June 15: Detmers / Morejon / Ritchie
Secret deadline candidate, FA-year reliever, well-controlled prospect, I have the bases covered today!
Section I: Reid Detmers and the no good very bad LA Angels
The Angels no. 2(?) is a secret gem for playoff hunters. His ERA isn’t as pretty as the metrics suggest, as he’s sitting on a flat 4.00. Both xERA and FIP demand a sub-3 ERA for the lefty. Given the Angels already need to rebuild completely and position as sellers, a solid prospect package could entice the Halos to move him.
Statcast is shiny for the former first-rounder, low walks, high Ks and solid lefty velocity is a recipe for success. The slider especially deserves its praises for the gyro-style breaking profile that has a miniscule .187 BA-against. Detmers is the epitome of a postseason arm, heavy strikeouts, a great breaking offering, and enough in between the arsenal to keep hitters off balance. Potential suitors for Reid include the major contenders like the Braves, Brewers, Padres, etc. It’s also possible he lands with fringe contenders like the White Sox given how compressed the entire AL is.
Section II: Adrian Morejon
For teams seeking help out of the ‘pen, Morejon will be the story this offseason. He’s a wipeout lefty (great, another one) for the Padres currently tossing his free agent year. A testament to San Diego’s bullpen strength in the last few years, he’s accumulated exactly 6 saves in the last 3 years as he’s pitched behind the likes of Mason Miller and Robert Suarez.
This would be a closer for almost any other team in baseball. It’s safe to say that Morejon “chucks cheddar” with an average velocity flirting with 100.
The statcast sheet speaks for itself. Facing Adrian is a nightmare for hitters. If you don’t strike out, you’re probably hitting it in the dirt at the shortstop at barely 50 mph. To whichever team has to throw hands with San Diego to advance in the postseason, good luck in the late innings. Imagine facing this and then hearing Korn over the speakers at Petco Park. Oof.
Section III: JR Ritchie
The Braves no. 2 was recently recalled as Atlanta got squeezed for pitching help. When Spencer Strider exited Friday’s game with elbow inflamation, young JR came in to mop up 5 innings of shutout ball. Good stuff rook.
The 22 year-old has struggled with walking too many, and wasn’t able to put up enough strikeouts to stay up after his big league debut. The curveball is his best offering, and pairing that with the two-seam spells out success in his future. Ritchie will just need to throw enough strikes to stick in the rotation. The strong kitchen sink mix and high-floor future for the right hander will help to push Atlanta into its new core over the next few years.