Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong will make his debut for the arm-hungry Giants today against the Cubs. He’s been in good form since being selected in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, relying on a fastball to accommodate strikeouts: 75 K’s in 57.1 innings across two levels this year. At 6’4” 215 lbs with that heater who plays well in the zone, he fits the archetype of our times. He may not focus on the depth of his first start, but he will try to hit everything with high heat and cover breaking balls as long as they are available.
From one happy word to another, we have to draw some space Red Sox BY Jhostynxon Garcia (21, A+), hit a home run in Greenville, but hit four homers on the road and three homers during his 20 games in High-A. A right-handed slugger at 6’0” 163 lbs, Garcia made it to Low-A after posting a 154 wRC+ in 24 Low-A games and could get a quick bump to Double-A if he continues to make some cuts around .312 /.384/.636 posting so far. Right-handed pitcher at 6’0” 163 lbs, Garcia. Spell check wants me to change his name to Jhostyn Xon. Which is fine, but that doesn’t change any characters? He appeared on a Razzball interview a while back because his baseball nickname is “Password.” Just fun stuff all around. But don’t make this guy your password if you intend to log in again.
Cardinals LHP Quinn Mathews (23, AA) is scheduled to make his Double-A debut this week, graduating from High-A after seven starts over 43.2 innings. He is on his third streak of the season. A fourth-round pick out of Stanford last year, his command has been consistent all year thanks to an excellent balance between delivery and repetition. At 6’5” 188 lbs, Mathews includes a changeup around a well-rounded arsenal (fastball, curveball, slider) that works well together thanks to the command and confidence to throw any pitch in any count.
13th round pick at San Jose State in 2023, Charles McAdoo’s Pirates (22, AA) is tearing through the minors and already has two home runs in three Double-A games. He posted a 151 wRC+ in Low-A last year and a 167 wRC+ in High-A this year, where he stole 14 bases and scored nine runs in 60 games. A solid right-handed hitter at 6’1” 210 lbs, McAdoo used the muscle like a pro, shortening up to slow down batters while generating all-field power.
Sailors of Lazaro Montes (19) and SS Michael Arroyo (19) both received well-earned promotions to High-A this week. Arroyo may be on the verge of an echo-chamber escalator if power moves to a new level.
Red Sox SS Yoelin Cespedes (18, A) was promoted to Low-A this week, where he’ll get a chance to settle in just before the wave of newly drafted college arms hits that level. In 25 games at the stadium, Cespedes slashed .319/.400/.615 with five home runs and three steals and an 18.1% strikeout rate. Looks like he’s going to fight for it. Craig Breslow is having an excellent first season as the club’s Chief Baseball Officer.
I decided, Mick! (Guys I’ve dropped in dynasty leagues)!
Marlins 2B Vidal Brujan: I have reached zero shares anywhere. Thanks, I hate it, but the guy hasn’t hit or stolen a base this year after a solid first few weeks with the gig.
While the Sox BY Corey Julks: My Highlander team is probably out of the hunt, and I don’t see a bright future for Julks, so I had to let him go.
Orioles LHP John Kusho: The Highlander settings demand this in my eyes. Just five IL slots. I’m going to have to catch him in the goaltending groups where he’s going to be so low on the list and it’s going to be a problem to get him on the list in 2025. I gave him the old college try, but I felt silly even giving him close to nothing. A good sign that it’s time to go.
Athletics by Miguel Andujar: It’s a strange situation here where I keep getting squeezed in a league where all my players are injured. I paid Andujar $31 for $1000, cut him a few days later, bought him back for $13, then traded him for $31 and Korey Lee to pay Elias Diaz. Who says baseball doesn’t have love? I like what Andujar is doing, but he’s a rare piece, and I have a bit of a cushion against hitting average.
Athletics RHP Lucas Erceg: The same league as the roster crunch. I had to leave Tobias Myers to my kids to start against San Diego because that Andujar trade wasn’t processed in time. That pissed me off, so I went for a cut and decided the A’s weren’t going to trade Mason Miller this year, even if cutting Erceg didn’t help us at all. We have eight IL locations in that league. I have nine injured pitchers and Ronald Acuña Jr. Cool cool fun times. I might have to cut Alek Manoah if I can’t sell him for dimes. Maybe even Justin Verlander, whose IL is pronounced “cooked?”
Cubs RHP Javier Assad: I hated this. Same league, apparently. I would have been able to trade him, but he has been bad for a long time, and I came out of the first place in this league, I felt the push to start a move.
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