| | | | Monday, August 21, 2023 | | The story from this weekend was less about what happened on the diamond than what showed up on the diamond -- i.e., a bunch of prospects no one saw coming. | | We talked about Masyn Winn last week, the new Cardinals shortstop who remains the most attractive of these call-ups for our purposes. The Reds, meanwhile, couldn't resist crowding their infield further with Noelvi Marte, a 21-year-old whose performance at Triple-A wasn't really demanding a call-up. The Giants have decided to open the lid on Kyle Harrison, an electric left-hander with big strikeout potential but even bigger control issues. He'll debut Tuesday. The most surprising promotion news of all, though, was that of Nolan Schanuel, the No. 11 pick in last month's draft (yes, I said last month's, not last year's). The Angels immediately installed him as their first base and leadoff hitter Friday. | | We'll get into the ins and outs of each of these promotions when we talk waiver wire pickups in just a minute, but allow me first to touch on a few other events from the weekend. | | | | Lorenzen can't follow it up | | Michael Lorenzen followed up his no-hitter with an absolute dud Friday, allowing six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings at Washington. What back-to-back outings better sum up the state of pitching in 2023 than that? Eury Perez reintegrated his curveball into his arsenal Saturday and regained his dominant form at the Dodgers, striking out 10 on 22 whiffs in six innings. Mitch Keller, meanwhile, struck out 12 Saturday at the Twins -- a team that's vulnerable to strikeouts, but even so, he's getting back in our good graces. Not so for Hunter Greene, who made his long-awaited return from a hip injury Sunday and allowed eight earned runs in just three innings against the Blue Jays. | | Hitter updates | | On the hitter side, Gunnar Henderson garnered most of the headlines with what would have been a cycle if he had stopped at first base on his eighth-inning double, but Julio Rodriguez's weekend performance was perhaps even more impressive. His streak of four straight four-hit games (including one with five) was snapped Sunday, his batting average going from .256 to .278 in a five-day span. | | | | Who to scoop off the waiver wire | | Masyn Winn, SS, Cardinals | | Of all the prospect call-ups from the weekend, Winn feels the most "right." He took a conventional path to the majors, without cutting any stop short, and arrives at his absolute hottest, having homered 10 times in his final 28 games before getting the call. That power surge was basically the last piece of the puzzle, rounding out a skill set that already included a good contact rate, base-stealing ability and highlight-reel defense (mostly because of his arm). The Cardinals will be careful not to let him exceed 130 at-bats, wanting to preserve his rookie status for next year, but he should get the majority of the starts. | | Logan O'Hoppe, C, Cardinals | | O'Hoppe has gone 0 for 9 in two games since returning from a four-month absence for a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, bringing his season stat line down to size, but you should know he was batting .283 with an .886 OPS before then. That's because he was one of the only rookies to give us anything worthwhile in April, and seeing as it was at a weak position, his roster rate might not have dipped far below its 76 percent peak if we had any inkling he was returning. At the time, the injury was presumed to be a season-ender, but now that we know it's not, he has a chance to pick up where he left off. Again, the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder, meaning the one that doesn't supply his power. Meanwhile, he hit .375 (9 for 24) with three doubles on his rehab assignment. | | Noelvi Marte, SS, Reds | | It made sense for the Reds to bring Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand into a crowded situation, given their production at Triple-A, but Marte was merely holding his own there as a 21-year-old and, in fact, was batting just .204 (11 for 54) in 16 August games. He's been much buzzed-about from the time he was 17 years old, but his minor-league production would be better described as good than great. Meanwhile, the only way to get him in the lineup at third base is to confine De La Cruz to shortstop, Matt McLain to second and Spencer Steer to left field -- and that's without factoring in Jonathan India's and Jake Fraley's eventual return from the IL. It's never a bad idea to take a shot on upside, but between the developmental and playing time concerns, Marte is better left for leagues that roster more than 300 players. | | Kyle Harrison, P, Giants | | Harrison is coming up to make his major-league debut Tuesday, and no matter what rank list you're looking at, he's one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, having recorded 14.6 K/9 over three minor-league seasons. So why aren't I more enthusiastic about his arrival? Because his 6.4 BB/9 rate this year is simply untenable. Of course, he didn't issue a single walk and threw 73 percent of his pitches for strikes in his last two starts, spanning 7 1/3 innings. "The last couple of outings, I think he's [taken] some real steps forward," manager Gabe Kapler said. I'm never one to put much stock in a small sample, but in player development, sometimes that's all you get. The other concern is that Harrison has only once gone even five innings this year, so the Giants may use him more like a bulk reliever than a true starter, as is their way. Picking up Harrison is a gamble on upside, but it's indeed a gamble. | | | | News and Notes | | Mike Trout took swings in an indoor batting cage Saturday and is "very close to returning".Carlos Rodon will return Tuesday against the Nationals. That makes him a two-start pitcher: Nationals and Rays. Rodon has a 7.33 ERA, 1.52 WHIP in six starts this season.Nathan Eovaldi will throw to live hitters this week while the Rangers are in Arizona against the Dbacks. Emerson Hancock exited his start Sunday due to a right shoulder strain. Anthony Rizzo has been feeling better and showing improved reaction times. He hit in the batting cage Friday. He's been out since August 3 with post-concussion syndrome. He hopes to be back within a few weeks.Jose Abreu has yet to resume swinging a bat. He's been out since August 10 due to lower-back inflammation.Sal Frelick tweaked his hamstring Saturday and was out of the lineup Sunday. The Brewers only have five games this week. Kyle Manzardo began a rehab assignment Friday. He's been out for six weeks due to a shoulder injury. It wouldn't surprise me if we see Manzardo with the Guardians at some point over the final month. | | | | | | | | Attacking Third | | Fantasy Football Today Dynasty | Attacking Third, the leading women's soccer podcast and social brand, is now a live studio show on CBS Sports Golazo Network! Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 4 PM ET, Attacking Third brings fans unparalleled coverage of all the top domestic and international women's soccer competitions. 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