The Tampa Bay Rays have a fame of getting the perfect out of beforehand undervalued pitchers, and Garrett Cleavinger is a primary instance. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2022 in trade for German Tapia, the 30-year-old southpaw was subsequently restricted to 12 video games in 2023 on account of a knee damage, however a breakout was proper across the nook. Cleavinger made a career-high 68 appearances final yr, logging a 3.75 ERA and a 26.7 strikeout price over 60 aid innings. His ledger included seven wins and 6 saves.
A high-octane heater was considered one of his finest weapons; at 96.3 mph, Cleavinger’s four-seamer ranked within the 84th percentile for velocity. With that in thoughts, I requested the Lawrence, Kansas native if he identifies as an influence pitcher.
“It’s part of my sport,” Cleavinger advised me on the shut of the 2024 marketing campaign. “I’m positively not a pinpoint command man like some pitchers are — I want I used to be somewhat bit higher in that side — however energy stuff popping out of the pen does type of match the outline for me.”
Possessor of a diversified arsenal is one other correct description. The erstwhile College of Oregon nearer now options five-pitches, solely considered one of which he threw lower than 10 % of the time. Per Baseball Savant, the breakdown was: cutter 26.3%, four-seamer 24.8%, slider 22.0%, sweeper 17.4%, and two-seamer 9.5%. Two of these had been latest additions.
“The cutter and sweeper got here into the combo this yr,” Cleavinger defined. “The sweeper, I picked up within the offseason, the cutter in spring coaching. [In 2023] it was only a slider, which was type of a mixture of the 2. I separated them and created two pitches out of 1. It’s good to have a couple of extra choices and appears.”
His telling me that he created a pair pitches out of a single slider necessitated a clarification. Is his arsenal actually 5 deep, or is he solely throwing a quartet of distinct choices?
“It’s simply four-seam, two-seam, sweeper, and cutter,” mentioned Cleavinger. “I scrapped the outdated slider when, like I mentioned, it turned the opposite two pitches. What in all probability occurs is that when my cutter will get somewhat depthier, it registers as a slider. I think about my repertoire to be 4 pitches, however I can see why they present it as 5.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Roberto Clemente went 47 for 117 towards Johnny Podres.
Tony Gwynn went 39 for 91 towards Greg Maddux.
Dave Winfield went 23 for 52 towards John Montefusco.
Chase Headley went 13 for 30 towards Rick Porcello.
Luis Arraez is 10 for 16 towards Brandon Pfaadt.
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Brennan Bernardino was a late bloomer. The Boston reliever spent practically a decade within the minors earlier than getting a two-game cup of espresso with Seattle in 2022 at age 30. Subsequently signed off the scrap heap by the Crimson Sox — the Mariners had positioned him on waivers — Bernardino has since crafted a pair of statistically related seasons. In 2023, he made 55 appearances and allowed 48 hits and 18 walks, with 58 strikeouts, over 50-and-two-thirds innings. This previous yr, he made 57 appearances and allowed 50 hits and 22 walks, with 56 strikeouts, over 51 innings.
As related as these numbers had been, his ERA was one other story: it jumped from 3.20 to a far-less-impressive 4.06 (4.37 should you don’t embody his three appearances as an opener). His xERA was really decrease, 3.88 versus 4.06 in his 2023 rookie marketing campaign, however that’s of scant comfort to the southpaw.
“I’m not an enormous fan of the anticipated numbers,” Bernardino advised me on the ultimate day of the season. “The way in which I take a look at it, anticipated is sort of like an entire different fantasy world. For me, it’s “Did you get the job finished or not?’ Generally it’s higher to get fortunate. I don’t assume I bought the job finished to the perfect of my potential this yr.”
Extra particularly, he didn’t do the job from July onward. Over the primary half, Bernardino held opposing hitters to a .219/.308/.281 slash line. Thereafter, these numbers had been .309/.400/.580. In lots of respects, he had two seasons in a single.
“I used to be higher [in 2023], as a result of I used to be extra constant,” mentioned Bernardino. “This yr, I used to be more than happy with the primary half. The second half, I wasn’t happy with in any respect. No matter what [the overall numbers] had been, I didn’t do sufficient to assist the staff. I have to pitch higher subsequent yr.”
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Which of Jackson Jobe or Roki Sasaki — Baseball America’s top-ranked pitching prospects — will go on to have the higher MLB profession? That’s a tricky name, because the outcomes of a Twitter ballot I ran earlier this week strongly counsel. Jobe edged Sasaki by the narrowest margins, outpolling him 50.4%, to 49.6%.
Personally, I’d go along with Jobe.
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A quiz:
The identical pitcher has essentially the most wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched in Florida/Miami Marlins franchise historical past. Who he’s he? (A touch: Initially within the Chicago Cubs group, he was acquired by the Marlins by way of commerce.)
The reply may be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
The Colorado Rockies have employed Charlie Blackmon as a particular assistant to the final supervisor. The 38-year-old veteran of 14 big-league seasons, all with Colorado, introduced his retirement in September. Blackmon ranks second in franchise historical past in a number of classes, together with video games performed, hits, and whole bases.
Jeff Torborg, who caught for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1964-1970, and for the California Angels from 1971-1973, died final Sunday at age 93. Later a supervisor for 5 big-league groups, Torborg was behind the plate for no-hitters thrown by Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, and Invoice Singer.
Bobby Cuellar, a right-hander made 4 appearances for the Texas Rangers in 1977 earlier than embarking on a protracted profession as a pitching coach, died earlier this week at age 72. The Alice, Texas native allowed one run in six-and-two-thirds MLB innings, the lone blemish courtesy of a Dave Kingman round-tripper.
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The reply to the quiz is Ricky Nolasco, who gained 81 video games with the Marlins after being acquired from the Cubs in December 2005. If you happen to guessed Dontrelle Willis, he ranks second to in wins and innings, and fourth in strikeouts. Like Nolasco, he got here to Miami from the Cubs by way of commerce (in March 2002).
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Termarr Johnson was featured right here at FanGraphs on Friday, with the 20-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates prospect discussing his left-handed stroke, and the method that goes with it. Drafted fourth total by the NL Central membership in 2022, Johnson is without doubt one of the top-rated gamers within the system.
I requested Pirates normal supervisor Ben Cherington concerning the younger infielder throughout November’s GM Conferences in San Antonio.
“He’s bought clear strengths,” mentioned Cherington. “He is aware of the strike zone. He’s bought bat velocity. He hits the ball exhausting, though we’ve bought to tune up the contact price in a few areas. And he’s assured. There are some clear methods ahead that he’s conscious of, and is engaged on, however it’s a very good basis.”
Following up, I requested the exec if he may elaborate on “tune up the contact price in a few areas.”
“There are a pair totally different items to it,” Cherington replied. “A few of it’s that he’s so good at recognizing ball-strike that typically he’ll see strike, assume he can get the barrel on it, and it’s perhaps not the pitch he ought to swing at. He’ll be swinging at a strike, however not at his strike.
“There are some timing and mechanical issues we’re working with him on, simply to get himself ready to ship the barrel constantly inside the strike zone.” continued Cherington. “There’s some swing-and-miss we imagine is expounded to that. There are issues that he can enhance on — issues which can be improvable — however once more, he’s bought that place to begin. He is aware of the strike zone, has the bat velocity, and the exit velo for his age is in a great place. We expect the arrow is up.”
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Andruw Jones had 67.0 fWAR (62.7 bWAR), 1,933 hits, 434 residence runs, 3,690 whole bases, and a 111 wRC+. A five-time All-Star, he was awarded 10 Gold Gloves.
Jim Edmonds had 64.5 fWAR (60.4 bWAR), 1,949 hits, 393 residence runs, 3,615 whole bases, and a 132 wRC+. A four-time All-Star, he was awarded eight Gold Gloves.
Jones was on a Corridor of Fame poll for the eighth time this yr and acquired 66.2% of assist from the BBWAA voters. With two years remaining and momentum on his facet, the probabilities of him getting a plaque in Cooperstown are fairly good.
Edmonds acquired simply 2.5% of assist in 2016, his lone yr on the poll. There are the explanation why that occurred, foremost being {that a} dozen gamers on that poll are actually within the HoF (a couple of of them by way of the veterans committee), as had been the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, and Sammy Sosa. It’s comprehensible that few voters discovered room for Edmonds on their ballots.
It’s also unlucky. argument can made that Edmonds is no less than, if no more, deserving than Jones. Hopefully he will get his due from a committee down the highway.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Caribbean Sequence will get underway on Friday (January 31), with all video games broadcast in English on MLB Community. The championship sport will probably be held on February 7.
Willians Astudillo slashed .281/.361/.381 with three residence runs in 185 plate appearances for the Venezuelan Winter League’s Caribes de Anzoategui. The 32-year-old former Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins catcher-infielder final performed stateside in 2022. He spent a part of 2023 with NPB’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Morgan McCullough has reportedly signed with the German Bundesliga’s Regensburg Legionäre. A Seattle native, the 27-year-old infielder was launched by the Mariners final summer season after taking part in 5 seasons of affiliated ball throughout three totally different organizations. McCullough noticed motion with the Australian Baseball League’s Melbourne Aces earlier this winter.
ABL Rookie of the Yr honors went to Sydney Blue Sox infielder/outfielder Jaylin Rae. The 23-year-old Sydney native performed collegiately at Charleston Southern and Western Kentucky.
The Canberra Cavalry will face the Perth Warmth in a best-of-three championship collection starting on Friday. Perth superior by defeating two-time defending champion Adelaide Giants, whereas Canberra beat the Sydney Blue Sox within the different semifinal.
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Which amongst Albert Belle, Dwight Evans, Kenny Lofton, and Dale Murphy is most Corridor-worthy? With the 2026 Up to date Period poll in thoughts — all are candidates to fill the eight-player slate — I posed that query in a ballot earlier this week. (The erstwhile outfielders aren’t essentially the very best candidates, however they appeared like an excellent combine for this train).
Itemizing all the quartet’s respective bona fides can be a tad too cumbersome for this column, however listed here are their WAR totals, ordered from least to most:
Belle: 41.0 fWAR, 40.1 bWAR.Murphy: 44.3 fWAR, 46.5 bWAR.Lofton: 62.4 WAR, 68.4 bWAR.Evans: 65.1 fWAR, 67.2 bWAR.
Evans and Lofton are neck-and-neck for many deserving in my thoughts. The ballot outcomes differ from that opinion. Lofton got here out forward by a transparent margin, garnering 44.1% to Evans’s 23.4%. Furthermore, Murphy had the second-highest share, at 24.1%. (That Belle completed on the backside — he had 8.3% — was pretty predictable.) As for why folks may want Murphy over Evans, he had a 7-3 edge in All-Star berths and has a pair of MVP awards on his résumé. Whether or not that makes him extra Corridor-worthy is subjective. Ditto deciding between Evans and Lofton.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
Ray Fisher coached on the College of Michigan from 1921-1958, and he did so whereas banned from skilled baseball. A local of Middlebury, Vermont, the right-hander had gained 76 video games for the New York Highlanders/Yankees from 1910-1917, missed the 1918 season whereas serving within the Military, then went 14-5 with the Cincinnati Reds in 1919 — a marketing campaign culminating within the membership’s World Sequence conquest of the Chicago “Black Sox”.
Fisher completed 10-11 the next yr, after which he was despatched a contract that included reduce in pay. A wage dispute ensued, and the 33-year-old hurler finally determined to take the teaching job, relatively than stay with the Reds. Amid a messy state of affairs — an in depth description of the occasions may be discovered right here — Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis imposed the ban.
Six many years later, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reinstated Fisher, who by then was not solely a nonagenarian — he had led Michigan to 636-295-8 report, 15 Huge Ten Convention titles, and the college’s first School World Sequence title. U of M’s baseball staff has performed their residence video games at Ray Fisher Stadium since 1970.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Matt Snyder checked out lively gamers who’re on observe for the Corridor of Fame.
Invoice Shaikin wrote concerning the Dodgers and deferred contracts for The Los Angeles Occasions.
At Bless You Boys, Brandon Day reported on 21-year-old Detroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee, a local of Taiwan who posted a 141 wRC+ with Double-A Erie in an injury-shortened season.
Federal prosecutors just lately disclosed an audio recording that additional implicates former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of defrauding Shohei Ohtani. Evan Drelich and Sam Blum teamed up for the story at The Athletic (subscription required).
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Ichiro Suzuki slashed .207/.276/.253 in 100 plate appearances towards the San Francisco Giants. He slashed .419/.443/.500 in 79 plate appearances towards the Houston Astros.
Ty Cobb, Ichiro, and Tris Speaker rank second, fifth, and seventh, respectively, on the all-time singles checklist. Every completed his profession with 117 residence runs.
Ichiro had 10 seasons with 200 or extra hits. He reached base 3,791 instances.Ted Williams had no seasons with 200 or extra hits. He reached base 4,714 instances.
From 2010-2013, Ryan Braun had 118 residence runs, 364 RBIs, and was 81-for-102 in stolen base makes an attempt. Throughout that very same span, Carlos González had 118 residence runs, 364 RBIs, and was 87-for-108 in stolen base makes an attempt.
Kenley Jansen is 7-1 with 58 saves and a 2.50 ERA over 100 appearances comprising 101 innings versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The wins, saves, appearances, and innings are his most towards any staff.
CC Sabathia went 15-6 with a 2.67 ERA in 30 begins towards the Seattle Mariners. He went 11-12 with a 4.63 ERA in 33 begins towards the Oakland Athletics.
The Minnesota Twins signed Jim Thome as a free agent on at present’s date in 2010. The Corridor of Fame slugger went on hit 37 of his 612 profession residence runs with the AL Central membership.
The Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder as a free agent on at present’s date in 2012. The ability-hitting first baseman performed two seasons in Motown, slugging 55 residence runs and logging a 139 wRC+.
Gamers born on at present’s date embody Brandon Medders, who went 16-7 with a 3.61 ERA over 210 aid appearances with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants from 2005-2010. The correct-hander’s lone profession save got here towards the D-Backs.
Additionally born on at present’s date was Cesar Gutierrez, a light-hitting shortstop whose declare to fame was going 7-for-7 for the Detroit Tigers in a 12-inning win towards the Cleveland Indians on June 21, 1970. All advised, the Coro, Venezuela native logged 128 hits — none of them residence runs — whereas taking part in for the Tigers and San Francisco Giants from 1967-1971.
