If I'd have written this column a week ago as intended, Aquino's name
wouldn't have been on it. The 25-year-old was called up in the wake of
the deadline to ostensibly take the place of the departed
Yasiel Puig,
but few expected that he'd make most of Cincinnati forget Puig's name
in a week's time. Aquino has set the world on fire since his promotion,
batting an absurd .464/.500/1.250 with seven homers in his first nine
games in the majors. That included
a three-homer game
on Saturday, making him the first player in MLB history to have a
three-homer game within the first 10 games of his major league career.
The game also marked the fourth straight in which he's homered, another
impressive feat. Aquino was a non-prospect entering the year -- to the
extent that he was actually removed from the team's 40-man roster last
November and was re-signed as a minor league free agent the next day --
but he
made a big change to his stance,
going from a closed to an extremely open one, so these gains are
granted some legitimacy. He's struck out in 30 percent of his plate
appearances thus far and was striking out more than one-fourth of the
time in the minors against lesser competition, so there are holes to be
exploited. The regression will come and he isn't a great bet to hit for
even a usable average, but the power seems to be real. If nothing else,
he's a wave to be ridden while he's going like this.
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| Tony Bass |
When the Mariners traded both
Hunter Strickland and
Roenis Elias
in the same deal with the Nationals, it signaled a change -- mostly
because both of the guys most likely to get saves were now gone in one
fell swoop. Enter Bass, who has gone from unwanted around baseball to
the guy likely to close games for the M's for the next two months. Bass
had to settle for a minor league contract this winter and toiled at the
Reds' Triple-A affiliate for nearly two months before the Mariners
expressed interest in late May. Through 18 appearances he held a 4.43
ERA and 1.21 WHIP, but since then he's posted a 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and
10/3 K/BB ratio over nine appearances. His only blemish was his last
time out, a Friday appearance in which he walked three and clearly
didn't have it. By Statcast metrics, the 31-year-old has been one of the
biggest risers in that span, too, seeing his xwOBA drop more than 200
points in his last 50 plate appearances, from .437 to .234. His success
seems to be the result of throwing his hard sinker more frequently, as
the rate has risen to a career-high 44.1 percent this year. Sinkers
don't correlate positively with strikeouts, and the right-hander is
accordingly fanning only 19.8 percent of batters faced, but he walks
virtually no one and when the bowling ball is rolling he's hard to hit.
It's not a sexy option, but it could be an effective one to amass saves
down the stretch.
The trade of
Jesus Aguilar opened up a spot for Grisham in a roundabout way, sliding
Eric Thames
to first base in a more long-term role and allowing the Brewers to
promote the 2015 first-round pick. Grisham was hitting .300/.407/.603
with 26 homers and 12 steals between Double-A and Triple-A before the
call-up, and the big story has been the power outburst. The 22-year-old
hit 19 homers through parts of his first four seasons in the minors
before jumping up to bash 26 in 97 games this season. He's carried over
the strong production since he was promoted, batting .333/.355/.519 with
a pair of three-hit games and one homer in eight contests. He's played
in all three outfield spots with the Brewers, appearing primarily in
left field to both spell
Ryan Braun and allow Braun to slide to right field with the ailing
Christian Yelich
sidelined. What's more notable is that manager Craig Counsell has not
hesitated to put the rookie atop the stacked lineup when a right-hander
is on the mound, batting leadoff in every game when a righty has been on
the bump since he debuted in the nine spot on August 1. On-base skills
and a propensity to crush righties are good qualities at the top of a
lineup as stout as the Brewers', even sans Yelich for the time being,
and as long as Grisham is doing his job it seems to be his role to lose.
When Yelich does return there could be a bit of a numbers crunch in the
outfield with Braun and
Lorenzo Cain
also in tow, but the trio of veterans should get enough days off down
the stretch to make Grisham a very strong play in daily moves leagues
and even in weekly leagues when the schedule is favorable.
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| Travis traded to the Tigers |
This is cheating, since Demeritte
was actually traded on deadline day in the deal that sent
Shane Greene to the Braves. But since he wasn't traded
for the guy who he's replacing in the lineup -- the trade of
Nicholas Castellanos
to the Cubs opened the door for Demeritte's promotion -- I'll allow it.
The former first-round pick of the Rangers in 2013 has had a long,
winding road to the majors, complete with another prior trade that sent
him to the Braves in 2016 and then a few lean years in the Braves system
that dropped him off the prospect radar. The 24-year-old re-established
himself this season, though, batting .286/.387/.558 with 20 homers and
four steals at Triple-A Gwinnett. He's had a relatively unassuming start
to his major league career, batting .235/.357/.471 in 10 games, but
he's got a homer and two steals in those 10 games. His sprint speed, per
Statcast, ranks in the 80th percentile among major leaguers, and so
it's not implausible he continues to run and steal bases at a decent
clip -- especially considering the Tigers have no incentives to hold him
back -- even though he was never a prolific base-stealer in the minors.
It's his pop that will carry him, though, and he's also shown the
willingness to take a walk when it's offered. His ceiling is limited,
but with a long leash and power that plays at the highest level
Demeritte is at least worth a look in AL-only leagues.
The Indians likely felt comfortable trading
Trevor Bauer because they knew they had Civale and
Danny Salazar waiting in the wings, and
Corey Kluber
on the comeback trail. Well, Kluber is still working his way back and
Salazar is back on the injured list after one outing with a right groin
strain, leaving Civale as the de facto winner of the Bauer deal. He's
certainly earned it after going 7-1 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 70/15
K/BB ratio across 72 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. The
24-year-old has been even better in a pair of major league starts,
allowing a lone run with 13 strikeouts over 12 innings, first against
the Tigers in June and more recently against the Rangers this week. His
best pitch is a cutter that he can run in on lefties and cut away from
righties, and he also utilizes a sinker and a changeup. His calling card
is command, though, and his ability to spot pitches will likely
ultimately decide his fate in the majors. All his starts won't come
against favorable competition -- a Sunday start against the Twins will
offer a tougher challenge -- but with a strong offense at his back and a
stout bullpen to provide relief, Civale could be a six-inning,
three-run quality start-type pitcher as the Indians vie for a spot in
October.
 |
| Jays caught their Big Fish |
Like Demeritte, this one is also a bit of a cheat, and for more
reasons than one. First, Fisher was also traded on deadline day. Second,
the Jays didn't really make a corresponding trade that paved the way
for Fisher's promotion. Third, he was actually mentioned in passing in
my column last week when talking about
Aaron Sanchez.
Fisher was the Jays' return for Sanchez, and there was a time, like in
2015 when he hit 22 homers and stole 31 bases, that the return would
have been an exciting one for the Jays and their fans. In 2019 the
return is less exciting -- he's really struggled in a few major league
cameos, and has also had issues staying healthy in recent years -- but
still one that has a very high ceiling if he can stay on the field and
tap into some of the sky-high potential he's always had. In 60 games at
Triple-A before the trade Fisher was hitting .286/.401/.522 with 14
homers and eight steals, and he's hit a pair of homers in nine games
since the trade and promotion. The 25-year-old has long been viewed as a
toolbox and should be given every opportunity to unlock all those tools
with the rebuilding Jays. A lineup so young but so full of promise --
playing everyday alongside
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,
Bo Bichette,
Cavan Biggio
and the rest -- could be a good thing for all parties involved,
including Fisher. If he's able to gain some traction in his latest stint
in the majors and can put to use both his pop and speed, he's a guy who
could find his way to double-digit homers and steals over the season's
final two months alone. That's a big "if," but if we're throwing darts
here, Fisher is as good a target as any.
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