Tag Archives: American League

Andrés Giménez Could Repeat as a Gold Glove Award Winner This Year

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Andrés Giménez could soon have a set of gold gloves…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Cleveland Guardians, a Gold Glove winner last year, is among the finalists contending for the award this year.

Gimenez is among the three American League finalists in the second base position. He’ll face off against Houston Astros’ Mauricio Dubón and Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien. Dubon is also a finalist in the AL’s utility category.

Puerto Rican professional baseball player of the Toronto Blue Jays José Berríos (29) and Venezuelan professional baseball player Pablo López (27) are finalists in the American League’s pitcher race, along with the Minnesota Twins’ Sonny Gray.

Other Latino finalists include Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa (AL, shortstop), Cleveland’s José Ramírez (AL, third base), Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez (AL, centerfield), Texas Rangers’ Adolis García (AL, right field), Miami Marlins’ Jesús Luzardo (NL, pitcher), Arizona Diamondbacks’

Gabriel Moreno (NL, catcher), Milwaukee Brewers’ Carlos Santana (NL, first base), New York’s Francisco Lindor (NL, shortstop), Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar (NL, shortstop), Los Angeles’ David Peralta (NL, left field), Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Rosario (NL, left field) and San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. (NL, right field).

Voting is conducted among managers and up to six coaches from each team, who can’t select players on their own club. Since 2013, voting has been factored with a Society for American Baseball Research defensive index, which comprises about 25% of the total.

The utility category is based on a SABR formula and additional defensive statistics.

Gold Glove winners will be announced on November 5.

Here’s a look at all the finalists:

American League finalists:

Pitcher: José Berríos (Toronto), Sonny Gray (Minnesota), Pablo López (Minnesota)

Catcher: Jonah Heim (Texas), Alejandro Kirk (Toronto), Adley Rutschman (Baltimore)

First base: Nathaniel Lowe (Texas), Ryan Mountcastle (Baltimore), Anthony Rizzo (New York)

Second base: Mauricio Dubón (Houston), Andrés Giménez (Cleveland), Marcus Semien (Texas)

Shortstop: Carlos Correa (Minnesota), Corey Seager (Texas), Anthony Volpe (New York)

Third base: Alex Bregman (Houston), Matt Chapman (Toronto), José Ramírez (Cleveland)

Left field: Austin Hays (Baltimore), Steven Kwan (Cleveland), Daulton Varsho (Toronto)

Center field: Kevin Kiermaier (Toronto), Luis Robert Jr. (Chicago), Julio Rodríguez (Seattle)

Right field: Adolis García (Texas), Kyle Tucker (Houston), Alex Verdugo (Boston)

Utility: Mauricio Dubón (Houston), Zach McKinstry (Detroit), Taylor Walls (Tampa Bay)

 

National League finalists:

Pitcher: Jesús Luzardo (Miami), Taijuan Walker (Philadelphia), Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia)

Catcher: Patrick Bailey (San Francisco), Gabriel Moreno (Arizona), J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia)

First base: Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles), Carlos Santana (Milwaukee), Christian Walker (Arizona)

Second base: Nico Hoerner (Chicago), Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego), Bryson Stott (Philadelphia)

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (New York), Dansby Swanson (Chicago), Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado)

Third base: Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pittsburgh), Ryan McMahon (Colorado), Austin Riley (Atlanta)
Left field: Ian Happ (Chicago), David Peralta (Los Angeles), Eddie Rosario (Atlanta)
Center field: Brenton Doyle (Colorado), Michael Harris II (Atlanta), Alek Thomas (Arizona)
Right field: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego), Lane Thomas (Washington)
Utility: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Tommy Edman (St. Louis), Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego)

Framber Valdez to Start Game 2 of Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins’ American League Division Series (ALDS)

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Framber Valdez is reporting for duty…

The 29-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, nicknamed “La Grasa,” will start Game 2 of the Houston Astros’ American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Framber ValdezManager Dusty Baker made the announcement late last week. 

Valdez was 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA in 31 starts this season. He threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians in August.

Valdez enjoyed a banner year in 2022, when he became the Astros’ Opening Day starter, an MLB All-Star, and an All-MLB First Team selection—each for the first time. And he compiled an MLB record of 25 consecutive in-season quality starts.

The Astros won that year’s World Series, the first championship for Valdez, who pitched six innings in the decisive Game 6 after having won Game 2.

Juan González Honored with Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Jacket in Pregame Ceremony

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Juan González has entered a special Hall…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican former baseball player, a two-time American League MVP received his Texas Rangers Hall of Fame jacket in a pregame ceremony on Friday night, eight years after his induction and 20 years after his last game for the team.

Juan González, One of baseball’s best sluggers in the 1990s, González is still the Rangers’ career leader with 372 home runs, 1,180 RBIs and 713 extra-base hits. He played for the Rangers from 1989 to 1999, during a stretch when they won their first three AL West titles, and the outfielder-designated hitter returned to the club from 2002 to 2003.

González threw a ceremonial first pitch in what was believed to be his first public appearance at a Rangers game since 2004, when he was playing for the Kansas City Royals.

During his first MVP season in 1996, when the Rangers won their first division title, González hit .314 with 47 home runs and 144 RBIs. He was the MVP again in 1998, when he batted .318 with 45 home runs and 157 RBIs in the club’s second playoff season.

Overall, Gonzalez hit .295 with 457 home runs and 1,273 RBIs in 1,689 career games that spanned from his debut at age 19 with the Rangers over the final month of the 1989 season to one game for Cleveland in 2005. He played for Detroit in 2000 after being traded in a nine-player deal then went to Cleveland in free agency in 2001, when he had 140 RBIs in 140 games before re-signing with Texas.

He is now a coach for the national team back home and was an assistant hitting coach for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Adolis Garcia Joins American League MLB All-Star Game Lineup as Injury Replacement

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Adolis Garcia is headed to the MLB All-Star Game…

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player and Texas Rangers outfielder has joined the American League lineup as an injury replacement.

Adolis Garcia Garcia was named to the AL team along with Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Carlos Estevez.

They take over for New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

With Garcia’s selection, Texas will become the first team in 47 years to have five position players start in the All-Star Game.

On the NL side, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was named as an injury replacement for Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Estevez and Perdomo are first-time All-Stars.

Garcia joins Rangers catcher Jonah Heim, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and third baseman Josh Jung in the AL lineup for Tuesday’s game at Seattle. The non-Rangers are Tampa Bay first baseman Yandy Díaz and outfielder Randy Arozarena, Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Hays.

The only other teams with five position players to start the All-Star Game were the 1939 Yankees and the 1956, 1957 and 1976 Cincinnati Reds.

Judge hasn’t played since tearing a ligament in his right big toe June 3 while crashing into a bullpen gate as he made a catch at Dodger Stadium. Trout broke his left wrist fouling off a pitch Monday and had surgery Wednesday.

Clase, who is tied for first in the major leagues with 42 appearances and ranks fourth with 24 saves, withdrew from the All-Star Game in order to spend time with his pregnant girlfriend in the Dominican Republic. He will remain with the Guardians through Sunday’s home series finale against Kansas City.

Swanson is dealing with a bruised heel and decided not to play in the All-Star Game.

Julio Rodriguez Planning to Compete at This Year’s Home Run Derby

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Julio Rodriguez is throwing his bat in the ring…

The 22-year-old Dominican professional baseball player, a Seattle Mariners‘ star outfielder, has committed to the Home Run Derby, which will take place in his home city leading up to this year’s MLB All-Star Game.

Julio RodriguezRodriguez announced his decision through a video on social media, becoming the first player to say that he will take part in the event.

He later told reporters that he’s excited to be part of a derby in Seattle.

“This probably will never happen again in my career — being able to do that for them at the home field definitely will be something that I’m looking forward to,” he said. “I’m definitely going to try to do my best for them.”

Rodriguez shined as a rookie in last year’s event, electrifying the Dodger Stadium crowd with a stirring performance that saw him finish as the runner-up to Juan Soto.

Now 22, Rodriguez went on to sign a lucrative long-term extension, lead the Mariners to their first postseason appearance in more than 20 years and win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

“I know LA was cool. I enjoyed it,” Rodríguez said. “But being able to be at home and put on a show for the Mariners’ fans, I know it’s going to be really exciting.”

The Home Run Derby, a bracket-style event with timed rounds featuring eight participants, will take place July 10 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and will air on ESPN. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts recently told MLB Network he’d also take part if selected as part of the National League All-Star team, a near certainty given his .260/.359/.502 slash line.

Rodriguez is off to a slow start for a Mariners team that sits a game below .500 and is currently out of the playoff picture, batting .238/.300/.415 with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases. But he ranks within the top 10% in average exit velocity.

Yuli Gurriel Agrees to Minor League Contract with Miami Marlins Organization

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Yuli Gurriel has a new deal…

The 38-year-old Cuban professional baseball first baseman, nicknamed “La Piña,” and José Iglesias have agreed to minor league contracts with the Miami Marlins organization.

Yuli GurrielGurriel won the World Series with the Houston Astros last year after hitting .242 with 40 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBIs. In the postseason, he had 17 hits with a pair of home runs to help the Astros win their second title in six seasons.

Gurriel adds infield depth, and the Marlins could look for him to provide offense for a team that ranked in the bottom three in runs and slugging in 2022.

Born in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, Gurriel has a career .284 batting average.

It’s unclear where the Marlins could use Gurriel. Miami acquired 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez from the Minnesota Twins to play second base and moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. from second to center field.

Iglesias, 33, batted .292 last season with the Colorado Rockies and had a .981 fielding percentage as he made 116 starts at shortstop. Iglesias, who was born in La Habana, Cuba, has a .279 batting average. and .982 fielding percentage over 11 major league seasons with six teams.

Both players were to join the Marlins on Friday at their spring training facility. Miami opens the season March 30 at home against the New York Mets.

Gleyber Torres Agrees to One-Year, $9.95 Million Contract with New York Yankees

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Gleyber Torres is staying put…

The New York Yankees have agreed to a $9.95 million, one-year contract with the 26-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman, avoiding an arbitration hearing with the infielder by reaching a deal at the midpoint of proposed salaries.

Gleyber TorresThe Yankees announced the deal on Sunday.

Torres hit .257 with 24 homers and 76 RBIs in 140 games for the AL East champions last year.

Torres had asked for a raise from $6.25 million to $10.2 million in arbitration, and the Yankees had offered the second baseman $9.7 million.

A two-time MLB All-Star, Torres made his big league debut with New York. He is a .265 hitter with 98 homers and 310 RBIs in 576 career games.

He was New York’s last remaining player in arbitration. Nine Yankees agreed just before the exchange of proposed salaries on January 13: right-handers Frankie Montas ($7.5 million), Clay Holmes ($3.3 million), Domingo German ($2.6 million), Jonathan Loaisiga ($2,262,500) and Michael King ($1.3 million); left-handers Wandy Peralta ($3.35 million) and Nestor Cortes ($3.2 million); and catchers Jose Trevino ($2.36 million) and Kyle Higashioka ($1,462,500).

Twenty-nine major leaguers remain scheduled for hearings from Monday through February 17.

Minnesota Twins Trade Luis Arraez to Miami Marlins

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Luis Arraez is heading south for the winter…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman, the American League batting champion, is heading to the Miami Marlins for right-hander Pablo Lopez and a pair of prospects headed to the Minnesota Twins.

Luis ArraezThe deal, variations of which the teams have discussed for months, brings a much needed bat to the Marlins, adding to their winter signing of Jean Segura, who’s expected to play third base.

The cost was significant, though. In addition to Lopez, a talented starter who slots in toward the top of Minnesota’s rotation, the Marlins will send shortstop Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, two well-regarded teenagers, to the Twins.

“We’ve talked about it quite often, wanting to add offense this offseason,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said. “We’re willing to trade some of our pitching to do it. What we get in Luis Arraez is a left-handed, very good hitter.”

Arraez is a career .314 hitter with unparalleled bat-to-ball skills in the modern game. Last season, he made the MLB All-Star team and finished 13th in AL MVP balloting after hitting .316/.375/.420, scoring 88 runs and registering more walks (50) than strikeouts (43). He is not a free agent until after the 2025 season.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Arraez is the first player to win a batting championship and then be traded in the offseason since Rod Carew won the AL batting title in 1978 with the Twins and then was traded to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 1979 season.

“Anytime you have a player that’s well liked in the environment, who you know is going to go work and do it every day, which we got to see with Luis, it makes it harder,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “We’d love to have Luis and Pablo on our team, but to get something as impactful as what Pablo brings to our team, you have to give something impactful.”

Arraez joins a Marlins team with a strong rotation headlined by National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. Miami’s lineup, however, struggled mightily last year, with injuries sidelining second baseman Jazz Chisholm while free agent signees Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler disappointed.

Ng said Chisholm, who has played middle infield exclusively during his big league career, will move to center field to make room for Arraez as the full-time second baseman.

Arraez also has experience at first base — where he played more than any position last year — or a corner-outfield slot.

Arraez said he was taking a nap after a workout when the trade occurred.

“I was surprised, but this is baseball,” Arraez said. “This is a business. I’m ready to go now. I’m a Marlin and I’m excited to be here.”

Minnesota, meanwhile, can slot young slugger Jose Miranda at first base or play him at third and use Alex Kirilloff at first. Lopez joins a rotation with Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and a grab bag of other possibilities, from Chris Paddack — who just signed a three-year extension — to Tyler Mahle, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak.

Falvey told reporters that the Twins have discussed a six-man rotation but weren’t “ready to stamp that yet.”

“I’m really excited about coming to this team, the leaders they have in the clubhouse and the players they have to support each other,” Lopez said on a video interview with reporters. “It’s a mentality that really motivates me too. I ask and expect more of myself when it comes to my performance and the ways I can help out the team.”

Lopez threw a career-high 180 innings last season over 32 starts and registered a 3.75 ERA. He has long been a favorite of statistically inclined teams such as Minnesota for his ability to strike out batters (9.2 per nine innings over the past three seasons), limit walks (2.6 per nine over the same period) and keep the ball in the park.

“When you trade anyone it’s always difficult, particularly when you’re talking about someone like Pablo,” Ng said. “Just a first-class guy, tremendous human being. He’s done a lot for the Marlins organization.”

Salas, 19, is a borderline top-100 prospect, signed out of Venezuela for $2.8 million in 2019 after growing up in the Orlando area. He finished last season in High-A and is likely to start there again this year.

Chourio, 17, is a center fielder who hit .344/.429/.410 for the Marlins’ Dominican Summer League team last season.

Pablo Guerrero Signs International Deal with Texas Rangers

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Pablo Guerrero has a Lone Star future…

The Texas Rangers have signed the Dominican baseball outfielder, the son of MLB Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and younger brother of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, to an international deal.

Pablo Guerrero,The Guerrero family posted a photo of the signing ceremony in the Dominican Republic on social media.

The Rangers later announced all of their agreements through their Player Development Twitter account.

Guerrero’s father, Vlad Sr., played 16 years in Major League Baseball, including a one-year stint with the Texas Rangers in 2010 when the club made its first World Series appearance. Guerrero hit .300 with 29 home runs and 115 RBI.

Guerrero’s Hall-of-Fame career included nine All-Star Game appearances, eight Silver Slugger awards and the 2004 American League MVP award.

Guerrero Jr. plays for Toronto and is entering his fifth season as a first and third baseman. He is already a two-time All-Star and finished second in AL MVP voting in 2021.

Baseball America also reported several other Rangers international agreements, including Cuban outfielder Geisel Cepeda, Venezuelan catcher Juan Sulbaran, along with outfielder Brailyn More, shortstop Lisandro Mejia, and pitchers Snarlyn Encarnacion, Walkin Ortiz, Yormi Nivar, Felix Martinez and Frank Martinez, all from the Dominican Republic.

Pitchers and catchers report to the team’s facility in Surprise, Arizona, on February 15, with position players to follow on February 20.

The Spring Training game schedule starts on February 24 with a game against Kansas City at the Surprise complex shared with the Royals.

The Rangers will wrap up their exhibition season with a pair of games at Globe Life Field against the Royals on March 27 and 28. The Rangers open up the regular season at home against Philadelphia on March 30.

José Abreu Agrees to Three-Year Contract with Houston Astros

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José Abreu is celebrating an Astros-nominical deal…

The 35-year-old Cuban professional baseball player, who plays first base, and the Houston Astros have agreed to a three-year contract, according to ESPN.

José AbreuAbreu will add another run-producing bat to the World Series champions’ lineup that’s already filled with them.

Abreu, who turns 36 in January, won the American League MVP award in 2020 and is second in baseball with 863 RBIs since his first season in the major leagues, 2014. He hit .304/.378/.446 this year with the Chicago White Sox, for whom he had played all nine of his big league seasons after defecting from Cuba.

Following a dreadful first five weeks, Abreu was one of the best hitters in baseball over the final three-quarters of the season, batting .335/.405/.479, though his 15 home runs over the entire year were a career low.

He joins an Astros lineup with fellow Cuban Yordan Álvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña.

Abreu will replace Yuli Gurriel, a longtime rival in the Cuban National Series.

Abreu and Gurriel, along with Yoenis Cespedes, were widely regarded as the best players of their generation from Cuba, both high-contact hitters — though Abreu’s power was the separator.

The White Sox extended him for three years and $50 million after 2019, when he led the AL with 123 RBIs. Over his nine seasons, Abreu hit .292/.354/.506 with 243 home runs and an adjusted OPS 34% better than league average.

He’s the second signing for this winter for the Astros, who reupped reliever Rafael Montero on a three-year, $34.5 million contract. The Astros’ projected payroll is currently in the $175 million range — they’ve exceeded $187 million each of the previous five seasons — and they still hope to sign ace Justin Verlander, who could command upward of $40 million a year.