MLB - NEWS & NOTES

im so sick of winter. come on baseball!

 

Pitchers and catchers for 11 teams reported today.

 

yep and temps here this weekend will hit 60! love it. im done with winter.

 

Rockies claim catcher Tony Wolters from Indians

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) ? The Colorado Rockies have claimed catcher Tony Wolters off waivers from the Cleveland Indians.

To make room on the 40-man roster, they transferred right-hander Adam Ottovino to the 60-day disabled list.

Wolters, 23, spent last season at Double-A Akron, where he hit .209 with two homers and 17 RBIs and threw out 38 of 77 runners (49 percent) attempting to steal.

In six minor league seasons, Wolters has a .258 batting average with 75 doubles, 15 homers, 165 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. He's thrown out 40 percent of runners.

Ottovino went 1-0 in 10 appearances for the Rockies last season before May 4 Tommy John surgery. In partts of five seasons with St. Louis and Colorado, he is 8-10 with a 3.88 ERA.

 

Yankees' Chapman plans appeal if suspended by Manfred

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman says he would appeal if he is suspended by Major League Baseball under the sport's new domestic violence policy.

Florida prosecutors decided not to file charges against Chapman, whose girlfriend told officers he pushed her, put his hands around her neck and choked her during an argument in October. Broward Assistant State Attorney Stefanie Newman wrote conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence made a conviction unlikely.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he hopes to have a decision by opening day.

"It's something out of my hands," Chapman said through a translator after Yankees pitchers and catchers reported Thursday for spring training. "It's something I can't really talk about. We've got to wait to see what happens."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has not yet read the police report but said he plans to.

"The most important think is me getting to know him more than the report," Girardi said. "I know it's very serious and we'll take it very serious. I want to get to know him before I really form an opinion of his character."

MLB is also investigating Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes.

Under the agreement last August between MLB and the players' association, discipline is not dependent on a criminal conviction.

Following the acquisition of Chapman from Cincinnati in December, Andrew Miller is moving from closer to a setup role alongside Dellin Betances.

"The fact that we have three arms the caliber of the three arms we have, it's awesome," Chapman said.

Chapman threw the 62 fastest pitches in the major leagues last season, ranging from 103.92 to 102.36 mph.

"The crowd at Yankee Stadium is going to wait instead of leaving early to beat traffic," Betances said. "They're going to stay and wait to see 102, 103, 104 and I think he's gotten it to 105 (mph). It's going to be very exciting."

Chapman is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday.

 

Hit 80 here this afternoon, unfortunately there have been 35 mph winds all day that are a pain in the ass.

 

Joe was a great baseball broadcaster for the Reds on 700am WLW. Listened to him as a kid growing up in Ohio.

 

i won't see 80 till late April.

15 yrs old? holy crap. he must've been a stud.

 

I think he got rocked. Came in the start of an inning and retired the first guy but never got out of the inning. He stayed in the minors for years after before coming back.

 

15 is really young. however the great bob feller was 17 for his debut and struck out 15 or 16 batters. amazing.

 

Ryan Webb and Rays agree to $1 million, 1-year contract

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) ? Reliever Ryan Webb agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract with Tampa Bay, a move the Rays hope bolsters their bullpen.

The 30-year-old right-hander was 1-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 50 2-3 innings over 40 games for the Cleveland Indians last season. He can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses based on games: $100,000 each for 30 and each additional 10 through 70.

Webb also has pitched for the San Diego Padres (2009-10), Florida and Miami Marlins (2011-13) and Baltimore Orioles (2014) in seven major league seasons. He is 17-18 with a 3.35 ERA in 357 appearances.

To open a roster spot Thursday, the Rays placed right-hander Chase Whitley on the 60-day disabled list. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery in May.'

 

Tony Phillips Passes Away At 56 Years Of Age

By Jeff Todd | February 19, 2016 at 1:00pm CST

Long-time big leaguer Tony Phillips has died in Arizona of an apparent heart attack, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Phillips was just 56 years old.

His former teammate and current Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart conveyed the news. He noted the sad fact that Phillips was preceded in death recently by two other prominent members of the A?s 1989 championship club ? Bob Welch and Dave Henderson.

Phillips was taken in the first round of the 1978 draft, cracked the majors in 1982 with the Athletics, and didn?t play his last MLB game until 1999 ? at forty years of age. It took a broken leg in his final season to stop him, Slusser notes. Indeed, he put up a sturdy .244/.362/.433 batting line with 15 home runs and 11 steals in 484 plate appearances that year.

As Slusser notes, Phillips battled through drug problems (and resulting legal troubles) late in his career. But he seemingly bounced back and remained active in the game, even suiting up for some independent league action in recent seasons.

All told, over parts of 18 seasons in the majors, Phillips entered the batter?s box 9,110 times and contributed a .266/.374/.389 slash, 160 home runs, and 177 stolen bases. He played all over the diamond, racking up significant innings at second, third, short, and all three outfield positions. The net output was worth fifty wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference, most of it coming with the A?s and Tigers. Phillips also spent time with the Angels, White Sox, Mets, and Blue Jays.

There has been an immediate outpouring of sympathy from around the game for the highly-respected Phillips. MLBTR joins in celebrating his legacy and offering its sympathy to his family, friends, and former teammates.

 

Sad news, he was a good Tiger.

 

[video]https://youtu.be/uPmg7a9iHRg[/video]

 

Minor agrees to $7.25 million, 2-year deal with Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Pitcher Mike Minor agreed Friday to a $7.25 million, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, a deal that could be worth $24.5 million over three seasons if he is a regular member of the rotation.

A 28-year-old left-hander who was sidelined for all of last season because of shoulder injury, Minor joins what is becoming a crowded competition for two spots in the Royals' starting rotation.

A former first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves, Minor will earn $2 million this year and $4 million in 2017. The deal includes a $10 million mutual option for 2018 with a $1.25 million buyout.

He could earn an additional $4 million in roster and performance bonuses this year, and $4.5 million in performance bonuses in 2017. He would get the full amount this year if he is on the active roster for 120 days, makes 20 starts and pitches 120 innings, and the entire amount next year if he makes 30 starts and pitches 200 innings.

Minor became a free agent in December when the Braves failed to offer a 2016 contract. He spent the first five seasons of his career with Atlanta, going 38-36 with a 4.10 ERA while averaging 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

 

man mike minor used to be a decent pitcher. injuries suck.

 

He still raking in the moola...

 

AP source: Gallardo, Orioles reach $35 million, 3-year deal

The Baltimore Orioles filled a big hole in their rotation, reaching agreement with free agent Yovani Gallardo on a three-year, $35 million contract Saturday.

The deal came on the second day of workouts for Baltimore pitchers and catchers at spring training in Sarasota, Florida.

Gallardo takes the spot that opened when Wei-Yin Chen became a free agent and signed with Miami.

Gallardo went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for Texas last season. The right-hander turns 30 later this month.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract hadn't been announced.

Other media outlets reported the agreement earlier in the day.

The Orioles will forfeit their first-round pick in the June draft, the 14th choice overall. Texas had made a qualifying offer of $15.8 million to Gallardo that he turned down.

Gallardo has pitched at least 180 innings in each of the last seven seasons. An All-Star in 2010 with Milwaukee, he is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA in his nine-year major league career.

Gallardo is the first major league free agent from another team that Baltimore has added since finishing 81-81 last season. The Orioles are also trying to sign outfielder Dexter Fowler, who played for the Chicago Cubs last year.