First thing's first, I published some instant analysis on today's spring training moves that included the releases of David Carpenter and Ryan Kelly along with reassigning Braxton Davidson to the minor league camp.
Another game and a few more names that might have surprised Braves fans in Atlanta's 12-11 loss to the Phillies on Friday. This is the fourth edition of this column and you can read about other random names that have shown up in boxscores by clicking here.
M. Kennelly, C, 1-for-2, R, 3 RBI, BB
Who is he? Matt Kennelly...It was almost appropriate that Kennelly replaced Braeden Schlehuber behind the plate on Friday as the two have been in the system for some time and are essentially the same player. Kennelly got his start after being signed out of Australia about a decade ago. He appeared in his first game in 2007 and spent the next six years plus years in the Braves system with an odd three-game turn in the Arizona Fall League. He reached Gwinnett in 2011 and started there in 2013 before being pushed out by a number crunch. After spending the rest of 2013 in the Reds organization, he returned to the Braves in 2014 and has been a fixture ever since (along with a yearly run in the Australia Baseball League). In nearly 600 games, he has hit just 19 homeruns and OPS'd .630 so you can imagine that his job is dependent on handling a pitching staff well. Kennelly can play a little first and has played the outfield in Australia as well. He even got into a game on the mound last year for Mississippi, pitching a quiet inning in relief. Overall, he's respected by the organization, but that's about it. Kennelly was among the five players reassigned to the minor league camp early this morning.
V. Mateo, P, 0.1 ING, H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, K, HR
Who is he? Victor Mateo...After spending eight years in the Devil Rays organization, Mateo joined the Braves last offseason and was great at Mississippi before spending a rough month or so with Gwinnett. A durable righty who has has logged between 147.2 ING and 166 ING in each of the last three seasons, Mateo gets a decent amount of groundballs and largely avoids homeruns, but routinely has FIPs over 4. Even when his ERA was 2.68 as a Mississippi Brave over 107.1 ING last year, his FIP was 4.09. This is largely due to weak strikeout numbers and good, but not great, control which results in a career 1.8 K/BB ratio.
Hursh, P, 0.2 ING, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, K, HR
Who is he? Jason Hursh...You really ought to know who Hursh is at this point, but just in case you didn't, here's the book on Hursh. You get a lot of grounders and that's about it. Basically, he's a slightly more impressive Mateo as he keeps the ball on the ground (usually) and avoids homeruns (again, usually). At this point, Hursh seems to be transitioning into a bullpen role, which seems like a weird fit for a sinker baller. Ultimately, Atlanta is trying to get anything from their former first rounder, but it seems unlikely that Hursh will be in the major league picture at any point in 2016.
Showing posts with label GuysUDontKnow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GuysUDontKnow. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Guys You Don't Know, vol. 3
Only a couple of interesting names you might not know from yesterday's loss to the Tigers. As I have done twice this spring already (here and here), this series focuses on names that show up in boxscores that are neither big prospects, nor established veterans.
Lalli, C, 0-for-2, 2 K
Who is he? Blake Lalli...So far, this is the fourth catcher I've mentioned as part of this series and we are just three games in. Lalli was a late signing this offseason (1/26 to be exact) and is a left-hand hitting catcher originally signed as undrafted free agent by the Cubs in 2006. Before that, he played at Gardner-Webb (go Runnin' Bulldogs!). Lalli had a big 2008 as he climbed from A-ball to AA (with a stop at A+ in between). His triple slash that year was .326/.367/.504. Subsequent campaigns failed to live up to those numbers, but Lalli did play in the majors during 2012 as a Cub, getting a pair of singles in 15 AB. He was traded to the A's later that year and left the organization as a free agent at the end of 2012. He would spend most of 2013 with Nashville, the AAA affiliate of the Brewers, though he did receive a brief cameo in the majors (where he went just 3-for-24). The last two seasons were spent with Arizona's AAA squad in Reno. His overall minor league numbers have been fairly solid, though he won't give you much power. He's also played a good deal of first base and...amazingly...he's pitched a lot. Since 2007, he has appeared in 20 games as a pitcher. Between Lalli, Willians Astudillo's penchant for playing all over the field, and Jeff Francoeur's pitching pedigree, the Braves have some interesting baseball guys to keep track of in the minors who aren't even prospects.
Wooten, P, ING, BB
Who is he? Rob Wooten...Over the last three seasons, Wooten appeared in 71 games for the Brewers with much better peripherals than you might expect at first glance. During his 68 innings in the majors, Wooten has a 3.22 FIP, 3.90 xFIP, 3.62 SIERA, and a 98 cFIP. Now, none of those metrics paint the picture of an overly impressive right-hander, but all give the impression of Wooten being serviceable. He was signed without a spring training invite, but as you can tell by him pitching yesterday, that won't keep him from getting a shot to play with the big league club. He has solid minor league numbers and it's not impossible to see Wooten become the latest David Carpenter (3.0?), but it's a long road and he's going to have a tough time getting noticed in this camp. His time to shine will likely be at Gwinnett where he can get regular innings.
That's it for today as the Braves prepare to play the Phillies today.
Lalli, C, 0-for-2, 2 K
Who is he? Blake Lalli...So far, this is the fourth catcher I've mentioned as part of this series and we are just three games in. Lalli was a late signing this offseason (1/26 to be exact) and is a left-hand hitting catcher originally signed as undrafted free agent by the Cubs in 2006. Before that, he played at Gardner-Webb (go Runnin' Bulldogs!). Lalli had a big 2008 as he climbed from A-ball to AA (with a stop at A+ in between). His triple slash that year was .326/.367/.504. Subsequent campaigns failed to live up to those numbers, but Lalli did play in the majors during 2012 as a Cub, getting a pair of singles in 15 AB. He was traded to the A's later that year and left the organization as a free agent at the end of 2012. He would spend most of 2013 with Nashville, the AAA affiliate of the Brewers, though he did receive a brief cameo in the majors (where he went just 3-for-24). The last two seasons were spent with Arizona's AAA squad in Reno. His overall minor league numbers have been fairly solid, though he won't give you much power. He's also played a good deal of first base and...amazingly...he's pitched a lot. Since 2007, he has appeared in 20 games as a pitcher. Between Lalli, Willians Astudillo's penchant for playing all over the field, and Jeff Francoeur's pitching pedigree, the Braves have some interesting baseball guys to keep track of in the minors who aren't even prospects.
Wooten, P, ING, BB
Who is he? Rob Wooten...Over the last three seasons, Wooten appeared in 71 games for the Brewers with much better peripherals than you might expect at first glance. During his 68 innings in the majors, Wooten has a 3.22 FIP, 3.90 xFIP, 3.62 SIERA, and a 98 cFIP. Now, none of those metrics paint the picture of an overly impressive right-hander, but all give the impression of Wooten being serviceable. He was signed without a spring training invite, but as you can tell by him pitching yesterday, that won't keep him from getting a shot to play with the big league club. He has solid minor league numbers and it's not impossible to see Wooten become the latest David Carpenter (3.0?), but it's a long road and he's going to have a tough time getting noticed in this camp. His time to shine will likely be at Gwinnett where he can get regular innings.
That's it for today as the Braves prepare to play the Phillies today.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Guys You Don't Know, vol. 2
Huge game yesterday for the offense led by Mallex Smith's 4-for-6 game and Ozhaino Albies going 3-for-5. Both players homered while Smith finished a single short of the cycle with two triples, each of which occurred in the same inning. If only every game was like that.
Still, there may have been some unknown names in the lineup so here's a primer on the names that may have been strange. You can check yesterday's similar post here.
Odom, C, 1-for-2, 2B, RBI
Who is he? Joseph Odom...Originally a 13th rounder in 2013 out of Huntingdon College (go Hawks!), Odom has been an unimpressive catcher so far with the bat, hitting .215/.300/.356 over 550 PA. He seems pretty decent behind the plate and I usually give a pass on caught stealing rates in the minors because pitchers are rarely adept at holding runners on the farm. All in all, Odom's a body who turns 24 and could be ticketed for a return trip to Carolina in 2016.
Astudillo, PH-DH, 0-for-2
Who is he? Willians Astudillo...As far as interesting players, Astudillo kind of takes the cake. He began his career back in 2009 and from the beginning, was shifted around often. By the time his third season was in the books, he had played all four infield positions, both corner outfield positions, and logged over 200 innings behind the plate. He spent those three years in the Venezuelan Summer League and put up strange numbers toward the end of his run there, including walking 15 times in 52 games during 2011 compared to just TWO strikeouts. After missing 2013, Astudillo has slashes of .333/.366/.433 and .314/.348/.384 in a pair of single-A stops before becoming a minor league free agent this winter and signing with the Braves. He's intriguing because his story is unique, but that's about it. Check out a deeper profile of him.
Gant, P, 2 ING, H, K
Who is he? John Gant...One of the biggest late summer surprises was how Gant jumped into the Mississippi rotation after being acquired in the Juan Uribe/Kelly Johnson trade with the Mets. He was considered the lesser of the two pitchers picked up in the deal and had made eleven fairly pedestrian starts for Binghamton, the Double-A affiliate for the Mets. His last start with the organization came on July 23 and he surrendered seven runs (six earned) over 5.1 innings. He would give up just 11 runs (nine earned) over seven starts with Mississippi. The great run prompted the Braves to promote Gant to the 40-man roster to protect him from other teams in last December's Rule 5 draft. Gant is considered a good arm, though he lacks much flair or a plus pitch at this point. If things fall just right, Gant could get into the majors and be tenacious, but short of continuing his success from late summer last year, he's going to have a tough time getting noticed in a system with several great pitching prospects. He could open this season with Mississippi or get aggressively promoted to Gwinnett.
Rutckyj, P, ING, K
Who is he? Evan Rutckyj...Call the presses - the Braves have a former Yankee on their roster. I kid, of course, as Atlanta has picked up former Yankee prospects at a rate that competes with the Royals' penchant for grabbing ex-Braves pitchers. Rutckyj was selected in the Rule 5 draft despite just 17.2 innings above A-ball. The Canadian lefty has struggled with his control over his six-year career, though he did set a new low with a 3.1 BB/9 last season (it was cut more than half from 2013). He'll need that to continue and show he can handle lefties to remain with this team. His velocity runs from the low-to-mid 90's with a slide that flashes swing-and-miss ability from time-to-time.
Thurman, P, ING
Who is he? Andrew Thurman...Similar to Gant in that when he was acquired, he seemed like the final piece of a deal rather than a focal point for the Braves. Thurman was picked up in the Evan Gattis trade and jumped into the Carolina League season with solid numbers before the unfortunate bus wreck took two months of action from him. After a rehab stint in rookie ball, Thurman made it back to the Mudcats in mid-July, though he struggled often with control. That didn't stop the Braves from promoting him to finish the season with Gant in Mississippi. His control was again a problem and an Arizona Fall League run was fairly forgetful. He was particularly vulnerable against lefties (.768 OPS vs. .651) and older hitters (.843 OPS vs. .584). I don't expect much from him and he should return to Mississippi to open 2016.
The Braves will be action today against the Tigers with Sean Newcomb among those set for action.
Still, there may have been some unknown names in the lineup so here's a primer on the names that may have been strange. You can check yesterday's similar post here.
Odom, C, 1-for-2, 2B, RBI
Who is he? Joseph Odom...Originally a 13th rounder in 2013 out of Huntingdon College (go Hawks!), Odom has been an unimpressive catcher so far with the bat, hitting .215/.300/.356 over 550 PA. He seems pretty decent behind the plate and I usually give a pass on caught stealing rates in the minors because pitchers are rarely adept at holding runners on the farm. All in all, Odom's a body who turns 24 and could be ticketed for a return trip to Carolina in 2016.
Astudillo, PH-DH, 0-for-2
Who is he? Willians Astudillo...As far as interesting players, Astudillo kind of takes the cake. He began his career back in 2009 and from the beginning, was shifted around often. By the time his third season was in the books, he had played all four infield positions, both corner outfield positions, and logged over 200 innings behind the plate. He spent those three years in the Venezuelan Summer League and put up strange numbers toward the end of his run there, including walking 15 times in 52 games during 2011 compared to just TWO strikeouts. After missing 2013, Astudillo has slashes of .333/.366/.433 and .314/.348/.384 in a pair of single-A stops before becoming a minor league free agent this winter and signing with the Braves. He's intriguing because his story is unique, but that's about it. Check out a deeper profile of him.
Gant, P, 2 ING, H, K
Who is he? John Gant...One of the biggest late summer surprises was how Gant jumped into the Mississippi rotation after being acquired in the Juan Uribe/Kelly Johnson trade with the Mets. He was considered the lesser of the two pitchers picked up in the deal and had made eleven fairly pedestrian starts for Binghamton, the Double-A affiliate for the Mets. His last start with the organization came on July 23 and he surrendered seven runs (six earned) over 5.1 innings. He would give up just 11 runs (nine earned) over seven starts with Mississippi. The great run prompted the Braves to promote Gant to the 40-man roster to protect him from other teams in last December's Rule 5 draft. Gant is considered a good arm, though he lacks much flair or a plus pitch at this point. If things fall just right, Gant could get into the majors and be tenacious, but short of continuing his success from late summer last year, he's going to have a tough time getting noticed in a system with several great pitching prospects. He could open this season with Mississippi or get aggressively promoted to Gwinnett.
Rutckyj, P, ING, K
Who is he? Evan Rutckyj...Call the presses - the Braves have a former Yankee on their roster. I kid, of course, as Atlanta has picked up former Yankee prospects at a rate that competes with the Royals' penchant for grabbing ex-Braves pitchers. Rutckyj was selected in the Rule 5 draft despite just 17.2 innings above A-ball. The Canadian lefty has struggled with his control over his six-year career, though he did set a new low with a 3.1 BB/9 last season (it was cut more than half from 2013). He'll need that to continue and show he can handle lefties to remain with this team. His velocity runs from the low-to-mid 90's with a slide that flashes swing-and-miss ability from time-to-time.
Thurman, P, ING
Who is he? Andrew Thurman...Similar to Gant in that when he was acquired, he seemed like the final piece of a deal rather than a focal point for the Braves. Thurman was picked up in the Evan Gattis trade and jumped into the Carolina League season with solid numbers before the unfortunate bus wreck took two months of action from him. After a rehab stint in rookie ball, Thurman made it back to the Mudcats in mid-July, though he struggled often with control. That didn't stop the Braves from promoting him to finish the season with Gant in Mississippi. His control was again a problem and an Arizona Fall League run was fairly forgetful. He was particularly vulnerable against lefties (.768 OPS vs. .651) and older hitters (.843 OPS vs. .584). I don't expect much from him and he should return to Mississippi to open 2016.
The Braves will be action today against the Tigers with Sean Newcomb among those set for action.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Guys You Don't Know, vol. 1
With spring training games beginning, random names will pop up in boxscores that might confuse you. Here's a list of some of them from yesterday.
Freiman, 1B, 0-for-1, 2 BB, 1 RS
Who is he? Nate Freiman...I touched on Freiman back in January, though he signed a month before that. Freiman is a absolute hulk of a man (6'8") and was originally drafted out of Duke by the Padres in the 8th round of 2009. A Rule 5 pick by the Astros in December of 2012, Freiman was picked off waivers by the A's in spring training and spent and the A's used him in 80 games during 2013. He didn't show much power (.116), which is surprising for his frame, and didn't do much to retain his position in 2014. Last year, he bottomed out with an atrocious .101 ISO and .279 OBP at AAA, prompting the A's to cut him at the end of the season. Overall, Freiman has posted decent numbers in the minors, but may not have the bat to hang in the majors. He'll get an extended look this spring considering the Braves are limiting Freddie Freeman's time, but Freiman's ticketed for a trip down to Gwinnett where he'll be the primary first baseman.
d'Arnaud, C, LF, 0-for-2
Who is he? Chase D'Arnaud...When I first saw his line, I thought he had moved from catcher to left, but that was not the case. D'Arnaud looked like a decent hitting prospect when the Pirates picked him in the 4th round of the 2008 draft, but he basically plateaued in A-ball with the bat. Since then, he's posted pedestrian numbers offensively and even worse figures in the majors. Last year was his first season outside of Pittsburgh (he made the long trip to Philly) and he remained consistent with the bat at AAA. By consistent, I mean a career .255/.316/.366 run at AAA. He spent a little time in the majors and has picked up 75 games in the bigs over the last four seasons. Overall, again, he's AAA depth.
Tuiasosopo, DH, 1-for-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Who is he? Matt Tuiasosopo...The Braves have cobbled together a who's who among AAAA types. Matt's been at this since 2004 and has nearly a full season in the majors (career 152 games) to show for it. He gives you a little bit of power, some walks, a mediocre batting average, and can move around a bit. Over the last two years, he has played three infield positions and both corner outfield positions, but it's more-or-less shocking to see him play anywhere but 1B/LF/RF. He was a minor surprise in 2013 as a platoon option against lefties for the Tigers. He slashed .244/.351/.415 with 7 HR, but it wasn't enough to warrant continued employment by the Tigers as he spent the last two seasons with Buffalo and Charlotte of the International League. Now, he seems likely to remain in the IL as a member of the Gwinnett Braves.
Brignac, 2B, 0-for-1, RBI
Who is he? Reid Brignac...A long, long time ago, Brignac was a bit of a prospect. In 2010, he was a decent bench option for Tampa Bay with a 1.4 fWAR, but his bat completely fell off the following year and he hasn't posted a positive fWAR since, nor has he been in the bigs for very long. Since 2013, he has made cameos with the Rockies, Yankees, Phillies, and Marlins while playing bigger roles for their AAA teams. He might be a little higher on the depth chart than D'Arnaud, but he's still behind Daniel Castro as far as "next man in" goes.
Schlehuber, C, no plate appearance
Who is he? Braeden Schlehuber...You really should know Schlehuber by now considering he's been a fixture of each spring training for a number of years. He's been in the system since 2008 and was even a Carolina League All-Star during 2012, but that's about the extent of his offensive highlights (.270/.328/.439 with 8 HR). 2012 was the only year since 2011 that he didn't spend at least some of the year with Mississippi, by the way, which should be grounds for naming him mayor. Where he lands after spring training is not really that important. He's an organizational guy who fills out a roster.
Cervenka, 1 ING
Who is he? Hunter Cervenka...You'd be excused if you missed the Cervenka signing last summer. After all, he was just some lefty with a weird name who was added to the Mississippi Braves roster from Sugar Land in the Atlantic League. He hadn't been with the Skeeters long, though. He began the year with the Iowa Cubs, which was the first time during his seven year career he had been above AA. He stunk over a dozen games out of the pen and was demoted to AA before being released. Once the Braves got him, he made a three-game cameo with Mississippi before getting a second run at Gwinnett. He turned it on there and the southpaw K'd 23 in 16.2 ING. He did walk 8, continuing a career-long issue with control. He's an interesting lefty reliever arm, though at 26, his control issues will likely limit his effectiveness. That said, he has owned lefties in the minors so if you're going to be a one-trick pony, it's good to have a great trick to fall back on. The Braves have a lot of lefty arms, though, and might be more inclined to see how Ian Krol, Matt Marksberry, Andrew McKirahan, and some of the veteran non-roster invitees do before going with Cervenka. Still, he likely begins 2016 with Gwinnett with a chance to get a foot in the door.
Texeira, 1 ING, 1 K
Who is he? Kanekoa Texeira....No, he's not related to the Mark Teixeira (the names aren't even spelled the same). K-Tex has been around since 2006 nearly exclusively as a reliever until recent years. He even logged 43 games of action with the Mariners and Royals in 2010 (and six more with the Royals the following season) though the results were pretty abysmal. He first hooked up with the Braves in 2014 after they signed him out of the Atlantic League. Since then, he's been a swingman for Gwinnett and did hit the 100 inning mark last year for just the second time of his career (again, mostly a reliever). As my friends at Outfield Fly Rule often say, K-Tex is "just a guy." Nothing particularly impressive or noteworthy about his career, not his recent numbers. He's depth at Gwinnett and that's about it, though it's quite possible with so many pitchers in camp fighting for a major league spot, K-Tex could be also fighting to keep his job in AAA. He was added to the major league camp yesterday specifically to give them a tenth inning arm. He heads back to the minor league camp now.
That's it for now. Is this helpful for you? Let me know in the comment section or tweet me.
Freiman, 1B, 0-for-1, 2 BB, 1 RS
Who is he? Nate Freiman...I touched on Freiman back in January, though he signed a month before that. Freiman is a absolute hulk of a man (6'8") and was originally drafted out of Duke by the Padres in the 8th round of 2009. A Rule 5 pick by the Astros in December of 2012, Freiman was picked off waivers by the A's in spring training and spent and the A's used him in 80 games during 2013. He didn't show much power (.116), which is surprising for his frame, and didn't do much to retain his position in 2014. Last year, he bottomed out with an atrocious .101 ISO and .279 OBP at AAA, prompting the A's to cut him at the end of the season. Overall, Freiman has posted decent numbers in the minors, but may not have the bat to hang in the majors. He'll get an extended look this spring considering the Braves are limiting Freddie Freeman's time, but Freiman's ticketed for a trip down to Gwinnett where he'll be the primary first baseman.
d'Arnaud, C, LF, 0-for-2
Who is he? Chase D'Arnaud...When I first saw his line, I thought he had moved from catcher to left, but that was not the case. D'Arnaud looked like a decent hitting prospect when the Pirates picked him in the 4th round of the 2008 draft, but he basically plateaued in A-ball with the bat. Since then, he's posted pedestrian numbers offensively and even worse figures in the majors. Last year was his first season outside of Pittsburgh (he made the long trip to Philly) and he remained consistent with the bat at AAA. By consistent, I mean a career .255/.316/.366 run at AAA. He spent a little time in the majors and has picked up 75 games in the bigs over the last four seasons. Overall, again, he's AAA depth.
Tuiasosopo, DH, 1-for-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Who is he? Matt Tuiasosopo...The Braves have cobbled together a who's who among AAAA types. Matt's been at this since 2004 and has nearly a full season in the majors (career 152 games) to show for it. He gives you a little bit of power, some walks, a mediocre batting average, and can move around a bit. Over the last two years, he has played three infield positions and both corner outfield positions, but it's more-or-less shocking to see him play anywhere but 1B/LF/RF. He was a minor surprise in 2013 as a platoon option against lefties for the Tigers. He slashed .244/.351/.415 with 7 HR, but it wasn't enough to warrant continued employment by the Tigers as he spent the last two seasons with Buffalo and Charlotte of the International League. Now, he seems likely to remain in the IL as a member of the Gwinnett Braves.
Brignac, 2B, 0-for-1, RBI
Who is he? Reid Brignac...A long, long time ago, Brignac was a bit of a prospect. In 2010, he was a decent bench option for Tampa Bay with a 1.4 fWAR, but his bat completely fell off the following year and he hasn't posted a positive fWAR since, nor has he been in the bigs for very long. Since 2013, he has made cameos with the Rockies, Yankees, Phillies, and Marlins while playing bigger roles for their AAA teams. He might be a little higher on the depth chart than D'Arnaud, but he's still behind Daniel Castro as far as "next man in" goes.
Schlehuber, C, no plate appearance
Who is he? Braeden Schlehuber...You really should know Schlehuber by now considering he's been a fixture of each spring training for a number of years. He's been in the system since 2008 and was even a Carolina League All-Star during 2012, but that's about the extent of his offensive highlights (.270/.328/.439 with 8 HR). 2012 was the only year since 2011 that he didn't spend at least some of the year with Mississippi, by the way, which should be grounds for naming him mayor. Where he lands after spring training is not really that important. He's an organizational guy who fills out a roster.
Cervenka, 1 ING
Who is he? Hunter Cervenka...You'd be excused if you missed the Cervenka signing last summer. After all, he was just some lefty with a weird name who was added to the Mississippi Braves roster from Sugar Land in the Atlantic League. He hadn't been with the Skeeters long, though. He began the year with the Iowa Cubs, which was the first time during his seven year career he had been above AA. He stunk over a dozen games out of the pen and was demoted to AA before being released. Once the Braves got him, he made a three-game cameo with Mississippi before getting a second run at Gwinnett. He turned it on there and the southpaw K'd 23 in 16.2 ING. He did walk 8, continuing a career-long issue with control. He's an interesting lefty reliever arm, though at 26, his control issues will likely limit his effectiveness. That said, he has owned lefties in the minors so if you're going to be a one-trick pony, it's good to have a great trick to fall back on. The Braves have a lot of lefty arms, though, and might be more inclined to see how Ian Krol, Matt Marksberry, Andrew McKirahan, and some of the veteran non-roster invitees do before going with Cervenka. Still, he likely begins 2016 with Gwinnett with a chance to get a foot in the door.
Texeira, 1 ING, 1 K
Who is he? Kanekoa Texeira....No, he's not related to the Mark Teixeira (the names aren't even spelled the same). K-Tex has been around since 2006 nearly exclusively as a reliever until recent years. He even logged 43 games of action with the Mariners and Royals in 2010 (and six more with the Royals the following season) though the results were pretty abysmal. He first hooked up with the Braves in 2014 after they signed him out of the Atlantic League. Since then, he's been a swingman for Gwinnett and did hit the 100 inning mark last year for just the second time of his career (again, mostly a reliever). As my friends at Outfield Fly Rule often say, K-Tex is "just a guy." Nothing particularly impressive or noteworthy about his career, not his recent numbers. He's depth at Gwinnett and that's about it, though it's quite possible with so many pitchers in camp fighting for a major league spot, K-Tex could be also fighting to keep his job in AAA. He was added to the major league camp yesterday specifically to give them a tenth inning arm. He heads back to the minor league camp now.
That's it for now. Is this helpful for you? Let me know in the comment section or tweet me.
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