Minor Leaguers Elect Free Agency
Aug 24, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Chien-Ming Wang
(67) pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Between now and October 15, certain minor leaguers may opt to declare free agency. Players who have played in parts of seven minor league seasons are ones whose contracts will automatically expire although those that have been released from their original organization are also eligible.
An initial group of 43 players have declared free agency and there are a few recognizable names among them.
Chien-Ming Wang is reportedly looking for one more kick at the major league can. After a very good season spent mostly in the International League (with affiliates for the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays), Wang is hoping that his very poor showing in his six starts in the majors (with Toronto) can be written off as small-sample-size bad luck.
Righty P.J. Walters started 20 games for the Minnesota Twins over the past two years and hasn’t put up good numbers (ERA over 5.50 and WHIP over 1.50 in both years). Pitching for Rochester in the Triple-A International League, Walters went 7-5 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.51 WHIP but he’ll be looking to help out another organization next year.
Second baseman Brent Lillibridge made two stops this season. He performed very well for the Triple-A affiliates of the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs but wasn’t able to translate that performance (including a very solid .787 overall OPS) into similar success at the major league level.
Righty Jairo Asencio had a fantastic season in Triple-A Norfolk, saving 28 games with a 2.66 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. He should get a look-see next year from a major league club despite getting rocked in only 2 1/3 innings with Baltimore.
May 27, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves (91) delivers a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Mexican righty Alfredo Aceves has been an elite pitcher in major league baseball as recently as 2011 for the Boston Red Sox. Aceves, 30, did not have a good time in his 37 innings in the majors but wasn’t bad in 48 inning with the Pawtucket Red Sox in the International League going up and down from the majors to the minors throughout the first half of the season. After claiming to be injured, Aceves was outrighted to Pawtucket in July and only pitched again on a rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast League in August.
Kyle McClellan, 29, toiled this season mostly for the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, the Frisco Rough Riders. The righty has had some excellent season in the majors, culminating in his outstanding 2010 season with the Cardinals in which he had a 2.27 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 75 1/3 innings. He was very solid in the minors this year, averaging over a strikeout per inning which is something that he has never done at the major league level.
27-year-old Michael Bowden has the best major league numbers of the bunch this season. Getting 37 2/3 innings in relief with the Chicago Cubs in 2013, Bowden had a 4.30 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. While the three-time Baseball America top 100 prospect only had 23 strikeouts with Chicago, he showed an ability to put guys away in Triple-A Iowa, striking out 28 in 18 2/3 innings (with only 3 walks). Bowden was sent to Iowa outright on September 9 and thus was removed from the 40-man roster and made eligible to become a free agent.
Aug 1, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Eduardo Sanchez (52) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
Eduardo Sanchez, 24, has had a great season as recently as 2011 when he had a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP for the St. Louis Cardinals. Sanchez was picked up by the Cubs off waivers from the Cardinals this season and pitched very well in the minor leagues for both the Cubs’ and the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliates. Sanchez tends to walk a lot of batters and has durability issues despite his ability to throw hard.
38-year-old Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi was traded from the Cubs to to the Colorado Rockies mid-way through the season after posting very strong numbers for Iowa (Triple-A). Unfortunately, those numbers inflated when he got to Colorado Springs despite an increase in his strikeout ratio. It appears that the BABIP monster got to Takahashi and he most likely elected free agency to get to away from Colorado’s altitude.
27-year-old righty Chris Volstad has had a few years of success in the major leagues since debuting for the Florida Marlins at the age of 21 in 2008. He posted solid numbers this year in Colorado Springs but couldn’t make things happen in 8 1/3 major league innings and has decided to hit the free agent mark
June 11, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Tyler Colvin (21) hits a home run in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Another Rockie farmhand, RF Tyler Colvin also elected free agency after this season. The 28 year old has over 1000 ML at bats under his belt including a very successful 2012 campaign for the Rockies that had him hit .290/.327/.531 with 18 home runs in 452 plate appearances. He didn’t perform this year in the majors after being called up for parts of June and July and was optioned back to Triple-A.
26-year-old righty Sean O’Sullivan chose free agency after a strong year with the Tuscon and San Diego Padres. O’Sullivan threw 25 innings with San Diego and had a 3.96 ERA despite only striking out 12 and walking 14 in those innings. In Triple-A, his number were much stronger, with a 3.83 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 115 innings (with only 31 walks). O’Sullivan was sent outright to Tuscon on August 22nd.