clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Demotions: Danny Duffy, Tyler Chatwood, Zach McAllister, Brad Hand

By Satchel Price
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 29: Danny Duffy #23 of the Kansas City Royals throws against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 29, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 29: Danny Duffy #23 of the Kansas City Royals throws against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 29, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Yesterday, we caught a bit of a wave when it comes to young pitcher demotions. I've gathered them all into one post here for the pleasure of your eyes and mind.

  • Danny Duffy: The best player on this post, Duffy saw some ups and downs in his first ten starts with the Royals this year. He's not being sent to Triple-A for poor performance, though; rather, the Royals are sending him to Omaha in order to maintain his starting schedule. If the 22-year-old sticked around in Kansas City, he'd go 12 days between starts due to the All-Star Break, and the Royals would clearly prefer to have him stick on his regular schedule by giving him a turn in Triple-A. Expect Duffy to be back after the break, as the Royals view him as a possible top-of-the-rotation starter in the long-term.
  • Tyler Chatwood: When the 21-year-old Chatwood was called up earlier in the season, the reaction was generally pretty poor to the whole thing. The right-hander had made just a handful of starts above Single-A before his promotion to the majors, and most talent evaluators believed that he needed extra seasoning in the minors. He'll be able to get it now, as the Angels have sent Chatwood to Triple-A to free up roster space for monster ultra prospect Mike Trout. Chatwood actually wasn't that bad in his 17 starts with LA, posting a 3.62 ERA and a 4.38 FIP, but his inability to miss bats is a bit concerning. He has the stuff, though, with a fastball that averaged 93 MPH, to end up in the middle of the Angels rotation for a while.
  • Zach McAllister: Acquired from the Yankees for Austin Kearns last year, McAllister was sent back to Triple-A yesterday to free up room on the roster for infielder Luis Valbuena. The 23-year-old only lasted just four innings in his MLB debut with the Indians earlier this week, but he'll likely get another shot soon if he continues to thrive with Columbus. The right-hander has mediocre stuff but strong command, and he's posted a 2.97 ERA (3.28 FIP) in 15 starts in the minors this year.

  • Brad Hand: In order to make room for catcher Chris Hatcher, the Marlins demoted young lefty Brad Hand back to the minors. Hand, who's just 21, actually posted a quality ERA in five starts with the Fish, but his underlying numbers were quite ugly. Hand doesn't have power stuff, so it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to miss bats in the majors, but he'll likely get an extended shot with the big league club at some point in the next year or so.

    • More From MLB Daily Dish