September 8, 2017

Weekly Wrap

September 8, 2017

by Javier Barragan

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First, thank you to all the BP members, specifically Mark Anderson, Uncle Jack, Victor Filoromo, Steve Givarz, Craig Goldstein, Greg Goldstein, Nate Graham, Wilson Karaman, Jeff Long, Kate Morrison, Jeffrey Paternosto, Mitch Pullman, Eric Rothmann, Jarrett Seidler, Will Siskel, Joshua Turner, Greg Wellemeyer, and many more for your eyes, ears, and Twitter fingahs in producing (in my opinion) an exhaustive list of notable minor-league promotions, demotions, DL assignments and more.

Now, for the goodies.

To The DL

Yankees placed 1B Chris Gittens on the DL. In High-A, the 23-year-old struck out a ton (27.2 strikeout rate), walked a ton (12.8 walk rate) and crushed a ton (an ISO of .206 with a .340 BABIP). Since he plays a solid defense at first base, in a league of TTO, Gittens could carve out a major-league role in the future.

Also to the DL is corner OF Canaan Smith, Yankees 2017 fourth-rounder, with a wrist injury.

Reds 3B Nick Senzel was placed on the DL due to vertigo. He has not played since August 24^th.

White Sox SS Yeyson Yrizarri was placed on the DL. Yrizarri was discussed here in his trade to the White Sox for international slot money.

Off the DL

Blue Jays RHP TJ Zeuch was activated from the DL. He has been sidelined a few times this season battling injuries, but showed off well in his Florida State League Co-Championship game. Zeuch is going to the Arizona Fall League to make up for missed time.

Pirates LHP Taylor Hearn was sent on a rehab assignment with the GCL Pirates. A guy with the stuff detailed here, you could say it went well. SS Kevin Kramer was also on rehab assignment with the GCL Pirates.

Dodgers RHPs Jordan Sheffield and Devin Smeltzer were activated from the DL. Read about Sheffield here and Smeltzer here.

Twins RHP Kohl Stewart was activated from the DL.

Up the Ladder

Rays promoted RHP Brandon Lawson to Triple-A. Lawson, a University of South Florida alum, features a sinker-slider-curveball repertoire with an inconsistent changeup from a low-three-quarters slot. The sinker has average sink and tail in the 91-93 velo band. In my two looks at him, where he started, the curveball (78-81) was the better of the two breakers, showing fringe action at 11-5 shape with above-average depth. The slider (82-84) is a 40 pitch that can get slurvy. Lawson induces plenty of ground balls—with a 56 percent ground ball rate in High-A. Lawson does not possess strike-out stuff, but also does not give up homers or walks. Despite his likely reliever role, he has allowed five homers against 496 pro batters faced and has walked 5.44 percent of his batters, making him a plausible back-end rotation option at times, rotating through a lineup twice.

Padres promoted CF Michael Gettys to Triple-A. You can read about him and others here.

Phillies promoted RHP Edgar Garcia to Double-A. I wrote about the 20-year-old and his stuff here. They also promoted LHP Elniery Garcia and RHP Franklyn Kilome to Triple-A.

Yankees promoted RHP Taylor Widener to Double-A, and RHP Anyelo Gomez to Triple-A. Gomez, throwing 97 in my viewing with a major-league slider, is another powerful reliever arm to look out for in the Yankees system.

Nationals promoted C Taylor Gushue to Double-A.

Tigers promoted OF Mike Gerber to Triple-A. In 101 games across three different levels (High-A to Triple-A), the 25-year-old slashed .304/.373/.496 with 14 HR, 42 BB, 98 SO, 10 SB. Here, you can read what Erich Rothmann had to say about him.

Playoff Assignments

Rockies sent SS Brendan Rodgers to High-A for both a playoff push and to make up for lost time this season—he missed time earlier this season due to a hand injury and hammy. Here is Karaman’s scouting report on Rodgers.

Thank you all for your readership! I hope reading these were as pleasurable or more as it was for me to write them for you. Now for some meaningful baseball.

Javier Barragan is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @JaviiGunz
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