Author Archive: Jason Martinez

Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts, top prospect promotions, and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (Mondays only). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Arizona Diamondbacks
7/24/19: OF David Peralta activated from 10-Day IL.

With the Diamondbacks facing off against lefty John Means on Wednesday, Peralta was out of the starting lineup in his first game back from the injured list. The 31-year-old has struggled against left-handers in 2019 (.596 OPS, 1 HR, 26 K in 98 plate appearances), making it likely he’ll continue to platoon with Tim Locastro and the newly-promoted Yasmany Tomas in the mix. Peralta is batting fourth and playing left field on Friday.

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Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts, top prospect promotions, and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (most Mondays). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Houston Astros
7/22/19: INF Aledmys Diaz activated from 10-Day IL.
7/20/19: INF/OF Tyler White designated for assignment.

The 28-year-old White had an .888 OPS with 12 homers in 237 plate appearances in 2018, which is a big reason why the Astros were extremely patient with him despite having so many other players deserving of at-bats. But with Diaz activated from the injured list today, Carlos Correa close to returning, and Kyle Tucker and Joshua Rojas pushing for big league promotions, White finally ran out of time to show he could turn things around.

Roster Resource

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Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts, top prospect promotions, and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (Mondays only). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Chicago Cubs
7/16/19: C Willson Contreras (strained foot) placed on 10-Day IL, retroactive to July 14.

Victor Caratini and the newly-acquired Martin Maldonado are filling in for Contreras, who resumed baseball activities today and could be ready as soon as he’s eligible next week. Caratini, who is likely headed for Triple-A upon Contreras’ return, is o for his last 9 with four strikeouts. Maldonado went 0-for-4 in his Cubs debut on Tuesday.

Roster Resource

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As you might have already heard, RosterResource will be transitioning its baseball content to FanGraphs over the next few months. Effective today, the 30 depth charts can be found here.

Our first version is close to an exact replica of RosterResource, with a few important improvements. The load time is much faster, and player names link to the corresponding FanGraphs player page. In addition, the minor league power rankings, plate appearances, and innings will be updated daily as opposed to weekly.

In case you’re unfamiliar with RosterResource, here’s the lowdown. I created the site just over 10 years ago. It was initially called MLBDepthCharts but was renamed RosterResource a few years later. The idea was that the site would be an easy-to-read, visual interpretation of a team’s 25-man roster and organizational depth throughout the entire year. It has evolved over time, but at a pace that was never fast enough for me. With the move to FanGraphs, you should expect to see a cross-pollination of data and features from both FanGraphs and RosterResource in the hopes of bringing you a more useful product. Read the rest of this entry »

Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors. For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Cleveland Indians
6/30/19: 3B Jose Ramirez reinstated from Paternity list.

Ramirez was 0-for-3 with a walk in his return to the lineup on Sunday. The 26-year-old switch-hitter has struggled in 2019, but he’s slashing .270/.356/.429 over his last 73 plate appearances with nine walks and three strikeouts. While his plate discipline remains strong (40 BB, 43 K) and he’s once again on pace for at least 30 stolen bases, Ramirez has just 21 extra-base hits in 340 plate appearances. As a comparison, he had 91 in 2017 and 81 in 2018. If the Indians are to close the gap in the AL Central, they’ll need him to resemble, at least somewhat, that MVP-caliber player once again.

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Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (Mondays only). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Arizona Diamondbacks
6/26/19: 1B/3B Jake Lamb activated from 10-Day IL.

Back on the roster after missing close to three months with a quad injury, Lamb started at first base on Wednesday and third base on Thursday. The 28-year-old, who has gone 0-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts in the two games, could be in the lineup more often than not when the Diamondbacks are facing a right-handed starting pitcher. On the other hand, he struggled in 2018 and first baseman Christian Walker has been very good in 2019 (.818 OPS, 14 HR). Regular at-bats at third base could also be hard to come by unless Eduardo Escobar moves over to second base—he’s only made one start there this season—and Ketel Marte plays mostly in the outfield.

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Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors. For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Chicago White Sox
6/24/19: OF Jon Jay activated from 60-Day IL.

Batting sixth and playing right field in his White Sox debut on Monday, Jay will face off against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez at Fenway Park, where he has nine hits in 19 career at-bats. The 34-year-old is coming off of a 16-game rehab assignment after missing more than two months with a groin injury. In 63 at-bats, he had 19 singles and a pair of doubles.

Depth Chart | Roster Resource Read the rest of this entry »

Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (Mondays only). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Baltimore Orioles
6/20/19: OF Dwight Smith Jr. activated from 10-Day IL.

Smith had been struggling since a strong start, posting a .638 OPS in 111 plate appearances before a concussion knocked him out of action for two weeks. Batting in the cleanup spot on Thursday, the 26-year-old went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He should continue to see regular at-bats as the starting left fielder, but he’ll have to get back on track soon. With his next home run, Smith will surpass his father’s career-best total when he hit 11 for the Cubs in 1993.

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Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors. For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Cincinnati Reds
6/16/19: SS Jose Iglesias placed on Paternity list

Iglesias is out of the lineup for the second consecutive day on Monday due to the birth of his daughter. The 29-year-old entered the month with a .308/.340/.443 slash line, but he has just six hits in his last 33 at-bats. A few days away could be just what he needs. Jose Peraza, who is being used in a super-utility role, has started both games at shortstop in Iglesias’ place.

Depth Chart | Roster Resource Read the rest of this entry »

Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and a few players who are “knocking down the door” to the majors (Mondays edition only). For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

Lineup Regulars

Kansas City Royals
6/14/19: 1B Ryan O’Hearn optioned to Triple-A.
6/13/19: 1B Lucas Duda activated from 10-Day IL.

Duda and O’Hearn, both left-handed hitting first basemen, didn’t make much sense on the roster together. Duda’s back injury, however, gave the 25-year-old O’Hearn a significant amount of time to show the Royals that he was the better man for this particular job. He did not.

In 135 plate appearances while Duda was on the injury list, O’Hearn slashed .190/.267/.306 with three homers and 35 strikeouts. Duda is batting 5th and playing first base on Friday, while O’Hearn is likely en route to meet up with his Triple-A Omaha teammates.

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