Might the Angels be the worst organization in MLB?
It’s not clear more reasoning was needed, but the Los Angeles Angels continue to look like one of the worst-run organizations in MLB.
The Athletic’s Sam Blum explains this one best himself:
This is the same organization that has finished below .500 in each of the last 10 seasons.
In another amusing twist, the team only gave Kurt Suzuki a one-year contract when he was named the manager. It coincides with the one year remaining on Minasian’s contract, but it doesn’t suggest that there is much confidence in either of their futures right now.
Suzuki will also have a brand new coaching staff, with Blum reporting late Thursday that none of the team’s coaches from last season are expected to return.
Cody Ponce named top pitcher in Korea
Hanwha Eagles right-hander Cody Ponce was named the unanimous winner of the KBO’s Choi Dong-won Award on Friday, as expected. Ponce won the Triple Crown in his first season in Korea, going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and a KBO-record 252 strikeouts.
Ponce is the third straight foreign-born pitcher to win the award.
The former 2nd round pick (2015) by the Brewers was traded to Pittsburgh at the 2019 trade deadline (for Jordan Lyles). He made 20 appearances (including 5 starts) for the Pirates between 2020 and 2021, going 1-7 with a 5.86 ERA over 55.1 IP.
Emmanuel Clase won’t pitch in a winter league
Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase have been sidelined since July while the league conducts an investigation brought on by reports from the Ohio Casino Control Commission that there had been “suspicious wagering activity” on certain Guardians games. The pair of Dominican pitchers both returned home for the offseason with plans to play in the LIDOM, but those efforts were thwarted when the winter league announced that neither player would be eligible this year.
No reasons were reported publicly for the decision, but given the working agreement between MLB and the various winter leagues, it’s safe to assume the ongoing investigation had an impact. The pitchers have since filed suit in the D.R. against the LIDOM and league president Vitellio Mejia, calling the decision to keep them from playing “a violation of the Dominican Constitution.”
Clase also attempted to join a team in the Venezuelan Winter League, but the Guardians would not permit him to do so. Under the agreement between MLB and the winter leagues, players must obtain approval from their parent clubs before participating in a winter league outside of their “native” country.
MLB should be announcing the findings of its investigation in the near future (the league is likely waiting until after the World Series).
Elsewhere, around the sport …
Matt Arnold has been promoted to president of baseball operations for the Brewers. Arnold has been the club’s general manager since November 2020, when David Stearns resigned to take a role leading the Mets’ front office.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is set to begin its inaugural season next spring. The league has finally announced the home cities for the initial four teams: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. No further details (mascots, logos, where they’ll play, etc.) have been revealed yet.
Despite reports to the contrary earlier this week, the Yomiuri Giants will indeed make infielder Kazuma Okamoto available to MLB teams through the posting system this offseason.