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The last twenty comments in true blog fasion, with the links to their authors and the player commented upon.
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It has been explained to me, although I don't buy it, that the Orioles won't release him b/c if they do they are on the hook for the entire salary, but if the season is shortened, he receives only his prorated salary. It makes little sense, because there's no indication that there will be a shortened season. Last year was merely lucky for the Orioles that they didn't have to pay him the full amount. Much of his contract is deferred. The O's will be paying him well into the 2030s.
Avoided arbitration on deadline day. One year, $2.05 million.
From the Rotoman Special:
He was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the start of the season and wasn't activated until August 21st. It was rough going for the free-swinging contact-impaired power hitter. The eager swing and miss showed up, the power did not, both his exit velocity and his launch angle were down...
Avoided arbitration on the day of the deadline. One year, $1.65 million.
From the Rotoman Special:
Playing in a division of pitchers who had surprisingly good years during pandemic, Boyd stumbled but didn't quite fall. Not all the way, anyway. The big change was one-third fewer sliders, his most effective pitch in 2018 and 2019, and a lot more changeups...
Here's a link to the full table. I filtered on 200 at bats or more.
Reached base once in 22 PA facing that Central pitching.
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Brittany Ghiroli and Melissa Lockaard ask and then answer in The Athletic today:
Which organizations fared best on Day 1 of MLB's international signing period?
Delayed by the pandemic from its normal July 2 start date, the 2020-21 international signing period officially opened on Friday with a flurry of signings across the league. It will be years before the full impact of these signings is known, of course, but there was still plenty of excitement as teams officially welcomed players they’ve scouted for years into their organizations.
“This is an exciting day for not only us but hundreds of kids from around the world. It’s a culmination of many years of hard work on the players’ parts,” A’s assistant general manager Dan Feinstein said on Friday.
Signings will continue to occur over the next 11 months, but many of the players ranked by MLBPipeline as the top prospects in this international class signed on Friday. Below is a look at some of the organizations that came away with the most notable classes on the first day of the signing period:
Houston Astros
The Astros lost their 2020 and 2021 first- and second-round draft picks as punishment for their sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season, so bringing in premium talent from the international market is even more key for them this year than in normal years. The Astros did just that, handing out what is believed to be the largest bonus in this year’s class ($4 million) to outfielder Pedro Leon of Cuba.
Ranked as the No. 7 International prospect by MLBPipeline, Leon is 22 and already has professional experience in the Serie Nacional in Cuba. In his final season in Cuba, he hit .371 with 15 home runs in 33 games. He is a potential five-tool center fielder who could be the first from this class to reach the big leagues.
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay landed the top Venezuelan prospect — and arguably the best available player internationally — in shortstop Carlos Colmenarez. Colmenarez, a left-handed hitter with a rare mix of power and contact, signed for $3 million and was ranked among the top handful of international prospects. An early emergence on the national scene, Colmenarez trains in the Dominican Republic and joins a Tampa Bay system that was already ranked No. 1, with shortstop Wander Franco widely hailed as the top prospect in all of MLB.
The Rays also signed MLBPipeline’s No. 17 prospect, OF Jhonny Piron, who hails from the Dominican Republic. Piron is a plus runner with power potential as he fills out his 6-1 frame.
Chicago White Sox
Extra innings
• The Nationals signed 16-year-old shortstop Armando Cruz for $3.9 million. The infielder from the Dominican Republic is considered one of the best defenders of the group and was ranked by MLBPipeline as the fifth-best overall player. Washington, which has inked impressive talents such as Juan Soto, Luis García and Víctor Robles under a revamped program headed by Johnny DiPuglia, signed 11 players Friday.
Five more extra innings before the grand finale...
• The No. 2 prospect in the pool, according to MLBPipeline, is LHP/OF Oscar Colás, who remains unsigned. Colás, 22, had been playing in the minor leagues for the NPB’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks but was recently declared a free agent. It isn’t clear whether Colás — who has been nicknamed the Cuban Ohtani — intends to sign during this signing period, which runs until Dec. 15, or wait until the next signing period, when more money might be available.
Most, if not all, of the players just named will have pages here next year.