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I went out of town for the holiday weekend and when I got back was struck by how quickly moves down in the minors can get away from you this time of year. Less than a week and I have some catching up to do. I need to think of a reusable catchphrase serving the credit for providing these transactions in one easy place to Tigstown.com and frequent commenter, Mark Anderson.
Injuries
As if things weren’t going badly enough for the Whitecaps, Giovanni Soto went to the disabled list with a strained elbow. I don’t know the extent of the strain or how long his rehabilitation will take, but he and the system’s pitching depth certainly didn’t need this. With promotions, he was among the only positive stories left in Grand Rapids.
The overall direction in the system, when it comes to the disabled list, is in the positive direction. Ryan Perry is back off the disabled list and for some reason, seems to have a lot of hope falling on his back upon his return to the Tigers. I understand somebody needs to step up, but looking at his time in the majors I’m not sure why so many seem so sure it will be - or even has to be - him. Joining Perry in emerging from the disabled list are Cale Iorg and Scott Sizemore.
I’ve tried to trust the skills when it comes to Iorg, but at this point, I’m firmly in the “believe it when I see it” camp. Be that as it may, he likely has a job at short in Erie for the rest of the season. As for Sizemore, it stinks for him to be an insurance plan for the Tigers but that’s pretty much what he is at this point. He’s going to keep raking in Toledo and is probably going to find himself in the unsavory position of having to wait for a trade or until Carlos Guillen goes down to another injury to get another shot at the bigs.
Re-assignments
Of course, players going on or coming off the disabled list requires further roster shifts. Perry finishing his rehab assignment meant the end of that big paycheck for Casey Fien. It was really nothing Fien did. It was just between him and Enrique Gonzalez and Gonzalez has pitched well (enough) and has more long relief capability. I really can’t get too jazzed up about who they pick for the seventh bullpen spot, to be honest.
I can get excited, however, over Robbie Weinhardt getting promoted to Detroit. With the Tigers needing almost eight innings from their bullpen on Monday and another extended effort on Tuesday, they realized Galarraga wasn’t needed again before the All Star Break and decided to help that bullpen. Weinhardt is the beneficiary of that decision and I’m personally hoping he makes the kind of impression that makes them look elsewhere when they need to make room for Galarraga again.
Weinhardt has strikeout capabilities, but has seen his strikeout numbers dip a bit this year in Toledo. Interestingly, he’s also seen a pretty large jump in his ground ball rate this season. It’s difficult to know if those two are related, if the dip in strikeouts coincided with the injury that landed him on the disabled list, working on his slider or even just random variation. In any event, strikeouts or no, he gives up almost no home runs (3 in three seasons as a pro) and has walked only four batters this season. If he keeps his head about him and retains those skills as a big leaguer, that should play.
Down below the Tigers, Soto’s injury required some scrambling. The Whitecaps received Luis Sanz from Connecticut, giving him a second chance against Midwest League hitters and a chance to play with his brother. Luis Angel Sanz is catching for the team, and I just can’t get over the fact that they’re brothers and both named Luis Sanz. Recent drafteed Tyler White was bumped up from the GCL to Connecticut the next day.
Of course, pitchers don’t get all the fun when it comes to this shuffling. Sizemore coming back meant the Hens had to move somebody out of their infield and that somebody was Justin Henry. Henry returning to Erie and Iorg coming back from the DL meant two players had to get the boot from the Erie roster and those players were the well-traveled Carmelo Jaime and Ben Guez. You may notice Guez is an outfielder, and that may clue us in on a utility role for Henry (as hypothesized by one of our T75N readers right here). Jaime’s return to Lakeland (already) caused Pat McKenna to return to the GCL. Ah, the life of the organizational soldier. I truly am in awe of these guys and their willingness to fill that role.
Signings and Releases
The big news in prospect-watching this week was the international signing day, when all the big international talent is free to sign with major league clubs. The Tigers typically don’t get caught up in the seven figure signings, but it sounds as if this year they may have indulged. They signed a 16-year-old out of Venezuela named Danry Vasquez. He’s a left-handed bat who’s apparently expected to fill a corner outfield spot in the future. Be patient, though. If things go well, he probably won’t be in the States until 2012 or 2013. There were some other international signings, but I typically don’t give ink to those guys until I review the system during the offseason. Vasquez gets the special mention because he’s a step outside the norm for the Tigers. We’ll have to wait to see if he represents a shift in philosophy or is just a talent the Tigers were willing to stretch to get.
There are more signings we’re waiting for than the international variety, though. The Tigers brought their fifth, sixth and seventh round picks, Alex Burgos (LHP), Bryan Holaday (C) and Corey Jones (2B), into the organization (both for $115,000 according to BA). I’ll be curious to see the Tigers’ plans for Burgos. He sounds like he has the repertoire of a starter with three pitches and a good head for pitching, but he’s small and may move faster in relief. His assignment may depend on which route the Tigers decide to go with him. If he's going to be starting, the Caps' rotation could certainly use him. With Murrian in Lakeland and Brantly in West Michigan, I assume Holaday is destined for a starting role in Connecticut. Jones, however, will see less resistance in West Michigan for a starting job at second base. For their fans’ sakes, I hope that’s where he goes.
That’s the addition portion of this section. On the subtraction side, we have the retirements of Elvin Soto (1B) and Nolan Moody (LHP) and the release of Ruddy Lugo (RHP). No surprises here, really. The Mud Hen rotation is suddenly a bit crowded. Soto hasn’t hit like a first baseman and the draft was kind of heavy on low ceiling relievers. These things made all three of these players a bit expendable.
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