American League notes
Baltimore: Pirates starter Paul Skenes retired the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday on a grounder to second base last week in a spring training matchup of the top overall picks in the last two amateur drafts. Skenes, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, was the first pick last year after going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts while leading LSU to the NCAA title. He agreed to a $9.2 million signing bonus and pitched in five games with Low-A Bradenton (Florida) and Class AA Altoona (Pennsylvania). Holliday, the first pick in the 2022 draft, is regarded as baseball’s top prospect. The 20-year-old, a son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, agreed to an $8.19 million signing bonus. He batted .323 with a .442 onbase percentage, 12 homers, 74 RBI and 24 steals in 125 games for four minor league teams last season. Holliday went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI in the Orioles’ 9-8 victory. He was hitting .235 over 17 at-bats this spring . ... Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, had pitched just 2⁄3 innings this spring at press time but had surrendered four hits, including a home run, and three earned runs, good for a 10.13 ERA. Burnes doesn’t seem to have lost his strikeout material, as he has recorded five strikeouts thus far.
Boston: The wife of former Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield died on Feb. 28, the team announced in a statement on behalf of the Wakefield family. Stacy Wakefield died of pancreatic cancer at her home in Massachusetts, less than five months after her husband passed away from brain cancer. Tim Wakefield was 57. “The loss is unimaginable, especially in the wake of losing Tim just under five months ago. Our hearts are beyond broken. We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come,” the family said in a statement. “We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life. We would like to thank all of Stacy’s doctors, nurses and caretakers who helped her from diagnosis to today.” Wakefield is survived by children Trevor and Brianna.
Chicago: Catcher Martin Maldonado, 37, made a display of leadership when he stood up and apologized to his team for not running hard on a slow dribbler near the mound. “It’s important just to make sure that we’re on the same page as a team,” Maldonado told reporters. “We have some goals to accomplish. I didn’t come out of the box the way I should have come out of the box. I want to lead by example.”
Cleveland: The shortstop position represents the most open spot on the Guardians roster entering spring training. It’s likely that Brayan Rocchio, ranked as the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, will see significant playing time at short with the Guardians in 2024. It’s also entirely possible he commands the job from Day 1. Rocchio is a true switch-hitter who has become one of the more difficult outs in minor league baseball, and his defense has taken steps in the right direction. Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman are both battling for the job as well, though Freeman will also see time in the outfield to create some defensive versatility. Rocchio has worked with Guardians hitting coaches on his “attack posture” (in which he isn’t getting so downhill during his swing, which in turn has exposed him to pitches in the top of the zone) and turning more efficiently. “I think those two things are helping his decision-making,” said Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika. “I think him going to winter ball and getting reps and getting to play [has led him to feeling] more confident. … He’s not the wideeyed young kid in camp anymore, that he feels like has a spot on this team and he can help us.”
Detroit: Right-hander Jack Flaherty completed his second start of spring training March 3, throwing 21 pitches, 13 for strikes. He maintained his 95 mph four-seam fastball velocity across two innings. More important, he executed his fastball, which generated two of his four whiffs and all three of his called strikes. “I haven’t really tried to pay attention to the velocity,” Flaherty said. “I’m really going off reactions (from hitters), and they came out swinging, so I was able to throw a couple by guys. The shapes are playing. It’s just about execution.” Flaherty, 28, signed with the Tigers on a one-year, $14 million contract this offseason. The seven-year MLB veteran posted a 4.99 ERA last season with 66 walks and 148 strikeouts over 1441⁄3 innings in 29 games (27 starts) with the Cardinals and Orioles. He had his best season in 2019, posting a 2.75 ERA with 55 walks and 231 strikeouts over 1961⁄3 innings in 33 starts. His fastball and slider were elite pitches. That year, he finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting and 13th in NL MVP voting. Since then, Flaherty has failed to display above-average underlying metrics. He suffered shoulder injuries in 2021 and 2022. “The ups (innings) are more important
than the volume,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The volume will be the middle part of spring, where we will build both, but we are methodically going through the ups, which has been something we’ve worked together with him to focus on.”
Houston: Ace Justin Verlander, 41, said he was “a little bit behind schedule” due to offseason shoulder inflammation when he arrived at spring training last month. Verlander threw a 60-pitch bullpen session March 3 that left the team optimistic he will be ready for opening day, according to MLB.com. “I saw an upbeat J.V., super positive, really liked the way he felt,” manager Joe Espada said. “Even from pitch No. 1 to pitch 60, he felt really good.”
Kansas City: MJ Melendez debuted as a highly touted catching prospect in 2022. He caught almost exclusively in the minor leagues but has slowly transitioned to an outfielder at the big-league level. Last season, he caught only 10 games while playing 126 in the outfield. Salvador Perez remains the regular catcher. Melendez has proved his bat (.710 OPS) can keep him in the lineup and he projects as the starting left fielder in 2024. Melendez shifted to a full-time outfield role this offseason, working on drills to improve his first step and route to the baseball, according to the Kansas City Star. “He’s motivated to be good,”
manager Matt Quatraro told the Star. “We know he hasn’t had a lot of reps out there. So it’s important for him to continue to work, and he knows that as well. He’s a good athlete and he is working on his running form, his speed, and all those things are going to benefit him.”
Los Angeles: MLB team executives widely believe that two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell will ultimately sign with the Angels or possibly the San Francisco Giants, while Texas Rangers’ postseason hero Jordan Montgomery will wind up with the Red Sox.
Minnesota: It didn’t take long for Royce Lewis to remember what it feels like to hit a grand slam. He did it four times last year. And in his first opportunity with the bases loaded in spring training, he did it again. The young Minnesota Twins slugger went deep in the third inning of a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Lewis’ homer came off minor leaguer Jordan DiValerio on a 3-0 pitch that he decided not to let go by. “I think these guys are just like, ‘What the heck, man, I don’t know what’s going on,’ ” Lewis told reporters in Fort Myers, Florida. “I said the same thing. I really don’t (know). I just enjoy it. Take advantage of the opportunities when they come because they’ll go away soon. You just take advantage while you get them.” Lewis has five grand slams in the first 66 games of his major league career . ...