MLB Player News
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David Sandlin SP | BOS
Red Sox's David Sandlin: Fails to build up workload
Sandlin logged a 5.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 25.2 innings across eight starts for Double-A Portland.
Sandlin struck out 82 batters over 57.1 innings while splitting the season between High-A and Double-A. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs reports that Sandlin was limited by a forearm issue this season, and indeed, he didn't pitch between May 4 and June 15. Sandlin can touch 100 mph with his fastball and has a wicked slider, but he only logged five innings in a start once this year and will turn 24 in February.
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Mitch Bratt SP | TEX
Rangers' Mitch Bratt: Tough first taste of Double-A
Bratt logged a 5.45 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 33:12 K:BB in 33 innings over seven appearances for Double-A Frisco.
He wasn't as bad as his ERA, as 54.2 percent of his baserunners scored, but Bratt's walk rate jumped from 5.3 percent at High-A to 8.2 percent at Double-A while his strikeout rate dipped from 27.8 percent to 22.4 percent. Bratt's 22.5 K-BB% was the ninth-best mark among High-A pitchers who threw at least 70 innings, leading to his promotion to Double-A at the end of July. Bratt lacks high-end stuff, so he needs to be commanding his pitches to have success. Youth is working in his favor, however, as Bratt was the seventh-youngest pitcher with at least 30 innings at Double-A this year.
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Aldrin Batista SP | CHW
White Sox's Aldrin Batista: Dominant run at High-A
Batista had a 1.04 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 29:6 K:BB in 26 innings over five starts with High-A Winston-Salem.
Acquired from the Dodgers in August 2023 in exchange for international slot money, Batista posted a 3.51 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 84.2 innings across 17 starts for Single-A Kannapolis before getting promoted to Winston-Salem on Aug. 6. Batista is a slender 6-foot-2 righty who operates with a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a pair of decent secondary offerings. He built up to a career-best 110.2 innings this year and should spend a good chunk of 2025 in the upper levels of the minors.
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Santiago Suarez SP | TB
Rays' Santiago Suarez: Shows off pinpoint control
Suarez logged a 4.11 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 115:21 K:BB in 111.2 innings across 23 starts for Single-A Charleston.
Throw out Suarez's ERA, as his 3.51 FIP and 2.97 xFIP paint a more accurate picture of his performance. Suarez's 4.7 percent walk rate was the best mark among all qualified full-season pitchers who are 20 and under. His pinpoint control and ability to handle a starter's workload are encouraging traits, although Suarez's pure stuff is more in line with a future mid-rotation starter than a front-line starter. The Rays have several exciting pitching prospects coming off breakout seasons, but Suarez's floor (assuming reasonable health) is as high as any other arm in the system.
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Randy Arozarena LF | SEA
Mariners' Randy Arozarena: Productive in Monday's win
Arozarena went 2-for-5 with an RBI ground-rule double and a run in a win over the Astros on Monday.
Arozarena contributed to the Mariners' 13-hit barrage with only his second multi-hit effort in the last 13 games. The slugger does now have a 12-game on-base streak, and although he's hitting an unremarkable .244 in that stretch, that figure is accompanied by a .382 on-base percentage thanks in large part to a 14.5 percent walk rate.
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Echedry Vargas 2B | TEX
Rangers' Echedry Vargas: Power, speed in Carolina League
Vargas slashed .276/.321/.454 with 14 home runs and 29 steals in 97 games for Single-A Down East.
While the surface stats appear promising for the 19-year-old middle infielder, his 0.24 BB/K, 22.0 percent hard-hit rate and 25.5 percent soft-contact rate portend struggles in the upper levels. Vargas is an aggressive hitter who doesn't make consistent hard contact, so he projects to log low on-base percentages and potentially low batting averages. Even so, he could potentially log a 20/20 season or two if he finds his way into an everyday role. Vargas' projects to be a quality defender at second base or a passable defender at shortstop, and his most likely role is utility infielder who sometimes ascends to regular duty depending on injuries and performance.
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Victor Robles CF | SEA
Mariners' Victor Robles: On base three times in win
Robles went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Astros on Monday.
In what's become a near-daily occurrence, Robles served as a highly effective table-setting presence atop the order, posting his ninth multi-hit effort of September. The veteran early-summer addition has been nothing short of spectacular for the Mariners, posting a .336/.403/.474 slash line over his 75 games in a Seattle uniform and serving as a quintessential leadoff man with his plate discipline (16.9 percent strikeout rate) and speed (28-for-29 in stolen bases).
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Brendan White RP | DET
Tigers' Brendan White: Slated for bullpen session
White (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It would appear to be the first time White has thrown from the mound since he underwent a hydrodissection procedure last month to address radial nerve-related symptoms. The right-hander is done for the season, but if the procedure has the desired effect he should have a normal offseason and be ready to go for spring training.