26-year-old Oakland 3B Jonah Bride isn’t married to any one position. He’s even messed around at catcher the last couple seasons. Impressive that despite his wandering ways he’s posted plus offensive seasons at every extended stop (wRC+ scores of 122, 130, 149, and the 175 in 12 games at AAA this season). He played third base in his debut and isn’t going to unseat Sean Murphy anytime soon, but he could hang onto a roster spot as Billy Beane and the Athletics try to cobble together a baseball team, shouting “It’s Alive!” into an echoing, empty ballpark.
Reds SS Carlos Jorge (18, CPX) couldn’t be stopped in the DSL last season (.346/.436/.579), and he’s back at it in complex league games, blasting two home runs with three stolen bases in six games, slashing .391/.481/.826 with four walks and seven strikeouts. Cat might be out of the bag already in your leagues, but he’s worth a roster spot where you can fit him. Won’t be on the complex for long with outcomes like these.
Mets OF Alex Ramirez (19, A) was mentioned in the comments of my article: New Top 75 for June 2022, as Razzball reader Kaptan was rightly anticipating Ramirez’s inclusion in the Top 100. Here’s what I said then:
“Ramirez is on the list of guys in play. He hasn’t homered since May 10th, is the only fly in the ointment and will be the main question as I toggle the names this week. I think that early jump was because the power was here already, and now maybe looks like it’s not. Slashing .237/.290/.289 in 24 games since May 11th.”
Well, Ramirez might be a Razzball reader himself because he responded immediately, homering twice on Tuesday night, bringing his season-long line to .316/.364/.493 with five home runs and nine stolen bases in 50 games. He also cut his strikeout rate from 31.1 percent last year to 21.1 percent this season.
Yankees OF Everson Pereira (21, A+) has struggled to recapture the magic of his 2021 outburst, but like Ramirez, he homered twice on Tuesday. He flashed incredible upside last season, specifically in the form of an otherworldly hotstreak. Might be a good time to see if he’s available in your league.
Dodgers SS Jacob Amaya (23) earned a promotion to AAA this week despite a tough slump at the AA level, where he slashed .136/.250/.152 over his final 17 games. Strikeout (15.8%) and walk (13.2%) rates were still plus over that stretch, so it’s kind of fun to see him get promoted due to process rather than results. I like it.
I’m making room for White Sox RHP Norge Vera (22, A) wherever I can. He made his stateside debut on June 9 with 2.2 scoreless innings and has a long way to go but was a young professional (18 years old pitching in CNS) and has long wowed scouts with his athleticism and stuff. Could be a fast mover.
With Walker Buehler shut down for six-to-eight weeks due to a flexor strain, the Dodgers are going to need some extra pitching. Losing an ace-caliber pitcher is a devastating blow to any organization, but Los Angeles is well positioned to cushion the blow, and RHP Mitch White looks like the first man up. I think he can hold the job, given his experience (he’s 27) and ability to locate three major league quality offerings (fastball, curveball, slider) at three difference velocity bands (94,85,80), but if they need more help, we could see Ryan Pepiot deployed in something of a bulk-follower role. The Dodgers don’t do that a whole lot, but that’s partly because they’ve always been deep in starters. They still are, and Andrew Heaney could be back soon to make them deeper. If they could carry a Heaney/Pepiot piggyback, it might help with Heaney’s health issues and Pepiot’s command issues, or at least create a bullpen-cushioning error bar if something goes awry. If this isn’t enough, they have Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, and Landon Knack looking like possibilities. Andre Jackson has walked 33 batters in 34.2 innings at AAA, so he’s probably not an option.
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