Tag Archives: American League

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Top Prospect Josue De Paula Wins MVP Award at MLB Futures Game Following Three-Run Home Run

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Josue De Paula is a most valuable player…

The 20-year-old Dominican American baseball player, the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ top prospect, blasted a three-run home run in the MLB Futures Game to lead the National League to a 4-2 win over the American League at Truist Park, winning the Larry Doby Award as the exhibition’s MVP.

Josue De PaulaAfter flying out in his first at-bat, De Paula, the NL‘s starting left fielder, saw two sliders from 6-foot-10 left-hander Noah Schultz, the Chicago White Sox‘s top prospect.

De Paula took the first pitch for a ball and the second for a strike. Schultz tried sneaking another one by De Paula and the left-handed slugger pounced, swatting the hanging slider 416 feet over the right-field wall.

“I just wanted to go up there and see ball, hit ball,” De Paula said, “knowing that we didn’t have any information on these pitchers.”

De Paula was born and raised in New York City, but his family moved to the Dominican Republic in 2021 so he could pursue a professional baseball career after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down his high school baseball season.

He signed with the Dodgers for $397,500 in January 2022 during what would’ve been his junior year of high school.

After spending that summer in the Dominican Summer League, De Paula returned to the United States to play for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2023. This season, he’s batting .265 with 10 home runs and an .835 OPS in 78 games for High-A Great Lakes.

He has spent his offseasons training in the Dominican Republic with New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

“It’s a lot on the mental side, not physical, because I feel like all the physical is always going to be there,” De Paula said. “The mental tips and just how to go about their work, how to go about their day, their routine, just how to handle yourself.”

LuJames Groover, a third baseman in the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ organization, delivered the only multihit outing with two infield singles. He scored the NL‘s fourth run of the fourth inning on Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie‘s double.

The AL scored the game’s first two runs on an infield single from White Sox prospect Braden Montgomery in the third inning and Texas Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott‘s sacrifice fly in the fourth.

New York Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. played all seven innings for the AL, starting at second base before moving to shortstop. He went 1-for-2 with a double, walk, steal and run scored.

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie started for the NL in his organization’s home ballpark and tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk. New York Mets prospect Jonah Tong, whose 125 strikeouts led the minors entering the weekend, followed Ritchie and tossed another scoreless inning with a fastball that touched 97 mph. He struck out Seattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford on a curveball.

“I honestly felt more comfortable than I thought I was going to,” said Tong, who has a 1.83 ERA in 15 starts for Double-A Binghamton this season. “Just taking a really deep breath and realizing that I’ve been here. The stage was a little bit bigger, but it was a lot of fun.”

Tampa Bay Rays Slugger Junior Caminero to Compete in MLB’s Home Run Derby

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Junior Caminero is ready to come out swinging…

The 22-year-old Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, who leads all American League third basemen in home runs, said Wednesday that he’ll take part in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Atlanta.

Junior Caminero“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” Caminero said before Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. “Just being there with all those other [MLB] All-Stars, it’s going to be something very special.”

Caminero followed that up by hitting his 22nd home run of the season in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. He is batting .254 with 58 RBIs in 87 games this season.

He is the sixth contestant for the Home Run Derby, joining Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MLB still has to name two more contestants to fill out the field of eight sluggers.

Caminero was chosen as a replacement for the MLB All-Star Game earlier this week as a substitute for the Boston Red Sox‘s injured Alex Bregman.

Caminero will be the fourth Tampa Bay player to compete in the Home Run Derby, joining Evan Longoria (2008), Carlos Pena (2009) and Randy Arozarena (2023).

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Takes Lead Among American League First Basemen in MLB All-Star Voting

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is taking the lead…

The 26-year-old Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, a four-time MLB All-Star, has jumped ahead of seven-time MLB All-Star Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees for the top spot at first base in the American League as the first stage of Major League Baseball‘s All-Star Game balloting nears its conclusion.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,Guerrero, who will tie a franchise record if he’s selected by the fans for a fourth time, has garnered 1,192,604 votes for a season that has him batting .279 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs through 76 games. Goldschmidt, the National League’s MVP in 2022, remains in striking distance with 1,118,501 votes.

Also going for a franchise record is Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who seeks a fifth MLB All-Star nod from the fans that would match Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy for the most in Braves history.

Acuna, who would get to play in front of his home fans July 15 at Truist Park, jumped two spots in the latest tabulations to rank fourth among National League outfielders with 1,140,061 votes. His leap is likely due to the .396/.504/.698 slash line he has produced — along with 29 runs and eight home runs — in 27 games since returning from the injured list May 23.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks well on his way to his first All-Star appearance as he leads the majors in home runs with 31. His 1,901,389 votes are tops among all American League catchers and rank second overall in the AL.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who have combined to win five of the past eight Most Valuable Player awards, continue to lead the way in overall voting.

Judge, the New York Yankees slugger who paces the majors in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.468) and slugging percentage (.727), leads all players with 2,699,483 fan votes.

Ohtani, who has amassed an MLB-best 76 runs to go with a .291 batting average, 26 homers and 11 steals, leads in the NL with 2,521,718 votes.

This year’s All-Star Game balloting process features two stages of fan voting. The current stage runs through Thursday. At that point, the top two vote-getters at each position (including six outfielders) in each league will engage in a runoff to determine which players will start July 15 at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Field.

Here are the top American League vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Seattle’s Cal Raleigh
First base: Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Second base: Detroit’s Gleyber Torres (1,133,888)
Shortstop: Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson (1,120,791)
Third base: Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (1,780,631)

The top three AL outfielders are Judge and Detroit’s Riley Greene (1,370,098) and Javier Baez (901,969). Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn (937,205) leads AL designated hitters.

Ohtani and his Dodgers teammates are well-represented among the National League’s top vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Los Angeles’ Will Smith (2,099,944)
First base: Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman (2,095,672)
Second base: Arizona’s Ketel Marte (1,561,235)
Shortstop: New York’s Francisco Lindor (1,641,053)
Third base: San Diego’s Manny Machado (1,683,022)

The top three NL outfielders are Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong (2,005,630) and Kyle Tucker (1,219,866) along with Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez (1,366,537).

Ohtani’s total votes put him in first place in DH voting for the NL, followed by San Francisco’s Rafael Devers (1,103,085) and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki (641,687).

Seattle Mariners Claim Leody Taveras from Texas Rangers

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Leody Taveras is headed to the Emerald City.

The Seattle Mariners the 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder off waivers from their American League West rival Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Leody TaverasThe Mariners also designated right-hander Luis F. Castillo for assignment.

Taveras spent the first six years of his Major League Baseball career with Texas and started all five games of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in center field.

But the Rangers placed Taveras on outright waivers after Sunday’s game against the Mariners.

Taveras was batting .241 with one home run, eight RBIs and six stolen bases through 30 games. He’s a career .240 hitter with 39 homers, 168 RBIs and 72 stolen bases since making his major league debut in 2020.

Meanwhile, Castillo, 30, made two starts earlier this season and pitched to a 7.71 ERA, with seven walks to just five strikeouts. He previously had not played in the big leagues since 2022 with the Detroit Tigers.

Jorge Polanco Agrees to One-Year, $7.75 Million Deal with Seattle Mariners

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Jorge Polanco is a marinero again…

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball infielder will return to the Seattle Mariners after agreeing to a one-year, $7.75 million contract, per ESPN.

Jorge PolancoIn the process, the Mariners filled a hole at third base.

The deal includes a vesting option for 2026 that is based on plate appearances, according to The Athletic, which first reported the agreement.

Polanco, a switch-hitter, had his best season in 2019, producing an .841 OPS with 22 home runs and finishing 13th in American League MVP voting. His offensive numbers remained solid from 2021 to 2023, during which he slashed .255/.333/.462 and posted a 120 adjusted OPS with the Minnesota Twins. 

But Polanco’s production dipped in Seattle, which has historically been difficult on hitters. He hit 16 home runs in 118 games and maintained his discipline within the strike zone in 2024, but his OPS finished at a career-low .651 and his adjusted OPS, which adjusts for park factors, was seven percentage points below the league average.

The Mariners boast a young, dynamic starting rotation that is arguably the best in the AL but have been held back for years by a lack of consistent offensive production. Their pitching staff held the second-lowest ERA in the majors last year, but their offense ranked 22nd in OPS, prompting them to miss the playoffs for a second straight time after a breakthrough 2022 season.

The Mariners are hoping a full season of Randy Arozarena, whom they acquired before the trade deadline last July, and a bounce-back campaign from young superstar Julio Rodriguez will go a long way toward improving their lineup. But they’d still like to add another bat, even with Polanco’s return. Second and first base remain positions the team can upgrade.

Carlos Estévez Reportedly Agrees to Two-Year, $22.2 Million Contract with Kansas City Royals

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Carlos Estévez has reportedly agreed to a royal(s) deal…

The 32-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a two-year, $22.2 million contract with a club option, per ESPN sources.

Carlos EstévezEstevez’s potential hiring adds a veteran reliever to a Royals team hoping to continue its run of success after a surprise postseason appearance last year.

The deal will pay Estévez $10.1 million in each of the first two years, with the club option worth $13 million and a $2 million buyout.

Estévez has spent the past two seasons as a closer — first for the Los Angeles Angels and then, following a July trade, the Philadelphia Phillies — with a high-octane fastball and a swing-and-miss slider and changeup.

While his strikeout rate dipped last year, his walks came down significantly as well and unleashed the best version of him.

With a weak bullpen in the first half of last season, Kansas City upgraded at the trade deadline by acquiring right-hander Lucas Erceg — who became a dominant closer down the stretch — and right-hander Hunter Harvey, who missed the postseason with injuries. Estévez’s presence alongside Erceg gives Kansas City a potent one-two punch in the late innings to complement one of the American League’s best rotations.

Coming off a 106-loss season, the Royals improved by 30 games and beat the Baltimore Orioles in the wild-card round before losing to the eventual American League champion New York Yankees.

Kansas City re-signed starter Michael Wacha and traded for second baseman Jonathan India early in the winter, then re-signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

Estévez enriches a bullpen that includes right-handers Erceg, Harvey and John Schreiber and a panoply of left-handers: Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch and potentially Kris Bubic, who is expected to compete with Lorenzen and right-hander Kyle Wright for Kansas City’s fifth starter job.

After spending six seasons in Colorado, Estévez signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with the Angels and ascended into the closer role. Since signing with Los Angeles, he has saved 57 games and struck out 128 while walking 43 in 117⅓ innings with a 3.22 ERA.

Félix Hernández Among 14 New Candidates on the Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

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Félix Hernández is on the ballot.

The 38-year-old Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher, nicknamed “King Félix,” is among 14 new candidates on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released on Monday, joining 14 holdovers.

Félix HernándezHernández, the 2010 American League (AL) Cy Young winner and a six-time MLB All-Star, won the 2010 and 2014 AL ERA titles.

He was 169-136 with a 3.42 ERA and 2,524 strikeouts for Seattle from 2005-19. Hernández pitched the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 15, 2012.

Hernandez isn’t the only Latino to become a first-time candidate.

Outfielder Carlos González, reliever Fernando Rodney and infielder Hanley Ramírez also are among the Latino newcomers on the ballot.

González was a three-time MLB All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and the 2010 National League (NL) batting champion. He hit .285 with 234 homers, 785 RBIs and 122 stolen bases for Oakland (2008), Colorado (2009-18), Cleveland (2019) and the Chicago Cubs (2019).

Pedroia was a four-time MLB All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, helping Boston to World Series titles in 2007 and 2013. He batted .299 with 140 homers, 725 and 138 steals for the Red Sox from 2006-19, winning the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and 2008 AL MVP.

Ramírez was voted the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year and won the 2009 NL batting title, becoming a three-time MLB All-Star. He hit .289 with 271 homers, 917 RBIs and 281 stolen bases for Boston (2005, 2015-18), the Florida and Miami Marlins (2006-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2012-14) and Cleveland (2019).

Other Latino holdovers include steroids-tainted stars Alex Rodriguez (134 votes, 34.8%) and Manny Ramirez (125, 32.5%) along with Carlos Beltran (220, 57.1%), Omar Vizquel (68, 17.7%), Bobby Abreu (57, 14.8%) and Francisco Rodríguez (30, 7.8%).

Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) members with 10 or more consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Ballots must be postmarked by December 31 and results will be announced January 23. Anyone elected will be inducted on July 27 along with anyone chosen December 8 by the hall’s classic baseball committee considering eight players and managers whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

Luis Gil Named American League Rookie of the Year

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Luis Gil is celebrating a special honor…

The 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees has been named the MLB’s American League Rookie of the Year

Luis GilGil, a revelation two-plus years removed from Tommy John surgery, edged out teammate and catcher Austin Wells and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser to win the award in the AL in a tight race.

Gil tallied 15 of the 30 first-place votes, narrowly topping Cowser, who finished with 13 first-place votes and five points behind Gil. Oakland A‘s closer Mason Miller and Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith each earned one first-place vote.

The five-point differential marks the second-closest election in an AL Rookie of the Year race since the three-player ballot was introduced in 2003.

“I was focused on having a good year, on helping the team win as much as I could and being focused on my career,” Gil said.

Gil entered spring training an afterthought in the Yankees’ plan, slated to start the season in the minors after being sent to minor league camp in early March.

The Yankees had their starting rotation set. Gil had electric stuff but command was a concern and he logged only four innings in A-ball in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. Then Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, was shut down because of an elbow injury shortly thereafter, opening a spot for Gil. He did not relinquish it.

Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts. He led all AL rookies in wins, innings pitched (151⅔) and strikeouts (171). His 1.82 ERA through 12 starts helped the Yankees navigate the club’s 2½ months without Cole to start the season and solidified his place in the rotation for the remainder of the season. He gave up one or fewer hits in five outings, tied for the most by a rookie since the mound was moved to 60 feet, six inches in 1893, according to ESPN Research. He didn’t giver up an earned run in six of his starts, the most by a Yankees rookie since 1913.

Gil is the 10th Yankees player to win the honor. He is the first Yankee to win it since Aaron Judge in 2017 and the first Yankees pitcher since Dave Righetti in 1981.

“He worked so hard to put himself in a strong position heading into spring training after coming back from Tommy John surgery,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. “Without a guarantee of a major-league spot, he absolutely kicked in the door this spring and went on to have a phenomenal rookie season. Luis continued to mature and develop all year and was one of the pillars of our rotation.”

Houston Astros Star Jose Altuve Earns Silver Slugger Award for the Seventh Time

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Jose Altuve has earned another special MLB prize…

The 34-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman led the field of Silver Slugger honorees, picking up the award for the seventh time in his career.

Jose AltuveMajor League Baseball revealed the 2024 Silver Sluggers on Tuesday, as voted on by major league managers and coaches. The group features seven first-time winners and 14 different clubs with at least one honoree.

Altuve was picked as the American League second baseman winner after he batted .295 with a .789 OPS, 20 home runs, 31 doubles and 65 RBIs in 153 games in 2024. He was an MLB All-Star for the ninth time.

Other Latino players to win in the American League include Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez and outfielders Juan Soto of the New York Yankees and Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles.

Latino players receiving Silver Slugger awards in the National League include Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The full list of winners is as follows:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Second base: Altuve, Astros
Third base: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Outfield: Judge, Yankees; Juan Soto, Yankees; Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
Designated hitter: Brent Rooker, Oakland Athletics
Utility: Josh Smith, Texas Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
First base: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Second base: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
Third base: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Outfield: Jackson Merrill, Padres; Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers; Jurickson Profar, Padres
Designated hitter: Ohtani, Dodgers
Utility: Betts, Dodgers

Alex Cora Agrees to Three-Year Contract Extension with Boston Red Sox

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Alex Cora is staying the Red…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican MLB baseball manager and former infielder has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox that’ll make him the second highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball.

Alex Cora,The deal to end his lame-duck status will keep him in Boston for a total of $21.75 million, per ESPN.

Cora has helped shepherd the Red Sox to a surprising 54-47 record through Wednesday.

Boston trails the Kansas City Royals (56-46) by 1.5 games for the final American League wild-card spot prior to the Royals’ game Wednesday night.

“I had a tremendous amount of respect for Alex long before I took this job; that respect has only grown these last several months,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said in a statement. “He is an incredible people connector, something I have enjoyed watching firsthand. He has embraced Boston’s passionate fans and we share a desire to win as much as they do, both in 2024 and in the future.

“I’m happy to be able to extend our commitment to Alex, and I look forward to our partnership continuing to grow.”

Cora’s deal was set to expire after this season, his sixth as Red Sox manager.

“What this organization means to us is the world,” Cora said Wednesday. “They trusted me from day one, they doubled down on me in ’21 after everything that happened in ’17. There were a lot of conversations in the offseason, and I just want to be happy and comfortable.”

Coming off back-to-back 78-84 seasons and last-place finishes in the American League East, the Red Sox have thrived despite carrying their lowest Opening Day payroll in a decade at just over $170 million. The steady production of star third baseman Rafael Devers and emergence of center fielder Jarren Duran and starter Tanner Houck have thrust the Red Sox into the playoff picture, and with a core of young position players nearing the big leagues, Boston’s future is on the upswing.

Whether that future would include Cora was a question that has hung over the organization all season. Regarded as one of the game’s best managers, Cora has left Boston before — after he was fired prior to the 2020 season following the revelation of his prominent role in the Houston Astros‘ 2017 sign-stealing scheme.

Boston re-hired Cora in 2021, turning back to the manager who had won a World Series with the Red Sox in his first season as manager in 2018. The Red Sox made a surprising run to the American League Championship Series (ALCS ) in 2021 but the team has been turned over almost entirely since then, and their two big free agent signings — shortstop Trevor Story and outfielder Masataka Yoshida — have been injured and disappointing, respectively.

The deal keeps Cora from hitting free agency a year after Craig Counsell‘s contract with the Milwaukee Brewers expired and he joined the Chicago Cubs on a five-year, $40 million contract.

Cora said in March he didn’t expect talks on an extension to continue during the season. But he said Wednesday discussions had been ongoing recently with Breslow.

“Sometimes I put an act on for (the media),” Cora said with a chuckle. “I was actually telling the truth. We’ve been talking for a few weeks and the relationship between me and Craig has grown the last six, seventh months.”

Cora said his wife, Nilda, and their children are happy living in Boston.

“I promise you, this decision was more based on the comfort of my family than my professional career,” he said.