Snake Bytes 3/20: Making Moves

Mar 20, 2023 - 2:00 PM

Diamondbacks News:

[SI] Tommy Henry makes case for final rotation spot

Left-hander Tommy Henry had an opportunity to put himself ahead in the battle for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation today. Facing a split-squad Royals lineup of exclusively right-handed hitters, Henry pitched 4.2 scoreless innings on two hits, three walks, and three strikeouts in a 13-2 win.

[AZS] D-backs reassign Brandon Pfaadt, send Seth Beer to triple-a

The Arizona Diamondbacks made 11 roster moves on Sunday that cut their spring training roster down to 40, including sending infielders Seth Beer and Diego Castillo to Triple-A Reno.

Nine more players were reassigned to minor league camp: left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle, right-handed pitcher Jandel Gustave, infielder Buddy Kennedy, right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister, catcher Dominic Miroglio, infielder Yairo Munoz, right-handed pitcher Brandon Pfaadt, catcher Ali Sanchez and right-handed pitcher Mitchell Stumpo.

[SI] Which D-backs non roster invitees are excelling in spring?

Nobody on the team has more hits or a higher OPS than Kennedy, NRI or otherwise. Kennedy has taken advantage of the absence of Ketel Marte due to the latter’s participation in the WBC, as well as down time for Josh Rojas and Geraldo Perdomo.

[AZS] Lovullo gives example of how the D-backs monitor players in the WBC

“We saw that Ketel (Marte) had played center field and (Dominican Republic general manager) Nelson Cruz and (manager) Rodney Linares graciously accepted the phone call,” Lovullo said. “I explained to them that it wasn’t what we wanted Ketel to do. He hadn’t played the outfield in over a year, we hadn’t trained him or grilled him in that position.

[SI] D-backs take fastest player in draft in Baseball America mock

Baseball America published their first mock draft of the 2023 MLB Draft cycle, with Carlos Collazo collaborating with a high-ranking amateur scout in a big league organization. In this mock draft, the scout picks Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. for Arizona with the 12th overall selection.

[MLBR] Corbin Martin to miss ‘months’ due to lat tendon tear

Even if Martin is able to avoid a surgery, the lat tear represents another tough setback for the 27-year-old. Martin missed most of the 2019 season and all of the 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and an oblique strain prevented him from even a cameo appearance near the end of the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Martin has hit the injured list in each of the last two seasons while also being shuttled back and forth between Arizona’s roster and Triple-A Reno.

Baseball News:

[ESPN] MLB to intensify search for illegal substances, sources say

According to the memo, umpires can focus on “suspicious behavior by players that suggests the potential use of foreign substances.”

“For example, if an umpire observes a pitcher attempting to wipe off his hands prior to an inspection the player may be subject to immediate ejection for violating the rules by attempting to conceal a foreign substance,” the memo states. “In addition, catchers will be subject to routine inspections, including checks on their equipment.”

[MLBTR] Jose Altuve to undergo surgery on fractured thumb

The news obviously comes as a big blow to the defending World Series champions, as Altuve has been a cornerstone of the team for years. Not only has he been reliable in his excellent performance, but he’s also never really dealt with a significant injury until now.

[BR] The 2023 best-case scenarios for every MLB team

We’ve spotlighted both a player-specific and a team-oriented scenario for each team. The former concerns potential breakouts, rebounds and trades. The latter concerns optimistic, yet generally realistic outcomes. Not everyone can win the World Series, after all.