[Otters27]

Watching the Mariner's before, that's an interesting team.
King was very sharp today.

They can win the AL West this season if:



a) King is healthy
b) Cano hits 20 home runs plus.
c) Cruz continues to crush.

Lind is a quality hitter, sure you'd like more than 15 pops out of your 1B/DH guy, but he can hit. (put one out today)
Cano is a premier 2B
Ketel Marte is a 22 year old that's not quite Altuve or Correa, but he's close.
A career .300 hitter in the minors, hit .282 last year as a 21 year old. Too bad he broke his thumb in late May last season, would have loved to see what he could have done for a full season.
Has double power, no home run power though. Has speed to spare, will steal 20 +, will bat in front 2 in the order in front of Cano/Cruz/Lind. Could be a little more patient at the plate, plays a good SS.
Kyle Seager is a vastly underrated third baseman, entering his fifth full season has hit 20 or more homers in all four full seasons, and averages 85 driven in, the M's aren't the Blue Jays offense, but Marte/Cano/Cruz/Lind/Seagar is a quality middle of the order.
Nori Aoki and Martin round out the outfield, and I have no problem going to war with Ianetta behind the plate.

If, a big if, if King and iwaguma give the M's 30 healthy starts each, M's will win the division.
Wade Miley is a nice middle of the rotation starter, will win 11, lose 11, but he's an innings eater, and that's very important, he'll give you 200-210 innings pitched, saving wear and tear on a bull pen that starts the year with co- set up man Furbush and long reliever Scribner on the shelf.

Right now you have Benoit setting up an iffy Cischek, with long man Montgomery and Zych in the 'pen.

Look for Seattle to be in he thick of the division title hunt.

Felix scares me a bit. Seems like he peaked and has hit a platuea

[Andy117]

Felix scares me a bit. Seems like he peaked and has hit a platuea

I wouldn't worry about him. Last season was near identical to 2011.

[EmpireMaker]

Though the Red Sox haven’t made any sort of formal announcement or roster move, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez appears headed for the disabled list to begin the season as he recovers from a dislocated kneecap in his right knee. Manager John Farrell acknowledged to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that Rodriguez won’t be ready for the opener, telling reporters that Rodriguez is slated to throw off a mound tomorrow. Rodriguez, though, will require three bullpen sessions before he’s even able to get into a spring game, Abraham notes.
Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal takes a stab at a projected return date, noting that if Rodriguez is to follow the same criteria as other Red Sox starters — making six multi-inning appearances in a game setting before his regular season debut — he’d be unlikely to be available before April 26. The Sox, then, could be without their promising young lefty for the majority of the season’s first month. Fill-in candidates for Rodriguez’s rotation spot would include fellow left-handers Henry Owens and Roenis Elias as well as right-hander Steven Wright. (Left-hander Brian Johnson has been slowed as of late by a sprained toe.) The 31-year-old Wright had an inside track on making the Opening Day roster anyway, due to the fact that he is out of minor league options, but the an injury to Rodriguez could further open the door for him, at least for the season’s first month.
When he returns, Rodriguez will join David Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly in Boston’s starting five, barring any injuries. The 22-year-old Rodriguez recorded 121 2/3 innings if 3.85 ERA ball out of the Sox’ rotation in his rookie season last year, averaging 7.2 strikeouts and 2.7 walks per nine innings to go along with a 43 percent ground-ball rate.

[Shortstop]

kyle lobstein baby!!!!!

Word!

[Chi_archie]

decent starting rotation for detroit

[LT Profits]

decent starting rotation for detroit

Pitchers
There’s probably an immutable law in science which suggests something to the effect that matter has a tendency of returning to its original state. Unfortunately, there’s no way of confirming such a law exists. Regardless, a hastily made graph utilizing arbitrary endpoints reveals that, if nothing else, the Detroit Tigers’ starting rotation has returned to its original state — so long as “original state” is also defined as “2008.”
What had previously been a clear strength for the club was not that in 2015, as Tigers starting pitchers produced the fourth-worst collective WAR in the majors. And while the addition of Jordan Zimmermann ought to provide some certain benefit for 2016, it’s unlikely that this group will rival its predecessors from 2012-14.
As for the bullpen, it — like almost everything under the sun — is neither excellent nor miserable.

Source: Fangraphs

[koz-man]

Wow! I still can't get over the fact that Cueto was allowed to continue after getting drilled in the head!

It really makes me scratch mine!

Plus, it's Spring Training for Christ's sake!

Yep. Why take a chance this early?!?!

[EmpireMaker]

Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers will be placed on the 15-day disabled list to open the regular season as he recovers from a sore right shoulder, reports Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.
McCullers first felt the soreness on March 6 after batting practice and has not participated in team activities since. An MRI on the shoulder did not reveal any structural damage.
“He's not going to make the season,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He should be doing some things and throwing bullpen and things like that prior to the season, but opening day, he won't be an active player. There's just not going to be enough time to build him up for the role in which we anticipate him doing that.”
• VERDUCCI: Another way of viewing Bryce Harper's historic performance
McCullers, 22, went 6–7 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts with the Astros last season. He also made a start in the postseason, giving up two hits and two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals.
The righthander was taken with the 41st pick in the 2012 draft by the Astros.

[BigSpoon]

Wow! I still can't get over the fact that Cueto was allowed to continue after getting drilled in the head!

It really makes me scratch mine!

Plus, it's Spring Training for Christ's sake!

Very odd and reckless decision indeed.

[stevenash]

The Mets projected five starters all have an average fastball velocity of 95mph or better.
They'll feast against teams that swing a miss (Cubs), they'll starve against teams that are high contact (Royals)
Which is a big reason why the Mets lost last season in the WS.

[Shortstop]

El Toro goes 0-4 this afternoon against the Buccos.

I admit, I smiled a little bit...

[Shortstop]

Hey Arch! Juan Nicasio is looking sharp!

[Shortstop]

Spring Training ERA Leaders...

1.		Nicasio, J	PIT	0.00
2.		Kershaw, C	LAD	0.90
2.		Smyly, D	TB	0.90
4.		Rea, C	SD	1.00
4.		Roark, T	WSH	1.00

[El Nino]

Wow! I still can't get over the fact that Cueto was allowed to continue after getting drilled in the head!

It really makes me scratch mine!

Plus, it's Spring Training for Christ's sake!

No kidding. Pretty sure that happened to Chapman last year or the year before and he was taken out. Only bad things can happen leaving him in. Should have went right to a dark room, then the hospital.

[EmpireMaker]

Right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who is in camp with the Nationals on a minor league contract and has been vying for the fifth spot in their rotation, has an “80 percent tear” of the labrum in his right shoulder, tweets MLB Network’s Peter Gammons. Earlier today, it was reported that Arroyo would be scratched from his upcoming start due to shoulder soreness, but the severity of the injury will end Arroyo’s comeback attempt with the Nationals, Gammons notes.
Arroyo chose a minor league deal with the Nats (and his former skipper Dusty Baker) this winter over a return to Cincinnati on a minor league pact. The veteran innings eater had been hoping to make it back to the Majors for the first time since 2014 after missing the 2015 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Arroyo had long been known for his durability prior to signing a two-year pact with the D-backs spanning those 2014-15 seasons, but he underwent Tommy John after tearing his UCL three months into his first season with Arizona. He didn’t pitch in 2015, though his salary was included in a couple of trades to help balance out the financial element of said deals.

[Chi_archie]

Spring Training ERA Leaders...

1.		Nicasio, J	PIT	0.00
2.		Kershaw, C	LAD	0.90
2.		Smyly, D	TB	0.90
4.		Rea, C	SD	1.00
4.		Roark, T	WSH	1.00

yep, in ray searage we gotta believe!

SARASOTA, Fla. – When a 29-year-old free-agent pitcher with a 4.88 career ERA signs a one-year, $3 million contract, it isn’t going to be the lead story on SportsCenter. But when Juan Nicasio signed that deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this winter, you know who noticed?
People in front offices all over baseball.

Double-digit strikeout performances in spring training games are rare, but that's exactly what Juan Nicasio did against the Orioles despite facing just 14 hitters. Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty ImagesBecause he throws 95 mph. Because he has a wipeout slider to go with it. And because, let’s face it, this is the Pirates.
“Everybody talks about, `You go here, you get better,’” Nicasio said Wednesday after maybe the most eye-popping outing by any pitcher for any team this spring. “I know why now.”
More on that in a moment. But first ... Nicasio’s box-score line in his start Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles was one that has never been compiled in any regular-season game in the history of baseball. Ready? Here it comes:
4 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts.
Wow.
“That kind of outing,” said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, “will get your attention.”
Uh, that’s for sure. You don’t see many double-digit strikeout games in spring training, period. But in this one, Nicasio faced just 14 hitters. He struck out 10 of them. Yeah, it was the Orioles. Yeah, they’re a threat to strike out, like, 2,000 times this year. But still.
“I feel really good today,” Nicasio said afterward, wearing a smile almost as wide as the Sunshine Skyway.
And of course he did. But not as good as the Pirates felt about him.
They signed him in December, a week after the Los Angeles Dodgers opted not to tender him a contract. And days like this were exactly what the folks in Pittsburgh had in mind. They saw a fellow with a big arm, an often-unhittable breaking ball and a set of numbers on the back of his baseball card that looked all out of whack because he spent his first four seasons in Colorado.
“I’ve got history there,” said Hurdle, who once managed the Rockies for eight seasons. “So I know how hard it can be to pitch there. And I think, within our industry, there’s different ways to look at guys who have pitched there. We liked the man. We liked the strength. We liked some of the indicators as we dug deeper. We really liked the resilience, the perseverance, some things the guy fought through, the makeup and the pitch-ability factor.”
So the Pirates looked past Nicasio’s 5.23 ERA at Coors Field because, well, that’s what they do. And now Nicasio looks poised to go where Francisco Liriano, Edinson Volquez, J.A. Happ, Mark Melancon and so many other live arms have gone before him:
From a career of ups, downs and frustration to a whole new career of newfound success in Pittsburgh, thanks to the miracle-working ways of pitching coach Ray Searage.
“When you have a good pitching coach,” Nicasio said, “you feel comfortable. . . . Sometimes you have a pitching coach and he’s never talking with you. But when you have a pitching coach who tries to take care of you, in your sides, in your bullpens, you’re feeling comfortable that this guy, he’s helping me to be better.”
And that is a big part of Searage’s reputation. Keeps it simple. Stays upbeat. And that’s exactly what Nicasio heard about him from his new teammate, Liriano, over the winter.
Nicasio said that before he signed with the Pirates, Liriano called him and said: “We’ve got a great pitching coach here.” And Nicasio is now the latest member of Searage’s fan club.
“I like him because he’s fun,” Nicasio said. “You know what I mean? He’s laughing all the time. He jokes around with me. You throw a good pitch, and he’s happy. (So) I’m feeling happy, when I throw a good pitch and he’s happy, too. He’s screaming every pitch. And I’m happy for him.”
In Nicasio’s case, Searage hasn’t had to make any dramatic mechanical changes. They’ve mostly just focused on refining Nicasio’s approach and building confidence, after a career in which he has never quite had the success to match his stuff.
But what got the Pirates’ attention at this moment in time was the way Nicasio adapted to the bullpen last season after a trade to the Dodgers. In particular, he dominated right-handed hitters, holding them to a .226/.298/.335 slash line, with 49 strikeouts and only 35 hits allowed in 174 plate appearances.
“This guy’s got experience doing both (starting and relieving),” Hurdle said. “And that’s one of the things that attracted us to him. And also the fact that he pitched so well out of the bullpen last year after having had some challenges in the starting rotation in Colorado. He maintained velocity today for four innings, on a very hot day. . . . I just think he’s in a really good place, as far as having endurance, having stamina, building on that. The mentality is to be aggressive on the next pitch. Where that takes you, who knows?”

Where the Pirates thought it would take Nicasio, when they signed him, was a pivotal role as a multi-inning reliever, on a staff where no one exceptGerrit Cole and Liriano are expected to pitch deep into games. But after days like this, it gives everyone a reason to take a step back and wonder if he might be even more of a weapon as a starter.
“I’m working hard for the rotation,” Nicasio admitted. “But I can’t control all that.”
His manager can, of course. But at this point, he’s not committing to anything, other than to say, “We’re going to play it out.”
Opening Day is 2 ½ weeks away. And once again, the Pirates have a pitcher whose arrow appears ready to point upward. Maybe even way upward. So stay tuned.

[BarkingToad]

Don't understand Cueto being left in spring training game either after getting hit in the head by line drive.