By now most of you have heard about the fat guy that came along this week, so we’ll focus on the pitcher and two third basemen named in Baseball America’s latest transaction post.
The pitcher is LHP Richard Bleier, a 6th Rd. pick in the 2008 Draft for Texas who has since moved on to the Toronto organization. He spent the majority of 2014 with AA New Hampshire, throwing 84⅔ innings over 34 appearances for a 6-5 record with one save with a pitcher’s line of 3.93/4.83/1.31. Though the 27-y.o. mostly worked in long relief, LHBs managed just a .620 OPS (.841 vs. RHBs) against him.
One of these offseasons we’ll go without a former Arizona player being signed. This is not one of them. Local product Jacob Mayers is the first of two third basemen signed. Mayers was drafted in the 19th Rd. in 2013 out of the Univ. of Richmond and spent two short seasons in Diamondback organization before being released. The 24-y.o. posted a line of .296/.362/.376 in the SS-A Northwest League in 2014.
The second third basemen is Ian Stewart, a 1st Rd. pick in 2003 for Colorado who has struggled to recreate the .785 and .781 OPS marks he put up in 2009 and 2010 during his age 24 and 25 seasons. After a wrist injury ended his 2012 campaign at just 55 games with only five HRs and 17 RBIs, he’s been on the interstate, batting .171 for the Cubs and Dodgers AAA teams in 2013, and .176 for the Angels in April and May and .198 for their AAA affiliate in Salt Lake City the rest of the 2014 season.
Bleier and Mayer will be competing for playing time at Low-A and AA respectively, while Stewart appears to be a let’s-see-what-he’s-got gamble as his deal reportedly includes an non-roster invite to Spring Training.