Early 2016 Spring Training Grades for MLB Offseason's Biggest Acquisitions
Whether acquired as a free agent or via trade, the biggest acquisitions in baseball this past offseason all arrived in spring training with hefty expectations. Some have lived up to the hype. Others, well, let's just say they wish we were grading on a curve.
For our red pen spares nobody's feelings.
While it may seem unfair to grade someone now, considering that the exhibition season is less than two weeks old, those small sample sizes of work may provide some hints at what to expect and were the primary factor in how we handed out grades. Health, as well as off-field impact and issues, were also taken into account.
Players who re-signed with their previous team were not considered, so you won't see the likes of Yoenis Cespedes or Dexter Fowler on the pages that follow. What you will see, however, is a wide range of marks, from the very good to the very bad.
Who made the honor roll? Who finds themselves in danger of failing? Let's take a look.
Aroldis Chapman, CL, New York Yankees
1 of 10
Short of an injury or a season-long suspension, things couldn't have gone much worse for Aroldis Chapman's first spring training as a member of the New York Yankees.
Not only did MLB hit him with a 30-game suspension under its Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy, which will keep him sidelined until May 9, but he was hit hard in his first exhibition-game action.
"In his Yankee debut, Aroldis Chapman only lasted 0.2 innings," ESPN's Andrew Marchand recounted. "He threw 26 pitches, just nine were strikes. He hit two batters and allowed a run against the Blue Jays."
Eventually, his suspension and rough start to spring training will become an afterthought, and the focus will shift to the team's dominant late-inning trio of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman. But we're two months away from that taking place.
Grade: F
Johnny Cueto, SP, San Francisco Giants
2 of 10
You couldn't blame San Francisco fans for wondering whether it was Barry Zito in disguise, and not Johnny Cueto, who took the hill for the Giants against Colorado this past Wednesday.
Cueto, the team's latest big-money pitching addition, was about as ineffective as Zito was over seven years with the Giants, when he pitched to a 4.62 ERA and 1.44 WHIP and posted only one winning season (15-8 in 2012).
Colorado hit Cueto for five earned runs and four hits over only 1.1 innings of work, as he walked one and struck out two. "There were a few mistakes," Cueto told the San Jose Mercury News' Carl Steward after the game. "The ball wasn't breaking the way I wanted it to. But that's what spring training is for."
Grade: D-
Todd Frazier, 3B, Chicago White Sox
3 of 10
Have you ever heard Todd Frazier sing...in Spanish? Jose Abreu has.
"Yeah, he came singing some funny song," Abreu told the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan through an interpreter. "I liked it. I like his personality, and it's good for us as a team. Especially for us, as Latins, it's good to see one of the guys trying to hang around with us."
If all Frazier's arrival did was make Abreu feel more comfortable and help to change the chemistry in the clubhouse, then the three-team deal that bought the two-time All-Star to Chicago would have been worth it.
But Frazier has done exactly what he was expected to do—fill a gaping hole at third base. Through six spring games, he's hitting .286 (4-for-14) with three extra-base hits (two doubles and a home run), three RBI and a .937 OPS.
Grade: A
.png?w=256)
Zack Greinke, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
4 of 10
Most pitchers would be happy after throwing five scoreless innings over their first two spring appearances with a new team. But Zack Greinke isn't like most pitchers.
"I was a little uncomfortable with guys on base," Greinke told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert after a three-inning stint against San Diego in which he allowed four hits. "I didn't do as good with guys on base, and hopefully the next time I'll be a little more comfortable with guys on base. I just wasn't as comfortable or just didn't feel as comfortable on the mound."
While he hasn't been as sharp as he'd like, you can't argue with the results. Five scoreless innings are five scoreless innings, no matter how ugly some of them may have been.
Grade: A
Jason Heyward, OF, Chicago Cubs
5 of 10
It's been slow going for Jason Heyward and the Chicago Cubs this spring, with the team winning only one of its first nine exhibition contests and the $182 million outfielder reaching base only twice in 10 plate appearances, striking out four times.
But that hasn't made the 26-year-old begin to question his decision to leave the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals over the winter.
"I've had good at-bats the last couple days," Heyward told the Associated Press (via USA Today). "I know what I have to do [to] get myself ready and (the Cubs) let each one of us do that as players. It's been fun, a great atmosphere to come into every day and come to work."
Defensively, Heyward hasn't missed a beat, showing off his instincts and throwing arm in nailing Arizona's Jake Lamb at second base with a rocket from right field.
Grade: C
Shelby Miller, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
6 of 10
Shelby Miller's second spring appearance—three innings of one-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels—was better than his first, and he walked off the mound pleased with his progress.
"It's still early in spring training," Miller told Fox Sports' Chris Gabel. "We still have a ways to go. For where we are right now, I feel comfortable and confident, and my goal is to keep working forward."
Through five spring innings, Miller has allowed three earned runs and nine hits, walking two while failing to record a strikeout. Those kinds of numbers have done nothing to make the criticism Arizona faced over the winter for overpaying to obtain him from Atlanta look misplaced.
Grade: C-
David Price, SP, Boston Red Sox
7 of 10
Former teammates have been singing David Price's praises for months, so its no surprise that it took the southpaw no time at all to make his presence felt in his first spring training as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
"I've had a chance to spend a little bit of time with him. He's everything you hear outside of being his teammate," Boston right-hander Joe Kelly remarked to MLB.com's Ian Browne. "He's made an instant impact on guys. He's got that presence and that demeanor of the way he handles his business even without saying anything."
That he allowed back-to-back home runs against Minnesota in his spring debut was of no concern, as he told the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman:
"I'm process oriented, I'm not results oriented at all. Can't worry about the results. Have to stay focused on your process and that's what I do. I went three innings, I don't know how many pitches I threw, but I know I can go back out there and give four more innings of no-run baseball, and then I'm sitting there at seven innings with two runs and that's fine.
"
Grade: A-
Jeff Samardzija, SP, San Francisco Giants
8 of 10
Jeff Samardzija was downright nasty in his second appearance of the spring for San Francisco, tossing three innings of one-run ball against division-rival Los Angeles and striking out the side—Carl Crawford, Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig—in the bottom of the first inning.
"Every time out I want to have a strong first inning," Samardzija told the Associated Press after the game (via the San Francisco Examiner). "It can make for a longer day if the first is a grind. You want to strike a balance to be under control and still carry the excitement of pitching out there."
While he's allowed seven baserunners over his first five innings of work in a Giants uniform (five hits and two walks), he's kept the damage to a minimum, surrendering only two earned runs in the process while striking out five batters.
Grade: B
Justin Upton, OF, Detroit Tigers
9 of 10
It's been a rather ugly start to spring training for Justin Upton.
He's struck out nine times, tied with Houston's Jonathan Singleton for the most in baseball, is hitting only .143 (2-for-14) with a pair of singles and has already dealt with an injury scare after center fielder Anthony Gose stepped on his left ankle while the two moved into position to catch a fly ball to left-center.
But for all the swinging-and-missing he's done, Upton has also shown a newfound patience at the plate, posting a 22 percent walk rate with four free passes in 18 plate appearances. That mixed bag of results saves him from the lower grade he probably deserves.
Grade: C-
Jordan Zimmermann, SP, Detroit Tigers
10 of 10
No matter who you ask, everyone associated with the Detroit Tigers has been impressed with Jordan Zimmermann thus far, despite the right-hander allowing five earned runs and six hits over 6.1 innings of work.
"I know he gave up a couple homers, but his stuff was good," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. Those home runs—a pair of two-run shots off the bat of Philadelphia's Maikel Franco—account for the bulk of the damage done against him this spring.
"Everyone's working on stuff, but Zimm I thought had good stuff," catcher James McCann told Sipple.
While he sits with a bloated 7.11 ERA through two appearances, Zimmermann has also struck out five batters and posted a more than respectable 1.11 WHIP, indicating that, aside from the two mistakes he made with Franco, he's been good for a pitcher still trying to find his way with a new team.
Grade: C-
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
.png?w=480)
